Surprises Can Be Good

As a financial advisor, I visit networking groups now and then. On occaision, to illustrate the difference between me and advisors who are not me, I provide this analogy:

"You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a financial advisor in this town. But like a great cook, a great advisor is a rare and precious find. So what separates a good cook from a great cook? The ingredients available to one are there for the other. I think it's patience and creativity. A great cook knows that some ingredients need to be added at different times to develop the flavors. It can't be rushed. And finding new ways of combining the same old ingredients may yield plesantly shocking surprises."

And I am a great cook.

That's a fun (and dare I say accurate!) analogy, but it reminds me of the problem with many restaurants. Specifically, this is why I don't eat at any of the large chain restaurants. It's not that these places are bad. Many have found great ways of giving back to the communities in which they are a part. It's not that the food is bad. Each chain I'm picking on today uses high quality ingredients and increasingly often, fresh rather than frozen or canned. No, the reason for my distain begins with the corporate training for their cooks. (Yes. I said "cooks" not "chefs.") The masses who frequent these chain restaurants have lauded the two elements which are the enemy to any artist: low cost and consistency. (Think Rembrandt vs Bob Ross.)




The food prepared at one point of sale in a chain is expected to be identical to any other point in that chain. An order of eggs over easy, a slice of ham, hashbrowns and 2 pancakes will not only have the same flavor from store to store, but will even be arranged on the plate to look identical. And to keep the prices as consistent and competitive as possible, they order the same ingredients for every location knowing exactly how much of each ingredient goes into each serving. Henry Ford's principles applied to the kitchen.

It's easy to get up on my soapbox. We demand that there be no accidents that could spoil an otherwise consistent dinner. We are willing to sacrifice surprise. But let me phrase this another way: "It's easy for ME to get up on MY soapbox." I don't have kids. No growing teenagers who need an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. When one has the luxury of time, then one has the ability to hunt for locally owned establishments. I get to know the waitstaff and chef. I can stay late and talk during the off-peak hours. I try to tip well and say thank you and tell the manager how much we enjoyed ourselves. I don't mind paying $10 more for a tab at a Mom-and-Pop restaurant if it's high quality and they are working to offer something unique.

Instead of The Olive Garden, I go to Stellas. Instead of Applebees, I go to the OLI.

Go to the chains if you have to, but I encourage you, when you have the time, take it. Follow the road less traveled. Make friends with people who take care of you. Search out people and restaurants who have a a passion for food. In short, reward yourself with a few of the finer things in life. You deserve it.

For some pleasantly shocking surprises try:

Homemade Pizza

for the Dough:
4 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour + more for kneading
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dry Yeast
2 tablespoons Agave Nectar (or honey)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup of warm Water (+ more if needed)

In a stand mixer (preferably) or a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. In another bowl combine the nectar, oil and water. At a low mixing speed with a dough hook, add the wet into the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until the dough comes together in a rough shaggy mass. turn out onto a floured counter. and knead, adding flour as necessary until the dough is smooth.

Return to the bowl and cover with a warm damp towel. Let rise for 45 minutes. Punch down, turn and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Make your sauces:

Tomato
1 clove of Garlic sliced very thin (think of the scene in Goodfellas) or pressed
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (yes, the good stuff--it matters here)
1 can Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 can Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon each of dried Basil, Oregano

Heat the oil in the pan on medium high heat. Add the garilc until it nearly dissolves. Reduce the heat and stir in the sauce, sugar and paste. Stir until smooth. Add the herbs. Add a pinch of salt if needed.

Preheat the oven to 45 degrees for a thin crust pizza or 425 for a thick crust. After the dough has risen a 2nd time, divide into 3 equal parts for thin crust or 2 parts for thick crust. I like rolling the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. It makes transferring and clean-up MUCH easier. Prick it all over with a fork to keep it from getting bubbles. Coat with a thin layer of olive oil, then sauce. Add toppings. Bake it in the oven until the edges are golden brown and the cheese in the center is bubbly but not crusty (about 10 minutes thin crust, 15 min thick crust).

Some of the toppings to try:

Pepperoni
Ham
Ground Beef
Chicken
Anchovies
Sausages
Shrimp
Pork
Bacon

Mushrooms
Asparagus
Artichoke
Bell Pepper
Chili Peppers
Onions
Rosted Garlic
Pineapple
Mandarin Oranges
Apples
Tomato Slices

Spinach
Basil
Rosemary


Pesto
Alfredo
Sweet and Sour
Tomato
Olive Oil (with a little Balsamic Vinegar)



Anything else you want to try--it's yours to experiment




Banana Chicken Tacos


1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt
2 tablespoons Chimayo Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
1/8 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 Banana sliced
6-8 Corn or Flour Tortillas


Slice the chicken into 1/4 slices and saute in hot olive oil. When it starts getting brown on all sides, reduce the heat to medium or medium low. Add the spices and continue to stir until evenly coated. Add the banana. If the banana is ripe enough, it'll become a sticky sugary sauce.


Serve it up in the tortillas with grated cheese, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Living, Life and Lifestyle

My brother is moving back to Colorado.

Almost certainly.

Well, maybe.

Aside from the obvious questions for his move (Where to work? Can he afford a home? What to do with the old friends he's leaving behind? Will he make any new friends?), my brother has his priorities in the right place: a home near the best coffee, bar and restaurant in town. We have been tasked with today's mission: the hunt for Eden!

(BTW, when we Google Search "Eden", we get an apartment complex, spa and a Baptist church. OK, so not as easy as that. Although the spa looks nice and isn't far from a good neighborhood. We need a road trip.)

Some of my favorite restaurants include Bastien's (Home of the Sugar Steak!), Trattoria Stella, Tom's Home Cooking (incredible Southern comfort food, only open for weekday lunch and always too crowded to hold the people who want to sit and eat--but WOW! is the food good!), and my wife loves Domo. We also go to Pints Pub and Cuba Cuba whenever we can.

So we drove around. One can find good coffee nearly everywhere, and bars and pubs are on every street corner. As we knew it would, the decision will come down to the neighborhood with the best restaurants. I love Five Points. It's a center for African-American cultural heritage in the West and has a jazz history dating back to the 1920's and 30's. The homes are beautiful Victorians and American Four Squares. Tom's Home Cooking is here. Unfortunately, as with most historical and cultural centers throughout the nation, whenever they are "discovered" by the masses, homes get overpriced, douches move in and the neighborhood jumps the shark. So far this hasn't happened completely in the Five Points, but already taxes and rents have become too expensive for many of the original residents.

Highlands boasts great homes with character and a gentrified neighborhood that smartly enough replaced old cool with new cool. Here you will find great shopping, Common Grounds Coffee, Stella's, funky bars and my brother's favorite place for fish and chips, Mead Street Station. But with so much within walking distance, Highlands is already pricey.

Other areas include Wash Park (Washington Park) which is like Highlands 15 years later, Lafayette Historic District which is near Colfax and Colorado and has many cultural and artistic outlets nearby, Congress Park which is lovely and largely unrecognized by many in Denver (Bastien's is halfway between Lafayette and Congress Park), and Capital Hill which is still a rough neighborhood with pockets of excellence, but is the closest to downtown and Domo, Cuba Cuba and Pints Pub.

So where should my brother live? Everywhere is close enough to get around well, and great food and drink exist all over town. Bottom line, anywhere is going to be good and every place will also have it's challenges. I recommend visiting for a while and look around for yourself. Take a day or two, a week, a month. Maybe rent for a bit and try it on. See how it fits.

Tonight's dinner after driving around all day:

Something Like Really Great Stroganoff, Made with Venison and Served Over Homemade Noodles

1 lbs Venison, trimmed, sliced thin (I'm using Round Steak)
1 lbs Mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Bourbon
1/2 cup water
Sour Cream
whatever other Spices you like to add, to taste (I'm using Rosemary, because that's what I have too much of laying around)

Saute the mushrooms in melted butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Keep flipping or stirring. You don't want them to get overly brown, just a really good, soft saute. Remove from pan and set aside.

Turn up the heat to high! Add canola oil. (You could use any kind of fat, bacon grease would be best, but I'm trying to watch it right now.) When it gets hot (starts to smoke and moves faster than water on the bottom of the skillet) add the venison. Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes without touching. Flip, cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the rosemary. Stir in the bourbon and deglaze the bottom of the pan a little (be careful: hot bourbon will erupt suddenly into flames. Don't come crying to me when you don't have eyebrows--you have been warned.) Add the water. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper and anything else you want to season it with. Reduce to lowest setting and simmer for 20 minutes (or longer). Make some pasta. Or rice.

Just before serving, add enough sour cream to make a good sauce. Cook only long enough to heat thoroughly.


Egg Noodle "Pasta"

This is not pasta. It's egg noodles. But it's good and when you're well practiced, it's a nice substitute that's fun to make.

Flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Dump a couple of cups of flour out on a clean counter top. Make a hill. Stick your fingers in the top of the hill and move, gently in a spiral until you've formed a "volcano" shape.

In a bowl, combine the egg, water, oil and salt. Mix until frothy.

Pour into the volcano. Using your other (CLEAN hand) gently mix the liquid mixture into the flour, using the same spiral motion. When the liquid has taken on all the flour it can hold, move the rest of the flour out of the way and start to knead. You want to incorporate a little more flour--just enough that you have a firm, smooth ball of dough.

Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap. Let stand for 10 minutes.

If you have a pasta maker, use it. If not, get a good rolling pin and roll the dough out into 1/16th of an inch sheets. Using a ruler and knife, cut into 1/2 inch wide ribbons. Slice the ribbons into 3-4 inch lengths. Or get a pasta machine. Make your life easy. I don't care.

Add to lightly salted, boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and serve immediately!