FoodPress.org

To anyone and everyone that’s dropped by this site, sorry for not having updated or posted in over two months. I’ve been really busy with a number of different personal projects and other, very big life changing things.

The first topic, and most important of the two that will be discussed here, is about my girlfriend and I getting engaged. The story goes like this…on Thursday, May 17, 2007, I tricked her in to believing that I got a special discount at Mitchell’s Steakhouse because I booked a table through OpenTable.com. After convincing her to go and telling her that I would pay for the bill, she agreed to go. We arrived at the restaurant and were taken to our table in a quieter area as this is what I request after speaking with the manager.

Scott was our waiter and he was a hell of a waiter too; very knowledgeable and helpful fellow - if you ever go, be sure to ask for Scott. Dinner goes on and I eventually decide to visit the restroom as we’re waiting for dessert. I was gone for a while and after coming back she let me know that she thought I was going to have the ring come out with dessert, but unfortunately it did not. We got the check and she asked if I put the gift card in with my card and I told her that there wasn’t really a gift card, dropped a knee, and went to it.

It was something of a nervous moment because of people being very close to us. A lady was literally a food from me and probably every single word I said. No that I’m ashamed but I can be shy at times. Only after paying for the bill did I come to find out that Scott knew about it the whole time. What an awesome guy, playing it cool the whole time. In the end, she said yes and a couple of people around us said congratulations. A very eventful day to say the least.

The second reason why I haven’t posted in a while - and the reason that generally consumes more of my time - is because I’ve been doing a little programming on the side. Before I go into what the program does, I want to say that I feel like cooks and programmers share a very common interest and that is creating something by hand. I say this because I feel like I fall into both categories. I love cooking because it gives me a chance to combine the ingredients and make something into my own and programming is fun because it applies the same ideas of making something and watching it come to life.

Anyhoo, the program servers as a page that retrieves Ebay listings for a specified keyword and displays them in a moderately organized fashion. When the results are displayed, it provides an image, the item description, price, and how much time is left in the auction. Calculating the time is really what’s taken the longest to develop because there are so many scenarios to prepare for that it’s been a matter of writing some code, testing how it works, and revising it based on the results. This may not sound hard, but believe me, the smallest typo can throw things off. At this point it’s got pretty much every scenario covered but I’ll have to keep watching it for those times when an error pops up.

If you’re interested in checking it out, I’ve got one site set up that has listing for KitchenAid items on Ebay at http://kitchenaidauctions.com. Let me know what you think. If you like it, feel free to link to it and give your fellow cook a resource for their next KitchenAid mixer purchase or any of the other many KitchenAid products out there.

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Last Saturday I took my usual trip to North Market in search of some new things to try. This time I ended up purchasing some of the awesome and very unique truffles that Pure Imagination Chocolatier makes. There have been many times that I’ve walked by the Pure Imagination Chocolatier booth in North Market and was really impressed by the chocolates they offer. But only today did I give them a try and I can say that the fantastic design of the truffles matches the delicious flavors.

The first of the five truffles that I purchased was the Cappuccino Truffle. The Cappuccino Truffle has a very creamy filling within the chocolate walls with cappuccino mix sprinkled across the top. If you’re a coffee or cappuccino fan then this truffle will probably be perfect for you.

Next is the Honey Au Chocolat Truffle. This particular truffle was definitely my favorite. I’m a big lover of honey, so biting in to this truffle and getting to the honey filled center hit my sweet spot. You’ll notice that the top of the truffle feature a honeycomb design to further exemplify what’s waiting inside.

In the center of my list is the appropriately named Appletini Truffle. Anyone that’s a fan of the Appletini drink will immediately recognize the taste of this truffle. I’ve tried an Appletini before andthis truffle tastes exactly like the drink itself. Altogether, it was a good truffle with a fantastic design and flavor but it definitely won’t be for everyone.

Fourth in line is the Midnight Extra Dark Truffle that has just what the name implies: extra dark chocolate. Being a big fan of dark chocolate, this truffle certainly was a hit with me. This being a dark chocolate truffle, I’m sure you’ve all picked up on what the moon and stars design on top refers to.

Finally, we arrive at the Jack Daniels Caramel Truffle with the word “Whiskey” appropriately displayed across the top of the truffle. With this one you certainly don’t get the alcohol taste like you do with the Appletini; for me, this is a good thing. I’m certainly not against alcohol but I prefer to keep my booze and my chocolate separate.

If you ever get a chance, try out some of their truffles. The lady running the counter is the sweetest old lady and, as she told me, just so happens to be the grandmother of Daniel Cooper, the guy that started the Pure Imagination Chocolatier company.

Tags:  chocolate, columbus, north market, ohio, truffles
Filed under: Truffles, Chocolate, North Market | 2 Comments »

Ever since I was introduced to North Market, I slowly progressed into making a habit of going every Saturday. The North Market is a very relaxing place for me. Even though it can get very busy on the weekend, it still provides me a way to roam around and discover new foods that I have yet to try. While this might sound boring to some, it’s merely a way to feed my personal curiosity of the world’s foods.

During my recent walk around North Market, I decided to pick up some pasta from the folks at Pastaria Seconda. I’ve been buying pasta from them for some time now and have come to love the selection and flavors. Though I haven’t tried them all, I’m sure I’ll have managed to pull off doing so within the year. Anyways, I wanted to try a couple of different varieties this time so I purchased one pound of the smoked mozzarella and one half-pound of the butternut squash.

Pictured on the left is the smoked mozzarella pasta; on the right is the butternut squash pasta.

To accompany the pasta I picked up one half-pound container of one of their sauces but I honestly can’t remember the exact name of the sauce. I know it’s “chipotle something” but the last half I can’t remember. If and when I recall what it is, I’ll be sure to update the post. But for now, just know that it’s delicious; I’ve had it before with other pastas.

The pictures above are of the same item. The image on the left is the sauce with the lid and the image on the right is the sauce without the lid.

For dessert I picked up a couple of things, though, both items were not for the one dinner. From Pastaria Seconda I bought a couple of slices of tiramisu, a dessert I pretty much love above all others; only apple pie could win my heart over in a competition. The tiramisu would be the dessert to go with the pasta I purchased. It’s just always seemed to match perfectly with Italian dishes. But hey, maybe that’s because it’s an Italian dessert. I’m sure you’ve picked up on the sarcasm by this point.

In addition to the tiramisu, I purchased a pint of ice cream from Jeni’s Ice Creams. This is just a little something to have for dessert on the occasional night. After sampling a couple of different flavors I went with “Gravel Road”. It’s a nice mix of caramel and smoked almonds and best of all, only costs $6. Some may consider this to be a lot but to me, it’s more about supporting the local merchants and getting some very unique ice cream flavors. If you’re ever in North Market be sure to ask one of the Jeni’s Ice Creams employees for a sample.

Tags:  columbus, dessert, jenis ice creams, north market, ohio, pasta, pastaria seconda, tiramisu
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Image of Noodles and Company from my cell phone.

Yesterday, Katie and I got to try out a new restaurant on 5^th Ave. by the name of Noodles & Company; it’s down the street from Chipotle and Taco Bell for those that know where those are on 5^th Ave. Katie did get to experience it once before I did so she had a leg up on my having been there before. If the name didn’t give it away, the basis of the restaurant is that all of the dishes are noodle based. Dishes vary in their nation of origin, offering American, Asian, and even Mediterranean foods. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure that many of the dishes are vegetarian. I say this because the menu allows you to add meats like chicken, beef, or shrimp to your food. Regardless, on with the noodles.

Being a huge fan of hot and spicy foods, I chose the obvious Indonesian Peanut Saute. It came with your standard peanut sauce and noodles and the dish had plenty of vegetables, containing:  broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and Asian sprouts on top. To my food I had some chicken and shrimp added in to the mix. Atop the mound of noodles was a wedge of lime to help compliment the spicy taste. While the plate certainly had its spicy aspects, it wasn’t unbearably hot. And I would have preferred that the Asian sprouts were cooked as well since I’m pretty sure that they were just thrown on top.

Katie went with the standard Macaroni and Cheese. It was good, but if you like macaroni and cheese then I suggest just buying a box and making it at home. I tried her’s and you could probably get the same, or better, quality from a boxed version. She and I both got the pot stickers which were quite tasty to say the least. But that may be me being very biased since I love pot stickers from almost anywhere.

The image in the left is of my Indonesian Peanut Saute; to the right are the pot stickers with sauce. These pictures were taken with my cell phone and I unfortunately didn’t get a picture of Katie’s Macaroni and Cheese.

Summary:  Noodles and Company definitely lives up to its name and gives you a wide variety of noodle based foods to choose from, but the food can be a little costly; my food was just over $13. I would suggest giving this place a try to at least see if you like it. It’s the kind of place that seems as though it’s on a person-by-person basis as to whether you feel the dish is worth the money.

Tags:  columbus, noodles and company, ohio, pasta
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Image of McCormick and Schmick’s in Columbus, OH courtesy of Easton Town Center website.

Yesterday, March 3^rd, 2007, Katie and I went to McCormick and Schmick’s for dinner in light of the $25.00 gift card that is available when you make reservations online. So, we arrived promptly at 6:30PM and were immediately seated for dinner. I want to first say that the place has a fantastic atmosphere. The place is covered with nostalgic seafood ads and pictures and is very well lit. And if you get the right seat you will even have some curtains to close for a little added privacy during dinner. I’m the kind of guy that prefers a booth over a table but this I didn’t luck out in getting a booth. Maybe next time. Anyways, on to the food…

McCormick and Schmick’s Appetizers

Like many restaurants, McCormick and Schmick’s gives you a good slice of bread; theirs is of the sourdough persuasion. On the side was a small dipping style cup with a few pieces of butter. Bread is bread so I won’t go into detail on how great it was. You already know the awesomeness of sourdough. Next we were given our caeser salads which were also your run of the mill items. But again, they were good as well. Now, for the real appetizer we had fried oysters. It took Katie a little bit to convince me that I needed to try them since I’d never had oysters. After some discussion we eventually settled on them. It was my assumption that if I didn’t really care for them, the breaded and fried outside would at least soften the blow. Well, I tried it (without any sauces) and they were actually really good. The next two that I had - it was an order of six so we each go three - were accompanied by some tartar sauce, a condiment that’s dear to my heart. Altogether the fried oysters rocked it hard.

Bring On the Seafood

Fact #1: I love salmon. Fact #2: McCormick and Schmick’s is well known for their fresh seafood. Put these two facts together and you know that I got salmon. My dish was simply labeled as Atlantic Salmon on the menu. The result…fantastic. Just as suspected it would be. The salmon was stuffed with blue crab, shrimp, and brie cheese. On the side was mashed potatoes and green beans. While the salmon endlessly rocked, the mashed potatoes had to have been my favorite part. They were very well prepared and had a great taste. It’s not easy to find potatoes like these, that’s for sure.

A Trio of Desserts

To finish off the night our waitress brought out a dessert tray for us to select our dessert. So as to get sampling of a few of them, we decided to go with what was referred to as the Dessert Trio. The three mini desserts consisted of the bread pudding, crème brûlée, and one that was like a mixed berry cobbler; I don’t recall the exact term for the last one. To my surprise, all three turned out to be delicious. I say this because I had never tried bread pudding before. I’ve seen it made on the Food Network a number of times but had never tried it.

Summary:  McCormick and Schmick’s is a restaurant with the freshest of seafood. They print their menu twice each day for crying out loud. Not many places I’ve been to do that. You probably won’t have an overly difficult time getting in without a reservation but it’s suggested to make one just for the sake of ensuring that you have a seat.

Tags:  columbus, easton town center, mccormick and schmicks, ohio, seafood
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Image of P.F. Chang’s in Dublin, OH courtesy of P.F. Chang’s website.

After a few weeks of waiting, I finally made it to P.F. Chang’s with Katie and her mom. I think her mom had been wanting to try it for some time and since we were going we invited her along. It’s a favorite restaurant of mine so I always love going. If you haven’t been, I definitely suggest giving it a try especially if you like Chinese food. Most people will probably agree that Chinese is pretty much tastes the same everywhere you go but P.F. Chang’s is the exception to the rule. What really sets them apart from most Chinese restaurants is the quality of the food; their chicken (and other meats) are easily superior. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

Starting Off With Some Appetizers

To start of dinner we got two appetizers to share between the three of us. Our first appetizer was their Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps, a rather delicious beginning to a good dinner. The concept of this appetizer is simple:  six leaves of lettuce on one plate and another plate of cooked, spicy chicken to be used as filling for the lettuce leaves. Once filled, you wrap them up and eat.

For the second appetizer we had the Spring Rolls. While a common item at Chinese restaurants, the ones at P.F. Chang’s still seem to be just that much better. The Spring Roll appetizer comes with a dipping sauce but I can’t remember whether it had a peanut flavor to it or whether it was just the usual sweet and sour sauce.

On To the Entrees

I don’t recall the exact names of the dishes that Katie and her mom had, but I do remember thinking that Katie’s had a very weird look to it. Anyways, I got my usual Chang’s Spicy Chicken which is what I see as being their implementation of General Tso’s Chicken. if you like spicy / hot Chinese dishes then you’ll definitely like this. It wins the award for being my favorite dish at P.F. Chang’s; in a close second is the Kung Pao Chicken, but when I had it last time the number of peanuts included were a little overwhelming.

…And Then There Was Dessert

Though I don’t generally get dessert at P.F. Chang’s, we all decided to share one to cut down on the cost (and calories). We all decided on The Lucky 8. This dessert is consistent of eight chocolate creme filled “sticks” inside of a mug with a side of dipping sauce made out of caramel and peanut butter. Some toffee brittle pieces were also scattered around the plate. Now, I’m generally a fruit dessert kind of guy but this was a good finisher for all of the food preceding it.

Summary:  If you want some good, high quality Chinese food and great service, try P.F. Chang’s. I just want to add a note that our waitress was nice enough to get us two very tiny samples of Sake (one warm, one cold) so that we didn’t have to waste money in case we didn’t like it. That’s probably the best service and dedication to the customer that I’ve ever had.

Tags:  chinese, dublin, ohio, pf changs
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Image courtesy of Easton Town Center website.

One week ago my significant other and I went out for our Valentine’s Day dinner as we often do. Due to lack of available reservation slot at some other places I had in mind we ended up going to a restaurant known as Brio. For those from Columbus, OH, it’s at Easton between Barnes and Noble and the Gap. If you’re outside of Columbus, OH you can always go to the Brio website (http://brioitalian.com) to search for a local Brio restaurant in your area.

The night began with the usual salad and complimentary bread. I believe that the bread basket consisted of some pieces of flat bread that had a very sausage like taste to them and some sourdough pieces.

For dinner I had the Wood-Grilled Salmon and Katie had the Mare E Terre “Surf & Turf”. There’s absolutely no way that I can say anything bad about the salmon dish. The citrus pesto taste was great. It was well cooked. I loved the Romano crusted tomatoes. It’s not often that I go crazy for warn tomatoes, but these had a nice crusting on the outside that just brought them back to life and served as a good accent to the salmon. As the second of the two vegetables included in the dish, it was served with five or six pieces of asparagus that made for a nice “vegetable crunch” with each bite. Covering the piece of salmon, as well as some of the plate, were some shoestring potatoes. While I’m quite aware that potatoes are also vegetables, the shoestring potatoes added a different type of crunch. A crispy crunch I guess you might say.

I can’t speak for Katie, but I think she really enjoyed her surf and turf dish. I had a small sampling of the garlic mashed potatoes that came with it. Being a fan of garlic and mashed potatoes, they were divine. I didn’t try the filet but I did get to taste the crab cake. It wasn’t bad, but for some reason I haven’t really be into crab cakes lately. The roasted vegetables were good but she though they were a little to crispy so she didn’t really partake in eating them.

To finish off the night, we decided to split the Milk Chocolate Caramel Cake. A single word describes this dessert: delicious. The layers of cake were fantastic, but the chocolate frosting and ganache were even better. I struggled to contain myself.

One thing I want to note throughout the entire experience mentioned above was that our waiter took forever to do anything. Someone I know told me it was like this but I didn’t imagine it was going to be as bad as it was. Get a refill, get dessert, get the check…it all took forever. Had the waiter worked a little quicker and been more attentive it would have been a flawless evening. I can understand taking a while once, maybe twice. But every time is a little too much.

Summary: Brio has some great food to choose from and a dining area to match, but if you’re looking to have dinner and jet, good luck to all on accomplishing such a task.

Tags:  brio, columbus, easton town center, oh, valentines day
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I don’t recall the exact situation in which I was introduced to Pocky but I’ve known of it for a number of years. Something had either bought some and I tried it or I just happened to see it in Kroger and decided to give it a try. Regardless, Pocky’s an awesome snack.

This past Saturday I took my usual trip to North Market to meet a couple of friends and grab a bite to eat. One of the guys picked up a couple of things from the Amish fellow that’s always there as I had myself the week prior. He sells the best honey around. I bought the Spring Wildflower style when I was there last week but I’m not sure what my friend picked up. Just a little side note: the Spring Wildflower honey goes great with green tea. But that’s just me.

I really went into a tangent on that. To get back to the topic of Pocky, I purchased two varieties that I had never tried - one I don’t think I’d even seen before - from Nida’s Sushi in North Market. Don’t let the name deceive you. They do sell sushi, but they have loads of other treats to choose from.

The first Pocky was a strawberry flavored Pocky (pictured below) that had a creamy flavor to it. Sprinkled into the coating were little crystal like bits of strawberry. If you like strawberries, give ‘em a try. The second Pocky flavor (pictured below) is known as black sesame. It’s an interesting flavor to say the least. The flavor feels like a vary light peanut butter flavor. The coating on the outside looks like it was dipped in cigarette ashes but luckily it’s not.

Summary: If you’ve never tried Pocky, do so. There are loads of flavors to choose from - especially at North Market - so there should be at least one that will cater to your taste buds.

    

Tags:  columbus, japanese, north market, ohio, pocky
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