I thought some of you might like to know what exactly prompted this latest cross country move back to San Diego. Sure, there’s the unbeatable weather and froyo on every corner, but as excited as I am to have those two things back in my life,  I’m even more excited to say that I will be working with my friends (and employers) Bobby and Stephanie on Ariccia Italian Market. 

Foie Macarons (yes really)

Now you don’t have to worry about this becoming a promotional site for Ariccia:  we’ve got that covered. I would have posted about this meal regardless of my involvement. We’re not quite ready to open read just yet, so Bobby and Stephanie had me over to test a few of the items that will be available in the Market.

Mangalista Ham

Berkshire Soppresasta + Iberico Lomo

Sampling the salumi selection will be highly encouraged.

Foie Torchon - Caramelized Apples, Grilled Green Onion, Cider Reduction

Yes, you will be able to get Ariccia foie.  This one got a little help from Chef Aaron Martinez of Ocean 1500. I can’t promise he’ll be available to prepare the accouterments like he did for this one, but we’ll be happy to tell you how to do it.

Roasted Beet Agnolotti - Blue cheese, Beet Leaves, Pancetta, Pecorino

Bucatini Alla Matricana

House made pasta is one of Ariccia’s specialties; made fresh, on location every day. You’ll be able to get the exact ones seen here as well as many, many others. Sauces will be available as well, or if you prefer Bobby and Stephanie will always be around to provide guidance with recipes. Whether you’re looking to be the star of a catered event or dinner party, or you’re just carbing up in style *raises hand these are sure to impress.

Porchetta Panini - Arugla, Balsamic Onion Marmalade, Toasted Ciabatta

That porchetta from the top picture? That goes into this panini. If the front of the store looks empty..you’ll probably find me in the back fixing one of these.  At this point in our tasting we opted for half sandwiches, not only because we were all pretty damn full – we also had more to go.

Sous Vide and Deep Fried Porchetta

Arguably the best two cooking techniques used on one of the most awesome meat creations around. Marinated and and immersed in the sous vide supreme for 36 hours before being finished off in the deep-fryer. Stephanie mentioned the inside had a near foie texture, while the outer pork belly was amazingly crisp. I like to think myself a decent food writer, but I can’t find the words to justify this one.

Panna Cotta - Raspberries, Toasted Pistachios

Okay, so I’m not completely sure that this one will be available in the Market, but how could I leave that out? Great alone, but even better when followed with..

Macarons - Pistachio, Strawberry, Salted Caramel, Lemon

More macaroons! You could hardly call these mignardises, these ones were quite sizable. These will be carried in the market, and you’re going to want to try them. Stephanie sent me home with a generous amount –  I’m not telling whether or not they survived the ride home.

©StephanieSavchuk

Needless to say, at Ariccia we stray a bit from the typical business dinners, and the amazing food is only a part of why I’m so excited to be working with Bobby and Stephanie. This was only a tiny amount of what’s to come from the market, so I hope you’ll keep up to date on twitter and facebook.  If you’re in the San Diego area I hope you’ll stop by to say hello. I promise it will be worth your while.

 No, no 99 Ranch Market, thank you.  I’ve been on the testicle hunt for months now. I even tried to special order them from a butcher in PA, but they never got back to me after our initial conversation (big mistake farm-who-I-won’t-mention, you could have been THE spot for testicles, now I won’t even say your name).  So when I saw a few packages of “LAMB BALL” just chilling in the freezer case, I could not pass up grabbing a pair.

Ready to go

As soon as I cut through the wrapping, I was struck by a strong gamy smell. Fortunately, a lot of that seemed to come from the additional blood and fluid in the package. After draining, I barely noticed any off odors from the balls I was left with.

So my first thoughts on the appearance; man do I miss my pal Devin. I never thought of Devin’s beautiful bald head as a testicle, but boy, I don’t think anyone can deny the resemblance. Love you Dev-bro, visit soon.

Discarding the membrane

Squeeze-ball method

Now a lot of you are probably familiar with rocky mountain oysters, where the testicles are battered and fried. That’s not for me, I didn’t want to hide any flavors in breading, so I went with the pan seared method.

When pan searing or grilling, you don’t have to remove the outer membrane, it’s sort of like a natural sausage casing..just a really, super snappy one. I didn’t care to deal with it and I’ve been trying to practice my knife skills, so I went ahead and removed it.

Yield

Look away fellas

Once you get rid of the membrane you’re left with something between a scallop and a sweetbread. They’re slippery and malleable, or rather – mushable – you don’t want to squeeze too hard.

For those of you wondering about nutrition values for testicles, they’re actually quite lean. I couldn’t find much for micronutrients, but what I did come across looked pretty good. A 3.5/100g serving of raw testicles is around 135kcal, 3g fat and 26g protein. Almost like the other, other, other, under white meat.

Sliced and pan fried

Delicious

The consistency again is like a mealy sweetbread, or maybe a medium firm tofu. They’re soft and cut easily. The taste – not nearly as gamy as I would have imagined, I’d say less pungent than liver even. Sure, I knew I was eating lamby nether parts, and my apartment had that unmistakable hint of variety meat, but you know what…I liked them, and I’d eat them again.

Despite my new fondness of grilled testicles, these won’t be a staple in my diet. My method is a bit labor intensive, and they’re actually a bit pricey for a variety cut. That said, I would still recommend anyone give them a try. Even if you’re not an “adventurous” eater, you might be surprised.

Grade: B-

Have I mentioned just how happy I am to be back in San Diego? Yesterday, I had lunch with Jennifer Lee of Kirbie’s Cravings and Erin Jackson of San Diego Sugar, SeriousEats, and about a million other things.

and Japanese Kit Kats too!

I can’t say our meal at Pho Xpress was all that great. Apparently our server was from their sister restaruant Pho-really-fucking-urgent, where they’re trained to get you out of the door as quickly as possible. But enduring our frantic mini-man of a server was worth completely worth it. Not only are Erin and Jen great company..they bring treats!

It tasted even better

I’ve been reading about these cookies for about a year now. I only hoped that I would be able to work my way in well enough with Ms. Cravings to someday sample some of the fare. She made it way too easy. I would have paid, stolen, or killed to try these cookies, but all I had to do was show up to lunch.

Thanks again Jen!

If you want to try to make these for yourself (or me), I was told this particular batch was based off of this recipe. Yours might not be quite this good, but if they come anywhere close you’re going to be happy.

Grade: A+

 Apologies for the brief absence. I’ve been doing this cross-country move thing and am still in the process of getting settled in. An important aspect of that is exploring the new shopping grounds. A new favorite of mine is San Diego’s branch of the Chinese Superstore, 99 Ranch Market. That’s where I’ve been finding all kinds of neat stuff, like these marinated pigs feet.

The other side

I’ve been meaning to try pigs feet for some time now, but have been too lazy to prepare my own, and didn’t feel that the pickled Hormelvariety would be an authentic way to experience them. So when I saw these in the prepared foods section for a mere $2.34 I couldn’t pass them up.

Pulled from the bone

I ate these cold, which was likely a mistake. The feet are mostly skin, fat, and cartilaginous matter. Although these were marinated in sugar and soy there wasn’t much flavor coming from the cold cloven hooves, and eaten cold the skin was more gelatinous than crispy.

My favorite piece - I'm pretty sure that's hair

Still, I’m glad I gave them a shot, and I haven’t given up on pig’s feet just yet. I should have listened to my dream girl and queen of variety meats, Chichi Wang. I’ll try these again if I can find a more authentic preparation, but as for 99 Ranch Markets ready made selection – I’ll pass.

Grade: C-

*Please take a minute to sign this petition to keep foie legal in Califiornia*

It’s fitting that one of my last big family outings before leaving for San Diego would be a visit to Spoon. Aside from the restaurant being one that I always recommend, Chef/Proprietor Brian Pekarcik actually spent a good bit of time in San Diego himself. After a few more moves around the country Chef P eventually made it back to his hometown of Pittsburgh, and the city should be very happy that he did.

Best bread service in Pittsburgh

I’m more than confident in that caption. Spoon’s bread service is  the best I’ve had. Anywhere. I’ve mentioned my preference for the cream cheese and chive biscuits before, but the buttery corn bread with whole kernels and a touch of dill is a very close second.

Ricotta Cheese Mousse - grilled country bread, eggplant + mushroom ragout, roasted red pepper coulis, truffle vinaigrette

Lobster Cake - beet, roquefort blue, citrus salad

Day Boat Scallops - olive + pork belly pearl pasta

There were quite a few dishes passed around over the course of the evening, and I enjoyed everything I tried. A citrus salad was used to lighten a pork belly pearl pasta with the scallops dish, and again to contrast a pungent roquefort blue with the lobster cakes.

Miso Black Cod - shrimp pot stickers, bok choy

Chicken + Gnocchi - leg + breast with ricotta gnocchi

Spoon Burger - 8 oz. Kobe beef, aged white cheddar, parmesan + herb fries, challah bun

All of the proteins were cooked expertly. Black cod would flake off effortlessly with the accompanying miso spoon. The chicken was even more tender than I had remembered, and the grilled Kobe burger was a true medium-rare.

Foie + Short Rib - celery root puree, foie butter

The only disappointment of the evening wasn’t a fault of the kitchen at all, rather my sister’s fiance who chose not to top his Kobe burger with foie. Bad move. I only know this given how great my own supplemental foie appetizer was.  A perfectly seared lobe of foie topped a piece of short rib that was nearly falling apart. I’m positive this dish would turn any misguided activist if they would only take a bite. Highlight of my night.

Spoon Duo - Bailey’s coco bar, milk chocolate nougat frozen mousse, semi-sweet chocolate pudding

Pear - poached pears, ginger ice cream, rochers, sour cherry chutney

I’m not sure who is currently in charge of the dessert menu at Spoon (last I heard was Krista Owens) but whoever was in charge during our visit did a fine job. I felt the pear offering was a great way to close out the meal with the lighter fruit notes and gentle spice from the ginger.

All in all, another awesome visit to Spoon. Easily the tops on my list of higher-end (but approachable) places around Pittsburgh, and one I’m sure to visit when I’m in the area.

I’m leaving Pittsburgh for San Diego on the first of February. I know, I’d be jealous too. The only thing that kind of sucks about moving is that I’m going to miss a few big openings around town. For instance, I’ve got this $40 dollar gift card to Union Pig & Chicken that I won’t be able to use. Sure I could give it to friends or family, but I would much prefer to watch people come out of the woodwork to win free stuff (kidding..kind of).

2 ways to enter:
1. Retweet:
I want the goodbye #Pittsburgh @union_PGH giftcard from @RodzillaReviews http://bit.ly/yOJbO8

2. leave a post telling me why you would like the gift card (fan of Salt of The Earth? BBQ? Starving?)

Winner will be randomly selected Friday January 27th from eligible entries  - make sure to leave a proper email (kept private) with your comment.

Winner drawn from 14 total comments, #12 Rashann! Please make sure to check back and tell us how everything was! 

So here is my quick review of the new Frosted Toast Crunch. They have the same sugary dusting and light crisp texture of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but with a restrained sweetness that lets more of the toasted rice/grain flavor comes through.  I really didn’t taste any “light touches of cinnamon” but that was fine by me. The vanilla frosting flavor (think frosted cheerios) makes for a more versatile mixing cereal.

Overall I really liked them, but who really cares what I think about cereal? I asked a true pro to weigh in on the latest from the cereal aisle. Here is what StreetStangTiffani had to say.

Not toast

U no wat Rodzilla? WRONG again. I love toast. I know all kinds of toast. I heard about jelly on toast. butter on toast. some people even put Texas on toast. BUT frosted on toast?! Thats cake.

Nutritention Factnalysis

The pieces are stupposed to be square and thats boring. Some of them are rectangles because the baker man on the box is lazy and can’t cut right. Maybe he should use a knife instead of a frosting spatula. A serving is only 120 calories and thats a good snack for me and other kids, but not babies (Babies shouldn’t have cake unless its their Birthday). A serving is only 3/4 cup though but somehow it weighs almost as much as a whole cup of churros. It must be pound cake or something.

Learning games

 The back of the box is the best part. Its a challenging vocabularic activity to make you smarter while you eat brekfast. I practiced my hardest and I can say all 3 of them 10 times fast. I bet you can’t do that Rodzilla. U suck.

StreetStangTiffani Grade: B- 

Thanks again for the review Tiffani. I probably would have given them a B or B+ myself, but you’re the pro.

Someone’s a pro…and it isn’t me.The latest comment on my Cinnamon Churros review:

Author: StreetStangTiffani 

The majority of you asked for more product reviews – I listened.

You may have noticed I didn’t ask about increased posting frequency. So your best bet is to check back multiple times  a day, every day. I can’t guarantee when I’ll update,  only that when I do I’ll have nicer pictures and better content than all the other guys. Well, except for these guys, but I digress.

Frozen Greek Yogurt, who wouldn’t be curious?

Nutrition and Ingredients

I was first impressed by the consistency. Greek yogurt is creamier than traditional yogurt due to the straining process.  This stonyfields frozen blueberry oikos was denser than most light ice creams at 85g per half cup, and again, incredibly creamy for being fat free. There are a few stabilizers in the ingredient list but it avoided being gummy like so many frozen dairy desserts.

Single Serving

I also really liked the flavor,  it tasted exactly like a mixed-up fruit on the bottom yogurt. The traditional greek yogurt tang was completely absent, and I was fine with that. The only thing that could have made this better would be a swirl or something for texture, but hey, I’ve got cereal man – lots of it.

I finished the pint in a day, and I’ll likely do the same with the remaining flavors. Good stuff Stonyfield, you’ve earned yourself a regular spot in my freezer.

Grade: A-

Bonjwing Lee aka The Ulteriorepicure

I’m always interested to know how other individuals in the food world  maintain a healthy balance between food and fitness. Especially when they are known to routinely take part in decadent tastings at the best restaurants in the world. Recently, I was lucky enough to interview Bonjwing Lee aka the UlteriorEpicure on his approach. Please head over to Greatist to check out the interview.

In honor of my excitement, I’m giving away a copy of Bonjwing’s latest project, Bluestem The Cookbook to one lucky reader.

bluestem the cookbook

3 chances to enter:
-Leave a comment on the Greatist article about which answer you liked best
-Leave a comment here with the dish you would like most from the best of 2011 list
-Tweet “I entered to win the Bluestem cookbook from @RodzillaReviews and @Greatist http://bit.ly/xQPR2K”

Winner congratulations James!