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Andrew Fenton

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Posts posted by Andrew Fenton

    More to Southern cuisine than barbecue

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    I wonder if this stereotyping of the South is mostly a Northeastern trait, because during the years I lived in Seattle I never really ran into it. The people I met mostly didn't seem to give the idea of someone being Southern a second thought.

    I grew up in Seattle, and I can tell you that oh yeah, it's there too. Just start with the Deliverance jokes and work your way down...

    More to Southern cuisine than barbecue

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Well, the sort of condescension you're talking about is inexcusable. And as Dave points out, it's not limited to food, but rather is part of a general stereotyping of the South.

    That said, it seems to me that it's the negative, flip side of a really wonderful phenomenon, namely Southern food traditions. Nobody visits Seattle or Minneapolis and asks about the best [insert local dish here] because those areas don't have distinctive regional cooking cultures. So I don't think it's wrong to look for Southern food in the South: when I plan a trip down to Savannah, I schedule in meals at Wall's BBQ or the Lady and Sons or Johnny Harris or the Crab Shack, not Elizabeth's. Elizabeth's is a terrific restaurant, but it's not terrific in a way that's significantly different from what I can get in Philly. But I can't get hoecakes or cornbread up here that compares to what I can get at the Lady.

    It is obnoxious that perception of what constitutes Southern food tends to start and finish with barbecue and a few other dishes. (Though let's be honest- most Americans west of Missouri or north of Virginia have no idea what barbecue is (or how it differs from grilling), let alone the regional variations.) So that's an argument for further proselytizing, on the part of eGulletteers, as well as others.

    The South According to Varmint

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    I adore the vegetable plate, which is still one of my favorite ways of eating vegetables and which I order when dining in casual Southern restaurants. I was a vegetarian for almost a decade and spent most of that time as a North Carolinian and found that I could enjoy plenty of the Southern delicacies around me. I always felt my diet was less of an "un-Southern" influence than my lack of a noticeable Southern accent.

    Add mac n' cheese to your list of vegetarian-friendly Southern food. Can't beat mac n' cheese on a vegetable plate.

    How did you deal with meat-cooked vegetables? When I'm eating in the South, I'll often get a veggie plate for lunch: but not being a vegetarian, I don't mind finding a little piece of pork in my collards or green beans. I'd think that someone who doesn't eat meat would have a problem.

    From Ottawa to Asheville NC

    in Southeast: Dining

    Posted

    When I visited Asheville, I stayed at the Red Rocker Inn, in Black Rock (about a 15 minute drive from downtown), which serves some terrific country cooking. If your friends will still be in Asheville on Sunday, have them head over there for Sunday dinner: first rate fried chicken, pot roast, grits, biscuits, and so on. Nothing fancy, but as tasty a traditional Southern meal as you could ask for. Breakfasts are equally good; they also serve dinner on other nights, but I didn't try it.

    Red Rocker Inn website

    Onion Rings

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Onion rings are my favorite food, EVER. I have a very simple recipe:

    1. Choose one of the recipes above. Prepare the onions accordingly.

    2. Put the rings in a deep pot filled with hot oil.

    3. Watch as my kitchen fills with deep black smoke, the alarm goes off, neighbors call 911, and my cats decide it's time to head to the hills...

    4. Go to my favorite rings-serving restaurant. Realize that I suck at deep frying...

    Back-of-the-Package Cooking

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Every time someone mentions recipes obtained from boxes etc., I remember this one gawdawful recipe I found on the side of a bottle of malt vinegar.  Without going into details (which I don't really recall), the recipe was for a concoction made of malt vinegar, (canned?) peaches, and chicken breasts.  :blink:  :wacko:

    It made me wonder what sort of people they have testing and concoting these recipes.

    I've seen that one! It was on a Heinz malt vinegar bottle, I think. You're absolutely right, it looked amazingly nasty. So nasty that I was almost tempted to try it: it had to be better than my expectations, no? But I think you're right: their testers must be drunk. Or something.

    Ron's Ribs is ReOpening

    in Pennsylvania: Dining

    Posted

    Have you tried Dwight's, out at 47th & Lancaster or Parkside or something?  How about that rib truck that I see when driving up Broad St., around Broad and Germantown? 

    No, haven't tried those yet, though I've been meaning to try the truck for a while now. The Rib Crib is okay; I like it mostly because it's just such a neat place, but (at least on weekends, which is when I've gone there) they don't cook the ribs long enough, which makes them a little too chewy for my taste. Rich, if you're looking for somebody to head out to Lawnside with you, let me know!

    Ron's Ribs is ReOpening

    in Pennsylvania: Dining

    Posted

    I could live without the requisite Wonder Bread, but hell, that's how they served it. 

    Oh, I like that part! You've gotta have Wonderbread with 'cue: it's a combination napkin/side dish. Probably the only acceptable use for Wonderbread...

    I had bad experiences at Phoebe's with gristly tough ribs and a borderline case of food poisoning.  'Nuff said.  Not to mention the fact that they stole the concept directly from a former mutual employer.

    I don't understand-- which concept is that?

    I'm not a huge fan of Phoebe's either: it's okay, but not much more than that. I still have yet to find really first-rate BBQ in Philly. The Route 40 places are pretty damn good, but it's a long drive out there, and you have to wait until summertime...

    Michigan Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

    in The Heartland: Dining

    Posted

    And ofcourse, as guajalote knew, and was generous enough to share with me, Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor is the center of the universe.

    Oh man, that's right: how could I have forgotten Blimpy? Best fried mushrooms I've had: crispy and juicy all at once. And the burgers are A. Mazing. "Cheaper than food..."

    A2 is a great town for cheap eats in general. Start with the bibimbap at the Korean diners in town and work on from there...

    Ron's Ribs is ReOpening

    in Pennsylvania: Dining

    Posted

    Yeah, after the lovefest, I feel like a jerk for saying that the one time I went there, I found the food to be just this side of inedible. The ribs were tough and the sauce was bitter. I must have ordered the greens-- I always do, when I have the chance-- but I don't remember them one way or another. Maybe the reopening will lead to a rejuvenated product?

    Menu Semiotics

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    Fessing up to ignorance, despite what the French think, is cleansing.  If you fess up then knowledge is gained.

    Fair enough. But is making your customers feel ignorant-- even if it's educational or morally uplifting-- a good way to run a business?

    Menu Semiotics

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    I like the way the europeans do it.  None of this, "served over a bed of...", "atop a..."  "grilled to perfection...".  It's more like  steak with vegetables and red wine sauce. I loved Lutece's menus when Soltner ran the place.  Not a lot of fluff.  It speaks to the attention span and knowledge of the intented "demographic".

    While I basically agree, it occurs to me that the American style is essentially more democratic: anybody can read the description and get a sense of what they're going to eat. Whereas if you're at a French restaurant and see, sayf, "tournedos Rossini" and don't know what those are, you have to fess up to your ignorance.

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