All I Am Saying is Give Peace A Pizza A Chance

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day in lovely Villanova, PA, which was infiltrated by OBAMA. I never have been to Villanova before because I had enough of that atmosphere in my high school, I did not see the need to keep it going in college. Change is good. Anyway, it was pretty much what I expected.

For lunch during my trip the girls that I was with said we had to go to Peace A Pizza. I was not really excited because I assumed that a pizza place in Pennsylvania was going to be pretty weak with little options (kinda like every bad pizza place in Boston - the pizza would taste like cardboard and sauce). You know what happens when you assume something......

Anyway, the second I walked in, I knew I was in for something special. Yes the name might be the most cheesy name for a pizza place ever but it was a theme and I like a theme.

The focus of this place is as expected, pizza, but not just any kind of pizza, gourmet pizza by the slice. How genius! A lot of places claim to be gourmet but by the slice they only offer 3-4 choices. To really go gourmet you have to order a pie which is hard because people like different things. For example some people like socialism, some people don't.

So highlights of the pizza menu in my opinion are the Caribbean Chicken, Chicken Parm (a best seller), Pesto Chicken, (girlfriend loves herself some pesto), Baked Ziti (another best seller), Chicken Fajita, Mac n Cheese, Honey Lime Chicken and Eggplant Parm.

They also have lots of great salads and that is what I went with (editors note: when placing my order I had no idea this was a chain, the revelation came when I said, wow this place is good I wish I was a chain and my friends chimed in, ummm yeah it is, they have locations around South Jersey and Penn, ummm you should have told me that sooner because I would have ordered pizza so I could review it). I have to say though, I was really happy with my big salad choice because it was delicious! It was a Caribbean Chicken Salad that contained pears, raisins, almonds and nice hot chicken in a sweet honey lime dressing, which prob had more calories than if I just had the pizza, but whatever. Other salads that look delicious to me were the Thai Chicken Salad, Granny Smith Delight and Orange Nut N Honey Chicken. The salads come with a delicious garlic breadstick.

A great option here is that you can get a small salad with a slice of gourmet pizza. If they had a Peace A Pizza in NY I would probably get that a lot. Thinking about it, Peace A Pizza would fit in very well underground in the Rockefeller Center concourse. Perhaps I will open one??

The hidden gem here is the dessert restaurant adjacent to the pizza place. It is called Hope's and I must say that if everyone ate the cookies that they serve freshly baked there is Hope that there would be peace in this crazy world. I went with the standard sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles because I am a rainbow sprinkle kind of girl. It was outstanding!! Soft and delicious. I also had a piece of Snickerdoodle that was spectacular. They have ice cream and yogurt too but because it was a monsoon out, ice cream really was not doing it for me.

In closing, this place totally rocked and I hope that they expand up north and bit, if not NYC at least the suburbs.

PEACE

War Zone Food and Fun

First I must give a big shout out to my little bro the Fresh Prince of Chains, Bretty.
Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are so cute.

Weird that I am going to focus this posting about the food chains in the war zone of Iraq on Brett's birthday but I think it is such an interesting topic that I could not wait to write about it.

My friend is actually in Iraq now so I have exclusive details about what chains are found in Iraq.

He said "All of the major bases have fast food restaurants that are setup through the Army/Air force exchange service. I've seen Taco Bell,Pizza Hut, Cinnabon, Burger King, Subway and their was even a McDonalds in Kuwait. But as far as in the cities, no."

Pretty crazy right, they have Pizza Hut and all that fun stuff on the bases. Thank God, because they deserve it. Actually they should really have like Capital Grille and Rosa Mexicana, forget Taco Bell. Cinnabon is pretty awesome though. If I was in Iraq I would probably treat myself to Cinnabon at least once a week.

Also I learned that someone did try to open up a McDonald's in Iraq but wasn't allowed so he opened a MaDonal and it was basically the same thing but that is now closed to because he was getting all these crazy threats from Al Qaeda and McDonald's. Ummmm that is scary. No french fry is worth Al Qaeda coming after you. Hellz no.

Anyway, happy bday Brett and God Bless Our Troops.

Brother Jimmy's - Welcome to the Chain Family

As a borderline alchy I am shocked it has taken me this long to dedicate a post to a chain that is more of a bar than a restaurant. When I think of Brother Jimmy's I think of 20- year old bridge and tunnel people coming into the city for a crazy night out. I also think of those fun alligators they give you in their famous fish bowls. Oh and I think of being called an "inappropriate drunk." Last year I heard from a little Chuck Bass wannabe that a Brother Jimmy's was opening up a block away from my apartment in the golden towers, Windsor Court. I could not believe it, WTF, why would a southern themed bar open up on in the worlds jappiest court? I did not make any sense to me at all. Japs don't eat BBQ food? I mean you can't put BBQ sauce on salad, can you???

Alas, I was wrong and a few months ago Brother Jimmy's made its glorious debut on 31st street. So far it seems to be a huge success with lines out the door certain nights of the week. I have been twice and have been very impressed both times. My favorite thing was the BBQ chicken sandwich. It is a nice size and you can add any sauce you like from the multiple varieties available on the table. I also like that you can pick what side you like. Much better than the standard fries that you are given at every other restaurant. I like variety in my life. I got the mac and cheese because I am really into mac and cheese. It is so weird that I never ate mac and cheese growing up. I know my mom doesn't really cook but I am pretty sure she could have heated up some mac and cheese for me and little Bretty. I have also sampled many appetizers here and all were very delicious. I loved the popcorn shrimp and the buffalo chicken fingers. I can not quite put my finger on it, but they are a little more jazzy than your standard buf chick fing.

Also I must note that the prices here are much more affordable then some of the other BBQ joints that are popping up all over the city these days. BBQ is totally the new Mexican.

Now, the good stuff - the drinks!!! The first time I went to the new location I sampled the Sangria with my Lilo and wowzers was it good. I was impressed, who knew they had Sangria like this in the deep south. Of course Lilo and I finished the huge pitcher and were nice and toasty.

The second time with my posty girls we got a fish bowl and though rather sweet it was quite good. Then I switched to vodka soda which is pretty lame, because it is a southern BBQ bar, like really drink beer dude. How can I make fun of a Jap when I am drinking vodka soda at Brother Jimmy's????

So now, with 6 locations in the great borough of Manhattan, Brother Jimmy's you are certainly a chain and a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I heard a rumor that you were opening up in Puerto Rico, would totally rock and give me an excuse to visit my favorite island and birthplace of Mr. Posada and Mr. Williams!!!

Seattle - The Chain Food Capital of America

I went to Seattle, Washington with no idea what to expect in terms of chain food variety. All I knew was that I had to find the first Starbucks (which I did and it was kind of lame and there was some homeless dude singing outside). Well I arrive in the rain late at night and as the taxi is taking me to my awesome hotel room (I have a really good skill at getting upgraded to suites by being nice to the people at the front desk) I notice all the chain restaurant signs and smile from ear to ear. The next day I explore the city and realize that almost every single restaurant is a chain. In fact, I do not think I even saw a non-chain. Could this be true, could Seattle be my chain heaven. Am I meant to live in Seattle and find my McDreamy??? It is rainy and cold and I did not see people wearing much black, but maybe Seattle is where I am meant to be. My hair did not even frizz in the rain there.

Anyway, some of the chains I saw within a 4 block radius of each other were P.F. Changs, Gordon Beirch, Cheesecake Factory, and Palomino. Palomino, you must be asking yourself, what is that. Well I never heard of it either but I noticed it when I was in San Francisco so I knew it was a chain. Turns out it is a huge chain on the West Coast and my favorite state TEXAS!!!

Palomino is an upscale Italian and American restaurant. The one I went to was in an office building which makes it cool for lunch during the week but not sure if I would want to go there for dinner on a weekend. Their symbol is also a horse which made me want to try it because I love horses, probably because my brother always tells me I look like one.

Well I went and was really impressed. I would compare it to an upscale Macaroni Grill. They had a very nice menu. To start the meal you get bread with this delicious tomato sauce. For an entree I opted for the Chicken Marsala which was actually in a light, clear sauce, not brown. It was a very nice portion, two chicken breasts and a good amount of al dente angel hair pasta in a garlicy sauce that I found very tasty. I did not get an appetizer or dessert because my skirts are getting a bit tight trying all this chain food.

Some dishes that stood out on the menu to me were their Brick Oven Pizzas, Kobe Ravioli and Shrimp Scampi. For lunch they also have combos like Soup and Salads and Sandwich and Pastas. Very fun!!!!

I Found My LA Heaven

I have been going to LA a lot for work and was having trouble finding really solid LA chains. Nothing really stood out in my mind so instead I focused all my efforts on spotting celebrities, with an emphasis on D list ones like the "stars" of the Hills and Tara Reid. Last Thursday though all that changed. At approximately 3:00 pm PST the LA sun shinned a little brighter as I pulled into the Universal Studios City Walk with my cheesey white convertible. Yes, I was lost and late for a meeting but so what, I had finally found what I was looking for. Here it was right in front of my eyes, a chain food mecca in LA. For those of you not familiar, Universal Studios City Walk is a manufactured "city" filled with chain restaurants, touristy stores, a huge movie theater and an amphitheater (that by the way will be hosting the Smashing Pumpkins in December, awesome).

Anyway the chains here are an all star game of some of my favs and some of the ones I am dying to try. The one that sticks out most in my mind is Buca Di Beppo. Ever since all of the Real World Las Vegas cast members used to eat there I have always been fascinated by it. They do not have any in the NY area so I have not been able to try it. There was one in DC but I was too young to realize that I should try it. Other members of the Universal Studios Chain Food All Star Team are Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Hard Rock Cafe, Jillian's (at least this one isn't near Fenway), Daily Grill (I did actually try this in DC - Georgetown, I love Georgetown, it is so preppy and Jordy went there and I love her) and Wolfgang Puck Cafe. Wow, what a team!

Next time I am in LA I am for sure going to eat here and maybe even see the Smashing Pumpkins. At least I know my car will not be towed and homeless men will not laugh at me and Monti for not taking their advice on parking somewhere else. "This is my home, it may be outside but I know they tow here." At least we got a good laugh and a free drink from Beso out of it.