Bloody Mary Book Review: The Drunken Tomato

Posted: February 13, 2014 in Uncategorized
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I’ve never met her in person, but something tells me Shelley Buchanan and I are kindred spirits.

Shelley writes a Bloody Mary brunch blog called “The Drunken Tomato”. Shelley and her guest reviewers travel around, giving their Bloody Mary reviews, much like we do here at Out For Bloodies. 

And now, she’s published a book: The Drunken Tomato: A Definitive Guide to the Best Bloody Marys in Los Angeles and Orange County. 

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Each chapter of this comprehensive, unique city guide focuses on one area of the city, providing contact information for each bar and restaurant, along with reviews and pictures. The establishments range from well-known restaurants to the lesser-known “dive bars.”

I haven’t spent a lot of time in Los Angeles overall and in fact, I’ve only ever reviewed one Bloody Mary there on my most recent trip last March (Kitchen 24) which is not listed in the book; however, after perusing this guide, I’m definitely looking forward to my next visit.

Even if you’re not planning on visiting the area anytime soon, you’ll find that this book is put together so beautifully and the photos are so gorgeous (yes, I’m biased, I know, but I think Bloody Marys are amazing and photograph fantastically) that it could just as easily serve as a coffee table book and/or conversation piece.

Be sure to give Shelley’s blog a follow, follow her on Twitter @TheDrunkenTomato (and us, if you’re not already following– @OutForBloodies), and pick up this book if you get the chance.

in this “business,” we don’t consider ourselves competitors, but rather co-conspirators, searching for that ever-elusive perfect Bloody Mary and having a blast trying.

Cheers!

Dallas: Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty

Posted: February 13, 2014 in Uncategorized
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The best Bloody Mary I had in Dallas was at Five Sixty, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside Reunion Tower.

The restaurant earns its name by being a 560-foot landmark with a distinctive glowing ball. Upon ascending 50 stories, diners depart from the elevator at the center of the restaurant. With floor-to-ceiling windows that line the restaurant, it offers 360-degree views of Dallas as the room revolves. (The marketer in me suggests that they adopt a “560 with a 360” slogan; hey Wolfgang, you can use that for free!)

With a trendy, modern feel, the drink menu was eclectic and extensive, but I had to first order a Bloody Mary. Yes, I’ve had one at higher altitudes (cheers to in-flight bloodies), but once I heard that all of their beverages were made from natural ingredients, I was intrigued.

Five Sixty

 

Mix: Homemade from natural ingredients with Sobieski vodka

Chaser: No (spoiler alert—none of the Dallas bars offered a chaser)

Fixin’s: Three olives, a cucumber slice and a lime

Price:$9

This Bloody Mary lived up to the expectations billed by our waitress–it was natural, fresh and delicious. I would definitely dine in Five Sixty again; the atmosphere, the view and the experience was top notch.

Cheers!

Hooters, Dallas, Texas

Posted: February 13, 2014 in Uncategorized
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While in Dallas, we also stopped for drinks at the Hooters in Addison. Like Outback, I think I’ve only ever been to a Hooters once in my life.

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Mix: Unknown

Chaser: No (spoiler alert—none of the Dallas bars offered a chaser)

Fixin’s: One lime

Price:$unknown

This was by far the worst Bloody Mary I’ve had in some time. Even though I was asked if I wanted it spicy, I found the overall flavor to be quite bland and I was extremely underwhelmed with the fixin’s. I guess that’s why they are known for their wings, not their Bloodies… anyway, I don’t need to go back here any time soon.

Outback Steakhouse, Dallas, Texas

Posted: February 13, 2014 in Uncategorized
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While in Dallas, I had dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I’ve only been to Outback once in my life (the Milwaukee location) and I never had a Bloody Mary there, so I gave it a go.

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Mix: Homemade, I believe

Chaser: No (spoiler alert—none of the Dallas bars offered a chaser)

Fixin’s: Three olives, bacon

Price: $?

I can’t speak for all Outbacks, but the Bloody at the Addison location was pretty tasty. The bacon and the mason jar were nice touches and the drink had the slightest hint of sweetness.

From experience, I know that the Bloody Marys in Australia aren’t great, but the ones at the Australian-themed steakhouse aren’t half bad. 

Dallas: The Quarter

Posted: February 13, 2014 in Uncategorized
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You know the saying, “Everything’s bigger in Texas?” Well, not EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas… the Bloody Marys in Milwaukee definitely have those in the Lone Star state beat!

My first stop was The Quarter Bar & Grill in Addison.

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Mix: Zing Zang, with some extra kick thrown in.

Chaser: No (spoiler alert—none of the Dallas bars offered a chaser)

Fixin’s: Two olives, two beans

Price:$?

From the looks of the establishment alone (and the fact that they don’t have a smoking ban in Texas), I wasn’t expecting much, but my friend and I each ordered a Bloody Mary, requesting it spicy and that’s what we got. We were pleasantly surprised at just how tasty these Bloody Marys were–so tasty, in fact, that we ordered a second round.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to get to The Quarter, but if you find yourself nearby and thirsty, definitely give it a go.

Cafe Hollander (Again)

Posted: February 13, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last Friday, I visited Cafe Hollander in Wauwatosa again. 

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This time, I had the Frenchie and the Traditional. You can read my original Cafe Hollander post here. 

Cheers!

 

Loving Don Cheadle’s Style

Posted: February 10, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Actor Don Cheadle was spotted enjoying a Bloody during a round of golf recently…a man after our own hearts! Here’s the link.

Ubon’s BBQ Bloody Mary Mix

Posted: February 6, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Thanks to Ubon’s Barbeque for sending me two bottles of Bloody Mary mix to review!

Ubons

Between going “out for bloodies” and my travel schedule, it’s been a while since I made them at home; however, I hosted family and friends for the Super Bowl this past weekend and put it to the test, along with another mix I reviewed in a separate post. Read on.

To keep the test pure, I sampled Ubon’s BBQ mixed with an unflavored Skyy Vodka and added Celery, Olives, Cheese, Asparagus, Lemon & Lime, and a Shrimp as fixin’s.

According to their website, the Ubon’s BBQ Bloody Mary Mix concept was first developed by Legendary PitMaster Garry Roark, in Yazoo City, MS, approximately 20+ years ago as a way for Garry to extend hospitality to  BBQ Friends & Family at BBQ competitions & events. Over the years, it has become somewhat of an institution and based on overwhelming support from its devotees, UBONS has recently decided to bring this product to the marketplace.

Ubon’s is available in regular and “hot n’ spicy” varieties and is sold online in 2- and 6-packs of their 1 Liter 36-oz glass bottles. According to the site, it is all natural, gluten-free and fat free. “The UBONS BBQ Bloody Mary mix incorporates traditional bloody mary flavors with bits of garlic & onion flake, celery seed, cayenne and flavors of our 5th generation, World Championship UBONS Sauce, which is a Memphis style, and, of course, the flavors of fresh dill pickles. With all of these wonderfully complimentary ingredients, UBONS BBQ Bloody Mary Mix has a complex flavor profile that evolves with each sip from Sweet-2-Heat.”

The verdict: I LOVED this mix, but then again, I love all types of condiments, like ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce… and this mix definitely tasted like BBQ sauce. It was extremely thick (that just means you have to use extra vodka to thin it out!) and very sweet. It is probably going to be polarizing for some people, but it definitely appealed to me.

Other folks’ comments:

“I was surprised how much the BBQ flavor came through…  If was going to have a full-fledged BBQ Mary, then I’d use that mix. But if you’re looking for more of a traditional bloody Mary, it may be too strong.”

“To sweet and thick for my taste.”

Thanks again to the good folks at Ubon’s BBQ for the samples!

Cheers!

Camaronazo Bloody Mary Mix

Posted: February 6, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Thanks to Camaronazo for sending me two bottles of Bloody Mary mix to review!

Between going “out for bloodies” and my travel schedule, it’s been a while since I made them at home; however, I hosted family and friends for the Super Bowl this past weekend and put it to the test, along with another mix I reviewed in a separate post. Read on.

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There are many tomato juice-clam cocktails in the market but Camaronazo, according to its website, is “a unique, first of its kind, shrimp tomato juice which caters to our consumer’s taste preference for shrimp (“camaron”) over clam.”

Growing in popularity in both the U.S. and Latin America (the brand says it is becoming a leader among Hispanic consumers), Camaronazo can be enjoyed on its own, or used as a food base complement in many Hispanic dishes, such as shrimp cocktails, ceviche and micheladas.

The mix is offered in 3 sizes – 64oz, 32oz and 16.1 oz – and two flavors – regular and spicy.

At this particular party, we only tried the regular mix.

To keep the test pure, I sampled Camaronazo mixed with an unflavored Skyy Vodka and added Celery, Olives, Cheese, Lemon & Lime, and a Shrimp (naturally) as fixin’s.

The verdict: The overall flavor of this mix was very good and extremely fresh… however, we agreed that we really could not detect a shrimp flavor and that there really wasn’t a hint of seafood-ness about it.

Perhaps the spicy mix will fare differently? Only time will tell–we’ll be sure to follow up and let you know.

Thanks again to the good folks at Camaronazo for the samples!

Cheers!

Stir Crazy

Posted: February 5, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last weekend, I visited Stir Crazy in Brookfield, Wisconsin for dinner.

This was not my first time at this restaurant (it is a chain), but it was my first time ordering a Bloody Mary here. 

Mix: Unknown

Chaser: Yes, I chose Kirin Ichiban

Fixin’s: Two olives, two lemons

Price:$Unknown

This Bloody Mary had nice flavor to it, but unfortunately, my taste was soured by an unfortunate incident–our server accidentally spilled a glass of wine on my sweater. Of course, the wine was red and my sweater was a lovely cream color.

Obviously, the server did not do this on purpose and was very apologetic. A manager quickly stopped by and offered to take care of the dry cleaning bill. The round of drinks was on the house. 

However, by this time, it was too late. Our dinner was off and running to a poor start, compounded later that night by a disappointing movie. But that’s neither here nor there.

The Bloody Mary itself was very good, especially considering the circumstances and the fact that it was from an Asian Grill chain where one would not be anticipating anything special.

I might not be going back to Stir Crazy anytime soon, but if you find yourself there, rest assured that the Bloody Mary isn’t bad. Just maybe wear a bib.

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