What makes a great salsa?
You have an opinion. I know you do. So share it by commenting on this blog. But in case you're too shy, I'll give you some options to choose from. Is the thicker the better with salsa? Or does it need to be a little runny, and perhaps even slightly creamy in order to be dipped better? Does it need to be very spicy? Does it even need to be tomato based? Dictionary.com doesn't mention tomatoes, though it does suggest "especially a hot sauce containing chilies."
I can think of one ingredient that separates proper salsa from glorified tomato sauce. Cilantro.
Someone — I'm not sure who other than KCEN's Nick Piesco — judged Waco's margarita and salsa offerings during the Margarita & Salsa Festival on Saturday. I didn't attend, but I was interested to find out who won the contests.
It's Saturday and there's football on television. This feels good.
Granted it's high school football and the teams are from Florida and Alabama, but it's football and soon there's going to be college football on my television on Saturdays. That makes me happy.
I began this week on this blog by sort of teasing all of you good WacoFork readers with a new restaurant coming to town, which turned out to be Quaker Steak & Lube.
So I'll lead todays notes with a little more news. Through a bit of reconnaissance today, I learned that the old First Federal building at the intersection of Valley Mills and Lake Air is soon to be a retail center featuring two new restaurants.
I stopped by the Heart of Texas Coliseum this morning to check up on the status of Saturday's Margarita and Salsa Festival.
VIP tables are sold out, but chances are if you're trying to decide today whether or not to attend this event, you weren't concerned about reserving a VIP table. The good news, if this is something you want to do, is that $30 general admission tickets were still available as of 11 a.m. today.
What do you get for $30? Quite a bit actually.
Football season begins on Friday. Yep, already. It's what they call Zero Week in high school football and I'm keenly aware of this as I like to cover high school football games for newspapers and such.
The good folks at the Waco Tribune-Herald sports department have brought me on board again this season, which means I'll be found at high school football stadiums on Friday nights. I must remember to write about the touchdowns and tackles rather than the concession stand food.
Wow! I don't think I've ever been more excited about the beginning of the school year than I am this year.
It helps that I'm not actually in school. It also helps that the beginning of the school year has meant a big boost in traffic for us. To that end, I'd like to send out a thank you to my pal Sarah Lake, who coordinator Baylor graduate school orientation and included WacoFork coupons in the orientation packets. That's our way of saying welcome back to the Baylor community, we want you on board at WacoFork.com.
For those who are new to WacoFork — and since we've only been a thing since early April that might be everybody — here's our deal: we're a forum for the community of people in Waco who enjoy dining out.
Think about this for a minute: whenever we say "Waco's getting a … " it means a new chain restaurant is coming to town and we're at least a little excited about it.
There are varying opinions on chain restaurants. The most discerning of the restaurant snobs will turn up their noses at any place where he or she can't speak with the owner and/or chef during each dining experience. But keep an ear on those restaurant snobs. Sometimes they can be heard saying "Waco's getting a …" Now, that statement is possibly followed by a snide remark and roll of the eyes. Still, though, they said it. They're aware of it, which means they must be at least a little interested.
That's a long way of saying Waco's getting a … Let the suspense rise up in you for a moment before I reveal that Waco … is … getting … a … Quaker Steak & Lube.
A week ago, Cafe Homestead rolled out a new feature of what is already one of Waco's most unique dining experiences. The restaurant, part of the Homestead Heritage community and its farm, launched a series of special evening meals with a Farm to Table dinner.
I attended with a group of good, loyal WacoForkers. It was delicious. It was well organized and efficiently run. In short, it was one of the best dining experiences I've had anywhere in a while. The photo accompanying this blog shows the main course with a ribeye and cheese and jalapeño grits.
The bagel doesn't need my endorsement. I realize that. The bagel is doing just fine no matter what I think.
A few weeks ago, I wrote in this space that I didn't see why anyone, given the choice between a donut and a bagel would choose a bagel. That sentiment sparked a mini firestorm of controversy known in certain circles as bagelgate.
As promised last week, I didn't wait very long at all before ordering a New York-style hot dog at the new downtown restaurant Metro.
As proof, the picture accompanying this blog is me holding a Coney Island cheese coney, which is featured on the Metro menu. In case you were wondering, the cheese coney and fries is available for a nice price of $4.75 (reader's note: the Shiner Bock in the picture cost extra).
