Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I confess; I tried the Western BBQ variant one evening, and I won't ever buy it again. Not only was it nothing like the image (which I never expect, anyway; those things are professionally "fluffed" in ways no genuine burger could ever duplicate) but the Onion Rings were missing! As far as taste, texture and value, Todd Brock has this BK offering nailed.
Pass it up; you'll be glad you did.

Promises, promises! There's a Smashburger coming to a neighborhood near me, and now I hear it won't open until April! Argh! Oh well, at least I have Five Guys. :)

I take a few slices of Prosciutto mince it up and cook it until crispy like bacon bits. I put these in omelettes, salads, and other dishes where you might use bacon bits. Not putting a knock on bacon, I love it. But when there's Proscuitto around, I usually enjoy a nice sandwich of it with Provolone and Romaine lettuce and good crusty Italian bread. If I can restrain myself and keep a few slices back, Proscuitto crumbles are in the plan, always. They surprise people. :)

I'd have to go along with Bkhuna's comment (with the caveat that while I love the *smell* of coffee, I cannot abide the *taste* of it.) Oh, and did I mention I love the smell of bacon? ;)

Lobster or crab - I love it, but I can't bring myself to kill it. Lucky it's also sold as pre-cooked meat, but that leaves an awful lot of menu options off the table. For those, it's restaurant time.

Sweet potato fries - cropping up in more places, thankfully. I'm confident enough making regular fries, but not sure I could get these right at home.

Love this recipe and Hooray for the new column! I work where hot food at lunch is discouraged (and sometimes impractical); one can only eat so many sandwiches. So I welcome a column focused on interesting salads I can pack for the office.

Interesting timing; I had lunch today at a Cheesecake Factory here in NJ, and ordered the Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake. Hadn't tried it before, and while it was very tasty, I found the texture just a bit less than smooth. Didn't stop me from taking down well over half the dessert, though.

Going by your photo and rating on the Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake, that'll be the next one I try. Fortunately, I only indulge in cheesecake about twice a year.

My favorite dessert at TCF isn't even a cheesecake, BTW; it's their Warm Apple Crisp! Totally fantastic but can't be finished by one person. Unless, of course, you skip the meal and just go for apples and ice cream. :)

Soba noodle salad
chicken meatballs
carrot salad
pickled cabbage
broccoli & garlic
rice
hard-cooked eggs

Meatloaf. It might have bell peppers in it one night, mushrooms another; I might cover it in bacon slices, or chili sauce glaze. Italian style or American? BBQ or basic? Beef or "meat loaf mix"?

Meatloaf is like a old 70s "mood ring" in the kitchen. How it turns out it a reflection of what I'm up for that night.

Hmmm...very interesting idea. Thinking already of other flavors of cake mix this might be adapted to... :P

I've always been a big fan of the true "black & white" shake from my youth in The Bronx; over the years, I've had to explain it to so many ice cream shoppe employees that I was beginning to think it was an endangered species. Glad to see someone else remembers...and that it can still be found out there.

Ground up whoppers ain't ever gonna cut it. The Shake/Malted should be smooth, creamy and go down easy (if it creates temporary brain freeze, well; that's just the price you pay.)

I'm with bgruber -- it's the craze that has turned the modest, tasty cupcake into parti-colored, spangled, over-priced abominations sold in custom cupcake shops that in many cases, ONLY sell by the dozen, by reservation yet! And don't even get me started on those dry, tasteless, crisco-ed monstrosities turned out by any local supermarket "bakery" department.

Lastly, I second, third, fourth, whatever, all those who just plain don't GET 'Red Velvet' cupcakes/cake. Give me a genuine chocolate cake any old day, and hold the damned cream cheese icing, thank you very much.

Love a simple pasta frittata; leftover spaghetti and Italian sweet sausage, Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Finest kind: Potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, red onion, crumbled bacon, cheddarjack cheese.