Two weeks ago during an all-too-fun dinner at Club Macanudo with friends they all spoke of this authentic German biergarten-esque place they went to in Brooklyn.  While the Germans were never ones for haute culinary atmosphere, all I wanted to know was if the food was good and the beer menu large and they said “yes” to both questions.  I know that sounds overly simplified for me and you’re right, so let me clue you in on what two words sold me: venison sausage.  Yep, those two words are indeed a turn on.

I don’t know about you, but I hate surprises — to me there is nothing fun in them and I’m usually left disappointed in some way or another.  As I do with every new place I try I go to the website (assuming there is one) and check out the menus and Radegast seemed perfect for the hot and sticky summer we’ve been having in New York  Cold beer, tubular meats, homemade pretzels and hopefully not sharing the dining hall with morons all signal cooling off for me at this point.  The beer menu is rather impressive, but what really thrilled me was seeing a friend’s beer there on the menu straight from Belgium.  I hadn’t enjoyed Malheur since I was with the Brewmaster at a cigar dinner in Antwerp last June.  At that point I was so fixated on drinking Malheur that I was clinically obsessed with reliving my happy Flemish memories.

Before I go any further, let me warn you that Radegast is in Williamsburg.  Yes, Williamsburg: where men don fedoras, wear skinny jeans, and canvas boating shoes as regular attire; where women rarely wear clothing that has sleeves, have bright tattoos of animal life on their arms, and look like they haven’t washed their hair in a week.  The four of us looked like an odd lot walking the streets to get to this place and I have to admit I felt a douchebag in that neighbourhood, but since I don’t listen to the same indie bands as the residents do nor drink cans of PBR & chase them with shots of whiskey, I suppose some of my dignity remains intact.

Now down to business.

I started off with a half-liter of Radeberger which is an old favourite and the guys went for  Palm Ale and Kolsch, and with that we immediately order two pretzels and thank God we did because these are the greatest pretzels ever baked.  They are large, intensely buttery in taste, and were served with sour pickles and their house mustard which I’m now hooked on with it’s creamy texture infused with bits of relish and spices.   Radegast has a small food menu of German and Eastern European specialties, but this place is really all about the grill which is separate from the sit-down foods.   Two of the guys made the walk down the hall to the grill and placed orders for what was to be a wonderfully simple, but incredibly tasty meal.

My first bite was of the kielbasa and Holy Mother of God was is tasty: beautifully red in colour, thick natural casing that truly snapped when you bit into it, and had just the right amount of smoke infused from the grille.  I don’t know if the guys ordered everything this way, but each sausage we got came on a bed homemade sauerkraut that I think I dreamt of last night. We also got an order of what they call “Easter sausage” which was a white sausage that was nice, but unimpressed us all because the flavours were so minute in comparison to everything else.   Of course the champion of the night’s cuisine was indeed the venison sausage which was intense, rich, and so balanced it was scary.  I don’t care what anyone says because I know that Bambi is tasty no matter how you prepare her, but last night she was at the top of her little doe game.

You may think at this point we’re all fat and happy and you’re right, except we were happy and borderline entering a food coma.  I know it didn’t sound like a bunch of food to share between four adults, but don’t forget the beer which in itself has more carbs than the food we consumed.   We finished our first steins and when it came time for another round I had to order the Malheur 10, aka the champagne of beers, and I had two disappointments in a row: first was that our adorable waitress has no knowledge of beers or the French language, and secondly she told me they were out of Malheur. (Manu, if you read this, PLEASE ship more beer to Brooklyn!) After browsing the insane list one more time for something to drink I noticed Radegast won my heart over once more because they had the beer from my namesake brewery, so I had to have it.  From Brauerei Heller in Bamberg, Germany hails the Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Smokebeer) which is FABULOUS.  Smokebeers are dark, heavy, and ridiculously rich but you know what makes this Heller beer the best: it smells and tastes like smoked bacon.  Yes, you read that correctly — bacon — like large chunks of crispy pork fat in liquid form fresh out of a smoker.

We had been eating and drinking at a friendly pace for a little over three hours at this point and I can’t speak for the guys, but I honestly felt like I was busting at the seems. They ordered more beer and I transitioned to ice water when the man who I affectionately call the “Ring Leader” rounds up the waitress and orders pork tenderloin, so what do I say when I’m too full for anything else?  The words “Do you have spaetzle?” fly out of my mouth.  Before this food even comes the four of us are about to fall off the benches we’re so uncomfortably full, so as fun-loving degenerates we start placing bets as to where the waitress was from since she uttered a “ya’ll” and muster up the courage to eat on.

All-in-all I like this place: it’s large, easy to get to, has a highly respectable beer menu, and the food is authentic as well as fresh and frankly delicious.   To cap off this experience when returning from the bathroom to the biergarten I saw a Zach Galifonakis look-a-like whip out his dick in front of me because I’m guessing he had to pee really badly, so if you like variety, all sorts of tubular meat do exist in Williamsburg.

Most of you know I am no stranger to the food and wine world and living in New York I have access to a lot of great establishments where I can indulge in these two passions of mine.  I got word a few weeks ago that a new wine bar was going to open in Greenwich Village and it sounded perfect, but I was skeptical based on the man who owns it.

While Roberto Passon is an established restaurateur here in Manhattan, I personally think he did the most cowardly thing he could have done with Aria Wine Bar: he played it safe (and boring) and completely didn’t live up to the concept he had UrbanDaddy and food writer Gael Greene promulgate on the internet, that of having Aria be like a slice of Venetian life.   Passon is respected for his pastas and he was wise to not rely on them here at Aria, but at his original restaurant the pasta was the only thing he got right.

With its communal tables, hanging prosciuttos, and large chalkboards with parts of the bar’s offerings written in a rustic manner, that’s about as Venetian as it got.  In every write-up about Aria before and right after its opening two weeks ago, each person mentioning this new spot obsessed over the fact that Passon was bringing traditional cicchetti, or Venetian-style tapas, to New York.  While I am the product of proud immigrant Italians, I am not Venetian, but I know cicchetti when I see it and cicchetti was not to be found here.

Forgetting the small offering of salumi and some cheeses, there were roughly twenty dishes on the menu and an overwhelming reliance on goat cheese, a/k/a not something you’ll find widely in Venice (if at all).  You don’t have to be card-carrying member of MENSA to deduce that if Venice is built on a series of canals then its residents must eat a lot of seafood, but seafood was virtually non-existent on the menu.  The most traditional cicchette of them all is cod on a piece of crusty bread: not only was no cod to be found, but there was not one instance of fish on bread.   I did have the anchovies with marinated peppers and the anchovies were lackluster and the peppers didn’t have that acidic quality they should have if marinated.  The polenta with sauteed mushrooms was good, but the mushrooms were loaded with butter and even overpowered the shaved parmigiano on top. The polpettini were a nice presentation and had decent flavour, but the pomodoro sauce that dressed them was not as fresh as it should have been.  It seemed like the only thing that worked was the bufala mozzarella with heirloom tomato and basil, but as long as the core ingredients are good no one can screw that up.

Sadly, I was expecting a lot more from the wine list, which was small in comparison to the hype that was built around it.  I had been informed through multiple sources that the list was comprised of wines chosen entirely by women, which in and of itself it a great marketing tool. There were a few whites, two rosés (only one listed on the menu — I had to ask about the other), five reds and a couple of dessert wines. While I commend Mr. Passon for going this route, the wine list was confusing and I honestly didn’t care that next to every wine there was a woman’s name because it’s not like all of these women were present and accounted for so you could choose to commend or scold them for what they selected. While I enjoyed a couple glasses of the Familia Cassone ’08 Malbec, I could have cared less that someone named Florencia felt it belonged there.

All-in-all Aria Wine Bar is not a home run: the atmosphere was fun, but the food failed to deliver on its promise and the wine list was nothing spectacular.  I was really hoping Aria would be one of those unique spots here in New York that actually educated Americans about what true regional Italian cuisine is, but it instead went on stereotypes and placated a society that thinks real Italian food is this homogenized existence where your meatballs actually belong on your pasta.  I think the most fun part of the wine bar was its bathroom where a basket of chalk encouraged patrons to sketch on its walls. If you are reading this Roberto Passon, I left you a note in Italian at the centre of the wall facing the mirror by the sink: leggerlo e magari puoi dirmi dove è il baccalà.

Many of you know I’m a die-hard foodie: I’ve traveled many miles at times just to get to places that serve a specialty I crave, spend way too much money on cheeses and meats, and just might trade my firstborn for a pig trained to hunt truffles.  Due to this pesky allergy I have to shellfish and some general fish,  I’ve always stayed away from places that specialize in seafood for fear of having a reaction.  (This is probably why Eric Ripert won’t date me!)  Despite always being curious about caviar and speaking to my doctor to see if there was a risk, I always stayed away…that is until last night.

I had put a general feeler out on Twitter last week to ask my followers if the experience of eating sturgeon roe was something I needed to know for myself and many agreed.  One of those followers in particular just so happened to have e-mailed me offering to send some over so I could try it, and it was a more-than-gracious offer, so Joe Rossi of Plitt Seafood I thank you immensely. After Joe gave me the caviar 101 lesson he sent me three different types of roe and I offered to chronicle my experiences here.

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I remember being young and seeing caviar and thinking about it, and to be honest the manner in which adults spoke of it made it seem like candy for the over-30 crowd.  Besides my allergy to sea creatures — one I’ve tested many unsuccessful times — I don’t come from a family that likes to experiment with food.  I’m sure that if I had wanted to try caviar much earlier in life my parents would not hesitate to buy it for me, but they would complain about it being fish eggs so much and fabricate stories that I would probably get turned off and never eat it.  All I have to say to that is as much as I love my family, I’m thankful that I don’t go out to eat with them very often because I would have never been able to happily try all of the unconventional foods I now love!!

Despite the various ways to enjoy caviar, I figured that this being my first experience I should be a purist and simply eat it off the spoon.  (In an effort to have the cleanest palate possible I did not smoke one cigar all day, either.)  Joe had instructed me in which order to try all three varieties, so I took out three clean spoons, a plate, some club soda for palate cleansing and entered a foreign food world.

• Caviar No. 1: Hackleback

This fresh water harvested sturgeon is indigenous to the Midwest and in comparison to the other two varieties I had in my possession, the eggs were the smallest and as black as squid ink.  To the nose there was this hint of a buttery, nutty scent which reminded me of cashews.  Now I am no expert in roe and how it is packed, but outside of the eggs the only other ingredient listed was salt and honestly that is all I could taste.  Many people love salt and use it immensely, but I am not one of those people.  The finish lingered some, but the silky and fresh butter-like texture was extremely appealing.

• Caviar No. 2: Paddlefish

According to Joe Rossi this is a cousin to the Hackleback and also hails from the Midwest.  Despite having no real scent to the nose, I have to say that this roe is simply gorgeous: slate gray in colour and slightly larger in size, too.  As far as taste is concerned it is a much more mild-mannered version of the Hackleback.  I don’t know if less salt is used here or that the eggs themselves have a stronger, more discerning flavour, but I did not have the salt issues I had earlier and I rather enjoyed this caviar. With my first few tastes off of the spoon it reminded of pure almond butter in its taste and texture, but as I tasted on it started to remind me of manteca (a type of lard).  Ironically enough a good friend of mine from Moscow described caviar to me as “pure cholesterol” and I think that’s a fun description of the Paddlefish.

**Disclaimer: Forget what hear about fat and cholesterol because we have evolved from our Neanderthal days where we used it to keep warm — nowadays it’s about the fat having the flavour.  Chemically-speaking, when we eat fatty foods our brains send out signals to our receptors telling us we’re happy, so think of good stuff like Paddlefish caviar as being a holistic substitution for Prozac.

• Caviar No. 3: California Osetra Reserve

This is the high-end of all three caviars I had tried and in so many ways there were aspects to its tastes that conjured up many food memories for me.

The roe were large and had a great, deep greenish hue to them and they had the aroma of fresh egg brioche straight from the oven.  Unlike the previous two caviars the texture here was much more firm and combine that with its farm fresh butter taste, each time I tasted it the enter experience reminded me of eating the al dente egg pastina I had so often as a child. According to my Russian friends I should definitely try this on French bread with unsalted butter and I will definitely plan on doing so.

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Overall this was a great experience.  Who knew something so tiny could pack such a wallop of flavour?  If I had to pick a winner in my book it would most definitely be the Paddlefish. I think where I will go from here is to try the different caviars based on recommendations by Russian friends who grew up eating them and enjoying them with crème fraîche and whatnot.

Speaking of Russians, did you know that for the families who can afford it children are given a spoonful of caviar a week until the age of 12? It is apparently an old belief, but it is thought if children consume a bit of caviar per week until they begin to grow into adulthood that they will grow up to be smarter and have better brain cells.  Not a bad existence!  Who needs Gerber when you have Osetra??

Since I spend a lot of time on a daily basis answering individual questions about cigars, wine, and/or food, I thought it might be fun to turn this into a Q&A Series.  Anytime I am asked an interesting question — especially one whose answer might benefit a lot of people, I will post it here. 

Please feel free to e-mail, tweet, or send me your questions via direct message on Twitter. 

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Question: What’s the best cigar and food pairing you could suggest? — Randy Ray http://www.twitter.com/horrorbookson Twitter)

Answer: Very interesting question, Randy, and it’s definitely not the easiest to answer.

                      I think in this case stay away from sweets, no matter how tempting it might be if you enjoy cigars that employ tobacco where natural sugar or vanilla is present. The danger with pairing sweets and tobacco is that when cooked sugar becomes “syrupy ” (for lack of a better term) and that syrup will coat your palate from the first bite.  Think of eating a creme brulee and drinking a moscato: aren’t you thirsty afterwards and then can’t get the taste of sugar off of your tongue?  Now think of sugar on your tongue and trying to smoke a cigar and I guarantee you the experience won’t be very pleasant.

                     Honestly, I think the best cigar and food pairing would have to be your favourite stogie plus a steak.  Now I’m not talking steak covered in A1 or even BBQ, I’m talking about preparing a steak so that the natural flavours in the meat shine through and are not masked by condiments. For me personally I love steak the way they cook it in Argentina: before placing on the grill rub some coarse kosher salt on the meat and then cook it.  The salt won’t interfere with the natural earthy flavours of the meat (ideally we’re talking grass-fed here) and with proper cooking allows a nice crispy crust to develop on the outside.

                 In terms of pairing cigars with meat there aren’t too many ways to go completely wrong, but my no-fail rule here is try to go with a cigar that uses a corojo wrapper.   On my palate some cigars that use corojo (ie Illusione) already have a meaty quality to them regardless.  I’m not a big fan of many Habanos cigars, but if you find yourself in possession of a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, then I can guarantee you an excellent pairing.  Other smokes that in my experience lend themselves well to a good steak would be a Montecruz Cameroon for its smoky flavours or even a Montecristo Classic for its generally earthy/hay-like qualities on the palate.

The official website for all things to do here, NYC & Co, has released details about the upcoming summer edition of Restaurant Week beginning 12 July and running until 26 July.

With over 275 eateries participating there is definitely something for everyone. Three-course prix-fixe lunches will remain at $24.07 and the three-course dinners will be $35.07 with  great options.  If you find yourself an eater on-the-go or can’t get a reservation one day, there will also be the NYC Restaurant Week Food Truck with two locations: one at 50th and Broadway and the other at 18th St and Fifth Ave. Although it’s warmer than usual outside, some notable locales such as Megu, db Bistro Moderne, and SD26 will be selling $6 soups from these trucks.

With all of the great restaurants to choose from it can be overwhelming, so if you need a recommendation, see below my for my personal picks:

• a voce columbus (lunch only)
• Asia de Cuba
• Bar Boulud
• Bar Stuzzichini
• Brasserie Ruhlmann
• Capsouto Frères
• db Bistro Moderne (lunch only)
• Del Posto (lunch only)
• Dos Caminos
• i Trulli
• Kellari Taverna
• SD26 (lunch only)
• Sofrito
• Victor’s Cuban Cafe
• Zengo

Click this link to see a list of all the participating restaurants and their menus.

I know I’ve yet to address my unhealthy love for them here, but I’m a self-described truffle whore.  To me there is a place for them everywhere in my food, from scrambled eggs to pasta to on top of a good burger, and I have no shame in incorporating them into whatever I can. Yes, they are expensive and rather rare, but I simply love them.

With that being said, I was completely intrigued when on Twitter the other day I read a tweet by Ciao Bella Gelato about a most unusual flavour: White Truffle.  Since they follow me and I follow them on the site, I immediately engaged Ciao Bella in a bit of a conversation about it and they mentioned I should go try it at their location in Grand Central Terminal.  So what did I do the minute I had free time?  I went to Grand Central Terminal.

If you know nothing about truffles, here’s a quick summary: they are indeed a fungus and are found by the roots of trees in two different parts of Italy traditionally by trained pigs, but also today by specially-trained dogs. The more highly-prized white truffle is from Alba (Piedmonte) and the more common black truffle hails from Umbria. These odd nuggets fetch a lot of money on the market and are used in and on a variety of foods, instantly making a seemingly affordable dish in a restaurant more expensive than that crap bottle of marked-up Chianti you ordered.

When I was at Ciao Bella’s booth in Grand Central and I was talking with one of the employees, a gentleman who was earlier undecided on a flavour suddenly said he wanted White Truffle as well, and both the employees and I snickered when he was asked if he was familiar with truffles and the man replied with a “no.” Needless to say the face he made upon trying it was priceless.

Flavour-wise it’s excellent. White truffles are supremely earthy and very garlicky and I love anything that is garlicky. It was a bit strange since part of me wished it was thicker in consistency like a boursin cheese because I would honestly spread this stuff on a burger.  (If you’ve ever had a DB Burger from Daniel Boulud then you know what I’m talking about.) This gelato is rather rich and even though I wound up eating what Ciao Bella considers a small, I was literally full for about four hours with a nice, residual taste of truffle on my palate the entire time.

On the subject of gelato it’s a bit of a different story. The reason why I was so full from it was because the gelato itself was too heavy and kind of broached the texture of regular ice cream.  (Real and traditional Italian gelato melts differently than regular ice cream because of its components and this too upon melting a bit melted like ice cream.) Ciao Bella makes some nice flavours and it’s definitely great to see them in many grocery stores now because I do not like ice cream, but if you’re a gelato traditionalist, then this might leave you feeling a little stuffed.

Now that Memorial Day has passed and the Summer Solstice is upon us, I can proudly say we’ve entered “BBQ Season.”  It’s that time of year where the sun shines stronger and longer, we all try to work a little less, and the weather patterns make it more conducive to have those great get-togethers amongst family and friends.  Assuming you don’t live in Manhattan like I do, chances are you have a BBQ of some sorts and it’s cleaned off and ready to go.  (I actually have a grill to be perfectly honest and maybe you’ve heard of the brand: it’s a Foreman. <wink, wink>)

I feel like before I continue I need to set the semantics straight: just because you own a Weber with multiple levels and a rotisserie option does not mean the food you’re cooking is real BBQ — you own a grill and therefore you are grilling.  Unless your food won a top prize at Memphis in May, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re no pitmaster.  On the other hand if you’ve done your research and either own or built your own smoker, I expect an invitation to your house and I’ll come with the after-dinner cigar collection.

Now onto the three types of summer food enjoyment!

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Group I: You Love Pulled Pork, but Would Much Rather Find a Guy Named Bubba to Make it for You

If you’re part of this group then you’re not alone, because most people are not crazy enough to go out and learn how to do it the right way.  With this being said, I’d like to recommend some noted places to “get some grub” as they say when you crave true, down-home BBQ.

Dinosaur BBQ: With three well-known locations across New York State & a fourth along the way, Dinosaur BBQ is the only place I know where you have to make a reservation just in hopes of getting a small table for two in the bar area.  Started by a man who was so fascinated by BBQ himself that he quit his job, bought a Harley, and drove cross-country learning regional styles, the food here is a true conglomerate of tastiness.  Just like their motto says, “If you leave here hungry it’s your fault!”

Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous: If you find yourself in Memphis and love ribs, look no further. This place has been an institution since 1948, when Vergos –a Greek diner owner — discovered a coal chute underneath his restaurant and was inspired to create his now famous dry rub that coats all the ribs that leave the smokers.  This is a family place serving southern family food and it’s good.

Arthur Bryant’s: Having been in business since the early 1920s, the man behind the name is considered by many in the Kansas City BBQ circuit to have been the Godfather of it all.  I have a personal love for KC-style BBQ because they just don’t stick to one type of meat (i.e. Carolina is pretty much all pork) and they slather everything in tangy sauce.  (I’m sorry, but in my book BBQ should be the messiest eating experience and it’s fun to play with your food!) Recommendations here include the Burnt Ends (brisket), pulled pork, and sausage.

Rudy’s BBQ: I know of many big-time BBQ lovers in Texas who are regulars at any of the sixteen locations throughout the state. They’re not kidding when they say “Everything is bigger in Texas” and the portions here are huge. All the meat is oak-smoked and the brisket here is king since Texas BBQ is known for its beef, but definitely give the sausage and the chicken a try.

Group II: You Love Real BBQ, but You Enjoy Your Own Grill & Like to Use It

I think the majority of people with a backyard, porch, or terrace are here in this group.  Let’s face it: grilling is fun, the food generally comes out tasting good, and it’s actually a fairly healthy way to eat.  Instead of feeding you recipes, I thought it might be fun and interesting to give you ideas on foods you never thought would be good on the grill.

Pizza: I got this idea from my Italian Grandfather who loves the BBQ we got him so much, he will put nearly anything on it.  One day years ago I remember seeing him take some leftover pizza and re-heat it on the grill and I need to say the crispiness and the flavour that his well-seasoned grill added to just a traditional cheese pizza was amazing! Since then I’ve experimented with my own homemade pizzas and if you make your own dough, try baking it first in the oven and then add sauce/cheese/toppings and finish it off on your grill.

Polenta: I’m Italian and this stuff — which is nothing more than a special type of cornmeal added to water — is a staple food.  Whether you buy it pre-made or choose to make your own from scratch, this makes an excellent side dish. Once the polenta is chilled, cut into pieces and grill on both sides until the outside of it gets crispy and you can eat it plain, top it with sauce or fresh ricotta, sauteed spinach, etc. since the combinations are nearly endless.

Corn on the Cob: Okay; so I’m sure this is not completely strange to some of you, but how about jazzing up your ears with a different style.  Even if you grill your corn instead of boil it, how about preparing it the Southern Mexican way? If you can, cut large ears in half and grill until some of the kernels get that crispy look; follow that with a little bit of butter brushed throughout and sprinkle chile powder with little hints of cotija cheese. It may sound weird while reading it now, but I guarantee you once you have this you won’t want corn any other way.

Group III: You’re as Crazy as I Am and Want to Build Your Own Smoker

I haven’t quite found a friend with enough property to his/her name who will let me play inventor, but when I do, I’m using this article from Popular Mechanics to build my own smoker because I’m this nuts about good food!

What is the Slow Food Movement? Perhaps the best answer for those of us here in the States is that Slow Food is the polar opposite of the way we live and eat today.

By definition, “Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.”

I actually had no intentions of writing about food today, but that was until I got into a conversation with my good friend (and fellow foodie, wine geek, and cigar lover), Tony Ricciardi. For some reason I got on the topic of cheeses and honey from La Porta dei Parchi, which is a farm I’ve mentioned here before because it is owned and operated by the Marcelli family in Abruzzo, Italy. The Marcellis are a prime example of Slow Food and produce hands-down the best honey and some of the best cheeses and olive oils I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.   Their company represents a completely sustainable and very old world approach to making three inherently basic Italian foodstuffs.

In any case, I was telling Tony about the tasting the Marcellis had at Dean & Deluca in SoHo last Friday and I couldn’t stop raving about the family’s honey.  While they offer six different varieties, the honey they used at the tasting was their Girasole (Sunflower), and as Tony can attest, I think this honey is the stuff dreams are made of.  It’s granular, sweet, and while a very vibrant yellow, is so pure that you can taste many of the natural herbs and flowers that are unique to Abruzzo.  It’s only when something is clean and gifted to the palate from the Earth without the “aid” of industrialization does one ever get to taste something so pure and amazing.

After my long soliloquy on something as simple as honey, Tony directed me to a video of Chef Dan Barber who gave a speech in Napa on foie gras.  Now, I LOVE foie…I mean I really, really, really love it.  I’ve literally gone to some restaurants and eaten it multiple ways as appetizers or in one case (thanks to the flexibility of the Blue Ribbon staff), had foie gras incorporated into every course during a dinner there.  On the other hand you don’t need to be a chef or a foodie to know the controversy that surrounds this succulent delight and Barber aptly addresses the conundrum.  He speaks of finding a farmer in Extremadura, Spain by the name of Eduardo Sousa, who as the fourth generation is carrying on his family’s rather private tradition of making foie the kind and sustainable way.  I don’t want to detract from Dan Barber’s ability to tell a story, so I’ve included a link to the video below.  Be warned his presentation is twenty (20) minutes long, but it’s worth it to hear this amazing story:

Dan Barber and the Foie Gras Parable

I couldn’t help but hypothesize  to my friend both before and after this video about what food would be like here in the US if we didn’t go the industrial route.  What would our country look like and what would everything taste like?  For one I’m sure most people would agree that obesity would not be the giant (no pun intended!) issue that it is today because our bodies wouldn’t have been exposed to so much processed junk.  If the US wasn’t so bent on making everything bigger, cheaper, and faster we might not have such high rates of heart attacks, diabetes, and hypertension.  While I could go on forever about the positives, there are of course negatives: Tony aptly pointed out how there is zero incentive for farmers and the US government makes this kind of approach to food and life nearly impossible today.

Have you ever tasted something that changed your perception of it?  Something so fresh and so clean because it is 100% natural?  I would rather eat a piece of beef from a cow that spent its life eating tall, sweet grass than run to a McDonald’s for what they call a burger.  The same case stands for the Marcelli’s cheeses which are young and unpasteurized: made by a unique breed of sheep native to Abruzzo, one can literally taste all of the special flora and fauna consumed by the sheep and it’s magical.  This is the scenario you have when no big machines are used, no preservatives are added, no artificial flavours or colours present — simply  Earth-given ingredients  in the hands of artisans who understand them make the most tasty and most healthy foods of all.

Believe me when I say I know life today is crazy.  Many of us work like beasts of burden and on top of other obligations like family it can be so difficult to put good food on the table in both a timely and cost-effective manner.  I urge any of you whom are reading this to take advantage of the change in season and even if you too live in New York City, head down to Union Square or any other farmer’s market and buy farm fresh ingredients.  I challenge you to get fresh herbs/vegetables/fruit/meat/cheese and cook with it a few times;  I guarantee not only will your food taste better, but you will not need nearly as much of any ingredient to taste rich flavour. Experiment and you will soon see that the pre-packaged (or processed) version of things you’ve become accustomed to requires so much in your food to even be able to come close to the natural, fresh-from-the-Earth version of raw taste.  Besides helping your body, I know you will enjoy your food that much more and you will help keep the farm industry alive. Honestly, you have nothing to lose except maybe a few inches off of your waistline!

Check out all in the information below for an event brought to you by and starring some fabulous friends of mine.  What could be better than food by Chef Rodriguez, music by PALO!, and La Caridad del Cobre cigars?  Absolutely nothing!

For those of you in the Miami area I urge you to go so I can live vicariously through you! I’m stuck here in New York because of work but I’ll be there in spirit and envious of those of you who are able to attend.  An event like this is not to be missed and a great way to celebrate Cuban culture and the ushering in of Summer!

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Join Cigar Snob, Palo!, and The Cuban Tradition Cigar Group – La Caridad del Cobre Cigars, La Tradicion Cubana, Casa Gomez Cigars, Havana Sunrise Cigars

In celebration of May 20th, Cuban Independence Day, Celebrity Chef Douglas Rodriguez & PALO! invite you to…

PALO! 20 de Mayo Bash @ D. Rodriguez Cuba.

6-8PM: Enjoy complimentary cigars courtesy La Caridad Del Cobre Cigars and Cigar Snob Magazine

Enjoy complimentary tapas and drink specials courtesy D. Rodriguez Cuba and at 8pm PALO! serves up their hot, delicious blend of Afro-Cuban, Funk and jazz.

Debut of the special Thursday PALO! menu featuring new, innovative recipes by Chef Douglas Rodriguez, the Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine.

Premier of the PALO! video “La Habana Buena” & meet director Rubén Abruña.

You may win a free box of La Caridad Del Cobre Cigars, La Tradicion Cubana Cigars, Jameson Cigars, Casa Gomez Cigars, Havana Sunrise Cigars or a free PALO! t-shirt or CD! NO COVER CHARGE!

Reservations strongly suggested: call (305) 673-3763

I have to admit that the older I get, the more adventurous I become in my food choices.  Until I was nearly 21 years-old I was a vegetarian (and vegan for three years in there, too!) and I was a boring person with boring food tastes.  It wasn’t until I met my best friend who happens to be from La Paz, Bolivia, that I was exposed to some rather unique foods and preparations.  Thanks to Nico I also got very interested in cooking and I think the weekend he and a few of our good friends made something like five dozen salteñas from scratch that I got the ethnic gourmet bug.

Thanks to the violin I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot more of the world than many people my age, and in that time I’ve tried some weird things. I’ve eaten sheep eyeballs, cow brains, pork cheeks, chocolate-covered grasshoppers, spleen sandwiches, head cheese, etc., and with the exception that I have to stay away from shellfish due to my one food allergy, I’ll try anything at least once since I usually wind up liking it.   I’m the quintessential “When in Rome” person: if I’m visiting your home or your country and you tell me what is on my plate is traditional, I would never dream of insulting you by not partaking.  Now with that being said, even I come across things that make me shake my head, so I ask you when you take a look below, would you eat this??

• Monkey Toes: apparently in Indonesia they break apart the toes of a monkey and deep fry them.  I know people who firmly believe that frying anything makes it good, but would you give this a shot?
• Bull Penis: this is popular in many Asian countries and I can’t say I would be too excited to try it.  I know that the translation into Chinese (for example) is something along the lines of “bull pizzler” and it’s not uncommon in stews, but like most of you will be, I’m not interested.
• Breast Milk: I know you don’t “eat” this, but c’mon! I don’t drink regular cow’s milk, so I doubt I would want this when in China.  There is a restaurant in the Hunan province that serves dishes cooked in breast milk as part of their “Milk Banquet” menu.
• Tarantula: This arachnid is not uncommon in some parts of the world but it rather popular in Cambodia.  Legend has it that during the days of the Khmer Rouge and a scarce food supply, locals hunted them and prepared them in ways that today they are sold throughout markets both as snack food and to take home for a meal.

• Kopi Luwak: Sounds exotic, right?  Well if you ever find yourself in Indonesia don’t say I didn’t warn you if someone offers you this specialty coffee since it’s made from the excrement of a cat-like creature called the Luwak.  Luwaks eat only the most ripe coffee berries that the stomach cannot digest, so they come out whole.  Combine that with the enzymes and stomach acid and you have what is actually the world’s most expensive coffee of upwards of USD $300 per pound.
• Lardo: This comes from my Italian people and it’s good, albeit a bit weird! Take off the ending vowel and you have the word “lard,” and this is pure animal fat. It’s made by taking pure pig fat and curing it in a large marble basin with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Lardo is sliced so thin you can basically see through is and can be served on a piece of warm bread or over some salumi like prosciutto, but it’s actually really good on its own. Since it’s so thin it literally melts on your tongue, but I think if you have cholesterol issues you might want to forgo this one!

Have you ever eaten anything strange or supremely removed from your comfort zone?  Please leave comments and share below!