Too many crazy French chefs spoil the pot....

It always amazes me when people do stupid things. You know, like Howard Stern fans who call the cable news outlets during natural disaster coverage trying to get their hero's name on the air... I've been deeply involved in publicity efforts for my sites lately, and in particular, trying to make contact with various tv chefs to let them know about CCSC.TV, our new sister site - The Complete Cooking Show Compendium. I've sent out quite a few e-mails about it, gotten some nice replies, too. Yesterday morning, I popped over to Alton Brown's site to see if I could find an e-mail address to drop him a line about the site. Seems AB had been running a little contest asking for pictures for his refrigerator. However, someone or someones took the fun out of things. Here's AB's latest Blogger post: Some of you may have noticed that the “contact” button is gone from my web site and that my rant calling for refrigerator pics is gone. Here’s why: although many of you sent in some really nice pics and insightful, fun emails some of you decided to send vulgar, nasty, frightening messages and images. I always knew there was ugliness and meanness out there but you know what, I don’t have to give you a place to put it. So, the portal is closed and will remain so. If you harvested the address, don’t bother using it because it will simply dump your mail into oblivion. I’m disappointed, upset, disillusioned, and upgrading my security system. To those who wanted to play nice, I sure am sorry but life’s just too short to drink poison. So AB decided to connect with his fans, and some of those so-called "fans" decided to repay his generosity by sending him nasty letters, dirty pictures, and just overall spoiling the party for everyone involved. And so now, AB, and rightly so if his mail was as bad as he indicated, has taken the chance to contact him away. It's too bad some people have to be so moronic, so downright juvenile, as to do something like that, because it ruins everything for everyone else as well. I hold no ill will towards AB - on the contrary, I think he did the right, and sensible, thing. No sense putting yourself on the line with all the crazies out there. But now, I've missed the chance to commune with the Good Eats Guru about my websites, which I think he'd fine funky (Moonsault Chef) and useful (CCSC). Some unthinking, uncaring, (probably)testostorone-filled punk has taken AB's good faith and shown him the disgusting underbelly of the 'Net world. He can't risk his sanity on people he doesn't know. And who can blame him? But why this idiots insist on ruining the party is beyond me. If I lived that kind of existance, I'd just as soon not be living. How friggin' pathetic can you be, that you get your jollies out of scaring the heeby-jeebies out of a friendly and funny TV Host? Sorry, that's just STUPID. And Hey, AB? I hope someone tells you about my sites anyway, and I still think you'd find them funky and useful, respectively. And I will try to get in touch via snail mail eventually. But I hope more than ever that you know that most of your fans aren't the pathetic bunch of weirdos who ruined it for you, and those fans - the GOOD fans - are 100% behind you! *** Progress on CCSC.TV is going well. The first major publicity campaign is underway right now, so don't be surprised if you see something popping up here and there on various websites and food-based forums. And don't forget to spread the word yourself, and contribute if you can! Your support for the database will help make the CCSC site an overwhelming success! *** After three months of preparation, Moonsault Chef will begin issuing Moonsault Chef Update, a weekly glimpse into our websites. Each newsletter will have a link to the latest blog, a few special offers that will be EXCLUSIVE to the newsletter, with prices lower than you'll find anywhere else, updates on CCSC and the latest compendium entries, special contests and giveaways, book and DVD reviews, and a whole lot more. So subscribe now so you don't miss everything. Click HERE to join the newsletter mailing list now and be first to get all the cool stuff coming your way. *** Friday we'll have our weekly Meal Review available right here, so don't miss it! *** More coming to the Moonsault Cafe next week. Until then, REPRISE THE THEME SONG AND ROLL THE CREDITS! TC

Meal Review - BENNIGANS

Bennigans 8 Park Place Boston MA My S.O. and I have taken to going to Bennigans quite frequently lately. It's only two short stops from our place of work on the T, and it's located in the theatre district, which means on that occasion that we are going to the area, there's a decent place to eat. We've been going to the area a lot lately, for shows at the Boston Common movie theatre, and so Bennigans is a good place to go. It's located in the Boston Transportation Building, and you can enter either from the street, or from a door inside the building's food court. We usually opt for the former, since the latter means you're coming in from the backside and end up looping around much of the interior of the restaurant before getting to the person on duty who's seating the patrons. And you pretty much feel like an idiot as people stare at you as you walk by. Tonight, we're shown to a table and told by our seater that our waiter's name is Charlie and that he'll be by in a moment to take our order. He informs us of the new "Fridays" ripoff deal that they have, which is to mix and match several items for a full meal, and then departs. The first thing we notice is that they've completely changed the menu from our previous visit there just two weeks earlier. The Teriyaki Salmon that I found so delicious two weeks earlier is no longer on the menu, replaced by Cajun Salmon...no thanks. The second thing we notice is something that Bennigans has been pleasantly devoid of on all our previous visits. Several servers gather at the table next to us, and loudly proclaim (as if we could avoid hearing them), "Attention Everybody! We've got someone over here celebrating a very special birthday!" They then proceed to sing their birthday song in off-key voices and clap loudly along. Call me a scrooge, but I HATE these ridiculous displays. I always have, and we and our friends have an agreement - whenever we go out for birthdays, we NEVER mention it to the staff. And anyone who causes one of these asinine displays at our table will be flogged - BADLY. Not only does it deeply embarrass the guest of honor (something which Texas Roadhouse restaurants have down to a science), it makes every other guest in the restaurant completely uncomfortable...and sympathizing with the poor schmo who has to endure it. Friends do NOT embarrass friends in public...not intentionally at least. Charlie, our server, arrives, introduces himself, and takes our drink orders (two Pepsi's - big thrilling lives we have) and an order of potato skins. I then start to peruse the new menu, but I start to panic first because I'm reaching into my backpack and cannot find my glasses. I think that maybe I've left them at work, but a few frantic moments produces them from a pocket I normally don't put them it - I had been distracted when packing my stuff up for the night, and put them in the wrong place. We just make up our mind when Charlie returns with our drinks and we both order the Tempura Shrimp. Kim had these last time we were here, and they were delicious, so we decide on them again. But neither one of us like cole slaw, so we substitute Garlic Mash instead. As we talk about the day's work and our meal, and Charlie brings our Potato Skins, I realize that the chef must think we're crazy - our meal consists of golden battered shrimp and THREE different kinds of potatoes - the skins as our appetizer, and the garlic mash and french fries that come with the shrimp dinner. Just what we need - starch, starch and MORE starch. The meal is brought to the table, and as last time, the shrimp is GB & D. Whatever kind of batter Bennigan's uses, I want the recipe. The batter is thin, crispy, buttery, and melts in your mouth. It really is the perfect batter. The shrimp are tender and juicy, and as we both love shrimp anyway, they're the perfect thing for this Friday evening. On the previous occasions we've been in, our servers have been young, with that "I know everything" attitude you get so often these days, and barely attentive at times. Charlie has been the complete opposite. He's friendly, a little older than other servers that work here (probably in his late 20s or early 30s), extremely attentive (he brought us both refills on our Pepsi without asking when he saw our glasses getting low), and stops by frequently to make sure we're enjoying our meal. We are. Charlie definately gets a big tip. We skip dessert because our trips to Bennigans are really just to get a good meal before our TRUE destination - the Cold Stone Creamery ice cream parlor just down the street (a review will be forthcoming) and the real reason we come down here. All in all, this evening's experience was very pleasant, and we'll continue to patronize this place because it's close to work, has good, decent, everyday food (even if they don't have the Teriyaki Salmon any longer) and down to earth prices. SCORES Atmosphere - 3.5 Wait Staff - 4.5 Food - 4.5 Price - 4.5 ____________ Total Experience points = 17 (out of 20)

The Latest News

Hi All! The long weekend has allowed me to get some stuff done on the site. We've added a number of new features including: Latest Updates The "Moonsault of Life" Blog will now be our "Whats New" section, telling you what we've updated, changed, added, etc. Google Site Search - you can now search the site or the web using Google Guestbook - we have added a guestbook for visitors to sign and we ask that you please take the time to do so Moonsault Chef Update Our new weekly newsletter will be sent out to let you know the latest goings at "the Moonsault Chef" and alert you to the latest updates, as well as the latest news in the food world Moonsault Munchies My brand new blog, where i'll be posting original articles and thoughts about the world of food And more is coming in the next few weeks. Don't forget to drop me a line, or sign our guest book, and let me know what you think of our site, and what you'd like to see! Cheers! TC

The chance to live a dream

Every foodie out there has a dream. Something special they'd like to have happen. Me, I've had several dreams out there. To make my site a success, to have Ina Garten adopt me, to have the chance to be a part of America's Test Kitchen..you know, little dreams like that. December 1, 2004. One of my dreams was about to come true. Only I didn't know it at the time. The final class in my food writing course given by Boston University was to be held at the studios of America's Test Kitchen. It was the main reason I took the course in the first place. I knew ATK's studios were in Brookline but I didn't know where for sure. About three weeks before my class, I actually found out where they were and visited the studios for a book signing, but I left rather quickly - book signings at ATK attract a large number of people, and neither I nor my fiancee could stand the huge crowd. But at least I got a chance to see the studios, and know where my class would be held. And had the chance to briefly meet Julia Collin, who had a brief conversation about her unmistakable shoes with my fiancee. Julia told us that she had a reputation around the test kitchen for doing anything for a new pair of shoes.... My class assembled at the ATK studios on the assigned day. At 6 PM, ATK host and Cooks Illustrated editor Christopher Kimball and test kitchen director Erin McMurrer walked into the library where we were seated, and began talking to the students. For the next hour, the class shot all manners of questions at the two of them, as they explained how it took nearly 10 years for America's Test Kitchen to get on the air, how the show was formatted, how they arrived at their conclusions, and generally what made the staff of the show tick. The people who work for ATK are there because they love good food. And they like sharing their idea of good food with others through the show, and through their publications. And sometimes, it took quite a while to get to a conclusion as to what was the perfect dish. One of the handouts they gave to the class that evening detailed just how much work went into testing each dish. Each timea particular dish is prepared, extensive notes are made as they adjust and tweek each dish in an attempt to make it perfect. The example they gave the class, Tangy Barbecued Chicken, went through 24 separate tests, each preparation noting what they did differently, what extra ingredient was added, what ingredients were removed, how long each was cooked, what temperatures they used...it was (and is) quite a list of steps taken to achieve the perfect barbequed chicken. 7 pages of outline, it's a fascinating look into the hard work that these dedicated people do to make the average cook happy. About an hour into the class, after showing us the promo reel for the show that is sent to PBS stations trying to entice them into carrying the show, Kimball looked at the class, and asked us if we were ready to cook. Um, excuse me? We're going to COOK? In AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN? You couldn't have held me back if you tried. The class assembled in the test kitchen, and divided into groups of two. Half the class was assigned molasses cookies, the other half buttermilk biscuits. Each group had a slightly different recipe for their assigned item, and the goal was to try and tell which group had prepared the recipe that was the final recipe reached through exhaustive testing. My partner, a full-time BU culinary student named Jennifer, and I set out to make our biscuits. We spent the next hour or so making our biscuits and chatting about our goals for the class - unlike myself, this was Jennifer's first class in the series. When the biscuits and cookies were done baking, each group of two assembled their product and presented it, and we all got to taste each batch. Jennifer and I agreed that we thought our biscuits tasted the best of what had been made, even though we'd lacked the perfect recipe, which called for melted butter to be brushed on top. Also, we had slightly undermixed our batter, which gave our biscuits a slightly rustic, flour-dusted look. Other than the melted butter, our recipe had been the standard ATK recipe for buttermilk biscuits. But we agreed, after sampling the other groups' biscuits, that the taste of ours was delicious. After everyone completed their cooking assignments, Chris and Erin treated us to Shrimp with Chipolte-Lime Glaze, answering our questions as they made the quickly stir-fried dish. After tasting those shrimp, I vowed to make them at every opportunity (and I have, too...). Chris was a little ticked that he was unable to do the recipe exactly as called for because, as he pointed out, he was using a cheap, store-bought skillet that didn't retain its heat as well as the near-AllClad that Erin was using. But I thought his shrimp came out the better of the two - it was slightly less hot from the chipolte as Erin's, although hers were delicious too. As this was the final session, for those of us who had taken the entire course, BU's rep handed us our certificates for the course, and thus made about 15 of us officially certified food writers. What that means, I suppose only the future will tell...hopefully good things here that will lead to a new, permanent career in the food writing field. The chance to see what goes on at ATK, and to have the privledge of cooking there, was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget. The staff, including Chris and Erin, as well as the three or four other young chefs who were around to help the class out, were so friendly and helpful with everyone, and also shared their esperiences with people when asked. And i'd like to take this opportunity to say a big "Thank you!" to Christopher Kimball and his incredible ATK/Cooks Illustrated staff for making a bunch of foodies feel welcome in their midst. I don't know if I would ever be able to work there, though. The folks that do are dedicated, hard-working professionals who truly love what they are doing and know that they're doing it for a reason. As for myself, I used to think working for ATK would be a dream job, but I don't know if i'd have the patience to do the painstaking but appreciated work that they do. But that one night in December 2004 is a memory I will cherish and hold dear to my heart forever. I had dreamed for several years of getting the chance to even SEE the America's Test Kitchen test kitchens.. Now I can say I actually got the chance to COOK in them.

Holiday Spirits

Happy Holidays, everyone! Things have been changing here on The Moonsault Chef. Over the last couple of months I've been watching the site and seeing what interests i'm developing. And a few changes are going to be occurring. They're small changes, but I thought you might want to know what they are. First off, I'm deemphasising the recipe section. Instead of trying to put a TON of recipes on the site, i'm going to put a few personal favorites up each month. As much as I love to cook, and am in fact working on a cookbook, I wanted the site to be more of an information station than a recipe station. Also, I became a certified food writer earlier this month, and i'm going to be writing a series of weekly articles for the site, and am looking at the possibility of syndicating my articles in the near future. I hope you'll find the articles entertaining; the first of those articles, about my recent experiences getting the chance to cook in America's Test Kitchen during my last food writing class, should appear in the near future. In January, i'll be launching "The Moonsault Chef", a daily 3-minute audio show with cooking tips, recipes, and news, that will be available on both this site, and offered for free to any other site that would be interested in carrying it, as well as internet and broadcast radio that's interested in it. Watch for details soon! Also, i've undertaken the job of doing regular food-related book reviews. The reviews appear here on MSC and are also being uploaded to Amazon.Com. I'm hoping my views can be helpful to those who may need some advice on whether or not to spend hard-earned money on books and the like. As the middle part of the first decade of the 21st century continues (that's 2005 to those of you who don't get it, hee hee hee), I hope to be doing a lot of interesting projects, and I hope you'll continue to be along for the ride. In the meantime, i'm working right now on planning a menu for a weekend party with our (my fiancee and I) closest friends. We're getting together to watch all three Harry Potter movies, exchange presents, and generally have a nice day hanging out with each other. Naturally, food is in the mix somewhere, and i'm the Chef D'Jour, so things could get really interesting... Keep watching the site, keep checking in, and we'll head into a brand new year together soon. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to everyone, and may everyone be richer in the joy of the season! TC

A Boston Favorite Closes Its Doors....

Boston's restaurant scene became a little...no, a LOT poorer this week.... On Monday, Marche Movenpick abruptly shut down it's operations. And the food world in Boston will never be the same. Marche, owned by Canada's Richtree company, was a one-of-a-kind french market bistro, the only one Richtree opened in the US - all of their others are in Canada.One would stroll from station to station, picking out what you wanted and then watch it get made for you on the spot. For my friends as well as myself, we would go to get each thing separately, bring it back, eat it up while it was hot, and then hit a different station for more. Marche's atmosphere was amazing. In all the times I dined there, often for special occasions like birthdays, holidays, and anniversarys, only once did we have a bad experience. We went back a year later and the food was just as delightful and savory as if nothing had happened the previous time. Marche was like no other place in the Boston metro area. You didn't eat there, you EXPERIENCED its foods, its ambiance, its people. But most of all, you discovered new favorites. Who now will serve me my Rosti? I first discovered this delectible potato dish shortly after Marche opened on my first visit there. And the Rosti station was ALWAYS my first visit thereafter. A heaping mound of buttery, crispy, extra large hash-browned potatoes, with just the right touch of seasonings, and sauteed until they literally melted in your mouth. And always with a dollop of the restaurant's made-fresh-daily Creme Fraiche on the side, spiked with a quick toss of fresh chives. Mmmmmmm. I've tried at least a dozen times to recreate this wonderful dish at home, and have never been able to duplicate whatever magic Marche put into it, because it's never quite as good. And the salmon, grilled to order while you waited, marinated in a fantastic soy marinade, and always fresh and flaky. Or the sushi bar, where my significant other usually headed, with their freshly made California rolls dipped in flying fish eggs...with Wasabi on the side that she'll never EVER try again after taking a teeny tiny bite of and then spent the rest of the visit redfaced and gulping water by the bucket... Marche had EVERYTHING, from made to order omelettes to rich with chocolate desserts, and, as my other half will tell you, the best chocolate covered strawberries on the planet... Thank you Marche for six wonderful years of incredible food, and incredible memories...you have left a gigantic hole in Boston's food world that will never, EVER, be replaced.Where now will we go for our big special occasion meals? There's so many restaurants in Boston, i'm sure our little group will find somewhere else to go... But it won't ever be the same. Because it won't be Marche Movenpick....

The Latest Updates

Hey All! We've updated MSC with several new areas over the past week. You can now access the food sections of over 50 newspapers, covering everything from (ahem) soup to nuts (oh brother...), directly from the site. We've tried to provide as many as we can, and we're always looking for more to add, so if you know of one we haven't included, see the page for info on how to submit the info you have. You can also access the websites of the major food magazines directly from our site as well. We've added links to all the big magazines, as well as some you may not be familiar with. Soon, we'll introduce "In This Issue...", which will give a quick synopsis of the current issues of all the major magazines. Links to provide an easy way to subscribe to each magazine are also forthcoming. We've also added a news update at the top of our homepage, which has constantly changing food news, so check them out each time you visit. And you can also see when The Recipe Of Life has been updated as well. We've got much more to go...we'll be introducing our "Festivals" section soon, detailing various food festivals around the country, with info on when and where they occur, and a calendar listing them. We'll also be expanding the listings for cooking schools and cooking organizations in the near future, and bringing our cooking courses area online. Next up after that will be the recipe and cooking contests area, where you can obtain info on various contests around the food world. And much much more. So be sure to check back all the time to see what the latest additions are! Thanks for stopping by!

It's Been A Crazy Few Weeks

I apologize for not getting things done sooner. I've been sidelined with some health problems (major sinus trouble, then a severely pulled muscle in my side that kept me off my feet for almost a week), and some life problems, but things are getting back on track. Over the past few weeks, i've been thinking about the concept of The Moonsault Chef, and what I want to do with this site. Although I love food, my main goal is not recipes, although there will be quite a few eventually. My goal is to provide an all around site where you can come for information and reference on all things food. I'm a bit disappointed that Google hasn't listed me yet, because that's the key to having a successful site. I can't afford a paid link yet, though hopefully if we do some sales, i'll be able to in the future. Over the past couple of weekends i've been doing a great deal of research, and will debut the fruits of said research this coming week, with one or two new or updated areas making their debut every other day or so. Mostly i've been working on different links lists, but they should be very handy for foodies like myself. In addition to regular stuff, to better myself, I've recently enrolled in a course at Boston University in Food Writing. In December, at the end of my course, I will have a certificate for the program, making me officially a food writer if I so choose. Since the instructors are really great (including among others local Boston TV personality Jordan Rich, and America's Test Kitchen head honcho Christopher Kimball), I'm really looking forward to the course. I hope you continue to enjoy the site, and will spread the word about The Moonsault Chef.

Remembering a favorite "aunt"...

It has been eighteen hours now since I first heard the news about the passing of Julia Child. And now, i'm mourning her passing like the loss of a relative... You have to understand, I watched my mom cook when I was a kid, and I learned to cook from her and from home ec classes, but I was educated by Julia Child. She was like a favorite aunt who came to my house every week to show off her wonderfully bizarre sense of humor while she made some incredible dish for me to try out. At first, it was just her, but later on, she would bring her friends along, and for the last several years, it was always "Aunt" Julia and her crazy french friend Jack, as she called him, playfully bickering about whether or not she put enough garlic for him in her dishes, and his frustration when she wanted beer instead of wine with her food... I never had the pleasure of actually meeting Julia, but I feel like I have known her almost all my life.Julia was a pioneer, the person who first brought real cooking to a country looking for different tastes, looking for something besides meatloaf and mac & cheese casseroles to serve at the dinner table.She took French cuisine and brought it to the american masses, and in doing so, created a whole new culture, and a whole new entertainment form; the TV chef.Without Julia, there would have been no fame and fortune for those that would follow in her footsteps. Emeril, Jacques, Alton, Mollie, Maryann, Lidia, and everyone else...all owe their success as TV chefs to Julia. To borrow a quote about Barbara Walters from Sam Donaldson's book of a few years ago, Julia was either the "grande dame" or "old broad" of TV cooking, depending on how you looked at it. Somehow, I don't think she'd be offended by either term, as long as they were meant with affection. Part of my childhood has left me forever, and although I will go on, i'll take very fond memories of my Saturday mornings and afternoons with "Aunt" Julia with me for the rest of my life.As my significant other put it yesterday, "If you still have to eat when you're in heaven, the menu just got a whole lot better." Goodbye, Julia. I and all of your millions of fans and students around the world will miss you terribly, and will never forget what you have brought to the world. "The French Chef" is gone, and the food world, and our lives, will never be quite the same.

We're Getting There...Slowly...

Well, the site is slowly coming together. I've launched the "Celebrity Chef" page, with links to over a dozen sites for some of the most popular chefs out there. It will grow with thyme (OUCH!) i'm sure. I've got so much I want this site to be, but it's going to take time to do it all, so I hope everyone out there will be patient. It's going to be a long, fun ride, and I'm sure everyone will enjoy it. Anyone with ideas as to how the site can better serve them can write to me and let me know their ideas, and we'll try to get them incorporated into the site. Hope everyone will enjoy themselves, and let me know what they think of the site, either here or at my address (webmaster@themoonsaultchef.com). Keep cookin'!

Welcome To The Great Adventure!

Welcome to the great adventure! As I slowly get this new site online, i'm very excited. I've always loved to cook, and I never even thought of doing a cooking/food/recipe site before. But now, looking back, it's a natural. The trick is going to be combining it with my love for music and wrestling as well.I hope everyone who visits this site will come away entertained, and hopefully, also a regular visitor. Like I said above. Welcome to the great adventure!