Well, I hope to be out of the KC area by the middle of May. Thence to Salem, Oregon. I’ll not miss Brownbackistan one whit. I will have a place to garden and to have a smoker again. No more apartment cooking. Yahoo!
Will be glad to be there.. real strawberries.. not those cardboard ones from Las Califas. Serious wineries, more craft brewing. Hell, I may get me a cajun cooker, too. Quien sabe?
Mainly photos with captions..
From the NY Times.
and a scene I painted taken from a photo taken by a pal of mine, Mike Farmer. It’s at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX
Wow.. this was great. They made their own beans and the cole slaw was not some bland and overly sweet grocery store salad bar mush. I was most impressed. This was for the grand opening at Local Pig, a an artisanal butcher shop that produces charcuterie in the East Bottoms. This is about two blocks from Knucklehead’s, a music venue where have I occasionally sat in on accordion at the blues jams, just north, across the railroad tracks.
There was quite a crowd, even when I got there a bit after noon. It was chilly and windy, in the 40s, but pleasant. There seemed to be a rather well-behaved crowd.
The plates were quite nice. The buns/rolls were amazingly good. Not some sort of Bunny Bread/burger bun dreck.
Here’s a photo of my plate.
If I had known, I could have gotten some ribs. But I didn’t. Here’s a plate of rib remains. Sigh. Whimper.
Lest we forget, the guest of honor… a noble beast..
And here’s the guest of honor with the woman who was nobly serving the Boulevard Ales on tap. Good work, folks!
Not forgetting, EL TORITO #3 (I think it’s number 3) just opened its new supermercado on the north side of Independence Avenue, across from ACE Hardware. It’s a really nice place to shop for comida and has a great carniceria.
Use dried beans. Please. Here’s how, from Ruhlman.
Make the time for dried beans. Relax.
I’ve been busy. This is the most advanced cooking I can handle, other than makin’ a pot of frijoles rosados.
I put some Penzey’s “muralla del sabor” on this sucker.
Stubb’s makes good charcoal.
The deck and its environs. No hablo “gas grill”.
Move it to the side.. this fire could have cooked a load more meat. One could also roast an aubergine for baba ganoush in the cooker as it cooled.
Now for the slice.. tender as a maiden’s heart.
Hurrah for Belmont!
Their MEAT ISSUE mentions the Big Apple Market on Jeff Davis. Who let them off their West End tether? Next they’ll be reviewing the Guate bars in that neck of the woods.
It should be noted that Big Apple’s fish market can be rather aromatic in the summer. And they usually have the widest selection of dried beans in the area. Flor de mayo, Mayacoba, Canario, y mucho mas! And they often have tins of Caldo de Garrobo (iguana soup) which is said to be an aid in combatting hangovers and an aid for impotence.
No wonder our economy is going to hell in a handbasket. You folks can’t spell for beans. And I’d expect you artsy types would know “palette”.
Used my grill wok this weekend on marinated beef tips, zucchini, poblanos, & mushrooms.
Oona got back from Oregon and we went to El Vaquero tonight. She had the chicken quesadilla plate (with rice, beans & salad) and I had carne asada gorditas. And we each had a glass of horchata.
The owner brought us out a complementary bowl of their Friday special, caldo de res. Which is a restorative pho-like beef soup with potato, carrot, & cabbage in it. This place is one of the best non-gringoized Mexican restaurants in this burg. We may go there for breakfast tomorrow.
Heard in El Matamoros in Austin in the 1970s from a vegetarian:
“Could I have carne guisada tacos without meat?”
<snarfoux!>
Don Pepe’s is now on Midlothian, where the Arabic restaurant, SAHARA, was. Probably more of the typical Mexico/ElPaso/CasaGrandes glop.. They had a sign guy out on the roadside in the heat today, in full peon drag, replete with sombrero, sarape & guitar. Sorry, no Chiva, bandoliers or machete.
And EL CERRO AZUL out past Flat Rock, is opening up in the center on Midlothian where Hancock Fabrics is. Not sure when this will be, but it’s less of a hike there than out past Flat Rock. This should be a good thing. I hope they carry Bohemia beer which is a vast improvement over that bellywash, Corona.
Chickenfoot Soup 