Summer Siesta

I'm taking a brief leave of absence from the blog over the next few weeks as I welcome my son aka the future pop culture fanatic.

Of course I'll still be absorbing copious amounts of TV sewage while on leave, so keep up with me on Twitter by following me at twitter.com/popwilleatme or the feed on the left hand side of this page.

Summer TV Preview: July and August

Getting ready to go on a paternity leave from the blog but couldn’t resist giving you guys some good, bad, ugly, and unf&*%#ing believable choices for viewing in July and August.

The Good: Michael and Michael Have Issues (Premieres Wednesday July 15, 9:30pm CST, Comedy Central)
I was a big fan of Stella the highly underrated yet admittedly uneven show from Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain. It appears senor Wain is too big of a director now to hob knob with his Stella and State alumni but the two Michaels are back on TV in a show within a show concept. Apparently the two “characters” will be running a sketch TV show and we’ll get to see some of the sketches as well as behind the scenes stuff. I expect to laugh very hard most of the time and stare blankly at others but I guarantee it will be worth your time. I also guarantee it doesn’t last more than 1 season because the Comedy Central honchos are mostly inept.

The Bad: HGTV Design Star (Premieres Sunday July 19, 9pm CST, HGTV)
I can’t hate on this show too much because it’s honestly not that bad and also I want to stay married. Still this show is more like Next Food Network Star (NFNS) then Top Chef. That aside it’s a bit of a crap shoot what you get in terms of actual design. Last season every competitor had some truly horrible ideas and only a few that shined. The drama factor is a bit higher then NFNS but it still pales next to anything on Bravo!.

The Ugly: Big Brother 11 (Premieres Thursday July 11, 7pm CST, CBS)
Every season I bitch about this show until I’m blue in the face and every year I’m sorry when it ends. I love all the alliances and how the show tends to expose the people that have such holier than thou attitudes. I could do without the food challenges and the whole 3 nights a week thing (let alone the Big Brother After Dark on Showtime) but it’s a guilty pleasure I’m happy to indulge in.

The Unf&*$@#%ing Believable: Project Runway (Premieres Thursday August 20, 9pm CST, Lifetime)
I can’t even begin to hide my excitement over the return of Tim and Heidi. The best reality show of the last five years returns and despite a number of questions I’m thrilled. While some are concerned with the fact that this season was taped months ago I think this isn’t a problem unless you go out and spoil yourself. My bigger concern is the replacement of the production team of Magical Elves (also does Top Chef) with Bunim/Murray the folks behind The Real World. This along with the switch from Bravo! to Lifetime has many a loyal viewer concerned but the truth is they’d be fools to mess with success.

Madison Restaurant Review: The Great Dane (Hilldale)

As a rule I try to review restaurants that are new to the area or new to me. However my partner and I have been on some dietary restrictions thanks to our impending bundle of joy so we’ve found ourselves repeating some places numerous times because we know the menu will fit our needs. Thankfully one of those places is an old favorite in a relatively new home.

I was a college junior when the original Great Dane opened in downtown Madison. My post graduation lunch was the first of many times where I brought out of town guests there due to their variety of pub fare and in-house brews. Over the years I’ve come and gone from Madison but The Great Dane has always been a reliable choice. The key word in that sentence is reliable. If you asked me to name my top 10 restaurants in Madison I’m not sure that the Dane would make it but I can tell you it’s a restaurant I eat at more often then half of those on the list.

The Hilldale location is the third Great Dane in the area (a fourth just opened outside of Madison in Wasau). Closer to my home then the downtown version or the uneven Fitchburg location, the Hilldale version recently went through a renovation and expansion thanks to its huge popularity since opening there in 2006. The décor is pretty similar to the other locations: pool hall in the back, cozy bar stalls and then a quieter dining area.

One reason I’ve always suggested the Dane for groups is that while the menu is full of pub fare, it is rather unique in its combinations. On a recent visit my group started off with the calamari. The squid itself was rather mundane but the addition of banana peppers and a spicy tomato sauce picked the dish up. A starter I can speak very enthusiastically of is the brown ale onion soup. I tend to avoid soups but this version of French onion was full of gooey Swiss cheese and the bread underneath had just the right amount of sturdiness. On my last visit I tried out the bacon mac and cheese pizza and yes it was as delightfully sinful as it sounds. While mac and cheese pizza has become more ubiquitous in this day and age of bistro pizza shops, Great Dane’s certainly stands out. The quality of the ingredients really set this pie apart especially the bacon and the crust laced with garlic oil. The 9-inch pie sounded small on paper but I ended up taking half of it home. My partner has become quite taken with the prime rib special on Saturdays and for the price I think its one of the best values in town. The skin on mashed potatoes and green beans that accompany the 16oz. piece of meat are not just afterthoughts either. Amongst the sandwiches I must point out two standouts. The brat and bacon pretzel burger was recently named the best burger in Wisconsin by Food Network magazine and while I won’t go that far, I’ll say it’s definitely in the top 10. The bun however is the greatest bun I’ve ever had in my life. The idea of a pretzel bun is again not new, but the execution is flawless. I’d order a dozen burgers at a time if only to take extra buns home with me. The brat, bacon and beef all retain their individuality and the homemade brown mustard deserves a spot in the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb. The other sandwich worth writing about recently left the menu. Don’t worry though folks the Dane often rotates dishes in and out so I have no doubt the meatloaf grinder will be back shortly. Served on a French roll (would be better on a pretzel roll, but I digress) the meatloaf sits upon fried onion straws, jalapenos and yes, mashed potatoes. In case you haven’t figured it out, the Dane is not a place to “eat light”. I could continue on about the solid food performance but I must mention the beer itself. Currently the Hilldale Dane is offering their Texas Speedbump IPA, which is one of my favorites. Not quite as hoppy as you might expect. Other standouts are the regular Landmark Lite and the seasonal Velvet Hammer bock and Tri-pepper pilsner.

Service has always been a standout at the Dane and the Hilldale version excels for the most part. I’d say their front of the house staff could use some more tips on seating. On the last two occasions I’ve had to lift a table out of the way for my pregnant partner and on the last trip we weren’t even offered the option the opportunity to sit outside. The wait staff though is knowledgeable and willing to do just about anything for you. On one recent visit we got numerous updates and apologies when the kitchen was a bit overwhelmed and on another we got some great recommendations including that amazing onion soup.

I’m guessing that once we welcome baby pop culture fanatic to the world, we may take a break from the Great Dane since we’ve ate there so often lately. That being said I can’t imagine another visit can’t be too far away thanks to their consistency from the tap and the kitchen.

Great Dane (Hilldale), 357 Price Place, Madison, WI, 608-661-9400

First Impressions: Top Chef Masters

After watching the first episode of Top Chef Masters I realized that I was sitting in a pile of my own drool. Watching the likes of Tim Love and Hubert Keller whip up menus on the fly made my eyes water, my nose search, and my tongue hang out of my mouth. Beyond my food lust though lays a very good show.

The producers of Top Chef have done just enough to tweak the format for these world famous chefs. I had blogged earlier that I wasn’t looking forward much to seeing these guys in bunk beds or cuddling on the couch like the normal contestants. Thankfully and realistically these guys could not leave their empires for the amount of time a regular season of Top Chef takes. Instead there are 6 semifinal matches where the winner goes on to the final. I’m guessing the final may turn out to be a more traditional Top Chef format where only one goes home but either way I’m intrigued. I love that all the chefs are playing for charity and that the winner of each ep receives $10k for his charity. Also, while the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges are still there, we now have a point system. The scoring system goes up to 5 stars and in the premiere there were a total of 25 stars available.

In the first ep we got four chefs all over the culinary spectrum. I love Tim Love whose southwestern restaurant has almost made me want to visit Fort Worth. I quickly sized up his main competition as that of Hubert Keller, the acclaimed chef of Fleur De Lys and Burger Bar. Host Kelly Choi seemed to pronounce his name Q-Bert. Speaking of hosts, Kelly is not bad and is just really there. Meanwhile I love the judges especially that cranky old bag Gael Greene.

The Quickfire Challenge was a bit of an easy one as they had plenty of ingredients although it was dessert. The judges were Girl Scouts and they were tough. I thought Keller excelled with his presentation and inclusion of all things that make dessert, dessert (whipped cream, chocolate, etc). Meanwhile the Elimination Challenge was much tougher as the four chefs had to cook in college dorm rooms with only a hot plate, toaster oven and microwave. My man Love, froze his food on accident and while he redeemed his ingredients you just knew that Keller was going to take this thing especially when he unveiled his mac and cheese with prawns. The other two chefs I was less familiar with but I was surprised that one came within one star of Hubert. It was a clear sign that these shows will be very competitive.

While I’m not sure if I’ll be doing weekly coverage just yet I can proudly say that Top Chef Masters is the cure to our summer culinary TV blues. As expected it makes the Next Food Network Star look like a McDonald’s training video and it simply provides more drama as well.

Dueling Idiots: The Finale

The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Duel 2 was a very entertaining if uneven challenge and brought the show back from the boredom that was The Island. Last night’s finale certainly continued that theme as overall it was a great hour of schlock TV.

First up we had to resolve the cliffhanger from last week and see the results of the previous two duels. Aneesa (RW: Chicago) held on to defeat Tori (RR: Viewer’s Revenge) but it was ever so close. Tori still took the opportunity to declare her inner beauty on the way out and completely ignored the previous 48 hours worth of bitching, whining, and all around drama. Meanwhile her grounded better half Brad (RW: San Diego) surprisingly sent MJ (RW: Philly) packing. I thought for sure we’d see Brad and Tori flying home together but was happy to see Brad stick around.

Uber-host TJ Lavin then threw the remaining 8 contestants a giant curve ball in that he absolutely did not. First he congratulates the final 8 on being in the final 8 and the ladies go crazy. Then TJ reminds that this competition gets down to the final 6 and then the light bulbs all went on again. Instead of a challenge though, this time they had to choose the first player into The Duel. On the ladies side Diem (Fresh Meat) was the quick choice and she did not take it well. Meanwhile Evan (Fresh Meat) rounded up Mark (RR: Season 1) and Brad to take out Landon (RW: Philly). Landon was shocked by this because he was the best performer all season. Honey, you may have been bitten by a radioactive spider that gave you super strength but you don’t have Peter Parker level smarts. The two chosen ones then got to pick their opponents at The Duel. Diem called out rookie Brittney (RW: Hollywood) and I was finally thinking we’d see the rook go home but Diem went for the same trick twice in Push Over and it cost her. Meanwhile Landon inexplicably called out Brad. I’ve got two problems with this. Number 1, if you’re all upset about the honor of the game being ruined by the other guys choosing you, then where’s your honor in picking on the guy that was in The Duel less than 24 hours ago. Second, how do you not pick out mentally fragile man-child Evan? Sure he may be a bit stronger then Brad but the guy has more cracks in his psyche then the U.S. banking system. Landon paid for his choice dearly but not before treating us to the best Duel of the season. These two guys played Back Off which was the first time the guys played it all season. Landon suplexed Brad and threw him into walls but in the end Brad once again showed why he’s too smart to be on this show and beat Landon by essentially batting a string in front of him like a cat. In disgust Landon threw his helmet into the New Zealand countryside and my partner couldn’t help but think that somewhere in the Shire, little Frodo just got a present.

The final challenge itself was a bit of a letdown. While some of the tasks were interesting and demanding it became clear early on that Rachel (RR: Campus Crawl) was going to take it for the ladies. Even better she beat all the guys. Sadly it was also clear once the players had to team up in girl/boy squads that Mark was going to finish last for the guys. The only drama came in the form of Brad and Evan competing for the top male spot. Brad finally crumbled and let that slimy bastard Evan sneak by him for the win but $35k is still not bad for a guy who’s unemployed. Evan basked in his win Evan style and made me pray that CT (RW: Paris) comes back for the next challenge and that Evan looks at him funny. In the meantime we’ve got a fresh group of drunk, diseased riddled folks in two weeks on Real World: Cancun.

First Impressions: The Next Food Network Star

An old friend of mine made the following analogy last night. “Next Food Network Star (NFNS) is to Top Chef as The Fashion Show is to Project Runaway.” So true, so true. Yet with summer upon us I find myself latching on to shows that lack any real talent or drama. So even though the exciting Top Chef Masters is only 3 days away, I still sat down last night and watched NFNS.

Once again the brass at Food Network is more concerned with finding a personality as opposed to a chef. However I will give them some credit as this season seems filled with less housewives and restaurant managers then previous installments. I can’t keep all their names straight but there were a few personalities that stood out. Teethy, the dietician, has that certain annoying quality that almost guarantees she makes it close to the end. Global-A-Go-Go is my pick to win, as his food and personality seemed to be hits right off the bat. Guessing he’ll flounder though once they start doing demos in front of the camera. Stepford Wife was definitely looking to be the contestant I love to hate but she chose to cook green beans for a group of chefs that included two Iron Chefs so she went home. Instead I’m guessing I’ll love to hate Cool Guy with his faux hawk and threatening delivery.

The fact that Food Network chooses a cast of characters that neither excels at cooking nor hosting is only half the problem with the show. The other main problem comes at the complete suspension of disbelief the audiences most assume. Are we really to believe that the Food Network let these hacks cater their 16th anniversary party? That party was more staged then Speidi’s recent exit on I’m A Celebrity. The laughable lauding of Nancy O’Dell from Access Hollywood would have made for a great drinking game. I think the only realness from that party came from Iron Chef Morimoto as he looked at the Stepford Wife’s green beans.

Still I’m a sucker for reality shows and food so I’m guessing I’ll stick around for the next 8+ weeks. As long as you remember that you shouldn’t be attempting these folk’s recipes at home, I think you’ll be safe in joining me.

Dueling Idiots: Week 9

I think we can agree on two things after watching the latest installment of MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Duel 2.

#1. MTV needs to stop watching other reality shows and stealing their ideas, good or bad. Can’t believe they’re carrying over this week’s duels to next week.
#2. Brad (RW: San Diego) is far too well adjusted to be on this show.

Let’s delve into point #2 first. The main non-challenge drama of this ep occurred when Brad’s fiancée Tori (RR: Viewer’s Revenge) decided it would be a good time to confront Brad about some issues outside of the Duel 2. Yes for some reason she thought it would be appropriate to have it out about Brad’s current off camera employment situation, in front of the cameras. Then the same woman who later proclaims herself “low-drama” stormed out of Brad’s room leaving the engagement ring behind. Your average male on these shows would have punched walls, thrown shit, and yelled a bunch of venomous insults at Tori but Brad just took a step back and calmly addressed Tori and let her walk away. Even my partner, a therapist, was giving Brad credit and that means something considering she said any one of the other nut jobs could be a client for life. There would have been some additional tension about the situation and whether either Brad or Tori were going to quit the show early if not for the editing monkeys at MTV clearly showing Tori taking part in the challenge later in the show.

Speaking of challenges let’s talk on this for a bit. First up, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that in preparation for this week’s challenge Evan (Fresh Meat) got tucked into bed by MJ (RW: Philly). Apparently Evan thought that MJ could use the experience since he missed tucking in his daughter back in the states. However, coming from the guy who spent last week reading Eat, Pray, Love and crying in bed, I’m thinking it was more of a comfort needed before the big challenge. When MJ went into kiss Evan on the forehead I thought for a split second Evan was going to meet him lips on and a hot make out session would ensue. Sadly that did not happen, although the tuck in apparently worked cause Evan reigned supreme at the challenge, which emphasized the rarely used mental abilities of the contestants. Having these folks spell 4th and 5th grade words was just priceless and I pray that the producers get as much positive feedback as possible on this event so they repeat in the future. Of course spelling 100 feet in the air certainly adds some additional tension too. It was shocking to see Evan best not only ageless wonder Mark (RR: Season 1) but also Superboy Landon (RW: Philly). On the women’s side, once Diem (Fresh Meat) and Tori quit their antics and crying over the height, Rachel (RR: Campus Crawl) quickly took control and won her 354th challenge all time (approximation but given how many she’s been on that’s got to be close). Predictably MJ and Aneesa (RW: Chicago) were the last too standing after Evan and Rachel started the picking process and that leads us to the Duel itself.

While the choices of MJ and Aneesa were predictable the folks they called out were not so much. MJ chose Brad and the two selected Dual Pole Dancing which would seem to favor MJ. Aneesa completely did a 180 from last week and instead of going after the weakest player, Diem, called out Tori. Tori proceeded to disrespect Aneesa and Rachel and all of sudden it was on like Donkey Kong. The two were thrown into Elevator which was making its debut on the ladies side. It was neck and neck and then, the screen faded to black. MTV this is not Top Chef or Runway. I am not going to go online and try to find spoilers to who won this Duel before next week so stop trying to generate false excitement. On the other hand I will say the preview for next week looks like the finale so I will say they’ve piqued my interest for that since we’ve got 5 people of each sex standing right now and somehow they’ve got to get down to 3 and then 1. So in the end maybe they’ll make it up to us next week, but MTV, don’t make a habit out of this.