Recreation Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Food is in. And that's a good thing for all of us because, well, guys like to eat. We like to drink beer and wine too. And more and more, guys are becoming adept in the kitchen. Bullz-Eye's Food & Drink channel features Mike Farley's Grub For Guys section, a selection of easy and tasty recipes tailored for the typical guy; Mike Barkacs' beer reviews, highlighting the best and worst brews you'll find on your store shelves and favorite watering holes; and Gabe Sasso's wine reviews, for those who prefer grapes to hops. Plus, you'll find interviews with the likes of Guy Fieri and Adam Richman, blogs following TV shows like "The Next Food Network Star" and "Hell's Kitching," plus reviews of the hottest new food items and kitchen gadgets. Hang around here long enough and you just might learn more about food and cooking than you ever thought possible.
Grub for Guys by Mike Farley
Pasta salad trioJune 3, 2010
Think pasta salad is too girly? Dude-friendly dishes like buffalo chicken pasta and cold sesame noodles will put hair on your chest and pleasure in your belly.
Chicken-fried hamburgerApril 27, 2010
They say it tastes like...well, try it and see! Mike channels his inner good ol' boy with this recipe.
St. Patty's Day reubenMarch 16, 2010
Corned beef takes center stage this time of year, and Mike delivers a St. Patty's Reuben using coleslaw instead of the traditional sauerkraut. Eat, drink and be Irish!
Beer Reviews by Mike Barkacs
Shmaltz He'Brew Messiah Bold: Thou shalt not
June 18, 2010
Mike is calling shenanigans on Shmaltz He'Brew Messiah Bold. Claiming to be "a rich and robust dark brown ale," Messiah Ale in truth is one of the weakest brown ales ever concoted.
Raison D'être proves Dogfish Head can do wrongMay 27, 2010
Dogfish Head is one of the most popular craft brewers around, but Mike says they screwed up their Raison D'être, a supposedly Belgian-style ale that's overpriced, unbalanced and overrated.
Top 5 light beersApril 29, 2010
If you want a low-calorie thirst quencher, Mike suggests having water. But if you insist on drinking light beer, Mike offers his picks for the top 5 light beers on the market.
Wine Reviews by Gabe Sasso
More Wine Reviews | Wine Web Guide
Focus on Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir from Thomas Fogarty WineryJune 10, 2010
Thomas Fogarty Winery is high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Gabe is high on three of their Pinot Noirs, a trio of wines that represent an excellent cross section of the mountain grapes.
Grüner Veltliner: The wine you should drink all summer
May 13, 2010
Austria didn't bring us just Ah-nold the Governator – it also gives us a terrific grape in the Grüner Veltliner. Gabe reviews three wines made from this refreshing and affordable grape.
Three Napa Valley classics from Chappellet WineryApril 9, 2010
Isn't family worth a little more? Gabe reviews three wines from Chappellet Winery, a family-owned winery whose mix of varietals produces some delightful wines, at a slightly higher price point.
TV Blogs
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Food Interviews
Sandra Lee, Host of Food Network's "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" and "Sandra's Money Saving Meals" (11/25/2009)
Gordon Ramsay, Host of "Hell's Kitchen," "Kitchen Nightmares" and "Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live" (08/07/2009)
Adam Richman, Host of "Man vs. Food" (04/06/2009)
Guy Fieri, Food Network Host, Author of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" (02/20/2009)
Plus interviews with contestants from "The Next Food Network Star":
Debbie Lee (07/28/2009)
Jamika Pessoa (07/20/2009)
Michael Proietti (07/16/2009)
Eddie Gilbert (06/25/2009)
Jen Isham (06/10/2009)
QuickTake Reviews
Dean's Dips: Lite French Onion
If you're a fan of French onion dip, you owe it to yourself to try Dean's version, which is one of the best tasting onion dips on the market. We tried the light variety, which tastes just as good as any full-fat dip. But that's not all. It was creamy, and didn't have too strong of an onion flavor. It also wasn't grainy like many of those soup mix dips are. And best of all, it clocks in at a waistline friendly 35 calories per serving. Grab this one if you're having the guys over for game, and you're likely to watch it disappear before halftime.
Unfortunately the Dean's Zesty Guacamole dip is not in the same league as the French onion. In fact, this stuff doesn't even taste like guacamole. It's kind of like guacamole without the avocado, and that's not too far-fetched, as the package admits to only containing less than 2% of it. Meanwhile, the tomato/sour cream flavor you do get has a nice kick. So maybe if it was marketed as something other than guacamole dip, and didn't have a fake neon color, we'd feel differently about it.
It's football season, which for many of us means party foods – gigantic subs, wings, pizza, nachos, hot dogs, burgersâ€?should I continue? Of course, there are also chips and dip – either potato chips with one of the food gods' greatest creations, onion dip; or tortilla chips and either salsa or cheese sauce (thank you again, food gods). Well, even if you don't watch football, the holidays are coming and you are no doubt going to find yourselves entertaining at some point. And if you put out chips and dip, you need to check out the new CaliBowl by Simple Wave LLC.Â
These bowls have a strategically designed inward lip, so that when you dip your chip, you get no spillage, no dripping off the chip or the side of the bowl, and you don't waste any of the dip. The press notes even claim that this bowl discourages the "unhygienic practice of double dipping," no doubt a shout out to the "Seinfeld" episode when George double dips and is called out by the brother of a woman he is trying to impress.
Well, here's the thing – the CaliBowl really works. You have a really clean chip-dipping experience, and you get the added bonus that when you buy a set of these bowls that fit neatly into one another for easy storage, you're getting bowls that look really cool. Even you bachelors who run from anything Martha Stewart-ish would probably dig the cool look of these bowls. Oh, and one more cool feature – CaliBowls are made of BPA-free plastic, and are a great option for feeding your kids without the typical spillage. Is that cool or what? Click to buy!
Beer Chips
A potato chip that is made with beer and really tastes like beer? When you read it, it sounds strange – strange to the point that you can hardly imagine such a concoction tasting good. But Beer Chips not only taste good, they are way better than average. The kettle cooked chips have a just-right dusting of salt and sugar, and then that beer flavor comes through – at first subtly, then with a nice hops and barley aftertaste. That spells true dude food, and it makes Beer Chips something that goes great with-you guessed it – beer! But the makers of this fine chip didn't stop there. They also have Chip Shots, their Margarita flavored chip; and Hot Potatoes, a Bloody Mary flavored version. The Chip Shot sounds good on paper, but tastes more like what you'd expect the floor of the bar to smell like if someone spilled a margarita the night before. Hot Potatoes has a nice hot and tangy tomato-y flavor, almost like a spicy barbecue chip, and this is a great one to wash down with beer as well. In all, this is a great new product line that you guys will have fun trying. Beer not included.
Oberto Southern Style BBQ Pork Jerky
This limited edition jerky came with information on Oberto's "Eat Like an Alpha" campaign, in which they survey men on their psychological profiles regarding movies, sports and food and offer cool prizes in return. To help promote their findings, Oberto designed a new flavor of their jerky, Southern Style BBQ Pork. This company makes a mean jerky to begin with, so you'd think a flavor like this would be can't-miss. But while the meat is tender and the barbecue spices are nice, the artificial smoke flavoring is something that's hard to get past. Liquid smoke is something that should be banned from our nation's collective pantry, because it just tastes fake. Regardless, the smoke flavor of this jerky isn't so overpowering that it takes over the jerky entirely, and the aftertaste is more barbecue than smoke. This is definitely worth checking out, and the Eat Like an Alpha site looks like it has some cool prizes if you participate.
Food Web Guide
Food2.com
This is Food Network's interactive, video-centric website that features videos (like Man Kitchen), challenges, recipes, tips and blogs.
FoodNetwork.com
The Network's official website
FoodNetworkHumor.com
If you like to poke fun at The Food Network, its shows and hosts, this satirical site is absolutely hilarious.
Man vs. Food
Adam Richman's awesome show is proof that the Travel Channel can do food too.
GuyFieri.com
Little did the Food Network realize they would be striking gold with this guy when he auditioned for Season 2 of "The Next Food Network Star."
Pantry Diaries
Here's one that's targeted more to the ladies, but even guys will enjoy this new food blog from Shelly Perry.
Food4Dudes.com
The official blog of Eddie Gilbert, one of the contestants from Season 5 of "The Next Food Network Star."
Fast Food Reviews
Check out our reviews of food you probably shouldn't eat, but you eat anyways, particularly when it's late night and you've had a couple of cocktails!