Dudes on Foods is a sanctuary for the modern-day man who loves to eat, drink, cook, and talk about food.
We are based out of New York City, D.C.,and now Boston, therefore you may find many of our posts reflective of the local beat.
Your comments are encouraged and always welcomed.
Eat up Dudes!
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enchanté (adj) - enchanted, delighted, "nice to meet you"
I was at the store last week looking for EVOO. You know, what Rachael Ray, and half of the world, now calls Extra Virgin Olive Oil? So when I (literally) saw the EVOO, I wasn't too surprised. It was inevitable. Cute, actually.
Quality? Not sure. I think her knives are supposed to be good. Perhaps this may be... "delish?"
Intro Elliot's Oyster House - Highly Recommended (for oysters) Pier 56, Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 425-277-4600
After reading Eric Ripert's phenomenal book On the Line, I was craving some Washington oysters. I've never had oysters during my visits to Seattle, so I was figuring now was the perfect time. As usual, the chowhounder's did not disappoint as Elliot's was a phenomenal place for oysters. Overall, I give the restaurant an 86/100.
My Menu 1) Pan Fried Oysters ** 2) Blue Cheese Oysters ** 3) Hama Hama (Mild Hood Canal, Wa) ** 4) Snow Creek (Juan de Fuca, WA) 5) Deer Creek (Hood Canal, WA) * 6) Fanny Bay (East Vancouver Island, BC) ** 7) Kushi (Vancouver Island, BC) ** 8) Totten Viginica Eastern (Totten Inlet, WA) * 9) Humboldt Bay Kumamoto (Eureka, CA) ** 10) South Sound Kumamoto (South Sound, WA)
Rating System --- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way
Dish Comments 1) With cooked oysters, you still want them really juicy which is a problem at most restaurants since they usually end up dry. Here, you don't have to worry. Nice sweet (but not to sweet) Jack Daniel's glaze on the oysters served in the shell with some lettuce and tartar sauce. A great way to start and these were super addicting. 2) First time for blue cheese oysters and I definitely want to go back for more. The small amount of pungent blue cheese surprisingly doesn't totally overpower the oyster flavor. They actually pair quite well together with a nice crispy topping. 3-10) I'm not a huge oyster connoisseur, but these were hella tasty. Basically you can order specific oysters from a region/varietal or choose multiple varietals - served with a champagne mignonette granita (weird, but worked). The first set of Washington Pacific Oysters were tasty, but not great. Like ordering wine at a restaurant, I should have known to ask the oyster shucker at the bar instead of listening to the waitress. The second set I asked the oyster shucker to pick some of his favorites and these totally kicked ars. My favorites were the Kushi (tiny and sweet), hama hama (medium sized and great flavor), totten virginica (ridiculously large, but huge flavor kicks in after a couple of seconds), and my favorite - the Humboldt Bay Kumamotos (crispy, insanely creamy, and great flavor). What I learned was although I was craving Washington Oysters, the only one that really stood out for me were the Hama Hama's. All the others were from Vancouver Island or Cali?
Overall Restaurant Experience (86/100)
Food 8.8/10 – Really high quality oysters that made me very very happy at the end. Listening to the chowhounders I avoided all non-oyster related foods. Tried the local brew Manny's and it was a decent hoppy pale ale that paired OK with the oysters. Wish I had a dogfish, which would have been killer with the Humbold Bay Kumamoto's...
Service 7/10 – Waitress was nice, but not that knowledgeable. Busboy seemed like he was a terminator...no expression at all, dead eyes. Good times. Wish the oyster shucker was more interactive like at Swan Oyster Depot...can't win em all I guess. Took a while to get the oysters, but there were huge orders of oysters that day.
Atmosphere 8.4/10 – Place was all mahogany wood and extended out onto the water. There's something about eating seafood while watching water that's quite magical - only if Le Bernardin were on the beach or something. Got there at 12:30pm on a Saturday with no reservations and was seated immediately at the oyster bar. No one else was sitting there, but there were some families sitting in the dining area.
Price 8.0/10 – Haven't had oysters in a while, so not sure if it's pricey or not. I got the $13 for 1/2 dozen Washington oysters and $19 for 1/2 dozen mixed varietals. The 1/2 pan fried oysters and 1/2 blue cheese oysters were $13. The wife and I were happy, so I guess that's all that matters.
Closing Comments On the menu, I saw on M-F from 3-6, they have 50 cent oysters which I 100% want to go back for.
Back for the long Xmas break - first with the In-Laws. We had a great Xmas meal enjoying a truly white Xmas - worst snow in 100 years according to the local media, which isn't surprising since the snow wasn't plowed there on the burbs.
Here's what we had. Everything was homemade including the absurdly delicious Bobao rice.
1) Oxtail Stew 2) Crispy garlic and ginger chicken 3) Rice noodles with shitake, carrots, cabbage, and shrimp 4) Omelet with shrimp 5) Marinated Beef and Beef Tendon 6) Cabbage and tofu soup 7) Potato salad 8) Bobao rice - sweet glutinous rice with red bean paste and dates 9) Red bean soup
For one day only, Dry-aged American Wagyu Beef Rib Chops are priced to sell at $99.95. With only a limited supply remaining, these freshly cut-from-the-rib chops are available only at DeBragga.com. Aged 45 days to concentrate this rich-tasting, luxurious beef, these American Wagyu rib chops are marble score 9 + on the Japanese marble score scale. You cannot get this dry-aged meat in Japan, and only DeBragga.com offers it in the United States. If you were to buy this in a restaurant, it would sell for more than $250 per steak (serving two). But you can have it at home, ... specially priced for one day only at $99.95 per 30-ounce rib chop for two. Sale ends at 11:59pm on Monday, December 29th.
Christmastime, and you’re out & about. Want to get something quick & cheap to eat. $1 double cheeseburger at McD’s! (No ketchup, please) I ordered two, and the lady asked me for $2.4x. Huh??? I know, I know; it’s not a big deal. But when you’re used to hearing $2.10, and now it’s almost $2.50, of course there’s a double-take. Apparently, dairy went up in price enough that it’s not on the Dollar Menu any more. The price is now $1.20.
Instead, there’s a McDouble that is the same thing, but there’s one slice of cheese in between the two burger patties instead of two slices on two patties. For me, I think that’s fair. But in the name of science, I ordered one of each. Enjoy the pictures.
Can't say I'm a huge Mark Bittman fan but I definitely don't dislike him either. But with his recent article about Duck Breast, he earned back a few points on the scoreboard.
Basically, take a Duck Breast. (ideally a Magret or the breast of a Muscovy) Score the skin, and slice a pocket in between the meat. Stuff it with garlic, rosemary, fennel, and salt and proceed to pan sear it for 10 minutes on med. high. Flip and put in a hot over for another 3 to 4 minutes. Take out and let sit for 5 to 8 minutes. Slice and serve.
What could be easier. It's kind of fancy, it tastes really good, and not much prep, cooking time or clean up needed.
Yoshi's Japanese Cuisine - not really recommended : (
Somerville, MA 02144
Open most days until 10 p.m.
I will be the first to admit to being critical when it comes to restaurants, especially Japanese ones. I have lived in Japan, worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years, and am trained in sensory analysis for my job. Some might say that I am not the best person to review restaurants like a "normal" dude - but what the hell.
I really wanted to like Yoshi's. It is tucked away on a corner in Somerville, has a typical light-wood interior and seemed "homey" and "lived in" for lack of better terms. Some of these things are the earmarks of places that make really good food.
When I walked in, I noticed the other Japanese restaurant accoutrement that are often overused in Americanized Japanese restaurants: noren, maneki neko and prints of geisha and other ubiquitous images that people assume comprise genuine Japanese decor. The waitress was eating with three guys at the corner table, and the one other customer was silently chomping away on some sushi - a great time to see what a restaurant is really made of.
I was shown to my table by a just-done-chewing waitress. I caught a smatter of the conversation from her table with the sushi chef...Korean.
What I ordered:
Nigiri - Hamachi and Saba
Vegetable Tempura Teishoku
Cup of Green Tea (they don't have a liquor license!)
The Good:
Nice quality chopsticks
Waitress was cute
Service was prompt and food was hot
The Bad:
Hamachi and Saba were both slightly fishy and had the sponge texture of badly frozen fish. Wasabi was necessary, which shouldn't be the case.
Vegetable Tempura was not true tempura. The veggies were coated in a thin batter and rolled in Tenkasu. Odd.
The other items in my Teishoku were a complete afterthought: scallion pancake, deep-fried pork slices, makizushi, salad and a small, sad onigiri made with a plastic molding device.
Miso soup was made with instant dashi, slimy wakame and tiny bits of tofu that were too small to bother with chopsticks.
Bathroom. *remember, a bathroom is a peek into how the restaurant really operates!*
Is it possible that I would have better experienced Yoshi's if I had ordered the Maguro, Toro, Salmon or other popular American sushi fish? If they were busier and had more staff and were in a groove in the kitchen? Possible; but cooking Washoku is about quality of ingredients, attention to natural flavors and execution. If you can't make good vegetable tempura or miso soup, then I am not sure there is any reason to explore further. 3.5 / 10
When I was introduced to the “Jumbo Slice” sign in the window of several places around Washington, D.C., I kind of chuckled. “How ‘jumbo’ could it be to boast such a neon sign?” One night I found out.
I think most of these establishments centralize around the Adams Morgan area where you can find one every few store fronts. This is especially good when drinking too much in one of the many bars up and down that area, and you can stumble along to reach the nearest Jumbo Slice. And let me tell you, a Jumbo slice pizza reeeeaaaally hits the spot after a night of drinking. The U Street Corridor is another part of D.C. that you can find them. I think I may have seen one in Arlington, Virginia.
So one night, as you may have guessed, after some drinking & dancing, we found ourselves at one of these 24 hour places. They’re not all the same owner, nor even the same company, but they’re almost all pretty much the same. You walk in, and there’s a place to stand/bar-stool sit on the right and the left. There are a few community napkin holders, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese containers. Cheese slice is $4.50, and pepperoni is $5. These are tax-included, too. There may be other things on the menu, but that’s what you get when you’re there. Perhaps grab a beverage from the cooler at $1. But the Jumbo Slice? Folks, let me tell you - they earned that neon sign. Here I am waiting for that tin foil sheet with a slice of pizza, but no, you get a pizza box for maybe a small pizza. You open it, and this slice takes up the entire box. Moreover, it’s even folded a bit to make it fit in the box, since it’s so, well… jumbo.
How does it taste? First off, 3:30AM and copping a good buzz… anything tastes good. But I’ve been back sober, and yeah, the taste still holds up. I mean, it’s simple – huge, thin crust, and cheese or pepperoni. You give them a fin… done.
Intro wd-50 - Not Recommended 50 Clinton St, New York 10002 Btwn Stanton & Rivington St Phone: 212-477-2900
Took my wife out to wd-50 and was pretty pumped, since we've been wanting to go for a while. I was expecting something similar to Eleven Madison Park - uniquely textured food with some home runs and some misses, but there were really zero homeruns here. I am definitely open to new dishes texturally, but food is really supposed to satisfy and flavors are most important to me. This place definitely falls short on the satisfaction and flavor front, but gets high marks for creativity and plating. Also, we had a case of food poisoning, which knocks this down big time. Overall, I give the restaurant an 20/100 because of the food poisoning. It probably would be 84/100 and slightly recommended without the food poisoning.
Rating System --- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way
Dish Comments 1) A nice amuse to start with. Perfectly cooked sweet crab tail paired nicely with the pickled ramps and cranberry foam. Flavors worked well and not as crazy as I expected from a wd-50 dish. 2) Now this is a what the f type of dish. Not necessarily in I want 10 of these, but more like this guy's f'n with me. Everything bagel flavor in ice cream form that looks exactly like a bagel and has a nice sweetness to it. Top that off with dried salmon threads and a frozen crispy cream cheese. Add it all together and it tastes exactly like a bagel with cream cheese, but with different textures. It was very fun to eat, but it tasted like a good bagel, cream cheese, with salmon. 3) Foie gras with a sour passion fruit puree piped in. Not a big fan of this dish. The foie wasn't as rich and creamy as I liked - it also needed some salt on top imho. Also, the fruit puree was much to tart for the foie. Chinese celery was a nice touch, but everything did not work well together 4) Interesting dish with two types of tendons - thin gelatinous sheet and a crispy version as well. Flavors were decent together, but the scallops completely get drowned out. Also, I felt this dish needed some acid to bring out the flavors more. 5) The best entree of the night. A gelatinized, rich, creamy, egg yolk. A truffle looking item filled with a hollandaise sauce encased in a thin english muffin shell that is waiting to burst out. Put the two together and you have a ridiculous explosion of flavors. 6) Pretty tasty dish with all the ingredients combined. Brussel sprouts adds a nice nuttiness and the banana kimchee puree is sweet and slightly spicy. 7) This was a pretty dull tasting dish. Tender rabbit, but everything tasted very one note. The only thing that made the dish pop is the sweet cassis sheet. Also, the whole plate looked like it was covered in crude oil (or squid ink), so not really that appetizing. 8) Perfectly cooked squab (maybe sous-vide) with a surprise pairing of cream soda sauce. Oddly enough it works very well and brings back great memories of childhood. 9) Encased sweetbreads that tasted exactly like chicken nuggets except it's uber creamy inside. Breaded sweetbreads and probably deep fried. A fun dish to eat. 10) My favorite dish of the night. Salty rich ricotta, capers, caper foam, and frozen honey. Great pairing of textures and sweet/salty flavors. 11) Tasty dish, but a way too intense banana flavor for me. The wife liked this better though. 12) A dish with weird flavors and textures, but it's pretty good. Don't ever expect to see sage foam in a dessert dish, but there it was. Crispy, dehydrated brown butter was an interesting touch and it felt like it was smoked too. Everything together tasted like a homey thanksgiving dish...kinda like an apple brown betty with sage. 13) Peanut butter truffle filled with a corcord jelly...basically PB and J. Really fun and very tasty to eat. There was also this dehydrated chocolate thing that was encased in a chocolate packet that is edible - uber fun to eat.
Overall Restaurant Experience (20/100)
Food 8.4/10 – High cooking technique - taking traditional dishes and reinventing how it is texturally. Unfortunately, flavors tasted like the originally inspired item (e.g. bagel and salmon) and really nothing was that special. Desserts were by far the best, which is rare when desserts outshine the apps/entrees. Very nice plating
Service 7.3/10 – Food comes out pretty fast and everyone seems to know the dishes. Very casual environment - even the servers wear jeans. Knocking this place down a little lower, since I expect better service when spending this much money. The sesame crackers they serve are tasty, but they leave a whole mess load of crumbs on the table which no one cleans up until right before dessert time. Also, almost every single dish should be served with a spoon to catch the creative sauces and foams, but they were serving forks most of the time instead.
Atmosphere 8.5/10 – Very casual relaxed environment. The first thing you notice is how bright the place is - a refreshing change from all the dimly lit NYC restaurants out there. There were lights directly above the center of each table showcasing the food perfectly - great place to get pics of the food. Lots of couples, groups of 4s, and some notable chefs there as well. Open kitchen as you can see Wylie manning the pass. Relaxed environment. We had reservations and were seated immediately. I checked and it looked like you get a reservation for a Thursday night on that day as well.
Price 7.3/10 – Price was decent, but not great per the satisfaction level. Bout 400 for the two of us, but like with all molecular places - you don't leave feeling satisfied. Probably cause the lack of starches usually. Afterwards, my wife was feeling the need for some fried rice - we obviously didn't get any, but it felt like it would have been nice. She had the same feeling at Moto in Chicago as well.
Closing Comments Afterwards, my wife had food poisoning and I had a slight case of it as well. 99% sure it was this place since we did not eat the same things the previous two days. Without the food posioning, I would have been glad we went to check it out, but probably never would have gone back any way. If you want to go to a better place that messes with textures and flavors, rock Eleven Madison Park or more importantly Ko...if you can get a reservation.
Not all Salami are created equal. And if you are unconvinced, try a thin slice of Columbus Salame, you will certainly agree with me then. Wow, is this stuff good!
Columbus Salame 30977 San Antonio St Hayward, CA 94544 (510) 921-3400
Did you know, true salami is simply cured... never gone through any heat treatment? It's the way you incorporate good bacteria into the meats and fats, then form it into a log shape with the help of a casing, then inoculate it with a type of penicillin for it to start it's magic, then age it to perfection. Julius Caesar was a big fan of salami and he always had Master Salame makers commissioned for his long war efforts abroad.
I had some friends come over for a typical winter dish in Japan. It's called "Nabe" (loosely translated to hot pot in english). This one was a Tori Nabe (Chicken Hot Pot). Usually served with a little Ponzu. The hotpots in Japan tend to be very mild in flavor, as compared to a Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc... The key lies with the Dashi and bringing the gentle flavors of the kelp and chicken broth out with a ton of vegetables. It keeps you warm and it's some what satisfying, but this dude prefers a little more flavor to his broth. Attached as some pics I took during the prep and also once done.
I guess Jeremy didn't read up on Mercury studies earlier this year that were blasted all over the media, including the NY Times. (Perhaps too busy pissing off the waitstaff at Nobu with leaving his Entourage DVDs as tip.) Just another good reason to keep up on dudesonfoods. All this could have been avoided Ari...
people mag - Jeremy Piven suffered "shocking levels" of mercury in his system from eating too much sushi and Chinese herbs, forcing him to leave the Broadway play Speed-the-Plow, his doctor tells PEOPLE.
"I pulled Jeremy from the show," says Dr. Carlon Colker. "I'm an unpopular character right now."
Responding to skepticism over the decision to leave the play – playwright David Mamet joked that Piven was leaving show business to "pursue a career as a thermometer" – the doctor says the decision was purely medical, and one that Piven, 43, initially resisted.
"He's disappointed that I had to pull the plug," says Colker. "But I think he's hurt more by the comments that he's not trying or that he walked away. He's been working straight for 30 years. He doesn't walk away; I tore him away from it."
Colker, an internist and attending physician at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, says Piven initially came to him after the show's run began in late October, complaining of severe fatigue.
"This was very, very unusual for him," says Colker, who is also CEO and medical director of Peak Wellness in Greenwich, Conn., with another facility in Beverly Hills. "He's known as the iron horse – he's been working nonstop for 30 years, and he works 17-hour days."
Mysterious Fatigue
After a battery of tests failed to reveal what was ailing the three-time Emmy winner, Colker checked his "heavy metals" and was "absolutely stunned" to find mercury at a level "almost six times the upper limit of normal and allowable," says the doctor. "It's the highest level I've ever seen."
Colker attributes the high mercury count to Piven's habit of eating sushi, often twice a day, compounded by certain Chinese herbs he was taking "for general health." Piven was ordered to put a moratorium on the fish and the herbs, and his doctor sent a letter on Dec. 10 revealing the health problem to the Speed-the-Plow production staff.
While Piven decided to continue with the show, his symptoms did not abate – and after a spell of dizziness led to a three-day hospitalization, Colker says he decided to put the curtain down on Piven's Broadway run. The actor will be replaced by Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy.
"It is very serious. Mercury can kill – it can absolutely cause cardiac arrest, kidney failure, even psychiatric problems," says Colker, who was first interviewed by Entertainment Tonight. "He is going to be OK. This is completely reversible," adds Colker, who believes Piven will be "rockin' and rollin' and ready to be his old self for Entourage" by March. He just needs to really lay low and rest."
American fast-food chain Burger King has come up with a novel Christmas gift idea for the meat-loving man who has everything: barbecue-scented cologne.
Last Updated: 9:40AM GMT 17 Dec 2008
Flame, a body spray for men, is sadly not available in the UKPhoto: EDDIE MULHOLLAND
Just in time for the festive season, the company has released its very own men's body spray, Flame.
Not recommended for vegetarians, Flame is being promoted as "the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broilled meat".
While the smell itself might not inspire confidence, the price will.
Flame is on sale for the credit crunch-busting sum of just $3.99 (£2.65), suggesting the Burger King promotions department has realised their contribution to the fragrance market might work best as a novelty stocking-filler.
Flame, a body spray for men, was launched this week online and in a selection of US stores – it is sadly not available in the UK, and now even has its own website, the appropriately named firemeetsdesire.com.
The site proudly proclaims to prospective buyers: "The Whopper sandwich is America's favourite burger," before going on to extol the virtues of a perfume that smells like cooked meat.
"Flame by BK captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold ... now you can set the mood for whatever you're in the mood for."
If you type in Flushing in the "search blog" queue, you'll find a few enthusiastic posts about awesome Chinese food we've blogged about. But there's more. There's a lot more to report. This past weekend, a few of us (Aramis and Mr. Risotto included) decided to head out to Flushing again and eat our way around town.
Aramis and I got there first, and we were a bit hungry to start with... So we walked around and spotted some little snacks en route to our rendezvous point. We started with a street vendor right under the train station and ordered up some meat buns. 4 for $1.25. I think this was a winner.
We later waltzed into an underground food court and proceeded to order some dumplings. You sit on these little stools that are designed for kindergartners and you share elbow space with the next table of really loud Asian people, but the food is comforting and extremely cheap. $3 for the box of dumplings... Um, Yah.
After we met up with the rest of the entourage, we went back to the underground food court and sat at a different vendor's stall and ordered up some lamb with cumin burgers, braised goat ribs and spine and rice noodles with cumin. Once again, super cramped and rough service. But we ordered for 5 and the bill came to $30.
Next stop, off to Nanshiang Xiaolongbao. I like this place a lot. Their XLB are probably the best I've had in the States, but if there was one area of the dish that was questionable, it would be the skin (as Aramis pointed out immediately). Not as soft as "the best", but still elastic enough to not break when picking up. (Your chopstick skills are tested here. If you can pick up a XLB, uncooked tofu, and individual peanuts, you can pick up just about anything else.) But I'm not that picky. The center is what matters to me the most. Good filling that's not dark brown because they douse it with soy sauce but good pork broth to fill. Leaving your lips a little sticky because of the collagen in the soup. That to me is where the love is.
We finished up here and walked to the Flushing Mall for some bubble tea. But for some reason, I ordered some guotie (potstickers) as well, and they were fantastic. Mind you, we were pretty full at this point and the potstickers still tasted really good. All in all, this was a successful food crawl around Flushing. The weather wasn't too cold and we spent the whole day talking about food and eating. Pretty sweet!
If you're a fan of Cheesecakes like I am, Target may be your new best friend. I've always liked Target, but today, she's been promoted up a few knotches to my new BFF.
It's great, cause when I now crave a great cheesecake, I no longer need to hunt down a Junior's or even Artisanal Cheeses for a killer New York style cheesecake. Archer Farms from Target does an amazing job with their NY style cheesecake and I highly recommend it to you all. This truly rivals the very best. Silky smooth rich cheesecake with the right amount of savoriness and a killer graham crust. If the cheesecake at Artisanal were an A+, the one at Target is a solid A. No Joke.
Artisanal : A+ Juniors : A Archer Farms (Target) : A Eli's Cheesecake : B Lindy's : B- Cheesecake Factory : B+
Just wanted to post this from our friends over at blog.ingamenow.com... they were moved to replicate this recipe and I just had topost this.
The Woven Bacon Wrap: A Culinary Case Study
Possibly you have seen one of today's most popular viral blogs: a recipe for the best possible way to die by bacon. Well, in addition to sports and trash talk, we at IGN also love food (well, I do anyway). And I figure if I don't die having sex, eating bacon is the next best way to check out.
I'm not one to balk at the opportunity for culinary experimentation. Hence, the writers at Holy Taco became my muse in constructing tonight's dinner. Here is a case study of how it went, and my thoughts on how it can be improved for future servings (trust me, it does NOT need much improvement).
1. Product selection and construction. Remember, bacon is cured ham by definition–so you do not need a powerful cheese to assist this entree. It's simply a supporting ingredient. Get the largest container of shredded mild cheddar that's on sale.
A far more important factor is the bacon itself–I went with store-brand hickory smoked bacon with a medium thickness. The medium cut is the way to go. Thick cut will be harder to chew as it cools down, whereas a paper thin cut will likely break apart as it gets brittle.
Lastly, make sure your weave is as tight as you can make it. The bacon mat pictured above is probably the loosest you can get away with. N.B. the mat in the original Holy Taco post–there are no holes. This will be a factor as the bacon curls up on itself as it cooks. Also you don't want the cheese to slip through the holes.
2. Cooking Best Practices Keep an old jar handy for grease drainage. I cooked 10 strips of bacon at the same time. After 5 minutes, the bacon was still pink but I drained off 9 tablespoons of grease.
A good time to siphon off grease is when you are ready to flip the mat. To flip it, I loosened it with a spatula, then covered the mat with a dinner plate face down. I put the grease jar in the kitchen sink and held the skillet over the jar, holding the bacon with the plate. Once the grease was drained I removed the skillet so that I was holding the bacon upside-down on the dinner plate, and easily slid it back onto the frying pan to cook the other side.
3. Cheese and extra ingredients The amount of cheese you see here is just right for 10 strips of bacon. Eyeball the amount so that you're covering the center and barely spilling out onto the outer strips. Also, you do not need the entire mass of cheese to melt completely because the center will melt once you roll the mat. I WILL be making this again. Possible ingredients for wrapping the center include link sausage and hash browns (I bought both for future servings). Also consider any ingredient that can go into an omelet–peppers, onions, mushrooms. However, make note that any ingredient that needs to be cooked should be done so ahead of time or concurrently in a separate skillet. Your window of time to roll the mat is only within the first few minutes after cooking, because the bacon will get brittle.
4. Serving suggestions While the Holy Taco recipe called for slicing and eating, I prefer to eat mine as a bacon burrito. The lack of pictures of myself in this blog is due to the fact that I was working alone and getting grease all over everything (my camera is nice and slippery).
The PERFECT dessert to follow this rather heavy bacon wrap was vanilla yogurt. The wrap was meaty, fatty, with strong salty & spicy flavors. Following the strong flavors, the yogurt–without any additional fruit or nuts–was perfectly light and sweet to cleanse the palate, with the acidity to counteract the richly spiced meat. If not yogurt, the wrap would go well with a fruit juice or some fresh orange slices, not unlike a sweet riesling to counteract the effects of a white fish or pork chop.
Food is everywhere: magazines, advertisements, podcasts, websites and TV shows. Some of these media serve to instruct or distract or both. In the land of plenty, food is both nourishment for the body and fodder for the mind. For many Dudes who love foods, food culture has become something else – something more primal that fires neurons in the brain between pleasure and curiosity; Food Porn, a feast for the eyes.
It is commonplace to talk about the obvious aspects of food: how did it taste, what aromas were wafting from the plate, how did it feel on the palate? The patience to take a second and drink in the colors, shapes and textures on the plate will be duly rewarded with a fresh appreciation of the foods we love.
Two great places to start exploring on the web are the blogs Playing With Fire and Water and Ideas in Food. These two havens for the foodie’s visual fix are packed with amazing photos and great articles from three people who are keeping the tradition of playing with food alive… go on Dudes, it’s OK to look.
I don't have any personal vendetta against the academy award winning philanthropist.... but I'm just weary of the whole operation. Newman's Own has the public believing all profits go to charity. "All"! Are you sure about that? Now we know accountants and lawyers can fudge words, numbers, and why not both words and numbers around to paint a rosy picture. So I'm just playing devil's advocate here and just would like to see some verification about the so called $200 million worth of donations.
This all started when I walked down the shopping isle at my local grocery store to find a gazillion shelf stable salad dressings on the shelves. First of all, that stuff is shelf stable. Think about it... Then I see this massive section of "Newman's Own". And the words Charity and Donation slapped all over the place. So I picked up the Original and the Caesar Dressing and immediately used it that night on my salad. Not impressed. Like closer to Disappointed. There was nothing extraordinary about these dressings at all. It's what you would expect at a cafeteria next to your office. So why pay more for these products....? Well, because you want to believe that the money generated will go to needy causes and that you in a way are contributing to better society. It can't hurt I guess, but until things are a bit more transparent, I'm not picking up any more Newman's Own salad dressings anymore.
So I've learned I don't like the dressings he makes. Next on the list to try is his Juices. I hear they are pretty good. Until next time.
There was so much hype for this place just a few months ago. But the fact is, when you put egocentric people behind a restaurant (the Matsushita boys and good 'ol JG), and lose sight on the core fundamentals that make a good restaurant good, you are bound to fail in NYC. The ONLY reason to go to Matsugen would be for top notch Soba. They really do a great job with their soba, but it's extremely pricey and unless you print 20's in your basement, it's not fun paying the bill at the end of the meal.
Basically, you gotta give your customers what they want. You can't preach nor can you force them to like your menu. And most importantly, if you're doing either of the first 2 things I just mentioned, you really can't charge people an arm and a leg for the experience. I'm not saying California Rolls would have helped... but perhaps a few more guests would have come back... Well, such is the fate for Matsugen. "Chef JG... it's not your cooking... it's your attitude... everytime you're up there, you're unsafe..."
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The wife and I just finished watching JCVD (awesome movie) and wanted an after movie dessert. Figuring why not try Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar, since it was a block away. At Momofuku Milk, they have cakes/pies, soft serve, and milk that they end up flavoring. We decided to give the snickerdoodle soft serve a try - what a bad mistake. Texture was perfectly soft, but the flavor was like vinegary and super sweet...kinda like a disgustingly sweet stinky sock. All this for the low cost of $4.34. Granted, maybe other things taste good on the menu, but Chang will not get my money from this place ever again. I get the idea of the place - well done desserts with a unique twist, but like all food - quirky ideas only work well if the stuff tastes good. In this situation, it did not and cost a whole lot like everything else on the menu. Also, the place was packed and filled with douche bags...good times!
Intro Gus' Place - Recommended 192 Bleecker St, New York 10012 At Macdougal St Phone: 212-777-1660
After binge eating on Thursday and Friday, I felt like some healthy food in the West or East Village. Settled on Gus' Place since Greek food generally is relatively light feeling/clean tasting and a good bet for seafood. Food was exactly what I wanted for the price point I was looking for. Overall, I give the restaurant an 77/100.
My Menu 1) Octapodi Salata - Grilled Octopus * 2) Tsipoura - Royal Dorado * 3) Trout Stuffed with Eggplant, Tomatoes, Feta (special of the day) *
Rating System --- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way
Dish Comments 1) Grilled octopus with roasted peppers, capers, and onions. Maybe the best dish of the night. Octopus had a nice char, good flavor, and was very tender. 2) A whole dorado butterflied opened with capers, lemon, oregano, and olive oil. Nicely cooked - crispy skin and very moist fresh fish. Capers and herb made the dish pop nicely. Very satisfying. There was also a great spinach dish - simple with garlic and olive oil. 3) Whole trout stuffed with roasted eggplant, tomato, feta and cucumber. The fish again was cooked nicely - crispy skin and relatively moist fish. The stuffing was good, but the wife wasn't a big fan. Served with lemony potatoes that may have been spiced with cinnamon.
Overall Restaurant Experience (77/100)
Food 7.7/10 – Simple cooking done well with some very fresh fish. The pita bread that served at the start of the meal was great.
Service 7.5/10 – Very friendly servers. Gus the owner is actually there and asks how things are which adds to the experience. My only irritation point was the place was 100% empty and we asked to sit in a bigger booth and they declined. Made sense sorta - since an hour later the place was full.
Atmosphere 6.0/10 – Nothing special looking to this tiny place (maybe 40 total seats). The only thing distinct were pictures on the wall of the old country - I'm assuming Gus and or/his family are in the picture. My point of irritation was the tables for 2 sucked. They had this antique stand for the table that splayed out where it was impossible to sit down in. Once you got situated it was fine, but I had to practice some jiu-jitsu hip escapes to get in. Had reservations which are not necessary for early Saturday, but would be better later in the day. The place got packed around 7pm.
Price 8.3/10 – Price was solid for the quality in NYC. Fish entrees were $19-23 which is a great price for a whole fish (not a very large fish). Octopus app was $13 and a great size for the price.
Closing Comments Barring the crappy tables, I had a good time and the food delivered - solid clean flavors that have you feeling energized and not sleepy afterwards. I would definitely go back to check out some of the more traditional dishes like mousaka or any lamb dish.
Intro Mr Jones - Recommended 243 E 14th St, New York 10003 Btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave Phone: 212-253-7670
Porthos has been hyping this new yakitori joint up for a while as a great place for dudes. He was definitely spot on as the atmosphere was great (almost funny) and the food was decent. Overall, I give the restaurant a 82/100.
My Menu 1) Yakitori 2) Karai Honey * 3) Tsukune Uzura 4) Hatsu * 5) Kara Yuzu ** 6) Daikon Salad 7) Tori Tatsuta Age ** 8) Kalbi * 9) Harami Wasabi 10) Bara Wasabi Shiso 11) Age Tofu Miso Tare * 12) Ika Tenpura *
Rating System --- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way
Dish Comments We ordered a lot of food and the general feeling was you can taste the flavor of the Japanese charcoal they are using and you can definitely see they are using good quality chicken. Using a direct comparison, the meats and charcoal are definitely better than Yakitori Taisho (a favorite amongst NY'ers), but worse than Yakitori Totto. They also tend to lean towards a Western palate as the food is much sweeter or spicier - not a complaint, but you should not expect authentic Japanese food here. Winners for me were the Tatsuta Age (I think) - fun chicken lollipop that was very juicy and flavorful. Also, kara yuzu a lemony and spicy grilled skewered chicken. Losers were the pork (sadly) as it was too chewy and not that flavorful.
Overall Restaurant Experience (82/100)
Food 8.0/10 – Better than Yakitori Taisho, worse than Yakitori Totto.
Service 9.0/10 – As Porthos mentioned, the waitresses are quite stunning. I felt like I was in the latest Bond movie with Brazilian and Japanese waitresses "impossibly thin" (quoted by mr risotto) wearing something you would see only in the movies. Food comes out quick.
Atmosphere 9.0/10 – This place is straight out of something from Austin Powers, but for some reason I dig it. Darkly lit place with very hip designs, but looks like a place right out of the 60s or 70s. The music they play is also very funny as well - kinda like 70s elevator music. Again, I don't know why but I like it. Porthos made the reservation for 10 peeps on a Tuesday at 7:30 and we were seated immediately. Place consisted of groups of ladies and one other large group of guys. Funny quote from the night from the other large group of guys. This guy pulled the "So, when we going out" line on the waitress randomly acting supremely confident. The whole table was hitting on the waitresses big time and the ladies wanted no part...good times! Definitely not a date place...
Price 7.5/10 – For all that food we payed around 70 each which is pricey for OK food. Paying more for the scene and the waitresses.
Closing Comments The food in general is decent, but without the scene and the waitresses I would find no reason to go. But with the scene and the waitresses, I'm assuming Porthos is setting up another dudes night there again.
Someone sent this to me about bug sushi in Japan. I thought it was a hoax, but I looked around and actually found a lot more. People know me as an adventurous eater. So, would I try it? Sure. Though I am quite positive that it would never substitute a nice slab of toro.
This displays them in better light and includes captions.
Perhaps the next time you're at a Japanese place, ask them - is that rice on your plate, or larvae?
Props to Mr Chang for collecting his second third star restaurant (Ko being the other). Although he did redeem himself after the ethereal experience at Ko, it's still quite irritating that the NY food world is still madly in love with the Tom Brady of food.
But...my real beef is what's with the three stars for Ssam Bar. Can you really compare Ssam Bar to Eleven Madison Park or Robuchon in terms of quality? Heck, I don't even think it belongs in the same category as Momofuku Ko. I have no idea what three stars even means anymore from the NY Times. I'm hoping we dudes at least provide you enough information that tells you why we ranked a restaurant thusly and a ranking that makes it easier to compare to other restaurants...
That's now 3 NY Times stars for Momofuku Ssam. Some want to hate him... ok, maybe many want to hate him... but they just can't stay away from those tasty pork buns. Chang hooks you with those pork buns and then romances you with a whole new line of small dishes that really interest the foodie in all of us. His dishes at Ssam are cleverly put together, with just the right amount of layers of textures and flavors to keep you interested bite after bite. And if you dine out a fare amount in the city, you'll get it. You'll get Chang's message of seasonal ingredients thrown in with eclectic flare. It's simple, it's tasty, it's borderline genius.
This article says "in order to give him three stars he's been visited 12 times which means that he has very, very high consistent level and quality level." That's saying a lot. As we know, you can go in once and have the best experience, but the next time may be a complete flop.
Or vice versa. (This is why I generally believe 1st (bad) impressions deserve at least one more chance.)
There are only 72 places in the entire universe... verse... verse...verse... (echo, for increased effect) to have 3 Michelin stars. Michelin defines it as: "exceptional cuisine and worth the journey."
Intro Kyo Ya - Highly Recommended 94 E 7th St, New York 10079 At 1st Ave Phone: 212-982-4140
As part of the chaos from dudes night last week, our fellow dudette Ami recommended checking out Kyo Ya. Not sure what to expect, but she mentioned this was her favorite restaurant serving traditional Japanese food. This place completely blew me away and changed the notion of what Japanese food could be. The balance of flavors - especially the sweetness - was very shocking to me. Overall, I give the restaurant an 89/100.
My Menu 1) Bay Scallop ***, Octopus *, Tuna ** Sashimi 2) Abalone ** 3) Yuba and Uni Yoshino Style ** 4) Gyu Tan * 5) Thinly Sliced Duck, Onions, and Garlic Chives *** 6) Shirako * 7) Udon
Rating System --- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way
Dish Comments 1) Beautifully plated pieces of sashimi that was out of this world good. Scallops are maybe my favorite seafood and these bay scallops were a complete what the f moment. Insanely sweet and such a great scallop flavor. Next - the tuna. I'm so desensitized by having so much o-toro and chu-toro that all other pieces of tuna are usually a let down. This maguro was nicely charred and smoked with a really creamy texture. Definitely the best maguro I've ever had hands down. Finally, the octopus was insanely tender and very flavorful. 2) Abalone was very tender and had such an amazing balance of sweet and savory. Completely eye-opening the subtle sweetness of the dish, which I've never experienced at an authentic Japanese restaurant. I've only experienced the sweetness at the fake teriyaki restaurants which are disgustingly sweet. 3) Perfectly made yuba (tofu skin) with a great tofu flavor and creamy texture. The uni added a nice briney flavor and adding the fresh wasabe put this dish over the top. Great stuff and such a contrast with the yuba made at Ko which was pretty bad. 4) Miso marinated beef tongue, thinly sliced. Nice beefy flavor and again a nice subtle hint of sweetness. 5) Another what the f moment. Thinly sliced duck where you can add garlic chives, thinly sliced onions, a squeeze of lemon, mustard, and a touch of subtle teriyaki? style sauce. A perfect mix of fat and smoke from the duck with the crunchy bite from the garlic chives and onions, tart from the lemon and sweet from the sauce. Writing about it makes me want some more now! 6) Porthos has always raved about this dish - a Japanese delicacy. This dish is basically cod sperm, but with a texture and flavor very similar to ankimo (fish liver). Now that I've had it, I don't think I can eat it anymore...something about eating sperm seems wrong even if it's in fish form. 7) I only had a tiny taste of this dish and it was a great delicate broth, but I wasn't too into the noodle texture. A little too soft for my liking...
Overall Restaurant Experience (89/100)
Food 8.9/10 – Perfect cooking techniques that completely made me rethink what authentic Japanese food is. A what the f restaurant for me.
Service 9.0/10 – Very friendly and polite servers. The food came out very quickly. Ami knows the chef, so not sure if that helped with the service...don't think so, as almost all authentic Japanese restaurants have perfect service.
Atmosphere 8.8/10 – I've walked by this street plenty o times and never noticed this place. Head down the stairs and you enter this serene Japanese setting with lots of blond wood and black outlines. You can be seated in front of the chef, similar to a sushi restaurant. We arrived there at 11:30pm on a Tuesday and were seated immediately. Place was basically empty except for some customers - equal mix of Japanese and white customers.
Price 8.5/10 – Place was moderately priced and definitely worth it for the quality of the food. Entrees were around $27 and apps around $12.
Closing Comments Definitely need to come back for a full meal experience. This was a complete what the f experience for me and want to try the full Kaiseki menu next time.
Parents got some take out pasta over the Thanksgiving break and it made me remember how fun capers were. So, I decided to cook up a pasta dish with some flavors from Sicily. I was thinking an eggplant caponata-like concoction with a sweet, sour thing going on (hence the balsamic). Adding the anchovies, bright capers, lemon, and chili flake totally brought out these sunny Sicilian flavors. A great, bright tasting pasta. If I had some white wine, I would cook the eggplant and make the shrimp stock with some wine.
Ingredients (all are guesses, since I never measure) 1/2 box linguine 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced 1 medium to small sized eggplant diced 1 tbsp capers 2 fillets of anchovies, packed in oil 1/2 lemon 2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp dried red pepper flake Balsamic Vinegar 1 pound shrimp, cleaned Extra Virgin Olive Oil 8 cloves garlic minced Handful of parsley - leaves only Sea Salt and pepper
1) Shell and de-vein the shrimp. Set aside 2) Add olive oil to a wok over medium heat - the wok will make it easier to toss the pasta in later. Add eggplant, onions, anchovies, 1/2 the capers, thyme, 1/2 the red pepper flake, pinch salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft. Stir every once in a while so it doesn't burn. Once it's soft, add splash of balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Remove the eggplant mixture. 3) Set large pot of water to high heat. When the water comes to a boil, salt the water heavily and drop the pasta in. 4) Add the shrimp shells and garlic to the wok with enough water to barely cover the shrimp shells (maybe 1 cup water). Cook over high heat. Scrape the bottom of the wok down to extract the fond from the eggplant mixture. Cook till it's reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ta da...you've made shrimp stock. 5) Remove the shrimp shells (squeeze the shells with tongs to extract more stock), lower heat to low and add the shrimp in with salt and pepper to lightly poach. About 2 minutes. This will ensure a very tender and insanely flavorful shrimp. 6) Add the eggplant mixture back and toss the linguine in (making sure to take the pasta out one minute before the time on the pasta box). Cook over high heat for a minute. Finish with more olive oil, more capers, the rest of the lemon juice, the red pepper flake, and the parsley. As usual, make sure the pasta looks "juicy." If it's dry, add some pasta water. If it's drowning in shrimp stock, cook it down. Buono Appetito!
