Food Quest

Café Caribe - Mediocre Coffee, Super Cool Can

by Bruce Watson, Posted Apr 13th 2009 @ 4:00PM

In our search for the perfect cheap coffee -- being devoted caffeine freaks, we also cover it here -- Slashfood decided to give Café Caribe a shot. Look at that muy tropical can; who wouldn't?

The brand indulges in similar identity politics to its competitor (and current frontrunner) Café Bustelo. The label is printed in both English and Spanish and proudly proclaims "Café Para El Gusto Latino: NUESTRO CAFE," or "Coffee for the Latin taste. OUR COFFEE." In the Bronx (the New York City borough this writer is proud to call home) Dominicans and Puerto Ricans take a lot of pride in their coffee, so we can see why Café Caribe is taking such a direct marketing approach.

Beyond that, Café Caribe is also among the cheapest coffees in the store. At $2.59, it's a dollar less than Bustelo and about one third of the price of Medaglia D'Oro.

The biggest draw, though, was the can. With bright colors, cartoonish writing and a cute little drawing of a hacienda amid palm trees, it is incredibly cheering. Over the last few weeks we've had a lot of gray days and the explosive yellow can has provided a lingering gleam of sunshine.

Filed under: Food Quest, Drink Recipes

Meat Madness: Vote for Your Favorite Meat!

COMMENTS 7

by Bruce Watson, Posted Mar 23rd 2009 @ 3:00PM

WC Fields once said "I love children ... if they're cooked properly." As a dedicated meat eater, I tend to have similar feelings about vegans.

While some of my best friends deny themselves the joy of animal products, I simply can't imagine completely divorcing myself from cheese, honey, milk and all the wonderful foods that come from animals. On some level, the idea of approaching life from a tofu haze seems almost suicidally self-abnegating.

In fact, while I have occasionally practiced vegetarianism, I am, at heart, a true carnivore. For health reasons, I try to limit my consumption, but I believe, both philosophically and sensually, that meat is an important part of my diet, if not everyone else's.

But which meat is the best? For health reasons, I'd probably go with chicken or turkey, but if it came to richness, my answer might be duck or veal. In terms of flavor, the answer could be lamb or beef, but for extravagance, it's hard to top a nice big buffalo filet mignon. Then again, in the summer, nothing beats a good grilled swordfish steak ... except for maybe a piece of lightly seared tuna.

Vote for your favorite meat after the jump.

Filed under: Food Oddities, On the Blogs, Lists, Food Quest, Ingredients

Food Challenges - Where's the Beef?

COMMENTS 3

by Bruce Watson, Posted Mar 6th 2009 @ 10:00AM

I love a good steak, and have had more than my share, but there's a point at which a finely-grilled, perfectly-seasoned slab of beef crosses the line separating cuisine and mortal combat. Such is the case with the increasingly popular trend toward steak challenges. Basically, it works like this: if a customer can eat the required amount of meat -- generally between 48 and 72 ounces -- in a pre-ordained period of time, he or she will get some sort of reward. Sometimes, this is merely bragging rights; more often, it involves prizes like a t-shirt or a free meal.

Consuming over three pounds of beef and sides in an hour or less takes a special kind of person. While I have to admire the determination, I'm not sure that I'm up for joining the club. While I think about my clear lack of manly meat-eating skills, however, I will reassure myself by Digital City's gallery of America's biggest steak challenges. One featured restaurant, Tampa's Frontier Steakhouse Cattle Company challenges its customers to consume a full six pounds of beef, a potato, and a salad in under 75 minutes. Needless to say, I'm not worthy!

Filed under: Trends, Food Quest, Food News, Ingredients, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants

The Baron Ambrosia - Celebrating Bronx Cuisine

COMMENTS 0

by Bruce Watson, Posted Mar 4th 2009 @ 10:00AM

For all its vaunted culinary diversity, New York is actually surprisingly provincial. Sure, this is a place where someone can pay $1000 for a plate of paella or $175 for a burger, but many New Yorkers seem unwilling or unable to travel far from their comfort zone. When people think of NYC's culinary wonderland, they generally imagine Manhattan; more specifically, they imagine the island's southern end, where former ethnic enclaves like Little Italy give an Epcot-style glimpse at culinary diversity, and high-priced haute cuisine joints offer dishes like sauteed wallaby foreskins garnished with eel farts for only slightly more than the cost of a used Saab.

The 2008 Zagat guide lists over 1,500 restaurants in the borough of Manhattan. By comparison, the Bronx has a mere 26. Part of the reason for this lies in the simple fact that the Bronx can't financially support the kind of diverse restaurant scene that fills Manhattan. The other side, however, lies in basic chauvinism: most Manhattanites are either too frightened or too ignorant to venture past 125th Street. This was recently played out in New York Magazine's "Where to Eat 2009" issue. Although the author, Adam Platt, dedicated an entire section to "Big Fat Italian" restaurants, he focused entirely on upscale Manhattan eateries, completely ignoring the Bronx's impressive (and authentic) Arthur Avenue neighborhood. By comparison, this would be like writing an article on barbecue that ignores Memphis, but obsesses over the McRib.

Filed under: Television/Film, Raves & Reviews, Food Quest, Food News, Chefs & Restaurants, Celebrities, Restaurants

Freshly Killed Turkey II - The Aftermath

COMMENTS 1

by Bruce Watson, Posted Nov 30th 2008 @ 2:00PM

A few days ago, I documented my first visit to a Pollo Vivero, or live-kill poultry place. Well, having now had the joy of dressing and eating a freshly-killed turkey, I can absolutely state the following points:

Cutting off Heads Isn't That Hard: I thought that removing the bird's feet and head would be really difficult, but it was actually easy. I used a sturdy, German-style chef's knife, located the respective joints, and sliced away. While the legs came off in one piece (each), I had to take the neck off in two pieces. I used a paring knife and reached inside the carcass to cut it closer to the torso.

Live Turkeys Don't Look Quite the Same: My turkey's torso was longer and slightly sleeker than the Butterballs that I was used to. That having been said, it was still quite meaty, and the actual process of cooking it was very much the same (minus the pop-up timer, of course).

Live Turkeys Are Yummy: The turkey tasted more or less the same as a grocery store turkey. It was slightly more succulent, but I also chalk that up to the fact that I brined it.

Live Turkeys Dry Out Easily: Unlike store-bought turkeys, which soak in a broth solution until you unwrap them, live turkeys need to be protected from drying out. I wrapped mine in moist paper towels before brining it.

Turkey Heads Are Fun: Being somewhat perverse, I held on to the turkey head and feet so I could show them to select people. Two of my sisters got in a little bit of a tiff over who got to keep them (I'm not the only weirdo in my family), until my youngest sister claimed the artist card, stating that she wanted to draw the various parts.

I have decided that I'm definitely going to go with live poultry for Christmas. Does anybody have a good recipe for pheasant?

Filed under: Food Oddities, Food Quest, Retro cookery, Ingredients, Holidays, Methods

Refilling the Liquor Cabinet: Well-Priced American Whiskies

COMMENTS 7

by Bruce Watson, Posted Nov 24th 2008 @ 4:30PM

American whiskey has been around as long as there has been an America. In fact, the decision to tax whiskey led to the famous Whiskey Rebellion, one of the first violent protests that followed the American Revolution. However, while numerous whiskies were once part of America's distilling heritage, corn whiskey (aka bourbon) has long since become America's more or less official alcohol.

Fair or not, in recent years, America's love affair with bourbon has led to a massive amount of sour-mash snobbery. Craft-style, small-batch, and limited edition bourbons have driven up the prestige (and price) of what once was the most proletarian of whiskeys. This is particularly ironic, given the fact that bourbon was, in many ways, the traditional whiskey of America's most rough-and-tumble element.

This is not to say, however, that good, old-fashioned, cheap American whiskey hasn't survived. Some of America's oldest and most respected brands are still around and are still reasonably priced.For example, Old Grand-dad is a lesser-known, but well-established bourbon. It is comparatively inexpensive and makes a great mixer. Similarly, Old Crow offers incredible value ($17 for a 1.75 Liter bottle) and a good, solid flavor. Best of all, it has an outstanding pedigree: if anybody casts aspersions on it, you can note that it is America's first sour-mash whiskey, was the preferred drink of Senator Henry Clay and President Ulysses S. Grant, and was one of Mark Twain and Hunter Thompson's favorite tipples.

Filed under: Food Quest, Ingredients, Drink Recipes, Holidays

Big Tex: The ultimate in deep-fried food

COMMENTS 0

by Bruce Watson, Posted Oct 29th 2008 @ 2:30PM

I generally try to eat wisely and well. I avoid greasy foods, turn my back on excessively processed ingredients, constantly rail against high fructose corn syrup, and try to eat all my veggies. Unfortunately, however, just as my day-to-day dietary Dr. Jekyll is upright and intelligent, I also have a culinary Mr. Hyde, who comes out when I find myself confronted with particularly delectable deep fried delicacies. Generally, this isn't much of a problem, as the fried food in my neighborhood mostly consists of unmentionable pig parts and the occasional codfish pancake. Moreover, since I've moved away from Southwest Virginia, I am no longer tempted by the Salem Fair, a horrifying assemblage of rides, petting zoos, and oil-soaked goodies that used to be the highlight of my year.

Recently, however, I came across a website for Big Tex, the Texas State Fair. While I will always maintain a warm spot for the food options at Salem, it is painfully clear that Southwest Virginia's yearly orgy of deep-fried wonders pales in comparison to the pure, unrestrained genius of Texas' chefs. With items like "Chicken Fried Bacon," "Texas Fried Jelly Belly Beans," and "Fried Pop Rocks Fundae," the Lone Star state has staked an unquestionable claim to national fryolator dominance. I was particularly impressed by "Fire and Ice," a battered, deep-fried pinapple ring that is covered in banana-flavored whipped cream that has been dipped in liquid nitrogen.

Liquid nitrogen? These guys are GODS.

Anyway, the fair is over for this year...but I'm looking ahead to next fall. Only 330 days to go!

Filed under: Food Porn, Food Oddities, Trends, Food Quest, Guilty Pleasures, Feast Your Eyes, Food Politics, Ingredients, Fast Food, New Products, Methods

Street cart cuisine: Details magazine determines the finest food on four wheels

COMMENTS 1

by Bruce Watson, Posted Aug 15th 2008 @ 12:00PM

Last fall, in the beginning of my first year in New York, I discovered the Vendy awards. Sponsored by the Urban Justice Center, the awards honor the city's best street vendors. I was particularly interested because of Mohammed Rahman, proprietor of the Kwik Meal cart on 45th Street and Sixth Avenue.

On some days, when I had a little extra cash, I'd grab my lunch at Mohammed's stand. While his menu was, ostensibly, the same as most other halal vendors, Mohammed had previously worked at the Russian Tea Room, and his classical background showed through. His genius lay in the little details, like the green papaya marinade that he used for his lamb, the basmati rice that he served it on, and the intricate spicing that made it truly unique. Although the 2007 Vendy ultimately went to Thiru "Dosa Man" Kumar, Mohammed still reigns high in my personal vendor pantheon. After all, he introduced me to the world of gourmet street food.

Filed under: Business, Food Quest, Guilty Pleasures, Food Politics, Chefs & Restaurants, Fast Food, Restaurants

Food Quest: A coffee lover's makeshift set-up

COMMENTS 4

by Marisa McClellan, Posted May 20th 2008 @ 11:03AM

Bob Laughton is something of a coffee fanatic. He needs to have his coffee strong and hot, and will go to great lengths to ensure that his morning cup satisfies these needs. Recently, while visiting a friend who had effectively stopped drinking coffee, he found himself forced to rig up a makeshift drip coffee maker in order to get his daily delivery of caffeine.

As you can see in the picture (if you follow that link, he's annotated his version with a series of entertaining notes) he wrapped a pre-heated Mason jar in a towel (to prevent heat loss) and placed that in a bowl. On top of that he perched a warmed, old yellow porcelain Melitta filter (the handles always seem to be broken off those old models, my parents had a cracked white one for years). In that went a Chemex unbleached filter and then, finally, into that filter he put his grounds, fresh Blue Bottle coffee from Chiapas. A lot of effort but I'm certain that the coffee tasted all the better for the work.

I'm sure that there are lots of you out there that are like Bob, willing to put a little extra work in so that you can have the best version of your favorite food or drink. Tell us about your food quest. Upload a picture of your set-up to our Flickr group and include the story with the image. We'll feature the fun and interesting ones here on the site.

Source

Filed under: Food Quest, Food Gadgets

What are your foodie limits?

COMMENTS 26

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted May 16th 2008 @ 10:05AM

"I wanted to be The Girl Who Is Not Afraid To Order Tripe And In Fact It Makes Her Even Cooler And All The More Sexy Because She Enjoys It. Alas, it was not meant to be." Carol at French Laundry at Home

Hear, hear!* I don't know about you, but this sort of rationale is what made me a foodie. I was a fairly picky eater growing up. I wasn't so bad that I'd eat PB&J for every meal, but if they weren't like the usual meat-potato-veggie triumvirate, or something else I'd eat normally, I'd get testy. If you were at the Mexican restaurant about 25-years ago where a little blonde girl went nuts because her beef was shaved instead of ground, that was me.

But then I got older, moved to the big city, and shed many of my food inhibitions. I hated it when my friends gazed at me in disappointment whenever I wouldn't try anything. I couldn't say no when someone slaved over a hot stove to bring me a meal full of food I didn't like. Soon, eating became an adventure -- discovering new tastes, learning about the foods, making meals fresh and fun.

Filed under: On the Blogs, Food Quest