Steamed Mussels

        More often than not, seafood in Oklahoma is either frozen or fried. I enjoy fresh seafood thoroughly, but I realize that having it shipped to land locked states in the center of the country sometimes makes it iffy at best. Fast-forward to the East. This Okie is borderline excited about seafood.

        Elizabeth and I have been talking about shellfish for some time. Wait, rewind…

   

       Liz is the primary reason that I moved 1,200 miles from Oklahoma City to North Carolina. Needless to say, she is a special woman.  She is known on the blog of Jeremy and Kathleen. She has been featured on Apartment Therapy. And she is the Senior Art Director of her advertising agency. Long story short, she is a jewel.

       OK SO GOOD. Elizabeth and I have been talking about shellfish for some time. I did some research, and Liz brought home some ingredients. It must be noted, that the look on her face when she walked in the door was priceless. She was excited about the great day she had had, yet creeping into that look on her face was the fact that she had 2 pounds of live, moving mussels in her hand. Where is my camera when I need it? And then... we steamed some mussels.

      

             
            This is this point where I would like to act like an awesome foodie and give you, in detail, the delicious recipe. Unfortunately, that is not going to be the case. Butter in the pot. Check. Sauté some garlic and shallots. Check. Add chardonnay to the mix. Check. Umm... I guess we add the mussels now? Yes. I was blown away by how simple yet delicious this dish was. It may just be an Oklahoma boy getting acclimated to his new environment, but let me tell you, this environment tastes good.

               Up until this point, I have been a stickler for making sure all images on this blog were mine. To be honest though, Liz’s pictures completely set the scene (and looking at them make me want to eat this meal again). All of the images in this post are hers. And I’ll be the first to say that she takes some sexy food pictures. 

            
              Who knew that some butter, garlic, shallots, white wine and some mussels could make for one amazing meal? Oh, and toast some crusty bread while you are at it. You are welcome.

Fullsteam Brewery

            
             In my humble opinion, COOP Ale Works is a high point in the limited selection of Oklahoma craft beers. On COOP cans you can find an inconspicuous note that reads OK+COOP=AWESOME. I would tend to agree.
 
             Well before I departed OKC, through the magic of the internet and word of mouth, I had heard about Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC. As a result, visiting Fullsteam was on the short list of things to do when I first moved to Durham. I was very much looking forward to seeing what was behind the heavy red, sliding door marked with a large, inverted F.

             Stepping through the threshold of the heavy, sliding door I imagined seating to accommodate the crowd of people that overflowed onto the front patio. I was pleasantly surprised to see a ping-pong tournament taking place on two tables. Making the way through the tournament spectators, another room opened up with seating, a stage for performances and a jukebox filled with great music. Half of the music listed was local. To be honest, we played Warpaint just because we could. The back wall was all glass, giving a full view into the room where the magic happens. The large stainless steel brewing equipment almost joins you in having a drink.  

             In the bar area, large chalkboards hang on the brick wall, listing the selections for the day. Southern Lager, Rocket Science IPA and Carver Sweet Potato are reliable fixtures. Fullsteam’s mission is to  “…create a distinctly Southern beer style that celebrates the culinary and agricultural heritage of the South.” Seasonally, Fullsteam offers Summer Basil and Hogwash Hickory-Smoked Porter, in addition to others. You can't go wrong with any of them.

             I have only been able to call Durham home for a short period of time. Nonetheless, I still seem to appreciate something different every time I visit Fullsteam. They feature community foraged beer, utilizing foraged fruits. Pears. Persimmons. For crying out loud, they have basil and tomatoes growing in the alley. If you are hungry at Fullsteam, you have options. Local cheese. Local tamales. Local cookies. The list goes on, yet remains local. One of my favorite food offerings (possibly because for me it is a bit nostalgic) is not necessarily local. “A tribute to the Southern tradition of a RC Cola and a Moon Pie.” Fullsteam carries Moon Pies to accompany their Working Man’s Lunch beer. A new Southern tradition I say. Eat a Moon Pie and feel like a kid again (at least that is what I feel like when I eat a Moon Pie)… Albeit a kid with an adult beverage.

             Fullsteam doesn’t just stay behind the heavy red, sliding door. As well as engaging the community with foraged concoctions, they also partner with community restaurants to create “Beer Dinners”, pairing the proper plate with the proper portion of local beer.

             Initially, I was a little disappointed to leave COOP behind in OKC... Even going as far as bringing some East with me. The disappointment has definitely been replaced by the excitement and pride that I can exhibit in my new hometown brewery, Fullsteam. Cheers.
 

Duquesne Incline

            There is a picture floating around somewhere of a very young boy relieving himself at the base of the Duquesne Incline. 26 years later that boy has rode again. Also, the City of Pittsburgh has placed port-a-potties at the base of the incline.

            The Duquesne Incline is an inclined plane railroad, located in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood, that scales Mt. Washington. Completed in 1877, the incline is 800 feet long and covers 400 feet of elevation. It rises above Pittsburgh's central business district to view a triangular tract carved by the confluence of three rivers. The Allegheny and Monongahela rivers come together to form the Ohio River. From an elevated view the rivers combine to form a picturesque view of downtown Pittsburgh. It is a view that a young boy would not forget... and even come back to see as a man. 

Primanti Bros.

            The story, dating back to 1933, goes a little something like this: Truckers delivered their goods to downtown Pittsburgh in the middle of the night. Having to get back on the road quickly, Primanti's designed a sandwich to be eaten with one hand, while the driver drove the truck with the other. A convenient meal to be eaten on the road. By combining the sandwich as well as the sides, between two slices of fresh Italian bread, a Pittsburgh staple was born. 

            I had eaten a Primanti sandwich years ago at a Pirates baseball game, but have always wanted to visit one of their restaurant locations. The location I wanted to visit was in Oakland, near the University of Pittsburgh. Primanti's second location. It did not disappoint. The unassuming interior was welcoming as we obeyed a sign to seat ourselves. Greeted by a young waiter wearing Steeler's apparel, he wrote nothing down as if he was making sure we would get back quickly to our haul with a full meal in hand, nearly 80 years later.

 

            I felt it only fitting to order a Yuengling from the oldest brewery in America, located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Upon the waiter's recommendation, I ordered the capicola sandwich. Similar to proscuitto, as can possibly be seen beneath the fries and slaw in the left and right images below, it made for an amazing indulgence. The middle image below… well, that is a three cheese Primanti sandwich. Yes, a cheese sandwich from Primani Bros. If you ever happen to be in Pittsburgh, do yourself a favor and enjoy.

Cathedral of Learning

            Visiting family in Southwestern Pennsylvania over the holiday weekend provided the opportunity to run around downtown Pittsburgh for an afternoon. Though college is years behind me, visiting university campuses continues to appeal to me. The University of Pittsburgh is no different. What is different is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus that stands in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The Cathedral of Learning is arguably my favorite building in the Steel City.

            The 42-story Late Gothic Revival Cathedral is the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere and the second tallest university building in the world. The most notable part Cathedral's interior is the Commons Room. It has been called one of the "great architectural fantasies of the twentieth century". The fifteenth-century English perpendicular Gothic-style hall covers half an acre, reaching 52 feet high. The Cathedral of Learning is a piece of true Gothic architecture in that no steel supports were used in the construction of its arches. Each arch is a true arch, supporting its own weight. It is almost as if the building knew it had an old Gothic church soul, but decided to make its way to Pittsburgh to be a skyscraper instead.

            

            
            After wandering wide-eyed in the Commons Room, the elevators seemed like the only natural next step. Going up. The 35^th and 36^th floors housed the University Honors College and provided a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding city. What took my breath away was not the view though, but a large blueprint of the Cathedral of Learning pinned behind a thin sheet of Plexiglass. So large. So detailed. So beautiful. Being able to see the building before it was even born, only solidified the great appreciation and admiration I had for the impressive structure.

I-40 E: Smoky Mountains

      

            Even as I left Oklahoma, I had in my mind that I wanted to see the Smoky Mountains in the daylight. By the time I made it to Knoxville, tired logic said that I should push through as far as I could despite the lack of light. Midnight would have to be the first time I see the Smoky Mountains.

Though I couldn’t see the scope of what I was driving into, I started to get excited. The oncoming cars and the local businesses created a glow when surrounded by the fog. That excitement quickly died as I read a large, yellow sign. “Curves ahead next 16 miles”. The winding roads through Eastern Tennessee were nice, but curves? For 16 miles! Are you kidding me! If you are a veteran Oklahoma driver you know the routine. Step 1) Drive in a straight line. Step 2) Make a 90-degree turn as necessary. Step 3) Repeat steps 1 and 2. 

As the elevation started changing, the curves tightened and the rock faces coupled with the trees to close in on the road. I found myself leaned up, crowding the steering wheel like a 90-year-old grandma, with my white knuckles wrapped around 10 and 2. I decided to use the semi in front of me as a pace car like I was running a race. If he can make it, my little hatchback can make it. I duplicated his speed and got an early warning on which direction the road was turning next. The plan was working brilliantly until I noticed the decals on the back of the tubular trailer. “Flammable contents”.  “Under high pressure”. I had one of those thoughts. The ones that have no rational basis and are illogical, but they speed through your mind anyway. Something along the lines of... he jackknifes while taking a tight curve. His cargo bursts into a fiery orange sphere of metal melting fire. The little hatchback has no choice but to join him to add real smoke to the Smoky Mountains. Activate turn signal. Switch lanes. Increase speed. Pass semi. Crisis averted.

Though I didn’t get to see the Smoky Mountains in all of their glory, the experience did wake me up and make me fully alert for the next 3 hours. Also, looking back on it, it was fun… in one of those awesome, adrenaline rush, exhausting, roller coaster, mini-adventure sort of ways.