Food Lush

Feed Me: Fried Avocado Taco

By Elisabeth

Have you ever tried a fried avocado taco? 

I hadn't until this past weekend while I was in Austin, Texas for the third annual Blathering. On Saturday, a group of girls went to Austin's Gypsy Picnic. Basically, it's a trailer food festival in the heart of Austin. We happened upon Torchy's Taco booth right as we got into the festival. Their fried avocado taco was, hands down, my favorite item I tried the entire day.

Just imagine a hand-battered avocado fried with refried beans topped with pico, lettuce and cheese. Served in a corn tortilla with a poblano sauce.

IS YOUR MOUTH WATERING YET? (Mine definitely is and I just ate lunch!)

If you are nowhere near Austin or Dallas and are craving this amazing taco, then check out Erica from Unemployed Lawyer Mom's recipe for fried avocados! I am going to try this myself as soon as I can get to the store. Must solve this continual drooling problem I'm currently having. 

{photo credit: maguidhir}

Festival Fare

By Leslie

Where we live (Baltimore City), one of the most anticipated summer festivals is called ArtScape.  Their website describes it as-

America's largest free arts festival, attracting 350,000+ attendees over three days. Artscape features 150+ fine artists, fashion designers and craftspeople, visual art exhibits on and off-site, including exhibitions, outdoor sculpture, art cars, photography and the Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize; incredible live concerts on outdoor stages; a full schedule of performing arts including dance, opera, theater, film, experimental music and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; family events such as hands-on projects, demonstrations, competitions, children's entertainers and street theater; and a delicious, international menu of food and beverages that is available throughout the festival site. 

Sounds pretty awesome right?  It is!  In the past it has been unbearably hot, but this year it was actually really pleasant.  We were able to head over for two of the three days.  

The art and music were great, but one of my favorite parts of any festival/carnival/state fair is the FOOD!  I love the variety.  

It always takes me 2-3 laps to really decide what to order because everything looks so good, especially when it's being made right there in front of you.  

The food truck trend is definitely gaining popularity here in the city and it's fun to see them pop up everywhere.

I try to find the places that seem local-ish rather than commercial. Because it's Baltimore, we came across a stand selling steamed hard crabs!  We saw people sitting at picnic tables right in the middle of the festival picking crabs.   

...and this adorable billboard. (The Natty Boh guy and the Utz girl are Baltimore icons.)

What are your feelings on festival eats?  Yay or nay?  I decided to go with a giant chicken gyro that went undocumented because my camera went a little crazy. 

Food Network Star #6 Recap: Food Truck Challenge!

Last week, while us Food Lushies were out, the Food Network Stars partied like it was 1776. Vic was cute, Mary Beth was hilarious, Jyll tried to talk to Penny the Meanie and got burned (of course), Whitney wore a cowgirl hat and I loved her, Jeff was embarrassingly over-the-top, Chris was a frat boy (of course) and Justin *cough* poser *cough* FINALLY went home, HALLELUJAH.

This week, all of the contestants look EXHAUSTED, which Aarti (last year's winner) wrote about on her blog. (Go read it! All your questions will be answered!) This is yet another reason I would never succeed on this show, because momma needs her nigh-nigh, y'all.

Tyler Florene is in a parking lot with three food trucks. Yep, you guessed it, there will be three food truck teams made up of our finalists. The teams are: Vic, Jyll and Orchid; Jeff, Penny and MaryBeth; and Susie, Whitney and Chris. Each team has to create a truck concept and a commercial... which makes me instantly worried about Jeff and Chris which obviously is well-founded, since Chris loves the idea of "Chris' Angels" (seriously?!) and Jeff pushes "Balls on the Roll". I hide behind my laptop in embarrassment.

Vic, Jyll and Orchid are cute, although Orchid seems like she's butting in somehow, or maybe she's just nervous. Penny and MaryBeth are in love with their boobs. MaryBeth is sashaying and wiggling all over in front of the camera. MaryBeth! You are a writer! You are funny! You don't need to wiggle the girls to make us like you. I promise. Jeff and Susie especially could be funny, but the "Balls" shtick is just awkward. I'm still hiding behind my laptop. Make it stop! Tyler Florence says "Not bad, guys" which is the most uncomfortable non-compliment ever.

Tyler gives each team $1,000 and yells "let's get rollin'!" The teams give a weak "wooooo!" and sprint into an abandoned parking lot.

Restuarant Supply! I wish I had a family of 45 and I would shop at one of those places every day. I'm just intrigued. Whitney says that she's using cooked chickpeas to make falafel, which she's never done, but she only has two hours, so she HAS to. Really, Whits? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you don't HAVE to make falafel. Maybe you should pick a different dish that actually works for the challenge. Just sayin'.

Jyll interviews that Vic is over-complicating his dish, and hilariously looks nervous when Vic asks for American Cheese for his Philly CHEESEsteak. That's kinda a vital ingredient, Jyll. Maybe you should chill out. Penny and her boobs are running around like the world is ending and we cut to commercial.

When we return, Penny is asking Jeff how she got started in comedy and is being weirdly nice. I'm already suspicious of her. Whitney and Susie break out matching headbands to coordinate with Jeff and they say "BALLS!"

Ew.

I'm missing most of this episode because I'm hiding from the awkwardness. Even my laptop is blushing.

The Balls truck is still talking about their balls and I'm still embarrassed.

Vic is giggling while cuts up avocados and it's adorable. MaryBeth is nervously talking about her chicken wrap. Chris is about to take a bath in his cream cheese.

Commercial for the Great Food Truck Race! Oh lordy. So good.

A crowd of people gather to watch the commercials and they're even worse the second time around. Jyll, Vic and Orchid are the only ones who look even remotely normal.

Predictably, "Balls on the Roll" has zero customers, probably because everyone is also hiding from the awkwardness. I see laptops in front of the faces of most of the crowd. I think.

Jeff finally interviews that "maybe people were turned off by the balls concept". Ya think?

The selection commitee comes by each truck and again I am impressed with my writing friend, MaryBeth. That girl can describe her some food. They move on to Jyll, Vic and Orchid and Orchid is awkward for the first time ever. I feel bad for her! She needs a hug. Next is Jeff, Whitney and Susie. I can't even talk about it, I'm so awkwarded out by the balls. HIDING BEHIND THE LAPTOP, y'all.

Evaluation time! MaryBeth and Penny fight. PENNY IS SO MEAN. Jeff is called out for the "balls" concept, (thank you!) but is saved by his awesome meatball sandwich. Vic wins everything, (yay!) and Orchid goes home (aw).

Next week! Wolfgang Puck calls somebody out, two people go home and Susie cries. See y'all next week!

Sweet Auburn Curbside Market: An Atlanta Jewel

By Laurie

A highlight of my trip to Atlanta a few weeks ago was an excursion to the Sweet Auburn Curbside Market. 

Owned by the city of Atlanta and located in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood downtown, the market was founded in 1918. Its mission?

The Sweet Auburn Curb Market exists as an urban farmers’ market that unites rural and urban Georgians through food and activities that celebrate local agriculture, the history of the Sweet Auburn neighborhood and the diversity of the city of Atlanta. To achieve this mission, the market operates as a self-sufficient entity that houses a wide variety of food vendors, including restaurants and food stands, and serves as a year-round destination and lively gathering place for community members and visitors.

A destination for meat, fish, veggies and fruit for Atlanta home cooks, it's also a spot increasingly populated with eat-in restaurants like the popular Grindhouse Burgers and Afrodish Restaurant, featuring Caribbean cuisine. I had lunch -- pork and beef tacos and sweet tea -- from the Sweet Auburn Barbecue truck. Holy yes. So good. 

I also had an ice pop from the Pop Shop, a cart manned by the very friendly John, who used to live in D.C., so we had that to chat about. He also handed me a grapefruit rosemary frozen confection that I can taste right this second, so that was nice. 

(I was standing in direct sunlight, managing a big old camera and direct sunlight, so apologies for that photograph. Just know you'd want one, if you could get one. Nice job, Pop Shop ATL.)

They're on Etsy now. Can they really send me frozen treats through the mail? Time and emails will tell.  Lemon buttermilk, please. 

The Sweet Auburn Bakery was especially popular with the crew of bloggers on my bus, but that's what happens when you give people samples of sweet potato cheesecake, yes? 

I had a chance to chat with Sweet Auburn Market's manager Pamela Joiner the next night at the BlogHer Food closing party, and heard a lot about her hopes for the market and its impact on the surrounding community. It gets a lot of support from employees of Grady Hospital, which is right next door, and other businesses in the area, but will need to keep growing in order to benefit the businesses that set up shop in the space. If you're in the city, I recommend a visit. I know it will be on my agenda when I return to Atlanta -- and hopefully it won't be long.

Store Brand VS Name Brand

by Jen L.

Jonniker recently wrote this fantastic post about her loyalty to specific brands of condiments. This got me thinking about my own pantry and about the things I'm willing to buy in "generic" form (store-brand) vs the things I HAVE to have a certain brand of. (I totally just ended that sentence with a preposition.  I'm a maverick, y'all!)

I have to tell you that not all store brands are created equally, at least not in my experience.  Target's store brands (Archer Farms and Market Pantry) tend to taste better than Walmart's Equate brand.  I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Publix and they sometimes run specials where, if you buy the name brand, you get the same item in Publix brand for free.  This has allowed me to test out a lot of their products and the only thing I haven't liked is their brand tomato soup. 

Here's what I'm "ticky" about, to use a southern word, and what I can stand to buy generic.

MUST HAVE BRAND NAME:

Coffee.  Store brand coffee is just usually not as good as the name-brand stuff I buy.  Lately, my heart belongs to Red Diamond, a coffee and tea company based right here in Alabama.

Tea.  Luzianne.  Nothing else will do.

Cheddar Cheese.  Must be Kraft extra-sharp cheddar in block form.

Salad Dressing.  We're all about Ken's in our house, in just about any flavor they make.

STORE BRAND STUFF THAT WORKS JUST FINE

Cereal.  I'm not a huge cereal eater, but really, once I cover generic "oat o's" with milk and fruit?  I can't tell the difference.

Pasta.  A noodle's a noodle.

Frozen veggies.  Store brands around here are up to a dollar cheaper and they taste just as good!

Sugar and artificial sweeteners.  Can't tell the difference, can you?

 

Publix brand "Apple Jacks."  So tasty, so affordable.

Photo credit mslk.com

What groceries do you HAVE to have a certain brand of and what store brands do you like?

Melange Creperie, Houston

By Jessica

Unfortunately for me, Houston (the City of, I mean, the people would dig it) has been slightly slow to embrace the foodie food truck explosion that seems to be taking hold in other cities across the country. I see tweets from friends in Portland, New York, Seattle, San Franscisco, and even Austin praising the delights they are scarfing down from their local food trucks and it makes me seethe with jealousy. Up until recently, our only common food truck option has been the umpteem taqueria trucks that are parked at gas stations and construction zones all over town.

Enter Melange Creperie. While not technically a truck -- it's a food cart or stand -- it's certainly filling a very definite foodie void with its delicious crepes. Located for the majority of the week in the parking lot of Mango's at 403 Westheimer (on Wednesdays they are at the City Hall Farmer's Market) and providing Parisienne style crepes filled with fresh, seasonal ingredients to a growing pack of hungry customers. Let me just caution you now, that pack of hungry customers? It can be fairly substantial and the wait might be longer than you are expecting but two things 1) it is totally worth it and I mean that, I take my food very seriously 2) they offered us the option to pre-pay for our order and come back instead of waiting. We chose to wait it out and just enjoy a rare breezy day with our fellow food lovers, taking in the delicious smells. Of course, those smells also became comically torturous as we waited, adding to our hunger.

For our first outing, my husband and I both had savory crepes: all the way crepe-hot (with the additional of sambal) for him and cheese enchilada with avocado for me, but I know that a sweet crepe, a big hit with the children in the crowd, is in my future. The crepes were perfectly delicate, yet substantial, the ingredients not too sparse, nor overwhelming thanks to being evenly distributed and for the price ($5-$8) amazingly filling and tasty. I look forward to checking back, as the menu changes, to see what I will try next time.

Also worth mentioning, I live over 20 miles away from Melange Creperie (total drawback of suburban living) and I would do that drive over and over again, no problem. If you are in town, or just come for a visit, I highly recommend you check out Melange Creperie. Follow them on twitter @MelangeCreperie for daily times, specials and more information.

Portland Food Carts: My Latest Culinary Obsession

By Amanda

Portland is starting to get a bit famous for its cheap eats, which makes sense. It's a working class town with a beer budget, worldclass local ingredients and champagne expectations. It's the kind of town where for fifteen bucks a day, you can eat like a king if you play your carts and your happy hours right.

How is it then, that I only JUST had my first official food cart experience?!?

Because I am an EEEEEDIOT. That's why.

My first venture was to a cart pod in North Portland. We were on the hunt for breakfast sammiches, but that cart was closed for the winter, so I ended up going for Guamanian BBQ at Six, Seven, One instead.

This is a decision I will never regret.

Right there? That's some marinated chicken thighs with shrimp fritters and seasoned rice. That may or may not have been the best chicken I have ever ingested. I'll let you know as soon as I try it again.

MOUTHGASM.

That same morning, Liza (the baldman's daughter) ordered breakfast from a wonderful, gluten-free cart called Rock, Paper, Scissors, where rock is a creative, deep fried rice ball, scissors is spicy enough to burn your hair off and paper looks something like this:

There are over 200 food carts in Portland open any given day of the week.

So how did I manage to come across the Brunchbox cart?

BECAUSE I AM OBSESSED WITH CHEESEBURGERS.

I ordered the I Can Haz Cheeseburger because DUH. Obviously.

Yes. That's two texas-toast grilled cheese sandwiches with meat and produce between them.

No. I didn't eat the whole thing.

But I TRIED, people. I gave it my college best.

There's rumored to be a cart on Belmont with a $10 foie gras on the menu. I promise to try it and report back. 

You know. For RESEARCH.

Now I'm curious. Does your town have food carts? I've heard not all municipalities are copacetic with the street eats. If you're local, what should I try next?!?