Pancakes and Cheese on Steak

Last night, I posted about Dunkin' Donuts' problems with Jews and Muslims (goodness only knows what they do in the Middle East - a no win, there).

Today, I note that the International House of Pancakes, a chain of stores known for selling mediocre pancakes and sugar syrup in bizarre combinations (and having really annoying ads about same) is buying Applebee's.

Evidently, despite product placement in Will Ferrell's Talledega Nights (best line from the outtakes: "you may think it's a good idea to run around with an empty milk jug full of gasoline...") Applebee's has not been doing as well financially as, say, California Pizza Kitchen. This could be because, as I always note when I see an Applebee's commercial, all they sell is steak with disgustingly viscous cream sauces on top. Their website does not disabuse one of this notion, and raises the bar with an unknown "celebrity chef" who looks like a cross between Jason Bateman and Eddie Izzard, without the charm or cross-dressing. America may have no taste, but I don't think there's a huge market for steak drowned in cream sauce. Just plain steak will do.

The market seems to be cool to the Pancake/Saucy Steak merger. According to the Forbes article I just linked, it's because restaurant investors aren't wowed by the concept of restructuring the same way the rest of the corporate world is. I can understand, especially since I can't stand Applebee's product.

Desperately Trying to Become the World's Repository of Dr. Pepper Recipes

People who tell you that dropping a shot into beer makes it taste like Dr. Pepper are lying to you. Also, why are people making Coca-Cola® and liquor taste like Dr. Pepper when they could just buy Dr. Pepper?

In Dr. Pepper food adventures news, the Dr. Pepper steak marinade (which, as you'd know if you clicked on the link, is primarily Dr. Pepper, lime juice, soy sauce, and "hot sauce") might work if the author told us what "hot sauce" meant. Some people think it means Tabasco®. I, personally, prefer Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce, which as far as I can tell is basically cayenne peppers and vinegar. However, the more I think about it, the more it's probably a good idea for this marinade to go with a chili paste from your local Asian market.

In my mind, the flavor you'd get then is like the sweet but hot and spicy beef jerky I ate in Hong Kong, whose name I don't think I ever knew. I just referred to it as "Chinese Death Jerky." It had whole hot pepper seeds clinging to the sides, under the sugar crust.

Anyone know its real name?

Today's Google Alert Contributions

News from the internet -

The biggest thing I learned today: evangelical Christians, the kind Mandy Moore is not sorry she made fun of, have an alternate MySpace called "DittyTalk." On which they semi-coherently extol/debate the virtues of Dr. Pepper.


Another one of the alerts I have is for "steak diane," a dish which combines both slabs of meat and flambé cooking. There is a recipe on this site which uses both margarine and butter, for reasons I cannot understand. If it just had margarine, it seems, it would be kosher. It wouldn't taste as good, but why use margarine in any part of the recipe if you're not restricted by kashrut? I mean, you'd have your choice of butter or leaf lard, both awesomely tasty solid fats.