This guest post comes to us from the ETW family, who recently visits a burger landmark in Indiana.
Triple X Drive-In
2 N Salisbury St
West Lafayette, IN
We drove right past Triple X Drive-in on our way to a women’s lacrosse game – Illinois vs. Purdue. We immediately recognized the orange and black striped building, which is unlike pretty much any diner (or building, for that matter) you’ll ever see. After the game we all agreed we had to try this place. Needless to say, it was very easy to find.
On the inside, it looks like the typical university burger dive. The seating is a series of 4 u-shaped counters surrounding the grill area. After a brief wait our large group (20+) was seated at the counter in separate groups. Service was fast and friendly even though all of us were wearing some form of orange University of Illinois apparel. Naturally, we all opted for burgers, many of which are named after sports stars.
The “Bernie Flowers All Pro” is a 1/4 lb. burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and Miracle Whip on a sesame bun. A side of fries and a pickle were included. The “Bert Burger” is the same with bacon. General consensus was the burgers were very good – juicy and a nice, fresh beef flavor. As an added touch, the meal did not arrive in the typical basket, but was served on a bright orange Triple X frisbee. The only negative to our meal was the french fries. Although they looked perfect – crispy, not too thick or thin – they were cold. Burgers are clearly the main draw here and worth a return trip for a good meal and little piece of the college experience.
An unlikely recipe from a blog called Tokyo Terrace – 



When I think of Mongolian food, I immediately tink “BBQ” probably because that is how it is branded in the US. However, Mongolians have a rich food culture that is surprisingly (to me, at least) dairy-centric.

Angin Mamiri
[Via 
Diwali Sweets for sale in Toronto by
CCR inhabits a former house in downtown Madison, decked out in party chairs and fake plastic palm trees outside that must make for a kitschy but amusing summer evening, yet were no good on this chilly and rainy night. We were concerned when we walked into the seating area downstairs, mostly because CCR turned out to be one of the tiniest restaurant’s we’ve been in (about the same size as
First good sign: they grow their own habaneros. In little plants right on the main counter. People familiar with M’s culinary escapades can imagine how excited he was at this. Second good sign: The table has two bottles of salsa, but homemade, one based on said habaneros (“Mango Man Sauce”) – meaning the peppers are not for decor, they actually use them in cooking. As such, the menu piqued our interest. We decided to mix it up as much as we could given our budget. For appetizers, a plate of fried plantains (an ETW favorite) with the aforementioned habanero sauce ($5.95) and a cheese empanada ($3.95). Main course: we split an order of pork tacos (under the assumption that one order ($11.95) would be enough for both of us.
The plantains were soft, sweet, and delightful, and the habanero sauce added a good flavorful kick. M could have eaten three plates of them and called it dinner. L was enamored with the empanada, soft and cheesy and flaky, doing good on her cheese/carbs combo love. But it was really those tacos that blew us away: piled high with shredded pork marinated in the habanero sauce, garnished with generous helpings of cilantro (another ETW fav we can never get enough of), lettuce, tomatoes, and more habanero sauce in a corn tortilla. The marinade absolutely made the meal, and we were really happy to see someone making tacos in corn tortillas that really broke out of the ubiquitous Mexican mold into other regions, and to do it so well.
For mains, L ordered the Vegetarian Llapingacho ($12.95) which was a potato pancake topped with peanut sauce and a fried egg. Alongside the pancake came a veritable garden of avocado, a green salad, plantains and rice. Even tucked into the side of the plate was a humita. Holy portions! The Llapingacho seemed like a bigger version of the Tortilla de Papa, with the same cheese filling and peanut sauce, which was a little disappointing, but all of the elements on the plate came together to enhance the pancake, even the slightly runny egg, which I am not usually a fan of. For his main course, M ordered the Fritanga ($13.95), a dish of pan-fried pork with sweet plantains, white hominy and corn. The pork was bit fatty for his taste, but still had great flavor. He was especially excited by the appearance of ‘big corn’ or choclo kernels mixed in with the hominy on the plate – a staple of Peruvian food. The portions at La Peña are outrageous, and totally gut busting, so I would definitely say you get what you pay for.
Right in the back of the restaurant was a small stage, which was being fitted with amps and microphones as we ate. At around 7 the live music started, and a live a band played Salsa Romantica hits from the likes Eddie Santiago. They were actually pretty good, the only problem was that the music was a bit loud, but we knew that coming in, so no big surprise. Our first foray into Ecuadorian food was deemed a success. It’s kind of the heartier sister of the more cosmopolitan Peruvian food, and if you are feeling the need to Carbo-load, you know you’ve found the right place.

The blogosphere is buzzing today because one of the stalwarts of the food publishing business,