Foodies BS Thread.

i lapse in judgement with my nonsticks. sometimes i nick things or scrub too hard.

NS pans are cheap, and i dont waste my time once they get worn.

crock pots..i hate them.

 

Xaks.. thats some good info man! thanks!

 

hey, just curious. where did Ryan, the guy that started this thread go?

 

Any time man, any time.

I'd encourage any and all of us to sing out with any and all questions. I know some things, am largely ignorant of others, and my experience pool is woefully shallow, but I learn every day as I go...plus, this is the the most fun you can have playing with science nowadays without ending up on a watch list someplace

EDITED to add:

Hey, any of y'all ever get a Chef's Table in a restaurant? My wife got one for us for our anniversary...here's a long-assed writeup, if'n you're interested in that kind of thing:


Buca di Beppo is apparently loosely translated, "Donny's Basement" or something like that. It was noisy as we got escorted in, and I missed part of it. Anyhow, the decor is low ceilings, thin hallways, and 1000 pictures all over the walls...literally. Very homey.

First, as we get escorted into the kitchen, there's a big sign for the servers to read as they go in and out of the kitchen:



Immediately after, we come to our table:



Now, aside from the pictures of Danny Devito, Arnold, Sly Stallone, Charlie Sheen, and Gene Simmons sitting in the same booth at some point, where exactly is this quaint little booth?

Well, as you're sitting at it, here's the view:






Appetizers: Seafood Trio Platter and Italian Broccoli Romano

The mussels were fucking AMAZING. A little spicy, some heat, fresh tomatos in the sauce. Holy god.


Bucatini Ala Enzo


For an entree, I had Veal Saltimbocca:

I've never, ever, ever had veal this good. Tender, and a bit salty, HUGE flavor, the artichokes and capers gave it such a subtle flavor boost. Incredible.

She got Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken:


Now, this was not our dessert, but we HAD to get a picture. Yes, this is real and served:


We were so close to the line, when the chefs cooked off the alcohol in pan sauces, perhaps half a dozen times while we were there, we felt the flash of heat from the flames. The chefs frequently talked to us, asked us about our dinner...ALL the waitstaff was cool as hell, they all stopped and chit-chatted. Managers come over and talked, asked about pretty much everything under the sun.

All in all, we were there about two hours. Cost for everything, including drinks and tip, was less than $200, including at least three days' worth of leftovers. All the entrees are family style, meaning my veal was enough to feed four. I ate two, brought two home. Same with her chicken....5 stuffed breasts. She had two, I had one, and we still have two left over.

A-fucking-PLUS, would recommend highly. Awesome anniversary present. Link for those interested: Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

Now, FYI, they only have two seatings a night at this one, a 5PM and 730PM. You're looking at a month waiting list at this one down here. According to the manager though, it varies. A couple of the locations don't have a chef's table, and some have more than one, so call your local restaurant if you're looking to try it out as there may be a waiting list.

Yea, its a 'chain' restaurant, but 90% of the expansion came since Planet Hollywood bought them only a couple years ago. This one we went to is one of the 'originals'.

 

Love Buca Di Beppo...been there many-o-times.

 

X2 that place is pretty much heaven and meatballs! id love to get the chefs table

 

I'm about to make some of you go all

on me. Sorry. All I can say is, give my method a chance before you judge it. I do these steps this way for a reason, and I'll explain along the way.

First off, the cut of meat. Nothing personal, Filet, but the King of grilled steaks is the Ribeye, with the Sirloin coming a close second. Yea, you might be the tenderest, but you also have almost no fat and as such, not very much flavor. So, yea, enjoy your time with the rich...we're takin' STEAK here.

Now, a couple thick cut ribeyes like this here should NOT be over 7 or 8 bucks a pound at a 'normal' grocery store, or for really good ones maybe 9 at a proper butchers'.

Take them out of the fridge at least an hour before you're planning to cook. I put them on a cutting board, then lay a paper towel down atop, and put the second board face down on that. Flip, put down paper towel on the second side, replace the board, flip again.

The first paper towel has sucked up all kinds of water from the surface of the meat. Pull it off, put a fresh one down, flip the pile back over. The second paper towel, on the other side, sucked up all kinds of water from THAT side. Peel it off and discard. Put down a new paper towel.

I do this until a full minute on a clean paper towel barely leaves a mark. Usually takes 6-8 towels to do this.



Then, seasoning. As you see above, I'm pretty straightforward. Two pinches of salt per side, then the wife's gets Montreal Steak seasoning. I get pepper, a bit of Old Bay, and some garlic if I'm feeling it.



Get a nice coat of whatever you like and let them sit, at room temperature, for an hour.

*time passes

Now, outside and get that grill lit up. I let mine sit for a solid 10 minutes at this setting.



Yes, I have a gas grill. Put that down, lemme 'splain.

If I were cooking for a living, or was a househusband with all the time in the world, then I would use natural chunk charcoal and do it that way. But I'm not, and I don't, so I cheat a bit. You can do this with your 'normal' grill too ya know.

Anyhow, you'll please take note of three things in the next picture:



One: I'm NOT using the lower grate to cook on. I prefer the convection action up near the hood.

Two, the top grate is shiny. Because it has been liberally coated with peanut oil during the pre-heating process. This is important...don't use olive oil or the like, they can't take this heat and smoke off and leave a really bad flavor. Use peanut, or saffron, or suchly with a 500+ degree smoke point.

Three, the steaks start the process at an odd angle. You'll see.

Close the lid and start the timer. 3 minutes. No more, no less.



Pop the top, rotate the steaks 90 degrees, without flipping, and close the lid again. 3 more minutes.

Now, I can hear you...you're going, "What the hell?", and that's fine. Here's my explanation for that. When the second 3 minutes is up, you flip the steaks over and place them at the same odd angle as the first step...



NOW you're seein' what I mean! 3 minutes, a 90 degree turn, 3 more minutes. Pull them and get them resting under some foil. For thinner cut steaks, 2:30 for each step.

Now, while the meat is resting, grab a pan, some chopped 'shrooms and sweet onion (a handful of each). Melt a pad of butter in a skillet over medium-high, toss in said goodies. Brown for about three or so minutes, stirring ofen.


I whipped up a simle fettucini & pasta with basil and oregano to go with some frozen creamed corn (yea, you can cheat here too and use those $1.79 Pasta Sides things, or make mashed taters or something, but I was in a hurry tonight).

After 5 minutes, the steaks are good to go. The juices have mostly redistributed through the meat, and it won't leave a puddle on your plate as you're eating it.



The only way to have steak...medium-rare for me, closer to meadium for the missus. Cut across the grain of the muscle for maximum tenderness.



Plate. Top the steak with the browned onions and 'shroom, hit up the veggie and noodles...



Bang. Less than 10 bucks a plate.

 

Nice write up, the main place where I differ is sometimes and it depends on the but, I like to put it over direct heat to get a nice crust on the steak. Other then that everything else is pretty much the same.

 

For some cuts of steak I agree.

For instance, a new york strip? Pan seared all the way. Same with Filets. (Go figure, considering!)

Thing is, ribeyes and sirloins have a lot more fat, and the heat needed to properly sear a golden or dark brown to them renders out a LOT of flavor, and results in flareups too.

The higher fat content really lends itself well to the not so direct heat you get on the top rack.

 

Good job on those ribeyes Xaks!

 

Somethin' simple... baked chicken in BBQ sauce and steamed some veggies... i felt like having scrambled eggs too

 

Nice Ant!! ^^^

 

Yeah that looks really good and healthy too!!

 

thanks guys!

 

I am going to a local organic farm tonight for dinner, farm to table style. This will be the second time I have attended their Supper club and the first time was awesome. I will try to take some pics, I am excited!!!

 

Hopefully you can get some shots!!

 

^^^I shouldnt have any problems........ the food is so good though, this is my first priority....

 

Burgers and some mini steaks, haha!!

 

Well here are the 2 pics that I got to take from last night. I only got the salad and pasta dish. I didnt take a pic of the entree only bc I forgot. The salad was a beet tartar with celery and celery greens.



Pasta dish was a goat cheese and greens with hot oil,olives and pan fried nuts with wilted swiss chard.

 

I didnt take a pic of the entree which was pan roasted lamb with basil mashed potatoes.