A few things I miss...

*Proper* crunchy Buffalo chicken wings (New York Style) - with insane American Hot Sauce and salty creamy blue cheese dip...no-one in England can get it quite right (apart from Chillis - which was killed by the credit crunch)...


Waking up in Colin the Camper...


Cheeky lunchtime burgers at Smithy's...


Chilli Pepper Pete turning up to Laughton...


The view down the Thames on a summer day when stranded at Blackfriars station by First Capital Connect...


The route of the number 17 bus...


New Harry Potter books...


Being able to stand in the shed at the end of the strip at Santa Pod (and be almost choked to death by toxic fume - much better than it sounds)...


My Mavica MVC-CD500 (effortless quality)...


Our front garden, that one year (with the throw-and-grow) although it did take a lot of watering...


Widemouth Bay...


Living in the penthouse...


Breakfast in Mexico...


Wondering what would be in the window of the Porcupine Book Shop...


Holidaying in the Canary Islands...


Cheesesteak...


"All new" episodes of Star Trek...


My C500 running Windows Mobile (Smartphones didn't start with the iphone, here's to full internet, movies and apps way back in 2004, I wasn't even blogging back then)... ;)


My Nyko Airflow...


New Years Day at Hedley Wood...


All the evening papers except the Evening Standard (it's far too grown up)...


Fillet steak at the Arkle Manor (or anywhere else for that matter) I think my most recent one was before the wedding...!


James May's Lego House...

So I'm obviously in desperate need of a holiday and something nice to eat (just to start with)... ;)

Carls Steaks - Philly Cheese steak, New York - Review

Would have posted this a lot earlier if Flickr hadn't been so busy "having a massage" - get back to work already, you lazy bum! Oh dear...perhaps New York is starting to rub off on me a little... ;)

So it actually happened today, instead of just the astonished looks, the guy in "Carl's Steaks" (another "follow my nose", but a good one this time) greeted me with the words "Dude, you lost your jacket?", and when I raised my eyebrow to him, he followed up with "or, do you just come from someplace really hot?", I assumed he meant to say "cold" (and was just startled) and didn't correct him, just smiled and shook my head in a sagely "You New Yorkers are such wusses" kind of way...he looked down, whistled and shook his head (in a "You English are nuts" kind of way) and said, "Well, nice to seeya, if you lookin' to eat, about all I got are Cheesesteaks"...

Now, if you are in the same boat as me (at this stage), and have absolutely no idea what a "Cheesesteak" is, then I am sure you will forgive me for my answers to his subsequent questions, which were asked, by the young gentleman, with the nervous earnestness of someone who may be about to serve a demanding, pissed off New York resident, not realising that most Brits just do what they were told/yelled at to do at school and "Just be happy with what (they were given)", even if it frequently involved tepid catering buckets of limp tinned plum tomato and deep fried SPAM from the days before taste...AK! Actually, on reflection, the deep fried SPAM wasn't too bad... ;)

You know, it's funny, but watching "The Ipcress File" earlier, it really stood out to me that the director was trying to make out Micheal Caine's character to be a real gourmet, emphasising the fact that he bought tinned mushrooms as evidence...goodness, how things have changed...*shrug*...

Anyway, the conversation continued as follows -
"So you want Philly Cheese Steak?"
"Yes please"
"You want Cheez Wiz, american, provolone or pizza"
(WTF?)
"Urm, whatever is traditionally served with it?"
"Yes Sir, you want onions on that?"
"Urm, yes please"
"And what roll?" (then, obviously sensing my confusion) "White American?"
(Thank you!)
"Yes please"
"Okay, sauces are over here, Hot, BBQ and Ketchup and the towels are right here"...

...and then I was left alone with the beast....quite staggeringly naughy in it's aspect, fairly sure I've only bettered it the once -

- the smile never left my face...Absolutely wonderful...

Found out subsequently, it's been begrudgingly included in the NY Times food top 100 list "if you must eat Philly steak, go to Carl's"...

Quite right, it's the tops... :)