Piccata - How I Brought Jared Away From The Dark Side

When I moved to Atlanta and married Sally, she had been a working single mom for a couple years. Jared was 6 and Kristin was 10. That's a difficult situation because there are not enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done. So her cooking of dinner was motivated by speed. She fixed nutritious meals but they focused on quickness. A lot had to be squeezed into a short amount of time, homework, dinner, baths, next day clothes selection, bedtime stories, etc. You get the idea. Raising children is not for the faint of heart.

At that time, I was starting in the wine business. I had been a restaurateur and chef for a number of years prior to that. I helped with the cooking. One of the first meals I fixed was a grilled marinated breast of chicken. I executed what I considered professional grill marks.

        

Jared took one look and wanted to know: "Who burned my chicken?" He was accustomed to his mother's cooking of chicken breasts. There are no grill marks on microwaved chicken breasts. 

I consider frozen, canned and ultra processed food and the microwave oven people cook them in, the dark side of cooking. The sweet taste of a ripe tomato with the juice dripping down your arm, or a tree ripened peach in its delicious splendor, eating all fruits and vegetables in their season not crossbred rocks designed to travel, seafood right off the boat, lamb in the spring; these are the Light.  And according to Yoda, "If once you start down the Dark Path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will...". I could see I was going to have to take a different path to save Jared from the Dark Side.

I noticed that Jared ate lemons for a snack like most people eat oranges, cut into wedges. Sally and I wondered why this didn't eat through the enamel on his teeth. His dentist assured us as long as he brushed his teeth on a regular basis this wouldn't be a problem. 

Therefore, the next time I fixed chicken breasts, I made Chicken Piccata. I had been making it for years in my restaurants. I pounded the breast into a thin uniform shape, dusted it with flour, sauteed it in olive oil, deglazed the pan with white wine and lemon juice, added capers (another lemon tasting component) and lemon slices, reduced the sauce, seasoned it and finished it with unsalted butter. I called it Chicken Piccata. Jared called it Lemon Chicken. It became a favorite of his. 

With the name piccata, most people assume that this dish came from Italy. In all my travels to Italy with Winebow and Sally, I never saw this on any menu. With a little research, I found that piccata originated in the 1930's with Italian-American immigrants in the United States. It was a dish made with veal scallopini rather than chicken breast because, at the time, veal was less expensive than chicken breasts. Imagine that!

My first exposure to piccata was the veal variety at the Golden Pheasant Inn in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. My buddy Rat and I had spent the winter ski-bumming in Vermont and had the opportunity to work the summer at the inn before returning to Vermont the next winter. The inn was a bit out in the country on the Delaware River separating Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Because housing was a problem, we were given room and board in addition to the tips we earned as waiters. I don't recall be paid any wage. I'm pretty sure we never showed up on the books for this establishment. This was back in the day when we were young and foolish and never worried about the future. The IRS never knew about our tips, because we never declared any ie. no taxes were paid. The tips were quite substantial because this was an expensive restaurant and inn. You could never do this today but back then it was quite normal. 

 The owners of the inn were quite generous with us. It was hard finding qualified help out in the country. The menu consisted of a lot of tableside preparations ie. Steak Diane, Bananas Lady Duncan and Cafe Diablo. 

Our rooms were very nice and on the third floor. The restaurant and bar were on the first floor and the guest rooms on the second. Our board consisted of a dinner meal off the menu and no tab at the bar. After a while, the owners came to an understanding of the massive quantities of alcoholic beverages we could consume but we still never had a tab. When we had friends visit, they also never had a tab. The owners had an apartment in New York City that we could use as well. We took advantage of that on our days off. We loved New York. 

Veal Piccata was on the menu and Rat had it every night for a month. I tried everything on the menu, so I could better describe them to our guest. Rat really liked the Veal Piccata. I'm surprised he didn't call it Lemon Veal. 

I have since brought Jared away from the Dark Side with several other dishes including Crab Cakes, Caesar Salad and Shrimp and Grits. He still has one Dark Side favorite, canned jellied cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray in particular. He eats multiple cans at a seating. I think everyone surrenders to the temptations of the Dark Side, every now and then. I go over for the Jelly Belly variety of jelly beans, especially the black licorice ones. Yoda would understand.

Chicken Piccata                  

½ - Cup Olive Oil                                                ¼ - Lb. Unsalted Butter
4 - 8 Oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast     1- Cup Dry White Wine
2 - Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice                             1- Tsp. Non-Pareil Capers
1 - Cup All-Purpose Flour                                   Salt and Pepper to Taste
Lemon Slices                                                     Flat Leaf Parsley

Take the chicken breasts and pound out to ½ inch scallops.  Dredge in flour and in a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté in oil until golden brown. 

Remove the chicken to a plate and drain on paper towels. Put in a warm oven to hold. 

Pour off most of the oil, reserving about a tablespoon. Add about a teaspoon of flour to the oil and mix well making a roux. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add lemon juice and reduce. Add capers and salt and pepper to taste.  Mount butter at the end to thicken sauce. Taste and correct seasoning. Arrange chicken breasts on plates and top with sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley. 

Why Are There No Frogs In Frogmore Stew?

Frogmore Stew is a favorite of "Low Country" Cuisine. It is not really a stew and it doesn't contain any frogs. I had never heard this term "Frogmore Stew" until I lived in Atlanta in the early 1990's. We lived in a neighborhood that had a community club complex with tennis courts, a swimming pool and a clubhouse for social events. A couple of the "good ol' boys" loved to conduct an event they called "Frogmore Stew Night".   

Living most of my life in the South, I have heard the term "Low Country Boil" or "Seafood Boil" but never "Frogmore Stew". In Tappahannock, Virginia, where I spent my high school years, we had "Crab Boils". This name was applied because the predominate local seafood was the blue crab. In the South, there are several variations of this dish depending on local fresh ingredients. The perpetual accompanying beverage is "Ice Cold Beer" and of course, "Sweet Tea" for those who don't partake of demon rum. The "good ol' boys" in Atlanta always had a keg of "Ice Cold Beer".   

"Low Country" refers to the geographic and cultural area along South Carolina's coast including the salt marshes and sea islands. It is a beautiful area and the waters are abundant with shrimp, blue crabs, fish and oysters. This area also grows luscious produce like corn, potatoes and peaches. 

A lot of movies are filmed in the area around Beaufort, South Carolina, about midway between Charleston and Savannah. Forrest Gump, The Big Chill and The Great Santini being the ones most people know. The namesake of this dish the town of Frogmore, South Carolina is about 11 miles east of Beaufort on St. Helena Island. Originally the town consisted of a post office across the road from a general store. Because of its proximity to beach areas that has changed a bit in recent years.

The name originated from Mr. Richard Gay of the Gay Fish Company back in the 1960's. He was in the National Guard and at one time tasked with feeding a group of 100 during a 2 week annual training session. He made the one pot dish his father, Buster Gay had been making for years. When asked what it was they were eating, Richard said "Frogmore Stew". When he returned to the family business, he wrote up the recipe and made sure they sold all the ingredients in their seafood market. The title he gave the recipe was "Frogmore Stew". The origins of this dish probably go back a couple hundred years to the first settlers and fishermen in this area but this name is fairly new. The dish had a jump in popularity when it was featured on the cover of Gourmet Magazine in 1980.    

Frogmore Stew has four main ingredients: shrimp, potatoes, corn and smoked sausage. As with most Southern regional dishes, there are variations that are added based on who and where it's being prepared. Everyone agrees on the main four ingredients but some add onions, crabs, crayfish or scallops. I've even seen lobster tails.

Ease of service is a major factor. After draining the liquid the whole pot is dumped on a newspaper or butcher paper topped table. People either stand or sit and go at it. If it's a crowd, people grab a paper plate, fill it up, grab whatever accompaniments they want and then move to an adjacent table to feast. Return visits are always required and encouraged. The only utensil I've ever seen used is a fork, usually plastic. Most of the time people use their God given utensils, their hands. Napkins are paper and usually in the form of rolls of paper towels, the quicker picker upper. Everything is disposable. There are never any food elements left over. Everything else is tossed on the table and rolled up in the newspaper and deposited in the trash. Nothing is much easier than that.    

The liquid in which the Frogmore Stew is cooked is subject to variations. Most people choose water and maybe a little or a lot of beer. Some add melted butter ie. the original Gay Fish Company recipe. Some add Worcestershire Sauce and/or a halved head of garlic. They all have some kind of seafood boil mixture. There are hundreds of these seafood seasoning blends on the market. A trip to Amazon.com will show you quite a few. The top 2 are Old Bay Seasoning and Zatarain's. Zatarain's is based in New Orleans and is more prevalent the farther south you go.

The seasoning mixture I like is Old Bay Seasoning, a blend of celery salt, black pepper, red pepper, paprika, laurel leaves, mustard, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. I'm sure there are other things in there but these are the ones the company admits to. Old Bay Seasoning has been around since 1939 as a product of the Baltimore Spice Company and is now owned by McCormick & Company. It is a regional spice mix and is used in a lot of other things, not just as a seafood boil seasoning. I use it in my cocktail sauce and crab cakes. I have seen it as an ingredient in deviled eggs, potato salad, potato chips and popcorn. It is quite tasty. 

Zatarain's Crab Boil is a bit spicier, as you would expect coming from the Cajun Capital of the South. It's a company that was started in 1889. It too is now owned by McCormick & Company. Those folks don't miss a trick in the spice business. 

A lot of people use fresh cut lemons in the boiling liquid as well as served on the side as an accompaniment. Other accompaniments include cocktail sauce, melted butter, sour cream, Tabasco and sliced jalapenos. Some people like the heat. Some people like Dijon mustard for their sausage. I do.

Timing is important in Frogmore Stew. After the cooking liquid has come to a boil with all its seasonings, it's allowed to meld for a bit, 4 or 5 minutes. Then the potatoes are added. They take the longest to cook. When they are almost done (10 to 15 minutes), the onion, corn and sausage are added. I like to use a combination of Kielbasa and Andouille. This gives the option for a little more heat, if desired, with the Andouille and I think it has a different texture and more flavor than the Kielbasa. After this cooks for a bit, the last item is the shrimp. They take the least amount of time and must be watched carefully so they don't overcook and become tough.   

Frogmore Stew

½ - Cup Old Bay Seasoning       1 - Lb. Small New Potatoes

½ - Lb. Andouille Sausage        ½ - Lb. Kielbasa Sausage

2 - Sweet Onions, Quartered     4 - Ears Sweet Corn, Halved

2 - Lbs. 16-20 Shrimp, Shell On 1 - Head Garlic, Halved

2 - Lemons, Halved                    Cocktail Sauce

Melted Unsalted Butter             Dijon Mustard  

Bring a large stockpot (at least 12-quart) of water (filled 2/3 of the way, about 9 quarts) to a simmer. Add Old Bay and lemon. Simmer to infuse. (The water should be abundantly seasoned and aromatic.)

Add potatoes, garlic and sausage. Bring back to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Keeping water at a simmer, add sweet onions and corn. Cook until kernels are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until the shrimp becomes pink and white (instead of opaque), about 4 or 5 minutes. Strain solids from cooking liquid. Transfer everything to a large platter or dump it on a newspaper covered table.

Serve with melted butter (for potatoes and corn as well as the shrimp). You will need a lot of melted butter. Also serve mustard (for sausage), cocktail sauce, sea salt, Tabasco, sour cream (for potatoes) and lemon wedges. 

This recipe serves 4 people. 

 

What Is A Boneless Short Rib?

When we had the Crazy Conch Cafe, one of our most popular menu items was the Braised Boneless Short Ribs. It was a favorite of mine too. We served them on top of mashed potatoes or stone ground grits. We had one customer that came in 2-3 times a week and the braised boneless short ribs was the only thing he ordered, every single time. He really liked them.

I know you are asking yourself, how can anything called a rib be boneless? Did you debone it? No, I didn't. Technically, this cut isn't a short rib at all. It comes from the Chuck primal cut not the Rib. 

According to the "Beef It's What's For Dinner" website, this cut is "Chuck Short Ribs, Boneless - aka: Boneless Braising Ribs; Boneless Short Ribs; Chuck Boneless Short Ribs; English Short Ribs; Middle Ribs". I wonder with all these aliases if these "ribs" are on the FBI's Most Wanted List? It was certainly on the Crazy Conch Cafe's Most Wanted List. 

"Beef It's What's For Dinner" is the website for The National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Obviously, they have a keen interest in having us eat beef on a regular basis, preferably every day. Some of my vegetarian and vegan friends have a problem with that but I do not. Being in the hospitality business, I have learned to have an open mind about this topic. We had vegetarian and vegan selections on our menu at the Crazy Conch Cafe. I will say that we had far more meat and seafood items than vegetable items. 

On the "Beef It's What's For Dinner" website they describe the boneless short ribs as: "A crowd favorite, known for their richness and meatiness. Flavorful, moist and tender when slow-cooked." 

          

This brings us to the "meat" of the subject. Pun intended. I think they should be cooked slow and low, in a braise. Braising is cooking slowly with oil and moisture in a sealed pot or pan. This is like your Mom's pot roast. I know you loved your Mom's pot roast, unless you are one of the aforementioned vegetarians or vegans. She cooked it, slow, meaning 3-4 hours and low, meaning 300 -325 degrees. 

Cooking this way allows all the fat to render and breaks down the collagen and connective tissue that make this normally tough cut of meat, fork tender. 

I know you are probably thinking: "Wouldn't It have been easier to just put pot roast on your menu?" Yes It would have, except for a very important fact and that is the Maillard Reaction. Now you are asking: "What the hell is that?"

The black crust on the steak, in the above picture, is the result of the Maillard Reaction. According to sciencedirect.com, "it's an extremely complex process and is the reaction between reducing sugars and proteins by the impact of heat". It's the reason we like seared steaks, cookies, fried dumplings, and baguettes. It's the flavor producing process, that makes the toasted marshmallow in your S'mores taste so great. 

Your mom and I always "brown" our chuck roast before we braise it, for this very reason. We also deglaze the browning pan with a little liquid and scrap up the flavorful bits left stuck to the bottom of the pan. All this gets thrown into the braising pan with the roast. This is added flavor and a major reason why we all love pot roast. 

We brown the roast on all its sides but it is a large hunk of meat, usually 3 to 5 pounds. By using a smaller piece of meat like a boneless short rib usually about 6 to 8 ounces and browning them on all their sides we end up with a lot more of that Maillard Reaction ie. more flavor. This is the reason we had Boneless Short Ribs on the menu at the Crazy Conch Cafe instead of Pot Roast.

Now we come to the age old "On the bone or Off the bone" debate. If you ask most chefs or professional grillers, should you cook a particular meat product on the bone or off, most will answer on the bone, no question. Cooking on the bone imparts much more meaty flavor. Other people say, as long as you sear the meat, it doesn't matter if it's on the bone or off. Who's right?

I could have used bone-in short ribs. I tried cooking both to see if it made a difference, taste-wise. I couldn't tell the difference. I liked the presentation of the boneless short ribs and the fact that it was easier for the customer to eat. At the time, the boneless short rib was a new product and therefore it made the Crazy Conch Cafe different from other restaurants. For those reasons, I chose the boneless variety of short rib. 

Since then, there have been studies on the bone-in versus bone-out controversy, on steaks in particular. The most notable by the Meat Science team at Texas A&M and the folks at the "Serious Eats" website. The results? "Flavor-wise, steaks cooked bone-in are 'indistinguishable' from boneless steaks". Yes, 'indistinguishable' was the word they used. 

I use other things to enhance the flavor of the braise. I use a large cast iron skillet to brown the meat. It conducts heat beautifully. I use a mirepoix of large chunks of onion, carrot and celery. They go into the browning pan after I remove the short ribs. I cook them until just wilted but not caramelized. I deglaze the pan with red wine and add dried basil and thyme. The smell as this cooks for the 3 to 4 hours hints at the deights to come.

      

Braised Boneless Short Ribs        

     4 - Boneless Short Ribs 8-10 oz. each      1 - Tbsp. Olive Oil
     1 - Jumbo Sweet Onion Chopped              6 - Ribs Celery Chopped
     1 - Tsp. Dried Thyme                                  1 - Tsp. Dried Basil
     2 - Cups Beef Stock or 1 Cup Veal Glace  3 - Chopped Carrots

     2 - Cups Red Wine (Merlot or Cab)            4 - Garlic Cloves
     Salt and Black Pepper To Taste                ¼ - Lb. Unsalted Butter

Heat the oven to 300°F and arrange a rack in the lower third. Lay out the boneless short ribs and salt and pepper both sides to taste. You can use bone-in short ribs as well.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until smoking, about 3 minutes. Add meat and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total; remove. Add onion, carrots and celery to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Place in a roasting pan.  Pour 1 cup red wine in the skillet and scrape up any fond (browned bits) from the bottom. Add to roasting pan.

Take reserved meat, and any accumulated juices and place on top of the vegetables. Place pan on medium heat and add thyme, basil, garlic, beef stock and rest of the red wine and bring to a simmer. Cover with foil and cook in the oven until fork tender, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The key here is slow and low. Check to see if meat easily separates, if not cook a little longer. Carefully remove ribs to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm.

Strain solids out of pan juices, remove fat and place in small saucepot and reduce by half. Taste and correct seasoning. Off heat swirl in butter to thicken sauce. Serve on mashed potatoes or stone ground grits and top with sauce and a sprig of fresh thyme.

This is a dish that's better the next day, like stew or chili. It makes for a great dinner party entrée because you can do all the work the day before. Store the ribs in the sauce without the butter. Reheat the ribs in the sauce and plate. Off heat swirl in butter to thicken sauce. Serve on mashed potatoes or stone ground grits and top with sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

 

Finding Good Food In Unknown Places

Anthony Bourdain had a famous quote about finding good food in unknown places. It was: "I'm a big believer that you're never going to find the perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one."

I couldn't agree more. You have to be willing to take a chance. But there are ways to minimize the possibility of that bad meal. The best way is to do some research. In my early travels, my research consisted of word of mouth from local people and the restaurants I read about in the different food magazines like Gourmet, Food And Wine and Bon Appetit. My early travels were only in the United States and were to major cities, like San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. It wasn't until the late 1990's that I ventured to Europe. When I did that I had to up my game. 

My first trips to Europe, were to Italy when I worked for Winebow. I was a regional manager. Winebow represented 80 wineries in every region in Italy except Valle d'Aosta. The owners of these wineries wanted to impress their American representatives so they took us to places the average tourist doesn't go. This included restaurants. I was very lucky. I got an extensive education in Italian cuisine, as well as wines. 

With the advent of the internet, things became easier. The Michelin Guide, Gayot and Zagat are great resources and available online. Eater, Tripadvisor, the Food Network and Yelp have helped too. I still use publications but now the online version. The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Forbes, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal are great resources. Sadly, some publications have gone away, never to return. Gourmet Magazine being the one I miss the most. Caroline Bates' and Jay Jacobs' restaurant reviews of California and New York City restaurants were priceless.

When I first started to travel, I would always make a list of about 15-20 restaurants I wanted to try in the areas I was visiting. I have always been in the food or wine business, so I am always on the lookout for interesting restaurants or wine shops or markets. I have a lot of friends who also travel so I was always getting the "You're going to... You gotta try...". I kept these suggestions and lists on my laptop in a travel folder. When I was planning my first visit to Paris in 2007, I had a customer and friend who traveled to Paris a lot and he gave me his list of restaurants. It consisted of the name and maybe an address. I decided to expand the number of entries and information on his list. 

I put everything in a word file. I broke it down by arrondissement which in Paris is the administrative districts. There are 20. The number of the arrondissement is indicated by the last two digits of the Parisian postal code (75001 up to 75020). The 20 are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral starting from the middle of the city, with the first on the right bank (north bank) of the Seine River. 

I included the name of the establishment or market, my personal star rating, what it is (ie. Cafe, Restaurant, Wine Bar, Market etc.), the address including the postal code, the nearest Metro stop, the telephone number, web url, the email address, the hours, a brief description including price range and pictures of the map location, the exterior, the interior and the food. Here is an example:

Le Nemrod *** - Cafe

51 rue Du Cherche Midi, 75006  Paris Mo : Saint-Placide M4
Tel 01 45 48 17 05  Web : No  Email No

Open M-Sa 6:30-24:00 Closed Su

This is a simple cafe and you will fall in love with it. Great early morning for coffee and pan au chocolate and great late night for coffee and Calvados. The staff is efficient and helpful, but may or may not be well versed in English. The quality of ingredients is a sampling of some of Paris' best with Polaine bread and Bertillion ice cream. Carte €25-35pp

  

On that first trip I had about 120 listings divided among the 20 arrondissements. Most were in the 4th, 5th, and 6th arrondissements, the places I like to stay and walk. Paris is a walking city with great people watching. It is also pretty much the ultimate food city with all the restaurants, bistrots, brasseries, cafes, bars a vin, marches, boulangeries, fromageries, chocolateries, patisseries, glaces, caves a vin, specialites gastronomiques and kitchen and tableware shops that exist within these 20 arrondissements. In France food is a religion. The French plan their whole day around where, when and what they are going to eat. The sheer number of guides to the best food places in Paris is mind boggling. 

I started with my friend's list and worked with Patricia Wells "The Food Lover's Guide To Paris and Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" first episode which was "Paris". I had about six months to plan this trip, so whenever I saw something related to food and Paris I reviewed it. Mark Bittman wrote an article in the New York Times titled: "Steak Frites: Seeking The Best Of A Classic". I found several good places that were added to my list. Samantha Brown's "Passport To Europe" on PBS did an episode on Paris. I found a couple good places in that. Things just sort of snowballed, and that's how I ended up with 120 entries on my list. 

On that trip, I found several interesting spots on our walks that were added to the list. When we travel, my wife, Sally, plans all the sightseeing (museums, art galleries, gardens, etc.) and I plan all the food related adventures and the accommodations, a sort of division of labor. She is really good at finding interesting and unusual places in addition to the regular sights. We are there as tourist after all.  

When we visit a city, we like to stay in an apartment in a neighborhood rather than a hotel room. We think you get a better feel for the city and there is a kitchen where a cook can take advantage of all the local market and shop finds. Paris has some of the best food finds in the world.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. On that trip and subsequent trips and the last 15 odd years, the Paris list has grown to about 300 listings. Now you're thinking, there is no way to hit 300 spots in the 2 to 3 weeks you're going to be there. You are correct. And you are thinking, what if you find a spot you really like, don't you want to go back? Again, you are correct. 

My wife, Sally, in her quest to see all the sights, has us traveling to all the different arrondissements. By having this large list, no matter where we are, if hunger strikes, we can find a good meal or snack. And if by chance that particular spot is closed, we have several backups. You don't want to waste an opportunity for a gastronomic treat when you are in the "Temple of Food".

Over the years, I have amassed food lists for over 20 other cities. I have not traveled to all these cities. I have friends, who know I'm a food freak so they will say, "I'm going to... Where should I eat?". So I will make a list for them. Of course, this is just like the Paris list, over the years they get added to. I like to travel so the next thing I know I'm going to that city and I already have a list. I have an ulterior motive to making these lists for them.

I have switched from the Word format to Excel, a spreadsheet. I include, in separate columns, the name, address, area of town, zip code, days open, hours, type of establishment, website url, telephone number, price range per person, websites I used to research it, and a brief description. By using the spreadsheet format, I can search or arrange by category. This makes thing easier. In these other lists, I have from 40 to 100 different establishments. In the Excel format, the list is easy to use and transport on a cell phone or tablet. There is no need to cart around a laptop.   

I sometimes make "Road Trip Lists".  We have enjoyed car trips to New England, to Charleston and the Outer Banks, 2 different ones out West and a recent trip to Alaska.  Going by car, we have seen how massive this country is and how beautiful these areas are. We only stay 1 or 2 nights in each town so the lists don't have to be more than 5 to 10 eateries. I always include a couple breakfast spots and places for lunch along the way from one location to the next. 

In composing these lists where small towns are concerned and even some cities, it is sometimes difficult to find what I consider a good eating establishment. This is when you have to go back to Anthony Bourdain's quote about the willingness to experience a bad one. 

Alaska was especially challenging. In Seward for example, we found a good spot the first night and went back there a couple more times. The other selections, I had on my list didn't look too promising when viewed up close. Seward was a "difficult" town. We didn't make reservations at this first place. Instead we sat at the bar, usually a good strategy for any restaurant. The bartender became a friend and had some suggestions on where we should go for breakfast and ice cream. A couple of locals sitting at the bar next to us also had some suggestions. Word of mouth research is great as long as the person's idea of a good meal is the same as yours. I will admit, we had some "difficult" meals on that trip but we'll know next time. 

 

All this research isn't foolproof. Sometimes I fail horribly and we end up with a bad meal. It happens. When I research a particular spot I rely heavily on the pictures of the food I see online. I've been a cook for a long time. It's hard to make bad food look good. Pretty much anyone can write a great menu. It's the ingredients and execution that matters. TripAdvisor and Yelp are particularly good for this because the pictures are taken by normal folks like you and me, not a "food stylist" for a major publication. There is lots of "Food Porn" on the internet. 

These lists have served me well but they are just a guidepost in the search for that "perfect meal". They are like everything else in life, they are constantly changing. For every return trip to a city, I go back and check to be sure things are still the same. Over the years, places close for a thousand different reasons, chefs or proprietors retire or die, things change, so I check. 

We have lost several favorite spots - Sally's favorite profiterole palace, Cafe Constant, has closed. Chef Christian Constant retired and sold the spot to another chef. The new menu doesn't even have profiteroles on the menu. Insert teardrop here. We had several really good meals at Cafe Constant in addition to that dessert. I'm not sure if it was the quality of the profiterole that made it Sally's favorite or the fact that they gave you a pitcher of warm dark chocolate ganache to take care of any portion shortages. 

I will have to do some research to find another spot that takes equal care in the preparation and service of their profiteroles. 

I too, lost a favorite. It was "FROMAGER B. LEFRANC" on the Ile Saint-Louis. We found him on our second trip to Paris in 2009. We stayed in an apartment on the island and became friends with the old man in this cheese shop as well as the baker at Boulangerie Saint-Louis, the wine merchant in the shop 2 doors down, and the butcher close to the cheese shop. The friendships came about because we stayed in the neighborhood and shopped at these places daily for over 2 weeks. They recognized our persistent faces. 

 

I especially enjoyed my dealings with the gentleman in the cheese shop. He and I were kindred spirits. His English was just about as bad as my French but we both tried. I think that is the most important thing. He always asked what I had purchased at the butcher and wine shop before he suggested a cheese (He knew my habits by the bags I carried into his shop. He was my last stop before I went back to the apartment to fix dinner). On that first visit he suggested a Roquefort from Maison Carles to go with our duck confit with frisee salad, the baguette from Boulangerie Saint-Louis and the Medoc from the wine merchant on the same street. He also insisted I purchase some Le Beurre Bordier to go on that baguette. It was perfect.

On our next trip in 2015, he wasn't there and the shop had been "updated". From the conversation I had with the 2 young men who now ran the shop, he had retired and sold the shop to them. I'm pretty sure he had retired to that "Fromagerie in the Sky". That would be the only way he would have ever left that shop. It was more than just a shop. It was his life. 

The "updated" shop was nice but not the same. They didn't ask what I was having for dinner. I missed the old man. We were staying over in the Latin Quarter (the 5th) this trip, so I found another old man to sell me cheese. He asked what I was having for dinner before he suggested a cheese. I added him to the list.