The Hungover Gourmet

10/31/2025

Ah yes, Winnie the Pooh in a sombrero. The sign of quality authentic Mexican food.

10/19/2025

Is it possible the best diner in Maryland is located in a gas station near the Pennsylvania border?

As someone who grew up in The Land of Diners (aka New Jersey), I have long bemoaned the dearth of decent cheap breakfast and late night eats...

10/16/2025

Pork Cracklin “Dippers”. I was going to buy them but had to return to the office. Did not want co-workers to see me shoveling sour cream and onion dip into my gaping maw with “Fried Out Pork Fat with Attached Skin”.

10/06/2025

Quick review from our second visit to this bustling Annapolis bistro off the beaten path.

This was our second visit to this small, bustling restaurant located off Annapolis’ busy main drag. With the Eagles getting bumped off local...

10/02/2025

Was going to grab Taco Bell for lunch and try the Meximelt hack somebody told me about. But a post from Charcoal Deli (Cockeysville) popped up on my feed and I couldn’t resist. I’ve been having a serious Sloppy Joe hankering and this definitely scratched that itch. A handful of a sandwich and every now and then you’d take a bite and go “oh, there’s some pit beef”. Very good and the melted cheddar was a nice touch. But their sides are always disappointing.

09/30/2025

Huge CHEERS fan from the start. Was amazed it got renewed for a second season despite dismal ratings. It’s up there with THE SIMPSONS and FAWLTY TOWERS as all-time faves.

Clips of Ted Danson playing Sam Malone in Cheers.Featuring Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Ernie Pantusso, Carla Tortelli, Cliff Clavin and Norm Petersonhttps://...

09/30/2025

For my fellow junk food junkies, Walmart has an Xmas ornament for almost anything you crave!

09/29/2025

Happy National Coffee Day!

I was a hardcore tea drinker well into my 20s, largely due to the fact that I grew up in a home where percolated (and later automatic drip) coffee brewing / burning all day long was the norm. Once my dad retired in the early 80s, a pot was started in the morning, burned, and then got microwaved until it was gone.

🤢

It wasn't until my buddy Lou and I hit the diner for a traditional late night post-movie meal (ahhh, I miss that metabolism) and I was informed that they were *out of tea* that I was forced to make a decision. Or, as Lou put it, "just order a cup of coffee like a man".

I'd like to think that since that fateful meal I've been making up for lost time. Cheers to all who loves them some java, brew, jitter juice, dirt, mud, etc.

09/20/2025

Today marks the passing of chef and cookbook author Xavier Marcel Boulestin (1878-1943).

After working as a secretary, ghostwriter, and interior designer, Boulestin was commissioned to write a cookbook on French cooking for English readers, which became a huge hit. His eponymous restaurant opened in London in 1927 and was regarded as the most expensive in the city.

In January of 1937, Boulestin hosted the BBC's 'Cook's Night Out', the first television cooking show.

09/18/2025

Several years ago I'm watching an early episode of MasterChef USA and there's this nattily attired dude with a pocket square who seems pretty full of himself. But the more the episode goes on, the more I like him. He's the perfect foil for Gordon Ramsey's chefy British bluster.

I remember texting with old pal and fellow food tv fan Joe and being like "who IS this guy with the pocket square?!"

Well, as we all know now, that guy is Joe Bastianich, restauranteur, author, bon vivant, raconteur, and son of the renowned Lidia Bastianich.

It's also his birthday (1968), and while other MASTER CHEF co-hosts come and go, I'm always saddest when my guy Joe B isn't there.

Also, his memoir 'Restaurant Man' is an excellent read and he claims to have invented the Everything Bagel.

Happy Birthday, Joe!

09/16/2025

Today marks the death in 1736 of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit. And, if you guessed that he had something to do with thermometers, you'd be right!

Fahrenheit was a German inventor who made his mark by developing his own thermometers, which were more accurate than what was currently available.

Using Fahrenheit thermometers, users could reliably compare temperatures. He also created the first mercury-filled thermometer, which was more accurate than the alcohol-filled versions that were common.