Food For Thought

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Polish Food Report #4

Our one dinner in Zakopane was enjoyed at a typical "highlander" restaurant. It was a very rustic joint and offered a Polish folk band during dinner.

After some rye bread and smalec we dug into placki ziemniaczane, Polish potato pancakes similar to latkes and numerous other potato pancakes. They're served with all types of toppings including mushroom sauce or applesauce as well as sour cream. We also had zurek which is a soup made with sour/fermented rye flour. This particular soup was served with sliced kielbasa although other ingredients can be added as well. My main course was a delicious whole mountain trout. Even though the fish was relatively large I probably could've eaten two. Add a few Polish beers and I was a happy camper that night. The next day we headed north to Wroclaw and onto more adventures and more foods.

A reasonable facsimile of my trout dinner

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Get away day in Vermont. Time to head back to Connecticut and reality. But not before two sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches with a few cups of java.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

On our way to Wroclaw we made a stop at Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau. It was a very solemn and emotional visit. You learn about these tragic events in school and you read about the holocaust but to come face to face with two of the many actual sites that rained misery, death and terror upon so many people brings one to tears. I got goosebumps looking at many of the exibits that included cyanide canisters and personal belongings of some of the victims. To see the horrendous conditions that innocent people were forced to live under made me sad and angry even these many years later. An unfortunate but very real part of history. I'm afraid that lessons have not been learned from this shameful example of man's inhumanity to man.

I apologize for going off on a tagent. I promise to get back to the main topic of this thread in my next post. Time for reflection.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Polish Food Report #5

No matter where I travel I always try to sample the local pizza if it's available. Poland was no exception. I never thought I would get an opportunity to walk into a pizzeria in Poland of all places.

We walked into this nondescript pizza joint in Oswiecim (Auschwitz). There was a big menu board hanging just above the cooking area. Joanne wanted a pizza with vegetables. I wanted sausage. We compromised and got prosciutto. After we put our order in and got our beers we were told to grab a seat and our pizza would be delivered to us.

Not long after being seated our "proscuitto" pizza was brought to the table. Apparently in Poland prosciutto and sliced boiled ham a la Krakus canned ham are interchangeable. If they threw some pineapple on the pie it would have been simply what is known here as a Hawaiian pizza, which I wouldn't even have considered ordering. Anyway, the pie tasted better than I had expected. The crust would have been better if it was cooked a little more but it was a decent pie considering where we were. I just wish I ordered a kielbasa pie. I bet that would have been awesome.

[Blue Train]

Last 5 days in the Bay & Nappa Valley area. Partaked an amazing amount of great food. It's a good thing I work out daily. haha

We went to one new place this time. It's just opened last year and getting all kinds of hype. It lived up to the hype and also a great bang for your buck place. The fried quail was off the hook.

http://statebirdsf.com/


http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforum ... quail.html


P.S. The California Valley Quail is the state bird.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Went to a local joint for dinner last night. I got one of my favorite dishes and it was one of the best I ever had. Zuppa di pesce was on the menu so I jumped on it without hesitation. As you know, zuppa di pesce is served with marinara sauce, fra diavolo or with a white sauce. I usually like mine fra diavolo or with white sauce. This time I went with the white. Sometimes the dish is served over some kind of pasta or plain, sans pasta. I prefer it over linguini.

When the dish was set before me I took a couple of minutes to admire it and take in the aromas. First things first. I proceeded to extricate the meat from all the shellfish and discard the shells. What I was left with was a melange of incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked seafood sitting on a huge bed of linguine. The seafood included lobster, calamari, shrimp, clams and mussels. Although zuppa di pesce often includes pieces of fin fish, there was none this time. No matter, I moaned out loud a few times while devouring the contents of the bowl.

I have to admit, I've lost a lot off my curve ball in the last few years. Not long ago I would have crushed the whole bowl and then asked for more bread to sop up the juices. Not last night. I actually took a small portion home. That will be for tomorrow's lunch, no doubt. Looking forward to the reprise.

A beautiful thing

[stonemonkts]

Zuppa da Pesce served over linguini fra diavolo would probably be my last meal on death row. Knowing them they would serve it over mushy pasta with sandy clams and underdone shrimp. Bastards!

But seriously, when I dine out in any good Italian joint I find that dish hard to resist. I prefer the seafood to be mussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari. If they serve it with a fin fish that's fine too. Am rarely not in the mood for it. Not hard to make at home too.

[Blue Train]

Speaking of fins.

You can no longer get Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in California...and it had the one resturant in America that did it right. Part of the whole foie gras bill. I get the reason for it.

Speaking of the foie grass. Restaurants still serve it. The law says they can't be involved in the feeding of ducks/goose and it can't be made, or sold in Ca.....you can import it in from other states...and you can give it as a gift.

As in, it's never on the menu....and it's technically not part of the cost....it's a gift.

Loopholes galore.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

re: fin fish ...What do you mean, what other kind of fish is there? I don't recall ever seeing a finless fish.

I probably should have worded it differently. By fin fish, I mean the kind of seafood that is not shellfish like clams, mussels, scallops, etc. or cephalopods like squid, cuttlefish and octopus. Fin fish would be cod, bass, etc. Sometimes a zuppa di pesce inludes nice chunks of meaty fish along with all the other seafood. Btw, I forgot to mention that my zuppa di pesce included some primo sea scallops. They were melt-in-your-mouth sweet and tender.

[BeBop]

.... If they serve it with a fin fish that's fine too. Am rarely not in the mood for it. Not hard to make at home too.

re: fin fish ...What do you mean, what other kind of fish is there? I don't recall ever seeing a finless fish.

Off topic, but there are religious restrictions in Islam and Judaism having to do with consumption of fish without fins and scales.

Since I'm vegetarian, it doesn't affect me, so I don't have details.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Off topic, but there are religious restrictions in Islam and Judaism having to do with consumption of fish without fins and scales.

Since I'm vegetarian, it doesn't affect me, so I don't have details.

Correctomundo, Bebop. Another drawback of religion. Too many rules. And since I'm not religious I can eat anything I want and not worry about going to hell.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Polish Food Report #6

As we headed north towards Sopot and Gdansk we made stops in Poznan and Torun. Before we got to Gdansk I had an opportunity to seek out a very popular street food that I read about that's favored by young Poles, especially college students. It's a pizza-like concoction called zapiekanka. I finally caught up with a zapiekanka at a highway rest stop dining establishment. Btw, I found that the highway rest stop eateries in Poland are much like those in Italy. Unlike the United States, highway food in those countries is several notches higher in quality. Anyway, as I'm perusing the menu board I noticed that one of the offerings was zapiekanka so I was all over that.

Okay, how best to describe this Polish fast food, best eaten after a night of many beers and vodkas when one is in a state of gentle inebriation. The go to food of the Polish youth and some errant adults is simply a half loaf of bread. It doesn't have to be good bread. The bread is sliced as if you're going to construct a grinder or sub/hero, whatever you want to call it. You take one half of the loaf and load it up with cheese, any kind od cheese. Top the cheese with cooked mushrooms and, at it's most basic level, add a decent amount of ketchup. Yes, ketchup. Apparently that last step is mandatory. There are many variations of zapiekanka but as far as I can figure the thing has to at least have cheese, mushrooms and ketchup. The one I sampled also included crispy fried onions which I thought added a nice touch. But as with pizza, you can add anything you want depending on how drunk you are.

Well, I scarfed it down along with an excellent beer in no time at all. I'd like to say that it tasted good, and it did, for what it was. However, I can't imagine ever trying another...unless...it's 3:00 am in the morning and I'm so blasted I'll eat anything and think it's good.

[sozamora]

That's beautiful

[jtx]

Only once on a dare while traveling with friends in England in my mid-20s, I consumed a chip butty at a local fish & chips shop. The same rules of "any old bread" applied for this treat, too. It is easily described as the kind of food you'll only eat once you already have some alcohol in you, or on a dare, or both. And to call it starch-centric is an understatement.



Yes, it is french roll or bread stuffed with chips. End of recipe.

[Ron Thorne]

Only the British could come up with something as boring as a Chip Butty, Justin.

They have given it multiple names ... chip sandwich, chip barm, chip batch, chip roll, chip muffin, piece-n-chips (in Scottish English) and chip piece (in Dundonian). That doesn't change much in the taste department, does it?

[jtx]

There really is no way to class up this sandwich.

But you can buy a t-shirt in support of the concept.



Although I think the exclamation point detracts from the keeping calm convention.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Went to an outstanding restaurant last night. It's a relatively new joint in Norwalk, Ct. that goes by the name Oak + Almond. The name is derived from the fact that their wood burning oven, where many of their menu offerings are cooked, uses oak and almond wood to fire it. Loved the menu, the decor and the vibe of the place.

Our meals started out with a couple of well crafted cocktails. As we sipped we perused the short but interesting menu. So many of the items caught my eye it was hard to make up my mind. I finally settled on the Crispy Pig Tails for a starter. Two tails were served with a sriracha infused aioli and refreshing greens. The guy at the next table kept staring at the dish so I couldn't resist. I said, "Yep, I ordered the penises for an app." That's what they looked like. No matter, they were delicious, very similar to chicken or turkey necks except with more meat. And yes, they were crispy, obviously dropped into the deep fryer just before plating and serving. Joanne got the Farm Greens which consisted of, well, farm greens along with avocado, cucumbers and a meyer lemon vinaigrette. We were off to a good start.

My main was Braised Rabbit with whole wheat tagliatelle, french mustard and local mushrooms. That dish would have worked better on a cold winter night but the joint had air conditioning so I used my imagination while eating the hearty dish. Besides, it's been a while since I had rabbit so I couldn't resist. Joanne went with the grilled striped bass. The fish was served with roasted clams, artichoke hearts and purple bok choy. She swooned over it. We also enjoyed some of the best bread I've had in a long time. It was so good we requested seconds and were immediately accommodated. A glass of Brooklyn Brewery's Summer Ale for me and glass of California chardonnay for Whitey (Joanne) rounded it out.

Dessert for me was an espresso and an overfilled glass of grappa. I love it when the bartender is unfamiliar with grappa and has no idea how much to pour. Here's to youthful naivete. Joanne jumped on the rhubarb tart which was served with a generous dollop of vanilla gelato that was drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. She also had a mini-pot of green tea.

What a meal! And the service was spot on. It was one of the best overall dining experiences I've had in a long time.

Oak +Almond menu - http://www.oakandalmond.com/food-drink/dinner

[uli]

Dessert for me was an espresso and an overfilled glass of grappa. I love it when the bartender is unfamiliar with grappa and has no idea how much to pour.

The first time I had a grappa in Chicago the bartender served it in a highball glass.

In Italy I have eaten in restaurants where they just leave the grappa bottle on the table and just look at it at the end of the meal to put something on your bill.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

The first time I had a grappa in Chicago the bartender served it in a highball glass.

In Italy I have eaten in restaurants where they just leave the grappa bottle on the table and just look at it at the end of the meal to put something on your bill.

Both those scenarios would work for me. Oh, and that glass of grappa cost me a mere $8.00.

[moldyfigg]

I think I located a Mexican joint locally which serves pulpo aljillo, my favorite Mexican dish. We will search next week.

Film at 11

[Blue Train]

Clint:

We discussed Chicago steaks on FB a couple weeks back. Hit up David Burke's last night. Had the 75-day dry aged bone-in ribeye. 20 ounces of carnivore heaven.

If you go and like red velvet cake...I recommend their cake in the can, which you have to pre-order.


http://www.davidburkesprimehouse.com/

[Ron Thorne]

Even if money and the size of my waist didn't matter, you would never see me spring for a $68.00 steak.

Hell, I can get 10oz. of Alaskan King Crab and a fork-tender Petite (8oz.) Filet for about $50.00 ... the best of two worlds.

Club Paris

[stonemonkts]

I've had steak plates that cost over $100.



Was it worth it? Yes. I eat steak maybe twice per year. I've wasted money on worse in my life.

[Ron Thorne]

To each, his/her own.

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to like or spend their money on ... just what I tend to enjoy at a certain price point.

[steve(thelil)]

Even if money and the size of my waist didn't matter, you would never see me spring for a $68.00 steak.

Hell, I can get 10oz. of Alaskan King Crab and a fork-tender Petite (8oz.) Filet for about $50.00 ... the best of two worlds.

Club Paris

I practically never spring for big bucks steaks. I just don't get it. I can get steaks at bars and grills for $20 that I enjoy virtually just as much as expensive steaks, more if you figure in the atmosphere and lack of pretense.