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When I want a hamburger, I want the meat, cheese, and bun to be stellar. Dijon or spicy brown mustard on the top bun, a ring of red onion, leaf of lettuce, cheese, followed by meat on the bottom. I really can't ask for more than that. Bleu cheese or any interesting cheeses other than cheddar (American is just disgusting) get bonus points.
Muenster is amazing on a good burger.
This weekend I did thin slices of Eggplant grilled in olive oil garlic salt and pepper, on Muenster, on Bison meat patty, on a wheat sandwich flat.
Bison is so damn good, it sucks its so expensive around here.
I will eat any burger. I am not above any including those with only American cheese and ketchup on them, but I do enjoy branching out a little bit. The shrimp burger was really good and I would order it again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tones
I enjoy steamed buns for hot dogs but for hamburgers it's grilled / oven warmed or plain.
To open I'm thinking 8 - and people can custom order whatever they like with what we've got. Might branch out into a chorizo style burger as our first foray from beef after everything gets moving.Quote:
Originally Posted by Drewbacca
Been enjoying veggie burgers lately. With bacon.
Surprisingly good if a place knows what they're doing! Upsettingly terrible if they just microwave some bullshit and throw it on a bun!
You should go to Icarusfall's restaurant and order a veggie burger.
I bet he'd get upset.
I bet you could make a fine sandwich out of whatever he puts on top of his eight different burgers.
I wouldn't even know where to start making a veggie burger.
With black beans.
Start by getting over yourself?Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
Touchy.
I make a mean black bean burger with pepitas & carrots. Made them the last time I had a barbecue, I paired them with fried vegan corn fritters. Shit was delicious. You never get quite the same consistency though, always kind of mushy, which is disappointing, but as long as it tastes good right?
Touché?Quote:
Originally Posted by Drewbacca
Yeah, that.
Yes, I should totally offer a veggie option, in a town that doesn't have a lot of vegetarians, when I've never made one before.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakey
Get over yourself. It's a burger joint.
Just sayin', veggie burgers are pretty good dude. Perfectly acceptable "sometimes food".
I don't doubt they can be tasty.
It's just not something I do. Maybe at some point if there's a big demand for it, I'll look into it. Not for opening though.
You should also put a Mame cocktail cabinet in that bitch, IMO. Burgertime.
I was mostly being facetious, but I can't imagine you knowing where to start with anything you think is completely pointless to begin with.Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
Challenge yourself.
No, I mean Shakey's being rather touchy about veggie burgers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh
Because of this thread, I went to the "create your own burger" place that's within walking distance today to challenge my own notions of a good hamburger. What resulted was a monstrosity that had just about everything that I found interesting sandwiched between two buns. The resulting hamburger was a single patty, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, green peppers, dijon, lettuce, tomato, onion, mushrooms, and guacamole. The problem is that cheap-skates such as myself will frequently choose getting the most out of my money vs. the best combination, if I am given the option. Within all of the extras that I added, I could barely taste the meat.Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
I guess where I'm going is that I prefer smaller, structured menus, that really scream quality. I like going to restaurants that broadcast "These four items are all that we have today. We have these four items because we do them very well, and because nothing has been in the kitchen for more than a day. You are not a magical snowflake. This is what we serve." This is a bit of a tangent, but when dating, picky eaters are much more polarizing then girls that are religious.
This is, like, my entire cooking ethos. I do these things really well, so that's what I do. I don't make spanakopita because I have no idea how to make a good one, and have no emotional attachment to the dish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tones
I've never had any problem telling someone we're out of something.
Where were you earlier when they were flying out the door? Come earlier next time.
I don't want leftovers when I eat out, do you?
I mean, sure, I'll slop all that shit onto a burger for you - but i really recommend you try one of our creations we've put a lot of care and concern into making tasty. But if you insist...
Like, there'll be ketchup in the house because we serve fries and it'd be unfair to deny ketchup with fries, but you'll have to request it. It doesn't come standard with anything on the menu.
And the salads will have whatever dressing I've designed for that salad, or the one for the other salad. There is no Ranch, Italian, 1K, Honey Mustard, etc in the house.
Take that shit to Applebee's. That's not what we do here.
Working in the restaurant business, do you get a lot of yelpies and other reviewers chasing their internet fame demanding a free cocksucking? Or at least, hear about it from the servers?
One of my greatest disappointments from a restaurant was getting baklava from a place that had no right selling baklava. It was the saddest, gummiest, I don't know the hell what that I've ever had.
This is my policy on food writers / critics / reviewers: I treat everyone the same. If a random customer asked me for 20 minutes of my time before opening on some specific day, I'd do my best to make sure they get the 20 minutes. I don't care if it's for an interview or just for a young cook to pick my brain a little - my door is open. No one gets a free ride unless they're a friend in from out of town, or a visiting cook.
Especially for cooks - if I give special treatment to anyone, it's to line cooks coming up in the world. They do a very hard job for very little respect and I try to encourage them to tell Angry Chefs they won't stand for their bullshit. If someone comes to me and tells me they want a shot at the show, I'll give it to them - I pay a dollar more than the going rate to all my employees, I expect you to do a better job, and to be a pleasant person to be around. In return, you get better pay, a chef that won't scream at you, a family run business that really does care about you as a person, the opportunity to be creative - and actually be rewarded for that creativity. Come up with a great special we can run? I approve it? Let's do it Friday night. There is no other restaurant in the city that would let a line cook put their own creation on the menu - even for a night. I want the best and the brightest in my kitchen. But it's just burgers! I don't give a fuck if it's chicken or foie gras - how about a little care and concern in preparing someone's meal? And just because it's a burger doesn't mean I can't make it look nice, and keep it tight. Don't just dump parsley all over everything, place the bits where they belong. And wipe your fucking plates!
I don't believe in secret recipes. If someone asks I'll tell them every ingredient I put in something. If no one passed information to me I wouldn't be where I am opening a restaurant of my own creations - it's, literally, the least I can do to help further the collective consciousness of my craft.
This has turned into more of a manifesto than I intended.
This one I wholeheartedly agree with, because the current place I work at the owner has half her menu as a secret recipe and she's now in her 70's. The problem is her son now runs the kitchen and we have to call her in too make meals, due it being a secret. When she dies those recipes go with her and guess what happens to the business?Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
http://tapatalk.com/mu/aefc7a1c-7f8d-b463.jpg
Basil fins!
Copyposta from the pub thread:
I just started this thing because of MarkRyan's thread about them, but I'll be documenting the restaurant process (with some ramblings on philosophy and recipes) on this blog: abandonist.
Follow it if you'd like.
I've been following you.
I carbonated Sweet-Tea/Lemonade.
It's good. The carbonation reduces the sweetness drastically and makes everything more delicate.
Reached out to a tea plantation in Charleston about supplying us with tea at The Owl.
I'm having people over for dinner Friday. I have no idea how many people are coming over. My inclination is to make a huge pot of vegetable soup; it's flexible, it keeps, and I just love making soup. Soup in the summer seems a bit unseasonable; should I make a cold one instead?
I made vegetable soup last week! I use chicken stock and demi-glace in it though.
When The Owl is up and running I'm gonna have to find a way to make it down there and check it out.
Gazpacho(gaspacho) is awesome. Yes try it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tones
Perhaps a TNL meetup in the new year? I can get bands and stuff. Make it an event.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Johnpv
This is for real. I'll go, especially if I have no school events at that time.
I have not made it for a few years. Might as well revisit it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Advocate
Book my band.
If I'm still on the East Coast I am so there.Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
You can count on tones! That is all.Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
We made this the other day. Heaven. Even if you don't normally like meatloaf, you've gotta try it.
figured this was the best place to post this
http://www.sugoicuisine.com/#
Went there friday. Southern + asian was actually really good. I had some catfish sushi that was amazing.
Its nice to see that southern staples can be cooked in healthier ways (you know, not frying them).
I'll look that over later tonight, but it looks interesting.
I made a meat sauce tonight with chorizo instead of ground beef. A touch of cream, a little sherry vin, pinch of thyme, salt, and smoked paprika. At the very end I put an egg yolk in it (just the yolk) and swirled it all around till it was blended. Rigatoni pasta. Y'all don't deserve this dish. It might have been the best pasta dish I've ever had anywhere.
How did you keep the chorizo from overpowering the sauce?
1 link of chorizo to 1 can of crushed tomato.
Dick in the air like you don't care.
To be fair, the chorizo I use isn't crazy powerful.
My roommate is going to Cornell for a Masters in Chemistry and Environmental science. Why is this here? He is buying a Chemical Distiller. We are planning on extracting essential oils from a variety of things.
Do you mean a rotovap?
kinda.
He's going for all glassware ... and using only water and alcohol. So in a way, real close to that. REAL close.
edit: I'll ask him when he gets back. He went to Wawa for some coffee.
I always burn any slab of beef I cook. It's tough to chew and all that shit. Any advice on preparing future cuts of steak or chuck or whatever it's called.
Stop cooking it for so damn long.
That is probably the case since it was cooked all the way through. It was a pretty thick cut and figured half hour in 350 degree oven wouldn't be so bad.
Sear the steak in the cast iron pan, lower temp of the oven to 325, 10-15 minutes in the oven(depends on the type of oven: cenvection, electric or gas) more if you like well done; I don't I cook it 10 minutes tops, and let it rest out of the oven for 5 minutes (it will continue to cook).
What cut of meat was it? How much did it weight?
Meat cookery is an art. I can poke a steak and tell you how cooked it is.
For roasts, get a cheap probe thermometer that runs from the meat outside the oven and tells you the temp. Take it out when it's 5 or so degrees blow what you want. It'll cook the rest of the way on the counter. Let it sit there for 5-10 minutes so that the protein strands can relax.
If you're talking steak, preheat the oven to 350, and get that cast iron on med-high and let it get all the way hot. Salt your steak 15-20 minutes before you cook it and set it on the counter to come closer to room temp. Blot the meat with a paper towel just before you put it in the pan so that it's bone dry. A little oil in the pan and start searing the meat. After 2 minutes flip it and assess the sear. If it needs more then after 2 minutes flip it again. Keep doing this until it's got a nice crust. Now throw the pan in the oven for 5-8 minutes (this assumes a steak of 3/4" that you want mid-rare). Take it out and let it sit for a few minutes before you eat.
Any time you add heat to a protein strand it coils in on itself and gets tougher. Think of meat as a swarm of protein strands. You want the outside crusted from flavor and texture, but you want the inside just warm for optimum tenderness.
Also: be conscious of the cut of meat you're using. If you're doing something with chuck, then you're talking pot roast which is a several hour affair (or 30 minutes with a pressure cooker!). Chuck is full of connective tissue that takes a long time to break down into collagen. Something like a Strip Steak has very little in the way of connective tissue and should be cooked quickly and kept medium at maximum.
It was chuck something. I threw out the packaging. It weighed about two lbs.
Thanks, Icarus. That last line will actually be helpful for future cooks.
No problem. Be aware that there's a difference between "fat" and "connective tissue."
You want a well marbled (fat streaks) piece of meat. The best stuff looks like a tight spiderweb. Connective tissue is the stuff that's all chewy until it dissolves. Then there silverskin (elastin) the stuff that gets stuck in your teeth and will never break down ever. They literally used to string tennis rackets with the stuff.
Rough. This isn't as big a deal since I rarely ever eat beef but it's good to know.
Another question: what the hell do people put in a salad? I'm going shopping and want to make my own salad but what the hell do I add?
All depends on the style of salad.
I recommend spring mix for a variety of textures and flavors in the lettuce. Crumble in some cheddar or goat cheese. Add some chopped pecans or almonds. Maybe some raisins or dried cranberries. Drizzle with oil and vinegar of your choice. Salt.
It's strange communicating recipes for something like a salad to me. I just think of things that taste good together and then figure out a way to put those things together. Eventually after you have a flavor memory you just kind-of make stuff. Taste as you go and adjust as necessary. "Oh! Orange would go great with this flavor!" Think of a way to get some orange juice up in that bitch.
That is what I do, but I skip the salt.
I was going with leafy lettuce with some cherry tomatoes and maybe oven-baked chicken. I can get down with some goat cheese. Is olive oil different than oil you get from a salad bar? If so I'll need to get some of that, too.
I don't like nuts in my salad, though.
Or on my tonsils.
Olive oil's fine. Unless you want to use something like sesame oil for flavor.
Maybe a tiny bit of dijon mustard in the vinaigrette.
because of my Crohns disease I have to check off a lot of things that go into salads, but Humus or mashed Avocado's as a replacement for dressings is amazing. Salsa is also good in a salad, just add some EVOO and you're all set.
What the hell is a vinaigrette? And can I buy a bottle of it with dijon already mixed in?
Try the cranberries. It doesn't seem like it would work, but it really does. I also like slices of tart green apple.
Making your own salad dressing is not hard. Make a couple portions at a time. It is super cheap, and you know exactly what is going in it.
oil + red wine, balsamic, or rice wine vinagar + whisked egg or mustard as a binder + salt and pepper = vinagrette.
Yes you can buy a Dijon Vinagrette, but you can yield more making it yourself.
fyi: this was a basic recipe. You can add garlic, raspberries, walnuts, etc to it.
remember though its 3 parts oil to 1 part vinagar.
It's all about balancing the tastes. Sweet (cheese and fruits), sour (vinegar cranberries), bitter (greens), salt (uh.. salt). Let's leave out astringent and unctuous so as to not confuse you.
Then take into account texture.
Then mouth-feel.
The rabbit hole is as deep as you want it.
Mustard is the standard emulsifier in vinaigrette.
I made it with egg yolk when I made a raspberry and walnut vinaigrette. The mustard would have overpowered the raspberries.
I'll just buy the shit. My time is money. But when I do have free time I'll dabble.
And remember, nothing is wrong as far as taste goes. If you like it and have a technique for getting there, it's fine. We may be able to help you do it more efficiently, faster, or with better results, but always be fucking around with stuff. I don't think I've ever followed a recipe to the letter in my entire life.
That's all I do! It's the reason why I can cook fairly well. I leave cooking to the pros and do some mildly okay cooking to impress women since many, many women in NYC don't know how to cook and are used to going to restaurants every night. I'll need some healthier recipes later on since Josh is riding my ass about not being a fat old man.
I do it because I care.
recipes suck.Quote:
Originally Posted by icarusfall
I just look at the ingredients and wing it till it tastes good.
Most of the cooking I've learned to do has been in restaurants and the rest by following recipes and learning how to cook greek food from old ladies. Sometimes I have to replace an ingredient because of accessibility but I want to know I can execute a dish the way it is intended before I start tweaking it. Certain things you can only learn from experience ie. making/using roux, hollandaise, etc but if you aren't in a restaurant kitchen there is no frame of reference unless your family has some great cooks. And god damn it I make some kickass greek food.
I made my own ginger brew today with the carbonator. It's the best I've ever had.
1/2 gallon of water, a good size ginger root maybe 5 inches long by 1.5 inches wide peeled and grated into a bowl so that you don't lose the juice, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 lemon.
Bring the water to a boil and add the ginger and sugar. Zest the lemon and add to the pot. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the brew before you put the halves in as well. Lower to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and cool in the fridge. Carbonate in a soda siphon (or other device) according to directions. I use a thing called the Twist and Sparkle made by ISI. It's a little pricey, but I think it's worth it for the simplicity and ease of use. Also comes recommended by Cooks Illustrated.
Was it burn-the-back-of-your-throat spicy? Is that the type of thing that you would endeavor to do at The Owl? I'm imagining a dessert special like a lemon bar, with the ginger brew served in an ice shot glass. Kind of fru-fru for a burger place, I know, but it's still borderline finger food, and would be a light, crisp ending to a rich meat sandwich.
Either that or an amazing whiskey ginger ale (my mixed drink of choice).
Definitely a burn, but not crazy. The next batch I make I want to make borderline unacceptable spicy.
I thought of offering it as a thing at the owl but I don't have a way to mass produce it other than making a simple syrup to add to seltzer water.
I'd pair the drink for one particular dish. Thus allowing for you to make enough to last, but not enough to where you have to kill yourself to make it.
Unless it's gets popular.
But like IC says on his blog. They should have been there earlier when it was in stock. If he truly believes what he says about consistency and have an ever changing menu is okay ... then he should make it, but to be paired with one menu item only.
fyi: I agree with him on all points in his blog.
I go out of my way to find "homemade" ginger beer. I am not the only one. You should have it available at your place when you feel like it. Let people know via twitter, or something.
The problem is carbonating it on a large scale. The carbonator only works with 3 cups of liquid at a time.
Why don't you bottle and ferment it? This will get you a gentler carbonation (you might want to make it slightly weaker to account for this), but it is much easier to do on a large scale.
I think it's soda he's brewing.
Space is the issue for bottling and storing. It's something we might be able to do in the future.
A two day ferment would give carbonation without any significant alcohol content. You would need a good cool place to do this, then it would need to be refrigerated. So space could become an issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by Advocate
Edit: you'd only need to fridge it for a day to kill the yeast, them you could store it anywhere. Not sure what the shelf life on it would be.
Fuck the hot weather, it's fall, and tonight I am making beef stew. I have a bomber of Abita Abbey Ale in the fridge to consume alongside.
So I picked up some short ribs today.
Attachment 63167
Made a Korean BBQ style marinade for them, and let them sit for about 5 1/2 hours in it.
Then I slapped those bad boys on the grill, and here's pictures of them cooking away.
Attachment 63168
Attachment 63169
And this is them finished.
Attachment 63170
The flavors where definitely there, though I think they came out slightly tough. I think they could have used a bit more time in the marinade. Next time I'm going to let them marinate for at least 24 hours, if not 48.
Just wanted to add I'm not the best photographer and my camera kind of sucks so did my best picture wise.
I'm making shoat rib tomorrow, but I'm doing them in the pressure cooker for a stew.
btw - you should all buy a pressure cooker. They're expensive. Spend the money. Pot roast in 40 minutes.
It's true.
I did short ribs this weekend! Soy, vinegar, H2O, Honey, Garlic, Ginger, Jalapeño
My beef stew had short ribs in it! I roasted them, and the bone lent tons of flavor to the finished product, and the meat stayed really delicious. I just seasoned it with salt and tons of pepper, really.
Figured out the technique for the tomato jam. Roast diced tomatoes, some chopped garlic, a grate of nutmeg (seriously, just a little) and a squeeze of lime at 300 forever until they get soft and gelatinous. Crank it up to 400 and stir them every 10 minutes to get a little char in there until they're super awesome. You can use canned toms. Pour off half the juice into a glass. Add some throughout the cook if things start getting dry.