tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67487522211676239142024-03-06T03:45:34.038+00:00Don't Drive to DinnerOr tales of why a stubborn Englishman persists in trying to walk in America when there are perfectly good cars (and other stories)herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-72214065759296061902017-10-22T12:27:00.000+01:002017-10-22T12:27:06.458+01:00Native American Cooking - Blue Corn Tacos, Chips and Navajo Fry-Bread<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUdgOmLxIGfpwVR3hfN4ZAt-YsFtLBTJFrXrjY2YKD8f0veeRh0izVI8Ab4EdhaxX_liNwV1n0yHLQH9jjXmf1mb3MQenIOg4trVGCkI0-NERaaQ8o9s_BEVgmAVwAC_xJ-4pYJMEx5_W/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUdgOmLxIGfpwVR3hfN4ZAt-YsFtLBTJFrXrjY2YKD8f0veeRh0izVI8Ab4EdhaxX_liNwV1n0yHLQH9jjXmf1mb3MQenIOg4trVGCkI0-NERaaQ8o9s_BEVgmAVwAC_xJ-4pYJMEx5_W/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4293.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navajo Fry-Bread Tacos</td></tr>
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At the end of my first Route 66 road trip I saw something made me question everything I knew about Native Americans.<br />
<br />
If I'd thought about them at all, it was the cliches of my childhood. Red skinned men with feather headresses living in Tepees. Women dressed like Pocahontas. The baddies in the endless Sunday afternoon Westerns. They were a long way from suburban England, part of the playground games of Cowboys and Indians.<br />
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What I saw on Route 66 was the well preserved ruins of Puerco Pueblo, outside of Holbrook Arizona. At its peak, in 1300AD, 200 people lived in brick houses around a central plaza.<br />
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This isn't what I knew about Native Americans. I didn't know they lived in houses, in villages. I didn't know they farmed crops. That they lived in conditions little different to early Medieval Britain.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn and Bean Salsa</td></tr>
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Since then the story of America's indigenous peoples has fascinated me.<br />
<br />
When I saw a restaurant offering 'modern Navajo cuisine' on this year's road trip, I had to visit. The Black Sheep Cafe in Provo, Utah was a short detour, and dinner was delicious (read my review at the foot of <a href="http://trip2017.igetmykicks.com/2017/07/day-five-ely-to-provo-along-loneliest.html">this page</a>).<br />
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It also raised many questions - how authentic was it? Would a Navajo Indian recognise it? What did other Indian tribes eat? And - most importantly - can I learn to cook this at home?<br />
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Very quickly, I hit problems defining 'Native American Cuisine'. First, there's considerable regional variation - North America is a vast country, and I wouldn't like to be asked to define 'European Cuisine'.<br />
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While most European countries were defining their cusines as part of their national identities, the Native Americans had more serious problems - theft of their lands, disease and grinding poverty. No one had the luxury of being able to pause and write a cookbook.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue corn, ready to made into tacos</td></tr>
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There's also the thorny issue of 'authenticity'. Do I rule out all dishes that use ingredients brought by the Europeans?<br />
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I could, but this means winding the clock back five hundreds years.<br />
<br />
I wouldn't describe English cuisine in terms of the pottage and game diet of the Elizabethans. Nor would anyone modern recognise the jellied meats and offal dishes favoured by the Edwardians.<br />
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No, just as I would have to consider Chicken Tikka Masala when writing about modern British cuisine, I would have to allow the Native Americans their outside influences too.<br />
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It's also interesting to consider their influence on American - and British - cuisine. There's the potato, of course, and the turkey, although neither featured that heavily in Indian diets. A stronger influence can be found in the cornbread, grits and tacos that occur all over the South.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7HUphXoFTtL2a5sc-xPxoUkBDMjghzYfIFOiVnGqOGA6Vu81G-Ps9Xa78JBOf-7cIpRyWszkf9SfJuir5C-uXUsAKp-6es_z6zza8U6lD5iSqR09P408dtX0oODeevawVKumfhnLXfKZ/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7HUphXoFTtL2a5sc-xPxoUkBDMjghzYfIFOiVnGqOGA6Vu81G-Ps9Xa78JBOf-7cIpRyWszkf9SfJuir5C-uXUsAKp-6es_z6zza8U6lD5iSqR09P408dtX0oODeevawVKumfhnLXfKZ/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4264.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Corn Tacos with Corn and Bean Salsa</td></tr>
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In fact, it could be argued that Mexican food is basically indigenous American cuisine. The dishes may have Spanish names, but almost none were eaten by the European Spanish.<br />
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So where to start? The food of the nomadic Plains Indians - the Teepee living Indians of my childhood cliches - was by necessity simple. Bison featured heavily - and would be tricky to get hold of in Waitrose too.<br />
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The Hopi indians probably had the most refined and well documented cuisine. Living in villages, they had the ability to bake bread and cook complex dishes. Proficient farmers, they had a ready supply of fresh and dried ingredients. There was also considerable cultural cross fertilisation with the Mexican and South American indians.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue corn tacos, cut ready for chips</td></tr>
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The main Hopi crops were corn, beans and squash. Most beans we consume here in Europe have American roots (the broad bean, or fava, is the only common indigenous European bean).<br />
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The Natives Americans have been eating wild beans for at least 7,000 years, and eventually learned the secrets of cultivating them. The Hopi developed many varieties of bean and have been growing them since the 5th century.<br />
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Corn cultivation dates back 4,500 years. It is incapable of sowing its own seeds, and must be planted by hand. This practice gained religious significance with tribes such as the Hopi, and performed with great respect and reverence.<br />
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The Zuni believed their six colours of corn represented the six points of the compass (including up and down). Navajo legend relates that blue corn came to the people when a giant turkey flying high above the world dropped ears of it from under her wings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A9NplGMOP_LQE0dHQF0U3Vtvyx61GHldkGDDnCCGkE0_-nzOc1iyzdXRU6O9CpxmqXj4beILxxafLOHVBFxwE-_vLDqYsqr4C8EQsCahIitNNwZ380cuKQ4I5hNzXFyONkOIPf5-iYwc/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A9NplGMOP_LQE0dHQF0U3Vtvyx61GHldkGDDnCCGkE0_-nzOc1iyzdXRU6O9CpxmqXj4beILxxafLOHVBFxwE-_vLDqYsqr4C8EQsCahIitNNwZ380cuKQ4I5hNzXFyONkOIPf5-iYwc/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4268.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frying the blue corn chips</td></tr>
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The three crops grow together in a simple but perfect symbiosis. The large leaves of the low lying squash suppress weeds, the stalks of the corn provide a vertical support for the climbing beans.<br />
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The first dish I made was a simple corn and bean salsa - two of the three sisters. I cooked together some tomatoes (another Indian ingredient) with some onions (a rare Spanish influence) and a little jalapeno chilli (an influence from Mexico).<br />
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To this I added equal amount of black beans and sweetcorn, plus a little lime and coriander, and warmed it through.<br />
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Next, the classic Hopi ingredient - blue corn - that I picked up in Taos after visiting the Pueblo. The Hopi believe that this, the hardest of the corns to grow, is also the best. They chose blue corn to symbolize their choice of a life of hardship and humility.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salsa, margarita and fresh blue corn chips</td></tr>
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I used the ground corn to make corn tortillas, mixed with twice the amount of plain flour to make it more manageable (without the flour, it's hard to get it to bind). I then rolled a number golf ball sized balls, which I flattened out with a tortilla press.<br />
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(One day I must try piki bread - a bread made from almost transparent layers of dough - but it sounded too complicated for that evening's dinner!)<br />
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A couple of the tortillas where turned into vegetarian tacos for my daughter. First, a big spoon of corn and bean salsa, then the classic Southwestern toppings of shredded iceberg lettuce and sour cream, with a little coriander.<br />
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The rest were cut into triangles to made into blue corn chips. I think this is more Mexican than Hopi, but I wanted to see how they turned out. I deep fried them in a wok, and drained them on kitchen paper. They lost their blue colour and perhaps needed to be thinner to make good crispy chips, but they were delicious none the less and went well with the salsa and a margarita!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMYFq-LcQGUH_JLV3lglrIzOhQNKNPgpZh29MB39lygsiSZbhzWXAbJb2hEJuUvHIb-c5fAIonVqUmInBDrrpOsMZNpV3ZPNZIoOh5QT3lthkdYT8hygJ0U4JV2v6TPh9zt2LuXyhrfFa/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMYFq-LcQGUH_JLV3lglrIzOhQNKNPgpZh29MB39lygsiSZbhzWXAbJb2hEJuUvHIb-c5fAIonVqUmInBDrrpOsMZNpV3ZPNZIoOh5QT3lthkdYT8hygJ0U4JV2v6TPh9zt2LuXyhrfFa/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4279.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fry-bread dough, frying</td></tr>
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Next a dish that almost anyone from the Southwest would associate with the Navajos - fry-bread. I'd encountered this once before, on an Indian reservation in Florida, but was surprised at how common it was across the Southwest.<br />
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It seemed to be a staple in the local Mexican restaurants too - I had a delicious example in Holbrook, Arizona. Another example of the cross-fertilisation of cuisines.<br />
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When I first encountered fry-bread, I was confused how this dish became associated with the Navajos. The adapatable Navajo were a nomadic tribe that learned agriculture from the Hopi and farming from the Europeans.<br />
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But none of this explained why a dish involving refined wheat flour and lard became the dish most commonly associated with Native Americans.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMP1sBg5KD58uXL1c5IrORa_JdP87bR2DnM6EKEEygWdgbLM-BVEb21VMnrlamseKCSBuAkDEjD5795zL4YHngsiLsqirxRoS9ZuyCW-pjlA0w2QXl20iqsYwO9dT23j8afTgSc69N1yv/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMP1sBg5KD58uXL1c5IrORa_JdP87bR2DnM6EKEEygWdgbLM-BVEb21VMnrlamseKCSBuAkDEjD5795zL4YHngsiLsqirxRoS9ZuyCW-pjlA0w2QXl20iqsYwO9dT23j8afTgSc69N1yv/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4283.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished fry-breads</td></tr>
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The story of fry-bread is also the story of the appalling treatment of the Indians at the hands of the Europeans. The traditional Navajo homelands were in Arizona, where they lived in villages, growing crops and raising livestock.<br />
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As the Europeans settlers expanded into this desirable farmland, tensions grew between them and the Navajo. Ultimately, the Navajo were moved by the army to a reservation deep in New Mexico. Some 10,000 Indians were forced to walk 400 miles across the desert, with hundreds dying of starvation and exposure. This became known as "The Long Walk".<br />
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Their new lands weren't able to support their former agriculture, and the Navajo were forced to rely on handouts from the government. From these supplies of corn, lard, sugar and salt was born the fry-bread.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM0RdDyJIefVeXFz421U1ncffweD219Uny3z05lIqhiHL1lNH3pu0sG3htrcigjHp61-uo5FzzR8CnAZdTw_WazJIntOf7KE1oQzhU7yyElmbWWaPaViG07_ZgAhxXHW3MyrSuPw7L3eo/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM0RdDyJIefVeXFz421U1ncffweD219Uny3z05lIqhiHL1lNH3pu0sG3htrcigjHp61-uo5FzzR8CnAZdTw_WazJIntOf7KE1oQzhU7yyElmbWWaPaViG07_ZgAhxXHW3MyrSuPw7L3eo/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4290.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fry-breads with ground beef topping</td></tr>
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For the Native Americans, eating it serves as a link with previous generations and a reminder of painful past treatment.<br />
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I've made a similar dish to fry-bread before - the Italian pizza-fritta - and knew how delicious it could be. It's much lighter than you might expect for a deep fried bread.<br />
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There are as many recipes for bread as there are Native American tribes. Some involve yeast, but I thought I would go for baking powder (for ease and speed). I decided to fry in oil rather than lard. Most recipes involve milk powder - I guess to make it a store cupboard dish - but I had fresh milk and used that. The following ratios made a sticky dough that's enough for two fry breads:<br />
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1 Cup Plain Flour<br />
1/4 Cup Milk<br />
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder<br />
Sprinkle of salt<br />
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You might need to add a little water if it's too dry<br />
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I let it rest for 45 minutes, and in the mean time made some toppings. I cooked up some minced beef with cumin and chilli powder until browned and just starting to catch. Then I chopped a pile of lettuce and tomatoes.<br />
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I used a wok to get the oil nice and hot (I tested this with a little bit of dough), the split the dough into two balls and flattened each out with my hand.<br />
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It's best to do this by hand, rather than a rolling pin, as the unevenness gives nook and crannies for the toppings. I then fried the dough, turning a few times in the hot oil until brown, and left to drain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNne1AulT1zwJlfriBNWWZM2qntZjWE7dqFP9MzChRwU9sYk_GmGsz8npuCgrZ3HsVoWlWvlTtBSo8UV8_dvmUqr24XfW-TJUCR8O0cYUDgTQulIvH6AYIrWwElIr91jcDxNoyryYuoV7X/s1600/SLR-20170916-IMGP4295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNne1AulT1zwJlfriBNWWZM2qntZjWE7dqFP9MzChRwU9sYk_GmGsz8npuCgrZ3HsVoWlWvlTtBSo8UV8_dvmUqr24XfW-TJUCR8O0cYUDgTQulIvH6AYIrWwElIr91jcDxNoyryYuoV7X/s320/SLR-20170916-IMGP4295.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sweet fry-bread for dessert!</td></tr>
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I then topped each fry bread with the beef, the left over salsa, some lettuce and tomatoes and a blob of sour cream.<br />
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There's a few things I could have tweaked - because I'd put a lot of research into getting the bread right, I didn't quite get the flavours right in the ground beef.<br />
<br />
But overall I was very impressed with the dish - much lighter than you might expect - so much so that I made one more fry-bread. This one I had with honey and icing sugar, just like I'd had in Taos Pueblo that summer. And that's another story ...herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-76352317635543075592017-02-26T14:26:00.002+00:002017-02-26T14:26:22.831+00:00Texan Delicacies - Chicken Fried Steak<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fuwNhmJdrn7JGnnsoN0kQghXt9IB3LgydHobItdVDVrFiea2iVQKLgGLG6Pbk-cuRrxRcUmFpj1snsNWdY0X-lClKuy8EIdOTNFXs4fyJsYTaG9kuGtulNaFLKSO0IPjO_eiA8Cv8db0/s1600/SLR-20170211-IMGP2590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fuwNhmJdrn7JGnnsoN0kQghXt9IB3LgydHobItdVDVrFiea2iVQKLgGLG6Pbk-cuRrxRcUmFpj1snsNWdY0X-lClKuy8EIdOTNFXs4fyJsYTaG9kuGtulNaFLKSO0IPjO_eiA8Cv8db0/s320/SLR-20170211-IMGP2590.jpg" width="320" /></a>Why am I surprised it's hard to get cheap steak? This is Cambridge, after all. In the end I had to settle for 21 day aged organic rump steak. But why am I looking for the cheapest, chewiest steak? Because I'm about to make that great Texan delicacy - chicken fried steak.<br />
<br />
Chicken fried steak is one of those dishes, like biscuits and gravy, that sounds wrong to English ears. Is it a fried chicken steak? What is a chicken steak? What's going on? Well, it's a beef steak, fried like you'd fry chicken. Steak with a crunchy coating.<br />
<br />
Oh, says my foodie readership, you mean like wiener schnitzel? Well, yes and no. We're not talking delicate slices of tender baby calf, we're talking cheap, chewy lumps of real cow. Hammered flat with tenderising mallets. Pulverised with a rolling pin. If you've got the kit, stabbed with a thousand tiny blades too.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvGx3uAsEipRv300wFyVHpE1IuqNDp7VsZnxvMAg4F2UQpVAgczKwJkHoD5x8Mwap9BxNPUsPjBadQghNhRsr2vT-lRTB7jyx_-rSNP3uLcaVS_QB0R2VuRZQBWUPit5Q42JxDadMQe2-/s1600/SLR-20170211-IMGP2582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvGx3uAsEipRv300wFyVHpE1IuqNDp7VsZnxvMAg4F2UQpVAgczKwJkHoD5x8Mwap9BxNPUsPjBadQghNhRsr2vT-lRTB7jyx_-rSNP3uLcaVS_QB0R2VuRZQBWUPit5Q42JxDadMQe2-/s320/SLR-20170211-IMGP2582.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The dish comes from the same route as the schnitzel, brought by German and Austrian immigrants in the 19th century. But this is a hard working peasant dish. A cheap lump of meats can make a substantial dish - all that bashing makes it twice the size (and edible too). The coating of egg and flour increases the carbohydrate value of it too.<br />
<br />
As ever, I trusted SeriousEats to provide me with a <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/02/chicken-fried-steak-recipe.html">recipe</a>. There's more agreement on how to create this dish than other, more contentious, recipes (I'm looking at you, chili con carne). However I'm sure German settlers didn't fuss around with seasoned flour and buttermilk dips like I did last night.<br />
<br />
When it came to side dishes, I tried to stay as traditional as possible. Country gravy - white sauce - isn't optional. It's an integral part of the dish. I chose mash and green beans because that's what I've always had. Although I resisted the temptation to boil the beans close to the point of becoming mush. Keeping a bit of bite was my only concession to European tastes.<br />
<br />
And did it all work? Hell yeah. A classic of comfort food cooking. I'll be making this again - especially if I can find some cheap and chewy steak!herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-25051098676839076632016-10-20T17:59:00.000+01:002016-10-20T17:59:15.605+01:00Florida: Diners, Dives and Luncheonettes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49Kd1s2c2-lX-mGP0mb26JwNaeDQsO4M0D3xRQjRU8jGKlcRn0P2X-ku9Sbs70wWIdHjlas-Wjuvjt03jjGpQ4RhvRoW_93S0YioA-DxgDvC6_u-aRSsFu8Orq_TsV8hB3PBqVvIwTm8W/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-16+at+16.09.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49Kd1s2c2-lX-mGP0mb26JwNaeDQsO4M0D3xRQjRU8jGKlcRn0P2X-ku9Sbs70wWIdHjlas-Wjuvjt03jjGpQ4RhvRoW_93S0YioA-DxgDvC6_u-aRSsFu8Orq_TsV8hB3PBqVvIwTm8W/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-16+at+16.09.20.png" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everywhere I reviewed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After suggesting you <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2016/07/fun-in-florida.html">watch this space</a>, I can only apologise for the three month silence. Unforgivable. However, I wasn't completely idle in Florida - after my occasional rants about online restaurant reviews (<a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/the-best-hyperbole-ive-ever-had-5-stars.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2016/02/how-to-be-best-restaurant-in-america.html">here</a> if you need a refresher) - I thought I'd give it a go myself.<br />
<br />
It's not easy. I'm too English to give just anyone a five star review. I'm too polite to post a bad review. With just a few exceptions, it's a long list of four star reviews.<br />
<br />
Still, I stuck with it and reviewed every place I ate and if nothing else it gives me a diary to look back on. If you'd like to read them too, I think <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/contrib/101289958172657021851/reviews/">this link</a> to Google maps should work.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_QlEjRG2IkeZErvaqxXV8r8p5qKJKcOIDREgPBD0e4OjsUBAmvRJWvaEXblXmFMYklu6ec3AelJ_mRD1YyMq-jgcMq9uO55_JRqHY_UNx-vvHAz1vl5lD8YBcmpqL1sgDi-eR426Z7dm/s1600/SLR-20160722-IMGP1454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_QlEjRG2IkeZErvaqxXV8r8p5qKJKcOIDREgPBD0e4OjsUBAmvRJWvaEXblXmFMYklu6ec3AelJ_mRD1YyMq-jgcMq9uO55_JRqHY_UNx-vvHAz1vl5lD8YBcmpqL1sgDi-eR426Z7dm/s320/SLR-20160722-IMGP1454.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel's, Palatka</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However there were two places I thought deserved more than four stars and four lines in a Google review. Not only was the food delicious, but they were historically interesting too.<br />
<br />
The first is Angel's diner in Palatka. This authentic 1932 diner is far from the diner's spiritual home of the American Northeast. It also occurred to me that this is the first traditional diner I've eaten in.<br />
<br />
A diner novice, I commented to the waitress that it looked like a train's dining carriage, and she agreed that it probably once was. As romantic as that notion might be, it's unlikely to be true.<br />
<br />
In fact, it's much more likely that Angel's diner was prefabricated in a factory and shipped to Palatka. The long, carriage-like shape makes it much easier to transport on the back of a lorry or on a rail car.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMAZRsycFm6wSp7Qggu11Tjh-q6hXcDZHZf-1hLK_nDRxrtaY9zJ1PCbJkF72oL9z-NAIVU8Ce08oEL6bILhdCPKMhcYxqzIDLGmCd4Ik__9_adKumgcocCYQLyQr1c-7rPFsftUWHKd2/s1600/SLR-20160722-IMGP1448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMAZRsycFm6wSp7Qggu11Tjh-q6hXcDZHZf-1hLK_nDRxrtaY9zJ1PCbJkF72oL9z-NAIVU8Ce08oEL6bILhdCPKMhcYxqzIDLGmCd4Ik__9_adKumgcocCYQLyQr1c-7rPFsftUWHKd2/s320/SLR-20160722-IMGP1448.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, it looks like a train!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The opportunity to make this shape a feature wasn't wasted by designers like Roland Stickney, who designed the iconic Sterling diner, heavily inspired by the Sterling Streamliner train dining cars.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
It's unlikely Patalaka is an original Sterling - I'm sure I would have discovered if it was - but it's very much in the same style.<br />
<br />
So in some ways, the diner is very much like the static caravan, much beloved of British holiday resorts (or, perhaps, the American trailer) - but with a bigger kitchen and booth seating - and delivered to wherever a local entrepreneur has bought land and thinks they'll have passing trade.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpTHAm9IWHKfwzGpnEvtMmH4uj7MLondvgL8uQS6rG16YtkGKwnMmMxLghEO9YTaELBJf-Ek_hbhJ1zqVXjvQnd2C-3BBQdA42mQOTfscUPb54a1v2XCHqhduBftXoCD1yUMeRAYTto9i/s1600/SLR-20160722-IMGP1449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpTHAm9IWHKfwzGpnEvtMmH4uj7MLondvgL8uQS6rG16YtkGKwnMmMxLghEO9YTaELBJf-Ek_hbhJ1zqVXjvQnd2C-3BBQdA42mQOTfscUPb54a1v2XCHqhduBftXoCD1yUMeRAYTto9i/s320/SLR-20160722-IMGP1449.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously good onion rings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But what if you weren't just a guy with a dream and a patch of land? What if you already had a general story or a pharmacy (in the more wide ranging American sense). Well, that's where the luncheonette, or lunch counter, came in.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Arranged like a diner, with seats around a counter and using very similar cooking equipment, it could easily be added to any existing store with enough space.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGx84cpYxPK3d0OOx8TwPvyTov0sy2hT3NGv1PyDPxjObeeACv-x-OhK6J44o_FxLrPvI1nrP59zQ7MmtDsZ1_7-4V7gTVvWXdFLo8xrxSY2JNiYJAulXhYJ3HAba090JIVcnbxa0Boz1/s1600/IMG_20160718_130005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGx84cpYxPK3d0OOx8TwPvyTov0sy2hT3NGv1PyDPxjObeeACv-x-OhK6J44o_FxLrPvI1nrP59zQ7MmtDsZ1_7-4V7gTVvWXdFLo8xrxSY2JNiYJAulXhYJ3HAba090JIVcnbxa0Boz1/s320/IMG_20160718_130005.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which one supported JFK's bottom?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Green's Pharmacy in Florida's Palm Beach is host to Green's Luncheonette, an institution that's been there since 1938.<br />
<br />
Palm Beach was also home to the 'Winter White House', John F Kennedy's winter escape, and Green's hasn't changed an iota since JFK would come for a burger, fries and a chocolate shake.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
I skipped the shake, but the cheeseburger would definitely take some beating. In upmarket Palm Beach, Green's was charmingly old fashioned without being 'retro'.<br />
<br />
In fact, that was something rather pleasing about both Angel's and Green's - neither had succumbed to over restoration, neither had jukeboxes of 50s hits, nor pictures of Marilyn Monroe or Elvis.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7M5lB7FNWnZiuHiPCafu58VPSrvEbxfIXf2TO2eCItq9UFKug2IRxNYmtX_8T_h0Tv11XtGPBEJd9L5LxMU7mYr4PYJgWbjCm8HX6TQCVaPryCn66EIuJxIKwKvESqryLNnv7FFztbFM/s1600/IMG_20160718_131807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7M5lB7FNWnZiuHiPCafu58VPSrvEbxfIXf2TO2eCItq9UFKug2IRxNYmtX_8T_h0Tv11XtGPBEJd9L5LxMU7mYr4PYJgWbjCm8HX6TQCVaPryCn66EIuJxIKwKvESqryLNnv7FFztbFM/s320/IMG_20160718_131807.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was packed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Both had patina and been allowed to age gracefully. Both were also packed, so neither had to try too hard to attract the passing tourist dollar.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
I am, of course, boiling up for a rant about over-restoration, about America's sometimes perplexing attitudes towards it heritage. But that's another post, for another time. See you in three months?<br />
<br />
<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-33313879579706783422016-07-15T15:01:00.000+01:002016-07-15T21:19:36.912+01:00Fun in Florida!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThu4kJdhEaOMahn9VHDBpMnoHl9P1kYuXGFFiAEVdFYbQbWVJITI8G-r4NDk89Bp0CAuo3yqZ3kedLnMtDPouIa-SC2QL7FbQStGzWpoJjrmpr2jDAg1yqm_NrPevhSZ3TNdVmFpKoQ83/s1600/SLR-20160714-IMGP0978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThu4kJdhEaOMahn9VHDBpMnoHl9P1kYuXGFFiAEVdFYbQbWVJITI8G-r4NDk89Bp0CAuo3yqZ3kedLnMtDPouIa-SC2QL7FbQStGzWpoJjrmpr2jDAg1yqm_NrPevhSZ3TNdVmFpKoQ83/s320/SLR-20160714-IMGP0978.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[mmmmm]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another year, another margarita photo! Yup, we're back in Forth Worth's Stockyards and we're revisiting all our favourite haunts (if you need a reminder, read <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/07/im-here-at-last-how-yall-doing-texas.html">this post!</a>).<br />
<br />
The journey was relatively painless - although navigating rush hour Fort Worth from memory, with no GPS, was a challenge.<br />
<br />
Google maps is awesome, but it does need a data connection and my phone provider let me down (naming no names, but the sum 1+2 = ? might give you a clue). I felt I earned that glistening goblet you see on the left.<br />
<br />
But that's enough about Dallas - the title says "Fun in Florida!", and that's what I'm planning to have.<br />
<br />
On Sunday I'll fly to Miami, the starting point of one of the USA's great road trips - south on US-1, across the bridges to Key West. So me, I'm going north!<br />
<br />
I wouldn't say I'll be exploring 'undiscovered Florida' - this is a densely populated part of the US, popular with tourists from across the States and beyond. But I do plan to take the A1A north as far as I can, hugging the coast up to St Augustine - then a hop across the middle, and down the Gulf coast, picking up the Tamiami trail back to Miama. Only then do I feel I've earned the trip to Key West!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJ6po37hW6MfB3BFJ8tu6JQYTT1VBNtG4wclPoc6x-tgvDzvdCR253Z8T5_81G_OzvuZeBpcu9h9RtwdcZii2yZuOybWiPMg61fGHhTDoIz5JHkV6ND9VJNi4rY1u1MooZydm6gwyA0HX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-15+at+07.53.29.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJ6po37hW6MfB3BFJ8tu6JQYTT1VBNtG4wclPoc6x-tgvDzvdCR253Z8T5_81G_OzvuZeBpcu9h9RtwdcZii2yZuOybWiPMg61fGHhTDoIz5JHkV6ND9VJNi4rY1u1MooZydm6gwyA0HX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-15+at+07.53.29.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[The Route - every dot is a diner I want to try!]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What do I expect to see? Spaceships and alligators, the Everglades and urban beachside sprawl. I want to eat conch, frogs legs and crocodile. Florida has some classic 1930s diners that I'm itching to try - plus a restaurant that tries to include beer as an ingredient in every dish they serve.<br />
<br />
I'm expecting mounds of crispy brown deep fried sea things, plus some of the freshest fruit in the US. I expect to hear Spanish in Miami, Salsa in Little Havana and dodgy 70s rock music in my car.<br />
<br />
Watch this space!<br />
<br />
<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-64662201336358726372016-02-14T16:41:00.000+00:002016-02-14T16:41:17.379+00:00How to be the Best Restaurant in America!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGSDLVn3xvvkT4PLopaMyVL8OO-wnYmqez8l_80CKbNRLJq9FzwseNYAPeAxpedf15F2ZMhiIg-To4LZDI16rzUDPUL3Pz0Kz5bYDwOStenBiiWNVzcNR9Pjp38LlBCnN-VW0JbW_G4iT/s1600/20140721-IMGP8095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGSDLVn3xvvkT4PLopaMyVL8OO-wnYmqez8l_80CKbNRLJq9FzwseNYAPeAxpedf15F2ZMhiIg-To4LZDI16rzUDPUL3Pz0Kz5bYDwOStenBiiWNVzcNR9Pjp38LlBCnN-VW0JbW_G4iT/s320/20140721-IMGP8095.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Homeslice - best pizza in the world?]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Those of you that know me won't be surprised to hear I have a long list of <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/11/fantasy-road-trips-dallas-to-san.html">fantasy road trips</a> - and every now and then I'll see if they're still up to date, that nowhere has closed or gone down hill.<br />
<br />
So I get to the Copper Top BBQ in Big Pine, a simple barbecue joint and possible lunch stop on US-395 (The '<a href="http://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/395/">Three Flags Highway</a>') - and discover that not only is it still open, it's now the best place to eat in the whole of the USA.<br />
<br />
Pardon?<br />
<br />
Well, that's what readers of Yelp say - it tops their list of <a href="http://officialblog.yelp.com/2015/01/yelps-top-100-places-to-eat-in-the-us-for-2015.html">100 best places to eat in the US</a>. I already have a <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/the-best-hyperbole-ive-ever-had-5-stars.html">love/hate relationship </a>with restaurant review sites and decided to investigate how this humble BBQ joint could become America's most well rated restaurant.<br />
<br />
The journalists over at Slate have explained it best, and I fully recommend you go read their <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2015/01/yelp_top_100_restaurants_why_the_winners_are_places_you_ve_never_heard_of.html">article </a>after this, but here's my simplified take on it -<br />
<br />
I'd written before that Americans love to give 5 star reviews and Slate say that over 40% of reviews on Yelp are 5 star. I've recently started using an app to rate beer and I've noted that my default review is always 4 stars.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm a reserved Englishman, and that means I can't give anything a 5 star review (I'd reserve that kind of praise for the ambrosia of the gods, or the elixir of youth, should I find either). But I'm pretty free with my 4 stars. I like beer, and as long as the beer is okay, it gets 4 stars. Only if it disappoints me does it get less. And I'm rarely disappointed by beer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrIfXOa8h79wHOu-EhXpuh18B0vM78VHJ9nm0rWNUY9az3FdI-ZFI61MmEHXiQt45Rsw6E_rx8xI9cf-2ZAy1bdHvhOX9o9mOU4RmblqHSnJ9iTQoblNLZl-ydoa2TsTX_pvaCOVuoncQ/s1600/20140717-IMGP7898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrIfXOa8h79wHOu-EhXpuh18B0vM78VHJ9nm0rWNUY9az3FdI-ZFI61MmEHXiQt45Rsw6E_rx8xI9cf-2ZAy1bdHvhOX9o9mOU4RmblqHSnJ9iTQoblNLZl-ydoa2TsTX_pvaCOVuoncQ/s320/20140717-IMGP7898.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Really the best ribs in the USA?]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I think it's the same in the US - where their natural optimism and ebullience means that here, the 5 star review is the default. Hey, you're going out for a meal, the kids are with a babysitter, you're on holiday, you're on a date, you want this to be a good meal.<br />
<br />
You want to give it 5 stars. And you will, unless something actually goes wrong.<br />
<br />
So here's my four simple rules to having a well rated restaurant.<br />
<br />
1. Make sure nothing does wrong. It's obvious, really, but - certainly in America - there's nothing like poor service to make you lose points.<br />
<br />
Copper Top's owner gives away free food samples.<br />
<br />
2. Don't be over ambitious. If your food truck serves hot dogs, and the hot dogs are tasty, you won't lose points. If I arrive at your food truck, and you confuse me with too many options, push me out of my comfort zone with venison sausages and sourdough rolls, and I don't like it, I'll dock you points.<br />
<br />
Copper Top sell simple BBQ food on paper plates.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkS0WoKSEdM1xq_9Ybit8g-kbKS-WPh7f1ralu2wYojH_4MoJV76d3ctBxCL97F9zY0aLTuI3hWCfj4bhRdAOBHBJtWgrPVUGyGsjGlf3OjeJk1Oqqc0K1VJXockIV9u6qSaGf_fJiat-/s1600/20140721-IMGP8097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkS0WoKSEdM1xq_9Ybit8g-kbKS-WPh7f1ralu2wYojH_4MoJV76d3ctBxCL97F9zY0aLTuI3hWCfj4bhRdAOBHBJtWgrPVUGyGsjGlf3OjeJk1Oqqc0K1VJXockIV9u6qSaGf_fJiat-/s320/20140721-IMGP8097.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Louie Muellers <br />is actually the best BBQ in the <br />entire world]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. Don't be a local restaurant. I go to my local bistro once a month and always start with the risotto. I love their risotto. Last week the risotto was undercooked. I'm sad. There's a 3 star review coming now.<br />
<br />
Instead, be a holiday restaurant. Ever noticed how fish and chips tastes better by the sea? You're relaxed, you want it to be good, and as long as it's not bad, it's best fish and chips ever.<br />
<br />
It's possible that Homeslice in Austin doesn't make the best pizza in the world or that Riscky's in Fort Worth do the best ribs - but because I associate them with holidays, they'll always get 5 stars from me.<br />
<br />
Copper Top is in the holiday resort of Big Pines.<br />
<br />
4. Don't have your restaurant somewhere it rains. It's the holiday effect again. Rain makes us miserable. It's why there's fewer 5 star restaurants on the East Coast than the West. Chicago and New York both have world class restaurants, but the rain can wash away the occasional star, and that affects your averages. If you're thinking of opening a restaurant in Manchester, I simply say "don't".<br />
<br />
Copper Top is, of course, in California.<br />
<br />
So is all this advice true here in the UK? Well, here's the same <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11383821/Celebrity-chefs-lose-out-as-Dishoom-named-UKs-best-restaurant.html">top 100 list</a>. (Relatively) warm and dry London dominates (just one restaurant in Manchester), as does simple comfort food. Number one is curry house Dishoom, and number two is a well regarded greasy spoon in Westminster. There's also pizza, two burger bars and a juice bar in the top 10 alone.<br />
<br />
Need I say more?herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-39953037210913196222015-12-20T14:29:00.001+00:002015-12-20T14:37:54.745+00:00Meri Kurisumasu! Celebrating Christmas in Japan ...We recently had the delightful Maho stay with us - a 17yr old from Japan through our daughter's school exchange program - and we thought we'd introduce her to the rituals and routines of an English Christmas.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So picture our surprise to discover that, although barely 1% of Japan's population is Christian, Maho was all clued up on Christmas. Oh yes, she decorated trees, put up fairy lights, ate chicken and loved Christmas cake. Christmas was big in Japan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hang on. Ate chicken?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtTLXaTWfNhoDvV20hGHcKUXA9_1uj2Ah362MEYFfvhNSfulCfb92S-4BkGbhjFQtC1xLWcNggr0tGM1jJKHNANGWDBQciPHj0w36Eu_T8gQsLS0MH9Cpj1KBP0urr4Ut6avLa-P58stq/s1600/japanese-kfc-christmas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; "><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtTLXaTWfNhoDvV20hGHcKUXA9_1uj2Ah362MEYFfvhNSfulCfb92S-4BkGbhjFQtC1xLWcNggr0tGM1jJKHNANGWDBQciPHj0w36Eu_T8gQsLS0MH9Cpj1KBP0urr4Ut6avLa-P58stq/s320/japanese-kfc-christmas1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Dinner, KFC Style</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
After a bit of research, it appears that the Japanese throw themselves into the festivity as eagerly as any Westerner - but it's the differences that are fascinating.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shorn of any real religious meaning (apparently, among the younger generations, there's a little confusion as to whose birthday it is - Jesus? Santa?) - Christmas in Japan is undiluted commercialism. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mix in a little bit of Valentine's and its becomes the 'how much can you spend on your girlfriend?' festival, and woe betide any man who <a href="http://japan-magazine.jnto.go.jp/en/1112_christmas.html">doesn't spend enough</a>.<br />
<br />
Like any good festival, Christmas in Japan also comes with 'special foods', and it appears that, yet again, the American fast food corporations have pulled a fast one. We're all aware how the classic Santa - white beard, red and white clothes, weight issues - is an invention of <a href="http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/stories/history/advertising/coca-cola-and-father-christmas-the-sundblom-santa-story/">Coca-cola</a>; well in Japan, it was an opportunity for KFC to get into the Christmas re-appropriation act.<br />
<br />
Okay, I kinda see it. The logo is also red and white. Colonel Saunders has a white beard. Chicken is a bit like turkey (a rarity in Japan anyway). KFC definitely saw it, and didn't hesitate to run with it either, with a long series of campaigns telling the Japanese that the rest of world ate KFC on Christmas day - and so should they. Order your Christmas buckets <a href="http://www.kfc.co.jp/campaign/xmas2015/index.html">here</a>!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb62lfnOmReuUWRMUG-ArZCbDKCQ3AAWEgCtSIaZUUm4XDCrrg23BA6kHVnjCuMWLnuvjeephmuLqv1S6yjjZ9H1gX92x1AwmAuv6wYtjqwqOis7x5s5_tjMm9oh-zFuH7I9iHCmFxOfx/s1600/BentOn-Christmas-cake-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb62lfnOmReuUWRMUG-ArZCbDKCQ3AAWEgCtSIaZUUm4XDCrrg23BA6kHVnjCuMWLnuvjeephmuLqv1S6yjjZ9H1gX92x1AwmAuv6wYtjqwqOis7x5s5_tjMm9oh-zFuH7I9iHCmFxOfx/s320/BentOn-Christmas-cake-2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Cake!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And of course, there's also Christmas cake. More even than KFC, this is the one to cause cultural cross-confusion, especially between travellers to and from the West.<br />
<br />
The US has no tradition of Christmas cake, and are mystified when told that it's an essential part of Christmas by the Japanese.<br />
<br />
The English think they understand - but our traditional heavy iced fruit cake is completely alien in the East. A Japanese Christmas cake is a light and fluffy creation of sponge, cream and strawberries.<br />
<br />
All I can think of is that the red and white evokes Christmas.<br />
<br />
We're sticking with our routines this year - no KFC bucket, no sponge cakes (but probably just as many expensive gifts from Santa-san). But we wish Maho - and everyone else - a Meri Kurisumasu!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">メリークリスマス!</span></div>
<br /></div>
herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-36616460618481101132015-10-24T11:42:00.001+01:002015-10-24T11:42:43.316+01:00Tacos vs Burgers and other Austin Adventures<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL3B7UT7zckX8H3Bsaz2M2LH1-iHiQTD6T0A3CObUultxg1xEvm6AYIvumLRUlSV7v32I8KUWMNcDVsxW9ffr3DsRhPu5DE_oYmvK7GQr-KbAW70Q755frHKw12VHh0ksN-J-U1Vf3olj/s1600/IMG_20150725_140946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL3B7UT7zckX8H3Bsaz2M2LH1-iHiQTD6T0A3CObUultxg1xEvm6AYIvumLRUlSV7v32I8KUWMNcDVsxW9ffr3DsRhPu5DE_oYmvK7GQr-KbAW70Q755frHKw12VHh0ksN-J-U1Vf3olj/s320/IMG_20150725_140946.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm. Tacos.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I caught a <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/10/28/americans_opt_for_taco_bell_as_mexican_food_grows_in_popularity.html">headline</a> recently that the taco is about to overtake the burgers as America's favourite fast food.<br />
<br />
Can this be true?<br />
<br />
Austin seemed the perfect place to investigate. After all, Texas is the home of all-American beef - and also shares a 1,241 mile border with Mexico, spiritual home of the taco.<br />
<br />
Burgers and tacos sit cheek by jowl in the trendy food areas of Soco, South 1st and South Lamar - and given we had a month ahead of us in our off-Soco house, we thought we'd investigate further (the things we do for you!).<br />
<br />
Now, tacos haven't really hit the UK yet. There are nearly <a href="http://www.yum.com/investors/media/Restaurant_Counts_by_Brand_and_Country.pdf">6,000</a> branches of the ubiquitous Taco Bell in the US, yet just 4 here. You'd be hard pushed to find one at all outside of the trendy Hoxton/Shoreditch triangle. If I were a betting man, I'd say these could be the next big thing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtwTGIG_4qmDU_jECP7rkiCPMowodmuGYQ8OgZXK0UuUcQeCFhA-NNGz8GoEZITObjg83Y3QhS_IMsn2crbxuqi5iQZZh4K8G171gD3h1fMqAF4dlUaKiNltqxwoQTKceIWi30cup11Ia/s1600/IMG_20150805_131633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtwTGIG_4qmDU_jECP7rkiCPMowodmuGYQ8OgZXK0UuUcQeCFhA-NNGz8GoEZITObjg83Y3QhS_IMsn2crbxuqi5iQZZh4K8G171gD3h1fMqAF4dlUaKiNltqxwoQTKceIWi30cup11Ia/s320/IMG_20150805_131633.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm. More Tacos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In Austin, they're already big news, and none bigger than Torchy's - a rags to riches, trailer to mini-chain <a href="http://torchystacos.com/our-story/">story</a> that spans just 10 years. As I speak, they should soon be opening their latest store right on Soco. They seemed the perfect place to taste test the taco, and oh boy, if all tacos were like this they deserve to win.<br />
<br />
Between us we had a 'Republican' (jalapeno sausage), a shrimp, a fajita and the most awesome green chili queso. It was everything you'd hope for from Mexican food - bright, zingy flavours, just the right amounts of heat, crunch and chewiness. Flavour explosions and all those other <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/the-best-hyperbole-ive-ever-had-5-stars.html">food review cliches</a>.<br />
<br />
By comparison, we went to the bright star of Soco burgers and marveled at the seven mile queue for Hopdoddy's. There's always a queue, regardless of the hour - even in the 100F heat of Austin's summer.<br />
<br />
In the UK we'd call this a gourmet burger, with all the toppings you might expect - feta cheese, smoked cheddar, field mushrooms, brie, truffle aioli, fritos, sprouts - combined with beef, bison, turkey or tuna - to make fourteen(ish) different burgers such as 'Greek', 'Buffalo Bill' and 'El Diablo'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKpYj6GVjqzee3e0hyqqLcPL63yRtg44HscaLed-0P9Oy3yH9wSlgt6a9kuPdiORo3F7iw-EahARXU3cXQs5iEqiCk9kHxBOfqz9QJ-2vqAktwr2-h5BAzYBC-HoKqSooNNKasu0TH-UR/s1600/IMG_20150726_221016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKpYj6GVjqzee3e0hyqqLcPL63yRtg44HscaLed-0P9Oy3yH9wSlgt6a9kuPdiORo3F7iw-EahARXU3cXQs5iEqiCk9kHxBOfqz9QJ-2vqAktwr2-h5BAzYBC-HoKqSooNNKasu0TH-UR/s320/IMG_20150726_221016.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indifferent picture of an indifferent burger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you've been to Byrons, GBK or one of the other countless up-market UK burger chains, you'd know what to expect - but this concept is still quite new in the US, which I guess explains the popularity.<br />
<br />
Well, of course, I had to be awkward and order a 'Classic' (a simple bacon cheese) - and here's the problem. It wasn't very good. If I'd queued for an afternoon in the heat I would have been seriously upset.<br />
<br />
Maybe if I'd slathered it in goats cheese and six different varieties of hand-picked lettuce, I might not have noticed. But simplified down - by their standards - it exposed that under it all was simply an indifferent burger. And I don't think that's just me being picky - <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/01/hopdoddy-burger-bar-review-austin-tx.html">Serious Eats</a> weren't impressed either. And I'm sorry, I think they purposefully over complicate their ordering system to ensure there's always an epic queue.<br />
<br />
So at this stage, the taco's definitely winning - but it's never that simple. Next stop, Wahoo's Fish Tacos, also on Soco. Where it was surprisingly difficult to actually find the eponymous taco on their menu - snuck down at the bottom, and made with the same degree of indifference. It was basic, bland and unimpressive.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxYbraGS2I-HkMvh162xW1R-u7uxyhduSObKoPEywVXn6-90QqNKhrC22gcUSzxRkBVXJh1UEZUOJDO-VgHEm2d0NxukkDw4XNyHYOtSDF8B1FSjnvEXURZhTQMWbEhZShkAMyQ_7qBHU/s1600/IMG_20150813_140416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxYbraGS2I-HkMvh162xW1R-u7uxyhduSObKoPEywVXn6-90QqNKhrC22gcUSzxRkBVXJh1UEZUOJDO-VgHEm2d0NxukkDw4XNyHYOtSDF8B1FSjnvEXURZhTQMWbEhZShkAMyQ_7qBHU/s320/IMG_20150813_140416.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wholly Cow!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then it was time for the burger to redeem itself. <a href="http://www.whollycowburgers.com/">Wholly Cow</a> on South Lamar was quite simply one of the best burgers I've ever had in the US. This part convenience store, part burger joint was doing simple, tasty, meaty burgers. No goats cheese and arugula nonsense here - just good burgers, clean and simple. And no queue round the block either!<br />
<br />
So what's my conclusion? There's no doubt that Tacos are on the ascendancy - but there's always going to be room a simple, delicious, classic burger. I also give an honourable mention to Caminos on 6th - the location and the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/400/burgers-and-dogs.html">'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'</a> hype had made me a little nervous, but the burgers were up there in the top five. And also to Guero's on Soco. It's not the best Mexican in Austin, but they do a tacos el pastor that's to die for.<br />
<br />
Austin, thank you for a great month! See ya'll again soon.<br />
<br />
<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-72364010420429734502015-07-28T16:31:00.001+01:002015-07-28T16:31:45.000+01:00I Love Lucy's<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnY6rCm9fq4XSbKtcf1DT9q3pahGeUtiWsqk13LJfhXWgXLc6_42kCGx0VaMn-aDRw6pmFzXT8qRJY7qi7IVlDvzJfPp_CIUwiD1zBCnMs8RIiH-nWXblQCat2ZFkOoyLhYLTFhQ9pfDV/s1600/20150723-IMGP9994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnY6rCm9fq4XSbKtcf1DT9q3pahGeUtiWsqk13LJfhXWgXLc6_42kCGx0VaMn-aDRw6pmFzXT8qRJY7qi7IVlDvzJfPp_CIUwiD1zBCnMs8RIiH-nWXblQCat2ZFkOoyLhYLTFhQ9pfDV/s320/20150723-IMGP9994.jpg" width="212" /></a>Well, we definitely didn't drive to dinner last night - although I never cease to be surprised how draining even a 15 minute walk can be in Austin's summer heat.<br />
<br />
If you're an Austinite, you'll probably already know that Lucy's is the fried chicken spin off of local upscale eatery <a href="http://olivia-austin.com/">Oliva</a>. If you're a tourist like me, you simply spotted it on the way to buy milk at the local HEB and thought it looked good. Either way, it's definitely worth the walk from central SoCo, no matter how warm the evening.<br />
<br />
Lucy's seem to like frying stuff. Livers, gizzards, tomatoes, oysters - even meatloaf - all get popped in the deep fat fryer. This isn't a bad thing. Nor are the deep fried devilled eggs we had for a starter. Sorry, <i>appetizer.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
At long last we're getting the hang of eating out in America. Back home, we're used to eating out being the main activity of our evening - yet here, we've found ourselves walking out of even upmarket restaurants less than an hour after we entered them thinking "err, what now?".<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Devilled Eggs - Deep Fried]</td></tr>
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If you haven't eaten in the US, the speed at which restaurants operate at can come as a surprise.<br />
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The nightmare scenario for a waiter is that there might be a moment in the evening when there is <i>no food on the table.</i><br />
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This must be avoided at all costs, as if their tips get reduced by a dollar for every minute of food free table.<br />
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Entrees (main courses) always arrive as the last mouthfuls of starter are swallowed (if not earlier). Desert orders are taken halfway through the mains to ensure they arrive the very second the knife and fork are put down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[All The Good Stuff]</td></tr>
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We've tried explaining to waiters we're in no rush. We've even learned that the term for how us awkward Europeans do things is called 'eating coursed out'. But it doesn't work. Waiters hover saying "do you want your mains now?" every fifteen seconds. Food arrives, goes back, comes out again. You can sense a feeling of rising panic.<br />
<br />
So at Lucy's we kept things calm by simply not telling them what we wanted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWz7QsgNp2hT5fdkgySzTzT5vqfFHU_g5nta-4WBb1Wu65sICOjXHd2AmxULTYeKS4gXy8UsTWxnrAUzcjsBBrPxMqA5TlETTEbBE8Y7hddKBYBuuFrkIo1Qf8NJ7UzoLNLJwPGoHVFCU/s1600/IMG_20150722_192954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWz7QsgNp2hT5fdkgySzTzT5vqfFHU_g5nta-4WBb1Wu65sICOjXHd2AmxULTYeKS4gXy8UsTWxnrAUzcjsBBrPxMqA5TlETTEbBE8Y7hddKBYBuuFrkIo1Qf8NJ7UzoLNLJwPGoHVFCU/s320/IMG_20150722_192954.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Pink but Powerful]</td></tr>
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First we had a watermelon margarita (yum, far too easy to drink in quantity) while we read the menu. Slowly.<br />
<br />
Then we ordered the devilled eggs, but wouldn't be drawn on whether we wanted anything else. (The eggs, by the way, are delicious).<br />
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For mains - when we did, eventually, order them - we went all-American. A basket of chicken pieces, corn bread, bowls of mac cheese and sweet potato. The waitress suggested putting honey (in little sauce sachets) on the chicken, and there's no doubt I'll be trying that at home.<br />
<br />
A great meal, and we will absolutely be back. I need my meatloaf and gizzards.<br />
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<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-36234686427528925402015-07-07T19:47:00.002+01:002015-07-09T16:22:20.076+01:00Our top 5 US eating out experiencesWell, it's nearly time for our annual American adventure, so it seemed like a good time to look back at some of our top USA family food experiences. These aren't restaurant reviews - I'll leave that to the professionals - but our favourite examples of how fun, and downright foreign, food can be in the States. So, in no particular order ...<br />
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<h3>
Kentucky Fried Chicken, somewhere in Massachusetts</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rLikY2bss6cDmr1I56ELBBIcydjDiwI7NTe9CQdsJ9So1DlOVHx7vfEGNEsNhVD7wbnjnJf93umfiIBfQVuPGlpDC6DShdbyoH1_7lVTjaiqY9PpL1JkrAd8fiGrmpXOPHatO-YGVAWi/s1600/Kfc_menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rLikY2bss6cDmr1I56ELBBIcydjDiwI7NTe9CQdsJ9So1DlOVHx7vfEGNEsNhVD7wbnjnJf93umfiIBfQVuPGlpDC6DShdbyoH1_7lVTjaiqY9PpL1JkrAd8fiGrmpXOPHatO-YGVAWi/s320/Kfc_menu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Chicken Livers? Pot pie?]</td></tr>
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It was our first trip to America. It was dark and it was late. We were hungry. We were still shaking after the experience that was Boston's rush hour. We needed comfort food, and we spied a family favourite - KFC. A Zinger and chips would make everything good again.<br />
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As soon as we walked in, we knew something was wrong. This wasn't the KFC we knew from England. We expected to ask for fries, not chips, but this went deeper. Wedges? Mash? Green beans? "Comes with 2 sides and a biscuit". A <i>biscuit</i>? What in the name of God is going on here? Why are they giving me <i>scones</i> with my chicken?<br />
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I don't remember what we ate, but I know we ate in silence and got straight back on the road. <i>Mash? Wedges? SCONES? </i><br />
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<h3>
Riscky's Barbeque, Fort Worth Stockyards</h3>
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Look, I know it's for the tourists, but this place has a warm spot in the hearts of our family. It's the first meal we have each year after arriving in Fort Worth after our long transatlantic flight, and we look forward to this headlong plunge into Americana - stuffed animals nailed to walls, neon lights, witty signs promising to shoot trespassers - full-on BBQ themed chic.<br />
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And then there's the food - before the Hoxton American restaurant invasion, I'd never seen a beef rib before, let alone been offered as many as I could eat! And what exotic sides - home style fries, polish pickles and texas toast (I had to Google this - apparently it's double width bread that's too wide to fit in a toaster. Instead it tends to come fried. Go figure).<br />
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It's full-on comfort food - combine that with ultra-friendly waiting staff, and a huge Lone star beer, and we definitely feel welcomed to America.<br />
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<h3>
House of Prime Rib, San Francisco</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Just like this in the UK, really]</td></tr>
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Now, I've never actually eaten here, but my wife has, and it's definitely an experience. On the web-site it says "Old-school, English-style restaurant serving acclaimed prime rib & martinis since the 1940s" - and it's the English-style that tickles us. Trust me, San Francisco, there's <i>nothing </i>like this in England. </div>
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Waiters in white linen and three foot tall chef hats push around giant domed trolleys containing huge rib roasts. Would you like it 'English-style' or the Henry VIII style? Would you like creamed spinach with that? Or would you like a half hour demonstration on how they convert a lettuce into an 'appetising' tossed salad? But there's yorkshire pudding, so it must be English.</div>
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If you come to England, don't go to a Beafeater. After this you'll be seriously disappointed.<br />
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(Thanks to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ttkgeek/6067994591/in/photolist-afd4op-afd4T4-38naCf-38nam9-oPMyk-uTEV5-oPMJH-oPMtG-uTERU-oPN2K-uTESu-4XKatW-oPMQs-oPNiD-uTEYq-uTEWz-oPNah-uTETc-uTEU2-uTEXq-oPNpx-oPMEC-oPMVT-uTEVE-picUk-pic7M-picW9-picen-picvx-picLg-pic9D-picSz-pickA-picFD-pic1k-picXA-picNs-picts-pibRF-picAm-38hAvg-4e7o55-4e7qg1-bqFfx3-e8nFoE-e8h2q6-e8nFNw-e8h238-e8h2yZ-4e3pqZ">John Pastor </a>for the image)</div>
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<h3>
Home Slice, Austin</h3>
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I've waxed lyrical about this place before, and I will again. It's not just that they're the best pizzas in world (ah, <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/the-best-hyperbole-ive-ever-had-5-stars.html">hyperbole</a>), it's the whole package.<br />
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Mexican chefs twirling pizza dough above their heads. Dark, cool decor and a hip crowd being served by gorgeous tattooed waiters. 'In Crust we Trust'. And trust me, I'll be eating there in a just a couple weeks.</div>
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<h3>
The Old Country Store, Lorman, MS</h3>
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Now, I can't claim to be an expert on fried chicken (although I've had <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2015/05/the-fried-chicken-and-cornbread-diet.html">fun</a> cooking it), but many claim this place does the best damn fried chicken in the whole of Mississippi. Whether you agree or not, you can't fault it in terms of <i>experience - </i>and that's all down to the owner, Arthur Davies ('Mr D').</div>
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Mr D loves his customers (he spoke to every one of us), and he <i>loves</i> his chicken. In fact, he loves it so much, he just can't help but sing about it, in a delightful gospel baritone. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fd2JYQC6Jo">Over to you, Mr D!</a></div>
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herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-34945243137731746802015-05-10T15:57:00.000+01:002015-05-10T15:57:04.094+01:00The Fried Chicken and Cornbread DietProbably the biggest problem with my annual foodie tours of the US is my ever expanding waistline - last year's tour of Texas BBQ and New Orleans added another stone (14lbs) to a body that hadn't quite recovered from the previous year's tour of the South.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Fried chicken, cooling]</td></tr>
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I've always been a bit of a half hearted dieter - I love cooking, eating out and being cooked for - so the diet will always start <i>properly</i> tomorrow. However, I might just have found a diet that works for me - and it involves fried chicken!</div>
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Well, okay, not directly - let me explain. It's a fasting diet - the '5:2'. For five days I can eat pretty much what I want (which I'm really good at) and for two I have to eat very little indeed.</div>
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Now, this might sounds like agony - and it is - but it's more than made up for by the five days of freedom. So how do I get through those two days? Well, I fantasise about food of course! Hardcore fantasise.</div>
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Last week, I got a bee in my bonnet that I would break my fast with <i>the best chili ever made. </i>For all of my fast day I researched, and boy there's so many options. Beans or no beans? Minced or chopped beef? Rice or bread? (For me, the answers were beans, mince, bread - sorry Texas!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Chicken, frying]</td></tr>
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I dusted off encyclopedic tomes on American cookery and I read every single blog, online recipe and forum I could find. It took an entire day to source and cook the ingredients (three different types of dried chili, and I never found the Mexican oregano - on my shopping list for Texas this year).<br />
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And I produced the best damn chili I have <i>ever </i>eaten. It was so good, I'd cleaned the bowl before I had remembered to photograph it! If you'd like to replicate it, it was loosely based on this article and recipe from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/14/chilli-con-carne-recipe-back-to-basics-henry-dimbleby">The Guardian</a>.</div>
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This week, I wanted fried chicken and cornbread with an almost hallucinatory passion. Again, I devoured every article and opinion I could find. I decided on a shallow fried, skillet pan method. I didn't brine, but went for an 8 hour soak in buttermilk instead. I kept my seasoning simple - just salt, pepper and smoked paprika - but I did stumble across Colonel Saunders <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul/24/kfc-secret-recipe-revealed">secret recipe</a> on my travels.</div>
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The Guardian's well researched <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/sep/06/how-cook-perfect-southern-fried-chicken">recipe</a> agreed with my plans - so I followed their instructions and did a test batch for my daughter's dinner, which looked seriously delicious. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Seriously good cornbread]</td></tr>
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As for cornbread, again the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/sep/18/how-to-cook-perfect-cornbread">Guardian</a> and I agreed on approach - a simple, toasted cornmeal soaked overnight in buttermilk. But I also wanted to try and replicate something I talked about in a very early post - <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/getting-taste-for-new-orleans-lockhart.html">Lockhart's</a> cornbread. The <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/11343560/The-best-cornbread-recipe.html">Telegraph</a> suggested pouring over butter and honey, and I don't need asking twice.<br />
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So ... did I produce the best ever fried chicken and cornbread? Well, <i>nearly</i>. When I cooked the full batch of chicken later in the evening, it was harder to control the temperature and I nearly lost the crispy coating on some of the chicken. The cornbread was great - but you know, it would have liked <i>more</i> butter and honey. So one fast day soon, I know I'll be fantasising about how I'm going to make that meal again, <i>even better.</i></div>
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herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-26738718572952935042015-04-12T13:35:00.001+01:002015-06-27T09:20:19.506+01:00The Great Southwest Canyon Road Trip - Cedar City to the Grand Canyon<i>[Oh dear, it's April and I still haven't finished my tales of last year's road trip. Apologies if this post is a little rushed, but I can't really tell you about this year's plans until last year is done and dusted. To remind you, a 'clerical error' (I booked the wrong hotel) meant we didn't end up staying in Bryce, as planned, but in Cedar City instead ...]</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVCq157sytS0VNjajYr04h4vKq32cd1QgihjiBbhVPVpR64qSDSXkW0FeM0Xt6t-6KvwiT0NlCq2Z6P5veIvYotfTfnWuOrHseBW_5F1kGOSQD_gHqcSLl1IVI7sDLQq55djpfbr4L-6U/s1600/20140813-IMGP9017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVCq157sytS0VNjajYr04h4vKq32cd1QgihjiBbhVPVpR64qSDSXkW0FeM0Xt6t-6KvwiT0NlCq2Z6P5veIvYotfTfnWuOrHseBW_5F1kGOSQD_gHqcSLl1IVI7sDLQq55djpfbr4L-6U/s1600/20140813-IMGP9017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Out of the clouds on Hwy 14]</td></tr>
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It's telling that I don't have a single photo of Cedar City (the place we never planned to visit). It's a charming enough Mormon town, neat and tidy.<br />
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I can recommend the craft beers and pizza at the Centro Pizzeria without hesitation. But it never inspired me to take a picture.<br />
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We drove out of town on Hwy 14, along another scenic route that's only open half the year.<br />
<br />
As it wound up back onto the plateau, to record breaking altitudes, my passengers were strangely quiet - was it perhaps they're now used to narrow winding roads with sheer drops on one side, and almost zero visibility as we climbed into the clouds? Or perhaps sheer terror had rendered them numb?<br />
<br />
The highway takes you through high plateaus and ancient lava flows to join US-89, and then on to Kanab - once known as the most remote town in the USA, until US-89 reached it. Now it's a collection of little cafes and camping shops, and quite charming.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6TG2psdKZo1x8wcxYCQrvac80BA6awVtMe26aPAqdGrZOt5uuISXKCxL9YnDl-fy8DI7_AcwYZGqCWl75CCXmpyG0_wrLt-m3bOZyGbeF2ZaB_TT212DtPuHIOVsQqUOc3OrxSd-Iser/s1600/20140813-IMGP9033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6TG2psdKZo1x8wcxYCQrvac80BA6awVtMe26aPAqdGrZOt5uuISXKCxL9YnDl-fy8DI7_AcwYZGqCWl75CCXmpyG0_wrLt-m3bOZyGbeF2ZaB_TT212DtPuHIOVsQqUOc3OrxSd-Iser/s1600/20140813-IMGP9033.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Navajo Bridges]</td></tr>
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From Kanab, there's two routes - US-89 and US-89a, and the windier roads and the promise of the Navajo Bridge made 89a the obvious choice. This is beautiful but desolate country, with the Vermillion cliffs towering over us on the left for miles and miles. Imagine the surface of Mars, but with the occasional glint of metal in the distance from the roofs of the Indian trailers. The poverty of the Indians in these inhospitable places is shocking - but I'll save my thoughts on that for another post.<br />
<br />
We got to see another side of the Indians at the Cameron Trading Post, a popular stop just outside the east entrance to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. This place is a slightly tacky emporium for all things Indian - dream catchers, Navajo rugs - but after seeing their living conditions out in the desert, it's hard to begrudge their desire to make a quick buck from the tourists.<br />
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How we didn't crash on the approach to the Canyon, I do not know, as it's hard to drive safely while always looking out the right for glimpses of the world's largest hole in the ground. And when the clouds cleared and we had a chance to stop, woah, what a vast hole it is.<br />
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The next three days were spent taking photos that failed to capture the awe and majesty of the Canyon - but that didn't stop us, and thousands of selfie-stick waving tourists, from trying.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqS4JMlnOOUjKlPk17NCh9QOylMjdrG3c4PJrFb9MdmVvS2cob3hyphenhyphen0I2nbc2DYD6VTqyVZvykufbFFNwi0mGWji5jwVgt1GPLkKeubs_QR9TPIjfS9xH2B6qn2tVpVH2fiJSBh6qGvuh4/s1600/20140814-IMGP9068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqS4JMlnOOUjKlPk17NCh9QOylMjdrG3c4PJrFb9MdmVvS2cob3hyphenhyphen0I2nbc2DYD6VTqyVZvykufbFFNwi0mGWji5jwVgt1GPLkKeubs_QR9TPIjfS9xH2B6qn2tVpVH2fiJSBh6qGvuh4/s1600/20140814-IMGP9068.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[A Very Big Hole]</td></tr>
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The Grand Canyon South Rim is not a place to escape the masses, but the village has a strange charm.<br />
<br />
This is where American mass tourism was born - with the Bright Angel Lodge and El Tovar Hotel complexes catering for the USA's first major tourist attraction in the early 20th century. The newly completed railroad brought thousands of tourists from the east and west coasts to gawp at the Canyon, much like we did.<br />
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Catering at the Bright Angel Lodge was enthusiastic, robust and a bit amateur - school dinners with a smile. The waiters were particularly sweet - each was a foreign student, with their name and country of origin on their badge. Alas, poor Svetlana from Sweden had no idea how idea how to open a bottle of wine and Rudy from Romania forgot our order, but you couldn't help but forgive them.<br />
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From the Canyon, we drove down to Flagstaff, for a little bit of Route 66. I've travelled the Mother Road before, and was hoping that Flagstaff would be as lovely as I remembered it - and of course it was. There's two historic hotels in the centre - last time I stayed in the Weatherford, and this time we stayed in the Monte Vista. I would recommend either!<br />
<br />
After Flagstaff, we wound down the windows, pumped up the American rock classics, and powered down Route 66 towards Seligman. Well, we did for a bit, until I was told to turn off the 'old man music'. Seligman is the home of Route 66 kitsch, and always worth a stop for '66 t-shirts, coasters, bottle openers, badges and all the other paraphernalia you need for your friends back home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtBoz-zjr9kmCZejiNdCxgynTjQDrR-3DJ3-iWmFCVB57xqbAnUmXo4ksoBzi-e2cKLB1JGFm1Un9Q9exWEDN0eLqKe0ecECYxTjC3HQRIsLkIVW5mtYYgdf5CAnljtLyl4w_YcGMKlag/s1600/20140816-IMGP9194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtBoz-zjr9kmCZejiNdCxgynTjQDrR-3DJ3-iWmFCVB57xqbAnUmXo4ksoBzi-e2cKLB1JGFm1Un9Q9exWEDN0eLqKe0ecECYxTjC3HQRIsLkIVW5mtYYgdf5CAnljtLyl4w_YcGMKlag/s1600/20140816-IMGP9194.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[I can't have one, apparently]</td></tr>
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I got a double fix of Route 66 in Kingman, as the town was the host to this year's Route 66 festival (I was lucky enough to catch it in Galena, Kansas, the year before).<br />
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This gave me a chance to coo over some shiny American classic cars, before the final haul across the desert back to Las Vegas - including the obligatory stop for a vertigo inducing view of the Hoover Dam.<br />
<br />
So that was it, Road Trip 2015 had come to end. I gave back the keys to the trusty Mazda CX-5 - we'd done 1,163 miles together - 2,410 if we include my Texas trip.<br />
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Time to start planning 2015 - oh, who am I kidding, it's already booked. I'll tell more later.<br />
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<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-23002027659830724462015-03-06T16:06:00.000+00:002015-03-08T09:39:41.016+00:00Krispy Kremes in the Waffle Maker and other Doughnut Musings<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMfUdCt8xSqO6lIxUgeEcreNM7qecqPIkeKqq2cJWUI-I1wULFkt2l1dTMG6LpyUEOxXJgZo_WnMvr144MfuPLCaa1AH8exjRE5EWQDXIVd1bYyK8Smji53HS282H9Nuc7y3Jp3PgiUTh/s1600/kkplate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMfUdCt8xSqO6lIxUgeEcreNM7qecqPIkeKqq2cJWUI-I1wULFkt2l1dTMG6LpyUEOxXJgZo_WnMvr144MfuPLCaa1AH8exjRE5EWQDXIVd1bYyK8Smji53HS282H9Nuc7y3Jp3PgiUTh/s1600/kkplate.jpg" height="300" title="Posted here - http://www.ohbiteit.com/2013/08/krispy-kreme-waffles.html" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">[Worth the messy waffle maker!]</td></tr>
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Last night I put a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut in my waffle maker. Why? Because the Internet told me to.<br />
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Now, obviously I don't do everything the Internet tells me. That could get messy. But this I would wholeheartedly recommend - the end result is sticky, chewy and quite delicious. Many thanks to <a href="http://www.ohbiteit.com/2013/08/krispy-kreme-waffles.html">OhBiteIt</a> for the tip!<br />
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(Oh, and it did get messy - don't use your much loved, American import, can't be cleaned with water <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waring-Wmk300-Belgian-Brushed-Stainless/dp/B00009K3SY">Waring Pro</a> for this, whatever you do. The waffle iron fills with sugar that's almost impossible to get out and burns horribly. Many thanks to my lovely wife, Angie, for eventually getting it clean).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm0LhKbOaEyntc0B8WhVwDrHXSAhIh3iBY5NtuAuBHUz022DvOPUe2mnYyGHiLLdcoKWD6nPwRxDRSqPWcyvfaqktZp8svHNhlUMDMHSf6i9B1Ypc7Gxkx0KY9TEd3VT_jdC9dEDyqfJE/s1600/waffledoughnut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm0LhKbOaEyntc0B8WhVwDrHXSAhIh3iBY5NtuAuBHUz022DvOPUe2mnYyGHiLLdcoKWD6nPwRxDRSqPWcyvfaqktZp8svHNhlUMDMHSf6i9B1Ypc7Gxkx0KY9TEd3VT_jdC9dEDyqfJE/s1600/waffledoughnut.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">[My photo isn't as pretty]</td></tr>
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Cambridge has been invaded by US sweet-and-fast food recently - first Cinnabon at Lion's Yard, the Dunkin' Donuts at the Grafton, and now Krispy Kreme at the Grand Arcade.<br />
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Personally, I find all of these just too sweet - I'm more of a fan of American savouries - and all push you to buy in ridiculous quantities.<br />
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For our waffle experiment, we needed just six doughnuts - but we left with twelve. Why? Because twelve is just 45p more expensive than six. So we now have six in the freezer waiting for me to come up with an easy clean solution to the sticky waffle problem.<br />
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However, like bacon and pancakes, that cloying sweetness leads to another very American idea - combining them with something intensely savoury.<br />
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I first encountered this at <a href="http://www.donutsandsliders.com/">District Donuts Sliders Brew</a> in New Orleans. We had their 'fancy' doughnuts - if memory serves me correctly, I had apple and cinnamon and my wife had salted caramel - but what everyone else seemed to be eating was their 'Croquenuts'.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQx9ENtNMJ-s9DmNl-1fBXCyVBu9i1VbFgQbpMr0M1fCCDYO5DkRKtKF77RmpPKbb9Hil5z5T41EygMQnsU1KeLMXd8bBVkJe-dP_XAc0szgMdAKUAz9xu8ecSxghx-934hgJYCwLvMs-V/s1600/IMG_20140802_123711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQx9ENtNMJ-s9DmNl-1fBXCyVBu9i1VbFgQbpMr0M1fCCDYO5DkRKtKF77RmpPKbb9Hil5z5T41EygMQnsU1KeLMXd8bBVkJe-dP_XAc0szgMdAKUAz9xu8ecSxghx-934hgJYCwLvMs-V/s1600/IMG_20140802_123711.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Mmm. Doughnuts]</td></tr>
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These were griddled doughnuts filled with ham, cheese and bechamel sauce - obviously inspired by the French croque monsieur, but served in a way that could only be dreamt up by Americans. They look delicious - and dangerously messy. All I could see was cheese and sauce dripping out of the ring doughnut's hole ...<br />
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I've since discovered that this savoury doughnut wasn't a one off. My friends on Facebook didn't share my enthusiasm for this - the '<a href="http://pytburger.tumblr.com/post/103154459323/straight-outta-the-fat-kid-food-lab-the-bacon-mac">The Bacon Mac & Cheese Donut</a>' by Philly based <a href="http://pytburger.tumblr.com/">PYT</a>. I thought it looked awesome.<br />
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So this was my prediction - Doughtnuts will be the next Cupcake. The next food trend to cross the Atlantic will be the artisan Doughnut, that we'd see Doughnut pop-ups in Hoxton within the year, and I was right - here's <a href="http://dumdums.co.uk/">Dum Dum Doughtnuts</a> on Bethnal Green Road.<br />
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<a href="http://40.media.tumblr.com/492c8111cb4d8e165a89953f56c4c399/tumblr_nfd16vbPoT1rf3fvio1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://40.media.tumblr.com/492c8111cb4d8e165a89953f56c4c399/tumblr_nfd16vbPoT1rf3fvio1_1280.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a>So come on Cambridge, let's join in. Let's not let the Americans take over. Cambridge needs a proper, local-run doughnut shop, selling both sweet and savoury. And will I volunteer to do the taste testing.
herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-62078414389802576382015-01-18T18:39:00.001+00:002015-01-18T18:39:40.154+00:00Bread & Meat, Cambridge - A Review. And a Very Good Sandwich.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKTY40BI5sjaCBrgkwIP9WwcbQF4utK-XXnInpAMn718W_gNqJeIn66r37_iElTnf0VP5ltUX94A_lpN4d5q98eklIRlA1eUjPhmQ3Ecjiz5j9XkhwgA8WlaKHj9fs491lWl-d89RkNr8/s1600/20150107-132623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKTY40BI5sjaCBrgkwIP9WwcbQF4utK-XXnInpAMn718W_gNqJeIn66r37_iElTnf0VP5ltUX94A_lpN4d5q98eklIRlA1eUjPhmQ3Ecjiz5j9XkhwgA8WlaKHj9fs491lWl-d89RkNr8/s1600/20150107-132623.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Mmmm. Meat]</td></tr>
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My original title for this post was going to be '<i>the best sandwich in Cambridge</i>' - but not only would that set off a h<a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/the-best-hyperbole-ive-ever-had-5-stars.html">yperbole alarm,</a> I worry I'm not qualified to make that judgement.<br />
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I haven't tried the delicious looking focaccia at nearby Aromi, or the ciabatta at Urban Shed (currently rated no2. place to eat on Tripadvisor!) or the pizza-oven baked breads of Charlie's on Burleigh Street.<br />
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But I will say one thing for sure - this was a seriously, no joking, not messing, hyperbole free <i>really really</i> <i>good</i> sandwich.<br />
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Bread & Meat sits in the trendy Peas Hill food quarter, along with independents like Aromi and Smokeworks (and chains like Cau, Jamie's and Zizzis). Sitting there, I was again reminded of the Eriana Taverna (where <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/07/welcome-smokeworks-real-american-bbq-in.html">Smokeworks</a> now resides) - a Cambridge institution with a menu the length of the Old Testament. Now the fashion is towards much smaller, or even single item menus. Flatiron and Burger & Lobster in London leap to mind, or even <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/steak-and-honour-burger-van-all-grown-up.html">Steak & Honour </a>closer to home, with its almost zen like simplicity (cheese - or no cheese?).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YCM4QMWPG1t0fiNv0Dh5abQSulTWGsuRvW58kfvSiRmPPaQnzo5HI1L5OKCjVNXnl4mAXsW4Q345FeBbJSX4Te4Yq_6cCcRfQOnc0qxzUYxD8se5Bj2Teu1bHqEChjOjafLVGXQReFZR/s1600/20150107-132748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YCM4QMWPG1t0fiNv0Dh5abQSulTWGsuRvW58kfvSiRmPPaQnzo5HI1L5OKCjVNXnl4mAXsW4Q345FeBbJSX4Te4Yq_6cCcRfQOnc0qxzUYxD8se5Bj2Teu1bHqEChjOjafLVGXQReFZR/s1600/20150107-132748.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[People at Tables]</td></tr>
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So Bread & Meat is not a classic sandwich bar of old, with tubs of gloopy fillings in a refrigerator cabinet, ready for ladling into your choice of white, brown or baguette. At its most basic, it's simply a choice between pork or beef. Porchetta or topside. There's a veggie option, a daily special, wedges or slaw for sides, but that's it.<br />
<br />
Now I love restaurants with short menus, because that <i>should</i> mean they've had to a chance to practice, to get it right, to tinker and tune and get their dish close to perfection. Bread and Meat did not let me down.<br />
<br />
I went for the roast pork - in my mind a sandwich well overdue a re-invention. The novelty of the hog roast at the village fete has long passed - soft white bap, flavourless meat, teeth endangering rock hard crackling, salty grey stuffing and ladles of baby-food like apple sauce. Well let me assure you, if that was the nadir of pork baps, Bread & Meat was its apex.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyNbtd7O7UvFlZdTRIFqlckGopnIQ5BeTJenMZ-ykie__5WZf8DKmv0Vkct4CavTBdaWtzmZRaFSxn_gcWXkabmt2Wv8xV-zC6M7EEjuyRV2r6BVOXBE61jlvcCExG-FGsSBFAZNC9q8X/s1600/20150107-133543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyNbtd7O7UvFlZdTRIFqlckGopnIQ5BeTJenMZ-ykie__5WZf8DKmv0Vkct4CavTBdaWtzmZRaFSxn_gcWXkabmt2Wv8xV-zC6M7EEjuyRV2r6BVOXBE61jlvcCExG-FGsSBFAZNC9q8X/s1600/20150107-133543.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Bicycle in Cambridge Cliche]</td></tr>
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Here we had freshly baked ciabatta that actually tasted of olive oil. Pork that tasted of pig, a lovely mixture of meat and unctuous fat. Light as air crackling, of the sort I <i>wish</i> I could produce reliably at home. And no baby-food sweetness - instead a vinegary salsa verde to cut through the fat.<br />
<br />
This was an extremely good sandwich - but is it really the top dog (or pig)?<br />
<br />
There's a sense we're having a bit of a local sandwich revolution at the moment - and obviously, as a service to you, dear reader, I feel I should try them all so I can feel truly qualified to judge the very <i>best</i> sandwich in Cambridge. Watch this space!herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-25464042297365416012014-12-16T19:49:00.000+00:002014-12-16T19:49:07.569+00:005 American Christmas foods you won't see in the UK - and 5 UK foods you won't see there!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4kff2yUWuB05rW6fvys7dsXnOwntVDp8FN-vWadAbCfF-vlGfwkq0NKHjQSqXs72CA3PY611dk4GGd1odz6g75XDYRFyvAu5_72MVBVQjNV15Mq-r8xBDisDW61DT_Yj3pj6pmnl3CXw/s1600/918cce1c34b81a644d8568d59ccc01f0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4kff2yUWuB05rW6fvys7dsXnOwntVDp8FN-vWadAbCfF-vlGfwkq0NKHjQSqXs72CA3PY611dk4GGd1odz6g75XDYRFyvAu5_72MVBVQjNV15Mq-r8xBDisDW61DT_Yj3pj6pmnl3CXw/s1600/918cce1c34b81a644d8568d59ccc01f0.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> [All American Christmas Lunch!] </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We in the UK have had a long love affair with American food. The latest trend is Thanksgiving - there might not be a single Wampanoag indian in the whole of London, but that doesn't stop us giving thanks that we can gobble down more turkey - Amazon tell us that sales of Thanksgiving foodstuffs are up 804% since 2011.<br />
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So what about American Christmas traditions? aren't they the same as ours? We've all seen plenty of Christmas dinners in American movies. There's a big turkey in the middle of the table, just like ours, and plenty of bowls of steaming, err, stuff. There's the question - what exactly is in all those steaming, delicious bowls? I had to investigate ...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/4140158449"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2530/4140158449_71b2fba128.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/4140158449">[Green Beans and Onions]</a></td></tr>
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<b>1. Green beans.</b> Now the Americans share our love/hate relationship with the Christmas sprout - but there's another vegetable even closer to their hearts. The green bean. Now I'm ambivalent about this humble bean - occasionally I'll have them gently steamed alongside my steak, but that's it. Well, it's on every American Christmas menu I can find - and no simple steaming here.<br />
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Nope, to be completely authentic we need Green Bean Casserole. This dish was originally created in 1955 by the Campbell soup company and even has its own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bean_casserole">Wikipedia</a> entry. To simplify, take 2 cans of french beans for 1 can of Campbell's mushroom soup and half a tin of French's French Fried Onions. Stir. Bake. Eat. If more is more, add cheese.<br />
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<b>2. Candied Sweet Potatoes.</b> I can imagine how this one happened. Someone, somewhere, complained that their sweet potato wasn't, well, sweet enough. Ha, that's an <i>easy</i> problem to solve. Like the green bean casserole, the basic dish is almost brutal in its simplicity. One can of sweet potato or yam. Half a cup of brown sugar. A quarter of a cup of butter. And the all important secret ingredient - one and a half cups of marshmallows. Bake. Eat.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/25356196@N08/3756395055"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3528/3756395055_bdb3ff2e11.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/25356196@N08/3756395055">[Candied Yams]</a></td></tr>
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I've actually eaten this delicacy in Memphis, and I'll tell you now, it's not subtle. It's like cake filling. Don't over do it.<br />
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<b>3. Corn.</b> Like most English people, I've got half a bag of icy sweetcorn in the freezer. Occasionally we've been known to boil a corn-on-the-cob. But what had never occurred to us was to mix it with the same weight of whipping cream. Oh, and add butter. And parmesan. Bake. Now we're looking at a proper Christmas dish.<br />
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<b>4. Dinner rolls.</b> You'd think, after all the sugar, butter, cream and cheese above, you'd never need more carbs? Don't be silly. You need bread. It's not optional. If you want, you can get seasonal and bake them into a wreath. The word I keep seeing in the recipes is 'buttery', and I suspect we're talking <i>unsalted</i> buttery too - to my tastes, American rolls are strangely sweet. But don't you dare leave them out.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/craftydame/8308760813"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8363/8308760813_90149e7175_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/craftydame/8308760813">[Christmas Jello Salad]</a></td></tr>
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<b>5. Christmas jello salad.</b> I've never seen salad on a British Christmas table, but my idea of salad isn't the same as an American's. We're not talking a bag of Tesco salad leaves and a gloop of salad cream here. Instead, there's rich and creamy salads, such as the Waldorf, salads with cheese, nuts and rich dressings. Of course!<br />
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But the salad that made me stop in my tracks is the Jello salad. Described to me by my American friend, Chris, I thought this might be a peculiar Texan dish, so strange it might only unique to their family? Nope, a quick Google shows me a hundred recipes, but the approach is always basically the same. You need a green jelly (lime), a red jelly (cherry) and a clear jelly (lemon). Create and set a green layer, then mix cream cheese and marshmallows with the clear jelly to make the white layer. Set again. The pour on red. Then you have the three layer festive delight pictured!<br />
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So why is this a <i>salad</i>? Is this eaten with the main course or the desert? Chris, help us out here!<br />
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And in return, what dishes are we unlikely to see travelling back across the atlantic?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/fUEUKn"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/2/2564845_2a76d85c4b_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/fUEUKn">[I want these]</a></td></tr>
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<b>1. Roast potatoes.</b> Mash is the American potato dish of choice, and it's likely to grace our table too. But one thing this anglo-irish house would <i>never</i> be without is roast potatoes. We might replace our turkey with beef, but would never, ever skip the roasties.<br />
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To my American readers, a word of advice - if you've never had these, then either try cooking them yourself or try them in Englishman's kitchen. Never eat them in an English sunday-lunch pub or an all-you-can eat carvery. These hard, leathery, bland frozen-and-deep-fried pockets of nastiness should be avoided at all costs. The best roasties are <i>always</i> homemade. In goose fat. I am so hungry right now.<br />
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<b>2. Roast parsnips. </b>The rest of the world considers parsnips as animal feed. Yet we roast them, along with our potatoes. What does that tell you about the British? Sweet, slightly chewy. That's parsnips, not the British.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/deep_blue/318813261"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/124/318813261_1c51fa6bc0_z.jpg?zz=1" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/deep_blue/318813261">[These pies aren't made of meat]</a></td></tr>
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<b>3. Mince pies.</b> Right, let's get this straight. Mince pies haven't contained mince since the 18th century (except, perhaps a little suet if you're being authentic). This little pie has a long history, brought back by the Crusaders from Middle East (where the combination of fruit and meat is more common). The minced tongue and veal is now replaced (and perhaps improved) by alcohol soaked fruit.<br />
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Eating them - in our house certainly - has a degree of tradition. First, you gently peel off the lid. Then you cram in the same quantity of brandy butter, and perch the lid back on top. The butter melts into the hot pie, which you then liberally douse with cream. Now I'm feeling faint.<br />
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<b>4. Brandy butter. </b>What do you mean you don't have brandy butter in the US? It's pretty much what it says on the pot - brandy, butter and sugar, whipped together. Christmas pudding wouldn't be the same without it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/minor9th/4216712388"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2626/4216712388_89576eb3ee_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/minor9th/4216712388">[Flaming Pudding]</a></td></tr>
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<b>5. Christmas pudding.</b> Ah, but of course you don't have Christmas pudding either! This isn't a pudding in the American sense. It's more like a heavy cake comprised of dark sugars, bread crumbs, alcohol soaked fruits (again) and nuts. It's served hot, with lashings of the aforementioned brandy butter. Oh, and we set fire to it too. No, really.<br />
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And as a bonus - <b>Christmas Crackers!</b> Now, these crackers aren't food, like saltine or Graham, but they are a tradition that seems to stay firmly on this side of the Atlantic. My friend Chris (of salad jelly fame) tells me the story of when his family attempted to introduce a little 'old fashioned Englishness' into their Christmas - having spied these, no doubt, in some British period drama.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparklykate/4200643906"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2625/4200643906_c9c3bb51e9_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparklykate/4200643906">[Don't eat this]</a></td></tr>
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During dinner, each cracker was carefully unpeeled and unwrapped, the hats worn and the jokes told. This tradition went on for years until Chris' English wife demonstrated their proper use - two people take hold of each end and <i>pull</i> - inside the cracker is a little bit of gunpowder, as used in a cap gun, which goes off with a satisfying <i>crack</i>. At this point the cracker then sprays its contents across the room, and you're sent scurrying under the table to find the small plastic gift. Such fun!<br />
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And finally, you really need to start celebrating Boxing Day. No, we have no idea why it's called that either. But it does mean you can eat the same food all over again.<br />
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Happy Christmas!<br />
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Further reading (and inspiration)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/mind-the-gap/2013/12/04/christmas-traditions-britain-vs-america/">Christmas Traditions: Britain vs. America</a><br />
<a href="http://www.valerietanswell.co.uk/2011/12/10-ways-brits-do-christmas-differently.html">10 Ways Brits Do Christmas Differently to Americans</a>herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-10133166971344417042014-11-30T16:33:00.003+00:002016-05-25T08:46:52.768+01:00Fantasy Road Trips - Dallas to San Francisco, via the Loneliest Road.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYBvYpnuJfgfhCpEdrEWl63aIqqrjG74ahEb9WSGYNQ4sVZARomXlrzhS4nXUXpp-X0fma03eCMYvD2YfwvtM0LeTL17IdyFs1xaGwHTRcSp7NeDKUz7XVV1j94fyA1xwcniL9iimwsSV/s1600/20120718-SG1S3378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYBvYpnuJfgfhCpEdrEWl63aIqqrjG74ahEb9WSGYNQ4sVZARomXlrzhS4nXUXpp-X0fma03eCMYvD2YfwvtM0LeTL17IdyFs1xaGwHTRcSp7NeDKUz7XVV1j94fyA1xwcniL9iimwsSV/s1600/20120718-SG1S3378.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Cadiz Summit]</td></tr>
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For me, the picture on the left is the archetypal American road trip image. The empty road stretching to the horizon, no cars, no white vans, no roundabouts, no sudden changes of direction to accommodate ancient medieval field boundaries. It's not a view I'd ever get in England.<br />
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This particular view is just over the Cadiz Summit on Route 66, California - but I've seen countless versions of it in my journeys. And it's like a drug. I need more. So it's Fantasy Road Trip time.<br />
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There are few rules to Fantasy Road Trip. It shouldn't really take more than two weeks. I guess it should involve some mechanism for dropping my daughter off at camp, and meeting my wife at the end. And it really really needs a long, empty road.<br />
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When I discovered there's a road through Nevada that Life magazine called 'The Loneliest Road', I just knew I had to drive it. To quote - <i>"It's totally empty. There are no points of interest. We don't recommend it. We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they're confident of their survival skills...". </i>Well, here I come.<br />
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The Loneliest Road is 287 miles across Nevada with very little on it - but not, as I've discovered, <i>nothing.</i> But first things first, how do I get there? Well, I'll list all the articles I used for research at the end, but like all Fantasy Trips, it involves compiling a dream team of must-do American roads, and then using Google maps to work out how to connect them all together. So here goes ...<br />
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This time I'd start in Dallas, drop my daughter off at camp, and get to Oklahoma City as fast as I can for probably most famous of the classic American highways - Route 66. I'll use this to travel the 500 odd miles to Santa Fe - with the added bonus that this now means I will have driven all of 66 between Santa Monica and Springfield, Missouri (and we all like that sort of added bonus on a fantasy trip). Maybe I'll break the journey in Amarillo and see if I can eat a 75oz steak!<br />
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Once in Santa Fe, I need to head north west to pick up Route 50, so here's a chance to see what Colorado has to offer. A clickbait article offering me '21 Roads to Drive Before I Die' introduces me to the 'Million Dollar Highway' (no. 18), and how can you resist a name like that? Especially when it involves some of the highest roads in the US. The wonderful MyScenicDrives suggests a way of connecting all together, and now I'm on my way to Utah, ready to join US-50.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcm65dX89SAA1wHNmEIzreiQ8iUuUlTdNqM4x5-65s0U4fPtzZepIcMPJGxHeGqCJEBDlikoVRjdk3R5daLNjjo-24A39c4j_1L-I_hOcqwb12eqoST0kJ5AkcG9Z1Z-U1XAT-FXCoejeD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-25+at+20.12.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcm65dX89SAA1wHNmEIzreiQ8iUuUlTdNqM4x5-65s0U4fPtzZepIcMPJGxHeGqCJEBDlikoVRjdk3R5daLNjjo-24A39c4j_1L-I_hOcqwb12eqoST0kJ5AkcG9Z1Z-U1XAT-FXCoejeD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-25+at+20.12.13.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[The Route]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Million Dollar Highway - US-550 - takes me through Delta to Grand Junction, and now the once-US-50-now-I-70 delivers me to, yes, Delta again. But this time Delta UT, not Delta CO. America, are you messing with me? You give your roads multiple names, but give the same name to two towns just a few hundred miles apart?<br />
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The Loneliest Road, proper, starts when I cross the border on US-50 into Nevada - but first, I need to stop at the Border Inn. It's the first casino I'll find in Nevada, just feet over the border. Yet the rooms are still in Utah, in a completely different timezone (oh, you <i>are</i> messing with me, I knew it). A definite coffee stop.<br />
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Another definite stop is Ely - the only real civilisation I'm likely to encounter for some time (the only supermarket forthe next 250 miles) and home to the (alleged) UFO crash site just outside of Area 51.<br />
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From here, we're following the path of the Pony Express (and possibly detouring to see the ruins of a few Pony Express stations too), not forgetting to get our <a href="http://ponyexpressnevada.com/pony-express-loneliest-road.html">passport</a> stamped! Presuming we cross Nevada without incident, accident or alien abduction, we'll arrive at Reno - "The Biggest Little City in the World", whatever that means.<br />
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From there, it's a home run across California to San Francisco, and another 2,115 miles clocked up. So - fantasy or nightmare? Will I survive the Loneliest Road?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/loneliestroad/loneliestroad.html">RoadTripUsa</a> - The ultimate guide to driving Route 50.</li>
<li><a href="http://ponyexpressnevada.com/pony-express-loneliest-road.html">Pony Express Nevada</a> - Loneliest road history, and how to get the passport.</li>
<li><a href="http://stayonroute6.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/delta-ut-to-ely-nv-on-us-route-6.html">Stay on Route 6</a> - Delta to Ely guide.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.route50.com/nevada.htm">Route 50</a> - Detailed guide to Route 50.</li>
<li><a href="https://roadtrippers.com/blog/the-loneliest-road-in-america">Road Trippers</a> - another guide to The Loneliest Road.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.takemytrip.com/09loneliest/08n_31a.htm">Take My Trip </a>- A great guide to The Loneliest Road.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/07/03/198047037/a-joy-ride-down-americas-loneliest-road">A Joy Ride down America's Loneliest Road</a> - Great photos.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.myscenicdrives.com/drives/colorado/san-juan-skyway">My Scenic Drives</a> - The route across Colorado. I love this site.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7lesKgF72o">Man vs Food</a> - That 75oz steak!</li>
</ul>
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<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-82224961812705444752014-10-14T21:59:00.000+01:002014-12-07T23:22:37.625+00:00Five Guys come to Cambridge - A Review.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvmSqAjM3GSiXge1gSgUcvvzZQFa-7buC4s_shKAedZNim7XeiJjQAx370vga6oW26Dt81dVw0eHRNEGCw6fAN31LTJgvoX2ymoEa8s4q7irULnSOybIP9qR6sL58uSulxOVD9z0MhE-E/s1600/20141014_184415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvmSqAjM3GSiXge1gSgUcvvzZQFa-7buC4s_shKAedZNim7XeiJjQAx370vga6oW26Dt81dVw0eHRNEGCw6fAN31LTJgvoX2ymoEa8s4q7irULnSOybIP9qR6sL58uSulxOVD9z0MhE-E/s1600/20141014_184415.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Busy people building burgers]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I was a teenager, the choice was McDonalds or Burger King - like the Beatles or The Stones, it was one or the other, not both. Although (or perhaps because) I'd been employed by McDonalds, I was a Burger King boy - mushroom double-swiss for me, thank you very much!<br />
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But no one will be surprised to hear that the US has a lot of chains - both national and regional - nor that I've eaten in many of them. Texas chain Whataburger is probably my favourite - in Waxahachie they called me Sir and brought my food to the table. Oh, that Southern service!<br />
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Off the top of my head, in Texas alone, we've also eaten in a Sonic, Mooyah, Riscky's, Dairy Queen, In-n-out and, of course, a Five Guys. So please forgive me if they start to blend together. Five-in-a-riscky-queen-ic.<br />
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When I heard that we in Cambridge were getting a Five Guys, I was convinced we'd eaten in one in Allen, just north of Dallas. Oh yeah, Five Guys, been and done that. But Google maps tells me that must have been a Mooyah. Whoops. My family are convinced we ate in one in Rockwall, and I know better than to argue with them. So at best, I can only compare my experiences here in Cambridge with a vague and confused memory from about five years ago ('it was fine'). Perhaps that isn't a good sign?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7rlNgYVIXZu4SP63CKKjipl-PlHoGiYddkk4xY8xDp0zbk4hAeSTM4Fivttf_Ey6RJHvWUOz5uK7HIIqXrBi6KNcZhuCTvqGGqbyj-VBxp1AI6l2ydN5VoirFMv2m9Ca5flvkerUAi2z/s1600/20141014_191815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7rlNgYVIXZu4SP63CKKjipl-PlHoGiYddkk4xY8xDp0zbk4hAeSTM4Fivttf_Ey6RJHvWUOz5uK7HIIqXrBi6KNcZhuCTvqGGqbyj-VBxp1AI6l2ydN5VoirFMv2m9Ca5flvkerUAi2z/s1600/20141014_191815.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[We love self promotion]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So this evening, I took us all for a slap up meal at the newly opened Five Guys in the Cambridge Leisure Park to see if it stirred any memories. It's cheaper than hypnotherapy.<br />
<br />
The Leisure Park is a strange beast. When I first moved to Cambridge, the area was marked on maps with 'there be dragons'. It was Cambridge's stockyards, a derelict area of disused cattle markets and railway sidings. The only reason to go there was the Junction nightclub, and many a night we'd stumble out at 2am not having the faintest idea how to get home.<br />
<br />
Now that's all been swept away, to be replaced by leisure-centre-by-numbers. There's a multi-screen cinema, and the usual hangers on. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restaurant_Group">Restaurant Group</a>'s Frankie & Benny's and the execrable Chiquito (where once we asked a staff member what she'd recommend, and she said 'none of it'). Add to that Nandos, Bella Pasta, a buffet Indian and Chinese and you have a pretty bland eating out experience probably replicated countless times across the country. Oh, and there's Alimentum - it looks like an upmarket hairdressers, and has a Michelin star. A more out of place restaurant you couldn't hope to encounter.<br />
<br />
And there, in the middle, where Pizza Hut used to sit, is Five Guys.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LuxDELyK7oLEGkBi2US3MXFwILX-P651a5a1Vkrrt4kYuOeYGe5JGt-tFrbKYhZcMMiJe7W8VvjtumvcVIb4Th7YfBeSRH2PdCBvStqQMMqKYS96RMGhx6zoKeZWlBq-sPGD4Kguz9oi/s1600/20141014_185512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LuxDELyK7oLEGkBi2US3MXFwILX-P651a5a1Vkrrt4kYuOeYGe5JGt-tFrbKYhZcMMiJe7W8VvjtumvcVIb4Th7YfBeSRH2PdCBvStqQMMqKYS96RMGhx6zoKeZWlBq-sPGD4Kguz9oi/s1600/20141014_185512.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Small and messy burger]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Will Five Guys succeed? Well, they already have twenty branches across the UK - small fry (ha) compared with the big boys, but ousting our Pizza Hut was a bold move, and if they follow the multiplexes around the UK, they'll soon grow. They're the fastest growing food chain in the USA, so I don't doubt that rapid growth is firmly on their agenda.<br />
<br />
But, but, what was it like? Well, obviously, I can't comment on the loud music for fear of sounding old (but <i>Toto</i> for heaven's sake?). It was big, bright, brash, buzzy and very very busy. I can be sure the other eateries in the leisure centre dreamed of queues at 7pm on a rainy Tuesday. It's classic fast food - you order at a till and wait at a counter for your brown paper bag. The choice is simple - plain, cheese or bacon, one patty or two, and a wide range of toppings. I had a 'small' (one patty), plus cheese, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, mustard and ketchup. Fries come in giant, vast and enormous. We chose the largest to share between three.<br />
<br />
The burger was firmly in the messy camp - I bit on one end and all the toppings slid out the other. I found myself thinking about the next time - maybe just one sauce, maybe no mushrooms, that might make a more manageable burger. Therein lies the magic of Five Guys. Because all the toppings are optional, you're forced to choose, to personalise, to make your own creation. So although I'm eating in a multi-national chain, it's an individual experience - my Tony-burger isn't your-fave-burger.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEan2sxvyNZryHXm4ePyIGDFUiCDzZFTAaLI5HR0H8XB-0456Do0vAz49rn1f74KidJUX53RrMr8_L9-gwUIEpXPU9rwayHDkCILtWXsMgVElzD1Fe7nawXlnWIHsYhQjq0hlNxXOJuCL/s1600/20141014_184000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEan2sxvyNZryHXm4ePyIGDFUiCDzZFTAaLI5HR0H8XB-0456Do0vAz49rn1f74KidJUX53RrMr8_L9-gwUIEpXPU9rwayHDkCILtWXsMgVElzD1Fe7nawXlnWIHsYhQjq0hlNxXOJuCL/s1600/20141014_184000.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[We love peanuts]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And it's this that makes them stand out - not the meat (it's better than many, but not up to gourmet burger standards), not the fries (skin-on, but over salted), but the customisation. I think they're going to be huge, and every twenty something in Cambridgeshire was queueing up to agree.<br />
<br />
What did my fellow diners think? My tweenager declared it the best burger since Riscky's in Fort Worth. But give her free peanuts and she's anyones. My wife said it was 'fine'. And it was. It was 'fine'. My memories from the US weren't failing me after all.herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-3117592214042422122014-10-10T18:57:00.001+01:002014-11-15T10:21:30.153+00:00The Great Southwest Canyon Road Trip - Bryce and Beyond<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgip6qETazVlAJNo50Jm4lKXgsbNa9Psa9wuSRTkJ7X_vjNRHxpLDbbBjCvmpyjUZgC5Ng5YBERvO9ApFeM3U3r5isiPxmJ5wBInRe5r1t8_7BtnQ4v9g4_ilix0F_y85aoTkXrgzp5vMQF/s1600/20140812-IMGP8922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgip6qETazVlAJNo50Jm4lKXgsbNa9Psa9wuSRTkJ7X_vjNRHxpLDbbBjCvmpyjUZgC5Ng5YBERvO9ApFeM3U3r5isiPxmJ5wBInRe5r1t8_7BtnQ4v9g4_ilix0F_y85aoTkXrgzp5vMQF/s1600/20140812-IMGP8922.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Bryce Canyon Amphitheatre]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, where did I leave you? With the <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/09/the-great-southwest-canyon-road-trip.html">screams and and cries for help</a> that accompanied our journey out of Zion Valley on Utah's beautiful winding Highway 9, I think.<br />
<br />
Peace returned as we reached the green fields of the High Plateaus of Colorado (in Utah). The road snaked along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Valley_(Utah)">Long Valley</a> though peaceful Mormon towns and their immaculately clean and tidy farms. We arrived at Bryce Canyon Lodge in the late afternoon, checked in and retired to our delightful little cabin.<br />
<br />
The Lodge was state of the art holiday accommodation in the 1920s - a smaller example of what we would see later at the Grand Canyon - and although a little faded and scuffed around the edges now, it still has considerable charm. We stayed in one of the cabins - no TV, no internet - dotted around the site among the trees. There's definitely a story to be told about America's early tourist industry, when places like this were hugely popular - I'll do some research, so watch this space.<br />
<br />
We didn't really know what to expect from Bryce Canyon - we certainly didn't expect the most famous view, the Amphitheatre, to be just yards from our cabin. A short walk through the woods, then a clearing, then wow! Especially beautiful as the sun started to drop.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKRxUD_VNG7mi_1j0QKq3Mt1qfYm-tNkOOlYKJJM0qND2MMaSbNm5SdNuHdVwsTT4yV9L0flyInGjHOTR29LO69WRGtKKrrzL8Nq82D7zwBe1CfKrJ0gix6Cu7ogTnhq-cudOgLhoaW7C/s1600/IMG_20140811_175740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKRxUD_VNG7mi_1j0QKq3Mt1qfYm-tNkOOlYKJJM0qND2MMaSbNm5SdNuHdVwsTT4yV9L0flyInGjHOTR29LO69WRGtKKrrzL8Nq82D7zwBe1CfKrJ0gix6Cu7ogTnhq-cudOgLhoaW7C/s1600/IMG_20140811_175740.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Our Lodge]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, technically, Bryce isn't a canyon, but a collection of 'amphitheatres' - we're now at the edge of the sandstone that makes up the plateau, which water and ice erosion have eroded into curved half-bowls, full of hoodoos, towering spires of rock. The effect is like looking over the edge of a cliff into a forest of giant red-orange totem poles. It proved hard to photograph, and capture the scale of what we're looking at - especially as I was forever being admonished for standing too close to the edge.<br />
<br />
The failing light and the thunderstorm in the distance sent us inside, in search of food. As we discovered both here and at the Grand Canyon, the food inside the National Parks is more about refuelling exhausted hikers than entertaining English foodies like us. The food was cheap, old fashioned - I hesitate to say 'school dinners', but perhaps just a little institutional. At Bryce we opted for pizza - freshly and enthusiastically made and slightly amateurish, served in a brightly lit hut a little distance from the main Lodge. We drank warm red wine from plastic beakers. I'm sure, if we'd spent the whole day hiking through the hoodoos, it would be just what needed.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj7G_pfI_AeT5z-21J9r-LyS8VXVwOY76igVGvtZzogqfG22yp7EYn7mm2wJOLWKIlz72L6GC0u77LIMCOZlNbgPnMBKQC7IveQwf46PUPp3J0FbX-C5EODiRf2W4tRpcyDbo_iZ0Czqw/s1600/20140812_114628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj7G_pfI_AeT5z-21J9r-LyS8VXVwOY76igVGvtZzogqfG22yp7EYn7mm2wJOLWKIlz72L6GC0u77LIMCOZlNbgPnMBKQC7IveQwf46PUPp3J0FbX-C5EODiRf2W4tRpcyDbo_iZ0Czqw/s1600/20140812_114628.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Lovely weather at Rainbow Point!]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
During dinner the storm we'd spied in the distance arrived, quite dramatically - now I do love a good storm, but this one did ruin one of the treats of Bryce for me. The Lodge is one of only a handful of 'dark skies' parks in the US, where light pollution is kept to an absolutely minimum, and the night sky views are apparently unparalleled. Well, alas, for me, the skies were a uniform grey and not a star was to be to seen. It was also frustrating because we'd paid a little extra to stay at the Lodge rather than the much cheaper Best Western just outside the park. That said, it was still a charming place to visit.<br />
<br />
The next day the weather was, quite frankly, awful as we bundled back in the car to explore the rest of Bryce. Leading away from the Lodge is a 20 mile or so one way drive to various rain blasted view points - we'd stop, dash out in the deluge to take a photo or two, then race back to the car. As the road climbed to the final viewpoint, the visibility dropped, but it was obvious we were traversing a narrow ridge with sheer drops on either side - much to the pleasure of my more nervous passengers. I'm not sure if the lack of a view helped or hindered - perhaps it's worse when the imagination is given full reign.<br />
<br />
I'm sure the view from Rainbow Point is spectacular - and we did brave the weather as long as we could, to soak up what we could without becoming completely soaked ourselves. But we were glad to get back in the car and head back to civilisation.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdpQhUn2ggfYPNE32og6xaBt2OoqdHVb32ApnpGg5GDzv4pAESAuokwExkLzahJUoR7hLI99DMnF9wFOY_GKdaiqigDCD0bC865tUm2rDDzlmgGn6xWOVPFktqrJ4xagG0IYlObG6RXSl/s1600/20140812_142332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdpQhUn2ggfYPNE32og6xaBt2OoqdHVb32ApnpGg5GDzv4pAESAuokwExkLzahJUoR7hLI99DMnF9wFOY_GKdaiqigDCD0bC865tUm2rDDzlmgGn6xWOVPFktqrJ4xagG0IYlObG6RXSl/s1600/20140812_142332.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Try the Chubby Cheese]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's at this point things starting to go wrong. We had a minor medical emergency (and because this is a food blog, and you might be eating, I won't tell you what went wrong, save to say that it was <i>icky</i>), and that meant a 50 mile round trip to the charmingly named Panguitch.<br />
<br />
If that had a little silver lining, it was that it gave us a chance to see a little bit of small-town America we would normally have bypassed. We had lunch at an authentic little local's diner (Henrie's, home of the <i>Chubby Cheese!) </i>and explored the General Store that really did have a bit of everything (including a much needed and very helpful pharmacy).<br />
<br />
After all that excitement, we headed back to Bryce, eager to put our feet up at the Best Western and dry out and relax. Ah. My first and only booking error of the holiday (don't forget I had <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/07/making-plans-for-bbq-pt3-planes-trains.html">twenty one</a> to organise). When I'd tried to book the hotel in Bryce, I hadn't noticed the hotel was full, and it had instead recommended the next nearest, in Cedar City, over 70 miles away.<br />
<br />
Well, the staff in Bryce's Best Western couldn't have been more helpful - one tried everything she could to find us something closer, while Jennifer went all dreamy eyed at the mere mention of Cedar City. It was the nearest <i>real </i>town, it had shops, it had restaurants, it had (gasp) a Wal Mart. We could tell Jennifer was jealous of our unexpected side trip to real civilisation.<br />
<br />
So, we bundled back in the car, drove back through Panguitch and on to Cedar City. And what we found there can wait until my next post ...<br />
<br />
<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-87360312783992041852014-09-30T16:53:00.001+01:002014-09-30T17:22:48.754+01:00Cambridge's Delicious Dumplings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJr9AiSa-TlNoBeOz9bAmu4k2gbmdsy7EgZhQlY7Ufw0p2d3aZz1AeQcD3k3bnE6EpwXvSE40N4OB2SDn088Bx-Zpp7_Ah_wCdvkspsA1itzHz8IpFH8SRhsO0Jg6nKB8MXT3PmWUmsazn/s1600/dumplings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJr9AiSa-TlNoBeOz9bAmu4k2gbmdsy7EgZhQlY7Ufw0p2d3aZz1AeQcD3k3bnE6EpwXvSE40N4OB2SDn088Bx-Zpp7_Ah_wCdvkspsA1itzHz8IpFH8SRhsO0Jg6nKB8MXT3PmWUmsazn/s1600/dumplings.jpg" height="291" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Dumplings]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We interrupt our regular programming to bring you ... dumplings!<br />
<br />
Now, what place do dumplings have in a blog that's supposed to be about American food? Well I could justify it by saying that the three best Chinese meals I've ever had have been in the US - including one of my best meals <i>full-stop.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
To be honest, though, it's more about wanting to share a delicious lunch I've just had - especially as things have been a little quiet on this blog recently.<br />
<br />
These little pockets of perfection came from a stall on Cambridge market - a stall that has no name, but is simply a few gas burners, a wok, a scratched formica table and a few plastic chairs.<br />
<br />
You choose from 5 or 6 different types of dumpling, and then for another 50p you can have them fried. This delectable dozen of pork and chive cost me just a fiver. I did what the Chinese couple next to me did - I added a liberal splash of vinegar from the bottle on the table, a drizzle of hot chili sauce and tucked in. Absolutely delicious.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCFZBLziq69EVJZgmTWkwB7kd17hKPj2nZ4g9eKwMQmhV1XID1ECiyyPrUIVPqX-sxH-peqsnbNno5Ob1anssiRjcALtGhaoAuQXqj2LW_ADM7g8OgZQNi8cu8GkhuDoVddPbNpFF83Qp/s1600/20110723-y+021+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCFZBLziq69EVJZgmTWkwB7kd17hKPj2nZ4g9eKwMQmhV1XID1ECiyyPrUIVPqX-sxH-peqsnbNno5Ob1anssiRjcALtGhaoAuQXqj2LW_ADM7g8OgZQNi8cu8GkhuDoVddPbNpFF83Qp/s1600/20110723-y+021+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[The crab - poorly photographed!]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have no idea how long this stall has been there, or how long it will be there for - so if you live in Cambridge, get down there as soon as you can. But please leave some dumplings for me!<br />
<br />
So what, I pretend to hear you ask, were those three Chinese meals you had in the US?. Well, all three were in San Francisco - and first, the salt and pepper crab at the R&G Lounge, was one of the best things I have ever eaten.<br />
<br />
We arrived knowing it was a 'must order', and were bemused when the waiter walked away halfway through us listing our side dishes. He knew what we didn't - if you order the crab, you'll need nothing else.<br />
<br />
It's messy, primal food - I'm discovering how many of my top dishes are eaten with my fingers - salty, crunchy, crabby goodness. Rather than listen to my amateur hyperbole, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om1RbQ11Zbo">watch this video </a>of Anthony Bourdain doing it properly. Oh, and Anthony's right, you have to have a lychee martini.<br />
<br />
The next was at the <a href="http://cityviewrestaurant.reachlocal.com/?scid=59908&kw=866582:68326&pub_cr_id=5907879487">City View Restaurant</a>, just round the corner. They're right renowned for their lunch time dim sum, delivered from a non-stop procession of trolleys. It's the carts that make it special - instead of ordering safely from a menu, you just pick what you want as it's wheeled past you. They stop serving lunch at 2.30pm, and that's the only reason I can ever see to leave. Just one more plate, just one ...<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrEhoESe3S_MZSlSxAEGjv73hC_tF4i7GqpBpt0-budZjz7Szq474SoI3IsGZRufgt9I4JPtyWgEzWT4LPYSSoFV2z55JD5KnTvn1cIEdGx17jjz3V0lJ-Qy-UiX-RUArjHOcxODv6M2b/s1600/20110723-y+026+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrEhoESe3S_MZSlSxAEGjv73hC_tF4i7GqpBpt0-budZjz7Szq474SoI3IsGZRufgt9I4JPtyWgEzWT4LPYSSoFV2z55JD5KnTvn1cIEdGx17jjz3V0lJ-Qy-UiX-RUArjHOcxODv6M2b/s1600/20110723-y+026+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[This bun is so good]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And finally, a very honourable mention for the Good Mong Kok bakery on Stockton Street. They offer huge and freshly steamed pork buns for just pennies, and I love them.<br />
<br />
So, Cambridge dumplings, you provided me with a flood of nostalgia for San Francisco's chinatown - maybe I'll try and go back in 2015.<br />
<br />
But also I must try more of Cambridge's home grown Chinese food. We now have a mini Chinatown on Regent Street - I can think of at least five restaurants that have sprung up in recent years to serve our every growing Chinese community. If they're even half as good as San Francisco, I'll let you know!herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-79318051363003629722014-09-21T20:10:00.000+01:002014-09-21T20:10:09.573+01:00Who's in the market for chorizo in a bun?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVXsc38_gxv2F0PyKn_hkiI3_UzGndsrtnhUEI1EbMo_2CAyP4UXGTYrLL9ffqydSs7hIRRqhVO51wrH6VnRSwWte5zEADVHHWgbvZPJPeJAPXLYOPBKaurWzWk5iYYtdBNJF4W4g5kA5/s1600/20140911-IMGP9225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVXsc38_gxv2F0PyKn_hkiI3_UzGndsrtnhUEI1EbMo_2CAyP4UXGTYrLL9ffqydSs7hIRRqhVO51wrH6VnRSwWte5zEADVHHWgbvZPJPeJAPXLYOPBKaurWzWk5iYYtdBNJF4W4g5kA5/s1600/20140911-IMGP9225.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
On the left you'll see one of London's top street foods, Brindisa's chorizo sandwich from Borough Market.<br />
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I've been eating this delicacy for over twelve years now, and it brings back special memories of when I moved to London, started a family and my love of food really started to take off.<br />
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This was my first visit to Borough Market in some time, and it's certainly changed - but then again, the market is no stranger to change.<br />
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The market has been in operation at least a thousand years, sitting strategically at the southern end of London Bridge, once the only bridge across the Thames.<br />
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However, by the 1990s the market was struggling. Like the other major London markets - Smithfields, Billingsgate, (New) Covent Garden, Borough was a wholesale market, open from 2am to 8am, selling fruit and vegetables to the high street grocers and restaurants of London. In fact, it still is, and I must try and get there early one day for an experience of the more ancient Borough Market.<br />
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The fortunes of the market changed in 1998 with the arrival of Brindisa and Neal's Yard, and the first Food Lovers' Fair. They had decided to open a retail market - initially on the third Saturday of every month. I would love to claim I was there at that first fair - for foodies, this is like seeing the Sex Pistols at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester (where if everyone <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Swear_I_Was_There">who claimed they went</a> actually went, the hall would have been filled three times over).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fJAArgImSTfVwfyLIIlqXZZdirXcuec7PXcxaRUT8JzvNK9vjz0Hk6KaaqNr9GQMP-h4sAuvYsPLm0T9y70kPvI4t9QHZRMXv7jqTZkEkIL1A_hk6monslKxEQTyNkfLAJjU3FEuLhq9/s1600/20140911-IMGP9242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fJAArgImSTfVwfyLIIlqXZZdirXcuec7PXcxaRUT8JzvNK9vjz0Hk6KaaqNr9GQMP-h4sAuvYsPLm0T9y70kPvI4t9QHZRMXv7jqTZkEkIL1A_hk6monslKxEQTyNkfLAJjU3FEuLhq9/s1600/20140911-IMGP9242.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>In fact, I probably first went around 2002, when the market was now twice weekly, with a second, smaller retail market on Friday. The market was at a point of transition - it was no longer the preserve of the foodies-in-the-know and trendy restaurateurs. It had been 'discovered' - in no small part because of a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/apr/14/features.magazine47">mention</a> on the programme of a new, bright eyed and bushy tailed chef by the name of Jamie Oliver.<br />
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This was apparently <i>the </i>market for the very best ingredients - yet we lived just down the road, probably passing over on the train every day - and had never been.<br />
<br />
I still remember the excitement of our first trips. It was still very much a <i>market - </i>you came to buy things. We still talk in hushed and reverential tones about the <i>Borough Market chicken</i> - our first not to come from a supermarket, our first organic and free range, and probably our first to actually <i>taste</i> of chicken.<br />
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Brindisa clicked early on that looking at all these ingredients might actually make people hungry - and so they started cooking up their chorizo sausage and selling it to the hungry market goers. There's no doubt it was a great advertisement too. Also, there was the legendary queue - nothing like an hours' wait to get the mouth drooling in anticipation.<br />
<br />
So there I was, last week, with my Brindisa chorizo in a bun, feeling a little sad and nostalgic. Why? Because I didn't have to queue for it. In fact, the guys at the stall were handing out free samples to try and entice custom. What's happened in the last ten years is that Borough Market is now an <i>attraction</i>, and it's had to change accordingly.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALWClN4XrGNYauskMN-dlDj_jmqDzurrsIxaoqnOR4Q-twBl_5Np7ekMPR_0LQJCt9U5aiMTdq3V8BXPuVZXDU9wOfIJirXuI4czJv9obdZ7UxqMFQZ02xywDHoQX5qcie7rEbrjQk3Ig/s1600/20140911-IMGP9233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALWClN4XrGNYauskMN-dlDj_jmqDzurrsIxaoqnOR4Q-twBl_5Np7ekMPR_0LQJCt9U5aiMTdq3V8BXPuVZXDU9wOfIJirXuI4czJv9obdZ7UxqMFQZ02xywDHoQX5qcie7rEbrjQk3Ig/s1600/20140911-IMGP9233.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>Listening to the babble of languages around me tells me that tourists dominate the visitors to Borough, and they don't want to walk round Tate Modern and Madame Tussauds with a back of vegetables and raw meat to cook on their trouser press in the hotel room. They want to taste some delicious food - <i>right now - </i>and move on to their next destination.<br />
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So Borough Market has become a huge food hall, and Brindisa's chorizo bun had to compete with goat tacos, fresh sweet corn and steak sandwiches in its little section alone. In the newly refurbished Three Crown Square there was there was a whole cornucopia of eating options. And to your average tourists, the Borough stalwarts of Brindisa and Neal's Yard are no more or less famous than any other stall on the market. Why queue for chorizo when there's three different paellas for sale just over there?<br />
<br />
Change isn't a bad thing. The new look market is still vibrant and exciting, and all the food for sale continues to look delicious and inviting. All the old favourites are still there, and if I want to buy ingredients without having to fight through the tourists, well, I should come early. And who am I kidding? I don't live in South London any more, I don't want to carry a chicken home on the train. But a part of me, just a little part of me, wanted to queue for my chorizo in a bun.<br />
<br />
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<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-62877098317438759012014-09-14T19:48:00.002+01:002014-09-14T19:48:11.839+01:00The Great Southwest Canyon Road Trip - Springdale and Zion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPGIohvzPbZfVr4t04mBz1dG3MoapKzsFKFvNP540dETsp7ZTKQ4Hatf93uKAZhQqVCO2ixCWyn7U1sYMZGtFyvxkmnP3GXi9efwI1sTfOcEOeL2EQNvm17BlxbA1tmvVnOp8QJmlomRI/s1600/IMG_20140810_173149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPGIohvzPbZfVr4t04mBz1dG3MoapKzsFKFvNP540dETsp7ZTKQ4Hatf93uKAZhQqVCO2ixCWyn7U1sYMZGtFyvxkmnP3GXi9efwI1sTfOcEOeL2EQNvm17BlxbA1tmvVnOp8QJmlomRI/s1600/IMG_20140810_173149.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[View from our hotel, Springdale]</td></tr>
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(First part of this adventure can be found <a href="http://0.0.7.222/08/the-great-southwest-canyon-road-trip.html">here</a>)<br />
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Every road trip has a town that surprises you. A place that's supposed to be just a rest stop, a convenient place for lunch. Somewhere that isn't a destination, somewhere born of a necessity - but then it charms you, and you wish you could stay longer.<br />
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I remember this feeling in Bisbee, Arizona and Springfield Missouri - and this year, Springdale in Utah.<br />
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We arrived in Springdale late with less than an hour before our dinner reservation - no one told us we'd changed timezones! We also planned to leave first thing in the morning for Zion Valley. We were staying in Springdale purely for its convenience, nestled as it is just outside the Zion National Park.<br />
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So we weren't prepared to find Springdale, and especially our hotel (the <a href="http://www.desertpearl.com/">Desert Pearl Inn</a>), quite so appealing. The hotel room had a balcony over looking the Virgin River that flowed through its grounds, while the canyon walls high above us caught the setting sun. The girls eagerly eyed the pool too, and the little town invited further exploration.<br />
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However, no such luck - instead we had a mad rush to get to the restaurant on time. Our meal at The Spotted Dog, however, took a surreal turn. I don't really remember what we ate - meatloaf, pasta pesto, steak - but we'll never forget the waiter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQrCjkUwAmCkrzAJsNdK-nZKbsLda-7d1nBD1QP8zw3fWN0GkXUC04jxWP8xURZ_pP3LRom0rkLxOSGIf0subWlRq1V0qgQIwC6QLHw9REdz25Jj_DI6cBPFL29qDw95DNT9CgegH4Yfx/s1600/20140811-IMGP8874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQrCjkUwAmCkrzAJsNdK-nZKbsLda-7d1nBD1QP8zw3fWN0GkXUC04jxWP8xURZ_pP3LRom0rkLxOSGIf0subWlRq1V0qgQIwC6QLHw9REdz25Jj_DI6cBPFL29qDw95DNT9CgegH4Yfx/s1600/20140811-IMGP8874.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Zion Valley]</td></tr>
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He was a tall, lanky chap with a lugubrious tone and he immediately put us in mind of Lurch from the Addams Family. His strangely affected delivery caused us to corpse every time he came to the table - it was as if he'd learned a 'posh waiter' voice from watching too much Downton Abbey. Poor man reduced my daughter to barely suppressed giggles every time he spoke. The food was fine, but the service was an experience.<br />
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The next morning, we're off on the shuttle bus to the visitors centre, and then on another bus up the canyon (in peak times, no cars are allowed). The bus takes you up the ever narrowing canyon as far as it can - from there you can walk until even that is no longer possible. The truly brave can then continue to trek up the river itself, as the high walls continue to press in.<br />
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This was another breath taking experience. The walls of the canyon approach 2,000ft high - that's four times the height of our own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheddar_Gorge">Cheddar Gorge</a>.<br />
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The shade from the canyon walls meant it stayed cool and although the park was definitely busy, it was easy to escape the crowds.<br />
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The end of the trail was enlivened by the presence of the world's cheekiest squirrels - one of whom calmly walked up and took a cereal bar out of my wife's hand, and then boldly ate it in front of her!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vI-vZIAdyIINblR5e1K4nKSU1ZDvH2JcVuhv17nEH-4UgUWuFEwc8VC8WyKYaiNS_WOFKpMzYyPQbqNxABqE1jyvFLMhk8zd81Tw2OTMGVlgICKdUXCNq7s82yTKXg5NsPpEqQrqsJQM/s1600/20140811-IMGP8899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vI-vZIAdyIINblR5e1K4nKSU1ZDvH2JcVuhv17nEH-4UgUWuFEwc8VC8WyKYaiNS_WOFKpMzYyPQbqNxABqE1jyvFLMhk8zd81Tw2OTMGVlgICKdUXCNq7s82yTKXg5NsPpEqQrqsJQM/s1600/20140811-IMGP8899.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Utah State Road 9, out of Zion]</td></tr>
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We left Zion bound for our next stop, Bryce Canyon, on what was probably the most scenic and exciting road I've taken to date in the US.<br />
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To cries of 'slow down', 'mind the edge' and 'we're going to die', we snaked up from the base of the canyon to the flat plateau above. At one point, the Mount Carmel tunnel carves through over 5,000ft of mountainside. The views are jaw dropping, although I suspect my wife had her eyes shut for most of it.<br />
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Before our road trip was finished we were to do drives that were higher, and even scarier, than this (although possibly not as beautiful), but it's still a once in a lifetime experience. But if you do go, don't treat Springdale as rest stop, like we did. Stay awhile!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyAaHHsGd3P3V75jjshIJ7jGv4bu2he-5uoyKAcRV4g_ZKVPOjmBqvgKwLIje8ZMjjLOcbwyaE0nxoMrLk7ts1dd5eJMiFmpmseC3P23-54ms1VOAlCzZORa4UtirZj2CEgy24jgvVTFW/s1600/20140906_125332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyAaHHsGd3P3V75jjshIJ7jGv4bu2he-5uoyKAcRV4g_ZKVPOjmBqvgKwLIje8ZMjjLOcbwyaE0nxoMrLk7ts1dd5eJMiFmpmseC3P23-54ms1VOAlCzZORa4UtirZj2CEgy24jgvVTFW/s1600/20140906_125332.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[These people gave us free meat. We love them]</td></tr>
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I did my fair share of music festivals when I was a kid - I fondly remember the Reading Rock Festival (the filth! the squalor! the cheap cider!) and Glastonbury was a blur of mud and poor sanitation.<br />
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As I've grown up, so have the festivals - whereas in my youth they were a chance to escape the grown ups for a weekend, now the over 40s take their families. Now we can glamp in our luxury yurt, eating organic hummus and making occasional forays to the acoustic stage.<br />
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I don't exaggerate either - a quick Google tells me that Latitude boasts an olive bar and a fruit and yoghurt stall. Cambridge Folk Festival has an onsite grocers. Glastonbury has over 250 food retailers, including silver service dining. Even Reading Festival offers organic meat (How things change - I fondly remember one year there we survived entirely on doughnuts, rather than eat the horse-n-gristle burgers).<br />
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So you can see how this could be taken to a logical extreme. Why not remove the bands all together? No more loud music, louche popstars and leud twerking to upset the little ones. Just have the food stalls, but somehow make them the stars of show.<br />
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I welcome you to <a href="http://www.meatopia.co.uk/">Meatopia</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11WSTzaLOpcHEMrS54i44ee3e0w9DEgAXYDDpkas0rP_iT3RqmzazxjHS-iSFZ64oABIjbggzRZS1b4T9jX6Jkunxib6Gz3OZK6aCk-g0_0mg-4nzDnFPmUro5RPElZsvuZugIpO9e5Z6/s1600/20140906_144854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11WSTzaLOpcHEMrS54i44ee3e0w9DEgAXYDDpkas0rP_iT3RqmzazxjHS-iSFZ64oABIjbggzRZS1b4T9jX6Jkunxib6Gz3OZK6aCk-g0_0mg-4nzDnFPmUro5RPElZsvuZugIpO9e5Z6/s1600/20140906_144854.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Goat tacos]</td></tr>
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If Meatopia were a music festival, it's much more Donnington that Glastonbury. No hummus here, it's all about the meat. But many of the elements of a classic festival remain - there's smoke everywhere, but it's wood, not dry ice. There's a main stage, where the headline act for Saturday is an Italian butcher - and we cheered when he removed the hip bone from the cow carcass like we would a blistering guitar solo.<br />
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We had our own rock god - DJ-BBQ, in his stars-and-stripes jumpsuit - as the day's MC. We even had some music - I particularly enjoyed the New York Brass Band's take on hits of the 80s and 90s - as well as guest DJs and piano sing-a-longs.<br />
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But the meat was the main attraction, and boy was it good. We had twenty-two different chefs to choose from - each had just one dish that was to be cooked on a charcoal barbecue. Each dish cost one 'meatbuck' which could be bought for £5. So I had 4 bucks to spend, and was almost paralysed with choice. Do I want lamb cutlets? pulled pork? pork belly? cheddar dog? <i>How can you make me choose?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Information is power, so my little group explored the venue thoroughly. Tobacco dock made a charming location - although open to the elements, there were enough enclosed spaces to hide should it rain (which, luckily, it didn't). Most of the chefs were arranged over the two floors of the old docks themselves, and those chefs with special requirements were outside - the whole roast ox, for example, or the huge barbecue pit full of succulent goat. There were also plenty of bars and <i>almost</i> enough places to sit. Agonising though it was, choices were eventually made.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Goats before they became tacos]</td></tr>
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<i><br /></i>
Most of us have had one sublime festival moment. Many of my generation go misty eyed at the mention of Orbital on the Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury, 1994. Did I have such a moment at Meatopia? I think the closest I got was my opening dish - the brisket by Tim Rattray of San Antonio's Granary Cue and Brew where I'd eaten just <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/07/beer-and-barbecue-in-san-antonio.html">last month.</a> Oh, I've missed brisket, and this was as good as any I'd had in Texas.<br />
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I couldn't fault my other plates either - Neil Rankin's goat tacos were incredible, and I'm definitely putting the <a href="http://www.smokehouseislington.co.uk/">Smokehouse</a> in Islington on my must try list. Siggi Gunnlaugsson's burger with comte cheese was just as good - I walked past <a href="http://www.burgerjoint.co.uk/">their place</a> on Marylebone recently and thought it looked it good. They're definitely on the list too. Actually, let's also put '<a href="http://q-grill.co.uk/">Q Grill</a>' on the list, as their pig cheeks just <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/the-best-hyperbole-ive-ever-had-5-stars.html">melted in my mouth</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn1ak4v4qmbzdOC_VDDjo2tpFjjTi-YAFOKYY0roMuQG164q1tDCfq3Mi_z4N40FyvR72yer7zB38sFoyUPfg9VBg9VOOID0t8V5iknfRKF_4d_LoIx0diGrHlPbbCK9PXQy5dWUCTj4Y/s1600/20140906_122513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn1ak4v4qmbzdOC_VDDjo2tpFjjTi-YAFOKYY0roMuQG164q1tDCfq3Mi_z4N40FyvR72yer7zB38sFoyUPfg9VBg9VOOID0t8V5iknfRKF_4d_LoIx0diGrHlPbbCK9PXQy5dWUCTj4Y/s1600/20140906_122513.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Granary's divine brisket]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I must also give honorable mentions to <a href="http://thehawksmoor.com/">Hawksmoor</a> (my daughter loved their flat iron steak), to <a href="http://www.dontdrivetodinner.com/2014/06/getting-taste-for-new-orleans-lockhart.html">Lockhart</a> for the enormous chunk of chicken they gave my wife and finally a special prize for Bristol's Grillstock for their tray of 'free meat' - offcuts of their delicious rump hearts that kept us walking past their counter again and again and again (and convinced my daughter to eat their dish too).<br />
<br />
So would we go again? Hell yes, it's in the diary already. Could I have eaten more food? Oh yes, that too - I was high on barbecue by the time I left, and had to be nearly dragged out by my friends and family. Meatopia - you're my kind of festival!<br />
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<br />herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-4642876517625611442014-08-30T16:32:00.000+01:002014-08-30T16:32:23.702+01:00The Great Southwest Canyon Road Trip - The Valley of Fire<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij10sLXAo7Vs5NwPno2lfdTyoBDM31GhXPYv54dnNG1GjewIyJOEHaPIj0SRrK0KVi3J59Uc-_C9nLAYihVFkDopqbf9i8FH9Qmo-hwZjoqkuvZWqjTtl7IYTiOEv6_CbYi4E1GxaMsfcR/s1600/20140810-IMGP8816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij10sLXAo7Vs5NwPno2lfdTyoBDM31GhXPYv54dnNG1GjewIyJOEHaPIj0SRrK0KVi3J59Uc-_C9nLAYihVFkDopqbf9i8FH9Qmo-hwZjoqkuvZWqjTtl7IYTiOEv6_CbYi4E1GxaMsfcR/s1600/20140810-IMGP8816.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Sandstone formations at the Valley of Fire]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll warn you now, there's a not a lot of food in these upcoming posts. But there <i>are</i> giant holes in the ground, vast empty spaces, vertiginous drives and some quite incredible scenery. So I do hope you'll forgive me. I also hope my experiences might be useful to other road trip planners like myself!<br />
<br />
First off, a tiny bit of geology. Many gazillions of years ago, much of America was under water, with Utah and Arizona once being the coast of a huge inland sea (look <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Interior_Seaway">here</a> if you can't picture this).<br />
<br />
Over time those sandy shores and sea beds compressed down into a mile thick layer of sandstone - plate tectonics (words I never thought I'd see in my blog) pushed this sandstone some ten thousand feet into the air, turning the sea bed into a high plateau. In turn, water, wind and ice eroded the sandstone into the most amazing canyons, cliffs and valleys (if this has piqued your interest, read more about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Staircase">Grand Staircase</a>).<br />
<br />
I am no geology geek - but these landscapes, after they'd taken your breath away, would always leaving you asking why? how? What possessed nature to create these landscapes?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy67A4c9XIIlVcBSDfx6sWymJdYWuPMJz2I_lgz1Lpkt_3RqfW5bk7aQ44Hei_dtu1IFkIeH4OZ76KM4fRH5Wjbw5w_273Pcr_U7D9jLpR5ItgcfaLLQYxdXIrxTb1XV348IEmX-7v-N3Z/s1600/20140810-IMGP8831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy67A4c9XIIlVcBSDfx6sWymJdYWuPMJz2I_lgz1Lpkt_3RqfW5bk7aQ44Hei_dtu1IFkIeH4OZ76KM4fRH5Wjbw5w_273Pcr_U7D9jLpR5ItgcfaLLQYxdXIrxTb1XV348IEmX-7v-N3Z/s1600/20140810-IMGP8831.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Mouse's Tank, Valley of Fire, Nevada]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anyway, although it came about more by luck than judgement, I was rather proud of our route. The scenery built up slowly - from the human scale of the carved red stones in the Valley of Fire to brain melting enormity of the Grand Canyon.<br />
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Done in reverse (as had originally been the plan, which I reversed to ensure we caught the Route 66 Festival in Kingman!), the Grand Canyon would simply have overwhelmed everything else.<br />
<br />
So, on day one, a thunderstorm chased us out of Las Vegas along the I15 and then onto the evocatively named Valley of Fire Highway and into the park. Within the park itself, there's a dead-end road that leads up the valley from the visitor's center.<br />
<br />
The road winds past a number of viewpoints and trail heads - we chose to walk the short and relatively easy Mouse's Tank trail, while the temperatures were still relatively cool after the storm, and played a fun game of 'spot the petroglyph'.<br />
<br />
By the time we'd reached the end of the road, the temperatures were soaring - so tempted as I was to see the set of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060862/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2">The Professionals (1966)</a>, still preserved among the White Domes Hills, common sense prevailed. Plenty of time yet to do what only mad dogs and Englishmen do ...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikwwc-8gzpQD5VN0IEG1GQpU95QMzODhJyvbYoaSiXo9IsLSSLSbcMiyJ8QvjjFsRjm1voKZ3ZLOnfPWstYipeei8IQkjASp5Qi4GrE870IdQbd3avihongwrGQ9KNX2CfRz45HI9DiCK/s1600/20140810_132415_Richtone(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikwwc-8gzpQD5VN0IEG1GQpU95QMzODhJyvbYoaSiXo9IsLSSLSbcMiyJ8QvjjFsRjm1voKZ3ZLOnfPWstYipeei8IQkjASp5Qi4GrE870IdQbd3avihongwrGQ9KNX2CfRz45HI9DiCK/s1600/20140810_132415_Richtone(HDR).jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[It's not joking, it was seriously hot]</td></tr>
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Given it's just an hour from Las Vegas, I'd expected the Valley to be busier - perhaps, if you're going to do just one natural wonder during your stay, you're off to the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon? For us, it was the perfect introduction to what was to come.<br />
<br />
The red sandstone shapes were other-worldly, especially if you're used to the flat, tamed and manicured landscapes of Cambridgeshire, and the petroglyphs remind you there's a mysterious history to America that's older than Columbus or the Pilgrim Fathers.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I have to sneak some food in at the end. Don't make the mistake we made and expect to be able to eat at the visitor's centre - this one is purely educational displays and a small gift shop. Hungry, we rejoined the I15 and stopped off at the little town of Mesquite - which has the usual range of ubiquitous eateries.We ended up at a Jack-in-the-Box, although I've since been recommend the Peggy Sue's 50s diner next door. Ah well.<br />
<br />
After that, we're back on the road to Springdale, Utah - but this post is already too long and writing about diners has made me hungry. So I'm off to eat brunch and I'll tell all about Zion soon.herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-5092482467135346702014-08-24T18:22:00.002+01:002014-08-28T15:29:34.552+01:00Eating Las Vegas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtJ9Gf49lw9fbG20AjkPlAilMu8qYcVNxgTUZVMPwkcWOySYx1clT5XDCf3Wt9J4XQdnRvu-1YLkYPhh6Jn-AddKxBBC1La6OcKSq86fAeJJycw6PE0-i7WlvQdtx3quu0IqwDoMFbypa/s1600/20140809-IMGP8794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtJ9Gf49lw9fbG20AjkPlAilMu8qYcVNxgTUZVMPwkcWOySYx1clT5XDCf3Wt9J4XQdnRvu-1YLkYPhh6Jn-AddKxBBC1La6OcKSq86fAeJJycw6PE0-i7WlvQdtx3quu0IqwDoMFbypa/s1600/20140809-IMGP8794.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Gordon Ramsey's BURGR, Las Vegas]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yet again, I find myself starting a posting with an apology for my recent online silence. For the past week or so I've been on my family holiday, exploring the mountains and canyons of the American Southwest - and then catching up with work at home.<br />
<br />
The problem with family holidays is that it can be harder to find the time to write - and in this case, also knowing what to write about.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
Is this blog going to be a food blog or a travel blog? Will I alienate my little handful of readers if I try to be both? These are the things that keep me awake at night. But I will try to keep this an <i>American</i> blog - whether that's American food experiences here in the UK, or writing about my travels when I'm in the US. I hope no one feels this is too schizophrenic!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
So where have we been? Well, it all started in Las Vegas, with a meal at Gordon Ramsey's BURGR at Planet Hollywood. Now, I was very excited about this before we arrived, being only the second time I've eaten at a Ramsey establishment (the first being the Claridges, ten years ago). However it's telling that, only a fortnight after, I'm struggling to know what to say.</div>
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<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MSiH4bI4EvBffRTDm-lnGHxO5D9cUtQN-MQJpZAjYPVhBdILC3TE6O6ZwfQ74ApuNNpda37JlKutH1dzkr7f68d1BkA6o7xBS86t13cfrSsKKCIkk4NYF0V_PZ_8b6NrGJpW0__hbn6g/s1600/L+190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MSiH4bI4EvBffRTDm-lnGHxO5D9cUtQN-MQJpZAjYPVhBdILC3TE6O6ZwfQ74ApuNNpda37JlKutH1dzkr7f68d1BkA6o7xBS86t13cfrSsKKCIkk4NYF0V_PZ_8b6NrGJpW0__hbn6g/s1600/L+190.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Paris, Las Vegas]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yes, it was a very nice burger. I had the 'American', and I couldn't fault it - and my family enjoyed theirs too. The portion of fries was ridiculously (and inexplicably) large, and could have served all three of us. But ... somehow, Vegas changes things. </div>
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The fact you're barely partitioned off from the casino, dare I say it, makes it feel like you're eating in a mall. The huge TV screens were distracting, and the ridiculously short skirts on the waitresses were just unnecessary. Nothing seemed to have <i>class</i>. There was no connection to the balletic quality of service I experienced in Claridges. Perhaps that just sums up Vegas.<br />
<br />
Next we went to that temple of artifice, Paris, to eat at Mon Ami Gabi. Here it was a little easier to suspend disbelief - with our back to the casino, no views of the outside, it's possible to imagine oneself in a dark, wood panelled brasserie. Although when the food arrives, you're instantly reminded you're in the US - the vast portion sizes confirm that. However, the bone in ribeye steak was superb.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCR4pDRYsqjSnMYdkBXZBW-iXdo2Wgxwth3M4Jn02oPc_fKCSfQNF6Nb8LkxAnvM2O2n8dudNhB9FZSSfXXEHKPwMoHVa5KRSXSqJnJSyYVwc3JRdVFPNpy1558v58YBPNLy_jNVmgvm2m/s1600/L+182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCR4pDRYsqjSnMYdkBXZBW-iXdo2Wgxwth3M4Jn02oPc_fKCSfQNF6Nb8LkxAnvM2O2n8dudNhB9FZSSfXXEHKPwMoHVa5KRSXSqJnJSyYVwc3JRdVFPNpy1558v58YBPNLy_jNVmgvm2m/s1600/L+182.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Bellagio Buffet - Puddings!]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, we ended up at Bellagio, to do what Vegas does best - the buffet! Is there something about getting one over on Vegas that makes them so popular? Even if you can't win on the gambling tables, does trying to eat all their crab and prawn salad make up for it?<br />
<br />
Allegedly, Bellagio does the best buffet, and I can certainly vouch for the breadth and quality - seafood, sushi, roast beef, ravioli, chinese and charcuterie, it's all covered. Sometimes you even see it all on the same plate (this year, the strangest combo I saw being carried was noodles and croissants). I was restrained, backing out after just eight courses - lightweight.<br />
<br />
This is when I warm to Las Vegas - when it's doing what it does best, being brash, piling it high and selling it cheap, putting on a show, dazzling you with choice. It may host some of the world's best chefs (and their smiling faces - well, except for Gordon's scowl - are <i>everywhere</i>) and many of top restaurant brands - but me, I'm happiest when I'm planning my third plate of patisserie ...</div>
herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-31288840008021206492014-08-06T23:11:00.001+01:002014-08-06T23:11:28.782+01:00New Orleans - First isn't always best!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBw3J561Qx3TtQQRB-4HSxmbRKzoJy31f2ZwU9E3Es1iDOHsP5McdejOS-qJjMSuqmVwY0l8vqkpr8X7hEm0WpGYnfuZatL3RLywcbgDfy7M1OOgPLGJ1krH4cJ5m-pFNYtwWWpDea-_7/s1600/20140801-IMGP8590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBw3J561Qx3TtQQRB-4HSxmbRKzoJy31f2ZwU9E3Es1iDOHsP5McdejOS-qJjMSuqmVwY0l8vqkpr8X7hEm0WpGYnfuZatL3RLywcbgDfy7M1OOgPLGJ1krH4cJ5m-pFNYtwWWpDea-_7/s1600/20140801-IMGP8590.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Fire and Water is Classy]</td></tr>
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I must start by telling you we've had some fantastic meals here in New Orleans - and I'll tell you all about those soon. We've also had some, well, <i>interesting</i> experiences here too.<br />
<br />
Like all good foodies, I'm both a sucker for local specialities and a bit of food history. If somewhere that tells me it's the 'home of the original ...', then it's going on my 'must visit' list.<br />
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We started ourselves off gently, with Pat 'home of the original hurricane' O'Brien's. Now, we like our cocktails, but the hurricane was new to us. We should have guessed we weren't on for a subtle experience when we arrived in the courtyard to be presented with a flaming fountain. Yup, both water and fire - and both awesome and tacky.<br />
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The drink itself? Simply fruit juice and a lot of rum (apparently, it was invented to use up cheap rum imports from the Caribbean) - and remarkably popular. Much too sweet for my tastes, and potentially deadly. It comes in a special glass you're allowed to take home. Hmm.<br />
<br />
Staying on the theme of cocktails, we also went to Napoleon House - a bar that epitomises New Orlean's shabby, gloomy chic. Here we're after their Pimms and lemonade - a popular drink in the UK, but unusual in the US outside of New Orleans. And - darn it - we weren't impressed. Their Pimms Cup is made with fresh lemonade - which might sound like a good idea, but the bitterness completely drowns out the subtle taste of the Pimms. I guess if you're after alcoholic fresh lemonade, it kind of works, but it didn't work for us. (Best Pimms Cup? We reckon Tableau on Jackson Square).<br />
<br />
From there we went to the Hermes Bar, part of Antoine's, home of the Oyster Rockefeller. Now, not only is this the home, but it's the only place in the world you can get this delicacy. The recipe is apparently a closely guarded secret. All they'll tell is that it doesn't contain spinach (err, okay). Apparently, imitators have used laboratories to analyse the ingredients - and over three million of them have been sold.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzX1NNZarHHjOmkyrs9VHELqVV0aAhpMN1bl0ig6BoCgYlh2vnbqaNBGRVfTn8S20cF7lYCaY6VpoQ-3XnQxDUNNXUEImbkkWb_qngiJVafz4ZlvdjOQBI01mGKK3jj5XoLtlH9E4qzSu/s1600/20140802_204700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzX1NNZarHHjOmkyrs9VHELqVV0aAhpMN1bl0ig6BoCgYlh2vnbqaNBGRVfTn8S20cF7lYCaY6VpoQ-3XnQxDUNNXUEImbkkWb_qngiJVafz4ZlvdjOQBI01mGKK3jj5XoLtlH9E4qzSu/s1600/20140802_204700.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Oysters Rockefeller. Hmm]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, I hate to say this, but I don't think they'll be selling any more to us. On top of our oysters there was a large pile of piped green gloop. I'm struggling to find a pleasant metaphor to use here. Instead I'll just tell you it was bitter, salty and actually rather unpleasant. We're obviously completely missing something here. It also produced probably the most dreadful photo of the trip so far!<br />
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(The best oysters? For us, it was Acme Oyster House on Iberville Street).<br />
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But trust us, there's lots of delicious food here in New Orleans - just remember that first isn't always best, and unique isn't always good!herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6748752221167623914.post-55113559877798215002014-08-05T20:51:00.000+01:002014-08-05T20:51:12.630+01:00It's a hard life food blogging here in New Orleans!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTUKaH6vnH6ab76WoTGm-PcRUxkgM-_o_cqyUAtHLo32MX9F7om8Mg5f0-czJLHltc9iksHaf2fKXVMUEpoEX4luUbuV5MyToqiGbWvgCaIiA6i-oBmNr_JcLQowC8m8Okg0KxNwcjYiH/s1600/20140801-IMGP8587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTUKaH6vnH6ab76WoTGm-PcRUxkgM-_o_cqyUAtHLo32MX9F7om8Mg5f0-czJLHltc9iksHaf2fKXVMUEpoEX4luUbuV5MyToqiGbWvgCaIiA6i-oBmNr_JcLQowC8m8Okg0KxNwcjYiH/s1600/20140801-IMGP8587.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Brown food at the Gumbo Shop]</td></tr>
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You might have noticed that I'm finding it much harder to blog here in New Orleans. So maybe now is a good time to trot out some lame excuses - and perhaps my other fellow bloggers can relate to this.<br />
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My first problem is that New Orleans restaurants are atmospheric - or dare I say gloomy? Twice now I've found myself reading menus by the light of my mobile, and that's not really conducive to quality food photography. Trust me, flash never helps, unless you're prepared to set up a whole lighting rig in the restaurant. Strangely, that can cause problems with the management.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vsC30k9yhg87RqdD92JKJTZiaQD1nL-oRrL-Kew01rk-OOOHbko3KFCUDT66oisXxhcECck_eHM1Jto0YCl_9L2ec92qn2LtaKbaAX6ROwAs0YKASG2uT08TxvqRlfJ1jqyHrgjgYov1/s1600/20140731_185849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vsC30k9yhg87RqdD92JKJTZiaQD1nL-oRrL-Kew01rk-OOOHbko3KFCUDT66oisXxhcECck_eHM1Jto0YCl_9L2ec92qn2LtaKbaAX6ROwAs0YKASG2uT08TxvqRlfJ1jqyHrgjgYov1/s1600/20140731_185849.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Cocktails are hard to photograph]</td></tr>
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Secondly, I'm no longer dining alone. It can be hard to interrupt the flow of conversation to start rummaging in for the SLR, asking your companion to 'just hold this lens', move their dinner to the right to improve the composition, decide that their dinner would actually make a better picture than yours, so you swap the plates round - and so on.<br />
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There's also a risk when you're with someone else that you just start eating when the food arrives - and realise halfway through you're supposed to take a picture. Occasionally, I've resorted to rearranging the plate to hide the bite marks, but normally, it's too late.<br />
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Also, the food here often shares a problem with the dishes I discovered on my Tex Mex road trip - it's mostly brown. Sorry, but red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya don't really photograph that well. It's all a bit, well, monochromatic. And sloppy.<br />
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We've also been exploring the world of the cocktail here - and again, glasses of similarly coloured liquids rarely photograph well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbAcgWc8FVHj6Z36Gkl5KXfRTiPL6vp7tvzSbdKJWgPG6CT2K6EF_BY8knpCnj8xky2_BaPzvkLZS3YYI-9CshYxtbJhS_aLwrVKNM4TQBejSE6_ExuubOD-7Imf-B3GOeMNNLbSW6263/s1600/20140731-IMGP8487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbAcgWc8FVHj6Z36Gkl5KXfRTiPL6vp7tvzSbdKJWgPG6CT2K6EF_BY8knpCnj8xky2_BaPzvkLZS3YYI-9CshYxtbJhS_aLwrVKNM4TQBejSE6_ExuubOD-7Imf-B3GOeMNNLbSW6263/s1600/20140731-IMGP8487.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Fried chicken is also brown, if very tasty]</td></tr>
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Now, that's not to say I haven't taken a few good pictures here in New Orleans - I have steamboats, Mardi Gras floats, balconies, bands and graveyards. If you'd like to pop over to my <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mintyco/sets/72157645801140743/">Flickr</a> account, you can see those there. But food? not so good!<br />
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However, I have one awful picture that I won't share with you here - that's going to need a post all to itself. I'm not sure even perfect lighting could have saved that one. I'll explain all very soon ...herebedragonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08425147894249171502noreply@blogger.com0