Sounds like my usual MO when I travel on business. Once I find a good place
to eat I just keep going there.
Really good traditional Irish pubs can truly be loaded with great things
to eat! And beer!!! Enjoy! <me jealous!>
I went to an Irish pub in Syracuse, there are several. This one was featured on the Food Network's Dinner's
Dine-ins and Dives, at least I think this is the show Guy was the host. We tried one of Ruben appetizers Guy
recommended, it was good nothing fantastic and I have seen it elsewhere. The entree was salty... not just
salty.... SALTY. I had a corned beef sandwich, I forget what the others had. It wasn't anything great, very
disappointed.
I think I mentioned the appetizer in an above post. It was corned beef, sauerkraut and cheese rolled into a
ball, breaded and deep friend. Not bad.
Dine-ins and Dives, at least I think this is the show Guy was the host. We tried one of Ruben appetizers Guy
recommended, it was good nothing fantastic and I have seen it elsewhere. The entree was salty... not just
salty.... SALTY. I had a corned beef sandwich, I forget what the others had. It wasn't anything great, very
disappointed.
I think I mentioned the appetizer in an above post. It was corned beef, sauerkraut and cheese rolled into a
ball, breaded and deep friend. Not bad.
Many years ago I had occasion to dine at the Empress of China - in San Francisco's Chinatown.
This had been exceptionally highly rated by every travel guide I checked, and every dining guide online and elsewhere.
The view out the windows of their sixth (I think) floor dining room was astounding.
The room was impeccably decorated and the "stuff" on the table was immaculate and just as it should be.
The wait staff was properly attentive; the food arrived promptly yet properly "paced."
There was just one problem.
The food was only slightly above ordinary. It was good; it tasted fine; but it was definitely ***not*** the "Le Bec Fin of Chinese Dining" that I had been led to expect by the reviews.
Oh - it was very very expensive for what it was.
So I wanted top pick up some corned beef for the corned beef pie. It is hard to find it unless it is March.
Then when you do find it you are shocked by the price. I am not making the corned beef pie.
Then when you do find it you are shocked by the price. I am not making the corned beef pie.
I thought they did here also. The flat cut was $5.55 a pound. The point cut which is cheaper, better tasting
but a lot more fat.
but a lot more fat.
If you think it is difficult to find corned beef in a store other than in March, just try to find capacuolo (what we 'talians call "gabagool!") anywhere in California! What they sometimes try to pass off as capacuolo is this horrible stuff they call "capicola" - not at all even close!
There are a few places - few and far from here - that sell the real stuff, ebven a very few that sell the *imported* real stuff.
I guess it's time to start calling local Sons of Italy lodges and organizing some protests against these racist pigs!
Zoo, Any Kosher butcher will have corned beef year 'round....but Kosher also translates by definition as "tasty but expensive".
[#]
Fri Aug 29 2014 14:37:52 UTC
from
Freakdog <freakdog@dogpound2.citadel.org>
Thu Aug 28 2014 10:37:17 AM EDT from vince-q @ Uncensored
If you think it is difficult to find corned beef in a store other than in March, just try to find capacuolo (what we 'talians call "gabagool!") anywhere in California! What they sometimes try to pass off as capacuolo is this horrible stuff they call "capicola" - not at all even close!
There are a few places - few and far from here - that sell the real stuff, ebven a very few that sell the *imported* real stuff.
I guess it's time to start calling local Sons of Italy lodges and organizing some protests against these racist pigs!
Most grocery stores in central Indiana don't even know what cappicola/capacuolo is.
That's because real Italians live (or have lived) within 50 miles of the Bronx
(which explains the identical radius of availability of Real Pizza).
Real Italians are from New York. Not from Indiana, not from Italy, and *definitely* not from Chicago.
Real Italians are from New York. Not from Indiana, not from Italy, and *definitely* not from Chicago.
Not quite, IG.
Almost, but not quite.
Yes, Real Italians are from New York. No argument.
Real Italians are also from Philadelphia.
[..walks off muttering ch' un citrul!]
Almost, but not quite.
Yes, Real Italians are from New York. No argument.
Real Italians are also from Philadelphia.
[..walks off muttering ch' un citrul!]
I don't know, it's awfully close ... Philadelphia is 106.1 miles from the
Bronx, but only 102.4 miles from Delaware.
It was always my impression that if anywhere in New York were to define "Italian"
it would be Brooklyn.
I thought they were from East Chewtica. For years they wouldn't build a Olive Garden in the area because there
were too many great Italian restaurants.
were too many great Italian restaurants.
"Olive Garden" is ****not**** an Italian restaurant.
At best it is a pale imitation.
At its usual level of nonperformance it approaches mediocre on a good day.
They do serve some interesting "adult beverages" (thank you, Rush) that you will not find elsewhere, with some even having ersatz-Italian names.
They do *not* stock Truly Good Single Malt Scotch (sorry, Glenlivet 12 does not count as Truly Good - merely and barely passable).
They do not stock any Truly Good Italian Wines and much to their disgrace, even their "house" red - "Dago Red" - is worse than mediocre. No, they do not call it "Dago Red" since they would consider that politically incorrect (and believe me, a good Dago Red is a treat beyond description with a good dinner of macaroni, meatballs, sausage and salad!).
If Olive Garden is your only choice - as in "I live in BumbFuck Egypt and there is absolutely nothing around here other than OG" - then here is what I'd recommend you do:
1. get yourself a bunch of nice full ripe but firm fresh picked tomatoes, mash them up in your food processor, adding more tomatoes until you end up with about a quart of pulverized red glop. Put it in a medium sized saucepan. Set your burner to medium.
2. add in about a tablespoon of ground oregano. Stir it in.
3. add in about a half tablespoon of ground basil. Stir it in.
4. add in about 3 tablesoons of grated Locatelli Romano cheese. Stir it in.
5. take two pieces of "Italian Sweet" sausage. Cut each piece in thirds. Put into sauce. Stir.
6. do the same with two pieces of "Italian Hot" sausage.
7. add 10 ounces of your favorite Dago Red (***cheap*** but genuine Chianti). Stir.
Raise the heat on the concoction to high, stir until it starts to boil.
Then cut the heat ****way**** back - put lid on saucepan.
Stir once every 15 minutes.
Let cook for roughly three (3) hours.
8. prepare a large stockpot (at least a 12 quart pot) by lining the bottom of the pot with roughly 2 ounces of olive oil and about a teaspoon of salt.
9. go back to your already cooking tomato gravy (it is NOT "sauce" - we Italians call it GRAVY!) and add in about a tablespoon of *granulated* garlic and stir in.
10. Now go back to that stock pot and fill it to about a couple inches short of the brim with *cold* water. Set it on the stove and just leave it there. You'll use this to cook your capellini (macaroni - thin spaghetti).
The Salad:
11. take a half of a head of iceburg lettuce. Clean it up in nice cold water, then pull it apart to size the lettuce to personal preference. Throw it into a large salad bowl.
12. cut up two large tomatoes and toss them into the salad bowl.
13. throw in a dozen or so large pitted black olives.
14. add hot peppers as preferred (your non-Italian grocery probably sells "pepperoncinis" - while not in the least Italian, they will suffice.
15. dice up about a quarter of a peeled yellow onion - throw into the salad.
16, core and de-seed a green bell pepper. Cut up into smallish chunks and throw it into the salad.
17. toss the salad until everything is generously intermixed. DO NOT put any dressing or oil or vinegar on the salad. That is something each person will do to his/her individual portion "at table." Please note that "oil" is Extra Virgin Olive Oil - nothing else will suffice. "Vinegar" is red wine vinegar - anything else is sacrilege and will turn your salad to inedible garbage.
Now....
18. go back to that grayy pot, give it a good stir.
TWO HOURS LATER (assuming the gravy has now been cooking for 3 hours)
19. put maximum heat under the stock pot and bring to a full rolling boil.
20. add ONE POUND of capellini, and immediately start stirring. DO NOT leave this unattended or it will "boil over" - do not cover the pot - same reason.
21. be prepared to stir the macaroni until it starts 'rolling' in the pot. Once that happens, your only task is to watch. After about five minutes it should be ready. Taste one - it will be VERY hot so be careful - it should be "ever so slightly chewy" (the snobs call it 'al dente'). Do not over cook the spaghetti or you will end up eating mush.
22. turn off the burner. Remove the stock pot. Pour through a "collander" (in our house we call that a 'spaghetti stop - water go') which is basically a macaroni strainer. Throw the macaroni into your serving bowl then back ino
the collander to drain, then into the bowl, then the collander - then it should be ok to put into the bowl and leave it there.
23. gently sprinkle some olive oil over the macaroni and use your spaghetti fork to get the oil mixed in with the macaroni.
24. go back to the stove - give the gravy one last good stir - turn off the burner.
25. Place a ***generous*** amount of gravy on the macaroni, which will start to absorb the gravy about as fast as you can stir it in. Do not overdo this.
26. Remove the sausages and place into a small serving bowl.
27, Sprinkle some grated Romano on top of the macaroni.
Now bring everything to the table.
Serves three.
MANGIA!!!!
At best it is a pale imitation.
At its usual level of nonperformance it approaches mediocre on a good day.
They do serve some interesting "adult beverages" (thank you, Rush) that you will not find elsewhere, with some even having ersatz-Italian names.
They do *not* stock Truly Good Single Malt Scotch (sorry, Glenlivet 12 does not count as Truly Good - merely and barely passable).
They do not stock any Truly Good Italian Wines and much to their disgrace, even their "house" red - "Dago Red" - is worse than mediocre. No, they do not call it "Dago Red" since they would consider that politically incorrect (and believe me, a good Dago Red is a treat beyond description with a good dinner of macaroni, meatballs, sausage and salad!).
If Olive Garden is your only choice - as in "I live in BumbFuck Egypt and there is absolutely nothing around here other than OG" - then here is what I'd recommend you do:
1. get yourself a bunch of nice full ripe but firm fresh picked tomatoes, mash them up in your food processor, adding more tomatoes until you end up with about a quart of pulverized red glop. Put it in a medium sized saucepan. Set your burner to medium.
2. add in about a tablespoon of ground oregano. Stir it in.
3. add in about a half tablespoon of ground basil. Stir it in.
4. add in about 3 tablesoons of grated Locatelli Romano cheese. Stir it in.
5. take two pieces of "Italian Sweet" sausage. Cut each piece in thirds. Put into sauce. Stir.
6. do the same with two pieces of "Italian Hot" sausage.
7. add 10 ounces of your favorite Dago Red (***cheap*** but genuine Chianti). Stir.
Raise the heat on the concoction to high, stir until it starts to boil.
Then cut the heat ****way**** back - put lid on saucepan.
Stir once every 15 minutes.
Let cook for roughly three (3) hours.
8. prepare a large stockpot (at least a 12 quart pot) by lining the bottom of the pot with roughly 2 ounces of olive oil and about a teaspoon of salt.
9. go back to your already cooking tomato gravy (it is NOT "sauce" - we Italians call it GRAVY!) and add in about a tablespoon of *granulated* garlic and stir in.
10. Now go back to that stock pot and fill it to about a couple inches short of the brim with *cold* water. Set it on the stove and just leave it there. You'll use this to cook your capellini (macaroni - thin spaghetti).
The Salad:
11. take a half of a head of iceburg lettuce. Clean it up in nice cold water, then pull it apart to size the lettuce to personal preference. Throw it into a large salad bowl.
12. cut up two large tomatoes and toss them into the salad bowl.
13. throw in a dozen or so large pitted black olives.
14. add hot peppers as preferred (your non-Italian grocery probably sells "pepperoncinis" - while not in the least Italian, they will suffice.
15. dice up about a quarter of a peeled yellow onion - throw into the salad.
16, core and de-seed a green bell pepper. Cut up into smallish chunks and throw it into the salad.
17. toss the salad until everything is generously intermixed. DO NOT put any dressing or oil or vinegar on the salad. That is something each person will do to his/her individual portion "at table." Please note that "oil" is Extra Virgin Olive Oil - nothing else will suffice. "Vinegar" is red wine vinegar - anything else is sacrilege and will turn your salad to inedible garbage.
Now....
18. go back to that grayy pot, give it a good stir.
TWO HOURS LATER (assuming the gravy has now been cooking for 3 hours)
19. put maximum heat under the stock pot and bring to a full rolling boil.
20. add ONE POUND of capellini, and immediately start stirring. DO NOT leave this unattended or it will "boil over" - do not cover the pot - same reason.
21. be prepared to stir the macaroni until it starts 'rolling' in the pot. Once that happens, your only task is to watch. After about five minutes it should be ready. Taste one - it will be VERY hot so be careful - it should be "ever so slightly chewy" (the snobs call it 'al dente'). Do not over cook the spaghetti or you will end up eating mush.
22. turn off the burner. Remove the stock pot. Pour through a "collander" (in our house we call that a 'spaghetti stop - water go') which is basically a macaroni strainer. Throw the macaroni into your serving bowl then back ino
the collander to drain, then into the bowl, then the collander - then it should be ok to put into the bowl and leave it there.
23. gently sprinkle some olive oil over the macaroni and use your spaghetti fork to get the oil mixed in with the macaroni.
24. go back to the stove - give the gravy one last good stir - turn off the burner.
25. Place a ***generous*** amount of gravy on the macaroni, which will start to absorb the gravy about as fast as you can stir it in. Do not overdo this.
26. Remove the sausages and place into a small serving bowl.
27, Sprinkle some grated Romano on top of the macaroni.
Now bring everything to the table.
Serves three.
MANGIA!!!!
[#]
Tue Sep 02 2014 13:56:20 UTC
from
Freakdog <freakdog@dogpound2.citadel.org>
Mon Sep 01 2014 03:47:01 PM EDT from IGnatius T Foobar @ UncensoredThat's because real Italians live (or have lived) within 50 miles of the Bronx (which explains the identical radius of availability of Real Pizza).
Real Italians are from New York. Not from Indiana, not from Italy, and *definitely* not from Chicago.
I thought real Italians were from Italy...damn...geography again.