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.

Wood Oven Pizza Joint

They say that wood ovens are the best way to cook pizza. That said I've also heard a coal fired oven is best. The simple fact is, both are essentially correct. For they both do the same thing. Cook pizza very quickly at a very high temperature. Diehards will tell you only a couple minutes in the hot box is best. These would be the same pizza maniacs who disable the locking mechanism on their ovens and cook their pizza on the self clean cycle. I'm not there yet. Though it is a tempting thought. I’m not sure Mrs. Sippi would agree.

Randy Feltis and Craig Russell know the value of the quick, high temp pizza cook. It’s why these two pizza mavens imported a Mugniani oven from Italy. Capable of tempuratures pushing 850° it can cook a pizza in about 90 seconds. The exact perfect time they’ll tell you.

So with that, they opened Pie in the growing city of Barrie in 2010. Pie was an instant success. Winning Barrie’s best pizza in their inaugural year. Since then, Pie has gone on to much acclaim. They’ve hosted a pizza eating contest the last 3 years and came to my attention when John Catucci and the You Gotta Eat Here gang paid a visit. Turned out John was right, I did have to eat here. Making the 40 minute trip for a delicious birthday dinner.

Pie’s location, a couple minutes off the highway and in a large shopping area beside the local movieplex makes them very handy. The industrial box in which the restaurant resides has a nice patio and ablaze in orange and yellow. Bedecked in graphics it really stands out.

Walking inside the first thing you’ll notice, as you wait for a table, is a couple employees making pizza and loading them into the wood oven. There’s room enough for a half dozen so if my grade 5 math is correct, that’s over 200 pizzas an hour. There’s a nice bar area in the back and seating for around 100 diners in the ceiling-less dining room. Overall it oozes casual restaurant.

There’s an open window into the kitchen where most of the non pizza cooking happens.

Much like most pizza places these days, you can create your own Pie or, as most do, choose from one of the pre ordained versions. All with catchy if not clever names and about 10” around. So let's have a look.

First, let's talk crust. It's pizza 101. If you don't have good dough, you don't have good pizza. Pie make their dough fresh in house as you can, I'm sure, figure. It's rolled out on cornmeal and the exceptionally high temperatures bake it up crispy, chewy and tasty in the Neapolitan style. It's among the best crusts I've had. Perhaps even the best now that my previous favourite Bigabaldi's is no longer. They don't overload the pies either. The crust is pretty thin and can't hold much weight. A respectable amount of toppings is all that's required.

Mrs. Sippi selected the Green Eggs and Ham pizza featured in the show. Wood fired bacon, roasted potatoes, with spinach, pesto, mozzarella and a fresh cracked egg. It's delicious. There's really no other way to put it. It's not normally the type of pizza I'd go for but sometimes it's nice to opt for something that you wouldn’t eat at home. The egg in the centre adds a richness as you can imagine and the whole thing had a nice balance such that no one topping dominated IMHO.

The Porky Pie pizza is right in my wheelhouse. It's a fast ball straight down main street as far as I'm concerned. Italian sausage, prosciutto and wood fired bacon with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce. The fresh basil on top is just an added bonus. The cherry on top of the sundae if you will. It's just as good a pizza as I've ever had. For the meatavores out there, this is certainly for you.

Last but certainly not least is the Nutty Pie. Nutella, bananas and brulee ice cream with caramel drizzle. Oh baby is this ever a way to finish things off. The bananas I could live without. Outside of plain, I only like them a few ways. Anyway it comes served cool which was a bit of a surprise. I thought it would have been in the oven and served warm but not so the case. A really nice way to round out the meal.

So there you have it folks, some fabulous pizza a short drive from the big city.

You can find Pie at 34 Commerce Park Dr in Barrie, Ontario.

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You can also find them on the web (humourously at eatmypie.ca) facebook and Twitter.
 

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

Pizza and Grits

In 1976 in Columbia, Tn. Glenn Truelove's dream started taking shape. While working at his best friend's parents pizza restaurant, Pizza Maker, Glenn would learn the pizza business and fantasize of owning his own place. He later went on to University and managed restaurants in Alabama before returning home to work as a Funeral Director. The restaurant business was always in his heart though and in 2008 he started crafting a business plan for his own place. He'd had his eye on a local bar he knew would be closing up shop. One day after the doors closed for good he was in a bank pitching his small business idea.
Glenn was lucky to have met (and fallen for) a veteran of the restaurant business, Kathy McIntyre. Together they opened Trueloves Pizza and Grits in October of 2011. "He's a little bit pizza and I'm a little bit grits" Kathy claims. A philosophy that serves them well both in business and real life. The rest of the staff has been rounded out with Glenn's brother and his twin daughters. A real family affair.

Truelove's is really all about family meals. There's a sense of informality about the place. There's no wait staff. You go to the counter, order and wait for your food at your table. You may have to go get your goodies or they may be brought to you. Drinks are self serve and patrons are encouraged to mix and mingle. Most people there when we visited were very friendly.

The restaurant sits atop a hill in what looks like an old Pizza Hut. The bright yellow building with red trim has a big sign so you can't miss it. There's plenty of parking as well.
Inside is a nice spacious dining room with a small bar area near the order counter. There's seating for a few dozen.
Truelove's is very community conscious. Desserts are catered by legendary bakery, Pie Sensations and various local charities benefit from their generosity.
  
Glenn and Kathy make everything from scratch with the exception of the desserts. So let's take a look shall we.
 
We opted for the “Regular” grits which were anything but. Basically, these are Ro-Tel grits. For those not familiar, in the south, Rotel means two things. Canned tomatoes and Queso Dip. Just think ground corn mixed with the latter. The recipe was developed by Glenn and Kathy. It’s creamy, cheesy and spicy with a little bit of tomato and chili flavour in there. Just all ‘round fabulous. Even Mrs. Sippi who’s first impression of Rotel and grits was “Blasphemy” loved them. You can also get them plain, with chicken or the Low Country classic, Shrimp and Grits.
The Pizza is top notch. We went with the True Meat Lovers and it was a hit with both of us. First off, they make the pizza dough themselves and it’s right up there. Simply fabulous. The toppings were very good as well. My only complaints, and this would just be fine tuning to me personally, I’d like the sausage dialed back a bit and a bit more sauce. Like I said, that’s just me personally. That’s not to say that the next guy in the door thought that the amount of sausage was what made the pizza.

The Turtle Pie took first place at the Tennessee State Fair. It’s very easy to see why. Nice crust, chocolaty, caramelly, pecanny. It’s like a slice of Turtles. And “I love Turtles.” While not over the top decadent it is more than enough to please those who worship at the chocolate altar.

So there you have it. A unique combination of tastes that could only exist in the south.

You can find Truelove's at 1144 Riverside Dr. Columbia, Tn.
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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.

 


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

Davwud

No Vampires

“Welcome to the only establishment in Windsor and surrounding area that isn't afraid to use garlic to spice things up.” Says Buddy Miloyovich, owner of Bubi’s Awesome Eats in Windsor. His “House of garlic and pleasure.” I can now tell you from first hand experience, if you love garlic and/or are not a vampire, Bubi’s is the place for you.

Armed with an array of frozen yogurt recipes and a garlic fervor, in 1984 he set up shop in his grandmother’s (Bubi’s) house. The business grew as did the menu. Eventually expanding out of the old house. As it sits today, Bubi’s is a full sized bar and grill serving the Windsor area and in particular UW. An eclectic mix of burgers and other foods fill out a menu that “Reads like a book.”

Buddy Milyovich seems like quite the character. Excessive in his compulsions he also has a real zeal for the silly. A look at the menu will tell you that or you can just look at the “Catch-Up” (Ingredients: Red Stuff, Detroit River Water, Gum) bottle on the table. Buddy implausibly passes it off as his own, though it’s so obviously not. Give it a read, things like “Quality Questionable” and “Picked by underpaid Mexican’s. Viva la Free Trade” are printed on it. BTW, it’s Hunts Ketchup that’s actually in the bottle.

Bubi’s sits just steps away from the university and two blocks from the Detroit River. Directly across from the Joe Louis Arena. A stroll down to the rivers edge reveals, perhaps, the best view of Detroit. You can also sit and watch the ships go by in the summer months. For those not familiar with the Great Lakes region, ships from all over the globe venture inland on these mammoth waterways. But I digress.

Inside Bubi’s is set up somewhat like a house. There’s a large party room, much like a rec room and several smaller rooms. There’s of course even a kitchen and bathrooms. There’s a really nice bar and plenty of TV’s for all you sporting pleasures. The bulk of the staff are young, eager and either students or grads of the university. Put that together with Buddy’s sense of humour and you have a really nice, laid back setting.

I was aware of a great burger place in Windsor from various message boards over the years but unless I was reading it at the time, I would forget the name. Eventually I put it on my “To do” list but since we rarely stop there it was pretty much an after though. Then I see John Catucci and the You Gotta Eat Here team pay visit and I realize, this is a place we need to make an effort to visit. We were staying over night in Windsor and decided that this would be the time. So let’s have a look at how they did.

I guess the first thing to do is tell you about the Bubi’s Sauce. This Balkan condiment for kabobs is available for just about anything on the menu. Make no mistake, this stuff is powerful. If there was ever such a thing as “too garlicky” this sauce probably stops on it’s door step. It’s fantastic. Mayonnaise based with some seasonings, anchovies, capers and onions but just about everything is relegated to the role of “Extra.” They add depth but there’s absolutely no doubt who the star is.

In the appetizer department a good bet is the Pizza Crusts. Really just bread sticks, the ones we ordered came with cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms. Sides of marinara and Bubi’s sauce accompany as well. On their own the crusts are nice. Dolled up with pizza fixin’s they’re even better. When you take all the toppings and the two sauces all together they’re excellent. Even the next day Mrs. Sippi was commenting on how much she loved them. A nice, albeit huge, way to start things off.

You can “Dillon” your fries which is to say, add garlic parmesan. The wedge fries themselves are nice but the adornment is really great. A wisp of garlic (compared to the sauce anyway) and nice parm really give some life to the ordinary potato.

You can substitute soup for the fries with you meal and on this day the soup du jour was Potato Cheddar. Home made it was really nice. It was a bit on the delicate side. We both had hoped for a more assertive cheddar taste and as such were a bit disappointed. That said, it was a nice, warm bowl of soup on a cold, wintery night. So no complaint there.

As much as anything, Bubi’s is about burgers. Their standard size is 1/3 lb. but you can “Bubi size” your burger up to 2/3 lb. You can build your own from the ground up or opt for one of the preordained selections. Not for the faint of heart (or the intellegent) you can also attempt the Bunda’s Big V8 Challenge. Both of us chose option 2 though.
Mrs. Sippi had the Truck Driv’n Bubi’s (lettuce, tomato, mayo, bacon, slice cheese) and she said it was good but not great.
I kinda got the same feeling from my Philly (cream cheese, grilled red & green peppers & onions, shaved philly steak). The burger itself had really good beef flavour and, oddly enough, I enjoyed every bite more and more. Not sure why my first bite wasn’t all that impressive (maybe I built it up in my head too much) but the more I ate, the more I thought, this really is a good burger. So it wasn’t the awe inspiring burger event I’d hoped for but a good solid burger is always welcome.

So there you have it folks, some good pub fare in a nice casual atmosphere.

You can find Bubi’s at 620 University Ave. W. in Windsor, Ontario.

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You can also find them on the web and facebook.



Well that’s all for now folks, we’ll catch ya later in the food court.

Davwud

I Went to Philly (Toronto, On)

Redeeming the Philly Cheese Steak One at a Time

Back in 2007 Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson put a name on something we all knew existed, The Bucket List. We all have a list, in our minds or otherwise, of things to do before we die. We just didn’t know what to call it. Some of us have even compartmentalized them by genre. Lots, such as myself, have a food bucket list. A list of to food related things do/eat. For me, a trip to Philadelphia and a Cheese Steak showdown between the two iconic purveyors, bitter rivals and cross street neighbours, Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. There are people who tell you those places aren’t where the best are and I’m sure they feel they’re right. In time, I may agree. But these two stars of the Cheese Steak world, sitting on opposite corners of the same intersection are the faces of the great Philly Cheese Steak.
In 2011, Jack and Julie Stevenson took a trip to Philadelphia and of course, the famous intersection. For Jack, a car salesman and Julie, a home maker and mother of 3 grown kids, it changed their life.

Upon returning home Jack, having felt he’d sold “One too many cars” quit his job, teamed up with Julie and decided to fill Toronto’s cheese steak void. In August of 2012 they opened I Went to Philly. Selling fresh cut fries and cheese steaks.

I Went to Philly sits on Toronto’s main drag, Yonge St. Occupying a dime a dozen store front it’s decked out loud and proud. There’s slogans and other adverts all over the front.
Inside the red and white checkered floor and tile detail give it a nice feel. There’s seating for almost two dozen and an open kitchen. This is where the sandwiches are assembled, fries are cooked and anything else needed to fill out orders. There’s also a kitchen in back doing prep work.

So let’s get a look at what the Stevenson’s learned on their trip to Philly.

Yoo-hoo has become an iconic American drink. “The name literally beckons” is a line in The Big Bang Theory. This chocolate drink, born in New Jersey in the 20’s by an Italian-American soft drink purveyor named Natale Olivieri. Originally sold in his store it quickly became mass marketed and by 1950, when Yankee great Yogi Berra promoted it, became a household name.
Let’s face it, when the first ingredient is water you kinda get an idea of what it’s like. It’s, quite simply, chocolate flavoured water. It’s fine. It’s pretty inoffensive and since it’s a tradition in the great cheese steak emporiums of Philly, I partook. When in Rome right?? They also offer it in tetra packs and cans.

I will warn you first, the “Heart attack on a plate” Cheese Steak Fries are a meal in and of themselves. Fresh cut fries, which can stand proudly on their own, are smothered in steak and Cheez Whiz. Just flat out artery clogging goodness.

As good as those fries are, the Pizza Fries are even better. The same dish minus the steak but with marinara and fried pepperoni. First off, how they could stay as crisp as they did through all that liquidy goodness is beyond me. But there we were at the bottom of the dish commenting on the crunch they still possessed. The whole thing just worked. Especially where you got a little bit of everything. Fabulous.


They grind their own beef and form quarter pound patties and offer a pretty respectable burger. I opted here to add a cheese steak on top. So beef, provolone, steak/onion mixture and topped with wiz. I was asked if I wanted any condiments but I correctly declined. This is the best of both worlds. The meats complement each other nicely and cheese really smooths things out. A fantastic burger.

The Philly Cheese Steak, the star of our show this day is excellent. As I stated above I can’t speak to the true authenticity but I can tell you it’s a terrific sandwich. I ordered mine “Traditional Wit.” Basically, provolone and whiz (traditional) and onions (wit) that get sautéed along with the meat. It comes on a “Hoagie” or sub bun and is ooey, gooey goodness. My only two complaints are these. I’d like a little more onion on mine. I love onions and bites with a bit more were just better. Secondly, and this drives me crazy, if you offer drip down your arm food, offer napkins up to the task. The cheap ones pulled from a chrome dispenser are all but useless.

If a cheesesteak isn’t your thing but pizza is they offer the Pepperoni Pizza Philly which is really just another way of saying, pizza sub. Loaded with fried pepperoni and a home made marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese it’s really great. It could be awesome, I think, if they’d dial it back a bit on the sauce. I felt it partially drowned out the pepperoni. That’s just minor tweaking to suit my tastes though. Your mileage may vary.

If the cheesesteak is your thing but you love pepperoni too, then this unnamed sandwich on their non existent secret menu is right up your alley. A cheese steak with fried pepperoni. OMG this is awesome. As funny as it may seem, this is probably the best thing I’ve had from them. Yet my favourite is still the Traditional Wit (extra wit).

If you don’t eat red meat then the Chicken and Waffles may be right up your alley. At the time of this writing they aren’t yet on the menu however if you ask, they’ll hook you up. A unique take on this soon to be the next great thing dish in that they are served as popcorn chicken in a waffle cone. Drizzled with syrup and a dusted lightly with powdered sugar. Different yet delicious. The cone is probably the best I’ve had. The pieces of chicken breast are deep fried in a Frosted Flake batter. Overall this is a well balanced dish of sweet and savoury. It walks a fine line but can easily be a meal or, dare I say it, Chicken and Waffles for dessert??

So there you have it folks, Toronto’s first full time cheese steak emporium.

You can find I Went to Philly at 462 Yonge St. Toronto, On.


You can also find them on facebook and Twitter.

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

Craft Beer... NY style Pizzas... Good Times

In 1991, just outside Vanderbilt University in Nashville a little pizza place named Guido's started doing business. It quickly became a hit with the locals who went crazy for their New York style pies and in particular, the dough. Guido's would eventually relocate to the Cool Springs Galleria area in Franklin. From there it would be sold to former British Infantryman, Chris Hartland and his wife Jane who immigrated to the area in 2008.
 
Chris and Jane would add a microbrewery, the first in Williamson, County and was re-branded Cool Springs Brewery. Offering a full bar menu, centered around the original Guido's pizza as well as craft beers brewed right on the premises. They also offer live music.

The duo behind CSB weren't fooling around either. Investing significant dollars in brewing equipment and bringing in Brewmaster Mike Kraft (yes that means the beer was Kraft-brewed) from Texas. Mike got the couple up and running but eventually need to meet new challenges. He left the brewery in 2012. Enter Derrick Morse. Born and raised in the unofficial capital of craft brewed beer in the US, Boulder Colorado.

CSB takes up a few units in a strip mall. It's adorned much as you would expect with the large brew vats sitting prominently by the front window. Inside has all the trappings of a slick, big box sports bar. That is to say, TV's, TV's everywhere. The space is rather expansive with plenty of seating and can also handle larger groups either in the dining area or a semi private room.

One thing I love about brew pubs like this is they offer a tasting board. Usually about 5 beers you can order in sample size before diving headlong into one brew or another. On this day we ended up with a bonus glass to make it an even half dozen. I'm not much of a dark beer lover so the Shaft Black IPA was just simply not for me. On the other hand I love grapefruit and as such the Private Johnson Pale Ale was clearly my favourite. Oddly enough, one of my dining partners absolutely hated it for the very reason I loved it. Others on the board included Tiches Wit, Saison and Franklin's First. All of which I enjoyed. There was also a wheat beer that I really didn't like. I haven't found a wheat beer I do like so take that for what it's worth.

The chicken wings were excellent. The sauce wasn't quite Buffalo style but leaned somewhat towards that. It had a nice sweetness to balance it out. Sort of a Buffalo wing meets Asian wing thing. They were also perfectly cooked. Nicely crispy on the outside and beautifully tender and juicy inside. They come served with Blue Cheese or Ranch dips. We ended up with both but never touched either.

The Pizza was very good. My only complaint would be I'd like the crust to have been a little crispier on the bottom but from a taste point, it was just plain great. There was enough sauce that you could taste but not enough to provide personality. The toppings, while many, weren't so heavily mounded on as to weigh the whole pie down. It's thin crust pizza and needs a lighter hand here. I really loved that they used capicola. This Italian ham is amazing on pizza.

So there you have it folks. A great lunch in the Cool Springs area which if you are familiar, is inundated with just about every national chain on the grid.

You can find Cool Springs Brewery at 600A Frazier Dr. Unit 135, Franklin, Tn.

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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.

Well that's all for now peeps. See ya next time in the food court.
Davwud