Hugh_Lebowski

Hugh_Lebowski's Journal

July 1, 2021

Any other Patty Melt fans here? I actually got a great one today from a fast food joint

Yeah, I know, beef is evil. I try not to eat too much, but sometimes, I just need me a burger. And sometimes, I just have to have it in Patty Melt format.

Unfortunately, the fast food and chain restaurant world is rife with Patty Melt's that fail, often spectacularly, at properly creating what really should be a simple treat.

A proper Patty Melt is like this:

1) One fairly thick, or two thinner, beef patties. 1/3-1/2 lb max total.
2) Two slices of cheese ... Swiss-flavored processed cheese is my favorite, but American is passable, as are real swiss cheese slices, but in that case just one is enough. For some reason, I like the processed stuff better in this concoction. Real swiss is a little strong-tasting.
3) Grilled onion 'rings', not any diced nonsense. They should taste like they're cooked on a grill that beef has been cooked on, like they have a beef grease contingent to them. I don't mean breaded onion rings, just slices.
4) Serious RYE bread, in a CIRCULAR shape. Marbled is great, but the most important part is it should have a STRONG rye flavor. I want it to be crunchy with around 10 caraway seeds in each slice. These must also be GRILLED on a grill you've been cooking beef on, with butter or something that tastes much like it, like a buttery flavored oil.

That's it. Bun, Grilled Onions, Cheese, Patty(s), Cheese, Bun.

1000 Island (or Russian Dressing) is the only acceptable condiment, but with a good Patty Melt, there's not really a need for extra stuff.

So after trying so many of these at 'chain' types of places (Culver's has a particular insipid 'version'), I finally got one today that was MONEY.

Place: Freddy's Steakburgers, which is basically a fast-food joint.

And it was freaking damn near perfect.

Like the kind you'd get at a diner in the 1970's, made by Mel from the show "Alice". I was frankly pretty blown away.

June 26, 2021

you know those songs that you absolutely have to listen to at ridiculously loud volumes?

Even after 20+ years I still have to crank this friggin tune when it comes on.

And ESPECIALLY the last 1:40.

Like, it really can't even BE 'too loud' no matter what

June 22, 2021

cath ... she stands with a well-intentioned man ... but she can't relax with his hand

on the small of her back ...

my all-time fave death cab song ... not only because I absolutely love the instrumentation ... in particular the trippy groove the band is locked into here ... but the lyrics water my eyes most times ...

June 22, 2021

so i crawled out of the back door took off all these tight clothes jumped into the water

A very kickass 2015 tune.

With Rostam Batmanglij (formerly of Vampire Weekend).

Funny how in the video, the dude walks to the water ... and then ...

June 19, 2021

Don't ya love getting The Pink?

No, I don't mean 'fired', that sucks.

I'm talking the Title certificate for your car ... also know as 'The Pink'.

Hey ... what did you guys think I meant?

I just got mine, two months early, 0 late payments ... Yay!

Time to drop the collision coverage cause car isn't worth that much anymore (it was already used and 7 yo when I got it). Probably up the liability a bit though just to be safe.

Making Juneteenth even a tiny bit better

June 18, 2021

So what is the proper salutation for Juneteenth? Is "Happy Juneteenth" bad form

like "Happy Memorial Day" is?

On one hand it's marking a day of liberation that is clearly a positive development, but on the other, what came before was horrible.

Seems like something more somber may be appropriate, but what exactly, I wonder?

June 18, 2021

Check-in ... what did you get for Juneteenth?

At my work I was greeted with an email that our office was not closing due to the short notice, but that everyone was granted an extra vacation day for the year.

What did everyone else get?

June 15, 2021