Meat Mondays

When was the last time you went out for a steak dinner and paid for it.  Never, unless we are talking about the hockey puck I prepared last week with discount meat from Trader Joe's.  Stop worrying, my health is great, he he.  Now thanks to the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, I can now afford a huge steak dinner on Monday nights for $15.  At The Butcher Shop Steakhouse in Memphis and around the south, each Monday they offer their epic special.  Where just a rib eye costs $25 on any regular night, you can have that with a baked potato and a salad for ten bucks off the asking price.  You most def are getting your money's worth.  This maybe the best steal and a half because just go to your butcher and your uncooked steak will ring up to the same price.  After the manic Monday you are probably going to have this is the best way to end the day with a meal you do not have to cook or clean.  Now when the bill comes, do not be shy, pull out your plastic and treat your party to a meal to remember.           

Vietnamese Footlongs

So it seems the Vietnamese sandwiches called Banh Mi are all the rage. They have recently made an appearance on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Have Ever Ate and a nice street meat write up in Urban Daddy. Everywhere I turn I can get this nosh. From coast to coast you can get this lunch delight for a small price. Although not the healthiest, whats wrong with a treat from time to time. You need to change up that boring lunch during the week. What makes it even better, this rather large and filling sandwiches rarely tips the scales over five dollars.
Whats a Banh Mi you ask? Well better than your traditional 5-dollar foot long, it is a french style baguette with traditional Vietnamese flavors usually in a pork form from a meatball to a bar-b-qued fashion. You can often find other options from ham to grilled chicken (for the healthy set). Then on top of the main protein is usually liver pate, mayo, soy sauce, shredded pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, jalapenos and cucumbers. No worries, if you cannot stand the heat of jalapenos or will not try daikon. Since most of these sandwiches are fresh and made to order, tell them you do not want the pate.
I tried the Banh Mi on a whim with a friend from the suggestion from her foodie boyfriend. She convinced me to try, and boy I did not regret it. We went to a location in Chinatown (ironic, I know) for this bready delight. As we went our separate ways, I brought mine home for a late lunch. Getting through one third I was fully convinced (and convinced I was full) that this was a hidden inexpensive gem in this city. After burning some off at the gym, I began to hear about this from every corner of the universe. They are popping up everywhere, so go find out the location nearest you. As we all convert from one foot long to this one, we may only be only taking the Subway from now on.