Archives for September 2009
In praise of wedding cocktails
The Atlantic’s resident mixologist Derek Brown’s latest column advises against offering signature cocktails at a wedding:
The Brandy Alexander, a pop cultural icon in itself with a list of songs and TV shows touting how delectable this pre-cursor to the “Chocolate Martini” is, was said to be invented at the 1922 wedding of Princess Royal Mary and Viscount Lascelles. Yet, if I were you I’d leave wedding cocktails to royalty. If you’re getting married, trust me–you have enough to worry about. Don’t bother having a signature cocktail at your reception. That’s the advice I give when asked what cocktails should be served at a wedding reception.
If you’re a glutton for punishment, have a punch or two. Punches are easier to make in advance and serve medium to large groups. They don’t require any à la minute preparation. I recently got hitched myself and was lucky enough to have “mixtress” Gina Chersevani of PS 7’s create three different punches for me. They were amazing, and all the work was front-loaded. The bartender had only to lift the ladle and serve. (Banquet bartenders are not always the most skilled of servers, although there are certainly exceptions.)
These are all good points. When there are dozens of people arriving to a reception all at once you don’t want to leave them waiting while the bartenders labor over complicated drinks. And you don’t want to entrust random banquet bartenders with anything too novel; even with specific directions, there’s no telling what they could do to a carefully crafted recipe.
However there’s one very good reason to serve something special at a wedding: Guests’ expectations for catered cocktails are low already, so it’s easy to exceed them. They’re anticipating vodka tonics, Jack and Cokes, maybe hastily mixed Cosmopolitans. You don’t need hand-carved ice and intricately prepared drinks to make them happy, you just need to give them something beyond the ordinary.
Pre-batching is your friend here. It gets most of the work done before the reception and allows the bartenders to quickly serve the arriving crowd. I worked two weddings this month, each with an appropriate cocktail that was partially pre-batched. The first had a Mexican theme and the bride requested something with tequila, so my partner and I served cucumber and jalapeno-infused Margaritas. The second wedding requested vodka and took place on one of the last warm days of summer, so we served vodka with lemon, honey syrup, Campari, and soda with a sprig of mint. These weren’t groundbreaking recipes by any means, but they were far better than the cocktails normally served at catered events and guests loved them.
Obviously budget is a consideration and skipping hard liquor entirely to focus on providing higher quality wine and beer can be a good approach. But if you’re going to offer cocktails at a wedding, it’s not hard to keep things simple and still please the crowd.
Americans Eat a lot, but the Japanese Eat More, and Faster
After two years, the Japanese have regained the Krystal King title for best speed eaters once again:
Yesterday, the Japanese speed-eating demon defeated two-year reigning champion Joey Chestnut in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga, TN. Before a live televised audience and a crowd of 10,000, Kobayashi crushed the competition by eating 93 Krystal hamburgers in eight minutes over Chestnut’s 81. In addition to reclaiming the title, which he’s taken four out of six years, the Japanese victor also won $20,000.
Kobayashi’s win was especially horrifying impressive this year because contest rules forbade contestants from dunking their burgers in liquid before consuming them. Hopefully that $20,000 will cover his medical bills (although, judging from the picture, you wouldn’t guess he’s capable of eating nearly 100 burgers in one sitting).
[Via Yumsugar]
A Review of The Great Wall
The Great Wall is a hole in the wall Chinese take-out joint on 14th Street that has gotten a lot of press as its owner and cook went to a prestigious Chinese cooking school.
It is known for its Szechuan cooking and foodies are advised to order off of its Ma-La menu. I did that and was underwhelmed. It was basically tofu, beef and noodles drowned in hot pepper sauce. I tasted a bit of each and tossed the rest out as it was all burn and no flavor.
Perhaps their traditional menu is tasty. But the Ma-La is a bust.
A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey
OK, so it was just flowing with milk, but it was in time for Rosh Hashanah although one must seriously question the possibility of France being the promised land. (Of course, if they dump honey tomorrow, a case might be made.)
HT: Yana C.
Rich and Meaty
Do you subscribe to the Williams-Sonoma catalogs for their recipes but never buy anything from them? Me too. Or at least I did until the September “French bistro” edition arrived with steak au poivre on the cover, whereupon I lost my buttons and immediately ran out to buy the paste and beef demi-glace. I think my self-restraint was admirable: at least I didn’t knuckle under for the $400 deep fryer to make pommes frites.
The demi-glace alone is ridiculously priced at $29 for a small jar but — wowie wow wow. It was worth it to discover what has become my new Death Row meal. My only criticism of the recipe is to disregard the chicken stock, which waters down the sauce. Without it, the red wine and demi-glace make a thick, delicious gravy.
If you eat steak, I recommend you proceed forthwith to your nearest Williams-Sonoma and purchase the aforementioned. Finding a shop is easy: just go to a wealthy suburb and walk on the sidewalk until you’re almost hit by a housewife in an SUV. Then follow her to Vineyard Vines; the Williams-Sonoma will be next-door.
Quick Bites
Dining out isn’t JUST about the food. We’re all about the chefs now, but what about the waiters? (New York Times)
The French don’t like Julia Child. (New York Times). But as their food isn’t any good any longer, do we really care?
Food: now in a theater near you! “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”
The City Journal hits the food scene. (HT: AL Daily)
Michelle Obama shops at a farm market and blows her carbon footprint. (Washington Post)
This Week in Bacon
A few weeks ago, we posted about the glorious disgusting new concoction brewed over at the Brooklyn Brewery — bacon beer. Well, this Friday, bacon beer meets seven-course tasting menu at New York’s Per Se restaurant. If you have ever had the privilege to eat a meal at Per Se, you know how amazing (and expensive) the food is. If you haven’t been yet, maybe tomorrow should be the night to try:
Tomorrow, September 18, Per Se is hosting a beer-paired tasting dinner with brewmaster Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. Brooklyn Brewery Beers will be matched with a seven-course tasting menu. Among the other offerings, this is your first chance to taste “Reinschweinsgebot” an innovative beer infused with bacon from Benton’s Country Smokehouse. You can’t go wrong with bacon. This event will take place in the Per Se Private Dining Room and costs $350 per person.
Then again, maybe not. $350 to have your courses paired with beer? I know I can’t actually judge, because I have yet to try this bacon beer, but I can’t imagine that it could really complement any food.
Quick Bites
The Nation devotes a whole issue to “Food for All: How to Grow Democracy.” Alice Waters. Michael Pollan. Blech. [The Nation]
Spiked also devotes an issue to food. [Spiked Online]
The French don’t get Julia Child. They look at her much like we look at Rachael Ray. Yeah, they’re snobs, but at least they hate “the strictness of American health rules about food.” [NYT]
Chicken farmer’s got talent! [MSNBC]
Joel Salatin is an award and $100,000 richer. Congrats! [Newsleader]
Amidst all the hullabaloo over the White House farmer’s market and Michelle Obama’s organic garden, it’s worth recalling how much crap the USDA–”skeptical of amateur farmers”–gave Eleanor Roosevelt when she wanted to plant a few beans and peas. [Time]
Coke CEO to Prez: You’re Red!
Things are getting rough out there. President Barack Obama called Kanye West a “jackass” yesterday, the same day that the CEO of Coca-Cola basically called the president a commie:
Coca-Cola Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Muhtar Kent said the idea of a federal tax on soft drinks, under consideration by the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama, is “outrageous.”
“I have never seen it work where a government tells people what to eat and what to drink,” Kent said today, responding to an audience question at the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “If it worked, the Soviet Union would still be around.”
The Coke CEO was responding to a quote from Obama in the October issue of Men’s Health, about the president’s openness to anti-obesity soda taxes.
‘‘I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring. There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda.”
In fact, this seems to be a bit of a nothing-burger (which has no calories!), since Obama follows up on the quote with this:
“Obviously there is resistance on Capitol Hill to those kinds of sin taxes….Legislators from certain states that produce sugar or corn syrup are sensitive to anything that might reduce demand for those products. And look, people’s attitude is that they don’t necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that.”
In his heart of hearts, Obama would clearly love to tax soda. And he may yet get his wish. But for the moment he is worn down, beaten by uppity legislators and people who like fizzy, corn syrupy drinks. Having the CEO of an all-American/massive multi-national company compare his administration’s policies to those of the Soviet Union should be good for another few weeks of presidential despair.
Via CCF
Semi-crossposted at Reason.com
The Best New Thing in Mobile DC Food
Last night I was at an art opening on 14th Street. The art was great but I was also intrigued by the metal food trailer outside. It was broadcasting Mexican music via the speakers placed on its roof and was serving Indian food.
Curious me asked the woman behind the wheel what they are up to and then appeared a white man in a red turban, who explained that they were moved by Obama, got excited about doing a non-profit and ended up running an Indian restaurant on wheels. There are many non-sequitors in that explanation, but it is okay as the Indian food they serve up is incredibly great.
They provide three options: the taste ($3), the two things ($6) and three things ($9). I opted for the two things and got spinach with cheese and chicken tikka masala. A generous portion of basmati rice came with it.
I was blown away by the quality of the food. I love Indian and this was among the best that I have tasted. If you see this truck, run it down and eat dinner.
Food and Horoscopes? Keep Your Chakra Out of My Peanut Butter
Food’s hot. Big news. Can’t get enough of reading about food, can you? Nope, else you’d be reading a knitting blog right now.
But, yeah, food’s hot. How hot? Hot enough that right at this very moment, food stories hold three of the top seven spots on the NYT’s most e-mailed list.
But that’s nothing. Food’s hot enough that the horoscope printed in the Fayetteville Flyer–the Arkansas city’s svelte and sickly free weekly–ties the current Virgo horoscope (my horoscope) to American food policy.
Does that make any sense? You be the judge. Here’s what horoscope author “Risa[, the] Founder & Director of the Esoteric & Astrological Studies & Research Institute, a contemporary Wisdom school, in Santa Cruz, California” thinks about “the present U.S. food situation,” courtesy the aforementioned horoscope, as posted at her Night Light News website:
If we research, examine and analyze the present U.S. food situation we quickly realize our food (Virgo) system isn’t working and that a restructuring (Saturn) of our food’s quality, sources and distribution is needed immediately. Let’s look at some information. It seems major U.S. corporations actually own much of our organic foods (farms); a handful of corporations own most of the seed companies; large organic health food stores may not be what they seem; many people are no longer cooking; and few families eat together. It is important for us to be informed. Below I have listed various websites to read concerning the state of our food industry.
The issues are energy production, ownership and distribution. In the Transition Town Movement/Initiative (TTMI), emerging from Permaculture design, there is a focus on creative adaptations leading to a sustainable future and one of the major subjects is agriculture and food production.
Food quality, production and distribution and the changes needed fall under the jurisdiction of Virgo, Saturn in Virgo and Saturn in Virgo opposite Uranus…
Ah, Uranus. Holder of jurisdiction over food quality. Of course.
Actually, when it comes to food-policy analysis, about 95% of what Risa writes is well within the contemporary mainstream. In fact, it sadly reads just like a Michael Pollan piece. And that includes his nonsensical NYT op-ed on big food and big insurance–which currently holds the number one spot on that NYT most e-mailed list pictured above.
Dogfish Ups the Ande(s) with Chicha
Dogfish Head, one of America’s great microbreweries, is bringing chicha–the Andean corn-spit mash I drank out of plastic beach pails in Bolivia several years ago, to America, today’s NYT reports:
[I]n order to follow an authentic Peruvian method as closely as possible, the corn would be milled and moistened in the chicha maker’s mouth.
In other words, they spit in the beer.
[...]
[Dogfish Head's] Calagione hoped to make about 10 kegs of chicha, which would be available only in his Rehoboth Beach pub, Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats. He was confident that his team would be able to process the 20 pounds of corn his recipe required in about an hour.
On an August evening, at 6, I joined Mr. Calagione at his pub, a few blocks from the beach. The restaurant was packed with craft-beer devotees, many of whom had traveled from out of state. A large window between the restaurant bar and the small brewhouse was covered with newspaper.
“We want to keep it quiet,” Mr. Calagione said. “The last thing we want is some guy who came in from Ohio sitting there with his $18 crab cakes, sees a bunch of adults spitting in their hands.”
Since Dogfish Head will only have a small stash on hand, and only at its Delaware brewpub, you’re probably stuck brewing your own. Here’s one recipe, though one you should probably skip.
Airlines Make Flying Coach a Little Sweeter
Having just taken two 20-hour international flights, I was reminded of the luxury of airline food. I was treated to sushi, soba noodles, grilled eel, Haagen-Dazs ice-cream, snacks every two hours . . . and all for free. Sigh . . . remember when domestic flights offered free food, rather than a less-than-appetizing dry turkey wrap with a packet of mayonnaise, a side of Lays potato chips, and a soda for $10? Well, although free food on domestic flights likely will not make a comeback, airlines have taken note of consumers’ expectations of higher quality food during mealtime:
Now airlines are revamping their offerings—and inventory control—in a bid to turn coach food into a money-maker, to better compete with upgraded airport food outlets and even enhance their own brand. Gone are boxes with beef jerky and soggy turkey sandwiches. In their place, fresh foods, lighter fare, brand-name products and even the kind of fancy food you get in first class. You might even call it “haute cuisine” since it’s served six miles above sea level.
[...]
To lure back fliers … Delta Air Lines has been rolling out new coach food products designed by celebrity chef Todd English, including grilled chicken gyros, and almond-butter-and-grape-jelly sandwiches. Some popular indulgences like $2 cups of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream have been added to some flights. One of the best-selling items, Delta says, is a $6 fruit-and-cheese plate with smoked Gouda, Havarti and Derby cheeses paired with grapes, pecan halves and dried apricots.
American Airlines thinks serving brand names is a better approach, rather than touting celebrity chefs who may not be well-known in some parts of the country. American now sells Boston Market sandwiches and salads, figuring the well-known restaurant chain will give passengers better assurance of the quality of the food over unnamed airline fare.
Catering companies that supply American’s food prepare the items under Boston Market specifications, and items are priced only slightly higher than store prices. For $10, American serves you a chicken Carver sandwich, bag of potato chips and a soft drink (still offered free by the airline). Boston Market sells the sandwich combo with a drink and a side for $8.29.
An improvement, yes, but $10 is still steep . . . I’d rather get normal airplane food for free! I might just be better off bringing my own meal onto the plane. But for those who are actually willing to pay for their airline meals, this news comes as a welcome treat and will surely boost sales.
International Bacon Day is Tomorrow!
Crispy friend Courtney alerts us to tomorrow’s very important holiday: International Bacon Day. There is, of course, a website:
Bacon Day is a day of Bacon… think Iron Chef but all day and the secret ingredient is Bacon. Breakfast traditionally consists of bacon waffles, with a side of bacon, and any other concoctions thought up. Throughout the day there are showings of Kevin Bacon movies and any other movies with leading roles given to pigs, e.g. Babe, Piglet’s Big Adventure. Lunch must have BLTs and there are snacks around and slices of bacon everywhere. Dinner is a fight for your food quite literally. It is more a tasting of all things bacon and everyone wants a taste. Due to the vast quantities of bacon cooked, the grill outside is the best bet. If you are invited to a Bacon Day celebration, it is traditional to bring something to eat (of course containing bacon) which can be made there if the host allows, and drink (which may or may not include bacon).
Need some ideas about what to bring to the party? Consult Crispy’s extensive bacon archive here.
Joel Salatin, and the Best Book Title Ever
Joel Salatin has beaten us all to one of the greatest titles ever for a memoir. But Salatin’s version of Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal isn’t about the joys of drugs, or deviant sexual practices, or even tax evasion (alas). Instead, it’s about being a small farmer in America.
Salatin’s disdain for government bleeds into his dislike for big companies. (To be fair, sometimes it’s hard to tell where one begins and the other end, especially in the food industry.) But unlike many other advocates of organic and local foods, he knows where to draw the line. As he says in an interview this month with The Portland Mercury: “I’m not saying we should outlaw industrial food. What I am saying is that we should have a freedom of choice option for those who want to opt out. If you want to live on Fritos and coca-cola, that suits me just fine.”
The rest of the interview is full of Salatin’s off-kilter views as a self-proclaimed “Christian-conservative-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic.” Enjoy!
What are the biggest barriers [food safety bill H.R. 875, currently in consideration in the US Senate] presents for farmers?
The biggest one, in my opinion, is a provision to give the FDA unprecedented power to make warrantless searches on any American farm to determine if practices are “science based.”
“Science based” is a very subjective term. I think that what we do is science based but the USDA, [he pronounces it U.S. “duh”] does not believe that what we do is science based. When they say “science based” they’re talking about drugs, and vaccines, and pharmaceuticals, and cloning, and a host of other things. That’s science based.
Again, this is a perfect example of the pushback as our system gains credibility and acceptance in the marketplace. This is an example of our industrial food system manipulating our lawmakers and the USDA to keep us on the fringes—to basically put this heritage food “in the teepees,” if you will, so it can’t continue to erode market share. It’s not about food safety, it’s about controlling market access.
Here’s another good bit:
What’s interesting to me, is that in order to have consistent political philosophy on [freedom on choice], then we need to stop our War on Drugs. It’s not reasonable to say, “Give me the freedom to drink raw milk,” when all of the public health experts say that it’s not a safe thing, and then tell them, “I don’t want people to be able to take cocaine or marijuana if they want to take it.” And I’m a pretty conservative religious-righter. Boy it’s an amazing thing when I tell my buddies that they have to give up the War on Drugs. But if we give it up and gain food freedom, it would be a great trade-off. The fact is, when the government gets between my mouth and my stomach, that’s a pretty intrusive government. The only reason our founding fathers did not give us the right to food freedom, is because they could not have foreseen the day when a neighbor could not get a t-bone steak or a glass of raw milk from a neighbor.
When I spoke with Salatin last year, he gave me a list of three illegal products he’d like to sell to you—farm stand jam, custom slaughtered meat, and raw milk.
