Double Prosperity Burger from McDonald's - $5.50

 

This is the Prosperity Burger, which is available once a year during the Chinese New Year season (that’s next February). It’s quite a big sized burger, and with the width it looks more like a sandwich. I got the Double Prosperity, which is just the Prosperity Burger with 2 beef patties.

It’s a classic McDonald’s sesame seeded bun, only longer, with a beef patty inside seasoned with dark black pepper sauce and onions. This is the double, so there’s 2 beef patties. They’re very generous with the sauce and when you open the pack you’ll find it has probably smothered the whole burger. Very messy but very entertaining to eat. At first bite, it tastes a bit off, the meat as usual tastes like a mixture of roadkill and clay, but surprisingly more tender than the regular “beef” patty you find with the Big Mac or any other beef burger from McD’s. But somehow as you keep eating, it’s hard to stop. The sauce is the real winner here, and I’m not a big fan of black pepper or peppers of any sort for that matter. It makes this and overall pretty spicy burger, but not overwhelmingly so. The onions are nearly non existent, as I think they didn’t give me enough, at least not for a double.

It came with Twister Fries (or Curly Fries) which were shit. Didn’t help that I was having it about 30 mins after purchase so they turned out quite hard. Like flavoured cardboard. Regular fries are much better.

Al's Fish Tacos from TGI Friday's - ???

650 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - (302)737-3700

I don't know who Al is, but he sure made some rockin' fish tacos. The order comes with "three flour tortillas filled with crispy, nacho-crusted tilapia, shredded lettuce, corn salsa, and creamy lemon dill remoulade sauce. Served with a side of chips & salsa."

This dish is not so much about the fish as it is the corn salsa and remoulade sauce. MmMM... creamy goodness. I wish it came with more than just three.

Chicken Marsala from Seasons Pizza - $10.99

1460 Pulaski Highway, Newark, DE - (302)832-5555

I have to admit, this dish looks pretty sweet. Too bad it didn't taste like anything, and $11 is a lot of money to waste on flavorless food. I'm getting the feeling that Seasons Pizza doesn't know how to make decent pasta. I guess that's why they're named Seasons Pizza and not named Seasons Pasta.

Baked Meat Lasagna from Seasons Pizza - $9.49

1460 Pulaski Highway, Newark, DE - (302)832-5555

The restaurant sells this as Homemade Baked Meat Lasagna which I think is complete garbage because it's obviously not made at anyone's home. Now that I got that off my chest, here's the skinny on the dish: It's bland.

If not for the additional marinara sauce (which I believe comes at an extra charge), the dish would taste like plain noodles with plain ground beef. At one point during the meal, I found myself actually preferring the salad since it had more flavor. That's when you KNOW there's something wrong.

Anyhow, there's no point in me wasting anymore time on a dish this bland.

Stuffed Quail from Riva - $24.00

2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, IL - (630)718-1010

This very well may be the BEST dish I've EVER TASTED. The quail was stuffed with sundried tomatoes, Italian sausage, Swiss chard and then place atop a mixture of olive oil, whipped potatoes, roasted pearl onions, and Madeira demi glace (Madeira is a type of Portugese wine; demi glace is a brown sauce often used in French cuisine).

Where do I begin? The quail itself was AWESOME. Juicy, tender, minimal bones (the tiny drumsticks), no cartilage, well-seasoned, and cooked to perfection.

Oh! And the pearl onions? Oh, man, the pearl onions. I had forgotten how much I love the way they absorb the juices and gush into your mouth when you bite into them. Heavenly!

The rest of the dish (the greens and the mashed potatoes) balanced out the dish very well and I honestly can't think of anything to complain about. Well, that's not completely true. There was a live singer there to entertain the crowd and he kinda sucked.