Ratamacue Stew

Carrying on a bit of a swine theme, I had dinner earlier this week with my friend Dan at The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, FL.  The Ravenous Pig is an American gastropub experience, set against the backdrop of the cozy and comfortable neighborhood ambiance of downtown Winter Park.  Their extensive menus range from traditional pub fare to raw bar offerings, creative salads, house-made pastas and the freshest seafood and bistro classics available anywhere.

I must say I really like the gastro pub scene.  Whether it's The Green Well here in Grand Rapids, The Purple Pig in Chicago, or The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, the food is fantastic, the ambiance is casual and relaxed yet trendy and energizing.  Another great new venue Cindee and I have recently started frequenting that should also be mentioned among these other fine establishments is Brewery Vivant.  It's a new brewery/pub here in Grand Rapids devoted to using local sources for ingredients and running their business according to the three pillars of sustainability; Environmental Integrity, Social Equity, and Economic Viability.  But, I digress.  I'm sure I'll come back to blog about Brewery Vivant in the future.

Back to dinner at "The Rav".  Reservations are recommended as when I tried to make same day reservations, the earliest we could get a table was 8:45 (on a Wednesday night).  We took our chances and went there hoping to be able to find a seat in the bar where we could eat from the full dinner menu.  Luck was on our side and we were able to slip in to the last two seats in the bar without having to wait.

We started with drinks.  I had The Ravenous Pig Old Fashioned which used bacon infused Buffalo Trace bourbon, vanilla maple syrup, and bitters.  A very similar drink to one I make myself with my own homemade bacon infused bourbon.  Dan had a Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti beer.  It's from Denver, CO and is a Russian Imperial Stout infused with espresso and aged in oak barrels.  A phenomenal beer to be sure.  Later on I had a second drink, a Rye Mule, which is Michter's Rye, Captain Eli's Ginger beer, and muddled lime.  Another familiar drink given I got my start with whisky drinking that traditional Canadian mixed drink, Rye & Ginger Ale before I eventually moved on to single malt's.

Below are pictures of what we had for appetizer's, dinner, and dessert.  A note to Kathleen that Dan not only ate goat cheese at this meal but also one other night this week . . . . . and liked it!  I wasn't supposed to tell you that. ;-)

Shrimp and Grits local royal red shrimp, c & d mill grits, green tomato chutney, chorizo oil

House-made Charcuterie and Artisan Cheese sopressata, pepperoni, brown sugar fennel, grilled speck-wrapped dates, chicken liver mousse, smoked rabbit sausage, benon chalais soft cow's milk cheese, beecher 'the truckle' reserve cheddar, lardo, house pickles, grain mustard

Veal Chop wild mushroom bread pudding, roasted garlic puree, porcini oil

Suckling Pig and Bay Scallops lantern bay scallops and braised suckling pig, king farms romanesco, apple salad

"Pig Tails" warm cinnamon-sugar tossed fritters, chocolate expresso sauce

The Purple Pig

I was in Chicago on business earlier this week with several co-workers and we were pondering where to eat dinner on a Sunday night.

Being dressed in jeans, somewhat tired from the trip, and not wanting a formal dining experience, we contemplated our options.  Aside from the typical steak houses which were easy to find and not very interesting to me personally, I consulted my trusty smartphone and looked to Yelp to provide a more diverse selection for us to consider.

As reliable as ever, Yelp spit back a myriad of choices and my eye caught The Purple Pig.  While the name drew me initially, when I reviewed the menu I was sold.  Next challenge, convince my work colleagues to agree to eat at this restaurant with me.  Tolerant of my excitement and willing to take a risk trusting I wouldn't steer them wrong, we walked the 100 yards from our hotel to The Purple Pig.

Needless to say, by the end of the night, all three of my co-workers stated they were happy we went to The Purple Pig and that had I not suggested it, they would not likely have chosen it on their own.  So, I took that as a compliment and was appreciative of their adventurous spirit to try something unique and unusual.

The menu is fantastic and we let our waiter create our dining experience by making our selections for us.  He did not steer us wrong, gave us a number of the dishes we were interested in trying, and left me wanting for more as there were many things on the menu which I didn't have a chance to try.

The full menu the night we ate there is further down this blog post.  I don't know how frequently the menu changes and wanted to remember the choices we had that evening.  But, our dinner consisted of the following small plates:

- Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette
  (I actually didn't taste this one.  I don't eat beats.  They are poisonous!)

- Lardo Crostini

- Fried Cardoons

Dry Thyme - 3 tablespoons
Dry Rosemary - 3 tablespoons
Garlic, Finely Chopped - 2 tablespoons
Coarse Ground Black Pepper - 3 tablespoons
Coarse Salt - 2 tablespoons

When you're done applying the rub, your hands are a mess.  But are they ever finger licking good!

Cook the roast at 200 degrees for about four hours.  I actually use a thermometer to monitor the roast and when it gets to an internal temp of 118 degrees, it's time to take it out of the oven and proceed to the next step.
With the roast out of the oven and covered up with tin foil, crank the oven up to 500 degrees and let it settle there for 15 minutes.  Put the roast back in and cook for another 15 minutes to get a nice crust built up.  Take the roast out of the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Roast w/Van Ball's Seasoning

Roast with Dry Rub

Cooked, Carved, and Ready to Serve

Regular Poutine

If you don't know what poutine is, just ask your local Canadian. A staple in the Canadian diner cuisine, poutine is normally a greasy spoon bowl full of unctuous goodness.  A simple recipe really: a bowl of french fries slathered generously with beef gravy and topped with fresh cheese curds.  What's not to love! You may find slight variants of this recipe but the basic premise is the same.  Or maybe not . . . . . 

With the first major storm of the season in full swing, the wind is whipping outside, snow is swirling around the trees, snow drifts cover the backyard, and it's a good day to be inside. Spending a late Sunday afternoon watching football, it seemed only appropriate to have a fire in the fireplace.  Longing for something warm to drink to top of my football & fire afternoon, I made a drink that came from Food Network's Aaron "Big Daddy" McCargo.  Below is the recipe that Cindee has proclaimed to be her new favorite drink.  We will certainly be making more of it this holiday season.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Dash ground cinnamon
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Boiling water

Directions

The following is a description of an amazing wine I've had before and want to remember for future reference.  It's pricey but if you have the chance to try it, you'll not be disappointed!

98 points - Robert Parker, 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.  A prodigious example of Dominus, the 2007 represents a hypothetical blend of a Pomerol, Pauillac, and a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep ruby/purple-colored with a sweet nose of incense, cedar wood, black currants, black cherries, licorice, and a subtle hint of roasted herbs, it is an expansive, savory, opulent wine with a full-bodied mouthfeel, silky tannins, and sensational concentration. A legend in the making, it should evolve for 25-30 years, possibly longer given the fact that his vintages from the early eighties are still going strong, and the wines today are better made given Moueix's Napa experience and the estate winery he did not have 25 years ago.

I love barbeque.  Plain and simple.  Over the past several years, I've enjoyed experimenting with different types of meat on the smoker and learning how to create the perfect rub, the right baste, and the creation that results from hours upon hours over low indirect heat and the magical flavors that come out of this alchemy.

Recently, I have been particularly enamored with Carolina style barbecue.  Or, in my terms, a yellow mustard based sauce that you mix in with pulled pork for a very tangy, smoky flavor.  At work, they actually make a reasonably decent mustard based pulled pork recipe.  Upon asking for and receiving the recipe, I was quite disappointed to find mass produced sauces used to make the barbecue I had come to love.  No chance at repeating that recipe so I set out to find a similar one and was successful in doing so.

This Labor Day weekend, we decided to smoke a pork shoulder with the intent of making pulled pork sandwiches with my new found recipe.  What resulted was a pork shoulder roast that was so good, we ate it sliced up in stead of shredded.

Start with a grill itching to go to work:

Season pork shoulder with appropriate Rub:

The picture does no justice to the smells this baby puts off.

Spotted Cow Carolina pork shoulder, homemade coleslaw, and paired with a Napa Valley Petit Syrah.

While in San Francisco recently, I took my brother out for his birthday to Luce, a restaurant lead by Iron Chef competitor Dominique Crenn.  She recently competed on Iron Chef America and beat one of my favorite chef's, Michael Symon.  She wasn't at the restaurant the evening we ate there and since it was a Sunday, the tasting menu was also not available.  That certainly didn't deter us from having a very enjoyable meal as you can see from the pictures below.

Sweet Corn Soup w/Basil Oil

2006 Opus One Meritage (an exceptional wine)

Venison Tartare Lightly Flamed, Apple and Cauliflower, Mint and Rye Bread Cream

Black Ink Trofiette "Carbonara", Baby Squid, Smoked Pancetta, Slow Cooked Organic Egg

"12 Hours" Lamb Belly, Lamb Loin, Petite Summer Squash and Fava Beans

Beef Tenderloin "Medium rare" Summer Vegetable "Pot au Feu"

Peach Skin Porridge, Crushed Sesame, Pistachio, White Peach Sorbet

Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Soil, Chocolate "Dehydrated", Chocolate "Ice", Basil and Mint

Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I likely may not have believed it.  But, yes, you are reading correctly, there is a place called Voodoo Doughnut and it's in Portland, OR.  It's a great place for your morning coffee and doughnut fix or to pick up a doughnut voodoo doll to curse whatever or whomever ails you.  Complete with a gothic sense of humor, this landmark institution has three locations in Portland.  They also do weddings believe it or not!

While on vacation in the Pacific Northwest, the first night of our trip we had an opportunity to eat at another restaurant famed for the chef having been on Iron Chef America and beaten the Iron Chef competitor.  Maria Hines was on just a few weeks ago and beat Morimoto.  Inspired by her victory, we had to eat at her restaurant in Seattle.

Tilth features New American cuisine prepared with certified-organic or wild ingredients sourced from as many local farmers as they are able to support.  The executive chef and owner, Maria Hines, is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef of the Northwest as well as one of Food & Wine Magazine's 10 Best new Chefs of 2005.  In 2008, the New York Times deemed Tilth one of the best new restaurants in the country.  Tilth received its organic certification from Oregon Tilth, an unaffiliated organization that promotes sustainability.

Great food, great wine, family, and lots of laughter made this an evening we'll remember for a very long time.