Monthly Archives: July 2009

The Cook’s House

July 27, 2009 | by Ben 2

I’ve been following Chef Eric’s blog from behind the stove for quite a while and was happy to finally get a chance to eat at his restaurant, The Cook’s House. It’s in Traverse City, Michigan, where I grew up, and Sarah and I made a point of eating there during our visit.

The establishment is extremely small, located on the city’s main street (Front Street). Sarah overheard the staff talking about a recent health inspection (which apparently went very well) and the inspector supposedly said that it’s the smallest restaurant in Michigan. There are about six tables (some with four seats, some with two), plus a few tables for outdoor dining during the summer. We were seated up against the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen. The atmosphere was good—warm colors, a few paintings on the wall—but the A/C was struggling to combat the warm weather and hot kitchen.

The Cook’s House is BYOB, which I found out shortly after … continue reading

Dill Chicken Burgers

July 19, 2009 | by Ben 0

These were originally intended as sausages, but I think I like them better as burgers. If you have sausage casings and a sausage stuffer, though, feel free to cook them that way. 

The sausages in the background are chicken with basil and tomatoes from Charcuterie. My burgers were to some degree inspired by that recipe.

Dill Chicken Burgers

1.25 lbs ground chicken, preferably mostly or entirely dark meat 1–2 t. kosher salt (use the lower amount if you’re including feta) 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 2 TB. (1÷2 oz) or more fresh dill, chopped 1 TB. (15 grams) sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 TB. good extra virgin olive oil 1 TB. fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup (2 oz.) crumbled feta (optional)

1. Combine first six ingredients. 2. Stir in next three ingredients. 3. Fry up a bit to taste for more feta, dill or lemon juice. 4 . Form into four patties and grill or pan fry, about five minutes per side.

The flavors of … continue reading

The Sweet Life in Paris

July 16, 2009 | by Ben 0

I just finished reading David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris. It’s a great book, full of sharp (often self-deprecating) wit, astute cultural observations, and very good (often surprisingly easy) recipes.

The root of good humor is serious issues, and the book is grounded in loneliness, alienation and the quest for good food (if you don’t think this is serious, ask Parisians). Lebovitz first realizes he’s become Parisian when he puts on a fresh ironed shirt and nice pants just to walk downstairs to deposit a bag of trash. Apparently clothes are continually judged there. He also refers to a series of commercials for a newspaper, Le Parisien Publicite, which humorously portray Parisians’ self-centeredness. At the same time, he continually humiliates himself as he inadvertently mangles the language, e.g. a one-syllable mistake that leads him to repeatedly refer to a male body part without realizing it.

The interspersing of recipes is not only useful but … continue reading

Wild Eggs — Louisville

July 10, 2009 | by Sarah 0

Earlier this year we took a little trip to Kentucky to see Mammoth Cave, and stopped for a day in Louisville on our way back home. We visited Wild Eggs for breakfast based on recommendations from Urban Spoon.

The restaurant itself is modern and clean and seemed to be pretty busy at 10am on a Wednesday morning. The service was quick, and the food was very good. Ben ordered French Toast, which was tasty and well-done but probably the least exciting item in the meal.

Jonathan ordered Oatmeal, which came with a second plate full of toppings. Although this was not listed as a kid’s item, it was perfect. He really enjoyed playing chef and creating his own “recipe” as he ate his breakfast.

Sarah ordered the wild mushroom scramble with goat cheese. This was fantastic: a variety of mushrooms were representated, and the goat cheese’s tartness provided a nice contrast to the earthiness of the mushrooms. The real star, however, was the muffins. They … continue reading

Taste

July 2, 2009 | by Ben 0

Sarah and I recently visited Taste (which is about a half mile from our house) and enjoyed our experience there. I’m currently reading The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz (a very funny and informative book) and was excited to try some good French food.

The décor is really cool—stylish but not too formal, with a lot of muted deep red. There are also plenty of vertical lines—tall baskets, for instance–that give the restaurant a sense of openness. The silverware was even sleek looking.

We started out with the charcuterie plate, which included salami, very spicy proscuitto, motadella, a couple slices of crusty bread and some greens (largely frisee). Everything was very good.

For our entrees Sarah got the New York Strip Steak:

It was perfectly cooked to medium rare. The sweet potatoes were rich and lightly fried, and the vegetables alongside had a refreshing, slightly pickled flavor. 

I ordered the special, a red snapper over fennel with a mild … continue reading

Hot Sauce Williams

July 1, 2009 | by Sarah 6

One night last week we picked up a picnic pack from Hot Sauce Williams on Carnegie for a quick no-heating up the kitchen kind of dinner. Originally we had thought we would get two rib dinners and split it between the three of us, but after looking over the menu the picnic pack was similar in price and came with a variety of food.

The total was a little over $30 and we got all the pieces of a chicken fried, 2 fried cod fillets, a whole rack of ribs, coleslaw, french fries, a giant cup of sauce for dipping and half a loaf of white bread. As you can tell by the picture below, there was way more food than the three of us could handle. This would be great for a party of 5–6 people (even better, pick one up on your way to blossom for a summer orchestra concert on the lawn or 4th of July fireworks!)

The ribs were the star of this … continue reading