Beer Barrel Pizza

I checked out the Beer Barrel in Lima, Ohio last night, with a good friend of mine Ashley. My meal started off with Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy which I probably ordered for the last time this year (insert sad face). We ordered their whole wheat pretzel sticks as an appetizer, they came with cheese dipping sauce and buttery cream cheese dip. They pretzels weren't the best we had ever had, but they were still good.

We ordered two pizza's (don't judge) mainly because I wanted to try two different crusts. The first was their Original Crust with pineapple, ham, and bacon. This pizza was delicious and I would rank it in my Top 5 of all time. I am not normally a huge fan of anything other than thin crust but their original was very good! The bottom was crispy, and the dough was soft after you broke through the crisp exterior. I think it might have been a corn meal bottom. The sauce was very good with a good balance of sweetness and tomato flavor. I really think our choice of pineapple, ham and bacon was a great combination! Then again, bacon makes everything better!

We also ordered their Thin and Crispy Pepperoni Parmesano. It was a simple pizza with the perfect amount of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. The crust was what I look for in a thin crust, however it was shadowed by the Original Crust in my opinion.

The wait staff was friendly and the atmosphere was nice for what you would expect! There was a small wait when we arrived but went rather quickly. I will definitely be looking this place back up on my next visit. I had a great time, Thank You to Ashley for introducing me to the Beer Barrel!

http://www.beerbarrelpizza.com/menu.html

The Other White Meat!

Some of my favorite things to eat come from pig! Anyone who doesn't like pork, stop reading now, or be prepared to have your mind changed! Everyone who isn't a fan of pork has probably been burnt out on the dry pork chops their mother made growing up, or the over cooked pork roast they had on New Year's Day.  I get that! Growing up, we had pork chops probably once a week, because they were inexpensive compared to beef, and it wasn't the same old chicken!

Some people think that pork is bad for you because of the fat. This isn't always true, most times if you get the right cut or buy from the right place you can get lean cuts of pork. I could go on forever about all the different forms of pork that I enjoy fixing and eating, like bacon, baby back ribs, and shoulders. However, this time I am going to talk to you about the tenderloin.

I bought my first pork tenderloin a few years ago, and I over cooked the hell out of it. It was pretty much one dried out tough piece of pork. Then I fixed it again and threw it in a crockpot all day and I had pulled pork that was very juicy and tender. Pork tenderloin is one of the easiest cuts of meat to fix, but it is also one of the easiest to screw up as well! Some things that will pay off in the end when cooking a tenderloin are, taking the time to marinate, meat thermometer, quality cooking surface, and patience.

I fixed the best pork tenderloin a week ago for my friends Kurt and Shannon for dinner. I actually impressed myself in the end, but I was skeptical the entire time until I saw how much they enjoyed, as did I. I started the pork off with a dry rub of Penzey's BBQ 3000, and sea salt. I put it in a zip-loc bag and set it in the fridge for about 4 hours. You could do this a day ahead of time or in the morning before work if you chose to.

I preheated the grill, the surface was probably about 400 F. I laid the tenderloin on the grill and seared a side of it. You can determine when it is seared when the pork is free from the grilling surface and no longer sticks. I rolled the tenderloin a quarter turn and seared another side, and repeated this until the tenderloin was fully seared. When I rolled the tenderloin on it's last side to sear, I turned down the grill heat to medium to medium low. I then started to baste with BBQ sauce as the last side finished searing. Careful, if the heat is to high, you'll only burn the BBQ sauce and get a bad flavor!

So I have seared the entire tenderloin, but the entire tenderloin is cooked through. I probably spent 4-5 minutes on each side depending on the heat of the grill. My goal at this point is to just get the internal temperature up to 145 degrees and pull it off the grill. Pork's minimum cooking temp has recently been lowered to 145 degrees with a three minute rest period by the USDA. This is the first time I followed it, and it turned out wonderful! Use your meat thermometer to make sure the temp is where you want it and pull it off the grill. After searing and while you are cooking the loin at a lower temp to raise the internal temp, feel free to add as much BBQ sauce as you want! When you let the loin rest feel free to cover with aluminum foil and a towel over that if you want the loin to stay warmer.

After the loin has rested, cut it on the bias. I explained this earlier in another blog, but I'll give the run down again. If the loin is laid on a cutting board in front of you and ensure the ends are at your left and right hand. Take your knife like you are going to cut the loin in half, but before you do that turn your knife so the point is at the 10 o'clock position (9 and 3 would be where your hands are), then also tilt the blade edge on the vertical axis. You are accomplishing two things by doing this. You are making the slices of tenderloin bigger and more aesthetically pleasing, and you are also make the slices more tender! Before you make the first slice, move the knife to the end of the tenderloin you are comfortable starting with, start slicing! If you would like, drizzle a little BBQ sauce over the slices on your plate! Now, enjoy the other white meat! I hope you have changed your mind about pork if you were not a fan, if you were already, I hope this made you hungry!

Schlafly! The beer and the food!

I felt compelled to blog about Schlafly for several reasons. First off because I think they might very well have the best beer in this country! Bold Statement, I know. However, I was first introduced to Schlafly beer when my brother moved to Saint Louis about ten years ago. If there were no other reason for me to love my brother, I would love him for the mere fact that he brought Schlafly Beer and their Bottleworks Restaurant in to my life! (Side-note: There are many reasons for which I love my brother!)

Schlafly's Backround- They started a microbrewery in Saint Louis 20 years ago. You read that correctly, in the heart of the beer capital of this country, they started a microbrewery! The best part is, they were successful! Their beer is served in almost every bar and restaurant in Saint Louis. It is on tap at Busch Stadium, and locals even drink it over the big name beer! I'm not going to to try and knock the "other" brewery in town, but they aren't american anymore, some european company owns them now. They are about as american as Heineken!

Schlafly's signature beer is their Pale Ale. It is hands down my favorite beer! I usually have dilemma when I go to Schlafly's Bottleworks for dinner. They always have a bunch of different beers on tap, and I always want to try them! Some of my other favorites include, Kolsch, Summer Lager, Dry Hopped APA, and Hefeweizen just to name a few! They also have a lot of seasonal on tap as well.

The next best thing to the beer, is the food! I have never had a bad meal there and have eaten there at least a dozen times. If not all of their food is organic I would say a majority of it is! They grow some of their own vegetables and get all of their foods from local farms. There are things to compliment your meal that are local favorites like Billy Goat Chips and Companion Pretzels. The pulled pork sandwich is great, as well as the Buffalo Burger! My brothers favorite is a special they have in the winter, Shepherds Pie!

If you find yourself in Saint Louis, I would make the trip to Schlafly's Bottleworks! Grab a growler on your way out!

What I know about meat!

If you have read any of my previous blogs, you know that I am a huge carnivore and I appreciate a good cut of meat on my plate for dinner. There is something more important than choosing that cut of meat out of the butcher's case, and that's how you cook it!

I grew up eating all of my red meat well done, and hated to see any pink, let alone red in my steak or hamburger. My how times have changed! Now if I cook a steak or burger to well done for myself, I actually get upset with myself!

When I started buying steaks in my early twenties, I always bought New York Strips because of how lean they were. I still enjoy a strip every now and then, however if I have my choice, I will pick a rib eye over a strip or filet mignon! Why you ask? Simply because in my opinion, rib eyes are easier to cook, and their flavor is much better due to the fat marbling. Filet Mignon is really good, and I will never be able to take that away from them, BUT they are extremely expensive. Porterhouses are really good as well but I don't ever need that much steak! Don't get me wrong, I would eat it, I just don't want to feel that guilty. Porterhouses are good because they are marbled as well, and the bone also adds flavor to the meat too. At the end of the day, I am going to go for the ribeye!

This blog could get really long if I go in to a lot of detail about different cuts so I will try and keep it simple and short. There are different characteristics with every different cut of meat. For instance, a rib eye could be cooked to well done, but if it is seared well at the beginning of cooking it will probably remain fairly tender.

So here are some ground rules for a great simple grilled steak! Let the meat come to just below room temperature before cooking. I also usually season my steak at this point with whatever you choose. I sear my steaks on each side, this keeps in those delicious juices that keep the cut tender. I sear one side, flip and sear the other side, about that time I turn the heat down on the grill. About the time the steak is ready to flip back over to the original side, the grill has cooled a little and turn the steak 90 degrees to make those sear marks attractive, then I flip one more time to get the same appearance on the other side.

How do you know when the steak is done? Over time you will know by feeling the tenderness of the meat with your tongs. The more tender, the more rare. This method would apply for filet, strips, rib eyes, porterhouses.

One of my favorite meals to make is beef fajitas. I can't stand that pre-made/pre-mixed crap in the freezer section or the meat case. So here is a better alternative! Grab a skirt steak from your butcher 1.5 -2 lbs. will be enough for four people. I season my skirt steak with 2 tbsp Penzey's Salsa Seasoning, 2 tbsp sea salt, 2 tbsp EVOO and the juice from one lime. Season the steak with salt and the seasoning toss it in a zip-loc bag, add the EVOO and the lime juice and let it marinate for at least a couple of hours, the longer the better! The more the lime juice and salt sit on the beef it will help break it down and make it more tender. Again searing the juices in the steak are important when you toss this baby on the grill! Sear one side after it has released from the grilling surface flip it over and do that side. Depending on your desired doneness, pull it off the grill, if you want it more well done flip two more times. Now here comes the most important piece of advice I can give you about a skirt steak or any cut of meat for that matter! Let it rest! I am serious, everyone wants to cut in to the steak and see there finished product, that is the worst thing you can do! All the juices leave the meat and you lose flavor and tenderness! 5-10 minutes will be sufficient, the bigger the cut of meat the longer you should wait.

Cutting a skirt steak is important also! ALWAYS cut the meat on the bias! If you aren't sure what this means, find the grain and cut against the grain. You may not be able to manage a full 90 degree difference that is okay, also I tilt my knife edge as well so I am also cutting at an angle from the vertical orientation as well. This same technique can be applied for a flank steak as well!

I really want to touch on pork at this moment, but this is getting really long and I will address that in a separate blog devoted to pork, I have to give it the respect it deserves!

Chef'n Veggie Chop

So I was shopping a couple of years ago at an outlet mall and ran across this product that claimed to chop veggies extremely well with out pureeing them. I had bought a mini food processor a few months before and was not all that impressed with the results of chopping tomatoes and peppers. I picked this one up at the outlet and had it for about a year until the lid was mistakenly put in the dishwasher and ruined the pull mechanism.

This product can be found on Amazon.com and it is where I bought my second one, after I ruined the first one by no ones fault but my own.

Check it out here

What is it and how does it work?

This product is very simple in design. It is simply a clear plastic bowl with a mount in the center where three blades sit. The blades can be removed very easily for cleaning and emptying the bowl. The lid sits on the bowl and is sealed. It also connects to the center blade. Inside the lid is a spinning mechanism that spins the blade with a lanyard and loop that you pull on. It looks like you are trying to start a chainsaw but this thing works great. The best part is, you are completely in control of what you are chopping. I don't think there is a better product for making fresh salsa.

I would buy one of these just for making fresh salsa and guacamole. Below are two recipes which I use for making both. Simply combine these ingredients in bowl after chopping each one up. FYI, when chopping a cilantro or chives I usually combine these with peppers, onions or tomatoes. The other mass in the chopper allow the greens to hit the blades better.

Salsa:
4-5 roma tomatoes (remove seed and most pulp)
2 bell peppers (one green and one yellow or orange)
fresh leaves of cilantro to taste
1/2 a red or vidalia onion
1 jalepeno
2-tbsp. of Penzey's Salsa Seasoning
juice from 1/2 a fresh lime

Guacamole:
2-3 ripe avacados
1 jalepeno
fresh leaves of cilantro to taste
1/2 a red or vidalia onion
2-tbsp. of Penzey's Salsa Seasoning
juice from 1/2 a fresh lime

Jason's Deli

I know I mentioned earlier in my first blog and my profile that I really enjoy mom & pop restaurants, but I checked out Jason's deli in Indianapolis this past week. I really enjoy a good sandwich! I have to say, this place can put together a hell of a sandwich! People who don't get excited for sandwiches should even check this place out.

What did I have? I went with a good friend of mine, and we both ordered a different sandwich and shared half of our sandwich with each other. I ordered the Big Joe, and my friend ordered the Chicago Club. Bold Statement ahead, the Big Joe was the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. The complex flavor complimented each other so well.

So what was on the Big Joe? 
Toasted herb focaccia with turkey breast, asiago, roasted tomatoes, basil-pesto with pine nuts, mayo.

Many times when I have focaccia bread, I find it somewhat stale and I am disappointed with it. Not this time, you could tell the bread was baked fresh everyday, and smelled wonderful. The turkey breast was extremely tender and a slight smokey flavor. I really do think that the roasted tomatoes made the sandwich! The process of roasting tomatoes concentrates the rich tomato flavor in to each piece of tomato. Now couple this with a basil pesto and mayo and you have a flavor explosion in your mouth. Overall, I believe that there was a trifecta of flavor that made this sandwich so good. Combine roasted tomato, with basil pesto, and the herb focaccia bread and the flavors just melt in your mouth!

I ate this sandwich half first, then proceeded to the Chicago Club. I am not going to lie to you, after the second bite I was really thinking about taking my other sandwich half back. Now I am not knocking the Chicago Club, however it wasn't on the same level of the Big Joe! I would have never thought twice about how good the Chicago Club was if I hadn't had the Big Joe first. The Big Joe was just on another level!

What was on the Chicago Club?

Herb focaccia with smoked turkey breast, bacon, provolone, smoked red pepper-cilantro aioli, organic spinach, roma tomatoes.

So here again the focaccia bread was right on point! It was fresh and just made my mouth water. The same turkey breast was on this sandwich and was great! Now to the high notes. Bacon makes everything better! You could put bacon on anything and I truly believe it will taste better! Provolone cheese was a great addition to this sandwich, but maybe a sharper flavor would have brought the sandwich up a notch. There was something on this sandwich that I hadn't ever experienced before. They made a smoked red pepper-cilantro aioli. Yeah thats right, red pepper and cilantro. What a great combination of flavors and to make aioli out of it, GENIUS! The spinach was a good call, it gave you some greens, I might try to throw some sprouts on it if I were to get it again.

This next part is hard for me to admit and please don't judge me! Jason's deli has a free ice cream bar, and I did not partake! I was so full from the sandwiches that I couldn't bring myself to eat ice cream and make myself miserable. Who has a free ice cream bar?!?!?

Overall if I were to rate this restaurant on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 9.5-10. The service was nice, food was amazing, and the place was clean. This is a chain so if you are headed somewhere you may want to see if there is one on your route. I know when I go to visit my brother in Saint Louis I will be making a stop at Jason's in Indy from now on!

My palette range!

If anyone is going to be a regular reader of the crap I post on here, they should probably understand what my tastes are. What easier way for me to let you know, than make a list of what I really enjoy, and then a list of what I don't enjoy so much. (Not in any particular order, however an *asterisk denotes that I really enjoy these things over the others)

Enjoy
-mediterranean, mexican, italian, BBQ, sushi, red meat, sauteed onions, bacon*, cheesecake*, carrot cake, all that is breakfast, sandwiches, the other white meat, chicken, quiche, ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, beer*, basil, cilantro, roasted garlic, dutch apple pie*, coffee cake, peach pie/ cobbler*, yogurt, peanut butter, coffee, wings, donuts, cinnamon rolls*, christmas cookies, fish, seafood, oysters, venison, buffalo, german cooking, sauerkraut*, bratwurst*, cole slaw, cabbage, kielbasa, STEAK*, wine, diet coke, diet canada dry, diet root beer, all beans, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, wine, feta, olives, peppers, pickles*, burgers, hot dogs, gyros*, popcorn, and many more!


Not so much
-Vegetarian meals, mushrooms, raw onions, runny eggs, fennel seed, mustard, tofu, sweet tea, peas, port wines, balsamic vinegar, fruit in my salad, coriander, liver, pate, sardines, sweet italian sausage, and a few others.

Now the food listed under enjoyable is pretty self explanatory, however I should explain to you why I don't like the foods listed under "Not so much."

I am a carnivore, I love meat. There is a reason the Lord put animals on this earth, and a good reason why they taste so darn good! Every time I have something vegetarian I am left with the desire to have some sort of meat added to it, and if not meat, definitely cheese! Mushrooms, I will eat them, I just don't desire their flavor or their consistency cooked or uncooked. Raw onions in the right setting are okay with me, I just really don't enjoy the taste of them for the 5 days after I eat them. Uncooked eggs, I really think this is just a mental block with me, because sometimes I can eat them if they are combined with the right food. Fennel seed and coriander, I simply don't like the flavor. Balsamic vinegar normally doesn't appeal to me, I'll eat if it is put in front of me, however I would never order it or use it in a dish if it is at the forefront of flavor. Liver and pate, gross! Enough said. Sardines, I can't bring myself past the look or odor. Here is the deal with sweet italian sausage. To often I feel as though the sweet italian sausage you buy in the stores is disgusting and packed full of to much spice and I don't think you can actually taste the sausage.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what my tastes are and where I am coming from when I give you my opinion on a meal or recipe.