I’ve heard of being artistic in the kitchen, but I never thought of making the kitchen into art. Until now.
Kitchen Art
December 2, 2009
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General, Video | Tagged: Rotating Kitchen | 
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Hey, I Screwed Up With That Trader Joe’s Thing. OK?
November 30, 2009I feel like a Catholic school boy caught smoking after trying some of the ultra-cheap wine at Trader Joe’s (be sure to read all the comments on that post). First, the experience wasn’t all that great, and then there was the guilty aftermath.
Sure, the wine only costs 5 bucks a bottle, and sure, the first one I tried wasn’t bad. But everything went downhill from there. The OK wine was awful on day 2. The white wines were completely undrinkable. The Italian tasted like grape juice — without the fermentation. And those were the best parts — I got completely slammed by some folks whose opinion I completely respect.
Ultimately, two different wine merchants pretty much nailed it on the head: Trader Joe’s sells the “fast food” of wine. I’m going to quote an entire comment, because this reader really identified the issue:
$5 bottles of wine are like McDonald’s hamburgers or Applebee’s dinner – mass produced replicas designed and created in a lab specifically to taste like the real thing, and to taste the same the world over. The Applebee’s spinach dip in Seattle tastes the same as it does down the street in North Carolina. And there’s nothing wrong with that per se, it’s just not worth writing or reading about. It serves it’s purpose, but does little more than that. You don’t blog much about Applebee’s food because it’s not really worth discussing. I mean, you can get it cheap, but ultimately there’s not much to it beyond mass appeal and a low price. You blog about people like Ashley Christensen and not the line chefs at Applebee’s because there’s a story there, it’s worth telling, and it’s worth seeking out.
The same is true of good wine. Good wine is a product of a careful farmer working in collaboration with a gifted wine maker. There are stories worth telling, experiences worth seeking, and people worth meeting. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but it’s also unreasonable to expect decent wine at $5/bottle. Ashley doesn’t purchase her produce and meat by the metric ton and store it for months before hauling it out and reconstituting it. She’s very particular about what she uses, when she uses it, and where it came from. She’s no different than a gifted wine maker in that respect. The difference in resulting quality is evident to anyone who is interested in investigating, whether we’re talking about Ashley’s food or well made wine compared to the mass produced replicas you can get anywhere.
Here’s where I screwed up: I think of wine as a commodity. Wine is still pretty much a mystery to me. I enjoy drinking it, but again, my palate is unable to distinguish much other than body, acidity and fruit — oh, and sweetness, too. Moreover, I don’t make wine nor do I hang out with the winemakers. I just buy the stuff. With restaurant food, I actually have some sense of what goes into it, because I’m a decent home cook. And I hang out with chefs and other cooks. And, hell, I’ve even “worked” in a couple of restaurants. I understand that craft and style and how the care of a restaurant kitchen can translate to the plate.
I don’t see that with wine, and so I haven’t even thought about the issue. Until now. Yes, I still want to find cheap, tasty wine. But I want a story with that wine. I want to know what makes it distinctive. If I have to pay a few dollars more, then so be it. And you know what, I suspect that wine will taste a hell of a lot better than that Trader Joe’s shit.
10 Comments | 
Raleigh, Wine | Tagged: Trader Joe's, Wine | 
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Confessions of a Trader Joe’s Wine Buyer
November 24, 2009
I like to drink wine, but of all the essential criteria for being a foodie or gastronome or epicure, I’m weakest on the wine side of things. I’ve enjoyed some of the best of the “B” wines: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barbaresco and Barolo. I visit wine shops and buy my fair share. I’m willing to follow the sommelier’s suggestions.
But at the end of the day, I’m not really sure that I can really distinguish a great wine from a good one. Or a good one from a passable one. I don’t taste tobacco and cranberries and leather in my wines. I can distinguish some fruit, acidity, tannins, and the finish. I’m particularly susceptible to tasting grassy flavors, as one of my dear friends has learned.
Ultimately, I’ve realized that I don’t need to buy $50 pinot noirs. I don’t need to focus on that amazing malbec from Argentina, that’s a steal at $25. I want a wine that cost me five bucks.
Hello, Trader Joe’s.
Trader Joe’s, home of the legendary Charles Shaw label (and affectionately referred to as “Two Buck Chuck”), has more wines priced less than $5 than any other place I know. Yes, I’m sure most of it is swill (and I do not care for the Two Buck Chuck that actually costs three bucks), but I’ve decided to try some of their selections.
So yesterday, during my lunch hour, I headed to the new Trader Joe’s on Wake Forest Road and bought 16 bottles of wine, including the following:
- Contadino Pinot Grigio — $4.49
- Zarafa Sauvignon Blanc — $3.99
- Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano D’Abruzzo — $5.99
- Il Valore Sangiovese — $3.99
- Epicuro Aglianico — $5.99
- Vintjs Cabernet Sauvignon — $5.99
- Hans Lang Rheingau Pinot Noir — $6.99
- Blue Fin Pinot Noir — $3.99
- La Granja Tempranillo — $3.99
- Black Mountain Pinot Noir – $6.99
I bought two bottles each of the first six wines listed above and one of the last four. I paid a total of $89.26, including tax, for this wine, which represents an average price per bottle of $5.58 (or $5.18 before tax). This is my kind of price point!
So I cracked open the La Granja Tempranillo last night, as I wanted to try one of the very cheap samples to see how bad they really could be. And what the hell, it was actually decent. No, it was better than decent, it was tasty. It was a bit tight, but opened up pretty quickly. It had a fair amount of fruit. It went well with my pasta. I actually said, “Wow!” when I sipped it, not because this was some kick-ass wine, but because it was a drinkable wine for FOUR FREAKING DOLLARS!!!
We’ve got friends coming for Thanksgiving, and I’ll not force my cheap wine on them, but for my wife and me, this may be just the way to go. Will report back after guzzling some more of this swill. Very tasty swill, at that.
17 Comments | 
General, Raleigh, Wine | Tagged: Cheap Wine, Trader Joe's, Wine | 
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Southern Folks and Southern Foodways
November 16, 2009
Ashley Christensen, Bill Smith, and Smoked Chicken Wings
I’m sipping a cold beer on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, lazing about on a screened-in porch in rural Mississippi. The conversation goes from football to Brazilian forestry camps and then to food. Ah, the conversation always gets back to food, and that’s because I’m surrounded by chefs, who I’ve learned, love to “talk shop” more than just about any other professional I know. These chefs include three winners of the prestigious James Beard Award, one who was recently nominated, and another who will likely win in the next few years. Chefs love to talk about food, and so do I, so I feel right at home on this early November day. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Events, Food writing, General, Southern Food Culture, Southern food, chefs, sfa | Tagged: Ann Cashion, Ashley Christensen, Ben Barker, Bill Smith, Brett Anderson, City Grocery, Crooks Corner, Fullsteam Brewery, Holy Smoke, John Currence, Karen Barker, Leslie Kelly, Lynn Hewlitt, Magnolia Grill, Phoebe Lawless, Poole's Diner, Sean Wilson, Southern Foodways Alliance, Taylor Grocery | Permalink
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Busy Bee Beer Dinners — Not Your Standard Bar Food
November 11, 2009
If you’ve been to Raleigh’s Busy Bee Cafe, you’ll find a fairly typical menu of sandwiches and salads. Small plates and entrees. They’re all good, and the bar is certainly well-stocked, but once a month, the kitchen — or rather, Chef Jeremy Clayman — really lets its hair down. These beer dinners are when Clayman gets to experiment a bit. Show his wild — or molecular gastronomy — side.
You may remember Clayman from his stint at The Mint, just a stone’s throw away from the Busy Bee. Things didn’t work out so great between Clayman and the Mint owners, so he found another opportunity that on its face seems quite different from the fanciful food he was putting out at The Mint. This was simple food, simply presented, in a restaurant where the bar probably is the most important feature of the space. Was this a step down for Clayman? Would he forget his wild child side?
Give me a frickin’ break.
About a month ago, I had the wonderful pleasure of experiencing one of these dinners, featuring special beers from Brooklyn Brewery, all in large bottle formats, a couple of which are not generally available to the public. The beers were fantastic, but the food really blew us away. Here, Clayman got to use his agar and his alginate. His lecithin and isomalt. But more importantly, he got to experiment with flavors and textures in a way that the general public around here hasn’t fully embraced. Except for once a month at the Busy Bee.
The dinner started out slowly, with fairly tasteless shrimp served with a muscadine gel, but from there, thinks really took off. Monkfish was juicy and tender, served with elements of tarragon and mint, all paired with sweet potato. Veal flank had an interesting accompaniment of eggplant, banana and avocado. With the Sorachi Ace, a beer made with Japanese hops, Clayman served a simple salad of arugula and raw kampachi. Local lamb was perfect with maitake mushrooms, bacon and butternut squash. And concluding the meal with a beet cake was brilliant.
I did not take notes, so my memory of some of the details of the meal has faded a bit, nor did I shoot any pictures, which is a damn shame, as the plating of these dishes were drop-dead gorgeous. Sometimes, this type of cooking can get too wacked out, but the only mis-fire was due to a lack of flavor with the shrimp, rather than flavor combinations being off. At $50 a person (including the beer pairings), plus tax and tip, this is one of the best deals in town.
To learn more about these fantastic dinners, be sure to subscribe to the Busy Bee’s newsletter and follow them on Twitter. They sell out quickly, for obvious reasons. And hopefully, Jeremy Clayman will be able to spread his wings a little more frequently than once a month.
Leave a Comment » | Raleigh, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: Beer, Beer Dinner, Brooklyn Brewery, Busy Bee Cafe, Jeremy Clayman, Molecular Gastronomy, Raleigh | Permalink
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Rules for the Front of the House
November 6, 2009Bruce Buschel is opening a restaurant in the East End of Long Island, and although he’s never done this before — hey, I can relate — he has a bunch of rules for the front of the house. Well, he actually has 100 Rules. The first 50 rules are found here and the second 50 were published here.
Some folks have responded negatively, comparing Buschel to a slavemaster, calling him “Massa Bruce.” The term “Nazi” has also been used. However, most of the response has been favorable. Very favorable. And I love these rules. Here are a few of my favorites.
5. Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated.
9. Do not recite the specials too fast or robotically or dramatically. It is not a soliloquy. This is not an audition.
32. Never touch a customer. No excuses. Do not do it. Do not brush them, move them, wipe them or dust them.
40. Never say, “Good choice,” implying that other choices are bad.
41. Saying, “No problem” is a problem. It has a tone of insincerity or sarcasm. “My pleasure” or “You’re welcome” will do.
51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.
62. Do not fill the water glass every two minutes, or after each sip. You’ll make people nervous.
62(a). Do not let a glass sit empty for too long.
78. Do not ask, “Are you still working on that?” Dining is not work — until questions like this are asked.
88. Do not ask if a guest needs change. Just bring the change.
Remember, these are rules for Mr. Beschel’s restaurant, but I think they’re spot on for the most part (although I really think steaming off a wine label is above and beyond the call of duty). What do you think?
9 Comments | General, Restaurants | Tagged: Bruce Beschel, Front of the House, Restaurants, Waiters | Permalink
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Opening a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew
November 4, 2009This is a video of a very intoxicated individual. But a brilliant intoxicated individual. I’ve never tried to open a wine bottle this way, but I want to now. Please attempt this at your own risk. The action begins around the 45 second mark.
5 Comments | General | Tagged: Corkscrew, Genius, Wine | Permalink
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My Return to Herons — Part 3
November 2, 2009
(Note: This is the third and final part of a series describing my time spent working in the Herons’ kitchen. Part 1 can be found here, and Part 2 is here.)
I knew that the chefs at Herons had taken it easy on me on the first day, giving me plenty to do, but simultaneously allowing me to see what goes on and to taste dishes as they were being put together. I also knew that my second day might be a little different, as it was a big day – the biggest day for Herons since Chef Scott Crawford took over. The Umstead Hotel and Spa was hosting a group of powerful CEOs from across the nation for a few days – we’re talking Fortune 100 companies. I joked that if someone had dropped a bomb on the hotel that day, the US economy would be crippled. No one thought that was funny, of course, as they knew that 35 of these heavy hitters would come into the dining room at one time and our job was to feed them as quickly as possible.
Even though the menu was going to be limited for these guests, they could order whatever they wanted if they truly chose to do so. Herons is all about taking care of the customer, even when the customer is wrong. Yes, the customer can be wrong, but the customer gets what he or she wants. Read the rest of this entry »
9 Comments | Cary, General, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: Herons Restaurant, Scott Crawford, Steven Greene, Umstead Hotel and Spa | Permalink
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618 Bistro to Open This Week
October 26, 2009618 Bistro, a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant, should be open by mid-week at Raleigh’s Marketplace at Lake Boone, according to its manager and operating partner, Carolyn Ghezzi. Chef Alex Azzam previously ran the kitchen at Ciao! Osteria in Apex, but his prior focus on Italian food is not what 618 Bistro is all about: the cuisine here is very broad, including Thai, Middle Eastern, and Italian influences. The lunch menu features salads, panini and a handful of other items.
The website is live, the prices are reasonable, the staff is excited, and they even have a nice outdoor dining area, which is great this time of the year.
But most importantly, this place is next door to my office, so it gives me another place to walk to for lunch. It is all about me, right?
1 Comment | General, Raleigh, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: 618 Bistro, Alex Azzam, Marketpace at Lake Boone | Permalink
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Herons Part 2 — First Day Dinner Service
October 20, 2009(Note — This is the second of several parts regarding my two days spent in the Herons’ kitchen.)
Chef Steven Greene and I walked out to the front of the house to address the waitstaff, letting them know what tonight’s amuse bouche was and to inform them that we were not out of any items on the menu. They looked at me, the new guy, trying to figure out who I was. Later on, one of the waiters asked me if I were the new sous chef. I had to laugh after informing him that I was just hanging around for a couple of days.
Tonight’s dinner would not be particularly busy, with maybe only 35 or 40 customers. Chef Greene and I made a sample bouche, and he had me taste it. ”Too much salt,” I responded, as the 5 or 6 grains of sea salt overpowered the scallop and yuzu mignonette. We determined that two grains was the perfect amount, and this small bite of shellfish, apple, radish and citrus was a flavor explosion. The guests would like this one. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, General, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: Herons, Scott Crawford, Steven Greene, Umstead Hotel | Permalink
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A Stage in Herons — Part 1
October 18, 2009
(Note — This is the first of several parts regarding my two days spent in the Herons’ kitchen.)
DAY 1 — PREP WORK
It was a week before I had planned on spending two days working in the kitchen of Herons, the ultra-swank restaurant in the deluxe Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary. I had worked in a small restaurant the month before, but I knew this experience would be different. A lot different. I had asked Chef Scott Crawford what I needed to wear and bring, and I got this email response:
We are very much looking forward to seeing you next week. We are very busy next week, so you will see some action. You can arrive any time around 2:00 or shortly after and I will meet you in the lobby. If you give me your jacket size I will have one ready for you. I recommend you wear a white t-shirt under the chef jacket. Black pants are appropriate. I will provide you with an apron. You can bring a knife kit. We will have you doing a rotation through the stations so you get an overall understanding of how we organize. On some of those stations you will need some knife skills (I hope you’ve been practicing).
Crap. I don’t have any black chef pants, so I was wondering if I could get away with just some everyday, black cotton chinos. And what about the shoes? I knew this was a formal kitchen, so I needed to play the role properly. So I went and bought me a pair of black chef pants and ordered some black chef shoes. Heck they were on sale, so better to be safe than sorry. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Cary, Cooking, General, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: chefs, Devereaux's, Herons, Scott Crawford, Steven Greene, The Umstead | Permalink
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Returning to the Restaurant Kitchen
October 11, 2009I’ll be back in action this week, when I work a couple of shifts at Herons, the fantastic restaurant in Cary’s posh Umstead Hotel. I’ll be in the Herons’ kitchen on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 11 PM, and I suspect this will be different than my last go-around at Raleigh’s Globe Restaurant. At Globe, I essentially just stepped in and did whatever was needed. They gave me a bib and then just started having me prepare for an unexpectedly busy dinner service. There wasn’t much organization, just a lot of craziness.
At Herons, I’ll have a training matrix. What the hell is a training matrix? I had to Google it, and I suspect that what it means is that Chef Scott Crawford is focused on making sure that I learn something out of this while not completely fucking up his dinner service. I’ll have a chef’s jacket. I have to wear black pants and have been told to bring my knife kit. I’ve been told that my knife skills will be tested. I can envision it now: “You call that a goddamn brunoise? Throw that crap away and do it again!”
Actually, that’s now how Crawford leads, and so I suspect that I’ll get treated better than that. But I’ll still probably be asked to do it again.
I know Herons is a little more expensive than Globe, but this is a completely different dining experience. Come on out and give the place a try on Tuesday or Wednesday. Scott Crawford won’t let me screw things up that badly.
5 Comments | Cary, General, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: chefs, Herons, Scott Crawford, The Umstead | Permalink
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The FTC and Me
October 5, 2009As a health care attorney, I’ve had to work with the Federal Trade Commission, as they are the agency that enforces the antitrust laws (along with the Justice Department). Frankly, the FTC can be a royal pain in the ass, but I understand their purpose in the antitrust world. The FTC also regulates advertising to the extent that it may be deceptive or misleading, and they just adopted new rules that require bloggers to disclose whenever they receive anything in value in exchange for a review.
Wow.
Now I believe in full disclosure, and in the one instance that I accepted a fully complementary meal, I disclosed that fact. However, I also informed the restaurant that providing that gratis meal did not mean that I would review the restaurant and certainly did not guarantee that they’d receive praise. Frankly, I really don’t write restaurant reviews for the most part. In this case, however, I did write about the restaurant because I loved it. If I didn’t like it, I would probably not have written anything at all.
But with the new FTC rules, bloggers like me have to be worried whenever we receive anything of value. If I’m at a restaurant and the chef sends out an extra course, do I need to disclose that? What about if the chef has no idea who I am? I would argue that in the latter case, the extra course has nothing to do with providing something of value in exchange for reviews — it’s just a nice thing to do. And in the first case, assuming the chef knows me, I would argue that the extra course was sent out with the hope– but not the expectation — that I might provide a favorable review. That might fall short of the FTC’s requirement. However, the bottom line is that the FTC wants to ensure that reviews are not bought, and if they are, then it should be disclosed.
So to ensure that I don’t run afoul of federal requirements (which, at this point, aren’t really law, just guidelines), I offer the following blanket statement that addresses everything I write about in this blog:
“I don’t write true reviews, but I do offer my thoughts on various aspects of the food and restaurant industries. I also write about food and my family. I sometimes may receive a discounted meal or free drink or a slab of bacon, primarily because I’ve pretty much immersed myself in the food world. I generally only write about places I like, so if a restaurant gives me something for free, and it sucks, I won’t write about it. If they give me something for free and I like it, I’ll probably write about it. If they don’t give me a thing and I like it, I’ll probably write about it, too. I also am biased in that I’m much more likely to write about places where my friends work. I like to write about my friends who are chefs, and I have to admit that they have indeed given me something of value: their friendship. From time to time, they give me a free dish. I may not always disclose that, because I really think that what my friends do is our own business. I am horribly biased by that relationship, so please do not be misled into thinking I’m fully objective when writing about their restaurants. I try, but you know how friendships work. So if I write about a restaurant or a food item, just assume that my objectivity has been compromised in some manner.”
And if that’s not good enough for the FTC, then I guess I better start boning up on my legal defense skills.
5 Comments | Food writing, General | Tagged: Bloggers, Conflict of Interest, FTC, restaurant reviews | Permalink
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Poole’s Diner Supporting Another Great Cause
October 5, 2009
Poole’s Downtown Diner is hosting a special fundraiser for a special organization, SAFEchild, on Sunday, October 18th from 6 to 9 PM. Y’all know plenty about Poole’s and chef Ashley Christensen, how she’s been featured in the national press, how she’s been invited to cook with the top chefs in the country — with an invitation to cook at the posh Blackberry Farm for the Southern Foodways Alliance’s “Taste of the South” in January. I write about Ashley a lot because she’s a fantastic cook, a better person, and a dear friend.
And now she’s supporting one of my favorite organizations in the Triangle: SAFEchild.
Never heard of them? Well, you should. SAFEchild is Wake County’s only non-profit private agency working to prevent child abuse. They offer nearly a dozen different programs, focusing on everything from helping new parents deal with the sudden changes in their lives to working with men who suffered abuse and are now struggling to fight the urge to act out violently against their own children. The frustration of parents’ struggles often is manifested in violence against children, and with so many families hurting economically in these trying times, the children suffer even more.
SAFEchild is a voice for those children, and this is an opportunity to combine your love for food with a contribution to a good cause.
So think about what you’re doing on the 18th, and if you’re free, consider heading to Poole’s, where you’ll have some amazing food and wine. There’s a minimum donation of $150 per person, but that includes all the food you can eat, plus wine. While you’re there, you also might learn a lot about SAFEchild and the wonderful things they’re doing for our community. And if you do have plans, please consider making a donation. Every little bit helps.
Click here for more information on the SAFEchild dinner at Poole’s Diner.
1 Comment | Events, General, Raleigh, chefs | Tagged: Ashley Christensen, Poole's Diner, SAFEchild | Permalink
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My Favorite Roast Chicken
September 29, 2009
(This story was published today in the News & Observer’s food blog, Mouthful. I was a guest blogger while Andrea Weigl is on vacation.)
As I previously wrote, we in the Triangle are fortunate to have so many great chefs and cookbook writers, and one of my favorite collection of recipes comes from my good friend, Bill Smith, chef of Chapel Hill’s iconic restaurant, Crook’s Corner. I remember first meeting Smith about four years ago, and I was foolish enough to ask him if he thought Crook’s had become a Bill Neal museum. He was not at all offended, and he responded by saying that a large part of Bill Neal will always be with Crook’s, but that the restaurant is mostly his.
And it is.
Smith’s emphasis is on simplicity, using great ingredients, and one of his creations has become a Sunday staple in our house. It’s a basic roast chicken that is slathered with Jalapeño Tabasco Sauce, also known as “Green Tabasco.” The resulting bird and its fantastic sauce are only slightly spicy, but full of flavor. The chicken can be eaten hot, but it’s also great cold the next day. I particularly enjoy slicing the chicken for sandwiches, as with some fresh mayonnaise, it’s a combination that can’t be beat. One of these days I’m going to use the leftover chicken and sauce for an open-faced hot chicken sandwich. That might just be illegally good. {Recipe after the jump.} Read the rest of this entry »
The Best Birthday Present Ever
September 28, 2009
I turned 46 on Saturday and celebrated with a big party, drinking lots of tequila, eating tacos, and just having a great time. A bunch of people ignored my “no gifts” requirement, of course, and now I have more tequila than I started with and a lot of great looking wines. But the best gift I received came from my wife.
My wife is a very practical woman. She doesn’t like material things, but she knows that I do. So this year, I was trying to think what she might be getting me. She knows I’d like a nice GPS system for my car. I know she’s aware that I dream of the day that I have a big screen, flat panel TV (we watch most television on an old, 19″ cathode ray set — yeah, I no longer am allowed to carry my “man card”). So I thought this might be the year that I get something grandiose.
And I did, but this gift was nothing electronic. What I got was so much better: a garden.
See, I’ve always wanted a garden. I tried to do something this year beside the house, but that area just didn’t get nearly enough sun. Even though we have over half an acre of land, there is only one spot that gets sun nearly all day, and that’s on a hill where nothing could be planted. So my wife got in touch with one of her close college friends, who is a landscaper, and they’re going to create a two-level terraced garden on that hillside. It’ll only be about 150-200 square feet, but I can grow a lot there. And we can set it up properly, with good drainage and fertile soil.
Construction begins next month, and the difficult part will be waiting until next spring to get started. But dammit, I’m gonna have me a garden, thanks to my wonderful wife.
3 Comments | Farms, General | Permalink
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Donating Truly Fresh Food for the Hungry in Carrboro
September 25, 2009We’ve all participated in food drives where you donate canned goods or other shelf-stable items to go to a food bank. It’s a great gesture, and I’m sure that lots of people get fed that way, but these are, by there very nature, processed foods.
I’ve never really seen a food drive involving fresh food, until now.
The Carrboro Farmers’ Market is holding the “FoodShare Challenge” tomorrow, September 26, from 8 AM until noon, where patrons of the market are encouraged to donate an extra bag of fresh food to feed the hungry. The Farmers’ Market has always been active in helping with hunger causes, donating over 7,500 pounds this summer, but on Saturday, the goal is for customers to donate over 1,000 pounds in a single day.
Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill’s Lantern Restaurant, has provided generous support to this cause, as have a number of local organizations and businesses.
For more information on the FoodShare Program call or email Margaret Gifford at 919.967.6464 or mgw@well.com, or Sarah Blacklin at 919.280.3326 or info@carrborofarmersmarket.com.
2 Comments | Chapel Hill, Restaurants, chefs | Tagged: Andrea Reusing, Carrboro Farmers' Market, Feed the Hungry, Hunger, Lantern | Permalink
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Cookbook Writers, USA
September 24, 2009I wrote a “guest blog” for the News & Observer’s Mouthful, and this is what got published today.
We’re quite fortunate to live in an area with a plethora of great chefs and restaurants, with the quality of food improving each year. We have chefs who have won Beard awards, chefs who have been prominently featured in national food magazines, and even chefs who have won silly Iron Chef competitions.
But did you know that we also have an amazing number of cookbook writers here in the Triangle? Sure, a lot of those cookbook writers are chefs themselves, such as Ben and Karen Barker of Durham’s Magnolia Grill, Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner, Mildred Council of Mama Dip’s, or Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill’s Lantern, who has her first cookbook coming out next year.
We also have a bunch of folks who are not chefs. There are a few people who write for the News & Observer, such as former food editor Debbie Moose and columnist Fred Thompson. Moose has written entire books on single topics, such as deviled eggs, wings, or potato salad. She’s also written about food for tailgating! Thompson also has written his fair share of single topic books, but his are typically focused on beverages, such as lemonade, iced tea, hot chocolate, and, soon enough, bourbon! He’s also written about seafood and grilling with gas.
We’re also blessed to have Raleigh native, Jean Anderson, one of the country’s most prominent cookbook writers, living in the area. Anderson has written over 20 cookbooks, including “A Love Affair With Southern Cooking” (which won the Beard award for best “Americana” cookbook) and “The New Doubleday Cookbook.” Anderson’s books have received numerous awards, and ten years ago, she was honored for her body of work by being inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame.
One of my favorite people in the world, and a super cookbook writer, is Nancie McDermott of Chapel Hill. Her “Southern Cakes” has been a big hit in my family, and we recently made an ultra-rich peanut cake from that book (recipe to come in a future blog post). This book continues to be a strong seller on Amazon, and that’s because the cakes are fantastic and not overly complicated. I also understand that she’ll soon be coming out with a book on Southern pies, so that’s good news for all pastry chefs in the area. Interestingly, McDermott is perhaps better known for her cookbooks on Asian food (she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand), and these are great sources to folks who have no clue how to cook Asian dishes. I can personally vouch that these books have helped me become a much better cook of Asian food.
Another great writer is Sara Foster, who scored a big hit with her “Foster’s Market Cookbook” in 2002. Durham’s Foster’s Market has been a mainstay for area foodies for years, and her three cookbooks have sold well.
I’d be remiss if I failed to mention what I still consider the most influential cookbook ever to come from the Triangle, “Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking,” by the late, great co-founder of Crook’s Corner. My food epiphany came at Crook’s over 25 years ago, and Neal’s wonderful book came out shortly thereafter. ”Southern Cooking” is not just a collection of recipes, it’s a book focusing on the history and sociology of Southern food. Neal’s influence on Southern cooking is unquestioned, and his three books remain definitive sources on the cuisine.
So which local cookbook writers have I omitted? I’m sure there are plenty, so let’s get a solid list put together, and then we can remind ourselves of how lucky we truly are.
5 Comments | Best Of the Triangle, Books, General | Tagged: Cookbooks, News & Observer | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
Tacos for a Crowd
September 23, 2009
It’s my birthday on Saturday, and rather than going out to dinner, I decided to do what I enjoy the most: cook for others. I suspected it might be a sizable crowd, so I decided to just serve tacos, which are easy, can be eaten while standing up, and are still incredibly tasty.
So last weekend, I smoked a beef brisket and two pork shoulders (thanks for the use of the Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker, Chad). The brisket was too lean and is consequently a bit dry, so I’ll be sure to toss it with some sort of sauce before serving, maybe a roasted tomato chipotle salsa. Any suggestions.
The pork is nice and unctuous, with lots of fatty parts throughout. I may cut it up into cubes and through it in a hot cast iron skillet to give it some more brown bits — a quick style carnitas, of sorts. I’m thinking a green chili salsa would work with that. Or I could do a quick “pastor” style dish with some roasted pineapple.
I’ve got a bunch of boneless chicken thighs that I want to cook, but I haven’t figured out what to do with them. Any ideas, folks?
My friend Phoebe is getting me freshly made corn tortillas from Taqueria La Vaquita in Durham.
The only side I’ll make is a big pot of Rancho Gordo beans that can be served in cups. It will be vegetarian, so there will be something for my non-carnivorous friends.
Other than that, we’ll have some queso fresco, cilantro, lime, onions and avocado. Am I missing anything?
Oh, tequila and cerveza, of course. I picked up 5 bottles of tequila and 2 bottles of Cointreau. That’s a good start.
For dessert, we’ll have Mexican chocolate sandwich cookies (filled with dulce de leche), Mexican wedding cookies, cinnamon pound cake, and vanilla pound cake.
It should be a lot of fun, and I’ve already done most of the work, except for the chicken and the salsas. This way I can just put out food at a casual pace and not worry too much. I may not know much about Mexican cooking, but that’s not gonna stop me. Now where did I put that shot glass??
I really don’t know what I’m doing, just winging it as I go along.
19 Comments | Family and Food, General | Tagged: Birthday, Dinner Party, Mexican Food, Tacos | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
Are Chefs Antisocial?
September 21, 2009I’ve always preferred to host a dinner party than to go to one. My birthday is this Saturday, and rather than hitting the town, I’m doing what I enjoy the most: cooking for friends. I think I’ve finally figured out why this is: I’m somewhat of an antisocial individual.
Now if you know me personally, you may argue, but hear me out. I love being around other people, but unless I’m in control of the situation, I’m often uncomfortable or at a loss for words. Cocktail parties are somewhat difficult for me, as I’m terrible at making small talk. When my law firm holds social functions, I struggle to find the right thing to say, even with my friends.
But when I’m cooking at my house, I’m in charge of everything. I don’t have to maintain a conversation if I don’t want to, because I have the food to attend to. I can always leave the dinner table to take care of something in the kitchen. Sure, I love company while I’m cooking, and I love to make cocktails and pour wine, but those are interactions where I’m controlling the situation. And I don’t have to sustain any lengthy dialog. If you know me, you know I like to host dinner parties.
I also love being the center of attention, strangely enough.
And it is these characteristics that I often see in chefs. They are most comfortable behind the stove, when they are in control. They love to “perform” for others and enjoy receiving feedback and adulation from their customers. But take many (not all) of those chefs away from their kitchens, and they’re somewhat awkward. Just like me. Or except when they’re around others in the industry, and then all bets are off.
So, is this somewhat dichotomous antisocial/center of attention personality as common with chefs as I think. Or is it really — and I mean this literally — just me?
2 Comments | General, chefs | Tagged: chefs | Permalink
Posted by Varmint
