Starbucks Drowns in Tip Pool

Starbucks has been ordered by the courts to pay back tips to their baristas in California.

Case of the Missing Fish

Linked to me this morning by a friend..

Chinook Salmon Vanish

Not good folks, not good at all.

Food Fight

I logged into my email this morning to see my friend Josh's status message:

"Greatest thing EVER..."

Followed by a link to this video:

 

The conception is ingenious. Every major American military conflict re-enacted through the the foods of the countries involved.

From the creators of the film:

"Thank you everyone for all the amazing feedback and postings about the film on the various forums of the interwebs. Great comments. Before and after the film was completed, the friends I screened it to fell into two camps: You Should Have Captions and You Shouldn't Have Captions. I felt that if I added captions it would be too easy. Besides, if the viewer read the synopsis beforehand, it would be more fun trying to figure it out while watching. However, there are also people who watch it without reading the synopsis...and they usually catch on to the analogy by 9/11...but even then, much of everything else tends to get lost. Regardless, I hope it entertains whether one's clued in or not, because some of the action and food representation can be pretty obscure even to the keenest of historians, foodies, and foodie-historians."

Check out the homepage for this video here.

Deboning

I don't know how he finds a lot of this stuff but..

Bob del Grosso found a video of Chef Cheng at the Culinary Institute of America giving a lecture and demo on deboning a chicken.

Now you should watch this video twice; the first time pay attention to what shes doing with the knife, the second listen to what she says..



Now, If youve watched it twice I want to point out two things

1- Shes moving at quarter speed for her, she can debone a whole chicken in record time... its insanity.
2- Yeah thats rights, she said 30 chickens a day for 3 months, and it still probably wont be enough practice.... Can you imagine spending 3+ months doing 30+ whole chickens a day? At the start of the video she mentions she used to do 100 chickens a day..That my friends is devotion

The Great Debate: How Do You Do That BBQ That You Do So Well?

I was eating at a local place, Greenmount Station Restaurant and Lounge, enjoying typical Bar-esq food when I ordered a side of BBQ sauce in which to smother my Old-Bay covered fries. I would go on to complain about Old Bay, but it is Maryland and that's not the main topic... but...

When the BBQ sauce arrived I noticed the "Style" right off the bat. Its loose consistency and light reddish color led me to immediately assume it was going to taste a lot like flavored ketchup, to which I was correct.

I must have had an expression of disappointment on my face that was so obvious a blind man could see it because my friend and long time dining companion took one look at me and said..

"Not the kind you like is it?"

She's not wrong, but at the same time not right either. There are so many styles of BBQ and BBQ Sauce out there, ranging from Carolina style to Northern Style sweets, that its hard to say "I hate this style". But in all honesty the style that tastes like flavored ketchup to me is the biggest disappointment ever.

Without missing a beat she stole the sauce from me and used it herself exclaiming "I hate BBQ Sauce, but I looove this style!" which lead to a long discussion about styles of BBQ, Why she hated BBQ sauce so much, and why I disliked that style so much.

For me, if I am going to order a side of BBQ Sauce or BBQ' d something I sure as hell don't want it tasting like ketchup. If I wanted Ketchup, Id just order Ketchup.

So I thought I'd come home and pick the brains of what readers I do have and see what people think about BBQ Sauce/BBQ in general.

As usual during The Great Debate the poll is posted on the right hand side, and Id love to hear why you chose the style you did!

Edit**

It was brought to my attention that I may have to give a brief description of the difference between each style. Keep in mind that almost every state in the US alone claims to have a unique style, but I am going to stick to the most common. So here it goes:

California- Used on everything from Pizzas to Portobello Mushrooms this style contains an acidic and sweet quality taken mostly from the use of citrus fruits like Oranges and Pineapples when the sauce is prepared.

Georgia- Famous for its Pork BBQ, Georgia style is based on ketchup, molasses, bourbon, garlic, cayenne pepper, and other ingredients to form a sweeter style sauce with a kick of acidity.

Kentucky- Home of so many BBQ Cook-offs it should be a state sanctioned sport! The style here is a mix of tomato and vinegar base with strong oak and smoke flavors.

Kansas- Claimed to be the "Worlds Capital of BBQ", Kansas BBQ is without fail one of the most recognized and respected styles to date. Kansas City style uses a sweet, spicy sauce with a tomato base.

Carolina's- Now I know someone is going to yell at me for putting the two into one section, but for the most part they are similar. Vinegar based BBQ reigns most common here.

Texas- Ahh yes, who could forget Texas. Beef, Beef, Beef, and some pork. From what I've tasted and gathered most Texas styles are Tomato based with added vinegar for acidity.

Like Looking Into A Crystal Ball

So I'm sitting here watching Anthony Bourdain get his butt kicked on the line at Les Halles, and I cant help but wonder how many years till I'm standing where he is?

I'm laughing and talking with a friend about the episode and I'm think to myself "I better watch it, Karmas a .." well you know.

Watching the anxious looks on the cooks faces at the "FNG", Seeing him pace nervously before the dinner rush, and watching him stress over the lack of space in which he has to cook numerous dishes is the truth of it.

But in all honesty she says to me:

"so, maybe I'm just a fangirl...but I really think this is one of the most quality shows on tv, period."

And I think she's right on the money. Besides the normal programing on the show, it really shows the quality to do a show like this and to do it the way he did. Its like an Idiots Guide to Working a Line.

If you didn't catch the episode, I highly suggest you do. And next time your in a "Turn and Burn" restaurant, you might be moved to say Thank you.

Thanks Tony, Even if that steak did come back undercooked I think you did a decent job.

Check out Tony's Blog post about why he chose to do this episode here.

Nope Not Dead...

Just been busy shifting myself from New York to destinations unknown.

I did however have time in the last week to drive up to Harrisburg, PA to tour the TRÖEGS Brewery with some friends.

Still sadly lacking a camera I wasn't able to snap any pictures but was none the less impressed with the operation. Harrisburg has a long standing history with alcohol brewing pre-prohibition, and in the years following there have been a slew of small brewers popping up to try to revitalize the craft in the area. In my opinion Troegs is one of the ones doing it right. Focusing on 5 good year round brews they also offer numerous seasonal brews, one of which has become a very well liked and respected brew; Mad Elf Ale.

I've heard a good friend rant and rave about Mad Elf for years, but didn't realize it has such a loyal following. On top of that the work and love they put into brewing it is impressive. They brew the limited stock for up to 2 months... that's a long time to wait for a glass of beer! but don't worry its worth it.

Like some of their bigger co-horts like Yuengling, Troegs is only available within a certain distance from the brewery.

"Bars, Restaurants and Retailers throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region; PA, VA, NJ, DE, MD and NY"

So if your ever in the area, and your looking for a good pint look for Troegs and if you ever find yourself in Harrisburg stop by the brewery on Saturdays at 2pm for the tour!