Humm Dog Update

This just in - the Humm Dog is delicious.

"a bacon-wrapped, deep-fried dog topped with melted Gruyère and celery relish and seasoned with truffle mayo"


Sure I posted about it last week, but now I have first hand knowledge.  Its crispy, cheesy, meaty, and indulgent all at once.  The celery relish was a little too pickely for my taste, but this is officially my favorite gourmet hot dog.  


I washed it down with *ahem* several cocktails but the sleeper hit I'd recommend is the Chocolate Flip.  With two straws (wink!) Perfect way to end a night.  


GQ announced PDT's Jim Meehan will post a weekly cocktail blog on Corked & Forked, starting next week.  This goes to straight to the top of  my required reading list!

Through the Garden and Back Indeed

This was the night. This very special night is when I completed the Chicago food staple trinity. I've had the phenomenally, juicy Mid-west, corn-fed beef (12 oz. ribeye); the world-know Chicago deep-dish pizza (Lou Malnati's sausage & mushroom); and now the Chicago-style dog.


For those of you familiar with the NY-style dirty water dog or the chili/cheese/onion Coney dog, the Chicago dog is nothing like it. I mean a completely new beast to the tune of a Vienna beef dog grilled with onions, neon green relish, sliced tomato, kosh dill pickle celery salt, (no mustard for me) all served on a poppy seed bun.

Oh yeah, it wasn't at just any Chicago dog, it was one at the Wiener Circle-a Chicago institution if there ever was one. So yeah I had a regular dragged through the garden dog. Oh an for those of you not familiar with the Wiener Circle's particular type of service...well yeah, let's just say I didn't pay for it, but I got to witness a chocolate shake while I waited.

It's gone too far

As a society we love nothing more than building a person up, just to tear them down. And in the case of bacon, this delicious salted and cured pork product is no different than our politicians and sports heroes.

Don't get me wrong, I love bacon just as much as the next guy. Just not as much as that guy.

The pendulum seems to have swung the other way for everyone's favorite cured pork pork. Where bacon was once the realm of breakfast-for-dinner folk and roadtrippin' fan boys its gone high brow of late. I remember a time not too long ago when bacon was indulgent not refined.

And its not just me who's witnessed bacon's slow demise. Essentially what it boils down to as that bacon was never meant to be a fad food. Somewhere along the line bacon went from being delicious to being, please pardon the expression, just another flavor of the month. Maybe it was the bacon donut, maybe it was the bacon vodka, maybe it was the bacon chocolate. But in all likelihood it was the organic bacon coffee.

All this bacon talk is making me hungry. I think I'm going for brunch and have some sausage.

Happy Veterans Day-Have some French Toast!

As email offers go this makes no sense.

This headline grabbed my attention

Can always count on Slate for an interesting take on things.

Another reason I heart PDT

3-star chef hot dogs not posh enough for you? Meet the 4-star Humm Dog. At PDT as of tonight.

"a bacon-wrapped, deep-fried dog topped with melted Gruyère and celery relish and seasoned with truffle mayo"

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A haute dog? A Humm dog? Hmm...I guess when it comes to hot dogs I'll err on the side of dirty water, maybe some chili/cheese/onion. And if bacon's going to be involved I'd like them to be Danger Dogs.
-Quan Solo

A long time coming

As the son of a butcher and having been surrounded by food for the majority of my life, I've picked up a thing or two along the way. The first is the taste of delicious, seared animal meat. The second is a curiosity associated with all things meat (that's what she said!) That includes trying new rubs (TWSS), new marinades, new cuts and new techniques. Well, now that I find myself in middle America and with some time on my hands, I think it was about time that I tried my hand at dry aging my own steak.

The beauty of this process is that while the flavors concentrate in the meat, the anticipation grows in me. Waiting and watching. Waiting and craving. Waiting and shopping for veggies. And waiting for the perfect storm that was this past Sunday. My steak knives had arrived in the mail. The Montreal seasoning was obtained. And most importantly, the weather cooperated to the tune of a perfectly global warmed 70 degree November day.

Come springtime, the roof deck will be open and the grills will be fired up. But for one November moment it was perfect. I've literally been waiting for this day since I arrived in Chicago. In fact one of the biggest selling points of my apartment was said roof deck and said grills. When I closed my eyes it almost harkened back to those perfect Sunday afternoons grilling on Alex's roof in Santa Monica. Only this time there was no sun setting on the Pacific nor Pink Berry for dessert.

So the moral of the story: I LOVE STEAK. I LOVE GRILLING.

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Bun! Son of a butcher you say? You know butchers are officially HOT right now. See for yourself here.

-Lauren

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This article from the NYT agrees: "“Dangerous is sometimes sexy, and they are generally big guys with knives who are covered in blood.”

Also, I normally don't watch CSI: Miami (I rank them Vegas, NYC and Miami a distant third) but happened to catch last night's episode which featured a celebubutcher as an integral part of the murder plot.

- Quan Solo

"Third Wave" coffee hits the tipping point

It's not often I know more about coffee than my friend Dave. More than a bean connessoir, he's also an expert on which cafes (and baristas) inspire the most aching sonnets. So when I asked if he had been to Stumptown yet, and followed up with a question about "3rd wave" coffee, I was surprised to see him stop in his tracks.

"There's a third wave?" He hollered, "What the hell were the first two waves?"

I defer to the experts - GQ sought them out and pulled together a slideshow fit for the masses.

Essentially - you buy first wave coffee at the grocery store, second wave coffee at Starbucks, and third wave from a roaster who can describe at great length the farm where the bean was raised, and the process used to roast it. (at least, thats how I interpreted various sources).

I have no idea what wave they are considered, but I've kind of had a crush on the Thanksgiving Coffee Company for over a year now. Hasn't helped my 3 days a week Starbucks habit, but still...

while the common name refers to the long, sausage-like fruit...

taken inside the Lincoln Park Conservatory

The genus species name is the Kigelia africana

Holy Food Flashback Weekend Pt 1

I think my tweet summed it up best:

Worlds colliding! Eating @CounterBurger in Chi w/ @EACDubz instead of in Marina w/ @emilytex @noswadedawson @mrjiggyp

One of my favorite LA burger bars (and most frequented), the Counter, just happens to be a 10-minute walk from my new Chicago apartment. The burger gods must have sent me to Chicago for a reason so who am I to complain. I went with a 1/3 lb turkey burger on honey wheat with jalapeno jack, grilled onions, grilled pineapple, black bean salsa: a taste it you'll love it favorite of mine. Alas, I reached too high with the Sauce of the Month: tzatziki. Good thing it was on the side.

Other than the tzatziki misstep, the burger itself was just as delicious as I remember. The choices overwhelming, the toppings abundant and the fries enough to feed a small army. The decor was also essentially the same but the pictures of the Blues Brothers right next to Stacey Peralta & the rest of Z Boys was a little peculiar. Oh and the Bears game was on every TV.

Reading: "Against Meat"

In this article, Jonathan Safran has me bawling over his relationship with his grandmother, and with meat.

Best Eats this Week - Nov 7th

Chicken Pot Pie at the Cupping Room - creamy and comforting. Stumbled upon this gem around 10 pm friday, discovering a lovely restaurant that was just empty enough with a dreamy live band and the sensation that everyone in the room was old friends.

Jack Rose at the Brandy Library - Classic cocktails, sultry ambiance, and the counsel "Don't be afraid because it's named after a murderous gangster." I could have read all night.

Apple Caramel Cupcake from Crumbs - Dinner, wednesday: yes.

Update:
AHA!  It took me four days to rediscover where I had been reading about the Jack Rose!  Thank you NYT for the inspiration.

John Doe for dinner.

The nice thing about cooking from a recipe - your dish has a name. A meal that comes together on it's own can be lovely, but without a name it lacks intimacy. You find yourself having dinner with a stranger more aloof than seductive. A John Doe. It makes me a little lonely.

Won't you please name my dish? I had spinach pasta with vodka sauce, peas and pancetta.

Best Eats this Week - October 31st

This week brought friends new and old to the table. A toast to those who nourished the soul.

Jill and Jeff - home made challah and a CSA share put to very good use.

Dave - guest bartender at pdt. I won't forget the cocktail, I'll definately remember that smile.

George - fab dancer. semi-famous chef. Delish.

Writer Musings: Monday

K so know what I realized today?

People don't like smart. They come to the table for sexy. They'll come back for smart seconds though, and they'll forgive a mixed metaphor or lame fact if you offer up enough savory meat. Makes more sense in my head I think. However:

I read urban daddy. I read the danger list. On a slow day, I'll even read daily candy. (okay, not that often). And if we over look their other sins, what makes these guys so appealing is the evocative writing. I'd rather inspire curiosity than report any day of the week.

OOOOOHHHH that says more about me and who I am than I realized. Not bad for a monday that has thus far sucked.

Review: Donut Plant

Donut Plant. Oh-m-g donut plant. Don't be swayed by the crème brule. Resist drooling on the Valharona Chocolate. Head straight for the tres leches cake donut and do not look back. To die for cake dough fried and filled with the creamiest caramel, glazed by angels and lovingly delivered to you on a sunbeam. Afterward, you're going to want a few moments to yourself, to ponder the possibility of living everyday so simply, so sweet.

Mom's Brisket

The secret ingredient in my mother's brisket? The one that makes the meat melt, the gravy flow and the carrots chillax? Tin foil. Whatever secret sauce you use, the real trick is to keep a tight tin foil seal on the pan. You want every delicious droplet of juice from those meat and carrots to stay put. As they get steamy with your sauce the meal becomes savory and tender. The goal is a meal succulent enough to quiet a family dinner table, for once saving you from having to rapidly change the subject.

Two weeks without take out.

An accomplishment rare enough to brag about. Best meal of the week – rice noodles with steak and spinach. Most frequent meal: Ham cheese and tabasco sandwich. Seriously.

Writer Musings: Julie and Julia

My friends said I should go see it. My mom thought I'd like it. But when my therapist said Julie Powell reminded him of me, it was time to go see Julie and Julia. I loved this movie. I pretty much pranced out of the theatre. I was so inspired I came home to write this over a piece of cold hawaiinan chicken pizza. Yum.

Cept it's like ten pm and I'm tired. And, Julie, Nora, you ladies can write. Now mom is full of advice on what is worth writing about and what makes a blog timeless (not joking, enjoy the irony) and I'm still figuring out my voice as a writer. The notion of whipping a sauce “into submission” is funny whether or not you cook or even like food. Good writing is good writing. And as much as I love food, good writing is my bread and butter. So dear reader, I am left with a confession: this blog is only superficially about food. It's about nourishment, identity, experimentation; It's about what I can bring to the table.

"Food Dork Megaplex"

His words, not mine. Opening next month in williamsburg!

http://brooklynbased.net/everything/ask-the-butcher-ii-mr-cutlets-the-meat-hook-and-mayhem/

S'mac!

S'mac is an East Village restaurant that serves nothing but macaroni and cheese. If you think this sounds fantastic, you're totally right. Thursday I had the good fortune to take a class with owners Sarita and Cesar.

The not so secret secret to mac and cheese? Bechamel. See, my mom always just dumped a pound of cheese and a quart of milk into a pound of pasta and that was perfection. But as I learned, bechamel is how the pro's get started.

Here's what I learned to do:

Melt but don't brown butter and slowly stir in flour. Keep the heat low as you slowly stir in hot milk (160 or higher). Once it the sauce starts to thicken you can turn up the heat to medium. Stir till it gets creamy, then turn off the heat and go prep the rest of your ingredients.

We made three of their recipes: Masala, Mediteranean and Cajun, each delicious. With each one, they explained the different combinations of cheeses very nicely – cheddar gives the most classic taste, muenster adds creamy texture without overpowering other flavors, american cheese is makes it soupy (if you like that sort of thing) and parmesean has a tendency to burn and only works in a few instances.

Essentially, if you make a good bechamel, you can add whatever cheeses you favor and come out with something delicious. Their recipes are optimized for mass appeal, because they've discovered that New Yorkers have STRONG opinions when it comes to their mac and cheese.

Both Sarita and Cesar are engineers turned restaurant owners. They're both relaxed and welcoming; the class felt a lot like sitting around a cozy kitchen with close friends. Bonus points to Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center – the intimate set up added a lot, and I would definitely return for another class.

PS – keep your eyes peeled for a S'MAC book in the future!

Best eats this week - Labor Day

Tanti Bacci: Very very delicious homemade spinach linguine. I enjoyed it with the vodka sauce. Also, I heart that they simply will not serve their homemade pasta with oil based sauces (like the clam sauce) because it ruins the pasta’s texture. You may order any pasta/sauce combination that you like, but the server will tell you when you are wrong.

The worst: PD O’Hurleys. The view is pretty but the burger is exactly what you’d expect at a tourist trap. And $26 for a pitcher of Bud Light is retarded.