Oh Meat Oh My. Philly Food

I was prepared mentally to eat some rather unhealthy food this weekend as "E" and I visited Philadelphia. Saturday was jam packed with some delectable meaty samplings...

Stop 1
As my hotel guide said, "When in Paris you visit the Louvre and when in Philly you visit the Reading Market. WOW. This is the place to be. I damn near died when I realized I was in no capacity to go gourmet grocery shopping with an over the shoulder carry on bag. BUT! I did buy some Apple Butter from Kauffman's Lancaster County Produce. Check out these photo's which do not do justice to the vastness of this place....

For lunch I had A Miller's Twist Cheese Pretzel Dog. It was divine.

Stop 2 Later that day.....

I sampled a Philly cheese steak from the Phillies Ball Park and an Italian sausage with grilled vegetables on top.

Stop 3 Pat's Steak's
I was taken here by several locals who swear this place was the most authentic version of a Philly cheese steak you could get. I sampled a cheese steak with American, however I still prefer the ubber fattening cheese whiz on my steak. Still it was damn good.

Danny Myers New Restaurant

To all my New York friends:

You heard it here first! Danny Myers new restaurant is opening in the newly renovated Gramercy Park Hotel and it has just been named Maialino, which means "little pig" or "suckling pig". The interesting story behind the name appeared in the media. One summer while Danny was in college he worked for his father's travel company in Rome, Italy as a tour guide. His Italian co-workers took to calling the boss's son "Meyerino" ("little Meyer"). Danny's favorite part of the job was to bring his tour groups to a different trattoria every night, where he'd unfailingly order "Maialino" (roast suckling pig) for dinner. His Italian co-workers noticed this and they took to calling him "Maialino" instead. Because Danny did not speak Italian he did not pick up on the subtle change immediately but eventually he did, and realized calling him "little pig" was a joke. On him. Now, many years and restaurants later, he gets a chance to revive that affectionate name.

In a recent interview with Time Out NY Danny was asked; "What's your goal for the new restaurant?" To which he responded; "We're trying to capture the soul of why people use restaurants in Rome. Gramercy Park, which this restaurant looks out onto, has a community formed around it-it's like its own tiny village within the city. That's not too dissimilar from the piazzas one finds in Rome, where the local trattoria is adopted by the community. So we want to create a trattoria for the Gramercy Park community."

Baked Salmon & Mashed Potato's

This meal is super simple and is a great and easy way to cook fish with flavor.
I like to compose a meal idea and surf the internet for various recipes..... I prepared this on Sunday. For the salmon I modified the recipe by marinating in a zip lock bag so there was no need for turning the fish.

Baked Salmon
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Salmon-II/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 (6 ounce) fillets salmon

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Mashed Potatoes
http://elise.com/recipes/archives/001509perfect_mashed_potatoes.php

This website has a great recipe as well. Yukon Gold potatoes are the creamiest and definitely make the best mashed potatoes. Don't be afraid of the butter, heavy cream, & salt! Also try adding a table spoon of some minced garlic for flavor.

Bon Appetite!!

Pot Lucks!

Ok, I work in a office of 200 something people. (estimated). We have an amazing work/ social culture. One of the things we do most is pot lucking!

My co-worker who I will name "Miss T" cracks me up and is the real reason I am writing about potlucks. She is adamant about not eating from the potluck. GERMS!!! They spread fast and are scary. This is her take. Think about all the people who put their faces up to the dishes to smell the food. Their noses and breath inches from savory food. Also what how do we know the counter top was clean where they were cooking? Did they wash their hands?!!

I have to say I've sampled the potlucks several times and I've never gotten sick.

Here's the funny part. One of the definitions of "potluck" is "Taking one's chances with what is being served" go figure. The other is "a community meal composed of food contributions" and both have ancient roots. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the term "potluck" in print to the 16th century. In Elizabethan times an unannounced guest was invited to share potluck, i.e., the contents of the large cast-iron pot on the hearth. The invention of the "potluck supper" comes from the 19th century where each invited guest was expected to bring a dish.

If you are to host a pot luck, history says you are not required to prepare a dish, but to be responsible for all preparations of the party. The host can suggest the type of foods for the gathering but cannot control the quality of food that is brought. At the end of the day the host is still responsible which poses quite a predicament.

I say take your chances with close friends and family. Be weary of large gathering style pot locks where you may not know the people serving the food.

To read more about meal history check out: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq7.html

Intro & Triple Cream Brie!

Great Tasting food can be utterly euphoric. Ask anyone who knows me well and they'll tell you how much I love food. I am open minded about food and love to cook. I also love to eat out. Having worked in the service industry as a waitress, bartender and hostess I have fairly high standards of what service should be like. In this blog I will write about all things related to food from restaurants I like and dislike, recipes I've cooked and tried, great foods and where to find them along with fun cooking gear.
I am also here to learn more about food so please post ideas and comments!

With that said I figured the best way to open a blog would be with my favorite food!
A "favorite" I would categorize as something I never get bored of and can always eat unless I'm completely stuffed.

CHEESE, CHEESE, CHEESE

Next time you eat out at a restaurant that offers a cheese plate, please order it!! This is the most incredible way to sample some really amazing selections at a fair price. They usually offer a selection of 3, 5, or 7. If I bought 4 great cheeses from Whole foods I could spend around $50-60 bucks. Most cheese plates range around $10-20.

My new obsession is Triple Cream Brie. This stuff is utter decadence. Buttery, smooth, and mild cheese. In the past month I have tried 2 that are impeccable.

Pierre Robert (tried at The House in NYC)
Brillat-Savarin (tried at Tribeca Grill NYC)

Both come from the same cheese makers Robert Rouzaire and Pierre of the Seine et Marne region.
Pierre Robert is my favorite. It is a touch creamier and rightfully so as it is the succession of Brillat-Savarin. Both taste great with a muscat which happens to be one of my favorite desert wines :)

To purchase some amazing cheese and learn more check out www.artisanalcheese.com