Grill the Chef: Manuel Trevino

Posted by Kelly DiNardo on

After Manuel Treviño graduated from The New England Culinary Institute, he worked in several acclaimed New York kitchens like Le Cirque, Babbo and Travertine. Trevino also appeared on Top Chef and most recently helmed the kitchen at Marble Lane.

Manuel Trevino

Manuel Trevino

What’s in your fridge or freezer that would surprise people?
Sake, Champagne, Kewpie Mayonnaise.

Last meal you cooked for yourself?
Roast chicken – the perfect meal.

Last meal on earth?
Sushi and sashimi from Sushi of Gari UES, Honey dipped fried chicken from Amy Ruth’s (on a waffle of course), pistachio and chocolate gelato from Grom, chocolates from Jacques Torres.

Which six people — alive or dead — would you choose to attend your ultimate dinner party? What would you serve?
Pancho Villa, Julia Child, James Beard, Willie Nelson, Maya Angelou and Jimmy Fallon.

I would make it a build your own taco (‘n beer) night. Keep reading…

Sound Bites: Reckless Kelly

Posted by Will Levith on

Reckless Kelly by Machelle Dunlop

Reckless Kelly rocking their home turf of Austin. | Photo by Machelle Dunlop

Welcome to Sound Bites, where we meet rock musicians at the crossroads between music and food.

Digital Dossier
Twitter Handle: @RecklessKelly
Facebook: Reckless Kelly Page
Official Website: www.recklesskelly.com

If you’ve ever seen the NBC show Nashville, you know that there’s always some scene where a random band is playing on a dimly lit stage in some divey bar — and out of nowhere, they just kill it. That’s the magic of television.

Reckless Kelly are the real McCoy: Heralded as the Second Coming of country rock since the early aughts, the Austin-based group is not your average country band, singing about loose women, whiskey and Uncle Sam. In fact, their 2008 album, Bulletproof, was a left-leaning shot at the U.S. government’s involvement in Iraq and botched handling of Hurricane Katrina.

Lucky for us, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Willy Braun, was cool with CityEats asking about Austin’s food and bevvie scene. He even spills some company secrets.

Austin, TX, is one of our favorite food cities. If you were to take somebody who’d never been around the city for one crazy day of drinking and eating, what food spots and bars would you stop at along the way?
Cooper’s BBQ is our fave. They have the best pork chop you’ll ever eat. Guaranteed. Ask for Barry, and if you’re lucky, he’ll save you a good pork chop. (Not that they have a bad one, but because they sell out early!) Maudie’s is probably our favorite Mexican joint in town. We’ll usually be found at the bar at Maudie’s Too on South Lamar.

If you wanna get some killer sushi, the two best spots are Uchiko and Uchi (sister restaurants). Paul Qui from Top Chef fame and fortune is the executive chef at Uchiko.

For music, you gotta go to the Continental Club, and Antone’s. For music and food together, try Stubb’s BBQ on Sunday (Great Gospel brunch!).

Our favorite watering holes are Lucy’s Retired Surfer’s Bar and The Horseshoe Lounge.

What is Austin’s best-kept-secret food spot?
I’ll probably get in trouble for telling you this, but in a town known for breakfast tacos, the best ones in town are at Maria’s Taco Express.

Reckless Kelly has toured all over the country. What is your favorite U.S. food city to visit on tour?
Tough call, but I’d say overall, San Francisco is the top spot these days. The Tadich Grill is the oldest restaurant in California, and it’s probably our favorite place in the world to eat.

On your album Wicked Twisted Road (2006), you have a song called “Seven Nights in Eire.” What’s your go-to Irish pub food and pint?
In Ireland, it’s Griffin’s pub in Clifden. We had a blast there for several nights, and they have really good food. If anyone is going over, bring me some brown sauce and I’ll pay you back.

What is the one part of the Texas cuisine that you cannot stand?
Hard to even think of something I don’t like, but I gotta admit, I only like BBQ sausage if it’s done perfectly. Elgin sausage is awesome and a few other places do it justice, but I’m super picky in that area. I’m sure Texans reading this are rolling their eyes.

Enjoy the complete Sound Bites series on CityEats here.

More Fun than a Barrel of Aged Cocktails

Posted by brianfreedman on

Barrel-aged cocktailSome of the world’s best wines develop their complex flavors in barrels. So it makes sense that barrel aging might add similar depth to cocktails. Once an experiment for die-hard connoisseurs, barrel-aged cocktails are becoming more popular at bars and restaurants across the country.

Many brown spirits benefit from a barrel aging long before bottling, so returning them to a cask along with fellow cocktail components means added spice notes like cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as occasional hints of butterscotch and caramel, depending on the type of barrel that’s been used.

With white-spirit-based cocktails, the proper amount of barrel aging lends a more prominent base note to the proceedings. And I find that, no matter what the ingredients, a stint in the barrel often allows the many disparate components to marry better than they do in the shaker or glass, resulting in a smoother, more texturally appealing drinking experience.

(As far as doing this at home, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it… unless you have plans to consume copious quantities of cocktails. If you are undeterred, however, start off with a whiskey-based drink; manhattans are a good place to start, as the barrel-aging will allow the vermouth and whiskey to come together, but the wood itself won’t change the flavors too overtly.)

Washington DC’s BLT Steak barrel ages both its Brooklyn — made with rye, amer picon and maraschino — and its increasingly popular Pegu Club, which is made with gin, Cointreau and lemon juice. A few blocks from there, Graffiato lets both its Martinez and its Negroni age in barrels. The latter, a classic blend of Plymouth gin, Campari and Carpano Antica, picks up smoky, nuanced notes to balance its classic bitter notes. In Miami, The Cypress Room ages The Old Pal, a beautifully composed blend of bourbon, Campari, Carpano Antica and vermouth. The result is layered, complex and seriously gulpable.

Death + Company in New York uses whiskey barrel-aged bitters in its Cobrafang cocktail — a trend that I expect we will see more of in coming years as more consumers become increasingly familiar with bitters and their many variations.

Of course, barrel aging doesn’t always benefit a cocktail, just as it’s not always best for every wine. Rather, it is an option, yet another tool in the utility belt of serious mixologists all over the country. And it undoubtedly adds a layer of excitement to our already riveting national cocktail scene. No matter where you live.

Meatless Monday: Polenta with Eggplant and Peppers

Posted by Kelly DiNardo on

polenta

Polenta with Eggplant and Peppers

As we pay greater attention to where our food comes from, our health and the health of what we’re consuming, even the most carnivorous eaters are taking a break from meat – at least occasionally. Of course, it can be challenging to follow Meatless Monday, the international campaign to eat vegetarian on Mondays. So we’ve turned to chefs for a little inspiration. Today, try polenta with eggplant and peppers from Farmers Fishers Bakers in Washington, DC. Keep reading…

The Ten: Coolest Frozen Drinks

Posted by Drew Lazor on

frozenmintjulep

We’re well into June now, meaning super-frosty, wicked-fruity beverage orders are not only socially tolerated, but wholly encouraged. In this edition of The Ten, we run down the best places in Philly to acquire icy, slushy, boozy concoctions — ’tis the season for brain freezin’.

Khyber Pass Pub
Old City’s Khyber prides itself on pitch-perfect American Southern classics — they go so far as to ship Leidenheimer bread from NOLA for their po’boys — but the bar’s take on everyone’s favorite Derby Day drink is non-traditional. They’ve slushified the classic mint julep (left), but take heed as you sip with abandon — these guys are uber-generous with the bourbon, in the best way.

Noir
Noir taps two of its East Passyunk neighbors — Mancuso’s and Pollyodd — for their lineup of alcoholic water ice drinks. The $6 refreshers include cherry, combining Mancuso’s cherry-flavored water ice with house-infused cherry vodka; and lemon and chocolate, built with those frozen flavors plus pours of Pollyodd’s lemon and chocolate ‘cellos. Garnish: a pretzel rod, duh. Keep reading…