Cibatarian

Yemista, or Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

2012-02-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite foods while on Crete was the stuffed tomatoes. Here is an excellent recipe I found via food.com, with my modifications.

Ingredients

* 5-7 medium sized tomatoes

* 5-6 medium to large bell peppers

* 3/4 cup olive oil

* 3/4 - 1 lb medium grain white rice

* 1/2 large sweet onion [original recipe calls for one onion, finely chopped]

[* optional: 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine]

* 1/4 cup fresh spearmint, mint or sweet basil

* 1/2 cup fresh parsley

* 1/2 - 1 cup pine nuts (or slivered almonds)

* 1/2 cup hard cheese, such as parmesan, mizithra or kefalograviera

[* optional: 1/2 cup sultana raisins]

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 1 1/2 cups water

* 1/2 cup olive oil

* 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F (180 C).

1. Cut off and retain tops of the tomatoes and peppers.

2. Scoop out the flesh and seeds of the tomatoes into a food processor.

3. Scoop out membranes and seeds of the peppers and discard.

4. Place tomatoes and peppers in a 3 x 19 inch baking pan. I use glass. Must be large enough to hold all of them with some space for cooking fluid.

5. Sprinkle the tops of the tomatoes and peppers with granulated sugar.

6. Add the onion, basil, garlic, and parsley to the tomato flesh and pulse the food processor until everything is incorporated and finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.

7. Add olive oil, nuts, cheese, sultanas, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to the tomato puree, and mix to incorporate. Add enough rice to form an evenly distributed mixture. Mix well.

8. Spoon the mixture into the tomatoes and peppers.

9. Place the tops back ontop the peppers and tomatoes.

10. Whisk together 1 cup water with 1/2 cup olive oil, and the tomato paste. Pour in the pan along side the tomatoes and peppers.

11. Bake 1 3/4 hours. Then turn off the oven and allow to mellow 1 hour or until service is ready.

12. Most places say to serve this slightly warm or at room temperature. I like mine warm, because it's a weird contrast to serve hot and cold food on the same plate.

Enjoy!

Laissez les bon temps rouler, y'all!

2012-02-09T10:07:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again. Mardi Gras. One last hurrah before having to behave for an entire 40 days during Lent. Or just another excuse to party.

Most people think of Mardi Gras as a New Orleans thing. The reputation is well-earned. However many other towns across the Gulf Coast also celebrate Mardi Gras and the season leading up to it. Including Galveston, Texas.

The celebrations in Galveston aren't nearly the scale of New Orleans, but Galveston's proximity to us, only 2.5 hours drive away, makes it a more inviting annual tradition. We can drive down, have a good time, then drive home and sleep in our own beds.

One other thing that differentiates Galveston Mardi Gras from the one in New Orleans is that the events are mostly confined to the last two weekends before Ash Wednesday. That means the first weekend of major festivities is coming up this weekend. There will be parades the seawall and The Strand on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of both weekends.

For the most part the celebrations while the sun is up are G to PG rated. The events on Sundays are kid-oriented, including a cat and dog parade and a children's parade. So if you think your kids might like some beads but you don't want to hide them from drunken revelry, get there early or go on Sundays.

The Strand entertainment district will be fenced off so you have to purchase tickets to get into the balcony areas, as it were. Tickets are available at the gates or online. But you don't have to purchase tickets to have fun or enjoy the parades or the carnival on the seawall. They travel along the seawall and through the downtown area on the way to The Strand.

General admission is $15, with an additional fee to attend the various balcony parties (something I've never done ). Parking is $8 or $10, depending on where you go. There will be food and drink vendors available inside the fenced area. Additionally all the restaurants and bars in district will be open.

For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, go here.

(This must have been an amazingly timed photo. Usually that balcony in the background is packed with people throwing beads.)

Crete

2012-02-08T20:30:00.026-08:00

Yup, it's two posts in one day. I promised you all picts from Crete so here they are. Most will focus on the food. I left the picts of people from work/school out because I didn't ask them if I could put their images up here and don't want them mad at me. :-) Enjoy!

Perhaps one of the most famous archeological finds on Crete. If memory serves (it's been a few months) this fresco came from the Palace of Knossos and features acrobats jumping a bull. Supposedly two of these figures are female and one is male.

The trip started with me meeting up with a dear friend at the airport in Iraklio then renting a car and driving to Rethymno. Above is a bread plate, typical of those served with every meal. Unlike Italy the bread is meant to be eaten and is served fresh and usually warm. Nom!

Moussaka is not supposed to have a tomato sauce. The one served at Restaurant Alanna was actually light and enjoyable - vastly different from what American restaurants have led me to believe is normal for the dish. This was ridiculously delicious.

This was called lamb with egg sauce. Who cares? It was delicious. Very herbal and the sauce was incredibly light. I'm told this is a dish that is native to Crete.

The restaurant in Rethymno was outdoors, but it was on average 70 degrees F with a constant seabreeze. Lovely.

A bakery in the middle of Old Town Rethymno. This one featured traditional Crete baked goods in addition to all the modern stuff you'd expect to find in Europe. Traditional pastries feature dates, almond paste and sometimes figs and are sweetened with honey.

The next day we visited the breathtakingly beautiful Monestary of Arkadi and had lunch at this nondescript snack bar. Doesn't look like much but it produced this awesome food:

That's a skewer of grilled lamb in with those french fries. And wonderfully sweet fresh-made real Greek yogurt with local honey. In addition to the fresh bread. Check out that view! From the snack bar!

Just demonstrating how incredibly beautiful this place is. The grounds are covered with all kinds of fragrant flowers.

The next day we drove back to Iraklio to check in for our conference. We had dinner at a restuarant down the street where I got to sample Raki for the first time. Raki is the national drink of both Turkey and Crete. Makes sense due to their shared history. The spouse refers to Raki as Crete moonshine. The title mostly fits. Each restaurant either purchases a favorite brand or makes their own. Hard to believe but the best Raki I had on the island came from the Monestary of Arkadi. It was smooth. Everywhere else it had a significant bite. It was served almost everywhere before an evening meal.

Most meals on Crete start with a salad. I read somewhere before going that dinner salad actually originated on Crete. I'm not sure about that but noticed that most salads were tomato heavy. Not that I minded. The tomatoes were delicious.

This is traditional Creten BBQ. The meat, usually lamb, mutton and goat, are cooked low and slow over hot coals and wood. There is also chicken on this plate. All are spiced with local herbs and spices and served bone-in. The results are true caveman type of food. Some are moist, some are dry but all are delicious.

European breakfast! With a Greek twist. I love that Greek yogurt with honey. :-) And, of course, my old standby: oatmeal (aka, porridge).

During a break in the conference my work group headed over to the historic part of Iraklio and did the whole tourist thing. While we were there we grabbed dinner at the waterfront. Above you can see mackerel with steamed greens and homemade potato crisps.

We also took a trip to the Palace of Knossos. After traipsing across the rebuilt ruins we had lunch at the restuarant pictured above. Here I had my first taste of stuffed tomatoes:

Here the stuffed tomatoes are served with stuffed peppers and stuffed grape leaves. Drool! The stuffing is pine nuts with rice in an herbal sauce. These are prepped in advance (it takes 3 hours to roast these) and reheated for service.

On our last night on the island we found another restaurant down the street from our hotel. Here I got the Greek Sampler. It contains a slightly different version of everything I had elsewhere.

This place looked like a movie version of a taverna. But it really was the real thing. We were there early in the evening during the off season. I'm sure this place gets packed during tourist season.

In summary, Crete is very beautiful. And the food is fantastic. Just to leave you with a few lasting images....

Volt

2012-02-08T19:12:00.023-08:00

Wow. It's been awhile. I hope this post will make the wait worthwhile.

As a couple we have found a way to manage holidays: every other Christmas (the big holiday in both our families) we visit my folks in Maryland while on alternate Christmases we visit his folks in the Dallas area. This year it was our turn to visit my folks in Maryland. Little did I know the treat my brother and sister-in-law had in mind for us. They got us a gift card and reservations to Volt (http://www.voltrestaurant.com/): Top Chef celeb Bryan Voltaggio's restaurant in Frederick, Maryland. They had warned us not to make plans on December 30, but didn't tell us exactly what was in store.

So, in addition to thanking them one more time for the wonderful gift, here's a pictoral essay on the dining event.

Volt is located in the middle of the Frederick (http://www.cityoffrederick.com/), Maryland historic district. I'm not sure exactly where to start with the history of Frederick, but it was involved in the Civil War and is located between Gettysburg and Antietam.

From the exterior it's actually easy to walk past the restaurant. It blends in with the rest of the old buildings along the same street. However it's in the middle of everything and fits right in.

As you walk in you're greeted at a hostess station. We informed them we had been gifted a reservation, which wasn't quite ready yet. So we were invited to wait in the bar and lounge area, which was absolutely packed with people. Not a few of whom were obvious lounge lizards, who ended up staying there the entire time we were in the restaurant. After some time our drink orders were taken and we were able to look into the kitchen via the closed circuit TV above the bar.

(This pict was taken as we were leaving, hence the nearly empty bar and lounge.)

Before our drinks were ready we were escorted to our table in the main dining room. What a great table. Right by the front window. Gorgeous view of the street and quite a nice table off on its own.

Yes, we were way underdressed. It was cold and I, at least, was freezing my butt off. But the staff didn't bat an eye.

After we were seated our head server for the night came to the table and introduced herself, then explained how things worked. The way reservations work, I found out, is as follows: there are three dining rooms, the main dining room, kitchen dining and the 21 room. The 21 room is for the tasting menu. The kitchen dining room is for a specific kitchen dining experience (which I didn't research). And the main dining room features an ala carte menu offering 4 courses. Our reservation is exactly the one we would have chosen: the main dining room with the ala carte menu.

It was preferred that we order all of our courses at once, at the beginning of the meal. We were then given plenty of time to peruse the menu and make our decisions.

We decided on 3 courses followed by an after dinner port. Which was no problem with the service staff.

The meal started with an amuse bouche of celery root meringue filled with foi gras. A lovely bite that was light and crisp with a creamy center. My spouse hates foi gras but loved this. In addition some in house made bread sticks flavored with sea salt and fennel pollen were served. Crisp and delicious. I love bread and could easily eat 100 of these.

Next bread was brought to the table. There was a selection of 4-5 types. The one I selected each time it was offered was an olive roll. I can't explain why but it hit every aspect that I love about bread. Slightly crispy exterior and foamy interior. Yum! My spouse sampled everything involving bacon and loved every one of them.

First course. I ordered the hamachi sashimi and my spouse ordered the tuna tartar. The hamachi came with blood orange supremes and light greens consisting of seaweed and baby field greens. Everything was light and fresh, and actually paired beautifully with the gin martini with a twist that I started my evening with. My spouse's tuna tartar was delicious and flavorful. It was uniquely presented in a jasmine rice paper that made the entire dish appear to be a sausage. This was accompanied by two preparations of fish roe, avocado mousse and soy air. It all worked beautifully together. The average cost for first course options was around $13 each.

Second course. The kitchen ran out of my first choice so the spouse and I both got the pork belly. It turns out this was a deconstructed and very upscale version of pork fried rice. A poached egg yolk sat perched atop a rice porridge and was accompanied by freeze dried peas, pork cracklings and perfectly roasted pork belly. Well balanced flavors and textures. I would eat this every night, given the choice. The average cost for second course options was around $14 each.

Third course. I followed my first instinct and selected the scallops. And I was very happy for it. Perfectly seared scallops were accompanied by the thinnest shavings of radish, delicate risotto and perfectly roasted chicken. Everything worked beautifully together. My spouse got the beef loin. The beef was perfectly cooked and melt in your mouth tender. The potato and greens accompaniment, though was not to our liking. I believe the spouse even left those on his plate. The average price for third course options was around $31 each.

Fourth course. If we had selected a dessert the average price was around $8. We however selected port. My spouse enjoyed a 35 year old Warres and I enjoyed a 20 year old Tawny. It was a nice way to finish a lovely meal.

At the end of the meal we were brought a plate of miniature mixed sweets. It had a chocolate ganache truffle, a snickerdoodle, a coffee flavored meringue and a passion fruit gelee. Eaten in that order they were a fantastic end to the evening.

After we were finished eating the server presented us with a mini coffee cake to take with us. This reminded me of the cookies French Laundry sends home with its patrons. I thoroughly enjoyed mine on the flight back to Texas.

The entire meal lasted approximately 2 hours.

And before you ask, yes, I was able to meet Bryan Voltaggio. I nearly ran into him on the way to the restroom, literally. He was working in the kitchen in addition to coming to the front and signing books and posing for picts with the patrons. The kitchen was super, super busy.

The decor was very nice without being stuffy. In fact the only thing I would call stuffy would be some (a minority) of the other patrons. The artwork had that Really Cool factor to it. The service was impeccable on every level and was matched by the food and drinks. And while the meal was certainly not cheap, the prices were very reasonable for this quality and presentation of food. I highly recommend Volt for people who enjoy this style of dining.

Reservations are required.

Note: Portions of this were reproduced from my restaurant review on tripadvisor.com. The picts were taken with and uploaded from my phone. Links were not html'd in because I'm having software issues.

Coming Attractions!

2011-08-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

1. B/CS has a whole lotta new sushi places. We've been slowly making it to all of them. Coming soon: a giant review of all of them.

2. A discussion and food porn of my trip to Crete. Complete with recipes. Heck yea!

3. A visit to and discussion about the new food trucks in B/CS.

And, OMG!, I'll actually update this blog. It's not dead, I swear!

New Republic Brewery

2011-07-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

There's a new brewery in College Station. That's right! And this time it's not a brewpub and it actually has a chance of success!

New Republic Brewery started last year after one of the owner's hobby of homebrew spread enough to catch the attention of the TABC. So instead of throwing in the towel, he jumped head-first into the world of independent microbrew. After a heckuvalotta work the result is the birth of a new brewery located by Disaster City in a hard-to-find industrial park. Make the trip out to their brewery/store and you'll find a very small operation helmed by very enthusiastic do-it-yourself science geeks. The resulting beer, Bellows, is very, very good. It's a good balance of hobby and malty so that hop-heads such as myself and malt lovers such as The Lovely Spouse can both enjoy it.

Currently you can only find Bellows at local pubs, including O'Bannons, Village Cafe, and Good Time Charlies. The beer is good so I predict they will expand. To date they only produce one beer, Bellows, but there are plans to develop a fig lambic. And, given the enthusiasm and realism exhibited by the owners I predict good things in their future.

Here's a tip if you go to the brewery, buy a pint glass and enjoy a beer. Otherwise the only thing they're allowed to sell you is a tee shirt. TABC laws are no joke so breweries are not allowed to sell alcohol directly from the brewery. But they can sell swag. :-)

Reviews: Branded and Chuy's

2011-03-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Not related to anything: I just had an orange carrot karma smoothie from Jamba Juice. Yummie! Jamba Juice is so expensive that it's a splurge for me. $5 for a smoothie...I mean, c'mon! But there are times, especially when I have to go to the doc for shots and stuff, especially when I didn't quite pack enough for lunch and when I don't want to reach for cookies or high calorie granloa bars, that a smoothie just hits the spot. Yum! And the ads promise I just had 3 full servings of fruits and veggies. Minus the cellulose, of course.

Anyways, back to the purpose of today's post: reviewing Branded and Chuy's.

Last weekend The Lovely Spouse and I spent a day at AggieCon. It was awesome and full of geekery. Because we spent a full day there we had to eat something. We didn't really want a fine dining meal at the Hilton and the coffee bar didn't have much "real food" to offer. So we looked for other options. There are a few places across the street from the Hilton but we had yet to try the restaurant next door: Branded. Very recently it had been called Sodolak's Beefmasters. Before then it was T-Bone Jones. The location is a bit weird: at the bottom of what might be the only steep hill in this part of Texas. But there's plenty of parking. The menu was identical to the Sodolak's menu from before and it turns out it's pretty much the same restaurant, but not the same as the famous one in Snook, which is owned by a different family member and is incorporated as a different business. This one differs from the one in Bryan in that it has a smaller menu, featuring all the best sellars. So you can still get the small, medium and large steaks in addition to fried pickles and corn nuggets.

I got a build your own burger. It comes with tomatoe, lettuce, pickles, onion and mayo or mustard, plus two more toppings from about 10 other choices. I got mine with just the veggies and added mushrooms and cheese. I didn't specify how to cook the burger (normally I'd request medium or medium rare). The result was surprisingly tasty. Seasoned well with salt and pepper. Cooked well to about medium. And just as juicy as you please and not too greasy. All for around $6.50. I'd say it was just as good as Fudruckers on a good day. The Lovely Spouse got a chicken fried steak that he said was quite good. I still don't quite understand the appeal of chicken fried steak other than a way to make an inedible piece of meat somewhat edible. And I certainly don't like gravy on my food. But he enjoyed it and that's all that matters. :-)

The sides were what I call dressed-up pre-packaged foods. That means they took something that's pre-packaged in some way, such as canned or frozen, and dressed it up in the restaurant before serving. With "country cooking" it often works because it falls in with your expectations of the food. And that's how it was at Branded. The green beans and fried okra were dressed up just right and enjoyable in a comfort food kind of way.

Would I go back? Sure! Good burger. And I do like me some friend pickles.

Would I recommend it to a friend? Sure! Cheap, good location, good food. Not a lot of options for vegetarians, though.

For out of town guests who want "the Texas experience" I'd go to the Sodolak's in either Snook or Bryan. The one in Snook features world-famous chicken fried bacon. And the one in Bryan has the full multi-page menu...not to mention a lot of character. However the location in College Station is quiet and close.

Now on to Chuy's. Since moving to Texas *mumble* years ago I have learned to appreciated Tex-Mex and Mexican food as something far more nuanced then what you typically see in Mexican restaurants Up North. There's a lot more to Mexican than hard corn tacos, refried beans and flavorless orange rice. In fact I've found out that refried beans are supposed to have flavor! And tacos don't have to be filled with ground beef and standardized Mexican food flavoring!

I classify Mexican food into Tex-Mex, fine dining and everyday food. Tex-Mex is food that's typically only found along the border. Nachos fall into this category. A person who's never left Poblano probably doesn't know much about nachos. Mexican fine dining is as much of an event as American fine dining and you truly haven't lived until you've had a real mole that's been cooked by a master chef over the course of days. Mexican fine dining is how I learned that a chili relleno can be grilled to perfection and doesn't have to be breaded and fried beyond recognition. And then there's everyday food, which is what you find in most Mexican restaurants and food trucks. This includes enchiladas, tamales, tacos filled with barbacoa (food of the Gods), among other things, carne guisda, menudo, caldo and other Mexican comfort and quick foods. This is stuff I crave and typically have at least once a week. So when we went to Chuy's I was expecting everyday Mexican because the sign says "Mexican Food." [For what it's worth, fajitas cross all three categories depending on how they're made and how they're served.]

Chuy's just recently opening in College Station in the Post Oak Mall parking lot. We had been delaying trying them out because the average wait is around 3 hours. I'm not waiting that long for anything that's not fine dining when there are about a gazillion restaurants in town. So we went at kind of a weird hour in the middle of the week. And had to wait 5-10 minutes to get in. Seriously, they gave us a pager for 5-10 minutes. While we stood at the front door next to the hostess station. The first thing that caught our attention was the noise. IT'S LOUD IN THERE!!!! And you can see why as soon as you're seated: no fabric on the walls or anything. It's all ceramic or metalic something or other. The decor is what I call stereotypical Mexican dive bar/market. Hubcaps on the ceiling. Lots of bright colors. Chaotic decor schemes. All following an obvious kitch design pattern.

We shouted our orders to our server and got some guacamole as an appetizer. The server also brought chips and salsa. The chips were on the thin side, so that was a good start. The salsa was a salsa fresca, which The Lovely Spouse loves. I thought it was too heavy on the cilantro, but at least there was a good amount of jalapeno to even things out. The guac was actually pretty good: avocados mixed with salsa fresca. Served on a bed of lettuce? For $5.50? That's double what most Mexican restaurants charge. OK, it tasted good so I can justify it.

Then the entrees arrived. I got the fajita chicken tacos and The Lovely Spouse got the beef burrito. The burrito was the size of a Freebirds Monster. He only ate half. But he said it was good and he enjoyed the hatch chili sauce on top. The chicken tacos were good and the quality of the chicken was better than most places I get tacos. However it was just kind of alright.

In all I was unimpressed. I can get better Mexican food from the hole in the wall family-owned places around town for a lot less. And I don't have to wait 3 hours to get in.

Would I go back? Only if I don't have to wait to get in. And specifically for the guacamole. Everything else was just alright.

Would I recommend it to friends? Only if you don't have to wait. And you're prepared for it being more expensive than a typical Mexican restaurant. Not as shocking as the price tag on Abuelo's, but still more than a mom-and-pop restaurant.

Slices

2011-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Sonya Renee's slam poetry performance of "Slices". Could also be called an ode of sorts to processed cheese. Enjoy! [Warning: language is perhaps PG13....maybe R-rated?]

Odds and Ends: Taz! and Houston's getting an Uchi

2011-02-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

First off, Houston's getting its very own Uchi! It'll probably be awhile before it won't take weeks to get a table, but I'm looking forward to a much shorter drive. ^-^ In other news, Uchi now has a cookbook out. Given that it's sushi I'm not sure exactly how much of it I could make at home...you know, not living near water and all. But I'm sure it's full of food porn. Source for both.

And College Station now has a GOOD Indian restaurant!!!!! In case you haven't heard (it seems like almost everyone has), it's called Taz and is located in the Kroger shopping center along Texas Ave at Southwest Parkway in the old Honey B location. We've been twice so far and the food has been good both times. The first time was an order off the menu dinner. I got the malai kafta. The Lovely Spouse got the lamb vindaloo. His was just a tad too spicy for me, but was just right for him. The sauce had a nice blend of cinnamon and spicy. The malai kafta was completely different than any version I've had elsewhere, but I'm starting to believe that every single kitchen makes it a different way. The second trip was for the Valentine's Day buffet. The place was absolutely packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The buffet items were quite good and there was a nice selection of North and South Indian items. I've been told that they have a lunch buffet 7 days a week as well. So far the prices have been excellent, as has the service. Both times we ate there they were absolutely slammed but at no time did the staff seem harried or impatient. Service, of course, gets a bit slow when they're extremely busy, so plan accordingly. I absolutely recommend them and will be back. ^-^ Now I have to go back and try their samosas and dosai. Nom!

A-Choux!

2011-01-04T18:07:00.001-08:00

Heavens to Betsy and Sakes Alive! Today I've expanded my culinary repertoire. Today. I made pate choux for the very first time. What's pate choux you ask? It's that heavenly substance that acts as the backbone to eclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles. In my naivete I thought it was culinary magic - stuff requiring the special chef's secret handshake - to make. Today, I've discovered that handshake and it's just a technique and a little exercise in chemistry. And it's not nearly as impossible as I thought it would be. Follow me on my journey, if you will....

The journey begins shortly after Christmas. A lovely friend visited from Seattle and brought with her incredibly generous gifts: Coffee of the Gods and the French Laundry-ad Hoc at Home cookbook collection. These came with one caveat: I was to make Gruyere Gougeres. *gasp!* Those require the making of choux. Something I've never ever considered doing before. However I was up for the challenge...especially given I've been waiting for an excuse since seeing Alton Brown do it.

However I did not head forth alone. No, I enlisted the help of some old friends: Joy of Cooking and Larousse Gastronomique. What food nerd house would be complete without both of them? Certainly not mine. I researched the recipes and saw that all choux recipes are nearly the same, with minor diviations. Not completely unexpected. And somewhat reassuring.

So armed with knowledge and books in front of me I began to build my ingredients.

Ingredients

1 cup water
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (I cut them into ~1 teaspoon slices to make melting easier)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 pinch sugar
1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups finely grated gruyere

Next I preheated the oven to 450F and placed parchment paper over my cookie sheets. I only own one silpat, and it looks like parchment paper is more convenient for this recipe.

Following the instructions I placed the water, butter, salt and sugar in an 8 quart saucepan then gently heated the mixture until the butter melted. According to Larousse, if everything is heated before the fat melts, bad things happen.

After the butter melt I turned up the heat to bring it to a boil. At the moment of boil I dumped in all the flour at once and mixed with a wooden spoon. It's important to not use a metal spoon or other mixing implement because metal conducts heat and you want this mixture to cool quickly.

Almost immediately the mixture formed a ball. Following instructions I mixed the ball around in the pan for 2 minutes at the lowest heat setting on my stove.

I then transfered the ball to my stand mixer (losing just a bit to the dog/floor in the process) and mixed on low for about a minute to cool the mixture. Larousse states that the mixture must be cool or the eggs will cook prematurely leading to bad things. After about a minute I added the eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Then kicked up the mixer to high and let it go about 2-5 minutes, until I got a thick paste that formed a peak that falls over at the top. Next I added 3/4 a cup of the gruyere to the paste and mixed with a silicon spatula.

Next I employed the services of a regular old 1 gallon freezer bag. That's right, it's even the store brand. Copying what I saw chefs on the food network doing I opened the bag and folded the edges over my hand. Then, using the silicon spatula, I scooped the paste into the bag, working the paste to one of the bottom corners and "burping" the air out the top.

When all the paste was in the bag I sealed the top (forcing most of the air out) and continued to work the paste to one of the bottom corners.

Then I snipped the corner with kitchen shears, leaving an opening about the size of the end of my pinkie.

Next I piped out a little dollop, about the size of a pingpong ball onto the parchment paper. Each had kind of a hat on them which I tamped down using a finger (clean!) dipped in cold water. I then put a generous pinch of the remaining gruyere cheese on the top of each. I placed the cookie sheet in the oven at 450F and let it bake for 8 minutes (until they rise and don't fall on their own).

Then I decreased the oven temperature to 350F and baked for 22 minutes, until "golden brown and delicious."

When they come out of the oven the puffs are cool enough to handle [warning: the pan will NOT be cool enough to handle]. When you pop one open you should have a large hole in the middle and the exterior should be light and crispy. This recipe is slightly on the salty side, but I think it's also because I was expecting something a bit sweeter. It is, however, delicious and addictive. I ate 8 of the first dozen without even thinking about it. *blush*

The recipe states these make 4 dozen. I've already passed 4 doz and am expecting nearly a 5th. It's obvious, but I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you to reheat the oven to 450F before beginning to bake the next sheet worth of puffs.

FWIW, we can't keep more than about a half dozen of these at a time because we keep eating them out of the oven. Joy of Cooking recommends pairing them with champagne, but they go quite well with inexpensive table wine or even a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Those Black Eye Peas They Tasted All Right To Me.... ;-)

2011-01-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

There are just certain songs that stick in my head at the weirdest moments. Like Goodbye Earl while I'm making Blackeye Peas for New Years Day.

This was, of course, my first attempt at making blackeye peas. All previous times I've eaten them involved restaurants that serve steaks the size of large plates and deep fried pickles. Usually blackeye peas are somewhat bland, resembling something akin to cardboard. However it was New Years Day and I was already feeling like making something for dinner at home, so I did an internet search. This is the highest rated recipe that came up on the first page of google. Hrm...interesting...so of course I modified it.

The modified recipe follows, but bear in mind at it's base it's still the allrecipes recipe. I believe the modifications make this a far more awesome recipe. Far from flavorless, just the right amount of spicy, and more than nomtastic. :-) I've been enjoying the leftovers.

Ingredients

1 pound dry black eye peas
Approx. 1 pound pre-cooked ham steaks (I used 2 at about 0.5 lbs each), cut into quarter inch cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
1 (14.5 oz) can of crushed red tomatoes
4 Hatch peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced*

Instructions
Place the peas in an 8 quart sauce pot and add enough water to fill the pot about half to three quarters full. Add everything else to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat, covered, 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the peas are soft.

* If you don't have a stash of frozen roasted and skinned Hatch peppers like we do, you can substitute Anaheim pepper or jalapenos, if you want extra heat. Roast the peppers over the flame of a gas stove or under the broiler of an electric oven, turning as the skin blackens, until all sides of the pepper are roasted. Then put the peppers in a paper bag to steam 5-10 min, until cool enough to handle with bare hands. Scrape the blackened skin off the peppers and discard. Then slice each pepper lengthwise and chop off the stem. Scrape the seeds and veins out with a knife blade. Then dice the peppers and add them the recipe above.

Image source (found via google image search).

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm a bad blogger. I hardly ever update. But since this is Thanksgiving I figured it was the best excuse ever to update the ol' food blog. :-)

What's on the menu at our house? Well my folks are in town so it's the perfect opportunity for The Lovely Spouse and I to show off.

* Irish Soda Bread with rosemary - recipe from an obscure vegetarian cookbook
* Candied Sweet Potatoes with a bourbon reduction (for those that remember the skunk bourbon that was dumped at my place, we found a use for it. Reduce the entire bottle and add brown sugar. Yum!)
* Mashed Potatoes with Hatch Chili Peppers
* Turkey Cordon Bleu (The Lovely Spouse's invention)
* Roast Turkey (this thing's a monster)
* A friend of ours will be bringing a special recipe stuff/dressing he just dreamed up yesterday. I'm told apples are involved. :-)
* Pecan Pie = recipe from a postcard from Graceland
* Apple Pie = Alton Brown's recipe
* Cranberry conserve = Joy of Cooking recipe
* all of this will be accompanied by a selection of wines, including a G-miner and a pinot. :-)

This morning we had Paula Deen's Ultimate Coffee Cake for breakfast. No kidding, this is probably the easiest recipe I have. The only thing easier would be to buy the thing already made. But even then, it would be more difficult to open the package of cake/pie than to make this monkey bread variation. The local grocery ran out of the frozen unbaked dinner rolls the recipe calls for so I bought pre-baked frozen dinner rolls instead. The recipe still worked just fine...the only modification I made was to bake for 15 min instead of 30.

[Image source = google image search]

Oh Cafe Eccell.... WHY?

2010-09-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

This post was meant to be a review of the fabulous Crush in Seattle. But that will have to wait. First off I don't have the time, at the moment, to give Crush the full write-up it deserves and second, well...this just can't wait.

The Lovely Spouse and I went to dinner at Cafe Eccell in College Station on Tuesday because Madden's is closed on Tuesdays and we were in the mood for some tastey, tastey seafood that night instead of waiting for Thursday. I have fond memories of Cafe Eccell's seared scallops. So The Lovely Spouse made reservations for Tuesday and off we went.

Imagine our surprise to find we didn't need reservations on the second day of the Fall Semester. Also imagine our surprise to find a New Menu. Um...OK...Cafe Eccell has changed their menus over the years.... But wait! Now it's one page for food and two separate sheets for wine and drinks. Um...'kaaaaaay. This is different. Wait! No scallops! No Gulf of Mexico red drum! What?! The sesame seared tuna is still on the menu. But most of the menu is dedicated to....pizza. And sandwiches. And salads. CRAP! It's the lunch menu, now being served all the time. [And, for what it's worth, they're still serving the unsustainable Chilean Sea Bass - something I highly recommend avoiding in order to discourage restaurants from serving a fish that will likely be extinct in less than a decade if fished at the same levels.]

To make matter even worse there were technical problems with the food. Rice should never give your dental work a run for its money. However the rice served with the tuna was desiccated and should have been started over from scratch. The salad served over the rice was spiced with what must have been purified capsaicin - rather unexpected on a predominantly savory dish. The guacamole was...odd and flavorless given the rest of the dish. At least the tuna was good. Even if the restaurant was LOUD.

Cafe Eccell has changed its name as well. It's now Cafe Eccell Pizza and Wine Bistro. I suppose the owners, the Dallis family, hired some overpriced consultant to come up with this. And it wouldn't surprise me in the least to find they've changed it again in a few months to something like a gastropub, as the trend seems to be across the country. I suppose they also believe that changing the menu to a far more casual one and focusing on the alcoholic beverages they'll attract more people from Northgate. Maybe. One thing is certain - they've lost a lot of their high dollar dinner patrons. The faces that were there on Tuesday were far younger and in much larger, louder groups. A number of them were even sharing meals.

What will become of Cafe Eccell? Not sure. It's something to ponder while enjoying a meal at Madden's.

More on Lentils and some other experiments in food...

2010-08-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long break in blogging. It's been a busy summer. Preparing for a conference and then going on the trip was more time-intensive than I thought. Not to mention family emergencies and...life...getting in the way of blogging. I'm back...for now at least. :-)

As some people know I've been mildly obsessed with lentils as of late. Mostly because of their nutritional content, inexpensive price ($0.80 a lb at Kroger) and versatility (this link has the text to the Good Eats episode where a nutritional anthropologist discusses the Mesopotamian roots of the World's oldest domestic crop: lentils). My last lentil experiment, Giada's Italian Lentil Salad was a huge success in our house. In fact I made it a second time to use up some of the remaining ingredients.

This next recipe comes from Epicurious after doing a google search on coconut (I was in the mood for coconut milk) and lentils: Coconut-Red Lentil Curry. I had to make a few modifications. First off, the only lentils available at the local Kroger are green lentils labeled "Lentils." So I used those. Next I cut out the garlic and half the onion due to my own dietary restrictions. I also left out the cilantro leaves because I hate the flavor of them. And I doubled the jalapeno...for funsies. :-) The results were delicious served over long grain white rice, albeit a little too mild. Next time I'm going to double the spices and leave everything else the same. The next day, upon reheating in the microwave, the dish was doubly spicy, and still somewhat unbalanced...so I'll still double the spices next time.

My next experiment was a result of a spontaneous side trip during a conference I recently attended in the Columbia Gorge. A group from my lab at at the Big River Grill for lunch just before heading up Mount Saint Helens (driving...not hiking). One of the specials was an African Peanut Soup. We were intrigued so most of us tried it. Fantastic. Savory and spicy with a surprise of occasionally crunching into a peanut. Therefore when I got home I just had to look it up. The first interesting results came from here. And (whoop!) we just bought grains of paradise from this same store on our trip to Seattle. Unfortunately on a closer read we definitely didn't have ajwain or tabil spice blend or know of any substitutes (none found on google). So I googled for more recipes and found Emeril's. The more recipes of his that I use, the more I really like his cooking - his is the sauce portion of my golubki, fyi. Of course I made some modifications to the recipe. I used vegetable oil instead of peanut oil, for convenience. I cut out the garlic and cut the onions in half. I substituted yams for sweet potatoes, due to local availability. The peanut butter I used was the all-natural variety you have to store in the fridge. And I used 1 lb of skinless, boneless dark meat chicken instead of ground turkey because the turkey just sounded weird in this recipe (*shrug*). The results: absolutely spectacularly delicious. And spicier the next day after reheating in a microwave. Although next time I'll probably kick the spiciness up a notch with some harissa.

To finish off this meal I added the one thing I was really in the mood for on Friday: cardamom rice pudding. A google search for "cardamom rice pudding" yielded Alton Brown's recipe as the first result. I followed the recipe, doubling it and cooking it in a nonstick wok with extended cooking times added to compensate for the added volume. The only modifications were leaving out the raisins because The Lovely Spouse doesn't like them and adding about a tablespoon of fresh ground cardamom instead of the measely 1/4 teaspoon in the recipe. The result was fantastic and the extra cardamom was necessary for someone who craves it like I do. It's a cool, refreshing, silky smooth dessert for a hot mid-August day.

My next blog post will be a review of Crush in Seattle that I've been promising a certain person. :-)

Awesome low-cal recipes

2010-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Lovely Spouse is on a calorie-restricted diet at the moment. Which means, among other things, that in order to support him I've been looking for new recipes that fulfill the calorie restriction and are yummy enough to forget about the diet. This week I found two that fit the bill and thought you all might like to know.

The first recipe is Moosewood Restaurant's Herbed Fish in a Packet from the Moosewood's Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook. I bought this book when I lived in my very first apartment and haven't parted with it since. In fact my copy is probably due for replacement after the spine split. I always use salmon (wild-caught, if available - Kroger has them filleted, deboned, vacuum-packed and flash-frozen in the frozen seafood section) with this recipe in addition to sweet basil and rosemary (from the garden, if possible - if you're allergic to rosemary, substitute with fresh tarragon). The fish comes out very moist and full of rich, herbal flavor. I've had several people tell me they won't eat salmon unless it's used in this particular recipe. It takes around 30 minutes to prepare, including cooking time. And each serving is about 175 calories, mostly protein and very little fat. Recipe is conveniently on-line if you're shopping with your smart phone and left the book at home.

The next recipe comes from the Food Network website. While doing some research for my own sport-related diet and nutrition plan I keep hearing about how incredibly nutritious lentils are. Thus I decided it was time to give them a try. But where to start? I've only ever had them in Indian food, which, for me is a bit more advanced than just a quick family meal. So I went over to the Food Network website for a search. Most of the results yielded stews, which didn't interest me. Then I saw Giada's Italian Lentil Salad. Since I really hadn't had too many lentils I didn't really know what to expect. However one review caught my eye: "My entire family loved it and helped themselves to more." Sold! There were a couple of substitutions: pecans for hazelnuts (not available this time of year), I left out the shallots because I can't eat uncooked shallots, and generic lentils for Sabarots (Kroger didn't have a selection so I went with what they had). The results were yummy! The vinaigrette is absolutely necessary, so make sure you don't forget it. It lends a wonderful lemony flavor that improves with a couple days in the fridge - the recipe makes a lot so you'll have left-overs. Bonus points for getting The Lovely Spouse to eat grapes. Normally he doesn't like them, but they added a very nice character to this dish. About 30 minutes prep and cooking time, total. Roughly 100 calories per serving. A good mix of protein and carbs and very little fat. Also tastes great heated up in the microwave the next day.

(note: the pictures came from Moosewood's and Food Network's websites)

Eating around at the Houston Rodeo

2010-03-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

It's March in Texas and that can only mean one thing: time for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Every year the Rodeo comes to Houston at Reliant Park and includes the arena and stadium. This year I made it my goal to sample a couple of the more famous foods from the show. Specifically it was my goal to try the ultimate bad food: a deep fried oreo. But, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

For those of you who have never been to Texas, Houston or the Houston Rodeo, it's a bit of an understatement to say that Texans like things larger than life. And that even applies to how they eat. This is the state that brought you the 72 oz steak challenge, after all. Therefore for some of you it will be no surprise that the vendors at the Rodeo bring portable restaurants.

And there is generally a huge selection of sausage and other "Texas delicacies" such as chicken fried bacon.

What does chicken fried bacon taste like? Like a chicken bullion cube with a hint of bacony goodness. The texture's a bit weird because they overcook the bacon before breading it and frying it. Just...meh. (For the record, yes, the picture is from last year. We didn't bother to re-sample the chicken fried bacon,)

Additionally the trend this year, as in past years, is to try and put everything on a stick. No, I didn't actually try the pizza on a stick. It looks and sounds rather scary. Try not to make any sudden moves in front of it. O.O

Did I mention that everything is bigger in Texas?

What will also come as no surprise is the incredible variety of fried foods. If it can stay together in the fryer, it's on the menu. And even some crazy, never-would-have-thought-of-that stuff, like a hot dog surrounded by a potato? Whodathunkit?

For lunch I settled in on a restaurant that won an award at the Rodeo for their sausage and boudin. When I walked up to the window I asked which was better, the boudin or the sausage. The cook recommended the smoked boudin blanc, so away I went. And it really was fantastic. All boudin is sausage with rice in a natural casing. This one had mild creole seasoning and jalapeno peppers. Well-balenced and truly delicious.

The spouse got a burger with a side of one of my favorite street foods on the planet: ribbon fries. If you've never had them before, they're a whole potato that's been spiral sliced and dropped in a frier. The result is just like fresh potato chips. If done right they're crispy and delicious. And these were. *drool*

Lest we all forget the Rodeo is also an educational venture, meant to expose Texans to their heritage. So it was with great pleasure that I was able to stop by the chuck wagons and sample some real cowboy cooking. The beef stew was excellent.

In addition to the carnival food and restaurant vendors of the Rodeo there was also a retail show of sorts and I'm sure my guests at the Rodeo would be remiss if I didn't mention their favorite vendor: Silverleaf International, with the fortuitous url of www.4garlic.com. While I was unable to partake, I am assured that that garlic products were excellent and that the sauces were even better the next day at breakfast.

Which leads me to my quest for the day: the deep fried oreo. I found the booth near the Kid's Corral in front of Reliant Arena. Evidently these people really know their fried foods, especially the sweets.
And, yes, they really will fry everything listed on that sign. The line was huge. So, I thought, "this MUST be the place." There were other vendors of fried oreos, but none had a line like this one. So I stood in line. And waited. And waited. After about an hour of waiting I was rewarded.

The fried Oreos are on the left. I also got fried green tomatoes because I realized I hadn't had any vegetables all day. So what did the fried Oreos taste like? Kind of like a beignet with an Oreo in the middle. If you haven't had a beignet, it's a French-style donut; kind of like little fried dough pillows. This was just like that...with an Oreo in the middle.

As you can see, my quest was a success. I finally tried my fried Oreo. And it was all I hoped it would be. If any of you get the chance, I recommend stopping in Houston in March and checking out the Rodeo. There are always intersting foodie finds. I didn't even mention the wine competition and auction or the beer selection. :-)

Friday Funnies

2010-01-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

This list is hardly new, but it came up in conversation today so I was inspired to seek it out and write about it. You all undoubtedly know about the Chuck Norris list. For example: "Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he doesn't cry." Well someone compiled a list for Alton Brown. And it's even more fabulous because it involves Alton Brown.

Anyways, here's the complete list. Some favorites:

"Alton Brown can boil a three-minute egg in thirty-seven seconds."

"Alton Brown doesn't reduce sauces, he demoralizes sauces."

"Grown men have been known to weep for joy in the mere presence of Alton Brown's vinaigrette. His hollandaise sauce can kill a man from sheer ecstasy at forty paces."

"Alton Brown's cakes don't rise. They ascend."

"When Alton Brown slices onions, the onions cry."

"Alton Brown doesn't whip potatoes. Alton Brown's potatoes whip themselves, if they know what's good for them."

I wish I could take credit for any of these. Alas I can only take credit for enjoying them. I hope you all do too! :-)

Madden's Market (tentative name)

2010-01-18T13:13:00.001-08:00

If, like me, you absolutely love Madden's in Bryan, you'll be happy to know that the business is expanding. Over the weekend Peter Madden sent out an email to the list to inform everyone of Madden's Market.

Here's the concept direct from the owner/executive chef, himself: "...We have already started putting in 1-2 acre garden near the location where we will access a lot of produce, Tara is constantly on the phone with local and Texas producers looking for useable product for us, My Mom and Dad (they live in the Rio Grande Valley) have agreed to supply us with Texas citrus and other available products from down there like avocados, when they are in season. Some of our citrus will come right from their back yard. Local cheese makers, honey, fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy, eggs, meats, anything we can get and use we will. I hope that everything on the menu will be composed of at least 50% local and or Texas products. So if you know anyone who is a producer, send them our way. Oh yeah, the market aspect of our concept is that you will be able to purchase these products from the market section of the restaurant. Hill country peaches, Rio Grande Valley citrus, East Texas rice, West Texas cactus and sand, just kidding, don't know what we can get from out there."

The opening is scheduled, tentatively, for June 1, 2010 and the market will be located between William D Fitch (Route 40) and Rock Prairie, on the east side of I-6 in South College Station. My guess is it will be somewhere between McDonald's and Harley Davison. The market will be very casual and there will be no waiter service.

Madden's Market sounds absolutely fabulous to me. I can't wait for the opening. I'll let you all know more as I find out more information.

Mi Cocina, aka Polly's Cocina - Bryan/College Station

2010-01-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

To add some confusion, the following review is written about Mi Cocina, a restaurant in Bryan and College Station. Very recently the restaurant, Mi Cocina, had to change their name because a huge restaurant conglomerate in Dallas registered their trademark/copyright under the same name. The new name for the B/CS restaurants is Polly's Cocina. The owners and food are still the same.

Small, family-owned restaurants that make exceptional food, no matter what the genre, are prized possessions for any town. Our little hamlet of Bryan/College Station just so happens to have several that have become institutions on Mexican and Tex-Mex food. That is definitely NOT a complaint. My personal favorite of these is Mi Cocina. With four locations around town, Mi Cocina sounds like it should be a massive McDonald's style chain. However they are all owned and operated by the same family and on any given day you might find the owners waiting tables or delivering catering supplies to their customers.

The corn chips at Mi Cocina are the very, very thin variety found throughout Texas. They are s thin they break apart in your hands, but this enough to stand up to the wonderfully flavorful salsa they are served with. When visiting other parts of the country it seems weird to have thick chips. The guacamole at Mi Cocina is also a thing of beauty. Thick chunks of avocado, with integrated lemon and spices.

The menu features your typical fare for this part of the country. However my favorite is the barbacoa tacos. Barbacoa is the meat from the head of a cow that has been slowly roasted with spices until the point that it literally falls off the bone. The flavor is undeniably savory and the texture of the meat just melts in your mouth. This is served on hand-made flour tortillas imprinted with the TAMU logo, that sometimes arrive still warm.

If you order a meal it comes with homemade refried beans that taste far better than anything I've ever had up North. The Lovely Spouse typically orders Steak ala Mexicana. It's a small, flat steak cooked to order served with a vegetable gravy, rice and beans, as well as a small salad. It meets his very stringent requirements for steak and he eats it often. Therefore I assume he enjoys it. :-) However whenever I have a craving for Mexican, it's always for the barbacoa. MmmmmMMMMMmmmm...

The decor is nothing special. Two of the restaurants are located in gas stations. One is next to a Subway sandwich shop and the other is a small converted house. The napkins are paper, the flatware and plates are typical of what you might find in a cafeteria and the drink menu is limited to a few beers, margaritas and fountain drinks. There's no pretention here and you often see people arrive after work in overalls, work suits and a variety of casual wear.

And before I sign off, I would be an absolute cad if I didn't mention that they are also well-known for their Tex-Mex style breakfast menu which features migas and breakfast tacos (I don't typically eat out for breakfast so I can't give any personal opinion on this). They also are one of the few restaurants in the area to serve menudo and caldo, but only on weekends. So...if you've got a hangover you now know where to eat on weekends.

Would I eat there again? Sure! The Lovely Spouse and I eat there about once a week.

Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely. If you want descent Mexican food without any pretention at a very good price, you've come to the right place.

Dining at Disney, Part 3: Biergarten and Le Cellier

2009-12-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

After much delay, this the last in my Dining at Disney posts. Today I'll cover two of the more difficult to get into restaurants: Le Cellier, in the Canadian Pavillion, and Biergarten, in the German Pavillion.

Le Cellier Steakhouse is the best rated restaurant in Orlando, Florida, according to Trip Advisor. Several other sites prefer the adults-only snootiness of Victoria and Albert's. However judging by how hard it was to get into Le Cellier and how easy it was to even inquire about same-day reservations at Victoria and Albert's I'm going to make the assumption that Le Cellier is more popular among guests of Disney World. We made our reservations 90 days in advance of our lunch, which just happened to be the same day as Canadian Thanksgiving.

Le Cellier is a pretty restaurant that looks like it is in the basement of a castle, hence the name. The hosts/hostesses were all very friendly and more than a little surprised that we even knew it was Canadian Thanksgiving without having been prompted (thanks Sean for the text message stating such). Our server had the strongest Canadian accent I have ever heard...and was not enhancing it for the effect.

Since we were there for lunch, we ordered off the lunch menu. The folks split a meal that included a sliced beef sandwich and several sides including their famous cheddar soup and "Canadian potato salad." I ordered an appetizer of duck three ways and tasted the spouse's cheddar soup. In addition I also got the sliced steak sandwich with fries. The cheddar soup, I must say, really is as good as advertised. It's creamy and cheesy without being overbearing. In all, very well balanced. The duck three ways was very much worth getting. Melt in your mouth goodness. My father didn't care for the spiciness of the "Canadian potato salad" which was generated by the overuse of raw garlic. However we all enjoyed the sliced beef sandwiches. Mine was slightly dry, but I think it's because I was unable to have it with the caramelized onions that are supposed to come on it. Our entrees were served with pomogranite lemonade, which I have to admit was far too sweet. The beer selection was quite good, with reasonable prices. Had it not been around 95 degrees F outside I might have preferred a beer. Dessert consisted of maple creme brulee. Yum. As you all know I like maple syrup in just about anything. Creme brulee was a nice match.

In all, we all enjoyed our food at Le Cellier Steakhouse. Coming for lunch was nice, particularly since the prices were much better than for dinner. We would all definitely go back. Although the idea of making reservations so far in advance for lunch is quite daunting.

Next up is Biergarten, in the German Restaurant. Three guesses on the theme to this restaurant. Yup, it's Bavarian. A lot. There are flags displayed to represent the other regions of Germany, but the food and atmosphere are unmistakably Bavarian.

As some of you already know, I have a pathological fear of buffets. I think this all started when I was very young and spending my summers in Ocean City, Maryland. There's a legendary buffet there called Paul Revere's. It's legendarily bad. We got sucked in my a decent price, boardwalk location and really cool marketing photos showing fresh fish and other foods. Unfortunately the reality of the place is that it's amazing more people don't get campylobacter or salmonella from eating there. Additionally, most buffets end up with the same boring overcooked food, slowly degrading on steam tables. There's nothing tasty about that. Nor is there anything appetizing about the idea that the sneeze guard doesn't really serve any function.

So when my father announced that we had reservations at Biergarten, I was apprehensive. Trip Advisor reviews referring to the place as "fun" didn't help allay my fear for the food. However the folks really wanted to eat there so we had to humor them and do it with our best smiling faces. And we were pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the atmosphere is cheesy. Yes the buffet contains stereotypically German food that's really Bavarian. However the quality of the food was quite good and I could see the staff regularly turning over the food on the line; a very good sign. Much of the featured food were sausages, as well as head cheese, potato and pickle dishes. There were also vegetable dishes and, my favorite, spaetzle. Yum. Additionally there was a prime rib carving station, which I ignored due to the variety elsewhere on the line.

In addition to the quality of the food, the beer selection was quite good. I was not prepared for hefeweizen by the liter, though. Needless to say it made for a fun lunch with my family.

The Bavarian-style shows ran about every 30 minutes with a small oompa band cranking out polkas. Seating is Munich-style, where you're likely to share a table with another group. Our group was a fun group of guys in town for a convention.

In all, I was impressed. Mostly because it was good food on a buffet. It's technical challenge to keep everything hot and fresh on the line. Does this mean I've made peace with buffets? NO. All it means is that there is now one buffet in the world where I will eat.

Restaurant Review: Naked Fish Sushi and Grill

2009-11-20T11:59:00.001-08:00

There's a new sushi place in town! It's located in front of Harvey Washbangers, where Doc Green's used to be. We all knew Doc Green's wouldn't survive, because who wants to pay $10 for a side salad?

A Google search of "Naked Fish Sushi & Grill" yielded results that indicate the restaurant is part of a growing chain, with at least three restaurants, including ones in San Francisco, Las Vegas and College Station. You're not the only one thinking these are an odd combination, given College Station isn't exactly a dot on the national culinary map. However this could just be a result of not having a consistent web presence. And based on the Yelp results, the place has been open a little less than two weeks.

The decor is funky and new-looking. I particularly enjoy the digital picture frames at each table and fiber optic lights. The space is small so it's likely you'll get to know a bit about your neighbor. The hostess is wearing an approximation of a kimono and will greet you with a little Japanese. As an interesting note, the table staff and manager all spoke Japanese and were shocked when the Lovely Spouse did as well.

Beers were very well priced at $3.50 a bottle and there was a good selection, including Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo. The menu is surprisingly extensive, but rather light. The selections were what you would expect to find in most American sushi restaurants, as well as a few "house" rolls that were distinct to Naked Fish.

The spouse and I ordered two rolls, an order of sea urchin (which can't currently be found anywhere else in College Station), an appetizer and the sushi sampler. A word of warning: this was too much food for the two of us. The Burning Man roll was a futumaki size roll that included eel, but was not hot in any way. The volcano roll was a huge mass of stuff on top of california rolls. These were a bit odd, but keeping in "tradition" with the new American sushi style. At some

point I'm going to learn that I prefer the Japanese style sushi rolls, but I still keep ordering the

funky new American style rolls. Anyways, the rolls weren't bad and didn't taste bad by any step in my imagination. It's just it seems I prefer maki to a pile of sushi. Anyways, the sea urchin was good, albeit obviously 1000+ miles from the West coast. Normally sea urchin is buttery, salty and just a bit fishy. This was a tiny bit fishier than desirable, but not bad. The Lovely Spouse said his sushi sampler was fantastic, particularly the yellowtail. And the California Rolls were good, as expected.

The spouse's sushi sampler came with a salad and "clear soup" that very closely resembled miso soup, but without the miso and lots more scallions. The salad dressing was lovely, with loads of ginger. It's funny that I mention the salad, considering the previous occupant of the restaurant space. :-)

The one really big complaint I had about this place was a phenomenon that I hope is not becoming ubiquitous in sushi bars and Japanese restaurants: sake bombs. What's a sake bomb, you ask? It's a shot of sake dropped into a half glass of beer. Ideally this is done in groups where everyone races to the bottom of the glass of beer. What makes this irritating? The yelling that goes on beforehand. It's usually some form of "Sake bomb! One! Two! Three! Go!" I don't mind this after 10 pm on a weekend at a bar. I do mind it at 8 pm midweek while enjoying a quiet dinner with the Lovely Spouse. Call me an old fart, if you will, but I find it disruptive and immature, and best left to a bar environment. Some of us have reached the age where we no longer feel the need to announce to the world that we are drinking something alcoholic. It's really not that big a deal. And what's the point of even decorating a restaurant as such if you are trying to promote yourself as a frat house?

Alas, I digress.

Will I be going back to Naked Fish? Sure. Gotta try a place at least twice. :-) The service was good and friendly, the Asahi was reasonably priced, and the nigiri was good.

Would I recommend this place to others? Yup. You've been warned about the sake bombs.

Just a note before I finish this post: Many apologies for the long time between posts. Between traveling and getting sick I haven't been in the mood to discuss food all that much. I'm back now, although I'm going to warn you there will be further disruptions with the holidays coming up. :-)

Since you asked: places I eat when I'm not planning on writing a review in Maryland

2009-11-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

I wasn't planning on writing reviews of anything I ate while up in Maryland. The trip was in order to attend a friend's wedding and to just kind of hang out with the family. BUT since some of you asked, here's where I ate, keeping in mind I've been living outside of Maryland since 2002.

1. Gunning's Seafood. It's between BWI and my folk's house, making it an ideal location to find a few Maryland specialties that, for some odd reason, people just don't make in Texas. I specifically went for the soft shell crab sandwich, which was all that I remembered. Crispy fried and served on white bread with lettuce and tomato, along side Utz's chips. They also had something called "pepper rings", which were bell pepper rings deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Sounds nasty, but it was surprisingly good, although I could only eat 2 of them. The meal was complete with Maryland Crab Soup, a stew of crab meat and veggies seasoned with Old Bay. Mmmmm.... There's nothing fancy about this restaurant, and much of the food is fried casual fare. But it's the stuff you miss when you move out of the region, prepared the way you remember.

2. Eggspectations in Columbia, MD. A Canada-based company that is slowly moving south along the Eastern Seaboard, it's pretty easy to guess that they serve breakfast all day. What might not be so obvious is that their Happy Hour is one of the most popular in town. Half price appetizers and drinks within driving distance to 7 or 8 colleges and universities makes this a no-brainer for people who want something tasty on a limited budget. It's also near my sibling's house and is very child-friendly. So we typically go there each time I visit. On this trip the folks weren't hungry so they just ordered dessert crepes, which were made to order and filled with not-to-sweet fruit and bavarian cream. I ordered the vegetarian lettuce wrap special, which was just as messy as lettuce wraps everywhere. Kids meals consist of standard kit fare at a reduced price, including chicken strips, pasta and fries.

3. G&M Restaurant in Linthicum Heights. Strange location, with Baltimore City off in the distance, and even stranger exterior hide the newly renovated interior and surprising quality of food. There is an on-running debate in Baltimore about who has the best crab cakes. G&M and Obrycki's in Fell's Point typically are at the top of everyone's list. Obrycki's is typically where tourists and other out-of-towners are sent because the location is so easy to find. However, if someone is willing to make the trek, G&M is worth the effort. It's a truly old-school restaurant that's been cranking out typical regional food, including Baltimore-style prime rib and liver and onions along with their award winning crab cakes for almost 2 decades. Everything is well made, from the salads on down to their constantly brewed fresh coffee. They have pastry chefs on staff, as well as seafood and beef specialists. The crab cakes are worth the fuss, and are about the size of a softball. Portions are very large.

4. Mango Grove in Columbia. Back when I lived in Maryland I frequented Mango Grove for it's light vegetarian Indian fare. It was the only place I knew of that served a paper dosa as well as the best malai kafta I've ever had. Since I moved away they purchased what used to be a rather nasty Chinese restaurant next door and converted the Chinese restaurant part to a Northern Indian restaurant that features meat dishes. And they continue to serve vegetarian fare in the Mango Grove portion of the building, as well as the new part. It's a welcome change as I have family members that are adverse to the mere idea of eating vegetarian. I still prefer the malai kafta to everything else on the menu, though. :-) I also recommend the veggie samosas, mango lassi and nan. I'm told the chicken and lamb tikka masala are also quite good. They have very recently opened up an Indian grocery store in the shopping center near the restaurants. I recommend checking them out if you wish to make some of wonderful Indian food on your own.

Dining at Disney, Part 2: Hidden Finds

2009-10-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

As some of you may already be well aware, Disney World is a rather vast commercial enterprise. Everywhere you go it seems you're being charged for something. Some charges are small, some are huge and some end up hidden on that little room card they offer to allow you to carry around on your wrist, "for your convenience." And after awhile, everything commercial starts to look the same. However there are a few hidden finds within Disney World, if you're willing to look for them.

First, every theme park and resort has a bakery, candy store and ice cream shop combo. And it is an excellent one. The ice cream is high quality and the bakery items are very well made with high-quality ingredients. Many of the confections are made in-house at each individual shop, and samples are always offered. The Lovely Spouse was happy to find a huge selection of jelly beans at each shop, for sale by volume.

Another hidden find, that only the adults will appreciate, can be found in the Mexican pavillion of Epcot. Most people know about the delicious margaritas available at the Cantinas inside and outside the pavillion. But hidden away, just to the right of the staircase descending into the inside of the pavillion you will find a tiny door to La Cava del Tequila. At first glance it's just a bar. At second glance, everything is top shelf. Glancing at their menu you'll find tequila tastings and flights of tequila; something most people only associate with wine.

I tried the Traditional Flight for a tequila tasting. It came with a blanco, an anejo and an extra anejo, as well as a small dish of salt and lime, and a shot of granita. For those that don't know anejo tequila is "normal" blanco tequila that has been aged, at least a year, in an oak barrel. Extra anejo has been aged even longer. The oak gives the tequila extra flavor characteristics, such as vanilla and cherry, that can't be found in blanco tequilas. The granita is served to settle stomach issues that many people experience when drinking straight tequila. All were served at room temperature.

The only drawback to La Cava is the small space. There were no tables, as the others who had discovered it before we had, camped out at the tables. Bar space was made available as people came, sampled and moved on. Without fail, everyone was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. I recommend seeking out La Cava when in Epcot, even if only to sample tequilas that may or may not be available near your home and to expand your culinary knowledge. The party atmosphere and fine tequila shots don't hurt either.

Dining at Disney, Part 1: Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Teppan Edo and Chefs du France

2009-10-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

In order to keep my desktop clean and sanity intact I'm going to post reviews of restaurants sampled at Disney in a few separate posts. For the purposes of clarity, the following are all restaurants that are permanent parts of Disney World and are not part of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

It is my pleasure to start this review post with a review of Kouzzina by Cat Cora. Located at The Boardwalk Resort, walking distance to Epcot and a short boat-ride from Hollywood Studies, Kouzzina by Cat Cora very recently opened to much fanfare, including more than a few mentions on Cat Cora's blog. As with most celebrity-owned restaurants, Cora is not generally at the restaurant, as she has other business ventures, celebrity chef appearances and book signings, in addition to her regular gig on Iron Chef America to tend to. However that did not detract from the experience of dining at her restaurant one bit. First off, reservations must be made, but can be easily done via the Disney Dining Service Reservation Line, which is what you have to call to make reservations anywhere in the resort. We got ours the same day as calling. In fact I believe we made our reservations somewhere around 2-3 hours before dinner.

Because we had been sampling so much food during our trip we pretty much only wanted samplers, appetizers and soups when we went to Kouzzina. Therefore my group of four ordered two samplers, with slightly different offerings, two different soups, an entree and dessert. The samplers included Greek specialties such as Kalamata olives, tsatsiki, hummus, high quality olive oil, pita bread and either spicy meatballs or shrimp. Everything was fantastic. [And, yes, everything contained garlic, but unless you're as sensitive to it as I am, you're not likely to have difficulty eating it.]

Bread and butter were brought out to the table. The bread was a full-grain wheat bread with nuts and seeds, sweatened with honey. Paired with the real butter, adorned with Hawaiian sea salt, it was a treat in and of itself.

Next, my mother and I ordered soup. Mom got a traditional Greek soup made from eggs and cream. To my mind it tasted like a creamy chicken soup, with egg added ala egg drop soup. My soup was a tomato-based Greek chickpea soup that tasted very much like minestrone. The soup spoon came to the table with homemade and very mild hummus. The combination was delicious and light; perfect since I didn't want a huge volume of food.

The Lovely Spouse has a much larger appetite than I do, so he ordered an entree: a porkchop with Greek seasonings paired with roasted fennel. His was perfectly cooked and very well balanced, while still retaining a rustic appeal.

My parents were celebrating their 43rd anniversary and were brought desserts, including a mild chocolate cupcake with a candle on top. Therefore The Lovely Spouse and I ordered a dessert: the mixed Greek cookies. There were 3-4 cookies including a light pfeffernusse-style cookie, a nutty biscotti-style cookie and coconut macaroons flavored with almond oil. The last were my favorite. :-) These were paired with a well-balanced and refreshing iced latte that ended the dinner very well.

Would I go back to Kouzzina by Cat Cora? Absolutely, but with more of an appetite next time.

Would I recommend eating there? Sure! The food was both rustic and refined, while being accessible to both foodies and non-foodies. It's a beautiful spot that's well-decorated and surprisingly close to two of the Disney theme parks. The staff were attentive without being clingy or snooty. The menu is diverse enough to accommodate vegetarians as well as carnivores. The portions were good without being too large or too small. And the prices were very fair for what you can find in comparable restaurants around Disney and Orlando.

My next review is for Teppan Edo, at the Japanese pavillion in Epcot. As some of you already know, I generally don't like hibatchi-grilled foods. I usually find the "show" of preparing the food silly in its pretention and the food is usually overcooked and overpriced. However I do make exceptions, particularly if members of my group really, really want to eat there. Therefore we made reservations 3 months in advance to eat at Teppan Edo.

If you haven't been to Epcot in a few years and remember how things used to be you'll immediately notice a major change at the Japanese pavillion: there are now two restaurants. One for sushi and one for hibatchi. And both are booked full months in advance. Therefore if you make a reservation for one, you cannot change it at the last minute. That said, we were able to add one to our reservation the day of our dinner, so Disney Dining allows some flexibility.

The next major change you might notice is that the decor is completely different, for the better. Both restaurants are now more elegant, although a bit more crowded than before.

As before all of the hosts/hostesses are Japanese students, who are very surprised if you speak even a few words of the language. My entire group had either lived in Japan or studied Japanese at some point in their lives, therefore knew at least a few words. Surprisingly, the hibatchi chef was a local Florida guy. He made up for it with humor while doing the standard hibatchi routine.

As is true for most hibatchi restaurants, you are limited to only a few different sushi rolls on the appetizer menu if you don't want to order off the hibatchi menu. For one member of the group this meant a confusing dinner of trying to figure out which bowl of rice belonged to her and which was her neighbors. Alas, it's probably better to order as the group does and add an appetizer or two when dining at a theme restaurant. The rest of us ordered off the hibatchi menu and got the typical entrees: a mix of some sort of meat (chicken or beef), some sort of seafood (scallops or shrimp) and/or a mix of vegetables. I ordered just scallops and veggies and was pleasantly surprised that while the scallops were slightly over-cooked they weren't beyond recognition (as usually happens at hibatchi grills). The Lovely Spouse's beef was cooked medium, even though he requested medium-rare, but it wasn't flavored well and paired well with the Kirin that was served in 750 ml glasses. It was unusual for the meal to come with udon noodles grilled on the hibatchi, but the combination was nice.

In addition to the meal, we ordered a beef roll from the appetizer menu. Surprisingly it was grilled on the hibatchi and very flavorful. The restaurant claims this is the new direction sushi is heading in the future. I don't know about that, but it was tasty. And I would gladly order it again.

So would I eat here again? I still have my bias against hibatchi. I don't blame the restaurant because as far as hibatchi restaurants go, they are probably among the better ones. However I'd gladly go again to make friends and family happy. If I had my choice, though, I'd prefer to eat sushi.

Would I recommend this place to others? If they're already fans of hibatchi or have been wanting to try it out, sure. The service was excellent and the food was decent.

My final review for this particular post is for Chefs du France. On this particular trip we ate at Chefs du France, in the French pavillion of Epcot, because my father wanted to eat of the Prix Frixe menu. For $20 you get three courses: appetizer or soup, entree and dessert. This really is a fantastic price for Disney World. The Lovely Spouse ordered off the regular lunch menu, and as you will see, made the Correct Decision.

First off, let me just say I have never had any problems with Chefs du France. In fact, during previous visits to Epcot they have always been my favorite restaurant. The quality of food, the classical French techniques and service are second to none. On this particular trip I was delighted to see Remy from the movie Ratatouille fully animated as a puppet on a cheese tray being led through the restaurant. I regret not getting photos and video of this because it was beyond charming. I was also delighted to have a knowledgeable server from Bordeaux recommend a lovely wine (Chateau Laborie) that paired beautifully with the entire meal, all the way through dessert. Her French was also calm enough I could understand every word she said (some of you already know I can't understand Parisian).

Now on to the Prix Frixe menu. We all started with soup, as there were two choices: French Onion or Lobster Bisque. Dad said the French Onion was delicious, although he seemed confused by the cheese on the top since he is accustomed to French Onion soup served in the North East US that has a crouton on top instead of a heavy layer of cheese. The lobster bisque was light and flavorful, although I was surprised by how large the serving was: an entire bowl.

Next came the entrees, which were a selection of typical lunch items: quiche lorraine, mac and cheese or a sandwich. Mom and I got the quiche and my father got the sandwich on a baguette. The Lovely Spouse ordered beef tips braised in cabernet. Again, he made The Correct Decision, although I found his serving to be as outrageously large as ours. The quiche was large enough to feed a couple of people. Even after cutting mine in half, I was still unable to eat a single one of the french fries (funny!) served with the meal. The quiche was...average. I found nothing special about it, although it was acceptable as quiche goes. However it was extremely heavy to be eating when it was 95 F outside.

As if this wasn't enough food, we still had dessert. Mom ordered the profiteroles, Dad ordered the creme brulee and I ordered the chocolate gateaux. In this case the creme brulee was perfectly executed. Not so much on the others. The profiteroles were dense and heavy. On top of that they were filled with ice cream and drowning in a chocolate sauce. I expect them to be light as air and melt in my mouth. Not so with these. The gateaux was extreme on the chocolate. If I hadn't just had an unexpectedly huge meal beforehand I might have enjoyed it. As it was I cut the cake in half and still could only eat about a quarter of the dense chocolate madness. Or maybe I was just exhausted because it really was 95 F + 67% humidity while we were there.

Would I eat here again? Yes, but only if ordering off the normal menu.

Would I recommend this place to others? Yes, with the same caveat. Avoid the Prix Fixe unless you have a huge appetite.

Good Eats: The Early Years - The Book Review

2009-10-23T12:15:00.001-07:00

Today's post is brought to you by my lovely spouse, who didn't give me a user name. So until he does he will henceforth be referred to as The Lovely Spouse, in this column. Today he brings you all a book review of Good Eats: The Early Years by Alton Brown. Photos/excerpts of the book (chapter on ground beef) follow in larger-than-normal format so you all can check out the book itself. Enjoy!

On July 7, 1999 after almost a decade of effort by creator and host Alton Brown the pilot episode of Good Eats aired on Food Network. Even after ten years on the air and over 200 episodes "in the can" the popular cooking show is still going strong, and its creator has expanded his own role: producing and hosting other programs for Food Network and delivering to his attentive and devoted fans a series of books to educate and inform the hungry masses. Mr. Brown's use of humor, visual aids, and a focus on ingredients and techniques rather than of recipes has made his show extremely popular among home cooks from novice to expert and was the reason the show earned a Peabody Award in 2006 (only one other on-air cook has ever won a Peabody Award: Julia Child in 1964).

Good Eats: The Early Years is a retrospective of the first six seasons of the hit Food Network program and is the first submission in a promised trilogy of books to cover the remaining episodes. Each chapter of The Early Years covers a single episode of Good Eats (in chronological order) and is formatted in a manner reminiscent of the episodes themselves with a brief but informative discussion of the ingredient on which the episode focused followed by the aired applications (Mr. Brown insists that they are not recipes) which utilize that ingredient. In addition each chapter includes behind-the-scenes trivia, tips that weren't covered in the original episode, and tidbits of information about the ingredient itself that just didn't fit well into the body of the chapter otherwise. Some of the recipes...I mean applications have been modified from the original versions, and several new ones have been added to expand the discussion of the ingredients and explore their usage further.

Like his other books on cooking (I'm Just Here For the Food and I'm Just Here For More Food) Good Eats: The Early Years is an easy book to read and presumes no background in the culinary arts on the part of the reader. The style with which Alton Brown writes is as easy-going and relaxed as Mr. Brown himself appears on TV, and the clever use of humor (sometimes self-depreciating) or unique turn of a phrase disguises the actual purpose of the 395 page book: education. Each page is adorned with color photographs excerpted from the episode (occasionally an image from behind-the-scenes) and hand drawings making the experience of reading each chapter of the book feel like watching an episode of Good Eats.

Even if the reader became a fan of the show late and missed a few episodes or has never even seen a minute of the series nothing will be missed by jumping into Good Eats: The Early Years with both feet. It can be read for the applications at the ends of the chapters like a cookbook, but it's better (and I suspect intended to be) read like a good novel: cover-to-cover.

Images: This first is from the chapter on hamburgers/ground beef.

All about ground beef and burgers.

An Application that shows you how to make the "Burger of the Gods."

Now on to the best meatloaf you ever made.

The 2009 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

2009-10-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

The year was 1982 when Epcot, or the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, at the Walt Disney Resort in Florida, opened its gates to the public. It was supposed to be this fantastic display of optimism in the future and what the world could be if everyone got along. In many ways it never was the original EPCOT that Walt Disney designed; there never was a dome and as far as I know no human lives there permanently. I was one of the many that walked through the gates that year and have fantastic memories of everything: meeting Figment the Dragon in Journey into the Imagination, the Communicor, and the fantastic World Showcase where were could learn about so many other countries. Mostly I remember walking a lot. And I remember everyone making a huge deal about there not being any alcohol being served anywhere in Walt Disney World because it was against Walt's wishes. There was even a rumor about a secret club somewhere, reportedly in Spaceship Earth, that served alcohol only to VIP guests among the rich and famous. Thing is, there really was a secret club for entertaining VIPs, it just wasn't at Epcot. Club 33 was, and still is, at Disneyland in California, according to Snopes.

Then came 1989, when Disney opened Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney. It was considered a big deal because suddenly Disney became owner of not only nightclubs, but places that served *gasp* alcohol. What would Walt think? I thought it was kind of strange to name it Pleasure Island because I remember those scenes from Pinocchio as being rather unpleasant and somewhat scary. Maybe I should re-watch the movie.... At any rate, the venture was considered a success, although the nightclubs have been shut down in order to perform a major renovation and overhaul of that portion of the business in order to update it.

Fast forward to 1996, the opening of the very first Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. The event, which runs from late September to early November, originally featured amateur and professional cooks from around the world showcasing food not normally seen in Epcot or Central Florida. In its fourteenth year there are no longer amateur cooks featured. Instead the best of Walt Disney kitchens and guest chefs from around the world showcase the foods, beers and wines from 27 countries, in temporary structures around World Showcase. Including countries where you might have difficulty finding wine served, such as Morocco. Entrees and desserts are served tapas style: small dishes typically costing $3-7 a piece. It's a wonderful experience to sample foods from around the world without breaking the bank. Wines are typically 4 oz pours and beers range from sample size to full pints and cost between $3 and $10 a serving. I can say with all honesty, that everything that sounded tasty, really, truly was. We went all the way "around the world" and only sampled things that sounded good in each country. Nothing, including entree, dessert or wine, was bad. This is an impressive feat when you consider what most of us expect from an amusement park.

Sam Adams represented the United States for alcohol and brought most of their product line. Unfortunately the food representing us was *groan* turkey legs, funnel cakes and popcorn. Along with having a boring movie and McDonalds representing us in the "American Adventure" pavillion, I was not amused. At least the beer was good.

While I won't bore you with a listing of every country's offerings I'll mention a few of the notables. Ireland featured a chocolate lava cake with Baileys ganache that tasted exactly as delicious as it sounds. China featured a cocktail called the Happy Lychee that was

cold,

refreshing, delicious and extremely alcoholic, as well as a to-die-for ginger and caramel ice cream. Their grilled pork dumplings were also the best I've ever had with a crispy wrapper and well-

balanced ginger sesame dipping sauce. South Africa featured a barbequed beef tenderloin with sweet potato puree. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked with a spicy sweet sauce and the sweet potato tasted like dessert. India featured super-thick ice-cold mango lassi's and potato and lentil dosai that were made-to-order following the crepe method. Here (pdf file) is a more complete map and listing of everything each country had to offer. Again, nothing we tasted was bad; it was all unbelievably good.

Being Disney, the festival did not just offer food. There was of course, shopping and swag to be had everywhere. The former Wonders of Life pavillion served as headquarters for the festival and as a site to host a variety of events including cooking classes, wine seminars and bottle signings. Not to mention, shopping. In true Disney style, you can purchase bottles of every wine served in the park. Of course you can't just take them with you, but can find them at the Guest Services desk on your way out of the park.

If you live in the area, really, you have no excuse. Get yourself over to Epcot and sample the festival. If you don't imbibe, at least enjoy the fantastic entrees and desserts. If you do imbibe, make sure you bring a designated driver or arrange for a taxi. If you wish to visit from afar, I highly recommend staying at the Boardwalk resort in Walt Disney World. It is walking distance to the "back gate" of Epcot and to the World Showcase, where the festival is primarily held. Currently one-day single park admission to Epcot is $79. Admission to the festival is free with admission to the park. Food and drink prices vary according to vendor.

Note: my full review of Epcot in 2009 will appear only at Trip Advisor under username ShutterBug. Reviews of some of the permanent restaurants in Walt Disney World will appear here, and cross-posted to Trip Advisor, as I am able to prepare them.

Alton Brown came to Texas!

2009-10-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Whodathunk it? Alton Brown in Texas? Well, according to him, this wasn't his first time here. He knows all about Kreuz's Market in Lockhart and about the regional fly-ins. Thus it sounds like Feasting in Air and Space is possibly under way.

What was he doing here? It's all part of a promotional book tour to endorse his new book, Good Eats: The Early Years. My lovely spouse is working on a book review, as a guest blogger, and will have it posted some time this week. So far I've skimmed the book and it appears very much like the episodes of his show, with recipes broken down in much the same way, trivia about the item of the day and the reasons why things are prepared the way they are. Therefore this book is a handy item to have around any kitchen.

So what was the book signing like? First off, we had to drive to Austin. I'm not surprised, given that College Station isn't exactly a large town and isn't known as a foodie mecca. The signing was at the Whole Foods Market on Lamar, close to downtown. There was a media event earlier in the day attended by MisoHungryNow and Austin area food bloggers. The rest of us had to purchase a copy of the book from The Book People, located across the street next to the REI and get a wrist band. Due to the distance between College Station and Austin, I ordered our books and wrist bands in advance and The Book People very graciously mailed them to us a couple of weeks ago. They also placed us in the first group of people for the signing.

The signing itself was on the roof of Whole Foods, which boasts a lovely cactus and mesquite container garden. The weather was nice and there was adequate shade. People were grouped into red, yellow and blue groups - I'm guessing about 100 - 200 people each - and sent in with their groups. After the media event Mr Brown walked up to the roof and started signing books. Before signing each copy he introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Alton" and shook hands with each and every person there. Then he posed for pictures with the person getting the book signed and engaged in light hearted small talk. The people waiting in line, without exception, were all in very good spirits and fun to talk with.

When it was our turn to meet Mr Brown, my spouse went first. They shook hands, introduced each other and I took pictures. They discussed making a trip to Kreuz's Market in Lockhart. :-) Next it was my turn. I shook hands with him and introduced myself. Then thanked him for coming to our little neck of the woods. He said he likes Texas and the people here. I'm sure he says that about every city he visits, mostly because everyone surely treats him very well, but it's still a very nice thing to say. I'll be honest and say that he was very gracious and a generally very nice person to meet. After the very brief meeting we moved along to let others progress in line and were given a boxed set of dessert DVDs from Good Eats. They didn't have to provide swag, but it was very nice of them to do that.

Now some of you might have noticed Alton Brown has lost a lot of weight. He's admitted such in a number of interviews. A lot of fans on LiveJournal and elsewhere have expressed concern about what appears to be extremely rapid weight loss. First off, it looks extremely rapid because of his production schedule. He's had months off, so any major change in his appearance will look abrupt. Second, during the book signing, he was jovial and full of energy and warmth. This was not an ill man. Reading into his AV Club interview it looks very likely that he's had a lap-band procedure or something similar. He expressed a desire to lose weight and said repeatedly that he's happy with his new, 50 lbs lighter, weight. More than a few people have said they liked him better heavier and don't like the new, lighter Alton Brown. Honestly, those people need to realize that he's a human being beyond his television persona. He stated he was unhappy with his weight and did something about it. Now he says he's much happier. Good for him. He's a busy man with a demanding job. It's good he can do something to make himself happy. And regardless of how "haggard" some people say he now looks, he looks just fine in person.

After the signing the two of us headed out for a late lunch with recommendations from the lovely MisoHungryNow. She directed us to Max's Wine Dive and a review of their brunch will be posted later. Thanks again!

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

2009-10-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival next week, and thus will not likely be posting. Picts will be sent to Facebook, though. :-)

Stay tuned the following week because I'll have a book signing with Alton Brown and the festival, with picts, to discuss. Additionally a guest blogger will give a book review of Alton Brown's new book, "Good Eats: The Early Years."

Giving credit where credit is due

2009-10-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

The new background and parts of the layout are from HotBliggityBlog.com.

Truman Chocolates - Review

2009-10-08T14:40:00.001-07:00

Stand back, everyone. I'm about to do my first review as Cibatarian.

For my first review I selected a place I have been wanting to try, but just haven't gotten around to. Until now, of course. Local foodie buzz informed me that we have not one, but two world class chocolatiers within 50 miles of lowly Bryan and College Station, Texas. LOL...wut? How can this be? And why haven't I tried them?

So earlier this week I called the spouse and we headed over to the one closest to work: Truman Chocolates on Texas Avenue, North of University Drive in the same shopping center as Yesterday's and Luby's. Yes, that's right, it's hidden in a strip mall; much like Superman being hidden by his Clark Kent identity. [Who here didn't already know I was a nerd?] The location is extremely nondescript, with no writing on the door. It is recognizable by the stylized script on the top of the strip mall location and by the extremely clean interior, devoid of any unnecessary clutter.

Once you walk in, you can smell the chocolate. For a chocoholic, such as myself, that is worth the trip, alone. There is a small counter filled with the chocolates that are currently available, without a pre-order. The selection the day we went included about 25 different types, in a huge variety of flavors and colors. For the record, they accept special orders; everything from previously uncreated flavors to Food Network-style chocolate showpieces. And the first person you find is one of the chocolatiers - a very nice person to guide you in your selection and to offer free samples. Be still my beating heart!

First things first. We were there to select a gift box for a friend. I chose the larger of the two gift boxes; 16 selections at $36. With a little information about the recipient (a sweet tooth with a penchant for sweet alcohol) we selected jewel-pretty items with flavors ranging from white chocolate to mimosa, banana, cinnamon, passion fruit and chambord. All were individually hand-packed into a simple, but sturdy and elegant box.

Next we selected a gift box for ourselves. This time it was the smaller, 10 (?) space box for $20. Each of us picked 4 selections, checked out and were on our way. Did I mention how nice and professional our host was?

Much later in the day we finally found time to sit down with the smaller gift box we purchased for ourselves. Selections included, coffee, s'mores, margarita, mimosa, mojito, banana, peach, white chocolate, and two chambord truffles. Each was quite beautiful and painted, with edible paint, to match the flavor. Shiny finish and glittery sparkles were an elegant touch for some. Real gold leaf was a nice finish for others. We split all of them, except peach...I have a thing against peaches that can't be explained here. The spouse loved that one, by the way.

One thing stood out about all of the truffles: the ganache center was at exactly the right melt-in-your mouth temperature. Storing these too hot (next to the stove) or too cold (fridge) would ruin them. Additionally, the thin "crust" was extremely delicate, making these very easy to eat and preventing the weird contrast in texture that you can sometimes find in cheap truffles.

Each flavor tasted intensely as it was described. Banana was undoubtedly banana. Mimosa tasted like the drink. Mojito tasted of mint and lime. Chambord tasted of orange liquor and chocolate.

My only criticism is the white chocolate truffle. It was good, but not the best. For me, a lover of white chocolate, the best is when it has a creamy, milky taste without the chemical or plastic characteristic that can often be found in cocoa butter. Truman's was close, but sadly no El Rey. But, then again, only El Rey can be El Rey. So I hold it against nobody. I will say that Truman's white chocolate paired very well with the flavored ganaches, and as part of a team, it was very beautiful to taste and to see.

Do I recommend Truman's? Absolutely. At about $2 a truffle, it's a luxury and an indulgence. But one that won't kill the bank. It also makes a lovely gift for a chocoholic and/or foodie. For people catering events, I also recommend their special orders. Everyone was very professional.

Will I go back to Truman's? Absolutely. Those mojito truffles were truly a thing of beauty.

Addendum: Another author/chef appearance

2009-10-01T13:15:00.001-07:00

Jen Yates from Cake Wrecks will be in Austin this week. On Sunday, October 4, to be exact. The event is being hosted by the Book People on Lamar (across from the REI) and there will be a Cake Wrecks contest as well. To get added to the invite go here and follow the instructions.

For those of you in Maryland, Jen will be in Bethesda on Tuesday, October 6 at 7 pm. The evite to the event, held at the Bethesda Barnes and Noble can be found here. I would call B&N to ask if they will also have a cake wreck contest. I'm going to guess they will. :-)

And for the one person that might be reading this from NYC, Jen will be at the Barnes and Noble at 396 Ave of the Americas and 8th Street on Wednesday, October 7 at 7:30 pm. The evite to the event can be found here.

Oh Starbucks, why?

2009-09-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today it was announced that Starbucks will be producing instant coffee. Ironic, considering their business model hinges on pulling Americans out of their homes and local diners to sample their own high-end-priced version of cappuccino and espresso.

My first reaction is, why? I suppose Starbucks believes they will make instant coffee better than anyone else. However, this is a risky market to jump into. International Coffees already makes a variety that appeal to people that enjoy the convenience of instant with the flavor-shot of the day. And the cost, as well, as availability at the local grocery store, make them accessible to people that don't necessarily want to spend $5 for a coffee at Starbucks.

Not to mention Nescafe and Taster's Choice, who stormed on the market in the 1970s with their blind switch commercials and ridiculously convenient product. While the instant coffee produced by these two isn't fantastic, it's coffee when you need it in a hurry, it's portable, so you can take it on camping trips, and is not very expensive. And, for home cooks like me, you can add coffee flavor to something without adding the extra wet ingredients. So it makes it easy to duplicate recipes such as Brian Boitano's Cappuccino Panna Cotta (what do you mean I have to register to view the recipe???).

Now instant coffee is not exactly a new thing. According to Wikipedia, it was created around the turn of the century by a Japanese scientist for the Pan-Am Exhibition. The original recipe was regular brewed coffee that was heated and freeze dried. The main problem with it was that it sometimes didn't dissolve very well and left clumps behind. Additionally, while the dry stuff lasts a long time (long shelf life), if it gets wet it goes bad super-fast. In the 1960s-1970s food scientists and engineers discovered that spray drying, or pushing the coffee through an atomizer while drying it, resulted in more uniform crystals that dissolved more evenly and completely, giving us the instant coffee we all know now.

So really, the idea of Starbucks Instant, aka Via, is nothing new. It's just...strange coming from Starbucks. And the cost of about $3 for a 3-pack is also something of an oddity. Do consumers of inexpensive instant coffee really want to spend $1 a cup for coffee that costs $1.50 in the boutique? I'm not so sure. Via currently is scheduled to be available only at Starbucks stores, Target and Costco. With the increasing number of Super-Targets out there, more people are doing their grocery shopping at Target, however in most markets Target is neither the most convenient or cheapest available grocery store. And Costcos are not exactly found in all markets. I see this as a tough sell, at best.

Via is currently being test marketed in Seattle, Chicago and London. Has anyone here tried it yet? How's it taste?

Note: the picts from Google and the Houston Chronicle.

Fast Food Menu Secret Items

2009-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Due to a variety of health issues I tend to avoid fast food as much as possible. However sometimes, particularly while traveling, it becomes necessary to find something somewhat edible super fast. CNN, today, posted an article titled "10 secret menu items at fast food restaurants." The most surprising item on the list was the number of "secret" items on the Jamba Juice entry. I honestly had no idea.

One thing not on the list: a friend of mine used to work at Whataburger and said that people would regularly come in an order a Big Mac. In this town there are several Whataburgers across the street from McDs. Well, my friend would often say "we can do it!" And would proceed to build a HUGE version (because the burgers are much larger) of the Big Mac with items at the grill. Now bear in mind not every location will think to do this, but it never hurts to ask.

Another thing I have noticed while dining out, just about everywhere: if there is something no longer on the menu, or that is only on the lunch menu when you're there for dinner, just ask about it. Very often you will be able to get it, as long as the ingredients are available. I've seen this happen at fast food restaurants, as well as fine dining establishments. It's a pleasant reminder that restaurants are in the hospitality industry.

Upcoming Author and Chef Appearances

2009-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Alton Brown is coming to Austin. He'll be there October 18, 1-4 pm at the Whole Foods on Lamar to sign his new book, "Good Eats: The Early Years." The book should be available at most retailers today. In order to get the book signed by Brown, it must be purchased from the BookPeople in Austin, who will have it available at the Whole Foods.

Celebrity chef, Food Network regular, and food academic Rick Bayless is coming to Houston, this Wednesday, September 30. Because it's mid-week I won't be able to attend, but that doesn't mean none of you can't go. :-) He'll be at the Macy's in Memorial City Mall on Gessner at 6 pm for a "Mexican Fiesta." His Mexican food is the stuff of legend so I suggest you all go, if you've got the time and money. Tickets are $10 and available at that Macy's. The event is to raise money for the Houston Food Bank.

And, if you have a budget much larger than mine, Julie Powell, author of the book Julie and Julia, will be the featured author at this year's Book & Author annual gala. The event occurs on Sunday, November 1, 5 pm - 9 pm at the Houston Hilton Americas. The "cheap seats" are $250, putting this way out of my price range. However the money raised by the event goes to the Houston Public Library Foundation. By the way, Powell has a new book coming out soon titled, "Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession." Sounds fun.

Note: all of the images above came from a Google image search.

Texas BBQ

2009-09-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Few things will rile up a group of foodies more than a discussion on barbecue. Specifically a discussion on what type of BBQ is best and who does it better. And Deep In the Heart I can assure you that Texans mightily believe they have the best damned barbecue in the World.

First, you might be wondering what makes Texas barbecue any different from, say, the pit beef and pulled pork sandwiches up in Baltimore. First off, barbecue is a process; it requires meat, or whatever protein, to be cooked at a low temperature for a long time. It is different from grilling, where meat, or veggies, are slapped on a grill until cooked. I know, I know, Northerners use the terms interchangeably, but in fact the two processes are very different in the culinary world.

Texas barbecue differs from that found elsewhere by definition; Texas barbecue is a slab of your meat of choice, usually pork or beef, generously rubbed with a salt and sugar based rub then cooked, usually with smoke, at a low temperature for hours to days. The result, if done well, is fall off the bone goodness that does not require any sort of sauce. And this is key, as barbecue prepared in other parts of the country are typically either mopped or finished with sauce or boiled in some sort of sauce.

And opinions within Texas vary greatly about who makes the best barbecue. I'll just name a few here, but I can assure you from personal experience, that there are many fine places to find barbecue in Texas, from road-side stands to fine dining establishments. I'll start with the local place to go: Rudy's with locations around Texas. It's very casual dining where you eat at very long picnic tables and wash your hands in a communal sink. They have pork, beef, ribs, turkey and sausage available from their smoker. The brisket, a favorite among many of the locals, has an intensely salty, sugary, beefy/pork taste and if you ask for it, they'll include the ends with your order. However, since I grew up sans brisket or ribs, I prefer their somewhat spicy hot sausage that is also cooked in their smoker. Great stuff when served with their green chilli stew. You order what you want to eat by the pound or link and meals usually average around $15 for one light eater and one heavy eater.

Next is Stubb's in Austin, Texas. Located at Red River and 8th Street, Stubb's is in the middle of everything. It's a concert venue, a restaurant and a local landmark. During SXSW Stubb's hosts everyone from Willie Nelson to OK Go to The B52's and everyone in between. However what keeps me going back there time and again is the food. I know that hot wings aren't barbecue, but I could literally take a bath in the sauce used on their hot wings. It is that good. You'll find these little gems on the appetizer menu, along with smoked duck quesadillas and to-die-for fried green tomatoes. If you're new to Southern food and in the Austin neighborhood, Stubb's is a good introduction. Stubb's offers barbecue by the sandwich and dinner plate. If you order a dinner plate, I hope you came hungry, because the portions are enormous and the food is "I don't want to put it down" good. Very moist, flavorful brisket, well-seasoned sausage links and never-boring turkey.

And the last place I'll mention here is town of Lockhart, Texas. I don't know how it happened but Lockhart proudly proclaims itself The BBQ Capital of Texas. And very few people dispute this claim. There are only four barbecue restaurants in Lockhart: Kreuz's, Black's, Smitty's and Chisholm Trail. Each has an international reputation for being the best Texas-style barbecue in the World. Believe it or not, I have only been to one of these. The reason I haven't been to all? Kreuz's is the first one you pass on the way into town and, damn, they're good. As soon as you pull into their parking lot and open the door you can smell the smokers and see the huge pile of wood (hickory?) used in the smokers. This place means business. When you walk in you see a place frozen in time. Long wooden benches on one side and a very informal cash-and-carry on the other. Walking down the hallway you see signs for the rules of the place: No barbecue sauce (nothing to hide), No forks (they're at the end of your arm), No salads (remember no forks), No credit (cards also)(bank doesn't see barbecue), No kidding (see owner's face). I guess it's a good thing they have an ATM at the entrance. At the end of the

hallway you're greeted by a room full of smokers and a couple of people in front of a butcher table. On most days I've been greeted by the same three people: an Elvis impersonator in a butcher's coat, a woman that looks like she's been there since the place opened, preserved by all the rich smoke and another woman that very closely resembles my grandmother. They ask what meat you want and how many pounds or links. A delay in answering is generally met with a bored stare. These people mean business. Upon answer you will see them spring into action and deliver the goods faster than your eye can follow them around the smokers. Next you take the goods into the cash-and-carry area where you have the option of sides. Some of the sides change on a daily basis, but each time I've been there they have had the most amazing German-style potato salad and sauerkraut I've ever sampled. They also have the

typical stuff people eat with barbecue: pickles, onions, etc. Sodas and beers are available in cans and bottles only; no messing with fountain drinks because these people only care about barbecue. When you sit down to eat it, you realize why. Oh. Em. Gee. Before my first taste of their barbecue I didn't know the stuff could taste that good. Without the use of sauce the brisket and ribs literally fall of the bone in moist, flavorful chunks. Every single bite is full of flavor. The sausage is unlike anything I've ever tried with a smokey, savory flavor that is unmistakable. Natives of Lockhart have repeatedly told me that one of the other three barbecue places is their favorite. And one of these days I'll try them all, but only after visiting Kreuz's first.

Is Texas barbecue the best in the world? I don't know if "best" is really the word I would use. Texas style is definitely unique. However the vast majority of the rest of the world has their own variety of barbecue, and I've only sampled a teeny tiny portion of what's out there. For lovers of barbecue, I highly recommend coming to Texas and judging for yourselves. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Note: Before anyone hammers me on this point, no, I haven't been to The Salt Lick or any of the Texas-style barbecue places in the Dallas-Fort Worth area yet. Realize I'm from the Northeast and a drive over 100 miles is still a BFD to me.

Amazing sugar work/art

2009-09-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the artistry of a pastry chef is so mind-bogglingly beautiful that you just can't imagine ever eating their creations. I found the following artist via the Sunday Sweets at Cake Wrecks. Her work is beyond amazing. She's a pastry chef in Japan whose business goes by the name Rosey Sugar. Her blog, in mixed English and Japanese, can be found here. And you can find her on flickr here. Absolutely amazing work.

Soda for Gamers

2009-09-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Jones Soda is currently offering a limited edition variety pack marketed to the gamer in your family.

No word if they have one in magic missile.

Confessions of a Coffee Snob

2009-09-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am a coffee snob. And I know I'm not the only one. In fact there were about 650,000 hits for "coffee snob" on google.

Being a coffee snob does not mean buying a cup of non-fat, decaf, double-whip, triple venti froth frappe, capay, whatever from Starbucks on my way into school every morning. The vast majority of coffee snobs don't actually shop at Starbucks. In fact there are over 3 million anti-Starbucks hits if you google "anti starbucks." I'm not going to join the legions and tell you that they're evil. However I feel they over-roast their beans and they usually taste burnt and bitter to me. And after paying a Euro for each fabulous cappuccino in Florence and Rome, it's nearly impossible for me to justify paying four times that for a burnt espresso State-side. When I go to Starbucks, particularly if I'm out and about and desperate for a caffeine hit, I usually buy their drip coffee, which isn't nearly so objectionable. It's alright. I'll even go as far to say it's just about as good as McDonald's coffee, which garnered a better rating with national taste tests.

I have my own drip coffee maker at school that I take with me back and forth to the lunch room during coffee o'clock every day. I just can't bring myself to drink Folgers, Maxwell House or Chock Full O' Nuts unless extremely desperate to stay awake. I typically buy an HEB morning blend or Seattle's Best Blend 39, when available. They're inexpensive, smooth, and available at the local grocery store.

Being a coffee snob means being very picky about how I like my coffee. It's strange, but most Americans believe that they like their coffee very dark and very strong. However, as Malcolm Gladwell demonstrates during his TED talk (embedded below), taste tests conducted on average Americans indicate that we actually prefer our coffee to be of a medium roast with medium strength. And most Americans add cream, sugar and flavorings to their coffee, which cuts the bitterness of the extremely dark coffee they think they want. So for the record, I like a medium roast of medium strength with no added flavoring or cream. I only drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day so I like to make it good.

So what's the best way for this coffee snob to make coffee? A french press. A french press allows coffee to be brewed in such a way as to preserve the volatile oils and flavor compounds that add body and character to the drink. Drip coffee makers tend to hide more delicate flavors and, in some cases, can burn the grounds with over-temperature water.

Here's how I make coffee when I'm at home:

1. Add water to electric tea kettle.

2. Grind the beans (I buy pinion coffee from New Mexico Pinion Coffee Company in 5 lb bags) with a course grind. Just enough beans for the amount of coffee I'm making. Beans are stored at room temperature, in the dark, aka in a kitchen cabinet.

3. Add one scoop beans per mug of coffee. Notice I didn't say "cup." The cup designations on the sides of coffee makers are for cups far smaller than the average coffee mug. If you add that much grounds you won't be able to taste anything other than grounds. This isn't delicious.

4. When the water boils, turn off the kettle and wait for it to stop bubbling. Then add water to the french press until just before the top.

5. Wait 3-4 min.

6. Stir the grounds and water then put the top of the french press on and push down the plunger.

7. Pour coffee and enjoy.

The resulting coffee is full bodied, rich and flavorful with nutty notes from the piniones. And an average french press carafe makes just about 4 coffee mugs full.

By this point most of you are probably just thinking that I'm completely nuts. Coffee is coffee, right? Well, not so fast. Much like variations between wines, there is tremendous variation in flavor between different varieties of coffee beans, blends and roasts. Roasts range from very light cinnamon to very dark Spanish roast. And just as wine grown in different parts of the world has different flavor profiles, so too does coffee (in the regions in the picture to the left). Kona does not taste like Sumatra or Arabia. And, also just like wine, the price of coffee beans ranges from very inexpensive to extremely expensive, with devotees on all ends of the spectrum.

So here's my challenge to you. If you are the type of person that typically only drinks instant coffee or Folgers/Maxwell house, go out and pick up a bag of Seattles Best Blend 39 (about $8 a lb at the grocery stores here). Brew it in your normal coffee maker, which ever variety you have, with no more than one coffee scoop of grounds per coffee mug of water added. Then let me know what you think. If you hate it, well, go back to your normally scheduled coffee, tea, Mountain Dew, etc. If you like it...welcome to the club.

Note: the images in this post came from Wikipedia and a Google image search and are not my own.

Bacon!

2009-09-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

In an effort to familiarize myself with blogspot and to use up a little time between experimental time points, I'll post about something that seems to have become an American obsession: bacon.

These days it seems all it takes for someone to garner attention to their food is to add bacon. Or even say the word "bacon" in the title. For example, this past March I went to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show. The true star of the show? Chicken Fried Bacon. Not making it up. Fried bacon garnered more press than ZZ Top, or even Hannah Montana. For those wondering what "chicken fried" is, well, it's a process. Chicken Fried means that the cook/chef coated something in the same batter that would normally used for fried chicken then deep fried it. If you're wondering about chicken fried chicken and chicken fried steak, those are pieces of meat that have been pounded flat and then battered and fried. What does it taste like? Like fried chicken with bacon in it. The texture is WAY too crispy because the bacon is fried beyond recognition before being battered and fried again.

However the American love affair with bacon doesn't even come close to stopping there. I just googled bacon and got 42,900,000 entries, including this rather disturbing "bacon briefcase." On a recent trip to Hastings I found a display with a bacon wallet, bacon jelly beans and gummy bacon. LOL...wut? There are even multiple blogs dedicated to exclusively to bacon, including Iheartbacon, baconunwrapped, and bacontoday.

So does this love for all things bacon mean that Americans are eating tons of the stuff? As a matter of fact, it does. According to US Census projections, sliced bacon will account for $2.83 billion in sales in 2010. The foodservice industry is paying attention and according to the same link, bacon as a business has seen a 5% growth in the last 5 years. And this article was written in 2004. From what I've seen the business has only grown bigger since.

So is America the largest consumer of pork products as a result of our worship of bacon? Not by a long shot! According to Wikipedia, China consumes almost 6 times the pork products that the US does. And much of China also salts and preserves their pork in a manner not unlike bacon.

Why do Americans (and Canadians) seem to have a peculiar obsession with bacon? Again, according to Wikipedia, Bacon Mania was brought about by, of all things, by the Internet. In short, bacon is popular because everyone is talking about it being popular. It's ubiquitous (according the allbusiness.com, more than 50% of all American households keep a supply of it in their refrigerators), it's something we can all identify with and, let's face it, it's darned tasty.

And, just in case you haven't seen/heard/read about enough bacon for today. Here are 100 uses for a strip of bacon.

In victus illic est vita: In Food There Is Life

2009-09-15T09:16:00.001-07:00

Welcome! This is the first post in my newly reincarnated Foodie blog. Some of you might know my other foodie entries over on LiveJournal. However from now on the food-specific stuff will be here and the LiveJournal blog will remain my fitness and personal blog.

First off, what does Cibatarian mean? Cibus is one of several Latin words for food. It implies food specifically for nourishment. Cibatarian is a word I made up. It's a combination of librarian and cibus. More importantly, it wasn't already in use by another blogger.

So exactly what will this blog be about? All things food. I love food. I love to prepare food, eat it, talk about it, watch people eat it and hear others talk about it. Food is a social event, an expression of love, and a necessary activity, all wrapped up in one. Food is also a challenge we all must face in one way or another. For example, I am unable to each any plant in the genus Allium, as in garlic, onions, chives, leeks, etc, or anything that produces allicine. I have other friends who are unable to eat other ingredients. So for us to get together for a meal we have major challenges. But the results, friendship, great food and fun times, are well worth it.

Disclaimer: I am not being paid in any way to write this blog. It's a labor of love for one of life's greatest pleasures.

In wine there is truth; in food there is life.