If you missed the “romantic restaurant” segment on KFRU this morning, here’s the list we came up with (when Barry White music wasn’t playing):
Les Bourgeois
Wine Cellar and Bistro
CC’s City Broiler
Columbia Star Dinner Train
Churchill’s
Dinner at a movie at Uprise/Ragtag
44 Stone Public House
Kampai Alley
Jina Yoo’s
The must-read of the read goes to some recipes from 19th century “nonsense poet” Edward Lear. A sample:
When the paste is perfectly dry, but not before, proceed to beat the pig violently with the handle of a large broom. If he squeals, beat him again.
Visit the paste and beat the pig alternately for some days, and ascertain if, at the end of that period, the whole is about to turn into Gosky Patties.
If it does not then, it never will; and in that case the pig may be let loose, and the whole process may be considered as finished.
Also this week, yet another ill-considered fast food social media campaign spiralled out of control. There was news from the world of “Idiots, Eating.” Time Magazine put the world’s greatest soccer player on the cover everywhere but here (where we’re expected to feast on more navel-gazing and psychobabble). Ray Hudson most likely disagrees with Time’s decision. Also, (a brilliant) somebody has determined the exact date of Ice Cube’s “Good Day” (h/t: Deadspin). And: God, that was twenty years ago? The Onion presents a new promotion at Arby’s. Finally, some Frenchies built a bunch of flying robots – flying robots THAT CAN BUILD A TOWER.
“They must be worried someone might notice the food.”
I was sitting in a booth at Texas Roadhouse tonight when this thought came to me, attempting to tune out the dozen or so flatscreen televisions, the blaring “jukebox,” the clapping, line-dancing waitstaff, the constant yelling (not singing, yelling) about this or that person’s birthday and focus – however briefly – on what the fuck was on my plate. It was impossible. The seven year-old was staring at something on tv – could’ve been SportsCenter, the North Carolina basketball game or the Iowa basketball game or any of half a dozen other things – and mindlessly shoveling chili into his mouth. The four year-old – who cannot hear anything right now and is getting tubes next week as a result – was complaining about the noise. My wife an I were just working our way through our steaks, occasionally yelling this or that fragment of conversation at each other.
About those steaks. They’re not awful. Mine – a ribeye – was seasoned with no more than salt and pepper (fine by me) and arrived medium rare, as ordered. It was serviceable. The ribs, which they inform you upfront are dreadfully overcooked, really are dreadfully overcooked. So too the broccoli and machined carrots that came alongside. The “Texas Red Chili” has beans but no heat and seems to only have been seasoned as an afterthought, perhaps even on the way to the table. The most interesting venture is the cinnamon-spiked butter that comes out with the rolls as diners are seated.
Our service was unimpeachable. Matthew, as promised, “took care of us,” filling water glasses, quickly delivering the bill and generally proving entirely less douchey than the surroundings might suggest. He was a keeper.
So maybe I should give the place credit for being exactly what it says it is. It’s not like they promised subtlety or anything (“Legendary Margaritas!” “Legendary Bar!” “Legendary Spirits!”). It’s not a restaurant, it’s a circus with steaks. Steaks and enough neon, noise and cheer to keep you distracted while you amble through their instantly-forgotten food. And naturally, it’s packed to the rafters.
Texas Roadhouse
2005 West Worley Street
Columbia, MO 65203
Phone: 573-445-5910
I’m not sure what’s better news, that the culinary folks at the Columbia Area Career Center have fresh sausage for sale (highly recommend the boudin blanc) or that they now have a website of current products? Good stuff all around. More info after the jump.
We will have fresh sausage available Tuesday (7-3), Wednesday (7-12) and Thursday (7-3). Sausage will still be available after Thursday but will be frozen. After this week we will be available normal school hours of operations Monday through Friday, 7-3 for product purchase (It is always best to check with the kitchen before coming out – 573-214-3158)
Also mark your calendars for our Mardi Gras Lunch on February 21st; we will be serving from 10:50 to 1:10 at Rock Bridge in front of the planetarium. We will have our sausages available for sale as well as quarts of our gumbo and other products from the lunch. More Mardi Gras details in early February.
Restaurateurs in this area want nothing less to be labeled a “Special Event” kind of place. The spot you go once a year for your anniversary, to celebrate a graduation or the landing of a new job. I bet most would take a hit from the health department than accept that label. They want you to be a regular and once a year won’t cut it. As a result, casual and “upscale casual” rule the day in and around Columbia.
Most of the time, that’s okay – maybe even a good thing. But when you’re in the mood for something a little more mature, your choices can be a little slim. So as we approach Valentine’s Day – and with it the attending and quite fraught question of where to dine* that night – let’s take stock of our more intimate, romantic venues. What constitutes romantic varies from person to person, of course, but for the sake of discussion let’s go with the following attributes:
Refined, well-executed food. Attractive setting. Moderate to low noise. Efficient, unobtrusive service. Bonus points for a view.
I have some ideas of my own, but I’m more interested in what you all might come up with. What are Columbia’s more romantic dining settings? Post your nominees in comments below and I’ll dish on my favorites Friday morning on 1400 KFRU at 9:15 am.
* The most romantic setting of all is, of course, a nice dinner in your own home (and sans rugrats). But let’s stick to restaurants for the sake of discussion.
The must-read for the week, having nothing whatsoever to do with food, goes to Andrew Sullivan and his piece on the Obama Administration.
In other news:
Paula Deen continued to be controversial, while other chefs wrote about Southern food that doesn’t suck. The Root Cellar has fresh Country Neighbors chickens for sale (we’re on day four of meals off of two chickens…post next week). CoMo Whine and Dine will only order steak at one restaurant. Gerard Craft wonders if pasta is too low-end for fine-dining. One guy has a good idea for ending the during-dinner phone addiction. Mrs. SMEs came upon some food-related artwork on a work trip recently, and liked. Aldon Smith: former Tiger, standout NFL rookie, cook.
Finally, your deep thought for the weekend: dark matter rules the universe:
Everything we know and love–electrons, protons, neutrons, light, black holes, planets, stars, everything we know and understand–occupies four percent of the universe. Dark matter and dark energy is everything else.
I covered the top three entries in the Missouri Pork Association’s Taste of Elegance contest the other day. Here’s I’ll include the entries that didn’t place (ie, numbers 4-8) in no particular order.
One thing that became evident in the tasting is that the chefs were dealing with conventional, CAFO-raised pork, the hallmarks of which are whiter meat, a tendency to dry out easily and – absent brining and marinating – less flavor than their counterparts on real farms (like Greystone, JJR and especially, Newman Farm). I won’t get into the merits here too much, but the differences are worth acknowledging.
Note: We were scoring on appearance, taste, originality and repeatability (recipes that would be suitable in a busy restaurant kitchen), with taste being the most heavily-weighted.
Here we go…
Bangkok Peanut Pork Tenderloin, Couscous with Pignolis and Chicharrones
Chef Steve Henderson
Hy-Vee, Conley Road
Peanut-flavored applesauce on grilled pork loin. Couscous and fried pork rinds competing for most random accompaniment. It was cooked correctly, but I really don’t know what was going on here. Not a fan.
Trotter Cigars and Consommé on the Rocks
Trey Quinlan
Red and Moe
Trey tends to get a little “out there” with his contest entries, but this one takes the cake. A cigar of trotter molé sauce on an aspic “ashtray,” atop an encyclopedia with a glass of pork consommé “on the rocks” (ie, knuckle bones). It looked prettier in real life, and was fun. I actually thought it worked pretty well – it came in fourth on my ballot – but the other judges were less impressed.
More after the jump.
This week I learned:
In case you missed it, Marcia’s cover story this week was on eating healthier. Lots of greens and whatnot. The harvest squash bowl at Broadway Brewery looks particularly awesome. Enjoy the weekend and eat well.
I was on BXR for a few minutes this morning, talking about something decidedly ill-fitting given the weather: eating healthy while dining out. Snow or no, the show much go on.
First off, it’s much, much easier to eat healthy when cooking at home. Restaurants often fortify their dishes with extra butter and salt – more than you’d likely add at home (and often tastes better for it). You’re also less in control of portion size when dining out. It takes more willpower to stop eating and ask for the to-go box than to just serve yourself less at home.
Still, healthy is out there. Here are a few picks for places and dishes that’ll give you a better chance of sticking to your resolutions. It’s a short list and I have a selfish motive for asking for other recommendations: I’m looking to drop a few pounds myself. Anyway, here goes.
At: Main Squeeze Cafe
Try the: Buddha Bowl
At: International Cafe
Try the: Red lentil soup and hummus
At: Addison’s
Try the: Black Bean and Thai Peanut Wrap
At: Red and Moe
Try the: Pizzas, fresh pastas, small plates
At: Broadway Brewery
Try the: Polenta Plate, Summer Vegetable Sandwich, Curried Apple Chicken Salad
The Healty(ish) Splurge:
At: Cafe Berlin
Try the: The Starving Artist
The Missouri Pork Association held its annual mid-MO chef competition Monday night and once again, I was lucky enough to play judge. Like last year the entries at the top were very good; at the bottom, pretty bad. But that’s why you compete, right? Here’s how it went down.
(Note: judging was completely blind)
1st Place
Pork Belly Shiitake Pie with Chestnuts, Apples and Roasted Grapes
Chef Patrick Wilson
Churchill’s
As you can see, this pot pie came out looking burnt. Lost some appearance points there. But once inside, it was nothing but tender pork belly and creamy shiitake mushrooms. It was rich, but comforting and nicely cut with green apple and endive and roasted, peeled grapes. It really worked. And that crust? The chestnut flour in the recipe probably made it look more well-done than it really was. I’d order this at a restaurant, and had it at second place on my ballot. Also, Churchill’s is still open. This KOMU piece from last night serves as a nice profile of Chef Wilson.
Places two and three after the jump.
My Tribune column from today:
When it comes to new beginnings, getting off to a strong start means everything. Whether you’re in a new job, relationship or town, those early days set the tone for what will follow. Stay sharp, and you’ll be motivated to keep it that way; get sloppy, and you’ll fall into bad habits. It’s the same in the kitchen as it is in life in general.
This is one of our favorite soups, and one we don’t just relegate to January 1 or thereabouts. It’s a hearty, warming soup perfect for any cold day. It’s adapted from a recipe by Chef G. Garvin. We usually don’t use all the sausage, preferring a thinner soup. I also stirred in some cooked lacinato kale this time around, just because. It was awesome. Feel free to tinker; this one’s a forgiving test subject.
One of my resolutions this year is to be more consistent with my writing and blogging. There are tons of things to get to – in all parts of our lives – that sometimes it’s easy to let things slide. So, here’s to unsliding.
FEAST Magazine in St. Louis recently gathered a number of the city’s more influential culinary personalities for a roundtable discussion. The opening minutes will be well- (over-?) plowed ground for anyone who has watched Food, Inc. or read Michael Pollan, but the discussion quickly moves on to the more interesting and thought-provoking territory of how St. Louis might become a national destination for good food, coffee, beer, etc. ”We have to give people something else,” says Niche’s Gerard Craft. It’s worth five minutes. The full series is available here.
Craft himself announced yesterday that he will be moving (one of?) the region’s best restaurants – the aforementioned Niche – to Clayton. There is much wringing of hands and tut-tutting in St. Louis over what this means, whether it will work, why he hates the city, and so on.
On the other side of the state, the Ulterior Epicure updates an earlier post taking Kansas City’s dining scene to task.
The uber-powerful National Restaurant Association released a chef survey detailing the “hottest” trends in food and dining. Interesting stuff – such as “Italian cuisine” being just a touch less hot than “boxed wine” – is there for the reading.
Around Chez Rowson, we’ve been eating Thai spareribs, some outstanding ginger soba noodles (with tofu!) and the below Brussels sprouts with bacon, cooked over the fire pit. Eat well, and enjoy the weekend.
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you, if you haven’t already heard, that after 37 years, 9th Street Deli is closing. Today will be their last lunch.
All is not lost, however, as the new owners may continue to run the sandwich shop for a time as they prepare to turn it into a health foods store. Or something.
The current owners have run the place for six years. One is looking to open a non-profit deli (her words, not mine). I didn’t have the heart to ask of that’s not what she’d already been doing. Tough business.
Between the waves of relatives that descended upon our house over the last week and the cooking that comes with that, I believe I’m entitled to phoning in a column. Could be wrong.
Anyway, that’s what happened with this week’s bagel column. But I made the bagels – twice, actually – and the write-up was both readable and essential on its own. So check it out, and seriously, make some bagels. Have the kids help.
(Finally, this post was entirely handled via my nifty new iPhone4S. Merry Christmas to me.)
Knowing Brook, he probably finds the concept of him hosting a book signing hysterical. But head over to Inside Columbia’s new digs on East Broadway tomorrow night and buy his new soups and salads book. Have him sign it to a made-up name like Cornelius O. Firecloud or something. It’ll be fun.
Inside Columbia
47 E. Broadway
5:30-7:00 pm
Cookbooks will be $10.
More info here.
My column listing twelve ways to eat better in 2012 ran in last night’s Tribune. Many things were left out (Lonnie Ray’s, Patric Chocolate, etc.) but hey, you can only do so much with 600 words. Note: For some reason my “Best bets” for drinking better coffee got dropped. It should have recommended Lakota’s espresso beans and Kaldi’s Coffee.
Many of us will enter the new year ready to throw off some baggage from the previous 365 days, but we’ll also be adding it right back in the form of resolutions. These guilt-inducing self-promises take many forms — exercise more, read more books, learn French — but few will focus on eating better. And by eating better, I mean in the sense of eating for pleasure, for taking greater enjoyment from something most of us do at least three times a day. Here are 12 things — restaurants, products, concepts — that will make your year of eating a better one.
* Kojaba, Chim’s Thai Kitchen, Chinese Wok Express and Saigon Bistro
Given the season’s overabundance of earnestness and good cheer, I thought a little coffee-fueled levity in order this morning. Here are the headlines which, rather frighteningly, came together in about fifteen minutes.
Sycamore Restaurant Basically Just Going to Cure the Shit Out of Everything in 2012
Craig Cyr Finally Opens Up About Trout Molé Incident
Area Yelp Reviewer: Everything, Everywhere Overpriced, “For WHat U Get.”
Eric Reuter Down to Just Giving Everyone Dehydrated Apple Slices for Christmas
Light Rail to Rocheport? Les Bourgeois, Abigail’s Make the Case
Richard King: Summer Concert Series Moving onto Broadway, Renamed “EveryfuckingnightFest”
Local Student Reporter Gets School Lunch Story Just About Right, Actually
Top Ten Wines’ Paul Vernon Recommends Pairing a Nice Bottle of Chateau d’Hell Up with Your Holiday Ham
When things turn Arctic, as they did here this week, I immediately begin thinking “soup.” It’s not the sexiest of foods, it doesn’t photograph well and doesn’t grace many magazine covers. It’s comforting, warming and fills the house with a lingering aroma. Thomas Keller’s butternut squash soup fit the bill over the weekend. But mid-week, while out Christmas shopping or running errands, I’m more likely to duck in somewhere for a bowl of what someone else has cooked.
So – unsexiness be damned – what are the best soups and cold-weather dishes in town?
I’ll be talking about some of my favorites tomorrow at 8:45 am on 102.3 BXR.
