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“Declassified” White House Honey Ale

Posted by roodonfood on September 19, 2012 in Uncategorized

They say one way to measure a politician’s likability is if the voter is interested in having a beer with them. A silly thought to be sure, but now learning that they’re homebrewing at the White House  – I would love to stop by for a pint with Obama.

Inspired by home brewers from across the country, last year President Obama bought a home brewing kit for the kitchen. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before.

The kitchen staff is homebrewing a honey brown ale and a honey porter using South lawn honey. Here are some reviews from brewers based on seeing the recipe itself.

Cheekily, they have just “declassified” the recipe for the White House Honey Ale here.

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Jabsons Roasted Chana Review

Posted by roodonfood on September 18, 2012 in gluten free, Snacks, Uncategorized, vegan

Jabsons Roasted Chana

The Jabsons Roasted Chana slick packaging caught my eye at Patel Brothers in Atlanta (1711 Church St, Decatur, GA). Around since 1922, they hand roast which is certainly unusual to find in a packaged good. The packet is 150g or 5.29oz. The copy indicates the product is Gujarati style.

The chickpeas are quite small, about the size of a green pea. The Nimboo Pudina (Lemon Mint) flavor is readily apparent once the package is opened. In addition to lemon, citric acid and amchur (dry mango) provide tart acidity. The heat from chili powder is ultra-mild.

According to the package a 30g/1.05oz serving provides 11% DV fiber, 14% Calcium, 4.5g protein and 20% iron. All very useful things. It’s organic and has a glycemic index of 30-40. Like a nut, I found just a tablespoon or two satisfying.  The product appears to be gluten free and vegan. (ingredients: chana, oil, lemon powder, red chilly, citric acid, black pepper, dry mango, cloves, mint, sugar & salt). This snack will appeal to a wide audience as it’s fairly healthy, inexpensive and plentiful. Other flavors include gud, (molasses), spicy masala, black pepper, and hing jeera (hing is often used as a substitute for garlic by Jains – more on that in a future post).

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Ulker Golden White Chocolate With Pistachios (3.17oz/90g)

Posted by roodonfood on September 17, 2012 in gluten free, Snacks
Ulker Golden Premium White Chocolate With Pistachios

Ulker Golden Premium White Chocolate With Pistachios

Ülker is a Turkish company that makes chocolate, crackers and all manner of food products. One thing this chocolate teaches is that an umlaut indicates quality. The White Chocolate with Pistachio bar was purchased on sale for only a $1 at the meat market on 20th Avenue in Bensonhurst.

Pistachios are rarely used in American chocolate brands (I’m looking at you Hershey’s) let alone combined with white chocolate so the Ülker Golden is exciting. The texture is extremely creamy. Unlike some other bar makers, they aren’t stingy with the nuts. With every bite the consumer gets slightly salty, nutty pistachio flavor contrasted with the rich white chocolate. I’m rarely in Bensonhurst but next time around I’ll definitely pick up some more bars.

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Bikaji Khatta Meetha Review (Officially Gluten Free Snack)

Posted by roodonfood on September 14, 2012 in gluten free, indian, Snacks, vegan
Bikaji Khatta Meetha Gluten Free

Bikaji Khatta Meetha Gluten Free

This package of Bikaji Khatta Meetha was purchased for $3.99 (400g/14.12 oz) at Foods on India (Sinha Trading Company) in Curry Hill. Already a fan of the previously written about aloo bhujia I was curious how their version of this sweet and sour treat compared to the one by Haldiram’s.

The crunch is satisfying and the ingredient proportion is good. The consumer gets a little of everything in most bites. The sweetness is milder than Haldiram’s which allows it to be enjoyed by itself rather than adding in extra bhujia or sev to balance out flavor.  The lone ingredient that to abundant is the peanut which tends to overpower everything else when present in a bite. I will definitely buy this type again though most likely the peanuts will end up discarded in the bag.

The ingredients are gram flour, chickpeas, sugar, rice flakes, whole lentils, tapioca, peanuts, salt, citric acid, turmeric and peanut oil. In an exciting turn of events, this product from India is labeled gluten free (it’s also vegan).

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Oscar Meyer Butcher Thick Cut Bacon As Currency

Posted by roodonfood on September 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

Oscar Mayer in conjunction with 360i agency just started a really interesting campaign for its Butcher Thick Cut bacon called “The Bacon Barter.” They armed actor Josh Sankey with no money or credit cards, just a ton and a half of bacon to barter in exchange for meals, lodging and anything else. On the website they provide updates of where he is and what he bartered for. For example, in exchange for 2 bacon bricks he got a John Wayne poster and later some empanadas.

This is very clever. We live in a time of the bacon-oriented zeitgeist. It made its way into countless products such as lip balms, air fresheners and bourbon. I struggle to think of any food which would work as well virally. You can smell it from a mile away. You think of bacon and it probably puts a smile on your face.

Even though this campaign is for commercial purposes it’s so clever I hope Josh Sankey is successful. Bacon itself cannot raise its profile any higher so it will be fascinating to see what type of sales bump Oscar Mayer gets from the promotion.

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Fresh bread from Sweet Treasures Bakery

Posted by roodonfood on September 10, 2012 in Uncategorized
Sweet Treasures Pumpernickel

Sweet Treasures Pumpernickel

The bar the other night was too busy so I did the next logical thing: stopped by the bakery and picked up a loaf of pumpernickel and went home to catch the game (Steelers versus the Broncos). It was a great match, made even better because of delicious sandwiches.

I love fresh loaves of bread and living in an area where they’re available on the corner. It turns out that my local bakery, Sweet Treasures on 5th Avenue (between Prospect Avenue and 16th St) sells them at a bargain of $2-$3.  This is addition to their transcendent Lard Bread among other things.

 

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Survivor: Fruit Island – Asian Pear Versus Banana: Who Will Win?

Posted by roodonfood on September 8, 2012 in Uncategorized

Better Than A Banana Says the Monkey

I loved this cute picture of a monkey eating a Korean pear. It’s by the baggage claim for Airtran at LaGuardia airport in New York. Korean Food and Products, the group that bought the ad is definitely capitalizing on our implicit trust in the opinions of monkeys. Could this simian model be the next Dr. Zaius?

The copy says “Better than a Banana.” Since taste is subjective, this is like, well, comparing apples and oranges – everyone has a different preference. If they’re describing nutrition the fruit is a tossup.

Using Self’s nutrition facts we compared a 122 gram Asian pear versus a 118 gram Banana. The Asian Pear has around 51 calories versus the 122 calories of the banana. Both are low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.

Pears win over bananas when it comes for carbs (4% versus 9%).  They also feature more fiber (18% versus 12%) and less sugar (14g versus 9g). On the vitamin front Bananas contain 17% DV Vitamin C, 22% B6, 6% Folate and 12% Potassium. Asian Pears on the other hand contain 8% Vitamin C and 7% Vitamin K and 4% Potassium.

If you’re calorie conscious the pear is clearly better but if you’re concerned with things like proper cell and kidney function the banana is for you. Regardless, why are you getting your opinion from a monkey anyway? From my perspective the banana wins for versatility. I eat them mixed with cereal, yogurt, raw or in smoothies. Asian pears are great raw and a have a satisfying crunch. Winner: Banana.

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OHSUNG YES! CHIPS! Review

Posted by roodonfood on September 5, 2012 in Snacks, vegan

OHSUNG YES! CHIPS! SWEET POTATO CHIPS WITH BLACK SESAME. This was on sale for $1.79 at the legendary Hmart Korean megamart. The packaging shows the product name with an exclamation point and all caps. Some might think it rude to yell at a potential customer but I like enthusiasm from packaged goods especially without the handicap of cute anthropomorphic mascots. Also the bag color is fuchsia which you rarely see at least on American goods (this product comes from South Korea).

OHSUNG YES! CHIPS!

OHSUNG YES! CHIPS!

Source

The chips are shown with sesame seeds but very few are actually in the chips. They’re paler than pictured, almost an off white rather than the expected potato chip yellow. The bag weight is 3.53 oz which is deceptive because the chips themselves are very light. Serving size is 1.05 oz or about 1/3 of the bag.

The flavor is quite tasty though sweeter than expected. Much of the discernible sweetness comes from the tapioca, sugar and honey. Think a nilla wafer but lighter with notes of honey and sesame. Despite being called sweet potato, it’s not much more than a hint of that.

After the confidence displayed on the front of the package I was surprised by the self-doubt on the back copy: “Sweetly crunchy, unexpectedly delicious….” This of course makes the product more endearing. I’d get these chips again and not because they make you feel sorry for them. I bet these would pair nicely with pudding.

Ingredients: Sweet Potato, Tapioca Powder, Sugar, Egg, Palm Oil, Malt Syrup, Milk Powder, Sweet Potato Flavor, Black Sesame Seed, Honey, Salt

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Choripdong Rice Cakes Review

Posted by roodonfood on September 4, 2012 in vegan

Choripdong Traditional Rice Cakes

The South Koreans excel at fun packaging. These Choripdong rice cakes ($1.29, Hmart) came in a simple wax paper package. The size of the package is only 1.76 oz (50g) and contains 20-25 rice balls. A perfect amount if you’re curious to try a new snack. . The ingredients are rice, soy, sugar, corn syrup, salt, sesame oil, and palm oil.

Choripdong Traditional Rice Cakes

Choripdong Traditional Rice Cakes

The rice balls extremely airy and are actually hollow inside. They are chewy and soft with a mild sweetness. I enjoyed these tremendously with tea. Once the bag is open put them in an airtight container and eat within a few days as they go stale very quickly.

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Chattanooga Visit: Tremont Tavern and Long Horn Restaurant

Posted by roodonfood on September 3, 2012 in Food Adventures

Last weekend I visited the town of my formative years, Chattanooga, Tennessee. The reason for the visit was an unhappy one, a high school friend passing away. While it’s terrible to lose someone, the silver lining is that it brought together old friends over drinks and good meals.

Tremont Tavern

My friend John, who introduced me to the Hazed and Infused beer suggested going to Tremont Tavern which is famous for grinding their own meat for burgers. They’re located at 1203 Hixson Pike, on the border between the Tremont area and Hixson. It’s a definite neighborhood joint.

Tremont Tavern Fantasy Football Guys

All the stools around the bar were occupied by a group apparently trading fantasy football players. We periodically heard names called out such as David Akers and Dree Brees. That reminds me to look at my leagues draft but I digress.

Tremont Tavern Havarti Burger and Tater Tots

On the food front I chose the Havarti Burger ($9) which was delicious and creamy. Since Havarti is a semi-soft cheese it uniformly coated the burger. On the side there was the choice of fries or tater tots. Is that even a question? Also worth mentioning is the amazing beer selection.

The other place notable joint is the Long Horn Restaurant at 129 Market St. It’s one of those breakfast and lunch only places. They’re open 6am-2pm M-F and 7am-2pm Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a greasy spoon not unlike Waffle House.  They’ve existed since 1959 so they do food quite well.

Long Horn Restaurant on Market Street

Long Horn Restaurant on Market Street

Long Horn Restaurant on Market Street

I got the biscuits and gravy, ham and scattered hash browns. The gravy was studded with pieces of sausage and just the right amount of pepper for mild kick. Yes biscuits and gravy are carb-tastic but no visit to the south is complete without it. The ham was tasty but purely functional. The scattered hash browns were cooked to a golden brown giving waffle house a run for its money.

Long Horn Restaurant on Market Street

Seeing friends under rough circumstance wasn’t easy, especially after a 12 year gap. Still, breaking bread, reminiscing and discussing the future made it easier. I can’t wait to stop by again.

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