Anyone had a good meal at a restaurant lately?

[PhillyPhreak54]

When the farg did Burger King start selling ribs?!

No way they can be any good.

[BigEd76]

saw commercials about a month or two ago.  I think they're $6 for 5 of em

[Drunkmasterflex]

I had a burger at a friend of mines bar in Baltimore yesterday it had bacon, egg, cheese, and peanut butter.  It doesn't sound like it would be good but it was probably the best burger I have ever had. 

[PhillyPhreak54]

How in the hell does someone even think to put peanut butter on a hamburger that already has egg and cheese on it?

[Drunkmasterflex]

I have no clue but it was farging phenomenal.

[rjs246]

I have to say that I think this is the most useless thread on this whole board. And that is amazing given the idiotic shtein we discuss.

[NGM]

I have to say that I think this is the most useless thread on this whole board. And that is amazing given the idiotic shtein we discuss.

Eat a Snickers, you're acting like a diva.

[PhillyPhreak54]

 

[ice grillin you]

I have to say that I think this is the most useless thread on this whole board. And that is amazing given the idiotic shtein we discuss.

Eat a Snickers, you're acting like a diva.

lol

[rjs246]

You're all fat.



Yeah, that's all I've got...

[Sgt PSN]

I've eaten in at least a dozen different joints over the last week while in Monzanillo.  Everything from a taco cart on the street to resort-style resturants and every farging meal I had was amazing.  And cheap.  And got washed down by a 6 pack of Victoria. 

[Seabiscuit36]

was Victoria hot? 

[Seabiscuit36]

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20106230308

American dream job

Chef fled Thailand, was once restaurant owner's housekeeper

By MIKALA JAMISON
The News Journal

GREENVILLE -- Mention Amporn Vasquez's name to the employees of Pizza by Elizabeths and you'll most likely hear a chorus of chuckles.

The executive chef, known to have a stellar sense of humor, can dish out lighthearted jibes just as swiftly as she dishes out chicken curry salad.

But Vasquez's co-workers also say the chef is motherly, inspirational and "the wizard" of cuisine.

The 64-year-old Thailand native has spent much of her life searching for a home and an exciting career.

And now Vasquez says she's finally found both with the help of her employer, her husband and her fellow employees.

In fact, she was a Top 10 finalist for the National Restaurant Association's American Dream Award, which "honors restaurateurs who show the enterprise and dedication to realize the American Dream and inspire others."

"As soon as I heard of the American Dream Award, I thought, 'If there's anyone who's achieved the American Dream, it's her,' " says Pizza by Elizabeths owner Betsy LeRoy, who nominated Vasquez. "She instantly came to mind."

Vasquez, born in Korat, Thailand, in 1945, was one of seven children. Her childhood was far from happy. She says she was the daughter of an abusive mother, who tried to force her into an arranged marriage at age 15. Beaten when she objected, Vasquez tried running away from home twice but was caught by her mother and sister.

"I wanted to run as far away as I could, to learn and see things, and have a free life," she says. During the mid-1950s through the early 1960s, "a woman had no chance in Thailand."

LeRoy says that Vasquez is a terrific example of what it means to take learning seriously.

"When she was young in Thailand, women were not allowed to learn," she says. "She had to hide her books when she wanted to read. We might take learning for granted here, but she sure doesn't."

The third time Vasquez left home, she was on foot, had no money and slept in a zoo, clinging to a tree. She traveled with a band of musicians and wound up in Bangkok, where she met her first husband.

They married, and Vasquez moved to Schenectady, N.Y., in the early 1970s, where she worked as a nurse and attained citizenship. When her relationship with her husband ended, she moved to Newark with a friend from Delaware and worked as a dressmaker.

Vasquez says it was very difficult in her house, and she had almost no money. She tried her hand at a variety of jobs and enrolled at Delaware Technical & Community College, once for accounting and once for nursing. Both courses of study bored her.

It was when Vasquez was working yet another job cleaning houses that a new opportunity presented itself. One of her clients told Vasquez that she had a friend who needed a housekeeper. That friend was Betsy LeRoy.

While working for LeRoy, Vasquez met her current husband. The couple married in 1983 and moved to Bear.

"My kids fell in love with Amporn when she played with them," LeRoy says. "She did things like make them handmade Halloween costumes. They now tell her, 'We will take care of you for the rest of your life.' "

Vasquez had always cooked meals for LeRoy's family, and she applied to Del Tech's culinary arts program. She graduated cum laude in three years with an associate's degree when she was 50.

Dave Nolker, Vasquez's culinary arts instructor at the college, says that she was always energetic and enthusiastic while in his classes.

"She was always trying to help her classmates when she thought I wasn't watching," he says. "She always told students not to waste their potential, always told them, 'I know you can do this.' "

Nolker says that Vasquez has an unbelievable passion for the culinary industry, and that she is still very active with Del Tech and hires students out of the program.

Vasquez started as a kitchen manager at Elizabeths in 1994 -- a year after LeRoy opened the restaurant -- even though she was still in school. Since then, she has become executive chef.

"It's fun in my kitchen," she says. "I don't have children, but with them, it's like I have six children!"

Paul Egnor, Elizabeths' kitchen manager, says that Vasquez runs a tight kitchen but still knows how to keep things interesting.

"She's very eccentric and keeps everything really lively in the kitchen, and also has such a great rapport with the customers," he says. "She's just a great person to work for."

Keeping an eye on employees and making sure the kitchen runs smoothly is vital to Vasquez, LeRoy says.

"Sometimes the employees say, 'I feel like I can't even chop without Amporn staring at me,' but that just shows how concerned she is for their work.

"She and the kitchen staff will have their little spats, but then she will tell me, 'Oh, I went to Eli's daughter's christening.' She really knows what's going on in their families, and she worries about them."

Vasquez says a typical day for her, besides overseeing the kitchen staff, is filled with coming up with menu items, bringing in new foods -- some from her own garden -- trying new recipes, creating specials, and contacting farmers and distributors.

She no longer speaks to her family from Thailand and doesn't plan on returning to her native country. Vasquez says she has found a family here.

"They keep me young," she says. "There has never been a dull moment."

LeRoy says that even back when Vasquez only worked one day a week at the restaurant's former location, she brought life into Elizabeths with her personality and sense of humor.

"In her typical fashion, Saturday mornings were like a party," she says. "Amporn would come in with everyone and bring food for everybody. Her energy is invaluable to this restaurant."

Vasquez belongs to the First State Chef's Association, which cooks and delivers food to people in need around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

So what are her favorite things to cook?

"Everything," she says. "I like to explore food. But my signature is hot pepper. It's always in my recipes."

Her food always has a bit of Thai inspiration, such as the chicken curry salad, Thai chicken, seafood salad and steamed spicy tilapia. She says she even has had a few menu items named after her.

"We are the ones lucky enough to taste her ideas first," LeRoy says. "She tells me she put such and such ingredients together, and it sounds odd, but then you taste it, and it's amazing."

LeRoy says that Vasquez has taught cooking classes, and her students will come to Elizabeths because they know she works there.

"People come in and tells us how wonderful she is, and that they came to try what she makes," she says. "She's such a good ambassador for the restaurant."

"This is really my first home," Vasquez says of Pizza by Elizabeths and her adopted state. "I appreciate Delaware. It's been good to me."

NORTHEASTERN GRILLED CHICKEN


From Chef Amporn Vasquez


FOR THE CILANTRO PESTO MARINADE:


1 teaspoon white or black peppercorns


1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, include stems and leaves


2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic


1 teaspoon salt


Put all the ingredients into a food processor and grind into a paste. Set aside.


FOR CHICKEN:


1 chicken, about 4 pounds


2 tablespoons soy sauce


Clean the chicken well, pat dry. Split chicken in half. Mix cilantro pesto well into soy sauce and marinate the chicken for an hour or more, or overnight. (Amporn says "the longer, the better.")


Grill chicken over hot charcoals or broil until the chicken is cooked and the skin is crispy brown. The dish is best served with steamed Thai sticky rice and a green papaya salad.

I used to work at this place a few years back, started off as an expediter, ended up being a Chef Manager under this lady, she's amazing.  Loved working in a restaurant, hated the hours. 

[rjs246]

Drugs.

[Seabiscuit36]

are fun?