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Archive for December, 2011

Christmas Dinner at the White House

Sunday, 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.

Tags: Christmas, White House
Posted in Holidays | Comments Off

Surge Delivery Cafe

Sunday, 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.

Tags: east side, sandwiches
Posted in Restaurant Reviews | 1 Comment »

Restaurant names

Sunday, 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?

Tags: restaurant names
Posted in Observations | Comments Off

Pho Nam

Sunday, 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.

Tags: far west, Vietnamese
Posted in Restaurant Reviews | Comments Off

Food & Wine Show purchases

Thursday, 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.”