Hungry? Well I Was, So I Ate An Entire Sign!

I have lived in LA for a long time now, and I have passed this sign hundreds of times…one of those places you always say “I’ve got to try that!” Well, it was time to do just that!

Astro Burger is located in West Hollywood, on Santa Monica Boulevard – yes, the iconic “Route 66”!

The great website “Wehoville.com” has this to say:

“Route 66 invented the fast food industry, embodied along Santa Monica Boulevard by other places including the Formosa Café, founded in 1934; Irv’s Burgers, opened in 1948, Astro Burger, opened in 1974; Hamburger Haven, Fatburger, L.A. Buns & Co. and the much more recent Shake Shack.”

Located Nearby Is The Legendary Irv’s Burgers!

Irv’s Burgers began as a classic Route 66 gas/service station and fast food restaurant when it first opened at 8289 Santa Monica Blvd. Always a favorite of the rock crowd, it was the cover photo setting for Linda Ronstadt’s 1978 album, “Living in the USA.” As “Wehoville.com” adds: she’s seen in the album photo above grabbing a burger and reaching for a bag of chips.

I plan to do a review of Irv’s soon, but for now, I had to find out what Astro could do with “char-boiled burgers”, pastrami and onion rings!

As you can see, it’s your 50’s classic soda joint vibe, and the menu is MASSIVE:

There are burgers of every shape and size – and a garden burger of course, plus a myriad of sandwiches, salads, fries, tacos, burritos, and even a huge breakfast menu in the morning…but we all know what I was here for – as the sign said clearly:

Char-Broiled Burgers! Pastrami! Onion Rings!

Yep, I needed to try that entire sign! I was intrigued by the “pastrami burger” – so I ordered it loaded – I expected a pastrami sandwich on a bun, but it was a burger that was also stuffed with pastrami!

Boom!

Folks, this $9 burger came with a hamburger patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato – I honestly don’t remember if it was loaded with sauce, because the burger was so juicy it didn’t need it!

You need more proof?

This burger is incredible!

You can taste all of the unique ingredients, and surprisingly, the pastrami was a perfect, slightly salty pop to the cheeseburger, complimenting the flavor rather than taking away from it…but I will also tell you that I took a bit of it off and ate it separately, because there was so much!

They wrap it tight, and that’s a good thing, because, while the bun is hearty and toasted well, this is a juicy sandwich, and the wrapper holds it all together for you…as I said, I ate the sign, so I had to have some onion rings as well:

This was a good size order, with thick slices of onion breaded nicely. They were crispy and very flavorful…

Over all, this food was excellent – it is made to order, so expect to wait 10-15 minutes for your food, and it’s cash only, so come with some money…other than that, this place delivered on their promise:

Yes, I know I didn’t have a “taco”, so I didn’t officially eat the entire sign, but it was a good headline, so I ran with it.

I don’t know that I need pastrami on my burger every time, but it was fun as a “one off” – you see, pastrami can take care of itself, as I’ve shown you in the past:

This is the legendary Pastrami sandwich from Katz’s Deli in New York – also home to that orgasmic movie moment in “When Harry Met Sally”:

They make an unbelievable Pastrami sandwich, which I tried – you can see my review here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/02/26/katzs-deli-my-first-pastrami-at-nycs-legendary-deli-when-harry-met-sally-there-great-movie-food-scenes/

Let me know if you’ve had an Astro Burger, and what you thought!

Chocolate-Covered French Fries! Brilliant Or Bleggghhhh!?!?!?!?!

Yes, it has come to this:

CHOCOLATE COVERED FRENCH FRIES!

Who is behind this? Micky D’s of course!

Yes, these french fries are drenched in dark and white chocolate!

As SoraNews24 reports, McDonald’s in Japan has come up with a wildly unique new french fry mashup:

“It’s boldly drizzling two different kinds of chocolate sauce, normal and white, on the fries to give them a powerful portfolio of salty, sweet, and creamy flavors.”

All Hail The “McChocolate Potatoes!”

What a name for the ultimate “what The -” food mashup!

SoraNews24 goes on to report:

“The McChocolate Potatoes, as they’re officially known, go on sale January 26 for 330 yen (US$2.75) at McDonald’s locations across Japan. If you can’t imagine making a stop at the Golden Arches without picking up a burger, you can swap the chocolate fries for the regular ones in the chain’s value meals for an additional 60 yen.”

Well, I don’t know about this – but I am willing to try almost anything, and this is as close to “almost” as I will get!

See more pics at the terrific SoraNews24 website here:

https://soranews24.com/2016/01/19/brace-yourself-mcdonalds-japan-about-to-start-selling-chocolate-french-fries/

As you know, this is just the tip of the “McDonalds Mashup” iceberg in Japan:

Remember the deep-fried Big Mac Popper? that’s right, there’s a whole Big Mac in this thing!

See some of their wildest ideas, like “Big Mac Sushi”, by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/08/14/deep-fried-big-mac-maharaja-mac-big-mac-sushi-too-wild-mcdonalds-mashups/

Let me know if you are up for a few “chocolate fries!”

A Celebration Of “Goodfellas” – And That “Goodfellas Thin” Garlic Sauce Recipe!

If you know how to slice garlic “really really thin”, it may be due to this incredible film!

First, it is a real definition:

“Goodfellas Thin”: The unofficial measurement of a slice of garlic cut extremely thin using a razor blade.

A great film pays attention to detail – and Director Martin Scorsese did just that when he shot the famous cooking scene that involved very precise knife skills in his 1990 classic about mob life in the 70’s and 89’s in New York.

Here’s how the film came together:

In 1990, Scorsese teamed up with Robert DeNiro to tell the true story of Henry Hill, the young kid who worked his way up through the mob hierarchy, only to see it all fall apart.

According to IMDB:

“Martin Scorsese first got wind of Nicholas Pileggi’s book “Wiseguy” when he was handed the galley proofs. Although Scorsese had sworn off making another gangster movie, he immediately cold-called the writer and told him, “I’ve been waiting for this book my entire life.” To which Pileggi replied, “I’ve been waiting for this phone call my entire life.”

Ray Liotta is brilliant as the real life Henry Hill, who learns how to be a mobster from Robert DeNiro – who plays James Conway, the guy who helps Hill get into the mob, only to betray him in an effort to save himself. Paul Sorvino plays a mob boss, and Joe Pesci is an out-of-control mobster who can’t be controlled.

Pesci won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of psycho gangster Tommy DeVito – with the infamous “But I’m Funny HOW?” scene – when Henry tries to compliment him, Pesci’s character erupts:

“You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little fucked up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?”

One of the greatest scenes, and scorsese kept it out of the script so that the other characters in the scene wouldn’t know what was going on!

Better still, Scorsese’s Mom is in the film as well!

Scorsese’s Mom Cooked For Them!

Scorsese’s mother, Catherine Scorsese, plays Tommy’s mother. She and the cast ad-libbed the dinner scene they filmed together. Later in the movie, Scorsese’s father Charles Scorsese plays the prisoner who puts too many onions in the tomato sauce…it is that prison scene that introduced America to the “Goodfellas thin” slicing of the garlic!

The term “Goodfellas thin” is a reference to the famous scene in which lead character Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) describes in detail how mob boss Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) prepared dinner while in prison:

“In prison, dinner was always a big thing. We had a pasta course, then we had a meat or a fish. Paulie was doing a year for contempt and had a wonderful system for garlic. He used a razor and sliced it so thin it would liquefy in the pan with a little oil. It’s a very good system.”

Here is the scene:

How can you not love that? Of course, you need to buy the entire movie to watch right now, because it is one of Scorsese’s masterpieces…and while you are watching, why not enjoy this incredible meatball dish as well?

Goodfella’s Meatballs With Thinly-Shaved Garlic!

Here is the three-meat meatball (just like Goodfellas “Veal, beef and pork… you gotta have the pork.”) recipe to try at home:

First, slice the garlic “Goodfellas thin!”

Meatballs a la Goodfellas

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic, sliced razor thin then minced
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup olive oil

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold it’s shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

Place cooked meatballs into Marinara Sauce and cook for 15 more minutes.

Dig In!

There you have it, Meatballs ala Goodfellas….the best “dinner in a movie” you will ever have!

Ready To Dig Into Some Lobster? Lots And Lots Of Lobster?

I found this picture online and had to find out what was going on – so let’s head to the famous Fishman Clubhouse Restaurant in Toronto to see some of the most amazing towers of seafood in the world!

Bizarre Enough For Andrew Zimmern!

Yes, The Travel Channel Host showed up to try one, and all across social media, you can find picture of diners posing with their food – before and after!

It turns out, The Fishman Lobster Clubhouse Restaurant in Toronto is famous for making giant towers of seafood: and people can’t wait to post pictures with their dishes…not only that, video too!

Here is the video of a 57-pound Lobster Tower being delivered to the table!

57 Pounds Of Lobster!

All I say say is: WOW.

The menu offers many ways to eat these incredible towers, and clearly it’s better to bring a lot of hungry friends.

Don’t worry, if your taste is more for crab – guess what?

They’ve got a tower for you too!

I will find a way to convince my wife Alex to make the journey to Toronto for this – I would love this!

If you follow this blog, you know I’ve posted about towers of food before:

Remember the fried shrimp tower? Not only do they sell it in Japan, I found someone who ate one!

See him take it on here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/03/12/10000-yen-fried-shrimp-tower-giant-bacon-towers-food-stacked-a-mile-high/

And if you don’t like seafood, don’t worry: I found a chicken yakitori dish a mile high as well!

That’s the legendary Mr. Sato from SoraNews24, and if you want to know if he ate that thing, click here to see the results:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/07/23/the-mega-yakitori-japans-huge-chicken-on-a-stick/

I love food towers! Let me know if you agree!

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who serves our country in the military. Memorial Day allows us to honor those people who died while serving – something I will always remember to acknowledge.

It is, also a national holiday that seems to have become the unofficial beginning of summer “outdoor cooking” season, and with that, a chance to fire up the grill and make some burgers!

Calling All Burger Lovers!

The reason I love making sliders is that you can play around with a lot of different flavors without getting too full – and by playing around, I mean BACON!

A Memorial Day Slider Celebration!

That might be a bit much today, so let’s dial it down a notch.

The key to a great slider is the hamburger patty. Your basic hamburger uses good quality ground beef with at least 15% fat content, to ensure lots of juicy flavor. I mix in raw minced onion and minced garlic, with salt, pepper as well.

That’s it for me – and as you can see, nobody said you could only have ONE – upon this temple of meat flavor, I add unique ingredients that give my sliders a more specific flavor…here are some of my favorite recipes!

The All-American Bacon-Cheeseburger Slider!

What can you say? It’s as American as you can get:

Top Bun
Cheese – melted and dripping
Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!
Slider Patty
Tomato
Pickle
Mayonaise, mayonaise, mayonaise!
Bottom Bun

Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank California makes a classic “all-American” burger, you can see it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/01/22/bobs-big-boy-inside-burbanks-iconic-diner-bite-down-on-my-burger-review-bobs-exotic-car-showplace/

If you want to add more toppings, here is one to get you started:

Shrooom Slider

Top your burger with melted Provolone Cheese, and a boatload of saute’d Crimini Mushrooms,
along with Caramelized Sweet Onions, a slice of Roma Tomato and Spicy Mustard Aioli – boom!

Or, get fishy with it!

Salmon Sliders!

Handmade Salmon Patties, Frizzled Onions, Spring Mix, Roma Tomato with a Lemon Pepper Aioli will give you a delicious taste of the Pacific Northwest!

Or, if you are just in the mood for a burger that will drive you NUTS…or perhaps you don’t want a burger at all, well here’s the answer!

The Nut Burger!

The Nut Burger was made famous at Matt’s Place Drive-In in Butte, Montana. Matt’s Place Drive-In was established in 1930.

And, in honor of vegetarians who have chosen to read this post, there is a great “no meat” burger waiting for you!

1 medium onion
1 cup walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews or other nuts, preferably raw
1 cup (raw) rolled oats or cooked short-grain white or brown rice
2 tablespoons ketchup, miso, tomato paste, nut butter or tahini
1 teaspoon chili powder or any spice mix you like
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

2 tablespoons peanut oil, extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn.

1. Grind onion in food processor. Add nuts and oats, and pulse to chop, but not too finely. Add remaining ingredients except oil. Process briefly; don’t grind too finely. Add a little liquid — water, stock, soy sauce, wine, whatever — if necessary; mixture should be moist but not loose.

2. Let mixture rest a few minutes, then shape it into 4 burgers. (Burger mixture or shaped burgers can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to a day. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.) Put oil in nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet and turn to medium. When oil is hot, add burgers to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes, undisturbed, until browned, then turn with spatula. Lower heat a bit and cook 3 or 4 minutes more, until firm.

This is good enough to satisfy meat eaters, too!

Now, if you want to venture overseas, this is one of my favorites.

Japanese Wasabi-Avocado Slider!

I read about this over the holidays and I made one…it was delicious! It is very simple: a slider patty topped with sliced avocado, and a heavy dose of wasabi mayonaise. Trader Joe’s sells it, or buy some great mayo and wasabi and mix it together to the strength you can handle…this is delicious with a Sapporo! One last look….trust me, MAKE THIS ONE!

The Sriracha Burger!

Wasabi not powerful enough for you? Well, THIS will do the trick:

This is a GREAT idea…the recipe is from the terrific “Serious Eats” website!

3 pounds ground beef (preferably chuck, 80/20)
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 tablespoons Sriracha
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 large sweet onions
3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
8 sesame seed buns
8 thick slices Swiss cheese
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
Arugula or romaine lettuce

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, soy sauce, 5 tablespoons of the Sriracha, and the pepper.

Cook the bacon. While the bacon is cooking, peel and quarter the onions. Once the bacon is cooked through and slightly crispy, remove the slices from the pan, reserving the remaining bacon fat in the pan. Cook the sliced onions in the bacon fat over medium-low heat until they caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes.

Grill the burgers. While the burgers are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the blue cheese dressing with the remaining 5 tablespoons Sriracha. Lightly toast the buns on the grill during the last minute of cooking time.

To assemble, spread the blue cheese mixture on both halves of each hamburger bun. Stack a burger patty, Swiss cheese slice, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato slice, and a small handful of arugula between each hamburger bun.

Oh, but what about dessert?

That’s right, just add a scoop of ice cream to your burger and top off your meal on a delicious high note!

Click here to see how to make one:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/09/23/ice-cream-cheeseburgers-bacon-pies-muffaletta-burgers-serving-size-madness-chart-fast-food-runs-amok-2/

Whatever hits your grill today, take a moment and remember what this day stands for, and for everyone who has – or is – serving out country today – thank you!

Nonna’s In The Kitchen!

As a foodie, I love this story: a great restaurant on Staten Island has hired Grandmas from all around the world to cook for him – and keep their family recipes alive for generations to come!

Bravo Jody Scarvella, Owner Of Enoteca Maria On Staten Island!

According to a great story from CBS New York:

A restaurant kitchen staffed by grandmas was the vision of Jody Scaravella, who opened Enoteca Maria in 2007. At first, he hired exclusively Italian nonnas, filling a personal void left by his own late grandmother.

The story goes on to add:

Over time, he began to invite additional grandmothers from around the world to take turns cooking the foods they grew up with. Today, countries from Japan to Algeria are represented in the kitchen on a rotating schedule.

“You have two grandmothers every day,” Scaravella explained. “You always have an Italian nonna, and every day, the featured kitchen changes.”

A “Nonnas of the World” calendar assigns each grandmother a monthly date in the kitchen. “Sometimes people call, and they want to know when the Greek nonna’s cooking,” he said. “But some people enjoy the surprise.”

And yes, you can get the cookbook with these classic family recipes!

Here is a link to the story, which includes a great video interview with one of the “Grandma Chefs”!

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/30/enoteca-maria-the-dig/

I love this story – keeping family recipes alive and letting these Nonnas, who have raised their families with longtime family recipes, take over the kitchen…terrific – I would love to go to this restaurant!

I love that Jody is helping to keep longtime family recipes alive for generations to come…it’s one of the things I love most about this story.

I also shared a story recently about the meal I had at the incredible NEXT restaurant in Chicago, which put on multi-course menu highlighting the fifty best restaurants in the world…here’s a look:

Yes, that’s my wife Alex watching as they “paint” our table – with our dessert! See how that is done by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/09/10/next-restaurants-delicious-tribute-to-the-worlds-50-best-restaurants-2017/

Let me know what you think of these “cooking Nonnas!”

Want A Slice Of Pasta Pie?

I love food. I love Italian food. And I just might love this dish most of all! Imagine being served a beautifully prepared cake – but when you cut into it, you get this!

Or Is It A Pasta Cake?

This one looks like a giant frosted cake!

Look, however you want to describe it, it’s an amazing dish that I plan to make as part of my “dinner and a movie” series, because this incredible dish is featured in one of my favorite “food” movies!

Big Night – 1996

Many consider this to be the best movie ever devoted to food. This 1996 labor of love stars Minnie Driver, Tony Shaloub and Stanley Tucci – AND DIRECTED BY– Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott.

It’s the poignant story of two brothers who struggle to save their failing restaurant – and come up with an idea to get publicity – by putting on a “big night” for a celebrity guest.

While Tucci is smooth as silk at handling the “front of the house”, his more volatile brother Shaloub is a perfectionist in the kitchen – something that threatens to torpedo their “Big Night.”

Check out the trailer:

The signature dish of “Big Night” is the amazing “Timpano” – which I call a “pasta pie” and “pasta cake” interchangeably – but, the “Timpano” is defined as:

“A deep-dish Italian pie consisting of a pastry shell filled with layers of pasta, salami, cheese, meatballs, hardboiled eggs, tomato sauce, and other ingredients that is covered with a crust and baked.”

As you can see, it’s an amazing dish, and the film meticulously showcases the creation of this incredible meal!

Yes, Stanley Tucci is actually “listening” to this dish!

Here is the “Big Night Timpano” recipe – everything made from scratch, but you all know how to simplify with some pre-made ingredients if you want to!

FOR THE PASTA:

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup fine bread crumbs

Thanks to the terrific website “Kimchee Mom”, here is a picture of the various steps in the process, all nicely displayed in a single image:

FOR THE SAUCE:

1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 medium rib celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons chicken broth or white wine
2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, passed through the medium disk of a food mill to remove seeds
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE TIMPANO:

1/2 pound penne or other short-shaped pasta, cooked al dente, drained and reserved
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters
1 pound mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami

PREPARATION:

1.
To make the pasta, mix the flour and the salt together, then stir the salted flour with the eggs and the oil. Continue to stir until the dough comes together in a ball. On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until silky smooth. Wrap with plastic and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
2.
Combine all the meatball ingredients. Roll into about 65 balls, using 1 tablespoon of meat for each. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook as many meatballs as will fit in 1 layer over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Set aside in a bowl at room temperature.
3.
In the same pan used to make the meatballs and utilizing the fat left in the pan, cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the tomato paste in the stock or wine and stir into the vegetables. Cook the mixture for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
4.
To make the timpano, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the penne with 2 cups of the sauce. Roll out the pasta on a lightly floured surface to make a 26-inch round. Grease a 3-quart stainless- steel bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and gently mold the pasta sheet to the contours of the bowl; there should be enough hanging over the edge to fold over and cover the filling.
5.
Spoon 1 cup of penne into the bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the sauce, 12 pieces of egg, half of the meatballs and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the process, this time using 3 cups of penne, 1 1/2 cups of sauce, the remaining eggs, meatballs and cheese. Top with the remaining penne and sauce. Create a final layer with the salami. Fold the pasta over the filling and brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
6.
Bake the timpano for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 45 more minutes. To check if it’s done make a small hole at the top using a knife blade. If steam comes out and the cheese is melted, it’s done. Otherwise, bake for 10 to 15 more minutes. To serve, remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn upside down onto a large platter.
YIELD 6 to 8 servings
Originally published with FOOD; Eye Candy
By Molly O’Neill, November 16, 1997

There you have it, an incredible feast for you and friends to dig into before watching this great movie about the love of food!

Also…At the end of “Big Night”, there is a static 4 minute scene involving a single fried egg – the shot above captures the exact camera shot – a moment of simplicity that is full of unspoken emotion between the two brothers – it will make you cry and hungry at the same time.

So there is your “dinner and a movie” tonight – another Italian masterpiece!

I previously shared the meatball recipe from “Goodfellas”, which included the legendary “Goodfellas Garlic” process as shown here by the great character Actor Paul Sorvino – see it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/05/22/goodfellas-garlic-paulies-famous-meatball-recipe-dig-into-dinner-and-a-movie-mobster-style/

Let me know if you’ve made a Timpano!

RIP Anthony Bourdain…

This one is tough. A gifted Chef, Writer and TV Host, Bourdain’s suicide has stunned his fans all around the world.

There have been many clips online from his various TV shows, all of which are terrific, but I wanted to share his other legacy: Bourdain was also the Author of a variety of non-fiction AND fiction books, as well as two cookbooks…I may have missed some, but here goes:

Kitchen Confidential

The non-fiction book that started it all, an expansion of his hilariously profane and investigative piece for The New Yorker.

As Vox reports:

“Bourdain’s writing career truly began to take off with a 1999 essay for the New Yorker. Titled “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” the piece forms the basis of what would later become Kitchen Confidential — and in its pages, you can see all the elements of Bourdain’s distinctive, charismatic persona already in place.

The essay is framed as advice to a restaurant-goer from someone who knows: Order fish on Tuesday, when it’s fresh and the chef is well-rested from his day off. Never order your food well done, because that’s where kitchen staffs get rid of the worst of their meat. (“The philistine who orders his food well-done is not likely to notice the difference between food and flotsam,” Bourdain explains.) Chicken is for people who can’t make up their minds, but pork is fantastic. At a good restaurant, there will be a stick of butter in every meal.”

He followed with more memoirs and inside stories about the restaurant business, food and travel, as well as anything else that scratches his mind:

He even published a slender volume telling the true story of the infamous “Typhoid Mary” –

Bourdain also published two novel in the 90’s.

In 1995, he published “Bone in the Throat”, a crime novel set in the restaurant world, and in 1997 a follow-up, “Gone Bamboo”.

Of course he also published cookbooks, including one from his stint at Les Halles, the New York restaurant he was working in when he published his first book…

Boudain was doing all of this while also hosting shows: first for The Food Network, then The Travel Channel, and finally CNN. He even had time to publish two graphic novels about food:

Sorry if I missed any, but I wanted to celebrate his written word, because as great a TV Host as he was, his prose was superlative as well…you can read more about his graphic novel “Get Jiro” by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2012/08/01/hail-the-sushi-master-anthony-bourdain-jiro-uno-my-sushi-jiro-celebrating-sushi/

RIP Anthony Bourdain…

Ready For Some “Seafood As Art?”

What you see above is an incredibly delicious plate of “seafood as art” – a “Crab-Santhemum!”

It’s just one of a number of wildly creative dishes from a legendary “hole in the wall” in San Francisco. I’ll explain exactly what it is and where my wife Alex and I got it – time to head to the bay area!

Welcome To The Swan Depot!

We are on Polk Street in San Francisco, a funky street filled with funky shops – and long lines form every single day at The Swan Deport…and Alex and I waited almost an hour to get in…

Yes, this was the place where a man was walking his duck on the sidewalk outside…but it’s worth it, because this place is incredible!

As The San Francisco Chronicle reported:

“Swan Oyster Depot, like La Taqueria and House of Prime Rib, is an essential institution in San Francisco. This holy church of fresh seafood, this bastion of deliciousness, needs no introduction. The 18-seat counter has been around for more than 100 years and is beloved by locals and tourists alike.”

Bizarre Foods Host Andrew Zimmern ate there, and as Eater SF wrote:

But of course. Zimmern waits in line to dine at this Polk Street standby, where his order is a half and half combination salad with crab and shrimp. “To me, this is Swan Oyster Depot, local seafood with louie dressing.” He also notes that “Swan is famous for having more items off the menu than on it,” and gets some “Sicilian Sashimi,” or crudo with capers, sea salt, and olive oil. Plus, “the oyster crackers are free!”

And as you read above, THIS is that “off the menu” dish known as “Sicilian Sashimi!”

As The San Francisco Chronicle reported:

“The Sicilian sashimi is more of an open secret — everyone knows about it. But it’s also not on the menu, so there you go. Thinly sliced raw salmon, tuna and scallops are served simply with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper and some capers on top.”

With that setup, let’s take a step back and pass the fresh seafood that stares out from the window…we got our seats at the tiny counter – and yes, there is only a counter with barely room to walk behind it – run by the son of the original owners…

Once inside, we perused the menu and read their introductory sign – it tells you all you need to know about this place:

We started with the freshest of Oysters, the only dish we ordered that was officially “on the menu”:

That’s right: just as you saw the “off the menu” item “Sicilian Sashimi” we ordered above, Alex did all of her research, so she knew about all of the secret menu items that weren’t on the board, and just kept ordering “off the menu” items like this:

The Crab-Santhemum!

Yes, it’s a plate of Dungeness Crab legs, arranged as a beautiful flower – it is presented as a work of art and you don’t want to eat it – but of course you do…but as terrific as this dish looks, it gets even better!

A regular sitting next to us was amazed by our ordering, and our Shucker told him he was sitting next to an “off the menu” pro!

Don’t Forget The “Crab Head” Dressing!

Not only is this gorgeous dish a secret, Alex also ordered the incredible dipping sauce that is perfect with it, and of course “off the menu” – made and served in a Crab head!

Normally, this dish is served with a side of Louie dressing – just as a Crab Louie would be….but guess what? The Swan Depot makes an “off the menu” olive oil vinaigrette with equal parts Dijon mustard and crab fat as the emulsifiers.

Yes, CRAB HEAD FAT!

And they stir it all together right in the crab head, so you get all of the rich juices!

You can dip your crab into the head, and they also put the extra in a container and plop it down next to you – and guess what? The Chef gave our seating companion his own – and told him that Alex was a “pro” at the “off the menu” items!

We weren’t done yet with the secret menu – because up next is one of their most beautiful dishes, inspired by the incredible, edible egg!

Feast Your Eyes On “A Dozen Eggs”!

All you have to do is ask for a “dozen eggs” and here is what appears: thinly sliced raw scallops dotted with Sriracha, resting atop a shallow pool of ponzu. According to the Chronicle, the dish is inspired by a friend and regular Swan Depot customer who owns a sushi joint in the Richmond.

After so much secret stuff, we ended with one of their most popular items, something they are known for:

Beautiful smoked salmon draped lovingly over bread with capers…what a way to finish a meal!

I haven’t mentioned it, but the small staff working behind the counter, inducing the owner, are friendly, talkative and relaxed…they clearly love what they do – oh, and they don’t have a website to run – they just make food.

In fact, be sure to bring cash, because they don’t accept credit cards – look at how our bill was tallied!

We left with great memories, as well as two giveaways from the owner: a souvenir spouse (dried, just add water) and a photo of the gang…and what a great group they are!

Of course, you’ll need this great food after spending some time on “the rock!”

Yes, if you are in San Francisco, you need to take a ferry over to Alcatraz Island, which sits right in the middle of the bay…here is a tour of this infamous prison:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/04/21/you-can-escape-from-alcatraz-san-franciscos-greatest-prison-the-rock-is-open-to-the-public/

Let me know if you like the idea of eating sauce from a crab’s head!

KFC’s New Pickle Fried Chicken Is Here!

This new swept through the social media world, as Col. Sanders announced a new variation on his fried chicken: with pickle!

As the Col. stated:

“Yep, my Pickle Fried Chicken is crunchy fried chicken covered in a delicious dill pickle sauce.”

You read that right:

DILL PICKLE SAUCE.

The Col. likes to make noise with wild variations on his secret spice recipe, and “dill pickle sauce” is no exception. Although it just went on sale, this one has ardent supporters AND detractors already!

It’s a limited time offer, unless of course people love their favorite fried chicken with some added “pickle” action…I love a fried chicken sandwich full of pickles, so I’d say this won’t be too far off the mark, but others want their chicken the old fashioned way and nothing else!

While I’m up for anything, the initial reactions have been mixed…

Ready To Bite Down On Some?

The Louisville Courier-Journal got some of their very brave employees to give it a taste test…

Click here to see what they thought!

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/2018/06/26/kfc-pickle-fried-chicken-now-available-louisville/730349002/

We’ll see if this latest “fried chicken mashup” is a hit or a miss – but we all know that KFC has offered us some wacky variations on their food in the past:

Korean KFC’s “Bunless Burger!”

Remember this? Yes, it’s their hamburger that used FRIED CHICKEN AS A BUN!

KFC went mad in South Korea with this “double down” hamburger! It’s a burger that comes encased in fried chicken buns! As “RocketNews24” showed us, however, the reality of what you were served was a bit less impressive than the ad showed:

But that said, it sure looked BIG!

And while we are talking about deep-fried madness, don’t forget this one from the creative minds at KFC:

KFC also “doubled down” on their hot dog in Asia – with a fried chicken bun! I’d try one of these, just not sure how long I’d last…

See more about this unique mashup here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/01/26/kfcs-unbelievable-double-down-hot-dog-see-the-pictures-double-down-mania-goes-footlong/

I say “bravo” to KFC for trying new stuff and keeping our attention!

Happy July 4th!

July 4th is the biggest celebration in the US – and millions of us are on vacation for the entire week – so there is a LOT of great food being devoured!

240+ years in, America is still a work in progress, and more than ever, we all share the same planet so here’s to mutual respect and shared goals – and of course, burgers!

I love this holiday! We declared independence and fought for the right to govern ourselves. For an All-American celebration like this – what beats a burger?

This post is going to celebrate burgers of all shapes and sizes, and share some great recipes for your grilling pleasure – with no shortage of BACON!

Yes, it’s one of America’s most popular burgers – the Shake Shack bacon cheeseburger!

Shake Shacks are opening everywhere now it seems, and here is the reason why:

The burgers are big and beautiful – you can ready my entire review right here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/02/04/bite-into-shake-shack-cheese-stuffed-burgers-my-shack-stack-review/

And there’s no better time than to try and replicate America’s greatest burgers!

Time To Be Inspired!

Why are burgers America’s greatest food? Well, a great burger picture answers that question, but also, remember the words of one of our country’s most beloved Chefs:

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

Julia Child.

That’s right, this is the kind of food that says “I LOVE AMERICA!”

A cheeseburger, when done right, is a thing of beauty. When done with doughnut buns, as you see above, it’s a thing of PERFECT BEAUTY. And what do you do when something is perfect? You double it!

Now THAT is a thing of beauty! And since the Memorial Day weekend is a time for families and friends to gather, I call on all Artists to rise up and create a masterpiece or two – like this!

So, to celebrate the 4th, here are 4 great burgers!

To begin, here is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE SLIDER!

I am happy to get this celebration started by showing you what, to me, is the greatest taste imaginable…

MY “FRENCH FRY ‘N’ TARTAR” BACON CHEESEBURGER!

I love burgers. And bacon. AND TARTAR TOO. So why not take care of all of my vices in one big bite?

It’s so easy to be so happy: cook up a burger (i add diced onion and garlic to mine) and just before you finish cooking it, lay a few cooked french fries on top, then top with tartar sauce…finally, lay down a piece of cheese….i use both sharp cheddar AND Mozzarella….once it melts you are ready to bite down hard!

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – and you will never knock it again! OK, I understand that some of you don’t want to mix your burgers with spuds, so if that’s the case, here are some other fun recipes to try!

SLIDERS, SLIDERS, SLIDERS!

I like sliders because you can try more variations due to their smaller size. The key to a great slider is what holds it all together. That’s why I use sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls…they are the perfect size AND they add a nice bit of flavor, which you need when you are piling your mini-bun high like this:

The Ingredients For A Perfect Patty!

Now, time to get down to basics. A great hamburger uses good quality ground beef with at least 15% fat content, to ensure lots of juicy flavor. I put minced onion and garlic in mine, to provide a bit of sassy crunch. Other than that, I like to use a fun salt – like pink hawaiian sea salt, and a fair amount of pepper.

Let’s get cooking!

The All-American Bacon-Cheeseburger!

What can you say? Here is the all-american classic! Build it this way and you are golden – your ingredients are easy:

Sweet Hawaiian bun, Cheese – melted and dripping
Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!
Hamburger patty
Tomato, Pickle, then Mayonaise, Mayonaise, Mayonaise!
Ketchup and mustard if you MUST

If you do it right, it will look like THIS (you can shift things around in terms of order, but it needs to end up like this):

See that? DO NOT DEVIATE – this is perfection.

But what if you have a “spicy tooth?” Well, we have an answer for you as well:

The Sriracha Burger!

This is a GREAT idea…the recipe is from the terrific “Serious Eats” website, and it takes advantage of one of America’s most popular new condiments!

3 pounds ground beef (preferably chuck, 80/20)
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 tablespoons Sriracha
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 large sweet onions
3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
8 sesame seed buns
8 thick slices Swiss cheese
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
Arugula or romaine lettuce

This great looking Sriracha burger pic came from “cookingwithcristen.com” which is also a great site for recipes!

This is easy and fun: just combine the ground beef, soy sauce, 5 tablespoons of the Sriracha, and the pepper – make your patties.

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium high heat.

Cook your bacon – once the bacon is cooked, remove the slices and drain onto paper towels, reserving the remaining bacon fat in the pan. Cook sliced onions in the bacon fat over medium-low heat until they caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes.

Grill the burgers, turning once, 4 to 41/2 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer registers 130° to 135°F for medium-rare.

While the burgers are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the blue cheese dressing with the remaining 5 tablespoons Sriracha. Lightly toast the buns on the grill during the last minute of cooking time.

To assemble, spread the blue cheese mixture on both halves of each hamburger bun. Stack a burger patty, Swiss cheese slice, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato slice, and a small handful of arugula between each hamburger bun.

Bam! Spicy good times for all!

Our next stop on this burger journey take you to a very unique and gooey place:

The “Bacon Mac’n’ Cheeseburger!”

That’s right, make a bacon cheeseburger and load it up with mac’n’cheese as your topping!

As you can see, simple and so so delicious – especially when served with tater tots on the side!

If you don’t want to make sliders, and are around some of the America’s greatest burger joints, just pop in and grab already made…

This is from Plan Check in Los Angeles, and yes, that is “ketchup leather” on that burger…see the whole recipe here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/05/02/incredible-plan-check-burgers-ketchup-leather-bite-into-national-burger-month/

July 4th is the day Americans celebrate a new way of governing – so we will see lots and lots of BBQ pictures, fireworks, and all around celebrations across the country…

Happy 4th of July!

Ready To Take On 15 Pounds Of Burger? Let’s Enter The “Belly Of The Beast!”

You all know how much I love burgers, and wacky burgers ALWAYS get my attention…and that’s exactly what we have here, thanks to a restaurant in Las Vegas!

Yes, time to consider the “Belly Of The Beast!”

I found the story at the great Daily Mail website. They uncovered this monster meal in Las Vegas, where everything is bigger!

According to The Daily Mail:

Truffles n Bacon Cafe has became a go-to destination for adventurous eaters thanks to its ‘Belly of the Beast’ Burger.

This $85 monster of a meal is made up of two Angus beef patties that are so large they have to be flipped with pizza paddles.

Does it ever!

The Daily Mail goes on to explain:

“And as if that wasn’t enough, the burger is also topped with four thick slices of pork belly.

But there’s more in the Belly of the Beast than just meat.

Giving each bite some moisture – and plenty of a spice – is a mixture that includes tomatoes, serrano chiles, Tater Tots, and Hot Cheetos.

The entire mixture is then covered with cheese and baked until its perfectly melted on top.”

Thanks to The Daily Mail for this story – see more of their reporting on the story here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5879761/Las-Vegas-restaurant-serves-15lb-burger.html#newcomment

As I said, I love big burgers – especially the world’s biggest!

I mean, how can you not LOVE this picture? See who was crazy enough to make this monster meal by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/04/25/the-499-worlds-largest-burger-super-size-mega-food-madness-serving-sizes-explode-along-with-us-2/

Let me know if you’d take on the “Belly Of The Beast!”

Biting Down On Greatness!

If you don’t know what this is, welcome to the delicious French world of a “Ratatouille” – and I assume you’ve heard of that film, where this recipe came from!

Time for the next installment of the delicious “Dinner And A Movie!”

Ratatouille!

Looks great, doesn’t it? Ratatouille is a traditional baked french dish. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers, marjoram and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence.

If you’d like to make this “dinner and a movie”, then I’d like to introduce you to the TWO Chefs responsible:

First, Meet Remy!

It’s not often that your favorite Chef is a rat, but how can you argue when it’s Remy!

Remy is one of the greatest undiscovered chefs in Paris. And he’s a rat. Don’t hold that against him, because his love for food transcends his background. You have to give credit to Pixar for not only making a film about a rat, but for the amazing amount of attention to detail in the film as it relates to food.

“Ratatouille” is a funny, warm and delicious-looking film, with a lot of real cooking advice in it – thanks in no small part to our second Chef:

Chef Thomas Keller!

The terrific film-making team at Pixar wanted to accurately capture life inside a kitchen, so they reached out to America’s most celebrated Chef!

Chef Thomas Killer And The French Laundry!

Yes, we took a picture with Chef in his celebrated kitchen – the world famous “The French Laundry”, but we weren’t the only ones!

The animation team for “Ratatouille” worked alongside Chef Thomas Keller at his acclaimed restaurant in Yountville California in order to learn the art of cooking. Mr. Keller also appears in a cameo role as the voice of a patron at Gusteau’s.

This is a funny, touching animated movie that celebrates our love for food…so make yourself the Ratatouille recipe from the movie and pop it into the blu-ray!

Chef Keller’s Confit Byaldi

The recipe for Thomas Keller’s Confit Byaldi, the accordion-fanned version of ratatouille used in the movie is available on the French Laundry website, but buy the gorgeous cookbook as well…my friend Michael Ruhlman co-wrote it with him!

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Let’s get going!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping and alternating vegetables.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside the dish.

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but still a bit firm. You should see the tomato sauce bubbling around them.

You can serve with soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread…

So there you have it, another in my series of “Dinners and a movie”…did you see my story on this amazing meal?

Yes, that’s a “Timpano” – pasta pie – that Tony Shaloub and Stanley Tucci are amazed by, and I’m going to make one myself before we rewatch the terrific film “Big Night” – see the recipe here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/06/06/a-big-night-dinner-and-a-movie-a-slice-of-pasta-pie-stanley-tucci-and-tony-shaloubs-timpano-recipe/

And staying Italian, we head to prison where Actor Paul Sorvino shows us how to shave garlic very very thin…

This is known as “Goodfellas Garlic”, and click here to see why:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/05/22/goodfellas-garlic-paulies-famous-meatball-recipe-dig-into-dinner-and-a-movie-mobster-style/

Enjoy some Ratatouille tonight!

Time To Celebrate National Hot Dog Day 2018!

While this may not be a legal holiday, July 18th is a day of celebration for me – and what better way to get started than by celebrating hot dog excess!

If You Can Make A Hot Dog, Why Not The World’s Largest?

Yes, a guy named Dan Abbate created the world’s largest hot dog, as confirmed by the Guiness Book Of World Records..but others have tried as well, even the iconic Martha Stewart:

Listen, I’m going to get a bit silly right now, but it’s not hard to do – the internet is full of funny hot dog pictures like these:

And did you know that we are NOT the only country that loves a hot dog…look at this chart!

Yes, the Japanese love their hot dogs as well.

Here are my five favorite hot dogs, and the stories I have posted about them:

#5 – A Krispy Kreme Dog!

Krispy Kreme is beloved for their SWEET SWEET SWEET doughnuts, so why not wrap one of them around a hot dog – and don’t forget the bacon!

Sure it’s all kind of wrong, but when it comes to a hot dog, why do you wanna be right?

See more of this majestic hot dog by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/03/31/krispy-kreme-bacon-donut-hot-dog-kfcs-fried-chicken-hamburger-buns-deep-fried-sandwiches-wildest-deep-fried-mania/

Now, if you are going to enjoy a hot dog, I say go “ALL-IN” and really do it right, like this!

#4 – Behold The “Hamdog!”

That’s right, it’s a hot dog – but so much more, because it’s a hamburger as well! How could someone come up with this? More importantly, how could they NOT?

This is all kinds of funny, and #4 on my list of great hot dog moments….see the whole recipe here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/09/21/the-hamdog-its-real-a-hamburger-hot-dog-mashup/

Time to move on to an amazing inventive use of a hot dog. Many consider this to be some sort of sick joke, but I think it is the coolest cooking idea EVER – spahetti-infused hot dogs!

#3 – Not Just For Kids – The “Spaghetti-Infused” Hot Dog!

Come on, if you were a kid – or a kid at heart – you would LOVE this! I love inventive use of everyday food, and you can see how it is done by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2014/05/20/spaghetti-hot-dogs-amazing-cooking-technique-that-works/

If you REALLY want to abuse your faith in the traditional hot dog, then how about THIS!

#2 – A Bacon Mac’n’Cheese Hot Dog!

Yes, it’s a “Bacon Mac’n’Cheese Hot Dog”, and you can see how it is made by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/02/23/bacon-mac-n-cheese-corn-dogs-wild-macncheese-bacon-burgers-mac-up/

Now, it’s time to turn to one of America’s national treasures: Col. Sanders!

KFC achieved fast food notoriety with their infamous “Double down” chicken sandwich, with two chicken patties instead of buns!

Well, they couldn’t stop there: Col. Sanders just might be turning over in his imaginary grave after seeing:

#1 – “The Double Down Hot Dog!”

So what they have done is to find a way to “wrap” a piece of fried chicken around a hot dog! And people ate it!

If you can stomach it, click to see more of the “Double Down Hot Dog!”

https://johnrieber.com/2015/01/26/kfcs-unbelievable-double-down-hot-dog-see-the-pictures-double-down-mania-goes-footlong/

Now that I’ve shared my top five, let’s bite down a little deeper, like this:

I went to Seoul South Korea and saw them wrapped in bacon and sold in a sweet’n’spicy sauce, and also covered with french fries:

The Krinkle Cut French Fry Hot Dog On A Stick!

Yes, this is a real thing, and I ate it of course, along with my friend Wade Beckett…and when you eat “hot dogs on a stick”, you take a picture of it!

Click on my link to see more hot dog mayhem, like the “Crinkle Cut French Fry Corn Dog”, by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2014/10/28/koreas-crinkle-cut-french-fry-corn-dog-worlds-wildest-hot-dog-mashup/

Let me know if you’re in the mood for a hot dog today!

It’s America’s Oldest Family-Run Mexican Restaurant – Celebrating 95 Years!

Talk about tradition! the El Charro Cafe in Tucson, Arizona has been making family-style mexican food since 1922 – longer than anyone else in the US!

Welcome to part three of my “road trip across America” – my son Jeff and I wanted to taste the food that was unique to each area, and this place certainly fit the bill!

Meet Chef Tia Monica!

The El Charro cafe is a classic, for good reason! Here is how the restaurant’s website describes their history:

“Established in 1922 by our beloved Tia Monica Flin, El Charro Café of Tucson, Arizona is The Nation’s Oldest Mexican Restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. Our Tia Monica, a true entrepreneur and burgeoning chef, came to Tucson via France in the 1800’s when her father Jules, a famous stone-mason, was commissioned to build the city’s pristine St. Augustine Cathedral. Jules, whose signature work can be seen throughout Tucson’s Historic District, also built the families residence in 1896.”

As you can see, it’s a down-home comfortable vibe in a traditional setting, with lots of historical touches.

For example, there is a brick from the original family home on display at the restaurant!

This same building is now home to the Original Downtown El Charro Café location on Court Avenue – and that’s where Jeff and I ate our one night in Tucson!

We perused the menu while sipping a great Margarita, along with some of their signature Queso dip!

As for out main course, we each went with a specialty item. I chose what was called “a enchilada the size of your face!” It was made with their signature spicy beef, and it didn’t disappoint on either count!

The Original “Charro Style” Beef Taco!

Jeff went all the way back to the beginning – in 1922, Tia created their specialty taco, which is a beef patty cooked then stuff into the shell along with peas, radishes and cheese! Here’s the menu again describing it, then a shot of the finished product:

So interesting to see peas and radishes on a taco, the beef patty buried underneath a salad-like top…Jeff loved it!

The other great thing about the restaurant is this – yes, it’s a tradition in most Mexican restaurants, and El Charro is no exception:

While my son Jeff browsed his phone, other tables were being serenaded by one of the staff:

The El Charro Cafe was great: delicious food, a great staff, and some music too!

As you know, this is just the beginning of out 2,200 mile cross-country trip that has already been full of great adventures, like our encounter with the “Arizona Dust Devils”:

They were everywhere, and I was lucky enough to capture one on video as it raced to the highway – you can see that video here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/07/08/my-8-state-adventure-across-america-pt-1-from-palm-springs-windmills-to-arizonas-dust-devils/

And of course, I shared the mystery of “The Thing”!

You can see what we discovered at this roadside attraction by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/07/12/what-is-the-thing-the-shocking-mystery-of-arizonas-desert-is-revealed-here-my-road-trip-across-america-pt-2/

Next up on our adventure:

Tombstone!

“Dinner And A Movie” With Cher!

Anyone hungry? I am, and in the spirit of my “Dinner In A Movie” series, it’s time to share a recipe that screams out, “I need some eggs!” I could make the beautiful eggs over easy from the film “Big Night”, a perfect way to end that movie (more on that later), or I can have eggs the way Olympia Dukakis makes them in “Moonstruck!” This terrific comedy is infused with food, and I wanted to share that with you.

Moonstruck – 1987

This terrific romantic comedy tells the story of Loretta Castorini, who decides to marry the man who isn’t “of her dreams”, but he’s a safe choice.

Cher won the Academy Award for her performance – a woman who decides to do the safe thing, then finds herself in the arms of her fiancé’s estranged brother Ronny Cammareri. Nicholas Cage is at his manic, crazy best as the brother – he’s a volatile baker who lost his hand in a tragic baking accident. Yes, he did.

Food permeates this movie, which opens in a neighborhood restaurant where Loretta accepts Johnny’s proposal, and ends in the family kitchen where she embraces Ronny instead. Cher and supporting actress Olympia Dukakis both won Oscars for their performances.

The kitchen is a central location for the film, and I love the moment when Nicolas Cage professes his love of Cher…and her now iconic reaction:

Ronny Cammareri: I love you.
Loretta Castorini: [slaps him twice in the face] Snap out of it!

Olympia Dukakis is terrific as the Mother who tries to give her daughter some advice about love.

And of course, Cher is a good catholic, so after sleeping with her fiance’s brother she goes to church to confess her sins.

Loretta Castorini: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two months since my last confession.
Priest: What sins have you to confess?
Loretta Castorini: Twice I took the name of the Lord in vain, once I slept with the brother of my fiancee, and once I bounced a check at the liquor store, but that was really an accident.
Priest: Then it’s not a sin. But… what was that second thing you said, Loretta?

Of all the great food in the movie, I particularly loved the scene when Olympia Dukakis makes her daughter Cher a real italian breakfast – behold:

Moonstruck Eggs!

Yes, these are also known as “eggs in a hole”, and in the film, they take the time to show us how they are made…here is the recipe:

1 slice sturdy Italian-style bread
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Tomato sauce of your choice—plain, marinara, etc.
Butter

For each serving, cut a hole in the slice of bread with a biscuit cutter. Melt a hunk of butter in a heavy, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add the bread. Break the egg and carefully slip it into the hole in the bread. Salt and pepper it to your taste. Fry until the bread is golden brown on the bottom and the egg is set on that side. Flip over CAREFULLY! Cook until the second side is golden and the egg is set.

Heat up the tomato sauce in a small sauce pan. Put the egg and bread on a plate and top with a small spoonful of the sauce. Below, someone enchanted it by adding some fried italian sausage and hot peppers as well!

Speaking of eggs, I told you that the great film “Big Night” also has an iconic cooking scene in it involving eggs:

At the end of the film, Stanley Tucci carefully prepares eggs in the kitchen, and near the end his brother, Tony Shaloub enters and they eat…nothing is spoken between them…now of course, earlier in the film they attempt a slightly more dynamic dish:

Yes, a “Timpano!” To find out what it is and how to make it, click here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/06/06/a-big-night-dinner-and-a-movie-a-slice-of-pasta-pie-stanley-tucci-and-tony-shaloubs-timpano-recipe/

I love “dinner and a movie”, and I hope you attempt some of these as well…

Enjoy!

My Bizarre Filet-O-Fish Encounter!

I drove 2,200 miles in 5 days last month with my son Jeff, and we had many interesting adventures…none as bizarre, however, than my filet-o-fish mystery!

Cactus, Cactus Everywhere!

We drove through California, Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas – seeing hours and hours of desert, cactus, and lots of strange rock formations, including this one, which had me thinking:

“Hey Now…”

We ate a lot of “somewhat fast food”, since we were dining 2,200 miles in 5 days and didn’t have too much time to kill: when the day’s drive wasn’t too intensive, we had time to stop and get something like this:

Yes, it’s close to fast food, but at least we tried!

But one day in particular, we had almost 600 miles to drive – AND we had to jump off the main interstate, the I-10, and head into some of Texas’s more rural roads…

We found ourselves in a few strange small towns, not helped by signs like this:

As you can see, once you exit the 10 Interstate, it reverts to the wild wild west again – although at one point I actually thought I was home:

Not THAT Beverly Hills!

No, this is not the 90210 Beverly Hills; instead, it’s a city in McLennan County, Texas. The population was 2,234 at the time of the 2010 census. The city close to Waco, and the smaller highway took us past a number of towns that were more “seasoned”:

It was here that I suggested to Jeff that we just grab some McDonald’s drive-thru and keep driving…and it is also here that my strange “Filet-O-Fish” saga began…

First, the history of the “Filet-O-Fish.” According to wikipedia, this famous sandwich was invented in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald’s franchise owner in Cincinnati;it turns out his store was in a predominantly Roman Catholic neighborhood, which led to falling hamburger sales on Fridays – and a tasty sandwich was born!

The Filet-O-Fish Encounter!

So, as you can see, a filet-o-fish is a delicious sandwich invented for a truly spiritual reason…and I actually enjoy them…and the box clearly states the name of the sandwich…SO…, with that setup, I am all ready for one of these…

Flying Fish?

Here’s how it all went down:

My son Jeff pulls up to the drive-through window and orders a “Filet-O-Fish” for me.

“Flying fish?” The worker blurts back at us through the speaker.

“No, Filet of Fish!” my son says, more slowly this time…he then proceeds with the rest of the order and we get a grunt of acknowledgement in response. We pull up to the window, pay and get our bag of food, fast and easy…and as we head back onto the highway – leaving Beverly Hills Texas in our rear view mirror forever, I open the bag to grab my sandwich, and this is what I find in the bag:

An Actual “Filet-O-Fish!”

Yes, it was a filet-o-fish. Not a sandwich, no cheese or tartar sauce, just a filet-o-fish patty served inside a clear container, as if hermetically sealed from the other food.

I told Jeff to keep an eye on the road, then held it in front of him:

And we just laughed and laughed and laughed….what could I do? It’s called a Filet-O-Fish – that’s the way it is described on the menu!

Well, not everything on our trip was food based.

If you’ve missed some of my previous stories about this “trip across America”, including the “Gunfight At The OK Corral” that never happened, you can see the rest here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/07/27/visiting-the-real-tombstone-the-truth-behind-the-gunfight-at-the-ok-corral-my-trip-across-america-gets-violent/

Let me know if you’ve had a strange fast food order!

Ready To Have Your Mind Blown? Here Is Some Smoked Watermelon Roast!

A wildly creative new menu items has foodies around the world weighing in!

As reported by The Daily Mail:

A New York City restaurant has divided the internet after it unveiled a smoked ‘ham’ on the menu — which is actually made entirely out of watermelon.

Ducks Eatery, a smokehouse restaurant located in the East Village, caused a flurry on social media after it showed off its watermelon ham on Instagram.

To create the juicy ‘ham’, the eatery smokes the watermelon for eight hours, and then places it in a brine made of salt, ash, and spices for four days.

But that’s not all.

The watermelon is then smoked for another eight hours before it is placed in a pan with rosemary and the ‘meaty’ juices to solidify the taste.

When the watermelon is served to the table, it looks exactly like the a ham on the outside — but when a waiter slices into it, the pink fruit inside is revealed.

Wow!

FoodBeast had this video of the “carving:”

As you can see, social media weighed in all over the map, with some loving the creativity, and some crying “blasphemy!”

Personally, I’d dig in and love it!

The Daily Mail has the whole story, including more pictures, video and trivia – bravo to them – see the story here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-6032633/New-York-City-restaurant-Ducks-Eatery-introduces-smoked-ham-watermelon.html

This is the first time I’ve showed you food that was presented one way, only to turn out to be something else entirely!

Want a nice bowl of healthy ramen noodles, but secretly crave dessert? Well, this restaurant solved your problem!

Yes, they make desserts disguised by entrees! See more here:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/12/19/secret-desserts-chinese-food-disguises-potsticker-cakes-ramen-sweets/

Let me know where you land on this “smoked watermelon roast!”

Time To Bite Into “The Gridiron!”

The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals have a new way to satisfy fans this season!

It’s a 7-pound burger that comes with a $75 price tag!

Meet “The Gridiron!”

The team took the wraps off of their latest monster food item this season: here’s what you get:

Five 1/3-pound beef patties.
Five all-beef hot dogs.
Five bratwursts.
Eight chicken tenders.
Twelve ounces of fries.
Twenty — YES, 20 — slices of cheese.
Eight slices of bacon.

And that’s just what’s in the middle!

To that, they add lettuce, tomato and pickle, plus their signature Tanker sauce – and serve it on a 10-inch hamburger bun!

Here is the promo video:

And Of Course, There’s A Challenge!

Because EVERY big burger is an episode of “Man V. Food” in the making, here’s what they are offering: you pay $75 and have one hour to eat the entire burger yourself!

If you win, you get an Arizona Cardinals jersey AND a photo on the big screen.

I’ve shared many other mega-burgers int he past, like this one:

The “Roadhog”!

Yes, this will satisfy you as well – see the recipe here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/01/02/the-hangover-burger-the-burganator-the-roadhog-2014s-first-baconburger-monsters/

Anyone up for the “Gridiron Challenge”?

Time For Another “Dinner And A Movie” – With Julia Child!

Here’s one of my favorite installments in the “dinner and a movie” series – because I got to make Julia Child’s legendary beef bourguignon recipe – and see Meryl Streep in one of her greatest roles!

The Legendary Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe By Julia Child

Alex and I are avid fans of all things Julia, so I was excited to tackle this recipe.

Here is how it is described in Julia’s Cookbook:

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately, you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

Let’s Get Started – With Bacon!

Here is Julia’s recipe, and it begins, as all recipes should, with bacon! Note that all photos are from my attempt to make the dish – the rest of the recipe directions are from Julia!

A 6-ounce chunk of bacon
Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardoons (sticks, ¼-inch thick and 1 1/2-inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 ½ quarts of water. Drain and dry.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

A 9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
A slotted spoon

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Next Up Is The Meat!

3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

Cue The Carrots And Onion!

1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
In the same fat, brown the vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of pre-heated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Things Are Looking Good!

Time now to bring the flavors together:

3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine, such as one of those suggested for serving, or a Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
½ teaspoon thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
The blanched bacon rind

Stir in the wine and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of pre-heated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

Pearl Onions, Mushrooms And Magic!

Here are the final ingredients:

18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock.
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley
1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet. Sauté over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover. Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.

For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat. Set the mushrooms aside until needed.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim the fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 ½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. (Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.)

Parsley sprigs
For immediate serving: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice and decorated with parsley.
For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Finally, Julia says that boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish, but I go with buttered noodles!

Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bordeaux-St. Émilion or Burgundy.

Recipe Source: Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

And here is the finished dish I served Alex that night:

See was happy with the result – and of course, now that dinner was served, it was time for the second part of my “Dinner And A Movie!”

Dinner And A Movie: “Julie & Julia!”

As for the film, “Julie & Julia” tells the story of a food blogger, Julie Powell, who makes a different Julia Child recipe every day for a year, and become an internet sensation.

Here is the trailer:

Amy Adams does a good job capturing the persona of Julie, who unfortunately also comes across in the film as a self-absorbed whiner and not that inspiring a person to watch on camera…but, the film is actually two stories being told simultaneously…

The real joy of the film is the story of how Julia Child became JULIA CHILD. Watching Meryl Streep capture the honesty and inspiration of Julia Child is a revelation. She is pitch perfect capturing her warmth, insecurity, and creative genius, and Streep was deservedly nominated again for the role…this part of the film is pure magic…

As I said, Alex and I are avid fans of Julia’s, and I got to cook on her provencal stove, thanks to the great Cookbook Author Patricia Wells:

Alex and I took her cooking class in Provence, and Julia gave her the stove she owned there! See the story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2012/09/26/a-taste-of-french-cooking-provencal-villages-and-patricia-wells-adventures/

I also got the chance to see Julia’s real kitchen:

Yes, it exists in a museum! See it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/01/18/cooking-with-julia-child-a-tasty-museum-treat-washington-dc-history-comes-alive/

Let me know if you’ve tackled any of Julia’s amazing recipes!