Cooking With Ideas

East Side Sushi

It has been a while since I posted about a food-related film. And, my partner kindly chose one that she thought I would like -- and as always, she was right! The film? Eastside Sushi,  a 2015 release. I recommend it -- as a lazy binging foodie film. 

The film is ostensibly set in Oakland, and features an array of actors and visuals of the city. The plot focuses on a young single mother, living with her father and her child, who is struggling to survive economically. While she has various jobs during the film, including cleaning gym equipment, for example, she is also a cook/chef with aspirations which are (seemingly) limited by her gender (women do not do XYZ) and her ethnicity: she is Mexican American. The pressure comes from various directions: her father wants her to focus on Mexican cuisine (despite his own low income job and SPOILER her experience of being robbed running his fruit cart) and she does not. Likewise, others expect her to focus on Mexican cuisine and the Japanese owner of the sushi restaurant she eventually joins is not in favor of either women or mexican american sushi chefs. (That it is not simply about Japanese is made evident by the presence of Korean and Chinese sushi chefs.) . 

As already leaked above, over the course of the film, Juana obtains a job in a sushi kitchen, and . . . . falls in love with a cuisine that she was not originally knowledgeable about. The details are less important -- and might spoil more of the film -- but two are worth noting: (a) a white (anglo) customer seems very clearly to define authenticity in a restaurant as about who -- the ethnicity - is doing the sushi preparation; so, authenticity is a key theme of the film. And, a second theme is an axiom her father offers (eventually): don't beat them at their game, beat them at your game. I like this axiom. Change the parameters and make it your game is what I heard. 

What else: the sushi is beautiful, the knife skills are wonderful, and there is a little "insight" into ethnic differences which does not focus on whiteness. YEs -- not a film focused on whiteness! Also, though there is a light romantic theme and a child involved, the film does not get saccharine nor is it utter;y predictable 

So: Eastside Sushi is worth a watch. Multiple thumbs up. 

Gossip: Please Confirm or Deny?

Rumor has it Portico's at del Lago Casino and Resort is closing. 

Is this true? 

I hate the idea for several reasons: a) the swordfish crude with a beignet and caviar is to die for and will not come back on the menu before closing if the rumor is true; b) they make terrific bolognese; and c) the bar tender makes terrific drinks. 

Is the rumor true? 

I hate the rumor for another reason: I have never been able to meet Fabio and am a fan. Also, have I said the ambience and food lifts upstate NY in many ways?

Is the rumor true? 

Here's another reason I hope not: click!

Details? 

 

Yes, Chocolate Beer is Weird But. . .

Lately, I have been having a beer once in a while. I used to do this somewhat regularly when I lived in Chicago because. . . well, many of my favorite places carried lovely beers. Since discovering that the beers of my long lost youth were not the only beers in existence -- it has been a slow, steady, occasionally precipitous road to . . . more beer.  No more Blatz. Yuck. Eventually I got to Anchor Steam. That might have been decades ago. Ok, I admit it: it was decades ago. 

I have traveled down the road to left hand nitro stout (one of my favorites). I have tried many many many beers. I have gone off beer for extended periods of time on the grounds that my nose gets stuffed up. But, I have to admit it: I like a beer once in a while. 

Occasionally, I make a terrible mistake. Years ago, for example, I was tempted into a pumpkin beer. My advice: just say no to pumpkin beer. I eventually threw out the remaining bottles (all but the one I opened and . . . did not finish). Nancy Reagan was right in at least one instance: Just Say NO to Pumpkin Beer. Period. 

There is, though, an odd flavored beer to which I recommend saying yes, at least once. Here it is: I was over taken by the desire to try something I saw on the shelf at Wegmans: chocolate beer. This was not a new concept for me, having had a milk chocolate stout in Chicago and. .. liking it? In this case, the beer in question is made with chocolate from a chocolatier I love -- Hedonist Chocolate in Rochester. It is, ostensibly, a dark chocolate scotch ale and it is made by Genesee Brew House.  You get a four pack -- and well, I have drunk 2 of them. So: it has already surpassed the pumpkin beer (or was it ale?). 

It seemed a safe bet. I bought it. It hung around on the counter for a while and eventually made it into the refrigerator. And now, some time later I can say: I have drunk 50% of the four pack. And, to be honest, it does not seem like beer to me at all -- though it looks like beer and bubbles like beer. It is very chocolate-y and can be slowly consumed in a way that makes you feel like you are having dessert.

It is weird. It is good. I could not drink very much of it. But, it is definitely not pumpkin. And, it was worth the bet with myself this time. Try it -- you might agree with me -- while it is so very much not beer, it is . . . tasty. And, after a quick survey of the internet, I can say: I think you may have missed your chance. It came, it went. It may be lingering in a Wegmans near you but it is not being brewed anymore as far as I can tell.  

Coming Soon and Related Matters

(with thanks to code canyon.net for the image!)

Yes, this is a quick entry to let you know what to expect in the coming few weeks or so. 

1. Chocolate Beer.  Weird. Real. Yes. This appeared some time ago! 
2. Stan's in Waterloo is a terrific place (SPOILER MUCH?) and you should try it. See immediately below. (See, I was trying to fool you into thinking the review was upcoming but it was really a test of whether you are reading!) 
3. Reflections on Christmas from the point of view of food. (Yes, this is limited as I do not celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or. . . . I have a lingering sentimental nostalgia for childhood Christmases and am reading a book about Christmas).
4. Gossip about Portico (at del Lago Casino)
5. A film review of East Side Sushi
6. A review of Alice Waters' memoir
7. Reflection on a book about Paula Wolfert

Possibly coming eventually are a variety of previously announced interviews which I continue to dream of receiving -- and of you reading -- including from Kelby Russell, Samantha Buyskes and Katie MacIntyre. 

And, now a few additional news items: 

    1. I have changed my profile picture which means I am no longer exactly anonymous. I shall continue to go by the moniker Bibliochef here at Cooking with Ideas but . . . . it has been an open secret for a long time!

    2. I have "monetized" (when did that become a verb?) this blog as I have an Amazon Associates account now. This means I get a tiny bit of money any time you click on a book or other item shown on the blog and purchase from Amazon. I know, I know -- this is the slippery slope toward advertising. But hey.  .  . . 

Keep reading. And cooking. And eating. And . . . . 

Have You Heard of Stan's?

When I lived in Chicago, Stan's meant one thing and one thing only: donuts! Yes, Stan's Donuts. 

Here in upstate NY, in the Finger Lakes region, Stan's has come to mean something different. Stan's is a terrific new joint in Waterloo, NY -- and I have been there several times. Yes, I binged just a bit on Stan's and I did so because the food is good, the cocktails are terrific and the ambience is easy going and not too noisy. This Stan's is right on the main street running through Waterloo -- and yes you should indeed try it out. You can do so virtually by clicking right her at Stan's Waterloo. OR, check them out in person -- I like the booths. We might start having a regular one. 

Here's more. 

First: Stan's has a subtle not too flashy sign on the main drag in Waterloo, signaling a kind of laid back ambience. Walking in, there is a bar to your right and seating in front of you -- that extends further than you might imagine 

On the food: We went there for burgers and burgers we had. They have a range of them and. . . we tried a range of them. My first visit I tweaked one of those that regularly appears on the menu to change the cheese to blue cheese. The second time I had one of the specials involving pork belly and apple slaw. And, I give them both very very high grades, with perhaps a slight edge to the special. I have not yet had the one which is called "el baja loco" but can see it happening in the future. 

The fries are pretty darn good. 

We have also tried: the wedge salad, which had a LOT of pork belly on it and a very light handed blue cheese dressing. It was, perhaps, the only wedge salad I have ever had that actually deserved to be served. I also tried the duck nuggets (not so much, I have to admit, though the duck itself was lovely -- the breading on the exterior was a bit much for me).

On the drinks: as regular readers may know, I prefer cocktails these days and am truly enjoying their renaissance. I like both classics and locally designed oddities -- and Stan's has both. I tried "Julia Child's' Fan Mail" our first visit in honor of the fact that she is an Inductee to the Seneca Falls National Women's Hall of Fame -- and it was truly a drink. It was a little more in my face than I anticipated -- and made me think of. . . Julia Child! I have since tried the "Final Word," and like that as well. 

One minor thing: the size of the wine servings was truly tiny and peculiar at first -- but the problem has been solved. 

Finally: we have not had a bathroom review here in a long long time. Stan's bathroom(s) merit comment -- because (a) they are not labeled by gender AT ALL and (b) the sinks and related items are outside of the toilet areas themselves. I like this -- and the paint colors and . . . generally I give this solution to the gendering and complexity of bathroom politics an A+. 

Katharine Hall Page (Again?)

One of the best things about aging is also a down side -- memory! On the one hand, my head is filled with memories and sometimes that is making it hard to live in the present.  On the other hand, I can't seem to remember a lot of things -- and while that is something to mourn (especially in those friends and family facing very serious memory related illnesses and problems), there is one minor upside: I can re-read things without even quite remembering that I read them in the first place. This is especially useful when it comes to murder mysteries given the suspense around "who dun it." As I have been downsizing around books, I have been more reluctant to purchase more and more books, and this re-reading thing is working out well for me! I keep finding odd little signs that I have been there before -- the sales slip from 1986, a birthday card from a long deceased aunt and uncle, and, when it comes to nonfiction, marginalia and etcetera. I even occasionally discover I blogged about a book here on Cooking with Ideas and have no memory of reading the book let alone writing something about it. 

Anyway, all this is preliminary to these reflections on two books that survived the "lets get rid of all mysteries on food or cats except those that are ARCS and/or signed from friends" purge because I forgot they had anything at all to do with food. Yep, Katherine Hall Page. I just re-read two of hers, searched through things to find my earlier comments on her work and discovered that I had discovered her food focus at least once or twice before and then promptly forgotten it again (see below for links), and . . . well, I have re-read two from the Faith Fairchild series -- one set in Alford (The Body in the Moonlight) and one in Cambridge (The Body in the Attic). (I enjoyed the Harvard-ish and Harvard Divinity School commentary in the latter.) 

In both instances, I think, there was reference to the series character's soon to be published cookbook. The character, Faith Fairchild, is married to a minister (which I seem to have once upon a time decided meant the books were about religion not food) and there are recipes mentioned in the narrative and contained in the book under the notion of a cookbook Faith intended to publish. Turns out when I perused Page's website, she published as a cookbook some few years ago! Faith's catering company, Have Faith, and the cookbook entitled Have Faith in Your Kitchen, of course, play on both Faith's name and on the role of faith in religion (and kitchen). I found it very intriguing to think about what Faith has to say about faith (and doubt) as she wrestles with murders. Once in a while the novels include mention of other religion based authors, including Chesterton's Father Brown, which does nudge one to think about the ways murder mysteries function. Page's website also has recipes. I have to admit, I often am not attracted to the recipes in mysteries and feel like they are a bit of a marketing add on given the popularity of food-related murder mysteries. Not in the case of Page who, also, it is worth noting, has won in all 3 categories for the Agatha Awards. 

A few comments on the re-read books? Well, first: I did note that both included some stress in the marriage and that the stress often had to do with moodiness on the part of one party and nondisclosure on the part of Faith. Put another way: because the books focus on Faith's point of view, we know she just does not tell her husband everything and her rationale for that. The theme repeats in both the books I own and have now re-read. Makes me think again about relationships. Thank you. Second, there is a strong theme of women's friendships in the books, which is lovely -- though occasionally rooted in silly comments about men, these seem to me mostly realistic in the sense of counting on one another and emotional clarity (and the lack thereof). Finally, and more focused on the murders featured in the books: I do get just a tad tired of the number of times female amateur detective types come close to death. It can appear as though they are nosy but kind of dim witted. Despite this, I like Faith and the way she presents her nosiness and her concern for others. It is the latter -- the refusal of being a by stander -- that is worth lifting up always and perhaps especially these days.

Faith Fairchild is not a bystander in the face of murder -- or other challenges. I like that. And I think we should all try hard to avoid being a bystander. (Yes, she occasionally jumps to conclusions. Lets not do that too often -- but let's not let fear [revent us from intervening when we can bend the arc of history just a tiny bit further toward justice.) 

 Re-reading! Hurrah. Katherine Hall Page! Hurrah. 

She has more books than I can detail here -- with a new one I have not read yet that came out in December of 2017: The Body in the Casket. I have listed it on the side -- for the first time including a book I have not yet read! Let me know if I should? 

See here or here for earlier Cooking with Ideas mentions of Page and her Faith Fairchild mystery series.  

HJ Stead

When a new place opens in Geneva, there is always a kind of excitement -- and when HJ Stead opened on the now central-to-the-foodie culture of Geneva street, the block long Linden Street, people seemed very pleased. They were pleased as well with the identity of the newly opened restaurant's chef: Samantha Buyskes (who I hope to interview here on Cooking with Ideas one of these days). Formerly of Kindred Fare (in Geneva, NY) and prior to that Simply Red at Sheldrake Point Winery, you can find an interview with Sam here. 

So: HJ Stead. This is a Three Brothers Winery place, and it is named after the business that inhabited its space in 1917! When rehabbing the space, the restauranteurs found an old sign for the machinery shop and voila -- the new restaurant was named. 

What have I had to eat at HJ. Stead? I have had two specials -- and a few of their regular items. The specials? A lentil loaf -- which was amazing (though huge) and some curry which was also amazing. The latter was light, and just the right heat. It shared well. And, I have had the fries and their tostada (with pork) -- the latter was not small, and very layered, and I definitely would have it again. The pork on the tostada was lovely -- cooked well with a crustiness to it that was delightful.  It might even trump (I hate that word but it seems like giving in to stop using it) -- what is usually my utter favorite food and, most blessedly in my view available in two sizes at HJ Stead, the macaroni and cheese with pork belly pastrami. Each and every one of these items has had a different flavor profile and been just at the boundary of hearty and light. (I know, that seems contradictory but if you try eating there I think you will get what I mean.) 

Also, I should mention hot sauce. There are at least two chef hand-made hot sauces -- one green and one red. Both are garlic free -- which has meaning to me since garlic can be a repeater for me. The green is hot and tangy, the red is a tad milder. Both have a complexity to them that is more crucial than the heat. (Rumor has it you can buy a bottle.) 

And, what have I/we had to drink at HJ Stead or -- as importantly -- with HJ Stead food? First and foremost, I have to say that I give the caramel stout latte an A+. ( I seem to be giving high grades lately. Hmmm.) There is a depth of flavor to it that makes me very happy. I happen to order caramel lattes a lot of places and this one gets pride of place as the number one caramel latte ever.

I have also -- for the first time ever I think? - had hard cider at HJ Stead and enjoyed it a lot. It was crispy and not too fruit forward It was so good that when I moved on to Microclimate that evening I had another. (I am not sure which one I had that was from Austin but I recommend that one!) 

Now: on other drinks. HJ Stead features (not surprisingly) Three Brothers wines. I have had none (see above on cider).  My partner has tried one or two and . . . alas this is why we are more likely to adopt one of those amazing Linden Street options: buying at HJ Stead and dining with the folks at Microclimate, where the wine selections are more varied. You order at the counter at HJ Stead (and pay) and then it is -- voila - delivered to you at Micro. Perfect for the wine lover in your party.

A few pointers in re HJ Stead: 1. You order at the counter. 2. They do deliver to Microclimate.  Have I said they deliver to Micro? To order at the counter? And item #3: if you want salt, ask for it before you leave HJ Stead. Otherwise, your delivery person has to run back up the street and back. And, since you already tipped you feel stupid. Or I did. 

Overall: a terrific newish addition to Linden Street -- and I hope the chef stays for a while. 

 

Cooking with Bostrom Farms

If you are making your way along Route 20 from Geneva to Canandaigua, NY, going west, on the north side of the road you will come across a place called Bostrom Farm Butcher Shop. It is worth a stop. No, it is not some place where you will feel urban pr feel trendy or whatever. But: you will find delightful, local meat -- and if you, like we, are trying to reduce your Wegmans bill and your Wegmans dependency, stop.

I have been stopping regularly lately -- and used Bostrom products to make two delightful kinds of things recently: a bolognese on pasta (see below) using their ground meats (pork and beef; the former being frozen); and, as wonderfully, a pork roast on top of mini cabbages (and no, I do not mean brussel sprouts). Yes, I would criticize their website -- it is a bit messed up with a blog that is not really being pursued and some pages that have incorrect information (a cut sheet for beef is labeled a cut sheet for pork, for example) -- but the store is delightful. A key here is this: do NOT confuse their website with the very similarly named Bostrom Farms in Massachusetts - the websites differ by a single letter!)

Here is a family farm enterprise with rooted in the area (Seneca Falls, NY) but with young people who returned to the Finger Lakes area to make this work. We need such young folks -- and we have increasing number in our farm to table area. Bistro Farms is one of the wonders of living here now.

Let me elaborate.

Recipe 1: Let's start with bolognese. We had a terrific one a while back at Portico's at del Largo and. . . well, it was on my mind. Of course, I simply think of this as a meat sauce for spaghetti, but then I thought better of that and looked into a recipe by one of my partner's favorites: Lidia Bastianich. Turns out her recipe calls for a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork. So: off I went to Bistro's to purchase ingredients for her meat sauce bolognese (available at lidiasitaly.com.  This is the recipe I made, tweaked to indicate what I actually did: 

    Sautee one minced yellow onion, 1 medium shredded carrot, and minced celery (1/2 cup w leaves)  in olive oil.

    Add 1 pound each ground beef and ground pork., cooking til liquid evaporates and meat is browned.

    Add 1/2 cup dry red wine

    Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and after stirring some add tomato sauce (a cup or so you made last time you made sauce and froze it!) and then toss in 3-4 bay leaves and salt/pepper.  

    Have on hand 4+ cups of hot water and add that to the mixture to as you go along to ensure everything (meat and veggies) is always submerged. 

    Boil/simmer at a lively rater for 2-3 hours 

Serve on pasta, which might be pappardelle or bucatini (we tried both). After making the pasta, warm the pasta a bit with a little of the sauce in the pot you boiled the pasta in; then serve with bolognese on top. And, of course, some parmesan. 

Review: we ate all of the sauce over the course of a few days. It was slightly sweet and very very tasty. I give it -- and the ground meat products from Bostrom's -- an A+. I do admit to preferring the pappardelle. 

Recipe 2: Pork on top of small cabbages . . .  Some time ago Eric of Fellenz Family Farms taught me something new about cabbages: late in the season, one can get a second round of cabbages that are smaller and more intense -- by a certain picking process I have forgotten. I have, though, been buying them. One day, I thought of cooking them kind of like I do brussel sprouts: olive oil and just baking them. Then I had another brain wave: quarter them, douse with some olive oil, and position a pork roast I got at Bostrom Farm on top of it. Voila, a complete meal (with some potatoes. Roast the whole thing at 350 or more in the oven. I may - just may - have sprinkled some oregano we got long ago on a trip involving Crete on the pork. 

Here you can really think farm to table! 

A few more tidbits: 

And, I just discovered recipes on Bostrom Farm's website; I might try this one for a roasted pork shoulder with cherry gravy. Also, here is a Finger Lakes Times article from 2014 on Bostrom Farm pork. The article pre-dates the opening of their retail location -- but has some useful insight nonetheless. Their products are, but the way, also available at Red Jacket in Geneva.  

Pioneer Woman Cooks

I am thrilled that the blog is back in a significant enough way that I am starting, once again, to receive free books. And, I am even more thrilled that I have received a cookbook right when I am starting to read cookbooks again -- I had kind of stalled on that while living in Chicago -- and between that and the decline in my cooking itself, well. . . suffice it to say it is good to be back. And I love getting free stuff! As you likely know, one way publishers get attention to their books is offering them to bloggers with the hope of a mention. And, as my disclaimers say, I am always up front about how I obtain a book! 

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! is not a cookbook I would be likely to buy in a bookstore. Ree Drummond has produced a book that is filled with colorful pictures, and takes an approach which is very evident on the cover itself where it also reads: simple, scrumptious recipes for crazy busy lives. What she provides focuses on exactly that: what to have in the pantry and fridge, freezer and more that will enable you to put together a dandy meal quickly. The recipes range from flatbreads and chili to more formal meal offerings, across breakfast, lunch, dinner and smacks, and includes -- have I said it -- as well as appetizers and desserts. Interspersed with the recipes: tales of Drummond's life and family in their country life. Given the short reading attention span of many, the interspersing is done well -- kind of overly enthusiastic from my point of view but then, Drummond has multiple cookbooks out and started her blog, The Pioneer Woman in the same year I started this. (Yes, that makes me feel just a it jealous.) Her approach is well branded and for those for whom her zest is appealing -- successful 

I would -- as I have said -- not be likely to buy this. But it did give me more than a chuckle and a rueful moment of reflection on how she has monetized her blog into. . . a well branded industry! And, I suspect that what she serves, both in store and at home, is tasty, fun and upbeat. Certainly her website is both! 

To check out the book, click on the picture on the side bar! 

Yes: Murder is STILL on the Menu

This blog focused for a long time on the combination of murder mysteries and food. Or, on food and murder mysteries. And other books about food. Cookbooks, nonfiction titles focused on food, memoirs. Books. 

And, I have drifted a bit away from murder mysteries here, I think. And yet, they are one of my favorite self indulgences. What does it mean if you . . . well, I am back. I had a minor kindle purchasing binge and picked a few food related murder mysteries to read. And, now I intend to have a binge of reading -- and of commenting here. 

Where to begin?

I have begun with Laura Childs' Devonshire Scream which is her Tea Shop Mysteries Book #17. Let me begin by saying this: I cannot believe this is #17! And I am thrilled to be back with Haley and Theodora and Drayton in Charleston at the Indigo Tea Shoppe. There is something about formula fiction complete with characters that you get to know across a series that is . . . well. . . just the right kind of reassuring. Laura Childs, as you may recall from other reviews here on Cooking with Ideas. In fact, right here on Laura Childs' own blog she cites a review of one of the books from another of her series!  For earlier reflections form Cooking with Ideas, try clicking here.  Or here. Yes, I am fond of these -- and this time I was reminded of why. The plots are entertaining, with terrific red herrings, the friendships are exemplary and inspiring, and the local detail is such that I find myself wanting to visit Charleston every time I read one of these books. And, I even want to go off and have tea -- not my usual drink of choice. 

A few tidbits on this (minor SPOILERS): (a) the notion of smash and grad robberies is a new one for Childs, I think, and one that has been in the news on and off -- I love the name of one of the "European" gangs undertaking these -- no spoiler here -- but just remember art inspires art inspires . . . real life? or fictionalized real life? (b) one of the series characters is a chap named Tidwell, a detective for the police -- a kind of heavy weight rumply Columbo type who has fallen head over heels for. . . tea -- I find him just the right sort of adorable; and (c) there are occasions here where the gaps between wealth and relative wealth are off putting. And, how can one really discuss Charleston without thinking a bit more overtly about the history of the region and its problematic roles in . . . well, Civil War at least? 

On the food side: As I said I am not a tea drinker or connoisseur -- and there are always tea names scattered throughout the Tea Shop Mysteries. (and yes, I do know the difference between tea per se and a tisane. Do you?) Food enters in in part through the menus for the shop's cafe -- often but not always including scones. I did start to think about making a kind of tea sandwich one of these days. You never know 

But: the plot. Yes. The plot. I do like Childs' tendency to include some education about tea, some humor, and on occasion moments of thoughtfulness that push against the realization one has while reading - these are not serious literature but life itself is not always ponderous nor ought it be. I do like the notion of jewelry chiefs, even if I do romanticize those villains and have trouble picturing the death which accompanies the robberies early in the book. 

Am I a snoop too? I am by proxy I guess, since I so love these amateur, cozy mysteries where people follow one another around and look in windows and quietly and carefully interrogate one another (aka gossip with intent to mystery solve). 

Hurrah! Murder is, indeed, on the menu again. 

And a few links to others -- here is a link to a behind the scenes interview with Childs on Devonshire Scream, a blog reflection on the novel here, and a video on making devonshire cream. Hey, why not?