*If I dug into the recesses of my imagination, and attempted to concoct the perfect place to hang out, it would come close to the Panera Bread on 44th St. in Grand Rapids. No doubt the powers-that-be at Panera had some of the same thoughts, as they attempted to build a restaurant that would be adored and sought out by the masses. It is at this Panera that I write today.
*Let's start with the architecture: how many restaurants have a 'loft?' Accessible by stairs or elevator from the back of the store, that I'm sure many folks don't even know is here, this aerie is not unlike the tree forts I haunted as a child. It comes complete with fireplace, lots of plug-ins, restrooms, and heat that rises from below. Plenty of tables and a few pillow loungers to stretch out in. Soft jazz wafts in the background, along with the heady scent of fresh baked bread.
*Then there's the food: if you crave fresh bread in all its forms, Panera is for you. "Panera," by the way, is Spanish for 'Bread Box.' Appropriate for bread that is both soft and chewy, organic and grain-ful, unlike anything you'll find at Meijer. To use it for a bread bowl is almost too much, as the bread oversahadows the already excellent soups. The only lack is the pastries, which sit out all day for display purposes, and are always dried out and over priced. Bread. Soups. Sandwiches. Toffee Cookies. These are the reasons to hang here for a few bucks.
*Coffee: Get your own from the air pots out front, with a choice of light and dark, decaf and hazelnut. Always fresh and excellent. They even have little signs that tell you when it was brewed. Can't get that at Denny's.
*Wi-Fi is free and fast. With a full belly, and constant refills on coffee and pop (did I mention the restrooms up here?), you are free to surf, write, work, shop, chat, listen, research, and read. The virtual world is your oyster. Pop in your ear buds and you can leave this world for a while on violins or screaming guitars. And nobody bothers you.
*I don't know what would improve Panera. If you added burgers to the mix, it would be a violation of the organic healthy tree-hugging menu, akin to pouring gravy on a house salad. The chairs might have more padding, because after 4 or 5 hours you get a little sore. But to tell you the truth, its pretty darn perfect. 'Nuff said.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Carrabba's
Sure, it isn't the best Italian around, but Carrabba's is one of the best Italian chains around. Food is always good and service is attentive. And if crowds are any measure, you'll find the place packed on any night of the week.
But what Carrabba's has, that we can't get anywhere else, is the 'kitchen seats.' They have seating at a counter that faces the kitchen and prep areas. Take a seat, and you not only get served, but you get a show! You can talk to the cooks as they fly through the dishes, and everything is up for view. Sometimes, when its a little slow, they might throw a few tidbits your way.
For Claudia and I, we will gladly give up a dark booth corner seat to watch the show, and it is so romantic for us.
Tonight I had beef short ribs with a wine/vegetable sauce, served on risotto. Claudia had the gnocchi, with sun dried tomatoes, olives, and sausage, in a cream sauce. We watched it being prepared from start to finish, which just adds to its flavor. For dessert, we split a lemon bread pudding, topped with vanilla ice cream and a lemon liquer. With coffee, this was just right.
This is our splurge on our vacation, and so it will be a while before we eat like this again. But if you have a hankering to eat out, go to Carrabba's, and get a 'kitchen seat.' Wait if you have to. You won't be disappointed.
But what Carrabba's has, that we can't get anywhere else, is the 'kitchen seats.' They have seating at a counter that faces the kitchen and prep areas. Take a seat, and you not only get served, but you get a show! You can talk to the cooks as they fly through the dishes, and everything is up for view. Sometimes, when its a little slow, they might throw a few tidbits your way.
For Claudia and I, we will gladly give up a dark booth corner seat to watch the show, and it is so romantic for us.
Tonight I had beef short ribs with a wine/vegetable sauce, served on risotto. Claudia had the gnocchi, with sun dried tomatoes, olives, and sausage, in a cream sauce. We watched it being prepared from start to finish, which just adds to its flavor. For dessert, we split a lemon bread pudding, topped with vanilla ice cream and a lemon liquer. With coffee, this was just right.
This is our splurge on our vacation, and so it will be a while before we eat like this again. But if you have a hankering to eat out, go to Carrabba's, and get a 'kitchen seat.' Wait if you have to. You won't be disappointed.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Chili Cook-off: Christmas edition
If there's one thing we Selleck's can get excited about, it's food. If there's one thing the Holidays are about, it's sharing. Why not mash the two up a bit and enjoy sharing food?
This year for our little(?) family gathering we decided on a nice informal chili cook-off to serve as the centerpiece chow. It's something we've done once before, and we all enjoyed it. Why not once more?
All in all there were four entries, and all were very different. The great thing about this cook-off is that we all win because we're also the judges. Presented with 4 pots of steamy goodness to test and re-test, the judges always win.
With so much family time to spend, and children underfoot to entertain we didn't do much quizzing of each other on our pots this year. We had my entry, which always ends up rather thick and meaty, a venison entry, a multi-bean and corn entry and a sweet-spicy entry with chick peas in the mix. Quite a zesty variety.
I thought I would plop down what I did this year (partially for my own edification, since it is different each time).
This time around I crutched out and used a store-bought spice packet: Uncle Shelby's. It's a pretty good baseline for what I like. It's what I used when I first started making chili for myself, before I got adventurous with my spice rack. Sadly, once I ventured out of the packet I was never one for recording how much of what I put in, so I will leave a small note afterward of some rough sketches I did once, which might serve as a baseline of sorts.
Uncle Shelby's packet is suited for approx. 2 lbs meat and about 16 oz. liquid ingredients (8 oz tomato sauce, 8 oz water). What I gathered for this year's pot:
1 Uncle Shelby packet
2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
8 oz chorizo gound sausage
3/4 or 1 large white onion
1 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
red pepper... ever so careful, but enough to notice
tad cracked black pepper
some salt... shake until it feels subtle
a couple pinches chipotle powder
a couple shakes of ground white pepper
white sugar - small pyramid in the palm (necessary? silly? I don't know)
Browned beef in a wide pan and used a baster to remove most drippings from the pan. Tried not to be too thorough because hey! that's moisture and flavor. Dumped meat into end pot. I sweated the diced onions in the same pan the beef was browned in. The left-over grease on the pan cooked in with the onions, or that was the idea. I dumped them in with the beef. Added 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Mix and put on low heat.
In a cast-iron pan I cooked up the chorizo, browned well, then added to the pot without draining. In the same pan I added red pepper, green pepper and jalapeno. I sautee'd them (with a bit more onion, because I can't help it) and then added to the pot.
Add about 8 oz water to the whole (where all in the end pot now). Add spice and cook down. At this point it was a bit thick so I added another 4-5oz tomato sauce. Done, sort of.
At this point the "thing" is sort of on simmer. I just keep it from burning to the bottom with stirring and giving it a loving taste now and again... which sometimes causes me to add a dash of this or that and continue cooking.
The above makes a pretty thick chili apparently, but it is to my taste. And it gives a lot of room for play. Once upon a time I tried measuring out some spices for what I might do instead of the Shelby packet and they go like this (keeping in mind I usually add more of whatever as my whimsy demands later):
2.5 tbs Chili Powder
.5 tsp garlic powder
.5 tsp cumin
shake oregano
.5 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
.5 tsp cayenne
The above is no guarantee of anything. I know this is a bit much for 1 lb of beef, but might be light for 2 lbs of meat. The ratio's I feel are pretty solid though.
Lastly, I often add a can of chili beans which usually have their own spice and liquid. I didn't add any in this year's competition but I make sure to add them late if I plan on letting it cook through a while.
This year for our little(?) family gathering we decided on a nice informal chili cook-off to serve as the centerpiece chow. It's something we've done once before, and we all enjoyed it. Why not once more?
All in all there were four entries, and all were very different. The great thing about this cook-off is that we all win because we're also the judges. Presented with 4 pots of steamy goodness to test and re-test, the judges always win.
With so much family time to spend, and children underfoot to entertain we didn't do much quizzing of each other on our pots this year. We had my entry, which always ends up rather thick and meaty, a venison entry, a multi-bean and corn entry and a sweet-spicy entry with chick peas in the mix. Quite a zesty variety.
I thought I would plop down what I did this year (partially for my own edification, since it is different each time).
This time around I crutched out and used a store-bought spice packet: Uncle Shelby's. It's a pretty good baseline for what I like. It's what I used when I first started making chili for myself, before I got adventurous with my spice rack. Sadly, once I ventured out of the packet I was never one for recording how much of what I put in, so I will leave a small note afterward of some rough sketches I did once, which might serve as a baseline of sorts.
Uncle Shelby's packet is suited for approx. 2 lbs meat and about 16 oz. liquid ingredients (8 oz tomato sauce, 8 oz water). What I gathered for this year's pot:
1 Uncle Shelby packet
2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
8 oz chorizo gound sausage
3/4 or 1 large white onion
1 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
red pepper... ever so careful, but enough to notice
tad cracked black pepper
some salt... shake until it feels subtle
a couple pinches chipotle powder
a couple shakes of ground white pepper
white sugar - small pyramid in the palm (necessary? silly? I don't know)
Browned beef in a wide pan and used a baster to remove most drippings from the pan. Tried not to be too thorough because hey! that's moisture and flavor. Dumped meat into end pot. I sweated the diced onions in the same pan the beef was browned in. The left-over grease on the pan cooked in with the onions, or that was the idea. I dumped them in with the beef. Added 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Mix and put on low heat.
In a cast-iron pan I cooked up the chorizo, browned well, then added to the pot without draining. In the same pan I added red pepper, green pepper and jalapeno. I sautee'd them (with a bit more onion, because I can't help it) and then added to the pot.
Add about 8 oz water to the whole (where all in the end pot now). Add spice and cook down. At this point it was a bit thick so I added another 4-5oz tomato sauce. Done, sort of.
At this point the "thing" is sort of on simmer. I just keep it from burning to the bottom with stirring and giving it a loving taste now and again... which sometimes causes me to add a dash of this or that and continue cooking.
The above makes a pretty thick chili apparently, but it is to my taste. And it gives a lot of room for play. Once upon a time I tried measuring out some spices for what I might do instead of the Shelby packet and they go like this (keeping in mind I usually add more of whatever as my whimsy demands later):
2.5 tbs Chili Powder
.5 tsp garlic powder
.5 tsp cumin
shake oregano
.5 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
.5 tsp cayenne
The above is no guarantee of anything. I know this is a bit much for 1 lb of beef, but might be light for 2 lbs of meat. The ratio's I feel are pretty solid though.
Lastly, I often add a can of chili beans which usually have their own spice and liquid. I didn't add any in this year's competition but I make sure to add them late if I plan on letting it cook through a while.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Eggs
This recipe came from my Dad, who found it in Traverse Magazine. But I lost the write out, so this is from memory. It has more to do with technique than ingredients.
Ingredients: 1 pat of butter with each egg. Generous salt. Dollop of water or milk/cream.
Technique: Add eggs, butter, liquid, and salt in a saucepan, and put over low heat. Whisk CONTINUOUSLY until eggs are done. This will take a while. Low and slow is good. Eggs will be very soft and creamy.
Ingredients: 1 pat of butter with each egg. Generous salt. Dollop of water or milk/cream.
Technique: Add eggs, butter, liquid, and salt in a saucepan, and put over low heat. Whisk CONTINUOUSLY until eggs are done. This will take a while. Low and slow is good. Eggs will be very soft and creamy.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Best Steak Topping
Before we can talk about steak toppings, we have to deal with the question: 'why put anything on top of a steak?' There are two answers really:
1) It's a really bad steak. 'nuff said.
2) It makes a good steak taste better.
Purists will accuse me of ruining a good steak with additions, as if a steak is incapable of being elevated above its naked status. If this were true, we'd never put cheese on a decent burger, or horseradish next to prime rib. But we do, knowing that good things can be enjoyed on their own, or paired with any number of condiments.
One simple addition is pure butter, perhaps sauteed with some green onion and garlic. To just throw a pat on the top of the filet and let it melt, does wonders for the flavor of a steak.
That being said, what do you like on your steak? What makes it better?
-Out of the Bottle: A-1 sauce is a classic, and for the adventurous among us, Heinz 57 sauce is a lesser known choice. Or maybe a shot worcestershire is enough for you. I would imagine a few prefer ketchup on their steak, but, aware of their personal shame, they remain in the culinary closet. All of these options are easy, but greater options are often found in restaurants.
-Eating Out: Mountain Jack's is defunct, but who got their recipe for whiskey-peppercorn sauce? This creamy, heady topping with bits of cracked peppercorn almost made you forego the steak in favor of spoofuls of the topping.
To pad the profit margin, many restaurants offer a dollop of fried onions, mushrooms, or green peppers, which are easy to provide, but lack imagination.
I believe the apex of restaurant offerings always involves bleu cheese. For some reason, bleu is best, and I can't explain why. It's creamy and sharp at the same time, and plays well with other ingredients. Which leads me to an observation: CREAMY IS BEST. Yes, this is an opinion, but when it comes to beef in all its forms, we always put creamy condiments at the top of the list. They just work.
-At Home: Tonight I purchased a nice porterhouse for home consumption, knowing that I had a wedge of smoked bleu cheese in the fridge, and some nice things to add to it. Here is what I came up with:
1) Pan fry the steak in butter and olive oil. Set it aside to rest (read Note).
2) In the pan frond add minced onion and chopped, fresh mushrooms, and cook over medium heat until soft.
3) Add heavy cream, salt, and roughly cracked pepper. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar or worcestershire. Cook down until thick.
4) Take the pan off the heat, and add crumbled bleu cheese. Stir just until it starts melting, then pour over steak, maintaining lumps of bleu cheese in the mix.
You will find this easy concoction to be salty, sweet, smoky, sharp, and creamy. Amounts don't really matter, since it all tastes good together. Easy on the balsamic, however. 1/2 tsp. is plenty. This sauce will have you licking your plate clean, and wondering about frying a second steak.
NOTE: Cutting up your steak properly is difficult with a thick sauce covering it. Better to trim the steak before the sauce, so you don't have to wrestle with bones, gristle, or fat. Like any good piece of beef, letting it REST after frying is crucial. Give it a good 10 minutes before you cut into it. Then add the sauce, or simply serve it in a dish on the side.
1) It's a really bad steak. 'nuff said.
2) It makes a good steak taste better.
Purists will accuse me of ruining a good steak with additions, as if a steak is incapable of being elevated above its naked status. If this were true, we'd never put cheese on a decent burger, or horseradish next to prime rib. But we do, knowing that good things can be enjoyed on their own, or paired with any number of condiments.
One simple addition is pure butter, perhaps sauteed with some green onion and garlic. To just throw a pat on the top of the filet and let it melt, does wonders for the flavor of a steak.
That being said, what do you like on your steak? What makes it better?
-Out of the Bottle: A-1 sauce is a classic, and for the adventurous among us, Heinz 57 sauce is a lesser known choice. Or maybe a shot worcestershire is enough for you. I would imagine a few prefer ketchup on their steak, but, aware of their personal shame, they remain in the culinary closet. All of these options are easy, but greater options are often found in restaurants.
-Eating Out: Mountain Jack's is defunct, but who got their recipe for whiskey-peppercorn sauce? This creamy, heady topping with bits of cracked peppercorn almost made you forego the steak in favor of spoofuls of the topping.
To pad the profit margin, many restaurants offer a dollop of fried onions, mushrooms, or green peppers, which are easy to provide, but lack imagination.
I believe the apex of restaurant offerings always involves bleu cheese. For some reason, bleu is best, and I can't explain why. It's creamy and sharp at the same time, and plays well with other ingredients. Which leads me to an observation: CREAMY IS BEST. Yes, this is an opinion, but when it comes to beef in all its forms, we always put creamy condiments at the top of the list. They just work.
-At Home: Tonight I purchased a nice porterhouse for home consumption, knowing that I had a wedge of smoked bleu cheese in the fridge, and some nice things to add to it. Here is what I came up with:
1) Pan fry the steak in butter and olive oil. Set it aside to rest (read Note).
2) In the pan frond add minced onion and chopped, fresh mushrooms, and cook over medium heat until soft.
3) Add heavy cream, salt, and roughly cracked pepper. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar or worcestershire. Cook down until thick.
4) Take the pan off the heat, and add crumbled bleu cheese. Stir just until it starts melting, then pour over steak, maintaining lumps of bleu cheese in the mix.
You will find this easy concoction to be salty, sweet, smoky, sharp, and creamy. Amounts don't really matter, since it all tastes good together. Easy on the balsamic, however. 1/2 tsp. is plenty. This sauce will have you licking your plate clean, and wondering about frying a second steak.
NOTE: Cutting up your steak properly is difficult with a thick sauce covering it. Better to trim the steak before the sauce, so you don't have to wrestle with bones, gristle, or fat. Like any good piece of beef, letting it REST after frying is crucial. Give it a good 10 minutes before you cut into it. Then add the sauce, or simply serve it in a dish on the side.
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