January 4, 2014: First Bacon of the Year, Dabecca, and Twin Peaks Restaurant

MY LIFE WITH BACON CONTINUES with a look at Dabecca Bacon and some bacon news.

BACON IN THE NEWS

Bacon Prices Dropping!  Great news for porcine lovers.  They attribute it to the 'fad' passing.  But bacon loving is as human as the love of libation, and goes pretty far back in recorded history.  Who are they kidding, it's not a fad but a simple love of good food!

I had a business network meeting last week in Wheeling, IL.  We initially planned to meet at a Starbucks at 11:00; unfortunately it was a drive-through only.  Next possibility was Cooper's Hawk, a great wine-themed restaurant.  However, that opened at 11:30 and I only had until noon.

Finally, like Laurel & Hardy realizing that the solution to the problem was staring them in the face all along, we decided to head over to the Twin Peaks Restaurant. 

Our waitress, Bella, a former Miss Wheeling, served me up a great-tasting Bloody Mary, complete with a thick slice of bacon.  She inquired of the bacon's source, and the answer was Aramark, and the bacon was a
hickory smoked variety.  The bacon was excellent, as was our meeting.

Twin Peaks gets mixed reviews with most people on Yelp, agreeing that the food is only so-so, but that the views are excellent.  Our waitress, Bella, was mentioned in a few of the posts as an 'excellent mixologist'.  I think you'll agree that my Bloody looked great; I can promise you it tasted even better.

ON TO THIS WEEK'S BACON

Over the holidays, we visited the Whole Foods in Chicago.  Of course, I went right to the butcher to check out the meat.  I saw a great display of Dabecca Bacon, and of course I had to sample it.  I tried the

DABECCA APPLEWOOD SMOKED bacon and tried it alongside their DABECCA BACON CHIPOTLE.  I was not disappointed.

Dabecca has a nice website.  In their About section, I learned that they got their start in Texas, and that they supply lots of restaurants and delis.  Here's what they say:

We currently cater to many of the Marriott's, Hyatt's, Four Seasons, and Ritz Carlton Hotels, as well as various other 4 and 5 Star Restaurants. Our retail products can be found in Whole Foods Markets, Bristol Farms, HEB Central Markets and local delicatessens.

Because I purchased an uneven weight from the meat deli, I dispensed with the weigh-in and the rendered fat measuring.  Both bacons started out pretty thickly, larger than 1/8 inch.  However, they got significantly thinner during cooking.

The Applewood smoked may be my new favorite!  The top of the picture shows the Applewood; the bottom, the Chipotle.  The Applewood crisped up perfectly and had terrific succulent pieces.  What a great aroma and flavor.  I grade it 4 on crispness, 4 on succulence, and 4.5 overall.

The Chipotle was great, but not as excellent as the Applewood.  It was much more limp than the Applewood and not at all crispy; rated 2.5 there.  Flavor was great at 3.5, with a 4 on succulence.  You can't go wrong with this bacon.