Connoisseur of Food and Beverage

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

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Thursday, August 04, 2005

Recipe that I shall make this weekend

GARLIC, WHITE CHEDDAR AND CHIPOTLE MASHED POTATOES
Thirty-six garlic cloves may sound like a lot, but they're cooked until mellow in flavor.

This recipe was created to accompany Spiced Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Mango Salsa.

36 garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil

5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups (packed) grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss garlic with oil in baking pan. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until garlic is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool; peel and chop.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Add garlic and remaining ingredients. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm, stirring constantly, before serving.)

Makes 8 to 10 Servings.
Bon Appétit
July 1997

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Tucci's is a waste of time

This last weekend was my little brother’s birthday. The big 20. As always my grandmother invited us all out for a birthday dinner. Each year she chooses a new place to go and each year the experience varies from excellent (the Country Club) to Poor (Rino's). This year ranked up there in terribleness. We all met at Tuccis in the old Trolly corners building. Now this wasn’t my first time here. Actually I had been there many times although not since the hay day of the center when the theaters were thriving. Now its a 24 hour fitness. Not exactly the kind of business to pump up sales at the local Italian eatery and trust me, it shows. They have let that place go. When we were first seated the table was set for 8. Now this was no 8 top table though. It was more like a 6 top set for 8. It was two small two top tables pushed together. The kicker was that both tables were different sizes so the person in the middle got to eat on about a 3-inch variation. When we politely asked to be reseated they acted like we were the assholes. Then they seated us in the middle of the front section at a table where the chairs were maybe 6 inches off the ground. I felt like a little kid. I mean that literally my plate was no more than 8 inches from the bottom of my chin. The came the service. Our waitress brought us some bread and then followed with drink orders and water at least ten minutes after. When our food finally came, apx 30 minutes later, it was separated by about 5 minutes per 2 people. So my grandpa had to wait maybe 10 minutes from when I got food to when he got his. Now I can’t speak to what everyone else ordered but as far as my dinner went it was terrible. I had Chicken Fettuccini. What I got was either turkey or pre-steamed chicken from a can. It was disgusting. I tell you what when I pay $15 for fettuccini with chicken it better be made to order chicken freshly cooked. Not from a can. All in All it was by far the worst Italian food I've ever had. Even Spaghetti factory makes Tuccis look bad. If you know what’s good for you you'll stay far away from this place.

This is it

Call it the Ultimate guide to eating. This is where youll hear all my praises and all the dirt on the Food industry. Get ready

This is where you'll come to know why they call me the Connoisseur of Food and Beverage. Recipes, Restaurant reviews, Food industry trash talk and much much more. At this point in my life I've come to realize that all I would like to do is spend time with my friends and family and eat as much and at as many places as possible. Every chance I get I try to eat at new and exciting places and so when I know youll know.

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