Saturday, January 8, 2011

New England & California Clam Chowder

From the Blue Mermaid in San Francisco. California Clam Chowder is similar to New England, only with a hint of roasted red pepper pure and asparagus.

Monday, January 3, 2011

BBQ Spaghetti

When most people think of American BBQ, it's usually just pulled pork, pork and beef ribs, brisket and perhaps chicken that come to memory. But as BBQ fans know, each region of the country has it's own style of preparation as well as sauces.

And in the Memphis region, BBQ has no limits.

Known primarily for it's preparation style for ribs (slow cooked, smoked, with a dry rub instead of sauce). But it's also the home to some unique takes on BBQ. In Memphis and northwest Mississippi, you will often see "BBQ Spaghetti" on the menu...something you will rarely see in other areas of the country.

There are a number of ways to prepare the dish. For my own version, I keep the sauce light, so the flavor of the spices comes out better.


Here's a basic recipe to use as a starting point:



This is a dish that for me best utilizes any left over BBQ pork from earlier in the day, or a day before.

* Prepare a small amount of your own spice mixture that you prefer with your BBQ. For me, this is my own dry rub I use to prepare ribs. No need to share secrets here...each person has their own method.

* Cook/heat the pork in your BBQ or an oven, preserving any juices that are retained. you can also do a quick reheat in a pan on the stove.

* Cook the spaghetti with the amount of salt you prefer during boiling (best if you make your own pasta rather than store bought)

* In a sauce pan, cook some diced onion in a light amount of cooking oil. For each pound of spaghetti you are cooking, you should have 1/2 cup of onion. So if cooking a 1 lb box of spaghetti, you'll want 1/2 cup of onion. Green and/or Red Bell Peppers are an optional ingredient you can include).

* When the onions start to caramelize, add sugar to taste (1/2 in size of the amount of onion you're using).

* Add your own pre-prepared BBQ sauce and any liquid smoke you want added.

* Strain the spaghetti and rinse off the startch

* Place the spaghetti in a mixing bowl

* For my own take, I then add the dry rub to the spaghetti, so that each piece of pasta has a nice dusting of the dry rub flavor

* Next add the sauce you prepared from the stove and mix with the spaghetti

* Strain and of the cooked pork juice in the mixing bowl and stir again

* Either serve and top with the cooked pork or add the pork in the mixing bowl, stir, and serve.



It's that easy. Enjoy!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Pizza in Buenos Aires...with Pepperoni

Photo by Dan Perlman
Buenos Aires seems to have pizzerias on every other street corner. Any traveler or new resident from North America or Europe would be happy to see that, something many wouldn't expect in a South American city. But when you finally get around to eating pizza in Buenos Aires, you realize it is completely different from what you are used to.

In fact, there are many who claim it's the worst pizza in the world. I for one wouldn't go that far, since the average pizza I've had in Buenos Aires has been on par with pizza I've had in much of Europe and the United States in the states not on the east and west coasts, or major cities like Chicago. 

Pizza in Buenos Aires is seldom a thin crust by world standards and very far from "New York thin crust" standards.The mozzarella cheese used is often a softer type with a different flavor than people are used to (finding good cheese is an issue many expats in BA are quick to bring up...despite all the damn cows). The pizza crust is pretty thick, while remaining reasonable light and fluffy. Think of BA pizza as being more like a 3cm bread with sauce and cheese. 

The pizza culture is also a bit different than many are used to. You'll find virtually every pizzeria has a menu of different types of pizzas they serve. Not listed on these menus are toppings. So the Buenos Aires pizza culture does not include much self-experimentation. In many other countries, someone might have a special concoction of toppings they prefer that they order on a pizza. In Buenos Aires, it's more of just trying different options on a menu. And for the bold, it's asking for something customized with specific toppings, even when the menu doesn't encourage it.

So on my quest for the best pizza in Buenos Aires, I've tried a number of different places. Perhaps it's because it's what I'm used to, but the pizzerias that serve the closest to "New York style" pizza are the ones I prefer. 

I've only tried about 20 different pizzerias in Buenos Aires, but I already have a top few:

Siamo nel Forno
Costa Rica 5886, Palermo Hollywood, Buenos Aires

The best of the best. Siamo nel Forno is considered by many to be the best pizza in Buenos Aires, and I concur. The crust is cripsy on the outside, chewy in the middle. The cheese selected is real mozzarella, and not the lower quality cheese you get used to finding on pizza in BA. If you order a pizza margherita (see image), you'll get just a light amount of quality tomatoe, muzzarella y albahaca.



Pizzeria Morris
Costa Rica 5799, Palermo Hollywood, Buenos Aires
Morris has all the same options as every other Buenos Aires pizzeria. But what they do with the crust is what sets them apart as my favorite Buenos Aires pizzeria thus far. Just looking at this iphone photo, anyone used to pizza in Buenos Aires will see the crust is different than most pizzerias. It's crisp on the outside, slightly chewy in the middle. The sauce was also quite different, as it was a simple tomato sauce one would be used to from a traditional New York pizzeria. The photo to the left is just a simple Muzzarella pizza (salsa tomate y muzzarella) with the standard topping of whole green olives. If you're in Palermo, it's worth trying.


Punto Pizza
Paraguay 3779, Palermo, Buenos Aires
When ordering pizza in the United States, I was never a huge fan of pepperoni. I always liked it on pizza, but just rarely ordered it. But since pepperoni is a non-existent food item in Argentina, I was intrigued when I heard there was a pizzeria that served it.

Upon reading a blog, I learned about Punto Pizza, a local chain with 4 Buenos Aires locations. I admit, I cared less about the pizza and more about the fact that pepperoni as a topping was available. 

And it was well worth the trip. They only offer delivery and pickup. Since I'm without a phone in BA, that left only the option to walk over there.

The pizza itself was fairly average by worlds standards, but very enjoyable. I ordered a small pepperoni pan pizza (they offer both pan and thin crust). The crust itself, even for a pan pizza, was very light and fluffy. So it was a very light meal despite the cheese and pepperoni.  In reality, this pizza was pretty close in flavor to what it resembles: a Pizza Hut pan pizza. It was nothing special by international standards, but pretty good for BA standards. But hey, they have pepperoni pizza.



Piola
Libertad 1078, Recoleta, Buenos Aires

I don't have any photos, but Piola is worth trying as it's thin crust, compared to the traditional Buenos Aires thick crust I mentioned above. Their pizza isn't going to win any awards, but it's a good balance of the traditional BA pizza taste, with some of the benefits expats will enjoy.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Map of San Francisco Happy Hours




Living or visiting San Francisco and looking for a happy hour joint? Here ya go...


San Francisco Happy Hours



Saturday, November 6, 2010

Fabada Asturiana

A stew of beans, chorizo, morcilla, pork belly and potatos.
From El Preferido de Palermo in Palermo Soho, a restaurant specializing in dishes from the Asturias region of Spain.

Recent Comments

Featured Articles

For the past 4 years as an iPhone user, I've been using a number of apps to help avoid any culinary mistakes. I thought I'd share a few of these. Take a look and if you have any others to recommend, please do so!
Cities in Food Photos With each trip, you'll find a photo essay covering some of the culinary delights each city has to offer.

San Francisco Food Photos

Southern California Food Photos

Santiago Food Photos

New York Food Photos

Seattle Food Photos

Buenos Aires Food Photos

Recommend Food

Want to educate us on a type of food, a restaurant or a cuisine we've missed the boat on? Let us know!

Categories

🐂 ( 4 ) African ( 3 ) Airport Food ( 12 ) Alsace ( 1 ) American ( 72 ) Amherst ( 6 ) Argentina ( 49 ) Argentinian ( 1 ) Arica ( 22 ) Atlanta ( 2 ) Australian ( 1 ) Austria ( 1 ) Austrian ( 2 ) Bacon ( 1 ) Bacon and Shrimp Pasta ( 1 ) bacon jam ( 1 ) barbecue ( 3 ) Barcelona ( 44 ) BBQ ( 48 ) beef ( 3 ) Belgrade ( 4 ) Bison ( 1 ) Bol ( 4 ) Bosnia ( 6 ) Boston ( 6 ) Boulder ( 4 ) Brač ( 4 ) Brazilian ( 1 ) Breakfast ( 17 ) Budapest ( 7 ) Buenos Aires ( 41 ) Burgers ( 2 ) Butte ( 1 ) by Jason ( 230 ) by Jess ( 1 ) by Matt ( 588 ) Cajun ( 4 ) cali ( 1 ) California ( 14 ) Canada ( 1 ) Cape Cod ( 26 ) Caribbean ( 46 ) Cary ( 2 ) Casper ( 2 ) Catalonia ( 38 ) Chefs ( 1 ) Chicago ( 2 ) Chicken ( 1 ) Chile ( 204 ) Chile wine list ( 4 ) Chili ( 1 ) Chinese ( 31 ) Colorado ( 4 ) Connecticut ( 5 ) Creole ( 1 ) Croatia ( 126 ) Crock Pot ( 1 ) Deli ( 15 ) Dessert ( 22 ) Dim Sum ( 28 ) Drinks ( 3 ) Dubrovnik ( 5 ) Duck ( 1 ) Durham ( 1 ) Eastham ( 2 ) Elk ( 1 ) England ( 12 ) FacebookPages ( 11 ) Festivals ( 1 ) Fish ( 1 ) food ( 2 ) food photos ( 944 ) Food Trucks ( 1 ) FoodSherpas ( 5 ) foodspotting ( 2 ) France ( 1 ) French ( 10 ) Galician ( 4 ) Game Meat ( 1 ) Georgia ( 3 ) Georgian ( 1 ) German ( 17 ) Germany ( 1 ) Greece ( 3 ) Hamilton ( 6 ) Hartford ( 5 ) hermosa beach ( 3 ) Holiday Meals ( 2 ) Home Cookin' ( 24 ) Home Cooking ( 37 ) Houston ( 1 ) Hungarian ( 1 ) Hungary ( 7 ) IFTTT ( 81 ) Indian ( 11 ) Instagram ( 117 ) International Food day ( 1 ) Iowa ( 17 ) iowa city ( 15 ) Irish ( 1 ) Istanbul ( 10 ) Istria ( 3 ) Italian ( 73 ) Italy ( 14 ) Japanese ( 22 ) Jewish ( 7 ) Kenyan ( 2 ) Keto ( 1 ) Krakow ( 14 ) Krapinske Toplice ( 13 ) Lake Balaton ( 7 ) London ( 12 ) Los Angeles ( 37 ) Lunch ( 13 ) Maine ( 2 ) Manhattan Beach ( 2 ) Massachusetts ( 32 ) Mexican ( 2 ) Miami ( 9 ) Michelin Star ( 1 ) Montana ( 9 ) Montevideo ( 2 ) Munich ( 1 ) New England ( 4 ) New Hampshire ( 2 ) New Haven ( 1 ) New Jersey ( 4 ) New York ( 44 ) NJ ( 4 ) Noodles ( 1 ) North Carolina ( 8 ) Norway ( 13 ) Oktoberfest ( 1 ) Orleans ( 10 ) Oslo ( 13 ) Parrilla ( 8 ) Pasta ( 2 ) Patagonia ( 1 ) Peru ( 4 ) Peruvian ( 9 ) Philipino ( 2 ) Pittsburgh ( 1 ) Pizza ( 40 ) Poland ( 14 ) Polish ( 6 ) pubs ( 2 ) Raleigh ( 8 ) Ramen ( 3 ) Recipes ( 14 ) Redondo Beach ( 2 ) Resort ( 46 ) Resources ( 1 ) Reviews ( 2 ) Russian ( 3 ) Saint Lucia ( 46 ) salad ( 1 ) San Cugat del Valles ( 3 ) San Francisco ( 258 ) Sandwiches ( 5 ) Santa Barbara ( 3 ) Santa Monica ( 1 ) Santiago ( 162 ) Sarajevo ( 4 ) Seafood ( 169 ) Seattle ( 9 ) Serbia ( 4 ) Soups ( 2 ) Southern Food ( 2 ) Spain ( 43 ) Spanish ( 3 ) Split ( 9 ) Steak ( 35 ) Steakhouse ( 3 ) Stews ( 2 ) Strasbourg ( 1 ) Sushi ( 29 ) Syrian ( 2 ) Tacna ( 4 ) Taiwanese ( 3 ) Tapas ( 6 ) Texas ( 1 ) Thai ( 3 ) Thanksgiving ( 1 ) Thessaloniki ( 3 ) Toronto ( 1 ) Travel ( 38 ) Tumblr ( 49 ) Turkey ( 10 ) Uruguay ( 2 ) Varazdin ( 1 ) Vegetarian ( 6 ) Venice ( 14 ) Venison ( 1 ) Vienna ( 1 ) Vietnamese ( 6 ) Villa General Belgrano ( 1 ) Vina Del Mar ( 11 ) Viña del Mar ( 6 ) Washington D.C. ( 8 ) Wellfleet ( 3 ) Wild Boar ( 1 ) wine ( 2 ) wine list ( 1 ) Worst Restaurant ( 1 ) Wyoming ( 3 ) Xiao Long Bao ( 2 ) Yakitori ( 1 ) Zagreb ( 102 )