What exactly is the difference between sizzling sweet and sweet? Sizzling sweet sounds kinda nauseating for me, sweet and meat doesn't really jive for me, smokin' sounds ok and mild - well, boring sort of nails it. I think I'd have asked the waitresses for more options.

Well be glad "tangy" wasn't an option.

haha very funny. I think I would have liked just good ole ketchup.

ha....or bitter. 

Ketchup on pizza is disgusting but Ketchup is good on meat, potatoes and grilled veggies; and when I was a kid I loved spaghetti with Ketchup. I have to say though, Americans have some really weird food stuffs anyway and very strange flavours. Cheese whiz, I can't believe its not butter - duh, fatfree yoghurts with about 40gramms sugar or more in them - it would be alot healthier to eat the natural fatamount that milk has, around 3,8% and have no sugar, skimmilk - really... that is very very yucky, and all that strange flavoured coffee not to speak of beer and bread. Why is there no normal dark bread anywhere?!? lol

ha!  You sound like my girls from Bulgaria who never had a chocolate chip cookie.  We've got some good stuff too you know.

and ketchup on spahgetti is as weird as ketchup on pizza in my book. 

heh I know, like sweet beans .. I grew out of that Ketchup Spaghettie thing but when I was a kid I would not have toched spaghetti with meatballs and cheese with a tenfoot pole. choclate chip cookies are awesome, so are brownies and muffins, cinamon rolls and burgers. 

On a different note, people in Germany don't really go out that often to eat like people seem to do in the states. I don't think there is a difference with pubs and bars - except that we have good beer (all brewed in accordance with a law passed in 1516 which states that beer can only have the ingredients of water, malt and hops). Food/Groceries are very cheap in Germany, alot cheaper than in the US where I found some prices to be exorbitant, even for basic food groups like bread and milk. It hardly seemed to make a difference wether you buy the ingredients yourself and cook or wether you go out and eat in a restaurant - where youll have good service, save time and don't have to do the dishes. It is quite common for friends here to cook together instead of going out to eat together, although that happens too, just not as much as in the US.

hey kfc....long time no see...

to answer your question...i'd probably be the sauce that tasted real nice and sweet at first, but then gave you that spicy kick when you weren't expecting it...lol

and on the opening...many eateries (and other businesses) have what they call "soft openings" before a "grand opening." the soft opening allows the employees and management get used to everything, get some experience and work out the kinks before the big advertised "grand opening" when all hell will break loose. 

maybe this is what ya lucked into....it's always pretty cool to get something "in advance" of the masses. 

so maybe you'd be sizzling sweet with a touch of smokin' mixed in?  Hey nice to see you Sean. Where have you been?   You're the first one that really answered the question.  Way to go! 

i've been "in exile" because i refused to back down when some people on here literally made it their business to "s*it" on me @ every opportunity....i.e....some of the right wingers here were very scared of me. 

and actually the only reason i came back is because i'm considering doing some non political writing and i always liked this site. it is an excellent one to "try things out" on. although i like the old joeuser format better. i liked the "newspaper" feel it had vs. the genericness and "dailykos" look this one has. 

back to the sauce....a few years back, my wife and i went to nyc to see "wicked" at the gershwin for our anniversary. (show is one of the best musicals / stage productions i have ever seen and i try to catch a touring co. doing it whenever possible).

but anyway...on the trip we also made reservations to go to bobby flay's (food network, iron chef) "mesa grill" resturaunt. and at his place, i had food that one could literally experience 2, 3, or even 4 different flavors or sensations with each bite. it was amazing. what was more amazing was that not 1 thing on the menu at the time was something that most people would seek out. none of it was very "commercial." everything had something wierd, unfamiliar or something to it that would normally make me, my wife and most people go "ooo, yuck." 

i ended up ordering his salmon dish. and the waitress took the order and informed me that chef flay served his salmon medium rare by default. i kinda "yeah-yeah'd" it at the time. about a minute later, i realized that i had just ordered what was to me, semi-raw fish. not very appetizing to me. 

i called the waitress over and voiced my concerns. she looked me in the eye and asked "do you like salmon?" 

i said "yes, i do." 

she said "i know you don't want to insult chef flay by asking him to overcook his ish, thus ruining it...try it...i believe that if you like salmon, you will find this to be the best salmon dish you ever ate." 

i agreed to go with it. 

and she was 110% dead on accurate. it was medium rare, and it was phenomenal. 

but back to the sauce (i feel like arlo guthrie here)....the biggest impression i came away with was just how complex food taste can be. and ever since then, in my own cooking as well as when we eat out, i always now strive to get those "complex flavors" that can change and develop as you savor it.