I cannot supply an appropriate image, just put love in your heart.
A few years ago, that’s 14 in Internet Years I met via email a Lawyer Boy based out of New Orleans. Robert and I have had good fun over the years and exchanged comments and quite a few emails. I pleaded with him to buy a damned digital camera and add images to his site, but no luck. The man was off doing his own thing and has quite a following.
Feh, you know where this is going. The reason I mention this is that he’s got some local chef willing to step in and help. Please go look for September 2nd’s 2005 entry. Appetites.
Just because people loot, rape and cause mayhem doesn’t mean good people don’t exist and carry on.
Don’t hate, please give, send out love as you go to sleep. In case his post turns to vapor, click on –
Author Archives: Biggles
Stuffed Lamb Leg Roasts, Beer Brats & Loverly Pork Crepinettes – Fatted Calf Newsletter
Hey Everbody,
Labor Day is generally a day or weekend of rest. It’s the last weekend we have time for just one more trip to the mountains, or what-have-you. But with what Katrina and all the nightmarish happenings, kinda takes the wind from your sails. Heh, I spelled sails correctly. In any case, please reflect and do what you can for others this weekend, cause brother or sister? They need it.
I’m going to do my part this coming Saturday and make my way to the Berkeley Farmer’s Market and spend some of my hard earned money on some local food finds. One of my favorites are Fatted Calf’s Little lamb leg roasts stuffed with olive tapenade. It’s so good you can just roast it in your oven and it’ll make your mouth jump. The lamb is fresh, very fresh. This lends a nice mild flavor that doesn’t give you too much gammy flavor. The Olive Tapanade is top notch and there’s plenty of it. The last one I just oven roasted, this one I think I’ll smoke. Do NOT pass this one up, come out to play.
Next up are the Pork Crepinettes with Pine Nuts, Currants and Herbs. Kim says it whispers “Sicily”. Sounds kinda nice to have your pork sausage whispering to you. I can dig it.
I’ll send you now to the Fatted Calf Newsletter brought to you by our very own Kim O’Neill, she wrote it. Remember, just because it’s published on the web, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
Biggles
Learn How to Cook Crowd Pleasing Appetizers, I said Appetizers son! – Macy’s Union Square Cellar
Yeah !!! Check this out, Macy’s Union Square Cellar is hosting a neat How-to cooking event. Executive Chef Stephen Gibbs, graduate of California Culinary Academy, formerly chef at the San Francisco Opera House will be chefing up some fancy appetizers and wine. His new gig, Hands On Gourmet looks pretty interesting. They’ve set themselves up to do At Home Cooking Classes, Culinary Team Building and Hands On Wine Education. Clearly we’ll be in good hands on September 8th.
This means we get to sit at a nice table with real table cloths and flatware drinking and eating in the cooking department at Macy’s! It’s a lot of fun, check out what Mama and I did last time. It’s only 25 dollars and it’s a little something different to do on a Thursday evening.
Here is the information you’ll need to get yourself a reserved seat for this event:
Thursday, September 8th, 2005 at 6pm (dinner time foo)
$25 per person and includes wine and appetizers, duh.
RSVP 415.393.3724 or by emai, meredith@spamfreeCHOWmag.com
Macy’s Union Square Cellar
351 Geary Street in San Francisco
Enjoy
For Review: TorchBearer Sauces
This my friend, is a prerelease review of TorchBearer Sauces (available for sale starting approximately September 2nd, 2005), based in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Their president, David Lynch thought enough of Meathenge to send us a gorgeous basket of sauces a few weeks ago for our review and taste buds. Mama’s tasters are a little tender for the habanero pepper (don’t roll that N budro, no sir!), so I got to have all the fun. And fun it was …
Duck Crepinettes, Pork Rillettes & Pancetta ! Fatted Calf News
Up until recently, many of you had been reading Meathenge. Yet the true flavors have been eluding you. Our picnic a few weekends ago a large percentage were able to come by and TASTE. Yeah well, that ain’t happening this weekend. However, you can get close. This week the Special is the “Porchetta” style bone in pork loin roasts. This is Biggles’ favorite roast, at least for the time being. Here is a meat fan quote, “Yeah, but this roast blows the others right out of the water.” That’s how good this one is, truly.
They’ve got another special this week, Hoffman Farm Quail stuffed with a whole fig and savory pork sausage. Heh, these are fine little guys and deserve some attention, smoky attention. Nothing finer than Figs & Pigs, no sir.
And my dear crepinette flavor this week? Duck Crepinettes with Green Olives and Herbs. Yup, that right there people is a match made in meaty heaven. And as a parting gift to yourself? Grab a duck leg all confited, heh.
Please read onward The Fatted Calf Newsletter written by Kim O’Neill.
Hacienda – Mexican and American Food and Cocktails – 1950s Dining at it’s best
If you live anywhere near or pass the area of San Pablo Avenue and MacDonald Avenue in Richmond California you’ve stared and wondered at the large rock encrusted building that is, the Hacienda. Even if you haven’t been in the neighborhood for 30 years, that’s okay because it’s still there and has been since the late 1940s. There are a few of these restaurants still in business today, Trevino’s, Gonzalez and probably a few others. These restaurants are left over from days gone by and are usually patronized by an older set today. Interesting ingredients and far off flavors are not what they’re looking for. Something safe and can count on each time is the staple. Which is probably why my grandmother and uncle Ralph brought us there nearly every week when we were growing up, picky eaters can be dealt with. So, with this in mind we decided to return to a restaurant I hadn’t been to in probably 30 years.
John Bell’s Southern Fried Chicken or Drunken Chicken Orgy #1
Today’s images brought to you by the camera I used when I started Meathenge over 2 years ago. A sturdy little Nikon Coolpix 950 (2 megapixels) with a Nikon SB-50DX Speedlite held together cool lookin’ flash bracket. It was tough going back to framing images by looking at the lcd screen on the back, but after a bit it was okay.
The day? Saturday after the farmer’s market. I’d picked up my rabbit pate with chives and an olive tapanade stuffed lamb leg roast from Fatted Calf, but had to stop off at El Nat grocery for some milk. That’s when the inspiration hit, it was time to once again (5 or 6 tries, I forget now) to attempt John Bell’s Southern Fried Chicken. My previous attempt was some of the worse food I’ve ever produced. But this time I had all my ducks in a row and was sure success was in my near future. Man, I love duck fat.
Lamb Roast stuffed with Olive Tapenade, Rabbit Pate with Chives & Petit Sec Aux Herbes – Fatted Calf News
Fatted Calf’s Niman pork loin roast stuffed with chard, walnuts and spices with fancy herbies.
Listen up folks, this year is flying past at an alarming rate. Wasn’t it just 2000? Wasn’t that supposed to be amazing that we turned a new century? Sure it was and where did those 5 years go? I dunno. But I can tell you this, the longer you put off enjoying yourself the older you get with no fun to look back upon.
You have to make fun, you have to make each day and week something worth living. If any of you know anything about me? I’m lazy, sometimes to a fault. My pant’s cuffs are getting ground down and they should be folded up. Why don’t I fold them up? I’d have to bend over to do it, too much.
Want an easy way to make your day? You knew this was coming so I won’t go on. Fatted Calf this week has a special; Little Lamb Leg Roasts stuffed with Olive Tapenade. I haven’t graced it yet, but Chilebrown has and found it !@#$@! Outstanding. And since it’s little, it won’t cost an arm and a leg to own. mmmMMmm, leg. Next up the Pork Crepinettes with pistachios, caramelized onions, duck liver, Marsala. Oh criminy, just reading it makes me giggle.
I’ve been pleading with Taylor to make more Rabbit Pate, it don’t come often and it’s here and it has chives, bitchen.
It’ll be a great day indeed, don’t miss it.
Onward to Kim O’Neil’s Fatted Calf Newsletter …
San Francisco Bay Area Food Bloggers Picnic
Wow, it was over a month in the making and August 14th was the day (yesterday). Jen, Sam, Fatemeh, Amy and myself sat down and over email hashed out the details. It wasn’t easy, everyone had their ideas how things were to be and what theme, if any would be ahered to. After about 3 weeks it was clear it was going to be good no matter how it was diced up. I believe one of the tough things was coming up with a list of who was invited. Surely we would leave someone out, but we did the best we could. At this point I believe we forgot to invite Greg and his wife from Life’s a Picnic and maybe a few others. It’s wasn’t intentional and we’ll do better next time, I promise.
Everyone was to bring a dish to share with about 4-5 people and Meathenge Labs was to host and smoke meats all day long. And guess what? We did.
Boudin Noir, Pate Maison & Pork Crepinettes with Greens, Pine Nuts and Lemon – Fatted Calf News
Aren’t grill marks cool lookin’? I did these with my dual burner cast iron griddle, smoking hot. Popped on the chops and pressed with bacon press and let it ride for about 4 minutes or so.
Hey everbody, how’s the summer treating you? We’re doing okay here, just polished off the last of a little chorizo salami (gotta eat it slow, don’t ya know). The Fatted Calf Newsletter just rolled in and we’re looking at some wonderful Hoffman Farm Quail stuffed with Fig and Savory Pork Sausage. One of those babies kicked in the gout a month ago with gusto, such a good limp. The crepinettes are sportin’ some citrus this week, good thing. Cause I’m a big fan of the citrus, brightens and brings out the other flavors nestled in meats. Flavors you really shouldn’t be going without.
If you can make it this Saturday to Berkeley or to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, stop by for some special treats.
Please read on to Kim O’Neill’s Fatted Calf Newsletter!
Hugs
Happy Birthday To Me – The Biggles’ Birthday week
Fatted Calf’s Lobster Crepinettes with Summer Chanterelle Murshrooms. Image taken with using only 1 hand, thank goodness for tripods eh?
This is my birthday week! Cain’t believe I made it another year, so nice. I’m now the ripe old age of 41 and plan to spend this week relaxing, peering about and basically making a nuisance of myself. And this is different from last week, how?
Hugs
Smokey Robinson’s Seafood Gumbo and this week’s thoughts
There are two reasons for this post, one of which is that I have a Ganglion Cyst inside my right wrist (I’m right handed) and have next to no movement available. Plus it hurts like a demon 24 hours a day. So, I won’t be up and about much for a week or so.
And the second reason is, “take a look at that creepy image of Smokey!”
That’s just plain wrong and I want to thank Meathead for noticing it in our local Safeway and allowing me to make fun of his lunch today.
We all probably have a very good idea of how this tastes, yup just like that. We’ve definately had worse though, much worse. Such as those individually wrapped microwavable cheese burgers or microwavable deep fried cheese sticks. “Take a look at that creepy image of Smokey! That’s just wrong.”
Tamal Delivery at Supper Time
I was doing just fine, I’d finally completed the Grand Day Out post, took me too darned long. While I was doing that I had a mesquite fire starting up with some Crepinettes and my custom Beer Brats with Cheese waiting. Everything was laid out and it went fine. I tended the fire closely and got the sausages & crepinettes done in fine style. As I was shoving down the first Beer Brat a knock came at the door. I hesitated while chewing, not knowing who it was. As I opened the door is was a Mama, a Papa and a little girl selling fresh Tamals. I don’t know Spanish, maybe some day. But we got it figured out, a dollar a piece and 12 for 11 dollars. I got a dozen, that was an easy one. I don’t know what I’m going to do with them all, maybe share, maybe. Half pork and half chicken they be, easy that way.
I decided to leave my grilled goodies to the side and try one chicken and one pork tamal. Hot sauce in hand I dived in, they okay. I don’t think they used real lard and the stuffin’s is short. Even so, it’s a better tamal than you’d probably find in most places. Not only that? It came to my door.
As a side note, this has happend twice before, but from another family.
Hugs,
Biggles
A Grand Day Out – 8 hours of eating San Francisco Area Barbecue Part II
Ah yes, the long awaited final chapter in our quest to spend the day eating barbecue. If you would like to recap or get aquainted with Part One, do so now.
Onward …
Hickory Grilled Center Cut Chops with Sausages of Love both Spicy and Mild
If you’re eating well and wanting to listen to good music, I nearly always choose fast flowing classical. And if that isn’t going, I’ll switch to John Denver or Woody Guthrie. This will usually suffice, however when it can’t overcome? Clearly Helen Reddy wins the bid, timeless and built to withstand time.
Just like Pork, Mesquite and Hickory. Tonight’s meal was delivered by Niman Ranch with their thick pork loin chops grilled directly. Then we have Rick’s Hot and Mild Italian Sausage. These sweet sausages are tenderly hand-made with care and forethought. Sure the mild ones are fine, but what will draw you in is the Hots. I know, I know, ewww, hot food! ICK. No, this isn’t that. Yes, they are ‘spicy’ but not hot. What sets them apart is the apparent huge flood of red wine and fat, warm happy pork fat. The stuff that puts the flavor all over your apprehensive mowf.
Real Wood, Real Fire & Real Meat = Real Happy Diners (they don’t hassle your ass).
It’s summer, get fat.
Rick’s Quality Meats
1600 Liberty Street
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-233-9390