We Love… America’s Next Great Restaurant

I hated the first commercial break. Just ten minutes into the show, Alli and I were instant evangelists for our new favorite show: America’s Next Great Restaurant. It’s everything good from The Apprentice–entrepreneurship, hard work, and real people chasing their dreams–minus everything really bad about The Apprentice–Donald Trump’s ego, superfluous drama, & The Donald’s hair.

Photo source: Hulu

The concept is simple: “People from every walk of life will vie for the opportunity of a lifetime to see their original restaurant concept spring to life – starting with the opening of a restaurant chain in three locations – Hollywood, Minneapolis and New York City.” It’s a ramped-up business plan competition planted in the fast casual (e.g., Subway, Panera, etc.) food industry.

Be warned, this show induces stomach-rumbling, but aside from that, we see no weaknesses. So much to love, but here are our highlights:

It’s entrepreneurship at its best: Our economy desperately needs fresh ideas, and the data is clear: It’s gonna have to come from new small businesses. This show gives a glimpse into what it takes to translate a fresh idea into a viable concept. The pilot episode was an entire business school crash course. The contestants pitched their concepts and discussed pricing, differentiation, innovation, and leadership with the talented crew of judges. Speaking of which…

These are great judges: No token old British guy. No brainless celebrities. These four judges compose a savvy, experienced and inspired panel. The headliners are Bobby Flay, Food Network phenom/burger artist, and Steve Ells, the founder and CEO of our country’s undisputed top restaurant chain — Chipotle. Bobby is the chops and Steve is the genius–a tandem cowering above the likes of Abdul & Cowell.

The judges are the investors: This is the show’s most unique concept. The judges aren’t just critiquing the contestants and their concepts to conjure-up oohs and ahs. They are determining whose name is on their respective checks as the winning contestant will be funded and coached by the judges themselves. They have skin in the show.

Sure, there are probably better things to do with an hour each week than watch a TV show. You could plant a tree, read a self-help book, or knit a sweater. But, nobody plants trees at night or actually helps themselves after reading self-help books. And, you can knit your heart out while still watching the show.

To boot, this isn’t Skating With The Stars. It’s Hollywood at its best–an educational and inspirational delight. Like The Social Network, I finished watching compelled to create. To innovate my own restaurant concept (..and I do have a great concept). If I were Bobby Flay, I would be high on Joseph Galluzzi and his grandma’s meatball recipe. Maybe I’m going out on a limb (can you really build a restaurant around a meatball?), but watch for yourself and convince me why you wouldn’t invest in Joe. Like the show and the judges; he’s the real deal.

We Love… Urban Living

We are city folk. I’m not sure how or when it developed, but Alli and I love urban living. While we certainly are activists for the joys of the city, we aren’t exclusivists. We love small mountain communities, rolling farmland and the towns outside the city — the suburbs. For us, however, the city is home. And here’s why:

Density: Cities are packed with people. Houses are slammed against each other and apartments are stacked up high. Streets swarm with all stripes of humanity on bicycles, in cars, riding buses and boarding light rail (or, as true urbanists hope: Walking). This people potpourri creates an incredible amount of energy. Weekend days in the city are filled with street festivals, political picketers, farmers markets, sporting events…on top of the normal hustle and bustle.

(photo credit: Lancaster Living)

Culture: We like living in community with folks who look, think and act radically different than we do. It’s not a race issue as much as a variety issue. Our neighbor, Vicky, has lived in our flavorful neighborhood for 45 years. She’s a widowed, African-American great-grandmother who has lived through the civil rights era and has spent a life watching the streets where we now live. There is a Latino entrepreneur who peddles his tamale varieties while peddalling his bicycle through our neighborhood. It’s a joy to be surrounded by people and perspectives from different age brackets, cultures, faith backgrounds, and educational levels.

History: Our cities are like living memoirs, filled with stories, buildings, scars, and relics of our country’s past. We love the aging homes, ornate old church buildings, and the stories of our city’s yesteryear. The richness of these stories is woven through the tree-lined streets and historic neighborhoods–and  the people who walk them.

Need: In 1900, 9% of our world’s population lived in cities. In 2000, that percentage exploded to 50%. Where there are lots of people; there are lots of challenges. Cities, and uniquely so in our country, are poor. We are drawn to live in tough neighborhoods because we feel called to do so.

City living is the hip thing to do these days. But, for the above reasons, I don’t think that we are living here (solely) because its cool. I just think it happens to be that many people share some of these same appreciations. But, either way, we love it.

We love …the 2

I’m not a big hanger guy. I’m really not. But, some hangers simply outperform the others… and their story needs to be told. So today, I would like to publicly celebrate “The 2″ pant hangers. I nickname this item “the 2″ for purely visual reasons. As opposed to standard hangers, these beautiful time-savers provide easy access to your trousers via one open-ended side, leaving the shape of the hanger resembling a number two. Don’t let the name fool you, however. In my books, this culture-altering hanger is absolutely numero uno.

It would come as no surprise to learn that many of you are skeptical, and perhaps even scoffing, at this post. But, my guess is the scoffers are also those who have never experienced the metal and vinyl brilliance of “the 2.” I can say this with confidence: You will scoff no more if you throw down the extra few bucks to pick up a few of these closet champions.

It will make getting ready for work and coming home at the end of the day less stressful and more efficient. If your experience mirrors my experience, your hanger-to-legs time average (and, on the flip-side, your legs-to-hanger time averages) will be slashed in half. I will provide this warning, however. After your purchases (just make the investment and buy a handful), you will quickly loathe the fact that you spent the majority of your life without “the 2.” But, apart from self-loathing, you have nothing less to lose.

It is time to demand excellence in our britches’ storage. Our khakis, chinos, dress slacks and corduroys deserve nothing less. Join me in kicking the cheap plastic hangers and dry cleaner throwaways to the curb.

(Chris)

We love… Baked Oatmeal

It’s a recipe with basic ingredients, an unoriginal name, and a standard appearance. Yet, this recipe can take away the sting of my alarm clock (a feat) when it’s on the breakfast menu. I married into this recipe. I never thought to ask Chris which recipes he would bring to marriage, so you could say I lucked out… I did well.

* Proof that I’m speaking the truth: In the process of writing this post, I decided to prep a batch for tomorrow morning. As it sat on the counter, I decided I might as well have it for dinner. Currently, I have an empty bowl, scraped clean, sitting beside me.

The recipe: baked oatmeal

3/4 c applesauce (or oil)
1 1/2 c sugar (I often use some combination of honey, brown, and/or white sugar)
4 eggs
6 c oatmeal
4 t baking powder
2 t salt
2 c milk

1. Mix first three ingredients.
2. Add oatmeal, baking powder, salt and milk.
3. Mix well and pour into 9×13 pan.
4. Bake 350 for 30 minutes.

It’s a forgiving recipe (my favorite kind). So feel free to improvise. We love ours served hot in a bowl with milk poured on top. Sometimes we add fruit, sometimes I forget ingredients, sometimes I try it with agave nectar. Regardless, it always tastes delicious. Try it today.

(Alli)

We love… The Whirley Pop

Two years ago I tasted my first batch of Whirley-Pop popcorn. Crisp, airy, fresh, natural–delicious. My life changed in profound ways that day. It’s hard to look back on what life was like when my only popcorn option was the buttery, artificially-flavored and salt-saturated “popcorn product” birthed out of a microwavable bag. It should have made sense to me a long time ago. Why should I expect a prepackaged handful of kernels coated in artificial butter and zapped by high frequency radio waves to produce a quality product?

I try not to beat myself up over the countless microwaved bags of popcorn I ate before my introduction (i.e., conversion) to Whirley Pop. Microwavable popcorn is convenient…and it doesn’t taste terrible. I guess, in a sense, my rocky popcorn past is comparable to my friends who are committed Cubs’ fans. They’ve never tasted the joy of being a Phillies fan so why should I expect them to understand how completely inferior their fanhood truly is? Allow yourself to savor this kernel of truth: Once you taste a fresh-made batch of stovetop popcorn, you will never, ever go back.

Reasons we love our Whirley Pop enough to spend the time to blog about it…it is:

• Delicious & healthy. To reiterate, this is the best popcorn you’ll eat. Your mouth and your digestive system will thank you.
• Inexpensive. Trust me, in the long run, it will save you money. The upfront popper costs (~$20-25) are satiated by the money you save by buying kernels in bulk. It essentially pays for itself.
• Customizable. Like kettle corn? No problem. Think popcorn’s better with cheddar? Done. Stressed because you need a show-stopping party mix? Let your Whirley Pop help.
• Fun for kids. We do this with our neighbor kids all the time. They love spinning the popper. Imagine having that “Christmas morning joy” every time you bust out the Whirley Pop.
• Hip. We’ve found people that see our Whirley Pop genuinely like us more. We often hear comments like, “Oh wow — you’re a Whirley Pop couple?” and, “You two really seem to be ‘living the dream.’” It’s true. We are.

(Chris)

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For those that don’t know how it works, it’s a very simple process:

1. Turn your stovetop burner on high.
2. Add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (yellow or white) and 1 Tbsp oil to your Whirley Pop.
3. Put your Whirley Pop on the hot coils and spin till the popping subsides.
4. Pour the hot, delicious morsels into a bowl of your choice and enjoy.
5. Wipe out the Whirley Pop with a paper towel.
6. Just like that…you’re done. Done making popcorn…and done with that microwavable stuff.

We love… Southwest Airlines

It would be inappropriate to kick off this series (“We love…”) with anything other than Southwest Airlines.  Alli and I hold a deep, perhaps excessive, love of Southwest Airlines.  But really, what’s not to love?

We both fly often. A few years ago we began recognizing that our flight experiences with Southwest were markedly different, in a good way, than our flights with other airlines. The whole process, from purchase to deplaning, was smoother–and even enjoyable. Our lauding should not come as a surprise. There is a reason SWA has posted a profit for 36 consecutive years (in a deeply struggling industry) and has hosted more customers than any other US airline since 2006.  A recent poll (Oct 16, 2009) by Consumer Traveler echoed our feelings:

Here are a few reasons why Southwest has become like family:

• Flight attendants with personality. They are often funny, and they don’t take themselves too seriously.  Here’s an example from a recent flight. “And for you, sir, hot pancakes and bacon for your in-flight breakfast meal.” – flight attendant, while handing me a bag of peanuts.
• They perform miracles. About a month ago, while traveling from Denver to the Dominican Republic (with a one-day stopover in Philadelphia), I mistakenly forgot my passport in Denver. To make a very long-story short, the Southwest crew agreed to voluntarily carry and deliver my passport to me. No other airline was willing. There was no reason for them to oblige, but they did. If they hadn’t, I would have been forced to skip the trip I was leading to the DR. Above-and-beyond.
• No seating chart. This speeds up the boarding process significantly. No looking at boarding passes while finding seats. No lag while first class passengers board. No inefficiencies. Love it.
• No bag fees. Thank you, SWA, for not nickle-and-diming me.  This has many positive repercussions. For instance, passengers don’t try and carry-on six bags, resulting in the overhead bins filling up to capacity by the time the first wave of passengers has boarded.
• Cheap fares. It’s uncommon to find better fares. When you add in all the fees other airlines charge, it’s extremely rare to find better fares.
• They provide lifetime free flights to customers who write blog posts about why they love Southwest.*

*This has not yet been verified, but we’re hopeful.