What Greg Eats

Chives Canadian Bistro

Greg — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:28:00 GMT

This is just a quick note on a good restaurant very deserving of quick notes and more. Chives Canadian Bistro was a delightful find and served us well on a dark and stormy night in Halifax.

When I say dark and stormy, I really do mean it. The gusts of wind coming up the street from the port were staggering. Frozen rain and snow were whipping around violently obscuring vision and stinging the skin. So it was ideal that Chives was located not even a full block away from the Four Points Sheraton in downtown Halifax. So we braved the shin deep slush, harsh winds and stinging ice for dinner.

Our time and effort were well spent, the dinner was excellent and for the quality, very reasonably priced.

We had been hoping to try the Chef's Tasting Menu, featured on their Seasonal Menu. Unfortunately, we arrived right in that lull around the holidays where they change over from one seasonal menu to another, so they had an interim menu of limited choices. None the less, we were able to find items on the menu that sounded great to us and proved to be better than they sounded.

We started with a nice seared Foie Gras resting atop crostini, served with a fig reduction and a small microgreen salad. The Foie Gras was perfectly prepared and the generous 2 oz. portion made for an ideal appetizer. The sweetness in the fig and saltiness in the crostini cut through the rich fat of the Foie Gras to make every bite a delight.

Julia enjoyed their version of a surf and turf, which consisted of a AAA Tenderloin (USDA Choice equivalent, I believe). It had been cooked a perfect medium rare. It was resting atop a bed of gnocchi which themselves were floating in a brandy-peppercorn cream sauce, similar to what you might expect from a Steak Au Poivre. And to finish off the surf part of the surf and turf, the plate was loaded with large, plump, succulent scallops -- precisely the quality one would expect in Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, I went with their Best of Nova Scotia Seafood Risotto. The risotto itself was dense, creamy, robust and flavorful -- with the perfect texture. But that's not the best part, the best part was that every single bite from the tiniest nibble to the largest spoonful was completely infused with the fresh, undeniable - sea air flavor of great local seafood.

Resting atop the risotto was a giant diver scallop and a firm, tasty jumbo shrimp, mixed within the risotto were more pieces of scallop, shrimp, lobster, mussels and clams -- all local, all great.

We paired this all with a pleasantly inexpensive Temperanillo. They had it to offer by the glass, so I was able to try a sample before we had even ordered our food. The sample was enough to confirm that, with the wine decanted and the tannins softened, it would open up nicely and compliment our food without overpowering it.

If you'd have asked me to pick a wine to pair with those two dishes, I'm not sure what I would have said. Seafood risotto normally makes me think Pinot Grigio maybe, or a Chenin Blanc. Throw in the surf and turf and I'm leaning towards a lighter Pinot Noir, but I don't think I would have been Temperanillo for either. I'm glad I gave it a chance though, it was a delight.

We each saved a half-glass of wine to finish of our meal with, complimenting the cheese plate we ordered. I wish I knew more about the cheeses, this was the only place where I was let down. The waitstaff wasn't aware of the minute details of the cheese plate and didn't take the hint to produce someone from the kitchen who was. Setting that aside though, it was an excellent ending to an excellent meal, featuring 4 thin bread sticks, quince jam, apple slices, nuts and -- at my best guess -- smoked gouda, creamy bleu cheese, a semi-firm, creamy, nutty cheese (similar to Osau Iraty) and mild brie.

If you find yourself in Halifax, regardless the weather, check out Chives. It's worth your time, effort and money.

Lobster Feast - Cape Breton Style

Greg — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:07:00 GMT

Say hello to my little friend...

This fella, and a few of his friends were our "dinner guests" in the best Lobster Feast I've ever had.

First things first, they spread plastic wrap on the wooden dining room table. Once they had a double layer of that down on the table, they then spread newspapers all over the table, double-thick layers of that too.

Plates, forks, long picks, crackers, butter knives and butcher knives came out next, followed closely by a few different dipping bowls of garlic infused drawn butter.

A whole roll of paper towels finished the prep work, the next thing to come out were 8 big lobsters like this guy. There were 6 of us eating, and in no time, the sound of cracking shells, slurping butter and content diners filled the room.

I'm going to do my best, as a Texan, to explain how to break down a Lobster.

First of all, be careful. Sure, they aren't alive any more so you don't have to worry about the claws, but they are spiny and some of those spines are sharp. Also, where the shell breaks, there are sharp edges. As you eat them, your skin will get wet, they'll get slippery and your wet skin will be more susceptible to little cuts and punctures from the Lobster. Believe me though, before you turn away thinking this is too much, it's worth all of the effort.

The seasoned Lobster eaters at the table with me broke these suckers down in no time, and the learning curve is fast. By the time we were done, I had gotten pretty good at this myself.

Ok...so, first things first, in your primary hand (I'm right handed), grasp the tail of the lobster, just below the body, grasp the body in your secondary hand.

Twist the body and tail in two different directions, until the tail snaps off.

You should have a large tail in your right hand now. Set the body down and carefully pinched the first two sections of the lobster tail-shell until they crack, then peel those off. Work your way down the tail snapping off those sections until you can hold the base of the tail and wiggle all of the meat out. The shell now goes into the scrap bowl.

Holding the tail meat, near the wide part where it met the body, on the top, there is a thin strip that runs the length of the tail on top, just like the vein on a shrimp. Once you find the right strip, you can just pull that off carefully, the whole length of the tail, then clean out that trough of dark stuff beneath.

Now you have a whole, beautiful tail to work with. You can either eat that, or you can keep working and break down the claws. I say go for the claws, so you can eat in peace.

With the claws, break off the smaller joints, use one of the long, thin picks to remove the flesh from those joints, snack on those as you go to hold yourself over.

When you get to the main claws themselves, carefully bend down the thinner jaw of the claw and remove that. Shift aside that bit of tendon in the way, then use the pick to fish out that bit of claw meat in that small section. This piece is long enough to dip in your butter.

Now, for the main claw, there are a few different trains of thought, I'll give you mine. I go for the crackers, and I crack that sucker, carefully, until I can remove large portions of the claw-shell until I can fish out the entire piece of claw meat whole.

Do the same for the other side now, and get to eating. Don't forget your garlic butter!!

Once you're done though, you're not really done. Now you can remove the legs. Bite down with your front teeth carefully on the leg at the first joint, then bite right behind that, right behind that, etc. working your way back until the meat pops out in your mouth. Then pull off that piece of chewed on leg and go to town on the next joint. Continue with the next leg.

Once THAT'S all done, you can then remove the "tamale" from the inside of the body and eat that (I like it, but many people don't. Think of it as Lobster Liver, if you want). Now you can completely de-construct the body and fish out those bits of really tender meat that are attached to the joints where you removed the claws and leg. It's tougher work in here, but worth it.

Of course, the question now is, what to eat for sides? If you're in Texas or someplace where Lobsters are insanely expensive, you're going to love your lobster, but you're not going to be full. So corn, potatoes, potato salad, coleslaw could all go with your lobster feast.

However, if you're up here in Cape Breton where you might be able to get Lobster for as little as $4.00 a pound if you're lucky, then don't even think about sides, because by the time you're done demolishing and devouring your first lobster, the second or third wave, just like our third wave pictured below, will be coming out. (Oh, one more note, left over lobster is great if its all chopped up and served on a french roll with some mayo, salt and pepper as a lobster sandwich).

Welcome to Nova Scotia

Greg — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:44:11 GMT

I finally broke myself out of my food reverie long enough to actually write about food. The only way I can manageably keep up with the all of the great things I've eaten on vacation is to write up what I've eaten two at a time.

Today we're going to cover Donairs and Homemade Seafood Chowder.

At this point, I would suspect that most of you are asking yourself...what in the world is a Donair? That's a great question, because before Julia explained it to me, I would have been asking, what in the world is a Donair?

Basically, (no one get angry with me here please), it's a Gyro with different sauce. The sauce is a sweet, tangy, thick sauce made from condensed milk, vinegar, garlic, and a few other things. It's creamy and very sweet. The flatbread is a bit more flat that what's found in most Gyro's, in my experience. Also, Gyro's usually have rough cut tomatoes and onions in long strands, whereas Donairs use diced tomatoes and onions. The meat, however, is very similar.

From what I've seen, having had them twice now, Donairs from any particular place come in 2-4 different sizes. Those sizes typically use the same size flatbread and just load it down with more and more toppings, all covered in sauce and wrapped up in 2-3 pieces of tinfoil.

They are incredibly messy, but seriously delicious. The sauce gives it a totally different flavor than a Gyro. I really enjoyed my first Donairs, but I've been reliably informed that you can't get a quality Donair outside of Nova Scotia.

Unless you were raised on them, the allure of a Donair might not be enough, by itself, to get you to Halifax, however, it should be a factor in your decision. You won't have trouble finding one either. I had my first one at King of Donair on "Pizza Corner" with shops on 3 out of 4 corners pimping their Donairs with big neon signs. It's an event food, have one sometime. Just don't make any intimate plans afterwards with anyone who didn't also have a Donair. That combination of onions, sauce, garlic, etc. is...distinctive.

Now...on to the second part of this write-up. Homemade Seafood Chowder.

Wow...that's about all I can say. We went to the house of Julia's Aunt Marilyn. She had a big pot on the stove, bubbling away full of Seafood Chowder.

This was, quite simply, perfect. The broth wasn't the ultra-thick, creamy mess that Chowder can sometimes be in New England, looking like it came out of a Campbell's can. Instead the broth was light and flavorful, there were tiny spots of oil floating in it. The crusty bread available on the table was also perfect for sopping duties, and trust me, not a drop escaped.

The chowder was chock full of seafood, pieces of lobster, shrimp and scallops, with a base of carrots and small pieces of potato. It was go-back-for-seconds-or-thirds kind of good.

Each bite was exploding with great seafood flavor, accented perfectly with that broth and complimented by the texture and flavor of the vegetables.

I've had great seafood chowder before. This was transcendent seafood chowder.

Donairs and Chowder...yeah, I could live up here. And keep in mind, I haven't even told you about little things like...fresh fried fisherman's platter, lobster feast, Christmas dinner (along with a contribution from me) and other great stuff.

Stay tuned for more, What Greg Eats - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Edition.

Carne Guisada

Greg — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:10:00 GMT

Of the people currently reading this article, there are two types. Type one, the more common type probably, is asking themselves, what in the world is Carne Guisada? Did he mean Carne Asada? I've never heard of this stuff <read on>.

The second type is rocking back and forth in their chair, drooling a little bit, captured in a memory of the last time they had Carne Guisada. They'll finish reading this when they recover.

Right, but what is it? Essentially, it's a thick mexican beef stew (more Tex-Mex really). But it's so thick, you don't eat it by itself, you either eat it with flour tortillas (on the side, in a taco or in a burrito), or you eat it over rice (or, for breakfast, over scrambled eggs).

This recipe is designed to make a large portion, it's not something you can make just a little bit of really, however, it should freeze well. This will be different from other recipes you find for Carne Guisada online, because...well, how many different recipes would you find for Beef Stew..exactly.

I prefer this one because the flavors are great, and it turns out nice and thick.

Ingredients:

3 lbs beef stew meat in 1" cubes (Chuck roast is good for this)
4-6 tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 large white onion, diced fine
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 cups of Beef Stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Place the flour in a large, one gallon zip lock bag, along with your salt and pepper. Add the stew meat and shake to coat. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat. Transfer the stew meat to the skillet to brown it, cooking it about 3/4 done. While cooking it, add the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Transfer the browned stew meat to a crockpot with a slotted spoon, to leave all the liquid in the skillet. Next, add the onion to the skillet and begin to sweat it. After a few minutes, add the garlic.

As it cooks, begin to stir in the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time. If it gets too thick, add enough of the beef stock to thin it. Continue until you've incorporated all of the flour. You can do this quickly, you don't have to create a true roux, you just want the flour full incorporated in the liquid. When that's done, add that to the crockpot with the remainder of the beef stock and the tomato paste.

Cook on high for 4 and a 1/2 hours until the beef is falling apart tender (after 2 hours, you can taste test it, and add more salt if needed). Serve taco or burrito style over flour tortillas, or serve over rice (or scrambled eggs for breakfast).

Biscuits and Gravy

Greg — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:25:00 GMT

To be fair, this should be titled: Gravy - since I made my biscuits from a can. However, canned biscuits can be really good. Especially since many people's homemade biscuits, in my experience, are bland. I prefer Hungry Jack biscuits if you can find them, but any old fashioned style biscuits from a can work fine.

At any rate, I'm not a baker, and thus won't be making my own biscuits anytime soon. However, I did make my own creamstyle gravy, in the fine tradition my father set for me many a Sunday morning.

For those of you who have had cream gravy in restaurants, you no doubt have noticed that it can often be bland. I think that's because they have to make it in such large batches.

The very best cream gravy I have ever had in a restaurant, I would give a 5 on a 1-10 scale, most of it is a 2 at best. My Dad's gravy, on this scale, was a 10.

There are many things you can use as the oil/fat base for your gravy. Probably the most popular is breakfast sausage with lots of sage in it. Nothing wrong with that.

However, I like meat mixed into my gravy, so I did mine with a pound of hamburger meat, not terribly lean (after all, I want the fat). I browned that in a cast iron skillet with salt, pepper and cumin, then transferred it to a nearby bowl with a slotted spoon.

Before I started this whole process, I took my whole milk out of the fridge and poured a large glass, then let it sit (carton and glass both) on the counter during this process, so it warmed up just a bit. I didn't want it refrigerator-cold.

With my hamburger meat now browned and off in a medium sized serving bowl, I melted a tablespoon of butter in my skillet, which was on high heat and still contained the oil from the hamburger meat.

Then, while stirring vigorously with a wire whisk (vigorous stirring and wire whisk are, neither one, optional, must have those), I sprinkled in about 2 heaping tablespoons of flour. I kept stirring the flour and oil/butter mixture until I had a roux that was the color of coffee with a little bit of cream.

I then poured in my glass of milk as quick as I could without splattering, and took a second to add a lot of salt and pepper. It takes a good deal of seasoning, you will need to salt it more than you think you should and unfortunately, it needs to be salted while it's cooking, just adding it later doesn't really work.

I stirred that until it started to boil, then poured in another glass of milk just like the first one. I then added a good bit more salt and pepper, and let that go until it started to boil. Then I cooked it down some until it was noticeable beginning to thicken.

I then poured it over the hamburger meat, stirred that up and waited about 4-5 minutes. Then served it over my fresh, hot biscuits (from a can, which were just fine, thank you very much).

All in all, I'll give myself a 7. A far cry from my Dad's 10, not quite as good as my sister's 9, but a helluva lot better than the restaurants 5. You can bet that, every now and then, I'll be working on refining my methods until I get closer to that Holy Grail - 10 of gravy. If ever make gravy that good, who knows, I might try my hand at biscuits from scratch. (This is the part where you don't hold your breath).

Little of This, Little of That - Nobu: Honolulu, HI

Greg — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:52:00 GMT

This, the second opportunity I had to dine at one of the twenty-two global Nobu locations, was every bit as memorable as the first. An opportunity to enjoy a meal at Nobu Waikiki provided all of the inspiration necessary to arrange a day trip to Oahu, while vacationing on Kauai in Hawaii.

During a trip to Miami Beach last year, I tried the Chef’s Omakasa at Nobu, Miami Beach. The Omakasa is Nobu’s version of a tasting menu. This nine course prix fie menu, varies daily and features the items that the chef chooses to highlight that day. Typically this is a blend of Nobu signature dishes, along with the finest and freshest available in the kitchen that evening.

So, having enjoyed the Omakasa, I knew I wanted something different…but what? Well, with the assistance of some of the best informed, most helpful and expert waitstaff I have ever had the pleasure of spending an evening with, we created our own sampling of Nobu’s best.

The first course was a Nobu signature dish. Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno and Cilantro in a Soy-Miso Sauce with Yuzu syrup.

Nobu’s House Special Roll and Soft Shell Crab Roll made up our second course.

The third course we went with Nagiri Sushi. Two pieces each of Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp), Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Hamachi (Yellowtail), Ono (Wahoo) and Toro (Fatty Tuna). In the words of the lovely woman sharing dinner with me, “Thanks for ruining Sushi for me everywhere else.” A sushi lover’s confession…I’d never had Toro. Sure, I’d heard of it, fatty tuna. Typically, for whatever reason, I steer clear of menu items that say “Market Price”. Don’t ask me why. I have never shied away from the high price items on a menu, and in fact have often made special requests that have dramatically increased the price of the final tab. But, I had avoided Toro until this meal.

If you are a sushi lover and, like I was have never had Toro. Go, have it. Enjoy it. The soft, buttery texture just melts on your tongue, dissolving into a burst of heavenly flavor against the pallet. Think of it as a life changing delicacy, not as eating at $12.00 a bite.
Each order was decided upon following the success of the previous course. The waitstaff would stop by for some brief discuss, mixed in with pleasant conversation, the collection of some opinions, and then they were off again in pursuit of the next great thing we were to eat. At this point, I would like to note the professionalism and expertise of Nobu. Every individual I spoke with had been relocated to the newly opened Waikiki location from other, established Nobu locations. Our waiter from Miami Beach, the Manager from New York, the Bartender, also from Miami Beach.

Ah! The Bartender…I began the evening with a signature Matsuhisa Martini. Stoli Vodka, Hokusetsu Sake and Ginger, garnished with cucumbers that were so cold, they had the slight crunch of freeze to them. Very refreshing. With dinner we enjoyed a “Bamboo” of Nobu Jyunmai Daiginjo sake. When I say Bamboo, I mean that a fresh, green piece of Bamboo was cut, such that each section would be watertight. The Bamboo, filled with this Sake available only to Nobu was served fresh from the freezer with small cups cut from fresh Bamboo as well, a unique and wonderful experience.

Fourth course! As it turns out, my dining partner had never enjoyed Hearts of Palm. We had Nobu’s Hearts of Palm salad with thin, wide shavings of Hearts of Palm tossed in a ginger dressing with fresh greens.

For our fifth, and last, dinner course, it was a very tough choice between Nobu’s Broiled Black Cod in Miso, one of, if not the, most famous signature dishes at Nobu. In the end however, the temptation of the new dish, a King Crab Tempura with Ponzu sauce was just too much. The pieces of King Crab were large and within the crunchy, salty tempura they were soft, juicy and buttery.

Two desserts finished off our meal. Mandarin, Kona Coffee: Cinnamon Panna Cotta, mandarin sorbet and a very light Kona Coffee flavored foam served with a praline crunch wafer. The second was a Milk Chocolate Cremoso: Milk Chocolate, lilikoi curd and gelee, Nobu cabarnet caviar and peanut butter powder. Even a number of dedicated foodies couldn’t tell you what some of that is. However, the one that floored us was Peanut Butter Powder. It was Peanut Butter that had been mixed and treated with a special flour treatment that left it as a very fine, soft powder. Once it hit your tongue it would reconstitute into an excellent peanut butter right in your mouth. With the melty, but dense milk chocolate and the tang from the lilkoi curd and gelee (as well as the cabarnet caviar) this was the most decidant version of a Reese’s the world has ever known.
Photos courtesy of the Nobu Restaurants websites.

Nobu Waikiki
2233 Helumoa Rd
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 237-6999

The Dangers of Deep Frying

Greg — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:14:00 GMT

Today's guest blog is brought to you by previous guest author and still longtime friend, Matt Hasselbacher, aka Matt in the Hat, aka Matt, Destroyer of Worlds! The dangers he writes of here refer less to the hazard of a grease fire and more to the dangers of being able to fry up something whenever you want a crunchy, salty treat!! In his words, "There are some things you can't un-learn."

Deep frying is easy. Too easy. I wish I could forget this little fact.

A few weeks ago Heather decided to make her own potato chips. There were some technical difficulties. The chips were cut too thin and the oil was too hot. They did not turn out well, but we ended up with some oil in a jar in the fridge for frying.

It comes back to me watching to much food TV. They plot against me, all of them. They plan their shows to lure me in. From two separate shows I learn that you can pick up won ton wrappers at your favorite local supermarket. Mine has them in the fresh food section (next to the tofu) rather then frozen like the TV said.

Deep fry + won ton wrappers; you can see where this is going...

Did I mention that I (for reasons that escape me) have like two and a half things of cream cheese in my fridge?

I pick up some ground pork and water chestnuts at the store along with the wrappers. We have chives in the garden, so I pass on getting scallions.

We use a thermometer this time. Keep the oil at 350. First course is just some diced water chestnuts and chives mixed with the cream cheese. Little deep-fried triangles of joy.

We were planning on pot stickers with the pork mix, steaming or pan frying them. Oil is still at temp, I say screw it and start dropping them down. Mmmmmmm.

We have some lo mein and veggies to round out the meal, but the allure of deep frying has a hold of me now. How can anything so good be so bad? It's fast and makes everything taste better.

Special bonus food tips:
When making Phily cheese steak sandwiches at home, don't just cook the onions, peppers and meat together. I tried doing the veggies then adding the meat. It did not get the nice sear it needed, just steamed with all the juices. I fixed this the next day with leftovers for lunch by heating up the mix in a hot pan. Got the nice brown crust on the shaved steak I needed. In the future I'll cook everything separate and just mix in the roll.

- Matt

What Greg Won't Eat

Greg — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:09:00 GMT

First of all, I don't hate many foods, and most of the foods I won't eat I have cultural opposition to eating.

I recently started thinking about all of this because a coworker linked me a great blog, Steve, Don't Eat It! I read through the entries, had some great laughs, cringed a few times then started to think about the foods I won't eat.

Top of my list for now and all time...Sauerkraut.

There are few things more evil than sauerkraut and I think all of them are mentioned somewhere in the Old Testament. Now, that having been said, the truth is, I've never had sauerkraut. So why the hate?

The biggest part of it comes simply, I was raised to hate sauerkraut. My dad was born in 1928 in a small farm town in west Texas. He was born the son of a share cropper at a time when the great depression had already taken hold. My dad would be the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters.

During the lean months, when things were slim and it was hardest to keep food on the table, my grandfather would do sanitation work to make ends meet. Restaurants would throw out old cabbage. If you collected it, took it home, peeled off the outer leaves and boiled the hell out of the rest with some salt, you'd wind up with a sour, bitter cauldron of barely edible, only slightly palatable cabbage soup.

Because of the years he spent eating that just in order to survive, my dad grew up to hate cooked cabbage that had soured even slightly. He passed that right along to me, so I grew up hating sauerkraut. But wait...it gets worse.

When I was 19 years old I joined the Navy. During my 8 weeks in bootcamp, I had to spend about 6-7 days working in the galley, we all did in those days. One day I'm changing out milk boxes (yes, it was a box of milk...a 5 gallon box of milk with a tube coming out of the bottom), when this short mess specialist comes up to me and says, "You there! You're tall, come help me with this."

I followed her into the kitchen area, thinking I'm going to be called upon to employ my 6' 2" by fetching items off of high shelves. No...no, it was nothing quite so nice.

She leads me back to a giant, 40+ gallon vat of cold, congealed sauerkraut. It had been sitting for hours and the stench was awful. Apparently, some moron had neglected to replace the screen over the drain pipe when he made the sauerkraut. So when they went to drain the liquid from this god awful crap, it just clogged the pipe, leaving behind this lump of grey, stringy, slimy junk.

I had to crawl into this vat, submerging myself head first up to my shoulders in cold sauerkraut, so I could dig out this pipe with my fingers, removing excess sauerkraut and holding back the flood long enough to replace the drain screen.

When I had to inevitably come up for air, the sauerkraut would rush back into the pipe, robbing me of most of my progress. Finally, I was able to clear it out, replace the drain screen and they were able to remove the rest of the moisture before scooping out the congealed mass that remained.

Now, I'm not a big fan of any bean larger than a kidney bean. I don't care much for boiled spinach by itself. There's numerous cultural dishes I avoid (gaegogi, balut, cuitlacoche, and more). However, for the most part, if it's considered food, I'll try it.

Sauerkraut though...I hate it with a fire that burns with the fury of a thousand suns.

The Best of Bowling Alley Eats

Greg — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:18:00 GMT

I had a great lunch in a bowling alley this last week.

There, I said it. Furthermore, I'm going to stand behind it. On Friday we had a team lunch at Mel's Lonestar Lanes in Georgetown, TX. After a fun, active morning of conducting a scavenger hunt throughout downtown Georgetown we were pretty hungry.

I admit, when I heard that the bowling alley was providing the food, I was skeptical. I imagined greasy burgers, limp fries, maybe a wilted salad. My imagination wasn't very complimentary.

So, this is my official apology for doubting them. The meal started with a very well put together salad of fresh greens, shredded cheese, crisp croutons and two dressings; either ranch or vinaigrette. Just like the salad, everything was served up buffet style.

Options included:

Seasoned meatballs, cooked with mushrooms and red wine over egg noodles. The meatballs were perfectly seasoned and cooked.
Grilled chicken breasts served in a white wine butter sauce.
Scalloped potatoes with cheese and onions. This dish could have stood a little bit more cooking time, could have set a bit longer and/or had a slightly thicker cheese sauce. But the taste was great, and it was still very good.
Corn casserole cooked into fresh cornbread, very moist and tasty.
Cornbread, fresh and hot with pats of butter on the side.
Grilled vegetables, a medley of seasoned, grilled squash. Squash having so much moisture, you typically have to over-season it. In this case, it was seasoned, but not quite as much as it should have been. Still enjoyed eating it though.

Dessert was served after. Fresh peach cobbler with crunchy, cinnamon dough. Sweet without being too sweet and served hot with vanilla ice cream.

All in all, it was a very fun, tasty meal and Mel's did a great job with it. I'm looking forward to going back sometime to enjoy one of the great looking items off of their regular menu.

Garlic Knots?

Greg — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:12:00 GMT

So, I'm sitting there watching Supernatural (Season 3, episode 3) and one of the side characters is trying to convince another to go to a particular restaurant. He remarks, "They have garlic knots!"

Woah..wait, what? What's a Garlic Knot? At first I'm like ...knot? naught? not? I figured knot, and I was right. I did a google search, came up with some recipes and some commentary on them. It seems that those people who have had a garlic knot just flat love them.

From what I gather, they are dense slightly leavened bread (think soft pretzel maybe?) brushed with a garlic glaze. Another food blog, Smells Like Home, has a great writeup on them.

So now I'm keen to try a garlic knot.

This also gets me thinking, maybe I need to brush up on my knowledge of semi-obscure regional foods. Speaking of which, now I have a craving for a doughboy.

Legendary BBQ - Texas Style

Greg — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:12:00 GMT

salt lick

–noun

1. a place to which animals go to lick naturally occurring salt deposits.

2. a block of salt or salt preparation provided, as in a pasture, for cattle, horses, etc.

3. a veritable, meat-lovers Mecca of heavenly BBQ goodness.

Today, we’ll be focusing on item number three, Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, TX. Since 1967 this genuine pit BBQ hotspot outside of Austin has been serving up great meat to hill country locals and far ranging visitors alike.

When it comes ordering time, there are a few ways to go. You can peruse the menu for the right Plate for you. Plates offer sausage, ribs, brisket, chicken, turkey, vegetables or combinations all served up with potato salad, cole slaw, beans, bread and pickles & onions (on request). Also available are sandwiches served with pickles & onions on request.

However, for those who really brought their appetites …you can go Family Style. That’s Salt Lick-speak for All-You-Can-Eat. Heaping platters of beef, sausage, pork ribs are served up and refreshed as many times as necessary. Accompanying these platters of moist, tasty bbq are their traditional sides, potato salad, cole slaw, beans, bread and pickles & onions.

The sausage is plump and juicy with a firm, slightly crisp skin and just the right amount of spice and a great smoky flavor brought on by the well-seasoned pit just inside the door (the sausage is great with the spicy bbq sauce). The pork ribs stopped just short of being great, but succeeded in being really good. They were moist, basted with the great sauce and fall off the bone tender. The brisket was prepared with a dry rub, cooked up on the pit and slow cooked until a nice, tasty crust developed on the outside. Meanwhile the slow cooking at the perfect temperature had turned the brisket into fork tender morsels perfect for pressing between a few slices of bread with pickles, onions and some of their regular or spicy bbq sauce.

A busy Friday night saw my wife Julia and I making the trek down to Driftwood with a co-worker, Jay, and his girlfriend, Brandi. Parking was an event in and of itself. The police were on-hand (typical for a Salt Lick weekend night) to direct everyone out back to a dirt lot cordoned off into hundreds of spaces.

There was a short wait for our table, and we were seated just as the sun was setting across the Central Texas hill country. Jay and I were prepared to do serious BBQ battle and went with the Family Style platters. Maybe it’s just a bit carnivorous of me, but I have a soft spot in my heart and a hard spot in my arteries for a big, heaping plate of perfectly cooked meat in three styles. Oh, the sides were good too.

All in all, this trip to one of the handful of legendary Central Texas BBQ joints did not disappoint. I put away more BBQ than any person has a right to reasonably eat. Julia’s plate was loaded down with ribs, sausage and brisket and she muscled her way through, finishing off the whole thing. We even saved a bit of room (or really, groaned and pretended we had the extra room) to squeeze in some blackberry cobbler, topped with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (we split an order, of course). The cobbler, like everything else that night, was outstanding.

Now, I can understand how those of you reading this from hundreds or thousands of miles away might not be willing to visit Texas just to have some BBQ (though, really you should). However, those few of you living in the Central Texas area who are a short drive away from Driftwood and the Salt Lick, but have never made the trip down there…shame on you. Fix that.

FINO - Austin, TX

Greg — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:52:00 GMT

Now, i don't want to shock any friends, relatives or readers who may have missed this...but I loves me a tasty cocktail. FINO, in Austin, TX is just the place for lovers of tasty cocktails. Their Wine & Cocktail menu always lists a few seasonal or rotating specials, many of which I bet you've never heard of or never seen before. They break them up for you into three categories:

Gin, Vodka & Grapes
Cane & Agave
Whisky, Brandy and Whiskey

Now, the astute but uninformed reader might say, "Wait, Whisky and Whiskey? What gives?" Whisky is the traditional spelling, referring usually to Irish Whisky or Scotch Whisky. Whiskey is more of an Americanism, referring to Bourbons, Ryes, etc.

A few cocktails I've really enjoyed there include:

VIEUX CARRE

rittenhouse rye, pierre ferrand ambre, sweet vermouth, benedectine & bitters

THE SAZERAC

old overholt rye, peychaud's bitters, sugar & herbsaint

JALISCO SOUR

gran centenario rosangel reposado, mint agave nectar, egg white & lime

CEDAR FEVER

hayman's old tom gin, zirbenz stone pine, st. germaine elderflower & peychaud's bitters

The big point is, they don't have bartenders, they have mixologists.

All this talk about tasty beverages is fine and good, but do they serve anything edible? Why yes, yes they do.

FINO has a great menu of Tapas, Small Plates, Salads & Soups, and Dinners. It's an excellent place to nosh on small plates and tapas. Some of my favorites have included...

Crab stuffed roasted piquillo peppers

Fried goat cheese with red onion jam and honey

Calamari with Garbonzos, harissa and mint

For dinners I have loved

Pork Chop with white beans and chorizo

Wagyu Beef Strip Loin with carmelized onions, oyster mushrooms and roasted fingerling potatoes

FINO Seafood Paella for two with Mussels, Scallops, Shrimp, Clams and a tomato, saffron rice (slightly burned on the bottom, just as it should be).

Each time I've eaten there, the food has been great, the drinks have been very tasty and I've enjoyed each experience more and more for the chance to enjoy the variety.

For those trying it for the first time, I strongly recommend taking a cab there on a cool night, sitting out on the patio, enjoying more than a few of their unique cocktails and indulging your appetite with a steady stream of small plates and tapas.

Victory is Sweet (with a Spicy Kick)

Greg — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:27:00 GMT

Today's guest blog is brought to you by a longtime friend, Matt Hasselbacher, aka Matt in the Hat, aka Matt, Destroyer of Worlds

Flashback a few months. Jake and I are watching food TV (which we probably do too much of) The barefoot contessa is making ginger cookies. I say "those look really good and are John-friendly" I download the recipe. One ingredient they need is crystalized ginger. I make a note to grab some next time I'm at the store.

A few weeks go by. I'm at my local grocery store and remember my plan for cookies. I look around for the ginger. Can't find it, so I ask the helpful staff. They point me to the spices. I notice how much they are charging for a tiny little jar. It's got a price per pound I expect to find in DEA reports on the latest street drugs. I pass for now. (They did point out that larger stores do carry ginger in bulk bins, but I'm lazy and don't want to drive all over town looking)

Time passes. My mother is in town helping to make a decadent chocolate party for Heather's birthday. I was thinking about having chocolate dipped ginger as part of the spread. My mom points out how crazy expensive that would be. I look into options. Find a few recipes online. Looks easy, but we have a full kitchen schedule so it gets shelved.

Yesterday, shopping. Ginger root: $2.49/lb. The time is now. Skin it (use a spoon) slice it thin. Boil for about half an hour, changing the water once or twice. Boil in simple syrup to 225 degrees. Drain and roll in sugar. Done.

As I write this I am looking over at a tray of crystalized ginger drying on a rack and drinking a dark and stormy made with fresh ginger syrup and seltzer. All I had was light rum, so it's more of a lightly overcast, still damn good.

Felt the need to share, thought your readers would enjoy.

--Matt

Enchiladas a la Greg

Greg — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:36:00 GMT

Having moved back to Austin, I have really enjoyed getting back into the groove of revisiting favorite restaurants, finding a few new restaurants and sharing time over great food with friends and family both.

However, instead of sharing one of those adventures with you next, I have decided to share my latest adventure in cooking, Shredded Beef Green Chile Enchiladas.

I'll admit, when I started this, I didn't have much of an idea where it was going. I grabbed two chuck roasts, each about 3 lbs. When I got them home I threw them into a crockpot with:

salt

pepper

a good bit of cumin (I don't measure, but I'll say just over a tablespoon, maybe close to two)

cayenne

chili powder

an 8 ounce jar of green chile salsa

a 7 ounce can of chipotle salsa

2 four ounce cans of green chiles (medium)

a medium onion chopped

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

I set the crock pot to high, locked the lid down and walked away for about 6 hours. When I came back, I stirred things around, used two forks to shred the beef (discarding the fat and spooning off some extra fat), added some Chipotle Tabasco Sauce and let it go for another hour before turning it to low for a few hours, then it went in the fridge over night.

The next day, I took a 9x13 baking dish and poured in a layer of Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (medium spicy, 8 ounce cans). I took 8 flour tortillas and into each one I put:

Refried beans (also just a good canned variety)

Mexican Four Cheese Blend

Some of the Shredded Beef

Some fresh cilantro

I then rolled each of those seam side down into the baking dish. To the top I added what refried beans I had left, a second can of the Green Chile Enchilada sauce (Hatch was the brand I used and I really liked it), the rest of the package of Kraft Shredded Mexican Four Cheese Blend, and a half package of Shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

That all went in the oven at 350 degrees (with Tin Foil over it) for 25 minutes. I then removed the Tin Foil and let it go another 10 minutes until the cheese was fully melted and the sauce was bubbling.

That sat and cooled for a bit, then I served it up...and have to admit. I outdid myself. Of course, I have a TON of shredded beef left. But I intend to freeze some and find out what I can do with the rest. Tonight, more Enchiladas. Tomorrow night, who knows?

Chalkboard Menu Musings - Dixie Quicks

Greg — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:22:00 GMT

Despite the slight inconvenience of it, I love menus that are written on a chalkboard.

Yes, you sometimes have to go stand in another part of the restaurant, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot, looming over someone else's table while you consider your options. Also, you feel like you want to take notes sometimes, so you can bring it all back to your table to ponder over. Inevitably, someone has brushed up against the chalkboard at some point during the day/night and one of the sides is smudged so you can't tell if ____ed Potatoes was supposed to say Mashed or Roasted.

Regardless, there is an undeniable charm and virtue to the hand written chalkboard menu. It almost always changes daily. It changes because the best and the freshest of ingredients found in a Farmer's Market on a Tuesday aren't the same as those found on a Saturday. It changes because the mood, temper and whim of the chef changed. It changes because we love variety in what we eat as much as any true chef loves variety in what they make. It changes because someone loves what they do enough to make the effort to change it every day.

Dixie Quicks Magnolia Room on Levenworth Street near downtown Omaha, NE is one of those places. What had been a quiet brunch, lunch and dinner spot, popular with locals in the know, lept into the Omaha food limelight with a visit from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. With that kind of exposure, the rest of Omaha found out what the lucky few already knew, Dixie Quicks serves up great food.

Now, as their website will tell you, don't consider going without reservations. It's a small place, with a small staff, just a few tables and a managable flow of people in and out the door, made managable by the fact that almost everyone has their reservation.

The chalkboard menu, as covered above, varies daily. If you go in for lunch at 11am (or brunch on a weekend), you'll find a nice selection of breakfast items on the menu along with lunch entrees, salads and sandwiches.

For our trips to Dixie Quicks, my lovely fiancee and I enjoyed an early lunch and a morning brunch there. The first trip, we were both hungry. I went with their blackened salmon patties served with a tomato butter, rice, cornbread and black eyed peas. The salmon was perfectly blackened with a bit of spice which emphasized the taste of the salmon, instead of hiding it. The tomato butter is butter and tomatoes, with spices, melted together into a dipping or pouring sauce that went great with the salmon and the rice.

That same meal Julia had an Apple Brie Omelette. A very large, fluffy omelette stuffed to exploding with melted brie and thinly slivered al dente apple slices. It was fluffy, with texture from the apples, sweet, salty and outstanding.

Our second trip...well, there's no delicate way to put it, I was a bit hung over. I just went with an order of their biscuits and gravy, but I was impressed. Growing up in a household with genuine, down home, southern cooking, I grew up with fantastic biscuits and gravy...world class. So, I am very reluctant to order it in a restaurant, it's almost always disappointing.

Well, Dixie Quicks impressed me. They had drop biscuits, tender and flaky, but dense and hearty covered in a thick, salty black pepper sausage gravy with chunks of sausage in it. For a hangover, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Some stick to your ribs food.

Meanwhile, Julia enjoyed their Dixie Quicks Breakfast Quesadilla. A large flour tortilla was stuffed with cheese, eggs, some veggies and other goodies, turned over into a half moon and melted down, then sliced into triangles. All of the great flavors of breakfast and all of the great fun of a Quesadilla together in one dish.

Though I only had two opportunities to eat at Dixie Quicks during my time in Omaha, I will definitely list it as one of the places I miss. And you know what, don't be bashful about standing there in the middle of the dining room, looming over someone's table, while you read the chalkboard menu. At one time or another, chances are everyone else there has had a table off to the side and has been in your shoes, having to stand and read the menu for themselves. They'll understand.

Make your reservations, ready your appetite and enjoy one of the true culinary gems of the midwest.

Greg Moves to Austin

Greg — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:14:00 GMT

The title says most of it. An opportunity came to move back to Austin, so I grabbed for it. Things are going swimmingly. I've settled into my new job, my new living arrangements, being closer to friends/family (especially my Daughter, Emily), and all is grand.

I think it's going to be another few weeks before I come close to catching up on all of the great Central Texas food I've been missing while living in Omaha. There are some things I'm going to miss from Omaha too though.

So to make the transition easier, now that I have time to write again. I am going to alternate writing about the last of the great Omaha food experiences I've been waiting to put to words, as well as filling everyone in on the great Austin food experiences I've missed so much and I'm enjoying almost daily now.

Keep the comments coming, especially any requests or questions!

Greg

Sage Advice 2: The Aftermath

Greg — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:17:00 GMT

First, I just have to say it...I had a blast. I enjoyed meeting everyone. It was nice to put a face to some of the online names. I had a great time. The food was also good, and was really an excellent value.

In the interest of being helpful to the student chefs, I'll lay out the bad with the good, but I really do want it known that all in all, the food taken on it's own merit was good and well received.

We started with an amuse-bouche of chilled foie gras atop crostini with (I think) a pomegranate syrup. The foie gras warmed up quickly when it hit the tongue and melted just as you'd wish. The sweet syrup hit just the right note with it. I would have preferred that the foie gras be warm instead of chilled, and honestly it was a bit too large. Anything in an amuse-bouche should be a single bite. Now you might have 2-3 of them there, depending, but each should be a single bite. This was 2-3 bites, but it worked.

Our first actual course was a five layer dip with cilantro salad and tortilla chips. The layers were constructed well enough that the chips didn't just disentegrate and fall apart after a single bite (which I had feared they might). It was also very tasty and fun to eat. The odd man out was the cilantro salad. If there had been no cilantro in the five layer dip, I could see it. However it had it's own cilantro. And just a salad of raw cilantro with a very light dressing is a bit overpowering for most people. The other drawback, this appetizer didn't "fit" the rest of the menu. I brought along a Chilean Chardonnay (Marques de Casa Concha 2007), and I had to remind myself not to drink it with that appetizer, because the two didn't go together at all.

Next we had a corn chowder, garnished with bit of pork confit in the center and drizzled with a red chili oil. The red chili oil drizzle was a brilliant idea. It brought a bit of depth and just a touch of heat to the corn chowder. Also the pork confit (which I later had a chance to try more of...I'll explain), was very nicely done. I thought it an odd touch at first, but after trying it, I was sold. The corn chowder itself was rich, creamy and thick...but just a tad underseasoned. A bit more salt would have brought out those flavors more.

Our main course was the Student Chef de Cuisine, Betty Gomez's take on Lobster Thermador. A langostine had been split down the center, rubbed in a Parmesan cheese coating and baked. It was propped on a bed of al dente vegetables (green beans and red bell pepper -- very colorful, slightly crunchy, excellent), the plate was drizzled with a pomegranate gastrique (likely the same used with the amuse-bouche). The gastrique was very strong (sweet), but also quite good. A warming from the service staff to use the gastrique sparingly would have been nice. As stated, the vegetables were excellent, color and texture are always welcome. The lobster itself was good and flavorful, but mine was just a tad overcooked. All in all, not bad though. My only other thought would be that the parmesan coating wound up staying in the shell mostly, so it took a concerted effort to remove it. As nice as an in-shell presentation is, this particular dish might function better were it prepared/presented differently (sans shell).

Our desserts were a delightful surprise. We had two from which to choose. One was a Vanilla Panna Cotta topped with a raspberry and balsamic vinegar reduction, along with three fresh raspberries and whipped cream. The other was a thin slice of lemon cake atop fresh blueberries, topped with a white mousse and garnished with a single fresh blueberry. Both desserts were excellent. The flan like texture of the Panna Cotta had several people talking.

As to service, it was a bit obvious that the service staff (drawn from amongst the student chefs) were a bit more comfortable on the other side of the kitchen door. They did an admirable job, but nerves were showing. I would advise them to save up and make a point of dining at some excellent restaurants and just taking note of the "little things" that experienced, capable service staff do to improve a diner's overall experience.

We (my fiancee, Julia and I) stuck around afterward to talk a bit more with the other foodies. I definitely wanted to send a shout out to "Thelma and Louise" -- we had name tags -- who sat beside us during the meal and proved to be excellent dinner partners. Thelma brought along a Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc, which was crisp and tart, quite tasty. Meanwhile Louise had a Yellow Tail Chardonnay which, unfortunately, turned out to be flawed slightly. The bouquet and taste were practically overrun with this smoky quality, as if it were oaked in charred oak. But we knew this wasn't indicative of a Yellow Tail Chardonnay, and it was still drinkable, just odd.

Another wine oddity (unfortunately, I missed the name, but believe it was a Spanish white) had a distinct aroma of day old fish. I wasn't the only one who called this, others agreed. However, it tasted great, go figure.

My own wine, the Chilean Chardonnay, was crisp, citrusy and carried just a bit of vanilla from it's own time spent in Oak (no smoke though, thankfully, hehe). Jules and I enjoyed it, and with the exception of the 5 layer dip, it went really well with the meal.

As the evening was closing down (after some of the poor, unfortunate souls had already left, thus missing this), one of the instructors brought out a plate of Pork Confit they had been working on. It still had a few more steps to go to be completely finished, however it was cooked through and ...it was outstanding. Tender strands of melt in your mouth pork, swimming in pork fat. Just wonderful.

Snekse, of the Gastronomic Fight Club, asked about the Omaha Foodies possibly meeting once a quarter. I'm definitely for it. I would love to meet other Omaha foodies and with luck we could grow this event and get more and more people roped in.

Sage Advice

Greg — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:10:00 GMT

As someone who both loves food and writes about it. I feel like I owe something to the hobby, profession, industry, community, way of life, whatever you want to call it; that is... Foodie-dom.

Rarely has a single word, like Foodie, been used to identify a cultural phenomen which crosses such an enormous range of backgrounds, people, knowledge-levels and applications. People who look up directions online each time they want to boil an egg, still might describe themselves as a Foodie. Because their love of a well prepared and cared for dish might have nothing whatsoever to do with their ability to recreate it.

By the same token, the Chef de Cuisine at some of the finest restaurants on any continent might describe themselves, nowadays, as a Foodie.

So, as a self-described Foodie who sits somewhere in the middle, I am fascinated by both ends of the spectrum. I know how to boil an egg. Heck, I understand what Sous Vides means, but if you want me to tell you about an Agrodolce, I'd have to look it up (I did, it's an Italian version of a Gastrique, sort of, but you have to look that one up on your own). I am a decent cook with interesting gaps in my knowledge and inexperience with some, even common, kitchen techniques. However, I am definitely a Foodie.

Back to my point though, I feel I owe something to the Hobby and Community that I have embraced in my life and expounded upon through the internet. I peruse the various offerings of the Omaha Food Bloggers, and I love what I see, read and hear about. Just a few weeks back I actually set out to eat at three restaurants I had heard about through those Blogs, but had never tried. I just recently wrote about the first one, Bailey's, which I loved.

So, now that the opportunity has presented itself to go out and meet some of those writers and food lovers, while at the same time being able to patron one of the local Culinary Schools (and later write about the experience), I am jumping at the chance.

Sage Bistro is the Culinary Arts Student Bistro for Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, NE. As detailed on the Gastronomic Fight Club, a food event to welcome, meet and mingle with Omaha Foodies is taking place on Thursday, April 16, 2009 starting at 6:00 PM. You can find more details and RSVP here. Move quickly though, RSVPs are due by April 9th.

I, for one, am hoping we get a great turnout, and not just because I'll be bringing my fiancee along for dinner and want to show her off.

Serious Breakfast

Greg — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:24:00 GMT

I had Friday off. This, of course, is a recipe for mischief!

Instead of sleeping in too awfully late, I decided to take in an early movie, around 10:45am. In addition to that, I wanted Breakfast, but not just any breakfast. You see, I'm not a big breakfast eater. I typically have a toasted bagel and some cream cheese and I'm good to go.

Today I wanted a Serious Breakfast though. So, I hopped over to the Gastronomic Fight Club website for their list of the Best-ter-est of Omaha. I live near 99th and Q, and I was seeing a movie out at Oakview 24 AMC on Center past 132nd. So I wanted something that wouldn't take me too far out of the way.

The #2 spot in Omaha for Best Breakfast was Bailey's, associated with Absolutely Fresh Seafood. One look at Bailey's Menu, and I was hooked.

I'm a big fan of Eggs Benedict, they had several varieties of it, and they brag about their Hollandaise. But, I was torn! Being from Texas, I almost consider it to be a requirement that any real breakfast include Biscuits and Gravy.

So, once I had settled in at my table at Bailey's, I set about trying to figure out how to solve this problem. Turns out, it was fairly easy. Since I'm not a big fan of Hash Browns (yeah, I know...sorry), I had them substitute my Hash Browns for a half order of Biscuits and Gravy to go along with my Beef Tenderloin Eggs Benedict.

I had pretty high expectations and they were surpassed. I would rather that the Beef Tenderloin was seasoned a bit more, but as long as each bite had a bit of English Muffin, perfectly poached egg and Hollandaise, the seasoning was excellent.

The biscuits and gravy, by contrast, were actually a bit salty, but no complaints on that note, it was great. And they had big chunks of a hearty, spicy breakfast sausage in the gravy.

I'll definitely be back. Great experience.

Has the Miracle Noodle Been Found?

Greg — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:25:00 GMT

Hey, it’s Rebecca, Greg’s more diet conscious counterpart, here to talk about pasta. Yes, pasta again. Why pasta? Well, let’s face it, pasta is something everyone loves. I don’t think I could trust a person that did not like pasta dishes. Unfortunately, most noodles are high in dreaded carbohydrates and then made worse by poorly considered sauces. Don’t get me wrong; I love me a bowl of nice fat noodles smothered in a rich cream sauce. However, dishes like that should be like Cookie Monster’s cookies…a sometimes food.

What is a noodle fan to do? The common answer has always been to switch to whole-wheat pasta. Despite people’s reaction to many brands, there are good whole-wheat pastas out there; you just have to be willing to eat a few meals of gritty cardboard noodles until you find a brand you like. I mentioned it in my last post here on What Greg Eats, but I’ll say it again. I really like Gia Russa brand. Then I started hearing about this miracle noodle, tofu shirataki.

What makes shirataki so darn special? Well, a 2-ounce serving has only 20 calories and 3 grams of carbs. It even has a little protein to boot. It has no cholesterol, no sugar, and is gluten-free. How is that possible? Well, this is not made out of traditional ingredients. Shirataki noodles are made with filtered water, tofu, and yam flour. The shirataki noodles I tried were purchased at my local grocery store in what I refer to as the “hippy section”. They were with the soymilk and dairy-free cream cheeses. The noodles are in a bag of water. Preparing the noodles was a little odd, but easy. You drain the noodles and rinse them. Then microwave them for one minute and dry them. After that, you use them as you would any cooked noodle.

In my case, we divided the noodles (one package was two servings) into two large bowls. I made a broth with two cans of low-fat low-sodium chicken broth, a splash of low-sodium soy sauce, minced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, chopped mushrooms, and a little spinach. Once the broth was piping hot and the spinach was wilted, I just ladled the broth over the noodles until they were fully covered. Tah-dah!

The real question is how do they taste. The answer is a surprising, pretty darn good. Everyone says tofu has no flavor, but anyone who has tried working with it knows that it does have an odd flavor of its own. You couldn’t taste it in the noodles at all. I even tried one before I put broth on it to check. The noodles were thin, but very elastic. They had al dente firmness and the amusing bounciness of a rubber band. Really, it was quite charming. In addition, it convinced me that these noodles could hold up to a tomato sauce.

For me, tofu shirataki noodles are a gift from the pasta gods, a low fat, low-carb, low-calorie miracle. Hallelujah!