If you don’t know the name Mauricio (Tony) Harion, you soon will.  He is the brilliant mind behind what has to be one of the best drinking games I have ever seen.  As a product design student hailing from Belo Horizonte, Brazil he created the ultimate mash-up with the Enigma – Battleship Bar Game.  I think we all get he concept here.  When one of your “ships” is hit you have to take a shot, what better way to fight for control of the seas.  Hit the link to see more pictures.

<via Coroflot>

It’s no secret that I grew up in South Carolina, okay, yes my parents were yankees, but there are just some things that come with growing up in the southeast. One of those things is that I eat grits, I love them, anytime of the day. However they can’t just be those 15 minute instant kind of grits (truth be told I’m not sure that this is not the true start of the civil war), but real grits, the kind that take time, love, and when done right, just melt in your mouth.  Hit the link for more on grits.

Grits are a course ground, corn-based, Native American food that are traditionally stone milled. Grits are a by-product of the production of corn meal, they are the coarser bits of corn that are left after being passed through screens to make the meal. Similar to Polenta, a boiled porridge made from the corn meal, the grit was originally a peasant food that has recently become a main stay in some of the countries most prestigious tables. Your modern store bought dried polenta can be substituted in almost any recipe when grits are called for, they will be closest to yellow grits, not the white grits that come to mind with you think of woman named Flo slopping them on your plate at six o’clock in the morning at a truck stop diner.

Having lived in Charleston, SC, for many years I’ve learned that the Holy City is also effectionatly called the buckle of the grit belt, an area that spans from Texas to Virginia. In Charleston people do take their grits very seriously to say the least. Currently, I’m using the yellow and the white stone ground grits by Charleston Favorites, available at Foodforthesouthernsoul.com, these are a course ground grit from Rockland Plantation. They have a wonderful speckled colouring due to the natural process by which they are milled. The stone-burr milling provides more texture to the grit creating both small and larger pieces, than your mega mart variety, this texture also gives you a rather complex taste in your final dish.

Now I must be honest here, after a few trials I’ve discovered that the recipe for Charleston grits on the back of the Charleston Favorites bag is better than the one I had grown up with.  It even works with other lesser brands of grits, but buyer beware, there is nothing like a good quality grit. So, here is their recipe, its wonderful…

Charleston Creamy Grits:

Combine 1 1/4 cups of rinsed grits with 3 cups of boiling water, 2 cups of cream, and 2 cups of milk.  Continue to simmer and stir frequently for 20-30 minutes while adding 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 lb. butter. Enjoy!

While I know this is not the typical subject matter for Flavourgasmic I feel it deserves a mention.  Katt was recently honoured with an article in the College of Charleston Magazinediscussing her career as a special effects make-up artist in L.A.  The article features several alumni who have succeeded in the world of Film and TV.  By far the most famous of which is obviously Katt.  Hit the link to read the article (I’m the Zombie in the background).

 <College of Charleston Magazine :: Starmakers>

Recently Brian and I tried Vegemite and several popular concoctions using this B-vitamin packed yeast based spread.  Well there is good news for those of us that loved the Vegemite and cream cheese blend, at least that is if you’re an Aussie, or planning a trip to Sydney.  Thats right!  The makers of Vegemite have planned to make a new spread containing the flavors of Vegemite and cream cheese with the addition of a new “secret ingredient”.  Even better it will be available premixed.  Kraft Australia  has devised a naming contest to give this new yummy its title.  Check out their site, enter a name, and you might just be the lucky salt that gets to name what is sure to be one of the hottest selling new food items in Australia!

You know how in movies someone always comes home and opens up a carton of milk, smells it, and then says to their significant other, “Does this smell bad to you?”  I can’t handle it.  I’m completely paranoid about that sort of thing.  If it’s in my power to determine if the food is bad, it’s bad by default.  If the milk is past its date, don’t even bother to smell it.  Just dump it out.  If the meat is over a week old, throw it out.  The sell by date is equivalent to the use by date.  And because of this I’ve become a great fan of canned and frozen food.  The date is stamped right on there.  All this fresh and local food that celebrity chefs on TV keep blathering on about is not for me.  If I pick the fruit right off the tree, then I’ll eat it.  If not, it better be in a can.  This is the first of hopefully many articles I write for Flavourgasmic about canned and frozen food.

For my first article I’ve chosen to write about King Oscar sardines.  I chose King Oscar sardines for a few reasons.  The company has a semi-long history that goes on for over 100 years.  Also, I have a bizarre fascination with European royalty.  And the most important reason of all is that fairly recently I’ve gotten into seafood.  For most of my life, I haven’t really eaten fish, and I still don’t eat it in abundance (unless you count being lied to by my parents and their “chicken fish”, but that’s another story).  But one of the first for me was King Oscar sardines.  Hit the link for more.

First we’ll cover some information about the company itself.  The present company (Norway Foods) is an amalgamation of several companies, the first being the Stavanger Canning Company which started in 1873.  But they didn’t start canning sardines until 1880.  So right there you know that there’s a long history to this product.  In 1893, they introduced their sardines to the US at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago = Awesome!  In 1902, King Oscar II of Norway and Sweden granted the Christian Bjelland Company (another one) permission to use his name and portrait on their sardines.  In 1920 the portrait of the king was finalized and is still being used today.  And in 1950 the company was declared Kosher, which I wouldn’t mention but their website makes such a deal out of it.  Another thing their website goes on and on about is that sardines are supposedly the greatest food on the planet.  No mercury and lots of Omega-3.  They won’t shut up about it.

Next I’d like to say a little about King Oscar himself.  He lived from 1829 to 1907.  He became king of Norway and Sweden after the death of his brother in 1872.  According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), he seemed like a nice guy.  When the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden split, it went pretty peacefully because he went along with it.  After that he was no longer the king of Norway but only King of Sweden (only the King of Sweden = hilarious).  His great-great grandson is Carl XVI Gustaf, current King of Sweden.  And Carl16’s daughter is Crown Princess Victoria, who would look much better on the current cans of sardines.  Let’s see what that would look like, using my elite photoshop skills.

Now to the food (finally).  I did a taste test on 8 different flavours of King Oscar sardines.  I’m pretty sure I had tried about half the flavours before I did the test.  I went through and ate 2 or 3 from each flavour writing down my thoughts, and then went back a second time and had around 2 more from each.  I’ve rated each flavour on 3 important scales, each with a 1 to 5 rating. 

1. The flavour itself.  This is very important.
2. How fishy-gross it tastes.  Remember, I don’t exactly like fish.
3. The chance that I’ll pour fish juice on the floor or furniture and piss off my wife.  Because that smell never comes out.

I’ve also included a description of the look & taste.  I ordered the flavours in what I perceived (before trying them) as blandest to most intense flavour.  I thought that this way the flavour from a previous one wouldn’t screw up the next one.  And I used water to “wash out” the taste between tastings.  And of course I ate them right out of the can.  The King Oscar website has many suggestions for eating them, but as with most things, right out of the can is the best.

Pure Spring Water:  Flavour(1)/Pour(4)/Fishy(4)  It was sort of boring as one would expect since it’s simply in spring water.  There’s really no flavour here other than a boring fish.  It needs more salt.  I like salt.  To be honest, the first one I tasted was perfect – fresh and everything.  But the second…blech.

Soybean Oil:  Flavour(2)/Pour(4)/Fishy(2)  This one’s better than the Spring Water, if only because it tastes fattier and therefore slightly better.  But it’s still pretty boring, but less fishy though.

Olive Oil:  Flavour(5)/Pour(4)/Fishy(1)  Even better.  Damn near perfect.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:  Flavour(3)/Pour(4)/Fishy(1)  This ones almost exactly like the Olive Oil except with a little vinegar taste.  And if you check the ingredients, that’s exactly what it says.  At first I was going to say that this was the way to go, but when I returned for round two, this one tasted rotten while the Olive Oil still tasted great.

Tomato:  Flavour(5)/Pour(2)/Fishy(1)  Wow!  This one’s awesome.  The sardines are like smothered in tomato sauce.  I totally wasn’t expecting that.  It goes very well with the fish.  I like them.

Mediterranean:  Flavour(4)/Pour(5)Fishy(1)  There’s like a couple of slices of black olives in there as well as some ground up stuff on top.  The ingredients say that it’s spices, garlic, and red bell pepper.  All in all, it’s very good.  I feel like I’m sitting in a boat in Venice – oh wait not really.  I thought it would be similar to Olive Oil, but after going back and forth between the two, they don’t seem too close.

Gourmet Chipotle Sauce:  Flavour(2)/Pour(2)Fishy(3)  This one looks exactly like the tomato one, but with a darker color.  In the past this one had been my favourite, but now it might be one of my least favourites.  It’s sort of bland.  It’s supposed to be a BBQ sauce, but now it just seems semi-gross.  I checked the ingredients and it’s the only one with a tiny font and a long list of chemicals I’ve never heard of.  I’m pretty surprised but it’s also their newest flavour.  Maybe it’s not here to stay.

Dijon Mustard:  Flavour(3)/Pour(3)Fishy(4)  The fish are like encased in a block of mustard.  You almost can’t even see them.  The mustard itself tasted pretty good.  I’m not quite sure that the fish go perfectly with them.  They taste kinda fishy gross.  But I guess that’s why they pack them in the mustard – even more so than the tomato or chipotle.

So I liked the Tomato the best, but that’s because I’m pretty partial to very strong flavours like that.  For the general population, I’d go with my number two which is the Olive Oil.  Now I’m going to go throw up.

So remember, if the date isn’t stamped right on the can, you can’t really know if it’s still good.

Sometimes your friends bring you food, sometimes its good, other times not so much… When my friend Liza brought her zucchini bread into work, this was a case were it was excellent!  I had to have the recipe, and with a few minor tweaks I give it to you… The Ultimate Zucchini Bread after the jump.

Zucchini Bread:
3 cups AP Flour (I like King Arthur unbleached)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon (fresh ground if possible)
2 cups sugar
1 cup olive oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven for 350F. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then add oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, mix well.  Add zucchini and nuts last. Bake in 2 greased 9×5 pans for 1 hour 20 min.  You can make this in mini pans or muffin tins if you like, you just have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.  Serve with whipped honey and butter… YUM!

Ever dream of raising a colony of nuclear powered mutant super bees?  You have to start somewhere, and why not with a Beginner Beekeeping Kit.  I am certainly no stranger to hobbies (I have several hundred, need chainmail, no problem) and I defiantly love honey, but the idea of having hundreds of swarming bees (ok beekeepers I know that bees are least likely to sting during a swarm but suspend disbelief) in my backyard is a little extreme even by my standards.  But wouldn’t it be nice to lure your enemies over with the offer of drinks only to trap them in your apiary of death?  Hit the link for info.

Being billed as a way to help boost the dwindling honey bee populations the beginner beekeeping kit includes everything necessary to get started as a beekeeper.  You get hive, wax, smoker and fuel, gloves, helmet, veil, brush, nails, assembly instructions and a book titled “First Lessons in Beekeeping” (seems fitting).  All of this for $299 keep in mind however that the bees are not included.  From a honey standpoint this would be awesome, there really is something wonderful about the idea of harvesting your own, but I just can’t get past the bee stings.  Am I the only one that thinks Blofeld would have been the perfect beekeeper?  Whether you are a member of SPECTRE or not check out the Beginner Beekeeping Kit at Real Goods and get a jump on evil plan season.

Israeli cuisine is extremely diverse being comprised of foods brought by Jewish immigrants from all parts of the world.  There are however two main avenues that Israeli food tends to follow, those of the Jews originating from the Middle East and those from the immigrants from Europe and the West.  It’s the food from the first group, with its roots in the Arab world that have inspired the menu at a new eatery Naf Naf Grill in Naperville, Illinois.  Continue on for the review.

Snapshot:
Restaurant Type: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
Dress Code: Casual
Alcohol: Nope
Price Range: Bargain (6-15)
Flavourgasmic Factor: Highly Recommended

Full Review:
Having just opened in January of this year the first thing you will notice about Naf Naf Grill is an unshakeable feeling that the building might have been at one point a Taco Bell.  However unlike any Taco Bell I have ever been to the food at Naf Naf is really good.  I can only hope that more Taco Bells are shut down to make way for chefs that truly want to share their culinary perspectives with the world.  Given the cramped confines of the layout however, things can get a little tight when they are busy, so plan accordingly and give yourself 15-20 minutes to order and get your food.

Focusing on fresh ingredients, just about every thing in this unassuming restaurant is made to order including their heavenly pita bread.  This is without question some of the best pita bread that I have ever tasted.  Perfectly golden brown and light as a feather it’s the perfect partner for one of their delicious pita sandwiches.  Choices include along with several Kababs, chicken shawarma, Falafel or Kifta.  Their chicken shawarma, think gyros meat with chicken instead of lamb, is a thinly sliced, perfectly seasoned, spit roasted chicken which matches perfectly with the subtle sweetness of their warm pita bread.  Their Falafel, a mixture of chick peas and herbs formed into balls and fried, proves to be another perfect filler for their pitas.  Perfectly seasoned and fried to perfection the Falafel strikes a great balance with a crisp outside and soft inside.  Either of these sandwiches can be had for just $6.59 which given the quality is a real food bargain.  All the meats that star in their sandwich selections are made available in entrée portions as well for just a few dollars more.  Included with the entrées are a pita, pickles, and your choice of Basmati Rice, Salad or home made fries, you will not be disappointed by any of their choices.

I have found that after eating at Naf Naf more then a dozen times I try to make the pitas the focus of my hunger lust.  One of the best ways to showcase the pitas is with their homemade hummus.  Available plain or topped with falafel or shawarma this blend of chick peas, sesame paste and spices is topped off with extra virgin olive oil to provide a silky texture that just begs to be scooped up with a warm pita.  At only $4.99 for their plain hummus and $.50 for a pita you can get yourself 6 pitas and some hummus for a cheap meal for 2 that will beat the pants out of any fast food in both price and quality.

If you have a sweet tooth then save some room for Baklava, while I have never tried them myself if their other food is any indication then for those with a passion for sugar should not be disappointed.

Peppermill that is!  If there is one spice in the kitchen that Katt and I can agree should belong in just about every meal, its’ pepper.  As a matter of fact on one of the very first dates Katt and I ever went on I actually stole a pepper mill.  It occurred while at a restaurant in Las Vegas, the pepper mill on the table worked so well that it left when we did.  It continued to serve us well on the remainder of the trip.  Many dates and pepper grinds later Katt and I needed a new mill, something that would hold up to the demands of a high pepper use household and some serious au poivre action.  All of our research and testing lead us to one grinder, the Magnum by Unicorn Peppermills.  Hit the jump for the full run down.

After trying about a dozen different pepper grinders at various kitchen stores we came to the conclusion that all pepper mills just suck and we would just have to settle on something that looked nice.  That all changed during some extended research when we started seeing some amazingly positive reviews for the Magnum peppermill from Unicorn.  After finding a store locally that carried them we purchased one without having tried it first based solely on the reviews we had read.  This was one of the best purchase decisions we have ever made.

Anyone who has ever shopped for high end peppermills will tell you that at $45.00 the Magnum actually represents a bargain.  Some “high end” peppermills can easily run 80-100 dollars with results that cannot even compare to the Magnum.  The first thing you will notice about the Magnum is its appearance.  Unlike most peppermills available the Magnum is all about function.  No fancy wood, copper, or clear acrylic.  Ok let’s be honest if this bothers you than get a cheap wood peppermill or some antique to leave out on the table and whip out your Magnum when you actually want some pepper.  In addition to the nonsense looks you will get a mill that requires no crazy contortions to grind pepper and no instruction manual necessary to fill it.  Speaking of filling, this mill simply swallows up the pepper corns, simply slide the plastic ring around the middle to expose the fill hole and pour in the pepper.  Since we use so much pepper around the Flavourgasmic kitchen having a huge capacity was a big plus and with the Magnum there is not a lot of wasted space.  Even with the large capacity Katt and I will probably be moving up to the Magnum Plus, this taller cousin of the Magnum holds a whopping 1 ¼ cups of pepper corns, easily enough for a couple days in our kitchen.  Keep this in mind if you use a lot of pepper.

Now about the grind, one of the biggest down falls of most peppermills is grind consistency.  On non-adjustable models you will get everything from pepper dust to pieces that seem larger then the pepper corns you filled the damn thing with.  On most adjustable models you will spend hours finely tuning the adjustment only having it go wildly out of adjustment when you are trying to pick up some beautiful girl with your precisely dialed in pepper grind.  “It happens to all guys” she will say as she takes her pepper needs elsewhere.  Yep you heard it here getting a Magnum peppermill almost guarantee getting the hot chicks.  Joking aside the Magnum is an adjustable mill, but my god will it hold a setting.  Adjust it to cracked pepper and guess what?  You get cracked pepper.  In a week you get more cracked pepper, a year even more.  I think you get the point, not only is the Magnum easy to dial in the grind it will hold it!  Katt and I like a coarser grind and in 3 years and what seems like several hundred pounds of pepper later it hasn’t changed a bit.  This friend is what peppermills are all about!

While it may not be the prettiest girl at the prom, the Magnum is certainly a lot more fun to play with.  If you can get past the rugged plastic looks you will be rewarded with a peppermill that should last you the rest of your life and remains as consistent as the day you bought it.  Whether you are looking for a new mill or just about ready to rectally insert your current model into the person responsible for making it do yourself a favour and check out Unicorn Peppermills.

If your idea of a good German restaurant requires Oom-pah music, lederhosen, musty old dark wood, and more dead animals than live people then the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, Illinois may not be the restaurant for you.  If however you are in the mood for some good German food and an incredible beer selection then read on.

Snapshot:
Restaurant Type: German / Pub
Dress Code: Casual
Alcohol: Oh Yeah (Lots of Beer)
Price Range: Middle of the Road (15-30)
Flavourgasmic Factor: Recommended

Full Review:
Although they do not go over the top there are enough beer steins, taxidermy animals and dark wood to let you know it’s a German restaurant, in a good way.  The restaurant is family owned and has been in business since 1986.  The atmosphere is casual and should not make anyone feel out of place.  They have both a dining area and a pub room to try and promote a happy bar crowd.  Since we at Flavourgasmic are happy and typically like the bar crowd, the pub room is where we have dined.

Since neither Katt nor I are beer drinkers we are typically not impressed by beer selections.  I completely understand the draw to a good selection of beers for those that are beer aficionados.  Now to get a better understanding of the beer selection at the Bavarian Lodge know that this is the ONLY restaurant that Katt and I visit that we not only drink beer, but look forward to it.  Featuring a constantly changing selection of approximately 25 draft brews that come not only from Germany but from all over the world including exotic beers from North America.  In addition to the draft selection they feature an incredible selection of bottled beer from around the world as well.  Of course they also have a full bar if beer (even good beer) is not your thing.  For Katt and me the selection is simple, we drink the 1809 Berliner Weiss (bottled) with a shot of Raspberry Syrup.  This magical elixir, which is hard to come by outside of Germany, is known as Weiße mit Schuss (basically Weiss with syrup) and is typically made with either raspberry or woodruff syrup both of which are available at Bavarian Lodge.

If you are unsure of what to get I have found that the staff are very knowledgeable about their beer selection.  During our last visit they where out of Raspberry syrup at which the pleasant woman working behind the bar recommended I try the Berliner Weiss with a couple of ounces of the Lindeman Framboise which is a Raspberry Lambic.  Wow was she right, not only was the taste close to what I wanted it had the added benefit of being 100% alcohol, no syrup to dilute the happy juice.  Later in the evening when I drank them out of Berliner Weiss they again suggested a switch to the Franziskaner Weissbier which again was spot on.  If ever in doubt their website is constantly updated with not only what beers are currently on tap, but also what beers will be available soon.

But enough about the beer we came here to eat!  The food did not disappoint.  Certainly not fine dining, but if you came here expecting haute cuisine that you are missing the point.  This is good honest stick to your ribs heavy Germany food done well at reasonable prices.  You are almost guaranteed to not leave hungry.  I should make a brief mention that they do offer three Vegetarian entrees which I have not tried but I guess are there for that odd man out that got dragged to the German restaurant by friends.  They can of course enjoy their meal dinning under a stuffed raccoon!

For starters Katt and I have tried the Potato Pancakes, Wurst Platter, Tiroler Schnitzel Bites, and the Breaded White Cheddar Curds.  The savory potato pancakes are served with sour cream and apple sauce and are an ideal way to start a meal.  Just the right combination of sweet and savory to get your appetite kick started.  The Wurst Platter is a sampling of three types of German sausage all sliced and fried served with spicy horseradish German mustard.  The sausages were all well prepared and each offered a nice experience both in texture and flavour.  Paired with the horseradish mustard it’s another solid starter.  The Schnitzel bites are exactly that, small pork and beef schnitzels served with chopped onions and more German mustard.  For those unaware a schnitzel is just typically a boneless cutlet of meat that it breaded and fried.  This appetizer is a little heaver than the other two but equally as good, it’s fried breaded meat which is always a winner in my book!  The breaded white cheddar curds are Wisconsin white cheddar curds that have been breaded and fried.  Basically the Bavarian Lodge equivalent of the cheese sticks available at just about every restaurant and bar in the US.  Their version is very good but probably the least interesting item on the appetizer menu, which can be good if you want something easy to get you going or if you have a picky eater with you.  They are served with a roasted red pepper garlic sauce for dipping which is also very good.

As for entrees the choice was easy for me, I got the Sauerbraten.  Sauerbraten starts by marinating a cut of beef usually from the bottom round or rump for several days in vinegar and a host of spices.  The meat is then braised in the strained marinating liquid for hours after which the remaining liquid is made into a dark gravy thicken often times with gingersnaps.  The Bavarian Lodge’s version is excellent, the perfect balance of sour, sweet and savory.  The gravy is well seasoned and flavourful and makes the perfect compliment for either bread dumplings or Spätzle (both of which are done very well).  The only complaint I had about the meal was the red cabbage, which in my opinion was overly sweet.  Katt had the Bavarian Rouladen when is basically a beef steak that is wrapped around onion, carrot, celery, egg and sausage then baked and served with a peppercorn gravy.  While I cannot speak for Katt I know she did enjoy her meal but had the same comment about the red cabbage being too sweet.

All in all we have never been disappointed by a trip to the Bavarian Lodge.  The staff has always been gracious and extremely knowledgeable when it came to the selections and the beer.  The prices are reasonable for the food you receive with appetizers coming in around $7-$8 and entrees averaging $17-$18.  Beer on the other hand will not come cheap.  Their beer prices are not high but when you are drinking higher end beers prices start to go up.  Expect to pay around $70 for a couple with appetizers, entrees and drinks, of course you could dine on the cheap by not drinking, but where is the fun in that?  If you are in the south western suburbs of Chicago and looking for some good German food, check out Bavarian Lodge.