Smitty
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Posts posted by Smitty
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Don't know much about the Cleveland dining scene but I do know the Greenhouse Tavern is outstanding. It's casual and festive yet dignified which sounds right up your alley. At the end of the meal you can buy a round of beer for the kitchen. When you do they bring you a six-pack and send you bounding down to the basement kitchen ringing a large bell to a rousing ovation.
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Glorious.
Smitty, what structure keeps that egg aloft?
Two thick planks of bacon
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Our latest abomination,
Duck egg, bacon, spinach, smoked cheddar, and a grassfed beef patty on potato and carmalized onion focaccia.
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We make smoked garlic powder by smoking peeled cloves for about 12 hours then finishing them in a low oven overnight before grinding. The stuff is absolutely delicious, I have taken to calling it "Magic Jesus Powder." The tots also get minced fresh rosemary (today's batch was oregano because we didn't have nearly enough rosemary for the size batch I was doing).
Dear Lord. If I send you a check, will you send me some of that? Name your price! My mouth is watering just thinking about it and the uses to which I could put it!
It's enough to make me buy a smoker.
Here are the cloves of garlic for the next week's batch of tots. We've got 150 pounds of 'tater peeled and par-fried. The plan is to make a batch big enough to last us the whole week on our off-day tomorrow.
Here are some onions that I am going to try the same process with. Thinking about doing a BBQ spice tot with the smoked onion powder and pepper jack dipping sauce.
Those photos were taken about 4 hours into the smoke. They each got about 6 more hours before we pulled them and placed in the oven. Tomorrow by about noon we should have some delicious powders
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We make smoked garlic powder by smoking peeled cloves for about 12 hours then finishing them in a low oven overnight before grinding. The stuff is absolutely delicious, I have taken to calling it "Magic Jesus Powder." The tots also get minced fresh rosemary (today's batch was oregano because we didn't have nearly enough rosemary for the size batch I was doing).
Dear Lord. If I send you a check, will you send me some of that? Name your price! My mouth is watering just thinking about it and the uses to which I could put it!
It's enough to make me buy a smoker.
Still trying to get ahead on so many things right now. The batch of powder that I need to chop and mix for tomorrow night's tots is drying in the oven as I type. If we ever get in front of things enough to have extra "Magic" I would love to mail it our to you.
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We make smoked garlic powder by smoking peeled cloves for about 12 hours then finishing them in a low oven overnight before grinding. The stuff is absolutely delicious, I have taken to calling it "Magic Jesus Powder." The tots also get minced fresh rosemary (today's batch was oregano because we didn't have nearly enough rosemary for the size batch I was doing).
Agree with kayb - that's a fantastic idea. Do you have a preferred wood?
And more directly on topic, I'll be stopping by to get that sandwich if I'm ever in your neck o'the woods.
We mostly use a mix of oak and maple because they are the most readily available up here. We occasionally get cherry. We would like to use more hickory & mesquite but it just isn't practical. Tough to find around here and too expensive for the amount of wood we use.
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I'm more curious about the beverage; I've only heard of Faygo sodas; does this have an alcohol content, or just a flavor? Where could I get one to try? (I'm in south Florida.)
Faygo is a soft drink that originated in Detroit (we are in Michigan and try to use only MI products). It is made in virtually every flavor under the sun these days and is the most widely available budget soda here in the Great Lakes region.
What we carry is their small line (6 varieties) of glass bottles in "classic" flavors. This line is made without HFCS.
As to where you might locate them in Florida I have no idea but as I'm sure you know there is a sizable population of former Michiganders in the Sunshine State. I would bet that it is available somewhere for the northerner looking for the taste of home.
Actually, here is a form on Faygo's website to inquire about whow to locate their products outside the Midwest.
Cheers
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Looks amazing! Can you tell me a little more about how you are making the smoked garlic and rosemary tator tots?
Clark
The tater tots are my monster right now. I created them, now I am faced with curning out 40 to 60 five-and-a-half ounce servings a day. For the first time in our week since opening I am actually ahead on them. 113 portioned servings are sitting in the deep freeze and 50 more pounds of potatoes are peeled and diced.
My jumping off point for the recipe and process was this very informative blog post at Serious Eats.
We make smoked garlic powder by smoking peeled cloves for about 12 hours then finishing them in a low oven overnight before grinding. The stuff is absolutely delicious, I have taken to calling it "Magic Jesus Powder." The tots also get minced fresh rosemary (today's batch was oregano because we didn't have nearly enough rosemary for the size batch I was doing).
As I've learned, every detail is important when trying to get the familar consistancy. Dice the potato too big and there won't be enough swelled starch & oil to hold the mixture together. Too samll a dice / overcooked / not cooled quickly enough? The texture is way too close to mashed potato. The first couple of thousand I piped by hand (and I am still feeling it in the mornings). Then I found this little beauty:
It works like a caulk gun. Attach a pastry bag at the end and fire away. Freeze on a sheet trey and package once frozen.
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I just helped open an "artisan dinner." This is the meatloaf sandwich (yukon gold mash, red onion marmalade & blue cheese on a black pepper focaccia), along with an order of my handmade tater tots (smoked garlic and rosemary with an asiago dipping sauce)
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Crispin makes an Extra Dry that is readily available around here. It is in a black can with gold type. I am also lucky enough to live about 20 miles from Uncle John's. Many bars even have it on draft, especially in the summer.
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We try to walk that line with the chorizo tacos at our food truck. We aggressively spice the pork and top it with a mole verde of smoked tomatios/onion, queso fresco & cilantro.
The mole and cilantro are sweet & cooling while the fatty/creamy queso coats your mouth. We also finish each one with a few segments of supreme lime to get a burst of acid in there too.
We're proud of them, we all eat them every day and they are a good seller.
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I work for a food truck that specializes in obscene sandwiches.
I would enjoy that job. Great looking sandwiches, whose the tiny lady?
Not sure. That picture was taken by a customer & posted to our Facebook page. It was the only picture I could find of that sandwich except a really bad one someone posted to foodspotter.com
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I work for a food truck that specializes in obscene sandwiches. Here are a couple of my favorites from this season.
Smoked pork shoulder, grilled apple, braised cabbage & pickled peppers
[On the right] Smoked leg of lamb (rolled with salsa verde), heirloom tomato, chickpea & mint
Smoked brisket, pickled peppers & onions, chev, parsley
Smoked pork belly, (pork fat) seared haloumi, tomato, kale
Those were all one-off specials. This one is from our everyday offerings; the Pollo Torta: chicken, queso fresco, black beans, pickled tomatios, cilantro & avocado with a pork stock based dipping sauce
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Lower Michigan, the local favorite here is the honeycrisp.
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IMHO ideas I would feel safe attempting:
Taco/burrito
BBQ
burger/hot dog(creative)
Fried chicken(variations)
Cajun
Soul food
focusing on one theme. keep it simple ,high quality, and cheap.
Definitely that's the way I want it to be great ingredients, but cheap! I do definitely wan a taco of some sort, maybe I change the taco every week, I like the idea of fried chicken and soul food. I don't know when this truck thing is going to happen. I'm just getting ideas of what kind of food I'll sell and just starting up.
Thanks
Sorry to bump this thread but did the OP ever get his truck up and running? Having some similar issues as I'm going the food truck route. In my city it is tough to start finding a truck when the regulations are recently undergoing changes (to allow for a more diverse street food scene - aside from the hot dogs and ice cream, pre-packaged stuff).
I've am a Day 1 employee of a truck that has operated in Lansing Michigan since May of this year. All I can say is triple check everything with your local health department, City Clerk's Office, Zoning Board, any local "economic development councils," ect..Also, before opening, find a handful of places that agree to let you set-up on short notice.
We had a nightmare opening day because of an issue with our water system that our health inspector should have recognized in his initial walk through. The nightmare was drawn out through the first month because no one in the Clerk's office thought to mention that we should check with a "Development Authority" to see if we would be violating any bylaws by operating in an area under their authority.
After being literally forced to shut down by the police and told that we couldn't open in any of the spots we had planned on (and paid license fees for) we struggled for a month+ to find and rent places to serve. We eventually latched on with a couple of farmer's markets and a district that loves to have us a few days a week.
It has been a moderately successful season and we have a lot of good opportunities looking forward but triple-checking local laws/regulations, making contingency plans pre-open could have meant a great summer for us.
Food-wise, our concept has always been to keep it simple, utilize the best and freshest ingredients available (become friends with the farmers & bakers around you), do things the right way, and check the smoker at least every 30 minutes.
The name of the place is Trailer Park'd, the facebook is http://www.facebook.com/trailerparkd and the website is http://www.trailerparked.com
I am not an owner so I won't be able to answer certain questions but I'll try to impart any wisdom I can
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Posting to tag the topic.
My dad has a rather large collection of both matchbooks and swizzle sticks. I'll have to bring a camera next time I am over at his place.
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I just got word that because of the weather the trailer won't be open this afternoon/tonight. THought I should let you know so you don't go on a wild-goose chase.
Hope you enjoy your time in Lansing.
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Thanks Smitty. I might be able to get over on the 26th, will see depending on how smoothly the road trip goes!
I hope your trip goes smoothly. If you are able to make it out to the truck, unfortunately I won't be there to great you. I actually can't believe I forgot to connect the dates. I will be cooking a guest chef dinner at my other gig, the Kellogg Center.
It should be a great meal. A cat named Brian Goodman is in town from Cleavland. He helped open Michael Simon's NYC place. I met him and started on the prep Tuesday. The meal looks really good. It's $60 or 65 for 5 courses with wine. It might be worth calling to see if there are any seats left. (800) 875-5090
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Smitty - I'll keep that in mind, though are you just a lunch operation and will you be serving for Memorial Day weekend? I'm pretty much locked in during the days for convention duty, so looking for evening dining options in the area between May 26 - May 29.
We will be open until 6 the 26th and 27th. We will be dark Saturday to Monday. I hope you get a chance to make it out. Our current location is in Lansing's 'Old Town.' The address is 1200 N Cedar St
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Those pictures are from our cold open for friends and family. It took place before we had health department approval so we couldn't charge for food, simply take donations.
The prices for the current menu are as follows:
Sandwiches: 7.50
Taco: 4 (2 for $7)
Entree Salad: 6 (add meat for 1.50)
Soup & Sides: 3
Beverages top out at 1.75
We are also on facebook and twitter for anyone interested.
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Oh and I should say that I rescind my recommendation of the Knight Cap. The quality at that place has taken a nosedive (so I've heard) since a shakeup in the kitchen a while ago.
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Hey everyone, once again I'm preparing to head back to the East Lansing/Okemos area for a Memorial Day weekend convention. Looking for any thoughts/tips on new places to try out as it's actually been 2 years since I've been. Last time I went, I recall eating multiple times at Ai Fusion, which was right near the hotel I was staying in and I loved it. No doubt will be returning there as I see they're still open.
My convention is more in the South Lansing area, so any places between those two parts of Lansing would be great.
Thanks!
(Oh, any any cuisine is fine, except for Middle Eastern which always seems to set off my few food allergies/intolerances.)
Well you're just in time to check out my new venture. I just helped launch a lunch truck with some friends (an when I say just, I mean just, today is our 3rd day in operation).
We are called Trailer Park'd and the focus is upscale street food with an emphasis on locally sourced products. The menu is seasonal, the meats are from free-range animals and are cooked on a hardwood smoker.
The location isn't locked down right now because of a fight with the city and some downtown business owners. We are currently in a private lot just west of South Washington Ave on Mt. Hope. If the location changes before your trip I will keep eGullet updated, either here or in a thread that I start devoted to our project. Here are a some pictures.
Owosso Organics Greens w/ Herb & Citrus Vinaigrette + Fried Egg
The Taco; house ground & seasoned pork - mole verde - house made queso blanco - cilantro - lime
Free Range Burger: Fontina Cheese-Caramelized Onion - Garlic Aoli - Arugula on Olive & Feta Focaccia
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I am a regular at the taco stand 2 blocks away from my house. This place. I suppose I do get a few perks. They never charge me for extra sauce and I get a a nice discount when I buy a dozen tamales for football tailgating.
I'll forever by loyal to them because last summer I was riding a bike home from work. As I rounded their corner my phone fell from my pocket and onto a busy street. I didn't notice but the grill cook did. She left the truck, picked it up and walked it over to my house, along with a tostada
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smegma - protein/fat/scum that oozes out of roasting meats, cools and coagulates (particularly poultry)
Oh, God, I just had to pick myself up off the floor!
Go look up "smegma" in the dictionary.
Trust me, we all know the dictionary definition
A few that have come up since my last post in this thread. Like I said earlier, they may be specific to where I work.
"The 50-yard line" - An area of the loading dock where people have been known to light a J. (a Dazed and Confused reference)
"Key-knee" - phonetic spelling of our shorthand for broccolini
"The A-team" or "The big boys - the best or most experienced cooks in kitchen Ex. Q: Who's got that VIP reception tonight? A: I gave it to the A-team.
"Douchbag Parade" - when the chef or cooks are invited out to the dinning room at the end of a service to schmooze customers.
"Hugs and Kisses" - Compliments to the chef/cook. Ex. Server: "Hugs and kisses to the grill from that 8-top"
"Blue-hairs" The older clientele that make up most of our breakfast/brunch crowd.
"Grunts" The prep staff
This one is pretty universal but I haven't seen it mentioned.
"________, heard" - common affirmative response when asked for something, since it is loud and you often can't look up at someone asking a question/making a request. Ex. I need a _______. A: ______ heard
Want to Buy Real Wild Rice
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I have been very happy with the wild rice I have gotten in the past from Earthy Delights. They source it from Manitoba and sell it by the pound (around $10 per + shipping) under the name Canadian Lake Wild Rice.
Here is a link to a blog post detailing the provenance of the rice along with a recipe for Wild Rice Cakes, Earthy's e-commerce store can be found at earthy.com