The Foodie Thread

I've been meaning to buy his book. Now that I've got an iPad, maybe I'll grab one.

Achatz gets a lot of press, but he appears to be the real deal.

The Tribune just reviewed the latest menu of his new restaurant Next (which reinvents itself every three months):

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-25/features/ct-dining-0825-vettel-next-20110825_1_thai-restaurants-panang-tom-yum

 

This place is a chain based out of Dallas, and the local franchisee is a customer of mine:

http://www.paciugo.com/

For a chain, it's surprisingly good and their flavor choices are incredible:

http://www.paciugo.com/html/products/flavors.php

The best part is, regardless of the size you order, you can get up to three flavors. Check 'em out if you have one in your area.

 

Michelin announces their ratings for New York:

 

This IS the foodie thread:

http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/09/sizzler_food_truck_rolls_out.php

 

I'll see your food truck news and raise you:

http://timeoutchicago.com/restaurants-bars/14973759/big-stars-food-truck-failed-inspection-will-it-go-rogue

 

I miss traveling at a former job where my most frequent travel companion -- a staff photographer -- was, like me, into ethnic food. We'd go off to the wrong side of the tracks to find the Central American joint in Tampa, or head to a Tapas place in Houston or a pho kitchen in New Orleans East (best stuff on earth).

At my current job, the mission among my traveling companions seems to be find a barbeque joint or sports bar. When I was in Omaha for the CWS a couple years back I wanted to go to a pretty good Persian place (Ahmad's) in Old Market but I couldn't find anybody who would go. I finally went on my own a couple of days before our departure (and I was there for the whole, grueling two-plus weeks). I do recommend Ahmad's as a change of pace if you get tired of eating steak over there.

As a food snob, that's my current desire: A travel party that does not necessarily rally to the nearest Mugshots or Sonny's.

 

Too bad I'm not on the road with you! I love interesting ethnic food. Luckily here in the office we have lots of vegetarians and foodies so we're always trying new Thai and Indian places. A few weeks ago when I was in Bloomington, my friends and I had Ethiopian food. That was fantastic. First time for that.

 

Foodies can be an obnoxious group but the coffee crowd is the worst. Oh, and I love coffee.

Um, yes I know your coffee is certified organic, shade grown, fairly traded, and bird friendly.

Get it.

Get that you don't understand the concept of a double double. But you guys can be pretentious douches. Get over yourselves.



And my fav:

 

I posted that on some thread here. Those made me laugh so hard. And I'm OK with the fact that picture memes make me happy.

 

Cue up the old Ethiopian food jokes ("I thought the problem with those people is that they DIDN'T have food, yada, yada...").

I actually found an Ethiopian place in Omaha. It was too far off the beaten path to give it a shot though. I was able to walk to Ahmad's.

One of the cool things about my current neighborhood is right outside the neighborhood, there's a good Thai place, a good Indian place, an outstanding Lebanese joint and (this used to be considered exotic) the best Chinese in town. I have to go a couple miles down the road to find a decent bowl of Pho, but that's ok. Lots at my fingertips here.

I'm still convinced that the best restaurant in my town is a little Honduran place.

I owe a lot of my ethnic tastes to going to NYC every summer for years when I either had a friend in school up there (a college buddy went to Queens College for law) or had family up there (my sister moved up there from about 96-2002). For the longest time, the most unusual, off-the-wall thing I had tried was Tibetan food in the East Village about a block from Bowery (a little place called Angy Monk that I don't think is there any longer). And what do you know? We have a Nepalese place in my town now and it's similar.

Been a while since I've been to the Nepali place. Now I'm craving. Hope it's open on Sunday.

Also, there was a good cheap curry place on Lexington in Manhattan called Curry in a Hurry where, as a youngster (early 20's), I gained a taste for these flavors. I've had much better than that place since -- the old Bombay Kitchen on Westheimer in Houston was really good -- but Curry in a Hurry will always have a place in my heart for opening the floodgates. It wasn't the first Indian place I went to, but for some reason, I enjoyed the meal there that day and it made me seek out that kind of food elsewhere. It was the catalyst.

 

The Lost Art of Buying From a Butcher

Oh, and if you want pork belly, check out your local Asian market.

This one is my favorite: http://www.hmart.com/company_new/shop_main.asp

It's in the burbs, but is worth the trip. Their produce and meats are incredible.

They're also in New jersey, California, Texas, etc.