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/

Holiday Duck

If you’re looking for a recipe for duck, click here.

Now that I have been shopping at ALDI for a while, I’m becoming less and less surprised every time I find the unexpected.  I was browsing the freezer section in full anticipation of finding something new to test out.  They must have known that I was coming in that day.  It was almost too perfect.  A 5 lb frozen duck rested in the freezer, and duck very well could be my favorite protein on the planet.  I didn’t waste any time throwing that rock hard bird into my cart and quickly checked out.  It didn’t really hit me until I was about half-way home.  I’ve never roasted a duck before.  So, I took a deep breath and released my panic with the assurance that my foodie friends would surely have plenty of ideas for me to pick from.

A little over $12 for 5 lbs

I arrived at home and put the duck back into the freezer.  It was going to be a few days before I could confidently craft my strategy for tackling this new adventure.  I ran through a few ideas and made a couple of trips back to the grocery store, realizing that I was going to have to pin this recipe down and get the right ingredients for this experiment.  Let’s face it, it’s a whole duck and there was no way I was just going to cook it for myself.  Another person was going to be involved and I had to impress them.  Plus, if it was the greatest thing I had ever made, I was going to need a witness.  Or, the worst, someone to laugh it off with me.

Luckily for me, I found just the right person the test out my novice roasting attempt on.  Also, all of the fruits and herbs were readily available, and most importantly, in season.  I put the pen to the paper and spelled out recipe as not to forget anything.  Things were in motion and I purchased all that needed to be.  It was settled.  I was going to attempt to marinate this duck in a red wine rosemary pomegranate sauce, and then roast it upon a bed of onions and oranges for about 4 hours.  A glaze would be applied to duck at the end made of brown sugar, cinnamon, and the excess fat left in the pan.  I would serve this magnificent bird with more pomegranate sauce and some crumbled blue cheese.  In my mind it was perfect.  Now, all I had to do was execute the plan.  Here’s how my holiday duck went down:

I decided it would be best to make my sauce immediately to give it time to marry.  (I, also, didn’t realize just how long it was going to take my duck to thaw in the refrigerator)  It was a pretty simple sauce with the most difficult part being the removal of the pomegranate seeds.  After I had spent a good solid 1/2 hour destructing a pomegranate, the seeds were added to a pot with onions and garlic.  Red wine was added with some sprigs of rosemary that filled the air with a wonderful aroma as they simmered together.  I, then, threw the sauce into a blender and gave it a good puree, pouring it into a mason jar and placing it in the fridge.

A day had passed.  The duck was thawed and I removed it from its packaging.  It was time to reach in a take out the innards that remained for me.  I reached my hand into the cavity and pulled out a heart, two gizzards, a liver, and the neck.  These were placed in a plastic bag for a later date.  I grabbed a gallon freezer bag and placed the raw duck into it.  Taking the pomegranate sauce out of the fridge, I portioned off half of it and poured it into the bag, covering the duck.  The bag was sealed and placed in a large bowl to marinate for the next 24 hours.

thick cut onions are key

Finally, roasting was on the horizon.  At 2 pm the oven would contain my experiment that I had anxiously awaited over the last couple of days.  I knew that for the 4 hours that this duck would be in the oven, would be some of the longest hours of my life.  As 2 approached, I cut the oranges and the onions that would stuff and flavor my duck.  The time had come and the duck lay stuffed with citrus and aromatics, resting on a bed of the same in a non-stick roasting pan.  It was 2 pm.  The oven was preheated to 300 degrees, and the pomegranate marinated duck entered the place where it would be for the next 240 minutes covered in and air-tight blanket of tin foil.

can you make duck without oranges?

right before the oven

After what seemed like an eternity, the first hour had passed.  I could catch hints of sweet onion and orange in the air.  It was early in the process and the duck was just getting warm.  I opened up the oven and removed the tin foil to reveal an under cooked duck and some wilting onions and oranges.  It was time to flip the bird, a process that would have to be repeated every hour and give me a chance to check into progress.  Using a paper towel, I grabbed on to the leg bones and gave it a turn and tucked it back into the oven, making sure the tin-foil was tight.  This was repeated 3 more times with the drippings being emptied towards the end.  The smell of the duck was getting more intense and making me extremely hungry.

During my wait, I made a glaze using some of the drippings, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  The heat on the oven was cranked to 425 degrees and the first layer of glaze went down.  3 more layers were applied in 3 minute increments, giving the duck a sweet crust to go with the tender, succulent meat.   My guest had arrived in perfect timing, and I sat the duck out to rest and prepared some asparagus to accompany the dish.  I took out a sharp knife and cut through the middle of the tender bird, dividing it in half.  Then, my knife was drawn around the base of the duck and around the ribs separating the meat from the bones.  I plated it up on a large dish with the sautéed asparagus and dressed it with the remainder of the pomegranate sauce and crumbled blue cheese.

I served my guest, who was anticipating this just as much as I was, and sat next to her.  We both dug into the duck, each taking our first sample from the leg.  It was incredibly tender and the pomegranate sauce was a nice match.  Chunks of blue cheese rounded off the tart flavor of the pomegranate and gave a great balance to the sweetness of the glaze.  My guest was impressed, but I was finding flaws here and there.  The concept was close, and being the first time that it was attempted, not perfect.  It was the critic in me, and I knew that I could do better.

Now, I know we all can’t be perfect, but the foodie inside me craves that.  I’m always searching for the best recipe.  Striving for the best thing I have ever ate is a passion of mine, and how FORKing cool would it be if I were able to say that it was my dish that ended that search.  This recipe was not quite there.  It’s a work in progress, and you can be sure that if I ever get the urge to open a restaurant, this will be in its perfect form, on the menu, delighting foodies from all around.

Tzatziki Dip (ALDI)

As you have probably noticed, I’m a nut for Mediterranean fare.  So, when I’m out shopping and I spot an item inspired by this area of the world, automatic pilot engages and my hand snags the container and slides it into my cart.  This time it happened to be a product that I have never spotted before, resting in the deli section of ALDI.  Tzatziki dip was not on the list but, It wasn’t going to stay on the shelf either, and before I knew it, there it sat in my cart.  There was no turning back.  The transaction was complete and I was now the owner of a creamy cucumber dip.  Here’s what I did with it:

Only $1.99

You may already know all about tzatziki, and may not even know it.  It was that creamy, garlicky, yogurt sauce that covered your gyro and probably left you licking you fingers after it dripped out of the pita that was attempting to contain it.  It’s the reason I switched from using sour cream in my dips to Greek yogurt.  As I studied the packaging, I realized that this small container of tzatziki was being marketed as a dip.  I opened it up and realized that it was a little thicker than the yogurt sauces that have covered my gyros in the past, and this extra thickness would make it great to scoop with some pita chips.  I didn’t have any of those laying around, and made the snap decision to just dig my pointer finger into the dip, snagging a healthy portion to give it a taste.  FORKing delicious!  Maybe the best tzatziki sauce I have ever tasted (store bought or homemade).  After allowing the sauce to saturate my palate, I realized that this was going to be the perfect topping for the salmon I had planned on baking tonight.


I was really anxious to make this yogurt dip part of my meal tonight.  Snagging a handful of red potatoes, I placed them on the cutting board and reduced them to thick slices in quarters.  Olive oil was placed in a skillet and the heat turned to medium.  Some fresh, peeled garlic and a few sprigs of rosemary accompanied the potatoes into the skillet.  The oven was set to 375 in preparation for the salmon.  While that was heating up, I seasoned my salmon fillet with dried dill, salt, and pepper, covering it with three slices of lemon, and gave the potatoes a toss.  Finally, the oven was ready and the salmon baked for about 12 minutes, giving the potatoes enough time to thoroughly cook.  It was all plated and then covered with the tzatziki and garnished with a sprig of rosemary.  The tzatziki was the perfect complement to the salmon and even after I was finished with the fish, I wiped up the remaining sauce with my potatoes.

Thanksgiving is Near Pt.1 (Trader Joe’s)

Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and the list goes on for those of you planning your Thanksgiving dinners out. This list is pretty run-of-the-mill, and sometimes you really want to impress your guests. So, creative thoughts enter your brain, followed by another familiar holiday emotion.  You’re probably a bit overwhelmed, and if you are anything like me, on  a strict budget.  Take a deep breath and relax.  I have a solution to all of your problems, and it starts at my favorite neighborhood grocery store.  Trader Joe’s will set you up with just about anything TG that you can think of, and you might actually find something that you never dreamed of serving for dinner that night.  I did a little research for those of you dreading Thanksgiving dinner, and here’s what I found.

Brussels Sprout stalks are a perfect remedy to showcase some culinary talent with very little effort.  Sure, you can buy them in a steam package and make perfectly acceptable sprouts by steaming them in the bag, but there is something to the taste of a fresh sprout right off the stalk.  These guys take little prep and can easily be stripped off the stalk and cut in half to make delicious roasted brussels sprouts.  Just lay the halves in a layer on a baking sheet, removing the outer leaf on some of the bigger ones laying chopped bacon and walnuts among the sprouts.  Salt and pepper that mixture, drizzle some olive oil, squeeze some lemon juice on them, and top with a few sprigs of rosemary for some great flavor.  Now, they are ready for the oven and will roast for about 30 minutes until fork tender.  Find a nice bowl to serve them in and toss those green goodies around adding a little salt and pepper to taste.  Presto!  One delicious dish down.

Everyone craves a little cranberry for their Thanksgiving spread, so give them something that isn’t that unappetizing mold of cranberry sauce by purchasing this wonderful butter.  It’s the perfect thing to spread on fresh baked rolls and will make you look like a genius come dinner time.  This product may just be the biggest hit of the night and will leave guests craving more, and saving you a little effort in the process.

Dessert is huge at my dinner table, and I will always find a few people who just don’t dig pumpkin pie.  As an alternative, I searched out these freshly baked brownies.  These things are loaded with maple flavor and when warmed are perfect with vanilla ice cream or that whipping cream that was once meant for your pie.  This will save you some time slaving over the oven and add a little less stress to the clean up effort, as you can just open the package and dice them up for sweet little after dinner bites.

Finally, there’s the booze to think about.  Nothing speak to me better than Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale during a holiday dinner.  It’s sweet and spicy notes are the perfect complement to just about anything you’ll be serving this year during Thanksgiving Dinner.  It’s high alcohol content (9%) will give you a good buzz.  Also, you don’t have to worry about keeping this guy cold, as it gets better with a little age and the flavor is much better at room temperature.  This TJ’s brew is unique and brewed just for them by Unibroue out of Canada, so you can break the monotony of beverages by serving this inexpensive beer during service.

Now, these are just a few of my favorite things that come around during this holiday season.  This is  just part one.  Keep posted as I continue my search for great TG products at TJ’s.  They hardly ever disappoint, and I’m hoping that I won’t either.  So, take a step back.  Give yourself a break.  Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be a FORKing mess.  I’ll show you how.

The Hot Mess Food Challenge (The Dubliner)

Finish it in 30 minutes or less

Saint Louis has its fair share of food challenges, ranging from a 10lb pizza from Pointer’s Pizza to a five milkshake chug fest at Crown Candy.  When someone calls something a challenge, it usually means there’s a long list of failures and a very short list of people who have conquered the food feat.  I decided to try out one of these challenges, and test out why these damn things are so hard. The Dubliner gave me the opportunity to embarrass myself as I tested out their Hot Mess challenge.

Patrick Russell (right) and I before the challenge

 

looks forking delicious

The Hot Mess consists of 3 6 oz. burgers grilled to your desire smothered in swiss and irish cheddar.  Those locally raised beef patties are, then, sandwiched between a full pound reuben that has been sliced in half.  Accompanying this colossal sandwich are two fried pickles, resting as a garnish on the top with a pound of golden, thick-cut fries covering the rest of the plate.  To wash it all down, you’ll have to finish off a pint of Guinness and slug a shot of Jameson in the allotted 30 minutes.  All this just for your picture on a ‘Wall of Shame’ and a Hot Mess t-shirt.

I scheduled my challenge in the afternoon at 2pm on a Friday.  My prep consisted of a fiber filled diet the previous day, attempting to stretch my stomach and clean myself out.  I got a good night’s sleep and awoke the next morning pretty anxious.  I was about to consume about 5 lbs of food that day, and decided to forego any breakfast, settling on a large americano from the coffee shop down the street.  2pm slowly rolled around and I was starving.  I posted myself up to the bar at the Dubliner and was greeted by 6 year owner, Patrick Russell.  He was cool and collected and had the face of a man who rarely saw defeat when it came to this food challenge.  I ordered my Hot Mess up with my burgers medium-rare, unaware of about what I had just got myself into.

surveying my meal

 

After a 15 minute wait, a ridiculous tower of food was heading my way.  It sat in front of me, and I instantly started to focus and planned my strategy.  A shot of whiskey and a pint of Guinness were placed next to this enormous sandwich.  In a flash, I knew what to do first.  I picked up the shot of whiskey and slammed it back with Patrick starting my 30 min clock at the same time.  Next, I tackled the beef patties, removing the wooden skewers and throwing them to the side.  I dug my fork deep into the perfectly cooked burgers, dispatching them very quickly.  Then, the smaller half of the reuben stood in my way and I devoured it without delay.

might as well start with a shot

The plate looked quite a bit less daunting at that point, and I started in on the larger half of the reuben, plowing into the corned beef.  I was making good time and had a solid pace going.  All of the sudden the corned beef became my nemesis, and trying to chew it became very difficult.  Each bite took me more and more time as I began to struggle with every swallow.

 

halfway point

 

 

 

The halfway point was arriving and I still had a massive meal ahead of me.  Staring at the fried pickles, I realized that I was going to need something to break up the monotonous nature of the chewy deli meat.  The pickles were working fabulously, and I finished off the rest of the rest of the corned beef leaving some of the bread for later.

might as well down the Guinness

I was at the 6 minute mark and a full pound of fries lay before me with the pint of Guinness staring me down as well.  I asked for a little assistance with some ketchup from the wonderful photographer I brought along to document my adventure.  Sara expedited the red food lube onto my plate as precious seconds wasted away.  I dipped my first fry and proceeded to stuff it in my mouth and swallow it down.  I had flirted with vomiting a few times during this challenge, and this time my body let out its last warning, telling me to slow the fuck down.  It was at this moment that I knew that it wasn’t going to be my day as I stared down at the mountain of fries with my fingers together in a look of defeat.  I gave it my best and battled to the end, washing each fried potato down with gulps of thick Guinness.  Finally, with about 3/4 of the fries still left on my plate, the timer went off, signaling my defeat.

I stood up, gave my plate a glance, and collapsed to the floor.  The feeling was incredibly uncomfortable, and a small Hot Mess baby bulged my belly.  Someone had brought in a dog, who undoubtedly sensed my discomfort, and licked my face.  I felt a little deflated because I didn’t win, but I couldn’t imagine how much worse it would have felt physically if I had actually choked down the remaining fries.  I stood up after a couple of minutes on the ground, and grabbed my last half of Guinness, sipping it at the bar.

i failed by this much