Cauliflower Shines in Winter. (NY Times)
Cauliflower can seem drab if served plain and, like its cousins cabbage and broccoli, downright unappetizing if overcooked. But from the Mediterranean to India, this versatile vegetable shines in salads and pastas, gratins and soups, curries and risottos. Cauliflower is at its peak now, from December through March, when produce markets often are otherwise spare, particularly if you happen to live in a northern climate.
I enjoy these BBQ flavored chips. In my mind, they are second to Trader Joe’s Hawaiian Style Hickory Barbecue Potato Chips, and they do indeed taste better than my backyard.
Actually, I don’t want to be a completely ungrateful bastard. I’ve got a job, so does my wife, and my wife and daughter are healthy. I shall count my blessings.
As if Things Weren’t Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.. (WSJ)
“There’s a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur,” he says. “One could rejoice in that process,” he adds, poker-faced. “But if we’re talking reasonably, it’s not the best scenario — for Russia.” Though Russia would become more powerful on the global stage, he says, its economy would suffer because it currently depends heavily on the dollar and on trade with the U.S.
Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces — with Alaska reverting to Russian control.
After going through a two week span in which I ate cereal every night and would near orgasm over store brand bran flakes, I’ve just now realized I haven’t had a bowl of cereal in nearly a month.
On a side note, all my cereal appears stale.
The 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America. (Men’s Health, ht Amanda @PF.org)
1. The Worst Drink in America
Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake2,310 calories
108 g fat (64 g saturated)
266 g
That’s nothing compared to a holiday tradition in our household: bacon-n-egg nog lard shakes, encased in a 5-inch corn syrup brulee crust and topped with fried cow brains and rocks of crystal methamphetamine.
All my neighbors who have been shoveling their driveways and side/streetwalks the past week now are surrounded by large, monolithic mounds of snow that will probably take days or months to dissipate. I, on the other hand, am now entirely without snow on my property.
Who’s the asshole now?
I’ve long had a round egg fetish, and was pleased when this year I was gifted with a pair of these round egg molds purchased from Crate and Barrel.
Here are the results of employing the devices to top a smoked ham and anaheim chili hash. As you can see, these eggs are round.
On a side note, this hash used about $1.12 of raw ingredients, and tasted better than 90% of the hashes I’ve bought on the free market, yet people all over this city line up and wait for 55 minutes for the privilege of paying $10 or more for the same experience. I’ll never understand white people.
Alba Osteria is a northern Italian restaurant located right off Capitol Highway, in Southwest Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood. For the last few years — if you’ve skimmed the local food sites — many online discriminating diners in Portland appear to hold this modest eatery in high regard. I tend to agree with these people.
Antipasti.
Carne Cruda. This was well sourced and prepared, and expertly assembled. It did, however, need a little “oomph”, and the waitress indulged our request of lemon slices that in our minds took this dish over the top.
Pork crepinette with grilled treviso (radicchio). A sausage of sorts, filled with ground and chopped assortments of various body parts. The first few bites were quite welcome, with subsequent alternating between livery and gamy. One of the crepinettes was a bit undercooked, and to their credit the comped the dish, even though we ate an entire half. I’m not sure if I could order and eat this in its entirety again, but wouldn’t hesitate to split amongst four people.
Primi. Alba is highly regarded for their house made pasta…
…in particular this rich, egg-yolk infused, thinly pulled tajarin, lightly folded in this case into a savory fennel sausage ragu.
These hearty pork, veal, and rabbit stuffed agnolotti, topped with fried sage leaves, further demonstrate the kitchen’s deft touch with fresh pasta. Very “earthy”.
Canneloni Barbaroux. An incredibly rich and satisfying dish of thick sheets of pasta, filled with seasoned minced veal and herbs, and topped with a thick and velvety bechamel-type sauce.
Side shot of the canneloni.
Secondi. Usually by the time we get here, I’m stuffed.
Porcini crust halibut, with sauteed chantarelle mushrooms, roasted cauliflower, served adjacent polenta. At this point, I was a bit full, and a bit buzzed as my brother was the designated driver, but the porcini crust on the halibut was interesting, but in my opinion the fish maybe suffered a bit by absorbing too much heat from getting the porcini crust. Still, an ultimately satisfying dish, after a few Barolos.
I enjoy this restaurant. If you see gnocchi on the menu, I would highly suggest you order it as the dish I’ve had was excellent. The few times I’ve been to Alba I’ve been served by this very attractive waitress that makes me embarrassed to bring my wife back here as she noticed my wandering eyes the first time, but goddamnit, that tajarin will make me eat crow.
6440 SW Capitol Highway
Portland, Oregon 97239.
Serving dinner from 5:30, Tuesday thru Saturday
503-977-3045
Website
HA & VL is ostensibly a bánh mì shop on SE 82nd, located just north of the Fubonn shopping center. A sandwich shop that just happens to serve a rotating menu of daily soup specials that are only available for certain hours early in the day. Alternating daily, the specials are available from opening (9am) until they run out. I’ve stopped by after 1pm on a couple days only to be told by the wonderfully polite and charming proprietor that they had unfortunately stopped special soup service.
The daily menu lineup can be viewed by clicking on this sentence which is a hyperlink.
Above is the Peppery Pork Meatball Soup, aka ‘bun moc’, which is described as “Pork meatballs slightly laced with black pepper, slices of pork in pork broth”. In addition to the aforementioned pork slices and pork meatballs, the soup is also accompanied by delicious fried fishballs, thick slices of what appears to be house-made cha lua, green onions, and a few leaves of rau rum.
The garnish platter, with fresh jalapenos, sprouts, shredded iceberg, mints (including parilla). A bit spartan, but to their credit, the waitress (who I think is the owners’ daughter) asked me less than halfway through my bowl if I’d like an additional plate of veggie. The service here really is wonderful, absent the cold, gruff scowls commonplace at many Viet establishments.
In addition to the hoisin, fish sauce, and sriracha garnishes you find at most Viet soup shops, there are these wonderfully twee containers…
…that house these fiery pickled fresh chilies, which add a nice kick to your soup.
As you can see, the noodles are of the larger rice-based variety, the kind you’d find in bun bo hue.
The variety of delicious meats and a solid and flavorfully distinct broth chock full of spiciness and “clarity” — combined with solid garnishes — instantly makes the bun moc at HA & VL one of Portland’s top bowls.
2738 SE 82nd Ave # 103
Portland, OR 97266
(503) 772-0103
BB@ Eat.Drink.Think. has been there
So has the Oregonian’s Karen Brooks
Yelp
Portlandfood.org
Since this is the view from my bedroom, I’m eating white rice mixed with two cans of sardines DEBONED WITH MY BARE FINGERS.
For some reason, I’ve decided I’m now generally ambivalent towards angelhair pasta. Rigatoni, you’re also on notice.
Any suggestions on what to do with this? I was thinking something perfunctory like chili.
Big layoffs at Budweiser. (Foyston @Oregonian)
Anheuser-Busch announced plans to cut around “1,400 U.S. salaried positions in its beer-related divisions, affecting about 6 percent of the company’s total U.S. workforce,” three-quarters of which were at A-B HQ in St. Louis. Also, 250 vacant position will now not be filled and 415 independent contractors will also be terminated.
The announced workforce reductions are in addition to the more than 1,000 U.S. salaried employees company-wide who accepted the company’s voluntary enhanced retirement program, which closed November 14 and provided special benefits for eligible employees retiring by the end of 2008.
It’s getting rough out there when American lager is no longer recession-proof.
Jeremy Piven Quits Broadway, “Extreme Mercury Toxicity. (Huff Post)
The doctor says that Jeremy is suffering from extreme mercury toxicity. Colker tells ET that a major symptom of mercury poisoning is extreme fatigue. In addition, Jeremy began experiencing neuro-muscular dysfunction late last week, which led to extreme difficulty in lifting his arms and legs. Then, this past Sunday, he began feeling dizzy. Now, the doctors have ordered enforced rest. Jeremy spent three days in the hospital recently and the doctor tells us exclusively that he is no longer in New York.
Colker tells ET that Jeremy has been an avid sushi eater for many years, regularly eating sushi twice in one day. He notes that Jeremy has also taken certain Chinese herbs, and that, in combination with the frequent sushi consumption, could have led to these elevated mercury levels.
Cake request for 3-year-old Hitler namesake denied. (AP/Yahoo!)
A supermarket is defending itself for refusing to a write out 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell’s name on his birthday cake.
Deborah Campbell, 25, of nearby Hunterdon County, N.J., said she phoned in her order last week to the Greenwich ShopRite. When she told the bakery department she wanted her son’s name spelled out, she was told to talk to a supervisor, who denied the request.
Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman, said the store denied similar requests from the Campbells the last two years, including a request for a swastika.
“We reserve the right not to print anything on the cake that we deem to be inappropriate,” Meleta said. “We considered this inappropriate.”
The Campbells ultimately got their cake decorated at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania, Deborah Campbell said Tuesday.
ZIRP! (NY Times)
From the comments:
Do you have any prediction for when creative lucky people might see the end of this?
— Lynn
December 16, 2008
3:44 pm
This is for us Portlanders who are currently paralyzed with fear by the recent snow and ice:
Snow and cold have you stuck at home? Have shopping still to do? Let us do it for you, and we’ll ship it for FREE! We’re your locally-owned store in Portland, so we can get it done quickly and get it to you quickly, snow or not. Here’s how we can help:
Order by December 22nd, and we’ll ship all orders for FREE*.
For orders over $500, we’ll deliver them ourselves**, even on the weekend.
Need help? Puzzled over what to give? Call us and we’ll put something together.
For FREE shipping at kitchenkaboodle.com, enter the coupon code “SNOW” when you check out.
Pretty cool.
Calling All Cars: Trouble at Chuck E. Cheese’s, Again. (WSJ)
In Brookfield, Wis., no restaurant has triggered more calls to the police department since last year than Chuck E. Cheese’s.
Officers have been called to break up 12 fights, some of them physical, at the child-oriented pizza parlor since January 2007. The biggest melee broke out in April, when an uninvited adult disrupted a child’s birthday party. Seven officers arrived and found as many as 40 people knocking over chairs and yelling in front of the restaurant’s music stage, where a robotic singing chicken and the chain’s namesake mouse perform.
Classic.
True story: I worked at Chuck E. Cheese for a summer when I was 14 years old. It was run by teenagers, and I would commonly press the token button after hours (I learned this from the Manager On Duty) and harvest hundreds of trinkets which would be exchanged at school for goods and services.
I WAS Chuck E Cheese. Meaning, during birthday parties, I would temporarily discontinue my bussing duties to don a rat costume, make a guest appearance and press some flesh. I would then kick off straggling kids who would commonly attach themselves to Chuck E’s leg as he tried to make his way back to the changing room.
Good times.
I recently took my daughter to Chuck E. Cheese recently and was surprised that the salad bar was actually well stocked and semi-fresh. And the pizza was about 500% better than Pizza Hut. But that’s not saying all that much.
Hard Times for Parmigiano Makers Have Italy Ponying Up the Cheddar. (WSJ, hat tip Sauce Supreme)
The world is bailing out banks and car companies. Italy is coming to the rescue of parmigiano cheese.
In an effort to help producers of the cheese commonly grated over spaghetti, fettuccine and other pastas, the Italian government is buying 100,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and donating them to charity.
Though demand for parmigiano is strong in Italy and abroad, producers have been struggling for years to make money, putting the future of Italy’s favorite cheese at risk.
“It’s a tragic situation,” said Marco Iemmi, who has been making parmigiano for 30 years in Salsomaggiore Terme, a small town in Italy’s fertile northern Emilia-Romagna region. “I’ll have to close up shop unless things improve.”
Whole Foods Warns of Layoffs and Smaller Stores. (The Stranger)
Blaming a tough economy, Whole Foods executives sent an ominous letter to all employees in its Pacific Northwest stores last month that warns of potential layoffs, announces a hiring freeze, and says new stores are on hold.
“Many teams are clearly overstaffed for their current sales and are at the point where labor needs to be reduced…” the memo says. It adds that as “sales soften,” the company has accumulated $59,000 in labor deficits. “Team sales and labor will be reviewed in January and tough decisions may be made if we are unable to achieve sales to labor balance by that time.” The memo says no layoffs will occur before January.
Apropos to this and this? I dunno. I ended my boycott after a few hours as I needed some salad dressing.
I saw this on my cable television a while ago, and after viewing I sat on my couch for some time, transfixed and deeply disturbed, unable to process outside stimuli. Hat tip to Serious Eats.
Now, why would I order this from Whiskey Soda Lounge to-go just to meticulously rearrange it back at the homestead?
Well, the noodles hold up really well, and everything is packaged rather nicely, down to the pickled veg, lime, shallots, and toasty, fiery nam-prik pao. And the Vietnamese half in me demands that the rich, succulent, gravy-like broth be soaked up with crusty french bread. It becomes a dish that feeds two. Enough to occasionally warrant the surplus generated carbon.
Hard times hit Bay Area restaurants. (SF Gate)
Bay Area waiters have a nickname for many of their customers these days: the non’trée.
Non’trée (pronounced “non-tray”) refers to the folks who order appetizers rather than a pricier entree - a popular practice in economic hard times. In fact, as the value of real estate plummets, the stock market totters and the jobless rate grows, diners are sharing meals, skipping dessert, opting to drown their sorrows in a glass of wine rather than ordering a whole bottle, or staying home altogether.
Not since 9/11 have Bay Area restaurants, whether it be the fancy, white-tablecloth ones or the cozy neighborhood hangouts, seen such a lull in business. But this time, restaurant owners say, it’s worse. Even in an area known for its obsession with food, some restaurants say revenue is down as much as 40 percent. Many restaurateurs are laying off workers; others reducing the days they are open. Then there are those who are just plain calling it quits.
“Maybe restaurateurs should ask for a bailout - more people in the Bay Area eat at Pasta Pomodoro than drive Fords,” said Adriano Paganini, founder of the California bargain pasta chain.
McDonald’s Sales Climb As Consumers Seek Deals. (Huffington Post)
Consumers hungry for cheap meals boosted worldwide sales at McDonald’s Corp.’s established locations by 7.7 percent in November, more proof of how the fast-food leader is thriving in a downturn that has eaten into sales at its competitors.
…
McDonald’s has largely been able to keep its profits intact despite the higher costs. But the chain has had to make changes to its menu to protect its margins, including raising the price of its popular Double Cheeseburger and replacing the sandwich on the Dollar Menu with a new double burger that has one slice of cheese instead of two.
I went to McDonald’s last week looking to try this newfangled double burger, and was disappointed to get the normal ole’ Double Cheeseburger with the extra slice of cheese. True story.
Best Baguette, the shiny, modern banh mi outfit in Southeast Portland, has opened a Westside location in Beaverton.
This location does not have a drive-thru, but it does have a menu.
Furthermore, they also have Maggi (albeit the erstwhile North American version) for you to douse your sandwiches into salt bomb oblivion. Love it.
Saigon bacon.
Unctuous, flabby, and lukewarm slices of near-pure fat. Kinda gross, actually, until you eat it.
Looks like there’s a new Vietnamese restaurant next door. Looks sterile. Big surprise.
3645 SW Hall Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 626-2288
Get directions
IMPORTANT TACKINESS WARNING: Jen@Oishii Eats tipped me off that Best Baguette’s concept may be entirely ripped off from this place in Southern California. Since the menu, branding, and store design appear to be nearly identical on many levels, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s a satellite. Now, this could probably be all cleared up with a single phone call, but I’m not exactly Woodward and Bernstein and I’ve got a job and stuff (for now).
Jack Daniels Maker Doing Awesome In This Economy. (Clusterstock)
It’s not just a joke: People are really turning to drink in this economy. Brown Forman (BF) the maker of Jack Daniels and Finlandia Vodka reported an awesome quarter.
Foodies Make a Pitch to Obama (Diner’s Journal, NYT)
The fact that a Secretary of Agriculture has yet to be named has some chefs, farmers and animal welfare advocates wondering whether food and farming have been shoved to the Obama D team.
To help move the process along, nearly 90 notable figures in the world of sustainable agriculture and food sent a letter to the Obama transition team earlier this week offering their six top picks for what they called “the sustainable choice for the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.”
Still awesome.
