When I was a little kid we always had a garden. I hated it. It was a lot of work. When you are 5 the last thing you want to do is clean up weeds, pick ripe specimens and protect the growing crops from horn worms, flying things and the occasional 4 legged mammal. The garden was large, about a third...
I usually don’t start a post with a pic of dessert. In fact, I don’t usually order dessert. As it turns out, that recurring Canadian I mention on this blog has some influence over my consumption after all. A few weeks ago I traveled south to Carroll Gardens to dine with some friends who...
After this week, finding this in my kitchen was a pleasant surprise. I will be visiting this establishment tonight for sure. Although the patrons are tiny they carry BIG personalities. I like that. Ok, you got me. I built it from my recently acquired, retro set of pre-lego-building-fantastico...
Last week we packed out the deck with another set of 16 friends (and friends of friends) to have dinner with Cary Grant. As he was chased across America our guests sat comfortably satiated sampling dishes from the places he visited and the era he lived in. For those who are unfamiliar with the...
With a name like that there was no need to craft a witty title to this post. When I first saw the commercial for this revolutionary new sandwich from Kentucky Fried Chicken…ohhh, sorry should I say Kentucky Grilled Chicken because… Really? Colonel, you ain’t foolin’ nobody....
You thought it was a myth. Worse you thought it was impossible to make. Well, you were wrong. Dead wrong. Here’s how to make turducken. This past Tuesday Aimee, Mark (a good supperclub buddy) and I took on the task of making a turducken from scratch for the Gastronauts. The Gastronauts is a...
View NYC Food Tour 1 in a larger map This blog has proven that I have a disposition to over indulge. It’s a problem and a constant battle between my brain and my waistline. I rationalize my decisions to stuff myself with the idea that the opportunity at hand is unique and once in a lifetime....
Smoke ’em if ya got ’em. And, WE JUST GOT ‘EM!!!! My first foray into smoking. I have been putting it off for a longtime while I enjoyed the professionals excellent smoked tasty. What’s inside? A rack of ribs and a half a pork butt. Both covered in Rendevous BBQ dry rub....
A week ago 16 guests joined us on the deck for a gasto-adventure of summer blockbuster magnitude. In addition to our guests we were visited by one very important person. Dr. Henry Jones took the deck by storm just as the sun settled behind the building he was projected on. For those who are a little...
A quick one today. Ramen has been a mini trend in NYC in the last 6-9 months. I finally mustered up the time to go see what was so different then those $.29, hot pot prepared, college quick hits we would all load up on when hitting the local stop and shop once every 6 months. What was wrong with us...
It’s nice to be family. That’s how Mike Mills started our conversation. Let’s back up a bit before we get to the swine. Just over a year ago I met Amy Mills, Mike’s daughter, down in Memphis at a talk she was giving about BBQ. Amy knows more about BBQ than anyone I know. A...
No not literally. Maybe soon though. I hear Central America is beautiful this time of year. This flight might be just as good. Above is a 4-some of premium rums from the Brooklyn expansion of the East Village favorite, Caracas. See, Brooklyn has space and so the lovely peeps behind these arepa bars...
I was back in Chicago last week to speak at the Word of Mouth Marketing Conference. While I was there I got to sneak away to taste some great food at Avec. Avec is one of three restaurants in a mini empire that has developed in the South loop of Chicago. I’m not sure who owns them, who cooks...
Memorial Day weekend in NYC is awesome. I love to stay in the city because everyone else leaves. It makes me feel like I am living in Phili or Providence or New York in 1962 (sort of). So, with the mass exodus, I took advantage and headed to a place that would normally be more crowded then a Walmart...
A long overdue addition to my grill was purchased and tested today. The catalyst was an upcoming REEL TASTY menu item and the rising mercury June will provide. The REEL TASTY kitchen gets hot quick and keeping the oven off as much as possible greatly helps the crew. Tonight I installed and tested...
Last Saturday’s public season opener of our REEL TASTY supper club was LEGENDARY. Ok, maybe that’s channeling Barney Stinson a bit much, but the dinner was sensational. The day was gorgeous with barely a cloud in the sky and the temperature hovering around 72. I had 20 hens naked and...
