Okay, this one was hard to narrow down to just three, but the three I chose are very different and cover different parts of the food spectrum.

3. VILLAGE BAKER

Village Baker has been a favorite from the very first time going there. They make all of their own bread, which is a clear indication that their sandwiches are going to be good. The only bad part about this place is how hard it is deciding what to order. They have sandwiches, pizzas, salads, soups, and a huge assortment of baked goods to choose from. My go-to is the turkey and provolone with avocado on ciabatta bread. I recommend the lunch special where you can get half-sandwich, half salad. The southwestern salad is a high recommend as well!

2. CHUBBYS

This is my favorite burger place hands down. Their buns are so soft and their ingredients are so fresh. When you order a burger, you get a free side. They have a number of sides to choose from and my favorites are either the beer battered fries or the scones if you’re feeling something sweet. Or you can just get one of their delicious shakes. My go-to here is the BBQ Burger or the Bacon Ranch Burger.

1. BOMBAY HOUSE

Bombay House has been so consistent every time with such good food and good service that this was an easy number 1. For those scared to try Indian food for the first time, you are missing out. It’s packed with so much flavor and you’ll find you can’t live without it. I recommend the Chicken Tikka Masala for first timers with a side of Garlic Naan. The Chicken Coconut Kurma is also very good and a little sweeter.

Last summer, Red Bull bestowed us a new summer flavor called Coconut Berry. The thought of this flavor being gone after summer got me to buy way more of these than I normally would have. The flavor is a great balance of sweetness from the coconut which meshes perfectly with the berry flavor. It’s not overly sweet like other flavors, not too tart, and doesn’t have a weird aftertaste. I noticed a movement on social media for this flavor to become a permanent option. I’m not ashamed to admit that I might have sent Red Bull a few emails in support of this movement. Well, you’re welcome because it is now a permanent SKU in the Red Bull line up and is now available in their smaller 8.4 ounce cans.

Red Bull released another new flavor this past January and my goodness they’ve done it to me again. This time with a Peach Nectarine flavor that once again is not overly sweet but hits the right notes of flavor. I was actually surprised at how subtle the flavor is in the drink but I really like it. The subtleness almost brings a freshness to it. As you can guess, I’ll probably be sending my emails here again soon because I’ll be devastated if they don’t make this a permanent SKU much like the Coconut Berry.

Now, I should also talk about the upcoming summer edition Red Bull since we’re on the topic. The new summer flavor is titled “Beach Breeze,” which I’m not entirely sold on considering it sounds more like an air freshener than a caffeinated beverage. However, the flavor details sound promising. The way cstoredecisions.com describes it makes it sounds so much better, “The Red Bull Summer Edition Beach Breeze has an initial tropical fruit profile, which then blooms into a warm coconut finish that’s light and crisp. Packaged in a bright turquoise can, Red Bull Summer Edition offers the Wings of Red Bull with a light and crisp taste perfect for a summer day.” I like the usage of coconut so I’ll definitely be willing to give it a try. Let’s just figure out a name that’s not so candle-esque and we’ll be good.

It was a Wednesday evening and I was on my way home from work. My wife called and asked if I could pick up a pizza on the way home. “Of course, that sounds like a great idea because I don’t feel like cooking tonight,” I said. Now, my wife and I love all kinds of pizza. “Any pizza is good pizza” is what we live by. In the interest of time, I decided to get on the Little Caesar’s app and order a Hot-N-Ready so that I can just walk in, grab it, and be on my way. However, when I opened the app, there was a new choice I hadn’t seen before. “Pretzel Crust Hot-N-Ready” was displayed in the menu and in a moment of weakness, decided to take the plunge and try this new, intriguing option. Oh, I should probably also include the small detail of making this decision without consulting my wife.

With the package (pizza) secured, I picked up my wife and headed up to our favorite spot overlooking the valley to eat our pizza. Once we arrived and settled in, I opened up the box, presenting my surprise pretzel crust pizza to my wife, only to be welcomed by her saying, “What on earth did you get?” Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. To my surprise, I turned the box my way and take a look for myself. What I saw in the box did not resemble what I had imagined.

I also assumed that it was just a normal pizza with pretzel crust. Wrong. It was a pepperoni pizza on a pretzel crust, as indicated, but with a cheddar sauce in place of your typical tomato sauce. This is what lost me. However, remember our motto, “Any pizza is good pizza?” So we dug in thinking, “Eh, it’s not perfect but should be fine.” Wrong again. It was pretty disgusting. What’s funny is that this pizza was originally a special four years ago but had been discontinued. It was brought back by Little Caesars due to popular demand. I’m not sure which people out there needed this back in their lives, but they must be psychopaths. As you can imagine, this was an exceedingly traumatic experience considering the debunking of our motto. Indeed, not just any pizza is good pizza.

It’s a battle that stems from west coast versus east coast. It’s In-N-Out versus Shake Shack. Nothing that hasn’t been compared before. However, it still is a discussion to be had, no matter the audience. You’re either one or the other, right? Wrong. Who says you can’t be an appreciator of both? The comparison of In-N-Out and Shake Shack has been going on for quite some time and it will most likely continue for years.

In-N-Out is praised and adored by the west coast culture. If you want to find out if someone is from California, insult In-N-Out and you’ll find out pretty quickly whether they are or not. In-N-Out has been synonymous with California for a long time but over the years, the restaurant has expanded into nearby states. For me, In-N-Out is more than just food, its an experience. The simplicity of the menu makes it so easy to order and you know you’re going to have your food in no time, the service is going to be top-notch, and that your food will be fresh. Knowing your fries were potatoes just moments before you ordered them is reassuring and provides a high level of satisfaction.

Shake Shack, originally an east coast specialty, has made its way west which has, in turn, met In-N-Out head on. Shake Shack provides a similar experience, in that you can expect freshness as well as good service. They have a much larger menu and even offer chicken options, whereas In-N-Out does not. They also offer limited time only shake flavors that keep the menu fresh and exciting.

So which one is better? Well, they are both delicious. You can’t really go wrong with either one, in my opinion. However, let’s say you have to choose between the two. My instincts as a native Californian gives this one to In-N-Out. The consistency alone helps in this decision for me. Never have I experienced such consistently good food and service anywhere as I have at In-N-Out. Not to mention, their prices are hard to beat. There is just something about their fries paired with their burger. If you were to take their fries and pair it with another restaurants burger, it just wouldn’t taste right. Something that I think is underrated about In-N-Out is their salt. I know, sounds weird. But their salt is so fine that it coats the fries very evenly. Compare this to the large grains of salt that are typically found at other restaurants that just bounce off the fries. Believe me, it makes a difference.

Now, it wouldn’t be right to leave this comparison at that without highlighting Shake Shack’s food. First off, their bun has to be the softest out there. It nearly melts in your mouth with each bite. I would also consider them to have some of the freshest food out there when it comes to fast food. Let’s not forget their shakes either. I’d argue that their shakes are some of the best you can get.

With all that being said, In-N-Out is my choice between the two.

Whoever said you can only buy good things? Why not mix it up and make something good yourself? But what if you don’t know or aren’t comfortable with cooking yourself? There are multiple tools you can use to help you with your cooking journey. Most cooking books will outline the steps pretty clearly but there’s also something else that can help – YouTube videos! YouTube has become the go-to platform when you don’t know how to do something and cooking is no exception. One of my favorite cooking YouTube channels is Sam The Cooking Guy. He makes salivating dishes that aren’t over-the-top and actually achievable. His videos give great step-by-step detail that you can follow along in order to make the dish yourself.

This video is just one of the many he has on his channel but every video is not only high quality but so visually appealing as well. I mean, just look at that burrito. Cooking can be daunting. So having a video to as a reference can make all the difference. Especially because food is so visual! I wish all menus and cookbooks had images of the food itself. It would make choosing what to cook/order so much easier. So let’s try making something good shall we? Pick any one of Sam The Cooking Guy’s videos and make it! You’ll surprise yourself with how well you’ll be able achieve the end result.