Special delivery

Ten Bangor area restaurants have taken the take out of takeout, now that they’ve banded together to bring delivery service to hungry diners. OneCall Restaurant Delivery recently started offering cheap, fast delivery from any of the following Queen City eateries: Asian Palace II, Baldacci’s Italian Restaurant, Carolina Sports & Spirits, Dairy Queen, Finelli Pizza Pronto, Pizza Oven, Quiznos Sub, River Run Deli, Twin Super Buffet and the Coach House Restaurant in Brewer. For $3.99, you can get anything from moo goo gai pan to baked stuffed scallops delivered right to your doorstep ($1.99 for additional stops). To make it even easier, all the menus are available online at www.onecallbangor.com. All you have to do is dial 992-9180, and in a half-hour, you’ve got dinner. How easy is that? The idea of getting a Butterfinger Blizzard delivered to me seems almost criminally convenient.

Ice cream accolades

Gifford’s Ice Cream picked up some serious honors recently. At the 2008 World Dairy Expo held in Madison, Wis., the Maine-owned business received the distinction as “World’s Best Chocolate Ice Cream.” Did you hear that? According to the judges at the event, which brings in more than 65,000 attendees from 80 countries, the BEST chocolate ice cream in the entire world is made right here in Maine. Now that’s pretty sweet. At the 2006 Dairy Expo, Gifford’s vanilla was named the world’s best as well. Think about that next time you sidle up to the dairy bar for a sundae – you’re eating some of the best ice cream on planet Earth.

Sugar-free, thank you

A few weeks back, we ran an item in Tidbits about making a (mostly) sugar-free margarita, to cut down on calories and carbs when indulging in a summer cocktail. Reader Margie from Brooksville called to let me know that where she’s originally from (Tuscon, Ariz.), sugar doesn’t even enter into the picture when it comes to building a margarita. “I follow the 1-2-3 rule,” she said. “One part triple sec, two parts fresh-squeezed lemon juice and lime juice, and three parts tequila. Pour it over crushed ice, and there you go.” Those frozen concoctions, that come in watermelon or strawberry flavors? An abomination. And don’t even talk about the mixes you buy at the liquor store. For an authentic margarita, you only need alcohol, citrus and ice. And salt for the rim, of course. “Just watch out for the proportions,” said Margie. “You want people to be standing by the time they’ve finished their drinks.”