THE THANKSGIVUKKAH SONG

THE THANKSGIVUKKAH SONG (sung to the tune of  the Hanukkah song)

Thanksgivukkah, Thanksgivukkah, start stuffing the turkey

Then light the menorah, this holiday is quirky.

Sweet potato latkes with cran-apple sauce.

Two holidays of gorging, you’ll eat like a horse.

And while we are grepsing, the candles are slowing to melt.

Get out the dredyl  gourd, that’s all I could afford,

Make up something for Thanksvukkah gelt.

Fry everything in oil to remind us of the toil

And punch holes in your gift of a belt.    

VINEGAR DRINKS

If you live in Italy it may not surprise you that the one drink craze comes from a bottle of vinegar drinks. They have recently become available here in the United States as Fairway Market has placed their name on a label. 

“The most delicious thing we have tasted in, like, forever” says Fairway Foodie, Hannah Howard.    “Highly addictive. A SWIG OF VINEGAR EVERY DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY. This is common, homeopathic claptrap-style knowledge and lore. Absolute immaculate purity from our Modenese partners, the Cremonini family, whose acetaia (vinegar factory) near Modena in Emilia Romagna, the origin of balsamic vinegar, is one of the most famous in all of Italy. These bottles of Fairway’s exclusive Drink Vinegar contain high levels of mono- and biphenols, which are natural anti-oxidants, the enemy of free radicals.”

Dilute 5 to 1 with seltzer or any kind of water or tonic. The “Drink Vinegar” is a great mixer for spirits such as vodka, gin, rum, and tequila.  Each of these bottles is the equivalent of three liters of this delicious liquid.

“For thousands of years”, says Hannah, “ vinegar has been beloved for its powerful properties in aiding digestion, boosting energy, curing disease, clearing skin, assisting weight loss, and more. This great juice contains high levels of mono- and biphenols, which are natural anti-oxidants, the enemy of free radicals. We’re not making any lofty claims, but drinking vinegar is clearly many times more righteous than, say, swigging soda. And cooler, and tastier”.

At first I thought that this drink was a simple combination of balsamic vinegar and fruit juice.  I combined that 5 to 1 ratio using cold water and tasted.   I expected a high acid vinegar taste and was surprised at its sweetness.   I later read the ingredients.  Each of the flavors had: grape must, balsamic vinegar of Bodena, apple vinegar and natural juice of either blueberry, cherry, pomegranate, ginger or apple.  I got enough sweetness from the grapes and dilution to have the acidity of the vinegar overcome it.   I don’t know about taking a swig but it certainly tastes great sipping it with my meal. 

Fairway Market has several locations in the tri-state area.  And while you’re at it, check out their label on imported hazelnut spread from Italy.  www.fairwaymarket.com

HOW'S WILLIE "JACK" DOING?

We have gone from Julie Childs to chef battles.  That not being enough restaurant and bar proprietors are out there fixing other owners' problems.  Two in particular are spied upon with hidden cameras set up so that the owner can view their staff to find out why their restaurant has gone wry.  One is called Restaurant Stakeout where Willie "Jack" Degel looks to help solve the issues.

Willie is the owner of Uncle Jack's Steakhouse with locations in Bayside (Queens), Manhattan and Glen Head, Long Island. What was it like to be at the original Bayside locale?  My memory of having heard about Uncle Jack's was that they seemed to be one of the first steakhouses to have kobe beef.

My interest was not only in the service and food quality but how Willie maintains his own "baby" when he is not there.  I was invited to indulge in a tasting menu and brought a guest, my college buddy Nancy.  What would happen if I requested "no garlic, low on salt and no balsamic vinegar"?  Nancy's portions were prepared as the menu specifies.

We entered to be greeted by hostess Amber and noticed what looked like a group of mail boxes.  They were cigar boxes from years ago.  The decor looked as if the restaurant were a former "speakeasy".  It was.

Tracy was the Captain who served us.  I chose a half bottle of a pinot grigio.  As I sipped the white wine I looked around to see if I could spot the cameras. 

First course was a Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Cake which contained 90% crab meat and Panko bread crumbs and seasons that include garlic.  The sauce looked like a remoulade but wasn't.

I had what would have been equivalent to a lumb crab cocktail.   I large portion of the crab meat on greens with a side of their in house red cocktail sauce.

Oysters "Jackefella" was the second course.  The take on oysters "Rockefella" had spinach and goat cheese.

My sampling were of Blue Point oysters on the half shell.  I love raw oysters and Blue Point tends to be one of the best in terms of both brininess and quantity.

Lollipops Lamb Chops are the thing these days.  Using those most tender rib loin certainly does something on the palate.   The reason that they are called "lollipop" is that they are cut so that you can simply pick them up and eat them off the bone.   Sucking them will not get you anywhere.

The chops are encrusted with panko, garlic and a dijon mustard.  Mine were served simply broiled with a bit of salt and pepper.  I requested "medium" and got just what I wanted....red/pink inside.

Next course, Buffalini Mozzarella - Tomato Mozzarella.  Buffalo mozzarella is flown in from Italy and a softer consistency than even a fresh mozzarella made with cow's milk.  The difference between mine and Nancy's was having no reduced balsamic vinegar.  I was given another dressing as a choice.

Out came the main course.  A prime dry aged Porterhouse steak for two.  Can't get better than this.  Willie chooses the thick cut steaks.  What is significant about a Porterhouse?  It's like having two cuts of meat.  One side of the bone contains the tenderloin while the other is as if you were savoring a New York strip.  They slice it up at the table.  Without using a steak sauce, I could truly taste the quality and juiciness of the meat itself.

Two sides.  Steamed asparagus and the of the best sweet potato fries I've had.  In fact, Nancy went for the fries even before the meat.

Dessert was a sampling of their tiramisu, pecan pie and chocolate mousse along with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. 

To be continued after I meet with Willie.

FAIRWAY THANKSGIVING PREVIEW

Went to the Fairway Market in Douglaston where they were having a free tasting from their Thanksgiving catering menu.  Got there before the lines were long.  Who says "there's no free lunch"?

Start at the beginning of a few hosted tables with a choice of either the Autumn Vegetable Soup or Butternut Squash Soup.  Me?  I had to sample both.  As much as I expected the butternut to be the winner for me, it was the vegetable that I thoroughly enjoyed more.  (Not that I didn't like the butternut). Here is one shopper opting for the veggie...

while another opted for the butternut.

Next tasting was of the roasted butternut squash....a bit different from the soup.  That was a good one.

Here's another shopper indulging.

Candied sweet potatoes is a must and what good is having turkey if you can't enjoy the stuffing.  Oh yes, there was turkey (white meat or dark meat), cranberry sauce, gravy.

The finale was dessert choice of either pumpkin or apple pie.

A copy of the catering menu was on hand and I'm told that if you just want the non-catered food....minus the cooked turkey...it will all be available at the deli counter. 

I was here for a few other things.  Fairway has their own hazelnut spread imported from Italy.  I'm doing a taste test between their yummy and Nutella.  Will get back on this.

Now, here's a new thing...craze?  Not sure. Fairway's Hannah Howard wrote about it.  Fruit flavored vinegars.  They are called Balsamic Drinks.  With a one to five ratio of vinegar to a liquid such as water, seltzer or even in a cocktail.  The stuff is supposed to be good for your system.  I'll do some searching on this.  In the meantime, not being one for vinegar in the first place, I wanted to at least taste some of them.

I picked out cherry, blueberry, pomegranate, and ginger, thinking of the health properties alone.  I mixed the cherry with water and blueberry with water and expected to get that acidic tart taste. OMG! Now I can understand the craze!  It is really delicious and slightly sweet from the ripe grapes. Now I'm going to look into how much can the stomach tolerate this.  It's imported from Italy, although I don't know if it comes from the same region as the hazelnut spread.

Finally...another comparison on ice cream.   Gifford's World Best Chocolate vs Graeter's Chocolate.  "World's Best" puts me in a challenge alone...being a chocoholic.   Quart size of Gifford's as no pint size is available.   Don't ever assume that the weight of a quart of ice cream is more than a pint.  It's all about how much air goes into it and how it's packed.  Sorry, Gifford's but your quart weighed less than the pint of Graeter's.   Didn't even have to put it on a scale.  Held it in my hand and made sure I used the same hand to get a sense of the weight. 

Ingredients of Gifford's. Cream, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Whey, Nonfat Dried Milk, Dextrose, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Vanilla.

Ingredients of Graeter's. Cream, milk, cane sugar, skim milk, cocoa (processed with alkali), eggs, carob bean gum, guar gum. All Natural

Satisfaction of Gifford's (Who the heck voted?  Is is sold all over the world?) was like having a very cold milk chocolate drink.  So full of air!  Taste was okay...after all...I am a chocoholic. 

SHERRI SHEPHERD HILARIOUS

I went to Gotham Comedy Club to see Sherri Shepherd.  Show opened with Gary Canon as the emcee. Quite funny and picking on people in the audience.  Sherri had an opening act.  Her friend, Retha Jones.  Great opening as she did make us all laugh.

Then Sherri came on and had us ROFLOL.  Glad I had her on my internet radio show.  Whole different story doing stand up vs being a host on The View or having a role on How I Met Your Mom.
Will check her schedule to see where she'll be next.  She will be performing this Saturday evening, in case you're in Manhattan.

Had a photo taken with her.  Obviously didn't come out well. :(