Occasionally Wright

Good Eats

I've had two great eating experiences in the past week and a half, and since good restaurants seem to be hard to find I figure they're worth mentioning.

Here in Atlanta I went to Tijuana Joe's- a relatively generic Mexican joint that has seven locations around the city. I'd been there once before and went out on a limb by ordering the fajita stuffed baked potato and the stuffed peppers. Both were decent but nothing special. Then last night we went with another couple and we got the fajitas for two. Let's put it this way- both couples ordered the same thing and when the waiter started putting down the food we asked him if the platter of meat, peppers and onions was for all four of us, because it easily would have been big enough. Nope. There was another platter coming. The food was great, and there was enough of it that there's still some in the fridge, even after having some for lunch today.

The other experience was at the Monsoon Tearoom in Charlottetown (full disclosure- the owners are friends of my family so I can't claim impartiality).

I'm not a sushi guy and I don't generally like seafood but I hadn't been home since the tearoom had opened so we went in to say hi and we stayed for lunch. I like meat, so I was a bit skeptical when we got the salad rolls. I shouldn't have been concerned. They were absolutely fantastic, as was the other dish we ordered that escapes my memory. Ruth and Aung do an incredible job running the place (they moved to PEI years ago and are originally from Burma) while also running the sushi counter at the SuperStore on University Avenue. On top of that, Ruth had her third child in mid-May and is back at the restaurant, working away. Great food and great people. If you can catch the Monsoon when it's opening it's definitely worth stopping in.

Now can anyone tell me where to get some good hush puppies in Atlanta?

Perfect Pork

Take some applewood wood chips and wrap them in aluminum foil. Poke a couple holes in the foil. Fire up the BBQ (or grill, if you prefer) and let it get nice and hot. Keep the lid down. Put the packet of wood chips underneath the top rack of the BBQ. When the chips start to smoke place your pork chops on the top rack over the chips. Close the lid again and let the meat cook on the top rack for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat and the temperature of the grill (300F is optimum). Flip the meat once and only once. Don't press it and don't puncture it.

As an added garnish take an apple or two and remove the cores, being careful to leave some skin on the bottom (you don't want the hole to go all the way through). Sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon in the coreless apple and then fill the rest of the hole with brown sugar. Wrap it in foil and put it on the grill with the meat.

When the pork has turned nice and bronze on the outside on top and bottom remove it and the apples from  the BBQ. Carefully unwrap the apple over a bowl so you don't spill the melted sugar. Pour it out, slice the apples and use the melted sugar as a sauce.

The pork should have a bit of a crispy bacon-like shell on the outside and a subtle smoky flavor to it. It should also be incredibly juicy.

Using a BBQ sauce of some sort is optional, but if you use one don't use much or you won't get the applewood flavor from the smoke.

If it's not the best grilled pork you've ever had you did something wrong and didn't follow my instructions properly.

(This post was inspired by Alan's many chronicles of meat-cooking, which  I expect to see more of in the near future).

Just A Sandwich Ad?

Not too long ago McDonald's launched a new chicken sandwich in Atlanta- it's a lightly battered piece of chicken served in a buttered bun with two slices of pickle. Nothing fancy, and nothing original, seeing as it's almost an exact replica of the sandwich that made Chik-fil-A famous down here in the South.

Fair enough- plenty of people think that the copying of the sandwich just makes Chik-fil-A look good, and Chik-fil-A doesn't seem to be afraid of McDonald's. I don't really care too much since I don't eat the sandwich at either establishment.

Here's the interesting bit though. Chik-fil-A is an interesting company in that it openly hosts Bible studies for employees and stays closed on Sundays so employees can go to church and/or spend time with their families. Their proud of their Christian roots and that image serves them well down here where staying closed on Sunday isn't that unusual.

Well, earlier today I saw a billboard along I-85 advertising the McDonald's chicken sandwich. The tag line? "Good enough for Sunday dinner."

Is it a coincidence that Chik-fil-A is closed  on Sunday and therefore you can't get their sandwich for Sunday dinner? It'll be interesting to see how the campaign goes, and if it generates any controversy or interest. To me it was obvious that McDonald's was taking a shot at the Christian-run company. It'll be interesting to see if anyone else takes notice.

That Smells Good

I did something for the first time ever this week. I used the phrase "It's my grandmother's recipe" in reference to something I cooked.

I cooked a big ol' pot of chili, which turned out well enough that my roommate told his friends about it. that counts for a lot coming from someone whose family is from Louisianna. Next time I won't put quite as much chili powder in it, and I might experiment with some peppers, mushrooms, or whatnot, but the recpie is a grwat starting point.

Mmmm.. chili.

Chowing Down

Forget donairs. I'm a burritto convert.

Good donairs were hard enough to come by in Ottawa. Down here in Atlanta they just don't exist. Gyros- yes. Donairs- no. Instead, burritos are all the rage. Moe's, Willy's, Chipotle- they're everywhere in Atlanta and they're all good. It's not authentic Mexican, which is fine with me because I don't really like the authentic stuff. Basically what you get is diced chicken, pork or steak stuffed in a tortilla along with rice and/or black or pinto beans, salasa, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, etc. I'm pretty sure I'd never had one before I moved here and now I probably have close to one per week.

Good eating I tell ya. Between burritos and BBQ the food down here is right good.

Coke Swings and Misses... Again

In case you were wondering, yes, the new flavour of Coke does suck. Black Cherry Coke with Vanilla? It tastes like cream soda to me, and no, I don't like cream soda. You have to wonder if Coke would be better off sticking to what works instead of rolling out something new every three months only to have it bomb and get pulled a few months later.

Good Eatin'

There's a great little restaurant across the street from my office building  called "Just Around the Corner." They have great fries, an awesome Philly cheesesteak, fantastic gyros and pretty good burgers. On top of having good food, decent prices, a convenient location and solid service they have a jar on their counter. On the jar is a label which reads "Tips: Support Counter Intelligence."

Witty and tasty. What more can you ask for?

Ribs Part II

A couple of weeks ago I purchased some ribs. I cooked the pork side ribs pretty much right away and put the back ribs in the freezer for a special occasion. The side ribs turned out fairly well but I wanted to see if I could get equal or better results with less work and less of a time commitment. This may be near blasphemy to some people but I decided to give it a try on Canada Day. Rather than marinate the ribs overnight I bought a bottle of 30 minute marinade and let the meat soak in that for 90 minutes in the fridge. then I heated the oven to a slightly higher temperature than last time and wrapped the ribs in two layers of foil. I bated them about every 45 minutes for 2.5 hours then took them out of the foil and let them cook on a pan for 45 minutes, coating them every 15 minutes with a mixture of various sauces which had boiled down to make them good and thick.

I hate to say it but this quick process worked much better. I'm sure part of it had to do with the superior cut of meat but cooking the ribs in foil let them steam in their own juice for 2.5 hours. No moisture was lost whatsoever and by the time the ribs came out of the foil to go on the pan they were already sliding off of the bones. The extra sauce (which contains a secret ingredient to give them some kick) was just enough to make them good a sticky and a little bit crispy.

Next time I might combine the two methods and soak the meat overnight and then cook it in foil to get the full benefit of the juices. If I had to choose though the foil method definitely comes out on top for ease and results.

Ribby Goodness

1.1 kg of pork ribs side off soaking in a mixture of orange juice, pineapple chunks and juice, 1 1/2 sliced limes with some grated rinds, diced red onions, a couple spoonfuls of minced chipotle peppers and some hickery liquid smoke. I'll cook them tomorrow at low heat for a few hours in the oven. What can I say? You're an inspiration Alan. They'll be coming out of the oven around 4pm or so. Who wants some?

This and That

Well, I'm back from Georgia. I actually got back late Sunday night but I've been tired and been busy figuring out what needs to be done back here in Ottawa. Note I said figuring out what needs to be done, not doing it. The list is way, way too long.

It doesn't help that it's ridiculously hot and humid in Ottawa, though from the sound of things I misses the worst of it. It's actually been about the same as the weather I had down south with the difference that every place I stayed down there was air conditioned. None of this 'too hot and humid to sleep' nonsense.

My trip was fantastic and ended with a weekend wedding in Knoxville at an old Confederate headquarters. The outdoor wedding was hot but manageable and the people were great. An Ottawa friend married a Southern girl so it was an interesting mix of guests. The southerners and Canadians mixed well and Meg and I met some great people. How small is the world? A  former teacher of the bride from Knoxville knows Tyson Clabo's family. Tyson was a standout football player at Wake and was just named All-Pro in NFL Europe. He also happens to be a good friend of one of my grad school colleagues.

As for the food reviews I promised, here are the highlights:

1. A 'half rack' of ribs along with a generous side of rice and beans plus an in-house brewed pint for $9.95 at Copper Creek Brewing Company. Their half rack was as big as any full rack I've had in Ottawa and was twice as good. No knives necessary and the meat slid off of the bones.
2. Chicken biscuits from Chik-fil-A make an awesome breakfast.
3. Hardee's burgers are great. Their service in Athens, Tenn was absolutely awful. I waited in line for 15 minutes before my order was taken. This was at noon on a Sunday and there were all of three people in front of me. Yes, they're the people that put out the Paris Hilton ad.
4. Black pepper jack Doritos are very, very good. So are Baby Ruth bars.