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March, 2011

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Lowbrow, Highbrow, & Pinot Noir: Some of our Favorite Central Ohio Gems

Friday, March 18th, 2011

When we head home we have our round of belly filling bites, some for tradition-sake and some for the sake of discovery (Kihachi)! So these are just a few of our favorite spots in Central Ohio, yes, I said Ohio.  You will notice the high and the low represented  here from the higher-end The Winds in Yellow Springs and Kihachi in Dublin (just tried both of these spots) to the taste-tested Skyline Chili (from Cincinnati) and the G&R Tavern in Waldo (fried bologna sandwiches).  We reconfirmed, we wouldn’t trade one for the other, that’s for sure!

When we were at Kihachi, a very unique food experience no matter where you are from, we sat next to a really cool couple from Ohio, come to find out, highbrow foodies.  We got into a conversation about restaurants and the husband said, “There are no good restaurants in Columbus.  My wife can make a great steak at home so why would I want to go out to eat at a steakhouse?” The couple mentioned places they had been in New York City and Chicago such as Rick Bayless’s Topolobampo.  We also learned that they had discovered Kihachi from a friend on the night that Anthony Bourdain was in town eating at Kihachi.  Then we discussed wines and we talked about living in one of the greatest Pinot Noir Regions, the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA.  We found out they like big, bold reds, no fruity Pinots.  The Pinot Noir conversation was actually pretty funny because a few nights before we were hanging out reading the news and I just blurted out, “I don’t know about Pinot Noir anymore.”  John said, “Are you serious right now?”  After a lot of wine drinking over the holidays, it struck me that you have to get such an expensive bottle of Pinot Noir for it to be of a high-quality, otherwise it is very fruity without depth (come to find out, I like the spicier Pinots).  John said, “Just to remind you, wine is made from fruit.” I do have a point here.  The wine and food conversation with this couple got me thinking about the high and lowbrow food and drink.   We realized that we love the lowbrow comfort food of our American childhood memories as much as we appreciate the over-the-top incredible creations in highbrow cuisine, just not in Pinot Noir!

Some of our Ohio Favorites from Low to High:

  • Skyline Chili (out of Cincinnati) – Cinnamon in the sauce & served on spaghetti
  • Crabill’s Hamburgers – (Urbana, OH) – Sliders
  • G&R Tavern – (Waldo – North of Columbus) – World Famous Bologna Sandwich Since 1962
  • Bodega (Columbus on High Street)  – Awesome Happy Hour (M-F 4-8pm) & Impressive Seasonal Beers on Draft
  • Schmidt’s in German Village (Columbus) – German Food since 1886 – Bahama Mamas!
  • The Winds Cafe & Bakery (Yellow Springs, OH) – Creative Cuisine
  • Kihachi (Dublin, OH) – Japanese Restaurant

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SJ MADE & SJ EATS: San Jose Made & Eats • April 2nd

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

SJ MADE • A Locally Made one-day event will feature:

  • Artists, purveyors, makers, & vendors

Located at San Pedro Square – Downtown San Jose
Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 – 12-8pm
151 W. Santa Clara Street
65 N. San Pedro Street

SJ EATS • A Mobile Feast will feature the best:

  • Food Trucks & Carts (Silog plates, Short rib burritos, Samosas, Half Moon Bay Lobster Rolls, Horchata Ice Cream …)

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 – 11:30-3:30pm
On the Corner of N. Almaden Avenue
& W. St. John Street

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For Sure, Breakfast @ Silver Spur: Santa Cruz

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Their coffee is even good. You got it, not your typical diner. Seriously, my only problem with Silver Spur is, as their sign states, “Breakfast and Lunch 6am-3pm – Closed Sundays!” It is just open for breakfast and lunch and not on Sundays!  Why can’t there be a high quality restaurant with great comfort food like Silver Spur that is open for dinner too in Santa Cruz.  I mean, some evenings call for a blue plate special reminiscent of any American’s childhood favorite comfort foods (Meatloaf, Pork Chops, Mac & Cheese with a quality twist).  Yes, this is one the best, top breakfast spots in Santa Cruz and frankly, in the Bay Area.  The food is of a high quality with unique touches and an atmosphere that reminds me of great western breakfast spots from New Mexico to Montana.  The western feel and often tex-mex inspired dishes (South of the Border Scramble, Corned Beef Hash, Huevos Rancheros) are delicious, particularly with the accompaniment of their homemade salsa. Silver Spur always has specials written up on the board often featuring their yummy orange poppy-seed pancakes as a special and of course their daily muffin selection.  When you don’t think you want to the daily muffin special with your meal, get the cinnamon roll (pictured above).  Another perk, while you wait for your table (as you know, all awesome breakfast spots have a wait) you can drink the great coffee outside in the sun and read the paper.  My favorite dish is the South of the Border Scramble (has nice large pieces of avocado) and John’s is the Corned Beef Hash.  Alright, uber-critical types, find something wrong with Silver Spur besides the wait and the weight, you’ll add to your thighs.

Posted in Eating Out, Santa Cruz | No Comments »
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The High Munch & Low Crunch … this Week in Food News!

Friday, March 4th, 2011

How to use Google’s New Recipe Search Option:

  1. Go to Google.com
  2. Type in Recipe Search
  3. On left-hand side, Click-on “Recipes” w/ Fork & Spoon Icon (it will limit the search to recipes only, no more random descriptions)
  4. Recipes will appear in addition to these below:
  • A column of optional ingredients, on the left-hand side of the page, so you can further refine your search by ingredients (to choose or exclude ingredients)
  • Cook Time Limitations Options (on left)
  • Calorie Options Limitations (on left)

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The In-N-Out Matrix (Every Item From the In-N-Out Secret Menu On a Single Page) from Serious Eats

  • They ordered everything on the secret menu from In-N-Out (ex. Protein-Style + Animal Style)!  You so crazy, serious eats!

—

Judging Napa Cabernet’s Class of 2007 from the NYTimes

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Roasted Rutabaga & Sausage with Berry Preserves Recipe

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

This is a quick recipe with little preparation time because you are using store-bought sausages (original recipe called for lamb sausage but I found them difficult to find) and you only have to chop a few veggies.   Then you grab some Rosemary off of your plant and open a nice bottle of Berry Preserves (I used one a friend had made and given to me, handy dandy).  This recipe came from Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients by Jesse Ziff Cool (seriously, you can get this cookbook now, used on Amazon for $3).

If you live in CA and go to the farmer’s market weekly, this cookbook is really helpful because it is sorted into seasonal cooking sections:

  • First of Spring
  • Late Spring
  • Early Summer
  • Indian Summer
  • Autumn Harvest
  • Early Winter
  • Deep Winter

Roasted Rutabaga with Sausage Recipe

  • 2 lbs. lamb sausage (pork or chicken will work too)
  • 1 large rutabaga, peeled & cut into thick wedges
  • 1 large red onion
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup blackberry or raspberry preserves (Cherry preserves in MI might work too, w/ cherry sausage …hmmm… OR blueberry preserves in Maine?)
  • 2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 500F.  Place the sausage in a shallow roasting pan.  Cook, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until no longer pink.

Reduce the temperature to 350F.  Remove the sausage to a plate and add the rutabaga, onion, garlic, rosemary, and preserves to the pan with the sausage drippings.  Toss to coat well.  Place the sausage on top of the vegetables.  Cover and roast, tossing occasionally, for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through.

Transfer the sausage to a platter.  Drizzle the vinegar over the vegetables.  Mix well and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.  Serve with the sausage.

Posted in CSA Food Box Recipes, Home Cookin', Main Dishes | No Comments »
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