Andrew Mark Veety

Sam's Club Hates Pizza, Possibly Italy and America

I've been dogged by well meaning folks on several fronts of late. The topic is hamburgers, right? Wrong. I've recently been debating a reportedly tasty and cheap slice of pizza here in St. Louis. From both the forums at STLBites and on Twitter its been suggested, dare I say demanded, that I head out and try what has been called the "best pizza for $1.88" by St. Louis Magazine. 

The slice? Oh, it comes from the food court at the Sam's Club in Maplewood. I'd like to think I fought the good fight on this issue, pointing out that there had to be some mistake, some error that would stop me from having to spend my hard earned money on a slice of pizza from Sam's Club. Alas, the supporters of this slice persisted and I capitulated.

Upon hearing that I would try the slice, one poster on STLBites even suggested that he would refund me twice what I paid should I eat a slice there and ended up feeling like this poor kid when I was through:

So, having agreed to the Sam's Club pizza challenge, I located a friend with a membership to Sam's we gave this slice a go.

But first, running like the prime meridian though the varied arguments for this slice is the recommendation that I try it "hot" and "right from the oven". Really? Because for me, a greasy slice where the cheese takes on a sheen usually reserved for bakelite handles on vintage silverware is usually a delicious alternative to a pulled from the oven slice. Isn't that like suggesting I try some ice cream, but to make sure its really cold before eating it?

I digress, on to the slice. 

Like any good slice of pizza, the criteria for judging are simple, the bones (known to ham and eggers everywhere as the crust), the sauce, the cheese, how the slice stands up to folding and lastly, the size of the triangle formed by the tip of the slice after folding. 

Let's take a look:

Fresh from the oven we have several slices of cheese pizza from Sam's Club.  

I asked the nice lady behind the counter several times to forego the few remaining slices, kept warm under a heat lamp, and pull these slices from a pie fresh from the oven to make sure I was meeting the requirements of this test. 

The slices were a decent size, topped with shredded mozzarella and a sweet red sauce that ranged from a dark to shockingly bright red depending on where in the slice it was applied. In several places the cheese was melted to the point of being burned, with the mozzarella closest to the heat turning a dark brown. It was almost like the cheese had undergone some unique dairy based sublimation, transforming from bagged cheese to burnt cheese matchsticks, skipping the gooey stage entirely. Unappetizing. 

Next we have the "up-skirt" shot. Its apparent that the dough was docked before being placed onto a metal sheet and sent though a conveyor belt style oven. The dough did take on a nice color from the cooking, but lacked the bit of sweetness that I enjoy in a good crust. The addition of some honey into the dough while mixing would be an improvement. 

The crust was thin, damp and lacked evidence of a decent rise during the bake. The bone was thin, pale and provided little in the way of a handle to drive this slice into a waiting mouth. 

Last up we have one of the most important tests of a great slice, its ability to be folded upon itself before being eaten. 

A good slice will always have a foundation consisting of a thin and crisp bottom crust. When bent, the crust may crack a bit but should always hold its composure. Ideally, a slice of pizza should fold like a paper airplane. More specifically a pizza/paper airplane version of the Concorde, with the tip bending down a bit and providing not only the target for your first bite, but the first opportunity to burn the roof of your mouth with hot tomato sauce and cheese. After all we are eating them hot from the oven here people.

Having spelled out what a well folded slice should look like, I'd like to let the picture above demonstrate the exact opposite of what a slice of pizza should look like when folded. 

Methinks we are done here. 

To wrap up:

With much deference to my fellow pizza aficionados here in St Louis, this is a terrible slice of pizza, and pretty much what I thought it would be. To associate it in any way with a slice of New York style pizza, as it has in the STLBites forum is a straight up mugging of a classic pizza style. To the kind folks at St. Louis Magazine, I agree with you to a point. I agree this is indeed a $1.88 slice of pizza. It is also proof positive that you get what you pay for. 

I want my two dollars. Feel free to toss it in my Hot Dog U donation cup.

In The News - The Church of Twitter...er...Burger

After my review of the February burger from Sub Zero Vodka Bar I was contacted by the Riverfront Times to participate in an interview with Bill Burge and Pi Pizzeria owner Chris Sommers regarding the spattering of Tweets that followed our visit and the place of social media in food writing and the restaurant business.

The outcome of that interview can be found here.

I think the article is quite good and sets the table for a larger discussion once folks get past the more scandalous elements of a poor selection of words and a burger review. I do hope that as a community of writers, chefs and owners we can get to our seats at that table.

There should be no doubt that I understand my part in the ensuing disagreement over food, social media and the hard working folks who make and serve food for a living. I presented a thought that was in context for only a few of the people who follow me on Twitter which was a mistake. I get it.

However, I've gotten a fair amount of feedback that writing about my burger project threatens local business owners and the livelihood of their employees. I do not agree with this viewpoint, but I am willing to listen to anyone who wants to make the argument. My only recommendation is that you use more than a 140 character Tweet to do it. Perhaps a well meaning business owner in St. Louis would be willing to host folks for drinks and debate. It seems like the Schlafly Bottleworks or The Royale would be fitting locations for such an event. I'm unsure who would be neutral enough to moderate it though. Maybe we can just stop yelling at each other in bursts on Twitter and yell at each other over drinks instead.

My friend Kelli Best Oliver shared her thoughts on food writing recently, and I think her reasoning is worth consideration. If you have even a passing interest in this debate, would encourage you to read it.

Finally, I'd like to share my interview in its entirety - if only to gratify my own ego.

Are you more likely to air a restaurant complaint to management or publicly, and why?

For me, I think that is a matter of context.

In my personal life, if I am having a meal and something is not right, I will try and address it directly while I am there. If I am happy with the resolution there is a very good chance that I will say something favorable on Twitter. I do think that when given the chance most people want to and will do the right things. When they do, kudos are deserved.

There are still times when I go out with the intention of not being @amveats, but I can see how that side of me can show up. The line between me and my digital self seems pretty thin at times. I think this is because the tools in my pocket make it so easy to share – I can Tweet, Yelp and update my site and Facebook status from my iphone in a matter of seconds if I really want to.

However, when I am preparing to write about food, I’m going out to eat with a purpose. My intention is to tell a story and share it with my readers.

For many of my readers the act of eating something outside of the home is a luxury. They are spending their discretionary income. It may be arrogant on my part to assume that I’m having a direct impact on their spending decisions, but I bet it happens from time to time. I take that seriously. Why? These are people who have given me the courtesy of their time and feedback. Don’t I have a responsibility to give my opinion, for whatever its worth, on what is good and bad, what works and does not? To avoid this responsibility is a disservice to the readers I’ve cultivated over time.

How is this obligation different than a restaurant who has cultivated a following through good execution? Why is one more valuable than the other? Because one is online and one is made of bricks and mortar? Because someplace has employees? With my writing, if I get sloppy, don’t I run the risk of losing readers? At my job, don’t I advance based on reviews of my performance, why is it bad form to apply the same standard to a restaurant?

Having covered my obligations to my readers, what is my obligation to the places I write about? In scope are to be fair and honest. I would include standing behind what I’ve written and addressing issues when I’ve said something wrong. I have made mistakes in my writing, and I’ve been called on them. It sucks, but I’d like to think that I didn’t strike out when it happens. I try to look at what I did and didn’t do, make amends where I could and to learn something.

What is out of scope? Directly helping a business owner improve how their business operates.

Which method have you found to be most effective in resolving problems?

It is the rare person that can resolve a problem within 140 characters.  I don’t think you can beat sitting down and talking with someone. The advent of Twitter does not negate thousands of years of conflict resolution.

What pros and cons do you see with customers, chefs, and restaurant owners using Twitter, Yelp, etc?

I think that collaborative media is by its very nature, disruptive. It has changed the ways that we create and consume information, if you can actually call a 140 character burst “information”. Although the application of these technologies is still relatively new, they are and will continue to fundamentally change the way that businesses, in this case restaurants, and their customers interact.

I’ve heard the comment that if you have an issue at a business, tell the manager or owner. Well, guess what – every day your customers are telling you what they think. They are doing it on their blogs and Twitter accounts, and they are giving you real time feedback. Are we going to ignore the message because we don’t approve of is delivery method?

These are disruptive tools. They are changing the way we interact and do business. Is there something so special about food and the people who make it that they are somehow is exempt from this?

I agree that these tools are for the most part public utilities. Given that, I don’t think its reasonable to think that a restaurant can control every message linked to their business. That ocean is way to big to boil. So what is left? Yelling at and in front of current and future customers? Would you do that in your restaurant? Why would you do it online?

These tools are all about building a community and a relationship, but so many times they are used by business owners to blast a sales pitch. There is a way to leverage these tools to tell your story. As a consumer of content and services, it’s ok to tell me about your special on Twitter, but it’s not ok to tell me a dozen times a day. Its ok to engage me when I write something you disagree with. Its not ok to somehow imply that I’m a “foodie”, which I think is slang for “amateur”, and a method to try to diminish the value of my comments.

Savvy users of tools like Facebook and Twitter find it more effective to talk about being at the farmers market and finding some fantastic ingredient that will be used in a dish tonight. They are not using it to turn off the very people who they derive an existence from, yet that is what happens. It seems counterintuitive to me.

All things being equal, the wall between the kitchen and the people who talk about food has come down. You have this confluence of opinion and pent up frustration, and they are obviously not coexisting in harmony, they are generating conflict.

I have tried to put myself in the shoes of a chef who has worked hard perfecting a craft and is putting his or her best plate forward nightly. I’m sure is frustrating to read negative comments and reviews that seem both nameless and faceless.  I understand why a chef would take to Twitter and defend himself against criticism.  

If we accept that we are dealing with largely uncoordinated bursts of communication, what do we use to retaliate? More bursts of communication. To make it worse, most of the time these bursts are missing a context. Where does that get the business owner or the chef?

I’ve seen the love that some chefs and restaurants here in St. Louis get. They have fans. Many times the adoration is justified. These fans will undoubtedly take to Twitter to defend a chef, I know this because I’ve seen it happen. I think if a chef or a restaurant is honestly putting out its best food, its best service, if they are working their asses off and pushing themselves, then taking to their Twitter accounts to defend every perceived attack defeats the purpose of all the time and effort they spent generating good will and relationships with their customers. If a restaurant is doing these things, the food should speak for itself, internet comments be damned.

What responsibilities do you think diners have in making online reviews?

Be fair. Be honest. Put things in context. Understand that your words have meaning. Use your own name or develop an online persona that can be associated with you. I blog and tweet under my own name, if I say something wrong people can find me. And trust me, they do.

I don’t think we’ll ever be rid of drive-by reviews, any more than we will ever get rid of angry people. Does anyone think that they could stop a disgruntled, or worse yet generally disagreeable customer from sharing their experiences with a group of friends over coffee? I understand that the issue is that we’ve gone from a small group of people sharing ideas to sharing the same thought with hundreds or thousands.  I think with that fact comes a level of responsibility, backed up by a track record of being a credible source of content.

However, being honest and fair does not mean that I take responsibility for how someone runs or does not run their business. It means I’m trying to do the right things in the right way, for me. It means that I have set a standard for myself and I’m trying to live up to it each time I write.

These tools are new, but their existence does not somehow mean that the cream will not rise to the top. Again, the hard part is sifting though the static for the signal.

What responsibilities do you think restaurant staff members, chefs, and owners have in using social media?

When you are dealing with an organization, I think people need training on how to use a tool and the message needs to be coordinated to a certain extent. Using social media tools requires a set of skills that move the user past the concept of promotion. It requires the ability to develop a voice and foster a community.

I think the staff of a restaurant has a different function in communicating than the chef does. There are personalities and voices within a restaurant that have important things to say. Combined and coordinated, I think they can help tell the story behind the restaurant, they can help to build a long term relationship with not only their customers, but communities both real world and digital.

Burger of The Month - Sweet Art Bakeshop & Art Studio

Welcome to month three of my burger adventure here in St. Louis, or as I like to call it, "The Month That The Wheels Were Supposed To Come Off The Church of Burger." Only history will tell if that dubious title will belong to this or the past months burger. What I do know is that within the inner sanctum of the Church of Burger, no other stop has created the stir that this months burger has. You see, this months burger is not a hamburger, it is a veggie burger. 

Yes, as voted by my readers, this month the burger that I will be venturing out to try is made of vegetables. It is 100% vegan and it belongs to The Sweet Art Bakeshop & Art Studio. Listed as the "Sweet Burger" on their menu, it is a veggie patty topped with organic mixed greens, a house vegan spread, ketchup, "magic" and "love" on a toasted wheat bun. 

I am left wondering if a rouge but well meaning contingent of my friends who happen to forsake meat in favor of vegetables have bombed my voting. Could they be so devious? Or could they be onto something? I will have to find out. The loophole as to what is a "burger" exists in the simple framework of my adventure and I will rise to the challenge. 

I do need to report a few changes to the Church of Burger, effective immediately:

As Sweet Art is not open on Sundays, it makes the act of  worship difficult. So, for the month of March, The Church of Burger will be known far and wide as The Shul of Burger. Shalom y'all! We are celebrating the third festive meal of Shabbat.

Also, due to the feedback we got from last months visit and the diminutive size of the Sweet Art dining room, I am forced to reduce the footprint of our group. Given this, seating with our group will be restricted to our core group plus a few guests, with vegetarians and a special guest getting priority seating. That means for this go around we are already pretty full. This does not mean that friends and regular guests of the CoB can't make a visit, try the burger and let me know what they think. It just means we can't roll into Sweet Art and try to get a table for 10 or more people. My apologies in advance.

Once again, I'd like to express a heart felt thank you to everyone for the comments and thoughts regarding my burger project. I've gotten some amazing emails from folks following along and demand to join us is growing - I'm already making reservations for some folks for our April burger. I've also gotten some well thought out feedback as well, which I greatly appreciate. 

Please keep the comments and notes coming. You can leave a comment here, email me, or find me on both Twitter and Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you.

February Burger Of The Month - Sub Zero Vodka Bar - Recap

For the second time this year I gathered up a group of friends and food bloggers to take down a burger on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This was the next stop in a year long search for the best burger that St. Louis has to offer, based on the input of my readers. You nominated them and I'm eating them, one by one until I crown the best burger in St. Louis in December.

In tow were some new faces and old friends including; Kelli Best-Oliver (South City Confidential / Food Blog Mafia), Bill Burge (STLBites), Stefani Pollack (Cupcake Project), Church of Burger photographer Jonathan Pollack (J. Pollack Photography), Stephanie Tolle (Iron Stef / Food Blog Mafia) and Nik Cameron (13) in addition to a pack of friends and family who wanted to take a look at what my burger project has become.

With the introductions out of the way its time to welcome you all back to The Church of Burger. In the name of the bun, the toppings and the holy burger, I present unto you the February Burger of The Month from Sub Zero Vodka Bar.

The Setup:

Forgoing appetizers but opting for adult beverages, we dug right into the burger menu. Under the guise of "An American Burger Bar", Sub Zero offers up 18 signature burgers ranging in price from $9.95 for the Classic (ground black angus beef, lettuce, cheese, tomato and onion) to $31.95 for the Surf & Turf (American Kobe beef, avocado and poached lobster tail with clarified butter).

Covering the spectrum of burgers between the Classic and Surf & Turf diners can select patties made of beef, lamb, pork, tuna, bison, turkey, chicken, falafel and vegetables. Burger hounds who can not find an acceptable choice among the 18 signature burgers can build their own, with enough combinations of meats, veggies, cheeses, sauces and toppings to boggle the mind, taste buds and digestive track. 

Around the table folks delved deep into the burger menu to make their selections. Among the burgers ordered were several classics, the Hawaiian kobe, a lamb, the southwest veggie, the spicy cajun, the slinger, a pair of falafels, the turkey, the Jamaican jerk and both the Sub Zero and Kobe Beef sliders.

As I need to judge all of the burgers this year, I stuck with the classic, sans cheese and dressed as is with lettuce, tomato and onion.

Without a doubt this was a diverse and complicated order of burgers but the waitstaff covering our tables were efficient and friendly; taking our orders and filling our glasses without showing the stress of covering such a large crowd. 

For the next 45 minutes, conversation ebbed and flowed around the two tables we occupied. Friends chatted and we got to know the new folks who had joined our burger adventure. An hour after we arrived the first burgers appeared, followed by wave after wave of plates until all were served.

So here we were at the moment of truth, the reason we ventured out on a wet Sunday. Behold the burger from Sub Zero Vodka Bar:

The Patty: 

Listed as black angus beef on the menu, the burger was compact but ample, with a hand formed patty at its core. I ordered my burger medium rare and it was cooked nearly perfect with a rosy pink interior.

Like all the burgers that I was surrounded by, the burger on my plate appealed to the eyes. It really looked like a great burger, standing high and dominating the small plate is was served on. However, as I took my first bite I was shocked to find that this perfect medium rare burger was lukewarm at best. My second bite was no better than the first as I noticed a lack of seasoning. By the third bite it was clear that the burger did not lack seasoning, it didn't have any. 

While the pink interior juices of this burger ran a bit into the bun, the patty seemed dry. I checked the bun several times to see if it was absorbing juice as I worked on the burger. It was. However, each bite was devoid of moisture, cold and depressingly free of a distinct burger taste. 

Tasters were divided over the quality of their patty choices, commenting:

"My burger was overcooked and lacked juice and salt. You can get away with one, maybe even two of these, but not all three."

"I know I didn't agree with everyone else but my burger was quite good, perfect size, nicely cooked, yummy"

"It was under-seasoned, overcooked, cold, and on an inferior bun that didn't hold up through even half the burger. When you get a burger in a place called Sub Zero it is, as expected: Sub Par."

"The turkey patty was solid. It was probably premade, given that it was a bit to symmetrical to really be recently hand-mashed. That said, it was flavorful and surprisingly juicy."

"I think Sub Zero should be lauded for having so many interesting-sounding offerings, but the patties fell short."

"Can't claim to be a burger expert, but I think I know the difference between right and wrong. Sub Zero's were wrong."

"I had the lamb, the bbq buffalo, the classic and the southwest veggie sliders. The southwest veggie was the most flavorful by far, but too heavy on the sun-dried tomato taste. The Lamb burger didn't taste much of lamb, and I also didn't taste the mint they promised. The buffalo burger was maybe the best, only because the coleslaw and bbq sauce added moisture."

Caramelization: 

Like everything about this burger, the grill work contributed to the overall beauty of the dish, with islands of char dotting the patty. While the grill marks were not well defined, it did not appear that the meat was handled improperly by the grill-person. All things being equal, the flavor picked up off the grill might have been the only thing saving this burger from being totally devoid of flavor. 

The Toppings:

Our waitress indicated that we could request an item not be added to a signature burger, but no changes or substitutions were allowed. For my classic burger, this meant several slices of tomato, a selection of lettuces and raw onion. The lettuce was a spring mix, fresh but not overly crisp. The tomato was soft, bland and had an out of season taste that I could have done without. The raw onion was sliced thin and had a pleasing sharpness to it when eaten. In hindsight the onion might have been the most flavorful part of this burger.

Tasters commented:

"For what I paid for the burger, the least they could have done would be to put what they said they would put on it."

"Amazingly, the hummus on the burger was overpowering both the feta cheese, and the lamb flavor.  I *saw* bits of mint, but couldn't really taste that either, thanks to the hummus."

The Bun:

The bun for my burger appeared light and airy on the inside when examined, and provided a pleasant crinkle of crust when held. For me, the bun was not quite a classic hamburger bun and not quite a brioche. More than anything it reminded me of a large slider roll. When eaten there was a quality to this bun that made me think of a store bought potato roll that was left out and reused the morning after a back yard cookout. An underlying staleness to the bun did little to help the dry and unseasoned patty. When bitten there was no toothsome pull of the bread before the teeth moved out of the bread and into the denser meat. Instead I was left feeling like each bite consisted of a journey from stale to dry and sadly back to stale. Disappointing. 

Others thought:

"A dry bun that couldn't possibly stand up to the litany of toppings offered at Sub Zero, leaving me a very sober worshipper."

"The bun failed. It literally fell apart on me."

"The bread would have been more solid if it had been dough."

"The bun was a bit tall and dry for my taste."

"The "brioche" bun was dry and relatively tasteless"

The Verdict:

Readers voted the burger at Sub Zero Vodka Bar the eleventh best burger in St. Louis. Given all the issues with this burger, I have to disagree. In my opinion, it appears that the effort of the kitchen has gone into appearance of the burger but not its substance. This represents the worst in dining, where a high sheen is placed on the product to give the appearance of value.

Many diners commented that there was a disconnect between the quality of the burger and its menu price. Truth be told, this burger would be bad at most, if not all price points. 

One member of our group opined, "I was surprised we were going to a vodka bar for the burgers. I would go back to Sub Zero if they have a good vodka tasting option, but why do they try to have such fancy burgers? Stick to vodka and cocktail foods that go with vodka. I don't get it."

To me, it seems Sub Zero suffers because it does not know what it wants to be. The signage says that it is both a vodka and American Burger bar. However, when you walk though the door you come face to face with a sushi table. Why? Its not clear to me how all the parts fit together. Each theme seems more of a hail marry than a well executed plan. Its as if management has attempted to integrate dining trends as they appear, leaving them to lay stagnant in their restaurant long after the fad has passed.

To sum up, I can't help but bestow upon Sub Zero the adage of "Jack of all trades, master of none". 

The search continues.

This Week In The Church of Burger

This has been an insane week for The Church of Burger. Before the reviews of the February burger are posted (to be complemented by posts from several other food blogs and media outlets) I wanted to give you a flavor of what its felt like for me.

To be honest, I haven't decided if I'm Jules, Brad or the burger in this clip.

More to come, thanks for sticking with me through all the drama.

Send Me To Hot Dog University!

There was a bit of talk on Twitter recently about the Vienna Beef iPhone app, which I downloaded and had a chance to check out. While the functionality of the actual application appears to be dubious at best, it does have a link section. And that link section includes a reference to the Hot Dog University in Chicago.

Jackpot.

Known as "The Harvard of Encased Meats", Hot Dog U has a weekend long course entitled "The Art of the Cart" which was designed for people who are considering purchasing a hot dog cart. Now, regular readers of this site know I'm a sucker for a good hot dog. Is the leap from hot dog aficionado to hot dog vendor that hard to imagine for me?

Ok. Maybe the hod dog vending life is not for me, with my life as it exists today. However, I think the experience would be priceless and help to improve my writing on the topic of hot dogs. Who would doubt a hot dog review from a guy with an actual degree in hot dogs?

I was all kinds of fired up when the video above was highlighted on CBS's Sunday Morning several years ago. Alas, I could not get my wife to agree that attending a $700.00 class at the University was an efficient use of our resources. Unable to get a convincing argument past her, I moved on but never really forgot about my idea to attend Hot Dog University.

Well, all this talk of Vienna beef has me thinking it might make sense to give it another try, the good old college try. However, this time with some help. I will gladly cover the cost of travel and lodging, but I'd like to make a heart felt appeal to my readers for help with the class. Will you help? Please click the image below to donate.

Man vs. Burger: The Fuddruckers Five-Pound Challenge

I review this gastronomical challenge for Gut Check over at the Riverfront Times. Check it out.

General Housekeeping

I've noticed that some readers have been having an issue with my RSS feed, especially when they are using Google Reader. I've found that the issue resolves if you re-subscribe here. I'm sorry for any confusion and please let me know if you continue to have issues with my feed.

Dear Five Guys, What The Fuck Is With Your Fries?

Below, we have an example of actual fries from Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Do they look good to you? They look good to me too. However, they are actually pretty terrible. I'd like to share some thoughts about the fries at Five Guys, and use lots and lots of profanity to do it because the idea of a burger and fries is so basic, so elemental, that it is amazing to me that a place could do one so very right, and another so very wrong.

Five Guys makes some down right fantastic fast food burgers, burgers so good they stomp of the nuts of the best burgers either The King or The Clown have to offer. However, unlike other fast food chains, Five Guys also puts "fries" in their name, which to me means the fries better be pretty fucking good.

Spoiler alert - they are not.

To start, I'm cutting Five Guys some slack for serving copious amounts of fries daily. One only has to watch the traffic though their burger shops to see how quickly product is turned over. They don't have the time or the real estate to make a perfect fry - first soaking the fries, then drying them, then frying them in oil partway, then removing them from the oil for a rest only to fry them again just before serving. Its to much to ask of a fast food joint. I'm not being an unreasonable prick here, I'm simply pointing out that I can't bring myself to remotely enjoy these fries. 

In my experience, and by "my experience" I mean "every time I have tried them", these fries are an oily, soggy mess. Why? My guess is that sloppy frying technique is to blame; poor heat management and cooking the potatoes past the stage that the natural moisture within the potato can protect itself from the onslaught of oil. In the later case, the moisture is boiled off and the oil pushes its way in.

In either case, the result is a bag of shitty fries.

I wonder what is wrong with me, because I order them at every visit. I stand there like a goon and watch them shovel piles of fresh cut fries into a paper sack before calling my number. I actually think I'm getting a deal when I watch the fry-man take a second fist-full of fries and toss them on top of my order. Bonus! Right? 

No. Extra of a bad thing does not suddenly make for something good. It's just more bad.

Why do I let this happen? I've been racking my mind for weeks now why I continue to pair Five Guys shitacular fries with such a beautiful burger. The answer is because burgers and fries go together, especially when you are trolling the depths of fast food burgers. 

Sure, for a restaurant burger the sides are pretty endless. However, on a work day when I have to be back in the office in short order, the only real side for a burger are fries. Hot and steamy fries that are crisp on the outside and snap just so when you bite into them. Fries that are covered in salt and are taken down several at a time, burning your fingertips as you shove them in between bites of that burger.

I'm reminded of this great skit Tenacious D did when they were on Mr. Show With Bob and David. In this clip, I'd like to think that Jack Black plays the part of both a Five Guys burger and me, the person eating an order of fries from Five Guys. Kyle Glass plays the part of the fries, which is sad, because if Kyle Glass was a french fry, he would be fucking awesome.

You see Five Guys, your fries can't quit any more than Kyle could. Its time step up, rock the fucking house and kick some burger and fry ass.

A Wee Bit Of Exciting News

With the exception of The Church of Burger project, I have not been able to do much writing of late. My wife and I sold our amazing hundred year old home in the city last fall and have been hunting for a new house to buy and eventually remodel. The search for the right house in the right location has been a long one, but we have a contract on a house and if everything goes well we'll move in soon and get to work.

Many thanks are due to our amazing friends Jeff, Leslie and Esme who not only put us up, but put up with us as well.

I'm really excited to be moving from my dark galley kitchen to a bright and open space for cooking and food photography. It will only get better as we gut the space and put in a new kitchen. With the help of my wife, who is an interior designer, I hope to create a space that not only complements our home, but allows me to cover techniques and cooking in a way that my previous space would not allow.

Along the same lines the outdoor space has tons of potential as well - not only will it accommodate my grilling and barbecue tools better than my last space, it will only get better as we expand the living space out of the kitchen to the deck and then down onto a patio space that hopefully will be complete with an outdoor wood fired pizza oven. My fingers crossed to have that project completed within the next 24 months.

Another plus is a great south facing yard on a bit less than .4 of an acre - more than enough space to set up a great culinary garden. Because of the late start, I've asked my friend Kelli and her business partner at Yellow Tree Farms to help with starters and planning. If you are in the area and are planning your garden - you have to check out their list of heirloom starters. I'm gonna have tomatoes up the yin yang come summer, but I can't say no to all the great plants they have for sale.

The potential of this new space is great, and I think it will make for an interesting addition to this site as we plan, tear down and build. I'm looking forward to sharing the adventure.

In other news I recently was interviewed on a range of topics for Urban Bacon, which was really interesting. I got a chance to not only talk about food, but share some thoughts on getting started with blogging and how restaurant owners can leverage tools to improve their on-line presence. Super fun and thanks to Phil for reaching out to me for my thoughts and opinions. I'll provide a link once the interview is published.

I got a chance to eat some downright foul fucking "barbecue" with Matt Ridings and discuss just what we can and can't do as far as having a barbecue competition here in St. Louis. It's such a great idea, but right now I'm wondering if its to logistically hard to pull off and still enjoy participating in the event. More details to come, hopefully.

And lastly, I'm really excited to report that I was asked to a meeting of writers for the Gut Check section of The Riverfront Times this week. It was great to meet several people that I read and usually interact with on Twitter.

It was even better that I've been asked to contribute to a reboot of their food section. Thanks for the opportunity, I can't wait to get started.

Beyond that, check back in soon for the recap of this months burger and the announcement of the March "burger". Should make for a fun few weeks.

For Immediate Release - Attention Piggies And Cows - You Are On Notice

First annual BBQ Competition and Tweetup. (perhaps someone can come up with a catchy name that reflects St. Louis, Twitter, and BBQ)
 
What is it? - A group of people (the "competitors") will cook Ribs (pork), Pork Butt (pulled pork), and Brisket (beef) through the night and early morning hours of the event.  The competitors can cook any or all of those items.  Given that the competitors will be individuals and not competition teams it's unlikely many will attempt to do all due to space restrictions.  So if you're only good at one of those things then by all means sign up.  Competitors will necessarily consume large amounts of alcohol in the process and have been given advance reprieves for any untoward behavior they may exhibit.  Another group of people (the 'consumers'..get it) will then arrive without having done any work whatsoever and partake in all of the goodness that is BBQ.  We'll follow KCBS rules for the most part.

When is it? - We are currently looking at the "spring break" period (generally in mid March).  As weather is always a factor in the St. Louis area at that time of the year (short sleeves, Down jacket, or rain slicker?) we'll firm this date up as it approaches and ideally have a backup date.

Where is it? - The event will be in the St. Louis area, but you're welcome to come from as far away as you like.  In fact, maybe we'll do something special for whoever travels the furthest. I have a couple of possibilities that we can definitely use (football field sized), and there's always the option of renting an area from a local park, but if you've got a great option by all means suggest it.

How is it judged? - We will select members from the local St. Louis twitter community that we feel have some appreciation and in-depth knowledge for the BBQ'ing arts.  It will be a blind judging, but those who are willing to judge *and* take bribes for preferential treatment will be prioritized.

How much is it? - Unknown at this time since it is dependent upon the shape and size of the final event.  In addition we need to decide if we want to try and make a "profit" that could go to a charity, or to simply try and offset out of pocket expenses.  Thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Who is doing this? - Matt Ridings and Andrew Veety are organizing this event, however we could use all the help we can get.  Lots of skills and access to resources would be great that have nothing to do with BBQ, such as:

• Graphic Design - For things like email invitations, website, t-shirt designs, etc.
• T-shirts
• Infrastructure Organization - Tables, chairs, trash, tents, etc.  And no, I don't mean I want you to bring trash, I mean we need a way to collect and dispose of it in a green friendly way.
• Music - This would be great, and there are certainly a lot of us out there with access to some great musicians/bands.  From a location perspective however I would have to insure access to a decent amount of electricity close by (or an Unplugged acoustic set will be the order of the day)
• Marketing - This is a tweetup, so we need you to get the word out via your friend network.  However, you may want to think twice before inviting that "friend" who wants you to constantly look at the link with her pics
• Other - We'll need hands, brains, and muscles. Feel free to bring one or more of those to the table, but I'd recommend a minimum of at least your hands because let's face it, you'd just look weird without your hands.

Want to participate? Please leave a comment below with what you might be able to help with, if you want to compete, or if you simply have a question.  Or drop us a line at techguerilla or amveats on twitter.  We literally came up with this idea 30 minutes ago so we're evolving in real time.

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Burger Of The Month - Sub Zero Vodka Bar

Welcome to month two of my burger adventure here in St. Louis. The response to my project has been incredible so far and I'd like to thank everyone for the interest, kind words, opinions and requests to join me for a burger. I also really appreciate all the recommendations for your favorite burgers. While they were not submitted in time to be included in this project - I don't need a special reason to get out there and taste some tasty burgers.

If you have comments, questions or would like to find out more about participating in this months burger, please leave me a comment in this post, or you can contact me on Twitter or Facebook.

I'm pleased and honestly a bit apprehensive to announce our February burger, Sub Zero Vodka Bar. Why both pleased and apprehensive? I find myself feeling both because this whole project was founded on the idea that readers tell me what their favorite burger is and then I go eat them. The premise opens the doors to some burgers and burger joints that have and will continue to create some, shall we say "spirited conversation" over the coming year, not to mention question what a "burger" really is. However, I'll try to save that argument for next month, when this burger journey might careen off the proverbial rails in the opinion of many. Should be wicked.

In any event, I'm looking forward to my visit to Sub Zero, because from what I've heard and read, they are dishing up some jacked up burgers to complement their sushi and vodka bar. Yeah, sushi bar. I said I was apprehensive, didn't I? I always get worried when I look at a place and you can't readily tell what and where their wheelhouse is. Is this place about the burgers, the fish or the booze? Can you excel at all three?

But what the hell, who am I to judge until the burger is sitting in front of me? Let's eat!

Training Our Burger Future

I'm sure at some point my son will look at his old man in horror and embarassment, but right now he does not know any better. I love this picture from this past weekend because it seems to support the idea that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

I also love his tee shirt because its full of all kinds of win.

Photo by J. Pollack Photography.

January Burger Of The Month - Dressel's Public House - Recap

This past Sunday I met up with a great group of friends, foodies and food bloggers to take down a burger. This was the first stop in a year long search for the best burger that St. Louis has to offer, based on the input of my readers. You nominated them and I'm eating them, one by one until I crown the best burger in St. Louis in December.

Before we dive into the actual burger, I wanted to take a moment to thank some people who have not only helped me refine this idea, but really improve it. And for that I am very thankful.

Kelli Best-Oliver (South City Confidential / Food Blog Mafia) - By far my biggest supporter since I thought up this project. She's spread the word, encouraged me as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and coined the term "The Church of Burger" - suggesting that we make each months meeting a Sunday lunch. Inspired.

Bill Burge (STLBites) - For keeping me honest and refining how I compare all these burgers. Originally I was going to eat the biggest and most jacked up burgers I could get my hands on, it was Bill who pointed out to me that's not really a good comparison and got me to change my plan.

Stefani Pollack (Cupcake Project) - For recommending that we start with the pretzel with a side of rarebit at Dressel's. While it had nothing to do with eating burgers, it was a damn good call.

Jonathan Pollack (J. Pollack Photography) - For the photos, which I think bring this project to another level. Please check out his site and think of him the next time you are looking for a photographer. 

Finally, thanks to everyone for the votes and feedback that let me put this project together. If you are interested in this project, please leave me a comment or contact me on Twitter or Facebook for more details.

Now, without further ado, welcome to The Church of Burger. In the name of the bun, the toppings and the holy burger, I present unto you the January Burger of The Month from Dressel's Public House.

The Setup:

I arrived early, grabbed a seat at a large table, a pint of cask O'Fallon IPA and contemplated the task at hand as I waited for folks to file in. I was happy to find that Dressel's has an authentic pub feel and is blissfully free of smoke or the remnants of smoking. 

Dressel's has two burgers on the menu; "The Dressel's Hamburger" (a 1/2 beef burger with lettuce and raw onion on a brioche bun) and the "5" (lamb burger, chive butter, bread and butter pickle, tomato and lettuce on a brioche bun). Diners can also top their burgers with cheese, rarebit, sauteed mushrooms, onions, red peppers, kraut and a house made bacon.

Around the table folks opted for the beef burger and then added cheese, rarebit, onions and mushrooms to their orders. I kept to the rules and ordered the Dressel's Hamburger as it came, with lettuce and onions. Nobody in our party requested a burger cooked past medium, with the majority opting for medium rare.

A pretzel was delivered to our table shortly after our burger orders were taken and we all dug into this salty and chewy pub treat served with a side of rarebit for dipping. We took turns passing the dish around the table, ripping a piece off and plunging it into the rarebit. The pretzel was crisp on the outside and crowned with salt, a perfect foil for the fresh bitterness of the cask ale IPA.  

With the pretzel gone and its rarebit artfully reserved for a forthcoming burger, the conversation turned to all things burger. Where to get them. Where you can't get them anymore. How they should be cooked. Why a burger cooked at home is almost always the best burger you can get. Time passed and I didn't see our waitress approach, arms loaded down with burgers on plates and baskets depending on the side ordered.

So here we were at the moment of truth, the reason we ventured out on a Sunday. Behold the burger from Dressel's:

The Patty: 

Listed as 1/2 pound on the menu, the burger looked like a hand made patty that was oozing juice from the top, indicating a good protein to fat ratio, probably 80/20. The first bite was juicy and salty, making an amazing topping unto itself - making condiments an unnecessary addition.

As I mentioned before, everyone ordered burgers medium and medium rare and for a table of seven I only saw one burger that approached that level of doneness. Instead of red to pink interiors, most of the burgers ranged from a light pink to a medium well gray.

Tasters commented:

"Mine was like a rainbow of beef: mid-rare on the first bite to almost full on well on the last. Fat saved it."

"Mine was definitely medium. I like 'em pinker than that. Luckily, it was still awesome."

"Well, really, the two things that make food taste good saved it: salt and fat"

"A bit salty, came out medium rather than medium rare, but worked perfectly."

Caramelization:

I don't care if the burger you are eating is smashed on a flat top or grilled in the back yard, it needs the flavor and crunch that can only come from a good char. For me, the saltiness of this burger did a good job pulling some juice and fat out of the patty before grilling. This led to an impressive set of grill marks which were dark, defined and indicated that the grill-person didn't waste time playing with the meat - it was cooked on one side, then the other, then plated.

The Toppings:

To Bill's point, its a little to easy to jack up a burger with all the extras to hide an otherwise subpar burger, so for the purposes of this project I am eating the burgers as they come. In this case, that meant lettuce and raw onion. The lettuce was crisp and fresh, providing a pleasing crunch. The sharp contrast of raw onion made for a good combo. No complaints.

As far as toppings, no two burgers were ordered the same during our visit, but there was a healthy representation of cheese burgers around the table.  One taster commented that the, "Rarebit sauce is not to be missed". 

Personally I was sad nobody opted for the house made bacon, because I would have been tempted to "tax" a bit of it off their plate had it shown up.

The Bun:

Often overlooked, a bun can make or break a burger experience. Far from being a marquee player of the burger team, it should instead play the part of journeyman, providing solid defense and a pop from time to time. For a burger throwing off as much juice as the one at Dressel's, the brioche bun did a fine job holding things together until the last bite. Like an edible Temper-Pedic pillow it stood up not only to the burger, but repeated two handed trips from plate to pie hole. From my perspective the bun was well done.

However, some of the diners disagreed and commented:

"It was just an oddly bagel-shaped enriched white bun.  There was no real egginess to it the way you would expect from brioche.  I also wished they’d toasted it more.  Someone did do it, but mine seemed like an after thought as apposed to an attempt to actually get it crisp."

The Verdict:

Readers voted the burger at Dressel's the twelfth best burger in St. Louis. Given how well rounded and executed I thought this burger was, it seems to indicate that the "best burger" in St. Louis will be orgasmic in a way that is usually reserved for a sandwich at Katz's Deli. And while that works in the movies, I'm not sure it will happen here in St. Louis. 

For me, the mix of salt and burger juice makes for a fine burger, one of the better burgers that I've had here in town. To get the best out of a burger from Dressel's I would suggest that readers order their burger a little less done than you really want it, and skip the condiments because this burger does not need them to hide behind. 

Others at the table thought that the burger at Dressel's was at best average with a chance of being much better. I can find common ground with that perspective, because it was not a perfect burger. Instead it hangs out in the lukewarm water between run of the mill and potentially great. And lets face it, here in St. Louis, that's not always an undesirable place to be.

Surfdogs Just Might Have The Best Buns In St. Louis

In the realm of intelligent things to do on a Sunday afternoon, I'm not sure pounding almost a half dozen hot dogs is one of them. I am positive its not a good idea when you have traveled over 20 miles to try one of the new guards of St. Louis hot dog joints, Surfdogs, where surfing, perfectly steamed poppy seed buns and Jimmy Buffet reign supreme.

To start, I'd like to share with you the souvenir I brought back from my trip to the Chesterfield Valley - my membership in the Surfdogs Hang 10 Club. In about 20 minutes I managed to "Hang 5", barely, before the ordering stopped and I limped back to the car for the long trip back to Webster. 

For the record, I ate half of the Big Kahuna Challenge. Basically the challenge consists of a person, a seat, 10 decadent hot dogs and 60 minutes. According to the Surfdogs website there are no substitutions, no trips to the bathroom and if you hork before your done, I have to assume the challenge is over. If its not over, it should be. However it is unclear if the rules allow you to continue after vomiting. To be honest I don't really want to know.

In any event I would be unable to compete for the Big Kahuna given the number of hot dogs that include cheese, in slice, shredded and sauce form. While I was able to ask for my dogs to be made sans cheese, for the purposes of maintaining the integrity of the Big Kahuna Challenge, the dogs can't be made without cheese. 

I think it would be grossly unfair to the handful of people who have actually completed this gut wrenching challenge to attempt it without doing the cheese dogs. 

Joining me on my trip was my friend, hot dog with ketchup lover, and sometimes site guest contributor Jeff, who brought along his daughter, who had this face on pretty much the whole time I was eating. Clocking in at a year and a half, even she seemed to know that what I was doing was wrong, and possibly against the very laws of nature.

While I appreciate that she was worried about what was unfolding in front of her, I still had to make the most of my trip because I honestly don't know how often I will get back there. 

Hence the desperation inherent in my ordering - as you will see over the following paragraphs. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Here is the rundown:

From Left to Right - The New York Dog, The Original Surf Dog, The Ruben Dog

The New York Dog is a Vienna Beef dog on a steamed bun topped with spicy mustard, giardiniera peppers and sauerkraut. Now longtime readers will remember my issues with "New York Style" dogs both at Woofies and Pam's Chicago Style Dogs. Much like at Pam's, the addition of giardiniera is tasty, but it has nothing to do with New York hot dogs. New York hot dogs come from a dirty water dog cart, topped with mustard, onion sauce and sauerkraut. When they are from a shop they are grilled on a flat top, topped just like a dirty water dog and ideally served with papaya juice. I've eaten hundreds of hot dogs in NYC, and never once was I even offered the option of giardiniera. Now don't get me wrong, giardiniera is an amazing topping. It tastes great on a dog, and even better on Chicago style Italian beef, but its addition does not make for a New York hot dog. You know what does? Mustard and sauerkraut. All in all, a great hot dog with a geographically depressing name for this NYC transplant.

The Original Surf Dog is a Vienna Beef dog on a steamed bun topped with pineapple, tomato, bacon, peppers and swiss cheese. As I mentioned above I asked for mine without the cheese. My experience with this dog started rocky when a bite of dog and crushed pineapple came on a bit strong. However as I made my way into the dog, the mixture of fruit, dog, bacon and peppers made for a downright excellent and unexpected hot dog. Surf Dog, you live up to your namesake.

The Reuben Dog is a Vienna Beef dog on a steamed bun topped with 1,000 island dressing and sauerkraut. Simple and tasty, this was the only dog that I didn't have to ask for no cheese on, even though I think I should have if it was really a reuben. Regardless, this one went down first and fast. 

While I was taking down my first basket of dogs, Jeff attacked Capn' Misty's Italian Dog, a Vienna Beef dog on a poppy seed bun topped with mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (or gravy if you were taught correctly) and sweet peppers. The menu indicates the bun should be toasted, but from the picture it looks like this one was not. Jeff was really happy with this gussied up pizza dog and with the fact that the bun was steamed instead of toasted. 

From Left to Right - The South Shore Slaw Dog and The Dog House

There comes a time when you are eating really dumb amounts of food that you decide that you're going to order again before you finish what's in front of you. I blame the menu that hung there on the wall, just staring at me. Three dogs was more than enough for one visit, but as if my feet were taking directions from my sack instead of my highly rational brain or completely full stomach, I soon found myself back at the counter ordering the two gut busters pictured above. 

The first, or rather fourth dog was The South Shore Slaw Dog, a Vienna Beef dog on a steamed poppy seed bun topped with a really fresh and well executed cole slaw. Now, I've eaten slaw dogs all over the south, but i have to say this reminded me of a slaw dog that I would make at home during a cookout. The right amount of tang and the right amount of crunch from the cabbage. Bravo.

My fifth dog was the aptly named Dog House. A combination of The Cheesy Dog, The Epic Chili Dog and a South Shore Slaw Dog, this dog is by all measures a problem, or maybe it was just a problem that I was eating it last. First off, without the cheese, it was just a dense and amazing slaw chili dog. I can't imagine this dog covered with cheese sauce, or rather I can't imagine how I would eat it without a knife and fork. Not that there is anything wrong with knife and forking a dog if you need to. To be honest as I sized up this dog, I thought about my brother attempting the Chili Pie at Woofies this past spring and then I counted my blessings it was missing the cheese and dug in.

The chili was sweet and not very spicy. The first bite reminded me of Skyline Chili, as did the second. By the third bite I found myself back in the middle of a slaw dog, with the tang mixing well with the sweetness of the chili. By this point I was not even sure there was a hot dog in there, I was just trying to finish. 

Which I did, thank you very much.

Postscript:

As I write this, its been about 36 hours since my visit to Surfdogs and I just finished dinner, my first meal since visiting Chesterfield. Seriously, I was not hungry for over a day and a half. If my exploits don't make you want to saddle up and head out to the wilds of St. Louis county, I don't know what would. Along the same lines, if my exploits make you want to never eat a hot dog again or perhaps go vegan, that's understandable as well. Hell, I was thinking that on the ride home. And while I'm positive I will never, ever, ever attempt the Big Kahuna challenge, I will find my way back to finish out my punch card. 

Eventually. 

After I go for a run. 

Several really long runs. 

All dicking around aside, Surfdogs is well worth the short road trip from St. Louis city and worthy addition to the top shelf hot dog joints we have here in town.

Burger Of The Month - Dressel's Public House

We are starting a bit late for sure, but the voting is done and its time to get on with the first of our St.  Louis Burger of the Year contenders.  

With over 100 votes covering 25 + restaurants and burger joints in the area the competition to get into the top twelve was tight and in the end readers selected Dressel's Public House as the St. Louis Burger of the Month for January.

The Dressel's Hamburger clocks in at 1/2 pound, grilled to order and includes a slice of sweet onion, lettuce and a pickle on a brioche bun for $8.00.

After that, you can add cheese, sauteed mushrooms, onions, red peppers, kraut, house made back or American bacon, tomato and relish for an additional charge. 

My plan is to make an unannounced visit to Dressel's over the next two weeks to give this burger a try. I'm already thinking about adding the mushrooms and house made back bacon. The addition of kraut is also interesting. 

I'd be excited to know if you have thoughts about this burger, can suggest other items from the menu to sample on my visit, have suggestions from the beer menu to pair with my burger and most importantly would like to join me. Please leave me a comment or contact me on Twitter or Facebook for more details if you would like to take part in trying this months burger.

Help Me Eat The Best Burger In St. Louis

Twelve months - twelve burgers that you pick and I eat.

We'll focus on a burger a month and at the end of the year - we'll select the best burger in St. Louis.

So far I have 18 burger nominations and over 50 votes covering the best St. Louis has to offer. I'll collect your favorites through Friday, January 15th so leave your ideas in the comment section, or contact me via Twitter or Facebook. To be fair, limit your suggestions to 3 burgers, ranked so I know which is your favorite.

On January 16th I'll tabulate everyone's favorites and weigh them against the most recent "Best of" lists from local media (print and web). However, because word of mouth carries more weight with me than annual lists, they will carry more weight here as well.

Once we have our list, I'll make an unannounced visit each burger joint and break down the best they have to offer into a handful of criteria; the patty (which can be meat or veggie), caramelization, toppings, bun, presentation and most importantly - the taste.

The burger with the most votes will be our December burger, the next highest will be November and so on. On the first of each month* I'll announce that months burger on this site, Twitter and Facebook and I'll open up comments for a week. The person who makes the best case for that months burger will get a chance to join me to eat their favorite burger and help me with the judging - and I'll pick up the tab. In the event that nobody makes an impassioned plea for that months burger, I'll treat my wife to a night out for burgers.

I hope your excited about this project as I am, here is to twelve months of fantastic burgers!

*January will be a bit haphazard - I will announce this months burger on Monday the 18th and I'll accept comments until the 20th. Hopefully by February I'll have the process ironed out. You do what you can.

Shades Of A Former Self At South 21

UPDATE:

Several days after posting this review, I was contacted by George Motz who informed me that the original South 21 Drive-In in Charlotte, North Carolina was and is very much open for business. George writes:

"Andrew - Thanks for your praise for my book. It's always great to hear when real burger lovers are using the book to find real burger joints. Unfortunately it sounds like you went to the wrong South 21 in Charlotte. The family business split up a few decades back and the only original location is on Independence Ave. It looks like you visited the Matthews location which is not owned by the Housiadas family. I just spoke to George at South 21 and he said they are doing great and that Fieri was just there and they are going to be on the Food Network next month...

Visit south21drivein and make sure you get to this location next time you are in Charlotte.

George"

I'm quite embarrassed by this error on my part - the research I did indicated the original location was indeed closed, leaving only the Matthews shop. In any event, I will head over to the original on my next trip to Charlotte and thanks to George for keeping me honest.

Kind Regards

amv

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

In his book "Hamburger America" George Motz does an admirable job waxing nostalgic about classic roadside burger joints like South 21, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I pick through George's book before I travel for work and lug it in the car for road trips with my family. However, I don't covet this book just for the amazing burgers and photography, I also love they way George has captured the stories behind these small, family run businesses. 

The concept of highlighting these gems of Americana, and in many cases the American Dream, is not a new one although it seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts. From Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" to Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt" and Adam Richman's "Man v. Food", basic cable offers a regularly scheduled smorgasbord of quirky and uniquely American eateries. Web sites like Roadfood add to the mix, acting as an archive of great road trip eats, frequented by folks who are looking for a bit more than a "Number 2, Large with a Coke".

Interestingly enough the act of cataloguing and making recommendations on American roadfood can be traced back at least in part to Duncan Hines, who out of necessity created a whole category of the foods we should seek out and the ones we should avoid when traveling. In a way, he created the first food blog, and that DNA resides within all food writing and the shows we watch today.

Many times the thread that connects these food resources, people and places are roads like Route 66 that have long since been replaced by our national highway system. We relish sharing the stories of our favorite roadside gems, located on well worn but sometimes forgotten paths. However, when the proverbial rubber its the road, how often do we take the extra time needed to visit these vintage finds? Instead we opt for the convenience of the homogenized taste that is modern America - available with a quick on and off, bus parking and clean bathrooms just up ahead at the next exit - or if you miss that exit - the one right after that.

I had this in mind when I visited the last of the South 21 Drive-in's in Charlotte. Sadly the restaurant George Motz describes has been shuttered since he published his book. Gone is the curb side service, the carhops in black fedora hats and the neon signage that separated South 21 from its competition for over 50 years. 

In its place is a nondescript white building brimming with memorabilia from the original location. The sign on Independence Boulevard does not light up to invite wayward travelers in, instead it shows a graphic of the original sign which sits darkened several miles away. Instead of drive up and in car eating, customers park between the building and a strip mall. Once inside you can view pictures of the classic cars and hot rods that one time filled the car stalls of this Charlotte institution. 

In almost every way, the packaging of this burger joint has changed, even as the actual food packaging and menu remains the same. Instead of being one of the 100 best burger joints in America, it has become an homage to what it once was.

However enough with the lecture, lets get on to the food.

 

The Dog:

To start I opted for a hot dog complete with a house made chili, mustard and a healthy addition of raw onions. The chili was a great partner for the dog, consisting almost completely of loose meat and containing just enough spice. All in all it was a well rounded dog that held up to its toppings and lasted all of about 5 bites. Being the south the bun was fresh from the bag and not steamed or warmed on a flat top. All in all it was a good drive-in dog. 

What was missing from this dog? Slaw. We are in North Carolina folks, where is the slaw dog?

The Burger:

The signature burger at 21 South is the Super Boy - two 4 oz beef patties, mustard, onions, lettuce and tomato with a pickle speared through the top, which my brother (whom you might remember from my post Matt vs. Food) gamely ordered and took down like a champ. But as you can see, he was duly impressed by my order (pictured above and below), the 21 Xpress Special.

Consisting of three 4 oz beef patties, mustard, onions, lettuce and tomato, the Xpress Special towered over the Super Boy - a monster pile of beef resting atop a fistful of roughage. 

Sizable? Yes. Tasty? Well, its easy for me to say that this is not one of the 100 best burgers in America. 

The veggies seemed old and wilted for the volume of business South 21 does. With that much turnover you would expect crisp lettuce. A bad tomato in the late fall can be expected, but a crisp bed of lettuce would have made for a fantastic foundation to this burger. Instead of a crisp snap to break up the sandwich, it was hard to tell where the bun stopped and the lettuce began.

The patties are all beef, sourced from the same butcher for over 45 years, and cooked to well, which for their thinness is probably unavoidable. The burger is charred, but does not come close to that of a good smashed burger, which in all honesty was what I was expecting. Caramelization is so important to a burger and these patties were missing it. All told, it was a pretty standard burger - again - hardly one of the 100 best in America. 

With all due respect Mr. Motz, South 21 is not what it used to be.

The Takedown:

In the end I think what made South 21 so very standard was not the food, its clear that over 50 years, the owners of South 21 have found a formula that works well for them. For me, what is missing is the experience; the neon, the uniforms and the throwback to a car culture that is sadly long gone. In its place is a shadow of what once was, a great burger joint. 

For the kind folks of Charlotte, I'm sure they are happy that some vestige of their burger culture remains. The pictures and the packaging mean something to them and for this I am sure they are grateful. Sadly they left me wanting the real deal, not full size photographs and scale models.

I am positive the same 21 Xpress Special, served in wax paper and sitting on a tray hanging from the window of my old 1997 M-Edition Miata would be an almost religious burger experience. I can imagine visiting on a Saturday night, hanging out in the glow of neon and communing with a killer burger. And that burger would be great, because the place that it was served was so special it could not help but make a standard burger a fantastic one.

The Counter Burger

Thanksgiving found me at my parents home in Charlotte, North Carolina visiting with family and taking some time away from the stress of moving and finding a new home. And while these things are important, it was also a chance to follow up on some of the great eats that Charlotte has to offer. Long time readers may remember the amazing burger I took down at the Penguin Drive-In in 2008.

This year I found myself sitting at the counter with family members at a burger joint in South Park named appropriately - The Counter - which was packed with a well healed lunch time crowd of business people and families who were taking a lunch break from shopping at the nearby mall. We opted for the counter due to the wait for a table and I was immediately reminded of this great scene from one of the greatest Seinfeld episodes ever - The Maid.

The concept behind The Counter is a customizable burger with enough combinations of burger, toppings, sauces and buns to result in over 300,000 different flavor combinations. 

With mini-pencil in hand I began to work this menu with the ultimate goal of creating the famous Aussie Burger, but I was quickly distracted by the lack of pickled beets on the menu. With over 300k + combinations available, you would think a pickled beet would be found someplace.

Undaunted I created the Andrew burger, a 1/3 pound patty topped with dill pickle chips, grilled onions, grilled pineapple, roasted red peppers, honey cured bacon and a roasted garlic aioli. Ridiculous is size and scope, I quickly added a tall chocolate shake to my order and the turned my attention to the first round of appetizers, ordered by my sister at the end of the counter.

 
First up we had a shallow plate of fried pickle chips, a staple of southern bar menus and a treat that I find largely missing here in St. Louis. I've had fried pickles across a broad swath of the south - from the Carolina's to Texas, and while all fried pickles are good, some are just better. They are the best when they have a light, almost tempura coating and are paired with a tangy ranch dressing. They are even better when instead of pickle chips - they are made from dill pickle spears - like they make at The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. 

Sadly, the pickles at The Counter have a heavy breading that the pickles can't really compete with and it was more like biting into a poorly executed fried zucchini than a crisp fried pickle.

Next up we dug into a plate of sweet potato fries coated liberally in sea salt. The fries were perfectly cooked, crisp on the outside and waiting for a pairing with mayo or the ranch dressing from the fried pickles. For the most part I watched these fries from my end of the counter, tasting once but not really getting to dig in. Everyone seemed to enjoy them, I know I would have had I been sitting more towards the center of the counter. Bummer - such is life when you are eating at a counter with a crowd.

As the apps were swept up and carried away my shake appeared - a picture of ice cream, whole milk and whipped cream in a tall glass.  As a good shake should be, this one was way to thick to pull through a straw until you hold it in your hand for a while, allowing your body heat to melt the drink just enough to begin sipping. I moved the shake to my side and leaned forward to hide it from my wife's roving hands with my arm - alas she never orders her own shake - opting instead to "tax" mine at will - the cost for ordering such a decadent burger side.

After some good natured ribbing of my little brother and a few quick scans of the burgers that were making their way out of the kitchen and too waiting tables, my burger appeared on the counter before me. My first thought was amazement at the construction of this burger as it was obvious that there is forethought given to which toppings ride under the patty and which ride on top.

My burger came with a solid foundation of dill pickle chips and then a liberal coating of roasted red peppers, forming a nest for the 1/3rd pound (after cooking) burger, charred in a manner that suggested it was broiled instead of grilled or smashed out on a flat top.

On top of the patty came a layer of thick cut and grilled onion, several slices of grilled pineapple and then some crisp bacon. Roasted garlic aioli came on the side and I applied a healthy coating to the grilled bun before placing it atop this monstrosity. 

What did it look like? Well I'll show you.

The burger lasted in this state for only a moment before I attacked it in the only way I know how - for a burger this tall you can only knife it down the center, pick it up side ways and eat your way to the other side. 

The burger was moist and cooked to a perfect medium. I found myself trying to get a taste of pineapple into every bite as it played so well with each ingredient, especially the grilled onions and the bacon.

Delicious.

Here are some of the other burgers my family tried that day. I didn't bother to ask them what they put on them because I was to busy focusing on my own. 

Distraction - its a five inch tall burger.

My brother in law took down a onion rich western burger.

My sister in law ordered a 2/3 pound cheese burger.

My wife ordered a veggie burger - huh?
 

Entre:Underground - A Thanksgiving Feast

In years past my good friend Bob and I would organize a supper club called Bob and Andrew's Restaurant, or Andrew and Bob's Restaurant or just "The Restaurant", depending on who you asked. 

The challenge would be to create an innovative multi course meal for 10 - 15 people that would cost no more than $5.00 a person before a pairing of wine or a beer that I had brewed. We worked on this project for almost a year, meeting a handful of times before it faded into a background of weddings, babies and obligations that dominate our daily lives. 

As I remember its inception, the idea for our club came from a story I was telling about a underground restaurant in Queens. Nestled into a quiet middle class neighborhood in Middle Village an Italian family served traditional family style meals complete with wine for $50.00. As they served a fixed number of people per night and it was not uncommon to knock on the door and be told to try again next weekend, if the door was answered at all. 

"The Restaurant" was great fun but it quickly grew unwieldily and its restriction to charging no more than $5.00 a head, while egalitarian, was restrictive beyond belief. 

Anyway, these were the thoughts that simmered in the back of my mind like the foundation of a good stock as I made my way up a dark street and to the front door of an amazing home in Soulard to attend an event that had all the elements of not only a supper club, but a deliciously secret rave as well.

But how had I ended up here?

I first discovered this roving event a few weeks ago when I got a message on Twitter that led to a web site describing an event that had a few spaces left:

"Interested in going? DM me on twitter. Have too much to say in a tweet about why you'd want to go? Just add your comments below. Don't worry about the cost as it isn't cheap, whatever you can or can't contribute is fine. I'll pick up the rest.  Whether you check the box as male, female, or "other" is fine with me. I'm happily married thank you very much  But you *must* love food. Additional bonus is that you will then be on the invite list for all future dinners."

Sadly the date available happened to be my birthday and friends had organized a dinner long ago so I was unable to go. But over the next week I was added to a list of interested parties and received a tweet that read:

"just ordered hudson valley fois, 6 whole peking ducks, moulard breast, leg and things from pasture 2 plate"

Again I was unable to rsvp as I was scheduled to spend the weekend hanging out and cooking at a lake house in the Ozarks. Each message regarding this cryptic dinner left me wanting to attend more. The tweets continued and soon I was emailed a link and password to a website where I could RSVP to a future meal. 

Jackpot. 

I RSVP'ed for 2 for what was a meal called "Rethinking Thanksgiving", eventually leading a friend and I to this dark doorway in Soulard. What follows is a recap of the meal I enjoyed at a table full of strangers, I hope it inspires you to seek out the clandestine chef. I know I'll be back for more.

For supplemental information I'll link to my tweets and twit-pics from the evening. Yes I took more pictures than this, but really, you don't think I went through all this work to share everything now did you? 

My evening with the Entre:Underground - A Thanksgiving Feast - in seven parts:

Upon entering we were welcomed and given a glass of Cava Carbo, a sparking wine from Spain, and then were left to mingle with the few diners that had already arrived, explore the house and ask questions in the kitchen as a team of chefs and assistants prepped a meal for 30 people, split between two long tables in a cavernous room off the kitchen. As I was as interested in how an evening like this was pulled off, I grabbed seats with a direct view of the action in the kitchen.

First:

A slim plate with crostini and a deconstructed stuffing of turkey braised in cider and cranberry, a celery foam and fried sage and paired with a 2008 Alder Ffeiz Gewurztraminer. A well executed amuse bouche, providing a glimmer of what was ahead and capturing the flavors of perfect stuffing. The braised turkey reminded me of Thanksgiving meals with my family, where my mom lays the neck of the bird over the dressing as it cooks in the oven and we take turns picking at the moist and dark meat throughout the day.

Second:

The chef visits our table to tell us about a green bean casserole with mushrooms that were just hours removed from growing on a tree, topped with crisp slices of garlic in the place of the customary strips of fried onion. Pairing was a delicious 2008 Brampton Sauvignon Blanc. 

I recall wondering if there was any more of that braised turkey...

Third:

A refresh of the Sauvignon Blanc and a request to make conversation and await an off the menu course thats being constructed on the fly, a house made turkey sausage wrapped in dough - pigs in a blanket sitting atop a decadent cranberry sauce.

I grab my phone and snap a picture, tweeting: 

"Secret extra dish - pigs in a blanket! #amazing". I follow this up with a tweet directed at the chef, "I'm sitting here - amazing - bravo. So happy."

Fourth:

Quite possibly my favorite dish of the evening was a playful take on mac and cheese (picture). An amazing combination of cheese crisp sitting in a pasta soup with chives and bacon. Paired with my favorite wine of the night, a 2006 Paraiso Syrah that was full of oak, I could have ended the evening here. 

The soup was smoky from the bacon and a perfect foil for the cheese crisp which I broke off in small pieces with my spoon and savored. For the first time in the evening, I stopped talking and concentrated on the dish. 

It is always a good sign when I turn quiet at a meal, because as my wife will tell you, I never shut up. 

Fifth:

A pallet cleanser of cranberry sorbet sitting on a generous base of honey. I share a story with all in earshot that my parents tell about the first time they had a pallet cleanser with a meal. Long story short they used the sorbet to "butter" their bread. I love that story, but not as much as the heady mixture of cranberry and honey. Just rich.

I direct another tweet at the chef: 

"love that you guys are working so hard and rocking this place - while pounding some PBR's. =D".

Sixth:

The main course of a turkey and duck ballotine, wrapped in bacon and paired with broad sweeps of cream corn, goat cheese polenta and spinach (picture). One of our fellow diners asks what a ballotine is, and I reply with a tweet from earlier in the afternoon:

"Wikipedia's entry for ballotine is short and sweet. Its recommendation? See Also "Turducken". Have to love rolled and stuffed meat."

For the first time I realize that we've been eating for two and a half hours, then I dig in, making sure to gather up each flavor in every bite. A 2008 Dain Savage Juilet Pinot Noir complemented the neapolitanesque combination of bacon, turkey and duck. 

Not to be forgotten is a simple roll dusted with sea salt and sage. Happiness ensued when half of a second roll showed up on my plate, complements of my friend Steph who wrestled an extra helping from the waitstaff. 

Seventh:

A fun play on creme brulee in the form of a pumpkin custard topped with a pumpkin seeded lace cookie. More like a pumpkin flan, the key to this dish was the crunch of the cookie, which takes the place of a traditional caramelization of sugar. A square, yes square, cup of coffee on the side was an excellent ending to this meal.

To wrap the evening, each member of that evenings underground meal took a moment and told us a bit about themselves, brining the meal to an end. As each person explained their story and how they ended up preparing the evenings meal, I could not help but think of the small supper club that my friend Bob and I ran. While backgrounds ranged from bankers to biologist to chefs, it was clear that each was there to be part of something special and for St. Louis, very unique. 

Many thanks for the amazing meal and best of luck to the new friends we met that night. I can't wait to return for seconds.

Neo Neapolitan Pizza Goodness By J. Pollack

Sara and I had our new friends Jonathan and Stef over for dinner recently, and Jonathan offered to snap a picture of this veggie pie I made - just after it was pulled from the oven.

This is just a beautiful picture of one of my pies, and I'm excited about sharing here.

Jonathan is a photographer here is St. Louis. He shot our maternity pictures before Reis was born and more recently, the 60th birthday of my mother in law, Peg. When he's not busy with shooting weddings and sittings, he is also a photographer for Sauce Magazine, so I feel doubly lucky to have this photo.

Stef makes a mean cupcake and brought over her recent creation, garlic cupcakes for halloween. My favorite part of this savory and delicious treat was a whole clove of roasted garlic dipped in chocolate, riding on the top of the cupcake. Stef is currently contributing a cupcake a month until January to Paula Deen. Her first submission was a carmel apple cupcake, which I heard was amazing.

Best of all, Jonathan and Stef recently had a little boy, Myles, and he and Reis have become fast friends, which is super fun.

Thanks for the photo and the fun night - hope you guys liked the pizza.

Epic Win

 

Thanks to my team!

And On To The Finals!

2009 Metlife St Louis Bocce

In an extreme lack of sportsmanship and humility - I show off my 2007 award before the start of my first match. Lucky for me we came from far behind to win and move to the second round.

Revisiting An Old Favorite And Two Rookie Efforts

The Old Favorite - The Tin Can Tavern "Ten"

A favorite stop of mine during football season is the Tin Can Tavern on Morgan Ford. Around noon friends make their way over to this South City landmark for stiff bloody marys and comfort food to:

1. Help soak up the toxins from the previous nights festivities
2. To nip at the proverbial hair of the dog, because for the Jets, Bills and Browns fans amongst us, it usually ends up being a long, long afternoon.

While much of the menu at the Tan Can is topnotch pub food, the mini corn dogs and tomato bisque are amongst my favorites, I usually find myself thinking about the burger on Thursday or Friday, long before Sunday ever rolls around.

The burger at The Tin Can is called the "Ten" and it comes with bacon, choice of cheese (including none, thankfully for me) and sauteed onions riding on two five ounce beef patties. While this is not a dominating double burger, at least compared to a favorite of mine - the "Big Block" Burger at The Penguin in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is well made and quite tasty.

Burgers are not cooked to order at the Tin Can, so every Ten is cooked to medium / well. However, what this burger lacks in juice it makes up with a crispy exterior to play against the star of the show - the pairing of perfectly cooked bacon and onions. The choice of side off this great menu of comfort food allows the diner to tailor the dish to the vibe of their Sunday. Make mine with mashed potatoes and gravy, a well executed cole slaw or the fries, which are quite good and would make a great partner of some malt vinegar or mayo if they were available at the table.

For the meek or calorie minded the Ten has a smaller brother, the "Five", but really, its Sunday and you're watching football, get the real deal and worry about it on Monday.

Rookie Effort 1 - Plaza Pastries and Donuts

Long under construction, the series of buildings at Connecticut and Morgan Ford has started to come alive with the opening of a child care center, a donut shop and soon, a family restaurant. The entire venture is the project of one family and the development of the property has been a labor of love filled with lots of do it yourself projects and sweat equity - just the thing a quickly developing street like Morgan Ford needs.

A quick check in with Google Maps shows that this new shop sits in the heart of the south St. Louis donut scene. Surrounded by at least a half dozen shops, some of which are Route 66 landmarks, the competition is indeed tough for this start up, but the shop should do well servicing the Tower Grove neighborhood. 

The morning I stopped in, the front counter case was filled with a variety of donuts, however I was disappointed to see several empty cases behind the register. Perhaps the owners are just planning for future demand, but for some reason that I still can't put to words, it made me worried about this small shop. It just made things feel incomplete, they didn't look sold out - they just looked empty. Very odd.

However among the several dozen choices, I was happy to see examples of both cake and yeast based donuts. The cake versions were well made; crisp from frying but not greasy. The yeast donuts I tried reminded me of a dense pâte à choux and came complete with a semi-sweet cream filling.

I happen to think that half the appeal of a donut shop is the coffee, which when made correctly should be thick enough to hold a spoon straight up and served by a lady in a beehive hairdo if at all possible. If I can't have that pairing, it at least has to be fresh (because of the volume of product moved) and a perfect foil for the fried goodness that is the American donut. The coffee should also be made for you, in my opinion. Alas, this is not the case at Plaza Pastries and Donuts, where I was given a cup of joe and a single serving of half and half before being told that the sugar was at the end of the counter and I could fix my own.

Am I nitpicking here? Probably. Did I feel let down? Without a doubt. Unfortunately for me, the ritual is just as important as the product most of the time.

In the end, I'm not so sure having this shop so close will stop me from making the drive to World's Fair or the Donut Drive-In, which not only produce outstanding examples of this classic road food, they have the coffee and old school service to back it up. I am excited that they are here though and the donuts are good enough to make this shop a great addition to the quickly developing Morgan Ford strip.

Rookie Effort 2 - Teaching Reis How To Make Peter Reinhart's Neo-Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Not much of an update here, but pizza night is a big deal in our home. So big that we have it once a week. I'm happy to report that Reis took a great interest in the construction of this Neo-Neapolitan Pizza Dough. I'll make a baker out of him yet.

WTF? The McNuggetini does not even have any NUGGET in it?

A few weeks ago, the bacon vodka I was working on ended up in a cocktail called a BLT. The beauty of this drink is that is is made with at least the essence of meat, in this case, bacon.

Now here comes the McNuggetini, where a white russian is basicly garnished with a nugget. If this is the current state of meat flavored drinks - we are all in trouble.

Project Planning - Trisket 2009 - A Turkey Stuffed Inside A Brisket

Scared? You should be.

Every year my friend (and sometimes contributer) Jeff and his wife Leslie have a meal called "Fakesgiving" for all of their friends here in St. Louis who are far from home for the holiday. Essentially a Thanksgiving themed pot luck dinner, Fakesgiving is largely a vegetarian event, but every year there is a small turkey breast for the carnivores, until last year when Jeff asked me to make something special for the event.

What to make, what to make? I decided to borrow the idea of the "turducken", but put a Thanksgiving spin on it and stuff turkey inside of a beef brisket. I ran my idea past my friend, Chef David Koon, and we worked out a stuffing that would hopefully hold up to the extended cooking time a brisket needs. While he was more than a bit suspect of the concept, I know he was sad that he missed out on this project after seeing the pictures and was really excited to hear about it after it was cooked and served.

You can read more about it and see a movie of the process here.

While I have claimed over the last 11 months that the Trisket was a one time only event, as summer has turned to fall I've really been thinking about giving it a go once again. Over the coming weeks, I'll be revisiting the contents of the original stuffing; ground turkey, heads of roasted garlic, leeks, shallots, red bell peppers, bacon and dried cranberries. I'm also re-tooling the vinegar-based cranberry, peach and habanero barbecue sauce that I served on the side.

For the stuffing, I'm thinking about switching things to a traditional southern corn bread stuffing or perhaps a sausage and oyster stuffing - although I'm worried about oyster meat making it though the 20 + hour cooking schedule. I'm still pondering how to leverage the classic tastes of the season with the fact that I'm basically creating a turkey meatloaf that rides inside of a smoked brisket. I think if I embrace the idea of meatloaf a bit more, I can come up with something special to blow peoples minds - a core of andouille sausage, inside a meatloaf, inside a brisket perhaps?

For the sauce, I''m leaning towards removing the cranberry altogether, or at least the addition of whole cranberries. Perhaps the addition of canned cranberry sauce might work, but the jury is still out here.

In any event, I know I said "never again" for this holiday cooking adventure, but the concept is just to tasty to walk away from. More to come. Thoughts and ideas are welcome.

Gobble gobble.

Lazy Fall Afternoon In St. Louis

While its fleeting in duration, its hard to beat fall here in St. Louis.

I recently found a new fall past time that involves the back yard, a hammock and watching Reis check out the trees swaying in breeze until he falls asleep like his Pop.

Sara took this fantastic picture of Reis and I sharing some "Dad and Duder Time". More over at Three Its A Magic Number.

Naturally Risen - Or As I Like To Call It - Pizza Porn

NATURALLY RISEN from michael evans on Vimeo.

Tower Grove Park Fail Dog

For several years I was lucky enough to work at the MetLife Building in New York. Mind you, this was not the former Pan Am Building that Godzilla wrecked, but the actual MetLife Tower that sits at the entrance of Madison Square Park. At lunch time I would take the elevator down the 22 floors from my office to the street, cross into the park and then make my way over to my favorite dirty water dog cart at the far corner near Broadway and 26th street.

With two dogs (Sabrett's topped with mustard, kraut and onions in sauce, wrapped in napkins) in one hand and soda in the other, I would head back to 23rd street to find a bench near the statue of James Madison where I could enjoy my lunch, take in the views of the Flatiron Building and watch folks making their way to the subway for places other. 

The idea of the hot dog cart is one that is close to my heart. I love the idea of setting up shop where foot traffic is best and carving out a space that the locals expect you to be. As a drummer I'm intrigued by the internal rhythm that the best vendors seem to have as they construct a dog - the tap of a set of stainless steel tongs against the cart before grabbing up a bun and depositing it on a napkin. Tap again and then dip quickly into the cart to grab a dog. The tap of a the mustard bottle before a quick line is drawn onto the dog. Continue for other toppings (no ketchup - please) until the dog is handed over and you are on your way. 

While I no longer work in the city, I still love the idea of the park hot dog cart and I was very excited to see the familiar shape of a cart near the wading pool in Tower Grove Park. As I made my way over to the cart I thought about how I had had this idea since moving into the neighborhood but could never get my wife to agree to investing in my vision. From the farmers market to the massive kickball games that dominate the park year around, the right cart could make a killing, especially if it focused on quality ingredients and developed a friendly rapport with the locals.

Operating under the name "The Park Place 1868", the cart pays tribute to the year Henry Shaw donated the park to the city of St. Louis. Customers are greeted warmly by the carts owners, who recently invested in the cart and license to operate in the park after being laid off from work.

Again, I have to stress, this is the very idea I've discussed with my wife - take the severance from being laid off and investing part of it in a hot dog cart - but I digress.

After discussing their new business venture for a moment, I asked the owners what their specialty was after looking over the menu of dogs and burgers. They replied that they were still getting organized but suggested that I try one of their dogs topped with a home made salsa. I asked if the dog was only dressed in salsa and the man behind the grill said that is how he would have it, which is good enough for a hot dog guy like me.

The gentleman moved to the attached grill, an accoutrement that I've seen on other carts, but usually as a supplement to a flat top griddle or water bath for the dogs. As they were just starting up and were also serving burgers, it makes sense to have the grill as a heat source. The set up is not how I would do things, but my cart would have homemade mustard and kraut as well, so its not really fair to make the comparison between an actual cart and the one I think about on my commute home on bad days.

In short order a thick red dog was deposited on a bun with some salsa riding shotgun on the side. I paid the couple and headed into the park to contemplate this park dog, adding salsa as I walked. Stopping to take a bite, I was immediately taken aback by the mix of dog and bun, which had quickly become soggy from the salsa.

However, that was not the most pressing issue with this dog, that honor is reserved for the dog itself, which was barely warm and was totally devoid of the required snap that a hot dog casing should make when bitten. Mostly I was worried about the temperature of the dog, which would seem to indicate this meal would be better off divested of the salsa and bun, then cut up and placed on a paper plate for a child to eat. 

Next to adorning a hot dog with ketchup, serving it cold is the greatest crime that can be perpetrated on this hot dog customer.

I returned to my family with a joyless look on my face and a half eaten hot dog in one hand. Having waited years for this moment, I knew that the Tower Grove hot dog cart was a bust in its current incarnation.

I take no pride in presenting my issues with this dog. Instead I feel that I'm doing the owners a favor with my review as they work out the kinks of starting up their cart business. The negatives are what they are, so I will instead focus on what can be improved, and I hope some of these ideas are considered.

1. Simplify your menu. You are a hod dog cart - lose the burgers. Besides the issues of keeping raw meat at a safe temperature, I can't imagine that they will be good after sitting on a grill for extended periods.
2. Grilled hot dogs should have grill marks. It appears my dog was kept warm, or close to warm, on the upper rack of the grill up to the point that it ended on the bun. If you are going to hold product here, move it over the flame, give it some char and then serve it.
3. Providing a home made salsa is not a bad idea. I know its hard to judge the heat tolerance of most people, but the salsa could use a little more bite to complement the dog. Also, think about the extra liquid your salsa sits in and how you are serving it because when it is applied to the dog, its turning the bun into a soggy mess.
4. Develop your shtick. By this I am not encouraging you to delve into hucksterism - I am suggesting that you develop that rhythm I was discussing at the beginning of this review. As much as you are providing a service to folks looking for a quick snack on the go, you are also tapping into a sense of nostalgia. Both of you seemed taken aback when I suggested you look into the Hot Dog University, but I was not kidding or making small talk. To sell dogs you have to hustle, its a good idea to learn from folks who have already figured that out.

I do honestly wish the folks at The Park Place 1868 the best of luck as they get up and running - the idea of a Tower Grove hot dog cart is a great one. I look forward to watching you develop, but for now I have to say that you are not a recommended hot dog stop here in St. Louis. Hopefully over time that will change.

Amuse Bouche For October 21st, 2009

• New Eco-Friendly Pizza Box -- GreenBox -- Offers Plates with the Pie - Fun for college kids everywhere who barely have dinner let alone a plate to eat it on.
• Serious Eats visits the Thai Pizza Co here in St. Louis.
• And in the outrage of the year, decade, century and millennium, Pizzatherapy assembles a list of "the best pizza in St. Louis", leading this reader to question the sanity of placing Imo's or Racanelli's on any list of edible "pizza". Just a terrible list. Where is Pi? The Good Pie? Katie's Pizza Cafe? I'll even accept Feraro's as a more realistic example of a corner pizza shop slice than Racanelli's. Alas it was not included. I've lived in New York, I've eaten their pizza, the pizza of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are friends of mine. You sir are not east coast pizza. I was just shocked when I saw this list of pizza in St. Louis. This is the reason I've worked so hard to make my own pies at home, because the pizza that this town is known for is largely for shit. Put that on your list.
• And lastly, thanks for Kelli for the recap of the BLT cocktail that we put together for this years Tour de Moose. Looking forward to our next collaboration.

I'll Pay You Tuesday And Shit For Some Time To Blog Today

I have zero idea how all these mommy bloggers do it.

Amuse Bouche For September 16th, 2009

• As I watch a Coca-Cola tractor trailer try to back into my buildings loading dock, I'm reminded that I recently read that the Coca-Cola Chief called the idea of a Soda-Tax ‘Outrageous’. " My favorite line has to be “I have never seen it work where a government tells people what to eat and what to drink,” Kent said, responding to an audience question at the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “If it worked, the Soviet Union would still be around." Uh boy. That's a good tact to take with a public obsessed with the hand slapping of a backwards hillbilly, er, I mean health care. Also, haven't we had a food pyramid for a half century?
• The Novice Foodie hits up Acero and uses on of my favorite ways of trying expensive restaurants, the prix fixe menu. As I mentioned via Twitter, I ate my way around NYC's best restaurants with the use of prix fixe menus for many years. I'm also a fan of Acero, where I spent my 33rd birthday with friends and enjoyed one of the best meals I've ever had here in St. Louis. Recommended.
• Our mission is to facilitate, encourage and document the consumption of a Cheeseburger on every named peak on the planet - 'Summit Cheeseburger' Documents the Consumption of Cheeseburgers on Every Peak. I'm left to ask, "really?" With the cost of a Mt. Everest summit ranging between 50,000 and 60,000 USD, is it only a matter of time until we see a bobble headed King attempting a summit with a Whopper in hand and sans oxygen?
• Via Stand Up with Pete Dominick and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a review of the 15 most corrupt members of Congress. File it under "All your heroes are whores" and I'll get back to wondering what kind of world my son is inheriting.
• I've been planning a trip out of Surf Dogs, deep in St. Louis county, to try a novel idea - the Pup Sampler. Mini-dogs dressed just like their full size twins. Great idea. At the same time I terrified of the Hamburger in Paradise vibe they are going for. Hopefully the dogs will compensate for the anticipated decor. I'm keeping an open mind, but it closes a bit every time I visit their site.

Amuse Bouche For September 15th, 2009

• Via the Riverfront Times, Sapphire Pan-Asian has closed. I can't say that I'm all that upset about his CWE restaurant fading into history. I was not impressed at all with Sapphire, which struck me as all hat, no cattle. 
• Lots of press about my friends Penn & Teller iPhone app. Wall Street Journal, Venture Beat,and my favorite quote via the LA Times, "When venture capitalist George Zachary asked what business he was, at least theoretically, being asked to invest in, Jillette shot back, "There’s no venture capital required. We’re done and it’s for sale now." Asked what he was going to do next, Jillette said, "I’m going to go to Las Vegas and shoot bullets at my partner Teller."
• The Urban Review STL reflects on the Great Streets Test Project taking place on South Grand. I think they should focus on a tutorial on how to merge two lanes into one. St. Louis, the only place I know where folks watch NASCAR on Sunday and then take to the streets and pretend to be NASCAR drivers on Monday.
• In September, any first-time donation to Slow Food USA will make you a member.
• Farmer, lecturer and author Joel Salatin will speak at Webster University’s Grant Gymnasium Monday, October 5. I hope he brings pictures of his monster truck / rolling chicken coop.
• I am coveting a restored 1949 REO Speedwagon complete with a wood burning pizza oven. Sometimes I think all the good ideas are used up, the I see things like this that give me hope for humanity.

Hogs and Hooch

The BLT cocktail, the official drink of the morning of the Tour de Moose, and it starts with a base of vodka, bacon and peppercorns. 

Its resting in the basement now. We'll check back in on it in a few weeks.

Amuse Bouche For September 14th, 2009

• Sam Calagione of the Dogfish Head Brewery wants to spit in your beer.
• Excited that a second Pi location is scheduled to open in the Central West End the day before Thanksgiving.
• The jury is still out regarding the new pizza place opening at the old TFA shop - corner of Wyoming and South Grand. There was a sign in the window stating "National Pizza, thinking outside the square". The sign is gone and construction is ongoing. Interestingly enough I've seen 2 dudes sporting Dewey's tee shirts in the area - that is just blatant rumormongering though.
• Alex Hozven of the Cultured Pickle Shop talks with Lynne Rossetto Kasper about the realm of pickling.
• Also from this weeks Splendid Table, the BLT Cocktail, or as I am now calling it, "The Official Morning Beverage of the Tour de Moose".
• A Hamburger Today asks "What's Your Favorite Burger Size?"
• Gourmet Magazine showcases the recipe for some great looking corn dogs, kudos for leaving the ketchup out of the picture.

Amuse Bouche For September 11th, 2009

Another day, another group of disjointed things I've been reading and doing....

• Excited that I'm developing a new concept around work day lunch time eats, angered that I forgot my camera when I left for work, again.
• Lamenting that it looks like I will miss American IPA night at The Good Pie as well as Hop In The City this year.
• S. 1650: A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to improve the purchase and processing of healthful commodities for use in school meal programs has entered the Senate. More at Slow Food USA
• Really enjoying the September 21st edition of "The Nation" which is dedicated to essays on Food Democracy, with essays by Alice Waters and Michael Pollan among others. Complementary to a recent article in Time on the real cost of cheap food.
• Sauce Magazine takes a tour of some of the best fries in St. Louis, manages to forget the amazing fries at The Dubliner. They make up for it with the recipe for the Subcontinental at The Royale on page 30 of the Wine, Beer & Spirits supplemental to the September print copy. While I almost always avoid cheese sandwiches, I'm oddly intrigued by the photo of the meatloaf melt at Jennifer’s Pharmacy. I blame Jonathan Pollack's tasty photo for my change in attitude.
• A year ago today I juxtaposed George Washington, Geroge W Bush and Sarah Palin. 8 years ago I walked out of my office to grab some coffee, looked up Broadway and saw the WTC on fire. I'm also still unsure if I should develop the roll of film I took that morning as I walked out of the city to Queens.
• Sure it works on the coasts, but will my Son get beat up when I pack him his first Bento Box for a school lunch?

Amuse Bouche For September 10th, 2009

A collection of items that peeked my interest and raised my dander on this Thursday afternoon.

• Wishing MJB the best of luck as he leaves for TechCrunch50. Very cool stuff, if only I had an iPhone.
• Looking forward to putting up and taking down some O’Fallon Chocolate by the Barrel Cream Stout, which after a long wait has finally arrived. STL Hops via Twitter
• St. Louis' own Dave Nelson provided the bubbly to an overview of sulfates and headaches for The Noble Writ.
• Mark Graban continues the series of posts on Slice that feed my desire to design and build a back yard pizza oven. Permission from the wife, check. Backyard to build one. Nope. Perhaps its time to move.

I'm also preoccupied with being worried about my good friend Dave, formally the sous chef at Morimoto NYC and currently of Marea, who experienced a stroke yesterday morning. I have known Dave, in his early thirties, since college. Dave got me through several hard years when I lived in Queens, stood next to me in my wedding and helped me work out the logistics of my greatest culinary adventure, last years Fakesgiving Tristket, a turkey stuffed inside of a brisket.

The last time I saw Dave was this past spring when we had dinner at Rod's Steakhouse in Morristown, New Jersey. Dave was just back from a 6 month trip around Asia to research street food and ramen shops before attempting to open his own place in New York City. At the time he was not feeling well and did not have health insurance, which worried me greatly.

While his new position in the kitchen at Marea surely will cover his health care needs, (I hope) it highlights the need to provide a safety net for everyone in the United States. This was only highlighted when I heard about Dave a few hours after President Obama's address to congress last night.

"Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes." - Buck Murdock

I'm worried about my friend as he lays in a hospital bed in Brooklyn, and I'm angered that after 40 years, we don't have a public option for health care in this country. I'm distressed that Mr. Obama has to go before both houses of congress and state the following like it's news to the masses:

"Here's what you need to know. First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits – either now or in the future. Period. And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize. Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for – from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care."

Seriously. This is an idea that totally escapes a segment of our population. They complain about the cost of providing for the worst off in our society, yet they allowed the Bush Administration to take a budget surplus and make it deficit. They said nothing as the cost of the war in Iraq, which has already cost over 10 times the anticipated amount, was accounted for via special requests to congress and supplementals to the overall budget process.

As Mr. Obama wrapped up his speech, I took to Facebook and posted a note with the quote above. Then I added my own post script:

"To my Republican friends - that means you lose.

You got your war and your 8 years of lower taxes, now its everyone else's turn. Additionally, in the spirit of fair game, the health care that we want to give to everyone can be enjoyed by you as well."

For more reading, the Citizens for Tax Justice argue that the Bush tax cuts cost almost $2.5 trillion over the decade after they were first enacted (2001-2010).

And while Maureen Dowd encourages President Obama to be "Less Spocky, More Rocky", I'm inclined to borrow a quote from Mr. Spock that fits my mood perfectly:

"Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Get better soon Dave. Wake up America.

Amuse Bouche For September 9th, 2009

Some recent food related items that have caught my interest.

• Lack of love for hamburgers is featured in this Flickr group - Anti-Burger Propaganda! 
• St. Louis local Kelli Best-Oliver discusses the film Julie & Julia, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and an attempt at beef bourguignon over at The Novice Foodie.
• A Hamburger Today asks, "What Drink Goes Best With a Burger?".
• The American Farmland Trust publishes its list of "America's Favorite Farmers Markets" for 2009.

I've also created two maps highlighting the locations of my past reviews.

• St. Louis, Missouri Posts
• National Posts

2009 Tour de Moose

As summer turns to fall here in St. Louis, my attention starts to focus on my favorite event, the Tour de Moose. 2009 marks the 5th year we've run this bike race / bar crawl though the city, and we are looking forward to a record turn out again this year after reaching close to 80 riders last year.

This years race is scheduled to start at 11:00 AM on October 17. If you are into bikes, beer and St. Louis, think about registering.

This years ride will visit Lemmons, The Tin Can Tavern, The Three Monkeys, The Square One Brewery, The Schlafly Tap Room, Laclede Street Bar, Milo's Tavern and The Hide Away.

I've been posting updates and photos to the Tour site on a regular basis as we roll into October and I'll be live blogging during the race as well. Loyal readers who have not vanished in my absence might remember the White Castle cross over from last year's training and tour rides.

Welcome fall - long live the Tour de Moose.

Andrew And Reis Take On Five Guys And Their Burgers And Fries

General Housekeeping:

Its been some time since I've sat down and posted for this site, but for good reason. Since my last update on March 20th, I've been getting ready for the birth of my son, Reis Andrew Veety and getting used to life with a baby. While I have been neglecting this site, I have been busy posting updates to our family site at Three Its A Magic Number.

Two months into this adventure, my wife and I have been out and about, visiting our favorite restaurants and antiquing, which along with hanging out with friends, have always been our primary past times. We've also been plugging around the kitchen and grill, trying to figure out how to cook and experiment with the great meals that we've enjoyed sharing with friends and readers over the years while bending to the demands of a super cute 10 week old.

Its been an adventure, but I'm happy to report that in my absence I've continued to work with some of my favorites, including burgers and backyard BBQ. I've even gotten quite good at a new pizza style - pizza bianca - in addition to working some more with Chicago deep dish and a giant calzone the size of a large pizza bent back on itself.

Recent Pizzas:

Pizza Bianca with a chard and kale pesto, summer squash and zucchini carpaccio and shallot.

Pizza Bianca with roasted tomato and red peppers, artichoke heats, baby spinach and olive oil.

Veggie Chicago style deep dish with a friends top notch home-brew - a tasty "My Neighbor Is A Dirty Pirate Hooker" ale.

From the grill:

Lemon pepper chickens on ginger ale cans, smoked over apple wood.

Exploded Jucy Lucy's waiting for a veggie Jucy Lucy to warm up. Veggie Lucy, how depressing.

The Main Event:

Now that we are back out and about, I'm ready to refocus on exploring the best eats that St. Louis has to offer. Also, if the road trips Sara and I used to take around the country exploring food and visiting with friends and family was fun, it will be even better with Reis in tow. I'm excited to get started, so lets.

Out of the box I wanted to focus on a recent addition to the St. Louis county landscape, Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I've been reading about Five Guys for some time on my favorite burger blogs (A Hamburger Today, Hamburger America and Road Food) and I've waited and waited for one to show up in St. Louis. Five Guys seems to polarize folks into two camps - fans and haters. The fans rave about the quality of the burger and the extensive choice of toppings. Haters focus on the greasiness of the burger, how they are only cooked to well done and how average they are compared to other burgers. 

I have to think that the complaint about the overall averageness of the Five Guys burger has to stem from the fact that they are still expanding across the United States, and the word of mouth is not jiving with the actual experience. Anything short of magical turns out to be a disappointment worth complaining about, or so it would seem from my reading.

Before actually trying for myself, I suggested Jeff Lash (intrepid road warrior and sometimes guest poster) try Five Guys on a recent trip to Philadelphia. Jeff did indeed make a stop and forwarded me this picture of a sad burger at Five Guys, taken with a very capable iPhone camera. 

Jeff indicated he was in the "average" camp. Photographic evidence in hand, I was beginning to think that Five Guys would be a loss. I also wondered where this burgers friends were, seeing only ketchup and some wilted lettuce. Then I remembered a trip to Pam's Chicago Style Hot Dogs that Jeff and I took last fall, and this burgers accompaniments match up pretty well with the dressing of his hot dogs then.

Still, condiments and personal preference aside, this was one sloppy and poorly constructed burger.

So, with Reis, Sara and Jeff Lash's family in tow, we headed out into St. Louis Country to see if Jeff's experience was the standard or the norm for Five Guys and their burgers... 

Babies waiting on burgers while parents munch on peanuts.

The Burger:

A far cry from Jeff's experience, I decked out my first Five Guys with bacon, mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, grilled onion, pickles and raw jalapeno. When accompanied by friends, the burger becomes much more appealing. It also helped that the St. Louis version appeared to be assembled by a competent person, where as the Philadelphia version really looked like a real life "Whammyburger".

While the burger was cooked to well, it was still moist and had some great caramelization from the grill. The patties played well with others, especially the crispness of the pickle and the biting heat of the jalapeno pepper, which in its raw state resembled the color green usually reserved for the Chicago style hot dog. 

The bun was toasted on a grill before assembly and seemed capable of absorbing any grease thrown off by the burger itself. Truth be told, I don't know what it is with people complaining about greasy burgers anyway. For me, burger happiness is forgoing the napkins and licking juice and grease off your hands and forearms. We are eating burgers here people, when has a neat and tidy burger ever been fun, let alone tasty?

A real treat was the wrapping for this burger. The plain aluminum foil carrier smacks of indifference to the burger inside, however for me, it was like getting a perfect Christmas present wrapped only in newspaper. Humble in appearance, it puts the focus on the burger.  Utilitarian in purpose, it kept the burger warm longer than wax paper ever could, which seemed perfect for take out.

In general, I did not find the burger overly greasy, instead I found it a step above your traditional fast food fare. Is it a great burger? Probably not, instead it rates about even with Johnny Rockets or Red Robin. Does it far outshine most of its fast food/national competitors in the St. Louis area? Without a doubt, and at the price, I would drive past the gobs of chains that litter St. Louis and seek out one of the several stores that have popped up around 270 and deeper into the county. 

However, I do have to scratch my head and wonder why they are not venturing into the city. I've heard rumors of a store opening near Brentwood, but I have not been able to verify that, yet.

The Surprise - A Five Guys Hot Dog:

What you don't read about very often is that Five Guys is also a hot dog shop, selling dogs split down the middle, grilled and then topped with the same toppings as their burgers. A unique take on the hot dog in St. Louis, the dog at Five Guys is more like a hot dog sandwich. 

I covered mine with bacon, grilled onion and relish to complement the all beef dog. Thinking back on it, I should have taken this chance to make a hot dog / dagwood sandwich because the construction of this dog and the vast amount of toppings available lends itself to the idea.

The novelty of this dog also is its major drawback - by making it into a sandwich the bun is called upon to do a duty its just not cut out for. The bun appeared to be steamed and disintegrated quickly into the dog and toppings to make a tasty yet amorphous mess.

I will be back to again to try and make that dagwood dog though. 

The Missing:

The fries. We ordered a large fry which was enough to satisfy 4 adults. The fries are cut naturally with the skin on and fried, then piled into giant styrofoam cups and all around the paper sacks that each order is served in. The fries were not salted when they came out of the fryer, which I think is a mistake. They were also soggy from the oil, indicating that they were cooked poorly. They were a largely forgettable addition to an other wise above average burger night out.

The Verdict:

Put me in the fan camp, but there is lots of room for improvement. Given Jeff's experience in Philadelphia, I worry about quality as these stores melt into the local landscape. Kudo's for having malt vinegar for the fries, but shame on you for the actual fries. Kudo's for joining us here in St. Louis, but shame on you for ignoring the city. 

I will be back though, because the burger, while cooked to well done, it also well above the average.

(For the record, Reis slept though most of this meal. That's good, because if he had been fussing, chances are he would have been covered in burger juice and condiments.)

Guest Contribution - Jeff "The Road Warrior" Lash

For some time now I've been pestering friends who always seem to be traveling around the country to contribute accounts of the food they run into on their trips. I'm very excited to share the first of what I hope are many contributions - from Jeff Lash - unfiltered and in the proverbial raw:

At Andrew's request, I was intending on providing a write-up of one specific dining experience -- a Friday Fish Fry at our local St. Louis Catholic Church. However, I have had a number of noteworthy dining experiences lately, and rather than focus on just one or attempt to write up separate posts for each, in the interest of efficiency, I present: Jeff's food travels, March 2009.

March was an eventful month, including a lot of business travel. Business travel often leads to interesting food experiences -- good and bad. Let's start closest to home, though, with...

Friday Fish Fry

St. Louis is a very Catholic town (um, "Saint" Louis, anyone?), the kind of town where many people pick the location of their next home by what parish they want to be a part of. Like the earliest flowers of spring, the Friday Fish Fry signs start popping up right after Ash Wednesday. On some major roads, there's almost a Fish Fry sign every block (literally).

Having been in St. Louis many years and never having attended, I figured it was high time I experienced the tradition. I rounded up a group of friends -- my wife, the vegetarian, not included, since the mere smell of fried fish makes her nauseous -- and we hit up the Fish Fry at Saint Joan of Arc a few weeks ago.

Cheers was a place that everybody supposedly wanted to go to because everybody would know your name. At Saint Joan on a Friday night, it's not too different. Most patrons seemed to be church members and regulars, and it seemed like everyone knew everyone. During the 20 minute wait in line, there were lots of mini-reunions and friendly conversations. Though we were new, people were friendly, and canned beer was offered to us to make the line easier to handle. You have to pay for the beer, though it's dirt cheap. In fact, the whole meal is -- for about $7 you can get a full plate of food, drink, and dessert. (Cash only, of course, though that's understandable.)

I was expecting an all-you-can-eat buffet -- I thought that was part of the appeal -- though Saint Joan does everything a la carte, which is fine, since I really couldn't / shouldn't have eaten anything more than the one hearty serving. They of course have the standard fried fish patty, just like you remember from elementary school (and I say "you" and not "we" since I never was allowed to buy lunch at school growing up), though other options are available including some variety of fish which was fried, head and tail and all. I don't remember what kind of fish it was, since I think I'm still trying to block out the image of a fried fish carcases on various plates. There were also fried catfish nuggets, as well as grilled fish for those not interested in anything from the "fried" food group. Normally I eat very healthy, though if you're going to a Fish Fry, you eat fried fish. Would you go to a steakhouse and order a salad for an entree? Wrong place, wrong time.

Sides included standard fare -- potatoes, either oven roasted or french fried; various vegetables; macaroni and cheese -- and some interesting (to me, at least) options -- apple sauce; spaghetti in tomato sauce. Fine foods, though paired with fish seemed a bit odd.

To drink your options are the aforementioned can of beer, or the classic plastic cup of soda poured from a 2 liter bottle. The enormous dessert table offered a wide selection of homebaked and storebought goods, neatly arranged bake sale style (on small paper plates, covered by plastic wrap). The glass of Diet Coke and 2 desserts I chose added $1.50 to my total bill.

The food is, well, what you'd expect of a fish fry done by volunteers in the cafateria of a church. Actually, no, it's probably a bit better. The fish was a bit overfried and not as warm as it probably should have been, likely due to it sitting out in a heating tray for too long. Still, it was decent, and served as a good foundation for the meal. I wasn't expecting gourmet British-style fish and chips, and thus I wasn't dissapointed. For sides I went with the oven roasted potatoes and mac + cheese. Yes, starchy, I know, though I figured those were good standbys. The mac + cheese was the typical generic cafeteria brand, with big too-soft noodles and a gooey way-too-unhealthy fake cheese sauce. (I probably would have been better off with the spaghetti.) The potatoes were excellent, though, even better than some I've had at "normal" restaurants. And the desserts were solid as well -- the chocolate cake seemed to be homemade, likely from a box mix; and the store-bought chocolate chip cookies, which I later shared at home with my wife, were of course fine. Not the most adventurous choices, though you can't go wrong with box cake and store cookies.

All in all, it was a great experience and I'm definitely up for it again. The next day I remembered why I rarely eat fried food (entrees, at least), partly because my body isn't conditioned for them any longer. (How I ate chicken fingers and fries pretty much every day the first two years of college is beyond me.) Of course, you don't go to a Friday Fish Fry at your local church because the food is going to be stellar; you go because it's going to be cheap, it's going to be good atmosphere, and because it's just a tradition -- and on those things, it delivers. Sure, some local restaurants offer Fish Fry Fridays, though to me that's just not the same.

Since that review was longer that I thought, I'll keep these next reviews on the short side...

Weber Grill Restaurant

I was in Indianapolis for work, and as we approached our hotel downtown, I noticed an enormous novelty barbeque grill hanging off the side of a building about a block away. I knew instantly that was where I was going for dinner. I had heard about the Weber Grill Restaurant, where everything (well, almost everything) is cooked on real genuine Weber Grills. (No, Andrew, I didn't ask to take a tour and see the kitchen.) As a marketer, I marveled at the innovative brand extension. As a fan of grilling, I marveled at the chance to eat at a restaurant where they cooked on real Weber Grills. The restaurant did not fail to deliver, with the highlight being the Weber Sampler appetizer, which included Beer Can Chicken Tenders and Steak Skewers -- a great selection of Weber-ized meats. Though I normally avoid chain restaurants when I travel and try to find something local, this was worth it. (Plus, does 3 locations in Illinois and 1 in Indianapolis really count as a chain?) Recommended.

Burger King Burger Shots

I arrived in Orlando late one night and needed a snack. Not a full meal, not dessert, just something quick and simple before I went to sleep. Across the parking lot from my hotel was a Burger King. (Actually, there was another hotel -- this is Orlando, after all, and we were only minutes away from Universal Studios.) Having been wooed by the advertisements for BK Burger Shots, I figured I'd give them a shot. Tiny burgers seem to be in, with Steak 'n Shake pushing them hard as well. Maybe it's because of the economy, or the lingering fascination we Americans seem to have with all things "Mini" (-Cooper, -me), though I too was sucked in.

Don't make this mistake.

First, the obvious caveat that no food shown on TV or in advertisements actually looks like that when you buy it, though that shouldn't be a surprise. Second, the mini burgers are only sold in packs of 2 or 4. It's not like White Castle (more on them in a minute) where you can order their sliders in any denomination you want. This is probably my biggest gripe -- a 2-pack of sliders is probably about the same amount of meat as one regular Burger King hamburger (not a Whopper or anything fancy like that, just your basic bottom-of-the-line hamburger), and it costs probably about $.30 more. So why would you order the sliders? Because the advertisement makes you want them, that's why. Not that they were horrible -- they were about the same as your standard fast food burger, which is only mediocre. Of course, Andrew probably thinks that I ruined them by having them plain with just ketchup, just like how I ruin my hot dogs. It's okay, I've accepted that, I'm moving on.

In summary, don't fall for the appeal of the sliders, at BK at least. If you really want mini burgers, the venerable White Castle does this as their bread and butter, not as a seasonal side to take advantage of a trend. Plus, their buns are steamed, which makes all the difference.

In 'n Out

Now, if you want a "real" fast food burger, all the foodies tell you that In 'n Out is really the only place to go. I was in California for work and this was really the only place on my food list. I had been once before and dragged along a co-worker who had never been. This particular establishment near LAX was packed on a Thursday evening. I was particularly enthralled by the car-hop taking orders at the drive thru.

In 'n Out is known for two things -- a dead-simple menu, and super-fresh food. As you can see, the menu has a limited number of options, and beyond just differentiating them from the competition, it's probably good for business too (read The Paradox of Choice to learn more). That doesn't mean that you can't order off the menu, though. In fact, they've attracted a whole cult following around the "secret" items to order. In 'n Out lists some on their site, though there are plenty of others.

Beyond the menu coolness, the food is just plain better. The meat is never frozen, the french fries are made fresh from real live cut potatoes, and the shakes are made from real ice cream rather than a mix. I kept it simple, with a single burger, fries, and chocolate shake. The burger patties are bigger than the average fast food variety, though not as big as I remembered. It's more like the size of what you might find at Steak 'n Shake (or Carl's Drive-In, for those St. Louisans in the know) than your standard $1 drive-thru, not that I eat any of those varieties even infrequently. The patty was definitely higher quality, and extra points for the real romaine lettuce rather than shredded iceberg you normally find. The grilled bun is a nice touch -- usually I like my buns warm, not grilled or toasted, though it worked here. (Insert "buns" joke here.)

The fries definitely taste fresh, and the serving size is generous. I'll admit to not being picky about chocolate shakes -- even the crappy fast food ones are okay in my book -- though this was definitely a cut above the norm. Still not to the level of what you'd get at Crown Candy or the venerable Friendly's Fribble, though respectable nonetheless.

If you're on the West Coast and happen upon an In 'n Out, go in and check it out. (Sorry, that was a horrible, horrible pun.)

Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ

Upon recommendation from a co-worker, a group of us visiting our Orlando office took the short ride from the hotel to to Bobbalou's Bodacious BBQ. Or, should I say -- the "award-winning" Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ. A sign of a good restaurant of any variety is framed, signed pictures of celebrities and pseudo- or local-celebrities hanging up by the cash register, and Bubbalou's didn't fail to deliver. Three things I liked about this place:

1) It's in a modern strip mall, perhaps the most soul-less environment known to man, though they managed to make you feel like you're at Iron Works when you're inside.

2) They serve snow cones.

3) Their next door neighbor in the strip mall is a uber-healthy juice bar, which makes for some fun games to play while waiting for your food, as in: "Hey, see that guy parking his car -- do you think he's coming to get some barbeque or going to the juice bar?" Okay, the game is actually very easy and not challenging, though the dichotomy between the two establishments is still amusing.

Nothing else to add in particular here. Standard BBQ main dishes, sides, and prices. Every BBQ place says they smoke their meat the best, or have the best sauces. I'm not a conniseur, so I can't compare all of those claims, I just know this was darn good food.

Alice Waters Get's Her Wish

60 Minutes did a piece on famous chef, restaurant owner and Slow Food advocate Alice Waters recently, discussing the relationship between food, the Earth and our lives. 

Among the highlights of her interview were the ideas that healthy food is not a luxury, but a right of all people and her desire to have a vegetable garden planted at the White House.

Well Alice, congratulations, via the New York Times, "Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II."  

The Times continues, "While the organic garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern." 

I am so happy that awareness continues to grow on this issue and I am looking forward to shopping the great farmers markets we have here in St. Louis. I hope this interview and associated article inspires you to shop and eat locally this season as well.

Some more information

• Slow Food USA
• Slow Food St. Louis 
• Missouri Farmers Market Directory  
• Tower Grove Farmers Market
• Local Harvest Grocery 

Matt vs. Food

I was lucky to have my brother Matt and my future brother in law Chris in town for a visit recently. 

We pretty much ate and drank from the moment they got off the plane from North Carolina until they left three days later, starting off with some outstanding sushi at Tani Sushi Bistro in Clayton. For the midwest, Tani somehow manages to get fish that is of a better quality than I can normally find around town. 

Standouts at Tani include the sashimi, the dragon ball, a collection of inventive rolls (sadly many include cream cheese which continues to confuse me) and a real treat - the hot rock - served in a thick bowl and accompanied with thinly sliced raw beef in a soy, garlic, ginger and yuzu. The beef cooks directly on the stone in seconds and is a perfect foil to the sushi.

I took the guys to the City Diner for breakfast the next day and to discuss what we would end up doing during their visit. After a half hour of fruitless discussion, my brother suggested that a eating tour of St. Louis might be in order. 

I was into the idea of a tour of my favorite places here in town, however I had no desire to actually complete such a task myself. I let him know that if he felt up to it, he would be eating alone for the most part and that when in doubt, I would be ordering for him.

Lucky for everyone my brother is hungry, brave and willing to entertain his big brother - and what follows is a minute to minute and bite to bite recap of Matt vs. Food - St. Louis Edition.

09:43:46 AM - City Diner - St. Louis Missouri

The plot is hatched and the day is full of possibilities. I kick Matt's day off with a slinger - two eggs with sausage and hash browns, topped with chili and cheese. Friends recommended that the City Diner slinger should be topped with mustard as well. From the way Matt devoured the dish - I can only assume it was a good addition.

The mere mortals amongst us enjoyed BLT's and The Southsider - eggs, biscuits and gravy with hash browns.

Fortified on sturdy carbs from breakfast we headed out to get Matt the St. Louis eating adventure that he demanded, nay deserved, for flying in to spend the weekend with me.

11:37:56 AM - Woofie's - St. Louis Missouri

I last visited Woofie's in November and I reviewed and contrasted Chicago style and New York style dogs. I suggested the Chili Pie for Matt - a Vienna dog served on a bed of chili, Fritos, onions, pickles and cheese. 

Matt knife and sporking it at Woofies, enjoying each bite a bit to much.

01:22:51 PM - Carl's Drive-In - St. Louis Missouri

I wrote up a long time favorite of mine, Carl's Drive-In, last fall. I can't think of an out of town visitor that I have not tried to bring to Carl's because the burgers are executed so well. Pressed flat on a griddle, the burgers become completely caramelized and for some diners take on a sweet flavor that plays along with the toppings. Matt enjoyed a double cheeseburger with all the fixings and a mug of home made root beer the size of his head.

A few hours and stops in, Matt was motoring along and devouring everything I could put in front of him.

01:48:12 PM - Kolache Factory - St. Louis Missouri

A kolache is a small dough treat filled with any number of meat, vegetable or fruit fillings. The Kolache Factory is a small chain with a shop in St. Louis and serve several dozen varieties of this eastern European treat. 

Matt opted for a Philly Cheesesteak while Chris took a chance with the bbq pork. In hindsight, this seems to be the first time I captured gastronomic distress in my brother.

02:14:53 PM - Ted Drewes Frozen Custard - St. Louis Missouri

Ted Drewes has been serving frozen custard in St. Louis since the 1920's and its likely that no other local location has received as much attention by the national media than it has - the place is known far and wide for its frozen treats. Because of this, "that custard place" is always on the lips of visitors as someplace they would like to stop while they are in town. 

It could be that the massive quantity of cream, eggs and sugar are leading to the serious nature of this picture, however it could be that a concrete from Ted Drewes is nothing to joke about and he's just getting down to spooning that sweet treat into his already filled food hole. 

02:39:47 PM - CC's Depot Dog - Home Depot - St. Louis Missouri

A hot dog from Home Depot? You bet your ass. CC's Depot Dogs can be found nestled by the exit doors of the Kingshighway Home Depot, and they serve up some tasty hot dogs for a price you can't beat for quick lunch - a loaded Chicago style or custom dog will run you about two bucks after tossing a quarter into the tip jar.

Matt "enjoying" a CC's dog in the parking lot, not to mention his third or fourth soft drink of the day. All that sugar - rookie eating tour mistake for sure.

03:12:14 PM - Gus' Pretzels - St. Louis Missouri

Gus' rests in the shadow of the Budweiser brewery and has been making pretzels since the 1920's. With dinner reservations at Modesto for later that evening, I figured that this doughy and salty treat would be perfect for soaking up all the grease and chili Matt had taken down.

Matt Veety - eating machine - he will break you.

10:59:46 AM - Chris' Pancake & Dining - St. Louis Missouri

The next morning we began again, this time at Chris' Pancake & Dining for some much needed breakfast. To my amazement Matt dove right back into the challenge after a nights sleep and healthy constitutional, this time opting for steak and eggs with hash browns. The only issue with his order resulted from his relative unfamiliarity with the menu. When you are offered a side of toast or pancakes at a pancake house, you always, always say pancake. After a quick discussion he indeed have the pancakes.

I joined Matt for the carb load by taking down a stack of pancakes with bacon, eggs, hash browns and a bloody mary. However, to be fair, I didn't eat much the day before and I had just finished running up all 42 floors of the Metropolitan Building for the American Lung Association.

04:41:01 PM - Tin Can Tavern and Grille - St. Louis Missouri

As part of my plans for the weekend, I pulled together a bar crawl around Tower Grove Park with stops at The Royale, Three Monkey's, The Tin Can Tavern and Grille, The Amsterdam Tavern, Tower Pub, Stella Blues, Friendly's and The Blackthorne Pub. 

Matt waited all day to try out the mini corn dogs at The Tin Can and compared their doughy goodness to the classic appetizer called pigs in a blanket - an observation I can't bring myself to argue with.

Keeping up the impressive consumption, Matt didn't hesitate to enjoy a cold PBR with his mini corn dogs, while I enjoyed the opportunity to share my neighborhood and friends with my family.

07:59:49 PM - Stella Blues - St. Louis Missouri

While others faded, Matt saddled up the bar at Stella Blues and took down a basket of onion rings.

Moving into his 48th hour of eating, Matt kept taking his best shot at menu's all over St. Louis. It was an epic showing that left me proud yet concerned about his body's ability to process all that grilled, fried and steamed food. 

10:17:35 PM - The Blackthorne Pub - St. Louis Missouri

Regular readers might remember my post on the Blackthorne Pub, where they serve up Chicago and pan style pizzas in the land of the inedible thin crust pizza topped with provel - St. Louis. The Blackthorne turned out to be the end of Matt's eating tour as well as the bar crawl, which is probably a good thing for all of us.

A group of us destroyed several pizzas in a matter of minutes before retiring for the evening. While we all had a great time, I find myself wishing great piles of vegetables on my brother to help him recover from this eating challenge - because as I was creating this post - I noticed his meals were totally devoid of them. 

Good times - great meals.

Let's never do this again.

Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

Kudo's to The West Virginia Surf Report for this detailed analysis of Fast Food Ad's vs the Real Deal. According to the site:

"Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately. Nothing 
was tampered with, run over by a car, or anything of the sort. It is an accurate  representation in every case. Shiny, neon-orange, liquefied pump-cheese, and all."

The real truth after the jump...

And while I am thinking about it, this analyis reminds me of a great scene from the movie Falling Down, where Michael Douglas tries to find breakfast at his local Whammyburger.

 

Enjoy your lunch.

Kitchen Tools - Egg Rings

Years of watching Alton Brown has drilled into me the importance of avoiding one purpose tools in the kitchen - with the exception of a fire extinguisher - which every kitchen should have. 

For the most part I am in agreement with Alton. However, every once in a while I find a tool that clearly only has a single, totally awesome purpose. At these times I have to expand my definition of multi-use to include the creation of joy - as in the joy it brings to friends and family when it is pulled from the dark recesses of a drawer or cabinet and put to use.

My set of egg rings are just such a tool. 

Yes, they are only good for making perfectly round eggs, but when combined with a cast iron skillet they let me make restaurant quality egg sandwiches at home in short order.

 

I highly recommend picking up a set for your next Sunday breakfast, mine were about fifteen dollars at Williams Sonoma. The price point would also make these rings an affordable gift as well - why would you not want to give the gift of awesome sandwiches to a friend the next time you are hard up for a last minute gift? 

The "process" (if it could be called that):

I like to add a small pad of butter to the center of the ring, using a brush to coat the sides of the metal ring as it comes to temperature. In addition to adding a great nutty flavor to the egg, it helps the ring release before its time to flip the egg. If you would like, you can also use the fat released from cooking bacon or sausage in place of butter - its up to you - I know I would never say no to an egg cooked in pork fat.

Cooking time for an egg is about equal to the time it takes to toast an english muffin. 

Yes, a great egg sandwich breakfast at home is really that easy.

Papa John's Love (Pizza) Is A Lie

Via The Consumerist

"As is custom for Valentine's Day, many businesses are offering heart-shaped merchandise. Papa John's Pizza is offering a such a themed pizza. But, as is often the case, reality can be strikingly different than advertising."

Evidence of the pizza shaped crime after the jump...

Food With Faces - Eggs Benedict At The City Diner

The City Diner in South St. Louis consistently serves up comfort food for the folks in my neighborhood, and Sara and I stop in on a regular basis for great burgers, killer BLTs and breakfasts that keep you fueled up all day long.

I visited the City Diner today with friends to recapture a few of the calories we burned running around Forrest Park in the St. Louis Track Club's Frostbite Series race. 

This happy plate of eggs benedict was just begging for a french fry smile. 

My love affair with diners, eggs benedict and making faces out of food continues.

Thanks for Jeff Lash for his handy iPhone camera and picture.

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 3

The Super Bowl came and went, as did the brisket that I put together for the party. As you can see above, twelve hours of hickory and apple smoke left its mark on this brisket, penetrating over a quarter inch in some places. 

The ends of the meat were caramelized and perfectly toothsome and tender, however I estimate it would have taken another two to three hours in the smoker to turn the middle from a chewy and pink center to something that I would be completely proud of. In the end I just ran out of time before the game started to finish this long cooking cut of beef.

Regardless, I had a great day tending to the smoke and slowly mopping this brisket with the sweet and spicy sauce that was a hit at the party. I really enjoyed the fact that my friends dug into this six pound slab of meat, leaving an empty cutting board by the time the Steelers came from behind to win the game. My only regret is that I didn't shave myself off a few slices to keep for a midnight sandwich after the game. 

Beef brisket is a treat that is a serious investment of time and resources, but is so very worth it in the end. I hope you enjoyed walking though the process, and I hope you give it a try soon.

Additional Information:

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 1 - Know thy butcher, what to buy, dry rub

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 2 - Mop sauce and Barbeque Sauce

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 2

It's a around 4 hours into the smoking process for this years Super Bowl brisket and I've just applied the first mopping of the jalapeno and peach barbeque sauce I finished up last night. 

The sauce started with a base of beef stock, white wine, vinegar, honey, peaches, jalapeno peppers with most of the ribs and seeds removed, shallots, garlic, apricot preserves, sea salt, cracked pepper and chili powder. After brining the ingredients to a boil, I used an emersion blender to combine the mixture and then lowered the temperature to a slow rolling boil. 

After reducing the liquid by a third, I reserved part of the sauce to use as a mop for the next days smoking, allowing the mixture to cool and the flavors combine in the fridge overnight. Then I continued to reduce the remaining liquid until it was a sweet and spicy sauce to use as a side for the game.

After the first few hours, its a good idea of mop a brisket every hour or so. The vinegar in the mop will help keep the brisket moist, and will also help tenderize the meat. Because of the sugar content of this mop, its a good idea to apply it in thin coats, allowing it to build a nice caramelized layer over the course of the day.