Over the years we’ve all probably had pets. Some owners are dog people, some like cats. I’ve have mostly cats and oddly enough, birds. I do like dogs though, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t feel the houses I’ve been in would be large enough for a dog, let alone the time I have to give. I remember when I was really a small boy, maybe 10 years old or so, I had rats. And later on, hamsters. I liked them enough, but as with all pets they require time, effort & a clean cage. In the last five years I’ve been lucky to live in the same house, not like the last 22 years. This means I get to see the seasons change, the plants grow and my birds play. But more importantly I’ve been able to spend time in the garden growing vegetables, flowers and so forth. All due to the lowly red worm. That beautiful red worm that makes the soil so rich and healthy. So, you know where I stand in regards to our bretheren.
Marcel & Henri’s – Pate De Campagne ain’t fit for my worms. I’m tossing this crap in to the garbage. Tightly sealed so it doesn’t give the Gulls problems. Remember, I like birds.
Xo Xo
Category Archives: REVIEWS
COFFEE ALERT !!! Blue Bottle Coffee Opens New Kiosk in San Francisco
Over the past year or so Blue Bottle Coffee has been growing. And coming this January 23rd at 315 Linden St., between Hayes and Fell, off of Gough, Blue Bottle Coffee opens it’s first kiosk.
World’s Best BBQ Grills – Denver Colorado
Joe Bob, our reporter from Denver Colorado, checks in with this awsome man and his custom pits.
Down the street you’ll find Jordan’s Custom Made Bar-B-Que Grills and Smokers. Joe Jordan has been building his custom rigs for about 20 years now. I saw the sign and had to stop in.
Bourdain’s Les Halles versus Pepin’s Fast Food My Way
Disclaimer: The following review was based upon my personal observation and not from reading these books nor did I cook anything from them. My goal here was to stop you from buying Jacques’ new book because it blows. And Tony’s new book Les Halles Cookbook is something to read from cover to cover several times and never sell.
Well, with that prelude I suppose you know where I’m going with this. The reason I decided to publish this highly irresponsible entry is because I wanted to stop anyone from buying Jacques’s new book as a gift for their ‘foodie’ friend or relative. If you can cancel the order, do it now. If you’re going to spend 20 to 40 dollars on a book, then make someone read or use it for reference, make it worth their time.
Taylor Professional Wireless – Digital Cooking Thermometer/Timer
Not too long ago I posted an entry that detailed my adventures with smoking my own chile peppers & red onions. The product was and is today, a-fricken-mazing. In the midst of that was a promise to review the newish wireless temperature probe that I bought for the ‘experience’.
Piece of crap.
It isn’t a long review, but one worth paying attention to. Save yourself 30 bux or so.
Mel & Son’s Muffler – Best Que in Town
Early this morning Emil bounded in to my office looking as though he’d eaten a chesire cat for brehfast. He’d dropped his muffler yesterday, ouch that’s gotta hurt. Which means first thing this morning he stopped by Mel & Son’s Muffler shop in Richmond to get the sucker welded back together. As he pulled in he noticed they had a handful of smokers & grilling machines lined up. As he got closer there was a table being set up, tablecloth out and was informed he should come by for lunch. Every Wednesday they smoke huge amounts of meat. Today was Wednesday and at noon I was out of here like a bullet.
New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad
Alright, I can’t keep quiet any longer. I don’t usually mention TV Chefs, most of you already have ones you watch for whatever reason. It’s so damned easy to find cooking shows these days, I just don’t bother saying anything. But Andreas Viestad has me hooked. And besides, the jury isn’t out yet on The Hippy Gourmet.
Lodge Cast Iron Goes Enamel
Hooyah it is a darned slow week. I’m truly not inspired for much of anything and you know what? I don’t care. Relax I say. Sit down and think about stuff. And speaking of thinking & reading, I was perusing the tv guide this last weekend and ran across a new cooking show, Camp Fire Cafe.
Inexpensive Kitchen Gadgets
This last Friday Big D and myself headed out to Oakland to East Bay Restaurant Supply. It was an impromptu adventure born from the sheer need to leave the company compound. I have some other photographs that I took and up until yesterday evening, I would have used them. I believe however, this really ties it all in together.
Professional Knife Sharpening
After years of sharpening my own knives I decided to see if someone else could do it better or at least not screw it up. This isn’t to say I’m not able to get an edge I can live with from my stones & steels. I’ve always wondered if they could do better? Or worse? A co-worker took their knives to a local guy and it came back with a VERY shiny edge, about 1/2″ up. That may be okay for a high-carbon blade, but it would ruin the look of my old carbon steel blades. I held back for a while.
Grape Beef
MeatHenge Fun Post #12c
Groceries aren’t getting any cheaper, by a long shot. As you know, if you take the time to visit a few different stores and keep your eyes open you can really save a load of cash. Sometimes this amounts to tens of dollars or more. And sometimes it amounts to less than a buck. We’ll take whatever we can get. This time it came in the form of Grape Jello under the Western Beef label. Personally I believe it was a pretty bad marketing move to put the word BEEF and Grape on the same side of the box. Not to mention the T in Western is a cactus with a cowboy hat on. This isn’t right, no sir.
Xo Xo
Pat
It’s Saturday afternoon and a sunny one at that. The afternoons now are a bit shorter and quite a bit cooler. I’m still in shorts, this is a good thing (hey Marfa, hope you’re doing well).
Yesterday I took the boys on their first camping trip to Lake Chabot (less than an hour drive away). All went very well, good company blended with good food makes an event. Surely you’re wondering, damn man you totally missed the Farmer’s Market. Nope, Mama headed out this morning instead. SCORE.
Dining Downunder broadcasts in Asia
Aaaiieee !! It’s today! September 10th that Chef Benjamin Christie’s new television cooking show premiers. For those of you in Asia able to watch ABC Asia Pacific, please TIVO Dining Downunder.
Check out some of the highlighted recipes for this season:
Mud crab and paperbark smoked kumara gnocchi
Japanese pumpkin frittata with baby rocket and bush tomato chutney
Panfried monkfish with bunya nut hash and macadamia nut pesto
Wattleseed pavlova with riberry syrup
Bread and butter pudding with stewed quandong
Go check out his web site and read his Bio, the man may be a youngin but he’s accomplished a lot. One of which being appointed to the position of Executive Sous Chef at Laguna Bintan, which comprises of 3 luxury properties on the Island of Bintan off Singapore.
I’m hoping his show will hit the states on PBS soon, something this good will surely be passed over by FoodTv. (even typing that makes me say, “blech”)
I’m sure Ben will do just fine, probably nervous the first few shows. But he’ll roll and come out just fine.
Good luck!
El Jaliciense Mexican Food – Wheat Ridge CO
Joe Bob heads out to Wheat Ridge Colorado.
I have been meaning to stop in here at El Jaliciense for ages and since I just
left the Arvada Arts Center seeing a cool car show…..
Ordered up pork chops with iced tea for Sunday lunch. I was the only gringo
in the place so I was hopeful.
Joe Bob, Route 66 and BBQ.
Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa…July 2004
I was enroute from New Mexico to Tulsa and decided to take old Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa. It sort of follows the newer toll road but is a great way to see the real OK. They had lots of rain the week before so everything was green and muddy with red clay soil. Beautiful drive and food along the way.
Right away near Welston….I came upon Pioneer BBQ.