Touching Base With My Readers

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To My Readers:

This is a different kind of blog specifically written for my regular readers.  Many of you are aware of new posts via my newsletter.  Nothing is changing for those readers.  They'll still receive my newsletter in their inbox whenever I post an update on any of my three blogs (Blogito Ergo Sum, On My Plate, and Musings From The Christian Left).

However, some of you subscribe through through the feedburner in the navigation column.  At the end of the month, the feedburner will no longer support such subscriptions.  In order to receive future updates, simply subscribe to my newsletter. 

To receive my newsletter when new blogs are posted email me here. 

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Question:

|Subject: Chicken Nuggets | Rights to PNG secured from FAVPNG Premium |

Now, this is a food blog, so let me ask a food question. 

Dark meat chicken is fattier and much more flavorful than white meat chicken.  I don't think that's a debatable statement.  So why, why, why do manufacturers of everything from canned soup to nuggets brag about using "all white meat?"  They’re proud of using the less flavorful option. 

If you have any thoughts, I'll share your response in an upcoming blog. 

Best Of My Holiday Blogs

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After publishing 184 food blogs, I've run out of holiday topics. I can only talk about turkey/wine pairings and oyster dressing so many years in a row. I could veer from talking about traditional holiday food, and write about cutting edge gastronomic fare, such as turkey which dissolves on the tongue. That's not genuine cooking to me though, and it certainly has nothing to do with holiday fare.

Instead, I’ll be taking a break from blogging. During the next 6 weeks I’m going to; design & send this year’s Christmas card, design next year’s calendar, rewrite a few chapters of my book, and look into raising money for a copyright lawyer so I can self publish “Murder According To Hoyle.”

In the meantime, readers can browse some of my best holiday blogs.

Title: Turkey | Date: 10/27/2010 | Photographer: Howard Portnoy | This graphic was released into the public domain by the photographer.

Kicking Off Thanksgiving Dinner - Covers Deviled Eggs and other Thanksgiving appetizers, and includes my Oyster Dressing recipe |

A Taste Of The First Thanksgiving |

What are the Best Holiday Wine & Food Pairings? - A Guest Post by Vintage Wine Gifts |

Feed Someone This Thanksgiving |

A Taste Of Traditional English Christmas Dinner |

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Instead of the usual links to related products, you'll find links to a few hunger related charities, you can donate to, at the bottom of this entry.

| No Kid Hungry | Save The Children | Feed The Children | Random Acts Of Pizza | | Meals On Wheels | Loaves & Fishes |
| Portland's Sunshine Division |

SEE YOU IN 2016!

SPAM SPAM SPAM

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The following entry is a reflection of my Note To Spammers Page, listed above. I'm posting it as a blog entry too, in case there are readers who read my entries, but don't browse my pages above.
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Just like the patron in the classic Monty Python skit, I don't like SPAM!  OK, I don't mind the canned spiced ham product, it has its place in the pantries of suburbia.  What I can't stand are anonymous comments which have NOTHING to do with the topic at hand.

A few times a week I'll get a comment on a recipe post, such as, "You make a valid point, I never thought of the issue quite that way.  Visit my page to buy vintage Metallica albums."

They never thought of a pancake recipe quite that way?  The comment is so general that it could easily apply to 99% of the blog posts out there.  Generic comments, like this tell me the commenter didn't read the posted blog.  They're posting a comment to try to get free advertising.

By the way, what good does it do to call themselves "Anonymous" if they're going to provide a link to a website they own?  It makes me think the commenter is either a moron, or the link isn't to a real website, in which case the link is probably designed to add spy ware to my computer.

A legitimate commenter can leave their web address in the comment form's URL field, and anyone clicking on the commenter's name will be whisked straight to their site.  That's what the URL field is for.

If someone has a legitimate comment about a post, even if the commenter completely disagrees with what I've written, I'll approve such comments every time.  However, if someone merely scribbles a generic line of crap in order to expand their market for; discount Viagra, camping gear, or 70s memorabilia;  I WILL NEVER approve such tripe.

From now on, silly spam comments will appear on the Wall Of Shame on my Note To Spammers Page, listed above, with the links disabled so my readers won't get a virus.  
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Now, because this is a food blog, here's a recipe for SPAM-Chiladas from SPAM.com.

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SPAM-Chiladas from SPAM.com

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce can SPAM Jalapeño, grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
1 (28-ounce) can La Victoria Red Enchilada Sauce
8 (8-inch) corn or flour tortillas
Wholly Guacamole, to serve

Directions:

1 Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In large skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Cook onion, garlic and pepper for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add SPAM and fry for 5 minutes or until SPAM is browned. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the SPAM mixture for garnish.

3 Add black beans, rice, cilantro and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir until well combined.

4 Spoon 1/4 of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Heat tortillas and coat with enchilada sauce. Spoon SPAM mixture on to each tortilla. Roll up to enclose filling. Place in dish and pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas.

5 Top with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake 40-45 minutes or until warmed through. Serve with guacamole if desired. Sprinkle reserved fried SPAM over enchiladas.

James' Note:
Personally, I'd top these with a healthy dollop of sour cream.

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Recipe prints as a single page for your recipe file or refrigerator.
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Standards And Criteria in Reviews Plus Jersey Mike's Sandwiches

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I review many food related offerings and rate them from 1 star to 10 stars.  Lately, it's occurred to me just how subjective such a scale can be.  What qualifies something as a "10?"  Can a steak dinner and a fast food sandwich achieve the same score?  If any reviews are to be taken seriously, these are the kinds of questions which need to be addressed.

Subject: Steak & Fries | Date: 02/27/2009 | Photographer: LWY | This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License.

A quality scale can span any range the critic chooses, as long as the critic uses the same scale consistently.  Daym Drops reviews fast food dishes on a 5 point system.  More famously, Robert Parker critiques wine on his, frequently sited, 100 point scale.  As a tongue in cheek way of emphasizing the random nature of such scales, the critics of "The Two Minute Reviews" critique foods on a 37 point system.

While the numerical value of a particular score can be a matter of poetic license, the criteria behind the scores should be consistent.  One should never allow mood to influence the rating of an item or restaurant.  The fact that one of my assistants quit working for me has nothing to with the way my sandwich tastes.  Knocking a dish because I'm grumpy would be completely irresponsible.

Likewise, I can't think, "Dish A was a 10, so what I'm eating now can only be an 8, at best."  A steakhouse steak is always going to be more satisfying than a fast food sandwich.  That doesn't mean the sandwich isn't doing its job though.  It's not trying to be a steak, so I can't compare it to one.

To rate something correctly, I ask myself a series of questions.  What is the food/restaurant trying to be?  Is it fulfilling the claims it's making?  Is it worth the price?  Would I partake of this again?  Answers to these questions gives me a value, which I can express in terms of a 10 point scale.

10 stars = I need this in my life from this day forward|
09 stars = Everyone needs to try this, it's wonderful|
08 stars = It's as good as I thought it would be|
07 stars = It's good, but it missed in a few minor ways|
06 stars = It's passable, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it|
05 stars = It's barely tolerable but cheap|
04 stars = Their charging what for this spew?|
03 stars = It's 1970s school lunch quality bad|
02 stars = It's lousy and a possible health risk|
01 stars = The people responsible for this should be prosecuted|

Subject: Jersey Mike's Chipotle Cheese Steak | Date: 01/30/2015 | Photographers: James Kiester & Dani Cogswell This picture was taken by the author of this blog.

For  example, last week I went to Jersey Mike's at 4105 SW 117th Ave. in Beaverton, Oregon for the first time, which entitled me, right off the bat, to a free chocolate chip cookie.  I had their regular size, about 6 inch, Chipotle Cheese Steak (a pile of paper thin beef, melted Provolone cheese, grilled onions, grilled red & green bell peppers, and chipotle mayo) on white bread.  My friend got a regular size Original Italian Sub (Provolone, ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami and pepperoni) on white bread.  We both got chips & a medium drink for a combined total of $18.98.

I could definitely taste the meat, cheese, and veggies of my Chipotle Cheese Steak, which were delicious.  However, from something called a "Chipotle" Cheese Steak, I expected a good kick of heat, which just wasn't present.  The chipotle mayo may as well have been everyday Best Foods.

As for Dani's Original Italian Sub, I was initially impressed by the variety of meats included on the sandwich.  Taking a bite though, told me it tasted no different, no better or worse, than Subway's Cold Cut Combo.

Essentially, we got a Subway quality meal for a higher price.  Since the good, but not great, lunch delivered tasty sandwiches, but didn't bring the expected spice one associates with chipotle, Jersey Mike's earns 7 out of 10 stars. 

Of course, in the end all reviews reflect the personal tastes of the reviewer.  Robert Parker, supposedly THE world's defining wine critic, likes really dry wines, whereas I enjoy sweet fruity wines.  Many of the vintages he scores as 80 or below, a failing grade in his opinion, are the very wines I gravitate toward.

A person's best bet is to find a critic who closely shares the reader's/viewer's tastes, and use that critic's opinions, in conjunction with their own judgement, as a guide.  In the end, I can tell you what I like, but only you can decide what you like.
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Poll Results Plus Waffle Taco Review

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Poll Results:

My last entry was a review of a local restaurant.  The food was great, but because I hadn't had my camera with me, and I couldn't find an appropriate picture within the public domain, I almost didn't write the piece.

With food like, "three glazed slices of grilled pork atop of a bed of soft polenta, roast garlic & shallots, and arugula all drizzled with pork Jus," and  "Steak Tartare, fresh ground beef with; onions, parsley, and Harissa; topped with a farm fresh egg yolk, served with charred baguettes," I felt it would've been a mistake not to write about the meal.

Thus, I posted the review and asked my readers how important pictures actually are.  100% of readers who took the poll indicated, "Pictures are nice, but not necessary."

As a result, from now on, if I have a legally usable picture of  topic I'll use it, but I won't let the lack of art keep me from bringing readers my views on food & drinks.
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Waffle Taco Review:

Taco Bell is venturing into the breakfast business.  Arguably, their most initially intriguing offering is the Waffle Taco, a soft waffle wrapped around bacon, or a sausage patty, along with scrambled eggs and grated Cheddar cheese, served with a side of sweet syrup.

I like fast food breakfast sandwiches, as a rule.  When I heard about this taco I was excited.  I ordered the sausage version.  Being from Taco Bell, my expectation was that the dish would be slightly spicy and full of flavor.  D'oh! :-o

I got bland eggs and bland sausage on a bland waffle.  When drizzled on, the syrup does add a pleasant sweetness, but it makes the taco sticky and hard to pick up.

McDonald's McGriddle (a sausage patty between two biscuit sized maple flavored griddle cakes) offers much more savory flavor, along with its sweet maple taste, with much less mess.

I give Taco Bell's Waffle Taco 4 out of 10 stars.  Sweetness on top of blandness just isn't the recipe for a tasty breakfast 
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A Review Of DeCarli Restaurant Plus A Reader Poll

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Back in January, The Oregonian wrote a piece on Beaverton's best restaurants.  As a belated birthday gift, my brother and his wife allowed me to choose a restaurant for cocktails and dinner.  My mind rushed back to the article, and I chose the restaurant which touted, "While the menu changes daily, the espresso-braised short ribs are a permanent fixture; one taste and you'll know why. The happy hour menu is a fine display of Decarli favorites at bargain prices: thick polenta fries with rich gorgonzola butter; thin-crust pizzetta with seasonal toppings such as arugula pesto and roasted portobello mushrooms; mussels in a fennel-saffron cream sauce that regulars rarely pass up," DeCarli Restaurant at 4545 SW Watson Ave., Beaverton, OR 97005.

I started with one of their signature cocktails, the name of which I can't remember, containing; orange infused vodka, lime, Sprite, and other ingredients.  (Taking notes at the dinner table is awkward, what can I say?)  The drink had a sweet/tart citrus flavor with a slightly bitter finish reminiscent of an orange's peel.

While sipping, our table opened the meal by sharing three appetizers:

• Steak Tartare, fresh ground beef with; onions, parsley, and Harissa; topped with a farm fresh egg yolk, served with charred baguettes for $13.00,  
• Three Topped Toasted Bruschettas, one topped with salmon tartare & creme fraiche, one with balsamic figs & ricotta, and one with herbed ricotta & English peas for $8.00,
• Mussels in the shell with a creamy saffron-fennel wine sauce served nestled inside a bed of arugula for $14.00.

The Steak Tartare had a fresh taste and was well seasoned with just a hint of spicy heat.  Likewise, the mussels were tender with a pleasant sea flavor of their own in addition to the rich taste of the sauce.  In fact, if one put the mussels & sauce over pasta they'd have a superb meal right there.

My favorite of the crunchy bruschettas was the sweet & salty fig & cheese topped toast, the ingredients of which composed a perfectly balanced bite.  Additionally, the salmon tartare topped toast delivered a mildly salty salmon flavor, reminding me of really good lox.  As for the pea topped toast, it was tasty but just kinda "eh," compared to the other offerings.

My entree was the Long-Grilled Carlton Farm Pork Shoulder for $22.00.   I received three glazed slices of grilled pork atop of a bed of soft polenta, roast garlic & shallots, and arugula all drizzled with pork Jus.  The glaze gave the grill marked pork a burgundy sheen and mildly sweet flavor which complimented the smoky rich taste of the meat.  Meanwhile, the garlic, shallots, and Jus gave the polenta a savory bold flavor.

Nobody had room for dessert at the end of the night, but because the meal was a birthday present I received a small dish of cinnamon Gelato and a shortbread cookie, which served as a pleasant cap to a superb meal.  When all is said and done, I give DeCarli Restaurant 9 out of 10 stars.
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Now For A Bit Of Housekeeping:

When I went to DeCarli Restaurant I forgot my camera.  Unfortunately, all the DeCarli Restaurant related pictures I found online were protected by copyright.  I came that close to not writing the piece, but I wasn't sure how important pictures actually are.

Please take a moment to answer the poll question below, so I know what to do next time.

How important are pictures to my food blogs?
	Food blogs are boring without pictures.
	Pictures are nice, but not necessary.
	I don't care about pictures as long as the blog is well written.
pollcode.com free polls

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Blog Policy Shift Plus Applebee's Citrus Lime Sirloin

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Title: Chef Anthony Bourdain at Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore | Date: 03/26/2011 | Photographer: Cheryl/miss bake-a-lot | This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

My culinary hero, Anthony Bourdain, has been known to knock chain restaurants.  Even though he has confessed to a fondness for KFC's coleslaw, Bourdain essentially rights chains off as being soulless purveyors of mediocre food, and places where no "serious eater" would visit.

Taking a cue from my idol, I refrained from reviewing chain food, on this blog, for a long time.  That policy was a mistake for three reasons.

1.  Some chain food is friggin' delicious.  Seriously, most recipes, used by chains, have been flavor tested and tweaked countless times to make sure it's something you'll rave about at work the next day.  Even chain restaurants depend on positive word-of-mouth for sustained business.
2.  Chain food is the food I share in common with many of my readers. Readers from California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey will probably never eat at Tasty 'n Sons or Richie's Taco Truck in Portland, but they can visit their local Olive Garden or Applebee's, and have roughly the same eating experience I had.
3. I'M NOT ANTHONY BOURDAIN!  I'm not a wealthy chef who can eat at Michelin ranked restaurants on a regular basis.  Most of the places I eat at are chain restaurants.  When I exclude such places, I drastically limit what I can write about.

Thus, expect to see more reviews of dishes from common chain eateries here.

First up is Applebee's Citrus Lime Sirloin, a  grilled 7 oz. cut of sirloin steak topped with; a Latin Chili sauce, chopped cilantro, and lime juice; served alongside a mound of potatoes, zucchini, and green beans for $14.99.
I didn't have my camera with me, but you can click link above to see a copywritten picture of the dish on Applebee's own server.

The kitchen at 1220 N.W. 185th Avenue in Beaverton, Oregon got the steak to my table medium rare, as I ordered it, and hot in a timely manner.  The sauce was pleasantly sweet and spicy without being cloying or tongue searingly hot.  Beneath the balanced sauce, I could taste the tender succulent well seasoned beef.

The veggies were adequately seasoned and maintained a semi-crisp texture, but were nothing special.  My meal included a hefty portion of them though.  Their inclusion as the steak's side, rather than fries or onion rings, allowed the meal to appear healthier, even if, at 570 calories, it doesn't quite qualify for their 550 Calorie Menu.

All things considered, I give Applebee's Citrus Lime Sirloin 8 out of 10 stars.
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