Food Podcasts

My new obsession is food podcasts. I stumbled upon the Culinary Podcast Network a few weeks back and downloaded some of the podcasts I thought were interesting. I expected long winded, poorly produced ramblings about food that I would probably regret downloading. I was proven wrong. What the CPN has done is accumulate the best and most interesting podcasts related to food and drink and created a one-stop source.

Of all the great podcasts at the CPN, the best one is from Gastrologica (podcast can be found HERE or on the CPN) which is hosted by Steve Wasser and Chef Dan Cincis. They are funny, entertaining, and full of information. Even though I already know about many of the techniques and equipment they talk about, they present it in such a manner that I cannot help but listen. I would highly recommend giving them a listen. This week's rant about Rachel Ray is classic.

I’m sorry brisket, please forgive me.

Last night I had an epiphany and its name was brisket. I have never really understood why BBQ aficionados had such a fascination with the brisket. Every brisket I have had has been overcooked, tough, and dry. The only brisket that I have truly enjoyed was didn’t even come from the BBQ universe. It was from Benji’s Deli in Shorewood. So last night I met some friends at Q – Real American Food for dinner. We had some of their smoked BBQ chicken wings (more on those later) and I had a ½ slab of Kansas City ribs. I was getting full so I offered to share my ribs with my buddies. One friend gave me a slice of his brisket and when I really looked at it I could tell it was different. It glistened with moisture and almost looked like a slice of juicy NY Strip Steak. Most brisket I’ve had has been dry and gray. One bite and I became a brisket convert. It was great. A crunchy crust and a tender, juicy, smoky inside. Though Q offers four great sauces to go with their meats, this brisket needed nothing though I admit to trying a bite with some of their Sprecher BBQ sauce.

Now I am infatuated and interested in brisket. Once it warms up, that is the first thing I am slapping on my smoker.

MKE Online Review - Skylight Room at Bjonda

About a year ago I took a cooking class taught by Ryan Whiteman of Bjonda and the Skylight Room in Wauwatosa. He taught the class how to make some of their menu items. I have to say I was blown away with the food he prepared. The best of which was a tuna tartare with some wasabi crème freche. I can still taste the fresh rich flavor of the fich offset with the kick of wasabi. He also prepared a scallop and asparagus with truffle oil which was also incredible as well as some of the best pork tenderloin I have ever tasted. I have recreated these at home a few times but have yet to visit Bjonda or the Skylight Room. In fact I haven’t been in this place since it was Jolly’s on Harwood. After reading the review on MKEonline (who have yet to respond to my e-mail trying to get onboard as a threeview reviewer) I realize that I need to eat there soon.

Some other good reviews for Bjonda:

Jsonline Review

Milwaukee Magazine

Clarence Mertz is an ass

Who is Clarence Mertz you ask? Well he is public enemy number 1 to the legions of brat eaters in Wisconsin. You see Mr. Mertz is leading a campaign to end Sheboygan Wisconsin’s annual Brat Eating Contest because as he claims, it is a “disgusting event” and promotes gluttony and over eating. I think eating contests are disgusting too so that is why I avoid them. But avoiding them is not what Mr. Mertz wants. Instead of staying home boring his grandchildren with tales of how it was in the old days like a normal 84 year old, he wants to ensure that nobody else can enjoy the contest either and wants to hold an advisory referendum to see if the public wants it banned. He claims that the vote would be 10:1 in favor of ending the event. Not only is Mr. Mertz a jackass, he is delusional. Here in Wisconsin we are bombarded with complaints about how high our taxes are and how government wastes money on useless things and this old coot wants to spend public dollars to hold a non-binding referendum on whether people should be allowed to stuff their faces with brats every summer. Tell you what Clarence, you can bankroll the referendum, staff the polls with your friends and hold the election at the next Brat days because I am sure Sheboygan has far better things to do with taxpayer dollars than ban a brat eating contest that is held by a private club, the Jaycees. Of course it should be no surprise to anyone that Mr. Mertz is a former attorney. I am so sick of people who think their job is to tell the public what that can and should enjoy. I am sure this grumpy old bastard is the same type of person that tries to get offensive TV shows banned instead of simply turning the channel.

I am thinking that I will get a booth at next years festival and sell t-shirts with his photo with a big “X” through his face. Only the “X” will be made of two bratwurst crossing each other. Lets hope the City does what everyone else does when an old person talks on and on about a bunch of nonsense. Just ignore them.

Brussels sprouts that you actually want to eat.

Brussels sprouts. One of te most hated vegetables. Mention this vegetable to most and you will watch as their face scrunches up as if you had crapped on a plate and handed them a fork. That is probably because people have had steamed, over cooked, under seasoned Brussels sprouts and that has ruined them. Here is a quick and easy (even easier with my shortcut) recipe that creates excellent sprouts every time.

What you need:

Fresh Brussels Sprouts (as many as you need or want
Flur De Sel, Gray Salt, or your favorite fancy salt (use kosher if you must)
Pepper
Kosher salt
Water
High quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Take a decent size pot (depending on the number of sprouts) and fill it ¾ with water. Add some kosher salt (a couple of pinches, again depending on how much water you use) Bring the water to a boil. While waiting for the water, slice the sprouts in half.

When the water comes to a boil, add the sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove sprouts and plunge into ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In a fry pan heat some olive oil or your favorite sauté oil (this doesn’t need to be the high quality kind). Add the sprouts face down and sauté (don’t touch them!) until caramelized on the bottom (the cut side) Flip over and sauté for another minute or two until browned on the round sides. Remove from pan and plate them. Drixxle with a high quality olive oil (I have recently become hooked on some great California oils. I love the freshness of an oil that was recently bottled, unlike some imported oils. Pope Creek Ranch unfiltered oil which I absolutely love (so much so that there are only a few tablespoons full left in the bottle). After you drizzle the sprouts with the oil, add some freshly ground black pepper and then some of the gourmet salts. I have been using Penzey’s French Gray Sea Salt, which I carefully sprinkle on each sprout. Eat and enjoy. Then call your mom and tell her that you were wrong all along, you do love Brussels sprouts!

To mix it up a little you can add some balsamic vinegar, herbs and spices, soy salt or other flavors to match your main dish before you sauté the sprouts. You can also use different oils. I recently tried a chili oil with great results. Try grilling or roasting them instead of the saute' too.

Demise of a crappy restaurant.

One of my earlier posts was a review of a restaurnt that I was extermelly excited about but ultimately ended up being very disappointed with. I visited their website today to see if maybe they had changed their menu or lowered prices and now I find that Passport Point is Closed.

I feel bad for the owners but honestly, you cannot keep a crappy restaurant alive when you are charging obnoxious prices for mediocre (at best) food. Yeah, I really want to pay 17 bucks for a pecan crusted boneless chicken breast. I hope that someone takes this space and makes it into a place that will thrive. Downtown is just dying for a nice independent restaurant/lounge.

Brew Review: New Glarus Road Slush Stout

There is much dispute over who the best Wisconsin Microbrewery is. I used to be in the Lakefront/ Sprecher Camp. After all they were the first and they consistently pump out excellent brews. In recent years I have shifted my allegiance to New Glarus. They continually put out sensational seasonal and regular brews and are always adding something new. That is not to say that all of the other breweries aren't exellent as well. I don't think there is a microbrewery in Wisconsin that doesn't have at least 1-2 beers that are great.

I was in a New Glarus bar a few years back when they were testing out their Squirrel Nut Brown Ale and I think that was the time I started to lean towards their brews. Their Hearty Hop is the best Pale Ale put out by a Wisconsin Brewery (I find Cream City to be a little lacking in the hops for my tastes, the same goes for Sprecher’s). Last night I was exited to see that a local bar had a new New Glarus beer, Road Slush Stout. My mouth was watering as I watched the jet black brew fill the glass. One sip and I was in love. This stout was delicious without being overbearing. It has a great balance between the chocolate malt and the oatmeal. It is not extra malty as many other Chocolate and/or Oatmeal Stouts are, but It drinks very well. It is the perfect beer for the winter months, though I wish this would have been released before Christmas because it would have been a great beer to enjoy on Christmas Eve.