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Month: December 2015 (Page 2 of 3)

A steaming kettle of booyah at The Booyah Shed of Green Bay

Booyah: State Soup of Wisconsin?

December 11, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Booyah! It sounds like the sort of fad expression Ivy League college students used to say a century and a half ago, but no siree, it’s a soup found in northeast Wisconsin. We’ve been to Wisconsin multiple times, even northeast Wisconsin at that, and left without ever having heard of much less tasted it. Our loss, apparently. The concoction, said to originate with Belgian Walloon immigrants (though that is in some dispute), is generally prepared in huge kettles, outdoors, for big public gatherings. It’s based on chicken, often supplemented by beef or pork, with plenty of vegetables including some combination of cabbage, beans, potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, and tomatoes. Continue reading

Take a sausage-making class at Avril-Bleh Meat Market and come home with 15-18 pounds of links.

Learn to Make Sausage in Cincinnati!

December 10, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Looking for a special gift for your favorite carnivore? Here’s an idea that we think she or he would love: a sausage-making class at the Avril-Bleh Meat Market in Cincinnati. The class last three to four hours, and during that time you’ll grind, mix, stuff, and link a dozen or more types of homemade sausage. The cost is $125, which sounds pretty reasonable to us for the class but it’s way more reasonable than you think, because you get to take home all the sausage you make! That generally runs between 15 and 18 pounds of links. They also serve everyone a sausage lunch, and you get a t-shirt to boot. Continue reading

Red AND green peppermint candy in Young's Jersey Dairy's peppermint stick ice cream... we approve!

‘Tis the Season for Peppermint Ice Cream!

December 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

When the weather turns cold, and the scent of pine is in the air… and twinkling lights hang from the eaves, and fat men in red suits loiter on street corners and in department stores… it can only mean one thing: peppermint ice cream is back! We’re not talking about the green mint chip ice cream that is available year round (and which is quite alright by us) but that (unfortunately) seasonal pink concoction, often studded with red and white bits of peppermint candy. Continue reading

Nikki's shrimp and grits, a signature dish, will once again be available when Nikki's Place reopens next year.

Nikki’s Place of Orlando Reopening Early 2016

December 8, 2015 / / 0 Comments

It was back in March when Nikki’s Place, 16-year soul food favorite in Orlando, FL, suffered a devastating fire that closed the restaurant. It’s been closed ever since. Now, with help from a Minority Women Business Assistance Program loan/grant of about $25,000, they are planning to reopen early next year. The MEBA money will be used for things like a stove, convection ovens, and new signage. We are happy for owners Nick and Elaine Aiken, of course, but this is also great news for those visitors to the area’s theme parks who might choose to search for some real food in town. Which we always recommend!

Plate lunch extraordinaire at Arnold's

2nd Arnold’s Opens in Nashville Today; Dinner, Breakfast Coming Soon?

December 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We relayed the news a few weeks ago that the supreme plate lunch specialist of Nashville, TN, Arnold’s Country Kitchen, would be opening a second location in the Green Hills section of Nashville in December. Well, we just learned that today’s opening day for the new eatery. Like the original Arnold’s, it’s open for lunch only, Monday through Friday, but there’s a second nugget of news: they hope to begin serving dinner soon, which is great to hear. No reason meat-and-three should be a lunch only meal! And here’s a third nugget: the new Arnold’s will begin serving breakfast when the original restaurant closes in March while it undergoes expansion and renovations.

A fresh tomato pie at Sally's - Wooster Street pizzas rarely emerge from the oven in any shape resembling a circle.

Sally’s Apizza of New Haven CT Being Sold

December 6, 2015 / / 2 Comments

When discussion turns to the greatest American pizzerias, New Haven, Connecticut, without fail, is part of the mix. In particular, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is often cited (including by us) as the source for the country’s finest pizza. Frank Pepe founded the pizzeria in 1925. In 1938, with Frank’s blessing, his nephew Salvatore Consiglio opened Sally’s Apizza a few doors down Wooster Street. There are many folks who, today, claim that Sally’s pies are superior to Pepe’s. We can’t say as we’ve never been to Sally’s, not out of some wacky sense of loyalty to Pepe’s but because we love Pepe’s so much that we could never bring ourselves to miss a rare opportunity to enjoy a Pepe’s white clam pie while passing through New Haven. Continue reading

Italian beef from Al's #1 of Chicago may be fast food but it's so much more satisfying than the arches or the colonel.

Fast Food with Soul

December 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Fast food doesn’t have to mean dollar menu drive-thru burgers and drab buckets of chicken. Many American cities have their own local fast food traditions, where the eats are just as inexpensive and greasy as at any national chain, and you are served by local high school kids within a minute or two of ordering. The big differences? The restaurants are locally based (even if it’s a small chain) and the grub actually tastes great. CNN looks at four of these local fast food gems, where you’ll find chicken wings, cheeseburgers and pie wedges, Italian beef, and Cuban sandwiches. Have a look!

Bon Ton serves the booziest bread pudding in town. It's one of the best, too.

Feel the Warmth at Bon Ton Cafe of New Orleans

December 4, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“Comforting food with a Cajun touch.” Tom Fitzmorris, veteran New Orleans restaurant reviewer, recently paid a visit to Bon Ton Cafe, a yearly ritual he observes on the first cold evening of the year. He captures our feelings about one of NOLA’s old-timers perfectly. We might add that it’s under-appreciated in this town. It doesn’t get negative attention, it simply doesn’t get much attention at all. Perhaps that’s because it serves the same food, made from the same recipes, year in and year out. It’s not an approach designed to excite the foodies, but it excites us because it’s always executed well, and served with warmth and style. Read more about Mr. Fitzmorris’ visit here.

Rowley, MA's Agawam is a 1950s-era Fodero that remains true to the traditional spirit of New England diners.

Agawam’s Chicken Pie Named One of Top 5 Diner Dishes

December 3, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We’re big fans of the Agawam Diner of Rowley, Massachusetts. The Agawam was founded in 1940, bounced around The Bay State, and settled in a 1950s-model Fodero before resting in the town of Rowley. We’ve enjoyed dishes like hot dogs with homemade potato salad and mile-high banana pie at the Agawam but now want to return to try their chicken pie, which is good, old-fashioned chicken pie with one innovation: it’s served upside down. Also, it’s been named one of the country’s five best diner dishes by The Food Network. Continue reading

Briny, salty, garlicky, juicy, oily, toasty, chewy... Pepe's New Haven, CT white clam pizza is the perfect food!

Pepe’s Pizza Makes Boston Debut 12/16

December 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments

It sometimes seemed like it would never really happen, but all doubts have been erased: Pepe’s will be bringing their incomparable New Haven pizza to Boston in two weeks. The Mall at Chestnut Hill opening is scheduled for December 16th. The oven will be identical to the New Haven original but word is there will be new toppings and salads. The char will remain. If it’s a success, there could be further Pepe’s openings in the Boston area. For you first-time Boston visitors, here’s some advice: no matter what else you get, order a white clam pie!

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