Chopstick Fever

Ok, so we all know that when you go to a Mexican restaurant one of the first signs of quality is based on the chips and salsa they serve, right? So what is the standard early warning sign of Chinese food I wondered recently?

Is it the egg rolls, the rice, or the General chicken? No, too easy.
Maybe it is the cheese puffs\ crab wantons with the horribly sweet but delicious dipping sauce...mmm fried cheese.
Though all of these deserve mention, I finally decided recently that, for me, the biggest hint at the quality of food and ingredients you will receive lies in the murky depths of the Hot & Sour Soup bowl.

The consistency, level of spice, type of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and quality of tofu all play an integral role in the soup's final outcome. If a restaurant uses dried shiitakes in their soup instead of meaty fresh ones, the whole experience is thrown off. Use pickled or canned bamboo and you turn the foodie frown upside down. Tofu falling apart and flavorless? Your soup comes out looking and tasting a bit pre-chewed.

Something so simple, and yet with so much room for error. One of my favorite places in town is actually a little private owned cafe in a strip center along Studemont. It's called Sam's Cafe, and it is an awesome example of a quality Chinese dive. The decor and size of the place aren't stellar, but the sweet and sour soup is one of the best I've ever tasted, and consistently so. This carries over in to their other foods as well, like the tofu in black bean sauce or the sesame chicken which are both really tasty.

Sometimes I go there just for the soup, when I'm sick, or need a quick bite, or am too hungover for more solid foods. It always hits the spot, and it is as kind to your palette as it is to your wallet($1.50 for a small).

Send me your favorite places for Hot & Sour soup, or favorite Chinese places and why. Think there is something else food-wise that marks the level of quality? let me know...let's get a discussion going here people!

Hamburgler strikes again!

Take a big stack of meat, bread, cheese and condiments and give it a personality. Make it asian, or greek, or vegetarian, or classic with mustard. Make it with secret recipes and extra love and attention. However you do make it, call it a burger.

What is your perfect burger?

Take the poll at the bottom of the screen, and leave comments on this blog entry on what your perfect version is(don't worry you don't have to give away your recipes). I will be writing an article in the future on culture and comfort foods, so your input is invaluable, my skinny friends.

If you don't know what you think the best burger is, here are some links to a couple of articles in the recent food press and or internet world that might help(one costs over five thousand dollars!):

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-23233092;_ylc=X3oDMTFyazc5MG8yBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrA2J1cmdlcnMtMjAwOC03LTE1

http://thatsatastyburger.blogspot.com/2005/07/rating-tasty-burger.html

http://www.yelp.com/list_details?list_id=jcGaFKXquJmQ1z2dU8FTmg

File this one under new technologies...

I just heard about something today that reminded me of an article I once read. At risk of being the " I read that somewhere" guy, it really did relate to some interesting innovations in present day cookery. It's a relatively new concept(since the 1990's) that is just becoming popular. It's called sous-vide cooking. You place food, braising liquid and herbs and spices in this airtight bag and cook it for long periods of time. The biggest benefit is that it allows the entirety of your food product to absorb the flavors you intend throughout, especially good for tougher meats and stewed items. Recently taken further as just vacuum cooking(especially used in Cantonese cuisine) the food also happens to increase risks for botulism because of it's low temperatures and long cooking times. That's the downside I'm guessing.
This subject intrigues me. I think I'll research it more and do a write-up on it later on. Send me any info you may have/ funny stories about wet grey meat out of a bag. Until then my skinny friends...

MK

Here are some examples on the web of what I'm getting at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_flask_cooking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide

Late Night Pie-O-My

For those un aware of the Houston pizza scene, Late Night Pie is an establishment dedicated to the late night cravings of two items meant to be together, beer and piping hot pizza pies. And thier take on the old favorite out-lasts the compitition in that it stays open untill two in the morning.
That little explination aside, this general concept has recently been picked up and moved a few blocks away to its new location on Tuam(2 blocks east of Brazos). The space is bigger, cleaner, and offers plenty of entertainment via the many game machines, pool table, and even outdoor ping pong on their giant patio in the back. Luckily for us, the building changed, but the ice cold beer and classic pizza stayed the same.

I recently went back with a small group aound ten at night to find the place scattered here and there with patrons, and the familiar smell of the "Bossman" welcomed me from the kitchen. As a chef, this pizza is up there in my opinion with the best. The crust is thin but not crispy, almost hand tossed style. The toppings make the flavor of each bite meld well together and the slices aren't drowning in over sweet sauce.
Goat cheese, artichokes and spinach are the stars of this pizza, and it even comes with a horribly fattening but oh-so-deliscious garlic and drawn butter dipping sauce. We paired the pie with a slightly fruity, cloudy, Hefeweisen and headed outback to enjoy the open air a decent view of the city.
And as a side note, the service was just as friendly as ever, with the bartender even coming outside to check on us numerous times to make sure we were all satisfied. This was a change from the one aspect of the old location that had some downside(the understaffed service team) and was refreshing to see an attentive and considerate person in charge. The only thing is that like most non-corporate places, because of the better ingredients and fresh dough, the pizza ain't cheap(our large cost about $20 with tax and all) but it fills you up and does not leave you feeling ripped off.
Now I know that pizza and beer is hard to mess up in the overall view of the culinary tradition, but it is the small comforts of neighborhood establishments that set them apart from the chain joints and their cookie-cutter appearance and style.
I have to say, as the first place I am officially reviewing, I was really impressed by the new and improved Late Night Pie and definately reccomend it to anyone who hasn't been. I give it two garlic-butter slathered fatman thumbs up!

The Great Debate

One highlight a lot of people talk about after they visit a restaurant (that I will bring up fairly regularly), is perceived value. That age old test of quantity vs. quality. Some places offer huge portions that most people can't finished in one sitting, but lacks creative integrity. Tipping the other side of the scale, we've all been to the higher end places that wow the chefs and foodies of society by offering rare ingredients and complicated cooking techniques, but then offer you a three ounce steak and two bites of a starch for forty dollars. These examples are a bit extreme, but it none the less strikes a chord with almost every person I meet. So what is your opinion, dear reader? you weigh in and debate, what is better...more lower quality, or less premium quality? Let the Great Debate begin...er...continue!

It begins....

So the purpose of this blog is to provide a little insight in to the area eateries (or wherever else i might eat) and food in general with an objective and culinary trained mindset not usually provided by other review sources like CitySearch and B4-U-Eat. Also, I guess I will use it to start discussions on new technologies and innovations in the culinary field, and, of course for anything else i may find funny, relevant, or entertaining. Hopefully you will enjoy this little project of mine... until next time my skinny friends.