Rags and Rants...

Just some more on food mags, and some rants that just got me going. I can't help it. I get long winded..

Food Rag II

Being sort of on a publication roll lately, I got my September Bon Appétit yesterday and sped through it last night over cocktails. It was their “restaurant issue” which almost every food rag does usually in September or October before the thanksgiving and winter holiday issues. The “restaurant” part features their 10 top “new” restaurants in America, along with a recipe from each. The restaurants were from San Francisco; Seattle; Decatur, (Georgia); Brooklyn; Baltimore; Chicago; Houston; Austin; Cleveland; and Massachusetts. A little description of each place along with some words on the chef. Ho hum. The recipes tended to be homey with a twist – Braised Beef with Pears and Fresh Ginger, or Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Semolina Gnocci. Anyway, something to tuck in the side of your mind for travelling. Seemingly stuck on “10” they also include “Top 10 Chicken Recipes with (get this) “Chef’s Secrets to crispy, juicy, perfection”. They don’t mention that one of the chef’s secrets is years of hard work over a hot stove in a crowded kitchen.

And lastly for the magazine, they have a recipe for “the best bloody mary”. Damn it, why does everything have to be “top” or “best”? why not: “A pretty darn good bloody mary recipe”. Anyway, to make this world stopping bloody mary of all bloody mary’s you need 18 ingredients. Merely boil some of them (tomatoes, carrots, golden beets, fennel bulb, and garlic) for 50 minutes, add salt and lemon juice, puree that, cover and chill. Then you have to grind celery seeds in a mortar and pestle, combine with the veggie puree, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, hot chili sauce (guess there’s a difference), and a Guiness(!!), cover and chill overnight, add the booze, then garni with pickled okra, lime wedges and serve. Whew!! So, instead of waking up with a hangover, staggering to the fridge, getting some tomato juice and pouring in the vodka, you spend about half a day chasing ingredients and the rest of it making the darn thing.

To do:

Tonight is First Friday in Leonardtown, there’s live music (by Fractal Folk) at the book store, and Fortune’s Turn on the square. Tomorrow action will continue in Leonardtown with a “beach party” with more music, and a “demonstration by the College of SOMD’s volley ball team. Hmmm….

This weekend is the annual “L’il Margaret’s Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival” at the usual venue Goddard Farm on Clay Hill Road. Although I do enjoy bluegrass in small doses, a weekend of it wouldn’t be my favorite thing to do. And, as also seems annual with this event, temps are supposed be into the mid nineties..

The St. Clements Island Museum will have it’s annual Children’s Day tomorrow.

Ranting place:

Well, he’s done it. The guy in the Enterprise who does the weekly advertising piece for SOMD restaurants actually comes out in print and calls himself a “reviewer”. Not once, but twice. Self appointed. This week’s article covers Captain Leonard’s, a place visited by the feeder last spring who pretty much liked the place and probably compared it to St. James Pub in that it’s exactly what you want a “Captain’s” place to be. The guy does a pretty accurate description of the physical place, but then the usual rote recitation of the menu with a few comments along the way. If you read between the lines, you might get just a little bit of down sided stuff: “A cup of cream of crab (soup) came out in minutes, and though (italics mine) creamy and nicely spiced, it could have been confused with cream of potato.” Excuse me? Why not just say the soup was tasteless? If you’re going to review, review.

People continue to amaze me. Sometimes they just don’t get it. Yesterday (Thursday) is the “hot dog guy” day near my office and I like to do that for lunch. We’ve discussed that before and I’m glad to see that others share my enthusiasm. I had a Brat yesterday, and it was by golly a genuine Johnsonville (to go along with the Nathan’s Hot dogs). Anyway, while standing in line awaiting my turn there was a lady ahead of me chatting with her co-workers, and a van drives up and stops, rolls down the window. Guy says to the lady in front of me: "hi (lady) what you doing?" Response: “I’m getting lunch – pause – you want something?” Guy in car: “Sure! Get me a half smoke loaded, a couple of dogs with kraut, and I think would like a brat!”. Great, she says, and continues chatting. Okay, what do you think she would do if some guy walked around 5 or 6 people in line and cut in front of her to get a half smoke loaded, a couple of dogs with kraut and a brat? Think she would complain? Is this any different? There are now 4 more orders in front of me. My comment of “maybe he should get in line” was met with a quizzical stare conveying “what’s the matter with you, buddy?" She just didn’t get it.

Okay, enough see you tonight and I will be

DFD.

Oh, a little postscript on DFD. Apparently, in St. Mary’s County, you also have to DFC (or Dress for Court) . Today’s emptyprise has a front page article entitled “Dress for courthouse success, or expect duress”, with details of people who have been excused for not dressing properly. Thank you, God.