Buy your meat from GI Joe

January 29th, 2012

I had a hankering for some salami the other day, and it reminded me of the time I met GI Joe.

Talk about a random night: My friend and I decided to check out some east side dive bars back in January 2009. At Packer Inn, we noticed most of the patrons were gathered around some guy in a lab coat. We come to find out that he’s giving out samples of his meat, which he’s selling out of his truck outside.

So we get a heaping sample platter, and everything was delicious. I ended up buying a half log of garlic beerwurst. The guy, by the way, is named GI Joe, and he totally looks like it. The company is called Perl’s All American Sausage Co., and you can order by calling 1-800-JOE-PERL (he’ll also give you a Perl’s All American Sausage menu that comes with his “Sausage Emergency Number”). I’ll never forget him towering over me and saying in a deep voice, “Thanks a lot, brotha!”

Apparently, he stops by the Packer Inn 1-2 times a year; most weekends, you’ll find him at various bars in Chicago, where he’s based.  Here’s a story that ABC Chicago did on him:

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Foodie vs. Non-Foodie

January 22nd, 2012

The Wall Street Journal had recently an interesting article titled “Can a Foodie and Mr. Bland Be Happy?” It provides anecdotes of couples who have opposite tastes in food. One woman says she “eats like a child” in that she usually only eats chicken and pasta, while her husband has enjoyed frog’s legs, escargot, etc. and “eats it in (her) face.”

I grew up being exposed to such a myriad of foods and tastes that I’m stunned by how conservatively some people eat (I seriously have a friend who thinks BBQ is too exotic). I’ve also been to other countries, and it seems like folks outside America have better palates than here stateside.

Of course, the article shows the extremes of being a foodie, describing a woman who bought a $500 truffle from Italy and questions the chef for 20 minutes before ordering (yikes!). I agree, some people in this category can be described as “intimidating, judgmental, even snobby,” as the article points out. Do you know anyone like this?

One way of coming to a happy medium, as the article points out, is to upgrade your ingredients (e.g. try grass-fed beef). Sometimes, I think it may be best if both sides just shut up and eat their own food.

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Mexico Lindo

January 14th, 2012

I have to applaud Mexico Lindo. It’s been open since September 2010 in the space formerly occupied by Steak ‘n Shake on the east side. The bright green and red paint job on the outside screams tacky, and diners have the more established Laredo’s not too far away. Still, it continues to battle on in the sea of chain restaurants that represents the east side.

On a Saturday lunch my dining partner and I were the only patrons. Our waitress also did prep work to help the chef, so we didn’t see her as often as we’d like (e.g. to get the check). Still, she and the chef (he actually rang me up at the end) were very nice.

The requisite chips and salsa that came before the meal were okay. I prefer freshly cooked tortilla chips to the ones I was served, but at least the delicious salsa made up for it. Despite it being “mild,” there was still a nice kick to it. You also can order cheese nachos, guacamole and chips or chips and salsa sampler, each for $4.99.

Lunch items cost $6.50 each and come with Mexican rice and salad, although it was really just some shredded lettuce and one small slice of tomato. The tamales (with pork) I ordered were moist and tender–they were just a bit small, though. Other lunch items include enchiladas, a burrito, fajitas and mole poblano.

I also tried the steak tacos ($2.50), chicken tacos ($2.50) and the steak tostada ($1.99) from the a la carte menu. I didn’t like that the steak and chicken were shredded into such small pieces; I think chunks would have been better. The tostada was crisp and tasty.

The bakery area had doughnuts, Mexican cookies, tres leches cakes and some other items I couldn’t identify.

Mexico Lindo is open every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and carryout. It’s also open for late-night Thursday-Saturday, and my waitress said the restaurant also delivers.

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Eating and driving

January 8th, 2012

One reason I don’t drive a car with stick shift is because I like to be able to eat and drive at the same time. I’ve consumed items such as subs, chicken wings, tacos, burritos, burgers and pizza while driving.

While I haven’t had any car accidents, thankfully, I’ve had my shares of spills, like the time I tried to drink a two-liter bottle (yes, two-liter) and it exploded on me and my steering wheel. That made for a sticky drive from Green Bay to Madison.

There is actually a list of the 10 worst foods to eat while driving. Some make sense, like chili (are you steering with your knees?), but others are fine to eat in my opinion, like chocolate and coffee. I would have added ice cream, gyros and New York-style pizza.

To make it clear that I’m not condoning eating and driving simultaneously, I’ve made a personal list of foods that are easy to eat and won’t be distracting during the ride. Some keys are to unwrap the item while you’re stopped and put a lot of napkins on your lap.

  • Sandwiches, subs and burgers. I typically unwrap half the sandwich to keep my hands clean. When I eat to the wrapper, I hold the sandwich with my mouth and pull the wrapper down.
  • Chicken nuggets, fried shrimp, french fries, onion rings, hush puppies, etc. It’s easy to just grab one from the container and eat it. If I need sauce, I’ll put the sauce container in my driver’s side handle.
  • Small slices of pizza, calzones, doughnuts, etc. Again, ample napkins help. Don’t act on the urge to wipe up spills until you’ve stopped.

What is the craziest or messiest item you’ve ever eaten while driving?

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Where’s the beef?

January 1st, 2012

723 lbs.

That’s how much prime rib the University of Wisconsin football team ate at the annual Beef Bowl at Lawry’s. Oregon, meanwhile, ate only 612 lbs.

This triumph bodes well for the Badgers, since the winner of the Beef Bowl has gone on to win the Rose Bowl 71 percent of the time. Last year, TCU out-ate UW 670 lbs to 650 lbs, and you know what happened in that game.

Some interesting notes: UW sophomore Travis Frederick ate the most, chomping down eight slabs of prime rib, which at 13 oz. each totaled more than 5 lbs. … Frederick told the Journal Sentinel, “You’ve got to feed the body. I can’t keep a girlish figure like this.” … Oregon lineman Mark Asper performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man who was choking at a nearby table.

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Christmas Dinner at the White House

December 25th, 2011

Happy Holidays! I enjoyed tender, juicy prime rib for Christmas lunch and succulent ham for Christmas dinner. For some reason, it made me wonder what’s served at the White House on Christmas.

While I couldn’t get this year’s exact menu, I did find previous ones. Did you know in 2009 the White House threw 28 parties/open houses and prepared 120,000 cookies, according to CBS News? Even the President’s Hannukah party has 500-800 guests.

Here’s a menu from 2006, according to Salon.com:

  • Display of Specialty Cheeses and Winter Fruits (Served with a Bountiful Display of Lavish Specialty Crackers and Spiced Pecans).
  • Colossal Shrimp Cocktail and Jonah Crab Claws (Served with Ramseys Cocktail Sauce and Spiced Remoulade).
  • Stuffed Turkey Breasts with Winter Mushrooms, Cheese and Brandied Cranberries.
  • Sugar Cured Virginia Ham with Hot Pepper Mustard (Served with Warm Blue Corn Muffins).
  • Chicken Fried Beef Tenderloin with White Onion Gravy (Served with Tiny Icebox Rolls).
  • Herb Roasted Lollipop Lamb Chops served with Warm Yeast Rolls.
  • Honey Cup Mustard Sauce.
  • Fresh Tamales with Tomatillo Sauce and Black Beans.
  • Baked White Cheddar Farfalle.
  • Sweet Potato Soufflé.
  • Asparagus Tier with Lemon-Garlic Aioli.
  • Golden and Crimson Beet Salad with Orange, Fennel, and Feta.
  • Chocolate Peppermint Cookies with Peppermint Crunch.
  • Pecan Sandie Tree (Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes) with Layers of Cookies.
  • Holiday Ornamental Cookies: Barney, Miss Beazley, Christmas Trees, Snowflakes, Candy Canes.
  • Red Hat Box Mascarpone Cake.
  • White Pound Cake with Mascarpone Cream Filling, Red Marzipan Frosting and Red Ribbon Bow Decoration.
  • Coconut Cake.
  • Coconut Chiffon Cake, Coconut Pastry Cream Filling and 7 Minute Meringue Frosting.
  • Chocolate Roulade (Christmas Log): Soft Ganache Frosting with a Chocolate Sponge, Meringue Mushrooms, Magnolia Leaves in White Chocolate, Raspberries.
  • Mini Tartlettes.
  • Pecan Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Orange Chiffon and Chocolate Boston Cream Pie.
  • Chocolate Truffles.
  • Homemade, Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache.
  • Long Stem Strawberries with Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce.
  • Warm Macintosh Apple Cobbler With Oatmeal Crumble.
  • Pumpkin Trifle.
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Surge Delivery Cafe

December 18th, 2011

Surge Delivery Cafe is a simple sandwich shop on Atwood Avenue. That’s too bad, too, because the name and interior decor make it a perfect fit for an Internet Cafe/coffee shop.

And why add “delivery” to the name? Surge wants to be “the only place in town that will bring you a breakfast sandwich and a mocha.” In that case, it probably should have picked a location closer to more offices, such as downtown or American Family Parkway.

Anyways, on to the food. Sandwiches come with your choice of bread, including ciabatta roll and whole wheat wrap; hot ($3.89), cold ($3.89) or salad ($4.09) form; and optional protein, such as $1 for turkey or ham.

I tried the Zeus’ Fuel (olive tapenade, tomato, red onion, spinach, feta, cucumber, red pepper dressing) with steak and a whole wheat wrap (hot). That combination of vegetables just did not work out. Even removing the cucumbers, which I normally like, probably would have helped this experiment gone awry.

Meanwhile, the Solar Flare (romaine, tomato, red onion, cucumber, avocado, cheddar, alfalfa sprouts, ranch dressing) wasn’t much better. I ordered the sandwich hot, but the chicken I added to it was cold. Overall, it tasted like a chicken Caesar sandwich mixed with every item on a salad bar–in other words, no direction.

The only saving grace to this meal was that I felt like I was eating fairly healthy. But as I eluded to, I think Surge went overboard with the vegetables.

Surge Delivery Cafe is open every day for breakfast and lunch. It also offers catering.

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Restaurant names

December 11th, 2011

Sometimes coming up with a name is really hard. Have you ever had to name a band, fantasy football team or baby? I’ve read and heard of many instances in which the name of (blank) was a result of people giving up and just settling on something.

What would you name a restaurant? Seems like the easiest way to go would be to use your name (e.g. McDonald’s), the type of cuisine (e.g. Pizza Hut) or maybe a play on words (e.g. Pink Taco).

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, “[F]or more upscale restaurants, the stakes are higher. A creative name can set a restaurant apart, but it can also lead to misunderstandings. Ideally, a name should convey something about the establishment, such as its style or cuisine, or even its location. It should be easy to pronounce and spell, yet different enough to suggest that the restaurant has something special to offer.”

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some names of restaurants in the Madison area:

  • 43 North. This refers to the latitude on which both Madison and owner Shinji Muramoto’s hometown of Sapporo, Japan sit. I like it.
  • Dumpling Haus vs. Essen Haus. The former is confusing. Is this some Asian-German hybrid? Nope. Meanwhile, there’s no confusing the German theme of the latter.
  • Tipsy Cow. When in doubt, make your place sound Wisconsin-y. Do you honestly think the beer Spotted Cow would sell as well if it was named Plain Ol’ New Glarus Beer? Seems like traffic at Tipsy Cow has improved over its predecessor, King & Mane (a great play on words based on its location, by the way).
  • Game Time Sports Bar and Grill and Players Sports Bar & Grill vs. Legends Sports Bar & Grill and Stadium Sports Bar & Eatery. The first two would be great names if it wasn’t for the fact that they’re not sports bars. Essentially, there’s nothing to distinguish them from any other bar to watch the game. On the other hand, Legends and Stadium are outstanding sports bars, and thus deserve to keep the word “sports” in their respective names.
  • Porktropolis, Fat Sandwich Company and Wasabi. I like these names because you know exactly what you’re getting before you walk in.

If you were to open a restaurant, what cuisine would you serve, what part of town would it be located and most importantly, what would you call it?

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Pho Nam

December 4th, 2011

If you’ve not familiar with pho (pronounced “fa” or “fuh”), it’s a Vietnamese noodle soup that’s usually served with beef. Since it’s in the name of the restaurant, Pho Nam, I of course had to order it.

I’ve enjoyed pho at Nam’s Noodle and Wah Kee, so the version at Pho Nam had a lot to live up to. It comes with the requisite side dish of bean sprouts, lime, jalapenos and basil. I ordered mine with beef and tendons ($8.75); other variations include chicken ($7.95), beef meatballs ($8.25) and House Deluxe ($8.95).

On first taste, the broth is much more flavorful than its two counterparts; in fact, I was hesitant to add sriracha as to not disturb the taste.  I also appreciated the generous portion of noodles. What I didn’t like was the sliced onions (not found in the other versions), and I felt the restaurant skimped a bit on the beef and tendons. Would I order it again? Sure.

The stir fried egg noodle with beef ($8.75) was a disappointment. It was a mixture of about 70 percent vegetables, 20 percent noodles and 10 percent beef. What little noodle that was there was good. I just wish they made it like Nam’s Noodles does–that is the gold standard in my opinion.

For the appetizers, I tried the chicken wings (six for $4.25; eh, why not?), which were decent, and the Vietnamese egg rolls ($2.95), which were delicious, albeit tiny.

The rest of the menu consists of non-pho soups such as wonton ($7.25); rice dishes such as grilled pork chops ($7.95); and vegetarian dishes. I didn’t notice the bahn mi sandwiches on the menu until it was too late; they are hidden in the bottom right corner like an afterthought.

Pho Nam is open Tuesdays-Sundays for lunch and dinner.

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Food & Wine Show purchases

December 1st, 2011

Just in time for the holiday season, here’s a list of the items I purchased at the Madison Food & Wine Show back in October. They were all so delicious that I’ve already finished most of the items.

  • Asian Spicy Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce from Penny Lane Farm. Try this on chicken or pork.
  • Bee Barf Honey from Hidden Oaks Apiary (608-235-5873). Wow, this stuff is fantastic! Great name, too.
  • Cured meat from Bolzano Meats. Warning, you will need floss or a toothpick after you eat their tasty products.
  • Sea Salt Caramel and Bacon Toffee from Christine’s Gourmet Toffee. It really is gourmet! In fact, these toffees were served in the 2011 Emmy Awards celebrity gift bags.
  • Pomegranate Cranberry Whey from Tera’s Whey. Mix this with milk for a healthy snack or breakfast alternative.
  • Milk Chocolate Truffles from Indulgence Chocolatiers. As they claim, it’s “truly exceptional chocolate.”
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