I’m looking forward to being a judge at The Great Sugardale BAC-ON competition tomorrow at the Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center. In honor of the swine, I have prepared my taste buds by sampling some of the best bacon dishes in town. I wanted to make sure my mouth was firing on all cylinders when I pass judgment on the appetizer section of the $3,000 grand prize-winning dish. During my training, I kept notes on the top bacon dishes that I encountered. For your tasting pleasure, here is my distinguished list:
* AMP 150 in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland has a cheeseburger that pays homage to bacon. The Double Bacon Cheeseburger is a chef-inspired twist on this American staple. The bacon is imported from a farm in Michigan, and takes over as the predominant component.
* Melt Bar and Grilled has an homage to the ultimate b-fast sandwich. The Wake and Bacon takes everything we love in breakfast, eggs, cheese, bread, and bacon, and grills/bakes it. The bacon truly sets this sandwich apart and leaves you wanting more.
* Ice cream and bacon. Leave it to the king of pork, Michael Symon, to put these two opposites together. B-Spot offers a Vanilla Bean Apple Pie Bacon Shake. This combines the creaminess of vanilla ice cream with the saltiness of the bacon to deliver a shake for the ages. The apple pie is merely a bonus, as the bacon steals the show.
Enough of the training! I am ready to be wowed at tomorrow’s competition.
This article appears in Nov 7-13, 2012.
Know what’s better than bacon? MORE bacon! Mmmmmmmmm……
Wait, what? DAMN IT, how could I have missed this?????? AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!