Ask Me Anything: Some of My Favorite Cities

hey spilled milkers happy New Year uh if you're seeing this on Sunday you have New Year's Eve to look forward to otherwise uh well we all have January to look forward to and here in Minnesota we're hoping that includes snow uh I hope everybody has had a fantastic uh holiday couple of weeks however you celebrate whatever you celebrate um please remember our uh subscri rtion gift to you uh which is a massive percentage off uh anything you buy on uh Kai uh Kai home Kershaw and shun uh all four uh sites uh can be taken twice and be taken all the way through January 31st so you have plenty of time uh to take advantage of that and I would encourage you uh if you are an unpaid subscriber to become one and if you're a paid subscriber to get a few gifts for people uh because the percentage discount that you'll be able to take is just absolutely uh massive so I encourage you uh to do that um all right let's get right down to it shall we uh first question of course I close that page uh Julie writes I have friends who move to Omaha any dining low-end or high that you would recommend well I used to spend quite an amount of time uh in Omaha because uh one of my old roommates who sadly passed away this last year uh used to live there so I'm thrilled to be able to give you uh some recommendations um one of his favorite places was a very very old classic uh steakhouse called Johnny's Cafe uh which you know kind of like um uh Murray's here in the the Twin Cities uh wasn't the best steak in town but it was certainly a really fun vintage dining room a really great experience right where the experience is better than the sum total of the food that you eat um I have been told that if you like something new and modern uh committee Chop House is great um last couple times uh that I've been down in Omaha I made a little I always make lists of these kinds of things um I had great pizza at Dante uh I had uh some really good Indian food uh at canara um and David Utterback has a whole bunch of restaurants this is a guy who is doing uh I think he was Omaha's first beard uh semi-finalist nominee or finalist nominee uh I'm having trouble remembering off the top of my head um but he has uh Koji uh he which is is yakatori place [Music] um uh what's the other one that he has oh uh no that's eama is very good uh Yoshi Tomo um which is just fantastic uh as well as OTA which is next door which is his reservation only Omas restaurant um but here's what's really interesting about what he's doing rather than just flying in incredible fish from Japan Korea Hawaii Florida wherever um because obviously in Omaha uh it's a landlocked uh City in a landlocked state um he's actually doing uh sushi that is of the place he's in so that includes uh Forge mushrooms when they're in season uh local beef uh in combinations with things when it's in SE so he's really trying to incorporate at uh a Nebraska food aesthetic into there and for that I just think it's absolutely fantastic um the uh what else there's one other place I'm just scrolling down here I told you about committee uh which by the way is in the Blackstone hotel which is really really cool um uh oh yeah the uh coffee at the mill on lenworth cool coffee place like to get up in the morning and go have coffee uh so there you've got my uh some Omaha recommendations uh for you uh now Julie also noted that back in the late 90s remember the chef talk forums uh she ran the Minnesota one um so that's pretty cool I remember being on that a long time ago so uh while I don't remember uh you specifically Julie yeah we were on the original Chef's talk together uh monserat writes I'd like to hear about your travels I've traveled a bit I'm sure you've traveled more than I have my I don't know what gives you that idea monserat uh monat writes my two favorite cities are koala lumur love it and Istanbul for various reasons I love them both uh koal lumur fabulous right Istanbul even more fabulous um Istanbul you know gateway to the east exotic I mean I just one of the greatest travel experiences of my life was being in a a little boat doing promos for Travel Channel and to one side of me was Europe and to the other side of me was Asia and looming up above me was the was the Blue Mosque and I I just love the food of Istanbul I think the people are great it's a very very special place and truly a um one of those unique cities where you had one way and you have one Vibe you head the other way you have another vibe and but the style of eating uh in that part of the world is absolutely breathtaking in all of Eastern Asia really you know where you have 25 different small plates come down on the table whether you're two people or 10 people and then a grilled or roasted item for everyone to share and that's dinner I just I love it anyway monerod says tell me about some of your favorite cities around the world and why they are your favorite cities what do you find unique social special or intriguing about them please share some of these cities outside the USA uh great question I try to do that as frequently as I can both here in ama and uh throughout the week on uh spilled milk um I could just keep listing places until we would run out of time but I I I just I mean literally off top of my head I jotted down 10 or 12 uh and I'll give you a reason why for each I guess Mexico City um so so much variety of life in Mexico City it's a massive time what 25 million people um but you you know an hour outside of it you're in an Aztec town a half hour uh through traffic from the Centro and you're out in zoi milco on a small boat going through the chinampas these little mini islands where farmers are growing food and if you show up at the right time someone will make you lunch um I love Mexico City the variety of life from you know uh dangerous markets and neighborhoods that people say don't go into which I think is total uh go into them people are people uh you're going to be fine um these are the same jerks that like when I recommend you know delicious you know little diners in Harlem all like sort of bristle about going north of 100th Street it's like come on uh get over it don't walk around anywhere 4 in the morning right uh but by all means go explore a city uh neighborhoods that are Swan or ones that are more Blue Collar it doesn't matter I mean people are people right get in there uh and Mexico City I mean you know from the Treeline streets of condessa to some of the you know to what tedo Market I mean or and everything in between uh Bangkok same reason I just the hustle the bustle the energy of Bangkok the heat both in the air the humidity and the and the heat on the plate and in the food um I just absolutely adore everything about Bangkok um and again it's that ying and yang I I do enjoy staying at you know one of the four or five best hotels in that City because even the best hotels are not that expensive but they are Oasis is that the plural of an oasis Oasis uh you have these incredible hotels with the incredible service where nothing is missed and such intense luxury and then you go out the they just wander around the city and get lost and wind up in place where you're standing on the street this Tight cuz there's so many people crowding around you as workers get off eating you know G and Grilled Chicken just on the street or maybe grilled frog in a market or a bowl of noodle soup at a market at 5: in the morning um changu uh the capital of Sichuan Province my favorite city in China same deal I guess these cities do all have something in common it's not one Vibe um Paris just for walking around I mean I mean Paris is just you know at night Paris holding some girl's hand I mean come on uh London I you know London's having a Renaissance I mean it just has and and has gotten so ma in the best sense of the word word and I'm obsessed with London same reason I'm obsessed with Venice I've been going to Venice since I was seven years old that's the first time my dad took me there I worked and lived in Venice for uh at two different times in my life in my early 20s um because I loved it so much and I just keep going back there's nothing like it in the world um Fez in Morocco especially the old town I could I like to stay at a good Riad uh Sun pouring through the central opening in in in the middle great food go out my door and and you know rent a human being and a donkey they they will help you shop that's why the donkey is there cuz cars are too narrow for the road and someone has to no one's going to trust you can't rent a donkey the donkey comes with someone um and then I always persuade that person to take me to their favorite place to eat fool uh which is a uh a limma bean soup thick and pasty with dzz a lot of olive oil and salt in it and squeeze some lemon and then someone comes running for the local bakery with and hands you a stack of bread to eat with it you give them a dollar for doing it's just the greatest uh love that town uh darar in Sagal uh I mean on the o yeah I mean senagal is on the west coast of Africa the the beaches the ocean amazing the city is intense and and vibrant the food is out of control the what people forget is that um the French and the Vietnamese uh were both in Sagal so I mean there's a West African country where one of the street snacks of of choice is you know fried Vietnamese spring rolls I mean it's fantastic and I love their little dried chilies and the seafood there oh fantastic uh all those great rice dishes with you know uh anywhere in southern Africa I love southern Africa I love Africa in general but anywhere in southern Africa uh Damascus I was there I I yearned to go back I would like political stability to come back uh to Syria just so I go back to Damascus although sadly uh the brutal dictatorship there has just bombed everything I love about that country physically out of existence except the heart of the people who I know the majority of them would like things to be different uh but Syria is just one of those countries where again the food and that that big city of Damascus I toured the old uh Jewish temples there um my last trip there which was about 4 months before uh Assad started bombing his own people and it was one of the best trips of my life uh Montreal and Toronto in Canada for various reasons both just sprawling beautiful cities although Montreal less sprawling Toronto has five chinatowns I adore it uh Montreal is probably and I have some family up there um one of the best eating cities in the world and and I'm not just talking about like The Lumberjack Vibe food scene there cardi Bridge foods with lots of maple syrup right um it's a joke it's yeah just the food in Montreal is unbelievable Taipei capital of Taiwan I would just assume go to Taipei to eat is anywhere in the world uh Michael writes hi Andrew heading to Minneapolis with my fiance and three-year-old son always want to eat somewhere new and not a chain restaurant looking for your opinion on a good familyfriendly restaurant well you know it depends what kind of family I mean when my kid was three I took him to all the places I wanted to go to and I think it's why today he loves great tacos and great you know cuz when he was three I took him to some crazy places to eat tacos um but uh you know assuming your three-year-old uh likes to eat uh Kims and Kim's new place is amazing great Korean food Oro by Nixa fantastic Mexican food uh porzana Daniel Del pra's new place it's kind of like a quasi South American Steakhouse Vibe but something there for everyone and lovely um herbs Market in St Paul H RBST uh gyoi uh and ahed's new place that's Le ocean uh Marty's Deli great new sandwich place these are all new um but if it doesn't have to be new I mean I you know I tell everyone go to spoon and stable you know go at 5:00 they'll see you just walk in especially if you have a little kid they they have homemade pasta on the menu uh great F very the food is very simple so if you just want to take you know say hey we my kid wants the pork jop but can you just leave off the blank you know everything's made to order of course they do that um we're a big pizza family and punch and Lola uh both do a great job uh here of that I'm actually going to Lola later this afternoon with my child um Rainbow Chinese and schwang Chang two of my favorite uh Chinese restaurants in town both on very different Vibes uh Tammy Wong's 30-year-old restaurant Rainbow Chinese uh fantastic both cantones in the main with a sprinkling of other uh influences in there schwang Chang in dinky town uh which is our family sort of regular um I think that's enough uh Michelle writes I will be on the chef's cruise in March oh fantastic but don't see you doing one of the curated dinners no I am not not everyone is doing a curated dinner uh this is a cruise I encourage you to go on um it is uh and we'll put information uh in here um uh that imprint below where you're seeing the screen uh so there's like 12 great chefs doing this thing everyone from Michael Simon and Marcus Samuelson to uh me and who else is doing it Mark Murphy and uh an it's a whole bunch of Food Network people in me um it's going to be a blast uh I am doing demos uh Marcus and I are actually doing a a side by-side rice demo which is going to be fun and then Mark Murphy and I are doing a Beach barbecue for the entire boat so while I'm not doing a curated dinner in the dining rooms which some people are I'm doing my curated dinner on the beach more fun so if you're going you can opt in for that um Michael writes hi I have a question about all clad cookware in your opinion are their handles designed to be as awward and uncomfortable as possible or did they just get lucky wow that's a shot uh I don't find them uncomfortable but I have a big hand and maybe Michael you have a smaller hand um but I it's the same way with knives your your hand will cramp up on something or not grip it or or you'll get a pan to turn because size of your hand if you don't like the all clad handle then that's not for you um obviously uh and I didn't mean that to be a shot I just mean that legitimately uh um I always I mean everyone always focuses on and rightfully so on how a pan Cooks how it handles food how it holds temperature how it distributes heat uh how it cleans up how long it lasts um but what's very important is how you hold it now that's mostly true for sauté pans otherwise you how often are you really holding a pan right my sauté pans and walks handles are very important to me because I'm sautéing I have my hand on them a lot I'm moving the food around it uh using the handle and I I have some walks that just have two side handles that are very heavy and I use walk Tools in and then I have others where I use a single walk tool and hold on to the handle of it I need to make sure that handle is comfortable um not too thin not too HCK thick comfortable for my hand um Jim writes uh longtime fan from Cleveland Ohio many thanks for all you are doing uh uh sure thank you uh he wants tips for freezing items maximum length containers vacuum seal Etc likely not one answer for all items but some highle tips would be gratefully appreciated yes um I invested all of $100 and got a uh a home vacuum sealer uh machine obviously we have a professional sock boox at our kitchen studio um but that's a big giant unit that's $8,000 um but yeah I seal things in plastic and they last for years in my freezer um and if it's properly Frozen a lot of things can last a long time um my stocks and soups all go uh with a date and a label on them so that I can rotate things through and pull them out um you know as someone who likes to cook in big batches once a week or once every two weeks um and is always traveling and comes home and has to feed just me or maybe 10 people um I use my freezer a lot um I think people underutilize their freezers I think people's freezers are um where they go to dump things they don't want to throw out and I'm much more um prescriptive and uh intentional about it so um I don't want to spend $10 for really good Italian tomato paste in a little squeeze tube um so I buy really good Italian tomato paste in a 16 o jar uh or 500 gram jar and um I take out what I need the first time and then I portion Out All the Rest and freeze them almost paper thin two tablespoons at a time in ziplock snack bags which is a little it's like 2 and 1/2 in high and 6 in long and once I put the two or three tablespoons of tomato paste in and and I flatten the tomato paste and seal it I don't even need 20 seconds on the counter or 5 Seconds under running water and it's all defrosted I just open it up drag a spoon through and it all comes out I mean it's fantastic um and most of my recipes only call for a couple tablespoons of tomato paste so I have that um uh I do not vacuum seal things like uh muit lime leaves or uh sesame seeds or other nuts that I put in the freezer because I'm always using a couple tablespoons at a time I divide it up liquids I like stock and stuff like that I like to freeze flat in bags and freeze them on cookie sheets and take the cookie sheet away CU I can line stuff up it saves room but it also defrosts quickly um and I love making uh you know I just made homemade kiche and I'm going to have one uh uncooked in the freezer and it'll go from freezer to oven and we just cook for an hour and 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes um lasagna baked pasta dishes all kinds of stuff but you have to label it and put a date on it and uh yes I will take a lasagna pan with an uncooked lasagna put it in a plastic bag and stick one and special plastic bags that come with these sealing machines and it sucks the air out of it and seals it and then I just cut that way I don't get freezer burn right um I love my freezer um Ashley Christensen and Kate goolan uh wrote a book about freezing uh foods you should look it up on Amazon I'm blanking on the name of it I think it's got some title of like frozen freezing your food or what it's a really really really helpful guide uh for all that kind of stuff um God of frogs what an interesting name uh wres do you base brisket at all whilst in the oven well I'm making one for New Year's Eve and so this is great uh no I don't I just let it cook uh for the entirety uh and I take a piece of Alum I brown my brisket smother it with sauteed onions uh throw herb Springs maybe a cup of wine and a tablespoon of tomato paste into the pan uh sometimes not even any liquid at all because the brisket gives off so many juices so much juices and I I tent uh the only the meat in other words I put a piece of aluminum foil over it it Browns underneath there but it holds the moisture in on top of the meat so the the meat doesn't the top of the meat the crown I know it's the fattiest part but I don't want it to dry out I'd rather take that off at the end and pop it under the broiler for 45 seconds seconds if I if I need to but I don't it Browns sort of perfectly I've kind of mastered brisket I'm an old Jew right I mean if I haven't mastered brisket by this point really I have no business cooking uh and it it's wonderful now a word about sauce when I pull my brisket out if I have two three cups of liquid in the bottom and I've just done onions I will lift the brisket and all the onions out and put it on a platter and while it's resting I will reduce uh you know I'll sauté some shallots and tomato paste and hit it with a cup of red wine and let that reduce to almost nothing and then pour the brisket juices into that skimmed of fat of course and reduce that for 20 minutes until I have a really nice uh Jew to pour over it you can thicken that with Berman just a little flour and butter whipped together or a rue and stir a little in if you want to thicken it more like an American gravy but I usually like to just use a natural um Christian writes I'm a public elementary educator I'm extremely grateful for your work highlighting how shameful of a job we're doing this country to feed our children and their families properly that's true I really hope we can get some serious momentum going this election to fix that issue so do I regardless not red or blue or left or right we should be talking about food at election time it's you know the our food system in America every piece of it from independent restaurants to farming to I mean we just take food in general is such a massive piece of our GDP that we're not talking about it that we're not talking about feeding the hungry that we're not talking about where to spend money on food to help lift people out of unhealthy situations we can save money on healthc care costs in America it's crazy um pilot programs in our uh Federal and state prison systems show that if you're actually feeding people uh magically recidivism rates fall the better the food uh the less money we spend on our criminal uh justice system in this country I mean every study shows food is one of many answers to solving so many of our problems and yet we ignore it so we should be listening to candidates and asking them questions about food uh anyway Christian's question is if legality morality and money were not objects or obstacles and you could only do it one time what is the one thing you would eat and why um wow [Music] um well I'd have to say that the one thing that I've had a chance to eat it there's two immediate things come to mind right there's tiny little birds like ordons which are illegal in uh in Europe but in many parts of Asia they are not illegal and they exist in tremendous numbers um so you can still have roasted little birds even little baby ducklings and chickies uh they'll be eviscerated and marinated and deep fried and then serve a little bag of sauce to dip into I love that so I still get that itch scratched I had the opportunity when I was in Samoa before the tsunami seven years ago uh that wiped out that side of the island where the the Giants scallops existed to be with a tribe who maai Chieftain invited me to uh dine on what to this day is probably not only one of the best things I've ever eaten but the thing I I know I will never eat again which is a giant scallop I'm talking about a scallop that is this big twice the size of a basketball weighs 75 80 pounds and by the time you get it open the I mean all pieces of the SC on those scallops almost every piece can be eaten but just the mantle that kind of holds the shell together that has thousands millions of little eyes all across it chopped raw with some kalamansi juice the the muscle what we call the scallop was huge huge and I got to eat it raw and SE I mean it just blew my mind blew my mind now they no one should be eating them anymore I mean we lost one of the last active beds where even the people who they were being studied uh I should go back the reason I got to eat them was the there was a a group that was there monitoring these these creatures you're not allowed to eat them anymore but the the the tribal peoples who owned that place of beach Etc um of according to Samoan law were able to eat it and uh I think they were given uh two or three a year part of the agreement um and I was there when they used one of their tags to pull one from the water and so I guess I'd want one of those if legality morality and everything else were not an issue that's that's probably the one I think everything else is probably still on the table right I have no desire to eat other endangered species um and I get my tuna itch scratched I I don't need to eat wild blue fin and all the rest of that stuff um yeah giant scallop uh Happy new years's see you in 2024

Channel: Andrew Zimmern

Views: 1,148

Keywords: andrew, zimmern, Cooking, Culinary, Literacy, Kitchen, instructions, How, to, Yum, delicious, favorite, eating, meal, Travel, Channel, family, azcooks

Id: 3cfMBiSM1p0

Length: 29min 42sec (1782 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 01 2024