January 26, 2010 by patrickmazur
Salami Sandwich
Name: Salumi Artisan Cured Meats
Location: Seattle, WA
Meal: Salami, Mozzarella, and Sweet Pepper Sandwich and Porchetta Sandwich
Type: Italian
Seattle is home to a number of great restaurants and meals but you wouldn’t assume that would include world-class charcuterie. The mythos behind the restaurant is that it is run by Mario Batali’s father who, after retiring from Boeing, wanted to learn the art so he traveled to Italy and trained with a master. He returned and opened up shop; a master in his right now. There is no debating that Salumi is now on the short list of Seattle foodie attractions. I had heard stories of the lunch lines (entire store hours 11am-4pm) so I walked over from my hotel and arrived a half hour before they opened their doors and was already third in line. By the time the doors would open, 25-30 people would be queued up to pay their respects to the pig. Continue Reading »
Posted in Italian | Tagged Sandwich, seattle, Italian, lunch, Pork, salumi, salami, porchetta, batali, charcuterie | 1 Comment »
January 21, 2010 by patrickmazur
Volt Restaurant
Name: Volt
Location: Frederick, MD
Meal: Salad, Pork Belly Burger, Fries, and Apple Crisp à la mode
Type: New American
My trip to Volt was only my second trip to the restaurant of a celebrity chef and I must say that my expectations were met yet again. I am actually lucky enough to pass through Frederick, MD at least a few dozen times a year as it lies between my home and that of my parents. Being the big Top Chef fan that I am, I knew that I was going to have to visit Volt as soon as I heard a contestant on the show was coming from Frederick. Much has already been made of the dominance the Voltaggio brothers showed on the show but Brian and Kevin were my early picks so I was glad to see him still in competition when I visited in early November. Continue Reading »
Posted in Fine Dining | Tagged frederick, french fries, lunch, top chef, salad, burger, Volt, Voltaggio, Pork Belly, Fries, Apple Crisp, dessert | 2 Comments »
December 7, 2009 by patrickmazur
Park Diner Slider
Name: Park Diner
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Meal: Breakfast Sliders, batter bit potatoes, and coffee
Type: Diner
St. Cloud offers its visitors a number of different things. The Granite City has the Mississippi River, solid Midwest character, and some great company. I was happy to be taken to Park Diner; on the west side of town this throwback diner is a silvery slice of Americana. As any good diner should, they serve breakfast all day so I was more than happy to oblige them at noon, on a Monday.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Diner | Tagged breakfast, coffee, Diner, minnesota, potatoes, Sandwich, slider, st.cloud | Leave a Comment »
November 9, 2009 by patrickmazur
Italian Beef
Name: Portillo’s
Location: Greater Chicago
Meal: Multiple (Italian Beef, Chop Salad, Garbage Salad)
Type: Local Restaurant
Portillo’s is one of my favorite restaurants when it comes to Chicago food. What they do best, is doing so many things well. Not only do they serve one of the best Italian Beef sandwiches around, they also serve great Chicago style hot dogs, and they also serve some of my favorite salads. They do this while providing some of most consistently great service I’ve ever experienced. In the two years that I have visited the Chicago area, I would say that I’ve eaten at Portillo’s more than five times; once even for lunch and dinner in the same day. For someone who prides himself of being the Hungry Traveler, always looking for another place, that is saying something.
Lots more after the jump. Continue Reading »
Posted in Sandwich | Tagged chicago, chopped salad, garbage salad, italian beef, portillo's, salad, Sandwich, sweet pepper | 1 Comment »
November 3, 2009 by patrickmazur
Culver ButterBurger
Name: Culver’s
Location: Throughout the Midwest
Meal: ButterBurger, Fries, and a Root Beer
Type: Burger Joint
Culver’s continues a theme I previously noted about the Midwest; they eat hard. Culver’s is a regional fast food chain located throughout the Midwest with quite a strong following. Their most known for their ButterBurgers. Butter and a burger? Yes those two have joined forces like a Wonder Twin duo from cholesterol hell. I actually don’t know if butter is used in the cooking of the burger but I wouldn’t put it past them. Butter is definitely used in preparing the burger. As they’re making your burger (to order mind you) them brush (almost soak) the roll in butter and then toast it. Buttery toasted bread, griddled beef, and cheese; health foods, you know. In large part due to the butter the burger is a sensory overload. Umami, the least known taste, strikes you right away (thanks butter and beef). You get a full spectrum of flavors along the way; I’m partial to getting my burgers with everything on them. That said, this burger traveled surprisingly well. The fries were good despite my initial thought they were undercooked but they turned out to be the crunchiest fries that weren’t browned I’ve ever had. All together a great burger I just can’t imagine eating there regularly.
More pictures after the jump.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Burger Joint | Tagged burger, butter, butterburger, culver's, french fries, hamburger, midwest | Leave a Comment »
October 30, 2009 by patrickmazur
Fried Cheese Curds
Name: 5-8 Club
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Meal: Fried Cheese Curds, Juicy Lucy Burger, and Beer
Type: Burger Joint
The Midwest knows how to eat. Maybe it is the cold winters, the strong tradition of physical labor, or just the abundance of readily available ingredients. Whatever the reasons, there are many foods found here that honestly scare the rest of the country. I made the great choice to try two of these foods on a single evening. The 5-8 Club in Minneapolis is one of the two leading restaurants that claim to make the best Juicy Lucy. “What is a Juicy Lucy?”, you ask. It is a burger cooked with a big hunk of cheddar cheese cooked INSIDE. When you bite into the burger you are met with a spillage of hot molten cheddar; it really is quite nice. Continue Reading »
Posted in Burger Joint | Tagged burger, cheese curds, fried, juicy lucy, midwest, minneapolis, minnesota | Leave a Comment »
October 27, 2009 by patrickmazur
Top Pot Doughnuts
Name: Top Pot Doughnuts
Location: Seattle, WA
Meal: Doughnuts and a mocha
Type: Baked Goods
Many are quick to stereotype Seattle into a city of coffeehouses. Anyone who has visited can tell you there is much more to Seattle than a good cup of coffee. Those same people will also tell there are many great coffeehouses in Seattle; loyalties run deep. Top Pot Doughnuts is probably known more for their great doughnuts than their coffee but they complimented the other well. They’re a perfect companion to reading; they don’t require much attention.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Baked Goods | Tagged coffeehouse, doughnuts, latte, mocha, seattle, top pot | Leave a Comment »
October 26, 2009 by patrickmazur
Al's Italian Beef
Name: Al’s Beef
Location: Chicago, IL
Meal: Italian Beef sandwich, Cheese fries, and Pepsi
Type: Sandwich
Chicago, besides being a great city of its own right, is a city torn between three culinary poster-children. You can find good support for the Chicago hot dog, the deep dish pizza, or the Italian beef being the food to best associate with Chicago. As previously mentioned, I have love for the Chicago hot dog, but for my money Italian beef is Chicago to me.
Lots more after the jump. Continue Reading »
Posted in Sandwich | Tagged al's, al's beef, cheese fries, chicago, chicago food, italian beef, pepsi, Sandwich | Leave a Comment »
October 20, 2009 by patrickmazur
Margherita Pizza
Name: Punch Pizza
Location: Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN
Meal: Italian Salad, Neapolitan Pizza, and a Coke
Type: Pizza
If you would have asked me where I would find great pizza, pizza worthy of note by the Italian government, Minneapolis/St.Paul would have been just about at the bottom of any list I could come up with. As it turns out the Twin Cities is home to a great group of pizzerias called Punch Pizza. Punch is quick to draw attention to themselves as having been designated by the Italian government as Denominazione di Origine Controllata (D.O.C.). The designation means that only certain ingredients are used and it is made to very specific standards. Having eaten Margherita pizza in Naples, Italy I can say that this is quite authentic pizza and delicious to boot. There are few differences between the Twin Cities and beautiful seaside Naples but the pizza is fairly dead-on, and delicious.
Italian Chop Salad
Half Margherita / Half Salame e Funghi
Punch Pizza crust
Punch Pizza
Posted in pizza | Tagged margherita pizza, pizza, punch pizza, salad, st.paul | 1 Comment »
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