South Side Six

If you haven't heard about South Side 6, it's because it's hard to talk with a mouth full of food.

The small party store on South Main Street celebrates almost every day with an awesome special, but it's the gyros that really put the party in the store — and then your mouth.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, and that's OK, because once you set foot in the parking lot your nose will quickly dismiss your eyes.

And inside is a spectacular scene. Three giant roasts twirl elegantly on the vertical gyro grills like three bountiful ballerinas. The owner, So, shaves off caramelized strips of either chicken or beef and hands them off to his faithful gyro technician, Abod, who tightly wraps each gyro with lettuce, onion, tomato and plenty of cucumber sauce. And how much do I owe? It it's Thursday, only $1.99.

The owner, So, was born in the U.S. but raised in Lebanon where he learned all about authentic Lebanese cuisine — Fattush, Taboli, Kabobs, Hummus, Chicken Shawarma and Baklava. It's all there, even his American side.

The gigantic Route 25 Burger is almost as satisfying, but falls just short to the mighty South Side 6 gyro. And I think it's because the gyro stays with you all day long. Spicy little burps act as pleasant reminders of the delicious meal you made love to earlier. If you have a date later, make sure they eat one too. Because it's OK if you both have bad breath.

Bizarre food, bizarre host

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern is like Fear Factor without the fear.

I love watching food shows. Unless I have no food. Because hunger is almost always the result of watching any of those shows on Food Network -- some call it food porn. And after my taste buds are aroused, I prepare a snack to munch on while I watch Ina Garten make magic happen in her kitchen.

Today, the snack was my delicious potato salad I made two days ago. But unfortunately today it tasted like fried spleen and cheese, which tastes like mud. Thanks to Andrew Zimmern I know that spleen tastes like "deep river mud." The taste of my potato salad became very complex while watching Bizarre Foods. When Zimmern tasted blood sausage in Paris, I could taste the rich flavor of pig lung in my potato salad. Don't snack while watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.

But overall, I really enjoy Andrew Zimmern. I just like knocking him because he is a better descriptor than I am. Just watch his show and write down what he says each time he tastes something bizarre. Then try repeating the list at the Thanksgiving dinner table. I would just hate to cook him something that he didn't care for. He may tell me that my food "tastes like a lime that you cut open, and soaked in ammonia for 2 years," or is "like eating sweet Vaseline," as he has said on his show.

I watch Bizarre Foods a lot and I think Andrew Zimmern is very animated and fun to watch. But I have some major issues with the guy. Mainly, the only food I have seen him spit out was durian fruit. I've never tried it, I hear it's gross, but come on! Andrew Zimmern eats some real nasty stuff. He's eaten brains, sperm, hearts, and probably butt holes. But he couldn't handle the durian fruit?

However, the guy who owned the durian fruit farm looked very hurt and offended. As did the lady at the spleen sandwich dig when he told her it tasted like a deep river mud. Zimmern should probably be more culturally sensitive, but I think his brutal honesty is hilariously entertaining.

If a human rump roast looked good, would Andrew Zimmern eat it? That would be Bizarre.

Tuna's Bloody Marys

_Click here to read about Tuna's Bloody Marys_

Flakey Bacon Dog

Having trouble making friends? Try wrapping yourself in bacon and pastry. 

Because anything wrapped in bacon is better! Try it with a cheese dog, too.

Freddy's Falcon Talons

There is no better way to flaunt your Falcon pride than by showing up to your BGSU tailgate or party with a plate full of Falcon Talons. The Ohio State University has its chocolate and peanut butter buckeyes — yummm — and now BGSU has its Falcon Talons. They aren't hard to make, maybe a little messy, but who minds being covered in chocolate and Butterfinger crumbles? Brace yourself for the creative sweet cashew crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (9.75 oz.) of whole cashews
• 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate morsels. Mini morsels melt fastest.
• 1 12.5 oz. bag of fun size Butterfingers. Pr a few king size.
• 1 T of paraffin wax is optional.
• Total cost: about $10
• yields: 100+ talons

Setup:

Crunch your butterfingers. To minimize a crumbly mess, leave the candy bars in the wrapper. The finer the Butterfinger is crumbled, the better. Dump the crumbs into a bowl.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and place at the end of the table. This is the cashews' final plunge. It will help solidify the chocolate so the talon doesn't look like a turtle.

Open your nuts and place them on a plate at the front of the table. Scattering them on a plate can help you select the nuts that best resemble a falcon's talon. although the can says "full cashews," many wont be.

Melt the semi sweet morsels in a double boiler over medium heat. Add paraffin wax to improve the final product's glossy look. Once the chocolate is melted (and wax) remove from heat and place on table between the cashews and Butterfinger crumbles.

Now it's time to turn our nuts into talons. Hold onto what would be the tip of the talon and dip the other end into the chocolate. If the chocolate does not stick well, you may 

want to let it cool and thicken. Quickly, dip the talon into the Butterfinger crumbles and then immediately into the ice bath. The more quickly you complete this process, the better your talon will look. However, there is nothing wrong with a chunky funky talon. In fact, I prefer chunky chocolate and Butterfinger talons. If you experience a lot 

of your chocolate dripping off into the Butterfinger bowl, try molding the chocolate and Butterfinger around the cashew. They may not look the best, but they're certainly sweeter. I like to do about five nuts in a row and then I take them out of the ice bath and place them onto a plate — wax paper may come in handy. The talons shouldn't stay in the ice bath too long, because the Butterfinger will start to become soggy. Once you fill a plate, put it in the refrigerator so that the chocolate may solidify further.Get a clean plate and do it again!

Chubby Mary

I don't think I need to explain too much for this one. There is a smoked chub in my bloody mary. It wasn't gross. It may look gross. But it was delicious. The chub gives the mary a smokey accent, while the mary adds a bit of spice to the chub. It doesn't come served with a straw down the throat of the chub; that was my sister's idea, and a good one. So if you're ever in Northern Michigan, go to the Cove in Leland and order the Chubby Mary. I've never had a cocktail/appetizer so unique.

Feasting at the Festival

Black Swamp Arts Festival '08 — 

Didn't make it to the arts festival? Shame on you. You don't have to be into art to enjoy the festival. The food is equally as awesome as the art. 

If the music didn't draw you in the stage area, the aroma in the air certainly did. I was lifted off of my toes like in the old cartoons and floated into the parking lot. I didn't make it much further than Po Mo's — the giant smokers really turned me on and I love ribs — but every vendor was rock'n out to good tunes and serving up sloppy festival delicacies. 

All of the vendors had something special to offer. from basic fair food to fried gator bites, the 2008 Black Swamp Arts festival once again delivered a tasty celebration.  

Here's a slide show for the people who failed to take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity. Feast your eyes out. I hope you are kicking yourself. I'm still stuffed.

The Jerky Outlet

I have probably passed by at least one hundred times but have never stopped. I have always wanted to, but for some odd reason I never had. "WORLDS 2nd LARGEST SELECTION OF BEEF JERKY" is the archetype Midwest tourist trap. This past weekend, I couldn't resist passing up the M-61 exit off I-75 in Standish, Mich. 

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I first walked in the door. I figured if it has the world's second largest selection, it must be chocked full of the saucy dehydrated strips of beef. I didn't think there would be any room in the Mobile filling station for windshield wipers, coffee, cigarettes and other gas station essentials. 

But there were a lot of jerky to choose from, and not just Beef. There was venison, bison, turkey and elk. I went with the Barbeque Buffalo Jerky and it was delightful! My car smelled very gamey for the remainder of the trip back to Bowling Green. 

After my visit I was left with 2 nagging questions:

1. Where is the worlds largest selection of beef jerky at? I want to go. 

2. Do they mean largest selection of beef jerky, or all types jerky?

It was a great little stop. I didn't buy a Jerky Outlet t-shirt, but I may have considered if I saw one. Not making the trip up I-75 anytime soon? No problem, visit www.thejerkyoutlet.com and order some.