Two guys walk into a bar and can't decide what to drink. No, it's not the start of a joke; they just don't know what to have. One is a wine lover, and can't decide if he wants a Malbec or a cab, a pinot or a Syrah. The other is a beer aficionado, and is torn between an IPA, a stout and a pilsner. Luckily they don't have to decide, because each can order a flight.
A flight is an assortment of the available choices. Sometimes organized around a theme or a taste, they are generally smaller samples of the current options. The price is usually more than a single drink but less than the multiple you order, making them a good way to try out the offerings without breaking the bank. You pick the ones that interest you, and the barkeep sets them out in small glasses for you to enjoy.
It's a concept that could be applied to other courses besides drinks. After all, there are often multiple things on a menu that look good, and it's hard to decide. It would be great to be able to order few bites of the grilled octopus, some hanger steak and a half a piece of the house sausage. But no can do. Spanish Tapas or Kaiten Sushi are kind of the same idea, but with a flight you know what you are getting going in, as opposed to adding up 37 plates at the end and wondering why you feel so full.
When eating out with friends we often try and create our own flights. With appetizers we order multiple dishes and share them around the table. If it's Thai it might be lettuce wraps and dumplings, if Italian maybe fried calamari and some meatballs. Everybody gets a bite or two of everything, enabling us to taste it all and not fill up before dinner. Certain cuisines lend themselves to the same concept for the main course as well. Chinese food is particularly adaptable: get an order of lo mein, one of chicken and peanuts, another of dry sautéed beef, and pass them all around. Everybody gets to try everything, take seconds (or thirds) of what they really like, and walk away happy. It's the same story for desserts: a piece of cake, a plate of the fruit cobbler and multiple forks, and all get a sample. When we have dinner this way, there are rarely leftovers.
But this only works when the number of eaters is more than one. As a person who often dines alone when on business, I can't tell you the number of times I am torn as to what to order, and have to settle for one thing when another looks equally appealing. With no other person with whom to go halfsies, I go back to my hotel wondering if I should had picked that other thing that looked so good. Order-ers remorse, call it.
In that light it seems that Dairy Queen has my number. They've just announced their summer flavor line up, and among other goodies it has 3 new varieties of Blizzards, their signature blend of ice cream and other stuff. These include Caramel Cannonball, featuring caramel coated truffles, crunchy toffee pieces and caramel topping; Cookie Jar, with cookie pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge; and Brownie Dough, with brownie dough pieces, choco chunks and cocoa fudge. As a person with a serious sugar jones, making me pick just one is a Sophie's Choice situation.
But for the month of May, the chain is offering a Flight of Blizzards. Customers can pick three to sample, selecting from the aforementioned new flavors as well as returning blends like S'mores, Cotton Candy and Summer Berry Cheesecake. Each flight serves up the chosen flavors in mini cups on a cardboard tray, enabling even solo diners to graze and sample to their belly's content.
If your pallet is sophisticated, go and order a flight of wines. Savor the differences between cabernets from Dominus, Justin and Ramey. Meanwhile I will be in line at DQ, also tasting hints of chocolate, touches of caramel and top notes of berry. However I'll be dealing not in sips but in scoops. And mine comes with a cherry on top.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford could eat ice cream every night, but he doesn't. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
A flight is an assortment of the available choices. Sometimes organized around a theme or a taste, they are generally smaller samples of the current options. The price is usually more than a single drink but less than the multiple you order, making them a good way to try out the offerings without breaking the bank. You pick the ones that interest you, and the barkeep sets them out in small glasses for you to enjoy.
It's a concept that could be applied to other courses besides drinks. After all, there are often multiple things on a menu that look good, and it's hard to decide. It would be great to be able to order few bites of the grilled octopus, some hanger steak and a half a piece of the house sausage. But no can do. Spanish Tapas or Kaiten Sushi are kind of the same idea, but with a flight you know what you are getting going in, as opposed to adding up 37 plates at the end and wondering why you feel so full.
When eating out with friends we often try and create our own flights. With appetizers we order multiple dishes and share them around the table. If it's Thai it might be lettuce wraps and dumplings, if Italian maybe fried calamari and some meatballs. Everybody gets a bite or two of everything, enabling us to taste it all and not fill up before dinner. Certain cuisines lend themselves to the same concept for the main course as well. Chinese food is particularly adaptable: get an order of lo mein, one of chicken and peanuts, another of dry sautéed beef, and pass them all around. Everybody gets to try everything, take seconds (or thirds) of what they really like, and walk away happy. It's the same story for desserts: a piece of cake, a plate of the fruit cobbler and multiple forks, and all get a sample. When we have dinner this way, there are rarely leftovers.
But this only works when the number of eaters is more than one. As a person who often dines alone when on business, I can't tell you the number of times I am torn as to what to order, and have to settle for one thing when another looks equally appealing. With no other person with whom to go halfsies, I go back to my hotel wondering if I should had picked that other thing that looked so good. Order-ers remorse, call it.
In that light it seems that Dairy Queen has my number. They've just announced their summer flavor line up, and among other goodies it has 3 new varieties of Blizzards, their signature blend of ice cream and other stuff. These include Caramel Cannonball, featuring caramel coated truffles, crunchy toffee pieces and caramel topping; Cookie Jar, with cookie pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge; and Brownie Dough, with brownie dough pieces, choco chunks and cocoa fudge. As a person with a serious sugar jones, making me pick just one is a Sophie's Choice situation.
But for the month of May, the chain is offering a Flight of Blizzards. Customers can pick three to sample, selecting from the aforementioned new flavors as well as returning blends like S'mores, Cotton Candy and Summer Berry Cheesecake. Each flight serves up the chosen flavors in mini cups on a cardboard tray, enabling even solo diners to graze and sample to their belly's content.
If your pallet is sophisticated, go and order a flight of wines. Savor the differences between cabernets from Dominus, Justin and Ramey. Meanwhile I will be in line at DQ, also tasting hints of chocolate, touches of caramel and top notes of berry. However I'll be dealing not in sips but in scoops. And mine comes with a cherry on top.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford could eat ice cream every night, but he doesn't. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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