Some random food thoughts for your Monday morning and to start June…..

I think I’ve had just about enough of the spring vegetables. I love asparagus, peas and various spring greens and herbs. But I think almost every stand at the Dane County Farmer’s Market on Saturday had asparagus. My pee is going to smell funny for a month. But anyway, I’m very ready for the summer onslaught–tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, melon, berries….let’s do this thing.

I made meat loaf last night, but not just any meat loaf….Bobby Flay’s Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf. I made it with 2/3 beef and 1/3 ground turkey and I suddenly remembered why I love this recipe so much. The balsamic vinegar/ketchup glaze on top is so good that it’s making my mouth water right now. Next time you are in the mood for meat loaf, you HAVE to try this recipe.

Two summer food shows have started their new seasons–Fox’s Masterchef and Food Network’s Food Network Star. Now, I have nothing against these shows, but sometimes they can be predictable. Masterchef is in Season 4 now, and the best part is that they didn’t drag out the audition part–basically there was maybe one or 1.5 episodes of auditions. And we have our cat fight–between Krissi and Natasha. Natasha is so full of herself but appears to be able to back it up with skills. Meanwhile, Krissi is also talented and she has that east coast “don’t mess with me” vibe. Meanwhile, Food Network Star began its eighth season last night. It’s kind of getting old and stale the way American Idol did. And they seem to pick the same contestants every year–I don’t mean literally, but there are demographics they follow–the tough guy, the Hispanic, the chatty blogger, the dude who can cook his ass off but has no on-camera talent. Oh and this year we have the Ellie Krieger look alike. Of course, I watch these shows like it’s my job, and I don’t see that changing this season.

Have you ever taken a bunch of ingredients and tried to make a meal out of them, sometimes using way more of what you have on hand than you should? I did that last week when I made this chicken dish with bacon and cheese, and somehow tried to incorporate spinach and mushrooms. But I wound up doing the spinach and mushrooms on the side. However, in what should have been a sauce for the chicken, I instead added white wine to the spinach/mushroom stir fry and didn’t cook it out…blech. But I also had an avocado sitting there that I almost used. Sometimes I wonder about myself. I can put cool things together much of the time, but sometimes have cooking slumps. Does this happen to you?

At some point recently, I saw a cooking show about pizza and it may have been one of those competitions between two purveyors of pizza in New York City. And I was struck by the fact that this one pizza chef used canned San Marzano tomatoes as the sauce on his pizza. Those are usually seasoned with a bit of salt and maybe basil and that’s about it. The tomato shines by itself. So I tried this the other night and it was delicious. I’m just one of those people who doesn’t like those garlicky sauces or commercial pizza sauces, but I think this was the best and most natural way to go.

Oh, speaking of pizza…..I have to give a shout out to Scott and Jen at La Fortuna Pizza. I have found great pizza in Madison, and it’s as good as any I’ve ever had. They have a food truck and one of their regular stops in the summer is at the Verona Farmer’s Market, five minutes away. Every Tuesday. And hey, tomorrow is Tuesday! Low carb what?

I have lived in four states in my lifetime, and now live in Madison, Wisconsin. If you are a foodie like me and have moved around a bit in your life like me, that means that when you move from one place to another, there are going to be regional food items you miss from your previous dwelling. This week, I will write about the items I miss about the places I’ve lived–New York (Long Island), Cleveland (Ohio) and Nashville. Here we go…

New York

Pizza, pizza, pizza. With all due respect to you people in Chicago who like your pizza to be a couple inches thick, and everyone else who thinks a large pizza is like 14 inches wide, there is nothing like real New York pizza. Not that it’s all the same, but generally you get a thin crust (not too thin), and the perfect blend of sauce and cheese, a sprinkling of oregano, and that’s it. You take a slice of that 16 to 18 inch pie, fold it in half, and eat like a sandwich. Oh, and don’t forget the shake of crushed red pepper.

Jamaican beef patties–They sell them in every pizza place in and around New York. They also sell them at Jamaican bakeries and in the frozen food section of the grocery store. They are like empanadas–savory and spicy, and with that trademark yellow crust.

Potato salad–If you have ever had the potato salad they sell in German delis in New York, you won’t ever get potato salad anywhere else. I can’t even attempt to make potato salad, ever, because nothing comes close. One question–how do they keep the potato salad looking so bright white and not off white/eggy like store bought salad in any other state?

Nathan’s hot dogs and fries–Well, you can buy Nathan’s hot dogs in most stores. But the fries. I’m not even sure what it is…it’s not like they are super crispy or anything. They are thick crinkle cut, not under cooked and not over cooked–but the perfect companion to a glob of ketchup.

Bagels–Okay so we have Gotham Bagels here in Madison, and they are real New York style bagels. But it’s not near my house, so I have to stock up when I drive past.

Deli sandwiches–Do you sense a theme here? Yes, I miss delis, and you would too if you moved away from New York. There is nothing like a sandwich on a hard kaiser roll–with real meat like roast beef, turkey or ham that was cooked there and sliced thin right there. The roast beef and turkey you get anywhere else is not the same–it’s typically injected with broth and other stuff to preserve it and make it taste processed. Ugh.

If you’ve ever moved, particularly if you’ve moved from state to state, you know how challenging it can be to find good pizza.

I grew up on Long Island, New York, and good pizza was so common there, it was more a matter of choice between which good pizza you wanted that day. Of course, my love of pizza began as a kid, and I remember being able to walk up the street (a bit less than a mile) when I was about 10 to Delicious Pizza (I think that was the name, it’s been a while!), and being able to just go with a friend to order a slice. I also remember my dad taking me up there on Sunday nights because we had such an early dinner on Sundays, and I got hungry around 7pm. The one thing I remember about this place was that they were heavy-hnaded on the oregano, and it was so good. To this day when I make homemade pizza, I always sprinkle oregano on it. I also remember a place called Siderno’s Pizza, which used little tomato sauce but like twice the cheese as anyone else. Man, was that good.

Then I moved to Cleveland, Ohio. The pizza was different there, and I especially noticed that the slices were much smaller no matter where you ordered from. And while the choices there (as in most places now) are dominated by chains, I found great pizza in Cleveland on both the east side (Mama Santa’s, Tasty) and west side (Santo’s, Antonio’s).

Then we moved to Nashville in 2003. I knew going in that this barbecue-driven city would offer mostly chains like Papa John’s (sorry, but BLECH). But alas, we found a coupon for a local pizza place called Sal’s, and it said “New York style pizza.” Bingo, it was just as good as the pizza parlors I came to love back home. A few years later, we discovered another family style Italian restaurant about 20 minutes away called Mafiaoza’s. YUM. This place made fabulous pizza because the crust was crispy, chewy and awesome to start with.

Fast forward to now. We moved to Madison, Wisconsin in April 2010. We have a pizza place very close to us called The Glass Nickel. Their pizza is delicious, and they even make thin or thick crust depending on your preference. We ordered from there several times over the course of a few months, and finally realized that it messed with our insides. Sorry, Glass Nickel, but you give me and my wife indigestion. There is great pizza at a restaurant downtown called Paisan’s, but it’s not exactly convenient. We’ve tried a few others, but nothing quite did it for us. Where were the family style, casual Italian eateries that served pizza?

Well, we found one this past Friday called Avanti. Bingo! The pizza at Avanti most closely resembles Santo’s in Cleveland—nice, chewy yet crisp crust (on the thicker side) and just the right amount of cheese and sauce. Of course, I know there have to be more great options, but for now, we have one that can be our go-to. And if and when you move next, you’ll know what I mean, especially if you love pizza as much as I do.

March 29, 2010

Travel Channel has recently dipped its collective toe into the food programming boom, and following the wild success of “Man Vs. Food,” which recently wrapped up its second season, they are back with an awesome new show, “Food Wars.” The premise is that there are specialty restaurants in most major cities—Buffalo’s Buffalo wings, Chicago’s Italian beef, Kansas City’s fried chicken. And host Camille Ford has the best job of all—to travel around the country hosting “Food Wars” and getting to sample the cuisine of each “war.” For you guys, Camille is also very easy on the eyes and she isn’t afraid of spicy food or large quantities of food that isn’t exactly good for you. We had the chance to talk to Camille between episodes of “Food Wars,” and she confirmed that she has one of the coolest gigs ever……

Bullz-Eye: Hey, Camille.

CF: Hey, Mike, how are you doing?

BE: Good, how are you?

CF: Good, thank you.

BE: So, I love the show, I’ve become a big fan. I’m a fan of “Man Vs. Food” and I think there are a lot of similarities between the two.

CF: There are, but hopefully it’s different enough that people will be inspired to watch.

BE: So how did you land the gig to host this show and how excited were you to move forward with it?

CF: Okay, I’m going to answer the latter first. Thrilled, like back flips, couldn’t believe how luck I am, and was, to be asked to travel around the United States meeting great people who have worked their whole lives to be passionate about one thing, food, that I get to eat for free. All really good things. And as far as how I got involved, I’ve been working in entertainment and the performing arts for years and years, since I was a kid. I moved to New York about eight years ago to kind of pursue the same thing. And I’d done some hosting things that somehow caught the eye of the Travel Channel and it just so happened that they were looking for someone to fill this position. And when I auditioned, it just kind of made sense.

BE: That’s awesome. Was there a lot of competition for that?

CF: Oh yeah, to be honest….”hey, I’m going to pay you to travel around and eat free food.” What do you think? (Laughs)

BE: Exactly! I saw on your bio that you have a background in TV and producing. So did you always want to host a food type show and how has your background helped you prepare for this one?

CF: I’ve always loved food. I’m one of these people who is obsessed with it. I love finding new ways, new places, and new things to cook and eat. But I love to travel, and to be honest my goal was always to be able to do a show about adventure travel and about putting yourself in precarious situations. It just so happens that “Food Wars” puts me in precarious situations, just about food. So yeah, ever since I was a kid, this is what I’ve wanted to do, is eat food and tell people where to go.

BE: From the couple of episodes I watched, it looks like you’re having a lot of fun and really enjoy trying the food. Is that as genuine as it looks on TV?

CF: Yes, sickly so, it’s true. My husband is kind of jealous because he sees me having fun, and he knows I’m having fun, and he doesn’t get to have any of it. It’s actually very funny, when I go out afterwards with the crew and stuff, they’re like, “You’re still eating like you’re on camera,” And I say, “No, that’s how I always eat, you just happened to catch me eating on camera.” I’m constantly like, “Oh, you have try the tartar sauce” and they’re like, “Cam, it’s just mayonnaise and relish.”

BE: How long does it take to film a particular episode?

CF: It’s kind of like giving birth to any baby. It depends on what kind of labor pains…you know, there’s a lot of stuff that goes into it. Sometimes it’s 30 hours for a single episode, sometimes it’s 40. It just kind of depends on all the parameters— like the weather. Or one of the restaurants is starting to panic because they sent somebody to taste the other food and they might get worried and try to back out. This is their life, and they are absolutely putting their livelihood on the line when they subscribe to this. There’s really no way to lose, it’s just a lot. We have to be very careful and take our time, and not make anyone feel rushed, or make them feel like they’re doing anything other than getting an opportunity to show the world what they do very, very well.

BE: Have there been any moments when you fear the two sides in any one battle might start a fistfight?

CF: Yeah (laughs). Thank goodness not too often. I know some serious soft shoe numbers so usually if it gets too intense I’ll start tap-dancing in the middle of it. There are definitely moments, intensity is there. It’s a war, people want to be the best, and it’s the American way to try hard and succeed. So when someone pits you against a neighbor that could be literally 400 feet away from you, that’s a lot of pressure. So there’s definitely moments when we’re glad there’s a lot of interns running around, making sure everyone has a beer, and is relaxed.

BE: Which was your favorite one to tape so far and why?

CF: Ooh.

BE: I know I’m putting you on the spot.

CF: No, I love it, I totally dig it. I do it to people every day, I should be able to take a little heat too. I really loved Tucson but it’s mainly because I’m from Arizona. I love anything wrapped in bacon, and anything spicy, and Tucson brought it.

BE: Was that the hot dog wrapped in bacon?

CF: Yes, yes, yes!

BE: I think Adam Richman did something on that.

CF: I think he did, yes, or something similar to that. And also, I just love to be outside. And so at the end of each day, my little brother and I would go hike up into the mountains. It was just the perfect combination of exploring the world I’m traveling in, as well as taste what makes that place special. That’s always a perfect trip for me.

BE: And get to work off the food.

CF: (laughs) Yeah, exactly. No, I packed a few Sonora dogs (bacon wrapped hot dogs) in my little backpack.

BE: Do you have a favorite type of food or part of the country that you think has the best restaurants, or would that be Tucson?

CF: No, I don’t know about that. Hot dogs are what they are. It’s kind of like that scene where you’re Jell-O or you’re crème brulee, and you can never be crème brulee if you’re Jell-O. You just can’t. That’s part of why the show is so successful. There are so many opportunities to go out and have your own food war. What I might say today will totally be different than what I’m going to say a month from now, because I’ve gone out and I’ve explored this world and I’ve seen what else there is to offer. But I do love spicy food. The spicier the better, so as long as there’s a little kick to it, I’m happy.

BE: Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool when you tried the Buffalo wings and you weren’t afraid of the heat.

CF: No way, man. It was good too, it was a good spice!

BE: What is a battle that hasn’t happened yet that you’d like to see?

CF: Oh, there’s a few. There’s actually quite a few. I would love to go up into the Northwest, into Oregon and Washington. I know Washington has some serious chili wars. And actually New Mexico has some crazy chile wars too, green chile. And I’m a huge fan of chili cook offs, I think they’re fun, and you never know what you’re going to get. Each batch is different, so I would really love to see that happen. That would be fun. I would also love to see maybe something like a dessert, like a cupcake war, because I love dessert. Or a chocolate war…you know, there’s so many amazing places that do dessert as a meal itself. So I’d love to see those get a little attention.

BE: What has reaction to the show been from viewers and the Travel Channel so far?

CF: Really positive, it’s been very fun to watch people who will then tweet or e-mail or blog about the fact that they’re then disputing what happened or saying, “Well, we have two restaurants in St. Louis that have to have a food war and host their own food war.” So basically it’s a dinner table conversation, or a going-out-for-drinks conversation. It’s getting people excited about where they live and their local eateries. We’re not promoting Outback and Applebee’s, we’re promoting people that have worked their whole lives to give their community something. And that has really made the show popular because people want to support local eateries, they just don’t know where to go.

BE: Well, very cool. And what are some hobbies or interests you have outside of your career?

CF: (laughs). If there is an “-ing” at the end of any word, that’s my hobby. Biking, running, belaying, climbing, horseback riding, I mean literally, if it involves me somehow putting my life in danger, that is what I want to be doing. Yesterday, I did a five-mile wilderness race through the mud. Saturday I was single track mountain biking on some tough mountains in New York. I love the feeling of pushing myself to the limit. I love it.

BE: Well then, it sounds like sleep is probably not one of your hobbies?

CF: (laughs). No, it’s so funny. My poor husband, we got back from New Orleans and our flight was at 3 o’clock in the morning and we got back at 6 am. And I was on the mountain by 10, biking until 7 that night when the sun went down. He slept…he watched TV and slept, but I just gotta get out there.

BE. Do you watch any other cooking or food shows regularly?

CF: I do, my husband is a Paula Deen junkie, so we watch a lot of Paula. I think if there was one woman he could cheat on me with, it would be Paula Deen. (laughs). I like Bobby Flay, I’ve worked with him before. For everything that he is, he definitely knows how to cook with some zest. As far as that’s concerned, I also love Julia Child. I love You-tubing her old videos. She was such a spunky, intelligent woman; just to watch her do her thing is so impressive.

BE: And so ahead of her time.

CF: Oh, absolutely. And oh, there’s no wrong way to watch food in HD.

BE: Well I have one more question. I noticed that you guys have a bracket set up on the Travel Channel website. Did you do an actual NCAA bracket and how has it turned out so far?

CF: I normally have a March Madness team that I play with every year, and this is the first year that I haven’t done it, and it’s killing me.

BE: Probably a good year that you didn’t do it, because of all the upsets. I don’t think there is anyone that’s had a correct bracket.

CF: Which is so sad because I’m always the one that picks the under, under, underdogs and I feel like I would be killing it this year. But it’s still fun to watch, and it’s still fun to see who’s doing what and who’s making it to the top. It’s good to have a little shakeup every now and again.

BE: That’s true.

CF: Again, it’s like “Food Wars.” It keeps people on their toes. When the underdog wins, people have to work harder.

BE: Well, thanks for your time, Camille.

CF: Absolutely, thanks for asking me such fun questions.

BE: No problem, and good luck with everything.

CF: Thank you, thank you, thank you.