Have you ever tasted something so good, it possibly may have ruined all other eating experiences forever? This very well may have happened to me, two different times, over the past week.
Case #1: Wine
Last week, I drank wine! Not just any wine but a truely excellent Cabernet; it was amazing! It was a private label and you can not purchase this wine and I really do not know if I can really ever drink another red wine again, unless I am at this persons house.
Case #2: Steak
Tonight we tasted Kobe beef or commonly known here as American Wagyu. It was tender, juicy, buttery, flavorful, just amazing! My job is based on center of the plate items like beef and what we tasted was beyond measure of any other steak. I know we will continue to eat steak but nothing will ever compare.
OK, maybe most of this sounds dramatic but I am serious about the wine! I was amazing!
Weight loss adventures and random thoughts of Chef Jeff.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
2 Days in a row...
That's right; I am on a roll! Here are a few more random thoughts:
- I need new work shoes!
- I work with some really great people!
- Captain Morgan's "Lime Bite" is pretty darn tasty.
- Our dog is a pug and he is goofy!
- Having chef block for TV this weekend.
- I am tired!
- Depression sucks!
- I have been working on my chef career for 30 years!
- I need to cut the grass, really bad!
- I miss my best friend Tom!
I guess this is kind of like tweeting, just all at once! Still trying to embrace social media!
- I need new work shoes!
- I work with some really great people!
- Captain Morgan's "Lime Bite" is pretty darn tasty.
- Our dog is a pug and he is goofy!
- Having chef block for TV this weekend.
- I am tired!
- Depression sucks!
- I have been working on my chef career for 30 years!
- I need to cut the grass, really bad!
- I miss my best friend Tom!
I guess this is kind of like tweeting, just all at once! Still trying to embrace social media!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ramblings and other things
It has been a while since I have posted so here are some updates and random thoughts.
- My small garden did ok this year. Candy sweet cherry tomatoes, no cucumbers, big tomatoes are hard to come by. Stupid deer, rabits, and groundhogs!
- We saw a fox in our back yard a few days ago.
- I picked a bunch of peaches off of the peach tree. I should of used bug spray! The fox enjoyed eating some of the peaches!
- My fig tree is flourishing!
- Charleston, South Carolina is one steaming hot city! Can you say hell?
- I am exhausted!
- I love looking at Facebook and hearing about others but I hate posting. I feel like I have nothing interesting to say at all.
- I miss my dog Elmo!
- I have gained a bunch of weight back that I had lost. Hate it! I am working on trying to get back into it, but it is really really hard to do so. I look like SHIT!
- I got to work with Chef Spike from "Top Chef" Season 4.
- My chefjeffonthe.net web site has been up and down. Chefapoloza is down. I think avahost is a horrible web hosting site and service! I will never do business with them again!
- I love books on CD!
- I have found myself cussing more than usual lately.
- I love Gillette Fusion razors but they are too expensive to purchase! I now use disposable, if nothing more than for the principle. Sorry environment!
So I guess that is enough crap for now. Am working on redesigning my chefjeff website. I want to work hard and post more often here! Can not make promises but I am going to really try!
- My small garden did ok this year. Candy sweet cherry tomatoes, no cucumbers, big tomatoes are hard to come by. Stupid deer, rabits, and groundhogs!
- We saw a fox in our back yard a few days ago.
- I picked a bunch of peaches off of the peach tree. I should of used bug spray! The fox enjoyed eating some of the peaches!
- My fig tree is flourishing!
- Charleston, South Carolina is one steaming hot city! Can you say hell?
- I am exhausted!
- I love looking at Facebook and hearing about others but I hate posting. I feel like I have nothing interesting to say at all.
- I miss my dog Elmo!
- I have gained a bunch of weight back that I had lost. Hate it! I am working on trying to get back into it, but it is really really hard to do so. I look like SHIT!
- I got to work with Chef Spike from "Top Chef" Season 4.
- My chefjeffonthe.net web site has been up and down. Chefapoloza is down. I think avahost is a horrible web hosting site and service! I will never do business with them again!
- I love books on CD!
- I have found myself cussing more than usual lately.
- I love Gillette Fusion razors but they are too expensive to purchase! I now use disposable, if nothing more than for the principle. Sorry environment!
So I guess that is enough crap for now. Am working on redesigning my chefjeff website. I want to work hard and post more often here! Can not make promises but I am going to really try!
Monday, February 1, 2010
The quest for beef, good beef...
A few years back, on a totally different blog, I started a quest to find the best "retail" beef around town. The final result was, there really is not much good retail beef out there, at all. All of the major grocery chains failed to produce any beef product with a good flavor, any substantial amount of tenderness; there was just no good eating experience when it came to retail beef.
Flash forward to right now; has anything really changed? My first answer would be not really, retailers have not changed they way they do business so I would expect that there really is very little palatable beef out there. Please keep things in perspective, what is good to some may not be good to others so if you do eat beef from a major chain and enjoy it, there is nothing wrong with that. Are there exceptions? Sure there are. You may be able to find a "local" beef producer which has taken the proper steps to give you a great eating experience and maybe markets, some markets, are making real changes.
Why can you get OK beef in a retail store but the beef you eat in restaurants is generally much better? (This statement does not apply to all restaurants! I got a steak at a "national chain" and it was inedible, so inedible, my dog would not even eat it!) Here are the reasons why with a general explanation:
Grade: Most steaks served in restaurants, specifically higher end, upscale, white table cloth, steak houses, etc. use USDA grade choice or better grades of beef. This means there is more intramuscular fat (white specs) contained in the flesh of the meat. Consumers grew up wanting and buying lean, ruby red meat from markets; this grade is USDA select or lower. Higher grades cost more and lower grades cost less. There really is a difference between choice and select grades of beef.
Aging: This is the single most important factor determining flavor and tenderness of beef. Most beef served in restaurants is aged more than 14 days and often over 21 days. Beef sold is markets is generally aged less than 6 days (termed "green" meaning young). Well aged meat can turn brown very fast and "green" meat will stay red much longer. Well aged meat is significantly more tender and has more flavor that "green" meat. Wet and Dry aging give different flavor results but that is for some other time (along with grass fed verses grain finished cattle).
So what should us consumers do to find great meat in retail stores? I really have no answer but I can tell you this; get to know your butcher and ask many many questions! By local if you can and help support local farmers! Continue to eat at your favorite restaurants and visit personally owned, local "Mom and Pop" restaurants rather that national chains. Your chances of having a better beef eating experience will be much greater!
Flash forward to right now; has anything really changed? My first answer would be not really, retailers have not changed they way they do business so I would expect that there really is very little palatable beef out there. Please keep things in perspective, what is good to some may not be good to others so if you do eat beef from a major chain and enjoy it, there is nothing wrong with that. Are there exceptions? Sure there are. You may be able to find a "local" beef producer which has taken the proper steps to give you a great eating experience and maybe markets, some markets, are making real changes.
Why can you get OK beef in a retail store but the beef you eat in restaurants is generally much better? (This statement does not apply to all restaurants! I got a steak at a "national chain" and it was inedible, so inedible, my dog would not even eat it!) Here are the reasons why with a general explanation:
Grade: Most steaks served in restaurants, specifically higher end, upscale, white table cloth, steak houses, etc. use USDA grade choice or better grades of beef. This means there is more intramuscular fat (white specs) contained in the flesh of the meat. Consumers grew up wanting and buying lean, ruby red meat from markets; this grade is USDA select or lower. Higher grades cost more and lower grades cost less. There really is a difference between choice and select grades of beef.
Aging: This is the single most important factor determining flavor and tenderness of beef. Most beef served in restaurants is aged more than 14 days and often over 21 days. Beef sold is markets is generally aged less than 6 days (termed "green" meaning young). Well aged meat can turn brown very fast and "green" meat will stay red much longer. Well aged meat is significantly more tender and has more flavor that "green" meat. Wet and Dry aging give different flavor results but that is for some other time (along with grass fed verses grain finished cattle).
So what should us consumers do to find great meat in retail stores? I really have no answer but I can tell you this; get to know your butcher and ask many many questions! By local if you can and help support local farmers! Continue to eat at your favorite restaurants and visit personally owned, local "Mom and Pop" restaurants rather that national chains. Your chances of having a better beef eating experience will be much greater!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Big Cheese
Do you like cheese? I know I really like cheese plus the fact that there are so many different types and styles of cheese from all over the world, cheese is a seriously interesting food.
I do have one problem with cheese; it is a flavor stealer. I first discovered this when I was 18 and working at a pizza joint. A plain "cheese" pizza was wonderful tasting but if you put extra cheese on a pizza with other toppings, the only real flavor coming through was the cheese. As I have grown and my tastes have changed, I have discovered that I really prefer a hamburger over a cheeseburger. Once again, that cheese is a flavor stealer and all you taste is the cheese. Omelets and cheese is the same thing, all you can taste is the overwhelming flavor of the cheese and not much of anything else.
I know people really do not like when I say these things, mainly about cheeseburgers but it is so true. The next time you want a really great burger, skip the cheese and enjoy all of the other things that are going on with the true and pure burger. You might be surprised. Save the great cheese for some fresh fruit and a nice bottle of wine. In fact, there is just about no greater culinary experience greater than a savory and salty Stilton with a really nice Porto. What a flavor explosion! Cheese does have it's place in the world and in cooking; that place is not on a burger!
I do have one problem with cheese; it is a flavor stealer. I first discovered this when I was 18 and working at a pizza joint. A plain "cheese" pizza was wonderful tasting but if you put extra cheese on a pizza with other toppings, the only real flavor coming through was the cheese. As I have grown and my tastes have changed, I have discovered that I really prefer a hamburger over a cheeseburger. Once again, that cheese is a flavor stealer and all you taste is the cheese. Omelets and cheese is the same thing, all you can taste is the overwhelming flavor of the cheese and not much of anything else.
I know people really do not like when I say these things, mainly about cheeseburgers but it is so true. The next time you want a really great burger, skip the cheese and enjoy all of the other things that are going on with the true and pure burger. You might be surprised. Save the great cheese for some fresh fruit and a nice bottle of wine. In fact, there is just about no greater culinary experience greater than a savory and salty Stilton with a really nice Porto. What a flavor explosion! Cheese does have it's place in the world and in cooking; that place is not on a burger!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Bad times, hoping to get back to better times.
It is really hard to maintain a blog when you feel no one reads, and if you do not post on a regular basis, no one reads and no one follows what you are doing and what you have to say. Knowing this falls of deaf ears and probably no ears at all, I am going to try and get back to regular postings.
The past few weeks and months have been rough and tough. After much effort into weight loss and such, I fell off the horse and have gained some back. There are many reasons but the main one is I am a weak person, just full of petty excuses. So let me name them off, get them out in the open, and then I can maybe move on and get back to me again.
I hurt my shoulder. I hurt my knee. I had to put my dog down (Dec. 9th and I miss her!). Work has been long and stressful. I guess the one single thing that really made me slow down and stop was my dog Elmo. I tried to spend every waking hour with her I could before she had to go; and when I did try and get back into it, I just wanted to be with her. Since she has gone, my shoulder does not hurt much any more (but maybe that is just in my mind?). To top everything else off, I think I had H1N1 Swine Flu last week and am suffering the residual bronchitis (for sure) and eventual pneumonia (I hope not). This has been a horrible sickness!
With all of this said, I want to get back to posting more food related topics here! I almost feel inspired by the Jules and Julia movie! Not that anyone will read what I have to say.
I am going to cough some more and go to bed!
The past few weeks and months have been rough and tough. After much effort into weight loss and such, I fell off the horse and have gained some back. There are many reasons but the main one is I am a weak person, just full of petty excuses. So let me name them off, get them out in the open, and then I can maybe move on and get back to me again.
I hurt my shoulder. I hurt my knee. I had to put my dog down (Dec. 9th and I miss her!). Work has been long and stressful. I guess the one single thing that really made me slow down and stop was my dog Elmo. I tried to spend every waking hour with her I could before she had to go; and when I did try and get back into it, I just wanted to be with her. Since she has gone, my shoulder does not hurt much any more (but maybe that is just in my mind?). To top everything else off, I think I had H1N1 Swine Flu last week and am suffering the residual bronchitis (for sure) and eventual pneumonia (I hope not). This has been a horrible sickness!
With all of this said, I want to get back to posting more food related topics here! I almost feel inspired by the Jules and Julia movie! Not that anyone will read what I have to say.
I am going to cough some more and go to bed!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Not to be ctitical of a critic but...
Last night, I participated in a fund raising event benefiting the Saint Francis Service Dog Foundation here in Roanoke. It is just a wonderful cause and it is always great to have a group of chef's get together to pull off a wonderful dinner for a great group of people and dogs which make a difference in peoples lives!
Tonight, I am checking around the net and happen to pull up an article about the event and I am very disappointed to read what Nona Nelson from The Roanoke Times had to say about the event. I am not bashing her and the comments others had to say in her article but I do not think she understands and gets what this was all about; to be even slightly critical of what the chefs had to prepare is a bit naive.
All of the chefs that participate in this are business owners, business men, and have very busy schedules; not to mention family and personal lives. It takes hours and hours to prep for an event like this. Many of us donated product with money out of our own pockets as well as the time invested to make all of this happen. I just do not think this was the stage to be hyper critical about the food served. If she did not like what I had to prepare for this, that is fine and I can live with that but I think she unjustly criticised Scott Lockhart from Horizon Bar and Grill. He is a wonderful chef and did his very best to put out some great looking and tasting food for all. I am sure she is right on some points she made but Chef Lockhart should be praised for the effort he put into this dinner, as well as all of the chefs. I say BRAVO to you all!
That is all I have to say about that!
Tonight, I am checking around the net and happen to pull up an article about the event and I am very disappointed to read what Nona Nelson from The Roanoke Times had to say about the event. I am not bashing her and the comments others had to say in her article but I do not think she understands and gets what this was all about; to be even slightly critical of what the chefs had to prepare is a bit naive.
All of the chefs that participate in this are business owners, business men, and have very busy schedules; not to mention family and personal lives. It takes hours and hours to prep for an event like this. Many of us donated product with money out of our own pockets as well as the time invested to make all of this happen. I just do not think this was the stage to be hyper critical about the food served. If she did not like what I had to prepare for this, that is fine and I can live with that but I think she unjustly criticised Scott Lockhart from Horizon Bar and Grill. He is a wonderful chef and did his very best to put out some great looking and tasting food for all. I am sure she is right on some points she made but Chef Lockhart should be praised for the effort he put into this dinner, as well as all of the chefs. I say BRAVO to you all!
That is all I have to say about that!
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