Road Tips

Kansas City Barbecue in the Chicago Tribune

A couple days ago, the Chicago Tribune featured an article on Kansas City Barbecue.  The article talked about the history of Kansas City style barbecue and also talked about some of the big names of barbecue in town, including Gates BBQ, Arthur Bryant's, and my personal favorite, Fiorella's Jack Stack.  It also talks about some of the lesser known and up-and-coming barbecue places in Kansas City.

There's also some recipes included in the article, as well as a series of photographs from some of the Kansas City area barbecue establishments.  And click here to see a streaming video interview with Ollie Gates, the son of the founder of Gates BBQ. 

The only problem I have with the article is that the author is geographically challenged.  She states that Kansas City is halfway between Texas and Memphis - two bastions of barbecue.  Well, last time I looked on a map, Little Rock, Arkansas, was halfway between Memphis and Texas.  Kansas City is directly north of Texas and northwest of Memphis.  But that's neither here nor there when you get into the "meat" of the article.

If you're reading the linked article around lunch time, don't blame me if your stomach sends out hunger pangs.  The pictures and the story made me want to get back to Kansas City as soon as I can.   

The Dakotas Trip - Part Two

For the first part of "The Dakotas Trip", click here.

As I was leaving Belle Fourche, SD, on my way to Devil's Tower National Monument, if occurred to me that I should have probably stopped and got some gas before I took off.  I took a quick look on the map to see if I'd be passing through some towns on the way, and I would be, so I wasn't worried. 

I got into Wyoming a little after 4:30 p.m. - the 38th state I've visited.  (I've yet to go to Oregon, Idaho, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Hawaii or Alaska.)  Almost as soon as I crossed over from South Dakota, the terrain became this beautiful mixture of small mountains and rolling valleys.  It was very pretty.

As I was driving along, I was wondering when I'd first see Devil's Tower.  As I began to gradually go down from one of the small mountains, I turned on a curve and right before me was this sight.  It was pretty cool to see. 

Now, I've always been a big fan of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  It's one of my all time favorite movies.  The climactic scene when the aliens come to meet the scientists takes place at Devil's Tower.  So, to me, it was sort of neat to see the thing off in the distance. 

Remember what I said about finding gas in the towns along the way?  Well, it turns out a lot of the towns are nothing more than settlements with just a few houses.  One town had a gas station, but it was closed.  I thought, "How in the hell do people get gas out here?"  With my gas gauge perilously close to "E" and my low gas light coming on, I forged on toward Devil's Tower. 

They have a visitor's center at Devil's Tower, but I didn't go in.  I stopped near the entrance to get this picture.  It was sort of a funny day.  There were clouds directly over the tower, but blue skies in the background.  It was difficult to get any type of a good picture in those lighting conditions.

The Devil's Tower monolith, some scientists speculate, was what was left over from an ancient volcano.  The igneous rock, which the tower is made out of, is harder than the shale and sedimentary rock that used to surround it.  Over the years, erosion washed away the softer rock around the tower, creating what we see today. 

I realized that I came in the back way to see Devil's Tower as there were some turnouts and overlooks miles up the road away from Devil's Tower.  Here's a shot from one of those turnouts.

Heading back toward civilization, my gas gauge was now directly on "E".  I was trying to conserve gas by going slow up the steep road, and then putting it into neutral as I went down the other side.  I was sweating bullets thinking that I was about to run out of gas in, literally, the middle of nowhere.  But as I turned a curve, I came to a long downhill stretch that took me right down to Interstate 90 and to a gas station outside of Sundance, Wyoming, where I put 17.4 gallons of gas into a tank that holds 16 gallons.  In other words, I went in on fumes. 

I passed back into South Dakota and decided to go to the gambling/tourist destination of Deadwood.  Deadwood was formed in the 1870's when thousands of people descended on the area during the Black Hills Gold Rush.  Famous for being a wide open city, Deadwood thrived on gambling and prostitution during the late 1800's.  Today, with the legalization of casino gambling in South Dakota, Deadwood has the most casinos in the state. 

But more than anything, Deadwood is a tourist trap - a small village nestled in a deep valley with casinos, t-shirt shops, as well as theme bars and restaurants.  I couldn't wait to leave the place.

Just down the road from Deadwood is Sturgis, SD.  Sturgis is famous for their annual Motorcycle Rally held in August.  I was there about two weeks before the rally this year.  This is a picture of what it looks like along Main Street when the rally is underway.

Here's what it looks like on a Wednesday evening when nothing's going on.  I'll have to say, there's not much to Sturgis.

I parked in front of the famous Original Road Kill Cafe.  I was hoping to be able to go in and have a beer in the place, but it was closed for the day.  Hmm...  Only 6:30 in the evening.  I understand they do have pretty good breakfasts there.

I went across the street to One Eyed Jack's Saloon to have a beer.  It's a pretty interesting place and, big, too.  I can see why it would be one of the favorite places for bikers to hang out at during Bike Week.  But just the main bar was open.  All the other parts of the bar were closed off.  Probably a good thing, as it was just me and a couple other people in the place. 

I headed off to Rapid City just in front of a thunderstorm that was barreling down on the city.  As I got checked and unpacked for the night, it was just pouring outside.  By the time I got back out to the SUV to go eat dinner, it had quieted down considerably, but a very neat lightning storm was going on to the east of the city.  Very cool, indeed. 

I had dinner that night at the Firehouse Brewing Company in downtown Rapid City.  It was excellent.  For my entry on the Firehouse Brewing Company, click here.

The next day, I went to see three accounts in town just to check things out.  The stores weren't much of anything, but the people were friendly.  There was some interest on their part with a couple lines I have.  And even though it's a long, long way from Davenport, I wouldn't mind putting on a dealer or two in Rapid City.

Rapid City is kind of a neat town.  The downtown area is very pretty and they have a number of statues of U.S. Presidents on the sidewalks.  Being a nut on Presidential history, I got out to walk around to see some of them.  This is a picture of Harry Truman's statue with him holding a copy of the Chicago Tribune declaring Thomas Dewey the winner in the 1948 election.

And it's good to see the United States Postal Service has a sense of humor.  Here's one of their new R2D2 postal boxes they unveiled earlier this year.  In the background is a statue of President Kennedy with his young son, John Jr.

In a park near the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, there was a memorial display of the Berlin Wall, complete with two sections of the wall.  They also had tank traps (those two things on the ground on either side of the wall), and a number of other items from around the Berlin Wall.  There was a walking tour that included information tablets on the history of the Berlin Wall, including pictures of the wall going up and, subsequently, going down in 1989.  They also displayed this sign that was on the American side of the wall.  It was all pretty cool to see. 

Of course, since I was close, I had to go out to Mount Rushmore, just south and west of Rapid City, near the small tourist town of Keystone, SD.  The road out to Mount Rushmore from Rapid City is all four lane, and it's a good thing.  There's a lot of campers and RV's on the road and they would have really been clogging up the lanes as it was slow going up some of the Black Hills. 

I passed this place, Bear Country USA.  I really wanted to stop, but I knew I had a long trip ahead of me.  Besides, this would be a place that Cindy would like to go and visit with me.  We're going to have to come out and visit this area sometime in the future.

Going into Keystone, there's this neat little rock tunnel you have to drive through.  There were a few tunnels like this throughout the Black Hills.

Keystone is a lot like Deadwood, minus the gambling casinos.  It's a tourist trap with very slow traffic, loaded with high-priced hotels, family restaurants and little shops.  I couldn't wait to get out of there, either.

Just a short drive down the road from Keystone, I turned a curve and there was Mount Rushmore right in front of me.  I parked the SUV in one of the many parking lots (8 bucks to park) around the visitor's center. 

Actually, the monument is pretty awe-inspiring.  The visitor's center area was packed with people from all over the world taking in the sight.  I understand their nighttime program just around sunset is pretty neat to see.  They have a large amphitheater and do a program where they end up lighting up the faces of the Presidents on the mountain.  Since I wasn't going to be around for that, I just took some pictures, stared at the mountain for a few moments and took off.  Still, it was pretty cool to finally see something in person that I've seen in books, magazines and on TV over the last 40+ years.

I was kind of bummed because it was cloudy as all get out up at Mount Rushmore, but when I got back to Rapid City, the sky had cleared and the sun was shining brightly.  I was hoping I'd get some shots of the monument in brilliant sunshine.  Oh well.  Next time, hopefully.

And from there it was on to Sioux Falls.  But I still had a couple more stops along the way.

(Next up - Wall Drug!)       

Hilton Milwaukee City Center - Milwaukee

On a trip to Milwaukee earlier this summer, I stayed at the stately Hilton Milwaukee City Center hotel for an evening. Located toward the west side of the downtown area (see map), the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is just across the street from the Midwest Airlines Center, which hosts a number of trade shows and conventions each year. 

It's also walking distance to the Bradley Center - home of the Milwaukee Bucks; and to the U.S. Cellular Arena, where the Marquette Golden Eagles play their basketball games.   And it's also a short walk to the Shops of Grand Avenue, and located close to the great restaurants and bars in the Old World - 3rd Street area.  (For a full map of the downtown Milwaukee area, click here.)

The hotel was built in the late 1920's by Walter Schroeder, a hotelier and insurance executive who sought to make his namesake hotel the most exquisite of its kind in not only Milwaukee, but in the Midwest.  At the time, it was the tallest building in Milwaukee rising up 265 feet and offer 811 rooms. 

The hotel was bought and renovated in the early 70's by the Marcus Hotels and Resorts corporation, which also owns the elegant Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, as well as resort hotels in the Lake Geneva area.  The Marcus Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds was built with a hefty donation from the Marcus corporation. 

Each room was enlarged, bringing the hotel up to date with then-modern conveniences.  The enlarging of the rooms brought the room count down to 500 rooms.  It became a Hilton property in the mid-90's and the Marcus' added 250 new rooms when the convention facility was built across the street.  Conventioneers can walk across the connecting skywalk to the Midwest Airlines Center without having to brave the elements in the cold Milwaukee winter.

The other big draw with the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is the Paradise Landing indoor water park - the first urban water park of its kind in the U.S.  This 20,000 square foot facility was built just a few years ago and is one of the hottest weekend family destinations in the Midwest.  It's based on a Jamaican-theme with four pretty good sized water slides. 

I parked my car in the adjacent parking ramp just to the south of the hotel.  Parking is a little steep for my taste - $20 bucks a night.  But because the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is so centrally located, you may find that you won't have to drive your car once you're there.

The hotel lobby is very classy, and refurbished in a 20's style with a lot of dark colors and stately furnishings.  It's almost like walking into the past when you come into the lobby. 

I got a pretty good deal for the night - $116 for a king bed room in the older part of the hotel.  And with it came a great view of downtown Milwaukee and the lake.  The room was somewhat large and roomy, but the funny thing was that it had no closet in which to hang clothes.  It thought that was sort of weird. 

I would have to classify the room as "tired elegance."  The bathroom was extremely small and the toilet was the old style without the tank on the back.  There was no sufficient counter space in the bathroom on which to place toiletries, but since it was just me, that was OK.  Now, if I was with my wife, that may be a big problem.

The Milwaukee Transit System bus line to Summerfest picks you up right on Wisconsin Ave. to the north side of the hotel.  For $2.00, it's a round trip to and from your hotel to the Summerfest grounds.  It's a great way to go for Summerfest. 

If I can continue to get the $116 a night rooms at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, I'll keep staying there on my trips to Milwaukee.  And if you're looking for a good place to stay in downtown Milwaukee for a weekend trip for yourself or with the whole family, try the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.  I'd go back. 

River Roots Live - Davenport

The 3rd Annual River Roots Live event will be held beginning tonight at LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport.  They've combined the River Roots Live with the annual River Rockin' Rib Fest after last year's River Roots Live turned out to be a monumental money loser. 

I worked the first River Roots Live in 2005, but wasn't asked to work the event last year.  This year, DavenportOne - the city's chamber of commerce arm - took over the event and are working with the River Music Experience to produce the event. 

I worked the annual Street Fest again this year - the 9th year I've worked the event as the stage manager and stage announcer - and I must have impressed Marcy Hyder, the new director of events for DavenportOne.  (It didn't hurt that Bob Dorr - the leader of The Blue Band - told Marcy I was the best stage manager of any locally produced event they've played at.)  She asked me to be the lead stage manager for the two stages that will feature performances this weekend.

At Street Fest, I am the stage manager, the stage announcer, an equipment guy, a bartender, a traffic cop, a janitor, a parking coordinator, a banker, and I have to be an asshole from time to time, especially when someone from the crowd wants to go up on stage with the band, or hang around with the bands behind the stage. 

At River Roots Live, I have a whole slew of local union stage hands and volunteers who will be working under me to do many of the jobs I do at Street Fest.  I don't even have to do announcements - they're supposedly having some of the local on-air radio talent come in to do that.  Other than making sure bands are ready to go, and having to pay them afterward, I don't have to raise a finger, much less my voice. 

Some of the bands that are playing this year are the old 70's rock/folk group America (right), who just came off a very successful summer tour headlining with Chicago; Tea Leaf Green, an up and coming jam band; Reel Big Fish, a fun "ska" band, the great Jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter; and the Headhunters, featuring Leo Nocentelli - an original founder of the great New Orleans band The Meters.  It's a pretty diverse music line-up, just as River Roots Live has proven to be over the first two years. 

The only problem is that it's been raining over the past week and the ground at LeClaire Park is very mushy.  As I write, we got 1.2 inches of rain last night and it's still coming down.  We're hoping that the rain gets out of here this afternoon and we get a respectable crowd for the show which starts at 5 p.m. tonight.  Tomorrow - when America, Charlie Hunter, The Headhunters and Tea Leaf Green will play - promises to be much better with sunny skies and much lower humidities than what we've experienced over the past three or four weeks.

There will continue to be rib vendors on site - although only 5 compared to the 8 to 10 we've had in the past for Rib Fest.  There will be no amateur contest to judge, but that's OK.  Quite honestly, a lot of the amateur rib cooks that participated - especially over the last couple of years - weren't all that great. 

I'm hoping for a good weekend and I'm sure I'll have pictures and some backstage stories to share with you later on.  

The Dakotas Trip - Part One

I put 2392 miles on a Toyota RAV 4 mid-sized SUV during my annual trip to the Dakotas last month.  Now, I don't really know if the trip can be categorized as a "cool drive", but I went to some places that I'd never been to before and saw some pretty neat things.

First of all, this picture was taken at a rest stop between St. Cloud and Fargo.  The term "spunk" comes from 19th century England as a vulgar slang for seminal fluid.  I just thought it was funny they'd have a rest area named after a funny name for semen.

Now, there's really nothing to see between Fargo and Bismarck, ND.  It's a couple hundred miles of land as far as the eye can see.  It's not quite the middle of nowhere, but the middle of nowhere is not far from there.

Being the geography geek that I am, I've made it a point to visit the state capitals of each of the 11 states I travel in for my job.  North and South Dakota were the last two I have never been to.  I stopped in Bismarck to call on a couple of accounts, but before I did that I went looking for the state capitol building.  Bismarck, while not very big, is a nice, clean little city.  It wasn't long before I saw a sign that said, "State Capitol Parking".  I pulled into the lot and expected to find a typical capitol building with a stately dome and columns out front.

This is the state capitol in North Dakota.  That's it - nothing more than a non-descript squat building with a high-rise next to it.  It wasn't very impressive.  The grounds around it looked nice.  They had a garden in front of the building that had "North Dakota" spelled out in flowers.  But other than that, it was pretty boring, architecturally.

Leaving Dickinson, ND the next morning to go to Rapid City, I took off west on Interstate 94 to cut down on U.S. Highway 85.  I didn't have to be there until that evening, so I decided to take some side trips along the way.  I noticed on the map the Theodore Roosevelt National Park was just down the road and I decided to go there.

As far as national parks are concerned, the Theodore Roosevelt park is pretty new - established in 1978.  Part of the park is an area which Teddy Roosevelt owned and visited on a number of occasions in the late 1800's before he became President of the United States. 

There's a large amount of wildlife at the park including buffalo, antelopes, elk, bighorn sheep and wild horses.  Here's a shot of a herd of wild horses that a guy pointed out to me that were across the road from where I was taking pictures of the landscape.  As always, click on the picture to enlarge. 

The scenery at the park wasn't all that breathtaking as much as it was surreal. The Badlands of the Dakotas are truly that - a vast area of rock formations formed by years of geologic pressure from natural elements.  There were some very pretty formations including this one on the right.  The red color on the side of the bluff was a vivid contrast to the green that surrounded it. 

In addition to the aforementioned wildlife in the park, there's a series of Prairie Dog Villages that are smattered along the roadside.  Here's a picture of a couple of the little critters alerting others in the village that another pesky tourist is taking their picture.

Here's another shot of a valley between two rock formations.  As desolate and foreboding the topography of the area was, there was also sort of a serene nature to it.  I can't really call it awe-inspiring like, say, the Rocky Mountains or the Grand Canyon.  But there was this beautiful calming effect the Badlands seemed to have. 

Here is a view from a lookout point as I was heading out of the park.  I thought this was pretty impressive looking given all the formations with the valley in the foreground.

At the gateway of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the small town of Medora.  Supposedly, Medora is the biggest tourist destination in the state of North Dakota.  It's basically been turned into an 1880's frontier town and it is a major tourist trap.  I have a dealer in Fargo who has told me a couple times now that I need to go out there with him to see the Medora Musical show they have each night in the summertime.  It's basically a Western musical that combines dancing, music and story telling of the old West.  I guess it's quite the production.

Medora is also the home of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, a pretty impressive structure near the main gate of the national park.  I didn't go in because I didn't want to waste any more time than I had going by going through the park and then driving around the tourist trap town of Medora.  Get me out of here!

Instead of heading back to Highway 85 to go south, I took a look on the map and saw that I was just about a half-hour away from Montana.  Being that I had never been in Montana before (I've been in 36 of the 50 states), I decided to run over there and dip my foot into the state and come back out. 

On my way to Montana, just seven miles from the border I saw this exit for Home on the Range.  It wasn't a town, it was basically a private exit for some big rancher out there.  I thought it was kind of funny.

I stopped at a rest area just inside the Montana line and picked up a state map.  I saw there was a state road that paralleled the border between the towns of Wibaux and Baker, MT.  I decided to take that south, then pick up U.S. Highway 12 to take me back over to Highway 85 and then south to Rapid City. 

You gotta love driving in the wide open spaces of Montana.  Speed limit on the two lane road I was on was 70.  There used to be a time when there was no speed limit on Montana's interstates - just a self-imposed speed limit of what is safe and prudent. 

Here's a neat butte I saw out in the middle of nowhere between Wibaux and Baker.  There were hundreds of these in the area with big valleys of hayfields and ranches dotted with oil wells.

Getting back into North Dakota and then subsequently getting down into South Dakota, the trip began to get kind of boring.  Here's a shot of the lonely road that is U.S. Highway 85. 

About the time I was starting to get real bored, I was just north of Belle Fourche, SD (pronounced Bell Foosh).  I saw this sign along the side of the road that said, "Center of the Nation".  Once again, being the geography geek that I am, I took off down this gravel road to stand at what would be the geographical center of the United States including Alaska and Hawaii. 

As I was driving, I saw a fenced in area in the middle of a field that I thought may be the area where they had a monument or marker for the center of the U.S.  Turned out it was nothing.  Just a fenced in area in the middle of a big field. 

Going down the road further, I got to thinking that I may have passed the marker.  I thought I'd go a little farther before I'd turn back.  Then coming over a small hill, there on my right was this sign - a crudely painted sign, at that - that signified that spot was the center of the nation.  I said out loud to no one, "That's it?  That's the designation for the center of the U.S.?"  I was laughing, thinking this was supposed to be a big deal - like the Four Corners monument where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado meet.

I got back into the SUV and headed down the road.  Along the way, I stopped to get this picture of an impressive thunderhead that was forming to the north and east of where I was.  There were storms popping up all around western South Dakota that afternoon, some with baseball sized hail.  I've seen tennis ball sized hail before, but nothing bigger than that.  And I'm not so certain I want to. 

I pulled into Belle Fourche and saw a historical marker regarding the center of the U.S. in front of the Belle Fourche Visitor's Center.  I went inside and looked around for a bit.  They had a fund raiser going on for a monument to be built for the center of the United States.  They had a big jar there and I threw five bucks in. 

There was a guy sitting behind a desk and I went up and asked him, "Is that sign out in the middle of nowhere north of here really the designation for the center of the United States?"

He sort of sheepishly acknowledged that, yes, it certainly was.  I said, "Well, I'm glad to see that you are doing a fund-raising drive to get a monument in place out there instead of that crudely painted sign."

He said, "Oh, the monument we're raising money for isn't going out there.  It's going out back here behind the tourism building." 

I said, "You're kidding me.  That's nearly 30 miles from the true center of the nation."

He said the true center of the nation is about 100 yards to the east of where the sign is, in the middle of a guy's field.  And the guy isn't too whippy on them putting a monument in the middle of his land.  "So we're just going to put it out back here."

I felt gypped.  I almost asked for my five dollars back.

Back into the car.  It was getting later in the afternoon now and I was just 50 miles from Rapid City.  I got to looking at a map and I saw that Wyoming was just over there.  And since I'd never been to Wyoming, I thought I'd go over, run in and run out, making it 38 of the 50 states I've been to.  But then I looked closer on the map and realized that not more than 50 miles away was Devil's Tower National Monument.  Being that I was that close, I couldn't just go into Wyoming and not see Devil's Tower.

(Coming up in The Dakotas Trip - Part Two: Devil's Tower, Deadwood, Sturgis, Rapid City and Mount Rushmore.)     

Back to Work

Well, it's back to work and back to writing again after a couple weeks of doing little to nothing during my vacation.  I had seriously planned on writing a lot of stuff during my time off, but my "give-a-damn" factor was pretty low. 

A lot of it had to do with the extremely hot and humid weather we've been experiencing in the Midwest over the past two to three weeks.  I think we've had our windows open once during that time period.  And they were quickly closed the next day when the humidity poured back into the region. 

I sat on the deck a lot, but did a lot of reading - catching up on a number of magazines that have sat in piles in my office over the past few months.  I did some cooking on the grill and smoker - everything from ribs and a brisket to doing my very own stuffed rolled pork tenderloin (right) that I'll probably write about in a later entry.  It was fun to make and great eating.

I swam in the neighbor's pool.  I did yard work.  I didn't get to sleep late - except on the weekends - because Cindy was getting up early to go to work.  And we went to the Iowa State Fair - and an entry on that will be coming shortly. 

Even though I didn't really do anything or go anywhere of large significance, it was still tough to get back to work yesterday.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because I just sat around home during my time off.  Frankly, I started to get a little bored.  Oh, Cindy had some "honey-do" stuff for me to do, and I did a few of them, but not all.  Once again, my "give-a-damn" factor was pretty low during the last two weeks. 

I'll start on some entries tonight and get some new and fresh material posted in the coming days.  Look for my trip to the Dakotas, the entry on the Iowa State Fair, and some recipes for things I cooked during my vacation.

Geez, it's almost like I need a vacation from my vacation...    

2007 Indy International Wine Competition

    Each year the Indy International Wine Competition is held in conjunction with the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis.  With a large number of wineries in the state of Indiana, the competition has become one of the largest international wine competitions in the United States.  My friend, Steve Somermeyer - who is an assistant winemaker at Chateau Thomas winery outside of Indianapolis, and one of the lead panel judges for the competition - sends along another synopsis of this year's results.  Since I've been lazy during my vacation, my thanks to him for essentially writing my blog entry for me today. 

 

    For information on last year's Indy International Wine Competition, click here, here, and here. 

 

    Take it away, Steve!

    The competition this year featured a significant change in leadership as Dick Vine retired and Christian Butzke succeeded him as Professor of Oenology at Purdue and also as Chief Judge at this competition.  Dick had a vast international network in the wine world, and without his gentle encouragement, a number of wineries did not participate this year.  Entry fees were increased to $60 (along with 3 bottles) which also dampened participation a bit.    

    Entries this year totaled almost 3300 which still places this competition in the top 2-3 in the country.

    There was a drop-off in the number of European entries while Washington state wines were more prominent.  Coincidentally, we spent 10 days in the Columbia Valley last October and were impressed at both the number of wineries and the quality of the wines we tasted.

    Christian also changed a number of the judges increasing the number of Indiana wineries represented.  While I was sad that a number of folks that I became friends with weren't present, I enjoyed making new ones.  I was again privileged to serve as a lead judge for a panel.  Initially, I was concerned when I discovered that for my other panel members it was their first time at Indy. But we quickly found common judging ground and enjoyed our 2 1/2 days together.  My panel consisted of a Florida oenology professor, Purdue President's Event Director, a scientist and winemaker from South Carolina, and the VP of R&D from E&J Gallo.  We also had judges from universities in Spain and Burgundy, as well as the author of Judgment in Paris.

    Christian also gave all of the judges a very common-sense definition for awarding medals:

   - If you wouldn't finish the glass, the wine probably doesn't deserve a medal.

   - If you would finish the glass, it warrants a bronze (B) medal.

   - If you'd have another glass and perhaps finish the bottle, it deserves a silver (S) medal.

   - If you'd go out to buy a bottle, it rates a gold (G) medal.

    As in previous years the panel majority decides what award a wine receives.  If a wine doesn't receive at least 4 bronze ratings from the 5 judges, it doesn't receive a medal.  If all 5 judges say gold, it receives a concordance gold (CG).  I actually search for those concordance gold wines and have never been disappointed.

62% of all of the wines entered won medals with 2% winning CG, 7.5% winning G, 27% winning S, and 26% winning B.  We encountered very few seriously flawed wines.  The overall percentage of wines winning medals is about the same as in previous years but there were slightly fewer gold medals awarded. 

    The Best of Show Wine was Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2004.  Their web site is still listing the '03 which retails for $25.

    The Best Red Wine was Barefoot Reserve Impression Meritage 2004 from Alexander Valley. $15

    The Best White Wine was St. Supery Virtu (Chard-Semillon) 2004. $28

    The Best Desert Wine was Gehringer Brothers Estate Okanagan Valley Riesling Icewine 2006 from Canada. $65/375ml

    If you'd like to explore all of the results, here is the website:

          http://www.indianawines.org/in.gov/awards/

   

    Some of the wineries that did very well has to start with two from Indiana:  Oliver and Chateau Thomas (where I "toil" as one of the assistant winemakers).  Oliver won 28 medals including 2 CG's and 5 G's.  Chateau Thomas won 31 medals including 2 CG's and 2 G's.  They're both close to Indianapolis, have great tasting rooms and the wines are obviously of high quality.  The 3rd Indiana winery of note, Huber near Louisville, won 16 medals including 1 CG and 3 G's.

    Well known wineries that did well included:

- Pedroncelli Winery - they entered 6 red wines and all medaled including a G for their '04 Sangiovese.

- Montevina - G for their '05 Amador County Barbera along with 5 additional medals

- Trinchero - CG for their '04 Main Street Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, a G for their '05 Cabernet along with 2 additional medals.

- Sutter Home - 8 medals including a G for their '06 Chenin Blanc.

- Valley of the Moon -  5 entries = 2 G's for '06 Sangiovese Rose' and '04 Syrah along with 3 S's.

- Kenwood Vineyards - 7 entries = 6 medals including a G for '06 Chardonnay.

- Cline Cellars - G for their '05 Castimere (Mourvedre, Syrah, & Grenache) + 4 additional medals.

- Zinfandel specialist Z-52 won 3 medals with 3 Zin entries including a CG for their '05 Truchard Vineyard Napa Zinfandel.

- Value brand 3 Blind Moose entered 4 wines with all of them winning medals led by '05 Cabernet Sauvignon winning a G.

- Australia's Alice White won 5 medals including a g for their '06 Shiraz.

- Robert Mondavi Private Selection won 4 medals with 4 entries including G's for '06 Pinot Grigio and '05 Cabernet Sauvignon.

- Toasted Head - 6 entries = 5 medals including G for '04 Cabernet Sauvignon.

- Turning Leaf entered 5 wines and won a CG for their '06 White Zinfandel, G's for '06 Merlot and '06 Cabernet Sauvignon, S for '06 Pinot Grigio, and B for '06
Sauvignon Blanc.

- Rancho Zabaco won a CG for their '04 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel along with 6 other medals.

- Mirassou won a G for their '04 Cabernet Sauvignon plus 2 other medals.

- Louis M. Martini not only won BOS for their '04 Napa Valley Cabernet but another CG for '04 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a S for their '04 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

- Gallo Family Vineyards won 10 medals with 10 entries including G's for their '05 Sonoma Valley Reserve Merlot and Twin Valley White Zinfandel.

- Barefoot Reserve - 12 medals from 13 entries including CG with '04 Alexander Valley Impression Meritage and G's with '05 Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

- EOS Estate Winery - 5 entries yielded 5 medals including a CG for their '06 Late Harvest Muscat Cannelli Tears of Dew and G for '04 Bordeaux blend French Connection.

- Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellar from the Finger Lakes in New York - Won 9 medals with 10 entries including a CG (Dry '06), 2 G's ('06 Semi-Dry and '06 Rkatsiteli), and a S (nv Celebre) with their Riesling specialty.

- Sonoma's Sunce Winery and Vineyard won 9 medals with their 11 entries including a G for their '05 Winemaker's Reserve Meritage.

- Napa's St. Supery always does well in Indy.  10 entries = 10 medals including 2 CG's: BOS White Elu Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Virtu and '06 Muscat.  G's were won by '04 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon '03 Cabernet Sauvignon Elu.

- Likewise V. Sattui Winery does well year in and year out.  8 entries yielded 8 medals including G's for '05 Napa Valley Merlot and '05 Crow Ridge Russian River Valley Zinfandel.

- Firestone Vineyards in Santa Barbra won on 3 medals - 2 CG's: '06 Vineyard Select Central Coast Riesling and '06 Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and a G:  '04 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah.

    Well known wineries from nearby states and Canada did well as they typically do.  Good wine is being made every where, so don't be afraid to give some of the following winery's wines a try.

- St. James in Missouri won 17 medals including a CG Riesling and a Gold Niagara Velvet White.

- Gehringer Brothers from Canada won 12 medals including BOS desert wine.

- Tabor Hill in Michigan won 15 medals including G's for '05 LMS Merlot and '06 LMS Riesling.

- Beachaven Winery from Tennessee (owned by friends Louisa and Ed Cooke) won 8 medals including G's for their '06 Riesling and '06 Viognier.

- Captain's Walk Winery in Wisconsin won 7 medals including G's for their '06 Chardonnay and '03 Sangiovese.

- Magnotta Winery from Canada won 16 medals including 4 G's:  '05 Special Reserve Cabernet Franc, '02 Grand Reserve Merlot, '02 Grand Reserve Carmenere, and '04 Limited Edition Riesling Ice Wine.

- Historic Stone Hill Winery in Missouri won 11 medals including CG for '06 Traminette and G's for '06 Vignoles, '04 Norton Port, and '06 Steinberg Red (their best selling semi-sweet red wine).

- Galena Cellars from Illinois won 16 medals including 2 CG's: '06 Cerise and '06 Blackberry.  They also won 5 G's:  '06 American Seyval, '03 American Merlot, '05 American Syrah, '06 Catawba County Rose, and '06 Cherry.

    Here are some new-to-the-competition wineries that did exceptionally well:

- Pacific Breeze Winery from Canada:  They entered 4 wines - Chardonnay, Syrah, and 2 Cabernets respectively winning a S, CG (with the '05 Syrah), and 2 G's for the Cabs.

- Winery at La Grange from Virginia:  They entered 3 wines and won a CG for their '05 Ameritage and G's for their Pinot Grigio/Viognier Cuvee Blanc and '05 Merlot.

- Merry Cellars from Washington:  6 entries with a CG '05 Twilight Hills Red Merlot, G's for '06 Semillon and '05 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Merlot, S for '05 Walla Walla Valley Merlot, and a B for '05 Walla Walla Valley Carmenere.

- Saint Laurent Winery from Washington:  5 medals from 6 entries including G's for '05 Wahluke Slope Chardonnay and '03 Bordeaux Blend La Boheme Blend.

- Three Rivers Winery from Washington:  3 entries = 3 medals including a G for their '06 Biscuit Ridge Gewurztraminer Late Harvest.

- Millsreef from New Zealand - Both entries won G: '06 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and '05 Reserve Merlot/Malbec.

    Cheers and Happy Wine Hunting!

    Thanx again, Steve!

Antonella's - Davenport

On a continuous quest for good pizza in the Quad Cities, we decided to try a restaurant that had been around for awhile - Antonella's in downtown Davenport (see map).  While the area has a number of pizza places, a lot of them suck.  (See my overview of Quad City pizza places here.)  With great pizza places in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and even up in Dubuque, you'd think the Quad Cities area would finally come up with a true thin crust, non-processed topping pizza.

We may have found it. 

According to their history page on their web site, Antonella's has been around since 1980.  But I only remember them in the Quad Cities since about 2000.  Their first location was in the old Dudley's Pizzaworks restaurant at Kimberly and Eastern in Davenport.  Three years ago, they moved downtown to their present location in a building that used to house Trattoria Tiramisu (another restaurant that we haven't been to for quite sometime) before they moved to Bettendorf.

Run by Giovanni and Antonia Sgro, Antonella's has quietly garnered a huge following in the Quad City area.  But it wasn't until the other night that we finally gave it a try.

We were in the mood for pizza and we'd talked about Antonella's on a couple of occasions.  We'd have friends who have said good things about the place and we thought we'd give it a try. 

It wasn't overly busy on a Thursday evening when we stopped in.  There was a large family of 14 having a pizza party, but only four or five of the other tables or booths were occupied.  Antonella's menu features not only pizza, but great Italian entrees and sandwiches.  They also have a number of nightly specials they offer each day they're open. 

We got our standard pizza - sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms.  They feature five sizes of thin crust pizzas - small (10"), medium (12"), large (14"), extra-large (16") and their "Big E" - a 20" pizza.  They also feature four sizes - small thru extra-large - of their pan or stuffed pizzas.   

We waited about 20 minutes before the waitress brought it out to us.  The crust was crispy thin, just as I like it.  The toppings were a little slim, but workable.  They did have the chunks of sausage on it, just as I like it, but there could have been more.  And the taste was very good.  While it wasn't the best thin crust pizza I've ever had, for Davenport and the Quad Cities, it had to rate up there as one of the best, if not the best.

We were talking to our waitress after the meal, a mid to late 50-ish lady who has waited on us before at other establishments.  She used to work at Trattoria Tiramisu when they were open in that location, and just stayed on at Antonella's when they came in because she lives in the downtown area.  She said their biggest drawback to the location is parking.  Even with a number of parking garages in the area, there's not many that are close to Antonella's.  And parking on the street around the place can be tough, especially on weekend nights.  (We were lucky - Cindy found a spot right in front of the place.)

While the atmosphere is casual at Antonella's, you can still go there for a romantic dinner.  They have a pretty good wine list and the entrees look plentiful and delicious.  We were pleased with the pizza at Antonella's and we definitely will be back.

The Food at Summerfest

Other than the music that draws crowds to Summerfest in Milwaukee each year, a lot of people go for the food.  And, boy, do they have the food.  Nearly anything you want, they have it at Summerfest.  I like to go for the music, but the food is definitely high on the list to try.

Unlike most fairs, a lot of the food at Summerfest borders on the eclectic.  You'll find such items as grilled chicken on foccacia bread, deep fried eggplant strips, and spinach cheese pies.  Oh, they have hot dogs and hamburgers, but the food at Summerfest is much more than that. 

Each year we'd go to Summerfest, our traditional first stop was to Crawdaddy's to have a "Gator on a Stick".  Basically, it's a sausage link made out of spicy pork and alligator meat with a kabob stick in the middle, then slathered with a tangy barbecue sauce.  We like to put some hot sauce on top of it and make it even more spicy. 

Keeping up with tradition, I did the same thing this year.  Here's a picture of what it looks like.  Paired with a cold beer, it's actually pretty damn good. 

After our initial foray into the food fare at Summerfest, it's whatever we feel like after that.  Like I say, take your pick.  There's traditional German food, Greek food, or Italian food.  If you want Thai or Chinese, they've got it at Summerfest.  Healthy food?  They have salads and chicken wraps available. 

One of my favorite stops is the Ethnic Village area on the north side of the grounds.  There, you'll find Mader's - the venerable old world German restaurant from downtown Milwaukee.  I always have to have a brat with sauerkraut from Mader's booth.  They use Usinger's brats (Usinger's is located just across the street from Mader's in downtown Milwaukee) and they boil 'em up and then grill 'em to give them that distinctive taste.  Served on a nice, chewy bun that isn't too big, you add a little German mustard on top.  Grab a beer to wash it down, and it's heaven. 

La Perla is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee and they have a booth at Summerfest, as well.  I went there to get a steak taco - very basic, steak in a tortilla.  The steak was overcooked and the tortilla was pretty limp.  I sort of remember the same thing happening the last time I tried one of their steak tortillas the last time we went up.  Note to self - skip La Perla's steak tacos next time. 

Cindy always liked the food at the Water Street Brewery at Summerfest.  It's more health food with chicken sandwiches and salads on the menu.  They used to have a fabulous muffaletta sandwich a number of years ago which they'd serve on the west side of the building.  It was very tasty.  But they discontinued selling it and it hasn't been back on the menu since.  Considering I had a muffaletta at Central Grocery, the original home of the sandwich in New Orleans, it was nearly on par with that.   

On the east side of the Water Street Brewery building at Summerfest, Louise's Trattoria - a local Italian bistro in Milwaukee - serves great sandwiches like a smoked turkey with gouda cheese on foccacia, and offers their signature cheese raviolis.  I've always wanted to go to Louise's restaurant downtown and I understand they now also have one out in the far west suburbs. 

Since Cindy wasn't with me during Summerfest this year, I stayed away from the healthy stuff.  Instead, I had a Greek Village gyro for lunch.  Actually, I was sort of upset at first - where the original Greek Village was near the Harley Davidson Roadhouse stage, there was now a place called Angelo's.  I thought, "Wow!  No more gyros at Summerfest!"

But when I went for my Sky Glider ride when I first got there after the grounds opened for the day, I looked down and saw the Greek Village tucked back in a sort of an out of the way area.  I got off the Sky Glider and went right there to get a gyro.  I asked the girl at the counter if they were the same people over by the Harley stage and she said they were.  She said this space had become available and they wanted to have a little more room, so they moved over to this location. 

And the gyro wasn't bad - it wasn't great.  I will tell you that we've had better gyros from the Greek Village in the past.  It was sort of like I had a gyro that was made the night before and then served at 12:30 in the afternoon the next day. 

But the traditional late night, last food of the day - usually when we were either leaving the Summerfest grounds, or getting ready to leave the place - is a fresh, hot burger from Major Goolsby's.  I like Major Goolsby's burgers at their downtown Milwaukee location, but for some reason the charcoal grilled burgers at Summerfest always taste a little better.  And the smell of the cooking burgers just permeates the south side of the Summerfest grounds.  It's all one can do to walk by the place without having a Goolsby cheeseburger.

And as I was leaving that afternoon, I decided to uphold tradition and have a Goolsby burger.  It was raining lightly, so I got a cheeseburger and stood under the awning at the Major Goolsby beer stand right next to the building.  I ordered an ice cold Miller Genuine Draft and devoured that cheeseburger.  It was so damn tasty.  It's especially great at 11:45 in the evening after drinking beer all night.  But at 3:15 in the afternoon, it was still excellent.

As I said in my previous post regarding Summerfest, a lot of changes have taken place in regard to the music acts over the past few years.  But the food at Summerfest is still one of the strong attractions that keeps bringing hundreds of thousands of people back to the lake front each year.  A lot of the bands may be lame, but the food is still pretty damn good for an event of this caliber.    

My Jambalaya

I recently heard from an old long lost friend who swore that he had seen my Jambalaya recipe on my blog at one point in time.  I have my Gumbo recipe on the blog site, but not the Jambalaya.  Both are similar, but the Jambalaya is more of a "stick to your bones" type of meal.  Some people may think it's too warm out for Jambalaya, but good Jambalaya can be eaten any time of the year.  Here's my recipe:

My Jambalaya

1 pound smoked ham, cubed
1 pound chicken breasts or chicken fingers, cubed
1 pound Andouille sausage links, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 cups celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon Tabasco
3 cups white rice

Using a six quart pot, pour olive oil onto the bottom to coat thoroughly, and heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until nearly brown.  Add ham and sausage. Cook until just browned. Remove browned meat from the pot and set aside on paper towel.

Pour a couple tablespoons of oil into the bottom of the pan and heat.  Add the onions, celery and bell peppers. When the vegetables begin to caramelize, add the garlic and continue cooking a few minutes more until the garlic is soft. 

Add the meat back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock and stir, making sure you get the cooked bits of veggies and meat off the side of pot.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season using sea salt, celery salt, pepper, and Tabasco.

 

Add the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover and let cook thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.  You may have to add some more chicken broth to keep the rice moist.  Add in the green onions and parsley and stir together.  Turn off heat and cover jambalaya.  Let the jambalaya sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

 

Now - if you want SEAFOOD Jambalaya, here's what you need to do.

 

Get 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

 

Boil the shrimp until done and add to individual bowls of Jambalaya as needed. 

 

You can freeze the Jambalaya with the chicken, sausage and ham, but the seafood can't be frozen and rethawed.  It's best to make the shrimp added in, if you like.  That way, any left over Jambalaya can be refrigerated or frozen for eating later on.

 

Bon Appetit!

Patrick McGovern's Pub - St. Paul

I was in the Twin Cities a few weeks ago calling on accounts and I offered to meet one of my dealers for dinner as we couldn't get together during business hours.  He suggested an Irish pub in downtown St. Paul called Patrick McGovern's Pub (see map).

Patrick McGovern's in downtown St. Paul.

I'm not overly familiar with downtown St. Paul, not like I am with Minneapolis.  But with the new Xcel Energy Center just down the street, the area has become revitalized over the past few years. 

Patrick McGovern's is run by Patrick Boehmer, who has owned the place for 34 years.  Patrick McGovern's started as a small corner Irish pub, then took over the space next to it just to the south a few years ago.  Recently, they expanded to an outside patio area with a full service bar.  They also have a party/meeting room upstairs for receptions or parties.

Actually, we were going to meet there for dinner on a Wednesday night, but it turned out that Elton John was playing at the Xcel Energy Center that night.  My dealer said, "It's going to be a zoo downtown if we go.  Let's do it on Thursday night."

So, we did.  I got to Patrick McGovern's around 7 p.m. and sidled up to the bar and grabbed a Summit Extra Pale Ale.  The bar area has a very warm feel to it, heavy on the dark walnut paneling.  The bar, itself, looks to be well worn - possibly older than the 34 years Patrick McGovern's has been around.

Due to traffic (the main roads around the Twin Cities always seem to be under construction), my dealer didn't show up until about 7:30.  We sat at the bar and talked for about a half hour before we retreated to a booth in the half-full bar area for dinner.

Patrick McGovern's menu is varied with steaks, burgers, pork chops and ribs.  They also featured a number of comfort food items on the menu.  One that jumped out at me was the meat loaf on sourdough bread, with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.  I was a little hungover from going to the Twins game the night before, I thought I needed to have a "stick-to-your-ribs" meal.

My dealer ordered his favorite - Jalapeno Halibut sticks.  They're basically halibut filets cut into fingerling sizes, then dredged in a breading with chunks of jalapenos and deep fried.  They sounded good, but I stuck with my meat loaf.

And the portions were huge.  The waitress brought me a huge piece of meatloaf - close to a pound of meat - on a large slice of homemade sour dough bread, with the mashed potatoes and it was all topped with a great beef gravy.  Oh, it was a spot hitter.

Total bill with our food and beer came to just over $40 with a tip.  It was a lot of food for not a lot of money. 

There's plenty of parking in the immediate area in the form of parking ramps just to the west of the place.  If you're up in the Twin Cities and want a change of scenery from downtown Minneapolis, Patrick McGovern's Pub is a great place for a cold beer and a good meal. 

Vacation!

I'm on vacation the next two weeks.  Where am I going?  NOWHERE!

Since Cindy used up her two weeks of vacation this year for her trip to Europe, then her subsequent sick days from her appendix surgery, she can't go anywhere while I'm off these two weeks.  Oh, we're going to the Iowa State Fair to see The BoDeans and The Blue Band on the 17th, but that's it.

All I'm doin' is sitting on my deck, reading a stack of magazines that I've been saving up for the vacation.  I'll be going back and forth between the deck and the pool in our neighbor Barb's back yard.  And I'll be doing my best to drain the beer fridge.  It will be nice not having to get in a car and travel somewhere - considering that's what I do for a living.

And I'll be posting some entries on the blog regarding some trips I took recently, along with some places I've eaten at, and events I've attended.  Thank God for wireless internet so I can sit on the deck and work on the blog.  But it's supposed to be in the mid to upper 90's this week, so I may be in the pool more than on the deck.   

I love vacation.

Ponak's Mexican Kitchen - Kansas City, MO

I love Mexican food and I don't seem to eat it all that much when I'm on the road.  The problem is that most of the great places in a given area are usually only known to the locals.  All the touristy places - the chains - are OK, but not what I'm looking for in Mexican food.  I want real, authentic Mexican.  And they're usually in places that are tough to find.

Fortunately, on my last trip to Kansas City, a couple of the guys from one of my dealers took me to Ponak's Mexican Kitchen, southwest of the downtown Kansas City area right near the I-35 overpass (see map).  Ponak's is owned by John Ponak.  I know, you're thinking - How can a guy with a Croatian name cook great Mexican food?  Actually, it was John Ponak's Mexican grandmother who started the restaurant.  He took it over about 20 years ago and continues to run it today (when he's not at his second home in Florida).

One of the guys I was with knew John Ponak from years before and said he liked to drink his beer.  I was told, "Just like all of us, I'm sure he's slowed down." 

Well, not me...

Ponak's interior is more reminiscent of a Northwoods lodge with a lot of knotty pine walls and basic tables and chairs.   There's a bar area as you walk in - that's the smoking area - and then the main dining room is to the left of the bar area. 

We sat down at a table in the half-filled dining room.  It was around 8:15 in the evening and I understand that Ponak's can get pretty busy during lunch and dinner.  Since it was a Wednesday night, it wasn't too bad.

We were given a basket of homemade chips and some of their spicy and tangy homemade salsa.  They were very good.  The guys told me their margaritas were very good and I ordered one of those.  One of the other guys said, "Why don't we just get a pitcher?"  So we did.

There's a lot of authentic Tex-Mex food on the menu.  I was looking at a lot of different things, including their deep fried shredded beef flour tacos, pork enchiladas, and chili rellenos.  I couldn't make up my mind as to what I wanted, so I ordered all of them al a carte. 

One of the guys got the combo fajitas - shrimp and beef.  The other guy ordered a combination platter of a burrito, enchilada and a beef tostada.  Refried beans and rice came with the meals. 

After we polished off the pitcher of margaritas, the waitress came back and asked if we wanted another.  I said, "Well, if you guys want another one, that's fine.  But I'm going to have a beer."

I asked the waitress if they had Sol, and she said they did.  One of the guys said, "Sol?  I've never had that before.  Is it good?"

I said, "I like it better than Corona and it's more authentic than Corona, I think."

So, he ended up ordering one, as well.  And bowing to peer pressure, the other guy said, "Well, sign me up, too." 

Almost simultaneously, the food and the beer showed up.  Served on huge plates, the portions were large, but manageable.  I dug right into my deep fried shredded beef flour taco.  I'm a sucker for deep fried flour tacos.  The shells puff up and they're so light and tasty.  The shredded beef was seasoned in a machaca-like style with chiles, cumin and garlic.  It was wonderful.  As was the pork enchilada.  It wasn't all that large, but the pork filling was tender and flavorful.  And the chile relleno was very good, as well. 

Our bill for the three of us with the margaritas and a couple beers each came to just under $50 bucks with tip.  A lot of food and good drinks for a little bit of money. 

There's a lot of good Mexican restaurants in the area around Ponak's, but according to one of my guests it's the best of the best.  Not having tried some of the others yet, I'm going to have to take his word for it.  Ponak's Mexican Kitchen was damned good.  I highly recommend giving it a try if you're in the greater Kansas City area.  And I'll be back, you can bet on that.      

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon

When I had some friends over for the beef brisket when Cindy was in Europe, I wanted to make an appetizer that was sort of unique.  I started to look around on the internet and saw a number of stuffed jalapeno recipes and decided to do something above and beyond what I found.  So I came up with the following recipe - Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon.  It's pretty easy to do.  And I included step-by-step pictures along with the recipe.

12 full-sized jalapenos

1/2 lb. Italian sausage uncooked

1 cup grated Mozzarella or Italian-blend cheese

4 to 6 slices of uncooked bacon

You can either cook these in the oven, or on a Weber grill over indirect heat.  Either way, make sure the oven or the Weber grill is heated up to 350 degrees (F).   

Clean the jalapenos under running water and pat dry.  With a pairing knife, cut a triangular wedge out of the top of the jalapeno.

Clean all the seeds out of the jalapeno (the seeds are what causes it to be real hot).

Take some of the Italian sausage and place it in the pepper.

Cover with the grated cheese.

Cut the bacon into thirds or halves. Wrap and secure with toothpick.  You can use the toothpick to pick them up off the plate.

I did these on the Weber grill and let them cook for about 30 minutes, making sure the sausage was cooked through and the peppers were soft, but not mushy.  I'm telling you, these things went so fast between the six guys at the dinner, I didn't have time to take any pictures.  They turned out damn good.  They had a little spicy kick to 'em, but nothing bad.

Easy to make, fun to eat.