The Sour Dough

Blog Party #34: The Scooby Gang Hangs

May 15th, 2008 by breadchick

One of the things I love about Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness Blog Parties are the inventive themes. This month is no different with the theme for the 34th installment, The Buffy Bash where we are invited to celebrate all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I came late to Buffy, mostly because I don’t watch a lot of TV. But, last year at this time, I was spending all that time in my rented room in Fairfield and I discovered Buffy mostly owing to the episodes being available online. While not necessarily high art, the series was highly entertaining and I admit I did get sucked into the Buffyverse.

I also admit that unlike most of the themes for the Stephanie’s other Blog Parties, I had a hard time trying to decide what I was going to bring. First, I thought I would make a knock-off version of Jaffa Cakes, Giles favourite snack but I ran out of time to get into the kitchen to play with the few ideas I had to replicate these jammie delicacies. Finally, last night inspiration struck in the form of a slice of Kraft Cheese.

I was in the Market Basket, my little neighborhood grocery, picking up some yogurt and a couple of limes for the drink I was making to bring to the Blog Party, when the grocer and I got off on a tangent about Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. We were comparing notes on our favorite places to get them when we visit Philly when he said sometimes he gets a craving for one but can’t get down to Philly to have one so he makes them at home by frying up very thin sliced steak and dropping three slices of Kraft Singles on top and then puts it all on a Martin’s Potato Roll. While he was waving around a package of Kraft Singles, I had visions of The Cheeseman chanting “I wear the cheese; the cheese does not wear me” from Restless, the last episode of Season 4.

Deciding to put his homemade recipe to the test for The Buffy Bash, I had him shave me some steak, picked up a package of Martin’s Potato Long Roll and Kraft Singles and trotted home to put all the ingredients together. While it wasn’t quite a Philly Cheese Steak, it was darn good and so I bring to the party to share, The Cheeseman Stake Sandwich.

To wash down that sandwich, I’m bringing a shaker full of a martini style drink named after the actor who played more monsters than any other in all of movie history, Boris Karloff.

While not completely Buffy related, I like to think that if one of Boris’ monsters showed up on a TV show, he would have shown up in Sunnydale…

The Boris Karloff

1 part gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
1 part tonic
1 part cranberry juice
dash vermouth
squeeze of lime juice
thin slice of lime

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice combine all the ingredients and shake well. With a slice of lime, rim a well chilled martini glass and pour contents of shaker into glass. Garnish with slice of lime.

Posted in Wine/Drinks, Blogging Events, Recipes | Permalink | |

Friday’s Leftover Thoughts

May 9th, 2008 by breadchick

The crazy work hours are finally settling down a bit meaning I might actually get into the kitchen this upcoming week before I head off for my next round of business travel. In fact, this week I only worked 45 hours down from the average of 60+ the past few weeks.

I’ve had some technical difficulties this week with my digital camera. Last week while I was trying to upload some pictures I had taken for a certain post (yet to be posted because the pictures are vital to the post), my camera just quit. I thought it was the cable but I’ve since gotten the new cable and the thing is still not working. I had been wanting a new digital camera for a bit so now it looks like I’ve been forced into the market for one. Visiting a Best Buy over the weekend will be tops on my list, along with a stop at a gardening center or two.

My landlord has given me permission to use the containers he has in the barn to make a garden on my deck so I’ve been busy planning what I’m going to plant all spring. Of course, since I’ve been working like I have, I haven’t been able to plant anything yet. Which is too bad because the spring first greens season is just about over. Hopefully the monsoons we are currently having will be gone by tomorrow so I can get a little time on Sunday playing in the dirt.

All this leisure time this week hasn’t gone wasted in regards to my kitchen either. Besides actually fixing myself something besides cold cereal or a stop at Subway for a 6″ turkey on whole wheat on the way home (I know, I know…but a girl’s got to eat!), I made a delicious crab dip for the first “Girls with G&Ts” evening of the season on Wednesday night that was a hit with the ladies. I even managed to get my first mosquito bite of the season sitting by the lovely stream as dusk set in!

Tuesday night I served a strawberry rhubarb tart I made from the last of the frozen rhubarb in my freezer at a new neighbor’s open house. I got to use my new French tart pan I received as a special present from a friend and make another batch of my go to all purpose pie/tart crust, Alice Water’s simple tart crust. I know I’ve sung the virtues of this crust here before but let me hit the high notes about it again. I have never had better success with a pie crust than with this one. The recipe makes enough for two 10″ tarts and after pressing the dough into the pan and then trimming off the edges I had enough scraps to make a little strawberry emblem for the center.

Last night it was a fun filled night of caviar dreams and champagne wishes because I attended a champagne tasting courtesy of the gentleman I’ve begun to see as they say in polite Connecticut horse country, “socially”. The purpose of the tasting, hosted by a very well known champagne house, was to show that champagne can be paired with even the most pedestrian of foods. There were mini hamburgers, buffalo wings, grilled cheese sandwiches, and even Chicago and NYC style hotdogs at the party. What surprised me the most was how good the pink champagne was with a grilled braut! I always think of pink champagne as a dessert drink or as part of my favorite cocktails to order when I’m feeling like Deborah Kerr in a 1950’s high society barn burner. OK, I’ve also been known to buy a bottle of $4.99 Cook’s and clean house while drinking it straight from the bottle with a straw but that is another story. After last night, I’m pretty sure that when I have my friends over for the first grilling of the season, there will be a bottle or two of champagne in the cooler right next to the beer. I’m just going to make sure it isn’t a school night because after all that champagne last night I had a bit of a champagne headache this morning!

Wednesday night was also the first night I’ve watched “Top Chef” real time in weeks. I’m pretty sure I saw my Tivo having the DTs while I was watching the Wedding Wars episode. I have to say of all the seasons this season is kind of like watching a lead balloon try to gain altitude. First, I think we need to change the name of the season to “Top Whiner” or “Top Set Dresser with Hefty Products”. Am I the only one who thinks all the gratuitous shots of Glad Ware, Anheuser Bush products in the “stew room” (yes, that “high quality” wine and beer they are drinking back there are all brands owned by AB), and the wonderful prizes offered by the sponsors versus the opportunities to cook with the guest judges has taken away from the idea that this concept was suppose to be a launching pad for yet unknown talent? The only reason I kept my cable subscription this spring was to watch the end of Project Runway and Top Chef. If this season is any indication of what Season 5 has in store for us and with Project Runway moving to Lifetime Television and LA (hmm, I’m seeing lots more soap opera and lots less fashion in PR’s future. What will Tim Gunn wake up and realize it was all a dream?), I’m going to cancel cable and increase my Netflix subscription.

While we are still on Top Chef, if anyone who is producing over there at Bravo happens to read this, since you are in the process of casting this week for Season 5, how about we have a few less catering challenges and few more real cooking challenges. Oh, and one more idea for you, how about instead of introducing us to the already selected chefs the first episode, how about you show us a “whittle down to 16″ relay race ala this past episode’s Quickfire Challenge for the first episode. I love the relay race (remember Hung’s lightening fast chicken dismemberment last season and Step sure whipped that mayo this season) not to mention Tom Colicchio’s facial expressions as he watches the tasks over the shoulders of the contestants are hysterical.

Finally, when I woke up this morning, the only dinner plans I had for tonight was some home made Wonton Soup I’ve been drooling over since I saw them over at Sher’s What Did You Eat yesterday, a bottle of wine and a good long chat with my soulmate in Kamloops to dish about food, our lives and get snarky about a thing or two. Unfortunately, Sara has been roped into some type of work thing that had already altered our plans for a blabfest by 24 hours. Which is probably a good thing considering about an hour ago my cellphone rang and Mr. Thirty-Two Foot Sailboat informed me his dinner plans with two business partners also fell through.

Looks like this Cinderella needs to go get out of her cleaning rags and put that ball gown on because she has seats to stare at Patrick Stewart for a few hours and listen to some of the scariest words ever spoken backstage (you know it’s bad luck to say Macbeth backstage right?) followed by after theater drinks and dinner somewhere he isn’t telling me. All I’ve been told is bring my dancing shoes.

I hope he doesn’t mean my disco shoes…

Posted in Life, Cooking, Blogging | Permalink | |

Sorta Food Related…It’s Paris After All!

May 6th, 2008 by breadchick

I’m off to Paris again!

I found out yesterday that a project I’m working on is going to “require” (he-he) me to be in Paris from June 9 - 12; meaning I’ll be spending my 41st birthday in Paris this year. To celebrate, I’ve decided I’m flying over on Friday June 7th and spending the weekend on my own. You ask, what could be wrong with any of this? Well, I started booking my travel this morning and found that my hotel where I always stay when I’m in Paris has no rooms.

Here is my dilemma: Do I book another hotel in the area like my second choice, where I’ve had pleasant stays before or do I explore a new neighborhood? (An apartment is out of the question as part of my stay will be a business expense picked up by my client.)

The cons to exploring a new neighborhood are:

• The 15th is “my” neighbourhood when I am in Paris. It is where I know the green grocers, the bakeries, where to buy my cheese and wine and where to go to get a late night bowl of onion soup. I love this part of Paris and the thought of being in Paris and not staying in the area pains me.
• Hotels in Paris can be a nightmare. Luckily, I have only had one or two bad experiences in Paris before I found my little gem of a hotel on the border of the 15th and 6th arrondisments. But, I really don’t want to spend my special birthday weekend hassling with an awful hotel.
• See #1

The pros to exploring a new neighbourhood are:

• Paris is a city of hidden gems. I am always afraid that because I am so comfortable on the Left Bank (I’m a Rive Gauche Girl) that I am missing all the special places the Right has to offer. Yes, I’ve explored the neighborhoods of the other side but you really don’t get to know a neighborhood in Paris until you spend your nights and early mornings there. Once the sun goes down and the shops close or before the shops open, a neighborhood has such a different feel. I love walking down to a small store at 8pm to pick up one last bottle of wine to go with the half a baguette and hunk of cheese I bought earlier in the evening. I like to explore local shops and sit in the local bistro for a late supper. Perhaps I’d find that I like the 4th just as well as I like the 6th if I booked a hotel there. Maybe the 16th is every bit as friendly as the 15th. I don’t know because I’ve never been in either of those neighborhoods except to sight see and maybe have dinner with friends.
• A few people in my life know I am working to retire to Paris for at least part of the year. Not that I’m retiring any time soon but if it all goes according to plan, I will be retiring in about ten years. Everything I’ve read about retiring to Paris says to try a long term stay in as many of the neighborhoods as possible to find the one that fits you best. I could consider the week I’m going to be there trying on a new neighborhood to see if I like it any better than the 15th (which is where I was planning on living).

So, what do you think, book a hotel in my usual neighborhood or strike out and test the waters in a different part of Paris?

Where do you stay when you are in Paris? Tell me why I should try your neighborhood!

Posted in Paris | Permalink | |

Blogging By Mail: Little Things That Equal a Huge Pick-Me-Up

May 4th, 2008 by breadchick

I have been remiss of much of late but mostly I have been remiss in writing here. I wish I could tell you that has been because I’ve been off traveling to some exotic locale where I ate wonderful meals and mingled with the most interesting of people but, unfortunately, the truth is rather boring… I’m still working stupid, crazy hours at work (averaging 60+ hours for the past three weeks) and when I’m not working, I’ve had a few personal things that have kept me from The Sour Dough and the kitchen. But, with a little luck and a few more days of these hours, it looks like I may have weathered the worst of the storm.

There have been a few bright spots the past few weeks however and one of the brightest was in the form a little box that traveled all the way from Down Under and arrived on a day when I most needed a pick me up!

Even the very neglected LB enjoyed receiving the package and helped me rip open the brown paper covered box.

My surprise package was sent on its journey to me by Tara of Should You Eat That, a funny food blogger and fellow Daring Baker. Tara was my partner for this turn of Blogging By Mail, the popular package swap event hosted by Stephanie, who writes at Dispensing Happiness. This pass of BBM carried the theme of “Little Things” and we were suppose to send to our paired blogger a few of our favourite little things (I was paired with a nice girl from Germany, Lena who while not having a blog does have a Flickr page showing all the swaps she participates in, including some snap shots of the package I sent her).

Like last time when I received J’s fabulous package, it appears that Tara and I have much in common when it comes to little things. I am amazed at all the little things Tara was able to pack into such a small box! Starting with a lovely red tea towel

and ending with all manner of much appreciated food stuffs, including a tube of Vegemite and one of my all time favourite Aussie treats, Tim Tams!

Tara must have read about my love of little spoons, because she included just the cutest spoon with strawberries on top that now resides in my jam jar; currently filled with the last of my summer strawberry preserves.

She also included an egg separator, sure to come in handy with all the baking I have coming up very soon (and something I had on my kitchen gadget wish list). A few of the many other things in my box of joy were Cadbury chocolate bars, tea and cocoa mix, springy flower magnets for my fridge, tiny post-it notes (Tara, who did you KNOW of my post-it obsession??!), mini tubes of M&M’s, Skittles, and Nerds, some spices including something called Bush Spices which I’ve been sprinkling liberally on salads, in scrambled eggs, and roasted potatoes, teeny tiny muffin papers, a cake tester, and another item that has long been on my kitchen wish list, a honey pot. Tara was also so thoughtful to include a few recipes that she is famous for, M&M Chocolate Chip cookies and some most incredible brownies that are currently baking in my oven, Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies.

Thanks to Tara for all the lovely gifts. I promise I will enjoy each and every one of them (including the Vegemite!) and thanks to Stephanie for all the hard work she puts in to pairing all of us who sign up for Blogging By Mail.

Posted in Blogging Events | Permalink | |

Spring Tour of the Yard and a Surpising Edible Discovery

April 24th, 2008 by breadchick

Well, I’m working those stupid hours again. Meaning there isn’t any cooking going on in my kitchen other than the kind that includes pouring milk over the cereal and fruit at 10pm when I finally walk through the front door.

Tonight though I absolutely refused to let the short New England spring pass me by. The past two days it has been in the middle 70s and not a cloud in the sky. So, at 6pm I called it a day and walked out into the sun. After feeding a surprised LB, who if this work schedule keeps up is going to have to learn to pop the cat food tin open on his own, I fixed myself a nice gin and tonic and decided to tour the yard and admire the spring flowers in all their glory.

Daffodils are my favourite flower and while they start showing up in their forced form in middle February, it isn’t until late April and early May that the bulbs in the yard show their pretty yellow

and white and orange heads.

My landlord and his wife planted quite a few daffodils and tulips while they lived in the house. They also planted lots of other flowers I can’t identify. Like these lovely little purple-blue creatures

Then there are these exploding fire cracker like blue and white flowers

They must have liked blue because these are all over the side yard

and while it is really on my Indian neighbor’s yard, who are currently cooking with the most wonderful smelling spices, I can’t help but admire this red, red bush.

Flowers aren’t the only thing my landlord and his wife left me. She had an herb garden and when they moved to their new house, she left it behind. Apparently these are some hardy herbs because the tarragon has re-emerged.

The most surprising thing I found in my tour of the yard though were the clumps and clumps of wild onions and chives.

Between the tarragon and the chives, I can’t wait to forage in my yard for the makings of an herb omelette…

when the work craziness slows down that is.

Posted in CT, Uncategorized | Permalink | |

When the Babes Bake A Pie That’s Amore!

April 19th, 2008 by breadchick

Sometimes a girl just has to have a big slice of pizza pie and wash it down with a tall glass of cold beer and sometimes a girl wants to have a bunch of her friends over, make some dough and craft her own house special.

When my crazy work schedule made it impossible for me to be Host Kitchen for the Bread Baking Babes this month, Tanna stepped right up and led us to the pizza parlor to make Maggie Glezer’s Sullivan Street Potato Pizza.

Ironically, this recipe is from the same book, Artisan Baking, that Karen selected the Royal Crown Tortano and plunged us all back in the wet end of the dough pool as well with a 109% hydration dough. The plus of this was we would get a really crisp crust, which as far as I am concerned is the way pizza should be. The only problem was I never got the dough to come together the way the recipe said it should.

After forty full minutes of kneading with Isabelle all I had was soup. I wasn’t feeling Babe-like at all. I pressed on and tried to bake it with the potatoes, onions, and rosemary and ended up with a black mess that set off the smoke detector and made LB run from the room to hide under the bed, not to be seen the rest of the night. Running out the back door into the wet Connecticut night with a smoking mass of potato pizza, I tossed it into my compost pile with plans to take funny pictures the next morning.

But when I went out the next morning to take a picture of the mess all that was left was one lone mass of potato.

I guess the neighborhood cats and squirrels must have had a pizza party in my backyard over night.

Across the country, Tanna, our queen of pushing recipes to their max, was also struggling with Maggie’s pizza dough. Actually a cry was heard from across the Atlantic as well as one of our sisters in crime, Gorel, showed us her ocean of dough running down and across her pan. I think she was contemplating getting the surf board out as it truly was soup with waves.

After much chatter on our private blog, Queen Tanna came back with another pizza dough option, Daniel Leader’s Genzano Potato Pizza. This dough promised to be a bit more solid with only 80% hydration. Taking my water wings off, I dove right in. This dough came together very nicely after about 15 minutes had it clearing the bowl. Two hour and a half rising times later I had pizza dough that was ready to go.

Because it was just me, I divided the dough into two balls and threw one into the freezer for later use. The other half I got ready to roll out

OK, confession time here. Once I got the dough rolled out I just couldn’t bring myself to put potatoes on top of pizza. I’m sorry Tanna. I don’t blame you and the girls if you run me out of town on a rail and revoke my special BBB panties for not using potatoes (hangs my head low with shame). But, every time I thought about this pizza as I was waiting for the dough to rise all I saw was the pizza I have grown to love from Amerigo Pizza, my local pizza place; a delightful combination of a crispy crust pizza topped with fresh tomato, basil, and capers.

Once I got this lovely dough rolled out I just couldn’t bring myself to top it with potatoes when I could top it with this

See! Isn’t it lovely? Doesn’t look fresh and inviting? It was like looking at spring on dough.

The Leader dough baked super crisp but had a nice chewy inside. I do admit, I left it in a bit longer than the recipe called for because I like really crisp crust. But, when the pizza came out of the oven, it was as if Amerigo had delivered a hot pie to my house.

I’ll definitely be making this crust again and I’m excited I have a ball of dough in the freezer to use very soon.

Check out all my Bread Baking Babes, A Fridge Full of Food (Glenna), Bake My Day (Karen), Cookie Baker Lynn (Lynn), I Like to Cook (Sara), Living on Bread and Water (Monique), Lucullian Delights (Ilva), My Kitchen in Half Cups (Tanna), Grain Doe (Gorel), Notitie van Lien (Lien), Thyme of Cooking (Katie), and What Did You Eat (Sher) to see how the pizza should have looked with the potato on top. Now that I’m looking at all those pizzas maybe I’ll be able to put potatoes on top.

Also, if you want to join us as a Bread Baking Buddy for this pizza party, go visit our Host Kitchen, Tanna and bake either Maggie’s or Daniel’s pizza some time this week. Send her a note with a link to your post if you have a blog or drop her an email with picture of your pizza and she’ll send you a nifty badge for your blog and include you our monthly round-up!

Posted in Bread Baking Babes | Permalink | |

A Simple Last Supper

April 16th, 2008 by breadchick

There are nights when I’m traveling for business that I just don’t feel like going out on the town and having a huge meal and lots of adult beverages with my colleagues. These nights typically follow either a hedonistic dinner the night before or are the last meal I have before boarding an airplane for a really long flight.

If it is the last night on a long trip, quite often I’ll order a simple salad and a bowl of fruit from room service and spend the evening in my pjs packing to navigate airport security the next day. But if I’m in a city I particularly love, like London or Paris, I will pack and then venture out to a small restaurant off the tourist path to enjoy one last meal with the locals. This last meal on this particular trip was no exception especially now that I’ve added Moscow to one of my favourite cities to visit.

On this night, I didn’t need to venture far to find a good light meal containing all the local delicacies. All I had to do is push down on the elevator and wander to the Diamond Bar for a light supper that included a plate of smoked fish, a small lobster, and caviar

and some fresh from the griddle bread.

To finish my meal I had a piece of hazelnut mousse cake and washed it all down with a glass of Russian champagne (OK, maybe there were two or three of these!).

Since you can’t take Russian rubles with you when you leave and the exchange rate back to US dollars is awful, it is best to try and spend as many of them as you can before you leave. Luckily, I had just a little more than needed to pay my bill in cash and leave just enough for a Russian Kit Kat bar at the airport.

I somehow don’t think this is the type of light meal I’m having tomorrow night…

Posted in Food Travel | Permalink | |

Why I Love Breakfast in Europe

April 16th, 2008 by breadchick

For those of you that know me, you know that breakfast is my favourite meal. It doesn’t matter whether it is a bowl of cold cereal with morning sun warmed strawberries and cream or a big plate of eggs benedict from my local breakfast joint on a Sunday. Sometimes I even eat breakfast for dinner.

But no place do I love breakfast more than when I’m in Europe. I’m in love with the buffet breakfasts served at the hotels I stay at when I’m on business. The variety of foods served range from cold cuts, cheese, and pickles to petit fours. The only constant for me no matter London, Milan, Moscow, Paris or Rome is I always have a pot tea with milk and one lump for breakfast. I love the little pots of tea made with loose tea. Even the bags of tea taste better when I’m sipping a cup in Europe.

In London, the K&K George serves breakfast in a lovely sun filled room and the scrambled eggs, broiled mushrooms and tomatoes, rasher bacon and scones are to die for. In Moscow, it is the smoked fish and caviar at the Golden Ring and the pots of dark Russian tea. In Rome, it is the fruit and meats served with crusty bread at the Hotel Delle Nazioni.

The only place I don’t partake of the hotel breakfast is in Paris. I always stay at the same hotel, Ville Des Artistes. It is located about 2o steps from the Metro stop, Vavin and the famed Le Dome and La Coupole restaurant. But for me, these restaurants don’t hold a candle to the pot of tea and croissant I get for petit dejeuner at the bakery on the corner.

I sit at a stool facing the street the school kids walk down on their way to morning classes, read Le Monde and sip my tea while planning my day.

Posted in Food Travel, Paris | Permalink | |

Back From the Dead…

April 12th, 2008 by breadchick

Did you miss me?!

Bet you have been wondering where in the world I’ve been!! Well, that is a story for another morning when I have a bit more time than right now. Suffice it to say that The Sour Dough has been on an unplanned hiatus due to technical difficulties.

You see last week Earthlink telepathically determined that we wanted to terminate our high speed internet service and authorized Comcast, who provides the actual Earthlink cable internet service in Cambridge, MA where the server The Sour Dough is hosted on is located, to turn off our internet…at the pole. Yup, sometime on Wednesday a guy drove up to the house in Cambridge, climbed up the pole and pulled the plug.

The thing is neither W nor I authorized either Earthlink or Comcast to disconnect us.

This was a snafu on Earthlink’s part followed by a tragedy of errors on Comcast’s part. The first person we both spoke to was very apologetic but because they had disconnected us at the pole, something we found out was unusual and had everyone we talked to at Comcast scratching their head, there was nothing she could do to restore our service on Wednesday night and the soonest anyone could come back was on Friday sometime between 7am and 7pm.

So, why weren’t we back up last night? Apparently, the tech decided going to the pub instead of up the pole was more important. The tech that came to the house today was flabbergasted. Anyways, we are back and I’m so glad.

OK, it is early here and I’m off for a day of travel and fun but next week we’ll be back with bread, a few photos, and recipes for sure.

Posted in Life, Blogging | Permalink | |

I Know Where I’m Going for My Last Meal on Earth

April 4th, 2008 by breadchick

Last night, I had a meal that well frankly will go down as probably the best meal I have ever had in my life. Period. In fact, I’m pretty sure I will never eat as well as I ate last night ever again. Because last night, I took my mom here

Yup, that would be the hallowed ground of Babbo, Mario Batali’s flagship restaurant.

We started with Armamdino’s Salumi and ended with an assortment of gelati and sorbetti and a selection of five cheeses. They were all excellent, especially the fresh taste of the Salumi. If you have never had salumi made the old fashioned way, then you have no idea what you are missing! Go, immediately and find a place to get slow cured salumi. NOW! As good as both the beginning and the end of the meal was, the plates in between were where the magic was.

My mom had a simple pasta dish with mussels and Porcini mushrooms. The pasta was the most perfectly made pasta I have ever tasted. It was al dente and infused with the garlic and citrus broth from the mussels. I had a porcine wonderment of smoked jowl with pancetta and fennel served with gnocchi. To say this was good would be a shameful lie. It was more than good. In fact, according to the thesaurus I just consulted there are no appropriate adjectives to describe how fabulous this dish was. It was that good.

Again, after last night, I have decided that there is no finer animal on four legs to eat than the pig. I have always loved the pig for both its bacon and chops and frankly, I just like pigs. They are cool and interesting animals at all levels. But after last night, I believe that when the “higher power” decided to endow one animal with the best possibilities for exceptional food, he/she chose the pig. A more perfect meal has never trod upon four legs.

When I die, I want someone to wrap me in bacon and shove a huge smoked ham hock under my arm and if both come from Babbo, then I will know I’ve made it to the promised land….

Posted in Restaurant Review | Permalink | |