Dinner with Carrie: Pecan Penny's BBQ

June 21, 2019 Drew Fleisher

Carrie and I finally made it to a BBQ spot we've been meaning to try a few blocks away from our apartment, and the weather decided to cooperate tonight.

I decided to try as much as I could for this review, so I ordered the "Downtown Sampler", which for $21.99 gives you generous portions of brisket, pulled pork, and a 1/4 chicken plus two sides. For my sides I chose to go for the carbs, adding hush puppies and mac & cheese.

The meat arrived unsauced but perfectly prepared, giving me the opportunity to try all five sauces on the table. The Carolina vinegar sauce was almost straight vinegar instead of the spicy vinegar sauce I was expecting. The Memphis tomato sauce was good, but a little sweeter than I prefer. The Daddy-G, their house BBQ sauce was good but didn't have enough spice to rise above the tomatoes and brown sugar. The spicy grandpa, a spicy version of their house sauce was better at rising above the tomatoes but still wasn't great. Surprising me was the eastern Carolina mustard sauce, which gave me everything I was looking for on all three meats.

Turning to the sides, the mac & cheese was good but not great because the cheese broke during preparation leaving clumps of cheddar and oil. The hush puppies were perfectly cooked, served light and fluffy as they should be but rarely are.

In all it was a good meal with better company, but I'm still looking for perfect BBQ in Columbus. You can try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

Pecan Penny's

Portland's "Iron Chef" raises the bar again, this time for Seafood

October 6, 2017 Drew Fleisher

Headwaters once again transformed the historic Heathman Hotel's dining room in the last year

Being named runner-up in a newspaper's "readers poll" of new restaurants may not seem very prestigious, but when the paper is Willamette Week and the city is PDX it's really saying something special. Portland has more than it's share of amazing chefs and fabulous dining experiences opening every year. One of those chefs is Vitally Paley, and when he opens a new joint people will always show up. To keep them raving and coming back takes skill that few chefs possess, but Chef Paley has been doing it for years, and his 4th restaurant is truly something special.

When the Heathman shut down their lobby restaurant in 2016 there was a lot of attention, and it went up a few notches when it was announced that Chef Paley and his wife and business partner Kimberly Paley would be opening a seafood restaurant there.

I finally had a chance to visit this week, and it definitely lived up to it's reputation. Featuring a few staples like fresh clams and mussels, an amazing seafood tower, and an amazing 14oz steak would be enough to keep people coming back. Adding amazing catch-of-the-day specials and live crab and lobster along side a "Russian Tea Experience" on Sunday afternoons makes it a must visit. Chef Paley has another winner and the city is better for it.

When you do it perfectly, a steak can stand by itself on any dinner plate

I had the amazing 14oz ribeye from Brandt Farms, served simply rubbed with roasted garlic before being grilled to a perfect medium rare and accompanied by a wonderfully creamy Sauce Bernaise. The steak was perfectly cooked and not choosing to clutter the plate with a lot of side dishes or garnish shows the understanding of the ingredients that the staff has in the kitchen. It's surprising how few chefs in this city are willing to let a gorgeous steak be a steak without dressing it up too much.

I ordered the braised market greens and sweet corn grits as side dishes, and both were great if not what I expected. The greens had a decidedly asian flavor with the combination of coconut milk and chilies. The sweet corn grits I expected to be ground sweet corn grits, but ended up being whole kernel corn prepared the way grits would be. It was a surprise but perfect in it's flavor profile and simple presentation.

The braised market greens were soft and creamy

The sweet corn grits were a pleasant surprise

Overall it was a great dining experience, and one I will have again soon. Headwaters is definitely "Fat Boy Approved"

Eat at Mae's

August 31, 2017 Drew Fleisher

Starting with the place setting, eating at MaePDX was just like a family dinner

There are some childhood memories that are nearly universal, but definitely cultural. In many parts of America including the south, family dinners at Grandmother's house is one such childhood memory most of us share.

When I sat down at my seat in the backroom of Old Salt Market on NE 42nd in Portland where chef Maya Lovelace hosts and prepares dinner on Monday and Wednesday evenings in her pop-up joint simply called , it was memories of those family dinners around Grandma's table that came to mind. Pitchers of water and sweet tea on the table with Mason jars in place of water glasses and gingham napkins helped complete the setting.

Fat Boy Summer Road Trip, Part 3

June 24, 2017 Drew Fleisher

The final installment of our summer journey covering the drive from Roswell, NM to Salem, OR during which time we discover that Chris Ledoux was right, life really is a highway.

Fat Boy Summer Road Trip, part 2

June 23, 2017 Drew Fleisher

Day 5

We left St. Louis after a great time catching up with the Golden family and headed south to Memphis. Alongthe way we stopped at Stonie's Sausage Shop for some road snacks. They had a great selection of fresh made smoked meats and sausages, great homemade jerky, and a wide selection of local area products from pickles to pork rinds, wine, and sodas. It was a great find. We picked up some cheese, some snack sticks, and some bologna and sausage to thow in the cooler for the drive to Memphis.

Even on a Monday evening Beale Street was busy.

After a long drive we made it to Memphis around 8pm and headed straight to Beale St., starting at the West end at the Hard Rock Cafe. If you have never been to Memphis, TN it really is a trip every music lover should take. The sights and sounds even on a Monday night were spectacular, with live music coming from every juke joint on Beale. We walked "with our boots ten feet off of Beale" taking in the sights and sounds until we reached the end of the entertainment district and were waived into Coyote Ugly by their manager T. It was quiet on a Monday night, but we ended up having a ton of fun and closing the place down with Morgan and Evee.

In this job attitude is everything, and the Memphis Coyotes had it.  Evee was fiesty and up for a challenge. — In this job attitude is everything, and the Memphis Coyotes had it. Evee was fiesty and up for a challenge.

Morgan was pure attitude, running the bartop like it was a circus tent at times to try and get tips from a small crowd while drawing people in off of the street.

Some customers relucktently dance on the bar for a photo....

Other customers are much more enthusiastic!

What's a guy to do when his buddy wanders away and the next round comes?

This fat boy drinks them both and hopes his boy comes back before the next round hits the bar....

And then your bartenders steal your phone off the bar to take a selfie!

Day 6

Left Memphis for Shreveport, LA. The long night had us so tired we forgot to set the alarm and were woken up by the guy at the front desk telling us it was checkout time. Fortunately he gave us a late checkout without a hassle. We had a huge breakfast at Cracker Barrel and were on our way.

It was a long drive, but we made it into Shreveport and got checked into our hotel. It was right next to the Louisiana Downs racetrack and casino, so we walked over there to find dinner.

Fuddruckers was the only restaurant in the casino still open, but they have always made an amazing burger so we had a nice meal. We played the slots for a few minutes after dinner then called it an early night.

Day 7

After an early night we got up and packed after a decent breakfast buffet at the hotel. After a long drive made it to Austin, TX.

Stubbs BBQ has quickly become one of the premiere music venues in Austin, and they proudly have decorated with concert posters from previous shows.

I had the 3-meat combo with spare ribs, brisket, and classic sausage.  On the side I had Serrano Cheese spinach and mashed sweet potatoes. — I had the 3-meat combo with spare ribs, brisket, and classic sausage. On the side I had Serrano Cheese spinach and mashed sweet potatoes.

No trip to Austin is complete for me without a trip to Stubbs BBQ. Stubbs Legendary BBQ has been doing pit style BBQ right since Mr. Stubblefield opened the original (and now closed) joint in Lubbock in 1968. He was instrumental in breaking musical talent like Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughn back then and ever since live music has been almost as important as the food to Stubbs' customers and fans worldwide.

After a great dinner at Stubbs we headed for 6th Street to find a party. We walked the North side of the block then crossed to come back to Chuggin' Monkey to get a look at the band that we could hear from across the street.

The Blues Posse were tearing it up! Their lead guitar, Jack Edery was pulling blues licks from all over the spectrum and doing them well. Vocals from Mr. Jamie van Beek were tight and accurate. A great show. On to the next spot.

Blues Posse blew the roof off of The Chuggin' Monkey during their first set

We left the Chuggin' Monkey and wandered into Pete's Dueling Piano Bar. It was packed, with hundreds of people all singing along and shouting requests spanning the decades.

Another music town, another Coyote Ugly! Rosalyn, Morgan, and Ashley were fun but didn't match the energy or fun of the great ladies we met a couple of days ago in Memphis.

We closed Coyote Ugly down again, and headed back to the hotel.

Day 8

We got up and moving planning on heading for Amarillo, but plans to see a friend fell through so we changed our routing a bit, heading to Roswell, NM instead. It was a long drive, but we made Roswell about 7:30 local time. We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant recommended by the girl at the front desk called Los Cerritos.

I had a great stuffed sopapilla with all the trimmings. The recommendation if anything undersold the food. I love New Mexican food, with the great use of hatch green chiles and a unique addition of fried dough.

Serendipity ala Groupon brings Indian pizza home for dinner tonight

January 2, 2017 Drew Fleisher

Curry & Crust is right by the MAX stop at Hawthorne Farms

I was trying to decide what I wanted to do about dinner tonight when Groupon popped up telling me there was an offer nearby. I pulled off of Cornell and up came an offer from Curry & Crust, an Indian restaurant with a twist...pizza(?!?) of all things. I had seen the name driving past a few times but had never had a chance to stop before so I decided to give the offer a try.

I got my large Butter Chicken Pizza to go and took it home.

The pizza was topped with Home made sauce with Onions, Green Peppers, Cheese,chicken and topped with makhani sauce. I have to say that first of all Butter Chicken is one of my favorite Indian dishes. Putting it on top of pizza is a gimmick for sure, but one that works. The flavor was smooth and creamy, with just enough curry and chili to balance the butter and make this a winner. They got me there with the intrigue of pizza, but I'll be going back in to try a more traditional Indian meal with a variety of dishes after the flavor and quality of this pizza.

If you want a unique pizza experience or are just looking for great Indian food give Curry & Crust a try.

Slow braised short ribs Fat Boy style

April 6, 2016 Drew Fleisher

When you cook right happy things end up on your plate...

Short ribs also have a ton of flavor, so they are a personal favorite of mine. They also are usually pretty inexpensive (today they were less per pound than ground beef at Safeway). If I have a busy day I throw them in the crock pot, but if I have the time there is no better way to cook them than a nice slow braise. You can use any liquid to braise meat with, from broth to beer to water. I prefer something that is going to add to the flavor of the meat, so I use beer most often. Coating the meat with seasoned flour allows the flavor of the spices to stay on the meat, and the flour thickens up the braising liquid over the cooking time to make a nice tight topping. I hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Weeknight dinners made even quicker - The Cooks Essentials Microwave Pressure Cooker

August 22, 2015 Drew Fleisher

I was sent the Cooks Essentials Microwave Pressure Cooker last week to review, and I need to tell you I was skeptical. I remember my grandma using her pressure cooker for two things, canning and cooking beans. It being brought out included dire warnings about coming near it.

Friday Night Dinner: Moroccan Meatballs with Roasted Freekah

May 11, 2015 Drew Fleisher

Traditional middle-eastern serving, cracked freekah and lamb meatballs make a full-flavored and simple dinner

I took some of the flavors from my younger days and found a meatball recipe online that brought them together. The flavors of lemon and cardamom help cut the flavor of the ground lamb a bit, and when combined with the parsley and mint make what could taste heavy instead become a light and refreshing dish.

Breakfast for dinner gets a twist, and you can make it for brunch too....

May 6, 2015 Drew Fleisher

Sweet and Savory bread pudding topped with old fashioned maple syrup....a radical new twist that tasted like my childhood......

Bread pudding is normally a dessert. Sometimes it's a breakfast though. So what if I took it's breakfast side and took it four steps further and mixed pork sausage and cheddar cheese into the bread pudding? And then kicked up the dessert side with some caramelized bourbon apples? This my friends is the kind of insanity that either makes for Fat Boy Heaven or has my family ordering takeout from Papa Johns at the last minute on a Wednesday night.

Dinner in Fat Boy Heaven: Bacon wrapped Blackberry Pork Loin Roast and Green Beans with Pancetta

April 30, 2015 Drew Fleisher

Life has been moving pretty fast around here, and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. One of the biggest things to fall away has been time to cook, so when I have a chance I go big.

Starting the New Year right, Fat Boy "who you callin' French" blue beer onion soup for dinner

January 1, 2015 Drew Fleisher

I have always loved French onion soup, but it has always been missing something no matter how good it was or where I had it. So I decided to start the year off by taking French onion soup and making it a Fat Boy original by completely changing it while still leaving enough of the traditional elements there for its roots to be recognizable. How is that possible you ask? Well, lets break down traditional French Onion Soup first and see what it had to have to be recognized.

Leftover mashed potatoes? Earn some fat boy street cred with this Fat Boy Mashed Potato Soup

December 31, 2014 Drew Fleisher

The holiday season is full of big meals and family gatherings, but that means it is also full of leftovers. One of the hardest things to reuse around our house has always been left over mashed potatoes.

i came across a recipe for mashed potato soup from Rachael Ray and decided to take it to the next level to make it a Fat Boy recipe instead of just a family friendly one. The biggest changes are adding more bacon and switching to beef broth instead of chicken. Both changes make for a deeper and richer soup, trust me, your family will love the changes.

Ingredients

A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 lb. bacon, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

4 tablespoons flour

1 quart beef stock

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Chopped chives, for garnish

Preparation

In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

Drain off excess bacon fat from the pot and add butter. When it is melted, add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Sprinkle flour into the pot and cook with a wooden spoon for one minute. Whisk in the beef stock and bring to a bubble. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in mashed potatoes, then stir in the cheddar cheese with a wooden spoon and cook until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is melted. Add half the bacon and let cook for 3-5 minutes to allow flavor to combine.

Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon and chopped chives. Instant Fat Boy Heaven.

Last Nights Dinner - Curried Chicken Chowder

December 28, 2014 Drew Fleisher

To my mind there isn't much better than a thick stew or chowder on a cold winters night. I've done quite a few variations on corn chowder over the years, but got to thinking that throwing some edamame into the pot instead of green beans or peas as the green veg and dumping some curry powder in might make for an interesting twist.

Dinner Tonight: Breaded Chicken with Mac 'n Cheese Waffles

November 5, 2014 Drew Fleisher

One of my favorite side dishes for fall dinners is macaroni and cheese, and I am always trying to come up with new ways to change it up. Since everyones favorite part of home made mac and cheese is the crispy edges and topping I got to thinking "what if I browned each serving in the waffle iron?". Once I figured out how to do that I started thinking about what to do as a main dish with it and thought I would go with the obvious chicken.

Dinner Tonight: Beef Short Rib Tsimmes

October 18, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Fat Boy Heaven's take on my Father's Tsimmes, a traditional Jewish stew made from root vegetables sweetened with honey and prunes. The flavor comes from the combination of the ingredients and the way the fat in the beef renders during the slow braising. This isn't a fast dish, but it has amazing flavor for such simple ingredients.

McMenamin's Old Church & Pub Whiskey of theWorld Dinner

September 12, 2014 Drew Fleisher

I received an invitation to the Whiskey of the World dinner at mcMenamin's Old Church in Wilsonville, and since the wife was in Denver for work I invited Jimmie to come along for his first Fat Boy event. A five course dinner with nine whiskeys on the tasting list promised to be a full night, and I was hopeful that in addition to good food pairings I might get a chance to try some whiskey i hadn't tried before.

The Fat Boy Summer Road Trip 2014 Part 2: On the Road Days 13 and 14

July 1, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Alright, I'm caught up on sleep and spending time with the family. The novelty of having me home has worn off for the kids and they are back to hiding in their rooms so I can finally get the last of the Fat Boy Summer Road Trip posted.

Fat Boy Summer Road Trip 2014 Part 2: On the Road day 9

June 24, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Today we had planned on hard driving getting us to Albequerque, NM. We got a bit of a later start, and when I realized that Route 66 passed through Joplin, MO we decided to spend some time exploring the Mother Road instead of pushing down the interstate.

The Fat Boy Summer Road Trip 2014 Part 2: On the Road Day 5

June 18, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Today took us away from the beach and back to the road. We passed through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and into Maryland for tonight's stop in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.