the adventurous eater

notes from the road: norfolk, abingdon, asheville

jedd and i have been on the road since last friday, august 31. we're on our annual roadtrip which tends to be through towns around the south, usually starting and finishing in the norfolk/va beach vicinity since that's where his family lives. we always stop in raleigh on the way back, too, at my dad's.

this year's itinerary:

norfolk/va beach
abingdon, va (western va)
blue ridge mountains
asheville, nc
blue ridge mountains
charleston, sc
raleigh, nc
norfolk/va beach

here are some eating shots from the road:

on the road to norfolk, the pit in salisbury, md...

brunswick stew...

a big dinner salad with yummy ranch

jedd got the ribs and mac n cheese...


until next time...

we had some delicious meals in norfolk...the boot is a relatively new-ish, but already award-winning spot that serves up delicious local & seasonal treats. hits were a blenheim cabernet franc and my appetizer, a crab-basil panna cotta with sliced heirloom tomatoes and licorice basil. i was surprised and delighted.

on to abingdon...on the way there we stopped at the three little pigs bbq:


real carolina pulled pork over salad with perfect ranch dressing, the way the school cafeteria used to make...

sweet potato fries with peach dipping sauce

jedd's pulled pork sammy with onion fries

in abingdon we stayed at a lovely b&b, the white birches inn, and ate dinner that evening at the martha washington inn on main street. decidedly fancy, yet empty...but also tasty.

a special steak with a grand marnier demiglace...

duck treats...

and of course no southern meal is complete without a little bananas foster...

on to asheville...first stop is lunch at the jerusalem garden cafe...we ordered way too much!

greek olives, greek salad, hummus...

close-up on the yummy lamb shawarma that jedd ordered...

and they are clean, too!

an afternoon snack: orange blossom cupcake from the sisters mcmullen cupcake shop

my favorite meal so far: the market place in asheville, nc

what i had: veal sweetbreads with bread & butter pickles and watercress salad, grilled red trout over grits with a lovely tomato salad, vanilla bean panna cotta with peach soup (split)
what jedd had: quail & grits, grilled red trout with grits & tomato salad, vanilla bean panna cotta with peach soup (split)

DELICIOUS!

veal sweetbreads...so delicious with their crispy coating and smooth interior texture...melts in your mouth!

jedd's quail app...

we both ordered the red trout over grits with shaved fennel and an heirloom tomato salad....AMAZINGLY GOOD. not to mention local and seasonal, but of course!

vanilla panna cotta with peach soup and fresh peaches...

which we obviously hated...

overall, the food was heavy, local, but amazing. i can only eat it in doses, but this is the kind of adventurous eating i look forward to every year!

my dad is adventurous, too

the apple never falls too far from the tree, and in this case i happen to have two parents who love to cook and enjoy good food and drink!

this afternoon i was lucky enough to receive some pics from my dad & stepmom's latest wine-making experiment with local, self-picked, north carolina chambourcin grapes; as well as a little something they whipped up for dinner, bacon-wrapped cod on a bed of summer vegetables with a fried parsnip garnish!

i just love the way the grapes look all smashed and juicy. my dad has been making wine at home for awhile now, they have a whole closet dedicated to the many variations. i have one bottle from the first batch on my wine rack, and though i know the time is right for the drinking, i can't help but want to save it for a special night.

look at all these grapes!

look at all those bubbles! something good will definitely come from this.

i learned a lot of what i know about cooking from my dad, but i must say, the parsnip on the main dish looks like an extra special treat! i've never seen that before, it's so...pretty! what a great addition to an already fantastic sounding dish. my dad does give credit to emeril, as this dish was a riff on one of his recipes.

update: fresh dates

i've been waiting and waiting for these dates to soften and ripen like a typical fruit. i should know better by now than to expect something "exotic" to follow traditional rules of ripening. the outer skins have simply shriveled a little bit but are no more edible than on day one. instead i've found that peeling the skin off with a paring knife is still my best bet. they've become ever so slightly sweeter, but there is still an astringent quality to the taste, as though they need to be cooked or prepared in some other way for maximum quality of flavor. i may try that this evening in a dish so that i can eat least see if that's the case...

the rambutan

clearly i'm on a mission to review various exotic fruits that i'm finding around town...that will soon end as summer turns to fall.

i was looking for some fresh lychees and another exotic fruit, the pitaya (or 'dragon fruit') when i stumbled across the rambutan. it seems that exotic fruits are for members of a special natives-only club, since no one really wants to take time to tell you how to eat them, what to expect, things along those lines. i guess they figure if you're curious enough to ask, just buy one and try it for yourself.

that was pretty much the feeling i got when i asked for a little more information about the rambutan. the man behind the fruit stand said "rambutan. rambutan." when i asked how you eat it he said "peel off the skin." that was that.

so i brought 2 of them home. one for me and one for jedd, since he wants to try these experimental sessions as well. we'll see about that, since he's was already grossed out by the picture of the rambutan on wikipedia.

the fruit is thought to be native to the Malay Archipelago; the Malay word "rambut" means "hairs". not knowing what awaited inside the outer, hairy shell, i decided to cut gently with a paring knife around the perimeter and pop it open that way.

what rested inside looked like a translucent but beautiful egg. it fit perfectly within the limits of the space, no more and no less, with a sheen that looked as though it was quite well protected. no mars, no bruising. a perfect fleshy orb.

cutting deeper into the fruit revealed the inner pit. i proceeded to cut around once more to split it in half and get a sense for the texture. it looked like a piece of gummy candy, and has almost the same texture in your mouth, but with a light and fruity taste that was actually quite delicious.

the rambutan happens to be related to the lychee and longan family of fruits. as you can see they share a similar look and feel -- the main difference being their outer casing and their taste -- but you can tell they are distant cousins.

the man behind the counter was right, just peel off the skin.

st. peter's english ale

sometimes good packaging can be enough to catch your eye to try something new. tonight was one of those nights. I wandered around d'agostino's looking for something to warm me up and ironically, found delight in the "cold beer" section. this lovely pint-filled, olive-shaded flask stopped me in my tracks.

a cold beer (and usually, for me, a chelada) is surely the remedy for a hot summer night. but on a chilly evening, a different kind of beer can often do the trick -- a nice, sturdy ale. lo and behold, st. pete caught me at just the right moment.

i'm a fan of ales, generally speaking. i like the light yet complex flavor, especially when it claims to be brewed in "a medieval hall in a remote, rural corner of Suffolk, Eastern England", as does this st. peter's english ale. ah, the mystery of beer.

it has a pleasing brandy tone that verges on a rose in the right light. it carries a modest fizz that sparkles on the tip of your tongue when you take a small swig. even your conscientious (?) side can feel good, after all it uses "organically grown hops & barley".

most mysterious to me is the cap, which portrays a sideview of a black crow. perhaps there is more to this friendly brew than than meets the eye.

showdown: lychee vs longan

for those of us who live in urban centers, the lychee probably isn't that foreign. it shows up in any number of places including the trendy lychee martini and even in lychee cupcakes. it is a fleshy white-ish fruit that has a lean but shiny brown pit, that is surrounded by a sort of pink, knobby pod.

what I didn't expect to find (I was at first intrigued by the clean packaging of a canned fruit) was the longan. the longan is apparently somewhat similar to the lychee, though it wears a different shell (more thin and brown). the back label said "similar to the lychee", so I decided to find out for myself.

as you can see from the live comparison below, their shape and shells are similar in function, but actually set the tone for their inner characteristics as well.

both are fruits native to southeast asia. in fact, i've seen both side by side down in chinatown, but i had been confusing this longan for a similar-looking mexican/south american fruit (the huaya).

longan's are called "dragon eye" fruit because when they are peeled, the resemble a dragon's eye. the dark pit shows through the translucent skin to give this effect. yummy. even without the pit inside I still think they look like eyeballs!

I perceive the taste to be a mix of cool breeze and sweetness, vs the more densely fruity sweetness of the lychee. they are definitely similar, but not the same. I say it's "breezy" because there was something a bit on the more refreshing and clean side to this one. grassy and earthy vs sweet. it simply has a lighter flavor. I see it's future as a zest to my tall glass of water, or as a topping to a summer sorbet. the lychee to me plays the role of ingredient, not simply the icing on the cake.

while i prefer the fresh to the canned, my favorite part of this purchase overall is that this little container surprises you with a little plastic spoon folded neatly into the underside of the plastic lid...just unbend it to it's proper usable state and dig in!

fresh dates

I had just walked into my favorite spice market-plus, kalustyan's on 28th and lex, and noticed a lovely specimen on their front counter. can i eat them like this? do they have a pit? I was quick to ask the woman behind the counter anything and everything I needed to know, for I was destined to bring the branch of lovely fresh dates home with me. she mumbled something about yes, pick them off the branch, yes they have a pit. that's about all i could get from her.

my previous experience with dates has been limited to the dried variety, usually wrapped in bacon or other cured ham, and probably at a spanish tapas joint. i was thrilled at this discovery, since it fits right in with my quest to try foods that are slightly off the beaten path.

that said...how scary is a date?

i found this tuberous-looking branch quite charming. completely non-threatening. so like any naive first-timer i took one from the vine and bit right in...hmmm.

like any fruit or vegetable, it has to be ripe before you can eat it and have it actually taste good. not knowing what a ripe date is supposed to feel like, this was an acceptable error in judgment. but then i recalled my recent experience with the monstera deliciosa and quickly became nervous -- what if this thing is dangerous to eat before it's fully ripe? i quickly searched online but thankfully found nothing to support my fear.

according to wikipedia, dates ripen in four stages, which are known throughout the world by their arabic names: kimri (unripe), khalal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried).

the taste of an unripe date is a lightly sweet flavor. you can tell what it will be when it grows up, but it's not quite there yet. the texture at this stage is almost like biting into an unripened peach...that crunchy inner flesh, though here it's surrounded by a slightly waxy skin.

i'll assume a ripe date is slightly more forgiving to the touch. and i think even cooking with a date will be better once a little softer. stay tuned.

fruits from the motherland: mamey sapote

part of my adventurousness in eating exotic foods stems from my experiences growing up, visiting family in merida (on the yucatan peninsula of southern mexico). I'll be doing a short series on the fruits I would eat there (and forevermore look forward to), since many of them appear slightly odd at first...but, once you try them they will linger in your memory.

while you may be tempted to confuse this particular fruit for a biogenetically engineered red avocado...it is actually the tropical melon fruit of the mamey sapote tree.

the mamey actually shares many characteristics with the avocado in look and feel, from it's rough outer skin to its creamy inner pulp and large brown pit. the differences, however, take this fruit to another realm...it's sweet, custardy consistency more readily lends itself to soften a savory dish, scooped out and eaten in the palm of your hand, or blended into a smoothie, sorbet or ice cream. some describe the taste as a some combination of honey, pumpkin, chocolate and almonds. some consider the fruit to be an aphrodisiac.

my mother grew up with mamey as well, as they are native to southern mexico and northern south america. I remember her recounting how my grandmother gertrudis would make fresh mamey into ice cream for them -- I'm planning to try this myself! she would churn the mashed fruit with ice and sugar, adding ice and churning, adding ice and churning, hour after hour....ahhh, the sweet smell of nostalgia. I'll be using my lean, mean, cuisinart ice cream machine.

beyond simply tasting sweet and creamy, wikipedia also credits the mamey with serving as a holistic remedy for the cubans -- as a "veritable panacea for gastro-intestinal maladies", as well as to treat headaches and venerial disease. well, there you have it.

showdown: chelada vs michelada

It's kind of like the battle between good and evil. You really like the good guy and root for him every time, but there's also a part of you that wants the bad guy to win...because he's just so...badass. That's kind of how it is for me with cheladas and micheladas. Cheladas are the traditional, refreshing beer+lime+salt concoction that Miller thinks is so good they're putting it in a bottle and selling it. Micheladas are like the red-headed stepchild, the black sheep, the dark horse...you get where I'm going. Though it may just surprise you in the end. I struggle with which one I like best, in fact, I drink them both. Sometimes I start one as a chelada, then add that little kick about half way through. The truth is, no matter how you make it, it's my favorite summer drink.

To make your own chelada you just need some good beer: Modelo Especial or Negra Modelo both work. The Negro Modelo will give you a darker version which is surprisingly refreshing. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime into your tall glass (this is my favorite chelada-drinking glass because it fits exactly one bottle of Modelo Especial, down to the last drop). Pour in your beer. Salt the rim and put a little pinch into the beer itself. Voila. For the michelada, just add a teaspoon of chili powder, tabasco sauce, or your favorite red-hot spice. Don't forget the salt around the rim. This causes an effervescent chain reaction on your tongue. Wait for it....

the adventurous eater begins

i've found that i really enjoy documenting journeys of any kind...whether it's through the pastry program i'm in or the road to culinary school. but i was surprised to find my excitement at documenting "weird eats". i'm a fan of andrew zimmern's bizarre food adventures on the travel channel...and though i know i could never replicate the breadth and depth of his experience, i do like to think of myself as a fairly adventurous eater.

you've read about the "monster" experience, stay tuned for more exploratories in the exotic, the odd, and the downright scary. this will be a test for me as well, because there are certain things i've said i'd never try (like much of the dried fish product in chinatown nyc) but now i'm second guessing that decision given the stakes have been raised.

it feels good to test the limits...but be sure to pack some tums and some benadryl.