Freaking Delicious

My Kitchen is Famous

2011-11-30T07:27:00.001-08:00

When I'm not blogging for Freakin' D, or else-where, I am a television producer. Not for some big network or even a local affiliate station. No I produce a travel show for a tiny cable access station in Oskaloosa, Iowa; CRI, and the show I co-produce is called "One Day Getaway".

Most of the time 1DG is based on the concept of getting out of town for a day and finding fun and cheap entertainment options. For our most recent episode we kind of bent the rules a little by teaming up with a local cooking show "Cooking at the Vault."

The first half of the episode is pretty much a standard getaway; we drove up highway 163 to Des Moines for the "Winter Farmers Market." The second half the episode we turned the reigns, and my kitchen, over to the Vault crew. While I may have chosen to produce the segment differently I think it turned out rather well. Take a peak.

Even though I enjoy being in front of the camera, I've never had any ambition to host a cooking show, and after learning about A.J.'s cooking skills I don't think he has any drive to either. What about you? Anyone out there a culinary star waiting to be discovered?

Greens Eats in a City Known for Its Blues

2011-11-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Marieta and I took a trip down to Fats Domino's favorite town, Kansas City. While most people's vacations might center around sightseeing, museums, sporting events, or trips to the beach, Marieta and I always seem to travel for one reason; food, and this trip was no different.

First up, the Blue Bird Bistro

Located on the west side of the Kansas City metro, the Blue Bird Bistro is a locavore's dream come true. Just take a look at a little blurb I found on the wall.

Normally when we eat out Marieta has a hard time finding something to eat cause she doesn't like the options, this time around it was a completely different story. Every item on the B3's menu seemed to either be organic, local or a combination of the two. It was awesome.

My selection?

PORK AND POLENTA BENEDICT 1400

Rain’s Farm all natural heritage Tamworth pulled pork, organic diced tomatoes, all natural havarti cheese, and Campo Lindo Farm poached eggs on organic baked polenta topped with hollandaise made from Menno Brennerman Farm butter

Marieta's Choice?

APPLE AND GRANOLA PANCAKES 0900

freshly prepared with organic white wheat flour, Busy Bee Acre Orchard apples, granola, and a touch of rosemary; served with pure maple syrup and local butter

Do those not sound freaking delicious? What I wouldn't give for a B3 clone in the 515. And beyond the menu the Blue Bird proudly displays where they source their ingredients on a billboard.

Our trip down south was much more than just the Blue Bird Bistro, but if you're interested in the... you're just going to have to wait for my next post!

- - - - - - - -

What draws you in to a restaurant most often? Its food source? Restaurant theme? proximity?

Yogurt Fun

2010-04-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

So this weekend Marieta and I traveled down to Fairfield, Iowa for a special project we are working on. We stopped and interviewed Francis Thicke who runs Radiance Dairy. Radiance makes the most amazing yogurt you could possibly taste... sad thing is you probably will never taste it, Radiance only sells their dairy products in the Fairfield area. I know, I know why am I telling you about a product you will never have? BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST TRULY FREAKING DELCIOUS THING I'VE CONSUMED SINCE WE MOVED BACK TO IOWA! Marieta and I dished up some yogurt on strawberries (one of our favorite dishes) and for the fun of it I videoed it. You need to watch this.

I could make another empty promise about future posts but after a year with no new reviews I think we both know that that may never happen. Until next time.

Lied, But With Good Reason

2009-08-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday I said I had a post for you some special... well obviously I didn't but there was reason. I realized that now that I'm back from our Honeymoon and finished up special video project for my best friend that all personal projects should be put aside until I finish a friend's wedding I shot. So until I finish that up (hopefully early next week) I will not be posting any new videos, here or anywhere else. So what can I post? How about look inside the Freaking Delicious homestead! That's right, a taste of my baby's home cooking.

From Homemade Yummy Yums

August 4th, 2009 - Caprese Salad

This may be the easiest thing in the world to make (Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella, salt and pepper) but good gravy is it tasty. Marieta is all about tossing in new kinds of mozza and different tomatoes. I think here we had some yellow kind, normal red tomatoes, and heirloom zebra tomatoes. Obviously with that description you are learning I am not the true foodie in our family. Marieta loves to cook and experience food, I just love tasty things.

From Homemade Yummy Yums

August 5th, 2009 - Pan Seared Tuna with a tropical mango salsa and a kind of rice that is alluding me at the moment.

This was GOOD. I am not a big mango guy but coming off of our honeymoon in Kaua'i I am willing to try any tropical fruit. Marieta really did well with this tastiness. Fish is possibly my favorite meat.

From Homemade Yummy Yums

August 9th, 2009 - Gazpacho

Before Sunday I had never had gazpacho before, and when Marieta was describing it to me it sounded like a bowl of salsa... well that is kind of what it is, except not. Make it yourself sometime. I loved it.

Well there's a quick look at a few things that we've had at home recently. Of course there have been others but we don't photograph everything. So I hope life is treating you well and hopefully I can post a new Freaking Delicious episode before the end of the month!

Popping in to Say Hello

2009-08-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

What's up Freakin D fans? Oh yeah? that's cool. I thought you were gonna do that. Me? oh not much. Oh WAIT! We moved! Freaking Delicious has relocated from the foggy fun of the San Francisco Bay Area to the Humid Hilarity of Des Moines, Iowa. Yes, I know Des Moines is a few rungs down the ladder of food-fanaticism from SF but the Freak 'Lish coffers are actually unwritten by a career in TV production and Iowa made a decent offer so Marieta and I moved on home. So hopefully you're excited to see updates on tastiness from the great plains states!

Now as for my serious lack of postings... Come on man, I spent May getting ready to move, June getting settled with a new job and place in DSM, and July involved weddings/holiday fun/and a trip to Kauai (I have an awesome post to make from the Garden Isle). So now that we're set up in the "Cyclone State," keep checking back, I'm gonna share all sorts of goodies- Starting with tonight! I have some back-logged eats to share. Miss you guys!

10 Episodes & New Features

2009-04-22T04:36:00.001-07:00

Ooooh! I'm on a roll. 10 episodes posted and three others that I will get to before too long. It feels good. If you're observant maybe you've noticed that these episodes aren't exactly in chronological order... yep that Speakeasy episode may be the most recent posting but we checked that place out way back in Sept '08. You see things get crazy, I get lazy, and Freaking D just kind of gets pushed on the back burner. NEVER FEAR! Just because I'm not posting doesn't mean I'm not eating. Every time I eat out I take pictures and if the place gets a thumbs up I post it. (trust me, I've eaten some mediocre crap in the last 8 months that I didn't post...)

THE MAP! If you look at the bottom of the page, go ahead check it out... there is a new map. The Freak-licious Map. While my adventure will most definitely get outside the bay area, this map will give you a cartographic idea of where I've been. Click on the little icon thingers and you'll get addresses, phone numbers, a link to the relating FD review, and just a more interactive experience. Fun huh? Well I hope so atleast. Okay, keep checking back for more tasty treats. Peace!

FD El Cerrito Speakeasy Theatre

2009-04-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Last fall we checked out a local gem in the El Cerrito Speakeasy theatre. You should definitely check this place out and for more info visit their website.

FD Zuni

2009-04-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

We classed it up a bit for our latest dining experience. Here's a short glimpse into Zuni Cafe. For more info on Zuni check out their website.

FD Taqueria Cancun

2009-04-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus we finally made it back to the Mission district. Here's a look at Taqueria Cancun.

FD: Triple Rock Brewery

2009-04-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Does three posts in one day make up for none over 4 months? No? Not even a little... Well this third post is all about Triple Rock Brewery in downtown Berkeley. Check out their website for more info.

FD Gregoire

2009-04-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

So this is all from November but it still works. Loved this place. For more info on Gregoire's Takeout visit their website.

FD: Cha Cha Cha

2009-04-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

I am a bad bad blogger... Five months with no updates? That's just sad. Well... better late than never? Check out Cha Cha Cha's website for more info.

A Lifelong Commitment

2009-01-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

From Homemade Yummy Yums

The Boberg family is about to start a big project; starting a family cookbook. Marieta is killin' on this thing. A billion pictures, fun layout, colorful phrases, and so far 69 PAGES of tasty goodness. If we make it and love it, we'll be putting it in this puppy. Pretty exciting.

Oh and sorry I have been so lax on posting here. I have a lot to put up I've just been lazy and feeling uninspired. Peace

FD: T-Rex Barbeque

2008-11-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

To check em out visit the T-Rex website.

Sometimes to fall in love, you gotta break the rules!

2008-11-03T13:46:00.001-08:00

I have five places to show you peoples (yes I have been neglecting this blog); however, a couple of them require me breaking the rules I originally setup for FD videos... so I'm in a pickle. I dont want to break those rules but Marieta (my wife) is all up in my craw about those rules being dumb. She pretty much only goes to places that she checks out first. I on the other hand will be walking down the street in the Mission and go "So I said you can take this jo-HEY! That place looks tasty!" and I eat there.

So be warned, I am not ditching the rules but I am adding a loop hole for the places that Marieta and I go to that deserve attention due to their awesomeness. N'est pas? bien.

FD: Inn Kensington

2008-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

FD: Al's Big Burger

2008-10-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

Touring the Tastiness of Iowa

2008-09-17T20:28:00.001-07:00

I guess I picked bad week (with my wedding and everything) to go public with this new blog. Well, I may not have been posting, but you better believe I was eating (and eating well) Let's take a gander, shall we?

Battle's BBQ in Ames, Iowa

Have been to this place? I loves me some smoked meat. Definitely a fave of me and my wife.

Taco John's (they are all over the place peeps)

Hey I'm a food snob! Fast food may have some serious issues but tastiness like Taco Bravos from Taco John's are not big macs. It's sad that Taco John's isn't out here... okay I gotta move on before I cry.

High Life Lounge, in downtown Des Moines

I know nothing about food at this bar but I had never eaten chicken gizzards before, and so... I tried em and... no good. No good at all. Chewie and gross and I ate close to all of them. They did not sit well.

Our Rehearsal Dinner at Gateway In Ames, Iowa

Prime Rib... it was too fatty and kind of got cold quickly.

Salmon was good stuff.

Our Wedding Reception at the Gateway in Ames, Iowa

I would like to take credit for supplying the greatest thing in the history of weddings. Delicious donuts. Delicious- no no, FREAKING DELICIOUS donuts. Even though I only had half of one, people loved them, and that's awesome.

The Cafe in Ames, Iowa

The Cafe is Marieta's favorite place to eat in Iowa, she takes everyone there. This pile of glop was a french toast thing that I had. It was pretty tasty. Other than that I don't remember much.

Allow me to introduce you to my new wife. Here she is enjoying her favorite Cafe meal, Eggs Benedict.

So yeah, Iowa has some good eats, you just gotta search em out. I think there is one more set of pics from our tour of Iowan palate puppies, but I'm too tired to search it up right now. Okay, I gotta get up at 3 a.m. tomorrow so check back later this week. I will let you guys in on an awesome brunch place in Berkeley. Peace out.

FD: Tommy's Joynt

2008-09-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

Tommy's Joynt

Open everyday of the week

10 a.m. to 1:45 a.m. in the morning.

Food: Americana (with a couple curveballs)

Freaking Dlish Intro

2008-09-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

So what is the deal with Freaking Delicious? Well here's a little intro.

P.S. the rules only apply to my video segments, text posts have no rules. That is all. Peace puppies.

God Works in Mysterious (and Delicious) Ways

2008-04-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great freaking day. It started out slow, I was feeling kind of blah, but then something amazing happened. A friend reminded me it was free cone day at Ben & Jerry's. After I got off work at 1p I went straight to Ben & Jerry's in Jack London Square to get a delicious cone of their Half Baked. Could there be anything sweeter? How about a two-fer! That's right, Baskin Robbins isn't gonna let B&J get all the good publicity. Infact, they are trying to do them one better. Yes free ice cream is a damn tasty treat, but 31 cent scoops with the money going to charity is pretty sweet as well. That's right, I'll be there getting my fair share of the creamy dreaminess.

Got to love free snack give aways! However, couldn't these companies do something better with their lost profits? Why not just give away the equivalent of those lost returns to a country that is in serious need of some food. I mean nothing brings the tempurature on a hot day than a cone but some kid dying in the street could probably use it more than me. Back to work!

Tastiness is Job Number One

2008-04-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know that Marieta and I take pictures of everything we eat, when we eat out. It might be our favorite past time. I'm not exactly sure how or when it started but I know it started in Iowa. Didn't really put much thought into the quality of the pictures till recently. Here are some tasty shots.

I don't care if you're a vegetarian or hate Mexican food (you racist), that looks delicious. You want to know the sad thing? It wasn't. It was pretty good, but the tortilla was corn and the ingredients weren't the freshiest... God, every second I spend looking at this picture I just want to get in my car and drive to get a taco. Doesn't matter where, I just need a taco.

Holy biscuits. Look at this piece of chocolate. Marieta and I got a few tasty treats over at Charles Chocolates a few weeks ago while were out apartment hunting. Marieta fell in love with them all, I was just... okay with them. This one was great.

Wantons from Ching Hua in Alameda. If I ever own a restaurant, I don't care what style of food it is, we will serve the most mouth watering wantons... and hush puppies... and churros... and doughnuts... okay maybe it will just be a sinfully delicious snack shop.

Okay, this isn't exactly food... but I like this picture. Happy Thursday!

Pizza

2007-07-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

I love pizza. The question is, who doesn't? Cheese baked all over some delicious bread, some salted meats, maybe some spices if you're adventurous. Yesterday, after I got off from work, Marieta and I headed over to the famed Monterrey Market. Being as it was 2.15 and neither of us had eaten lunch we decided to hit up the delish pizza joint just up the street Gioia Pizzeria. Now we've been there before but this place tugs at our hearts in the battle of Best pizza place in town.

Pizza has changed man. Up until I was probably 22 or 23 I wanted my pizza to be classic (I grew up in the midwest. In 90's Iowa's best pizza was toss up between Pizza Hut and Little Ceaser's. Don't get me wrong I still love a pan pizza from pizza hut but it is fast food (oh that reminds me of a topic for a future post.) Chicago is pretty much the mecca for pizza of that genre. Deep Dish, greasy floppy slices, large new york style, etc. It's all in the windy city. California style? now this is something to embrace and explore. Two examples are Gioia and Cheese Board.

I think pizza can kind of display American history in a sense. New York style is let's make a lot with the little we have. Giant slices of super thin pizza with the classic pepperoni or cheese topping. One slice holds you all day. A whole pie and can feed 8 people. Back when immigrants poured into Ellis Island I can envision them starving for something to eat and finding these kite sized slices as something to hold them over for a day or two until they find out where they are and whats goin on.

Now after the Civil War and Chicago started turning into an industrial city (meat packing plants, boats sailing into ports, and former slaves migrating up for work) I think Chicago Style could find a natural home. Long hard work - thick layered hearty pizza. Have you had true Chicago Style pizza? If you have two slices you've probably had 12 or 1300 calories and you find yourself considering unbuttoning your pants in a public place. Today a lot of these places are in a battle for who can put the most cheese on the pizza (something I think ruins the pizza). Maybe after working hard and preparing to voyage out west cooks were thinking I better load these men (and ladies) up with food to check em going. Another possibility is that the winters in Chicago are close to impossible unless you have heat and a steaming mother of a pie that can substitute for your spare tire will warm the house and warm your belly. Either way thin to thick, it's a natural evolution.

So the west coast. California style food has a lot to do with Fusion. People probably consider all the different cultures and some people also think of California as young with no history; however people were here around the same time as the revolutionary war setting up missions. California style food is about fusion because there are so many fresh ingredients out here that if you don't make something tasty and original each time you are really missing out on the fun of cooking.

So Gioia Pizza has that at heart. My pizza was Fennel Sausage and Olive (Olives are evil but take the bad with the great) and the other slice was Cremini Mushrooms and spinach. That is tasty. The toppings are only half of the charm. Now I will leave you with some videos.

Welcome to Gioia Pizzeria.

Stroll into Gioia's

and if that isn't enough, watch him make a pie (for those who hate free handing pizza cheese, look away.)

Guying makes Gioia pizza

Beer on the Pier

2006-05-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Okay so we went to Beer on the Pier: Beer Fest 2 yesterday. It was awesome. It was advertized as having more than 150 beers to sample and boy oh boy there were definitely 150+ beers. Without further ado here is the 11 point scale ranking:

10=Oh my God amazing
5= I am completely indifferent to this
0= Get out of my way I am about to vomit

!!The Beers!!

Pete's
Rally Cap Ale- P7 M8
Wicked Strawberry Blonde- P6 M5
Moosehead - P2 M5
Pete's Wicked Ale- P5 M6
Shiner
Bock- P5 M4
Sapparo P0 M0
Berghoff
Red Ale- P6 M5
Summer Solstice Wheat- P3 M0
Lager- P2 M0
Podkovan
Dark- P3 M2
Lager- P1 M0
Flossmoor
Imperial Dwarf IPA- M9 P4
Zon Jager Wit- M0 P3
Old Saratoga Mendocino Brew Co.
White House IPA- M9 P7
Eye of the Hawk- P9 M6
Blue Huron Pale Ale- P5 M7
Pointe
Pale Ale- P3 M7
Special Lager- P5 M0
Two Brothers Brewing Co
The Bitter End Pale Ale- P7 M8
Domaine Dupage Fr. Ale- P5 M5
Ska Brewing
Pin Stripe Red Ale- P7 M6
True Blonde- P6 M3
Sprecher Brew Co
Abbey Triple- P2 M2
Special Amber- P2 M0
Red Hook
IPA- P6 M8
ESB- P5 M6
Okocim Palone
Firebrewed Amber- P3 M3
Porter- P0 M0
New Belgium
Fat Tire Amber Ale- P0 M5
Sam Adams
Cherry Wheat- P8 M8
Brown Ale- P6 M6
Black Lager- P2 M4
Summer Ale- P4 M2
Stawski Imports
Thai Lager- P5 M4
7.30 Lithuaniun Kalnapillis Lager- P5 M0
Goose Island
IPA- P8 M10+
Honers Ale- P6 M6
312- P10+ M8
Summertime Kolsch Bier- P0 M0
Great Lakes Brew Co.
Burning River Pale Ale- P1 M9
Holy Moses White Ale- P1 M0
Harboside Lger- M0
Prairie Rock Brew Co.
Special English Ale- P6 M6
Vanilla Creme Ale- P0 M0
Wein-Baur
Bitburger Premium Beer- P5 M2
Siwo Xihu Beer- P2 M0
Roundhouse
Baltic Porter- P4 M2
Chocolate Beer P0 M1
Jolly Pumpkin Artisian Ales
La Roas Pumpkin- P4 M4
Gr. American Pale Ale- P1 M0
St. Peter's English Ale- P2 M0
Monty Pythons Holy (Gr)Ail- P6 M6
Rock Bottom IPA- P4 M9
Warka Beer- P0 M0

54 BEERS?!?!?!?!?
God that was fun. now for the pictures. Later kiddos.