'Momofuku-gasmic' Translates- Good Pork Rolls

In and out of New York City in the past week has allowed me to eat at a few really good restaurants. Momofuku, and Gina la Fornarina really made an impression on me! Hubby coming home from a business trip with a free loading bug has me grateful I did eat out. No cooking going on here this past weekend, so its back to the memories, and lets just say one was 'Momofuku-gasmic'!

Gina la Fornarina, a Milanese influenced eatery off  279 Amsterdam Avenue @ 73 Street (two locations)Partners In Wine Club was so nice for the early lunch meeting had in the city last week with Iron Horse Vineyards- Kim recommended a few things to share. She frequents Gina's, and ordered for us:

Sampler Platter-

Crepes with Spinach & Ricotta, Semolina Gnocchi Gina

Daily Pasta Special- Penne Bolognese

Chicken Salad- Thyme Rosemary Marinated Free Range Chicken atop Mixed Greens

Wine & Spirits: Pinot Noir & Water

The food and company was fantastic, as well as the walk around the area before we headed back to NJ!

Now in the same, well, weekend I met up with some fellow poetry blogs in the city for The Rainbow Book Fair at City University of NYC, and there was no dinner 'set in stone' plans. Now and then, hubby and I play it by ear, but usually he does have an agenda. His job in this relationship- to keep me up on the trendy places popping up in New York City. Evidently there is one place that has been open for the past year; it is very hard to get reservations for if you do not make them the Tuesday before you want to go, 10 AM on the dot, for that following Saturday, if you are lucky...

We were not so lucky, but Momofuku (means 'lucky peach') has an alternative, and pretty much the same menu (if you want the 'Fried Chicken Dinner' you call ahead, lol, if you know me- you understand). Momofuku Noodle House and Milkbar right next door, 207 2nd Avenue, East Village.

You just have to be at their door before, or 5 PM on the dot, because the line is long, and it stays packed. After a year? That must be good. We were first this past Saturday. As soon as the book fair was over we hopped on the subway and headed there.

The one attraction to the place, Steamed 'Pork Buns'. Something I have wanted to try for a while. Pigpigscorner, and Selba write about them, and other great Asian foods. Honestly they look tasty! I am all about some good pig and beef when it comes to BBQ. Smoked, grilled, or oven roasted- its all about the flavor and sauce; unless you are smoke sensitive, then I would stay away from the barbecue scene.

Back to the DELICIOUS food- Well, I have to also mention the table they did not want to seat us at, I believe because many do not want to sit by the kitchen. This was open stadium kitchen viewing, but with plexi-glass about two feet up. Right away we said we would love to sit there. Can you guess why? Part of the entertainment for me. The smells however, do hit you like a ton of bricks, and there was an issue with Spanish Mackerel at the end.

Here is what we ordered, and lets just say...'Momofuku-gasmic' barely touches the surface of this wonderful meal. I even had a birch beer as part of our dessert!

Raw Bar- Shigoku Oysters (WA)  /w kimchi

Steamed 'Pork' Buns- pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions

Small Dishes- BBQ Rib Sandwich(es, because there are two) (Newman's Farm, MO) /w red onion slaw
Santa Barbara Uni- whipped tofu, black pearl tapioca, shrimp crackers

Seasonal- Fried Baby Artichokes /w pistachio, sunchokes, bottarga

(a hint of spiciness to all of this, but not overwhelming, just builds slowly, and a good thing for my taste buds!)

Offal- (Hubby's meal, I did not touch this!) Cavatelli- pigs head

Dessert- Queen Anne Stilton- pear sorbet, pickled pears, pumpkin ganache (to die for!)

Birch Beer- by the can

Wine Pairing- We sampled a bit of each; it was long walk back to the train!
       (white)
domaine barmés buecher, riesling tradition ‘07 (alsace, fr)
viña godeval, godello ‘08 (valdeorras, spain)
red hook winery, chardonnay ‘08 (long island, ny)
        (red)
domaine guillot-broux, gamay ‘07 (mâcon-cruzille, fr)
les baux de provence, mas de gourgonnier ‘07 (provence, fr)
domaine st. pierre, syrah ‘07 (côtes du rhône villages, fr)
latitude 50, pinot noir, ‘07 (rheingau, ger)

More on the wines over at 'Partners In Wine Club', 'Momofuku-gasmic' review...

I also brought home some Kimchi Butter from Milkbar next door, and will share what I did next-

Disclaimer- The title is my own interpretation, Momofuku means 'lucky peach'...

Tennessee Hospitality

On my down to Texas I stopped in Virginia to pick up my childhood friend, Lisa. Before we headed to our reunion, we popped in on a fellow blog, Chris @ Nibble Me This in Knoxville.

Chris and his wife Alexis opened up their house to us with some real down home hospitality. Even Lisa felt like family when we sat down to the fabulous meal they made for us. Yes, Chris can smoked some kick butt ribs on that green egg of his!





















Did I mention the 'Smack & Cheese' (my given name) they served us? Oh my gosh... we held him at gun point for that recipe! (over to the right, and I am making that tonight for my friends) Alexis and I share a love affair with heavy cream, and that makes everything so much creamier and less fattening (yeah right).



















He made two flavors of ribs... A cherry dry rub, and a spicy dry rub... Oh and I forgot, Chris could you share the name of that cherry rub mixture for everyone on here, and so I can look for it while on the way back through.

I would have taken yours, but that freakin big container would not fit in mine or Lisa's purse!

Chris sent us off with some of his son's smoked bologna... We ate those in some sandwiches on the way down to the reunion.



















We had a great time with Chris, Alexis and their son, and I hope I can repay their hospitality back soon! Are you and Alexis up to goat on the fire pit in Lisa's back pasture?

PS- Chris reminded me I made bread at Lisa's, and we took a loaf to his house...I am partial to my own cooking, so without bragging too much- it was good (was, since none was left after only a day of camping)!

Dublin,Texas?

As a kid I remember the joys of getting that ice cold drink at the country market on the way to our favorite, well my dad's favorite...fishing hole...and. if you were really lucky it was not just a 'coke', my dad's favorite...










(my 'friend's cute grandson)







You got a 'Dr. Pepper Float' once you arrived home...and believe me, I love my root beer floats, but something about this that brings back even more memories...


















On my visit, I was reminded that the original and oldest Dr. Pepper plant was still producing the original Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Pepper recipe bottles...and how many Texans still love this old nostalgia treat!

I also used a bottle to marinate some beef ribs overnight in the fridge...



















...pour a little into your 'bake bean' recipe instead of brown sugar...



















...after being on the grill I added some Dean Fearing's Mop Sauce that had a 'Molasses' base, and we decided I should have left them just as they were (made it too sweet), or used a spicy 'hot' based BBQ sauce to the 'sweet' Dublin Dr. Pepper base marinade...they were still tender, and juicy!



















HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO EVERYONE!!!


Dublin Dr. Pepper History:

In 1885 Waco, Texas was a wild frontier town, nicknamed “six-shooter junction.” Wade Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store was a prominent business and popular meeting place in downtown Waco. People came in for everything from flea powder to stationery, from cigars to fountain drinks.

One of Morrison’s employees, pharmacist Charles Alderton, noticed how customers loved the smell of the soda fountain with its many fruit, spice and berry aromas. He wanted to invent a drink that tasted the wonderful way the soda fountain smelled. After much experimentation he finally felt he had hit on “something different.” Patrons at the drug store agreed.

Soon other soda fountains were buying the syrup from Morrison and serving it. People loved the new unnamed drink and would order it by simply calling out “shoot me a Waco!” But Morrison named it Dr Pepper, after the father of a girl he had loved back in his home state of Virginia.

In 1891 Morrison and new partner Robert Lazenby organized the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company in order to bottle and sell Dr Pepper as well as other soft drinks. That same year, while visiting Waco, a Texas businessman by the name of Sam Houston Prim tasted the new fountain drink and knew he wanted to sell it in his bottling plant in Dublin, Texas, 80 miles to the west.

Under the direction of Mr. Lazenby, Dr Pepper enjoyed steady growth in sales and began to spread in popularity across the country. But it wasn’t until 1904 that Dr Pepper gained real national exposure. Along with other soon to be favorites like ice cream cones and hamburgers, Dr Pepper was introduced to the rest of the U. S. and the entire world at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

Since then Dr Pepper’s popularity has grown consistently over the years to become one of the top 3 soft drinks in the United States and the No. 1 non-cola. And over that time Dr Pepper Corporate Headquarters have remained here in Texas. That’s why Dr Pepper can truly claim the title of “Texas Original.”

The Story of “Mr. Dr Pepper”*

Bill Kloster never studied marketing. The words goals, objectives, strategies and tactics weren't part of his vocabulary.

He didn’t promote his product from a textbook; he promoted it from his heart — a concept that would have left marketing gurus cringing. Except that it worked.

Bill Kloster operated on instinct that was so on target that his tiny three-county Dublin Dr Pepper franchise is continuously among the top 10 producers in per capita consumption.

Bill knew his business. He started at the bottling plant when he was 14 years old — a job necessitated by the death of his father and his need to help support his mother and four siblings. For the next 67 years, including the day he died, he put in long, hands-on hours, focusing on quality control, community involvement and his own unique style of sometimes blustery, sometimes covert public relations.

Bill started as a bottle sorter for 10 cents an hour. He got his first painful lesson in economics when he dropped a pallet of glass bottles. After the damages were deducted from his paycheck, he took home mere pennies — his first paycheck. Before long, plant owner Sam Houston Prim took the young man under his wing, becoming a surrogate father as he watched Bill grow into manhood and into a self-styled promoter of Dublin Dr Pepper.

From the bottle sorting chores, Bill worked his way up to production manager. After a tour of duty in Europe during World War II, he returned to become general manager of the plant which was then operated by Prim’s daughter, Grace Prim Lyon.

Mrs. Lyon died in 1991 on the dawn of the plant’s 100th birthday celebration, leaving the Dublin plant in Bill’s capable hands.

As the owner, Bill continued to emphasize those same values he had learned as a young man. He held on to the original drink formula, the antiquated bottling equipment, and a massive assortment of Dr Pepper collectibles which became his passion. Through the years, he used those elements to develop a successful enterprise and a popular tourist attraction. And most important, he built a fiercely loyal following for Dublin Dr Pepper around the world. The media were drawn to him like bees to honey and dubbed him “Mr. Dr Pepper.”

When bottom line indicated the tiny Dublin plant should give up Imperial Pure Cane Sugar in exchange for less expensive corn sweeteners, Bill balked. He continued to subscribe to the country theory of “dancin’ with who brung ya,” refusing to change the recipe which has always given the local product its unique taste. Bill Kloster, the Dublin bottling plant, and Dublin Dr Pepper remained true to themselves.

The story was widely told that when his wife Iona told Bill he was drinking too much sugar and should switch to the sugar-free variety, he secretly had the regular Dr Pepper put into diet bottles which he stocked in his home refrigerator.

Residents of the community and the region enthusiastically support what they consider “their” Dr Pepper. But Bill was no less enthusiastic about giving back. Seldom does a community event take place without Dr Pepper, usually provided as a donation to a worthy cause. Most of the major projects in the area had a Dr Pepper signature somewhere, even though many of Bill’s contributions were done inconspicuously and, by his choosing, without fanfare.

Bill always spent long hours at the Dr Pepper plant. But following the death in 1995 of Iona Kloster, his beloved wife of 54 years, he dedicated himself to the expansion of the museum collection and the promotion of Old Doc’s Soda Shop.

The years took no apparent toll on Bill mentally, but he deeply resented the physical limitations caused by arthritis. He wore out the knees he came with, and several replacement knees as well. He rarely fussed about the pain, but he fussed often about the inconvenience, particularly when he had to take time out for surgery and rehabilitation. In the summer of 1999, he underwent his last knee surgery. As he began the therapy which would put him back on his feet, he suffered a severe heart attack, followed by several more. His doctors were not optimistic about his survival, much less his recovery.

But miraculously, Bill survived and returned to work, leaping headlong into the development of the commemorative 2000 calendar. He wanted this millennium calendar to be a tribute to the four young ladies who have worn the title of Pretty Peggy Pepper, his favorite advertising icon.

Bill died suddenly on Sept. 27, 1999 after a full day at the bottling plant where he had spent the day approving designs for this 2000 calendar. He is gone only in the physical sense; the echo of his chuckle and the shadow of the wide grin that accompanied his favorite Dr Pepper stories will always be felt in the oldest Dr Pepper plant in the world.

Bill Kloster was a man of conviction. When small bottlers have been gobbled up by conglomerates, the tiny, independent Dublin Dr Pepper plant remains. Its signature product is produced just like it was more than 100 years ago. Bill wasn’t afraid of bucking marketing trends because he believed in the unique quality of his product.

No, it wasn’t the textbook way of doing things.

But it was Bill Kloster’s way.

*Text from the 2000 Dublin Dr Pepper calendar