The Dude of Food meets Off The Shelf catering and likes it!

1shirt

Good food is what fuels good thoughts in good creative people which is what the Dude of Food happens to be. It’s when the middle managed, mucky mucks and bean counters sitting in the offices eating their favorite foods from their favorite restaurants decide to save $80. on crew lunch cost by budget cutting catering costs for the hard working stage crew that catches the attention of folks and creates division in the ranks. Caterers are painted into a corner and forced to try and prepare healthy meals on a peanut butter and jelly budget.

1guys

  The creative chef, Yossi Faigenblat, worked for Dustin Hoffman as the actors private chef. The food was ‘All That’ and Hoffman encouraged chef Yossi to get into the catering game. That was in 2003. They opened a craft service /catering company for the movie industry. The kitchen line up has changed over the years and Off The Shelf has grown and now operates a couple trucks in New York and a few more in Los Angeles. Off The Shelf has both catering trucks and craft service trucks so their awesome creative food can be shared with all of the folks behind the scenes that make the actors playgrounds look so fabulous. 

  In Feb 9, 2010 Saveur magazine did an article (issue # 127) on movie industry catering companies that included Off The Shelf’s quality food preparation. The link below will take you there.

    http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Fresh-Off-The-Truck

  OTS is not cheap but will do wonderful things with the budget you have. The goal at Off The Shelf as told to the Dude of Food is ‘high end quality food and making people smile’ and this is something the folks at OTS catering are doing quite well. The Dude of Food would like to personally say ‘Thank you OTS and keep up the great work.”

Off The Shelf can be located at the following web address.   http://www.otscatering.com/ 

1farms
1mbreak

OTS can also be followed on Facebook and other social media outlets.

1truck

The Dude of Food lunches at McGraw’s Tucson Cantina

Sadly McGraw’s announces they are temporarily closed. Reach out and support them if possible.

azfood 1
mcgaws
view

  The Dude of Food went to visit Tucson, AZ. After mom’s haircut we went to lunch at this cool place on a bluff. As you can see be the accompanying photo above, the view from McGraw’s Cantina is amazing. The tables on the outside patio look south over the east Tucson valley. If a gang of old west outlaws was riding up from Mexico, you would see their dust trail way before they would see you from here.

  McGraw’s opened at 11a and they had a Tucson blonde ale on tap. The McGraw’s Cantina menu is full of good things to choose from and the two girls working there were very nice. It turns out McGraw’s hosts a steak night special on Tuesdays. This place really is a party waiting to happen.

  Mom ordered a burger that looked awesome and a coke the waitress was happy to refill. The Dude of Food asked for the BBQ Tri-Tip sandwich and another Tucson blonde ale. The food was really good.

  There are many restaurants in Tucson but McGraw’s Cantina may be host to one of the best. They have tons of party space plus plenty of parking and would make an awesome place to do an Arizona Octoberfest rager, BBQ challenge, wedding party, anniversary party, birthday party or any other celebration.

  Check it out.

The Dude of Food infuses tequila

On a visit to the Border Grill in Santa Monica, on an Easter Sunday morning, I was introduced to a cool new flavor. The Dude of Food was intrigued and decided to try to recreate this awesome taste at home. The famous chef and restaurant owner, Susan Feniger, knows about food and her staff impresses. The bartender on Sunday made us try this tequila infused with cucumber and jalapeno peppers and it was delightful. This was the flavor I needed to try an re-create.

So I went to the store and bought some agave tequila, cucumbers and a jalapeno pepper and put it all together in a mason jar. In a few days I looked forward to a cool refreshing taste.

A few days later I had created a spicy tequila that didn’t have quite enough cucumber flavor, but was still really good. The Dude of Food says ‘try this at home’.

dofws
Sue and the Dude

teq
click photo to see what Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

The Dude of Food likes Loveless Cafe Plain Ol’ Hot Sauce.

Off of Highway 100 in Nashville is a place called the Loveless Cafe. You may not be close enough to walk in but you can go to their web page and check out the stuff they make.

http://store.lovelesscafe.com/product/hot-sauce/sauce-seasoning

The Plain Ol’ Hot Sauce is one of the secret ingredients the Dude of Food adds to his homemade michelada recipe. It adds the perfect amount of spice. Truth be told, the Dude of Food also likes Red Rooster, Frank’s, Texas Pete’s and Crystal from Louisiana. They all go great in a michelada, on grits, greens, smothered chicken, gravy, stuffing, waffles, wings, eggs and much more.

154_933_large

The Dude of Food is curious to experience your food product.

After years of independent merchandising for surf companies and the Hawaiian Tropic brand, the Dude of Food is switching gears and working on a list of quality food and beverage products to offer in his upcoming market.

If your company is looking to get in other markets, whether domestic or international, then please by all means let’s talk.

The Dude of Food can be emailed at- weallgottaeat (at) g mail (dot) com

Eat well and be happy.

The Dude of Food

Peteloaf by the Dude of Food.

The Dude of Food made Peteloaf and potatoes for dinner. Serve with salad, cold beer and BBQ sauce and everyone should be satisfied.

For next Valentines Day I’m gonna make a meat heart for my sweetheart. ;)

meatloaf and potato salad

The Dude of Food likes Bogle 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

wine 2

When you are looking for a full bodied Cabernet that is not short on flavor and you’re not sure what to do because you don’t want to over spend, look for this bottle of wine. Bogle 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is a really good choice around $12. It may not be an expensive bottle but when folks taste it they won’t think you’re a cheapo, instead they should realize a smart deal and learn.

The Dude of Food made yummy stuffed grapes.

stuffed grapes 2

The Dude of Food made these stuffed grapes and it was easy.  Just crush raisins, dates, dried apricot, prunes, honey, Nutella, peanut butter, a little good jam and some oats all together into a paste and you’ll get a rough wet version of a Cliff bar. Then take some large washed grapes and slice them in half. Smash a small spoonful of the Cliff bar type mixture on top of the grape halves and enjoy a tasty treat. It’s yummy.

stuffed grapes 1

The Dude of Food explores Wolvesmouth.

http://wolvesmouth.com/blog

Fox in the Hen House, Wolves in the Snow. These don’t sound like titles you would see on a menu, but when dining at LA’s Wolvesmouth, you can throw out all forms of conventionality. From what the Dude of Food can make of it, this is a whole new experience in dining and culture and looks forward to the experience one of these days.

Nicely done Craig Thornton.

tumblr_nfyv9s0Wom1qjbv6eo1_1280
tumblr_ngsifeqVnJ1qjbv6eo1_1280
tumblr_nihndlaCMO1qjbv6eo1_1280

The Dude of Food presents pasta Alfredo

alfredo p3

So when I craved pasta with Alfredo sauce I just took a half pound of bacon, trimmed the fat and pan fried it. After draining the pan I added some onions and finely chopped garlic. Thawed frozen peas were added and then fresh broccoli . Later, cheating, I added a jar of Alfredo sauce and a small container of another brand of Alfredo sauce with some milk. I added a dash of salt, some black pepper. You can add basil or mint or whatever flavor you like and bring to a slow simmer.

Add Penne pasta and enjoy.

Top with cheese as preferred.