Cincinnati Eats Part 2: Graeter's Ice Cream

I haven't spent enough time in Ohio to know if this should be surprising, but the Buckeye State has a large share of delicious ice cream. In our past travels we stumbled across Jeni's in Columbus and raved about their creative flavors in this blog post. Where the people of Cincinnati are split on the virtues of their chili, everyone is behind their hometown ice cream favorite: Graeter's. As I was leaving for my trip a business associate who had previously lived in Cincinnati said, "get anything with chips!" (as in chocolate chips!).

Where Jeni's greatest strength may be in their edgy signature and seasonal formulations, Graeter's may be in their "french pot" process. In this process the small spinning pot receives the ice cream mix that freezes against the sidewall as it slowly scraped away. For ice cream with "chips" the chocolate is drizzled in at the end and the operator manually breaks it into pieces before each pint or gallon container is hand-packed. While this may all seem quaint and appropriate for a super-premium ice cream, for this Food Scientist it is amazing to think about this happening on the industrial scale with each 20 minute batch only yielding two gallons of finished product. Graeter's (a company with $35MM in revenue) not only sells out of their 47 stores, but also through retail grocery through Kroger, Meijer, and Giant Eagle stores.

Our Cincinnati hosts picked up five flavors to try . . . my favorite was the Black Raspberry Chip. My coworker was right about the chips, they are astounding in their individuality . . . one that wound up in my bowl must have been a half ounce of pure chocolatey goodness. The Black Raspberry was not to be under-shadowed with a bright tartness that helped cut the creaminess from the high level of butterfat.

Can we agree to love both Jeni's and Graeter's?

Cincinnati Eats Part 1: Cincinnati Chili

On a recent trip to Cincinnati I asked one native about it as a food town and she framed her answer with the idea that "Cincinnati doesn't know if it is in the North, South, East or West" (the local airport is in Kentucky) so their cuisine pulls a little from all these directions. It seems that the residents are equally conflicted about a local staple -- Cincinnati Chili. You hate it or love it . . . if you love it then you likely have an opinion about if it is served better at Skyline or Gold Star.

Urged on by some and warned by others we ventured out to the local Skyline. If you are from anywhere else then this dish will likely bend your definition of chili. The meat is simmered in a spice blend containing cinnamon, chocolate, cumin, allspice (among other things) and served in a watery sauce over a pile of spaghetti and topped with a huge mound of shredded cheddar cheese. If you stop there you've got what is called the "three-way." Adding onions will get you a "four-way" and the addition of beans is a chili "five-way." Nixing the onions, but adding the beans is a "four-way bean" -- got it?


My overall impression of our lunch time meal was of flavorful, seated fast food. You can't effectively eat the dish in your car, but since they key components hot and ready there is little lag time from order to assembly to your table. I had a small order of the chili five-way and chased it down with a coney dog and a diet Dr. Pepper. It's hard to tell but there is a chili dog under that giant pile of cheese, making me wonder if these foods were really vehicles for shredded cheese consumption? This thought was further fueled by the same shredded cheddar appearing in the hotel breakfast buffet near the egg station.

Have you tried Cincinnati chili? What did you think?

Hamburgers Sausalito, "where the customer is rarely right."

I had the opportunity to visit Hamburgers Sausalito over the holiday weekend with my father who was visiting form out of town. We started this homegrown tourist adventure with a BART ride into the City, grabbing a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee at the Ferry Building, and then boarding the ferry to Sausalito (also my first time there).

For lunch we were lured in by the rotating flame grill in the front window (above). The grill literally rotates as if it was a large turntable and holds the burgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, and thin-sliced steak for sandwiches.

This place was giving me flashbacks in the spirit of Al's Breakfast, one of my favorite Minnesota breakfast joints. I'm not sure if it was the narrow storefront with minimalist seating, the line of customers snaking it's way out on to the sidewalk, the full-on commitment to hamburgers, or the surly staff . . . but it was time for lunch!

If you get the lowdown on this place from yelp you'll see that many of the complaints mention their lack of customer service. FYI--there isn't any--so don't be disappointed. While I found my experience pleasant enough, their website indicates their restaurant is "where the customer is rarely right" . . . clearly no promises. The grill-boss abruptly asked several members in the group in front of me to wait outside since only one person is allowed per order otherwise it jams up the flow.

The burgers were good . . . flame broiled with melty Finnish Lappi cheese and complete with lettuce, tomato, onion, relish, mayo, mustard and ketchup. They take their beef seriously and grind it each morning. It's USDA certified black angus and 100% vegetarian fed, hormone, and antibiotic free meat. Since the seating was slammed we headed across the street to dine on our burgers and fries on a bench in the park. With views of Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the City by the Bay the ambiance was quite adequate indeed.

Lazy Weekend Lunch: Bubbling Soft Tofu Soup

I never thought I would say this, but I love tofu. That's right. Erase any previous negative tofu experiences you might have had and give soft tofu soup a try. A cold wintry day is the perfect excuse for a bowl of this Korean soft tofu soup with dumplings, at the So Gong Dong Tofu House in Palo Alto, California.

This soup came to the table boiling in a hot stone bowl with a raw egg that I cracked into the bubbling goodness. It's hot enough to cook it- to quote one yelper "like center of the sun hot!" And if you look closely in the background you can see the delightful little bowls of purple rice, pickled cucumber, kimchi and other tasty things that come with it.

The soup that I ordered also had beef in it with 3 delicious dumplings. You can also order your preference of spiciness. I can't take too much heat so I ordered mine mild, but go for the medium or hot if you dare. The chunks of tofu are silky smooth, melt in your mouth and the soup has great full flavor.

The End.

Revisiting A Classic: Val's Burgers

It was 74 degrees on a Saturday and what better way to enjoy the day than with a motorcycle ride and a leisurely lunch. I wanted to take Justin to Val's Burgers in Hayward, CA. Val's is a real classic, founded in 1958, and it hasn't changed much! (They don't have a website.) This still is a family favorite for me. As a kid I remember waiting outside on a bench on with about 14 other people for our name to be called on a Friday night.

Since Val's is so popular, we thought with a late lunch we might avoid the crowd. We only had wait to 25 minutes--which wasn't bad at all considering the tiny parking lot and diner was full! We got the corner booth and view of all the action.

Val's is best known for its burgers, shakes, and fries. The kitchen is partially open and we watched the milkshake-master make malts, chocolate sodas, and shakes by the dozen (they have eight mixers!). They use Berkeley Farms ice cream, which is a local favorite. We ordered a chocolate malt and it came in the metal cup with 2 milkshake glasses. Our waitress expertly filled the glasses full and--with an extra wide straw--we quickly sipped them up.

The hamburger is ground fresh and you can have a baby (1/3 lb), mama (1/2 lb) or papa (1 lb) burger. The burgers are charbroiled to order. We both went for "medium," which had plenty of juiciness. You can order extras like grilled onions, tomato, cheese, bacon, etc. and sitting at the table are pickles, fresh onions, and relish, ketchup, mustard and mayo. We got our burgers and piled them high with our favorite fixings.

These classic burgers have a great char flavor--simple and delicious. We also appreciated adding as many pickles, onions, and condiments as we wanted!

Finally, the fries at Val's aren't your skinny minis. These are hearty, crispy, steak-cut fries and they were tasty!

So if you want a classic burger and you live in the Bay Area, check out Val's--but be prepared to wait for the goodness.

The Forgotten Soda Pop Experience

Still inspired by the visit to the original KFC, and thirsty from a Saturday full of running errands, we stopped in at a recently remodeled A&W Restaurant in our area (We were surprised to learn that the original A&W is only an hour or so away in Lodi, CA . . . it started in 1919.). We were also pleasantly surprised to receive an ice-cold frosty mug rather than the standard plastic cup that we filled by ceremoniously pulling the root beer from the special tap.

In our food culture, the beverages collectively known as "soft drinks", "pop", "soda", or "coke"--generic term depending on your geographical location (above)--are not often celebrated and in fact are more often maligned. If you choose to drink soda, it makes the most sense to drink it in moderation. And it is interesting how a little functional pomp and circumstance completely alters the experience by simply engaging the senses.

The special tap produces a head of frothy, white foam easily seen through the glass against the dark contrast of the liquid. The heft of the mug telegraphs that something substantial is coming your way. The touch of the ice-cold glass on your fingertips and lips queues imminent refreshment. Your nose, now buried in the tipped glass, allows you to draw in all the aromas just as the creamy foam coats your lips and the beverage pours across the length of your tongue. Since there is no need for ice, there is no dilution in flavor over the entire experience. I'm glad A&W still has this figured out, because for some reason, we've taken soda and put it into an adult sippy cup -- where you cannot see, smell, or feel the beverage until it shoots out of the straw in the back of your throat. We had completely forgotten how pleasurable the soda pop experience could be and we savored it much more by drinking it from these frosty glasses.

We wonder if the proprietary recipe of "herbs, berries, barks, and berries" is sitting next to Col. Sanders' Original Recipe in the YUM! Brands (the restaurant operator) safe or in that of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (the beverage distributor)? I do have to say that the diet version is as tasty as the original, which is a similar what's been pulled off in the diet version of Dr. Pepper. Their flavor chemists certainly have earned their salaries.

Where the Original Recipe was Born

While on recent trip to southeastern Kentucky I had the opportunity to stop at Sanders Cafe -- the site where Colonel Harland Sanders developed the recipe and process for his Kentucky Fried Chicken now famous the world over. The original restaurant site in Corbin, KY holds an operating KFC restaurant (one of the 14,000+ now operating in over 80 countries) and a museum. It is a little off the beaten path, in fact the routing of what became Interstate 75 outside of Corbin diverted travelers away from Sanders' restaurant and led him to explore a franchised business model.

If you're like me you've probably heard about the secret recipe of 11 Herbs & Spices, but didn't know about the second part of the Colonel's innovation: pressure frying. It takes 30 minutes to fry up a fresh bird in the skillet, too long of a wait even for weary travelers in the 1940s. Deep frying is a much shorter alternative, but yields a different tasting product. Pressure frying (similar to pressure cooking) uses high heats and pressures (but not oil immersion) to reduce the fry time of the bird and yield the characteristic taste.

My Kentucky hosts told me about the Annual World Chicken Festival held each year in the neighboring city of London. This year will be the 20th festival and held September 24-27, 2009. A key feature is the 10 ft diameter skillet that can fry 600 chicken quarters simultaneously. Maybe I will be lucky enough to be back in town?

Google Chef's New Restaurant, Calafia, Is A Tasty, Local Find

If you haven't heard of the former executive chef at Google, Charlie Ayers, take a look at his newest restaurant in Palo Alto, CA: Calafia. After directing 8,000 healthly and flavorful meals a day at the acclaimed Google cafes, I was excited to see his principles of fresh, local and seasonal food come to the masses. Calafia opened this January and Market-A-Go-Go, an adjacent market with grab-and-go foods, is coming soon.

A few of us at work took a walking lunchtime fieldtrip and found that weekday lunch lines were already long. Luckily, our large group was able to get an outside table on the patio without a reservation. Due to some afternoon work commitments, I was only able to stay for a few appetizers and had to take my main course to go.

The lunch menu looked diverse and flavorful with appetizers, tacos, wraps and panini and with tempting pizzas, salads, and noodle bowls.

Fiery Bottom BBQ Pork Bowl

I opted for the Fiery Bottom BBQ Pork Bowl- with brown rice, baby spinach, yams, a sunnyside up quail egg & micro greens. And it did not disappoint! The combination of spicy pork, hearty brown rice, perfectly roasted yams and wilted fresh spinach was a delicious mix of flavor and texture-not to mention a sunny-side up quail egg on top! I also felt great about the balance of grains, vegetables and meat at lunchtime and I appreciated my eco-friendly compostable box and utensils.

A few other glamour food shots:

Papas Con Ajo

Lamb Meatballs

Duck Dumplings

I can't wait for the Market A-Go-Go to open up for a quick lunchtime bite or a take home dinner, but I am also looking forward to having a more leisurely lunch or dinner inside. The interior is an eclectic, hip mix of reclaimed and recycled materials in a casual setting. Hooray for delicious food within walking distance of work!

Al's Breakfast, a Minneapolis Classic

Al's Breakfast is a Minneapolis breakfast staple located just off the University of Minnesota campus in the Dinkytown neighborhood. Don't be fooled by the sign in the window as this is the sole branch of the restaurant and here since 1950. My brother and I often make a run to Al's when I am in town and this Christmas holiday trip was no exception. NB: If you are in Minneapolis and want to search out this spot don't just type "Al's" into your GPS as you may be sent to Al's Place, which is NOT where you want to go unless you want to find yourself across the street from one of Minneapolis' downtown strip clubs.

Al's Breakfast has a lot of fans and has even won a James Beard Award for America's Classics in 2004, however, this place is about as down to earth as you can get. One of the Al's endearing features is its cramped space. It has only 14 red vinyl stools positioned along a long counter. Typically, a single line of bodies forms only inches behind the row of seated customers and stretches out the door (and on the weekends down street).

View from near the door: griddle where the pancakes, hash browns, breakfast meats, and poached eggs are made. If Al's has a control center this is the it . . . the counter staff take orders and call them to the principle cook here. The main cook calls any egg dishes back across the restaurant to the second cook in the back of the house.

At Al's the menu is unchanging and the waitstaff is no nonsense. If you use a cell phone you may be yelled at. You will be directed to your seat by your position in line. Even after you have a spot it may not be yours for long as when when additional spaces open up you may be asked to slide down to fit groups of people together. If you are a "single" you may be lucky enough to jump a few people in line in order to keep the seats filled.

Al's decor -- no wasted space with various artifacts and foreign currency affixed on the walls; just below the coffee cups you can see a shelf of small books with names on the front that allow you to pay another way . . . you can buy a tab and it will wait for you behind the counter.

The food is prepared short-order style. Everything on the menu is delicious and you can find whatever you are looking for be it carbs (the pancakes and waffles rock) or be it protein (the various cheesy egg dishes boarder on the sublime). A short stack of "wally blues"--two walnut/blueberry buttermilk pancakes--can certainly satisfy, but I personally favor the blackberry buckwheat pancakes when I am going in that direction. However, my brother and I both went eggs.

Our breakfasts: (up top) the "Spike" with a side of hashbrowns and rye toast, (down below) a three-egg "Jose" with dark toast.

When I'm eating eggs at Al's I favor the "Spike". This dish is a two egg cheddar scramble with generous amounts of garlic and covered in mushrooms. I get liberal with the hot sauce and then don't look back. My brother always orders the "Jose" with a third egg. The Jose has the hash browns built right in as the base for poached eggs, melted cheese, and salsa. While the grill is open for all to view, you may not want to watch how much oil gets poured on the hash browns as I have know this to have been concerning to some.

With our breakfasts decimated, we take a very quick glance at the newspaper.

Al's isn't exactly a place you can hang out after your meal and digest. While the staff will always keep your coffee filled, you'll quickly start to feel the piecing stares of the next customer in the back of your head. Since the hungry mob is literally only a few inches away it is sufficient motivation to move on, belly full, to the rest of your day.

As I said, Al's has many longtime fans and even its own reference on Wikipedia (entry on Al's Breakfast). My close friend and once Dinkytown roommate Vince is another "Al"-ophile. Vince wrote in inaugural issue of his zine Breakfast an article entitled "Getting Jiggy At Al's Breakfast" (does this title date it for you?, i.e. to sometime back in the late '90s). Zines are like amped-up blogs in print . . . small-circulation, non-commercial, creative works. When Vince got Breakfast going, the weblog format really hadn't caught on, but his "zine about your favorite meal" certainly inspired me, especially since I once got to contribute under the pseudonym Dr. Food.

Lovers of Al's Breakfast Unite!

We're on a Mission to the Mission: A Half Day in the Gourmet Ghetto

Sometimes life gets so busy with chores and work that you have to call a timeout and just do something for fun. This was our mission a week ago, and we decided to have a food inspiration day in the Mission District in San Francisco- otherwise known as the Gourmet Ghetto. It actually was an easy half day trip with all three stops on the same street: Tartine, Bi-Rite Grocery, and Bi-Rite Creamery.

First Stop: Tartine


This delicious bakery had a line out the door. We have been told it is the best bakery in SF and we believe it. The menu has various pressed sandwiches, desserts and cakes. We had to have the open-faced Monsieur Croque with Niman Ranch Ham and a pressed sandwich of San Daniele Prosciutto and Provolone with arugula. But we couldn't miss out on the beautiful pastries so we took a croissant (a true test of a bakery- which it passed with flying colors) and a scone to go. Sitting at the community tables, we had a splendid brunch.


The Croque Monsieur was exceptionally wonderful- the crispy crust, the soft center soaked with bechamel sauce and melted cheese. It was outstanding.


The prosciutto sandwich was also a delight as well as a surprise to find three sandwiches instead of the usual two.

We are including our afterfood photos as inspired by Laura Letinsky, artist and professor at the University of Chicago. We actually ate the Croque Monsieur first while waiting for the sandwich- which left us unable to eat the whole three sandwiches. It was a good choice.

Second Stop: Bi-Rite Grocery


All of my SF friends rave about Bi-Rite Grocery, which sounds like Rite-Aid to a non-San Franciscan. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This small market sources local produce and artisan food, and makes its own sauces, baked goods, ice cream and more. A pillar of the Gourmet Ghetto community, this tiny market is a delight to explore. We were most intrigued by the Bi-Rite products themselves (local meats, sauces) as well as the unusual ones like crafted caramel chocolate tiles with sea salt and snacks like popcorn with curry. We bought the tiles for a foodie neighbor ( I already but the popcorn for a work tasting) and some aged gouda that looked like saenkanter. What a lovely place to shop and just the right size to browse for interesting items.



Third Stop: Bi-Rite Creamery


Mmm, ice cream was just what we needed after our delicious brunch. We somehow found the room to try a "double" which was three flavors of ice creams that Bi-Rite makes on site. They let you preview any flavor you like with a taste on a metal spoon (a sustainability move). After great debate over salted caramel vs. honey lavender, we accidentally created a modern neopolitan of balsamic strawberry, Mexican chocolate and honey lavender. And it was fabulous. The honey lavender was by far the best. The Mexican chocolate could have had more cinnamon and the balsamic strawberry could have had more balsamic. In case you are more of sundae person, they have those as well with housemade chocolate sauce. We gave this place two thumbs us as we sat on the benches outside the creamery eating our modern trio with a classic wooden stick. A perfect juxtaposition.

After that we composted our ice cream bowl and stick and rolled ourselves and our pastries home...saving a few other places in the Gourmet Ghetto for another Mission in the Mission.