Anyone who knows me knows I’m a club or clubhouse sandwich guy. I’ve enjoyed them all over the world and I have been amazed at the variety. But John introduced one here that really made my mouth water. This is a Peking Duck Clubhouse. It’s made with spiced mayo and a pancetta crisp on fruit and nut bread from by Iron Chef America champion Rob Feenie’s eponymous Vancouver restaurant, Feenie’s’.

Rob also runs a successful assortment of other food businesses as well, but this review isn’t about Rob or his inventive sandwich talents, it’s about John Chow.

Why would a food aficionado or blogger want to visit John Chow’s site? Well for one thing there is unlikely to be anyone else who routinely spends the kind of money on lunches and dinners as John … I’m certainly too cheap and I like to read how the other half lives.

John covers food on an irregular basis but usually several times per week. The rest of the menu consists of some really great tips and how to articles about getting traffic to your web site, making money from your web site and conducting business in general. John owns and runs a large technical review style website which is his “bread and butter” and started his personal blog on as a way of sharing ideas and keeping in touch. John doesn’t position himself as a food blogger though, he prefers to maintain his main theme at all times, how to make money online.  It’s become wildly successful and you can certainly feel free to drop by and have a taste. If you are interested in more blog traffic, you too can write a review of his blog and likely get a ton of clicks.

My only two criticisms on John’s blog are the fact that he really needs to get a decent camera and/or learn about lighting because some of his photos have great subject matter but don’t have near the appeal they should due to incorrect lighting. Secondly, John should lose the phoney and childish “evil” persona he loves to use, perhaps to cover his shyness. He’s a businessman, a web entrepreneur, an ad company executive, writer, father, husband, good son and all that sort of stuff … he doesn’t need the “evil” tags any longer.

Brats and potato salad.Yup, those are both bratwursts served with a Potato Salad. The lighter one is a veal brat and the darker one is pork. Both seemed to be deep-fried which made them split from their casings. Spouse said he never tasted a more authentic veal bratwurst since he lived in Germany. I thought that was an amazing statement considering that was a very, very long time ago. He’s had a few veal brats since then I can tell you. But to say that of a veal brat from a little place in Angeles City, Pampanga was definitely the most surprising of all. Their Potato Salad was good but I personally think it would have been better with a little less mayo.

Youngest Sister tried the Rissoles that was served with gravy and vegetables. It was surprisingly good for what was essentially meatballs in gravy. The serving was huge too!

Spouse and I have taken regular trips to Angeles City, Pampanga since our move. The drive is a breeze with the upgraded North Luzon Expressway…pretty much like driving on a US interstate….a far cry from what it was just a few years ago. It only takes about an hour from Meycauayan to the Dau exit – with one rest stop to spare.

We’ve taken drives, just the two of us and tried out the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars-run VFW Restaurant where Spouse has gotten his fill of American food. We’ve also taken my parents, Youngest Sister and her 2 toddlers.

It’s such a delight to travel with my nephews (aged 1 and 2.5 years), they’re never cranky even when we made the 3-hour trek to Zambales to visit my mom’s brother now retired there. And they absolutely love road trips with vehicles zipping past us, the scenery and skies. One time, we even spied a huge and stately-looking dark brown horse on an open trailer. We got stuck in traffic at the Candaba viaduct which is undergoing repairs. But even that did not get the boys down. They just had more time to inspect the big busses and trucks that were stuck with us…funny how kids are fascinated by things we normally take for granted….like a truck’s under chassis for instance….
On this trip, we first went to a playground within the Clark compound where they had an old helicopter and a few planes on display. Of course the kids went gaga over that…not the playground – the planes! The adults enjoyed the clear blue skies, the cooler than normal weather and clean, clean air. I have to admit, I’ve only been to Metro Manila a couple of times since we arrived. I just can’t stand the pollution anymore. It’s gotten so much dirtier since I once went on my daily commute to the city over 6 years ago.

But back to the deli, it was a wonderful find that Spouse and I made a few weeks back. The food is delicious, the place is clean and well-lit – I always appreciate that. The deli well-stocked with steaks and fresh meat, cured meats and sausages, cheeses (wish they had more though – I’m missing provolone!), turkey, a goose even, some imported foodstuffs, vegetables, wines and freshly baked breads. The restaurant staff is very friendly, we have a regular waitress who recognizes us on just our second visit. The deli girls could smile more though….just for the heck of it?

What’s in your clubhouse sandwich?  Do you even belong to a club?  Whether or not you do, I’m sure you’re familiar with the Clubhouse Sandwich.  Apparently, different clubs have different ingredients in their clubhouse sandwich.

When Spouse and I went to Omaha  a few weeks ago, we stopped at a restaurant for brunch.  Spouse ordered his clubhouse sandwich but was told it didn’t come with bacon.  We were so sruprised because you’ll usually find bacon in most clubhouse sandwiches.  He had to pay extra if he wanted the bacone they said apologetically…and he did!

Minsky’s is located in the City Market complex on the old River Market district of Kansas City. I seem to have lost most of my photos from that trip, please click on the links to learn more about this landmark of Kansas City.  

It was Labor Day Monday when we were there and most shops were closed!  I was so disappointed.  But there were a few stores open so I purchased a few things at a Mediterranean store.  It was good to find food items like Mediterranean cousocous, lentils, bulgur wheat, rose water and orange water, some Spanish saffron, anchovies and spices and so much more.  I bought a good amount – my stash that will last a long time. Unfortunately, the photos I took of the spices in that store are all corrupted so no photos here - such a loss…

We also had lunch at Minsky’s Pizza, one of the few restaurants that were open that day. And I was pleasantly surprised at the mini Mediterranean Pizza I ordered.  It was just delicious with the lamb sausage, the pesto, the feta cheese…nice and hot and just the perfect size for lunch.  

I’m surprised this photo survived…and it looks good, doesn’t it?  See that pesto they folded into the pizza edge?  This only looks half as good as it tasted.  I have to find a way to do this pizza on my own. 

I first heard of Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue from Calvin Trillin’s book, “American Fried”.   Several years ago, I picked up a cheap copy of the book at that second hand book outlet they have in every SM Mall in Metro Manila.  I loved everything about the book: the author, the food, the mood, the places and the characters Calvin Trillin described in there just all came alive to me.  It never occurred to me that I would one day visit some of those places and try some of those foods he wrote about.

You can only imagine how surreal I felt finally standing in front of the original Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City last year, with the huge jar of sauce still sitting in the window as described in the book.  Spouse had never heard of it before, nor had he heard of Calvin Trillin so I felt rather silly about all  my enthusiasm.  But he tried to be as enthusiastic as I was about making the stop at KC and finding the place.  We made a long drive from Colorado to my sister in Orlando, Florida to celeberate Thanksgiving with her and another of my sisters.  We just had to stop in Kansas City.

On our road trip this summer, we went to Kansas City again.  This time we went on Labor Day weekend.  Yes, we went for a couple of Yankees games.  But we also went for Arthur Bryant’s.  In fact, it was our first stop in Kansas City.  Ohhhh but the lines were long….locals, a lot of tourists, but probably no regulars because the line stretched out the door.  I heard a lot of people making comments about “driving all that way…definitely getting the burnt ends….”

Calvin Trillin raved about the burnt ends they gave away for free in the early days of the restaurant’s operation.  Those bits of not all burnt ends are heavily flavored with the smoking and smothered in that delicious barbecue sauce.  It is a carnivore’s dream come to life.  Spouse was so surprised when he tasted it for the first time.

A big surprise for me on this trip was the smoked turkey.  It was moist and tender and had that rich smoky flavor.   I took a photo of everything we ordered but the file was somehow corrupted so I have nothing to show you.  But I hope you’ll find yourself in Kansas City, Missouri one day…if you do, check out Arhur Bryant’s – the best barbecue in the world.

Spouse treated me to lunch at our favorite place in Denver, Cucina Colore.  I like this place because the food is no nonsense and always fresh, the staff is friendly and the restaurant is just so bright and contemporary I always enjoy my meals so much more. 

The first photo is the Carpaccio served with arugula, shaved grana and caper berries with a perfectly tangy vinaigrette. I never knew capers had berries so this was pretty interesting for me.  The caper berries looked almost like olives.  There were a gazillion little seeds inside the not so thick skin.  The berries were pickled and tasted pretty much like  regular capers, which are the flowers of the plant.  I thought this whole appetizer dish would make the perfect Italian sandwich….soo good! 

Spouse had the Shrimp and Scallops Pasta with Sun-Dried Toamtoes.  It looked delicious and he said it was.  I think they sun-dried their own tomatoes because they didn’t look reconstituted at all.  They were sliced, ripe tomatoes that had the sun-dried flavor so I’m thinking maybe they do a batch every so often using fresh summer tomatoes.  

I had a light pizza with  roasted red peppers (so sweet!), shavings of grana cheese, and fresh mushrooms.  I was so tired from the morning’s goings-on, I only ate a couple of slices and took half of my delicious pizza home. The glass of Pinot Grigio we had with our lunch was just the perfect thing to relax me.

Now on to the Event part of this post….you might be wondering why I placed this under the Markets, Events and Festivals Category of my blog. 

Spouse and I were in Denver last September 19 for my US citizenship ceremony held at the open-air Denver Civic Center.  It was a beautiful, perfect “Good-to-be-living-in-Colorado” kind of day.  What a surprise that there were 600 other people being sworn in as new citizens.  According to the organizers, we were from 80 different contries around the world.  How cool is that?

The well-liked mayor of Denver, John Hickinlooper was there…along with a few other guests.  The Jewish Association sponsors the event and they even handed out bottled water and cookies to everyone….much appreciated because I left the house without eating breakfast. They also had tables where you could register to vote and submit your passport applications….even have your photo taken for the passport.  So I did all that and am really looking forward to cast my first vote in this country come November!

Another steak house..but this is Omaha!  And it is Johnny’s Cafe which I’ve mentioned in some previous posts.  So here’s one dedicated to Omaha’s Original Steakhouse Since 1922.  If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a stickler for the old, established places that have been making people happy for the longest time.  I don’t know why that is – it just is. 

I took a photo of the restaurant exterior but it isn’t impressive enough to put at the top of this post.  Instead I’m posting a photo of my glass of water….go figure!

Ahhh…here’s a photo you’d like…..

This was Spouse’s dinner…an Omaha Strip Steak cooked medium on the grill.  It was perfectly cooked with the flavors of the grill strong on the meat.  I wished I had ordered this instead.  This cut of beef is also called Kansas City Strip or New York Strip, depending on where you’re having dinner.  It’s also called  Beef Loin or Strip Loin Steak and is found on one side of the T-Bone steak. 

I had the prime rib so I could compare it with the one from Nebraska Beef Company I had  a couple of nights before.  There is much more flavor in this one from Johnny’s.  It’s just beefier probably because of the aging process…and it also had more seasonings.  I detected some herbs…maybe thyme and sage…just a hint though.

Their French Onion Soup was a disappointment that night.  The broth was too salty and the only excuse I could think of was it was on the stove too long that it reduced to a point where the salts concentrated too much.  It had a very thick crust of gruyere cheese  and I enjoyed that with some dinner rolls to cut down on the saltiness.  Our server was very nice about it though.  He apologized immediately and just before we left he said he tasted the soup and agreed it was too salty.  Take note, if you’re in the food service industry, acknowledging your customer’s concerns is more than enough to make him happy.  They also took it off the final tab and that made Spouse happy.

Spouse and I go to Nebraska Beef Company every time we visit Omaha on business.  It’s so conveniently located just a skip and a hop from our usual hotel. It’s an unassuming place with a name that could throw you off into thinking this was just a place to order those famous Omaha steaks.  We’ve been there for lunch in the past and enjoyed it.  I’ve always underestimated the plance since we were so focused on the Big Three of Omaha steak houses:  Johnny’s Cafe, Anthony’s and Angie’s. But they’ve been consistently good.  I had their prime rib salad once and was very satisfied with it.

This time, we made it our first stop after checking into the hotel and dropping off our bags.  Spouse wanted steak for dinner and it was dinnertime.  It’s so convenient when there’s a place so reliably good next to your  hotel.

The surprise for the evening was their Asparagus Prosciutto Wraps which we ordered on the rebound.  I can’t remember what Spouse originally asked for…but they were out so I ordered this instead.  It was soooo good and made a pretty picture too.

It’s nothing but asparagus, prosciutto and red pepper wrapped in a spring roll wrapper then deep fried just to a point where it gets golden on the outside and nice and moist on the inside.  The asparagus was cooked just right and the flavors melded so nicely.  Our server said it was a concoction dreamed up by the owner/chef who is very good with matching flavors.  I’ll say! 

The rolls came on a plate with a few spring greens and drops of a balsamic reduction which was not enough to make a difference in my opinion.  It was pretty anyway. 

I was so impressed by this dish, you’ll probably see it on this blog soon…..from my kitchen this time.  I know it can be easily done and when I tasted it, my mind started dreaming up other variations.  Whyever not?  Lumpia can be so much more…

Here’s what I ordered for my main course – a medium Prime Rib with Au Jus.  I had it with mashed potatoes which I just picked on.  The meat was a whopping 12-ounces – too big for me but I cleaned my plate anyway.  Don’t expect vegetables with your steak, this is a “meat and potatoes” kinda place, like most Omaha steak houses. 

It was sooo tender!  They dry age their beef and that makes a huge difference in the final outcome.   I don’t think I’ve ever had a steak in Omaha that wasn’t perfectly cooked…just a little topping of horseraddish and you’ve got a perfect steak dinner.

One last thing, if you happen to find yourself in Omaha and dining at the Nebraska Beef Company along L Street, try their Margaritas.  It’s one of the best you’ll ever have…and so strong you just might end up giggling in your sleep like Spouse told me I was… you may have no memory of it…but you can always claim it happened!

There’s a little restaurant in the city of Pueblo that serves great Italian food.  It’s called Galileo’s Diner and is located on East Routt Avenue between Northern and Mesa.  I don’t know how long it’s been around, but right now, it’s not all that pleasant a place to dine.  It’s dark, small and a wee bit dingy looking.

Their prices are pretty steep for the area, but then, you can tell they use the best ingredients in every dish and in my book, that is enough justification. The food is just wonderfu and the service was excellent so I’m predicting the restaurant’s physical circumstances will change for the better very soon.  

Stepson found this place because he has a friend who lives on the same street.  He called it a “hole-in-the-wall” and predicted it might be worth checking out.  He was so right.  When it comes to food, I have to say I give Stepson an A-rating. He’s brave in his choices, knows good food and even how to find it.  This is just one example of his plate prowess.

The minute I walked into the restaurant and adjusted my eyes to the dark, I spotted their dessert display facing the front door (How could I miss it? It was dark!) I knew our dinner with Stepson and the new girlfriend was going to be interesting.  They had Cannolis, a large Berry Tiramisu, Italian Mini Cream Puffs, Chocolate Cake, and other items I didn’t recognize.  I had “Cannoli” on my mind the rest of the dinner and ate sparingly.  Most of my dinner was boxed before I even ordered dessert!

I’ll start with a review on the dessert since I was most impressed with it, which also explains the?first photo in this post.  According to Spouse who grew up in New Jersey, this was the best cannoli he’s ever had.  The shell was crisp and not soggy like most commercial cannolis you’ll get.  The plain ricotta filling was nice and thick and flavorfull…not mere fluff.  No one else ordered dessert but  I shared the one cannoli with Spouse and Stepson.  Stepson was stuffed and declined at first but once he had a taste, he went for another bite.  It really was THAT good.

For appetizers, Spouse ordered two big plates of fried calamari which came with a very good Marinara.  There was more than enough for 4 people but we finished everything anyway, because it was THAT good. Crisp on the outside and tender, fresh squid inside, not to mention that excellent Marinara dip.

Spouse had the Lobster Ravioli with 2 Jumbo Shrimps.  Looking at his plate, I wondered whether he had ordered enough to satisfy his appetite. But he said it was a very rich and heavy meal and loved how the shrimps were so fresh.

Stepson picked an interesting Mahi-Mahi Steak covered in an unusual walnut and raisin cream sauce. He enjoyed every bit, including the fettucine with the light tomato sauce and the vegetables that came with it.

I had the Veal Marsala which not only had the Marsala sauce, but artichoke hearts , mushrooms, diced tomatoes and baby asparagus.  Plainly put, it was the freshest tasting Veal Marsala I’ve ever had.  I love their  generous use of olive oil.

There were only a few diners when we were there. But then again, it was a Tuesday night.  I hope more people discover this place so it will remain open. This is one Italian restaurant which brags “Authentic Italian Restaurant” and means it.