due to popular demand.........

Tacos y Pollos

After sharing my previous Hog n Blogs with some coworkers, I was encouraged to revive my blog but with a more localized approach. Oregon, or Southern Oregon to be exact. There are some good restaurants that I have already discovered and I am sure there are some hidden gems across the valley. I will seek out these gems, devour their offerings, and provide an accurate BURPT score which will exemplify my exquisite palette and uncanny ability to judge food.

My first adventure starts at an “authentic” Mexican food joint in Medford. Tacos y Pollos. This establishment comes highly regarded as a favorite for Mexican fare from multiple co workers. As a native of Southern California and Arizona for the past 10 years, I am not expecting much. Even in California and Arizona, I only found 1 Mexican restaurant in each area that would be worth recommending. Great Mexican food should consist of a homemade vibe along with a perfect combination of fresh produce (tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, cilantro, garlic, onions, peppers,) lean and tender carne, great beans, cheese,great sauces (mole, tomatillo, salsa, verde, )and the most important trait.....Chips and Salsa! This simple pre-meal treat can be a "Truth" representative of the rest to come. What kind of Mexican food place doesn't make Salsa? These traits are extremely hard to find. As expected, Tacos y Pollo does not have these characteristics and is not an elite Mexican food establishment, nor is it a place I would recommend to anyone. With that being said, I will used the infallible BURPT scale and give Tacos y Pollo a fair score.



I ordered the Quesadilla, which wasn't bad. It actually was more of an Empenada (Mexican Calzone) and it was filled with cheese, peppers, and onions. Of course the corn tortilla was deep fried.

Budget 17/20 I paid a little over 10 dollars for a side of beans, rice, soda, and the entree qusadilla. I would say this is a fair price.

Uniqueness 14/20 This score would have been more if you consider not having chips and homeade salsa a positive uniqueness. Also, an empenada-like quesadilla, and the beans were unique (soupy beans:Pinto beans w/ bacon and chorizo bits) and that is why this score got a boost.

Results 15/20 Burping the deep fried shell, but then again it probably wasn't cooked in olive oil, and mexican just isn't a food type where you can expect aftermath absence.

Portion 18/20 Not over the top and not too little....

Randy's Asada Tacos

Kyles dish of cheese tacos and Quesadilla

Taste 15/20 Not terrible, and not great.

OVERALL=79 BURPT score.

Hominy Grill: Charleston, SC

My First official Hog and Blog...Charleston, South Carolina.  

Home of deep fried everything and the deepest of Southern Style food fare.

My parents and I decide to go to a Charleston favorite:

Hominy Grill

Since I only visit Charleston 1.5 times per year, I thought this would be a good time to rate some southern style food.

I ordered the Curry Chicken and apple salad sandwich with my choice of side being cole slaw.

 

There were probably 20 vegetable sides that you could choose from but cole slaw seemed like a good healthy choice. 

Warning about the cole slaw... RED SLAW.  made with vinegar and ketchup instead of mayonaise...not my favorite. I also noticed that mac n cheese was on the "vegetable" list as well...funny how southerners think.

There were many interesting things on the menu:  FRIED GREEN TOMATO BLT, Housemande Hot Pepper Jelly served with goat cheese and sesame water crackers, Sauteed Chicken Livers deep fried in ham gravy, and Shrimp and Grits.

The service was great and the outdoor patio was an excellent choice.  

 

After extensively studying this fine establishment

 HOMINY GRILL's BURPT score is as follows

 

Budget  = 16/20   $54 (3 for lunch...but includes deserts :))

 

Uniqueness = 18/20  although its southern...its unique to me..boiled peanuts instead of bread for the starters.

 

Results= 19/20  very fresh ingredients didn't cause any aftermath issues

 

Portions =18/20  perfect portions but sometimes leftovers are good.

 

Taste = 17/20 not amazing but still good.

 

HOMINY GRILL OVERALL BURPT=88

 

I also ordered some desert which I have to say was some of the best I have ever had.  I should have some sort of separate rating for desert:)

Matt Meals: Hogging and Blogging

There's few people in the world that can say they a strong passion for something.   I am one of the fortunate people to have two.  My love for music (especially guitar) has influenced almost every major decision I have made in my life for the past 15 years.   Where I live, work , and play all were a result of decision based on music.  I feel extremely lucky to have a career in a field I truly have a passion for. Having a passion, and embracing it to be an important factor of your life, will yield positive results.

My second passion is something that we all need as humans to survive: FOOD! 

Many of you who are following this blog know me as a person whom enjoys food way too much!  I admit that it's not easy being addicted to food.  Sometimes I eat when I'm not even hungry!  Being full never influences my decision if I will get a second or third helping.   I once had a lifelong goal of being so fat, the fire department would have to be called to remove the roof of my dwelling to excavate my fat dead body.   YIKES!  That's pretty morbid!  More of a bad Joke:)

So, now I begin my adventure:   HOGGING and BLOGGING.  Through out my travels across this great country,  I will randomly select restaurants in various cities to dine.  Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner.   I will then "review" these establishments with an overall BURPT score, providing pics of the establishment, (inside and out) the menu, and the meal (s).   This might be a good way for me t0 stop my addiction of food, by actually keeping record of all the food I eat, or it could go horribly wrong and awaken the beast that lies dormant in my belly.  We'll see. 

BURPT score is based on: 

Budget   out of 20

Uniqueness out of 20

Results (aftermath?) out of 20

Portions out of 20

Taste out of 20

100 total.