Of God and Grease part II
05/06/08 17:53
Now as stated earlier
it wouldn’t really be fair to judge a nations food
culture by the lowest denominator. And in all
fairness I’ve been presented with food worthy of… Of…
Of someone really important (and little old me). But
it isn’t always easy to find, so I’ll star out by
giving a few pointers as to how one succeeds in
finding the good food in America.
Ask the locals.
A good first try is always the receptionist or the doorman, depending on the quality of the hotel. They’ll usually be able to tell you of a few places - and often they’ll be able to tell you the different price ranges as well.
Another option is stopping people on the street, the problem about this approach is that they’ll often be so surprised by both you and your accent that they’ll direct you to the nearest McDonald’s, and lets face it: if you wanted foods equivalent to a poke in the eye, you probably wouldn’t have travelled this far to get it.
Last option would be to ask a police officer, which is kind of a fifty/fifty gamble in my experience. In the south they’ll be more than happy to help - but the ones I’ve encountered in the east coast are basically morons. They seem like they would consider arresting you for obstruction of justice if coughed up blood while trying to report like you got shot in the lung. Now That might just be me who’ve had a few bad experiences, but nevertheless, these are my experiences.
The Chamber of Commerce.
If you have access to the internet and you have a good idea of we’re you’re gonna stay for the night, I suggest that you googlesearch the name of the city/neighborhood you’ll be in and add ‘Chamber of Commerce’ to the search. In my experience this will provide you with the names of all the restaurants and cafes in the area, and often - as an added bonus: reviews.
Everything is available on the internet - even a grading of Suzy’s famous Pecan Pie,the one that is only made two times a week and served cold with sour cream on mondays and wednesdays in The Voodoo Tavern in St. Louis Mississippi.
Abe’s Barbecue - Abe’s Spareribs
Robert Johnson used to say he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads. Well just 250 feet further down the road , Abe - according to local legend offered his to the lord. And no matter how much respect and love for I have for the blues and Mr. Johnson, I’m gonna have to side with Abe and his barbecue ribs on this one.
The Crossroads are located in Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta, and should you ever be around the neighborhood I recommend you go visit Abe’s Barbecue.
It’s slowcooked pork - maybe been cooking at low heat for roughly seven hours by the time it arrives at my plate. It is joined by it’s wonderful and yet simple sidekick, Miller Lite. In all its greasy goodness it’s been dipped in Abe’s special sweet honey/mustard barbecue sauce, and next to it is a bowl of freshly made coleslaw. Hell, I just might be going back myself.
Champlin’s - The Clam Bake in Point Judith.
South of
Providence, against the Atlantic Coast lies a small
town that is really most famous for it’s lighthouse;
Point Judith. Besides having a beautiful sandy beach
there is also culinary reason to visit - actually the
food at the Champlin’s restaurant is reason enough by
itself.
This was indeed the meal of a lifetime with everything the ocean has to offer. Clams, muscles, Oysters and lobster. Everything on the plate had been caught the same day and had been delivered directly from the fisherman’s boat into the kitchens private loading dock.
It’s served on a brown plastic platter, and everything is mixed into one delightful celebration of the sea. You’ll get a second platter filled with sauces, spice mixes and water to rinse the muscles and oysters before you eat them.
And with every bite the guys took. With every exclamation of pleasure and delight they uttered the more I regretted the fact that I was hungover and didn’t have the same. But I could barely keep down my fish’n’chips - which by the way were delicious as well.
The Pancake Pantry - Pancake Parisienne.
In the
Hillsborough of Nashville, Tennessee lies The Pancake
Pantry. It’s located a few blocks from the famous
Vanderbilt University, and hosts a collection of
thrift stores, antique shops, bookstores and
restaurants. It also hosts some great microbreweries
that have restaurants as well. But on one of the
corners of this three block market area is a special
gift to those of us who enjoy a little something
every once in a while: The Pancake Pantry.
It isn’t impressive to look at - nor is it hideous. It’s just anonymous, which makes it even more strange on first sight. It opens at 8 am and closes at 10 pm. But from around 9 am the line starts forming, and half an hour later there’ll be a 45 minute wait to get in - and this then lasts all day.
Now, on first look it can seem a bit strange that there is a huge line going into an anonymously looking red brick warehouse, but believe me - this is no ordinary place. It is the Pancake Pantry - the Palace of Pancakes, the original sinner of flattened circular goodness, and it comes in so many delightful forms, tastes and even sensations.
Everybody at the table had different sorts of delights, and I was particularly hungry because I had spent 45 minutes playing baseball on a Nintendo Wii (!). I orderes the Pancake Parisienne, briefly described as european style pancakes with strawberrry and cream - and they even threw in a cup of french roast as a little pick me up!
Is was deeeeeee-licious! The pancakes had a bit of vanilla, a little orange just enough cardamom to make you fall in love with whoever was sitting across the table. To top of this feast, they at put whipped cream and strawberry sauce on the top. It was so bloody good that I at this moment, sitting in Washington DC, consider packing up my stuff and get on the train to Nashville for a second serving.
A good tip however is: get there before 9 am, unless you wanna stand in line for 30-45 minutes, although that is a small price to pay.
The black Pearl - Clam Chowder and Bloody Mary.
A twenty minute
drive from above mentioned Point Judith, lies the
small coastal town of Newport, Rhode Island. The
Black Pearl itself is located in the small cosy 18th
century harbor environment by the bay. It is an
anonymous dark building with a wooden sign hanging
lazyli out over the door. It creeks as it should, and
when you enter - which is a VERY good idea,
considering the quality of the food they have -
you’ll enter a small diner with wooden tables and the
characteristic smell of the chowder.
Once there, and only had a late lunch, order the White Clam Chowder and a Bloody Mary. It might sound scary but somehow the combination just explodes and sends you off to seafood heaven.
The Chowder itself, is a cream based muscle soup. It has lobster, white wine, maybe a little green but not much. It is served with a few crackers - and should you prefer it the waiter will grind some fresh pepper on top. I did and it was delicious.
Simple, good produce and served in a good atmosphere. And cost roughly 12$ per person. And you’ll be hard pressed to find it better.
Brett Favre’s Steak House - The Brett Favre Signature Steak.
At the foot of
Mount Lambeau (Field), lies the steak house owned by
former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
Like a little stream of crystal clear springwater,
Favre Pass - as it is called, ends in the steak
house. It honors the Mississippi tradition that Mr.
Favre grew up with, which in this case means
excellent (an huge amount of) meat - and cajun
spices. And with these traditions im ind you really
can’t go wrong.
And boy, oh boy did they do it right!
I ordered Brett’s Signature Steak, which is 20 oz (550 grams) of prime beef. It was more tender than some of the Kobe meat I’ve had the pleasure of eating, and the butter sauteed mushrooms and sweet potatoes that accompanied this monstrosity just made things even better!
I ordered (as I have grown accustomed to) a Miller Lite - draught - and just threw myself into the game. And what a fight it was. There in the hall of one of my biggest idols - and it was a hall of tribute, with pictures of his achievements all over the place - I singlehandedly took out what seemed impossible.
It was also, I think, the closest I’ve ever been to death by cow - including once at my grandparents farm where I outran a pissed off bull called Thomas. But had I died it would have been worth it.
The Deepwater Grill - The Black Angus Burger .
Way up north, by the frozen edge of Lake Superior, in the small town of Ashland, lies a microbrewery called The Deepwater. If you should ever find yourself in chicago I suggest you take the 370 mile drive up there. It’ll take you roughly eight hours each way, but I promise you: it’s worth it!
The burger is a freshly baked roll served with just basic tomatoes, lettuce onions and mushrooms. You’ll have a choice of different sides like mashed potatoes, fries or salad. That’ll always be a personal decision - but the important thing in this place is was you drink!
The Deepwater Grill is not only a restaurant, it is also a microbrewery. They brew different beers (obviously) but the one you’ll need for the burger is the Indian Pale Ale. It is one of the best I’ve ever had, and with the enormous black angus beef and the freshly baked, homemade roll it just makes you lean back, grab your beer and think that maybe life just aint that terrible after all.
And after you’ve a had seconds, thirds - whatever you feel appropriate - walk down to Lake Superior and catch the sunset. This is the area the Chippewa indians fell in love with hundreds of years ago, and I have a pretty good idea that the sunset played a big part in that.
The combination of a burger, the cold beer and the golden sunset of Lake Superior is something that every man (and woman) should be allowed to experience.
It really just takes us back to the fact that we don’t need big things. Sometimes getting the small ones right is much better. And for me on that april night, having a burger, serves with fries and a cold beer just made the difference. And as the sun set over Superior I thought to myself.
Hell, this just isn’t too bad after all.
Ask the locals.
A good first try is always the receptionist or the doorman, depending on the quality of the hotel. They’ll usually be able to tell you of a few places - and often they’ll be able to tell you the different price ranges as well.
Another option is stopping people on the street, the problem about this approach is that they’ll often be so surprised by both you and your accent that they’ll direct you to the nearest McDonald’s, and lets face it: if you wanted foods equivalent to a poke in the eye, you probably wouldn’t have travelled this far to get it.
Last option would be to ask a police officer, which is kind of a fifty/fifty gamble in my experience. In the south they’ll be more than happy to help - but the ones I’ve encountered in the east coast are basically morons. They seem like they would consider arresting you for obstruction of justice if coughed up blood while trying to report like you got shot in the lung. Now That might just be me who’ve had a few bad experiences, but nevertheless, these are my experiences.
The Chamber of Commerce.
If you have access to the internet and you have a good idea of we’re you’re gonna stay for the night, I suggest that you googlesearch the name of the city/neighborhood you’ll be in and add ‘Chamber of Commerce’ to the search. In my experience this will provide you with the names of all the restaurants and cafes in the area, and often - as an added bonus: reviews.
Everything is available on the internet - even a grading of Suzy’s famous Pecan Pie,the one that is only made two times a week and served cold with sour cream on mondays and wednesdays in The Voodoo Tavern in St. Louis Mississippi.
Abe’s Barbecue - Abe’s Spareribs
Robert Johnson used to say he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads. Well just 250 feet further down the road , Abe - according to local legend offered his to the lord. And no matter how much respect and love for I have for the blues and Mr. Johnson, I’m gonna have to side with Abe and his barbecue ribs on this one.
The Crossroads are located in Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta, and should you ever be around the neighborhood I recommend you go visit Abe’s Barbecue.
It’s slowcooked pork - maybe been cooking at low heat for roughly seven hours by the time it arrives at my plate. It is joined by it’s wonderful and yet simple sidekick, Miller Lite. In all its greasy goodness it’s been dipped in Abe’s special sweet honey/mustard barbecue sauce, and next to it is a bowl of freshly made coleslaw. Hell, I just might be going back myself.
Champlin’s - The Clam Bake in Point Judith.
This was indeed the meal of a lifetime with everything the ocean has to offer. Clams, muscles, Oysters and lobster. Everything on the plate had been caught the same day and had been delivered directly from the fisherman’s boat into the kitchens private loading dock.
It’s served on a brown plastic platter, and everything is mixed into one delightful celebration of the sea. You’ll get a second platter filled with sauces, spice mixes and water to rinse the muscles and oysters before you eat them.
And with every bite the guys took. With every exclamation of pleasure and delight they uttered the more I regretted the fact that I was hungover and didn’t have the same. But I could barely keep down my fish’n’chips - which by the way were delicious as well.
The Pancake Pantry - Pancake Parisienne.
It isn’t impressive to look at - nor is it hideous. It’s just anonymous, which makes it even more strange on first sight. It opens at 8 am and closes at 10 pm. But from around 9 am the line starts forming, and half an hour later there’ll be a 45 minute wait to get in - and this then lasts all day.
Now, on first look it can seem a bit strange that there is a huge line going into an anonymously looking red brick warehouse, but believe me - this is no ordinary place. It is the Pancake Pantry - the Palace of Pancakes, the original sinner of flattened circular goodness, and it comes in so many delightful forms, tastes and even sensations.
Everybody at the table had different sorts of delights, and I was particularly hungry because I had spent 45 minutes playing baseball on a Nintendo Wii (!). I orderes the Pancake Parisienne, briefly described as european style pancakes with strawberrry and cream - and they even threw in a cup of french roast as a little pick me up!
Is was deeeeeee-licious! The pancakes had a bit of vanilla, a little orange just enough cardamom to make you fall in love with whoever was sitting across the table. To top of this feast, they at put whipped cream and strawberry sauce on the top. It was so bloody good that I at this moment, sitting in Washington DC, consider packing up my stuff and get on the train to Nashville for a second serving.
A good tip however is: get there before 9 am, unless you wanna stand in line for 30-45 minutes, although that is a small price to pay.
The black Pearl - Clam Chowder and Bloody Mary.
Once there, and only had a late lunch, order the White Clam Chowder and a Bloody Mary. It might sound scary but somehow the combination just explodes and sends you off to seafood heaven.
The Chowder itself, is a cream based muscle soup. It has lobster, white wine, maybe a little green but not much. It is served with a few crackers - and should you prefer it the waiter will grind some fresh pepper on top. I did and it was delicious.
Simple, good produce and served in a good atmosphere. And cost roughly 12$ per person. And you’ll be hard pressed to find it better.
Brett Favre’s Steak House - The Brett Favre Signature Steak.
And boy, oh boy did they do it right!
I ordered Brett’s Signature Steak, which is 20 oz (550 grams) of prime beef. It was more tender than some of the Kobe meat I’ve had the pleasure of eating, and the butter sauteed mushrooms and sweet potatoes that accompanied this monstrosity just made things even better!
I ordered (as I have grown accustomed to) a Miller Lite - draught - and just threw myself into the game. And what a fight it was. There in the hall of one of my biggest idols - and it was a hall of tribute, with pictures of his achievements all over the place - I singlehandedly took out what seemed impossible.
It was also, I think, the closest I’ve ever been to death by cow - including once at my grandparents farm where I outran a pissed off bull called Thomas. But had I died it would have been worth it.
The Deepwater Grill - The Black Angus Burger .
Way up north, by the frozen edge of Lake Superior, in the small town of Ashland, lies a microbrewery called The Deepwater. If you should ever find yourself in chicago I suggest you take the 370 mile drive up there. It’ll take you roughly eight hours each way, but I promise you: it’s worth it!
The burger is a freshly baked roll served with just basic tomatoes, lettuce onions and mushrooms. You’ll have a choice of different sides like mashed potatoes, fries or salad. That’ll always be a personal decision - but the important thing in this place is was you drink!
The Deepwater Grill is not only a restaurant, it is also a microbrewery. They brew different beers (obviously) but the one you’ll need for the burger is the Indian Pale Ale. It is one of the best I’ve ever had, and with the enormous black angus beef and the freshly baked, homemade roll it just makes you lean back, grab your beer and think that maybe life just aint that terrible after all.
And after you’ve a had seconds, thirds - whatever you feel appropriate - walk down to Lake Superior and catch the sunset. This is the area the Chippewa indians fell in love with hundreds of years ago, and I have a pretty good idea that the sunset played a big part in that.
The combination of a burger, the cold beer and the golden sunset of Lake Superior is something that every man (and woman) should be allowed to experience.
It really just takes us back to the fact that we don’t need big things. Sometimes getting the small ones right is much better. And for me on that april night, having a burger, serves with fries and a cold beer just made the difference. And as the sun set over Superior I thought to myself.
Hell, this just isn’t too bad after all.
|