The cozy Mist Lounge in Las Vegas, located just off the Treasure Island casino floor, has closed awhile back, ending its memorable six-year run.   Now, a new nightclub and restaurant is planned in its space. 

The Lounge has been sold back to former Frontier, now TI (Treasure Island) owner Phil Ruffin, who plans to create his hallmark sawdust-on-the-floor country nightclub Gilley’s at TI in the former Mist Lounge space. 

TI Vice President of Hotel Sales & Marketing Don Voos confirms that Mist will indeed become home to the rebirth of the nostaligic, countrified Gilley’s Saloon– with a little help from its neightbor, Pizzeria Francesco’s that will be demolished  and merged in with the new space. 

“We will be building a new Gilley’s Saloon & BBQ restaurant,” says Voos.

Well, now that the Thanksgiving holiday is behind us and Black Friday is upon us it’s time to start thinking about all those upcoming Holiday events!  Heck, it’s time to start booking your 2010 events as far as that goes!  Our calendar is filling up for the Spring and early Summer months next year and we’d LOVE to add your event.  Our 2010 Menu is going to change a bit, but our current favorites will all still be there, so if you’ve got a Holiday Party, Family Gathering or Company event coming up, think about adding some slow cooked, wood-smoked, ‘North Carolina Style’ BBQ!  We keep our smokers burning year round and what a great way to share good times and create memories with friends and family! 

Our pulled pork is cooked with the NC tradition always in mind…low & slow over Hickory and some Apple wood and MAN is it tasty!  Add a bun, some Carolina Style Vinegar Slaw and a bit of Hoover’s Southern Fusion BBQ sauce and it’s a marriage made in heaven!  Actually, it’s made here in South Middleton Township along the mountain…but you get the point!  We offer something for everyone in addition to the Pulled Pork, we’ve got incredible ‘Beer Can’ style smoked chicken which gets to soak up not beer, but an incredibly fragrant and tasty blend of fresh herbs and chicken stock, delivering a taste that is hard to beat.  We also have tremendous, lip smackin’ ribs that once beat the guy (Butch) who’s ribs beat Bobby Flay’s on the Food Network’s ‘Throwdown’ TV show…I think that means that they’re pretty tasty!  Finally our Beef Brisket is a taste of Texas right here in Central PA!

All of our meats, sides and desserts are prepared to order for your event and are served to you and your guests as fresh as can be.  Our smoked meats come right off the smoker and straight to your event, our sides are home made and complement our “Q” perfectly and our Desserts are sure to please.  We offer a variety of catering options for all types of events and are capable of serving 25 to 1500 folks with over 350 square feet of smoker space!  AND…as if that’s not ENOUGH to tempt your tastebuds…we are offering a 5% Discount on ANY sized 2010 event booked by December 31st!  That’s a 5% savings and you’ll lock in at 2009 prices…not a bad deal for Black Friday!

SO..if you’ve got an event coming up and you want something a bit different, consider our craft cooked meats and sides, it will be a meal that folks remember for some time!

Our Thanksgiving Chook. No turkey for us; we’re having turkey for WinterPaganFestival, and I don’t eat turkey more than once a year.

Recipe in brief:

1. Dry rub of brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, random couscousesque spices slathered all over washed and dried chicken.
2. 12oz can of beer opened, and taste tested. Important, that… More spices added to remaining beer in can (~10 fl oz). Chicken delicately placed onto beer can (as photo shows).
3. Grill prepared. Ashy charcoal pushed to sides of pit, medium sized foil baking tray placed in middle. Cup of water poured into tray. Chicken with beer can up its bum placed on tray.
4. Chicken grilled in closed pit for ~80 to 90 min. (A few more chunks of charcoal added at 45 min, lid left open until charcoal flames died down again.)
5. Chicken and can taken out of pit (taking care not to spill hot beer) and allowed to rest for 10-15 min.
6. Chicken devoured by wolves.
7. Carcass devoured by wolves.
8. Humans devoured by wolves.
9. Photographer obviously survived.

It’s been manic. My summer disappeared in a haze of work (good) and people throwing hissy-fits at work (not good). Early autumn was devoted to preparing for, attending, talking at, and then recovering from a large science conference in Chicago. Some fortuitous foresight on my part in summer meant that I also had a few days to enjoy Chicago after (more on that later). Post-Chicago, I hit the ground running again on the work front, and also dived into the craziest social season my mega-lab has seen since my first summer in LA. It was great but hectic. All in, this left barely any time to just sit, relax and breathe.

Today is (was, by the time I type this) the great American holiday of Thanksgiving. So, as an honorary resident alien, I give thanks today for the chance to have a wee breather.

And grill a chicken with a beer can up its bum (recipe).

And drink some leftover mango cocktail.

The dog was happy that we were home all day, despite how she looks in the photo. (She’s just shy…)

I even started and finished a new knitting project (’twas a swick… it was only a wee owl…).

And I remembered what it was like to be able to breathe. For that, and a whole bunch of other onions, I am thankful.

I guess it’s time to revive this blog. I can’t be living in one of the greatest food havens on earth and not be posting anything here. So here goes…

The name of the place intrigued me the very first time I heard it from a friend of mine (who of course, is a mighty foodie and a great food blogger, so here’s to you Sarah) – Fette Sau means fat pig in German – so I thought I had to check it out. I finally got down to it a week ago and dragged my friend Jen with me.

We got there right before the mad rush for meat started and got seated comfortably in the corner next to the wall. You know a restaurant is serious about their meat if they dedicate an entire wall to describing the edible parts of an animal.

We tried a host of meat products: pulled pork shoulder, beef brisket, ribs and pork sausages and I can say that all of them were very good. The brisket was sliced thin and extremely tender, the pulled pork could have been slightly juicier but it was still good. My favorite part of the meal, however, wasn’t the meat but a spicy sauce that they had on the table. The sauce was amazingly subtle, i.e. it wasn’t very salty, but it was spicy and definitely met my criteria of spicy-ness.

The tables at Fette Sau are arranged in a communal way – long benches and picnic-like tables. It enforces a family-styled dining area and I liked it. Seating a big group could prove challenging, so get there early if you can. They have about 10 to 15 different types of beer on tap, which is quite a good amount.

Fette Sau
354 Metropolitan Avenue,
Williamsburg,
Brooklyn NY
http://www.fettesaubbq.com/

(makes 4 calzone, so serves 4 or 2 hungry folk)

You will need (although the fillings are really up to you):
- 350g plain flour                          – 3/4 tsp fast action yeast
- 3/4 tsp fine salt                           – 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato puree                  - 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs                     – 400g plum tomatoes

- 225g frozen spinach                   – 300g (ish) mozarella or grated cheese
- 4 medium eggs                              - 4 large mushrooms, sliced
- chorizo, sliced – to taste          - charcoal

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and then stir in the yeast. Slowly mix in 200ml tepid water. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to form a dough. Knead lightly on a floured surface for 5 minutes or so. Put into an oiled bowl, cover for 1 hour – during which time the dough size should just about double.

(You can skip this first stage above if you get ready-made pizza bases, but it won’t come with this same level of taste satisfaction, and you’ll have to forgo the drinks element of the next section and get on with lighting your fire!)

Now sit back and have a nice relaxing beer, cider or glass of wine. Before you get too sozzled, light your BBQ. You want enough coal so that it is burning as lovely hot embers in two hours time (when the dough is ready), so know your ‘coal and start the fire in timely accordance. Then have another drink.

[1 1/2 hours after making your dough....]

Heat the remaining oil to a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the puree, herbs and tomatoes – breaking them up. Simmer for 15 minutes. You can do all this over your BBQ if you really want – keep it nice and social with your other diners?Tear off 4 pieces of oven foil that form squares when doubled-over. drizzle a little oil on to each and grease ‘em up.

[2 hours after you started making your dough...]

Your BBQ should be a nice bed of glowing embers.  Knead the dough again and divide it into 4 equal balls then roll or handle them into thin circles. If you roll, make sure you flour first. When you’ve got your dough circle, lay it on one of your foil squares. Spread on some of your tomato mix and add in your spinach, mushrooms, chorizo – whatever you want really. Fold the pizza back on itself and seal the edges like it were a pasty. Now to the same with the foil, making a nice little parcel for each of your calzone’.

Now lay the parcels on a grate just above the charcoals for around 8-10 minutes. Then flip them over and cook for another 6-8 minutes, depending on how hot your fire is. If the fire is too hot, you will ruin your pizza – better to have it a bit too cool and have to cook the parcels for a wee bit longer? you have been warned!

(serves 4)

You will need:
- 150g self-raising flour              – 150g sugar
- 100g butter                                  – 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp baking powder             – zest of 1 lemon
- string                                              – juice of 1 lemon

Put one lidded pot inside another, slightly bigger pot on a bed of gravel and water (due to the gravel, don’t be using your best non-stick pan). Grease the inner pan with a little butter.

Mix the remaining butter with the dry ingredients. Crack in the eggs and beat together until smooth and light. Add the lemon.

Tie-up the inner pan as a parcel, using the string. Lower this pan into the bigger pan of boiling water (on gravel) – the water should go half-way up the side of the pan when the inner parcel is fully lowered in, but make sure it doesn’t boil dry during the next half hour.

Let the dish boil away and check after 25 minutes. If it’s still of a gooey consistency then re-seal and give it an extra 10 minutes – it will be cooked if you poke a stick through the middle and it comes out clean.

When it’s cooked, serve on a plate – as you would any normal sponge cake.

Alternatives:

If you want to just use a conventional oven, heat it to 160-170 celcius and just use the internal pan for 25-30 minutes.

If you don’t cook it on a campfire (or in an oven, as above), you can use the parcel technique on a hob.

(serves 2)

You will need :
- Fish fillets (can be frozen, but fresh is worth it
- 1 egg, beaten                                – 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp paprika powder              - handful flour

Fire up your BBQ and sit back with a beer or glass of wine until the embers are glowing and there are no flames. Meanwhile, tear off two pieces of foil that when doubled-back on themselves form a square. Lightly oil one side of each square. Then mix the paprika with the breadcrumbs and spread on to a plate. Lay out the flour on another plate.

Roll each piece of fish in the flour and then dip in the egg. Then roll each piece of fish in the breadrumbs so that they are nicely covered. Lay in the foil on the greased side and then fold the foil into parcels.

Lay the parcels on a grill above the ‘coal embers and cook for 6-7 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 6-7 minutes.

When cooked the fish will be golden.

Alternatives

Bake in a 180 celsius oven instead of on the BBQ – you can get away with a tray rather than the foil parcels if pushed.

Smoked fish makes a very nice change.

Works well with potato wedgies as an whole home / BBQ  alternative to fish & chips (and if you go that far you should try horseradish mushy peas too).

Enjoy!

(serves 2)

You will need :
- Fish fillets (can be frozen, but fresh is worth it
- 1 egg, beaten                                – 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

- 1 can ale                                         – juice of half a lemon

- 1 tsp paprika powder              - 150g plain flour

Fire up your BBQ and sit back with a beer or glass of wine until the embers are glowing and there are no flames. Meanwhile (if you’re not frying the fish), tear off two pieces of foil that when doubled-back on themselves form a square. Lightly oil one side of each square. Lay out the flour on another plate, and whisk the flour and ale into a batter, keeping the bubbles.

Roll each piece of fish in the flour and then dip in the batter.

If you’re shallow frying, get the oil simmering in a pan well clear of any flames and then cook the fish until golden.

If you’re cooking in foil wraps, lay each battered piece of fish in the foil on the greased side and then fold the foil into parcels. Lay the parcels on a grill above the ‘coal embers and cook for 6-7 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 6-7 minutes. When cooked the fish will be golden.

Alternatives

Bake in a 180 celsius oven instead of on the BBQ – you can get away with a tray rather than the foil parcels if pushed (obviously if you’re frying you can use a hob rather than the BBQ).

Smoked fish makes a very nice change.

Works well with potato wedgies as an whole home / BBQ  alternative to fish & chips (and if you go that far you should try horseradish mushy peas too).

Enjoy!

The most ludicrous term has recently come to prevalence in the collective western vocabulary. It is ‘Reverse Racism‘ a phrase that is applied to the act of a ethnic group who discriminate against or deride a racial majority. The phrase has also been applied to the perceived positive effect of being part of a minority group such as an increase in the likelihood of winning a scholarship (the instances of which have not been clearly quantified). However, this article will discuss the term as it is used in the contemporary Australian context and that is when the phrase is used to describe an ethnic minority discriminating against a majority.

Here’s a simplistic worked example demonstrating the perceived difference between racism and reverse racism.

Racism: ‘You black folks aren’t allowed on this dance-floor, go somewhere else or we’ll get rough with you.’

Reverse Racism: ‘Give up playing the drums now son, you know white people don’t have rhythm.’

Any distinction between the two is ridiculous; you can reverse the races and the same derogatory quality remains.

Reverse Racism: ‘you white folks aren’t allowed on this dance-floor, go somewhere else or we’ll get rough with you.’

Racism: ‘Give up playing the drums now son, you know black people don’t have rhythm.’

The implications of the term are terrible in that they suggest that racial discrimination and derision are somehow justified by the oppression a race has suffered in the past. This simply isn’t the case. Racism is defined in a literal sense as: ‘a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. ‘ There is no limit to which races can be labeled racist when they deride another. In light of this definition it is clear that ‘Reverse Racism‘ is a misnomer that only serves the purpose of deepening rifts between different cultures and ethnic groups by creating a fundamental distinction in acceptable behaviors. Racism can literally propagated against anyone, regardless of their race.

You will probably remember in December 2005 there was a series of riots south of Sydney in Cronulla. These riots were initiated by a group of deluded bogans who allowed a few negative instances inform their perspective on an entire race. These nationalistic riots (which were in actuality a bit more like an angry BBQ) were universally condemned by the media and definitively labeled racist. Interestingly when the middle eastern community responded in a similar angry manner where they demeaned the Australian identity and defaced the Australian flag the violence was rationalised in terms of an offended cultural identity and the riots were popularly referred to as ‘Reverse Racist’. I’m not talking about justification for the riots because that has no bearing on the issue at hand, rather I’m talking about the acts perpetrated by both factions throughout the period, all of which can be termed racist. Both instances are terrible occurrences that are affronting to a sense of decency. No faction was better or worse than the other, there is no distinction between what was termed ‘Racism‘ and what was called ‘Reverse Racism.‘

The term ‘Reverse Racism‘ effectively suggests that what is OK for one group of people may not be acceptable for another; effectively facilitating segregation. It might have be true that what is OK for for one group of people is not OK for another if one looked at the issue in a more general abstracted sense as many factors (such as cultural context, and age) contribute to acceptable social behavior. However, this issue of racism transcends the subjectivity inherent in the consideration of cultural context, it is a question of moral absolutes. Is racism OK or isn’t it? I think we all realise the answer to that obviously rhetorical question. If it isn’t OK then neither is the term ‘Reverse Racism‘ which dehumanises people and aggravates existing racial tensions.

Its probably important for me to say here that, I realise that Caucasian races haven’t suffered throughout history as much as other racial groups and I don’t intend to belittle the achievements and incredible progress that has been made in achieving racial quality universally. What I am saying is merely that the phrase carries some profoundly negative inferences that are probably best left un-inferred.

Racism is racism, no prefix changes that.

This is probably my favorite Korean chicken dish.  Dalk (chicken) galbi (ribs) despite its name is not made from rib meat.  I think they just call it galbi because it’s marinated in a similar fashion as beef or pork galbi.  Also, unlike other Korean bbq dishes, dalk galbi is cooked on a skillet rather than a grill.  It’s actually closer to a stir-fry dish and the chicken usually comes with cabbage, onions, and scallions.

dalk kalbi with ddeok, jjolmyeon, and cheese

One of the best things about dalk galbi is the toppings (사리) you can order to enhance the dish.  These toppings include ddeok (rice cake), jjolmyeon (chewy noodles), shredded mozzarella, and sweet potatoes.  This is one of the few times where I don’t mind the inclusion of sweet potatoes.  The marinade is a sweet and spicy gochujang based sauce and the sweet potatoes work well with the dish.

fried rice

When you go eat dalk galbi, remember to order one serving less than the number of people you came with.  That way, you won’t be too full for the delicious fried rice at the end.  Fried rice from dalk kalbi is some of the best shit ever.  Especially when you cook it a bit so it gets that crispy char on it (delicious).

a nice and tangy 냉국 (cold soup) to cut the heat and the grease

A couple of weekends ago, we drove all the way up to the North side to check out a barbecue restaurant, Smoque. Despite several missteps on our part (driving to the North side is a misstep to begin with), I was very impressed!

Our first impression was related to the fact that there was a huge line out the door. We probably waited about 45 minutes to an hour. Now this might have been enough to sink the experience, but it was a really nice night, and Evie was a perfect angel, hamming it up and entertaining us while we waited. The line didn’t move very fast, so don’t expect to run in and run out. But this also might have been because we were there at like 5 p.m. on a Saturday night.

The food was awesome. I really appreciated that they let the meat speak for itself, rather than drowning it in sauce.

I had a pulled pork sandwich in a vinegary, Carolina style sauce. Don’t get me wrong, they gave me big thing of sauce on the side, but I didn’t really use it (except for dipping my fries!) The fries were just plain awesome. They were larger versions of the homemade fries we used to make at home, growing up. Another thing I liked about the place was that they had a “taste” menu, so you could get a little side order of something for a couple of bucks extra. Sara got one and couldn’t eat it, so she had some left over brisket the next day to smugly eat in front of us. For what it’s worth, Evie liked the mac & cheese.

One of the claims to fame of the restaurant, was being featured on Diner’s, Drive-ins, and Dives, which you can watch below (Warning, don’t watch on an empty stomach!):

In summary, 2 thumbs up! It might not be worth braving the traffic from my place, but if you find yourself in the neighborhood, it’s well worth the stop. Absolutely the best barbecue I’ve had in a long time, and easily some of the best I’ve ever had (there was a place in Georgetown (D.C.) that competes)

It has been around five months since we have graced the great state of Oklahoma with our presence.  Today we will allow Oklahoma to be cool again as we will once again step foot into America’s Heartland.  We are pretty excited to be there for Turkey Day because we will finally get to see all our friends and family again.  They are pretty cool.

So we are flying out today and visiting the in-laws first.  We will be in rural Oklahoma (no not all of Oklahoma is the middle of nowhere) for Thanksgiving which means some good ol’ home cookin’.  That will be good stuff.  Then we will be heading to Edmond and staying with my family, watching another great OU OSU game, having our first baby shower for our baby girl, and hitting up some LifeChurch.tv and saying hi to all our friends there!  Unfortunately, this year I do not believe that either of our families are continuing on the tradition of Thanksgiving BBQ instead of turkey and such.  That is a bummer, but I do expect to gain plenty of weight this week.  If you haven’t seen the list of all the different places my preggo wants food from, read it and then you will understand why I am going to come back as something the oompa loompas have to roll out of Oklahoma.

It’s gonna be a great vacation!  No work for several days in a row.  The great state of Oklahoma.  Almost all our friends and family.  And then coming home to Orange County, CA.  We are ready to eat and see everyone.  Sorry mom and dad.  We will miss you!

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

North Main BBQ
Address: 406 N Main Street, Euless, TX 76039
Phone: (817) 283-0884‎
Website: www.northmainbbq.com
Known For: BBQ Buffet
What I had: BBQ Buffet
Price: $12.00
Rating: 8 out of 10

First things first I should mention that they’re only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM and on Sundays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, so there is a limited time you can enjoy their grub. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because it makes it more of a commodity. Plus if you ate here any more than once a week you might find that their lack of booths as a deterrent.

Make sure you’re hungry when you arrive here….oh and make sure you don’t want much vegetables or dessert. It’s all about the barbecue. Your $12.00 covers 6 meats (chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, pork ribs, tri-tip & sausage), baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw , a couple pickled items, whitebread, tea (sweet or unsweetened) and your sales tax.

It’s a buffet so you can obviously eat all you want…problem is they’ve pretty much only got the meats and there’s only so much meat one can eat. Good news is the meat is pretty darned good. I’d pass on the chicken, it wasn’t a roasted chicken it was like a boneless breast sliced and it was a bit dry.

The pulled pork was great especially with the sauce, it was nice and tender. I concocted a sandwich with the whitebread, coleslaw and onions. The beef brisket was good, I’ve had just as good at many a places and it didn’t knock my socks off. The tri-tip was the same, good but nothing I haven’t had elsewhere.

The sausage was really good, juicy and tons of flavor. I believe they make it themselves and you can certainly tell that a lot of time and effort has been put into it. Clearly these guys know what they’re doing.

By far the most mouth watering item was the pork ribs. I’m actually not even a fan of ribs, I only grabbed one rib to start with assuming that would be all I would get. I was sorely mistaken, they were absolutely phenomenal.  There was a nice smoke ring and they were fall off the bone tender. Best ribs I’ve ever had, I could not stop eating them. I want to emphasize this point because I normally do not eat ribs. I would almost recommend you come here just for them.

The sides were all good and I’d say on the high end of what I’ve had. The coleslaw was great, nice and crisp and not too much mayonnaise . The potato salad was really good too, sometimes the potatoes are all mushy but this was not the case here. The baked beans were good as well, slightly above average. They had the perfect sweetness to them and not over the top.

A real joy here was the staff and cooks. They’re barbecuing up right there in front of you and they’ll just talk your ear off. You can tell they really love cooking and serving people good food. There are big paper towel rolls on all the tables (and a huge stack of them up front if you run out) and trust me you’re gonna need it. This place was a lot of fun. I would say it’s worth a trip. You certainly can’t beat the price and the taste will definitely satisfy. I’d say give it all a try then go back for seconds of your favorites…..and thirds….and fourths.

Beef Brisket

Pulled Pork

Sausage

Pork Ribs

Coleslaw

Further reading:
www.yelp.com/biz/north-main-bbq-euless
www.urbanspoon.com/r/13/166684/restaurant/North-Main-BBQ-Euless

Sep 5, 2009 @ 17:30
5BGNCH5VYPZX

Beef brisket; BBQ; baked beans; fried squash; brussels sprouts; mac and cheese.  The Barbecue Joint, Chapel Hill