March 14th, 2010
Posted by johngl
In case you are wondering about the dearth of posts lately, I have spent the last two weekends (and, subsequently, the week between) in and about Brighton, Sussex, UK. Since I do my posts — and most of my cooking — on weekends, this has put a rather severe crimp on my blogging style.
And so it came to pass that some friends of mine here in the UK took pity upon my sad and lonely self and offered to take me on a bit of an adventure to Lewes (pronounced: Lew – es by the locals).
Half expecting a silly-walking gaggle of comedic soldiers using coconuts to emulate the sound of galloping steeds to appear out of the countryside, we paraded ourselves through the ruins of the Lewes Priory (Priory of Pancras), established sometime between 1078 and 1082 by William de Warenne, a leading Norman baron with extensive lands in Sussex. The priory went on to become one of the wealthiest monasteries in England.
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Tags: humor, Travel
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
March 7th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Barbeque ribs. The mere mention of them starts my mouth to watering.
Throw sous vide cooking methods into the mix and the results are phenomenal.
These babies are glazed with Zen’s spicy sauce
This takes “low and slow” to a whole new level.
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Tags: pork, ribs
Posted in Meat, Techniques | 4 Comments »
February 28th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Some might call this a “crown roast” of pork, but the most glorious spousal unit didn’t go through all of the “crowning”; it’s just too much extra work. Well, and that’s a lot of meat.
Here is what they look like side by side:
On the left is a true “crown” that is made up of two full racks, trimmed or frenched, and tied together and is used to “WOW” guests at a dinner party. On the right is a single rack left untrimmed. While the left one may look prettier, the taste would be about the same. Obviously, we had some considerable leftovers, but those made for some great chops later in the week.
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Tags: pork, roast
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques | 2 Comments »
February 28th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Baby Steaks
Looked around
An there’s a couple right near me
Baby Steaks
Maybe I think they can probably hear me
Thin n wet
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Tags: humor
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
February 21st, 2010
Posted by johngl
It was truly a gift of Valentine’s Day love when the most glorious spousal unit came home with this Chef’sChoice 315S Diamond Electric Sharpener for Asian-Style Knives
(what a mouthful).
I am not being facetious either. I fess up to having a fondness for sharp objects and a therapist might even say that cooking is just a vehicle to allow me to utilize them without looking like a hoodlum standing on a street corner flipping a butterfly knife open and closed.
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Tags: Equipment
Posted in Equipment | 6 Comments »
February 20th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Still a little woozy from a five-and-a-half hour eating and drinking extravaganza from which I returned about 12 hours ago, I have to say I had a pretty good time last night. Perhaps it was the alcohol. Perhaps it was the company. Perhaps it was the excitement of getting an invite for free food at a soft-opening (a pre-opening dress rehearsal kind of thing) for El Arbol, Austin’s newest “mid-century classic Argentinean restaurant”. I’m betting it was a combination of the above.
The architecture of the place is simply fascinating. The multi-level, bright-white and red-accented patios are built around (and intertwined with) a magnificent live oak that spreads seemingly forever in all directions. There is lots of outdoor seating, which was good, because this Friday night soft-opening event was packed. We arrived on time for the stated 8pm seating and were told there would be a 45 minute wait unless we wanted to be seated out on the patio. Thankfully, they had a lot of space heaters cranked to ward off the chill of a damp winter evening.
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Tags: Reviews
Posted in Austin, TX, Restaurants, Reviews | 2 Comments »
February 14th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Firstly, I have to say, watching the Winter Olympics on a large screen with 7.1 Surround Sound is really pretty amazing. While it has not a thing to do with food, it does perhaps set the scene in the most glorious household this evening.
Apollo Ohno won his sixth Olympic medal by taking the silver in the short track 1500 meter about the time I finishing up my choice grade veal “cowboy” ribeye and baked potato with butter, crème fraiche, and caviar. It was an exciting race. This Olympic stuff is hard work, even with a time delay.
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Tags: meat, veal, Wine
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques, Wine | 3 Comments »
February 12th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Anyone can just make a call to a trendy restaurant and make a reservation for two on Valentine’s Day, but it takes some real determination to express your love for your most glorious spousal unit by preparing a dinner with your own two hands.
And while it is too bad that a couple of aquatic arthropods had to take a swim in boiling water, it is their own fault: they shouldn’t be quite so tasty.
So let’s role up our sleeves and kill some crustaceans!
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Tags: lobster, sous vide
Posted in Recipes: Eats, Techniques, Wine | 2 Comments »
February 7th, 2010
Posted by johngl
You may have noticed from my last post that I’ve been on the road: the most glorious spousal unit and I headed over to Galveston to catch a boat. So for the past several days we have been in and around the ports of Galveston, Progreso, and Cozumel. We took this particular boat because it offered me a chance to see Chichen Itza, a city that was once a regional capital of the Mayan civilization.
Temple of Kukulkan: El Castillo
There is nothing that works up an appetite quite like tromping about the ruins of an ancient civilization where human sacrifice was the order of the day. As coincidence would have it, we’d secured a couple of seats at the Chef’s Table for dinner — back on the boat not at the ruins. Offered only to a dozen passengers on each of two evenings of the cruise, this is a pretty big deal. None of that ordinary fare for us. No way.
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Tags: Reviews
Posted in Reviews | 3 Comments »
February 1st, 2010
Posted by johngl
Three years ago, at about this time of year, most glorious spousal unit and I discovered Bistro LeCroy located at The Strand Historic District in Galveston. We were impressed enough to look for it again, hoping that it would still be there.
We made our way down Strand and lo and behold, there it was!
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Tags: Reviews
Posted in Galveston, TX, Restaurants, Reviews | 1 Comment »
January 29th, 2010
Posted by johngl
The Flavia Flav faded into history faster than a bad rapper. It’s metallic tasting, gut wrenching, weak tasting badness failed to impress the masses.
Out with the old; in with the new:
As the quest for the ultimate hot beverage dispensary continues, we find that we have some pretty serious shortcomings. Apparently techies aren’t smart enough to know the difference between a half cup icon and a full cup icon. We require additional signage.
But why bother with a cup at all…
just stick your hand in there and go for direct injection.
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January 24th, 2010
Posted by johngl
The Buenos Aires Cafe’s (south) location, at 2414 S. First Street, quietly nestles it between a large pawn shop and a liquor store. On our visit yesterday, it didn’t look like much either with it’s pale olive-green exterior and loose polyethylene flapping in the breeze, put there, I presume, to protect it’s outdoor seating area from the chilly temps mother nature has foisted upon us these past few weeks. As I pulled into the alleyway to find a parking spot, I glanced over at the most glorious one, wondering if she had lost her freaking mind. Even the couple we met there for lunch were eyeballing me and I had to admit, out loud, that if I was just walking down the street, I probably wouldn’t just stroll in here for a bite to eat.
Most glorious knew the pressure was on; this was her recommendation and I’m betting she thought I was going to be hyper-critical. However, I’ve had really good food in some really weird-looking places, some of which had bars on the doors, others had no doors at all (or even walls). We’ve been married for close to two decades and I’ve learned to trust her judgment (most of the time).
Slow Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri, Mashed Potatoes, and Organic Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese, Black Olives, and Roasted Pecans
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Tags: Reviews, Wine
Posted in Austin, TX, Restaurants, Reviews, Wine | 2 Comments »
January 23rd, 2010
Posted by johngl
My, aren’t we pretentious.
In nearly every workplace these days, especially in the tech world, break rooms (or are they employee lounges now?) are dotted with numerous kinds of coffees and, in some cases, fancy espresso machines.
The other day, this piece of equipment showed up:
Isn’t that just fabulous?
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Tags: coffee
Posted in Equipment | 2 Comments »
January 17th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Another chilly weekend, another slow-cooked offering from the most glorious spousal unit!
This is a Pork Loin Roast Braised with White Beans, Rosemary, and Sage.
She calls it cooking. I can’t complain.
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Tags: meat, pork, slow-cooker
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques | No Comments »
January 16th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Since the release of Julie & Julia, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, has come back as a best seller. Beyond that, lots of food bloggers have now taken up following the pattern: cook every recipe in a cookbook and hope for a movie deal. Maybe I should try that with a Thomas Keller cookbook.
Not. A. Chance. We don’t operate like that here at the Alcoholian campus.
Julia’s Boeuf à la Bourguignonne is simply a classic and when I was asked to attend a Burgundy Wine Salon (a future post to be sure), it seemed like a natural especially since I would be cooking for over 30 people. So I fished out my very old 1983 paperback edition of Julia’s most famous work and got to it. Sorta. I’m not very good at following recipes. They are like stop lights: suggestions.
Mine is deconstructed:
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Tags: beef, meat
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques | 3 Comments »
