Anyway, Leish, what flavour do you pour on?
I love a good spice, but I've never enjoyed anything that's too hot. If I'm too busy being in pain to notice your depth of flavor, it's not an enjoyable experience. I do know that my level of tolerance has dropped from my single days. I can't spice up food like I used to when four other people are eating it.
But to me, my favorite heat is the kind that makes you sweat, not the kind that hurts you. The best burger I ever had was a cajun burger from a place in Toledo that's now gone, Main Street Cafe. I had sweat pouring off of me, but sadly couldn't replicate the experience in return trips. On a side note, they also has the best onion rings I've ever had and the building used to be a brothel, so bonus points.
Currently, my favorite wing sauce is the spicy garlic at BW3. Not going to give you a burn, but it has a heat and the flavor is excellent. It's also thick enough to stick to the wings and you can see it. I find a lot of places have a spicy garlic that's translucent and the viscosity is too low. Nothing sticks. For all the flaws I believe BW3 has as a restaurant, that sauce is not one of them.
I've done the ghost pepper stuff at Red Robin and found it to be a joke. I have no idea if I've ever truly had a ghost pepper experience.
I remember some bottled jet black hot sauce, with a name that included "death" or something, my brother-in-law and I put on ribs back in the day. It was more hot than flavorful. Not sure what pepper it was...
I find the raw fresno peppers on items at Balance, a local restaurant I've written about, to be a great heat for the menu. Although, as I wrote in that thread, they used another pepper one day that about melted my face off.
Another local restaurant, Big Apple Deli, has a 5 alarm chili that is so hot it took me an hour to get through a bowl, but the flavor was outstanding.
When I make salsa I have a hard time finding the right heat combination to make everyone happy. I usually throw in 6 jalapenos, which my wife will say is too hot, while I think it's way too tame. I did make a batch once where I went crazy heavy on the garlic and that was a massive hit with my poker league. The downside of it was the damage it did to your breath.
So I guess I have no "go to" hot sauce. I have favorite foods and I know the effect I'm going for, but I haven't explored enough to find a product that will get me there consistently.
No, no, it's not about that, it's about why is she only on Frank's Red Hot? She's 7, not 2. If she's into it let her explore.
I do let her explore. Mashed potatoes are about the only thing she won't eat. I've gotten her past her limit before for heat with certain salsas or wing sauces. Still, I could see that it didn't completely end her interest in hot foods. so that's cool.