Foo(d) Bar Blog

Cocktails: Aviation

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:40:00 -0400

If you've ever had an Aviation cocktail, chances are you've had the version described by Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel in London in his 1930 "The Savoy Cocktail Book". His recipe, and virtually every one described since then goes something like this:

1 1/2 - 2 oz Gin
1/2 - 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1 tsp - 1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur

From what I've seen in my research, many people seem to prefer Gary Regan's version from "The Joy of Mixology":

2 oz Gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur

In all cases, you combine with ice in a shaker, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If this describes your experience with the Aviation, then you might be interested to know that there's a version of the cocktail that predates Craddock's version and includes an ingredient not often seen in American bars: Crème de violette. In fact, the first published version of the Aviation is found in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 "Recipes for Mixed Drinks." The only difference between it and the "modern" versions is the inclusion of Crème de violette. On my last trip to France, I picked up a bottle of Pagè's Crème de violette (it's sold everywhere over there) because I really wanted to try a proper Aviation and I couldn't find any here in Arizona. I know there's at least one brand sold in the US, but I couldn't find it. I've tried several different variations of Ensslin's original recipe with the Crème de violette. I've settle on the following ratio of ingredients which I find allows aspects of all of the ingredients to come through without any one overpowering the drink:

2 oz Gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Crème de violette
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur

After combining all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shaking, I strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry. I tend to agree with those who claim the name originates from the blueish color the Crème de violette imparts on the drink. It's hard to look of it and not think of the wild blue yonder.

Out of Business: La Vigne French Bistro & Wine Bar

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:06:00 -0400

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might recall two reviews over the past year (1,2) of La Vigne French Bistro & Wine Bar. Both Pere and I really wanted to like the place but just couldn't do it. The issues and negative experiences with the restaurant seemed to grow over time. Well, it looks like all of their problems finally caught up with them as the restaurant has finally closed. While I hate to see locally owned and operated restaurants go I don't feel that way about La Vigne. We're better off without them.

How to Make Your Own Magnetic Refrigerator Chalkboard

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:15:00 -0400

I've gotten so many comments on our magnetic refrigerator chalkboard, that I thought I would share how to make one for yourself. First off, I'll admit that the idea of a chalkboard on the fridge is not my creation. There are several people out there who have blogged about spray-painting the entire appliance with chalkboard paint, and there is even a company who will custom fit chalkboard panels to your refrigerator. Neither of those options was attractive to me. Spray-painting the surface directly is permanent. Plus our fridge does not have a smooth surface, so writing would be messy. The custom panels were several hundred dollars ? a little more than we were willing to spend for a magnetic chalkboard. This project is incredibly easy and inexpensive. I purchased all the supplies at www.dickblick.com, for a whopping total of $33.53, including shipping. To do it yourself, here's what you'll need:

Magnetic sheeting, cut to fit the fridge
Chalkboard paint
Chalk
Eraser (or damp sponge)
Something to say to the world via your fridge

The first thing you'll need to do is measure the surface area of your fridge that you would like to cover with the chalkboard. The magnetic sheet comes 24" wide, so you're stuck with that for one dimension. The other dimension is flexible. You'll simply order the number of feet you need, cut from that 24" roll. It's better if you have a chalkboard that's a little smaller than your fridge panel, rather than having excess to trim later. Next you'll need chalkboard paint. It is available most places where spray paint is sold, but I just ordered it alongside my magnetic sheeting. It's available only in black or green, so consider your fridge color when choosing. In addition, the magnetic sheeting comes in both black and green, so order the matching color of that, too. When you've got all your supplies, find a place to unroll the magnetic sheeting on a dropcloth and start spraying. I did multiple light coats, allowing them to dry in between. After the last coat has dried, attach the chalkboard to your fridge, centered horizontally and vertically. Using the broad side of a piece of chalk, "prime" the chalkboard with a light coating of chalk. I think this makes it easier to write on and wipe off chalk later. Immediately wipe the entire chalkboard clean with a damp sponge. Viola! Start writing. How about, "I will not pull Pere's pigtails in class again." One hundred times should do it.

Follow Up: La Vigne French Bistro & Wine Bar - Phoenix (Ahwatukee), Arizona

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:13:00 -0400

Given the limited selection of French restaurants in the area, a follow-up visit to La Vigne seemed a fitting choice for lunch with friends on Bastille Day. Unfortunately, my impression of La Vigne has not changed much since our initial visit last summer. In fact, the experience was so similar ? flubs with service, disappointing food, and lots of empty tables ? that to detail my experience at lunch would sound like plagiarism of Rob's review. Instead I'd like to point out my own pet peeve with La Vigne, which Rob touched on briefly in his review, which is the lack of authentic ambience and culture. As a once-fluent French speaker and an interior designer, these facets of a dining experience for me weigh equally with the quality of food and service. In addition, the French are fiercely protective of their language and culture, so it's particularly disappointing that this French restaurant fails to capture either. The decor of southern France does sometimes include heavy stone walls and iron gates, but these adornments to La Vigne's generic strip-mall location could be improved upon with some truly French touches. May I suggest some traditional Provençal fabrics? Or some rustic turned-wood chairs, instead of that corporate lobby-looking furniture? Maybe a couple of live lavender plants? Perhaps the staff could have a brief training on the French language, or at least on the few words which are relevant in this case. One of the hostesses consistently mispronounces the name of the restaurant. I know the "gne" combo can be difficult to pronounce, so I'd love to suggest that using the last name of a certain pop star, Avril, might be closer, or maybe the name of the town on the southwestern outskirts of Phoenix. When asked what the vin du jour (wine of the day) would be, as advertised in French on the specials leaflet, our server corrected me, "You mean the vin?," which he pronounced like "bin." Sure. Whatever gets me a glass of fermented grape juice. La Vigne is celebrating their one-year anniversary. I had hoped after our visit last year that it would improved over time, but unfortunately it's more like plus de la même chose ? more of the same thing.

Introducing the Newest Member of the Foo(d) Bar Blog - Persephone

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:51:00 -0400

For the past three years, the Foo(d) Bar Blog has pretty much been a solo effort. Due to a variety of factors (day job, social life, etc.), my posting has been sporadic at best. I always intended the blog to be a place where I could write about food that I was thinking about, eating at restaurants, and cooking at home. A good bit of the eating at restaurants and cooking at home is done with my wife. We both approach food from different perspectives, and I've always thought that she would have a lot to offer should she ever want to start writing about food. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce all of my readers to the newest voice on the Foo(d) Bar Blog, Persephone (she goes by Pere for short). Pere's an interior designer by trade, an avid baker, and a Francophile like me (only she happens to speak fluent French). She also makes mean champagne cocktails, folds napkins with origami skills and can beat phyllo dough into submission. From time to time, you'll see Pere weighing in with her thoughts on local restaurants and hopefully posting about some of the things she's cooking and baking.

New Summertime Favorite - Mojito Granita

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:20:00 -0400

I've recently been lamenting the closing of our neighborhood water ice shop. It might not sound like a big deal, but I live in Arizona where water ice (Italian Ice) is a rarity. Everywhere I go it's either shaved ice, snow cones, or gelato, but I digress. I'd been reading on NPR's website about how easy it is to make granita lately, which is pretty much the water ice that I'm used to (although water ice tends to be finer grained, but that's a matter of technique, not ingredients), so I decided that it was finally time to give it a try. I was originally just going to try one of the recipes from the website, but while I was out in my yard, I noticed that our mint plant was looking like it could use a trim, so it dawned on me that I could probably take what I had learned from the article and concoct a Mojito granita, so that's what I set off to do. Here's the basic recipe I came up with:

3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bacardi White Rum
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (3-4 limes)
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 sprigs mint
Additional mint for garnishing

Start by combining the sugar and water in a sauce pan and bringing to a rolling boil. Continue to boil 5 minutes while stirring the syrup. Remove the simple syrup from the stove and add the three mint sprigs. Allow to steep for about 5 minutes, then discard the mint sprigs and continue to allow to cool. In the meantime, measure out 1/2 cup of rum. Add 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice and set aside. Next, chop the fresh mint until you have about 2 tbsp. A little extra never hurt anyone. Once the simple syrup has completely cooled, pour it in a metal (preferred) or glass 13x9 inch baking dish/pan. Add the lime juice, rum, and chopped mint. Stir to combine. Place the 13x9 pan in the freezer. Set a timer for 40 minutes. When it goes off, whisk (or stir with a fork). You'll need to repeat this every 40 minutes or so for several hours until the pan is full of loose, well defined crystals. This will take anywhere from 4-8 hours. Here's the granita after a few hours. Notice how much thicker it is and that there are definite crystals forming. When the granita is completely done freezing, it should be comprised of loose crystals and looks something like this: Serve the granita in chilled glasses. All I had handy were some double old-fashioned glasses, but they worked fine. You should note that this recipe has alcohol in it, which lowers the freezing point of the mix. If you omit the alcohol, add an equivalent about of water and change the stir time to every 30 minutes to keep large clumps from forming. The consistency of my final product was almost snow like. I probably could have packed it tightly and put it back in the freezer to get it closer to the water ice consistency I'm used to. I also heard that using a large metal spoon to scrape the ice as it freezes instead of stirring helps to produce smaller crystals. I may try that next time. Regardless, the granita turned out to be really great. It was light, refreshing, and tasted just like its namesake cocktail.

Mexican Coke or Why My Costco is Better than Yours

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:58:00 -0400

Have a look here at what we found at Costco this week - Mexican Coke. What's so special about Mexican Coke you ask? Well, anyone old enough to remember what Coca-Cola tasted like when it was made with real sugar and not the sickeningly sweet high fructose corn syrup will appreciate this. Mexican Coke is still made with sugar, and you can definitely tell the difference between it and what passes for Coke these days. Pere picked up a case this week, and we've been enjoying them ice-cold, straight from the 12oz bottle. They also make a nice rum and coke when mixed with Cruzan's Single Barrel Estate Rum. I don't know how long Costco will continue to carry them in Arizona, but as long as they do, I plan on keeping a case of them around. It beats buying them by the single bottle at the various gas stations around town that carry them. For now, you can find them at the Chandler Costco: 595 S Galleria Way
Chandler, Arizona 85226
(480) 375-2051

Din Tai Fung in Seoul, South Korea

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:22:00 -0400

I'm currently in Seoul, South Korea for the third time this year. On my way into our factory this morning, my coworker and friend Moody mentioned how cool it would be if there were a Din Tai Fung in Seoul. I turned him on to Din Tai Fung a few months ago when he had a short trip out to LA, and now he's hooked. When we got into work, Moody did a quick Google search for Din Tain Fung, and as it turns out, there are now two branches in Seoul! I know where we're heading for dinner tonight, and I can't wait.

Epicurious Adds Interactive Seasonal Ingredient Map

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:05:00 -0400

Epicurious has just added an interactive seasonal ingredient map to their website (built using Adobe Flex if you are interested). The map does a good job of showing you what's seasonably available on a State by State basis. Sadly, there's nothing listed for Arizona for June. Technically, you can grow peppers now as well as lots of different herbs. Check it out!

The Arizona Republic's 2008 Readers Choice Awards for Food and Dining

Sat, 17 May 2008 09:59:00 -0400

Back in 2006, I wrote a post criticizing the Ahwatukee Foothills News for their Best of Ahwatukee list. The winners in almost all categories were well known chain restaurants, leading me to wonder whether it was the paper pandering to their advertisers, or the case that people in Ahwatukee just had no taste. You'll understand then why I became completely infuriated when I came across the Arizona Republic's 2008 Reader's and Critic's Choice Awards for Best Dining & Food. While I can say that the critic's awards were all within the realm of possibility (although I find some of the categories odd), the Reader's Choice awards were completely appalling. By an amazing happenstance, Oreganos's Pizza Bistro (no link, their site requires an annoying ActiveX control, which is a possible security hazard) won 11 out of 31 categories. That's right. Not only did they win best pizza, but also best Italian, best sandwich, best dessert, best family owned, best for a first-date, best local treasure, best takeout, best patio dining, best worth the wait and best quick (non-fast) food. How the heck do you win both best quick and best worth the wait? I don't even know where to start with this. If Oregano's had simply won best pizza, I could have lived with that, although I would have personally disagreed. However, winning 11 out of 31 categories, some of them totally ridiculous completely smacks of ballot-stuffing. Come on AZ Republic, wake up! Learn how to run a poll. I've never lived in or visited another major city with such a crappy (and consistently crappy) reader's choice awards. Just so you can see the full list for yourself, here it is, along with some snarky commentary from me:

Best Dessert: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - I know people like the pizza cookie, but come on. There are some seriously talented pastry chefs in the valley, and this is the best that people could come up with?
Best Breakfast: Crackers & Co. - never been there, so I can't argue with this one.
Best Indian Restaurant: Indian Maharaja Palace - Indian food in the valley is mediocre at best.
Best Pizza: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - If this is the will of the people, fine. However, there is much better to be found as you can see from the runner-up list.
Best Neighborhood Mexican: Carolina's Mexican Food - This makes sense.
Best Bakery: Wicked Witch Bakery - Works for me, although I find the bakery selection in the valley to be seriously lacking.
Best Family-owned Restaurant: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - it is a family owned restaurant.
Best Late-Night Eats: Fez - Couldn't agree more. Excellent food all the way through closing.
Best Place for a First Date: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - if someone took me here for a first date, it would also be the last date.
Best Salsa: Macayo's - WTF?!!?
Best Sushi: Ra See best salsa!
Best Restaurant 'Worth the Wait': Oregano's Pizza Bistro - with long waits both at lunch and on weekends, Oregano's is definitely popular. However, I can't say it's really worth the wait.
Best Wine Selection: D'Vine Bistro & Wine Bar - Been there and wasn't that impressed. If wine selection is really the criteria, then how could a place like Cowboy Ciao (even though I hate how their wine list is organized), or Kazimierz not win?
Best Barbecue: Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que - very hot topic. My pick would be Joe's Real BBQ, but that's just me.
Best Local Treasure: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - Seriously now. Local treasure? Can you say huh?
Best Chinese: P. F. Chang's China Bistro - Good Chinese isn't great in the valley, but we do have better than P. F. Chang's, and I don't mean Pei Wei.
Best Place for Takeout: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - NO!
Best Non-Chain Hamburger: Zipps Sports Grill - Oh boy. It's a typical bar burger. It isn't bad, but it's by far not the best. Both Delux and Chuckbox should easily have been at the top of the list.
Best Ice Cream/Frozen Novelty: Maui Wowi - Wowi Maui. Good job.
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant: Haji-Baba - Very popular and supplies most of the rest of the middle eastern/Mediterranean restaurants in the area.
Best Italian Restaurant: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - It's a pizza place with a handful of other Italian dishes! There are many, many more Italian restaurants in the valley that are far superior.
Best Sandwich: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - This is such a broad category. In many other cities they would break this one out. Mention this wind to a dozen of your friends and see how many of them react with "are you kidding me?"
Best Restaurant to Splurge: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar - it's definitely $$$, but for the money, I'd rather go to Kai.
Best Quick (Non-Fast) Food: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - This one defies logic. Considering the long waits that are a staple of Oregano's, I don't see how you can read this one with a straight face. Even when you do finally get a table, it's often a long wait for the food!
Best Steakhouse: Donovan's Steak & Chop House - I think you'll find a lot of people divided on this one.
Best Romantic Restaurant: The Melting Pot - Fondue can definitely be romantic, however, for overall atmosphere, there are better choices.
Best Pub with Grub: Zipps Sports Grill - For the love of all things! Four Peaks, Sonoran, and about ten other places come to mind before I would have ever thought to myself "hey Zipp's!"
Best Patio Dining: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - The AZ republic actually got this right in their commentary on the win when they wrote "Located all over the Valley, with patios overlooking parking lots, streets and walls, it's hard to say what, exactly, it was about the outdoor dining spaces at the various Oregano's that azcentral.com voters found so alluring."
Best Health Food Store: Trader Joe's - I love Trader Joe's, and so does everyone else.
Best Sunday Brunch: T. Cook's - There is talent there, although the execution can be spotty.
Best Thai Restaurant: Pink Pepper Thai Cuisine - NO WAY IN HELL. Swaddee, Maylee's, Yuppha, and many more should be at the top of this list.

It's hard to get people to take Arizona seriously as a foodie destination when this is the best we can come up with.

Tempe Greek Festival 2008 This Weeked (5/2 - 5/4)

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:39:00 -0400

I'm not sure how I missed this, but it looks like the 2008 Tempe Greek Festival is this weekend at Tempe Town Lake. Festival hours are 11-11 on Friday, May 2nd; 11-11 on Saturday, May 3rd; and 11-7 on Sunday, May 4th. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for senior citizens, and free for children under 12. Admission is also free between 11am and 2pm. There will be live music, performances by Greek dancers, wine tasting, carnival rides, and of course, Greek food. For additional information, call 480-899-3330 or visit www.atasteofgreeceaz.com.

Koulourakia for Greek Orthodox Easter

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:09:00 -0400

Pere whipped together a batch of Koulourakia for Greek Orthodox Easter this weekend: Making them is pretty simple. Here's the recipe she used:

3 1/2c sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3c softened butter
3/4c sugar
3 egg yolks
Reserved egg whites
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Sesame seeds (optional)

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Next cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, one at a time beating between additions. Stir in yogurt, rum, vanila and lemon zest. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and knead until you have a pliable dough. Break off chunks about the size of a golf ball and roll into 3 inch ropes and shape. Brush on reserved egg whites, sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and bake on buttered cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 30-36 cookies.

How to Cook the Perfect Steak

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:12:00 -0400

I think I have finally found the perfect cooking method for steak. I've tried just about everything over the years - grilling, pan frying, broiling, baking, searing in a pan then finishing in the oven, etc. While some methods have on occasion produced a decent steak, none have done it consistently in a way that could even begin to compete with your average steakhouse. That is, until now. Several months ago, Cooks Illustrated published a technique for cooking steak that turned convention on its head. Instead of following the advice to first sear the steak, then finish it (either on the grill or in the oven), Cooks Illustrated recommended raising the internal temperature of the steak to about 90 degrees in the oven, then finishing it off by searing it on all sides. The reasoning is that by first bringing the internal temp up to 90 degrees, the final sear is able to give you a nice caramelized crust without the usual band of overcooked gray meat that sits just below the surface and the undercooked, often raw center that follows. I've tried this technique twice now - once on a prime NY strip and a second time on a Kobe NY strip steak, and both times the steak has come out absolutely perfect - seared on the outside with a nice caramelized crust, and completely medium-rare on the inside - all the way through. The steaks have been buttery soft and extremely flavorful and juicy. I'll probably never cook steak another way again. Want to try it at home? Here's all you need to do: Preheat your oven to 275 degrees (use center rack). Meanwhile, remove your steaks from refrigerator, pat dry, and rub gently with salt and pepper on both sides (be careful not to use too much salt). After the steaks have rested for about 15 minutes, place them on a wire cooling rack inside of a standard cookie sheet. This will allow hot air from the oven to evenly circulate around the steaks. Place the steaks in the oven and allow to warm until their internal temperature reaches about 90 degrees. This should take 20-25 minutes for a 1 1/2 - 2 inch NY strip steak. When the steak is almost at 90 degrees, heat about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat, until it begins to smoke. When the steak has reached the correct internal temperature, remove from the oven and sear in the pan approximately 2 minutes per side. Once the two sides have been seared, be sure to sear the edges of each steak by holding the edges against the pan using tongs. Each edge should only take 30-45 seconds. Be warned, the searing will probably generate a good amount of smoke. You want a good steak, this is the price you have to pay. Open some windows and turn on your exhaust hood! As soon as the steaks are done searing, remove them from the pan and place them back on the wire cooling rack. Tent with foil, and allow about 10 minutes before serving. I'll put steaks cooked using this method up against any steakhouse steak I've had.

Total Wine & More Makes Their Arizona Debut

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 01:14:00 -0400

My favorite Delaware liquor store, Total Wine & More (formerly Liquor World) recently opened an Arizona outpost in Glendale. While it's a bit of a hike for those of us in the East valley, the prices and selection more than make up for that. With over 8,000 different wines, 2,000 types of spirits and 1,000 + beers, they blow away any and all competition in the valley, including my other favorite BevMo. I see a shopping trip ala Leaving Las Vegas in my near future.

Anyone Have Good Restaurant Recommendations for Seoul, South Korea

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:14:00 -0400

I'm in Seoul all week for work, and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for restaurants worth trying out? Getting around the city isn't a problem, but I would like to find places for dinner that are within the metro area. I'm open to most any cuisine, although I'm really hoping to find a restaurant that does a good job with Korean royal court cuisine without costing a ridiculous amount of money. I'm also interested in traditional Korean restaurants that serve a wide variety of banchan (side dishes). Any suggestions are welcome!