Restaurants and the economy

Sorry that I haven't been able to post in quite sometime everyone. Its been one crazy end to the summer.

I would like to focus on experience's for a bit. Experiences that are enhanced, especially if the price is right.

As you know for those have read this blog, that food for me and Mac, is an experience. We often think about the situation that we are in while enjoying a good meal, and a great bottle of wine.

The economy sucks. There are "signs" of improvement, however, people are still not spending a lot, and the "good times bubble" is over. I recently had a great conversation with the GM of country club that I used to work at, and he informed me that the people that were spending the extra money, aren't. Period. He has been begging people to spend their minimum. Lets be honest, people just don't want to put their hand in the pocket and reach for anything. They are justifying the habits of splurging. I know that I have asking myself when I pull out my wallet "will this really be worth my money?"

A very good friend of mine who owns a great liquor store in Ridgefield, CT told me the trend that he is seeing. People are still coming in and buying wines. However, that $25-$50 bottle of wine that they were buying last year, is still on the shelf. They are now asking for a good bottle for $10-$20. And trust me: YOU CAN FIND THIS. I have been telling people for years that price doesn't matter on taste. If everyones chemisty is different, and tastes are different, why does price have to mean quality? I can name you over a dozen wines right now that are under $15 that are awesome. That's a case. With a case discount, you are looking at $170+ for great wines. Unless you have a drinking problem, you are set for a while. And not to mention the fact that this is for $15 a bottle. You can find awesome wines for $6, $9 and even $5. I would love to help!

Onto restaurants. Unfortunately, the good old days of having a great bouillabaisse with a $60 bottle of wine is out. For now. People are looking for the BBD. Bigger Better Deal. They want more, for less. And lets be honest, why not? You can easily find this as well. Take this article by market watch. There are many restaurants that I have found in a matter of the summer that are offering great deals. There is even one restaurant on Nantucket that called their special (which ran on Friday & Saturdays as well) the "Save-ry Specials". They offered AMAZING food at a prix fixe rate of $35pp. This is great if you have ever been to a nice restaurant on Nantucket. Even in Stamford, CT, The Capital Grille had a special of $30.09 during restaurant week. You will never find that again.

Seriously foodies...the times are tough. If you really need to get out of the house, call up your favorite restaurant, and see if they have any specials going. If they give you attitude, why do you want to eat there in the first place? Restaurant owners are trying everything to get you in the door. They will accomodate.

Cheers!

Jello Shots - The Awesome Food

There's always room for J-E-L-L-O.

I was at a recent croquet tournament party at my best friends house in my old hometown. This party is done every year around the same time and it is very intense. There is a whole croquet tournament that begins at 12:00pm and ends around 7:00pm. After this tournament ends, there is a huge flip cup tournament that has been known to go well into the night. The competition is fierce, and everyone participates. The many times that we have done it, it usually comes down to guys VS. girls, and to this bloggers dismay, the girls usually prevail.

The drinking usually starts as the croquet tournament begins, and we are sitting in the sun, having fun trash talking people and enjoying the general atmosphere. There is always arguments, whether or not we should "send" a particular team, along with many debates on who is going to win the whole thing this year.

As the sun beats down on our necks, and the beer is flowing like the salmon of Capastrano, my best friends Aunt starts bringing out the one thing that everyone can enjoy. Jello shots.

the heart and hustle of the party

And I am not talking about your average Jello shots. I am talking elite Jello shots.

Sure, you might be thinking that Jello shots are so Freshman year of college. They are. But when you get a bunch of people together, mostly family, playing a traditional game that runs deep into the heart and hustle of the family, Jello shots are exactly what everyone needs.

She doesn't just make strawberry jello shots, orange jello shots, or lime jello shots. No no no. She makes margarita jello shots, orange slice jello shots, strawberry daiquiri jello shots, chocolate cake jello shots, island coconut jello shots, plus much more.

A hot day with major competition in a family that loves each other? Big WIN.

They are fantastic. They taste exactly what she describes them as, and they put the whole party - was right where it needs to be.

So if you are thinking about having an outdoor party with some fun flair - think Jello shots.

It will put you right where you need to be.

Cheers

B

Mac's BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos

Hello everyone!

I'm Mike (aka "Mac"), the fancy fun loving foodie's good friend and partner in crime. I have been asked by Brad to contribute to his blog and I couldn't be more honored to do so. Brad and I have a lot in common, especially when it comes to the world of food! I share the same passions about good food, good drink and good family and friends to share them with.

OK, enough with the introductions. I am writing you because of some nachos I concocted last night and Brad wanted me to share with his blog followers.

So I'm a huge fan of anything BBQ related and nachos--so let's bring both of my favorite worlds together.

First you should get your hands on a good grill tray. I purchased this one for about $50 at Williams-Sonoma. This thing is great. You can go from the grill to the table with ease. Then get all the ingredients together, here was my lineup:

- Tostitos Corn Chips (Regular)

- BBQ Pulled Pork (Costco sells a great pre-made pulled pork. Just heat it up and you're good to go)

- Any Vinegar based Honey BBQ Sauce ( I prefer "Sweet Rack" from Westport's Bobby Q's Restaurant)

- Shredded Cheddar Cheese

- Sliced Jalapenos (pickled)

- 1/2 Lime (to be juiced later)

Start with creating a layer of chips down on your grill tray first. Then add the pulled pork, BBQ sauce, cheese then jalapenos. Create about two more layers of the ingredients. Place the grill tray on your grill (set on High) and let the nachos cook for 5-7 minutes. Basically until the cheese is melted. Once on the table you can add the juice of 1/2 a lime all over the nachos for that great taste. You can also add sour cream, fresh pico de gallo or any other nacho condiments you may be fond of.

These nachos were a hit and the BBQ Pulled Pork adds a little something different to your traditional nachos you may be accustomed to. The prep and cook time is very short and these make a great appetizer for your guests.

Hope you enjoy these nachos for any game night or night in between.

Mike

Steak Au Poivre - Steak Au YEAH!

Beef, its whats for dinner.

Friday night, my fiancee and I were having her brother and brother's girlfriend over for dinner. During a recent email conversation we discussed what were going to have for dinner.

We decided that we haven't had a good steak in a while and haven't had a massive good Cabernet in a while. I love this pair, the flavors of the fat with the meat, a long with whatever sauce/marinade you prepare this with, goes perfectly with a massive California Cabernet. Just massive, bold, Cabernet with lots of oak, cassis, vanilla, etc. My mouth is salivating just thinking about it.

I asked her to get the steaks, and I would get the wine. NY Strip was her choice as it is mine as well. Sure, everyone likes a filet, but think about it...fat in the steak stores the flavors more. And filet, well it doesn't have any fat. I love a good NY Strip - who doesn't?

I decided that I wasn't just going to make a steak dinner. I was going to make Steak au poivre.

For those of you that have never experienced a culinary delight such as this...get out of the hole that you live in. If you don't like black pepper...stop reading my blog. You will enjoy this place a whole lot better.

Now I know "traditionally" - Steak au poivre is made with a filet, and thats fine and all, but the fat in a strip renders in the pan, and just adds some balls to the dish. Thats right, I went there.

Steak au poivre is really easy to do just as long as you know what you are doing. It's so simple to make, yet the flavors are so massive, so awesome and there is a major party going on.

Should be called "Steak Au YEAH!"

We decided that the best course of action for the sides of this dish would be a simple, easy and extremely good stuffed roasted tomato. It would also be accompanied by a very good, simple and tart house salad. This was perfect, cause the tomato goes VERY well with the steak, and the salad goes well with the summertime weather. Heaven on a plate.

We opened two bottles of wine about 30 minutes prior to the dinner. An Avalon Cabernet and The Crusher Cabernet. These two wines are just ginormous with flavor, and as they opened up more - the smoothed out and were very soft on the pallet. They actually cut the flavor of seared peppercorns and steak as we drank. A very big mouth feel, with some ink texture involved. Just awesome.

As we dug into the juicy steak, with the peppercorn sauce on top, I just heard the "mmmm's" and "wow's" from our guests. I knew that I hit a homerun with this one. They couldn't stop complimenting the meal...which like I said...was heaven on a plate.

If you are ever in the mood to try something new with your steaks...give steak au poivre a try. You will not be dissapointed.

Cheers!

Want the recipe? Ask me!

Chicken Parm - The eLite Version

There are a lot of things that are awesome.

Good friends, good food, good wine.

If you can combine all three, and have a healthy amazing meal...look out, my head might explode from the awesomeness that is present.

On Thursday night (I know, I know...I am late - but keep checking in, cause I am going to keep blogging about my weekend) we were invited over to our very good and dear friends apartment for a little celebratory dinner (we are still on the engagement high). We will call these friends H+M to protect the identity from my readers, who I know will stalk them especially after the meal that was served.

We arrived about 30 minutes prior to dinner being served. This of course gave us some time to open up a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and sit back and sip up. As dinner was prepared, we moved the great conversation to the kitchen.

Just to stray away from the story real quick - do you ever notice that when there is a dinner party going on, the guests will gather in the kitchen? Why do you think that is? I think it the kitchen is synonymous with comfort. As people were growing up, I think the kitchen is the one place where everyone could participate and have fun doing. Food has always been such a comfort for people, and the kitchen is where it is made. Just a thought. Hey, I'm the blogger, so I can spout off like this.

H was making a chicken parm dish that was to die for, and you wouldn't remotely come close to it. It was HEALTHY.

I know there is a lot of chicken parm lovers out there that is set in the ways of what your mom, dad, grandma or favorite restaurant does.

But let me tell you. This dish was amazing. It wasn't weighed down by deep frying the chicken. It wasn't heavy like an egg batter. It wasn't a greasy, cheesy mess that was loaded with fat. It was lite, it was delicious, and everything about it was perfect for the night.

H accompanied the dish with some whole wheat pasta and some whole wheat garlic bread (which she prepared her self with a simple recipe of garlic, butter and oregano).

The sauce was outstanding. This was a sauce that was in M's family and M's mother gave H to cook. Not too rich like a jar sauce. Not too acidic. Not too sweet. It was perfect. I actually looked over at M's plate, and it was wiped clean. No shit - H could have used it again without putting it in the dishwasher.

We enjoyed MANY bottles of wine that night, but the two main there were joining the dish was an American Zinfandel. Spicy and light - it was the exact explanation with the dish. We also enjoyed a light and berry bursting Sangiovese - it was another great compliment to a very top of the line, light dish.

Good friends, good (healthy) food, good wine.

Can you please clean up the mess? My head just exploded.


Want the recipe? Let me know!