Burgers and Fishies...

Of the approximately eleven food magazines I receive along with the four or five others that have food sections (Chesapeake Life, Coastal Living, etc.,), I still rate Saveur at the top of the list. It would be unfair to include “Art of Eating” in the same grouping as that is pretty hard core and you don’t read it for the nice pictures. Anyway, this month’s issue (No. 122) arrived as mentioned yesterday with a picture of a loaded hamburger on the cover with the banner “The Burger Bible”. Oh my, I thought, what have they done? Well, guess what. They pulled it off admirably. They devote complete pages to the bun, the toppings, the meat, the cheeses, grilling and broiling (including steaming – Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden, Connecticut), that are really informative. Like ribs and barbeque, hamburgers are a regional food, which they cover very nicely. The “PC” burger from South Carolina where Pimiento Cheese is dolloped atop, the “Juicy Lucy” from Minneapolis (with a core of molten cheese), the “Aussie Burger” from Sheep Station in Brooklyn that has pickled beets, pineapple rings, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and topped with a fried egg. They talk about White Castles (for you STL folks), and they even ferreted out the famed “Goober Burger” from Sedalia Missouri, a delicacy I shared with “Jack” Jackson on a trip back from Whiteman Air Force Base in my distant flutter testing past. They cover a myriad of “burger joints” from coast to coast (Sid’s Diner in El Reno, OK; Apple Pan in LA, and so forth). And yes HoGo, In and Out is mentioned. Multiple recipes for burgers, buns, etc. A great job.

And in the same issue is a great article on Chile Peppers for you hot heads. 48 varieties are pictured and described – ever hear of a Chapeau de Frade? Rocotillo? Quintisho? They’re all there.. Anyway, if you see one in a stand, pick it up. They do a great job. And just for the record, Gourmet occupies the second slot behind Saveur


Little Fishies..

remembering my appreciation of the inclusion of the Anchovy on my Caesar salad at Café Des Artistes, an alert reader passed along a link to a nice story "Give Anchovies Another Chance" from NPR on the little guys. I’m not the only one trying to elevate people’s appreciation for them. It’s a bit cutesy, but does have some good information and recipes. A quote:

“There are, I believe, two reasons why we don't care for anchovies in this country: We don't achieve the right balance of anchovies in our dishes, and we don't use quality anchovies”

Right on….and after you read about the burger and anchovies,
DFD

don't forget tomorrow night is First Friday in Leonardtown tomorrow night.. see you there