A few Roanoke Times staffers got a sneak peek at the new Chipotle (opening tomorrow) in Towers today at lunch. Customers with a special coupon were treated to a burrito, chips and a drink while the employees went through a test run. The restaurant was well staffed, serving everyone quickly while keeping a friendly attitude. If this was any reflection on how the eatery will be run on a daily basis then it looks like they’ve got things figured out.

You’re looking at a picture of my dinner last night: Thick-cut pork chops grilled with McCormick’s Cinnamon Chipotle Rub and finished off with Wertz’s apple-cinnamon barbecue sauce.

A natural accompaniment to this dinner, of course, was sauteed apples. I chose to use two Mutsu apples that I purchased from a farmer in downtown Blacksburg on Saturday. The Japanese Mutsu (also known as Crispin) is good for cooking and needs no sugar, so it’s ideal for diabetics.

On the side: Birds Eye steamed, seasoned brussels sprouts. It was the first time I’ve used those and I was impressed by the flavor. Although I did feel a little bit guilty about the plastic tray and box I had to throw out.

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I’m about six hours away from vacation, and I’ve just about finished all the work I needed to do before I leave. Needless to say, I’m in a giddy mood. As a result, I decided to dedicate this blog entry to a few odd new products and some of the weirdest cookbooks I’ve received of late.

We’ll start out with Kraft’s new brainchild, Macaroni & Cheese crackers. The box you see here came shipped in a much larger box that, when opened, made crunching noises. I swear it’s true.

We tried the crackers and found them to be rather good, actually. They are a bit like noodle-shaped Cheez-Its with a powdery cheese coating on the outside. Within a half hour, they had been polished off by two of my co-workers. On the other hand, it was about 4 p.m. in the afternoon, which is generally munchie-time in the Features Department.

Next up: Those crazy kids over at McCormick are at it again. This time, they’ve developed new black pepper blends that are infused with the flavors of Worchestershire or Smokehouse, depending on which you choose.

McCormick recommends the Smokehouse flavoring for burgers and the Worchestershire blend for steak. They even include a marinade recipe on the back of the Worchestershire blend: 3 Tbsp. each of oil, water and red wine vinegar, mixed with 2 tsp. each of the pepper and minced onions and 1/2 tsp. of salt. Sounds pretty good!

Not to be left out, the folks at KFC have developed a new flavor called Smoky Chipotle Crispy Fried Chicken. It is only the third flavor to be introduced at KFC since the restaurant was founded 65 years ago, a spokeswoman said.

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