Food versus Food: O come, all ye Bagels.

That's right, it's Friday! Time for Happy Hour.  The Weekend. And (most importantly) Food versus Food!

Last week I sidelined my plans in favor of the Battle of the Beef, which was quite tasty! Now is the promised Bagel Edition of FvF.

First, a word about bagels.  I heart them.


They are delicious, but they're also the perfect breakfast food (for me). When I work out, it's usually in the morning.  And while I do have something before I hit the road, after 90 minutes of activity, I want need calories.  Bagels - though some might call them junk food or a luxury - clearly provide that.  And they're satisfying enough to get me through the morning and to lunch.


I know that people carry strong feelings about what a bagel should be.  My needs are few: 

1. It should toast well
2. It should be chewy on the inside
3. It should have a nice, crisp crust
4. It should not require toppings to be edible

FvF Friday: Where's the beef?

Alright, I know at last week's Food versus Food, I said something about dueling bagels. Well... I changed my mind.  Fortunately my super readership (that's you... and maybe my mom) is very adaptable.

Just to review, Food versus Food drives me out into the wilds of Howard County (hocoblogs@@@ ... and maybe, sometimes, beyond...) to pit food or drink items against one another.  This week, my constant search for cheap, delicious eats brought me to two local establishments.

I give you...

Food versus Food: Holiday Latte

Welcome to the first post of the Food versus Food Friday series, in which I pit food(or beverage) items from Howard County establishments (hocoblogs@@@) against each other.  This week, just in time for both the cold weather and the holidays, I'm sampling coffee drinks!


Due to a technical glitch, there are no pictures this week. 


In the interest of not consuming 400 extra calories/day, I made the following adjustments to each drink: skim milk, no whipped cream. 

Contender #1: Gingerbread latte from Starbucks (Dobbin, Columbia)

Large, skim, no whip.

Contender #2: Sugar and Spice Latte from Seattle's Best (Borders in the Columbia Crossing shopping center, Columbia)
Medium, skim, no whip.


Starbucks actually owns Seattle's Best, so I was curious how different their espresso drinks could be.  And yes, I know these are two different flavors of lattes.  I tried to keep that in mind during the review.


The Starbucks Gingerbread latte was my first holiday drink of the season, and I was pretty excited.  It came in a nice red cup, toasty warm, and smelled like the holidays.  I have good memories of the gingerbread latte from Christmases past.  I even had a coworker bring in a bottle of Starbucks' gingerbread syrup for coffee a year ago, and we made our coffee festive all winter.  So I was looking forward to the latte, and I was disappointed.


Despite a nice gingerbready aroma, the latte just didn't taste good.  To be clear, I love gingerbread and gingersnaps.  I like spicy strong ginger, the dark molasses, and just the hint of sugar.  I know that gingerbread is not supposed to be sweet like a cake. 


Maybe it was the skim milk.  I did get some molasses.  And a strange, vaguely-cinnamon taste - cinnamon like atomic fireballs.  Not in a good way.  But mostly, the latte tasted like someone had soaked bandaids in it overnight.  I can't describe the taste any other way, except to say "Gross."


I wasn't sure what to expect from Contender #2.  The displays at the Borders Cafe are festive, but there was little to show for what 'sugar and spice' is.  Nutmeg?  Pumpkin pie spice?  Cinnamon?  Though I opted out for the extras, I will say that Borders makes a pretty drink.  Without the cloud of whipped cream, my drink looked like a standard latte.  That changed when I took a sip.


The Sugar and Spice latte has a fairly light aroma that becomes much more pronounced after the first sip.  And it tastes exactly like the name: there's sweetness, maybe like a dark brown sugar, and a lot of the spices I associate with the holiday. Nutmeg. Cloves. Cinnamon.  In fact, it almost reminded me of eggnog, only it wasn't as thick.  The sweetness was definitely not cloying, and it made the drink taste richer -- more so than the average skim latte.


I didn't record the prices this round, but they were comparable - Starbucks and SB/Borders are big chains, and their prices are pretty standard across the city.


When enjoyment is factored in, though, things change.  I had to choke the first half of the Gingerbread latte down.  After that, it became a little easier to drink, but not enjoyable.  In contrast, I really enjoyed the Sugar and Spice latte from Borders.  It was pleasantly sweet, but not too much, and tasted like an indulgence even though it was a slimmed-down version.


So the winner is.... Sugar and Spice Latte from Borders!


Next Week: Seasonal Bagel Death Match.  Without the Death part.

Food versus Food Friday: About

Welcome to a new weekly segment on SwimWriteRun: 

Food versus Food (FvF) Friday!

I know.  You can be excited.  The cheers are nice.  Ok...  Stop clapping now.


Now, I know what you may be thinking.  FvF?  What is that?  Are you confused and trying to do something like Man Versus Food?


Answer: No.  That guy is crazy.  There are lots of foods out there that could beat me.  Maybe.


Instead, I'm going to sample and compare foods from all around my usual stomping grounds (this is mostly Howard County).  I will select two similar items from different places, try each, and blog about them.  I might even declare a winner.


Here are the rules:

• Items must be similar (ie, two salads; two bagels; two chicken sandwiches, etc)
• If substitutions are made, they must be noted
• Food should be reviewed on how it looks, smells, and tastes.
• Prices and serving size should be recorded
• Overall win is based on both tastiness and value

Sadly, there will be no cage match.


If you have any suggestions for contenders, please feel free to leave them in the comments, tweet me, or drop me an email!