Doughnuts have a long history. The concept of a deep-fried dough ball traces to Roman times and the Iberian churro is a cousin. Dutch settlers brought the idea to New York in the 1700s, which claims the title of US home of the doughnut, though the ring shape was refined in 19th-century New England, while... Continue Reading →
Brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, taken from the pectoral muscles of the breast or lower chest that overlie the sternum and ribs -- the Middle English term brusket comes from Old Norse brjósk meaning cartilage. Briskets can be baked, boiled, or roasted and often involve basting, rubbing with spice rub, marinating,... Continue Reading →
Independence, MO, is the county seat of Jackson County and a suburb of Kansas City. With population over 123,000 it is the fifth-largest city in Missouri. The city is overlaid with layers of history, serving as a starting point for overland trails (California, Oregon, and Santa Fe), a promised land for Latter-day Saints that never... Continue Reading →
I took the opportunity to sample some foods developed in nearby St. Louis. St. Louis-style pizza features a thin crust made without yeast, a white processed cheese known as Provel (no mozzarella), light sauce, and slices cut in squares--a delicious combination at Waldo Pizza. Gooey Butter Cake is sweet, rich, flat, dense, and dusted with... Continue Reading →
Kansas City-style barbecue features meat smoked slowly and dowsed in thick, sweet sauce based on brown sugar, molasses, and tomatoes. Joe's KC BBQ On my first night in KC, after the ride through downtown, I visited the original gas station location of Joes's Kansas City Bar-B-Que, named by Men's Health Magazine as "America's Manliest Restaurant"... Continue Reading →
A hamburger features a patty of ground meat (typically beef) presented inside of a sliced roll or bun and served with condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, barbeque, or special sauce) and complements (lettuce, tomato, pickle, onions, bacon, or chilis). The addition of melted cheese elevates to a cheeseburger. Burger as a standalone word is associated... Continue Reading →
Humans appear to have been eating oysters in the United Kingdom since Roman times. This was my first time to try the briny, creamy, slimy, squishy dish - it tasted like the ocean. I ate the oyster in a pub that currently occupies the Crown Liquor Saloon building in Belfast, an ornate public house completed... Continue Reading →
I finished my ride around Dublin city centre with a stop at the Old Mill restaurant for Irish Stew--a deliciously simple mix of mutton, potatoes, parsley, onion, and carrots. Some soda bread and mashed potatoes rounded out my meal.
After a morning ride on the Boise River Greenbelt, I swung through the Westside Drive In for their world-famous ice cream potato - a "baked potato" made out of vanilla ice cream, cocoa powder, whipped cream, with chocolate syrup and Oreo and peanut crumbles.
The day before my ride along the Boise River Greenbelt, I fueled up at a Basque restaurant on Boise's Basque Block. In town for a professional conference, I attended a mid-day walking tour of the city's Basque architecture and history. The lamb grinder features tender slices of roasted lamb leg served on a French baguette... Continue Reading →
the Bikeswain 