Left at the Fork

the road | the food | a new direction

Author: Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle (Page 31 of 61)

The chickens are beautifully bronzed on a rotating spit.

Joe’s Poultry Farm, Vineland NJ

May 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We’d have to say that one of the great culinary developments of the new century has to be the ubiquity of the roasted supermarket chicken. Supermarkets upscale and pedestrian alike have found it makes sense to offer hot roasted chickens at a price not all that much more than the uncooked bird. It’s an incredible convenience for families without a dedicated homemaker. The one downside, as we see it, is that they often overdo the seasonings, and the result is a bird that tastes more of herbs or garlic or lemon than roasted chicken. Continue reading

Crisp skin, hot and, believe it or not, chickeny, not drowning in sauce, with fresh, crisp celery to boot

Buffalo’s Anchor Bar Opening in Vegas

May 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Anchor Bar, Buffalo, NY’s self-proclaimed inventor of the Buffalo wing, will open an outpost next month in Las Vegas, at The Venetian in the Grand Canal Shoppes. They’ll be offering counter service, and they’re replacing a Nathan’s, so it sounds like they are aiming for more of a fast-food operation than the tavern setting of the Buffalo original. And, no, despite what the writer of this story says, they do not dust the wings with cayenne.

Giordano's eggplant parm pizza

Giordano’s Navy Pier Opening This Week

May 19, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Giordano’s, Chicago deep-dish pizza specialist, is opening their latest branch in Chicago this Thursday, May 21st, at the entrance to the Navy Pier, in the site formerly occupied by Capi’s Italian Kitchen. The Giordano’s opening, which will be their 51st restaurant, is part of a big makeover project at the Navy Pier that will include future restaurant openings.

Mudbug Madness, Shreveport LA, May 21st through 24th 2015

May 18, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Call ’em mudbugs, crawdads, crawfish, or crayfish – doesn’t matter a bit, as long as there’s a steaming red mound of the boiled critters in front of you, preferably accompanied by plenty of ice-cold beer and a zydeco band. Is that how you want to spend your Memorial Day weekend? Then point your car towards northern Louisiana (Shreveport, to be precise) for at the 32nd annual Mudbug Madness. Continue reading

These are wide ribbons of pappardelle in a meat sauce of great depth. Fantastic!

Enoteca Bengodi, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

May 18, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

An enoteca in Italy refers to anything from a wine store to a wine bar to a restaurant with a special focus on wine. Unlike in the US, wine in Italy practically requires a food accompaniment, so these wine bars will always have something available to eat (even a wine tasting during a winery visit will often come with a plate of salumi and bread). Also unlike the US, where wine bars can seem like serious and studied (and expensive) temples to fermented grape juice, Italian enotecas are casual places often serving a limited selection of the local rustic specialties. Continue reading

Slicing ribs at the Memphis in May BBQ competition

“I Like Pig Butts and I Can Not Lie”

May 18, 2015 / / 0 Comments

The Kansas City Star sent Jill Wendholt Silva to Memphis to report back on the Memphis in May BBQ competition and the Memphis barbecue scene in general. Kudos to Ms. Silva – she showed genuine interest and curiosity, as opposed to the usual approach when a reporter from one barbecue region visits another barbecue region – you know, that mocking and haughty tone. Read about barbecue spaghetti, barbecue-stuffed baked potatoes, fresh pork rinds, barbecue nachos, potato chips sprinkled with Q rub, tamales, barbecue shrimp… and, of course, competition Q.

Jambalaya Festival, Gonzales LA, May 20th through 24th 2015

May 17, 2015 / / 1 Comment

Did you know that Gonzales, Louisiana is the Jambalaya Capital of the World? That’s what they decided to start calling themselves in 1967, the idea being that, along with a brand new Jambalaya Festival, the self-proclaimed title would help make a name for the town. And, you know what? It worked! Continue reading

We prefer small-tread waffles to those big Belgian-style waffles. This one is chock full of crisp pecans.

Waffle House, Weldon NC

May 17, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

The Waffle House has beckoned to us for years, decades even. We have a general aversion to chains, but a curiosity when it comes to regional chains. We’ve enjoyed Steak-N-Shake, Burgerville, Rubio’s fish tacos… not that we’d make a point of returning to most of them, but they were certainly worth the visit. The reason we’d never entered a Waffle House wasn’t that we actively avoided it but that there was always a better, independent option available, especially given their Southern locations. Continue reading

A Bob Sykes BBQ pork sandwich with a sausage link chaser

Interview with Van Sykes, Owner of Bob Sykes BBQ of Alabama

May 17, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Bob and Maxine Sykes opened Bob Sykes Bar B Q in 1957. Today, their son Van runs the restaurant with Van’s nephew, Jason, using the exact same recipes and methods that were used in 1957. The Birmingham News talked to Mr. Sykes about the restaurant, his parents, and the blues and BBQ festival he holds in town each year. Some things we learn: you want to order the most popular meal at Sykes? Get a BBQ pork sandwich with homemade O-rings and red velvet cake for dessert. And: when he was 12, he burned a pit full of pork, and his father made him pay for the burned meat!

Rhubarb Festival, Kankakee IL, May 17th 2015

May 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Where rhubarb goes, strawberry follows. Or so it seems. The crisp and tart vegetable/fruit that looks like pink celery is in season in springtime, just like its playmate the strawberry. Of course you do see rhubarb things without the berry but, to us, that always seems a little sad, as if someone is warning us not to have too much fun. That won’t be a problem tomorrow, Sunday, May 17th, in Kankakee, Illinois, as the 25th annual Rhubarb Festival will be held at the Kankakee County Museum at the Small Memorial Museum Campus. Continue reading

The joint was crowded, and our latte took a l-o-n-g time... but it was a good one.

Checking In at: Demolition Coffee, Petersburg VA

May 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Demolition Coffee opened in the Old Towne section of Petersburg, Virginia in 2010. As the Historic District name suggests, this is the oldest part of Petersburg, with many buildings remaining from the 18th and 19th centuries. Today’s Old Towne features boutiques and restaurants and is populated with young adults residing in warehouses-turned-lofts. The building Demolition sits in was built in 1879 for Southern Railway Express. The owner/developer has left much of the old brick exposed, lending the coffee house that classic urban adaptive reuse vibe. Continue reading

Rib tips with beans and slaw

Interstate BBQ Expanding to East Memphis

May 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Jim Neely and his nephew Tony will be opening the fourth Interstate Barbecue next month at 7209 Winchester Road in Memphis, at the eastern edge of the city. The original restaurant is on South 3rd Street in Memphis, with branches in the Memphis airport and Southaven, Mississippi, just over the state line from Memphis. Interstate is one of the great barbecue meccas in a city known for great barbecue.

We actually find the photos of the real Mike rather creepy. This sculptural depiction is much easier to take.

Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, Fruita CO, May 15th and 16th 2015

May 15, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Let’s set the scene: imagine it’s 1948, and you live on a farm where you raise chickens. Your mother-in-law will be here for dinner tonight, and she is fond of eating the chicken neck. So you go out to your coop and grab a fat bird, and when you swing your axe you’re sure to leave lots of neck for your mom. Off comes the head, followed by tonight’s dinner behaving as if nothing significant has just occurred. That’s what actually happened to the Olsen family of Fruita, Colorado. Lloyd Olsen was moved by the chicken’s determination, named him Mike, and continued to raise and feed him (he grew from 2 1/2 pounds to 8 pounds) for the next 18 months! Continue reading

Very easy drinking Downright Pilsner on the left, full-flavored Monumental IPA on the right

Checking In at: Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria VA

May 15, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Port City in Alexandria, Virginia served as our rest stop on a drive from Petersburg, VA to Glen Burnie, MD. It’s a brewery, not a brewpub, located along a commercial stretch of light industry. As we parked and strolled in we expected a typical, sleepy little tasting room. We were confronted by a packed, loud party of twenty-somethings. For a moment we thought we must have entered a private party (one where we could blend in and score some free beer!). In actuality, this was just a popular spot for imbibing. Port City was recently voted Best Local Brewery in a Washington City Paper poll. Continue reading

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