Chain Restaurant Eats

Everyone eats at chain restaurants once in a while, even the most pretentious Riverwest or Bayview Hipster has probably eaten at a chain in the last month. They are inevitable. With that being said there are some chains that I really like. Number one on the list is Buffalo Wild Wings (the chain formerly known as BW3). I love this place. I love their wings, the great tasting selection of sauces, and the awesome beer selection. I love meeting friends there for happy hour and sporting events. Call it a guilty pleasure, but it is probably my favorite chain and one of the best places for wings around.

Second on the list is Qdoba, though 90 percent of the time I order the same exact thing: a chicken mole burrito, black beans, and habenero salsa with sour cream and cheese. Its awesome and has been one of my favorite chain meals for at least 5 years.

Next up, PF Changs. I have never eaten anything bad here and to tell you the truth, most Chinese places in town wish they could be this good. There are exceptions, but we are served such crappy Chinese food at 75 percent of the places in town, it’s a refreshing change. You can actually taste the ingredients and identify the meat in your entree. The King Pau chicken is excellent and the Beef ala Sichuan is very very tasty (and hot as hell). The availability of brown rice is an added bonus.

Houlihan’s is another chain that shed its cookie-cutter Applebee’s style décor and menu for a more contemporary twist on the sit-down chain restaurant. I read in a recent Food Arts magazine that they hired an up and coming chef and gave him free reign to update the tired image of this chain. The results are pretty good. The menu is very impressive and most everything I have tried is awesome. The salads make awesome entrees with my favorites being Ahi Tuna, Calamari, and BBQ Salmon. What I enjoy most is that I can get a good, somewhat healthy lunch near by place of employment, which is essentially a culinary wasteland. Watch for a review on EatWisconsin in the coming weeks.

NYC Day 3

Ok, ok, my trip was a month ago and I haven't posted day 3. Day 3 we woke up pretty hungover from our late night. It was almost 11 by the time we got moving. We wanted something different, not typical hangover food so being in the heart of Chinatown (which is actually a misnomer - it should be Asia-town because of all the different ethnic groups represented here) we decided to try Nha Hang Pho Viet Huong, a Vietnamese restaurant near our hotel. The menu was huge, like s Greek restaurant with page after page of interesting stuff. Deciding on one or two items was going to be quite a chore. We all had some Vietnamese iced coffee which was presented in its own little brewing vessel. It was so think it looked like syrup...and it took a while for the water to filter through the grounds but when it was done, you mixed it with this condensed milk and were rewarded with one of the strongest and best tasting coffees you will ever experience.

I opted for the Mi Vit Riem Dong Co, which is essentially Pho with duck and mushrooms and an order of Bo Nuong Lui, which are charcoal grilled beef skewers with sesame seeds. My friends ordered some spring rolls, a traditional Pho, and some frog leg curry. Of all of the items, I enjoyed the beef skewers best. They were full of flavor and were served with a sweet dipping sauce. We devoured them. The spring rolls were also excellent. My pho was satisfying and I loved the duck leg and the mushrooms, but honestly the broth was a little weak. I tried to make up for it by adding some sirhacha, hoisin, and the basil, which helped but couldn't hide its lack of depth. Pho Tru Trinh in Milwaukee's broth was much better. My friend's traditional Pho (with tripe, flank steak, meatballs, tendon, etc) was good, but the broth was also lacking. The frog curry was a pain in the ass to eat, but there were a ton of frog legs and the flavor was great with a decent amount of heat. Probabaly the best of the 3 entrees. It was a good hangover cure (I credit the coffee and the broth).

My friends then wanted to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Having been there twice, I ventured off on my own and visited record stores and other sites all afternoon, essentially riding the subway and getting off at places that sparked my interest. I did a ton of walking and found some really cool neighborhoods and stores. While walking through the Village, I spotted a Gray's Papaya and decided a snack was in order. I couldn't believe the prices, I spent under 3 bucks in Manhattan and got 2 dogs and a papaya drink. The drink smelled kind of strange, but it tasted refreshing given the blistering heat. The dogs were pretty decent with this sort of sweet onion concoction on them. It was a perfect mid-afternoon snack and I can see why so many people love these dogs. I could have easily chowed down about 4 more.

I wandered around a nearby store called Gourmet Garage, where I sampled cheeses, dips and other assorted goodies then headed down to Battery Park to meet my friends. We ate some mediocre pizza near ground zero and grabbed a cab back to the hotel, then on to the airport. Three days is not enough to really enjoy New York City and though I have been there two other times I regret not going to Central Park on this trip. I also wanted to check out Brooklyn, but there simply was no time.

At the airport we joked about all of the animals we consumed on the trip. Here is what we came up with:

Beef
Pork
Duck
Rabbit
Fish (salmon, tuna, snapper, yellowtail)
Clams
Lobster
Snails
Lamb
Frog

I was recently tagged with a meme by Yulikna of Yulinka Cooks. I then had to do a google search for find out exactly what a meme is. Its an idea that is passed from blog to blog, kind of like crabs, without the itching and embarassing trip to the drug store. I guess the idea is to let people get a glimpse into the personality of a blogger. I kind of had an idea of what it was when I saw a post on Haverchuck's site listing the 5 foods to eat before you die. I replied with my list this morning, then read Yulinka's post and found out about my being tagged. Anyhow here is my list of foods that people should eat before they die:

1. A Johnsonville, Usingers or Kelment's (though Johnsonville is my fave) bratwurst with onions, mustard and washed down with a fine Wisconsin Beer.

2. Speed Queen shoulder and outside dinner.

3. Katz's deli pastrami (I have only eaten it once, but I cannot stop thinking about how good it was..it will change your impression of Pastrami)

4. Onglet (Hanger) steak with red wine and shallot sauce and a side of frites (french fries) served at most good French restaurants (Lake Park Bistro's is awesome, though the best is Les Halles in NYC)

5. Foie Gras - Not in a pate, but a nice seared chunk of foie with some kind of a fruit based sauce to cut through the richness. It is unlike anything you have ever eaten. And it will piss off the folks at PETA.

My list on Haverchuck listed A steak taco from the Taco and Burrito Place on Broadway in Chicago at number 5. While this taco is phemonenal, I had to repalce it with foie gras after some thought

Yulinka also mentioned bloggers listing 5 foods that I haven't eaten but really want to, though I wasn't tagged with that. Nonetheless I am going to list them:

1. Fresh figs (I have searched every gourmet store in the area and have never seen one. Once I get the opportunity I will eat this.

2. Jamon Iberico from Spain. I have never had this and it has recently been approved for import to the US, but the price is obnoxious, which makes me want it more.

3. Veal sweatbreads. Never had the opportunity and as far as I can tell only 1 place in Milwaukee serves them - the Social. I can buy them in the store and make 'em myselef, but I'd like to have someone make them for me so I can at least get an idea what they are like.

4. Fresh truffles. I have had oils and butters, but never had a fresh truffle shaved atop anything.

5. Unaged french raw-milk cheeses - the ones the US won't let into the country unless they are aged for 60 days.

EatWisconsin Update

I have fucking had it with Blogger deleting portions of my posts. It happens almost weekly. I think its time to start using a different blogging program.

Eat Wisconsin Weekly Roundup

Milwaukee Considers a Foie Gras Ban?
Well not really, but it seems the Journal is trying to stir up this topic that hasn’t even been a blip on the radar in our area. I am guessing they want a Trotter-Tramanto war of words like they had in Chicago. Let’s hope our lawmakers have more sense than to bow to the ridiculous, misguided, self-serving demands of a small but vocal minority. Mark Belling spke briefly on this yesterday and in a rare moment I found myself agreeing with him...until he tried to tie it into the global jihad threat.

Review of Palmer’s Steakhouse in the Journal
When I was younger one of my favorite restaurants was the Cobblestone Inn in Hartland, WI. It was my family’s “special occasion” restaurant and it was great. Great steaks, walleye, duck, and other supper club fare. I was last there about 4-5 years ago and had a great filet mignon with blue cheese. Then they closed and some people put in some pizza joint, ruining the interior of a great restaurant. Thankfully it failed and has been taken over by Palmer's Steakhouse. No its not that (Charlie) Palmer though I think the choice of the name Palmer's is suspicious. Maybe they figure the connotation with Charlie Trotter Steak is enough to draw more people. Anyhow, the review can be found here.

Trader Joe's is coming.

The Journal discusses the store here. I am loking forward to this. Though a lot of their stuff is nothing but Aldi products with fancier packaging, they have great prices on gourmet cheese, olive oils, vinegars and all kinds of great products. I too am suckered in by 3 buck Chuck.

Best thing I ate this week:

Pretty mediocre week in terms of food. I made fajitas with Steve Wasser of Gastrologica’s marinade recipe (with soy sauce), which were pretty awesome, but I think that the rib tips that I had smoked back in July and thawed this week take the cake. Smoked food stores great in the freezer and it was great to enjoy these without spending 6 hours manning the smoker.

Worst thing I ate this week:

Considering I ate a breakfast Tornado off one of those hot dog rollers at Speedway for breakfast, you'd think it'd be an easy choice. Actually I enjoy those things, unlike Mr. Pastrami. The sandwich I ate there sucked ass.

Next week in Undelicious:

Smokin' butts - I will document a day of smoking pork shoulder and some other goodies for my fantasy football draft (this may come the following week, depending on my schedule)

Review of Michael's Italian American Restaurant fish fry and an interesting new addition to Waukesha's dining scene.

Mazo's Fine Foods - The best burgers in town?

I had never even heard of Mazos until about a month ago when a local publication (I think it was the Shepard Express) mentioned the phenomonal burgers offered up at Mazo's at 27th and Oklahoma (just a few blocks south of Pho Tru Trinh, reviewed here 4 weeks ago). Upon reading the article, I did some internet research and apparently Mazo's burgers are described as many as the "Best in the City." A discussion and photos even were topics at eGullet, where posters ohh-ed and aahh-ed over the pictures of the burgers in the thread. As I mentioned in the post on Katz's Deli in NYC, I am skeptical of any place that people claim has the best (insert food item here) in the city/state/country/world. My experience at Katz's emboldened me. I was ready to go forward and try another so-called "best" restaurant.

Mazo's is in a nondescript small building across the street from the more famous Leon's Custard. I used to drive by this place almost weekly and it never even caught my eye. I should warn you, Mazo's doesn't take credit cards. I noticed this on a menu posted outside and had to go to a nearby ATM to fetch me some cash. A frest set of 20s in my pocket and I was ready for some food. I ordered a cheeseburger with fried onions and mushrooms. You get to choose 2 sides. I think the selections include fries, cole slaw, soup, cottage cheese, and something else that sounded lame. I got fries and the soup. My choices were chicken noodle, navy bean, and beef vegetable. I am not a fan of any of those kinds of soup. People rave about chicken noodle and how its this great comfort food. Fuck that. If I want comfort food, I want clam chowder, beer cheese, or a nice bisque. Despite the fact that its August and I don't care for it, I ordered beef vegetable. It was good, but a bit greasy. The chunks of meat were good, but were few and far beteen. I am guessing that someone who likes beef vegetable would have enjoyed this.

My burger and fries arrived soon after I was done with my soup. The burger was decent sized (1/4 lb or more) and I could smell the fried onions. The frieswere hot and crinkle cut, one of my personal favorite cuts. They were excellent and seasoned with seasoning salt. My first bite of the burger filled my mouth with meat, bun, butter (yes its a butter burger), melted American cheese, onions and mushrooms and I have to say it was delicious. Each bite provided little resistance and I enjoyed it immensely.

So how does Mazo's stack up to institutions like Solly's, Kopp's, and Culver's butter burgers? Really good, if you ask me. I think that I like Solly's a little bit better, even though they are smaller, but its close. Its a tad better than Kopp's and much better than Culver's. I need to admit that as good as butter burgers are, I prefer pub-style burgers. I would say the best burger in the City is served at The Wicked Hop. I like to order it with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Jalapenos and wash that puppy down with a cold pint of Bell's Oberon or Stella Artois. I cannot fathom going there and not ordering that. I do need to get to Sobleman's, which sources tell me is outstanding (and they have fried jalapenos on the burger). Nonetheless, if you want a really good Milwaukee-style butter burger, Mazo's is your place. Just typing this is making me hungry.

Mazo's Fine Foods can be found at 3146 S 27TH StMilwaukee, WI 53215 (414) 671-2118

We're Number One! We're Number One!

Many people in Milwaukee probably tossed back a couple of pints of their favorite beer last night in celebration of our ranking as the nation’s drunkest City by Forbes magazine. Others are out doing damage control saying the ranking is flawed or that we need to throw more money at programs to educate people about the dangers of binge drinking. That usual suspects, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving will come out and rip the drinkers in the state trying to shame us into abstinence. They will say that this ranking just encourages kids to drink. They will rip the culture of drinking, try to get beer banned from events, and try to ruin everyone’s fun. What they will never ever admit is that you can never stop underage drinking and you will never stop college kids from partying on a regular basis.

As much as I enjoy Milwaukee’s (and Wisconsin in general) reputation as a heavy drinking state, I do believe the factors used in determining the rankings are flawed. First, they call the consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion “binge drinking. I do not consider that binge drinking, I consider that a normal night out. Using that definition I binge drink once a week. I am guessing that most Wisconsinites agree with me. I am not saying that in jest either. If I am out for 4-5 hours five drinks seems about right. Five beers in 5 hours is hardly what I could consider a binge. Five beers in five hours and you are likely under the legal limit. To me a binge is what I did in college. Things like dedicating an entire Saturday to “case day” where each of us would buy a case of cheap ass beer (think Huber bock or Milwaukee’s Best) and attempt to finish it in the course of a day (we never failed to accomplish our goal). Binge drinking is the 100 shot club, 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes then going out for the evening afterwards. Bing drinking is what you do at bachelor parties and other people’s weddings, especially those with open bars.

Maybe I am looking at this through Sprecher Amber colored glasses, but as much as people like to claim that drinking is ingrained In Wisconsin’s culture, I would argue that we are not a State full of drunks. I feel that for the most part, we are a state of responsible drinkers. We enjoy having 3-4 beers for happy hour or enjoying a couple with our dinner. Drinking an overpriced Miller Genuine Draft in a wax cup is what makes watching baseball fun. Remember that Simpsons episode where Homer gave up drinking, went to a baseball game, and proclaimed “I never realized how boring this game is.” My sentiments exactly.

Mr. Pastrami's

Maybe my pilgrimage to the Legendary Katz's Deli in NYC has me ruined for life. After eating their Pastrami, I am hooked. That taste still lingers in my gastronomic memory and I just can't shake it.

Today I decided that I would take a trip to Mr. Pastrami's in Milwaukee with a coworker. We both ordered pastrami (with a name like Mr. Pastrami's, you almost have to don't you?). After a long wait of about 10 minutes we were informed there was only enough pastrami for one sandwich. WHAT??? Mr. Fucking Pastrami's ran out of Pastrami at 12:20? That would be like Taco Bell running out of tacos. We ordered a Cuban and decided to split each sandwich. Ten more minutes (we are up to 20 now) later we received our sandwiches and my order of tater tots (a guilty pleasure of mine), which I heard one employee call out a request for no fewer than 3 times before someone actually began frying them. Twenty minutes at a counter-service place at lunch is unacceptable, especially considering how empty the place was. With the exception of 1 (maybe 2) people, the employees seemed to have no clue as to what was going on.

I was willing to endure the heat, the strange smells, and the wait for a great pastrami sandwich. Unfortunately that sandwich never came. What I did recieve was a very bland sandwich with some very dry pastrami, lacking in any depth of flavor. It was very bland and dry (I thought I would mention that again because well...it was fucking dry). Many Milwaukee publications rave about this sandwich. Milwaukeeans need to get their ass to Katz's before this place gets another drop of positive ink.

My recommendation is to stay away. This place sucks. I will likely never set foot in this place again. Oh, the Cuban was serviceable. Not great, but not offensive, though Dijon mustard on a Cuban is a big no-no. Not to sound like a know-it-all Dennis Getto clone, but you need to use plain yellow mustard.

This place is located at 3216 S. Howell Ave in Milwaukee should you dare try it.

I used to write a blog called “Beer City Blog” where I commented on all kinds of happenings in Milwaukee. I grew bored with that but every once in a while I need to get some non-food related commentary off my chest. This week I needed to comment on WISN radio.

Mark Belling and that asshole programming manager Jerry Bott are crying because WISN lost the broadcast rights for Marquette Basketball. Bott questioned why they would leave for one of the worst rated stations in the City. Nice jab, you asshole. You completely dropped all sports programming from your shitbag station and fucked over the best sports talk show host in the state so you could have 24 hour angry white male conservative talk and then you cry when Marquette bails on you. For those who don’t know, Bott bumped Steve “The Homer” True’s 6-8 pm show (which had been on air for around 15 years) to 9pm so they could air that prick Sean Hannity’s syndicated radio show. True soon left the station for 1510 WAUK.

Belling’s criticism of the decision was very similar however he is so full of himself that he believes they bailed because he criticized Marquette when they wouldn’t change their name back to the Warriors. Look you weasel-faced loser, you are not the center of the universe. Contrary to your belief you are not the reason everything happens in Milwaukee. In fact, most WAUK hosts also ripped Marquette’s naming decision. He then took a shot at Steve True, calling him a Marquette Whore. Um, assface Steve True is an employee of Marquette when he broadcasts games. He would get fired if he ripped them, as would most employees if they ripped their bosses in public. Belling should stick to what he knows best, telling brain dead white suburbanites how to think and chasing after skanks at Victor's. (a side note, about 30 minutes after I originally posted this, Homer dropped another Victor's jab). You see Belling looks like a weasel. He has a face for radio, which means he has to hang at Victor's, where people of all ages go to hook up. I am guessing he plays the odds...if he goes there every night eventually someone will be druunk enough and desperate enough to sleep with him.

Look this decision makes the most sense. WAUK is the best sports station in the City (WSSP sucks ass) and they should try to get as many sports as possible. They may not be the highest rated AM station, but they will likely gain a ton of new listeners as a result of this. People will follow Marquette to whatever radio station broadcasts them.

Yesterday's journal had a nice snippet on the exchange.

NYC Day 2

By the time we woke up and got ready, our heads still hurting from the beer and our wallets still hurting from the price of beer at Yankee Stadium, it was almost 11AM. We couldn't decide on what to eat, so I suggested Chelsea Market.

I walked around the market with my friends and pointed out the various places to eat. It was truly food overload with seafood, Italian specialties, Thai food, lots of soups, breads, sushi, and just about anything else you can imagine. I decided to go for the sushi and a bowl of clam chowder from the Seafood Company. It took forever because a bunch of fucking foodies were taking some tour and their sampling of soups happened to occur just seconds before I got there, so I had to wait. I went to the sushi counter and ordered some combo with 5 nigiri sushi with yellowtail, salmon, and tuna and a tuna and avocado maki roll. It was very fresh and they didn't skimp on the fish. The pieces were very thick, with minimal rice, just the way I like it. I went back and finally got my Clam Chowder, which was pretty good, but nothing outstanding. I then went to Amy's Bread and got a prosciutto twist, which was sourdough bread with chunks of prosciutto. It would make a great bread to dip in Olive Oil or to make a nice sandwich or bruschetta with. It was awesome. My desert consisted of some samples from Buon Italia and a small cup of Jimmy’s hazelnut gelato. I was stuffed.

A side note on Buon Italia. If I lived near here I would be in this place a lot. They have so much delicious looking Italian stuff it is amazing. Truffles, cheeses, oils, nuts, sauces, pastas, etc. Of all the cool places in Chelsea Market, this one is my favorite.

Dinner was at the original Les Halles on Park Avenue, made famous by Celebrity Chef and Author, Anthony Bourdain. I had also been here before, but one of my friends really wanted to go. We ordered some wine. It was a St. Estèphe, Ch. Phélan Ségur Bordeaux. It was 60 bucks for the bottle and it was awesome. DISCLAIMER: I know very little about wine. I enjoy it immensely but couldn't tell a 20 dollar bottle from a 100 dollar bottle (I’d bet there are people who claim to be wine experts who couldn’t either. I estimate 75 percent of self-proclaimed wine experts are full of shit. I’m not talking about professional wine people, but Joe and Sally Foodie down the street who try to impress people with their wine collection). Nonetheless, this wine exhibited what I enjoy in a red, a nice bold taste with a definite spiciness. It would pair nicely with my choice of entrée, Steak Frites.

The server brought us a great basket of breads, including some tasty whole wheat bread. This stuff was served with some delicious real butter. Next up was appetizers. One friend and I split an order of Escargots. They were prepared the traditional way in the little ceramic serving plate with holes for each snail and garlic butter sauce. They were very tasty, but somewhat smaller than other escargot dishes I have had (Lake Park Bistro’s are much larger). We really enjoyed dipping some of the bread into the holes to mop up all of that sauce. My other friend had the French Onion Soup. It looked amazing and he indicated that it tasted as good as it looked.

For entrees, I ordered the aforementioned Steak Frites, which is a Hanger/Onglet steak with some excellent fries and a red wine shallot reduction. It was cooked to medium rare and it was perfect. A slightly crispy exterior gave way to a glistening pink warm center. The sauce provided a sweet and acidic balance to the richness of the meat. One friend ordered the braised rabbit legs with olives, which were also outstanding. It was my first time eating a rabbit and I was impressed with the flavor. My other friend had the cassoulet, which was also very tasty, with a very strong herb essence. It is great comfort food. I sampled bits of each of the meats and beans and they were all cooked to perceftion. The flavor of the sausage, duck confit, pork belly each stood on their own My friend didn’t finish his pork belly in the cassoulet, so I speared it with my fork and claimed it as my own. It melted in my mouth and I wanted more.

This is my second visit to Les Halles and I can honestly say I love this place. Great French bistro cooking, affordable prices, and a lively, un-stuffy atmosphere. I have the Les Halles cookbook and now I need to move beyond the Onglet recipes and start cooking some rabbit and cassoulet.

After dinner we headed to Rocky Sullivan’s bar a block away and drank a lot of Guinness. We were then escorted by some friends to some bars in the Village, then to LeSouk, a middle-eastern hookah bar in Alphabet City. It was awesome. Hookah smoke permeated the air and though I hate smoking, I tried some of their flavored tobaccos. I was rewarded with a smooth, cook flavorful smoke. My favorite was the apple mix. We also had some of the best hummus I have ever eaten. It was smooth and creamy, not chunky like so many supermarket brands. Then again, I was filled with Hookah smoke, wine, Guinness, and several bottles of Moroccan beer, so take it for what its worth.

Next up: Day 3 including a visit to a New York institution and some interesting eats in Chinatown.

EatWisconsin Weekly Roundup

Every week I will post a handful of great articles, podcasts, recipes, or postings that I feel deserve your attention. This was supposed to be posted last Friday, but I forgot about it.

Getto Watch
Dennis Getto reviews Rip Tide

Chorizo Mania Continues to Sweep Milwaukee
Nancy Stohs, capitalizing on Milwaukee's 2 week-long love affair with Chorizo (hey we love "new" sausages) posts some great Chorizo recipes including some standouts from La Estacion in Waukesha. (If you get a chance, try one of their chorizo tacos, they are awesome).

So its come to this, a Podcast Clip Show
Chef Mark Tafoya celebrates his 50th podcast with a show filled with messages from other podcasters, clips from previous shows as Mark takes a trip down memory lane. The ReMARKable Palate is one of the better food related podcast and easily the most diverse podcast with everything from recipe tips, cooking demos, soundseeing tours, and interviews.

Barrage of Whole Foods Promotion Begins
OnMilwaukee posts an article (obviously written with the assistance of a press release) about the long-awaited Whole Foods being built on Milwaukee 's East Side. The "Talkback" feature is filled with a lively debate about the need for another upscale grocery store and anti-Whole Food ramblings. Most of the posters are hipsters trying to act too cool for Whole Foods. Look, if you want to support your local stores like Outpost and Beans and Barley, that is great but don't knock those of us who like a little variety. There is plenty of room in the marketplace for locally owned and chain stores.

Best thing I ate this week:

Filet Mignons with Pale Ale Reduction and Bleu Cheese made in my kitchen. Recipe Below

What you need:
Filet Mignons
Cumin or Adobo Seasoning
Ancho Chili Powder
Kosher or sea salt
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Pale Ale (about ½ cup)
Butter
Blue, gorgonzola, stilton or some other pungent veined cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Season filets with Penzey's Adobo seasoning (Cumin would be ok), Ancho chili powder and Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Put a small amount of canola oil and a pat of butter in a skillet (please don't use non-stick). When it is hot, add the steaks and leave them alone until nicely caramelized. Flip over and let the other side caramelize.
Place in oven for about 5 minutes (internal temp of 130 degrees)
Remove from oven and from pan and let rest, covered with foil) for about 5-10 minutes.
Add pale ale to the pan and scrape up the bits of fond with a wooden spoon, add butter to taste. (I would also have added shallots, but I was out of them). Set aside.
Turn oven to broil setting.
Place some cheese atop the filets and return to the pan with the Pale Ale Sauce. Place under broiler until cheese melts (keep and eye on it as it happens pretty quickly).
Set filets on serving plates and spoon the sauce around the base of the steaks.

The pale ale with its hearty hop notes added a nice bitterness which was balanced with the butter in the sauce. Shallots would have added a nice sweetness, but as I mentioned, I was out of them. Serve with starch and veggie. I served with rice and French green beans. I think that a nice mashed potato would have been great with the Pale Ale Sauce.

Gloating

Yours truly won the Gastrologica Chili Cookoff contest. I was going to post this before, but I was ignoring my posting duties at that time. Anyhow, here is the link: Gastrologica Chili Cookoff Recipe

Its just a recipe that my wife and I have developed over the past year or so. I am not a professional cook unless you count a stint at Ponderosa cooking "steak" (I use the term loosely) or a job as a grill cook at some half-assed attempt an an "nice" restaurant in college. Oh and I did learn the art of pizza making working at a pizza parlor...and I did work at my college dorm cafeteria as a cook, server, and student manager where I mastered the art of making large vats of industrial grade brown gravy and pasta sauce...and how could I forget how I got my start, working the line at McDonalds. Shit, I do have a lot of restaurant experience.

For those who don't know, Gastrologica is a food website/e-magazine (don't call it a blog or Steve Wasser will kill you) and a weekly podcast featuring Steve Wasser, culinary hack and Dan Cincis, Executive Chef at the Calabasas Country Club in California. It is one of the most entertaining podcasts out there and they even offer an uncensored version called Playing With Fire. If you listen closely, you will hear an occasional "Fuck You Jeff" as I encouraged them to quit fucking censoring their show.

Whirlwind weekend in NYC – Day 1

Some friends and I were in New York on our annual pilgrimage to a major league baseball park. This year's destination was Yankee Stadium. We had two nights in New York, so our eating would be limited. Nonetheless I figured with dinner, lunch and breakfast I would get to visit some great places. Our first stop, the famous Katz's Deli.

To quote the great Public Enemy I "don't believe the hype" of most places until I try them. Usually when someone says that someplace has the best something or another; I usually figure that it is their favorite, but not necessarily the best. Katz's has received universal acclaim for their pastrami, so I was less skeptical than usual, but I wanted to see if it was any better than the Rochester Deli in Waukesha, which I think is excellent and which Dennis the Menace (Getto) said "(Chef/Owner) Dan's hand-carved corned beef or pastrami is as good as that served at the best delis in New York." That's a pretty strong claim; could Katz's be that much better?" Read on to find out…

One we arrived we checked our bags into the hotel and walked about 15 blocks to the Legendary Katz's Delicatessen. On my first visit to Manhattan I had tried a Rueben, but I forgot what restaurant it was at (some deli near Times Square). It was good, but not memorable. That was before I became extremely interested in food and cooking. At Katz's I knew what I was ordering at least a year before I even set foot in the restaurant; Pastrami. The stuff is legendary and I needed to see what all of the fuss was about. Many words have been penned in describing the pastrami at Katz's. Steven Shaw (aka The Fat Guy) from eGullett said this of Katz's "The best pastrami, end of story. People who think otherwise don't understand pastrami." With a review like that from someone who knows an assload more about food than I, how could I order anything else.

As I stepped up to the counter, I was overwhelmed with the smells of pastrami and corned beef. I ordered the pastrami sandwich and was presented with a sample plate with a couple small slices of pastrami to sample while I waited for my sandwich to be assembled. Holy shit was this stuff good. It’s not too often that you try something and a smile appears on your face. Most over-hyped foods rarely live up to their reputation. This one exceeded it. It was smoky, spicy and best of all, moist and well-marbled. I cannot explain how good this tasted! Most pastrami I have had (with the exception of the Rochester Deli in Waukesha) is somewhat dry and not all that pleasant to eat. Not this stuff. I cannot lie; it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten, anywhere. The only condiment I added was a touch of mustard. Though it is a large sandwich, I managed to finish it. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving even the most miniscule morsel of this wonderful meal on a plate.

If anyone is ever in New York, you absolutely need to go and try the pastrami. Don't believe me, go to their website and click on the "Worth a 1000 words" tab. Stare at the pastrami then surf over to Midwest Airlines and book your flight.

The rest of the day was spent at Yankee Stadium at numerous bars. My eating was limited to some pretty good pizza in Times Square and some overpriced mediocre pizza at the Yankee Game. After blowing through at least 50 bucks each on beer at Yankee Stadium, the budget wouldn't allow for more eating.

Day 2 posting featuring Chelsea Market and Les Halles coming tomorrow.

Marcel Biro on Restaurant Guys Radio

Marcel Biró and his wife Shannon Kring Biró owners of Biró, and O' in Sheboygan will appear on Restaurant Guys Radio, which one of the better food podcasts on the net. It’s actually a live radio show that they upload as a podcast, but it is very fun and informative. Other guests have included Thomas Keller, Tom Colicchio , and Ruth Reichl among several others. Look for Marcel to speak about German Cuisine and his expansion plans. Marcel and his wife Shannon Kring Biro have also co-authored Biró: European-Inspired Cuisine and the great PBS series The Kitchens of Biró. For those who have never watched, it is a very interesting look at cooking and the restaurant business. The first segment is Marcel discussing the ingredient and showing how to cook it in a "studio" kitchen. Then he goes to the restaurant and you see him and the other chefs preparing the item and several others in advance of dinner service, then there are interviews with the customers to see if they liked it. There are deviations from this format, which also keeps the show interesting.

More links:
Biro Internationale (restaurants, books, tv show, cooking school, and culinary travel information.
Restaurant Guys Radio