Posts by David:
The Bleu Spaniard
January 31st, 2012
When we were kids, my family tried to get out for Friday Fish Fries as much as possible. One of our preferred destinations was Granddaddy’s, an unassuming, neighbor hood strip mall joint that had great food and conservative prices. This Friday tradition was an economical way to get a good meal and get the crew together to talk about the week. One of the problems I’ve always had when I get a meal is that I refuse to order the same thing as anyone else at the table. Because of this I rarely ordered a Fish Fry, and went with an item called The Bleu Spaniard. The name conjures some sexy (or creepy) Mediterranean delicacy, but it’s really just an open faced Blue Cheese Burger on rye.
Regardless of what it isn’t, it’s totally delicious. A perfectly rare burger on an over sized piece of toasted rye bread covered in bacon, blue cheese dressing and sliced, raw onion. It’s because of this sandwich that I love blue cheese in the first place. Unfortunately, I haven’t had one in a while…mainly because of my wife’s spirited aversion to all things raw onion and blue cheese (or Moldy Cheese as she calls it…she’s very literal. Sometimes she calls me White Mr. Thinks He’s So Great…). But tonight, I’m making a Bleu Spaniard. I’m extra excited because I am making homemade Blue Cheese dressing again, and it’s the best I’ve ever tasted (maybe I am White Mr. Thinks He’s So Great). Read the rest of this entry “
Bo Ssam
January 17th, 2012
I’m not a name dropper. Just ask Matt Broderick, who I sometimes gallivant with in the City (ran into him once at a bodega at 2am). Regardless, my younger, taller brother is actually really good friends with a guy who went to boarding school with David Chang. Because of this, I’m the proud owner of a signed copy of his cookbook, Momofuku. This cookbook is like a foodie (btw, I cannot stand the term foodie…I hope it dies the same death as D.I.N.K.S and gaylord…well, gaylord is so stupid it’s actually still kind of funny …see, this blog isn’t all Up With Gays!!…I’m a Straightlord!! I have sex with women!! …well, actually just one woman) bible, rife with all of the amazing dishes that have made Chang’s flagship restaurant, Momofuku, legendary.
This weekend I made Chang’s recipe for Bo Ssam. A Korean dish, Bo SSam is basically pork and rice wrapped in lettuce leaves and any number of amazing condiments. Read the rest of this entry “
Steak, Greens, and Beans
January 10th, 2012
There’s a restaurant in Rochester called Good Luck. When I first heard of this place I thought it was the name of a cut-rate Chinese restaurant nestled next to some Dollar General in a dead mall. It’s not. The food here is amazing and the bar is arguably one of the liveliest and inviting in the city. I love this place.
The dish that really got me excited was a hangar steak special served alongside a pile of garlicky greens and beans. I get that this may seem underwhelming and that any neighborhood diner could make a respectable version…but this was a revelation. It really shouldn’t have been. Sauteed spinach and garlic is obviously a classic companion to a well-grilled steak. Substituting escarole and adding some meaty canellini beans makes perfect and delicious sense. Read the rest of this entry “
Fishmas Eve
December 20th, 2011
Growing up half-Italian In Utica , NY was pretty cool. In this insulated little city, we dominated politics, crime, and the Mohawk Valley food scene for as long as I was there. It was great and weird, but I didn’t know any better. I just assumed that being American meant being Italian-American and that nobody could touch us. The gleaming gold chains, ridiculous rides, and the way Deniro and Pacino set Italians up as heroes on the Big Screen, well, we were due for a fall.
When I moved away from home I was actually intrigued that there were pockets of folks who were prejudiced against Italians (reminiscent of Pesci’s plea for help with a ‘Jew broad‘). My patience was already spent by the Italian folks I knew who spoke perfect Upstate NY English except for the occasional butchered Sicilian pronunciation of an Italian delicacy… “pass the manigot“…”it’s greens sauteed with proszoot“.. and the Tony Soprano endorsed … ” Carm, did you get any gabagool?”. Mayonnaise faces hate it when Italians talk like this, and can you blame them?
So it was not surprising that my friends gave me the come-on-you obnoxious-Italian look when I told them we were thinking about having a Feast of Seven Fishes at my house xmas eve. ” That much fish sounds gross!’ was their obvious reaction. If you don’t know what this tradition is all about, you can check it out here. I guess it bugs me a little bit as well. Last night I was watching the No Reservations Christmas Special and there was a segment on this tradition. At one point the voice over proclaims, “This feast is followed the Italian way, by eating fish all day, and all night.” Now that is gross. Why can’t Italians just have a couple different seafood dishes and be done with it? Read the rest of this entry “
Muler/The Charlie Watts Riots
December 13th, 2011
My band, Muler, is finally playing in Albany again after about 10 years away. We’re excited to see some old friends and possibly meet some aspiring young lawyers who might represent us in the future. We are playing around 9:30 and we’re opening up for The Charlie Watts Riots…a great rock band that plays buzzy, guitar fronted, melodic pop songs. Come on down, say hi and get keep the holiday party season in full swing.
Egg Nog
December 6th, 2011
There’s two ways to go here…you either love this stuff or want to dump it over the heads of carolers. Regardless of your position, it’s that time of year again when Egg Noggers dust off the cartons (and raw eggs) and get festive. I always get a little randy when I hear the name since the cool kids at my college referred to a blow job as a ‘Nog”. …as in, “she gives a killer nog”. I don’t know, maybe it’s short for noggin, meaning head ? The kids at Harvard are so creative.
Egg Nog has been around for a while and most likely traveled here with the British folks who had some money and status. The name is most likely a bastardization of a very literal description of the drink…Egg ‘n Grogg.
An early recipe shows up in Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide or How to Mix Drinks (first published in 1862).: Read the rest of this entry “
“Out to dinner…”
November 22nd, 2011
That’s what my family calls it when we go to a restaurant, like… “Do you guys want to do Out To Dinner tonight?” It’s always a huge YES!! from myself and my two kids, while my wife occasionally nixes the idea since she always annoyingly has one eye on our checking account. Frugality can destroy a good meal before it even gets started.
But so can so bad service. The idea of what I expect from a restaurant as proper and acceptable service was on display during both of our family’s dining experiences from this past weekend. The topic had been breached by my friend who told a story of how he opened his menu at a very respectable restaurant lately and in it was stuck a piece of bubble gum. During the same visit another waitress was vacuuming around their table while they were still having coffee. Both indefensible service infractions.
At two separate meals this weekend (at two nice but not-high-end restaurants that I love going to by the way) these things happened. On their own I’d be an asshole to make a fuss, but put together they became pretty aggravating (in no order): Read the rest of this entry “
The Day After
November 1st, 2011
Sooo cute. This girl came trick-or-treating last night and I was able to give her an extra Snickers with Almonds for making an effort. That’s an incredibly gracious gesture by me the way..have you tried those things?
I’m also kicking myself for forgetting to do a Halloween tradition that’s been a part of my class since ’99. I normally tell all of my students to bring me All of their Almond Joys and Bit-O-Honey that they get as loot. Kids don’t eat these…they’re considered “mad nasty” or “grandma candy” by most …so giving them up is no big deal. The trick is to make the request before the kids’ pesky parents get them. This year I bricked. I should be flush in coconut and almonds this morning instead of regret.
Most of you lucky enough not to have kids probably woke up with some real concerns this morning….heroic hangovers, misplaced dignity, “Why am I in bed with Slutty Cookie Monster?”…we in suburbia have some work to do as well. I liked this helpful link for what to do with leftover candy. I guess you could just eat it as is though…
Here’s a couple costume shots…(WARNING…pictures of my kids and I )
Misophonia
October 18th, 2011
I’m sick….and I have been for some time. All along I thought it was just me being an asshole, which unfortunately still is a distinct possibility.
For years the sounds of other people snapping their chewing gum and the sounds of other people eating…chewing, chomping, biting their fork…have driven me crazy. More than just the simple annoyance of these sounds, they trigger a feeling of anger and disbelief, so much so that I can’t NOT say something to get the person to stop. That’s the asshole part.
There is a recently recognized condition called misophonia which sums up my situation pretty neatly. I was so excited when I found out about it, that other people are as miserable as I am. Read the rest of this entry “
foodgroop
October 4th, 2011
The movie Rushmore is one of my favorites of all time. In it, Max Fischer, a student at a fictional private school, struggles to make it work both academically and romantically while simultaneously establishing an amazing array of clubs for his fellow students to enjoy. This movie also includes my favorite dinner scene of all time…by a long shot.
In the spirit of Max I started a student club at the school where I work called foodgroop. FoodGroop is a club where middle school students have an opportunity to learn, taste, and share experiences that are food related. It’s not a cooking club (although periodic tastings are planned), but rather a place for students to learn about culinary traditions and experience them first hand. By learning and writing about the food of our culture and the cultures of others, the kids will have a greater understanding of why we eat what we eat. The students will be encouraged to write and blog about their love of food…whether it’s meals that they have had or plan on having in the future. There will also be guest cooks that will demonstrate different dishes to hopefully encourage kids to follow their own culinary inspirations. Read the rest of this entry “
Shrimp Risotto with Lemon and Mint
September 20th, 2011
Last weekend my wife made it clear that she’s done with summer food, and I couldn’t agree more. After a season-long barrage of poorly grilled chicken (clearly not by these guys), overdone burgers, and dumb salads, she was ready for the comforting, slow cooked flavors of the fall. My daughter however was fiercely opposed to this shift, still campaigning for her new favorite summer dish, grilled shrimp. This dish made all of the ladies in my house happy… a result rarely achieved by most of the decisions I make. I ended up sauteing the shrimp stove top instead of grilling in the rain, but my daughter didn’t seem to mind.
I do worry that she filed this away with other supposed slights, ready to be used against me during the inevitable disagreements concerning middle school culture. For now I’ll just enjoy the contented silence at our dinner table, from all of the ladies in my house. Read the rest of this entry “
Abandoned??
September 6th, 2011
Folks have been writing letters complaining about my behavior for years. Elementary school…can’t sit still. Middle school…grabbed some 7th grader’s ass. High school…worst French student we’ve had in the past 20 yrs (true). Post Grad…epic party excedes established Cedar Lake rules for volume and bourbon…and so on.
But this letter is bullshit. My family has been away from our home in Rochester for most of the summer, save a handful of days. When we returned home today we found this is in our mailbox. And sure, we’ve put our dog Fisher outside (twice) on a very long leash when we’ve been home, to let him soak up some summer and get his tan on. And yeah, there have been some minor concerns about his obnoxiousness, but we’ve come to realize that his incessant, high-pitched yelp isn’t a cry for help…he’s actually bragging!! But now we’ve got this to deal with…and notice how shrewd the writers use of BOLD is… Read the rest of this entry “
The Fowl Movement
August 23rd, 2011
My kid brother Steven and I are (the sole…soul?) members of a prestigious barbecuing team called The Fowl Movement. Our speciality is BBQ chicken which is brushed with a vinegar based sauce. Our family calls it Grandpa B’s chicken, but you probably are familiar with very similar variations on the recipe…State Fair chicken, Firemen’s chicken, Cornell Chicken or Chiavetta’s chicken. This recipe also reminds me of the chicken that we used to get at Brook’s in Oneonta, NY while I went to Hartwick College there. Super juicy and tangy with a really crisp skin, The Fowl Movement has perfected this dish and the recipe follows. One of the cool things about making this chicken is that you can start the chicken high above the fire early in the day and slowly lower it so that the birds remain moist. This gives teams like ours ample time to nurse drinks all day, or guzzle in spurts if you’d like. Here’s the recipe… Read the rest of this entry “
The Farm Hands
August 2nd, 2011
I know my FriPup contract states that these posts must be food related, but I think this is a pretty good story . I also know that these kinds of things happen to people every day, and aren’t particularly unique, but damn if I wasn’t knocked out of my chair.
As I was working at the annual soccer camp that I do at Hamilton College, I started to have a conversation with a camper who was sitting at the table. He started by commenting at how much better this week had been than the previous weeks of his summer vacation so far. This 14 year old (14!!) starting working at a dairy farm this summer at the wage of $5 an hour…a figure that the farm owner requested he set. I was riveted to this kid and his story…the 4am wake up, the final chores at the farm ending around 11pm, the 5 mile bike ride both ways , the fact he paid for half of his soccer camp registration fee…not just because his story was great, but because he was so likable and matter of fact about the hard work he had chosen to do.
It also reminded me of our dad. He died about 10 years ago and I just don’t think about him as much as I used to. But now, as this kid is talking about his own life, all of these old stories about my dad, who also worked on a farm as a kid, came flooding back to me. Their stories were reflections of each other…I was staring and listening to the kid but I was seeing my father starring in the lead. Read the rest of this entry “
Rocco
July 19th, 2011Here’s a trio of Roccos:
1. There is an excellent restaurant in Rochester that we’ve now been to a couple of times called Rocco. The food is the kind that Rochester has needed for a while…serving smart, elevated Italian dishes that aren’t fussy. For a town that has red sauce joints in spades, Rocco is a revelation. The menu is far from groundbreaking, but the ingredients and execution are spot on. On my last visit I ordered hanger steak served with fresh corn, new potatoes and fennel. The corn and roasted new potatoes were tossed in a minty pesto while the fennel was simply grilled with lemon. Simple, perfect, delicious. I also guess that most of their meat and produce is locally sourced and I love that they’re not beating us over the head with which local farm it came from. Stop here when you can.
2. I love the new show Rocco’s Dinner Party. After trying to watch (and root for) The Restaurant (where Dispirito came off as a talented yet petty, momma’s boy asshole), I wasn’t sure I could stomach another Rocco vehicle. I was wrong. This show is cool because Rocco finally is. Knowlegable, matinee handsome, and rocking true charisma, he’s a blast to watch. The show is a fun, hip mix of Top Chef, The Merv Griffin Show, and Design Star. Watch it once and you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.
