Juneau Food

Can y'all say, "Amazingly delicious?"
Later... a couple days later, actually, still in a myst,
It is the second day of softshell season!
(That's a hint, although a pretty broad one.)

No waste in these delicacies, if you've had them before you know to crunch them up shell and all. Tonight's were perfectly done in ultra-hot butter with just a dash of white wine. One of my favorite preparations adds to this pure simplicity a light dredging of flour and a little black pepper first, that's just after a poke between the eyes with something sharp to stop the wriggling at the last possible instant, a minute or two on each side and a finish with a spoonfull of capers for around 15 seconds in the pan. My ultra-favorite? Dipped in beaten egg, then covered in finely shredded potato with some starch and browned 'til each one wears a crunchy delicious spud jacket. I've done this, and sincerely advocate trying this at home! (But never with frozen or otherwise already dead creatures, naturally.)

Right, I'm writing about crustaceans, crabs, of course. Softshelled blue crabs are caught just after moulting last year's limitations, still flexible and able to grow before hard reality or a hungry gull or grouper catches up with them and they once again require cracking.

So I had to have a couple, at least for the sake of reminiscence.

And I made a discovery among the escargot, relating way back to the revelation of that last meal, or at least strongly suspect, that what I could not name somewhere between Ouzo and
Sambuca was actually Pernod. My deepest apologies to any I've offended by forgetting, even for an instant. Now I am left to imagine how well a splash of this would finish off those crabs in hot butter, picking up the sweetness of their flesh held up against that unmistakable fresh salty tang that comes from eating with the shells left on...

Go on, say it again, "Chitinous Exoskeleton."

Dreaming?
The leftovers made an exquisite, effortless, dishless breakfast just now so that must not be it, unless this was one of those dreams within dreams from which we eternally awake, life unfolding in layers of awareness,
yes it was that intoxicating,
yes it was only seafood.

It was dining. That should read, it was Dining.
Red Hat invites you to reflect on this experience called Dining. What is it? Why do it? What makes it different from merely eating out? What extra does it bring to food, and to life?

Meanwhile let me say that I should have known something was up when the second waiter, the one assigned for assurances, the peppermill, and something grated that comes from sheep not cows, looked me over quickly and bent slightly so as to be able to whisper conspiratorily in my left ear (still burning a little with the memory), "Anchovies, right?" I, blushing deeply, nodded.

And with a perfect salad of assorted greens that assuredly did not come from Costco however they did not rival what was picked from planters on the porch the night before, he brought a dish of lovely, juicy anchovies drizzled with a deep green olive oil; two lemon wedges; a tiny ramekin of capers; and one fork resting on a folded linen napkin on it's own plate, seeing that all the rest of my setting had been swept away. He said something like, "So sorry, we are all out of silver platters, I hope this will do..." but honestly I didn't much care. Has this ever happened to you??? Psychic waiters?

A heap of shiny, briny sweet local mussels in a truly imaginative broth of their own fragrant liqour with traditional tomato and fresh garlic, then perfumed with a splash of something like ouzo but not so cloying as sambuca and finished with a dash of cream, can you inhale just the description of that wafting from your screen? And I'll pretend for the sake of Juneauites that it was a Dolly filleted on my plate, seared from the grill, topped with a perfect herb and romano crust under a salamander for maybe a minute, don't forget a scattering of basil chiffonade, no don't forget that, this dish was maybe a little basic, a little plebeian, but I was convinced that the cooks could likely read, even read english, and moreover did so in a state of relative lucidity along with their cooking. It was P-E-R-F-E-C-T. And a struggle to save some for the world's best breakfast, but Red Hat managed.

OHMYGODWHEREAMI?????

Before.....

You’ve just warmed your glass tea pot and favorite tea cup with hot water in preparation. Into the pot goes an object that looks a little bit like a straw mock-up of a dried mission fig, or perhaps one that looks like a vegetal version of something used to swab out the innerds of a saxophone if only it were on the end of a long cord. You just bought these things at Rainbow Foods, so you know it has to be good for you whatever happens....

You pour water that has just come off boiling into the pot, over the strange mass, and a miraculous transformation occurs! The lump blossoms into something beautiful and fragrant. Behold, your tea flower, the latest addition to the growing selection of fine loose teas at Rainbow Foods. When the bloom has reached its peak, your tea is ready to pour and sip. Aromatic, delicious! You can refill your pot up to three times for continued wonder and high quality beverage.

Rainbow Foods is proud to carry a selection of four varieties of handsewn flowering artisan teas from Numi. These teas are rosettes of fine white, green and black tea varieties that are handcrafted to become works of art when steeped in hot water. White teas are the least processed of tea varieties, picked early in spring before buds open, air-dried, and some say orchid-like in their delicate flavors. Green tea leaves are typically picked upon budding, immediately steamed or fried to halt oxidation and preserve color, and then flattened or curled. Green tea is known for grassy or nutty tones, and is sometimes also scented with jasmine flower. Black teas are allowed to wither and fully oxidize after picking. Their leaves are also bruised or broken, blackening them while altering their enzyme content. Their taste is the strongest.

Come to Rainbow Foods bulk food section to learn more about the many health benefits enjoyed by tea-drinkers, choose your favorite handcrafted tea flowers, and find your favorite tea accessories including the lovely glass pots perfect for watching your flowers bloom.

Red Hat found out that Costa's Tin Pan Alley Diner will offer extended hours during the glory days of Folk Festival. Thursday through Sunday, doors will be open almost all the time, except for a regular stretch between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. So far, nobody has signed up to keep the place cooking Thursday or Friday from 4-6 a.m. either but, if you are out and about and in need of succour, it might be worth looking for the "OPEN '' sign anyway. We promise too, there will be pie.

No telling if this might be the next ultra hot jam spot...

Many Juneauites, including Red Hat, are fans of our hometown brewery, Alaskan. Some are lucky enough to have been investors from the get-go in this burgeoning beer business. Also ale, of course. Some local pubs are good about getting other fresh and interesting products, even on tap. But there is a whole world of bubbly barley brew out there, and all the other grains gone into the mix too, and maybe you were wondering how to keep up with the latest news. It's kind of like a global sports league, watching the big guys slug it out to market their latest innovations on one of the most ancient human creations, what might even be the excuse for civilazation as we know it....

For example, three big brands are marketing beer spiked with caffeine. Maybe somoeone in the JuneauMusic.com audience has tried B-to-the-E, the Anheuser-Busch variant. If so, please please stop slurping, shaking, shivering, slurring or whatever else happens when you drink that stuff to tell us what it's like. Confused? Comment below, or just email Red Hat and we'll get word out. Beer can be political too. For example, one Oregon brand has just been required to remove Old Glory from their labels by the Feds. This should raise all kinds of comments even if you don't like beer! And then there are the thirsty elephants in India...


How does Red Hat come up with all of this? Simple. Every month, RealBeer.com publishes a newsletter via email that you can subscribe to by visiting their website, off course at www.RealBeer.com. The website is nifty. And here are the three blurbs from the April newsletter that got Red Hat started foaming. Up-and-down beer with berry aroma..... Hmmmmm.... Bottoms UP!!!!

"KICK AND SHOK FOR CANADA
Canada's two biggest brewers, Molson Coors and Labatt have begun marketing beers infused with caffeine. Molson rolled out its new Kick brand in March and Labatt followed with Shok in early April. Both beers get their caffeine boost from guarana, a South American berry plant that both companies describe as being "a natural source of caffeine." Anheuser-Busch uses guarana, among other ingredients, in the recently introduced B-to-the-E. Molson describes its Kick product as a premium lager. It will market it in clubs and bars in a "sleek, fast-chilling aluminum bottle." It will feature five per cent alcohol by volume, similar to most of its standard brands. Labatt's offering, on the other hand, is being touted as a strong beer with 6.9 per cent alcohol. Shok will be sold in a smaller 250ml can that will contain the same amount of alcohol as one regular bottle of beer. Shok also contains other "berry aromas," Labatt said. - Molson also announced a new marketing campaign to "revitalize and re-energize" its Canadian brand. The new slogan - "It Starts Here." Gone is Joe, the flannel-clad Everyman known for the "I Am Canadian" rant. In his place is a varied assortment of fraternity pals and beautiful women, each one speaking directly to the camera.

ROGUE NATION LEFT FLAGLESS
The government has told Rogue Ales to lower the flag on its American Amber Ale. The Oregon brewery has been ordered to stop using the stars and stripes to advertise American Amber. According to U.S. Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8, Item I: "The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever." The company began brewing the beer 11 years ago, and uses the flag on beer taps, pint glasses, posters and T-shirts. Even the company's red, white and blue delivery truck will have to be repainted. The order came after an agent for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau who was visiting Newport with her family spotted a Rogue delivery truck with a flag painted on it.

THIRSTY ELEPHANT RANSACKS VILLAGE
There's no stopping a wild elephant looking for a beer. Three villagers in northeastern India were trampled to death and seven wounded by a wild Asiatic elephant searching for homemade rice beer, according to wildlife officials. The elephant strayed from a bigger herd. "The elephant herd came near the village looking for home-brewed rice beer. One of the animals strayed out
from the herd and did the damage," the official said. "For a stiff drink, elephants would blast through walls ... they go berserk, at times plundering granaries and tearing apart huts, besides inflicting fatal attacks on human beings," elephant expert Kushal Konwar Sharma said."

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Hey, so what if Key Limes don't grow anywhere in Alaska?!

Red Hat knows, almost everyone likes this sticky sweet tangy neat creamy smooth and crunchy too fantasy of southern heat dessert, and one Southeast Alaskan fellow who hasn't tried it yet but will tonight if all goes as hoped. It is, I believe, the very easiest of easy-as-pie creations.

The (unresearched) story I knew from childhood says that this pie was first made at a place called Joe's Stone Crabs, which is in or near Miami (in south Florida). I remember it as a place on the inland waterway, a huge seafood house to rival those visited during long, langorous summers on the south Jersey shore but definitely with a more southern, 'American' flare coupled with south Florida de rigeur early bird specials abounding. There was alot of new development going on there. Further north, I had enjoyed huge, juicy Maine lobster claws and tails, some right on the beach at a dollar per pound, steamed over pine fire pit, attacked with needlenose pliers from a bike tool kit. From Jersey to Maryland, blue crabs became one of my earliest passions and I still bear fond memories of fishing for them with bread and a string, chasing them skittering sideways along the kitchen boundaries as they ran from a boiling pot. Sometimes even now, I fantasize about the fresh softshelled ones, so young, so tender, so vulnerable, lightly dredged then seared in brown butter, finished off with a teaspoon of capers if you please... but not at Joe's, this was a different kind of eatery. Stone crabs seemed uglier to my childhood eyes, and those spindly spiny hot-water African lobsters looked positively like aliens from outer space. But the pie.... oh, that pie.... my daddy said, I had to try. At Joe's, just up from the Florida Keys that give the pie its famous name.

As it turns out, Key limes really are different. A read from John McPhee said that these tiny citrus are some indigenous to the New World, growing especially well in the sandy acid sometimes-flooded soil of the Keys. Originally prized by visiting Spaniards who spread their fame, they are tiny, yellow rather than green (but yellow does not read so well), and very, very tart as far as limes go. Although they are now commercially grown in Florida, we do not typically find them in Juneau produce sections and even when Rainbow might carry them, they are so small as to be a real pain to deal with. Trust me.

But:

What makes Key Lime Pie so especially easy, the easiest of easy-as-pies, is that the juice is available in bottled form. Yes, even Foodland has Key lime juice, and in fact this week it is on sale for a great price. (Stores well, you should go and stock up!) And it really is worthwhile to use actual Key lime juice for your pies. Similarly, the other main ingredient comes right from a can. Traditionally, the pie is made with a graham cracker crust and heck, I do not go so far as to make my own graham crackers even if I often prefer to grind some up myself. But is it cheating to use the pre-crumbled kind if, for example, one lacks a good food processor? I think not! So this tasty, popular dessert is basically poured out of cans and boxes even when made entirely 'from scratch'. Cool, huh?

Here's what I used to throw some together this afternoon quick. The recipe is also on the(brand name omitted, but there's only one) Key lime juice bottle, and for the crust, on every graham cracker box in creation:

Crust:

Combine 1 1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs with 1/3 cup of melted butter and 1/4 cup of sugar, then press into a 9-inch (yup, I said 9-inch, though a puny 8 will do in a pinch) pie tin until an even, smooth, firm edged crust is formed. This should be fun, like playing in the sandbox.

Filling:

The tough part, get 3 egg yolks into a mixing bowl. Not the whites, just the yolks. This is, mind you, for the most basic version of the recipe, I'll not trouble y'all with my super-chiffon version of this pie, so you can do whatever you want with those whites, and they do not need to be perfect, nor warmed, nor nuthin. Feed them to the dog if you do not want to eat them yourself. To the 3 egg yolks add a single 14 oz. can of *sweetened condensed* milk. Not the evaporated kind, be careful of this distinction and you will have mastered the most difficult part of this process right there on the supermarket isle, pat yourself on the back or get a passing stranger to congratulate you similarly, select *sweetened condensed* milk of any brand. Tell the stranger what you're up to and invite them over, maybe you will have a new friend for life. Mix thoroughly, then add 1/2 cup of this conveniently bottled Key lime juice. I like to do this gradually, pouring a stream of juice into the center of the milk-and-eggs while stirring gently with a spatula, which saves the lime juice from slopping around so much and over-curdling the goo it contacts on the perimeter of the bowl. But that's pretty fancy as this pie goes. Stir around until thoroughly incorporated. It is normal for the stuff to begin to thicken from the acidity of the lime juice while still in the bowl. For the sake of purity, not even lime zest is added since it would likely come from NON-KEY LIMES. That would be sad, no?

So pour the lime-milk-eggs goop into the crust and bake for around 15 minutes in a standard 350 degree oven. Did I not remind you to preheat your oven first? Do I look like Fannie Farmer? Remove from the oven, cool until room temp, then refrigerate. It's nice to serve in slices with some fresh whipped heavy cream, but maybe fun to just shove it in someone's face, or have a blast with a can of the nasty stuff at your next party.

That's my plan, anyway. At least one of them....
Enjoy!!!

First Impressions



Flames dancing 2 feet high from within and reflected upon a giant, shiny copper wood stove. Real wood floors strecthing out to warm burgandy, butterscotch and deep blue walls with hunter green accents. A very cool cage/apparatus containing bottles of alcohol and glasses glinting in the low soft light as the hang over the centrally located bar. Red leather bar stools with generously diametered seats, and of course big, bay windows looking out on the channel. My first impression: These guys / gals set out to do this remodel right. A lot of planning and research undoubtably went into the design of this place and I am quite greatful for it.

Take the 42 inch plasma screen TV. I am not a fan of these as it usually means I am uncontrollably darting mezmorized glances at it and insulting my conversation companion but, the Island Pub placed it is a way that it is at once present and yet not distracting. The screen is situated on a wall far from any of the tables and was not distracting at all. Even though I was facing in its direction I was not once assaulted by it. However when my date left the table I had to just tilt my head to be entertained until she returned. Nice touch.

The Kitchen is open air style and most seats in the house give you a nice view of flame licking inside large copper armored ovens.

There were a nice assortment of places to sit at as well. A large bar towards the back by the windows, barstool / tables lining the bay windows, table and chairs to seat 4 or many more in the center and in clear view of the open, entertainging kitchen.

And They Did Come, Oh Yes They Did
By 7 o'clock the joint was jumping, even though it has been open only four or five days. It was full of people and conversation but did not feel too packed. It was easy to manuever around the bar and yet there was an electricity in the air. Where did they come from? How did they know? One thing was for sure: Everyone seemed very happy to have a new place so inviting and fun.

Service
The service was excellent. Our waitress was courteous, professional and, most importantly to me, sincerely happy. Rick, who is one of the owners (and maybe the only owner. I don't know. Remember, JuneauMusic is just your friendly neighborhood wall crawlers doing this thang for fun), was darting here and there serving drinks and obviously caring very much about his customers. I felt well taken care of.

Food
Kari and I ordered a Vegitarian Pizza. I am from New York. Among other things, I am a pizza snob. I liked this pizza. I would order it again. That is much more than I will say for most pizza I have had outside of the Big Apple (Pizza Roma is another place I am pizza-happy) . The Island Pub's crust had a great flavor and generous crunchy corn meal dusting its bottom. It did not have the "chew" I love about good New York pizza, but I have not found any place east of the Hudson that does. It was topped with a nice assortment of veggies including perfectly cooked asparagus (cooked to a bursting crunch) and flavorful eggplant. Veggie Pizzas often suffer from excess moisture from eggplant or mushrooms but those giant fire breathing stone ovens must be for more than just show because these toppings where juicy but not at all watery.

Smoking Section


There is a decently sized enclosed room designated for smokers. It is nicely decorated with a large window looking out on the main room. I can see this woring very well for people who smoke and, after sitting in the main room, can take a quick smoke break.

Conclusion

This is a great place to go with a large group or just a single friend. I am happy happy happy. Now, will they have music?