Chopbiscuit at home coffee review: El Gallo Breakfast Blend - Intelligentsia

Every morning when I'm not on the road, prior to performing 100 one-handed push ups (Jack Palance) style, and flying head scissor moves on my neighbor, I make my cup of morning Joe. Generally, I have a new blend from one of the many favorite joints and roasters I've seen throughout my years on the road. I've recently bought some Intelligentsia blends and I've really enjoyed their roasting style and balanced varietals. Intelligentsia is a staple for coffee lovers in Chicago so make sure you stop by one of their locations the next time you're in town.

This month's shipment featured a seasonal selection - Intelligentsia El Gallo Breakfast Blend

This breakfast blend is a perfect morning coffee with a velvety mouth feel and a well-balanced fruit like acidity. This blend comes from the Nicaragua region which gives it a nice note of caramel. There's a very clean finish to this coffee with a nice snap. Some may say this coffee may be a little bright for a breakfast blend, I say cockadoodle bolognese - it's the perfect balance for a morning cup.

As the coffee starts to cool, I noticed more of a nice floral play. Which is a good thing if you're a slow slippa. (Great rapper name) The brightness starts to mellow a bit more as the coffee cools.One of the great things about this craft roaster is that they are selling their beans at more and more locations every year. So, I don't have to visit Chicago every other week.

{Happening Soon} Me - go grab me a beer. My son - Can I have a sip?

Literally and figuratively

I hope everybody had a great Turkey weekend. With all the food, fun and football, it's hard not to enjoy yourselves. For me, this weekend brought in a bit more than my usual laying on the couch watching football. My first child was born Thanksgiving Day. His name is Jack Finnegan Carberry and he's currently out back behind the garage doing one-handed push ups in preparation for Navy Seal Training.

Kidding aside, it's been the most memorable weekend of my life. I'm just keeping him far away from Bernie Fine.

From our family to yours - Happy Thanksgiving

The Chopbiscuit crew at a county fair in Arkansas

As a bunch of food scoundrels, we enjoy what Thanksgiving brings every year. Family, friends, booze, dessert, football and inappropriate conversations with family members. We enjoy eating too much turkey and then putting on our favorite sweatpants before 6pm. We love that enough people are in the house to bring you another beer from the fridge. We love that we're not on the cleanup team after throwing down two pounds of white meat.

So enjoy your time with family and friends and be thankful for everything you have. Even your crazy uncle.

Poncho

Fresh Catch in Connecticut: A baker and fisherman's story

When traveling for work or pleasure I try to enjoy a little of the local culture, including meeting up with local yocals to see what kind of Tom Foolery I can get into between meetings and work. Fortunately, after traveling 1000's of miles over the years you begin to have a great network of incredible folks that are just weird enough to enjoy the same things that you do. For example, this trip to CT a few years back where your buddy has this great fishing boat and his folks live right on the harbor in Stonington for easy water access.

After several days of meetings we were ready for a little break late one afternoon. We headed out and got started by gathering a huge bucket full of clams which took no time at all. There is something about warm salt water sticking on your face in the late afternoon that brings back some of my favorite childhood memories. Plus, anytime I get to repeatedly dive off the boat, I'm in. You begin by digging your fingers and then toes into the sand so you could find the clam beds. As soon as you locate the clams, you hold your ground, waves and all, and yell for the person working the big clam basket rake thingy. This rake came in real handy because some of the clams where huge and would dig down and hold into the sand for dear life, but they were no match for Danielle. The bucket was full of clams in which we moved to catching blue fish. I really wanted fresh scallops but it was way too early before the season begins to even see any scallops. Plus, when the Bluefish are hitting the top of the water it's a HOOT. (literally and figuratively)

We needed to catch around 3-4 of these beasts.  

FISH ON!

One after the other we were landing the blue fish into the boat. We hit a school as soon as we got around the point looking over to NYC. This was beginning to be a great afternoon especially because we had been talking about "if" we have some extra time one afternoon we would head out to grab some fresh local seafood and spend some time cooking and telling fisherman tales. As we landed the last couple of blue fish we began heading towards the lobster pots. I know very little about the harvesting of lobsters, but I couldn't help notice all of the fancy colored art work on the buoys as we headed out from the harbor. So, I couldn't help but ask "what's with all of the artwork on the buoys?" Our captain (my buddy Tom) explained that if you have a license for lobster pots you have to create your own color buoys and the buoy must be on your boat of you are checking you pots. After locating the first couple of pots we were on another hot streak because we were already approaching the number of lobsters we need for dinner but I wanted a few extra just to make sure. You never know who will show up for dinner when you are in a smal fishing village and sorry but this is no time to share if you only have a few, so we grabbed a couple more traps and a good thing we did because nieghbors began to show up quickly once they learned Tom had been fishing and was now cooking.

The sun was beginning to set and all I could think about was eating our catch of the day. Tom is even a better Chef and Baker than a seaworthy fisherman. Tom makes an incredible seafood chowder and this begins with a great broth. He made the broth by adding the clams, local shrimp, lobster and fresh fennel from the garden. This gives you some serious eats. Then, we simply steamed the lobsters, melted some butter and grabbed some crusty Italian bread and ate for as long as we could stand it.

There are few things in life as good as fresh caught seafood. Add gathering, harvesting and fishing for your own dinner with folks you love equals memories of a life time. And this is the exact way one should live their life -  filled full of great memories. Build the memories now for life is way too short to eat shitty seafood.

Be Well Eat Well & Live Well

Chopbiscuit Preeminent Booze Review: Saranac Pale Ale

We figured it's time to get back to our roots here at Chopbiscuit and continue the reviews of The World's Best draughts. We have poked fun at our favorite canned beers in the past, but ultimately we love the best in beer making. Whether it's a Belgium White, American Brown Ale, Japanese Rice lager or an oatmeal stout - We enjoy a good beer.

So, let's continue the exposition with our reviews.

Right beer - wrong glass

Brewery: Matt Brewing Company
 
Beer: Pale Ale 

Beer style description: English Pale Ale


If you live in Upstate New York, you're familiar with Matt Brewery. Many of us growing up have thrown down a Utica Club or ten. USA Today reported in 2005 that sales increases of beers such as Utica Club and Pabst Blue Ribbon are part of a 'retro' beer trend among younger beer drinkers during the past several years. It's the PBR with out all the nostalgic douchebaggery.

Let's chat about Saranac Pale Ale. The Washington Post provided a unique perspective on both the Saranac Pale Ale and on the Matt Brewery itself. Saranac Pale Ale was named a finalist in the newspaper's "Beer Madness" tasting, a competition that playfully mimics the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament.

Good cheers to the team from Utica.

Saranac Pale Ale is a good English Pale Ale. The beer has a nice and decent balance to it. This beer is minimally priced for a Pale Ale in Upstate NY. Even though it's often a safe guard for me, I do like buying this beer and supporting the brewery. Pretty light on the palate but it has a pleasant taste and an above average body. Very refreshing and simple ale.

Chopbiscuit at home recipes {cookin' with Mark}: Cornbread and Southern Style Dressing

Thanksgiving with the family

I love everything about Thanksgiving - especially sweatpants. It has all of my favorite "F" words associated with it. Family, Food & Football. Family time is by far my favorite. (I'm home for two weeks straight first time this year) Usually the McDonough's trek over to Uncle John & Aunt Dianna's house in Sturbridge, MA for the "Triple F Holiday",  but this year we are going to party up at home. Our son Paden and his new puppy are coming home along with several of his friends for a traditional Thanksgiving Feast.

Below is my favorite recipe for cornbread and dressing. Now there are tons of recipes that take on the battle of Dressing versus Stuffing - but really who cares what you call it or where you stuff it. Just make what you love and call it what you want or start your own tradition. My recipe is called dressing because my Grandmother called it dressing and she used cornbread and sausage. In my mind there are only a few rules in cooking, which is probably why I became a chef.

My cooking philosophy:

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) By simple I mean no processed foods, very high quality ingredients and keep it local - but quality always trumps local. Use as few ingredients as possible for a simple clean flavor. Don't muck it up by making it into something it's not suppose to be. This only creates uncertainty and confusion.

*Start with making the cornbread recipe below

Cornbread

A.P. flour (sifted, twice) - 1 1/3 Cups
Sugar - 1/4 Cup
Baking Powder - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter (unsalted & melted) - 1 Cup (2 sticks) room temperature
Buttermilk (DO NOT SUB MILK)- 2.5 Cups room temperature
Eggs (lightly beaten) - 2 large eggs room temperature
Yellow Cornmeal - 2 Cups
Lard (YES, PIG FAT) - 1 Tablespoon (Don't use anything other than lard, bacon fat or duck fat period)

Place your cast iron pan (Don't have one? Stop now and go buy one) in a preheated 375F oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together the wet and join the two and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Remove the pan from the oven and place the lard in the pan making sure you coat every inch of the inside so the cornbread doesn't stick (You want all of the brown chewy edges, that's the best part) Pour your cornbread mixture into your cast iron and place back into the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes and check using the ole' clean toothpick trick. Once it's clean, remove from the oven and immediately remove from the pan by placing a plate over the top and and flipping out on the plate.

Southern Style Cornbread and Sausage Dressing

Oscar's Smokehouse Country Sausage - 1 pound (Use your favorite sausage but remember quality over local)
Red pepper flakes - 1/2 Teaspoon

One large yellow onion chopped (not too small) 
Three large celery stalks finely chopped
Cornbread cut into 3/4 inch cubes - 2 lbs or 12 cups
Fresh sage finely chopped 3tbsp
Three large eggs, lightly beaten 
Organic chicken stock (nothing else will do) 1-2 cups
Lard - 1tbsp

The stock varies here because if you like it a little drier, go with the 1 cup. I use about 1.5-1.75 cups and bake a little longer because I really like the crusty stuff.

Start with frying your sausage on med-high heat and as soon as the sausage begins to brown remove 1-2 tablespoons of grease and  set aside. Add red pepper flakes and onions and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir a little and then add your celery and lower heat and cover. You are looking to cook and steam so leave the lid on for several minutes before lifting and stirring. DO NOT let it burn.  Cook until onions and celery are translucent not brown. Remove from heat and stir in the cornbread. Mix well then add your lightly beaten eggs and your stock. Make sure your dressing is mixed really well

Here is where I use my cast iron or Le Creuset pan. You want the thickest pan you have, so the heat distributes more evenly to give your dressing a nice crust. Pre-Heat your pan in a 375 oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the lard evenly in the pan and place the dressing in the pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove and consume.

Be Well, Eat Well and Live Well

Chopbiscuit Recipes: {Kick A**} Pickled Carrots

If you love pickles like I do, then make this really simple and tasty recipe. It's quick and Judy will be so happy that I'm finally posting this recipe. I made this for our annual Super Bowl Party last year and luckily I reserved a jar because they were gone fast.

Pickled Carrots
Carrots (I use purple carrots) 

Rice Vinegar - 1 Cup

Mirin - 1/4 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Slice carrots about an eighth of an inch thick and fill some jars. I used three jars. (see above) Place ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat just until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour evenly into each jar making sure you cover all of the carrots. Make sure it's not too hot, you don't want to cook your carrots. Let rest at room temp for a couple of hours before eating them and fridge whats left.

Here is the best news -  use any vegetable you want. Beets work amazing and so do eggs. Yep, eggs. If you are like my wife Sharon and I, these will not last more than a day or two in the fridge. If you eat them in the same day add some hard boiled eggs to the pickling brine, add some beets or the purple carrots in the jars for some nice Jerry Garcia colors. Groovy.

Be Well, Eat Well & Live Well!

I Will Just Drink My Dinner At Thanksgiving, Thank You: Daily Links

The Best Way To Drink At Thanksgiving
This is important from the top: The old turkey and red wine pairing is a complete snore. Literally. Anyone who has had this combo will attest that it’s more effective than Ambien with a warm-milk chaser to put you in a serious post-meal coma. But Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t necessarily have to be followed by a nap. You can keep the party going by pairing your turkey-centric feast with lively wines and other less typical potables. You have the entire long weekend to sleep it off after all.

Taco Bell Cuts 105 Jobs
Taco Bell Corp. is cutting 105 jobs across its system in the United States, including positions at the unit level and at its headquarters in Irvine, Calif., corporate officials confirmed Monday. Thirty of those jobs represent the elimination of open, unfilled positions with Taco Bell, while the remaining 75 are layoffs of staff members. Taco Bell is a division of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands Inc. The quick-service Mexican chain operates or franchises about 5,600 locations.

Thanksgiving Prep: How To Make Green Beans Sexy   (recipe - fifteen Spatulas)

There are some foods that just aren’t sexy.  Meatloaf comes to mind (and if you’ve succeeded in making it attractive, let me know).  But green beans CAN be sexy, it’s just when they are sold frozen and canned, they can gain a pretty awful reputation.  Canned green beans are just disgusting, and hardly qualify as edible food in my book.  I think the best way to prepare them is freshly sauteed with lots of aromatics. Here’s how to make some beautiful green beans for your Thanksgiving feast.

Guidelines For Food And Beer Pairings

Beer has often been seated at the kid’s table of the culinary world. We have been conditioned by various media to be content to have a pale American lager in one hand and either a burger, hot dog, buffalo wing or pizza in the other. While some of those pairings work quite well, we should not be limited by them.

Beer can be amazingly complex in flavor and aroma. It can smell and taste of freshly baked bread or of fresh flowers, citrus and pine. It can be surprisingly sweet or bash you over the head bitter. With over 70 different styles of beer, the gamut of flavor combinations is large indeed.

8 Steps To Getting What You Want Without Credentials (Non Food-ish)
It's. That. Easy. At least Tim Ferriss thinks so.

Chopbiscuit Interview: Meet Joe Pastry

Editor's note: This is a series of food related interviews with industry professionals, writers, bloggers, executives, farmers and folks who have made a positive impact on the food cosmos.

Joe Pastry baking up some pumpkin scones

Meet Joe Pastry

Joe Pastry, aka Jim Beatty,  is a well known food writer who believes that if a man feels like whipping up a nice almond cocoa genoise or a few madeleines, well…he should be able to. The popular Joe Pastry blog is a site dedicated to baking enthusiasts who also enjoy the science and history of some of your favorite confections. I've gotten to know Joe recently and he's a wealth of knowledge and an enjoyable guy to chat to. I had the opportunity recently to ask him a few questions about the state of food blogs, his passion for baking and what the future holds for Joe Pastry.


Joe Pastry? Tell me how this all began?
 

I’d been working as a baker for several years, in Chicago and here in Louisville where I owned a doughnut business. When that business failed I wasn’t willing to give up baking. Rather I was trying to find an excuse to keep doing it. The food blogosphere was cranking up then, and I noticed that while a lot of bloggers were sharing food ideas and inspirations, relatively few were talking about techniques. Since I’m technically minded, I thought it was a niche I could fill, demonstrating how pro techniques could be applied in home kitchens. I chose “Joe Pastry” because I consider myself an everyday baker (I’m not a trained pastry chef), and I wanted to inspire other everyday bakers to try things that might intimidate them.)

You seem to have a passion for the science behind the craft of baking - where did that come from?

I’ve always been a nerd, that’s the main thing. The kind of person who’s not content to just do things the right way. I have to know WHY the right way is the right way. As a kid I was always full of those sorts of questions, driving my parents and everyone around me crazy. I’m also a perfectionist. Understanding why things work the way they do in baking helps me cut down on errors…which still occur with frustrating regularity.

You have a lot of great followers. How much have you learned from the interactive application of hosting a popular food blog?

 

You’re very right that I’m blessed with an extraordinary readership. Lots of very, very smart people who aren’t afraid to let me know when I’m wrong (which is often). I pick up tips from better bakers, chemistry from real chemists, history from real historians, recipes from people who live in the regions where classic breads and pastries actually come from. That doesn’t mean it’s a forum — I’m too much of a control freak to permit that. But it does create an environment where I can constantly learn and pass my learning on to other people. 

How are blogs influencing the food landscape from your eyes?

Primarily food blogs serve to gin up and maintain enthusiasm for food new trends. I think there’s a big misunderstanding that food blogs are places where food innovation happens. That’s not true in my view. I see blogs mainly as places where people who agree with one another congregate and reinforce each other.  At their worst they’re echo chambers. At their best they are fantastic test kitchens where ideas are subjected to intense, obsessive scrutiny. They can elevate the good — or the merely trendy — very, very quickly. Conversely they can sink the bad or irrelevant in the blink of an eye. 

Joe Pastry 2015 - where do you want to take the blog

 

Blogging for me is a personal exercise, to help me keep sharp as a baker, writer and food marketer. So my plan is to keep doing what I’m doing, hopefully making joepastry.com a bigger and more useful resource. Should I stumble into a way to make more money, that’d be great, but so far the model of giving content away for free hasn’t yielded any real financial dividends for anyone. I know of at least a couple of cooking schools that use the site as a textbook, and that gives me a lot of pride. I’d like to see that trend continue, I hope to good enough to deserve that honor. Otherwise I just hope to keep at it!

(* I would like to personally thank Joe for taking the time to answer some of my questions. Don't forget to head over to Joe Pastry to get your daily bakin' fix.)

Food Deserts: Changing the landscape

Not much healthy eating here eh?

Editors note: This is a series of posts on food, cooking and sustainable eating habits. We will explore the culture around food in this country and the little steps we can make to secure a laudable future in the world of provisions.

The majority of us never have to think where our next meal will come from from much less put a second thought of how we're going to get to a grocer to choose a healthy well balanced meal. Many of us simply do so with little to no effort. But for millions of Americans it's not that simple because of limited access to healthy food.

These urban areas are called Food Deserts.  But over the last few years, there is been a major uprising throughout the country of people that are choosing to do something about this important issue of food well being. The organization wholesomewave is all about nourishing neighborhoods through access and affordability to healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables to people who have otherwise not had many of our opportunities. They have created programs like the the Double Value Coupon Program at over 200 farmers markets in 23 states.

Check out wholesomewave to find out how you can help and get some great information about moving towards a more healthy lifestyle.

Wendy's is no Roy Rodgers and/or pull my finger: Daily Links

Wait, you're still open?

We have some cool links for you today. An employee craft beer vending machine, Wendy's is actually still around and commonsense grain eating. I'm off to dinner to celebrate my wife's birthday tonight. She's nine months pregnant - so I will drink for two, or eleven.

Bernie Fine, Bernie Fine, Bernie Fine. Say it isn't so.

Wendy's North American President Resigns
David Karam, president of North America for Wendy's, will be leaving the the company at the of the end of 2011. Karam intends to return to his Cedar Enterprises business, which operates 151 Wendy’s restaurants in six states.

2012 NYC Michelin Guide: 7 'Exceptional' New York Restaurants

Long before Yelp or Zagat, there was the Michelin Guide, still considered the reigning champion of restaurant ratings systems among most culinary experts. Every year for more than a century, Michelin has announced its city guides, causing restaurateurs around the world to clamor, quiver and quake over the amount of prestige their business has earned—"stars" in Michelin terms. This year is no different.

A traveling Man's Breakfast

I ate at The French Laundry two nights ago. Yesterday’s lunch was lamb loin and pumpkin ravioli served overlooking plucked grapevines at the Staglin Family Vineyard in Napa Valley, and dinner was whipped up by Masaharu Morimoto (geoduck and snapper with compressed apple), Scott Conant (rabbit agnolotti with fois gras and horseradish), and Cindy Pawlcyn (“Bachelor’s Lamb Tagine”) at the Silverado Resort. I’m being fed very well at this, the inaugural Flavor Napa Valley Food Festival, so I woke up and thought: do I really need to leave my hotel room to get breakfast?

Employees Create Beer Vending Machine

I’ve read articles about cool places to work such as Google where they have free massages and sushi lunches, Facebook which provides free laundry and daycare services, or Clif Bar which has a 40 foot rock wall and fitness center. Add to the list of cool places to work Arnold Worldwide, a Boston-based advertising agency.

Commonsense eating: The Grains of Energy
There’s nothing so controversial these days as a loaf of bread. Is it the staff of life? The harbinger of fat? A miracle of fermentation? A veritable gluten-laced poison? Are grains even fit for human consumption? How can we untangle this mess?

Congratulations to Kilpatrick Family Farm: A visit from Joel Salatin

As many of you know I joined a the Kilpatrick Family Farm CSA. They are great group of passionate young people that are making a positive impact on the local food landscape. From the weekly email blast they send out, it looks like they had a nice visit from "celebrity"  farmer (if that's a thing?) Joel Salatin . Joel is owner of the popular Polyface farm and author of two great books, Salad Bar Beef and You Can Farm. I've met a Joe and few times and he is a funny, quirky guy that has great knowledge of the American food system and is regarded as a pioneer of the local food movement in this country.

 Click here to read the article on Joel's visit to Kilpatrick farm.

Polyface farm was actually a  farm that went against the grain during a centralized industrial boom decades ago. They built huge compost piles, dug ponds, moved cows daily with portable electric fencing, and invented portable sheltering systems to produce all their animals on perennial prairie poly-cultures. This procedure made absolutely zero sense financially at the time.

The farm represents America’s move into non-industrial food production. The Salatin family invites like-minded folks to join in the farm’s mission: to develop emotionally, economically, environmentally enhancing agricultural enterprises and facilitate their duplication throughout the world.

From one pioneer farmer to another,

"It's the freakin' weekend".....R. Kelly (actually I believe Robert Kelly was not a farmer) My mistake.

Chopbiscuit pompous wine review: Cycles Gladiator '09 Pinot Noir

Welcome to Chopbiscuit's elitist, smarty pants and stiff-neck wine review. We will be completely patronizing and pretentious as we review some of our favorite wines. As we do with with the barley pop, we will review anything from your local "box" of magistracy or the most pompous french cardinal blush. We drink our wines wearing plush mock turtleneck's and Lee jeans. It's about the wine people.

Now, go get me some crackers and some Himalayan sea salt and turn on the Bravo network for some clever metro sexual programming for the perfect backdrop

Poncho approved cheap Pinot

What I Drank: Cycles Gladiator '09 Pinot Noir

One of the questions that the I get asked all the time is “What’s a good, cheap Pinot Noir?”  And, when I say all the time I mean, maybe one person asked me. To which I answer, “Hardly any.” Pinot noir is costly and difficult to grow for there to be much quality wine for less than $15, and especially for $10. Ya dig?

Cycles Gladiator may well be the best of the $15-and-under-class out in the market place right now. I've been a fan of this wine since I tried it on a Carnival Cruise ship in the buffet line. (I'm kidding) It certainly has the most Pinot character, and it's less jammy and  far less fruity, with more earthiness, than the other wines at this price or even a little more pricey. It’s light enough to drink on its own, and will pair with almost anything from chicken to takeout pizza. I actually drank it last night with a Portuguese hooker in Sri Lanka. Luckily I made it back home to work this morning.

For my money, this is the most consistent Pinot Noir for the price. Now, go out and buy a shit ton and drink til' your happy again.

Every recipe in the world and/or online oligarchy - Daily Links

Well I'll be damned! Food Oligarchy - call the henchmen!

Yummly for every recipe you've ever needed

Yummly will even tell you about recipes for food that hasn't been invented yet.

Beer's Health Benefits, consumed in moderation, may be similar to those of wine

Oenophiles have been looking down their noses at beer drinkers since time began. But the past few years have given grape-lovers a particularly powerful weapon against the unwashed masses of grain-supporters: health claims. A series of studies showed that red wine had life-extending health benefits, possibly because of a chemical called resveratrol, unmatched by any other alcoholic beverage. Two recent studies, though, may turn the tables on smug wine drinkers.

*God bless the beer lords

Chicago - 5 Milkshakes we love

I know it's a bit out of season, but Chi-town has some great shakes - even for the colder months.

Vertical Farming - how close are we?

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 10⁹ hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

Food News: Does Burger King have new fries?

Very interesting report from our friends at BurgerBusiness.com, who’ve let it slip that Burger King is selling new thicker fries, at least in the Chicago market. Has anyone tried them?

* I have an innapropriate love for Grub Grade.

Chopbiscuit Dining Review: Max London's - Saratoga Springs, NY

Welcome (again) to another delightful ad hoc Chopbiscuit inspection of some of the USA's most frequented saloons, dining halls, dive bars, food trucks, in-room dining and high end bistro's. At least one of your humble contributors is on the road virtually every week and luckily have the opportunity to dine at some of the finest institutions and loathsome watering holes known to man. Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, some deity would permit us to be pirates and savage our nutriment.

We like eating. It fascinates us. We sit and look at the food for hours. We often eat while laying down in my hotel room with a bib in my lap and my outlook calendar open. Eating is our tweeting, except it's much cooler. Food is often made into the celebrity of carnage, which makes us appear to be pompous and scarce in regards to the act of eating itself. You eat because you fuel. We eat because we're hungry. We eat because it's our job. We go out to these establishments to consume their lineups with arrogance.

I then judge it. (Poncho Sinatra style)

Max London's
466 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

One of the great sins of living here in Saratoga Springs, NY is to have not partaken in a Max London's brunch. Shame on me. I've frequented the establishment for many dinners and cocktails, but the brunch has eluded us since we've been in town. The general reason is that the past year has seen some heavy travel, weekend projects and early morning breakfasts made at home. So, I was excited to visit to engage in some brunch-ery Tom foolery this past Sunday.

I've eaten a lot of great brunches in my lifetime and I started to think - what makes a good brunch?  Brunch to me is that lazy weekend repast fueled by Bloody Mary's and mimosas that bridges breakfast and lunch and, after a long week at work, passes as a full-day glutenous activity. Brunch in a way is a weekend lifestyle for many - Poached eggs, any classic, whatever is in season in a comfort food style environment. Mimosas and Bellini's make it a little bit more fun for those that are not yet still hungover.  Maybe some oatmeal brulee, with fluffy pancakes? On a good brunch menu, you can include some hearty breakfast staples and simple lunchtime options with a uniqe non-partisan twist. It's the only time a restaurant has to creative a simple conduit of flavors that works for different dayparts.

What I ingested:

After taking way too long to decide, my wife Katie and I decided to share the Ranchero pizza and classic Steak 'n Eggs with Potato Hash. The Ranchero pizza is baked on their gold standard pizza crust with tomato, spicy cherry peppers, baked egg, fontina and house made mozzarella. The Steak 'n Eggs is a hearty dish comprised of Grilled strip steak, potato hash and eggs. I felt like keeping it simple, but the Salt cod potato cakes were definitely calling. If you've never had the Max London's flatbreads, they are on par with the likes of Pizzeria Bianco and Al Forno in Providence. The two that I measure all flatbread pizza against. Wonderfully charred crust that's flaky and compliments most any toppings. To wash it down, I chose the Beer-me-mosa which is comprised of Butternuts wheat beer and orange juice. Strangely enough, a perfect brunch style compliment to the entire experience. A nice crisp wheat body with an acidic finish.

If you're ever in The Spa City during brunch time, make sure you head over to Max London's to see the perfect example of what a brunch menu at it's highest level should be. Make sure to check out the menu below.

Honey isn't actually in my honey and/or fast food facts? Daily Links

Facts about fast food around the world

From Lonely Planet's new book, How to Land a Jumbo Jet, a visual exploration of travel facts, figures and ephemera. Available now from Lonely Planet. Anywhere you travel around the world, you're likely to find a McDonald's waiting: With restaurants in 128 countries worldwide, they're hard to avoid.

The Great Honey Swindle

As if bees weren’t having a hard enough time of it lately, now there’s this: According to a report released last week by Food Safety News, the vast majority of store-bought honey sold in this country isn’t technically honey.

Finally a whiskey for horrible people

With the launch of their first liquor brand, an upstart company called Fabulous American Beverages (or FAB, if you’re feeling suicidal) is going where no other whiskey-maker I know of has purposefully gone before: Ladies Night at the Jersey Shore.

Making Pumpkin Bread (Recipe - Joe Pastry)

I should do more pumpkin recipes, they match so well with my overall color scheme. As with most tea breads, the only trick to this is avoiding over-beating. Otherwise it’s a snap.

Warming up to the Joys of Cask Ale

My wife is not one for cask ale. “It’s too warm,” she bemoans whenever I try to pass her a pint. “And where are all the bubbles?” I sigh, that deep sigh of a married man for whom this will be an ongoing issue till death do us part. “That’s how it’s supposed to be served,” I explain, once more running down the intricacies of cask-conditioned (or real) ales.

Carter Johnson - Thank You {In a completely non-food related post}

Sometimes you see things on the intertubes that you just have to share with your loved ones. Meet Carter Johnson. Carter just happened to see a wild car chase and was interviewed by a local television crew and he spewed out some absolute gems.

A few things to love about this video:

• He's wearing a Coonskin Cap in 2011.
• Dale Jr. reference
• Dukes of Hazzard reference
• He came in Dewksa Hazerd, gitnit, diggin' li' 'at, li' dale joonyer, and he hook'd up n' shot for'erd, n' when hook'd up n' shot for'erd 'at's when 'e came n', n' n' hit-

A restaurant will bankrupt you and/or make you rich - Daily Links

The Cost of Starting up a restaurant

Opening a restaurant isn't only logistically complicated, it can also be very costly. John Kunkel, who has opened 10 branches of the Mexican eatery Lime, explains the costs involved.

*I'm going to give this one a "no shit sherlock".

Meet Barley Wine, the beer that's never met a grape

Don't let barley wine's name throw you for a loop: The beer style has little in common with fermented grapes -- except for an alcohol content that can hit double digits. That explains why the thick, sometimes fruity, always strong belly-warming ale has become a signature sip for cold, chilly nights. But to suss out the style's genesis, we need to turn to 18th and 19th century Britain.

Bacon and zucchini tart (recipe - Daisy's World)

My zucchini plants are finally slowing down, and I think I’ve harvested the few remaining ones, so this will most likely be my last zucchini post for a while.  I never thought I’d cook as much zucchini as I have in the last couple of months and I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed them.  This tart is no exception.  While it’s great for breakfast, this savoury tart is also great for a light supper, with a salad. Of course, omitting the bacon and using low-fat milk instead of whole milk and heavy cream will reduce the calories and make for a healthier meal.

Cheesy pumkin thyme crackers (recipe - from scratch club)

Easy to buy from a store, but boring when you do.  Here’s a great way to Do It Yourself when you’re prepping for holiday festivities.  You can go the predictable cracker route, but I wanted to try something a little different.  I found a couple recipes for crackers, but they mostly just called for cheesy flavors. I was inspired to create a cracker that would be more than just a bland slate for some sort of topping.  I wanted my crackers to be the showpiece, so I came up with Cheesy Pumpkin Thyme Crackers.

Why don't you let Natalie tell you that all the food you are eating will cause you a slow, physically debilitating death. Enjoy!

Chopbiscuit Preeminent Booze Review: Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale

Since we just wrapped the day of drinking sponsored by the Ye Olde folk from Ireland, we figured it's time to get back to our roots here at Chopbiscuit and continue the reviews of The World's Best draughts. We have poked fun at our favorite canned beers in the past, but ultimately we love the best in beer making. Whether it's a Belgium White, American Brown Ale, Japanese Rice lager or an oatmeal stout - We enjoy a good beer.

So, let's continue the exposition with our reviews.

Maybe the perfect Pale Ale?

Brewery: Flying Dog

Beer: Doggie Style Pale Ale

Beer style description: American Pale Ale


A friend brought a sixer of this beer over this past Saturday to enjoy while watching a little college football. This is a very popular beer since it's been rated as the number one American Pale Ale in the country. Not bad eh? I would have to agree with those cheeky New York Times writers, this is a great, solid traditional American Pale Ale. Not a overwhelmingly hoppy back tone and it drinks like a full bodied lager. A very respectable and easy to drink, sessionable APA.

I noticed a bright, clear orange amber with decent white head that laces nicely. Carbonation level and mouthfeel are pleasant. Caramelized malts and pines in the aroma follow into the taste, with the hops more prevalent in the latter. Well balanced flavours end with the tropical fruit and citrus expected in this style.

A great beer to enjoy with people that appreciate what a good American Pale Ale should stand for. If you're surrounded by Bud Light drinkers - kick them in the knee and tell them to never step foot in your house again. They are everything that is wrong with the world of beer. They are the Joe Paterno sympathizers.

Dining in the future - The Restaurant Membership?

Imagine.

Imagine a world where you paid a membership to your favorite local restaurant or watering hole. You would walk in sans wallet and be able to enjoy your favorite meal. Per your membership you would be able to participate in special deals, member appreciation nights and potentially own a share of the business as a community shareholder.

You might say this is a Co-op right? Well, yes and no. Most Co-ops are independently fueled grocery models that are a conduit of goods from local artisan's to retail space. It's a bulk format that focuses on the niche of moving away from the national grocer and convenient chains - to a more local centric focus. An applied method for grocery shopping. I get it. But, what about an actual restaurant? Would you pay a monthly membership fee in which that fee tier would allow you to visit your favorite local restaurant without bringing any duckets? (as most early 90's rap lyrics referred to money)

Within that membership would be a community supported model that actually fueled the business cycle. The shareholder would actually also support the establishment by donating a few hours a week working there. A collaborative effort from the owners, operators and community. Unlike a membership such as the large retailer Costco, where the focus is on selling products at low prices at a very high volume, this concept would be focused on selling limited items at a limited volume to the preferred membership participants. Membership arrangements could be varied among concepts. For instance, some restaurants would limit membership to the neighborhoods where members live or work, while others arrange for members to come to the restaurant and help support the production. Some restaurants could expect members to work at least once a week, while others only expect members to support with their membership. It's an intriguing idea for sure.

The idea of your customers donating their valuable time to support a community supported model is understandably concerning. The model has to have a substantial impact on it's participants. With the restaurant being a cash flow centric model, intermittent opportunities for cash flow need to be determined and validated. So, in actuality the membership model would be the baseline driver with weekly activities that create traffic outside of that models lens.

More to come shortly on this concept. I believe at one point in the future, most communities will have vested interests in local commerce. A collective of shared values, affiliation and fortune.

A visit to the Honest Weight Food Co-op and/or Ponytails

Chopbiscuit bloggers on the loose!

You are probably assuming a few things from this picture?

(1) Why does Mark (on the right) hide his ponytail?
(2) Why are the both men smiling when they are clearly caught in the act, from a security camera, for stealing?
(3) Why does Mark (on the right) actually have a ponytail?
(4) Are they using those cardboard boxes for breakdancing?

All good assumptions.

The Honest Weight Food Co-op is a member owned and operated food Co-op located in Albany, NY. We had the chance to visit last week with a few co-workers and it was an amazing experience to see the type of passion and knowledge by a voluntary group of people that have a singular purpose.

Their statement is pretty clear,

Honest Weight is a member-owned and-operated consumer cooperative that is committed to providing the community with affordable, high quality natural foods and products for healthy living. Our mission is to promote more equitable, participatory and ecologically sustainable ways of living. We welcome all who choose to participate in a community which embraces cooperative principles, shares resources, and creates economic fairness in an atmosphere of cooperation and respect for humanity and the earth.

In this world of industrialized, processed, nutrient deficient foods, Honest Weight is a golden beacon of hope, along with many other Co-ops scattered across our country. It has a real clear stated purpose and vision that brings REAL food to people in a non-pretentious format. It's simple, uncomplicated and direct.

Just like food should be. Make sure you go visit and volunteer if you have the time. Only if Heavy D would of ate more at a Co-op. RIP.

Chopbiscuit at home recipes: Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

It's fall. It's harvest time. It's soupy.

Cooking in the fall just feels right. Especially when you're cooking with local, hand-made ingredients. Butternut squash gives off a bright golden hue with deep, sweet flavor. Accompany that with some Vermont Grade A medium amber maple syrup and it's a nice, warm, fall appropriate dish. This soup is great for any occasion outside of a Hitler Youth rally. You get the picture.


Maple-Roasted Butternut squash Soup with Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Yield: 4-6 servings

1 medium butternut squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Grade A maple syrup
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons creme fraiche/heavy cream
3 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
2 cups spicy toasted pumpkin seeds

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a large knife, cut the squash lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the seeds and set them aside if you're planning to use them for anything. (Glaze them with maple?)

(2) Place the squash halves, flesh side up, in a baking dish. Place a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup in each squash cavity. Sprinkle each half with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the squash with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours until the squash is tender and soft.

(3) Pour the liquid from the squash cavity into a food processor and then scoop all the flesh into it. Add another tablespoon of butter, maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche. Puree until smooth and silky.

(5) Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan and whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock and heat over medium heat. Thin it out by slowing adding the remaining one cup of stock and salt to taste.


*When serving, top with spicy toasted pumpkin seeds.

Creativity and innovation: The food flip-flop

Who would you trust more?

The Big Box innovation around creative food development has just been Punked.

For about the last 20-30 years, innovation around food, flavor and development has largely been funneled through a system of large retailers, corporate food kitchens, old media and marketing research groups. Much of the food we ate growing up was developed by a savvy system of research and development teams with big pockets and unlimited opportunities to find the right taste profile and combinations that would resonate with the eating populous. From the casual dining explosion of the late 80's and early 90's that brought the super samplers, sizzling hot plates and eclectic combination options, to our fast food brethren that silently created "new" types of food in their labs promoting cheap food alternatives - most food observers have sat quietly as the big boys drove the landscape around menu engineering.

No longer. Not now.

Welcome to the 21st century of innovation around food. There's been a sleeping giant that's been awakened and has taken over the culinary landscape. And, the great thing about it is that it's deconstructed, informal and controlled by the folks that haven't been tainted by the system. Social media, farmer's markets, Coop's, food swaps, supper clubs and the push to localize our food eco-system has created a new world of flavors, methods and culinary treasures that are driving the innovative landscape. It's a model that doesn't have restrictions around margins or basic analytical principles. It's not food presented behind a two way mirror at a focus group. It's a grass root explosion of innovation that's driving a decentralized process around culinary development. In the past few years I've seen at home recipes and neighbors creating more original and innovative dishes than I've seen eating out at high end restaurants in Manhattan or Chicago. I've seen people take chances and renounce the scope of how we're supposed to be creative. We've seen a renaissance in home cooking, canning and craftsmanship that was abound before the industrialization of food.

Currently there are thousands of food blogs and social sites that share recipes, reviews, "how too's" and culinary attributes that were once only held for the formal arts of culinary school and test kitchens. This shedding of light has engaged many people to say to themselves,

"I can do that better at home". 

This is not a piece about bashing the restaurant system, it's to let the folks know there's a catatonic change in the landscape around how we look at food. There's no hiding that your burger may have come from a gruesome factory farm in Arkansas. Or, that your Sysco dressings may be laden with artificial corn syrups, MSG and other unpronounceable laboratory jargon. I'm writing this because it's something I've personally experienced. The term "Restaurant quality" is being turned on it's ass right now. If I don't think the establishment isn't going to "one-up" me than I might just stay at home. There's no golden key to quality because I can buy the most premium and wholesomeness product just the way you can via your distributor. The person at home can generally buy just as fresh and with all the technology around home kitchen gadgets - prepare it just as well.

I will leave you with this. Big Box restaurant chains have been hit with a quality issue. They've become the joke of movies (ask: Applebees), pop culture and self esteem. How do you really feel carrying that McDonald's bag around with you? Society has elevated what value is and most of the restaurant world, has yet to understand and grasp this. The restaurant world is generally still dominated by a group of industry establishment, that isn't the most nimble and flexible to change and adaptation. They like seeing things through their lens and don't like big, sweeping idealists telling them how they should adapt. Mark my words, in the next couple of years we will see a swarm of companies losing their grip and going belly up. And, the food economy will be better off because of it.

Gettin' your CSA on: Finally, I'm a full fledged member

It's time to get my food groove back

I can finally receive my "Supporting local agriculture" merit badge. After a year and a half of living in Saratoga Springs, NY - I'm finally a member of a CSA program. I was able to join the fall/winter CSA through Kilpatrick family farm. Christina, the founder of From Scratch Club is the coordinator of the program and does a great job promoting it. She also has a great blog, which you all should check out right now. Seriously, right now. Since my travel schedule has calmed down to a "medium pace" (Adam Sandler reference), I'm actually able to enjoy the opportunity to support our neighboring farms. If you're not sure what a CSA is and have been living under a box of Frankenberries - click on the link under my pages tab to find out a CSA near your home.

No, a CSA is not a federal drug combat unit or a new chic crime show on CBS with LL Cool J. If you're happy with buying out of season veggies from corporate farms that have been transported across the country, feel free to continue shopping at your local mega chain grocer. If you want great, simple food from the people that grow it - think about heading to your farmer's market. What an idea, talk to the people that actually grew your food.

How f****** brilliant.

*Obviously stated with just a pinch and sprinkle of cynicism.

Restaurants {Dirty little secrets}: The Daily Special Board

Has the special ever really changed?

I've figured since I've spent most of my adult life working in restaurants at many different levels, I would pull you inside the dirty hamper of tricks most places use when trying to push food into your belly. One of my pet peeves is the lack of understanding most operators have around the Daily Special Board. Whether it's a chalkboard easel from Staples, or your server's pitch from his/her manager - the daily special has been dumbed-down by the industry in their attempt to soak that last opportunity of profit out of an item. Or, it's because we're especially lazy with being creative and innovative in this industry.  Because, let's be real, operating a restaurant can sometimes be pandemonium "running wild".

I say this knowing I've been to many places recently that use this as an opportunity to pitch a limited quantity item, or a seasonal appropriate entree that would appeal to the guests and diners. Good job - added value my friend. But, most haven't thoroughly thought this process out and what type of impact it can have on a daily basis. A daily special should have some logic and substance around why it's being featured "off the menu". It could be used as an add-on to accompany a few of the favorite entrees. It could be a departure from the norm, featuring your chefs creativity that may bring a different level of menu consciousness. You can use the special board to be daypart specific - elevating the experience with a unique item that fits into our guests purchase habits. The special board can showcase what your future menu may evolve into.

After all, we are in the people business. Excite them, be creative and strategic with this grainy chalkboard. Elevate your opportunity and pull attention to what makes your restaurant shine. Use it to your advantage for both brand enhancement and profitability opportunities.

Just please, god please, don't put the buffalo chicken wrap up there for $6.95. You're better than that.

Mass Moca: {choca latte}

Abstract-y

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is a world class treasure and for us New England folk, it's just a short drive up the Pike. Paden & I found ourselves with some spare time and set out for a quick road trip through the Berkshire mountains into North Adams, MA to visit Mass Moca. We ate some great food and hit a couple little coffee shops for a buzz.

As we drove up into the parking lot, there were a couple of construction workers building these incredible swings under the bridge. The structure had these huge white and black spirals that appeared to jump out at you. Really amazing.  The shear size of the buildings were almost breath taking.

This was one of the most amazing and fun time I had with Paden.  The musuem had amazing artists and exhibits that were world class.  They were showcased in a wing of an old manufacturing plant,  filled with some of the coolest art I have ever seen. If you visit during the summer,  you can rent bikes on the cheap and tour the beautiful little village including all the art galleries, shops, restaurants and great coffee joints. It's the perfect time of year to start getting back into indoor activities while we are waiting on winter to bring us the white stuff.

Peace and start planning today for a killer weekend with the family.
MM

Chopbiscuit at home recipes: Breakfast of Champ{ions}

Hello Breakfast

If you really want to kick start your day, grab some organic red quinoa, ground black chai and blue organic Agave out of your cupboard and meet me in the kitchen.(Make sure you're decently dressed, you never know who might show up)  Oh, and grab some peanut butter.

These grains have been around for a thousand years, possibly in a Galaxy, far, far away. The chia seeds have been eaten by Aztec warriors & Native Americans for centuries. These small seeds could be stored in a pouch and could sustain the troops for weeks only eating a handful a day. This would not only hold off hunger but give them immense energy. Quinoa is also a powerhouse of non-meat protein that packs a big punch. You can find quinoa in most grocers that have a small whole food or organic section. The chia might needed be purchased online. Click here if you're interested.

Here are the main reasons to eat this incredible breakfast. First, from a protein standpoint,  these are the two best non meat forms which supply adequate amounts of protein for the most energetic people. And, with the  peanut butter, this meal adds important fat to supplement the protein.  Chia is also a appetite suppressant and a very all natural effective one.  One to two tablespoons a day will keep you out of fat camp. Enough on the soap box but do the research yourself go buy these important grains to help keep balance in your life. Balance grasshoppa.

Morning Red Quinoa
Yield: 2 portions

Water -1/2 cup (near boiling)
Organic Red Quinoa - 1 cup (cooked)

All natural Peanut Butter - 1 1/2 tbsp

Ground Chia seeds - 1 tbsp

Agave Nectar - 1 1/2 tbsp

*Here is my new breakfast for the rest of my life. (or at least 5 days a week)


Place the peanut butter in your bowl and the hot water. You are just slightly softening the peanut butter so it doesn't stick together. Next, add the cooked quinoa mix well and add a little water if needed.  To finish, drizzle the desired amount of agave to give it that sweet balance. Be Well, Eat Well and know thy farmer

Peace,
MM

The National Restaurant Association: Why we don't need it

In the finicky and strange world of food retail, the National Restaurant Association is often seen as the Golden Beacon of light that casts itself as the father figure of policy, innovation and business. Each year hundreds of thousands of people head to it's annual show to participate in a world series of everything food. Expensive dinners, golf outings, trade shows and celebrity chef demonstrations are just a myriad of pleasures that one can participate in during the long weekend. It's often a show that touts itself as a resource for restaurateurs, food service vendors and sales people that can see and feel "cutting edge" innovation in the world of food service.

I've been a participant in this show for about 5 years now and I've learned that the whole showcase is a shit show of what I personally believe is the disengagement our society has with food and business. The NRA represents shady big business practices, back door deals and a monopoly of influence on policy for our industry. Those 99 percenters down on Wall Street protesting would appropriately feel at home banging on the doors of the NRA.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading and dominant business association for the restaurant industry, representing 52,000 member companies that own more than 254,000 American restaurants. This large membership makes the association a powerful force in the nation’s capital. The association lobbies on virtually every issue affecting the restaurant industry. It leverages the large scale chains that hold a tight grip on it's board and influence.  It supports an increase in the business meal tax deduction  and opposes giving independent restaurant owners the burden of enforcing tip reporting laws. It also supports class action reform as a way to reduce what it calls "frivolous lawsuits"; and it opposes increases in the minimum wage. Let me state that again, it opposes increases in the minimum wage. It's a collective, centralized spokesperson for a large minority of restaurant operators in the country.

Annual lobbying numbers by the NRA

The association has been a force in supporting the Republican parties pro big business model. Promoting the general large scale restaurant populous with policy and active agencies that support the large chains to thrive in these environments. If you're a small proprietor - sorry, but the NRA isn't necessarily fit to listen to your needs. As a former independent restaurant owner - I see no help that the NRA could provide for your business. Sure, they tout their support with membership opportunities showcasing new ideas and products that can "drive your bottom line", but I would tell you to seek out innovation all around, don't depend on a bought out Association to give you the guidance you're looking for.

These large Associations create an unbalanced approach to the natural discourse of business. It's about big money, big contributions and big business. They are an arm of influence that promotes the ideal economic climate for our large national restaurant partners and often creates an impossible business climate for the average independent entrepreneur. I will not participate in the NRA show in 2012 and will forgo my membership in its entirety. The food business has no need for these Associations as I believe they inhibit natural change and climate in a now defunct food system.

I leave you with one thing. Go introduce yourselff to a farmer, or a deli owner in your neighborhood and ask him their thoughts about the NRA. The response you will probably get is, "I love Charlton Heston". Adding to the notion that the association has zero to no value to the majority of food professionals.

Chopbiscuit on the road dining review: Strong Hearts Cafe - Syracuse, NY

What we threw down at Strong Hearts Cafe

Welcome (again) to another delightful ad hoc Chopbiscuit inspection of some of the USA's most frequented saloons, dining halls, dive bars, food trucks, in-room dining and high end bistro's. At least one of your humble contributors is on the road virtually every week and luckily have the opportunity to dine at some of the finest institutions and loathsome watering holes known to man. Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, some deity would permit us to be pirates and savage our nutriment.

We like eating. It fascinates us. We sit and look at the food for hours. We often eat while laying down in my hotel room with a bib in my lap and my outlook calendar open. Eating is our tweeting, except it's much cooler. Food is often made into the celebrity of carnage, which makes us appear to be pompous and scarce in regards to the act of eating itself. You eat because you fuel. We eat because we're hungry. We eat because it's our job. We go out to these establishments to consume their lineups with arrogance.

I then judge it. (Mark McDonough style)

Strong Hearts Cafe
719 East Genesee Street
Syracuse, NY 13210

Wow! Strong Hearts Cafe in Syracuse, NY is such a great little Bohemian place to eat and enjoy a great breakfast, lunch or dinner. The best part are the milkshakes. Yes, milkshakes at a vegan joint.  There is a huge menu of possibilities for shakes that actually aren't that bad for you and I can honestly say that these shakes are as good as any at Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco. My personal favorite.  (I will get hate email from my son for typing that) Paden and I love San Fran and try to go once a year.

In all seriousness, I've never had such a silky, creamy vegan shake that could truly pass any ones lips as real cream. I would wager huge bucks. Big Donald Trump bucks.  My point being is get off your ass and head to one of the best Vegan restaurants in the country. If, you're every in Syracuse,NY. I've heard it's lovely this time of year?

Here's what Chopbiscuit friend Amy and I ingested:

Amy: Grilled PB&J with banana and a PUMPKIN OREO MILKSHAKE. Dear lord of creamery's - thank you for blessing the lord of vegan.

Mark: Seitan Reuben with macaroni salad.

I'm not sure where to start, but the shake was just absolutely amazing. The Reuben was killer and again would rival any meat based selection. The rye bread was thin and almost crisp so it really added a lot to the overall edibility of this great sandwich. The Mac salad was stupid good and the veganaise perfectly coated the pasta. Check out the link and dig into the benefits of balancing a few things and certainly not giving up any flavors.

Now the best thing is yet for me to discover at this gem. Check out the pizza menu below and I will make the 2.5 hrs to 'Cuse for takeout. Check out the Strong heart Friday night pizza menu.

Peace, Be Well, Eat well & know your farmer. His name may be Harold.

MM

Chopbiscuit recipes: Flatbreads at home {The christening of the doughy saint}

For those of you that know us, we love making flatbreads and drinking good wine. We also like Australian Rules football - but that's neither here nor there. The key to good flatbread is the dough. No matter how great the toppings are, the dough will ruin any Pie if it's not cooked to perfection. If that happens, you'll have to turn on Radiohead and lock yourself in the basement for a few hours to realize what's just happened. It's not a good thing.

I'm still trying to bake the perfect dough. Luckily, we have a commercial 4-burner Garland oven in our house which we can crank up to over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. But, that's not high enough. If you're going to do flatbreads at a "Guy with a Luigi mustache"  level, you need an oven that can get up above 8-900 degrees. So, in the meantime if you don't own that type of Heat - go up as high as you can.

I've been making flatbreads since WWII and I'm going to share with you my most updated recipe.

Danny's Flatbread dough

Ingredients
Yield: 12 pounds

Honey - 2 1/2 ounces
Water - 2 1/2 quarts (70-80 degrees)
Dry Basil - 1/4 cup
Yeast - 2 ounces
Bread flour - 4 pounds
Durum flour - 2 pounds
Whole wheat flour - 2 pounds
Kosher salt - 3 ounces

(1) Combine water, yeast and dry basil in a mixing bowl. Mix with spoon until yeast if dissolved. Add your honey and let rest for 10 minutes. Add in the salt and flours, mixing with the dry hook and knead the dough until it pulls cleanly from the bowl and has a smooth, elastic texture. Cover, add a teaspoon of olive oil and place in bowl at room temperature for one hour. *Now it's ok to go have a beer or glass of wine, you're almost done.

(2) Cut the dough into 6- ounce balls and placed on a floured sheet pan and wrapp tightly. Refridgerate and pull out at least an hour prior to baking. Feel free to use the next day, as the dough becomes easier to work with.