Home of Chicken and Waffles

I was exploring the Jack London Square farmers' market yesterday (good market!), and a wonderful smell was in the air.  After much exploring, my nose led me to...Home of Chicken and Waffles.  Now, I might be a Yankee & a Jew, but I love soul food like a fella from Mississippi.  As soon as I walked through the door, I knew I was in the right place.

The Home of Chicken and Waffles began as a franchise of the famous Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.  In 2004, the family decided to spilt from their parents and take the reigns themselves.  This was a smart move.  The strong family ties are evident on the wall- each menu item is named after a family member, their portraits (with the dish) are painted on the wall by a local artist.

The food is soul food at is best.  Although the protein is limited mostly to fried chicken, the array of sides more than makes up for the lack of smothered pork chops.  Truth be told, the fried chicken is so good that you might run the risk of missing it if you had other options!  Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had in fact!  It's crisp, juicy, sweet, and without a hint of greasy.  As for the sides, it's a hit list of soul food champions: grits, mac 'n cheese, yams, greens, peas.  All menu items are accompanied with a suggested side or two.  While you can swap sides for 50 cents, you probably won't feel the need to do so.  Oh, and the waffles?  Heavenly.  

Service at Home of Chicken and Waffles is fantastic.  Personable, fast, and funny.  They make you feel like you're popping by their house for a meal.  Indeed, the diverse clientele all seem equally at home there.  Hipsters sit side by side with families on their way home from church.  Old and young enjoy the sweet sweet chicken.

I believe the join is always open, as hours aren't listed and they tout themselves as the perfect place to go after a night out in downtown Oakland.  I couldn't agree more.

Review: Thai Basil

Thai Basil is a tiny eatery located in downtown Capitola, CA.  If there was no sign on the outside, you'd probably just walk by, thinking that an old Thai lady was serving a few friends a meal in her living room/speciality shop.  

I really wasn't sure what was happening when my friend led me into Thai Basil.  It's a tiny place.  Five tables, I believe.  One wall is covered in various imported sauces, all available for purchase.  I assume that these sauces are the base for many of the dishes.

Speaking of dishes, it's pretty amazing that there is such a variety on the menu.  Amazing because...this place is run entirely by one woman, Tan Manichanh.  She takes your order, then walks into the kitchen an cooks it.  I suppose that's why there are only 5 tables!

The food was hot, and fantastic.  Thai peppers and coconut milk seem to be the base for just about everything, and that's alright with me.  We had a rich clear chicken soup (not clear at all- the soup was red with pepper), a sweet beef curry special, pineapple chicken, and a really interesting and intense mint noodle dish with roast pork.  My only complaint is that duck

 wasn't available to throw into another dish!  

Overall, Thai Basil is a tasty, and unique experience.  I'm looking forward to returning and jumping deeper into the menu.  One thing to take note of- be prepared to spend some time here.  Ms. Manichanh might be a great at making Thai home cooking, but, that's what you're getting, home cooking.  Nothing is fast.  She cooks each dish to order, so even if it's just your party and one other, things are going to take awhile.  It's worth the wait.

Sunday Night Dinner: Mandarin Restaurant

My family used to always go out for Sunday dinner when I was a kid.  One of our favorites was to get Chinese food at Mandarin.  It's located in a large plaza in New City, New York.  You'd never find it if you didn't know it was there.

When I visit New York these days, one of my culinary priorities is to rent a zipcar and drive 45 minutes to New City.  It might seem crazy to some, for me, there's no doubt about it.  I have to have my Mandarin.  Sure, there are many that would argue that there are 'better' Chinese restaurants, but I would be hard pressed to agree.  Give me a this hole in the wall joint, serving Americanized style Chinese food any time.  So what if they haven't redecorated since I was 5.

My meal started with wonton soup.  Glorious, flavorful broth, spiked with green onions.  The thick, east coast style wontons are stuffed with a simple pork mix.  Thin matchsticks of roast pork are the only other additions to the soup.  I think there might have been some spinach in there when I was a kid (I remember taking it out and putting it on the side!), but nothing else now.  Wonton soup the way I like it, simple and tasty.  You can keep your West Coast, loaded with 543 ingredients soup for yourself, brother. (Literally, brother.  We moved to CA when he was young enough to form his palate in a much more west coast style.  He prefers the western, more traditional Chinese food, to the eastern, more Americanized version.  Poor brother.)

Next, roasted spare ribs.  Notice there isn't a picture above.  I was so excited by the glistening pork goodness that I forgot to take out my camera.  By the time I remembered, all that was left were a bunch of stripped bones, and a fat & greasy me!  The ribs are roasted to perfection.  They're unglazed, allowing the natural sweetness of the pork rib to shine.  Simply fantastic.

My main course was chicken & broccoli.  In my youth, the sauce was white.  Once day, they switched to a brown sauce, and I was very sad.  Since then, I've gotten over it, and then some.  This is the dish I dream about, the dish that propels me up the Palisades Parkway. Pure happiness on a plate.

The meal was finished with a fortune cookie (good things are coming my way!) and a nice cup of Chinese tea, smokey and strong.

Good thing I brought a bunch back with me, writing this made me crave more! 

Edit:  Mmmmmm, leftovers.  

Eat Local (New York): Ronnybrook Farms

I visited the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan on Wednesday, and purchased some milk & yogart from Ronnybrook Farm.  What a joy!  Rich and creamy, the farm produces dairy products that taste like dairy should.

The dairy and creamery are located in New York's Hudson Valley, one of the most beautiful places on the east coast.  Milk is made in small batches from hormone-free cows.  Ronnybrook was founded in 1941 by the Osofsky family, and is still family owned and run.

The milk is not homogenized, which allows it to be pasteurized at a lower temperature than homogenized milk.  The drinkable yogurt is made with 8 live & active cultures.  Compare that to your high fructose corn syrup 'yogurt' drink!  It's marvelous.  Four of the cultures are buttermilk cultures, resulting in a flavor more tart than you might be used to.  By the end of the drink, though, you'll come to appreciate the rich contrast between the buttermilk tartness and the sweet dairy cream.  Wonderful.

Supporting producers like Ronnybrook Farm is a fine example of a way you can easily transfer your eating/shopping habits back to local, non-industrialized food.  They can be found at several farmers' markets, in many groceries in the Tri-State area, and at their own store in the Chelsea Market. 

New York City

I'm in New York City to work on a pretty nifty film called, Stuck.  Due to jet lag and the need to reorganize my apartment, I haven't had much time to cook/write.  Don't worry, exciting new things coming soon.

I will say this about food, though.  I've eaten an insane amount in the last 48 hours.  45 pizzas, 13 servings of Chinese food, 72 egg sandwiches, and, look for me to eat about 150lbs. of corned beef and pastrami tonight.

Seriously, there are some places in the world where all you can do is eat.  Then there's New York City, where all you can do is eat, and then somehow find time to eat more.  Did I dream about bagels last night?  Yes, yes I did.

Review: Downey's

You've probably never heard of Chef John Downey. This is by design. If he had wanted to, he could easily have been at the forefront of the local foods movement, revered in the pantheon of great California chefs as much as Alice Waters. Instead, Chef Downey decided to focus on perfection. I'm glad he did.

Downey's, his namesake restaurant located in downtown Santa Barbara, is simply amazing. Chef Downey and his charming wife Liz have run the place for 26 years. From the start, Downey has been sourcing his food from local producers. Unlike ego driven chefs, Downey, quite correctly, gives much of the credit for the taste of his food to the growers. They're even mentioned on the menu.

In keeping with his philosopy of delivering the most delicious food availibe, the menu at Downey's changes daily. While this might lead to a slight disappointment, if, say, you were eying a fresh tomato soup online all week, only to find it wasn't on the menu the night you went, this is quickly overcome when put the first bite of food into your mouth.

For me, that was the house-made prosciutto. Served over sliced cantaloupe, with a light ginger-lime dressing, it was simply fantastic. The salty, herbed pork connected wonderfully with the ripe fruit. This is the stuff that makes Italian ministers tremble with fear.

From that moment, it was a parade of amazing.  Garlicky artichokes, roasted duck with perfect sauce and grains, swordfish (not for me!  Those who had it loved it, though), peach chutney.  Even the side vegetables were prepared perfectly.  A bottle of lovely Cabernet from our friends at Chateau Montelena accompanied the feast.  We ended the meal with many desserts, the peach melba being a standout.

This was a terrific meal.  One of the best I've ever had.  Chef Downey deserves all the praise in the world.  If you're ever anywhere near Santa Barbara, you owe it to yourself to eat at Downey's.