last edited: 5/9/2016 Barcades have been gaining some popularity in the late night crowds in places like Oregon and Washington. They are one part bar and one part 80’s arcade that has an old school gamer atmosphere, a feeling of a preservation retrocade of pixelated video games and early 3D with pinball machines. These Barcades can be a museum of homage to retro games and can specialize in a type of game. A few notable arcades have been Washington State's Dork's Arcade & 8 Bit Arcade Bar, and the topic of the food innovator that is Oregon's Ground Control. Arcades have always been near bye Chinese joints, hot dog stands, and pizza parlors for a late night snack or the snack bar inside the arcade themselves that had premade pizza on a spinner with a guilty hand full of nachos with nacho cheese and chili on the side. Whats left of arcade food is usually seen at places like the passed on Show Biz Pizza, the current Chuck E Cheese, and other Family Entertainment Centers. When people are asked about arcade food it reminds them of bad plastic tasting pizza places... and if it stayed from its origins of the 80’s they would have been correct. But, luckily in the late 90’s and early 00’s Barcades brought in the alcohol and then clientele started demanding some food. One of the more notable Arcade food places around is in Portland Oregon named Ground Control. It has a notable menu that was glorified from junk food enthusiasts by the variety of Nachos that is similar to the old junk food ways of the arcade and took it to a creative food level of categorizing foods as hyper combos, power ups, and special stage with an attempt to have naming conventions that could relate to gamers at an arcade level. Not only in the categories of naming foods with games in mind, but a way to be proud of the arcade food scene as something that might demand a search for taking these classics into a direction of food greatness past its gut busting nostalgia meal. To cover all the Menu bases of Ground Control it is best explained in its several specialties of dishes including: The Classic Hot dog with variations of Chili-Cheese, Corn Breaded, The Sandwich with variations of P.B.J with Sourdough, Grilled Cheese, B.L.T with Sourdough, Three Cheese Jalapeno Bacon with Flatbread, and a Hummus with Flatbread. The Nachos with variations of Nacho Cheese, Chili Nacho Cheese Frito, Chili Cheese Onion Olive Jalapeno Salsa and Sour Cream (aka. Spicy Supreme), Pepperjack Cheese Bacon Onion Pepperoncinis and Barbeque sauce. The Pizza with Pepperjack cheese, pepperoni, onions, and black olives. The savory toppings are listed of lettuce, sauerkraut, olives, pepperoni, salsa, nacho cheese, whipped cream cheese, sour cream, drowned in chili, avocado, dived tomato, pepperjack cheese, and bacon. And lastly the Desserts of Floats, Dessert Dogs, and Sourdough Dessert Sandwich. Ground Control is beginning on exploring the first steps of understanding the elements of Arcade food by following some rules of what is the original menu, but break some rules to see what else can be made from the old. Its taking a look at all the parts that make up the foods of the time and add in the trends to get a new kind of final boss that came from the wood work, but it doesn't really yet have a name other than just retrocade food in the states, however online its turning up to be known as Arcas food aka (Arcade Style Food) that may have a few of its classic brethren and many newcomers into the food style as well. Ground control just does its part as a point of inspiration by keeping things mostly traditional and as a point of study rather than evolving it through deconstruction and reinvention. Iconic american favorites of the instant junk food arcade snack center established runs with the medium of nachos, pizza, and hot dogs that really were and still are popular among youth. Everyone has seen so much of it in their own home towns and by franchise, everyone is so familiar with the ingredients of american-italian and junk food sausages twisted with american-mexican. For the longest of time people at arcades would have to admit that there was nothing else available but junk food at the arcades, it was expected and sort of a way of life in accepting that arcades offered a wonderful place away from it all in a package of guilty pleasures of games and food, it was expected that people at school and parents were completely unwavering in their non accepting ways of the arcade lifestyle, it was also expected that the arcades would disappear along with video games altogether, but they were oh so wrong. That brings us to the beauty that is Arcade food through the instant pizza as a dish of lesser in quality than a delivery italian-american pizza, prepackaged nachos and nacho cheese with canned chile that is seen as a major gut bomb and a instant junk food status symbol, and hot dogs that copy americans obsession for sausage that is completely unoriginal in its search for its own food identity. It might be junk food, but its only junk food till this point and the combination of the time period of junk food has its own wild fads that wavered away and can be now taken to unique heights with a few experiments of the junkilated food arts. The first step in understanding what Arcade food has to offer is the recognition that if obsessed over and cared for with the right hand that those foods might grow into something else and grow into a new discovery of old foods that are not so easily recognized as the forms they once were. Arcade food is changing now through the connection of the internet and is taking all different directions in its evolution of Akihabara food trends and snacks that embody the Arcade vibe to the dish unlocking the next level of arcade foods to hit the table. The idea of bars used to be simple where the menu was of minimal appetizers and drinks that usually was a variety of liquors to choose from. The atmosphere reflected a relaxing and social sense of place. There were times like happy hour that was before the evening to help with peak off time patronage and at late night it was the perfect place to go with no reservations. However, due to the rise of the cocktail culture it marked bars with an identity crisis.
At first there were different specialized alcohol bars, then came the salad bars, and then the snack bars. The last step in the changing idea of what a bar was had been when restaurants started to incorporate bars with a full kitchen and called them “Full Kitchen Bars”. This usually consisted of a house cocktail list, largely stocked bar, restaurant sized menu, and house appetizers. What was once easy to define was not as easy as just saying bar with the many types of bars to pop up, luckily one of those bars were the energon bar. With the type of bar being of Energon drinks it was a perfect match of Arcas appetizers to indulge in. It wasn’t just any sorts of dishes that entered with the Energon drink, but those that reflected the concept of gamer foods for the impression left by the food choices. Many follow the rules of the traditional bar with fried foods for soaking up alcohol, finger foods for maximum socializing, and small plates for affordable prices. Ground Kontrol has been credited for calling appetizers Power Ups and bringing in nachos to the standard of arcas bar food. However, due to the popularity of flavored Nachos there is a twist to the original dish that is considered american mexican in origins. Brands like Doritos, Layes, and many others use dry rubs on their chips, so its only natural that a liking to dry rubs to coat nachos would be acquired before serving for a even more flavorful experience. The experience leaves people feeling the merge of New American cuisine and Japanese cuisine in many of its familiar dishes. The throwback to the Arcade Snack bar is strong in the foods served at the Energon Bars, since it marks as the evolved versions of many old school favorites in many American arcades. Signature Appetizers-- * Baby Clam Cream Steamers It might seem like baby clams are a waste of time, but there is something about opening them up and sucking the clam meat out of the shell that makes for a unique experience. Baby clams are served up in many styles, but the flavors of: Steamed baby clams with butter, sake, sour cream, mayonnaise, and onions. * Pilgrims Garlic Bread Italian by nature and stuffed with lots of goodies is what Pilgrims Bread is known for. In the case of Pilgrims Garlic Bread it features garlic and represent Scott Pilgrim in the dinner he made for Ramona. The bread is cut in half and the white bread is cut out and chopped. Inside are the flavors of: Diced Garlic, Monteray Jack Cheese, Onions, Butter, Olive Oil, Sake. * Kontrol Pad Nachos Ground Kontol is marked in the arcas food history books with the dish that bring barbeque sauce into nachos called “Kontrol Pad Nachos”. It varies heavily from the place its named at, so many people who have gone to Ground Kontrol refer to Gunsmoke Nachos as the more known nachos of Ground Kontrol. Kontrol Pad nachos are then seen as a tribute to the place instead of a dish from it. Whats inside kontrol pad nachos is: Bell peppers, Sliced Back Bacon, Pepperoni, Cheddar Cheese, Barbecue Sauce, Sour Cream, Sauteed Onions * Gunsmoke Nachos Gunsmoke Nachos are scene as a dish that is unique to Oregon in its flavor profile, and is rarily on most Arcas menus, unless in the Pacific Northwest. The dish was originated from Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade in Portland, Oregon. It is sometimes referred to as the Oregonians dish on the Arcade menu. Classic Gunsmoke Nachos from Ground Kontrol has: Pepperjack cheese, Bacon, Onions, Pepperoncinis, Barbecue Sauce. Those who favor Gunsmoke Nachos sometimes refer to Kontrol Pad Nachos as a Canadians version of Gunsmoke Nachos. * Clawgrip Crab Nachos While Arcas loves their shellfish there are only one in the nachos category for the list. There are three variations of crab nachos with: Kanimiso Nachos [crab innerds], Crab Nachos [extra sharp cheddar], or Clawgrip Nachos [spicy sour cream]. The first to appear was the Clawgrip Crab Nachos that were named after Super Mario Bros 2 enemy “Clawgrip”. It is the nachos that represents the seafood at the bar with: crab bisque, fontina cheese, spicy sour cream, panko, crab meat, tomatoes, onions, oyster mushrooms * Pieces of Artichoke Heart Often called a restaurant must or a appetizer requirment in America the Spinach Artichoke dip is one of the most consumed american dishes. Its origins are unknown, but the dip can be found at many super markets. The use of artichoke came from this spread being famed at LAN parties and labeled with junk food status to be eaten with Nachos. So it was only natural that the artichoke would meet the deep fryer with surrounding spinach batter to be both crispy and delicious. it is described as: Deep fried halved Artichoke Hearts, with a spinach artichoke dip. The name that stuck had come from the “Piece of Heart” from the Legend of Zelda series. * Onion Rings Onion Rings are no stranger to any bar or any american appetizer menu. The onion ring practically made a migration over to Arcas snack foods for its resemblance to the rings in Sonic the Hedgehog. They are often served with Buttermilk Barbeque Crab Dip, Barbeque Chili Dip, or Kabayaki Salmon Dip. It is described as: Deep fried crispy onion rings with kabayaki salmon dip. * Potato Wedges While not all appetizers are unique the taste that makes them different from the rest would have to be the dips. This is just the case in the topped sauces of the Potato Wedge that is described as: Fried crispy Potato Wedges that has a choice of sauce. A common topping is Barbecue Chili Sauce that is found in the first issue of Archie’s comic series of Sonic the Hedgehog. * Kabayaki Cucco Wings Snacks in Japan tend to celebrate the sweet barbecue taste of kabayaki eel sauce, but in North America its not on umaibo [corn puff sticks. like Cheetos], but is celebrated with Arcas as a sauce. The gateway into kabayaki for newcomers to arcas tend to be the familiar tastes of the Chicken Wing that is lightly coated in Kabayaki sauce. Even the famous chicken wing is named through a game reference for its unique recipe of using “Kabayaki Batter” and called Cucco Wings in referring to “A Link to the Past”. A typical order usually has: A Half a Dozen or Dozen pieces of Chicken Wings fried and seasoned with Sweet Kabayaki Sauce and buttermilk barbecue krab dip. * Plumbers Mushrooms Everything Super Mario Bros can be referred to in the dish of Plumbers Mushrooms. Its a platter of: A Dozen pieces of Deep Fried Mushrooms in a variety of Shiitake, Button, and Oyster Mushrooms: with a choice of two house dips. * Energizer Power Pellots The Handhelp dumpling superstar of starch and fillings is the Power Pellot. The usual order at the bar has: Deep fried crispy potato balls, Hamburger braise filling, with Cheddar Spiced Bean Dip. But with easy access to Barbeque Chili there are sometimes Chili Power Pellots. And if there happens to be ground chicken, bellpeppers, and chorizo spices there can be Bomb-omb Power Pellots that are made from left over ingredients. * House Dips -Kabayaki Salmon Dip, -Buttermilk Barbecue Krab Dip, -Spinach Artichoke Dip, -Cheddar Spiced Bean Dip, -Barbecue Chili Dip,
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