GOLDSBORO, NC: Wilbur's BBQ

To all of my avid readers and je blague fans, i do apologize for my two month blogging hiatus and hope you went out and had some wonderful dining experiences of your own!

Well, now that I'm back, I'd like to take you all the way to Goldsboro, NC, where I found myself during a Spring Break road trip through the South with my two amigas. We made sure to stop off of the I-95 S at Wilbur's BBQ, serving some of the best NC style vinegar based whole hog bbq in the state. This was a much needed stop on our journey, satiating our mid roadtrip hunger with glorious chopped pork slathered in vinegar, served with hush puppies and cole slaw, all washed down with a glass of sweet tea and a large helping of southern charm.

Pork, potatoes, coleslaw, brunswick stew

Carina luuuvs her sweet tea and hush puppies

Hushpuppies

since 1962...pretty cool

Torta della Nonna

Translated as Grandmother's Cake. This Tuscan dessert is a light, ethereal Ricotta cheesecake baked in a tart crust, topped with a sprinkling of pine nuts.
It turns out my brother, (responsible for this dessert), is not only a phenomenal computer programmer, but a phenomenal baker as well.

You can find the recipe, by the one and only chef in orange Crocs, here: Torta della Nonna

LOS ANGELES: Fried Chicken

As I prepared for my return to Ithaca for my last semester of college, my request for my "Last Supper" at home was FRIED CHICKEN:

We marinaded the chicken breasts, legs, wings, and thighs in buttermilk for 24 hours (to tenderize the meat and impart moisture). We then rubbed the marinaded chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder, cayenne, and paprika, and dredged the chicken in flour...

We used two methods of frying: skillet frying (in a cast iron pan shown on the right) and deep frying (shown on the left). We used lard combined with canola oil to fry in for both methods...

We then put the fried chicken on a rack in a 250 degree oven to let the remaining grease (though there wasn't much) drip off the chicken. The chicken came out crispy, juicy, and delicious...

Golden Fried Success...

More glamour shots...

Since we had the fryer out, we though we might as well make sweet potato fries and regular fries, sprinkled with parsley flakes and sea salt ...

Feeling accomplished due to my family and my chicken frying abilities, I got on a plane headed to Ithaca, potentially a few pounds heavier, and incredibly satisfied.

Mo' from NEW ORLEANS: King Cake

I'd like to think I'm open to all kinds of new cultural phenomena and traditions. But when my roomate first approached me and told me that there is a tradition in Louisiana where you bake a baby into a cake, I appropriately thought this was a little strange. "A LIVE baby?" I said. She entertained the idea for a while and then divulged that it was, in fact, a small plastic baby. Ok this is slightly more appropriate, I thought. Well, as you could imagine, I just had to see this baby-in-cake tradition for myself. I ventured with my roomate down to her hometown of New Orleans, where her mom had bought us a KING CAKE (similar to the galette de Rois in france), with- oh yes- a plastic baby hidden inside. A brioche-like cake decorated in purple, green, and gold (the traditional Mardi Gras colors), this cake screams fun, deliciousness, and ridiculousness. And the best part is, you don't have to bake a real live human child in the center!

New Orlean's King Cake from Zoës Bakery in Covington, LA

My roomate and my attempt at recreating the King Cake. Not as visually appealing, maybe, but oh so delicious. More dense and cookie-like with cinnamon praline sugar swirled through.

NEW ORLEANS: Parasol's

It's mardi gras. It's 3PM. You're feeling great but you need some sustenance. Not just any sustenance, you need a roast beef Po' Boy, specifically from Parasol's. What is a Po' Boy you might ask? Any NOLA native will tell you it is a submarine sandwich on French bread, filled with magical things like fried oysters, fried shrimp, or in this case: fall-apart tender braised beef. Holy Rex, this sandwich is everything one could want from a sandwich. The bread is perfectly soft and fluffy and soaked with beef gravy, the beef is tender, juicy, and flavorful, and the sandwich is minimally dressed with mayo, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and pickles. This is not prim and proper high tea sandwich bullshit...this is a messy, gravy dripping down your arm, slurping beef out the sides masterpiece. I think I'll move to New Orleans now.

"Best Roast Beef Po' Boy on Earth" -Gourmet Magazine April 2009

ROAST. BEEF. PO. BOY...stop it, it's so good.

Fried shrimp Po' Boy.

So charmingly grungy and worn-in. A dive with character.

2533 Constance Street, New Orleans (In the Irish Channel)

Pasadena: Pie 'n Burger

All hail the Pie 'n Burger hamburger, Jonathan Gold's LA favorite:

Bun grilled with butter, crisp iceberg lettuce, pickles, slice of american cheese, patty, and homemade thousand island

Coconut cream pie...(get the fresh peach when in season!)

Chocolate soda or chocolate milkshake?...hmmm...

The burger counter was opened in 1963.

Because quality stands the test of time...and so do the formica counter and swivel stools.

913 E. California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91106

LOS ANGELES: Church & State

There are select few experiences that reaffirm why I, along with billions of others, am willingly handing over my soul to this industry that is food and restaurants. Such culinary experiences catalyze [in my mind] complete revelations of what food and dining is supposed to be. Whether we are talking about a simple piece of duck with pickled cherries or a crispy pig's ear, these dishes reflect everything clear and righteous in the world, as if I were listening to Sigur Ros [please click] or watching an Almodovar film. Food at a restaurant like Church & State coming from the hands of a chef like Walter Manzke is a little reminder of why life is worth living.

(Many more) comments to come...

Industrial warehouse chic...hold up, am I in NYC??

Pommes frites au lard

(yes, fried in LARD, how it should be)

Terrine de foie gras...

served with a port wine gelee and brioche

Razor clams in escargot butter

Duck breast with a sour cherry reduction...

This dish left me speachless. The duck was perfectly rare, the skin was crisp, and the cherry reduction was so good I could eat a bowl of it by itself

Poulet roti...

The crispiest roast chicken, and I've been to France, mind you

Loup de mer (sea bass)...

This dish was a work of art. That's the only way to put it.

Steak tartar

Crispy pigs ear...

Cooked sous vide, panko battered, then fried till crisp. The most amazing contrast of texture. Every self-proclaimed "non-ear eater" at the table ended up enjoying these immensely.

Les Tartes du Jour: Chocolate, Sour cherry, and Pear

Chocolate caramel pot de creme with fleur de sel/Sour cherry tart with pistachios

1850 Industrial Street, 90021, Downtown Los Angeles