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      Restaurant review: Bluephie’s/Madison, Wisconsin

      March 11, 2012 /

      Okay, let me be clear about one thing. I’ve never written a restaurant review in my life, and I don’t want this to be a place where you will find snarky and snobby food critiques. But I will tell you about places I eat at the way that your friend, family member or neighbor would.

      So last weekend, my wife and I got a babysitter and went to one of the restaurants we’ve been meaning to try since moving to Madison almost two years ago–Bluephie’s on Monroe Street on Madison’s near west side. The place is known for it’s extremely funky and unique menu–but it’s not pretentious. The menu is very much like interesting takes on everyday food.

      Chef JimAnd as we sat down, my eyes automatically slid down to the grilled cheese section–and I couldn’t not order what I saw–a grilled cheese with pulled pork, mac & cheese, and caramelized onions. And I mean, all of those things IN the sandwich. But first we ordered drinks, and I had a Lake Louie Cream Ale–a Wisconsin brew that is just outstanding, and smooth and creamy as its name suggests. We ordered the tater tots as an appetizer, and we didn’t mind one bit that all of our food came at the same time. The grilled cheese was…..I won’t mince words here….ridiculous. And I mean that in every good sense of the word. It was one of the five best grilled cheese sandwiches of my life. The pork was tender and delicious, the cheese was oozing, and the mac and cheese and onions were subtle but added to the flavor. Damn. The tater tots, which are giant balls of shredded potatoes, mixed with cheese, were phenomenal and served with a chipotle mayo. I also had the spinach peanut curry soup–which had lots of flavor without being too heavy on the curry.

      Chef JimMy wife had the Chickpea Chop sandwich, which was chickpeas, roasted peppers, artichokes and feta cheese with a lemon aioli. I didn’t try it but she loved it. Then for dessert we had a piece of red velvet cake that was the size of a bowling ball. Well, maybe not that big. Maybe the size of a football. But we had a few bites, then ate the rest for breakfast the next day. Ah, nothing like a happy belly.

      The service was also excellent. Our server was informative, efficient and not annoying. That last part is always a plus.

      Anyway, if you live in Madison and haven’t tried Bluephie’s, go check it out. And if you’re planning to visit, Bluephie’s is a must for something unique and very much Madison.

      Chefs and Restaurants, Product Reviews

      Product review: Combos Buffalo Blue Cheese Pretzel and Jalapeno Cheddar Tortilla

      March 7, 2012 /

      It’s funny how yesterday I’m in a convenience store and notice the small bags of Combos, and think to myself how they have had the same boring flavors for years, maybe decades. And then, lo and behold, I turn the corner and notice larger bags of Combos–with TWO NEW FLAVORS. At least, they are two flavors I’ve never seen before–Buffalo Blue Cheese Pretzel, and Jalapeno Cheddar Tortilla. The one common denominator–spicier than the average Combos. And my wife will tell you I’m a sucker for new snacks–change the package, change the flavor, but most of all, give me a completely new product and I have to try it. So these Combos fit the bill. Here are my thoughts….

      Chef JimBuffalo Blue Cheese Pretzel Combos–keep in mind that this snack is first and foremost a pretzel, and it’s the filling that makes it unique in relation to other Combos. Of course, they are crispy and tasty in a snack food nirvana sort of way, and there is a nice blue cheese tang and a spicy kick. But the only drawback is that the actual taste of wing sauce is faint, and being that I have this Pavlov’s dog thing to Buffalo wing sauce, I was kind of bummed at the lack of wing zing overall. But a really good snack nonetheless


      Chef Jim      Jalapeno Cheddar Tortilla Combos–this is the first Combos flavor I’ve seen with a tortilla as the base–usually it’s pretzel or cracker. And while it’s not much different in taste or consistency from the cracker, the snack itself kicks ass. And I mean it really kicks ass–in a “holy crap is that hot” kind of way, or at least hotter than most snack foods. For this one, the jalapeno taste is dominant, and the cheese taste is more in the background–the opposite of the Buffalo Blue Cheese version. But again, mighty tasty.

      So while these two spicy Combos flavors are definitely worth trying, and as always Combos does what it claims to (cheese your hunger away, yo!), I still feel like they could use just a bit of tweaking in the test kitchen. And if they are looking for volunteers to help with that, I can be reached right here on this blog!

      Grocery stores, Product Reviews, Tailgating, Your Kitchen

      Chopped All-Stars Ups The Ante

      March 3, 2012 /

      If you watched last year’s “Chopped All Stars” on Food Network, you know that it was riveting and must-see TV. I, for one, was thrilled to see some of the judges, who were generally very difficult to please and very hard on the contestants, have to compete and see what it was like on the other side. But even better, in addition to the “judges” round, there were three other rounds with themes–former contestants on “Food Network Star,” for instance, and then one final round featuring the four winners. Former “Next Iron Chef” contestant Nate Appleman won last year’s inaugural crown.

      So of course, Food Network had to make Season 2 of “Chopped All Stars” (premiering Sunday, April 8th) bigger and better. Seriously, if you are a Food Network junkie, you’re going to freak when you see this list. Here, I’ll just lift it right from the network’s press release:

      Part 1, “Iron Chefs Do Battle” Premieres Sunday, April 8th at 9pm ET/PT
      Competitors: Iron Chefs Cat Cora, Marc Forgione, Jose Garces and Michael Symon
      Judges: Scott Conant, Aarón Sanchez, Geoffrey Zakarian

      Part 2, “Prime Time vs. Day Time” Premieres Sunday, April 15th at 9pm ET/PT
      Competitors: Show hosts Keegan Gerhard (Food Network Challenge), Jeffrey Saad (United Tastes of America, Cooking Channel), Aarti Sequeira (Aarti Party) and Marcela Valladolid (Mexican Made Easy)
      Judges: Amanda Freitag, Aarón Sanchez, Geoffrey Zakarian

      Part 3, “Food Network Star Contestants” Premieres Sunday, April 22nd at 9pm ET/PT
      Competitors: Food Network Star Season Seven Finalists Justin Balmes, Penny Davidi, Vic “Vegas” Moea and Chris Nirschel
      Judges: Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Aarón Sanchez

      Part 4, “Judge Remix” Premieres Sunday, April 29th at 9pm ET/PT
      Competitors: Chopped judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson and Chris Santos
      Judges: Amanda Freitag, Aarón Sanchez, Geoffrey Zakarian

      Part 5, “Grand Finale” Premieres Sunday, May 6th at 9pm ET/PT
      Competitors: Prior episode winners
      Judges: Anne Burrell, Amanda Freitag, Aarón Sanchez

      I mean, seriously? The “Judge Remix” round is going to be awesome, but really, all of them are compelling themes. If you saw “Food Network Star” last year, you know that Penny Davidi is a great cook but also a drama queen who is sure to add to the ratings.

      And if you’re not familiar with “Chopped,” the show is hosted by Ted Allen, and the four contestants have 20 minutes to cook an appetizer using four items in a mystery basket, after which one contestant is “chopped,” or eliminated. Then the remaining three cook an entree in 30 minutes, and the two finalists have 20 minutes to make a dessert. The producers of the show, of course, find all kinds of weird ingredients and put items together that should never go together (for example–jelly beans, fish, purple carrots and potato chips). But that adds to the fun.

      So there you have it–another great season of “Chopped All Stars” awaits next month. Will you be watching?

      Chefs and Restaurants, Food TV, Video

      Product review: Hormel Mary Kitchen 50% less fat Corned Beef Hash

      February 28, 2012 /

      Chef JimJust in time for St. Patrick’s Day, right? I popped open a can of Hormel Mary Kitchen 50% less fat Corned Beef Hash for lunch today, and it was awesome. What I did was to empty half a can into a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, and cooked on medium heat for about ten minutes with flipping it. That made the bottom nice and crispy, and then I flipped it over to crisp the other side. After about five more minutes, I cracked an egg on top and let that cook until set, added salt and pepper, and instant lunch! Of course, this is a food more suited for breakfast, but there are no rules here at Mikey’s Kitchen.

      I didn’t compare this against the full fat version of this hash, but this one had less fat (I believe 7 grams per serving). However, it was still 290 calories, so if you’re watching your weight, you should keep this one on the shelf.

      Anyway, the tasty combo of tiny cubes of corned beef and potatoes was filling and delicious, and even better crisped up with the egg on top. This is a good thing to keep on hand for hangover food or to impress your house guests.

      Grocery stores, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Pringles Xtreme Blastin’ Buffalo Wing

      February 23, 2012 /

      Chef JimI’ve said this a million times, but I could live on wing sauce. I could drink it. I could eat it on every food known to man. I use it in recipes, I put it in my chili or in my soup. I douse food with it. I dip wings in it that don’t have wing sauce. And I love foods that use it, commercial foods or otherwise.

      Such a food is Pringles Xtreme Blastin’ Buffalo Wing potato crisps (don’t call them chips, I think it’s illegal or something). I bought a stack of these today and they are true to the original flavor–that tangy, peppery, spicy, salty deliciousness. But it’s not doused–instead it’s kind of sprinkled and/or caked on each crisp. And so you get the flavor blast in addition to the subtle Pringle’s potato taste. This is good snack food–not necessarily good for you, but good tasting, good-with-beer, good-with-sandwich, good-with-late-night-anything snack food.

      If you like Pringles and you like wings, why are you still reading this? Go buy a can/stack now and watch them disappear!

      Grocery stores, Product Reviews, Tailgating

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