L.A. Foodie's Get Porked: Tomorrow, Wednesday May 29th

L.A. Foodie's Get Porked 

L.A. Foodie

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (PDT)

Long Beach, CA

Special Discount Code for MEAT ME fans: holypork

http://getporked.eventbrite.com/?discount=holypork

BBQ fans, this beer is for you. Get ready to #GetPorked!

For one night only, L.A. Foodie is pairing 4 mouth watering regional styles of BBQ'd pork with 4 frosty and delicious beers from our favorite spot in downtown Long Beach, Beachwood BBQ and Brewing. Located in the beautiful new Long Beach Promenade, Beachwood BBQ and Brewing was recently named one of L.A. Weekly's 10 Best Beer Bars In Los Angeles.

#GetPorked will both satiate and educate. During dinner, L.A. Foodie's Ben & Drew will record a live#LAFoodiePodcast about American BBQ styles and the beers that pair best with them. Peek behind the #LAFoodiePodcast curtain while Ben & Drew crack wise and engage in general jackassery with their special #GetPorked guests.

#GetPorked features a sit-down dinner that starts promptly at 8:00. There will be plenty of time before and after dinner to mingle, horse around, and enjoy your gift bag!

Every #GetPorked guest will receive a hefty course of delicious BBQ. For dinner, you will be served a sit-down meal that includes all 4 styles of pork and all of the sides listed below. The full meal will be about the same size as a large BBQ combo plate. 

1. Hickory smoked pork served with mustard sauce, Chowchow, and Texas toast.
2. Oak smoked pork with spicy Jack Daniel's tomato sauce, tobacco onions, and grit cakes.
3. Apple wood smoked pork. Dry rubbed with Beachwood rub, served with vinegar BBQ sauce and vinegar cole slaw on a pretzel bun.
4. Pecan smoked pork with stone fruit BBQ sauce, served with a sweet potato pancake.

Every #GetPorked guest will receive 4 Beachwood Brewing craft beers.

5 ounces per beer for a total of 20 ounces. Each brew will be carefully selected and uniquely paired with each style of pork. Because Beachwood's beer selection rotates frequently, beers will be chosen by the chef and brewer on the night of the #GetPorked event. Information about the beers and how they pair with dinner and dessert will be provided. To see what Beachwood is pouring right now, take a look at their live "Hop Cam" webcam!

Every #GetPorked guest will receive 4 different Mwokaji Cakery desserts.

1. Sponge cake with passion fruit filling, whipped frosting topped with fresh strawberries, blackberries, and mangoes.
2. Red velvet bacon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
3. Dark chocolate verrines.
4. Chocolate chip sprinkle cookies.

But wait! There's more! #GetPorked guests will all receive a gift bag filled with...

• Free pork jerky from KRAVE Jerky!
• Free full size bags of Posalot gourmet popcorn!
• Free samples of rich, decadent TCHO Chocolates!
• Free Yelp can koozies!
• $20 Uber gift cards for every guest. (Uber rides originating from Long Beach are based on availability. But Uber credits are good for use at any time, not just in association with this event. $20 ride credit applies to new signups.).
• Photobooth! Play dress up, make a funny face, and act a fool for the camera! (Don't worry. Nobody will see it except for the internet.).
• #IBurgerLA tees for sale! L.A. Foodie tees will be on sale. Buy one for your dad for Father's Day!

Buy your #GetPorked tickets now! Only $40, includes everything!

FAQs

Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter #GetPorked? You must be 21 or older to attend#GetPorked. You will be asked to show I.D. at the door.

What are my parking options at #GetPorked? Beachwood BBQ and Brewing offers validation for the nearby parking structure. Downtown Long Beach also offers metered street parking.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions? You can contact L.A. Foodie here.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event? Nah. We'll have your name. Just bring your I.D.

Time to get PORKED!!!
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

A MAN's Guide to COOKING the Perfect STEAK! c/o The Chive

Thought this was AWESOME and needed to share it with you!!! Enjoy!

Courtesy of The Chive: http://thechive.com/2013/05/23/a-mans-guide-to-cooking-the-perfect-steak-17-photos/

Have a GREAT Memorial Day!!!

Sean Rice

aka MEAT ME

MEAT, INC Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 6

Aaron Black finds himself down a rack of ribs. Chicken and ribs finish getting prepped. Cory is irresponsible when it comes to managing the turn in boxes. Aaron's wife and kids stop by while he gets teased at the cooks meeting. Stay tuned to find out if MEAT, Inc. can make it through the night.

Total Shenanigans,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 3

Aaron and Cory put all of the employees at Smart & Final through hell in order to get them all of the supplies they need. Cory learns the definition of "squeezable mayonnaise". Finally arriving at home, with beers in hand, it takes them forever just to start packing up the ice chest with all of the food they purchase. In the next episode find out if they ever finish unpacking their car.

You never know what's next,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Extras. Here you see a little behind the scenes and what I have to deal with inorder to put out these videos. I get a lot of crap from Aaron Black and Cory Brown of MEAT, Inc.

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 2

In this episode I meet up with Cory Brown Captain of Peoples Choice for team Meat, Inc. we catch up with Aaron Black as he gets off work to shop for the rest of the items needed for competition. They run into budget problems as Cory brings out Aaron's lack of patience.

Stay tuned for more Meat, Inc.
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME Extras.

Here you see a little behind the scenes and what I have to deal with inorder to put out these videos. I have to put up with a lot of crap thanks to Aaron Black and Cory Brown of MEAT, Inc.

Super Bowl Sunday Give Away: GREAT MEAT COOKBOOK by Bruce Aidells

Here is the challenge. I need you to post your greatest Super Bowl Sunday MEAT's to http://www.facebook.com/meatmeblog and the image with the most likes by Midnight on Tuesday February 5th will receive a FREE copy of the Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells.

Hurry before it is too late!!!

Good Luck,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Grade School Meat Correspondent: Matthew Borbon

MEAT ME's very own Grade School MEAT Correspondent Matthew Borbon discusses the current state of nutrition in our public schools. Matthew talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly as well as how we can improve the current system as it stands now. Don't be fooled this kid knows what he is talking about.

Much Respect,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Lucky Peach - A Hip Magazine 4 Everything Food

Finally… the coolest piece of editorial I have seen in a long time; a cool fucking magazine about FOOD. Lucky Peach. This particular issue focuses on Cooks and Chefs with an exploration into how things where, are, and might end up being. The entire mag is done by industry professionals not people like me who sit on their ass, stuff their faces and then tell you all about it later. These people live this stuff.

In one of the opening spread’s titled Eat, Drink, Fuck, Die writer Anthony Bourdain serves up his tasty perspective on some well known films about food. He rants and raves about Eat Drink Man Women, Munich, and La Grande Bouffe. I could not help but relate to, “Food can be a vessel for “love” or contain in some way the “soul” of the cook who prepared it!” I could not help but drool as he describes scene’s from the movies you might want to eat before you read this one.

The next story goes deep into the art of owning and running a restaurant with chefs Fred Morin and Davin McMillan of Joe Beef and Liverpool house in Montreal. They touch on the details of cleanliness, starting out, the system, and being a chef covering the A to Z of the restaurant biz. “The Art of Toilet Cleanliness According to Joe Beef” gives you great perspective from someone with over 22 years of experience in the biz.

The story finishes with how to make Cahard Au Sang aka Canard Á La Presse which involves crushing the carcass of a duck to extract its juices and blood. Sounds delish! How could anyone pass that up?

The next interview is with a cook on the South Pole. Holy Shit! There is a job on the South Pole cooking food and this guy tells you all about it. It is so interesting you should be clicking this link right now to order it and read it for yourself. Truly a unique perspective you might want to put a jacket on to read it.

Ever thought of being a lunch lady? Rachel Khong gives you an inside look into what it is like being Julia Xiomara Alvarez Oweis at Flynn Elementary in San Francisco, California. It is a lot more interesting then one might think.

Batali Beat is written by famous chef Mario Batali he takes you through a brief history of cooking with Julia Child all the way to the modern day foodie. How people became cooks because there where no other jobs; to how chefs today will spend a life time attaining perfection. Now days with TV and the internet people are becoming more educated about what there is to eat and Mario speaks on how that effects the future of the culinary industry.

I was so excited to read this, “The Celebrity Distillation Apparatus: Chris Cechin on Chefs in the Media” Chris breaks down the difference between “celebrity chef “and “celebrity made chefs” like Mario Batali vs Rachael Ray. Great insight into real versus the unreal and how everything is driven by networks and their sponsors. What has the Food Network done for us? And what is it doing to us now? Read it he will tell you!

Food Art by Matt Furie! Need I say more? Anytime there is art about food I am there? I don’t think it is done enough and this magazine is full of it. Love it! Love it!

Thinking about going to culinary School?  Well they cover all of that too, it’s a big decision to make and Mark Wilson sifts through all the things to consider.

The death of fine cooking. Is it possible? Is fast food and chain restaurants killing fine dining? Dave Chang talks about the way food was and where it is today. I found it interesting that there are things that we can do as young chefs and consumers to help support and educate ourselves about what fine dining really is and how to support it.

Towards the end there is a lovely 5 page illustrated story about "The Secret Lives of Chefs" by Lisa Hanawalt probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. It includes some of my favorite chefs Anthony Bourdain, Mario Batali, and Julia Child just to name a few.

If you are looking for information, a great perspective, or just some culinary entertainment? Subscribe to Lucky Peach. I can't encourage you enough to pick up this well done creative delight. Support quality entertainment and it will love you back. Not to mentions it is packed full of recipes.

Order Now and receive 40% off the cover price!
Here is the link to subscribe https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/lucky-peach-subscription
Follow on Twitter @LuckyPeach

LOVE your FOOD,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME!

Cocktoberfest!

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How often can you find  place that has exactly what you want, is fast, and offers healthy options. Not many places do, but Poquito Mas does. Right after my write up about Carls Jr. I had been getting a lot of shit over reviewing a fast food place expecting good results. I was told, “What can you expect from fast food? It will always be horrible!” I felt challenged! Thank you Tyler, for getting in my head. I could not stop thinking about this. I am very impatient, and if I have to wait longer than 5 minutes for food (even at a nice restaurant) I tend to get a little pissy!

Last Friday I was tired, the girlfriend was tired. I didn’t know how I was going to survive one more crap-infested meal. She was very insistent on having tortilla soup. I thought and thought and remembered the Poquito Mas on Sunset Blvd. Perfect. We headed out, drove up, and parked. Luckily with all the action on sunset there was barley anyone there. More guys started to filer in almost to the point that it was getting a little sausage festy. Not being able to make up my mind these days I ask the typical “What’s your best seller?” question and of course I get the usual lets point to the most expensive seafood thing on the menu. I said, “No, what are guys known for?” he said, “Ohh… the burritos!” “Chicken burrito Please!” The girlfriend got the chicken tacos and the sought after  tortilla soup.

Many of these “Made to Order” Mexican places that have their lovely salsa cart. It is screaming at you when you walk in the door. Like… “Look at what we've got… and its FREE!” Well at least that’s what they make you think. You have to work for it. Now before I completely go off. This is not the only place that has one of these carts, Baja Freash, El Pollo Loco, etc. Some how they have all gotten together and decided:

“Hey lets fuck with our American customers. We will offer free salsa but we will give them a one inch deep cup to put it in." "We will let them have as many as they want, but by the 3rd one they will probably be to tired to get anymore.” Is this starting to sound familiar? “If they ask for a big bowl to put it in we’ll charge them for it.” “After all why would American’s pay for something that they can get for free (Think bottled water, its genius)?” And here is the best part “If we are not laughing by the time they have filled 20 little cups, we will be on the floor when they try to dip the three inch chip in to the one inch cup.”

Seriously by the 3rd fucking chip I wanted to push over the salsa cart! Come on people I know I am not the only one who feels this way. This needs to change. If we can evolve to checking email on iPads, then we can evolve in to 3 inch cups. I am tired of being laughed at! Always being that stupid white guy who sits in the corner trying to eat out of the Mexican laughing cups.  This if my final warning to you companies…

If you don’t make these cups bigger you’ll find my ass double dipping right at your super awesome salsa carts! I urge every single one of you to do this and send me a photo. These corporation’s need to know that their unsustainable way of saving money isn’t just bad for our planet its an insult to their customers.

By this point it seemed like the amount of sausage inside tripled, it had now grown into Cocktoberfest!

So… our food… Was here in 3 minutes. So at least they have this working for them. Everything looks ready for consumption. I take a bite, its great. All of the flavors melting together nicely in my mouth. 4 to 5 bites in and oil or butter is pouring out of my burrito. Just like I stabbed it with a knife. It went from thoughts of being healthy sounds of myself getting fatter. My lady friends tacos were a delight and the tortilla soup a perfect blend of seasoning and vegetables… Yucky, but it was good.

I don’t understand the point of putting so much oil or grease on food. It always ruins a good meal and happens more often then I would like. Aside from this experience I can usually say that Poquito Mas generally has great food, but if it is not fast food and it is not a restaurant, than what is it?

The food is completely consumed and at this point I am totally over whelmed by Cocktoberfest 2011.On the way out a female finally entered deferring some of the “eyeball man hunting” raining down on my girlfriend (she’s pretty hot and I’m very proud).

In the 3 minutes it took to get our food I was brought back to Tyler’s comments. The food was quick, for the most part good, and they had healthy options on the menu. To me this was fast food. When I shared my little triumph with my neighbor Katie she explained that what I ordered was not fast food merely food “Made to Order”. She was right and had a very valid point.

So in my half win, half fail. I felt I had addressed both issues. Unfortunately I did not truly take on Tylers challenge. I am realizing that like them, I too have my own opinion. Fast food to me is anything under 5 minutes, starting the second I walk in the door or pull up to the drive thru.

Poquito Mas was under 5 minutes, had healthy options on the menu, and no waiting. In the end it is a hybrid of food styles and from this day forward it shall be called a HYBRO! So MEAT ME… or say something in the comments section???

You can find out more about Poquito Mas @
http://www.poquitomas.com/

Get Heard!
Sean Rice aka MEAT ME

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Auto Repeat Retards and $6 Dollar Shit!!!

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 Its 12:30 pm in the afternoon. I just woke up after being up till 7am working and my ass is starving. What to do… What. To. Do. I know I am out of diet coke so I have to hit Rite Aid and then who the hell knows.  I am getting ready and Buddy the pit-bull is driving me crazy. He obviously has the “cabin fever” and wants out. Buddy always gets what he wants so he’s going.

Locked up and ready to go we hit the Rite Aid on Sunset and Fairfax. I don’t know if this is a new thing but for the last 2 days they have had a parking attendant. Now if you have ever been to this Rite Aid you would know that this is the most messed up thing that they could ever have done. It takes me 20 minutes to buy a diet coke and now they have just added 10 more. Even when they have cashiers at every counter there is still a line to isle 12. So your wait is usually substantial, but at least you have the weird, the crazy, and the attractively over dressed "people of West Hollywood" to keep you entertained for that first 10 minutes.

So now I am at the register and of course with my enhanced A.D.D., due to lack of sleep, I forget about their wonderful new policy of getting validated. So I have to run out to my car with 48 diet cokes. Look for my ticket, that just happens to be in my back pocket.  Piss off the incompetent attendant who can’t remember that I grabbed a ticket from him 10 minutes ago. Walk back into the store and get greeted “Hello welcome to Rite Aide!” by same auto repeat retard who said “Good Bye” to me 35 seconds ago. All of this leaving me standing in front of all 4 store associates ignoring the fact that I have a mother fucking yellow ticket, that they know damn well, needs a shitty ass stamp. Finally someone stamps me, and now I gotta go hand the attendant the ticket when I should have shoved it directly up his ass!

It shouldn’t say “Rite Aid” out front! It should say, “Come and kill yourself right, the fuck, now!” That is exactly what I wanted to do when I was trying to get out of there. Seriously people... Customer service is 50% of the experience! How many times do I have to say this?

The economy sucks right now! Most people are having a hard time going out and spending money. Especially when it comes to things that they need. If we could make at least, that little bit of an experience, that much more enjoyable. It might just entice us to spend a little more money at the store. How do they expect this economy to ever get better?

Movin’ on. I have better things to do… I thought!

So Buddy and I are headed down Santa Monica Blvd., I need to eat, I may get hostile. Looking… Looking… Looking… Nothin’. I finally get to La Brea and I say, "Screw it Carls Jr. it is!". I am just going to have to take one for the team. At this point I have got a knot for a stomach.

I pull up to the drive thru. Normally I get the Super Star with cheese hold the veggies etc. etc. Nope, this time I need something bigger. Like the $6 Onion, Bacon, Cheeseburger! But do I really want those giant fried onion rings on my burger? I am too tired to say other wise, I can just take them off later. In a matter of seconds they greet me, I order, I get to the window, I am greeted again… Boom! Food in the car and I am ready to go. Ya see how easy that was Rite Aid. 90 seconds and no one got suicidal!!!

Then there was the smell… As you can see Buddy was even like WTF!

So I get home. Buddy’s happy, I’m happy… Kinda. I pull everything out on the counter and that giant $6 burger I was building anticipation for what wasn’t even worth a buck fifty. The patty was half the size of the picture. The bacon was limp and the onion rings were so damn small they couldn’t even double as an engagement ring! So unfortunately FAST FOOD and I are getting a divorce! I have learned my lesson of "guaranteed utter disappointment towards instant oral satisfaction".

At that point I wanted to take the bag and put it over my head.

The taste was not horrible, but neither is tooth-paste and you would never eat that. Ever! I did not finish this meal and hopefully this shit burger, wrapped in shit paper, in this shit bag will never touch my lips ever again!

So chances are, if it looks like shit, smells like shit, and takes as long as a shit… The shit probably ain’t worth it, and if you disagree... you can MEAT ME!

You can visit Rite Aid @
http://www.valettakesitintheass.com

You can visit Carl’s Jr @
http://www.justshitinyourownmouth.com

No, Thank you,
Sean Rice aka MEAT ME!

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I’m gonna go get FOOD WASTED!!!

That is exactly the mission I was set out on. I got off the scale and realized that I had some how lost 9 lbs. Alleluia! Lets celebrate! So recently I noticed a restaurant downtown, was following me on Twitter called the Stray Cat Café. It was one of my first followers so I thought I owed it to them to go and check it out. 


I head out to downtown around 3pm. I figured I would head down there when there was no traffic and maybe it won’t be busy either.  I get in the car and with a 20 minute drive I figured I would make some phone calls. I glanced at the GPS  a few times to make sure I was on track but for the most part I had a general idea of where this place was. So I’m talkin’, talkin’, talkin’, talkin’, talkin’, talkin’, and I have no idea where I am some how there are lines of homeless people on both sides of the street with trash and pigions flying everywhere. I’m lost (thanks Jay). I have no idea where I am but I need to get out of there quick. I make a few turns and hewf… I am in the clear. 

I turn and bam! There it is Stray Cat Café, right on the corner. Parking? Right out front, $3 no problem (its better than $6 or $8). I walk in and it really has a coffee shop/café vibe. Really mellow. Cool artwork on the wall’s. I am guessing they have internet, the man behind me was on his laptop.

The person working there was really cool, sweet, and nice! I was handed a menu and thought… What does one eat at the Stray Cat Café? She told me. They are known for their Cheese Steak sandwiches. The Man vs Food challenge enlarged on my menu. I thought... that would be awesome! I got so excited and she shot me down. Good thing she did. She says, ”Yea it is so hot and spicy you won’t even enjoy it. I recommend the Mexican Cheese Steak!” So that is what I ordered. She even explained that it too could be very hot but she would put in a good word with the cook – to be nice to me.

It was not before long and this Macy’s day parade float was on the table wrapped up in front of me like a present. Ohhhhh what was waiting for me inside? I opened it up and it looked inviting. It had frilled rib eye, fresh jalapeños, sautéed peppers and onions, cilantro, jack cheese, topped with their own special salsa, and chipotle dressing. Plowing this thing down made me feel like a UFC wrestler. It took some work and every bit was worth it. In the end it was not too spicy. It wasn’t until the second half that I started sweating.

A few people I know would come in here, get the same sandwich, and say, “It was ok, I don’t know what MEAT ME was talking about!”  Well I will explain. The name out side of the restaurant says Stray Cat “Café”. It is not a bar, cafeteria, canteen, chophouse, diner, doughtnut shop, drive-in, fast-food place, greasy spoon, grill, hamburger stand, hashery, hotdog stand, or nightclub. It is a café. So for a café the food was awesome! All the flavors were there, nothing out of the ordinary, but better than what I expected. For $13 it was great food and I ate the whole damn thing! Haven't done that in a while.

If you want to hate something, then hate the website. I go to the web site to get the address and it is impossible to find. Don’t get me wrong, may be it is just me, but how hard is it to put a locations button, or the address right at the bottom of the page. Not until I clicked on the Contact page did I find the address and a link to a map. 

As I have said before and I’ll say it again, “I should not have to struggle to find a good place to eat!” The easier you make it for your customers to find you, the easier it will be to enjoy your food.


Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I am just sharing with you mine. 


Haters are always gonna hate! And if you hate just to hate you can MEAT ME!


You can find out more about Stray Cat Café @
http://straycatla.com/


Stay wasted,
Sean Rice aka MEAT ME!

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