ODG Eats

 As I mentioned the other day, my Mexican restaurant closed down. Luckily, they opened up in a new space a couple of months later. Great new look, new name ("Lopez Grill"), they've got a bar, staff is expanded, and the place is always packed. Business seems to be going great. Now, this isn't just a rehash of my post about the 'Dolo. While the menu is largely the same, there have been a few changes, plus I'm going to share a few things I've learned eating there. On my first visit to the new location (which was opening day, right when the doors opened; yes, I was standing in line outside with the other faithful), Señor Lopez brought me a bowl of their new salsa. He called it "guacamole salsa," but it's a jalapeño-based sauce. It's got an almost creamy texture, but is dairy-free (I asked for my vegan friend). Being a jalapeño salsa, it's got some heat, but not nearly as overbearing as some capsaicin-phobes may fear. It is perfectly bala...

In case you don't remember (or didn't read it, you asshole), I once wrote about my Mexican restaurant . Now, this wasn't a Mexican restaurant that I owned; just the Mexican restaurant that I frequented. Unfortunately, they closed down in October (more on that later...), but a new restaurant opened it its place: Ragin Cajun Seafood and Po'boys. Just so you know, I'm no restaurant critic: I like eating food, and I like eating other people's  food to help expand my own ideas and find new inspiration. That's what restaurant week is about. I have only visited Ragin Cajun once, and that was within the first week of their opening, so keep that in mind. I usually like to give restaurants 2-4 weeks before really analyzing their food as it takes time for them to get into their routines. However, sometimes you just have to go when you're able. I started off my visit with their boudin balls with "creole mustard dipping sauce." The balls came dressed with s...

 This past Sunday (1/18/2025) was my second cooking stream of the New Generation of ODG Cooking Streams. When I was trying to come up with a "theme" for the afternoon, I was thinking a lot about those fancy-ass restaurants where they serve you three bites of food on a fucking plate five or six times and, even though you're somehow full, it still doesn't seem to quite justify spending five million dollars just to eat there for two hours while everyone around you looks at you condescendingly because you didn't wear a goddamn tie. Fuck those people. Anyway, I decided I wanted to figure out a way to do that kind of fun, small plate, presentation-centric food at the house without having to break the bank. My first course, as a direct theft from The Bear , a show I absolutely love, was the mirepoix broth. I started the stream by starting a light stock, which means you don't roast the bones beforehand, using some pork and beef bones. For the mirepoix broth, I finely ...

I spent a bit of time on New Year's Eve doing some menu planning for my next cooking stream. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that it involves 6 dishes, none of which I've made before, and is an undertaking that will change the culinary landscape forever. That's totally not a baseless exaggeration or clickbait of any kind, but if you watch that next stream, you'll learn the 3 Key Secrects Why Chefs Hate Me And You Won't Believe Number Seven!  Anyway, after looking at photos, making some drawings, and having a think, I decided that I also needed to eat that night. Since I'd already spent what little brainpower I had on a menu, I wanted to keep it simple for dinner, so I used an old fallback I learned from a Jacques Pepin video a few years ago: persillade. I started off by slicing up a chicken breast into little thin cutlets which I seasoned with salt and paprika. I pan fried the chicken in butter and olive oil, as one does.  The persillade part ...