Judging Juggernaut
Thank god for absinthe and watermelon. Not together, mind you. But after spending the evening judging A Taste of the Capital Region with the queen of Albany food bloggers, Albany Jane, and a host of real, live professional chefs, I was in dire need of a digestif.
Once the stomach settled a bit, some nice refreshing watermelon brought me back to life.
When Chef Christoper Allen Tanner contacted me about this judging, I was a little apprehensive about judging over thirty dishes in an evening, even if they were broken up into several smaller categories. Amateur chefs were not being pitted against professionals like Jamie Ortiz. That wouldn’t be fair.
Overall, there were thirty-two dishes present. Albany Jane had confidence we could do it. And I fed off her confidence. What she didn’t know at the time was that we would only have seventy-five minutes to taste, evaluate and comment upon all the dishes.
That’s not much more than two minutes per dish.
Baker Baiting
Would you believe me if I said that I really didn’t expect that tsunami of interest in the upcoming Cupcake Challenge? I’ve got a few ideas that I’m kicking around right now, but I’m going to have to take this under the radar for a little while.
I’d really prefer that this tasting be a surprise to the cupcake bakeries, so that the cupcakes we evaluate are similar to the ones anyone else would get when walking into a local store, or picking some up from a mobile outpost. That said, if you are interested in participating in the tasting and haven’t left a comment to that regard using a valid email address, I’d recommend doing that soon.
So now I’ve teased you a bit. It’s only fair to tease the bakers too.
Every now and again a question appears in the comments that I purposefully keep out of the Ask the Profussor round-ups. This is because the question requires a longer answer and I think it is important enough to stand alone as its own post. On the subject of cupcakes, a male commenter signing on with the name irishj had this to say:
I think that cupcake bashing has somehow become cool, what is not to like about a small piece of cake when it is made properly?
Well, I’ve never really been cool, but I do have some thoughts on the matter.
Where There is Smoke
Do not confuse this for a piece of journalism. The more and more I write, the more and more I think that it could be helpful to take a journalism ethics and standards class. Because this part about expecting a human being to be objective is a bit of a mystery to me.
But as I mentioned a few days ago, the folks at Classe Catering invited some bloggers over to their facility to meet Chef Jeremy Kane and sample some of the new dishes he’ll be making for Big KaHoona Barbeque.
And you know what? Those who claim that this experience will alter the way I write about the food are absolutely right. Having an understanding of what they are trying to achieve, talking to the chef, sharing my criticism, and hearing his response, and looking around the kitchen totally changes how I am going to write about their product.
In another situation I might have been a bit more rough. But today I’m going to be as gentle as I can.
FUSSYlittleBALLOT 2.0 Redux
After having several weeks to tabulate the data, the Times Union finally published their 2011 Best of the Capital Region Reader’s Choice Poll results. Let’s just say the results are interesting.
Yes, many are disappointing, but there are a few rays of light. And at the very least if you voted for the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 2.0 you can say that you tried to make a difference in this year’s results.
I did learn a lot from this year’s campaign and hope to improve upon it for 2012. So if you didn’t join us this year, and you are feeling a bit crestfallen about some of our “Best” places, perhaps you’ll consider voting for the full slate of businesses next April. Mark your calendar.
If you did vote along the party line, you may be asking yourself, did it make any difference at all? The short answer is, “Probably.” I’ll show you where we might have made an impact, and where all the cards were stacked against us. First, though I would like to share one big and blinding insight into the Capital Region that is clearly reflected in this poll.
Day of Reckoning
Today’s a big day. It’s the day that the 2011 Times Union Best of the Capital Region Reader’s Choice Poll is published.
I’m going to spend an unreasonable amount of time today looking over the results to see if the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 2.0 had any impact whatsoever. Last year we had an impact around the margins. Maybe that will be the case this year too. But there were a lot more votes cast in 2011 than in 2010, so that may play a role. We’ll just have to wait and see.
So what if Subway won Best Sandwich in the region yet again, I’m going to take it in stride for two reasons:
1) At least I can say I tried to do something about it
2) My plan for taking down Subway in 2012 is already underway
But that’s not the only reckoning I have to face today.
Ask the Profussor – Cheftacular
Somehow it seems like I’ve turned a corner. I’m going to blame my good friends at AOA for allowing me to write some very positive and higher profile pieces on things to eat in the region. But regardless of the cause, recently the momentum in my efforts to get closer to chefs and food producers has been picking up.
I just heard back from Central Steak about how the grass-fed steak special performed. This was the full quote I got from the restaurant, “The skirt steak sold really well. We sold out of it on Saturday night & then ran it again midweek & sold out again.” That made me very happy. They also released a longer cut of the video, where you can hear me ramble on about food if you are so inclined.
At the event next Monday, I’ll be meeting Chef Christopher Allen Tanner and Chef Rocco Verrigni. Later today, I’ll be talking with Chef Jeremy Kane at Classé Catering. And I even decided to play nice with the new chef at Creo and ask his PR agency if he was interested in chatting about his planned changes for the fancy Guilderland eatery.
It also seems that a few cupcake bakers felt their ears burning, and they’ve been tuning in to what’s going on here, although that only complicates matters. Why? I’ll get to that when I answer all the questions you asked that have gone unanswered in the past few weeks.
Ready? Here we go.
Judging For Juniors
Being a food judge is hard work. Okay, it’s not hard work like digging ditches or working in a coal mine. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. I find that it takes a lot of thoughtful consideration, especially when trying to rank dishes with varying strengths and weaknesses. I’m not complaining. It is a lot of fun and I really love doing it. Which is why I consider myself very lucky to have these opportunities.
The World Barista Challenge this past weekend really inspired me to look into how people become sensory judges. If you watched any of the footage, these guys are the ones who are served the three rounds of coffee and push the foam aside with the spoon to evaluate its depth. They have to drink a lot of coffee, but I think in the end the jitters would be worth it.
So that project is now added to my ongoing to do list, which is filling up with burning hot items. Not least of which is this cupcake challenge. I think I need to solicit a research assistant on that one. Volunteers?
But I want to tell you about another event that is coming up a week from today. It’s for charity and about food. Plus, I’ll be there to help judge it.
Little Miss Fussy Loves
I don’t blog parties. I don’t blog weddings. I don’t pick apart the food I am served when I am a guest. It’s rude.
Sure, restaurants may call their customers guests, but they are not. They are paying customers. And it’s a different thing when a business is trying to sell you something than when a friend or loved one is being generous with their hospitality. So invite me over. I’ll eat what I’m served, and even if it’s Subway sandwiches, I will try to make the best of it. And whether I like it or not, I’m going to keep it to myself.
That means I’m not going to tell you all about the food at my cousin’s wedding this weekend, nor am I going to tell you about the wine or the cocktails. But thanks to the passed hors d’oeuvres I did learn something very interesting about Little Miss Fussy.
Coffee Stadium
This morning I’m hitting the road yet again. I haven’t checked if our accommodations have WiFi, but I’ve come to expect there is internet everywhere and it is my intention to keep bringing you fresh content regardless of my geographic position or mental state. Family weddings can be intense.
There are all kinds of things that I’ll be missing while I’m away. Not least of all is the Mangalista snout-to-tail meal at 677 Prime that looks fantastic. That’s one reason to stay in Albany.
If that’s not compelling, and you feel the urge to try and catch a midnight plane going anywhere, perhaps I can point you in the direction of South America. Because right now in Columbia, Bogota specifically, is the 2011 World Barista Championship. I couldn’t really care less about the Olympics, but this is the kind of international competition that really fires me up. And if you can’t afford the airfare, you can watch the whole thing streaming live over the internet here: http://bit.ly/WBC2011
You know, last year was the first time the United States won. That makes us the defending champs.
FUSSYlittleBLOG 