Pop Rocks On My Brain

A few Saturdays ago, Katie and I discovered a nice little surprise in the otherwise gentrified downtown Naperville area: Naper Nuts and Sweets. Set up like an old penny candy store, one wall is lined with a ridiculous amount of novelty candy. From Big League Chew to chocolate covered grasshoppers, the wall runs the gamut of crazy. On the opposite wall, behind the counter are dozens of glass bowls, full of sugar and chocolate utopia. I couldn’t keep track of everything they had, but when you see Jalapeno Jelly Bellies, you know you’re in good hands.

I, of course, was drawn to the novelty candy like Rascal to tinfoil. I scoured the shelves looking for things to buy, and write about. What would people like to read, I asked myself. I’m sure you would LOVE to hear about my experience with chocolate covered grasshoppers, but that will never happen. Aside from being a vegetarian, I find the idea of eating bugs, how do you say, icky.

But then I saw it. The magic words. Limited Edition. That the words were attached to a bag of chocolate covered Pop Rocks only made the deal that much sweeter. I bummed 2 bucks off Katie (because I was broke), and trotted out of there like a kid who just found the ultimate candy store.

Now, before you judge, realize that I too was a little concerned about what was in that bag. Was it Pop Rocks flavored like chocolate? I hate artificial chocolate flavor, as my Bubble Yum experience will attest. But, it was something better. Inside that magical little bag were Pop Rock covered in chocolate. You pop them into your mouth, and you get to pretend you’re eating a piece of milk chocolate. But once the chocolate milks, the Pop Rock awesomeness takes over. While not as pronounced as the typical mouth full of Pop Rocks, you still got to have that little tiny rock opus. As I said, awesomeness.

What wasn’t awesome? The Pop Rocks on a Roll that I bought a few days later. Talk about pointless, unsatisfying, and lame. First of all, you have to do it yourself. Unless it’s a candy stick being dipped into sugar, I don’t want to DIY my junk food. The package contains a fruit roll-up and a small bag of Pop Rocks, that due to humidity are actually one giant Pop Landmass. You have to unroll the fruit roll, and apply the Pop Rocks yourself, rolling it back up to get the full effect.

Here’s where the problem lies. The Pop Rock to fruit roll ratio is so small that you never get enough Pop Rocks in your mouth to have a teeth-shattering experience. You mostly get a fruit roll up that’s a little crunchy. And really, who’s enjoyed a fruit roll up past fifth grade?

What have we learned today? Chocolate Pop Rocks = Awesome. Pop Rocks on a Roll = Lame-O.

Cilantro Mexican Grill & Bar – Romeoville, IL

If there’s two types of restaurants I’m constantly on the lookout for, it’s a good Mexican and good Indian food. Although, I’m always looking for some Chinese food, too. And pizza. And Italian.

Fuck. That’s not going to work.

I’m always looking for a better Mexican restaurant. You can’t go wrong with a place that puts a good enchilada in front of you. You just can’t. Well, you could, if they also unleashed a rabid badger at the same time they delivered your food. But, that’s why you come to sites like mine where I would personally warn you about rabid badgers being released while you eat. I don’t want to cause you harm. I love you. Deeply.

…

Awkward.

Cilantro Mexican Grill & Bar is right next to Crispy Waffle as I mentioned a few weeks ago. I hope that the area around both of these restaurants builds up soon, if only because one is outstanding, and one was above average. That, and I love seeing independently owned places survive amongst the chain restaurants in smaller suburbs.

Cilantro is an above average experience. They’re a more formal restaurant than your typical Mexican joints. The seating is split into a small area by the windows, giving you a more intimate experience than the other half of the restaurant, which is set up more like a typical restaurant. But, the natural lighting and the large tree that grows above you in the smaller area is something you should ask for if possible.

On our first visit, we ordered Taquitos De Papa as an appetizer. Delivered in a fun, flower-like presentation over lettuce and tomatoes, with a side of sour cream; they were fresh, hot and crunchy. But, the potato filling was blander than we would have liked. They were a nice precursor to our meal, but didn’t wow us.

Our main dishes, enchiladas, were a different story. The Tres Quesos Enchiladas (panela, chihuahua and queso fresco) was served with a tangy salsa verde, and Katie’s Pollo de Mole Enchiladas were smothered in a cinnamony (a newly invented word) sauce. The salsa verde took a little getting used to, because it was powerful tangy; but once I adjusted, I couldn’t eat them fast enough. The three cheeses blended together smoothly, accented nicely by the salsa. Aside from wanting more cinnamon in her mole, Katie also liked her meal.

The big winner though was the side of sweet potato fries we ordered on a lark. Holy sweet crap. Delicious. They were lightly battered, reminding me of Tempura, and cooked just right. I could have made a meal of those alone.

Our second trip was with one of Katie’s coworkers. Her husband and she wanted to meet us for lunch, and we recommended Cilantro. This time around, I tried their veggie burrito “smothered” in cheese. Katie stuck with her enchiladas, and her friends ordered the beef tostadas.

Why did I order the burrito? I don’t know. I never like veggie burritos. I hate grilled vegetables. I think the grill saps the flavor from the veggies, leaving them all tasting like grill, or even worse, some weird, nameless, homogeneous vegetable. The closest I can come is Chipotle’s fajita burrito, and that’s because I ask for enough of their addictive rice to choke a horse, or explode a bird.

The salsa verde took a little getting used to, because it was powerful tangy

The burrito was decent, and large, but I doubt I’d order it again. It wasn’t bad, it’s just my personal bias against the veggies. I’m sure anyone else would think it was excellent. Although, save your dollar and don’t bother with the cheese smotherification (another new word!). They, quite literally, melt a single piece of Mexican cheese over the burrito. It definitely wasn’t smothered. And with all the other flavors of the burrito, good luck tasting it anyways.

I like Cilantro, but I don’t love it. If we’re looking for a nice place to grab some good sit-down Mexican food, we’d definitely go back there. The service was adequate, the atmosphere nice, and the food was good. Plus those sweet potato fries. Goddamn those tasty fries. If you were on the fence about visiting Cilantro, let my love of those fries push you over. You won’t be sorry.

Red Robin’s Wheel of Cheese

Gather round children, and listen to the story of one man who foolishly tread where few mortals dare. It happened on a day much like today, in a town much like your town. The place…Red Robin. The burger…the Burger Parmigiana.

For those of you that don’t know me, years ago I fell in love with a burger at Bennigans. Called the Wheel House Burger, it was, in my case, a large gardenburger topped with a deep fried cheese wheel the size of the burger, which was then topped with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese. It was massive. It was the icon of American excess. It was delicious.

My mind had been made up. I would take another year off my life.

Then, one day it was gone. The burger that was without question clogging every artery in my system was no where to be found on the menu.

When the waitress came by, I asked her, “So, is the reason it’s not on the menu because so many people were dropping dead in the restaurant?”

Not realizing I was joking, she replied, “Yeah, probably.”

That was it. The burger was gone. My utopian world had been shattered. I searched for years for information about the burger to little success.

Until this past winter, when Katie and I went to our favorite chain restaurant, Red Robin. Their menu was touting a new Burger Parmigiana. They may have added some condiments (garlic mayo and peppers), but here it was, back in my life. Katie had concerns about me ordering it the first time, mostly that my heart (or something more south) would explode. With guarantees that I was only planning on eating half the burger she wiped her hands of the affair. The waitress came, and the burger was ordered (minus the disgusting sounding garlic mayo).

Served on ciabatta bread with roasted peppers and onions, the cheese wheel is served on the burger, topped with marinara sauce and more parmesan cheese. The cheese seemed less fried, the bread less filling, and ultimately doesn’t quite live up to the memories of the Wheel House burger. Bust, is it still tasty? Oh yeah. The burger is full of flavors and quite filling (especially since I eat far less than I used to).

I’m sure I still knocked a year off my life eating that thing, but I’m glad I did. I’d probably do it again, too. You can’t go wrong with fried cheese on a sandwich. It’s a winning combination.

Cut to yesterday. I met up with a friend that I haven’t seen in years at Red Robin. I was all set to order the Banzai Burger, my standby, but lo and behold, they’ve added Garlic Parmesan steak fries to the Burger Parmigiana. My mind had been made up. I would take another year off my life.

It was a little sloppier than the previous one. My cheese wheel had exploded, mixing with the marinara sauce, which seemed to drown my burger this time around. And the garlic mayo is completely unnecessary. The fries didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for either. I wanted GARLIC fries, and I ended up with slightly seasoned fries instead. They were good, but not great. In retrospect, I should have stuck with the banzai burger, or perhaps turned to the returning Peppercorn burger.

I love Red Robin. It’s basically the only major chain restaurant I really enjoy going to on a regular basis. They have such a wide variety of burgers that it’s hard not to find something to love. And they even cover the vegetarians, which is why they get such a winning review from me. You can get a gardenburger or Boca burger in the place of the meat on any of the burgers. Don’t like burgers, they have salads and pasta, and now they’ve added a three cheese macaroni and cheese. Plus, hey, bottomless steak fries. You can never go wrong with bottomless steak fries.

Red Robin
250 S Weber Rd
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
(630) 759-3036