All CHOW posts.

New Finds: Maple Bitters from Vermont

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:55:00 -0800

Vermont-based Urban Moonshine makes maple bitters using organic botanicals. Imbibe has a nice cocktail idea on its blog for using them, courtesy of John Gertsen of Drink in Boston. We think they’d be a delicious addition to our Log Cabin cocktail recipe: apple brandy, maple liqueur, sparkling apple cider, and lemon juice.

If you want to try your hand at making your own bitters, we also have easy recipes for grapefruit, saffron-cardamom, and cherry-vanilla, among others.

Urban Moonshine Maple Bitters, $10.99

Whither the Pawpaw

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:16:00 -0800

Ari Weinzweig, cofounder of Zingerman’s (home of great food affordable enough for kings and queens), shares some information on the marvelous pawpaw, a native American fruit that was recorded as George Washington’s favorite dessert. Passion fruit–esque in flavor and often puréed into custard or pie, the pawpaw has a profound novelty factor, and is worth a bit of meditation. And, hey! For a mere $75, you can have 12 ounces of your own Zingerman’s pawpaw gelato by mail, along with five other flavors of frozen Thanksgiving-compliant yumminess.

Image source: Flickr member sarahemcc under Creative Commons

When Cereal Boxes Are Full of It

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

If it irritates you that the Smart Choices food program claimed that Ritz Bits Peanut Butter Chocolatey Blast crackers are good for you, you’ll probably be stoked to read Dan Mitchell of Slate describe San Francisco’s assault on spurious cereal health claims.

Mitchell notes: “The suspension of Smart Choices didn’t stop insane label claims. Far from it.” Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies are “still claiming, in giant letters emblazoned across the box, that the sugary cereal ‘[n]ow helps support your child’s immunity.’ In this worrisome time of virulent viruses, such a claim is likely to give some parents the wrong idea. But really, at any time, such a claim is at best amoral and at worst sinister.”

Whether San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera has the standing to take the company to the woodshed remains to be seen. But so long as every new product on the market (other than, perhaps, Drank) feels the need to sell itself as some kind of tasty parallel form of medicine, I’m grateful someone is working to make the marketeers back up their boasts.

The "Fresh" Chicken That Traveled the World

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:02:00 -0800

Reporting from Sao Paulo and Great Britain, the Telegraph puts together a great story on a Pret a Manger “fresh” chicken sandwich. Why the reporting from Sao Paulo, you might reasonably wonder? The fresh chicken is, as it turns out, frozen chicken from Brazil.

Here’s the gemstone at the core of this story:

“Pret a Manger, the sandwich chain which boasts of using only ‘fresh, natural ingredients,’ rears its chickens in small farms around Marau, in the south east of Brazil, and then sends them to Perdigao for processing and freezing. The frozen, raw meat is then shipped thousands of miles across the Atlantic to be defrosted, cooked and put in sandwiches. Until Pret changed its website this week, consumers were not told of the food’s origins.”

Also to the story’s credit, it investigates working and farming conditions in Brazil, and reports that they’re not a horror show: Workers make a small but not appalling wage, often suffer from repetitive stress injuries, and work in cold, wet processing plants that lead to ill health … well, maybe it’s a bit of a horror show. The piece is a good read for anyone who ever considers believing anything told to him by a large food company, under just about any circumstances.

Why Can't I Find My Favorite Wine?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:43:00 -0800

Consumers tend to imagine wine being produced at a bucolic Napa vineyard by a guy in an apron, but that’s not necessarily so, says the Hungry Beast in “How Wine Became Like Fast Food.” Wine and spirits stores like Total Wine and BevMo! are making and marketing their own private-label wines now. “Such brands are highly lucrative,” writes Keith Wallace, “with profit margins often 20% higher than comparable wines.”

The trend isn’t limited to dedicated booze stores: “Trader Joe’s has its ‘Two Buck Chuck,’ Wal-Mart has its Alcott Ridge, and 7-Eleven has its Thousand Oaks Vineyards.” Retail chains love the private-label wines because Joe Glug-a-bottle starts to associate this wonderful grape beverage with the company that introduced him to it—and is tempted to stop by more often to get more.

Positively Degenerate Flourless Chocolate Cake

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:45:00 -0800

When it comes to flourless chocolate cake, there are two main types: dense and intensely chocolaty versus lighter-textured and -flavored. The dense type is made with whole eggs, while the lighter type calls for separated eggs, with the whites whipped and folded in. “I guess it comes down to whether you want a truffle-like experience, in which case you’d go with the whole egg recipe, or something a little more subtle like the ones with beaten whites,” says bear.

Among the rich and dense types, bear is a fan of David Lebovitz’s “lusciously smooth” chocolate idiot cake. “It’s incredibly easy,” she says. BobB loves Lora Brody’s bête noir, which is also easy (it’s made in a food processor) and “so rich that a one-inch slice is plenty.”

fern makes a different dense flourless chocolate cake, also called la bête noir. Lynndsey Rigberg tried it, and says it was almost too intense: “The Beast is indeed, the Beast. It had a wondrously smooth texture…it was almost like a chocolate pot de creme.”

Lynndsey Rigberg prefers the texture that comes from incorporating beaten egg whites. Martha Stewart’s recipe has “a light, but surprisingly chocolaty and rich texture,” she says. Nigella Lawson’s chocolate cloud cake is also fabulous, says bear.

Board Link: best flourless chocolate cake recipe?

Don't Toss Your Fennel Tops

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:37:00 -0800

Don’t throw out fennel fronds and stalks once you’ve trimmed them from the bulb. Fennel fronds can be used like an herb to add a punch of fresh flavor to salads, or to finish dishes. “I sprinkled the chopped fronds over a sweet potato bisque and it made a huge difference in flavor,” says danna.

coll uses fennel stalks and fronds to stuff chicken or turkey cavities before roasting, and suggests adding an orange or lemon, too. ChristinaMason uses fennel trimmings to stuff whole fish before roasting, or lays them under fillets before cooking. goodhealthgourmet adds the stalks to the liquid when poaching fish.

Board Link: How do you use fresh fennel trimmings? Or do you?

A No-Strings Celery Romance

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

Raw celery can be tough and stringy, but there’s an easy fix. Many hounds peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler or paring knife before eating the celery raw. Or simply pull off the strings: alkapal breaks off the bottom end of a stalk, leaving the strings attached, then pulls the broken-off end upward, leaving the stalk “de-stringed in one fell swoop.” If you’re going to cut the celery in several pieces for stuffing or crudités, don’t cut quite all the way through, recommends RGC1982. “Bend the celery back for a final crack while peeling the toughest, longest strings from the outside layer of the celery.”

Favorite fillings for stuffed celery are cheese spreads like pimento cheese, and tuna, egg, and chicken salads.

Board Link: Cheese/spread in celery ribs: celery’s too tough, too large; what to do?

Quick Homemade Indian Food

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:43:00 -0800

Spice mixes, wet and dry, are what make Indian dishes special—but they take time to make fresh. Store-bought sauces and spice mixes are ho-hum. Is there any middle ground? One approach is to make your favorite spice mix or paste fresh in bulk, portion it out ,and freeze it, suggests LauraGrace. Then, weekday after happy weekday, you’re only minutes away from fresh, special, homemade Indian food. It works well with any sauce that doesn’t have dairy, she says. “I’ve done it with korma too — just make the sauce up to the ‘add vegetables’ point and before the ‘add cream’ point, then freeze in Ziploc bags or ice cube trays,” says LauraGrace.

If you do use a packaged mix, doctoring it up with fresh ingredients can give it more of a homemade feel. “Whenever I use the dry mix, it’s just as a flavor enhancer, not following the recipe completely on the packet,” says foodwich. “Play around with it to suit your taste and that will be the best way to use them.”

Board Link: Indian cooking/simmer sauces

Nuts Are Not Shelf-Stable

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:52:00 -0800

Is your all-natural organic granola rancid? How about your nuts? “Rancidity is a huge problem all over, especially with natural foods containing no preservatives,” says Jim Leff. “And, worse, there’s so much rancidity out there that consumers don’t perceive mild rancidity as an ‘off’ flavor; it’s one they’re used to.” comestible agrees, and has seen the problem in his local health food stores. Any product containing nuts is vulnerable to rancidity, since nut oils degrade rapidly when they’re not vacuum-packed, irradiated, or otherwise preserved. Nuts just aren’t shelf-stable.

“I taste/smell rancidity all over,” says Jim Leff. “I think most consumers are actually well-acquainted with that aroma, but just don’t identify it correctly (same with skunky beer….for many people, that’s ‘the great imported taste’ of Heineken, in those green bottles that let in the frequency of light that interacts badly with the hops).”

Board Link: Really Great Granolas?

Potato Chips That Burn

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:45:00 -0800

Cheese Boy recently sampled some Cape Cod Jalapeño & Aged Cheddar potato chips and was very impressed. “The cheese and pepper flavors weren’t lacking like in some inferior brands,” says Cheese Boy, and the heat was certainly there too. “I had no complaints at all, except for the usual fact that most potato chip bags are filled half with air. Other than that, these were very good,” he says.

Board Link: “Jalapeño” and “Amen” for these potato chips

New Finds: Maple Bitters from Vermont

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:55:00 -0800

If you want to try your hand at making your own bitters, we also have easy recipes for grapefruit, saffron-cardamom, and cherry-vanilla, among others.

Urban Moonshine Maple Bitters, $10.99

Overheard on the San Francisco Bay Area Boards

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:48:00 -0800

“The turnover is like the best croissant ever, buttery, flakey, and crunchy.”
-rworange

“Pizza doesn’t get any simpler but more satisfying than this.”
-TNT Adventures

“This place puts the Burmese restaurants in SF to shame.”
- outrig8

Perfect Porchetta

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:15:00 -0800

“Funny how just a few years ago we were whining on this board about our unmet cravings for porchetta. Now it’s everywhere,” comments Melanie Wong.

So where should a lover of Italian roasted pork start?

Robert Lauriston says one of the best he’s had locally is at Sea Salt. It doesn’t seem to be a regular menu item, though. Great roasted pork can also be found at Oliveto, Camino, and Corso, he says.

jillyju reports enjoying “a quick but transcendant dinner” at Il Cane Rosso in the San Francisco Ferry Building, where the porchetta dinner is a way better deal than the $9 sandwich.

“For only $12.95 I was given a generous pile of the meat, with lots of crispy pieces of skin scattered on top and a juicy quality that I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced in a piece of pork. I don’t know that I have ever had such delicious pork, anywhere. It was incredibly well-seasoned, every bite was tender, and the skin was a decadent, crispy, fatty delight.” It comes with a small salad of microgreens in a lemony dressing and roasted Mariquita Farm potatoes with whole cloves of roasted garlic.

Several hounds recommend the porchetta at Napa’s Fatted Calf, and Robert Lauriston says, “I’ve had his roast pig at events, he’s a master.” But Melanie Wong disagrees: “I liked the flavor, but the piece of meat was quite dry and lean on the cut we tasted.” She also dings the tough skin, but thinks maybe a slice from a different part might’ve been better.

Melanie’s favorite is RoliRoti, the rotisserie truck that can be found at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (they also have a storefront, Rotisario, at the Oxbow Market in Napa).

“I love Kitchenette’s porchetta sandwich,” says carfeng.

Sea Salt [East Bay]
2512 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley
510-883-1720

Oliveto [East Bay]
5655 College Avenue, Oakland
510-547-5356

Camino [East Bay]
3917 Grand Avenue, Oakland
510-547-5035

Corso [East Bay]
1788 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
510-704-8004

Il Cane Rosso [Embarcadero]
1 Ferry Plaza, San Francisco
415-391-7599

Fatted Calf [Napa County]
644-C First Street, Napa
707-256-3684

RoliRoti [Embarcadero]
1 Ferry Plaza, San Francisco
510-780-0300

Rotisario [Napa County]
610 First Street, Napa
510-780-0300

Kitchenette [Dogpatch/Potrero Hill]
958 Illinois Street, San Francisco
No phone available

Board Links: Where’s your fave porchetta?
Il Canne Rosso at the Ferry Building, SF

Ghosts of Piroshkis Past

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:07:00 -0800

At the Golden Orb in San Rafael, the family of a beloved piroshki maker is using her recipe to make delicious piroshki in five flavors: beef spiked with dill and chopped egg, Italian sausage with mushrooms and peppers, chicken pot pie, spinach Parmesan, and cabbage vermicelli, says Cynsa.

The piroshki progenitor is Caroline, of the now-closed Moosetta’s Russian Piroshki in Sonoma. (“Moosetta’s had the only piroshki that I considered even close to the quality of the long-closed House of Piroshki in SF,” says Mick Ruthven.) Caroline’s son, his daughter, and the daughter’s fiancé are collaborating on Golden Orb; it’s a real family business.

Golden Orb [Marin County]
811 Fourth Street, San Rafael
415-454-8692

Board Link: Piroshki at the Golden Orb in San Rafael?

Gilding a Gold Rush Classic

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:55:00 -0800

The Gold Rush–era dish hangtown fry is taken to another level at Serpentine, says SteveG. Perfectly browned diced pancetta, briny Hama Hama oysters, and tender scrambled eggs contribute to the intense, balanced flavors. The home fries stand up too: crisp on the outside and fluffy and delicate inside. Hangtown fry is on the weekend brunch menu.

Serpentine [Dogpatch]
2495 Third Street, San Francisco
415-252-2000

Board Link: Amazing Hangtown Fry at Serpentine, San Francisco

A Postcard from Africa

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:23:00 -0800

The African Cuisine in Hyde Park has gotten polarizing reviews on the boards: Some stoutly champion the place; others advise giving it a wide berth. Nab and yumyum grok the disparity, because a recent meal there veered from fantastic to eh.

On the wonderful side, from the West African and Jamaican menu: meat patties that were “crisp, flaky, soft, and snuggly,” says Nab. The patties’ black-eyed pea brethren, known as moi-moi, were tamalelike, with a grainy texture and little bits of meat. The goat pepper soup had “an upfront pepper hit and then a lingering burn,” says yumyum. And the palm wine was a treat.

Not so good: the mains, with jolloff rice with meat bones (“flat,” says Nab), and red-red, which is a stew from Ghana made with black-eyed peas, palm oil, and red pepper; you choose your meat. It was served with fried fish that had so many bones yumyum couldn’t find any meat on them, and the whole thing was too bland. Stick to the fantastic starters and enjoy the atmosphere with friendly owner Roy, who plays African movies from his collection for tables of lingering regulars.

The African Cuisine [Hyde Park]
1248 Hyde Park Avenue, Boston
617-364-9999

Board Links: The African Cuisine Hyde Park
What restaurants don’t we talk about enough?

Soul Fire Gives Blue Ribbon Some Competition

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:20:00 -0800

StriperGuy has found Soul Fire BBQ a bit “spotty” in the past but had a meal this week that laid him out cold. Pork ribs, his test for barbecue, were “large, meaty, with a good bark, and just the right amount of juicy fat remaining. Literally could not be improved upon.” Baked beans had “just the right sweetness with some good smokey baconey char to them,” and the coleslaw and cornbread were up to snuff. His only beef? The collards were too sweet, and tasted kinda weird.

FoonFan likes the collards—“yes, a bit sweet, but very smoky too with big chunks of burnt ends mixed in”—and speaks up for the fried chicken, which is cooked to order. It takes about 20 minutes per order, but FoonFan says it’s delicious with a “good crunch factor.” celeriac loves the brisket (“firm enough to be toothsome without being tough in the slightest” and a “nice almost bacon-like rim of fat”) as well as the pulled pork, reputedly smoky and toothsome as well.

Several hounds even say the ’cue and sides are better than the local standard, Blue Ribbon. And Soul Fire sells beer. “Sorry, Blue Ribbon, but selling beer is a big PLUS,” says StriperGuy.

Soul Fire BBQ [Allston]
182 Harvard Avenue, Allston
617-787-3003

Board Link: Surprised–Soulfire Delivers, Particularly the Baked Beans

Grilled Pastrami at Speed's

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:16:00 -0800

Are you hungry? Because if you are, you will want to avoid clicking on this photo of the new grilled pastrami sandwich at Speed’s. I warned you. Look at that glistening grease. According to BostonZest it is “delicious, warm, melting with crispy bacon-like edges” and was wonderful with barbecue sauce and mustard, as Chef Greg recommends.

More Speed’s news: Chef Greg is planning on staying open through the winter and is eying a location in the South End, a bit more accessible for most than the rather dodgy Newmarket Square location. Of course, one thing a new location wouldn’t boast: proximity to Lord Jeff’s Beef Place, right up the street from where Speed’s parks now. The place caters to an African American and Caribbean crowd, and is a wonderland of delicious meats (particularly smoked and cured) and Southern specialty products. Its main business is wholesale, but it’s open to the public. When you’re looking for hocks or chicken gizzards, this is the place to go.

Speed’s Hotdog Wagon [Newmarket Square]
54 Newmarket Square, Boston
617-839-0102

Lord Jeff’s Beef Place [Newmarket Square]
129 Newmarket Square, Boston
617-445-7000

Board Link: Speed’s Has Added Grilled Pastrami and it’s worth a special visit

Order the Paprikash, Not the Dracula Burger

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:02:00 -0800

At Restaurant Transylvania, “the notion of being open when the customer is hungry takes second-fiddle to the notion of being open when the family wants to be open,” says lil mikey.

Even if you can find it open, the experience is a little awkward, says lil mikey. “First, I was the only customer in there. And when I arrived, they looked at me like I was the taxman…. First seemingly challenging my existence in their shop, then questioning me on what I want.” lil mikey was eventually shown a menu, but was told that nothing was available from it except the Dracula burger, chicken paprikash, and a sandwich.

And the big surprise at the end of this long, gloomy tunnel? The chicken paprikash is really excellent. It comes as a stew, ladled over fresh spätzle. “The spaetzle was tender and buttery, but it had a perfect firmness, and occasionally I’d get a crispy bite,” says lil mikey. The chicken is fresh and tender from hours of simmering; the sauce creamy, with a light flavor of paprika.

Restaurant Transylvania [Hollywood]
5615 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles
323-466-2508

Board Link: Transylvania Restaurant–Hollywood

Your Carnitas Wonderland

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0800

Metro Balderas is a family operation with four locations in Los Angeles, each run by a different member of the family. exilekiss visited the Highland Park branch, run by Jasmine Guzman. Every Saturday and Sunday, Metro Balderas offers eight types of pork carnitas in the Distrito Federal style for a barrage of carnitas taco glory.

There’s buche carnitas—braised pork stomach—with a good, light chewiness and a bit of elasticity that gives way to a soft, braised quality. It’s the best buche taco exilekiss has had in LA.

The cuerito carnitas—braised pork skin—is satisfyingly salty and unctuous. Trompa carnitas—braised pig snout—is even juicier, showing off its four hours of braising time with “ultra juicy, fatty, sultry pieces of super tender pork goodness,” says exilekiss.

Costilla carnitas—braised pork ribs—is very fresh and lean. There’s a nice crunch from the cartilage, and a wonderful brightness and clarity to the flavor, says exilekiss. And then there’s nana carnitas—braised pork uterus. It is intense, thick, chewy, and amazingly earthy.

But the greatest thing here according to exilekiss is oreja carnitas, braised pig ear. It has just the right balance of fat and delicious cartilage crunchiness; it is “at once wonderfully porky, succulent and crunchy,” says exilekiss. It has the “moist, sexy fattiness” of pork belly or bacon, but it’s not quite so overwhelming.

Be aware: If you arrive late, you may find that all the carnitas has sold out.

Metro Balderas [Highland Park]
5305 N. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
323-478-8383

Board Link: A Celebration of Succulent Pork–The 8 Types of Carnitas at Metro Balderas! [Review] w/ Pics

Perdue's Secret 'Cue

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:53:00 -0800

Perdue’s Q BBQ is a hidden gem, with pork spare ribs that are “dark, meaty, crusty, and delicious,” says Hershey Bomar. Rib tips are equally nice, but beef ribs not so much.

The ribs come with crunchy, garlicky Texas toast and the best red beans and rice Hershey Bomar has had in Los Angeles. The place is on the first floor of an unfortunate building seemingly designed to hide whatever’s in it.

Perdue’s Q BBQ [San Gabriel Valley]
456 E. Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena
626-229-0742

Board Link: Perdue’s BBQ is great — Pasadena

For a Fall Feast, Matsutake Five Ways

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:02:00 -0800

For lovers of Japanese food, autumn means matsutake, the prized (and pricey) pine mushroom. Takesushi, whose simmered dishes and skewered bites have gotten hounds’ attention, is offering matsutake in five preparations in a kaiseki (traditional Japanese multicourse) meal, quite reasonably priced at $35, E Eto reports.

After a modest sashimi plate highlighted by tai (snapper), the matsutake arrived in a dobinmushi (soup brewed in a teapot), in chawan mushi (savory steamed custard), then grilled, in seasoned rice, and finally in a suimono (clear soup). A simple fruit dessert concludes the meal. It’s all “really enjoyable,” E Eto says, and a great bargain, too.

This fall feast isn’t on the regular menu but appears only on an insert in the Japanese menu, so you might have to ask for it. Ask soon; the matsutake season is short.

Takesushi [Midtown East]
1026 Second Avenue (between E. 54th and 55th streets), Manhattan
212-355-3557

Board Link: Takesushi, Midtown East

Three Reasons to Come to Williamsburg

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:57:00 -0800

C Elise was stopped in her tracks by the Car Bomb, a dessert at the newish Saltie in Williamsburg. It’s a scoop of salted caramel ice cream drowned in Guinness. “How perfect is that?” she muses. That same caramel ice cream might also turn up between two dark-chocolate cookies in a winning sweet/salty sandwich, says tabs.

Saltie, opened in September by Caroline Fidanza (Diner, Marlow & Sons) and two other Diner alumnae, also makes a few simple but out-of-the-ordinary sandwiches. Try the Captain’s Daughter: sardines, pickled egg, and salsa verde on focaccia.

Williamsburg seems to be quite the sweet spot these days. A few blocks from Saltie is Bakeri, opened this summer by the owners of Sweetwater. tabs singles out the lavender shortbread: “So delicate and wonderful.”

Saltie [Williamsburg]
378 Metropolitan Avenue (near Havemeyer Street), Brooklyn
718-387-4777

Bakeri [Williamsburg]
150 Wythe Avenue (at N. Eighth Street), Brooklyn
718-388-8037

Board Links: The Car Bomb will change your life
Bakeri–Extremely Charming and Tasty in Williamsburg

A Singapore Surprise at Noodletown

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:41:00 -0800

There’s a sleeper on the well-thumbed menus at Great New York Noodletown. The previously unsung Singapore-style chow fun happens to be the best in town, swears FrankieLymon. “The Cantonese artists in the kitchen produce a truly memorable rendition of this comfort food classic,” he says.

stuartlafonda is sold. He describes a delicious dish of rice noodles with a nice char from the wok, kicking curry heat, and a heap of shrimp, chicken, roasted pork, green pepper, scallions, and other stuff. “I have been going to GNYNT for twenty years,” stuart writes, “and as much as I love the roast meat (particularly the baby pig) and salt baked items, this dish was a revelation.”

Great New York Noodletown [Chinatown]
28 Bowery (at Bayard Street), Manhattan
212-349-0923

Board Link: The Finest Singapore Chow Fun in NYC