Monday, August 24, 2009

Your lucky numbers are...

I've only managed to go into a gas station twice in the last 10 days but I did not eat anything. I was in it for the lotto! The Mega Millions has been ridiculously high and I like to surprise The Greg with a $1 attempt to win our millions. So far, we haven't hit ONE number. But, I did like what I saw at the RaceTrac on Delk Road. First, let me tell anyone who is driving through Atlanta on 75 and is in need of cheap gas, this is your place to stop. It nearly always has the lowest gas prices on 75 (north of the city, or outside the perimeter - OTP - as we say here).

Back to the surprises I found inside. WOW. They had so many sandwiches, salads and other snacks here that I will just have to try. I'm not REALLY excited about buying a refrigerated buffalo chicken finger sandwich for $.99. But, I kinda am. I'll have to throw that thing in the communal microwave in order to try it, but I think I'm up for the challenge. Plus, they had a little fruit and cheese tray for $2.99 and it was next to a small 4-pack of some TINY bottles of wine. I think this is a rather strange location to offer items that would essentially make a perfect offering at a concert at Chastain, but I'm eager to find the occasion that will allow me to give this a try.

Now, if only I could hit the real lotto instead of just the gas station gastronomy jackpot. Hmmm.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Racetrac - South Cobb Drive

My car decided to make me stop at Racetrac this morning when my gas light came on. I normally fill up and go whenever I'm at this Racetrac after I decided, many years ago, that it smelled like a used urinal cake inside the store. But, today, I was inspired to go in and check out their coffee options while my tank was filled. First off, the urinal cake smell was gone. THANK GOD. Moving on to the coffee, I was happy to see that there were MANY options for drip coffee and quite a few varieties of "cappuccinos" available. I also noticed an Ice Coffee machine off to one side. This looked VERY promising.
I decided to give the "Caramel Pecan" cappuccino a try, mostly because those two words easily reveal my non-Southern roots whenever I say them in Georgia. I pressed the button and got about a half-half mixture of liquid and powder. It smelled just like someone has spilled one of those tins of International Coffees into my cup. I swirled the liquid around enough to dissolve the powder and was pretty happy with the taste. WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too sweet to drink a whole cup of the stuff, but it seemed like it would be great mixed with some regular drip coffee. SCORE.
It is worth noting that they offered half & half, whole milk and some flavored liquid creamers at the "fixins" station. Also, there was a lazy susan loaded with various "flavor shots" like French Vanilla and Caramel. Plenty of sugar, sugar alternatives, lids, coffee cup protectors and stirs were also at my disposal. Not a bad deal for $1.09 as opposed to $4 at Starbucks.

Gas Station Banter:
NONE. It's early in the morning. No one is happy to talk to anyone else.

Additional notes:
I successfully steered clear of the breakfast baked goods. Phew. That was a close one.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

An update regarding QT's jalapeno cheddar dog. Apparently, they do still have them at some QTs. I found them over the weekend at QT's 100th store off the South Loop. PHEW! I didn't eat one that day but I was happy to know that those beauties are still available for a future gas station meal. WOOHOO!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Trip #1 - QuikTrip Store #702

Today's menu:
One beef hot dog with yellow mustard and jalapeno relish, one $.99 bag of Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream Ruffles and a 32 oz cup of Diet Dr. Pepper (with a splash of Cherry and Vanilla flavoring – The regular Dr. Pepper was out of service)

Gas Station Banter:
As I prepared my hot dog, a guy walked by me and said, “You’re making that hot dog look so good that I’m going to have to get one. They should pay you for your promotional services.”
Me: “Or give me a free hot dog.”

Additional notes:
I went to the QT because they normally have a jalapeno cheddar dog that I have come to love. However, it seems that these beauties have been replaced with some spicy, RED hot dog that looks like it should come with its own power source in order to achieve that level of ELECTRIC RED. Ew. I was thankful to find and try the jalapeno relish. TASTY. However, the hot dog (which appeared to be the most “done” of all the dogs on the wiener rotisserie) was a bit undercooked for my liking. It was definitely a little too mushy in the center.

Total spent = $2.49