MadeByMark.com

Taco Mac

The new neighbor here in Midtown turns out to be Taco Mac.

When I first heard about the place, I hoped the odd name was a tribute to what I imagined their signature dish would be: a crispy taco shell packed with ground beef and gourmet macaroni and cheese. When friends explained that, no, Taco Mac was a wings and beer joint, I lost interest.

But when Taco Mac opened up a chrome-colored new location just five blocks from our house, we dropped in -- and learned, among other things, that the place gets its name from the sign on the Virginia Highlands location. A "Taco Mac" sign was already affixed to the building when the owners bought the place in 1979. On a tight budget, they faced a choice: renovate the kitchen ... or buy a sign?

The fact they're still called Taco Mac tells you the answer to that story, yes?

But, I digress. Taco Mac is, indeed, a wingy and beery kind of joint, with a twist: they serve about five hundred gazillion brands of draft beer and seventy-'leven bazillion brands of bottled beer. (Alas, they do not serve one of the very few beers I'll drink from time to time: the rare and delicious Guinness Extra Cold.) And while I cannot vouch for their wings (friends tell me that, for a signature dish, they're a bit tobasco-y), I can reveal that the burgers are pretty good, the salmon entree is tasty, and the fries are better than you'll find at most places.

As far as I'm concerned, the star of the show is the chili con queso platter, which features a spicy cheese dip (with the consistency of whipped mayonnaise!) and a pile of chips (expected) and unfried flour tortillas (surprising!).

All in all, it's not a bad place to have within walking distance of our home. The cuisine is, unfortunately, forced to compete with an aggressively urban, high-tech dining room design (think lofty, sparse, black spaces, punctuated with five hundred thousand wide-screen plasma televisions playing ESPN) and a peculiarly robotic staff. Our server tonight actually said, "We thank you for dining with us at Taco Mac, and it's our sincere hope that you'll chose to dine with us again at every opportunity." It's a great script ... but a little unsettling when delivered with all the sincerity and humanity of a department store mannequin.

Will I seek it out? No. Will I object when friends want to go? No. In the end, it's the kind of place folks from out of town will want to visit ... and, when they do, I'll take 'em there, order some chips and queso, and have myself a high old time.

Pig's Funkle [Food]

While visiting one of our Buford Highway Chinese eateries this past weekend, I was intrigued by, but did not order, the "pig's funckle."

Intuitively, I feel this must be a mangled menu entry for pig's knuckle. But, creatively, I find myself hoping there's some secret part of the pig called the funckle that Caucasians like moi have not yet dreamed of consuming.

Duma Key [Book Review]

As a kid, I had a passion for Steven King novels. I remember with pleasure the genuine creepiness of ;Salem's Lot and the epic scope of The Stand ... the erotic undertones of Carrie and the palpable tension of the Dead Zone ... the dawning horror of The Shining and the desperation of Firestarter. I cared deeply about the characters in these books, and, to this day, these stories are a part of me.

If you ever read one of these books -- and loved them -- then you'll understand why I was eager to download King's latest work -- Duma Key -- to my beloved Kindle.

And if you ever read one of these books -- and loved them -- you'll understand why it breaks my heart not to be able to recommend Duma Key to you.

Please Ignore this Post [Testing]

So, today, the folks at TypePad/SixApart launched a new Facebook service called BLOG IT. In theory, this handy little utility will allow me to write one post and see it reflected on:

- MadeByMark.com
- Twitter
- Pownce
- Tumblr, and
- Facebook's mini-feed

all at once. If it works, it means I can send posts to many online communities at once.

So this is just a test. Stop reading it. Stop it. Really. Please. Nothing to see here. Move along.

New at Mickey D's: The McGayBurger [The Gays]

The VP of Communications at McDonald's has taken a seat on the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. According to Donald Wildmon, that equates to Mickey D. launching "an enthusiastic promotion of the homosexual agenda." [Link]

Meantime: while you're hanging out over at the Christian Post website, don't miss these other gems:

- Obama's enthusiastically supporting the gays, too, because he promises to pursue passage of a non-discriminatory employment bill. [Link]

- In addition to saying the gays are suicidal, discouraged, diseased, and doomed to live shorter life spans, conservative hero and State Rep. Sally Kern went on to say on camera that the gays are a bigger threat to America "than terrorism or Islam." Kern referenced -- but has not produced -- "studies [that] show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades." [Link]

- I get a kick out of the way editors at the "Christian" Post always put "air quotes" around the word "marriage" when referring to any marriage that doesn't involve heterosexuals. [1], [2], [3], [4] Same goes for "domestic partnerships" and "civil unions," too. [Link]

Quick Little Notes

Recently on Twitter.com/madebymark:

• Waiting, trapped at the Philadelphia airport, because Delta won't put customers booked on a later flight into earlier departures!
• Landing in Atlanta, and happy to ne home.
• Planning and scheming.

Quick Little Notes

Recently on Twitter.com/madebymark:

• Getting in an hour of writing before walking to today's training session.
• Standing in line to see the Liberty Bell

Cool, Smooth (Bon Bon Artisan Gelato)

I'm in Philadelphia, alone.

I amuse myself by walking: to the Liberty Bell, to Christ Church. I pass a bookstore besieged by a film crew; they're making a movie starring Jeff Daniels. He walks out as I pass by: a tall man with long, graying hair and a bald spot.

I have no agenda. Instead, I just allow the city to unfold. Eventually, a sign catches my eye: Bon Bon Artisan Gelato.

Memories of a family trip Florence, Italy, come back to me: Clyde's mother, Joyce, beaming at me over a plastic cup of coffee-flavored ice cream on a cold, cloudy day.

I miss Joyce. My heart skips a beat. I step inside.

Philadelphia (Pete's Pizza Joint)

I'm in Philadelphia.

Determined not to repeat last night's culinary mistakes, I decide to go foraging for pizza by the slice. The plan is simple: at each pizza place I pass, I'll eat one slice. I figure this approach gives me a chance to find the best pizza in Old Town without making myself sick.

I leave the hotel, turn left, and walk up Chestnut Street until I come to Pete's Pizza Joint. It's a hole in the wall, but there's something sincere about the brown shingles, the cracked yellow brick, and the bright red door. I step inside.

Quick Little Notes

Recently on Twitter.com/madebymark:

• Scrambling to clear my ToDo list before leaving for Philly...
• Doing my best impression of a chicken with its head cut off.
• Eating surprising spring rolls and mediocre pad Thai at Aqua in Philadelphia's Old Town
• Wishing Clyde were with me.