Archive for June 2011

Dish Tease: Table 100

What a way to start

Dish tease posts are short clips about new restaurants or specific dishes from places I’ve already written about. You can view all Dish Tease posts by selecting the category on the Post Subjects drop down menu.

I’ve eaten at Table 100 once thus far and here are my blurry photos to prove it.

Table 100 was as packed as the Casey Anthony trial. It was so busy this particular Tuesday night (Tuesday!) we were lucky to get a table in the bar area next to the piano. Yes, they feature a live piano player and have mixologists instead of bartenders.

The cone of crispy house cut chips were perfect to munch on while studying the one page menu. I eventually chose a Market Salad and the Shrimp and Grits; for having limited options it was a hard decision.

My salad came with a tiny pitcher of house-made green goddess dressing, and warm bread with honey butter was brought to the table. By this time I was glad to have chosen a small plate, which had three bacon wrapped shrimp surrounding a grit cake topped with greens.

If that wasn’t enough, the table ordered one of everything on the dessert menu. You read that right, we had four desserts and shared them: a Cheesecake Brownie, Creme Brulee, Cheesecake and Peach Melba (?) Two are not pictured since the photos were too terrible to post and I can’t recall the exact dessert names; they aren’t on the website.

Since this post is only a tease I hope to return soon and have a better story to share. And be back I will, because everything I tasted was marvelous.

Table 100
100 Ridge Way
Flowood, MS 39232
http://www.tableonehundred.com

Bianchi’s Pizzeria

Pizza Greco

If gas was cheaper and I had a free weekend, it’s almost worth the hour and a half drive for Bianchi’s Pizzeria.

During our travels we occasionally pass through Hattiesburg and need to eat. On our latest trip Ben insisted we take a break at Bianchi’s. He could inhale nearly an entire pizza about every other day if I let him.

We drove downtown and walked into a quiet, empty dining room, which wasn’t a surprised at 2 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. Needless to say we had great service, but it was such an off time.

Bypassing the lengthy list of gourmet pizzas, we opted for a basic style pizza Margherita. Much like the strong, simple flavors of Domenica but on a different crust, Bianchi’s has a marvelous Pizza Greco consisting of basil, tomato & fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese. Sweet, salty and deliciously gooey, this pizza momentarily took us back to Italy.

I’m afraid the other pizzas might have too much going on and we hadn’t been as impressed before when we’ve tried other versions. Go with the Greco. Throwing on the addition of pepperoni put us back about $23 for one large pizza ($20 plus $2 for an extra topping). It’s not inexpensive, but quality is worth the cost.

Giving in to my massive sweet tooth, I also ordered an ice cream sandwich for dessert. Constructed from three chocolate/anise waffle cookies with house-made white chocolate ice cream, I caved like a kid at a candy bowl. The cookies were softer than I expected and would have liked, but it didn’t last long.

We enjoyed our pizza and merrily went about our way.

Bianchi’s Pizzeria
128 East Front Street
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
http://www.bianchispizzeria.com

Ten Books That Make Me Hungry

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been drawn to anything and everything food related.

I would read the same books again and again, pouring over illustrations, descriptions of meals and recipes. Stacks of books are perched on various tables around our apartment, all being read at different increments, and the novels revolving around food get gobbled up the fastest.

For me, I prefer the feel and smell of a real, live book and it takes commitment to invest in owning a copy. The reads listed below inspire me to get in the kitchen, travel to a new destination or make me hungrier by the page.

I could always use a good suggestion for my next read if you have one, leave me a comment!

1. Laura Ingalls Wilder series
I have the entire collection of Little House on the Prairie novels and was fascinated by the amount of time and preparation it took to ensure their next meal. Slaughtering a pig became an event and celebration that meant they would eat well.

2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
My parents instilled in me a love for reading at an early age and this book is one of my childhood favorites. The illustrations are so intricate and bursting with creativity. If only it rained donuts and snowed popcorn in real life.

3. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
How can you not crave a sweet, juicy peach after this book?

4. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
Eating for a living and writing about it for the New York Times seems like a dream job and Reichl’s true stories are hilariously entertaining and piercingly honest.

5. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
Taking us down a different path, Reichl’s story telling about her childhood is equally touching and entertaining as Garlic and Sapphires.

6. The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten
Surprisingly I found this book on a bargain table for $6, which was money well spent.

7. Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunée
A friend gifted me this book because of my kindred ties with the author since we are both adopted, ethnic Korean food lovers. However my life isn’t quite as dramatic, exotic or filled with a French companion.

8. Asian Dining Rules: Essential Strategies for Eating Out at Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Korean, and Indian Restaurants by Steven A. Shaw
Having a soft spot for all things Asian I bought this book on a whim. I learned a few things and have tried to order “omakase” style at our regular sushi haunt, which just evoked confusion.

9. A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
This book is my most recent purchase and it had me hankering for a trip to Singapore or a jar of pineapple tarts.

10. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
I love that this story originated from a blog. Julie’s commitment to work through an entire cookbook showed such determination, considering how many I have merely skimmed through. And Meryl Strep deserved every inch of that Oscar for her performance as Julia Child.

André’s Confiserie Suisse

Saving the best for last

My mom and I have a tradition of going on a mother-daughter lunch at André’s Confiserie Suisse. We’ve been doing this for so long I can’t remember when we started (middle school maybe?).

Originally hailing from Switzerland, André and Elsbeth Bollier immigrated to Kansas City in 1955 bringing a European influence to the Midwest. Luckily for us sweet tooth-laden food lovers, they established a trifecta of culinary delights. André’s is a chocolatier, pastry shop and tea room wrapped into one magical package.

Located near the Plaza (down the street from Glace), Andrés occupies a red brick building with a white awning. Stepping into the front door, long cases of gorgeous pastries, cakes and chocolates are there to greet you, beckoning from their trays. Resisting the initial temptations we forged onward to the dining room.

The main dining room is like walking into a Swiss ice chalet due to its heavy angled beams, lodge decor and large flag collection. At least it’s what I imagine a Swiss ice chalet looks like, since I’ve never been to Switzerland or an ice chalet.

André’s only serves lunch and the meal is light. You can choose from two daily specials or two standard quiche options. It comes with bread, tea and dessert (for $14.90 per person); dessert being the best part, of course. It’s the quintessential place for ladies who lunch, but over time we’ve seen an increase in male patrons.

On this particular day my mom and I both chose the Chicken Breast Annabelle special with mushrooms, tomatoes, spatzle and salad. The salad dressing was thin and tangy, the chicken was moist but the highlight was the tender spatzle. It was similar in texture to gnocchi and soaked up the flavors of the sauce. I ended up cleaning both of our plates.

Over the years we’ve eaten many different dishes and naturally some are better than others. If the daily specials don’t pique your interest, the quiches are always a sure bet.

Ever since we began this tradition, my most anticipated moment is when the waitress brings over the tray of desserts. As she describes the pastries I studiously examine each option to make a wise selection. (You only get one!) This time I picked the Matterhorn filled with butter cream and my mom selected their take on Tiramisu, which she generously shared with me.

These desserts taste as wonderful as they look. They are lavished with great attention to detail, rich and garnished with real whipped cream. It’s harder for me to chose a dessert than it was a college.

And if lunch wasn’t enough, on the way out my mom graciously lets me chose another chocolate or cookie to take home. It’s a sweet dilemma and guaranteed trouble for a indecisive dessert-aholic like me.

I adore André’s and our lunching tradition, almost as much as I adore my mom.

André’s Confiserie Suisse
5018 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
Phone 816-561-6484
Toll-free 1-800-892-1234
http://www.andreschocolates.com

Dear Southwest Airlines

Warning: This is not a food-related post. Since I took an ample amount of time carefully crafting this letter, I’m sharing it.

To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Gidget, I am Southwest Rapid Rewards member #XXX. Ordinarily I am very pleased with the service Southwest airline provides but after a recent trip I feel compelled to write.

On Thursday, June 9 I was traveling home to Kansas City from Jackson, MS for my brother’s wedding. This was my original itinerary:

Flight #XXX: Depart Jackson at 6:10 a.m., arrive in Chicago (Midway) at 8:05 a.m.
Flight #XXX: Depart Chicago (Midway) at 9:20 a.m., arrive in Kansas City at 10:45 a.m.

The actual events of the day were a travel nightmare and transpired as followed:

Flight #XXX left Jackson on time at 6:10 a.m. heading to Chicago. Around 8:30 a.m. the pilot informed us that due to the weather we had flown an extra 350 miles north, Midway airport had closed, low fuel prevented us from entering the holding pattern and we were forced to land at General Mitchell International airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The airplane landed in Milwaukee around 9 a.m. and we sat on the tarmac for at least 50 minutes waiting for one of the two gates. One of those planes was bound for Kansas City but they would not hold the flight; I watched as that airplane took off at 9:50 a.m.

We taxied into the gate, parked and then a Milwaukee Southwest employee entered the plane to announce Flight #XXX was cancelled, they didn’t have another airplane and we would have to take a bus back to Chicago (Midway). (There was no reason communicated to us why we couldn’t take our original airplane back to Midway. Milwaukee wasn’t expecting us and therefore had no previously scheduled flights departing for another city. Why couldn’t we simply re-fuel and fly to Midway as planned?)

Passengers rushed the Southwest service desk to inquire about flights departing from Milwaukee or re-book connecting flights out of Midway. Southwest agents told us they could not re-book our missed connecting flights and we would have an agent to help us when we arrived at Midway.

I had an agent check the flights departing Midway for Kansas City; the 1:05 p.m. plane was full but there were other flights departing throughout the day. There was a flight leaving Milwaukee for Kansas City at 4:30 p.m. but at that time it would have been at least a five hour wait. They stated that Midway was a much larger flight hub and recommended I take the bus to Chicago.

I reluctantly boarded the bus for a two hour ride back to Chicago; we left Milwaukee at 10:45 a.m. During the bus ride I called the main Southwest contact phone number to try to re-book  my connecting flight. The agent told me she could not help me, all of the afternoon flights to Kansas City from Midway were booked, and the next open flight was at 6:25 p.m. (This was extremely frustrating because if so, then I simply would have stayed put in Milwaukee.)

We arrived at Midway at 12:45 p.m., stepped off the bus and there was not a single Southwest agent who had been informed of the situation or was designated to help us.

Eventually we were directed to a counter with only two agents helping all 70 passengers from the two buses. We waited in line for nearly thirty minutes, only two passengers had been helped and by this time I had missed the 1:05 p.m. flight.

I found an agent at the check-in kiosks who was able to book me on flight #XXX departing at 2:55 p.m., scheduled to arrive in Kansas City at 4:20 p.m.

Around 3 p.m. we boarded for Flight #XXX and then the plane was held until 4:15 p.m. while we waited for other passengers. (However this courtesy was not extended for me while I was in Milwaukee wanting to get on the 9:50 a.m. flight to Kansas City.)

At 5:45 p.m. we landed in Kansas City, seven hours behind my originally scheduled itinerary.

Although inconvenient, I do understand that no one has control over the weather. And luckily my return flights back to Jackson, MS went smoothly.

However, the failure of Southwest employees to communicate and inform each other about the situation, the lack of communication between Southwest employees and Flight #152 passengers, and how we were disregarded on this particular day is completely unacceptable for a company who prides itself on customer service.

At one point a Southwest employee brazenly told another passenger that we were lucky to have gotten the bus, because they didn’t need to do that for us. I find that to be ironic considering I had purchased a flight with a Kansas City as my final destination and had a contract with your company to get me there.

This negative experience traveling with Southwest significantly impacted my trip. I lost a precious vacation day from work and a significant amount of time with family and friends in town for the wedding.

Sincerely,
Gidget