Eating at Tyler's House

On a trip to San Francisco a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to dine at Wayfare Tavern, the new restaurant opened by famed chef Tyler Florence.  I have eaten at eateries by chefs such as Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse, both great dining experiences.  This was something entirely different, first off we had to make reservations a month in advance to eat at 5:30 on a Wednesday.

Once we arrived we were greeted by a packed house and no sight of Tyler.  The menu was a collection of favorites you could find in any Tyler Florence cookbook.  We started with a round of drinks, heavy on exotic juices and obscure ingredients.  Next up came an order of poutine which was described as Canadian junk food.  Braised short ribs placed on top of french fries with cheese and veal jus.  If you think that sounds good, and rich, you have no idea.  This was one of the most decadent things to ever pass my lips.  

I ordered the chicken palliard, thinly pounded chicken breast fried in pancetta infused oil topped with greens.  It was excellent if not the safe choice.  My peers opted for the fried chicken and the salmon.  The chicken was the best I have ever had... hands down.  It was so good we finished off the leftovers over Chimay at Bob's Chop House several hours later.  The salmon looked dry, but hey, you can't win them all.

I have eaten at a few dozen restaurants in the city and the Wayfare is easily one of the best.  I would recommend it to locals and visitors alike. 

~Down the Hatch.

Happy Beer Day: Heater Allen

A beer gaining notoriety in the Pacific Northwest is Heater Allen which is brewed in McMinnville, Oregon.  The "beer guy" at the local New Seasons suggested I try their Pils when he saw my cart full of Bavarian and Czech lagers.  He was so very right, since then I have loaded up on their Pils, Coastal, Dunkel, and Bobtoberfest. 

The latter named after the brother of the founder, who sparked his interest in brewing.  While I typically prefer a lighter lager, I have thoroughly enjoyed  everything I have tried.  This includes the Dunkel which is a wonderful malty caramelish beer that is far cleaner than it's hue would imply. 

If you would like give Heater Allen a try for yourself you can find it at New Seasons, Whole Foods, Market of Choice, and Belmont Station.  If you truly lucky you may even stumble upon HR at a local restaurant such as Nostrana, Gruner, or Firehouse.

~Cheers.

It's a Family Thing: Mostaccioli

There are several dishes my family holds dear, but none of them holds a candle to Mostaccioli.  Mostaccioli is a penne like pasta, the word itself means mustache in Italian.  For the purpose of this recipe the term refers more to the rich ragu than the noodle itself.  Ironically the noodle is not a vital piece of this equation.  You could certainly use bow tie, rigatoni, or any penne with similar results.

What does matter are the other ingredients, there is a recipe passed down from my grandfather.  But everyone in my family has found ways to tweak the recipe to their liking.  What follows is the basic recipe I have been using to cook Mostaccioli for the last 15 years or so. 

You will need:

• 6 - medium size onions
• 3 - 28 ounce cans of tomato sauce
• 1 - 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 6 - cloves garlic
• 6 - bay leaves
• 3 - cups dry red wine
• 2 - pounds mushrooms
• 1.5 - cup fresh herbs (basil, parsley, thyme)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 - pounds ground beef (80/20)
• 2 - pounds oxtail, roast, etc. (optional)
• olive oil
• 2 - boxes of your favorite pasta
• 1 - wedge fresh Parmesan cheese

Serves 12 -

In a large stock pot brown your ox tail or roast in a generous helping of olive oil over medium heat.  This is an optional step, but I think it gives the sauce a nice flavor with the browned bits of the meat.  Chop six onions and your garlic cloves and add to the pot, cook until translucent.  You can do this in the food processor but it will not turn out the same as hand chopping them, so bring on the tears.  Add chopped herbs and salt and pepper.   

Add wine, I use a whole bottle but 3 cups is the minimum.  Open and add tomato sauce, tomatoes and bay leaves.  Once again add salt and pepper and increase heat to medium high to burn off the alcohol in the wine.  After 20 minutes of a steady boil reduce heat to medium low for an hour or so.

At this point you will want to remove your ox tails or roast and add the mushrooms and ground beef.  Add salt and pepper once again and cook for an additional 90 minutes.  With 30 minutes to go you will want to bring your water to a boil to get the pasta ready.

Once everything is ready I like to add the ragu directly to the pasta bowl and toss liberally, add salt and pepper, Parmesan and serve.  You could certainly keep them separate as well.  Serve with some sort of  salad and crusty bread.  The best part of all of this is that you will have tons left over to freeze for another day.

~Enjoy!