What do Paris, forks, Dukes and Ducks have in Common?

In 1592 the rich folk of Europe used to wear fancy, albeit uncomfortable looking things called a ruff around their necks. See this picture painted in the early 1600’s called ‘Portrait of an Old Woman’ by Frans Hals of Antwerp. Popular King Henry IV wore a ruff too.

In fact in Paris 1592 King Henry IV inaugurated use of the very first fork ever because of his ruff. The food tool was designed to keep people’s dinner off of their ruffs. Henry may have been a slave to fashion but using the fork stuck, so to speak.

This establishment where the 1st fork thing went down with Henry happened at a restaurant known as Tour d’Argent. This place once made a menu for a dinner hosted by the Duke of Richelieu, who was the nephew of a French Cardinal, that consisted solely of beef prepared 30 different ways! I wonder if this is where steak tartare came from? In 1929, La Tour d’Argent prepared it’s 100,000th famous ‘Caneton Tour D’Agent’ dish. For the curious non French reader this translates as pressed duck. They began numbering the amazing dish in 1890 and served pressed duck number 1,000,000 in 2003. That reminds me of a joke that always quacks me up.

Q: Why did the duck cross the road?

A: He saw a Tour d’Argent chef ahead.

You can read more about the historic La Tour d’Argent and it’s history at https://tourdargent.com/en/heritage/ To read more about the famous chefs of La Tour d’Argent click to

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artlatourdargent.html

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 micheleada recipe. It adds the perfect amount of spice. Truth be told, the Dude of Food also likes Red Rooster from Louisiana hot sauce. They both go great in my micheladas and on my grits, greens, smothered chicken, gravy, stuffing and waffles.

The Dude of Food does the LA Michelada test.

There was a long time that the Dude of Food would not ruin a beer with tomato juice. Then I grew up and learned something. After a trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico a few September’s ago my mind was forever changed. It was the time of the annual Revolution Fiesta and San Miguel is where it began.

The place goes nuts.

To make a long story short I love a homemade michelada and it appears that many others do as well since the big brand brewers are beginning to see the light. These 2 were chosen because they were both brewed in Mexico and imported to the US.

The Dude of Food decided to compare the Tecate Michelada DIABLO to the Modelo CHELADA. I have had a few of these Modelo CHELADA’s and they are OK. When compared to the Tecate DIABLO though, a world of difference unveils itself.

The DIABLO is softer with a more subtle tomatoey and mildly spicy finish. Compared to the Modelo CHELADA which hits the tongue a bit cleaner and crisper, albeit less tomatoey and the finish falls of quickly.

After tasting separately, what the Dude of Food ended up doing was to mix the 2 equally and drink them that way. The crisp beginning and the tomatoey spice finish were a great combination.

Any responses should be submitted to the Dude of Food – weallgottaeat(at)gmail

The Dude of Food recommends Morandell Imports.

Carl Morandell being interviewed on KABC Talk Radio 790 in Los Angeles

http://morandell.us/

Quality knows no boundries. Morandell Imports has the expertise and experience to share these product options with you.

If you are having a party, opening an eatery or just want options for stock, then go to this web page and see their line of beverages available or ask me, the Dude of Food, how you can order any of the fine products that the good folks at Morandell Imports can provide.

Prost.

The Dude of Food knows business is best done over meal.

The Dude of Food likes to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak. No, I don’t eat money but I like to make money while eating.

And when the Dude of Food says he likes a ‘meal deals’, don’t think he is looking for a local burger special.

According to Lakshmi Balachandra, the asst. professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College, ‘The consumption of glucose enhances complex brain activities, bolstering self-control and regulating prejudices and aggressive behaviors.’

And here this whole time I thought eating just made me happy.

So if you are getting a chance to make a deal, debate a contract or bid on a job, do it over a decent meal. The Dude of Food can always recommend a good restaurant and be a 3rd party witness, if needed.

— Babson College is a private business school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts near Boston.

Follow the Dude of Food on Yelp.

http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=SuyAXMdTsqwIrFH1S3qk8w

Soup of the Day – SANGRIA

The Dude of Food’s cool cookbook review

The Dude of Food knows wine and cooking enthusiasts will immediately realize that they have uncorked something truly magical with Karen MacNeil’s food book “Wine, Food & Friends”. This book sizzles with the culinary expertise of cooking light with the wine connoisseurship of Karen MacNeil. Award-winning author, lecturer, and television personality, Karen is a champion when it comes to knowledge of food and wine. Pair her zeal for the art of wine with more than 150 cooking light recipes and you have all the notes you need to reach new levels of gastronomical glory.

“I like the simplicity and knowledge this food book retains” says the Dude of Food

The Dude of Food likes Company 77 Fire Truck Pizza

What could be better than great homemade pizza delivered on a fire truck that has beer on tap? This place has a really good thing going.

The Dude of Food had this truck come to our Christmas party last year and it was well worth it. If you live in the southern California area then you need to experience this.

The staff is super cool. The truck is fun and has a photo booth and beer taps. The pizza is hand crafted, refined and excellent. This is an awesome food truck!

contact them at

http://www.company77.com

Reinheitsgebot – The beer quality standard imposed by the church.

Reinheitsgebot literally means “purity order” and is commonly referred to as the “German Beer Purity Law” or the “Bavarian Purity Law”. This is a regulation about the production of beer in the Holy Roman Empire and its successor state, Germany. The original text states the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer are water, barley and hops.

The law originated on 30 November 1487, when Albert IV the Duke of Bavaria promulgated it, specifying three ingredients – water, malt and hops – for the brewing of beer.

On 23 April 1516 in the city of Ingolstadt located in the duchy of Bavaria two other dukes endorsed the law as one to be followed in their duchies and added standards for the sale of beer.

The earliest documented mention of beer by a German nobleman is the granting of a brewing license by Emperor Otto II to the church at Liege (now Belgium), awarded in 974.

The world’s oldest continuously operating brewery is the Weihenstephan Brewery in Bavaria.

The Weihenstephan Brewery can trace its roots at the abbey to 768, as a document from that year refers to a hop garden in the area paying a tithe to the monastery. A brewery was licensed by the City of Freising in 1040, and that is the founding date claimed by the modern brewery. The brewery thus has a credible claim to being the oldest working brewery in the world. (Weltenburg Abbey, also in Bavaria, has had a brewery in operation since 1050, and also known as “Corn Beer” claims to be the oldest brewery in the world.) When the monastery and brewery were secularised in 1803, they became possessions of the State of Bavaria.

Kudos to this kitchen product maker.

http://www.farberware.com http://www.lifetimebrands.com

A couple weeks ago the Dude of Food needed a new “spatchula” and ended up purchasing a Farberware “slotted turner”. It turns out there was a problem with the one I bought and I wrote the company an email to ask about it. To the credit of the company, they were interested in hearing what happened and were more than happy to replace the product. Today the new product arrived and all is good in the kitchen again.

Thank you Farberware and parent company Lifetime Brands, for supporting your customers and standing behind your product line. Maximum respect. You can bet the Dude of Food endorses your kitchen gear and when I need new kitchen utensils you can bet I will be looking at your brands.

Follow the Dude of Food on facebook at – www.facebook.com/thedudeoffood