The failure in pictures:

Six eggs for six unlucky muffins to-be

Into the first layer of batter they go!

Something looks funny about the one at 10 o'clock...Did it work?

Cadbury-muffin meltdown

Don’t get any ideas to bake with the big Cadbury eggs. They should be eaten alone, preferably in two bites.

Valid 2/24/10-3/2/10!

If you live in Los Angeles, you can find Tina’s Burritos (based in nearby Industry, CA) at dirt cheap prices this week. At least four stores in the LA/Inglewood/Long Beach area are selling the frozen food for $0.20 each. Compare to Ralph’s which is currently offering only 3 burritos for $1. The trade-off is that the reduced-price stores are small operations that may or may not be as clean or fresh as a national chain. When you think about it, what’s the big deal about saving $0.13 for a frozen burrito? You have to buy eight of them (a disgusting amount of meat/bean puree) to save a dollar. Gross.

New, but not worth eating

Service. The staff at a recent food establishment will do anything it takes to attract and retain customers. Hopefully the courtesy remains throughout the life of the business, however. These days, with Yelp in the playing field, it probably will.

• Discounts. Often, new food shops offer grand opening discounts or discounts for mentioning a certain website.  Others give discounts for completing a survey.
• Attention to detail. Food is not recklessly prepared.
• Recent training. All actions are “by the book” and very sharp.
• Possible service delays or low inventory. Despite market surveys and results from other locations, no restaurant can predict the exact demand for certain items. Additionally, the service structure takes time to tweak.

Final tip: Assuming the food is good, go early and go often so the staff learns your name and tastes.

Click to enlarge. Quotes from search.twitter.com and thedrunkpirate.com

Max Vibe is the current leader in the race for most alcoholic drink by volume. Think of it this way: a 24oz. can of Max Vibe is the alcoholic equivalent of 4 cans of beer. Plus, it has caffeine. The fruity beverage was released in Summer2009 and still remains somewhat elusive – the official website as promised on the can (drinkmax.com) is still parked courtesy of GoDaddy. Not a good sign.

Still, user feedback can be found via Google, and it is promising. Nearly everyone who allowed Max Vibe’s nectar into their veins speaks favorably of the experience. Apart from a few that question the flavor of the beverage, the reviews (containing vivid language) are glowing. Many alcohol drinkers look for something that will get them drunk quickly and on a budget. Max Vibe seems to deliver. The brave souls – from Alaska to the rest of the continental U.S. – who dared to imbibe on the 12% ABV successfully became intoxicated. Some questioned the effect of both caffeine and alcohol on their body. Others questioned if the drink contained crystal meth. A handful found themselves in risqué situations with women. If you are fortunate enough to find Max Vibe buy one and share it with a friend.

Mr. Hill, there’s something wrong with Scooter…

Minute Maid’s second installment of the ‘Oops! Someone Forgot to Boost’ campaign is even more entertaining than the first commercial (a humorous exchange between father and teacher). Now, we have a classroom full of children with a class pet in need of some help. After a boost from Minute Maid Enhanced the teacher saves the day.

The new strawberry kiwi flavor is here to stay, and joins Pomegranate Tea and Pomegranate Lemonade. No need to keep the receipt for this one.

Kombucha: A fungus spawned in the pits of hell, and possessing a smell that would make the poopsmith vomit.

After a weekong battle with sausage, spicy Thai boat noodles, and sushi, I sought GI refuge with a bottle of $3.69 GT’s Raw Organic Kombucha. For the price I expected a powerful elixir that would set the body straight within 24 hours. Instead, I found more of a fruity-fizzy-vinegar drink that was more of a placebo than anything.

The beverage {multipleinfusions.com}

Water probably would have made me feel just as fine. Also, I can’t say the Indian folk music played during the brewing process made any difference in the drink’s healing properties. Good luck to Coca-Cola, who plans on entering the Kombucha marketplace next year. Until then, you can find Kombucha at Whole Foods.

No 'Three Cheese' here, just Original {deviantart}

Kurt Cobain, Macauley Culkin in Home Alone, and Barenaked Ladies in “If I Had $1,000,000″ all love Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. A man in Kingston, Ontario was reputed to eat three boxes a day (as of 1996). Had the three cheese variety existed at the time (it wasn’t around until the late 90’s at best) this motley crew would’ve certainly eaten the most wonderful Kraft Dinner at least once a week. No one knows for sure what trifecta of cheeses goes into the blue box, but it’s safe to say they are pretty special. Unfortunately, some of us can hardly remember the taste of Kraft’s Three Cheese Macaroni & Cheese – at least a handful of supermarkets in the Los Angeles area have not sold the product in at at least a month. Pavilion’s, Ralph’s, and Gelson’s (yes, all apostrophe stores) carry Original, the cartoon shapes, Deluxe, Creamy, Spiral, and Organic, but Three Cheese is nowhere to be found. Time to buy it on Amazon. $27 for a 24-pack with free shipping is a great deal. Good to know it’s not sold out everywhere.