Archive for August, 2008

community

August 12, 2008

If You Could Stock Your Own Corner Store…

My neighborhood convenience store has asked the local civic league for a list of grocery items that would help them change their client base as they renovate the market’s building (see my list after my rhetoric). Currently, the place sells the standard stuff that every other corner-store carries: candy, lottery tickets, chips, single bottle malt liquor and fortified wine, single blunt cigars, and generic processed and packaged foods with a sizable mark-up. Does this assignment sound exciting to anyone? How would you stock your own neighborhood store? Would you want gourmet items or staples?. Does “convenience” hold the same definition for everyone?

The store has been there for 27 years. From the looks of it, some of the canned goods may be that old as well. The corner is a daily hangout for drunks and panhandlers as well as some really nice folks. Crack and heroine deals take place sporadically but brazenly in broad daylight, and it’s just two blocks from the 3rd precinct police department. People say that the owners are anxious to change the atmosphere, but those who’ve witnessed the history say that the place has always been a hot spot and that the owners have always been complicit.

My biggest pet peeve is the constant barrage of litter that emanates from the store’s customers. It sounds trivial compared to the intimidation that women feel as they approach the intersection, but the visual “crapification” by consumer waste brands the surrounding blocks as derelect and dangerous (insert obligatory “broken windows theory” reference here) and it’s just plain unnecessary. These patterns are probably documented by thousands of communities, but this situation actually has an opening for public input. What do you think? Can we tackle the social issues at the same time as the commercial issues?

You are invited to help me make a list to pass on to the civic league and market owners. You are also welcome to chime in with your take on the ethics and/or effectiveness of this approach. I’m not a decision-maker here, just a citizen, but this forum will probably make a difference one way or another. Maybe you think it would make sense for the store owners to conduct a survey of current customers, in the interest of equity. That way it wouldn’t be a simple swapping of lower socio-economic class of clients with the growing white middle class demographic of the neighborhood. Maybe there’s a way to balance community interests here (although hopefully with less litter and drug trade). Since this is Byrd Park I’m talking about, is there a “community blog” that serves this region?

So far, here’s what I’ve come up with (thanks in part to America’s Test Kitchen’s “Buying Guide for Supermarket ingredients”)*:

half and half
Eight O’Clock coffee (whole bean Colombian variety)
tortilla chips (plain Tostino’s or Utz, not Doritos)
garlic, fresh
frozen shrimp and fish in factory sealed bags
distro site for CSA produce shares and surplus sales
frozen pizzas (Tombstone and Freshetta)
tortillas (flour and corn)
breads, Pepperidge Farm rolls, sliced whole wheat, etc
energy efficient light bulbs
bread crumbs, Progresso
nothing passed its sell by date
BBQ sauce, Bulls Eye Original
soy milk, Silk plain
salsa, Pace
hire someone to pick up litter from store’s products
butter, Land O’Lakes
frozen meat, whatever yall like
cream cheese, Philladelphia
bagged salads and greens
olive oil, Davinci or Colavita or Berio
email specials to those who sign up
pasta, Barilla or Muellers
pasta sauce, Barilla or Bertolli
ice cream, Turkey Hill vanilla bean or neopolitan
rice, white, brown, and basmati
better lighting and later hours
kosher salt, Morton’s
canned tomatoes, Redgold and Muir Glen
tomato paste
various organic/natural products (Amy’s frozen meals)
Morningstar Farm’s fozen fake bacon/sausage/etc
cheese, shredded various varieties
Yeungling lager in 12 packs
stay open on Sundays

Plenty of these are already on the shelves at most convenience stores. Others would be problematic because they have a short shelf life. I think the kind of thing that is needed here are those items that come up between big grocery store trips. Stuff you run out of when you don’t realize you’re almost out.

Okay, let’s here from Richmond…

*Brand names listed for items where a higher quality can be purchased for relatively similar price as other brands.

Comments (26)

food, grilled salsa

August 11, 2008

Sweet and Smokey Grilled Tomato Salsa

Tags: mexican

Salsa should be easy to make: chop some fresh ingredients, stir together, and eat. But the result too often tastes of hasty preparation, watery and one dimensional. There is a way to make sure that your dip has a deep and satisfying flavor, but it takes a little investment of time. Lucky for us, Cooks Illustrated did all of the research and published detailed instructions in their May/June 2006 issue. If you save the back issues like I do, you’d be well advised to dig that one up. Otherwise, you’ll have to buy a membership to their online archives; a good investment if you like to find recipes online rather than in books or if you like to review product comparisons before purchasing kitchen appliances. Their findings on grocery store coffee blew me away (gist: buy 8 O’clock brand Colombian beans ASAP… mmmmmmm)

The toms are best when some of the water has cooked out and their flavors become concentrated.

Since I’ve become a big fan of the “Sweet and Smokey Grilled Tomato Salsa” recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, I’ll share the basic tenets with you in hopes that some of you do some experimenting of your own. One of my main motivations in growing tomatoes is to make this salsa, but the magazine says it’s actually designed to make use of out-of-season roma/plum tomatoes. Whatever your angle, this is worth it. Make a lot and give some to the neighbors.

Check out that smokey ‘mater pot liquor.
Some garlic got grilled in this batch too.

1) Chop in half at least two pounds of plum tomatoes and toss them in oil to coat and put them face down on a hot grill (any toms other than roma/plum will turn to soup on the grill). Do the same with a couple jalapenos or whatever peppers you’ve got in the garden (if you wanna skip the fresh peppers, use a couple of those canned chilpotles in adobo).

2) Turn them over after they’ve gotten slightly charred. Toss some wet wood chips on the fire (in smoker box if using gas) and cover the grill (do NOT use mesquite chips – flavor is too heavy). Watch neighbors come outside with noses in the air as they detect the smell of delicious smokiness.

3) When the tomatoes have shrunk slightly, and they’re charred on both sides, put them in a bowl to cool (repeat 1-3 until all tomatoes/peppers are cooked)

4) Blend tomatoes and peppers (with or without seeds depending on desired spiciness) with chopped red onion (a couple tbsp per lp of toms), lime juice, fresh cilantro, sugar, salt and pepper – all to taste. Tasting and adding more of this or that is the fun part. Serve after at least 10 minutes (maybe overnight) so the flavors can mingle and mellow.

Flash overexposure. It’s really a much deeper red.

If this abreviated recipe is still too compicated for your cooking chops, just do the trifling two-step: Grill a bunch of salsa veggies and blend’em up. Nuff said.

What do you think of this grilled salsa? I think it ranks right up there with another grilled recipe that I like to make.

Comments (5)

Uncategorized

August 10, 2008

This is Why I’m Hot

The title to Mims’ song predates Jasper’s birth,
but does this guy look like he cares?

Comments (0)

can can, food, jonny z, nathan burrell, salsa, shrimp, squash

Saturday’s Adventures Play-by-Play

This past Saturday was so action packed that I had to write down the events for posterity. Some of these items may serve the public interest. You be the judge:

9am: Walked with Karen and Jasper to Carytown for coffee. Stopped at Cartwheels and Coffee, just west of the Byrd Theatre (coffee shop that is geared toward those of us with little kids). Drank coffee and played with Jasper in their infant area with some of the house toys. Read a bit of backstory on the coffee shop. Interesting. Hint: No wonder they’re closed on Sundays. The kids play area is $4 per visit. If they stay open, we’ll hit that up in a couple years. In the meantime, I recommend that they keep the half and half on the counter so they don’t have to take it out of the fridge every time someone buys a cup of coffee. Whatever. The coffee was good. Are there more places like this one? Just curious. How long until they offer a baby-sitting service while parents shop in Carytown?

11am: Still on the same walk (stopped at Can Can for snacks, Agees to help Piet find a bike, and Walgreens for some new headphones for my iPod), headed to the Jonny Z festival (Bizarre Market) on Sheilds and chatted with old friends. Bought a painting of Zapatistas, handmade plush toys, and some local music CDs.

12pm: Karen craved huevos rancheros after reading my blog. So, I whipped up a batch.

1pm: In-laws arrive and I find work to do outside. Tangle with my withering tomato plants (found this cute squash was ready to pick) and some back-breaking dirt shoveling. You see, there’s all this dirt in the alley up against my garage. Years ago, the home inspector said that we’ll want to get it away from there or the wood will rot. Well, I procrastinated. Besides, where do you put 500 lbs of dirt? Not in a supercan, as it turns out. Anyhow, I saw a truck in the neighborhood that said stump removal, etc, so I called. The dude was just waking up around noon. He came by and I showed him the job. “Not interested.” I couldn’t believe how forthright he was when we hadn’t even talked terms. “I do tree work. That’s shit work.” Alright, man. “But I’ll leave my truck here and you can load it… um, twenty bucks.” After coming to terms with the idea that I’d be shoveling in the hot sun for the next few hours, I made a brief attempt and then the wheels started turning. I put down the shovel and walked a block to the intersection where guys hang out by the convenience store and I introduced myself to a guy named Curly. He agreed to work along side me for an hour in exchange for $15, a cup of ice water and two cold beers. Come to think of it, I’d take that deal any day. With Curly’s help, we knocked out the job quick: me breaking up the dirt/weeds and both of us shoveling it onto the truck. Three and a half years of procrastinating and the work only required $35 and an hour or so of sweat.

3pm: Started a long session of roma tomato grilling for my favorite salsa (recipe to follow in subsequent post). Drank two cold beers in order to weather the heat that goes with babysitting the smoldering charcoal.

6pm: Dinner with in laws. Venician shrimp, garlicky green beans, and heirloom tomato-heavy salad. We served some homemade peach ice cream too.

7:30: Went to the ABC store and bought my favorite bourbon: 10 year old Evan Williams Single Barrel.

8:15: Pureed the tomatoes, red onions, garlic, jalapenos, guajillos, cilantro, etc. Tasted, adjusted, and tossed it in the fridge. Did some dishes and hung out with Karen.

10pm: Drank a bourbon and coke and watched fighter Roger Huerta (one of my faves) lose in a boring bout on the UFC. Had to adjust to the reality that WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar is going to be a force to contend with in the heavyweight division. On the bright side, George St. Pierre proved to be one of the most dominant MMA competitors and all around athletes to ever get in the cage. And he’s got class.

12:30am: Read in Urban Views about Nathan Burrell, City Parks Dept. Trails Manager. Really liked his point of view about the need to integrate more time in nature into our lives and into the priorities of our city. Turns out he’s married (and has 1.5 children with) an old friend, Tracy Brockwell. Gotta say hey one day.

Comments (1)

food, the black sheep

August 8, 2008

The Black Sheep: a Tardy Take

Tags: Black Sheep

I’ve been sitting on this entry for too long. When The Black Sheep opened, I didn’t want to join in on the fanfare, or as Piet says, the “Lemming Parade.” But, sometimes the masses are right. A coworker of mine gave the only negative review that I’d heard, saying that “different isn’t always better,” after listing a bunch of gripes. But he’s since been back twice and now he’s swearing by every thing he eats there. So, I sought out to make up my own mind.*

In fact, I went to the Black Sheep four or five times in a pretty short period. My graduate course was giving me fits, so I took Wednesdays off from work and had a couple breakfasts there under the pretense of doing homework. Around that time, I was contemplating writing an entry comparing the outstanding Community Coffee of Black Sheep with the fair trade organic brew from Common Groundz around the corner on Broad. They’re both winners, really. Only one place is cozy while the other is cavernous (and the food is worlds apart, of course, since coffee shop fare is just that). Anyhow, that post didn’t manifest. Instead, I turned in a 35 page paper and a 13 pager final exam, thanks in part to the time I spent working on my laptop in both locations, drinking coffee. When school is back in session, I’m sure there’ll be more of this going on in both spots and I’ll have to find more original hideouts.

The breakfast food:

The first time around, I had the huevos rancheros, because I am unable to order anything else if I see this dish on the menu. Put huevos and falafel on one menu and my head will explode. These huevos were kinda prettied up (although, still hearty) compared to the dish you might get at your average Mexican restaurant. Funny, cuz this dish gets messy no matter how pretty it’s delivered. Maybe that’s just my eating style. Major points for the rich and spicy green mole stripe down the middle. Style took issue with the corn tortillas beneath the pile of beans and eggs. They’ve since replaced the tortillas with cheese grits (can’t wait to try that). Either way, my request would be for those tortillas on the side (steamed and wrapped in foil as you’ll get at a Mexican joint) or maybe a couple hunks of their yummy buttered bread. Anything to mop up the inevitable huevo’s mess that results.

With the second breakfast I really just wanted sides: buttered toast, “smashed browns,” and a couple eggs over easy. These elements weren’t on the menu as a standard breakfast plate, but my server said it was no problem. The buttered bread was delicious, thick, toasty and chewy. The taters had similar characteristics (but not chewy). The best part was the savory crust where the grill had seared saltiness into the spud. But the taters were BIG, like halves of yukon golds, cracked at various points around the perimeter from having been literally smashed on the grill. So, the size and thickness meant more unseasoned potato insides and less crunchy exterior. This isn’t really a complaint, cuz the quality of the produce really came through (were they yukons, which I never splurge on for my own cooking?). Just a matter of taste. Either way, heads and shoulders above the frozen hash browns you’ll find at DeLux even better than the underwhelming brunch side from Booby Flay’s Mesa Grill (just wanted to get that link in).

Two lunches:

The real reason I was drawn to Black Sheep was to try one of those big baguette sandwiches. Being a frugal guy, I couldn’t resist the temptation of a guaranteed second meal of leftover lunch sammich. I got the Cumberland, which had various pickled veggies and grilled eggplant on it and just for a taste of adventure, I had them add sardines. What came out took me back to my childhood. Growing up, there was always baguette in the kitchen. And when I needed to feed myself (picture a finicky 12 year old), I would cut the biggest piece that I could imagine eating. Slice it down the side and layer slices of processed cheese and ham. The whole thing would go into the microwave or the toaster oven, sometimes in two pieces so it would fit. Then, I would spend an hour so so gnawing and chewing on the monstrosity. Just as in my old memory, the filling kinda played second fiddle to the chewy bread. The veggies were tangy and the fishies added satisfying flavor, but it’s a pretty bready affair. I’m not saying that they were stingy with the filling. For the price, it’s too be expected. Baguette is just a really substantial bread to use for a sub role. Next time, I’ll get the hard boiled egg addition to the filling. If I ate meat, I’d be all about that sweedish meatball sub.

This memorable experience is why I asked my wife to take me to The Black Sheep for my birthday lunch so I could order their most expensive sub, featuring grilled Mahi Mahi. To my surprise, the Mahi had been relocated to a dinnertime fish taco platter. Instead, there was a shrimp sub with artichoke hearts and green olive tapenade. The combination sounded weird, but tasted good. I’d probably get it again. However, the sub was actually the low point of our celebratory meal. Why? Because everything else was freakin’ amazing. Karen ordered the Spice Trade salad and totally fell in love with the creamy curry yogurt dressing and occasional sweet bites of pear. A really unique dish. It paired perfectly with the tomato and curried lentil soup, which was spicy and hearty. We’ve been pining for both of these since that day.

Notice what’s missing from this story so far? Baby Jasper was a darling during the meal. At one point, Karen did some precautionary public nursing in our sorta secluded booth and he went right to sleep. Servers passed the test by not staring for too long (Jasper is allowed to stare, as you can see). For dessert, it was a no brainer. I had previously jumped at the white russian brownie and was unimpressed. Maybe it’s just not good breakfast food. But, my server brought a sliver of peanut butter pie as a consolation. I almost politely declined, cuz I don’t generally like cake or pie as a rule (weird, I know). This thing blew me away. The fluffy pie filling was supernaturally spiked with the essence of peanut butter. Since Karen is a big peanut butter fan, I knew that seeing her dive into this dish would be a great birthday present. And it came true. I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s got a superlative worthy dessert in front of her: the perfect high point finish to a fantastic birthday meal. The only thing I would change is this blog entry. I asked Karen to write up her kudos as a guest blogger birthday present to me… still waiting. Maybe she’ll comment here instead.

Obviously, we need to go back for dinner. Those fish tacos will be on the table, for sure. And there’s a veggie stroganoff that has me curious to see how it stacks up to my version. So, I guess I’m a lemming. But it’s pretty out of character for me. Stay tuned and I promise I’ll write something really harsh about a Richmond restaurant world demi-god sometime soon. It’s been a long time since I’ve played that role.

ps: I did order deviled eggs. Going into the experience, I had convinced myself that there is no such thing as a good or bad deviled egg. Mayo and mustard makes it adequate and I’d never had any additions that elevated it much (although pickles can ruin them, come to think of it). Anyhow, the Black Sheep version is pretty darn good. Not sure why. Maybe salt. You tell me.
————–

*For some fascinating background on the restaurant and it’s chef/owner, check out the The Black Sheep’s website. I’m really inpressed with the list of kitchen’s he’s cooked in, especially since it includes the Governor’s mansion under Warner and Kaine. Oh, and the place is closed on Mondays and a bunch of the teen-dates in August (can someone clarify those dates in the comments?)

Comments (6)

brussel sprouts, community, food, gardening

August 7, 2008

Where do Brussel Sprouts Come From? (and other gardening tales)

When I first posted about growing your own food(ie), I didn’t know what to expect from my baby brussel sprout plants. Even as they ballooned into impressive bushes, I confused them with the collard greens, cuz – duh! – there were no sprouts to speak of.

However, as the plants got tall and unruly a few weeks back, a friend of mine pointed out the little fruits growing in the armpits of the stalk. Now, the question is, when do I pick’em?

Today, I pulled this head of cauliflower, as it was just a little passed due. It was fantastic in a red curry over brown rice. Bringing it into the kitchen I thought, it had better be good cuz my other three plants didn’t make any veg, just leaves. (if anyone has clue about this, please chime in)

At the Maymont Herb Fair, I bought a zapotec Mexican heirloom tomato plant from Amy’s Organics cuz they said the fruits were really gnarly looking. Well, they were right. Can’t wait for one to turn red.

As soon as I bragged about my “Green Giant” tomato plants growing to 7ft, the thing shot another foot into the sky and half of the branches turned brown and brittle. Weird, huh? It’s been watered (not too much or too little). Parts are growing while others are dying. I don’t get it. I know, there’s always fried green tomatoes.

Aint’ these peppers cute? They come in black and then they turn red. And, they’re really spicy. Can anyone identify them? We lost the tag. I’ll settle for recipe suggestions.

Comments (1)

Uncategorized

August 6, 2008

Problems with Blogger and My Camera

A month or so ago, my beloved digital camera stopped working. Now, it’s a pain in the ass to post pictures. Help me get my beloved back. Another problem I need help with is Blogger. For some reason, pictures keep disappearing from my posts. Not just pics that I stole from other sites, but my personally snapped pictures. Why?

Okay, back to my Fuji Finepix V10. Everyone loves this camera, but it’s got this common, totally unprovoked failure, that costs a fortune to fix. I wish the irony was adequate consolation. Instead, the camera taunts me. I turn it on and it says “focus error” after making a bunch of clicking noises and the lense won’t come back in. That’s all it will do. Some sites say to reformat the card a certain way and then it will fix the camera when you put it back in. Well, I don’t know how to do that, even though I bought a card reader, just for that purpose.

I tried customer service, but there doesn’t appear to be such a thing with Fuji, just a circular group of links and dead ends. So, I’m looking for an alternative. Any suggestions?

Comments (1)

food

August 5, 2008

The Scariest Food Gatekeeper on the Web in Richmond

The past week has shown how quickly online comments can escalate into finger-pointing and personal attacks, polarized groups and childish taunting (in chronological order, see here, here, here and now right HERE!). Things cooled down as quickly as they heated up, but I can’t help but feel a degree of spillover trepidation about my variety of truth telling and the potential for hostile feedback from multiple angles. And even though I really don’t wanna participate in any kind of blogging popularity contest or gossipy bullsh*t in general, I know that it can’t feel good to be on the receiving end.

So, I’m posting this as a reminder to think before I “speak,” but in the end, I’m not gonna hold my tongue if I have something to say. If it gets people talking, well, that was kinda the point.

On to the real presence on the web to worry about:

This bad boy (or girl? about 2″ across) was waiting for me on Saturday morning when I went into my tomato garden to pick the ripe fruits before a road trip. There were upwards of twelve tomatoes being guarded by this spider.

I got all the tomatoes, thanks.

ps: Does anyone know where I can buy some spinach plants? I don’t wanna start from seed.

Comments (3)

pigs

Naked Hottie on a Hotel Bed

Caught you lookin!

Seriously, though. We went to Shepherdstown, West Virginia to see hundreds of Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs at Pigs, a Sanctuary. I’ve been there almost ten times since 1995. Richmond Food Not Bombs used to sponsor a hairless pig there named Spanky. He had outlived his usefulness at a skin grafting research lab and they were going to send him to the rendering plant.

There are lots of heart-wrenching stories behind each of the 400 animals at this non-profit utopian farm. Pot-bellied pigs became popular in the late 80s – early 90s when the media got ahold of the dubious story that these cute little guys (as babies, mind you) were better than dogs as they were friendly house-trainable and fairly independent. Well, once everybody ran out and got their own pig, they saw them grow up into less cute 150 lb hairy beasts.

They were still domesticatable, but as hearding animals, they needed a hierarchy in their life. So, the pigs challenged their owners, charging them and swinging their little tusks at human shins. Ouch! Infuriated owners sicked their dogs on the pigs, fired shotguns at them, set them loose in the wild, and tried to carve them up and eat them (too fat, no meat). Hence, they’ve been popping up at SPCAs, rendering plants, and found wandering around suburban streets. These conditions have created a need for places like the Pigs Sanctuary in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Thanks to the stupidification pushed on us by the main stream media, people turned their excitement for pigs into malice. The mistake was to bring them into a house without other pigs to socialize with. And they really need to have access to outdoor space (not unlike your dog, but more so). If you can truly provide those conditions, Pigs would love to place some little porkers with you. Otherwise, you’re welcome to visit the pigs (and many other animals) where they’re all living out their lives with nothing to fear – where a pig can be a pig.