Rant: Restrain The Powdered Sugar!

Powdered sugar? Argh!!!

Also known as confectioner's sugar, it's simply a finely powdered sugar and cooks and chefs dust it upon various dishes, from pancakes to cookies. It's partially used as a decoration but also adds some sweetness to the dish. However, I feel that it's vastly over used and often unnecessary. I don't want a blanket of white covering an otherwise delicious breakfast or dessert.

It often starts at breakfast, where powdered sugar may be dusted atop pancakes, French toast or waffles, and I'm especially peeved when the menu doesn't mention that fact. You should have to ask for the addition of powdered sugar rather than the restaurant making it a standard addition to the dish. 

I don't want that added sweetness to my pancakes, French toast or waffles. Isn't maple syrup a sweet enough addition? Why would you also need the sweetness of powdered sugar? Add chocolate chips, Lucky Charms, or something similar if you want more sweetness to these breakfast treats. And that white powder doesn't make pancakes, French toast or waffles look any more appealing. 

Adding powdered sugar to many dessert items also seems superfluous. It adds more sweetness than is needed for many of these desserts. Being too heavy handed with powdered sugar seems a cop out, the easiest fix to make your dessert sweet. If your dessert was perfectly sweetened when first prepared, then there shouldn't be a need for powdered sugar. 

Your dessert, just like your breakfast items, should be able to stand on their own. Plus, all that plain white powdered sugar hides the natural colors of the dessert, which are often far more beautiful than a field of white. I'd rather see the dark chocolate colors of a brownie than that dusting of white. Be more creative than simply dusting powdered sugar on everything.

So what are your thoughts on powdered sugar?

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
******************************************************
1) Kane’s Donuts is announcing a limited-edition donut with Castle Island Brewing Co. in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The Good Evening Donut will be available in stores beginning Thursday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) through Monday. March 21st at all Kane’s Donuts locations.

Tapping into Castle Island’s Good Evening Nitro Session Stout, Kane’s has crafted the Good Evening Donut, a light and airy yeast style donut topped with Kane’s signature honey glaze infused with Good Evening Nitro Session Stout and festively decorated with St Patrick's Day sprinkles.

“Being a Massachusetts-based business, we take pride in staying true to our roots and supporting other local and like-minded companies through collaboration and always using local ingredients, when possible,” said Maria Delios, co-owner of Kane’s Donuts. “We know our loyal customers are going to love our latest collaboration with Castle Island Brewing Co., just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.”

Castle Island’s take on a Guinness, Good Evening is a nitro session stout and available exclusively in their taprooms. With an ABV of 4.9% and flavors of milk chocolate, roasted chestnut, and breakfast cereal, it pairs well with the sweet flavors of a donut.

"It's been an incredible experience collaborating with Kane's Donuts, and the timing couldn't have been better. Having just opened our new taproom in South Boston back in the fall of 2021, we knew our first St. Patrick's Day in the neighborhood would be one worth celebrating -- especially with the return of the parade after a two-year absence,” said Derek Hannan, Communications Manager for Castle Island Brewing Co. “Creating a donut together for St. Patrick's Day that highlights what we both do best is such an awesome addition to an already incredible holiday weekend."

2) Chef William Kovel's Kendall Square staple, Catalyst Restaurant, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with throwback menu specials all month long. Changed weekly, this week's featured dish, which was one of the restaurant's bestsellers 10 years ago, is Gargenilli pasta with black truffle butter, chicken oysters, bacon, and parmesan. It costs $16 for a small and $32 for a large. 

Offering lunch and dinner, Catalyst is also opening its doors today and resuming Monday service, from 11am-9pm, for the first time in two years since before the pandemic.

B.T.'s Smokehouse in Sturbridge: Quick Review

As I said before, I recently spent several days in the Marlborough area at a conference. On one day, I had extra time to explore the region, so a few friends and I made a jaunt down to Sturbridge, to check out B.T.'s Smokehouse, which has received many raves for its barbecue. It was about a forty-minute ride but worth the time. 

B.T.'s Smokehouse, which was founded in 2007, is a medium-sized restaurant, a very casual spot, where you order at the front counter, and then pick up your food when they call your name. They have reopened indoor dining, although seem to do a large take-out business as well. 

The menu has plenty of options, including a variety of Sandwiches (such as Bison Burger, Catfish Po-Boy, and Brisket Reuben). They have Meat Platters and you choose whether you want one to three meats (including Pulled Pork, Brisket, Pulled Chicken & Ribs), and also get two sides and cornbread. For larger quantities, you can order those meats by the cup, pint or quart, or select one of their Dinners, which serve four people. There are also Sides & Snacks, like Andouille Dog Bites, Hush Puppies, and Whole Smoked Wings). 

Prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality and quantity of the food. For example, a two-meat platter is only $21, while a Regular sandwich (with 1/2 pound of meat) is $10.

The restaurant only offers nonalcoholic beverages, such as Sweet Tea, but it's also BYOB! There's no corkage fee, and you can bring your own wine or beer to accompany your barbecue. That's always a benefit. I brought a bottle of Portuguese wine, a red Vinho Verde, which went well with our food. I'll just note that they didn't have any glassware, so you have to do with tall, plastic cups. It's all very casual. 

I opted for a two-meat Platter ($21), with Brisket & Pulled Pork, cornbread, and sides of Sexy Grits and Mac &' Cheese. The Grits were creamy and tasty, while the mac & cheese was also quite good. I was pleased with both sides, although the cornbread was just average to me. 

There was certainly an ample amount of Brisket and Pulled Pork, and they were both meaty and tender, with good flavor to them. On each table, there's a selection of different sauces (such as Meat Heat, Mustard, Sweet, and Piedmont) you can place onto the meat, and I experimented with several of them. Their House Sauce was my favorite, a nicely balanced barbecue sauce, a good blend of spicy and sweet. 

I also ordered a piece of boneless Fried Chicken ($4.50) and it was my favorite part of the meal. A great crunchy coating, covering moist, tender chicken. Each bite was delicious and I could have easily enjoyed a meal of just this fried chicken. Highly recommended.

We also selected a Snack of the Bacon Bites ($7.50), small nuggets of deep-fried bacon which have been seasoned and tossed with peppered cider syrup. Another winner of a dish, with a nice balance of meat and fat, sweetness and a touch of spicy heat, and lots of taste. 

The rest of my friends very much enjoyed their food too, and I would dine here again. Bring your appetite, a bottle of wine or some beers, and several friends and have a tasty meal. 

Rant: Once Again, Eat More Seafood!

Please Eat More Seafood! It's delicious, versatile and healthy!

I've said this before, in multiple posts over the years, and it bears repeating as many Americans still haven't stepped up as much as needed. Seafood consumption will significantly lessen your chances of dying from the leading cause of death in the U.S. That's a powerful reason why you should consume more seafood.

The Seafood Expo North America is in full swing, having started yesterday and it will end tomorrow. Once again, I'm walking its myriad aisles, exploring the various booths, tasting samples of seafood, learning about seafood issues, and much more. I'll be writing about my experiences at the Expo in the near future but wanted to begin my coverage with the most important issue, trying to convince more Americans to eat more seafood.

For at least over the last ten years, Americans have fallen short of the USDA recommendations on seafood consumption. It's recommended that you consume at least 26 pounds of seafood each year, essentially meaning you should eat seafood twice a week. However, the average Americans still only eats roughly 14-16 pounds of seafood each year, far less than they should. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the leading cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease, killing over 614,000 people each year. We all have had family and friends who have died from heart disease, and we should be doing what we can to reduce our own chances of acquiring heart disease. Do you want to die prematurely, leaving your loved ones without your presence? Do you want to die from heart disease when you could have adopted a small lifestyle change which might have saved you?

Seafood consumption is a significant key to reducing your chances of heart disease. Since the 1970s, over 20,000 research studies have been conducted on the health benefits of seafood and they have concluded that eating seafood twice a week can reduce your chance of dying from heart disease by about 36%. You won't find another single food that has been scientifically proven to reduce heart disease so much. Low seafood consumption is blamed for 84,000 deaths in the U.S. and 1.4 million globally. Besides helping to reduce heart disease, research has also been providing growing evidence of the health benefits to the brain and bones as well as against cancers and inflammatory diseases.  Eating more seafood is such a simple change to your lifestyle and it can bring so many health benefits.

If we want this positive trend to continue, we need to continue to find ways to persuade people, overcoming their objections, to eat seafood more frequently. More outreach is needed. We need more positive articles in the media espousing the health benefits of eating seafood. We need to overcome the obstacles that prevent people from consuming more seafood, such as its high cost and the difficulties many people have cooking seafood at home. It's a formidable goal, but it can be accomplished. You owe it to yourself, and your family, to eat more seafood and benefit your health.

Prior to the pandemic, most consumers ate seafood at restaurants rather than at home. Part of the reason for this was that many Americans worried about how to properly cook seafood at home. During the pandemic, this changed, especially as so many restaurants were closed for a lengthy period of time. About 42% of Americans surveyed claimed that now bought seafood for consumption at home, and only 22% had dined on seafood at a restaurant. 24% of Americans also ordered seafood dishes for take-out or delivery at restaurants. 

These percentages may change as restaurants start to open and rebound, although hopefully people will also realize that cooking seafood at home isn't difficult. The key is increasing seafood consumption, and it would be great of people cooked more seafood at home and ate seafood more often at restaurants too.  

Step up your game and eat more seafood. Try to consume seafood at least twice a week. Seafood is delicious, can be prepared in a myriad of ways, and is extremely healthy. So what's stopping you from reaching your seafood consumption goal?

Chet's Diner in Northboro: A Quick Review

Recently. I spent several days in Marlborough at a conference, so I had a little time to explore some of the culinary offerings in the area. For breakfast one morning, I stopped at Chet's Diner, which was founded in 1934, in Northboro. It's only open for breakfast, serving a variety of traditional breakfast dishes, from bacon and eggs, to Texas french toast, from pancakes to omelets. Prices are very reasonable, and essentially everything costs less than $10. 

Chet's Diner has a homey vibe, with a long counter facing the grill, and it was quite busy when I visited. This is a family operation, and I saw three generations at the diner, although the youngest generation, a small boy, was there just to eat. This is a place of plenty of regular customers, who well know the staff and the other customers. Even though I knew no one, I was treated well too, just like any other customer.

I opted for the Bill K Combo ($9.25), two eggs, bacon (though you could have ham or sausage), hash browns, toast, a pancake, and coffee or tea. Crispy bacon, eggs nicely cooked over easy. A tasty basic breakfast. 

However, the pancake was exceptional. First, it was quite large, covering nearly the entire plate. Second, it was thin, fluffy and light, with a delightful taste. I only slathered butter on my pancake and it was more than sufficient. No need for syrup. It was one of the best pancakes I've enjoyed in quite some time. I would have loved a full stack of these pancakes, and when I return to the area, that is what I'll get. 

If you love breakfast, and are ever in the Northboro area, I recommend you check out t Chet's Diner,