Cooking With Ideas

Beer is . . . .

The Finger Lakes are known for wine. Yes, there is beer. Yes, there is cider. (And yes, one of my favorites is Lake Drum.) There are distilleries (and lilac flavored gin). But, in the main, when you say Finger Lakes, many hear "wine" or "wine and food." I hear that (and home). 

When you say North Carolina, though, few say wine (though there are wineries here). Many say "beer" because there are many breweries and brew pubs - and not just in Asheville. Here in Winston Salem, there is a whole set of craft brewers and brew pubs, an unusual quantity of which are very near to where I am currently living. And, many of the restaurants in town serve beers both from Winston Salem and across the state. 

Here are a few I have visited:

Fiddlin Fish is a terrific place right near where I live which has a set of beers always on tap as well as a varied set of more occasional items, including ciders, sours, and more. I love this place - and I particularly like it that I can show  up, have a beer, and sit by myself at the bar - without a soul talking to me. Yes, the bar tender speaks occasionally. But otherwise, its a place for a beer and . . . . I have been there once with others - and heard some live music - and there are televisions which show sports. The latter are not loud, the place is big and the ambience just right. Hurrah. A few beers I have liked: 

• Irish (I was fishing for) Reds - just that, an Irish style red beer, around 5.2% alcohol and tasty. Described as malt forward, it is a tiny edge toward sweet, but not so much as to ruin the beer.
• Thunderbird Brown Ale - In general, I like nut brown ales and I like this one as well. 
• Black Mountain Chocolate Stout - a terrific stout, with a nod to the chocolate place across the parking lot from Fiddlin' Fish. I recently had a nitro stout that was even better.

Not surprisingly, you can get a flight of beers to taste at Fiddlin' Fish - and the IBU (international bitterness units ) are listed as well. I had no idea what an IBU was - and that helps! 

One other wonderful thing: there is always a food truck at Fiddlin' Fish. It is the Slanted Shed, and I can attest to the speed of service and the overall quality. I like the buffalo cauliflower, the brussel sprouts, and just had some terrific tacos recently. A quibble: there are too many brussel sprouts even for me to eat. And, it is true, they make what they make on any given evening. Suck it up, I have to say to myself, when I have a taste for a particular thing and they are not serving that!

Location: Tap Room, 772 Trade Street, Winston Salem, NC

Foothills is down town and I have to admit I always confused it with Fiddlin' Fish. I have been there once. And, I did not have beer. So, I cannot comment. Others seem to like it. Decent burgers. Not so pleasant (in my opinion) ambience. I prefer Fiddlin - though Foothills is near my fave bookstore. 

Location: Try 638 West 4th Street, Winston Salem, NC for the downtown brewpub. 

Hoots is another place - and it opened a newish place on Trade Street in Winston Salem - again, near where I live. (Click here for announcement.) It has a delightful ambience - not at all like it seems from the outside. And, the beer is terrific. Here's their main site. I have only been there once, and had a lovely stout as I recall. Several of them. Mostly, I liked the balance of quiet and friendly, the beer was tasty, and the company perfect. 

Yes, I should write about Wise Man. Another time. They claim it was a wise man who invented beer. My guess: it was a wise woman! (And yes, their beer is tasty - and in the "winter" there is a Farmer's Market in their space on Saturdays.) Also, within walking distance of where I live. 

Location: 826 Angelo Bros. Avenue, Winston Salem, NC 

On beer and North Carolina, check out the North Carolina Brewers Guild. Or, this bit on beer on the site VistNC. 

Moravian Chicken Pie

(Thanks to ourstate.com for the visual)

Yes, I grew up somewhere in the vicinity of Bethlehem, PA and knew what a Moravian Star looked like, but that's about it. (You likely know what it looks like as well -- though you may not know it. Nor are you likely, perhaps, to know its origins as a geometry lesson.)

When I moved (temporarily) to Winston Salem for a job related reason, I had no idea. I had no idea at all. 

For example, I had no idea that Bethlehem, PA and Salem, NC were historically related. (They are.) Nor did I know anything about Moravians as a religious group that pre-dated Martin Luther - and has a long history in Europe and what is now called the United States. I had no idea what a Moravian Love Feast was (and is) nor what the phrase black moravian might mean.

Their history is available via wikipedia here. And, if you click here you will go to their very own website. I had no idea what their religious or social histories were.

And, I can say this: I am learning, in part because I live in the midst of a place that has deep deep moravian roots. I know now that a love feast has a theological meaning - and is a practice involving some fairly amazing coffee. I know it is not a sacrament but a significant shared ritual. And, I know that the buns are an awful lot like those I know from family in Alberta 

I also -- and much less seriously -- had no idea that they had a thing called chicken pie - which I think is actually in no way related to the religion per se, but seems to be everywhere I go here in Winston Salem as a marker of Moravians. I have it in the dining hall at Salem College, at various events associated with Salem, and see it on menus around town. On googling, I discovered a variety of recipes, including this one and this one. Here is a civil war era recipe. It is a double crusted pie, filled (and I do mean filled) with shredded chicken and a white sauce. No, it is not pot pie in the sense you might know if you are not from here or are simply wandering the frozen food section of a grocery store - there are no veggies. It is truly chicken pie. 

According to Wikipedia (that well known beloved easy to google source with the relevant entry found here), Moravian chicken pie originated in Salem, NC  (a Moravian settlement) itself, later to become half of Winston Salem. I guess that's why I keep encountering it. 

My verdict: I like it. I admit I cannot have it quite as often as I have had it lately. There are limits! But I do like it. And I suspect you will too. 

Perhaps all cultures have meat pies Tortierre? Moravian Chicken Pie? What's your favorite? 

 

Days of Wine and Roquefort

I admit it. I have been binging on cozy mysteries for some time now on my kindle. Some of them will get reviewed here and there on Cooking with Ideas. In fact, some of them are in the same series, perhaps, as the one reviewed here. (I probably ought to check my kindle app.) 

But: this one, I purchased at a used book store in Winston Salem called McKay's. The first time I went there, it smelled musty and, frankly, I did not want to buy there - or even stay there - because, well, it was musty. I decided, though, to stop by there again - and following the directions on my GPS discovered it had moved to a much more pleasant building. So: I sold some things I had - and used the trade in credit to buy more - and that included Days of Wine and Roquefort. I have a vague feeling I have read it before. Yes, I really have to check my kindle app - oh wait - I just did. And, yes, I own this very book on kindle as well as several others of the Cheese Shop mystery series! Even though I apparently read this before, I still enjoyed it in many ways - pushing the angst of daily work and living away/commuting to the side for a bit at least. And, given I have others of the series on the kindle - I will try to comment on these here as well! 

One minor side comment: yes, if the notion of Days of Wine and. . . seems familiar, it is a tip of the hat to Days of Wine and Roses, of course. Want to watch the trailer for that oldie but goodie? Click here. And, of course, for those of us of a certain age, we will not be surprised that the music was by Henry Mancini. Click here for the music. 

Again, back to the actual topic of this blog post, Days of Wine and Roquefort and the series: 

1. Main character Charlotte Bessette appears in all of these Cheese Shop mysteries as do various other characters (such as her relatives and fiancé). In this instance, there is a non-series sommelier and, as the title suggests, an (interesting to me at least) link between wine and cheese. I do find the occasional inclusion of a grandmother and grandfather who are French entertaining when not pushed too far; the grandmother often directs plays so there is the occasional theater joke as well. In this case, there are floating hints that French and California wines are of similar interest. 
2. Like many other cozies of this sort, there are crosscutting themes including: angry men and the hint of domestic violence;  cross generational histories, including in this instance love letters between Charlotte B's parents (SPOILER: not key to plot); entangled pasts and presents of several characters; romance and more. And, of course, its all about a small town, in this case a fictional small town in Ohio which (in my opinion) seems kind of generic. 

The author, Avery Aames also writes The Cookbook Nook mysteries as - wait for it because it is her real name - Daryl Wood Gerber. I do like that series (and might write about them at some point). Checking out her website, you will see she writes in several other cozy areas - none of which attract my attention - though I did just see she has a series called The French Bistro Mysteries also written under her real name. Even better than all these various series (which leads me to the suspicion that once a formula writer, always a formula writer), she is also a part of one of my favorite blogs, right at the intersection of themes I love: Mystery Lovers Kitchen. And, I do not have anything against formula writers - I love cozy series as all readers of this blog know. 

Finally, I do like it when I learn a bit - and was pleasantly surprised to encounter some cheeses I might look into as well as familiar trends like Humboldt Fog. 

Happy reading! I will be returning my paperback copy to McKay's!

Mexican in Winston Salem

Among the foods I have come to love over the years are those derived in some sense from Mexico. The country has a wide array of regional cuisines and the "americanization" of Mexican food ranges form Tex-Mex to . . . well, you know. Some of the cuisine is controversial - as when chefs like Rick Bayless become famous for cooking "other culture's food." (Click here for a terrific NPR bit on this topic.) Not all the places here even claim to be a Mexican restaurant - one calls itself a taco joint and truly is a fusion taco place where the definition of taco seems to be "has a taco shell - either corn or flour involved."

Where did I go first? Well, new friends took me to a wonderful place called La Botana. I had no idea where I was going the first time I met them - and LOVED the food. Ion a tiny strip mall like area, near an Indian grocery store, the places filled with booths, and not very fancy. What they do have is a very good dark chocolate-y mole. And, the place is incredibly inexpensive. The chips are delightful, the salsa just the right spiciness level, and the ice tea (yes, here it is just tea, and sweet tea at that) tasty as well. I have eaten there 3 times now and would recommend it.

Indeed, I recently was perusing a piece in Winston-Salem Monthly for February 2020 and read the following answer to the question "where are your favorite Winston-Salem spots?" -- " I have many faves around town, but my all time favorite is La Botana. They feed my soul. It's very important to me to eat at locally-owned restaurants. I think it's vital to the health and wealth of our community." Who said that? Mary Haglund of Mary's Gourmet Diner, a place where I love to have brunch on the weekends. 

I have also been regularly going to a place that quite directly says "we are not a Mexican restaurant, we are a taco joint." Called Crafted: the Art of the Taco, the place also has burgers and more. I can attest to the tacos - and have had a number of their tacos in various combinations multiple times - not to mention their cocktails which are not too strong - and fairly inventive. Among the tacos I have had are ones featuring a korean approach, one with barely seared tuna, and more. I can say this: not every taco you will get there is perfect (on occasion I have had ones that are not heated well enough, for example) but this is a place to go by yourself, sit at the bar, and eat. I have never tried the burgers. And, I must say the quest and the chips are truly indulgent. (I like the fried chips a lot.) On the plus side, there is parking. On the not so great side, that parking lot can be fairly crammed and street parking is not easily located. 

Most recently, I have eaten at what is apparently a chain: Monte Del Rey. (I ate at the Harper Road one in Advance. I pronounced the name of the town exactly as I would as an upstate NY, Pennsylvania, Illinois type. I was wrong.) I give them high points for the food. I got cheese enchiladas with pork on top - and the pork was totally amazing. The chips and dip at the start were adequate, but the pork was. . . amazing. Have I said amazing? I had a blue margarita. It was vaguely a mistake - but definitely blue. The service was kind of odd - partly because unlike the other two places Just discussed, there was very little English spoken - and so even a beer order became complex. YEs, a parking lot. Yes, in the case of the one I went to, about 20 minutes from Winston Salem, and yes, enjoyable.) 

So: I know there are other options in Winston Salem and environs for Mexican or mexican food - let me know in the comments where else to try! 

For reviews of other Mexican and "mexican" food on Cooking with Ideas, click here for a Finger Lakes favorite and here for a Chicago favorite. 

The Fleur de Sel Murders

Some time ago, I took a boat ride on Seneca Lake. Leaving from Watkins Glen, one of the topics of the ramblings of the tour guide was this: salt. He offered historical information on salt in the region, with an eye particularly on the ways salt mining was a critical part of local history. We, for example, slowly passed former salt factory and he described the many many ways that salt had affected people's lives.

Probably a related local history explains why Syracuse is the Salt City. And, perhaps, the reason for that monstrosity - salt potatoes. (Ok, I actually like them sometimes.) For more on the history of Syracuse salt, click here. 

In any case, the tour guide's wisdom - and his stories - stuck with me in no small measure because I actually find salt interesting. In some ways, all salt is alike, right? And yet, we see black and pink, fine and crystals that are larger, salt lamps and salt shakers. I have a vague memory of passing by some shallow ponds in Anguilla and knowing they were drying to produce salt. I have tasted the saltiness of Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, sometimes on purpose and all too often accidentally. And, of course, I have read Mark Kurlansky's book Salt: A World History and reviewed it on Cooking with Ideas. (See here for a bit on Kurlansky and a way to wander through this blog in search of my other comments on his work.) 

Salt. 

Some time in the past few decades, I became aware of salt snobbery as well. High end salt at first meant any salt other than "when it rains it pours" Morton Salt with the legendary little girl and umbrella. Often it meant sea salt and/or kosher salt. Then there were occasions of Himalayan pink salt or Hawaiian black salt. There were special salts for this and that. And, there is/was Maldon salt flakes (discussed, for example, here).  Locally, in upstate New York, there is a salt company run by an acquaintance and his daughter, Syracuse Salt Company and one comes across their products here and there and then again over there. They describe themselves as curating and their product as hand-finished sea salt. Hmmm.

But, I digress. The topic for today is actually a different one - though a related one: a book entitled The Fleur de Sel Murders by Jean-Luc Bannalec. The book was translated by Sorcha McDonagh (and kudos for that). And no, it was not written in French; Bannalec is a pseudonym and the original of the series featuring a chap named Dupin who appears in this novel, was written in German.

Dupin is the reason I loved this novel, to be honest. He is an oddball - and yet not set up as eccentric for eccentricity's sake. He is thoughtful and baffled and learning - one can see him learn as the novel goes along, an almost visceral learning. And, his colleague (a woman) simply does not take to him - and he simply does not understand her. Baffled is a sort of kid way of describing it. 

A second reason is the lore and more about the old salt fields. I love it that the odor they give off is thought to cause hallucinations - and that various folks are unsure if that is happening to them. I love the ways new and old are interwoven, with historic traditions bumping up against new fangled possibilities to sustain salt farming. (There are echoes of the ways that the EU has tried to (on the one hand) sustain historic meanings for terms like champagne or parmesan and yet (on the other hand) infringed.) 

Finally, there is the art - and science - of salt farming. As always, to seems to me, both are relevant. And, here, both contribute to both creating and solving mysteries. 

This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a while. It meets my needs: good writing, fascinating subplots about the history and production of salt (in Brittany), characters who pop in both professional pairings where people bring different skills and backgrounds to the table and in other cases, personal relationships. This is not what I often call a peanut book - a quick read that slides into your head and right out the other way as you read. This is a worthy puzzle and much much more. I recommend it. 

And no, despite the tour guide in Watkins Glen, not all salt is alike. Salt brings more than NaCl. It brings various other minerals, and perhaps the terroir of salt, distinct in every bit. And, as importantly, salt brings stories. 

For another review, click here.