Off The Grid: The Sandwich from Oaxaca

The first time I ever ate at Off The Grid, I chose their Pork and Waffle sandwich which almost brought me to tears because it was so damn good. Then just yesterday they posted on their Facebook that they would be giving away a special sandwich to the first 5 people that tweeted them a response in hopes of signing up for the opportunity. I just so happened to be one of those lucky dogs.

I don't know if they have a name for this thing yet, so I'll just call it The Oaxaca, after the land from which it originated. 

Just so you know what I was getting into, I'm going to quote their Facebook post:

"The future of food in Oaxaca. Slow roasted pulled pork tossed in our chipotle mole and topped with raisins, toasted almonds, avocado, sweet pickled onions, and queso Cotija then sandwiched between chili chocolate waffles with a hint of orange and chunks of Mexican chocolate."

Now if that doesn't make your mouth water just from the sounds of it, you probably have a mental health issue or just hate food. So many flavors and little goodies packed away inside this thing, it's a little out of hand!

I'm just going to cut the jibber jabber and get to the meat (unfortunately my words are not as tasty as Off The Grid's slow roasted pork) of this little review.

The pictures I took of this thing could do it all the justice it needs. Colors, flavors and happiness.

The first thing I noticed about this sandwich were the waffles in which it's delicious guts were encased. They were darker (from the cocoa) than the waffles used on the Pork and Waffle sandwich, and were speckled with little spots that were small chunks dark, rich Mexican Chocolate cooked right into them. 

I figured that it was time to quit fooling around and dig into this beast. 

One of the tastiest handfuls that has ever graced my phalanges.

When the teeth make their first incision and the taste of The Oaxaca hits your virgin taste buds you may become a little alarmed. So many flavors, textures and feelings of joy rush you at once. The toasty, crisp surface of the waffle gives way to its soft innards and from there you hit the tender mass of slow roasted pork and spicy chipotle mole. As you chew up your inaugural bite, you begin to notice all the ingredients. The slight crunch of toasted almonds. The sweet, familiar taste of raisins. The delicate, pickled rings of onion.  Avocado and queso Cotija mixes to create a creamy, delicious base that is incredibly pleasing to the palate.  

I have no idea if you're supposed to put this green salsa stuff on there that came on the side with chips but I totally did.

My absolute favorite thing about this sandwich were the bits of Mexican chocolate that found themselves embedded in the waffles. I could eat stacks and stacks of them I think, but I am just as happy that they have found themselves wrapped around other exquisite foodstuffs. I didn't get any of the chocolate my first bite or two but once I did I think I may have discovered true love. It was rich and it was most definitely delicious.  

Nothing was spared. I considered eating the garnish and licking the tin foil clean, but spared those around me.

I applaud Trevor and Vinnie of Off The Grid, as this is not only some of the best food truck fare I've ever had here in Salt Lake City, but simply some of the best, most interesting and tastiest food I've had the pleasure of indulging in. It's like comfort food smoked crack cocaine and then decided that popping a molly (I'm sweatin') would also be a good idea.

Thanks guys! :)

Levi's 511 Commuter

As a person who uses their bicycle as their main means of transport, I like to see companies catering towards the modern/city cyclist, and the Levi’s Commuter are a pretty decent example of what clothing designers have to offer as of late. Here, I’ll tell you about the features and my likes and dislikes with this particular pair of knickers.

I’ll start off with the fit of the jeans. Levi’s chose to go with the 511 skinny fit on this project, which is already kind of a strike against them. The 511 is like the “I want my jeans to be tight, but I don’t want my friends/parents/classmates/strangers to think I’m a homo” kind of skinny jean. I usually like to go with Levi’s 510 fit, which is super skinny through the thighs right down to the ankle. So you could call the 510 the “I might have gotten these from my sister, but I didn’t, so f**k you if you don’t like how tight my pants are” type of jeans. Fits aside, I may have been a bit overzealous saying the 511 was a already a strike. My rant about them could have possibly just been repressed feelings from high school, the music I listened to back then, and all those mean jerks who made fun of me at the time, I’m just such a sensitive lad. However, I can say that it does suck cycling in super skinny jeans and the 511 offers enough room to be comfortable while riding, but are still skinny enough to meet my rigorous pant requirements. You just have to get out and see for yourself how well the fit works for both function and fashion.

The saddle of a bike constantly rubbing against your balls, taint and ass causes all sorts of friction, not just on your sensitive nether regions, but also on your favorite pair of denim. Sadly, Gold Bond does not work the same wonders on jeans as it does my scrotum. I believe with this fact in mind, Levi’s decided to go through and double stitch/reinforce the crotch on the Commuters. This, to me, was a brilliant idea. I don’t know how many times I’ve blown the crotch out of a favorite pair of jeans or jorts (jean shorts, for those who didn’t know) from being worn thin due to wear on my bike saddle. Such a great way to make a pair of jeans last longer and keep a bit of money in my pocket instead of having to rush out and try to find another pair of pants after a blow out.

The next two features I’m going to talk about are, what I believe to be, the “bells and whistles” of the Commuters. And I only say that because despite them being cool, I feel as though they are only there to make you say “oh wow, that‘s pretty neat” and give you the warm fuzzies. First, a little holster for your U-Lock on the back left of the waist. This is really nice, if your lock happens to fit that is. I was stoked to not have to carry a bag with me while I rode just for my lock, but upon my first attempt, my $20 Wal-Mart Kryptonite special failed to fit and I was thoroughly depressed. It was too big, which usually isn’t something I am sad to hear, but alas, it was the case with this specific feature of the Commuter. Alright, so I actually wasn’t depressed by this, maybe a bit bummed out? You get the idea. Second, Levi’s used some strips of 3M Scotchlite reflective material to sew the inseam of the jean. Meaning, you can roll these jeans, so you they don’t get caught in your chain, caked in grease, etc. and have some extra visibility to motorists and such while you’re out and about during the evening. Like I said before, cool idea, however it’s trumped by the fact that you should have front and back lights on and flashing while you ride at night anyways. Although, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to have a little extra visibility to others when you unexpectedly roll over the median of a major downtown street in pursuit of the Golden Arches around 3 AM for those glorious McGriddles. You can never be too safe right?

I decided to save my favorite thing about these pants for last. I’ll tell you right now that it was a major selling point for me when it comes to the Commuter. These jeans are treated with what is called Nano-Sphere, which is a pretty crazy fucking idea when you apply it to something like clothes. I won’t go into specifics about it, but if you go to www.nano-sphere.ch you can get the low down on what this technology is all about. What it is simply, it’s a special treatment which effectively makes denim water, dirt, and odor repellent. This is an awesome idea! Cycling is unpredictable. There is always the chance the clouds will roll in and shit all over you, or that you’re going to take that unexpected digger and scrub out, or that you will be running errands in 90 degree weather, sweating your dick off. I’m awful about taking care of laundry when I need to, and it’s nice to have a pair of pants that aren’t covered in dirt and grease after a hard day of riding, or smell like I found them on the corner by the homeless shelter and still have the ability to look good at the same time.

When it comes down to it, I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with Levi’s Commuter. A decent jean from a recognized name that has catered towards a very big part of city living. Even with its few little tidbits that I don’t like or that didn’t really impress me, it’s still a solid piece of clothing that offers both form and function that in the end, I’m happy I invested in.

Bells...

and whistles!

P.S. I didn’t mention price did I? Considering I got all my Commuters at a bargain, I couldn’t really complain about it. They are a bit pricey at full retail. $78 plus tax, which in my books is pretty steep for jeans, but I am also somewhat of a penny pincher having been raised shopping at thrift stores, so I will usually wait and grab an item for cheap whenever the opportunity arises.