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The Archivist and The Chef

May 16

Posted by admin in Administration, cooking, food, food universe, History, restaurants

What a great story line: An archivist walks into a restaurant and says he likes to cook. The chef responds, I like history! Welcome to the world of David Ferriero, the Archivist for the National Archives and the world of award-winning chef, Jose Andres. The two atypical paths have come together in a joint effort that will combine the food history from the Archives collection with the restaurant acumen of recent James Beard Outstanding Chef recipient Andres.

Now a little background. The National Archives is the Nation’s repository of history, and the impressive food collection is a vital piece of that history. They have culled their materials to create an exhibit which will open June 10, 2011. “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” will showcase 85 original records which trace the origins of the programs and the legislation aimed at the food supply and reflect the effects government programs have had on our food choices and preferences. Visitors will have an opportunity to examihttp://www.allbeforecoffee.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8289&action=edit&message=10ne letters, diaries, photos, and maps from the collection. The Exhibition will focus on four broad themes: Farm, factory, kitchen, and table.

Then there is the world of internationally recognized Spanish chef Jose Andres who makes his home in Washington, DC and is the master of the restaurant scene with his restaurants under the creative arm of his ThinkFood Group. Andres will serve as the Chief Culinary Advisor to the exhibit. He calls himself a “cook and a storyteller,” and his most humble story, apropos to this exhibit, is his own personal success and achievements in his adopted country. Andres’s passion for food and how it can teach us to understand nations and history will become evident in the July 4th opening of his newest endeavor, America Eats Tavern. It is no coincidence that this pop-up 6-month restaurant will be on 8th Street within view of the Archives and in the Cafe Atlantico space which will move to  a new home.

Andres believes that chefs tell a story and that this restaurant, opening in collaboration with the Archives exhibit and in partnership with the Foundation for the National Archives, will expand food knowledge for all visitors. This unique, first-of-a-kind partnership will open the eyes of visitors to understand our nation’s past and project them into understanding the importance of food in our culture and our heritage.

Different titles; different jobs: One Nation of Food.

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Color-Coded Food: Vegans Rejoice!

Apr 13

Posted by admin in cooking, healthy eating, lifestyle

It’s been a long established fact, no research needed, that an attractive plate of food beckons us to lift our forks and begin the process of enjoying dining. No, we do not need to be at a restaurant in front of a four-star chef to have this experience. Bright colors arranged lovingly on a plate will hold the same attraction whether we are eating in our kitchen or at a chef’s table.

That’s the premise of so much of what we do: Attractive presentation wins whether the board room or the dining room. Our eyes are our first taste buds. Now couple that with the alarming fact that so many of us ignore fruits and vegetables and focus on the high-protein, starch-based universe, and you have the premise of a recently published cookbook, Color Me Vegan.

Stop, don’t panic, you do not have to subscribe to the Vegan lifestyle. In some respects, I think the title is misleading as the appeal is far greater, but the author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has written other Vegan books and is the founder of Compassionate Cooks. The book has a universal appeal as it is filled with overall food information. Yes, it has recipes for the plant-based lifestyle, but any of these can as easily be adapted for any type of eater. The emphasis is on information and explanation as colorful food displays can appeal to all diners.

It’s called color-intense meals. That’s an important aspect of overall cooking presentation. If you just stand in front of a large vegetable display, you might select the same tried and true performers, but if you follow the color palate, you’ll add more vitality to your meals. Look at the blue-purple section (my personal favorite colors), and you’ll put a little spice into your food repertoire right away. There’s the familiar purple cabbage salad but you could as easily focus on purple cauliflower soup and chilled blueberry mango soup. Now the eyes are talking and no one has even mentioned healthy terms like antioxidant or fiber-rich!

This is a fun, new book that slides easily into the spirit of springtime rejuvenation and appreciation for our local growers and farm market vendors.

Change your palate and open the basic white dinner plates to a new colorful, healthy set of food tips and recipes.

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Can Whole Foods top Whole Foods?

Apr 12

Posted by admin in cooking, grocer, life, news, shopping

That’s the question running along Rockville Pike this week as the long-established grocer moves to new digs. Not just a new store, but a big one, almost twice the size of the crowded space it had a couple of miles away.  For a company that has been in this part of Maryland for 20 years, they are demonstrating a new lifeblood as they open one of their bigger stores at 51,000 square feet.

Besides ample room to negotiate the aisles, what else is new in this brightly lit environment? Where does one begin? Maybe with the fact that they have a butcher on site. That works for me as the profession has been slowly facing the death knell. To help the butcher have a bold presence, there’ll be no shortage of great aromas as the meat department has its own smoker for ribs and brisket, a Kosher selection, and dry-aged meats.

The fish and seafood counter may remind you a bit of the way hotels are reaching out and getting away from the front desk concept. In this department, the staff will come out from behind the counter and help you select your items. The more personalized, interactive, approach is something that will be evident throughout the entire store.

Name a department and put them to the test. They’ve got you covered. Start with take-away, prepared foods. You’ll be swimming in possibilities from the hot 850 degree pizza oven that promises a Neapolitan selection in 90 seconds to the new Arepas section for your cornmeal cake. Too daring, then step over to the burger and hot dog station. Some other changes right there: An organic salad bar. Now that takes the guesswork out of decision-making! They’ll even have smaller, more affordable prepared salads in the cases.

As for what’s truly different: Cooking Rockville promises to take the guesswork out of “How do I prepare this food, ingredient?” They have a staff of cooking coaches ready to assist in an inviting space with a wall of spices and grains as a backdrop!  This area should help more shoppers take the next step into adventuresome, reality cooking, what they call CIY, Cooking It Yourself. They’ll champion you.

The company seems focused on addressing an age-old problem: Affordability. They are conscious of what’s involved for every shopper and stress their new focus: competitive everyday prices, over 2,000 sale items per month, and plenty of weekly specials. When you add that up and throw in the emphasis on fresh, organic, and local,  you have followed the Market to its next step.

It’s always fun to go to a new grocer or restaurant preview. This outing was no exception. Yes, Whole Foods has shown that shopping does not have to be dull. Always fun to see new departments stretch the possibilities and respond to the latest trends.

Grab a basket. It’s opening day!

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Jan 6

Posted by admin in cooking, Pairings

OK, it’s shockingly cold even when the sun is doing its best to shine a happy face. What to do? Open wine. Always a good answer, especially at this time of the year as the warming spirits will immediately take over. Plenty of great reds at interesting price points. Of course, if you don’t want to order online or visit a vineyard, then your local shop should help out with a Malbec, a Syrah, or a Tempranillo–they’ll do the trick.

So many choices with so many meal partners. Time for a stew, a pot roast (a great red wine partner). Add the root vegetables, and you have an all-in-one meal that spells delicious. BTW, turning on the oven to make dinner helps turn the stew237035_116kitchen into the cozy spot we so desperately covet!

The true hearty among us have no difficulty firing up the outdoor grill even with inches of snow on the ground. Weber has some advice for those thinking they might want the 2-inch thick rib-eye prepared just right. Remember it takes longer to get the grill going when the temperature is in the chill column.

Don’t forget dessert. Even a double scoop of vanilla with hot fudge sauce can do the trick. Nothing fancy needed, just a chance to appease the sweet tooth–hard to do with just a bowl of berries!

No rocket science here;  just survival strategies as we hunker down for another snowy weekend on the East Coast.

Brr….

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Grill ‘Em

Jul 1

Posted by admin in cooking, food universe

It’s that curious time of the year when weeks get shortened into weekends and traffic is always on escape mode. Welcome to the upcoming weekend, the Fourth of July, which seems to begin this year on the 1st and conclude on the 6th! Party.

According to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association, the Fourth of July grabs the top spot as America’s single biggest day to grill outdoors with 80% of respondents planning to keep with tradition this year. Burgers top the list of most commonly grilled foods with ketchup repeating as the number one condiment. Probably should begin with a refresher course on food safety as many of us partake in our food ventures off premise as in picnic spots, tailgating, or camping. As always food handling should top the list of concerns and include the magic food safety words: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. No matter the menu, the rules apply and make everyone safer for the experience.

For so many of us, keeping the charcoal lit and hot proves to be directly proportional to how much lighter fluid we have on hand. I know you’ll miss the smell of the endless squirting of fluid, but here’s a fun gadget that takes the guesswork out of the operation and more insures the possibility of success: The Looftlighter. (Makes me imagine an air-lifting experience that transforms an ordinary pile of coals into a full-blown campsite)! OK, I admit it looks a little like a hair straightener, but this product seems to have little difficulty starting a fire. Also great for hardwood chunks added to the grill to infuse different flavors. Such love of grilling does not come inexpensively, but the neighbors and the environment thank you!

I know you’ll miss the lighter fluid taste, but some sacrifices need to be made! What if you’re planning a road trip and still want to grill, then there are full range of portable grills to make this a possibility. Since I’m such a coffee person, I was interested in seeing what the Bodum folks (known for their full line of coffee makers and accessories) came up with. Don’t worry, they are serious BBQ players with a full line of what they call “Toys for Grown Ups.” Am sure that phrase is debatable, but they have a nifty portable grill and all the necessary tools to make the outing a true holiday. You’ll have fun with the Ikea-like names as the FYRKAT, a picnic charcoal grill, solves the grill-on-the-go experience. Anyway the palette of fun colors makes this an uplifting purchase.Web_PictMedium_10630-106bodum

When you’re thinking about what to grill, take a moment and think about the foods you purchase and consider the humane farm animal care program. The website can direct you to purveyors and farms that are part of the certified humane movement. You’ll find no shortage of selections and at the same time know that your food has been handled better and will often prove tastier.

Let’s begin the long weekend!

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The Weather Outside…

Jan 7

Posted by admin in cooking, dining out

January has started with a Brisk Chill. Make that freezin’ cold misery.

Not to worry, it’s National Soup Month and plenty of restaurants are celebrating. Mon Ami Gabi, the French bistro with locations in hometown Chicago and on the East Coast in Bethesda and Reston (VA) promises to warm up diners with flights of winter soup including the popular French onion cheese extravaganza!

Speaking of Chicago, that warm, make that windy, city, you can take a soup cooking class at the trendy WAVE restaurant in the W Chicago. “Winter Warmup with Hearty Soups” runs for consecutive Saturdays during the month. Reservations are necessary.

Legal Seafoods has a great offer: 60 cent cups of their famous Clam Chowder (with an entree) on January 20, their 60th birthday. Too cold to stand in line, but make your reservation now for a celebratory “Chowda Day” lunch or dinner on the 20th!

Not just restaurants but soupmakers wanna have fun. Look at the Campbell’s Soup website for an abundance of recipes and coupons. Maybe this is the month you should try the famous US Senate Bean Soup or make your own variation of a fiber-rich bean stew! So many recipes; so many warming concepts!beansoup2

The weather beckons. Stir up your favorite soup recipe or if you’re brave enough to venture outdoors, take advantage of a pipin’ hot bowl to celebrate an appropriately named food month!

Get on board, restaurants, as Soup can draw ‘em in, and you can chalk up the profits while warming the palates.

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What is a Recipe?

Jan 4

Posted by admin in cooking

With the popularity of cookbooks and the proliferation of food shows, it is no wonder that we have become obsessed with cooking as a means to elevate our dining-in nights. Long ago, several decades ago, in fact, people routinely cooked and invited others over for dinner. The idea of dinner clubs was common with households taking turns as hosts. Maybe we saw a little of that resurgence last year, and what may have started as an emerging trend has become reality for more diners.

Grocers have helped make the concept easier with their ability to do some of the heavy lifting. A great meal can be assembled by adding to our own efforts with a purchased, chef-driven grocery item. Together we can work to turn an ordinary meal into a more festive one.

When we do cook, how do we find the right recipe? Even with the continuing sales of cookbooks, we turn to the Internet with the simple question and the speedy Google response turns the query a quick step closer to reality. Do we accept every word from a printed recipe from a well-known chef, or from a recipe website? Or, do we read, interpret, and adjust? I think the latter is the more common method. We read the recipe, think about the ingredients, look into our cupboards, and create our own personal stamp on a recipe. After all what is a pinch of salt? What kind of salt?

I doubt when we follow a recipe word-for-word that it comes out identical each time. There are too many variants. Our mood plays a significant role as the hurried, harassed cook makes a different lasagna than the person who approaches the dish with time on his hands and love in his heart!

No matter how many recipe guides, cookbooks, we own or how easy it is to view a cooking show or access an online recipe, WE make the recipe. We input our cooking knowledge and our memories into the soul of the item. We have an image in mind of what it should look like and how it should taste.recipebox

Things don’t always work out the way we plan.

Happens in demo kitchens, too.

Keep on tweaking.

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The Year of the (Chef) Burger

Dec 31

Posted by admin in cooking, dining out, Economy

This year, the one we’re saying good bye to, has been a major gut check experience. We learned a lot about ourselves as we changed our spending patterns. We became savers! Unheard of!

In our saving mentality, we started to cook more, eat at home more, and dine out differently. No longer was every restaurant meal one that approached stratospheric prices. We welcomed new places that promised better buys, greater attention to our needs, not just THEIR bottom line. We patronized new burger spots and bistros, the types of restaurants that succeed during tough times.

Big-name chefs figured it out and rearranged menus and moved into this dining space. Why not? Customers were receptive. Tables were full. The price was right: A perfect solution to wanting to dine out but refusing to spend 4-star dollars.

If chefs like Daniel Boulud (Daniel and DBGB Kitchen & Bar), Laurent Tourondel (BLT Steak and BLT Burger), Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality and Shake Shack), and Michel Richard (Citronelle and Central Michel Richard) are flipping burgers; there’s a good reason for their aggressive moves: Dining Dollars talk. It’s not that their fancy restaurants sit empty; it’s just more likely that diners can opt for frequent USH_ShakeShackburger or bistro stops several times a month!

So much of the year was spent saying, “Don’t worry, it’s almost over.” The elusive elephant has never really left the room. The economy has improved but more people are on the breadline. We want everything to be better; we want to return to the more carefree universe that gave us tacit permission to eat out and carry in without as much anxiety about our decisions.

We welcome the Burger and Bistro approach.

The lines are long.

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What I Learned This Year

Dec 29

Posted by admin in beverages, cooking, dining out, lifestyle, news

As with every year when we talk about food and the hospitality industry, there’s lots of news. This year was no exception, but it was a challenge for many businesses to stay above water. Some didn’t make it. Money was tight and customers were careful. It was certainly not a year where everyone stood and waited for the world to change. It was a year of action, invention, and reinvention.

–Coupon use was way up–grocery stores doubled and tripled the value of coupons in response to consumer belt-tightening and renewed interest in home cooking. No longer did grocers rely solely on newspaper coupons, but they expanded their online coupon promotions. Who would have expected Whole Foods to aggressively participate in this type of endeavor? Not me. They did and became as serious about coupons and sales as any of their competitors.

–Grocers worked on their house brands and made them palatable and popular. The price differentiation between the big brands and the new house brands became a deciding factor for many shoppers. House brands scored well in this contest.

–Restaurants increased promotions such as half-priced wine nights and 3-course prix fixe menus. They strived to emphasize how they have changed and how they could respond to the new, emerging diner. The strategy continues with greater emphasis on value dining.

–Restaurants revamped their menus and placed a greater emphasis on small, shared plates. Restaurant Weeks, with their specialty menus for lunch and dinner, were expanded to become multi-week experiences and commonly became a fixture both in winter and summer.

–Food recalls became more frequent as we became more diligent in monitoring the possible health risks of numerous foods. It was a bad year for packaged ground beef and a bad year for government watchdogs who had not tightened the rules enough to stop a problem at the source. “Voluntary recalls” became popular responses to early questions.

–Value became an important focus whether we were talking about new-found wines, sparkling beverages that tasted like Champagne, or a regular cup of coffee. All food-related businesses and others in the hospitality industry understood the importance of repeat business and strived to wow consumers with their own loyalty programs.

It was a good year to write about COFFEE as so many health research studies confirmed my basic mantra: Another Espresso, please (Sure, there are numerous studies that question that wisdom).krups-fast-touch-203x180x180_0

I learned a lot. Way more than this mini list details, but the search function should give you an opportunity to refresh your tastebuds.

I hope you had an opportunity to enjoy the life and times of an opinionated food and beverage blogger.

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Hold the Wheat; Eat the Popcorn

Dec 28

Posted by admin in cooking, food

Popcorn_Bowl-thumbThe “other” flours are finding new-found popularity in this heightened allergy world that quickly points the finger at wheat products, especially whole wheat. Not just obvious, allergic reactions, but there’s plenty of medical discussions and research about behavior-altering reactions from the wheats. Did you know you could buy rice flour, potato starch flour, or tapioca flour? Pay attention, these products, and other similar non-wheat flours, are not that difficult to find anymore; they are gaining greater visibility on grocery shelves.

If you want to make a traditional bread or pancake recipe, you need to approximate all-purpose flour (primarily, regular wheat) with the above ingredients or a combination of them. For instance, if you are using rice, potato starch, and tapioca flours, you achieve the accustomed flour milled consistency by following a 6:1:1 ratio or 2 C rice flour, 1/3 C potato starch flour, and 1/3 C tapioca flour. Sure there are lots of recipes that call for extra thickeners, but the most basic simulation uses the flours in and of themselves.

We bash corn products continually as the villain in high fructose corn syrup and its alter-ego, obesity, but wheat has clearly achieved its own villainous persona. As more people experience allergic responses to certain foods, nutritionists frequently recommend eliminating wheat products all together. When you go on a wheat-free diet, where do you get the all-important fiber?

Figure out the foods you can handle and consider the obvious ways to get fiber into your wheat-free diet. If other factors are not interfering, then fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts should do the trick.

You can easily tolerate the wheat-free lifestyle, if you plan ahead and think about how much fresh popcorn you want daily!

That just might do the trick.

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