the noshery

annoying 'foodie' words

2010-01-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know how long this will last, but I will attempt to return to the blogging world...once again.

I guess I will start with this link to another blog post (cop out, I know) via serious eats.

It is a poll to see which food terms should cease to exist in 2010. You have to read the comments to enjoy the read.

Most of these are pretty funny and I agree can be kind of annoying, for instance evoo, I hate that.

But on the other hand, I disagree with a lot of these too.

1. Protein - I love this term. How else can you lump together beef, poultry, fish, tofu, and legumes. It seems pretty ridiculous to call them all meat. Call it what it is, it's the protein.

2. Toothsome, unctuous, gamey, etc... I love descriptors. Even esoteric descriptors like these don't bother me as much as some people. Yes, they can be overused and used incorrectly but when used at the right moment, there is often no better why to describe something. Coming from a design background, descriptors are very important when trying to discuss something not entirely tangible. You would not expect an author to dumb down his/her vocabulary when setting a scene, no, you want the most powerful descriptive words in his/her repertoire, even if it means you have to read with a thesaurus at arms reach. I don't see why food description should be any different.

What are your thoughts on food words that get under your skin?

stuffed pablano peppers

2009-09-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Our CSA brought us some delicious poblano peppers last week...so I stuffed them...then we ate them. They were delicious and quite hot.

eat.shop.kansas city

2009-09-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

I saw this at broadway this morning whilst enjoying a cup.

Perfectly Poached

2009-09-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

My favorite way to start the day.

Caprese Buffalo Burger

2009-08-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last week we received one pound of organic buffalo meat in our CSA. We have had buffalo before but we used it in a meat sauce over some pasta and it was delicious; however, this time we decided to go for the buffalo burger. Seeing that we are now getting beautifully ripe black krim heirloom tomatoes off of our vine we decided to use big thick juicy slices on our burgers. Next we decided to use some fresh mozzarella we had for the cheese atop the buffalo. Since we had gone that far we then piled on a stack of fresh basil and drizzled some balsamic over the toasted bun and viola!! we now have caprese style buffalo burgers. They were fantastic.

Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting

2009-08-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have to give a big THANK YOU to smittin kitchen for this killer recipe. I made these cupcakes last night with some peaches from our local CSA. I wasn't able reproduce the cool dots of icing but they tasted great nonetheless. Here are some photos.

Heirloom tomato update

2009-08-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

It has finally arrived! Our first black krim tomato basically fell off of the vine into my hand yesterday. I think its a beauty, but I am probably bias seeing it's our first born. I have big plans for this little guy tonight. It will involve fresh mozzarella, basil and hopefully a glass of red wine.

heirloom tomatoes!

2009-08-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

A quick update on our garden. After many many weeks of our tomato plants growing and growing without any fruit to speak of, they (well at least one of them) have exploded with fruit. We had about two weeks of blossom drop but after some quick googling and a sprinkle of an organic calcium based fertilizer the fruit has arrived. Unfortunately the Black Krim heirlooms are not ripe yet but they are looking beautiful and the vine is chalk full of them. So, I am sure in a week or two their will be a post right here showing the magnificently maroon fruit ripe and ready for enjoyment.

Grilled Rib Eye Steak

2009-08-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

I love a grilled steak. This summer, I have especially fallen in love with grilling the rib eye. Besides the fact that it seems to go on special more often than any other cut, it just sings with flavor and melts in my mouth every time. On this particular evening I served the steak with simple potatoes that were halved and boiled in heavily salted water and then simply fried cut side down in a frying pan with butter and olive oil. Lastly we had sliced heirloom tomatoes with orange zest, sea salt, and sherry vinegar. I loved the tomatoes like this although I think Abs prefer the heirlooms caprese style. Anyway, I got the idea from Rocco Dispirito's book, Flavor, I recommend trying them if you are in the mood for a very light and fresh summer salad.

grilled salmon with pan fried potatoes

2009-07-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening's dish:

Grilled Chicken and Romaine

2009-07-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last night I grilled a couple chicken breasts for me and abs. For the longest time I struggled with grilled chicken, either over cooking it or having to put it back on the heat for a while because it wasn't quite done. However, I believe I have figured it out. I have learned how to grill the perfect breast. First of all, I only grill bone-in, skin-on chicken. The boneless-skinless stuff cooks too fast and loses all its juices to the coals below. I season the chicken with whatever sounds good at the time...usually fresh ground sea salt, ground black pepper, and an herb. Next, I paint the top (meaty part) of the breast with a small amount of olive oil. I get my fire nice and hot and bring the coals up close to the cooking surface to sear the chicken. I place the chicken meaty side down on the grill for about 4 minutes allowing the skin to sear and lock in all the delicious juices. Once the skin has a nice crust on it I flip the chicken, lower the fire box and continue cooking for about 25 more minutes (depending on size of chicken this may vary) at 325 degrees. The key here is not touching the chicken once it has been flipped, the heat is seperated from the meat of the bird by the bone and indirectly cooking it. When done you will have a nice crispy skin with the juiciest chicken meat ever.

Last night I tried something I have never done before. I grilled a salad. I took a head of romaine lettuce and split it length wise. I then painted the cut side of the lettuce with olive oil and placed it cut side down on the grill for about 3-4 minutes until the face of the lettuce had a nice char on it. Lastly, I simply drizzled some Caesar dressing on it and topped it with some fresh grated parm. It was fantastic, the charred lettuce gave the salad a smokey taste that was better than I could have imagined. This is one of the easiest and one of the best salads I have ever made. I recommend every one try it.

Broadway cafe

2009-07-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Abs and I stop into the broadway cafe every friday morning for what we call our friday morning 'coffee date'. We have made some friends at broadway over the past months and now we sit and chat and enjoy starting our fridays a little slower than the typical weekday morning. Its glorious and the coffee never lets me down. This is a photo of our latte's this morning made by Dan, one of my favorite baristas at the cafe.

Enameled Cast Iron

2009-07-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

I know...two posts in one day, so out of character for me. But I am too excited to wait, I got a new toy yesterday. Abs and I got a great deal on an enameled cast iron pot. We went the Martha Stewart route. As much as I would love a Le Creuset cast iron pot the $230.00 price tag is a bit steep. We found the $140.00 Martha Stewart version that was on sale for 60% off with a $20 gift card much more affordable. That's right, a $140 cast iron french oven for 40 bones!! Naturally, I had to cook with it the first night. I am a little disappointed that I didn't take any photos of the pot stuffed to the brim with veggies and herbs, I was to excited to eat the slow roasted deliciousness that I completely forgot. Anyway, here are the results.

Margherita pizza on a zucchini crust

2009-07-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

We are part of our local CSA (community supported agriculture) and receive fresh meats, fruits and vegetables every week. It is great, we love it. However, it is a little difficult to consume all of the veggies we receive. For instance, two weeks in a row we got 6+ zucchini in our package, we had zucchini coming out our ears. Don't get me wrong I love me some zucchini be it sauteed, grilled, stuffed, etc... and believe me we have done it every way known to man. That said, we recently came across an idea that I had to try, a pizza crust with zucchini as the main ingredient. The dough...actually more of a batter was 4 cups of zucchini that had spent some time in the food processor, 3/4 cup of flour, 3/4 cup of parm cheese, an egg, salt and pepper to taste. It took a bit longer to finally start to crisp up than I thought it would and in hindsight I probably could have left in even a bit longer. I topped the pizza with fresh mozz., tomatoes, garlic, red onion, and basil from the garden. Lastly, to finish the plate I drizzled some good balsamic on the pizza to make it really pop. All that said, it was great! I will definitely be making this next time we are bombarded with zucchini. I hope you enjoy the pics.

Pizza Crust

2009-07-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight...Margherita pizza on a zucchini crust. Tune in tomorrow for photos and a review.

the King of Pop

2009-06-26T08:06:00.001-07:00

I debated with myself whether or not to post this. I decided that there is no denying it, I have always been and will always be a huge fan of Michael Jackson. His contributions to music and entertainment have been immeasurable. And I will also go ahead and say that there is still, without a doubt, no one that can dance like he did. And just in case any of you doubt his complete awesome-ness on the stage...chech this out.

vacation

2009-06-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of action on the blog as of late. I have been on vacation in southwest Florida soaking up rays. Here are some photos from the trip. I hope to have the rest of the images on my flickr soon.

Tailorbyrd

2009-06-02T09:47:00.001-07:00

I love this shirt company, and their logo is pretty cool too.

Dave Matthews Band

2009-05-28T06:13:00.001-07:00

Everybody has that one band which resides in a special place in their heart. That band for me is the Dave Matthews band. I have been a Dave fan for a very long time. I saw them live for the first time when I was a sophomore in high school (1998) and fell in love with their lyrics, their sound, their energy, everything. No matter how my taste changes or grows, this band always seems to quench something I didn't even know I was thirsty for. Anyway all that said, their new album, 'Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King' comes out June 2 but can be heard now in its entirety on pandora...click here, if you are interested.

...happy listening.

The Hux

2009-05-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our boy huxley likes to pout when he feels he is not receiving enough attention. He lays down and puts his chin between his front paws, he will not move until you concede to play with him or until something more fun comes along...like a bunny. Tonight we were inside and he was pouting big time, so I took the opportunity to shoot this, since there were no bunnies running around in our house he stayed perfectly still for the shot. Then we played.

a couple teasers for some friends

2009-05-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

intelligentsia

2009-05-14T09:44:00.001-07:00

I have to give a big thanks again to my little sister for picking me up some more tasty joe. Intelligentsia is a really fantastic coffee roaster based out of Chicago with locations all over the windy city and a few in Cali and I believe one in NYC. That said, the closest location is in Chicago. Well, my sister happens to have a couple friends in Chi-town and goes to visit quite often, most times without me knowing. The other day I got a call from her asking if I needed a re-fill, the next day I get home from work and on my counter is this beautiful little bag awaiting my indulgence. Thanks Ren.

here are some links to intelligentsia: click for the...blog....website.

landscape update

2009-05-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

In a previous post of our garden I asked that you ignore the mud because we were in the middle of a major landscaping renovation of our back yard. Over the past weekend we took some huge steps towards the completion of that project. There are a few things left for us to finish up but for the most part we are pretty satisfied with our progress this spring. Since its completion, I have not wanted to come inside. In fact, I don't know why I am still sitting here typing this...I am going outside.

camera fun

2009-05-07T07:02:00.001-07:00

It has been a very long time since I have just enjoyed my camera. It is easy to get caught up in trying to take 'good' photographs and forget how to just have fun with it. So, last night I decided to step outside and take some long exposure shots of me...and a flashlight. I was just goofing around, trying to write stuff in the air. Anyway, it was fun and I am sure if my neighbors peaked out their windows it was real entertaining to watch.

raised bed garden

2009-05-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

Our Sunday afternoon was spent with our hands in the dirt. This is our first attempt at a vegetable garden. We have some heirloom tomatoes, peppers, carrots, squash, lettuce, and herbs that hopefully will keep us from spending half our income in the produce section of hen house. I think we will be able to handle the standard care of the garden, its the bunnies and of course the hux man that make me nervous. Anyway, wish us luck. I will take progress photos through out this process that, if all goes well, will end with a dinner plate.

p.s.

Please ignore the mud and weeds around the raised bed. The landscaping project is in full swing right now, although the end is in sight. I will post photos of the finished back yard in the following weeks.

(herbs: cilantro, basil, & french thyme)

(future carrots)

the tulip table

2009-04-30T10:00:00.001-07:00

A want or a need?

I think it is a little of both.

espresso in manhattan, ny

2009-04-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

juan valdez cafe.

zibetto espresso bar.

macchiato espresso bar.

ninth street espresso bar.

Ninth Street Espresso was good, no check that, it was damn good. unfortunately the others were not, juan valdez gets the award for the worst espresso tasted in nyc. here was my cup at Ninth Street:

something has to change

2009-04-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

when I first started this blog, I had the grand idea of blogging about all the fantastic restaurants I would try. I would cook amazing meals multiple times of week and then photograph them and write about the experience. Well, as you can see by the dates on my posts that I have been fairly unsuccessful in my venture. That said, I have decided that I will just start posting any and everything that finds its way into my mind. I would still like to focus on food, coffee and design but perhaps start adding aspects of photography and art to the mix. I don't know, maybe this is a last grasping effort to keep this blog from falling by the wayside (as if it already hasn't) or maybe it will be the beginning of something beautiful. We shall see. Check back soon, hopefully you will find something interesting.

Top Chef??

2009-02-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

WTF, sorry for the harsh letters...but seriously WTF!!

Ok, I catch a lot of flack from some of my friends for being such a fan of Top Chef but I can't help it, I love it. However, I have to say that I am feeling a bit cheated here. I am feeling like perhaps the show is attempting to gain ratings and keep drama on screen as apposed to letting the best chefs shine. Last night Leah was allowed to stay on the show and Jamie had to 'pack her knives'...what a crock. Leah gave up on the quick fire challenge. Not to mention, was anyone else blown away when she beat out Fabio with those mangled-ass sardines. Fabio's were flawless and hers looked like she let a left handed chimp do the knife work (no offense to left handed chimps).

Jamie was asked to leave because her celery was over salted and allowed to over reduce. I still am having a hard time to find the words to vent my frustration. I would have been irate if I was Jamie. The judges even said while they were tasting Jamie's dish that the fish was prepared perfectly...over salted celery....they are kicking her off for over salted celery...Please. Leah should have hit the road long ago. I guess we will see if these judges can redeem themselves next week.

Rosemary

2009-01-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, Abs and I go to Broadway cafe every Friday morning for a cup and scone. It is sort of our reward to ourselves for getting through another work week. Anyway, last week I noticed a new scone being offered at the pastry counter, rosemary and parmesan. I usually go for the blackcurrant scone which is divinity in the form of bread but today I thought this sounded interesting (and I LOVE rosemary) so I gave it a shot. I was not disappointed, the scone did not offer the same spiritual experience as the blackcurrant version; however, I do recommend to those who share a love the herb they try it out.

Architecture taste buds

2009-01-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

At long last, the photos of Hoffman Orthodontics have been shot and processed. I hope you enjoy.

My Christmas list

2008-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

With only 2 days until the big day, I thought I would post a little list of wants just in case any of you out there are planning a last minute gift for me.

1. Returning from last years list...Miss Sylvia.

2. Panasonic Lumix DMC - LX3, this is the new version of my current camera the DMC - LX2 which has been hands down the best camera I have ever owned.

3. And finally for those big spenders out there...the Volkswagen Tiguan....in black....with 19" wheels...and a roof rack.

finally!

2008-11-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

I was fully planning on posting about my recent trip to New York. I have been a bit absent lately and thought that the blog deserved a post that was thoughtful and interesting. I did have great time in the city. I enjoyed some great food, had some good spro...well, one at least ( its amazing how hard it is to find a good espresso in that city), and enjoyed the sites. However, I am not feeling especially thoughtful or interesting this evening, so I have decided to post my first batch of photos extracted from the iphone. Actually, this post isn't at a complete loss, I took a couple of photos at the brasserie restaurant in NYC with my iphone, you will see them below. I hope you enjoy.

the brasserie, nyc

hoffman orthodontics...sneak peak of the open house.

and of course, the hux.

Latte art

2008-10-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted any photos of my latte art. I think it is slowly progressing, there is still a LOT of room for improvement but its not completely terrible.

2008-09-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a list that I found on another food blog I read, tabicakes. This list contains food that a lot of people have probably tried and some that I can't imagine a lot of people have ever even heard of. The group that put this together is the very good taste blog and they are calling this the top 100 foods every omnivore should try. So, here is what you do.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (in salsa, does that count)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (jello shots?)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

photos

2008-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

For lack of posts and also the lack of time to write anything interesting, I am posting two images. The first is a shot of my Friday morning coffee from Broadway. I like this photo because it not only shows all the magnificent coffee oils in the drip but also all the bubbles have little reflections of me in them. The second photo was a bumper sticker I saw at a little coffee shop in Fort Collins, CO this past weekend. I would have bought one for myself but they were all sold out.

Ahi tuna and a scallop caprese salad

2008-08-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday night, the wifey and I celebrated our second anniversary. We decided, since we are in the middle of remodeling our home (which will eventually include a big kitchen remodel...YES!!!!!) to save a little money and just have a fantastic night in with good food and good wine. So, I started thinking of the many dishes that could be made on such an evening and finally settled on something I had never prepared before. Plus, I decided that since I am so bad about updating the blog, to have Abbey photograph the whole process from opening the first bottle of wine to the first bite. I hope you enjoy.

First thing first, I started the night off by opening one of my favorite bottles...Benegas Syrah - 2005, an Argentinian syrah that melts my face right off. I took a swig and then lit the grill.
For the food. I started us off with some grilled lemon garlic shrimp as a bit of a teaser for what was to come. These are prepared with a simple lemon, olive oil, kosher salt, and minced garlic marinade. They don't really need to marinate for more than 30 minutes or so, and then they are ready to go on the grill.

While we enjoyed the shrimp I placed my piastra (a smooth cast iron or other metal or stone surface) on the grill to heat up. I prepared 6 deep sea diver scallops with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. I then scored the tops of the scallops about a quarter of an inch and set aside. I then prepared the caprese part of the salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes which I thieved from Jerad's tomato plant while he wasn't looking (haha) and a LOT of fresh chopped basil. I then placed the tomatoes and basil in a large mixing bowl and drizzled with some high quality olive oil.
Next, the ahi. I should at this point mention that both the scallops and ahi recipe has been altered a bit but originated in Mario Batali's book Italian Grill. Ok back on track. I made a rub for the ahi that consisted of chopped fresh rosemary, kosher salt, pepper, and sugar. I rubbed the ahi steak in olive oil and then generously patted the fish with the rub (see photos on flickr). It was at this time that the seafood was ready for some heat. The scallops went on first, they were placed on the hot piastra scored side down. These guys get cooked primarily on one side for about 6 minutes or so. After I placed the scallops on the piastra I put the ahi on the grill directly over the heat. The ahi wants to be cooked rare so it only took a couple minutes a side. I let it cook about 2.5 minutes a side and then pulled it off and set it inside to rest. By the time I was back at the grill the 6 minutes was up and the scallops got flipped and seared on the opposite side for another minute. I tossed the scallops in with the tomatoes and basil, drizzled some good olive oil on top, cracked some fresh black pepper and now its ready to be plated.

Back at the ahi, now that the fish has rested and the juices are perfect, I sliced it into about 1/4" slices and plated it. All this time I had some broccolini steaming with kosher salt, pepper, and a bit of butter. After all of this was plated I drizzled a tiny bit of my best olive oil on the ahi and sprinkled it with the smallest pinch of kosher salt.

Below you will find a few select photos from the process, I hope you enjoy. If you want to view all of the cooking photos please visit my flickr site by clicking here.

the noshery in Ink.

2008-07-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

This morning, my wife and I made it into ink magazine as a foodie couple for a bit they did on cheap dates. Anyone who is a reader of this blog knows of my love for Broadway coffee, so naturally I spoke of Abs and my Friday morning coffee dates. The photos are funny and they through a little plug in for the nosh. Check it out: Click here

good wine....good food

2008-06-27T11:00:00.001-07:00

I should have posted this a couple of days ago...but you know how it is.
This Friday last was a celebration of a good friends birthday. My wife and I and he and his wife all decided to just stay in, take it easy and enjoy some good food and wine. Jerad called me up and proceeded to let me in on a little news. He had decided, it being his birthday and all, to finally open one of his prized wines that he had carried back from our studies in Italy. When he told me that we would be drinking a 1997 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Reserva Speciale I decided this was no ordinary dinner night. So we hopped in the car and went down the street to my grocer of choice Hen House. I knew exactly what I wanted and headed straight for the filet mignons. To my disappointment the only ones they had left looked a little meager and less than worthy to sit on a plate next to a glass of that glorious vino. I asked the butcher if they any more in the walk in cooler. Let me go check, he said. Next thing, he is walking out of the cooler with an entire tenderloin. He slowly started carving the fat away and carved the tenderloin into its respective pieces leaving the chateaubriand, from which he carved 3 beautiful filet mignon. I prepared the steaks the way I like them best, with fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and butter...nothing else. Prepared with grilled corn, fresh green beans with garlic, and a portabella for my wifey, these guys sat on the grill for 7 minutes a side (they were real thick) and came out perfectly pink. I must say the wine was perfect, balanced, and ready to drink. It turned out to be a fantastic night relaxing with friends, good wine, and good food. What else could you ask for?

'English Coffee Culture'

2008-06-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

An interesting blog entry from one of my favorite blogs to read. Enjoy.

Click Here.

Top Chef?

2008-06-12T06:58:00.001-07:00

Well, Richard was my vote up until last night. I still think he may have been the best chef on the show as far as creativity and potential goes, but man did he flop. I appreciate the way he conceptualizes his meals before he begins to prepare the individual dishes; however, this time he didn't pull it off. Under seasoned pork belly, bland scallops...at least all of these things can be fixed before they find there way onto a menu. At least he took chances. That is more than I can say for Lisa, who didn't deserve to be there in the first place. I felt like I could have picked up any one of her dishes at my local Vietnamese or Thai restaurant. I will not waste anymore time typing about her. Stephanie was the right person to walk away with the title I think. Richard is inventive and daring but Stephanie was consistently great. She took chances as well, the braised pistachios for instance. Who would have thought. Overall I am happy with the outcome, although I am still a little baffled at how Lisa made it as far as she did. Oh well, I am already looking forward to next season.

Dinner & Top Chef

2008-06-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite things to do during the week are prepare dinner and watch Top Chef. Once a week (which was last night) I get to make dinner and watch Top Chef in the same evening, it was bliss. Last night I served a grilled pork tenderloin, served with grilled asparagus, and sweet potatoes prepared with sea salt and fresh rosemary. It turned out pretty decent (see photo below); however, I cannot say the same for Top Chef. All I want to know is why is Lisa still there??? She has been on the chopping block at least 217 times. There is no reason she should be in the final three. When it came down to her and Antonia I thought for sure this was the week, the week for that crazy, sailor mouthed, depressing kitchen downer of a chef to go home. Richard said it best when he described her as a gray cloud in the kitchen. I am especially bothered by the fact that Antonia was sent home for a poor plating decision and slightly undercooked pigeon peas while Lisa is allowed to stay when every aspect of her dish was executed poorly. I don't understand how she keeps dodging the axe. All I know is if she walks away with the Top Chef title...I will be forced to question the integrity of the judges.

2008-05-20T06:55:00.001-07:00

Occasionally a fusion occurs between good design and good food, when it does you are left experiencing something very special. If you find yourself in San Francisco any time soon, take some time to experience some of the little eateries on this list. I highly recommend blue bottle coffee. I have been getting the hayes valley espresso from these guys for the past couple months, and damn it is exquisite. Well, without further ado, the link:

http://buildllc.wordpress.com/

chi-town

2008-05-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of ranting lately so I thought I would just post some photos from my recent trip to the windy city. I had a great time, drank some great spro and ate the best briciole I have ever had. I hope you enjoy.

have I become obsessed?

2008-04-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

broadway cafe's macchiato

broadway cafe's latte

I ask myself this question because I have found that lately I have been completely discounting any latte that does not have latte art. I know that sounds crazy and obsessed...hints the title of the post. But even now writing this, I feel that I may have stumbled upon some sort of visual criterion to judge a coffee drink, or perhaps the creator of said drink, before the first sip. For example, I have been making a real effort to try other coffee shops in the Kansas City area. I have been doing this for two reasons. One, I am always in search of good coffee and nice shops to spend some time. Two, to continue to prove to myself that my statements about the Broadway Cafe having the best coffee in town are valid (which they are).
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I found ourselves in a part of town we don't frequent to often. It is close to our house but in the opposite direction of our typical travel. I had heard from a couple of people that I needed to try this coffee house (omitting the name...for now) next time I was there. We stopped in after dinner and each had a macchiato. I love using the macchiato as a drink to judge a coffee shop by because there is little enough milk to really get a grasp on the 'spro being pulled, at the same time it allowes you to see how the barista will handle what little milk there is. This brings me to my theory. When you watch a barista at work and he/she is careless on how they load the basket (grind, dose, distribute, tamp) you can bet that the shot will reflect the carelessness. That same holds true for how the milk is treated. When you see the barista simply poor the milk in the pitcher and then set the wand in and let the milk sit there for 20 seconds with the steam running, you can assume the milk will not achieve that microfoamy goodness that makes milk based espresso drinks so dreamy. This was exactly the case for this drink. The espresso itself was not that bad but the little bit of milk froth that was added was big, bubbly, airy and just set on top. I could tell before my first sip that this was going to be a disappointment.
I had a similar experience this morning. A new coffee shop just opened up about a block from where I work and I have been meaning to stop in for a cup. This morning I found the time. I walked in and asked for a 12 oz. latte and was immediately turned off when they asked what kind of milk I want. I know I will not get a lot of people agreeing with me on this one but I hate it when they ask me that. In my mind, if I didn't specify, it is up to the barista. Which ever he/she likes to pour. Anyway, I watched this young man tentatively load the basket and then very flaccidly steam the milk. I was getting more and more apprehensive by the second. Then the pour...he used the spoon to hold back the froth while he poured the milk in the espresso and then spooned two big airy scoops of froth on top. I was devastated.
I am almost convinced that the lack of latte art is a tale tell sign of a poor latte. This art can only be achieved when great care has gone into the entire latte making process. Assuming the espresso itself was extracted well, when you see latte art you can bet that the drink will be deliciously creamy and everything you were hoping for. Plus, it seems to be a common denominator that baristas interested in making really good coffee are also those same baristas interested in making latte art. This is not a constant...but it seems to be a pretty accurate observation.

2008-04-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

If you are not familiar with the logo above, it is the logo of what some people are calling the best single serve coffee maker in the world. The Clover machine has generated a lot of attention over the past couple of months. The machine, from what I understand works generally like a french press. The difference is that the french press relies almost 100% on the person making the coffee to be precise and consistent while the clover takes care of that for you. It is a well worked, precise piece of coffee machinery. Still, the barista is required to grind and dose the coffee before turning it over to the clover, so it is not infallible.

That all being said, Starbucks (the corporate giant sucking every ounce of Romanticism out of coffee) has just purchased the same machine that a lot of independent coffee shops have recently purchased in an effort to distance themselves from the big bad mermaid. Starbucks also has said that they don't plan on continuing the sale of the machine to shops outside of the Starbucks corporation. So, now the independent shops that dropped the 11 grand ...ya that is right $11,000.00 dollars to separate themselves from Starbucks now have to pay Starbucks when service time on their machine comes around.

I understand that coffee in the United States probably wouldn't be where it is at right now if it where not for Starbucks. I also understand the Starbucks is a business and that buying Clover was probably the best move they could have made to keep making absurd amounts of money. The issue I have is that, in Starbucks' quest for more money and more efficiency, the quality of their product has suffered...big time. Try going into a Starbucks and just say "can I please have a macchiato". See what happens, the little 17 year old girl behind the push button espresso machine will ask you what size and if you want caramel on top. They have a lot of people fooled into believing that this is good coffee. This is not good coffee!! Not to mention the fact they are purposefully putting the shops that do make good coffee out of business in the meantime. Bringing me back around to my original point of the post. Because Starbucks has been suffering as of late, instead of fixing the root of problem...making bad coffee, they decided to go out and take away other peoples opportunity to increase their efficiency of making good coffee and increase profit.

They are the Wal-Mart of the coffee world.

2008-04-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Friday night's dish:

Pizza with yellow squash, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, wilted spinach, garlic, tomatoes, and fresh mozz. on a whole grain wheat crust.

Pizza with italian sausage, fresh rosemary, wilted spinach, tomatoes, and fresh mozz. on a whole grain wheat crust.

Sunday night's dish:

Fish tacos with a fresh cilantro lime sauce served with mexican style rice and refried beans.

Tuesday morning's pour:

food photos

2008-03-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

Since I have not posted in what seems like years, I thought I would post some images of my latest dishes (and one shot of coffee (no pun intended)). I hope you enjoy.

My meatballs:

My attempt at my grandmothers corned beef and cabbage:

My latte art:

my latte art

2008-02-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Latte art has been and will continue to be a sought after art form for me. I love the way a macchiato, latte, or cappuccino can be taken to the next level of coffee making by this precise art form. In my mind, latte art is an indication a high quality espresso drink. In order to achieve latte art you have to have not only a well pulled shot of espresso, but also perfectly steamed milk (micro foam) and the technique to pull it off. I have been struggling for the past year making espresso at every chance I get in an effort to advance my coffee making skills. My shots are seemingly increasing in quality as I get my dose, tamp and timing more consistent. My micro foam is pretty decent as I have begun to better understand the two step process of stretching the milk and then rolling the milk. However, my art making technique up until this past weekend has been consistently bad. I don't know what it was this weekend, but something seemed to click; maybe it is all the videos I have watched over the past year on youtube (thanks kingseven) that have finally pushed me beyond the suck. Don't let me mislead you though, my latte art is still pretty bad and needs tons of improvement, but it finally at least looks like something. Having said that, I thought I would post some images of a few of my first (fairly) successful latte art coffees. I am sure they will not mean nearly as much to you as they do to me.

broadway cafe in the new york times

2008-01-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

Click here for full story.

Dolce Baking Company

2008-01-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

If you had not heard, there is a new bakery in the village shops of Prairie Village. Laying rest between Village Flowers and Starbucks is a quaint, friendly little bakery that is so charming, one can't help but fall in love with it. It has a sophisticated, classic charm with a modern feel. I have had the opportunity to stop in a few times over the past weeks and try a couple of different house pastries and have been very happy with the flavors and textures. There are a couple of particular pastries that deem themselves worthy of mention here. One being an apple pastry of sorts, forgive me for not knowing its proper name. It is fantastic, somewhat like an miniature apple pie...only better. The pastry itself was moist yet fresh and the fruit, fantastic. Secondly, I have to mention the orange roll. Think of a cinnamon roll and then replace cinnamon with the juice and zest of an orange. I had never had an orange roll before and tasted it just out of curiosity. I enjoyed it so much that upon thinking of writing this blog, I had to stop in this morning and pick one up on the way to work. I was told it is an old family recipe of the head pastry Chef's. I have to say it is one worth saving. If you find yourself in this part of town, you would be doing yourself a disservice not to stop in and taste one the many goodies this pastry gem has to offer. Not to mention we should always support our local establishments, especially when they make it as easy as the Dolce Baking Company has.

My only criticism, the shop needs to branch away from the self serve drip coffee (don't get me wrong, its a high quality, organic fair trade drip) and invest in the proper espresso setup along with an experienced barista. If one could come in and order a pastry and a decent macchiato...they would have a one-two punch that many people, myself included would not be able to turn away from.

This brings me to my next post...the macchiato-yet another reason to dislike starbucks.

2008

2008-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

It's 2008 all ready!!...holy smokes where did the time go?
Alright, so after a bit of a hiatus from the blog world, the Noshery is back and has much to talk about. Here is a little of what you have to look forward in the first few posts of the 2008.

1. I will chime in on ever popular debate. Who has the best bbq in Kansas City??
2. The Macchiato...yet another reason to dislike Starbucks.
3. A new photo project for the Noshery. I am going to photograph my five favorite coffee shops in the city. A little cliche and perhaps kitsch, I know... but damn it I love coffee shops.
4. Lastly, Prairie Village has a new little bakery. I spent a recent morning sampling the pastries and various other goodies and have some things to say about the village's newest little space.

2007-12-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

This makes me happy. Check out this article in the KCstar this week about the Broadway Cafe. I am glad to see the better coffee prevail. I hope this increases their business and the starbucks faithfull don't travel a couple extra blocks to get their stale excuse for espresso.

dear santa.

2007-11-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

.barrett

blogger test

2007-11-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

are you ready to rock??

2007-11-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

More to come...

PIZZABELLA

2007-10-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, lunch time was rapidly approaching and I could see I was not going to be able to get away from my desk to take part in our weekly tradition of enjoying a nice long Friday lunch with some co-workers. I had not packed a lunch because I had planned on going out. I had to get something for lunch quickly to get back to the office and continue working. I kept drawing blanks on where to go, either it would take too long or it just didn't sound full filling. I then remember seeing the sign for a new pizza shop that was supposed to open soon a few blocks over on Baltimore St. I hopped in the car and headed that way in hopes that this place would not only be open, but be the food I needed to quench my hunger and get me back as soon as possible. The restaurant was open and it was quite an experience. First of all, its a pretty attractive little building with wood slats and that form not only interior and exterior walls but that also make up the bench that fronts the restaurant and the ceiling of the lobby. Its a quaint space with a decently sized dining room and an exposed kitchen with wood fire ovens. I could see that this isn't the place to get in and out of quickly, at least not today or at this time, so I placed a take away order. The Pizza Chorizo, home made crust with chorizo sausage, pesto, roasted peppers, and ricotta cheese. It was delightful. I am so happy that there finally is a dedicated pizza place in Kansas city now that offers authentic flavors and cooking styles. I love seeing things on the menu like prosciutto, arugula (it's a veg-i-table), fresh mozz, fresh basil and many, many more. I think there are restaurants in Kansas city that offer really great authentic style pizza as part of a larger menu, but it is nice to have a pizza joint doing it right.

latte art

2007-10-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would post a nice example of Latte Art. This is Dan's, [my favorite barista at the broadway roastery] handy work. Oh, and the coffee was delicious too.

saturday morning breakfast

2007-10-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday morning was a very rainy one, in turn a very lazy one. After way too many hours of just lying around I felt inspired to get up and attempt to make something delicious for breakfast. After being educated on the proper way to poach an egg by Abstract Gourmet, I decided to give it a go. One turned out pretty nice, the other not so much. I also decided to make a little hollandaise inspired sauce to drizzle on top. I don't even remember what all I put in it. A little of this and a little of that...All in all it turned out pretty nice. I love rainy weekend mornings.

Architecture tempts buds too

2007-10-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have decided to post some photos of the new addition to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I won't do things like this often as I am trying to steer this blog more towards the delectable. However, certain things beg to be talked about or seen. Having said that, here are some photos I shot of the Bloch Building last week. It was the first time I had been there to photograph it, which is a crime in itself. I think this is a beautiful addition to Kansas City and absolutely I love passing it on my way home from work everyday.

cooking and architecture

2007-10-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

A Friend of mine recently brought this book to my attention. Being that I am formally trained in architecture and informally a wanna-be cook, it seems right up my ally. Here is a blurb from Archinect explaining a bit about the book.

'Since time immemorial, cooking and building have been among humanity’s most basic occupations. Both of them are rooted in necessity, but both of them also possess a cultural as well as a sensory, aesthetic dimension. And while it is true that cooking is a transitory art form, it gives expression to the periods of human cultural history just as architecture does. Moreover, both arts accord a central role to the materials employed. Both involve measuring and proportioning, shaping and designing, assembling and composing.This book pursues the astonishing parallels and deeply rooted connections between the art of building and that of cooking. A variety of essays takes up questions of materiality and proportioning. Attention will also be given to food cultivation and architecture, to the places where meals are prepared as well as a range of different culinary spaces. With articles by Annette Gigon, Stanislaus von Moos, Claudio Silvestrin, Ian Ritchie, and others.'

I think I will read this book. I will keep you updated on the matter.

posso avere un cappuccino por favore!

2007-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

I saw this link on another blog i frequently visit, jimseven, I had to post on here as well. If there is anyone reading that doesn't know me directly, I along with many friends studied architecture in Italy a couple years ago. For me, among many other things, it marks my discovery of coffee. I had been drinking coffee to stay awake in studio for a little while by then, but it wasn't until my daily cappucini that I truly developed a love for espresso. So, if you would like read why "Marco Lion, the head of Italy's parliamentary agriculture commission, is worried that the "true identity of Italian coffee" could be lost because, he says, many cafes in Europe do not have the faintest idea how to make a good cup." click here to read more.

top 5

2007-09-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Time for some interaction from the readers. I have yet to receive a comment on my new blog; so, either no one is reading the blog or I just have not been interesting enough to elicit any kind of response from the reading body. In an effort to get some people involved, I want to hear what everyone's top 5 favorite things in the kitchen are. First, I will share my top 5 favorite things in my kitchen.

1_the Santoku knife.

Everyone has a favorite knife. One that no matter what needs chopping, dicing, or mincing always ends up in your hand. This J.A. Henckel knife is awesome. I love the way it feels in my hand whether I am chopping some basil or carving up a chicken breast.

2_the mixer.

Alright alright I will admit that one of the reasons this is in my top 5 of the kitchen is because it is cool as hell looking. I love the way this looks on my counter. I have only used it a couple time in the year that we have owned this fabulous piece of machinery. But, it does look pretty damn cool and don't act like that pink isn't the bomb.

3_the coffee cups

I love these cups. My wify got me these for Christmas last year. they are a bit big for an espresso and a bit small for a black coffee. But, they are perfect for a macchiato (my favorite espresso based drink). I have been trying for the past year to master a macchiato, I have been struggling a bit with the espresso extraction, but that is a different post for a different time.

4_the Emeril pans

This is a beautiful pan set. Whether or not you are an aspiring chef on a budget or a seasoned vet, you can't go wrong with this set of hardware. And, they look pretty on your stove top.

5_the wine opener

All the way from Chianti.

The Chocolate Block

2007-09-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last night some friends, my wife, and I all decided to venture north a couple blocks and enjoy the 2007 art fair at the Country Club Plaza. Before we left we met at my house and partook in some hors d'oeuvres and wine. We started the night with a bottle brought back from Sonoma, Artessa's Element (blend of Cabernet sauvignon (51 %), merlot (29 %), syrah (15 %), others (5 %)) it was delicious. We intended on just drinking one bottle; however, the wine (as it usually does) just made us want more wine. So, to get to the original point of this entry, the second bottle we opened was a bottle simply called The Chocolate Block. This wine was very unique. I can't say that I have ever had any wine quite like this one. It seemingly is a combination of every wine under the sun, blended delightfully to create flavors of liquorice, mint, and kitchy enough...chocolate. The nose was big and bold soaked in sulfur. As far as texture, this 2003 is prime and ready to dink right now. I am very glad we decided to open that second bottle. I had two of these Chocolate Blocks just sitting in the wine fridge waiting for that random day when I decide to dip into the library wine. If we had not opened this bottle last night I would not have known that I probably shouldn't put off drinking the second one for much longer than another year. So, to wrap this up. I bought this wine 2 years ago and Tchopitoulas ( a since closed, fabulous little wine/coffee shop in the crossroads of KC) I was waiting to dink it with the misconception that it was one of those wines that can sit in a cellar for 15 years before it peaks, when in fact it is perfection right now. If you are lucky enough to have this bottle in your collection or happen to come across this bottle in a store...buy it and drink it now. You will enjoy this smooth, sensual wine with an almost complete absence of tannins (hints the wines lack of ability to age much further). If I were to do it all over again, I would drink it with some bitter sweet chocolate or some other food that offers a hint of sweetness.

the VINO

2007-09-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know it has been entirely too long since my last entry, and being that this blog is only a few weeks old...that is Busch league. I apologize.

So, about the wine. While the California buzz is beginning to wear off I still feel it necessary to at least briefly speak of the wine we tasted and enjoyed. It would take me a week to simply name all the wine we tasted, that is assuming I can remember them all, so I will just mention a few of the front runners.

2003 Opus One:$165.00

While this particular wine is fantastically delicious, I would definitely have a hard time spending 165 dollars a bottle. I am not gong to sit here and tell you that I don't see what's so special about it, because I do. It is damn good. The wine has a velvety softness that is balanced perfectly with an ample, not overbearing, amount of tannins in the finish. Even though the wine served in the Opus One Partner's room (fancy name for tasting room) was a bit young, the winemaker suggests letting the wine rest for five to seven years, it tasted extremely well balanced had a barrage of flavors attacking the tongue. I would recommend that if you ever have the opportunity to taste this wine, take it. However, I cannot endorse the price tag.

2000 Seven Lions Winery Zinfandel: $31.00

This wine definitely gets the Noshery's vote for best taste of the visit. I have a special place in my heart for a good Zin. I love the big, bold, wrap your tongue up flavors that a great California Zin gives you. Notes of cherry, tobacco, and leather smoothly move through your mouth and then the tannins hit, big and bold, perfectly balanced with the fruit. I loved this wine. Unfortunately, the winemaker has recently passed away and apparently the winemaker and the family whom ownes the winery were very close. So close that they decided to, instead of seeking out a new winemaker to continue the operation, close up shop. This fantastic boutique winery is done producing this old world style wine. I read a review that put it this way. If you are lucky enough to find this bottle, buy three. One to drink now and two to save.

2000 Camelia Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon: $35.00

This is the last wine I am going to write about tonight. I decided to include this wine because it was the best cab sav I had while in wine country. Every single place we visited was pouring a cab sav and every single place said it was the specialty of the winery. Only one stood up to what I would expect a 'specialty of the winery' wine to taste like. This wine was everything you want in a cabernet sauvignon. It was a beautiful dark purple, with deep flavors of black cherry and plumb with very present but soft tannins, a lingering finish that leaves you desperate for another taste. I tasted this wine with a semi-sweet 70% cocoa chocolate and I must say, it was awesome. I definitely recommend this wine if you can find it. I am under the impression that this wine is not sold in liquor or wine stores, but is available online. Having said that, go online and buy two bottle when you get a chance.

A wine lover once told me that when you find a wine you like, buy two bottles. One for tonight and one for the library.

Cali

2007-09-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

The nosh in San Fran

This past week I spent time in San Francisco as indicated in the previous post. I was extremely looking forward to a new experience with dungenous crab. I am pleased to say that my anticipation was met with joyous flavors. When we arrived in San Fran we rented a car and headed straight for Fisherman’s Wharf. Let me paint a bit of a picture for you.

I expected a place called fisherman’s wharf to be extremely commercialized and touristy when in fact it seemed exactly the way I would imagine a fishing pier to be on the coast of main. The crab shacks were rough and a bit dirty. Not a dirty in a way that makes you want to steer clear, but dirty in the way that a hole in the wall bbq joint in Kansas City serves ribs on newspaper. A sort of authentic dirty. A sort of attractive dirty. A much different scene from the nearby Pier 39, which in my mind is the Disney world of piers.
My first dungenous crab meal was a crab cocktail consisting of the crab meat from different parts of the crab. I believe meat from the claw, knuckles, and body of the crab was all included in the cocktail. I simply dropped a tiny bit of cocktail sauce on top and enjoyed the hell out of it. It was delicious.

My second experience with this beautiful crab was in the form of a sandwich. After a long morning of site seeing in the bay area we decided one last crab meal on the water was in order. We went back to the same stretch of crab vendors on Fisherman’s Wharf and dined on the delicious fish before boarding the plane and heading back to KC. This time however, I decided on a large hoagie style bun stuffed with a crab salad of sorts. It seemed to me that the salad consisted of about 99% crab and a splash of mayo (just to hold it all together). The crab was fresh enough and delicious enough to stand strong and sweet almost entirely on its own. Simple and divine. Needles to say, my experience with dungenous crab was a fantastic one.

Deep Sea fishing

An absolute world of experiences occurred between my two wharf dining experiences. The first being deep sea fishing off the coast of Sausalito. We left our hotel in Sausalito at 430 in the AM. Heading out to sea we floated right under the golden gate bridge and then watched the sun rise behind us over the magnificent piece of engineering. After a two hour boat ride away from land we threw our lines in. We originally began fishing for king salmon by dropping our bated hooks and trolling for a bite. After about two hours of this with no bites to speak of, our captain came out and said that it was too nice of a day to spend it hoping to catch a fish. He asked us if we wanted to head out to sea an extra two hours and fish for rock cod. A much smaller fish than the salmon weighing in at an average of 3 lbs. versus the 45 lb monster of a salmon. However, he said it was almost guaranteed catch. So, we decided to bring up the lines and head out. After a short two hour, beer filled boat ride we arrived at 3 rock islands that these fish call home. All of a sudden the cap through the engines in reverse until we came to a quick stop, stuck his head out his window and yelled throw them in. We did just and that and I am not lying when I say that our lines were not in the water for more than 5 minutes before we started pulling fish on the boat. After about 2 hours we had all caught our limit…10 each. There were nine of us on the boat equaling 90-three pound rock cod. Our deck hand, Alex cleaned all the fish and turned our 90 whole fish into 180 filets.

We had fully planned on eating these fish that night at our hotel in Sonoma until we hit a bit of a snag in the plan. The hotel had no grill for us to use and even if we had one, they would not let us grill on the premises. So what we did next was the best decision we could have made. We had heard the Mexican restaurant across the street was fantastic. So, we went over and simply asked…if we provide the fish, will you cook it and make us fish tacos at no charge if we run up a hell of a bar tab. They took us up on the offer. So, that night we ate the best, freshest, fish tacos I have ever had. The fish was topped with fresh house made pico de gallo on corn tortillas and served with white beans and rice. We were in heaven. Oh, and we did in fact run up one hell of a bar tab that night. We ran the bar entirely out of Pacifico and Corona.

The next morning was the beginning of a three day wine tasting. However, I will continue later with my thoughts on the vineyards we visited in Napa Valley and Sonoma County (from Opus One to Beringer) and a breakdown of the wine we tasted. And, the Noshery’s favorite wine from California (and it's not the wine pictured below).

going back to cali

2007-08-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be heading out to California. Spending one day in San Francisco, one on the water (deep sea fishing), and the rest in Sonoma and Napa, it is sure to tempt the buds of taste on several levels.
San Francisco, and more specifically fisherman's wharf is known for its dungeness crab. This particular type of crab is fairly big measuring up to 10" wide. I am very excited for this experience because I have never had the pleasure of eating dungeness crab. A lot of my family is from the east coast (Chesapeake bay area) where blue crab is the crab of choice. I have been eating blue crab since I was old enough to walk and absolutely love it. I am curious to see the differences in the two meats. From what I understand, if I venture down to Pier 39 I will find vendors selling cups of dungeness crab meat. I have been told that the way to eat this meat is to drip some hot sauce on it, grab a cold beer and head to the water to enjoy. Let me tell you, that sounds like a little piece of heaven to me. I guess I will find out tomorrow night.
The second day of the trip, I am heading out to sea. We will be fishing for king Salomon in the cold waters of the Pacific, off the coast of Sausalito. I think that we get to keep anything over 40". I will be making to trip with some buddies so there will be plenty of people to potentially land a large enough fish to cook for dinner. I will be sure to take a lot of photos so that you can see what we actually end up catching and hopefully cooking.
The rest of the trip will be spent cruising the vineyards of Sonoma and Napa. I know we have some tours set up at Robert Mondovi and a tasting at Opus One. We wanted to get in at Dominus, however no tours are offered. Maybe a glimpse from the street will be afforded. I would also like to try Girard, Hess, and maybe Gessup cellars. If anyone has any suggestions on good tours or even just good wine that we owe it to ourselves to taste, please let me know.

Anyway, off to Cali I go.

Accurso's

2007-08-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

The Noshery's choice for Italian in Kansas City.

I love Italian food. For whatever reason, I have grown up eating Italian food. There is not an ounce of Italian in my family, no matter how badly I wish there was. I have to give my dad the credit for the Italian influence. I remember as a little kid eating at Villa Capri (kc), Gorozzo's (kc), Marco Polo (kc), Baroni's (chi), the Rose Bud (chi), just to name a few. Having said that, I have developed favorites in the area.

I am an longtime patron of the old school Italian joint on main street, recently upon suggestion from friends and colleagues, I decided to venture across the street to Osteria Il Centro. I felt a bit of guilt as I walked in the doors of Il Centro, being that I was literally 20 feet away from the best meatballs in town and was in fact walking in the opposite direction. Perhaps I should have listened to my guilt and fallowed my heart back to stuffed mushrooms that will melt your heart and perhaps, if your not careful, change the way you think about Italian restaurants in KC.

The charm of this place is fantastic. It is everything you would expect from an Italian deli straight out of the Soprano's. An old brick building donning a red and green neon sign out front. You walk in and are immediately greeted by an old wood bar that runs the entire length of the restaurant, separating the casual seating from the formal dining space. Don't mis-understand the name. The once deli is now fine dining trattoria with such items on the menu as eggplant parm, stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and the best meatballs in town, not to mention a plethora of pasta options and Chef Mario's filet. Everything I have tried on the menu has been divine. Joey Accurso walking around paying a little visit to every patron adds a truly Italian feel to the place.

I started this post with the intention comparing Accurso's and Osteria Il Centro. However, I am afraid my obvious affection for Accurso's would inflict undo judgment on Il Centro. Il Centro is a fantastically quaint space with a beautiful wine list and perhaps the best bruschetta in the city. However, after dining there with my wife on our one year, my affection lies with Accurso's. You better believe the next time I am in the mood for Italian anywhere near midtown Kansas City, you will find me at Joey Accurso's Main Street Deli.