Vote for the new Deck On Food LOGO

Ok, now that this little blog is actually getting a little traction (yes, I consider 15-20 people a day traction...thank you to all my readers!!), I think it's time to step it up a notch.  So the first step is to decide on a logo to represent Deck On Food.  I've narrowed it down to 4 that I like, and now I'm reaching out to you, my readers, to help me choose the one that best represents me.  Hopefully your experience has helped you get an idea of what you expect from Deck On Food, and one of the options will jump out at you.  If nothing really stands out, please feel free to visit 99designs.com and propose a different option.

I'm going to leave the voting open until the end of May.  To vote, Simply click comment, post to my wall on Facebook, or send me a note on Twitter (@deckonfood) and say Option 1, 2, 3 or 4.  Once a winner has been selected, I will have the logo personalized.

After I get a new logo, the next step will be the revised website.  I hope you are as excited as I am about the potential!

Thank you again for reading and for your participation!!

Deck

Option #1

Option #2

Option #3

Option #4

Deck on Delancey - Seattle Restaurant Review

For the past few days, I've had a hankering for pizza.  Not the Papa John's or Pizza Hut variety, but a good wood-fired pizza.  Plus, I wanted to check out more places in my neighborhood.  So everything lined up for a trip to Delancey.

Delancey is located on a small, quiet side street in the Ballard area.  As I walked in, I was greeted by the pleasant aromas of pizza sauce and cheese.  I waited a couple minutes and was given a seat at the counter, where I could watch the pizzas being made, and enjoy the pleasantness of the wood-fire grill.  Prior to going to Delancey, I had read a lot about the lines out the door, but was fortunate not to have a long wait.  I also read some negative reviews that the lines are unexpected from a pizza joint. I should say here that Delancey isn't some pizza joint where you just go get a slice and head out.  It's a place where you sit down and enjoy a nice meal that happens to be pizza.

Anyway, inside Delancey, there is just a very fun vibe.  The decor is very simple; concrete floors, simple tables and chairs, a little art on the wall.  The Rat Pack was playing on the stereo in the background, loud enough to be heard, but soft enough to not interfere with the conversation.  The hostess was pleasant, the waitress had a smile on her face.  The only thing better would have been to be able to sit outside in the late afternoon sun, but unfortunately Delancey does not have outdoor seating...yet.  It's coming, as soon as they can set up a barrier to appease the City of Seattle.

Sitting down, I decided to order a Chuckanut Lager.  In hindsight, I should have gone with a glass of vino (not that the beer was bad, it was quite refreshing actually, but the food and atmosphere definitely said Cab).  I looked over the menu, debating between the Margherita, Sausage, and Proscuitto (everything looked so delicious).  It was at that time that I was informed of the evening special, a New York inspired white pizza, made with fresh and aged parmesan, grana (a hard cheese from Italy), Housemade Ricotta and green garlic.  It sounded delicious, and since I couldn't make up my mind anyway, I just went with it.

It couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes before my pizza was brought to me.  In that time, I was able to just watch the preparation of the pizza, one person making them, one cooking, and the two waitresses delivering.  It was surprisingly calm, but non-stop.  The cooking was non-stop, no more than 2 or 3 pizzas in the oven at any given time, each being watched and rotated.  When my pizza was placed in front of me, I was definitely excited.

The small pizza was cut into six slices.  I grabbed the first, and was surprised at just how thin the crust really was, and how light the pizza was for all the cheese.  Biting in, I was immediately pleased.  The crust was that perfect level of crispiness; not overcooked and burnt, not undercooked and chewy.  Just a nice crisp crunch like a cracker with the appropriate amount of blackness.  The cheese blend was nice and subtle too.  Not overpowering, not too greasy, just a nice blend of cheeses.  And the garlic also was a nice compliment without overpowering the piece of pizza.

I continued to work my way through the pizza, enjoying each bite.  It was totally hitting the spot, and exactly what I was looking for on the evening.  Then on my second to last piece, I got an added bonus.  On this slice was the largest amount of the housemade ricotta; and it was delicious.  Just an extra level of creaminess that I hadn't fully experienced on my other pieces.  It almost left me a little disappointed that there wasn't more of this delicious cheese all over the pizza.  I quickly finished this and my last piece of pizza, then nursed my beer for a little bit, just taking in the environment.


Delancey definitely offered a very good pizza in a very nice environment.  If I had one negative, it would be that I wasn't able to try more slices.  Watching the Proscuitto Pizza being made with it's tomato base and covered in very thinly sliced procuitto go out, or the sausage with the homemade sausage, I was left wanting to try more.  The New York inspired white pizza was very good, but watching the others go out, I wonder if one of them wasn't better.  I guess that is one way to get me to go back for more.  Overall, it was a good experience, and met my expectations (though didn't quite exceed them).  For that, I will say that Delancey is absolutely worth going to for a nice casual evening out.  It was a little on the pricey side ($22 for a beer, pizza, and tip), but if you set your expectation that you aren't going out for a slice, but for dinner, it's not that bad.  Tonight I went out by myself, but I will be back with friends or my wife at some point.  And as to whether or not it is worth waiting in line?  I'd say it is worth a 20 to 30 minute wait, mostly because you can easily kill that time in the neighborhood.

Final Verdict - 4 Stars

Deck on Blue Moon Burgers - Seattle Restaurant Review

It wasn't too long ago that I started writing and Twittering about food, and the one of the first Seattle area restaurants to start following me on Twitter was Blue Moon Burgers.  I followed back and decided that when I got a chance I would be sure to stop in and try a burger that I had been reading about.  Tonight, as I was deciding what I wanted to do for dinner, I got a tweet that said it was 1/2 price burger night at Blue Moon Burgers.  I figured that tonight was as good a night as any to check it out, so after my run, I headed down to Fremont for a burger, filled with high expectations.

Walking up, I liked the area.  It has a great location, with adequate outdoor seating.  I thought this could be a good place to spend a leisurely Friday happy hour.  Inside the restaurant was clean and wide open, with seating for about 50.  It was about 3/4 full with a couple of people in the line.  Looking at the menu, I decided to go with the Southwestern Burger.   The Southwestern Burger included jalepeno bottlecaps (breaded jalepenos), pepperjack cheese and a spicy sauce.  It was really the only one on the menu that really jumped out at me (I was actually planning on trying the Blue Moon Club Burger that I saw online, but it wasn't on the menu board).  I also ordered a side of the hand-cut fries.  The burger is half-price on Wednesdays if you order a side or soda.  So I was pretty excited when I got my whole meal for about $6.  I asked for the whole order to go, and stepped aside to wait for my order.

After about 15 minutes of standing around waiting for my order, I was getting a little restless.  I understand making things to order, but it seemed to be taking a little longer than it should.  In actuality, it was taking about as long as you would expect a burger to take at a place like Sport, and I had expectations that it would be more the speed of Red Mill.  Anyway, I decided to sit down at a table and wait.  This gave me time to read up on the quality beef used in the burgers from Thundering Hooves in Walla Walla, WA.  It's all 100% grass-fed beef, with no hormones or grain feed.  After about 10 more minutes, my food came out.  I thanked the gentleman and headed out the door.  

Upon arriving home, I was ready to eat.  I pulled everything out of the bag, cut the burger in half and settled in.  I picked up the burger and got ready to take a bite.  The first thing that I noticed was that the burger patty itself was a little smaller than I had expected for a 1/4 lb. burger.  It was also cooked medium to medium-well with just a hint of pink (a little more cooked than I like).  Taking my first bite I was hit by a good bit of spice, which was enjoyable.  But, I totally lost the taste of the burger.  It wasn't that the spice overpowered the burger, but more that the burger couldn't stand up to the flavors being used as the seasoning or as part of the sauce.  I took a couple more bites trying to coax flavor out of the burger, but just couldn't really find it.  I finished the first half, and turned to the fries.

Taking the first bite of fries, I was again let down.  A great french fry is crispy on the outside, but still soft and moist on the inside.  These fries were just cooked all the way through, almost like one of those natural potato chips, but without much salt.  Not to mention they were barely warm.  Now, I know I took them from the restaurant to my house, and ate half a burger first, but it couldn't have been more than 15 minutes, and they were wrapped from the time I left until I got home.  They really tasted like they had been cooked and left out where they just continued to cook under a heat lamp or above the fryer.  I ate a few more fries, trying to dig through the pile for ones that were still a little soft on the inside.  In the end, I just stopped eating them.

I really don't like writing reviews like this, especially because I was so excited for Blue Moon Burgers.  I really, really wanted it to be good.  But in the end, it just wasn't that good.  The burger was small, not juicy at all, and just unable to stand up to the flavors.  The lettuce was warm and just overwhelming (I had to pick off two chunks), and the onion was almost non-existent.  When I bite into a hamburger I want to taste the beef, complimented by whatever is added to it, with juice flowing.  You should be able to squeeze the burger and see the juice seep into the bun (like the burger from Lunchbox Laboratory).  The one highlight was the jalepeno bottlecaps, which I could have eaten an entire tray of on their own. 

If you are looking for a place to have an ok burger and a beer, and hang outside in Fremont with your buddies, then Blue Moon is a good spot.  But if you are looking for a great burger in Seattle, Blue Moon is not the place to go.  Sport, Red Mill, Lunchbox Laboratory.  All of these offer a much better burger experience.  

Final Verdict - 2 Stars

Deck on Scooter's Burgers - Seattle Restaurant Review

So, I was out running errands in Ballard the other day, when I decided that I wanted to stop and get a little something to eat.  I started by heading down Market, which anyone that has been in Ballard on a sunny Saturday knows is a mistake.  Finally, by the time I got to 24th, I was ready to head home.  I was tired of being in the car, and figured I could make myself a sandwich or something at home.  It was at that point that I noticed a little burger restaurant behind some trees out of the corner of my eye.  Being open to trying something new, I turned in. 

When I walked in, I felt like I had stepped back in time a little bit.  It wasn't that it was old and run down or anything.  Scooter's Burgers just had this retro vibe about it.  The menu board was very simple, black and white with red headers.  The restaurant didn't really have any tables, just chairs along counter rails.  There were awards on the walls, most from at least 5 years ago.  It was just the perfect little burger joint for what I was looking for.

So, when I got to the counter, what did I order?  Turkey and Swiss naturally.  I spent a lot of time trying to talk myself into a burger, but knowing that I was going to be doing fried chicken for dinner later, I decided I had to go with something lighter, and the turkey seemed like a good way to go. 

After a few minutes, I got my sandwich and headed home to dive in.  When I unwrapped it and pulled it apart, the cheese just kept stretching; so much delicious looking swiss cheese that I finally had to pull it apart with my fingers.  When I took the first bit, I was pleasantly surprised.  The turkey was very flavorful and moist, not heaping, but not skimping either.  The cheese was as expected, very gooey.  But added to that was a bit of onion and freshly sliced tomato.  This provided a little crunch and a little unexpected flavor boost.  The whole thing was served on a nicely toasted sourdough bread that just brought the whole thing together. 

It was not a huge meal, or even the thing that Scooter's is known for, but it was a great little sandwich that absolutely hit the spot.  The other thing is that it left me wanting more and wanting to go back to get what they are known for, burgers and shakes.  To me it really says something when you can deliver on something as simple as a turkey and cheese sandwich, and exceed expectations.

Final Verdict - 4 Stars

Adventures with the deep fryer

There are many great things about getting married, one of which is the opportunity to re-outfit your kitchen with all kinds of new dishes and utensils and cooking gadgets.  For the last couple of weeks, I've been using our new pots and pans, serving food that looks beautiful (one person's slightly biased opinion) on our new dishes, and experimenting with some new gadgets.  Today I was excited to try something new, that I've never used before; a mini-deep fryer.  And I wanted to kick-off my deep-fried cooking with an absolute classic, fried chicken.

To start, I got up this morning put the chicken in a dish, and covered it in buttermilk.  I then left it to soak for 8 hours.  Then I took it out, rolled it in some seasoned flour, dipped it in an egg wash, rolled it in some blue corn meal, and stuck it in the fryer.  I did thighs first for about 15 minutes, then followed up with the drumsticks for about 12.  I served the chicken with a potato salad out of a Bobby Flay grilling cookbook with a slice of cornbread.

At this point you might be wondering why there are no pictures.  Hadn't I started to provide pictures of my cooking?  Doesn't it make a better story?  The answer is yes and yes.  But the reason there are no pictures is because when I bit into this beautiful chicken I created, I was disappointed.  It wasn't that it wasn't cooked through, or had a bad taste.  The first problem was that it had no taste.  It was incredibly bland.  The second was that the coating was just too thick.  It was like there was a tortilla chip over the chicken.  And the salad was much the same way.  I hadn't made enough of the vinaigrette and it was just fried potatoes on spinach with a little bit of bleu cheese.  Here is what it ended up looking like:

I was fully intended on sharing the recipe for what turned out to be a great looking dish.  I had taken pictures of all the steps along the way.  But in the end, there is no point in providing a recipe for something that I didn't enjoy.  So, I'm going back to the drawing board on the fried chicken.  In the next iteration, I won't be using the blue corn meal, and will instead do a double coating of the seasoned flour, but will be a little more heavy-handed with some of the spices.  I think I also need to dilute the egg wash a little further, possibly with the buttermilk, so it doesn't go on so heavy.

But, I couldn't let the night end on that note.  So I did what any good home cook would do; I made dessert.  The dessert was quite simple, but one that I knew would please.  I made strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry shortcake is incredibly simple.  For starters, you take fresh strawberries, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.  Cover them with a couple tablespoons of sugar.

Next, make the whipped cream.  Put about half a cup of whipping cream in a mixing bowl.  Using an electric mixer, mix on low until it is just starting to get firm.  Add in a tablespoon of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar.  Continue to mix for about one more minute.

Take two store-bought angel food rounds (hey, I'm not a pastry chef).  Fill with the strawberry mixture, top with the whipped cream, and enjoy.

Yes, I just cheated a little on angel food cake.  And yes, I just gave you a recipe for whipped cream.  But it was one of those rough cooking days for an amateur chef, and I needed to finish on a strong note. 

There will be more deep frying in my future, complete with recipes for you.  Until then, enjoy your whipped cream.

Mother's Day Breakfast

This morning I fully intended on getting up and making a great breakfast; my first attempt at a stuffed French Toast.  Not that either of us have our mothers in town for this day, but that's no reason not to make a breakfast.  And then I was going to share the recipe so that anyone would be able to make this delicious dish whenever they wanted.  I started out on the right note, pulling out some great and delicious looking ingredients (brioche loaf, cinnamon, strawberries).

I can't take credit for the whole thing.  The inspiration for this came from a post on the blog Savory Sweet Life, one of the top (if not the top) Seattle food blogs.  But, rather than just following her simple, proven recipe, I had to come up with something similar but with a couple of twists.

Everything started out just fine, but somewhere a long the way, things didn't quite come together the way that I had planned.  It's not that it turned out bad, just not quite what I was looking for.  The flavors were good, but a little weak.  The good thing about it is I think I know where I made my mistakes, mostly with the filling.  I didn't have enough of it to balance out the thickness of the bread.  It was good, just not enough.  And I need to make sure that I include more of the fresh strawberries for both the filling and the topping.

This French Toast definitely has a lot of potential, and I will try it again next weekend, this time as a Birthday Breakfast, and once I get it, I will be sure to provide the recipe.  It's one of the joys of cooking, sometimes you get it, and sometimes you don't.  Fortunately, it seems like I've been getting it more often than not lately (knock on wood).

Deck's POG Pork Chops with Roasted Corn Salad

There is absolutely nothing like a bright, sunny Spring Day in Seattle.  For me it means throwing on the sunglasses, listening to Summertime by Will Smith, having a beer, and grilling.

For this recipe I was inspired by two things.  First, was some flavors from Hawaii; Passion, Orange and Guava.  This combination, commonly referred to as POG, can be found as a juice pretty much everywhere you go, and is something that I order quite frequently.  Second was a dish that I saw in an episode of Top Chef Masters.

Now I don't know if POG and roasted corn are meant to be combined, but for this dish, the flavors actually worked pretty well together, and the corn received a "This is the best corn I've had" response from my number 1 critic.

Deck's POG Pork Chops with Roasted Corn Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For Pork Chops:
- 2 Pork Chops (I prefer bone-in, thick cut)
- 1 Passionfruit
- 1 Guava
- 3-4 medium large mandarins (if you use navel oranges, 3 should be enough), juiced
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar

For Roasted Corn Salad
- 2 ears sweet yellow corn in husks, silks removed, soaked in water
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1-2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1-2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 4 oz. queso fresco crumbled (can substitute feta if queso fresco or Cotija is not available)

For this recipe, I prefer using the grill, but if the weather is inclement or you don't have a grill, a grill pan should be ok.


The order for this meal is to first make the POG sauce to be added to the pork chops, followed by the corn and then the pork chops themselves.

Step 1:  Combine the passionfruit, guava, orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan.  For the passionfruit, cut it in half, and scoop out the fruit from the inside.  For the guava, remove the skin, and cut into small pieces.



Step 2:  Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it begins to boil, then reduce the heat to medium, and continue to simmer until the mixture has been reduced by about half.  When reduced, use a hand blender (or pour into a blender) and puree.  Then strain the mixture and set aside for later.

Step 3:  Pre-heat the grill to high.  Once the grill is heated, add the corn, still in husks to the grill.  You should have removed the silks and soaked in water.  This technique will cook the corn by steaming it within the husk.  Every five minutes rotate the corn a third.  You will steam the corn for about 15 minutes.

Step 4:  While the corn is steaming, combine the lime, cilantro, scallion and cheese in a bowl.  You can adjust the amount of cilantro and lime to personal tastes.  Do NOT add the butter at this point.

Step 5:  Remove the corn from the grill and remove the husks.  Be careful of the steam released when you remove the husks.

Step 6:  Lower the heat on the grill to medium-high.  Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and add to the grill.  At the same time, add the corn back to the grill now without the husks.

Step 7:  After about 3-4 minutes, rotate the corn.  It should be getting a nice char on the outside.  Also flip the pork chops over at this point.  Apply the POG sauce liberally to the pork chops.

Step 8:  Flip the pork chops one more time and the POG sauce again.  Finish cooking for about 2 minutes to get to medium.  Remove from the grill, and let rest for about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add the remainder of the sauce and serve.

Step 9:  While the pork is resting, remove the corn from the grill.  Using a knife, remove the corn from the cob and add to the lime, cilantro, scallion and cheese.  Stir to coat evenly.  At this point, melt the butter, and pour over the corn right before serving.

Enjoy!