Porter’s Fried Chicken (Maplewood)

I threw out a question to a couple of co-workers a few days ago.  I wanted to know if there were any good places to get fried chicken livers around the Brentwood area.  Instantly, their eyes lit up (they knew I was a bit of a foodie), and simultaneously exclaimed that Porter’s carried them and they have the best fried chicken around.  I definitely had to check this out, although, I was a bit skeptical.  I’ve had bad experiences before with what STL calls ‘the best.’  This is a city that thinks the stink pit of El Maguey is some of the best Mexican you can get in the city, and that claim couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Following the restaurant reviewer’s code, I decided to make multiple trips at different times, trying dishes across the board.  Here’s what was cooking:

On my first visit, I decided to go for what I was craving and found myself staring at a pound of chicken livers and a small side of potato salad.  A thin layer of breading coated each chunk of liver.  They were really nice with the crispy, peppery breading complementing the creamy livers quite well.  I grabbed a couple of tubs of hot sauce and proceeded to dunk away, finishing off the whole box.  Then, I dived into the potato salad, which was a sweet mustard blend with perfectly cooked potatoes and crisp touches of onion.  It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t too keen on the sweetness of it.  I prefer a little more savory in my tuber salad.

The second visit was a trip down the river with catfish.  I spotted the catfish nuggets on the menu last time I was in.  I’m a huge fan of fried fish and the taste of catfish reminds me of Friday night’s during lent back in Central Illinois.  Just like the livers, it was a huge portion.  This was served with a roll(pre-packaged and not worth discussing), cole slaw (which a yelper had raved about) and mashed potatoes with gravy.  The catfish chunks were some of the best I had ever had.  Unfortunately, about midway through my meal, I bit into a scale from improper cleaning and later a bone.  It turned me off a little, and I cautiously finished off the rest of the fish.  The slaw was up next for tasting as I was curious to see why this was considered someone’s favorite.  It was a finely chopped blend of carrots, onions, and cabbage that suffers from the same sweetness the potato salad did.  The mashed potatoes were, also, quite unremarkable, and appeared to be an instant mix covered in a pre-packaged gravy.  These sides were a little disappointing.

Finally, I was on my third trip and this famous fried chicken was the obvious choice.  I got the 2 piece, taking it easy as this was my third trip that week with deep fried fare and my body was starting to feel it.  It came with the same sides as above, and since these were pretty unimpressive, I asked about getting another side.  I questioned my cashier on a few of the other sides and was told that they were all frozen goods and not made in house.  I wasn’t about to review something that I could do just as well at home, and stuck with the chicken getting a side of fries to fill me up.  I was served a wing and a thigh for my 2 pieces and each were blissfully greasy, moist, and crispy.  This was probably what I should have been eating the whole time and I can understand why people rave about it.  I’ll definitely be back to take a stab at some more, and possibly go for the spicy breading on my next visit.

That fried chicken was Porter’s saving grace.  It’s probably the only thing that I would go back for, getting just the chicken and letting them keep those shitty sides.  On the positive side, I never spent more than $7 on a meal there and was served a filling portion.  But, that’s probably because they save a whole bunch on frozen foods, pre-packaged sides, and sauces that come in packets.  There’s a bunch of flaws that Porter’s needs to deal with, however, the staff was nice, the prices  right, and the fried chicken delicious.  Porter’s will get my nod when it comes to chicken.  Just don’t expect too much out of the rest of the menu.

Links:

• http://www.yelp.com/biz/porters-fried-chicken-saint-louis
• http://www.porterschicken.com/
• http://www.riverfronttimes.com/bestof/2008/award/best-fried-chicken-582446/

Thanksgiving Special (Sauce on the Side)

Calzones, are a little nostalgic for me.  It brings me back to my dorm room college days as we drunkenly stumbled home, and on the way, would stop at a dirty little pizza place that specialized in calzones.  You could smell them from blocks away, guiding you to their tiny store which was carryout only.  And carry out we did.  Stumbling back to our dorm, we could smell the cheese and dough through the box and couldn’t wait to rip into these delicious pizza pockets.  So, when I heard that there was a spot downtown that just opened their doors, specializing in calzones, that little bit of nostalgia filled my stomach and I had to test it out.  Sauce on the Side has been doing business for about 3 months and I finally made my way in.  There was tons of buzz about this new adventure, and I couldn’t wait to give it a go.  Here’s what happened:

When I arrived, there was a large group of elite Yelpers crowded in the corner sampling wine, salad, and calzones.  This was a good sign if this group of elite foodies was plowing through downtown’s newest business adventure.  I made my way past the group and up to the counter to place my order.  I surveyed the small menu with inspired options and build-your-own-basics.  There was an off the menu special, called the Thanksgiving Dinner that I couldn’t pass up due to the proximity to the season.  I gave them my order, following it up with a control group of the most basic of calzones, the Fold.  They handed me a table marker, and I proceeded to find a spot to devour this meal.

the cornucopia of calzones..,

My calzones were delivered to my table and steam poured out, filling the air with the aroma of sweet and savory dough.  These folded over pizza pocket were absolutely huge.  I plunged into the Fold first, testing out their basic blend of mozzarella and ricotta stuffed into a mass of dough covered in a garlic honey glaze.  A side of sweet marinara sat at the side of this giant Hot Pocket, ready to be dipped in.  I cut my first chunk of this calzone off, gathering plenty of cheese and dough.  After sinking this forkful into the marinara, I guided it into my mouth which was salivating in anticipation.  Best calzone ever!  This was a college drunken food, crafted to complete perfection.  The sweet marinara was phenomenal, and the mix of sweet and salty in the cheese blend was so basic and perfect.  The dough was soft and chewy, highlighted by the glaze that gave it a delicious finish.  It’s funny how the simplest things can be so FORKing delicious.

The Thanksgiving Dinner was next up for sampling, and had the misfortune of following a great first act.  I cut the calzone in half and a cornucopia of just about everything found on the my favorite holiday’s dinner table spilled out.  A medley of roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato, and cranberries were awaiting my judgement.  This specialty was served with a side of gravy, and I gathered my first bite, gravy and all.  I chewed the initial sample, discovering the soft textures of sweet potato and cornbread with chewy bits of tart dried cranberries.  All of the elements married well, but this specialty didn’t hold a candle to the Fold.  There was something missing from this Thanksgiving spread, and it would have been well served with some crunch added by pecans or walnuts.  It was good, but that elementary blend of mozzarella and ricotta dipped in sweet marinara trumped this inspired pizza pocket.

 

Four Q’s w/RFT’s Crystal Rolfe

Four Q’s are four questions that target food grilling some of Saint Louis’s favorite folks.  Today, I pop the heat lamp on RFT photographer Crystal Rolfe, whose delicious pictures constantly leave me licking my screen.  I met Crystal a couple of years ago when she volunteered her time to document some of the fundraisers I coordinated with Sex Positive Saint Louis.  She’s also responsible for my first appearance in the Riverfront Times, which people still razz me about, as I appeared topless with The Beautiful Kind’s Kendra Holliday.  Photographing food can be a huge part of blogging, as we eat with our eyes.  Let’s find out how Crystal makes it look so damn good.

J. Gilbert’s

1.)Do you remember your first time….photographing food for a restaurant?

I think the actual first time was not a paid shoot.  I have been photographing my food almost every time I went out to eat. Now all of my friends know that they have to wait on me to get a photo of their dinner before they can dig in.   My first paid shoot was probably for Sauce Magazine and I had to run around shooting several restaurants all in one day for their Saucey Soiree party.  It was a crash course for sure.  I have photographed many events prior to this so I treated it in much of the same way….especially when it comes to dealing with the people who work there.  Now I mostly photograph for Yelp.com and the Riverfront Times….and of course for my husband who is an excellent chef. 

Laredo

2.)Are there any perks to food photography?  

Of course!  My favorite perk is getting to peek into the kitchens of the various restaurants and to see how it all ends up on the plate.  There is also the bonus of getting to take home the food that you photographed!  This doesn’t always happen, but I love it when it does!

mmmm…radishes

3.)Have you ever met a dish that you couldn’t get a good shot of?  

Not yet….it’s mostly just a matter of finding the light.  I only want to shoot food using natural lighting since that’s how I see it.  I mainly shoot restaurants during the day but there have been exceptions that I’ve had to use reflectors and such, but that is not typical.

 4.)Any advice for bloggers out there concerning how they photograph their dishes?

My lens of choice would have to be my 50mm 1.4.  You can use other lenses but that’s my favorite.  If you are shooting dishes at home that you have prepared….you have many advantages.  I’d say start collecting various plates, linens and cutting boards or just pieces of wood.  These are make interesting backgrounds and add textures.  Pinterest is my go to place for ideas when shooting food, there are sooo many creative ways to display food out there.    I am not a blogger for food but more of a restaurant photographer.  I try to take in the scenes as well.  I am also a work in progress and hope to get the chance to shoot more and more restaurants!