The Dude of Food learns about Apples

The Dude of Food is one of those folks that had no idea there are so many types of apples to choose from. I read in National Geographic that apples have been modified by grafting for the last 100 years.

I knew that apples are sprayed with edible wax before they get to the market for preservation, but really had no idea the number of varieties of apples that are available.

For example who knows the difference between a Benton Red and a Blue Pearmain apple? There are Scott Winters, Seek No Further, Esopus Spitzenburg, Zabergau, Empire, Twenty Ounce, Wolf River, Ribston Pippin, Opalescent, Nodhead, Deane 9 ounce, Wagner, Rolfe, Starkey and Orange Pippin’s. That is a list of some of just the red ones!

In green apples you can choose from Winter Banana, Bramley’s Seedling, Tolman Sweet, Stark, Calville Blanc d’hiver, Pound Sweet, Gary Pearmain, Rhode Island Greening, Crisps, Granny Smith’s and more!

Then you get into the mixed green and red apples! Whew, the Dude of Food is thinking about having an apple martini right now.

Apples are a food that have been grafted and modified for years and who knew? The Dude of Food wonders now if avocados are the same way?

weallgottaeat@gmail.com

The Dude of Food really likes Joe Matos Cheese Factory in Santa Rosa, CA

The Dude of Food met the chief of cheese in Santa Rosa, Joe Matos. He has been making cheese since 1979.

To get to Joe Matos Cheese Factory you will need to go to the end of a small road. Inside you will find and sweet woman at the counter and tons of cheese behind her. The aged is really good. The Dude of Food thanks you Joe Matos.

Keep up the good work.

The Dude of Food discovers California’s Best Sushi

http://www.hanajapanese.com

If you love sushi then all you need to know is the above web address. This will lead you to a place called Hana Japanese Restaurant and the Best Sushi in California!! I have never heard of black throated mackerel and normally don’t like mackerel unless it’s aji, but this black throated mackerel is great. The blue fin tuna belly was so good I had seconds. Same with the black throated mackerel.

The special thing in a spoon was really good. It was all good. The bill was $100. for lunch and the Dude of Food could have easily gone bigger but it was awesome tasting and well worth the splurge.

If you are ever near Santa Rosa or in Rohnert Park, CA, go to this place and see for yourself what quality sushi is supposed to be like.

The Dude of Food hangs out at Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa

This place is cool. Not all creepy and crowded like the Russian River bar. Third Street Aleworks has a cool staff, good beers and also makes a good pizza too.

These are beers the Dude of Food would like to rep and add to my international food sales portfolio.

http://thirdstreetaleworks.com/Home.aspx

The Dude of Food visits St. Florian’s Brewery in Windsor, CA

The Dude of Food went to visit the crew at St. Florian’s Brewery.

Good people and many beers to choose from.

I liked the IPA’s best and want to add this brand to my food portfolio for the world markets.

See their beer selection list – http://www.stfloriansbrewery.com/our-beers/

The Dude of Food creates a great new oatmeal-tapioca breakfast treat.

Tired of the same old thing for breakfast? Give up on your quest to eat healthier 10 days after your New Years resolution? Perhaps you are a hockey player and have no front teeth to bite a burrito with. What ever the case may be, the Dude of Food has created an awesome new way for people of all ages to enjoy a pretty healthy breakfast.

The Dude of Food decided that he wanted to try a German packaged cereal thing he saw on a market shelf in Munich. The package was made by a guy named Dr. Oetker and was called Griessbrei. As you can see below the label is in German as were the directions for preparation. I had a heck of a time online trying to decipher exactly what the proper measures and times were when I decided to try and prepare it. Anyways to make an interesting story short, the stuff was like a cross between creamed wheat and tapioca pudding. I liked it and mentioned it to my Bavarian friends. They all said the same thing, “You like baby cereal?”

Well since the stigma is that this stuff is too sweet for a proper adult breakfast the Dude of Food decided to try mixing tapioca pudding with oatmeal. The tapioca pudding is easy to acquire. In the German market the small packet of Dr. Oetker Griessbrei was like .89 euro or about 93 cents. If you can find it in the states or online it is $3.99 a packet.

So the Dude of Food (www.facebook.com/dudeoffoodpage) prepared 1 cup of oatmeal. Just as it was time to turn it off and cool off I added a little bit of warm homemade tapioca pudding and stirred it together. I topped it with a little bit of strawberry preserves and put it to the taste test. The results = excellent.

Get ready America for a new little something good for breakfast.

The Dude of Food showcases Cee Gee Farm’s homemade goat milk cheese

Somewhere in the Tucson foothills a couple stones throw away from Arizona Wildcat stadium is located a small ranch that carries the brand name CG. On this small but productive ranch known as CeeGee Farms live a community of award winning European show goats that are hand kept, cared for and loved by the farm’s, Charlotte G. The Dude of Food recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Charlotte G and her fury Alpine buddies and learned some stuff.

Bred of good farm genes and with the energy of 2 energizer bunnies, Charlotte G breeds, feeds, tattoos, milks, cares for and shows this collection of goats and has been the recipient of more than a dozen Grand Prize and 1st Prize awards over the years for her top notch goats. These goats love to be fed the pods of the mesquite trees that are everywhere. Goats are funny animals and fun to play with for awhile.

Charlotte has learned to make goat milk cheese of various flavors as shown in the photo above and also creates a really nice and all natural goal milk soap that is great for gifting.

Baaasically, the Dude of Food can report that the goats located on this farm in Arizona are a happy bunch of kids.

The Dude of Food has a favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

HUE HOUSE – Vietnamese Food

The Hue House, located in Munchen, Germany, is the best Vietnamese food the Dude of Food has ever tasted. It came recommended from 3 of my 5 friends there and the Hue House menu could be found in 2 of their kitchens! We had a party of 4 and everyone asked for something different.

Arriving at the table before the main courses were served were the best spring rolls the Dude of Food has ever had the pleasure of eating. These things were hot but not oily. Slightly crispy and full of vegetables but light. These springs rolls were a delicious food conundrum dancing delicately between the tastes of awesome and unreal.

Then the Hue House laid out 4 main courses in front of us. All of the dishes were incredible and we couldn’t decide which dish was the best. They were fresh and incredibly delicious.

Find Hue House on Yelp, Facebook or they can be found online at www.huehouse.net

The Dude of Food introduces his plate of arms.

Every grand family has a coat of arms, so while sitting in Prague, the Dude of Food created his own plate of arms. It needs a ketchup D and a mustard F.

Below are some other famous family crests an coat of arms.

Martin Luther King Jr. Family

Napolean Bonaparte family crest

coa__house_of_bonaparte_by_firelord_zuko-d4gs56a

The Dude of Food finds 1 of the best pizzas in Europe, at the Dusseldorf airport!

The Dude of Food had just left Munich. It was with a painful heart that he dragged himself away from Minga, a city that he loves. He had prepared for the long flight back to LA by staying up all night on his last visit in town before he left. He knew he had a 1 1/2 hour layover in Dusseldorf Airport’s Terminal ‘C’. Upon arrival to Gate 32 Terminal C a vision similar to an oasis housing a food mermaid revealed itself to this hungry traveler. A restaurant at the next gate had a sign announcing food and beer that read Zigolini.

At gate 34 this small restaurant named Zigolini offered some good looking pastas and pizza for a reasonable price. The Dude of Food asked for a large beer. The guy next to me received a veggie pizza and that was it. I needed one also. A sausage and bacon pizza was asked for. There is no exaggeration in saying that this may be one of the best pizzas ever!

The next time I flew through Dusseldorf it was a no brainer to go back. Zigolini was still there waiting for me in all her delicious glory. The only thing that was different was the sign now reads Marche. You can read more about Marche at http://www.marche-restaurants.com.

Muhamad Ali, the head chef and designer, personally told the Dude of Food that the restaurant is still called Zigolini even though the sign has changed. The receipt still reads Zigolini. Chef Ali has one of the best secret recipes ever and is a sweet guy that loves sharing with his customers. His pizzas are simply amazing and he will happily add the ingredients you may want if you don’t see the combination you like on the menu.

This pizza was better than nearly all I’ve ever had in Firenze, Rome, Germany, New York, Chicago, LA or maybe even ever! Certainly the Best Valued and Best Tasting Airport Food that the Dude of Food has ever encountered. If you are ever near the Dusseldorf airport and have some time to kill, the Dude of Food highly recommends that you go see for yourself about the pizza at Zigolini Italian Food.

Chef Muhamad Ali is doing it right and deserves the title of ‘the Champ’!

Author: The Dude