The Daily Show, Jon Stewart Defends NY Pizza

I'm not a huge Jon Stewart fan, by any means.  That's not to say that I'm not NOT a fan, I just don't watch much TV and I don't have cable so, meh, it just doesn't come across my radar.

 

But luckily I have a good buddy who does.  And, occasionally, this good buddy will send me stuff, not just Jon Stewart related either (I actually think this is the first time he's sent me a Daily Show clip to be honest) but other interesting tid bits, like the Dollar Shave club

(awesome! click this link to learn more)

Dollar Shave Club DVA Link

 

Now, let's recalibrate a bit...

 

This blog is first and foremost a Pizza Blog.  Sharing and joining in the love of all things pizza, and ripping a new a-hole to those moron out there who don't get it, but think that they do.

 

So allow me to preface this post by saying that I do not take sides when it comes to burying my face in a pie.  Any pie, any time.  NY, Chicago, New Haven, Dominoe's (yes, even them, and happy to eat it.  Is it the best?  NOT EVEN CLOSE!  But it's technically pizza so I LOVE it). 

 

I also happen to love a good argument, and Jon Stewart does a fantastic job of defending the pie that he loves the most

(sorry Chicago fans, but this is hillarious, and he makes a few good points, just sayin).

 

So please, click the YouTube link just below and turn up the volume and enjoy, it's really awesome.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8IKxbOpt0E

 

Eat More Pie

 

DVA

Hayataro, Ramen, Okayama City, Japan

If I was able to read Japanese I believe that this sign states the name of this business to read:

"Hayataro Ramen"

But, alas, my Japanese is restricted to common greetings and simple food and drink orders, and my understanding of the written word is even less.  Thusly, I am left to the good graces of one Mrs. Higashino (a wonderful woman who ensures that the meetings I attend at Mitsui Zosen are comfortable and efficient) to translate for me the hieroglyphics adorning the abutment of this establishment. 

What I DO know is that behind these walls exists some pretty darn good ramen.  Delicious, flavorful, greasy and yummy, filling my belly to ebb the pangs of hunger and jet-lag.  

The primary element within is a Tonkotsu broth, pork bone.  There are many other elements and versions here as well, but the main substance is that of the pig.  

As this is a business lunch we'll have tea.  Cold, refreshing, oolong tea.  A large pitcher resides full time at our table, making the replenishment of these small glasses easy and fast.

One of my favorite things in Japan is the visual depiction of the food on the menu.  This is not for the foreigner in the large city, this is a standard modus operandi, and it kicks ass.  Point and mumble and smile, works like a charm.  Makes you feel like you're actually communicating!

Yes, this stuff is spicy.  And really good.  I used it for dipping the gyoza that were on their way.

Mmmmmm, gyoza

Handmade, fresh made, expertly made, sofaking well made

Oone-san had this.  I believe he said this was a sweet ramen, meaning the broth was lighter than the one to come my way shortly.  Still a Tonkotsu broth base but possibly without the extra layer of fat or other mystery adds?  Who knows, looked and smelled fantastic.

Here's mine.  Spicy Tonkotsu ramen and a side of Karage (fried chicken chunks) and Gohan (rice)

Yahata-san had the same, but just the Ramen

Chicken perfection

So much flavor, so much crispness.  Truly amazing.  The glop to the side is Kewpie Mayonnaise.  The best, most flavorful mayonnaise ever made, and it's Japanese.  You can get it in San Diego tho, Mitsuwa Market, and a dozen others in Kearny Mesa carry it.  A perfect accompaniment to the chicken.

The item of note in the photo below is the egg.  

Perfectly cooked.  Not runny, but not a rock either.  Firm enough to pick up with chopsticks yet soft enough to melt in your mouth.  

The magic of a really good ramen lies in the separate elements, eaten separately that are wonderful, yet when, near the end of the meal, when sparse bits are at once combined together, the flavors work in harmony, a concert of flavor, together yet not such a deep reliance that if absent one feels lacking.  More of a feeling of when present there is a greater understanding, deeper meaning.  Feeling only the positive, sensing none of the negative.

Pork loin.

Cooked to perfection.  Seemingly every piece is cut from the end, where all of the flavor, all of the juice, all of the essence is driven.

Below all of this are the stars of the show, the noodles.  Sadly there are no photos, only memories, flashing, floating, emerging and then gone waiting patiently to be revived by the next wafting of scent.

And then it's all gone

Full, satisfied, ready for a nap

Eat more ramen

DVA

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Asheville North Carolina

Brixx, Asheville NC.  Good family fun, and beer, and pizza.  Monday is the day to go cause the happyhour is AWESOME!

So we went on a Monday, scroll down to enjoy.

http://brixxpizza.com/locations/asheville

24 beers on tap, tons of locals to choose from, Monday ALL drafts are $1.95, AND, they have a frequent customer card, or whatever the name is, and after a certain number of beers you get free food.  Yeah, FREE appetizers, pizzas, stuff to eat for FREE.  

So naturally, the smartest dudes I know in Asheville (Gabe and Dylan) have figured out that on Monday's, drinking for $1.95 a pop, it pretty much equates to free beer if you consider that you get free apps and pizza and $1.95 beer..... if the bill is say $20 and you've had a free pie and app and 5 beers each, you have essentially paid for the food and drank for free.  Flipping the system around, it's a mind game, and they are winning.....  

Smart dudes, and great beer.  Let the show begin...

My honest observation is that the beer is the star here. 

I did very much enjoy the pizza, but probably because the company was so good that really anything would taste great.  

This is a pizza chain and developed not necessarily by people that are true pizza crafters, so the crust is not really the star.  The toppings are the star and they do, very much, have some tasty combinations.  But the crust is like I have explained before in other posts, a bread dough and not a pizza dough.  No pull, no snap, no chew.  Compressed white bread.  It holds up to the toppings, physically, but it's not a true pizza dough.  Did I eat 12 slices?  Fo sho!

Nice oven

Wood fired

Very thin

Let's step back to the apps

This was Zucchini Balsamic Toast

Similar to a bruschetta but FANTASTICALLY good.

Pimento Cheese and Pita

If you haven't ever had pimento cheese your life is not complete.  It's delicious, hard to explain so I won't, but it's cheesy and yummy.

Looks like potato salad, but so not

The following pie is Sweet Thai Chicken.  It was the first pie we had and hands down the best.  However, had we started with a pie with less bold flavors we might have enjoyed them more, I think. 

Bronx Bomber

Really really good too.  So maybe I need to amend my previous comment a bit now that I see this pie.  This was a close second in the "favorite" race.  Lots of meat and some gorgonzola cheese too.

Rosemary Chicken and Mushroom

Kinda boring, not much rosemary flavor.  Had we started with this one it might have been enjoyed more.

We liked the pimento cheese app so much that we ordered the pie, which fell a little short, but fun to try.  The flavor of the app is bigger and bolder than the pie, so I'd just stick to that if I was you.

Desert pie..... Smores

Sharing this was great cause more than one slice and I'd be feeling this for a while.

Thick, gooey, yummy.  Worth a try.  Enjoy.

Beer, Pizza, Family.

More of all please.

DVA

Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Asheville NC

This post has been a long time coming. 

My first visit was several years ago, to a different location than the one in these photos, but I was nonetheless struck by the subtle uniqueness of this original NC pie shop.  Not instantly struck mind you, but gradually, ever so slowly, it crept upon me.

A quite original pie, and indeed a chain (30 or more locations? Mainly in the southeast but slowly venturing west, please come to San Diego!!!!!)

At first glance this place can easily be mistaken for a Ben And Jerry's.  Lot's of tie-died clothing, extravagantly decorated interior, large unkept hairdos and unshaven man faces abound.  Even the pies at first glance seem un-original, and it might take a bite or two for you to realize what is really going on here, the magic gradually settling in.  Let's venture on....

http://mellowmushroom.com/store/asheville

And in typical DVA fashion, starting with a beer is a must.

There were at least 30 beers on tap including a great selection of local brews.

This is the Gaelic Ale from the hugely famous local brewery The Highland Brewing Company, which I'm told is the beer that started the craft/micro-brew craze in Asheville.  Which I'm also told is the city with the most micro-brews in the nation, per-capita.....  which is an important fact because I also believe San Diego to have the most craft breweries of any city in the nation. 

(Unsubstantiated facts provide by Dylan King)

And I know that there are lots of also's in that paragraph.  And I also don't care.

Tell me that this doesn't look delish....

Appetizers were pizza dough formed into the shape of pretzels, generously sprinkled with parmesan cheese, marinara sauce along side.  Really really great.  Apparently the previous version of this was a knot (not a pretzel shape) and I can see how that would be a bit better as there would be more fluffy dough.  But these were great as they were.

Now, on to the pie, and better yet, an explanation of what sets this place apart from the rest.

It's the dough

A true pizza dough, not a bread recipe that is being presented as pizza.  The right pull and chew, crisp on the bottom, light and fluffy inside   It tastes as though it's a blend of white and wheat flour, but not too much of either.  Simply the perfect balance, great flavor.  The main center portion of the pie has a feel of a thin East Coast Style, but the outer rim is larger, thicker, and brushed with oil (or butter) and sprinkled with their ground parmesan cheese.  Amazing.  Familiar yet unique and original.

This is pepperoni and sausage

Yes, two photos of the same pie, and essentially the same photo, but not.  

It's my blog, and I liked the pie that much.

Keep scrolling, stop judging....

I'd like to present to you 

THE MAUI WOWIE

Pesto base with ham, pineapple, jerk chicken, banana peppers, applewood smoked bacon, and mozzarella cheese.  

The pineapple is very subtle, almost a light background note.  

Way more Wowie than Maui (thanks for another quote Dylan...)

The House Special

Red sauce base with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham, applewood smoked bacon, mushrooms, black olives, Roma tomatoes, green peppers, and onions, and topped with a little more Mozzarella.  

I don't like black olives so, after I picked them off, I really liked this one as well.

Here is a brief glimpse of the kitchen.  Controlled chaos.  This is a large operation, and the original one.  Including inside and outside, this place could probably seat 200 people.  

They are pumping out a lot of pies.

A great pie, washed down with a great beer, enjoyed with great family and friends. 

Someone else picking up the tab is like icing on the cake.  Thanks Art, a very very nice time.

P.S. beware of the local crazies.... put some thought into your seat selection... 

DVA

Puerto Nuevo, A How-To Guide

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a total novice, navigating the mainways and byways of Puerto Nuevo can drive the best of us to drinking.  An endless number of restaurants, untold quantities of left hand turns, never ending doormen blocking your way, attempting to entice you into their place of business, these are just a few of the hazards you'll find at the once-upon-a-time, sleepy lobster village.

The following is offered as a helpful script to guide you through the maze, with the ultimate destination being this place, the best in town:

Enter the Puerto Nuevo arches from the main road and head alllllllll the way to the end of the street, until you can go no further (in a straight line any way.... don't be stupid).  Also, please stop at all of the stop signs, they hide them and without warning you can slide right on by.   Under no circumstances are you to stop for anyone waving menus at you, calling you their best friend, do not even hesitate at the offer of free margaritas or the largest lobsters in town.  These are all just pathetic ploys by the desperate street hawkers.  Simply smile and keep driving.  Once you reach the end of the street make a left.  Continue past the curio shops and when you see this guy, STOP, you have arrived!

This is Sparky, and he'll guide you right to Olas Del Mar

If you arrive before sunset you might like to sit outside, enjoying a view like this possibly...

Maybe you'll be lucky enough to have someone along to enjoy this all with you too.  It's always fun to share... at least that's what Mom always said.

Everyone one at this place is great, but our personal favorite is Antonio. 

Cool guy, great waiter, a true pleasure to talk to.  Plus he knows what we like and makes the whole experience awesome.

Alright, enough talking for now, let's have a drink!

A shot of tequila and a margarita, ahhhhhhhhhh

Guacamole?  Si si si 

Chips and salsa?  Uhmmm, yeah!

The meal comes with tortilla soup.  Really really great stuff.  Deep rich flavor, tomatoey, chickeny, who knows what elsey?!?!?!?  It's good.  There are slices of avocado and some cheese there on the bottom as well.  Really, I could just have this and be happy.

But let's not be rediculous, we are here for the lobster, so let's begin

Cut in half and deep fried.  Rice, beans, tortillas, limes, melted butter, yeah, wow

These tortillas were made about 30 seconds ago

This is for two people.....

The beginning of my plate

And then

And before you know it, it's over.

Bye bye little friend, it was great seeing you again

$40, Guacamole was an extra $5, shot and drink was included as well.  So full, so happy, so gonna come back soon, and you should too. 

Go to Mexico

Go eat lobster

Arriba!

DVA