Bahn Mi Me, Please

I owe my recent infatuation with Vietnamese food to my good friend, the Secret Soup Spoon.  The SSS introduced me to Saigon Panda years ago for noodles.  I love a good bowl of pho or noodles or fresh spring rolls.  And, we are fortunate to have a pretty decent selection of Vietnamese eateries here in Sioux Falls.  (Although, I must tell you, if you want the really good stuff, you need to wrangle an invitation to an Asian friend's house for dinner when the friend's mother is willing to whip up a batch of the Real McCoy.)

What we do not seem to have, however, is a place that will crank out a Bahn Mi sandwich.  I have seen recipes for these things over the years, but never tried one from a bona fide Vietnamese place. 

So, what is this sandwich?  From what my research reveals, it starts with a crusty French roll onto which sliced pork or maybe grilled chicken is piled.  I've seen recipes that also call for some liver pate.  It is garnished with pickled vegetables- onions, carrots- and also maybe some cucumbers and cilantro for sure.  It is also going to need some of that good sweet-sour-salty-spicy sauce concocted with fish sauce, and other such ingredients.  This whole thing sounds tasty beyond belief.

I found a close approximation the other day on the seasonal menu at Grille 26.  There is is called a Thai pork sandwich with slaw.  It's on ciabbata bread, no pate, no cilantro, but damn, that is one tasty sandwich, Vincent!  In fact, this is how good it was . . . Even the SSS, who is ordinarily not really excited about Grille 26, ordered the sandwich and RAVED about it.  High praise indeed.

So, get to Grille 26 and get that sandwich.  And, if anyone knows where to find a more authentic Bahn Mi here in Sioux Falls, speak up.

The Egg (Burger) and I

I recall an episode of one of Tony Bourdain's television shows where he was eating some sort of sandwich and commented to his companion that there is probably no food item that cannot be improved by the addition of a runny egg.  So true.

Case in point: The Croque Madame.  What is it?  A ham and cheese sandwich, of course.  Well, actually, the Croque Monsieur is the ham and cheese sandwich.  Good bread,  (brioche, if possible) good swiss cheese, good ham, and mornay sauce toasted in clarified butter.  But if that doesn't tighten up your chest, serve it open faced and add a couple of eggs over the top.  Voila! Croque Madame.  I am telling you, there is just something about letting that golden yellow egg yolk ooze all over the cheese and ham and soak into the bread.  Phenomenal.

As it turns out, that oozy, gooey yolk can also work wonders on the most American of sandwiches, the burger.

I recall way back when the Hamburger Inn was a little joint that served small burgers or dogs at the counter on waxed paper.  There were several Fenn's ice cream signs on the wall.  That place was the best.  It was one of those places you were kind of scared to eat at until you tried it.  I miss that place so much.  I vaguely recall the option to have a fried egg on a burger and I recall thinking, "who the hell would do something like that?  Yuck!"  Oh, how foolish.

In more recent history, the definitive place to get an egg burger has been the Little Coalinga on 8th and Indiana.  If you haven't been there, drop everything and go.  Now.  The Colinga is THE definitive dive bar in Sioux Falls.  (Sorry, Crow Bar.  If you were still at 22nd or Minnesota, you'd have a shot.)  The Coalinga is divine.  Cold beer.  Strong drinks.  Great food- especially burgers, a great juke box, and great people hanging around.  The owner, Jane, is the best.  Get to know her.  But anyway, yes, egg burger.

The most recent egg burger addition to Sioux Falls?  JL Beers on Phillips Avenue.  JL Beers is tiny- 47 seats.  Many beers on tap and more in bottles.  Great burger.  These aren't whopping half pounders, but smallish all beef patties cooked on a flat top grill.  And they are cooked lightening fast.  You probably can't finish a pint of beer before your burger is delivered.  Hot, juicy beef on a bun that feels like a feather pillow.  And, yes, the option to get a Humpty Dumpty- a cheese burger with egg.  I added grilled onions to mine for like another 75 cents.  One interesting commentary on the JL menu.  Burgers are cheap- about four bucks.  But there's a catch.  If you want some fries, they are separately ordered.  Actually, the friendly server will probably recommend you try the chips- a potato that has been spiral cut and fried up.  They are seasoned with jalapeno cheese seasoning or seal salt.  Those are $2.39.  And you ain't done yet- one more potential up charge coming- dip.  For another buck sixty nine you can get ranch, cajun, etc and for a buck ninety nine you can get cheese sauce.  So, that cheap burger just rang up to over seven dollars with the fries.  Anyway, it's good.  Try one.  Get there early and sit at the bar.  Oh, and drink beer, because you are going to pay $1.50 for a bottle of water.  Damned good burger.

The Attic has a couple of eggy additions to their menu.  There is a burger known as the Artery Clogger that features an egg and peanut butter.  Not bad, but the peanut butter is an odd contrast to the egg.  Attic has great burgers- nice and thick and lots of fresh toppings.  I think there is also an egg on the Triple Bypass- a burger sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches.  That's just stupid.

But, although the egg burger is great, I must confess I generally have one problem with the way they are prepared around these parts.  They are cooked hard.  Basic fried egg. Yolk set and hard.  Delicious and packed with protein, but man, oh, man, how much better it would be if that yolk would only ooze all over a juicy pink in the middle hot burger.

WTF: Hy Vee at 26th and Sycamore

Okay, okay, yes, it has been a while again. Life interferes with my leisure waaaaay too much. And, yes, this post is about Hy Vee, which has become the red-headed step-child of the Fork since the Argus pulled its head out of the paper box and stopped writing really stupid food columns. Wow! I miss those days! At any rate, here is the latest on my least favorite grocer redux.

From what I can tell, the remodel may be done. Maybe. I don't see any construction guys around, but I think someone is still moving grocery items just to screw with people.

So, as you can tell by the title of this post, the point is what is bad about the 26th and Sycamore remodel. But, before I start hacking away, I like to try to give credit where credit is due.

So, what is good about the place?

• The Pharmacy area is pretty nice.
• The organic/natural food area is well organized.
• I like smelling the bath salts near the registers. Maybe I will by some and soak my tines soon.
• The cheese counter is nice. Won't find that at the Taj Mahal of Hy Vees at 37th and Minnesota. That's nice. Of course, the cheese is pretty pedestrian. The day I buy Epoisses there, I will recant this.
• Much nicer deli and eat-in food area, if you feel inclined to eat at Hy Vee. Okay, admittedly a good option when you need to feed three kids who don't eat vegetables, or, ironically, if you want a decent salad super cheap.

What's wacky?

• Meat pricing, Honest to God, Hy Vee's meat pricing drives me bananas. It's like a forking integral calculus problem. Ironically same thing goes for pricing blocks of that regular old Hy Vee chunk cheese. Seriously, check it out next time.
• Bakery. Okay, so now we got "Baking Stone," but please learn how to make a credible loaf of French bread. You haven't yet.
• Sushi. Right, you read it, sushi. Hy Vee has a sushi counter, complete with a very white middle aged guy wearing a kimono. You have got to be forking a kidding me! I appreciate the cheap sake right there, but its not enough to get me to eat that stuff. If you think Hy Vee sushi is legit, eat up, buttercup.
• Mixed up aisles. Nothing is anywhere close to where it used to be. Plan ahead, get a map. which are available at the check outs, so you can figure out where the stuff you wanted but couldn't find might have been. If Hy Vee adopts the Wal-Mart plan of moving the merch around every few years just to make you walk around and buy more crap, avoid the sniper on the roof.

Last point and it is some good, some bad.

• Total full service, tricked out liquor area. Yes, it is nice. Tons of beer. Decent enough wine selection. Liquors. As expected, it is very handy. Where else can you pick up your blood pressure meeds, steaks you paid God knows how much for, rosemary bath salts, the Sunday Argus, a sixes of mixed micro brews, and a bottle of tequila? Exactly. The bad? Gregor's East Side Liquors across the street is going out of business. Told ya.

OK, I tried the McNally's "new" lamb burger. Here's the 411.

A few weeks ago, I lamented, well bitched, about McNally's making a significant change to the star of last Fall's special seasonal menu, the lamb burger. Check that out here. So, in the interest of fairness and good blog journalism, I decided to try one about a week ago.

So, how was it? Am I going to eat my words? Hell, no!

The new McNally's lamb burger was just as expected- too eastern-tilted to suit my tastes. If the goal was to produce a lamb burger similar to what other joints are doing with ground lamb or trying to play into the stereotype that all lamb must be served in some Greek sort of fashion, then they nailed it.

Here's what I noticed. When it came to the table, it honestly smelled like someone slid a dish of curry under my nose. The meat is blended with cumin and some other herbs, and SAUSAGE for crying out loud. All together the aroma was very curry-like.

My burger was cooked ok. By that I mean a little more on the rare side, but not quite enough. The Secret Soup Spoon also had a lamb burger and noted it was a tad on the dry side. Lamb is that way. If you don't under cook it just a tad, you end up with a dry burger. The sausage blend was mild, but still noticeable. I much prefer full-on lamb flavor and the new burger just teases.

The yogurt sauce on the burger was a major eh. Didn't seem to add anything. No real sourness or cooling sort of effect. It was just there for looks, apparently.

Go have one of these if you want. I am going to pass. It's not nearly as good as last year's super delicious lamb burger and it is not worth the whopping $12 price tag on it. If you want this yogurty Greek/middle eastern flavor profile, save yourself about 6 bucks by going to Nick's and getting a big greasy gyro.

Hy Vee 26th and Sycamore and the Five Stages of Grief

This post has been a long time coming. If you didn't know, Hy Vee is doing some MAJOR renovation work on its store at 26th and Sycamore. I've made it a point to go over there from time-to-time to check it out and enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out where the hell they have stashed whatever item I went in there to purchase. The process started months ago by shoving a few aisles closer together and slowly tearing things apart. Then things started really coming apart- the old thrift store building was torn down and the entire front entrance modified so construction could continue on the exterior. The entire experience was like visiting the only grocery store in a community that had been struck by a terrible natural disaster.

Over the course of the summer, though, little things got done, like the new cheese counter and bakery. The milk is now always in the same spot. The new liquor and wine area and pharmacy are still open. Things are coming together, but chaos prevails- mainly in the parking lot at present, but plenty inside as well.

This whole experience got me thinking about the five stages of grocery grief.

1. Anger. Big time anger. if you thought it was hard to find stuff in there pre-remodeling, you hadn't seen anything. Not even the helpful smiles knew where to find milk on most days. And, if you did locate what you were searching for, there was no guarantee it would be there next time.

2. Denial. Mostly as in, "I can't believe this will ever be done!" Generally, quickly followed by more anger.

3. Depression. If you tried to buy any sort of bread that Hy Vee passes off as decent this summer, you should have felt depressed. The Banquet offers its guests better looking baked goods every morning after breakfast. Seriously. You might also be easily depressed by having to drive to another Hy Vee to have to escape the calamity.

4. Bargaining. After a while, finding shredded cheese or organic beer became kind of a game. "Hey, this is kind of fun!" you told yourself, thinking that you can put up with this until sometime in 2012 when the project is supposed to be finished.

5. Acceptance. As things settle into place, it is clear that there are a few real improvements in the place. The new cheese aisle is pretty nice. I don't believe the Taj Mahal at 37th and Minnesota has that sort of set up for cheeses. And the wine, beer, and liquor area is pretty spacious and very well stocked. Gone are the days of picking up a 12-pack of PBR cans across from the eggs in the dairy aisle. Maybe this won't be so bad?

But wait, it's still Hy Vee. And that brings us back to anger and depression...

In all candor, the new, improved store will be nice. But, the real question will be whether Hy Vee can step up it's game. For instance:

• Will the produce in the sparkling new aisle still look like crap most of the time? Will cilantro be available with any regularity? Can I purchase an avocado that is somewhere between rock hard and water balloon, in other words, ripe?


• Will purchasing meat still require a graphing calculator to figure out the screw job the helpful smiles are laying on you between the packaged meat and the stuff in the full service case?


• Same goes for pricing cheese.

Time will tell. Happy shopping in Sioux Falls, where boy, have we got options!

Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Recalled. That Sucks!

Okay, here's a post I never thought I would write. First, I am no Martha Stewart fan. Incredible personal history and entrepeneur, but still, not one of may favorite people. She's certainly no Julia Child. Second, Macy's. Love hate there. Any glimmer of a decent retail experience took a nose dive when Macy's bought out Marshall Field's and rebranded the Sioux Falls store. Again! Actually, I miss Dayton's. But occasionally, one can get a decent deal on merchandise at Macy's with the proper combination of sales prices, coupons, and a Macy's charge card.

So, I was out trolling for bargains in the old cookware department a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping to add to my collection of enameled cast iron.

If you haven't used enameled cast iron, you are seriously missing out. Some of the more famous brands are LeCrueset and Staub. A 5 to 7 quart covered enameled cast iron pan is, in my opinion, perhaps the single most valuable piece of equipment when it comes to cranking out authentic French food. The pot itself is called a "casserole" in more authentic French cookbooks, such as Mastering the Art of French Cooking. So, if you tried to make ratatouille in the short dish you used to take that Tater Tot Hot Dish to the First Lutheran Pot Luck last month, now you know why it didn't seem quite right.

LeCruset and Staub casseroles are spendy. If you can find a decent size for under $200, grab it! Macy's had a great alternative though. I mean, look, it's a heavy cast iron pot covered with enamel. How crazy can that be? Well, apparently simple enough that Martha got some factory in China to kick out ones that could be sold for less than a hundred bucks retail, on sale. Unfortunately, they got recalled. Here's the bulletin from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

I think there is something to this recall because my own casserole has a few spots where chips of enamel are missing. The Secret Salad Fork was relieved to hear about the recall, because until that time, grossly negligent dish washing technique had been identified as the cause of the chips.

So, take that sucker back to Macy's and get some semblance of a refund. I understand Macy's will roll out an improved version later. Chances are I am going to undergo a chronic case of Boeuf Bourguignon withdrawal that I expect will coincide with the fist snowfall of the season. I hope my Macy's refund will at least get me a down payment on a LeCrueset.

Oh, The Humanity!! McNally's Messes With Lamb Burger

Last Fall, McNally's devised a seasonal menu that included something rarely seen in these parts- a lamb burger. I raved about it and some molten hot dip that was also on the special seasonal menu in a post last year. I made it a point to go to McNally's as much as possible to get that lamb burger (which was especially delicious with some Guinness) and to convert as many of my forkie-friends to the cause as I could. I preached the gospel of the lamb burger and was sad to see it go when the menu had to change.

Well, I had a chance to visit McNally's this week. I was pretty excited to go because I heard my beloved lamb burger was back. Oh, the anticipation. The longing I had endured. The chance to once again savor that tasty lamb with cheese, prosciutto, braised onions and fresh tomato. I was nearly shaking as I opened the menu.

My anticipation evaporated and my life flashed before me as I scanned the menu only to learn that the lamb burger was there, but HAD CHANGED!!! WTF??!! (What the Fork)

So, how did it change? Three major ways in my opinion. One- the lamb is mixed with sausage. Probably a reason for this. Lamb can be kind of lean and some sausage can add some fat to keep the meat moist. But sausage is sausage and lamb is lamb, unless of course it's lamb sausage, but that is a different story. If I want lamb, I want lamb, not sausage. I hate it when people mix a meat that is perfectly good on its own (like lamb) and make it taste like sausage. Two- cumin. Cumin is one of the most distinctive spices I can think of. It's right up there with saffron and fennel. I can pick cumin out of just about any spice blend. It has its place, usually in some Indian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. The reason it bent my tines on the lamb burger was because it told me the whole thing was taking a Mediterranean/Greek/Turkish twist. Three- yogurt sauce. Bingo! That confirms it. Maybe it was even served on pita bread. I don't know, I was too forked off to read on. Besides, turns out McNally's had run out of them, so even if I wanted to give it the old college try, no go.

Okay, okay, so I hear you saying, "How can you sit there and complain about something you didn't try? You might like it." Yeah, well, you have a point there, a small one, but fine, a point. Maybe it is good and juicy and sausagey/Greek tasting with creamy cucumber yogurt tzatziki sauce. I DON'T CARE!

Here's my point: When you make something good, you shouldn't screw with it. Ask Coca Cola about that.

My other problem is, this is just a tad too trend-oriented. Why does everyone seem to associate lamb with Greek flavors? Sure, lamb is stereotypically Greek. Remember the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when the aunt says to the finace', "What? You donn eata meat? Okay, I'll make lamb." Also, this Greek gyro tzatziki burger thing isn't new or unique around here. Bros. has a lamb burger on the menu that bears the same description. Now, instead of putting last year's tasty burger on the menu, McNally's is content to follow suit.

Last year's lamb burger, the REAL lamb burger was tasty. Great combination of ingredients. Best of all, it really showcased the flavor of the lamb. When it was cooked just right, so it was hot and super juicy, it was without peers in the local burger universe. I miss it dearly. Maybe I will try one of the new trendy lamb burgers. But, more likely, when I want something with that flavor profile, I will probably go to Nick's and get a phenomenally delicious gyro made out of that spinning meat loaf on a stick. If I try one, I will let you know.

But, for the time being, shame on you McNally's. Last year you showcased lamb. This year, you're just showcasing a trend. Woo Hoo.

By the way, if you want to try a burger with a composition that is pretty close to the REAL lamb burger, go to Granite City and try their Napa Valley Burger. No lamb, but pretty nice.