For posterity

[revised, re-posted]

Okay people.  I need your help.  Early on in the life of this blog (circa last month) I told you about Rebecca Federman, the librarian at the New York Public Library who is in charge of the largest public menu collection in America.  In watching her video she says that she wouldn’t ever refuse a menu.  Hmmmm…never refuse a menu you say?  This translates in my brain to “Send me some menus, STAT”.  So here’s the deal…

I’d like to assemble maybe 15 menus that say something about Charlotte NC and environs.  I’d like to keep it confined to restaurants that have been around for a while, institutions, if you will, that really speak to Charlotte history/culture.  Please give me some ideas.  I’m currently considerng the following:

1. The Waffle House ;)
2. Price’s Chicken Coop
3. The Coffee Cup
4. Green’s Lunch Mert’s
5. Something to do with Johnson & Wales (not really historical but it makes sense?)
6. Something to do with the Panthers
7. Bank of America Corporate Dinning Room (if that even exists)
8. Ditto Wachovia (possibly more historically significant)
9. South 21 Drive-in
10. Gus Sir Beef
11. The Emerald Beef n’ Bottle (thanks Lell)
12. Bill Spoon’s Barbeque
13. Fenwick’s
14. Carpe Diem
15. Alexander Michael’s

So lemme have it folks.  Please post some suggestions/objections.  Thanks.

[Keep 'em comin' people, that's why the re-post]

Swine a lot

I’ve been seeing so much interesting pork around lately, here’s a sampling:

Fat is flavor – Making headcheese at home (video), curing guanciale at home, throwing a BLT party with bacon ice cream for dessert…yeah.  This blog is my favorite of the moment, trust me, it goes way beyond pork, check it out.

Porchetta - This take out eatery is serving only it’s namesake (plus a couple sides).  Think piggy in a blanket where piggy=loin and blanket=belly.  The website tells you nothing so see the review at Serious Eats

 

Bacon Salt – Vegetarian AND Kosher?  Go figure.

 

The BBQ Song – You’ll either want to sing along or have an aneurysm.

Update: Vendy Awards

Last month I wrote about the 2008 Vendy Awards. Well it all went down this past Saturday in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. “There can be only one”…see the coverage at Grub Street and Serious Eats.

Rant: Batali, Spain, and me

So, I’ve been watching “Spain…On the Road Again” now through the fourth episode.  Overall, it’s been entertaining, not without challenge.  I think the series started off a little slow and I certainly needed to become acclimated to the vast amounts of mindless banter on the show.  Not to mention, the gross coverage driving around in a convertible Mercedes is starting to challenge my sense of self.

New feature: Tongue Tales

We live in a gazelle of a town, populated with restaurants galore, a wide spectrum of food markets, and a diverse population to pillage them all. So what are Charlotte foodists eating?

Tongue Tales is a regular feature that will help shed some light on that question.  I’m reaching out to friends and strangers, to food biz insiders and outsiders, to anyone I know or suspect has a zeal for eating.  Once a week I’ll post their answers to the same questionnaire here, at Bellyspeak.

Thanks to Ganda at eat drink one woman, who gave me permission to use her format.  The quality of her blog is beyond my vocabulary…just start reading it.

Tongue Tales: Lell

Name: Lell Trogdon

Occupation: job hunting

Neighborhood: The “international corridor: AKA: Central and Eastway

Relationship status: Single

What did you eat today?

Breakfast:Fried eggs with leftover cornbread

Lunch: ham and spinach on ciabatta

Dinner: Kale (stirfried) with a side of leftover tomato chicken and corn soup.

What do you never eat?

Bananas and Shellfish

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator you can always find…

Dukes Mayo, cheese of some sort, champagne, tobasco, butter, eggs and half and half.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My Shun knife. It was a gift from my staff when I was cooking for a living and I use it everyday and think of each of them every time I pick it up.

Where do you eat most frequently?

At home and hopefully feeding friends.

World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?

I would be happy with a good cup of coffee and a biscuit. If I had time and money: a perfect grilled ribeye from Baucom’s or a pork roast from Grateful Growers slow cooked in molasses, garlic and chipotle. Roasted carrots, turnips and whatever other veggies I could throw in there too! Wait, if it was summer, some fresh tomato and basil from my garden….

 

Thanks Lell! for sharing your palate in the inaugural post of Tongue Tales. Lell’s photo was pulled from Andy Ciordia’s photostream.