Been There, Tasted That!

Having been in the food and wine business for a number of years (So many I no longer count them because I don't need to get depressed), I constantly get asked, when you go out to eat, where do you go? 

When I was younger, I went all over this country eating at great and innovative restaurants. I also hit a lot of local favorites. You don't have to be cutting edge to be great. It was an educational thing for me. I didn't go to culinary school, so I used other chefs and restaurants as my vocational instruction. I was exposed to the latest trends, techniques and products. I was also exposed to some traditional regional cuisine. I am lucky in that I can look at a dish, taste it and then can pretty much replicate that dish. I didn't always hit it 100% but I got close and being a cook, I would tweek a thing or two to make it mine. 

Of course, I always recommended these restaurants and food spots to my friends and customers who were looking for a good spot in a particular area. I have been to restaurants all over this country from Jeremiah Tower's Stars in San Francisco to Il Vagabondo with its inside bocce court in New York City and from Louie's Backyard in Key West to the roaring fireplace at The Shed in Stowe, Vermont. I love food and I love cooking so I was more than happy to share where I've been and what I had eaten when I was there. Sadly, some of these places no longer exist.

I have retired from the food and wine business. I don't go out as much nor travel as much but I still get people asking where I eat when I do go out, either locally or in another city in this country or abroad. I kept getting asked about certain cities so much, I started making what I called Food Lists. With the invention of the internet, it's easy to research cities. With websites like Yelp and Tripadvisor, you get real pictures of the food not food magazine styled pictures of the food. These pictures give you a feel for the food and atmosphere of these restaurants without all the gloss you get from food and travel magazines' pictures. 

In these Food Lists, I include some of the notable restaurants and food places. I highlight the places I've been in a certain color background and list the things the place is noted for. With another color background, I highlight the places that look really interesting that I would like to visit. I keep these lists on my computer and when someone asks about a certain city or area I send them the list. That is, after I have updated it to be sure no one has closed or gone out of business. The food and wine business is tricky and things happen. I have about 25 of these lists.

Of course the majority of the people ask me about restaurants in my local area. I live in the Tampa Bay region, across the Skyway Bridge in Bradenton, Florida. At one time I was selling wine in Tampa Bay, so I have a list of all the top restaurants and wine shops. With Microsoft Excel's filtering tools, I am able to make lists of the top restaurants in all the different geographical areas to suit just about anyone. These too have to be brought up-to-date to keep them current. Places open and close for a variety of reasons. There is always a new guy on the block to take the place of one that closes. It seems everyone wants to own and run a restaurant. i don't think they realize how difficult it is in this day and age.

For the last few years, I have been on a fixed income, so I don't go out as much as I used to. It's not just the money. I know it sounds narcissistic, but I can prepare anything on the menu of any restaurant just as good as they do. The only exceptions are when a specific piece of equipment is needed like a wok range to get the necessary heat for a correct stir fry, or if something requires multiple hard to get ingredients like several different kinds of fresh raw fish for sushi or sashimi. 

I had the same problem with pizza until I acquired the Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan and the recipe for the 00 flour pizza dough from Roberta's Pizza in Brooklyn, New York. I now craft a pizza that would make a Neapolitan or New Yorker proud. 

The fact of the matter is, I would rather take the money I would spend at a nice restaurant and buy a prime cut of beef, a rack of lamb, or some jumbo lump crabmeat (All expensive items) and cook at home. I know not supporting local independent restaurants is odd for someone who was in the restaurant business for as long as I was, but I'm old and have paid my dues. 

I sometimes take the extra money and invest in a really nice bottle of wine (Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Mayacamas Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chateau Haut Brion are favorites) or an expensive bottle of liquor (Calvados Boulard VSOP, The Macallan 12 Year Old, and Remy Martin VSOP Cognac are favorites). All of which with restaurant pricing would be cost prohibitive. 

My problem is that early in my food and wine career, friends, customers (who became friends), or particular jobs exposed me to high quality food and drink. I was lucky. I got to experience some of the best in the world. Once you get that exposure, you can't pretend to not be able to tell the difference between the good stuff and the really good stuff. At least, I can't. 

In my golden years, I realize I don't need to drive a BMW or a Mercedes Benz. I get by with a nice year old Hyundai Tucson. I don't need to live by the water on Captiva or Tierra Verde (flood and hurricane insurance is crazy). I can live inland a bit where it's dry and more protected. I don't have to live in a million dollar house. One that sells for much less than that but built like Sally and I wanted is perfect. Besides my home is wherever Sally is. The building itself is not as important as being home. 

I have learned that money and what it buys is not going to make me happy. Sally makes me happy. I still prepare meals with my Wusthof and Global knives and my All-Clad and Bourgeat pots and pans. I have them so why not use them? I have been to a lot of restaurants, food shops, wine shops and wineries, so I have experienced and tasted a lot of what they offer. So when people ask about places and dishes, if I've been there I tell them, I've been there and tasted that. I also tell them I was very lucky for the chance to do that.   

Roberta's Pizza Dough

    1 – Cup + 1 Tbsp 00* Flour          1 – Cup + 2 Tbsp AP Flour

    1 – Tsp Fine Sea Salt                  ¾ - Tsp Active Dry Yeast

    1 – Tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil      1 – Cup Warm Water

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup lukewarm tap water, the yeast and the olive oil, (I sometimes add a bit of sugar to aid the yeast action) then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)

*00 Flour can be found in a specialty grocery or online.