danistrulytheman

I'm STILL a self confessing, self professing know-it-all, or so I think!

Author Archives: danistrulytheman


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my skirt

… steaks!! Skirt steak y’all!! It’s the quintessential cut of meat for many Tex-Mex style types of food. I’m talking eating with your hands food … tightly wrapped in a fajita while you fight a losing battle trying to eat it without it bursting, or any juices dripping down your chin … good luck!! These bad boys (surprisingly, finding these ain’t as easy as you’d think, but as always is the case … perseverance pays off) came courtesy (not implying they were free … I paid, lol) my local Whole Foods Market. And the beauty is once you grill the steaks, there aren’t any rules … make the fajitas as you wish, use anything/whatever tickles your palate. Today, went with my grilled poblano and sweet onion relish, shredded Queso panela, a bit of lettuce, and a dollop (or 2) of sour cream (fat-free) smeared on the shell. Wrap ‘n tuck the sucker and have at ‘er … served with my black bean, peaches & cream corn, tomato, jalapeño salad … well, life ain’t too bad!! 😉

tortillas, fajitas … tomato, tomahto … AND straight from Mexico, how authentic is that? …

even more authenticity …

my fave: poblano & onion relish …

beans ‘n corn salad …

flames and smoke … my little bit of hardwood charcoal heaven …

took the pic, grabbed my plate and bbq tongs  … we’re done folks …

2 steaks – 1 mouth …joshing Tiffany K … JUST joshing, lol …

and finally … voilà … 


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Concorde

OMG, I can’t believe it … was just thinking about this!! I even recalled the year correctly, 1986 … yes I’m dating myself, lol. I was walking across the Burrard Street Bridge, was standing smack dab in the middle when the Concorde passed directly overhead (VERY VERY low as I remember) providing Vancouverites with a teasing preview days before The Abbortsford Airshow displaying its incredible beauty, power … and awesomeness!! That day I definitely had a horseshoe up my ass … being in the catbird seat watching the flyby!! They sure don’t make them like that anymore do they? Thanks whiteranger84 for the vid.


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grilled chicken club

Leftover grilled chicken à la pulled pork, thinly sliced ham, cheese, onions, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce – the most underrated lettuce in my opinion, often overlooked for its simplicity … love the contrasting cool crispness it imparts, and mayo. Oh, and on toasted white bread, I know eh, lol?! Also, wanted to try it with 2 completely different cheeses so I made one with Muenster, the other with Cambozola … both were VERY good, though I think I’d give the nod to the Muenster sammie … but if I used bacon in place of the ham, I’d go blue since I love that combo!! A couple of pics, enjoy …


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Formaggio

Today talking Paisano, but I ain’t delving too deeply either, kinda scratching the surface … don’t even get me started on my fave Romano Lupa ’cause I won’t stop! And I can’t begin to tell you how I have this disease unable to go into any of my wonderful markets without wandering *wink wink* by the cheese section AND buying cheese … any cheese … EVEN if my fridge is already fully stocked ‘n stuffed, lol! If lovin’ cheese is wrong I don’t wanna be right … if this an addiction I don’t wanna be cured, lol!!

And finally want to chime in with my 2¢ (which is what I wanted to say in the first place) about the Parmigiano-Reggiano vs. Grana Padano debate that I recently caught wind of, but apparently has been raging for quite some time now (who even knew there was a cheese war, lol?). Reggiano was always the king … the undisputed king of ALL Italian cheeses, every Goddamn Italian TV Chef segment had to include those words … Parmigiano-Reggiano … Parmigiano-Reggiano … Parmigiano-Reggiano … uh, can you say overkill? And just ’cause you can parrot saying it over and over and use it doesn’t make you a great chef!! But recently I noticed a trend, the great Italian chefs (including the matriarch herself – Lidia Bastianich) have been steering away from it, and instead incorporating and praising its lesser known (and less expensive) relative – Grano Padano in their recipes?! Damn Motherfuckers!! Been slummin’ for years buying Grano Padano getting more bang for my denaro and NOW y’all are following suit, lol?! All aboard the danistrulythemantrain everyone … choo choo!! 😉


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and please, don’t blame me ’cause I’ve tried

I paid my dues and I changed my style
seen hard times, all over now

I don’t know why the thought came to me
but why I’m here I really can’t see, and now…

I want to come home, it’s been so long since I’ve been away

I’ll be coming home soon to your love, to stay
coming home to stay
coming home to your love mama
I’ve seen better days


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I’ll Have Another

… and I’m not talking ’bout my beloved beer (doesn’t that go without saying, lol?), I’m talking horses here and about the outta left field news regarding the next big star (potentially) being scratched (AND retired) from tomorrow’s Belmont Stakes … and his bid for The Triple Crown, ending a 34 year drought. Heard a feel good news story prior to this sad subsequent one … over 100,000 people were expected to attend and hopefully witness history. Not now. What a blow to the horse racing industry. America (North America) desperately needed (needs) a hero  … Europe has Frankel, and in NO WAY am I comparing the two, ’cause there is none …  but hopefully it woulda been a wonderful crowning moment instead of this heartbreaking one. On second thought … beer me!!


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grilled asparagus!!

Was doing my thang shopping up a storm at my Fortinos and knew asparagus was on sale for $1.79/lb (as a side note, am amused it’s one of the few “bunched” veggies priced by weight, not by bunch … even though IT IS bunched, lol?! ‘Sup with that?), so I did a walk-by and was surprised and excited to find one outta the lot that was thinly stalked (thinner is better btw, avoid thick ass ones like the elephantitis plague), and I’m talking pencil thin here, so I snagged ‘n bagged them along with my other groceries. On that topic, Tiffany K was riding my ass (hard, lol) wanting me to buy this new PC product … comes in six flavours and every time I looked, the ONLY was not to be found was the one she wanted … evidently everybody else had a hankering for it as well … but as you can see (but not taste – too bad, is VERY good) success at last. Enjoy the pics y’all!!

PC Sofrito:

A couple of New York Strips and strung piquante sausages … startin’ gettin’ their char on!! Asparagus patiently awaits:

My grilled Vidalia onion, poblano pepper relish … jar THAT PC, lol:

… and not to boast, but DAMN motherfuckers … shit’s the bomb … great with burgers, sausages, eggs … OMG love LOVE it in omelettes and frittatas!!

Plated … finally! A feast fit for Tiffany K & danistrulytheman:

And the best part (as always, lol) … leftovers!! A bit of a change-up (or is that curveball, lol?) A quick steak and sausage stir-fry, along with my onion/poblano mix (marries together so beautifully, can’t begin to tell ya how good it is), steamed the asparagus, poached two eggs lightly (I’m talking running yokes folks) and freshly grated (coarsely) parm-regg as a finishing touch … AND a dollop of Sofrito, AND sliced hothouse tomatoes to boot, LOL!!:


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Burger Week?!?!

… more like Burger Day!! 

Tiffany K and I found out about it last minute, so were only able to take part on the final day.

Participating restaurants:

… and neatly mapped:

Once we became aware, we decided early yesterday morning to go to The Gladstone Hotel (#3) … their burgers sounded great, plus we were gonna be nearby – was a win win!! OMG, what a beautiful café … so relaxing, you def don’t wanna rush … ya wanna unwind soaking in the atmosphere, the company, just chillin’ ‘n veggin’!! It was here (after we ordered) that we talked about, came up with the idea of having our burger day … too bad it wasn’t planned earlier, otherwise we would have done it slightly differently … we would been smarter ’bout ‘pproaching it!!

The café (was packed, honestly, lol … this is a narrow view that I took when no one was in the shot):

duo de Blanche de Chambly (yes, VERY light and cloudy, AND yes great great beer):

uno B de C (ignore the beer glass)… nice Tiffany  Tiffany K, lol:

The burgers:

… and the bill (of course, lol):

Done!! But as I said, sitting in sumptuous comfort we decided this would only be the beginning … UNION Restaurant (#8), here we come!! And if you peek at the map, can see they’re just a stone’s throw away from each other, literally a hop skip and a jump apart!!

AHHHH, my beloved Creemore, lol:

The burgers:

Juicy, bit ‘o pink too:

… and the bill – Fuck Brunch, LOL!!:

Two down one to go … BQM Burgershoppe (#7) … (hold on, wait a minute … beep beep beep … we played that one smart, 1 burger, 1 beer each … something we should have started out doing .. am still pissed at those $4 fries, what was I thinking, ALMOST the cost of a burger, lol? … just takes away from the frugality – fun of it … and puts unwanted carbs in my belly) is next … our final stop, and it’s conveniently located on the same street and within walking distance, which we did!! But tiny Tiffany K’s gut was beginning to burst. Standing on the outside staring in was as close we were gonna get, but that was ok!! And as they say … two out of three ain’t bad!! No it ain’t, no it motherfucking ain’t!!

A few thoughts:

Hands down EVERYTHING was better at The Gladstone … ‘cept the burger … it was ordinary at best, nothing special & nothing memorable!! UNION on the other hand, while immediately (ok, initially) being a bit of a letdown, it was so fucking hot inside!! No chance of leisurely lingering for hours, like we wanted to at The Gladstone … you just wanted to scarf yer burger and bolt (Christ, I was tempted to ask for take-out … but meaning no Creemore, meant not a chance in hell, lol), come to think of it, we kinda did, lol!! Ok ok, they did have the aforementioned Creemore … and their burgers FUCKING rocked!! Without question, WAY better … ’twas a no-brainer picking a winner … the breadbutter pickles, the coco bun … momentarily I held a handful of Heaven!! I almost started to cry, LOL!!

… and a couple bonus pics:

Loved the Chambly so much (had it before btw, wasn’t new to me), went out and bought (snapped this before I did, lol) a halfsack today, lol:

Throughout the day was taking washroom mirror pics, lol … have a shitload too (and what does this have to do with this blogpost? Absolutely nothing, lol!!), but I’ll only show y’all the very first one, before I even made it into either restaurant … and I ain’t telling ya where I was at, lol … less ya know, the better trust me, lol … what a fucking nut (oui, moi, lol) … danistrulytheman 06/02/12:


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where there’s fucking smoke

… there’s fire … AND danistrulytheman’s bbq, lol!! This time I wanted to show y’all (with no end result pics either, done plenty of that – plenty more to come as well I’m sure, lol) focusing on my tremendous ‘n stupendous grilling skills, employing one of my many varied techniques!! Beef is freshly ground sirloin, patties (hand formed seasoned liberally with sea salt and coated with EVOO) are pushing 165-170 g … the perfect size … ain’t no one complainin’ they’re too big or too small!! Today I doubled down … placed my thick-ass cast iron grate directly on top of my grill. I love it ’cause it gets really, really hot … AND retains the heat (very important), great for charrin’ ma burgers man!!

On only for a few secs, and already starting to smoke:

The flip-over … I LOVE IT!! Looking (AND smelling) good:

OK, these bad boys are motherfucking done … where’s my burger spatula, lol?!:


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OK, finally gonna say it!!

Meant to blog … and to do a seriously long-winded blog as well (as if any of it matters, lol) … ’bout rock ‘n roll’s greatest drummers of all time!! Honestly? Couldn’t be bothered ’cause as y’all know, as well as I do too … lists mean SHIT … people will always have their opinions, and no matter what I say/think, I ain’t gonna change that!! So I always refrained from this sorta shit … till now!! And here it is … ok, finally gonna say it (blogpost *wink wink*, lol) … no reasons, or rhymes, nor nary an explanation … none needed … ONLY MINE!! Agree, disagree … I don’t give a fuck!!

1: Keith Moon

2: John Bonham

3: Danny Carey

And depending on the day and my mood, it quickly can (and HAS btw, lol MANY MANY times too, lol) flip-flop like a (slap) Happy Jack flapjack, LOL!!


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quaffing my Kellerbier

This is real time blogging folks. For once no editing, perfection be damned … balls to the motherfucking walls y’all, lol!! Relaxing on a lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying my Creemore, more precisely Kellerbier … it was their upscale seasonal offering, but now it’s become available year round. I’m guessing Molson’s greedy input had something to do with it?! But perhaps not too greedy … since its introduction cost $2.95 a can, BUT now surprisingly dropped to $2.80 … but what’s more noticeably interesting is the dinero divide between Kellerbier and the original Creemore (Premium Lager): originally (and till now for that matter) was always 35¢ more (and bear in mind, BOTH are VERY VERY good) so opting for the pricier one at times was prudently decided by the fatness of my money roll … but now that gap has shrunk to a mere 10¢ per 473 ml tin cup … I no longer will be asking myself … what’s in your wallet?!

New can, same great taste …

BTW, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Kellerbier is only sold at the LCBO, while the original Creemore is sold at BOTH the LCBO and The Beer Store … another little bit of an advantage, making it twice as easy for the thirsty throngs!!

Ok, as promised … 5/27/12 @3:21 p.m. … countdown, and I’m punching the publish button (deep breath, lol)!!


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Catch my knowledge higher than the day

Nothing, and I absolutely motherfucking mean nothing beats sitting in my backyard on a lazy Sunday afternoon on my reclining patio chair AND with my door open to the motherfucking gills AND with a frosted mug of frosted brew in my hand, groovin’ and listening to this masterpiece AND with the volume set to CRANKED from an era when music was MUSIC, and musicians MUSICIANS … gradually building and finally culminating into nine and a half glorious minutes of climactic crescendo!! It was pure orchestral bliss AND it was meant to piss off ‘the stupids’ AND it did … AND YES!!

What I don’t know, I have never shared


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somebody wants you!!

… well it’s def not a ref to Uncle Sam “I want you” … and NO, not a VH ref to “Everybody Wants Some”, lol!! And I ain’t saying if it’s a ref to a sheriff’s posse riding bareback, a-hootin’ ‘n a-hollerin’ coming after your outlaw ass wanting you (dead or alive? YIKES!!) My advice? … walk softly, go barefoot (OMG, don’t tell me, not a supplementary danis quote, lol?) Yep, damn straight motherfuckers)!!


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Frankel primed and ready!!

Motherfucker is poised to obliterate the field in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday. Back despite a potentially career ending injury, AND appearing to have regained top-notch form without losing nary a fleet-footed step, the horsey set is eager with anticipation, the whole world will be watching … danistrulytheman too!!