Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Navy

While New Years day used to rule the College Football post season, and arguably represented the best day of sports all year, over the past ten years College Football Bowl Season has changed dramatically. As it stands now, Bowl Season begins on December 18^th, and concludes nearly three and a half weeks later on January 10^th adding handfuls of new Bowl Games along the way. Not only has the NCAA and BCS failed to remove any controversy in deciding a national champion, but additionally, they have ruined the spectacle that New Years Day once was by spreading the games over such a long window. Add yet another line item to the extensive scroll of BCS incompetence.

The Poinsettia Bowl is one of these newer expansion bowls, tracing its roots back to 2005 as an offshoot from the organizers of the Holiday Bowl. Sponsored by the illustrious San Diego County Credit Union, the Poinsettia Bowl features Navy (when bowl eligible) versus the second place Mountain West Conference finisher, this year being represented by the San Diego State Aztecs. While I would certainly never plan a destination trip around a game like the Poinsettia Bowl, spending Christmas in San Diego with my family would put me in dreary Southern California during bowl season. A quick glance at the calendar revealed I would be flying in the day of the game, and so arose a convenient opportunity to add another college football game to the 2010 Lineup. It also presented a unique occasion to share a game with my sister and measuredly introduce her into the world of College Football.

Fresh off the plane and a belly full of Santana’s burritos, we navigated the disorganized maze of parking at Qualcomm Stadium. Hampered by heavy rains and surprisingly robust tailgaters, my sister and I found our way over to a tailgate hosted by some of her Navy friends. Given the proximity of some rather large Navy bases in the surrounding area, coupled with the home game for the Aztecs, it made for a far larger crowd in the parking lots than I had anticipated. A few adult beverages and handfuls of cookies later, we made our way into the concrete eyesore of Qualcomm Stadium.

Qualcomm, the turf specifically, was in surprisingly good shape considering the torrential rains and floods that had pervaded San Diego the days before the game. Workers had pumped away over 1.5 million gallons of water off the field to make the surface playable, parts of which were nearly 10 inches underwater only the day before. Ordinarily, one would think the dubious footing would be an advantage for Navy and their grinding triple option rushing attack, but that was not to be the case on this day. Though the Middies still managed 235 yards on the ground, they stumbled in the red zone and struggled to put points on the board. Navy quarterback and Lowe’s Senior Class Award winner Ricky Dobbs toiled to keep any momentum on the Navy attack.

San Diego State on the other hand, a team I admittedly knew little about, was stunningly explosive. Led by phenom freshman running back Ronnie Hillman they torpedoed the Navy defense to the tune of 555 yards, nearly evenly split between rushing and passing. Hillman himself racked up 228 yards and three touchdowns. His blistering ability to hit the corner will no doubt draw comparisons to former Aztec great Marshall Faulk, and as a freshman he’s certainly a talent to keep an eye on. In the end San Diego State ran away with a 35-14 win, securing their first bowl victory since the Pasadena Bowl against Boston University (who no longer fields a football team) back in 1969. Clearly, this was a big win for Aztec fans, though perhaps short lived, as yesterday SDSU head coach Brady Hoke was lured away to the University of Michigan.

Although it’s certainly not a marquis Bowl, it was great to be able to work the Poinsettia Bowl into my holiday travel plans, and be on hand to introduce my sister to the world of College Football. While it likely won’t turn into quite the same obsession for her, I’m already laying the foundation for a trip to South Bend next year so she can witness a true College Football atmosphere.

Thank you to my friend Brian for helping us out with a few tickets to the game, and next time perhaps I’ll join you for the Navy pep rally on the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier.

Thank you of course to my sister Rebecca for joining me for the game, and the entire Christmas season in San Diego.

Cessy's- California Burrito parte dos...

The only thing better than one trip for a California burrito, is a second trip for another. Though I certainly rave about the fare at Santana’s, some of my other San Diego friends insist that there are other options out there. My sister took the liberty of doing some deep market immersion research, and Cessy’s emerged to the top of the yocal recommendations. With limited first hand knowledge and no website to speak of, I cast a discerning older brother eye on Rebecca’s recommendation, but for the sake of a burrito I put any protest aside and sauntered in.

Located a stones throw from the beach in Carlsbad, Cessy’s features the typical lineup of Mexican favorites in a no frills dive décor. After only a token glance at the menu, I ordered up my usual tortilla cylinder and waited impatiently for my number to be called before scurrying anxiously back to the table with my chipmunk like prize. The burrito at Cessy’s obviously features the same lineup of familiar ingredients, but with the key addition of guacamole. Not bad for five bucks. True to form the burrito was meaty, starchy, filling and delicious, and the guacamole added a nice extra touch. Cessy’s certainly delivered on my fix, and any initial reservations I had were quickly wiped away after the first bite. Well done sis!

In the end, like you have heard ad nauseam on this blog, the beauty of the California burrito lies in its simplicity. Elegant, five dollar simplicity. It’s nearly impossible to screw up a combination of steak, French fries and cheese, and you don’t have to be Anthony Bourdain to figure out why the simplest things are often the best.

Special thanks to Rebecca for finding Cessy’s and enduring yet another round of my San Diego burrito obsession.

Santana's - A true California Burrito

I’ve been looking forward to this burrito for a year.

If you followed the blog last year, you may recall that I was crestfallen at the confusion that exists in the Golden State over the term “California Burrito”. Evidently, a true California Burrito eludes the entire city of Los Angeles, evidenced by puzzled looks from my L.A. friends and furrowed brows of restaurant waiters. Instead, what I got was a sauce slathered, fork and knife, gut bomb which, although tasty, was hardly what I was looking for.

http://www.pigskinpursuit.com/2010/02/el-tarasco-and-hunt-for-elusive.html

A trip to San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl and Christmas festivities came with one non negotiable certainty: a trip to Santana’s Mexican Grill for a true California Burrito. Lest you question the driving clarity of my purpose, no sooner had I thrown my bags into my sisters’ station wagon than I quickly barked out orders to head straight to Santana’s from the airport. It was to be my first stop off the plane, and I had shunned breakfast that morning in preparation.

Santana’s is a cheap Mexican staple in San Diego, and they have about 13 locations smattered throughout the less gentrified parts of town. They have recently rebranded themselves FreshMXNFood, perhaps in an attempt to strengthen their appeal among more health conscious consumers, but they aren’t fooling me and I’ll still refer to them as Santana’s for the body of this post.

I was originally turned on to Santana’s by my good friend and San Diego native Larry, who despite his love for the California burrito manages to stay in typical trim Southern California shape. Having lived in San Diego for the better part of 25 years, Larry has eaten his way through more than a fair share of these delights, and accordingly, his opinion draws a lot of water in my book. When I first visited San Diego a couple of years ago, I was immediately hooked on these greasy monsters, and they became a staple of my San Diego diet at all hours of the day. Like all great hand foods, these burritos reach their flavor zenith at about 3AM. I can even attest to the remarkable flight characteristics of a Santana’s Burrito (but you’ll have to email me for that story).

After giddily ordering up my burrito from the menu, I raided the salsa bar during an agonizing two minute wait. Fortunately for readers, my resolve for picture taking slightly overwhelmed my rumbling stomach and I had a few fleeting moments to snap a couple of photos before digging in like a rabid hyena. The final product is hefty enough to give your rolled up Sunday newspaper a run for its money, and it doesn’t take a food critic to point out the enduring combination of steak, cheese and potatoes wrapped into a tortilla. Every bite is a gooey, meaty delight offset with the crispy saltiness of fresh cooked french fries. Add in a few generous dollops of the various salsas for some heat, and my one pound California Burrito was quickly devoured.

http://www.freshmxnfood.com/

http://www.freshmxnfood.com/FRESHMENUMXN.pdf

Thanks to my sister Becca for bringing me here straight off the plane, and I was certainly a proud older brother when she crushed her own Cali Burrito in record time…

Ohio State vs Michigan - The Game

Known simply as “The Game”. Ohio State versus Michigan stands as the most notorious rivalry in College Football. Fortunately, so well renowned it requires no irritating, corporate sponsored rivalry game branding. Even outside of the football world, “The Game” is one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports. Two of the most storied programs in the history of college football, Michigan and Ohio State are juggernauts of the sport, each sharing an exclusive legacy and claiming an exhaustive list of accolades.

Team	Ohio State	Michigan
National titles	7	11
Heisman Trophies	7	3
Bowl appearances	41	39
BCS bowl appearances	8	4
Rose Bowl appearances	14	20
All-Americans	130	126
Big Ten titles	35	42
All-time program record	830–309–53	884–307–36
All-time win percentage	.719	.735

The rivalry truly became a household name during a period referred to as the “Ten Years War” from 1969 to 1978, when former Ohio State assistant coach Bo Schembechler assumed the reigns of the University of Michigan program. During these ten years, the teams faced off in epic battles annually, four of which featured both the Michigan and Ohio State programs ranked in the AP top 5. The intense hatred between the teams went so far that famed Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes would only refer to Michigan as “that team from up north” lest he suffer the indignity of uttering the word Michigan. Hayes would further cement his fiery legend (he was eventually fired for punching an opposing player during the Gator Bowl), and epitomize the fierceness of the rivalry, when he refused to pull over and buy gas in the state of Michigan when running on an empty tank.

On his refusal, he was purported to have said “"No, god damn it! We do NOT pull in and fill up. And I'll tell you exactly why we don't. It's because I don't buy one goddamn drop of gas in the state of Michigan! We'll coast and PUSH this goddamn car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!"

Perhaps the word rivalry is insufficient.

Somewhere, Ol’ Woody is smiling, as Ohio State has dominated the series of late, carrying a six game win streak over their foes from the North, the longest streak in the history of this matchup for the Buckeyes. While all of these losses in the past six years have stung for Michigan fans, perhaps the most crushing was the 2006 game. Heading into one of the biggest regular season games ever played, Ohio State and Michigan were ranked #1 and #2 respectively. In a contest for the ages, Ohio State eeked out a 42-39 victory on that day which vaulted them into the National Championship Game. The Michigan program hasn’t quite been the same since.

The past few years especially, have witnessed a considerable decline in the Michigan program under the watch of head coach Rich Rodriguez, and rumors are swirling in Ann Arbor. The Ohio State program on the other hand, has been dominant during the Jim Tressel sweater vest era, reeling off six straight Big Ten titles, three national championship appearances (one title), and a handful of BCS Bowl Games. Regardless of their current records, this is a game circled on both team calendars every year, and the outcome defines your success as a Buckeye or Wolverine football player.

In fact, Ohio State players find themselves even further incentivized to beat Michigan with a shining gold reward. Only upon a victory over the Wolverines, each member of the Ohio State squad is awarded a Golden Charm. This gold charm, a miniature pair of football pants, is a time honored tradition that dates back to 1934 and widely treasured among Buckeye Football players. Evidently, however, the pants are not so revered among all football players as Terrell Pryor was recently sanctioned by the NCAA for hawking his 2008 gold pants, and you can find your own pair on Ebay occasionally.

The in stadium atmosphere for the Michigan game in Columbus is commensurate with the level of pageantry surrounding the contest: simply enormous. Ohio Stadium, known colloquially as The Horseshoe, is a cavernous facility boasting the third largest capacity in College Football. Built in 1922, the stadium features an impressive classical Roman rotunda at the North Entrance, and the imposing “Shoe” would house 105,491 rabid fans on this particular day.

Naturally, I entered the game nearly an hour before kickoff to absorb all of the extra hoopla that surrounds the contest. The Ohio State band, also referred to by fans as The Best Damn Band in the Land or TBDBITL, is considered one of the preeminent bands in College Football, though I have always chuckled immaturely at their uniforms which look like a cross between the French Resistance and the Knights of Columbus. Their capstone pre-game tradition is the infamous dotting of the “i” in the script Ohio performed prior to all home games (unfortunately my endzone seats did not offer a good vantage point to capture the script Ohio). The signature “i” dotting is dapperly performed by a select senior sousaphone player each year, and is one of the most revered traditions in College Football band performance.

For the contest, I had the pleasure of being seated in the student section, which was jammed packed full of boisterous and well inebriated undergrads. I have long maintained that student sections are the best seats in the house and the lifeblood of true stadium spirit. Many of these scholars were seniors enjoying their final game as students in Ohio Stadium and they pre-gamed accordingly. Rowdy would be an understatement for this section, and stadium police visited the area on more than a handful of highly entertaining occasions. Despite the cold, the entire contest was filled with a thunderous chorus of continuous singing, cheering and the expected Big 10 bouts of vulgarity.

My personal favorite student song tradition was a nearly game long unrelenting refrain of the famous Ohio song “We Don’t Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan”. The lyrics below are elegantly succinct.

"We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
The whole state of Michigan
The whole state of Michigan
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
'Cause we're from Ohio!

We're from Ohio - O! H!
We're from Ohio - I! O!

Ohhh we don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
The whole state of Michigan
The whole state of Michigan
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
'Cause we're from Ohio!"

To get a feel for the tune you can listen to it here:

On this particular day, Ohio State fans had plenty to sing about. Despite taking the field in agitating solid drab Nike “Pro Combat” uniforms, an outfit which shunned the infamous Buckeye sticker laden helmets of their normal garb, the plain clad Buckeyes saw little struggle from “that team from the North”. It’s hideous game attire hijinks like this that make me wish Nike would limit their uniform buffoonery to the Oregon Ducks and NBA.

After a slow first quarter without any scoring, shortly after the opening whistle of the second frame the Buckeyes began their domination of the contest, in what ultimately proved a rather lopsided affair. Terrell Pryor naturally led the charge for the Buckeyes, throwing for a pair of touchdowns on the day, though still leaving him well short of the Heisman chase. Pryor was offset on the ground with running back Dan Herron, who exploded for 175 yards, including one spectacular 89 yard run that would have been a touchdown were it not for a holding penalty. Penalties were quite popular with the Buckeyes, as they repeatedly flashed an “O” symbol with their hands that drew the ire of overzealous referees. The mere handful of Michigan fans scattered throughout the stadium had little to cheer about, as fleet footed quarterback Denard Robinson spent half the game injured on the bench, and struggled when he did play. In the end, Ohio State cruised to a yawning 37-7 victory, and had already shut themselves down by the fourth quarter.

In the end, the Ohio State vs Michigan game was the perfect capstone to my three day, three team, rivalry weekend odyssey. A trip to this game can be found on every college football fans checklist, and I was pleased to have crossed it off my burgeoning scroll. You simply won’t find a bigger atmosphere anywhere in the sport, nor a more intense rivalry, It’s a contest that truly lives up to its legendary billing.

Thanks to my friend and colleague Janelle for helping me find a ticket to this game. It was truly a remarkable experience, and I hope your Wolverines fare better in the future (though not against the Irish of course).

Jack & Benny’s – Breakfast Buster

Few treats in the world are more satisfying than a quick, affordable, greasy diner breakfast on a Sunday morning. There is a welcome simplicity in stooled laminate counters flanking a sizzling open griddle, the rattle of a deft short order cook slapping away on a cook top dotted with glistening yellow eggs. Expanses of stainless steel flash the piercing morning sun while you squint hungrily amidst a handful of selections from a yellowed backlit plastic menu board.

Sadly, the idyllic street corner breakfast diner is quickly going the way of the dodo and the complete game starting pitcher. Displaced by an irritating trend of delicate “brunchy” style cafés featuring goat cheese frittatas, $17 exotic mushroom omelets, parfaits, and assorted other bourgeois French crap daintily arranged with sliced cantaloupe. Many of these places even have the nerve to serve my meal on actual tablecloths.

They probably even offer turkey bacon.

Real breakfast, I surmised, would lie close to the students with their ample appetites and slender billfolds, so I narrowed my search in Columbus near the heart of campus. With the combination of Michigan weekend and the 40,000+ dedicated students attending The Ohio State University, you can bet a sizeable portion of those scholars had themselves quite a session the day before. If it’s one thing that takes the head splitting edge off an all night bender, it’s a platter piled with various combinations of eggs, potatoes and pork products. Fortunately, breakfast (the way god intended it) is still alive and well in Columbus, and I had a smattering of greasy spoons to choose from on a sharp Sunday morning.

Some of the choices included highly touted places like Eggfast, Skillet, and the aptly named Hangover Easy.

http://www.hangovereasy.com/

In the end, I settled on a legendary OSU staple named Jack and Benny’s largely due to their showcase breakfast item called a “Gut Buster”. In addition to the Gut Buster, Jack and Benny’s also features the Buckeye Pancake (chocolate and peanut butter chips) as well as a full page array of omelets. Despite its landmark status in Columbus, the diner has only been around since the mid 1990’s, although the scarred wood floors and dark wood paneling give it a classic feel.

Shortly after plunking into an open chair at the counter, I confidently ordered the revered Gut Buster, which consisted of a formidable layered pile of hash browns, a potato pancake, bacon, ham, eggs, sausage and cheese topped with country gravy. Naturally, I opted for the gravy on the side, because if you follow my barbecue posts, you are all too familiar with my general aversion towards obfuscating sauces.

The individual ingredients in the Gut Buster are fairly straightforward and unremarkable, but layered together in a pile it made for a daunting, albeit satisfyingly greasy way to start the morning. My true breakfast fix satisfied and topped for the morning, I flipped the waiter a ten dollar bill and beamingly left with change.

The way breakfast ought to be.

Jeni's Ice Cream - Something for the sweet tooth...

As if the mountainous Big Thurman Burger at Thurman’s wasn’t enough of my daily intake of saturated fat, I saved room for a little ice cream nightcap. Now I grant you that standing out in 28 degree temperatures all afternoon doesn’t exactly inspire an appetite for ice cream, but I was told that Jeni’s was place not to be missed. Nervously checking my watch, I had just enough time to fit in a few scoops and race to the hotel before the Irish took the field against USC.

While a relative newcomer to the ice cream game, Jeni’s has garnered quite the fanfare since opening their doors in 2002 and has already staked out seven locations across the greater Columbus area. Made exclusively from locally sourced cream from the Snowville Creamery in nearby Pomeroy, Jeni’s features dozens of interesting and eclectic artisan flavors. They have everything ranging from traditional favorites like Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Bean, to off the wall seasonal flavors like Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows, and Olive Oil with Sea Salted Pepitas. Luckily, they are no stranger to gawking patrons peering through the enticing glass cases, and I sampled my way through about two dozen of their finest. Some personal favorites were the Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Bourbon Buttered Pecan, and of course the ubiquitous “Buckeye State” (a blend of peanut butter and dark chocolate ice cream).

After extensive tastings, and some deliberation with the friendly counter staff, I settled on one of their signature sundaes aptly called “The Buckeye State”. For the body of the bowl I chose a scoop of the Buckeye State ice cream paired with a scoop of the Brown Butter Almond Brittle. The sundae was topped off with hot fudge, Spanish peanuts and a dollop of home made whipped cream. Consistent with Jeni’s unwavering dedication to their craft, the whipped cream is actual whipped cream. I broke a sweat merely observing the counter girl tenaciously hand whisking a stainless steel bowl full of fresh cream. It’s small details like this that separate the homemade fare at Jenny’s from the rest of the pack.

The sundae proved to be the indulgently decadent affair that the description alluded to. There is richness to the ice cream at Jeni’s that you won’t find in your typical grocery store freezer, and a palpable intensity to their flavors that left me licking the bowl at the end. My sweet tooth satisfied for the night, I retreated to the hotel to watch the Irish and contemplated ordering up a few of Jeni’s pints in the mail for delivery back in Dallas…

http://jenisicecreams.com

Thurman's Cafe - Buckeye Burger Bliss

While there was no shortage of interesting eateries to choose from in Columbus, I was told if you had only one meal there it would have to be a Thurman Burger from Thurman’s Café. Though not located near the OSU Campus, Thurman’s sits in the heart of the historical German Village section of Columbus and has been dishing out epic burgers since 1942. Glance at any list of best burgers in America and Thurman’s is sure to be on there, in addition to having recently been featured on an episode of Man vs. Food.

I pulled up to the modest Thurman’s storefront shortly after “The Game” and slid quickly into an open barstool, bypassing hordes of rotund, red clad Buckeye fans waiting for tables. If you’re going to Thurman’s after an Ohio State game, be prepared to wait, but enjoy a few Great Lakes brews assured the wait is worth it. Taking only an obligatory glance at the menu, I started with a few of Thurman’s disturbingly large Buffalo Wings and naturally ordered up the signature Thurman Burger. Stacked between two buns, the Thurman Burger consists of a twelve ounce slab of beef overloaded with ham, sautéed mushrooms and onions, mozzarella and American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, and mayo.

Halfway through my sauce faced wing session, a leviathan lurched forth, ominously parting the swinging steel kitchen doors. Upon arrival, the Jurassic sized burger drew an audible gasp from the patrons seated next to me, and I started to sweat wondering if I had finally bit off a bit more than I could chew.

True to form, the Thurman Burger is an absolute monster, a twelve ounce trembling pile of beef and cheese held together by a few straining toothpicks to keep it from toppling over. Easily the biggest burger I have encountered on my travels thus far, it’s such an imposing mountain of meat that, unless you’re equipped with a bass faced maw like Steven Tyler, simply cannot fit into your mouth. Quickly realizing there is absolutely no way to tackle this thing gracefully, I rolled up my sleeves and determinedly sequestered a pile of napkins from the bar. In addition to its colossal size, the Thurman Burger is actually extremely tasty. The burger itself is well seasoned and bursting with beefy chuck flavor in addition to the tangy caramelized onions and cheese oozing from every corner. Ham adds a salty touch to it, and the lettuce, tomato and pickles get in the way like they always do. Predictably, by the end of the meal, the sandwich had all but exploded into an unidentifiable mess, but I managed to finish the entire offering.

Perhaps the most disturbing part is that this isn’t even the largest burger offering at Thurman’s. Their prolific menu proudly boasts a titan known as “The Thurmanator”, which is effectively a double pattied Thurman Burger. That’s twenty four belt busting ounces of beef nightmare on a bun for those of you wondering. I can’t begin to imagine the sheer horror of ordering the Thurmanator after having just downed its formidable little brother.

I hoisted myself off the stool and waddled out of Thurman’s with distended belly, thankful for the elastic waist on my cargo pants. Though I have certainly found other “famous” places quite disappointing and made note of it on this blog, Thurman’s is not one of them. The burgers here are legendary, in both size and flavor, and Thurman’s Café is completely deserving of their lofty reputation. If you ever find yourself in Columbus, the only question you should be asking yourself is where to eat for your third meal, because the first two will be The Thurman Burger. Just don’t forget the napkins….

http://www.thethurmancafe.com/

http://www.thethurmancafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tc-menu-2010.pdf