MOTHERS DAY

I love you Mom!!

DOUBLE D BBQ

This was an adventure in futility and perseverance. ‘Double D BBQ’ is a small barbeque restaurant located in Oakland, California. They have a reputation for having some of the best BBQ in town. They are only open 4 days a week with limited hours and even then are known for not always being open. To complicate the scenario they are in a location that is not easily found. Our first attempt at going to Double D BBQ we could not even find it. We had the address but no GPS.(1240 1st Av.) Simple enough address but not easily found in the maze of the numbered streets of the area. My second attempt was on a Wednesday during their posted hours. I was in the area and had a Google map in hand. Closed! Several weeks later on a Thursday I was shut down again. Double D BBQ has a cult following and we wanted to know what all the buzz was about. This time we called and they were open.

We found Double D BBQ with out a hiccup. It is located on a small street on a small lot between two tall buildings. You would never stumble across this location unless you were looking for it. Once inside, it looks like an old style burger joint. It is decorated in ‘Oaktown’ specific kitsch. An Oakland Raider fan would feel comfortable here. Yes, we are Raider fans and we loved the vibration. The menu is small with the four meats, links and a couple of sides. We placed our orders. Ms. Goofy ordered her pulled pork sandwich and I a combination of brisket and ribs.  It was a beautiful day to take advantage of the outdoor seating area located on the side of the building. This area was colorfully decorated with plants and urban style murals. Our food was brought to our table.

It was time to see what all the hype was about. How did it taste? Dr. Biggles used to tell me; “You can have the best BBQ meal in your life and come back three hours later and have the worst meal ever”. Timing can be everything for good bbq. We must have hit it at the wrong time. The brisket was full of gristle and fat. It was overdone to the point of being mushy. No bark, lack of seasoning and to top it off no smoke flavor. The ribs were not much better. The meat was overcooked, no smoke, and I received the end piece that is full of little bones and cartilage. My side was Cole Slaw. It was full of big chunks of black pepper but not salt. It was dry and lifeless.  Ms. Goofy’s pulled pork was decent but she said all she could taste was the sauce.

The highlight of this meal was the sauce. This was a sweet tomato based sauce with good seasoning and just the right amount of heat. Maybe we came at the wrong time. When is the right time and when will they be open? Double D BBQ was a disappointment. There are too many good barbeque restaurants to make the effort to return.

Double D BBQ

1240 1^st St

.Oakland, Ca. 94606

VISUALIZE WHIRLED PEAS

It is several days away from harvest. I have been guilty of sneaking a taste of these immature peas. They  are so sweet they taste like green candy. For now I can only Visualize Whirled Peas.

TEXAS ROADHOUSE

It was one of those lazy days. We just did not feel like firing up the BBQ or turning on the stove. It was time to visit the ‘Texas Roadhouse’. There are numerous locations of this franchised establishment located throughout the country. We walked through the door and were greeted with a refrigerated case of hand-cut steaks to view. You can choose the beef that strikes your fancy and it will be grilled to your liking. We also noticed a big barrel of peanuts surrounded with spent shells on the floor. The restaurant was decorated with a cowboy/western theme. We were seated immediately and presented with some buttery still warm dinner rolls. I know Texas Roadhouse is famous for their steaks but they also claim to serve ‘Fall-Off-The-Bone-Ribs”. The barbeque judge in me ordered the ribs.

A very nice salad preceded our entrée. The plate of ribs was delivered and they looked delicious. These ribs were ‘fall off the bone’ to the point you could not actually pick up a rib with a bone. If you are familiar with Kansas City Barbeque Society rules, you will know that these ribs would be considered overcooked. These ribs had been steamed or boiled before they were put on a grill and slathered with sauce. They did have a good flavor and I devoured them.

    The Texas Roadhouse is a fun and inviting restaurant. Their menu is large and will have something for everybody. Our server was prompt and cheerful. The ribs are not competition worthy but are tasty. It is kind of fun to throw peanut shells on the floor.  We will return to the ‘Texas Roadhouse’ to try their hand-cut steak.

Texas Roadhouse

VIDALIA ONION PIE

Chef JP is an accomplished chef who shares his recipes on "The Chef from Hell". Chef JP had a special recipe for Vidalia onion pie. Ms. Goofy procured these sweet bulbs of Vidalia for our pie. Onions, butter, sweet Madeira wine eggs and cheese was cradled in a crust of ‘Ritz Crackers’. . We accompanied our pie with a chicken breast studded with asparagus, cheese and prosciutto.  Thanks Chef JP.

The Chef from Hell

BACON HONEY

Bacon honey of course, why not? The ‘Heirloom Honey’ company of Central Valley California has taken raw honey and infused it with ‘Natural’ flavors. With over 25 different flavors, bacon caught my eye. We were at the Asparagus festival and found the Heirloom Honey booth. I asked the vendor what is natural bacon flavor? She explained it was natural flavor from bacon. I should have known. We purchased this honey and also an amaretto flavored honey.

We have returned home and are inspecting our honey purchase. You will notice in the above image the white streaks at the top of the honey bottle. We are assuming that this is the natural bacon flavor. Is it possible that these streaks may be wonderful, flavorful bacon fat? Ms. Goofy baked some of her special rolls for this special tasting. The rolls were still warm while we slathered them with butter. A big scoop of bacon honey was applied to Ms. Goofy’s buns.

This honey is really good. Raw honey has a fresh sweet comforting flavor. Did it taste like bacon? No, not really. There was a slight flavor of smoke. I tried closing my eyes and thinking of bacon. It still just tasted like good honey with a hint of smoke. We were not disappointed with the honey but it did not deliver bacon flavor.

Heirloom Honey

559 618-0964

tccountry@yahoo.com

SAUSAGE GALORE

To be a guest at the exclusive club, “Under the Bridge”, was a welcome invitation. Meetings are held once a month at the ‘Crockett Bass Club”, located right under the Carquinez Bridge. Fishing, food, adult beverages, sports, camaraderie and more food is the purpose of this Men’s only fraternity. Usually there is a food theme for each meeting. This month home made sausage was the goal. After receiving my ticket to this event the sausage stuffer was put into action. My contribution was a pork sausage with roasted ‘New Hatch’ peppers.

It just so happened that pork shoulder was on sale at Wally-Mart. Shoulder has the perfect fat to meat ration for sausage. This meat was run through the Kitchen-Aid meat grinder on a course grind. Some roasted ‘New Hatch New Mexican’ green chile was taken out of the ‘Chilebrown Ice Cave’ and thawed. Cilantro and garlic was pureed with the peppers that had the skins, stems and some seeds removed. This was all mixed together with spices and stuffed into casings.

Once at the meeting, I found out the members were actually making sausage at the club. They had a meat grinder and sausage stuffer working at full speed. The kitchen had been transformed into a sausage factory. We had quit the assortment of meats and spices. Some of the meats were: wild turkey, chicken, prime rib, pork, and tri-tip. This was a hands on experience. Everybody pitched in to the process. We mixed and matched different meats and spices to create numerous varieties of sausage. It is a good thing there were a lot of cold beverages to keep us hydrated.

It was time to fire up the grill. The menu was simple. Numerous sausages, mustard and rolls were it. I did bring a couple of spears of asparagus to throw on the grill. One can only eat so much but we tried to exceed that limit. With a beautiful blue sky framing the Bridge it was a great day being under it. My invitation has been extended to next month and the theme is Pizza. Oh Yeah!