The best lemonade I've ever drank

I love lemonade, and I am constantly in search for the best of the best.
When I sat down and thought about where I had tasted the best lemonade ever, I actually couldn't narrow it down to 1. I could narrow it down to 3... and that was after I had to elbow out limeade (otherwise there would've been many more results), since it's technically it's own category all together.

So.... I'm going to do a bad thing here... and do the top 3. Lucky for me, they are all a little different, so if you want you can think of them as 3 different categories of lemonade to make it seem fair, you're more than welcome.

Best Altered Lemonade:

Blackberry Sage Lemonade from the Melting Pot

The first time I tasted this lemonade (skeptically of course), I seriously died and went to heaven. The blend of the sage and blackberry with the citrus kick of lemonade (which was probably very fresh to start out with), was like a perfect dance on my tongue.
It was the first time in a LONG LONG time that I actually downed my entire beverage at a restaurant (usually I take a few long sips, and 1/2 goes to waste). Not only did I down it, I got a refill. And I REALLY REALLY wanted to get a third refill, BUT the kicker is that this lemonade is $6 a glass - for each glass. So I walked out of there having paid $12 for 2 glorious, wonderful, heaven sent glasses of lemonade... and they were worth every penny.
I seriously have daily thoughts of just going back and just ordering lemonade, over and over again. You have to try it.

Best Lemonade with a Kick:

Fresh Limonata from Vinto's

Vinto's is a little modern restaurant located in downtown Salt Lake City. They serve a variety of interesting pizza's, pasta dishes and appetizers. They use a lot of unique cheeses, meats and veggies to deliver foods that you never knew could be that good made up together.
But this is really about their lemonade.

It arrives to you in a little pitcher with a clean glass, to consume at the pace of your liking. At first glance it really doesn't look that special, or any different from any other type of off the shelf lemonade for that matter. But the first taste, it's a shocker.
This lemonade has a slight "fizz" to it, a very slight - yet present - carbonation almost. But it's not quite carbonation, it's not like drinking a lemonade soda. The fizz is just more of a small addition, but it makes a big difference.
The lemonade has been freshly squeezed and homemade, which makes all the difference in the lemonade world. So combine the homemade taste with the slight, but shocking, kick and you have a very very delicious lemonade. One that has won me over.

Best Straight up Lemonade:

Original Lemonade (large size please) from Hot Dog on a Stick

Yes, Hot Dog on a Stick. That's right. Those ladies dressed up in the stripes who you see pumping the lemonade in those big barrels are making some of the best lemonade ever.
My obsession with this lemonade goes way back to when I was a kid (and also obsessed with lemonade. Some things never change). I was always so excited to go to this fast food stop because I knew when I ordered lemonade I wouldn't be getting the minute maid fountain drink or the country time powder mix, or *heaven forbid* the SUGAR-FREE lemonade. Yikes.
I knew it was fresh made, I knew it was pulpy and I knew it was so addicitingly delicious. I always order the large, always have. And I've always been able to consume the entire thing all to myself, over a very short matter of time.
I would be lying if I told you that this Lemonade, ALTHOUGH THE BEST, is perfect all by it's lonesome.
It's really SOOOOOOO much better when you eat it with a cheese stick from Hot Dog on a Stick too. Or a couple.
That deep fried melted cheesy goodness followed by a refreshing splash of fresh squeezed lemonade goodness is a happy place for me. If I had tinker bell dust and was thinking of eating these together, I would most definitely fly.

The Best Cheesecake I Ever Ate

I can't help but think this is wrong.  All wrong.  Surely there is a better cheesecake out there.  Maybe I just haven't found it yet.  Maybe I need to go try all of the cheesecakes at the Cheesecake Factory, not just one or two..  I haven't tried all of their varieties yet.  So far, none have impressed me like our winner today.

So... with out further delay and procrastination... I do declare that the best cheesecake I ever ate is that found and sold and your local Costco.  Did I say Costco?  Yes... I said Costco.  This is why it seems so strange.  I never thought I'd mention Costco in this blog, but there I've done it four times.

There is something about their cheesecake.  Simple, yet perfectly balanced richness with a decadent taste that draws you back for more.  Yum.  AND... it's HUGE!  So there's always seconds.  :-)

I'm not a big fan of cheesecake but Costco may make a believer out of me yet!  Eh, I said the "C" word again.

So, next time you're at your neighborhood Costco, don't pass up this rich opportunity!

The Best Buffalo Wings

Logan, Utah may not of had much but it did have a Wingers Bar & Grill restaurant. It is at this aptly named western U.S. restaurant chain where you will find the best buffalo wings you will ever eat!

Why, you ask... are these the best? What is so special about them? I think again it's in the sauce: Winger's Original Amazing Sauce.

A sauce truly amazing. Sweet and tangy yet it still probably put a few holes in my stomach. Well worth it.

So... Where did this Original Azimg Sauce come from?

"If this question has kept you up at night, maybe the following will put you to sleep - so to speak.

In 1954, Professor M.A. Zing began a lifelong quest to create the sticky stuff used to hold together sticky pads. After years of failure, he accidentally dropped a chicken wing he planned on eating for lunch into his latest experiment batch. Being a frugal man, Professor Zing decided to eat the wing anyway.

To his amazement, it tasted amazingly great! The sauce was a unique blend of sweet and tangy and was stunningly flavorful; it had a kick but wasn't tongue numbing. Sure, this sauce wouldn't stick sticky pads together, but it would stick to you ribs and tickle your tonsils. The world of wings would never be the same.

Still, experts would justifiably dispute the origin of the sauce's current name. Some think that Professor M.A. Zing's first words upon tasting the sauce were, "Freakin' amazing!" Others, however, claim that he said something similar at the moment of discovery, but later changed the exact wording.

At Winger’s Bar and Grill®, we went with Professor Zing's idea for the name - "Freakin' Amazing Sauce" - until just recently, when it became apparent the good professor was acting more in anger and pain than marketing sense. So, once we sent Zing to a shrink, we shortened the sauce name to the more reasonable "Original Amazing Sauce." (Winger’s Bar and Grill® is nothing if not a family-oriented operation.) That seemed to catch on. Leading us to apply the Original Amazing Sauce and its Creamy Amazing Dressing spin-off to all sorts of ribs, burgers and sandwiches.

Freakin' Hallelujah!"

- Wingers.info

The Best Pizza

The best pizza I ever ate was at the California Pizza Kitchen. It is not a pizza in the traditional greasy, cheesy, mariana sauced pizza. No, this is a combination of two of my favorite things.....a BLT pizza! I love the warm wheat crust, the perfect layer of cheese, the flavor from the wood pizza oven and the sublime taste of apple wood smoked bacon. Top this off with lettuce tossed in the best mayo and some tomatoes....and you have the best pizza I ever ate! If you love BLT's, you have to give this a try! If you want a new twist on traditional pizza, try this you won't be disappointed, If fact if your like me, you will be addicted! Mmmmmm, BLT pizza....I want one to eat right now!

The Best Fish Taco

Ever been to the small restaurant chain called Rubios? If you haven't, you definitely have to check it out. Best fish taco I have ever had.

"Crispy beer-battered fish, shredded cabbage, mild salsa and our tangy white sauce. Served on your choice of a soft corn or thick flour tortilla, garnished with a slice of lime."

You ask me, it's the tangy white sauce. Yum!

As the story goes, it's an authentic Baja fish taco:

"Every spring, Ralph and his buddies would head to the Baja village of San Felipe, where you could camp on the beach for free, catch some rays, and forget about studying. One night, a hungry Ralph spotted a taco shop with an unusual specialty advertised in the window: fish tacos. He ordered one, took a few bites, and was hooked.

Over time Ralph became pals with Carlos, the man behind the counter. Carlos showed Ralph how his fish tacos were made. Ralph went back to San Diego and perfected a recipe of his own.

Several years later, with his father Ray as his partner, he opened his first restaurant - a walk-up stand in Mission Bay. Since that day back in 1983, Ralph, with the help of a lot of great people, has sold more than 50 million fish tacos."

To learn more about Rubio's and their world famous baja-style fish taco, check out their website at www.rubios.com.