Ladies and Gentlemen of the Foodie Republic lend me your stomachs! I have been to hamburger heaven and it is delicious! Where is this place you say? Why it’s Good Stuff Eatery.

Good Stuff is the vision of Spike Mendelsohn who among other things was a contestant on Top Chef. Good Stuff is one of those places that always has a line out the door but is worth the wait. They specialize in hamburgers (basic to gourmet), fries (seasoned with rosemary and thyme), and hand spun shakes. This is a good example of when simple ingredients go right. Spike keeps his ingredient list short and fresh which produces some of the best food in DC. Sit-down, take-out, whatever.

The line at Good Stuff can get long so get there early if you plan on having lunch in a reasonable amount of time. When you walk in, immediately get in line. It’s sort of a ‘switch-back’ model that resembles waiting for a roller coaster. The line takes you by the griddle (shown above) where you can see the line cooks churn out burger after burger.

After placing your order you get a nifty buzzer to alert you when your order is ready. It comes in a classic looking bag (above) in just a few minutes. Today was a special day for my visit. My coworkers are doing a ‘Best of DC’ lunch group and today was our stop for ‘Best Milkshake’.

I decided to go all out and get a Farmhouse Burger with Bacon (made to order), Village Fries (the aforementioned season fries), and a chocolate milkshake. Good Stuff is also known for some excellent mayo combinations to give your fries an added kick. Above you can see Chipotle and Sriracha Mayo respectively.

Am I currently full? Did Grizzly Adams have a beard? Let’s just say I’m in an epic food coma and If I were a bear I would be all set for winter hibernation.

Before we headed back to the office we presented Spike with our ‘Best of DC’ award for his milkshakes. He deserves one for his burgers as well in my opinion. If you’re in the area there is no excuse for not stopping by.

The Doctor Is In

One of my favorite things to make is pizza. It’s quick, easy, and freaking delicious. The most difficult part is making the dough but, it’s so simple even the most inept chef can come out looking like a pro. I’ll walk you through a simple dough recipe using basic ingredients you can find at any market and then show you some tips on baking a tasty pie.

Dough-rae-me

You can roll over to foodnetwork.com, search for pizza dough, and get about 1,000 results. They’ll tell you to use three different kinds of flour, water, special salt, honey, sugar, cornmeal….way too complicated. We’re not trying to make pizza to serve at a $500 per plate fundraiser are we? No. We’re making pizza at home. I have tried several of these recipes and guess what? One isn’t that different from the other. Basically you are going to need water, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. That’s it.  Here are the rough measures:

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 ounce of active dry yeast (one envelope)
• 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for coating
• 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting

This recipe makes 4 personal thin crust pizzas or two hand tossed pizzas.

First, warm the water in the microwave for about 20 seconds. It should be warm but not scalding hot. While the water is warming place the salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. When the water is warm, pour it over the sugar and salt. Quickly, pour the yeast on top of the water without stirring and let stand for 7-10 minutes. This process basically wakes up the yeast and gets it ready for the flour. You’ll notice that 5 minutes in, the yeast will now be foamy and fragrant. This is good. It should look something like this:

Once you get to this point you can add the two tablespoons of olive oil and whisk around once or twice. Now, add one cup of the flour and stir with a spatula or spoon. Once it’s combined add the second cup of flour and stir to combine. At this point you can ditch the spatula or spoon and get right in there with your hands. We’re trying to have fun aren’t we?

A lot of recipes will call for a stand mixer with a dough hook or some other fancy contraption. Really all you need is your two hands. After about a minute of hand mixing you should see something like this:

It’s not pretty but it’s a good sign you’re on the right track. If after combining the flour into the water/yeast/sugar mixture it appears too dry or too sticky, feel free to add more water (dry) or flour (sticky). After kneading the dough in the bowl for 4-5 minutes you should have a ball that is smooth, well combined, and not overly sticky.

Continuing, coat a fresh bowl with olive oil, transfer your ball of dough into it, roll the dough around to coat in the oil, and cover with a damp towel (or cover in plastic wrap). It’s now time for the dough to rise. Generally I wait an hour but you can let it go longer if you like. Also, keep it in a warm place. 70 degrees or warmer is better. Once the dough has risen you can work with it right away or seal in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. It’ll last for 3-4 days.

This whole process should take no more than 20 minutes with roughly half of it involving you waiting. Not too shabby eh?

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

The two photos below show the dough pre and post rise. This was just over an hour. See the difference? It doubled in size and is light an fluffy as opposed to dense.

Use the hour of rise time wisely. Generally I crack open a beer before getting started on heating the oven and prepping the toppings. Tonight I chose Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Hoppy and good. It went well with the pizza.

Next, I put my pizza stone in the oven and cranked up the heat to 550 degrees. I use a $15 round pizza stone you can buy at Target or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Again, nothing fancy here. There are debates about using ceramic tiles, rectangular vs. round, and a whole bunch of other stuff. This is probably the one area where I feel doing your research and paying for quality will payoff. Honestly, I don’t have a car and the Bed, Bath, and Beyond near my house had the $15 pizza stone so I bought it. Someday I’ll go for something better but, my $15 stone does the job just fine.

You’ll have to figure out the placement on your own. I have a small apartment oven that provides heat from the bottom so I aim a little low. If I had a better oven I’d probably place it square in the middle. Oh and all that grit on the stone? Pizza Love. It’s scraped clean but previous cooking experiments have left it stained. Not to worry. Heat for 45 minutes to an hour before putting the pizza in.

Ingredients

At this point your dough is rising and your stone is heating in the oven. You’ll have this time to gather your ingredients for your pizza. I’m of the mindset that you should put whatever you want on your pizza. My only suggestion is choose ingredients that aren’t too wet. This will cause your pizza to ooze thus staining your pizza stone and causing unwanted smoke.  For this recipe I chose simple crushed tomato, fresh mozzarella, Sopressa, and fresh basil. That’s it.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Pizza Pie

Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and divide into two (hand tossed) or four (thin crust) portions. For this demo I did hand tossed. Ball up one portion of the dough and flatten with you hands or rolling pin remembering not to overwork the dough. When done you should have a circle about 8 inches across (more or less).

Now that the dough is ready, layer your ingredients onto the dough and get it ready for the oven.

Place the pizza onto the stone and cook for 8-10 minutes but keep an eye on it. Once the cheese is bubbly and brown and the dough get’s a dark  golden brown it’s ready.

Behold!!

From start to finish the entire project took about 1 hour and 30 minutes but most of it was waiting around. I’ve made this dinner for family and friends and it’s always a hit. Gathering eclectic ingredients, good drinks, and good friends will make your pizza night one to remember.

]]> http://chewbrew.com/2010/03/13/dr-pizza/feed/ 0 http://chewbrew.com/2009/10/26/bobby-vs-mr-banana/ http://chewbrew.com/2009/10/26/bobby-vs-mr-banana/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:39:26 +0000 bobby g http://chewbrew.com/?p=95 Well folks, today was interesting. After I had finished my delicious lunch, my banana decided to take on a life of its own. It was completely unexpected turn of events. Usually I just eat my banana and go on with my day. Today Mr. Banana pleaded for his delicious life. The following played out in real time between 12:30PM and 2PM. Names, events, and locations are reflected as accurately as possible.

12:30PM

Nearing the end of my nutritious lunch, I began to eyeball my banana with a deliciously murderous intent. As I contemplated my plan of attack, Mr. Banana promptly pleaded for his life. He has a wife and baby son who live in my fridge and wants to see them grow up big and strong. Since I’m a reasonable fellow, and mostly full from the rest of my lunch, I decided to delay the decision on his fate until 2PM.

The Introduction of Mr. Banana

1:30PM

Now I’ve given Mr. Banana a solid hour to plead his case while I digest the rest of my lunch. He really doesn’t have anything more to add other than wanting to see his kid grow up and something about there will be consequences if he is killed. Just when I am about to provide him a stay on his execution guess who shows up? None other that Nutella. If you are not familiar, Nutella is a scrumptious badass. Basically he jumps on almost any food and makes it even better. He likes his job. He’s good at his job. When someone questions eating something he gets rather upset.

Well friends, Nutella pulls out a knife and puts it up to Mr. Banana’s throat and says: “If you don’t kill this banana, I will.” That sounded pretty serious and tasty to me.

Nutella rolls up onto the scene and threatens Mr. Banana

1:45PM

At this point, Mr. Banana had to know it was not going to end well. He had a terrible start to his day when he got into my lunch bag and then watched as I devoured a PB&J sandwich, 20 baby carrots, and some crackers. Nutella and I prepared his execution William Wallace-style. Blindfolded, Mr. Banana makes one last plea for his life:

Mr. Banana makes a William Wallace-style final plea

2:00PM

I’m not going to lie. He was delicious and full of potassium. Mr. Nutella added a little extra sweetness to the story as well. I am afraid however that there will be consequences to my actions. As he lay split open on my desk he let out his death rattle:

The bell tolls for thee, Mr. Banana.

I fear the worst that tomorrow I will encounter his kin looking to avenge his death. Will Nutella and I be up for the challenge? Stay tuned to find out!

As Los Angeles eating institutions go, Father’s Office has the hamburger market cornered. What can be so special about a hamburger you say? Well then you have never had one at Father’s Office.

There is a reason why there are no substitutions or modifications to their menu items. Simply put, the items are perfectly crafted to maximize flavor. Now you may read some reviews that the burger is sub-par. People who complain about the burger quote In ‘n’ Out as having a superior burger. Well if you want all beef patties with special sauce served with lettuce and tomato on a sesame seed bun, I’ll direct you to the nearest fast food establishment. This place is not for you. If your palate is sophisticated enough to handle caramelized onions, arugula, sirloin, and bleu cheese, step up to the bar.

One of the down sides of the Santa Monica location is that it is tiny and gets very crowded. Chances are you will wait in a line to get in, stand around to wait for a table (first come first serve), then after figuring out there are no waiters, order at the bar. The new location in Culver City (on Helms Ave.) has a patio that has more seating than the entire Santa Monica location alone. All ordering still takes place at the bar and tables are on a first come first serve basis.  Overall the Culver City location maintains all the unique charms of the Santa Monica location but alleviates the crammed nature.

The sweet potato french fries are still served in a miniature shopping cart with a side of their special sauce. Don’t even think of asking for ketchup. Remember no substitutions.

Having around 36 beers on tap Father’s Office has one of the better selections in LA. What is also great about the bartenders is that they actually know something about what they are serving. Tell them what you are in the mood for or what you are eating and they’ll have a couple of recommendations for you in a snap. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample tasting either. They are more than happy to oblige your request.

The burger is anything but average. Served on a baguette style bread (flaky and chewing but still soft) topped with caramelized onions, bleu cheese, and arugula. I like my meat on the medium rare side (as pictured) but they will take orders up to ‘well’. If you want something more juicy take it on the rarer side. Nothing is worse than dry meat.

If you are looking for ordinary this place won’t be for you. If you are interested in a great selection of beers, friendly bartenders, and original cuisine, head over to Father’s Office. Just keep your head on a swivel to grab a prime table.

]]> http://chewbrew.com/2008/07/01/fathers-office-culver-city/feed/ 0 http://chewbrew.com/2008/06/16/getting-stoned/ http://chewbrew.com/2008/06/16/getting-stoned/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:19:35 +0000 bobby g http://chewbrew.com/?p=57 The Stone Brewery

As Ferris Bueller once said “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and take a look around once in a while you might miss it”, I intend to kick it into a lower gear for the next few weeks and get back to being Bobby G. Since the last time I posted I’ve been enjoying Los Angeles very much. So much in fact I haven’t had much time to write or do pretty much anything else. I have gathered some good stories and been to some wonderful places in the past few weeks so we’ll start with The Stone Brewery.  

Located in sleepy Escondido, California, the Stone Brewery is home to some of the best Pale Ale’s available in the good old USA. Premium Shih and I decided to head down there a couple of weeks ago to check out the operation, sample some beers, and learn a little more about brewing. Above you can see the wonderful beer cooler located in their company store (I apologize if the pictures are a little blurry….we had been drinking after all).

Not only is Stone Brewery home to their brewing operation but they also have a bistro on site with a great selection of food and beverages. After signing up at the company store for our tour we headed into the bistro to grab a couple of pints and grab a snack. One of the great things about the bistro is that they have a wide selection of beers from around the world. It was very nice surprise to see that they embraced beer outside of their own. Each beer on the menu was accompanied by the location it was brewed at as well as the percent alcohol by volume. We sampled the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale and a barley wine to get a little bit of bang for our buck.

After enjoying our pints and grubbing on some beer battered mashed potatoes we headed into our tour.

Going in, I did not expect this to be a ‘mom and pop’ type of brewery, however; I was surprised at the magnitude of their facility. If my memory serves me correct (which it probably does not) at full capacity they can produce around 500,000 barrels of beer each year although they currently run at about half of that. 

Our excellent tour guide gave us the quick and dirty lesson of brewing. Basically boil some water, add some barley and hops, and you got yourself some beer. I’ll spare you the whole story but it was very informative and a lot of fun.

Bourbon Casks Holding Delicious Anniversary Ale

Keg Maker

At the end of our tour we were taken back into the company store for our free tasting. We received 4 samples of beer (Pale Ale, Smoked Porter, IPA, and Arrogant Bastard Ale) as well as a 5th of our choice as a special treat. Premium Shih was not feeling the bitter beers so I got to do A LOT of tasting. Afterwards we each picked up a growler and headed back to Los Angeles. 

I had been wanting to take the tour for a long time and it was well worth the wait. The tour is free and so is the tasting. You basically get a free pint of beer just for walking in the door. I recommend getting there a couple of hours before your tour, sign up right away, and head into the bistro to have lunch and a couple of beers before your tour. They have a fun and laid back atmosphere in the bistro so killing a couple of hours was no problem.

In the next week or two I’ll give you a review of the new Father’s Office, located in Culver City, and bring you a review of my first night of the Summer at the Hollywood Bowl with Thievery Corporation. Until then I’ll be enjoying the start of the Summer!

Winnie and I headed to Las Vegas to get out of Los Angeles for the weekend for a little R&R. I wasn’t planning on writing anything about the weekend since our plan was to basically do nothing but, with a meal like this I feel a certain responsibility to post a little something something.

We had a confirmed 8:30PM reservation at Koi – Las Vegas which is located in the newly renovated Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino (formerly the Aladdin). We had also requested to be seated in the Fountain Room which I am told has a great view of the Belliago fountain (if you have never seen it, you must). We never got to see it from that angle as when we arrived we were told the room was full. They were very kind about it and offered us the option to wait a few minutes at the bar for a table to open up. We chose to wait although after a few minutes the hostess came by and said it would be longer than expected. Fine. Take us to our table.

A calm washed over me as the hostess escorted us to a nice side booth in the main dining room. For the record, Koi has very nice decor, friendly wait-staff, and generally plays good music (more on that later though). Winnie described it as something out of the swinging 60s but with a darker color scheme. We were generally pleased so far and were really looking forward to the sushi.

When we sat down we were told the sushi menu was located on the back of the main menu. This should have been our first tip they had something to hide. While I won’t go into great detail on every single item I’ll throw you the lowlights:

1. The waiter did not ask to take our drink orders and we had to flag him down to get sake.
2. The edamame was overcooked and appeared to not be fresh (almost mushy and brownish).
3. The rice was undercooked (not sticky enough).
4. All the fish tasted like it was at least two days old.

The moment we knew we were in real trouble came by the way of the most disgusting sea urchin I have ever had. You know when you have something that is so bad it feels like something is crawling up your back? Yeah. The sea urchin gave me that feeling. This gave way to the most awful morning mouth and breath combo.

Right about when the gag reflex kicked in the restaurant turned into more of a lounge type scene. The music changed from classic rock hits to more or less club music. The bass was so loud that it rattled our dinner glasses and now made it almost impossible to talk to each other.

At this moment, still very hungry, we decided that ordering more sushi would possibly lead to vomit so we opted instead to order off the ‘hot’ menu (I use quotation marks here for a reason). We requested Roasted Duck Breast which I assumed would be tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Well basically it was like eating warm rubber. I can only assume they cooked it in a microwave and then threw it under a broiler to darken the skin.

I chose this place because it had gotten good reviews online, had a good reputation in Los Angeles, and was frequented by celebrities (they know what they are doing right?). Winnie was kind enough to remind me that just because people are famous does not mean they have good taste. She was so right.

For the price we would have been better off eating at Sushi Roku or rather, skipping it altogether. Save yourself the time and effort and head over to Sushi Roku if you really want sushi in the City of Sin.

The signature sandwich of New Orleans is know as the Po’Boy. A Po’Boy is basically a sub sandwich or grinder. What makes it stand out from the norm is the use of Louisiana French Bread. If asked what is the most popular sandwich in New Orleans people will often respond The Po’Boy without hesitation.

Not to be overlooked however is the Muffuletta created at Central Grocery Co (923 Decatur St.). While less popular, the Muffuletta is just as much a part of New Orleans as is the Po’Boy. One afternoon during Mardi Gras, while my friend and I were walking on Decatur Street, we noticed a large line of people outside Central Grocery. We didn’t know what all the fuss was about at the time so we kept walking. I kept this in mind and after doing a little research I discovered that this was truly the best sandwich in New Orleans.

Tucked between a delicious round loaf of Italian bread the Muffuletta is a better sandwich than any Po’Boy I have tasted. Although it does not offer the variety of the Po’Boy, the Muffuletta brings consistency and great flavors which are truly unmatched. The sandwich is stacked with layers of Italian meats and cheeses followed with a topping of olive salad and olive oil. Below represents only a half order which easily filled me up and then some (about 10″ long and 6″ wide).

After devouring the sandwich it was easy to see why it is so popular. The Italian bread perfectly complimented the meats and cheeses while the topping of olive salad provided a tangy crunch to bring the whole sandwich together. Sometimes a bread that thick can overwhelm a sandwich however, because of the freshness, the bread was one of the best parts.

Washing it down with a cold Peroni was the perfect partner to the Muffuletta. Crisp and light, the Peroni cuts the zest from the olive salad clearing the palate for the next bite of the sandwich. Central Grocery is at heart an Italian grocer so you can find a great selection of imported beer, meats, cheeses, and other Italian favorites if you feel like taking home more than just a Muffuletta.

Next time you are in New Orleans stop by Central Grocery for a Muffuletta. While the Po’Boy gets all the press, this small piece of Italy in the heart of the French Quarter is well worth your time.