Author: foodnerd

catastrophe! bacon backlog

How do I know I am drastically overbooked? Because today the latest Bacon-of-the-Month-Club shipment arrived, and I have not yet partaken of the last one. *swoon* THE HORROR!

The only appropriate response to this is to acquire the last red ripe tomatoes of the season and have a leisurely BLT this weekend, but there is no time. I have to be on the road by 10:30am, which is barely time to get the tomatoes from the farmer’s market. And Sunday I have a similar wake up and go schedule. Bah humbug.

I think I have to find a weeknight this week to have a few people over for BLT dinner party. Not sure how, but I think it has to happen. A girl must have correct priorities.

eating in montreal

We were in Montreal for a dance weekend, and between the sleep deprivation and the language barrier, we were not going too far afield. Happily the dance venue was smack in the middle of what appeared to be Little Saigon, so we ate pho and banh mi the whole time. The banh mi were particularly good, on skinny crunchy baguettes with a schmear of pate and mayo on each, plus the grilled pork or cold cuts and daikon, carrots and wee hot peppers.

Then finally last night we had a bit of time so I asked one of the Montreal dancers where the really good poutine was to be had. He sent us to La Banquise, and he was not wrong. Yum.

Poutine from la banquise, montreal

Really delicious, crisp fries as a base, with good gravy and squeaky cheese curds on top, and then you can go nuts with variations. T got his with hamburger meat and sauteed onion, which was the best. It’s basically a burger and fries all smushed up together on the plate — can’t go wrong. I had smoked meat which was not as good as you’d hope, and tallasiandude got merguez sausage but what came wasn’t nothing but a hot dog as far as I could tell. So I guess stick with simple toppings and stay away from cured meats. Anyway, absolutely the best possible meal with a beer after two solid days of dancing. Open 24 hrs, too, doing a brisk business in cheesy gravy fries. Hell to the yes.

why I hate most people

Apparently the new compostable packaging for Sun Chips — a GENIUS idea — has cost them a significant number of customers… because the bag crackles too loudly. So the company is returning to its standard packaging, in deference to this mind-boggling idiocy.

Really? Really, America? You can’t stand a crackling bag impinging on your salt-and-fat-laden snack experience in order to keep a little bit of trash out of landfills? Seriously?

I’m appalled. You have got to be kidding. We are doomed as a nation, and as a species, if we can’t do a little better than this.

Penny Cluse Cafe, Burlington VT: Best Sammich Evar

Or pretty darn close anyway. Ham Randy: thick cut smoked ham, cheddar cheese, fresh red tomato, lightly spicy jalapeno mayo, on grilled sourdough. DAYUM. Available at Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington VT, where we are visiting pals.

Comes with delicious bread and butter pickle slices and some cilantro-cabbage slaw. We also got a side of excellent mac-and-cheese, and a broccoli-cheese-cherry pepper relish grilled sandwich, and a side of bucket-o-spuds (homefries with cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream). All excellent, but eclipsed by the glory of the Ham Randy.

full-blown obsession

is what I am having with the combination of corn cut off the cob plus pimenton de la vera, usually in a salad-ish mixture with other vegetables like peppers or onions and perhaps some cheese. HOLY COW. I mix up the veggies, then put on a sprinkle of sea salt and an undignified amount of pimenton, and it is so very, very delicious.

12 minute miles, and a good reason to run them

Apparently I run 12 minute miles. That’s pretty freaking slow, but I am still proud as can be, considering I do THREE OF THEM AT A TIME. Go me.

Also this helps make up for the many dumplings and spare ribs and bao that went into the piehole at Hei La Moon this weekend. Very good dim sum, of about equivalent quality to China Pearl, but with two notable differences: 1) no black sesame jelly roll that I could find, and 2) the best damn turnip cake I have ever eaten, perfectly flavored and griddle fried fresh to order.

UPDATE: on a second visit, I scored some black sesame jelly roll from one of the first carts that came around at 11am — by the time we left an hour or so later it was all gone. So get ’em early, y’all. They’ll keep on the table for you.

possibly best salad ever

my lunch today was a bowlful of:

Trader Joe’s ready to eat butter lettuce
sliced radishes
crumbled feta
sliced green onion
diced spicy-garlic carrot pickles
Trader Joe’s chipotle hummus
half an avocado
drizzle of white wine vinegar

The feta, hummus and avocado served as dressing. It was tangy, spicy, savory and crunchy. YUM.