Sprecher Soda

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Sprecher Cream Soda from Wisconsin

Another case of Sprecher soda bottles arrived this week. We have been savoring the first case for the past 2 months, enjoying the best root beer we have ever had, which got us thinking that maybe Sprecher’s other flavors might be worth a try as well. So, an order for an assortment of flavors, including ginger ale, cream, cola, orange, and Ravin’ Red – a concoction of cranberry, cherry, and ginseng was made.

I read about Sprecher of Wisconsin on the Slow Food USA website, specifically their ARK program, which aims to preserve artisanal foods from across the country. The sodas cost about $1.50 each after shipping so they are no more expensive than purchasing from a local convenience store, but the flavor difference of a handmade soda is a thousand times better.

Ethiopian Cooking

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Ethiopian food from Cafe Lalibela in Tempe, Arizona

Ethiopian food from Cafe Lalibela in Tempe, Arizona has been popular enough that for more than 10 years the cuisine of this African nation has found a home here in Arizona. Unfortunately for us the 3 Ethiopian restaurants I know of in Arizona are all located in the south valley. We have tried Blue Nile Cafe east of Lalibela on University Avenue and love their cooking too, but have yet to try Tina’s Ethiopian Cafe in Chandler. Caroline and I first became acquainted with the cuisine of Ethiopia at a restaurant in Frankfurt about 15 years ago, and we have continued enjoying this finger food ever since. This was my mother-in-law’s first taste of an African cooking style and hopefully not her last as she seemed to enjoy it as much as Caroline and I.

Donut Man

JWise Food, Photo of the Day, Travels

Rainbow Donut from Donut Man in Glendora, California

On the road trip back to Phoenix, Arizona, my mother-in-law and I stopped on old Route 66 in Glendora to try Donut Man’s donuts. I had recently read about Jim Nakano, the owner of the shop and the inventor of the fresh strawberry and fresh peach donuts, and was hoping against the season that just maybe the strawberry donut was in production. Unfortunately, the cold snap delayed the berries, and I’ll have to wait until our next visit to Southern California to try these famous concoctions. Until then, we satisfied our sweet tooths with a mixed assortment, leaving a few for Caroline to sample after we got home.

Food, Art, and Consuming in L.A.

JWise Food, Photo of the Day, Travels

The Original Pantry Cafe Bakery and Sandwich shop on its last day of business, the original corner cafe remains open

This is simply dumb luck. Today is the last day The Original Pantry Cafe Bakery and Sandwich Shop will be open. After many a year of operation, it is closing to be reopened as Riordan’s Grill. The original corner part of the Cafe will remain open, as it has since 1924. My father first introduced me to the Pantry Cafe when I was still a teenager; I have since brought lots of friends back with me to experience the history, great breakfast, and perfect ambiance this old-fashioned cafe has to offer. Sometimes, I really don’t like change, though I should be happy that the corner cafe will remain after so much other land has been cleared for high rises and condos.

Inside the Getty Museum and for some stupid reason or other that I can’t understand at this time, I didn’t take a single photo of the collection.

There are so many interesting places to take a walk in Los Angeles, from Little Tokyo to Chinatown, from Little Armenia and Thai Town to Little Saigon, yet here we are not in Korea Town but over on Sawtelle Boulevard, home to more than a few Japanese stores. We came over to Sawtelle to eat ramen noodles at Ramenya. Ramenya is a little shop that serves up a couple of dozen varieties of ramen noodles. Recently, they have announced a new addition to the culinary offerings of the area – their new shop, Soy Boy Tofu & Things – Asian-Ya.

Also nearby is Giant Robot, which by itself would be worthy of a visit to Los Angeles.

Walking in L.A.

Persian ice cream makes for a great way to end the day.

Calypsos

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Calypso Beans from Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa

In our ongoing curiosity of the available foods here in America, we search far and wide for those items not seen on a day-to-day basis, these Calypso beans are part of that. Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa is where these beans come from, I had originally learned of Seed Savers from a National Public Radio program. Another great source for information has been the Slowfood Ark program. And the beans, well besides being a beautiful bean, when cooked, have a smoky flavor and are about twice as large as when dry.

Mozzarella

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt in Phoenix, Arizona

Having found wonderful fresh RAW milk, my mother-in-law and I embark upon making some homemade mozzarella. The milk comes courtesy of the folks over at SaveYourDairy in Queen Creek, Arizona, and while this milk is more expensive than what is now traditional milk, i.e., pasteurized and homogenized, I just feel better about using a natural product that for some 10,000 years was just fine the way it came. We made marinara the day before and will make dough for pasta when the cheese is finished. Cooking this way is quite time-consuming but the satisfaction is irreplaceable.