Chopbiscuit Dining Review: Hattie's Restaurant - 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)

Hattie's Restaurant
45 Phila Street
Saratoga Springs, New York, 12866

Ever since I migrated west to Saratoga Springs, one of my favorite spots locally has been Hattie's. The soulful dining spot serves a variety of Southern and Louisiana cuisine, including their famous Southern fried chicken and homemade desserts. The chicken is so good that it's been written up in some of the most famous industry periodicals and Jasper, the Head Chef, even won a throw down with Bobby Flay. My wife and I had them cater our wedding rehearsal dinner a couple years ago to rave reviews from our guests.

Recently, Hattie's dove into the brunch business. We were finally able to stop in and check out brunch and were pleasantly surprised by the uniqueness of how they translated their southern cooking to pair with standard brunch staples. If you first glance at their menu, you realize it's something special if they are serving Brandy Milk Punch. Make sure you take a look at their entire brunch menu here.

I decided to go with the Cajun omelet, which featured North Country Smokehouse Andouille sausage, caramelized onions and extra sharp Cabot cheddar cheese. The smoked sausage added great flavor to the extra sharp cheese. The omelet was cook perfectly with a nice melted filling.  It was tough not to choose the Pain Perdu (New Orleans style french toast), but I was going to be wearing a speedo in the south of France in a couple days, so I wanted to loosen up on the carb intake. I kid. The highlight of the brunch were of course the Beignets, or as they are often known in New Orleans as, French Quarter donuts. They were fried to perfection with a nice topping of powdered sugar. So, there goes the speedo option.The menu has a bite for all brunch fans and puts their Hattie's flare into many early weekend staples.

So, if you're ever in Saratoga for weekend brunch - make sure you swing by Hattie's.

The art of merchandising - Thank you Stewart's

Sometimes you just have to stop and gaze in absolute wonder. You have to realize that some people are just more bright and savvy than you are. I had one of those moments this evening at Stewarts. I'm not sure I can explain what you see in this picture. It's beyond my ability to process from a creative and strategic merchandising skill set.

The bright orange cones, the folding card table, the promotion of ice cream in mid January in Upstate New York - I'm not in that creative league. Period.

Stewart's, you may have won the battle, but we'll win the war. God bless your Peanut Butter Cup.

Sincerely,
Poncho

Chopbiscuit preeminent booze review: Peak Organic Pale Ale - Peak Organic Brewing Company

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're often seen walking our pints throughout town and cuddling with our favorite Belgium's at the Cinema. Beer is our canvas and we paint that canvas by drinking more beer. We have poked fun at our favorite canned beers in the past, but ultimately we love the best in craft beer brewing. Whether it's a Belgium White, American Brown Ale, Japanese Rice lager or an oatmeal stout - We enjoy a good beer and a firm hand shake. So, let's continue the exposition with our reviews.

Brewery: Peak Organic Brewing Company - Portland, ME
Beer: Pale Ale
Beer style description: American Pale Ale
Color: Medium Gold/Copper
ABV: 5.05%
IBU: 44

I was turned on to Peak Organic from a local friend. Initially I was curious about the brand because of it's commitment to local ingredients and sustainable practices. Peak Brewing Company is a brewery that's committed to using the best ingredients possible for their handcrafted Ales. Peak's Pale Ale surprisingly became one of my favorite Pale Ales because of it's subtle caramel notes and smoothness. It's less hop forward than most, but I believe this adds to the dimension of the flavor.

The Ale has a solid pale malt scent along with a touch of Munich malt sweetness and a light to mild hop aroma. The taste, in my opinion, is right smack dab where a good American Pale Ale should be. The light pale malt flavor goes down easy and finishes with a touch of dryness and a light to mild bitterness.

It's the perfect Pale Ale, plain and simple.

*Four out of Four biscuits*

{No Shit Sherlock Commentary} NRA says eating well is critical to good health

I've written my thoughts about the need for the National Restaurant Association (NRA) in the past. I'm often dumbfounded how they take content and findings and spew it back out as the commandeer of restaurant foresight and opportunity. Let me say this, I have nothing personally against the NRA. I just don't see it's relevancy anymore outside of the yearly NRA show, where you can always find out the most efficient and cost effective ways to make "All Natural" hybrid jalapeno poppers from a desktop Turbo Chef.

So, let's move on to their very poignant piece on eating and good health. Apparently, they've done the research and figured out that "Eating Well is critical to good health".  You can read the entire article here.

Only if Paula Deen could  have read this article a few years ago.

I'm completely dumbfounded by the hypocrisy of the NRA and this article proves my point. They have a self interest to lobby for their members, period. The organization is a punching bag for big industry to tout it's power in alliance to gain more bandwidth on the national scene, and to stymie lawmakers in Washington.

2012 food and dining trends: #1 {Real food is chic}

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's finish our 2012 predictions with the number one trend on our list. We're finally done.

The coolness of REAL food.

Real Food is food which truly nourishes and respects producers, consumers, communities and ultimately, the earth.  It is a fundamental food system--from seed to plate--that fundamentally respects human dignity and health, animal welfare, social justice and environmental sustainability. Suck on that Glenn Beck.

Some people call it "local,", "hippie communists", "green," "slow," or "sustainable". Most knowledgable people just call it "Real food". It's that simple. Real food is food that is as close to its natural and original state as possible. Real food is not produced in a factory, it is not engineered in a lab, nor is it full of artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors. It's what your grandparents and great-grandparents ate. Real food doesn’t have a list of ingredients - it is the ingredient. 


The more I travel, more I see food provides slowly move into this world. Real food, in my mind, is the number one trend in food service today. Real food looks like what it is – a tomato that smells like a tomato and is ate in the heart of summer. The Decentralization of procurement in our country is because people are starting to understand the "why's" of eating healthy. Let's face it, Our food system is broken. From food riots abroad, to rising rates of diabetes and obesity here in America; from the carbon emitted by agriculture to the human rights abuses in the fields; it's clear our food system is in need of major change. Travel to many urban communities and see the food deserts that have served our youth and less fortunate. 

Government and big business have failed to step up to the challenge, with business-as-usual prevailing over the health of our bodies, our communities, and the Earth. There's a real movement happening and slowly the economics are going to make sense. When it does, you'll see a new opportunity of entrepreneurs, farmers and artisans who will capture our stomachs and minds with this new progressive approach to eating.

Here's to REAL FOOD. Raise your pint glass now.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.
#3 - Grow your own
#2 - Rage against the food machine

2012 food and dining trends #2 {Rage against the food machine}

Coming in at number two is the full on pursuit, by many, of "food justice" and integrity from millions of people across the country in their investigation to find solidarity between social, environment, unbalance and equality in our countries food system. This movement has been moving strong for quite some time, but I believe 2012 we will see a bit more clarity in their message and more focus on the objectives around our food ecosystem.

 As an industry veteran I've never heard the back room chatter this loud around people and companies that are trying to embrace more efficient practices or how to spin their message to dupe the eating populous. See the new Mcdonalds PR campaign around their lettuce, beef and potatoes. In one clip, they feature a farmer emphasizing family cooperation and rotational grazing to showcase the idealistic heritage of "real farmers" that support our industrial food chain. I think the ad campaign is a good move in the direction of transparency and connecting consumers with the farming origins of the food we eat. The farmers share a bit about their dedication to family, the land and environment, and making sure they produce quality food. As with most new campaigns from large companies, there will be critics and some blasting of how they are full of shit, literally and figuratively. Some question the honesty and motive of the ads, while others tie it right back into the big food company brute force and hypocrisy.

Whatever it is, this movement has legacy companies such as McDonald's throwing millions of dollars into a real food campaign to put a message out there. These boardroom MBA's and strategic consultants don't make decisions like this if they don't think that there's some potential Return on investment. Big companies in the food business can't seem to grasp that they're not the front line of innovation anymore and they have to play catch-up to trends that make brand sense. You can be assured the McDonald's of twenty years ago would have never thought they would be spending a big chunk on their Ad budget, touting their farmers and suppliers for a national television audience.

This year you will see a loud and expeditious voice of people making decisions with their wallet as they shift into different eating and purchasing habits. There's still a lot of work to be done, especially in our inner cities and in communities where real food is not an option.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.
#3 - Grow your own

Chopbiscuit recipes: {Chillin' Chili}

Welcome to the Great White North

We are getting some much anticipated snow this week in New York, so I thought I would shoot out a quick post with my wife's Kick Ass chili. This is a simple and very flavorful chili that, well, tastes like homemade chili.Obviously.

It all starts with the ingredients, so make sure you buy the best organic jar tomatoes, great whole spices and you will be rockin' in the snow while the chili is simmering. You can use any protein, but this recipe calls for ground turkey. We often use seitan, ground buffalo and grass fed-beef. Just depends on our mood.

Chillin' Chilli

Canola oil - 2 tbsp

Ground turkey - 2 lbs

Onions - One large

Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Black pepper, fresh cracked - 1 tbsp

Chipotle chile in adobe sauce to taste (we usually use one medium or two small)

organic tomato sauce - 2 jars (click on the link for one of our favorites)

organic can tomatoes - 1 can (click on the link for our favorite)

Sea salt - taste

Pre-heat your pan over medium high heat for a couple of minutes. Add your oil, wait one minute then add the onions and turkey at the same time. Reduce heat to medium and lightly brown. (approx. 10-12 minutes)

Add the dry spices: cumin, black pepper, chili powder. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Scrape the bottom of the pan and add the remaining ingredients and turn heat to low. Stir and cover. Stir every so often to keep from burning or sticking on the bottom. Run and play in the snow and come back and eat a killer pot of chili.

Be Well, Eat Well and Live Well

~Mark

A Chopbiscuit Road Trip - Fancy Food Show {San Francisco}

There is no food show in the country at the level of the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Period. That's why I love starting out my year with this food event. There are many of other food shows in California that boast about record attendance, but to be honest, most of the other shows around the country lack the quality of the Fancy Food show. Most shows in our industry concentrate on the restaurant industry as a whole. They have row after row of equipment, cleaning supplies and ladies barely covering their "lovely lady parts" to get you to stop by their booth and try to sell you something you don't need. (restaurant supplies that is - get your mind out of the gutter)

What makes this trip even more special is that for the second time my son Paden is joining me. Since this is Paden's second trip to the FFS he is now a seasoned pro. If you were to ask him, he would probably tell you that the first time you go can be very overwhelming. So, now that he has his sea legs he can enjoy smooth sailing.

Another great thing about the FFS is the fact that they hold two shows a year.  The winter show is in San Francisco and the summer show is in New York, so if you miss one you can still catch a second showing. Now, what else could even make the FFS better? How about a huge section showcasing locally made food products from the home states. The Cali show puts an entire wing of the Moscone Center into full Cali mode with products from the great state of California.The New York has a huge local section as well from all over the state including maple syrup, cheese and so much more. Just check out this link for a huge list of NY products.

So, keep a close watch here for a special roadtrip series to California and the fancy food show.

Be Well, Eat Well and Live Well

~Mark

Chopbiscuit on the road - St. Louis {The Rome of the West with a side of Toasted Ravioli}

Toasted ravioli, or breaded deep-fried ravioli, is an appetizer created and popularized, in St. Louis, Missouri. Toasted ravioli can be found on the menus of many St. Louis restaurants including those of The Hill, a predominantly Italian neighborhood.

I travel down to St. Louis frequently for work and when I'm feeling like carb loading, I often eat local and ingest some nice deep fried raviolis. What spicy chicken wings are to Buffalo, toasted ravioli is to St. Louis.It's a local and cultural icon for many. I've made them a few times, and this is the recipe I've always chosen to use.

Please feel free to reach out if you have anyway recommendations or ways to "zing" it up.

Toasted Ravioli
Yield - 10 people
*I often cut the recipe exactly in half if I'm sharing with a group of people. 

1 - 9 1/2- or 10-ounce box bread crumbs, plain or seasoned
50 fresh uncooked ravioli, cheese- or meat-filled, or 1 can (3 pounds, 2 ounces) brine-packed ravioli.
Well drained 1 cup evaporated milk
Oil for deep-frying Parmesan cheese, grated.
2 cups tomato, meat or butter sauce for dipping, optional.

1.Sprinkle a thin layer of bread crumbs evenly over the bottom of a shallow tray or pan.
2.Dip ravioli into milk, and place close together on top of the crumbs. Cover completely with more bread crumbs. Pat down so the coating adheres. Repeat as necessary until all the ravioli is coated. (If you prefer, the ravioli can be dipped and breaded separately.)
3.Fry in oil heated to 375 degrees for 3 or 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain.
4.Place on heated plate. Sprinkle at once with Parmesan cheese and serve plain or dipped in a tomato, meat or butter sauce.

Chopbiscuit Interview - Meet AJ Bodden of Saratoga Festivals, LLC

Garth and AJ - Festival Gurus

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.

Founded in 2009 by lifelong friends A.J. Bodden and Garth Ellms, Saratoga Festivals has quickly established itself as the premier large scale event management company in the Capital Region. Saratoga Festivals is the owner and operator of Saratoga Beer Week, Saratoga Brewfest and Oktobeerfest NY. The festival company has quickly established itself as a premier outlet for beer enthusiasts in the Northeast. I had the chance to ask AJ some questions around the company, industry trends and of course...........Beer.

You've had some great luck with your festivals around supporting Craft Beer and smaller Boutique Breweries. Where do you see the Craft beer movement headed in the next few years?

 

I honestly feel that what we are experiencing locally, nationally and globally, is just the beginning of a movement that will continue to surprise people, including those of us directly involved.  Consumers are becoming increasingly more focused on “quality” over “quantity”.  They want to know a products origin; what is in it, where is it from, who made it, what is it “about”, etc.  It just helps the cause that the products taste great!  My prediction is that we will continue to see a growth in craft beer for many years to come considering beer is so complex and there is so much that can be done with it.  

 How has social media allowed you to expand your brand awareness?

Social media has played an incredibly large role in establishing and increasing brand awareness.  It is free and interactive-no brainer! Today’s consumer wants to interact with the businesses they are buying from…they crave and need that interaction.  People naturally want to feel important, special and “heard”, therefore why not give them a chance to. More important is the fact that social media is viral and our society LOVES that about it. We love to tell each other about what we are doing, where we are going and why they should do the same.

  

What's in the future for Saratoga Festivals? Are you heading in any other direction outside of Beer fest and your upcoming Saratoga Beer Week in February?

Our vision is to grow our business by continuing to provide unique, interesting and cutting edge events.  We are not married to craft beer and are always looking for new ideas, but are always thinking local.  However, we are not interested in trying to reinvent the wheel.  If something is being done we are not looking to try to do it better. But we may be interested in looking at how we can do it differently. 

We are also moving towards creating partnerships with other professionals which will allow us to continue to grow without compromising the quality of our product.  We look to partner with professionals whose expertise is different than ours.  We truly believe that success is achieved by getting the right people on your team and allowing them to do what they do best.  In the end we all win. 

There are a lot of beer festivals around the country. How do you differentiate yourselves from these other festivals?

This is a great question, and one we get often.  The truth is we do take into consideration what others are doing, (we have to) but we put the majority of our focus on looking at our event objectively and focusing on what key components we feel all festivals need to be successful.  These components include a variety of great beer (of course), rare beers that people can’t find elsewhere, live music, local vendors, a great setting and plenty of space.  Beyond that we focus on the little things like lines, bathrooms, etc.  The bottom line is we want people leaving thinking they had an awesome time, tried something new, didn’t spend all day in line and can’t wait for our next show! 

  

When AJ isn’t running a festival company, what type of beer is he drinking when he’s got some free time?

Many, many of them! HA-HA.  Not only is craft beer my business, it is a passion of mine and one that I share with my closest friends and family.  I always enjoy drinking new beers, especially the local brews when travelling. I love all kinds of brews and with it being winter I am looking for malty, nutty ales with plenty of hop character but nothing over powering.  I am loving the fact that more brewers are doing Porter, Imperial Stouts, Scottish Ales and German styles like Doppelbocks.  My favorite brewery is Peak Organic Brewing Co out of Portland, ME.  These guys are producing top tier brews while sourcing their ingredients locally, brewing organically and growing their business through grass roots efforts.  They represent what it means to be a craft brewery.  Source local, pure ingredients and brew great beer that you can stand behind.