Mar 03

Bill’s List of Foods & Drink to Experience

Whenever I see a list of the top places to eat, the best burger list, foods you must experience before you die, I am like a moth flying towards the light bulb. I cannot resist clicking on the list, yet inevitably, I am burned. Either it is because I have never been to the city and restaurant in question or there is no way I would ever consider eating a delicacy that has gone through some arcane process that makes the experience more akin to an episode of Bizarre Foods.

Bill and Alton Brown

Bill and Alton Brown

Unlike many of these lists of foods you must try, I really do believe that my list is neither pretentious or bordering on food snobbery.  In no way is my list of food and drink comprehensive or definitive as an experience. It is more a of a list of foods that either I consider to be “comfort food”, an experience that provides me an image of a time and place other than right now, a food that I will never tire of eating or in some instances where the homemade version / made from scratch example is far superior to anything that mass produced in a food processing plant.

Bill’s List of Foods & Drink to Experience:

1. Scrapple

2. Homemade Raviolis

3. Steak Tartar

4. Kischka (Polish Blood Sausage)

5. Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

6. Balinese Style Fish

7. Sea Scallops with Vermouth, Artichokes and Capers

8. Reuben Sandwich (Deli Style)

9. Rib Eye Steak

10. Sushi

11. Raw Oysters on the Half Shell

12. New York Style Thin Crust Pizza

13. Pot Stickers

14. Peking Duck

15. Bagels / French Bread & Lox

16. Barbeque Pork Ribs

17. Caviar

18. Chicken Poblano

19. Heirloom / Homegrown Tomatoes

20. Pastrami on Rye

21. Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

22. Jack Fruit

23. Chicken Liver Pate

24. Marmite

25. Homemade Ice Cream

26. Pilsner Beer

27. Homemade / Artisan Italian Sausage

28. Bennachin

29. Bangers & Mash

30. Lamb Chops

31. Chicken Rice (Hainan)

32. Mashi

33. Falafel Sandwich

34. Broiled Portabella Mushroom & Blue Cheese

35. Fresh Picked Bing Cherries

36. Fresh Apple Cider

37. Crab Cake (Chesapeake Style – No Filler)

38. Calf Liver

39. Paella

40. Tapioca

41. Chocolate Malt Milk Shake

42. Amarone (Italian Wine – Sun Dried Grapes)

43. Italian Water Ice

44. Cannoli’s with Real Ricotta

45. Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots and Potatoes

46. Boudin

47. Garden Tomato, Mayonnaise and Cheese Sandwich

48. Canned Pineapple Juice

49. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

50. Gravlax

51. Egg Cream

52. Patty Melt on Rye Bread

53. Microbrewery Beers

54. Fresh Salad from the Garden

55. Homemade Bread

56. Chicago Style Hotdog

As I remember or experience a food that provides me with that mouthwatering experience, I will add it to the list to be shared or when an article is posted, create a link.

What foods or drink you have experienced that would go on your list?

 

Feb 25

As much herring as you can eat – Nyhavn’s Færgekro, Copenhagen

We recently had our first visitor (Bill) in Copenhagen, and I looked around for some uniquely Danish food we could have for lunch. I came across a few reviews of a place down at Nyhavn, called Nyhavn’s Færgekro (literally Nyhavn’s Ferry Inn) that serves a herring buffet (sildebord) at lunchtime and at this time of year, Nyhavn shouldn’t be too busy as the tourist season hasn’t started yet.

A selection of herring

A selection of herring

Nyhavn’s Færgekro is a tall light blue coloured building at the end of Nyhavn closer to Kongens Nytorv. The restaurant looked quite busy, and though there were seats outside, it was a bit chilly. Next time we should maybe make a reservation, because as well as a pretty full restaurant, there was a private function going on in part of the restaurant.

Nyhavns Faergekro

Nyhavn’s Faergekro

If the idea of 10 different types of herring (or sild in Danish) is not your thing, there are plenty of other things on the menu, including Smørrebrød (Danish Open Sandwiches), salads, and burgers, but were else were we going to try different types of herring. We ordered some beer, what else goes with herring, and walked downstairs to start sampling the array of herring. Given that it was quite busy, it took a little while to work our way around the buffet without bumping into our patrons.

The buffet selection included hot and cold options of marinated herring, herring in cream sauces with herbs, fried herring with horseradish and caviar, rullemops, smoked herring, baby potatoes, rugbrod, chopped chives, red onions, dripping, butter, crunchy pork rinds, etc. Since none of us know Danish, the menu is in English as well, to help us know the different types of herring we were eating. Apart from one type of cured herring, that was very salty, we enjoyed pretty much all the options, but I think we all agreed that the best was the ‘Sol over Gudhjem’, which was the smoked herring with a raw egg yolk, chopped red onions and chives.

Some more herring

Some more herring

After our 2nd helping I asked if we could sample some aquavit, which also goes well with herring. The waitress brought across a basket of different flavoured aquavits for us to choose from and filled the glasses to the absolute top.

If you’re ever in Copenhagen, I can certainly recommend Færgekro for experiencing a nice restaurant and as much herring as you could ever image, and at 119Kr it is pretty good value for money.

Aquavit

Aquavit

Feb 24

Star Lager, A Refreshing Beer in the Nigerian Heat

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Lagos, Nigeria for work. As a part of any new experience for me, I like to sample the local food and try the locally brewed beer if at all possible. Without question, the most obvious locally brewed beer in Nigeria is Star Lager Beer. As with most breweries around the world, there is an affiliation to a larger, more well-known brewery company. Star Lager is no exception; it is brewed by a partially owned Heineken subsidiary named Nigerian Breweries.

Is Star Lager one of the Top 10 Best Beers that I have drunk? No, it is not. Is it one of the Bottom 10 Worse Beers that I have drunk? No it is not. So what makes Star Lager worthy enough to write a post?

Bottle and Glass of Star Lager Beer

Bottle and Glass of Star Lager Beer

The simple answer is the weather. The winter temperature for Lagos, Nigeria is a humid 90 degrees Fahrenheit / 32 degrees Celsius during the day and dropping down to 78 degrees Fahrenheit / 26 degrees Celsius at night. Not exactly weather where I am craving a Bock, Stout or even a heavy Lager. Star Lager is a Pale Lager that is light on the hops with a crisp and clean finish when drinking. What separated this beer from many other beers that I have drunk in warm weather is that even as the temperature of the beer rises, the taste does not go off. We have all drunk a beer that when it comes close to room / outdoor temperature, you are seriously considering opening a new bottle versus finishing the last few sips remaining in the bottle or glass.

Over the years I have sampled the local beers in climates that are considered more hot and humid then temperate and comfortable. Unfortunately, many of these beers even if drinkable when cold are closer to swill when the beer is warm. A few beers come to mind; Julbrew from The Gambia, Stella from Egypt, Gulder from Nigeria and sadly many of beers brewed by the beer giants in the United States.

There are two additional notes worthy of mention in this post. The first is that not only does Star Lager hold up in warmer weather, but it is typically served in a 500ml bottle, which makes for the chances of the beer becoming warm before you finish greater. The second note is that due to restrictions in importing barley into Nigeria, Nigerian breweries have had to substitute sorghum for barley. With Stare Lager I would not have known about this substitution if I had not read about it when researching for information for this post.

View of Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria from Hotel Balcony

View of Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria from Hotel Balcony

So if you find yourself in Lagos, Nigeria and after navigating through Immigration and Customs and the unique traffic congestion of the city, asking for a Star Lager from the hotel bar tender over a locally brewed Heineken is a good choice and will not have you running to the bathroom to brush the skunk of a warm beer from your mouth.

Feb 08

The best burger in Houston – Bubba’s Buffalo Burger

It has been a little while since I’ve posted anything on ‘We are not foodies‘, but I have just moved from Houston, Texas to Copenhagen, Denmark, and over the last couple of months I’ve been busy preparing for the move, as well as a quick trip to Mexico. However I’m not sure why Bill has been so slack with his posts 🙂

Buffalo Crossing

The day before I left Houston, I had to make one last visit to my all time favourite burger joint in Houston, Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack . Bubba’s is always in the top 10 best burger lists for houston and has stood the test of time for over 25 years. Bubba’s is literally under US-59 Southwest Freeway, and the first time I visited, I drove straight past, not expecting a shack under the highway. The name should have given me a clue, but don’t let this put you off. However the location isn’t the only unique thing about Bubba’s. As well as standard beef burgers, they serve highly recommended buffalo (bison) burgers, the serve bottled beer, old fashioned soda, but no fries. Not that you will need fries anyway, as the burgers are more than satisfying by themselves. On top of that, if you like the burgers you can buy some paties to take home for your freezer.

Bubba's Texas Burger Shack

Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack

Bun (1-10) 9
Patty (1-10) 10
Juiciness (1-5) 5
Toppings (1-5) 4
Visual (1-5) 4
Total (35 Max) 32

I had the buffalo bacon cheeseburger with everything on it. It comes out wrapped in paper and a small U.S. flag to hold it together. This is a two hand burger, i.e. you’ll need both hands to keep it together. Though buffalo meat is leaner than beef and similar in fat to turkey it is healthier for you, and Bubba’s manages to keep the patty moist without drying it out. Also buffalo meat tastes more like beef used to taste years ago, so you end up with a tastier burger.

 

Bubba's Buffalo Burger

Bubba’s Buffalo Burger

It will take a long time for me to find a burger as tasty as Bubba’s and a location with as much character.

 

Dec 20

Say Hello to Mister Ham Steak

In most grocery stores, either positioned next to the packaged fresh cuts of pork or nestled near the bacon and breakfast sausage are these amazingly versatile, individually packaged, thick center cut, bone in, sliced, fully cooked ham steaks that are truly under appreciated. Whereas most of us are familiar with bacon and breakfast sausage, the ham steak is not only a great option for breakfast, but can also be used for a variety of other meals for any time of the day.

Hill Country Fair Bone In Thick Cut Ham Steak

Packaged Thick Cut Bone In Ham Steak

Whether pan fried and served with eggs, diced into an omelet or placed between a split biscuit, a ham steak is great option for breakfast. A ham steak is also a great alternative to the typical deli meat for lunch. It is whole muscle versus formed and holds up extremely well in a heated sandwich. As an option for dinner, it can be used either as it is, served with steamed vegetables, a salad or partnered with a casserole. It also is great diced and added to homemade fried rice.

Regardless on when and how you choose to use a ham steak, because they are cured, they may be too salty for some people. The simplest way to remove some of the salt is to soak the steak in water for 5 – 10 minutes to extract some of the salt from the meat.

I like my ham steak with fried eggs for a late Sunday morning breakfast. Since the ham steak is already cooked, preparing the ham is a simple activity that makes cooking breakfast that much easier.

Preparing a Ham Steak:

  1. Open the package and drain the ham juices. If you believe that the ham steak will be too salty, soak the steak in water for 5 – 10 minutes.

    Thick Cut Bone In Ham Steak

    Thick Cut Bone In Ham Steak

  2. Although a whole ham steak pan fried is a nice picture, I cut the ham steak along the natural lines of the muscle into smaller pieces.
  3. In a skillet on medium heat, heat the ham for about 5 minutes.

    Ham Steak Pieces in a Skillet

    Ham Steak Pieces in a Skillet

  4. Flip the ham steak over to evenly heat the meat.

    Ham Steak Heated in a Skillet

    Ham Steak Heated in a Skillet

  5. At this time, I typically add a little water top the skillet to distribute the flavors cooked out of the ham and provide a nice glazing from the curing juices.
  6. After another five minutes, the ham steak will be thoroughly heated and can be served. At this point I will flip the ham steak on more time, turn off the heat and then cook the eggs for the meal.

    Ham Steak Fully Heated in a Skillet

    Ham Steak Fully Heated in a Skillet

On the east coast I grew up eating ham steak for breakfast on special occasions and have had my fair share of ham steak at breakfast in restaurants in the south. For me, of all the breakfast meats, a ham steak is the most versatile regardless of the meal and time of day.

Ham Steak Ready to Eat

Ham Steak Ready to Eat