tommy:eats

Butchering a pig: Jeffrey Ruhalter, a video

I saw this video on Gourmet magazine's website, gourmet.com, and was fascinated.  It's one of the best demonstrations and explanations of pig parts that I've seen.  Even though you will likely never butcher a pig, I think it's helpful to understand where those chops and ribs are coming form.  Putting it all into context may help you make better decisions.  And to refer back to a rant I had earlier, you'll see there's no mystery meat on a pig, just as there's none on a chicken.  Or you, for that matter.  It's all very clearly defined, and very good.  

Take a look! (click me).

And of course, if you want to butcher a cow, there's a related video for that, and all kinds of other good stuff.

Marco Polo: Glen Rock, closed

I was walking over to Glen Rock's Rocca Market, for a very good sandwich, when I noticed Marco Polo's sign has been covered with another sign which reads "Glen Panda."  

Beef: Ribs, BBQ

I'm not sure why I haven't posted about this deliciousness yet.  In fact I'm not sure that I've posted about any deliciousness recently.  Today's (or technically tomorrow's, I suppose - 5/24/09) article in the NY Times Magazine reminded me that I should.

Wendy's: "Center cut" chicken breast

Americans, by and large, small and large, enjoy bland meat and are turned off by any flesh, muscle or organ that resembles something that might have actually come from an animal.  So it's no surprise to see "all white meat chicken" promoted in everything from soup to fajitas, and found on every "Italian" (actually, "Italian-American"...there's very little that is "Italian" about these places) menu in New Jersey, which generally offer 10 different flavors of chicken breast, none of which seem very Italian.

But Wendy's is taking this one step further.

Morton's Steakhouse: and their blog and silly claim

Morton's Steakhouse now has a "blog".  The blog is called "The Best Steak Anywhere", which is their (new?) registered trademark.

Really?  The best steak anywhere?  It kinda makes you wonder if they've ever been to Peter Luger, or Florence.  

I suppose they are guided by the same principle that so many are:  if you say it enough, well then it just has to be true.  They lie.  It's not.  How am I so sure?  

Do you: subscribe to the Bergen Record?

I don't, either.  Why is it, then, that every couple of weekends I wake up to a monstrous green-colored bag (green colored, not to be confused with green environmentally conscious), filled with 1 ounce of their newspaper and over 2 pounds of advertisements and circulars?  Surely the Bergen Record knows that I don't subscribe, since, well, I don't, and I've called them several times reminding them of this fact, and they don't seem to deliver their paper to me any other day of the week.  The reason to my mind is simple...

Steak Paradises: A Second Helping: On the Travel Channel

Every time I see the program Steak Paradises:  A Second Helping, on the Travel Channel, I scratch my head.

Jerry's Gourmet in Ridgewood: closed?

From the t:e rumor mill...some unsubstantiated stuff for your consumption...

Fairway in Paramus: a video tour, of sorts

t:e reader John from Paramus (that's what I call him anyway), sent me this cool link.  It looks like Fairway in Paramus is becoming a reality.  They're talking about aged Prime beef, kosher meats, freshly baked breads, produce.  Right there in the Fashion Center.  Yum, o.

Click me for the tour!

For more info on Fairway, go to discoverfairway.com

Smart Lidz: Greatest things, ever

Smart Lidz.  These sound like the greatest things ever.  If every one of the readers of this blog could send me 1 dollar, I'd almost have enough to buy these 10 dollar lids, and then I could provide a full and detailed review. If you're not willing to send me a dollar, I might just go ahead and do it myself. These lids seem amazing.  After the jump, you will see what I mean...

Cocktail of the week: Kentucky Colonel

A few of Dale DeGroff's books came down the chimney the other day, and just in the nick of time. This new-found appreciation for cocktails has kept me quite busy, but I can't help but come back to the Manhattan time and time again.  At this point, it is, to my mind, the perfect cocktail.

But there's a whole world of cocktails out there, so these books will help my expand my horizons. Tonight, my horizon expanded, if only slightly...

Oxo tongs: comparison with Edlund tongs

Dirty counter.  Yuck.

There's a thread over on Chowhound, quickly deteriorating into idiocy, as open forums tend to, discussing Oxo's gadgets.  The thrust of the initial post is that Oxo makes really good products, with the OP (original poster, in internet forum-speak) wondering if there was anyone unhappy with their Oxo gadgets.

I didn't really read much of the thread, as I don't care what other people think, because in general, they don't think.  But since someone asked, and I know that I don't care for my Oxo tongs, I thought I'd throw something out there, for the greater good.  Who knows, I figured, maybe someone would even ask "why" or "how" or want to actually discuss or learn something about someone else's experience.  But that didn't happen so much.

So, instead of wasting any more energy there, I figured I'd just post about the tongs here, as I've planned on doing for some time.

Bottom line:  I don't like my Oxo tongs.  Both sets of 'em.

And here's why...

Tongs should be an extension of your body.  Like really strong heat-resistant metal hands.  They should be able to pinch, grab, push, pull, and feel...at the very least.  You shouldn't have to think too much about tongs, just as you don't think about how to get your hand to your mouth when you're licking something tasty from your fingers. My Oxo tongs just don't provide that level of service.

Burger King: ooo, ooo, that smell

Burger King is selling a bottled scent that is reminiscent of the Whopper.  Mmmm, Whopper.  Tasty.

I'm guessing it's more reminiscent of the complete lack of self-respect that would drive someone to go to Burger King in the first place.  Mmmm, complete lack of self-respect.  Sexy.

Brilliant marketing though, I'll give them that.

Disclosure:  I do go to BK on too many rare occasions, although I bathe and scrub myself all OCD-like afterward to, you know, clean off the self-loathing . Make mine a double, with cheese. 

We Can't Let This Bank Fail!

We food bloggers spend a lot of time with food.  Eating food.  Complaining about food. Experimenting with food.  Over-thinking food.  Traveling for food.  Food, for many of us, is a hobby.  

But for an awful lot of people, food is simply a necessity, and one which is hard to come by. This situation isn't getting any better.  

Some stats, from the Community Food Bank of New Jersey:

• More than 35 million Americans, including 12 million children, either live with or are on the verge of hunger. - USDA, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006
• The number of families coming to churches and food banks trying to get help to feed their families has increased approximately 20 percent. - National Anti-Hunger Organizations, 2008 Blueprint to End Hunger
• According to a recent survey, 6 percent of Americans said they or someone in their immediate family has gone to bed hungry in the past month because they could not afford enough food. - 2008 Hormel Hunger Survey
• One out of every five New Jersey families does not earn enough to afford the basic necessities – housing, food and child care – although 85 percent of these households have at least one family member who is working. – Poverty Research Institute, June 2008
• In New Jersey alone, an estimated 250,000 new clients will be seeking sustenance this year from the state’s food banks. – “No Food on the table,” By Judy Peet, The Star-Ledger, Oct. 23, 2008
• At the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), requests for food have gone up 30 percent, but donations are down by 25 percent. - CFBNJ
• Warehouse shelves that are typically stocked with food are bare and supplies have gotten so low that, for the first time in its 25 year history, the food bank is developing a rationing mechanism. - CFBNJ  

 

Spearheaded by a New Jersey blogger at Jersey Bites, over 100 New Jersey bloggers have gotten together today, 12/15/08, to raise the awareness of the hunger issues in New Jersey.  Bruce Springsteen is lending his voice as well (he's not a blogger, as far as I know, but we let him in anyway).  We're blogging out hunger!

Really though, 100 narcissists bloggers posting about the issues food banks are facing doesn't actually help.  But you can help.  Contact the Community Food Bank of NJ, or any food bank for that matter, for details on how you can help. Watch the below clip to find out more about the current situation, and how you can help.  Whether it's by getting involved in a food drive, or just donating a buck at checkout when you're shopping for that dry-aged steak that you love so much.  Click on The Boss's face above and print out the donation info. Helping is easier than you think.

The bloggers who are part of this campaign (after the jump):

tommy:eats: googled some more

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I'm amazed at the google searches that bring people to this little ol' New Jersey dining/food blog. 

On the off chance that you'll be amazed, or at least mildly entertained as well, I offer you, the searches (and some commentary):

Ridgewood's Blend: gone (yay!), but coming back (awww...)

Update (11/22/08):  More doins at Blend reported on the Bergen Record's blog.

Blend opened up several years ago, taking up what seemed to be an entire block of Ridgewood's somewhat quaint downtown area.  Then it closed a few months ago, bankrupt.  But not before I spent some quality time at this restaurant-cum-dance-club-cum-live-music-venue.

During one of my first meals, on what was a guys-night-out sort of thing, my strip steak came to the table in the form of filet mignon.  I sent it back and waited.  And waited.  The manager, who was very nice, came over and apologized, explaining that they had my new steak ready and were bringing it out but the server dropped it on the stairs, so they were making yet another one.  I appreciated her honesty, we all had a good laugh, and we still chuckle about it today.  The steak?  I don't recall it being notable in the least.  But a good time was had by all.

On another visit, I spent a lazy afternoon at the back bar talking to the bartender (Steve, at the time), about cocktails and tequila.  He set up a little tequila tasting for me, and we had a grand ol' time.  The burger, not all that exceptional.  But the experience?  Wonderful.

But beyond those two visits, Blend just didn't do it for me.  The food was simply not very good.  And if I went at night to soak in that nightclub thing they had going, I'd find myself looking around, wondering who all these people were and from where they came.  They sure didn't look my neighbors and friends.  

That was indicative of my biggest issue with Blend:  it didn't serve the community. And to top off the perceived insult with tangible injury, its valet service seemed to take up about 90% of the only large parking lot in downtown Ridgewood.  Pre-Blend-opening, you could always get a spot there for 2 bucks for the whole night.  In a post-Blend-opening world, that parking lot was practically useless...unless you were going to Blend.  Or should I say, unless you were pretending as though you were going to Blend.  Many a time I would drop off my guests at our restaurant of choice, pull into that valet lot, hand over my keys, walk in the back door of Blend and right out the front.  2 dollar parking just turned free.

But my craftiness isn't what I came here to share.

Beef: found

I don't normally regurgitate news here, because that's boring.   But I'm really impressed with this feat:

This man has found the beef.  Although, I'm not sure where he put it. 

That's incredible.  Where's the video?  In this age of youtube no one captured this for all the world?

Meanwhile, the medical experts over on Roadfood.com are chiming in.  *sigh*

Green chile: cheeseburgers

Once again I found myself emailing iamnotachef about food instead of posting on this blog about food.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not under the impression that there's a collective minion out there who are hanging on my every word, but every now and again I feel the tinge of responsibility to actually keep this blog going, rather than just shutting it down completely or let it sit out there dormant.  For today, my choice is to keep it going with another post.

I emailed iamnotachef a few mornings back telling him that I've been really into making green chile stuffs, which are way better than ketchup.  About 10 minutes later, he's got this post about how mustard is the "new ketchup".  OK, well, first off, he shamelessly stole my idea.  Second, he's wrong:  green chile stuff is the new ketchup.

The Brick House: Wyckoff, NJ: Slammed by the Record

The Brick House (the "fine dining" restaurant in Wyckoff, NJ) was ripped a new one by the Bergen Record yesterday.  And just like clockwork, critics of the critic came out of the woodwork, defending the restaurant, and questioning the reviewer's food knowledge (you can read the comments at the bottom of that link and here as all of them here).   One commenter suggests that a reviewer should "educate me and enrich the dining experience".  That's good stuff.  I can't even make that stuff up.  And, of course, some made it known to the world that one little review was not going to change their opinion of the place (ummm, is that the goal of a review?  ever?)

You might recall that something similar happened when the Record slammed Biagio's.  The immediate outpouring of support for the mediocre Biagio's was mind-blowing.  These people were incensed!

I guess this phenomenon has something to do with these places being "local institutions."  My take on "local institutions"?:  generally not very good.

While I've had several meals at Biagio's to support that hypothesis, I've had none at The Brick House.  But not for lack of trying.

Our visit a few weeks ago went like this:

Mini burgers: Big City style

I was resting in bed today trying very hard to work off a Peter Luger induced food and bourbon hangover, when this came on the TV.  I hope it frightens you as much as it frightened me.  Enjoy:   

Study: Most kids' fast-food meals have too many calories

Study: Most kids' fast-food meals have too many calories

In related news:  no shit, Sherlock.

<WTF?>  Who pays for this stuff?  Shouldn't they be paying for studies on how to get seeds and flavor back into watermelon instead of the number of permutations possible with 7 sandwiches, 5 drinks and french fries?  Was this study run by a high school student looking for extra credit?</WTF?>

Tomatoes: what you've been missing

So, by now you're probably avoiding jalapeno peppers due to the recent scare.  And for most of the summer, you've been avoiding tomatoes because of doodie contamination. 

I've been avoiding them too.  Then again, I always avoid tomatoes, because they are pretty crappy 99% of the time, not just when they're, well, crappy.

Here are some snaps of some of what you've been denying yourself:

Fairway in Paramus: Coming, soon?

Update (03/27/2009):  Fairway be open, and you're dopey if you go the first week it's open. 

Update (02/03/2009):  More on Fairway in Paramus if you click me!

I don't usually do much "reporting" on this blog.  Reporting is dry, boring, fact-based verse.  I don't deal in facts.  Additionally, reporting is a job for trained and professional reporters and newspaper people, and that's sure not me.  Conversely, being interesting and entertaining is my job.  And before you say anything, I don't get paid for that job, so if I'm sleeping on the job, not very good at the job, or just plain not showing up to work, well, too bad.

At any rate, a lot of people are excited about NYC's Fairway Market coming to Paramus (unrelated to Fort Lee's Fairway, which is a fine store in its own right, and has served the community well for longer than most people have been a part of the community).  And of course they're excited:  NYC's Fairway is a pretty darned good store, and, our Paramus version sure has been a looooong time in the coming. 

t:e visitor Jmags sent me this picture, which he claims shows the progress of the construction of Fairway (I sure hope he's right, because we don't need another stinkin' Linens -n- Things), and that got me thinking that I should probably look into this.   I figured I'd do some reporting on this story.

Here's the report:

Inventor of Egg McMuffin dies: Herb Peterson

[I could google and steal someone's picture, but you'll have to use your imagination instead]

I just read that the inventor of the Egg McMuffin, Herb Peterson, died on Tuesday.  I don't normally regirgitate news stories because, well, that's what news outlets and newspapers do quite well already, but I think he did some very very good work, and I think he deserves a mention.  Read on McCNN here (click).

I'm not sure if Herb had a hand in the Sausage McMuffin with Egg though.  One would think he did.  At the very least he created the foundation.  Some jerk probably came around afterwards and said "Hey, let's put some sausage on Herb's sandwich and take all the credit!"  Pricks.  That SMwE is a level up from the regular Egg McMuffin, and it's exactly what you need if you've tipped a few too many the night before or are getting a scratchy throat from a cold (it's like health food or something).  It takes a perfectly acceptable sandwich, and adds a bunch more fat and salt.  Excellent.

So, as I sit here eating a Talyor Ham egg and cheese on a roll (throat's a little scratchy this morning thank you), I think that I should stop at McDonald's tomorrow, and try the regular ol' Egg McMuffin.  Maybe I'll get a SMwE too, just in case.

Top ten: idiotic posts recently read on the "big boards"

As much as I'm tempted to start a series of posts pointing out the most idiotic, self-serving, naval-gazingest, disingenuous posts on those big boards (you know which ones I mean), my self-imposed rule of keeping things positive and helpful, and talking about food rather than people (including me, as much as possible, although the nature of a blog makes that a challenge) keeps getting in the way.

Damnit.

I guess, though, if I were to post something like this, I really wouldn't be talking about people per se, but rather, their viewpoints.  And maybe if I just hide a link and you can guess which posts I find idiotic, self-serving, or disingenuous, I really wouldn't be breaking my own rules.

Now that I think about it, I don't have the kind of time necessary to keep up with such a series.

Verizon: at the Tick Tock: Clifton, NJ

I noticed my beloved Tick Tock diner on the TV the other day, in a Verizon commercial...

Epicurious.com: slamming me with SPAM

Epicurious.com is really starting to get on my last nerve...

Bergen Record: opens up its website to thousands of...

...thoughtful and articulate people.

When I first read that the Bergen Record's website remodel included the ability for anyone to post a comment on their stories, I thought, "oh jeez, now the Bergen Record is going to look like a blog, with countless idiotic comments on every subject."  And I'll tell you that from what I've read so far, I was right.

Ben and Jack's Steakhouse spotted on "30 Rock"

Since no one else on the internet has mentioned it, I figure I'll take it...

NJ Monthly lists a few sort-of-NJ food sites

The March 2007 issue of NJ Monthly not only has a story on the Sopranos, but also a brief list of some food sites/blogs with New Jersey content. 

The Lazy Spoon: quite a spoon

I found myself in Paramus, NJ's, Chef Central the other day.  Chef Central is a local, pricy store, but it's convenient, and they have some nice stuff.  ANYway I noticed Rachel Ray's line of pumpkin-colored cookware.  It catches the eye so I took a look.  Immediately I noticed that wooden spoon that she pimps on her show (which show, I don't know...I do watch all of them).  It's the spoon with the little notch in it that keeps it attached to your pot, as seen in the picture above.  I thought it was a nifty idea I guess.  And then I turned it over to look at the price.