Have You Missed Me?

It's been well over two months since my last post. Did I lose my love for food, for cooking with others, for playing in the kitchen? Not exactly. I will confess that I have been on the sadder side of things lately and part of me hasn't been as excited to get my hands dirty in the kitchen. More often than not, cooking - baking in particular - have offered comfort (or at least distraction) for me when things were tough. So this recent cooking dry spell feels alien, likely influenced as much by the intense winter weather as by happenings in my personal life.

Rather than keep lamenting my lack of creative juices, both in the kitchen and on the blog, I need to start posting again, even if it is accomplished in a super uncreative way. Let me share some of the things that have been keeping my belly full and my taste buds tantalized. Yup, I'm giving you a list. Love it.

The Lockhart at Percy Street BBQ, in honor of Daniel's birthday
Many roast chickens, including one cooked by Mike in a clay pot
Soup dumplings at Dim Sum Garden
Brunches at Green Eggs Cafe
Plans for beef bourguinon and chocolate ginger scones at the Poconos this weekend (remember the Stuffalo adventure from last year?)
Beef short ribs for Christmas dinner
Roasted Brussels sprouts

It's a start.

P.S. And I've missed all of you.

The Barbeque Joint & Locopops

Part 2 in a series on food in the Triangle of North Carolina

I roused myself from a post-coffee cupping nap to join a group of our friends for BBQ and popsicles. Few would disagree: a trip to North Carolina isn't complete without a healthy dose of BBQ, but paletas, aka Mexican popsicles? Apparently, a trip to the Triangle isn't complete without a couple of those either, thanks to a local chain, Locopops.

But first, we stopped for lunch at the Barbeque Joint, a favorite in Chapel Hill. While on the BBQ border, we were still technically in East North Carolina BBQ territory, meaning a vinegar dressing as opposed to a thick tomato-based sauce. And with BBQ, the sides are just as important as the meat. Sydnor recommended the Brussels sprouts, cooked with garlic and bacon. Being the huge Brussels sprouts fan that I am, I ordered them. And a side of mac & cheese. And a pulled pork sandwich.


Can pickles be described as "fresh?" Because if so, these were the freshest pickle slices I've eaten, washed in brine rather than soaked. The BBQ itself was good, though not the best I've ever had. The meat wasn't as tender as I like and while I love vinegar, I'm just more of a West North Carolina BBQ gal. Give me a tangy, sweet red sauce with a bit of kick any day. The sprouts were delicious, as most things with bacon and garlic are, but needed a good mixing to give the vegetables a nice coating of their topping. The mac & cheese was a winner, with a nicely seasoned crust. I didn't sample them, but the fried green tomatoes looked awesome too.



From The Barbeque Joint it was off to Locopops, a local Triangle chain. I visited the first storefront years ago with Samara, just after it opened. The barebones decor, standard for paleterias it seems, didn't trumpet their tasty wares, in flavors like chili chocolate, all homemade with good ingredients. And I'll be honest, it's location, slightly off the beaten path in downtown Durham, neighboring a gun shop, didn't augur great success down the road.

Fast forward four years and Locopops is a foodie destination in the Triangle with four locations, even garnering national attention in a recent Bon Appetit article on the area. Fresh flavors, both juice and cream based, like Plum Black Currant, Tamarind Lemonade, and Thai Rice Pudding, comprise the menu. I sunk my teeth into a Grasshopper: white chocolate with fresh spearmint. It was like eating a refreshing white chocolate bar, cool and invigorating with each fleck of spearmint. If I hadn't just gorged myself on a three-course BBQ feast, I would have gone in for another one. Maybe Cookies and Cream... or Cherry Bergomot Truffle... or Berry Hazelnut... or...or... or...

Next up: a pre-wedding jaunt to the Durham Farmer's Market.

6 Degrees of Separation and Angelo's BBQ

It's a small world. I can say this because one of my colleagues at Fort Worth Opera, Andrew, is the future brother-in-law of a non-opera friend of mine in Philadelphia, a friend who lives a mere three blocks from me in Newbold with his fiancee. Yes, it is a small world indeed.

Upon hearing of this new connection, our mutual friend told Andrew both about kitchenplay and Angelo's, a spot for some good old fashioned BBQ. Andrew made it there first and could attest that it was indeed a good place for some 'que. I rounded up some of our opera cohorts and we ate there last night. Overall, the place gets a big thumbs up for decor. Is there such a thing as "too much" taxidermy? I don't think so.

Much of the food came out on Styrofoam trays, the environmental consequences of which were perhaps cancelled out by the fact that the sandwiches came wrapped only in wax paper. The hit across the table was the ribs. They were fall off the bone tender and deliciously smoked. The BBQ sauce wasn't too sweet and heavy on the tomato flavor. I like a thicker sauce in general, but it still did the trick. The baked chicken looked delicious, with a golden brown skin.

I was disappointed by my chopped beef sandwich. The meat tasted good but it was dry, an aspect that could have been easily remedied with more BBQ sauce. I sampled all the sides, which included cole slaw, potato salad and baked beans. The beans were really nice with a strong chili pepper flavor. The potato salad was old-fashioned and eggy, while the cole slaw was remarkably fresh tasting despite how much mayo was in it.

In short, come for the ribs, stay for the taxidermy.

On the Road...

My work in opera has taken me to some unexpected places... Vienna, VA... Toledo, OH... The most surprising destination so far would have to be Ft. Worth, TX. Even more surprising is how seriously excited I am to get to know Texas. Adding to the excitement is the two-week long roadtrip my friend Daniel and I are taking to go there.

For the next two weeks, I will be blogging about our various food adventures and lessons learned along the way. We left on Friday and have traveled to Daniel's parents' home in south South Carolina, 45 minutes away from Savannah, GA. We will also be hitting Alabama and Louisiana before our final destination.

Roadtrip Food Lesson #1

Never agree to eat somewhere just because you think it will make your traveling companion happy. Because, most likely, he is just agreeing to eat there because he thinks it will make you happy.

And that is when you end up getting a hardly cooked burger patty with scalloped edges and really tough chicken fried steak at a truck stop off the Virginia highway…

Savannah, GA (Part 1)

Internet research led us towards Wall’s BBQ, which was appealing for its back alley location and reputed authenticity. We made our way to 515 E. York Avenue and found ourselves on a residential block in front of a small home. Asking a neighbor for Wall’s was useless, as he just arrived in Savannah five weeks ago. My brief understanding of Savannah city planning, and the fact that our internet guide specifically mentioned the obscure entrance, led me to believe that while the restaurant address was 515 E. York, the actual restaurant was behind the house.

And there it was… the rickety, simple sign announcing the existence of Wall’s BBQ. And then there was the sign in the door announcing that Wall’s would be closed from December 2007 till March 2008. Which really shouldn’t have mattered, since it is now April; and yet, the windows were grimy, the inside was dark and the door didn’t look like it had been opened since… well… December 2007.

So I did the sort of thing you are supposed to do when down South: I asked a local. The young woman walking her dog did seem somewhat surprised by my inquest as to good Savannah BBQ, but she was able to direct us to Sweet Leaf. Though she hadn’t been there herself, she had heard good things. And she described the atmosphere as “rinky-dink,” which is usually a very good sign.

Daniel and I sat at one of three outdoor tables and took in the menu. It wasn’t large, but had the standards (pulled pork, BBQ beef, collard greens), plus some unexpected touches (The Devil’s Eggs). And from the couple with the six-pack at the table next to us, I believe it is a BYOB.

The inside was pretty hip, not aiming for any sort of southern authenticity. Bright murals decorated the walls, and the tables were covered in pop culture collage. A photo of Marilyn Monroe adorned the door to the women’s room; John Wayne graced the men’s. Sadly, it was not rinky-dink.

Daniel and I both wanted to get plates of food, for the choice of two accompanying sides. He ordered the pulled pork with baked beans and cole slaw. I opted for the Chipped BBQ beef with corn pudding and The Devil’s Eggs.

The corn pudding was excellent. Moist and sweet, it was a great accompaniment to the tangy BBQ beef. I appreciated the heavy dose of cayenne in The Devil’s Eggs, but the filling was dry which, as Daniel noted, seems unnecessary since you can easily add more mayo! The beef had a great smoked flavor, but I was expecting a more tender, beef brisket-like, texture. The BBQ sauce was too thin and sweet for me, but again, with a nice taste of cayenne in the mix.

Daniel’s pork was good, very tender, of the Western North Carolina style with a tomato based sauce. The beans were ok, too sweet for me again (I think this is going to be a reoccurring theme over the next few weeks). And the slaw was pretty disappointing; sliced cabbage in a really sweet mayo dressing.

The sugar and spice of the meal was a perfect prelude to our next Savannah adventure: The Lady Chablis drag show at Club One. The bitch is fierce, famous for her appearance in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. We attended the earlier show and the audience was primarily middle-aged/elderly married couples and one very enthusiastic bachelorette party… not exactly what we were expecting.

Things I Learned at Club One:
1- Daniel is REALLY good at pool
2- Striped polo shirts are the outfit of choice among the homosexual male population of Savannah
3- Even a drag show can be a tourist-trap

Our BBQ/Gay Bars of the South Tour has officially begun!

Coming Up: Back to Savannah for lunch at Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House on our way to Montgomery, AL.