Good stuff: Just Cured

I mentioned that I had bought some Just Cured salmon last week-- great, subtle flavors and it's local! Val over at Cincinnati Locavore did a great post on his process. Go and check it out, and check him out at Findlay Market this weekend!

Market Wines to open at Findlay Market!

Thanks to Michelle for this tip!

Findlay Market is finally getting a wine shop! Market Wines will open on March 29, featuring wines that, according to owner Michael Maxwell, are "a little bit of everything", from organics to biodynamics to kosher and beyond.

I'm really exciting-- Findlay will truly be one stop shopping.

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9-5, Friday from 9-6, Saturday from 8-6 and closed Sunday and Monday. There will also be tastings, microbrews, and accessories.

Waffle news, Mardi Gras at Findlay Market, etc.

It looks like Taste From Belgium has moved into a better spot in Findlay Market-- they used to be right outside the door, near Kroeger's Meats; now they've moved into the market house, next to Ms. Helen's. I've never tried Ms. Helen's, but being that close to Aunt Flora's sounds dangerous! I'll have to resist washing down a waffle with some of her sweet potatoes or macaroni and cheese!

In case you didn't hear, tomorrow (Saturday, February 2) is Mardi Gras at the Market. Among other things, Jean-Francois will be featuring a special waffle-- shrimp and grits!

As shrimp and grits is possibly my favorite Southern-ish dish (I guess, technically, Shrimp and Grits is low country food, but hey. I'll work with him, here), and Liege waffles have become one of my favorite things *ever*, you'll probably find me at his stand for a little bit on Saturday. Feel free to say hi, but don't be surprised if my mouth is full and I just wave.

Other Mardi Gras features will be crowning a King and Queen, featured Cajun foods (like crawfish!), a parade, and a whole lot more.

See you there!

Cooking up a storm...

There wasn't a whole lot of dining out going on at Chez Julie-- sort of strange, considering most weekends I dine out at least twice. I seem to have gotten a domestic bug, and inspired by my recent week in Europe, wanted something I had in Paris: boeuf Bourguignon I combed through my fairly extensive cookbook collection (I collect them, it's a bit of a sickness) and settled on the recipe from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. I didn't have a whole lot of time to go to the grocery store, so I swung by Findlay Market, where I did all of my shopping in 15 minutes. I first stopped by Eckerlin's for some flat iron steak (a substitute for the paleron called for in the book, which is a cut not readily available in the US), then ran across the street to Angelina's, where I picked up some really great Roquefort and Gruyere for a cheese plate (and a sample of their homemade rhum baba, which were awesome-- highly recommended!). I rounded out my trip at Madison's for produce, some Mango-Ginger Stilton (an impulse purchase, but such a tasty dessert cheese) and some Findlay Market blend coffee. It took me less than ten minutes (including banter with the clerks) and the meal was one of the best I've made in a while. Since I had friends over, I didn't want to subject them to my food-photography weirdness, but I did get a couple of shots of the Findlay Market haul.



My only complaint? There is no wine shop at Findlay-- the closest wine shops to downtown being The Party Source and the Wine Shop on Ludlow. I hear a rumor that a wine shop is opening at Findlay-- anyone have any insight on that?

Terry and I went back on Sunday to buy groceries for Sunday night's dinner, which was an old-fashioned meat loaf and mashed potatoes. The meat loaf recipe is from The New Best Recipe, which is my go-to cookbook for classics that I want to turn out perfectly. It's produced by the Cook's Illustrated folks, and I've never cooked a bad dish out of that book. Again, everything-- including the ground veal and peppered bacon-- were from various stands at Findlay. Too bad it's so quiet on Sundays-- I really wish I'd see Findlay open and vibrant every day-- but we still got great service and, of course, great food. I think meatloaf sandwiches are in my future for dinner tonight.

I also finally joined the food blog bandwagon and made Mark Bittman's No-Knead Bread. I don't know why I haven't made this before-- it's simple (though it involves patience, which, when it comes to cooking, I often don't have) and unbelievably delicious-- soft on the inside, crackly-crusted on the outside-- it'll become part of my new weekend repertoire, I think. Who doesn't like fresh bread? And who doesn't like easy fresh bread? I hear that Cook's Illustrated has "perfected" the recipe, so I may try that one next, but for now, Mark Bittman's will do quite well.

And one last note-- major thanks to Michelle over at My Wine Education for her warm welcome to the Cincinnati blogging community. So far I've put my toe in over at Cincinnati Blog, and this is my first foray into a blog that encompasses two things I love: Cincinnati and food. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

The Belgian Waffle Guy

Anyone who frequents Findlay Market knows the smell-- right outside of Kroeger's Meats, on the outside perimeter is when it starts smelling really good-- the sugary, vanilla-y scent of The Belgian Waffle Guy. The first time I noticed him, he offered me a taste, and it was the first (and only) time I've ever had a sample, walked past, then spun on my heel to actually buy whatever I was sampling. It's that good.

Jean-Francois Flechet, who is originally from Belgium, might be better termed as the "Liege Waffle Guy". These aren't the waffles from your Belgian waffle iron-- these are crisp and sugary and a little gooey on the outside, somehow both dense and fluffy on the inside-- and are simply the most amazing confection I've ever tasted. Over the past couple of months, I've had Liege- style waffles in two other places (in Bryant Park in New York from an outfit called Augustin's, which sells something like 17,000 waffles a day as well as from a cart somewhere in Paris) and both times my traveling partner and I both said, "Wow. They're just not the same as the ones we get back home". When we got back into town, we made a beeline for Findlay to chat with Jean-Francois about how good his waffles are. His secret? They're fresh-- frozen no longer than a week (unlike Augustin's, which are imported from Belgium, and thus a bit over-frozen and chewy in an unpleasant way)-- and made in very small batches.

The good news? Taste From Belgium has expanded outside Findlay Market-- you can now find his waffles at Newport on the Levee, freshly made on Saturdays and Sundays at the Coffee Shop on Madison (the best way to eat them is fresh and hot right off the waffle iron) and at a bunch of other independent restaurants and coffee shops throughout the city, including Daveed's and Honey.

I'm hoping to include a few more restaurant reviews this year, so join me in supporting local entrepreneurs and restauranteurs. And tell Jean-Francois that you heard about him here!