Reviewing the Situation

The highway is replete with culinary land mines disguised as quaint local restaurants that carry such reassuring names as Millie's, Pop's and Capt'n Dick's. - Bryan Miller

On Thursday, March 21, 2013 a restaurant review under the byline of Andrew Z. Galarneau, Food Editor of The Buffalo News, appeared in the weekly Gusto section of the paper. That review was of a local outpost of a national chain.


The food world did not burst into flames.

I thought the review was a hoot.

Others disagreed.

Let’s get this out of the way.  I have made my feelings about restaurant reviews plain here and elsewhere. Also, Andrew is a friend. Whatever limited insights that may have given me have been overtaken his recent writings in the News. He has let us know his thinking about the job of a restaurant reviewer, and his job in particular.

When a friend asked me what I thought about this review I said that I found it quite humorous. He did not share that sentiment and apparently others agreed. His objections were centered, on the fact that a national chain is not a local restaurant and should not be given what amounts to free advertising. My response was simply “it is here, and it is a restaurant”. That response seems a bit trite in hindsight. So I will attempt to address my thoughts on this matter in an open letter to that friend.

My Mommys Brisket - Redux

No matter how much you revisit the past...there’s nothing new to see. -Robert Tew

One of the most important lessons that any cook, particularly a self-taught cook, has to learn is that a recipe is just somebody’s opinion. As James Beard put it, “it’s always a good idea to follow the directions exactly the first time you try a recipe. But from then on, you’re on your own.” Inspiration, improvisation and even whimsy are the hallmarks of a good cook, and what makes cooking something fun to do.

Even my mommy’s brisket recipe, a hallmark of our family holiday celebrations, has gone through some changes at my hand. But, this year’s brisket was cooked in a really cool way.

I cooked it sous vide.

In A Pickle

On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally's cellar. - Thomas Jefferson.

I have often mentioned The Sausage Maker, Inc. in terms of how lucky we are to have this resource in Buffalo. They are not only a resource in terms of equipment and supplies, but also as a source for information.

It was that which brought me there, seeking background for a Buffalo Rising article. We chatted on the subject at hand, I took some photographs, and we chatted some more. It was then that I noticed the gizmo.

The Perfect Pickler, encased in plastic, hanging from a rack. I had neither heard of it nor had any idea of how it worked. I was intrigued. We chatted about it for a while, and was surprised (and pleased) to be presented one to test out.

Dependable Guidance - General Cookery

Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference - Karl Von Clausewitz

I learned to cook from cookbooks.


That was more than 30 years ago. My love affair with cookbooks has continued unabated. I collect them. I read them like novels. I spend a lot of time with them when perusing used bookstores. Each one has a story to tell good or bad.

I use a wonderful computer program from Collectorz.com to keep track of the books –  and the corresponding apps for iPod and Kindle - to make sure that I don’t buy a copy of something I already own. I’ve been with them almost from the start and they keep making improvements. They also have apps for tracking music, games, movies and comics.

It is via their Connect service that you can browse the stacks of my cookbook library here.

I am often asked to recommend a cookbook, most recently in a podcast interview with Donnie Burtless of Buffalo Eats. It may be a starter cookbook or a book for a particular subject or ethnic cuisine.  I have thought for some time that it might be useful to do a series of blog posts describing those cookbooks I consider “go-to” volumes. These are not necessarily the best cookbooks, nor the most authentic cookbooks, nor the most popular cookbooks, nor my favorite cookbooks. Rather, these are the cookbooks I find myself turning to time after time as reliable sources for culinary information.

Soon after I began to cook seriously I began giving cookbooks as gifts. For the beginning cook the choices were The Joy of Cooking as a general purpose resource and the New York Times Cookbook for an international flavor. For more advanced cooks my selection was Julia Child’s The Way to Cook. These were also books that I suggested when asked for recommendations. All three of these books are still solid choices, worthy of gift or favorable mention.

 While those remain good choices, these days my selections are different. Time has passed and the cooking world is not remained static. For the advanced cook I would choose Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. For an international cookbook it would be David Rosengarten’s Dean and Deluca Cookbook (wouldn't mind an update - stuff is more familiar and). For an all-purpose cookbook, and my selection for this first blog post, it is How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

No. Despite my Sister-in-law's assertion that once you own it you shouldn’t need another cookbook, the title is puffery. Well intentioned, but puffery nonetheless. That said, it is a pretty thorough tome. It covers all the basics, and gives some solid variations on each theme.

My first copy is a First Edition, purchased soon after its release in 1996. I can tell how long I've had it by the photo below. Evidence of young cats and a new baby. Along about '06 or '07 a few signs of wear and tear began to appear. The fact that a totally revamped edition appeared in 2007 had nothing to do with my decision to replace.

Unlike Joy, it lacks instructions to gut and clean a fish (with illustrations) and you also won't find directions (with pictures) demonstrating the proper method for skinning and dressing a rabbit or squirrel. (Both grace the pages of the 1975 edition, but not in my earlier 1943 edition of Joy.) What you will find are a logically arranged series of recipes, clearly explained in both concept and process together with suggestions for variations on the theme.

Each chapter begins with a couple of “essential” recipes, marked with a handy “*” icon. There are additional icons for recipes that are fast, make ahead, or vegetarian. It is thorough yet unassuming.

It is the kind of reference you wish you could carry everywhere, but it’s a bit bulky for that. It weighs in at almost 5 pounds. Luckily, there is a convenient app (iPod only), which also happens to be one of the best cooking apps on the market.

I read in one commentary about the revised edition that it had a “reduced emphasis on professional techniques”. On the contrary, what I found lost were detailed drawings and directions useful for the home cook, and not something that one would only expect to be used by a restaurant chef.

That one observation aside this book remains an important work and a wonderful initial building block for one’s cooking library.

Reconsidering Martha

Convicted felon Martha Stewart met with her probation officer yesterday. She even had to give a urine sample, in which she tested positive for nutmeg." —Jimmy Kimmel

I have a problem with Martha Stewart. There is a problem with my problem. The problem with my problem is that I can't really express the reason I have a problem with Martha Stewart.

Even my wife doesn’t understand why I feel as I do. My feelings are such that I refer to her as "Martha Frakking Stewart" and jokingly denote her the Antichrist. I altered the cover photo on a cookbook to reflect that designation.

The CSA Dilemma

No good deed goes unpunished - Clare Boothe Luce 

This was not supposed to have a happy ending. It does. At least it seems to. I think.

This post has been in the works for a while, as many are while I struggle with saying what I want to say. It's also been gestating along with our decision making process. So it goes.

Community Supported Agriculture. CSA. What a concept. Local farms and farmers, raising food in a healthy, sustainable manner. Not merely as a customer, but as a shareholder. A partner in the bounty and the risk.

It's a concept that fits into the way we live our lives. We are far from fanatics. We just try to do it best. We are members of the Lexington Co-op, and we are at the North Tonawanda farmers market at least one Saturday a month. We love the meats from local pasturers like T-Meadow and Erba Verde Farms and tasty treats from White Cow Dairy.

Fleeting Glory

In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes - Andy Warhol

Let’s start with a bit of synchronicity. Yesterday, I was walking to our mailbox with our neighbor Bruce when he mentioned that he had seen the recent article about me in Buffalo Spree magazine. Further, he said that he had read it at his son-in-law Ted’s house.

What is somewhat remarkable about this is that Bruce is more than just a neighbor. He practiced law from the same offices that Trish and I did. It was a bit of a hoot when we discovered that he had moved into a house just up the street. Ted is more than just his son-in-law. Ted and I spent the better part of three years working side-by-side on the hotline at DACC’s. During that time we became pretty good friends, and though we hadn’t seen each other in a while it’s nice to be in touch again. The fact that both of them became aware of my food blogging because of a magazine article is just the benefit of “fame”.

If Andy Warhol is right, I have already had mine. In fact, I’ve had a whole half hour. It isn’t as if I have been toiling in obscurity, but any time I can attract attention to the work I do in this blog it is a worthwhile effort. I am not in this for money, nor fame – I am really in it because I enjoy it. This blog allows me to express thoughts in a way that I might not otherwise have.

My brush with fame, such as it is began in August when I received an email from Rachel Fix Dominguez of Buffalo Spree magazine. It was an invitation to participate along with other Buffalo food bloggers in their annual Cheap Eats issue. I of course accepted the invitation and submitted to the magazine a list of my top five inexpensive restaurants. In September I met with photographer K. C. Kratt at Suzy - Q’s BBQ for a photo shoot. I was told I have a symmetrical head.

I was glad when I finally got to eat my pulled pork sandwich, inhaling the aroma while posing for half an hour had me drooling.

So let me take a moment to flog the other local blogs represented in Buffalo Spree. Some I know,some have become friends. All are worth reading. In mostly no particular order:

Buffalo Beer and Food:  With four main contributors, this blog displays what one might call a "manly" look at the food scene in Western New York. It's the kind of site I'd be looking at if I'd just moved to the area - something that would have been helpful when I relocated to Toledo for law school. It's a broad-based blog on a variety of subjects. Restaurants, recipes and refreshments delivered with a dose of humor.

Buffalo Foodie:  Nina Barone is a writer for Spree, our host, and her blog writing often seems to complement her work for the magazine. While she does review restaurants and write recipes, my favorite bits are her commentaries on the local food scene and events. I must remember that I promised to let her know when Wild Bill BBQ reopens in the spring.

Little Kitchen, Big Flavors: The name pretty much sums it up. A recipe driven site, featuring a husband and wife combo, one a restaurant cook and the other mostly self-taught. It's a recipe driven site filled with ideas for any home cook. (Also great ideas for your next tailgate party).

Lovin' on Buffalo: You have to admire a blog that combines food, support for local businesses and charitable endeavors. There are restaurant reviews, notes on current events and local attractions and a lot of stuff that reminds you to be happy to be in Western New York. If you need a cheerleader Buffalo, you've found her.

Pea Pod Riot: Annie Levay-Krause has an eclectic site, reflecting her multifaceted persona. In addition to writing a blog on food and dining, she is the founder of SOLE (Seasonal, Organic, Local and Ethical) which pretty much says it all. It's about food and gardening, and puts on dinners with an international flavor. In the Land of Peapodriot you can find a bounty of food based on the freshest, most natural ingredients.

Tasty Yummies: This blog is the brainchild of Beth Manos Brickey. Her work is notable for the way she has taken dietary restrictions not as an impediment, but as a challenge to be conquered. Her recipes are gluten-free and mostly vegetarian. They are yummy as is, but can easily be “retrofitted” for the most dedicated of carnivores. I first met Beth – if met is the correct word – at a presentation for bloggers where she was a panelist. I had hoped that it would be a chance to network with other food bloggers, but that was not to be the case. Sadly, Beth and her husband are relocating to the West Coast so I won’t get a chance to know her better, but I will be following her blog.

Buffalo Eats: I saved this for last for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that Donnie Burtless a and his wife Alli have become friends. I always look for opinions in addition to a local newspaper. For the longest time, the major contender was a blog that, while thorough, felt off-putting. Enter BE.

I enjoyed it from the start, becoming one of their first regular commenters. The blog has an every-man feel to it that I found inviting. Donnie and his brother Tom host a weekly podcast featuring interviews with denizens of our local food world. That is the other reason I saved this for last. In November I was asked to participate in a podcast, which went live last week. My second 15 minutes. I oddly did not come off sounding like a dork.

Feel free to tune in here, you may find it interesting.

A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting. - Patton

All photographs by KC Kratt - Buffalo Spree Magazine