Destination Unknown

My 100 Things to Eat Before you Die

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:00:03 -0600

This one's been going around Vox, so I thought I'd do it, too. I don't usually do memes, but it's a food meme!

Descriptions of all of these items: http://foodproof.com/blogs/view/post/100-things-you-should-eat-before-246/

Here is the list. The ones I have had are in bold. And, of course, I've added my own commentary, because that's the way I am.

100. Venison. It's tasty. Really. And no, it doesn't taste like chicken.

99. Nettle Tea. Not that I know of.

98. Huevos Rancheros. A very New Mexican dish. Very good!

97. Steak tartare. Otherwise known as "the mad cow special". I may have to skip this one entirely.

96. Crocodile. I'm counting this one because I've had alligator, and I imagine they taste the same. A bit like lobster, really, only tougher.

95. Black pudding. Also known as blood pudding, made with real blood, of course. I may have to skip this one along with the tartare.

94. Cheese fondue. The Melting Pot restaurant is excellent.

93. Carp. Why is this on the list of 100 things to eat before you die? It's just fish. Whatever, I've had it.

92. Borscht. Beet soup. I've had it. Didn't like it, but I don't think that's required.

91. Baba ghanoush. Tasty.

90. Calamari. Many times, deep fried, in soup, on sushi, etc. Usually tasty, but I don't recommend it on sushi. Uncooked, it has a texture like chicken cartilage.

89. Pho. Vietnamese noodle soup. My brother-in-law took us to a Vietnamese restaurant once. I liked it, but I didn't much care for trying to eat soup with chopsticks.

88. PB&J Sandwich. Duh.

87. Aloo Gobi. An Indian dish. I think I've had this, so I'm putting it in bold. I've eaten many things off of Indian restaurant buffet tables that I didn't know the name of, and the picture of it looks familiar.

86. Hot dog from a street cart. I have had many hot dogs, many of which I obtained from questionable sources, but never from a street cart. One day I'll have to take my life into my own hand and try it.

85. Epoisses. A type of cheese. I've never had it, but there's only one type of cheese I'm sure I wouldn't eat.

84. Black truffle. Would like to. They're expensive, aren't they?

83. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes. A friend of mine gave me some blackberry wine about a year ago that his friend had made in his house. I didn't care for it.

82. Steamed pork buns. A Chinese dim-sum dish. It sounds like pot-stickers, which I've eaten about a million of, but looking at the picture I believe they are something different.

81. Pistachio ice cream. Tasty.

80. Heirloom tomatoes. Basically, home-grown, multi-color tomatoes.

79. Fresh wild berries. Many times.

78. Foie gras. For reasons of humane treatment of animals, I won't be having this one.

77. Rice and beans. Many, many, many times. It's also really cheap, if you're low on cash.

76. Brawn, or head cheese. Not likely to have this one, either. Organ meats in gellatin is not my idea of fine cuisine.

75. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper. One of the hottest peppers in the world, as much as 140 times hotter than a jalepeño pepper. I may do this... once... if I was really, really drunk.

74. Dulce de Leche. A sweet, Mexican milk sauce, almost like a pudding. I've had it over flan.

73. Oysters. Had 'em. I don't particularly care for them raw. Fried oysters are good.

72. Baklava. A flaky, sticky, nutty, honey-dipped dream of a Mediterranean dessert. Excellent.

71. Bagna cauda. Never had it, but it sounds delicious.

70. Wasabi peas. I've had wasabi paste, and I've used wasabi powder in cooking, but I've never eaten wasabi peas.

69. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. That's getting specific, isn't it? I'm pretty sure I've had it, though.

68. Salted lassi. I've had sweet lassis, which are easily found at Indian restaurants, but never salted.

67. Sauerkraut. Hated it as a kid, but I like it now, particularly on a reuben sandwich.

66. Root beer float. Comfort food.

65. Cognac with a fat cigar. I've had cognac, and I've had a fat cigar, but never together. I'm counting it, though. This is supposed to be 100 things to eat before you die. You don't eat cigars. At least, I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're a goat.

64. Clotted cream tea. Ew.

63. Vodka jelly/Jell-o shots. Evil never tasted so good.

62. Gumbo.

Jimmy Buffett - I Will Play for Gumbo

Jimmy Buffett

61. Oxtail. Not that I know of.

60. Curried goat. I like curried meats. Don't believe I've ever had goat, though.

59. Whole insects. Nope, though shrimp and crawfish are technically aquatic insects, I would probably have to eat land insects to fulfill this one.

58. Phaal. The hottest type of curry. I think I'd remember if I'd had it.

57. Goat's milk. I've had goat's cheese, but to my knowledge I've never had goat's milk.

56. Single malt whisky. Technically, you drink it, not eat it.

55. Fugu. Japanese pufferfish. I don't think I've eaten this. Since it can be deadly poisonous if improperly prepared, I may want to do this one last.

54. Chicken tikka masala. Many times. One of my favorite things to get at Indian restaurants.

53. Eel. Again, many times. It's commonly used in many sushi dishes, and tastes wonderful, particularly when served in a sweet eel sauce, similar to a teriyaki sauce.

52. Kripsy Kreme original glazed donuts. Yes. They're good. Not worth lining up around the block for, as people did in my home town the the first Crispy Creme shop opened up, but they're good.

51. Sea urchin. On sushi. Didn't care for it.

50. Prickly pear. I've had this candied.

49. Umeboshi. A picked Japanese fruit. Since I've never heard of it, I don't think I've had it.

48. Abalone. I don't think so.

47. Paneer. A Persian/South Asian cheese. I think I've had this a Mediterranean dish of one sort or another, but I'm not positive. I'm counting it, anyway.

46. McDonald's Big Mac meal. Not since I was a teenager, but yes.

45. Spaetzle. German egg noodles. I had them at a German restaurant outside of Milwaukee. I liked it.

44. Dirty gin martini. Basically, just a gin martini with an olive in it. I prefer vodka martinis.

43. Beer with greater than 8% alcohol. Barley wine is technically a beer, and it's greater than 8%.

42. Poutine. French fries covered in cheese curds and brown gravy. Four out of five cardiologists recommend it for keeping them in business.

41. Carob chips. Chocolate's poor cousin.

40. S'mores. Yep. As tasty as they are messy.

39. Sweetbreads. If we say it's sweet and that it's bread, will people be fooled into thinking it's not the tymus gland of a cow, sheep, or pig? Probably not.

38. Kaolin. An edible clay, supposedly. Whatever.

37. Currywurst. Germany and India meet. It's a melding of cultures that perhaps should have remained isolated from each other. Never had it.

36. Durian. I've never had it, never seen it, never smelled it. It's a fruit that, according to some, smells like rotting flesh. Sign me up!

35. Frogs legs. I had it off of a buffet when I was a kid. It tastes like dark-meat chicken, which I like, though many people find it too greasy.

34. Beignets, churros, elephant ears, or funnel cakes. No, not real elephant ears. These are all different names for essentially the same fried, sweet, doughy desserts. Funnel cakes are nummy, and terrible for you.

33. Haggis. What is with people in the Brittish Isles and organ meats? I mean, would you eat this?

Haggis-full

32. Fried plantain. It's freaking delicious. It's sometimes hard to get plantain in the U.S., and you can substitute bananas, but it's not the same.

31. Chitterlings, or andouillette. I've had andouillette sausage in jumbalaya, but didn't know it was made from intestines. I like it, so I guess I'll try not to remember what it is next time I eat it.

30. Gazpacho. Cold, Spanish, tomato soup. It's good. Try it, you'll like it.

29. Caviar and blini. I've had caviar, but I don't think I've ever had blini.

28. Louche absinthe. A drink made from causing the particulates in absinthe to precipitate. Considering that the laws concerning the sale of absinthe are complicated in the U.S., it's not clear whether I'll have an opportunity to try this.

27. Gjetost or brunost. A Norwegian cheese. Don't think I've had it, but I might have. I've eaten many inidentified cheeses.

26. Roadkill. As disgusting as this sounds, it's not unusual for people in much of the U.S. to process and eat deer or elk killed in car accidents. Why let it go to waste when you can let it go to waist?

25. Baijiu. Sounds French, but it's a Chinese liquor. Never heard of it.

24. Hostess fruit pie. lol. Yes, many times.

23. Snail. Nope. Had an opportunity to last week, but chose not to.

22. Lapsang souchong. A smokey flavored Asian tea.

21. Bellini. A wine-peach cocktail.

20. Tom yum. A Thai soup.

19. Eggs benedict. I like it.

18. Pocky. A stick-shaped Japanese candied bisquit. It sounds tasty. I'm imagining a candy-coated biscotti.

17. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Really? You're kidding.

16. Kobe beef. A variety of Japanese beef. It's supposed to be some of the best beef in the world, and there are many myths concerning it. (Like, the beef cattle in Kobe, Japan, are bathed in sake by virgins. Whatever.)

15. Hare. I've had rabbit, but I was very young. It was game meat my uncle brought back from hunting. I don't really remember what it tastes like.

14. Goulash. My mom used to make this. I don't think it was very authentic, but she called it goulash, so I'll count it.

13. Flowers. Eddible flowers are used in some dishes in a variety of cultures. I don't remember ever eating a whole flower, but if you've ever had sunflower seeds or saffron, you've eaten at least part of a flower.

12. Horse. Not that I know of.

11. Criollo. Based on the description, this is a type of dish from Peru, not a specific food, itself. It's a fusion cuisine that sounds very good.

10. Spam. Yes. Moving on.

9. Soft shell crab. Yes. I prefer king crab.

8. Rose harissa. A north-African sauce. Never had it, to my knowledge, but I eat a lot of Mediterranean dishes, so I might have.

7. Catfish. Many times.

6. Mole poblano. I've had several types of moles at different times. Mole is a Spanish generic term for a type of sauce which comes in several varieties, and I believe I've had mole poblano. Here we're talking about a sauce, not the burrowing ground rodent.

5. Bagel and lox. I love bagels and I love smoked salmon, so what's not to like?

4. Lobster thermidor. Sounds good, but I've never seen it for less than $50 on a menu, or it was in the "if you have to ask you can't afford it" section, so I usually go for something cheaper.

3. Polenta. Very tasty. There are instant polentas at most chain grocery stores now that are pretty passable.

2. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Getty pretty specific, aren't we? I don't think I've had coffee made from beans grown on the side of that particular mountain, no. Get a life.

1. Snake. I don't think I have, though I've had chicken, so it's all the same, right?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Las Tapas

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:49:26 -0600

Last night, we ate at Las Tapas, a Spanish restaurant on King Street in Alexandria. It was awesome and delicious. I'd never had tapas before. They're basically appetizers of various sorts that people order in a combination to make a meal. Mine consisted of steamed mussels and clams in a sherry tomato sauce, potato-stuffed veal in a Spanish brown sauce, artichokes, and slices of Spanish cheese. Nummy.

With dinner, we each had a glass of Amontillado sherry. We basically did this so we could toast each other with "For the love of God, Montresor!"

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Restaurant: Guido's Favorite Foods

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:55:49 -0600

We went to a Mensa lunch at Guido's Favorite Foods in Durango, yesterday. People in the Four Corners area of New Mexico frequently cross into Colorado to eat. It's an hour drive each way, but hey, they have a much better selection of restaurants. My County doesn't even have an Italian restaurant, except for one that I wouldn't insult the Italians with by calling it Italian.

Anyway, we both had paninis. Strix had the portobello mushroom panini, and I had the "Guido's Favorite" panini, which was pastrami, onions, roasted red peppers, provalone... God, I'm hungry again.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Wine: Barton & Guestier Beaujolais 2006

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:23:54 -0600

Strix brought this home from the store the other day. She had gotten some smoked salmon in the mail from her brother as a graduation present, so she bought this to drink while we ate salmon on crackers with chevre cheese and capers (nom nom nom).

The beaujolais was good for this purpose. It was not very complex, but it had a nice smoky flavor that complemented the salmon.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dinner and a Concert

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:53:41 -0700

Strix and I are in Telluride for the weekend. It's pretty cold here, being high altitude and all, but apparently not cold enough for the skiiers who are dying for snow. It's a beautiful little town, despite all of the trees being dead. A word of warning, though - there was a sign outside of town that said "Icy Conditions Ahead," and someone had written "PR" before "Icy." Fairly warned, as they say. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but I was driving.

We wandered around downtown for a little while and found that most of the restaurants here don't open until 5:30 for dinner. At 5:15, one of them deigned to let us sit down and look over the menu while they got the kitchen up and running. It was an Rustico Ristorante, an Italian restaurant with an impressive menu of gourmet country Italian cuisine. Strix had risotto with saffron and rice, and I had rigatoni alla montanara, which is tube pasta with an arrabiata sauce and Italian sausage. Both were excellent. The bill, unfortunately, reflected the excellence of the meal. I only wish I had been in a better mood to enjoy it.

In an aside, the restaurant's website is worth visiting for the music alone.

After dinner, we took a shuttle over to the High School, which has a surprisingly nice theater, to hear the San Juan Symphony play with the combined community choruses from Durango and Telluride. The concert was very well done, as always.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Restaurants: Azuma Sushi & Teppan

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:58:16 -0600

Last night, Strix and I ate at Azuma Sushi & Teppan in Albuquerque. The teppan chef didn't have the flare that chefs I've seen at similar restaurants had, but the food was delicious, and they have an interesting drink menu. I had an unfiltered sake that looked like chalky water and tasted like coconut, bananas, and pineapple. I don't think I'd get it every time, but it was tasty enough to get again sometime.

Noodles

Noodles being expertly cooked on the table in front of us. What I was really taking a picture of was the onion "volcano" on the top left. This is a common trick at these restaurants, so I knew what was coming.

The volcano made of onion rings is filled with alcohol, then let ablaze.

Lava Spewing Volcano

Then he pours teriyaki sauce into it, which boils out looking like lava. No, you're right, it's even more fun than when your mother made a little happy face out of pancakes.

Plum Wine Ice Cream Sunday

Management gave us a free ice cream sunday to share around the table. The ice cream itself was plum wine ice cream, and was very tasty.

Overall, I'd say it was a positive experience, the slightly grumpy chef notwithstanding.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Green Chile Sundaes

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:54:31 -0600

How you know you're in New Mexico:

Green chile sundaes

An ice cream shop close to my office. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Wine: Coastal Estates Pinot Noir, 2006

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:52:38 -0600

So what can you say about a $5 bottle of pinot noir? How about, "Hey, that's actually not bad." This isn't a wine to write home about, with little complexity to it. There are some undertones of black cherry or blackberry, which I expect in a pinot noir, but beyond that it's just a flat table wine. The fact that it's actually drinkable and recognizable as a pinot at $5 per bottle is amazing enough, so let's just say it did it's job.

And drank this and used it on a homemade marinara over rotini. The marinara was delicious, and would be a good base for any variation I wanted to make on pasta sauces. I'll definitely be keeping this recipe.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Wine: Frei Brothers Reserve Chardonnay, 2005

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 18:23:19 -0600

We drank this today with snapper à la Caribbean, made by yours truly. This is a Californian Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley (note: not actually in Russia). It was very oaky, as Chardonnay tends to be, with tones of caramel apple. I'm not an enormous fan of Chardonnay, but this was very good, and it went very well with the seafood dish.

The dish itself was interesting. We couldn't actually get snapper (the store was out), so we used tilapia, which was very good but I think it would have been better with snapper. The recipe called for grapeseed oil, which I'd never used before. I mean, really, how many grapeseeds do you have to squeez to get a can of grapeseed oil? My guess is a lot. Info I found online about grapeseed oil is that it has a very high flash point (485° F), so it's good for frying foods at high temperature. The fish was also coated in semolina flour before frying, which made for a very light breading. All in all, this was an excellent meal, and I have the marinade left over, which I can cook down and use to season rice, later.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Restaurant: Chama River Brewing Company

nobody@vox.com(Paxton) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:40:06 -0600

I went to Albuquerque yesterday to pick Strix up from the airport, and she hadn't had dinner yet so before heading back we ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Chama River Brewing Company. Relaxed but sophisticated atmosphere, excellent service, great microbrews, terrific wine selection, and outstanding food. I can't recommend this place enough.

I had honey-glazed salmon served on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes with french beans. Yes, it's just as good as it sounds, only more so. I had a lovely glass of pinot noir with it. Strix had farfalle stossed in pesto with shrimp. She had a wine of a varietal we had never heard of - albariño - a Spanish wine. We both finished our dinners, and I asked Strix if it would be bad manners to lick my plate.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend