Red Velvet Milk Is Liquefied Lusciousness

Red Velvet Cake Milk - Upstate Farms

No, you aren’t imagining things, Red Velvet Cake Milk by Upstate Farms is indeed a real product. Ever since the Red Velvet trend in cupcakes and birthday cakes started to take the dessert world by storm, companies have tried to weasel the red velvet flavor into everything edible.

To the shock of many, Red Velvet cake doesn’t entice me in any way. What is the appeal of this trendy flavor? Perhaps it’s the visual attraction to its deep red color. One thing is for sure, it’s usually women who have red velvet obsessions. Whatever it is about red velvet, I never thought it would be liquefied and made into a dessert dairy product.

As a skim milk guy, I feel like I’m being super indulgent whenever I drink whole milk. Since this is definitely not a low fat milk, I drank only half the bottle and then saved the other half for the next morning. But it wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy it, quite the opposite actually. The milk was full of flavor, sweet but not sickeningly sweet, and I’d opt for this rather than consuming an actual slice of red velvet cake or a cupcake. I prefer all of my food in liquid form because I’m sort of lazy it makes the whole eating process easier and with less preparation.

The milk’s consistency is mucilaginous, almost like a thick paint for the walls of your newborn girl’s bedroom. It would be weird if red velvet milk tasted like red water, so the thickness made it more of a dessert, especially ice cold. Don’t get freaked out, it will make your spit turn red so you’ll think your mouth is bleeding afterward.

The label on the bottle boasts that it’s ORIGINAL which I found odd because it’s not the like the dairy section is besieged by red velvet cake flavored milk. I must hand it to Upstate Farms and their knack for converting desserts into milk. If you’re not into drinking cake from a bottle but you’re more of a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream person, you may want to check out The Sexy Armpit’s review of Upstate Farms Mint Chip and Orange Scream Milk.

Lipstick and Cigarettes at The Crossroads in Garwood NJ

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXcEkm1aCwA?rel=0]

On Saturday night February 18th, The Sexy Armpit along with our featured writer Nick “NJ” Holden inhaled some delicious pop rock that was coated in a sweet new wave glaze and dusted with crunchy grooves. Sound good? Well, I’m lying. Dessert wasn’t a priority for us at The Crossroads in Garwood that night, it was actually Lipstick and Cigarettes, the new wave inspired pop rock band.

Surprisingly, out of all the music venues I’ve been to throughout NJ, this was my first time at The Crossroads. I discovered that they serve a TALL, ice cold, Red Bull and vodka. If you’re like me and get tired when you stay up passed 10pm, that’s the drink for you. “It’s 10 pm, do you know where your children are?” MY MOM: “Why yes I do, my son The Sexy Armpit is at The Crossroads in Garwood passed out at a table but not from alcohol, it’s just because he gets sleepy.” Once the band hit the stage at around 10:45, I no longer needed the liquid crack because tunes like “White Tie Affair,”and “Automatic” energized the heck out of me and so did their shout out to The Sexy Armpit! Thanks guys!

This was the band’s last show of the winter and I’m glad I got to check them out once again. Clad in an outfit straight out of GQ, frontman Chris Orsi’s lively mood was contagious. Erik’s drum beats kept me well stimulated. Also elevating the crowd was bassist Sara who was having a blast on stage and could not stop smiling in between songs. Maybe it’s because of the rumors I’ve heard about a keytar being incorporated into their repertoire very soon? Hopefully one day we’ll see Lipstick and Cigarettes “play the keytar on the MTV!”

@LipsNCigs on Twitter or Like them on Facebook
Also check out iTunes to download Lipstick and Cigarettes brand new EP!

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.52: Grammy’s Top 10

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I’d rather watch someone scrape paint off a garage door than watch The Grammy Awards. Every year they are a complete waste of time. I’m usually against the idea of award shows and I tend to trash all of them, but I actually did enjoy the last American Music Awards. They kept it fresh and attempted to make it entertaining. My problem is that I left my musical taste back in 1988. The Grammy’s lost me at Lady Antebellum. Eminem doesn’t impress me and neither does Rhianna. The Arcade Fire confounded me when they were musical guests on SNL. I’m not going to become a fan of a band just because it gives me street cred or because that’s what the hipsters are doing. Does the fact that I’ve never even heard of Mumford and Sons mean I’ve been living under a rock? Not to sound old, but when I was young if a band named themselves Mumford and Sons they better be a magical troupe of Muppets otherwise they would be made fun of mercilessly.

Fortunately, the producers of The Grammys were wise enough to ask David Letterman to provide one of his classic Top 10 lists for the broadcast. Those few minutes listening to Dave rattle off one liners was the most entertaining part of the show. The number 7 joke even made reference to Trenton, NJ, and even though it wasn’t as funny as some of the other entries it was still cool.

TNA Wrestling Comes Back to Rahway NJ!

TNA Rahway NJ

Whether you are a hardcore McMahon disciple or you’re strictly into ROH and other indy organizations, the fact is that TNA Wrestling puts one hell of an awesome house show. Presently, the Nashville TN based wrestling organization has their show on the road and will be hauling it up to The Rahway Recreational Center in New Jersey on March 12th. The last time TNA came to The Rahway Rec Center in September, the air conditioning wasn’t working and the place was like a sauna. Words can’t describe to you the melange of smells wafting around that gym. I temporarily changed my name to The Sweaty Armpit that night.

Luckily they weren’t lying and the show they put on actually was full of non-stop action. If TNA could only capture that excitement and put it on TV, they would probably see a ratings boost. It reminded me of the old days of ECW, it was simple, no ridiculous pyro or lasers, just wrestling! Perhaps the reason why the Rahway TNA shows are successful has something to do with their association with the local Jersey All Pro Wrestling organization.

The best part about a TNA house show is that they actually follow the story lines and occasionally you’ll witness a title exchange. At the last show Elizabeth NJ’s Jay Lethal won back the X-Division title from Amazing Red in front of his hometown crowd! As Gorilla Monsoon used to say, the place went bananas! Mick Foley also showed up and ignited the crowd upon dropping some trivia that Randy “The Ram” Robinson from The Wrestler was from Rahway just before he confronted the team of The Shore (Robbie E. and Cookie). Unlike at WWE shows, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try and get autographs and maybe a picture with your favorite TNA star. And don’t be concerned about ticket prices either; starting at $23 bucks, they are very reasonable. It definitely beats listening to Michael Cole and watching The Miz.

Gotham City, NJ?

Gotham City New Jersey

In the 1966 Batman TV series, the Batmobile zooms passed a sign that that says “Gotham City 14 Miles.” As it turns out for us here in New Jersey, that old sign wasn’t lying after all! In this post I will prove that for some outrageous reason, Gotham City is in fact in…(gasp!)… New Jersey!

For the non-fanboys reading this, I can see why you are in disbelief. It’s always assumed that Batman fought crime in a city created in the image New York City, and there’s surely enough evidence of it. But for the writers of DC Comics, having New York City exist in their universe as a separate entity is important. So, at least geographically, Gotham City exists in New Jersey. Although, since we already have The Toxic Avenger, is there enough room for an even more legendary super hero in New Jersey?

Gotham City NJ Drivers License

There’s lots of people out there who will think the idea of Gotham City being in Jersey is utter garbage (pun intended), but aside from the fact that it doesn’t have as many skyscrapers as New York City, nowadays Jersey may be even seedier than Manhattan. Let’s go down the checklist: Corruption, CHECK, Crime, CHECK, Gambling, CHECK, Prostitution, CHECK, murderous villain dressed in clown makeup, well…not necessarily, but I’m sure that can be arranged.

While many of you are flying into a fit of rage, internalizing your anger, and pacing around your home or office upon reading this, we here in New Jersey are rejoicing. A small bit of unimportant DC comics trivia it may seem, but The Sexy Armpit refuses to discard it. To many bat-fans in the most densely populated state in the country, the whereabouts of Gotham City is of prime importance. No matter if you grew up in Bloomfield or Barnegat, any Batman adventure that you acted out as a kid has just skyrocketed in credibility. Batman is our hometown hero!

With sections known as The Bowery, Chelsea, Chinatown, and the East River, it’s painfully obvious that Gotham City wants desperately to be New York City, but New York City will remain its own island. New York already has our football team and gets made fun of a lot less than us so I’d say giving us Gotham City is a more than generous trade.

For more on Gotham City, New Jersey check out these links:

Gotham City on The DC Database

DC Animated Wiki “…in DC Comics current continuity, Gotham City is in New Jersey, north of Atlantic City.”

Washington Township’s B.J Raji #90

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I’m about as interested in watching Super Bowl XLV as much as I’d be interested in taking my college Algebra course over again. But, like many fans whose team did not make it to The Big Game, I’m pumped to watch the commercials and I’ll also be looking for #90 on the field.

Even though the Green Bay Packers are possibly my least favorite team in the league, I have been following the career of their nose tackle out of Boston College. Touted as “The Freezer,” B.J Raji is this generations answer to “The Refrigerator” William Perry. Standing at 6-2 and weighing in at 337 lbs he’s no joke considering that his mobility and awareness sets him apart from many other giants in the NFL. In this seasons playoffs, Raji surprised the crowd at Soldier Field when he had the play of the game running in an 18 yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears.

Raji’s bio on The Green Bay Packers official site offers a look into his high school and college accomplishments as well as his stats in the NFL. His football career began in Westwood Regional High School in Westwood NJ, where he was all state all North Jersey and an all county honoree as he racked up 75  tackles and 7 1/2 sacks. Raji also played varsity basketball his freshman and sophomore year and was selected to play in the Governor’s Bowl, a game pitting the top senior players from New Jersey against those from New York. Along with his affinity for video games and movies, his bio also mentions that he coached youth football and basketball in New Jersey.

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 72: Garden SK8

Garden SK8 T-Shirt
Today’s shirt comes from Skate Rags Online 
(Thanks to Adam J. Dabonka for the heads up!)

The front of the tee features the outline of New Jersey looking like the underside of a skateboard. It was designed by graffiti artists Snow and Dr. Crab. The stores description of the T-shirt is also cool:

“This t-shirt pays tribute to not only NJ and its millions of skateboarders state-wide, but to anyone who has sat for hours in traffic on the NJ Turnpike going to the beach on a July afternoon. From Hoboken, Newark, Red Bank, Sayreville, Hackettstown, all the way down to Wildwood and Cape May. Love it, Hate it…and usually a little bit of both…it’s NJ!”

I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but Skateboarding still enjoys a huge following in New Jersey. We are lucky to have a bunch of well designed skate parks throughout the Garden State that kids and adults flock to. Friends of Miss Sexy Armpit even built a half pipe in their backyard for their son to skate on. Damn, I wish my parents built me a wrestling ring in the yard, I’d probably be a mid-carder by now! When I was a kid (In the ’80s, I know, I’m ancient) skate culture was booming with Tony Hawk, Vision, and Powell-Peralta but even with that huge success it wasn’t as mainstream as it is today. Now you can go into the back aisles of Target and get a Tony Hawk skateboard for less than $20 bucks! Back then certain models were several hundred dollars!

I’m no master skater by any means, in fact, I’m not fond of being on wheels unless I’m in a car or riding a bike. While I stick to my BMX, if you are a skater you should discover Jersey’s skate parks. Many of the 60 some odd parks are city run, open to the public, and free to get in. Other parks are privately owned, like Garden SK8, an indoor skate park in Pine Brook, NJ. The creatively designed facility offers lessons, clinics, rentals, and parties. Their website touts it as “Hands down the most technical street course and gigantic bowl also known as ‘The Pirate Bowl'” And for the best t-shirts to skate in, check out Skate Rags Online.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKxhjXmo62c?rel=0]

Scarfin’ It With The Armpit 3: “Authentic” Jersey Cuisine

Jersey Grub Truck

Eating in a Thai restaurant with nondescript decor and being served by a teen aged white kid with those huge black circular gauged earrings stretching his earlobes doesn’t make for an authentic Thai experience. Even restaurants in the world showcase in Epcot center employee waiters and chefs from the countries that they recreate. But what makes food authentic? Is it the way the food is prepared, where you eat it, who it’s served by, or all of the above?

Today I’m going to give you directions on how to make authentic Jersey grub. First, grow a five o’clock shadow, grab a cigarette, gain about 30 lbs and begin sweating. As the stereotypes dictate, this is a cook at a Jersey diner. If the stereotypes continue, he only knows how to cook up a pork roll egg and cheese sandwich, or anything greasy that has peppers and onions slathered on top. Despite what many “foodies” (I’m sorry to all my foodie friends but I hate that term) will lead you to believe, Jersey doesn’t really have it’s own cuisine since we are lucky to have a huge mish mosh of everything there is to offer. Sure we have about a half a million diners in our state, but the majority of our signature meals are very basic and nothing to describe as “mouthwatering” or “savory.” That’s not to say that meals at our restaurants can’t be described that way, it’s just that many of them don’t actually serve the type of “Jersey Grub” that THE JERSEY GRUB TRUCK offers.

Started by a Jersey guy who moved to the west coast, The Jersey Grub Truck can be seen all around Los Angeles. We are known for our blueberries and cranberries, but the Jersey Grub Truck serves mostly fat sandwiches. For instance, an L.A Weekly post highlighted that one of the menu items is The Fat Jerz Sandwich, which is hamburger, egg, pork roll, and BBQ sauce. Is it the pork roll that makes it Jersey? Can you incorporate salt water taffy or pork roll into any meal to give it that Jersey zest? Wow, that’s a stretch. The Sexy Armpit has already glossed over New Brunswick’s fat sandwiches featured on Man vs. Food, and that is essentially what the Jersey Grub Truck serves. The Jersey Grub Truck stole the idea of The Grease Trucks and brought it to Hollywood. If there’s one thing that Jersey is NOT, it’s Hollywood, and if you have not left Jersey that is precisely the reason why. Not only are we on opposite sides of the country, but we lead extremely different lifestyles. Regardless of our differences, I’m glad there’s a little more of Jersey being spread around L.A!

To get “real” Jersey grub, you don’t need to sing “Born To Run,” while cooking or stop at a catering truck. For tips on the best Jersey cuisine check out Jersey Bites and also read Pete Genovese’s book, Food Lovers Guide to New Jersey. But the best way to find authentic Jersey cuisine is to discover it for yourself. Your best bet is heading down to that family owned neighborhood dive, it will surprise you.

You can friend The Jersey Grub Truck on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.

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Lock Up Your Daughters, Fairfield Is Here!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL5J91OkZWU?rel=0]
When a band’s lead singer looks like Zac Efron with more testosterone, it’s only a matter of time before your daughter and/or wife falls in love them. And while having a lead singer who looks like an alum from High School Musical isn’t necessarily the key to success in the music world, not looking like McLovin does help enormously. Last weekend at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, The Sexy Armpit checked out Jersey Shows Battle of the Bands finals. I made it there just in time to catch Jersey pop-rockers Fairfield take the stage.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Z2ZngYCxM?rel=0]
The band started out with a short cover of “Lose Yourself,” which was cool even though I’m not an Eminem fan. After introducing themselves, Fairfield launched into a fun, fast paced set of tunes, some of which sound like they are step away from being heard on a preview for the next tween blockbuster or an MTV show. Singer Anthony Tortorello’s undeniable charisma on stage made it seem like he’s been wooing audiences his entire life. It was as if we were in a video game and little red 8-bit hearts of all the girls in the crowd simultaneously floated out of their chests and over to Anthony. For an up and coming band, a solid lead singer is only half the battle. Without the band backing him up, Anthony would need to incorporate some magic tricks or some really lewd jokes into the set.

Fairfield isn’t just about their frontman. This new alternative pop rock band comprises a bunch of best friends who hail from central New Jersey. On their Myspace page they cite Armor For Sleep, Taking Back Sunday, Cartel, and Paramore as their influences. On guitar there’s Francisco Ortiz Gomez and Kyle Gordon, Kevin Yanes on Bass, and Mickey Ladines on drums. I had the chance to meet Kevin and Francisco after the show and they were equally as enthusiastic to meet The Sexy Armpit. Their EP is available at their merch table after the show. Until then you can listen to their tunes at Myspace or LIKE them on Facebook!

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.51: The Other Guys

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While gathering evidence to crack a case, NYPD cops Terry and Allen (Wahlberg and Ferrell) must cross the river over to New Jersey to pay a visit to the Gretchel and Dawson accounting firm in Fair Lawn, NJ. This scene in 2010’s The Other Guys was actually not filmed in Jersey but Wahlberg’s character did reference Jersey:

TERRY: “It looks like we’re going to Jersey to visit an accounting firm, that’s a shitty day.”

Just because you’re reading a guy’s blog about Jersey nonsense doesn’t automatically mean he has a hard on for Kevin Smith movies. OK, it does mean exactly that, but so what? You can mouse on over to the back arrow on your browser and take a lightning fast trip (depending on your ISP of course) back to wherever you came from if you don’t like it. And NO, this post isn’t about Brody Bruce, Silent Bob, Randal, Trish the Dish, Holden McNeil or any of Smith’s host of signature characters. It’s about a cop film that Kevin Smith was supposed to direct if the studio’s original plan came to fruition. Needless to say, it didn’t, and Smith went on to direct a very similar, non-Kevin Smith film called Cop Out, which I found to be way more entertaining than it’s sub-par doppelganger, The Other Guys.

Adam Mckay directed The Other Guys with a mega budget while Smith directed Cop Out on an insanely meager budget in comparison. Merely teaming cinema favorites Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg together did not guarantee success considering the big ongoing joke of the movie is a reference to the female R and B group TLC. That was the best material writers Adam McKay and Chris Henchy could come up with? Do Hollywood writers just get together and type up whatever they were making jokes about the night before while getting stoned? “…Heyyyy…duuuude…you remember TLC?” “Yeeeahhhh maaan they were some hot ladies.”

In Cop Out, a film that beat The Other Guys to theaters, Bruce Willis’ finesse and Tracy Morgan’s intrinsic comedic timing win this battle by a landslide. In The Other Guys, Wahlberg’s character Terry was kind of odd and by no means should he be doing comedy unless he’s reprimanding Andy Samberg on SNL for doing impressions of him. As always, Ferrell is funny during his random outbursts back into “The Gator,” a nickname from his days as a pimp.

In Hollywood’s continued pursuit of being completely unoriginal, they decided to rehash ’80s cop movies like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours. Even with terrible material to work with Ferrell was amusing as a geeky cop who also designs phone apps in his spare time yet scores ridiculously hot chicks. The odd couple relationship between Terry and Allen is more often annoyingly realistic than funny. I must admit that there are some people who make me want to smash my computer into the ground like Terry did, but the effect came off the same as the relief of a squishy stress ball rather than providing over the top laughter.

The Other Guys’ NYPD Captain Gene Mauch is also a part time manager at Bed Bath and Beyond. Fortunately for us, he is played by Michael Keaton. I was glad to see Keaton doing comedy once again, since that’s where he thrives. And yes, I got it, he’s totally unaware of the existence of the group TLC.

Even though it feels as if it just rolled off the assembly line, The Other Guys is worth a rental because it does have a few strong points. Two creatively directed scenes look as if they are straight out of a music video. The first is a still life scene where Terry and Allen are in a bar getting shitfaced and everyone in the bar looks like they are made of mannequins or wax statues. The other is an action scene toward the end where Terry and Allen barge in on a meeting and it turns into a shootout. You might also appreciate that it’s a very New York movie. Look for several breathtaking shots of the Manhattan skyline.

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