American Style Restaurants

[NickyN]

Originally Posted by Spudz27

Nah this is a different mix of spices and has chopped onion and garlic in with it.

So
1cup of bbq sauce
1/2cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp Woschteshire sauce
1 Tbsp of prepared mustard (i guess from a bottle not powded)
1 Tbpsn Chilli powder (will be half in mine as I have kids)
1/4cup brown sugar
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 1/2 Teaspoons dried thyme
1 tspn oil

Put the oil on bottom of slow cooker and place the 1.8kg (4 pound) Pork shoulder in, then add all other ingredients and stir well to combine. Put on lid and cook on high for 5-6hrs or low 10-12 or until meat falls away. Remove, use tongs to pull meat and add back to the juices and stir well. Serve on a roll.

The brisket dry rub is

1Tbspn onion powder
1 Tbspn garlic powder
2 tspn salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tspn mustard powder
2 Tbpsn chilli powder
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 crushed bay leaf
1 1/2 cups beef stock

Mix all dry ingredients together I omitted a bit of chilli powder and it was still spicy, but in a nice way.

Take a 1.8kg brisket and rub both sides with the mix.
Put in roasting pan and cook uncovered on 200c for an hour
Remove from oven, add beef stock and enough water to make 1/2inch of liquid in pan. Cover tight with alfoil and bake in oven at 170c for 3hrs or when meat is tender.
Let stand for 10 mins, remove from pan and remove fat before serving (the fat was lovely but lol) serve with pan juices
I did 150c for 4 hours and it just fell apart. I served mine in a roll which I dunked in the juices.

I think I'll try the dry rub recipe. Now to bust out the converter and figure out the temperatures....hmm.... Hopefully this weekend if not it'll be next week for sure!

[TC200six]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

I did get told that there was one called Carolina Kitchen in Coorparoo but wanna know if there are any more.

When I first saw that name, I imagined it would be some kind of large restaurant in a prominent location. But it's just a small suburban café with an American theme as its name suggests.

However, I thought I'd go there anyway and I just got a hot dog Apparently Sam Thaiday from the Broncos has been spotted there not long ago also.

As said before, it's just a small café so there's none of those extreme eating challenges you might be thinking of, but there's still no reason why I can't give it a thumbs up.

[Spudz27]

Was it a proper hotdog? Or just one of those red skinned polony filled things people try to pass off as a hotdog? I am still trying to find a Butcher or specialty store that offers real hotdogs.

[TC200six]

Originally Posted by Spudz27

Was it a proper hotdog? Or just one of those red skinned polony filled things people try to pass off as a hotdog? I am still trying to find a Butcher or specialty store that offers real hotdogs.

I'm no expert in that area to be able to say if it was real or not, but it was very different and much thicker hot dog than I've ever seen at a normal restaurant or corner shop. The ones they make come with coleslaw, onion and (I think) Chili con carne as toppings. Not like the typical stores here that only offer tomato sauce and mustard.

[Feathers]

Just found a couple of food pics on my phone. Thought I'd share...
Breakfast at Denny's

Walnut pancakes with fresh banana, egg and bacon.

Dessert at Cheesecake Factory

Reeces' Peanut Butter Choc Cheesecake.

[Spudz27]

Could pass on the pancakes, but not on that cake lol. I can see myself heading to the states very soon lol.

[TheSneakiness]

That cheesecake looks so damn tempting.

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

That cheesecake looks so damn tempting.

^ this

[Spudz27]

Can anyone say pulled pork and home made slaw???? I hate cabbage so I used iceberg lettuce instead. Iceburg lettuce, carrot and spring onion. The only way to describe eating the pulled pork on toasted turkish with the slaw is by saying, it was like an orgasm of awesomeness in your mouth. The only thing I can liken it to, is a donner kebab from the best kebab shop in aus. Next time I will eat one only. I struggled on the second big time.

[NickyN]

That bread looks like ciabatta rolls. The crust is crisp yet chewy and the inside is soft and spongy.....perfect for sandwiches!

Your pulled pork with homemade slaw looks absolutely delicious! Good job cooking it!

"an orgasm of awesomeness in your mouth"..........you belong on the Food Network!

[NickyN]

Nah just eat 2 and then go to the gym and work it off! More fun that way!

[Spudz27]

Originally Posted by NickyN

That bread looks like ciabatta rolls. The crust is crisp yet chewy and the inside is soft and spongy.....perfect for sandwiches!

Your pulled pork with homemade slaw looks absolutely delicious! Good job cooking it!

"an orgasm of awesomeness in your mouth"..........you belong on the Food Network!

Cheers, not food network, but I always dream of having a caravan or small shop front that does hotdogs and sandwiches like this.

[Ford17]

An update for Brisbane:

Hudson Corner, 10 Albion Road (Corner of Hudson), Albion, facebook.com/hudsoncorner

Carolina Kitchen, 38 Macaulay Street, Coorparoo, 3847 8227

Mighty Mighty, Shop 6/7 100 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley, 3666 0184

Papa Jacks, Corner Connor and McLachlan streets, Fortitude Valley, 3162 8466

PJ Steaks, 2/173 Boundary Street, West End, 3844 1886

Sloppies, 3/226 Leichhardt Street, Spring Hill, 3839 1112

Southside Diner, Shop B8/B9, 168 Grey Street, South Bank, 3844 3040

From: http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food...423-373wz.html

[hawkgirl]

update for Penrith, nsw -
Memphis BBQ Pitt, York Road.

[zilo]

I wish we had Carls Jr "restaurants" here..

6 dollar burger for 3.95

We ate it 3 meals a day once just to see if the kids would get sick of it...NOPE!

[blueoval]

Update for SA

Bennys American Take Away.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/336/1783...Away-Blackwood

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by hawkgirl

update for Penrith, nsw -
Memphis BBQ Pitt, York Road.

I've been there once, service while extremely friendly was unbeleavably slow, I had ribs that I wouldn't have again but I beleive the burgers are good

[2011G6E]

We loved the food in Vegas at the various eateries we tried, from "proper" restaurants to fast food places.

Surprisingly, the fast food was freshly made, tasty, and very cheap.
Oh, and Popeyes Chicken! I thought it was just something made up for the movie "Little Nicky", but no, we were driving along and I saw it and we simply had to try it. A 2 piece pack (with "biscuit") and a drink, $2.99. Big, freshly cooked and spiced chicken, and a beautiful "biscuit", which was sort of a flattened scone brushed with melted butter...I could have eaten a basket of those damn things on their own! The chicken was, in my opinion, miles ahead of KFC in every way.
And yes, as Adam Sandler says in then movie..."Popeyes Chicken if fricking awesome!!"...


Inside the Mirage casino where we stayed, there were plenty of different style of restaurant for every budget (as with all of the casinos). One we tried was the Carnegie Deli, a New York style traditional deli selling all sorts of huge sandwiches. I ordered a huge reuben, packed with pastrami and corned beef, called the "Woody Allen". The missus had a club sandwich with the lot (that was a silly thing to say, we discovered). The waiter came out with a pair of dispensers for "real egg mayonnaise" and a fantastic sweet mustard called "Frenchs Classic Yellow" mustard...which happily I have discovered you can buy here in Woolies supermarkets where the mustard is sold.
The meal came with a huge "side of fries"...thin cut, skin on, wonderful taste.

This is why the missus choice of "with the lot" was a bit silly...the look on her face says it all.... It was packed high with pastrami, bacon, turkey, and fresh salad.


Mine was not much smaller...


We also visited a restaurant across the road from the Mirage, and Australian-themed restaurant called the Outback Steakhouse...I am led to believe it's the same as what we see here as "Outback Jacks", a little like we call it Hungry Jacks and in the USA it's Burger King...same restaurant, different name. We were told by the excited waitress that "we were probably the only authentic Australian things in the place"...
The entree I ordered was the most memorable...a huge onion, cored, partly sliced, covered in a very spicy batter and deep fried, called the "Bloomin' Onion". It came with a small bowl of dipping sauce in the middle, spicy as well, and you peeled the "fingers" off it and ate them. Awesome! I've seen copycat recipes online for making this thing, and I'm definitely going to try it some time.



We should have...no, we deserve...more American-style places like this in Australia. Not everyone wants to eat a little plate of salad or a greasy box of KFC...you occasionally like something really different.

[blueoval]

2011G6E - Those pictures looks incredible. I've just had tea and my mouth is now watering after seeing whats on those plates.

[2011G6E]

You can make an perfectly acceptable copy of a reuben (there's many different kinds of "reuben" depending on where you are in the states) at home easily enough.

Start with good large slices of bread...the old fashioned kind is best, a tall loaf.
The meat slicing is important...a good old lump of corned beef (preferably get the ones that cook in the sealed thick plastic bag they come in...they turn out much more moist and juicy), sliced very thin across the grain so it comes apart easily when you bite into it. As I said, in Woolies supermarkets now you can get the proper Frenchs Classic Yellow "made in the USA" mustard. Once I have a suitable pile of sliced corned beef, I start assembling things.
Lightly toast the bread...only just brown, very light. Then butter...and it must be butter...the bread. Heat up the corned beef in a microwave, and then start laying on the corned beef evenly. Keep putting on more layers, and every couple of layers squeeze on some of the mustard to your personal taste. Keep layering until it's to the size you want. Personally I throw in a slice of cheese (swiss is good) as well somewhere in it.
Maybe add some proper mayonaise too while you're at it...good egg mayonaise. Come on, use the real stuff...by this stage you're not worried too much about it being overly "light" are you...?
Slice it straight across the middle, and pin each side with a long toothpick, serve up...the meat filling should be warm to hot. Awesome.
You can also throw in some pastrami as well as the corned beef, but sometimes good pastrami is hard to find here.

The Yanks seemed to love pickles with everything...at most places a little dish came out piled with pickles just as a normal part of the meal (you can see it in the middle of the table between us). I was a bit dubious about just biting into them (I like pickles on, for instance, McDonald's burgers, but they're small and thin slices), but they were crunchy and salty and awesome all on their own.

[MNM96]

2011G6E,

Awesome write up Mate. You can pick a foodie because he talks of food like he is talking about a child. They are both a part of your life you would die without. (though sometimes if they go for a sleepover, it's fine)

I have got a few friends from Jamaica, and as such, have been playing and perfecting Jerk, both Chicken and my fave Pork. I love it, the hotter the better.

Anyways, I have been playing with Yanky fare since the Axe started this thread. Mucking around with 'Slaw and Potato Salads, and have even making from scratch my own egg mayo and mustards, a sweet version, a hot version and a pretty good mild yellow american style.

Been playing with burgers, hot dogs and clubs, but not reubens. I have always done a mean corned beef, so it makes sense to try.

When I get to it, I will report back. Need to bring the camera, these food shots look smashing!

(insert licking my drooling lips smiley here please!)

[2011G6E]

There are many very good "copy cat recipe" websites for various American restaurants and fast food joints, everything from drinks to entree nibbles to main meals and deserts.

I've got a recipe for a traditional New York Baked Cheesecake. It is BIG...you need a big springform tin to bake it in, and only restrain yourself to eating a thin slice at a time. It's not the sort of soft cheesecakes we usually get here in Oz.

Here it is, copied straight from when I downloaded it many years ago from a website specialising in "traditional New York food":

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE
Work Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2–2 1/4 hours
For crust: Combine;
* 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (edit: "Nice" biscuits do just as well)
* 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
* 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
* 3 Tsp. sugar
Press mixture into Bottom of Pan and up sides until a thin crust is formed for cake:

Cream Together:
7 pkgs. (125gm each) Philadelphia® cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 T. vanilla Add One at a Time:
4 eggs Blend in:
1/2 cup sour cream

Pour in filling, Bake at 150 degrees C until golden brown on top and a testing skewer comes out easily.

NOTES ON THE FILLING:
The “soul” of New York cheesecake is its filling. There are three
characteristics that make good filling. First, it has to be dense. Most
cheesecakes don’t come close to being this heavy. You don’t use a lot of extra egg whites or lighter “wimpy” cheeses. Second, because of the large amount of cheese used, it’s tangy. You don’t have to use a lot of sugar. Finally, it has to be that “stick to the roof of your mouth” buttery. Don’t even think about the diet here. Just cut a smaller piece. Just for fun, I tried to find fancy cream cheeses thinking it would add a lot of character—you know, organics, and ones with no preservatives, waxes or gelatins. It ended up that good old Philadelphia® brand was best. And if you use low-fat Neufchatel, don’t be writing me letters saying your cheesecake wasn’t great. It needs fat!

I've also noticed that lining the springform tin first with a bit of spray oil and baking paper on the bottom and all around the sides makes it come out a lot neater and easier.

Do yourself a favour...try making this goddamn thing sometime...it's awesome...

[blueoval]

I can feel the pounds going on my gut just reading this. Sounds divine.

[hawkgirl]

the "bloomin onion" was actually a Chili's restaurant item. When the chain folded in NSW (due to huge payouts & fines over a franchisee underpaying staff) it magically appeared on Outback Staekhouse's menu.

I love these but unfortunately they are on my list of things i shouldnt eat.

Apparently these guys are the bomb in sydney atm - http://hartsyard.com.au/menus/

[2011G6E]

I was surprised that the menus were different from the USA to Australia in Outback Steakhouse and Outback Jacks, given that they're the same place more or less. Looking at the online menu for Outback Jacks, they don't do the Bloomin' Onion here.

It's apparently a fairly common entree at a lot of places, from what the Wikipedia page says about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blooming_onion

Anyone know what supermarkets might sell Chipotle sauce...? Can't seem to find it in the local Woolies. Might have to have a hunt around the other supermarkets next time I'm down in Rocky.

[Ford17]

Another one for Brisbane:

Red Hook:
http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food...017-3i911.html

[Lotte]

Oh god. Those sandwiches. Oh god.
*drools*

[mik]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

Can someone please explain what's the appeal of American food? I don't get it personally, is it the enormous portions? These are the people that add dye to their cheese so that it's the colour of highlighter orange, and then put it into an aerosol can so you can spray it onto your sandwich!

Well i suppose one real reason might be people may be tired of buying burgers from the big franchise local take away places that always have wonderful looking burgers on their adds and bill boards , but then when you buy one.................... it looks like it was made by a blind and drunken cook that left out half the ingredients and then had it sat upon by sumo wrestler who then stuffed in the container and passed it through the window.
i could go on but ........

[2011G6E]

Some people told me the portion sizes were huge in some places because the customer expected to take some home in a doggie bag for later. We were asked if we wanted one when we were finishing our meal at a couple of places.

Apart from that, you actually had to look around deliberately for a place that had stupidly sized portions. Most places had quite ordinary portion sizes like we see here in Australia.

Aldi sometimes has American stuff...I was at an Aldi in Nambour when I was staying with an old friend of mine who's a chef and owns a restaurant. She spotted a steak sauce called "Sweet Baby Rays Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce".
And my god...it's awesome. I've asked around about it but Aldi only gets it every few months. It's absolutely amazing on steak and sausages. I tried it on some chicken legs we cooked in the oven and it was great on them too.

[4bbl]

I found texas portions to be larger than other state