The Burger Quest

There are many ways to find good food in Zürich. The best one is still by exploring all the places yourself. All you need is infinite time, money and space in your stomach.  
(Which, after watching Interstate 60, is not necessarily a worthwile experience. Unfortunately I didn't find an english version of that scene, but only an italian one. I hope you'll get the story anyway. If not, this movie is definitely worth watching.)

What do you think? I used to think that a never full stomach would be cool. Now I'm happy I didn't get the chance to wish that.


The first two Burger Places
Anyway. I'll give you a quick overview about the last two burger episodes of our quest. We actually are working on a scale to evaluate the burgers with equal terms, but so far we haven't yet established it completely. BUT, as I promised some burger information soon, here's the first two.


Korner, the gourmetburger place, got a pretty good score. The restaurant opened its doors about 6 weeks ago and already has a reputation for their burgers. Our group in general came to the conclusion that:

• The burger is extraordinary. Meat quality is very good and the cooking (standard about medium rare) emphasizes the taste very well. Their sauces seem to be nice, although add-ons cost extra, too.
• The side dishes though were a bit disappointing. The fries were overdone and the onion rings were limp and tasteless. The good thing is that they have to be ordered separately, so best thing to do is just to leave them away. 
• Service was nice and correct.
• Price-value is justified, given the special care they invest in the quality and the cooking of the meat (again as long as you don't add side dishes, as they would in my opinion tilt the price value ratio to overpriced). for a decent meal (including sides) you'll end up with about CHF 28-30.-

Conclusion for this place: If you're looking for the best burger in town, period, this one is definitely very high in the ranking. 

The second place we went was Regenbogenbar. Given the fact that they are actually a bar with some added food, their choice of dishes is quite big. But what about the burgers?

• The burger itself is loaded with goodies. Apart from the meat, you get a very well blended mixture of coleslaw, tomato, onions, pickles (if you like them) and sauce. The meat quality, however, doesn't quite match the one in Korner. 
• The sides (fries) are golden and crunchy, and they are included in the basic price. For me personally that's a plus
• The service was - as said, more bar - like but enjoyable
• Price-value is - compared to the other places we've been - very good. You get a meal that will likely stuff you for just a little more than CHF 20.-

That's it for now about the burgers, but we still have a long list of places to check, and I'll keep you posted every now and then. :)

En guete!

Yours, 

Longstocking

Saving Money by Bartering - a Self Test

So I've been checking on my accounts lately and I found out that I've spent way more than I should. (who doesn't?)
And as I don't want to sulk around, I've started working on some ideas. 

• As I'm still working full time, the thought of a side job isn't really appealing. At least the ones that are usually available. So I put this to the side for now.
• I've found some stuff to sell in my cellar, which will probably bring me a buck or two, but that's also not gonna work on the long term. Not only because I'm too lazy to put the effort in selling that stuff over the internet (clean it, take pictures, write a very creative text about it, post it and wait), but also because unfortunately my cellar has limited merchandises to sell. (I could start selling things that aren't even in there yet, and then see how this virtual market will work?)
• I'll walk around with my head bowed from now on, because that increases the chance of finding money. 
• I'll eat at home every now and then. 

And those things all together have a certain guarantee to make my life boring and miserable and lonely.


So, I came up with the following idea. (I tried this before to tease my creativity and to see how far I could get without losing social contacts or miss out on fun.) I'll call it 


The bartering days.

The rules of this "game" are simple. You limit the amount of your own money you're allowed to spend to a pretty low level per day (or per week) and no matter what, no matter when or where, no matter with whom, you mustn't exceed your limit. Which will, and should, of course be a bit tricky. And that's where you can get a bargain or a treat for little money and save me a beer or two a night. 
I'll start this weekend with an amount of 30 francs a day/210 francs a week and I'll offer a certain amount of services to friends and acquaintances in exchange for either money or stuff I need. For example:

• 5 minutes shoulder-/neck-massage: a small beer or CHF 5.-
• 10 minutes shoulder-/neck-massage: a big(5dl) beer or CHF 10.-
• Cook dinner if you bring the ingredients: I get to eat dinner as well
• Proofread german texts: depending on complexity / length
• 30 minutes back massage: CHF 25.- or food of approx. equal value (this would have to be arranged in advance because it's probably something i could only do in public at the rentewiese)

Just ask me about those when you see me next time. I'm also open to further (decent) suggestions :)

Uh, that's going to be a tough challenge. (btw the reason I wrote and published this all is not only to advertise my services but also to force myself to stick to it because now I can't back down. F**k.

Red Solo Cup and Rodeo Challenge!

Aye people! 

Now this is an event you mustn't miss, not just because it actually happens in the "Rote Fabrik" which was literally on fire last week. Also not only because it's the first event, kind of the pilot event of hopefully more and other ones to come, organized by a friend of mine. (No, it's not me. I do actually have some friends.) 

But because first of all they do have Red Solo Cups. Which - contrary to popular Swiss people's belief - has got nothing to do with being single (solo) but is the brand name of those ominous cups we didn't find here when we wanted to play beer pong. They are pretty much this:

And that's STILL not the only reason to go there. (No, I'm not bringing up the mechanical bull yet, pssht!). For those who dare swinging their hips, there will be a line dance, and if you would like to practise, just put this one on repeat and clean your living room :) (please DO film yourself and post it in the comments :))

And last but not least, the best reason of all: The mechanical bull. Girls, if you manage to go on like this, you might even win a prize: 

(of course guys who can keep up that long might be rewarded, too ;))
Well... Now if this isn't enough for you, maybe the fact that there's no entry fee until 10pm will change your mind? :) 

Details

Place: Rote Fabrik, Zürich

Date: Friday, May 18th

Time: from 9 pm (no entry fee before 10 pm)

Entry Fee: CHF 15.-

Well then, see you there! Yeehaw! 

Yours sincerely

Longstocking.

The Rhubarb Thing

Rhubarb is a pretty addictive thing. I'm kind of glad it's only available in spring. Otherwise I'd probably eat (or bake) myself to death. I once got a really easy recipe for a Rhubarb cake which seems to be the perfect gourmet killer. (Thank you, mom!). The only annoying thing about it is if you don't have much time and your knife is not sharp as hell, preparing the rhubarb is equally annoying as getting caught in spiderwebs and having to get rid of them. those fibres (talking about the rhubarb again) stick to your knife, your fingers, your hands and just won't get off! 

The rest is easy. I'll post the recipe, whose origins are not known to me, as my mum got the recipe for a friend of hers and you know how it is with mums. they gather and exchange about everything.


So here it goes. You need: 
500g of frehsly cut rhubarb
3 eggs
200g of sugar
1 pack vanilla sugar
100g butter
200g flour
1/2 pack baking powder


Heat the oven to about 180°C (hot air).


Mix it all somehow and done. Too vague? *sigh* okay. You will also need one of those:

Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar and butter really hard until you get a fluffy bright-yellow mass that tastes delicious (advice: don't taste it; you might want to eat the whole batter).

Stift together the flour and the baking powder and mix it with the batter to create a bigger mass of delicious dough. 

Then, there's two tricks to use:

First: before you mess with the rhubarb pieces, put some flour on them, it will keep the pieces from sinking in during the baking. 

Second: butter and flour the form before pouring the dough in, it will save you from having to piece the cake together again after trying to get it out of it. 

Then mix the rhubarb with the dough and pour it into the form. Bake for about 40 minutes, check, and most of the time you'll need another 10 minutes. I use a little knife and stab the cake (you never know, it could jump out if you weren't careful) in the middle and the more of it's guts are sticking on the blade, the stickier the cake will be. I don't wait until the lame is clean, but it shouldn't be all doughy. 


Caution: Don't lick the blade unless you're experienced with dangerous weapons. (Or if you're a politician. Then it's totally ok if you cut your tongue off.)


After baking get the cake out of the form and let it cool down a little. 


Bon appetit! :)


P.S. you can also bake this cake with all kinds of berries or cherries (not only because it rhymes.) But if you take cherries, remember that unless berries, they have a pretty solid core. Good news is nobody can sue you if they lose teeth when eating your cherry cake as they have to expect something like that when eating it (like fish with bones or olive pits and so on). But if you value your friends, make sure you get rid of the pits first. 

Open Mic, Ocean and a Burger Quest

Holy cow. This Open Mic Night was crowded as hell!


And the best part was that I got the chance to see somebody play the song "Ocean" by John Butler live, just about 5 feet away from me. For those who don't know the piece, check it out here. Amazing, right? And although I have no idea if my blog actually made a difference concerning the amount of performers and listeners at the Open Mic, I'd like to thank every one of them for showing up last night. It looks like we made the difference needed to keep it going for some more time. I'll keep you posted about further events. 


Now, coming to a completely different matter. I got a few quests going on and I want to make them a bit more public. First of all, there's the burger quest. It's already been subject in one of my blogs. I'll keep you posted further on that matter as we're going to try a new place this week. The cool thing about this quest is that we've started with a group of people and now we've got some kind of burger jury together to comment on burger quality, price and also about service and ambiente at the place. You will from now on find them under the label "Burger Quest". 


Apart from that, what can I tell you? I'm kind of sulking about the constant weather change. I've been running around with a cold for days now! (shut up, staying in is not an option.)


Oh, and now, at like 1am, I suddenly remembered what I was thinking when I started talking about the best places to think. (the ones where you're never able to write your thoughts and ideas down). It's because when running through the day, there's subjects to write about left and right, and when I actually sit down to write something new, it's all blank. Which of course is usually the case when you stare into your screen, wanting to start writing, as you need space to write. Well, I found out that there's some inverted mechanism playing: It's not that I transfer my thoughts to the blog, it's that the blog transfers its blank to me. I think it uses me to post emptiness. *shock*

To be continued... 

Save the Open Mic Night in Zurich

My dear friends, followers and idle readers,


Dis blog entry is about something a little bit more serious. And urgent. So I beg you for once to share this entry to all your friends in and around Zurich. We will probably only get one shot.


For some time now, there has been an Open Mic Night here in Zurich, held twice a month at McGee's Irish Pub. Ryan, the organizer, always did a hell of a job, setting up all the equipment, organizing the whole event, and if you're interested, please have a look at his blog, where you should find all the important information. 


Well, it has come to my ears that this Sunday there might be the last Open Mic Night for good, not only for the summer. Apparently the audience as well as the performers (mostly the performers) have shrunk to a minimum of a few regulars and the odd other person dropping in, which kind of made it more and more frustrating to organize the whole event and put such a huge effort in. 


Now, dear friends, I ask you one single favor. (okay, two...but one is only a click.) If you are a hobby musician, like to play songs, maybe are looking for a band, or just enjoy playing instruments and/or sing, just grab your instrument and maybe one or two mates and show up on


Sunday, May 6th, 7.30pm at McGee's Irish Pub at Bahnhof Wiedikon. 


(sorry Ryan, stole the pic from your blog :))


Usually every player gets a set of 20 minutes to play, you can also just play one song if you like. It's not a competition, it's all about fun.


The other favor, as mentioned above, would be to share this post if you have friends, relatives or acquaintances in and around Zurich who like to play or listen to good music. We need a good outcome this sunday night.


Additional information: oddly enough, there are 4! of the regular players who's birthday falls on the 6th of May. So it will be not only musically a great thing but there should be some cakes (I'll most likely provide a Rhubarb cake) and good party mood. Bring hats, noisemakers and what ever you like if you want!


THANK YOU! 

Best Burgers in Town

What's your best place to think? For me, I'd say, it's always the places where you have the greatest thoughts but are unable to keep them in your mind long enough until you find something to write. The bathtub, for example, if you're too lazy to take (waterproof) pen and (waterproof, like laminated) paper.  Which I actually always am because I'm not abusing a hot bath to work. Hot baths are about relaxing. Otherwise it would be work related and immediately the pressure would start and you'd be blocked again. Worse even, the bath is wasted because you can't enjoy it. 


Or how about dreams. I'm such a genius when dreaming. I think I solved all the mathematical, physical and world problems in one single dream but I can just remember that I did, but not how. 


Well, If only I remembered why I started this blog like that, I might tell you an incredible story, but I don't. Instead I'll go for burgers. 


My friend Alessio invited a bunch of people over to this restaurant called Iroquis, which was supposed to have good and tasty burgers. Being all sporty now that spring is in full bloom, I cycled all around the lake to get there. Quite a treat, after months of tram riding. Although I have to say, probably much to my friend's disappointment, it definitely didn't match the best burgers I've had so far. ( FYI: The burger quest is an eternal game to me, its aim being to find the best burger in town.) There's still no burger like the ones I used to have in Regenbogenbar. Need to try them again sometime soon.


(You might say: sure, of course she'll call the burger of her favorite bar the best one, because it's her favorite bar. Well, if you ever wanted to know why it became my favorite bar in the first place, try the burgers. :).)


This rather short entry is just to remind you that I'm still alive and just very... (sorry: VERY) uncreative concerning subjects to write about because - hey people, I have NO idea whether you prefer vast variety of subjects or rather something special. Well, I guess that's my thing to decide because you'll hopefully still read it. 


Btw: I got that banana cinnamon hot choco..choko...chocko...cacao stick from Austria on easter. It's gross. Don't buy it. Even if the package looks nice. It's no comparison to a swiss hot cho...thing. And sorry for the lack of pictures in this entry. And to conclude this story: I tried to make another chutney, I failed. It's gross, too.