Food & Politics Collide With Andrew Zimmern At The Helm

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By now it should be obvious that I’m a pretty big food nerd. No, it’s true. I’ll own it. I love well developed; flavors, aromas, textures; the whole epicurean nine yards. However, if you only read my food blog, you may not be aware I’m a political liberal as well. Being a liberal, I’m an MSNBC junkie. Thus, when I heard chef Andrew Zimmern, of Bizarre Foods fame, would be hosting a show on my favorite news channel, I had to check it out.

Chef Andrew Zimmern
Photo Courtesy of Amazon's Affiliate Program.

What's Eating America bills itself as a show which explores social and political issues through the lens of food. The first episode was dedicated to the immigration debate. With an unapologetically progressive/anti-Trump slant, Zimmern explained the degree to which migrant workers harvest, process, and prepare the food we eat.

Telling the stories of seasonal field workers, a foreign-born chef who depends on migrant labor, and others the February 16th premier episode made the case that migrant workers are being abused by a system which would collapse without them. Chef Jose Andres, who fed federal employees during the 2013 government shutdown, made an impassioned speech about the plight of migrant workers.

Again, I’m liberal, so I agreed with their message, but I doubt it would sway anyone who isn’t already in their ideological camp. That being said, conservative foodies may still enjoy vivid descriptions of barbacoa tacos, pork consommé, and other delectable dishes.

Airing Sunday nights on the aforementioned MSNBC, this five-episode series takes a more in-depth look at food than anything currently running on Food Network.

The Courage Of Penzey's

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Penzeys is a gourmet spice shop chain, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Founded in 1986, the spice retailer sells a wide selection of spices and proprietary seasoning blends from 70 stores in 29 states.

Subject: Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle 2 oz. jar | Source: Penzeys.com |

I personally love their Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle, which is a blend of Romano cheese salt, garlic, green peppercorn, basil and parsley. I sprinkle it on salads and batches of popcorn. The blend gives the snack a cheesy salty kick, with a hint of pepper and an herbaceous undertone. I’ve also added it to sour cream (1 TB. sprinkle to 1 cup sour cream) to make a savory dip for chips, pita bread, or crudités.

Being a fan of their shop, I subscribe to their online newsletter so I’m aware of sales and specials. During the recent 35 day government shutdown, I noticed chain owner, Bill Penzey, used the newsletter to call Trump to the mat and to offer free spices to furloughed government workers. I was impressed, but thought of it as an extraordinary gesture during a remarkably hard time, akin to chef Jose Andres' opening an emergency kitchen to feed furloughed government workers.

Apparently, I hadn’t been paying close attention to the newsletters. Bill Penzey seems to have a history of making political statements in his company’s newsletters. Just after Donald Trump was elected president, Penzey used the holiday newsletter to refer to Trump as a racist. “The open embrace of racism by the Republican Party in this election is now unleashing a wave of ugliness unseen in this country for decades,” Penzey wrote to his customers.

One, predictable in retrospect, result of his outspokenness was a backlash from conservative customers. Trump loyalists took to Twitter with the hash tag #boycottpenzeys.

So what do you do when a movement calls for a boycott of your stores? Obviously, if you're Bill Penzey, you find out who called for the boycott and have a boycott sale on his birthday. It’s the retail equivalent of showing your critics a center digit.

A time honored rule of thumb suggests that businesses should project an air of political neutrality so as not to alienate a portion of the consumer base. Penzey has bucked that trend in order to speak his truth. In Penzeys Boycott Sale Newsletter he writes, “We opened our stores to radiate the very Milwaukee idea of building a better future by caring about others.”

I, for one, applaud their stance on making morality a company priority. Sure, they're first and foremost a spice retailer. Yet, Bill Penzey has some deeply held beliefs and he's using a platform at his disposal to express those beliefs. That’s as it should be.

I blog about food here, but I maintain a political blog, a liberal Christian blog, and yes a science fiction blog as well, because I think about things outside the epicurean realm. Mr. Penzey is undoubtedly the same way, only with a larger platform to get his message across. Businesses with the courage of Penzeys should be rewarded with patronage rather than boycotted.

Final Reflections on What We've Lost

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WARNING: This piece contains explicit language, PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED!

This week Americans will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, with a lavish dinner of roast (or deep fried) turkey, dressing, potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, biscuits, and an array of other epicurean delights.  Food bloggers will be busy publishing appropriate recipes.  This isn't that.  I've done that, and if you want my recipe for oyster dressing I'll post it on the bottom of the page.

However, inspired by the airing of the final episode of Parts Unknown, these are some final thoughts regarding Chef Anthony Bourdain.  Shortly after Anthony Bourdain's suicide, I wrote a tribute to his life and work.  This isn't that either,

Photo Courtesy of Amazon's Affiliate Program.

After his death, CNN had bits of unfinished episode on their proverbial cutting room floor.  Rather than wasting the last footage of Bourdain's show, Parts Unknown, the network hired a new narrator to finish the episodes.

I just watched the episode about New York's Lower East Side.  Watching him through a lens colored by what I know now, his sunken eyes and deep facial lines broadcast the portrait of a pained soul which is quite... simply... done.

One thought kept running through my mind as I partook of the visual depictions of the prolific chef interviewing colourful musicians artists, and activists over meals of octopus, chuletas, and cheesy potato dumplings.  All I could think was, "Fuck you Tony!  Fuuuuuuuuuck you!"

Seriously, he had a career of meeting people I'll never meet and eating things I'll never get to eat in places I'll never get to see.  He robbed me, and other fans, of his perspective on the foods and people of the world.  Even though I initially began watching the show for the food, it wasn't solely his role as a culinary tour guide that made him special.

One quote Bourdain was famous for was,"I don't have to agree with you to like you or respect you."  It may as well have been the tagline for the series, if not his life.  He could talk to vegan nuns, satanic metal-heads, gun toting conservatives, and pacifist liberal activists with equal comfort and respect.  In a day of them vs us, we need people who can bridge the gap the way he could.  He took one of those rare people from us, and it pisses me off.

The worst part is that I can't shake him by the shoulders and ask him what he was thinking.  We can guess what was going through his mind, but we'll never know.  We'll never know what made him feel so empty that the thought of one more day on this Earth so unbearable to him.  We'll never know what more he could have given to the world through his writings and TV shows.

In the end, all we can do is to hold on to the memory of what he meant to us and revisit his body of work in the hope of gleaning some morsel of wisdom we may have missed the first time.

Publicly traded Meme

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The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   If you even think you need help, call 1-800-273-8255 to talk to someone, or click here to chat with someone online.  I can testify first hand that help helps.

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Bonus Thanksgiving Recipe:

Click picture for a larger view 

Bargarten Bavarian Social Haus + Losing A Legend

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Cedar Hills Crossing is Beaverton's largest shopping mall. They're currently expanding to include a variety of new shops and restaurants. One such establishment is the Bargarten Bavarian Social Haus (2905 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Ste 140, Beaverton, OR).

Subject: Bargarten's Fondue | Source: Bargarten's FB Page with their kind permission |

I arrived at the restaurant around noon on a weekday. The bar themed establishment was dimly lit with rows of communal tables in the main dining room. I took a smaller table out on the covered patio where I could enjoy the weather.

I started with the Fondue made with Swiss cheese, white wine & spices, served in a cast iron ramekin. One can have the molten cheese accompanied by assorted German breads, two soft pretzels, or chunks of smoked German bier sausages and assorted German breads. I chose the sausage and breads for $14.95.

For my main course I had the Veal Schnitzel (breaded veal with Cremini mushrooms topped with paprika sauce and served with spätzle) for $18.95. I washed the meal down with a very tall Weizen glass of Hofbräu Hefeweizen for $4.95.

I took photos of my meal, only to get home and realize the phone I used had not saved the photographs. Thus, I had to borrow this photo from Bargarten's own Facebook page.  I asked them for permission to use the picture, but not hearing from them for four days I took their silence as tacit permission to use the photo.

Fortunately, the fondue that you see is exactly what I got. It was warm, cheesy, and wonderful. The chunks of sausage were pleasantly spicy all by themselves and complimented the molten cheese superbly.  The trick was to keep from filling up before my main course arrived.

I wish I had a picture of the veal to show you.  It was fried to a crispy golden brown, topped with large slices of Cremini mushrooms and a delectable brown paprika sauce/gravy.  Accompanying the veal was an ample serving of spätzle peppered with herbs.

The veal was deep-fried to a crispy golden brown, fork tender, and perfectly seasoned to deliver a series of thoroughly savory bites. The mushrooms were meaty with a nice earthy flavor and the piquant paprika sauce tied the mushrooms and veal together nicely.

The meal's only deficit was with the spätzle.  I was served a heaping mound of the rice sized pasta, but it wasn't seasoned well.  The side, which served more as a garnish, needed garlic, cheese, salt, or something.  As it was, it was just... kind of... there.

As for the beer, or "bier" according to their menu, there's not much to be said.  It  was a standard Hefeweizen. The beer was light yellow in color and not too hoppy with a nice citrus undertone.

All in all, I had a satisfying meal. I give Bargarten Bavarian Social Haus an 8.5 out of 10 stars.
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Parting End Note: 

Friday morning I woke up to hear a teary eyed Joe Scarborough announce that; chef, author, and TV host; Anthony Bourdain died at the age of 61. I was floored. Not only was he dead but he had killed himself.

Photo Courtesy of Amazon's Affiliate Program.

You have to understand, he was not just another celebrity to me. He was an inspiration to me the way few authors have been. I remember reading Kitchen Confidential for the first time. Bourdain's description of food brought the foods to life. I could almost smell the duck confit as he described it on the page. I've been accused of writing about food in his style, although probably not as well.

Those who have watched his shows and/or read his books were privy to the perspective of a man who loved to live life. This was a man who could enjoy a five star gourmet meal, a hot dog off a food cart, or a meal with a family in the Ozarks. He loved it all. He ate with presidents and paupers alike and he treated them all with respect.

The Berlin episode of his current series, Parts Unknown, aired shortly after his death.  As he ate helpings of; currywurst, chicken sausage, smoked mashed potatoes, and punk rocker prepared roasted meat; I could see an emptiness in his lined weathered face.  Sitting across from a young lady, who was explaining that Berlin's identity is about its future instead of its past, had he already decided to cut his own future short?

I know he had drug issues, but I'll never understand how a man so full of life could choose to leave this world and his eleven year old daughter.  I doubt I'll ever be able to make sense of the loss. Instead I need to remember the man as he was and what he meant to me.

R.I.P. Chef Bourdain.

Source: Publicly traded meme. 

Pulling A "Kanye West"

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Photo courtesy of Vintage Sugarcube.

During Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video "You Belong with Me," at 2009's MTV Music Awards, Kanye West burst onto the stage and claimed that Beyoncé had been robbed of the prize.  As tacky as that move was, six years later I'm about to make a similar move.

Jenny Johnson is a San Diego food writer/photographer who revamps traditional desserts with a playful pop culture or retro twist.  On her blog, Vintage Sugarcube, Jenny invites readers to, "take a ride with her in reconstructing classic desserts while not taking life too seriously."  In addition to writing her blog, Johnson;

• Was featured in Uppercase Magazine, issue #22
• Is a Museum of Photographic Art San Diego (MOPA) 2012 Foodie Photography Winner
• Is a contributor for Culinary Creative
• Has been published in Bridges Magazine
• Has been a guest artist in the book 9 Creative Lives, and
• Has published a guest feature in Ohio Today Magazine

Unlike food writers, including me, who merely share our thoughts on what we find within the food world, Jenny's sharing recipes for uniquely tweaked creations.

Photo courtesy of Vintage Sugarcube.

Not long ago, we made the tomato soup laced cake from her entry, Chocolate Tomato Soup Cake: [Andy Warhol Chocolate Cake], for my birthday. I realize the addition of canned soup to cake sounds counterintuitive.  However, skeptics, at my birthday dinner, were converted into true believers after only a few bites. The condensed soup makes the cake very moist & rich.

Each year Saveur Magazine  gives "Food Blog Of The Year Awards" to food writers in 13 categories, including "Dessert Blog Of The Year." The magazine opens nominations to the public, then the editorial staff chooses six blogs, from each category, for the public to vote on.

A number of readers, including me, nominated Vintage Sugarcube for "Dessert Blog Of The Year."  Now, I'm not saying she's the first foodie to add soup to cake, or that her blog should have won, hands down.  However, I can't think of another food blogger who writes about dessert with her sense of style. This unique resource should have, AT LEAST, been listed among the six finalists to be voted for.

While I can't give Jenny's blog an award of any recognized consequence, I can recommend that my readers subscribe to Vintage Sugarcube today.
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Food Scraps

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Food topics, which I wish to address, usually arise one at a time.  This time, four such topics seem to have cropped up all at once, some of which aren't quite meaty enough to support an entire blog post on their own.  Thus, I've decided to address all four topics, including; Oregon's new wine law, Anthony Bourdain's new series, and restaurant reviews of Newport Bay at Tanasbourne & Aloha Teriyaki; in this collection of "food scraps."

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Fill 'er Up Oregon

As of March 28th, wine drinkers can fill up their growlers at Oregon restaurants and grocery stores. Gov. John Kitzhaber signed the bill which allows businesses to sell consumers up to two gallons of wine in the reusable containers.

Vintners lobbied for passage of the bill, arguing that reusable growlers are environmentally friendly, because they use less glass and cork than standard bottles containing the same amount of wine.  Essentially, 2 gallons equals 7570.8 milliliters, therefore it would take more than ten standard 750ml wine bottles to hold the contents of a two gallon growler.   As a result, the consumer should save roughly $2.00 per every 750ml of wine purchased.

True, some of your "good" wines are aged in bottle.  Those aren't the wines Oregonians will be buying by the growler.   Rather, Oregonians will be saving money on young tasty everyday table wines.  I'm looking forward to buying wine this way, as soon as a grocery store near me hops on the bandwagon.

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Parts Unknown Feels Familiar

November 5, 2012 was a sad day for me, as The Travel Channel aired its last new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, from Brooklyn. I was about to lose my weekly portal which allowed to eat vicariously through a knowledgeable uncensored, sometimes crass, tour guide.  Sure, I still had The Layover to fall back on, but that show deals more with travel tips than an examination of cultures.

Thus, I was happy when Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown debuted on CNN on the 14th.  Advertisements for the show would have viewers believe the focus of the show is on explaining news worthy events which have taken place in little known places around the world.  While we have been so far treated to brief histories of Myanmar and L.A.'s Little Korea, it should be noted that such history lessons were frequent features on No Reservations as well.

In a nutshell, Parts Unknown is essentially No Reservations with a new network.  Thus, the focus is happily still on the food.
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An Old Favorite Takes A Nose Dive In Quality

Newport Bay Restaurant at 2865 NW Town Center Dr, Beaverton, OR 97006, has sat behind Tanesbourne's Target store for years. In fact, I took my prom date there, for steak & lobster, over 20 years ago.

My mother and I were shopping last weekend, and decided to stop in for a bite of lunch. We started with the Hot Crab & Spinach Dip with warm tortilla chips for $9.99.  The dip did deliver the promised crab, spinach, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan cheese, but it wasn't seasoned and was completely bland.  Eating it was like having a mouth full of flavorless putty.

I ordered the Grilled Fish Tacos (jalapeno tartar, corn salsa, house made slaw, soft corn tortillas) for $11.99.  Unfortunately, all the tartar sauce a slaw dressing was glopped in the center of the taco's unheated tortilla.  Thus, biting into the end gave me a mouth full of dry cabbage, carrot, and unarguably overcooked fish.  To the hostess's credit, when I called her attention to it she took one look at the fish and took the meal off our bill.

On the flip side, my mother actually liked her Dungeness Crab Blend & Oregon Bay Shrimp Mac & Cheese (creamy Tillamook cheddar cream sauce, red onions, bell peppers, herbs & breadcrumbs) for $14.99, calling it creamy & delicious with plenty of shrimp & crab meat.

What was once THE place to go for seafood has sadly devolved into a below par hashery.  Even given the Mac & Cheese and hostess's positive attitude, I'm forced to give Newport Bay at Tanasbourne 4 out of 10 stars, or a F- grade.  One might argue that I'm unfairly slamming the food for not being gourmet cuisine.   To such tongue cluckers I would point out, I wasn't expecting gourmet fare, but I WAS hoping for a pleasantly edible seafood lunch, which I just didn't get. 
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A Tasty Affordable Lunch


I routinely pass the Japanese Restaurant Aloha Kokiyo Teriyaki, at 20437 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy in Beaverton, OR, as I make my way to Safeway for groceries. Resting amidst a quasi biker-bar, Florist's shop, take & bake pizza place, and tax prep office, it's an easy place to overlook. However, after I bought my herbs and anchovies, to make Bagna Cauda I found my stomach running on empty, so I stopped in for lunch, with my friend Dani, THE PICKIEST eater I know.

I had the Bento Box (strips of chicken, strips of beef, and 3 pot stickers [I ate one before taking the picture], a bowl of steamed white rice and garnished with a half slice of orange). I'm not a fan of rice, so the host graciously replaced it with a bowl of steamed cabbage, broccoli, and carrots. Initially, I was surprised to find the pot stickers were crispy from having been deep fried.  Yet once I bit into one, I found the same soft chewy savoriness, I've come to expect from the traditional dumpling, just beneath the crunch of the light batter.  The dip added a pleasant extra layer of salty flavor as well.  The chicken & beef were both cooked 'til tender, seasoned nicely, and served under a sweet teriyaki sauce.  While delicious as served, I added a hit of Sriracha, supplied at every table, for an extra kick of heat.

Dani had the Chicken Yakisobi.  While the picture may make it look like a hap hazard miss mash of food, it smelled wonderful.  Typically, Dani will pick at her food during a meal, only eating some after conceding to the fact that she needs to consume nourishment to survive.  While I wasn't fortunate enough to taste the Chicken Yakisobi, its combination of chicken, vegetables, Yakisobi noodles,  and sauce was apparently delectable enough to entice her to wolf down every bite.

Aloha Kokiyo Teriyaki is definitely a purveyor of of Japanese fast food, but really good richly flavorful non-greasy Japanese fast food.  No this isn't gourmet cuisine either, but at $14.45 for both lunches plus soft drinks, it's a good place for an affordable tasty lunch.  I give Aloha Kokiyo Teriyaki 8 out of 10 stars, or an A grade.

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Good Food, Great Medicine

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Those who've read my butter blog know that I have a ponch, and have been "strongly encouraged" to go on a diet. After a good deal of dragging my feet, and defending the merits of; a little round belly, that shakes when I laugh, like a bowl full of jelly; I finally capitulated. On New Years Day, I began a diet based on the spiral bound book Good Food, Great Medicine: A HOMEMADE COOKBOOK by Mea Hassell & Miles Hassell M.D..  On the cover, the book is described as, "An evidence based guide to using the Mediterranean diet and your kitchen in the pursuit of optimal health."

When I told my friends I'd begun The Mediterranean Diet, more than one of the asked if it had been hard to give up dairy? The question confused me, since I hadn't given up dairy. In fact, one reason I agreed to do THIS diet was the fact I wouldn't have to sacrifice cheese. I decided to do what I always do when I'm confused, I looked things up online.

"Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics, and you'll get ten different answers..." While J. Michael Straczynski's quote didn't originally apply to the field of eating plans, it very easily could have. As I surfed the web, I found almost as many variations of The Mediterranean Diet as there are interpretations of The Bible. OK, maybe not quite that many, but you get my point. After a good bit of research, I realized my friends had been referring to The Paleo-Mediterranean Diet. According to http://drkayeshealthandwellness.typepad.com/k4health/2011/05/the-paleo-mediterranean-diet.html, The Paleo-Mediterranean Diet makes the following bulleted recommendations.

"Eat all the lean, wild, organic meat, fish, and seafood you desire if eaten according to the recommended schedule and quantities.  Whey protein or egg protein powders and soy or pea protein are good choices when you don’t have time or access to meat protein. 

Eat all the in-season, non-starchy vegetables you want:  cooked or raw; not peeled, juiced, or processed.  Chopped up is OK.  Blending in smoothies is OK.  You need the fiber!  

Avoid excess fruit:no more than 1 piece per day and it should be whole fruit, with the peel.  If diabetic or prediabetic, no fruit at all.  Sugar is sugar.

Avoid eating cereals or grains or white potatoes, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.  Particularly avoid any grain with gluten (wheat, barley, rye).  If at your ideal body weight and composition, you could have up to 1/2 serving per day of a non-gluten-containing grain such as quinoa or wild rice.

Avoid artificial sweeteners.  Xylitol and stevia and small quantities of raw honey, agave, or real organic maple syrup are acceptable natural sweeteners in very small quantities.  But, again, eating none of this category is best, particularly if you are prediabetic or have type 2 diabetes.

Moderate legumes (beans, lentils, soybeans, peas, peanuts) and nuts. OK for 1 serving per day, but too many calories for regular eating at meals.  Legumes have been shown to help stabilize blood sugar in diabetics if used instead of grains/refined carbohydrates.

Avoid dairy products.

Use only cold pressed olive and canola oils for salads or cooking; Ghee (clarified butter) is OK as well.  Avoid margarine, shortening or any Trans-fats or vegetable/corn/safflower oil.  Take 2 tablespoons of fish or cod-liver oil daily or take an EPA/DHA/GLA supplement.  Flax oil is a good omega-3 oil, but it is not a substitute for fish oil.

Don’t eat processed foods; stay out of the middle aisles in the grocery store!  Processed means anything that was done to a food to alter it (ground, smoked, colored, mixed up, cooked, chemically adulterated).  Most processed foods are in boxes, jars, or containers and have multiple, often unpronounceable ingredients."

Like the Paleo version, the Hassell's diet is about excluding enriched white flour and prepared foods, and focuses on eating mainly; fresh fruits & veggies, seeds & nuts, whole grains, good oils, and lean proteins. Yet, by contrast, the Hassells allow dairy products in their version off The Mediterranean Diet, most notably; cheese, yogurt & kefir (a drink with similar flavor & health benefits to yogurt), butter, and eggs.  The authors describe the health benefits of each of these traditionally forbidden foods, but offer strict guidelines for the inclusion of each food into ones diet.

For example they state, "Although high in saturated fat and cholesterol, it (butter) also has many valuable nutrients. This is in sharp contrast to margarine, a chemically manipulated food which I view as nutritionally worthless, or worse." Yet, they go on to recommend the use of extra-virgin olive oil, in place of butter, whenever possible.

Similarly, they claim that, "Arguably the healthiest people in the world live in Southern Europe and eat generous amounts of cheese." Because hard aged cheeses; sharp Cheddar, authentic Italian Parmesan, and alike; fill people faster, on fewer calories, than soft cheese they recommend mostly eating the hard cheeses and saving the Brie, and other soft cheese, for special occasions.

While sugary, and diet, soft drinks are strictly forbidden by the Hassell's plan, they do allow for the inclusion of alcohol, especially red wine. Page 19 explains that moderate amounts seem to, "substantially lower the risk of dying (by up to 50 percent) from heart disease, and are associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and dementia."

Although reasonable amounts of; yogurt, butter, eggs, cheese, wine, and beer; are allowed, making the plan doable, at least for me, there will still be a few things I'll miss. Cured/processed meats are out, so I must wave good bye to; salami, pastrami, corned beef, ham, bacon, pancetta, capocollo, prosciutto, liverwurst, and hot dogs. Organ meats such as chicken liver are out too. Plus, excluding enriched white flour marks the departure of bagels and big soft pretzels from my diet.

Fortunately, the Hassells acknowledge the necessity of splurging on occasion, in order to maintain one's sanity. I foresee myself splurging around the time of my birthday, next month, on a *Scotch Egg and *Steak & Kidney Pie at a British Pub I want to try, called The Horse Brass. This meal, and one other possible birthday generated bar trip, will serve as rewards for having stuck with the Hassell's plan the rest of the time.

Breaks and rewards aside though, the more I think about; cooking fresh vegetables in EVOO, using whole grains, eating lean meats & fish, snacking on fruit & nuts, and enjoying cheese with a glass of wine or beer; the more the Hassell's plan makes sense to me.

*= link to recipe, not written by me, for a particular dish

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A Chef's Christmas by Anthony Bourdain: Review

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The crew at Restaurant Saint Germain find themselves miserable on Christmas Eve. Once a culinary hot spot, which could easily afford to let the bartender skim a hundred dollars from the till each night, the restaurant now sits as a lonely reminder of past glory. Even Executive Chef Rob Holland (the world's sexiest chef), has been a stranger lately to his own kitchen. This December 24th, the empty dining room of Restaurant Saint Germain serves as a constant reminder that the crew will soon be hunting for new jobs.

However, every good Christmas story features, at least the possibility of, a Christmas miracle. Just as things look their bleakest, will a feverishly made tasting menu consisting of; a torchon of foie gras, cornmeal blinis with shavings of homemade gravlax and Beluga caviar, lobster ravioli with white truffles and a morel sauce, sweetbreads crisped in duck fat, and other truly inspired dishes; made by Chef Rob Holland, be enough to save the dying eatery, or will it be Restaurant Saint Germain's proverbial last supper?

Originally published as a thirty page bonus story within Anthony Bourdain's 2006 book, "The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones," "A Chef's Christmas" is available, by itself, as an hour long unabridged audiobook, read by the author. While this work of fiction is a rare departure from Bourdain's culinary non-fiction genre; the only other work of fiction, to my knowledge, being the murder mystery "Bone in the Throat;" "A Chef's Christmas" contains elements one would expect find within one of his books.

Filled with accounts of back kitchen shenanigans and vivid descriptions of world-class gourmet cuisine, "A Chef's Christmas" is unapologetically told through the mastered use of a colorfully raw vocabulary, which would embarrass many seasoned sailors and Teamsters. Anthony Bourdain's hardcore fans have come to accept, and even look forward to his brazenly crass writing style, possibly because it comes across as uncensored and therefor honest. Plus, referring to a Christmas tree salesman as an "inbred mother*&$%er" humorously sets the story apart from other works of the Christmas miracle genre, such as; "A Christmas Carol," "It's A Wonderful Life." or "Miracle On 34th Street."

Basically, if you're a reader/listener who can be excited by depictions of top-notch epicurean delights, and you can accept a certain degree of vulgarity without being offended, then "A Chef's Christmas" by Anthony Bourdain may be a welcome addition to your Christmas library. Personally, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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*Described dishes are linked to recipes for similar fare, and listed gourmet ingredients; gravlax, Beluga caviar, and white truffles; are linked to definitions and further information. Recipes may not reflect the way Anthony Bourdain would prepare the dish in question.
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The Recipe Project - Micro Blog

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The world of food is crowded with cookbooks, cooking shows, and food blogs. Even Gwyneth Paltrow, who's not necessarily a food celebrity, has a cookbook on the market. After awhile, the newest cookbook, cooking show, and food blog looks like every other cookbook, cooking show, and food blog out there. Monday's Fresh Air broadcast though, signed off with a fun song from a group called One Ring Zero. The song, "Brains and Eggs" is a lyrical version of a recipe for just that, calves brains and eggs.


"Brains and Eggs" by One Ring Zero
The song is a single from One Ring Zero's The Recipe Project. The Recipe Project is a cookbook with recipes from; Mario Batali, Michael Symon, John Besh, and other chefs; which have been set to music on an accompanying CD. If all the songs are as catchy and upbeat as "Brains and Eggs," this will be a fun cookbook to own, when it's released on October, 15th 2011.

Question: What's your favorite food related song? Leave your answer in the comment section.
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Review: Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

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Part of my regular weekend routine, is listening to The Splendid Table podcast to learn what’s new in the world of food. I was listening to the February 26th episode, when I heard an interview with New York chef, and restaurateur, Gabrielle Hamilton. As she talked about her soon to be released food-centric memoirs, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, I remember thinking that it sounded a lot like Kitchen Confidential and the more recent Medium Raw. Sure enough, when I bought my copy on March 1st, there, on the cover, was an endorsement by Anthony Bourdain.

The blurb of support gave me mixed feelings. On the one hand, Bourdain typically makes a point to deliver honest opinions, so his opinions will be trusted. On the other hand, when something gains popularity, numerous imitators seem to jump on the bandwagon, cashing in on the popularity of the original. I hoped Hamilton’s new book wasn’t marking the beginning of a string of Kitchen Confidential clones.

After reading and digesting this book, I’ve come to the conclusion that though there are obvious similarities in the early lives of the two writers, it’s unfair to compare Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef to previous works.

After 13 years of lamb roasting parties, gourmet fare prepared by her discriminating mother, and trips with dad to the country butcher shop, Gabrielle was suddenly left to fend for herself. In order to survive, Gabrielle took a job washing dishes at a local restaurant. Since then, she held many jobs, but always within the food industry. As the book follows her progression from dish washer, to waitress, to caterer, to summer camp chef, to eventually owning her own New York restaurant, we’re privy to her personal struggles with drug abuse, brushes with the law, attempts at higher education, and personal relationships.

Of course, her drug abuse and flirtations with larceny can be linked, at least in part, to her having been left alone at such an early age. She did what was necessary to survive, which included masking the pain until she was mature enough to deal with it. It’s interesting, at least to a former psychology major such as myself, that even though she blames her mother for her early teen abandonment, Gabrielle named her restaurant “Prune,” which was her mother’s pet name for her when she was a child.

Once Prune is open, we get an inside look at the plethora of issues she had to deal with in order to keep Prune up and running, including licensing, work schedules, staff resignations, and having to contend with unwelcome surprises being left on the eateries back stoop, among others. Meanwhile, we also see her trying to balance work with family while trying to ignite passion in a loveless marriage.

Although, the marriage itself is incredibly rocky, and arguably ill-conceived from the get go, the happiest times in her life seem to be the summers she spends in Italy with her in-laws. As she cooks alongside her mother-in-law, she finally feels like she has the mentor she had been denied for so long in her life. While it’s true that she had also named Misty, a previous lesbian partner, as being her mentor in a previous chapter, Gabrielle’s hunger to learn from, and impress, was much stronger in her relationship to the mother-in-law than it ever was with Misty.

Gabrielle successfully peppers this book with a good dose of humor to keep the work from becoming weighed down with emotional angst. One passage of dark humor, involves her trying to kill a rooster for the first time, as her father coaches her through the assault gone awry. Another tells the story of hers and her husband's futile quest for a decent 4pm meal, with kids in tow. Their increased frustration eventually leads the couple to adopt a rather make-shift, and not entirely legal, solution.

As readers take this emotional roller coaster ride, via a series of funny and touching stories, we are, of course, treated to many hunger provoking descriptions of food, which is why most people will buy this book. The simple egg-on-a-roll sandwiches she survived on in New York, the ravioli with herbs and ricotta visible through the dough, the purple beans and dense cheeses of Italy, and the salads & savory crepes of the French tavern are a mere fraction of the dishes which Gabrielle so vividly depicts with her prose. She even succeeds in making Burrata, an Italian cheese which I personally find to be bland, sound tempting and delicious.

All in all, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef is an entertaining read filled with humor, heartbreak, and enough culinary content to satisfy any serious foodie.
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