Huntsville's 20 Most Distinctive Dishes Pt. II

Welcome back.
Here is the second of my trilogy in four parts on the Al.com article Huntsville's 20 Most Distinctive Dishes. The first of which was last month and the other two will be posted over the next couple months.
 
6) Locally brewed beer by Olde Town Brewing and Straight to Ale. (Huntsville) Available at various locations.
Olde Town Brewing Co.: They began operations in the summer of 2004 and were the first brewery in Huntsville since the repeal of Prohibition. The brewery was devastated by a fire in 2008 and the company never seemed to recover. They officially closed shop in early 2011 before I was able to sample some of their wares.
Straight to Ale: Born in the basement of co-owner Dan Perry, Straight to Ale first hit the market in the spring of 2010 and as of the summer of 2012 was only available in North Alabama. Their beer names are either puns such as "He Ain't Heffe" or locally themed such as this sample, Monkeynaught IPA. A tribute to the monkey's dispatched to space from Redstone Arsenal during the pioneering days of NASA. This is almost a glass full of tangerine or sweet grapefruit. It's very citrusy (as they advertise) and downright fantatic. If you like the citrus fruits, you'll probably love this.
 
7) Fish Taco's ~ Bandido Burrito Co. (Huntsville)
Certainly one of the best things on this list. BBC is not a lot to look at from the outside. Occupying what looks like a one time Burger King. In fact, the exterior doesn't hold much promise of good things within. But don't ever judge a book by it's cover. This place is great, led by the fish tacos. They come 2 to an order with Mexican Rice and Refried beans. (both sides were very tasty) A piece of lightly seasoned tilapia each, topped with cabbage, tomato, onions, cilantro and a white sauce made of dill, lime juice and Mexican crema. They are utterly delicious.


What made this dish is the sauce. It added a great deal of depth.

I can also recommend the Combo Burrito. Nothing earth shattering about it. Just plain tasty.
 
 
8) Jalapeno Cheddar Bread ~ FredBread (Huntsville) Available locally.What we have here is basically a loaf of sandwich bread studded with jalapenos and cheddar cheese. On it's own with a bit of butter this was great. I didn't get a chance but I think it was just screaming to be made into a grilled cheese sandwich. Very tasty stuff.


What really makes this is, it's bread. Nuff said.


I recommend purchasing this on court square at Harrison Brothers Hardware. A wonderfully restored hardware store from days gone by.

Chicken Berlin ~ Cafe Berlin (Huntsville)
A breaded chicken breast topped with Jarlsberg cheese, sauteed onions and sliced green apple. It was okay but really lacked any depth. The chicken was plain breast meat, the breading wasn't particularly well seasoned and even the Jarlsberg cheese, onion and apple didn't kick this up a notch. Here, the sum was exactly that of it's parts.

What made this dish was the red cabbage that was a side. It was fantastic.

I can also recommend the bratwurst platter. 
 
10) Big 8 Pizza ~ Big Ed's Pizzeria (Huntsville) 
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, green pepper, onions, fresh mushrooms, green and black olives. A seemingly nice combination however the thin crust was way too weighed down by all the toppings and too much water leached out and in general, the whole thing was a mess.

Nothing made this dish. It's just ill fated.

I can however highly recommend Big Ed's pizza. We had a simpler pizza with just pepperoni and black olives and it was fabulous. The best pizza in the city.

So there you go. Some great and some not so great stuff. Check back in a few weeks for part III.

Huntsville's 20 Most Distinctive Dishes Pt. I

As many of you know I married a southern girl. Originally from Memphis and raised in north Mississippi, both her and her sister (Sil) have now relocated. Known on here as Mrs. Sippi she's living up here in Canada while Sil's journey would see her settle in Huntsville, Alabama (her parents would later follow). This, if you've been scoring at home, you may already know.

With family in Rocket City, several times a year we make the drive south. Stopping along the way at some great mom and pop shops that I've shared with you here.
I've also shared some of the great eats the City of Huntsville has to offer as well.

You may have noticed me referencing a list of the 20 Most Distinctive Dishes in the region. Originally published by the Huntsville Times and posted on AL.com it's a pseudo guide to noshing in the greater Huntsville area. I set out to sample each and every item on the list. Along the way I've made new friends, eaten interesting foods, discovered great new restaurants and foods I didn't know existed.
Some items I found to be absolutely incredible while others were miserable failures. Either in terms of taste or execution.

So here are my findings in the order they appear in the original article.

This is part 1 of a trilogy in 4 parts.

1) White Bean Chili ~ Duffy's Deli. (Huntsville)
It's possible this is the best thing on the list.  In fact, it's so much a part of Duffy's that the recipe is considered an asset to be sold with the business. I asked if I could get a copy and that was the explanation that accompanied the "Sorry." It was suggested that the recipe is simple and not hard to decode. I suspect there's RoTel in it and plenty of recipes exist for Rotel White Chili.

What makes the dish is the generous amount of cheese loaded into the cup before the chili.

I can also recommend the Deep Fried Cheesecake for dessert.


2) Hush Puppies ~ (Old) Greenbrier Restaurant (Greenbrier)
Rumour has it these deep fried cornmeal dough balls (finger shaped here) were invented by hunters as a way to keep their dogs satiated. As meals were prepared a simple cornmeal dough ball was fried as a treat to “Hush the puppy.” Around here pretty much everyone agrees, these are far superior to any other hush puppies.

They don't need it to "Make" them but make sure you try them dipped in white sauce.

I will also recommend the Catfish Plate.


3) Coconut Pie ~ Gibson's BBQ (Huntsville)
The name Gibson is synonymous with BBQ in north central Alabama. What some may not realize is they're also famous for their outstanding pies. Sadly, this Gibson's has lost it's way over the years serving Q not nearly worthy of the family name. However, their pies are every bit as good as ever. The coconut offering possibly leading that charge.

What makes this dish is it's home made.

I will recommend you stick with pies and skip the BBQ.


4) Chicken with White Sauce ~ Big Bob Gibson's (Decatur)
The Commodore. The Patriarch. The Headwaters. Whatever you want to call Bob Gibson, he practically invented north/central Alabama BBQ. His main contribution is a little known (outside the area) condiment simply named, White Sauce. At Big Bob's they take their smoked chickens and give them a dunk in the white stuff. It's fantastic. The tangy, mayo based finishing sauce nicely balances out the smokiness of the chicken.

What makes this is the balance of chicken and sauce.

I can also recommend the ribs. Some of the best I've had.


5) Hamburgers with Cheese ~ Big Spring Cafe (Huntsville)
First of all, they're not cheeseburgers, they're hamburgers with cheese. Cooked on a flat top they're held in an au jus bath until serving. They get a quick trip to the sandwich press and voilà. It comes slider size with pickle and mustard.
Add some onion for the classic condiment combination. So named because they did not require refrigeration.

What makes this is the simplicity. Just a great, easy snack.

I'll also recommend the Chili Burger. On the list of 100 Things to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. As is the Slaw Dog.


So there you go. Stay tuned for part 2 coming to a computer near you.

 

Samoon Sandwiches

Disclaimer: This is not a political opinion piece. I'm trying to stick to straight facts here. So please, let’s keep this discussion to the food.
 
Unless you've been living on Mars, in a cave and under a rock, you've probably heard that the United States invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein. Claiming victory several months later and leaving the country in a quagmire. While on the surface, ridding the country of a murderous tyrant seemed like a good idea, if you get a chance to talk to someone from Iraq, a different picture takes shape. One where a delicate balance, held together with Saddam's iron fist, has been upset. One where, clearly, they were better off with the devil they knew. In this case, instead of the many devils they didn't know. I've been lucky enough to converse with some Iraqi people who've left the country because it had simply become too dangerous. As one told me, "Used to be 1 Hussein. Now there's 100."
 
For young Sahar and her extended family, the opportunity to leave the homeland and come to Canada has been life changing. Now here 7 years, they've opened a small restaurant serving some of the tastes that they brought with them. Popular Middle Eastern specialties such as Shawarma, Falafel and Baklava, (popular here too) are on the menu but what really makes Al Tanoor so much more than just another in a line of Shawarma places is the tandoor they have in their kitchen. Breads like Samoon, a bun like device and Tanoor, similar to Laffa and simply know as "bread" are baked daily on site and bring a taste of Iraqi to the GTA.
 
Al Tanoor sits in a strip mall in Toronto's Wexford neighbourhood. A growing Muslim community. Logically, it's in the best area in the city to secure yourself a Shawarma. Either of Iraqi, Lebanese or Turkish decent.
Inside there's a handful of tables with chairs and a counter at the back of the dining room. That's where the Shawarma does it's magical dance and things are grilled. There's a hot bar with rice and other dishes as well as the condiment station where sandwiches and the like are fitted out.
The main kitchen, where the tandoor resides, is in back. 
 
So let's get a look at these Iraqi delights.


Being cooked in house (and their specialty), the Samoon bread was beautifully fresh and tasty. It makes me think of what the offspring of a pita and Italian roll would be. Quite conducive to stuffing as it seems the interior is a bit more airy. The house special (shawarma) comes on one of these buns instead of  a pita.
 
Kibbe (meaning Ball) is a bulger wheat croquette native to the Middle East. This version has highly seasoned ground beef stuffed into the dough and is then deep fried. This particular specimen is very tasty but, (I guess me being a sauce guy) I thought it could use some sort of dipping sauce. Traditionally they’re either eaten with or without a condiment. Your choice. Sahar suggested concocting a sauce for next time.
 
The Chicken Shawarma special (here in a Samoon)  is some of the best in the city. Terrifically flavourful, I was able to get it cooked a little more well done. It may seem counter intuitive to cook the chicken to well done but there’s enough fat to keep it moist while the shaggy bits of meat get beautifully crispy. A terrific contrast in tastes and textures. All in all, this is a fantastic sandwich and a steal at $2.99.
The Ayran yogurt drink, in my mind, is kinda meh. It’s quite popular but I didn’t care for it. It tastes like salty yogurt. I sometimes think I need to try it again but bring some juice mix.
 
Also fantastic is the Beef Shawarma. Nicely seasoned and very tender. On a pita is my favourite way to have Shawarma and this is no exception. The condiments are fresh and they have one of the better hot sauces for these sandwiches there. Good flavour and plenty of kick for such a little amount. The condiments are pretty much your usual suspects. Toum (Garlic sauce), lettuce, tahini, onions, etc. One of the best Shawarma in the city. Ask for a beef and chicken mix for something a little different.
 
Shish Tawook, meaning “skewered chicken” in English is just that. Marinated cubes of breast meat, skewered and grilled. AT's version is simply fantastic. Heavily season it came perfectly grilled. The meat was very tender, had a nice exterior while remaining very moist and flavourful inside. There was a pretty ample amount as well. The Tahini and hot sauce make it even better. Full marks here to Sahar as she absolutely nailed the cooking on this. Shown above with salad it made for a full and healthy lunch. I subbed out the rice for Tabbouleh.
 
Al Tanoor make easily my favourtie Baklava as well. This traditional Iraqi style baklava uses simple sugar instead of honey. It’s used a bit more sparingly and allows the top layers of phyllo to puff up nicely and stay crispy. The whole thing is much more reserved in the sweetness department. As such, it’s much, much more appealing.
 
Well there you have it folks, a taste of Iraq without ever having to jump in an up armoured  Humvee and risk life and limb.
 
You can find Al Tanoor at 1993 Lawrence Ave E. in Toronto, On.

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You can also find them on facebook.

 
Well that's all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court.

The “Windie” City

Jerk isn’t an insult the West Indies but a type of Jamaican seasoning that traditionally was rubbed into meat for curing. In bygone days, the heat of the Caribbean meant long term meat storage was a dicey proposition at best. Meats (traditionally pork or chicken) would be cured, smoked and then dried using a paste (or dry rub, or both) creating what we call “Jerky.” This fragrant and spicy concoction has basically three main stars with a larger supporting cast.  The headliners are scallions, scotch bonnet peppers and allspice. Rounding out the paste is garlic, thyme, some sort of sweet and some sort of salty. The later two usually consisting of brown sugar and soy sauce. The addition of nut meg and cinnamon round out the spice category nicely with the sweet and salty components tempering the heat as well as helping with the curing process. Make no mistake though, jerk is not for the faint of heart. Scotch bonnet peppers are among the hottest on the planet. Milder peppers can be substituted but heat is part of the deal. There’s no getting around it.
With refrigeration being prevalent now, the practice of jerking meats has gone from a necessity to a culinary art form. Tofu, fish and veggies now get the jerk treatment while secret family recipes are handed down and guarded like crown jewels. The open fire for the most part has given way to the oven as well. There are a few places that still cook over a fire but the large pimento wood pyres are more for special events in the islands.

Toronto, has a thriving Jamaican communtiy and boasts several restaurants offering tastes of the tropical island and one of the best is Mr. Jerk. Founded in '79 in a Carribean grocery they opened their first store in 1986. They now boast 6 GTA locations to serve you and are bringing the heat of the West Indies to the people of the north. My usual location is on Don Mills in the “Peanut Plaza.” So named for the peanut shaped island in the middle of Don Mills Rd on which the plaza sits. The broom closet sized place does take out only as a line up of thee or more customers constitutes a line up out the door. 

Serving the usual cast of characters such as Curry Chicken and Goat,  Jerk Chicken and Pork, Patties (made by Tastee) and Akee and Saltfish. The later being the national dish of Jamaica. Rice and peas being the common accompanying side.

Much like BBQ joints with their smoky, porky aroma, jerk has it’s own Siren’s song. Mornings in and around the city can find you intoxicated by smell of a jerk place gearing up for the days business. Most places roast their wares in an oven but there are a few, particularly in the Eglinton West areas heavily populated by West Indians that grill them in a barrel over charcoal.

Well, on to the food.

Rice and peas are like the pasta of the Caribbean. They often show up for duty. Peas are not peas as we know them though. Pigeon peas are small legumes much like Indian dhal or the black eyed pea. When not in season in Jamaica red or kidney beans are substituted and since it’s never pigeon pea season in Canada, we always get red beans. The rice and beans are cooked together in a coconut milk broth. Other flavourizers can be steeped in the cooking liquid such as thyme sprigs and garlic. Such aromatics are necessary to provided some back bone for the rice when going up against a pungent curry or jerk. While the rice and peas at Mr. Jerk are fine they don't have the background flavours that others do.

The Jerk Pork is wonderfully tender with a nice bark and is somewhat lean. Often times you find a layer of fat and even skin. The less fat content meant the sauce was a little thicker and a bit sweeter but nicely well rounded. The sweetness masked the heat which was a bit of a disappointment at first. I was hoping for much hotter. It was a bit of a Trojan horse though as by the time I finished my lunch my mouth was wide awake and very happy. The sneaky heat was very nice.


The oxtails are quite mild and very tasty. Teetering towards the sweet and sour that some trod upon and showing off the beef flavour of the meat. Said meat is wonderfully tender and holds together nicely on the bone but pulls away very easily and leave a clean piece of skeleton. In other words, cooked perfectly.

The Jerk Chicken is much like the pork although I swear it's hotter. I had chicken one night and pork the other and you'd have a hard time convincing me they're the same heat level. Again, the chicken is cooked perfectly so it's not dry. A half chicken is chopped up and served over top of the rice.
 
The home made pepper sauce is a real treat too. Slightly tangy with a nice sweet and heat to it. A very nice addition to any dish.

So there you have it. Great Jamaican take away food.

You can find Mr. Jerk at 3050 Don Mills Rd in Toronto or one of their other 5 locations.

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You can also find them on the web


Well that's all for now folks, we'll see ya next time in the food court. 

Fine Hungarian Cuisine

In June of 2011, Judit Szamosszegi introduced the flavours of the old country at Paprika Euro Deli. Just off Main Street in Newmarket. The smallish store featured, among other things, meats, dry goods and hot table. So popular was said hot table that a year later when the adjoining spot on main street came available, she jumped at it. She and her husband George opened The Goulash House serving York Region some of the finest Hungarian food in Canada.

I’m told it doesn’t get as cold in Hungary as it does ‘round these parts in the winter. While that’s probably a good thing for them when the mercury does dip, Hungarian cuisine seems to be just about the best comfort, stick to your ribs, stay warm kinda food that is perfect on a cold snowy night.
Sometimes called Magyar Cuisine after the primary ethnic group of Hungary. Rife with meats and fresh vegetables, owing to Hungary's farming heritage. The cuisine in general seems to have a nice blend of what one would consider eastern and western European dishes. Things like schnitzels and perogies would be fine examples of those.

Location, location, location is what they say and this place is all over it. It sits in a corner unit of a heritage building with beautiful, large front windows. If you don’t mind being in a bit of a fish bowl, those tables there are great. Inside wood and exposed brick dominate. The whole place just has a nice warm feel that the food supports nicely. It’s just a great place.

So let’s get a look at this food of which I speak.

The Hungarian Sampler platter is an assortment of cheese and meats from the attached deli. Everything on the plate was at least very good but the two stand outs were the Smoked Mozzarella (top right) and the Smoked Salami (bottom right). The Liptauer (Cheese Spread) (bottom left) was also quite enjoyable. It came with some very nice bread.

Chicken Paprikash is as synonymous with Hungarian food as Goulash. This example (the only one I've ever had) was simply marvelous. Not very spicy and very smooth. The chicken was nice and tender and the Nokedli (Hungarian Spätzle) was a perfect vehicle for the extra sauce. I added some of the offered hot sauce (very similar to sambal) and it gave it just that much more punch. 

The national dish of Hungary is Beef Goulash and as such, you’d best make it well if you have a Hungarian restaurant. Especially if that’s the name on the door. Well, this is every bit the hearty, delicious dish I know. A rich, thick, yet delicate flavoured gravy with chunks of tender beef shank swimming in it is poured over Nokedli and served in a kettle. The hint of caraway and paprika gently flavour the dish. It’s somewhere between soup and stew. Quite frankly, it’s simply incredible and would be the best thing on the menu if not for….

…Potato Paprikash. This dish has so much going on and is just so incredibly delicious. Slices of potato are simmered in a paprika broth that’s flavoured with Csabi sausage and garnished with a piece of Debreceni sausage. Served with the Nokedli it’s just so tasty. As much as I wanted to say the goulash was the best, this dish is just that much better.

The Dobosh cake is really good. a 7 layer torte topped with caramel (in this case a caramel topped cookie like thing). It had good over all taste and wasn't sickeningly sweet. We quite enjoyed it.

Not nearly as much as the Somlói Galuska. A mixture of Chocolate, Vanilla and Walnut sponge cakes with custard, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, topped with a cherry. It's heavenly.

So there you have it folks, some fantastic Hungarian food a little north of Toronto

You can find The Goulash House at 200 Main St. S, Newmarket, On.

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You can also find them on facebook.


Well that’s all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court.

Revenge is a Dish best Served Cold

Thornton Prince of Nashville, Tennessee was a noted womanizer. Back in the 40’s and 50’s he was known to stay out all hours of the night philandering. After one particular night out gallivanting around town he returned home to his girlfriend. Fed up, she figured she’d fix his little red wagon. She whipped up a breakfast consisting of his favourite dish, fried chicken. There was however a little surprise. She’d laced it with cayenne pepper. Unfortunately the joke ended up on her. Prince loved it so much he tinkered with it and started selling it in his restaurant. A local legend was born. Everyone has now heard of Prince Thornton and no one knows his girlfriend’s name.
While there is no way to verify this anecdote the simple fact is, it’s way too good a story and as far as I’m concerned, can now be considered the genesis of Nashville Hot Chicken. A subsection of fried chicken. Though they say the current incarnation only dates back to the 70’s, Thornton's idea of incinerating peoples mouths with fried chicken still remains.

There are no less than a half dozen places that serve only hot chicken and a number of others who have it as a menu option. Of course, every restaurant will make it a bit different but the basics are pretty much the same. As you can well imagine, recipes are guarded like state secrets. A couple things you can be sure of are that the chicken is marinated in a molten liquid and finished with a fiery paste. It’s served on white bread and topped with pickles. The word is that Prince’s puts cayenne in just about every step of the process. From the dredges right down to the cooking oil. The specimens at Prince’s are fried up in a cast iron skillet.

Stories of this fiery chicken are the stuff of legend. "Some guy came in here once and ordered the extra hot chicken. He said it filled him up, cleared his sinuses, and killed his Athlete's Foot." Another story sees one man not showing up for work for 2 days after consuming the Extra Hot version. Supposedly there's no shortage of people who, um, bite off more than they can chew as it were and have to make a mad dash outside to, shall we say, divest themselves of their meal. I read that one customer brings a half gallon of chocolate milk with him. Ya, it's freakin' hot.

Prince’s is located in a strip mall about a mile off I 65 in the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood. Their hours are mostly geared towards the late night, after the bars close crowd. Word is, it can get pretty crazy by the time they wind things down around 4am. Thornton himself is long gone but his great niece, Andre Prince Jefferies now runs it. Soon, it’ll be passed along to her daughter.

There’s seating for about two dozen and a number of chairs for those who are taking away to wait. You go up to the window behind the Cake Lady and place your order. Then you wait. And wait. It’s so busy they just crank it out piece after piece after piece. Every piece of chicken they serve is fresh cooked. Mostly because it’s all they can do to keep up with demand.
When I first started this little blog I began searching for places to visit. Prince’s immediately turned up and went to the top of the list. Sadly, it took me almost 4 years to finally make it. Well, let me tell ya, I’m sorry I didn’t make it sooner. It was well worth the wait. Let’s have a look.

There are a few different sides from which to choose. Mrs. Sippi decided she wanted beans. Pretty much your standard pork and beans done very nicely. We can’t decide if they were doctored, canned beans or made from scratch. I asked and just got a smile. Whatever their pedigree, they were very good. The gravy was a little thinner than usual and a little sweeter.

The chicken comes in 4 different heat levels. Mild, Medium, Hot and Extra Hot. It also comes in quarters, halves or whole. We ordered 3 hind quarters in the mild, medium and hot heat levels. Each comes pinned, with some pickles, to some white bread by a tooth pick. The pickles were quite good and I didn’t bother with the bread. (cw from bottom right: mild, medium, hot)
The chicken is rather salty but definitely in a good way. The heat isn’t just in that crispy coating but all the way through. If you could eat the bones I’m sure you’d find them spicy too. Honestly, this stuff really isn’t for the timid. It’s all about fire so caveat emptor.
What most wing places would parade out as medium, Prince’s calls mild. Easily hot enough to discourage those not into the spicy stuff. At this level the saltiness in the spice blend really stood out. All in all, really good but this chicken was too mild.
The hot was absolutely Blazing. While I’ve eaten hotter things, this was close. Way hotter than what you might expect. At this heat level I found the spicing and chicken flavour were overpowered by the heat. This chicken was too hot.
The medium was the perfect balance of heat, spice and chicken. This chicken was juuuuust right.

I suggest making sure there’s room for dessert. The Cake Lady (Irene. That’s her daughter in the picture) makes several varieties and if the two samples we had were any indication, they’re all good. The thing is, I dove into a piece of cake and by the time I surfaced the raging inferno in my mouth was gone. The cake had put the fire out. So let’s have a look at what we had.
The Cream Cheese Chess Square is basically a chess pie made into a sheet cake and cut into squares. The cream cheese added a bit of flavour and some structure. It wasn’t as custardy as the Chess Pie I make but it was mighty tasty.
The Mississippi Mud Cake was phenomenal. A nice chocolate, almost brownie like, cake topped with fluff and covered in a rich chocolate icing. There were a few pecans on top that I let Mrs. Sippi have. Being a chocoholic I absolutely loved it.

Well there you have it folks. The dish that put Nashville on the fired chicken map.

You can find Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack at 123 Ewing Dr in Nashville, Tn.

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You can also find them on facebook.



Well that’s all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court. Now where’s that Alka-Seltzer?? 

Davwud