No, queso fundido usually has chorizo and a few other things in it. The white cheese dip at Southeastern U.S. Mexican restaurants is typically just Land O’Lakes (or a lower-end brand) white American cheese mixed with a bit of milk and melted. The only other ingredient is (optionally) diced jalapenos.
Why it’s so popular is inexplicable to me, but you won’t find many Mexican restaurants from Arkansas/Louisiana up through North Carolina that don’t offer it.
Yes, it would. Wolfgang’s is wonderful. So is Peter Luger’s, where Wolfgang learned his trade. Lately, however, my favorite New York steakhouse has been Keene’s. Excellent steaks, and they offer mutton chops, too, which are a nice change once in a while.
My absolute favorite steak these days can be found in a good Argentine restaurant, of which there are several in Queens. Order the skirt steak. Have sweetbreads to start, and a blood sausage on the side. For a carnivore, it’s heaven on earth. And a lot cheaper than Wolfgang’s.
Herbed chevre
Smoked paprika aioli
Mango salsa
Oreos or Chips Ahoy, when they’ve been allowed to sit in a glass of milk until they produce two distinct strata- one of cookie-flavored milk, and one of dense cookie sludge. Drink the milk, eat the sludge with a spoon. Yum.
An authentic Philly Cheese Steak (ordered as, “gimme a cheese wid” – the local idiomatic translation for, “sir, I wish to order my Philadelphia-style shaved steak submarine sandwich from your fine South Philadelphia eating establishment, complete with melted smoked provolone cheese on top and caramelized fried onions embedded enticingly within, thank you very much”).
You’ll usually see this in the grocery store marked as “cube steak.” Usually round steak run through the tenderizer thingy. Looks kinda pre-chewed. Cut into small chunks, dredge in heavily spiced flour (garlic salt, pepper, paprika) and fry crisp in a mixture of oil and bacon grease. Then use the remaining grease, crispy bits and flour to make a roux base for the cream gravy. Serve with real garlic smashed potatoes and a side of steamed broccoli with a bit of sharp shredded cheddar melted over the top. Or, serve as a breakfast meat with hash browns, eggs and toast. Lots of gravy, though. Shitloads of gravy. Chicken fried steak is the best comfort food ever–especially leftover the next day and made into sammiches on whole wheat bread spread with leftover gravy.
Espresso gelato.
Garlicky chicken caesar salad with avocados.
Sushi, especially when you’re JUST in the mood for it.
A properly made, NY style “everything” bagel lightly toasted and heavily covered in real cream cheese.
A perfectly ripe avocado half, scored length- and crosswise, drizzled with coconut vinegar and sprinkled with garlic salt and a touch of pepper, eaten from the skin with a spoon.
Ripe Rainier cherries bought early in the morning with the dew still on them, eaten while driving and spitting the pits out the window.
Boned leg of lamb filled with a blended paste of feta or bleu cheese, olive oil and shallots, rolled and tied and then covered with a paste of fresh garlic, rosemary, olive oil and salt, then roasted or grilled.
Twice baked potatoes.
Hood River strawberries picked that day, sliced with just a smidgen of sugar and chilled, spooned over a slice of pound cake and topped with fresh whipped cream.
Carnitas tacos from a sleazy burrito wagon late at night after drinking a lot–don’t forget the chopped onion and cilantro, and the wedge of lime squeezed over the top.
Shrimp sauteed in butter with a huge amount of fresh chopped garlic.
Fresh grilled salmon.
I could go on allllllll day with this… dreamy smile, slight trail of drool
I have a thing for pizza. I know everybody claims to have a thing for pizza but I HAVE A FUCKIN’ THING for pizza. I worked at a pizza joint for almost 4 years when I was a teenager, and we got all the free pizza we wanted. Most people swore the stuff off after a couple of months. I was still coming in and eating it on my days off until the very end.
While the aforementioned cheesesteak is quite possibly the only food I’ve ever wished would never end, there is something to be said for
While it may not be the food I would choose to eat in preference to all others, it is undoubtedly the most satisfying thing to cook. Bread is such a simple, basic food, made from the most humble of ingredients, it feels more like creating art than cooking.
If I was forced to pick just five things to eat for the rest of life, here’s my list:
Montreal-style sesame bagels, preferably still warm from the wood-burning oven
A hot Montreal smoked meat sandwich, with a side of vinegary coleslaw
Homemade fresh pasta with roasted squash in carbonara sauce
A proper BLT on homemade white bread, with thick-cut bacon and ripe heirloom tomatoes (the kind that taste like tomato, not cardboard)
Fresh blueberries with sugar and cream