Review: Southern Spice and Mulate's is nice

I know I have been denying all my faithful readers the treat that is my great writing found right here on my very own blog. But do not fear the dance world has been keeping me very busy and I have a handful of road trip restaurants to fill you in on. Let's go back in time a few weeks to my trip to Austin, Texas. The stretch of I-10 between New Orleans and Houston runs right through southern Louisiana, also known as Bayou Country. Sugar cane and rice fields along with commercial crawfish farms dominate the scenery. Above the fields are billboards advertising Cajun favorites such as Boudin, Jambalaya, Andouille, and many other foods, which are made form recipes passed down numerous generations. The cuisine that comes from this area is what spawned my passion for food and cooking. So I rarely make a trip through here without stopping to hurt myself from eating like a bear about to go into hibernation. Minus the nuts and berries.

We stopped for lunch in Lake Charles, Louisiana at a restaurant that I had never been to, but is a favorite in the area. I did some web surfing before hitting the road and found that Southern Spice Restaurant and Grill has a reputation for great cajun style home cooking. Like most other diners in southern Louisiana they offer all the typical meals such as fried seafood platters, an assortment of seafood po-boys, and other sandwiches but I want to see what makes each restaurant a little different from the rest. So I asked our waitress what she felt was the best thing on the menu. Of course I got the usual answer which was "Everything is really good." But I kept on her until she fessed up that her personal favorites are the Crawfish Smothered Catfish and the Cajun Steak and Cheese Po-boy. And to tell you the truth those were the two items I had been eyeing up already so now the choice was easy. I went with the Catfish and Matt got the Po-boy.

We also both ordered a cup of gumbo as an appetizer. After all that driving and thinking about food we needed something to hold us over until the main course hit the table. If you are like me and order gumbo at every new restaurant you begin to notice how many different ways people make gumbo. What seems to be the trend in the Lake Charles area is thinner gumbo that resembles a soup consistency and use of a light brown roux. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my gumbo was darker than I expected which gives a richer flavor than lighter roux. The seasonings were a little light but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed with the bottle of Southern Spice brand hot sauce which is on every table in the diner. They do have a fair amount of chicken and sausage in this gumbo which is not apparent in the picture because it was all at the bottom of the bowl. I have definitely had better bowls of gumbo before (after all that is my specialty) but it is always fun to see how other areas, so close to New Orleans, have different ideas of what gumbo should be.

Now that my stomach wasn't so mad at me for neglecting it I could take my time with with this fantastic plate of food that had just been placed in front of me. A beautiful filet of farm raised catfish was hiding under a healthy helping of crawfish etoufee. This is my favorite way to enjoy etoufee. I am a big fan of rice dishes but nothing beats this cajun favorite served over a crisp fried filet of white, flaky fish such as catfish of trout. Just like the gumbo I felt the etoufee needed a little more seasoning and heat, but the consistency was perfect and the crawfish were not overcooked; two things that are usually problem areas when cooking etoufee. My dish came with red potatoes sauteed together with onions and peppers all seasoned very well and a perfect addition to the smothered catfish. A warm dinner roll rounded out the meal which was great for cleaning the last of the food off my plate.

Now as good as that may have sounded I think that Matt got the better end of the deal when he picked the Cajun Steak and Cheese Po-Boy. The concept behind this sandwich is simple. It's a Philly Cheesesteak with some extra seasoning on the roast beef slapped onto some of that famous New Orleans style Po-Boy bread. I could only talk Matt out of one bite, but it was enough to know that I was going to find a reason to come back and get one of those bad boys for myself.

After filling up on some very satisfying cajun fare Matt and I got back on the road headed to Austin Texas where I got in my weekly Hooters visit. I know the food isn't the greatest, but it's good enough to be washed down with some cold draft beer while enjoying the "atmosphere" of this fine establishment. Besides we still had to drive back through Cajun Country on the way home, so there was the promise of some really good food soon enough. There is a little place in Breaux Bridge Louisiana called Mulate's that is famous for great food accompanied by live Cajun music 7 nights a week. Unfortunately this was lunch time so we had to settle for just the great food. Also as unfortunate my camera had a dead battery so these descriptions come without visuals. I would really have liked the opportunity to show you the inside of Mulate's restaurant which resembles an old fishing camp down on some bayou in Louisiana. They also have a beautiful bar area where all the music making and partying goes on in the evenings. If that isn't enough to get you into this fabulous family run restaurant than let me just say that the food is some of the best, most traditional cajun grub found anywhere.

I was in the mood for some fried seafood now that we were back in Louisiana so I kept it simple and ordered a Seafood Platter. This is an incredible amount of fresh, golden fried seafood that could easily feed two with the addition of a small appetizer. Stuffed crabs, butterflied shrimp, thin strips of catfish, and gulf oysters all piled high and accompanied with a side of cajun jambalaya, which is a little different on this side of Louisiana. Just as I was telling you that gumbo changes as you travel east to west down I-10 so does jambalaya. In New Orleans tomatoes are often found in jambalaya which turn it orange in color. True Cajuns usually pick on us city folk for our orange jambalaya. Here it is usually brown from the meat that is slow cooked then added to the rice dish. I really cant decide which way is my favorite, and why try, when either style can taste fantastic.

Matt chose to go with the same dish I had ordered at Southern Spice, which was a fried catfish filet covered in crawfish etoufee. Mulate's got this just right. I have never tasted etoufee that was any better than this. Not that I expected anything different from such a famous cajun restaurant in the heart of Bayou country. To make things even better the catfish came with four sides; a twice baked potato, coleslaw, sauteed veggies, and a scoop of boudin. Now I didn't help Matt eat all his food but I couldn't resist stealing a couple spoonfuls of that boudin. I was in heaven, there is nothing better than authentic, rustic boudin from southern Louisiana. As far as I am concerned Mulate's should be on any traveler's or foodie's list of places to eat before you die.

Review: Burgers and Fries at Ollie's Trolley

This past weekend Matt and I hit road heading for Youngstown, Ohio. On the second day of driving Louisville was in our path right around lunch time. I read that Louisville is the home of a little establishment known for the best burger in the country. It goes by the name of "The Ollie Burger" and can be picked up in a little makeshift trolley (really just a tiny building with a fancy paint job) located near Louisville University, home of the Cardinals. I came across more than one account of people who claim this is the best burger they have ever had and that the fries were just as memorable. We were driving in the city of Louisville and spotted the trolley one block over and my mouth started to water immediately.

We walked into the front door of the diner which is actually a little box that is about 3 feet by 8 feet and fitted with two small glass windows that lead to the kitchen. One window is for ordering and paying and the other is for picking up your food and drinks. When we first arrived the store was empty, which is good because I always like to scan the menu at a restaurant new to me, and there is no place to stand back and observe inside here. By the time we ordered there was a line out the door, about three people long. As you can imagine there are no tables inside so we got our food and went back to the van to chow down.

The menu is not very extensive so we both went with the Ollie Burger with cheese and Ollie Fries. I also got an all beef hot dog because it was on the menu and I just cant seem to resist hot dogs. The burgers come dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle, a slice of mozzarella cheese and the famous Ollie sauce. The sauce is very similar to thousand island just little lighter in taste. The burgers are very well seasoned and supposedly marinated over night so they are not lacking at all in the taste department. However, I felt that the patty was too dry, and I think I know why. Anybody ever do that osmosis experiment with the dyed water in a plastic bag back in high school. When you come back to class the next day the dyed water makes its way through the plastic to the saltier water outside the bag. This is why you should never salt meat until you are ready to cook it (unless you are using a brine which has a totally different effect). Ground meat has so much surface area, and all the moisture can be sucked right out with a salty marinade. The Ollie Burger is very tasty, but I wouldn't go so far as to say the best in the country. However, the service is fast enough to consider this fast food and I would take an Ollie Burger any day over any other fast food burgers.

The Ollie Fries also come with lofty expectations and I was equally as excited to get my hands on an order of these. The secret to these deep fried potatoes lies in the seasoning blend they are sprinkled with. The guy ordering right behind me got extra seasoning on his Ollie Fries, which made me wonder if I made a rookie mistake and now I wasn't going to get the true greatness I came for. But when I opened my bag I was relieved to see plenty enough seasoning to satisfy my well peppered New Orleans palate. Honestly, I don't know what that guy was thinking, just look at the bottom of this order of fries. Why would anybody need more seasoning than that. As soon as I put one of these fries in my mouth the seasoning blend reminded me of Andy Capp's Hot Fries, but without the annoying persistent heat delivered from the bagged snack. As I got deeper into the little paper bag of potatoes I began to notice more flavors such as fennel, sesame, crushed red pepper, and other seasonings not usually found on french fries, but all very welcome. Ollie Fries definitely live up to the any hype you may hear about them.

I saved the best for last. The total price of this meal for two was under $13. And remember I added on a hot dog for good measure. Apparently Ollie's is a blast from the past for a lot of people and the prices seem as if they are stuck in the past. I don't think I found the best burger around but it was well worth the stop to sample this American classic.

Review: Chili in Cincinnati

Actually it was freezing in Cincinnati, and everywhere else north of the Alabama-Tennessee state line. Even though I am not a fan of cold weather it does set the mood for a bowl of steaming hot chili. So after 12 hours of driving that was all my road trip buddy and I had on our minds. I knew I wanted to try some of this chili that Cincinnati is famous for but the question is where to go. This city is filled with chili restaurants and every one claims to be the best.

After a little internet research I picked a name that would stick out to any southerner, Dixie Chili. Turned out to be a winner too. The first thing that I noticed was the size of the menu. Cincinnati is known for 3-way, 5-way, or even 6-way chili, and that is what I came for. What I wasn't ready for was all the other choices suddenly in front of me. I didn't get too crazy though. An order of six way and some chili cheese waffle fries for me. My accomplice went with the chili cheese coney and an order of 4 way. In case you are saying to yourself, what the hell is with all this "WAY" talk I'll let you in. One of the biggest differences about Cincinnati chili is that is typically served on top of spaghetti. That combined with the chili is the first two "ways". After that you can add cheese, onions, beans, or even fresh chopped garlic. Each representing an additional "way".

Enough about the details. This meal was awesome. The cheese may look a little intimidating but it was shredded very fine and was very easy to eat. The spaghetti underneath all that Wisconsin cheddar is a little different than what I am used to but, makes this a really satisfying meal. The chili had a little hint of cinnamon in the aftertaste, which made it different from any I have had in the past. Then there was the chili cheese waffle fries, how can you go wrong there? I would have included a picture of the coney also but Matt must have swallowed it whole within the 30 seconds he beat me to the table. I am pretty sure he enjoyed his meal too.

Now, would I be good blogger if I only gave you one chili restaurant to try in Cincinnati. After all we did have to go home after working all weekend and there were quite a few places on the way that I hadn't tried yet. One of the more popular chili brands in Cincinnati is Skyline so we gave it a shot.

Basically the same concept. Chili served on top of a lot of items including spaghetti. Skyline prepares their chili a good bit thinner and obviously meant to be more of a topping than a main dish. I didn't enjoy my five way as much as the Dixie chili a few days earlier and I felt like the coneys I had didn't have enough chili on them. I think this is because the chili was so thin that it just ran to the bottom of whatever it was on. On the other hand my chilito was really good especially with some of Skylines own hot sauce. Matt loved his food again, but I think that kid will eat anything. If you like your chili on the thinner side maybe you should try Skyline. Their franchises are everywhere in Cincinnati so it is not hard to find.

My overall opinion of Cincinnati chili is a good one, and I plan to try a few more brands before I declare a winner. I do think that Dixie Chili might be tough to beat, but it will be fun to find out.

What Food is Your City Famous For?

I have given up my days as a sous chef, but for good reason. My wife has owned a dance competition business(VIP Dance) since before we were married, and ran it with her parents. This year, for the first time, she will be in total control. Now, more than ever she needs my help, and my job will be to drive across the country with a van full of music equipment and dance paraphernalia.

I chose to look at this not as an interruption to my culinary adventure through life but a window to new flavors that need to be discovered. I feel that the best food is not what you find at the most expensive restaurants around the country but in the recipes that are passed on from one generation to the next. So that is what I am looking for as I go out on the road this winter and spring. I am looking for the best dishes at the best mom and pops restaurants in cities all over the U.S.

Now this will take some research, but what I am really counting on is some feedback from you guys, my readers out there. My blog has been somewhat inactive lately so I realize not many people are devout followers. However, this new format should attract some new readers with some fantastic dining suggestions.

And of course since my first love is cooking, I will be writing about my attempts to recreate the treasures that I found while on the road. The first trip is form New Orleans to Macomb, Michigan. Cincinnati 5-way chili sounds like a winner for the first stop. Any suggestions?

Recipe: Parmesan-Garlic Buffalo Wings

Wow! Seems as though I got lost for a while, and couldn't find my way back to blogging. It has been a while so I will start back slowly with an easy recipe. This was something that I whipped up while some guests were over for a football game recently. Nothing goes better with sports than buffalo wings, but after the first batch of breaded wings dipped in Franks Red Hot wing sauce and ranch my creative juices got a little restless. At halftime I went digging in the fridge to see what might be fun to make. I always keep fresh garlic around, and there happened to be a block of parmesan cheese that couldn't wait to be grated up. The perfect companion for this variation of bar food royalty is, of course, bleu cheese dressing. All of your guests will love these wings, from the big bellied heavy eaters like my cousin Michael, and friend John to the little girls with surprisingly big wing eating appetites like my little sister,

To cook my wings I used a cast iron pot filled with peanut oil set over a small propane burner. The best temperature to fry is between the 325 and 350 degree area, and I use a fry thermometer with a long shaft to monitor my cooking oil. I used to use a meat thermometer that was a good bit shorter but the dial did not agree with being close to the heat source and told me so by exploding. On this day we had both breaded and naked wings, but decided that the naked wings are better for the parmesan garlic variety, so hold the flour for these. You will also need a little pre-made buffalo wing sauce, which helps bind all the other ingredients. Have fun Tailgating! Go Saints and Tigers!

Ingredients:

2-3 dozen chicken wings (drumettes, wings, or both)

1/4 cup of pre-made buffalo wing sauce

2 sticks plus 2 tbl. of butter

1/2 small onion - diced small

1 bulb of fresh garlic - chopped in food processor

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Fry the chicken wings in oil heated to 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Chicken wings will float to the top of the oil when they are cooked through. After removing from the oil the wings should be placed on a wire rack to cool for about one minute. This will keep them from becoming greasy.

2. While your wings are cooking start the sauce by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Add the diced onion and chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.

3. Add the hot sauce and turn the fire down to low. Begin adding the butter in small cubes slowly to the mixture. Allow the cubes to melt two at a time before adding more butter.

4. Pour your cooked wings and the finished sauce into a large bowl and toss to coat the wings.

5. Add the grated cheese and toss a little more.

Recipe: Beef & Pork Red Chili

I recently noticed a small grocery store tucked into a strip mall near my house. The name is in Spanish so I have no idea what it means, but directly under the name on the sign it reads "Latin Grocery." The first thing I think of is peppers, and the best thing to make with a bunch of different peppers is chili. So I went shopping for some goodies to throw into my pot. Other than some spicy peppers, the best thing I found to add to my chili was chorizo.

You may have heard or even eaten this sausage before, but probably not like this. Years ago, I worked with a girl who was from Mexico and she always said that she could not understand why we called the sausage used for our "black bean and chorizo" soup chorizo. She swore that chorizo in Mexico was something totally different, and one day she brought some to the restaurant for me to try. It was spicy ground pork in something like a chili marinade and all rolled into a wax paper casing. She popped open the casing and cooked the filling in a skillet, then slapped it onto some homemade tortillas and served it as tacos. To this day that is one of the best mexican meals I have ever had. Since chorizo is largely known as a Mexican creation, I had to believe she knew what she was talking about. But every time I find chorizo on the menu at a Mexican restaurant, it comes in the form of a sausage and I am sorely disappointed. I was starting to find myself doubting my little mexican friend from many years ago until I came across the cooler section of my neighborhood latin grocer.

Now I had my secret ingredient and the perfect recipe to put it to use. If the soft mexican version of chorizo proves hard to find and you need a substitute, make sure it has plenty of spice and a red color to it. The red color should signify that the chorizo has the correct seasonings for chili. I also grabbed a bag of masa harina, which is specially prepared corn meal used to make tortillas. This will be used to thicken the chili just a bit. If you can't get a hold of masa harina, using some fine ground corn meal substitutes just fine in this recipe.

I used some beef stew meat, which came already cut into 1 inch cubes. Any cut of beef is fine as long as it is cut into pieces of similar size. After cooking your chili for 2 hours, the meat should be tender and still in big pieces, but ready to eat. I prefer to break up the beef cubes by smashing them against the side of the pot using a big wooden spoon. I let it cook slowly for one more hour, giving the beef a chance to fall apart into shreds. Now my chili is perfect for burgers, hot dogs, or just in a big bowl with some grated cheddar cheese, chopped onion, and saltine crackers. With fantasy football drafts starting up, many hosts may want to put this on the menu and serve it with some ice cold beer. This chili can satisfy the biggest appetites and impress the most critical palates.

Ingredients:

1 oz vegetable oil

3 large yellow onions 1/2 inch diced

1/2 bunch of celery 1/2 inch diced

3 green bell peppers 1/2 inch diced

2 bulbs of fresh garlic peeled

5 jalapeno peppers seeds removed

2 habanero peppers seeds removed

2 serrano peppers seeds removed

2 banana peppers seeds removed

2 cherry peppers seeds removed

4 dried ancho chiles seeds removed

3 lbs of beef

2 lbs of pork chorizo

3 tbl chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tbl smoked paprika or regular paprika

2 tbl dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups beef stock

4 tbl masa harina

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small pot heat the beef stock and the dried ancho chiles until it simmers. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the fire and allow the dried chiles to seep in the stock for another 20 minutes.

2. In a large heavy bottom pot heat the oil over a high flame for 1 minute. Add enough cubes of beef to cover the bottom of the pot, working in batches. Brown the beef on all sides then remove and place on a plate.

3. When all of the beef is cooked and removed, add the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any bits of meat that have stuck.

4. Place the jalapeno, habanero, banana, serrano, and cherry peppers into a food processor with the garlic and rehydrated ancho chiles(not the beef stock). Finely chop all these ingredients and add them to the pot. Also add the chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, cayenne, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add all the beef back to the pot and the pork chorizo. Stir all of the ingredients well, then add the beef stock to the pot. Turn the fire down to medium-low and cover. Cook for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. For more shredded beef, break up the chunks after two hours of cooking.

6. Add the masa harina to the pot and cook for 15 minutes.

Note: For spicier chile leave some of the seeds in the peppers when cutting them open. Be careful though! The seeds will dramatically increase the heat, especially from the habanero peppers. By the way, any type of hot peppers can be used as long as you have a total of 12 -15 peppers.

Restaurant Review: Cuvee Beach in Destin, FL

It has become a family tradition of mine to take a week long beach vacation in Florida once a year. And it has become a tradition within a tradition to eat out at a new restaurant one night of the week. Over the years we have found that the Destin area has a handful of really great restaurants, and this year we found one that ranks high among my favorites. Cuvee Beach is located on the main highway through Destin and is easy to find. I enjoy restaurants that have an uptempo, vibrant type of atmosphere like Cuvee. The first thing I noticed is the beautiful wine bar located at entrance in the front of the restaurant, and as we made our way to our table, the decor in the rest of the establishment did not disappoint. Because we had a party of twelve, we were given the option of a private dining room or a table in the middle of the main dining room, of which we chose the latter, when we made our reservation . We fit comfortably at our table in the middle of the commotion of dinner hour which shows the versatility of their layout. Our service was also great. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to answer our many questions regarding the menu. The food came out in a very timely manner which is always impressive for larger tables.

Now let's get to the good stuff and talk food. To start dinner off we ordered a round of appetizers to be passed around the table. The Crab Cakes and the Spring Rolls were very good, but I like to be a little more adventurous when eating out. So I went for the Smoked Yellow Fin Tuna Dip since I had never seen one on any other menus. The smokiness was too overpowering and the tuna was well done chunks of meat which gives it a texture resembling something from a can. The Fried Oysters were as good as any I've ever had, which is saying a lot coming from a New Orleanian. If there were any other appetizers on the table I guess they never made it to my end, and I'm sure that's the case.

The entrees were treated in much the same fashion. Everyone ordered their favorite selection on the menu trying not to double up on too many dishes so that we could all have a taste of the various dishes. My brother, my dad, and I split a fourth entree because we noticed no one ordered the Fresh Gulf Fish of the day, which was Grouper. I didn't hear any complaints from the table during this course of the meal. Instead of writing about every one of the 8 entrees I tasted, I'll just concentrate on the ones that impressed me the most. The grits on the Shrimp and Grits were fantastic and contained an ingredient that I could not put my finger on, but I really enjoyed trying to figure it out. The succotash was more like a maque choux, but still added a great flair to the dish. Now on to the Grouper, which was served with mash potatoes. this is a combination that I usually don't agree with, however the fish was sauteed with such a nice outer crisp that it made for a wonderful contrast on the plate. My favorite was the Rack of Lamb. Everything on this plate went together perfectly from the kick of the Spicy Herb Pesto to the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Macaroni to the lamb which was cooked perfectly to med-rare.

My whole family loved Cuvee Beach in Destin. Even my daughter, who received a hula skirt and a pink lei for attending, was a fan of her meal. She got a cheese pizza that I sampled a slice of and agree I that it was delicious. Since these pizzas are on the bar food menu I can't wait to go back to Cuvee for a date with my wife and just sit at the wine bar for Happy Hour. Maybe we will finish the evening once again with a Ginger Creme Brulee that we se enjoyed as the ending to our wonderful meal.