Vegetarian Epicure

Anna Thomas’s book is apparently a classic. I haven’t read it, but I’ve been hearing about it for some time. This one also seems harder to find – at least in new condition (maybe it’s out of print?). Powel’s has book two and what looks like a revised version of the original. Amazon seems to have used copies of book one for sale.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

I received this book by Deborah Madison from a friend as a birthday gift. It is fast becoming one of my favorite cooking guides – surpassing both the carnivorous and the meatless options in my library. It’s thoughtful look at ingredients and techniques, in addition to it’s variety of simple and accessible recipies, makes it an indespensible addition to any kitchen. If I was going to start my kitchen library from scratch, this would be one of the first ones there.

The Moosewood Cookbook

Molly Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook is another legendary title whose original edition appears to be out of print. We have the new version, which sounds like it is significantly different from the original. While we do enjoy cooking from it, I’ve been keeping an eye out for a copy of the original. Amazon seems to have used editions the original, but you might be just as well off looking in your local used book shop.

Shop local

If you are in the viscinity of Real Portland (the one with a view of the Atlantic), the local foodie bookstore Rabelais might have copies of the out of print versions of these books, in addition to Madison’s work. As an aside (as in not-a-veggie-cookbook aside), they also have a stack of signed copies of David Chan’s Momufuku. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Update: Casey Rosenthal submits the Veganomicon for your consideration. With a title like that, how can you go wrong?

Do you have a favorite veggie cook book? Any leads on where to find out of print or hard to find cookbooks?

From what we understood (and to be fair we were a bit dazed – it’s hard to pay attention when your heart is breaking), they are trying to sell it as a complete package. That would include everything from tablecloths and flatware to the exquisite recipes and sauces in the sale. Here’s hoping someone picks up the spoon.

So if you enjoy Vietnamese or Thai cuisine, I’d highly recommend visiting before they pack up. I’d especially recommend the Pho (the Pho Satay is my personal favorite), as it’s consistently been some of the best I’ve ever had. The Vermicelli Bun (V4, I believe) is also quite good. Their drunken noodle dish also ranks among the better versions I’ve tried.

We now have to decide if we’re going to try and explore the rest of the menu, or savor the dishes we have grown to love, before the doors close. At least we get to say good-bye this time – Binga’s may be the most attractive boarded-up building in town, but it’s still an empty, lonely shell.

This is one of The Real Portland’s best kept secrets – get it before it’s gone.

Update (2009-04-26): We stopped in this weekend for some post-grocery shopping takeout, and heard word that the proprietor’s father may be taking over the business after all. There’s hope yet!

Measuring sticks, old and new

Espresso is the rod by which I judge a coffee shop. Arabica has been my gold standard for some time – the shots there are sweet and nutty, rarely bitter. I haven’t found another place in recent memory, Portland or elsewhere, that pulls a shot like that. The shot I had at Bard was at least as good, if not better than Arabica.

That was just the beginning. The cappuccino was smooth and creamy, leading me to wonder if I’ve ever really had a cap done right. Just like most of the espresso I’ve had in my life, the cap’s have always been a tad on the bitter side. This wasn’t.

Really want to get blown away? Try the breve macciatto. I believe my exact words were, “Wow. Is there cinnamon in this?”. Nope, the friendly barista across the counter replied, just a shot and steamed half-and-half.

The espresso they were pulling today was organic, and (I think) “single origin”. I forgot to ask what single origin means exactly, but I’m fairly certain all of their house brews are organic.

I’m looking forward to trying what I think was referred to as the coffee bar – which is a row of ceramic drip brewers that you can watch your coffee be brewed in. The staff is super friendly. It sounds like the hours are going to be later than any other coffee shop in town.

I brake for Craftsmanship

Perhaps what impressed me the most was Bob, and his passion for the trade. Bob is one of three owners/partners, and I gather is the main roaster. He sat down and joined us for quite a while, and we chatted about a wide range of things – from the philosophical to the geopolitical. Mostly, we talked about coffee.

It isn’t often that you meet someone so enthused about the craftsmanship and delivery of what they are selling. It’s also not often that you get to hang out with a judge for the World Barista Championships. Surely not all of them are this down to earth, or so willing to share, discuss, and debate their knowledge and philosophy.

Here’s hoping Bard sticks around – they may just raise the bar for coffee houses in The Real Portland and beyond.

“Our sandwiches consist of fine imported meats like mortadella, proscuitto, sopressata, capicola etc. and delicious cheeses like aged provolone and asiago on crusty breads. And we’d always drizzle the bread with extra vigin olive oil.”

In other words, some of the best sandwiches in Maine, if not New England. That said, my favorite combination there is a fresh cannoli and a double shot, enjoyed in the sunny window overlooking downtown Bangor.

Part of what was edited out of the posted transcript appears to be the questions and answers at the end. This is unfortunate, because they were some of the best parts of the talk. Mr. Pollan fielded questions regarding local food consumption and production, how the country handles food aid to other countries, and victory gardens on the white house lawn, among others. A number of these questions centered around a recent article of his in the New York Times.

They videotaped the event so I was hoping they would put it online. As yet I haven’t seen it show up, or at least haven’t found it anywhere. I guess if they are only posting edited transcripts, there’s not much hope to see the full session in video. Oh well.

I should mention that I discovered this event via one of my new-found favorite local blogs. Portland Psst! serves up “Food gossip. Reviews. And overheards.”, and offers a solid linkroll to boot. It’s not the easiest to pronounce when telling your friends about it (Portland what?), but Portland Psst! is a highly reccomended addition to your newsreader. What’s more, they just celebrated their 1,111th posting (on 11/1, no less!), so hop on over and give ‘em a slap on the back and a hearty hullo.

“The Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP for short) is a protocol for controlling, monitoring, and diagnosing coffee pots. … Although the RFC describing the protocol is an April Fools’ Day joke and not to be taken seriously, it specifies the protocol itself accurately enough for it to be a real, non-fictional protocol.”

Users of the spec should take note of return code 418, “I’m a teapot”:

“Any attempt to brew coffee with a teapot should result in the error code “418 I’m a teapot”. The resulting entity body MAY be short and stout.”

Getting around the site is kind of a pain, and good luck linking to an article. Someone should tell the folks at the bollard that popup windows aren’t very friendly. It sounds like the print version is going from a quarterly to a monthly cycle, so maybe a site refresh is in the works. I wonder if they realize how much ad revenue they’re probably missing out on.

Still, it’s worth slogging through the funky navigation. I’m especially enjoying the review of Asian drinks, many of which I’ve seen but haven’t been adventurous to try. Everything from Basil seed drink and Grass jelly to young coconut juice, in fascinating – if not always mouthwatering – detail.

I’ll take Potent Potables for $500, Alex

That’s right, today we welcome the return of the long lost food category. We’ll see where it goes, but let’s start with something short and sweet.

How to cut a mango

It’s Mango season, so I’ll kick us off with one of my favorite instructional videos, How to Cut a Mango.

I think I originally found this on Lifehacker, and there are a few variations mentioned in that thread that might be worth a shot (I like the idea of the straw technique).

Enjoy!