It is no longer uncharacteristic to Foodbeast any place, any time. Attempting to keep this idea ringing true, when the Pomona leg of the now infamous Vans Warped Tour came around, Justin [Bazant], Andrew and I were quick to fill our stomachs and get a whiff of good music as well! Finding its beginnings in 1994, the Vans Warped Tour has grown to become one of North America’s premiere touring music and extreme sports festival.

Andrew’s Cajun Turkey Sausage.

My smoked turkey pulled sandwich.

Bazant’s tri-tip pulled sandwich.

Dirty and tired, but well fed.

Courtesy of Seattle Times and The News Tribune

The Washington Lottery has pulled a series of lottery tickets themed around popular candies such as Jolly Rancher, Resse’s Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers, and Milk Duds. The tickets had been in stores since March, but after receiving a complaint that the tickets could appeal to children, Governor Chris Gregoire’s office asked the Washington Lottery to pull the tickets off shelves. All winning tickets already purchased will still be honored.

According to the Washington Lottery, the tickets were selling below average and were likely be pulled soon anyway, but the company wanted to make it clear that they strictly develop games for an adult audience and are in no way attempting to market to minors. If I were 13 with some extra cash in my pocket, those tickets would have my name all over them. Extra money for Otter Pops and Pokemon cards? Count me in! Kudos to the Washington Lottery and the Governor’s Office for sorting it all out.

uWink, an innovative interactive dining experience that combines digital gaming and American comfort food done with a modern twist, has opened their second location in Hollywood, California. Grand opening weekend is Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29.

At uWink, guests can order all their food and drink from digital touch screens. With this groundbreaking ordering scheme, customers can fully customize their choices, which vary from the classic (BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger) to the much more contemporary (Braised Short Ribs), directly from the console on their dining table. No more confusing moments when ordering your trusty half-lemonade half-Diet Coke without ice. No need to feel sissy ordering your salad with “dressing on the side” fellas. uWink’s got it all figured out.

At each table’s digital console, diners can engage in a multitude of word, memory, and trivia games, such as Truth or Dare. Guests can also compete individually or in teams with other diners all around the restaurant, contributing to an exciting and lively atmosphere. New to the Hollywood location are the iBar, a 12 foot long fully interactive touch screen bar, and cell phone integration during gaming, where guests can use their cell phone as a game controller to compete against others in the restaurant.

For more information about this unique interactive dining concept, visit www.uWink.com.

Would you pay $20 for a hamburger? How about $200 ? Fast food giant Burger King is hoping that you will consider it, in the name of charity of course. The world’s most expensive hamburger, simply dubbed “The Burger,” made its debut last week in West London, and all proceeds from the sales will benefit the Help a London Child charity, which provides assistance to less advantaged young people. The burger is made of Wagyu beef, white truffles, Pata Negra ham slices, Cristal onion straws, Modena balsamic vinegar, lambs lettuce, pink Himalayan rock salt, organic white wine and shallot infused mayonnaise in an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun. Check out this ABC news report on this decadent burger:

Doesn’t everything sound cooler in an English accent?

Behold. This is Baconhenge, a culinary tribute to Stonehenge, the famed, prehistoric monument. Looking at it is either making you feel awfully hungry or just plain awful. That depends on how much you enjoy saturated fat. The breakfast shrine, constructed from french toast sticks and bacon, rests atop an onion, mushroom and potato frittata. Thanks to Carol Squires for the photo! Also, if you’re skilled with bamboo skewers and can find a willing assistant, check out The Anticraft for a step-by-step guide on how to to engineer your own Baconhenge.

If this blistering heat wave hasn’t tipped you off already, let me tell you that the summer season is in full swing. A timeless remedy to beat the heat is ice cream. Just imagine, you walk into your neighborhood parlor on a particularly blistering afternoon. You order a double scoop, grab a spoon, and start digging in. As the first bite instantly cools your palate, you taste a little bit of ice, a little bit of cream, and a big chunk of crustacean? Say what?

No, that isn’t a typo. Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium serves lobster ice cream. According to their website, they “buy cooked lobsters from a local lobster pound, pick the meat, butter it, and then fold it into the ice cream.” The sweet shop has four locations in Maine and Massachusetts, and the butter flavored ice cream is one of their most popular items for shipping. The unique flavor was created to prove to customers that Ben and Bill’s really makes their own ice cream. Order some by clicking here.

The dawn of summer usually brings about the arrival of various graduation parties. In fact, for some particular reason this year, I felt like a Graduation Party Crasher…and with so many different varieties of people closing chapters of their educational lives and moving on to better things, I decided to document one of the experiences. Let’s hop in the time machine and visit another one of our Foodbeast family (literally, this guy is my younger brother) as he moves on from the hype that is “highschool”.

Salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, seasoned and topped with nuts (of course, no tomatoes!)

Doing it right with the falafel (fried balls of spiced fava beans).

The guts of the spinach pie (also pictured above).

Cheese pie, done up with a little seasoning and opened for easy access.

Hummus…no middle eastern celebration is proper without it.

Roasted chicken, food porn at its finest. Served with a little garlic sauce….GAH DAMN.

Take some of those purple pickled beets, put them on an open pita with some garlic sauce, chicken, some greens and fold that bad boy into a burrito-esque sandwich…and go find another change of underwear.

The grad, Andrew, flashin’ the pearly yellows with the pretty mother, Lina “You Didn’t Eat Enough, Let Me Get You Some More” Ayrouth. Everyone out there that is now a proud member of the class of 2008, whether it be College, University, High school or even Kindergarten …from the Foodbeast crew, best of luck and congratulations on your graduation!

Working as a Foodbeast editor is fun. Unfortunately, with so many awesome places to eat in the world and so many amazing delicacies, it’s often hard to keep off the extra pounds. I used to be all about Hot Pockets, but lately I’ve been catching these amazing spin-offs called “Lean Pockets” for cheap at my local Ralph’s grocery store. With 7 grams of fat and upwards of 15 grams of protein per pocket, it’s definitely perfect for my mission to one day be the body building champ of the world (psyche!).

Boasting that their 6 Dollar Burgers are comparable, if not better than similar burgers found at sit-down restaurants across the country, fast food giant Carl’s Jr. has found favorable praise amongst their high end burger line. Recently rolling out with their “Prime Rib” color way of their popular sandwich, things are bound to get even more hectic at Carl’s joints across the nation. Make sure to head over to their official website to check out more of their campaign and of course, get a 1 dollar off coupon for your next meal!

Today, film meets chocolate for one of the most epic collaborations of the summer. Coinciding with the upcoming release of the motion picture, “The Dark Night”, Reese’s presents the world with a series of uniquely adapted chocolates for a limited time only! Alongside the chocolates themselves will be a contest with a slew of interesting prizes (including a tricked out Batman inspired bicycle!). Don’t sleep on this collaboration! (Thx.: Junk Food News)