Chus On Chow

Chus On Chow

A Pair of Enthusiastic Foodies in Syracuse, NY

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Tomato Pie at Gianni’s

Posted in Articles by Lonnie
Aug 09 2010
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NY Gianni’s Bronx Style Pizza is already getting lots of rave reviews, both here and in numerous other websites like that of “the pizza geek.” So why write about it again? Because I took a little trip to heaven on the gossamer wings of something I had never eaten before: tomato pie.

Hard to  believe that a native Syracusan wouldn’t even know the difference between “tomato pie” and pizza, but it really is a different animal. A little research tells me there’s the Sicilian-inspired style that Gianni’s making, and there’s a completely different southern style, made with mayonnaise and baked in a pie crust. We are definitely not referring to the latter.

Gianni’s tomato pie was sitting in the case, waiting to be heated up, when we walked in. While our pizza was cooking, three of us polished off two large slices of tomato pie. While in any other pizza joint I usually leave a lot of pizza crust behind, the crust on this baby was every bit as much the star as the sauce. It was so light and airy, I had to ask Gianni how he made it (you go in and ask, I’m not telling!). It had just the right touch of oil and a crispy edge that gave it depth and interest.

The other star of the show, the sauce, took me by surprise. Living in upstate New York, you end up eating a lot of red sauce and most of it is pretty bad. But this sauce was as light as the crust, deeply tomato flavored, with a touch of garlic and basil and the lightest sprinkling of Parmesan. Ooo! I’m salivating just thinking about it! When Gianni asked how it was, my response was “heaven on earth! como si la hubieran hecho los ángeles!”   – as if the angels had made it!

It’s hard to believe something this seemingly simple could be so mouth-watering. But let me describe a similar experience. The garden these days is bursting with cherry tomatoes. So when you’re standing out there in the sun, they must go into the mouth. Bite into one and you first go through the part that holds it together, the skin, and then suddenly your mouth is filled with the most intense, warm, sweet-tangy burst of tomato flavor. Light as a feather, you must eat another. There is only one experience equivalent to this: biting into one of Gianni’s tomato pies.

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Poona Kheera Cucumbers

Posted in Articles by Lonnie
Jul 17 2010
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When I first knew Dave about a dozen years ago, he didn’t know the difference between a tulip and a daffodil. Now he spends so much time in the garden, weeding and differentiating between leaves that used to look all the same to him, I call him Farmer Dave.  Last winter he chose the Poona Kheera, a cucumber from India, as “his” plant for the garden and today he harvested the first two of what looks to be a bountiful crop.

Folks, this cucumber has changed my world view on what cucumbers are all about. I have grown cukes before, harvested them when they were young and tender, enjoyed eating them. But nothing like this beauty. You don’t have to peel it, first of all, but it’s a good size. It’s sweet and very mild, and completely lacking whatever it is in cucumbers that makes me dislike most of them. And the crunch! With a beautiful texture and taste like this, we were able to eat sliced cucumbers with nothing to doll them up. No salt, no dressings, nothing. Just pure pleasure.

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The best smell in Manhattan

Posted in Articles by Lonnie
Jul 13 2010
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It doesn’t take much to figure out what that might be, right, Syracusans?

It’s the Dinosaur BBQ!  Manhattan’s award-winning Dinosaur is the best, but I’m willing to bet ours is better, if only because ambiance like that takes years to develop.

The best – and worst – smells in NYC
New York Daily News , July 11, 2010

The best – and worst – smells in NYC

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/12/2010-07-12_the_best__and_worst__smells_in_nyc_who_nose_what_evil_stenches_lurk_in_the_big_a.html#ixzz0taTzUUFZ
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Monsanto finally takes a hit

Posted in Articles by Lonnie
Jul 01 2010
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Just found this good news:

US Supreme Court Rules Farmers May Sue Over Harms Caused by GMOs

It’s an easy-to-read blog post. Just read it. Then celebrate. There is hope.

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Has Bean Coffee

Posted in Articles by Lonnie
Jun 28 2010
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Our English friend, Graham, visited recently and brought with him some Has Bean coffee beans, very freshly roasted.  I had picked up a bag of Santa Maria Cup of Excellence from Coffee Mania in Cortland. We did a taste test.

First let me state: it wasn’t a fair test. I was highly distracted by visiting family members while doing the vacpot thing (bring water to 197 degrees, hand-grind coffee beans, leave to infuse for exactly 1 minute, allow to go south and so on). And I’m afraid the Santa Maria got far less attention than the Has Beans.  That said, I was fully expecting the Santa Maria to be better than the Has Beans, based mainly on the fact that the latter had traveled so much further. What I didn’t count on was the special bag that it traveled in, with the little valve that allows gasses to escape without allowing air in. Poor Maria, she traveled from Cortland to Poughkeepsie and the next day to Syracuse, all in a plain old paper bag, aging all along the way.

The Has Bean cup was astounding. It gave me that moment that comes along only a few times each year when everything stops, all incoming noise seems to cease and I know I’m being transported to coffee heaven.  The Santa Maria just could not keep up. As Dave said, only the lower notes were left.

Graham ordered a bag of Has Beans yesterday to see how long it would take to get from the UK to the US. Coffee is shipped the day it’s roasted, so it could well arrive momentarily. In the meantime, since I don’t get to Cortland very often, I’ll content myself with picking up a bag of Coffee Mania’s house blend that they do for Sparky Town on Burnet Ave.  Either that, or checking out what Owen O’Neill has been roasting at home lately. Every coffee nut should have their very own coffee guru.

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