Last week, I was in the drug store looking to pick up a can of body spray when I noticed that one of my favorite products Old Spice had been redesigned. There were a few of the old cans left on the shelf and when I compared the two, I got quite a surprise.
The new product cans are shiny and eye catching. I immediately noticed how the redesign on the can, now gave it a new higher and thinner shape. The new Old Spice cans are now much taller than many other body spray products on the shelf.
The old and the new. Can you notice the difference in this side by side comparison?
Large bold print shouts NEW to hopefully grab the customer’s attention that the product has gone through a change. But, it was when I took a look at the fine print, I got angry.
Old Spice has reduced the amount of spray, now in each can from 4 oz. to 3.75 oz.
So, for the same price ($5.79) – I’m getting less product. Who likes getting less for their money? No one!
Had I not caught the old and new cans side by side on the shelf, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. And that’s EXACTLY what marketing companies hope for when they downsize a product.
With our current economy, more and more manufacturers are looking to stretch their dollars any way they can. Many have done this by laying off staff, manufacturing products overseas, or as in this case placing a smaller product on store shelves.
I’ve seen this everywhere from soap, to canned goods, to soft drinks.
Are you getting less for your money and not even knowing it?
Companies are hoping that the consumer will not notice a small reduction in a product’s size and will use clever tactics, like redesigning the can or proclaiming it’s a NEW design to distract from the fact that you’re getting less for your money.
Given the choice, I’d rather Old Spice cut back instead of raising the price of their product. But, if they were hoping no one would notice – to late… I did!
Old Spice has been on the markets since 1934 selling grooming products for men. Originally a shaving cream and aftershave lotion, since being acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1990, the line has expanded to add deodorants, body washes, and body sprays with scents that target men.
Keep and eye on your favorite products at the store. It’s not just Old Spice, but many products have been downsized. I saw something, I said something!
Even the bars of soap and my contact lens solutions have been downsized! Sometimes, the cost actually goes up and you’re getting less product!
As long as nobody really notices, manufacturers will continue these tricks. It’s up to you to be vigilant and notice. If you don’t like what you see, reach out and give them a piece of your mind! Go to their website and shoot them a simple email. It’s your money – get more for it. Or, at the very least – make them aware that we the consumers have noticed! A reputable company will at least send you a couple of coupons or some freebies for your trouble.
Ordering an item off a restaurant’s secret menu, can give you the feeling that you’re part of a club, where only special people have the privileged information. Many restaurants have secret menus, or items that you can order, that aren’t officially on the menu. Fast food restaurants are no exception, with everyone from Burger King to In and Out Burger getting in on the secret menu act.
Some restaurants are more open about their secret items than others. Dozens of websites and news stories are devoted to finding the newest secret item. While some have been created by the restaurant specifically, others have been created by fans, and have become lore. I recently sampled two of McDonald’s secret menu items: The McGangBang and The Land, Sea, and Air Burger.
The McGangBang
THE MCGANGBANG
The McGangBang may be McDonald’s most famous secret menu item and likely, because of the price. Both items needed to make the sandwich come off the dollar menu, giving you a full meal for only a couple of bucks.
Simply put, the McGangBang is a McChicken sandwich, shoved in between the patties of a McDouble. Each costs $1 on the dollar menu, so for a cheap $2 plus tax, you have this belly busting sandwich!
The name is a nod to the adult term, “gang bang” which means to have intercourse with multiple partners at one time. So, I guess your taste buds are getting multiple flavors at one time? Obviously, this is not officially sanctioned by the McDonald’s corporation.
When I tried ordering this at my local New Jersey McDonald’s, the woman had no idea what I was talking about. Sadly, she spoke little English, so even ordering regular items became a challenge. Armed with my knowledge of the sandwich, I ordered the McChicken and a McDouble and assembled them, myself.
The taste was pretty good and the sandwich is definitely filling! The chicken and the beef patties go well together. The mayo from the McChicken worked well with the ketchup, pickle, and onions of the McDouble. Each time I chewed, I got a little flavor of chicken and then a little flavor of beef. The sandwich was a little heavy with all the multiple patties of meat.
Maybe a more “in the know” cashier will know about this sandwich, but my first secret menu ordering attempt was a bust. Some online reports list this as being first served by employees at a Daytona Beach, Florida McDonald’s. (Again, probably without the consent of the McDonald’s corporation.)
According to recipes online, you can replace the McDouble with a Big Mac, but I’m not sure how that would work with the secret sauce. You can also spice this up, by replacing the McChicken with a Spicy McChicken. I’d definitely try this again, but keep to the original McDouble recipe.
Apparently, there is another version known as a McWhitey, which features a Filet-O-Fish sandwiched in between two McChickens.
The Land, Sea, and Air Burger
THE LAND, SEA, AND AIR BURGER
This giant sandwich looks really nice once assembled! The land, sea, and air burger consists of a patty of beef (land), fish (sea), and chicken (air) all placed together. Yes, I know chickens can’t really fly… I’m not responsible for naming this thing! Would you rather call it the Land, Sea, and Embryo Hatcher Burger?
To enjoy this monstrosity, you will have to pony up several bucks. Only the Hamburger and McChicken are on the dollar menu, so you will need to pay the full price for the Filet-O-Fish to finish this giant sandwich.
This time, I tried ordering at a New York City McDonald’s and again, she had no idea what I was talking about. So, I ordered the three sandwiches separately and assembled everything myself.
The taste was really gross. The tarter sauce from the Filet-O-Fish drowned out all other flavors and the fish was really nasty with the hamburger and chicken. While it looked impressive when plated, the taste prevented me from finishing this one.
I couldn’t find who first came up with the idea for this sandwich, but it is not as much of a cost saver as the McGangBang. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one.
The internet is full of McDonald’s secret menu items, but it looks like only fans or bored employees are responsible. None of these are sanctioned by the restaurant.
A few other popular so called McDonald’s secret menu items are:
• Big McChicken – a Big Mac, but with the buns replaced with McChicken patties, similar to the KFC Double Down sandwich a few years ago
• Chicken McGriddle – a McGriddle breakfast sandwich with a slab of fried chicken instead of the sausage, egg, or bacon
• Grilled Cheese – cheeseburger with no meat patty or condiments
• Mc1035 – only available from 10:35-11am, when breakfast service is switching over to lunch, featuring two burger patties and cheese (from a McDouble) sandwiched inside an Egg McMuffin
• McCrepe – an order of hotcakes, with a yogurt parfait folded up inside
• McKinley Mac – this was actually served at one time and still is overseas, featuring Quarter Pounder patties, instead of regular burger patties, on a Big Mac
• Monster Mac – 8 burger patties piled inside a Big Mac, variations have appeared on overseas menus
• Pie McFlurry – a McFlurry with an apple pie blended inside
While some of these may sound crazy, McDonald’s has an interesting assortment of sandwiches, which ARE being served by their restaurants overseas. While there are hundreds of sandwiches we never see here, here’s a list of a few more novel ones being offered in foreign markets:
The Ebi Filet-O in Japan
• German Sausage Chicken – served in Japan, fried chicken patty, pork sausage, sauerkraut, cheese, and mustard
• Mega Sausage – served for breakfast in Japan, a hot dog with relish and ketchup or mustard
• McPork – served in Japan, a sausage patty with lettuce and sweet & sour sauce
• Ebi Filet-O – served in Japan, a shrimp patty with Thousand Island dressing and lettuce
• Mega Tomago – served in Japan, a double Big Mac with egg and bacon
Ad for the Mega Tomago
• McD Chicken Porridge – served in Malaysia, porridge with onions and chicken
• Prosperity Burger – served in Malaysia, looks like a McRib, but with black pepper sauce and onions, may be chicken or beef
• McSpaghetti – served in the Philippines
• Seaweed Shaker Fries – served in Asia
• Chicken Maharaja Mac – served in India, a Big Mac with spicy grilled chicken, instead of beef
• McAloo Tiki Burger – potato and chickpea patty with tomato, onions, and tomato mayonnaise
• Brie Nuggets – served in Russia
• McTurco – served in Turkey, two beef patties, lettuce, tomato, cayenne pepper sauce on a pita
The McLobster
• Kiwi Burger – served in New Zealand, with beef, tomato, fried egg, lettuce, and beet root
• McLobster – served in Canada & parts of US, lobster salad on a roll
• Lakeswrap – served in Norway, fried salmon filet, lettuce, cheese, in a tortilla
• McKroket – served in Hungary, fried pastry filled with beef stew on a bun
• McPumpkin Omlet Sandwich – served in Hungary, vegetable beef hash brown, egg, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise, on pumpkin seed roll
McDonald’s first opened in 1940 in San Bernardino, California and along with the rise of the automobile, helped fuel the fast food craze that swept through the United States and now globally. Their menu of quick service burgers and fries, along with their mascot Ronald McDonald, has become an American icon.
While McDonald’s does not have an official company sanctioned secret menu, many other fast food chains do. Pass along the info if you know of or have tried any!
McDonald’s restaurant in Miles City, Montana
THE 411
Name: McGangBang and Land, Sea, and Air Burger
What: so called McDonald’s restaurant secret menu items
First served: approximately 2006? Popularity spread with rise of internet
Don’t be surprised if you get shot down when you ask for one of these at your local McDonald’s. I don’t want to discourage you from giving it a try. But, if they have no idea what you are talking about, just do what I did, and order the parts to assemble the sandwiches yourself.
Just stay away from the Land, Sea, and Air burger… this thing is just gross!
Look, I’ve never been to Russia. For Jews, Russia isn’t a place we go to, it’s a place we flee from. All I know is that when I read all the crazy stories coming from Sochi about nightmarish accommodations where the only thing that works right is the camera in the shower , I want to build a time machine, go back to 1921 and give my great grandmother a great big sloppy kiss and a box of See’s Candy for getting the fuck out of that godforsaken shithole of a country with it’s unique brand of cold, misery, drunkenness, feral dogs, violence, repression, xenophobia, homophobia, corruption, incompetence, Pogroms and ballet and making her way to Troy, NY….with it’s unique brand of cold, misery, drunkenness, repression, corruption, incompetence- but…no Pogroms- so, you, know, baby steps (no ballet either). Just think about that for a second- Troy was a BETTER alternative to Russia- do you know how few things Troy is better than? You can’t even make a Jeopardy category out of it- pretty much just Russia, suffocating to death in an abandoned fridge, and Utica. Even Worcester and chlamydia don’t make the cut (don’t get cocky, Worcester- you’ve got a long way to go to catch up with bacne.)
So, naturally I was a little concerned when I was chosen to cover the Olympics for Been & Going but then I remembered that we have no money, so I would just be covering the Olympics from the couch. Which means, on the bright side, I won’t get pink eye from a Soviet era jizz covered pillowcase like Bob Costas, but if my tap water does look like piss, I can’t blame Putin. (SOCHI DRINKING GAME: Do a shot of vodka every time Putin is shown or mentioned. Then vomit prodigiously after the first hour of prime time coverage- not from the vodka but because he’s such a sickening piece of shit. Also cause of the vodka.)
Those of us that grew up during the Cold War were made to believe that Russia was a terrible place because of Communism. But now that the Cold War has been over for more than 20 years (can you believe it? Almost all the Olympic athletes were born after it ended. Isn’t that great? I love kids from the 90’s – they make kids from the 80’s feel bad about themselves) it is clear that Communism was never really the problem. In fact, it’s quite the opposite- Communism was a perfectly good political philosophy that was totally ruined by when the Russians co-opted it- the way Grunge was ruined by frat boys and Facebook was ruined by Moms.
But all that Communism stuff is in the past. This is New Russia, the Strong Russia, Putin’s Russia (SHOT!). A Russia that honors its hateful past while marching bravely to a hateful future. And to honor Russia’s history and culture Putin invited the Cossacks to assist with security at the Games. The Cossacks, for those that don’t know, are a proud warrior caste with a long and distinguished history of wearing huge hats and killing Jews- and they’re damn good at it! For centuries, nobody killed Jews like the Cossacks. If Hitler is the Michael Jordan of killing Jews, these guys are Doctor J. It’s like bringing in the Klan to honor Southern history and culture . Don’t get me wrong- I don’t mean to suggest that Putin is going after Jews. I mean, I’m sure he would if he could find any, but he’s found it a lot easier to go after LGBTQ (did I get all the letters?) individuals- a strategy he refers to as “beating the low hanging fruit”. So one unintended upside of having the Olympics in Sochi is that there may be much more awareness of the horrendous human rights abuses taking place in Russia. After all, if SportsCenter is having a conversation about Equality and it doesn’t have to do with how competitive the NFC West is, then that can’t be a bad thing.
Also, it’s a great opportunity for protest. Like snowboarder Alex Sobolev who openly displayed an illustration of a woman in a ski mask on the bottom of his board after competing- clearly as a tribute to Pussy Riot. I got to tell you, this really makes it clear what a gigantic chicken Shawn White is for pulling out of the Slopestyle event cause the course was too tough. I mean, Sobolev is not only taking on the course- he’s taking on the wrath of a ruthless dictator while little Shawney Whitey-poo won’t even snowboard on the mean old Slopestyle course cause he’s afraid that his precious little haircut will get messed up by a catastrophic brain injury– wah-wah-wah…cue Arrested Development style chicken dance….now. Still- I hope that the course claims Sobolev before Putin gets his hands on him. That Olympic cauldron is fueled with stray dogs and the bones of athletes who thought they had something to say. (UPDATE: The board’s designers have announced that the image of the woman in the ski mask was not inspired by Pussy Riot and any resemblance is strictly coincidental much to the disappointment of bloodthirsty Cossacks and wild dogs looking forward to having snowboarder for dinner.)
Anyhow, I know that many of you aren’t watching the Olympics due to politics or apathy or because you’re reading this column right now and thinking CRAP! I totally forgot the Olympics were on! So, for all of you and also those that are actually watching the Games- here’s my first installment from Sochi- a recap of the Opening Ceremonies. Now, for those of you that followed my Epic Live Blog of the event- don’t worry – there’s lots of new stuff, too! But if you do happen to come across a joke that you’ve seen before, I ask that you please laugh again because I’m incredibly needy. You can make a drinking game out of it and do a shot of vodka after each joke you’ve heard already. Hopefully you won’t get violently ill after the first paragraph, not just because of the vodka but because I’m such a sickening hack.
This was the first fail of the Sochi games. Well, second if you include “being in Sochi”. Or, third, I suppose, if you include choosing “Hot. Cool. Yours” as the slogan. I thought the Russians were against gay propaganda? Anyhow, it was the first fail of the Opening Ceremonies- although in Russia, they didn’t actually show the gaffe- choosing instead to show rehearsal footage where the snowflakes all transformed perfectly- which means that the children of the “Snowflake Technician” will never know why Daddy didn’t come home from the Olympics the day before their house burned down. They were so proud of him. They made construction paper cards and everything.
Look- it’s an innocent young Russian girl about to be sold into white slavery (SHOT!) This is just Putin’s way of teasing childless Americans with all the beautiful blond children they can’t get any more. What a dick- it’s like eating ice cream in front of a diabetic. I mean he’s quite literally dangling her right in front of us – he might as well be saying “Ooooh, look Americans. It’s a gorgeous blue eyed little white girl- want to adopt?? PSYCH! No white baby for you. Oh, boo-hoo, does that make you sad? Here is quarter, call China.” Not that I can blame Putin- who knows what sort of Western evils children may be exposed to in America while they are being raised by parents who love and nurture them and would do anything to give them a better life. Much safer to leave them in orphanages where they can be emotionally and physically abused in the traditional Russian way (SPOILER ALERT: The Russians don’t always love their children, too #sorrysting)
Wow! The Gay Men’s Chorus is really rockin’ that Russian anthem. Who’s Hot, who’s Cool and who’s Yours? MEOW. (SHOT!)
This is not to be confused with the Russian Police Chorus whose performance of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” has charmed the world in a patronizing cat-video “oooh look, they think they’re people” sort of way. But, fair enough, I get it, those Russian policemen are totes adorbs right up until they scream “faggot” and crack open your skull with a stick.
Time for a quick word of thanks to the four most important Olympic sponsors- Coke, McDonald’s, Greed and Irony. If you’ve had a Coke in the last 86 years, then you’re part of the Olympic Dream and Michelle Obama’s worst nightmares.
Oh boy- it’s the Parade of Nations- and remember, they’re going to enter in the order of the Cyrillic alphabet. Oh Russia, you’re so cute. You’re attitude towards gays is as backwards as your “R”s (SHOT!)
Hey Sochi, the future called, they want their hookers back. (SHOT!)
Look- it’s Israel- go Israel go! No, seriously, go, get the hell out – they have Cossacks doing security for God’s sake- RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE. (SHOT! This is starting to get embarrassing.)
And- right after Israel, we’ve got Iran. Bob Costas (or Matt Lauer- who can tell?) was a little snarky about this- suggesting that Israelis and Iranians can’t get along when they’re in close proximity. Clearly Bob Costas hasn’t been to Beverly Hills recently. I mean, hey- the Beverly Center’s not knee deep in blood so they should be able to stand next to each other in line for a few minutes peacefully, as long as they don’t run out of baba ghanoush on the craft services table.
Seriously, Bermuda- put some fucking pants on. Grow up already. You look like the cast of Richie Rich: The Musical (AMERICAN CHOPPER Fans: substitute Mikey Tuttle: The Musical. It’s actually funnier.)
Seriously, Nepal, get a real flag. You’re like the girl who wore the tu-tu on her first day of kindergarten. I know everybody made a oood and ahhhed and said how adorable it was, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to keep wearing it every day til you’re in fifth grade and it’s all torn and covered in chocolate stains and the teachers want to put you in Special Ed. It’s like your 11th Olympics already, Nepal. You’re a big girl country now, get a big girl flag.
Seriously Putin, would it kill you to fucking smile? You look like $1 billion went into the Olympics and the other $50 billion is shoved up your ass. (SHOT!- cause of Putin and the joke you’ve heard. So- 2 SHOTS!) I know, I know, it sucks seeing all these countries walk in that should just be part of the USSR. I get it- I wish the Parade of Nations were shorter too. At least I can watch House Hunters when this gets boring while you’re stuck there having to clap for Kyrgyzstan. And, yeah, I don’t want to live in a world where I have to spell Kyrgyzstan either- but come, on it’s not so bad. You can still exert your will and crush their democracies when they try and join the E.U. Come on, who’s a happy dictator? Who’s a happy dictator??There you go! Now that wasn’t so bad was it?
Look- the Jamaican Bobsled Team is back! They couldn’t make it for the last two Olympics, but they weren’t gonna miss this one, cause they heard the guys from Colorado has some primo shit. You know, a lot of people have been saying that the Winter Olympics unfairly favors small, white European nations way out of proportion to their actual population or importance in today’s world, but I actually think it’s better to be from a country with no winter sports tradition, since you can be terrible at your event and still totally make it to the Olympics cause you’re the only one who does it. Just ask Mongolia’s top figure skater, this guy:Doesn’t look like much, but he’s the goddamn Gracie Gold of Ulan Bator. I mean, If you’re a Norwegian cross country skier and you don’t medal- you’re derided in the press and publically ridiculed – but all this Mongolian guy has to do is carry a flag in his underpants and he’s a goddamn inspirational Olympic hero.
Plus- have you been to Norway in winter? Cross Country skiing is all they have to live for. When Norway didn’t medal in 2010, they were pulling white people out of fjords until the middle of August- which is like two weeks longer than usual.
Speaking of Olympians from small countries- here’s my favorite Tongan luger Bruno Banani.
Banani, who was born Fuahea Semi but changed his name 8 years ago to match his sponsor, German underwear manufacturer Bruno Banani. Can you imagine such crass, vulgar commercialism at the Olympics? Bob Costas certainly gave him a piece of his mind during the Subway Fresh Talk Minute. I would love to get on the condemnation train, but I would change my name to Calvin Klein in a second for a $200 donation to Been & Going and a pair of husky sized boxer briefs. Not that Calvin Klein is banging down my door exactly. I wonder who made those undies for the Mongolian team? Blue is totally my color.
U-S-A! U-S-A! Better not dip that flag! Unlike every other country in the world, the U.S. hasn’t dipped our flag in salute to the home country’s ruler since 1932- also, the first year we were elected “Douchiest Olympians” by the rest of the world (still undefeated!). Personally, I think it’s great- fuck the world! It’s chest pounding, eagle flying, unabashed jingoism time- hell, that’s what the Olympics are all about! It’s the only time we get to shamelessly kick other country’s butts without having to feel bad or worry about building democracy afterwards.
Thank god. The Russian team. Finally someone I can shamelessly boo. Boo, Ruskies, booo! Go back to Russia…oh wait. Also, this means the Parade of Nations is over- and it’s about damn time. Now I know how the Russians used to feel when they waited in line for bread. And aren’t things so much better there now that they have no bread at all?
OK, so this part is a celebration of Russia’s history. See- that’s St. Basil’s Cathedral- and according to Matt Lauer (or is it Bob Costas?) “St. Basil’s Cathedral was built by Ivan the Terrible, who poked out the architect’s eyes so it could never be repeated.” Let’s be clear, folks,- this is the feel good part of the show. (SHOT!)
Now we come to one of the most beautiful parts of the night. The extremely lengthy ballet sequence inspired by War and Peace. This is a stirring reminder of Russia’s contributions to the arts. The music of Tchaikovsky, the films of Eisentstein, the ballet of Diaghilev – so many of the world’s unbelievably boring masterworks were given to us by Russian homosexuals. Is it any wonder they fought a revolution? This was the entertainment of the times. I would start a revolution, too just to get out of sitting through another fucking Swan Lake. Hell, I went to see The Cherry Orchard and almost burned the theatre down at intermission just so I could get them to STOP WHINING AND SELL THE FUCKING ORCHARD. SELL IT SELL IT SELL IT SELL IT SELL IT SELL IT SELL IT!!!!!! You’re broke, you’re desperate, the summer cottage people are gonna give you top Ruble and I just want to go home so shut your fucking borscht hole already and SELL THE GODDAMN ORCHARD!!!!!! God, I hate Chekhov. Unless you’re talking about the navigator on Star Trek, I want nothing to do with him.
Of course, as the Opening Ceremonies taught us, there was no Revolution in Russia- just a peaceful transition into an era of industrialization and growth- followed, of course, by the wild and crazy rock n’ roll years of the swingin’ Stalinist 50’s- see:
Gotta love these ceremonies. They took Battleship Potemkin and remade it into Bye, Bye Birdie. It’s like Russia’s applying for its place in the modern world with the most bullshit resume ever. Now I don’t feel so bad about exaggerating my JavaScript skills and saying I speak French. At least I didn’t TOTALLY FALSIFY ALL OF MY EXPERIENCE IN THE 20TH CENTURY (just parts of the 90’s).
Of course, Russians weren’t the only ones engaging in a little bit of revisionism. NBC did it’s part by cutting the anti-discrimination statement out of IOC Thomas Bach’s speech because Russia promised to give Bob Costas his real eye drops back.
Now there are those that are cynically saying this omission was political- but those people are showing no respect for NBC’s proud and storied legacy of bungling incompetence at the Olympics. Personally, I prefer to believe that this omission was not the result of censorship and repression but rather corporate greed, terrible decision making and mind boggling incompetence. But then again, I’m an optimist.
Well, there you have it. Despite all the apprehension, The Opening Ceremonies went off almost without a hitch much to the disappointment of millions including myself. For the next two weeks, we’ll enjoy skating, skiing and the dulcet tones of Mary Carillo’s disturbingly masculine voice as she travels through Russia looking for stuff to film that will make it seem less hateful to us. Yeah, good luck with that, Mary. As for me, I’m looking forward to enjoying the Olympics from the comfort of my couch where the only dog is mine and he sure as hell ain’t wild (unless you count “fuzzy lump on the floor” as “being wild”) and I don’t have to share a toilet stall (so nice of the Russian Olympic Committee to hire Larry Craig as a consultant). Stay tuned for a complete Olympic recap in my next post (plus some other stuff)- meanwhile, as Putin’s girlfriend said “who do I have to fuck to light the Olympic cauldron around here?” (SHOT! Ugh- I don’t feel so good).
You take bacon, you take beer, you dedicate a bar to serving them both and you’ve got just about every man’s dream! It’s happening – in New York City!
NYC certainly has no shortage or great restaurants and bars. Just about any theme or cuisine you desire can be found here. But, every once in a while a new place just commands special attention – and the new BarBacon is it! The only question is – what took so long for someone to come up with an entire bar devoted to bacon?
Inside BarBacon, New York City.
BarBacon opened their doors in December 2013 and judging by the crowd; this place is already a hit! Last Friday, it was packed with after work New Yorkers hungry for beer and bacon! As the evening rolled on, the place became standing room only. By 5pm the bar was completely full.
BarBacon’s Old Fashioned
Their concept is simple, assorted craft beer and spirits mixed with a menu where just about every item features bacon. Beers start at $6 ($3 during 4-7pm Happy Hour) and their specialty cocktail menu starts at $13, which includes cocktails like the Bacon Bloody Mary, Smoked Maple Lemonade (lemonade with Maple Syrup), and a Bacon Old Fashion (which comes with a Brown Sugar rim).
Their location at 836 9th Avenue between 54th & 55th streets makes it convenient for both locals and tourists. The interior design features warm wood wall coverings, black bar and table tops, with an open view into the stainless steel kitchen. Exposed soft lighting helps add to the warm, yet rustic industrial feel.
One of the highlights of the appetizer menu is a $20 beer and bacon flight. Four 4 oz. draft beers are paired with four different types of bacon. Or, you can opt for a $12 bacon only sampler.
Even the garnish on the bacon slides features bacon!
The restaurant proudly serves the following bacon varieties:
• Nueske’s Smoked Applewood Bacon – family smoked bacon from Wisconsin
• Nodine’s Peppered Bacon – fine coated in course black pepper and smoked with hickory & maple hard wood, from the New England Berkshires
• Father’s Country Maple Bacon – from a family farm in Kentucky, features flavor of natural, hickory smoke with a glaze of brown sugar
• Peppered Turkey Bacon
• BarBacon Veggie Bacon
This place has cooking bacon down to a science! While bacon is generally really greasy, it is not the case here. Each slice is cooked medium-well. Not too crispy, but not rubbery, either. They have found the perfect cooking temperature!
The bacon lobster roll.
The sandwich menu features multiple specialty burgers, sandwiches, and rolls – all of course, come with bacon.
While I opted for the classic BLT (which was awesome with a huge stack of bacon for $11), my friend Craig ordered their much hyped lobster bacon roll ($18), featuring chunks of real lobster, which he said was absolutely fantastic.
The bacon popcorn.
Another of their crazy menu items is the bacon popcorn, which features small chunks of bacon shaken into a funnel of popcorn – another home run!
The BLT with a side of bacon potato salad. Note: sides do cost extra & are not included with all sandwiches.
To go with my sandwich, I also tried a side of their bacon potato salad. It featured large chunks of bacon, mixed in with large chunks of potatoes, egg, and a light mayo. I enjoyed it, but found the egg taste a little much. I’m not a fan of giant chunks of hard boiled egg and yoke, which this prominently featured.
They also offer a small dessert menu, which includes ice cream and cookies. As of now, none of the dessert items really feature bacon, but online rumors state they are working on their own bacon ice cream and hope to have that ready in a few weeks.
With the Super Bowl in town this weekend, I’m sure fans would love to make this place a highlight of their Big Apple experience!
This place is quickly becoming one of New York City’s best kept secrets and is part of the new gastropub restaurant phase. Once the place fills up, it can get a little loud, but I was there on a busy Friday night and people were drinking the work week away. We got there before the crowd, but the volume went up as the place got packed. I saw multiple people walk in and walk back out when they saw how busy it was. Your best value is definitely during the 4-7pm happy hour.
Expect to pay around $50 for a meal that includes appetizer, beer, entrée, and dessert. Of course, the more drinks you have the higher the bill. The cost for the beer is about $1 more than you generally pay around the Hell’s Kitchen area in my opinion for a name brand draft.
It’s a great meal and a great place to talk about. It’s in a convenient location for locals and would be great for tourists as well. I plan on bringing my out of town friends there and definitely will be back for another meal. While it’s probably not the best place to take a first date or kids, more established couples or guys out on the town will find it the perfect spot. Besides, who doesn’t like bacon!?!?
While there is a small vegetarian menu, sadly this is probably not their scene!
You’ll find more information about the restaurant on their Facebook page. Their main website is still under construction. Also, look for daily specials on the blackboards above the kitchen.
Sometimes you just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Last weekend, my friends and I had one of those moments when simply trying to get some late night fried chicken.
(WARNING: strong language in video)
After living in Northern New Jersey / New York City area for all these years, one thing that I’ve come to learn is that each town, city, and suburb has their own iconic fried chicken joint. Many of these places are open until the wee hours of the morning and Hollywood Fried Chicken on Newark Avenue in downtown Jersey City is no different.
Hollywood Fried Chicken on Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ
The fried chicken is super cheap, super tasty, and probably not the best for you. The breading is not too spicy, but is crisp while the chicken inside remains moist. Their menu consists of fried chicken and all the sides, plus burgers and gyros. There are three locations in New Jersey and this restaurant has been a neighborhood staple for decades. Just say the name – and most locals know all about it!
And by cheap, I mean you can purchase a 15 piece chicken box with 2 sides and biscuits that will feed the entire family for $13! While there are dozens of door buster meal deals, an individual chicken wing starts at the rock bottom price of 75 cents!
The restaurant opens at 10am and doesn’t close until 4am. Those late night hours often make the place a last stop for those who’ve had a little too much to drink bar hopping all night.
We’re not sure what started the brawl. As we turned the corner from Jersey Avenue, you could hear lots of commotion and arguing going on inside the restaurant. Next thing you know it, one group is pushing the other and within a minute, people spill out the front door onto the street.
No one was seriously hurt and we left right after I stopped recording. We had a conversation with two other customers who were inside when everything happened. As one of them told us:
“It was stupid. One girl bumped into the other and things got out of hand.”
The Jersey City police heading toward the scene.
Within about 10 minutes after everything broke up and being called, the Jersey City police finally arrived on the scene.
The sad thing is in this day and age with all the lawsuits and cameras, a simple misunderstanding like this can really blow up into big trouble. While some of it was fueled by alcohol (and you could clearly see at least one girl, barely able to walk) too many people are looking to sue. Just watch daytime TV with all the injury lawyer commercials!
Hollywood Fried Chicken has a 3½ star rating on Yelp with reviews mixed from really good to really bad. Many of the reviews note the rowdy customers and late night drunks, but thank Hollywood for saving them from a massive hangover.
But, like it or hate it, the restaurant has a profitable business model. The place is always busy no matter what time of day and they turn out lots of chicken during business hours. They may want to add some more late night security, however.
Does your neighborhood have a late night chicken place like this?
THE 411
What: Hollywood Fried Chicken
Where: Jersey City, New Jersey
Date of incident: after midnight, January 20, 2014
JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:
The Hollywood Fried Chicken banana pudding.
The neighborhood along the Jersey City waterfront across the river from New York City continues to gentrify. What were once railroads and warehouses are now expensive rentals and high rise condos. Hollywood Fried Chicken has certainly seen the changes in the neighborhood over the decades.
The food is really good; sadly the crowd sometimes is not. I eat there on a regular basis; I just scope it out, first. If it looks packed and rowdy inside – I pass.
But, you’ve got to try their banana pudding! It’s absolutely succulent and quite the little hidden bonus item on their menu!
Love that feeling being crammed in coach on a long flight? Now, you can have that same feeling on Broadway!
My seat for No Man’s Land at the Cort Theatre on Broadway.
Broadway – dozens of shows and thousands of butts pack the seats every night. But, it seems like the theater owners are taking a page from the airlines and jam packing more and more people in.
A few weeks ago, I went to see No Man’s Land with two friends, starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. We had $150 tickets, which put us in the front row of the upper balcony of the Cort Theater on West 48th Street. Thankfully, being in the front row allowed us for a few precious inches of leg room. I looked back and the people sitting behind me, who basically had their knees in their chests. While the entire play was good, the first act of the show was a little long and dry. It was becoming harder and harder to sit as the act drug on, with my legs falling asleep and fighting for possession of the narrow arm rest. Not to mention, the air conditioning was off and it really started to heat up in there. I actually heard someone snoring behind me and saw several people nodding off all around.
Quite frankly, it was just flat out uncomfortable.
Sitting there that long reminded me of being on a long flight. The seats are expensive, there’s little room, and you’re crammed in there for hours at a time.
Space in New York is at a premium, but have the Broadway theaters have gone too far?
Take a trip to the restroom, you’ll always find a line. At the Foxwoods Theatre where I saw Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark (read my original review, here), men actually had to turn to the side to use the urinal. They may be the smallest bathrooms – I’ve ever seen!
Being local, I usually see at least one show a year. To me, I love the magic of the live stage performance, but the way they pack you in, I feel like a piece of cattle… just like on an airplane.
I get it. The shows are expensive to produce, with actors, stage hands, advertising, story rights, and theater rent all adding up to big bucks. So, the shows and venues are looking to maximize every dollar they can – and one way of doing so is by packing more people into the house.
Same deal with the airlines, the more fuel costs go up, the more seats they are adding to planes.
Sadly, the result for both is an uncomfortable experience for customers.
Another way both Broadway and the airlines are looking to cash in is the sale of alcohol. Up until a few years ago, only a few Broadway shows sold liquor, now almost all of them have multiple bars and allow patrons to carry a cocktail to their seats.
At No Man’s Land, they had a guy walking up and down through the lower seats selling candy!
Where else have I seen that? Oh yeah, on an airline! $6 for a giant box of Milk Duds or a half canister of Pringles!
Around 1850, theaters first began opening in their current Times Square location on Broadway. As smaller shows began closing downtown, the area was saturated with new auditoriums to satisfy New Yorkers and tourist demand for the shows. In order to be classified as a full Broadway theater, the venue must seat at least 500. (the same classification for a production to win a Tony Award.)
THE 411
What: Broadway Theaters
Location: Times Square Area, New York City
Number of seats: 500+
JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS
So, where is the best seat in the house for a Broadway show? Take the advice of Ryan Dixon, who taught me years ago to always sit in the front row of the middle or upper mezzanine. You will get to see the whole stage and you’ll get a little more room!
Coincidentally, I now also find myself sitting there at Yankees games!
For the hundreds of years through which our folk songs developed, farewells could well mean forever. You can hear that melancholy, that longing, the fatalism of that almost certain grief, in folk song after folk song. I’ve thought about this a lot while listening to the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack over and over.
If I had wings like Noah’s dove I’d fly the river to the one I love. Fare thee well, my honey Fare thee well.
For hundreds of years, long journeys meant horseback, or wagon, or ship, through wild lands or over rough seas. Relatively recently, it could mean a train. That lonesome whistle haunts many a blues.
Long journeys meant days and weeks and months of danger and uncertainty. They meant permanent change. Not just a change of landscape, climate and home, but the changes that come from traumatic parting and long separation, and falling in with strangers, and the struggles, compulsions and compromises of survival far from home and family.
You leave to find adventure or blaze a trail to a new home and you might not bargain for how your soul meets the journey and the journey bends your soul. To leave for that long and travel that far meant to never return the same person, if you could ever return at all.
If you miss the train I’m on, you will know that I am gone You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles… Lord I’m one, lord I’m two, lord I’m three, lord I’m four, Lord I’m five hundred miles away from home… Not a shirt on my back, not a penny to my name, Lord I can’t go back home this a-way.
There’s a mournful song that Marcus Mumford sings in Another Day, Another Time, the concert featuring many of the players from Llewyn Davis. He’s all alone on stage. The singer has been gone from his home for years. He’s ashamed that he’s never written to his family. He gets word that his father has died and his sisters have gone wrong. But he’s afraid he can’t go home as he is. We don’t know what he’s done while he’s been gone, but we know he’s seen and done some serious things, and he’s forever changed. The man who left can never return because he no longer exists. When he said goodbye he may not have known it, but it was the Forever Farewell.
I’m going away to leave you, love I’m going away for awhile But I’ll return to you sometime If I go ten thousand miles
Think about it. Really put yourself back there. No email, no cell phones. No text messages to make an instant connection, convey an everyday casual or urgent thought. No Facebook for Check-ins and Status Updates and to share the images of your journey. No Skype. Perhaps if you weren’t separated by an ocean or a frontier, you could write letters; perhaps they might even ultimately make it to their destination. But you might truly never ever see the ones you loved alive again ever on Earth.
It’s fare thee well my own true lover, I never expect to see you again. For I’m bound to ride that northern railroad, Perhaps I’ll die upon this train.
You can see what a consoling thought it would be that one day you’d be reunited with your loved ones after death.
Maybe your friends think I’m just a stranger, My face you’ll never see no more. But there is one promise that is given, I’ll meet you on God’s golden shore.
There are many themes in old folk songs, and the Forever Farewell is just one of them. But it’s certainly a frequent one. And the long journey is really our foundational American myth—from the Pilgrims in the Mayflower to the wagon trains west. Our great, grand central story is the story of the road. With the journey, with the road, comes the toll on the heart that it takes.
So you can also see how revelatory the book and the journeys depicted in On the Road were, in the mid 50s. By then we had cars fast enough and hardy enough to take us all the way out to the Western horizon and then back again, and the roads to carry us. We could zoom from the sunrise to the sunset and bounce right off of it back into the arms of the sunrise. The story was no longer about the Toll of the Heart from migration. It was the ecstasy of the journey and return, journey and return. A whole new American rhythm, fast and triumphant. You got the adventure, and yes, a journey still meant inner change. But without the same grief. Without the cost of the Forever Farewell. So it became a celebratory and revelatory journey. The foundational American road myth had its celestial catharsis.
It winds from Chicago to LA More than two thousand miles all the way Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
So to bring this meditation on the Forever Farewell in Folk Songs back around, think about how the 50s freedom from the Toll of the Heart that was the Forever Farewell eased into the 60s folk song revival. In the 60s, it was now safe, even cozy, to look back with a melancholy nostalgia to the costs of the journeys sung about in those songs. The middle-aged buyers of Peter, Paul & Mary and Kingston Trio records; and the young folk singers like Dave Van Ronk and Bob Dylan, all partook of that shared cultural reflection for the time that already seemed distant and receding like the train whistle a hundred miles, two hundred miles, five hundred years away.
It becomes a big deal when a legendary casino shuts down and in just a few days, another will fold up in Atlantic City. It got me thinking back to the night in 2006, when I was there for the final roll of their old Sands casino. It’s kind of a surreal moment to be there when security pushes everyone out the door.
The hotel tower of the Sands Atlantic City
On that night, I had my old cell phone, and did my best to document the final moments of the casino. I caught on camera everything from the final blackjack bets to the employees saying good bye. I uploaded these to the web years ago, but decided it was time to take another look back at that historic moment caught in time.
The Atlantic City Sands casino opened on August 31, 1980 as the Brighten Hotel & Casino at the corner of Indiana Avenue and Brighten Park. Shortly after opening, it was bought along with the Las Vegas Sands and was officially renamed the Sands Casino Hotel Atlantic City to cash in on the famous “Rat Pack” name.
The resort featured 532 rooms in a 21 story hotel tower. The casino was 2 levels, with a 3rd floor restaurant area. After opening and become a sister to the Las Vegas property, it attracted big name entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Cher, Whitney Houston, and more.
Inside the people mover that connected the Atlantic City Boardwalk, Sands Casino, and Claridge Casino.
While the resort was set back from the famous Boardwalk, a block long people mover was constructed featuring three Dunlop moving belts to take people directly inside either the Sands or neighboring Claridge Casino. The belt was kind of springy and you could actually bounce up and down a bit on it.
The flashy exterior of the Sands Atlantic City at night.
The Sands was quickly surpassed by the newer resorts that opened in town and went bankrupt in 1998. The property block was purchased by Pinnacle Entertainment, with their own plans to demolish the resort, and create their own $1.5 billion mega-resort known as Pinnacle Atlantic City. They erected billboards all around town advertising their coming and gave Sands employees 60 days lay off notice in September.
My friends Simon, Chris, and I decided to be there for the Sands final night and with my old fashioned camera phone in tow. We arrived around 10pm and the place certainly wasn’t a ghost town. In fact, it was quite packed. In the madness, I tried to snap as many phone shots as possible and here’s what I captured that night. I apologize in advance for some of the blurry photos.
From the people-mover, the O in casino had lost part of its covering. Nobody cares; this will be the last time this sign is lit.
To access the Sands, you had to take a sharp right after the second long belt on the people mover. You would then descend down a high flyover ramp, decorated in white and blue K-Mart rope lights. The next day, this flyover was sealed with a temporary wood partition. Only a few weeks later, the entire people mover to the neighboring Claridge was closed.
After exiting the people mover flyover, you would descend down an escalator to the main floor of the casino. There was a large atrium where a three story escalator would take hungry gamblers to the dining level. By the time we were there that night; only a small deli was still open.
It’s only 10pm, but this part of the casino floor was nearly dead… that will change as we delve further in.
Just steps from the door – this place is happening. Gamblers are trying to make the most of every last second the Sands is open!
The band plays on at Swingers, a bar/nightclub that was located in the center of the casino floor. Only 6 hours later, this place would be dead forever!
These signs were posted all around the properly informing players of the Sands closure. These signs would be up for months after the doors were locked.
We took a quick walk outside to check out the impressive front facade of the building. This was the final night for these signs and logo to be lit. Within 7 months, all of these signs went up for auction, and what was left was bulldozed 9 months later.
We went back inside to play the slots. Check this old machine out! It’s a unique nickel slot that offers a gold watch as a prize! Hit the right combination on the screen, push the button, and it’s yours. Two of the watches were already gone at this point. Too bad, they don’t have slots like these anymore!
We decided to explore the property a bit and came across this little used walkway to their hidden kids’ arcade. It looks like they didn’t want kids anywhere near the casino floor!
Here is the last open place to get a bite to eat… a late night deli. The Sands used to have a really neat themed buffet, where you sat on chairs that were designed to resemble the rolling chairs on the Boardwalk and the whole room was boardwalk/ocean themed. I ate there once; it wasn’t bad from what I remember.
Nobody was around in the poker room on the last night!
We took a final ride from the 3rd floor dining area down the long escalators back o the casino floor.
We took a stroll up the Boardwalk to the Irish Pub and returned at about 4:30am.
We again circled the casino to find that many of the machines had already been taken offline, such as this machine at 4:41am. There was quite a buzz floating around the floor as the casino had paid off many of their progressive jackpots earlier in the evening. There were stories of quite a few gamblers who hit it big!
By 5:11am, lines were forming at the casino cages as many of the tables began to close.
By 5:20am, one by one the tables were closing. Most of the staff began saying goodbye and swapping stories with one another.
By 5:21am, only two table games were available for play. $25 baccarat and $250 blackjack! The tables that were open now had rows of spectators.
…and at 5:22am, here’s one of the last blackjack tables that was open.
At 5:27am, I sat down at a still working Hollywood Squares slot machine. At this point, security was walking around telling players to cash out.
…and at 5:35am – a big win! My $20 turned into $186.50! Thanks Sands! A security guard stood next to me to finish my bonus round, then asked for a third and final time to leave the machine. Seconds after I got up, an attendant disables the machine.
…at 5:37am one of the last blackjack tables still going strong. At one point in the last years, the Sands had removed all of their table games. Some players said that was the final nail in their coffin. They brought them back not too long before closing.
One of the very last slot machines that was still online. You can tell by the red lights on top, which machines are offline.
At 5:43am, here’s that Hollywood Squares machine I was playing… now locked off!
Another view of that great win!
Here’s a bank of disabled Price is Right nickel slot machines. Funny, how the sign says TEMPORARILY OUT OF SERVICE.
Someone should take a Sharpie and change the sign to PERMANENTLY OUT OF SERVICE. These machines were probably shipped to another casino. I doubt they’re still in service in 2014!
…and at 5:46am here it is – the very last deal at the very last blackjack table. An announcement is made over the intercom – the Sands Casino is now officially closed. The woman won the last hand with a 20!
The staff says goodbye as security begins to usher patrons out of the building. A series of rope barricades had been put up at the edges of the casino floor. Once you crossed the line – you couldn’t get back in! Local news crews were waiting outside.
More of the staff taking pictures, hugging, and saying goodbye. There were still guests in the hotel rooms and they had to leave the building by 9am.
It’s now 5:54am, a look at one of the many security barriers in place.
Security ushering everyone out.
…and past the security barricade to the outside. The casino is nearly empty and closed. It’s 5:56am.
A cameraman from CBS 3 in Philadelphia takes some b-roll shots.
Another of the many signs announcing the casino’s closure.
A reporter from CBS 3 Philadelphia doing interviews.
It was $10 admission to get into the Sands Casino liquidation sale in 2007.
7 months later, after the casino was officially closed, the entire property, and everything inside went up for sale at an auction. I was able to check that out as well. It was neat to walk through every nook and cranny of the place. People were buying up everything. from old TV’s, to copper pipes, to hot tub parts, everything (except slots and table games, which were gone by this point) had a price tag on it. I originally went there, hoping to score a deal on an HDTV, but those were gone early in the auction. I did pick up a few small kitchen items: a serving dish, some wine glasses, and salad tongs! Every room in the building was open to explore. We even found a secret elevator that only went between the top three floors for high rollers to access their exclusive lounge.
Pinnacle made $31 million from the sale, including finding an additional $17,193.14 in found cash when the original slot machines were removed.
The entire property was imploded in a big Las Vegas style spectacle on October 18, 2007. Numerous viewing parties lined the Boardwalk for the festivities.
After being the smallest Atlantic City casino when it closed, Pinnacle had big plans to open their mega-resort by 2012 at the latest. Those plans never happened. Shortly after the building was imploded, the housing bubble burst, and Pinnacle was no longer interested in opening in the AC market. The site has sat vacant, except for an art installation, ever since. In March 2013, Pinnacle sold the land to developer Boardwalk Piers who has plans to build another casino or a family friendly complex.
The Dizzy Dolphin video poker bar inside The Atlantic Club.
It was a fun time at the Sands that last night and now sadly, another Atlantic City casino is closing their doors. The Atlantic Club Casino, at the very southern end of the Boardwalk, will shut down on January 13th. The casino was originally built at the Golden Nugget and helped casino mogul Steve Wynn fund his Las Vegas empire. The Atlantic Club is currently the smallest of the city’s casinos.
The Atlantic Club will be the third Atlantic City casino to ever close, after the original Playboy Casino/Trump World’s Fair site and the Sands. The only portion of the original Sands that still remains is the adjacent Madison House Hotel that was once used as an overflow hotel tower and a parking garage.
THE 411
What: Sands Casino Hotel Atlantic City
Operating Dates: 1980-2006
Rooms: 532
JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:
Pinnacle made a mistake closing the Sands Atlantic City. While they had big plans for their mega-resort, even the city’s newest resort Revel, is having trouble making a buck.
The Sands could have stayed on as a local’s casino and certainly had enough space to expand or re-brand. Pinnacle should have waited until they had all the proper funding before imploding the place. They could have at least flipped the property over to someone else.
It’s only a matter of time, until Atlantic City loses another of their smaller casinos and only time will tell what will happen to the Atlantic Club property after the doors are sealed in a few days.
There is a difference between looking for trouble and it finding you. Photography can be the same but it is, in this case better to look for it. Set a goal and go for it. Even a vacation can prove to a photo opportunity. A few years ago, We planned a trip to Solvang California. Solvang is a beautiful town with a strong Danish heritage. The area’s main draw is the numerous excellent wineries in the area and that was what brought us. I have seen and photographed many Black-Billed Magpies where I live but in Central California there are Yellow-Billed Magpies- for me a maybe one time added attraction. The result, while speeding down the road between wineries, I spotted my secondary goal. This required a 400 mm lens and a fast shutter speed.
St. Augustine FL
Other goals can be carefully planned. My last trip to Florida, I set a major goal of finding and photographing the Roseate Spoonbill. Before I left I researched their locations and when I got to Florida I asked locals where the best locations would be. I went prepared. Surprise, the best location was the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. A fantastic location to be close to nesting birds including Wood Storks, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and our Roseate Spoonbill.
Another good choice on that trip was Merritt Island. Be sure to check with locals at the Nature Center, some great surprises are possible.
Shooting birds at any location require a high shutter speed which in turn may mean higher ISO depending upon the light available. The longer lenses and a steady tripod if possible improve their results greatly.
Image Information
Yellow-billed Magpie – 300 mm f-8 1/350 sec ISO 400
Roseate Spoonbill – 400 mm f-5.6 1/1250 sec ISO 200
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