I got these two (not quite cook-) books for Christmas. As gifts, they’re the highlights of my holiday. You might consider picking them up. I’m trying to read these two books simultaneously, hopefully before grad-school restarts in mid January. Here’s what I think so far.

Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin

If you haven’t seen the documentary, “I Like Killing Flies,” do yourself a favor and rent it. I was delighted by the idiosynchratic behavior of the Shopsin family and the functional dysfunction of their Greenwich Village restaurant. By the end, I wanted to see (and taste) it for myself. Kenny Shopsin seemed to be operating from some higher understanding of food, a cross between Marx and Mario, with a touch of Mousalini to appeal to the masochist in each of us. But, like most movies, the subject faded from my mind. Well, on xmas day, I pulled back the wrapping on this book and Karen reminded me that this was a continuation of the story from the movie. I couldn’t believe it. That movie was as distant as a dream (Shopsin’s is a real place? Kenny is A real guy?). Before the day was over, I’d read through the forward, which was a 2002 New Yorker article that seemed to recap the movie. Wondering what could be left of the story to be told in this book, I turned the page to the introduction and started reading. I quickly realized that Kenny Shopsin himself was speaking to me directly and would continue doing so for the rest of the book. I stopped reading immediately. I’m not ready for this. The forboding mystique of Kenny Shopsin made me afraid to interact with him, even on paper. How is he going to throw me out of his restaurant, never to come back, with simple words on a page? It’s only been a couple days, but I haven’t picked it up since. The reviews say that Eat Me reads like being a fly on the wall at Shopsin’s restaurant and enduring his endless philosophical rants and musings. And, the danger still looms, because Kenny “likes killing flies.”

American Pie: The Search for the Perfect Pizza

After a couple attempts at making pizza on my new pizza stone, I began to crave a pizza making book. Rather than pick one up myself, or drop any hints to Karen. I figured I’d just wait until after the holidays to get something. Well, Karen was one step ahead of me. She found the perfect pizza cookbook that is also about the popular debate over what defines good pizza. The book’s author, professional baker Peter Reinhart, traveled all over the US and Italy on a hunt for pizza perfection. After the first 30 or so pages, I felt like I’d been to Napels and Rome along with him and I’m better able to put my American pizza experiences into perspective. Next up for me is his comparison of New York, Chicago, and California styles (among others places). Then, I’ll dive into the recipe section that describes the process of making 12 kinds of dough, various sauces, toppings, and baking scenarios. Thus far, I’ve had this feeling that I’ve previously been exposed to Reinhart’s writing. He’s got a handful of popular books on baking (and sometimes teaches baking at the Culinary Institute of America). Then, I found it. Reinhart wrote Sacramental Magic in a Small Town-Cafe: Recipes and Stories for Brother Juniper’s Cafe. I’ve been reading that cookbook bit by bit for a couple months now (given to me by this guy). This really explains why I’m taking to this American Pie book so quickly. Reinhart was part of a monastic community back then (early 90s), but his writing style was whimsical and the spirituality was non-dogmatic and full of humility. Best of all, I really enjoyed his balance of perspectives on food and life in general. This pizza book was published 10 years after Sacramental Magic, and his writing has evolved. He’s reeled himself in a bit. Based on the Amazon reviews, this is a good thing for home chefs who want accessible information and know-how about baking. So far, I’m more than a fan. I feel like I’ve found a kindred spirit.

This may reek of self-importance, but I really just wanted to take stock of my blog’s year and remember the good times. These are the posts that I think were most appreciated (or should have been). And since I think lots of people don’t wanna sift through the baby pics and social commentary, I’ll focus on the food posts (although every political prediction I made this year came true). Really, this post is to make up for the fact that my blog buries each entry after a couple weeks, never to be seen again). Let this serve as an easy reference for 2008 at Caramelized Opinions. I hope you enjoy it. I did. (and yes, the list is long, but I swear it’s less than 5% of my posts from the year)

The Best of RVA Foodie’s 2008

We Don’t Belong at Verbena: Some folks wanted a more definitive opinion with this story. What can I say? You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both. And there you have, the facts of life.

Celebrating Richmond Restaurants: Broad Appetit sure was a big success. I wrote about nearly every bite, but the event didn’t need my attention, which freed me up to pig out.

Richmond’s Best Samosas: The debate didn’t really get going, but it rages on in my mind.

Eating Well on a Budget: Mjadara: This may be a guest blog entry, but it’s one of my favorite foods and it should be yours too.

Whole Fish (baked in salt) on Turkey Day: I’m so glad I tried this and I’m glad that I documented it.

Introducing Darling Octopus: This isn’t a food related post, but giving Karen’s freelance design gig some business would put food on our table.

Fickle Freakout at Farouks: This place has been stinking it up so long, I’m really hoping that my feeble attempt at feedback contributes to some kind of change over there.

Whole Foods in Five Parts, by Bike and Car: Everyone talked about the arrival of this grocery store. Probably none more than me, or in quite the same fashion.

Lactation Cookies Really Work: Well, that’s what Karen says. They don’t work on boys. I should know. I ate enough of them to nearly nurse Jasper.

My Famous Grilled Tomato Salsa: Now, it’s your recipe too.

Black Sheep was a Star in 2008: I hate bandwagon jumping, but I’m glad I made an exception for Black Sheep.

Discovering Rowlands Brunch: This one is significant for two reasons…1) Potato latkes from heaven and 2) My picture wound up in Richmond Mag’s Dine insert.

Lulu’s/deLux/Tarrant’s: It wasn’t until Piet starting pointing out the homogeneous nature of Richmond’s new restaurants, that I realized that I’d previously lumped them together in one dismissive post.

Finally, Decent NY Style Pizza (with a smile): Tarrantino’s pizza kicks ass. Crunchy crust, spicy sauce, stringy cheese. Eat it hot! I’m just sayin’. (Arriana’s is runner up, since there hasn’t been any drama with that wing of the Piccola/MaryAngela franchise).

The Month of March: This was my most productive and significant month of blogging (Bacchus, Bayless, Cajun Bangkok, and bicycles just for starters).

Macarons and Madness at the Market: You just have to read this if you haven’t already. I’m calling this one my proudest moment in blogging in 2008 (oh, besides Jasper’s birth).

Breaking the Trader Joe’s news: Even though not everyone is wowed by TJ’s, it’s still a big deal for the region and I was glad to be a part of the hype machine.

Preaching (not practicing) Weight Management: I started the year telling everybody how to lose weight. In the end, I think I gained 5 lbs. But, hey. What do you expect from someone who gave himself the nickname “foodie”?

Creative Date Night on the Cheap: A quick list of places to go for an informal night out.

Middle Eastern Food Cluster-post: From the debut of the Phoenician fantastic falafel to the Mediterranean Market’s cheeses and baba ghanouj and foul mudamas, for me, this year was all about Lebenese, Syrian, and Egyptian fare. Peace.

Karen asked her parents what they wanted for Christmas dinner. “Spaghetti with meat sauce” was the answer. You’ve probably found me complaining about their finickiness on this site – that baby Jasper is a more adventurous eater than his grandparents. They don’t use the internet, but if/when they do then I’ll be in trouble. There is no pleasing them except to serve them what they’ve grown accustomed to for years. Anywho, initially, Karen’s mom wanted a rib roast (and we usually spend all day on whatever piece of meat she requests). But, this time Karen asked her to think of something that we could all eat. She said, “Spaghetti with meat sauce.”

My wife is really good about avoiding conflict, isolating the problem, and making lemonaid when life gi… you get the picture. She’s picked out a highly rated bolognese recipe for her parents and a vegetarian sauce for me. It’s probably for the best that our meal is extra easy, as it’s gonna be all about Jasper and his new toys all day long. Oh, and maybe some steaming hot glogg.

You’re probably wondering what I would have suggested for dinner, since I’m being a total snob about our xmas cuisine. How about this? Or, how about something out of this book ? (stay tuned for a post about it, to be called Iron Chef Battle Vegan).

Karen and Jasper and I went to NYC for five days last week. Here’s what we ate (not including baby food). It starts on a travel day, upon our arrival at the Fulton Street subway stop in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.

Saturday:

• Late lunch was a couple mediocre NY slices, five garlic knots, and a Jamaican beef patty (for Karen).
• After a long walk in the bitter cold, we made some miso tofu soup and watched a really awful movie on the couch.

Sunday:

• Brunch at a dive in SoHo (my huevos rancheros were nachos with two eggs and Hormel chilli on top). A crappy joint, totally out of place in the boutique shopping Mecca, but at least we had no qualms feeding Jasper at the table.
• Dinner from a Bed-Stuy Trinidadian restaurant, Folukie. Discovered “roti,” a kindred spirit to the mission-style burrito (a la Chipotle or Cafe Ole).

Monday:

• Breakfast in hipster haven Bedford Ave in Williamsburg. It was a crunchy granola style coffee shop with some really tasty tofu scramble on a so-so bagel.
• Late Lunch: A fantastic $3 falafel w/pickles and cabbage
• Dinner at Momofuku in the East Village. This was a major birthday present for Karen. The experience was so fantastic, I’m going to try and describe each item. But first, about the context… this place is in the restaurant district and it was one of the only places that wasn’t empty. Since Momofuku is a noodle bar, it’s not fine dining. Seating is cramped, with strangers squeezed into short communal tables and/or the bar. Despite this, we each ordered a beer (mine was a 22) and got comfortable, really excited with expectation (check out the press section of their site to find out why):
• Seven spice potato chips: hand cut and perfectly seasoned, kinda tasted like “crab chips” but asian.
• Egg with soy sauce: Not believing that they would really bring me an egg topped with soy sauce, I agreed to the $2 price tag and ordered it. When it came out, the soft boiled egg was cut in half and there was rich sauce on top adorned with sauteed garlic. Delicious!
• I ordered the ginger scallion noodles with seasonal vegetables. The sauce was insanely good. No idea what they put in it. The noodles were hearty. For $11, it may have been the only item without animal products, but it was very satisfying.
• Karen ordered the skate wing with brussel sprouts, kimchi and bacon. She was blown away by the caramelization on the sprouts. The fish was cooked better than I’ve had it before (even though it’s been great at Edo’s and Baccus), with a crispiness on the outside and really tender and slightly chewy on the inside (that’s a defining characteristic of skate). Her plate was freakin’ profound. She especially liked the use of bacon, although it wasnt’ evident in the skate, mostly the sprouts/kimchi.
• For dessert, we split an order of smoked maple soft serve ice cream with praline topping. If this sounds strange, you might have to taste it to get it. Think balsamic on strawberries. The sweetness and smokiness really played off one another. Neither of us could believe what we were eating. This dish had us floating out the door with our heads in the clouds. (update! I totally forgot the pumpkin horchata that was sweet, light, and delivered the essence of pumpkin without the predictable spice blend). Momofuku!

Tuesday:

• Breakfast was skipped, but Karen heated up some Morningstar Farms sausage links.
• At Chelsea Market, we had cupcakes from Elenora (maple walnut w/cream cheese icing was our favorite). Bought a $12 bottle of truffle oil (100ml), cuz the last one lasted me a year. We picked up a couple panini’s for a snack while running between Times Square and FAO Schwartz.
• Stopped in Greenwich Village for Thai food (pretty good stuff) and a round of Stella Artois. We also popped into Murray’s famous cheese shop to pick up some apps for dinner at home that night. We got a baguette, misc. olives, a head of roasted garlic, a small wheel of a brie-like raw milk cheese called “Constant Bliss” from Jasper Hill Farms in Vermont. Also, a bit of goat cheese rolled in crushed red pepper. By the way, cheese is going to become a theme on this blog, so I hope you’re ready for more.
• Did I mention that this was Karen’s official birthday? To celebrate, we bought four creme puffs from Beard Papa’s bakery (you have to visit the link to understand how this French bakery run by Japanese women, got its name). Later, we put candles in them and chowed down. The puffs were out of this world.
• Back at the house, Kyong’s roommate made a big batch of Indian lentils, spiked with coconut milk for extra richness. Really tasty. Jasper was coaxed into sleeping by himself, and then everybody got drunk.

Wednesday

• I made some eggs and soysauge. We went for a walk in the rain and picked up savory chive and cheddar scones from a bakery in Clinton Hill. Back home for more lentils and then we headed to the airport. Since our flight was delayed, we ate a cold sandwich at the terminal and fed Jasper some apple sauce from the snack bar.

The End.