Kenny & Ziggy's Deli

So today was a day of firsts - first day of school, first day of my new HMC work schedule, and the first day of Onion Ring Monday. That's right, with our school schedules in full mode, F and I are only working together on Mondays and Fridays. So Onion Ring Thursday is now Onion Ring Monday. Can you think of a better way to start the week? Neither can I.

So today we decided we could do one of 2 things: go to Popeye's (suggested by our office mate J) or get sandwiches and ORings to-go from K&Z's. We decided to do the latter. (We'll do Popeye's soon, J!)

But before I go into today's adventure, this needs a background story. Get ready, it's a doozy.

So one of my first weeks into my MBA program, I was sitting in my seat waiting for class to start, minding my own business, when some random guy decided to include me in his conversation. Um...do I know you? But it's always nice to make new friends (as Giselle reminded me this weekend when I watched Enchanted for the umpteenth time), so I decided I'd humor him.

Little did I know that this random guy would become a lifesaver. I'm serious, if I hadn't met K, I don't think I could have made it through my finance classes. Our Saturday mornings were marked by having study dates at Panera Bread (I was usually still wearing my pj's), and K explaining finance concepts to me over and over and over again. Sometimes I got it, sometimes I...didn't. But he would patiently explain things to me.

Well this past spring semester, I learned he was going to Brazil for work. For 3-6 months. Um, excuse me? Who said that K, my study buddy, could just be relocated without my permission? No bueno. So a week or so after our last finance final, he jetted off to the Southern Hemisphere.

This has a point, I promise.

Back in June...July?...one of those summer months...he had to come back to H-Town to check back in with HQ. By now, he knew all about my Onion Ring adventures. So we decide to have lunch at Kenny & Ziggy's. Apparently this deli is a big hit in the Jewish community. And the Houston community. And it was on Triple D. So I mean, if Guy Fieri went there, it has to be good. I'm in. K also made it a point to order ORings. Yessssss! Let me just say that these were amazing and I knew I had to bring F here eventually. Unfortunately, I couldn't post this adventure in this blog because it wasn't with F. K was sad (sorry!). But that all changed today.

So F and I decide to place a to-go order at K&Z for their amazing onion rings. We then head to get sandwiches. Now most of the time, I'm down for my $5 foot long. But today, I needed heat - heat that comes in the form of hot peppers. And that led us to Potbelly. Mmmm, Potbelly. The office regularly orders Potbelly sandwiches with the Committee Memebers come for lunch meetings because it's quick and easy. Luckily for me, there are usually leftovers in the fridge the next day, which is a great surprise when I forgot to eat breakfast before coming in to work. :-)

So armed with our rings and sandwiches, we head to my place to chow down. And we bit into the onion rings...

If you like breaded onion rings like Red Robin, you will like K&Z. It has an extra crunch that you just can't get from battered onion rings. Sorry, Pete's, but these were really good. They were fried to perfection, and the onion itself was sweet and delicious. Honestly, they're much better when they're fresh and you eat them in the deli itself, but this experience wasn't so bad. I mean, they were still really tasty. And F liked the crunch. Yes, this mission was a success.

While we were eating, we also decided we needed to come up with some standards to judge these rings. I mean, I try to explain them as best as I can, but sometimes I wonder if the point gets through. What do you think, loyal reader(s)? What would you like to see in the descriptions of the Onion Rings?

So...

Verdict: Yum. Enough said.

When we drove back to the office, the only parking spot left was one where a huge SUV was parked on the line. So I had to squeeze in YET AGAIN. Seriously, people, learn how to park.

Yes, that about sums up today's adventure. If you have a favorite onion ring spot you'd like us to try, leave us a comment! We will go to every suggested place (seriously, we have an ongoing list!), and we love comments. *hint, hint*