What Happened to Food Network?

I know I'm not the first one to question the direction Food Network has been moving in, but something I saw recently on a replay of Chopped bugged me enough that I decided to put my thoughts out there on the topic.

Now, before I go and say my piece, let me give you a little bit of perspective as to what my history is with Food Network. I feel like I was an early adopter of the whole food TV thing. I can remember watching Bobby Flay cook before he was even part of the Food Network. Ready, Set, Cook (est. 1995) was an early favorite of mine during my teenage years. So, while I'm not an expert on food by any stretch of the imagination, I've been watching Food Network for close to two decades now and feel like I have spent enough time with the network to comment on where it was and where it's going.

Even though I never had any designs of cooking professionally, I always had an interest in food. However, were it not for my early obsession with Bobby Flay (and slight crush on Jacqui Malouf) I might never have started cooking on my own as early as I did and with the confidence I did. And while I was gaining the confidence to give cooking a shot for myself, I was also learning about a whole slew of new and exotic ingredients I would have never otherwise have heard of. A tomatillo --- in 1996 --- what the hell was that? Well, now I knew. And even if I didn't know what specific ingredients tasted like, I knew what kind of dishes I saw them being added into and that helped me come up with ideas for my own recipes later on in life. That's why I loved Food Network. That's what made it fun. I was gaining real knowledge that I could apply in my own kitchen.

Come to present day and Chopped is one of the few shows I still enjoy watching on Food Network. You get to see culinary creativity at it's finest while learning a little bit about all kinds of crazy ingredients. Do I care how someone makes a dish with leftover nachos? Not really, but the show as a whole is usually entertaining and semi-educational. For those of you not familiar, Chopped is a cooking contest in which 4 contestants are matched up against each other and they all must create a dish using the mystery ingredients found in a basket before each round. There are 3 rounds with one cook being "chopped" after each.

The other day one of the mystery ingredients they had was referred to as "sour beer". As a beer geek and a long time fan of Food Network this really bothered me. Sour beer is more of an umbrella term for a type of beers and not a specific beer style itself. The beer geek in me immediately thought "Cool. I wonder what type of sour beer?," but I never got an answer. Was the sour beer a  Lambic, Gueuze, Flanders Red Ale, Berliner Weiss, Gose? What was it?! I wanted to know, but more than that I would have liked the Food Network to tell us. I would have liked them to take the opportunity to educate their viewers about one of my favorite topics. Why would they even use such a broad term like that to describe an ingredient. When they have something like Blue Foot Chicken as an ingredient they don't refer to it as blue poultry and then fail to give any type of description. So, why do that with beer? Why not do what they used to do so well and educate us, even if it's just a brief sentence or two about "sour beer"? I used to be hopeful that Food Network would someday have a show that taught us about beer, but if this was any indication of what might be offered then forget it.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night by any means, but as far as food/beer and Food Network is concerned the complete lack of teaching that goes on these days is frustrating. Even Alton Brown, producer behind maybe the most educational show (Good Eats) in Food TV history is guilty of the continued bastardization of the channel. His newest show Cutthroat Kitchen is downright pitiful. In what is one of 50 billion cooking competitions now airing on the channel, the contestants on Cutthroat Kitchen have $25,000 that they can use to buy weird ingredients or implement weird rules for a fellow contestant to work with. One episode had someone cooking with oven mitts on. Another had someone forced to make tools out of aluminum foil. How is any of that applicable to the home cook? How does that help today's 15 year old version of me get an understanding of what cooking is and how it can be approached. It doesn't and it's a shame.

Food Network, once upon a time you were awesome. You brought me and plenty others into your world with simple shows about Food and free of gimmicks. Please, get back to that simple MO before you're so long gone there's no hope. And if nothing else, when beer is an ingredient on one of your shows it'd be nice if you could give it its' due. Sour beer is much more than simply sour.

Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore

Last week I received a review copy of Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore from my friends at MinxEats. I haven't had a chance to read it from front to back quite yet, but what I have read left my very impressed and I'd like to share my thoughts with you. If you're reading a food blog, chances are this book is right up your alley.

My favorite part of the Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore is the way it's organized. Each geographic region of Baltimore and Baltimore County are broken out and within each region the restaurants are listed by Foodie Faves, Landmark Restaurants, and then a final section for Specialty shops, Markets and Producers. This clean and concise way of organizing things makes it very easy to hunt down restaurant ideas.  If you know you're going to be a near Little Italy, for example, a quick perusal of the book will give you all kinds of ideas for potential destinations.

Another thing I like about this book, and one in which I'm not sure was planned or not, is the small size of the book. If you wanted to leave a copy of the book in your center console so that you have it at the ready when you're out and about, Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore doesn't take up much space at all.

Another few areas of interest to me is the breakdown of all the local brewpubs and breweries, list of fellow Baltimore area bloggers, and a section full of recipes from local restaurants.

If you know someone who likes searching out new and exciting places to eat throughout the area, this book is a must have. It's packed full of information that will have you discovering new favorites and revisiting old favorites throughout Baltimore.

Basta Pasta

This past weekend I decided to take a chance on a restaurant I've been driving by almost since the day I moved to Baltimore (nearly 7 years ago). Basta Pasta has intrigued me for ages, but because it's located in what I'd classify as the middle of nowhere (you might call it Fallston), I've never quite managed to make a visit. I'm very happy I found the motivation to make the drive this past Friday because Basta Pasta was one of my favorite restaurant experiences in recent memory.

The first thing you'll notice when you walk into the restaurant is how homey Basta Pasta feels. The dining room isn't tiny, but it's not overly big either. It's kind of like the third bowl of porridge....just right! Really bringing the home vibe to the forefront is a large fireplace in the center of the back wall. Throw in some classic Frank Sinatra music and the mood is set for a great night at an Italian restaurant.

Anytime I visit an Italian restaurant for the first time, I know what I'm ordering before I even open the menu. I've been a Chicken Parmigiana aficionado since way back. There is no easier way to gauge the quality of the restaurant than to try out the dish I know best.

Happily, and possibly still a bit full from the dinner I had 4 days ago, I can say that Basta Pasta serves up a mean variation of Chicken Parm. You're served 3 pieces of perfectly breaded chicken, smothered in mozzarella and a covered delicious marinara sauce. You will really love the marinara. I'm used to getting more of a "salsa" type of marinara with bits and pieces of tomato found throughout, but this sauce is very smooth and gravyesque. Fettuccine is served on the side along with a bowl of salad and bread sticks. There is no question you will leave with a full stomach and a full to-go bag. The portions are huge and that's fine by me as my leftovers made for an awesome lunch the following day. Also, I'm happy to report that the pasta was cooked al dente!

My girlfriend decided to try the Chicken Piccata. I've never been a huge fan of Piccata because it always seems like the sauce is super liquidy. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and a maybe a product of being a wine based sauce, it just never appealed to me. This was different. You can tell from the picture how thick the sauce was and for the first time I found a Piccata I was interested in trying more than just a bite or two. The capers they included in the sauce added some nice salty bites here and there and my girlfriend was thrilled that they cut up fresh mushrooms for the sauce instead of adding the little rubber canned things you sometimes find.

Basta Pasta may be a bit of a drive, but it's well worth it. I imagine driving through the country roads during the summer while the sun is setting is a beautiful thing. One night when you feel like taking it easy and want to enjoy the country scenery you'll find Basta Pasta as the perfect place to end your trek outside of the fast paced city.

Price: Upper end of Average

Recommendation: Put this on your "to-visit" list
What to order: Chicken Parmigiana

Manhattan Grill

The season might have ended three or four weeks ago, but I just received my winnings from this year's fantasy football season over the weekend. To celebrate, I decided to take my girlfriend out for dinner. Being the attentive boyfriend I am, I took her to Manhattan Grill as she mentioned she'd like to try it out the last time we drove by.

Manhattan Grill is split between a sports bar and regular restaurant. The bar is completely separate from the restaurant, which I thought was nice touch. If there is a big game on I'm sure the bar can create a bit of noise, but if you aren't into sports or just feel like relaxing the restaurant is a perfectly quiet place to enjoy a nice dinner.

On the drive to the restaurant I had all intentions of ordering a steak, but after looking over the specials I quickly changed my mind.  Chipotle aioli dipping sauce combined with my love for any and all things spicy made for a very easy decision when we ordered the Cajun onion rings as an appetizer.

Unfortunately, the onion rings let us down. While the breading tasted good and had a spicy punch they were simply over breaded. After eating 4 or 5 of these things I was already feeling full and believe me when I say that's not normal for me. The chipotle aioli, what I was most excited about regarding the appetizer, didn't add very much to the party either. In my eyes, it was like eating mayo that was slightly tinted red. The chipotle flavor was nowhere to be found. 

I wasn't too bummed about the lackluster rings though. Coming shortly was my dinner and I was seriously excited to dig in. Key Lime BBQ grilled chicken had my name all over it. I've been trying to eat sensibly lately and the opportunity to eat grilled chicken full of flavor sounded perfect. Once again, I found myself seriously let down. The chicken was cooked perfect and was as juicy as you'd like, but the Key Lime BBQ sauce was absolutely boring. When you read Key Lime on a menu, you're instantly thinking bright tart flavor and there was no citrus presence at all. And that tang you expect in a BBQ sauce was nowhere to be found either. The baked potato I ordered on the side was fine, but a potato is a potato. Overall, my meal was a serious sleeper and a big disappointment.

The one redeeming feature of our meal was the Brazilian Steak Salad my girlfriend ordered. They lived up to the "grill" in Manhattan Grill and really cooked a tender piece of meat . Paired with fresh bleu cheese crumbles and fresh slices of avocado the salad was the highlight of the night.

Overall, the food experience at Manhattan Grill was kind of "meh". I wouldn't totally write them off in the future, but I'm not itching to go back either. If I were to find myself back at Manhattan Grill, the steak seems to be the way to go judging from how well the meat was cooked on the Brazilian Steak Salad.

Price: Upper end of Average

Recommendation: If you're in the area give it a shot.

What to order: One of their steaks.

R&R Taqueria

Not that long ago a new Mexican restaurant opened inside the cafeteria at White Marsh mall. Considering I work within walking distance of the mall, I often find myself meandering through the cafeteria looking for something good to eat on days I forget to pack a lunch. I struck gold when I decided to take a chance and try the R&R Taqueria.

Ever since the day I tried their food I've been telling everyone I can they need to try this place out. If you like Mexican food, it's a must eat as far as I'm concerned. Apparently, I'm not the only who feels this way. As I was putting my order in yesterday, I noticed a big poster in the background touting the fact that the R&R Taqueria will be featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on February, 27. Unbeknownst to me, the location in White Marsh isn't the only R&R restaurant in the Baltimore area. They also have a restaurant in Elkridge in a Shell gas station.

At this point, the only thing I've ordered is the steak burrito. I think what makes their food stand out is the fact that they cook everything to order. Their isn't a whole bunch of grilled chicken or steak sitting in a bin waiting for customers to come along and order. The steak is tender and tastes delicious when combined with the fresh onion and pepper they fry along with it. The pinto beans they top the burrito off with are (to steal a phrase from Guy Fieri) "out of bounds". Beyond creamy is how I like to describe them.

As good as the burritos are, after take a looking at their to-go menu I know know I'll have to venture off and try the rest of their menu ASAP. They have tortas, tacos, huaraches, and a variety of platters. The chili relleno platter and the R&R Tacos Enchilados (lamb tacos!) have my name all over them. Did I mention that the most expensive thing on their menu is less than 10 dollars? I think I might starting "forgetting" my lunch a lot more often now that I have a place like this within walking distance. Even if you can't walk to the R&R Taqueria, don't let the distance get in between you and this sublime Mexican food. It's fantastic.

Price: Cheap

Recommendation: Visit ASAP

What to order: Steak Burrito

Update: I recently went back to R&R after purchasing a Groupon and have a whole slew of new recommendations. You're going to need more than one visit to get an appreciation for all this place has to offer. Their flautas are excellent. They are super crunchy on the outside and filled with tender chicken on the inside. Dip them in their red and green salsas and you're in for a really nice Mexican treat. I was also highly impressed with their lamb tacos. Simply dressed with raw onions and cilantro these tacos will instantly change your mind about what a taco should be. Lastly, they had a lamb soup that blew my mind. It may have been served from  Mexican joint but it reminded me of a mix of beef barley soup and something you'd get at an Asian restaurant. It had a very flavorful and rich beef broth, tender shredded lamb, cilantro, chives, and a little bit of onion. Don't hesitate to try this soup out.

Toss {A Gourmet Pizzeria}

Last night, my girlfriend and I decided to cash in on a Groupon we purchased a bit ago. Having never heard anything about this place we headed out to try our luck at Toss. They are located just a bit past The Senator Theatre heading into the city if you're familiar with the area. Keep your eyes peeled as your driving because the outside of the restaurant is very nondescript. I was looking for the restaurant and still didn't catch it. Luckily, I have girlfriend with eyes that work.

The inside of the restaurant is pretty simple. I did a quick count of seats and right now there is room for 30ish guests. We didn't have a problem getting a table as we walked in at just the right time, but I can imagine a bit of a wait on weekend nights. The inside of Toss is decorated with what I'm guessing is local art that you can buy if you're so inclined. Just be careful not to get grease prints on your new painting after eating the pizza. The ordering process is pretty informal. You put your order in at the front register, find a seat, and wait until someone brings the food. Despite having a full house, our food was brought out very quickly.

One thing to keep in mind if you're heading out with a couple of friends is that Toss is a BYOB establishment. I've never actually participating in a BYOB restaurant, but I like the idea. Nine times out of ten buying an entire 6 pack is only slightly more money than the average beer at a restaurant. And most importantly, you aren't a slave to someones beer list and can drink whatever your heart desires.

So, how was the pizza you ask? Probably a pretty good question considering we're talking about a pizzeria,right? Unfortunately, I don't have that answer for you. I was looking for something a little lighter and we ended up trying out a few of their sandwiches and hummus.

Scooped on top of a lettuce leaf and with a kalamata olive garnish and a plate full of warm pita bread, the hummus was delicious. My favorite way to eat hummus is warmed through and while their version was served at a slightly cool temperature, I still enjoyed it. There is more than enough hummus to make 4 people happy. It looked to me like they put a little extra kalmata olive juice over top and it gave a good salt presence that otherwise may have been missing. And they don't go overboard with the garlic while presenting a very simple yet delicious appetizer.

For dinner, I went with their Italian Steak sandwich. It's served on a toasted bun that may or may not have been homemade, but was excellent nonetheless, topped with steak, mozzarella, onions, green pepper, lettuce, tomato, and creamy Italian dressing. Mediterranean fries are served on the side.

I loved my sandwich. The steak was tender and the creamy Italian dressing was just a tad sweet and brought the whole thing together. As I mentioned earlier the bun they serve the sandwiches on is very good. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, the bun might very well have been the star of the show.

They call them "fries", but they are more in the mold of potato wedges. They were fried just right, but the seasoning left them kind of bland. They put paprika or something on them, but I would have been happier with basic salt and pepper. But whatever, the sandwich was huge and I was more than happy with that. 

My girlfriend decided on the Gerty's Turkey sandwich. Served on the same roll, it was topped with turkey, mozzarella, red onion, roasted red pepper, pesto sauce, lettuce, and sun dried tomato. It doesn't mention specifically in the menu, but I think the sun dried tomato was include via a mayo. The feedback I got about this sandwich was that between the pesto, sun dried tomato mayo, and roasted peppers it was kind of flavor overkill. She took the peppers off and after that she more than enjoyed her dinner. The bite or two I had of her sandwich left me impressed. If you're into big flavors, this sandwich definitely delivers on that.

At the end of the night we both agreed that this was a restaurant we'd be visiting again. The fact that we went to a pizzeria and were as impressed with our selections despite them not being their signature dish left us planning our next visit before we'd even left. The food is served quick, hot, and tasting good. Without a doubt we'll be back in the near future to try the pizza and I suspect we'll even bigger fans of Toss than we already are.

Price: Average

Recommendation: Visit ASAP

What to order: Italian Steak Sandwich