Hilton Head - An Old Favorite Experienced Anew

    I'll begin my new post with an apology. For those who have read and followed my blog I'm very sorry that I let it go for a few months. It's been a busy/rough few months and I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to it. Alrighty, having said that, On to Hilton Head!
    Now since we've lived in South Carolina, my wife and I haven't spent any time in the playground for everyone NOT from South Carolina (aka Hilton Head) because everyone we know here never goes. It seems to be the place to which tourists and old (or new) money from outside the state flock. I found, during my recent stay there with my wife and her parents, that this avoidance by Carolinians is a big mistake. No offense to my newfound Sumter friends but this is a place that deserves adoration and the required subsequent visits. I found, to my delight, that the food here is not just the tourist trap food one might expect in a beach town. Now don't get me wrong, there are some burgers and fried fish on the boardwalk, but once in awhile we just want greasy basket of fried shrimp. 
    And now to my favorite restaurant of the entire stay, a British restaurant called the British Open Pub. Ok... Put down the phone, you don't have to call the men in white coats to take me away (just yet). I know the British are known for many things: overpriced tea, bad teeth, and royalty with a penchant for beheading their wives. But not food, right? Wrong. The British food we get here in the States is often wretched, and let's be honest, Scottish food doesn't help things at all. However, good British food cooked correctly is really very good, just head over to this joint and you'll apologize for calling me crazy. They have three dishes that you just have to try: The fish and chips, the Pub Wellington, and the Steak and Mushroom Pie. I tried these dishes because if a British place can't do these traditional favorites well then they don't deserve to be called a good British restaurant. And they do it very well. They spice it right, they slow cook it right and they fry it right. It was the place I kept talking about the whole week - I daydream about that steak and mushroom pie to this day.
    The second restaurant I can't ignore from that week is a French place on the water called Bistro 17. Now I love a good French restaurant because no culinary tradition knows how to put flavor, richness, complexity and style in a dish like a French chef. This place takes classic French dishes and doesn't screw with them. They don't try to "put their own spin" on them and they don't try to go "a new modern direction,"but instead see that a great classic dish is just that, great. Their escargot is en croute and is perfectly seasoned and cooked, their duck confit is succulent and glorious, and the Boeuf Bourguignon is beautiful in all of its fall apart glory. This place is just a great example of how to do a classic dish really well.
    My last place is not a restaurant, but a mecca for the home chef, the Oilerie. This is an olive oil and balsamic vinegar store that does what it does very well. If you haven't ever been in a store like this then I highly recommend it. Janie and I love visiting the spice and oil stores whenever we find them and this place doesn't disappoint one bit. I know that you can buy olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the grocery, but when you taste the mass produced store bought stuff and then compare that to the 25 year aged balsamic at the Oilerie then you will find a new chefy nirvana that will elevate your sauces and salad dressings to a whole new level. 
    So I hope I've given you a new reason to take a second look at those places that you may not want to go to because you're from the area or you think it's a tourist trap. Explore, things might have changed since you last checked, and if you explore and find that your city's tourist trap areas are still miserable then come over to Hilton Head and have one heck of a British lunch, French dinner, and some peel and eat shrimp in between.


In honor of Bistro 17, here is my homemade French Onion soup


Ingredients:

8 onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

8 cups beef stock

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

1 loaf French bread

2 cups grated Gruyere

Directions: 

Saute onions in oil over medium heat until translucent (about 5 minutes). Turn the heat to low, cover, and let it cook for about 20 more minutes until light gold color. Turn the heat back up to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelized and a dark gold color (about 30 more minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until it is cooked and mixed in. Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well. Add stock and wine and bring to a boil, add thyme and bay leaf. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile, slice French bread into 3/4-inch slices and butter both sides. Toast slices on griddle until golden brown. Ladle soup into an ovenproof bowl, add toasted bread and cover with cheese. Place ovenproof bowl on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees F or 5 minutes under a hot broiler until the cheese is completely melted and slightly browned.

The Mill Pond Steakhouse - 5 Star Comfort Food

    As many of you know and some of you have come to realize I live in South Carolina, and due to the city in which I live (Sumter) I am within easy driving distance of every major South Carolina city. I'm within 2 hours of Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and many of the South Carolina islands. This means I get to have some of the best food in the southeast (and depending on the restaurant, the country) and I don't have to wait to go on vacation. Having said that, one of my absolute favorite places to eat is The Mill Pond. It's a perfect comfort food meal is in the tiny town of Rembert about 15 or 20 miles northwest of Sumter. The restaurant is really in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and unless you see the tiny sign on Hwy 521 pointing to Boykin Mill you will go hungry that night. Funny story - The first time my wife and I went I even had GPS and it announced we had arrived when we were driving along fields of corn. If I hadn't just said let's drive a little further and find a place to turn around we wouldn't have found it. 
    The Mill Pond sits on a pond (go figure) alongside Boykin Mill. Now, this may seem a little country to you cityfolk, but if you then think about the fact that South Carolina is best known for one thing, namely shrimp and grits, the lightbulb will then go off in that brain of yours and you'll realize that this restaurant is perfectly set up to have some of the best, and freshest, grits in the state. Thing is, they don't disappoint at all. They have my favorite shrimp and grits anywhere, and what makes them good is the chef's ability to add flavor and ingredients to the grits without taking away from the creaminess that is the perfect plate of grits. It has some great heat and spice, pan fried tasso - which is a spicy smoked pork cut from the shoulder, huge prawns, and it's all served in a dish that could feed 4. It's just glorious.
    They don't just rest on their grit flavored laurels however, they succeed at every level of the menu - appetizers, soup/salad, entrees and dessert. My two favorite apps are the cornmeal encrusted oysters and the duck spring rolls. The oysters are perfectly dredged in their cornmeal ground not 100 feet away and fried to perfection served with a semi-spicy remoulade that is just wonderful. The spring rolls are as they should be, namely perfectly prepared pulled duck, asian spices and Caramelized sweet onions, shitake mushrooms and cilantro rolled in a spring roll and fried to crispy perfection. it is then served with a plum glaze and sweet chili sauce. Awesome. One thing I look forward to every time and a dish I never waver from is the She Crab soup. It is creamier than a lobster bisque with twice the flavor.
    I know I've gone on and on about everything that is not in the name of the restaurant, but don't fret they do steaks very well. In fact if it wasn't for the shrimp and grits being so damn good I would've easily talked about their steaks before anything else. They have every great cut and they don't skimp on the size either. The smallest cut is an 8 oz filet, but my personal two favorites are the ribeye and the bone in strip. If you have masochistic tendencies then please go for the "cowboy cut ribeye," a 22 oz bone-in ribeye that will wonderful but will probably mean that you'll be too full to drive home. I guess that may not be a bad thing because it means that the rest of the table will get to enjoy the beauty that is the Mill Pond cobbler. They usually have two to three different kinds, and they are finished tableside a la mode. The crust is perfectly sweet and crunchy and I have never heard anything but complete and undying love by everyone who has had the opportunity to partake in the ideal dessert.
    All in all when you live in a place that has a lot of chains and everyone shops at that culinary destination also known as Wal-Mart there aren't that many opportunities to have really really good food, but no matter where you live or what you're used to, this is the aforementioned really really good food. If you find yourself in central South Carolina please find the mill and partake in this feast. 
    I know I didn't leave a recipe last time, and this time is not much different. I don't have a full recipe, but what I do have is something easy for the home cook that will dress up the after dinner ice cream that everyone loves, and always a big hit at dinner parties as well.


Warm Blueberry Topping for Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the blueberries, water, sugar and salt; cook and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the berries burst. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into hot blueberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Serve over ice cream. Yield 1 1/4 cups.
The fun thing about this recipe is that you can dress it up with some mint as well as switch ou the blueberries for any other fruit you prefer. Enjoy!!

The Lazy Goat - Heaven in Greenville

    I know I haven't ever posted on just one restaurant, but when I see perfection it just has to be rewarded.  Earlier this week my wife and I went on a short anniversary trip up to Greenville, SC and this time Janie planned the whole thing. I think that maybe I'll have her plan from here on out because she found a serious winner with The Lazy Goat.

    This place was described to me as a tapas restaurant, and as I have a serious love affair with tapas I was stoked. Thing is though, it's not a tapas joint, it's a restaurant that makes you eat until you explode. Their menu is pretty unique, and half of it is tapas based. The beginning of the menu has various meats and cheeses and you can pick as many or as few as you'd like, which is great for me because I love cheese plates but it irritates me that I never get any choice in the matter. For all you cheeseheads out there they don't mess around, it was seriously some of the best cheese I've ever enjoyed. Once you get done delving into cheese and handmade salami perfection you then get to the "Graze and Nibble" portion of the night. The problem is that you neither graze nor nibble, instead you dive in and never come up for air. Now, usually on menus I like there are a some things that look good, not here...On this menu there were maybe one or two out of over 15 dishes that I wasn't too interested in, and that's just because I'm not a big olive fan. It actually irritated me that the menu looked so good because Greenville is over 2 hours away. I can only review what we specifically ordered, but if that's any indication of the all around quality you can just close your eyes and point to something and then wait for bliss. We had the Moroccan "bisteeya" which is like the puff pastry pastilla, but smaller and more empanada-like. It was roasted chicken, vegetables, spices and goodness in a glorious puff pastry. We also shared the fried goat cheese, which may sound normal, but here they decided to fry them in bite size balls and then drizzle them with honey and crushed pistachios. Apparently people come in a demand these cheese balls before they order drinks or even say hi to the waitress. However, as good as the cheese was, the star of the night was the braised moroccan lamb shank. The chef must have learned how to braise from God himself because it was perfect. The braising liquid was well-spiced and the meat pull apart tender. To top it off they put a wonderful cucumber yogurt and some plantain chip on top. Just to die for. 

     Now we continued on our journey and actually ordered more food. I know, absurd, but the entrees looked fantastic and how else would I be able to review it...trust me, it was just for you guys, no selfish gluttony here. Anyways I ordered the housemade tagliatelle pasta with braised pork cheek, and it was beautiful. The noodles were perfectly thin, eggy and succulent, and the pork was like Mom's pot roast, if mom is Julia Child. Perfect. My wife got the flatbread pizza with roasted veggies and fresh herbs. It sounds a little "vegetarian" to a meat eater like me, but it was fantastic. Instead of a traditional sauce they spread homemade basil pesto on the crust. It was a great entree, or ideal as an appetizer. 

    And did we stop there? Well I pretty much almost fell asleep, but as Janie was good and ate less of each dish, so she pushed on and got the Harvest Tartan. The best way to describe it is as the menu does: spiced pears & apples, caramel, buttery pastry, sage sugar cranberries, and caramel ice cream. It was actually good enough to make me come back to life and share it. It tasted like fall and every ingredient was perfect. 

    So (deep breath), that's it. This is just the prefect restaurant because you can go for a light lunch, gorge yourself at dinner, go with a bunch of friends for apps and dessert, or go solo for some great cheese and pasta/pizza. I've thought about why I love this place so much and I think it's 1.) the food gives a new definition to the word fantastic, and 2.) The chef(s) treat each ingredient and dish with such love and respect that you can't help but thoroughly enjoy each part of each dish you taste. So, that's the lesson for today for all you cooks out there. Respect your ingredients and do your best to bring out what makes each aspect of a dish taste good. If part of the dish doesn't taste good then the dish will lose its luster. Try fresh, try made from scratch, try these and although you may fail at first, you will be rewarded when you get it right. Now, I know I usually leave you with a recipe, but instead I have homework this week: Take one of your favorite dishes/recipes and replace some of the store bought things in the recipe with stuff you prepare from scratch. If you love pasta, try making a marinara sauce, if you love well spiced burgers or meat try making your own spice rub. If you need ideas or have questions about what I or any of my readers like just leave a comment/question and we'll all share what food makes us happy. And because I'm learning French - Bon appetit et bonne nuit!

The Most Important Meal of the Day

    We all remember our moms, dads, doctors, teachers and everyone else telling us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and they were right. It is the most important, but not always the best tasting the way most people do it. I mean what did most of you have for breakfast over the past week? Let me guess: oatmeal with water and no sugar (DAD!), maybe some fruit, coffee, coffee, and more coffee, some toast, or maybe some pencil shavings...I mean cereal. Depressing, isn't it? Well as these places have shown, it doesn't have to be the coffee infused bore-fest that we've come to expect every morning. And I can already hear you..."but Brad, I don't have time!" This is BS. or "It's too hard!" Once again...BS. Or my favorite, "I don't really like breakfast food!" Then guess what, you haven't eaten it when it's done right. You have time, you can do it, and you will like it. Now the places I'll describe aren't for the 10 minutes before you go to work, they are for the days off, or the weekend, or when you have time to spend with significant other and/or kids. At the end I'll give you one or two recipes to make when you have time or even when you don't have but ten minutes. As per usual I try not to suggest a place to go or eat that I have not tried first, so while this list is good, it's not by any stretch of the imagination comprehensive so please leave some comments as to your favorite places. We all want to know the best spots and I haven't seen 'em all!

Loveless Cafe - Nashville, TN

    Loveless Cafe is located that the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway connecting Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. It's a wonderful parkway that is perfect for a sightseeing drive or bike ride and Loveless is the perfect place to start your adventure. This place used to be a restaurant and motel for motorists and bikers alike, but in more recent years has left the motel behind and upgraded their restaurant in both size and facilities including a bigger kitchen, dining room and stores to buy food, books and other items. Now, to the food. Loveless is best known for two things biscuits and country ham. Their ham is for lack of a better word perfect. It's wonderfully salty and succulent and the accompanying red eye gravy is nothing short of spectacular. Their most famous item is, however, their biscuits. They have been making these famous biscuits for decades and the recipe has never changed. The best part is that they are served like bread in normal restaurants. You get as many as you want and they come with butter and fresh preserves. But...If you're in the know then you need to order one additional thing with your biscuits, their famous sorghum. Sorghum is kind of like molasses, but whereas molasses is made from sugarcane byproduct, sorghum is made from sorghum grain. It's hard to describe, but you will love it if you like molasses. Go early because there is usually a wait, but you can always shop while you're waiting!

Lynn's Paradise Cafe - Louisville, KY

    Lynn's Paradise Cafe is a really cool, quirky place that has become famous is Louisville as well as around the entire country for its perfectly prepared breakfast foods. Their decor is over the top and fun and colorful, and the food follows suit, being fun new takes on good ole' American breakfast foods. They have fun dishes like their multigrain giant pancakes with their homemade cinnamon granola between the cakes. Or, the BLT home fries baked with crisp bacon, fresh baby spinach, tomatoes, onions, jack cheese and garnished with horseradish sour cream, with two eggs. It's not stuff that is weird and strange, just fun and really tasty. 

Hominy Grill - Charleston, SC

    If you've read my previous posts then you know that I have already talked about Jestine's Kitchen, but there is another place that gets even higher reviews in the breakfast arena, Hominy Grill. The chef from Hominy Grill, Robert Stehling, is a James Beard award winner and even that honor doesn't do him justice. His restaurant follows the local ingredient movement and does it very well. He doesn't really go strange or unique with the types of dishes he serves, basically good, simple southern cooking. His biscuits are spectacular and, as the restaurant name suggests, the grits really are famous. To make it better, Chef Stehling makes his own bacon and sausage and uses only local butter and his own bacon grease in his cooking. Ridiculous I know, but when someone goes through this kind of effort to make his food good, it shows. Make the effort to get there!

Peninsula Hotel - Chicago, IL

    Now, I know there are better places to get a plated breakfast in Chicago, I mean hell, it's Chicago. If you're there just explore because it's one of the best food scenes in America. That being said, my favorite breakfast buffet in Chicago has to be the Sunday brunch buffet at the Peninsula Hotel on East Superior St. Now you will be shelling out some $$$$ for the Sunday buffet, but like anything else, you get what you pay for. The Lobby has huge high ceilings and tons of natural light, and just oozes luxury and opulence. As to the food, you won't be disappointed. The buffet is filled with breakfast favorites as well as things like pecan french toast, crab cakes benedict, fresh squeezed juices, and just about anything else you could possible want for breakfast or brunch. It's white glove service at its best and when you put all you can eat with white glove service it's a foodie's dream. 

City Coffee House and Cafe - St. Louis, MO

    This is a coffee house (obviously) as well as a French-style creperie in the Clayton area. You can get sweet or savory crepes, but my favorite have to be the nutella and banana or strawberry crepe. They make them to order and then douse them with homemade whipped cream. However, like I said, if you want savory then you won't find a better lunch crepe. They have just about every filling you could thing of from Italian to French, Mexican and Southwest to contemporary American. The only way to understand the variety is just to head over to their website and check out the extensive menu. There may be a bit of a line, but it is worth it for the sweet, sticky, succulent, and even savory crepes!

    So, check some of these places out, you may even get excited about breakfast again and find something special that you want to share with the world. Breakfast is delicious and fun just as worthy as the other meals for time and attention. Have fun and let me know some more places you enjoy with you comments. Below is not so much a recipe as a new way I've learned to cook eggs that give them the great taste of a fried egg with the velvet texture of a poached egg, basically steamed eggs.

Steamed Eggs

Prepare the frying pan as you normally would for fried eggs, meaning get a frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of canola oil or butter. When the pan comes up to temperature and the oil is "shimmering" add two eggs. Allow the eggs to fry as per normal, but when you would normally flip the eggs, just take one Teaspoon of water and a lid that covers the pan, and add the water to the pan and quickly cover with the lid. Many people know that water and oil do not mix and so do be careful not to allow the oil to fly out of the pan onto the burner. What happens is that instead of flipping the egg and possible burning or breaking the yolk, it gets steamed by the rapidly evaporating water. All you need to do is take the eggs out when they are done to your preference. You will find that they are velvety because they are steamed instead of directly cooked in the oil. Enjoy!

Australia - Food, Fun and...Rainforests??

    Australia is an interesting country to me for many reasons, the first of which is the fact that so many Americans want to go there despite having very little knowledge of what the country is like. I'm serious. Ask 10 of your friends and I doubt very much that more than one or two will say they have no desire to take a trip to Australia, and even one or two may even be a high guess. But, if you then ask those people what Australia is like, they will probably give you a good description of Crocodile Dundee's scenery. Now much of Australia is "Outback," or kind of a brush, small tree filled desert, but how many people here know that Australia holds an enormous rain forest on the northeast portion of the country? As a matter of fact, over 92% of Australians live in the coastal urban cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, and Brisbane). This concentration of people in urban areas does drive one of the most wonderful melting pot foodie scenes in the world.
    This culinary atmosphere is the second reason Australia is so freakin awesome. Many wouldn't think about the fact that there is such an Asian influence here, but if you think about it Australia is about as close to Asia as you can get without officially being an Asian. Therefore, some of the best Asian food I've ever had has been in Sydney. Also, not only is there great Asian food, but fun, new meats as well. If you're in Australia then it would be sacrilege not to at least try an indigenous meat like ostrich or kangaroo, but this country is also known for some of the best steak and lamb in the entire world, not to mention the seafood caught around all of these coastal cities. The other thing Australia is known for is their wine. Aussie Shiraz  is just awesome. It usually has a spicier feel on the palate than comparable Californian or South African wine, and is often the perfect companion to a nice t-bone or plump lamb chop.
    "So you've whetted my palate, where should I go for this delicious food?" You ask, I answer. If you want a little of everything then there is no better place than Sydney. Sydney is beautiful, as this pic shows,

and it is also Australia's largest city and as such, plays host to just about every type of food found on the continent. From personal experience if you want one of the best chinese duck dishes ever then head over to Billy Kwong for a crispy duck that is served with oranges, mandarins, or plums depending on season. This duck is so far beyond perfect that life afterwards is almost a let down. You won't have better crispy duck for the rest of you life, so you'll just have to get used to that fact if you're a duck lover. It's pretty crowded and the restaurant is on the tiny side, but it is definitely worth it. Another Asian food that doesn't get enough recognition around the world but is presented wonderfully in Australia is Mamak in Sydney. Malaysian food is a great mix between Indian and Chinese or Thai. It has a vast array of curries served along/on top of/in/etc. lamb, veggies, breads (roti) and rice. Mamak is a very authentic place with some of the best, most complex curries that showcase malaysian food at its finest. You have to try a few different roti's and any one of the satays. Malaysian food maybe new to you, but this place will bring you back over and over. I don't really have too many recommendations for more typical lamb/steak fare, but there are so many great places in sydney and Melbourne that you can really just close your eyes and point and you'll find one. The best idea is just to walk down the street and find a place that serves multiple types of the dish you want most.
    An area I mentioned earlier that many people don't know about Australia is the rainforest in North Queensland (Northeast Australia). This is one of the oldest rainforests in the world (over 65 million years older than the Amazon) and is truly an experience in and of itself. If you are able to, that is if you have the budget, the treehouse type hotels in the rainforest between Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation are really neat and often have fantastic activities in both the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. There are rainforest hikes, zip lines, nature centers, boat rides, reef diving, and tons of other stuff to do while you're tucked up away from the rest of the country. Just because the area is so beautiful, here are a few pics from my trip here back in 2006.

    The food up here is also something of a draw. In Canberra (the largest city in this area) there is a huge Asian influence, but in the rainforest itself the thing in which to indulge are the fruits and nuts. For all of you who like passion fruit, this is where some of the best in the world is found. you will find yourself addicted, and I'm not kidding one bit. I think my father still has dreams about eating pounds of passion fruits in the morning. They are worth the trip all by themselves.
    As to the rest of the country, if you want to venture out into the Outback of Australia then you will not be disappointed. I was not able to see this part of the country when my father and I went, but Ayer's Rock is supposed to be spectacular and there is a reason that Australia is known for the Outback (aside from the oh so local Bloomin Onions). The primary point here is that you will not be disappointed no matter where you aim your trip. My suggestion is just to go there, which is not all that hard nowadays. I've actually found much cheaper airfare from the US to Sydney than from Chicago to LA, and often you can often find round trip tickets for about $600 per way.
    As per usual, here is the recipe for the week. Since there isn't really a single dish that represents Australia, I've tried to combine the wonderful meat heritage of the country with some of its newer Asian influences. The dish is marinated lamb loin chops, but I'm going to give you a few choices for the marinade. The first one is a Peanut Satay marinade, and the second is a Honey and Soy marinade, and I'll also give you two different ways to cook the meat. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Peanut Satay marinated Lamb Loin Chops
- 1 lamb loin chop for each person, these marinades are presented for 2 chops so increase or decrease as necessary
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon curry powder

Ingredients for Honey and Soy marinated Lamb Loin Chops

- 3 tablespoons honey

- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce

- garlic, crushed, to taste

- 1 teaspoon grated ginger

- black pepper to taste

Directions for Grilling

Preheat grill or BBQ on high. Cook chops about 2 minutes, until just starting to brown, before basting with sauce (optional). Continue cooking lamb chops for another 3-5 minutes each side, basting occasionally.  If desired, serve chops with leftover basting sauce for dipping.


Directions for Sauteing
In a heavy frying pan, sear over high heat for ½ to 2 minutes each side, until just starting to brown, before basting with sauce (optional). Reduce heat to medium and cook chops for 2-4 more minutes, turning once.  If desired, serve chops with leftover basting sauce for dipping.

An Homage to That Glorious Food...The Burger!

    So I would think that if I asked you to name an All-American food that the burger would be at or near the top of just about everyone's list. But why is this? Why has this grilled ground beef sandwich taken such a top spot in our collective culinary hearts? I guess it would have to be first that they're freakin delicious, and second is that they are so customizable and each individual can you his/her own favorite ingredients to make it as fun, boring, delicious, adventurous, spicy, or any other adjective you can think of. It's the perfect food with which to express one's own culinary viewpoint.
    So what makes a good burger? Well you give me 10 chefs and i'll give you 10 opinions, however there are some things that make a better burger. First of all is the meat. The meat that restaurants (and many chefs) tend to use is 80/20 ground chuck. That's 80% beef and 20% fat. I actually prefer 85/15 because it's not as greasy while still being fatty enough to stay in patty form and be delicious. If you can, get ground sirloin, I know it's a little more expensive but you get what you pay for. Pay for better meat, get a better burger. The most underrated thing in constructing a burger is the bun. Everybody's different, but you need a bun that can hold the burger without getting soggy as well as keeping the good bread taste. For store bought buns I like Sara Lee's bakery buns, and for bakery buns or home made I like yeast  buns or nice thick whole grain bun. The third thing you need is a HOT grill, frying pan, or flat top. The hot grill will give the burger that crust that everyone loves. Now you don't want to burn the meat, so after you get the crust you will want to turn it down to medium/ medium-high heat to get the burger to cook to your wanted temperature. Other than that pick and choose your favorite ingredients, that's the fun part. It's like when you were a kid and imagined crazy things to put together. Now you're an adult and nobody can tell you what to do. You want a fried egg on your burger? Go for it! You like pepper and onions and chile sauce? Knock yourself out! Have fun and try some new things. Here's my favorite burger: 1/2 lb ground sirloin with gruyere cheese melted on top, crisp applewood smoked bacon, a piece of Bibb lettuce, and sauteed mushrooms tossed in a red wine reduction. Sound a little ridiculous? Maybe, but it is so good when it's done right.
    As this isn't just a cooking, but also a travel blog I would be remiss if I didn't give you some great places to find a great burger, and first up is a place in Fairhope, Alabama (a suburb of Mobile) called Panini Pete's. They just do it right. They have around six burgers on their menu, and each one is just awesome. My favorite (and the burger that my wife talks about all the time) is the black and blue burger, which is 100% angus beef rubbed with a good cajun spice and topped with a gorgonzola cheese. I can't promise good breath afterwards, but your taste buds will love you forever. If you're up in the Nashville, TN area and you don't mind going to a dive/diner then you absolutely have to go to Brown's Diner in the Vanderbilt/Belmont area. Now this place isn't upscale by any means (basically it's a double wide trailer) but they serve the best diner style burger anywhere. It's wonderfully greasy and comes with perfect shoestring fries that make you just feel like a "real American." Do yourself a favor and get there. A third burger, and the one that inspired my favorite toppings is the restaurant at the Hilton Golf Resort in Sedona, AZ. I know it's a hotel restaurant, and I can't give an opinion on any other thing on their menu, but they do a great burger. They use Kobe beef and grill it to perfection. Mine came topped with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms tossed in a port wine reduction that was sweet, sticky and wonderful. Their golf course is one of the prettiest I have ever seen, and there is nothing better than a great burger.
    So that's pretty much it for this week. So as always, I encourage you to go out there and try new things, even if that new thing is an old comfort food like burgers. Try new toppings, new cheeses, and even new breads, and you might find a culinary voice that expresses your individuality that you can then share with with your friends. You might even make someone else's favorite burger. Bon appétit and Bon Voyage!

Charleston: New York quality meets southern charm

So, I know I have let this blog go by the wayside, but it's back and I will be keeping up with it much more regularly. I promise. Anyways, on to Charleston. This has come to be one of my favorite cities in these United States, and not just because I live an hour and a half from this culinary heaven. The great thing about Charleston is that it isn't just a beach town or just an historic town, it's also a city full of nationally recognized restaurants. There are James Beard Award (the culinary world's Academy Awards) winners every year from restaurants, and often nominations in most categories from Charleston every year. This is a city that is serious about quality food and a must-visit for foodies everywhere. There is no way to completely break down all of Charleston's culinary experience, but I'll give a couple of categories and some of my favorites from each one.

Lowcountry Food
If you visit Charleston you have to get some good lowcountry food, it's what we're famous for. Lowcountry food consists of shrimp and other shellfish, grits, good, fresh greens, rich sauces, creamy soups, BACON (i know, it's cheating). It has African, Caribbean, and New Orleans influences, and it's awesome! Two great choices for Lowcountry fare are Magnolias and Jestine's Kitchen. Magnolias has a fantastic chef and pastry chef, and is known for giving lowcountry food an upscale twist while staying true to what it means to use quality coastal ingredients. It's by far my most favorite restaurant in the entire city. I just feel happy whenever I walk in the door. Jestine's Kitchen is a family owned restaurant that is named after the original owner's nanny, and has kept the old recipes from Jestine. Their breakfast causes lines around the block, and their lunch inspires business to give longer and longer lunch breaks to their employees! You will not be disappointed with either of these, and to quote my sister (who lives in Chicago) regarding Magnolias  "this is the best dinner, beginning to end I think I have ever had!"

Fresh, Local food
This may seem redundant considering I've already done lowcountry food, but it's not necessarily different. Charleston chefs, in recent years, have championed the cause of local ingredients led by Mike Lata of FIG and Sean Brock of Husk. Husk does every dish from local ingredients (not necessarily charleston area, but within about 200 miles of Charleston). They not only use local ingredients, but they do it expertly. They make their own butter, bread, and mixes for their cocktail menu that is without compare. They also smoke their chicken and pork to perfection. You have to try the cornmeal breaded and fried bread and butter pickles for an appetizer and the BBQ chicken or the meat loaf for an entree. FIG (stands for Food Is Good) is consistently rated as one of the top restaurants in Charleston and holds onto that rating by using fresh ingredients in new and exciting ways. Their menu changes daily, although there are some staples that stay on the menu as long as they're in season. This place has officially given local fare a huge upgrade and is worth the visit in every way.

High-End
Every respectable city needs some good high-end restaurants, and Charleston doesn't disappoint in this area either. My two favorites here are Peninsula Grill and The Ocean Room at the Sanctuary. Peninsula Grill is an upscale steakhouse that also knows its way around some french cooking as well. If you go here then definitely take advantage of the champagne bar menu as the oysters and pan seared fois gras are out of this world. As to the entree course their steaks are done perfectly, and the ribeye is the best. Lastly, their coconut cake is what brings people to this city. It's eleven layers of heaven that will bring on a serious craving for the rest of the year. The Ocean Room is on Kiawah Island (about 30-40 min south of Charleston) and brings old world tradition to modern, fantastic fare. In fact it's the only steakhouse in the US to get both Forbes 4 Star and AAA 4 Diamond ratings. The wine list is nationally recognized and the food will blow you away.

Recipe
Anyone who reads my blog knows that I always include a recipe in every post, and this one is a Charleston favorite - Crab Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 pound fresh crab meat
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 pint whole milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint half and half
1/4 cup cornstarch
generous dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sherry or to taste
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning or to taste
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Make sure all the crab meant is clean. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, stirring to coat, and cook until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the mik, cream and half and half. Heat to just boiling stirring often. Dissolve half of the cornstarch (more for a thicker soup) in the remaining cup of milk and add to the soup, stirring well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, sherry, Old Bay seasoning and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly. When the soup is thickened (thickened enough to coat a spoon, about 20 minutes), add the crabmeat. Heat through over low heat. Thin with more heavy cream or half and half before serving if the soup is too thick. Serve hot (serves 5)
Well, I hope everyone gets a chance to visit this magical city and enjoy her food as much as I have. It really is the perfect place for a foodie!

My Favorite Food In The World...Not Kidding

    One of the reasons I wanted to write this blog is to try to get people to not only get excited about food and travel, but to also get them to try new foods and travel to new places that they may have never tried before. I mean, you can't always eat eat Italian food or travel to Mexico or Canada. Fun sometimes, sure, but are they interesting if that's the only other cultures you try, hell no! With that in mind welcome to Morocco!! I know, I can already hear some of you saying "c'mon Brad, Morocco????" And as my title says, it really is my favorite everyday, meat and potatoes kind of food. Not only is the food AWESOME, but it's a really unique, exciting and hospitable country.
    First thing's first, since it's my favorite food I guess I'll have to explain why. The essence of moroccan cooking is SLOW and well spiced. The base of the food is a tiny durum wheat pasta called cous cous. Now cous cous has become pretty popular in America because it's easy and takes about 5 minutes to prepare. The only problem is that real moroccan cous cous takes about 3 hours to prepare and puts the ready to eat stuff here to shame. The real stuff is wonderfully prepared, fairly dense without being heavy, and can take on any spice you care to pair with it. The second thing the moroccans do well is lamb. they cook this lamb on the bone and in their slow cooker called a tagine. you can actually buy these in the U.S. at most stores. It looks like a big upside down ceramic ice cream cone on top of a heavy plate. It allows the meat and veggies to cook low and slow so that they are more tender than you think they could possibly get. If you are a veggie person you'll be in heaven, and if you're a meat person like me you'll become a vegetarian. Not kidding. I ate cous cous with seven vegetables (the name of the dish on EVERY menu) at least once a day, crazy good everywhere I ate it. A third thing that was a nice surprise were the oranges. They grow freaking everywhere. There are orange trees in the cities, train stations, restaurants, streets, everywhere. Usually the dessert at the restaurants consist of these oranges. I ate a half dozen a day and never got tired of them.
    Where should you go you ask? Well, my favorite places were Marrakech and Fez. Casablanca is famous, but it's really just another European type city that's kinda dangerous and pretty boring. Marrakech gives you a big city with old world Arab flair. The souks (markets where you can buy anything) are enormous, the food is outta control and you won't run out of places to see and experience. In the middle of the city is the square called the Jemma al Fna. It has open markets a few restaurants, but the coolest parts are the fact that you can see al around the city just by standing in the middle of the square, and while you're standing there you can see some old world entertainment like snake charmers and sword swallowers. Fez is basically a smaller Marrakech, but with no cars or motorbikes in the city. it's all walking in the city proper, but after the cars and motorcycles in Marrakech it feels wonderful. Fez is the traditional culinary and religious center of Morocco, and between 800 and 1100 AD it was the culinary and religious center of Islam. Pretty cool.
    Now, about hotels. Morocco offers something that you won't really find anywhere else in the world. Most places you go you stay in hotels, B&B's, hostels, cottages, etc. but in Morocco you can stay in riads. A riad is a really nice home, often formally owned by the wealthy or nobility. Unlike wealthy homes elsewhere though, lies in where these homes are located. Streets in Marrakech, Fez and other cities in Morocco are often narrow, tan and nondescript, and the doorways are no different. The door of a riad may just be a metal door that looks like any other run-down metal door, but when you open in it and go in you're greeted by marble floors, fountains, pillows and couches and every other item that reminds you of Arabian Nights or Aladdin. It's incredible. Here and here are a few websites of some Riads I've researched. Check them out on your own too. I recommend Tripadvisor.
    Please Please Please do yourself a favor and do your best to see new cultures. I know travel is expensive, and oversees travel is even more expensive, but you won't regret one minute of this vacation. It's a truly remarkable country and unfortunately I haven't even scratched the surface here. Check it out and see if it's for you! But, because no one is going there tonight, I'll leave you all with one of my (and my wife's) favorite at home moroccan meals - moroccan spiced chicken and cranberry cous cous. This is a meal you can do in under 30 minutes and it's as easy as it gets. The only hard part is getting the spice rub for the chicken, but you can find it in most speciality spice stores (or the internet. Gotta love that internet!). Sidenote - If you like skin-on chicken, use that, and if you want to substitute lamb or any other meat, knock yourself out. This is less a recipe and more an idea and plea to try something new.

Moroccan Spiced Chicken - serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tsp cumin
Ras al Hanout - this is the moroccan spice mixture I spoke of, it's the essence of moroccan cooking and smells wonderful

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the olive oil on the chicken first, then season them with the salt, pepper and cumin. The reason I didn't give you a measurement of the Ras al Hanout is that the idea is to cover the chicken with the mixture, so just sprinkle until it's covered.  Then just take the chicken and put it in a baking dish or even just a cookie sheet and then cover with aluminum foil and put in the oven. bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.

Cranberry Cous Cous.- serves 4
1 1/2 cup store bought dried cous cous
1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock (recommend Swanson) - I know the package says water, but trust me use the stock
butter and salt - just use what the package says
1 cup (or your preference) dried cranberries

This one's easy. Just prepare it like the package says, but use the stock in place of water. Some store bought cous cous calls for olive oil, so if it does then use it, but most don't. For those of you who have never made this pasta, just boil the stock along with the tablespoon or so of butter in a small to medium size saucepot. Because you're using stock you can probably forego the salt. Once the stock is simmering turn off the heat, add cous cous and cranberries and stir quickly to blend all ingredients, and then cover the pot and let sit for five minutes or until the stock is absorbed. Then take a fork and "fluff" or stir and mix it up so that it gets light and fluffy. then serve and munch!

A Haven Amongst the Trees and Mountains

    The first place I would like to write about in this new blog is a place truly special to my heart: Asheville, NC. Asheville may seem like a strange place to start, but I wanted to start off this armchair journey through the world in a close to home destination that has a dynamite culinary and cultural experience. Asheville is nestled in the Smoky Mountains along I-40 in western North Carolina, and it's location makes it ideal for 100's of different activities. In Asheville you can hike beautiful trails, climb majestic mountains, tour the cool and funky downtown and visit the ever beautiful Biltmore Estate. One cool thing about Asheville is that it has an incredible bohemian vibe. It's almost a Greenwich Village in the mountains with great shopping, beautiful vistas and even better FOOD!
    So, as to the destination itself there are a couple of things I have to recommend, the first of which is the reverential Biltmore Estate. This is the home built by George Vanderbilt at the turn of the 20th century and is the largest private home in the entire country. On the estate you can take a number of different tours, eat at a number of restaurants and visit the AWESOME winery. The Biltmore winery has some of my favorite wines (the Sangiovese, Riesling and Pinot Grigio are the best!!). If you want to eat on the estate then the Bistro above the winery has the best food by far on the grounds - definitely give it a try for lunch.
    The second thing I would do in Asheville is to just stroll the downtown area. The city is known as a haven for the funky, hippie, bohemian culture and it's kind of fun to see all the different stores, restaurants and little open areas where the young people gather and shoot the breeze or sometime have some live music. While you're downtown you absolutely have to go to The Tupelo Honey Cafe. This is an award winning restaurant in the middle of town with a very southern/eclectic menu. The best things on the menu are the Grilled cheese and tomato soup, the fried chicken BLT and the Tupelo burger. All of their stuff is fantastic and fresh, and you cannot beat the biscuits and honey butter that you get free of charge. I never miss it when I make it up to NC.
    A third place not to be missed in Asheville is the Grove Park Inn. This is historic beauty sits on a beautiful mountain in Asheville and overlooks a GORGEOUS valley. Now, it is a great option at which to stay, but I wouldn't recommend it for a number of reasons. The first is that it is waaaaaay overpriced. It's not that the hotel isn't beautiful and worthy of a good review, it's just that the rooms aren't worth the cost. The rest of the hotel is totally worth the price, but the rooms are small, dated and just boring. The other problem is that it takes a year and a day to get from one side of the hotel to the other.
    However, the reasons I say you can't miss this place are the spa, the view and once again, the food. The Grove Park Inn Spa is the best spa I have ever had the pleasure of using. It is fantastic, wonderful, perfect, and every other superlative I can think of. The best part? THE POOL. It is a huge stone grotto with side pools with waterfalls and pleasant music that plays underwater. Once again...Perfecto! As to food, the steakhouse is good, but if you're going to spend that much money you might as well go to one of my favorite fine dining restaurants in the South - The Horizons Dining Room. Their steak is fantastic and the lobster bisque is creamy and full of flavor and just wonderful. But, the best thing I have ever eaten is (or was) on their menu the last time I ate there, and it's the maple glazed fois gras. This is just heaven on a plate. That's it, the only description that can really get at it...heaven. When someone asks me the best thing I've ever had this is it. It's sad, cause it's all downhill from here, but it's totally worth it just for their fois gras.
    Now where do I stay you might ask if you won't let me stay at the Grove Park Inn?? Well my good chap, the place to stay is the Inn on the Biltmore Estate. The rooms are much better (they remodeled the rooms and much of the hotel within the past 7-10 years), and roomier (i know, bad use of words) than any other hotel in Asheville. The other reasons for staying here are the amenities. First of all is that you get to stay on the nice quiet estate. Second is that there are all the estate amenities at your fingertips - restaurants, winery, shopping, house tours, etc. And a little nice thing I found out is that if you buy anything on the estate they will deliver it to your room free of charge (how friggin cool is that?). Just stay here...you'll thank me.
    So that's my little (or really long) Asheville spiel. It's a magical city that everyone should experience. Definitely try some of the stuff here, but find your own niche too! There's tons to do that I didn't go over, and it's up to you to find it! Have fun and check back next week for a new spot to explore or a new dish to try!

Now Who Doesn't Love a Little Local Italy

    Italy...The images this wonderful country brings up are some of the most iconic in visual or culinary arts. Just take a minute and think up some images of what Italy means to you. Fields of sunflowers, beautiful wines, Renaissance art, pasta, quaint towns, and Pizza Hut. Wait a tick...Pizza Hut? Kinda makes you wonder where Italian food has gone doesn't it? Well that's what we're gonna explore here. I think you'll find that Italian food hasn't disappeared or been turned into overcheesed pepperoni bread, it's just hidden in little beautiful pockets in our cities, towns and kitchens.
    Now this is one blog post that I would love comments on because if it's one thing I miss while living in a small town it's good Italian food. I would love to hear about some good places to try out when I travel. So anyway, I guess it's best to start with some of my favorite places I've found around the U.S. One of my favorites is a recently found spot that's thankfully (fairly) close to home. It's a place called Mercato in Charleston, SC. Mercato is on Market St. next to the big covered market in Charleston and is thus pretty aptly named. It's got dark wood booths and tables, an old school bar, great live jazz and awesome food. It's a great restaurant for a romantic date or just when you're in the mood for good food and good music. There is one dish that you can't miss if you go though, the potato gnocchi. It's a wonderfully made gnocchi with a sweet oven dried tomato sauce made with cipollini onions and braised short rib. It's basically a pot roast pasta and impossible to resist.
    My sister is probably gonna kill me for taking one of her favorites, but if you're in Chicago please do yourself a favor and check out Volare. It is what I think of when I picture the ideal Italian place. It's packed, has REAL Italian waiters serving out of this world food. Their calamari is the best this side of Italy and if you want a good veal marsala then there is no better place. But if you just want a perfect pasta dish then their capellini arrabiatta is a pure taste of the old country.
The last place you just cannot neglect is on the Hill in St. Louis. My wife grew up in St. Louis and showed me the Hill, which is basically little Italy in this beautiful city. The restaurant is Zia's on The Hill and is an Italian landmark in a city full of unbelievable italian food. You enter this place and basically transport to Italy for a few delectable hours before making the trip back when you force yourself to leave. Now I suggest that you try absolutely any and everything, but my favorite is the Spiedini Proscuitto. This masterpiece of culinary artwork is an 8 oz marinated chicken breast lightly dusted in breadcrumbs, basted in lemon butter and charbroiled. They then top it with white wine, lemon butter sauce, proscuitto ham, sliced mushrooms and provel cheese. It's AMAZING!!
    Well, these are a few of my favorites, but if you want to try a wonderful, easy to make Italian favorite at home then you should try my cheesy baked pasta that has become a favorite comfort food of my wife. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 ½ cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pound (box) pasta (I prefer penne or tortellini)
Enough thinly sliced mozzarella to top pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Pesto (to top the pasta mixture)
1 cup (or your preference) sliced porcini mushrooms

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.
Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, mushrooms, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender (about “{half done”). Drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the pesto then the parmesan. Top with sliced mozzarella (cover all of the pasta) Cover with foil and bake until the sauce bubbles and the mozzarella on top melts, about 30 minutes.

I hope you enjoyed a little taste of Italy in the United States, and I hope you learned that next time you crave Italian there are alternatives to Tombstone. Do yourself a favor and find them in your own town, and if you can't then at least you can become your own Italian chef at home! Come back next week for an exotic locale with some of the best food in the world, Morocco!