Author: The Heataholic

Corporate performance management dude by day, blogger by night. Vegetarian foodie and world traveler with a passion for spicy food - ALL THE TIME! :-) Opinions and taste buds are all mine!

Restaurant Review – Tony C’s (Austin, TX)

Continuing my tradition of posting restaurant reviews over my last few posts, I figured – “Why not keep a good thing going?” (at least for now). In Texas, we’ve been out of quarantine for a few months now, but even then, with things not fully back to normal and the perceived risks, we still tend to order in food more than we have before. And I’ve had some great spicy food and want to share my experiences with my readers!

My last review was on pizza, specifically Blaze Pizza, known for their “Hot Link” pizza for a Heataholic like myself. Today’s is a little more broad – not just pizza, but full-fledged Italian!

That brings us to Tony C’s. Tony C’s is a quaint little Italian and pizza place not too far from my house in suburban North Austin, Texas. Located in a semi-strip mall (no, not one of those loud, obnoxious ones with loud, chatty teenagers and tweens running amuck), it provides a way to enjoy nice Italian food in a quiet, relaxed setting. Oh yeah, and not only can you eat outside, but if you have kids (like I do), the outside area is enclosed and has toys for them to play.

Alright, on to the food! So many great options. Starting with the appetizers, first off, the Peroni (beer-battered) mushrooms are hands down, the best fried mushrooms I have ever had – EVER! The truffle aioli and the deep frying just makes these mushrooms melt in your mouth. No, they’re not spicy in and of themselves, not spicy at all, but the flavor in both the mushrooms and the breading is out of this world and they just hit the spot – whether you dip them in hot sauce or not!

Continuing with the appetizers, the antipasto…I’ve often wondered – if I eat a plate of antipasto and a plate of pasta, will that cancel each other out? 🙂 Sorry, had to insert that dad joke! While the antipasto does contain meat, you can request without if you’re a vegetarian like me. This does include three spicy tidbits – the first are the Pepperoncini peppers. I like Pepperoncini’s but there’s nothing unique about them. A good kick that I enjoy, but I can just as well get at Papa John’s. The second and third, however, are what made the meal and added the spice to it. The second are the sweet and spicy roasted red peppers – possibly, pickled, or maybe just spritzed with vinegar and salt, but a low-spice and flavorful way to kick off your meal. Saving the best of the antipasto for last are the red Peppadew peppers stuffed with goat cheese. Neither baked, nor fried, nor even toasted, it’s simple, but oh so good and has just that perfect kick you’re looking for! Small red Piquante peppers with soft goat cheese – you can eat one or more in a single bite, but after you’ve had one, you’ll want to savor that taste, as I did, and eat slooowwwwwwllllllyyyyy.

Peppadew peppers are based on the Peppadew brand name of the South African food company Peppadew International. They are well known for their brand of Piquante peppers named accordingly. These peppers are pickled before being jarred and shipped globally.

Added to all of this, with the appetizers were those delicious zucchini sticks with lemon aioli. And finally, who can forget the baked Buffalo Mozzarella – while some may think of it as a gigantic fried cheese stick, with its homemade breadcrumbs and melted texture, it’s an awesome precursor to any main course!

Done with the appetizers, it became time to move on to the pizza! My personal favorite is the eggplant – if pizza and eggplant Parmesan had a kid, it would taste like this! 🙂 Crushed pepper is a staple, as always! But truth be told, the appetizers filled me up so much that I could barely eat a slice and saved the rest for tomorrow’s lunch – happens every time at Tony C’s. EVERY SINGLE TIME! However, no matter your preference, pizza connoisseurs alike will embrace all they have to offer.

Finally, if you have enough room for it (I never do and it becomes part of next day’s meal), save room for dessert – I always love Tony C’s Tiramisu, but heard a lot of great things about their NY Cheesecake, which, one of these days, I’ll try if I can make it that far down my meal!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

Personal Faves:

  • Peroni (beer-battered) mushrooms – THESE ARE THE BEST FRIED MUSHROOMS EVER! NO CONTEST!
  • Antipasto (without the meat)
  • Baked Buffalo Mozzarella
  • Zucchini Sticks
  • Eggplant Pizza
  • Truffle Shuffle Pizza (the truffle oil is strong in this one, but your taste buds will thank you!)
  • Tiramisu (for all you sweet-tooth-ers)
(Left to Right)
1) Are these some of the best fried mushrooms you’ll eat? NO! These are THE BEST, HANDS-DOWN, NO-CONTEST fried mushrooms you will EVER find. EVER!!! 2) Antipasto – yes, they everything including the peppers on a bed of salami – THIS TIME! – but that’s purely my fault for forgetting to tell them no meat. Starting with the left-most and going clockwise – Parmesan cheese, Provolone cheese, pickled Mediterranean olives, tomatoes and artichokes, roasted red peppers, Pepperoncini peppers and goat-cheese stuffed Peppadew red peppers. 3) A closeup of the stuffed Peppadews.

Spice on, my friends!

Slower than Normal Posting

Dear readers – Apologies for the slower-than-usual rate of posting. Been a very busy last couple of weeks, between putting in a new home theater in the family room, kicking off a major, 3-month house expansion and getting the kiddos ready for (virtual) school this fall. All of this in the midst of the “day job” that still pays the bills.

Please rest assured – I haven’t forgotten about Heataholic or my duties therein. Just please bear with me as we get through this busy hump and soon enough, it’ll be back to normal!

Thank you dear readers, and as always…

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – The Blaze Pizza (Austin, TX but various locations throughout)

Aah, pizza places – nothing like the taste of hot, bubbly cheese in a sea of marinara sauce surrounded by sporadic islands of toppings all on a toasted crust – thick, thin, gluten-free, cauli, keto – whatever your choosing!

Pizza has always been one of my favorite foods – even as a child, I remember the old school Pizza Hut commercials with aah’s and ooh’s. I love all kinds of pizza – the crispy thin genuine Italian, the thick Chicago style, the thin and flat New Yorker, the crispy Detroit and just about any other one you can find. The one challenge, about pizza places, is that when it comes to trying to find your spice, normally you are limited to just pouring copious amounts of red pepper flakes and maybe asking for jalapeno peppers as one of your toppings. Not that that’s a bad thing – I do that all the time anyway, and I love it! But it’s just that outside the core pizza itself, it can be tough to find unique ways to make your pizza spicy.

However, worry not! Every now and then, you can find a place that does offer something for us Heataholics…enter Blaze Pizza! Fitting name, don’t you think? Yes, it’s a chain, I know, and a large one too, but dear readers, you should know that I am NOT anti-chain. I welcome any place, large or small, that offers good food, good spice and a venue worthy of a visit! Blaze has locations all throughout Texas and the South, and it’s one of several modern chains that specializes in a Chipotle or Subway-esque BYO (build-your-own) style of pizza. But, to make things easy, they also have custom made-to-order combinations for those who know exactly what they want and can either add or subtract ingredients when needed.

So what is this offering I speak of? Simply put, it is their “Hot Link” pizza. Loaded with banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, red onions (all in all, hotter than white ones), and Blaze’s own spicy red sauce (something I recommend no matter what kind of pizza you get). The standard Hot Link comes with spicy Italian sausage, but being a vegetarian, I requested none. I did, however, request both extra spicy red sauce, and keeping with my recommendation I’d described in a previous post about how the spiciness of food can be significantly intensified simply by adding the hot condiment (be it sauce, powder, rub, etc.) DURING THE COOKING PHASE, in addition to after, I requested they add the crushed red pepper to the pizza before putting it in the oven.

End result? It was spicy and delicious! It met and exceeded my expectations! I’ll keep going back!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Spicy Red Sauce
  • Hot Link Pizza (in my case, without the Italian sausage – make sure to ask for crushed red pepper before they bake it!)

Personal Faves:

  • Any of their pizzas suit me well
  • Veg Out pizza
  • (Low carb and Keto days) Cauliflower crust and Keto crust pizzas
  • Dough Knots
  • (For all you sweet-toothers) S’more pie
Fresh out of the oven! You can see the one slice I added extra crushed red pepper and the red pepper flakes baked in!
The extra spicy red sauce provides an even greater kick!

Spice on, my friends!

Hot Sauce Review – (Louisiana’s Pure) Crystal Hot Sauce

Full disclosure – Taking a quick vacation to a small middle-of-nowhere fishing town with wife and kiddos this week. WiFi a little sketchy, and there’re only two restaurants here – both seafood (I’m veggie and wife and kids are highly allergic to shellfish, so unfortunately, won’t be reviewing those this time), but also using this as a time to unplug from the daily stresses of modern life, especially before another (virtual) school year starts! Tomorrow, I’ll be back to more regular posting, so that said…

In continuation of my new format of prefixing my reviews with…well, “Review” and prefixing my “Review” prefix with the type of review being done (have I bored you enough yet? :-)), this is the first of my official Hot Sauce reviews, titled as such. Moving on…

Aah, the state of Louisiana. My neighboring state to the East, known for so many things – awesome football (college and pro), wild parties, Bourbon Street and yes, spicy food! Cajun cooking (and the unique blend of spices it brings) is one of the staples of the Pelican State, and with it, comes a unique blend and wholehearted use of spice and flavor. Louisiana itself is also the home for the ubiquitously known Tabasco brand, and yours truly has been fortunate enough to visit Avery Island (not a real island, but the name of the town!) – the very heart of where this is made. I’ve toured the factory and observed it both from the lens of a chemical engineer (my background) and a Heataholic!

Being a vegetarian (no meat or seafood), I can’t truly experience all the delicacies Cajun cuisine has to offer – Jambalaya, crawfish boils, fish fry’s, Po’boys, etc. But I do the next best thing – enjoy the Cajun spice, without the Cajun food. I’ve tried Jambalaya without the sausage, vegetarian Po’Boys, indulging the same Cajun spice used in crawfish boils with corn on the cob and potatoes and dunking Hush Puppies in my favorite Cajun hot sauces! That brings me to Crystal Hot Sauce. Often overshadowed by its larger competitor in Avery Island and a host of smaller competitors all around, Crystal is a Louisiana-based hot sauce that provides the simple, yet sharp kick in the pants needed in your food. I admire its simplicity (given it has only three ingredients and none of those require an advanced degree in chemistry or chemical engineering to decipher).

Being in a town of 500 while on vacation, when your only source of food is a Dollar General store down the street, it’s slim pickin’s! But I followed my own advice on using grocery stores and was still able to pick up a bottle of Crystal. Crystal is great with just about anything – Cajun food, but also pizza, tacos, pasta, Bloody Mary’s, and yes, just plain on its own for a spicy kick!

Positives:

  • Good spicy kick
  • Simplicity in ingredients (only 3 – cayenne peppers, vinegar, salt)
  • Guilt-free consumption – 0 calories!
  • Good website with recipes

Negatives:

  • Flavor itself is not unique and is hardly distinguishable from Texas Pete’s or Frank’s
Three ingredients – cayenne peppers, vinegar and salt. Like they say, KISS – Keep it Short and Simple!
Zero calories, zero guilt!
Crystal Hot Sauce can be used with anything, or in my case, on its own as a quick drink! 🙂
When options for spice are limited, be creative! In a town of 500, I could buy crushed red pepper and hot sauce! No excuses!

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Levant Cafe & Grill (Cedar Park, TX) – Part 2

The conventional wisdom is that sequels are never as good as the original movie. Or in instances when they are, it’s usually a case of a series, as opposed to a two-part story, e.g., the endearing Toy Story franchise. But, we all know of movies in the first category – Home Alone, a great Christmas movie, which introduced Macauley Culkin to the world, followed by the demented Home Alone 2, that made us leave the theaters scratching our heads, wondering “What were they thinking?” or “How in the world can anyone survive all of THAT?”

Well, as someone who is a movie fan (albeit, not as many in recent years), I can tell you that this post will defy that conventional wisdom, and this sequel will be just as good as its original (if not better)!

My most recent post on Levant Cafe & Grill was the part 1. I won’t rehash everything I’d said before, but I did mention a sequel was coming so I could highlight one of their spicy sauces I had not yet tried – namely, their homemade Jalapeno Cilantro spicy sauce. Well, today, I tried it, among other things, and as expected, it was fabulous! BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE! I even tried an item I had overlooked before in my previous visits/orders – specifically, the Lebanese potatoes.

The Jalapeno Cilantro sauce had both good flavor and a creamy texture. My personal taste buds seemed to indicate that creamy texture is indicative of a Tahini sauce-base, but don’t quote me! The jalapenos, themselves were minced quite well and spread evenly to provide that tangy spice that went great with my Makafel sandwich. For those who are familiar with the Austin-based, growing Tex-Mex juggernaut Chuy’s (yes, there will be a review of them in the future – patience, dear grasshoppers! :)), I think that if Levant plays their cards right, this could become another famous Jalapeno dip, just like the Chuy’s one!

Onto the Lebanese potatoes…simple, yet oh so satisfying! Roasted, salted potatoes coated in a nice red pepper sauce. Spicy enough for most people, but I specifically requested mine to be made “as spicy as humanly possible” in my DoorDash instructions, and boy did they come through! This will be another side I will order in the future, during my carb-loading days!

And the final piece – Levant also gave me some Iraqi amba on the side. Not necessarily spicy (at least, according to my taste buds), but this yellow-orange (mango-based) sauce is so full of tangy flavor and zest. I’d tried the amba several times before, but this was the first time I experienced it standalone – and it won’t be my last! 🙂

Details:

Spicy Flavors (Updated):

  • Palestinian Mhammara bread
  • Jalapeno hummus
  • Homemade spicy chili sauce (not on the menu – you have to request)
  • Homemade Jalapeno cilantro sauce (not on the menu – you have to request)
  • Lebanese potatoes
  • Iraqi amba (more zest than spice, but great flavor, nonetheless)

Personal Faves:

  • As long as it’s vegetarian or vegan, I love it! This place is Middle Eastern perfection!
  • Tried twice the Makafel sandwich with Iraqi amba (didn’t I say the place was diverse!)
  • Recently tried vegetarian Syrian moussaka
  • On my low carb days, I go for one of the bowls versus sandwiches
(Left to Right) Jalapeno cilantro, Iraqi amba, Jalapeno cilantro, Spicy chili sauce – it’s kind of like my own version of Duck-Duck-Goose!
Bright red Lebanese potatoes – I didn’t use a stopwatch, but I think I devoured the whole thing in under a minute!
My Makafel sandwich – three layers – first the chili sauce, then the Iraqi amba and Jalapeno cilantro to follow!

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Levant Cafe & Grill (Cedar Park, TX) – Part 1

I find my thrills…at Levant Cafe & Grill! 🙂

Spice or no spice, I love Middle Eastern food – so much flavor, so many healthy, yet tasty ingredients and yes, the spice of course! Late last year, I inadvertently discovered this gem of a place not too far from my house and have been back several times since. Unfortunately, due to Covid, I’ve had to rely on DoorDash or Favor to provide me with my fix in recent months; But the good news is that my food arrives just as warm and fresh as if I was sitting right there by their kitchen!

I love Levant’s location – it’s tucked away in an off-the-beaten path part of Cedar Park, TX – a far north Austin suburb, almost exurb. On one hand, it’s not a place where you can people watch, but on the other hand, it’s a great place to go and have a relaxing lunch or dinner. Calm and peaceful, you can either eat and peacefully collect your thoughts, or bring your laptop or a nice book to read, and regardless, get away from the madding crowd. And the owners are such friendly folks!

Now, onto the food. What I really love about Levant (apart from the spice, which I will get to soon enough!) is not only the quality and perfection of their food, but also the diversity that Levant offers. Most Middle Eastern restaurants have the usual offerings (vegetarian and non-veg) – the falafel, the gyros, hummus, etc. Nothing wrong with that – in fact, I love that! But what I love about Levant is that they go a step beyond. Their Middle Eastern cuisine does include the usual staples, but also offers things from different regions in the Middle East – offerings you would typically not find in most restaurants.

For instance, as a vegetarian, I love the Syrian Moussaka, the Turkish cabbage, the Makafel pitas with an Israeli twist, the zesty Iraqi amba that comes with their sandwiches and bowls and my two favorites, from a spice perspective – the Palestinian Mhammara bread and Jalapeno hummus. Basically, you cannot go wrong no matter what you get there. Vegetarian, vegan, or carnivore, your taste buds and your stomach will be happy! If you order any of the bread (including the Palestinian Mhammara), they will heat it up for you right then and there so it tastes fresh baked.

Moving on to the spice…my two favorites I referenced earlier – the Palestinian Mhammara bread and Jalapeno hummus. The Mhammara bread is a warm pita bread layered with red-pepper paste – so much so that the entire bread has its own unique shade of red! Don’t believe me – see my pics below! The red pepper paste is evenly spread so that it provides the spice all around, but is not so overwhelming that you can’t use it to dip and scoop up the rest of your food. Likewise, the Jalapeno hummus – good spice evenly spread with fantastic flavor. And I maximized this spicy experience by using my Mhammara bread to scoop up my Jalapeno hummus!

But throughout all this, the piece la resistance of their spice is their homemade chili sauce. It’s not on the menu, and as I’ve said in one of my key earlier posts, you will find some of the best spicy food out there (be it sauces, dips, salsas, and even entrees) simply by asking and not taking the menu at face value. At Levant, I simply asked for extra chili sauce on the side, and they were very generous. A spicy addition that went with my already spicy Mhammara bread and Jalapeno hummus, but they gave me enough where I had plenty left over for my Syrian moussaka!

And the best part about all of this? This isn’t their only homemade spicy sauce! Although I didn’t get it, I was informed that they have a spicy Jalapeno cilantro sauce also made in-house! Several trips to Levant, and I was ignorant about this, so can’t wait to try that and create my part 2 review!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Palestinian Mhammara bread
  • Jalapeno hummus
  • Homemade spicy chili sauce (not on the menu – you have to request)
  • Homemade Jalapeno cilantro sauce (not on the menu – you have to request) – once I try this, I will create part 2!

Personal Faves:

  • As long as it’s vegetarian or vegan, I love it! This place is Middle Eastern perfection!
  • Tried twice the Makafel sandwich with Iraqi amba (didn’t I say the place was diverse!)
  • Recently tried vegetarian Syrian moussaka
  • On my low carb days, I go for one of the bowls versus sandwiches
Hot bread, hot sauce, hot d*mn!
Jalapeno hummus with the perfect blend of olive oil and spicy peppers!
I love how generous they are when I simply asked for “some hot sauce” on the side!

Spice on, my friends!

Salsa Review – Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa

Dear readers, just like my last post where I labeled a restaurant review with the prefix “Restaurant Review -“, I’ll be labeling more of my reviews accordingly. And in today’s post, judging by the title, you guessed it! I’m reviewing a salsa!

Another Made in Texas brand – this one from the far-out suburb of Dallas – Frisco. So far out, that it has its own minor league baseball team! 🙂

As always, I purchased the spiciest version of the salsa – in this case “Hot”. Mateo’s prides itself on being “uniquely different”. Well, that it is, in some ways.

The salsa itself has good flavor and the ingredients taste fresh. Garlic is certainly a staple in this one, so much so it is the third ingredient in the mix. It’s not an overriding flavor but its presence is well noticed. The spice itself, on the other hand, not so much. I hardly found it to be spicy and while the flavor is zesty, it’s not memorable by any means.

Net, net – I’ll use up my jar, since I’m not one to waste food, but likely won’t re-purchase as I’m always seeking something spicier (I am Heataholic, after all!).

Good:

  • Good flavor
  • Fresh-tasting ingredients

Not-so-Good:

  • Not at all spicy (even the “Hot” version)
  • Too much garlic
“Not responsible for obsession.”
Notice the garlic chunks.
Dehydrated garlic is the third ingredient and your taste buds can tell! Maybe if Habanero peppers were closer to the top, it’d be spicier!

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Bida Manda – Raleigh, NC (A Day of First’s)

Note: As of this writing, the restaurant I am reviewing – Bida Manda in Raleigh, NC, has shut its doors (temporarily) as a result of COVID-19. I am unsure of its future status. Their website has stated they are not open for curbside or online ordering, but they have also not mentioned they would be shutting their doors permanently, so what happens going forward is anyone’s guess. I absolutely love this venue as it is a spice lover’s paradise, as you will read below, and pray and hope this closure is only temporary.

Dear readers – today is a day of first’s:

  • It’s the first of what I shall call a “restaurant review” – no it’s not my first restaurant review – I’ve done many already! But starting today, with this post, I will start prefixing these reviews with the phrase (Oh, how creative I am, so wait for it…!) “Restaurant Review”. I may include a funny catchphrase on the review title, but everything shall be prefixed as such so you’ll know what you’re getting, i.e., a review of a restaurant from a Heataholic’s perspective with specific recommendations. I’ll be doing similar prefixing with reviews of sauces, powders, recipes, festivals, etc.
  • It’s the first place that I’m also reviewing outside my current residence – the Austin, Texas metropolitan area. As I’d mentioned, this is a restaurant in Raleigh, NC – a place I’d travel to frequently for work.
  • It’s also the first Laotian restaurant I’m reviewing – and for that matter, it’s the first and only Laotian restaurant I have ever visited. After eating there, on one hand, I’d love to go to more, but on the other hand, I’d be worried that other ones wouldn’t stack up as well.

So let’s dive right in…

Raleigh, NC is a foodie’s paradise. Whether you’re a spice-obsessed heataholic like me or just someone who loves trying different varieties of food, the Tar Heel state’s capital city provides everyone something they can enjoy, and in most cases, it’s myriad options versus a single thing. These myriad options include options you probably wouldn’t find or would have to really go off the beaten path in most other cities, including large ones. Downtown Raleigh, especially, is a haven as it’s clean, safe (even mostly at night from my experiences) and most of these great places are a hop, skip and jump away from one another.

Enter Bida Manda. The first and only Laotian restaurant I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating at. Quick and dirty geography lesson – for those who don’t know, Laos is a small Southeast Asian country sandwiched between China, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand. I went to Bida Manda the first week at my client in Raleigh and was blown away by the excellent choices there. Yes, much of what you find there, at least on the surface, are things you’ve probably seen at many Thai and other Asian restaurants (with cuisines from the countries surrounding it), but Bida Manda had a unique flavor to it – one that I could never quite articulate and put my finger on, but just tasted oh so good!

I started off with the Crispy Rice Lettuce Wrap, but I decided to try some of the Lao Spicy Roasted Habanero and Peanut sauce I saw at the bottom of the appetizers menu that are typically served with wings. It was heavenly love at first site! Good fire that I put out with a tall glass of ice water!

Moving on to the main course, given it was October and the fall leaves were all around, I had to have Pumpkin Curry – I had them make it extra spicy and ordered extra Roasted Habanero and Peanut sauce. They even brought out spicy powders and oil. In no time at all, that yellow colored Pumpkin Curry changed to a nice shade of red, and boy was it delicious! My non-vegetarian co-worker was eating the Crispy Pork Belly Soup and his eyes just popped out when he saw how much fire I was adding.

The meal ended with the Duo Plate – two of their own macaroons, and that calmed the spice so I wouldn’t be spending the rest of the day at the client hyperventilating!

All in all, the best (okay, only) Laotian food I’ve ever had, but simply amazing and up till March 2018 when my project in Raleigh ended, I went there at least once a week. It has never disappointed!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Spicy Roasted Habanero and Peanut Sauce
  • Ask them to make your food spicy and they will not only do so but will bring out for you their own spicy powders and oil
  • Sweet Chili Sauce – I think this is more sweet than spicy but good flavor nonetheless

Personal Faves:

  • Pumpkin Curry
  • Crispy Rice Lettuce Wraps
  • Sao Noy’s Crispy Spring Rolls (Vegetable)
  • Summer Rolls (Vegetable)
  • Manda’s Herb Salad (on days I like to reduce the carbs)
  • Vegetarian Saffron Crepe

Spice on, my friends!

A Spoonful of Bhut Jolokia Powder…

Ghost peppers are challenging. I’ve always said they’ve been my bogeyman so far. They’re not a white whale as I’ve handled them, but they can be…tough to digest! Unlike sugar, as Mary Poppins would sing, can help make the medicine go down – A spoonful of Bhut Jolokia and you’ll likely need medicine!

OK, that is an exaggeration (sort of), but what’s the deal with this spicy pepper? Do a quick Google or Wikipedia search and you will find that it is one of THE spiciest peppers naturally known to mankind. In fact, until 2007, it was the hottest one known to mankind (based on spice units – something I will cover in a future post), but as of this writing, has taken the Bronze award (3rd place) in the ongoing Spice Olympics…

Given its insane heat intensity, how can you best enjoy this magnificent creation of Mother Nature? There are plenty of sauces out there that use ghost peppers. I recently had a post on one of those (and more posts will come on this awesome pepper and its derivatives!). But if you want something a tad more intense, especially when cooking (as opposed to a basic condiment), might I recommend the Bhut Jolokia powder.

Being a powder, there is no water or other ingredients to potentially reduce the spicy effect and the dryness of the powder adds to the intensity. I use it sparingly when cooking. Even just a dash and the wife and kids are complaining they need a respirator, but if you’re looking to heat up your stir fry, curry or just want something more daring on your pizza, pasta or omelettes, to list a few, then give it a shot!

This is the brand of Ghost Pepper powder I buy at my local HEB. Lots of options both at your store and Amazon.
I used it sparingly with my broccoli-zucchini-onion stir fry. Even then, just look at how much red there is!
The final product! Wife and kids had to be upstairs for two hours until the fumes subsided! 🙂

Spice on, my friends!

A Tale of Two Salsas

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Aah, Dickens. He sure knew how to write in such a way that it was impossible to disagree with him. I don’t tend to write like that – rather, I tend to pick an issue and viewpoint and write what I can to elaborate on it and explain why I chose that point of view. That and I’m not writing a work of fiction – I’m writing a non-fictional opinion! 🙂

And that is what I will do here, when it comes to a new brand of salsa (Salsa de Leon) I bought at my local HEB and tried this weekend – two types of them – Hot and Habanero Hot. I won’t tell you it was the best of salsa, it was the worst of salsa. Rather, they were both (among) the best of salsas!

The two are identical, even right down to not only the ingredients, but the relative amounts in which they exist (friendly reminder: when looking at the ingredients of any food stock sold, the ingredients always go in descending order by amount present). The only difference: The Habanero Hot has habanero peppers in it as an ingredient before the roasted onions, while Hot has none! Don’t take my word for it – see for yourself!

Play “Spot the differences” – can you? I can’t, not unless I look REALLY closely!

Both salsas, as you can see, are virtually identical. The texture is the same. You can see the fiery peppers ground up in both. As someone with a chemical engineering background (not that you need one to figure this out!), they are likely both created from the same batch with habanero peppers added to and mixed in the Habanero Hot as the last step.

Hot salsa up close and personal – can see the fiery roasted peppers

Habanero Hot – you can see everything like Hot, but also see chunks of habanero peppers!

Oh and the taste – both are fantastic, but interestingly, I find the Hot one to be just a little spicier than the Habanero Hot (maybe the Habanero Hot added a little extra sugar to counter the spicy peppers – who knows). Either way, they both go great with anything – any standard and non-standard TexMex, omelettes, soups, Bloody Mary’s and anything else you can creatively think of.

Check them out! They’re Texas-made and sold, but you can buy online too!

Spice on, my friends!

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