Un Pezzo di Cielo Nel North End

By now you have probably heard this from me or if not me, my daughter (the self proclaimed food snob), growing up in an Italian family has its perks and its curses. The curses I am speaking of is trying to find a good Italian restaurant that would rival the taste one becomes accustomed to from their youth. Nothing could ever beat the soups, sauces or Italian dishes your Grandma, Mama or your multitude of Aunts could make. Unfortunately, as one grows up and moves out of the nest he must find a way to carry on the tradition of duplicating those wonderful specialties or pass them on to someone that can actually cook. I for one, am very fortunate to have a wife that picked up where Grandma, Mama and my Aunts left off and has kept me happy for over 27 years. That being said, what does the Moan Man do to find his pasta fix when he's on the road. Well, if I was in Boston all the time it would be easy. You see, one only needs to go to the North End to find a piece of heaven(title of the blog). So you may ask me, what did you find there Triple M?

Located in North Square, the oldest square in America, a quite retreat located steps from busy Hanover Street. With it's cobblestone streets and gas lampposts, North Square is one of the most romantic spots in the North End and Boston (would have been nice to be there with my wife).

The cuisine at Gennaro's is traditional Italian home cooking. So as they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. This was not my first rodeo at Gennaro's and I was primed all week for this. But let me digress here and tell you how I almost made the biggest goof up of the week. You see, I knew where I wanted to go, I just wasn't sure how to get there. So after Kevin finally found a ramp garage to park at ($28.00 for about 2 hours) we headed out on foot for Gennaro's. Once we got into the North End the going was easy, except the restaurants are so close to each other we walked into the wrong one! Luckily, I caught my mistake at the last moment and told the host to sit tight as I needed to make a quick call before being seated. Exit stage left, went around the corner, and there was Gennaro's. In we went and as we were being seated, I asked to be seated in the upstairs section.

Our waitress came over with the menu and that's when all the debating started. You see I had to choose from too many of my favorites. So I started asking myself, "MM if you can make this at home, why have it here"? Good question, but I wanted to have all of the following:

Anyone of these would have been good, I just thought I should go against the grain and get something I wouldn't necessarily make at home................

What I settled on was Sausage and Peppers Al Forno. A beautiful concoction of rigatoni pasta in a red sauce with, peppers, onions, topped with goat cheese and baked to a golden perfection. Mama Mia I was in heaven! I wish I could explain to you the taste of this dish, but anything I try to put in words would fall short. Lets just leave it at...Per cenare presso Gennaro è quella di essere trasportati in Italia!

Only one thing left to do once dinner was finished, off to Quincy Market for a home made cannoli and a cup of coffee.

A perfect ending to a perfect dinner! I'm speechless at this point and can only leave you with this tidbit. Next week, it's back to Boston!!!

Beantown Bliss

Well here I sit in my hotel room after yet another day on the road. I have been waiting and waiting until the inspiration has hit me again to pick up where I left off in January. You see, I have been bombarded over the past 8 months from my faithful readers (and I guess there are more of them then I realized) as to when I will ever write again about my many moans caused by those special meals that get me going. Well, the time has FINALLY come!!! Before I start back, I must put in a plug for my lovely Sweet-pea who has followed in her fathers footsteps and started writing about her passion.....FOOD!!! Imagine that, another Lembo enchanted by food! Do yourself a favor and go to her blog and see what her and her roommates are up to in the culinary world. www.fortheloveoffoodandmyfather.blogspot.com is where you can find it. I promise, what you read will bring you all back to what family and friends are all about. I love you Sweet-pea!!

So I landed in Boston Monday morning (8:00 AM) and I knew that I would be in an area that would offer up some great places to dine. The problem was, I was hungry right then and there so I figured why wait for lunch and directed Kevin to take me to Mike's City Diner for breakfast. I had read up on this place and was told that the corned-beef hash was the way to go. So not being the one to second guess anyone, CBH it was. Out it came with two beautiful poached eggs on top winking away at me. A side of home fries, whole wheat toast and it was let the party begin!! I guess I don't need to tell you what I experienced was nothing short of spectacular. After the first bite that familiar growl started working it's way up from my toes and by the time I realized what was happening.............you guessed it, it was moansville all over again. Could it be that Triple M was back?

As I worked through the day with Kevin, much of the time was spent on the road traveling from one store to another. During that "down" time it gave us plenty of time to review what might be on the docket for dinner. Much discussion went into this and it was decided that a trip to Cambridge was in order. Why Cambridge you may ask? How about a visit to Harvard or something like that? Nah, for us, it was to visit Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers. A Harvard landmark since 1960 that dishes up 7 ounces of pure heaven in about 29 different ways .

Some of the choices we had to choose from ranged from

THE VIAGRA
(rise to the occasion!) with blue cheese dressing, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and french fries.

THE REPUBLICAN (lying in wait) pizza burger with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, & french fries
THE DEMOCRAT Now it’s your fault) with Swiss cheese, grilled sauerkraut, Russian dressing, & french fries THIS LADY GAGA (lady gag me) with provolone cheese, grilled peppers, and sweet potato fries

plus many more. I chose the Jersey Shore, which came with bacon, cheese, grilled mushrooms and onions. Add to that a side of onion rings and I was ready for the second round of moans to begin. You will all be happy to know, the moans came in waves. Poor Kevin, I'm not sure he was expecting the outcry that came from me! I am sure you know that in the tiny crowded joint, the moans quieted down the crowd as they looked around to see what sick animal got into the place. Yes a hamburger can be that good!!!

Well now Tuesday is upon us and its time to think of another location to wet the ole appetite. You see, all along I have planned to go to the north end for some down home cooked Italian food and I'm sure tonight is the night!! Except at the last minute, I call an audible (must be football season) and tell Kevin that we are heading to Chinatown. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? You got to be kidding me about this one. Go back into hibernation Triple M! Well hold on and take a look at these beauties that I ordered from the Peach Farm Restaurant and then tell me I was off my rocker;

What you are looking at is Won Ton soup and my main course, of 4 Gems in a Nest! The gems being, pork, scallops, shrimp and chicken. One taste of the soup and the 4 gems and I was talking (in this case, writing) Chinese!! 這頓飯讓我非常呻吟是如此。Simply translated... This meal made me moan so very much.

WELCOME BACK MAN OF MANY MOANS!!!!!

On to the North end for some Italian food tomorrow night. Stay tuned!

The Quest for Some Juicy Nookie

So I am out in St. Paul, MN conducting some warewash training to our brethren from Canada and thinking, I've got to get myself some juicy nookie while I'm here. Now, you may be asking yourself, "what is the Moan Man up to now?" "A little nookie when he is away from home, that can't be good"! In this case, I'm talking about a very special hamburger (Juicy Nookie) that one gets from the Nook Restaurant.

Now, since I will be with Bob and Robert for this evening of culinary excitement, I decide that perhaps we should go to the Nook's sister restaurant, the Shamrock Grill for a little extra elbow room. OK, so now you are probably asking yourself, "what is so special about the hamburger?" Well, first, they use the freshest meat to make their burgers and then, unlike most burgers that have cheese (cheeseburgers) these burgers are made with the cheese inside them. So in other words, they take a beef pattie, lay the cheese on top of it and then add another pattie on top of that and form it into one big burger. When this bad boy cooks up and is ready to be served, you got yourself a masterpiece with some very hot and liquefied cheese in the middle ready to flow out at first bite.

Looking for a change of pace that evening, I went with the peperjack cheese for my Nookie and wasn't disappointed. The burger was cooked to the exact temperature to allow it to be juicy and flavorful. With the burger, you get hand cut fries that they soak overnight in vinegar. Man, it doesn't get much better then that! One thing I should let you all know, is that with each Juicy Nookie comes a disclaimer stating that the cheese inside is very hot and caution should be taken when eating. Of course, I threw caution to the wind and dug right in. Just another mistake on my part! As warned, the cheese was extremely HOT and by GOD if I didn't scorch the inside of my mouth.

Now, since I was eating 3 meals a day during this trip, I was getting um, well, um, filled up and instead of trying the Nookie Supreme (bun, burger, bun, burger, bun) I opted for the single. Mistake number two! You see, when I finished my single, I still craved for more. What I should have done was follow the lead of Robert, well sort of. When we sat down and started to dwell on what to order, Robert saw that there was a challenge for those up to it. The challenge was simple, consume two Nookie Supreme's with all the fixins and fries and you win. Simple as that! Now I was struggling with just deciding on whether I wanted a single or supreme and Robert pipes up and says "I will take on the challenge." With our orders placed, we waited patiently for the food to come and the challenge to begin. It wasn't long before we saw what Robert had to consume to be on the wall of fame for winning.

And just so you get the full extent of the challenge, here is the back view of the two baskets that needed to be devoured:

As I said, I should have gone for the Supreme, but to eat two, well I don't think so! The challenge was on and Robert was confident that it was going to be a slam dunk! He started with optimism as would anyone taking on a challenge and tore into the first of his two Nookie Supremes.

Notice how small that Nookie looks in his oversized hands!! Robert was off and running and by the looks of it, his quest wasn't too far from being realized. After finishing off his first tray it was on to number two, and although there were times where he had to sit back and take a breather, in the end all that was left was, well simply put, NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "big man" had climbed the mountain and conquered the Nookie Supreme Challenge! And to the victor comes his picture on the wall of fame where his place of immortality will stand forever! I am proud to say, I was there to witness this feat and could only wish I had it in me to be as courageous as Robert to have tempted fate and took on the challenge.

Long Live the King!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO WEST YOUNG MAN

Yes, those were the famous words spoken back in the 1800’s to those that were in search of fame and fortune. For me, I heard the calling but it was under much different circumstances. You see, I went out west to find Meals that would Make me Moan! OK, to be honest, I went out there to work, but as long as I was out there it wouldn’t do any harm to do some moaning.

So I left bright and early Sunday morning and boarded a flight to Washington, DC. From there another flight to Phoenix, AZ and then one more flight for good measure to Seattle, Washington! After spending eleven hours in three different planes, you could imagine what my appetite was, as well as my demeanor. I needed food and it needed to be good enough to Make Me Moan. After meeting up with my partners in crime for the week (Bob and Brad), we settled on going to the Keg for some beef. You see, the gal at the front desk of our hotel said if this is the first time we have visited the Keg and we let them know, they would give us free shrimp cocktail for being newbies. With my mouth watering, we were promptly seated and waited patiently for our waitress to come take our order. After hearing the specials and ordering our drinks we asked for our free shrimp cocktail only to be disappointed by the fact that they discontinued offering that incentive, BUMMER!! Life goes on as they say, so I settled on some French Onion Soup (made with Spanish onions) and the prime rib with a side of mushrooms. The soup came out hot, loaded with plenty of onions and a golden brown layer of baked cheese on top. OOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEE that was good. When the prime rib came out our waitress warned us to be careful of the horseradish sauce as it was a specialty of the house and had a bite to it. Not one to back down to the heat of a HR sauce, I slathered it on my perfectly cooked prime rib and took a bite, then another and another until my taste buds said STOP you fool, you're going to burn us up if you don't. That’s when the heat hit me!! It was like a five alarm fire in my mouth! Water, lemonade, more water, more lemonade and then and only then was I ready to resume with the task at hand. You see, no matter how hot the HR sauce was, it was delectable and I just couldn't’t stop dunking my chunks of prime rib in it until everything on my plate was devoured. What a start to what I hope will be a week of many moans.

Monday and Tuesday morning brought us back to an old friend for breakfast.

That’s right, The Original Pancake House. Yup, Seattle had several of them in town and we (Bob and I) couldn't pass them up. Both mornings we feasted on eggs, pancakes, hash browns, toast, corned beef hash and of course, their famous thick cut bacon. Oh boy, two days of eating like that for breakfast and we needed to take a break. In fact after Monday’s chow down, we skipped lunch and only had a light meal for dinner.

Tuesday was a different story. Bob and I started at The Pancake House, skipped lunch and then went out for what I would hope was going to be a great Italian dinner. After doing some extensive research for a great place to dine, we settled on Grazie Resturante Italiano. One step into this quaint little cafe, and I was feel pretty good about my choice. After scouring the menu for what I was going to dine on, I decided to go off the norm and order a dish that contained a red sauce of sorts. Now, for those of you that did not grow up in an Italian household you wouldn’t understand the risk I was taking. You see, growing up with Italian grandparents, parents, aunts, uncle, etc., you become accustomed to eating homemade sauce on a weekly basis. When I say weekly of course, I don’t mean once a week, I mean several times a week and because of this, your taste buds become accustom to a certain quality of sauce. So you can now appreciate the position I put myself in. After much soul searching, I decided on Caesar salad and the Fettuccine Puttanesca.

The salad came out first, properly dressed with five anchovy fillets but was very light on the dressing. In fact, I must say, sans for the anchovies, the salad was not that memorable. I started sweating at this point as I was beginning to second guess my decision to come here. When the fettuccine arrived, I was overwhelmed by the wonderful aroma and overall appearance of the dish. I couldn't wait any longer, I picked up my fork, twirled some of that great looking fettuccine ladened with artichoke hearts, anchovies, tomatoes, calamata olives, mushrooms, capers and took my first mouthful. Mama Mia, I hit pay dirt!!! Not only did the moans start to come, I was overcome by memories from my youth. Memories of going to my grandparents and aunts house after Church to enjoy some home made pasta and sauce. Those are the memories that are deeply ingrained in my memory banks. The type of memories that take a special Italian dish to bring them to the forefront of my mind. Man, this was some magical pasta I was eating. I couldn't get enough. Even when I said I was done and couldn't eat any more, I found a way to finish every last noodle! So now that I properly finished off the main course, there was only one way to pay tribute to what I just had. Dessert!!! Now, my cousin Amy has been on the lookout for the perfect cheese cannoli and I wish I could say, I found it at Grazie's, but I can not. However, I can say I did find the perfect chocolate cannoli Just take a look at this beauty.

The shell was lite and crispy, with a filling that was flavorful, yet not too sweet. The whipped cream and chocolate sauce was just the right amount to compliment this delightful delicacy. All in all, a perfect meal and one that was totally worthy to be written up in the Meals That Make Me Moan Archives.

Wednesday is now upon us, and to tell you the truth, I need a break from eating!!! Well ,at least I need to change things around a bit. It was decided that there would be no breakfast and then a light lunch to ride us over until dinner time where we had planned to meet Shane and Kelly for what was promised to be a moan worthy dinner. With this in mind, breakfast was skipped and we opted for a light lunch of.........Hot Dogs! After spending some time searching for a hot dog spot, we ended up at Matt's Gourmet Hot Dogs. Now I won't spend much time on this but to say they had one of the best chili cheese dog and slaw dog I have ever eaten! Moan worthy indeed, but lets remember we are still talking about hot dogs.

Dinner time has arrived, Brad, Bob and I went off to the city to meet with Kelly and Shane at the 5 Spot restaurant. A lively little place that is known for American Regional Food. In fact, every 3 months they change their theme. This time around it was food and drink from St. Louis. I like to think that I am just as adventurous as the next person, but this restaurant is know for their honey stung fried chicken. So I guess you all know where I went with this.......................

That's a half of bird you are looking at which has been buttermilk dipped, deep fried and drizzled with Tupelo Honey. Served with some mashed potato's and carrots. This was no "KFC" I was dining at!. One bite into this moist bird and the flavors exploded in my mouth. There is no other way to describe this fine meal but to say the bird was moist, flavorful and plentiful. Everything that I look for in a meal to make me moan.

So that concludes the end of my Seattle trip. I must say, this trip ranks up there with my many experiences since I started writing this Blog. A few points I need to leave you with before my next writing:

1. That mysterious appetizer I so enjoyed at the Lucky Wishbone in Alaska was none other then deep fried chicken gizzards. Congratulations goes out to Kitty Hayes for guessing correctly on this!!

2. The fact that I have now been treated to such memorable meals as a pork chop sandwich and a pork tenderloin plate at Hog Wild, A Poblito at Rosalita's in Denver and honey stung fried chicken from the 5 Spot in Seattle has created a contest of sorts between Barb, Kelly and Shane as to which area, East or West can come up with the most memorable meal that will Make Me Moan. As Barb puts it, "I know how to play both sides and come out the winner". Clearly in this contest, the deck is stacked in my favor.

3. My next stop is in St. Paul, MN where I will be in search of some Juicy Nookie.

2010 - THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Happy New Year to all and with that said, it can only mean one thing.....many more Meals to Make Me Moan!!! Now, before we start out on the twenty-ten journey, let me bring you back to the end of 2009 where my journey ended......ALASKA. What a week of bone chilling cold that was. If it wasn't for some constant moaning, well, I just don't know if I would have made it! So, what do you think when I say Alaskan food? Salmon? Crab Legs? Halibut? How bout fried chicken?? Yup, I said fried chicken and not just any ole fried chicken, I'm talking about fried chicken from the legendary Lucky Wishbone Restaurant.

Serving Alaska for over 50 years ,this landmark aims to please with some of the best home style cooking that can be found. Well, with a claim like that, how could I refuse. So me and my team for the week set out to see what all the hub bub was about and as usual, we weren't disappointed. Well at least 3 of the 4 on the team weren't disappointed. You see, if an establishment is known for a certain kind of food, lets say fried chicken, you get the chicken, right? Well, my group for the week consisted of Bob, Ameer and Brad. For some reason, Brad decided to get the halibut. not a bad choice for Alaska, but not the right choice for the Lucky Wishbone. OK, so whats so special about the fried chicken you may ask. Simply put, they fly in their chickens from the lower forty-eight several times weekly. Which means fresh chickens that are never frozen. They have an established policy of only using the freshest and finest ingredients around. And that history of 50 years, well you judge for yourself.........

That's a five piece basket over fries and nestled up to a corn muffin. What a meal!!! The chicken was crispy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside. Once I started, I couldn't ,nor wouldn't stop until every piece was devoured. A great meal and a great start to my Alaskan adventure. But wait, I forgot to tell you about one of the best appetizers I have had in a long, long time.

This might have come out of "left field" for some, but for me and my friends it was right up our alley, as well as keeping with the theme of the dinner. Not sure what you are looking at? Well, you see the corn muffin? I know you can't see the pile of fries underneath the appetizer. But what exactly is the appetizer? You tell me. That's right, you want to know what these interesting looking nuggets are, you will need to send me your comments with your ideas. 'll let you know when you get it right.

THE BEST OF THE REST

OK, two things I want to say here...steak and a burger. Yeah, beef, well, sort of. The burger wasn't actually beef in the traditional way, it was Rudolph, I mean it was reindeer. A reindeer burger from Phyllis's Cafe and Salmon Bake.

The burger was cooked to a medium rare temperature and served with tomato and pickles. One bite into this lean, juicy burger and I was thinking that's why Mr. Claus has reindeer's. They're delectable!!

Now for my last part of this recap, I want to remind everyone on how much I detest eating at hotel restaurants. In fact, I will go out of my way not to do it. But alas, I must tell you all that I broke my golden rule in Alaska. As I was cow-towing with the front desk beauty one evening, she asked me if I was going to dine at their restaurant. Now I didn't have the heart to say no to her, but there was no way I was going to say yes. After some pleading on her part that I try it, I stated to her that I was meeting two of my Associates that evening and if she came up with some incentive for me, I would consider it. Well suffice to say, she made it worth my while......OK, I better clarify that. With $40.00 of restaurant credit in hand, off I went to the hotel restaurant. Once there, I took an inordinate amount of time to find a meal that would Make Me Moan (as if that could be possible from a hotel restaurant)! So after much discussion with Bob and Ameer, we all decided on something different. When the waiter came over to take our order, we engaged him in our pursuit of moans and he set us on the straight and narrow..........

That's a sixteen ounce rib-eye that was grilled with butter to a perfect medium rare temperature, with garlic mashed potato's and cauliflower au-gratin. Once we started to bite into our steaks, there was a cacophony of moans coming from the three of us. In fact at one point the moans got so loud that the table next to us asked the waiter what was going on at our table. I can only say that if this is the type of food that every hotel restaurants could produce there would be no reason for me to leave!!

So that's my recap of Alaska. Obviously, I had many more meals then just the chicken, steak and Reindeer. But as you all know, I will only write about the Meals That Make Me Moan.

Come back soon as I will recap my week in Seattle. You won't be disappointed as I came across some dishes that was moan worthy and I'm excited to write about them. Also, you will discover how one meal has started a battle of east and west.

FILL'er UP PLEASE!

I told you all from my last writing, that I had a special treat regarding my experience at a very unusual place to dine while I was in Phoenix. You see, I had only one night in Phoenix before I had to fly off to Alaska and I wanted to make this meal to be a memorable one. To that end, I decided that it was time that I consulted Triple D to see what hot spot was in the area that made its mark on the show. So after consulting their trusted web site, I found the location I just had to visit. So do you want to know where I ended up? Do you want to know how I came up with the title of this blog? Do ya???? Fellow moaners get ready, Fellow moaners get set, Fellow moaners lets goooooooooooooooo to Shell Gas Station and Convenience Store. That's right, the Shell station on the Southeast corner of Union Hills in Phoenix, Arizona and when you get there you will find Roberto's Authentic Mexican Food. So now you see how you can fill up your gas tank and your belly all in one stop! "Now wait just one minute!" "You are telling us, you ate food from a convenience store and are willing to write about it?" I say YES and I say if you ever, ever, ever get to Phoenix you must go there as well.

"OK, Man that loves to Moan, what so great about Roberto's"? Well, how about the freshest ingredients around? How about the most flavorful warmed flour tortillas I have ever tasted? How about the nicest gal that ever waited on me?

This is my new friend Monique!

Anyhow, as I was saying, how about the fact that the people at Roberto's really seem to care about putting out the most fresh, authentic Mexican food possible? How about, how about, I could go on forever. But lets get right down to the meal. If a pic is worth a thousand words, start talking.

What you are seeing is the meal that Bob and I co-consumed. To tell you the truth, we had such a hard time deciding what to order, we decided to order many items and split everything. What a great plan that was! So, what is it you are looking at that we ingested? Well, let me go down the list in the order we ate:

1. Nacho Grande -Top right

2. Chile Rellano's - Bottom left

3. Torta Carne Asada - Top Left

4. El Pastor Plate - Bottom right

5. Flour Tortilla Shells (foiled wrapped)

Just take a good look at the food, because I am telling you all, not only did the moans start coming out at first bite, but they just kept coming after every bite and didn't end until there was nothing left. I kid you not, I am now sold again on authentic Mexican chow. I have to say however, Roberto's has raised the bar so high, that I doubt any place else can match the quality.

So, prior to getting to Roberto's, we passed a Coldstone Ice Cream parlor and decided we would stop there after our meal. Unfortunately, by the time we got done sopping up every last bit of flavor with our tortilla shells, we had no more room for ice cream. But, I still had a hankering for something sweet to finish off that great meal. What was I to do? That's when my good friend Bob, said he would treat me (actually Monique treated us) to an authentic Mexican beverage: A Horchata!!! A what, I said? Well, well, well, for those of you that have consumed a Horchata, know the taste treat I was in for. Let me just say, I didn't think my taste buds could have anything else go over them that could finish off the night, but I was dead WRONG! Horchata is a refreshing cold drink usually consisting of rice, almonds, cinnamon (canella), lime zest and sugar. This drink is rumored to be a cure for a hangover (if this is true, pass me the bourbon). Even though the drink has a milky appearance it is completely dairy free. Now, I can't tell you how Roberto's concocts theirs, but, I swear to God, this was the icing on the cake. It reminded me of drinking the finest rice pudding available. The flavor of this drink just explodes in your mouth after each sip. I must say, after finishing off my glass of this wonderful mixture, I was spent! There is no other way to say it. This was one of the most memorable meals I have had since starting this blog. I was actually hoarse from all the moaning!!!

So that's it my culinary counterparts. Next stop,Alaska for a what I hope will bring much more to write about. Stay tuned and I will continue to share with you all those Meals that made me Moan.

Rosita, The Pioneer and an Old Friend

As I sit here poolside at the Chap (Chaparral Suites) in Scottsdale, AZ, with my Denver trips behind me, it is time for me to write to you all about my dining experiences that “Made Me Moan” in the Mile High City.

So as you all prepare to read this, you may be asking yourself “Triple M (Man of Many Moans) what took you so long to write this next chapter of your culinary experiences”? Well simply put, I went into a writers block and did not want to bore anyone with frivolous dribble until I broke out of it. But now, I’m in the right frame of mind and am ready to put in words the meals I had that will tempt your appetite and have you drooling for your next meal. Now, before I start, I need to explain the title to this section of my blog. You see, I was convinced the proper title should have been WAPITI, ROSITA & YAK but then when discussing this with Bob (my traveling companion for this trip) he suggested ROSITA, The PIONEER and an Old Friend. After hearing his reasoning’s, I agreed. So, what’s with the name you may ask, well let me take you on my journey to Denver.

Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant

So I know what you are all saying, “Moan Man, what are you doing at a Mexican restaurant? You told us you were finished with Mexican food, what gives?” Well, I was meeting Kelly (customer) for lunch one afternoon and she suggested Rosita’s. Well who am I to say no to a customer? So as I was sitting there with my team (Bob, Carl and Brad) waiting for Kelly, I had time to fret over my food options. It was at this time I resigned myself to the usual burrito. When Kelly arrived she stated that if you come to Rosita’s, you must try the Pablito. The what, I say!! What is a Pablito? "Order it and find out" she suggested, and that I did......................................

I wish I could tell you what was in this concoction, but I can’t! Suffice to say, whatever was in it, tickled my taste buds enough to cause those involuntary moans to come out. This dish had all the components to make a good Mexican dish. It had meat, cheese, greens, wrapped around a tortilla shell. In a nutshell I would rate this dish as outstanding and very filling (I must say, I had trouble finishing it). My faith in Mexican food was starting to be renewed. I must ask myself however, is there more out there that will bring me back full circle? Only time and a visit to Arizona will tell.

A PIONEER

OK, so you get the Rosita piece. Now, let me tell you how Bob came up with the pioneer part. To do that, let me give you all a history lesson. Back in the days (late 1800’s to early 1900’s) there was an individual who shaped the way of the Wild West. William Frederick Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, was a buffalo hunter, U.S. army scout, and an Indian fighter. But he is probably best known as the man who gave the Wild West its name. He produced a colorful show called Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World, which had an international reputation and helped create a lasting image of the American West. William F. Cody died of kidney failure on January 10, 1917, surrounded by family and friends at his sister's house in Denver. On his deathbed, Cody was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church the day before his death by Father Christopher Walsh of the Denver Cathedral. Upon the news of Cody's death, he received tributes from King George V of the United Kingdom, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Imperial Germany, and President Woodrow Wilson.[15] His funeral was in Denver at the Elks Lodge Hall. Wyoming Governor John B. Kendrick, a friend of Cody's, led the funeral procession to the Elks Lodge.

Contrary to popular belief, Cody was not destitute, but his once great fortune had dwindled to under $100,000.Despite his request in an early will to be buried in Cody, Wyoming, a later will left his burial arrangements up to his wife Louisa. To this day, there is controversy as to where Cody should have been buried.

On June 3, 1917, Cody was buried on Colorado's Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado, west of the city of Denver, on the edge of the Rocky Mountains, overlooking the Great Plains. His exact burial site was selected by his sister, Mrs. Mary Decker, while looking over the area accompanied by W.F.R. Mills, manager of the Denver Mountain Peaks.



OK, history lesson over, lets talk food! After visiting the grave site of BBC, I was in the mood for some, let say, wild game and that brought us (Bob, Carl, Brad and me) to…...


The Buckhorn Exchange is Denver’s oldest restaurant, or so they say. So what kinds of game can one get at the Exchange you may ask? Well, just one look at the decor will give you an idea.

We were seated promptly and our waitress Raina, came by to tell us a bit about the place. Before we go into that, I must say that Raina was smartly dressed in a very colorful blouse and the most exquisite set of hooped ear rings I have ever seen. With items on the menu such as Rattlesnake, Alligator Tail, Rocky Mountain Oysters, Buffalo, Quail and traditional beef, I was in another quandary as to what wild game they had that was going to “Make Me Moan” With so many choices, I asked the lovely Raina for some help and after much discussion and thought, I decided on having a combination plate which featured two meats of my choice and a side. the next question was what two meats, and that's when I finally decided on Wapiti and Yak!

So you are now probably asking yourself “what in the good Lord’s name is Wapiti and what exactly is a Yak”?

Well it's education time again:

The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger, and Cervus unicolor (the sambar deer) can rival the C. canadensis elk in size. Elk are almost identical to red deer found in Europe, of which they were long believed to be a subspecies; however, mitochondrial DNA evidence from 2004 strongly suggests they are a distinct species.

The yak (Bos grunniens) (Tibetan: གཡག་; Wylie: g.yag) is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population. In Tibetan, the word gyag refers only to the male of the species; a female is a dri or nak. In most languages which borrowed the word, including English, yak is usually used for both sexes.Yaks belong to the genus Bos, and are, therefore, closely related to cattle, with whom they commonly interbreed, as well as the Southeast Asian banteng, gaur or Indian Bison, and the now extremely rare kouprey.Yaks are herd animals. Wild male yaks stand about 2 to 2.2 meters (6.6 to 7.2 ft) tall at the shoulder and average 1,000 kg (2,200 lb); the females weigh about one third of this.[2] Domesticated yaks are much smaller, males weighing 350 to 580 kg (770 to 1,300 lb) and females 225 to 255 kg (500 to 560 lb).[3] Both sexes have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males and females have horns.

Now that you are all educated on the Yak and Elk, let me tell you how this delightful game was prepared. The elk was char grilled and served with a berry cabernet sauce, while the Yak, also char grilled was topped with a garlic butter sauce. Both of these entrées reminded me of the finest cooked steaks I ever tasted. The Yak was like a fine NY strip and the Wapiti a tender filet. My mouth was treated to a combination of flavors that exploded in my mouth to the very last bite. I must say that this was my first foray into the game field and I can tell you, it won’t be my last.

An Old Friend

In an earlier visit to Chicago, I told you of my fortune of finding a breakfast spot that was top notch (Bentley's). I must now tell you that I was reacquainted to an old friend for breakfast in Boulder, Co when Bob and I came across the Original Pancake House.

I first discovered this establishment in Rockville, MD and must have gone there at least ten times for breakfast. So when I found out that there was one in Boulder, I had to make the drive there. As in Rockville, their menus had the same offerings and rather then go with their signature apple pancake, I ventured off the beaten path and settled on the Tropical Pancakes with a side of their homemade corned beef hash.

These lightweight beauties were made with pineapple and came with tropical fruit compote. DELICIOUS!!!! The cornered beef hash was to die for.

The corned beef was shredded properly and made up the majority of the mixture with just the right amount of potato. Add some ketchup plus a dash or two of hot sauce and the moans came swimming out of me like a tidal wave! This combo of pancake and CB was enough to put me over the edge on the full belly meter. It’s a wonder I could eat when dinner time came around (but of course I did). Now, it is a rarity that I share with you a meal that a companion of mine had, but in this case I will make an exception. Bob had the corned beef hash and eggs and a side of the thickest bacon around.


See, the reason I tell you this is because I have ordered this dish on one of my many trips to TOPH and can tell you from experience, it is OUTSTANDING!!!!

So there you have it my fellow culinary followers. My trip to the Rocky Mountains has been chronicled and now I must get ready to head off to Alaska. I promise that I won’t make you wait too long to find out what Alaska had to offer and what interesting foods I found that Made Me Moan.

Oh, one last thing. While I was laying over in Phoenix, I had the opportunity to visit an establishment that I shall write about in my next blog. The only thing that I will leave you with, is that it was in the most unconventional spot you could imagine and it served up the some of the best Mexican food I ever ate. Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!