McGurks Public House

Dear Foodies,

I have two things to tell you.

ONE. I am the Market Master Intern.

TWO. I just checked out a new restaurant.

THREE. I just joined Yelp.

I also took my first try at Tapioca Pudding. But it flopped. It came out much to liquidy (if that is a word...). Any tips?

Now, a quick restaurant review.

I stopped for a quick lunch after the farmers market, with the guys from Vesterbrook Farms at a place that was new to me. McGurks Public House.

I'll just get straight to the food. I ordered the Russel St. Ruben Sandwich w/ chips. The sandwich was composed of shaved corned beef, Swiss cheese, and a very nice rye bread. There was also some type of cheese sauce, which I couldn't quite identify... : ) I really enjoyed the sandwich, although, I wish that instead of serving house-made chips (unsalted), they would have served a nice big bowl of green salad. That would have made it perfect.

Service was OK. We ordered our food and drinks (water : ), and they came quickly. Which was great! But what was particularly annoying to me, was the fact that they never refilled my water.

Other than that it seemed very nice for a quiet lunch. I'll probably have to try it again just to make sure that I have my bases covered.

Overall...

Good Food. OK Service. Nice Ambiance. Nice Music. Not to Expensive. 3 1/2 Stars.

Benjamin Serven, Foodie

P.S. Did you notice that I can't count? :)

Guess where I was this morning!

Right Here.

P.S. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page... :)

Salt

Dear Foodies,

After a short and unannounced hiatus, I have returned!

Dramatic, wasn't it?

I was made aware this morning via the Washington Post that the FDA is planning to launch a campaign to reduce salt in packaged foods. Now I can agree with the FDA for once that there is to much salt in the typical American diet.

BUT. It is not the place of the FDA to regulate such a thing.

What do YOU think?

Food Rules Winner!

Dear Foodies,

Our very "lucky" winner is Mell!

Mell, send me an email @ benjaminserven@gmail.com, with your address, and I will ship the book right to you! Hope you enjoy!

Now, for all of you who didn't win. You can still buy the book from amazon.com here. I would highly recommend it.

Keep Eating your Veggies!

Benjamin Serven, Foodie

Last Chance to enter for "Food Rules"! You have until midnight! The winner will be announced tomorrow...

Knives...

Dear Foodies,

I don't know about all of you, but keeping my kitchen knives sharp can be a bit of a challenge at times. Even my special knife gets dull sometimes. :-)

Here is a helpful video I found today. Now I have to get one of those stones...

Benjamin Serven, Foodie

Hot Dog!

And this is why we are Omnivores...

Via FB...

"This one really got me thinking! As seen on the storage building near our home. "If vegetarians eat vegetables; then what do humanitarians eat?" My liberal friends might what to think on that one!"

"Double Down"

Dear Foodies,

Can you say yuck? I know I can. Especially after hearing about something like this.

Food Rules

Dear Foodies,

I have a wonderful Mother.

This last week she decided to buy me some books. One being Food Rules.

Michael Pollan is the author of this book. Pollan has written several works on food, including, The Ominvores Dellima, The Omnivores Dillema for Kid's, and In Defense of Food, these being some of his more popular works.

This book is basically exactly what it's title states. Rules for eating.

Rule #1? Eat Food.

Sound easy? Nope.

And because the book is so simple, I can't tell you any more than that. Except for one thing. You can win a copy of the book by leaving a comment on this post. You have until Thursday to enter. Then I'll let you know who won. The Incredible Prize.

Seriously though, even if you don't win the book here, buy it here. It is worth having. Just to review basic facts that should be in the back of your mind every time you take a bite.

Benjamin Serven, Foodie

P.S. I really do have a great Mom.

BJS, F

P.P.S Just for reference, I am not able to send this prize out of the States, unless the winner wants to cover the shipping... :-)

P.P.P.S Tweet it. Get another entry. Facebook it. Get another entry. Buzz it. Get another entry. Share it somehow. Just say what you did in your comment. (All of you who already entered, you can still do this...)

Pies

By Sarah and Allison

Lemon Meringue Pie, Apple Pie (Won Blue Ribbon at County Fair), French Silk Chocolate Pie, and Fruit Salad

"Food Rules" by Michael Pollan

Review Coming Soon!

One of My Favorite Chef's

Manufactured Meat

Dear Foodies,

Here is a disturbing video that just happens to be about the University of Missouri.

Dinner-Grilled Leg of Lamb

Leg of Lamb

Eye C U...

Restaurant Review: Thai Kitchen in Maryland Hights

Dear Foodies,

A few days ago, one of the men from my church took me out for Thai food. To the Thai Kitchen.

(quick note...)

You may not know this yet, but I am a hot food guy. Not hot as in heat, but hot like spicy. Thai food (or at least what I had) is served hot. As in heated. But it is hot as in taste too. And, it's not spicy hot. It's just HOT!

I. Just. Can't. Figure. It. Out. Period. And it's SO good! I love it!

How can they do that?!?

(OK. Here is my review.)

I had Pad Khi Mao. (Otherwise know as Spicy Noodle.) It was composed of a wide rice noodle, with chicken, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and green beans. Now the coolest thing about this dish was the green beans. They were almost completely uncooked. It added this "crunch" to an otherwise soft dish. Really liked that. Then there were all sorts of spices which I couldn't identify.

Mr. H. (incidentally Mrs. H's husband...) had a Grilled Pepper Chicken. He let me try a little. Pretty tasty. I'll have to get that the next time I go in.

The waiters were friendly. And the service was fast. Very fast. We sat down, and ordered. 5 minutes later we were having lunch. Pretty low traffic, although many other reviewers say that it is really hopping sometimes.

OK. Now I have to do the negatives. Not my favorite part.

There was a TV. I was facing the opposite direction, so I didn't have to look at it. But Mr. H did.

Presentation was pretty good, but didn't quite cut it.

Now my IDEAS!

This is a new feature. I was laying in bed last night thinking about this post, when I had an idea. Why not include in my critique ideas on how the restaurant could improve? So here you go. My ideas, and why.

1. All of the wait staff could wear traditional Thai clothing.

This would make the atmosphere so much cooler. I mean, imagine going out to a totally authentic restaurant. Not just authentic food, but authentic everything! You could do tables on the floor, and sit on little cushions. All of that stuff.

2. Move the kitchen to the center of the room.

This is so powerful. When you move the kitchen to the center of the restaurant, the guest change from customers, to an audience.

3. Get rid of the TV.

Maybe I'm just a luddite, but having a TV in a restaurant just doesn't feel right. (Wow. That almost rhymes...) I would rather have a conversation, or even just focus on the food. (Novel thought for me : )

Alright there you have it. Hope some of you foodies will be able to check out this place sometime.

Benjamin Serven, Foodie

Eggs on End

Crepes

Dear Foodies,

I am the Breakfast Chef. Which means, every morning I have to come up with breakfast to feed anywhere from 6-8 people.

In this never-ending-effort-to-be-creative...

Crepes happened.

Crepes

Makes about 20 7 inch crepes

Prep time 5 minutes

Total time 30 minutes plus 2 hours resting time for the batter

For larger crepes, follow the same cooking process using a 10-inch skillet and a full 1/4 cup of batter. Don't worry if the first two or three crepes aren't perfect; it takes a few to get the heat of the pan just right.

1 cup whole milk

1 cup all=purpose flour

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra for the pan

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth, about 4 seconds. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate the batter for 2 hours or up to 2 days.

2. Gently stir the batter to combine if it appears separated. Heat and 8-inch skillet (or crepe pan) over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Brush the pan bottom and sides very lightly with butter (it should sizzle when it it hits the pan). When the butter stops sizzling, remove the pan from the heat, tilt the pan slightly, and, following the photo's * pour 2 1/2 tablespoons of the batter (you can fill a 1/4 cup measuring cup a little past the halfway mark) into the pan. As the batter is poured, rotate the pan to swirl the batter evenly over the face of the pan before returning it to the heat. Cook until the first side is spotty golden brown, 30 to 60 seconds. Following the photos*, use a thin spatula to flip the crepe and continue to cook until the second side is spotty golden brown, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer the crepe to a paper towel lined plate and let cool. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with butter as needed after cooking several crepes.

Excerpted from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cook Book

*Of course to see the pictures you have to buy the book...

My Notes

This was an incredibly easy recipe to make. I decided that I would make it the night before, and I ended up putting it together, and refrigerating it overnight. My first 4 or 5 didn't come out particularly well, but after that I got the hang of it. I did use a nonstick pan. I know. Shame on me. : )

Benjamin Serven, Foodie