Zeemanb

Maytag is probably my all-around favorite and plentiful here in the midwest....great texture and a decent amount of saltiness. Like several other folks, Roaring 40's is a big favorite too...great, solid flavor. I haven't tried too many from Spain....I have had a couple that reminded me of orange-blue ammonia pucks and they scared me off.

As a home roaster, it's hard for me to get a truly good cup of coffee anywhere....much less good coffee AND pastry. We have a relatively new Viennese restaurant here in KC, and I will say that their Meinl espresso may be the best I've had in a restaurant or coffeehouse. I have a pastry/donut shop right up the street from me, and a nice little French restaurant not too much farther away....I'm trying my darndest to convince both places that since they aren't moving a TON of coffee on a weekly basis that it would be easy enough to start roasting their own beans. They both use decent coffee from a local roaster, but the freshness just isn't close to the same thing. I'd roast it for them myself, but I have no idea if there is any legal-ish stuff they'd have to consider as far as buying something that comes from some dude's garage.

I do think that if they continue down this path, Top Chef Masters will soon intersect with Food TV's "Chopped".

I found the following Kansas City BBQ Society forum to be an invaluable resource when I was starting out and had questions about ANYTHING related to BBQ....lots of "for real" award winning bbq chefs reside here: http://www.rbjb.com/rbjb/rbjbboard/ I've been doing low and slow BBQ here in Kansas City for about ten years, always on one of my Weber Smokey Mountains. I do some competitions, mainly just for fun, but have many friends who compete regularly and are successful with the "fast cook" method mentioned upthread. I found my groove and I stick with it...ain't gonna be tryin' no faincy tekneeeks when I put out consistenly good 'Q. When I feed people my pulled pork, burnt ends or ribs and I don't hear "this is the best I've ever had in my life", I consider that catastrophic failure. It doesn't throw off my game enough to consider trying the creosote-crusted method that is so popular in Texas, but it hurts . Over the years I’ve mellowed considerably when it comes to the bbq vs. grilling semantics. I’m confident in my ability to do real BBQ, so if someone wants to say their cremated Johnsonville Bratwurst is BBQ, more power to them. We’re just people, we get up and put our pants on one leg at a time. But after MY pants are on, I go out and make world class smoked meats with precision and consistency. The only thing I will not bend on is “ribs so tender the meat is falling off the bone”. If you have boiled them for 8 hours in a crockpot filled with KC Masterpiece, then yes, the meat should fall off of the bone. But if you’re doing BBQ, I hope you got the ribs on sale because you just overcooked the living hell out of them.

Tagging along here.....as I was pricing Sous Vide Supremes online last week my wife told me "STOP IT!" because she already planned to get me one as an early bday gift. Other than playing around with David Chang’s “Ghetto Sous Vide” method with cuts of beef like flat irons and strips, I’m very new to this as well. Quick question after seeing this done on a Food Network show- are there any specific cuts of meat or situations that would benefit from searing prior to SV? Top Chef winner Ilan did it with a brisket at his restaurant in L.A., and I was just wondering how practical it was. Sliced brisket wouldn’t have the surface area of something like shortribs (which benefit more from a post-bath sear for the good texture and caramelization), so just wondering if anyone has played around with that method.

Sometimes God works quickly, sometimes he works slowly. In the Top Chef Universe, he does both.... "Please God, next time around have someone other than Billy Joel's wife host this damn thing!", and PRESTO!!! And this week is a sign that my prayers "Please God, can you make sure Christina Hendricks is on EVERY SINGLE TV show from now on?"....are being answered- sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, they will always materialize if you whine enough. edit-spelling

Fuck 'em. Exactly. This scenario has mass-murder/suicide written all over it.

Geeeezzzz....that's just demonic. I'm not even looking in the freezer section at my store. Why don't they just go ahead and make "Brown Butter and Oxycontin"....it would be less dangerous.

OH! And if not the bear bar, then was that a real truckstop in the movie "Over The Top" where Lincoln Hawk had his first run-in with Bull Hurley? If so, I think that place gets my vote.

There is a wire rack full of Lay's potato chips and a crockpot full of water hot dogs sitting near the cash register inside the "Buckle Under", the leather store inside a Bear Bar here in KC....if THAT doesn't count as the manliest meal in all the land, then YOU can go tell them that.

Now THIS is what I call "appointment reading"! Onion rings...head cheese.....two premiere food groups covered immediately.....perfect. Onward!

At one of our favorite restaurants on Saturday night, I noticed something at the bottom of the menu for the first time...along the lines of "To insure the integrity of each dish, substitutions are not allowed". Short and sweet, the guess work is done for you, he will not budge one millimeter....and the restaurant is consistently booked solid. I keep wanting to see someone like the piquillo pepper lunatic take issue with his policy....epic fail.

I guess in my experience, both the "nazi chef" and the "fundamentalist whacko vegetarian" only exist in urban mythology. I can really only think of one local chef who would happily tell you to stick it, and even then it would only be if someone were trying to reconstruct a well thought-out dish and he felt the sudden need to show his ass. Even HE provides vegetarian options....and that is generally the case in 99.9% of the restaurants I've visited. For the most part, chefs want you to enjoy yourself and they want you to come back. I'm a lucky lucky man in that I don't have to entertain clients, I skip all co-worker lunches, and I don't have divalicious friends or relatives with whom I am forced to dine. I rarely have to eat someplace I don't want to and if somebody sneaks a finicky whiner into the group they know they stand a pretty good chance of an involuntary trip to the bathroom where they lose a finger. So nothing of value to add here, I just wanted to talk about what a spoiled shit I am. It's good to read both sides of a debate and realize it's something I'm never, ever going to have to worry about. King Baby, over and out!

Back from Citronelle.... I'm basically very thankful that I turned down the last minute spot at minibar, because I would have missed out on one fantastic meal. I like to think that I've had enough great meals from coast to coast that I can avoid making excuses for a restaurant that I feel like I "should" like due to its reputation or the fact I'd hate to feel like I wasted a lot of money. With that said, dinner tonight was one of the best I've had in a very long time. It absolutely exceeded my expectations, which were perhaps unreasonably high considering the hype, reputation, etc. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and I was given a pretty awesome perch that gave me a clear view of the kitchen all night. When I wanted a little more time between courses in order to settle down and digest a bit, no problem. When I started asking a few more questions about the specifics in different dishes, the staff made sure to always give me more detail when delivering a course from that point on (and in some cases, showed me dishes that were going to other tables so I could see an example of everything on the menu). Two drops of peppercorn armagnac sauce on the tablecloth....quickly and subtly covered with a fresh napkin. Timing, temperatures, precision, presentation....not one single mis-step. OH YEAH- A DAMN CHEESE COURSE.....well even there it was a vast improvement over most since I could choose exactly which cheeses and how much of each I'd like...so I just took a taste of three of them. And with the cheese came the one item all night that I just didn't like....a sunflower seed roll. The sunflower seeds were too raw....AND I WAS EXPECTED TO PAY FOR THIS SLOP!?!?!? I loved everything, but a couple of honorable mentions- that damn Nantucket Bay scallop dish is just dreamy. No kidding, I was dying over that thing. The lobster-saffron broth....dammit to hell. Honestly, there wasn't anything I didn't love, those are just the 2 things that pop to mind first. Yeah, I'll be back. Very, very happy with that meal.

A couple of quick updates.... Restaurant Eve- Overall- Excellent, friendly and enthusiastic service. The Tasting Room itself may be one of my favorite spaces ever...the hard wood floors, extremely well spaced tables, sitting back in the huge comfy booth, etc. I got the 9 course tasting, and the timing and explanations of the courses were spot on. When I let them know I wouldn't be having wine, one of the staff (Scott, if I remember correctly) came right over and offered to make up something special. I ended up with an incredible mix of housemade tonic, kaffir lime, citrus juice, and some other ingredients I don't recall. Also tried their housemade cola, which was very good. As far as the food, there were a couple of issues but nothing severe enough to deter me from returning if I wanted a "very special occasion" dinner with my wife. The top courses were definitely the "Sashimi of Big Eye Tuna with Preserved Meyer Lemon and Green Goddess Dressing", "Butter Poached Maine Lobster with Ginger-Carrot Custard and Kumquats" and "Pan Fried Veal Sweetbreads with Violet Carrots, Braised Mustard Greens and Ham Hock Vinaigrette". The cheese course was especially good...I get so tired of the same old format that when I'm asked at the beginning of the meal if I have any allergies or dislikes I want to say "no cheese course if you're giving me candied nuts, quince paste, a chutney...."...that's just me, it has worn out its welcome. So Eve's version, with all of the special accompaniments and smaller amounts of cheese were perfect. The sweet courses were especially good too...what I thought of as a "Blood Orange Shortcake" was light and refreshing. One issue was a piece of Bacon Wrapped Chatham Cod that was a little overdone, and was just too salty with all of the bacon...and for me to say anything negative about bacon is something. The other thing was a piece of lamb loin that happened to have too much fat and a section of it was way too tough. Not showstoppers, but worth mentioning. I'd go back to Eve if I were in town with my wife and we were celebrating something significant.....the food and the cost weighed against each other, it's much more special occasion dining than something that sparks the food nerd in me. Komi- Mellow room, good music, chill vibe, enthusiastic and professional staff who obviously adore the food....I would say this is a place where I'll be taking my wife when we're both back in DC. They were also extremely accomodating with the no-hootch rule...I drank their housemade Ginger Beer and a bottle of Sprecher Cola. The big standouts were the egg yolk ravioli with shaved smoked tuna (rockstar insanely tasty), the Half Smoke with Old Bay Pork Rind, the salted Hamachi, and obviously the mega-slab of goat shoulder and do-it-yourself Gyro Package. For a guy like me with a stapled stomach, the small bites as well as the main courses made up a perfect amount of food...I never got the bariatric-sweats from overload. They packaged up the rest of my goat for me, obviously there's no way to finish all of that alone. I totally loved the experience, but I think I can kind of see where some of the negative comments come from..... from my perspective, the "progression" of courses is a bit odd. Starting with crudo and ending with a roasted slab of goat is very cool, but there isn't enough of a bridge to take you from understated elegance to "Holy shit! A damn hot dog!" (an insanely delicious hot dog). That said, there wasn't one dish I thought of as a clunker, I genuinely enjoyed everything. I wanted to run back and kiss the chef when, given my opinion on the cheese course as a concept, I was presented with a one-bite version. And the salted caramel chocolate bar, in my opinion, put the whoop-ass on Central's Kit-Kat. I will absolutely go back to Komi, my wife will love it, and something there just struck the right chord with me. For me, the no-menu dining format lends itself to the fun, it's just creative and tasty food. There wasn't a surplus of 'sweet baby Jesus' moments, but overall a real winner. PLUS I think this was my first dinner without one of those alpha male DC douchebags with no indoor voice who get consistently louder as the night goes on somewhere in the room. (Oh, at Eve one of them had his wife with him, and as the wine kept flowing they grew even less enamored with the other's views on hiring former criminal hackers to work on national security software. It's actually pretty entertaining for a little while.) Oh, check this out....I literally just got a call from Bonji at Cafe Atlantico about an hour ago asking me if I wanted a seat at minibar tonight (someone cancelled). I told her if by some miracle nobody on the waitlist took it, to call me back....but I'm putting my faith in Citronelle tonight. Time to see how some very high expectations pan out.....

Just a quick update during my rainy lunch break.... I'll put more details on my blog after I get back home. Eola on Saturday night- overall, greatly exceeded my expectations. By that I mean, when I was reading through the menu my only hesitation was the possibility that with all of the creative offal dishes the food may be more about thinking up the dishes than executing them well. Everything I ate, while creative and chuckle-inducing, was executed in a manner that showed Chef Singhofen has plenty of tools in his toy box and he knows how to use them correctly. I don't know if you have to ask for the tasting menu, or if my server (the floor manager, great guy, have his name written down back at my room) just forgot to mention it when explaining the menu. Anyway, that's what I went with. Some highlights- the crispy pig ear was delicious tempura fried lip smackity, jaw gumming goodness. The "chicken fried pork tongue" was a great example of the chef's toolbox I mentioned....he knows how to do proper chicken fry. I'd love to have him do a regular chicken fried steak. Great pasta preparation too...the pasta for the pig brain tortellini was stellar, a little thicker with just enough chew to it. The single most insane dish though, had to be the "FBLT"...bacon cured foie gras and butter grilled truffled brioche....may literally be the richest dish I've ever eaten in my life. That thing is over the top. Anyway, more on all that when I have time, but overall the service was top notch, everyone who I spoke with knows and loves the menu. They are very accomodating. Huge thanks for this recommendation, it hit the spot big time. Cafe Atlantico Dim Sum Brunch on Sunday- so well documented I won't say too much. I got the 14 course chef's menu. The Pineapple Unagi and Tuna Tartare with Coconut are still a couple of my favorite things to come out of the kitchen. I will say, you do have the opportunity to get some minibar classics, but having dined at minibar it's just not the same thing. The minibar experience itself aside, when the food is cranked out at a brunch pace, dishes arrive at odd intervals, and your server may or may not be right there to talk about the dish when the runner gets it to you...it's tasty, but I'll stick with the regular menu at night the next time I go. I'm weirdly loyal to Cafe Atlantico...it was my first real dining experience in DC so I will generally always go there when I'm in town. Marcel's Sunday Night - Yes Busboy, another one of your recommendations. I thought about doing the full-on tourist thing just for laughs...Ben's Chili Bowl or the Old Ebbitt Grill...but then I thought- "WHY?". Food, service, ambience...it was all entertaining and welcoming. I LOVE high end solo dining..it's the voyeur in me as well as the kick I get out of the extra attention the staff gives an orphan. I spent a lot of time chatting with the captain, Jess, he was great. I didn't even take a menu, just told him to bring seven courses of whatever he'd eat. Highlights- the Lobster Papardelle...the pasta, lobster and fresh vegetables were each cooked with care and precision. The gratin of mussels, oysters, baby clams and cockles was insane....served over tomato fondue and topped with just a little broiled gruyere. Just crazy good...a million little flavors and textures. The off-menu special Foie Gras with duck confit, celery root puree, duck jus, raspberries and grilled brioche....I don't even have to say anything about that one, no brainer. The room felt a little dated, in a comfy way, and if you sit on the booth side of table 9 there is an echo effect where you can literally hear everything people are saying over at the water and wine stations like they were right in your ear...if that interests you. Great people watching, the dance the staff does all night is a treat....overall just a fine, relaxing meal. more later....back to boring training.....

Ok, final results are in...for evening meals- Saturday- Eola (the more I read about it, this place sounds like some of the farm to table cooking taking off here in the KC area....my absolute favorite kind of eating) Sunday- Nuevo Latino Dim Sum Brunch and then no set plans. For Sunday night, weekday lunches, etc., I'll rely on restaurant staff to give me the skinny on where they like to eat (and recs here on eG)...I realize I'm completely ignoring great Ethiopion, Indian, etc. with the current roster, so open slate for any meal where I don't already have a reservation. Monday- tasting room at Eve Tuesday- Komi Wednesday- Citronelle Thursday- convince Bank of America I'm not a victim of credit card fraud when these charges start piling up. Some safe/popular choices here, but hell, if I wasn't sitting at Citronelle on Wednesday night I'd be sitting at home in KC eating some thawed out chili while watching Top Chef. Which is NOT without its own merit....

Hey Kim! Yeah, I was going to email you guys to let you know I’d be in the area, but figured it was pretty short notice to expect anyone to drive up to DC. PLUS, the wife isn’t with me on this trip and she’s way more interesting than I am. But you know how I roll….all or nothing as far as the food goes. I’m looking forward to some tasty treats. Detailed reports will follow....

Well shit, from looking at the website, Eola sounds friggin' EXACTLY like the kind of place I'd love. I'd seriously consider moving the Eve reservation to Monday night or just skipping it....main reason for locking that in for Saturday was simply to make sure I had a table somewhere. I'm going to see if Eola has seating and may have to check that out. Thanks for that one, it sounds like a winner.

Fast and furious planning.....switched to Saturday night in the Tasting Room at Eve, Sunday brunch at Cafe Atlantico- Nuevo Latino Dim Sum, Tuesday night at Komi and Wednesday night at Citronelle. I'd almost be bummed at this point if a spot opened at minibar for Tue or Wed, looking forward to some distinctly different and new to me restaurants. May stick with more "normal" options for the remainder of Sunday and Monday....Birch & Barley and Proof both look like they are right in my fat boy comfort zone, thanks for those. CityZen was on the short list for Saturday when Citronelle didn't work out, but they were totally booked so I got an early seating at Eve. Someone had recommended Gallileo III to me....and the fact that they list an "Unusual Tasting Menu" featuring various parts-meat looked cool, but I don't know...something about having to call it the "Unusual Tasting Menu" seemed...unusual.

Knocking the dust off this place.....first post of 2011! I'm going to be on my own in DC soon for several days, so I can eat wherever I want....as long as I can reach it via the Metro. Love Central, been to Minibar and Cafe Atlantico, but want to try some new stuff. So far I've got Citronelle on Saturday night and Komi on Tuesday night. I am on the waitlist for minibar (forgot how damn nice Bonji is...), so if that doesn't work out I'll more than likely go to Zaytinya since I want to hit a Jose joint for sure. As far as Sunday/Monday fine dining, I'm not finding a lot that is open, which is normal...but if anyone has a suggestion for those evenings I'm game. As long as I can get to it on a Metro line, location isn't really an issue, I don't drink but other than that no dietary restrictions or allergies, price isn't an issue (especially when you don't drink....eating is practically FREE). I've got some alternates like CityZen, was curious to hear anything about The Source and Restaurant Eve....plan to go to Hank's Oyster Bar for lunch (if there is a better place for stuff like belly clams, lobster rolls, etc. feel free to chime in). Two specific requests: Good Jewish Deli? This is from a guy who has zero access to ANY good deli, so some passable chopped liver or a tongue sandwich would be an incredible bonus. This is my standard question for ANY city I visit. Offal? I was reading about Bistro D'Oc and their lamb brain and tripe dishes, which prompted this question....not looking for a Fergus Henderson level specialty restaurant...but any place with a highly regarded offal dish or two would just be a gem. Any additions to the restaurants I've listed or feedback on them would be appreciated, and I'm not the kind of guy who equates expensive and popular with greatness....I do love high end dining, BUT my biggest desire for a long and relaxing meal is to be fed by a chef who is a very effective communicator of his or her personal take on flavor, and a friendly, professional staff that is emotionally invested in what the restaurant is putting out...when I dine alone I want the restaurant to be my date. If I can find a place where it is totally cool and appreciated to just skip the menu and ask to be fed, bullshit with the staff as the night goes along...that is long-term relationship material to me.

Catching up on Bourdain after joining the 21st century and getting a DVR....... Overall, I thought the Obsession episode had great potential, marred only by the inclusion of the blogger segment. God bless the food bloggers, they make it easier for me to find a great dish at a great restaurant when I travel, but I have to agree with most of the negative comments shared thus far. Ultimately, the segment struck me as a presentation of weiner measuring for the socially retarded....Stagedoor Johnny's. Don't get me wrong, I love food, and I probably obsess on it and talk about it way more than is mentally healthy, but I had to reign it in a bit before it crossed the line from a deep, romantic enjoyment to the level of the aforementioned schvantz warrior. I know the line is different for everyone, and the subject of "crossing the line" probably has fifteen different threads dedicated to it on this very site, right next door to the "restaurant photography etiquette" aisle, but what I got from the bloggers was "LOOK AT ME! HOLY GRAIL! I'M MUGGING FOR BOURDAIN!", instead of a thoughtful representation of the food community. Other than that, my search for Wagyu that looks like THAT continues......

Yeah, I keep picturing her family bound at gunpoint in a basement waiting for her to win some ransom money and spring them. The most dumbfounding thing about the show for me is that they don't seem to even try to get them to cook "normal" items that a horrible cook should at least be able to come close to completing. Crepes aren't so crazy tonight I guess, but instead of things like omelettes, burgers, chicken stock, etc., my guess is that Anne and whatshisname will have to continue wondering "why they couldn't bring the layers of flavor together" in dishes that may very well end up poisoning them. But all in all, I find the show infinitely less annoying than The Next Food Network Star or Alton's weight fluctuations, so I'm hooked.

Well, my mom called to let me know that the five or so minutes I actually spent working in the kitchen got me a picture in the Star........classic!

Well I'll be sure and tell the Crums everybody said hello when I see them at the Parkville Market in the morning! Gotta get there early........lots of wedding reception dishes for tomorrow depend upon the precious produce.......