Monthly Archives: July 2012

Back to Reno’s Party in the Park

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Once again,  I left work early to head on up to Reno for the food trucks at Idlewild park. Little did I know that my drive was going to take much longer than anticipated. When you can get out of your truck and walk around, you know it’s going to be a while. I heard there was an accident further up the road, but no specifics as to the extent. I do hope that the people involved are ok.

I managed to roll into Reno 4 1/2 hours after leaving work and I made a B-line to Idlewild park, getting there just a little after 8 pm. Plenty of time though to get my naan dog. But before I tell you about that, I need to say that I’ve been to quite a few food truck events and I like the Reno’s Party in the Park and I really like Idlewild Park as its venue. There’s a big grassy area to lay out blankets, set up lawn chairs, or what ever you prefer. There’s a good variety of food trucks and food venders;  plenty of entertainment to enjoy and there’s just an all in all good vibe about it.

The highlight of this trip was that I got to meet Jaci Goodman and Amanda Burden from edible Reno-Tahoe magazine and of Reno Street Food. These two ladies are extremely passionate about the Reno food scene and rightfully so. Reno really does have a lot to offer and they are getting the word out. From what I see, Party in the Park at Idlewild is becoming a destination food truck event.

So back to my naan dog, this wonder dog is topped with hilbeh, sauerkraut, and mustard, then it’s wrapped in naan – what a wonderful combination. The next time I have one, I must really talk to them about the hilbeh.

I was a rather parched after my drive and I did need something to wash down that naan dog, so the folks at Great Basin Brewing Company hooked me up with a cold one. Quite refreshing. There wasn’t much time before the trucks started to close so I grabbed a couple slices of wood fired pizza from  St. Lawrence Pizza Co. I had plain cheese, which was good, but I preferred the white pizza made with tomato, basil, and cheese.

I love wood fired pizza, so much so, that last year I built a mud pizza oven in my backyard. I just happen to have this picture of me and my mud oven readily available on my iPhone; one never knows when the topic of backyard cooking will come up, which of course leads to the exchange of pictures.

In fact, while eating my white pizza I met some fellow foodies and they told me about a permanent pig pit in their backyard. They showed me several pictures of it ,on their iPhone, with as much pride as they would with showing pictures of their children. Do they have children? Oh I don’t know, we just talked about food. I so want a pig pit in my backyard.

But back to Reno…

Jaci, from edible Reno-Tahoe, must have read my last post because I mentioned that if you eat with me and I don’t have what you have, I’ll take a sample. That’s what I did, Jaci ordered a Crepe Suzette from Hot and Healthy Crepes and I just had to have a taste. Oh man, the next time I’m up here, I’m ordering one for myself. Does that crepe look gorgeous or what.

It was getting late and the trucks were closing up but I still manage to find some pig pops. Don’t know what they are? Well then, you might want to check the previous blog postings from my last trip to Reno, Click on this => Reno Street Food and after that => Good Eats in Reno.

Here’s a peek of what you’ll see…

It was time to call it a night, but before I left, Jaci gave me several suggestions of places to try while in Reno. Sadly, there isn’t enough time to try every one, so I decided to try Midtown Eats and Wedge. What are they? Well, you’ll had to read my next two blogs to find out.

 

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Good eats in Reno

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I’ve been to Reno several times, but I never really paid attention to the food until this past weekend. I went in search of food trucks, but I found much more and I was even inspired to do some cooking of my own.

This is my second posting about my weekend in Reno; the first one was posted a few days ago and it’s about the Party in the Park with Reno Street Food. If you haven’t read it, you might want to give out a quick look. It’s full of tastebud tantalizing photos of street food.

If I did even the slightest internet search about Reno’s food scene, I would have found out about edible RENO-TAHOE magazine before I went and not when my trip was almost over. When you’re talking about a three-day weekend, there isn’t much time left when it’s “almost over”. Man, this magazine is full of food articles, recipes, and a lot more about the Reno-Tahoe area. In the current issue, there’s an article about food trucks, that’s what I was looking for, and an article about Lavender Ridge, which I visited. The magazine is just over a hundred pages and I’m really just beginning to work my way through it. This magazine will be the guide for my next visit; which will be more sooner than later because my in-laws now live in Reno. Oh, and you can read edible RENO-TAHOE online.

Last Friday I left work early, to avoid traffic,  for a three hour drive to Reno to check out some food trucks…and of course visit my in-laws. When I got to Reno the first stop was  Wild River Grille. It’s situated on the Truckee River which runs through the middle of Reno. I wanted to keep it light, so I started with a cheese plate. It was a nice selection of cheeses, along with fresh fruit, berries, honey, spiced pecans, and lavash.

I looked at the menu some more and even though I was planning on food trucks, I decided to try the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings, made with a spicy orange sauce.

You know, I really should have stopped there but I went on to get the House Sliders with blue cheese, bacon, and garlic aioli. What can I say? I like sampling menus.

I could have eaten more, but it was time for the food trucks.

After you’ve read the rest of this posting, come back here to read about the food trucks I visited while at the Party in the Park with Reno Street Food.

On Saturday I actually back tracked to California to attend the 4th Annual Smokin’ in the Oaks BBQ Cook-off; you can read about that also.

Sunday morning was a georgous day in Reno and it got better when I went to The Stone House Cafe and ordered the BLT Bloody Mary….that’s right, BLT. The vodka was infused with BACON! How cool is that? For a kick, it had house-made guacamole with tiny bits of jalepenos. To top it off, the piece de resistance, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato on a stick. I think the phrase “I don’t usually like…” is such a cliche, but folks, I don’t usually like Bloody Marys, but I had two of these!

Now on to breakfast… I had chicken and waffles. For those of you who have followed me for awhile, you know that I love Chicken Fried Steak, but I’m totally down with chicken and waffles, especially when they’re Belgian waffles. If you’re new to my posts, I usually let the pictures do the talking.

Also had the Lobster Eggs Benedict. Now when I say “also had”, what I really mean is that I tasted the Lobster Eggs Benedict. I like to eat, but I have limits and I don’t usually eat alone.

Just a warning, if you do find yourself partaking in some good eats with me, I will take a sample of what you have. But only if I don’t have it; so if you don’t want to share with me, it’s best that you get what I get.

Why, just a few weeks ago at the Wine Country Big Q, I had some extra tasting tickets and I knew I wouldn’t use them because I was full of BBQ! So I gave them away to a couple of guys that were sitting at the same table. They got up and went to get some BBQ. They came back in a few minutes and they must have been about 10 meters from me when I spotted a hunk of pork belly on one of their plates. Pork Belly! I love pork belly, I didn’t know there was pork belly to be had at the Big Q. I don’t think I gave them a chance to sit down before I was up, out of my seat,  and on the other side of the table. It must be primal instincts because all I managed to say was “pork belly” and the dude was tearing me off a piece. That was my dessert, a perfect ending to a day of BBQ.

But I digress… back to Reno and the breakfast table. I’m always on the quest for the best chicken fried steak and I almost ordered it, but the lure of chicken and waffles prevailed. Luckily, someone else ordered it and let me tell you, that chicken fried steak is a contender for the best I’ve ever had.

One final dish…it was a benedict of some sort…..umm, I can’t rememeber what they called it, but it had spinach and a portabella mushroom and it was good.

If you go and I do recommend it, you’ll want to call for reservations; it gets a bit crowded. Did I mention the outdoor seating? This is a really nice place for patio dining. I usually just take pictures of food, but I should start taking pictures of the places also. So for now, you’ll just have to take my word, it’s a really nice place. Oh, and I thought the service was excellent, especially our waiter….whose name I believe is Wilson. Sounds about right.

Well after breakfast I wanted to take a nap, but instead went to Lavender Ridge. There’s a nice writeup about them is edible RENO-TAHOE, although at the time I did not know that. This is my favorite picture that I took while in Reno. Check out that bee, even he knows there’s a food scene in Reno; just look at him throwing down on some lavender nectar. Can you imagine the honey these bees produce? I so want some.

From the gift shop, I bought some culinary lavender and a cookbook. A few flips through the book and I planned dinner for the night. Okay, it was more than just a few flips, this book is full of wonderful recipes just waiting to be tried.

The main entree for the evening was Grilled Lavender Lamb Loin Chops. Maybe I’ll do a step by step blog for this recipe but for now you’ll just have to settle with knowing the lamb loin chops marinaded for several hours in pomegranate molasses, lemon-lime juice and of course, lavender. I couldn’t find pomegranate molasses, but I did find pomegranate juice and I tried making molasses by adding sugar and reducing it down…was it successful, not exactly, but I made it work. If I do a step by step photo shoot, I’ll make sure to perfect that process. If you want to know what  I mean about step by step, check out my posting for Guinness Stout Whoopie Pies.

Those are some beautiful lamb loin chops with just some basic seasoning of salt and pepper before being marinaded.

For a side dish, Lavender Artichokes with a lavender-salt mayo for dipping was in order.

Where’s the pictures of the cooked food? Well, what can I say? I was so enthused about cooking with lavendar that I got a head of myself and ate before getting the pictures I wanted. What are you gonna do, right?

But hey, check out the Lavender Margaritas! Do they look refreshing, or what.

The cookbook has several drink recipes, including one for making a Lavender Sweet and Sour Mix which served as the base for the Margaritas. A little lavender salt on the rim and yumbo! I tried just three recipes out of about 120 that are in the book. The lavender dinner was totally impromptu, I had no idea that I was going to pick up a lavender cookbook. I’m glad I did. Will I try anymore recipes? Hard to say because there’s always some other magazine or book that comes along that’s full of recipes that I’ll want to try.

Will I return to Reno anytime soon? Oh heck yeah. It’s really not that far away and the more I read edible RENO-TAHOE, the more I want to head back.

 

 

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4th Annual Smokin’ in the Oaks Cook-Off

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Can I ever get tired of BBQ? Obviously that’s a rhetorical question. This is my third BBQ event this month! If you haven’t already seen my previous posts then check them out, Bay Area BBQ Championship and Wine Country Big Q.

Smokin’ in the Oaks was up in Penn Valley, CA. I was in Penn Valley earlier this summer for the Food Truck Food Festival. Truthfully, I never heard of Penn Valley until the folks at Stitches ‘n Dishes invited me to the festival. I’m glad I went, had I not, I would not have heard about NorCal BBQ’s photo contest, which I won. The prize? VIP tickets to the Bay Area BBQ Championship, which led to hearing about the Big Q and Smokin’ in the Oaks.

Okay, okay, I’m beginning to babel and you’re really here to see some beautiful pictures of barbecue. Now you might be surprised, but I only ate BBQ from three places. I know, sounds crazy but it’s true. But the weather was really nice, had a great spot under the shade of an oak tree, live music was playing, and I was in no hurry.

Besides, just look at that plate of food! There’s a mini rack of ribs, a hunk of pork, a giant slice of brisket, two ears of corn and a salad…..ok, the salad was there just to add some balance to the picture.

The Food Bank of Nevada County BBQ team spent a lot time making this plate possible. If you have to chance to try their BBQ, do it.

A lot of teams come to cook-offs come with some big rigs, but some teams like the food bank’s show up with backyard equipment and they deliver some hella smoky barbecue.

 Next up was Bam Dazy BBQ from Auburn, CA

The team is named for their Boston Terriers, Bam and Daisy.

Yes, both of those plates are for me. I had a pulled pork slider with slaw and rootbeer BBQ sauce….

and then a beef brisket slider with blackberry BBQ sauce. Their brisket came in 10th and I bet next time, they’ll place higher.

They have a restaurant in Auburn, but I don’t pass through that area very often. Still, I might have to plan a visit.

Last but not least….

NorCal BBQ

This is some of the best tasting chicken I’ve had in a while, besides mine, of course.

The wings featured their special spice blends, Rebel Rub and Chicken Choker. I favored Chicken Choker and I really liked the side of Rebel Slaw (go ahead, click it. It’ll take you to the recipe).

Well, that was it. No, that wasn’t all the BBQ I had that day. Are you kidding? I still had to eat dinner. Yup, had me a rack of baby backs and a side salad.

 

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Party in the Park with Reno Street Food – Reno, Nevada

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Yeah, I drove just a tad under three hours to eat off a food truck in Reno, Nevada. Then again, there was this one time when I drove just over six hours to LA just to eat a hotdog at Pinks. Oh, and I drove back the same day! So this was nothing in my never ending quest to find some good eats.

Did I find any? Oh, heck yeah! Pig Pops! Pig on a stick!

It’s not a rib, but it’s a pig shank and it was tender, tasty and I ate it like a tootsie pop. How many licks to get to the center? Let me see, one, two, three….did I lose you on that reference? Theses folks are from the Full Belly Deli in Truckie, CA. But they only make them on the road, you might want to check them out at www.facebook.com/FullBellyDelisTravelingPigPops. They’re a rather new page so they haven’t built up a following yet.After the pig pops…

Dish Truck

This is what I had: Cowgirl Tri Tip Panini - Dry Rubbed Grilled Tri Tip, Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese Spread and Dijon on Sourdough.followed by:Figgy Frenchman Panini - Brie, Spinach, Dijon, Fig Jam and Green Apple.I had one more item form their truck: The Pig Pile – Carnitas over tortilla chips with onion, feta, cilantro, chipotle sauce, and a good sprinkling of bacon! You might want to check them out at www.dishtruck.com.

Last but not least…

Red Truck

I only ate the naan dog, sad but true, but I do have limits as to how much I can eat.

The naan dog was a beef hot dog with fresh mustard, Hilbeh, and Superkraut wrapped in Naan bread. What’s Hilbeh? It’s a condiment of sorts primarily made with Fenugreek.Well, that was it.

Overall this was really nice gathering of food trucks and food vendors, there were plenty choices and I’ll have to come back again. If you go, bring a chair or blanket and hang out for a while. If you want to know more about Reno Street Food, check them out on Facebook.

I just posted more about good eats in Reno.

 

 

 

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2nd Annual Wine Country Big Q: July 14, 2012

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This has been a good month, the weekend before last  I went to the Bay Area BBQ Championship in Oakland and this past weekend I went to the Wine Country Big Q in Santa Rosa. I can’t seem to get enough BBQ. The weather was perfect for BBQ and so was the location. The event was held on an athletic field with all the competitors lining the sides. Unlike the Bay Area BBQ Championship, all the competitors here had samples. As much as I wish I could have tried them all, I couldn’t.

This was an officially sanctioned competition by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, but there were three categories for the People’s Choice Award. I picked two out of the three winners, although the team that I did vote for which didn’t win the People’s Choice Award, managed to place third in the lamb category…..so, I could say that all my picks were winners.

But enough talk, I know you all really come here for the pictures of the food.

People’s Choice Winery Big Beef Challenge: Kendall-Jackson Winery BBQ Team

The people’s choice winner for the Winery Big Beef Challenge at the 2nd Annual Wine Country Big Q went to the Kendall-Jackson Winery BBQ Team. They served up the “Tom Young” Sandwich. This wonderful  sandwich was full of Smoked Snake River Farms Wagyu Tri-Tip, Cabernet Braised Cabbage, Point Reyes Blue Cheese Dressing, and Sausalito Springs Watercress. The “Tom Young” was paired with Kendall-Jackson Highland Estate Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. I had four of these sandwiches and needless to say, they got my vote.

Executive Chef Justin Wangler paired Kendall-Jackson’s Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with Wagyu Tri-tip. He also braised the cabbage with this cab. The pairing was perfect. Oh, did I mention that there was a lot of wine at the Wine Country Big Q…maybe you could tell by its name. 

People’s Choice Bold Bean Challenge: Baird’s BBQ

These guys specialize in Santa Maria Style Tri-tip, but they walked away with an award for their beans. Man, just look at all that tri-tip!You’re most likely asking, where’s the picture of the beans? Well, see that pot in the background..to the right? It’s full of beans! Really, it is, okay, okay, so I didn’t take a picture of the beans….but hey, check out their rig. Is that cool or what?!

People’ Choice Best Barbecue Barbecue Bob and the Smokin’ Banditos of Cloverdale (Hamburger Ranch)

I did not vote for these guys, but let me say that this was a really tasty sandwich and I just might plan a trip to their restaurant.

My Choice for Best Barbecue went to Dad’s Doing What they Love

Their pulled pork just edged out the others, it was moist, smokey, and just flavorful.

I hope you enjoyed my pictures, I had a really fun time at the Wine Country Big Q. I met a lot of fellow foodies and tasted a lot of good food and wine. I think I’ll plan on attending next year.

 

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Bay Area BBQ – Harry Stewart – Tips about Tri-tips

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Eating awesome BBQ wasn’t the only thing to do at the Bay Area BBQ Championship. There were live cooking demonstrations by BBQ Professionals such as Harry Stewart from Great American Barbecue.

A few tips about tri-tip

  • Grill at about 300 degrees
  • Sear both sides over direct heat
  • After searing, cook try-tip with indirect heat – close the grill lid
  • Cook until the internal temperature is 125 degrees
  • Once cooked, let the tri-tip rest
  • Cut the meat across the grain – start with the tip of the boomerang

Chef Stewart provided a lot of samples….and I did not hold back!

Is that some beautiful looking tri-tip, or what?

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Good Eats at the Bay Area BBQ Championship – Oakland, CA – July 7, 2012

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I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

There were a lot of good eats at the Bay Area BBQ Championship…

Gorgeous beef ribs from Great American Barbecue.

 

 

Perfectly grilled lamb by Chef Hoss Zare of Zare at Fly Trap.

 

Pork ribs prepared by Dr. BBQ.

 

Tri-tips from Great American Barbecue.

 

More grilled lamb by Chef Hoss Zare of Zare at Fly Trap.

 

Smoked salmon taco from the folks at Smoked Planet.

See what I mean?

 

 

 

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Open-Face Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich

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Props to my wife tonight, she put together some Open-Face Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches for dinner. The recipe is from the current issue of Food Network Magazine (July/August 2012). The lime juice mixed with freshly made mayo (used eggs from our own chickens) added a punch of flavor to the mix. The radishes and carrots provided a nice crunch. Oh, and did I mention that the freshly made chili mayo added just the right amount of heat to liven things up. The recipe was easy and quick to make, you might want to check it out.

Food Truck Food Festival – Penn Valley CA

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This past weekend I cruised on up to Penn Valley, CA for Foods4Thought’s Food Truck Food Festival sponsored by the folks at Stitches ‘n Dishes. I love food trucks and this was definitely the place to go. They had a nice line-up of trucks and food vendors from Sacramento, the Bay area, and even local folks. I ate from three trucks and three vendors.

I had to get a Naked Lobster Roll from the Shack Mobile. I’ve eaten from this truck before so I knew I was going to get some good eats.

Next up I had the Peter Rattle Tail from Pit Bros BBQ, it was a mix of rattle snake and rabbit. It actually tasted good and had a nice texture. Pit Bros BBQ are local guys from Penn Valley.

The Skippy Dog from Heavenly Dog…weird, but it worked. Something about the peanut butter, the grilled onion, the fried onion, and the jack cheese all coming together made for an interesting dog.

You really should check out their corn dog, man this thing was huge! Had a really nice crunch when bitten into and the bater had a fresh cornmeal taste. This is my third time eating from Heavenly Dog and if you like dogs, give them a try.

Now who doesn’t like a nice tender beef heart skewered on a stick? This was my first time trying Lima – Peruvian Food and all I can say is if I see them again, I’ll be standing in line. You should give beef hearts a try, they had a nice spice to them and the chimichurri sauce was perfect.

It was a warm afternoon so I headed over to the Local Kine Shaved Ice truck and ordered a large shaved ice with mango, guava, and pineapple. Want something interesting? Have then dust it with plum salt…go ahead, give it a try.

I thought the shaved ice was the last bit for the day, but as I walked out I saw the Butterscotch Girl….I don’t have a picture of what’s behind the lid because I ate it too quickly.

All in all, it really was nice event, there was live music and plenty of seating in the shade. In a couple of weeks there’s a BBQ competition at the same location, I just might check it out.