My Circulon Original covered saute pan (or is that a chef’s pan) has finally given up the ghost. The once-durable, ridged non-stick hard-anodized surface began to worry me over the last 6-8 months as food began to adhere to the surface and failed to lift with gentle cleaning. I expected a lifetime of use from it, but only got 10 years of heavy usage. While it was a beast to handle (heavier than other hard-anodized cookware that I owned) it was the workhorse of the kitchen. I cooked everything in it: from pan-broiling steaks, stir-frying batches of fried rice, to serving up adobo chicken. It endured constant use and never warped or scratched.
Today it sits in the sink, its bottom surface grimed and caked with burnt food that no amount of soap or scrubbing has removed. I’d hate to retire the thing, but I’ve already invested a couple of hours attempting to clean it with no success. Any stronger methods is sure to destroy what’s left of its non-stick nature. My other Circulon cookware has seen moderate use and has continued to perform as expected…just not this particular piece. I’m glad to have owned one though, and my next heavy-duty chef’s pan will definitely be comparable if not better than this one. I bought my share of cheap, short-lived $20 cookware…never go back to those again.
For now I’m having to fall back on a Kitchen Essentials/Calphalon Everyday Nonstick Saute Pan…but a few years ago, the bottom of the pan warped, no doubt from high heat. So there is a slight curve in the center of the pan that really cramps my cooking style…
1208 E Belt Line Rd
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 245-4621
I remember when the current space occupied by Burger Island was a Thai restaurant, then several incarnations of a Mexican eatery. So I didn’t expect upper-class digs in this small, almost-rundown little joint.
Which is always a good sign of genuinely greasy diner-style burger. I’ve heard my coworkers rave about their portions…and they weren’t kidding when it came to Burger Island sides. Every takeout order came home in boxes brimming with sides.
For the first visit, I tried Burger Island for their signature Jungle Burger. A nice, thin-patty two-hander loaded with toppings and barbecue sauce. I gave the burger high marks for being tasty and messy, even though it wasn’t my typical preparation. Unfortunately, none of their fried foods traveled well–from their onion rings to their jalapeno straws (Texas Toothpicks). The sheer volume of the side orders were daunting enough, without factoring in the sogginess.
On another visit, I sampled their bacon mushroom burger which again proved a tasty, oozy mess. Once again the onion rings failed to live up to the 15 minute journey, and the seasoned fries–while uniquely tasty–also came home soggy. The fiance tried their philly sandwich and gave it an above-average mark, rare for a Philly connoisseur.
I’d have to say for the price, Burger Island rates higher than some of the “gourmet burger” stops and is worth repeat visits.
The Coppell Deli’s claim to fame is the Stubbs breakfast sandwich–and they count the Dallas Cowboys as their biggest fans. The fiance and I however took aim at their burger menu…and in this we weren’t disappointed.
My bacon mushroom swiss was a 1/2 pounder, tall and bristling with bacon, and loaded up with lots of onions upon request. I found their choice of white onions strangely bland and faulted their use of tiny styrofoam boxes to carry their burger. Maybe they were highlighting the size of their sandwich by cramming it into a tiny space–whatever! Those styrofoam boxes are so 80s.
The fiance partook of the double cheeseburger and found it satisfying. We both thought that the pouch-sized fries however were on the bland side and could have used more seasoning. However the overall damage came to $22 and I thought the price too steep for the average result. We might give the Deli another try minus other side options.
100 N Kimball Ave
Southlake, TX 76092
(817) 416-2573
We came to Kincaid’s with high expectations–and walked away idly wondering what the fuss was all about. We expected greatness and found mediocrity.
Two things Kincaid’s had going for it–a thick burger patty and a nice chocolate milkshake. While it’s nice to bite into a hefty burger–measuring a thumb’s width by my reckoning–I wished I could have ordered it medium-rare, which wasn’t an option. Sadly, the burgers were lacking in flavor and ooze-factor–no greasy burger here, just dry over-cooked meat whose flaws were heightened by the mustard dressing. Even the crinkle-cut fries and the Blue Bell ice cream milkshake appeared standard fare, nothing truly spectacular. And let me say that I could have gotten better onion rings at Burger King–Kincaid’s rings were battered to death and devoid of flavor. The little container of ranch dressing couldn’t rescue them from oblivion.
Walking into the Southlake location reminded me too much of a Mooyah’s or a Fuddrucker’s. Everything in Kincaid’s was too clean, too neat–and dare I say it–too formulaic for a unique burger experience. I can attest that Kincaid’s isn’t gourmet enough for the Southlake neighborhood. Perhaps we’ll visit the original location someday, but we’ll definitely steer clear of this outpost.
Getting email accepted by another domain has become quite a headache for systems administrators. Because of security issues, mail servers have had to clamp down on who exactly will be permitted to send mail to their users. I’m still encountering intermittent problems with some domains accepting our emails; although the big offenders like AOL and MSN/Hotmail have been largely resolved with the simple addition of SPF records to our DNS zones. However, two more providers have cropped up in my attempts to get my users open email access everywhere. Some ISPs such as consolidated.net have a baffling bounceback message either referencing an old (perhaps retired) RBL server or a cryptic, generic refusal. Whereas GoDaddy, one of the biggest domain registrars out there, has some strict requirements and configurations that I’m still trying to guess at.
I’ve added via WHM more SPF records via TXT type to not only the main domains and parked domains, but also to their nameserver records and to the hostname DNS records as well. Anything that has the remote chance of showing up in a header check now has a SPF record. Here’s to hoping I made some progress.
2315 W Airport Fwy
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 255-3714
The fiance and I have only visited once, on a Sunday lunch, and our visit was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
First off, we were taken aback to discover our host was ex-Rafain…happy to know that he was venturing out on his own and pleased to get the same level of service.
Perhaps my expectations were too high for budget Brazilian. Perhaps at the time Delicias was still new, trying to find its stride, but that doesn’t excuse the rather forgettable rodizio. I just couldn’t enjoy anything from the meat parade to request a second serving.
I tried everything off the buffet tables, but nothing agreed with me–pastas, salads, authentic stews and casseroles, desserts. I have never been dismayed or put off by traditional dishes, and I even love flan…but meh, these plates were bland and uninteresting! Even the cauliflower tasted rotten! My sole consolation was the cheesy bread–at least they kept me from starving (difficult to comprehend for a rodizio).
It’s nice to see that the ethnic community has embraced Delicias. On our visit, several Brazilian families came in to patron the place…but it soon became evident that the dining room is too small, and slowly becoming claustrophobic with the number of skewer-wielding attendants clogging the aisles.
The biggest slip came at check time, when we discovered that the restaurant register couldn’t process credit card receipts. Everything then had to be processed through the front-end grocery store’s register…which would have been tolerable…had it not taken more than half an hour to accomplish. One neighbor patron was so unhappy with the arrangement that he kept flagging down any of the restaurant staff for assistance–he had been kept waiting for nearly an hour trying to check out.
The manager and host were humbly apologetic, but this experience soured us on any future visits. Even the coupon I brought with me went unused, as we tried to hurry our way out the door.
