A New England Girl in Green Bay Packer Territory

Dear Mr. Favre:

I recently found myself in the Green Bay area, and had the “pleasure” of dining in your “steak house.” I have a bone to pick with you…

First of all, are you trying to kill me? Since when is a baked potato served with more ounces of butter, sour cream and cheese than the potato itself? Granted, I’m in Wisconsin. I will deal with the cheese. But to have a potato so dripping in butter fat is not okay.

Shall I discuss the ambience? You’re a good looking guy, but I don’t want to look at you that much. Wall to wall, side by side, nothing but pictures of you. No other memorabilia from your time in Green Bay - it was less a restaurant and more a Brett Favre portrait museum that happened to serve food. This sentiment has nothing to do with me being from New England. I wouldn’t even want to look at Tom Brady that much. And he’s a really good looking guy.

There were six in our party. Our bread basket had five rolls. People eat carbs these days. Accept it.

We started with the chilled seafood platter. Since the dish is described as chilled, our expectation was that it would be cold, perhaps served on ice. There is nothing good about eating room temperature oysters. Nothing. Especially in Wisconsin – you’re nowhere near the ocean. Ewww.

About 30 minutes after our starter, the salad course was served. Unremarkable. It was more like dressing soup, garnished with some lettuce.

The entrees were actually pretty good. No need to provide constructive criticism – we all legitimately enjoyed our steaks (and roast chicken, for the one red meat hold out of the group). As I previously mentioned, the baked potato could have done with a little less saturated fat. After all, isn’t it supposed to be a relatively healthy side dish?

Only two of us ordered dessert. The carrot cake was good, but a little heavy. I’ll own that, and give you a thumbs up. The key lime pie was also well received – and by a New York Football Giants fan nonetheless.

All in all, I’d say the food was okay, the décor a bit extravagant. But I didn’t see any Super Bowl XXXI memorabilia from where I was sitting, so you’re off the hook for that one.

Best of luck in your retirement. I hope you enjoy a full summer off before you change your mind and look for a new place to play ball.

Sincerely,
A Wannabe Foodie

Confessions of a Wannabe Foodie

Does anyone remember when the writer’s strike was? I cannot pinpoint the date, but I can pinpoint the event as the one that made me want to be a foodie.

You see, there was nothing on TV. I was bored out of my mind, surfing the channels looking for anything – I mean anything – to watch. Sure, I probably could have read some more, or perhaps left the house and actually done something. (Even though I can’t remember the exact date, I vividly recall that it was during a cold New England winter.) But I am a TV junkie, and I was jonesin’ for something to watch.

In my quest to find something to watch, I stumbled upon America’s Test Kitchen on PBS. A cooking show. I’ve always liked cooking, but I’ll be honest, I’ve never been very good at it. My half-Italian side appreciates fine food, but my half-Irish side just wants to eat it. Preparation of good food has never been a priority.

But after getting hooked on America’s Test Kitchen, I sought out the Food Network to see what they had to offer. Introducing (to me, anyway) Alton Brown’s Good Eats, and Iron Chef America. Alton provided me with a veritable culinary education, one ingredient at a time. He was my new obsession, and I had a little bit of a crush. I’m not going to lie. (I probably should, but what’s the point?) And massively addicted is not an adequate enough description for my love of Top Chef.

Once my passion for cooking television kicked in, my thirst for cookbooks took over. I couldn’t get enough – I would bring them home from the bookstore, curl up on the coach with a nice glass of wine and read them like a novel, flagging the pages with recipes I wanted to try.

If only I could cook…

With my TiVo full of cooking shows, and my bookshelf full of cookbooks, I moved on to the equipment. Calphalon pots and pans replaced the no name ones I had been happily using for years. I replaced my crappy old, dull knives with Calphalon Katana series knives. I bought whisks, mandolins, bamboo cutting boards, pans both spring form and tart. My KitchenAid mixer and food processor were my new best friends. My tiny little, galley kitchen was complete.

But my food is still not very good.

I have my moments, but usually with the very basic things. I can roast a chicken with the best of them, and my homemade chicken soup has become a Christmas tradition. Moving up the food chain (bad pun intended), I’m getting pretty good at homemade pizza – from homemade dough and sauce, to hand grated fresh mozzarella (thank you, Alton and America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook). My manicotti has received rave reviews, from numerous family members, on the Italian side nonetheless.

But I’m still not a foodie. I really, really wannabe… but I’ve got a ways to go.

So my quest continues. I will watch more cooking shows, buy more cookbooks, eat at more fancy restaurants, try more new recipes. I will not quit until I am a bona fide foodie.

Please… do stay tuned!