Good Eats: Carshon's Delicatessen

I went to the VA clinic in Ft. Worth last week and made a side trip to a place I've wanted to go for a long time, Carshon's Delicatessen. It's hidden at one of the more confusing intersections in Ft. Worth, Berry & Cleburne Road near TCU. But if you look close enough you will find this little bit of heaven at 3133 Cleburne Road by spotting their freshly paved parking. It stands out more than their sign.

Old pic. New lot is fresh paved.

Once inside you find your typical deli counter. If you plan on dining in, then head on past to the tables in the back and a waitress will be along to get your order. Otherwise your To Go order will be filled on the spot. Luckily I hit them around 2:00 so the place was practically empty.

They have a great menu that I was unfamiliar with, but after a quick scan I decided on the Rebecca. Pastrami, cream cheese & smoked turkey w/Russian dressing on 3 layers of toasted egg bread.

Not sure if I've ever had an actual party in my mouth, but this just might have qualified.

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about the cream cheese. I tend to think of it as more of a dip than a sandwich cheese, but I was pleasantly surprised with the way it blended with the textures and flavors.

The pastrami was without a doubt the best I've ever had and I've eaten some pretty decent contenders like Carnegie Deli. This. was. better. The smoked turkey was moist and flavor packed. Both were sliced laser thin and melted in your mouth. The egg bread was something I wasn't familiar with, but trust me I'm a big fan now. It was toasted just right and the crispy goodness has to be experienced first hand, or mouth as the case may be. It's f'n awesome bread.

Damn the cholesterol, full speed ahead!

I don't know why it took me so long to finally go there, but I won't wait that long any more. I just wish I lived closer or had more excuses to go to Ft. Worth. So much menu, so little time. Carshon's.

Starting the week out on the right foot

I'm not sure what I did to piss off the Universe, but as of 3:17am this morning it began exacting it's revenge upon me. I know it was exactly 3:17am because I got a good look at the clock when I woke up drenched in sweat and a tiny alien fighting it's way out of my body without a road map. Well, that's what it felt like anyway.

I turned on the ceiling fan and tried to go back to sleep. Exactly 21 minutes later (I have a great LED clock) I woke up again but with a wave of nausea had replaced the tiny alien in my large intestine. I didn't get sick, although I probably would have felt better if I did. It's kinda like being on one of those cheap amusement park rides were you wish it was over, but aren't sure if the ride will make it to the end without breaking.

It was pretty much lather, rinse, repeat every 20 minutes for the next 3 hours. I finally gave up on even thinking about crawling back in bed. The good news is AMC shows Mad Men reruns early Sunday mornings so at least I'm entertained during my ordeal.

I got a flu shot last week, but it's too long after that to be a reaction. I think it might have more to do with the new Island Fire burger I ate at Sonic last night. On a brighter note I did find a bunch of long sleeve shirts I've been looking for. Apparently I've had a laundry basket full of them hiding in my closet under a comforter since last spring.

Arrested for stocking the cooler?

In Miami Gardens, store video catches cops in the act - Miami Gardens / Opa-locka - MiamiHerald.com

In-freaking-credible.

Babe's

I think the first time I ever heard about Babes Chicken Dinner House in Roanoke was when I worked construction in the mid 90's. I'd listen to The Ticket all day driving a truck and Babe's was a big sponsor back then. I've never heard anything negative the place other than you might have to stand in line for a seat. They have a limited menu (chicken or chicken fried steak) and serve "Family style".

Last night on my way back from Dallas I decided to finally sit down and try some of that famous fried chicken. The parking situation in Roanoke is nothing to brag about, but I was able to find a spot a block away. I hit at a good time because there was no line for a seat. The staff was prompt and friendly even though the place was pretty full. My tea glass never reached empty which is always a good sign. The Mashed potatoes were awesome, the gravy was good and I liked the biscuits.

Those were the good things. Now for the bad.

Their chicken sucked. It was, to quote Sir Charles Barkley "turrrable". First let me say that I know you want to serve fresh food, but you should let the food stop cooking before you serve it. My chicken had to have been out of the fryer less than a minute before it was on my table. It was too hot to touch, much less try to eat. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing because I got to load up on the mashed potatoes and gravy waiting for it to cool. So at least I wasn't starving any more.

The other side dish they served was creamed corn. Not a fan of creamed corn.

When it was finally cool enough to eat I took a bite of breast and almost drowned in the water and grease. It wasn't "juicy" it was watery grease. The chicken must have been frozen when it was put in the fryer. That's the only time I've ever seen it do that. It also made the crust bubble away from the meat which filled with the aforementioned grease and water. After wading thru all that, I was let down again when I tasted the meat. It was bland with no seasoning or flavor. Another sign the chicken was frozen when it was cooked.

I expected a lot better than this, especially after all they hype. Then my check for $16 arrives. Wow.

I went to pay and didn't intend on complaining about the meal. When the girl at the register asked me how my meal was I should have said "fine" and went on my merry way. Instead I said "Do you really want to know?" and she said yes. I told her I thought their chicken was awful, but everything else was OK. The girl takes off and goes to find the manager. I didn't say I don't want to pay, wanted a discount or anything. In fact I had my card in my hand waiting to swipe so I could get the heck out of there.

The manager shows up and asks what the problem was. So I told him the chicken was bland, watery and greasy. He told me there would be no charge but I told him I ate most of the meal and I'd pay for it. I didn't ask for a discount or to speak to anyone about it. She asked and I was honest with her, I didn't like the chicken. Now I'm having to argue with the guy to take my money and the line is starting to build up behind me. We finally settled on him charging me for the sweet tea and I tipped 50% of what the meal would have cost because the waitresses did nothing wrong.

Maybe it was a fluke and I hit them at a bad time, but they are very sensitive about their chicken at Babe's.

ESPN pulls a Kreskin

From April 2010

Be glad you're not a Contractor in Bowie

But wait, there's more!

Yes, We are in America and this actually happened.