Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Penny-Wise Eat Local Challenge Announced

If you have ever thought the words "eating local" and "affordable" couldn't occupy the same sentence, then this challeng is for you!  During the week of April 23-29, Eat Local folks across the country are going to see if it is indeed possible to eat locally and sustainablly on the budget of the average American and YOU are invited to join in. 

Check out all the details here.  The Eat Local Challenge blog will also be the place to read about other's progress and for you to let us know how it is going. 

Now, it may seem that the hardest part of the challenge for those of us in Central New York may not be eating within the budget but eating at all.  But never fear, as we get closer to the Challenge date I will be posting information about where to get local foods this early in the growing season without subsisting totally on microgreens.   

With that said, I'm hoping a good number of us will participate.  The dollar amounts given for the budget are national ones so everyone will have the same amount of money to spend whether they are in San Francisco or DeRuyter.  I'm hoping that bodes well for us--but we'll see.   If you think you'd like to participate post a comment here and let us know.  And remember, you don't have to have a blog!

Calling All Farmers

Farmers interested in selling their goods at the new Lexington Farmers Market on the near east side of Syracuse are invited to an informational meeting at the Westcott Community Center on Thursday, March 22 from 6-7:00 pm.  For more information contact Kate at 470-4893.

Folks have been working very hard over the past two years to bring a market to this part of town--currently slated to be a Thursday afternoon-early evening market running from about June through October.  The market site is on the western end of Lexington Park that runs alongside E. Genesee Street.  What makes this unlikely location great?

• It is right in the middle of lots of revitalization efforts including park improvements (new playground equipment) and the planned tear down of the dilapidated Cherry Hill Apartments which are making way for new townhouses. 
• The location can draw three main segments of market goers:  those who live in the Syracuse University area; those who take the E. Genesee route from downtown Syracuse to the eastern suburbs (Fayetteville, Dewitt, etc.) and lastly and perhaps most importantly, east side residents of color who currently have few options for accessible, fresh, and healthy produce and meats.
• Having a farmers' market adjacent to a park brings to mind images of children playing, parents shopping, and the possibility of recreating a bit of the town square concept right here in the city of Syracuse.

I'm really excited for this effort and hope it succeeds.  Everything sold at this market must be grown or produced by the seller--so no repackaged wholsale produce.  Plus, a real effort is being made to sell produce that different ethnic and cultural groups eat to broaden the participation of those who shop farmers' markets--so don't be surprised if you see a lot of sweet potatoes and collards next to that radicchio.  Finally, we will also have the ability to shop more frequently for fresh foods rounding out the downtown market on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Regional Market. 

A Rendezvous with Ribs

Anisa, who commented to my last post called it, we ate at Rendezvous last night--a Memphis institution.  Rendezvous opened nearly 60 years ago and is still a family-owned operation.  In fact, one of founder Charlie Vergos' sons, Robert, Sr. came over to greet our table.  This place is the real deal, in fact it is the deal when it comes to dry-rub style pork ribs. 

Ordering was easy for our table of 15.  We shared several plates of sausages and cheese--think dry rub spiced and sliced sausages with strips of cheddar cheese, pickles, and pepperoncini.  No fancy presentation, the aim here is just to get combinations of these ingredients into your mouth and let the flavors fire up and get you ready for what's to come.

For us, meaning the entire table, what came next was pretty easy.  We were given explicit instructions:  when the waiter comes your way simply say, "Full Order".  We all complied.  We were a pretty festive--even feisty--group while we were chowing down on our sausages and cheese and taking relief from the spice from the pitchers of beer and sweet tea that seemed to magically arrive on the table.

Then the ribs came.  Now, if you had changed the scenary you would have thought that we had all settled in for prayer (we were a group of Episcopalians after all).  There was a long row of us, heads bowed down low, and near silence.  The licking of fingers, the rattle of bones chewed clean, and the slurping of beer and tea were about the only sounds for the first few minutes.

We eventually got back to talking and very few of us actually finished our Full Order--I didn't.  The thing is, except for a small side of baked bean which were studded with pieces of smoked pork, and a small cup of slaw (not sure what was in it but it wasn't to my liking) the main course consisted of the ribs and parker house-style rolls.  Frankly, it was all I needed.  These ribs were encrusted, it seemed, with a layer of spice rub to which I added some of the milder BBQ sauce from the squirt botte on the table.  But they easily pulled apart and were some of the most tender and flavorful pork ribs I've had in a long time.  I left Rendezvous feeling "sassified"--a term some Miami friends of mine use to mean pleasantly full but not stuffed.  The only complaint:  they need to get some industrial size handi-wipes because the little packets they handed out barely got the sauce off.  When I arrived back at my hotel room, my fingers still smelled like they had been in the smoker.  They did, however, give us cloth napkins but I hated to mess them up with all that sauce.   

This is not like the BBQ you would get at the Dinosaur--about the only thing Rendezvous and the Dinosaur have in common is the authentic atmosphere.  This isn't a fancy place--heck, there was a case of guns and rifles hanging on the wall next to us.  It wasn't fake, Hard Rock Cafe style kitsch either.  In fact there are stories about the fires that erupt from the smoker from time to time--and as we departed we took in the unmistakable aromas of the smoker--working over time for the incoming late dinner crowd. 

I only get to Memphis once a year but the next time I come I'm going to insist on checking out the other barbeque joints--I have a feeling that I've just tasted the tip of the iceberg.

Sorry for the fuzzy photos.  These were taken with my cell phone and then beamed via Bluetooth to my computer.

Sometimes you just have to stick with the original

Well, sometimes our exports are not as successful.  Check out this snippet on NYC barbeque from The New York Times

But barbecue tastes better the next day than the bitterness of defeat. Sampling the sampler — a tactic I’ve employed everywhere one was offered — didn’t always pay off, as when I visited Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a popular place tucked under a stretch of the West Side Highway in Harlem. Dinosaur is definitely the barbecue place to take the kids to: a waitress was infinitely patient when I visited with a friend, his wife and their two rambunctious youngsters.

As for the eating, there’s no question that the pork spareribs at Dinosaur are significantly better than everything else (and certainly good enough to warrant a visit). Order them by the rack and skip the menu’s other distractions.

I know The Dinosaur has had its troubles recently, but still, there is no better Cue in the 'Cuse and I think we'd stand up against the competition but the tasters may have to come up here to get the real thing.  We had some folks up from New York City last weekend and catered in Dinosaur Barb-B-Que--they went crazy they loved it so much.  The next time I get to Harlem I'm going to do some tasting to make sure they're not messing up our good name.  If anyone has been to any of the other Dinosaurs, post a comment and tell us how it was.

Meanwhile, I've hobbled my way to Memphis for a meeting.  I didn't read my notes till I was on the plane but we were supposed to bring jeans for Thursday's dinner--is that a clue that we'll be having BBQ?  I'll let you know.