Ole NC Bar-B-Que

Every Friday at our office, is ‘Free Lunch Friday’. That is when the pharmaceutical companies come and ply our favor with free meals. Seeing as how I rarely know which company is supplying that days lunch, it does not seem to be money well spent. Or you could take the flip side of that coin and say that I am not important, so they could care less if I know them or not. I prefer to ignore the latter.

A month or two ago, my friend Jenny and I were extremely busy around lunch time Friday, which is very annoying, if anyone from my job is reading this don’t schedule patients around lunchtime Friday (yes Megan I am talking to you). We weren’t able to make it back for lunch, but luckily there were leftovers and someone saved Jenny and me a plate. Now why would the leftovers matter if we already had a plate saved for us, you will soon see why. Lunch was catered from Ole NC Bar-B-Que. I had never heard of this place before, but every time I have mentioned the name since, people’s eyes light up with glee. Jenny and I ate more food than any two people ever should that day for lunch, and then we ate some more. Fried chicken, roasted chicken, bar-b-que, coleslaw, banana pudding, strawberry shortcake and the like. It was heavenly.

After this lunch, my roommate and I googled Ole NC Bar-B-Que and found out that it was a few miles from our house. Then that asshole went there two times without me before I even had the chance. Finally yesterday we were able to make a trip to the source of my gluttonous lunch so I could once again punish myself with overeating. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, and it was around 3:30 in the afternoon when we arrived, I haven’t been hungry since and it is lunchtime the next day. Ole NC Bar-B-Que has a buffet. It is stocked with a myriad of chicken (friend, roasted, bar-b-que’d, etc), great chopped bar-b-que, coleslaw, chitlins, corn, black eyed peas, and all of the other fixins you would expect from a country kitchen table.

I am in love with their fried chicken, the bar-b-que, the coleslaw, the banana pudding, and the hushpuppies. Some of the sides do not measure up (the mashed potatoes can’t be from fresh potatoes, the macaroni and cheese is nowhere close to my great grandma’s), but with unlimited trips for only $6.79 it is well worth plowing thru some duds to find all of the great items. And maybe my favorite part is that when you order sweet tea, you get a glass and a pitcher for refills. It is awesome!

I love Ole North Carolina Bar-B-Que and I am a southern boy who has been eating this food all his life, so I feel that I am a well qualified judge. And with a buffet meal and drink coming in at under 10 bucks, if I am wrong would it really be that big of a deal?

-J

Cooking at Home

This is a recipe I practiced with my sister and perfected after a few tries. One of the new ‘it’ ingredients these days is Chimichurri Sauce. Chimichurri is a South American sauce often used to marinate or sauce grilled meats. To make Chimichurri, you add a bunch of cilantro, 4 cloves of garlic, and the juice of 2 lemons to a blender, then slowly pour in good olive oil until the mixture is pureed together to form a thick liquid. Add salt, pepper and heat to taste. Marinate the beef in a plastic bag with a generous amount of the sauce for at least an hr.

 -Heat pan to med high heat, when the pan is heated add beef. Sear on both sides for approximately 5 minutes (time varies due to thickness of cut). If you have a particularly thick piece of beef, after searing place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

-Let the meat rest on a cutting board under aluminum foil.

-While the meat is resting sauté julienned peppers and onions in the pan with a small amount of excess Chimichurri and Worchestire in the meats drippings.

-After vegetables are cooked to your preferred doneness, slice meat thinly and against the grain. Serve over sautéed veggies.

-J

I got crabs, jk but not really

On Thursday night I went with my roommate to Blu (yes I probably go here once a week). Thursdays are crab night, where they feature 5 crab dishes at 25% off. In addition to the 4 crab appetizers currently on the menu, they had a Crab Cobb salad with lump crab meat. I ended up going with 1 of my staples and a new addition to the menu, the Crab Cakes with mango salsa and the Crab Rangoons.

The Crab Cakes are always on the menu, try them served under a salsa of mango, tomato, red onions and herb oil and you will see why. The Crab Rangoons have recently made their way onto the docket; 3 wontons filled with crab meat and edamame puree, served under a julienned salad of carrots, onions and peppers tossed in a Soy Vinaigrette. They were quite flavorful. I also had the Conch Ceviche, every night they have a different conch preparation, this was my favorite yet. It brought me back to my childhood, eating conch salad with my grandfather when my grandparents lived down in Florida.

Gee got the crab legs and the Oysters Rockefeller (his favorite) and we both had a Cucumber Martini coupled with a beer. Getting out for under 30 dollars apiece, another delicious and thrifty meal eaten at the bar.

Rockwood

A few weeks back I went with my sister and a pair of friends to Rockwood Filling Station in Durham. Located in what used to be an old garage, Rockwood puts a modern twist on a pizzeria. While I was unhappy to see my Tarheels come up short in a valiant comeback attempt against the University of Kentucky, I was overjoyed to have finally visited this gem of a pizza joint.

All of their pizza’s are cooked in the wonderful 700 degree wood burning oven. I ordered Scott’s Chicken Liver Pizza. It was quite tasty; lightly friend chicken livers, crispy pancetta, caramelized onions, mozzarella, oregano, & tomato sauce on a toothsome, crispy crust. My sister had a pepperoni pizza and a great milkshake, while my two friends had the ham and egg pizza and a great calzone. For desert I had their unbelievable Tiramisu and Adrian and Wendi shared the Nutella ice cream. Everyone was more than happy with their choices and I will definitely be going back.


-J

Patty's Salmon Recipe

Use this for any occasion. Cooking for a dinner party, the bf/gf, parents, friends. It's the easiest and tastiest salmon recipe I've come across and I have my friend Patty to thank for it. The key ingredient is the mustard.

preheat oven to 350
6 oz filet of salmon
dried dill
butter
Grey Poupon harvest coarse ground mustard

Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of butter on the top of the filet. On top of the butter spread a thick layer of mustard and season with dill, salt and pepper. There's no wrong way to do this. Add as much or little of each ingredient as you want.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Voila! -Andi

Wa Sushi in West Hollywood

I rank this place way up there as the best sushi I've ever had. I can't forget about dearly beloved, The Hump, but Wa took it to a new level. The sushi chefs twist just about everything they put on the plate. Instead of handing over a traditional tuna sushi, they pass one that's been dusted in sea salt with wasabi under the fish, served with sweet soy sauce. Or the uni, that they serve without a seaweed wrapping and instead with a drizzle of truffle oil on top. And the albacore, that tastes like it's danced on a charcoal grill but shows no evidence of it....that you dip in a housemade ponzu sauce....and melts in your mouth like ice cream. The tweaks are minor but give major results. We ordered:

tuna carppaccio with smoky truffle sauce and cracked red peppercorns
salmon nigiri rolled on top of a thin slice of cucumber with a drizzle of herbed olive oil of some sort
spicy lobster tempura
albacore sushi with ponzu
tuna sushi with sweet soy sauce
uni with truffle oil
toro sushi

we ordered more but I can't remember. it was all too good. La Cienaga and Holloway

Buy from your local butcher

 For Angelenos the only local butcher to call is Harvey Guss 323-937-4622. Located on Fairfax and South Ogden, this butcher shop churns out the best meat around. But pickup is only between 9am and noon. A small window for the most serious of buyers. They serve many restaurants in LA so the quality is top notch. We buy tenderloins and roasts, season heavily, marinate in Worchestershire sauce and throw on the grill after a couple of hours. Once the meat's cooled (10-15 minutes) we then cut in 1" slices and serve on the plate with juices and leftover marinade. 

Don't forget your local butcher. They know what they're doing. TLC in every bite.

Capo's Rigatoni with Truffle Meat Sauce

When it comes to pasta, nothing.....and I mean nothing.....can compete with Capo's Rigatoni with Truffle Meat Sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. They go light on the tomato and focus primarily on truffle, meat and cheese. The beauty of this dish is that it's super rich, not super heavy.

Santa Monica - Ocean and Vicente Terrace

Nikki's Mac n Cheese

Darius ordered a killer mac and cheese at Nikki's in Venice. Made with sprial macaroni (cavatappi) instead of traditional. The dish was a combination of jalapeno, bacon and lots of creamy cheese. fontina, mozzarella....anything gooey

Taco Truck

My favorite taco can be found at the Rose Ave Taco Truck in Venice, CA. Priced at $1.50 a pop, this is an authentic Mexican taco at its best. And at $3 a pop, a ceviche tostada at its best. You won't find any cheddar cheese, ground beef, shredded iceburg, or sour cream here. But you will find a bottle or two of Tapatio hot sauce.

My favorite is the carnitas taco. Crispy chopped pork, slightly juicy, served on 2 corn tortillas with a grilled shallot and some beans squeezed in. I've had juicier carnitas at other stands but this place nails the fundamentals of a great Mexican taco. The ceviche tostada is 4 grande bites of diced seafood (uncooked) mixed with lime, finely diced tomatoes, and cilantro with slices of avocado fanned on top. To wash it all down, my beverage of choice is the Manzanilla (Apple) sparkling soda.

Inspired by the truck, we grilled Carne Asada tacos at the house for Carter's birthday. Recipe as follows:

2 lbs. flank steak
Marinate for a couple of hours:
cumin
coriander seeds
juice from 2 oranges
juice from 1 lemon
garlic cloves
soy sauce
diced onion
chilli powder

grill the steak whole, cover in aluminum to let cool, chop in shredded small bits to fit in corn tortillas