Vicious Wadd
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Posts posted by Vicious Wadd
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We'll be in town this week for a wedding. We need to host the groom and a friend for dinner. Being so close to beef capital U.S.A we are looking for a great steakhouse. I've found Murray's and Fire Lake Restaurant. Any suggestions or recommendations? I looked at Erte but they only have 2 or 3 beef options. Thanks kindly! We'll be in the uptown and downtown areas.
Perhaps the most well known is Manny's Steakhouse, located in the Hyatt Regency: http://www.mannyssteakhouse.com/
It's been a number of years since I've eaten there. I recall I had a pretty good meal, and not surprisingly, it was pricey. I remember they had a pretty good wine list too. It follows the typical ala carte menu approach used by Ruth's Chris, Mortons, etc. with the same sorts of side dishes.
If my enthusiasm seems a bit tempered, it's not because it isn't a solid restaurant. It is. It's just that I find steakhouses are pretty much the same everywhere you go: good beef, ho-hum sides and not a terribly exciting menu.
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I would second Wegman's. I would also track down your closest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. Regarding Whole Foods, there's a new one off Route 66 that's big, well stocked and has a wine bar that's pretty amazing.
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Jacques Pepin's on the top of my list. The man is a god. I also would add:
Mario
Wolfgang Puck
Lidia
Jacques Torres
And some blasts from the past:
Great Chefs Series (I really miss those!)
Pierre Franey
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My sources in Flint Hill tell me that while the restaurant is closing, it will be reopening as something else with the same owners.
I'm chiming in late on this post, but wanted to add that I called the restaurant the week they closed and spoke with Vinnie. He said they were, in fact, keeping the building and would be doing something else -- what exactly, I'm not sure.
I also said if Heidi ever wrote a cookbook, people would be standing in line to buy it. He said he's tried to talk her into this for years, but she has absolutely no interest
I found her cuisine inspirational to my own cooking. A book would have been great. I hate to see those wonderful creations just fade away.
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My sources in Flint Hill tell me that while the restaurant is closing, it will be reopening as something else with the same owners.
I'm chiming in late on this post, but wanted to add that I called the restaurant the week they closed and spoke with Vinnie. He said they were, in fact, keeping the building and would be doing something else -- what exactly, I'm not sure.
I also said if Heidi ever wrote a cookbook, people would be standing in line to buy it. He said he's tried to talk her into this for years, but she has absolutely no interest
I found her cuisine inspirational to my own cooking. A book would have been great. I hate to see those wonderful creations just fade away.
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This reminds me a bit of a recipe from an old issue of Fine Cooking. The ice creams were definitely custard based, but the secret ingredient -- non fat dried milk powder -- was used to help absorb the extra water content from the ice cream and make the end product much creamier. It did, in fact, work well in that it yielded an ice cream with a nice mouth feel and no iciness. Even after some time in the freezer. In other words, it was a darned good homemade ice cream that you did not have to eat right from the machine.
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Howdy Dave. This looks to be the same outfit as we have up here in Northern Virginia. Your review is pretty much spot-on with regard to the wines (not surprising, as there should be a consistent business model).
We do hard liquor through the state ABC up her in VA, so I can't comment on how fair the liquor prices are. I have noticed prices for some of the blue chip items (classifed growth Bordeaux, CA cabs, etc.) are not too competetive with other stores up here.
What makes Total a worthwhile addtion to your regular booze haunts are the "winery direct" selections. These can run the gamut, but they tend to have some good bang-for-the-buck, every day wines that are under $15. Also keep an eye out for the "staff favorites" tags; these can often reveal lesser known gems that have not been discovered by Parker or Wine Spectator (and subsequently, jacked up in price).
My advice is to find a trusted go-to guy/gal there and build some rapport. They can steer you to a lot of good juice -- whatever your price range.
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Having not seen the recipe, I have to ask: What was the point of the cornstarch? And what was the quantity?
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Still plenty of room left!
Busboy: Good luck with the crab cake cook off. My wife turned deathly allergic to shellfish when she entered her 30s, so crab cakes don't make it to the table much in my house! Anyway, I had pretty good success with a crab cake recipe from Wine Spectator (you could probably find it in the archives on their web site). In short, the key was to use as much pure lump crab meat as possible, little to no filler, and handle very gently (I recall they were roasted in the oven to avoid death by spatula). They were finshed with a beurre blanc, if I recall correctly.
One thing that will be interesting to see is the prevelance of Old Bay in the various recipes people bring. I like the taste of it actually, but a little goes a long way.
Don't know what beers to recommend. I can say, however, that when it comes to wine, viognier is a KILLER with crab meat.
Best,
- VW
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Another one I've gotten hooked on recently is scrambling eggs in truffle butter. (Dartagnan makes it -- in this part of the country, t's available at Wegmans). For more earthy decadence, make an omlette with said truffle butter and stuff it with gruyere and sauted chantrelles.
BTW, how do you add pics to a post? (newbie question from a newbie)
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You know, I don't think I've ever eaten a poached egg, much less cooked one. Growing up I would only eat scrambled and hard boiled. Oh, and those "toad in the hole" toast & egg things.
Once you get hooked on poached eggs, there's no going back. The breakfast dishes and interpretations on eggs benedict you can do around them are endless.
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I loved the comment about "Frankenmac." Keeping that in mind, maybe a couple of things you could do that wouldn't be TOO risky are:
- Infuse the milk used for the bechamel with ginger, Chinese five spice powder and lemon grass
- In place of hot sauce (in the South a lot of people like to hit ther mac' with hot sauce), use sambal
- Use panko bread crumbs for the topping
- Add some minced bird chilis
- Garnish with cilantro
- For an unexpected crunch, maybe mix some chopped macadamias to the panko
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Here's a grilled method that's worked pretty well for me:
Charcoal Grill (using lump hardwood charcoal)
Chicken Drumettes (however many you need)
Spice Rub: I use a mix of chili powder, cayenne, oregano, paprika, fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt.
Sauce: A good quality, low sodium papaya BBQ sauce is the base, to which I add a copious amount of hot sauce (usually Crystal) and white vinegar to bring up the acidity level (the BBQ glaze should taste quite tangy). To this I add 1-2 tbsp. of the spice rub and whisk to blend.
Coat the drumettes wtih the spice rub and drizzle liberally with EVOO (preferably several hours in advance).
Fire up the grill
Grill the chicken, turning frequently, over medium hot coals. Be careful not to burn the spice rub. When the chicken is just short of done, brush the papaya BBQ sauce on one side and cover the grill. At this point, you may want to close the vents on the grill. You only need enough heat to glaze the chicken -- be careful not to scorch the sauce. Wait 1-2 minutes, flip the chicken, and repeat for the other side.
Pile the drumettes on a platter and garnish with a little fresh cilantro and minced green onion.
A homemade blue cheese dressing is nice for a dip, but certianly optional. The chicken is quite flavorful on its own. They also have a nice Buffalo Wing stickiness to them, are not the least bit greasy, and depending upon how much cayenne you add, a nice kick.
BTW, this is my first post to eGullet. I've been an avid reader here for a couple of years, so I'm glad to have an opportunity to contribute something!
Using Lard in Pastry
in Pastry & Baking
Posted · Edited by Vicious Wadd (log)
Lard often renders a very flaky crust that you're going to have a hard time duplicating with butter alone. I am more of a cook than a baker, so you can that opinion as you see fit.
If it's a health issue, lard does not hold the ogre-status it did a few years ago. So unless you're going to make a habit of eating a lot of it, an occassional indulgence here and there isn't such a bad thing. And them thar' lard crusts sure taste good!
If you're dead-set against it, Crisco now makes trans-fat free shortening that may be a better substitute than butter.