Bites for Go Guide
John Kessler
Splayed chicken
I don’t want to brag on my vast experiences, but I really used to think I had tried every chicken roasting position out there: The Inverted V-Rack, the Beer Can Prop-up and my favorite — the Spatchcock. The latter involves removing the bird’s backbone and keel (breast) bone, then laying it spread eagle on the roasting pan. It gets crispy. Now I find out, thanks to Melissa Clark’s story in the New York Times, there exists another path to roast chicken bliss. A chicken position I had never imagined. This bird gets splayed.
Jenny Turknett
French Market & Tavern
I recently reviewed the French Market & Tavern in Locust Grove. It scored high marks from readers in a Best of the Big A poll for favorite new restaurant of 2011. Yet, I found that some dishes don’t resonate with traditional New Orleans-inspired fare. I suspect a disconnect between the recipes and the execution since the recipes were written by the owner, a New Orleans native, who does not oversee the kitchen. Have you tried the French Market and Tavern? Let us know what you think about it on our blog.
Jon Watson
Barbecue 101: ribs
If a holiday that marked the beginning of the backyard barbecue season, it would be Memorial Day. Though it is a year-round practice in my house, I made a point to fire up the smoker over the long weekend for some spare ribs. Yes, spare ribs. While I’ll never turn down a tender rack of baby backs, I’m very partial to the meatier, porkier spare rib. The notion that baby back ribs are always more tender than spares is false, assuming that the spare ribs are properly smoked.
