What Greg Eats
http://whatgregeats.com
Greg Bullard - Bio
Greg Bullard’s love for food began in his Father’s kitchen and grew from there to be a cornerstone of his life. Greg is a firm believer in the concept that you live to eat, not eat to live. Greg is woefully neglecting his blog right now, while he tries to break into fiction writing.Syndicate
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What Greg Eats
Franklin BBQ - Best Brisket in the World
Even though it's been described hundreds of times, and often by better writers than myself, I'll give a go at explaining just why I love the brisket at Franklin BBQ so much.
First, the quality of the meat is spectacular. I sometimes buy USDA Choice, but typically speaking I go with USDA Prime, and even then, I won't buy pre-packaged, I make them move around the stuff in the counter, so I can get exactly the cuts I want.
That doesn't make me a beef expert, just a bit of a snob really, and truth is, I probably don't know what I'm talking about.
However, Franklin's has superb beef. Just the right amount of fat content, connective tissue, etc. The flavor is outstanding too.
The bark, the crust, the edge...I can't emphasize this enough. It's game changing. The bark is thick and black. If you just looked at it, you would suspect that someone had burned the hell out of their brisket. But you take a bite, and that bark is a bit firm to the tooth, caramelized and sweet, but not overly so. The flavor has the perfect blend of spices, smoke and juices.
Tenderness. Again, it's perfect. You cut it short with brisket and you have to chew too much. You go too long, and it just falls apart into a stringy mess that's lost all of its consistency.
Franklin's tenderness is just spot on. The meat has that grainy, sort of falling apart thing starting to happen, but with just enough integrity left to keep it all together and make a very pleasing texture.
The little touches... How you trim, cut and slice a brisket is key to the tenderness and to a smaller degree the flavor. Aaron Franklin takes this job on himself, and he's a rockstar at it. He quickly disassembles a new brisket down into the bits that are going to make quality, sliced brisket, the bits he can chop for sandwiches and the scrap heap.
He doesn't skimp either. When he starts breaking down a brisket, he'll load up the scrap pile, if that's what's necessary when he gets to cutting.
Plus, he's incredibly friendly. It takes awhile to get through the line, because the guy is just so nice. He asks how everyone's day is going. He seems genuinely interested. And he works really hard to make sure that you get exactly what you wanted in your order. He'll give you a shame-on-you, but not condescending look if you ask for extra lean, but you know he's just kidding.
My wife hates fatty brisket, but after her first time and his little look, she decided to just go with cutter's choice the next time, and lo' and behold, she loved it, even though she won't eat brisket anywhere else unless it's extra lean.
The sausage is really good, but not great. The ribs are great, but not alert-world-leaders great. I've never had the turkey. The sides are quality. The beans are probably as good as mine and I typically sneer at the pinto beans put out by any other BBQ place, because I know I can kick their butt in my own kitchen, but no, Franklin's are easily as good as mine.
I don't go all the time, because standing in the line is a pain in the butt and you have to set aside a lot of time for it. And you know you're going to come out of there bloated with the meat sweats, but oh, so happy.
However, for those rare occasions, once every month or two, enough to soothe the brisket beast inside, but also keep it special, you're damn right it's worth it. Best brisket in the world, hands down.
In summary, I'll put it this way. I lost my Dad over 20 years ago, but he is still revered in my memory, by my family, and by everyone who knew him. My Dad, being the eldest of a large family, learned how to cook at a young age. He then spent 27 years on the Fire Department where he did all the cooking.
Meanwhile, he cooked for us at home. He cooked for every family reunion, and he loved cooking brisket and other BBQ. He owned 5 different BBQs/smokers, and each had its purpose.
His brisket, on a pedestal in my memory, has been the gold standard by which I measure all other brisket. Even the big three in Lockhart have only come so close as to be an honorable mention compared to the splendor that was my Dad's brisket.
...until I ate at Franklin's. I can't reconcile it any other way. Franklin's brisket is simply better than my dad's. It just is. If he were here tomorrow, we'd be in line at 10:00am, just so I could show him, because he would appreciate it too.
Pluckers!
Anyone who is Facebook friends with me has likely noticed (if they notice such things) that once a week or so, I post a Facebook Places update to say that I'm at Pluckers.
We have our favorite waitress (Hi Nicole!), most of us typically order the same thing each time we go, we don't need menus and we have our routine down.
All in all, if there's any place in Austin that I'm going to go for wings, it's usually going to be Pluckers.
Today a friend asked me if it was a weekly thing, so I explained to her that it was. My coworkers and I go there just about every Monday, sometimes Thursday if we miss Monday.
We have our favorite waitress (Hi Nicole!), most of us typically order the same thing each time we go, we don't need menus and we have our routine down.
So, if this is a place I eat so often, I mean, clearly, this is a key part of What Greg (actually) Eats, why do I never write about it?
Well, wait no more, here it is. Pluckers quality sometimes varies from restaurant to restaurant, however, I have generally found that they have tasty waffle fries, their "Buffalo Medium" sauce is consistent, flavorful and a bit spicy without blowing it out of the park and their wings and boneless wings are usually meaty and well prepared.
All in all, if there's any place in Austin that I'm going to go for wings, it's usually going to be Pluckers.
Chicken, Mushrooms and Wild Rice
This has quickly become one of my favorite meals, so I thought I'd share the recipe.
- 2 cups Wild Rice
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast cut up into bite size pieces (3 if the breasts are small)
- 2 Shallots, diced (or one small onion if you don't have shallots)
- 250ml heavy cream (1/2 pint)
- 10-15 crimini mushrooms, sliced (or white mushrooms if you don't have criminis)
- 4 tablespoons butter, separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 elbows (100ml) of white wine
- Salt
- Pepper
- Coriander
- Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice Mix - to taste
Cook the wild rice per instructions*, draining excess water if needed.
Season the chicken breasts with the salt, pepper and coriander.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, cover and cook until the pieces are seared on the outside, about 3 minutes. Stir, turning the chicken over, cover and cook for 3 more minutes.
Move the chicken to the edge of the skillet, creating a space in the center and melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the center, then add the diced shallots and minced garlic.
Cook until the shallots soften and turn translucent, about 2 minutes, then move those to the edges as well, clearing a space in the center of the skillet.
Add the other 2 tablespoons of butter and melt, then add the mushroom pieces to the center. Coat those mushrooms in the butter and juices, cover and let the mushrooms soften and wilt, about 2 minutes.
Stir everything together, add the two elbows of white wine (by elbow, I mean tilt your elbow up quickly and back down, pouring some white out), continue slowly stirring for two minutes. Then reduce heat to medium-low and let it all cook together about another minute.
Stir in the heavy cream, add the Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning (just a few dashes, unless you want it spicy) and cook on medium-low heat for about 3-5 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then mix the entire contents of the skillet into the Wild Rice, stir together and serve.
* - Wild Rice instructions.
Thoroughly rinse the two cups of wild rice in a fine sieve. Add to a large pot with a tight lid, along with 6 cups of water (yes, 6) and salt to taste.
Bring the pot to a boil and let it boil until the water is almost gone and you have to stir to keep the rice from burning, this might take 20-35 minutes, depending on a lot of factors, but just keep stirring when the water level is low.
As soon as the water level is low enough, turn off heat, cover the pot with two paper towels, put the lid on tightly and hold the lid on for 30 seconds, then let sit with lid on for at least 10 minutes (15 is better).
Fluff rice with fork, and, if there is still standing water because you chickened out and turned the heat off too soon, drain the water. :)
Showing Thanks
Do you have a favorite author? Well then buy them a drink.
My dinner last night was the result of a cascading series of events that started several months ago. I’ll just skip to the end though. Last night, my friends and I treated New York Times Bestselling author Steven Brust, one of my favorite authors of all time, to Steak and Scotch.
Steven has authored numerous short stories and 25 novels, including the very popular, best-selling Vlad Taltos series, published by Tor books. Just a note here, if you haven’t read these books, starting with Jhereg, then rectify that at your earliest convenience, you can thank me later.
Or, better yet, you can thank Steven Brust later, he’s fond of Steak and Scotch.
Seriously, one of the most significant things I learned in our dinner at Cool River Café, in Austin, TX, is that, if you want to really show thanks to a favorite author – offer to buy them a drink.
Like most of you, I had often thought that anyone so well-known just has to be unapproachable. Surely they have better things to do than hang out with eager fans, being peppered with questions and plied for details and insights.
And yet, like the rest of us, they have to eat and drink also. Furthermore, when you think about it, who wouldn’t want the reassurance and proof that something they have created for mass consumption is adored and beloved.
Steven was gracious, witty, entertaining, told brilliant stories and in sitting down with us for a few hours, helped build a set of personal memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.
To our delight, he also brought along Reesa Brown, a respected, developing author in her own right, and a name you are sure to see in years to come. When hers is a household name among the literate crowd, I’ll be able to wink and say, “Yeah, I bought her dinner once.”
Those of you reading this and wanting to buy your favorite author a drink or dinner, may come up against the slight issue of living nowhere near your favorite author or of not having as much gumption as I do. When I was a kid, I was described by my family as having never met a stranger and it’s true. Those of you who know me, will know this.
If you just don’t think you can muster the courage to extend an invitation to someone you adore, abandon ye not, hope remains!
Find your favorite author’s personal webpage, dig around in it and you’ll probably find a place to donate money to or support the author, or you’ll find an online store, contact information or the like.
Using those means, send them $20 and a note, “Thanks for everything, the next round’s on me.”
One Charming Pig
Had the opportunity a few days ago to eat at Noble Pig Sandwiches, in North Austin, near Cedar Park. It was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this hole-in-the-wall, gourmet-comfort-food sandwich shop.
The chef-owners really concentrate on DIY. Their chalkboard menu changes often and features homemade varieties of bread (white or wheat), mayo, mustard, house smoked bacon and more. Before Noon you can also get breakfast, but the sandwiches are served all day with freshly cooked Kettle chips. Other sides include homemade potato salad, jalapeno slaw, pickled vegetables or more.
When we ordered, I went for the eponymous Noble Pig sandwich. It's piled high (but not too high) with house smoked bacon, pulled pork and ham, served up on their fresh made bread with provolone and a homemade mustard. Every bite burst with flavor and had an excellent, chewy texture.
Meanwhile, Julia went for their Thai Chicken sandwich with Jalapeno-cabbage slaw and cilantro. It was creamy, flavorful and had a surprising bite of spice to it.
We washed everything down with a couple of Dublin Dr Peppers we picked up there. This put a big exclamation point on a fantastic lunch.
A + A Sichuan Garden: Austin, TX
First, a side note, posts have been very few and very far between as I concentrate my efforts on breaking into fiction writing. I'm working on a few different ideas and stories in the fantasy and science fiction genres, and having a good time doing so.
However, this isn't about that. This Quick Thought is about A + A Sichuan Garden on North 183 in Austin. It's in the location of the former Tea House restaurant, which was sorely missed.
My A + A Sichuan Garden Quick Thought is that this place is really good. The prices are reasonable, menu was extensive and offered a few recognizable favorites with a much more robust selection of more traditional items.
The portions were very large.
I've only been once, but I'm sure I'll be back many times. I don't have General Tso's Chicken that often, because I'm so often disappointed by thick, overly sweet sauce with dry, tough chicken.
My experience at A + A Sichuan Garden couldn't be farther from that. The crisp lotus flower breading yielded to moist, succulent bites of chicken that were perfectly sized (rather than being huge, as many places do it). The sauce was tangy and had a pleasant bit of heat to it.
All in all, a great experience. I'll definitely be back.
Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw Challenge
I am proud of the essay I wrote, and would appreciate people reading it and voting for me. However, if you start browsing and find an essay you prefer over mine, by all means vote for them.
Voting is once per day, and entrants cannot vote for themselves. Normally, I wouldn't bother soliciting votes, because while I have a decent number of online friends, I wouldn't say I'm leading any kind of community.
However, in this case, votes are only 10% of it, and I'm hoping to get enough to just get my essay some recognition. If I can get them to read it, then I think it can stand on its own.
Thanks!
GB
Take me to the Pourhouse
Main Entry: pap·par·del·le
Pronunciation: \ˌpä-pär-ˈde-lā\
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian
Date: 1899
: pasta in the form of wide ribbon
"You do know that's pasta, right sir?" the waitress asked.
"Umm, yes."
So, that's the conversation that took place when I ordered the pappardelle at the Pourhouse in Vancouver. I'm guessing they get a lot of people who read the description on the menu, "Confit Yellow Meadows Farm Duck, Peas, Baby Arugula, Grana Padano Cheese, House Made Foccacia," and never realize they are ordering a pasta dish.
For the record, it was darned tasty - pasta and all.
This is where I have to admit, with some disappointment in myself, that I didn't notice that closely what everyone else ordered. Julia had something with seafood in it.
We had dinner with Julia's professor and her husband. I know he had the brisket (as any good Texan would know, we have a sixth sense about these things), but for the most part I was so engrossed in a fantastic conversation that I just never took that much notice of what was on that table.
For all that though, the food was excellent, drinks were good, we had a fantastic conversation and the atmosphere set a great mood for it all.
It's been awhile since I've posted an update, so I'm going to keep this short, ease back into it. But I look forward to writing about cheap (but good) sushi; fish & chips; a great turkey dinner; the amazing, chaotic wonder of Guu and the Japadog that never was.
Creamy Cajun Chicken with Mixed Vegetables
I've been busy, but this is so tasty, I have to take time away from eating it just to write it up.
First, I needed something tasty, something that'd keep since I needed it to last a few meals, and most of all, something different.
So I grabbed....
3 Nice looking chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (sliced into strips)
3 shallots (diced)
1 bulb of garlic (sliced into slivers)
2 yellow squash (sliced into small pieces)
1 green squash (sliced into small pieces)
1 bunch of asparagus (sliced into 1.5" long pieces)
1 carton of fresh shiitake mushrooms
Butter
A Pint of Heavy Whipping Cream
A half cup of shredded parmesan/romano blend
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cayenne
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon (carefully slice off the zest and cut it in half cause you'll need the juice)
I started with melting some butter, then added the shallots, gave those about 45 seconds on high, then added the garlic, gave that another 45 seconds, then added the chicken spiced with ...well, some of all the spices above, then shortly thereafter I added the lemon zest and lemon juice.
I added a bit more butter when it was almost done, then transfered it to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
I added a bit more Olive Oil to the cast iron skillet and threw in my green squash and shiitake mushrooms. Once those had been sweated down until they were soft, I moved that to the bowl.
Then I added the yellow squash and asparagus, with more of the same spices above and repeated this whole process. Only, when they were soft, I added the pint of heavy whipping cream. Then, a little bit at a time I mixed in the Parmesan/Romano blend until it was all incorporated into the thicker sauce.
I reduced that a bit, added more cayenne, let it thicken up, then poured that all into the large bowl, mixed everything around and served.
I would have put it over pasta, but I'm trying to cut down my carb intake.
I am loving it. :)
Chives Canadian Bistro
This is just a quick note on a good restaurant very deserving of quick notes and more. Chives Canadian Bistro was a delightful find and served us well on a dark and stormy night in Halifax.
When I say dark and stormy, I really do mean it. The gusts of wind coming up the street from the port were staggering. Frozen rain and snow were whipping around violently obscuring vision and stinging the skin. So it was ideal that Chives was located not even a full block away from the Four Points Sheraton in downtown Halifax. So we braved the shin deep slush, harsh winds and stinging ice for dinner.
Our time and effort were well spent, the dinner was excellent and for the quality, very reasonably priced.
We had been hoping to try the Chef's Tasting Menu, featured on their Seasonal Menu. Unfortunately, we arrived right in that lull around the holidays where they change over from one seasonal menu to another, so they had an interim menu of limited choices. None the less, we were able to find items on the menu that sounded great to us and proved to be better than they sounded.
We started with a nice seared Foie Gras resting atop crostini, served with a fig reduction and a small microgreen salad. The Foie Gras was perfectly prepared and the generous 2 oz. portion made for an ideal appetizer. The sweetness in the fig and saltiness in the crostini cut through the rich fat of the Foie Gras to make every bite a delight.
Julia enjoyed their version of a surf and turf, which consisted of a AAA Tenderloin (USDA Choice equivalent, I believe). It had been cooked a perfect medium rare. It was resting atop a bed of gnocchi which themselves were floating in a brandy-peppercorn cream sauce, similar to what you might expect from a Steak Au Poivre. And to finish off the surf part of the surf and turf, the plate was loaded with large, plump, succulent scallops -- precisely the quality one would expect in Nova Scotia.
Meanwhile, I went with their Best of Nova Scotia Seafood Risotto. The risotto itself was dense, creamy, robust and flavorful -- with the perfect texture. But that's not the best part, the best part was that every single bite from the tiniest nibble to the largest spoonful was completely infused with the fresh, undeniable - sea air flavor of great local seafood.
Resting atop the risotto was a giant diver scallop and a firm, tasty jumbo shrimp, mixed within the risotto were more pieces of scallop, shrimp, lobster, mussels and clams -- all local, all great.
We paired this all with a pleasantly inexpensive Temperanillo. They had it to offer by the glass, so I was able to try a sample before we had even ordered our food. The sample was enough to confirm that, with the wine decanted and the tannins softened, it would open up nicely and compliment our food without overpowering it.
If you'd have asked me to pick a wine to pair with those two dishes, I'm not sure what I would have said. Seafood risotto normally makes me think Pinot Grigio maybe, or a Chenin Blanc. Throw in the surf and turf and I'm leaning towards a lighter Pinot Noir, but I don't think I would have been Temperanillo for either. I'm glad I gave it a chance though, it was a delight.
We each saved a half-glass of wine to finish of our meal with, complimenting the cheese plate we ordered. I wish I knew more about the cheeses, this was the only place where I was let down. The waitstaff wasn't aware of the minute details of the cheese plate and didn't take the hint to produce someone from the kitchen who was. Setting that aside though, it was an excellent ending to an excellent meal, featuring 4 thin bread sticks, quince jam, apple slices, nuts and -- at my best guess -- smoked gouda, creamy bleu cheese, a semi-firm, creamy, nutty cheese (similar to Osau Iraty) and mild brie.
If you find yourself in Halifax, regardless the weather, check out Chives. It's worth your time, effort and money.