« First-World Problems... | Main | Gun Thread: Mid-August Edition! »

Food Thread: The Joy Of A Good Bartender And Medium-Rare Pork

I know most of you don't believe me but it's true...I really do like vegetables as part of a balanced diet of mostly meat and fat. But I don't like my vegetables cooked the way I like my steak. I know it is a modern cuisine axiom that vegetables are never to be cooked through, but I am no fan of barely cooked vegetables..at least most of them. Sure, those green beans will be okay, and maybe even the broccoli, but the carrots? Sh*t! If I need a knife to cut my carrots, then they need to go back into the oven or the pan.

Unless the intent is for them to be raw, in which case give me a good dip and I am a happy camper, especially if I can alternate with some tasty cured meat.

Raw or cooked...nothing in between. That's not complicated, is it?

******
Yeah...yeah...yeah...they are terrible photos. In my defense I am a much better drinker than I am a photographer.

That first drink is a Pisco Sour, made quite ably by the fine bartender at Panela, a Tapas bar in Hoboken. Hell, I chose it because I was meeting J.J. Sefton for dinner and it was near the train and PATH stations!

But we lucked out, although when I walked in and saw Sefton with that drink in front of him I considered sneaking back out, because damn! That looks like a chick drink. Did he transition?

But it wasn't. It was excellent. Everything was in balance and the frothed egg white was done perfectly! Even the cute design was done well.

We were on a roll, so we read the auguries and had Mojitos! Yup...another silly drink in the hands of most bartenders, but this guy made a good one! He worked carefully and slowly...no slinging booze for him. It wasn't crowded so he had the luxury of time, and he made fine use of it.

The food wasn't bad either.

I love being surprised by restaurants. I expected a thoroughly pedestrian place, and they were better than that.

I might even go back!

******
Speaking of vegetables; this is an interesting recipe: Aubergines Amalfitane. The filling of the eggplant shells (STOP CALLING THEM "AUBERGINES!") sounds delicious, but the skin of the eggplant is going to be odd. Maybe I am missing something, and maybe 40 minutes in a warm oven will tenderize and flavor them with the other ingredients enough that they meld.

Or not.

******

That's one of my favorite breakfasts (along with chicken-fried steak and biscuits and gravy of course!), but it is surprisingly difficult to get a great version of it. Either the muffin is soggy or the Hollandaise is cold (which scares me a bit) or the Canadian bacon is bland and rubbery.

In fact, when chefs go of the reservation the dish tends to be better, and the example I had a few days ago is great example. Instead of using Canadian bacon, he used pulled pork, and that worked wonderfully! And the Hollandaise was a bit spicy, which was a nice touch.

******

That ain't your mother's pork! I cook my pork to 139 degrees, and typically finish it on the grill with a mustard glaze. I think that's the perfect temperature, although I will happily consume when Sous Vided at a lower temperature for a few hours. That's commercial pork though. If it were from a wild pig I would simply assume it was infected with trichinosis and either freeze the meat at a low temperature for a long time or cook it to 160 degrees. Yuck! But commercial pork is getting so much better (that means fattier) and there are heritage breeds available are are stunningly good, so wild pigs aren't the only source for delicious pork!

Here's some data about the number of cases of trichinosis in America. It isn't common at all! That's probably because American pork producers are very careful. I'll bet all of the cases came from wild game or family farms that feed their pigs table scraps.

******

Oh to be a teenager again! I remember coming home after swimming practice and making an entire box of that stuff for a pre-dinner snack. Delicious. One of the glories of American processed food!

******
The oyster imperative remains in effect, especially now that we are entering the summer months. Yup, I'm not afraid of oysters in the summer! (Except that my usual source was sold out, so I am an oysterless Dildo, and you know how bad that is!) And send pork rib roasts from the front end of the pig where all the good and fatty meat lives, carrots that don't taste like stalky chalk, garlic...lots of garlic! (but no basil!), well-marbled NY strip steaks and elk backstrap to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

And don't think that the rest of you are off the hook with maple syrup and French Toast: I'm still watching you! And I am watching you perverts who shake Manhattans and keeping a list for the Burning Times.

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.