eG Foodblog: Verjuice - Red, Green or Christmas?

[Abra]

Well, ok, I guess with the description of fat-fudgy rice you've successfully talked me out of Emirati food, but that balaleet sounds good, and like something we'd be able to make at home.

But what about the New Mexico Pinon Coffee Company? That pinon coffee was a real favorite of mine when we lived where there a Trader Joe's.

[christine007]

Just got back from dinner at Sleeping Dog Tavern, which is downtown on the Plaza. I don't hit that part of town very often, so it was a treat.

Chimay Triple and some monkey bread:

A Silver Coin for yours truly... rocks and salt, of course.

Oyster corn dogs. Tragically, I cannot eat these. I adored oysters until I suddenly became allergic to them a few years ago.

Wedge salad with stilton:

White chili with Great Northern beans and New Mexican green chile:

And my main, a Harris Ranch flank steak with horseradish butter. And fries, natch. Not bad!

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I have a violent seafood allergy, but DUDE?

Who the hell needs oysters? You got you Marmite, stilton, prime rib, lamb, and your kitchen made me cry with envy.

I'm thinking you are female, like me right?

Can I be your hetero life mate, ala Jay and silent Bob?

Thanks for blogging, rock on!

[Verjuice]

Well, ok, I guess with the description of fat-fudgy rice you've successfully talked me out of Emirati food, but that balaleet sounds good, and like something we'd be able to make at home.

But what about the New Mexico Pinon Coffee Company?  That pinon coffee was a real favorite of mine when we lived where there a Trader Joe's.

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I actually don't mind the texture of the rice so much, but it's definitely something to get used to. One way of looking at it is to consider dishes that are equally rich and heavy in the Occidental arsenal, such as cassoulet, spaghetti alla carbonara, mac and cheese etc. I think that what makes machbous seem more difficult to warm to in concept is the fact that it is served in such hot, humid weather, and also that it is most often cooked with mutton, which has a very strong flavor (though I suppose it's no stronger than stilton or guanciale!). It''s a very rustic, bland dish, made with inexpensive cuts of meat. The fat in the rice is intended to make the meal stretch in order to feed a lot of people.

As far as NM Pinon Coffee Company, the beans are sold in supermarkets and a couple of retail outlets, but they do not have a retail shop of their own. I don't buy beans to brew my own coffee so I've never tried it; I usually get my coffee at Ohori's, Wild Oats (Aroma), Whole Foods (Allegro) or the place up the street from me (also Allegro).

The reason I don't brew my own coffee here is the fact that water boils at 92 degrees. It never quite tastes right to me when it's made at home (neither does tea, but I'll take improperly brewed tea over improperly brewed coffee). Coffee shops are equipped to brew the coffee as best they can at this altitude, but most home kitchens aren't. And if you prefer a French press for coffee, as I do, you end up with a lukewarm cuppa. It is impossible to keep anything hot at this elevation.

I'll talk to my parents and finagle some recipes I think you'll like. Emirati dishes are my father's department.

[gfron1]

But what about the New Mexico Pinon Coffee Company?  That pinon coffee was a real favorite of mine when we lived where there a Trader Joe's.

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Abra,

I shouldn't say this since my store sells it, but (for the most part) only tourists buy piñon coffee. When my spouse drank it he became ill. It has a great aroma, and I love when people grind it in the store, but its not something anyone would serve as a house coffee in a store or restaurant.

[Verjuice]

But what about the New Mexico Pinon Coffee Company?  That pinon coffee was a real favorite of mine when we lived where there a Trader Joe's.

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Abra,

I shouldn't say this since my store sells it, but (for the most part) only tourists buy piñon coffee. When my spouse drank it he became ill. It has a great aroma, and I love when people grind it in the store, but its not something anyone would serve as a house coffee in a store or restaurant.

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I'm glad you said it and not me.

I have seen it at Jackalope, and on the Plaza, and in a couple of supermarkets as well.

[BarbaraY]

I'm enjoying your blog very much the contrast between two cultures.

The Piñon coffee sounds disgusting even though I do like piñons as a snack but not in my coffee.

[Margo]

I wanted to chip in this bit about Allen Stamm, the builder of Verjuice's house:

An Albuquerque native and Navy veteran of World War II, Stamm's love of building blossomed after he adopted Santa Fe as his home. Allen Stamm and Associates built Casa Alegre — a 660-home project — beginning in 1949.

Back then, the cost of the houses ranged between $8,000 and $11,000.

"He always aimed at the lower- and middle-income people and tried to provide really decent homes," said Jack Stamm, his stepson.

Lee Brown, who headed the engineering division of Allen Stamm and Associates, said Stamm's companies built nearly 3,000 homes.

It's from his 2003 obit in the Albuquerque Journal.

Steering back towards on topic, you said you rarely venture to the Plaza area. What neighborhoods do you frequent?

I left Santa Fe in 1990 after a four-year post-college walkabout there. I lived on West San Francisco Street, a few blocks from the Plaza. At that time, my apartment was very close to what Anglos referred to as a barrio, and just a few doors down was an Italian restaurant that turned into a lively gay bar after dinner service. When I returned for a visit a few years ago, the gentrification was stunning, although honestly it was well underway in 1990. Like you, I'd avoid the downtown area. Every space was leveraged for maximum retail potential, but no place to buy, say, a tube of toothpaste. (Maybe pinon toothpaste.)

Anyway, your blog is a delightful trip down memory lane. Thanks for doing it!

[Verjuice]

I wanted to chip in this bit about Allen Stamm, the builder of Verjuice's house:

An Albuquerque native and Navy veteran of World War II, Stamm's love of building blossomed after he adopted Santa Fe as his home. Allen Stamm and Associates built Casa Alegre — a 660-home project — beginning in 1949.

Back then, the cost of the houses ranged between $8,000 and $11,000.

"He always aimed at the lower- and middle-income people and tried to provide really decent homes," said Jack Stamm, his stepson.

Lee Brown, who headed the engineering division of Allen Stamm and Associates, said Stamm's companies built nearly 3,000 homes.

It's from his 2003 obit in the Albuquerque Journal.

Steering back towards on topic, you said you rarely venture to the Plaza area. What neighborhoods do you frequent?

I left Santa Fe in 1990 after a four-year post-college walkabout there. I lived on West San Francisco Street, a few blocks from the Plaza. At that time, my apartment was very close to what Anglos referred to as a barrio, and just a few doors down was an Italian restaurant that turned into a lively gay bar after dinner service. When I returned for a visit a few years ago, the gentrification was stunning, although honestly it was well underway in 1990. Like you, I'd avoid the downtown area. Every space was leveraged for maximum retail potential, but no place to buy, say, a tube of toothpaste. (Maybe pinon toothpaste.)

Anyway, your blog is a delightful trip down memory lane. Thanks for doing it!

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Yes! That's my 'hood. Stamm built Casa Alegre, which is the neighborhood around Osage (the street that connects St. Mike's and Cerrillos) , Casa Solana (this subdivision has always creeped me out, even before I knew that Santa Fe's Japanese internment camps were on the same 80 acre plot of land), and the stunningly beautiful Sol y Lomas, which is where Stamm's family and Lee Brown's family live to this day.

Lee Brown, quoted in the article, is a friend of mine and all-around brilliant and sophisticated human being (he has actually spent quite a bit of time in the UAE!). He raised his family in Casa Alegre. As Jack Stamm stated in the obit, the Casa Alegre homes were originally built as starter homes for small families, however real estate prices in Santa Fe have skyrocketed to the point where that's no longer really the case (hence all the newer lower-income housing developments in Rancho Viejo and Airport Road). Homes in the neighborhoods of Casa Alegre and Casa Solana now range from the high 200ks (no renovation, original windows, original plumbing, 1 bathroom) to the low 400ks. Not exactly cheap and downright unaffordable to many, but it doesn't get any better unless you want live in a townhouse out by the highway. Personally, I was just sick of throwing my money away on rent (and the Dubai stock market ), and I felt extremely confident about investing in Santa Fe. The market has always been strong, regardless of hat is happening elsewhere in the country. Due to our water shortages and moratoriums, there is very little new development in general- and none at all downtown. In fact, ever since this new low-income housing law was passed almost two years ago, not a single new development has been built! This keeps the market strong, in conjunction with the fact that there is only so much room in Santa Fe, but every year more people from California and Texas want to retire here.

Soon after I bought my house, I met Lee Brown at my realtor's birthday dinner (he's also my realtor's father-in-law) and he asked me what I paid for my house. He said he remembered building that house with Stamm and selling it for around 10k. Naturally, this elicited much nervous laughter from me, as I stood rooted to the spot, my heart hammering away as I digested the thought of my brand new mortgage.

Your comments on the gentrification of the Plaza are painfully accurate. Every now and then, I'll hit he Plaza at around 11pm after everything closes and just walk around to familiarize myself with all the awful new stores. One positive thing about the plaza is that chain stores cannot survive it; Banana Republic had a huge space on the corner of San Francisco and Galisteo, but hardly anyone ever went in, even during peak tourist season, and it eventually closed. People seem to prefer to spend their vacation money on hideous turquoise bolo ties and Frank Howell prints instead, and I have no problem with that!

I also never seem to to tire of this awesome thing, which I often deliberately walk past when I'm downtown:

My usual dives... well, I do my hiking and trailrunning out at St. John's and am very familiar with the Camino del Monte Sol area... I also feel like I spend a fair bit of time in the Guadalupe District, for some reason, and around the Capitol and South Capitol (which is where a lot of my friends live and work). I hate the South Side of town, but every now and then, we all need something from Target. I practically lived at Home Depot while I was doing lots of work on my house, as well.

The truth is, I spend a lot of my time blissfully in and around my house, which is like a little fortress with its wall of privacy. I go to the market every single day (usually Wild Oats, Vitamin Cottage if I'm just buying produce, or La Montanita Coop; I only go to Whole Foods if it's very early or very late, to beat the crowds). I cook for a couple that lives out past Las Campanas, so I drive out there a few nights a week.

Edited December 27, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[Kent Wang]

A Silver Coin is a type of margarita.

Silver for any silver tequila (Milagro silver is the standard at my most frequent haunt).

Coin for the cointreau.

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That's how a margarita should be made anyway. I use the exact same recipe, down to the Milagro Silver.

I carted over my liquor collection, plus Gruet Brut and Gruet Blanc de Blancs (go NM!), various Belgian-style ales

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Which ones? I'm a huge fan of Belgian styles and love the way they pair with food.

[Verjuice]

A Silver Coin is a type of margarita.

Silver for any silver tequila (Milagro silver is the standard at my most frequent haunt).

Coin for the cointreau.

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That's how a margarita should be made anyway. I use the exact same recipe, down to the Milagro Silver.

I carted over my liquor collection, plus Gruet Brut and Gruet Blanc de Blancs (go NM!), various Belgian-style ales

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Which ones? I'm a huge fan of Belgian styles and love the way they pair with food.

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Ommegang, Hennepin, Three Philosopher's and Rare Vos from Brewery Ommegang.

Clearly you have the right idea when it comes to margaritas!

You just gave me an idea; I've decided that I'm going to Maria's tonight. They carry over 150 tequilas and mezcals- and will make a margarita out of any of them. They have it down to a science; which drinks benefit from a combination of lemon and lime, sometimes subbing Grand Marnier for Cointreau...

I think it's time to bring some Northern New Mexican food to this blog, as well, as nobody does it better than Maria's, imho. So stay tuned.

[Verjuice]

It just started snowing again. Soup sounded pretty good to me, so I whipped some up.

Curried kabocha squash soup with coconut milk. I stirred in a hefty dose of sriracha.

[Kent Wang]

Ommegang, Hennepin, Three Philosopher's and Rare Vos from Brewery Ommegang.

You just gave me an idea; I've decided that I'm going to Maria's tonight. They carry over 150 tequilas and mezcals- and will make a margarita out of any of them. They have it down to a science; which drinks benefit from a combination of lemon and lime, sometimes subbing Grand Marnier for Cointreau...

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Mmm... Ommegang is such an excellent value.

150 tequilas?! There isn't a proper tequila bar in Austin, I'm very jealous. Have a Del Maguey mezcal for me.

[birder53]

The margarita menu at Maria's listed lemon juice as the only juice. We didn't try them because of that. Even a lemon lime combo we made at home didn't hit the spot the way lime juice does. However, Maria's does have really good chile rellenos.

[Shelby]

Verjuice, all I can say is I am loving this blog.

You have a beautiful house and a wonderful life!! You are definitely an inspiration.

A few years ago, I had a friend that lived in Dubai--an ex pat from south Africa, I believe. Anyway, I was able to learn a bit about the culture there. Are the laws still the same concerning drinking and public displays of affection?

I am awed over the use of gold in everything.

[Verjuice]

Had to run a few errands on the Southside. This included meeting my former hospice volunteer director at Plaza Diner Southside (same ownership as Plaza Cafe downtown) for a quick holiday hug exchange and personal life update. As usual, I was feeling peckish, probably because I didn't have any bread with my soup. I had a quesadilla with chipotle chiles.

This is very New Mexican. Honey on every table for your sopaipillas (actually, I think you get honey butter at Tomasita's).

[Verjuice]

The margarita menu at Maria's listed lemon juice as the only juice.  We didn't try them because of that.  Even a lemon lime combo we made at home didn't hit the spot the way lime juice does.  However, Maria's does have really good chile rellenos.

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Oh my, I just called them and you're absolutely right. I don't remember them always doing it that way! They said that they use lemons because of their year-round consistency. What the heck- are you kidding me? Every other place in town manages to locate limes throughout the year.

Now I'm irritated because, like you, I need me some lime in my margaritas. So I may forgo the margaritas, have a tequila and mezcal sampler... and head elsewhere for a margarita later.

Thank you for the heads-up!

[birder53]

Since you went to Plaza South, did you have a red velvet cupcake? They are really good. I wondered why they were refrigerated until I tasted the wonderful cream cheese icing. Good stuff!

[Verjuice]

I have a violent seafood allergy, but DUDE?

Who the hell needs oysters? You got you Marmite, stilton, prime rib, lamb, and your kitchen made me cry with envy.

I'm thinking you are female, like me right?

Can I be your hetero life mate, ala Jay and silent Bob?

Thanks for blogging, rock on!  

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That reminds me. A tale of legendary idiocy: A few years ago, before I knew I was allergic, I ate a couple dozen Wellfleet oysters and fell violently ill. My ribcage seized up and I felt like my whole body had been beaten with a sledgehammer. I lay awake all night, shivering and wincing from the pain. At the time, I had assumed that it was one bad bugger in the lot. A year later I was at Blue Water Cafe in Vancouver, and I must have eaten about forty oysters before I started to hallucinate, break out in hives, and feel my intercostal muscles begin contracting again. At the hospital an hour later, I had to confess to eating several dozen oysters before realizing that they were making me sick. The ER dc looked at me like I was either the biggest dimwit or the greediest person he had ever met.

Finally, two years later, I tried eating one kumamoto oyster at a chef's insistence. Don't ask me why I did it. Sure enough, ten minutes later I felt like I was being stabbed in the gut with a dough hook.

But I figured I should rule out gluttony as a potential aggravating factor in my allergy to oysters.

Ahem.

Oh- and yeah. I'm a chick.

[Verjuice]

Since you went to Plaza South, did you have a red velvet cupcake?  They are really good.   I wondered why they were refrigerated until I tasted the wonderful cream cheese icing.  Good stuff!

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Those cupcakes are huge! Not that size is a deterrent, mind you.

I have never tried one, but I will now that you've recommended them.

Speaking of huge and delicious baked goods, the cinnamon rolls at Counter Culture? Please! I go out of my mind for these; they're DELICIOUS. They bake them on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. I am going to get one on Saturday morning.

And I like the cinnamon sour cream coffee cake at CC just as much.

[Verjuice]

Ommegang, Hennepin, Three Philosopher's and Rare Vos from Brewery Ommegang.

You just gave me an idea; I've decided that I'm going to Maria's tonight. They carry over 150 tequilas and mezcals- and will make a margarita out of any of them. They have it down to a science; which drinks benefit from a combination of lemon and lime, sometimes subbing Grand Marnier for Cointreau...

←

Mmm... Ommegang is such an excellent value.

150 tequilas?! There isn't a proper tequila bar in Austin, I'm very jealous. Have a Del Maguey mezcal for me.

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Yeah, they are a great value. I like the Chimays and a lot the Unibroue beers even more, though.

I'll give your mezcal a try!

[Verjuice]

Verjuice, all I can say is I am loving this blog.

You have a beautiful house and a wonderful life!!  You are definitely an inspiration.

A few years ago, I had a friend that lived in Dubai--an ex pat from south Africa, I believe.  Anyway, I was able to learn a bit about the culture there.  Are the laws still the same concerning drinking and public displays of affection?

I am awed over the use of gold in everything.

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Thank you so much!

The laws concerning alcohol and pork are similar. They cannot be served outside of a hotel restaurant. Pork is sold in a curtained addition to the supermarket. Alcohol is sold in windowless buildings. You need a special license to purchase it legally. The license will identify you as a non-Muslim, and it costs money to maintain as well. Of course, there are all kinds of ways around this... but those are the laws.

As for PDA, yes, it is condemned. If a man harasses a woman verbally and she files a complaint, he has his head shaved and his mug shot posted on the front page of the paper of the next day as an example to others. I can think of numerous related stories that I've read about in the Gulf News over the years, all of them ridiculous. But there you go.

[Abra]

I realize that I'm well known on eGullet for being a no-taste touristical type who will drink any old swill, so I just say "cool, y'all, the less pinon coffee you drink, the more there is for the rest of us!"

[gfron1]

We didn't say you don't have tastes...just not the same as our chile burned tongues.

[Verjuice]

I realize that I'm well known on eGullet for being a no-taste touristical type who will drink any old swill, so I just say "cool, y'all, the less pinon coffee you drink, the more there is for the rest of us!"

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I just reread the posts about coffee on the last page, and the combined effect is definitely not pretty!

But to me you're The Amazing Abra Cadabra, and you can do no wrong in my eyes. And I'm sure everyone here agrees.

[MarketStEl]

At the end of the workday in Dubai, I could not wait to get out of this:

And hit the new Emirates Road for an hour, crossing the emirates of Sharjah, Ajman and Umm-Al-Quwain...

1) Who slipped that photo of Exit 13A on the New Jersey Turnpike into your blog? (The lower photo, not the upper one.)

2) Are you telling me that all three of those emirates look like this? Uggh! No wonder you left! At least New Jersey has the Delaware Water Gap, the Shore and its northwest corner (a chunk of New England that got lost and wandered there) as redeeming features.

until I got to my beloved hideaway here:

[...]Ras al-Khaimah is also home to one of the best Lebanese restaurants anywhere: Al-Jazeera at the Al-Hamra Fort Hotel. Strange, but true.

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So: Nothing about Fujairah? (Did I spell that right?)

(And: I assume no one confuses the restaurant for the satellite news channel -- so named because (AIUI) its owners saw it as an "island" of free reporting in a sea of state-controlled media.)

I actually don't mind the texture of the rice so much, but it's definitely something to get used to. One way of looking at it is to consider dishes that are equally rich and heavy in the Occidental arsenal, such as cassoulet,  spaghetti alla carbonara, mac and cheese etc. I think that what makes machbous seem more difficult to warm to in concept is the fact that it is served in such hot, humid weather, and also that it is most often cooked with mutton, which has a very strong flavor (though I suppose it's no stronger than stilton or guanciale!). It''s a very rustic, bland dish, made with inexpensive cuts of meat. The fat in the rice is intended to make the meal stretch in order to feed a lot of people.

Funny, I usually associate hot climes with spicy foods, not rich, heavy dishes. How did this linkage manage to bypass the Arabian peninsula?

The reason I don't brew my own coffee here is the fact that water boils at 92 degrees [C=197 F]. It never quite tastes right to me when it's made at home (neither does tea, but I'll take improperly brewed tea over improperly brewed coffee). Coffee shops are equipped to brew the coffee as best they can at this altitude, but most home kitchens aren't. And if you prefer a French press for coffee, as I do, you end up with a lukewarm cuppa. It is impossible to keep anything hot at this elevation.

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What kind of special equipment is needed to make the coffee passable? Does it increase the air pressure?

[...thanks for the additional info on Mr. Stamm, Margo; he sounds like Santa Fe's answer to M.L. Levitt...]

I also never seem to to tire of this awesome thing, which I often deliberately walk past when I'm downtown:

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That looks like something Moshe Safdie might have built if he worked in adobe or stucco. What is it? Do you know who designed it?