Thursday, March 24, 2011

March 24, 2011 - The inaugural post

Why a Blog?  Simply?  I love to cook.  I love trying new and different cooking techniques and rarely use a recipe unless I have to.  I love trying good food at restaurants and wondering if I can duplicate it or even improve it. I am opinionated about food (see below) and am a borderline curmudgeon.  I love good wine, whiskey, and beer.  I want to write about all of this and I hope you find it entertaining.  Either way, I’ll enjoy creating this blog.
Each week (ish), I’ll write about what I’ve cooked, what I’m working on, wines, etc., that I’ve tried, random travel notes, and if I’m lucky, write a review of a restaurant in Reno or other places that my travels take me.
Highlights of this week:  Paella; homemade infused salts; a homemade cocktail; a wine suggestion; the best whiskey I can afford; a disclaimer about my BBQ snobbery; high hopes and low expectations; and a review of Men Wielding Fire.
What Am I Cooking?  As my friends and family know, I am fascinated with Paella lately.  It’s a beautiful, one pot dish that you can cook inside or outside on the grill.  Plus, it’s a very impressive dish, particularly if you make it on a Boy Scout Camping trip, as I did this weekend:
Traditionally, it’s made over a fire, which adds a great smoky flavor.  If you want my basic ‘recipe’, I’m happy to share it.  You will, however, need a Paella pan to make it properly.  And yes, I’m aware that “Paella” means pan and Paella pan is redundant.
It’s also that time of the year when a man’s thoughts turn to BBQ and cooking outdoors.  It’s time to fire up the smoker.  I’m thinking brisket and/or beef ribs with smoked mac ‘n cheese for Easter dinner!  I’m sure the Red (see below) will want something more traditional, like ham.  Perhaps I’ll try to cure my own ham and smoke it….
What Am I Working On?  Infused kosher salts.  I’m pondering making a rosemary and garlic infused salt for steaks and a thyme infused salt for chicken.  I think both have real promise.
Cocktails?   I recently made some (a lot) of pineapple infused vodka, which I’ve served shaken and straight up as a martini or mixed with some Sprite and served over ice.  Both are quite refreshing and should be very nice when summer arrives. 
Wine?  Found a nice French Bordeaux at Costco for $8.  Chateau Bel Air Bordeaux Superior – 2008.  Is it comparable to a great Bordeaux?  No.  Is it good enough to fondly remind me of the Bordeaux I had in France?  Yes.  Is it a great bargain at $8?  Absolutely.
Best Whiskey I Can Afford?  Elijah Craig 18 year.  My friend Brett (aka Huey) is my bourbon mentor and my frequent companion in juvenile frivolity.  I used to tell him that bourbon was white trash scotch.  I didn’t care for the sweetness in some bourbons and turned my nose up at a whiskey made to be drank on ice (the horror!).  He’s since proven me wrong and this whiskey is almost perfect.  It has the essence of what’s great about bourbon, without the overpowering sweetness.  It has a rich, mahogany color and wonderful, complex smell in the glass.  The best part is that it’s only 90 proof, so you can drink it neat (no ice and a couple drops of water).  If you want to mix this into a cocktail, find another whiskey, you godless heathen.  Fabulous with a cigar as well. 
Restaurant Review – Men Wielding Fire.  For those that live in Reno, Men Wielding Fire (MWF) is located at the corner of Lake and 1st Street.  Since MWF is a BBQ place, a disclaimer is in order.  I am a BBQ snob and an amateur BBQ’er in my own right.  Yes, I have a pellet-fed barrel smoker in my back yard and, yes, I use it a lot.  I believe that lots of people try to make great BBQ and very few succeed.  If you’re going to serve me BBQ, please make me smile and thinks such thoughts as “Wow.  What a great smoke ring,” “Great rub,” or simply, and my personal favorite, “Damn!”  I am also a firm believer that most people can make pretty good baby back ribs and pulled pork.  If you want to separate the BBQ men from the boys, try the brisket.  That will tell you if the guy in the back really has righteous BBQ kung fu or not.  (Sorry ladies – BBQ’ers seem to be predominantly male.  Perhaps it’s the copious amounts of beer required to make good BBQ).  Sadly, in my oh so humble opinion, Reno does not have many good BBQ places.  When I enter a local BBQ joint, I usually have high hopes and low expectations.  I suppose that’s probably how my lovely bride felt when she married me 16 years ago, but that’s a different story.
My lovely bride (aka, the “Red’) and I decide to visit MWF for lunch mid-week.  When you walk into MWF, the first things that grab your attention are the décor (lots of steel and bright colors) and the wonderful aroma of hardwood smoke.  You’ve got my attention now as I have an almost pavlovian response to the smell of hardwood smoke.  The Red orders the house specialty, the pulled pork sandwich, and opts to forego the ‘Freedom Fries’ as a side in favor of the gorgonzola polenta.  At this point, I am thrilled because I desperately want to try the polenta and the fries, so I get the fries as a side to my lamb burger on a ciabatta bun (since I didn’t see any brisket, though the Red swears it was on the menu). 
As we wait for our food, the place starts to fill up and the head chef and part owner, Jack Lyon, drops by our table to say hello.  Gotta love a place where the owner cares enough to cook the food and gets out to mingle with the customers.
Our food arrives and both plates look awesome, so some food porn photos are in order.  Here’s the Red’s pulled pork sandwich:   

And here is my lamb burger:

The Red’s pulled pork is a nice sandwich.  MWF puts their slaw inside the sandwich, which gives it a nice, crunchy texture.  The pulled pork has a nice smoke ring and good all around flavor.  However, the star of the show is the gorgonzola polenta.  It appeared to be a mix of yellow and white polenta cooked with a nice chicken stock.  It was creamy and rich and would be a solid side dish on its own.  But, MWF doesn’t stop there.  MWF takes it a step further and puts gorgonzola on top of it and browns it under the salamander.  To the man who created this dish I say, “You, sir are a genius and one of my personal heroes.”  It’s almost like macaroni and cheese done at a high level.  To be more precise, it’s the epitome of foodie comfort food (what part of polenta and gorgonzola in the same dish was unclear?). 
A side note for you foodies who turn your noses up at grits, a southern staple.  If you like polenta , you’ll like grits.  They’re the same thing, with slight differences in preparation.  Trust me on this – the next time you’re at breakfast and grits are prominently noted on the menu (example – Pegs Glorified Ham ‘N Eggs), set aside your food snobbery and order some.  Put some butter in them (more is, of course, better), along with some salt and pepper, and thank me later.  The advanced grits course includes ordering them with cheese, bacon, etc.  Mmmmm… grits…. [Insert Homer Simpson sound here]
But I digress…..  As noted above, I ordered a lamb burger, which was marinated in a balsamic vinegar-based marinade.  I ordered my burger medium (no need to kill it again, it’s already dead!) with swiss cheese and blue cheese dressing (might as well abuse those taste buds), along with the ‘Freedom Fries’.  The burger had amazing flavor, but was unfortunately cooked well done.  I mentioned this to the waitress and Mr. Lyon came back to our table.  He noted that the burger did appear cooked well, but that the balsamic marinade tended to take the red color out of the meat and, because lamb is so lean, the meat cooks very quickly.  He offered to replace it, but I chose to keep it as it was still a very tasty burger notwithstanding that it was simply overcooked.  I might suggest that they grind some fat back or bacon into the lamb mixture to overcome some of the leanness of the lamb.  Then again, I think bacon and/or pork fat can help any dish and, more importantly, it’s not my restaurant.
The Freedom Fries were spectacular.  Thick cut and fried crispy and, if I’m not mistaken, made from Yukon Gold potatoes, which gave them a nice, sweet flavor.  I wonder what oil they fry them in…  Great fries.  I could only eat a pound or two at a time.
In short, I think MWF is a great local restaurant and I look forward to going back, though I’ll probably steer clear of the lamb burger.  It’s clear that MWF is run by people who love the food they make.  The best compliment I can give MWF is that I will gladly bring my out-of-town foodie friends to this restaurant when they visit.  It’s safe to say that we will likely try some of their 16 beers on tap.
I am certain that future restaurant reviews will not be as favorable as this one. 
WF

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