Drucker's World

Week 11 - 1 new and 1 old

2011-08-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Missed last week due to travelling out of the country on business so I hit this week in style: 2 new trucks (27 total trucks ranked) this week and 1 repeat.

So first the repeat. Guess who I went to? Of course The Rib Whip. Took some friends friends from work to get to experience the wonders of the brisket sandwich. The whip was at parked at a new truck spot called the Truck Stop (1st and Mission). This is an alley for no better way to put it. 3 trucks were lined up and the line for the whip was 25 deep never subsided. Thursday must have been my lucky day as we were 15th (or so in line) at 11:45 when they ran out of the brisket sandwich. When we got to the front of the line the cook poked his head out and stated that they had 2 portions left to which I said: "I'll take both..." Friends and I all LOVED the sandwich (not surprisingly). Ahhh and I will be gone next week (vacation) so no chance to hit the whip but of course I'll be back.

On to the first of the new trucks - Hiyaaa Roll. I would describe this as a multi-ethnic sandwich truck. They have 4 different sandwiches which can double as salads if you choose. I got a spicy pork marinated in korean seasoning, do chua (pickled daikon and carrots), mayo, romaine lettuce, sliced jalapenos, secret sweet and spicy sauce as a sandwich. It was really good, spicy, rich with flavor. Much better than the bahn mi that I had tried at a different vietnamese truck. I will definitely be trying the Hiyaaa Roll truck again when given the chance.

The second truck was Pacific Puffs. Simple cream puffs. I got a strawberry one which was a really well done puff with a strawberry cream and fresh strawberries. Really light and good. A bit spendy but still good.

Some disappointing news was I found that one of my favorite trucks (51st State) is shuttering. I am going to miss the Executive (patty melt).

As you can see from the rankings I use twitter mostly to track and follow these trucks. It helps me know where they are on a given day as well as menus. I have a twitter list where I am tracking/following 58 trucks that are all around the bay area. If you want you can follow me or my list at: http://twitter.com/#!/mposki/food-trucks.

@TheRibWhip -(updated 6/30/11) Went on a rainy Tuesday and the sandwich is good as always. My sister enjoyed them at the Larkspur food truck gathering and declared them her favorite as well - she had the ribs which I have enjoyed in the past.(updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See mypost with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) -Yum after a 4th visit now! Not higher because I don't think that I can rank it higher than 2 savory trucks. Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@EatLeTruc - (updated 7/8) Great burger, cooked to perfection. Was able to sit inside and enjoy the food in the shade. Just reviewed but great sandwich, yummy menu, great facility (a repurposed school bus). What is not to like?
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@51stStateSF - No longer in business! :( New American food. Great, check that GREAT, patty melt. Really really good stuff. Excited for future visits for sure.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@OaxacanKitchen (up 2 from last week) - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@eatcurbside - Like I said, GREAT sandwich and even better fries. Only 4 items on the menu and 2 or 3 looked yummy (ahi sliders - which I ate, grilled cheese with onion jam, and lamb merguez).
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@hiyaaaroll - sandwiches, salads, one of the best 'fusion' trucks in the area!
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@anthegosf - Amazing garlic noodles. Nuf said!
@senorsisig - Filipino fusion. Only had a small taste of their stuff. Definitely want to try more to get a better feel for the truck.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MamaEmpanadasSF - So had a good empanada and will definitely enjoy it again but not enough to go out of my way to seek it out. I will happily enjoy stumbling onto it.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@theWOWtruck - Decent silog. Next time no burrito!
@pacificpuffs - good cream puffs but expensive for what you get.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

Week 10 Rankings - 1 new, 5 repeats

2011-07-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Missed last week due to travelling out of the country on business so I hit this week in style: 1 new trucks (26 total trucks ranked) this week and 5 (YES 5) repeats.

A couple of my repeats are some obvious ones: The Rib Whip and 3-SumEats were enjoyed on Thursday for lunch. Brought a friend to the Whip for lunch and he too was really impressed with the quality and delectability (is that even a word) of the simplest yet best sandwich. I told a couple of guys in line in front of me that it was that good and they didn't believe me until they took their first bite.

Thursday at UN Plaza is always a good time as the Whip and 3-Sum are parked right next to each other so lunch at one and dessert at the other. When I got to the front of the queue for 3-Sum the souschef in the truck asked what I wanted and I said 'just dessert.' She was amused enough to nickname me just desserts. Good stuff.

Also hit 51st State truck again and enjoyed The Executive (GREAT patty melt with mushroom and bacon). This trip I also got the banana cream pie which was less than spectacular. More nilla wafer than banana cream so a bit of a disappointment.

The other 2 trucks that were repeats were Eat On Monday which was excellent (STILL) and then Treatbot (ice cream/karaoke truck). I have officially adjusted the treatbot truck as the cookie and ice cream were SUBSTANTIALLY better this second trip.

The new truck was one that I had been meaning and wanting to try for quite some time was The WOW Truck. Filipino food fusion stuff. So I got a silog (rice, meat and egg) in a burrito which was pretty good. Not great but decent. I have really decided that the idea of these fusion things (take an ethnic food and throw it into a tortilla as a burrito or taco) are no longer that interesting. I, personally, prefer to try and eat more authentic foods from the culture. To both WOW and other trucks they have options and I appreciate that and look forward to continuing food truck fun.

@TheRibWhip -(updated 6/30/11) Went on a rainy Tuesday and the sandwich is good as always. My sister enjoyed them at the Larkspur food truck gathering and declared them her favorite as well - she had the ribs which I have enjoyed in the past.(updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See mypost with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) -Yum after a 4th visit now! Not higher because I don't think that I can rank it higher than 2 savory trucks. Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@EatLeTruc - (updated 7/8) Great burger, cooked to perfection. Was able to sit inside and enjoy the food in the shade. Just reviewed but great sandwich, yummy menu, great facility (a repurposed school bus). What is not to like?
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@51stStateSF - New American food. Great, check that GREAT, patty melt. Really really good stuff. Excited for future visits for sure.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@OaxacanKitchen (up 2 from last week) - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@eatcurbside - Like I said, GREAT sandwich and even better fries. Only 4 items on the menu and 2 or 3 looked yummy (ahi sliders - which I ate, grilled cheese with onion jam, and lamb merguez).
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@anthegosf - Amazing garlic noodles. Nuf said!
@senorsisig - Filipino fusion. Only had a small taste of their stuff. Definitely want to try more to get a better feel for the truck.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MamaEmpanadasSF - So had a good empanada and will definitely enjoy it again but not enough to go out of my way to seek it out. I will happily enjoy stumbling onto it.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@theWOWtruck - Decent silog. Next time no burrito!
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

Week 8 Rankings - 2 months and 25 trucks later

2011-07-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

2 new trucks (25 total trucks ranked) this week and 4 repeats. My repeats are some obvious ones: The Rib Whip and 3-SumEats were enjoyed on Tuesday for lunch. Got the, again impossibly good, brisket sandwich (how can brisket, sauce and a soft french roll be so freaking good) and then some good deviled eggs from 3-Sum. I have decided not to add info unless I am trying a new dish or a truck moves substantially in the rankings. I also repeated at the Oaxacan Kitchen and had some great ribs and daughter had a yummy burrito. We also got some really good churros. On Monday at Edgewood Eats I got stuff at 3 trucks: An The Go, Kara's Cupcakes and Eat on Monday. I reviewed An the Go and EoM in my blog post from earlier in the week but not Kara's. Big fan of Kara's store in Palo Alto and find their cupcakes superior to Sprinkles. Got 3 cupcakes for me and the family and they didn't disappoint. Not going to rank the Kara's 'Truck' (really a van) as it is just an extension of their brick and mortar place and they aren't prepping any food in the truck itself.

@TheRibWhip -(updated 6/30/11) Went on a rainy Tuesday and the sandwich is good as always. My sister enjoyed them at the Larkspur food truck gathering and declared them her favorite as well - she had the ribs which I have enjoyed in the past.(updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See mypost with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) -Yum after a 4th visit now! Not higher because I don't think that I can rank it higher than 2 savory trucks. Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@EatLeTruc - (updated 7/8) Great burger, cooked to perfection. Was able to sit inside and enjoy the food in the shade. Just reviewed but great sandwich, yummy menu, great facility (a repurposed school bus). What is not to like?
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@51stStateSF - New American food. Great, check that GREAT, patty melt. Really really good stuff. Excited for future visits for sure.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@OaxacanKitchen (up 2 from last week) - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@eatcurbside - Like I said, GREAT sandwich and even better fries. Only 4 items on the menu and 2 or 3 looked yummy (ahi sliders - which I ate, grilled cheese with onion jam, and lamb merguez).
@anthegosf - Amazing garlic noodles. Nuf said!
@senorsisig - Filipino fusion. Only had a small taste of their stuff. Definitely want to try more to get a better feel for the truck.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@MamaEmpanadasSF - So had a good empanada and will definitely enjoy it again but not enough to go out of my way to seek it out. I will happily enjoy stumbling onto it.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

Edgewood (over)Eats - Food Truck Gathering

2011-07-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Every Monday in Palo Alto at a semi shutdown shopping plaza there is a gathering of food trucks. The trucks that gather there alternate and there are usually between 8 and a dozentrucks. This week I went there for the 4th time and got to try one truck I have been to before and one new one that I have been meaning to try (oh and I got a cupcake from a cupcake van).

First the repeat truck - Eat On Monday. Fusion tacos mostly but also had what looked to be a yummy fusiony cheesesteak sandwich. I got a couple

of tacos as this was my 2nd dinner (which I ate first). One was a pork belly taco which was tremendous. Really delicious. Tender pork belly, jalapenos and a touch of cilantro. I could eat a dozen of these, literally. The second taco was a braised short rib taco which I had before. Good as well, tastes like a good cabeza taco from a true taco truck. This truck is my favorite fusion taco truck and will go again and again.

The second truck is one I have wanted and

meaning to try for a while. Saw it last week at OTG UN Plaza and another truck trumped it. Today was the day to treat myself to An the Go. This is the truck form of a set of SF restaurants that have been specializing in a family recipe of garlic noodles for over 40 years. I got the garlic noodles with beef skewer. 40 years and I can see why they continue making it. Really seemingly simple but complex layered flavors with a kick. Yum. Worth going to for sure.

Week 7 Food Truck Rankings

2011-07-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

2 new trucks (23 total trucks ranked) this week and 1 repeat. I was unable to go to The Rib Whip this week and am jonesing for some brisket sandwich love! mmmmm..... The repeat truck was Le Truc. A buddy that has had the Rib Whip a few times with me came over from the east bay and I wanted to show him a new fave. This time I had a burger, fries (yummy aioli on top) and a salad. Delish. Still a top 5 truck by my ratings. I went to 2 new trucks that you can see my review in a post I made yesterday. Those trucks are Eat Curbside (new american by way of sandwiches) and Senor Sisig (Filipino fusion cuisine).

As you can see from the rankings I use twitter mostly to track and follow these trucks. It helps me know where they are on a given day as well as menus. I have a twitter list where I am tracking/following 57 trucks that are all around the bay area. If you want you can follow me or my list at: http://twitter.com/#!/mposki/food-trucks.

@TheRibWhip -(updated 6/30/11) Went on a rainy Tuesday and the sandwich is good as always. My sister enjoyed them at the Larkspur food truck gathering and declared them her favorite as well - she had the ribs which I have enjoyed in the past.(updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See mypost with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) -Yum after a 4th visit now! Not higher because I don't think that I can rank it higher than 2 savory trucks. Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@EatLeTruc - (updated 7/8) Great burger, cooked to perfection. Was able to sit inside and enjoy the food in the shade. Just reviewed but great sandwich, yummy menu, great facility (a repurposed school bus). What is not to like?
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@51stStateSF - New American food. Great, check that GREAT, patty melt. Really really good stuff. Excited for future visits for sure.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@IzItFreshGrill (up 3 from last week) - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@eatcurbside - Like I said, GREAT sandwich and even better fries. Only 4 items on the menu and 2 or 3 looked yummy (ahi sliders - which I ate, grilled cheese with onion jam, and lamb merguez).
@senorsisig - Filipino fusion. Only had a small taste of their stuff. Definitely want to try more to get a better feel for the truck.
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@MamaEmpanadasSF - So had a good empanada and will definitely enjoy it again but not enough to go out of my way to seek it out. I will happily enjoy stumbling onto it.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

This Week in Food Trucks

2011-07-07T13:53:00.001-07:00

So I have really committed to trying a new truck (or 2, or 4) every week just to expand my horizons and taste as many of the amazing food trucks there are in our area. Today friends and I originally decided to go to my favorite truck The Rib Whip. When we arrived they didn't have the brisket sandwich on the menu and that is what one of my coworkers really wanted to try. Instead of trying their other yumminess we decided to venture over to the UN Plaza where there is a truck meet up every Tuesday and Thursday. Today at the Off the Grid UN Plaza were An the Go (Vietnamese noodles that I need to try as they look good), El Tonayense (the same food truck that I hired for my 40th birthday party), Southern Sandwich Company (already tried and rated), Eat Curbside and Senor Sisig. I went for the later of the list (yes both).

Senor Sisig - This was what I would describe as my secondary truck for the day. I have wanted to try this for quite some time and finally fortune smiled on me and I was at the right place at the right time. Lots of interesting things like sisig and silog on the menu that I will want to try. Since it wasn't my primary lunch of the day I got a pork sisig taco. I am not sure if I have let it be known that I kind of think that fusion tacos are a bit of a cop out but I get it. I think of all things sisig is something that really lends itself to tacos (or burritos, or nachos for that matter) so this works. For those that don't know or care sisig is essentially cooked meat in a Filipino style. The taco was good, meat tender and delicious. I was offered spicy or regular and opted for the spicy one as I was told it just had chopped jalapenos on it. That being said it was crazy spicy but again, still yummy! Definitely a truck that I will go back to!

Eat Curbside - For my primary lunch I decided to try Eat Curbside mostly because of a rec from my sister (a burgeoning food truck stalker). She stated that their fries were amazing. 4 sandwiches on the menu - grilled cheese, lamb, kimchi hot dog, and ahi sliders. I opted for the ahi sliders with fries (based on the rec from the person behind the window). The sliders were good, asian flavors and yummy slaw. The fries were as my sister described, WOW. Salty wedge fries. Crispy and yummy. This is a truck I hope to stumble onto more and more. Really well done simple foods!

Week 6 Rankings

2011-06-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

2 new trucks this week and again 2 repeats. This weeks repeats are the same as last and I assume will continue appearing as they are my top 2 trucks. The brisket sandwich at The Rib Whip never disappoints as it is perfection! The desserts and other goods at 3-SumEats are always great. Enjoyed both on a crazy rainy Tuesday where they were parked together at 246 Ritch in SF. This week's new truck is Le Truc which was an utter treat as you can see by it's being ranked so high on first eating.

Amusing to me that in the space of 6 weeks I have eaten at 21 (3.5 a week) different trucks and several of them multiple times. Oy I am beyond passionate about food.

As you can see from the rankings I use twitter mostly to track and follow these trucks. It helps me know where they are on a given day as well as menus. I have a twitter list where I am tracking/following 52 trucks that are all around the bay area. If you want you can follow me or my list at: http://twitter.com/#!/mposki/food-trucks.

@TheRibWhip -(updated 6/30/11) Went on a rainy Tuesday and the sandwich is good as always. My sister enjoyed them at the Larkspur food truck gathering and declared them her favorite as well - she had the ribs which I have enjoyed in the past.(updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See mypost with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) -Yum after a 4th visit now! Not higher because I don't think that I can rank it higher than 2 savory trucks. Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@EatLeTruc - Just reviewed but great sandwich, yummy menu, great facility (a repurposed school bus). What is not to like?
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@51stStateSF - New American food. Great, check that GREAT, patty melt. Really really good stuff. Excited for future visits for sure.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@MamaEmpanadasSF - So had a good empanada and will definitely enjoy it again but not enough to go out of my way to seek it out. I will happily enjoy stumbling onto it.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

Camion d'aujourd'hui a été Le Truc (Today's Truck was Le Truc)

2011-06-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hard to call this a truck as it is actually a repurposed school bus. Inside the bus there are 2 benches about 8 or 10' long which allows you to eat inside. Totally unique and quite interesting to say the least. I had driven by this truck several times as it is right around the corner from where my 2 favorite trucks set up shop regularly (246 Ritch St. aka The Lunch Box). I finally took the dive and decided to grab lunch there today and not to tease the outcome I am really glad I did!
Always a good sign when I walk into a restaurant or in this case up to a truck and have a challenging time deciding on what to get. On the menu there are a series of salads (3), sandwiches (4 or 5), burgers (2) and sides and desserts. The things that caught my eye were: a wedge green goddess salad, a blue cheese cheesesteak sandwich, a chicken meatball sub, a chicken parm sandwich, a burger and then some yummy looking desserts.

So I decided upon a chicken meatball sub, garlic fries, a blondie (then a couple of brownies to take home). Starting with the sub: putting it simply really yummy! Rich sauce, pepperocini and a soft french roll. Something I have come to love are simple sandwiches made well (see The Rib Whip's brisket sandwich and Bakesale Betty's fried chicken sandwich), this sandwich is certainly one of them. The fries were shoestring and good, not great but heck they are fries (and were sitting in a box for 20 minutes as I drove back to my office with the lunch). The blondie was good, a tad drier than I like but I did like it.

Overall this is a truck that I will definitely try again and again. I want to try many of the other interesting things on the menu and look well forward to it. Stay tuned for rankings.

Food Truck Fun: Week 5 Rankings

2011-06-22T21:04:00.001-07:00

2 new trucks this week and 2 repeats. Due to one of the repeats they bumped up. See below where: Mama's Empanadas and 51st State rank.

@TheRibWhip - (updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See mypost with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) -Yum after a 4th visit now! Not higher because I don't think that I can rank it higher than 2 savory trucks. Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@51stStateSF - New American food. Great, check that GREAT, patty melt. Really really good stuff. Excited for future visits for sure.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@MamaEmpanadasSF - So had a good empanada and will definitely enjoy it again but not enough to go out of my way to seek it out. I will happily enjoy stumbling onto it.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

This Week in Food Trucks

2011-06-22T20:41:00.001-07:00

So far this week I have gotten to try 2 new trucks and went back to a 2 relative favorites for desserts. Below are the evaluations in greater detail than you will see in the rankings.

First on the list is the 51st State Truck. Basically new American food served from a truck. Some co-workers were over from England and Switzerland and knew of my obsession and wanted to take a field trip with me to a truck. We chose this one and everyone got the same thing as me. On the menu are some intriguing things including a Brunswick Stew that I tasted and wow was it yummy. But I got a patty melt with a grilled portabella mushroom AND bacon on rye (they call it The Executive). Let me just say yum. Served with a spicy brown mustard. Something that I really love is somethingrelatively simple that is executed with precision (almost transcendent). So this is another truck that I just have fallen in love with. I really wish they had their mini banana cream pie but something happened with their oven. Something to look forward to for my next trip (or 3).

Second was enjoyed this evening at the Menlo Park street fair: Mama's Empanadas. This was a truck on the list of ones I really wanted to try. Yet again I get to a truck and the thing I want to try has run out. I wanted a spicy beef empanada but settled on a beef one. Hot, yummy, the meat was a smidge dry but still super yummy. I also ordered a vegetable one just for contrast. The vegetable one was less impressive but the wife enjoyed it a bit. Like this truck but don't love it.

The 2 that I tried again were SF Whisk and Butterscotch on the Go. At SF Whisk I had the strawberry panna cotta again and it was good, just good especially in comparison to what I ate tonight. Butterscotch on the Go is just mind blowingly good. The butterscotch pudding is really one of the best things on earth. Creamy, rich, salty chocolate almond brittle on top. Just really amazing again. I have also now tried several other desserts and if ever you encounter this truck get something and I am reasonably sure it will be great (they have butterscotch sugar cookies which are quite good as well).

So that's that. Think I might head over to my fave truck for lunch tomorrow with some co-workers. This obsession is just enriching my life and some colleagues from foreign lands as well.

Week 4 Rankings

2011-06-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

So only one new truck in the last week with a few other trucks out there that I am going to have to try sooner than later. I ate at Eat On Monday which is basically a fusion of asian food and tacos. See below where it ranks and updates on both The Rib Whip and 3-SumEats which I enjoyed again at Off The Grid UN Plaza.

@TheRibWhip - (updated 6/16/11) Had the brisket sandwich again as did 2 friends I brought. All loved it. The thing is just so simple and utterly perfect! Still #1 (updated 6/9/11) See my post with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/16/11) Again dessert only but wow again. Homemade twinkies which were so delicious and then a 'candy bar pie' which means a mini pie with chocolate, nougat, caramel and pretzels. After having the brisket sandwich and some desserts I felt like falling asleep at my desk when I got back to the office. (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) - Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@EatOnMonday - Yet another fusion type place. Asian tacos. I had a pulled pork and a pork belly taco. Both were really well seasoned and well cooked. They had some seafood fusion tacos as well which looked interesting (although I am allergic to them). Middle of the road as it seems like there are a million of these fusion trucks in the area.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

Rankings Take 3

2011-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yep my 3rd weeks worth of reviews. Adding 2 trucks and bumping The Rib Whip to #1 only because 3-SumEats has yet to prove the consistency that my fave bbq truck has (my fault not theirs as I have only eaten savory there once). Astonished that I have eaten at 17 different trucks in 3.5 weeks with several receiving multiple visits.

@TheRibWhip - (updated 6/9/11) See my post with the review of the ribs and mac and cheese. (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@3sumeats - (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) - Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@IzItFreshGrill - Yummy Hawaiian food and super yummy (surprisingly) SPAM! See review.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@lilgreencyclo - Wow the lemonade just killed any shot this thing had at a good review. Mediocre was the word of the day. Review here.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

This Week in Food Trucks

2011-06-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

So this week I was able to go to 3 different trucks (potentially 4 if there are any in the area tomorrow).

Tuesday: Lil Green Cyclo (@lilgreencyclo on twitter). Vietnamese food and definitely a truck I was interested in trying. They sometimes come to Edgewood Eats (local Monday food truck gathering in Palo Alto) and seem to come once a week to Brisbane which is just north of my work. I love me some Vietnamese food thus my excitement. So here's what I ordered: chicken bahn mi (sandwich), sweet potato tater tots, and salted lemonade. My review is pretty short and pretty sweet: mediocre. The tater tots were good but not great (came with a 'spicy mango ketchup' that tasted like heinz). The bahn mi was bready and not that much filling. Lastly, the salted lemonade oh the lemonade. I felt like Kurtz from Apocalypse Now: "The HOOOORRRROR." Both me and the person I was lunching with ordered it, took one sip and threw it away. Maybe it is an acquired taste but it was TERRIBLE. Wow it was bad. The noodle/meat dish my friend got was good but this is certainly not a truck I am going to run out to try again.

Wednesday: IZ IT Fresh Grill (@IZITfreshgrill on Twitter) Another truck I was excited to try and glad I did. Hawaiian food plain and simple and that's a good thing. I got a combo which was a piece of fried chicken, a kicker (taco) and a SPAM musubi (basically a SPAM sushi type dish). The chicken was crispy and ultra moist, not a TON of flavor but that was mitigated by some siracha. The taco (aka a kicker) was good but not great. I have found that trying to put 'ethnic' food in a taco can be pretty hit or miss and this was somewhere in the middle. The SPAM musubi was unique and really good actually. This is definitely a truck I'd drive out of my way (10+ miles) to go visit again, and again.

Thursday: The Rib Whip (@TheRibWhip on Twitter). What? Again? Yes! More like YES! Today I got the ribs (1/3 rack=4 decent sized ribs). Yum. Came off the bone clean and well sauced. Good smoke ring. My friend got the spinach salad with pulled pork and he seemed satisfied with it. Today for sides I got Mac n' Cheese and baked beans. The MnC was really good, creamy which I normally don't like but this had some nice flavor. The beans were good (I actually prefer my baked bbq baked beans). This is still my favorite truck and becoming a bit of an obsession. Talked with the guy that runs the truck today which was great, kind of personalizes it a bit. Love that they respond to tweet questions about the menu. Also LOVE that they use Square cardcase. Something nerdy but nice to be able to pay without doing much of anything. Kudos to the truck.

Today's Lunch - The Rib Whip and dessert from 3SumEats

2011-06-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yes the obsession continues. Today I ventured from work and drove 10 miles into SF for a food truck stalking. Both of the trucks I ate from today were trucks that I had enjoyed before and (SPOILER ALERT) both utterly wow'd me again. Let's start with lunch:

The Rib Whip (Midwest BBQ) - I had eaten at this truck before but missed out on their actual bbq (theguy that puts the meat on overnight forgot, or something). The first time I went I had the Whip Burger which was really good just not the BBQ I wanted and was looking for. You can see from the menu they have some yummy stuff on the list. The wings and pork are definitely things I will try the next time I stalk this truck.

So today I had the brisket. It is pricey but holy smokes (get it smokes?) it was amazing. I make my own smoke

d brisket, and am smoking one tomorrow actually, and I am humbled by their craftsmenship. The

sandwich was a pretty simple thing in design: lots of brisket, lots of sauce, and a soft french roll. Super complex flavors and smokey goodness. Quite messy but wow, have I said wow as to how good this was?

Dessert time - Parked right next to them (there were 6 trucks at Off The Grid lunch at the UN Plaza) was 3SumEats. I had a great BLT and some philly cheesesteak potstickers the first time I was at this truck but since I had already eaten a sandwich the desserts caught my eye. They had a moon pie filled with peanut butter mousse (no pic). For those that don't know a moon pie is a treat usually made with 2 graham cracker cookies and marshmallow in the middle. This one was made of 2 chocolate cake cookies (delicate and delicious) and the aforementioned peanut butter mousse. It was really really good, REALLY! Once again 3Sum pleased my palate and I am looking forward to the next time I run them down.

The different lunch gatherings for trucks in SF is a phenomenal way to get to more than 1 truck at a time and taste some good good stuff.

Food Truck Rankings Part 2

2011-06-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

So this is now the 2nd time I have done the rankings and I have a few new trucks to add to the list. Now there are 15 trucks on the list and look at one that creeped up one spot.

@3sumeats - (updated 6/2/11) Holy crap I had a peanut butter mousse moon pie from them today at OTG at the UN center for lunch. WOW is all I can say about this treat, wow. The moon pie completely solidified them as my #1. (previous notes) This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@TheRibWhip - (updated 6/2/11) I said I wanted to go back and try some real BBQ and I got there just in time for some brisket. This vaulted them to #2. (previous post) Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@BttrScotchOnGo (up 1) - Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Butterscotch sugar cookies were a treat and a tort that was rich and really delicious. On the first visit I had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@BBQKalbi - Another Edgewood Eats enjoyment. Really tasty kimchi fried rice burrito. Good and enjoyable to say the least.
@ChairmanTruck - went and wanted a steamed bun and a baked bun but no baked buns the day that I went. I enjoyed the steamed buns a lot but this is a bit lower on the rankings as the value to the $$ is pretty low actually. Good food, really good!
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@TikkaBytesTruck - Another Indian truck. Daughter loved the samosa but again not impressed with a limited fusion menu.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@SouthrnSandwich - Another BBQ truck but I was really unimpressed by it. The pork had no real smoke flavor and the brisket was a touch dry. Big fan of BBQ and will try it again to see if it shifts up.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

Bao Chicken Wow Wow?

2011-05-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Food truck fun (or is it Food Druck fun?) continues for me as I chose to stalk another truck. Today I went to Chairman Bao (@charimantruck on Twitter). In looking at the menu I was stoked to try both a baked and a steamed bun but when I got there no baked buns were available.

I ordered 2 buns both steamed. Pork belly was one. Really good, tender, well cooked. Delicious. Red sesame chicken for the second. Supposedly spicy but not incredibly. The pork belly bun was certainly the star of the 2.

This brings me to a larger/better food truck issue. They are using twitter pretty well (certainly some better than others). Here are some points that frustrate me and think they could improve on:

publish up to date menus - either tweet or post on their web pages if common items are not available
be more descriptive on where you are going to be - posting a street address with no city isn't incredibly useful for those of us not in SF (aka food stalkers)
use the new square app so I don't have to lug cash with me (minor nit)

The Chairman was good but not great and falls to a function of not having what I wanted (guess part of that is my fault for having expectations).

3 Weeks of Food Trucks - The First Rankings

2011-05-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

So I have been obsessing about trucks and rather than long winded reviews of each of them here is a listing ranked that will change after I try them again (and again) and add other trucks. How on earth have I eaten at 11 trucks in 3 weeks? Usually I follow and identify which ones I am interested in by using a twitter list feed that I created that now has about 45 different bay area trucks. I will be going to Edgewood Eats this upcoming Monday to try a few more. So stay tuned.

@3sumeats - This is a truck run by a former Top Chef contestant. I had some philly cheesesteak potstickers and possibly the best BLT I have ever eaten (rosemary encrusted bacon). Really, REALLY good stuff.
@Brassknucklesf - Had a sandwich that was pork and ham served with a rosemary waffle (named Notorious P.I.G.). Kitchy names and a really bad ass sandwich.
@eatmobowl - Ate from this truck 2x in 1 day if that says something. Had a 5 spice pulled pork bowl and then a tofu (umami) bowl. Both with fried eggs on top. Simple and perfect!
@BttrScotchOnGo - Ventured over to this truck to pick up desserts for the house. Easily the best butterscotch pudding I have EVER eaten. Also had a butterscotch brownie (more like a blondie) which was great and then a rice krispy treat that was a bit unspectacular. They also have salads and sandwiches but yet to try them.
@TheRibWhip - Ventured up to SF for lunch to try this place out. Unfortunately I caught them on a day where they had no brisket or pulled pork. Still a GREAT burger. They will more than likely slide up the list once I try some actual bbq.
@OaxacanKitchen - Ate me some great tacos that were some of the best taco truck tacos I could imagine (and most know I love me some taco trucks). This truck took the place of a restaurant that they shuttered to focus on catering and the mobile food biz.
@LIBAfalafel - Really good falafel and a crazy condiment bar.
@CurryUpNow - Liked it a lot just nothing spectacular. Easily a recommend but just Indian food wrapped in some naan. The plates look yummy though.
@SFWHISK - So I just had a dessert from them and it was really good strawberry pana cotta. Some yummy looking sandwiches and salads on the menu.
@treatbot - This is an ice cream AND karaoke truck!?!?!?!? The ice cream was good not great they were out of cones so I got a sandwich on a cookie and the cookie was a bit unspectacular.
@MoGoBBQ - got 2 things from them 1 really good and one meh but really yummy short rib sliders.

MoGo BBQ Truck

2011-05-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

The first of I imagine many review I will write is the first truck I tried recently: MoGo BBQ (@MoGoBBQ on twitter). This is a truck that describes itself as gourmet Korean BBQ. I think that gourmet might be a stretch but one of the two things I ate were damned good (the other was just good).

On their menu there are a number of tacos, quesadillas, and other goodies all with a Korean flair. I chose to order the sliders (short ribs, spam, cabbage slaw on hawaiian rolls) and the dirty dog (hot dog wrapped in bacon, covered in kimchi and other stuff).

The sliders were great, just really tasty. Wonderfully cooked short ribs. The spam wasn't something I expected or would have otherwise ordered but I was really pleased. All of it was set on the sweet rolls and really a tasty treat for $6. Not sure if it alone would have filled me up for lunch but certainly with a small side it would have been an ideal and tasty lunch.

The dog was less thrilling. The bacon wasn't cooked fully which took away from the overall quality of the dog. It was a bit of a mess but with a name like Dirty Dog what should I have expected. I think that it was a bit of mishmosh of flavors but with better cooked bacon I would have enjoyed it a ton more.

Overall MoGo is a really good truck, quick turn around for the food. Great prices. One other knock was there was a limited drink selection the day I went.

My official review (out of 5) would be 3.5 stars (or should I use tires as my unit of measure?).

My New Obsession

2011-05-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

So if you have been following my Twitter or Facebook feed you will note that I have a new obsession. That obsession has a name and that name is Multi-ethnic Food Trucks! I have been on the periphery of this scene for years. 2 years ago I had an amazing taco truck serve food for my 40th birthday party at my house. In the process of researching that I read a number of articles about the high end food truck scene and got intrigued. I know that I am about a year or so late to the pool but I am diving in head first. In the past 5 days I have now eaten at 4 different trucks and will review them 1x1. I will begin to take photos of the food I eat to log it.

Something that helps a ton is Twitter. The trucks post their locations each morning and I can plan my attack if it is a food truck kinda day. I now am following about 31 trucks on this list page : http://twitter.com/#!/mposki/food-trucks. I am beginning to expand my list to SF and SJ trucks as well as with all the tech companies around here they sometimes show up and I want to know when they are around.

Another nerdy tool to find some trucks is TruxMap which serves to show locations of a few of the trucks for that day. Nerdy tools help find interesting food.

Next blog post: Review of MoGo BBQ Food Truck.

Dessert-extravaganza... part 2 - Maple Walnut Ice Cream

2010-12-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

So here is the part 2. Dinner Tuesday will have a dessert of Blondies (basically bar chocolate chip cookies) served with Maple Walnut Ice Cream (a batch was made without nuts for the kids in attendance):

(Adapted from The Keeper's House)

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

1 cup Grade B maple syrup*

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Special equipment: an ice-cream maker

Boil syrup in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in cream, milk, and salt and bring to a boil over moderate heat.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, 1 to 2 minutes (do not let boil).

Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean metal bowl, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in ice-cream maker until soft-frozen, then, with motor running, add nuts. Continue churning ice cream until frozen, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Cooks' notes:
·To cool custard quickly after straining, set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir until chilled.
·Custard can be chilled up to 24 hours.

Dessert-extravaganza... part 1 - Pumpkin Cake

2010-12-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

So this week (Sunday and Tuesday) we are having dinners with old friends we haven't seen in quite some time. For Sunday we are heading to a friends but I offered to make dessert and made something that really turned out well and seemed quite seasonal:

Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake with Caramel and Cream Cheese Frosting

Bon Appétit | November 2008

by Sarah Patterson Scott

Yield: Makes 12 servings

Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides, tapping out any excess flour. Whisk first 9 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat pumpkin, sugar, and oil in another large bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to incorporate between additions. Mix in orange peel. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed just to blend. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 33 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Invert onto rack, then turn top side up and cool completely.

For frosting:

8	ounces cream cheese , softened but still cool
5	tablespoons unsalted butter softened, but still cool
1	tablespoon sour cream
1/2	teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4	cups confectioners' sugar (4 1/2 ounces)

Process cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in clean food processor workbowl until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners' sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.

Assembly:

Using long serrated knife, trim rounded tops from cakes. Place 1 cake layer on cake plate, cut side up. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Place second cake layer, cut side down, atop frosting. Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, creating smooth surface. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome or large bowl and chill. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Sprinkle candied orange peel over top of cake. Cut into wedges and serve.

* Available seasonally at most supermarkets and year-round at specialty foods stores and from chefshop.com.

NOTES: I made this as a 4 layer by cutting each of the cakes in half and doubling the frosting recipe. I also found a candied orange peel recipe online and made em myself...

National Pie Day The Sequel

2010-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

So it has been a long time since I posted a recipe but I figure that pies for Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to post recipes. This year represented 2 new pies, one that I am pleased with in advance of tasting and one that I am skeptical about.

First here is the link to my post about the easiest and because of the ease and the fact that it is flaky and delicious I would say BEST pie crust recipe.

I will start with the pie I like (I have yet to taste either pie but this is the one I am more confident about):

Sweet Potato Pie with a Marshmallow Meringue Topping and Graham Cracker Crust:

This pie basically makes you prepare it over a couple of days (I did 3 - crust, custard then meringue).

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue Bon Appétit | November 2007

Sarah Patterson Scott

The secret to the delicious (and easy) meringue? Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme. Trust us.

Yield: Makes 10 servings

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from about 7 1/2 ounces graham crackers, finely ground in processor)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 to 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Marshmallow Meringue:
1 7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
3 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

For crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding 1 tablespoon melted butter if crumb mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish, building up sides 1/4 inch above rim of dish. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. DO AHEAD: Pie crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover pie crust and let stand at room temperature.

For filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes open and scoop out pulp. Transfer pulp to processor and puree until smooth. Set aside 2 cups sweet potato puree for filling; cool completely (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 2 cups sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until puffed around edges and set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Refrigerate pie at least 4 hours or overnight.

For marshmallow meringue:

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Using rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. Add 1/2 cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks.

Bake pie just until peaks and ridges of marshmallow meringue are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until meringue is cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let pie stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Pie Number 2:

Caramel Apple Pie

For this pie I really think I would have made a true caramel instead of the one in the recipe. I am pretty sure the recipe's caramel came to a soft or hard crack stage but we shall see when I taste it later.

The Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time:: 1 hr 20 min
Inactive Prep Time:: --
Cook Time:: 50 min

Level:: Intermediate

Serves:: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Caramel Apples:

1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the top
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 lemon, halved
8 apples (recommended: Granny Smith and Gala)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cinnamon stick, freshly grated
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and add the cream and wine slowly. It may bubble and spit, so be careful. When the sauce has calmed down, return it to the flame, add the vanilla bean and heat it slowly, until the wine and caramel are smooth and continue to slowly cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return 1 of the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch glass pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense, meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.

Now, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of doughtogether with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the apples.

Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.

Camping Noodles?

2010-04-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

In coordinating a menu with friends for camping I stumbled on this recipe. My friend was making short ribs (delicious I might add) so I decided to stay on the Asian end for an easy to take camping side dish. What follows is a quite good Asian Noodle Salad recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium red bell pepper

1 medium cucumber

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter

2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

2 tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed

hot water

1 tablespoon table salt

1 pound fresh Asian noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 scallions , sliced thin on diagonal

1 medium carrot , grated

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Core, seed, and cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 medium red bell pepper; peel, halve lengthwise, seed, and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices 1 medium cucumber. Toast sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in small bowl.

2. In blender or food processor, puree remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set blender jar or workbowl aside.

3. Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to touch; drain again. In large bowl, toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated.

4. Add bell pepper, cucumber, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with portion of reserved sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro, and serve.

Best Dessert Ever? Maybe not but...

2010-03-19T21:43:00.001-07:00

Had some friends over who were wheat/gluten intolerant so I sought out a recipe that would be friendly and really didn't want to do a chocolate dish. So I found this gem. One of the dietarily challenged kids made the declaration of "best dessert ever." I challenge that but it was quite good. So:

Mango Yogurt Mousse

Yield: Serves 4

1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
2 cups fresh mango purée (about 2 peeled and pitted mangoes) plus mango slices for garnish

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water, let it soften for 1 minute, and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. In a blender blend together the mango purée, the sugar, and the vanilla, add the gelatin mixture, and blend the mixture well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the yogurt. In a chilled bowl beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks, fold it into the mango mixture gently but thoroughly, and divide the mousse among 4 dessert glasses. Chill the mousses for at least 4 hours or overnight. Garnish the mousses with the mango slices.

Sloppy Joe's = Comfort Goodness

2009-12-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Favorite from youth redux! Loved sloppy joe's as a kid and really wanted to make them for my daughter. Part of me being me meant that Manwhich just wasn't going to cut it. Scratch made is where it's at and here it is. I have made them with turkey, beef or buffalo and the deliciousness is quite the same:

Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
4 hamburger buns, split
Barbecue sauce, for topping

Heat oil in a large skillet with straight sides. Add the bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the ground beef to the vegetables. Stir and cook about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, and hot sauce into the skillet. Stir. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun with extra sauce.

Day Late Maybe But...

2009-12-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

So it is that time of year and yes Hanukkah ended yesterday but I FINALLY found a recipe that I enjoy making. My issue with latkes have always been the mess and difficulty matched against the quality. FINALLY - easy, not TOO messy and delicious!

Recipe:

2	pounds Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes, peeled
1	medium yellow onion , peeled and cut into eighths
1	large egg
4	medium scallions , white and green parts, minced
3	tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2	tablespoons flour
1 1/2	teaspoons table salt
	Ground black pepper
1	cup vegetable oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Grate potatoes in food processor fitted with coarse shredding blade. Place half the potatoes in fine mesh sieve set over medium bowl and reserve. Fit food processor with steel blade, add onions, and pulse with remaining potatoes until all pieces measure roughly 1/8 inch and look coarsely chopped, 5 to 6 one-second pulses. Mix with reserved potato shreds in sieve and press against sieve to drain as much liquid as possible into bowl below. Let potato liquid stand until starch settles to bottom, about one minute. Pour off liquid, leaving starch in bowl. Beat egg, then potato mixture and remaining ingredients (except oil), into starch.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/4-inch depth of oil in 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Working one at a time, place 1/4 cup potato mixture, squeezed of excess liquid and pressed into 1/2-inch thick disc, in oil. Press gently with nonstick spatula; repeat until five latkes are in pan.
3. Maintaining heat so fat bubbles around latke edges, fry until golden brown on bottom and edges, about three minutes. Turn with spatula and continue frying until golden brown all over, about three minutes more. Drain on a triple thickness of paper towels set on wire rack over a jelly roll pan. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, returning oil to temperature between each batch and replacing oil after every second batch. (Cooled latkes can be covered loosely with plastic wrap, held at room temperature for 4 hours, transferred to a heated cookie sheet and baked in a 375-degree oven, until crisp and hot, about 5 minutes per side. Or, they can be frozen on cookie sheet, transferred to zipper-lock freezer bag, frozen, and reheated in a 375-degree oven until crisp and hot, about 8 minutes per side). Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Birthday Dinner

2009-12-02T10:34:00.001-08:00

My wife had the choice of anything for dinner tonight (her birthday), what did she choose? Waffles. Makes me smile that the simple things like breakfast for dinner are the things she loves most. Here's the recipe:

The secret to great waffles is a thick batter, so don’t expect to pour this one. Make toaster waffles out of leftover batter—undercook the waffles a bit, cool them on a wire rack, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. Pop them into the toaster for a quick breakfast.

1	cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1	tablespoon cornmeal (optional)
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	egg , separated
7/8	cup buttermilk
2	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat waffle iron. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk yolk with buttermilk and butter.
Beat egg white until it just holds a 2-inch peak.
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in a thin steady stream while gently mixing with a rubber spatula; be careful not to add liquid faster than you can incorporate it. Toward end of mixing, use a folding motion to incorporate ingredients; gently fold egg white into batter.
Spread appropriate amount of batter onto waffle iron. Following manufacturer’s instructions, cook waffle until golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately. (You can keep waffles warm on a wire rack in a 200-degree oven for up to 5 minutes.)

SurPies- Pumpkin

2009-11-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

Traditional but delicious. Fave of my wife and daughter. New recipe:

PUMPKIN PIE

Makes one 9-inch pie. Published November 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

If candied yams are unavailable, regular canned yams can be substituted. The best way to judge doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. The center 2 inches of the pie should look firm but jiggle slightly. The pie finishes cooking with residual heat; to ensure that the filling sets, cool it at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. To ensure accurate cooking times and a crisp crust, the filling should be added to the prebaked crust when both the crust and filling are warm. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute.

INGREDIENTS

Crust
1 1/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	tablespoon sugar
6	tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4	cup vegetable shortening , cold, cut into two pieces
2	tablespoons vodka , cold (see note)
2	tablespoons cold water
Filling
1	cup heavy cream
1	cup whole milk
3	large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
1	(15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1	cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (see note)
3/4	cup sugar
1/4	cup maple syrup
2	teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg
1	teaspoon table salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Crust: Process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake on rimmed baking sheet 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake 5 to 10 additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove pie plate and baking sheet from oven.
6. For the Filling: While pie shell is baking, whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell. Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees), 20 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pie Charting Pt III - Apple

2009-11-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

So I always make an apple pie (every year) and look for fun and different recipes. A favorite is a cranberry ribbon pie but this year I want to try to make a single crust pie with a streusel top.

Apple Pie with Walnut Streusel

Gourmet | January 1996

For topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

For filling:
3 pounds Golden Delicious or Jonagold apples (about 6 medium)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

To make topping:

In a small bowl with your fingertips blend butter, brown sugar, and flour until smooth and blend in nuts. Chill topping, covered.

To make filling:

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 1/2-inch wedges and in a bowl toss with remaining filling ingredients to coat.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fold into quarters for ease of handling. Unfold dough in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 10-inch deep-dish (1 1/2-quart) pie plate, easing to fit and letting dough overhang rim of skillet or pie plate. Spoon filling into shell and fold pastry overhang over filling, leaving center uncovered. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour (pie will not be completely cooked) and remove from oven.

Crumble topping over center of pie, breaking up any large chunks. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake pie in middle of oven 30 minutes more, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool pie on a rack.

Serve pie warm or at room temperature with ice cream.

History of Pies Pt II - Chocolate S'more Pie

2009-11-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

This recipe intrigued me as it involved the making of my own marshmallow cream. I have made marshmallows before and have always enjoyed making it.

Chocolate S'more Pie

Gourmet | November 2006

It's impossible to go wrong with layers of graham, chocolate, and marshmallow. Broiling the gooey top creates an irresistible golden crown that crackles each time the pie is sliced.

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Active Time: 45 min
Total Time: 7 hr

For crust
1 graham cracker crumb crust , baked and cooled completely

For chocolate cream filling
7 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not more than 70% cacao; not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 minutes

For marshmallow topping
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce package)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil for greasing

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

Make chocolate cream filling:

Make graham cracker crumb crust and reserve.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full).

Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.

Make marshmallow topping:

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.

Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260°F, about 6 minutes.

Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and chill 3 hours more.

Brown topping:

Preheat broiler.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.

Pie Time USA - Crust

2009-11-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

So it is that time of year and I am about to start baking me some pies. What follows are the recipes for the 3 pies I am making this year and the crust that I have made each year for the past 3. Easiest and flakiest crust ever.

This crust is a breeze because it uses vodka as part of the liquid which makes the dough pliable but doesn't make it gummy on baking.

odka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).

For one 9-inch Single-Crust Pie

1 1/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	tablespoon sugar
6	tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4	cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 2 pieces
2	tablespoons vodka , cold
2	tablespoons cold water

1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against rim of pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.

If going to blind bake:
5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

Cookies Aren't the Only Things That Start With C

2009-11-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

So it has been a bit of a time since I have posted any recipes so here you get 2 more of our family favorites (with stories).

First story and recipe:

The Cookies!!!! - Described by some as "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies"

This is a recipe I have made somewhere around 1000 times (I am not entirely sure that is even an exaggeration). The recipe comes from the first cookbook I ever owned (I now own over 150) - The Betty Crocker Cookbook. I first started making this cookies in 1992 when I shared an apartment with my friend Dan. They received raves and I have used them as my staple cookie recipe since. There is a bit of an art to them and one of the measurements is haphazardly guessed but they are great.

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredient List:

2 sticks butter softened (I really only keep them out for about 30 minutes at most and often forget to soften them at all - I like cold fat)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2.25 cup all purpose flour (I use the measuring cup straight so in baking terms I end up with a touch more flour than the recipe really calls for but it works)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

~2 or so cups of chocolate chips (this is where it is art I guess. I have NEVER measured out the chips for the recipe, the recipe itself actually only calls for 1 cup. I actually use a lot, I mean a lot a lot!, basically the dough is at a point where it still binds but has a boat load of chips in it - confused yet?)

Steps:

- cream butter and sugars in mixer until smooth

- add egg and mix until incorporated

- sift remaining dry ingredients and add a bit (1/3) at a time until fully incorporated

- add chocolate chips and mix

- I then use a scoop about 1.25 tbspish and scoop all the cookies out onto sheets

- I then hand roll each of the cookies into a perfectish ball and place them on the sheets to cook

- bake until done (between 8 and 10 minutes but will depend on oven)

- remove from oven and cool

- Enjoy!

Recipe #2 and Story #2:

When the wife and I first started shacking up she came with this recipe. Originally the recipe called for meat and Kahlua. Keeping a kosher household and not having a bottle of Kahlua on hand I made a couple of adjustments. This is a recipe that I use and make often (freezes great). Definitely something that I make for parties (ALL parties).

Ingredients:

2 onions - diced

1 green or red or yellow pepper - also diced

2 tbsp oil

1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes - drained

1 can corn - drained

1 can black beans - drained

1 can kidney beans - drained

2tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp chili powder (cut amount in third for kid friendly)

1 tsp cumin (cut amount in third for kid friendly)

1 tsp cayenne pepper (cut amount in third for kid friendly)

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp salt

- Sweat down onions and pepper.

- add rest of ingredients and bring to boil

- simmer for 30 minutes or so - works great in slow cooker

- enjoy!

Rainy Day Foods

2009-10-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Not just because it's raining but more because it is good. So here is the rainy day cure... Tomato soup...

CREAMLESS CREAMY TOMATO SOUP

Serves 6 to 8. Published September 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step 2. Serve this soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for a Crowd or topped with Butter Croutons (see related recipes).

INGREDIENTS

1/4	cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for drizzling
1	medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
	Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1	bay leaf
2	(28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1	tablespoon brown sugar
3	large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2	tablespoons brandy (optional)
1/4	cup chopped fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Absolute Favorite Dinner

2009-08-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

My daughter just turned 6.5 and my wife is BIG on celebrating the half birthdays. With this being said it was decided that daughter got her favorite dinner (which oddly enough is my wife's favorite too). Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

Couple of hints and tricks with pancakes:

1) leave the batter lumpy - if you over mix it you will create gluten and destroy the fluffy and create chewy pancakes. Just get all the dry incorporated and you are good to go, the lumps cook out.

2) when adding stuff (chocolate chips, berries etc...) do it after you have ladled the batter onto the pan by sprinkling them onto the pancakes.

Recipe:

Makes sixteen 4-inch pancakes; Serves 4 to 6. Published July 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.

The pancakes can be cooked on an electric griddle. Set the griddle temperature to 350 degrees and cook as directed. The test kitchen prefers a lower-protein all-purpose flour like Gold Medal or Pillsbury. If you use an all-purpose flour with a higher protein content, like King Arthur, you will need to add an extra tablespoon or two of buttermilk.

INGREDIENTS

2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces) (see note)
2	tablespoons sugar
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
2	cups buttermilk
1/4	cup sour cream
2	large eggs
3	tablespoon unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1 - 2	teaspoons vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Spray wire rack set inside baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; place in oven. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and melted butter. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients; gently stir until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with few streaks of flour). Do not overmix. Allow batter to sit 10 minutes before cooking.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil, leaving thin film of oil on bottom and sides of pan. Using ¼ cup measure, portion batter into pan in 4 places. Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve pancakes immediately, or transfer to wire rack in preheated oven. Repeat with remaining batter, using remaining oil as necessary.

Whatchu talkin' 'bout Fool?

2009-07-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Summer means berries. Dessert means yummy berries. Found a great recipe on the Cook's Illustrated for a berry fool. Had no idea what the heck a fool was but it is basically berries, whipped cream, and berries. Turned out super yummy!

Recipe:

Blueberries or blackberries can be substituted for raspberries in this recipe. You may also substitute frozen fruit for fresh, but there will be a slight compromise in texture. If using frozen fruit, reduce the amount of sugar in the puree by 1 tablespoon. The thickened fruit puree can be made up to 4 hours in advance; just make sure to whisk it well in step 4 to break up any clumps before combining it with the whipped cream. For the best results, chill your beater and bowl before whipping the cream. We like the granular texture and nutty flavor of Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers, but graham crackers or gingersnaps will also work.

INGREDIENTS

2	quarts strawberries (about 2 pounds), washed, dried, and stemmed
1	pint raspberries (about 12 ounces), washed and dried (see note)
1/2	cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar
2	teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1	cup heavy cream
1/4	cup sour cream
1/2	teaspoon vanilla extract
4	Carr's Whole Wheat Crackers , finely crushed (about 1/4 cup) see note
6	sprigs fresh mint leaves (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Process 1 quart strawberries, 1/2 pint raspberries, and 1/2 cup sugar in food processor until mixture is completely smooth, about 1 minute. Strain berry puree through fine-mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup (you should have 2 1/2 cups puree; reserve any excess for another use). Transfer 1/2 cup puree to small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top; stir until gelatin is incorporated and let stand at least 5 minutes. Heat remaining 2 cups puree in small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Transfer gelatin-puree mixture to medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, chop remaining 1 quart strawberries into rough 1/4-inch pieces. Toss strawberries, remaining 1/2 pint raspberries, and 2 tablespoons sugar together in medium bowl. Set aside for 1 hour.
3. Place cream, sour cream, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in chilled bowl of stand mixer. Beat on low speed until bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue beating until beaters leave trail, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high; continue beating until mixture has nearly doubled in volume and holds stiff peaks, about 30 seconds. Transfer 1/3 cup whipped-cream mixture to small bowl and set aside.
4. Remove thickened berry puree from refrigerator and whisk until smooth. With mixer running at medium speed, slowly add two-thirds of puree to whipped-cream mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Using spatula, gently fold in remaining thickened puree, leaving streaks of puree.
5. Transfer uncooked berries to fine-mesh strainer; shake gently to remove any excess juice. Divide two-thirds of berries evenly among 6 tall parfait or sundae glasses. Divide creamy berry mixture evenly among glasses, followed by remaining uncooked berries. Top each glass with reserved plain whipped-cream mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers and garnish with mint sprigs, if using. Serve immediately.

My Favorite Flavor

2009-07-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

My favorite flavor happens to be caramel and more specifically SALTED caramel. Last week I was watching the food network this guy made a simple salted caramel. So I decided to replicate it as best I could to assist in sautéing some bananas to top the dutch baby pancakes we had for dinner tonight.

Recipe:

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3-1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tsp kosher salt

3 bananas - sliced thick

1) melt butter in pan until bubbles subside at medium

2) add sugar and heat until it begins to brown (you will be able to tell by color and smell that it is getting close)

3) add salt

4) reduce heat to med-low and add cream (it will bubble aggressively so don't be freaked) whisking constantly until incorporated

5) add bananas and cook until softened and heated through

enjoy!

Daughter's 2nd Fave Dinner

2009-07-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

For the longest time I hated, loathed, and despised eggplant. Part of my year of change (before I turn 40) I had made the decision to start trying foods I didn't like. On the list of things I didn't like but now like, if not love are: eggplant, squash of any kind, goat cheese among others...

The dinner tonight which has fast become daughter's 2nd fave meal was eggplant parm. Really yummy, a touch complicated, but makes a wonderful dinner.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Use kosher salt when salting the eggplant. The coarse grains don't dissolve as readily as the fine grains of regular table salt, so any excess can be easily wiped away. To be time-efficient, use the 30 to 45 minutes during which the salted eggplant sits to prepare the breading, cheeses, and sauce.

INGREDIENTS

Eggplant
2	pounds globe eggplant (2 medium eggplants), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1	tablespoon kosher salt
8	slices high-quality white bread (about 8 ounces), torn into quarters
1	cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
	Table salt and ground black pepper
1	cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4	large eggs
6	tablespoons vegetable oil
Tomato Sauce
	3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
2	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 generous tablespoon)
1/4	teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2	cup fresh basil leaves chopped
	Table salt and ground black pepper

8	ounces whole milk mozzarella or part-skim mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
1/2	cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10	fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE EGGPLANT: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in colander on top of first. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.
2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses (you should have about 4 cups). Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Wipe out bowl (do not wash) and set aside.
3. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack set over baking sheet. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.
5. FOR THE SAUCE: While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and remaining can of diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer in remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.