Okay, this experimental post is what we’ll call “how much shit can I cover in one hour because I don’t want it hanging over my head all weekend, plus I just got a new Sous Vide Supreme so you know I’ll be wanting to write about THAT soon….” Lots of photos….very shitty quality as is my custom.
Since we last spoke I’ve had lots of good meals, a wedding anniversary, a birthday, and next week is the big 2 year “other” birthday. Busy summer so far…the markets are in full swing, my golf game continues to improve, and I’m in that “chill out on the eating so you don’t embarrass yourself when you go in for your yearly checkup” phase. Once some target-dining is done in a couple of weeks we’re going to try a lean meat and vegetable cleanse my wife read about somewhere.
Sooooo, where to begin…..I GUESS I should start with The Rancho Gordo Dinner at The Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange a few weeks ago. You know my dining is very Rieger-centric as of late, but I didn’t even know about this dinner until a friend called to tell me that a 12-top cancelled and they were needing diners. No brainer. I was in.
The dinner was to honor the products of Rancho Gordo….beans and various heirloom products out of California. Excellent food, incredibly nice people.
Red wine braised octopus with Alubia Criollo, Bone Marrow Puree and Cucumber
Good stuff…the octopus was actually saran wrapped tightly and cooked, then sliced across in order to create short little bits and bites in the beautiful display you see here.
Scallops, Shrimp, Oysters,Canchas and Citrus
Ceviche dish with the equivalent of corn nuts…..totally excellent.
PORCHETTA!
That’s Howard Hanna holding the entire thing prior to slicing….it’s essentially a huge section of the pig going from the skin inward to the loin/tenderloin. It is wrapped around a paste of various herbs and spices and then roasted to perfection. He’s been serving this since they opened late last year, only on Saturday nights, and I have to say this was the best version he’s done so far.
Heirloom Bean Salad, Yellow Indian Woman Beans with Pecorino and Sage, Braised Tuscan Kale with Garbanzo Beans
I guess I didn’t remember to take a picture of this dish…..but it sure was good. So was the chickpea and kale dish I didn’t capture a photo of either.
Susan’s Meyer Lemon Chiboust,Piloncillo Cake and Canela Whipped Cream
I’m all about puddings, trifles and things of that nature. This was very tasty…and as anyone knows who has had the misfortune of dealing with piloncillo in your kitchen….someone was doing God’s work here. Great end to the meal.
AND ONWARD…….
We just celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary, and I think the tradition we’re going to try and keep is to take a roadtrip every year. Last year we took the train to St. Louis, but THIS year was the real deal…..we decided months ago that Deadwood, South Dakota was the perfect destination. Why? Because the HBO series fucking ruled. Sound logic. Well, due to the huge flood of 2011, our route had to be modified, but we still managed to see some great touristy sites. On the way up, we spent a night in Sioux Falls, where every single business doubles as a casino. Our first vacation meal was at “Poppadox Pub”, because it was rumored that they had the best chislic in all the land. What in the fuck is chislic, you may ask? I hadn’t heard of it either, but it’s basically just deep fried chunks of sirloin, so how bad can that be? The chislic was good, the wings were fantastic, and apparently Poppadox is an alcoholic’s paradise because they have drink specials like $9 pitchers of well drinks.
Poppadox, and….CHISLIC!
The Corn Palace!
A little farther down the road we stopped in Mitchell, SD to visit the Corn Palace. Actually, WAY cooler than we expected and everyone was incredibly friendly with the ironic exception of Cornelius….the Corn Palace’s mascot who shows up to mug for the camera twice per hour.
THE Wall Drug!
I don’t even know what to say about this place. It’s fucking crazier than any Travel Channel program can possibly describe. The number of people pouring into that place….and the sheer size……great homemade donuts, free ice water, I’m done talking about it.
DEADWOOD!
There are two things to do in Deadwood- drink and gamble. So I guess not much has changed in the past hundred and fifty years. Not as many whores as back in the days with Al Swearengen, but my guess is that is only because it wasn’t bike week. We did see some of the roughest trade imaginable though…..woof. We stayed in the ultra-luxurious Bullock Suite in the Bullock Hotel. Great room, and we managed to find plenty to do during our stay without feeling rushed. I played some golf, we went to Mt. Rushmore, visited Mt. Moriah Cemetery, toured a creepy mining museum, ate dinner in a train car…..but one of the most memorable things about the trip was our dinner at The Corn Exchange, about an hour away in Rapid City.
This place would be a rare find for most towns, and as far as I can tell this is about IT for the entire state of South Dakota when it comes to “real” dining with “real” service. Great experience, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Young and enthusiastic waitstaff, an owner who isn’t shy about waiting tables on a Saturday night, and truly top notch food. A picture of Chez Panisse greets you at the front….rightfully so.
This course is a corn pancake topped with smoked salmon and a cucumber sauce. Dynamite dish, my wife has been craving it ever since.
Here are some perfectly cooked tiger shrimp in a lobster saffron sauce with fresh English peas….other stuff too…can’t recall.
Homemade pheasant ravioli with more of those same tasty peas. The filling for these was very well executed by someone who was well trained…close to a mousseline but with more texture, and you knew you weren’t just eating chicken.
This is my bone-in pork chop with an addictive tomato and pepper jam. Maybe one of the best cooked pieces of pork I’ve ever eaten.
Unfortunately, we did not capture a photo of the butterscotch pot de creme before devouring it. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about the Corn Exchange in the time I’m allowing myself. This is a must-visit if you are ever even close to the area.
“EL COMEDOR” in the Port Fonda Airstream!
The food truck craze has hit critical mass. But that is all bullshit you can forget about. The only place you need to put on your hipster to-do list is Port Fonda. And if you’re like me, and have a knack for booking the most awesome seats on the planet, you and five of your friends can snag one of the four seatings they do each weekend inside the redesigned and well appointed Airstream trailer.
I like Chef Patrick Ryan. He’s Bayless-trained, he cusses as much as I do, and has that same whore with a heart of gold persona that I attempt to exude. He’s the shit. And he can cook.
Our four course dinner started off with us roasting at approximately 175 degrees….First Friday on the hottest day of the year thus far. That was quickly forgotten when the food started hitting the table. Oh, and Howard Hanna sent over a bottle of wine with his compliments because he also rules the fucking earth, and I love him enough not to bust his balls about the fact that I can’t drink. Just great people…and we had a SUPER stellar group of diners to feed off of as we were feeding.
First course was a roasted corn app with crema, shown above. Good start, a teaser.
Second course were the chilaquiles….hard to see in this photo but it’s kind of like if Jesus Christ turned the water into Frito pies at the marriage feast and then topped the fuckers with a perfectly done Campo Lindo egg and a tomatillo and pepper sauce. Honestly, so far beyond the best version I’ve ever had it makes me sad for all the rest. And the bonus…it’s on the regular menu pretty often so you don’t have to get a seat inside to enjoy it.
The main course is basically one whole cured, roasted, and glazed pork butt that you tear apart like animals with tools and weapons, fighting for chunks of the brulee-candylike pig skin in order to create a perfect bite as shown above. All sorts of fixin’s and homemade tortillas come with this pork orgy. Goddamn what a good meal. Made me sad I’ve only got about 1/6 of a stomach.
And after all that you don’t expect a “real” dessert, but Patrick is a trained pastry chef so the final mind-raping of the evening was his deep fried “tres leches/horchata” ricotta fritters with a tres leches sauce and chunks of local fresh peaches. I’ve had a hundred versions of the ricotta fritter, and THESE sent all of THOSE to timeout.
The best. Cool staff, some of my very best friends, and a total bargain…..$250 bucks for the table minus tip….I’ve spent more than that on one meal by myself in NYC or DC, and while the food was great it wasn’t even close to as much FUN. Sweating like animals, eating like pigs, joking around all night, going over to fuck with the staff at The Rieger (Port Fonda parks in their parking lot)…..man, this was the real deal. I SHALL return….as soon as possible.
And that’s about it for me, pricks. My hour is up and I am OUT. I MIGHT come edit later….or not!
48 Hour Shortribs in the Sous Vide Supreme AWAIT! Golf is CANCELLED!
Unsaved Loved Ones 