FoodWineGuy

Forthcoming Italian Wine Dinner

2009-06-24T10:19:00.009-04:00

To be held at a private residence in Sandy Springs (just off GA-400)

on Sunday, October 11 (Columbus Day Weekend) at 6:00PM

The dinner will be limited to 24 people.

Homemade Duck Prosciutto
Baby arugula salad, grape tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil

Seared Scallop Gazpacho
Toasted hazelnuts, Sardinian bitter honey

Uovo Raviolo
Large raviolo with a spinach and ricotta filling and an egg yolk, topped with truffle butter and Parmigiano Reggiano

Petit Filet
Taleggio polenta, grilled zucchini, Chianti reduction

Panna Cotta
Caramelized orange supremes

The cost is $60 per person. Each course will have a wine suggestion for pairing and each party will be expected to bring a wine that goes with the course they are assigned. Therefore, you bring one bottle of wine but you drink from five bottles.

Please email me at RSVP@danielturro.com if you are interested in attending.

Join us for a compare and contrast German / Alsatian Wine Dinner

2009-05-04T22:24:00.002-04:00

Four courses of Alsatian and German food paired with two wines each to compare and contrast the two regions take on the same wine, or the effect of a wine pairing on a single dish.

Salade Vigneronne
Endive, mixed greens, radish, cornichons, cherry tomatoes,
Gruyere cheese, Gewürztraminer vinaigrette

Paired with Alsatian and German Gewürztraminer

Choucroute Garnie
Mixed sausages, ham, boiled potatoes served with Alsatian sauerkraut

Paired with Alsatian Riesling and a very unusual oaked Riesling
(Oaked Riesling is like Bigfoot; I have heard they exist, but never actually saw one...until now)

Sauerbraten with Spaetzle
Wine marinated, slow cooked beef served over homemade spaetzle

Paired with German Riesling and German Dornfelder

Alsatian Apple Tart
Apple custard tart, served with homemade vanilla ice cream

Paired with German Riesling Spatlese and Auslese

$65 per person / All inclusive
Please email me at rsvp@danielturro.com to reserve your spot

The Dirt Road Barbeque

2009-03-21T15:40:00.005-04:00

I have to eat. I like to eat well. The fact that I travel as often as I do and spend so much time in the car make those two goals at odds with each other. Enter the GPS. From time to time I will look for a place to eat during a drive. I generally subscribe to the "when in Rome..." philosophy and therefore search for a barbeque joint. After all, my Rome is sometimes the nowhere regions of Alabama and Georgia.

About a mile off the highway in Cusseta, Alabama, my GPS told me, is a barbeque restaurant called Dirt Road Barbeque. As I followed my GPS down Alabama County Road 388, the road took a sharp right turn and a dirt road continued straight. There was a small sign and lots of people with horses at the entrance to the dirt road. A bunch of horseback riders were just finishing lunch and exiting the wooden structure with the particle board and corrugated metal roof.
A country accent greeted me as I entered. She apologized for the big, messy table that just vacated by the horseback riders. I found a table and she asked what I want to drink. I ordered an unsweetened iced tea, a barbeque pork sandwich, onion rings, and cole slaw. She went into the kitchen as I stepped outside to grab a few photos. It occurred to me that they may not take credit cards and I did not have much cash. She confirmed that they do not take plastic so I looked in the car, scrounging for change and brought my total to about $4.00. I went back inside and apologized, but not before she could apologize for the inconvenience. I asked her to just bring me the onion because they had already been cooked but she insisted that she would take the $4.00 and bring me everything I ordered. She has been telling her husband that they should take credit cards but he doesn’t want to.
The tea was already on the table and everything else arrived in a minute. The pork portion was modest for the size of the bun, but the sandwich only costs $2.75. The onion rings were crispy, not greasy and had large slices onion in each one. The slaw was moist and tasty. I could smell the smokiness of the pork with every bite of all the food, not just the sandwich. I have enjoyed barbeque for a long time and my appreciation for it as a genuine contribution to gastronomic landscape of our planet. This particular experience also had the effect of restoring a bit of faith in humanity and the hospitality industry. If you are ever in that neck of the woods, I hardily encourage you to stop by for some old fashioned southern hospitality.

Dirt Road Barbeque
7151 County Road 388
Cusseta, AL 36852
(334) 756-9673

Waiter...my dressing is frothing!

2009-03-15T21:53:00.004-04:00

I have been in and around food service business for more than 25 years. My dining companions have similar backgrounds; one even owns thirty-one restaurants. So when my blue cheese salad dressing is frothing and carbonated, I trust my judgment that it is fermented and therefore spoiled. Don't get me wrong, I love carbonated things....well really just beverages.

The salad was sent back, stating in no-uncertain terms that the dressing was spoiled. Deena, our waitress, took the salad back. She returned a few minutes later and assured us that all of their dressings are made fresh and therefore the salad dressing was good but she would be glad to replace the salad...with another kind of dressing if desired. She did not taste the dressing but assured us that the kitchen assured her that it is good. OOOOKAAAY. I'll have oil and vinegar. The salad was delivered and she explained again that the dressing was fresh and their blue cheese dressing is kind of tangy and that may have been what we were tasting. A short while later, another individual who appeared to be a manager stopped by and once again assured us that their blue cheese dressing is kind of tangy but it is fresh and good. REALLY? Even if we had dead palates and somehow did not know that carbonation is not normal in blue cheese dressing, one would think that the staff would not go out of its way to argue with us, repeatedly. This Mecca of food safety and customer service shall go unnamed since I am sharing this story with management in the hopes that they address it appropriately.

Peat Virgin No More

2009-03-09T22:49:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to firing up my peat. That oh-so-strange-yet-so-well-suited Christmas gift from my friend. It was a little slow to get going and did produce a lot of smoke, which is good because I am smoking some cured pork and some sea salt. When it finally got going, it was all I could do to keep the temperature in my smoker from going through the roof. This is the same smoker that I have put a good size pile of charcoal just to maintain the desired temperature of 200 to 250 degrees and a really large pile to get to 350 degrees.

A small pile of natural hardwood charcoal with five one pound peat bricks has no problem getting to smoking hot temperatures well exceeding 350 degrees. The bad news is that is not what I want. I am looking for the magic temperature of 200 to 250 degrees.

The good news is that the aroma of the peat did not disappoint. It is briny, salty, and even a little oily. Did you ever eat something so good that you kept your fingers close to your nostrils just so you could vicariously enjoy it over and over again from the residual aroma on your hands? Well I have not even eaten the results yet and my hands continually drift towards my nostrils. More good news is that even the smoker is still running a bit hotter than I like, the bacon will be done sooner and I can go to bed and dream of Scotland.

Skill at Craft

2009-02-20T22:14:00.010-05:00

Today I ventured into the latest celebrity restaurant in Atlanta: Craft by Tom Colicchio. Initially it appeared the restaurant was closed. The (seemingly) front door was locked and it appeared dark inside until one pressed against the glass. The door is behind the building, away from Peachtree Street.
Upon entering we were promptly and cheerfully greeted and shown to our table. I could not help but gaze lovingly at the flames licking out of the wood fired grill as I walked past stacks and stacks of wood. Oooh...I must get something from the grill, I thought. The rest of the restaurant is modernly appointed and invitingly open.
The menu is broken down into two sections: First courses and main courses. The first courses are small plates and salads. The first course prices range from $10 for red mustard greens with bacon lardon, apple & humbolt fog cheese or a mixed lettuce salad with goat cheddar & hazelnuts to $15 for a smoked trout salad with confit fingerling potato, watercress & smithfield ham or a cobb salad.
The main course menu ranges from a low of $13 for a meatball panini with ricotta salata & pickled peppers to $24 for a pork chop, Harris Ranch strip steak or escolar. We decided to split a few small plates. The pork belly was meltingly delicious with great caramelization outside and garnished with a yogurt sauce, pickles and radishes. The combination was wonderful, the acidity of the pickles and radishes cutting through the fat of the belly. The yogurt was creamy rounding and rounded out the flavors.
The wood grill beckoned me to order two grilled dishes: Grilled oysters with herb butter and bread crumbs and the grilled quail with turnips, apple and smoked bacon. The oysters were small, more roasted than grilled, and sitting atop a bed of rock salt in a cast iron pan. The quail tasted of the wood grill and was seasoned perfectly. Little bites of crispy bacon were smoky, salty and all around yummy proving what I have said for a long time “all things are better with pork”. The other plate was the salad with hazelnuts and cheese. It was good, but nothing to write home about.
The main thing that was going through my head was “there is skill here”. The only downside is probably the price. Four small plates and only water to drink came to $60 with tax and tip. I am not sure what you can do to a meatball Panini to make it a $13 sandwich which is half the size of a regular meatball grinder that can be had for a few bucks less. The salad was smallish, and pork belly is a damn cheap cut. A single quail for $13 and five oysters for $12 are not prices that many people can afford with great regularity, especially in this economy. The cost into the plate is minimal so you will pay for the skill, which is definitely present, and the Buckhead address, which is definitely expensive. These are not criticisms, simply facts of a chef driven restaurant with a prestigious address. With that being said, Craftbar is worth the trip, just don’t think you will be bargain hunting.

Forthcoming Whisky Dinner

2008-12-15T23:34:00.008-05:00

2008 was my whiskey year. I went to distilleries in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Tennessee and Kentucky. I have tried at least 60 different whiskies. After a trip to the Highland Cigar Bar a couple of weeks ago I decided to do a whisky dinner. Notice there is no "e" in whisky. That is because I decided to focus on Scotch Whisky after my friend told me that my Christmas present will be 11 pounds of peat. That's right, you can buy peat. That knowledge really got my brain working... I can smoke my own salmon with peat, I can cure and smoke my own bacon with peat... fun stuff.

Overall, I will be sticking to Scottish flavor profile, highlighting not only peat, but heather honey, Scottish cheeses, barley, etc. The dinner will be held at a private residence on March 14th. It is $75 per person, without liquor (it can not legally include liquor.) Each couple will be requested to bring a bottle of Scotch for pairing. Specific pairing guidance will be given closer to the date. You will be able to return with the bottle afterwards, unlike wine dinners where everything gets consumed. Afterwards everyone is welcome to stay behind and smoke cigars and have a glass of Dalmore Cigar Malt.

1. Peat Smoked Salmon, toast points, capers, red onion, whisky creme fraiche

2. Potato & Leek Soup with Islay Scotch Foam

3. Field Greens Salad with Homemade Peat Smoked Bacon, Grilled Apples, Crisp Barley Cake, Cider Vinaigrette

4. Spiced Celery Sorbet (Intermezzo)

5. Macallan Braised Veal Breast, Wild Mushroom Demiglace, Tournets of Parsnips and Carrots

6. Assortment of Scottish Cheeses with Heather Honey

7. Hazelnut Chocolate Whisky Gateau, Smoked Sea Salt, Drambuie Ice Cream

Please contact me for reservations or more information.

A Day in the Rough

2008-10-16T17:34:00.003-04:00

There are things that epitomize areas, cuisines, cultures, etc. These are the things that I seek out. While speaking to a colleague from Philly the other day, I asked him about Philly cheese steaks. While in Ireland, I ate lamb whenever possible. While in Scotland, you would be remiss if you did not have some haggis. While in Italy…you get the picture.

My final day of my recent trip to New England was capped off by a visit to Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough. This renowned seafood shack at the mouth of the Mystic River is open from April to Columbus Day. The menu, as the name suggests, is very lobster-centric but also includes other items such as clams, oysters, chowders, plus options for the seafood adverse. I overheard a conversation between a woman and her elderly mother as the woman scolded her mother for even thinking about getting a hot dog. I agree. This is like to going to Italy and having Chinese food (OK, I did that once, but I had a bad stretch of crappy tourist food, not to mention how cool and weird it was to have a conversation in Italian with a Chinese lady in Rome, Italy).

Columbus Day was sunny and about seventy degrees and quite breezy. The view couldn’t be beat; lots and lots of boats resting where the river met the sound. Frustrated seagulls flew overhead, their usual pesky behavior thwarted by the wires run over our heads forming a “net”. Unfortunately, I did not have as much time as I would have liked. I would have ordered a lobster dinner and brought my own wine, purchased the day before on the North Fork of Long Island AKA Long Island Wine Country. I ordered a hot lobster roll, lobster bisque and corn on the cob. The others in my party ordered shrimp chowder, clam chowder, stuffed clams, and of course more lobster rolls. The corn was kind of flavorless, but everything else was fabulous. The clam chowder was a light broth, no cream, not rich, just briny and full of clam flavor, clams, and potatoes. The shrimp chowder had corn, potatoes, and shrimp and was also very good. The lobster bisque was good, but very heavy for my taste. Too much fat deadens the taste buds, not to mention makes it even harder for my clothes to button and snap. The lobster rolls were served with slaw that had a nice little bite to it, individual bags of chips and a pickle.

This destination if a definite the next time I am in that neck of the woods. Next time I will make sure I have more time and bring a bottle of wine.

Long Island Wine Country

2008-10-16T17:13:00.006-04:00

It had been a long time since I visited Long Island. By a long time, I mean decades. I have a picture of me with my family on the ferry from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Port Jefferson, Long Island that was taken in the seventies. A number of years ago I read an article about how far Long Island wines had come. The article specifically mentioned Wolffer Estates, located on the South Fork of the island. Coincidentally I spotted a bottle of Wolffer Estates wine in a local store about a week later. I purchased it, took it home, and quickly opened it. I could not have been more disappointed. It was no better than our local swill from Chateau Elan in North Georgia. Don’t get me wrong, Georgia wine has come a long, long, way and many are quite good, not just good for

Georgia

. But Chateau Elan is not one of those wineries that made that journey.

As the years passed and I witnessed the vast improvement of so many non traditional wine area such as North Georgia, and I continued to read good press about Long Island, my desire to return there increased. So I made plans to go to the North Fork of Long Island, where the greatest concentration of wineries is located, over Columbus Day weekend. As I flew to New York, I happened across an article in latest copy of Food & Wine. The article was a basic primer on American red wines complete with examples of examples of particular grapes and the premier regions from which they come. To my delight, Long Island Merlots were mentioned. The universe and I seemed to be in the same groove.

The Friday before Columbus we boarded the Port Jeff ferry with our car. A little over an hour later we were driving towards the North Fork. A “Welcome to Long Island Wine Country” sign greeted us a short while later. I was impressed by the map I downloaded of the Long Island wine country by the large number of wineries packed into that little peninsula. It was much more impressive in person. The wineries were nearly stacked on more top of each other, across the street from each other, one after the next. The signs were clear and gave plenty of notice as we approached each new winery. Interspersed with the wineries were farms, farm stands, pumpkin patches and signs offering fresh cider. The day was about seventy degrees and sunny, really rounding out the beauty of this picturesque corner of New England

We visited three wineries and sampled many wines. Across the board, the wines were good, with only a handful of “whatever” wines and none that were really bad. At Pellegrini Vineyards we had the opportunity to contrast and compare three different incarnations of Chardonnay, three different merlots, a Bordeaux blend, and a gewürztraminer. All were good and people were very nice. The woman behind the counter was kind enough to make dining recommendations and get us addresses and phone numbers.

We took the recommendation and went to the restaurant Soundview for lunch. We sat on the outside deck right on the sound. The day was nice but a bit on the windy side. The seafood was fresh, the food was hot, and I had a glass of wine from a fourth winery, a Paumonak Chardonnay that had a good balance of fruit, oak, and acidity.

We were heading to our planned stops at Bedell Cellars and Castello di Borgese, but decided to pop into Duckwalk Vineyards. The Merlot from Duckwalk vineyards was very good. The chardonnays ran the gamut from oaky and buttery to sharp and crisp to tropical and fruity. Duckwalk’s basic chardonnay was on special that day for $15.00 for a magnum. It was full of fruit and floral notesI was having a bunch of people for dinner at my sister’s house the following day so I picked up one of those. They also had a range of other wines we tasted including cabernet franc, sauvignon blanc, gamay, even a vidal blanc ice wine and a blueberry port. They offered a small square of dark chocolate with the blueberry port. What a treat!

Our $4.00 tasting fee included five wines plus, much to our delight, a complimentary tasting at the Pindar winery just down the road. So for our combined $8.00, my brother-in-law and I got to taste a total of 22 wines (they threw in a couple of bonus wines including the ice wine and blueberry port).

Overall, the thing that impressed me the most was not only the quality of the wines, but the overall terrior that was evident. The reds had a decided earthiness to them, no fruit bombs here. My biggest disappointment was that I have a rule of traveling light so I only purchased what could I use on my weekend in Connecticut. Everywhere I visited I case discounts, up to 25% in the case of Pindar. I would definitely recommend this as a day trip, or longer. It could take days to work your way through this area.

We completed our day by picking up some pumpkins, beets, apples, cider, and more for the festivities the following day.

You don't know Dickel

2008-07-15T20:44:00.005-04:00

Of the three distilleries I have visited in three countries in the last month or so, George Dickel in Tennessee ties for first place. Bushmill's, in Northern Ireland, was cool in the grand scope of it, the diversity of products, and most of all, the four hundred year history. The gentleman at the bar was one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met when it comes to whiskey. He was well versed in Scotch, Irish Whiskey, and knew a good deal about American Whiskey too.

Glenkinchie was just OK in all respects. They don't malt there, they don't kiln there, they do not even barrel and age there. It was purchased a couple of decades ago by Diageo to round out the company's offerings to include distilleries in the major regions of Scotland. Prior to that, it did not offer single malt whisky. In fact, all of the production went into blends. The young man guiding the tour did not know anything other than the script and, as I found out as I stood at the bar sipping my way through the offerings, doesn't really like whiskey. There was an older gentleman that was more knowledgeable about his national beverage. I wrote a bit about him in "What I learned about Scotch."

George Dickel Distillery was as interesting as Bushmills, though the other end of the spectrum. Our guide was a southern gentleman who walked us the the operation with a slow, deliberate pace. Their offering is limited to their number 8, number 12, and a Barrel Select Whisky. Note the different spelling. George Dickel proclaimed that his whiskey was as smooth as the finest Scotch and therefore opted to spell it without the customary "ey." The history, although not as nearly as long as Bushmill's four hundred years, was still interesting and dates back to 1870. The location was carefully chosen for its proximity to the pure water that naturally filtered through the layers of limestone located there. As Tennessee implemented prohibition, the distillery moved just over the Kentucky border along with countless other distilleries. National prohibition forced the closure of the distillery as it did with so many other distilleries, breweries and wineries.

George Dickel's daughters inherited the property and it sat without a distillery for many years. Then about fifty years ago, as our guide explained, a master distiller who used to drink the whisky came back after many years and was disappointed to see the distillery was defunct. He approached the daughters about selling it. Upon their approval, he went back to Kentucky to secure financing. When he applied for a permit to rebuild the distillery, however, he was denied. Some time later, the story goes, someone stumbled upon the original distillery license and delivered it to the master distiller. The local government then grandfathered in the license and the distillery was rebuilt. George Dickel kept very thorough notes and the old formulas were once again flowing from Cascade Hollow, Tennessee.

A sampling of things that make Dickel unique include the fact that it is double distilled. The first is in the traditional column still followed by second distillation in a pot still. Another difference is that the "white dog" or clear distillate is chilled before being filtered through sugar maple charcoal lined with virgin wool blankets. The twenty feet of charcoal is equal to that used in the production in Gentleman Jack and double that used for standard Jack Daniel's production. They say the chilling of the liquor prior to filtration removes the fattys acids and oils in a manner similar to pouring gravy through ice.

The big difference from the other distilleries is in the absence of a large computer control panel. Everything is done by a handful of guys the old fashioned way. Both of the other distilleries I visited looked like the set of an old star trek episode with the boxy computerized controls. At the Dickel distillery we placed our hands over the open fermentation tank to feel the heat. "this one is about three days now, it will come out tomorrow" our guide explained. We all walked to the next tank and placed our hands over the bubbly liquid. "this one is about a day behind, notice it is not as warm. It will feel like that one tomorrow" our guide continued, "it will come out in two days."

We were unable to visit the aging barrels. Apparently this part of tour was done away with after September 11. I guess all that flammable alcohol presents a security risk. They had a mock-up of the barrel storage were our guide explained another difference. The barrels are stacked only six high, for consistent aging. Our tour concluded with a short film showing them opening barrels after a skillful roll down the hill. Finally, we went to the gift shop were I bought a bottle of Barrel Select.

The differences between the three distilleries were broad, a fact made all the more interesting by the fact that all three distilleries are owned by Diageo, a conglomerate company with holdings such as Smirnoff, Cruzan, Bailey's Irish Creme, Guinness, Tanqueray, and more.

Even amongst the globalization of industry, local flavor still manages to shine through.

What I learned about Scotch

2008-06-11T15:27:00.008-04:00

My travels are always about food and drink, that’s why my blog is called FoodWineGuy. Last week, my self directed education continued as I found my way to the lowland distillery Glenkinchie, about a 30 minute drive from Edinburgh, Scotland. Glenkinchie has had a distillery on this site since 1830, though not in continuous operation due to pesky things such as World Wars. The distillery has always made whisky for blending until 1987 when it was purchased by a conglomerate company named United as part of a portfolio of distilleries representing all of the areas of Scotland. At that time, Glenkinchie started producing single malts.

The visitor center is a modern, nicely put together facility with the history of Scotch laid out on museum-type panels. There is a scale model of a distillery that was lost in piles of rubble at the Glenkinichie distillery for decades. It was rediscovered and reassembled and is currently on display. Our guide Cameron was a young man who did not know much more than the script he was given. My questions challenged him and he tried his best, but I finally got to speak with an older gentleman who was much more knowledgeable. My question was as follows:

Q. How much of the stylistic differences in Scotch are attributable to what the French would call terrior, and how much is simply a stylistic choice? Put another way, can we pick up this distillery and place it in the highlands and still produce a whisky that is representative of a lowlands whisky?

A. While terrior had an effect on the stylistic differences in the past, it was much less than for wines. For example the lowlands don’t have a lot of peat and therefore the whiskies are not as peaty. The sea air was thought to impart saltiness to the finished product as they are stored in barrels which breathe the sea air as the whisky ages. Recent studies indicate that the saltiness is likely imparted from the peat itself, which, being from coastal regions, has more salinity. The water was thought to impart significant differences in regional whiskies. It is now known to contribute only 10% of the quality of the finished product. The largest two factors in the difference in a whisky’s qualities come from the still itself and the maturing of the whisky. Minor changes in the shape of the still can have a dramatic effect on the whisky. The shape dictates exactly which compounds make it into the finished product and in what quantities. The barrels have a major influence on the finished product. Are they sherry casks, bourbon casks, port, etc? How many times have they been used? The gentleman cited an example of a distillery in the highlands making whisky in the style of Islay for a period of time when Islay distilleries where having a hard time keeping up with demand. Islay malts can have 50ppm phenols or more versus only 2ppm phenols for the 10 year old Scotch from Glenkinichie. The measure of the phenol is the measurement of how smoky the product is. The distillery no longer produces that type of whisky and the existing bottles of their 30 year old stock sell from £180.

And that is what I learned about Scotch.

My Plan in Ireland

2008-06-07T06:33:00.001-04:00

It was a good plan, I would walk into a pub in the Yellowbatter section of Drogheda, Ireland and tell them I am looking for some Norris'es. I know it seems kind of simple, but I know that my cousin Tom Norris lives here, at least he used to.

So that is what I did, I went into a pub called Hanbratty's. I sat down with my son, ordered a pint and some food and asked the waitress if she knew Tom Norris. She did not because she is not from this part of Drogheda, she explained, but some of the other people there might. Our drinks arrived, then our food. As we started to eat a gentlemen came out and asked "so, your lookin' for some Norris'es?" Well, turns out he is knows Anthony, son of Tom, but wasn't sure where they lived, although he said they do live in Yellowbatter. He had it narrowed down to a couple of blocks. I asked him if he could direct me to those blocks. He went into the back and came out about five minutes later and said some calls had been made and we might expect a call at the pub shortly. About ten minutes later he came back out with a paper in his hand. "Success!" he declared as he sat down. "Well, actually I have some good news and some bad news" he said as he handed me the paper. "Tom is not in Drogheda at the moment, but here is his cell number, and he doesn't live in Yellowbatter anymore." Tom was called away for work on a gas line in County Mayo, on the other side of the island.

So I called Tom. His Mother Tessie still lives in Yellowbatter. He gave me the address and I will be visiting her tomorrow. He is going to call her and said she will probably get some more family there for our visit.

I love it when a plan comes together.

I Did the Mash, Part II

2008-06-05T19:00:00.004-04:00

This time it was the Monster Mash. If you go to Naples, Italy you must have pizza, if you go to

Scotland

, you must have haggis. And that is just what I did. The Monster Mash was recommended to me by the nice young gentleman at the reception desk of our hotel at the First at Edinburgh University. He said it was a diner, the food was good, and the prices were reasonable. He also highly recommended the haggis. For those of you who do not know, haggis is the national dish of Scotland. It contains sheep organ meats mixed with oats, seasonings, and some blood. It is then sewn up in the sheep’s stomach and baked. Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking: eeeewwhhhh, that sounds gross!! Well, my friends, that is what some of the best foods on the planet are; leftovers and scraps. For example, sausages, salami, pâtés, terrines, and more are all just ways to use up the leftovers so nothing is wasted.

I must confess, organ meats can have a strong flavor, not all of which I enjoy. I am not particularly fond of liver or blood sausages. My aversion to both is for the same reason; the high mineral content (particularly iron) can cause a metallic taste. Foie Gras is better because the manner in which the liver is enlarged reduces the effect of the minerals on the palate. Haggis is not Foie Gras and I was curious about the flavor. Truth be told, it was quite good. The Monster Mash was actually the second time I tried haggis, the first was the day before at a pub on the Royal Mile. The menu item was called “A wee bit of haggis” and it stated that it was served with nips and tatties, meaning mashed turnips and potatoes. The first thing that struck me about the haggis was its flavor. It was both rich, yet mild in the absence of minerality and earthiness. It reminded me of meatloaf. While I was speaking with a local at a Scotch distillery the next day about haggis, she asked me if I had it with turnips and potatoes. This is apparently the holy trinity of haggis.

Which brings me to the mash, The Monster Mash. We entered, were sat, and ordered the Haggis for me and a Shepard’s Pie for my son. The haggis was a large mound of haggis, layered on turnips and potatoes and surrounded by rich dark gravy. The flavor was similar to my haggis of the previous day, but it was drier and a bit more crumbly. The gravy helped moisten the dish. The Shepard’s Pie was tasty as well; nicely browned potatoes atop ground meat in gravy. I like mine better, but it was good. The vegetables were al dente, a direct contradiction to all things expected in the United Kingdom.

Our shared dessert was an apple cobbler served with Byrd’s custard. My inquiry as to the nature of Byrd’s custard was answered with “it’s custard, a sauce”. “Like crème anglaise?” “Aye kind of, it’s very British” “OK, we’ll have that.”

The dessert came and it was indeed very much like crème anglais, only very hot and served in a small pitcher. We poured it over our soft, caramelized, appley mess of a dessert and dug in. This and strong black coffee was a good finish to the meal.

Why don't we eat seagulls?

2008-06-05T18:40:00.002-04:00

This question has been bugging me for some time. Consider that people eat blowfish in Japan and that will kill you if it is not prepared correctly. In Iceland they eat a shark that will make you vomit if you eat the fresh meat. To combat this, they first ferment it, then salt it and hang it to cure like ham. An viola', the uric acid is gone. America is the exception rather than the rule in our refusal to eat bugs. In South America, guinea pigs are routinely eaten. Chitterlings...need I say more?

The point is, man eats what is available even if he has to overcome challenges of inedibility or risk to ones health. Seagulls are everywhere in coastal areas so why are they not eaten. I invite anyone reading this to leave a comment sharing your thoughts. Perhaps we can take a trip to the coast, catch some seagulls and have dinner.

Kitsch is International

2008-06-01T15:21:00.004-04:00

Dublin, Ireland

A sign demonstrates that people across the globe are interested in vapid, kitschy things.

The Walt Disney Scotch Experience

2008-06-01T15:13:00.003-04:00

Well, not really. But if Disney World had a Scotch Whisky ride, it would be like the Scotch Experience, located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. Not that this is a bad thing. It was informative, fun, and believe it or not, family friendly. Of course the kids can’t taste the Scotch.

There are different levels of tours, the basic of which includes the tour, a free glass and a sample of whisky. I purchased one of these for myself and a student tour for my son. The prices were discounted because it was morning, and much to my confusion, people don’t want to drink whisky in the morning. The gold level includes the above plus a sampling of four different scotches highlighting the four production areas and a one year membership in the Scotch Appreciation Society. I inquired about it and was a £7.00 up-charge over the £6.25 I already paid. No, the basic tour will be fine was my initial response. That notion lasted about 4 minutes and I purchased the upgrade.

The tour started with a young attractive Scottish girl giving everyone a sample of Dewer’s White Label Blended Scotch whisky and a brief spiel about tasting. First we look at the colour, then we swirl it around the glass and look at the “legs” that form. We could tell that this was a lighter bodied whisky because there were many legs and they came down the side of the glass rapidly. If there were fewer legs and they came down slower, this would be a heavier bodied whisky. Then we put our nose in the glass, leaving the mouth slightly ajar to allow the nose to work at its fullest capacity, and smell. the bouquet of this particular drink was vanilla, toffee and dried fruits. Lastly, of course, we taste it. We discern the various flavours and determine the finish, which was medium in this case.
After I chuckled a bit at the folks who shuddered and gasped at drinking straight alcohol we all went into the next room. There were benches and a movie screen in this room. We all sat down and a ten minute film rather cheesily done talked about whisky production from the malting and roasting of the barley to the fermentation, distillation, and aging of the whisky and also spoke briefly of the whisky heritage in Scotland. The conversation between the poorly acted customer asked the more convincing bartender how so much variety in flavour could be achieved and we were directed into the next room full of more benches. This time, though, instead of a movie screen there was a large model of a distillery. Our attractive young tour guide talked us through the production. The front wall of the distillery slid down and the interior was exposed. She pointed out where the malting took place, kilning, etc. A map on the wall highlighted the different areas of Scotch Production; the lowlands and the milder product they produce; the highlands and the varied, robust products they produce, the Speyside area and the products of refined intensity; and lastly the island malts and their robust, briny, peaty products. Up until now, everything discussed was malt whisky. The subject of grain whisky came up. Grain whisky is basically what we make in America. It contains mostly corn, with lesser amounts of other grains including barley. It produces a less intense, mellower brew. Grain whisky is used only for blending in Scotland. Blended Scotch Whiskies account for the vast majority of the whisky made in Scotland. This answered a long standing question that my fellow whisky aficionado friend and I have had for some time. What is the difference between a vatted whisky and a blended whisky? A blended whisky contains a blend of malt and grain whiskies, while a vatted whisky is a blend of various single malt whiskies.

Next we went to another room with more benches where a “ghostly” bartender resembling something you might see on the Haunted Mansion at Disney gave us information on the art of blending. For instance, when a blend states an age, this is the youngest whisky in the bottle. When a single malt has a statement of age, this of course is the age of every drop in the bottle. Our ghostly tour guide also cleared up the misconception that some people have by stating that whisky receives no further benefit from age once it placed in a bottle.

The tour further increased it resemblance to Disney when we boarded the barrel ride; a ride through the history of whisky in Scotland as brought to life with scenes and figures a la the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride, without the animatronics. It touched on all of the highlights from the flight of the distiller to the highlands because of heavy British taxation to the rapid increase of whisky’s popularity after the phyloxera louse decimated the vineyards of Europe and with them, the ability to make cognacs and other brandies.

The tour ended in, aptly enough, the bar. Those who went with the basic tour were done, but not me. I still had my regional tasting.

The whiskies included the golden Glenkinchie 12 year old from the lowlands, a milder whisky with tasting notes of a creamy mouthfeel and developing citrus notes in the finish. The Highland malt whisky was from Old Pulteney, an amber drink with a nose described as fresh, aromatic with a hint of sea air and full bodied, lightly salty and gently malty flavour. The Speyside malt was from Tamdhu. Also amber in colour, this whiskey was much sweeter on the nose and palate with notes of toffee and some peat. Lastly was Laphroig 10 year. I have Laphroig at home so I was a little disappointed that I did not get to try something different. This interesting whisky’s official tasting notes state that the nose is “medicinal and phenolic”, while it is “salty, oily, very smoky” on the palate. I always thought that Laphroig smells like smoked bacon soaked in seawater.

I will be visiting an actual lowland distillery tomorrow. Unfortunately, I do not have time to go to the Highlands, let alone Speyside or the islands. The Whisky Experience as a great way to spend an hour and a half, learn something about whisky, taste some great whiskies and grab a bite at their café. The “Disnification” seems a bit strange, but it was informative and fun.

The Old "New" Kid in Town

2008-05-29T19:53:00.007-04:00

I guess if you have done something successfully for more than eighty years, you can feel confident enough to branch out. That is just what Pepe’s did. The historic pizzeria has been making great pies since the 1920’s in New Haven. Their claim to fame is the white clam pizza. I have been away from the Northeast for many years and one of the things I miss the most is good pizza. No offense to those who grew up elsewhere in

America

, but if someone recommends a pizza place to me, I always ask them where they are from. If they answer Kansas, the Carolinas, Florida, hell most anywhere in America, yes, I am sorry to say even Chicago, their opinion does not count much. This is not rude, it makes as much sense as someone from Memphis, Kansas City, Texas, etc. not taking my opinion on barbeque with much weight. It simply was not part of my culture growing up. With deference to Chicago, it is part of the culture, but I do not care for it. The pies are thick and doughy, the sauce too sweet, and the overall experience lacking in my estimation. This is from eating pizza in Chicago and suburbs, not simply from eating at “Chicago Style” pizzerias elsewhere in America ( which is another entry, but I have a friend that says he does not like New York pizza, yet has never been to New York or anywhere near it, he has dined at “New York Style” pizzerias).

The point is, whenever I go home, I try to make it to New Haven for Pizza, specifically for the white clam pizza from Pepe’s. There is always a wait and they do not always have the fresh clams. They have opened a couple of locations since I last visited home and due to time constraints, I decided to go the location recently opened in Fairfield, Connecticut. We called ahead to see if they were busy as I was trying to get to the airport. The lady laughed and said no. We then asked if they had the white clam pizza today, which they did. So we stopped in on our way to JFK. Having visited the original location on Wooster Street in New Haven for some years, I was unsure of what to expect. My question as to whether or not the oven was wood fired was answered when we pulled into the parking lot and the telltale smell of a wood burning oven was not there. The location was more sterile than the original, as could be expected from a new suburban location. They do have a very large brick oven, with pizza peels that must be 12 to 15 feet long. The menu consists of a board over the main kitchen and a few more scattered about on the walls of the restaurant. The total age of any three employees does not equal the age of a single employee in New Haven, but we persisted and got a table. The waitress greeted us and took our order, asking us if we want mozzarella on our clam pizza or not. I must admit, I was somewhat confused as I had never been asked that before. I know the pie comes with minimal amounts of cheese and I wanted it the way they do it in New Haven. There was a little bit of a communication breakdown and I got it with a little bit of mozzarella, which is atypical. When I tried to correct the error, the pie was already in the oven and we got it with the mozz. Fortunately, it was very minimal amounts of mozzarella cheese. We also got a small sausage and mushroom pie.

The moment of truth arrived when she plopped down a full size sheet pan of pizza on our table. While there is a difference between a gas-fired oven and a wood-fired oven, the pie was good. It had the telltale sign of an oven that was hot enough- black bubbles on the crust. This is a constant pizza crime in the south. The pizzas are always undercooked. If pizza does not have a little black on it, it is not done properly. The south, who loves to overcook its vegetables, meats, and most things it serves, consistently undercooks pizzas in ovens that never see a degree over 500. But I digress.

The sausage and mushroom pie was less stellar. The toppings were soupy, and even after letting the pizza rest for a while, it was still just a sloppy pie. The ingredients were all good quality, but the execution was a bit off.

The clam pizza was almost as good as New Haven, and still better than most you will have in this country. I made the mistake of trying clam pizzas from other pizzerias, even acclaimed shops in the area, and they all fall short. The fact that the other locations can mean less driving, less waiting balances out the slight difference in the pies. In this humble chef’s estimation, this is worth the gas money. Go have a pie.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

www.pepespizzeria.com

157 Wooster St
New Haven, CT 06511, United States
+1 203-865-5762

The Old Kid in Town

2008-05-29T18:59:00.003-04:00

If you go to the website of Louis Lunch, there is a link to an entry at the Library of Congress that attributes the invention of the hamburger to this little shack in New Haven, Connecticut. That, in my book, makes this an historic place to dine. And that is what I did. The small place is unassuming in diminutive stature, while being quaint and eye-catching at the same time. As you enter this little historic burger joint, located across the street from some hopping clubs in New Haven, you can not help but be struck by the feeling that something is very different. In fact, it is very, very, different. The menu consists of burgers. You can get them with cheese, onion, and tomato….and that is it! They will come on toasted white bread and you will be mocked and ridiculed if you ask for ketchup or mustard. The burgers are cooked in contraptions that resemble vertical gas-fired toasters. The burger is hand formed from a pile of meat and placed in a wire-grill basket and inserted vertically into the contraption. If you want onion, it is placed on top of the meat patty. This allows the onion to cook at the same time, being basted in the fat that drips down from the patty. You can get chips with your burger, or potato salad, and a good selection of sodas including Foxon Park Sodas such as birch beer, root beer, and cream soda. Foxon Park soda has been made in East Haven Connecticut for more than eighty years. Birch beer, for those who are not familiar with it, is kind of like root beer with a lighter flavor and a bit of menthol. I used to drink the hell out of some birch beer growing up in Connecticut. I even used to shave the bark off of a birch tree just to smell it; it smelled good enough to eat or to make my own birch beer.

If you are wondering why the burgers are served on white bread, it is because they have been serving them that way since before the hamburger bun was invented. That’s right; Louis Lunch has been serving burgers this way since 1895, making Foxon Park look like johnny-come-lately company. It gets high marks in the Road Food Guide, the biblical tome leading foodies and hungry travelers to good food across America for decades.

The burgers were remarkably moist and flavorful. The onion had a great grilled flavor and the tomato added enough moisture and sweetness that no one will ever miss ketchup. America is short on things that go for more than a century, let alone things that are credited with culinary creations that have conquered the globe. You can experience both of them with a quick stop in a small shack of a burger joint in New Haven.

Louis' Lunch

www.louislunch.com

263 Crown St
New Haven, CT 06511, United States
1 203-562-5507

I Did the Mash

2008-05-29T16:09:00.004-04:00

Not the monster mash, but mash house. My stay here in Birmingham, England started out on a very sour note. Although my Ryan Air flight was on time and flawless, and I picked up my Hertz rental car in short order, and I even had a nice lunch in a local pub along with a pint, I eventually found the Warwick Castle (pronounced Warrick), albeit after a few nerve shattering errors as I tried to get used to driving on the left side of the road. The castle was impressive, if expensive. The rooms were full of figures Madam Tussaud dressed in period clothing and staged in the midst of medieval tasks. There were weapon rooms, suits of armor, and lots of art and furniture spanning the centuries the castle has been in use, all the way up to the introduction of electricity and beyond in the latter part of the 19^thcentury. There was even of portion of the original castle built in 1068 by the order of William the Conqueror. The castle closed and we were off.

And that is when the trouble began. The plan was to take a quick drive to Stratford upon Avon, the namesake of the town were I spent my teen years. It is only about ten miles away so it seemed easy enough. The reality could not have been further from the truth. The A46 was closed due to an accident, and I spent the next four hours trying to get the forty miles to my hotel in Birmingham. I abandoned the idea of stopping in Stratford upon Avon after being grazed by a truck, scratching my rental car. The gentleman was calm as he explained that there was simply no way it could have been his fault, even though my car was not moving. I was sitting with my turn signal on trying to merge into the barely moving traffic.

So I spent a few hours in England, learning to drive on the left side of the road, in pouring rain, on country roads, wishing that every hotel I passed was my hotel. But they were not and I finally made it into Birmingham city center. The hotel I booked is under construction and has no sign. Another ½ hour was spent trying to find my hotel, which I finally did. After an overpriced meal at the bar of the hotel because I was too tired and stressed to go anywhere else, my son and I retired to our room. And retire we did. I awoke at eight in the morning and awoke my son, twice. Seeing the futility in this plan, I returned to bed, watched some television (The Rockford Files) and went back to sleep. We woke up around noon to the sound of a jack-hammer on the floor above us, putzed around and finally made it outside just shy of two P.M., heading off to the historic canals of Birmingham. The day got better. Birmingham seemed to be a great city, balancing its history with the city’s forward momentum and growth.

The historic canals are flanked by cafés, coffee houses, restaurants, and the very modern International Convention Center, Symphony Hall, and a mixed use development called The Mailbox. They are also building a massive square mixed use building aptly named The Cube.

After looking at a number of options for dining including what amounts to floating diners on converted long boats that used to carry so many goods up and down the canals, we settled on a place called The Mash. The instructions are simply laid out; 1. Choose for Pie or Sausage, 2. Choose your mash. Options range from cheddar mash, to horseradish mash, colcannon, house mash, and more. 3. Choose your gravy. Options included tarragon creamy gravy, house gravy, and more. You can also have additional veggies, salad, and a few other options for main courses.

I chose the steak and kidney pie because I am in England and no doing so would be akin to not having pizza when in Naples, Italy or not having haggis when in Scotland (which I will be trying in the next few days). I chose colcannon and tarragon gravy to go with it. My son had three sausage plate: lamb and mint, pork and apple, and honey mustard. He chose the cheddar mash and house gravy. Our food arrived promptly and displayed attractively enough. The steak and kidney pie was rich and flavorful, a dark gravy containing chucks of tender beef and the earthy flavor indicating the presence of the kidneys encased in a flaky, nicely browned pastry shell. The colcannon was very nicely prepared. The greens still had some texture and the potatoes were creamy and rich. The gravy was tasty enough, but lacked any flavor of tarragon. The sausages were nicely browned and very moist. The lamb and mint tasted as one would think, the pork and apple had a very subtle flavor of apples, and most surprising was the honey mustard sausage. I was nervous when my son ordered it. I have been inundated with grossly-sweet goopy honey mustard things in America and I was afraid that this might resemble those disgusting concoctions. To the contrary, the mustard has a hint of spiciness and the honey played a restrained supporting role. His cheddar mash was nicely balanced, not too cheesy, but had the flavor of sharp cheddar in every bite. The gravy was good too.

After our meal, I peered into the small kitchen and saw a Rational Self Cooking Center there. I pulled out my business card and handed it to the young man working there, informing him of my position with the company. After a series of questions from me, I learned that the food is prepared off premises and brought in frozen. The entrée items are placed in the Self Cooking Center on the “level control” setting. This setting is where each shelf gets its own timer that self adjust for recovery time each time the door is opened. The mashed potatoes were microwaved, and the gravy was remarkably tasty for being from a dry product that was mixed with boiling water.

The pies and sausages are cooked from frozen. I would have never guessed. This is exciting because I have been telling my customers and prospective customers that this machine could revolutionize the way they operate their kitchens. I have demonstrated this capability many times, but it is very theoretical in demo. Here I was witnessing a concept that was built around the Self Cooking Center and its advanced capabilities. They have already signed on two companies in America to franchise the concept. They will be opening 6 stores per year, half of which will be franchised, the others owned by the company.

It is only a matter of time before our country gets around to implementing what the Europeans have know for a long time: technology can increase quality, reduce food and labor costs, and allow your kitchen to be a fraction of the size of what we are used to.

If I can’t get my customers to see this, then I just might have to do it myself. Stay Tuned.

Is it me?

2008-01-03T20:05:00.000-05:00

I ask myself that question with great regularity. I have a coworker who, after eating out with me a number of times, states rather matter-of-factly that you should not go out to eat with me because the restaurant will screw up my food. They didn't screw his food up, just mine. But he and I are both chefs and maybe it pains him to watch them serve me screwed up food. The screw-ups have ranged from shards of corncob in my corn chowder to "butter poached" lobster tails that seem to have been deep-fried to the point they would have made better shoes than food. And then there are less severe issues that I face with regularity. I travel a fair amount for my job and therefore I eat out a lot. I am currently in Savannah. It is a beautiful city that is full of historic charm. I have had many good meals of oysters and beer here. The beauty of good seafood is all you have to do is stay out of its way; don't screw it up!
Food that actually requires preparation is a different story. It takes skill and knowledge. Last night I went to the Six Pence Pub in Savannah. I had started to walk towards the river to get some seafood, but it was about twenty degrees and I decided to stop in the pub for a bite rather than brave a ten minute walk it the frigid night air. The pub was very cool. It had a classic pub look and feel and the beer selection was great. The whiskey and wine selection weren't too bad either. I order beef Guinness and a Guinness beer. The meal came out with near immediacy. I thought that was cool at first, but only at first. The beef Guinness was served in a small hollowed out bread roll, about the size of softball. The stew was a lumpy mess that was prepared with too much roux, the cooked blend of flour and fat that thickens gravy. A couple of pieces of beef were nearly inedibly tough. Perhaps the most egregious error was that they heated my food by microwaving it, in the bread bowl. As most home cooks know, if you microwave bread you have something suited better to a street fight than a food fight.

Tonight I went to Il Pasticcio, a very well renowned Italian restaurant located in the heart of the historic district. I ordered a pasta dish called Spaghettini Pasticcio. The menu described seafood pasta with concassé tomatoes and a saffron sauce. I ordered it because I wanted something a bit on the lighter side. The dish that arrived resembled a soup more than a pasta course. It was swimming in cream, not just cream, but cream that had no hint of saffron. I found the dish heavy, flavorless and bordering on unpleasant. I tried to pull the pasta out of the pool of fat and allow it drain before I ate it. I also left a full cup of cream and pasta in the bottom of the bowl, choosing not to finish it. In my experience, one of the most common offenses to Italian food in America is too much sauce. The surprising part of the evening is the restaurateur was sitting next to me and he is from Italy. He was speaking in Italian with a gentleman I perceived to be a manager, perhaps the general manager. The manager was eating at the bar with his American girlfriend and both of their dishes looked really good. Perhaps I should have ordered in Italian.

Does Huong Giang mean Gem?

2007-09-19T14:08:00.000-04:00

I do not know what Huong Giang means, but I would translate it as gem. That is what this strip mall restaurant tucked away on Buford Highway is.

A few weeks ago a friend and I were driving around looking for dinner on a Friday night. I wanted Asian food. After passing on a few suspicious looking dives, we stumbled upon Huong Giang. We peered inside and decided it was worth a try. Although the decor said "strip-mall", it was about as tasteful as it could be without the budget that is truly required to give a strip mall shop any real character. The Asian accents were strangely offset by a couple of chandeliers with mermaids "holding up" the lampshades with fishing poles. The flat screen TV's were playing cultural appropriate programming. The only real downside is the chairs. The backs strangely lean forward, forcing one to hunch over a bit.

We were promptly presented two menus each, one written, one in pictures. The pictures proved to be very helpful. Our first course was Bahn Nam, little Vietnamese "tamales" of ground pork and shrimp nestled in a rice flour package and steamed in banana leaves. Not only were they tasty, but fun. Every little package was like Christmas morning after you peeked at your presents. Sure, I knew what was in there, but is was still fun to open the presents.

Our entree was a Thai Hot Pot. Large enough for two, the $28.00 entree was worth every penny. The pot of hot stock was placed upon a small gas burner and served with a plate of seafood and one of vegetables. The seafood consisted of shrimp, fish and calamari and the vegetable plate had baby bok choy and julienned strips of banana flower.

The waiter gave us a brief tutorial and we dug in. It seemed nice enough until I put the banana flowers in the pot and this incredible fragrance wafted across our table. The broth was nicely flavored with ginger, and the addition of the flowers made it a heavenly experience. I enjoy food that is also interactive, and this fit the bill nicely.

Throughout our dinner, the service was impeccable. At one point, I dropped my chop stick. Before I could bend over to pick it up, the server had a new set to me. Our table was maintained in a timely manner, without seeming pushy.

I wanted to try a little more before I wrote about it, so I went there for lunch today. The sour pig ear and beef was calling my name. I have never pondered the possible flavor and texture of a pig's ear, but I would say this was the ultimate expression of a pig's ear. The cold, stubby, spring roll shaped treat arrived with a few slices of hot peppers. It had a delicious, slightly sour, flavor and a unique texture. A hint of gelatinous spring was subdued by the firm bite of the finely shredded ear. A slight bite of heat rounded out the flavor. And at only $2.15, this was a bargain.

For my main course, I chose rice noodles with pork and seafood in a pork broth. As with my other items, this was very well executed. The shrimp and calamari were tender and the slices of pork were melt-in-your-mouth tender. With tax and tip, my lunch was $12.00. I look forward to returning to try the other gems that are hidden in this great little find.

Huong Giang
4300 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
404-929-9838

Appetizers

$3.00 - $6.00

Entrees

$6.00 - $60.00 (Family style serving)

Hours

10 a.m.-midnight Mondays-Thursdays

10 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays

10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays

A Note about No

2007-09-11T09:21:00.000-04:00

One should not accept no too easily. When dad says no, go ask mom. The same approach is possible in adulthood.

While driving to Birmingham for my overnighter, I spoke with one of my clients who said he would not be able to meet with me as we discussed earlier. It would have to be the following morning. My overnighter had become a two-nighter. While checking in at the hotel, I said I needed to change my reservation from one night to two. The answer, in so many words, was no. The manager informed me that they were currently overbooked and I could check in the morning. I took my room key and found my room. I then promptly pulled out my laptop and signed onto the Internet, where I reserved a room for the second night.

The next morning, I went to the front desk stating that I was there to confirm that they would not be making move to another room. Sure enough, they did not.

I have had similar experiences in the past. I was told on the phone that there were no available rooms. So I went online and booked a room. The reverse has also happened. This just goes to show you, that no does not always mean no.

Pork in the Sun and Bagged Spinach

2007-08-23T23:18:00.000-04:00

We take sanitation and food safety for granted. Everyone knows that you need to keep your meat refrigerated. Room temperature poultry is definitely to be shunned. Spinach is safe, though, as are canned goods. Right?

Having traveled a bit and sampled foods that seemed to suffer from less than proper handling without getting sick has made me question these beliefs. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of refrigeration and I think it should be used whenever possible.

“Surely that must be a refrigerated table,” I thought to myself as I gazed at the chicken parts piled high on the stainless steel table while shopping in a grocery store in Thailand. As I walked towards the table to check the temperature, I thought, “even if this is refrigerated, the bulk of the chicken is still not being held at a safe temperature”. No worries, it was not refrigerated. None of the chicken was held at a “safe” temperature. Yet people were buying it. Presumably, the grocery store was not in the habit of killing people with its food. That couldn’t be good for business.

On multiple occasions, I dined on a variety of “street meat”, as I like to call it. It was certainly a leap of faith to eat pork and seafood products that had been stored in the ninety-degree Thai heat without any visible means of refrigeration. Not only did it taste fine, it didn’t make me sick. There are many more examples that I could cite of times I gambled with my life for the sake of some local cuisine.

The real irony comes from the fact that we have been told not to eat spinach, peanut butter, and canned chili. Our developed nation that is full of oversight has repeatedly allowed tainted food to enter the marketplace; foods that reasonable people would always consider to be healthy. How can it be that we cannot feel safe eating spinach, peanut butter, or canned chili, yet much of the world eats perishable protein foods that sit without refrigeration and they do not get sick?

For starters, the folks at the supermarket in Thailand could probably tell you everything about the chicken farmer that supplied those room temperature chicken parts. They probably know his name, where his farm is, and the names of his wife and kids. While working in Italy, it was common for the chef to secure products from his neighbors. Pork, produce, wine, etc, all purchased outside what we would consider “normal” distribution channels. This is not allowed in America. One cannot simply buy a pig from your neighbor and sell it in your restaurant.

Our mega-farms with our mega-distribution channels ensure mega-exposure of unsavory elements like E-Coli and botulism. Perhaps the biggest shame of the recent outbreaks is the medias total failure to educate the public on the benefits of buying local. I never heard a single talking head say that you could still buy local spinach, provided you don’t live near the mega-farm. They didn’t even say you could cook your spinach. That kills E-Coli. They simply said throw all of your spinach away.

The more items get recalled, the greater the need for people to start buying local, the more opportunities are missed by our news media to inform people of the benefits of eating locally.

Keep your mega-farm products, your Wal-Mart meat, your canned chili, and give me some room-temperature pork.

Orange-Craisin Spiced Lamb Meatballs in a Pomegranate Glaze

2007-08-23T22:29:00.000-04:00

Ocean Spray recently had a recipe contest. I had a grand plan. I was going to make tortellini with duck confit and cherry craisins, served with a brown butter, walnut and sage sauce. This would then be topped with crispy duck confit. I had read the rules and was ready to go. Well, I have been busy and I did not get around to developing the recipe. I still wanted to do something, so the night before the contest was over, I threw together the following recipe. At 10:30 P.M., an hour and a half before the deadline, I went online to submit my recipe. After I clicked the link to enter my original recipe, I saw for the first time the rule that stated the ingredient list should be limited to ten items. Well, I had more than ten items. I submitted it anyway, although I combined the multiple spices into one by listing "Moroccan spice blend, or curry powder". I will probably be disqualified, but the food is tasty. Here is the recipe. It will serve about twelve people 4 to 5 meatballs each.

Meatballs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Moroccan spice blend or curry powder
2 pounds ground lamb
zest of 2 oranges
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup parsley
1 bag orange craisins (6 oz)
6 oz chopped walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

Pomegranate Glaze
2 cans ocean spray cranberry sauce, jellied or whole berry
juice of 2 oranges
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
salt to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan until shimmering, do not allow to smoke. Add the onion and saute a few minutes until softened, but not colored. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the spice mix and cook for another minute, until fragrant.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile, put the nuts in the oven and toast for about 5 minutes, until fragrant.

Mix the ground lamb, orange zest, bread crumbs, parsley, and the onion/garlic mixture until smooth. Mix in nuts and craisins. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Shape into 1" meatballs and bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked.

Place the cranberry sauce, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and pomegranate molasses in a large skillet and heat until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Add meatballs to sauce and simmer briefly. Serve as cocktail meatballs or with couscous.

Is Everything OK?

2007-08-17T22:59:00.000-04:00

At what point did this question become rhetorical? I am amazed and dismayed by the blank stares I receive whenever my response is anything other than "fine" or the like. I recently wanted a healthy and quick meal after a long day of travel and work. I chose a Japanese restaurant near my hotel in Savannah. I sat at the sushi bar, as I always do when I dine alone. The waiter looked like a poor, disheveled version of a young b-list actor, whose name I can not recall and do not care to. His long sleeves where rolled up well above the elbow. The wrinkles in his clothing made me wonder if he had slept in them. He informed me that there was an all-you-can-eat sushi option. A somewhat limited menu was available for $25. I opted to fill out my little sushi card and slide it to the young, very American-appearing sushi "chefs" behind the bar. Another disheveled guy promptly put one of my rolls on the counter for me. It was followed shortly by the other roll I ordered. He then left the area, his destination unknown. The two other "chefs" continued to crank out sushi. I ate my rolls and waited. After an unreasonably long time, I still had no more food. The waiter came by and asked me " Is everything OK?". "Well, I am waiting for more food, and it has been a while", was my response. He said "Oh" and walked away. OH? That's it?

A little more time passed and I flagged down a guy behind the bar and asked him when the rest of my food would be up. "You have more food?" He then explained that he thought the other guy had finished my food. I informed him that he didn't. OK, my guy was not good at communication and they dropped the ball as a result. I can live with that. Now fix it.
Fix it he did not. He put one of my items up and then continued to work on other orders. Orders that had come in substantially after mine. All in all, it took another 35 minutes more to receive my remaining 4 orders of RAW fish.
Once again, the disheveled waiter came by to ask me if everything was OK. Well, I am still waiting on food, the couple there has ordered, eaten, paid, and left, those gentlemen are on their fifteenth plate of food, and I still do not have my unagi. After a bit of silence he said they are working on it. By now, the departed individual had returned, and put my sushi on the bar without a word.
Why are service individuals not trained how to handle responses that are not the best? I do not really blame my young, disheveled waiter, or the other people who have given me blank, uncomfortable stares when my response was not positive. Employees need to be trained to handle issues that arise, or at least to get a manager.

The Pizza Test

2007-08-11T00:39:00.000-04:00

When ordering pizza from a place you are unfamiliar with, it is good to have a strategy. I believe that you can find out everything you need to know about a pizzeria by ordering a sausage and mushroom pizza. The quality of meat is a telltale sign about a pizzeria and sausage is most often the biggest offender of good taste. I do not like what I call "dogfood" sausage, you know, those crumbly, rubbery, processed little nuggets that look like they should be in a dogs bowl. When I get a pizza with either slices of real sausage, or crumbles of sausage meat that looks like sausage meat, this indicates a big step in the right direction. If I see the telltale fennel seeds in the sausage then I generally start the mental happy dance.

As far as the mushrooms, canned mushrooms are bland, watery little abominations that have no place on a pizza (or anywhere else). Slices of fresh mushrooms are the only acceptable mushrooms for my pizza.

Now that takes care of our meats and vegetables. The remaining items of sauce, cheese, and crust tell the rest of the story. Doughy crust, overly sweet sauce, and an inch or two of cheese are all indications that you should run away from the place and tell your friends to stay away. A crust that is slightly less then perfectly round is a very good sign. It has been my experience that Atlanta tends to undercook its' pizzas. A black bubble or two on the crust is desired. The best pizza ovens (wood or coal, I prefer wood) run very hot and cook pizza in just a few minutes.

There are too many places out there where the owner learned everything they know about pizza from their Roma sales rep. Premade dough rounds, dogfood sausage, strange cheese blends, and other abominations are the norm. It is good to have a strategy to sort the wheat from the massive amounts of chaff out there.

Shucker's Sucks

2007-08-03T20:02:00.000-04:00

On Friday, August 3, 2007 at 5 PM, I stopped at Shucker’s for bite on my way back from out of town. I asked that my oysters be lightly steamed. My oysters were overcooked; they were without moisture and completely shriveled. I asked they be taken away. I also ordered crawfish, they were not very good, but I ate them. When I received my bill, I was overcharged for my crawfish. I approached a man behind the bar and asked if he was a manager or owner. The response was no. I asked him if he could help because I was overcharged for my crawfish. I also expressed frustration about my oysters being overcooked. "I saw your oysters and they were beautiful" was his response. Dumbfounded, I then pointed to the menu price and to my bill to demonstrate where I was overcharged. I then inquired, "You thought those oysters were beautiful?" "I deal with people like you all the time" was his response. “People who want quality food and their bill to be correct?” I asked. I asked him what gave him the right to be an asshole to me, since he was neither a manager nor an owner (yes, I should not swear, but he was very rude, and I had had a long day). He then asked me if I wanted to go to jail. "I do not wish to be mistreated.” was my answer. He hovered by the cash register as the waitress fixed my bill. It seemed to me that he was trying to be menacing. His rude behavior continued and I left.

I then called the owner, who was at the other restaurant they own. She was apologetic and said she would call the restaurant to resolve the situation. I received a call back in a couple of minutes and I was told that I “pushed the oysters across the table” and “threw the menu across the bar”, neither of which is true. I was told that the staff perceived me to be rude, which even if I was (and I do not believe that I was), is no excuse to insult, threaten and mistreat me.

The photo above is an actual photo of the bartender who mistreated me.

Shucker's Oyster Bar
660 W Bankhead Hwy
Villa Rica, GA 30180
(770) 459-2600

A New Old Discovery

2007-07-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

There is a bittersweet feeling when you find something wonderful that has been available to you for a very long time. After all, think of the years you weren't taking advantage of the treasure. I had this experience last Friday night. After a week out of town on business, I wanted to go out for dinner. I did not want a big production and I did not want to spend a bunch of money. I decided to try Petite Auberge, a classical French restaurant that has been a staple on the Atlanta scene for more than thirty years. I had eyed the menu online before and was impressed by the options and the prices. The fact that it is less than twenty minutes from my house sealed the deal.

We arrived promptly at nine for our reservation and were cheerfully led to our table. I had a small amount of trepidation as I glanced around the room and discovered that we were about twenty years distant from any other patron in the restaurant. That is in both directions. The only people less than retirement age were the grandchildren of one of the couples. There was a piano player pumping out standards.

Our waiter, Sammy, stopped by promptly to greet us. Sammy blended perfectly with the somewhat dated environment and the older patrons. In fact, Sammy has been a fixture at Petite Aurberge since its inception more than 32 years ago.

The wine list was impressive in a regular haunt kind of way; lots of affordable options rounded out by some more impressive ( and expensive) selections. We chose a white Bordeaux for $25.
Our appetizers started out with a vichyssoise for me and a crab and shrimp cake for my date. The vichyssoise was an ample portion served in a glass nested in a silver container of ice. It was both rich and delicately flavored. The crab cake was nicely executed as well. It was made with very little binding and served on mixed greens and some rémoulade on the side.

As we dined, we observed other tables having their desserts prepared table side, à la 1973. Baked Alaska and Crepes were the choices of the grandchildren at the nearby table.

Sammy came by to clear our appetizer dishes and my wine glass was magically refilled. My date's pork chop with peppercorn gravy and black and tan pasta with tomato concassé arrived as a cart rolled up next to our table carrying my bouillabaisse. The server plated up my seafood stew and served it with toasted French bread and rouille.

In short, everything was nicely prepared. The bouillabaisse contained lobster, shrimp, mussels, salmon, and whitefish. Each individual ingredient was perfectly cooked, which is not always the case. Julienne strips of carrots and fennel provided color, texture and a sweet flavor to the dish.

Our meal was topped off with crepes served with hazelnut crème and chocolate sauce. A glass of Frangelico perfectly complemented our dessert.

The sad fact that I have lived in Atlanta since 1994 and have not been eating here regularly is overshadowed by my excitement with my discovery. Items such as Bavarian pork roast with a beer and caraway sauce, Bavarian meat platter, mustard crusted lamb chops, and classic escargots, all beckon my return. The menu is also chock full of the expected classics such as beef wellington and chicken cordon bleu.

Petite Auberge proves that some things are classic for a reason.

Petite Auberge
Toco Hill Shopping Plaza
2935 North Druid Hills Road
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 634-6268

Lunch
Monday - Friday 11:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Dinner
Monday - Saturday 4:00 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.

Appetizers $3.95 to $10.95

Entrees $14.95 to $26.95

Desserts $4.95 to $5.95

2007-07-03T17:58:00.000-04:00

Bourbon Tour

Columbus Day Weekend

October 5-8, 2007

Join us for Columbus Day weekend as we embark on the Bourbon Trail. The trip includes 3 nights lodging, all transportation, six meals, and all tours. A charter bus will leave from Atlanta Friday morning. Lunch of gourmet sandwiches, chips and cookies will be served on the motorcoach. Beverages will also be provided.

We will enjoy dinner on Friday night at the Historic Old Talbot’s Tavern. Built in 1779, this restaurant is located in the oldest western stagecoach stop in America. The Bourbon Bar, located in the Tavern, has live music on Friday and Saturday nights. It was named one of the best whiskey bars in the world by Whiskey Magazine.

Saturday morning will start with a tour of the Maker’s Mark distillery. Established in 1805 as a gristmill / distillery, it is the nations oldest working Bourbon distillery and has been named as a National Historical Landmark. You can end your tour by hand-dipping your own bottle of Bourbon in the famous red wax.

We will then enjoy lunch at Isaac’s Café, located in the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest.

After lunch, we are off to Jim Beam, the first family of Bourbon. At Jim Beam’s American Outpost, the story of seven generations of tradition is on display. The Beam family home is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Hartmann’s Cooperage, on the grounds, is a re-creation of the 1800’s barrel–making shop that supplied white oak barrels to Jim Beam. Our tour of the Jim Beam facility will not be the tourist tour. We will receive a V.I.P. tour including aged whiskeys not available to the public.

Saturday night is yours to enjoy Historic Bardstown. Everything from down-home country cooking to fine dining Italian is available for your enjoyment.

Sunday morning will start at the leisurely time of 10:30, where the Heavens Hill Trolley will make the first of two pick-ups. The trolley will take us around the towns historic hotspots and drop us at the Bourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distillery. The center offers interactive exhibits on the birth of bourbon, the role of whiskey throughout history, and the process of bourbon making. A film and the tasting room round out the day.

The remainder of Sunday is yours to explore, golf, shop, go on a walking tour, or simply relax by the pool.

Itinerary

Friday

9:30 A.M. Meet at designated spot. TBA

10:00 A.M. Bus Departs

Lunch of gourmet sandwiches, chips and cookies served on the bus. Beverages will also be provided.

4:30 P.M Arrive in Bardstown, KY. Check-in at the Ramada Inn Bardstown.

6:00 P.M. Dinner at the Historic Old Talbott Tavern

Saturday

8:45 A.M. Bus departs hotel

Tour Maker’s Mark Distillery

Lunch at Isaac’s Café located in the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

V.I.P. Tour of Jim Beam American Outpost including aged whiskeys not available for regular tastings.

Back at the hotel between 5 and 6 P.M.

You are free to explore the historic town of Bardstown.

Sunday

10:30 A.M. First pick up for the Heaven Hill Trolley Tour.

10:45 A.M. Second pick up for the Heaven Hill Trolley Tour.

The trolley will pick us up at the hotel. It will then take us around the historic hot spots and finish at the Heaven Hill Distillery / Bourbon Heritage Center where we will enjoy a tour of the facility and finish with a couple of tastings.

We will then be transported back to the hotel.

The remainder of Sunday will be a self-directed day. There a many things to do within walking distance including, shopping, museums, historic walking tour, golfing, and more.

Click Here for a map of downtown

Monday

9:00 A.M. Bus departs for Atlanta

5:00 P.M. Approximate arrival time in Atlanta.

Price is only $375 per person, based on double occupancy.

Click Here to request information about signing up and the available discount available through the Atlanta Wine Club.

A Burger Blast from the Past

2007-04-24T23:29:00.000-04:00

A bit over twenty years ago, when I was an assistant manager at Friendly's Restaurant in Orlando Florida, I had a watering hole located very near my restaurant. That watering hole was a chain called Red Robin. All I remember was I drank there when I was twenty-one years old with friends, many female, who may have been less than twenty-one years old. Apparently, Red Robin had been reported for serving under age patrons. They were fined. We continued to patronize Red Robin. They were fined again, this time more than the first. We continued to imbibe at the neighborhood establishment. Then they were closed. It was rumored that they were closed due to repeated violations of the law. Although I did not serve any underage person alcohol, I felt as though I contributed to the problem.

I had not seen a Red Robin for the ensuing two decades. Then they opened one up on Scenic Highway in Lawrenceville. So my friend of twenty two years and I went there for dinner. I do not recall a lot from twenty one years ago, but I am pretty sure that my watering hole did not look like a Chucky Cheese. I am equally certain that there was not a large costumed bird walking around scaring people. The bird seemed to be blind. An employee was leading this freakish creature around by the wing. I do remember there being very good looking young girls back then, and this did not change. The change was the fact that I was not a dirty old man when I leered at them twenty one years ago. The place was also full of families, teenagers and even the elderly on oxygen.
They proclaim to have the best burgers. We ordered our burgers from our friendly waitress after she gave us a brief tour of the menu including suggestions. She asked us: "you want that with pink or without?" I love that. It is a rare establishment that correctly cooks a medium rare burger. These folks make no assertion that they will do that. They will bring you a burger with or without pink. My friend ordered their Royal Red Robin, a burger topped with a fried egg, bacon, lettuce and tomato. I ordered the Santa Fe, a burger with roasted poblano, guacamole, fried tortilla strips, and chipotle mayonnaise. Both were delivered pink, as ordered. They also came with a bottomless portion French fries. Two large Blue Moon beers accompanied our burgers. Everything was very tasty. The service was friendly and efficient.
Although the experience was very different from two decades ago, it was an enjoyable meal. And they still didn't card me or my friend.

Crab and Tasso Stuffed Pork Chops

2007-03-31T23:08:00.000-04:00

I became enamored with the food of the low country while working on Fripp Island, South Carolina. There are some similarities with cajun food, both have a heavy African influence mixed with a melange of other cultures. Serve over puree of yucca and celery root with bourbon glazed roasted carrots.

Photo by Chris Kohanek

6 pork center loin chops -- about 8 to 10 ounces each

Brine

2 quarts water
2 lemons -- thinly sliced
6 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/4 cup table salt
1/4 cup sugar

Stuffing

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red onion -- diced
1/4 cup celery -- diced
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 jalapeno -- seeded and diced
1/4 cup tasso ham -- diced
8 oz crab meat -- picked clean
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 egg yolk
juice of 1/2 lemon

For the Brine:

Put everything in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until cold.

Place pork chops in brine and allow to brine for two hours in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing.

Heat the oil in a saute pan until shimmering. Add onion, celery, pepper, and garlic. Saute until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Toss to mix and season with salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator until needed.

Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.

Slice a pocket into each chop. Fill each pocket with the stuffing.

Preheat a grill or grillpan. Grill the chops, about 5-8 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Recipe by Dan Turro

Bourbon Glazed Roasted Baby Carrots

2007-03-31T23:02:00.000-04:00

3/4 pound carrots, baby
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup butter
salt -- to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the carrots and place in a baking dish.

Place the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the glaze over the carrots. Bake until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

Celery Root and Yucca Puree

2007-03-31T22:58:00.000-04:00

A Delicious Alternative to Mashed Potatoes

1 celery root -- about 1 pound
1 yucca root -- about 1 pound
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cream

Peel both roots, roughly chop, and place in separate pots. Cover with water and season with salt.

Bring both pots to a boil and simmer until very tender. Drain.

Mash the yucca root with a potato masher until smooth. Pass through a food mill.

Process the celery root in a food processor until smooth. Combine with the yucca root.

Add butter and cream. Adjust seasoning as necessary and serve.

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NOTES : Yucca roots can have woody, fibrous little sticks in them. Passing it through a food mill is a crutial step. If you do not have a food mill you can force it through a colander.

2007-03-31T22:41:00.000-04:00

My Background

2007-03-30T20:20:00.003-04:00

My first culinary job was in a privately owned restaurant in Shelton CT, where I started as dishwasher and moved into a prep cook position. That was in 1982. Since then I have worked as a manager, waiter; line cook; broil cook; soup and sauce cook; fry cook; sauté cook; expediter, chef, and more.

I have expertise in Italian coffee. In addition to managing Starbucks retail locations; I have also sold Italian espresso machines and coffees. I have trained many people over the years in the art of Italian coffee beverages.

A lifelong desire coupled with a convergence of circumstances allowed me to attend Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, in Atlanta GA. My culinary externship brought me to San Domenico, a fine dining Italian restaurant on Central Park South, in Manhattan. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Le Cordon Bleu, I worked briefly in La Taberna Vulgi, a restaurant in Santo Stefano del Sole, Italy. This small town is located about forty kilometers inland from Naples. After my brief stint at La Taberna Vulgi, I traveled around Italy for a while. Having previously spent time in Japan, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Ireland, and the UK for brief periods as a tourist, I found my time in Italy as a worker and guest to be very rewarding. I also had the opportunity to hone my Italian language skills. I have successfully completed the certification courses for wine fundamentals 1 & 2 from the International Sommelier Guild. I am certified in both servsafe and nutrition.

Upon returning from Europe, I found myself on Fripp Island, South Carolina as the interim food and beverage manager. A stint as a wine sales representative for an Italian wine importer / distributor followed.

I am currently the Southeast Regional Sales Manager for Alto Shaam, a premier American manufacturer of commercial culinary equipment based near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This followed a very successful couple of years in a similar position of Regional Sales Manager and Chef for a multi-national manufacturer of combi-ovens based in Germany, where I consistently exceeded my sales goals and grew the territory by one million dollars.

Cold Gingered Galia Melon Soup Shooter

2007-03-30T13:39:00.001-04:00

An Interesting Appetizer served with Basil Gelée and Myer Lemon Oil

I was shopping in Whole Foods Market yesterday and I was inspired to make this soup shooter. Soup shooters are popular as amuse bouche in restaurants or as passed hors d'oeuvres at catered functions. They are a great way to greet guests as they arrive at your house for a dinner or cocktail party.
A galia melon is similar to a cantaloupe. You could use any melon you wish for this recipe. Meyer lemons are a hybrid of a lemon and an orange. They have a sweeter flavor than traditional lemons. You can find meyer lemon oil alongside other gourmet flavored oils in your favorite market.

Gingered Galia Melon Soup

1 ounce candied ginger
1/4 cup filtered or mineral water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 Galia melon, about 2 pounds
1 Meyer lemon, peeled and seeded

Place the ginger, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside. Peel and seed the melon and place in a blender along with the lemon. Pour ginger mixture in and blend on high until very smooth. Pass through a strainer and chill.

Basil Gelée

1 package gelatin (1/4 oz)
1/4 cup mineral or filtered water
1 cup basil, packed
1 cup mineral water
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch salt

Sprinkle the gelatin in a small pan and pour the 1/4 cup water over. Allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Strain. Place the gelatin over medium low heat until dissolved. Add to the strained basil mixture.
Pour into a rectangular baking dish. If there are a lot of bubbles on the surface, lay a paper towel down on the surface and gently remove. This will remove the bubbles. Place in the refrigerator until set up.

To serve: cut 1/4 inch bars from the gelée and then cut into cubes. Place about 8 cubes into a tall shot glass, fill with soup and drizzle with meyer lemon oil and serve.

I Just Wanted a Pizza

2007-03-30T13:38:00.000-04:00

Frutti di Mare Pizza, Pisa Italy

Photo by Dan Turro

After catering a brunch last Sunday, I did not feel like cooking dinner. I also did not feel like going out. I decided to get a pizza and bring it home. There are not many pizzas worth eating in Atlanta, and even fewer in my immediate area.

Mama Mia’s in Stone Mountain Village does a decent job, although they do not deliver. I called to order a pizza, which I would pick up. The woman on the other end of the phone apologized and said they close at 4PM on Sunday. She was there for a private party.

Bambinelli’s is another acceptable pizza. They, like the folks from Mama Mia’s, are transplants from New York. Both families have been in Atlanta for more than two decades.

I called Bambinelli’s in Lilburn, a location that has not been open that long. It is located 6.1 miles from me. The man on the phone informed me that they would not deliver to me, but the original location at Northlake would. I found it strange that they would not deliver to me because they are not that far, about ten minutes away. The man assured me that the original location would deliver to me. He used to deliver for them.

I called the original location and was asked for my phone number and address. The man then said, “You know we don’t deliver there?” Well, of course I know that! I was just bothering random retards on the phone and you are the object of my attention. Lucky you! Actually, no, I don’t know that you don’t deliver here. I told the guy that the man at the other location said I could get delivery from the original location. The next stunning response was; “Well, he doesn’t work here!” Really, both are Bambinelli’s restaurants owned by the same family. Somewhat taken aback by the employee’s curt attitude, I said the other man told me he used to deliver for the original location and he assured me that I could get delivery.

The next response was simply dismissive - “Well, I don’t know what that’s about.”

At that point, I simply hung up. It was not because I wanted to be rude; it was because I saw no merit in continuing the conversation. There was obviously no desire to secure an order from me, let alone provide any level of customer service. Here is the kicker; I started my search for an edible pizza with the intention of picking it up. Mama Mia’s does not deliver and I was prepared to drive there. I would have done the same for a Bambinelli’s pie. Perhaps a better approach would have been to apologize for the confusion and ask if I would like to place an order for pick up. Maybe they could have even delivered the pizza. I live ten minutes away.

This should not have come as a big surprise. Some time ago, while eating at Bambinelli’s, I ordered a bottle of Banfi wine and was delivered a bottle of Il Villagio wine. I informed the waiter and he apologized. He went to investigate and returned with the stellar answer – “That is our Banfi.” Really! I would like to sell you a Mercedes Benz. Yes, I know the car is a PT Cruiser, but is our Mercedes Benz. Both manufacturers have the same owner, but they are differing quality levels and therefore have different names. THEN, my wife found a large shard of hard plastic in her food. All the while, the owners where sitting at a table and enjoying themselves. No follow up was attempted, and the management never visited us once. It is a mystery to me how such a place can stay in business.

I ate polpette di melanzane (eggplant meatballs), and rigatoni with a spicy sausage and onion sauce; food that I made myself in less time than it would have taken to get a pizza delivered or picked up. I was just looking for a bit of convenience and a pizza.

A Good Samaritan Fest in North Georgia

2007-03-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

All Photos by Doug Boyle

I am not a real outdoorsy person. During my twice-per-decade overnight camping outings, I always choose a campsite near the bathroom. I usually decide where to hike based on some other aspect of the area, such as easy driving distance, historical buildings nearby, or the food and drink I will have after the hike. Last weekend I embarked on a hike based on the last criteria.

Two of my friends and I decided to go hiking in White county, just north of Helen, Georgia. The seventh highest peak in Georgia was intriguing, as was hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail. But, I had not been to Helen in a couple of years and that was the dominant determining factor. For those of you who are not familiar with Helen, it a strange little town in the North Georgia Mountains that looks like a Bavarian Village. More than three decades ago, in an effort to revitalize the economy of this logging town, they decided to give the town the appearance of an alpine village. My battle cry became “ I am just here for the beer!” as our day descended into chaos and uncertainty.

Our plan was to park at the Andrews Cove recreation area and hike to the top of Tray Mountain. The hike is seven miles round trip and the trail head is just north of Helen. But much to our chagrin, the Andrews Cove recreation area was closed. So continued up the road looking for another trail access. We came upon a parking lot were the Appalachian Trail crosses route 75. There were serious hikers here, the kind that hike to Maine. One of our group, naturally the female, asked a seasoned looking hiker about the trail. He informed us that Tray Mountain was 5 ½ to 6 miles away, making the round trip nearly 12 miles. As I was only there for the beer, this seemed like much too large of an investment. Another option was to hike to the top of Rocky Mountain, which was much closer. On the return trip we could come straight back or we could choose the Blue Trail, which would loop us around back to where we started. At least this was what our seasoned hiker-friend told us. The trail was beautiful and the hike was strenuous enough to feel like work. We reached the top of the mountain and rested while taking in the vast beauty of the mountains. Other than my new boots causing me some discomfort, all was beautiful until this point. Our trek back to the Blue Trail was easy enough. We ran into other hikers, both casual and die hard, and chatted a bit. One guy was headed to Maine and would arrive there in August. And I thought a Greyhound bus was slow.

We then embarked on Blue Trail. It was more pleasant than the way up, with gentler slopes and easier footing. Our conversation turned to the seasoned hiker, and the fact that we did not ask how long the trail was. Surely, I reasoned, it cannot be outrageously long because the hiker knew we had no interest in hiking the 12 miles back and forth to Tray Mountain. Certainly, he would not suggest a trail that is just as long. And we walked. Then we walked some more. By now the irritancy of the new boots was progressing into pain. We finally came upon a gravel road that was mentioned by our now disparaged hiker-guide. At least we should not be too far from our car.

As I sat to try to alleviate the discomfort caused by my boots, an old two-door Nissan with a young twenty-something couple stopped to chat. As it turns out, we were still some distance from our car. We were not sure how far, but it was clear that we were not close. They offered me a ride in their small car, so I grabbed the car keys from my friend and jumped in the car. And we drove down the gravel road. Then we drove some more, and then some more. We traversed a shallow stream in the old Nissan, causing steam to pour out from under the hood. And then we drove some more. Finally, we came to the road. We took a left and headed up the mountain. After about two more miles, I finally arrived at the car. I thanked the young couple profusely. I also mentioned how thankful my friends would be. They had no idea of how far they still had to go.

Limping towards the car, I became concerned when the remote wouldn’t unlock the car. My concern heightened when the car would not start. It seemed to be locked out by some security function. I called my friends, but they had no signal. I found the manual and read about a security feature that could cause the car not to start. I followed the instructions to overcome this feature, but to no avail. I called the dealership for guidance but the service department was closed. I continued to call my friends. A hiker was hanging out waiting for a friend and we chatted a bit. Finally, he could wait no more and disappeared up the trail to find his friend. “Hopefully you won’t be here when I get back,” he said as he left.

I was sure it was a security feature and not a dead battery. A dead battery usually gives some sign of life. Besides, why would my friend have the lights on during the day? While that question was never really answered, the lights were left on and the battery was dead. It was getting very cold and my left foot and ankle hurt quite a bit. And I could still not get in touch with my friends.

A short while later a car pulled up and out jump my friends. I informed them of our car dilemma. We had no jumper cables. I wrote on a piece of paper “JUMPER CABLES?” with lipstick and stood on the side of the road. The hiker had returned with his buddy. We asked the buddy if he had cables the response was “in Alabama.” There was a sign that listed phone numbers for the Ranger’s office and the Sheriff’s office. The Ranger’s office is closed on the weekend. That makes sense because probably no one hikes here on the weekends; it is mostly a Monday through Friday hobby. After overcoming my disbelief, I called the Sheriff’s office. The number was invalid, another fine example of our tax dollars hard at work!

The Alabamian hikers were on the other side of the road, hitchhiking. As one of them was snapping a picture of me with my little sign, I asked them to mention our predicament to their Good Samaritan, when someone stopped to give them a ride. A short while later, an SUV stopped to pick them up. Fortunately, they had cables. Long story short, the cables were short, the car was large, and we could not move our car because we could not get it out of park. I started to pull cash out of my pocket, to buy the cables from the man so at least we could get a jump later, as another car pulled into the parking lot. I approached the new car and explained the predicament. They were nice enough to pull into the space next to our car. The battery was on the closer side, and the car was much smaller than the SUV. Problem solved. The car started and everyone went on his or her way.

The lessons here are many, but the primary two are basic. Just like the scouts say, be prepared. Do not go out without maps. We had a compass with us but it was not consulted until we were very far into our journey. Wear boots you know to be comfortable. Secondly, people are good. Four carloads of people and a hitchhiker came to our rescue. Even our seasoned hiker-guide was probably well intentioned.

All is well that ends well. The Altstädter Weinstube & Biergarten had opened since my last visit. The food was authentic and delicious. The beer list was nearly all German. There are few stresses in life that can not be solved by good food and drink. We even stopped by their sister restaurant, Edelweiss, and stocked up on German sausages.

Easy Thai Food

2007-03-30T13:36:00.000-04:00

Photo by Chris Kohanek

American aren’t the only ones who like convenience foods. Of course, we remember from our childhood those commercials where the little kids proclaimed “and we helped.” Hamburger Helper helped us help our hamburger. These products hearken back to a time when sushi was not available in most cities, let alone the mall. Thai restaurants abound in most parts of this country. We have foods from all parts of the globe available to us now. So why not take advantage of the convenience foods that assist our international neighbors. In about the same time it takes to drive to your neighborhood Thai restaurant and order your food, you can enjoy authentic Thai flavors in your own house at a fraction of the cost.

It is not always easy or even possible to find the myriad exotic ingredients that go into Thai curries. Items like galagal root, kaffir lime, lemongrass, and shrimp paste are not only hard to find, but are sometimes only required in very minute quantities to prepare a meal, despite their integral role. Who wants to have a jar of shrimp paste in the fridge that will take years to utilize? There are only three items that you need to stock in your pantry, beyond your normal groceries to enjoy Thai food at home.

Curry paste. A wide variety of curry pastes are available 4 oz cans: just enough product to make one family meal, maybe with a bit leftover. Red and green curry are the most common types. Other types include Karee (yellow), Paenang, Masman, sour curry, noodle sauce and more.

Coconut milk is available in regular and light. I have tasted these side by side, and I am convinced that the only difference is the amount of water they use to process the coconut into milk. If you are concerned about fat, I would recommend buying the full fat coconut milk and diluting it with water. The result will be the same and it will cost you less.

Fish sauce (Nam Pla). Fish sauce is to Thailand what soy sauce is to Japan. It is made from fermented, salted fish. It has a very pungent smell. Do not be alarmed! You really can eat it. It blends into the other flavors nicely and the strong pungency goes away. Although many of the pastes already contain fish sauce, it is often recommend that you add a bit more to the finished dish. If additional salt is required, add a dash of fish sauce. It is an inexpensive product that has an incredibly long shelf life.

The other ingredients are items that most folks stock regularly; shrimp, chicken, beef, herbs like basil and cilantro, vegetables like eggplant and mushrooms, and chili peppers.

A few recipes follow to demonstrate how easy it is to prepare great Thai food at home. Don’t be too strict. Substitute meats, vegetables, and garnishes. Use whatever strikes your fancy, and enjoy.

Go to Recipes

Beef and Eggplant in Red Curry Sauce

2007-03-30T13:35:00.002-04:00

Photo be Chris Kohanek

This is a wonderful weeknight dinner. It only uses one pan, involves no sautéing, and is largely unattended. Fish sauce makes a big difference in this dish. It has a very long shelf life, so pick some up when you purchase the curry and coconut milk.

1 can red curry paste
2 cans coconut milk
1 ½ pounds beef cut into bite sized strips
3 Chinese eggplants (about 10-12 ounces)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
Basil chiffonade
Fresh chilies, thinly sliced

1. Combine the curry paste and coconut milk in a deep skillet or large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to ensure smoothness.

2. Add beef, return to simmer. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about forty-five minutes.

3. Add eggplant and fish sauce and continue to cook until the eggplant is tender.

4. Garnish with basil and chili peppers. Serve with rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Green Curry Chicken

2007-03-30T13:35:00.001-04:00

Photo by Chris Kohanek

This dish is ready in about 45 minutes and only uses on pan. What could be easier than that? I prefer boneless, skinless thighs. They have more flavor and are less expensive than breasts. If you choose to use boneless, skinless breasts, be sure to be very diligent to avoid overcooking them. Breast meat is prone to drying out. If you want to lighten this dish it can be made with 2 cups of coconut milk and 2 cups of water. I find this dilutes the flavor a bit too much, so I use all coconut milk. The extra coconut milk also tames the heat from the curry paste better than water.

1 can green curry paste
2 cans coconut milk
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
½ pound vegetables such as mushrooms, eggplant, sweet peppers, onions, or a mixture
Fresh chilies
Chiffonade of basil

Combine the curry paste and coconut milk in a deep skillet or large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to ensure smoothness.
Add chicken, return to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until meat is nearly cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Add vegetables and continue to cook until vegetables are cooked.
Garnish with chilies and basil. Serve with rice.

Whole Fish with Curry Sauce

2007-03-30T13:34:00.001-04:00

Photo by Chris Kohanek

You can have this on the table in less than 30 minutes. If you cannot find snapper, you could use any white fish you like, such as tilapia. Any flavor curry paste will do. The peppers add color, texture, and flavor. You could omit them if you like and the dish would still be very tasty.

1 whole snapper, about 2 pounds, cleaned

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons curry paste

1 can coconut milk

3 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup fish sauce

1 small red pepper, julienned

1 jalapeño, seeded and julienned

A small handful of cilantro leaves or basil chiffonade

Put three slices in each side of the fish and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Place the fish in the skillet and cook until the skin is crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Flip the fish over and cook the other side. Remove the fish to a plate.
Add curry paste to the pan and sauté for a minute, add the coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring to ensure smoothness.
Return the fish to the pan, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
While the fish is simmering, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in another skillet over medium high heat. Add the julienned peppers, season with salt and pepper and sauté until al dente.
Place the fish on a platter, pour the sauce over it and garnish with the peppers and cilantro or basil. Serve with rice.

Welcome to McAsia, may I take your order?

2007-03-30T13:27:00.000-04:00

Photo by Dan Turro

I often ponder the behavior of Americans. One of my enduring questions is about our reluctance to venture into realms less familiar. Many treasures can be found in these areas. A vast majority of Atlantans never venture past the local Publix or Kroger for their groceries. Just as many would drive past countless small independent, family owned restaurants to go to an Applebee’s. They would likewise dine at PF Chang’s rather than choosing the real food, cooked by real families in real restaurants. Beyond these scenarios, it is the proliferation of fast food that perplexes me the most. We live in a city that is rife with fast, inexpensive options for dining. From soul food buffets, to counter service Mexican joints, frequently the only challenge is overcoming small language difficulties. But hey, that’s what we have fingers for. Pointing is the universal language. While grocery shopping at Super H Mart recently, I encountered a beautifully executed alternative to fast food.

I call Super H “The Asian Whole Foods”. There is a beauty shop, a bank, an ice cream shop, and an area where they will freshly grind your choice of thirty-eight varieties of grains, nuts, dried fruits and more into a cereal. They even make fresh tofu and kimchi there. As you enter the store and look to the right, you see the food court. The wall of food starts with a sign labeled “Snacks”. It continues with Sushi, Korea, Chinese, Dumpling, and finally ends with “Café”. Each one of the counters has many offerings. For instance, the “Snack” counter has panels with pictures on them numbered one through thirty-three. Many items have a few choices per panel, such as whether to order your food with beef, chicken, tofu, or shrimp. I am always skeptical of tempura that is not cooked to order, so I ordered a combination order for $4.99. It included two pieces of shrimp, two pieces of squid, two vegetable and two sweet potato tempuras. It was crunchy and light. A small amount of tempura dipping sauce accompanied it in a small paper soufflé cup. There is also an item called Duk Boki. The English translation calls it a rice cake in spicy sauce. It is something like cylindrical rice gnocchi, and for just $3.95, it was a great little culinary adventure. Overall, the offerings are quite varied, encompassing a variety of noodles, soups, rice dishes, and more. And this is just the first counter. Next to the “Snack” counter is the one labeled “Sushi”. This counter is the thing of dreams for Publix and Kroger stores. Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with the sushi offerings of Publix and Kroger. They provide fast healthy lunches for many, myself included. The prices are lower than the supermarkets. You can get rolls from $2.75! And no, it is not even a cucumber roll. An assortment of 6 pieces of nigiri sushi and eight pieces of roll is just $8.95. There are fewer signs here because most of the food is prepared and labeled in the case. The few signs they do have tout the fact that they will make whatever sushi you want. They also offer sushi and sashimi party platters for $35, $50, and $75. The selection is larger than their supermarket competitors and includes items like seaweed salad and pickled baby octopus.

The Korean counter also has numbered panels with pictures on them ranging from 1 through 33. Several of these panels have multiple options, such as the “Soon Doo Boon”. This spicy soft tofu stew is available with kimchi, seafood, miso, beef, mushroom, and combo. All of your regulars are there such as bulgogi (seasoned beef on rice) and bi bim bop (assorted vegetables and pickles on rice). That is as much fun to say as it to eat. But there are also more unusual items such as Sam Gae Tong; chicken stuffed with sweet rice, chestnuts, dates, and garlic, and cooked in a ginseng soup. Not only is this dish tasty and different, it also the most expensive item at the Korean counter at $9.95. The traditional condiments are included, those little dishes of kimchi and other pickles and salads.

The Chinese counter is what one might expect. The menu panels number only about a dozen, but the food is freshly prepared and tasty. There are the usual suspects like fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, dumplings and more. I must confess that Chinese is my least favorite Asian cuisine because it has been so Americanized. The fare here is as good as you will get at restaurants that are more expensive. It also provides an option for those in your party who do not have the most adventurous palates.

Lastly, there is Café Mozart. This is a scaled down version of this concept, which has a couple of free standing operations around Gwinnett. There is a good selection of coffee based beverages, as well as Bubble Tea. When I inquired about the nature of Bubble Tea, I was given a one-word answer: smoothie. Bubble Tea falls into two categories, fruit based and milk based. The term “bubble” refers to the tapioca pearls that are in the beverage. The star of this show is the pastry counter. The pastries are beautiful. From the mocha cakes and fruit tarts, to the individually sized snacks, these are truly gorgeous. You could do worse than to bring one of these to a holiday gathering or a dinner party.

The unifying aspect of these restaurants is their ease of use. In addition to the native languages, everything is listed in English with pictures. The service is very prompt. You can get in and out of here in about the same time as the fast food restaurants generally take. And with the prices as low as they are, it begs the question…McWho?

About:
Super H Mart 2550 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, GA 30096

Go Ahead, be a Jerk

2007-03-30T13:25:00.000-04:00

I love it when I stumble across a gem. A few weeks ago, I was driving to a friend’s house when I spied a banner draped across an old jalopy of a car.

“Jerk Chicken Center” proclaimed the banner. Meanwhile, the windshield of the car advised us of its $1500 selling price. The neon “Open” sign hanging from the tree was dark, so we drove on by. While on a trip to the same friend’s house last weekend, the sign beckoned me in all its neon glory.

A smoke-filled, dirt driveway, illuminated by Christmas light-wrapped trees led us to an old house fronted by four split 50 gallon drum barbeque pits. A hand written sign informed us that the food was inside. “Inside” turned out to be an old garage. Reggae music filled the Frenches-Yellow-Mustard room. The walls were covered in pictures of soccer teams and posters of reggae bands. On the ceiling, next to the tracks where the garage door used to open, a plus sign was formed by four fluorescent light fixtures. Two of them were even working, and one had wires dangling downward. A line formed from the small window in the wall and snaked its way past a pool table. The menu was hand written in black marker on the inside of the lid of a Styrofoam clamshell and posted above the tiny window. It consists of six items; chicken, pork, fish, soup, festival, and fried saltfish. As I tried to get a closer look at the small menu, a gentleman in line professed, “Just meat, but it is the best in Atlanta.” While my wife waited in line, I stepped outside. One of proprietors gave me a verbal tour of the restaurant. Standing in front of the smoking barrels, he dosed the chicken that covered the grill with a jerk marinade. It consists of herbs, spices, and peppers, among other things. The soup, he informed me, was pepper-pot today. It is a blend of peppers, chicken and callaloo. Callaloo are the leafy greens from the taro root plant and resemble collards. Yesterday it was fish soup. The fish is stuffed with okra, wrapped in foil and cooked en papillote. The pork is marinated loin and cooked on a separate grill from the chicken.

Back inside, the line moved slowly as vendors came in and opened their cases of wares. The ladies were hawking jewelry, fragrances and lotion. When we were approached by one the ladies, I informed her that I already smelled spectacular and therefore did not need any fragrance. The line had only inched along so I went back outside to chat some more. What kind of fish is it? I queried. Red snapper was the response. My informative friend from the line joined me and gave me more information. “This is based on the concept of “big yard”. In Jamaica someone in the neighborhood always has a big yard and that is where the neighborhood gets together to cook. You could show up with no laces in your shoes and get some soup.” “We would get a boat going. Not a real boat, but everyone in the neighborhood would be assigned something to gather…you get ackee, you get coconut…” Apparently, there is a rule that if the branches of a fruit tree extend over a fence then the fruit is fair game. But I digress…

Not only is this a carryout restaurant, but there is also a bar through a door in the garage-restaurant. Different reggae played in this room. There is a selection of beers including Guinness, Heinekin, and the obligatory Red Stripe, available from the residential refrigerator. All are three dollars. The Jamaican flag hangs over a small, dark fireplace and posters of Bob Marley cover the walls. Small tables and chairs are scattered around along with a couple of couches.

About forty minutes had passed from our arrival to our departure for home to enjoy our food. Not the fastest place going. The smell of the place already had me convinced that it was worth the wait. The chicken was moist and flavorful. It was served with a barbeque sauce that was just sweet enough and had a nice kick without being overly hot. The “festival” is basically fried logs of sweetish cornbread, very good for sopping up sauce or dipping in the soup. The pepper-pot was very a flavorful concoction with chunks of potato, bits of greens, peppers and chicken. This also had a nice spice to it. I assumed the fried saltfish would bear some resemblance to the salt cod known as bacalao in Spain and baccalà in Italy. Sadly, it did not. It had a yellow color and a still too firm and salty texture. It seemed to me that it had not been sufficiently reconstituted. The best salt cod is milky white and delicately textured when prepared well. For only two dollars, it was a long way from ruining my evening. Unfortunately they had run out of pork. It would have been thirty minutes for more to be ready, so we opted to double our chicken order. Is short, the food was excellent.

This is not just a place for food, but somewhere where you can experience a culture. My informative friend, who is a transplant from Kingstown, Jamaica, via a long stay in Hartford Connecticut, summed it up when he gestured to the barren yard outside the house and said “all you need is beach”.

About

Jerk Chicken Center

Address Highway 124, Corner of Rockbridge Rd and Rockbridge Rd.

Hours: Monday – Saturday 5 P.M. Until...

Price $10 and less

Cash Only

No reservations, no call aheads