Bikes. Food. Eating. Drinking. Wine. Travel. Skiing. Bozeman.
The occasional giant sandwich.
Lance Armstrong's last tweet, before he headed out today, the first mountain stage of the 2009 Tour de France:
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When the BBQ joint is inside a gas station you pretty much know that the grub is either going to be great - or just scary. In the case of Woody's Smokehouse in Centerville...what you get is great.
Here's how it goes down at Woody's:
Find a place to park.
Get in BBQ serving line.
Place paper-lined cafeteria tray on top of counter.
Select BBQ products of your choosing: brisket, baby back ribs, chopped beef, smoked sausage, bacon wrapped quail.
Receive instructions on beans, ice tea and location of napkins and white bread from salty BBQ server.
Pay.
Sit down at huge communal tables.
Pig out.
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Strolling aimlessly after our recent dinner at Dallas's Local restaurant, I stumbled on the glowing storefront of Rudolph's Market. Two things stand out: the frozen-in-time nature (the counter, walls, decor that scream old-school-butcher-shop); secondly, I spy an enormous cooler of meet. Many cuts are represented from what I can tell through the slightly hazy glass of the front windows. I can only imagine the hanger steaks, head cheese, blood sausage and other goodies that surely lie within.
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In the interest of fairness, this post contains no photos. Just my words - whatever that's worth. Also: they DO NOT have a dish called "Huevos Velveetos".....read on....
After downing a tasty coffee in the LaSalle hotel's lobby, we decide that it is time to take on some breakfast calories. We wander across Bryan's Main Street to load up at a local institution: Los Norteños.
I have good - make that great - memories of this place. Home-made tortillas, creamy lard-enhanced refried beans, etc...basic, but good Tex-Mex.
I seemed to recall that the breakfast burritos were big. This theory is further reinforced when I ask our server if we would need one or two of these to fill up (at $3.99 each); when she states that one is plenty since it is made with six eggs.
I guess I didn't fully process that last bit, you know, about the SIX eggs. I was thinking surely she must have meant the equivalent of six eggs....easy eggs in a bag sort of thing....talking big, but really meaning two or three.
Judging from the Nerf-ball sized migas burrito that arrived at the table, they really do mean six eggs.
Also not mentioned is that they include about, oh, 24oz. of Velveeta in each burrito.
I am stopped, abruptly, about half way through this monster. I imagine my aorta filling with Velveeta, straining to pump the thick goo that I have ingested.
Check please.
We proceed back to the LaSalle and down Americano's to counteract the impending food coma that we surely deserve.
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Bryan's LaSalle Hotel was immortalized in the classic Robert Earl Keen/Lyle Lovett tune, Front Porch Song:
This old porch is a steamin' greasy plate of enchiladas
With lots of cheese and onions ans a guacamole salad
You can get them at the LaSalle Hotel in old downtown
With ice tea and a waitress who will smile every time
Oh yeah, I left a quarter tip on my ten dollar bill...
The LaSalle now serves up "coffee by Starbucks" and not enchiladas; but the spirit of old Bryan, Texas is palpable in the ornate brick storefronts and buildings that make up downtown.
For dinner we wander across the parking lot to the River Bridge Grill and find exactly what we need after a day of moving heavy items out at the old Saxon ranch: cold beer, simple iceberg lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing, really good crispy home-made onion rings, marbled and tasty rib eye steak, and home-made fries. I was encouraged by our server's response when I inquired about the quality of the sirloin vs. the rib eye - when he said that he was just "debating this with the chef the other day"....stating that both were good and sourced locally...but the rib eye had more flavor. Sold. Thank you, unknown waiter, for the tip. Our server earned further respect when he brought out our desserts of bread pudding with a strawberry anglaise and apologized for the "sloppy" presentation. It looked good to me - gloppy for sure - but good.
After dinner we wander the largely empty main street in downtown Bryan watching the fading light and soaking up the lingering heat from the day. Warm (hot?) nights are pretty rare back in the Bozone and the 90-degrees-at-10:00pm thing proves fascinating and slightly shocking as we walk off our sizable dinners.
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It seems that the word "local" comes up often in the food world these days - and for good reason. Local food usually tastes better, is better for you, travels less, and provides regional and seasonal framework to cuisine.
Local restaurant in Dallas popped up on my radar this trip through the various forums and reviews on Chow and the local newspapers. Local's "modern American upscale" menu pretty much falls in my sweet spot. As I scan the menu, I detect a focus on clean, classic flavors and innovative uses of high quality ingredients.
After the first look of the menu, and an internal assessment of the staff and restaurant, we determine that the Chef's tasting menu is the way to go to tonight. We further rationalize the high-dollar purchase by noting that my birthday was just "last month" and we were "almost closed" on that real estate deal. Maybe visa will "sort-of" post the whole charge?
For the record, I LOVE tasting menus. A chef is going to crank out 7-13 courses of something really good for me - and pair said courses with wine? Bring. It. On.
Here's how our wonderful dinner broke down...as best as I can remember:
Amuse bouche: Pureed fava bean soup (with some really good oil drizzled on top, mind you)
Soup of summer squash with crispy leaks
Salad of heirloom tomatoes, green beans, blue cheese and pickled fennel
Maine lobster cake, crispy beet and frisee slaw
Foie gras with cherry reduction and "Texas toast"
Intermezzio: Texas peach sorbet
Salmon with fava bean and potato puree
Filet of beef with arugula toss and crispy potatoes
Blueberry cake....adjectives and other descriptives escape me here.
The food was very hand made...well seasoned...and at times, packed with restrained and carefully crafted flavors...like the perfect balance of spice and smoke on the filet. The source of the smoke notes remain a mystery; as when I inquired with the staff if the smoke came from smoked sea salt, or other means I was told that it was "a trade little secret from the chef." Fine. You don't want to show your hand...I was just geeking out on your delicous food. Who doesn't love a mystery anyway?
Of the wines, the 2006 Vincent Pouilly Fuisse was clearly a favorite - paired wiht the salmon/fava bean puree. The other pairings ranged from the traditional (chardonnay with lobster) to the, well, traditional (a smokey cab with the aforementioned smokey filet). If I were to pick one downer during the meal (like a free Ferrari in a color I don't care for); I would have preffered a Sauterne or Royal Tokaji to go with the lovely rich sweetness of the foie course.
Set in the heart of Deep Ellum, the decor was decidedly hip and delightfully mellow at the same time. Lovers of Bozeman's Plonk would feel right at home in Local.
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Al's hamburgers are not:
Pate-stuffed, fried-egg topped, made with Kobe Beef, served with a brioche bun, with cloth napkins, etc...
Al's hamburgers are:
Served in white paper, thin and well seared, served "Texas Style" with lettuce, yellow mustard, and onions, served with home made fries.
....wrapped up in white paper like little beefy presents, Al's hamburgers offer an express ticket to diner heaven. Vinyl-covered b&c chairs, sports posters, photos of patrons consuming large quantities of product provide the atmosphere appropriate to the food.
I ordered a double cheese burger, fries and Shiner Bock beer. I ate all of it....and think to myself...maybe a triple next time....
Apparently not the first person to ponder a multi-stack of Al's burgers, our server, Belle, brings over a framed collage of images from a group of local college males who each put away 11-stack cheeseburgers.
Al's is an Arlington institution that moved from its original drive-in location to the current spot in a non-descript strip mall. While the setting has changed, the food - thankfully - has not.
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Thankfully, Tex-Mex cuisine did not die along with one of its champions last March with the passing of Matt Martinez. Matt's El Rancho lives on flying the Tex-Mex flag and serving up classic Tex-Mex dishes like chile rellenos, enchiladas, good chips and salsa...and for the calorically challenged: Bob Armstrong dip, or simply a "Bob". A bowl of queso with a core of guacamole, sour cream, and seasoned beef, a "Bob" (small or the OMG-large size) sets the perfect tone and gets the palate ready for both the calories and the tasty goodness that will soon be yours.
A small Bob, Pacifico beer, thin and crispy chips, and the thin and hot salsa sets the mood. The main course of a chile relleno topped with chopped pecans and raisins brought extreme satisfaction. Crispy coated, beef stuffed, and tomatillo sauce topped, Matt's chile relleno is: crispy, creamy, smooth, earthy...and with little bits of crunchy pecan and sweet raisins just bringing it all together.
Creamy, lard-enhanced refried beans are cleaned off the plate along with everything else.
Why can't people make anything like this in Bozeman?
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Arlington Texas, in addition to being my boyhood home, at one point held the distinction of the nation's largest city without mass transit of any kind. A pure strain of car and suburban culture, Arlington is attempting to revive its downtown - a big task for what is inherently a mega suburb of Dallas. A big library, city hall, and a new band shell do their part to draw people into the heart of old Arlington.
New since my last visit, Fuzzy's Taco Shop popped up on east Abram street. A local chain outlet, Fuzzy's was packed with the after church crowd (presumably); and this quick service tacos-for-gringos joint produced some pretty nice chow. The guacamole was studded with bigger chunks of avocado and a space-filling-core of shredded lettuce. The chips were thin, fresh and dusted with salt and chile powder.
My fish tacos (tempura fried) had crispy bits of light and flaky fish, shredded lettuce (I would have preferred cabbage), and a dusting of cotija cheese. The corn tortillas were pretty fresh...although likely mass produced, had a nice bite and chew to them that good quality fresh corn tortillas should possess.
Hot sauce was on the table. Thin and vinegar-y like a Tabasco - it provided a little moisture and heat to the tacos.
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