Right on ’cue

var archivedState=0; Pulled pork sandwiches at Tremont 647, the restaurant owned by Andy Husbands. (Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)

It took about 12 years, lots of hard work, and a healthy sense of youthful invincibility — seasoned with a dash of arrogance — for Andy Husbands and Chris Hart to win 30 Kansas City Barbecue Society championships, hundreds of barbecue ribbons, and the biggest prize of them all, the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, held every October in Lynchburg, Tenn. And with the help of our IQUE barbecue teammates (our name is I que, as in “I barbecue”), we had more fun than we might even be able to remember. Now we’re ready to share the secrets that got us here. Well, most of them. Some things that happen in Kansas City stay in Kansas City.

Andy owns Tremont 647, which he opened in 1996 with Chris, who is now a software designer and professional barbecue competitor. The South End restaurant specializes in American food with global influences, or what Andy calls “food from here with flavors from there.”

When we started competing, we were part of a relatively small, devout bunch who loved nothing more than spending a few days hanging with friends, drinking bourbon and beer, playing late-night poker, cooking over live fire, and trying to prove that we did all of this better than everyone else. We still love all those things, but a lot has changed. That devout bunch is not so small anymore. Barbecue competitions have become one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The American Royal in Kansas City (Mo.) routinely draws more than 500 teams, and barbecue organizations are multiplying. We see this as a reflection not only of how many people appreciate great barbecue, but also of how many people appreciate great food.

They are now seeking out the best ingredients, whether it’s American Wagyu from Idaho or heirloom New Mexican chilies. Barbecue enthusiasts travel miles for that perfect rib or pulled pork sandwich or barbecued bologna they read about online, where they trade recipes and tips. And they spend hours, sometimes days, making that ultimate dish.

Some might call this extreme cooking. For us, it’s what we do. Our reward is that buzz you get when you push yourself to the edge. Sometimes that means standing in the middle of a NASCAR racetrack in Dover, Del., at midnight with a tornado barreling down, watching it blow by as you tend brisket and pork butts. Sometimes it means waking up every hour through a Saturday night to make sure your fire doesn’t go out because you’re having guests the next day. Always it leads to food that’s not just really, really tasty, but wicked good.

We don’t want to scare anybody off, but most of our recipes are not the kind that can be whipped up in an hour or so. We decided to assume our readers’ top priority isn’t that the food be easy, but that they want to be challenged, to do whatever it takes to make championship-level barbecue, even if they aren’t necessarily planning to compete.

For enthusiasts, food geeks, tailgaters, and anybody else who is willing to put in a little effort and then really impress friends and family, our book offers the mechanics. You might have to search for some ingredients you don’t encounter every day (oxtail, ghost chilies) and you’ll have to tend the fire diligently, but you’ll get the best ribs you will ever experience. Or you might tackle 25 steps to get to barbecued chicken; make your own sauces and rubs; smoke very large shrimp with a crabmeat stuffing or butt for pulled pork.

Excerpted from “Wicked Good Barbecue: Fearless Recipes From Two Damn Yankees Who Won the Biggest, Baddest BBQ Competition in the World,” by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart with Andrea Pyenson, reprinted with permission of Fair Winds Press.

Andrea Pyenson can be reached at apyenson@gmail.com. Andy Husbands and Chris Hart can be reached on facebook.com/wickedgoodbarbecue.

© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

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5 new Italian restaurants

The sprouting of new Italian restaurants seems to show no signs of abating. Although more have been slated to debut in the coming months, we couldn’t wait to present five of the newest in town:

CRITIC’S PICK Amarone
Family-style Italian in the CBD
Osvaldo Forlino – the chef who once presided over the kitchens of Il Lido, Forlino and the defunct Osvaldo Ristorante – now caters to the business crowd with this 170-seater outpost at the glitzy Capital Tower. The soaring ceiling hanging with latticework, plush leather arm chairs and walls adorned with framed family heirloom artefacts – including a 200-year-old hand-weaved tablecloth – provide a smart yet warm backdrop. The executive clientele come for Osvaldo’s family-style Italian dishes focused on fresh produce: think creamy burrata (a mozzarella-cream cheese) with rocket leaves and Sicilian tomatoes ($50++); home-made tagliolini with savoury crab meat ($28++); and seasonal off-menu specials like white asparagus. #01-08/09-10 Capital Tower, 168 Robinson Road; 6423 0464; Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm.

Covelli Italian Bistro & Wine Bar's capesante e gamberi - prawns and scallops with Avruga caviar

Covelli Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Contemporary Italian in basement of Orchard Central
It may not boast a hot-blooded Italian chef in the kitchen but this smart, glass-wrapped Italian bistro at the basement of Orchard Central is wowing both shoppers and diners with more than just its central location at Singapore’s shopping belt. The calling card here is contemporary Italian cuisine executed with finesse. The affordable weekday three-course set lunch ($14.90++ to $16.90++) draws a big lunch crowd, but it’s the à la carte menu that gives us plenty of reasons to return. Standouts include seared scallops and prawns crowned with Avrugar caviar, served with rocket leaves and sundried tomato puree ($24++); and the addictive black truffle and cheese-stuffed ravioli in cheese sauce with a dust of grated hazelnut ($20++). #B2-13/22, 181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central; 6238 6400; Daily 11am-3pm, 6pm-11pm.

Otto Locanda
Fine dining Otto’s trattoria sister
Housed in the former roost of Osvaldo Ristorante (and the short-lived L’Angolo) in Maxwell Chambers, this less austere sister outlet of fine dining Italian stalwart, Otto, sits just steps away from her stable mate. Fittingly, the wood-swathed, double-tiered dining space is decked to play its part of the trattoria with copper lid hanging lamps and cushy leather banquette seats. Head chef Davide Fabiano was last personal chef to the Italian ambassador to Tokyo and his strength is in the classic Italian dishes plated with contemporary flair. Highlights include the melt-in-the-mouth Venetian salt cod with oven-baked polenta croutons ($24++) and the risotto alla Parmigiana (risotto cooked in vegetable broth and white wine, wrapped in Parma ham, $26++). #01-03 Maxwell Chambers, 32 Maxwell Road; 6224 0978; Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm, Sat 6pm-10pm.

The oven-baked whole sea bass with leek and garlic at Trattoria Gallo d'Oro

PepeNero
Southern Italian at Stanley Street
Former head chef of Basilico, Marco Violano, joins the ranks of hotel chefs-turned-restaurateurs with the opening of this spot lit space. Under the shelter of the lofty ceiling, Violano plays dual role of host and chef, but it’s with the latter that he impresses. Southern Italian fare is executed with both refinement and a touch of rusticity. Find out what to order here. 14 Stanley Street; 6222 5808; Mon-Fri noon- 2pm, 5:45pm to 11pm; Sat 5:45pm to 11pm

Trattoria Gallo d’Oro
Homely Italian in former French Kitchen space
After a local career spanning 17 years in hotel-owned Italian restaurants including DOMVS and Ristorante Bologna, Carlo Maregoni decided to call the shots as co-owner and head chef of newly opened Trattoria Gallo D’oro. Italian for ‘golden rooster’, the restaurant takes over the minimalist space vacated by the French Kitchen in Central Mall. The madeover interior is rustic with wood-panelled ceiling peppered with exposed bricks. Maregoni’s style is homely, and at this new venture the food is mostly for sharing in small plates. Don’t miss the rarely seen veal-stuffed ravioli with crisp bacon and sage ($20) as well as the moist and succulent oven-baked whole sea bass with heaps of sautéed leek and garlic ($29). 7 Magazine Road, #01-03 Central Mall; 6438 8131;Mon-Sat  noon-3pm 6.30pm-10.30pm.

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Vibrant Cambodian flavors in Revere

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Weary palates crave surprises. So when vibrantly flavored dishes of a long-overlooked cuisine arrive on the table, even the most jaded eaters take notice.

Cambodian fare has long stood in the shadow of its popular Thai and Vietnamese neighbors. It is cuisine you may have never met.

A cozy restaurant just blocks from Revere Beach is happily making introductions. Thmor Da occupies the storefront once filled by the Cambodian eatery Floating Rock. The sign above the door has lost much of its paint, a casualty of New England weather. Potted plants and Buddhist statues crowd the window. Inside, the cheerful dining area is full of Cambodian families from the neighborhood. Frank Sok, who opened the restaurant in January 2011 with his wife, Seak Ly Kong, and mother-in-law, Tann Hour Kong, explains that Thmor Da means “a rock that can grow into a mountain.” It is also the name of a famous restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital and the location of an uncle’s restaurant where Sok apprenticed.

On the night we visit, a smiling young server greets us as she ferries plates to tables. We begin with tiger tear with spicy sauce ($9.99), which is grilled beef atop sliced green and red bell peppers, red onion, fresh mint, and whole basil leaves. The salad is the epitome of freshness, with a tangy marinade of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and a touch of chili. Fine grains of toasted lemongrass lend aroma and texture. Thai-inspired green papaya salad ($7.50) is similarly dressed. Long shreds of the crunchy fruit arrive in a saucy tangle with chunks of not-quite-ripe tomato and crushed peanuts.

Special rice noodle soup ($6.50) calls to mind Vietnamese pho, but this pork and chicken stock is flavored with fried shallots. The soup noodles — topped with mini meatballs, sliced fish cake, and green onions — are popular with the early morning crowd that arrives when the restaurant opens.

If you’re tired of what often passes for pad Thai in this town, the Cambodian version ($7.50) will tempt you back. Thin rice noodles are quickly fried with sweet soy sauce and ground dried shrimp, garnished with sliced hard-cooked egg and cucumber.

Appetizer-size fried quail ($7.99) arrives as five dainty halves of poultry, each drumstick painstakingly frenched. The lean meat benefits from a simple dipping sauce of lemon juice and a heaping teaspoon of black pepper. My dining companion thinks it is the most unusual condiment on the table. Lemon juice also features prominently in Cambodian farmer’s fish sour soup ($9.99), in which tender chunks of tilapia and generous handfuls of Chinese watercress float in pork stock enriched with prahok (Cambodia’s fermented fish paste).

Prahok is also a key ingredient in curry pickled fish with coconut milk ($9.99), a silky dish made with ground pork and slivered bell peppers. We scoop the warm curry with cool crudites of raw cabbage and miniature green eggplant before spooning it over rice.

While the rice (like the tea) could be hotter, we’re grateful for those starchy grains as we tuck into spicy chili chicken ($9.99), finely minced meat studded with red Thai bird chilies. My companion takes one bite and her eyes water. For a few minutes she cannot speak through the searing heat. But she keeps serving herself more, gesturing that it’s so good.

Ellen Bhang can be reached at

ellenbhangwrites@gmail.com.

© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

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Tags : Cambodian / flavors / Revere / Vibrant

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Bring on the tacos

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On a Friday night at the Painted Burro in Davis Square, the volume is cranked to high: This one goes to 11. It’s not so much the music as the din of the crowd. To reach the bar, one must maneuver through an obstacle course made of people. Every rustic wood seat at every rustic wood table is taken.

Last year, upscale Mexican restaurants took over the city — you had your Tico and your Temazcal, your Lolita and your Papagayo. When another opened in the space formerly occupied by the well-loved Gargoyles, the question was: Do we really need more fancified tacos and tequila? In Somerville, yes, clearly. Often going out to eat is not about what your city has to offer, but what your neighborhood does.

And the Painted Burro offers a better version of this kind of food than most. It does this with a smaller, focused menu, and with the ministrations of chef-owner Joe Cassinelli (who also operates the nearby Pizzeria Posto) and executive chef Danny Bua Jr., both of whom have worked at Mistral, among other restaurants.

There are six entrees, but the bulk of the menu is devoted to snacks and tacos, the kind of food you want to eat when you’re out with friends for a few of the Painted Burro’s very good margaritas de la casa, made with Agavales tequila blanco, triple sec, and lime juice, best on the rocks with salt.

“Chingon” cucumbers are a refreshing, light pickle, tart, spicy and salty, with radish slivers and pickled grapes in the mix. (”Chingon” is basically Mexico’s “wicked awesome.”) Everyone’s favorite, Mexican street corn, appears here, the ears slathered in roasted garlic mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and a sprinkle of cayenne.

Guacamole is luxurious — so much “like buttah” one wonders if it might actually have butter blended into it. There is a version made with pork belly and roasted tomatoes, and another that includes roasted poblanos. The best, however, features nothing but avocado, cilantro, salt, and onion, so one can savor the creamy, rich fruit. The Painted Burro’s complementary tortilla chips, served with fresh salsa, arrive at the table warm, thick and salty. These same excellent chips come with the guacamole. And queso fundido mixes Oaxaca, Chihuahua, and Manchego cheeses into a stretchy mass to be scooped with corn tortillas; a version with roasted mushrooms is particularly good. Just eat it quickly, because its charms die as it cools.

Not all of the snacks are as fine. Olives flavored with orange, oregano, mezcal, and tiny round hot peppers called chiltepes (these are not capers, as they may appear to be) taste like any other olives. Chicharron, or pork rinds, have plenty of flavor, glazed in tamarind with Serrano chilies. But the texture is flabby and fatty, without enough crisp bits. And a chili relleno comes with mole that is complex but overly sweet.

Tacos are served two per plate, with fillings such as crisp fried fish and cabbage-jalapeno slaw, pork with pineapple salsa, and the ultimate, the chupacabra taco. Named for the mythical creature, this is a plate of tortillas topped with house-made chorizo, lamb neck barbacoa, pork, and steak with pickled cabbage. What sounds like overkill turns out to be quite tasty overkill, but don’t try to pick it up and eat it with your hands. For that matter, all of the tacos present difficulties as finger food. The tortillas split, and the fillings fall out.

The Painted Burro’s tacos are not priced like their taqueria counterparts — the chupacabra, for instance, is $21. A $3 fish taco at Dorado in Brookline is every bit as tasty as the $14 plate here. As much as tortillas and fillings, you are paying for atmosphere. The Painted Burro is a successful reinvention of Gargoyles — cream-colored paint, wood beams, folkloric murals featuring Day of the Dead skeletons and, yes, a burro, wearing a Mexican wrestling mask and sporting a horn. And, of course, here there is tequila, more than 80 kinds in all.

Entrees feature well-prepared meat and fish that tend to dominate the sides. A grilled pork chop is both juicy and tender, but the bean tamale with which it’s served is dense and bland. (Don’t miss, however, the excellent charro beans that are available as a side.) Street-cart chicken with plantains is a half-bird marinated in achiote, or annatto, and citrus. The dark meat is just right, the white meat somewhat dry. Grilled mahi mahi is prepared a la Veracruzana, with a tomato sauce described as spicy — a word that doesn’t always deliver much heat at the Painted Burro. But with poblano rice, this is a simple, savory, and pleasant dish. Tender short rib barbacoa is flavored subtly with red wine and cola, with creamy Oaxaca cheese grits on the side.

For dessert, silky flan is brightened with citrus, and ice cream comes in flavors such as corn (bland) and chili-chocolate, this last genuinely spicy and wonderful. It’s a better bet for chocolate lovers than a mocha mousse dominated by a cherry sauce reminiscent of cough syrup.

Service here can be awkward, but it’s plain that everyone is making an effort. If things start to fall apart, one of the capable managers steps in to smooth over the situation — making a forgotten order of guacamole materialize at no charge, for instance. (Although she can’t do anything about the empty container one guest discovers in his doggie bag.)

On a frantic Friday night, the Painted Burro’s food can suffer, the flavors not quite as balanced or bright. A rabbit leg dish (no longer on the menu) with root vegetables and an orange-jicama salad can be so tasteless one finds oneself feeling insulted on behalf of the bunny. The street-cart chicken that can be so good here is flabby and dull. On a comparatively mellow Tuesday, dishes are more apt to shine.

“Comparatively” is a key word here. When the Painted Burro isn’t loud, it’s raucous. Somerville wants tacos and tequila every night of the week. When it comes to upscale Mexican, it seems there is always room for more.

Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @devrafirst.

© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

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Singaporean Chili Crabs at Wee Nam Kee

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Aside from from the most tender and juicy Hainanese Chicken, Wee Nam Kee also offers authentic Singaporean Chili Crabs with Mantou Buns! Crabs are so fresh and cooked perfectly that the meat holds its consistency and does not stick to the shell. The sweet chili sauce is so delectable you will end up mopping it all up with the Mantou buns which it is served with! More after the break.

Wee Nam Kee over numerous visits has been surprisingly consistent. We prefer the breast part for the Hainanese Chicken as it is meatier and with less bones than other parts. If you don’t make this request you could end up with a horrendous section with a disrespectful amount of meat!

Wee Nam Kee
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Makati Avenue,
Makati City, Philippines
Tel: +632 846-8924
Open Daily: 11:00AM to 10:00PM

In our next post we attend the grand launch of the Midas Hotel and Casino at Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Please click here!

Remember life is way too short, don’t let it pass you by. Enjoy Hour Philippines!

Sincerely,

Lord and Aksana
HOURPHILIPPINES.COM
FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE
All content is the sole property of HourPhilippines.com, any reproduction in whole or in part shall be subject to prosecution.

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Tags : Chili / Crabs / Singaporean

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Ken's Delights

Ken's Delight's traditional chendol

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

Winter melon soup like grandma used to make

Now here's a hawker dessert your grandmother might have made. According to one of my makan kakis, the iced winter melon soup ($1.50) here is as good as his grandma’s. I might have never tasted his grandmother's soup before, but I wouldn’t argue with this long-time trusted eating companion of mine.

If you’ve never had winter melon soup before, Ken’s Delight is a good place to begin. It’s a refreshing dish and tastes like winter melon in sweet iced syrup. I wouldn’t rave about it the way my friend did, but I thought it an excellent thirst quencher on hot days.

Ken’s Delights prides itself on serving a very traditional bowl of cendol ($1.50). It’s traditional in that it only contains cendol, red beans and chin chow. The chin chow is made in-house, but the cendol is outsourced. The thick pale green short strands look promising but the texture turned out to be quite hard as it was frozen.

Nevertheless, this is one good place for a cool down.

In-depth ratings:
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Ken’s Delights | Address: Dunman Food Centre, #01-01, 271 Onan Road | Tel: 9105 9618 | Opening hours: Mondays 11.30am-3pm, Tue-Sun 11.30am-9pm

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Also check out: Two other recommendations by Dr Leslie Tay

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Charles Lhuillier’s Birthday @ Buddha Bar

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Join us for the birthday party of our good friend Charles Lhuillier at Buddha Bar on April 20, 2012. Champagne, strawberries and shiny happy people need we say more?

Also check out the Buddha Bar Manila Launch Party here.

Buddha Bar
Picar Place
Kalayaan Ave.
Makati
Philippines
Tel: +632-856-6719
Web: http://www.buddhabarmanila.com/
Web2: http://buddhabar.com/

In our next post we bring you our Mt. Pinatubo Adventure. Please click here!

Remember life is way too short, don’t let it pass you by. Enjoy Hour Philippines!

Sincerely,

Lord and Aksana
HOURPHILIPPINES.COM
FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE
All content is the sole property of HourPhilippines.com, any reproduction in whole or in part shall be subject to prosecution.

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Tags : Birthday / Buddha / Charles / Lhuilliers

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