JFG Nation, Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Thank you to all who have served and helped maintain the freedom we have today. I’ll be out of town all weekend, so just doing a quick review today. Plus, I wanted to revisit the same question I posed last year – hit me with your answers in the comments below:

Today many of you will be BBQ-ing with friends, eating way too much meat. I love it. If I’m able to stuff down two burgers and a two hot dogs in one meal, then you’re damn right it’s a holiday. But what about side dishes? Traditionally when it comes to side salads, your barbecue choices are either a pasta salad, and egg salad, or a potato salad. I’m leaving aside ACTUAL salad, because (1) when I’m trying to enjoy a BBQ, I avoid the green stuff, and (2) I wanna focus on those salads that are coated in food lube: your dressings, mayos, and sauces.

For me, it’s tough. Done well, I could enjoy all three, so the following rankings are separated by only degrees:

1. EGG SALAD: It’s the hardest, I think, to find done right, so a lot of people hate it. But a good egg salad is smooth, creamy, soft, and has used some of the egg yolk as part of the binding sauce, so everything has a nice savory bite to it. Some people hate the smell of egg salad. Hey, I get it! It’s like eating a bowl of feet. DELICIOUS FEET. Add some texture into it with some celery or bacon, and you have the smelliest, and tastiest, side salad ever.

2. PASTA SALAD: Hey look, finally a way I can have pasta AND mayo in the same dish! Maybe you make your pasta salad with salad dressing. In any case, pasta salad is great – it’s the easiest way to keep shoveling down carbs after your burger is done. Those noodles fill every remaining crevice of your stomach. The downfalls of pasta salad – when it’s overly dressed, and the bottom of the bowl is just a few noodles in a sea of salad dressing, I want to puke.

3. POTATO SALAD: I’m not hating on potato salad but to me I’ve only had like one or two good ones my entire life. The potato chunks are either crunchy as hell (undercooked), or super soggy and the skins are coming off everywhere. Then the whole thing is smothered in mayo and dill or something, and I don’t get the flavor profile at all – if I wanted potatoes, I’d eat fries. Why the heck am I eating cold potatoes and mayo together? It makes no sense to me.

Anyways, that’s me. What about YOU, Junk Food Nation? What side salads do you like best, what is your ranking, and do you have a particularly good recipe to share? Tell me in the comments below.

Today’s review: Slurp Ramen!!

Just a quick hitter today, JFG Nation. When I was in San Francisco back in March, I got to hit this awesome ramen place in the SF Chinatown: Slurp Ramen! It’s a tiny place that is relatively new to the SF market (I think less than a year). It’s menu is simple – entirely customizable ramen noodles, a few apps and a few rice bowls. That’s it.

When I sat down and ordered, I asked the waitress what she thought of the Slurp Wings: sweet soy-ginger glazed chicken wings, topped with chili pepper & sesame seeds. She blinked at me and stated unequivocally: “They’re like crack.” Done.

I got them and she was right – WOW. I’m a huge fan of Bon Chon Chicken, but these were a little different. Not as crispy as Bon Chon Wings, but the Ginger Soy Glaze was sweet and savory and more plentiful – each bite was crisp, juicy and felt decadent with umami REALLY really good wings. I crushed these.

I got some of the signature Slurp Ramen, too, of course – I’ve had a TON of good ramen in DC, so I have decently high standards. The broth was on point, and the overall elements of the ramen dish were great – perfect greens, nice hard boiled eggs with still-runny yolk, soft pork. My one problem – NOT HOT ENOUGH. The butter in the broth started to break as soon as the bowl was set down before me. Hmmm. Great flavor, could’ve been better if they had brought this to a true boil before serving.

If you’re ever in SF, though, I do highly recommend this place. Get the crack wings.

PURCHASED AT: Slurp Ramen, Chinatown, SF, CA

COST: $12 for the ramen, $7.95 for the wings

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

The JFG