Skillet Doux

Napa Valley - Day II

Quintessa Wines	Dominic Armato

The downside to nabbing a reservation at The French Laundry, not that I imagine it will quell the ire of those who have been unsuccessful, is that it kind of puts a damper on the rest of the day's food festivities. Getting in the door often means taking an early 5:30 or 6:00 reservation, and who wants to have a big lunch a scant few hours before a nine course meal prepared by Thomas Keller? Similarly, you could tour a bunch of wineries, but hitting the French Laundry in a state of inebriation where a quarter pounder inspires the same reaction as a perfect torchon of foie gras hardly seems like an efficient use of your dining dollar. So we mostly dedicated our second day to other pursuits -- my ladylove, the spa. Me? Markets.

	Oakville Grocery	Dominic Armato

Napa Valley is primarily known as wine country, and while it's true that the area doesn't have the kind of awesome food density of many other culinary destinations, it's inevitable that good food follows good wine. But it seems like there's a certain air of simplicity to the food scene in wine country. Of course, we're talking on a relative scale here, but avoiding complication seems to be a local mantra. Though a little higher rent than most, this IS still farm country, and local chefs seem dedicated to making sure the food doesn't get in the way of itself -- or the wine. So it should come as little surprise that there are some rather nice markets to be found as you cruise down the highway. When ingredients are paramount, so are their purveyors.

Oakville Grocery	Dominic Armato

I'm actually rather disappointed by what I didn't get to this trip, market-wise. More than anything, I wanted to get down to the new-ish Oxbow Market, especially to check out The Fatted Calf, whose meats both fresh and cured are starting to border on legendary. Sadly, Napa proper is nearly an hour's drive from where we were staying, and every time the opportunity to slip away presented itself, it seemed like kind of a long haul that would rush our leisurely pace. Ah, well. You have to have something to go back for. Instead, I dropped into a couple of markets in the Oakville area, starting with the semi-famous Oakville Grocery. It's cute! Tons of bottles and jars of specialty concoctions that I've no doubt are delicious, a nice cheese selection, decent deli, selection of wines, coffee bar up front and a lengthy list of prepared-to-order sandwiches. I'm not sure I understand why it's become a stop for tourist buses, but it's a great little grocery that's undeniably quaint.

	Cheeses... Lots Of Them	Dominic Armato

Less so is import Dean & Deluca, which should need no introduction. It's big and modern and looks like it could have been airlifted right out of SoHo. And as much as I'd love to sneer at the big city interloper while championing the local upstart, if I put on my +1 hat of impartiality, I have to admit that I'm kind of floored by the New Yorkers. Not to honor quantity over quality, but when the image on the right represents half of the cheese case, it's hard not to be impressed. There's much more, too -- more cheese, more charcuterie, a small (if lovely looking) produce section, etc. Dean & Deluca is also where I snagged my second taste of Jamon Iberico de Bellota about a year back. (Opinion? Machine slicing kills it.) Really, I shouldn't even compare the two. They're very different. But if I can hit one or the other to pick up items for a specialty foods picnic, I know where I'm going.

Market Lunch	Dominic Armato

As it was, I got some goodies from both and put together a little spread back at the hotel room. It seemed in keeping with the spirit of the surroundings and made for a light-ish lunch. Prosciutto San Daniele, spicy sopressata, coppa, a couple of cheeses, crusty bread and crackers, eggplant spread -- lunch is served! Incidentally, one of the cheese selections only further bolstered my opinion that Cypress Grove Chevre can do no wrong. This was my first crack at their Midnight Moon, and it's a doozy. That's a cheese that keeps on giving.

Absurdly Scenic	Dominic Armato

After lunch, it was time for a little education. The sun, which had remained notably absent until this point, picked the ideal time to poke its head out, and we were treated to some beautiful weather for a few hours while checking out the Quintessa winery. Here is where I need to come clean on a subject I may or may not have already visited here: I don't know a damn thing about wine. I mean, sure, you can't spend a ton of time around restaurants and reading about food without picking up a thing or two, but once you get beyond the very, very basics, I'm bordering on clueless. Give me a plate of food and a glass of wine and I can tell you if they pair well. But give me a plate of food and a wine list and I'm pretty much useless. Red or white? Of course. Common characteristics? Yyyyyyeah, so long as we stick to the most basic varietals. Which will perfectly complement my main course? *pffft* Search me.

	French Oak Casks	Dominic Armato

And so, a goal for the trip was to try to gain a little bit of basic working knowledge when it comes to wine. I'm not so sure our visit to Quintessa did much to help achieve that goal (I suspect the true solution is to drink, drink and drink some more), but it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, nonetheless, starting with the grounds, which are stunning. We heard all about how the estate's topography is unusually varied for the valley, providing the Huneeuses with a broad palate of fruit from which to work, about how the lots exposed to constant sun will develop thicker skins, how those growing at lower elevations near the water will be subjected to slightly lower temperatures, how those growing on the hillsides will devote more energy to root growth and produce smaller fruit -- okay, so maybe I did learn a thing or two. I'm not sure that any of it will help me navigate a wine list, but it's all fascinating stuff, nonetheless.

The Caves	Dominic Armato

We toured the dormant facility, seeing massive fermenting tanks of both steel and French oak, hydraulic presses for extracting additional juice (which we were assured, due to their process' lack of a first crush, was of uncommonly high quality), cave walls lined with countless aging casks, and eventually four glasses in the tasting room, which were accompanied by a few cheese pairings selected by Douglas Keane of Cyrus. Was the purported excellence of the wine lost on me? Ashamedly, yes. This was complex, bold wine. And as an educational point, I could discern the difference between the raw product taken from the same vintage but different areas of the estate, which is fascinating stuff. But in truth, I was more excited by the cheese. One hour, unsurprisingly, does not an oenophile make.

Of course, this didn't quite bring day two to a close. But The French Laundry probably deserves its own post, huh?

Napa - Day I   |   Napa - Day II   |   The French Laundry   |   Napa - Day III   |   Napa - Day IV

Oakville Grocery www.oakvillegrocery.com 7856 St. Helena Highway Oakville, CA 94562 707-944-8802 Mon - Thu 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM Fri - Sat 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sun 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM	Quintessa Winery www.quintessa.com 1601 Silverado Trail Rutherford, CA 94573 707-967-1601 Tue - Thu 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM Fri - Sat 5:00 PM - 1:00 AM Sun 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Harbor East Farmers' Market

Chioggia Beets from Brown's Cove Farm	Dominic Armato

My cup runneth over, and the timing couldn't be better. It's been tough to post about restaurants since moving to Baltimore. The little fella's one and a half, and while he's extremely well-behaved, he's one and a half. So I've been trying to work the stove more these days, and summer is the perfect time to be doing so when you have access to great farmers' markets. I actually didn't hit the markets very often back in Chicago, and if you wonder why, look no further than the fact that most of my blog posts go up around 3:00 in the morning. When the best finds are on the table, I've usually been asleep for about four hours (to be clear, I say this with shame). But here, it's just too easy. Last summer I was pretty much floored by the enormous JFX viaduct market on Sundays, less than a mile from home, and then last month my weekend was made complete by the addition of the new Harbor East farmers' market, which is a mere three blocks from home here in Little Italy and commences at the far more nightowl-friendly hour of 9:00 AM. So for the past few weeks, I've been positively tickled to exercise my love of both farm fresh produce and sleep.

	Three Springs Fruit Farm	Dominic Armato

The new Harbor East market is run by FRESHFARM Markets, a nonprofit that manages eight farmers' markets around the DC/Maryland area. Sadly, since there's nothing that can't be viewed through the prism of class warfare, the existence of the two markets within a mile of each other has sparked a bit of snark and controversy. There may also be an additional level of "old warhorse challenged by young interloper" that, as a recent import, I'm missing. But personally, as in all things, I prefer to leave my broad brush holstered and focus on the food. When I do -- well, if you were to ask me which I'd prefer to have in my neighborhood if I weren't allowed both, it's not even a question worth asking. The JFX market is really amazing. But this isn't a contest, and just because it's small doesn't mean the Harbor East market isn't worth visiting.

Honey from Breezy Willow Farm	Dominic Armato

The best way I can think to label it, loaded as the phrase may be, is a boutique farmers' market. It's very small, kinda hoity-toity, and the prepared food and non-edible stalls are as numerous as the ones pushing actual farmland products. Though the selection be small, however, the quality is right on. Like any boutique shop, a lot of the chaff is missing, and what's there is very carefully selected and of very high quality. It's not a place where you can go and expect to find whatever you need. Unless I missed others (very possible), basil was the only fresh herb present this past Saturday. But though I haven't walked away with much, I've enjoyed the ability to get a good look at everything and pick out a couple of items to build dishes around.

	Berries from Three Springs Fruit Farm	Dominic Armato

Though I don't believe they're quite up to full speed just yet, I count three produce stands and three protein stands. Three Springs Fruit Farm has some squash and basil, and tomatoes made their first appearance this past weekend (even if all but one were gone by the time I arrived at 9:10), but as the name indicates, they're focusing on fruits and berries. Saturday saw cherries sweet and sour, blueberries, raspberries, apples and a sign heralding the arrival of peaches in three weeks' time. One Straw Farm has been the purveyor of all things leafy, pushing romaine, lettuce, collards, kale and chard, along with some beautiful radishes and beets. One Straw was also offering CSA shares, and I overheard them telling one interested shopper that the market could be her pickup point. My purchasing so far has mostly taken place at Brown's Cove Farm, by virtue of the fact that I went a little overboard with zucchini blossoms. But they also have a great deal of squash and zucchini, some potatoes and onions, the beautiful Chioggia beets you see at the top of the post, and a big ol' pile of sweet corn that made an appearance this week and has already highlighted two dinners.

Bread from Atwater's Bakery	Dominic Armato

As for all things meaty, Springfield Farm is covering a lot of bases, offering chicken, pork, ground beef and steaks, chicken and duck eggs and some homemade Merguez that caught my eye and I hope to utilize at some point. Looking at the website, they seem quite proud of their pigs, so I'm anxious to give their pork a try. Groff's Content Farm is focusing mostly on poultry at the moment, but it sounds like beef and lamb aren't too far off. And I'm pretty excited about the presence of Gunpowder Bison & Trading Co., which is exclusively offering their namesake... the meat, not the munitions. I've been playing with bison a bit lately, so the timing couldn't be better. I think bison Bolognese is next on the list. And I'm a sucker for jerky, which they also have on hand. Other edible options include some beautiful bread that I haven't yet sampled from Atwater's Bakery, honey from Breezy Willow Farm, and crepes once a month from Sofi's. Non-edibles round out the show with handmade soaps by RJ Caulder, an assortment of flowers and potted plants from Locust Point Flowers and some stunning orchids from The Little Greenhouse.

	Orchids from The Little Greenhouse	Dominic Armato

So is the Harbor East farmers' market redundant? Yeah, kinda. I think the only thing it offers that the JFX market doesn't is the bison, which I'm kind of excited about, and cooking demonstrations by local chefs, which are entirely appropriate to the neighborhood but seem somewhat out of place to me. But while I can look for ways to compare it to the behemoth to the north and tear it down, I find myself far more inclined to appreciate it for what it is. It's a really pleasant little gathering right on the water, the limited number of stalls are very well balanced, and so far everything I've brought home with me has been wonderful. I don't think it's a destination event unless you live nearby or there's something specific you know you'll find there, but it's entirely worthwhile. Some hardcore marketgoers may scoff, but to deride it for what it isn't strikes me as unnecessary posturing and ignores what it is: a small scale, high quality well-organized market that's a lovely way to spend part of a Saturday morning and will assuredly yield some delicious spoils.

FRESHFARM Market at Harbor East

www.freshfarmmarket.org

1000 Lancaster St.

(Between Exeter & Central)

Saturdays, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Through October 25th

Smoked Pancetta

	Dominic Armato

Yeah, I realize the title is basically a contradiction in terms, but allow me to explain.

For a long time now, the short answer to the "what's the difference between pancetta and bacon" question has been that bacon is smoked, pancetta isn't. This wasn't entirely true, as I believe smoked pancetta has always been present (if uncommon) in some pockets of Northern Italy, but for all practical purposes, at least in the States, it was true. But a recent development is complicating that answer somewhat, as Leoncini has started to import a smoked version of slab pancetta. It got a quick mention in the New York Times about a month ago and I've been anxious to get my hands on it since. With my Baltimore-based guanciale search coming up empty, I need a new pet pork product anyway. So this past week I was chatting with Nino, my neighbor and friend who is one of the owners of Il Scalino next door, when he happened to mention that he was getting in some special smoked pancetta from Italy the next day. 24 hours later, I was walking out with a pound, half of it in one large chunk, and half of it sliced super thin.

It's good. Really good. But it's not the shocking departure that you might expect. It's nothing like regular pancetta, to be sure. Essentially, it's bacon. Really, really good bacon. I want to say that it's a little cleaner and sweeter than the typical American slab bacon to which I'm accustomed, but it's still a very strong smoke and, in any case, it's extremely good. I spent the weekend playing around with it a bit, and frankly, my favorite usage so far is just to eat it as-is, sliced paper thin, with a good crusty bread and maybe a little cheese or fruit. There are a couple of ideas that are still percolating, but in the meantime, here's one quick and easy dish I've made with it. This hardly merits a recipe -- it's just a simple five-minute vegetable dish -- but I thought it worked nicely. For the Baltimore folks, if you want to pick some up, I'd recommend calling first. They were already running low.

---

Dominic Armato 3 oz. smoked pancetta 1/4 C. diced onion 12-15 small Brussels sprouts 1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Pancetta and Balsamic

Serves 2-4 as a side

This is a dish that you sauté up very quickly, not unlike a stir-fry (in fact, a wok would be a great way to make it), so you want to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go next to the stove before you get cooking.

Slice the pancetta into short strips about 1/4" wide and 1/8" inch thick. Remove the stems from the sprouts and discard them. Slice the sprouts into little rounds about 1/4" thick, or a little thinner. Some will hold their shape and some will fall apart to make a pile of shredded sprouts. That's exactly what you want. You should have about 2 C. worth.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat and, when it gets hot, add the pancetta. Sauté the pancetta, stirring constantly, until some of the fat has rendered and the pancetta has softened a little. Then add the onion and continue sautéing until the onions soften just slightly and the pancetta has gotten just a touch crispy around the edges. This should only take a minute or two. Add the Brussels sprouts and continue stir-frying until the sprouts have turned bright green, just thirty seconds to a minute. Finally, add the vinegar, scraping up anything that's stuck to the bottom of the pan, and toss the mixture with the vinegar for about 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat, salt to taste (the pancetta is pretty salty, so you might not need any) and serve right away.

Cuy

Dominic Armato

I can't remember the last time I added a new beast to the list of ones I've tried, but a visit to a great little Peruvian joint (about which I'll be posting shortly) afforded me just that opportunity.

What you see here, with apologies to anybody who cuddled one as a kid, is Cuy Frito, or fried guinea pig. I'm sure there are those who will squirm at the thought of consuming our furry little friends, but while guinea pigs have been treated as domesticated pets in the West since the 16th century, they've been raised as a food source in the Andes, to which they're native, for millenia. If you subscribe to the theory that any given type of animal should be universally treated as pet or meat but not both (I don't), this one's a losing argument if you're on the pet side of the aisle.

In any case, it's a very common dish in Peru, from which this particular little fella actually originated. Apparently fresh guinea pig of the eatin' variety is a little difficult to come by in these parts, so this one was frozen and shipped in from Peru. My take? Very reminiscent of quail, actually, but a little sweeter and less gamey. Though I enjoyed it, I'm not in a big hurry to have it again. But I'd also like to try some that hasn't seen the deep freeze before settling too strongly on that opinion.

More Peruvian treats shortly... the restaurant where I got this is a great little spot that I'm anxious to share.

Mangosteens

	Dominic Armato

Setting aside restaurants and such, one of the things I love about being overseas is just seeing new ingredients. I've heard of mangosteens before, but never seen or tasted a fresh one, mostly because fresh mangosteens have been almost completely unattainable in the States. But read on, this isn't a tease. The mangosteen, grown primarily in Thailand, has been illegal in the States in fresh form for quite some time due to Asian fruit fly fears. Frozen, canned and other products derived from them have been available, usually in Asian markets, but from what I'm told, these don't hold a candle to the fresh item (which really shouldn't come as a surprise). Apparently there is a small boutique grower in Puerto Rico who has been shipping very limited amounts to New York and Los Angeles, but they've been almost impossible to come by both in terms of availability (borderline nonexistent) and price (upwards of $45/pound... and very little of that is edible fruit). The US government, however, has JUST last month approved the importation of mangosteens provided they undergo mild irradiation to eliminate any fruit fly issues. Thai growers are already undergoing FDA certification, and they're expected to hit the States come September. So what can you expect when they do?

Dominic Armato

The one I tried was a solid, dense little fruit about two and a half inches across. Shame on me, I didn't do my research first, so rather than scoring the rind and carefully peeling it away, I just hacked the sucker in half. Somewhat less graceful, and it eliminated any chance I had at photographing the citrus-like white segments inside, but it was no less edible. The rind was a lot thicker than I anticipated, and there were two large seeds inside, leaving me with precious little edible flesh. A few tablespoons, at most. So I just scooped out the white flesh with a spoon and sucked it down. The texture was vaguely reminiscent of a lychee, but much squishier and juicier. As for the flavor... well... it's really hard to describe. How do you describe how corn tastes? It just tastes like corn. The mangosteen is very tropical, with hints of kiwi and citrus and peach, and a very light, natural milkiness. It's a highly agreeable little fruit. I guess the best I can do is to say that it's very complex, but very mellow -- sweet but not too sweet, tart but not too tart, milky but not too milky -- just unique and gentle and absolutely delicious. So I guess the take-home message is that everybody should absolutely try them as soon as they're available, which should, thankfully, be very soon.

Broadway Market

	Dominic Armato

One thing Baltimore does NOT lack is markets.

I love old-timey permanent markets. Decrepit buildings, specialized vendors, a little hustle and bustle... love 'em. Which is why I've always found it so frustrating that Chicago doesn't have one. Where's our Tsukiji? Where's our West Side Market? While Baltimore's have the same classic market feel as Cleveland's massive edifice, the charm city has substituted multitude for magnitude. Baltimore maintains six public markets, three of which I've had occasion to visit, and one of which is a scant five blocks from our new home. Broadway Market is smack dab in the heart of Fell's Point, stretching away from the water right down the middle of Broadway. It's been around, in one form or another, for over 200 years. I can't imagine a more ideal location for a place to drop in and get a few fresh ingredients for a simple dinner or some prepared foods, pick up some deli meats, grab some fresh bread, have a bite to eat and walk home. Which is why it was so disappointing to find that Broadway Market has so little to offer. This isn't to say that Broadway Market doesn't have its highlights, it's just that... well... first the highlights.

Dominic Armato

Seafood has, unsurprisingly, been pretty good in this town. Sal's Seafood is at the far north end of the northern building (the market spans two blocks, split by Aliceanna), and while it isn't mind-blowing, they have a pretty nice selection of fresh fish, mostly whole. On the day I visited, there were also a few sides and filets, scallops, a few types of shrimp, bivalves and, though it's obviously not the focus, a small bushel of live blue crabs to pick through. They will, of course, clean anything to order. Though I didn't partake and can't speak to it, there's also a small raw bar down on one end of the counter, offering a small selection of the basics, freshly prepared by the fellows in between flinging fish. My socks were firmly on my feet, but for a neighborhood fishmonger you could do a whole heckuva lot worse.

	Dominic Armato

Moving down towards the south end of the north building is a stall that makes me wish I knew something -- anything -- about Polish food. I know, I know, I grew up in the town where Casimir Pulaski Day is a government holiday. Let's just call it an embarrassing shortcoming and move on. In any case, the cooler at Sophia's Place has to have at least twenty different varieties of sausages, which can't be a bad thing. There's also some more typical deli fare as well as a case of Polish baked goods, but what's really impressive is the wall lining the back of the stall. It's jam-packed with all manner of products from Eastern Europe -- mixes, drinks, candies, canned goods, prepared foods -- you name it. If somebody who's more familiar with the foods of the region could confirm my suspicion that this place is a little Eastern European goldmine, I'd love to hear.

Dominic Armato

Moving into the south hall is Dangerous Dave's, a place that somehow combines panini and gelati with spices and hot sauces. In the store, not in your mouth, but it's still an odd mix. The gelati, however, were quite good. More importantly, in the south hall I had the first good tuna melt I've had in a very, very long time. You wouldn't think it should be so hard, but I've been trying them everywhere since leaving Los Angeles and Bob's '49 behind back in 2001 and this is the first one that wasn't a technical mess. Sadly, the name of the place escapes me. Patty's Diner? Peggy's Diner? In any case, it's the southernmost booth on the east side of the building. The fries came out almost white and a little raw tasting (though I thought vinegar and Old Bay as condiments was a nice angle), but the tuna melt was perfect... warm salad, not too moist, melted cheese, crispy griddled bread... this isn't rocket science, but man, everybody screws it up. Wet tuna, cold tuna, cold cheese, English muffin... keep it simple, please.

	Dominic Armato

Seems like a good start, I know, but that's pretty much it. The diner where I got the tuna melt? One of four that all look exactly the same. The only other food stalls are a pizza place, the looks of which don't inspire confidence, and a small Mexican restaurant that failed to grab me, mostly because it's one of forty or so within a three block radius. A large banner out front heralded the arrival of One Eyed Mike, who seems to have some kind of name recognition in this town, and his prepared food booth seemed okay, just thin. A few premium deli meats, a few prepared dishes, some cheeses, marinated olives and vegetables... nothing eye-popping and a very limited selection. Really, limited selection was an issue across the board. The entire market houses one produce stand with a very small and mundane selection. And butchers? Zip. Bakeries? Nothing. So there are twice as many diners as there are butchers, fishmongers, bakeries and produce vendors combined, and the empty stalls outnumber the diners. Broadway Market's official site doesn't indicate that I'm missing anything, but web searches turn up reports of a butcher, a cheesemonger and some other stalls that are now absent, so I have to wonder if this is a recent decline. Whether it is or not, it's a damn shame. It's a great little pair of buildings in a perfect location. Just seems like a waste.

Broadway Market
1640-1641 Aliceanna St.
Baltimore, MD 21231
Mon - Sat	7:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Wasabi Of A Bygone Era

	Dominic Armato

Well, that settles that.

The mutilated tube of wasabi you see here was purchased from Pacific Farms of Oregon via mail order over three years ago. At the time, it was the only farm growing wasabi in the United States, and to the best of my knowledge it still is. Though I hate freezing foods, Pacific Farms' minimum order is six tubes and they claim it only holds in the fridge for two months, so I used as much as I could in that stretch and tossed a few leftover tubes in the freezer. Then, in typical fashion, I forgot they were there.

The thing is, I adore real wasabi. The first taste of real wasabi is one of those "so that's what it's supposed to taste like" moments. It bears almost no resemblance to the artificially colored horseradish pastes and powders that are sold not only through the States, but also through much of Japan. It's still hot, but it's a mellower, pleasant heat, and the flavor of fake wasabi is absurdly one-dimensional when compared to the real thing. Unfortunately, fresh wasabi root is very difficult to come by, and usually prohibitively expensive. Last week at Mitsuwa, it was going for roughly $20 per root. Not unattainable if you're using a lot for a special occasion, but awfully expensive when you just want a little green stuff to go with your raw fish for the evening. The six tube minimum from Pacific Farms comes in at the same price (minus shipping), and it keeps a little longer before needing the deep freeze, but still... that's a lot of wasabi to get through in two months. So in the intervening years since my initial Pacific Farms purchase, I've mostly been buying the lousy stuff.

Then, last night while making a little late night egg salad, I remembered the tubes of the good stuff hiding in the freezer and dug one out. I used a serrated knife to saw off a chunk, minced it with a chef's knife, and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to thaw. And despite the fact that this tube has been languishing in the back of my freezer for over three years, you know what?

It STILL tasted ten times better than the fake stuff.

A shadow of its former self, to be sure, but it made one thing perfectly clear. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy fake wasabi.

West Side Market

	Dominic Armato

Time to get this train back on the tracks.

The upside to having a crazy month with little time for blogging is that it leaves a nice backlog of subjects to cover. I'm mostly excited about the dual posts I'm working up for Charlie Trotter's (one on a tasty dinner, the other on the night I spent on the line as a "guest chef"), but for today I turn my attention to the land of Cleve, from whence my ladylove hails.

We spent Labor Day weekend with her family as we usually do: sleeping late, sitting on the sofa and playing video games. Our trips to Cleveland are generally seen as opportunities to hang out, do nothing in particular and spend some time with the folks. As such, much to my chagrin, I haven't even begun to explore what tastiness the city has to offer. But on this particular trip, I insisted on leaving the house just once to check out the West Side Market. Though I adore my city, dotted with a number of rather nice temporary markets as it is, it's both puzzling and a true shame that we don't have anything like this.

Dominic Armato

The West Side Market has been around for a spectacularly long time, dating back to 1840, though the current landmark building has only been around since 1912... a piddling 96 years. Though the main building with its huge clock tower is the most obvious part of the complex, it's actually half the story. The main building houses enough stalls for roughly 100 vendors, but there's also a long produce arcade that flanks it on two sides.

It was a rainy Saturday on a holiday weekend when we stopped by, so the place was predictably packed. And by packed, I mean packed. The photo on the left belies the crowd's true size. We started off in the produce arcade, which was more impressive in terms of scope than quality, but was rather nice nonetheless. There were piles and piles of beautiful fruits and vegetables, but I thought they left a little to be desired by farmers' market standards. There were some finds, to be sure, but many of the stalls seemed to be stocked with fresh but unexciting high-end grocery store fare rather than items that had been pulled from local fields that morning. Among the exceptional, however, were some monstrous, succulent heirloom tomatoes that made the transition to a chilled tomato and bread soup rather nicely.

	Dominic Armato

The main building is absolutely stunning. It has the look of a converted train station with vaulted brick ceilings and tall frosted glass windows on either end. And it's huge. If Cleveland Browns Stadium collapses, I'm fairly certain they could clear out the stalls, roll out some astroturf and barely miss a beat. But while the building is a sight to behold, the real beauty of the place is in the bustle and the energy. The West Side Market isn't a grocery store in stall format. It feels like a market, successfully maintaining a style of food shopping that has sadly fallen by the wayside. Though there are a few stalls that sell prepared foods, the market mostly contains meat and seafood purveyors, bakeries, dairy stalls and other basics. Pork was plentiful, and looked quite nice. I was underwhelmed by most of the beef we saw, though we managed to locate a few decently-marbled porterhouses at Larry Vistein's which grilled up nicely. The lamb at Hartman's, on the other hand, looked absolutely stunning, thereby cementing my cooking plans for the next trip. A surprisingly large number of stalls were selling all manner of smoked meats, which makes me wonder if this is a regional specialty. Seafood was passable, but unexciting.

Dominic Armato

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good look at the cheese stalls, but Vera's struck me as one of the better-looking bakeries. And the selections went beyond the basics as well. There was a penny candy stall, one selling fresh popcorn, another with all manner of freshly-ground spices, cakes and other baked sweets, pickled vegetables, hordes of pierogies and a fresh pasta establishment that particularly piqued my interest. The Ohio City Pasta stall was well-stocked with beautiful piles of all manner of fresh pastas, including assorted ravioli and gnocchi, many (if not most) of them flavored in some manner. While I tend to be a pasta purist who's suspicious of all but the most simple and traditional flavored pastas, their product looked so nice that I'll give them the benefit of the doubt until I have a chance to sample on a future trip. In the interim, I'd love to hear if anybody has had any experience with these guys. I generally make my own fresh pasta, but if these guys are good, there's something to be said for just picking up a tangle or two and throwing together a quick sauce.

	Dominic Armato

As mentioned, unlike many other permanent "farmers' markets", the West Side Market focuses on purveyors of raw goods rather than eating establishments, but there certainly are a few of the latter. There was a Middle Eastern sandwich stand that I understand is quite excellent, though I didn't have a chance to sample, myself. Johnny Hot Dog sells exactly what you'd expect, as does Steve's Gyro, and tucked away in a corner is Kim Se, which sells assorted Southeast Asian dishes. On this particular day, however, it was Frank's Bratwurst that got its hooks into me, much to my benefit. It was just a lightly seasoned, juicy sausage on a fresh hard roll with a simple sauerkraut and spicy mustard, but it absolutely hit the spot and seemed more than appropriate to the surroundings. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so. As I walked the market with my bounty, I was stopped by no fewer than three other marketgoers who wanted to know the source. With my face full, I was reduced to a simple grunt and point, but I think the message got through.

Fries 'n Frostys

	Dominic Armato

This is not how I expected to round out my Friday evening.

About four hours ago, three companions and I were cruising our way up Ashland Avenue on our way to Spacca Napoli for yet another fantastic meal, when we passed a Wendy's. Though I'm not sure who started it (might've been me), the conversation turned to the budding if not exploding phenomenon of the marriage of french fries and frostys. Oddly enough, this was perhaps the fifth or sixth time this subject has come up over the past few months. Even before Wendy's decided to build a PR campaign around it, this particular combination seemed to be getting an awful lot of internet buzz.

I try very hard not to dismiss these sorts of "low food" phenomena (a remarkably pretentious term that I'd like to replace with a better one if I could think of it) without some kind of firsthand experience. I scoffed at fried Twinkies for quite a while, until I tried one and learned that the end product could, in fact, be a rather sublime snacky cake. But the fries and frostys thing just didn't compute. As such, the four of us resolved to test the theory on the way back home. The verdict? A grossly overrated combination. BUT, I think I understand the source of the appeal, even if the credit is misplaced.

It's the salt.

I don't think chocolate and fried potatoes do anything for each other, but chocolate and salt, now that's another matter entirely. It's a classic combination for which the potato is merely a vehicle. This was, in fact, my suspicion going into the tasting, and the hands-on merely confirmed it. The way to test this, of course, would be to replace the standard Wendy's fries with unsalted fries and see if the appeal remains for those who swear by it. Any takers?

Mitsuwa Marketplace

	Dominic Armato

Ethnic markets, especially those limited to a particular country's grub, are usually little mom and pop affairs. It's an immigrant neighborhood, and some enterprising soul opens up a little storefront and starts bringing in the specialty ingredients you can't get elsewhere, creating a tiny little ode to the entrepreneurial spirit. Half of the time, the size and lack of upscale refinement is part of their charm. Narrow aisles, scrawled signage, dim lighting obscuring unidentifiable delicacies -- they're the antithesis of the American supermarket chain.

And then there's Mitsuwa Marketplace.

Dominic Armato

I've been meaning to get there for years, and finally got around to it this past weekend. But despite hearing multiple reports of the incredible Japanese superstore hanging out in Arlington Heights, I still wasn't quite prepared. Most impressive, perhaps, is the full scope of the place. There's a big food market, to be sure, but it only occupies about half of the building. The rest contains a sizeable food court with five or six stalls, a liquor store, a bookstore, a travel agent, a video rental shop, a cellular phone store, a bakery, a specialty confectionery store and a cosmetics counter... all featuring Japanese products and services. The food court alone could probably support a few posts, posts that I suspect I'll have all too much fun researching, but on this particular day I made the mistake of having lunch before heading out there, so we'll save that for another time.

	Dominic Armato

For a supermarket, Mitsuwa's grocery is perhaps a bit on the smallish size, but for an ethnic market it's enormous. Not only does it cover every base I could think of, but the selections contained within each section are extremely comprehensive. There's a near supermarket-sized produce section, containing all kinds of Japanese vegetables, fruits and herbs, many of them carefully and individually packaged, just as you'd find them in high-end food markets in Japan. Though I was disappointed to find that fresh yuzu wasn't available, I was quite tickled to find fresh wasabi root, which I've been grating and enjoying since. There are two fish cases, one filled with fresh and frozen varieties for cooking, and a huge cooler full of cleaned and trimmed fillets ready to be used as sashimi. We were there late on a Sunday, and as such I think the selection was fairly well picked over, and it was still the best I've seen Stateside. I brought home some maguro, salmon and even a little kampachi, all of which were quite good. There was even some chutoro (though no otoro), along with a slew of other tasty-looking numbers that I'd love to try.

Dominic Armato

Other sections are equally impressive. There's a cooler with an assortment of 30-40 pickled vegetables, at least 60 varieties of miso, hordes of soy sauces and Japanese salad dressings, a full aisle of instant ramen, housewares, pottery, frozen dumplings, rice cookers, rice crackers, rice flour, sacks of rice, candies and cookies, and a nice meat case that includes a fair amount of Wagyu, much of it sliced and ready for sukiyaki or shabu shabu. I didn't go over everything in excruciating detail, but that's mostly because I got the impression that it's all there, including a huge refrigerator case full of enough unidentifiable Japanese drinks to keep me busy for months.

	Dominic Armato

It started as a joke, but has now become something of a tradition. Of course, I'm always looking to try new foods, but on every business trip to Japan I make it a rule to try a few mystery beverages. Any drink with packaging that clearly discloses the nature of the flavor is immediately disqualified. It's all about the surprise. So, figuring that Mitsuwa was as good a place as any to continue the tradition, I grabbed a can of Ramune Yasan. Sadly, Ramune Yasan, whatever that means, was indicative of a recent Japanese beverage trend. I've noted over the past couple of years that there seems to have been a remarkable increase in the number of bubble gum sodas available on the Japanese market. Who drinks bubble gum soda?!? Apparently I have my answer. Over the years, the mystery beverage tradition has yielded such gems as Aquarius, Qoo and Gokuri Squeeze, but recently it mostly seems to provide an abundance of nasty, artificial tasting overly sweet bubble gum soda. Eeeuuughhhgh.

Mitsuwa Marketplace
100 E. Algonquin Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
847-956-6699
Open 365 days a year(!), 9am-8pm