Will Owen's Profile
You best fried chicken
Much too late to this party, I know, but one recommendation I keep running into, in my own quest for THE fried chicken, is a long soak in buttermilk and hot sauce and then double-dipping in SELF-RISING flour. I have yet to try that, waiting for when the now-veggie Mrs. O is out of town for the week …
Pas/SoPas report: Abricott and Firefly Bistro
See, frying everything is not how you annoy me, if that's what you had in mind! In retrospect I think the duck would have been just as good, and perhaps more interesting, had it not been breaded and fried, but I enjoyed the novelty anyhow. I think the place has a regular, loyal clientele - we recognized several people from a house concert we went to last year, including one guy who I think performs there on live-music nights - so it's obvious they have some kind of fan base. Of course, so does Amigo's!
Forewarned is forearmed about curry in hollandaise, thanks. I'll get it anyway - once - but I thought we were over putting curry in stuff. I always try to find out if it's lurking in devilled eggs, for instance. It's a flavor I enjoy, especially OVER eggs, but it has to be on my terms, and I want some cashews and chutney handy. Is that too much to ask??
RFD Pasadena
Yes - putting a Big Boy between Pie'n'Burger and The Hamlet, and within walking distance of both, had to be a less than astute move.
You'll notice I did not mention Burger Continental, whose continued existence utterly baffles me.
Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich?
Yes, I'm sure you'll find lots of empty "scratch" boxes in their dumpster … ;-)
The most likely thing is that they are using a mix, of the Bisquick ilk, and baking them in-house. That is vastly preferable to the not-uncommon practice of buying baked ones from a local supplier, something even some Nashville cafes do (for shame!).
RFD Pasadena
Shopper's Lane is always my first choice for parking, especially since I look for good excuses to walk a block or so now and then. First 2 hours free.
Mrs. O was intrigued by RFD, which was quite lively when we walked by it yesterday. She has no intention of going full vegan, but wants to learn about a larger variety of non-animal options. I'm game, so we'll check it out sometime. It looks a lot more at home there than that poor, pathetic outpost of a Big Boy.
Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich?
Carl's Jr (which is Hardee's in the rest of the country) has a sausage biscuit, as do some other fast-food places, now I think including McDo. This is the standard "biscuit sandwich" in the South, though many non-chain places out there offer the optional addition of a tomato slice, which is delicious. I believe some of the chain places also offer the biscuits with "scrambled egg", I'm sure poured from a carton. The ham biscuit, at least in the Southeast, is usually served as a buffet snack or appetizer, not as a breakfast item; folks in the Virginias, Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee will eat biscuits at any meal.
Pas/SoPas report: Abricott and Firefly Bistro
Addendum from Mrs. O: the peanut stew came with a corn cake and some kind of cubed potato thingie, while the tart she had for dessert was filled with grilled plums and walnut sugar (??) and laid on a compote of stewed dried plums. She was still happy about it this morning.
Pas/SoPas report: Abricott and Firefly Bistro
Mr. and Mrs. O had a lovely time this Saturday afternoon and evening, conducting a further exploration of the interesting menu at Abricott on South Lake in Pasadena, and then, after a movie, checking into South Pas's Firefly Bistro for the first time, though certainly not the last.
She hadn't been back to Abricott since our first trip there several months ago, when they'd just opened. She wanted to explore their newer veggie options, so she asked for the meatless version of their pho; "The one with tofu?" asked the server. "Yes," she said. "The To-Pho!" So now it has a new name … I had decided it was past time for that burger, medium-rare, please, with fries.
The typically giant bowl of broth and noodles arrived sans garnish of any sort, which we found odd, especially as it really needed more bumping than most versions do. There was however the usual trio of sauce containers in a wire carrier, and a good ladling of hoisin sauce and the red chile paste helped a lot. I tasted one of the tofu cubes and found myself wishing once again that vegetable-broth makers could come up with some dominant flavor other than celery. But she found the soup satisfying and quite filling, and had to leave about half a cup of it behind.
The burger had no problems of any kind. This was a big fat meat puck, I'm sure at least half a pound, on a good substantial roll that held up nicely without being tough about it. The lettuce, the red onion and the tomato were all of as good a quality as can be had this time of year, and the meat was properly seasoned, juicy and beefy. I hereby wish to inform Plate 38 they can take that damn banner down now: Mr. Owen has found a better burger and it ain't theirs. Not only that, Abricott has figured out how to make their shoestring fries not only crisper but much more tender, a quality which they retain even when cold … and this is an $8 burger, kids! You can get salad instead of fries at the same price, but I figured there was salad enough in the sandwich. A slice of cheese, Gouda I think, is offered for $1 extra; it's not needed.
After our movie we headed down Fair Oaks, intending to revisit Bistro de la Gare for dinner just because we hadn't gone there in years. But then we looked over the menu posted at the door, and discovered there are no vegetarian entrée options at all, rather astonishing in this day and age and disappointing under the circumstances, so we agreed it was time we checked out Firefly. My, what a delightful place, just a big L-shaped tent over a steel frame, wrapped around a more permanent building that contains the kitchen. Most of the other part of the L was occupied by a large and frankly raucous party, but owing to the nature of the enclosure - no echoes! - the noise was more of a presence than a bother. We were welcomed graciously and warmly, had water right away and wine soon after - Prosecco for her, a Poppy Pinot Noir for me - and soon had decided on some very inviting chow. Mrs. O was most intrigued by the "Not-Quite-African" peanut stew, and I'll have to add a fuller description later because I'm up late and she isn't. There were lots of tempting choices for the carnivore, but deepfried duck confit with mac'n'cheese and a cabbage/asparagus slaw was just too obviously up my alley. After some very good bread with a harissa-spiked hummus, just adorable, we got our nice-looking plates and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. My confit looked like a slightly shortened and flattened chicken leg, except for the slender bones, which came right out with a good tug. The knife was needed only to hold the meat while the fork pulled it apart. It was - well, almost wretched excess in the tenderness department, rich and a bit spicy with a nicely seasoned breading. The mac was very small short-cut penne in a good but not outstanding cheese sauce, and the slaw was sweet, tangy, and exactly the right foil for both the other items. I got just a small bite of the peanut stew, but its owner said it was really, really good and she'd have it again.
Dessert was going to be some gelato back in Old Town, but the dessert menu was even more tempting than the other had been, so Mrs. O asked for the grilled plum-walnut tart with a dried-plum compote, and I asked for the sweet-biscuit strawberry shortcake with a lemon-curd and blueberry compote. This came with a good glob of very stiff whipped cream between the biscuit halves. I think I'd have preferred for it to be served in a shallow bowl with unsweetened heavy cream, as my family did it, just to mitigate the sweetness and moisten it some more, but I am not complaining at all; this was a great end to an excellent meal. The plum-walnut tart also disappeared completely, before (I might add) I got to taste any …
With tax and before tip we were just under $70. Our entrée choices were at the lower end of the menu, at $18 and $22, but a big barbecued lamb shank that I'd also considered was just $5.50 more. Our wines were $10 each, on the lower end of a range that doesn't go a lot higher.
Delightful place in every respect. We will be back, for sure.
To anchovy or NOT to
Querencia: Our frequent correspondent WildSwede made this, under its more common name of Janssons Festrelse, or Jansson's Temptation, and brought it to a CH meetup at our house. It was so ungodly good that when she offered to make me a small one of my own (she was doing a batch for gifts) I happily took her up on it. The anchovies lose all their sharpness and much of their fishiness in all that potato and cream, but the result is strangely richer and more savory than what could otherwise be really too rich, to the point of stodginess. If you've got the recipe I'd encourage you to try it. WS uses the anchovies she gets at IKEA.
Fourteen ounces is the new pound
Especially since I get it ground. (Yes, I know what a truly dreadful thing that is to admit these days, and I do have a perfectly good Peugeot hand mill. But I'm not only LAZY, I am also OLD, got NO SENSE OF SMELL and CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE.)
Plate 38: First Visit, New #1 Burger!
I am so annoyed by that I'd vowed I wouldn't set foot in there until that thing came down, but then they had a featured veggie menu that looked good enough for me to treat Mrs. O to dinner there. It was okay, not stellar - their worst problem is their food is simply not as fabulous as they apparently think it is - but it was a nice evening out, the wine was lovely, and nobody knew who I was.
I was very much disappointed that the owners of the CH logo didn't send a Cease and Desist order out immediately - or ever, apparently - being a kind of fanatic about copyright issues, but it's their problem and not really mine.
Who makes your favorite patty melt?
You hit an off day at Pann's, I hit an off day at P'n'B. I have to believe the latter at least, unless I can somehow convince myself that all the testifiers here AND J. Gold are delusional.
I used to go to Pann's frequently when I had business in that part of town. As I no longer do that business I get by there maybe twice a year, but if possible always stop in there. They have their flaws - the corn muffins are irredeemably bad - but there's so much good stuff on the menu it's always worth a stop. I would urge you to do likewise IF you're over that way anyhow.
New Farmers' Market in Pasadena Playhouse District opened last Wednesday
Thanks for the clarification, Team. We are overdue for a 'hounds event on this side of the county. The last one I attended was a breeze, since it was in my back yard, but a resto gathering would be fun too. I'd be happy to open our discussions at nashwill912@earthlink.net
Souvenirs from Spain and Sicily.. how to enjoy?
Is the saffron in threads or powder? The latter will fade very quickly, but threads kept closed up and dry in a cool cupboard will last somewhere near forever. And just a pinch will flavor a whole pot of something. I like to do a dish of cod (either refreshed salt cod or fresh) with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and peppers built on the stove top and seasoned with some smoked paprika and salt. Then I dissolve (sort of) a pinch of saffron in half a cup of heated white wine, stir that in, and finish it covered in the oven. Black olives are good in there too.
~ What are some food items that are similar to Worcestershire sauce based on taste? ~
Back when I was buckling into this cooking thing an older friend suggested that I might be using Worcestershire sauce just a LITTLE too much … and she was right, though I still depend on it for some things. However, I've discovered that anchovy paste or fish sauce will perform a lot of the important functions whenever I might not want the tamarind component in there, anchovy paste being the preferred item for gravies and sauces. Fish sauce is just too salty for some things, even saltier than the anchovy paste. Downside is that anchovy paste is considerably more expensive than either nam pla or Lea & Perrins - a tube will NOT last the year or so a bottle of the others will.
New Farmers' Market in Pasadena Playhouse District opened last Wednesday
Second the motion. Need to arrange it elsewhere than this board, however. Mods don't 'low no socializin' 'round here …
New Farmers' Market in Pasadena Playhouse District opened last Wednesday
I was thinking Sunday - I guess it'd be silly to have it the same day as Montrose.
I need to get back down to Alhambra. Might need to resist temptation from the food vendors and drop into Pho 79 …
Bludso's Texas Sampler - will it hold?
The plain fact is that although the 101 is a constant jam, it is also mostly a constantly moving jam (unlike the 5 and 10), and is not only the shortest road northwest to Hollywood but the quickest one, a fact which continues to surprise me every time I take it. The 710 is brutal and loaded with trucks, but again the shortest alternative would be Alondra west to the 110 and north to the 101.
Storing onions and garlic
We were visiting a smallish chateau in Burgundy, and spent part of one day exploring it, starting in the cellar. Most of the wine racks had been cleared out, but several large tables were covered with potatoes from the year's crop - this was early September. After touring the two main floors we went up to the cavernous attic, and there a big area of floor had been swept clean and covered with onions! Both areas were quite dry, and while the attic would get very cold in the winter we figured whatever onions were still there would be taken downstairs.
We don't eat many potatoes, so I tend to get those as I need them, but my onions live in a wire basket hanging out of direct sunlight, but in the open. As long as I get nice solid ones they keep very well; I wrap and refrigerate only cut ones.
To anchovy or NOT to
Mrs. O and I are right there with you, arktos. I'm not as passionate about them as she is - and I must insist that they don't belong on a Pizza Margherita - but we used to have our Alfa Romeo club meetings at a red-sauce-and-pizza joint that did NOT have anchovies on their toppings list, and it made me crazy. It's like a soul food place with no greens on the menu, just flat wrong.
Seeing Someone Touch Your Food
I figure if I can touch my own food someone else can too, especially if they've got the same access to a hand-washing sink as I have. However, in a commercial establishment this is a violation of health ordinances, and a casual disregard of those makes me wonder what else they're ignoring. It's a kind of "broken windows" issue, a sign of either ignorance or a scofflaw mentality. That bothers me a lot more than the absurd notion that someone else's cooties are necessarily nastier than mine.
Bludso's Texas Sampler - will it hold?
Surface streets, especially the main north-south ones, can be truly brutal anytime and worse around 5:00; the biggest problem is the general lack of turn lanes and turn lights. One guy wanting to turn left up near Wilshire can stop traffic several blocks behind him.
Just for grins I Google-Mapped directions for the run back from Compton, and although the freeway route indicated will not be fast I'd bet it'll be a lot faster than anything you can do on streets. Just make sure everyone is, ummm, empty … 710 to 5 to 101 is about as direct as it gets. Bon voyage, et bon appetit!
New Farmers' Market in Pasadena Playhouse District opened last Wednesday
Jack Flash, I have only been by the LCF market, haven't gone there. Need to check out Montrose, too. The one area Sunday FM I've been to is down in Alhambra, sort of tucked behind that mall at Main and Garfield. Lots of local under-the-powerline farmers, I think, and some decent food, but it's been over two years since we last went. Bought my first-ever kabocha there.
gold coffee filter
My late Papa-in-law gave us a Melitta gold filter early on. We were using a Melitta pour-through cone at the time, so we used this for a while, but had that same sludge problem. Well, turns out Papa's own favored coffee maker was his French press, and he considered that "sludge" to be a natural component of good coffee. His daughter and I agreed to disagree with him on this, and went back to paper.
Tater Salad: How Do You Take It?
I've repeated repeatedly the Kuntz Family Formula: 1 potato : 1 HB egg : 1/4 onion + mayonnaise to bind. S&P as needed. Homemade mayonnaise or Hellman's/BF, made with some garlic if I'm doing it. A little finely-chopped celery or dill pickle or green onion is okay, as is some fresh dill, and I have been known to stir some sour cream into the mix.
Alternatively, Julia's recipe for Pommes de Terre à la Huile, to which I also like to add some HB egg. Not a big fan of mustard, and please no pickle relish, though I do like some in Mac salad. But that's another chapter.
Kraft "real Parmesan cheese"
I think the green-box stuff I ate as a kid was a Parmesan-Romano blend … and no, not a pecorino at all, but cow all the way.
New Farmers' Market in Pasadena Playhouse District opened last Wednesday
And of course the market would obviously be IN the parking lot!
If you don't mind walking a couple of blocks you can usually find a space somewhere. I've gotten into the habit of parking about a quarter-mile from the center of the South Pas market, and while downtown Pasadena isn't quite as pleasant for walking I guess I'll just deal with it. Gonna be nice having local/semilocal markets three days in a row! And then Saturday too! And if you consider "local" to be within a ten-mile radius then I think Monday is the only day we're lacking one, with Monrovia's on Friday and La Canada's on Sunday.
Kraft "real Parmesan cheese"
If you grew up in the semi-rural Midwest in the 1940s and '50s, the stuff in the green box was what went on your spaghetti, and you probably pronounced it "Parmeesian cheese". The only alternative was the small round box of a similar substance that came in the Chef Boy-Ar-Dee spaghetti dinner kits. This was before their canned version; it was a box that contained an inner box of uncooked spaghetti, a can of sauce (either meat or mushroom - my mom would get a box of each and combine them), and that "cheese". And then, after you grew up and lived in places where real parmigiano was readily available, that green box simply dropped off your radar. Or else you'd occasionally notice them stacked in the cheese section and wonder, "Who on earth still BUYS that crap?"
Donuts: Cake or Yeast-type?
A fresh hot yeast donut is a lovely thing; old and cold, not so much. Cakey cake donuts are also good mostly when fresh. Crullers combine the best of both - not fat and floppy like Krispy Kreams, not tight and dry like Dunkin's, but with a good crunchy bite like nothing else. I've had them out of the bag where they've sat unrefrigerated for several days, and they still blew my skirt up.
How to store fish fillets and fish steaks in fridge?
I suppose a lot depends on how sensitive you are to fish smells and at what point you start thinking of it as "bad". The last pound of raw shrimp I bought for a Mother's Day brunch was wrapped in our crisper from Friday afternoon until midday Sunday, and smelled about the same coming out as they had going in (they were also delicious). Franklin's old saw that "Guests and fish stink after three days" I regard as giving some insight into historic food-keeping practices; I probably wouldn't keep fish that long, especially without refrigeration, but I do think there ARE very much worse things than stinking up the fridge. Getting sick, for instance. If two days doesn't get the fish to that level of deterioration - and it won't - and if I'm not smelling anything bad, then it's okay.
