Now "THAT" is how it should be!
We all know someone in the food world who is good at one thing. They don't have to be a four star chef or a chef at all just really, really good at what food product they are passionate about. Could be a pig farmer raising them au natural for the best possible pork you can buy. Could it be a produce farmer who does nothing but organic micro greens for area restaurants.A baker who makes the best sourdough? Is it someone who cooks nothing but ribs after massaging them by hand for 19 hours with nothing more than homemade apple cider vinegar, love and perhaps a certificate from an accredited facility for mental health... but when that person is done cooking them, you end up with a rack that you would stab your sibblings to get the last rib.
Perhaps a bit far reaching, but we all know someone who is good and passionate about that one thing.
Who are they (first names or farm/ restaurant names are fine)? Where are they ? and... What do they do?
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18 Comments:
This is a tough one Pavvie. They can only do one thing?
izatryt at 1:48PM on 10/22/08
In the big box world we live in unfortunately the passion has gone for many who had one specialty, no way to stay in business. In big cities it may be different but her in tiny town mid america that is a fantasy from the past.
love2cook at 1:56PM on 10/22/08
Sorry, should have worded it differently I guess.... They can do many things, perhaps even they do many things well... But they may do one thing exceptionally well. (i.e. I would never buy beef except from... or I would never buy vegetables from anybody except....)
Pavlov at 2:00PM on 10/22/08
firefly farms' goat cheese based out of maryland (fireflyfarms.com)
seriously. that IS the way it should be :) creme de la creme.
gastronomeg at 2:02PM on 10/22/08
Lots of these. Benton's hams just to name one.
simon at 2:24PM on 10/22/08
Ice cream from the Creole Creamery. Decadent, rich, exciting flavors, and heaven.
nightowl at 3:07PM on 10/22/08
Good afternoon simon ~ I've missed you my sweet. ;-)
The Oyster Bar in Salt Lake City ~ Shrimp Bisque
Mabel's in Kennebunkport ~ Fried CLams & Lobster Rolls
Magnolia in Charleston ~ Fried Green Tomatoes
My house ~ Pittsburgh Rare NY Strips. ;-D
izatryt at 3:11PM on 10/22/08
My dad - corn and tomatoes. Best in the state! And not many farmers were botany/zoology majors in college...not only does he do everything by hand, the same way his father and father's father taught him, but he knows how to experiment and get the best tastes and varieties. He's very quiet, but my dad is truly an unsung hero of the agricultural world.
embolini9 at 3:29PM on 10/22/08
Oh, Izzy, since your bring up Magnolia in Charleston, I have to disagree and say it's their Shrimp and Grits that they do best.
wookie at 7:24PM on 10/22/08
@wookie ~ I do not eat grits, so I can not even begin to ask for a duel. ;-D
izatryt at 7:31PM on 10/22/08
If you want the BEST "garlic fries" in the world, you must go to Carlitos Gardel, on Melrose Avenue, just west of Fairfax, on the Northside of the street. Also ,they have the BEST argentinian beef, if you, like me, are a true carnivore! Mom's desserts are all out of this world, as well!!!
DBBMCKNN at 7:39PM on 10/22/08
i used to think it was aunt carrie's in narragansett, but the past few years i think iggys in oakland beach, warwick, rhode island, has awesome seafood.
dearrie at 8:25PM on 10/22/08
@ embolini9 please contact me at pavlov_dogathotmail.com. I would love to ask you a few questions regarding your fathers farming when you have a moment. Ref: your dads corn and tomatoes
Pavlov at 8:33PM on 10/22/08
Top Dog Coffee Bar in Morro Bay, CA. They roast their beans at the shop, sell them for $9 a pound (16 oz, not 12), and have the BEST tasting decaf I have ever had. The other roasts are exceptional as well. I live, sadly, about 2 hrs drive away from Morro Bay, but I order their coffee regularly. It's topdogcoffeebar.com if anyone is curious. Which reminds me, I'm running low....
buffy at 9:28PM on 10/22/08
simon...second you on Benton Hams. Have yet to try their hams but their bacon is wonderful. I thought I knew bacon until ordering from Benton. The fat which renders out is worth saving for flavoring. Their bacon is economical too as a little bit goes a long way and it doesn't cook up to nothing as so many bacons do.
To address the OP....the most devoted foodie I know grows peppers in the LA area. Right now he has 400 cultivars in a small garden and pots scattered around the grounds of the company he works for (nice company to encourage this). He smokes the peppers and makes rubs. His signature creation this year is a smoked white habanero/bhut jolokia mix.
DavidinCT at 10:08PM on 10/22/08
Frenchy's on Clearwater Beach (several locations) - She Crab Soup.
Cafe Ponte in Largo - Mushroom Bisque with Truffle Dust.
Mitchell's Fish in Tampa - Any fin-fish served Shanghai Style
Peter Luger's NY (Williamsburg) - Porterhouse steak, bloody rare.
One If By Land TIBS - Individual Beef Wellington
Peking Duck House NYC - Peking Duck
Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Pete - Deep, dark roasted Coffee.
Royal Crown Bakery in Brooklyn - ANY of their breads.
Alba Bakery in Brooklyn - Cream puffs filled with Cannoli Cream, Cassata cakes and the Kiwanis Special (a cake designed by the owner for a Kiwanis meeting that eventually ended up on the permanent menu).
@wookie - We had the most amazing Shrimp and Grits at Blue Heaven in Key West. So good I had to make the dish for my BF's family reunion - he knew his dad would go nuts.
LBNL - My Mother - Best whole Maine Lobster stuffed with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat I have ever had in my life. I can only aspire to recreate hers.
therealchiffonade at 7:39AM on 10/23/08
My friend Dan bakes for a local high-end country club as well as for several restaurants. I have NEVER had a cake that is better than anything he has ever made. Every year for our July 4th party, he pops in with two cakes. This year it was a strawberry whipped cream layer cake and a Bailey's Irish Cream torte. I still salivate when I think of that torte. I would love to buy it for my Christmas dinner, but I know he won't charge me. I have to come up with a sneaky way to compensate him.
Josdean at 10:16AM on 11/02/08
Around the Seattle area, Skagit River Ranch. I've picked up their meats direct from them at local weekend farmer's markets, from Madison Market [the local organic co-op], and also ordered directly in bulk.
They raise their own grass and offer organic free range grass-fed beef, pork, eggs, and turkeys. You pay a bit more than for the commercial crap you get from Safeway, but the meat is so much higher quality, healthier, and better tasting that it's worth it.
Highly recommended.
Nursie at 12:01PM on 11/12/08