Completely OT: Food

[zeronyne]

Wow, what a thread.

 

Sushi & Sashimi (btw, some of the best sushi I've ever eaten is in Columbia, Maryland. And that's saying a lot...I've had sushi in Tokyo) has got to be my number one.

 

Korean Short Rib BBQ. It's called Kalbi when the bone is on, and there's a variant called Bulgogi that is a little sweeter and off the bone. My mother is famous for those two dishes, but in NYC, there's a place alled Woo Lae Oak that comes close.

 

Thai food. Pad Thai, Pad Si Eiw damn, that's some good food.

 

I will concur with Plastic Chancellor that Lou Malnatti's has some of the best pizza anywhere. Point of trivia: if you buy a boutique bass from Blueberry Hill Basses, Jay will buy you lunch there. Right, Jay?

 

Mushroom Risotto = Heaven on Earth.

 

Chicago also has an incredible Greek Town, and the Gyros there are to die for.

 

I will also concur with Dr Willie's penchant for a hot sauce/chicken ovum/pig parts concoction. My favorite hot sauce?

http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/mlm7298_1887_7985045

Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally Hot Sauce.

 

I know it's trendy, but buffalo wings from Hooters are nothing to sneeze at.

 

Coffee...I love coffee. Black, frappucino and everything in between. Black coffee goes great with both Tira Misu and Profiteroles, my two favorite desserts.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by zeronyne:

Wow, what a thread.

Indeed.

 

Originally posted by zeronyne:

Sushi & Sashimi (btw, some of the best sushi I've ever eaten is in Columbia, Maryland. And that's saying a lot...I've had sushi in Tokyo) has got to be my number one.

Try Katsu on Petersen -- northside of Chicago. The spider maki is crazy delicious.

 

The beef rolls there are also a killer dish.

 

One of my favorite restaurants when I lived there.

 

Also in Chicago (not sushi, though) is Pasteur on N. B'way (if memory serves) for some ridiculously tasty French Vietnamese -- catfish in claypot anyone?

 

Oh yeah, maybe I like fish better than I thought. Catfish -- blackened catfish or fried catfish -- mmmmmmm -- with hot sauce -- mmmmmm.

 

Peace.

--s-uu

[dcr]

Further thoughts. (Food is an extremely serious business.)

 

Personal opinion: Thai food may very well be the perfect food. I'm pretty sure it's what God eats.

 

But of course, God eats bagels. And well he (she?) should. I have not so much as SEEN a bagel since I've been in Melbourne. There is a very large Jewish community in the central parts of the city, so I'm told there are good places for bagels to be found (hours of travel from me). But as far as I'm concerned, God's Breakfast should be everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I'm with Jeremy on this one--a bagel a day for life would be FINE with me. Asiago bagels preferably, with the occasional multigrain with honey & walnut cream cheese. Wow.

 

Chips & salsa...yes, but if you can find a local Mexican place that makes their own, it is a totally different experience. You'll never look at Tostitos again. When in Tucson, check out Sanchez Burrito Co.

[dcr]

Originally posted by Dave Brown:

As far as food, I see that us bass players are fans of the sausage, cheese, cholesterol and coffee set. I fit right in.

And Ditka?

[ArwinH]

Originally posted by jeremy c:

This is what fitness expert and one of the fittest men in history, Jack LaLanne eats:

 

Plenty of water and at least 10 raw vegetables and five pieces of fresh fruit daily.

 

He also eats fish, egg whites, food high in fiber, and swears by his juicer.

 

He eats this every single day of his life. He hasn't had a dessert in over 60 years.

 

I'd rather die.

Jack Lalanne is truly a scary scary man. Jeremy, it wasn't that he hasn't eaten desert in 60 years, it's that he hasn't eaten ANY refined sugar in 60 years. His morning workout involves 1000 pushups. He invited the winner of an ironman to do his morning workout with him on the condition that if he kept up he would win a prize of....i want to say 20,000 dollars or so. He couldn't keep up.

 

BTW, seeing as there is so much talk about spicy food....I wonder, has anybody here done tobasco shots ....Yes, my friends are extremely stupid. And, Yes, I joined in

[57pbass]

We cannot leave off the list the classic..

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly sangwich.....

[rumpelstiltskin.]

Originally posted by dcr:

Chips & salsa...yes, but if you can find a local Mexican place that makes their own, it is a totally different experience.

i first have to give a shout out to my hometown el matador chips on grand rapids' west side. outstanding chips. if you live in the midwest, you can buy them at meijer.

 

but there's also a really tasty place in chicago that sells their chips here, too. i can't remember the name, though. but the point is that local chips really are better.

 

robb.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Chicago has some great Mexican restaurants. I know which chips you're thinking about robb., but I can't for the life of me conjure the name. If I think of it, I'll post it.

 

Also, for the coffee club gang, I have to admit that thick Turkish coffee has a special place in my heart -- especially as an accompaniment to a sticky, sweet middle eastern dessert!

 

Peace.

--SW

[Dave Brown]

Well, here in Texas, we have tons of Tex-Mex and Mexican resturants. The chips and salsas in hundreds of varieties are legendary. I have not had salsa from any other place in the USA that compares. (Though I think the Arizona, New Mexico area might be close.)

 

One big problem I've noticed with fresh salsas made up north is the tomatoes. When I lived in Michigan, I grew to love the sweet, juicy tomato. However, the fresh flavored veggies used to make salsa make it uncharacteristically sweet and watery. We get them strip-mined tomatoes down here.

 

I have become of the chips and salsa at a place called Blue Mesa Grill (which serves a kind of New Mexico Mexican cuisine.) They have 4 salsas at the table, and the chips are a combination of blue corn, yellow corn and sweet potato chips. Blue Mesa is a chain, so if you see one, try it out.

 

As most Texans, though, my favorites are in small mom-n-pop places around the state.

 

Oh yeah, and barbecue? We have the indisputed BEST here in Texas. None of that sweet stuff.

[moot]

Yummmmm!

I love a good salsa bar. Preferrably in a place where there is no English being spoken and ya get that sheen of sweat on your forehead while you enjoy truly authentic food.

[tnb]

Finally, a topic I know a little bit about.

 

The noble hamburger as my favorite food. And I ain't talking about that crap they try and pass off as a burger in a fast food place. I also don't like stuff in my burgers. Just freshly ground, lean meat, some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. A nice toasted, poppy seed roll, some fresh onions and tomatoes (real tomatoes, not grown in a green house) and nice cheese, maybe a homeade garlic mayo. Rare. Served with freshly cut fries cooked in peanut oil.

 

Sushi is second to burgers. Mostly raw, but I use unagi for dessert at the end of a sushi binge. Before I got married, I would walk into my favorite Providence sushi place with 2 bottles of saki, a $100 bill and bad intentions.

 

Fish tacos. Made with talapia.

 

Pasta with a red sauce. I don't know what Maury does to his sauce, but mine is fearless and it doesn't take all day to make.

 

Tunafish salad.

 

Soba noodles with sesame seeds.

 

Fish and chips. In Dover, England.

 

Fried chicken should be my favorite, but my grandmother is dead and I don't have the nads to walk into a market and buy the pure lard needed to fry it. Nothing that taste that good is going to be good for you.

[cloclo]

a good bloody steak, french fries (baked twice with some time spend in the cold between the baking sessions, for the french fries that is) and sauce bearnaise. and a fresh cold pint of Jupiler.

 

great. i'm hungry now.

[moot]

I had my first Falfel sandwich a couple days ago - it was delicious. Garbanzo beans?!? Who knew?

[Phil W]

You guys are making me so hungry! It is impossible to get decent Mexican food at all in England; although you can get passable Colombian and Venezualan food. Chile Relleno is one of my favourites and a good Chicken Mole is hard to beat.

Sushi is my favourite I guess. . . Hamachi, Unagi, Maguro, Amaebi etc. My son's been eating it since two years old. You can get some very good sushi in London now although you pay more than in California. There's so much great food for me whenever I go to California that the temptation is to eat out all the time and let greed take over as the prices are so low for us Brits. Food in London has massively improved in recent years, however.

Fried chicken, especially Cantonese style (marinated in soy sauce and rice wine) - that's a favourite, my wife made a good batch only last night.

Cantonese food has to be one of the great treasures of the world when it's done well (and so often it's done badly). That's a tradition that has evolved over thousands of years. roast duck, snow-pea shoots, simple scallop dishes, belly pork crab dishes among my favourites. Dim Sum too - chicken feet in black bean sauce, ha gau, steamed sticky rice parcels in lotus leaf - I could go on.

Korean food is more straightahead and a more recent discovery for me and I've discovered some great stuff - I love Kim Chi, bulgobi, that spicy belly pork dish.

I know what you mean about hamburgers, tnb - especially if I make them myself. I've had some pretty great burgers Stateside, though.

German sausages, especially bratwurst and weisswurst with some mustard, mmmmm! I don't really share Alex's enthusiasm for English sausages - too much filler, though there are some really good ones around.

The great thing in England is thatpeople are starting to enjoy food more. So many Brits care much more about what they drink than what they eat. I even met someone once who said that eating was a chore and if he could take a pill for nourishment instead, he would -bizarre! We ae seeing an explosion in better quality restaurants, organic food suppliers, farmers markets and online delivery firms.

Oh, I'm a coffee maniac too! Any kind of expresso based drink. I love Peets in Californa and Monmouth nad Cafe Vergnano in London. Trouble is, the good stuff spoils me so I can't enjoy the chain coffee places anymore.

As you've probably gathered, my fasination for food knows no bounds. It's to my great fortune that my wife and son share these interest with the same degree of passion. If anybody wants recommendations for the best food, at decent prices, in London, I'm the one to ask.

Hey the Italians and the French know a thing or too about cooking too!

 

I've never understod why anyone would eat junk-food - it's not even the cost. In Chinatown you can get a huge plate of rice and steamed vegetables with barbecued duck and pork and roast pork for the price of a filling meal at one of those junkfood places.

[Thomas Wilburn]

Great thread, but not much for the meatless. If you're a fan of Chinese food (or at least what Americans call Chinese, which is not exactly the same thing), there's a vegetarian place called Sunflower in Vienna, VA that does the best General Tso's "Chicken" I've ever had.

 

My girlfriend's a vegetarian, and so I've started using more tofu, but it's hard after cooking with meat for so long. The former just soaks up flavor, whereas the latter is so often used to give flavor to other things (hence, perhaps, so many sausage freaks here). I'm still trying to figure out how to best accessorize the bean curd.

 

I know I was supposed to be eating fine cuisine, but when I was on vacation in France one of my favorite foods was the steak-and-cheese sandwiches you could get at stands by the road. They put french fries and ketchup on top of the sandwich. It was like a whole combo meal to go.

[Gab]

Originally posted by cloclo:

a good bloody steak, french fries (baked twice with some time spend in the cold between the baking sessions, for the french fries that is) and sauce bearnaise. and a fresh cold pint of Jupiler.

 

great. i'm hungry now.

I second the steak recommendation. In fact i've just been to a new steakhouse over here, where they serve original Argentinian steak ('Angus-steak' is what they call it). It certainly was the best steak i've eaten so far. Very soft, sort of melted in my mouth. My boss says, he had the best steak in South Africa. The story goes: they gave him some blunt buttering knife and when he complained they just told him "If You can't cut it with that, we won't charge You." The knife cut it like butter.

[Phil W]

Thomas,

Get the best tofu you can find, usually from an Asian store. The soft (silken tofu) is fine just chopped into small pieces and added to soup. The firmer kinds can be enjoyed in their own right. I like to braise rectangles of tofu until a little browned and serve with chopped green onion and oyster sauce (you can get vegetarian oyster sauce). There's a good textural contrast between the crispness of the fied extrerior and the soft interior.

Another great Tofu dish is to get some good quality firm tofu and serve it cold as a salad with a dressing of soya sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar; topped with pickled red ginger, chopped pickled Chinese cucumber, green onion and coriander (er...I guess you call it cilantro).

Also check out what the Japanese do with tofu, oh anfd the stuff you can buy ready deep-fried is great.

There is probably on balance better Chinese food in America than China but it definitely depends where you live, like in the UK, there are only a few decent places outside area with large Asian populations and the Chinese are sometimes keen to bastardise their cuisine in search of perceived non-Chinese tastes.

It's probably worth googling to find a Chinese Buddhist temple in your vicinity as they do some great vegeterian food.

(BTW I'm not Chinese or a Buddhist in case you're wondering)

[The Bear Jew]

Whatever it is... Kill it, hold it over a lighter for about three seconds and give it to me.

[Danzilla]

Hot sauces... YUM!!! I was cleaning out my cabinets last week, and after throwing out a few bottles that had separated and looked mighty suspicious, I had 28 bottles! Not including the 5 bottles in service in the fridge. I prefer a habanero sauce, like Melinda's XXX; and the less vinegar the better. Lime juice & carrots/juice are better IMHO. For a straight "red" pepper sauce, I can do tabasco if necessary; but prefer something like Crystal or Frank's Cayenne & Lime. Scorned Woman is another personal favorite.

 

Scallops are on the top of my list; probably my favorite was a salad with pesto-topped scallops from Fire House Restaurant in Philadelphia.

 

Cajun and creole foods are up there, too. I love Mulate's in Breux Bridge LA; po'boys from some little roadside shop while on a historic mansion tour (with Zapp's chips!) and I've got to give Emeril his due- he knows what to do with a duck.

Hey Connie- send up some king cake, will ya? And throw me something mister! (miss?)

Tasso- cajun smoked ham- is killer! So is grilled gator. There used to be a dealer here in Baltimore at Lexington Market who could get me some good tail meat.

 

Hard Times Cafe makes some great chili.

[butcherNburn]

You didn't think this post would go by without the butcher jumpin in.

 

I cook it all, and eat most of it. I have to stay away from most sea food though. 2 bad cases of food poisoning (not at my own hand) will turn you off for ever. I also stay away from things that smell bad. At an early age I found out mushrooms were fungus, so they are banished to the side of my plate.

 

My specialties are mostly Italian and Spanish (all regions of both). I never use a recipe, just common sense, my taste buds, and whatever is at hand. I'm quite skilled at making something from almost nothing. My wife will often ask "What is this called?" My reply is usually "Henry".

 

A few quotes:

"Give me some red wine, bread, onions, peppers, and garlic, and I'm a happy man." - Me

 

"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants." - Unknown

 

"Mmmm Bacon..." H.J. Simpson

-------------------------------------------------

"Vivian: When we moved in here we had an arrangement. You do the cookin' and I take care of the plants and goldfish.

 

Neil: And do you remember what we ate that first night?

 

Vivian: Well it was a Tuesday so I believe we had sausages

 

Neil: Sausages and....

 

Vivian: Sausages and plants and goldfish.. " - The Young Ones

[Danzilla]

PS- Seafood! Aside from the above-mentioned scallops, I love most seafood. Problem is, my family does not! My wife has agreed to try anything I cook; and most of the time likes what I do with it. Kids, however, are notoriously closed-minded and make a huge fuss about it. Unless it's pre-packaged frozen fishsticks. So I don't get to eat seafood at home as much as I'd like.

HOWEVER- guess what starts on Wednesday? LENT!!! For those who prescribe to days of fasting and abstinence, that means no meat on Fridays for a month or so. Yes, I'll occassionally do meatless pasta, or pizza; but usually it's fish. Seems like not so much of a sacrifice to me, huh? But a nice tuna steak with a mango salsa... yum! Forgive me Lord, for all I have done; and for making the kids eat this. But thanks for making it for me to enjoy!

[Dave Brown]

So I had to go out and get a nice prime rib meal after reading this.

 

Ymmmmm!

[Tenstrum]

Originally posted by Dave Brown:

One big problem I've noticed with fresh salsas made up north is the tomatoes. When I lived in Michigan, I grew to love the sweet, juicy tomato. However, the fresh flavored veggies used to make salsa make it uncharacteristically sweet and watery. We get them strip-mined tomatoes down here.

Dave you'd probably like some of the tomatoes that my family grows.

Fresh, straight out of the garden with plenty of acidic bite!

I like my tomatoes to be highly acidic. A little rougher on the stomach, but they taste great going down.

Fresh garden maters!!!

[Tom Capasso]

First, let me bless CMDN for his outstanding contribution to this thread. I love that guy!

 

I have foods I like, and a few I don't. My families cook well, which has been wonderful. And I've gotten to try other cuisines, so I can find some happiness in almost any restaurant.

 

There are a few things I haven't seen here. Crasins - I put them in another favorite - hot cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.). And my true love, pesto. My mother-in-law makes a great pesto. I can eat a disgusting amount of pasta with that sauce on it. And - funny thing - I like it with sausage (chicken or pork, hot or sweet), or meatballs (round, if not cylindrical).

 

I don't cook much myself, but often have made what is known in my house as the "yellow meal". This is chicken cutlets (fried to a nice yellow gold), chicken rice-a-roni, and corn. Remember that kids aren't as adventurous, so this became a weekly meal!!

 

I work with a guy who also likes food. We talk a lot about what we are doing for lunch, and about what is going on at dinner. One day I called my wife to confirm an ingredient (she's a fine cook), and my buddy and I got our answer, followed by a nice round of chastising - "some of us work, not just talk about food and surf the net...". I don't think I'll show her this thread....

 

Tom

[Davo-London]

This thread wouldn't have happened maybe even 10 years ago. Still, I support the general JC theory that there are some things so good that the waistline can suffer a bit.

 

But what about wine? Blimey, IMHO Italian/French wine goes perfectly with food. I have a small cellar but it's packed with goodies including a case of Pol Roger should any fellow Lowdowners visit.

 

Did I mention oysters? Yeah, they are sublime.

 

Davo

[butcherNburn]

Originally posted by Davo-London:

But what about wine? Blimey, IMHO Italian/French wine goes perfectly with food. I have a small cellar but it's packed with goodies including a case of Pol Roger should any fellow Lowdowners visit.

Davo

If I ever make it over there you have my sincere promise that I will do my personal best to clear out enough room to jam in your cellar. I may need a nap first. And best of all, I won't touch a single oyster.

[The Bear Jew]

First, let me bless CMDN for his outstanding contribution to this thread. I love that guy!

Yeah, yeah.

 

Look--I'm a fat guy. I didn't get this way by accident. I love to eat, and I'll eat most anything. I'm like a goat, fer cryin' out loud. On top of that, I live in Philly, which is one of the fattest cities in the country. We have tons of great food here, lots of amazing restaurants... and I love it all. Unfortunately, eating like a goat makes you into a fat bastard... like me. But I don't care because ahm deaddddd sexaaay!

 

I will (and have) gone from a touring situation where all I can get for meals is crap fast food like Waffle House, Subway and gas station food (anyone ever had a "Big Azz Burger?") or "promoter pasta" (any touring musician can tell you about the quarter-ton of pasta salad, stuffed shells and lasagna they've eaten) to coming home and hitting a five-star restaurant where I can order escargot and ostrich steaks. I've also gone on "all vegan" binges where I see how many meals I can eat that don't contain meat or meat-related content.

 

I'm also a HUGE fan of jerky... I have a theory for jerky quality:

The quality of jerky is inversely proportional to the degree of civilization in a given area.

 

Yep. Jerky. It's always better out in the sticks.

 

Anyway.... yeah. Food is good. Me likey food.

[Basshappi]

dcr is absolutely correct, carne asada burritos are the Lords work. Here in Tucson the predominant style of mexican food is Sonoran which is very different from Tex-Mex. I love red chile con carne and freshly made tortillas (flour or corn equally good).

 

Also let's make sure we understand something here, 'hot sauce' and 'salsa' are two entirely different things. Hot sauce is a condiment, Salsa is a food group! I love both, from sweet to incandecent and everything in between.

 

Sausage is one of the greatest culinary inventions of mankind. Many of the worlds greatest dishes contain it.

 

I adore sushi and pho. I had pho today for lunch and am going to stuff myself with sushi friday before work.

 

A thick cut, aged steak grilled to medium-rare can only be topped if the meat comes from an Elk.

 

While I enjoy many varieties of tea, both iced and hot (faves being: Earl Grey, Mint, and Green) I am a confirmed Coffee-aholic. The majority of which I drink hot and black, but I like it in all it's varieties.

 

I suppose that if I were to be limited to only one type of confection it would be baklava (with turkish coffee if you please.)

[davio]

Any and all kinds of cheese.

 

Greek food. Holy crap those people know how to eat! There's a heavenly spot around here called "Louis Pappas." One of many amazing Greek places around Central Florida. But I must say that the best I've yet found is at the gf's parents' house. Greek food is supposed to be homemade.

 

I suppose there's room to toot the gf's and my shared horn here. We make an amazing spanakopita.

[Phil W]

oysters there's a great place in Seattle where they have an incredibly sophisticated oyster ordering menu and the most knowledgeable and helpful waiters - I must try to rememember the name.

 

pho! some great pho in Vancouver BC. I love most kinds of noodle soup: ramen, soba, siu aap tong mein (roast duck soup noodle). There's a great little place in central London that does a cheap lunch special of udon/ramen and a nigiri sushi selection. My son is almost five, he always orders the salmon maki with no wasabi.

 

carne asada burrito - now you're talking!

 

My wife and I wait all year to be able to eat Mexican food, then we have the misfortune to stay in Pasadena which is seriously lacking in decent Mexican - unless you know different. Last summer we spent a few weeks going to daily kids coccer camps in a Mexican area and got a few restaurant tips to try next time though.

 

tamales can be great, usually from some marketplace or van somewhere..