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Take Me Out the Ball Game!

Posted on by RedFlair14

For those of you who know me, you know this is AWESOME~!

I love baseball and I am a true, win or lose, Yankee fan. For the first time in my life I was able to attend a Yankee game in Yankee Stadium. And joy of joys, it was inter-league play and they were playing the Mets!

My first ever live baseball game was at Shea Stadium, back in the 80’s, box seats behind first base. A road trip with a long forgotten guy I dated briefly and the only things there were to eat then at the stadium were the things you think of when you think of baseball. Hot dogs, beer, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, peanuts and soft pretzels were the order of the day. Since then I have been to other fields and the changes in food have run the spectrum from the days of yore.

At Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs) you can get all of your Chicago faves – Italian Beef (sweet & natural if you please), dogs topped Chicago style, pizza, and just about anything else you can think of. A few years ago I was able to see baseball in the sun, the way it was meant to be played, at Wrigley with Sister Tina!

At Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas there is a bar & grill where you can sit by the windows and watch batting practice. And in the park itself, you can get Shiner Bock on tap and of course BBQ – it is Texas you know! (Moment of Truth – I love Shiner on tap and I go out of my way to find bars that carry it).
Jack at Arlington in 2005.

The new Yankee Stadium is amazing! Of course there are all the usual things you would WANT to eat at the ball park, but there are also great locally brewed beers, a steak house and, believe it or not, a Yankee themed Hard Rock Café, complete with a pinstriped, oversized guitar in the entrance. We saw sliders of multiple descriptions, sausages, fried chicken, nachos, wraps and pizza in addition to the old standbys. And here is the BEST part – if you have “field level” seats (which we did, thanks to my loving hubby, we were in section 118 20 rows back from Home Plate!) there are waiters to bring you a limited menu so you don’t have to wait in line for the basics and you won’t miss any more of the game than necessary! One of the things we (and by we, I mean John) had to wait in line for was a Carvel sundae in a plastic Yankee cap.

The gate we entered to get to our seats right behind home plate.

The view from our seats.

The three of us in our Yankee gear.

All in all, despite a stomach flu that swept the whole family (no kidding), our trip to NYC was great. Not the least of which was a long awaited fab dinner at Barbuto with Friends Bobby & Chris. I can safely attest that the roasted chicken I had there is seriously the best I have ever had. They weren’t lying when they said that Jonathan Waxman was Obi-Wan Kenobi with a chicken. I am still a little pissed my dear friends wouldn’t allow me to pay even part of it – thanks again guys, but they have promised to come here to Vegas and let me spoil them. And let’s not talk about how intimate I became with the sidewalk on the way home. Don’t worry, stiletto shoes, jeans and jewelry are all fine.

Ovens at Barbuto

Salumi plate – FYI – I used those bread sticks as chop sticks to serve with.

The perfect roast chicken.

Food Memories this week are a foot long hot dog brought to me by a waiter at Yankee Stadium, Mister Softee, Barbuto chicken and a delicious rosé wine, brunch with Geoff and Sarah, and beer and conversation with Friend Tim.

At the bar with Tim.

John with his Mr. Softee – oh, BTW he is obsessed with Mr. Softee in much the same way Ray in Ghostbusters is with the The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

With Chris, Bobby and Jack at Barbuto.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

On a side note – changes are coming to this blog. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Secret Agent Man?

Posted on by RedFlair14

When I was a waitron (to quote Anthony Bourdain) I had the dubious pleasure, twice, of waiting on Food Critics. In both instances they were NOT known to be food critics. I just had a feeling. With the second one, when his article came out, my words about the menu were duplicated in print, and I was grateful I had guessed rightly and gave my best possible service.

Whatever happened to the days of the anonymous food critic? Here in Vegas our food writers are HIGHLY recognizable, one and all. Their styles vary drastically; one tries to write only positive things; one complains about nearly everything; one seems to write only what the advertisers of the rag he writes for WANT him to say and yet another vacillates between styles 1 and 3. I agree with all of them from time to time, some more than others. To a one they are all visible on the food scene, and if I recognize each of them on sight, I am quite sure all the waiters and Maitre D’s know them as well.

Is it possible for them to write really honest reviews or critiques when they are so recognizable? I am certain that I, and the public at large, don’t get the same service they do. I am vaguely convinced that they get perks from the house from time to time. Do these perks influence their opinion of the dining experience? When the Chef makes a special appearance at their table to say howdy, the house buys a round of drinks or the kitchen sends out amuse bouche not on the menu, how can their dining experience be equitable to that of the anonymous diner who experiences none of this? On the writers’ side of it, do they REALLY want to write a bad review and hurt someone’s feelings? Do they really want to piss off people who may need to serve them in the future? With some people, I know they are only happy when they are complaining, but for the most part I think the writers WANT to say nice things.

I am NOT saying these folks know nothing about food – they DO! That is why, for the most part, they are so highly respected and sought after diners. Because of their popularity and visible presence on the food scene, restaurants LOVE to have them be seen eating in their dining rooms. It’s kinda like having a celeb at your party. If you invite the cast of the Avengers to your party (Moment of Truth – I am not sure if I want to be Black Widow or Pepper Potts – Black Widow has the better costume, but Pepper has the better man), you KNOW people will be excited to be there and everyone will show up and have on their best party attitude, and your NEXT party is sure to be a success as well because everyone wants to be seen with someone famous. The same is true for celebs in the food world and make no mistake about it, Food Writers have become celebs. People like me who know who’s who will always spot the writers and wonder, “Are they eating here because they LIKE it, or because they are getting ready to write about it?”

My question is, “How can a regular person trust that he is going to get that same stellar treatment when he reads a glowing food review?” You may say there are other means to determine if a restaurant is a good choice for you. And there are, but none of them are really reliable when you consider that some of the people commenting on the online sources don’t know what good food is really supposed to be. Don’t even get me started on Yelp!

I long for the days of the Gael Greene of old. Reservations made under an assumed name, no one knowing for sure who is doing the writing. Then I could be assured of getting the unvarnished truth and the writer could be assured of getting the same food and service that Average Joe gets.

Gael Greene

Secret Agent Man

This week was a stay at home, cook and be loved kinda week including gnocchi from scratch. Nothing really exciting other than being with my 2 fave guys, so the Food Memories are a little on the boring side.

Next week? Yankee Stadium and the food therein!

Until next time, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

Memorial Day

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

As a retired Military wife, it would be easy for me to do a blog on Military Service. 13 moves in 21 years; pride in my husband’s Air Force Career; the globe spanning friends I have, etc. But think about the word MEMORIAL…it’s about memories.

It would be easy for me to write about Holiday BBQ’s and long weekends. But I won’t.

I always write about Food Memories and the people who help me make them, but this weekend at an outdoor concert – English Beat FYI – during Punk Rock Bowling weekend, I realized everything old is new again. I watched this crowd of people and there was no ONE singular style, age bracket or other identifier. The things that did stand out were the Mohawks. For those of you who didn’t know, I had a modified ‘hawk back in the day, complete with bleach blond tips on my red spikes. I haven’t seen this many ‘hawks since I was in college! It astounded me.

Of course that led me to think about food trends that come and go in waves. For years restaurateurs could only use what was in season, what was locally produced or procured and they made the best of it. With advanced shipping and commercial farming procedures, restaurateurs had access to far-away ingredients and out of season ingredients. And that’s the way it was for years; putting all things on the menu at all times regardless of the appropriateness of it. We all suffered for it. Poor quality and crappy, tasteless produce, just because we COULD get it. And of course we all still fall prey to wanting those strawberries in December, and they almost always taste like cardboard.

These days there is a resurgence in shopping locally, using only in season ingredients and using everything! For ages, people would never think twice about using an entire animal and eating ANY part of any animal. Chris Cosentino from Incanto, in San Francisco, is amazing. He has really upped the ante in using the ENTIRE animal. Until a few years ago I rarely ate any offal at all – only livers – but now I am a JUNKIE for sweetbreads and I also love kidney. And I have Brian Howard to thank for my introduction to pig brain mayo – yes, really.

Check out used bookstores and thrift shops for OLD cookbooks and you will find numerous recipes for offal and little used produce. When was the last time you ate a persimmon? Brussels Sprouts? Fiddle head ferns? Whole artichokes? Dandelion greens? Try thinking of something old and making it new again. As the song goes, try revitalizing your taste buds and remember, everything old is new again.

Food Memories this week include eating with High School friend Jimmy S. at Herbs & Rye, smoking a turkey in my Big Green Egg; snacking, drinking and dancing my way down Fremont Street with hubby and friend Dani B.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

I’ve Been Handed Some Lemons

Posted on by RedFlair14

And of course as the saying goes, I should make some lemonade. A friend of ours has a Meyer Lemon tree that is quite prolific and she is more than willing to share and this year has been a bumper crop! And then I got more from Bountiful Baskets. So I am a little obsessed with what to do with the lemons. There are only so many batches of the Secret Recipe Lemon Bars that one person can make. I also made limoncello and now I am looking for other things.

This is the Limoncello at “work” – it takes weeks to create, but most of it has to do with it just sitting there.

Truth be told I am NOT a lemon person. I am a chocolate person. Women who have gone to lunch with me will hear me say, “I am not wasting the calories on any dessert that is NOT chocolate.” My husband, however, is a lemon person. Any fruit based dessert in fact, but lemon is his favorite. I make a mean Lemon Meringue Pie and of course the Lemon Bars, but other than lemonade I found myself blocked with what to do. There HAD to be something that wasn’t a dessert that I could make with lemons (Moment of truth – yes, I know about Chinese Lemon Chicken, but I think it sucks). So I searched.

Here are 2 recipes I’ll be trying this week. Yes, I know they fall in the dessert category – I’ll let you know how they come out:

Michael Symon’s Lemon Pound Cake

French Yogurt Cake

Among the searches I found Preserved Lemon, aka Lemon Pickle – apparently I have been missing out! Lemon Pickle is a commonly used ingredient in Moroccan and Indian cuisines, and I enjoy both. So why haven’t I been in on this worldwide secret?

I figure if I am able to can tomatoes and peaches, I SHOULD be able to preserve some lemons. It’s nothing more than lemons, salt, lemon juice and water. I can do that! It’s the waiting for them to mature and deepen in flavor that is going to be the problem.

So, off I go to immerse myself in all things lemon. I hope it doesn’t leave me with a sour disposition (I know – that was bad…)

Food Memories this past week include birthday breakfast with friend Dani, Dim Sum with friend Evy and my boy, Taste of the Nation with friends Laurie and Lynn, and a return to cooking for 3 since my boy is home from college.

Until next week – go out and make your OWN Food Memories.

Behind the Scenes at Vegas Uncork’d

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

I love a Foodie event as much as the next person, and once a year I get the opp to work one of the BIGGEST in my city. Let me tell you it is VERY different than simply putting on a cocktail dress and attending one!

A few years ago I was contacted by an old friend from High School who wanted me to work with him when he came to town for Bon Appetit’s Vegas Uncork’d. Initially I demurred and said that my skill set wasn’t what Tim thought it was, and then, after much persuasion, I relented and participated. And I have been doing so each year for T.W. Garner – the makers of Texas Pete Hot Sauce.

When you walk into an event like this and see all the uber-cool Chefs and sample all their food, did you ever stop to wonder what goes into it? Well, let me fill you in on a LITTLE bit of what I saw.

Weeks, in some cases MONTHS, before the event, chefs start working on their sampling menu. Should they showcase something on the regular menu? Feature a potential NEW item to get customer reactions? Create something exclusive for this event? In the case of Texas Pete (TXP from here on out), because there is no brick and mortar location here in Vegas, whatever we make is to showcase the sauces and it changes every year.

Because TXP travels in from Winston-Salem, NC, there are a LOT of logistics that go into making the whole scene happen. Product, banners, logo merchandise and specific food items need to be shipped in. This year pork bellies from Newman Farm arrived for braising (previous years included Wagyu beef, Newman Farm pork tenderloin and edible flowers), chef’s jackets with embroidered logos and cases of sauces arrived. The biggest challenge is that because TXP doesn’t have a restaurant here, we work as guests in a local hotel kitchen, and sometimes the shipped in products don’t end up where they are s’posed to go. There is undoubtedly confusion on the part of the shippers AND the receivers and the packages get misdirected. A few things did NOT arrive and there was last minute knees bent running about to fix the problems.

This year we had the pleasure of working with Caesar’s team and Chef Scott Green. They were incredibly accommodating and it was even better that the event was held AT Caesar’s and we didn’t have to transport all the goods from another property the night of the event as we have done in the past (major pain in the ass). We did, however, walk MILES of underground tunnels to get from the loading docks to the kitchens to the pool area (where the event was held) and back. (Moment of Truth – I lost 5 lbs this week because of all the walking, “weight” lifting and lack of time to eat). I worked in the kitchens and tunnels and I worked in the booth helping to put out Chef Tim’s creations.

I have no horse in this race so why do I do it? I can promise you that it isn’t the money. It’s mainly for the challenge I guess. I LIKE problem solving. I like being behind the scenes, knowing that I helped pull together a good event and seeing all the insider stuff. For those of you that don’t know, I am NOT a CHEF (I am a really good cook) and I work from home. Each year after this event it takes me 3 days to recover from the week of 16 hour days. I am physically and mentally exhausted. Is it because I don’t work full time that I don’t have the stamina to do this on an extended basis? Am I a wimp, a whiner, a cry baby? Yeah, maybe a little…I think next year I may just put on the cocktail dress and attend rather than work it…nah, just kidding. One thing I know for sure is that I DON’T want to be a Chef. They work too hard.

Biggest downer? My apron was stolen/lost at the Grand Tasting and my phone with all my cool pics on it is now GONE, along with everyone’s contact info. So there’s only one pic and I am not in it! If TXP shares the photos with me, I will post them in an addendum blog.

Left to right – Chef Larry McFadden, Chef Tim Grandinetti, and Chef Nate Duensing – I am their cohort in crime for this event.

This week’s Food Memories include some great bites at The Grand Tasting, Saturday Night Truck Stop at Tommy Rockers and Mother’s Day Brunch at Simon complete with a Bloody Mary bar.

Because I failed to get cocktail sauce for my shrimp, I added them to my Texas Pete spiked Bloody Mary. Oh, and BTW, Chef Kerry Simon tweeted Texas Pete Garlic Hot Sauce as his hot sauce of the week.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.

Who Are You?

Posted on by RedFlair14

When you read the title you can hear either Roger Daltry or Alice’s Hookah Smoking Caterpillar ask the question. But I still want to know the answer. I can tell a lot about a person by dining with them, either at home or in public, but in public gives me WAY more information.

Dining out with people gives me a chance to see how they interact with the service industry, watch their table manners and view their food choices. Below are a few of my observations:

• If you quibble about the check when dining with a group of FRIENDS I have to wonder, “Are you petty in other areas of your life?” When eating with people who are s’posed to be your FRIENDS just split the check evenly. Chances are you will eat out with them again and it will all even out in the wash. If I go out to eat with a friend who dissects the check, I never go out to eat with them again. It doesn’t mean our friendship is over. I just can’t eat in a restaurant with them. And friend Sam has an additional rule – the designated driver doesn’t pay for valet or parking – keep it in mind!
• Are you nasty to wait staff? Are you a cheap tipper? This irritates me to no end, especially in high end restaurants. Wait persons work this job for a number of reasons, the biggest one is that the pay is generally good, but it isn’t an easy job. FYI – in many cases wait staff gets paid BELOW minimum wage because they are expected to earn tips. They also have to claim on their taxes 8% of their check total (minimum) regardless of what you tip them. I will admit I have lost my cool with a few waitresses in my time, but it was usually about crappy service on their part, or downright rudeness from them, but I always tip at LEAST 15% (even if the service is crappy) because I have walked MILES in those shoes. Be nice to your waiter and chances are you will get GREAT service.
• Do you send food back to the kitchen for minor things? I will send back overcooked food, or an order that is wrong, but that is about it. My sister Nancy will never send anything back because she is afraid the chef/cook will “spit in her food” if she does. If you are just being pedantic about the food, I am lead to believe that you are a pain in the ass in the rest of your life’s pursuits as well.
• Do you take risks with your dining choices? Are you willing to try new things? Are you happy to try the “tasting menu” even if you aren’t sure of all the items on it? Then you are someone I want to eat with! Recently we went out for John’s birthday to Michael Mina’s Seablue (pics below). We wanted a “tasting menu” but one wasn’t offered. When we mentioned this to the waiter he said they would create one for us, asked about food allergies, how much we wanted to spend and set to work. We had no idea what would come out of the kitchen and we were thrilled! By doing this we knew we’d get whatever the chef in house was BEST at creating and everything would be exceptional and it was! (Moment of Truth – this was one of THE most fun dinners we have had since each course was a surprise!) Everything brought to us was on the menu, so we were able to look at the description after it was delivered, but it was liberating to not have to make the choices.
• Does your napkin immediately go into your lap? If you meet my nephew Jeremy someday, ask him about this.

One of my most favorite Food Memories is dining in Florida with Hubby and some business associates of his at one of Emeril’s restaurants. The guys all let me order for them! They put their trust in me and let me choose. What fun! Interestingly I ordered EXACTLY what they would have ordered for themselves. One of the guys, after I placed his order, told the waiter to cook his meat medium well (ick). I pulled the waiter aside and told him to cook that meat “chef’s choice” and Robert didn’t know the difference because it was SO delicious! They all took chances, no quibbling about the check, laughed and had a great time and were obscenely nice to the staff. A great meal all the way around!

Watch the people you normally dine with. Do they have any “tells” about their personalities? Feel free to comment here and share what you notice.

This week’s Food Memories are a great birthday dinner with my beloved, helping tourists find good places to eat in our city, eating in Flagstaff with son Jack, and take out Chinese!

Seafood Tower for 2

Steak Tartar with poached quail egg

Beautiful Rib Eye and Mediterranean Sea Bass

Next Week? Vegas Uncork’d! Until then, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.

Challenge Me!

Posted on by RedFlair14

I have always loved to eat, and I learned to cook to support that habit. I’ve picked up tips & tricksfrom lots of sources; parents, step parents, old bosses, friends…Like most people who love to cook I started in my youth. For most of us, we learn to cook what we like to eat so we can cook it whenever we want. For kids that means making baked goods. In Jr. High Home Economics, they didn’t teach much more than baked goods in the cooking segment (Moment of Truth – sewing is the only class I have ever completely FAILED. I still can’t sew and I have to hire people to replace a button). As I aged and my life changed, I developed ways to impress dates by feeding them; spaghetti and meat sauce was a triumph. As a married woman putting dinner on the table every night was a personal victory. I really didn’t know how to make that many dishes, but we had to eat every night, so I learned. Not everything was a success, and my poor hubby has had to eat a lot of “dogs”. I am a firm believer in the adage “if you can read, you can cook.”

One of our wedding gifts was this cookbook. You’ll notice I have 2 copies, I asked John to get me another copy since the pages were falling out of my original. This was my first cookbook as a married person, and I now have well over 100, but no where near as many as my friend Pam.

I have a competitive nature…I can’t help it. After I had mastered basic dinner, I decided that I needed to be a better cook than any of my friends. I wanted to be the best at SOMETHING. Lord knows I can’t sing, play an instrument, sew or play sports better than anyone else, so I set out to be the best cook. I went to Basic Cookery at the local Community College’s Culinary Program, and I learned that I had been holding the knife wrong for 30 years. At that point it became my mission, as the oldest person in the class, to be # 1 in the class (I succeeded…).

So, in short cooking inspired me to reach beyond myself, to try new things and get competitive. What started out as a way to feed myself and then impress people and then feed myself again became a mild obsession. Now? Now? I find things to challenge me to beat myself. That’s why I started smoking my own bacon. That’s why I learned how to roll my own sushi. That is why I learned to make my own pancetta. That is why this weekend I made my first batch of spicy Italian sausage. It came out great!

What’s next on the challenge list? Who knows? It will definitely be something that maybe scares me, none of my other friends do and something I LOVE to eat. Maybe pates, terrines or sweetbreads…

This week’s Food Memories include my spicy sausage, The First Ever Vegas Foodie Fest (the best thing I ate all day was Truffled Mac & Cheese with Venison), brunch buffet with my main squeeze and the first corn on the cob of the season.

Food from Mangia Mangia – the profiteroles were comped. Lobster Ravioli, Spinach Ravioli and a Chicken Parm sandwich.

Me and that amazing Venison Mac & Cheese from the Vizzi Truck out of LA.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

Earth Day and William Shakespeare

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

As I do every year on the 23rd of April, I remember my fave English teacher from High School – Frank Sullivan – and I revel in the way he taught me to LOVE Shakespeare. In case you were wondering, Shakespeare died on his birthday, April 23rd. (Another author who died April 23rd is Miguel de Cervantes from Alcala, Spain – we saw his home when we lived in Spain. Sully introduced me to him too – via Man of LaMancha). Thanks Sully!

Sunday was Earth Day and like any eco-minded citizen I was thinking of how what I do has an impact on Mother Earth. (Moment of truth – I hate it when people use “impact” as a verb.) Recently while traveling I had some food trash to toss and I was searching for a bin while waiting in line. One of my fellow travelers pointed out a recycling bin to me and I explained that it was TRASH, not recyclables. He went on a tirade about how he didn’t see the point in recycling because it didn’t make anything “cheaper”. In a controlled voice (difficult for me, let me assure you), I explained that recycling wasn’t about making things cheaper it was about not turning our planet into a gigantic landfill of steaming trash. Because he was truly ignorant and unwilling to learn, I recited the line about teaching a pig to sing in my head and turned my back on him.

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. Edward Everett Hale

Therein lies the truth to everything, but in my mind particularly to Earth Day. So here, in addition to recycling, is what I do to make a small difference:
– I have used canvas sacks for my groceries since 1988 – once again I was fashionable before it was cool. I now have too many bags – John says I need to get rid of some and pass them on to other eco-minded people. Call me if you want to own one of my collection.
– Our herb/veggie garden is organic. It’s not only about keeping chemicals off our food, it’s about not killing bees and not putting crap into our VERY shallow water table here in the desert.
– Support local Farmers, Co-Ops and Farmers’ Markets – I pick my own at Gilcrease, shop the Farmers’ Markets when I can get there (great for interesting, uncommon stuff, but WAY more expensive. Be prepared for a little sticker shock), and I recently started using Bountiful Baskets check them out! Not only are you supporting and encouraging local business, but locally produced food you buy doesn’t have to be flown in!
– I began composting – I know according to my HOA that I am not supposed to. But mine is contained, has no odor and my neighbors don’t even know I have it because it is well maintained. You can buy a bin at Costco or other retailer, here’s a pic of the one I use, and set it up in your back yard and get your own heap going.
– I buy sustainably caught, raised, and procured meat and fish when possible. Check out Monterey Aquarium’s Seafood Watch info on Sustainable Seafood. There’s even an app for your phone so you can check on the go! Thanks Rick Moonen for the education! Also check out Blue Oasis Shrimp (available at Albertson’s across the Vegas Valley) – grown in a sustainable facility in the desert believe it or not! No freezing, no jet fuel used for delivery, cleanly raised organic shrimp!
– I drive a car big enough for my purposes that gets at least 25 MPG on the highway.
– I support environmental charities like The Arbor Day Foundation.

To celebrate Earth Day this year, I made a Mainly Meatless dinner (of course there was bacon) of great seasonal veggies and falafel for dinner. The Meatless Monday movement has taken hold, but I don’t participate. I eat whatever strikes my fancy and if Veggie Night is Thursday instead of Monday, so what?

I challenge you to look at how you shop, eat, garden, recycle and see if you can make a small (or big) change that will make you feel like you are contributing to the GREEN solution.
This is what part of my garden looks like today. You see strawberries, mint, thyme, marjoram, mint and a tomato plant in the pot.

This week’s Food Memories are eating fiddle head ferns for the first time in more than 15 years (LOVE them), finding a vintage copy (older than I am!) of Larousse Gastronomique during a Cash Mob outing to Dead Poets Books, sushi and beer with the Bells, A fun Beer Festival at Tivoli Village, my first trip to the Downtown Farmers Market, and harvesting my own leeks! This weekend you can find me at the Foodie Fest at the Silverton. A portion of the proceeds will be going to my pet charity – Three Square Food Bank. Hope to see you there!

John at the Beer Fest

Everything’s Bigger in Texas – Including My Appetite

Posted on by RedFlair14

My blog is late this week because I just returned from San Antonio (SATX) late last night.

I took a week to visit friends, eat my way thru the city and spend some time doing the job that actually pays me (believe it or not – no one pays me to write this blog – I do it for fun – hehe). The fun thing was hanging out with my friends and returning to the places I frequented when I lived there. I skipped the Alamo because I had been there numerous times and I know there is no basement where Pee Wee’s bike could be hidden.

Sometimes when you are away from a place for a while, you romanticize the experiences and foods that made it so special. Either because you had a good time or because you were with dear friends, you mis-remember the experience. I was really afraid that would happen on this trip. Thankfully that was only true for ONE of the places I visited. On the whole, everything was just as good as I remembered. (Moment of truth – I don’t think I ate any veggies while I was gone except for a salad…)

As soon as I got off the plane and retrieved my rental car I went straight to Lulu’s. They make the best chicken fried steak. Light and crispy on the outside (breaded on premises, the cubed steak does not arrive frozen and pre-breaded), moist and tender on the inside. The biggest failing here? The sides don’t live up to the standard of the steak. And of course this is the home of the 3lb cinnamon rolls (I avoided that too). And the fried food didn’t stop there…I pretty much ate everything fried I could get my hands on. I’d lay even odds that Texas has one of the highest heart attack rates in the country!

Oh the joy of freshly breaded and fried Chicken Fried Steak!

If you have never been to SATX – all I can say is that it is against the law to go there and NOT eat Mexican food! There are SO many great family owned places that it is tough to choose. I went to 2 different ones and had enchiladas at both and was deliriously happy both times. One of the COOLEST things about Mexican food in SATX is that all self respecting places make their own tortillas! They all make their own flour tortillas and some even make their own corn tortillas well. And don’t even get me started on tamales. I found it best for my waistline to NOT seek them out on this trip…just sayin’ (but for the record my faves are Delicious Tamales on Nacogdoches).

Shrimp Enchiladas, rice only, no beans

The biggest disappointment was Shilo’s. It is a downtown SATX institution, on street level above the River Walk, and I remembered it being SO much better. It is a German Deli. Yes, the center part of Texas was settled by Germans, so in addition to great Mexican food, you can also get fantastic German food – especially in New Braunfels, but apparently not at Shilo’s anymore. The only things that were good were the JUGS being together for lunch, the pickles and the house made root beer.

The counter at Shilo’s – always packed and always with a barrel of root beer

And speaking of beer…if you are a fan of Shiner Bock, I am about to make you totally jealous! They have a new beer called Wild Hare Pale Ale – with the slogan “hop to it”. Cute right? Tasty, but not as hoppy as I like, but still infinitely drinkable. So far as I know it is only available in Texas at this time.

The icing on the cake was going to HEB Central Market. It puts Whole Foods to shame in a MAJOR way. I know I am paying more than a regular grocery store, but I don’t feel like I have to give a pint of blood or give up my first born when I am shopping there. Don’t bother looking for an HEB grocery unless you live in Texas, they are isolated to the Lone Star State, and IMHO, one of the best grocery chains in the country. Needless to say, I couldn’t bring a whole lot home because I was flying, but I did pick up some coffee for John, handmade soap from Austin, and dark chocolate covered chipotle almonds. Had I means to bring perishables back, I would have come home with sausages, cheeses, chorizo and a bunch of other great stuff. Maybe next time….

So here is the tally for the week:
Chicken Fried Steak – 1
Mexican – 2
Italian – 2
Cajun – 1
Deli – 1
British Pub – 1

My Food Memories from this past week are mostly outlined above, but of special note are lunch and dinner with my JUGS, drinking beer on the porch with buddies Mary and Al (thanks for hosting me), cooking with my sales TEAM, and reacquainting myself with friend Marsha at Pappadeaux.
Marsha and I dining at the bar at Pappadeaux

Fried crawfish and crawfish etoufee with dirty rice, preceded by crawfish bisque – it was a “mudbug fest”! Of course I started eating before I took the pic!

Until next time – go out and make your OWN Food Memories