BHAM BBQ tour 2011

My buddy Frank and I have decided to embark on a BBQ tour of Birmingham during the summer of 2011. We have a few rules in mind when picking out a lunch spot.

1)BBQ chains are allowed, but only the original location. There are so many local chains that started in Birmingham, we felt like it would be a disservice to not allow them. But the caveat is it must be the original location.

2)No sandwiches- merit should be based on meat with sauce being secondary.

3)Sides, desserts, etc- are irrelevant in this discussion.

The first report is coming as soon as i can wake out of this rib induced coma.

New Orleans food adventure (part 2)

As soon as I found out I would be going to New Orleans, I tried to get reservations for the Chef's table at Commander's Palace. So six months in advance of the trip, I spoke with the Maitre d', Robin and scored reservations for a Monday night.
I have dined at Commander's Palace before, and it was a life changing experience for me. The attention to detail that they put into running their restaurant is amazing. Commander's Palace launched the careers of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. I had heard about the Chef's table on a tv show call Into the Fire. Basically, the Chef's table is a table tucked away in a corner of the kitchen at Commander's palace. You get to watch the action of the kitchen, while the chef prepares your meal for the evening, and the chef will consult with you on the menu for the evening. You will be served around 8 courses, and if you are still hungry, they will bring more.

A couple of weeks before leaving for New Orleans, I got a call from Robin. She was very sorry, but the entire restaurant was booked for a private party the night we had our Chef's table reservation. Fortunately, we were able to re-schedule for Thursday night. Turns out the restaurant was reserved for President Bush and the leaders of Mexico and Canada, who were in town for a summit. So if your going to be bumped it may as well be by the leaders of North America.
We arrived on the evening of our reservation around 6:00, we were immediately seated at our table. We were introduced to Argyle, our server. Argyle's job was to make sure we had everything we needed for the evening. When the ice in your glass started to melt away, he would replace it with a fresh glass. Argyle was a bit of a low-talker, so it was a challenge to understand him sometimes. We were introduced to Executive Chef Tory McPhail, and he was an absolute blast. Full of personality and totally engaging, he asked if there were any particular likes or dislikes that we had. It's a bit intimidating to have a famous chef ask you what you want for supper. I mentioned that I would like some foie gras, which he obliged me with. Now to the courses:
Le Petite Cochon Baton- a ball of braised pork, deep fried and served like a lollipop on a sugarcane stick
Jumbo Lump Crab with Caviar- speaks for itself
Blackberry and Chevre salad- not something I would pick off a menu, but I'm glad I had it. The blackberries and chevre are a perfect match. Very simple, but delicious.
Caribbean Grilled Shrimp- Chef Tory said this was a new creation. The shrimp were dusted with some curry, then grilled and served with a carribean salsa of sorts. This was very spicy, but one of the crowd favorites.
Grilled Halibut with Chinese spinach, Sweet corn flan, and crab fingers- Chef Tory had explained that they source as much as they can from local farmers, but there were some exceptions. Their beef comes from Harris Ranch in California, and tonight they had some Halibut flown in from Alaska. As he was sauteeing the chinese spinach, he brought the saute pan over to our table so he could ask if we liked garlic, "Why yes we do".
Veal Tournedo with foie gras and green peppercorn demiglace- I noticed that the kitchen was filling with some smoke, but it went away quickly. When they brought out the dish, Chef explained that to prepare the foie gras, he got a pan smoking hot, and seared it quickly. He told us that foie gras was one of the true delicacies in the world, and could best describe it as "duck butter". I can't really describe how good it is, but if you have the opportunity to try it, don't pass it up.
Cheese Course- nice palate cleanser
Dessert Bombe- This is perfect for those who can't decide on what they want. They bring you one of every dessert they are serving for the evening. We had creme brulee, Creole Cream Cheese cheesecake, Berry Shortcake, Flourless chocolate cake, Bread Pudding Souffle, Pecan Pie, Candied ginger and fig ice cream, and Watermelon and Basil Sorbet. 8 desserts in all.

During the meal, we got to ask all the questions we wanted. Like how the kitchen was setup, and how it was run.We were given a menu of our meal, signed by Chef Tory. All in all, it was one of the most awesome dining experiences of my life. I would highly recommend it, and would even suggest that you plan a trip to New Orleans around it.

New Orleans food adventure (part 1)

Restaurant Cochon. We planned to go to Cochon and try as many foods as possible. They have a small plates menu, so we ordered pretty much one of everything from the small plates menu. Some of the highlights were:

Fried Rabbit Livers with Pepper Jelly Toast- The rabbit liver was very mild compared to chicken liver. This was one of my favorites.

Grilled Beets and Pickled Pork Tongue salad- Pork tongue is very lean, and can best be described as intensely porky.

Fried Alligator with chili garlic aioli- the best fried reptile i've every had

Boucherie Plate- This included some house cured bacon, ham, salumi, and probably the biggest suprise was the pork rillette. It would be best described as upscale potted meat, but you felt good eating it because rillette sounds so much better than potted meat.

Head cheese- We thought this would come on the boucherie plate we ordered, but our waitress went back to the kitchen and brought us out a plate with just headcheese. Head cheese is an adventure in textures: some soft bits, some chewy bits, but all delicious.

Fried Pigs Ears- I discovered pig ears were quite chewy, even when deep fried. The best way to describe them is that it is similiar in texture to fried clam strips.

Pork cheeks with cornbread bean cake- Pork cheeks are fabulous. Try them.

We had a total of 13 small plates shared among 4 people. I would highly recommend Cochon to anyone visiting New Orleans. Next up Commander's Palace.

The worlds best chocolate chip cookies.

I have it from several sources that this is indeed the worlds best chocolate chip cookie. There are a couple of key points, that I think make a difference.

1)Use chocolate chunks, not chips. Usually I use Nestle semi-sweet brand, nothing fancy.
2)Melted butter not softened butter. I don't know why this really makes a difference but it does.

Now for the recipe...

Preheat oven to 350

DRY INGREDIENTS2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

WET INGREDIENTS3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter -melted and slightly cooled (yes, that's 2 sticks)
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift dry ingredients together.
In another bowl combine sugars and butter thoroughly
Add egg yolks and vanilla and combine.
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until batter comes together (don't try and stir it smooth).
Stir in 1- 12oz package of chocolate chunks

Drop by rounded spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11-12 minutes or until they turn light brown. Do not let them get golden brown, that will overcook them. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack. This makes around 30 cookies.