Foods I Could Eat Every Day

Casual Observer · Post by **Casual Observer** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:59 am

AArdvark wrote:Coach Tony's, as you know, is what Nick's...er..Stevie T's uses exclusively on their plates.

I sent you a note, I'll return the favor with some fresh copper river salmon from our public market if you like.

I didn't know that Nick's sauce was something that could be bought, I assumed it was their own secret recipe or something. I assumed this because once I talked to a guy who used to manage GT Rocks out by RIT and he offered me "their secret sauce recipe" so I figured it was the same at all those places. This will be great for 4th of july.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:50 am

Coach Tony's makes their own and Tahou's from the original recipe but with different labels on the jars. When I was picking up a a jar today* I noticed that they had a mail delivery service whereas they will ship sauce anywhere. They used to make their own but since Steve T. took over they just use pre-packaged. Probably for better consistency, judging from the look of particular employees, who could, in all regards, be qualified as swimmers in the shallow end of the gene pool.

* I was out at home, having opened the last jar I had several weeks earlier. This will result in a two day delay of your shipment as I had to work till noon Saturday and the post office is only open till then. Rest assured, however, the box is ready to go as I type.

THE
OVERTIME IS GOOD THO
AARDVARK

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:40 pm

You thought I was done! But I am not done!

FOOD I COULD EAT EVERY DAY #3: Kalua Pig

I came in contact with this dish for the first time during Kathy and me's trip to Hawaii last year, and have been seeking it out and attempting to cook it ever since! Seemingly too simple to be worthy of an "every day" badge, it is traditionally made by slow-cooking a pig in an underground oven ("kalua"), wrapped in the leaves of the Hawaiian "ti" plant, and then shredding that puppy to bits! Of course, neither you nor I will likely have an opportunity to have this dish traditionally. For us, we have to just take a slab of pork, and throw it in the oven wrapped in tinfoil with some salt and liquid smoke for many hours, then shredding that puppy to bits! But it's still good!

Like other entries on this list, there is a "light/heavy" thing going on here. You'd think a giant plate of roast pork might end up on the heavy side, but the salty/smokiness counteracts it, as do the traditional accompaniments of rice and cabbage. "Addictive" doesn't even begin to describe the addictive nature of this dish, which is very addictive! Addictive, in the sense of being addicted to it while you are eating it. I myself just polished off a giant plate of it, all the while (through a mouthful of food) mumbling that there's no way I was going to finish all of it.

But I did! And I could again, happily, every single day!

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:58 pm

But wait, there's more!

FOOD I COULD EAT EVERY DAY #4: Lobster

Of all the seafood in the world, my favorite category is the crustacean. And of all the crustaceans, who the hell could beat a fresh lobster? Nobody, that's who!

This might be the only entry in the list that not only could I happily eat it every day, I could probably happily eat it every meal. If this was an accurate record of my daily intake:

Code: Select all

BREAKFAST&#58;  A lobster.

LUNCH&#58;  A lobster.

DINNER&#58;  A lobster.

MIDNIGHT SNACK WHILE WATCHING IRON CHEF AND DRINKING VODKA STRAIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE&#58;  A lobster.

...then I would be one smiling sonofabitch! Do I prefer them with a squeeze of lemon and some clarified butter? Certainly! Would it still be on this list if butter and lemons had never been invented? DAMN STRAIGHT!

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:05 pm

Lobster (and crab) is sometimes listed as a reason as to why there is intelligent design of the universe after all. Because of their deliciousness.

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:12 pm

I had pho today! There is a Vietnamese cafe near my bank, so I went there after making a deposit, and ordered the pho and a Sol cerveza. It was good! I had to ask the guy how I was supposed to eat it, like, did that dish of stuff (basil, cilantro, peppers which I set aside, and sprouts) go right into the dish of broth and meat, even though it was served separately? (yes). Was the hoisin sauce placed on my table supposed to go in there? (yes). So I made an ass out of myself slurping up that shit, and I put down the chopsticks and used the fork, in order to get all the noodles.

I would not say this would be an everyday experience, but it was good! I will have this again.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:18 pm

This makes me happy to hear! You have taken your first step on a long adventure! An adventure of SOUP!

Here is how I eat it, if you'd like to try another route:

I used to put the sauces (sriracha, hoisin) directly in the soup, but found eventually that this would mask the really unique, delicate flavor of the broth "as is".

SO! The first thing I do when I sit down is, take two of the little dipping bowls out, fill one with sriracha, and the other with hoisin!

Then, after getting my pho, squeezing the lime, throwing in some sprouts, and tearing up some basil leaves up in that, I'll take a piece of beef and dip it into the sauce(s) of my choice! Holy crap!

Sometimes I'll even chopstick some noodles and/or beef into the spoon, then use the chopsticks to put little dollops of sriracha or hoisin into the spoon before slurping down the whole thing!

This is My Way. However, as any PHO EXPERT worth his star anise will tell you, there ain't no wrong way!

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:41 pm

pinback wrote:I used to put the sauces (sriracha, hoisin) directly in the soup, but found eventually that this would mask the really unique, delicate flavor of the broth "as is".

This broth just tasted like beef broth, it might not have been of the bestest sort. I will now proceed to try Pho 76's pho, as well as pho from the ethnic part of town which you have already mentioned.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:16 pm

Vitriola wrote:This broth just tasted like beef broth

This now makes me very unhappy! This is a roller coaster -- a "monto rusa", if you will -- of emotions for me!

Pho should have a rich beefy flavor, certainly, but wafting from it in billows of delectable steam should be spicy, herbal notes from star anise, cinammon, ginger, and various other wonderful things! It should also be hot enough to melt the plastic spoon with which you attempt to eat it!

Good Lording God, this is a nightmare!

I will now proceed to try Pho 76's pho, as well as pho from the ethnic part of town which you have already mentioned.

This now makes me very happy again! I am getting queasy from the up-and-down motion my emotions are experiencing!

I may puke from excitement!

Casual Observer · Post by **Casual Observer** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:53 pm

AArdvark wrote:Rest assured, however, the box is ready to go as I type.

Got the package and was pleasantly surprised to find not one but two jars of Coach Tony's hot sauce. It passed the fiancé's taste test with flying colors and we're really excited to cook it up with some burger meat for hots and hambs this friday. Since copper river salmon isn't your thing and I can't think of a single other thing besides seafood in seattle that's worth sending across country, I've got a wegmans gift card enroute as of today. Thanks again vark!!!

CO · Post by CO » Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:31 pm

Vark's Coach Tony based hot sauce went over so well that guests were caught eating it with a spoon right out of the bowl. These seattle people are literally starved for some good new york food.

The fireworks were the best I've ever seen, and our view is the most picture perfect I can imagine. Framed by one of Seattle's largest greenbelts, from our balcony the fireworks and their reflection on the lake filled the entire field of view.

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:59 pm

That's beautiful, and all with a backdrop of pure, unhealthy hot sauce!

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:57 pm

I am not done! Sit there and wait while I continue!!

FOOD I COULD EAT EVERY DAY #5: The CHEESE PIZZA

Okay? And let's be clear about this. We are talking about thin-crust, NY-style, floppy, foldy cheese pizza. Any other kind would be too heavy to have every day! And I am not the only person in the world to think that "toppings" do nothing but separate a pizza from the pure oozing goodness which is the CHEESE PIZZA. I've said it before, I'll say it again:

I just want to try the CHEESE PIZZA!!

Despite it's reputation, it's about as close to health food as a pizza can get. Look! All you're getting is a thin layer of chewy crust, topped with an even thinner layer of tangy tomato sauce, topped with an ever more thinner layer of creamy, rich mozzarella cheese! Bread? Tomatoes? Cheese? These are healthy ingredients! And the thin, floppy nature ensures that you're not going to overload on it, while still getting a burst of wonderfully chewy tanginess with every bite!

Holy crap! I could try the CHEESE PIZZA every single day, yes I could!

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:25 pm

Two in one day? You are goddamned right, sir or madam!

FOOD I COULD EAT EVERY DAY #6: Cincinnati 3-Way

If you go to http://gametunnel.com and look at their "Game of the Year" awards for the past several years, you'll notice that at least 95% of the reviews of the "Games of the Year" begin with this phrase: "This is a game that shouldn't work."

So I am proud and happy to lift this twee little opening when I say...

This is a food that shouldn't work! It is three mediocre ingredients lopped onto a plate, optionally topped with another mediocre ingredient, and yet, like all of the organs of a cat -- disgusting and useless when separate -- they come together to form something wonderful: a cat!

Or, dinner!

Let's go through the creation and eating of a Cincinnati 3-Way, surely the heaviest item on this list, but with just enough addictive draw to make it edible every single day!

What ya do, see, is this! Now, if you live in Cincinnati, you don't do it, the cook at the Skyline or Gold Star chili parlor you happen to be at will do it. But you can also do it at home!

First you take plain old overcooked spaghetti (blow right past "al dente" and straight into "grandma's dentures") and place some of it on an OVAL PLATE. It has to be oval!

Then layer on some CINCINNATI CHILI. This is a unique bird among chilis, in that it's just barely a chili, and more of a sauce. Flavored with cocoa and cinnamon instead of onions and chiles, it has no heat to it, and the strangest mix of spices and sweetness that you'll ever find. And where "normal" chili is chunky, beefy goodness, Cincinnati chili is a watery, soupy mess! Good God! Anyway, pour a bunch of it up top the spaghetti! You can order it online at http://skyline.com, and it's just as good from the can.

Then, finally, top the entire thing with an enormous cloud of finely grated MILD CHEDDAR CHEESE. I just want to try the MILD CHEDDAR CHEESE!

Now it's time to EAT, and we do this by turning the oval plate lengthwise on the table in front of us! Then take your fork, and starting from one end to the other, you just go at it! Don't be twirling the damn spaghetti or any of that, you're trying to cut through the entire mess so every bite has spaghetti, chili, and cheese in it, layered like on the plate!

Traditionally, you'll also top the whole mess with some oyster crackers, to add some texture to the whole mushy godawful wad of slop!

Anyhow, it's fantastic, the best and possibly only reason to visit Cincinnati, and I could just pound it down every stupid day of my life.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:38 pm

I think I would like to try a Belgian Waffle. Are they likely to be on this list?

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:03 am

No sweets! There is not a single sweet item in the world that I could happily eat every day.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:39 am

The Cincinatti Gobbler sounds like it really shouldn't work. I know you have covered that, but the ingredients just ... they don't sound insane. They sound meticulously cobbled together so as to make you think it was a failed AI experiment. You're all, "Oh, I see where the program faile-- right, no, not spaghetti, my simple machine, you meant bread, which is close!"

The machine then asks Sphynx riddles

ChainGangGuy · Post by **ChainGangGuy** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:41 am

pinback wrote:No sweets! There is not a single sweet item in the world that I could happily eat every day.

Alright, well after this thread runs it's course, will you be starting up a list of foods you could begrudgingly eat every day?

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:11 pm

off topic...

The Cincinnati Gobbler sounds like a popular hooker in downtown Toledo.

THE
"EIGHT BUCKS!"
AARDVARK

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:45 pm

ChainGangGuy wrote:Alright, well after this thread runs it's course, will you be starting up a list of foods you could begrudgingly eat every day?

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Foods I Could Eat Every Day

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