BANANA-RAMA!!!!!!!!!!

bcakes, a photo by Junk Food Critic on Flickr.

The Junk Food Critic Crew travels alot. Not for work, or for the purpose of this website. We just like to. We get bored.

So I am visiting a friend at his work, and he is excited. Not to see me, as he allows me in the secured front door. He is waving me in with a dollar bill and says “You picked a good day to show up….HURRY UP BEFORE THEY ARE GONE!!!!”

I then follow a grown man, almost SKIP down the hall. He banks hard to the left, and I have to walk faster so as not to lose him. I turn the corner and see him dart into what I am guessing is the breakroom.

Once inside, he is GLEEFULLY sliding a that dollar into the machine an punching in a number, as if from memory. He stoops over, retrieves his purchase and throws it to me. He then repeats his earlier step.

Now we both have these yellow packages in our hands. He is all smiles and keeps saying “try it!!! try it!!!!”

I don’t recognize this package as I flip it over. BROAD STREET BAKERY is the company and these are BANANA PUDDING CUPCAKES.

EXCUSE ME!??!!??!? BANANA PUDDING CUPCAKES? Whoever heard of such a thing.

Now this friend and I have had lunch or dinner several times, and one thing that I have mentioned to him, and anyone else that would listen, is that restaurants are MISSING out on money because they do NOT carry BANANA PUDDING as a dessert.

Now, I know there are a couple of “home cookin’” places that offer it, but for the most part, restaurants have ice cream and cake as a dessert, or some pie.

I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but in Texas, and other southern states, banana pudding is a MUCH LOVED treat.

I am reminded of this by my friend as he TEARS into his cupcakes.

They are like nothing I have had before. It’s a HOSTESS cream filled cupcake but it is unmistakably BANANA; with a frosting topped with Vanilla Wafer crumbs.

This thing is UH-MAY-ZING!!!!!!

I think the both of us destroyed these cakes in about TWO minutes.

I then notice he is digging around in his pocket, whipping out more bills.

“These are the first thing to go in this machine, and I am not gonna get screwed this week! I need my Banana Cakes!!!!!”

He is totally serious too. It seems everyone on his floor has heard about them, and it’s a mad dash each week to get them. People are known to buy out the whole slot of them in the vending machine.

Why?????

Because nobody knows where to get them. They say BROAD STREET BAKERY, but that website doesn’t mention them. The company that vends the products is the only one that seems to hold the key to the warehouse full of these SUPER-GOOD cakes.

I will keep checking into this, but I want everyone to pay attention to this brand and look for this product. If you like Banana Pudding, these cakes are gonna knock your socks off!

I hope I am wrong

birra, a photo by Junk Food Critic on Flickr.

In Arlington TX, there is/ was this great little place called BIRRAPORETTI’s. It was quirky because it was an Italian restaurant with an Irish pub inside.

I say WAS because visit after visit, I notice that the place I once cherished and bragged about constantly is slipping away. And there is nothing I can do about it.

Birra’s was once of those out-of-the-way places that only Arlingtonians (?) knew about. After discovering it years ago I can say that I have, up until recently, never had a bad meal there.

Oh sure, I have had bad service. The place is know to most of my friends as the place with food so good that you will put up with the bad service.

Sunday Jazz Brunch was incredible. I even created a now classic dish of my own there – PINEAPPLE WAFFLES.

It was a place I would visit at least twice a week. It was THAT GOOD. Everyone I ever took there was knocked out.

Are you catching this yet? I loved this place. And I bet you can guess where I’m going……..

Birra’s is owned by Birra’s out of Houston. I am told they have decided to MAKE CHANGES — (NEVER GOOD) to make the Arlington one more like their main Birra’s in Houston.

The result???? Now it’s just…..not the same. The place was dark and moody so they finally got around to redecorating the joint to brighten it up. Trouble is, I liked dark and moody.

They had FANTASTIC table bread. A giant round loaf of bread with garlic butter. We would plow through that bread like we were starving. It was worth the drive just for the bread alone.

AND THEY STOPPED THE TABLE BREAD.

I have asked several staff members and they all rolled their eyes and reluctantly informed me that the powers that be had actually REMOVED table bread from their standard procedure.

Not only did they remove it, but they don’t even make it anymore. I would have been fine to PAY for a loaf with dinner, but sadly…no.

It’s a “cost saving measure”.

Which to me, is FUNNY because every Italian Restaurant I can think of offers bread. Olive Garden, Spaghetti Warehouse,…hell everyone…except now– Birra’s.

They have also revamped their menu, raised their prices and seemingly changed recipes on certain things.

Even the pizzas, which were probably one of the BEST pies in Arlington, is now a shell of it’s former self.

You can see from the picture it’s greasy and sparse in the meat toppings.

This has been going on for awhile now. These changes and the slow descent of quality and taste.

Having been there just recently something clicked. It was 1pm and the place was empty. Once we left, we drove to the other side of the shopping center to pass Olive Garden.

FULL PARKING LOT.

Oh yeah….and all the free breadsticks you can eat.

I have plans to revisit once more to see if the other favorites of mine are changed or lacking like the pizza was. The “meh” pizza was just like a slap in the face.

I mean this was my go-to place. I hate to even think it’s going downhill.

I hope I am wrong.