The ultimate German beer paddle

Because nothing says “Happy Birthday” like schnitzel, wurst and big-ass mugs of beer, we took Kat out for an early 29th celebration this past weekend at Munich Haus in Chicopee.

German food lovers in greater Springfield are blessed, having three such restaurants nearby: Student Prince in the city, Hofbrauhaus to the west.

Though I love my ethnic foods, I’m pretty new to the flavors of Germany. I’m guilty of ordering baked stuffed lobster at Hofbrauhaus. (Shut up, that was like, seven years ago, and  I made up for it when we sampled an authentic buffet during our stopover in Frankfurt last fall.)  So when the birthday girl suggested Munich, I was excited to give it another whirl.

Munich Haus does an excellent job setting the scene, with homey decor, live accordian music and waitstaff in traditional garb (dirndl, I think the outfits are called.) The service is friendly and prompt. Before we even sat down, there were three bowls of their homemade potato chips at our table for five, with an accompanying sour cream-based dipping sauce.

The area's most irresistible chips?

(Warning: these chips are stupidly addictive, and I mean that in the best way possible. Save room for the massive entrees.)

The beer list would be daunting for your average brew lover, and even moreso for a novice like me. Thankfully, Munich Haus offers two “beer towers” with six varieties apiece for those who want to sample everything. The first contains two Hacker-Pschorr weisses, a Franziskaner Weisse and three Spatens: Maiboch, Lager and Optimator. They go a little more local with the second tower, offering two Paper City Holyoke brews alongside two German pilsners and lagers. Of course, we got one of each. Surprisingly, I liked the darker varieties better, and ended up really enjoying the Paper City Reilly’s Irish stout. Great caramel and chocolate flavors.

Next came appetizers: German fried baby pickles, fried imported German cheese and then something not fried: a Bavarian pretzel, one of the evening’s specials. The little wedges of cheese were deliciously decadent, mild and gooey

Bavarian pretzel appetizer special

and great with their accompanying kicky honey mustard sauce. But the star of the pre-entree was the big pretzel – soft, warm, stretchy and salt-crusted. It came with more of the zesty honey mustard, but it was even better with its other dip, an herbed sour cream.

Still more food was on its way – I opted for Roquefort dressing with my salad (a $1.85 upcharge) and watched as the waitress prepared it tableside. The bowl of dressing was literally as big as my bowl of salad. The cheese was rich and flavorful, but I wouldn’t order this again – you’d never get your money’s worth unless you truly glopped your greens with dressing.

And then came the main courses. Or should I say, the meat. The birthday girl and Rob each ordered the Bavarian platter, a metal tray full of Pfalzer rostbratwurst, Nuremberg bratwurst, Jaeger schnitzel, sauerbraten and sides of red cabbage, sauerkraut, spaetzle and a potato pancake. Each wurst was juicier and more flavorful than the next, and the potato pancake was crispy and comforting.

Bavarian platter: with lots and lots of MEAT

Another friend opted for the Pfalzer bratwurst by itself, which came with cabbage, sauerkraut and spaetzle, and another opted for Parmigain schnitzel, a sort of ‘Italian fusion’ dish with pasta sauce and provolone cheese. Though it was made with a pork cutlet, everyone teased her about her “chicken parmesan.”

My dish, the Schnitzel Lichtenstein, was topped with Westphalian ham, sliced tomato and melted Emmenthaler cheese. Ironically, it was similar to the Milanesa, my favorite dish at the Argentinean steakhouse Caminito in Northampton. The veal cutlet was rich and meaty, and the strong flavors of the toppings – the cured ham, the fresh tomato and tangy Swiss – rounded out the hearty dish. Two large cutlets were served as an entree portion; one and half my spaetzle came home with me.

And since I’ve made no secret of my love for carbohydrates (the whiter, the better,) let’s talk about the spaetzle. These delicious little bits of egg noodle are totally worth the glycemic index spike, especially when they’re buttered and topped with bread crumbs and herbs. The spaetzle was reminiscent of baked macaroni and cheese, just without the fromage. (Yelp reviewers actually reference a käse spätzle made with cheese and a white sauce that’s no longer on the menu.) I ate several late-night leftover forkfuls after a few cocktails.

Schnitzel Lichtenstein

No dessert for us, though there’s a yummy-looking selection of gourmet cookies, crepes, tortes, cheesecakes and a Bavarian apple strudel on the menu.

Verdict: We’re going back once we’re ready for another hit of meat and carbs. Munich Haus has an attractive outdoor patio, and I envision sitting there on a nice summer night with a big mug of beer, those beautifully crunchy chips and my beloved spaetzle.

This event is a real treat for Western Massachusetts wine lovers and foodies.  First, the tickets are affordable ($40 for WGBY members, $45 for nonmembers.) The admission price entitles you to hundreds of wine, champagne and beer tastings. That alone would be worth it, but it also includes tons of gratis food tastings. (No expensive food-for-purchase ticketing system like some larger festivals. )

Our first stop was the Table & Vine Connoisseur’s room (thanks, T&V!) where we tried some excellent high-end wines – a refreshing Grgich Hills Chardonnay, a rich Ferrari- Carano (Sangiovese/Malbec blend), a stunning Antintori Tignanello Italian red (recommended to us by a WGBY rep) and a few equally impressive Champagnes. Then we moved on to the edible offerings.

Beefalo frankfurters from Wild Mountain

There were specialty foods galore – everything from artisan cheese and chocolate to meatballs, curry chicken, seared tuna, lobster rolls and clam chowder. We sampled charcuterie, bruschetta spreads on crackers, homemade ricotta, grilled Australian barramundi, vegetable pakora and much more. I had an OMG moment with a piece of Berkshire Bark Jumpin’ Java chocolate, which probably gave me the tastiest caffeine buzz I’d ever experienced. Also amazing: the Beefalo frankfurters from Wild Mountain Farm in West Brookfield.

Beyond grapes, there was also honey and chamomile mead from Green River Ambrosia, fruit and ice wines from Hardwick Valley and Still River Winery and a variety of beers from Berkshire Brewing Company.

The booths were a bit difficult to locate and identify – they were marked by letters and numbers, intended to correspond with a printed program. It would have been much easier to get to each booth if they’d all had identifying banners or signs representing their company. It also would have been great if the event had lasted for more than three hours. We didn’t arrive until 6:30 because of the previous commitment (the event was held from 5 to 8 p.m.) and felt really rushed. Not to mention that some booths started breaking down around 7:30 p.m.

Either way, this is an event that we hope to attend annually. This festival is absolutely worth the price of admission, especially if you’re looking for great food as part of the package deal. Scroll down for more photos…

Chicken curry and basmati rice from Sitar, Springfield

Grilled barramundi with lemon butter from Australis in Turners Falls, Mass.

One of many, many cheese displays (the cheese on the right was speckled with blueberry)

Spectacular Berkshire Bark chocolate

Count 'em. Nine patties.

When you’re a food blogger, it’s your job to eat a lot. And sometimes it’s your job to watch others stuff their faces, as we did yesterday afternoon at Doogie’s in Newington. Rock jock Zuko from Hartford’s 106.9 WCCC took on the “Whacky Burger” challenge at the restaurant.

The burger, pictured at left, consists of three pounds of beef. That’s nine 1/3-pound patties. Also: French fries, onions, peppers, secret sauce and three types of cheese.

You can read the entry (with video and more photos) over at A La Carte. It was entertaining, to say the least!

Sigh.

You know how I feel about the new recipe. Then again, I technically contributed my own $6+ to this profit gain.

We’ll see if Domino’s can maintain these numbers throughout the year. From what I’ve read, customers are pleased with the garlic-butter crust and the excellent online-ordering widget (which I liked, myself.) But after hearing from several Valley Independent Sentinel readers, who are blessed with proximity to plenty of places serving outstanding New Haven-style pizza, there are plenty of Connecticut diners who wouldn’t dream of touching the stuff.

I am now blogging at A La Carte, a new daily restaurant blog for ctnow.com.  Click on over and check it out!

Already, we’ve covered some delicious stuff: Bun Lai welcoming children and families for a free sushi lunch at Miya’s, approval for the state’s first Sonic Drive-In in Wallingford, a week-long three-course lunch special for just $20.10 at ON20 and a new happy hour deal at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m also working on a St. Patrick’s Day/Irish menu roundup, and I’ll be covering a Whacky Burger eating challenge at Doogie’s Friday afternoon.

If you hear of any restaurant openings/closings/menu changes/events/you name it, feel free to email me anytime. much appreciated!

Bobby Flay meets some of his biggest fans from western Massachusetts.

After reading this post on AnnArbor.com yesterday (“Dear Bobby Flay, please stop”) I had to laugh. I like Bobby Flay, and I enjoy the “Throwdown” series where he sneak-attacks and challenges hometown chefs known for their iconic recipes. I like it better when the hometown people prevail, which they seem to about 90% of the time.

Flay is a brand by himself, opening restaurants all over the United States (two now in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun – Bobby’s Burger Palace and Bar Americain.) And when chef/personalities verge on overexposure, criticism builds. So I wasn’t surprised to see this blogger, John Moors, ripping on several Food Network stars. He put Flay on blast for his partiality to Southwestern ingredients. “Really Bobby? You’re going to add green chiles to this recipe? No way.”

Yes,  Southwestern flavor is Bobby’s thing. But if you’ve watched enough “Throwdown” episodes, you’ll sometimes marvel at what foods Bobby chooses to “spice” up. Competing against a Rockland, Maine cafe owner famous for her lobster club sandwich, Flay concocted his own version with saffron mayonnaise, crispy serrano ham and watercress. If you’ve ever visited that area of Maine – where my grandparents once owned a summer home – you’ll know that A.) the lobster is so incredibly fresh and delicious that it hardly needs clarified butter) and B.) fancy Southwestern food probably won’t impress or entice your average coastal Mainer, ayuh. Come on, dude. Definitely rolled my eyes during this episode.

I sent the link to my foodie friends Kat and Ben, some of the biggest Flay fans I know. They met him at the Mohegan Sun WineFest at the end of January, where Bobby signed Ben’s bottle of ancho chile powder and he cradled it like a baby on the ride home to Springfield. Needless to say, Ben was not impressed by this blogger’s rant and made a point to comment.

This got me thinking about overexposure. Obviously, the Food Network is a massive moneymaking machine, and people are buying these chefs’ cookbooks/overpriced Kohl’s kitchen equipment/tickets to personal appearances. But at what point is it too much? The Rachael Ray backlash came fast and furious, with critics slamming her cutesy kitchen abbreviations and exclamations (and let’s not forget those creepy Maxim photos.)  I truly love Guy Fieri and “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman, just because they seem like genuinely awesome guys you could invite to your house party. But I’m sure they have their haters, too.

So: love them, or hate them? Do you have a favorite food personality?

Hartford Courant: “Twitter, Facebook Help Restaurants Communicate With Patrons”

It should come as no surprise that I located and contacted all of my story sources for this article through social media platforms. To their credit, most of them responded to me within hours, if not minutes. Any journalist – particularly freelancers – can tell you how rare and refreshing that is!

And for some more exciting news: I am now contributing to the new Hartford Courant/ctnow.com dining blog, A La Carte. I’ll still be blogging here at FWC, of course, but definitely check it out. Food, food, food!

Honestly, she hadn't even taken a bite at this point. (Photo by Diana Guay)

What started out as another Sara’s Savory Adventure quickly evolved into the West Hartford edition of “Bizarre Foods.” Or, as someone at our table coined, “Boys vs. Food.” Either way, our Saturday visit to Pho Boston was hugely entertaining.

After Sara’s first foray into ethnic food (Fun With Curry), we thought Vietnamese would be a good choice for her next cuisine. Sure, the food has its exotic elements, but we thought we’d start her first on a bowl of pho, or bun with vermicelli (rice noodles) and grilled meats.

“Pick me out something with chicken,” she instructed, closing her menu. I obliged, ordering her bun ga xao sa ot (chicken sauteed with lemongrass over vermicelli.) I figured it would be somewhat recognizable and tasty, but it arrived topped with a gelatinous-textured sauce and thick slices of onion.

“The consistency of this is really throwing me off,” she said, with a pained look on her face. Couldn’t blame her. Every lemongrass chicken dish I’ve had has been made with great, tender grilled meat, lightly flavored with the subtle herb, without the ‘jiggly’ sauce.

She tried my bun dish, made with barbecued pork and grilled shrimp, and liked it much better. “Next time, just tell me what you’re ordering for yourself and I’ll get the same thing,” she laughed.

Although her meal was kind of a bust, Sara had plenty of fun watching other members of our party tackle weirder items. Nick, arguably the most adventurous diner at the table, ordered über-authentic pho with rare steak, tendon and tripe. When he offered her a morsel of tendon, she actually sampled it.

That seemed to boost her confidence, and she then tried, in order: a spot of fiery sriracha sauce, seeds from a hot Thai chili pepper and a pineapple shake with tapioca pearls. When one of the pearls made its way up through the straw, Sara would have none of it, and spat the ball into her food. Quick-thinking photog Diana Guay captured the whole process, and documented what we’re now calling the “Bubble Tea Incident.” See photo below.

The Bubble Tea incident (Photo by Diana Guay)

The Thai chili pepper, part of the garnish plate for pho orders, became the focus of a showdown between Nick and Diana’s fiance, Rob. Thai peppers measure fairly high on the Scoville heat scale, higher than cayenne, jalapenos and serranos but lower than habaneros and Scotch bonnets.

Whatever the rating, the boys were in serious pain. Though they tried hard to keep cool, their red faces, tearing eyes and sweating foreheads gave them away. They tried to douse the heat with ice water, tea with extra sugar and bubble tea. “Nothing helps!” Rob choked out.

So what’s next for Sara, readers? Thai or sushi? You tell us. In the meantime, here’s video of Sara’s Vietnamese experience. Also, click here for more of Diana Guay’s photos.

Just when you thought you’d FINALLY gotten that jingle out of your head…it’s returned. “Gimme back that Filet-o-Fish! Gimme that fish!”

McDonald’s is killing me this week, between this ad and the neverending Olympic spots for Chicken McNuggets.

Watch the commercial through to the end, though. I laughed!

I blame my husband. A few weeks ago, he went to our gym on a night they were offering free pizza. (I know, that makes a whole lot of sense.) The pizza happened to be the new Domino’s recipe, and he wanted to see what the hype was all about. He came home talking about it. “It’s…better,” he reported. “Still not great.”

Domino’s chefs reportedly added red pepper and herbs to kick up the sauce, crafted a mozzarella/provolone cheese blend and brushed the crust with garlic butter to improve upon its old pie. Combine that with a series of persuasive ads (“Puffery” being the latest) and all right, fine, I was up for another taste test.

I’d forgotten that with the new recipe came a new, sophisticated online ordering widget. This was actually very cool. In addition to choosing your quantity, crust and toppings, you can even specify your cheese and sauce placement and concentration (light, extra, half.) Specify delivery or carryout, choose your payment option, and you’re good to go.

Garlic buttery crust

As for the taste…drumroll please….

Crust: As soon as I opened the pizza box, I was hit with an overwhelming garlic odor. It wasn’t entirely appetizing. The garlic and herb dustings were clearly visible on the outer crust.

The crust underneath the sauce and cheese was even more reminiscent of cardboard, if you can believe it. It literally had a taste of paper. It was too soft and yielding.

The outer crust fared a bit better. It had decent flavor but it still wasn’t anything to write home about. Rob’s input: “The outer crust is the reward for making it through the rest of the slice.” But we’ll get to that in a bit.

Sauce: Sugary. Plain. Uninspired. I didn’t taste any of the herbs or red pepper until I felt an unexplained kick at the back of my throat. Heat with no flavor – not good.

Cheese: This was the worst offender of the whole pizza. Plastic in texture. No flavor. Gooey and gummy. Low-quality.  Not a single hint of provolone, or even mozzarella if we’re being honest. Just. Bad.

What bothered me most was that none of the flavors, textures or spices seemed to meld. All of the pizza’s miscellaneous tastes jumped out on their own without complementing each other. Garlic, tomato and red pepper are ingredients that normally harmonize in good sauce. Not here. Not by a long shot.

We live in the great state of New Haven apizza. While we don’t live within quick driving distance of Wooster Street, Connecticut is home to a million pizza places. Each and every one of them would leave Domino’s quaking in their boots.

Pizza eaters of America that only have Domino’s at their disposal – I weep for your misfortune.