Wendy's (Yes Really)

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On a particularly budget-tight day toward the end of my #EmptyPantryChallenge, my husband, our friend, and I decided to patronize the Wendy's in our neighborhood. I might have been a bit more excited about the idea, except the handful of times I've used their drive through in the past, I've noticed that several employees in the kitchen have beautifully manicured, painted nails. Those of you who haven't worked in food service, (and some who have, probably) may not understand why this is gross; aren't manicured nails better than dirty hands?

Perhaps. But nails with polish have no place in an industrial kitchen. It can and will eventually flake off, spreading bacteria, not to mention the prospect of ingesting a stranger's nail polish is pretty gross to me anyway, and I've witnessed the discovery of someone's fake nail on a plate that's been served twice too many times. Still, it's probably the most commonly overlooked food safety regulation, and if I eliminated establishments based solely on that I would have a depressingly short list of options. I may, however, start a ranking system in future reviews, bonus points added if all visible food handling staff have bare nails.

Most of the time, I actually really like Wendy's. The menu is reasonably varied yet limited enough that the quality doesn't usually suffer (I'm looking at you, Jack In The Box), and the prices make it an easy choice when my budget is tight and I don't have the option of home cooking. This review is of the particular location, which is consistently lackluster in its service and quality.

The first omen of the experience to come was the soda machine. I generally really enjoy the sleek, fancy LED display soda distributors that allow you to select several flavors of a wide variety of sodas. However, when I selected the Dr Pepper option and began to fill my cup, I noticed that it was spraying a dark, sludgy black liquid to the right of my cup as it filled the cup. It may have been soda syrup, but not only does a leak like that affect the delicate soda-water-to-syrup ratio, it was also much darker and thicker in appearance than most soda syrups. I also discovered a large, growing puddle of a similar liquid on the floor at the base of the machine.

We received our food, and I immediately noticed that I had received normal nuggets instead of the spicy ones I had ordered. This has happened before, and it's an easy mistake to make, however when I brought my nuggets up to the counter to ask for spicy ones, the staff rolled their eyes and said it would have to be a wait while they fried up a fresh batch. It was apparent that they had run out of spicy nuggets and had decided to give me normal nuggets, hoping I would just eat them and they wouldn't have to make a new batch of the spicy. This was allthemore apparent when i returned to my table and my friend pointed out that his spicy nuggets were cold, dry, and tasted like they'd been cooked much earlier in the day- the end of the batch. I'll point out it was about 7:30 in the evening, not right before closing or something, so even in all fairness this was lazy.

They fried up some fresh spicy nuggets, which I shared with my friend, and then he decided to go order some of the new "Baconator" fries.

We should have quit while we were behind.

The fries were cold, the cheese unmelted, the bacon... unnervingly limp, like scraps of greasy fabric laid over a mound of perfectly in tact, rubbery American cheese shreds.

I give this location a 2/10, as my husband had no complaints about his burger.

Coppell deli

Check out Coppell Deli's Website                                                             See Location

Remember when the original Big Tex burned down? For some of you native Dallasites, you may be able to relate to me when I say that when I got the news, it felt oddly like a beloved old uncle had died. This may have been because Big Tex actually looked like my great uncle Norton, but I probably knew Big Tex better than I ever knew Norton.

While I was pleased that they rebuilt Big Tex, I was dismayed to find they thought they should update him. It felt like putting the Statue of David in a business suit. You don't mess with traditional Texas institutions, dadgummit! And they didn't just update his clothes- THEY CHANGED HIS FACE!!! But what does this have to do with food?

My hometown is Coppell, TX. I grew up going to the original Coppell Deli in Old Coppell, and I can give it full credit for my affinity for clean but humble dining establishments that serve top-notch food, especially those that require a little local inside knowledge to learn about. Even when the Coppell Deli became better known and added a more modern, fancy location on the other side of town with the same menu but more sports-bar ambiance than greasy spoon, I always preferred the original. I appreciate the classic, historical permanence of some of the longstanding establishments in Old Coppell so much that I long dreamed of opening my own bakery across the street from the Coppell Deli. So when Old Coppell started undergoing major updates, and I learned that Coppell Deli would be following suit, demolishing their original location and rebuilding to keep up with the growth in the area, I was nervous. It was kind of like Big Tex burning down all over again. Would they sell out? Build another Deliman's Grill to compete with the Twisted Root coming in a block over? Lose the stripped-down-to-just-outstanding-food quality that made it the institution that it is?

The old Coppell Deli

Well I have good news. The Coppell Deli certainly got some updates, but they didn't change it's face. I don't know what marketer/architect/owner combination collaborated to achieve the balance of decor and atmosphere in the new Coppell Deli, but it carries every bit of the same humility, it's-about-good-food-at-the-end-of-the-day attitude, and lack of suburban pretense that the old place had, while adding some genuine improvements. There is now a patio, additional seating, a small bar, and they have added a few menu options that had at some point in the past only been available at the Deliman's Grill location.

The new Coppell Deli

I'm pleased to say food at Coppell Deli is as good as ever. If you've never been there, and you're in the area, I strongly suggest you remedy that ASAP. The burgers at Coppell Deli are legendary, and I have successfully convinced several out-of-towners that theirs are literally the best burgers in the state, and a contender for the best burgers in the country. On my first visit back to the new location, however, I was excited to try one of the newer items on the menu, the gyro, and a side of hummus. I won't speculate on the Mediterranean authenticity of the Coppell Deli hummus, but I will say that it's some of the best hummus I've ever had. It's extremely garlicky, however, so if you'll be kissing someone later that day, you'd better split the hummus with them. The gyro meat is perfectly seasoned, and they sear it on the flattop after slicing it off the rotisserie so that it's a little crispy, like the best burnt-ends of a great barbecue brisket. 

My grandmother (my regular eating companion) is usually most likely to order a giant cheeseburger, but she decided on this trip to try the Coppell Deli's Reuben sandwich. The only complaint we had was that it was so fresh and so fast that the sandwich was too hot to touch or eat for about 5 minutes. That's the kind of complaint I wish I had more often. My grandmother also partook in the famous Coppell Deli tater tots, which, though by nature are a greasy food, somehow aren't nearly as greasy and are much crispier than the tater tots at, say, Sonic. I think it has something to do with their frying oil being at a perfect temperature, sealing the tots instantly so that they don't soak in extra grease.

I may have to do another review someday of their breakfast menu, which may really be what the Coppell Deli is most famous for. Their breakfast sandwiches are colossal and outstanding, with high quality sausage, hearty portions of bacon and egg, and thick Texas toast.

All in all, the new building has all the charm of the old place, and all the added amenities of a rebuild. I don't feel like the nostalgia of my childhood was destroyed with its update, and I know that I'll bring many more out-of-towners and new Dallasites there to initiate them, welcome them, and show them why we Texans are so proud of where we come from.

Homemade Burgers

This week I got a rare treat while grocery shopping- affordable red meat. My husband and I are paying grad school tuition at the moment, so it's a special thing to find beef marked down enough to fit our grocery budget, but not only was the hamburger marked down a percentage, it was an extra $2 off the 97% lean option. I decided to make burgers.

Now the thing about burgers is that a good burger is super juicy, seared on the outside, and flavorful without condiments. Normally, a big factor in achieving that juiciness is using meat that is at least somewhat fatty. The saturated fat melts when cooked and contributes to the juice and flavor in a big way; burgers made with super lean meat often come out dry, & the patties can be crumbly.

I have two tricks to circumvent this problem. First, I added 2 whole eggs to the meat. Eggs contain cholesterol, but are much better for you than beef fat, as they also contain a huge assortment of vitamins, and some good cholesterol. Moreover, the egg whites act as a binder for the meat and seasonings. This helped add a little bit of moisture, and prevented the burgers from turning out crumbly. It also stretched the meat to make bigger burgers, and made the end result much more rich.

I seasoned the meat with a perfect trio of spice blends from a vendor at my local farmer's market. If you are in North Dallas on a Saturday, bring about $15 to the Coppell farmer's market and stock up on the best spices in the country. If you don't live in Dallas, no worries! Check out his website here. I love the Jalapeno seasoning so much I keep a backup stocked, because last year I ran out right after the market season ended, and that will not happen again! The three spices I used in my burger meat were the Jalapeno Seasoning, the "Rusty Onion" Seasoning, and the Garlic Pepper Seasoning. If my husband had my love for heat, I might've included some "What in da hell?" Habanero spice for an extra kick.

My second trick to get a great, juicy burger using extremely lean meat is that I got my griddle good and hot before I put my meat on. This way, the outside of the burger seared and sealed before the flavor and juices can escape. After I flipped them, I placed the cheese on top of the patties while the underside cooked, allowing it to melt, & removed them directly onto the toasted, buttered, garlicky buns I had waiting.

A great tip for cleaning your griddle or flat-top after a greasy, messy venture is to toss a slice or two of cheddar onto the worst of the mess while the griddle is still hot. Something about the oils in the cheese and the nature of the cheese as it first melts, then crisps up from the heat, makes it pick up gunk off a nasty griddle like nothing I've ever seen before. I admit I haven't tried it with other cheeses, but if you are wanting to experiment, I suggest you stick with harder cheeses, and DON'T under any circumstances use pepperjack! You'll mace yourself. Run the vent, too- the grilled cheese has quite a strong odor.

I served the burgers with corn on the cob, and sent my husband to buy a side of fries from Whataburger so that we could get some of their excellent condiments. We don't get to have burgers much, so this was a frugal way to avoid buying a whole bottle of ketchup or ranch that we'll never use up.

What are your favorite tricks for making burgers? Let us know in the comments!