Daily Loaf

A-Rod redeemed: How to win a World Series in ten days

Okay… deep breath. Congratulations to the New York Yankees for knocking off the Phillies en route to their 27th World Series title. There… I said it. Now Red Sox hat placed firmly back on my head.

A particular congratulations to Alex Rodriguez who proved us all wrong by showing he could become part of a championship team. He hit .365 this post-season with 6 home runs and 18 RBI. Nice numbers if you can get ‘em.

The media’s been hard on A-Rod over the years but the golden boy is now having the last laugh. His 2009 Yankees were confident, relaxed and businesslike, even more so as the season progressed. They proved without a doubt they were the best team in the majors by out-hitting, out-pitching and out-fielding the Philadelphia Phillies. Read the rest of this entry »

Song Huong Vietnamese Restaurant
4040 W Waters Ave., Tampa, 813-880-9676

Hours: 10am- 10pm Wed- Mon, Closed Tuesday

For the budget conscious diner, I recommend Vietnamese cuisine: rice vermicelli, grilled beef and pork, steamed shrimp and piles of vegetables and herbs like sprouts, cilantro, lemongrass, cucumbers and carrots flavored with tart lime, spicy chili or briny fish sauce. The flavors are lively and fresh and the price is right, with many entrees around $7.95.

Song Huong is another one of those locations that you may have driven by countless times. Perhaps you stopped in for karaoke night next door at Good Time Charlie’s. Terracotta tile and yellow tablecloths beckon you into this well-lit establishment. A large flatscreen television entertains (presumably the children) with Nickelodeon. The owner greets you and is ready to feed you. Read the rest of this entry »

With the holidays approaching, the glorious bounty that is winter seasonal beer begins to descend upon the shelves of local bottle shops. One of my favorite seasonal offerings is the Petrus Key to Heaven gift pack, which features 6 unique brews from Belgian brewery Bavik-De Brabandere, many of which have been wood aged for at least two years. Among these fine examples of Belgian brewing are the sour lactobacillus joys Aged Pale and Oud Bruin, and the beefy, malty Dubbel Bruin.

A Blond Ale is also included in this cornucopia of Belgian funkiness. The bottle features a monk resembling pimp Santa on the label, proudly displaying his key to heaven and goblet – no doubt full of high-quality beer. Since Santa is down with snow, the North Pole, reindeer, and all that, Petrus Blond is best served cold, unlike many Belgian ales whose flavor characteristics are at their finest around cellar temperatures. Read the rest of this entry »

 At the beginning of this episode, we were pleasantly surprised to find Padma and Nigella Lawson in bed (not together, but one can dream) wanting a hot breakfast served to their room from the cheftestants. Eli gave us a great background on Nigella, saying, “She’s like a less French version of Julia Child; she’s kinda legit.” Right, Eli, because Julia Child was definitely from France and Nigella Lawson is from England (very close to France, though- close, but no cigar). I’m even confused on the logic there.

The ladies were presented with some interesting (to be polite) dishes, like HotBro’s (Bryan) vanilla scented seafood medley with a soft egg and Eli’s reuben inspired benedict with Thousand Island hollandaise (I gagged upon hearing that one). As for Ceveech’s (Jen) S.O.S.: I would have thought Nigella would’ve been into that sort of thing; maybe if Jen had arranged it with a bit more care and didn’t just throw it on the plate. But then I guess then it wouldn’t look like shit, which might’ve been what she was going for. Eli took the won and his Quickfire dish will now be featured in the new Top Chef cookbook (as if Top Chef didn’t have enough to sell).

For the Elimination Challenge, the cheftestants each had a different hotel on the Las Vegas Strip to draw inspiration from for their dishes. It seems they all interpreted this challenge differently: some taking it literally with elements that were supposed to remind one of the particular hotel, while others took it more figuratively by pretty much just making whatever they felt like. For example: I don’t understand how Redbeard’s dish said “The Mirage”: was it the hidden spice underneath the salmon? And the fact that HotBro used the aquarium from his hotel (which had nothing to do with the ocean) to model his dish just perplexed me. Are there not rules to this sort of challenge? I guess not because those who took the challenge literally ended up on the bottom this week.

I’ll give it to Ceveech for doing a play on ‘The Sword and the Stone’ element from Excalibur, though her beef was literally like gnawing on a stone. Eli’s Caramel Apple Peanut Soup with Popcorn Raspberry Froth looked like someone vomited after eating too much at the fair. I couldn’t believe he came up with that. Robin’s panna cotta didn’t “quiver like a courtesan’s thigh”, but at least it was edible and non-offensive. We discuss in this podcast the fact the judges have claimed that they judge on a week-by-week basis and don’t look at the chef’s portfolios overall- but we disagree, especially in this case.

Highlights: Drooling over Nigella, the dishes that made us queasy, Hot Bro stalking, and our bets for the finale.

Hear the hilarious podcast after the jump:
Read the rest of this entry »

I challenge you to find a more suitable, adult-appropriate companion for a well assembled burger than a flavorful brew. But not every beer has the power to bring out the best in every burger — some matches are just better than others. Thankfully, Square One Burgers has an extensive beer list and a huge variety of killer burgers, so no matter what your preferences include, you have the opportunity to setup an ideal burger/ beer scenario. Read the rest of this entry »

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe
3 and 1/2 stars
5119 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, 813-234-1000 or ellasfolkartcafe.com

I shy away from the the term “hipster,” if only because it’s tossed around with a disregard of meaning that puts the misuse of “cool” and “hip” to shame. Sometimes it’s a slur, sometimes a misguided attempt to classify a widely varied range of people. But when it comes to Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, it fits.

This new restaurant is in a restored house in Seminole Heights, which may give you the impression that it’s a tiny, funky place with a few tables and a lot of art. Not by a long shot. There is a lot of art, from the life-size metalwork sculpture of a horse in the front yard — seemingly in the throes of a painful attempt to stand up — to detailed pieces composed of found objects, and everything in between. By the hostess stand are sculpted faces above pages from books, their contorted features conveying a sense of the text before you even get close enough to read it. It’s an impressive display, and the restaurant’s devotion to the “folk art” part of its name is reflected on Ella’s menu, where each artist is afforded an entire page with pictures and a bio.

Even so, that artwork can get lost in a space that is both bigger and much slicker than my preconceptions of what a Heights house restaurant would look like. Read the rest of this entry »

As most of you have seen from last week’s preview and from the pictures being passed around the ‘net, Padma and Nigella Lawson (popular English cookboook author and TV chef) are in bed together for this week’s Quickfire Challenge. Okay, maybe not in bed together, but in beds that are right next to each other (I’ll leave it up to your imagination as to what’s under those robes though). They’re demanding breakfast in bed from the cheftestants- they want it hot, and they want it now.

From the looks of the preview video below, Eli is attempting some god-awful sounding sauce concoction, Robin makes like eggs and frantically scrambles her way around the kitchen, and AngryBro (Mike) curses up a storm (surprise) and blames Robin for wasting 5 minutes of his precious time.

For the Elimination Challenge, each cheftestant has to cook a dish inspired by one of the big hotels in Las Vegas. It’s great to finally see them do a Las Vegas-themed challenge because I think many of us forgot where they were this season.

In the preview for the Elimination Challenge, we get to see HotBro (Bryan) and AngryBro (Mike) visit the hotels that will serve as the inspiration for their dishes. AngryBro states that he will be paying homage to firefighters (his hotel is New York, New York) with his dish but still “cooking it his way”. I hope that means he’s going to light something on fire – that would surely blow his brother’s creation out of the water (you’ll get the bad pun if you watch the video below).

Tune in to Bravo tonight at 10 pm EST/9 pm C, check out our own live Tweets during the show (Jeff: @TheStew, Katie: @culinarypirate), and listen to our podcast here tomorrow! (You can now download on iTunes and check out Jeff’s Top Chef Flickr page.)

Videos after the break.
Read the rest of this entry »

Max McCalman didn’t plan on becoming a cheese guy. While working at the famed restaurant Picholine in New York City, the chef asked for volunteers to help him start a cheese program in the restaurant. It fell to McCalman almost by default. Now, 15 years later, McCalman has written two definitive books on cheese, with the new Mastering Cheese ($40, Random House) his third.

Mastering Cheese is somewhat of a departure from the previous two books, however. Instead of a cheese primer, or an encyclopedia of the world’s region’s and styles, McCalman has put together a fairly exhaustive course of study for readers who want to make the leap from cheese fan to true connoisseur. It’s almost laid out like a modern textbook, with dense text, lots of photographs, informative sidebars, and a bullet point recap at the end of each chapter as study guide. No pop quizzes, thankfully.

McCalman’s smart enough to string together the serious work of understanding cheese with plenty of narrative to keep a reader interested. He’s also passionate about his subject, especially when it comes to taking restrictive food regulations that limit the importation or production methods of raw milk cheeses. He’s preaching to the choir in this book, I imagine.

What makes Mastering Cheese so inherently useful, Read the rest of this entry »

Sample a selection of Fontodi wines at Bern's Tuesday tasting

Tuesday, November 10: Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Fontodi Wine Dinner. There’s no better way to start the week than with an elegant wine dinner, and this one truly delivers with its selection of six wines from the Fontodi estate specially paired with six modern Mediterranean cuisine courses by SideBern’s Chef extraordinaire, Chad Johnson. $125. 6:30-9:30 p.m., 1002 S. Howard Ave., Tampa (813-253-0358)

Tuesday, November 10: American Spirits
Spanish Wines. Ben Carson of Ole Imports, which brings more than 100 Spanish wines stateside, offers a tasting of vinos from the Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Yecla regions. Free. 7-9 p.m., 280 Third St. S., St. Petersburg (727-895-8700)

Wednesday, November 11: Cork and Olive Carrollwood
Wine for Dummies. Learn the basic rules and etiquette of wine tasting and how to choose the right bottle for the occassion. $10. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 10019 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa (813-868-3733)

Thursday, November 12: Total Wine
Celebrate with Champagne and Sparkling. A trained sommelier helps you find the best bubbly for your budget and palate — it’s never too early to stock up for New Year’s. Taste eight zippy, fizzy sensations, including Crémant de Bourgogne, Cava and four stunning selections from Champagne. $25. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 4880 Park Street N., St. Petersburg (727-544-6018)

Thursday, November 12: Cork and Olive Carrollwood
PACE Benefit Wine Tasting. Live music, hand-selected hors d’oeuvres and a holiday raffle round out this wine tasting to benefit the PACE Center for Girls. $30 in advance, $35 at the door. 6:30-9:30 p.m., 10019 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa (813-868-3733)

Friday, November 13: Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Cult Cabs Crush Hour. Movies, books and Christopher Walken all have cult followings — but so do a select (and tasty) number of wines. Tonight’s featured flavors (which garnered aficinado attention via high prices, limited production, famous winemakers and gushing reviews by wine critics) include Hartwell by winemaker Andy Erickson of Screaming Eagle, Robert Foley Vineyards, Sherwin Family Vineyards, Beau Vigne and more, accompanied by five hand-selected accompaniments from the Bern’s Cave du Fromage. $25. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 1002 S. Howard Ave., Tampa (813-253-0358)

Many more events after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

(It’s unofficial Apple Week here in CL’s Food Section! For more fall apple season ideas, check out Apple Pecan Crumb Cake, Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes with Caramel Apple Topping, Apple Fennel Salad, Apple Tartlet, Butternut Squash Apple Cinnamon Crumble, and Deb’s Mom’s Apple Cake.)

It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is right around the corner. You might not even realize this as the malls and supermarkets are already breaking out their Christmas finery. For the last few years, retailers have just skipped right over the Thanksgiving season, jumping right into Santa, Rudolph and the Grinch! When did this trend happen – and better yet – why? Is Thanksgiving not worthy of a little pomp and circumstance? Or is it because Thanksgiving doesn’t inspire most folks to run around spending lots of money they don’t have on lots of things they don’t need? Maybe that’s it. Maybe the merchants believe that the earlier we start seeing those Holiday decorations and displays, the sooner we’ll all start shopping until we drop. Either way, it kind of offends me.

Thanksgiving may not be the flashiest holiday of the year, but in my humble opinion, it is one of the most significant. In its own understated way, Thanksgiving represents home and family and love. It’s a time for reflecting upon all that is good in our lives, giving thanks for all the blessings we have been given. I realize that during these harsh economic times, it may be difficult for many to focus on the good things in our lives, but they’re there. We may just have to dig a little deeper to find them.  Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s your guide to finding the freshest, locally produced foods and goods (and an all-around good time) at weekly fresh markets in the Bay Area.

Gulfport Tuesday Morning Fresh Market- Every Tuesday; 9 am-3 pm. The Tuesday Morning Fresh Market is a weekly gathering in the Gulfport, Florida Waterfront District offering fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood in a festive environment with local art vendors. Speakers, vendors, artists are welcome to join in each Tuesday in the Gulfport Waterfront District. An all ages event! 2914 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport.

Oldsmar Downtown Fresh Market- Wednesdays (through April); 8 am-1 pm. 100 State Street West, next to City Hall.

Downtown Clearwater Farmers Market- Every Wednesday (through May); 9 am-2 pm. Providing Clearwater’s residents, business people and visitors with the freshest produce, baked goods, gourmet foods, unique gifts, crafts, flowers and plants has been our passion and our pleasure. Located on the 500 block of Cleveland Street between Garden Avenue and N. Ft. Harrison Avenue.

Safety Harbor Farmers’ Market- Every Thursday (through May); 8 am-1:30 pm. Fresh and organic produce, plants and fresh flowers, gourmet foods, baked goods, handmade jewelry, light snacks. Located at the Gazebo at John Wilson Park- 401 Main Street, Downtown Safety Harbor

Dunedin Green Market- Every Friday (through April); 8 am- 1 pm. Featuring fresh, local produced goods such as baked good, ready-to-eat-foods, organic plants and herbs, coffee, honey, seafood, clothing, and so much more. The Dunedin Green Market is located in Pioneer Park at the cross streets of Douglas Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Dunedin and runs every Friday.
Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe Michelle and Barack Obama were strong-armed into having an organic garden on the White House lawn by tough punks like Alice Waters, but Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made his without any public opinion campaigns to twist his arm. Yep, there are two governement garden in DC, the second one run by the USDA itself.

On 1,250 square feet a few blocks from the Washington Mall, Vilsack and USDA employees have planted a “People’s Garden“, with the crops all going to local food banks. They’ve even created cooking projects around it. USDA pickles, anyone? Not for sale, though, because that would probably violate some regs. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, the temperature topped out around here at 86 degrees. The humidity was so high that when I stepped outside from my air conditioned digs, my sunglasses promptly fogged right up, forcing me to stumble my way to my car. That’s muggy, people!  Now I ask you – is that any way for autumn to behave? It’s November, for crying out loud!

I compensate by turning my a/c down really low and padding around the house in sweaters and big, woolly socks. Pathetic, isn’t it? Another way I console myself about this situation is to cook and bake warm, spicy things, using many of the fall fruits and vegetables I find at my local market. This lovely apple cake is one of them.  Read the rest of this entry »

Sushi Rice

Sushi, like most Japanese things, is made using exact skill and precision. But don’t let this scare you from making your own at home. In this recipe I outline the exact steps to achieve proper sushi rice using a rice cooker. I suggest that you purchase one of these handy kitchen appliances if you don’t already have one. They can be had for a minimal price — mine cost about $12 and can cook 6 cups of rice at a time.

It is important before you begin that you start out with the correct type of rice, whether short grain sushi rice or Calrose rice. Other types will not work as well, and some won’t work at all.

You can also make your life easier by purchasing “seasoned” rice wine vinegar, which includes the salt and the sugar already mixed in.

Yield: With this recipe you should be able to get about 3-4 sushi maki rolls out of one cup of rice.

Ingredients: Read the rest of this entry »

The World Series of Beer Pong — “the largest, longest-running organized beer pong (aka Beirut) tournament in the world, created by beer pong players, for beer pong players” according to the WSOBP website — will start in less than two months, on Jan. 1 at the Flamingo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

But you knew that, right? You’ve been single-mindedly training since 2008, when team Chauffering the Fat Kid managed to snatch the suds from an all-but-victorious  Iron Wizard Coalition by completing an amazing four straight sinks. Cinderella story? Yes. Biggest come-from-behind victory in the history of sports? Probably.

Don’t get the wrong impression about beer pong, though: it’s not all about beer consumption. Read the rest of this entry »

The Table Restaurant in St. Pete, which has flirted with two new names recently — The Place and St. Pete Brasserie — as well as different culinary themes, will begin serving its French-inspired menu this weekend, according to GM Andrew Wilkins. Almost all the prices, excepting a ribeye and bigger portions of lamb and filet mignon, are decidedly under $16. Wilkins is also planning to offer a free cocktail with the purchase of an entree, as well as a 4-course prix fixe menu from 5-7 p.m. for $19.

The menu lists the name of the restaurant as The Table Brasserie, so that back-and-forth saga is obviously still ongoing. Wilkins says that his funding still hasn’t come through, so he’s just moving ahead with the changes he can make in the short term. Hence, the new menu. Check it out.

Full menu after the break (be aware that details may change before this weekend): Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Sherman was the St. Pete Times restaurant critic for 17 years, until he decided to give up the gig at the end of 2006 because of ongoing health problems. He remained a staff writer for the Times and became the restaurant editor and travel writer for its sister publication, Florida Trend Magazine, where he hands out the generically illustrious Golden Spoon Awards.

Now, as of November 1, he’s blogging for big Bay area wine and spirits shop B-21. Does that constitute a conflict of interest, considering his work at Florida Trend? Eh, it certainly wouldn’t here at CL, now that we’ve trended towards giving a voice to people in the community on our blog and in the paper. Although it is curious that in his first post, when he mentions his work at the St. Pete Times, the outgoing link goes to B-21’s weekly newspaper ad, not the Times site.

My most recent baking project has become creating the perfect crumb cake. There are so many elements that come into play here- texture, topping, density, and overall taste are all vital in formulating a masterpiece. I’m happy to say that I just may be onto something with this recipe.

Fall is high time for all things apple. Nothing makes your house smell better when baking or adds more moisture to your goodies. I choose Granny Smith as a rule, because they have a great tartness about them and retain their texture even when baking for substantial periods of time. Plus, if I have any left over they make the best snack when sliced and served with a baked round of brie, a drizzle of honey and some fresh baguette.

You are probably familiar with the classic pastry technique of incorporating very cold, cubed butter into streusel toppings, to create a divine crumb for these types of cakes. I’ve found amazing results instead, in melting the butter and using it to partially dissolve the sugars, bring out the essence of spices, and bind your crumble topping. This way, by the time you are ready to top your batter, the butter has semi-hardened once again, and it’s easy to crumble it into perfection. The pecans add fantastic crunch, and the richness of the brown sugar is the perfect companion to the buttery cake below. Read the rest of this entry »

(Look for three other exclusive recipes from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook here on the Daily Loaf: Three Pea Stir-Fry, Thai-Style Chicken Flatbread, and Lettuce Cups.)

I’ve been a bad blogger buddy! My friend Jaden Hair’s lovely new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, has been on the shelves for three weeks and I’ve yet to write about it. Jaden was the first food blogger I ever met way back before my own web site was even a thought in my head.

When I stumbled on her blog a few years ago and realized that she was right here in Sarasota, I immediately emailed her to introduce myself. Jaden was kind enough to invite me to attend one of her cooking classes that just happened to also be a taping for a television feature on her. I didn’t think twice before accepting! I had a blast! Plus, I got to be on TV! That was when the blogging bug really bit me.   A few months later, with Jaden as a major inspiration, I decided to try blogging for myself – and Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy was born.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Jaden’s recipes – and I’ve tried a whole lot of them. When she announced that she was writing a cookbook, I was thrilled for her! I was even more thrilled to be among her many recipe testers for the book. During that time, I tried out some awesome recipes and it drove me crazy that I couldn’t share any of them with anyone, because…well, you know…because they were top secret, hush-hush recipes for the cookbook! I wish now that I had taken photographs of some of those wonderful dishes I made. Read the rest of this entry »

Sadly, there will be no new Top Chef Las Vegas episode tonight – how will I get my Bryan Voltaggio fix? Luckily, we will be graced with a Top Chef All Stars Reunion! That’s right, now we get to catch up with some of the most loved (and loathed) cheftestants from seasons past.

First of all, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Italian stallion, Fabio (season 5), but why did they choose him to host the show? Yes, his mispronunciation of most English words and phrases is adorable, but we could barely understand him the first time he was on the show. Maybe they chose him to host because of his innocence and aloofness when pushing peoples’ buttons (see videos below) when asking why they were such jerks on their seasons and bringing up past rivalries. That way he might have a lesser chance of getting punched in the face, perhaps?

Be sure to check out the clip (below) where he interviews the biggest jerks (and least favorite contestants) from seasons 1 through 4: Tiffany, Marcel (still sporting the Dragonball Z hairdo), Hung, and Stefan. This is obviously just the beginning of tonight’s drama.

Also notice in the dinner party clip that all of the aforementioned jerks and hot heads from past seasons are seated at the center of the table and the nice guys, like Richard Blais, are at the very end. Who wants to hear from the people who stirred up the least drama anyway? (And why is Dale there at all?)

Finally, I’d just like to say that I’d pay to see Fabio put the smackdown on Marcel. As Bravo’s catchphrase goes: “Watch what happens!”

Tune in to Bravo tonight at 10 pm EST/9 pm C, check out our own live Tweets during the show (Jeff: @TheStew, Katie: @culinarypirate), and listen to our podcast when we return next week! (You can now download on iTunes and check out Jeff’s Top Chef Flickr page.)

Videos after the break:
Read the rest of this entry »

Get squashed at Publix Apron's cooking class.

Wednesday, November 4: Snookers Grill
Champagne and Sushi. It seems like the words I’m reading are too good to be true, but unless my senses are deceiving me, it appears that Snookers is offering unlimited — yes, like, all you could ever imbibe — champagne and chef-selected sushi. Those just happen to be two of my favorite delicacies, and though I admit to never having tried them together, it sounds like a damn fine idea. $15. 7-9 p.m., 606 N. Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs. (727-937-6665)

Wednesday, November 4: Toasted Pheasant
Autumn Wine Dinner. Fall has finally come to Florida, and although that may not mean a changing of the leaves, it does mean that it’s cooling down at last — and we can swap our cooling whites for a sumptuous selection of warming reds at this wine tasting and dinner, with a menu that includes: autumn sausage and sage corn chowder paired with Shug Pinot Noir Sonoma; grilled asparagus and swiss strudel with a duet of tomato and asparagus coulis paired with Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc; a quail and beef short rib  duo of roasted quail filled with chestnut and sage with rich beef roast, paired with Mettler Zinfandel; and caramel apple ginger snap with cinnamon ice cream paired with Santa Alicia Late Harvest Muscatel. $45. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 14445 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa (813-265-6700)

Wednesday, November 4: World of Wines
Holiday Wine Tasting. Warm up with toasty wines to heat the cockles of your heart, including: Kenwood Yulupa Cuvee, Piper Sonoma Brut, Caposaldo Prosecco, Cristalino Brut and New Age White Wine, accompanied by hand-selected, catered hors d’oeuvres. $10. 6-8 p.m., 3431 S. West Shore Blvd., Tampa (813-835-9463)

Thursday, November 5: Publix Apron’s Cooking School
Get Squashed. Learn to make the most of this seasonal staple with a menu that includes: butternut squash with curried shrimp; baked acorn squash filled with chorizo sausage; hubbard squash cheese soufflé; zucchini and yellow squash chutney; and a classic pumpkin pie. $35. 6:30 p.m., 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa (813-926-4465)

Many more events after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about BPA (Bisphenol-A) being found in plastic bottles and food containers and its harmful effects on humans, it also being linked to causing aggressive behavior in children. Use of this chemical has been banned in Canada and in some parts of the US.

Now you don’t have to look much further to get your daily dose of BPA – just open a can of soup or tuna! Tests recently performed by Consumer Reports showed traces of BPA in almost all of the 19 name-brand cans of soup, tuna, vegetables, and juice. There were even some cans labeled “BPA-free” that contained the chemical. And don’t think your organic canned foods are safe either – the chemical showed up in some of those as well.
Read the rest of this entry »

Thai-style Chicken Flatbread

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

I make my own pizza dough from time to time, but when I want to make an impressive appetizer last minute, I buy a ball of pre-made pizza dough or, even easier, a package of naan or flatbread from the supermarket. This chicken flatbread is inspired by one of my husband’s favorite restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen. When we were still dating in San Francisco, we’d just hop on the subway and walk to the CPK near Union Square. Those were fun times as many sweet nothings were whispered in my ear over a shared pizza. These days, with two loud, yappin’ giggly boys at the dinner table, there’s no more whispering! (Okay, replaced by footsies!)

SERVES 4 AS APPETIZER OR SNACK

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium flatbreads or naan
1/2 cup Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
8 oz fresh shredded mozzarella
1 1/4 cups fresh bean sprouts
Few sprigs fresh cilantro (coriander)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Read the rest of this entry »

According to beer judging guidelines, brown ales should be a celebration of sweet dark grain. English style browns exhibit a heavier, dominant malt character with very little hops presence, while American browns tend to balance malt and hops flavors, sometimes with a modest degree of citrusy bitterness. Alcohol content of both types is usually moderate, somewhere between 3% and 5% ABV.

Jackie Brown, a noteworthy brown ale from Mikkeller, defies categorization under both English and American style. This specialty beer takes the generic base style of brown ales, with the signature appearance, aroma, and mouthfeel and adds a mountain of nugget, simcoe, and centennial hops, resulting in a brown beer that’s bitter as hell. Read the rest of this entry »

Three Pea Stir-fry

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

My family loves peas every which way except for canned. What better way to please all than to stir-fry a combination of sugar snap, snow peas and shelled peas? Sometimes I’ll stand in the kitchen and just eat them straight out of the wok.

The peas cook at different times, so I add the sugar snap peas first. At my markets, fresh shelled peas are hard to find, so I often grab a bag of frozen peas. No need to defrost—just add them frozen right into the wok!

SERVES 4 AS SIDE DISH

1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1/2 lb snow peas
1/2 lb shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon high-heat cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1. Wash all the peas. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dalmore is a classic name in Scotch — located way up in north Scotland, just past Inverness and the Highlands — but one that has received little credit here in the colonies over the past decade or so. With a change from Jim Beam to a new marketing company, and an alliance with big daddy Southern Wine and Spirits for distribution, The Dalmore is trying to change its image here in the States.

Which is why I found fully-kilted Richard Patterson — Master Blender of The Dalmore’s parent company Whyte & Mackay — in my office, pouring much of The Dalmore’s line. Although most Scotch distilleries try to maintain a “house style” that’s consistent through the years and across different varieties, this was different. Each pour opened up a whole new range of textures and flavors, with a few subtle notes tying the line together.

Here’s the rundown: Read the rest of this entry »

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

Lettuce Cups

This dish is an experience in textures and sensations…the cool, crisp lettuce cups cradles the warm filling. As you take a bite, you’ll first taste the bright, sweet, juicy mandarin orange, then the savory chicken and then the crunch of water chestnuts and the mild bite of red onion.

The best part of this recipe is that the ingredients are so flexible. You can keep it light and use ground chicken or turkey, or try it with ground pork or ground beef—it’s totally up to you. My kids love this when I substitute diced green apples for the red onion. Try to dice the vegetables into roughly the same size so that they cook evenly and are easier to eat.

To make this dish a full meal, include 1 cup of cooked jasmine rice per person. My kids like to spoon the cooked rice along with the filling into their lettuce cups.

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Avocado Café n’ Bakery
14941 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, 813-631-9703‎
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

As if Acropolis and Mr. Dunderbak’s weren’t big enough draws to this little North Tampa strip center, there’s also tasty Venezuelan fare at Avocado Café n’ Bakery. If you have ever tasted an arepa con queso at a local art festival and thought it was the best thing ever, you’ll love this place. There are seven arepa variations offered — all at $5.49 each or less — though you may need two of them. One of the best is the Pabellon arepa: mildly seasoned shredded beef, black beans and cheese on the white corn cake.

There’s also Read the rest of this entry »

(Look for three exclusive recipes from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook to be posted on the Daily Loaf today and tomorrow: Three Pea Stir-Fry, Thai-Style Chicken Flatbread, and Lettuce Cups.)

I first met Jaden Hair two years ago, in the drizzled, muddy parking lot of an organic farm stand. She came to my attention thanks to her blog — steamykitchen.com — which had hit the local Sarasota scene a mere six months before and had already garnered a national following. She had brought Spam-fried rice to the CL offices just because we commented on her site.

The two of us bought produce, hit the grocery store for seafood, then retired to a teaching kitchen at the now defunct Chef’s Table in Sarasota, where she whipped up Seared Scallops with Mango-Melon Salsa & Coconut Rice for our $20 Menu Challenge. I didn’t write about it then, but the scallops didn’t have a good sear, the rice was undercooked and the kitchen, by the end, was an unholy mess. A week later, I asked her to write a recipe column for CL.

Jaden has never been a restaurant chef, and never went to cooking school. Until just a couple of years before she started steamykitchen.com, in January 2007, she wasn’t even much of a home cook.

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Earlier this week, the UK’s climate chief and leading authority on global warming, Lord Stern of Brentford, released a report on the raising of cattle and pigs, and how its production greatly affects greenhouse gases and climate change. Bentford said that, “Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.”

Stern reports that meat production at about 18 percent of global carbon emissions. He also hopes that “a successful deal at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December would lead to soaring costs for meat and other foods that generate large quantities of greenhouse gases.”

This is proving to be yet another topic to send Glenn Beck on a tirade. Beck plays the meat-loving victim and asks, “Are we going to stand for that? Are we going to put up with this?” He also goes on to mock the Meatless Monday movement and makes it sound like more of a punishment for school children than something that would help teach them to make healthy food choices.

Video after the break:
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If you didn’t know, Creative Loafing recently relocated its offices from Howard Ave. to Ybor, and staffers are psyched. No disrespect intended to SoHo, but our new digs are an easy walk from coffee, alcohol, food and music, not to mention the ample natural light and old-Florida brick architecture. It’s like waking up from a black-and-white dream.

But, like any large group of disparate individuals, the CL staff can’t settle on which bar should be our new home away from home (away from home). So you get to pick for us.

A few considerations before casting your vote: it has to be open by 5 p.m. at the latest, although earlier is better for those afternoon pick-us-ups; it has to be more a bar than a club — although live music is a plus; no cover charge.

Knowing that, where will you send us for our daily medicine? Vote after the break! Read the rest of this entry »

Last week’s episode sure got my hopes up. I hate to keep complaining about what a snooze-fest this season is, but seriously, it is. Is it the contestants? Is it the editing of the show? Why can’t someone cut themselves or make out with another contestant like last season? Oh, it’s supposed to be about the food – right.

This week’s Quickfire consisted of creating a TV dinner (in a plastic tray, even) inspired by a classic television show. Redbeard (Kevin) gets The Sopranos, so he makes meatballs. Okay. Eli gets Gilligan’s Island, so he makes macadamia nut-crusted shrimp. Fitting. Ceveech (Jen) gets The Flintstones, so she makes a chicken roulade. Huh? And Jersey Mike has never even seen Seinfeld so he just pulls something out of his ass. I understand that most of the shows are a bit before their time, but seriously, who isn’t familiar with them? Maybe I expected some of them to be a little more cultured and up-to-date on their classic television (excluding Jersey Mike). Anyway, Redbeard takes the win. Big surprise, though I was a little amazed that he didn’t use pork in his dish.

For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were let loose in Tom’s restaurant, Craftsteak, where they go apeshit over all of the choice proteins they think they’re going to use. Then their guest judge is introduced: Natalie Portman! And guess what? She’s a vegetarian! (Didn’t we see this in Top Chef Masters?) The cheftestants’ faces then immediately took on the “oh shit” look and they all turned white.

Jersey Mike claimed to be an expert on vegetarian cuisine, Redbeard said he doesn’t eat meat during Lent (meaning: he doesn’t eat pork products), and Eli proceeded to give vegetarians a lovely compliment by saying that they’re “lower human beings”. In the end, Jersey Mike tries to pass of undercooked leeks as a protein and gets the axe, while Redbeard takes the win with his “manly” veggie dish.

More fashion foibles this season: Padma’s tube top/pant suit atrocity, Ceveech’s tube top dress and open-toe ankle boots ensemble a la Pretty Woman, and Gail Simmons’ green prom dress circa Dynasty ‘86.

Podcast highlights: Natalie’s colorful language at the dinner table and her lack of ethnic friends, Ceveech’s “Philly Camaro” hair and falling self-esteem, and a plethora of ”That’s what she said” jokes.

Hear the hilarious podcast after the jump:
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Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale — Brewed in Portland, Maine by Shipyard Brewing Company, Pumpkinhead is easily the mildest, most accessible, and sessionable pumpkin beer. At 4.5% ABV, this institution in pumpkin ales pours a golden hue, emitting aromas of wheat grain with faint traces of baking spices. On the palate, nutmeg dominates; making it very pie like, yet the brew is light bodied and easy drinking. It’s a nice introduction to pumpkin beer, with all the quintessential flavors packed into a thin, light-tasting brew.

Wolaver’s, Dogfish Head, Weyerbacher and Terrapin after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

Whenever I talk to someone not originally from Florida, especially a recent transplant, one of the first complaints I’m likely to hear is that they miss the change of seasons. Well, guess what? The seasons change here in Florida, too. The signs are just a lot more subtle, so you have to pay closer attention. Sure, we don’t get that “in your face” lavish display of reds, golds and oranges dotting our landscape, or those cool, crisp temperatures that traditionally mark the arrival of fall. But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t here.

In Florida, autumn sneaks in on tiptoes. An early morning 75 degrees the past several days has felt distinctly different from the early morning 75 degrees of a month ago. And the air looks just the merest touch clearer, the curves and angles of our skyline ever so slightly sharper. The change is barely perceptible, but I know it’s there. Maybe it comes from living here for more than three decades, but I can see it. I can feel it too.  Read the rest of this entry »

According to this Reuters article, “Hog producers have lost, on average, nearly $23 for each hog marketed since September 2009, ‘and things look bleak going forward,’ said NPPC president Don Butler at House Agriculture subcommittee hearing.”

You might want to blame this porcine problem on idiots who believe that they’ll contract H1N1 from ham, but the National Pork Producers Council website actually says that the industry has lost $23 per hog since September, 2007. What? Amidst the greatest outpouring of love for the humble pig by restaurant chefs, television food celebrities and people like me, pig ain’t selling?

Actually, sales haven’t been the real problem until recently. Grain prices started rising dramatically during the international food crisis that started a couple of years ago, thanks to the rise of environmentally unstable bio-fuels. And that grain makes up 60 percent of the cost of raising a hog, according to the NPPC. Add in a ban on U.S. pork imports by China and Russia — ostensibly because of H1N1, but more likely political maneuvering — and the industry suffers.

Why, you may ask, should I care? Read the rest of this entry »