#bob armstrong dip

[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: Bob Armstrong Dip (from The Austin Cookbook by Paula Forbes)

The following recipe comes from Matt’s El Rancho in Austin, TX. Scroll down to watch a video about the origins of Bob Armstrong Dip! 

Former Texas land commisioner Bob Armstrong was a Matt’s El Rancho regular. Apparently bored of the typical menu offerings, legend has it Armstrong asked Matt Martinez Jr. to make something up just for him. Martinez added a scoop of beef taco meat and a scoop of guacamole to the restaurant’s queso, and Tex-Mex history was made. Armstrong died in 2015, but he’s still on a first-name basis with Matt’s El Rancho diners, who order small Bobs and large Bobs every day.

You can make any of these three components separately, if you like, or make a vegetarian Bob by swapping the beef for some pinto beans. Serve this with tortilla chips.

Makes 1 large Bob, with a bit of leftover meat and guac. Serves 6.

For the meat

8 ounces (225 g) ground beef

¼ cup (35 g) finely diced red bell pepper

¼ cup (35 g) finely diced onion

1 stalk celery, finely diced

½ teaspoon granulated garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat a pot over medium heat, then add all the ingredients. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Most of the liquid should evaporate, but the mixture shouldn’t be dry. Keep warm while you prepare the other components.

For the guacamole

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pits removed

Juice of ½ lemon

½ teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small Roma tomato, finely diced

Salt

Combine the avocados, lemon juice, granulated garlic, and oil, mashing everything slightly. The mixture should be chunky, not smooth. Stir in the tomato and season with salt.

For the queso

1 stalk celery, finely diced

¼ cup (35 g) finely diced red bell pepper

¼ cup (35 g) finely diced white onion

½ cup (75 g) diced poblano pepper

½ cup (90 g) diced Roma tomato

2 cups (225 g) shredded or cubed American cheese (processed cheese will work in a pinch)

Bring 1 cup (240 ml) water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, poblano, and tomato and boil briefly to cook everything, about 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low, and gradually whisk in the cheese. Heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly. The second all the cheese is melted and everything is heated through and smooth, remove from the heat so it doesn’t overcook. Do this step right before serving: If you used American cheese the dip will separate as it cools; if you used processed cheese it will develop a skin on top as it sits.

Pour the hot queso into a wide, shallow serving bowl. Add a scoop of meat and a scoop of guacamole, about ½ cup (120 ml) of each. Do not mix. Guests should combine the queso, guacamole, and ground beef together with tortilla chips as they eat it.

Trivia! Believe it or not, queso isn’t the only thing named after beloved statesman Bob Armstrong. Thanks to his role in convincing the state to purchase a 300,000-acre ranch on the Texas- Mexico border—including its eight-milewide collapsed ancient volcano—the visitor center at Big Bend Ranch State Park has been named in his honor.

The story of Austin food is equal parts deep Texan traditions and a booming food scene. It is this atmosphere that has fostered some of the hottest restaurants in the country, a lively food truck community, and a renaissance in the most Texan of foods: barbecue. Austin food is also tacos and Tex-Mex, old fashioned Southern cooking, and street food and fine dining, with influences from all over the globe. And above all, it’s a source of intense pride and inspiration for chefs and diners alike.

Organized by Austin’s “major food groups”—like barbecue, tacos, and Tex-Mex—The Austin Cookbook explores the roots of Texas food traditions and the restaurants that are reinventing them, revealing the secrets to Bob Armstrong dip, Odd Duck’s sweet potato nachos, East Side King’s beet fries, and of course, smoked brisket that has people lining up to eat it—even in the Texas summer. Part cookbook, part souvenir, and 100 percent love letter, The Austin Cookbook is perfect for proud locals, visitors, and (t)ex-pats.

For more information, click here. 

[omnomwithrob]

Keep matriculating the ball down the field.

I am so pleased that as of last night, our hometown Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to their second consecutive Super Bowl! How fitting that the next post up in my queue is the food we ate for Super Bowl LIV around this time last year. What a time to bust out all of our vintage Chiefs gear.  

I really really love football food, so planning what to eat for the Super Bowl, especially one that OUR team was playing in, was an especially fun task. We thought initially of doing the Kansas City barbecue route, but because that’s so difficult to recreate without a smoker and because we did not want to spend >$100 mail ordering some from home, we decided to make a homemade treat that would still feel special - Bob Armstrong Chile con Queso from Bon Appetit!

Rob fell in love with Bob Armstrong dip at Matt’s El Rancho in Austin, Texas a few years ago. To me, it seemed a strange choice to celebrate the Chiefs’ first trip to the Super Bowl since 1970 with a queso dip from Texas, but he had a good point that it is an indulgent football-grade food, so I didn’t object. You should never object to anyone with a knife, gloved hands, and a bag of jalapeño peppers. 

This is far from the Velveeta/salsa/microwave combo that many of us Midwesterners grew up eating. There are loads of fresh ingredients, including ground beef, onions, bell peppers, and some spices for the picadillo, plus tomatoes, poblanos, jalapenos, and of course - multiple types of CHEESE. 

I may not share the same enthusiasm for Bob Armstrong dip as Rob does, but it is good! He thinks it’s the best queso that can be made or served, and while I like it and wasn’t upset to recreate it, I think I actually prefer a meatless queso, just for the purer cheese flavor and experience.

But Rob really did do a great job with this recipe, and it was fun to eat during the Super Bowl. 

We had intended to order wings from Crisp to accompany the queso (because the Seoul Sassy wings are AMAZING). We learned the hard way that trying to get through to a wings place on Super Bowl Sunday is like trying to drive a toaster through a car wash (???) so we weren’t able to secure any wings. Thankfully, my mother-in-law brought along a more nutritious side by way of salad - she often serves tasty salad kits when we eat with her, and this Southwestern flavored one was a nice accompaniment to our Tex Mex queso.

For dessert, I decided to make “Super Bowl Sundaes,” which is just a corny thing I learned how to do in grad school. 

Here’s the quick and dirty on my Super Bowl Sundae recipe:

Ingredients: 4 waffle bowls 1/2 bag of white chocolate chips Multicolored nonpareils Ice cream (flavor of your choosing - I just used vanilla) Chocolate fudge sauce (I used storebought Smuckers) Whipped topping Maraschino cherries (or raspberries, if you’re like Rosie) Sprinkles to match your team’s colors (I used red and gold)

Directions: Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water; stir constantly until all of the chips are melted. Brush white chocolate on the interior of the waffle bowl. Working quickly so the chocolate does not yet harden, add a handful of nonpareils to the waffle bowl and rotate until the nonpareils coat the white chocolate layer, resembling a crowded stadium. Shake out any excess nonpareils. Store these in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When it’s time to serve, add ice cream, chocolate fudge, whipped topping, cherries/berries, sprinkles, and anything else to the waffle bowls that you like on your sundaes. You can also leave the ingredients out for guests to build/customize their own!

It was an incredible night to be a Chiefs fan, with our Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers, ending a 50 year drought that surely brought a tear to Len Dawson’s eye. The game was not for the feint of heart, and our meal was not for the lactose intolerant. We haven’t yet talked about what we’ll have to eat for the upcoming Super Bowl two weeks from now, but both the Bob Armstrong dip and the Super Bowl Sundaes are on the table as strong options - especially if we’re going to be superstitious and try to coax a similar outcome.

Caroline

[myrecordcollections]

The French have every reason to be proud of Django Reinhardt. Jean Cocteau called him "the guitar with the human voice". Anyone can dip into his performances and possibly find something they love. It is not possible to sample any of Lester Bowie's performances with the same results. Bowie has the same "trumpet with a human voice" style as Louis Armstrong. Let countless angels sing Pops to his rest, by the way. On the other hand, Bowie stood on the gnarly, broken ground of free jazz. He was a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, one of the flagships of free jazz. On this CD, it is the paradign of Gate, the model of Dipper, the tone of Louis Armstrong that holds the cards. On Ken Burns' TV series 'Jazz' Bowie told of pointing his horn out an open window when he practiced. He wanted Pops to hear him, a green tinhorn who did not know all his scales, and hire him for his band. Now, there is such a thing as 'funk' (pronounced as 'fonk' in New Orleans, Louisiana) in this world. Funk propels this band, courtesy of of Bob Stewart's tuba and Phillip Wilson's drums. Presiding over all is an incarnation of Armstrong, a vision in a white lab coat whenever he played for an audience, Lester Bowie. A varied programme of covers and originals is presented. The opening and title track is a revelation, with the band creating a floating groove that inspires Bowie to coax beautiful slurs from his trumpet. "Think" ends as soon as it starts. "Lament" begins with a series of drones from the horns, then slow paced chords usher in the solo by Stanton Davis. "Coming back, Jamaica" is worthy of special mention. Bowie was interested in the music of Jamaica so he moved there for a few years, putting the career of the Art Ensemble on hold. It is, in essence, reggae with Bob Stewart's tuba laying down the beats. "Nonet" was written by Stewart and recorded by him with a very different band on his CD, "First line". It is an ensemble piece, light on solos. Like Ellington, it is wonderful to hear how the chord voicings change. "When the spirit returns" is another slow starter, drones humming along until Stewart and Wilson signal that the fun should commence. And so another ending. All wholes are greater than the sum of their parts. The members of the Brass Fantasy and their leader are all fine players, in some cases leaders in their own right. I don't know why Lester Bowie always wore a white lab coat on stage. Maybe it made him feel like a Mad Professor of Trumpet in conjunction with his forked beard. He is gone, now, courtesy of prostate cancer. If you never saw him playing live you really missed something.

Frances Huntington

[sipsnibblesbites]

Layered Chili Con Queso

Layered Chili Con Queso

This Layered Chili Con Queso recipe is my version of the famous multilayered dip created by the late, great Tex-Mex Chef Matt Martinez at his Austin eatery; Matt’s El Rancho. Layered taco seasoned ground beef and chorizo, chili con queso, guacamole, Pico de Gallo and sour cream. The Bob Armstrong Chili Con Queso dip as it is known is about the best Tex-Mex appetizer you’re ever going to taste.

Th…

[reallyintothisblog]

Bob Armstrong Dip aka Tex-Mex Queso Recipe

Bob Armstrong Dip aka Tex-Mex Queso Recipe

Bob Armstrong Dip aka Tex-Mex Queso Recipe

A few weeks ago, I arrived home to find one of the greatest things in life – a surprise package on my doorstep.  My sweet friend Pam sent me a box with a card, some bridal magazines, and The Austin Cookbook.  As much as I love California, I desperately miss food from Austin, which made this book one of the best gifts I received in a while.  Mark…

[the-choosey-begger]

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bob-armstrong-chile-con-queso-dip

Bob Armstrong Chile con Queso

[sarahsatticoftreasures]

Famous Bob Armstrong Dip — The 2 Spoons Jump to Recipe Bob Armstrong Dip Another last minute do-able Game Day appetizer, Bob Armstrong Dip! Run to the store in the morning, get the ingredients you need and you can throw this together! 704 more words via Famous Bob Armstrong Dip — The 2 Spoons

[frecklesandthenerd]

The Intricacies of the Old World

Predictably, everyone was exhausted when we arrived in Morocco.

Jason and I met up with Emilie and Ally in the Lisbon airport for our flight to Marrakech. When we got to Marrakech, we had several challenges and misunderstandings, which were made more difficult by our exhaustion. First, we were staying in the medina, where cars couldn’t actually drive. So, our driver hired a porter to take our luggage and bring it into the medina, while he led us through on foot. When explained, this makes perfect sense, but none of it was conveyed in English, and we spent an alarmed couple of seconds trying to figure out if we would ever see our stuff again. Then, there was a booking error with our riad, and as they spoke very little English, we had a lot of translation difficulties in resolving everything. Finally, we tried about five ATMs before we found one that worked. It was all a bit stressful.

I go into this detail because I think it’s important to acknowledge that sometimes travel is challenging or downright unpleasant. It’s usually temporary, and doesn’t usually detract from the overall amazing experience of getting out of your comfort zone, but it can suck. Once everything was all resolved, we treated ourselves to a nice restaurant and a bottle of wine, which helped everyone feel better. Silhouette of a Moroccan sunset (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Walking through the narrow streets (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Night in the medina (Photo/Jason Rafal)

This was our first introduction to tajine, which is a traditional dish in which meat and vegetables are cooked for about three hours in a covered clay pot over a fire. It’s very good, and when it’s done well, incredibly delicious. We ordered a Moroccan wine as well — we’ve heard alcohol is pushed on tourists, but we didn’t need any encouragement. The wine was very drinkable, but not overly complex, which was our experience throughout the trip.

Tajine at dinner (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Moroccan riads are primarily old houses with beautiful interior courtyards that have been transformed into bed and breakfasts. They vary in size, and since Moroccans often don’t eat out for dinner, they tend to be where meals are available to tourists in the older parts of town. The restaurants are often in the courtyards or the roof terraces of the riads, so that diners can experience some respite from the hustle and engine smell of the medina.

The riads all serve breakfast, which is a feast of breads, dips, and fruits, in the beautiful inner courtyards. Depending on the riad, there was also bird chatter and/or music. At our second riad, the man serving breakfast told us that he loves listening to Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and Louis Armstrong. Much to our amusement, this riad also had a track of American pop songs played on pan flutes, including Evanescence and Avril Lavigne.

The stairway of our first riad (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Circular staircases were very common (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A typical breakfast spread (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Monday was our first full day in Marrakech, and we set out to do some exploring.

The 19th-century Bahia Palace was our first introduction to the insane amount of detailed extravagance featured in Moroccan palaces and tombs. The name “Bahia” means “brilliance,” and it’s not an exaggeration. The palace features beautiful gardens and courtyards with colorful tile work, detailed carvings, and gleaming stained glass. Maybe it’s just because we went there first, but Bahia Palace was my favorite.

Along the medina wall (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Group self portrait in a very old mirror (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Shadows against the carvings in the Bahia Palace (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Emilie in one of the extraordinary rooms (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Stained glass on a light fixture (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole, Emilie, and Ally through some of the carved doorways (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Carvings under a doorway arch (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Lots of colors (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One of the courtyards (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The ceiling in one of the rooms (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Irrigation in one of the courtyard gardens (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Views through the courtyard rooms (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Next, we went to Saadien’s Tombs, which are considerably older (16th century). The tombs were apparently abandoned for centuries and then rediscovered in the early 1900s. The compound, which houses around 60 members of the royal family, consists of a courtyard and three large rooms. The most famous room, which is usually simply referred to as “the room with the twelve columns,” is a beautiful combination of tile, stucco, and cedar work. You can’t actually go into this room, and the viewing area only holds about 4 people, so there’s usually a line to look in. We stood in line for 20 minutes without actually knowing what we were waiting for, but the view was worth it. That being said, as with all of the sites we visited in Morocco, morning is usually better if you don’t want to wait in line for a long time.

One of the city’s mosques (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One of the tomb cats (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Inside the room with twelve columns (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One of the tomb walls (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After lunch, we headed over to Le Jardin Secret, which is actually two gardens in the heart of the medina. The gardens are wonderfully lush and beautiful, and there’s a cafe that overlooks them. We stopped there for mint tea before heading back to our riad.

The roads were full of vans, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, horse-drawn carriages, and hand carts. I’ve never been somewhere that had such an equal distribution of several centuries of transportation. Unfortunately, because the city walls are so high and the inner roads are so narrow, the two-stroke engine exhaust gets trapped, making fresh air hard to come by. This makes the inner courtyards of the gardens, palaces, and riads even more welcoming.

Horses and carriages on the street (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Flowers in the garden (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The view over Le Jardin Secret (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A subtle self portrait in a pot of mint tea (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One of the beautiful walkways in Le Jardin Secret (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The calls to prayer were something that I both expected and didn’t fully understand before we heard them. There are five each day, and you’ll hear each one at multiple times — there’s an initial call to come and pray, and then another when the prayer actually starts a few minutes later. The initial call blasts through mosque speakers, sounding almost like an upset sheep or a single human yell. Then, the other speakers crackle and catch up, producing a somewhat tinny melding of voices for the next few minutes. It’s loud, and different, and mesmerizing. For the first few days, I woke up for the pre-dawn call to prayer, which soothed my frustration at jet lag.

Another thing I didn’t fully expect about Morocco were the communal cats everywhere. I started seeing cats on the street immediately, but was surprised that most of them weren’t actually feral. We saw a lot of eye infections, but most of the cats were a healthy weight and had fur that was in great shape. As we continued our trip, we started seeing a lot of shopkeepers feeding and interacting with the cats, and one of our guides later said that they were the bosses of the medina. Some of them were kind of obnoxiously friendly, especially when you had food.

An adorable kitten lounging (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A fluffy kitten next to one of the walls (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A building facade (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Rugs hanging out to dry (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Sunset at the Koutoubia Mosque (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Sunset at a park near the Koutoubia Mosque (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Appetizers at dinner (Photo/Jason Rafal)

[cowboytrey]

The amazing "Bob Armstrong Dip" dip from Chef Grady Spears at Horseshoe Hill. Fresh house prepared chips just add to the already great flavor profile. #chowwithtrey #foodporn #Deliciousness (at Horseshoe Hill) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsfQn2dnRLk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cgbbwqyvhtm

[discovercreate]

Vegan Queso and Bob Armstrong Dip

Vegan Queso and Bob Armstrong Dip from foodgawker https://ift.tt/2FHmIFR

[stenoodie]

Media Tasting at Hotmess Tex Mex

Media Tasting at Hotmess Tex Mex. #texmex #yum #wishwehadmorethough

Hotmess Tex Mex

This past Tuesday, there was a jojoinstameets media tasting at Hotmess Tex Mex.  If it weren’t for jojoinstameets, I would not have known about this neat little Tex Mex restaurant!  Hotmess Tex Mex resides on Queen Street West where there are a number of notable eats already; it seems like Queen Street West (Little Italy) is becoming quite the food scene for (more…)

[teacher-lavin]

Bon Bon, Jan Savitt, and me*

Photo from Vol Vistu Gaily Star (1939). 

See author’s reading of story in audio file at bottom. Also, Recording of Bon Bon performing “The Masquerade is Over.”

I found an envelope on my desk full of letters that I must have written back in brighter times. This one was on top. 

Dear Bon Bon:

I hope that’s OK, --to call you “Bon Bon.” I met you in 1974, the year just before you passed. You had invited my dad to visit, and he brought me along. I was 19. All I knew was that you were the crooner whose silken voice fronted the Jan Savitt Orchestra in the 1930s when my dad was a trombone player with the band.

Big handshakes when we arrived. I think you had been ill, and you were staying in Philly with your sister or an aunt. Trying to seem grown, I said, “Bon Bon, it’s great to meet you.” But my dad cut me down, saying, “That's Mr. Tunnell, to you, boy. Who do you think you are?” So, I corrected myself, “Sorry, Mr. Tunnell.” And you smiled and said, “Don’t pay that old goat no mind.” And then you candidly asked my dad, “Jack, does he play?” And my dad said, “He’s terrible.”

The room had an audience of three or four of your cousins and a blind lady from the neighborhood. There was also a delicate young woman about my age, a niece. My dad was being very courteous and fun with everybody, except me, of course. He usually reserved his jovial laugh, and decorous, joking manner for people whom he wished to impress. I was easily embarrassed in those days, particularly in “company” with my father. The reason was that my dad’s way of dealing with me was to attack when he sensed my weakness. The worst was when we were with other people.

So then, my father dressed me down again with a rebuke, “Kid, when are you gonna get a lip?” Shaking his head, he lamented loudly that I never practiced. But, Bon Bon, you put your arm around me, and whispered in a tone that  the whole room could hear, “Young fella, your old man ain’t never gonna change. He’s just wound up too tight. I would love to hear you playing or even leading a band somewhere, someday. I know you will.” You were speaking like you could look into my future. Then, you quipped, “You gotta have a sweet-lookin’ trumpet or a trombone, right?” I nodded. That was a lie. And you included my dad in the musing, “Jack, we gonna buy this kid a valve-trombone like that silver-plated horn we bought for you. Remember that, Jack? I told Mr. Savitt to get that one for you! You always made it sing.”

Bob Bon! The airy way you intoned your words was a melody. Your speaking voice rose and fell like a brass choir. Your phrasing, your pauses weren’t just talk, your way of speaking was like Coltrane and Miles trading licks at a jam session.  While speaking, you walked me across the room and introduced me to your niece, and she greeted me with this kind, innocent, bashful, welcoming single syllable and  accompanying gesture, “Hi.” She raised her hand faintly and tapped the air twice delicately. I melted. You prompted me, 

“Well, is it trombone or trumpet? I know Tommy Dorsey here would never let you play the sax." My dad rebutted, “Don’t mix me up with that scoundrel, Dorsey!” For my part, I was way off key at this point and, trying to sound mature and to join in the banter, I overstated my cause, “I play both! I play trombone and trumpet. Man, I’m bad.”

You saved me, halting and gazing at my old man, warning him, “Look out, Jack. He’s coming’ for you.” My dad just shook his head.

We were in the nice room at the front of your folks’ house where visitors came. When my mom and dad had been together, we had had a room like that. Drinks appeared. There was a lot of laughing. Once I started to feel the beer, I was OK. That’s how I met you. You were more than generous. You were a magnanimous presence. Well, the story continues. My dad and I left your family high and late that pallid summer afternoon. It was the seventies in Philly. The car radio played Temple University’s Jazz Station low, and against a background of static another friend of my dad, Hank Mobley, was wafting a Brazilian-styled Bossa melody from the car’s speakers. We were somewhere in Southwest Philadelphia. As we drove away, we were euphoric on so many memories you and my father shared. Skying on that feeling of friendship, --free associating like a long piano solo. We were inebriated by the luxury of having been together partying with good people. For the moment, I was drunk. And so I felt almost safe. Dad was telling me stories about you guys. I  knew that you were the star of Philly’s  Jan Savitt Orchestra. As my father wheeled his rusting Cadillac homeward, he told me that you were Catholic and that, while playing a gig in Pittsburgh where the band had to stay in a hotel, he met you early one Sunday morning walking to mass at a nearby Catholic church. He reminisced over the steering wheel, “It was a big band. Fifty people or more on the road.  But that singled Bon Bon and me out. We were the only two practicing Catholics. After that, we prayed together when the band was on the road on weekends.” It wasn’t just the whiskey talking, it was affection. From my dad, that was different. His voice went falsetto high and even broke a couple of times. He said you had “credibility” with Jan Savitt and that the bandleader followed your advice about musical arrangements, style and orchestra personnel. After you and my dad had gone to church  together, you must have commended his trombone playing to Savitt. So, the conductor began calling him up during performances from the back of the bandstand to the mike. Once up front, my dad said that he would crochet vamps and runs on the trombone behind “Bon Bon’s magical manner of lyricizing.” His horn had to echo your singing. The trombone had to blend, dipping in and out of your trademark sound. My dad concluded, “That was a great opportunity. Bon Bon opened the door for me.”

So, after leaving hotels in Reading and Scranton, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City and Cape May, New Jersey to seek out Sunday morning masses, doors started opening for my dad. I guess no matter how much hell you guys were raising through Saturday nights, you both went regularly together to communion the next morning. You had a bond. I learned that you knew lots of people in Pittsburgh, too. Through you, my dad met Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt and Ahmad Jamal all playing in the Hill District. “Bon Bon brought me to the party,” my dad remembered.

That suave evening on the way home, I also learned that Jan Savitt was real committed to launching an integrated orchestra back in the 1930s. As if teaching, my dad historicized, “Savitt was Jewish and he had seen too much hate. He wanted music to be a language that everybody could hear and speak and understand.” I was young, but I got that.

My dad remembered that, in some bands, white players were paid higher, belonged to separate musicians’ unions than black players and, “There were places we played where we had to enter through separate doors because the owners were racist idiots. It was humiliating to everybody. You see. You’ve got a friend who is including you in his life. You’ve got a friend who’s sharing his family and  connections with you. You’ve got a friend who is taking care of you. Then, you see him being excluded from the money and the respect he deserves, and there’s nothing you can do about it.  His family and friends always made space for me, --always were good to others. I was never cut out. No matter how hard he worked, Bon Bon was exploited, disrespected and insulted. He always showed courage. He always showed humanity.”  

The way home, punctuated by neighborhoods and stop lights and crosstown expressways, went quiet. Finally, my dad asked me, “So, what do you think?” Feeling unprepared, I said, “I don’t know,” Then, he reprimanded, “Well you’d better figure it the hell out, kid. You’d better figure things out or you’re going be stuck out in the cold.” 

We were back to being bitter. My dad by invective. Me by clenched silences. The stress of being with my dad made me sweat so much that I felt feverish. The hot summer evening suddenly seemed cold. So much had happened, I couldn’t make sense of  the currents sweeping through my shaking body. I got out of the car finally and my dad didn’t say “Bye,” he just said, “Figure it out!” That was over half-a-century ago, but since that time whenever I wanted to cheer my father up, I would mention your name. Especially at the end of his fight with cancer. As he’d lay listless in the aftermath of treatments, all I had to do was mention you if I wanted to see him pause and smile. Bon Bon! However briefly,  you brought me and my dad together. You made us whole. Yes. Your voice called friends and families and lovers to life’s weird party. Then, you sang, and those people felt the love. Audiences that came to hear you saw Black people and Jewish people and Irish Catholics and Protestants and Muslims all performing together back in the 1930s. You were a healer.

My dad was cruel, and I’ve had to deal with that. But he did love you. And the best gift he gave to me was the way he adored jazz musicians for their talents and their friendship.

He told me, “You can learn to love Jazz. It’s African music. It’s beautiful. Jazz is like being part of a big family. Ella and Dizzy and the Duke and the Count. They’re all connected. But you can never know what Black people in this country experience. You can never know the bigotry they have to face. You can’t know that from the inside.”

I got that as a kid. The only time I had ever seen the old man cry was near dinnertime on the day in July 1971 when Louis Armstrong died. I was just home from my job at a shoe factory in Norristown and was nursing a beer on my dad’s couch when the evening news suddenly reported that the Great Satchmo had passed. His face went wet with tears. “That man never played a bad note,” was all he could say, over and over, like a mantra.

Bon Bon! What I learned was that music --even the crooked notes like what I played on my student model trumpet at weddings and dances and other weekend gigs-- still had power over people.

So, no matter how angry I felt about my dad’s abuses to my mom or his bitter way with me, I have to thank you for caring. Even for that skinny, frightened teenager I was. You made me want to play bell tones and to share my sound. I wanted to soar on that silver valve-trombone that you and Jan Savitt bought for my dad.  That was a goal, right?  Well, even though my learning curve has been a spiritual mudslide, I feel your charm in moments of reverie like today writing this letter. I listen to you croon “The Masquerade is Over,” and I hear your voice honor love. I learned that, --at least. No matter whatever else has happened.

When the weather breaks, I’m going to be tracking down where you’re buried. I’m quite sure that must be somewhere in Pennsylvania. My dad once said that he would have loved to visit with a wreath from the two of us, --to remember you. I just want you to know all these years later that your voice is still heard, Mr. Tunnell.          

With Affection,

Johnny

* All of the persons named in this story are completely fabricated and fictitious and bear no connection to actual persons living or deceased, --except for Jan Savitt, George “Bon Bon” Tunnell, Ella Fitgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Stan Getz, Ahmad Jamal, Art Blakey, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. 

[zanybouquetturtleuniverse]

austinwoodandmetal.com/handyman.html Dallas restaurant sued for calling their queso Bob Armstrong dip

[crowlentil98-blog]

Where to Eat in Austin Right Now According to Neighborhood

This definitely sounds crazy, but I’m starting to think I’ve eaten almost everywhere in Austin that I want to at the moment. That being said, the last six months have been the most exciting time in the culinary scene as I’ve seen chefs take risks and branch out to showcase what they really want to cook and eat. I’ve been most impressed by the concepts that don’t replicate any others in town and the ones that we have been NEEDING such as Uncle Nicky’s, an Italian cafe and bar with meat sandwiches, gelato, and cocktails, Bar Peached which is in the corner of Clarksville that always needs new spots to grab a nice cocktail and a bite, and Intero on the east side which changes the menu daily and uses whole animals and ingredients to prevent waste.

Full disclosure- I do need to revisit a few old school places like Fonda San Miguel which I haven’t been to since college and Vespaio, and I have only eaten LA BBQ catered. I want to try the Indian food truck Bombay Dhaba on South First, and El Dorado and Little Deli up north. Otherwise, I’ve eaten my way around the Austin sun in the last two years. People say I’m lucky or wow how do you do that. Guys, these restaurants are open to the public (YOU), and you don’t have to eat at your same breakfast taco shack 5 days a week!! The only place I frequent is Casa De Luz, the holy vegan spot when I need a healthy reboot and some home cooking! Otherwise, here are my favorite spots right now new and old in each neighborhood when you’re looking to sift through all the noise.

SOUTH AUSTIN:

(South First, South Congress, Bouldin, South Lamar)

Asian!

American!

Vegan!

Pizza & a Show!

Mexican!

Fresa’s – Who goes to a Mexican restaurant to get ice cream? Me! James Beard nominee Chef Laura Sawicki makes the best cookies in cream with fresh oreos and chocolate brownie. It’s casual and ideal for to-go or big groups when you want margaritas and perfectly cooked chicken. I also love their vegetable sides that are more creative than rice and beans like sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, beets, etc.

Matt’s El Rancho – C-L-A-S-S-I-C Tex- Mex. If you’ve been looking for Bob Armstrong dip, it’s here.

Polvo’s – I love watching them bake the fresh tortillas and the salsa bar. Fish fajitas all the way.

El Borrego de Oro – Best tortilla soup. That’s it.

Vera Cruz Al Natural @ Radio Coffee – My favorite breakfast taco in town. Only at this location. Fish tacos are good, too!

BBQ!

Bakery!

DOWNTOWN + RAINEY STREET

French!

Chez Nous – You won’t even know you are in Austin until you leave and head across the street to Antone’s. Escargot and Fish!

Le Politique – On the west side of downtown. I like best for brunch. Get the cinnamon roll and hash.

Perfect before a show!

La Condesa – The restaurant that started the 2nd street population. Great for birthday dinners in their subterranean private room.

Fareground – A food hall where you don’t have to commit. Tacos, Italian food, golden milk, matcha lattes, Monster Cookies, Sushi, Ramen, and Israeli food.

The Back Space – Perfect pizza and antipasti veggies before heading out to a show on Dirty Sixth.

Lunch!

Koriente – Not much of an atmosphere, but it’s for the healthy Asian lunch spot with rice bowls and curries. I add spicy tuna to my veggies bowl.

Walton’s – Quick sandwich, soup, salad, bakery. Get the golden egg snickerdoodle for dessert.

Holy Roller – Punk rock diner ideal before or after day drinking. I like the grilled cheese with avocado.

Second Bar + Kitchen – Something for everyone and good for business.

Nice on Rainey!

East Austin

Breakfast + Brunch!

Fun Dinner!

Il Brutto – This might be the only Italian restaurant in town that actually has a true Italian chef cooking in it! He makes 7 handmade pastas daily, pizza dough that is fermented for two days so it’s fluffy and crunchy, and their happy hour is 1/2 off all drinks from 5-7 p.m. I love the lasagna, lamb, and complimentary limoncello at the end.

Kemuri Tatsuya – This is one of the most fun places in Austin because you can’t get this food anywhere else. Think Izakaya meets Texas BBQ. Good for big groups.

Intero – They change their menu regularly and used to work at the iconic Jeffrey’s. You’ll see the same ingredients sprinkled throughout the menu because they are big on no waste and using whole animals. Their pastas are great.

Suerte – Masa, masa, masa! I love the bar here, good wine, and a fun, intimate setting. It’s bright, has flamingo wallpaper in the bathroom. The brisket tacos and carrot dumplings are my favorite.

Buenos Aires Cafe – This is one of the oldest restaurants in Austin and on the original east side! I haven’t eaten here in years, BUT they have an awesome speakeasy bar in the back called Milonga Room and the fries are dank. You have to call or text to make a reservation Thursday- Saturday. They have live music and great wines. 512.593.1920

Launderette – Chef Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki run the show here so it’s flawless. I love all the Mediterranean influence yet great burger and chicken thighs. There’s a reason everyone talks about the birthday cake ice cream sandwiches only served at dinner. Don’t worry the breakfast pastries are fabulous, too.

The Brewer’s Table – The menu here is quite intriguing. They brew their own beer here and use wheat and hops in some of the food. Have no fear, if you are a wine over beer drinker like me, this spot is still for you. I love the large format family style dinners and their rabbit carnitas tacos are my favorite in town. Not sure how this place can have the best tortillas but they do!

Justine’s – This is the sexiest restaurant in town. It’s one of the only super sceney yet local places where I feel like I’m in NYC again. The staff has outstanding individual style, they don’t care that you have to wait 2 hours, the murals in the outdoor tents during the winter are gorgeous, and the steak tartare and mussels are memorable. This is where I want to go on a date or with my best friends for a night out.

Easy dinner!

Thai Kun – The Asian food trucks are actually my favorite in Austin. Thai Kun also happens to be outside my favorite cocktail bar, Whisler’s. Get the Cabbage Two Ways (fried and raw) with holy basil and mint and the Khao Man Gai Thai Steamed Chicken with rice. Mmm.

Hillside Farmacy – Go for the kale salad and mac ‘n cheese. It reminds me of a cute corner spot that would be in Brooklyn. Fun for a girls dinner or a good cocktail at the bar with a date. It has old school pharmacy style seating but very chic.

Sour Duck – This is almost the definition of Austin. Casual, outdoor beer garden feel, order food at the counter. Lots of meat and some veggie options. Waiter for cocktails AND parking.

Bakery!

Paperroute Bakery – This place holds a special place in my heart. This young twenty-something baker named Aaron is a one man show waking up at 2 a.m. to start baking in his 500 square foot bakery attached to Cenote. Go for the blueberry pop tarts, bundts, and place an order for your next birthday cake.

CLARKSVILLE/TARRY TOWN/ HYDE PARK/CAMPUS

Casual Good Food!

The Beer Plant – This all vegan restaurant with a brewery blew my mind. I love that it wasn’t showy and felt just like a neighborhood spot that ANYONE vegan or not can actually eat at every night and not get sick of it. It was PACKED on a Wednesday. Get the special soup of the day because it’s served with their awesome bread and the eggplant curry. All the sandwiches looked so good I wanted to steal a bite from my neighbor when he went to the bathroom.

Texas French Bread – An Austin classic right by campus since 1981! Feels like it must have been the only bakery and place to get fresh breads in town at one point. I love their brunch and superb omelette. Great salads and easy sandwiches. Cookies for all, and best of all, beautiful lighting.

Better Half – I have all my meetings here. I’ve never seen a better place for coffee, cocktails, AND food. I also feel very Brooklyn here with the well dressed crowd. Men in real, fitted t-shirts. Go for the fried chicken salad, cauliflower tater tots, and biscuit with homemade jam.

40 North – This is my all around favorite pizza place. The crust has height, is fluffy, and holds the sauce and toppings well. It’s in a cute little house ideal for lunch or a casual dinner. The Mediterranean cauliflower and bibb salad are enough of a reason to come if not just for pizza!

Uncle Nicky’s – This tiny Italian cafe and bar in Hyde Park made me squeal when it opened in 2019 as there is nothing like it. I can get an assortment of negronis, Italian meat sandwiches on the best homemade roll in town, kale salad with truffle honey, and my absolute favorite: sardines with salsa verde and ritz!! Come here for an early aperitif or stop on your way home. Best solo or with one other person due to space.

Shoal Creek Saloon – If you are looking for a bar withe peel n eat crawfish and shrimp, here you go. Skip the gumbo and go for the fried okra.

Pool Burger – Backyard burgers served out of a food truck, tiki cocktails, crinkle cut waffle fries, and necessary soft serve.

Nicer Outing!

Clark’s – This is go-to for seafood. The only place in town where I can get a perfect bowl of ciopinno + oysters. The burger is my favorite in town,  and don’t forget they are open for brunch, and the pancakes are awesome.

Bar Peached – This menu is wild and crazy, kids! I love the cucumber vodka cocktail, and the chimichurri carrots. It’s like asian ingredients meets Texas with unique tacos and even pastas made with udon noodles. It’s situated in a cute house in Clarksville and has patio seating that feels separated.

BURNET ROAD/ALLENDALE

Easy Lunch or Dinner!

Picnik – All hail anyone looking for fresh, mindful ingredients and those we are allergic to gluten, soy, corn, or peanuts. They don’t let any of that in their kitchen! Think butter coffee, matcha lattes, breakfast hash + tacos on Siete tortillas, my favorite cauliflower steak with capers, raisins on a bed of hummus, roasted chicken, and their paleo blondie.

Tiny Boxwood – A ladies who lunch spot from Houston. Just come for the cute, outdoor courtyard and chocolate chip cookies!!!

Pacha – A tinsy coffee shop that has my favorite pancakes in town. They serve their eggs on top of them, too!

Bakery!

Kellie’s Baking Co. – Known for their ginger cookies with instagram photos pasted on the front, I prefer the brookie which is half chocolate chip cookie/half brownie/topped with mallow! It’s so gooey and doughy. I love their stuffed reese’s and twix cookies just as much!

Tiny Pies – Mini pies great to bring to a party or a birthday. I like the fruit ones best.

SUSHI 

This gets its own category because there are so few in town!

MUELLER

Source: http://www.chekmarkeats.com/where-to-eat-in-austin/

[anachef]

Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders Announce Expansion To South Florida

Huey Magoo’s Bob Cafferty, CEO Andy Howard and Tyler Cafferty.

The Popular, Central Florida Based Eatery Continues Rapid Expansion Across the Southeast with Five New Stores Coming to the South Florida Region

Orlando, FL  (RestaurantNews.com)  The greatest tasting chicken tenders brand “Huey Magoo’s” continues expansion at lightning speed with the exciting announcement of five new stores opening in the South Florida region starting this year, President and CEO Andy Howard reveals today.  New Huey Magoo’s franchisees and construction, manufacturing and sales professionals Tyler and Bob Cafferty and family will join the Magoo’s team to bring the popular Central Florida based brand to South Florida.  They will open the five restaurants over the next five years in the following targeted areas: Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Sunrise, North Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano, Coconut Creek, Margate and Tamarac.  The first 1875 square foot location is slated to open in June 2019 in Sunrise (West Commercial Landings, 9440 West Commercial Boulevard, Sunrise, FL 33351).  News of Huey Magoo’s expanding to South Florida comes shortly after the brand publicized its big plan to open up to 46 stores in the Greater Atlanta region also starting this year.

“We’re excited to announce the signing of our newest development agreement in South Florida, which holds extra special meaning to me as my home,” says Howard.  Tyler Cafferty continues, “As an alum of The University of Central Florida where Huey Magoo’s is a favorite in the Student Union, I’ve always been a huge fan of Huey Magoo’s, and so I could not be any prouder to bring these incredibly delicious tenders to South Florida.”

Joining Huey Magoo’s family of restaurants, South Florida stores will offer Huey Magoo’s signature grilled, hand-breaded or “sauced” premium chicken tenders, farm fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps, available as individual meals, meals for two and family-sized options.  Each tender is always made fresh, all natural, with no hormones, no steroids and no preservatives.  All locations will also feature Huey Magoo’s newest design.

For more information on Huey Magoo’s and a list of locations, visit www.hueymagoos.com.  For franchising inquiries, contact Andy Howard at andy@hueymagoos.com.

About Huey Magoo’s

Huey Magoo’s was founded in 2004 by Matt Armstrong and Thad Hudgens, two southern boys with a passion for quality chicken and a penchant for serving others.  Voted “Best Fried Chicken” and “Best of the Best Chicken Tenders”, Huey Magoo’s is rapidly expanding throughout the Southeast with multiple locations in the Greater Orlando area and coming soon to South Florida and Atlanta.  Huey Magoo’s prides itself on providing fresh and tasty chicken tenders in a clean, family-friendly environment, while showing their love for people.  Huey Magoo’s delivers delicious, fresh, cooked-to-order chicken tenders, and they do it to perfection.  Huey Magoo’s also gives back a portion of profits to not-for-profit organizations and community groups.  Committed to building a culture of excellence in service and food quality by serving only premium hand-breaded or grilled chicken tenders dipped or “sauced” in uniquely flavorful signature sauces, Huey Magoo’s attracts a cult-like following of Millennials, families and neighboring businesses desiring quality, delicious food at reasonable prices.

Contact: Ilene Lieber Passion PR Consulting 321-277-7812 ilene@passionprconsulting.com

source http://www.restaurantnews.com/huey-magoos-chicken-tenders-announce-expansion-to-south-florida-010919/