Today my wife comes home with an box of salt and vinegar crickets.That’s right I said CRICKETS..Four many of who really don’t know me…I will try just about anything once..I am a huge fan of Andrew Zimmern and would love to have his job.At this point I’m still in shock that my wife and kids brought me home Crickets.

Ingredients….Crickets,Lactose,Sodium Diacetate,Salt, Malic Acid, Citris Acid,Vinegar Powder,(Maltro-Dextrin,Modified Food Starch,Vinegar Solids) Silicon Dioxide Added to prevent clumping…

I really did not know what expect with these little beauties so in the mouth they go…Surprisingly the first thing I did NOT taste was vinegar.Salt was there and so was the crunch.The best way to describe the taste here would be compare it to the outside of a peanut. Not the shell but the thin skin that you peel off right before you get to the nut.Very dry really no taste at all. The legs of the cricket where really to small to taste.After putting the whole bag of legs in my mouth i picked up more on the vinegar.Not really sure why but I did enjoy the legs more than the body.I have to say that overall this was not a bad experience and I am looking forward to trying many more of there products…..

If anyone is interested in sampling some of there product they can be found here

Greetings hot sauce aficionados. I’m doing a little review on the David Ortiz line of hot sauces, Big Papi El Fuego mild (red) and medium (green)

Off Beat Resources is a a marketing firm in partnership with David Ortiz on the Big Papi En Fuego Food and Condiment line. They claim to manufacture, produce, distribute, and market the hot sauces.

According to their website there are 4 flavors or heat levels which they refer to as hits on the “Hit Meter”. The original or mild is a single, the medium is a monster double, hot is an off the wall triple and the extreme is a grand slam. According to the box there was at sometime a super mild version called off-season too.

They come in an attractive box similar to the new Blair death sauces. Labels are attractive especially if you’re a Boston Red Sox fan!

I cracked open both bottles to give them the back of the hand taste test as I do with any new sauce. I suppose it could just be me, but I could swear they look, smell and taste exactly the same as Blair’s original and jalapeno death sauces. Well, I just happen to have bottles of both in the frig, so I break em out. Side by side they were identical in smell, color, texture and flavor. Not that that’s a bad thing, I know many manufacturers used co-packers and I like death sauce.

Nice aroma on both with vinegar and garlic being the first ingredients that hits you on the red, garlic and lime on the green.

I tried the mild on some fried eggs. Good flavor, but a bit salty for my taste. The green seemed to compliment the eggs a little better.

The second dish I tested them on was a baked chicken breast. The green was the better of the two, but both sauces tasted good and I could see using them with almost any chicken dish.

I’d say the heat level is fairly mild, with the red at about a 2 and the green a 3 on a 1-10 scale.The texture is thick but not too thick, comes out of the bottle real nice.

Overall, I’d give both of these sauces 2 thumbs up. They could definitely be an everyday table sauce that would compliment a variety of foods. Spicy enough for the chili head, but at the same time mild enough little Timmy and grandma can eat it too.

http://www.bigpapienfuego.com/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Ingredients……Tomato Puree,Malt Vinegar,Corn Sweetener,Onions,Black Strap Molasses,Fresh horseradish,Soybean Oil,Salt,White Vinegar,Lemon Juice,Anchovy Paste,Roasted Garlic Puree,Chili Peppers,Mustard Flour,Black Pepper,Cloves.Natural Flavorings and Xanthan Gum,Contains Fish……

Label….. Just your average label.Nothing to fancy as you can clearly see from the picture..

Aroma….A very very strong Vinegar smell.I know that the label says that  this contains fish,but they do not say what kind.After you get passed the Vinegar you can most definitely pick up a fish aroma.Nothing really spectacular here just your average steak sauce smell but with alot more Vinegar than normal….

Texture..This is a very thick and chunky sauce that they have going on here. No very easy to pour but nothing that you cant handle by tapping the bottle to get it out.I like a steak sauce that has many chunk of onion in it and i was happy to say this sauce has plenty..Hundred of chunks just waiting to explode in your mouth.Just pure goodness….

 OK so here we go.I put a healthy amount of sauce on the steak and in the mouth its goes.Although there is very little heat going on here the flavor of Molasses is all over this sauce.The combination of the Onions,vinegar and molasses really give this sauce an added bonus.Now back to the fish.As I said before they do not tell you what kind of fish is used here but you can taste it more than you can smell it.From the picture you can not really tell that this sauce is loaded with chunks of onions but trust me they are there.

Overall…..Our friends introduced Lisa and I to this restaurant in the city awhile back .We had a few drinks and a really good dinner with some good friends.This sauce is at best a good table steaks sauce.Nothing really that jumps out and you and with lack off heat this sauce lost my interest quickly.If you are interested in trying their product i have added a link at the bottom

Signature Smith & Wollensky Items

Offering a selection of products that define the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse experience, for enjoyment at home or as memorable gifts to friends and business associates. Click on images to see them enlarged and for more product details.

Delight family, friends, and associates with a “Celebrate the Occasion” Gift Basket, exclusively from the legendary Smith & Wollensky Steakhouses. Included in the gift collection is a Set of 4 Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Steak Knives, surgical beauties with an air of authority. Also included for your dining pleasure is a 12-ounce bottle of the famous Steak Sauce that graces every table of Smith & Wollensky Steakhouses. The other prizes in this basket include Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette, a 12-ounce bottle of the special recipe Smith & Wollensky House Dressing, and a 16-ounce jar of Bleu Cheese Stuffed Olives, ready to serve as hors d’oeuvres or Martini garnishes. Astound your friends and impress your clients with a Gift Basket to End All Arguments. To order click here

The croud waiting to get in…..

                                                                      The cash grew

                                                     WOW the MAN himself is at the Show

                                                    Not only a great guy,but he has a great sauce

http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/gallery/2010-fiery-foods-show

More to come as the weekend progresses….

Just wanted to share some shots of the Fiery Food Show.My good friend Vic is down there with his wife and will be sending me pictures from the days events.I know that we all wish we could be down there but i hope that these pictures will bring us all closer to the action…..I will be posting and updateing the pictures as I get them……

        lOOKS LIKE SOMEONE HAS WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

ONE OF THE BEST PRODUCT OUT TODAY

      GOD HIMSELF ONLY KNOWS WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE

                                                       FLAMING JOE ALWAYS LOOKING GOOD

                          THE MAN HIMSELF GETTING READY FOR YET ANOTHER HUGE SHOW

lOOK FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW THROUGH OUT THE WEEKEND.I WOULD LIKE TO THANK VIC AGAIN FOR HIS GREAT PICTURES…

This was a great weekend. It was my Birthday/Anniversary and we had a good time at the Marin farmers market. We got to see a couple of good friends.  Chris from ‘Zuckerman’ farms (The best Asparagus in the country) and Larry from ‘Peppahead’. Larry had some Bhut Jolokia powder. This pepper powder has a warning label to keep away from children. It should actually say keep away from the pepper novice. This is the real deal. This powder burns so good. Chris worked up a sweat with just a little taste. We had fun giving people little samples. You would never guess the power of a little ground up chile until you saw the looks and reactions on people’s faces.

 Aroma and Texture

 Ground up chile powder with a fragrant lovely Chile smell. Be careful sniffing this powder because it will not be forgiving if you get some in your nose.

 Ingredients

 Bhut Jolokia is all she wrote.

 Label

 What you see is what you get!

 Taste

 This is the fun part. You will get a power hit of heat just looking at this powder. Once you take the plunge you will be rewarded with a fiery heat rush. Once the initial rush has subsided I tasted fruit sort of like a habanero. This was a very unique taste.  Wow this stuff is everything as advertised.  This will be great on some ribs and some bacon wrapped Asparagus. You do need to be cautious with this powder. I just sprinkled our meal lightly with a small dusting of powder. Oh man did this burn so good. The Asparagus with home made bacon rocked. The ribs were so devilishly good that I hugged myself.

 Overall

 If you are a Chilehead you cannot pass up this powder. This is the pinnacle of heat and flavor. Just be careful!!!!

Peppahead