Banned since 1912, absinthe made a triumphant return to legality recently in the US. Absinthe has an undeserved reputation for causing hallucinations, dementia, renal failure, convulsions, homicidal mania, ear-ectomies (see van Gogh, Vincent), and a nasty aftertaste of black licorice. Okay, the last one is true. Think Good n Plenties and anise blended with Ouzo… Read More: Absinthe is Good for You »
I went to a friend’s birthday party this weekend (Hi, Eric!) at which he roasted a seventy pound pig. He and a friend built a big fire during the night that they let burn down to hot coals. The pig was wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with river rocks that had been heated by… Read More: Piggie Roasting under an Open Fire »
As previously promised, here’s the review of the most expensive beer, by nearly an order of magnitude, that I’ve ever tasted. It’s very important when trying something like this not to get your expectations up too high. It’s a bit much to expect any beer to be 10 times better than any other beer you’ve… Read More: Review: Sam Adams Utopias »
What kind of lunatic would pay $160 for a bottle of beer? Apparently, me, since I just bought a bottle of 2007 Samuel Adams Utopias, which my wife and I will be splitting with my sister-in-law and her husband. A bottle of the 2003 release recently went for nearly $250 on eBay. The highest bid… Read More: Samuel Adams Utopias »
I’m in the middle of a trip to Austin and San Antonio to visit relatives and get up close and personal with some BBQ. And Mexican food. And chili and chiles. A short version of all this is on my wombatnation page at Pownce. First up was a trip to the Texas Chili Parlor for… Read More: On the BBQ Trail in Austin »
In another hilarious episode of Steve Don’t Eat It, Steve cuts an orange, remotely brain shaped, sulphur shelf mushroom off a tree in his yard, chops it up, sautés it in olive oil, and chows down on its lemony chicken tasting goodness. The chopped up chunks even look a bit like chicken. Well, from a… Read More: Mmm… Tree Brain »
For several years late each August I’ve wanted to order a big pile of New Mexico green chiles from one of the growers near Hatch, New Mexico, and then make all my favorite green chile-based recipes, especially green chile stew and enchilada casserole. I finally slayed the sloth dragon this year, but with a lot… Read More: Hatch Green Chiles in the Bay Area »
Ah, another trip to Biloxi, another series of encounters with the best sandwich in the world, the shrimp po-boy. The first stop on my culinary adventure was the Old Biloxi Schooner, a.k.a., Schooner’s. Once again, they didn’t disappoint. The shrimp was masterfully fried, with a delicious peppered batter. Of course, I had my po-boy dressed,… Read More: It’s All about the Shrimp Po-Boys »
Tonight my wife and I attended a benefit for the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland featuring a menu designed by Alice Waters and music by Kronos Quartet. We’ve donated annually to Creative Growth for many years and purchased several pieces of beautiful art there. For over 32 years Creative Growth has offered fantastic creative… Read More: Creative Growth Benefit with Kronos Quartet »
I was back in Biloxi at the beginning of March to visit my mother on her birthday. While there, of course, I had to partake in one of my all time favorite meals, the shrimp po-boy. This is a very simple meal, just some medium-sized fried shrimp with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, and mayonnaise on… Read More: Shrimp Po-Boys in Biloxi »