Everything's Better With Bacon

A few weeks ago I got a Facebook message from my friend Heather that read: "Save the Date - BACON PARTY". Oh my. Email spam marketers can learn from this - if you want people to open your emails, forget about subject lines like "Get a bigger penis" or "Free Money from Nigeria"; just go with BACON PARTY and I'm sure you will have a 100% open-rate. The only thing better than bacon is a party celebrating this glorious meat.

The plan was simple enough - every couple/family attending the party was asked to bring a bacon dish and it didn't matter if it was an app, main dish, side dish, dessert or beverage as long as it featured bacon. Naturally, my bacon-senses starting tingling. I could bring a dip, but was I up for a real challenge? I put the feelers out to the Twitterverse: "what should I bring to a BACON PARTY"... the answers flooded in, but the one that immediately caught my attention was the combination of two of my favorite words: Bacon + Cupcakes. GAH. The thought alone almost made me fall out of my seat.

So I set out to embark upon this mission... the mission to merge the perfect crispy saltiness of bacon with the sweet decadence of a cupcake...

The recipe Maple Bacon Cupcakes came from Bacon Today (yeah, I know), and in actuality is pretty straight forward. When you think about it, the flavor isn't all that strange. Think Sunday brunch with pancakes, bacon and syrup all piled high, cut up and eaten in one bite. After I made the cake part, I felt they were almost a little bland. The recipe did note that the frosting was extra sweet - but I would add more sugar to the batter if I made these again. Trying to think of something to really pump up these bad boys, I started thinking about an interesting topping. In the pictures on Bacon Today, they showed the cupcakes topped with a piece of bacon, but since I was worried they were not sweet enough, I wanted a candy topper. That's where the Bacon Toffee came in...

Before Saturday, I had never candied anything before, but it was actually fairly simple. The end result? Simply AMAZING. Honestly, if you ever make bacon flavored anything in the future, make this. The taste is simply mind numbing. Some may say it's the ultimate in "umami", but I just say OHMYYUM.

One of the best parts of the party was how excited all of the guests were about it. Everyone outdid themselves with thoughtful presentations and creative ideas. From Bacon Vodka to be used in an "Oinker Shooter" (oyster shooter) to bacon wrapped pork bites (bacon ON bacon!), everything was really delicious. Our only disappointment was that no one attempted BACON EXPLOSION. Oh well, there is always a next time.

iPhood; Banker's Hill Bar & Restaurant

Lately there has been a lot of buzz in San Diego about good restaurants that serve good food, for less an $20 a plate. Sparked by the recession and people not being able (or being too embarrassed) to go out and drop $300 on dinner, a lot of restaurants have changed up their menus - offering delicious food, just at a lower price point. Banker's Hill Bar and Restaurant is one of these new "lower priced" spots from Carl Schroeder, chef and co-owner of Market in Del Mar. And while other, maybe more "professional" reviewers seemed to be less than thrilled with their experience, I actually really loved this new establishment. 

First Up: Deviled Eggs

Whhaaa? You mean the dish that your random aunt always brought to BBQ's and your mom told you not to eat because they ended up sitting in the sun all afternoon?

Yes. But these 'aint your aunt's deviled eggs.

Flavored with BACON and capers and served over an arugula salad with fresh parmesan and a side of shoestring potato fries, these made my mouth so very happy. 

I will say that I may be quite biased, as this little plate managed to put 4 out of 5 of my favorite flavors on one plate. It did remind me of my favorite egg salad sandwich from Le Papagayo in Leucadia, and this isn't a bad thing; it wasn't a new flavor - but a good one. 

 Main Course: Burger and truffle fries and crispy pork tacos 

I love hamburgers. I love skinny fries/pom frites. I love truffle fries. So, it was very easy to assume that I was in heaven. Nothing amazing. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a very well cooked, delicious burger and there isn't anything wrong with that in my book. 

The crispy pork tacos were a little different - they actually had cubed pieces of avocado inside the shell and an interesting sauce. They were definitely something you needed to eat in two bites - just like a street taco. I thought they were flavorful and really enjoyed them. 

DESSERT

If given a choice between dessert and a bowl of chips or cheese and crackers, I would almost always choose the chips - but this dessert may be one of the exceptions. Simple and amazing. Butterscotch pudding with Butterfinger crumbles. Simple but done really right. 

Its one thing to exclaim "Oh YUM" upon first bite of something... it's another thing when you are still exclaiming its loveliness 4 bites into it. 

All in all, I really enjoyed my meal at Banker's Hill Bar & Restaurant (although, they really could have used some help in the naming department). If you want to be amazed by unique meals - this isn't really the place to go. If you want a solid dinner with good, satisyfing food, this is the spot.