Alison Brie: the new food thread

[Bernard]

Mine has a mini bowl that sits inside the big one, which I actually use quite a lot for nuts, spices, any small quantities.

[dieblucasdie]

Hey Biggins I am going to Next tonight, gonna eat some delicious food and get drunk on weird Italian wines

I don't wish you to be eternally damned, but goddamn you, Sir.

Oh man, so good. What I really appreciate about Next is how homey all the food felt: it was more about "Here's these traditional Sicilian dishes made really, really well, with really, really high-quality ingredients" than "Here's our chef's craaaaazy version of this thing. Have a deconstructed PB and J." One of the best meals of my life.

Also I did get quite drunk on weird Sicilian wines

[Antero]

Hey Biggins I am going to Next tonight, gonna eat some delicious food and get drunk on weird Italian wines

I don't wish you to be eternally damned, but goddamn you, Sir.

Oh man, so good. What I really appreciate about Next is how homey all the food felt: it was more about "Here's these traditional Sicilian dishes made really, really well, with really, really high-quality ingredients" than "Here's our chef's craaaaazy version of this thing. Have a deconstructed PB and J." One of the best meals of my life.

Also I did get quite drunk on weird Sicilian wines

Yeah, Next was definitely the best meal of my life - my crew got in on the first menu, Escoffier At The Ritz 1906. Mindblowing.

[jebreject]

Yo if any of you happen to find yourselves in Minneapolis, definitely hit up  the Seward Cafe. Pretty sure their food is laced with magic.

[justinh]

I haven't eaten at the Seward in years...it kind of falls into the Hard Times category of places that I like in theory, but generally never go to. 

You should check out the Modern Times cafe on Bloomington avenue next time you're in Minneapolis, it proudly continues the tradition of the semi-crusty/vegetarian-ish/Minneapolis cafe.  I haven't been there yet, but word on the street is that it is worthy.   

[cold before sunrise]

experiencing a third-world country knocked me free of any interest in expensive/pretentious food, seeing so many toddlers starving makes basic staples seem enough. my favourite thing was when a bunch of residents from kashmir invited me over for dinner and we had onions, tomatoes and hot peppers cooked in masala and cumin with egg cracked on top, served with chapatti. then i see a website like this and i see nothing excessively indulgent or wrong about supporting farms that allow the animals to lead lives that aren't beyond shitty. it's tragic this isn't normal since micro farms can actually create more produce per acre than environmentally devastating monocultures:



the monsanto protection act makes me imagine blowing every cent i can beg, borrow or steal on hiring hit men to take out those lobbyists. the problem is those positions would just be promptly refilled, with better protected and more highly paid replacements. activate plan b: shop at the farmers' market.

[jebreject]

I haven't eaten at the Seward in years...it kind of falls into the Hard Times category of places that I like in theory, but generally never go to. 

You should check out the Modern Times cafe on Bloomington avenue next time you're in Minneapolis, it proudly continues the tradition of the semi-crusty/vegetarian-ish/Minneapolis cafe.  I haven't been there yet, but word on the street is that it is worthy.   

We actually ate at Hard Times too, right when we got into town. I hadn't been there before. It was pretty good, but not great, and I could see why it might be a place to like in theory but never actually go to.

The Seward, on the other hand, was just amazing. Seriously one of the best brunches I've ever had.

I'll have to check out Modern Times next time. Maybe then I'll get Dylan stuck in my head instead of the Cro-Mags.

[peacocks]

experiencing a third-world country knocked me free of any interest in expensive/pretentious food, seeing so many toddlers starving makes basic staples seem enough. my favourite thing was when a bunch of residents from kashmir invited me over for dinner and we had onions, tomatoes and hot peppers cooked in masala and cumin with egg cracked on top, served with chapatti. then i see a website like this and i see nothing excessively indulgent or wrong about supporting farms that allow the animals to lead lives that aren't beyond shitty. it's tragic this isn't normal since micro farms can actually create more produce per acre than environmentally devastating monocultures:



the monsanto protection act makes me imagine blowing every cent i can beg, borrow or steal on hiring hit men to take out those lobbyists. the problem is those positions would just be promptly refilled, with better protected and more highly paid replacements. activate plan b: shop at the farmers' market.

I'm with you on this one but even at the farmers market you can't always be totally sure where the produce is coming from. I think CSAs and food co ops are probably the best bet for ensuring you are getting locally, independently, organically, and humanely grown food. That meal you described above sounds absolutely delicious and totally doable according to my skill set!

[cold before sunrise]

there are farm tours here where you get to visit various producers in the region to become familiarized. do you have anything like that nearby? i haven't had the chance this year but remember it being nice to buy eggs from somebody who you see regularly at the market to chat with in person, who you've seen keeps their coops clean and chickens well tended to.

[justinh]

CBS, you're in Canada, right? 

I have noticed that in Australia the standards are generally much higher for livestock keeping (than in the US).  They just outlawed caged chickens in Tasmania, and something like 90% of Australian beef is free range.  There are local markets across town that have local produce, fish, and meat.  It's pretty awesome.  Grocery stores are significantly less fun than their american counterparts, though. 

[cold before sunrise]

fun? yeah, i'm canadian and have to admit that shopping for food isn't such a hoot here. the farmers market is always a social atmosphere and generally has a higher than average ratio of attractive people but there's usually terrible live music and the smell of farmer sausage and mini donuts tempting me to abandon my skinny bitch regime. it's as good as costco for free samples though! costco has cheap generic drugs on it's side but i wouldn't know if they keep the fun ones in-stock.

[peacocks]

there are farm tours here where you get to visit various producers in the region to become familiarized. do you have anything like that nearby? i haven't had the chance this year but remember it being nice to buy eggs from somebody who you see regularly at the market to chat with in person, who you've seen keeps their coops clean and chickens well tended to.

yeah our local food co-op does farm tours and meet and greet socials with the farmers and members.

[jebreject]

Grocery stores are significantly less fun than their american counterparts, though. 

would like to hear more about this because i have sort of a love/hate relationship with grocery shopping and despite enjoying checking things off lists and investigating items/finding the best prices, I by and large find grocery shopping a miserable experience, full of miserable people, and if I think too hard about it I get all panicky and shit. And pissed off that people can't seem to stick to one side of the aisle. If you treat it like a road everyone will get along, people. Stay in your lane! Also the cashiers are always depressing and awful. So I guess what I'm wondering is what's less fun than that?

[peacocks]

you must be going to a terrible grocery store! the cashiers at my publix all sorta know me because I've been going there almost every day for 3 years. I like playing with the cheap kids stuff and weird kitchen stuff you never need that they put in all the aisles. and looking at the magazines but not buying them.

[milesofsparks]

one of the few things about my neighborhood I still love is that I can get my big market basket and fill it up at the butcher, the greengrocer, the baker, the handmade pasta maker, etc. I don't do it every time (especially since there's a regular grocery store around the corner form me), but it makes me happy when I do.

[peacocks]

wow they still have that stuff? I gotta go to nyc again.

[Greg Nog]

Is the greengrocer the Market To The World place?  I used to love getting produce there; it was always quality, and cheap as heck.

[jebreject]

you must be going to a terrible grocery store! the cashiers at my publix all sorta know me because I've been going there almost every day for 3 years. I like playing with the cheap kids stuff and weird kitchen stuff you never need that they put in all the aisles. and looking at the magazines but not buying them.

Nah I was exaggerating to amuse myself

Though shopping at the larger grocery stores DEFINITELY sets off my social anxiety like crazy

Also seriously why can't people just not drive their carts like assholes

[milesofsparks]

Is the greengrocer the Market To The World place?  I used to love getting produce there; it was always quality, and cheap as heck.

I don't remember the name of it — just a small storefront on Grand Street chock full of piles of fruits and vegetables, and yes, pretty cheap, decent quality, and almost nothing wrapped in plastic (I hate how everything plastified at the grocery store).

[milesofsparks]

also, sometimes I buy my bread at the headstone-making place on Graham:
http://projectneon.tumblr.com/post/20231294373/grande-monuments

[Greg Nog]

"To The World Farm", I think it's actually called, having looked it up on Yelp. 

Last night I was cooking chicken to have on hand to add to salads, and added some gochujang to the pan on a whim.  It tastes great!

[justinh]

Grocery stores are significantly less fun than their american counterparts, though. 

would like to hear more about this because i have sort of a love/hate relationship with grocery shopping and despite enjoying checking things off lists and investigating items/finding the best prices, I by and large find grocery shopping a miserable experience, full of miserable people, and if I think too hard about it I get all panicky and shit. And pissed off that people can't seem to stick to one side of the aisle. If you treat it like a road everyone will get along, people. Stay in your lane! Also the cashiers are always depressing and awful. So I guess what I'm wondering is what's less fun than that?

I guess I always went to pleasant grocery stores back in the states, like the co-op (they don't have those here, I don't think) or Kowalskis.  These places always have nice lighting and wide isles full of interesting and attractive produce and other products.  I did not enjoy shopping at Cub or Rainbow (the mega-warehouse style grocery stores of Minnesota).  Also, I cook quite a bit, so I'm always looking for interesting ingredients that I have heard of want to try to make something out of.   Whenever I could come home with a freakishly gigantic Reed avocado, or a pomelo, or Russian red kale it was a good day. 

Here there is little competition in the grocery world, there is IGA (which is more a federation of independent groceries and is hit or miss) or Safeway/Woolworths/Coles which masquerade as separate companies but are owned by one overarching company.  They're always packed, have narrower aisles than an American store and they all pretty much have the exact same food in them.   

There are also health food stores, which are sort of fun to shop at, but they tend to have the narrowest aisles of all (like you can scrape by another person even when not carrying a basket full of stuff) and are as densely populated as a Wisconsin sidewalk immediately after bar close.  And then there's the green grocer, which is actually fairly pleasant (they just sell produce) and are kind of like the public market, but they close down for the day at about 5 usually. 

As you would expect, America is better at consumerism, convenience, and service.  Australia is better at local markets, treating livestock more humanely, and not using all sorts of gross chemicals and hormones in our food. 

[milesofsparks]

I want to make mini meat pies for my picnic project, now that it's cooled off enough outside I can actually think about turning on the oven.  anyone have a recipe they like?

[justinh]

Make a floater (meat pie awash in a sea of mushy peas)...or not. 

Meat pies are big here, but I don't really like them.  The mince ones are especially gross.  I did have a rabbit pie a ways back that was awesome.  More like a pot pie, really. 

[Bernard]

Does alton brown or somebody have an empanada recipe? I imagine that would be the way to go. I had a good one but am so tired right now I can't recall where. Will try to think of it.