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[solefood49]

Made for Animators and Artists—Fun for Anyone! The Stickybones Poseable Figure is LIVE on Indiegogo now! http://thndr.me/W5E3mV

[solefood49]

3 years of heavy wear, gone! Thanks for the wax @barbour Just like new! @wingsandhorns @heritageresearch

[solefood49]

This was a lot more work than I had expected. @wingsandhorns @heritageresearch @barbour Results will be posted in the morning Vancouver Standard Time!

[solefood49]

The best part of waking up... #VISVIM #littlecloudcoffee #dreamingofheimat

[solefood49]

Best drink of the evening! And it was custom made to my picky palette! Aromatics of gin and grapefruit juice with five-spice syrup and vanilla-infused bitters. We ordered 5 😝🎉🍸 (at Bambudda)

[solefood49]

Sascha du Kackfresse!!! #gameofthrones #bambudda #bestcocktailinvancouver (at Bambudda)

[solefood49]

Game of Thrones pop up Cocktail bar featuring a bartender from San Francisco's Blackbird Bar!? Valar Morghulis! #gameofthrones (at Bambudda)

[solefood49]

My tee of the week. Neil Young x Supreme #heartofgold #supreme #canadianicon #neilyoung

[solefood49]

Patchwork coasters, gratis from the VISVIM trunk show. #VISVIM #haven #madeinjapan

[solefood49]

VISVIM AW15 trunk show. Too much eye candy! I want one of everything!!! #visvim

[solefood49]

I think I'm gonna have to start up my food blog again 😋 Breaking in our new Staub properly with Beef Polynesian. #staub #hawaiiancuisine #foodaddict (at Shogun's Den)

[solefood49]

Kangaroo meat pie! Crikey that was delicious!!! @aussiepieguy (at Aussie Pie Guy)

[solefood49]

Not pictured... @vancityprincess and our amazing entrées! Thanks for the fun evening @egoulet529 and as always, thank you @au_comptoir for the incredible meal! Bravo!!! (at Au Comptoir)

[solefood49]

Omg! London fog and Salted caramel ice cream!! This is right up there with my favourite ice cream shop, Bi-Rite!! Thanks for the tip Gamble! @earnesticecream (at Earnest Ice Cream)

[solefood49]

Shoes, Shirts and Sausages! #solefood #VISVIM #currywurst #Dillonyousonofabitch! (at Bestie)

[solefood49]

Taste testing for Niederegger!

So before I continue on with my trip through San Francisco, I thought I'd finish up this earlier blog I did on Marzipan. Recently, I was one of 50 people picked to taste test 4 new variations of Marzipan, created by my favorite brand, Niederegger. I can't tell you how awesome it was getting that email :) 

Here's the Official Letter that came with the package. 

The letter basically congratulated me on being one of the 50 testers. And they gave an explanation on how to taste test. How to take a moment between eating the different kinds, and to drink water in between to cleanse the pallet. 

The 4 kinds I'd be trying were Tiramisu, Helene Birne (Chocolate Pear), Pflaume Portwein (Plum port wine), and Kaffee Orange (Orange Coffee). 

When they were picking people, they asked questions as to why I should be picked, and what kind of flavors would I like to see Niederegger create for their "Creation of the Year 2013." Ironically, I mentioned Tiramisu. I think the nickname, "Marzipanprinz" helped too. 

Here was my weapon of choice.

Yes I have a Niederegger Marzipan knife. A bit overkill? maybe... but it did the job.

The first one I tried was Tiramisu.

The Tiramisu was covered in milk chocolate, and had a very strong and distinct flavor of espresso and amaretto. The aftertaste was definitely Tiramisu with a hint of Marzipan. I loved it! I only wish they gave me an option to try it with dark chocolate as well.

Next up, Helene Birne.

I was a bit skeptical of this one. I like pears but i'm not the biggest fan. You'll notice in the picture on the right, that inside, they insert a pear pureé of some kind. You definitely taste the pear in this, and I found it overwhelming. This too was covered in milk chocolate. Overall, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

Next up, Pflaume Portwein.

Now this one was interesting. It was covered in Dark Chocolate (Yay!) and had a very distinct plum wine taste. But it wasn't strong. I kind of wished it was stronger as I enjoyed the taste. Niederegger likes to bundle their marzipan here with a bottle of red wine and I think this goes to show, that wine and marzipan, do mix well. I liked it!

Finally, Kaffee Orange.

Immediately, I had huge doubts about this one. A lot of people are loving the orange chocolate fad going on right now. I for one, am not overly fond of this combination. Niederegger did accomplish the task with this one. There was a very strong coffee/espresso taste, followed by an orange aftertaste that lingers awhile. Not a fan. But if you are a fan of that kind of thing, I'd think you would have loved this.

In the end, I ranked the marzipans I tried as follows,

1. Tiramisu

2. Pflaume Portwein (Plum Port Wine)

3. Helene Birne (Chocolate Pear)

4. Kaffee Orange (Coffee Orange)

Once I finalized my picks, I went to the URL on the letter and filled everything in. A few weeks later, they had their first results. Helene Birne and Pflaume Portwein were out.

So it ended up being a battle between Tiramisu vs. Kaffee Orange. Niederegger even posted about it on their Facebook page. They allowed people online to also voice their opinions as to which one should be the "Creation of the Year."

The final result... with 66% 'Drum roll please....' Tiramisu!!!! The one I hoped they would one day make, the one that they DID make, and the one I hoped would win, won! Here's their facebook post https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=276428399130413&set=a.103968666376388.4487.100632856709969&type=1&theater

This was a great experience for me, and one that ended up being very rewarding. They plan on sending me 25x2 packages of the Tiramisu Marzipan once it enters production. When it does, and if you find me, I will share some with you :) This is something that HAS to be shared, it's that damn good!

[solefood49]

In-N-Out San Francisco

In-N-Out.

What more needs to be said of this place!? If you're lucky, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you don't, then please, continue reading.

Personally, I love a good burger. And 10 bucks says, if you like burgers, you probably have enjoyed a Whopper or a Big Mac in your time. As far as burgers go, I always distinguish them in 2 categories... gourmet and fast food. I like both but sometimes, I will crave one over the other.

Case in point, the Double Double Animal Style. Now before I get into the "Animal Style" part,  In-N-Out's menu is extremely basic. They only list a few items on the board and when it comes to burgers, you get to pick from a Hamburger or a Cheeseburger which comes with lettuce, tomatoes, fresh onions and then there's the Double Double. This burger includes everything in a reglar burger but doubles up on the good stuff... 2 patties and 2 slices of cheese. In-N-Out also uses only fresh ingredients. They dont have a single Freezer in their restaurant. Cool right? 

Okay so lets chat about "Animal Style." In-N-Out is not just famous for their great burgers, they also have a "Secret Menu." One can order their burgers a specific way by speaking the right lingo. "Animal Style" means, they fry mustard into the beef patty, add finely chopped grilled onions, extra spread (like thousand island dressing) and a pickle. You can also upsize the meat and cheese on your burgers by ordering a 3x2, 2x4, or if you want the behemoth, the 4x4. That's 4 patties and 4 slices of cheese. I've had this before, but there's so much meat and cheese that it gets to be a bit much. Still, it's quite a sight to see. You can also order "Protein Style" which is just a burger without the bun and wrapped in extra lettuce. You can also get the "Flying Dutchman" which is just meat and cheese... literally. 

Like all trips to San Francisco, I always make my way here ASAP. It's become a ritual now and writing this is torture because i'm craving a double double as we speak. And sadly, In-N-Out is just in California. They do have one in Las Vegas though. And occasionally they go on the road. To my friends in the Greater Vancouver area, In-N-Out will be in Langley for one day. September the 8th at the annual Langley Cruise-in http://www.langleycruise-in.com/ Check it out if you can. I heard the lineups are long, so I recommend, waiting in line, get your first order. Immediately after, go back in line as you eat your burger because I guarantee you will want seconds!

So for fast food, you can't get a better burger than this. I know some of you swear by other burger joints, but I'll post about those places later because they all have a place in my heart :) or should I say stomach? :p

In my next blog post, we will continue the food journey in beautiful San Francisco with... "Off the Grid!"