“I’m not leaving without sticking that Schlong-Dog in my mouth!”

I was in shock. It was the biggest fucking hot dog I had ever seen. I walked into to The Fat Dog and I asked the waitress what food they were known for? She mentioned a few things, we ordered, we sat down and the guy sitting next to us gets this GINORMOUS hot dog. I’m in shock! He looks at me and says, “Yea want to take a pictures of this?”

I pointed my camera in the air snapped a few photos and when the waitress came back I told her I needed to have one of those.

It was a nice Thursday afternoon Laura and I decided to get out. Tons of people have been telling me about this butcher shop on Fairfax called Lindy & Grundy and that I needed to go check it out. The shop opened up about 8 months ago and is run by two young women. The idea is that all the meat is organic and prepared right there in the butcher shop. This place has everything. Lamb bacon, pork bacon, beef bacon, as well aged meat they prepare right there on the spot…

I have been interested in doing an interview with Amelia and Erika to launch my pod cast next year. So I wanted to introduce myself and see if they would entertain the idea of me doing a blog post, photos, and a pod cast. They were a bit busy at the time so Laura and I decided to get something to eat. Next door was a coffee shop called the Commissary and then right next to that was The Fat Dog. Screw it! Let’s check it out.

It was only 3pm so it wasn’t really busy but I could imagine on a Friday night that this place would be hoppin’. We checked out the menu and I saw meat so it was good enough for me. The server said to sit wherever. The booths were nice and big and long. Perfect for the big boys like me.

I asked the server what they were known for on the menu. She said everything was very good, she pointed out the Jalapeño Mac and Cheese. So we got that; you can add hickory-smoked bacon and crab, so of course I added both. She also recommended a dish called “The Flight” it was 3 different mini burgers (1) Bacon & Guacamole (2) Mushroom & Swiss (3) Caramelized Onions & Gruyére. We got that as well and decided to wait and see how we felt afterwards to decide if we might want more (I always want more but she is in charge!).

Our drinks came quick Laura got the Coronado Islander (IPA) and I of course got the epic diet coke. I was told the beer was tasty with a kick but smooth on the way in. Medium, not too heavy, a great compliment to the food, and a perfect excuse for a nap afterwards.

The vibe here is really nice and laid back. They have wifi (password is the phone #) it is not too busy, not dead, but just enough people watching to entertain you while you work. The food came quickly and it looks marvelous. The mac and cheese was nice and stringy with chunks of bacon, minimal crab, and just enough kick to remind you there are jalapeños in it. It is not too wet or dry, but just perfect. Eat it too quickly and it may get a little spicy. Very little crab, not enough for me to get excited over but just enough flavor for sure.

The burgers were nice little handfuls of tastiness. There is a hint of extra flavor in each burger, just enough to go well together, but not enough to have to take a break between. The fries were crisp, thin, and simple. You could tell lots of love went in to those dishes and the cook wanted you to know that.

So as we where sitting there eating I see the waitress walk over to another table near us with a GIANT (at least 18”) hot dog with a bunch of little topping dishes next to it. I mean it was huge… This was the John Holmes of Hot Dogs. You knew it meant business and at the same time couldn’t stop thinking about how phallic it was. I knew right away I wasn’t leaving with out sticking this Schlong-Dog in my mouth.  So the second I saw the server I said, “Yea, I need to have what he is having!”

In minutes I had the most hung hot dog I had ever seen right in front of me. Lets just say yea Laura was jealous. She was already full from all the food so sneaking a bite wasn’t an option. The dog came with a side of ketchup, mustard, onions, pepperoncini, relish, and jalapeños. The flavor wasn’t anything special, it was your typical beef hot dog and standard bun, but all in all it was a complete blast.

The whole experience was awesome. The fun getting to take on something that everybody is starting at. That is what I call “Shock Food” people come from all over just to see someone eat it. The only issue is more often than not it ends up being all about the shock value and not about the flavor. I just wish there was some flavor pay off to eating this gigantic hot dong.

If I am going to get stared at for shoving something that big in my mouth I at least want the taste to be the pay off. Unfortunately I was not able to finish, but left with just a few scraps on the table.

So if it is not always about the prize, and more about the journey along the way I recommend you journey to The Fat Dog and see if you can finish this impressive beast of a hot dog… And if you can’t you can go MEAT ME!

For more information on The Fat Dog go to:
http://www.thefatdogla.com/hollywood.html
Twitter https://twitter.com/thefatdogla

I went back to Lindy and Grundy and they are totally into the idea of doing a feature with me. So make sure you look for that next month. In the mean time you can check them out at:
http://lindyandgrundy.com/index.htm
Twitter https://twitter.com/lindyGrundy

Me Love You Long Dog,
Sean Rice aka MEAT ME!

How am I going to even fit that in my mouth?

Yes it was that fuckin’ big. I woke up this morning with one thing on my mind. All I wanted was a Napoleons and an Éclair from Café Tropical. Located right in the heart of Silverlake, CA. I know… It is not meat, but it is sweet and that rhymes so that is how I am justifying it. Plus I promise I will not disappoint. If you were driving by this place you would not think much of it at all. You might even even consider it a dump, but trust me you don’t want to judge this book by its cover.

I have always associated Silverlake with a city filled with culture. It is kind of like Hollywood, but without all the tourists and occupied by ethnicities that actually give a shit.

At every restaurant or shop they are always planning an event to get the community involved. If it is not an art show every place always has that little something extra that makes it feel special. At Café Topical everything is bigger and bigger. Yea, that is not a typo. Their shit is GINORMOUS.

Café Tropical is a great place to start the day. They have wonderful coffee (so I’ve heard, sorry not a coffee drinker) great breakfast options and a cozy space to stop, sit and enjoy the internet. There are little knick-knacks all over the place so if you even forget your laptop you’ll have plenty to keep yourself occupied. Plus with the AA type meeting room next door the people watching is never ending.

Normally when I am out I take all my pictures with my little Canon digital elph. Which at first I did, but after I saw the lighting, I knew that camera wasn’t going to do this any justice. It was time to bring out the big guns. Having gone to Art Center for photography I knew this was inevitable. This glorious food was in need of serious photographic respect. Just those cookies are 7 to 9 inches across.

As you stroll through the café all you see is giant over sized food. I literally feel like I am walking through Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. It truly is a marvel. The breakfast they offer is not as huge but just as tasty. They also serve a variety of meaty Cuban sandwiches. With that said, you can see I am not straying too far from my meaty roots.

With so much going on 12 minutes had gone by before I even got to ordering. I do not live in near by so I never know if they have specials or events going on, but if anyone knows… please feel free to drop some hints in the comments section.

I finally make it to the counter, and they are quick. If you don’t know what you want you will start feeling like your wasting their time. Deciding not to get too fatty I ordered the éclair and the napoleon. After all it was just the first meal of the day. Keep in mind each is so big that they get their own box. Having paid I needed to get home as fast as I could to photograph these delights.

I made the mistake of using a large plate (8"x 14" to be exact) to photograph the Napoleon. That was all it would fit on, so you really don’t get just how big this beast really is. It is 2 and a ½ inches wide, 3 and a ½ inches tall and over 6 inches long. I swear it had to weigh a least a pound. The éclair was a little shorter than I was used to, but wider in the middle. It came in at 3 and a ¼ inches wide, 3 inches tall and over 6 inches long...

I urge you to take a moment to fathom how big this really is. I got smarter with the éclair and put it on a desert plate. It is so massive it crumbled, creamed and oozed all over my mouth (Yep, I just got excited!). It almost died but I only took one bite of each so I wouldn't spoil my lunch. Plus I am attempting to enjoy this in moderation, but that is probably not going to happen.

Even as I think about it now, I really can’t take it any more. Once this is up I’m straight for the fridge. I will probably cut off about an inch on each piece. Put them in the same bowl with 2 scoops of Ben and Jerry’s Cheesecake Brownie ice cream, sit on the couch and try and figure out what to stream on Netflix.

I know… I can hear myself getting fatter… So until I allow myself to eat again, MEAT ME!

Look for the image of my dessert on Twitter @meatmeblog

You can find out more about Cafe Topical @
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-tropical-los-angeles

I do not believe they have a website.

Sweet Jesus,
Sean Rice aka MEAT ME!

Baseball Playoffs & the “BIG BLUE" – Baby Blues BBQ

My hands start shaken’ as I handed the menu back to the waitress. I realized how much food I just ordered. The food here is not only good it’s the greatest BBQ on the west coast if not the world. I have poked all around this city for the best BBQ and it was non other than my girl friends father Randy (the greatest cook and BBQ Master I know) who introduced me to Baby Blues BBQ. Its not just where to go for BBQ... It's  the Mecca for BBQ.  Randy's motto was always, "If it isn’t busy, then its probably not worth waiting for."

There is a fine art to BBQ. For those of you who think BBQ is throwing a piece of meat over a fire and serving it… your wrong. Don’t worry! It’s not your fault. For some reason when barbeque migrated from the South to the West it didn’t get translated correctly (Kinda what happen to Pizza from the East). BBQ originated in the south. Back in the day it was so hot during the summers that it made no sense to cook in the house. So they brought cooking outside, and it was then that BBQ was born.

A lot of places claim they have “The Best Bar-B-Que” in Los Angeles. Be careful! 90% of these places are false advertising.  There is a big difference between barbeque and grilling. Grilling is laying meat over an open flame or heated charcoals for a few minutes. Barbeque is a very long slow process; in some cases it can even take days. First you might marinade some meat for several hours. Then you might rub the meat down with special seasonings and slowly smoke the meat at a low temperature for several hours. Then some places might slap some barbeque sauce on it and then flash the grill with it. The result is usually the best tasting meat your mouth has ever tasted. One way to tell if a place is serving true barbeque… Ask them how long they cook their meat? That should answer their question.

Barbeque is a true religion to a lot of people and worth traveling half way around the world for.  Once a man came in and ordered some ribs, had a few bites, and then got on his cell phone. He called his friend from Toronto, told him to get on the next plane to LA (he’d pay for it), cause he need him to try some of the best barbecue he'd ever tasted. The very next day they met up and feasted. Once a woman in labor stopped by to pick up some ribs on her way to the hospital. These stories are just as serious as the barbeque itself. I Shit you not!

In fact, on the wall, they have a framed picture of “The Most Interesting Man in the World!”… Its that fuckin’ serious people!!! If a place puts a picture of that man on the wall… their not fuckin’ around.

There is one item on their menu that will in fact, blow you away. Its "the" BEEF RIB. The marbling of this meat is often compared to that of rare stones you might find in Italy. Weighing in at just over a pound it’s a mouth full to swallow. They rub their ribs with over 20 different spices and smoke them over apple and hickory for several hours. If you have a bucket list, that should definitely be at the top! I don’t’ think I could die knowing I missed out. 

The Big Blue I ordered came with 3 pieces of meat and to fixin’s (sides). I got the beef ribs, the Memphis style spare ribs, and the tiger shrimp. For my sides I went with the “4-cheese” mac and cheese and the seasoned fries. Once this behemoth arrived I was determined to finish it. It immediately put me into a Viking Warrior state of mind, its hard not to resist.

Baby Blues BBQ’s makes all of their own sauces. I don’t even know where to start with these. They have Sweet, BBQ, XXX, Hot, and Sweet Chili Pepper Vinegar. Everyone likes to do his or her own thing. I highly recommend mixing the XXX with the BBQ and you got your self the perfect sauce to smother your meat in!!!

As soon as I finish the beef rib and a few shrimp my eyes watered as I start to question my existence. Now realizing that my stomach has now become the size of my eyes. I can only take a few more bites of the spare ribs as I find myself once again defeated by this ferocious meal! As I look at the bright side I have something to take home and eat later. At this stage, I can no longer see over the hill of paper towels created from rubbing down my battle fingers.  They even have a place to wash your hands at the bar so you never miss out on the action.

I look across the way and see another mans half eaten pie. I now realize that I am delirious and, as good as a desert my sound, it would only put me closer to digesting the rest of this meal horizontally. “In a box to go!” I said. He replied, “Are you sure?” Believe it or not… I paused and actually thought I might eat more… but no… I can’t. I mentally slap myself in the face and ask for the check.

Over time I have had everything on the menu (except for the salads of course), and till this day it still takes me a good 20 minutes to figure out what I would like to order. With my hand over my heart I will continue to bring you play-by-plays of this glorious restaurant. I pledge to cover everything on this action packed menu…  Just to prove to you how “fucking good” this place really is.

May you never go hungry and forever MEAT ME!!!

You can check out Baby Blues at

http://www.babybluesbbq.com/

They have locations in Venice, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Philly.

Long Live the King of Bar-B-Que!!!

If I had a restaurant of the Month this would be it!!! So do your stomach a favor and go down there today. You owe it to yourself to eat food this good!!!

P.S. Readers I challenge you to recommend a better BBQ spot! Mention a place in the comments section and I will check it out. If your spot is better I’ll have you featured in that review. Hell, if you wanna fly me out of Los Angeles. "I'll do it!"

Meat, Love and BBQ,

Sean Rice

aka MEAT ME

'BLACK SWAN SAUSAGE" - Chili Addiction

Today is Sunday, and in the fall in America it is usually associated with Football. Being the fantasy football owner that I am (and by no means am I any good) that can only go with 2 things, Hot Dogs and Chili. There are tons of places in LA that serve all types of this quintessential American meal. I have found this place  and I believe it dives way deeper into all the possibilities a Chili Cheese dog can be and more. I bring you Chili Addiction. The name pretty much says it all.

Now off the bat, I don’t want to confuse anyone. They don’t serve Black Swan Sausage, I just finished watching the movie and there were way to many parallels between that movie and my day. 

After the excitement of last night’s meal (or lack there of), the Misses decided to join me for some football food. Chili Addiction was not too crowded, but I give it about 6 months before I’ll see a line all the way to the Beverly Center. I could see this especially if they ever got some TV’s in there to watch some football (Hint, Hint). Unfortunately, their place is not very big (crowd boooo’s). So I would understand why they don’t have TV’s… get ‘em in, feed ‘em, and get ’em out.

But if there is a line to order, no worries, there are enough options and chili combinations on the menu to keep you deciding for a while.… Short line today, so I had to make it quick. I told the wonderful man behind the counter that I like ground beef chili. I also like the bean chili so I was thinking of getting a hot dog with each. He so kindly started to explain the different chilies… but being the ADD person that I am. I went right to the item on the menu in black bold italics that said Triple Truffle Blackout. It had Caramelized Onions, Homemade Truffle Aioli, Homemade Truffle Mustard, and Asiago Cheese.  Poor guy, I interrupted him “All that chili stuff you just told me about… is that on the website?”  He replied, “Yea!”, I said, “Good, I’ll have this one, and I am also gonna have…”

He stopped me right there. He said, ”Wait that’s the Triple Truffle its HUGE. Why don’t you have that and if your still hungry later, get something else!” This man saved my life and room in my fridge. My lady also got the Coney Island for us to share.

Now let me explain something. As many restaurants as I have been to. I have never familiarized myself with the term “Truffle”. Since I was little kid I associated truffle with the mental picture of a ballerina’s tutu (don’t ask me why, it just did). My sisters wore tutu’s, and I wanted nothing to do with that. So I have never eaten anything that had to do with truffle (I know I am weird, don’t ask me why).

So now that I got that out of the way, the bill came to about $48 bucks. I’m a sucker for a cool T-shirt so subtract $10, for 3 dogs and a soda, and you got yourself a deal. They have a lot to offer and they make everything home made and I mean everything. They even make their own ice cream and have a fridge that just sold their different kinds of chili. They are constantly coming out with new kinds of chili’s so who knows how many they actually have (It says more than 70 on the wall).  That’s serious fuckin’ dedication!

All the employees of Chili Addiction are very, very helpful. They love to geek out on anything and everything CHILI! And that’s just the type of people I wanna be ordering from. The atmosphere is great.

In COMING!!! Here comes the food, it was literally looked like he brought me half of a pool tube. This sausage was huge. We shared the Coney Island Dog with Main Line Chili, Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, their fantastic homemade Yellow Mustard, and raw onion. My girl also got herself a Truffle Dog.

The Truffle Dog was awesome, just fitting that thing in my mouth was half the fun. It tasted like culture and tons of flavors exploding everywhere in my mouth. I felt if I had a giant beer next to me I’d feel like I was at Oktoberfest in Germany.  The “shared” Coney Island Dog was a roller coaster. I was having a hard time getting off of it… Yes, I did share, but it was hard.

When I started to think about the over all experience I realized that there was a lot going on there. It was hard to take it all in. Literally. I was left speechless when I walked out the door. My girl and I did a lot of eye rolling and starring. Ahh…. Ummm…. Yea… Absolutely. I was so full, I don’t think there was enough blood left in my brain, for me to come up with something to say. So at least I had time to think about it.

At home I had the movie Black Swan left over from Netflix, so my love my made dinner and we cuddled up to that. It too ended with a lot of ohh’s… hum’s…. and what the fucks. Once again at the end we stared at each other... speechless. 

Then It Hit Me!

Just because you have nothing to say doesn’t mean that it’s bad. The movie was amazing…  and so was the food.

So on certain one-of-a-kind occasions the best thing you can say… is saying absolutely nothing at all _ _ _ _  _ _!

BONUS WARNING! You may be over whelmed. But there is a plus to this… You get to come back and try something else the next time! Win… Win… I could spend forever reviewing this place.  Businesses like this are so smart. They keep adding new things, taking things away and bringing things back. Keeping the menu fresh keeps people coming back for more.

You can check out Chili Addiction at

http://www.chiliaddiction.com

Please note they are vegan friendly and are closed on Monday (Probably to make more chili).

They are located at:

408 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90048

After thoughts & Thanks:

Its somewhat amazing how you can spend all day wondering how things are going to work out and some how they just do. For instance all of the thoughts in my head have to be configured in a way that convey what it is that I am trying to tell you. I have to put those thoughts into words and then those words into an order that help you understand what exactly it is that I am trying to say.  Its pretty amazing to stop and think that we actually do that.

I have always been a visual person so communicating with people through words is new and very hard for me. It’s like learning a new language all over again.  I have always communicated through music, acting, and art. So everyday this blog is like mentally walking through a dark cave with a flash-light. I get to explore and find out new things about myself everyday, and I can only thank you for that. I appreciate your patience with my grammar.

So, Thank you!

MEAT ME

Sean Rice

Follow @meatmeblog