Food Writer’s Guilty Pleasures
In the past 13 years that I’ve been filing restaurant reviews for KLBJ-AM, KVUE-TV and diningoutwithrobbalon.com, I’ve had the opportunity to meet both food writers and chefs from around the state and the country. And among the many things we discuss, one thing that always seems to come up is the notion of “guilty pleasures”. You know, those foods you’d never write about or prepare at your restaurant but when no one’s looking, well…
One well-known critic from Los Angeles, who shall remain nameless for our purposes, told me that’s he’s addicted to peanut butter and jelly (grape of course) sandwiches on, believe it or not, Wonder Bread. Another who you would know from national TV admitted one night that he has more than a few boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese in his pantry. A noted sushi chef told us that he has put on dark glasses and slipped into the Long John Silver’s near his restaurant for some popcorn fried shrimp. A local Austin chef with a growing national reputation allowed that he occasionally pays a late-nite visit to Jim’s in Oak Hill for their Cheddar Cheese Soup.
And yours truly? While dining with our Google review contest winners at the Paggi House last week (at a table covered with multiple delicacies), one of the winners, a bar owner from San Antonio asked me point blank what my guiltiest pleasures were. My responses evoked a laugh from Marge who knowingly nodded her head. The Burger King Whopper with Cheese is an occasional vice followed by a grilled cheese sandwich with Velveeta. I also like Velveeta atop scrambled eggs. Oh, and HEB Tapioca Pudding makes the list as well. OK, so now you know.
