Bite of the Best » The Pantry

Rosa Mexicano Pomegranate and Black Bean Salsa

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:59:06 +0000

Bonnie: Bonnie: Rosa Mexicano has been serving authentic Mexican food in a fun atmosphere in New York City since 1984, and now has more than a baker’s dozen locations around the country. I generally dine at the Union Square one, usually ordering the award-winning tableside Guacamole en Molcajete. Actually that and one of their delicious margaritas is enough to satisfy! So when their publicist emailed me about Rosa Mexicano’s line of new foods, I jumped at the chance to try them.

I started...

>What’s not to love about chips and salsa? No matter the time of day, no matter the level of hunger, salsa always hits the spot. I generally keep a jar of salsa on hand; it’s a great thing in a fix to feed yourself or guests. With at least one jar in the fridge and a backup in the cupboard, you’re ready for any small food crisis. Heck, salsa has got to be one of the greatest snacks around. Grab some chips and you’ve got yourself a meal: It’s filling, it’s healthy, it’s even social… it’s downright wonderful. And it’s not just me saying so. Over the years, salsa has slowly become one of the most...

Eric: I love trends, especially those pertaining to the world of food (and I hope you sense a touch of sarcasm in that statement). When Rosa Mexicano Pomegranate-Black Bean Salsa came across my desk, a sense of intrigue came over me. What is it about pomegranate that has the world riveted? Is there a surplus of the fruit that leads us to believe it should be used in everything from lip balm to salsa? I am aware of the health benefits of the almighty pomegranate, but I wasn't aware that Mexican culture was using ...

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GarLic It!

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:59:27 +0000

Bonnie: I've always loved garlic. That's why the email from LLance Kezner intrigued me.

"We are contacting you to see if you might be interested in our unique story and product that was recently awarded the prize as the top specialty food product in the country... (Garlic it!) was born in our kitchen, spurred on by a job layoff just over two years ago...."

What makes LLance's GarLic it! unique is that his triple blanching ...

Don't miss the recipe for : Southern Italian Fondue (Bagna Calde)

Bryan: GarLic it! is a husband and wife boutique food company that prepares garlic in a manner I've never come across before. Their cooking methods soften the potency of garlic's natural flavor, creating a whole new, kinder, gentler garlic experience. GarLic it!'s triple blanching and caramelizing process radically reduces the sharpness and bite regularly found in garlic. The result is a far more mellow, approachable...

Eric: There's truly nothing simpler, yet seductively delicious, as garlic -- of my top flavor profiles, garlic holds a high position (just behind basil and onion) and for good reason, the little bulb packs a mean bite. Now there are certainly "haters" out there that don't respect the bulb for what it's worth (certainly none of them hail from the Mediterranean region) and I can vaguely see why; it attaches it's aroma to everything it touches, it has a pungent flavor if not properly cooked (or overused) and for some, it's not...

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Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:59:19 +0000

Bonnie: I love the taste of a good mustard as it kicks up the flavor of almost everything — from sandwiches to salad dressings and lots of foods in between. Mustard is made basically as it was in ancient Greek and Roman times - crush the mustard seeds and just add liquid (vinegar, wine, beer) and seasonings.

Looking for an interesting new mustard for a salad dressing, I perused ....

Bryan: It all seems too wholesome, too natural, too down to earth. Who exactly is this "Saucy Mama" and where does her sauce come from? Can she be trusted? It just had to be a sham, I thought. Some huge corporation, some big food conglomerate posing as a nice little lady just selling homemade sauces. It was too perfect.

Well, wrong again. Conspiracy theory smashed...

Eric: Mustard, how many ways can you cut it? Suzie Barhyte might argue that there's only one way -- with a little chipotle. And not that I agree with most, but she's on the right track. Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard is a natural, non-science experiment, mustard. Made from the "best stuff on earth" (bring it on Snapple), the Saucy Mama concept started small at...

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Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna in EVOO

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:59:31 +0000

Bonnie: Today we're touting a product we've touted before, made a bit better. Winter 2010, we recommended Wild Planet's sustainably caught tuna seasoned with a touch of sea salt in a BPA-free can. Today, we're raving about that same tuna — packed in extra virgin olive oil — that's ready to add to salads, flatbread or whatever.

The folks at Monterey Bay Aquarium were the first to teach me that our fishing practices worldwide have been depleting our fish populations, destroying habitats and polluting our water. We all need to take a part to save our seafood. Even Target...

The thing that seems to get to most people who don't like tuna is the fishy smell. For some, it is almost akin to the smell of cat food, and I can completely understand why that is not an appealing or appetizing aroma. As a tuna fish fanatic, though, I don't particularly agree with the fishy-smell critique and I certainly don't think tuna smells like cat food either, but I do see some solid points on the "I don't like tuna" side of the fence. Sadly, there are even a number of tuna examples that serve to support those who claim it's "fishy."

I am beginning to think that many with the belief...

Eric: I enjoy the irony in the fact that Wild Planet refers to its tuna as "wild." In point of fact, all tuna are wild. There are certain methods of schooling tuna in the open water, but it is still a wild fish. The keywords to focus on with Wild Planet products are "sustainably caught," which in layman's terms means "not tortured." Although that explanation might seem a little vulgar, it is indeed part of the reality of the fishing industry.

The majority of fish we...

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Pacific All Natural Vegetable Lentil & Roasted Pepper Soup

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 03:59:27 +0000

Bonnie:"This isn't your grandmother's lentil soup," touts Pacific All Natural's box. It's also not my lentil soup. Pacific All Natural Vegetable Lentil & Roasted Red Pepper Soup is vegetarian, like my mulligatawny soup but unlike my stick-to-your-ribs lentil and kielbasa potage.

I do, though, really like this soup's hearty flavor from the tender lentils, black beans, roasted red ...

Bryan: Pacific Foods is a company that says it loves food, and that really shows. To some people, food is simply fuel, consumed to keep moving, flavored to be palatable. To others, though, food is a love, a dedication and appreciation more akin to an art than a commodity. Pacific Natural Foods finds itself in line with the second philosophy, producing a wonderful array of flavors while using all-natural, organic ingredients. Its vast...

Eric: Soup may have been the food of peasants, but for me, it's a cuisine meant for kings. My love affair with soups started about the time my mother was in the recipe stage of her life (cookbooks, freelance writing and a daily column). One of her many focuses was "quick meals," and many of those recipes were dedicated to soup. I had never realized it prior to my love affair, but soup is a hearty meal, and most of the soups I enjoyed were ...

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Papalote Roasted Tomato Salsa

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:59:16 +0000

Bonnie: Here at BOTB (Bite of the Best), we're constantly being solicited by food companies wanting us to tout the worth of their products. They call, they e-mail, they just send food. So as you can imagine, my testing closet — my go-to spot when ready to test or in need of a food item — overflows with samples. In fact, that's how BOTB ended up selecting Papalote Roasted Tomato Salsa as this week's FeaturedBite.

Let me back up a tad...

Jodi Hernandez from Papalote Mexican Grill in the San Francisco Bay Area had...

Bryan: "New York City?!" That's the line from a famous old salsa TV commercial, the line that seemed to single-handedly undermine the supposed quality of a competing salsa brand. The implication was that no real salsa could possibly come from a city-slicker company, one based in New York City. Salsa was from the cactus states, and only could be!

Salsa has certainly come a long way since the days those ads were launched. Though it was just 15 years ago, the condiment has grown so rapidly in popularity over the last few years that there is no longer any real "regionality" to the dish. Salsa is everywhere. Though it might've been true ...

Eric: With so many choices, it's amazing to me that in our eyes, there are only a handful of products that stand out as the "best." I always feel that there should be myriad options for great tasting, flavor-fulfilling deliciousness but the unfortunate reality with products mass produced for the general public is that quality is usually sacrificed for quantity. Luckily for flavor-deprived individuals, though, there are restaurants like Papalote that focus on small-...

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Better Oats Good ‘n Hearty Classic

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:59:19 +0000

Bonnie:I reviewed Better Oats' nine lines of oatmeal (yes, nine!) about a year ago in Supermarket Sampler, my syndicated column, and was overwhelmed by its introduction of an astonishing 34 new individual products! They've discontinued some of those products, but all 23 remaining oatmeal varieties contain 100 percent whole grain oats in some form, with the fruit-flavored ones including only the eponymous fruit, not ...

Bryan: Though it's an oft-repeated adage, your day will really be much better if you eat breakfast. It's by far the most important meal for growing kids, and remains the foundation of any healthy diet for adults. All that being said, just eating in the morning does not constitute "breakfast." A donut is not breakfast, nor is just a cup of coffee. These foods can and will certainly be components of any breakfast, but cannot alone be its entirety.

Nutrition is what your body craves in...

Eric: I don't know what can be written about oatmeal that hasn't already been mentioned — of all the breakfast options, oatmeal truly is king. In short, oatmeal packs the ideal nutrition for your body. If it's missing anything, it's probably flavor — but with an added serving of fruit or natural sugar (maple syrup, agave, etc), one can easily "spice up" a naturally dull base.

What always bothered me about ...

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Mezzetta Italian Castelvetrano Whole Green Olives

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:59:12 +0000

Bonnie: I've always been an olive fan, graduating from canned black (Yes, I admit that as I kid, I started with those!) to enjoy the more flavorful green, Niçoise, Kalamata and now the hottest new Castelvetrano olives. I also loved olives stuffed - especially with either bleu cheese or jalapeños.

The Castelvetrano olive or the Nocellara de Belice...

Bryan: The ubiquitous olive, much revered yet disliked at the same time, is a very divisive food item, to say the least. Many people would rather eat dirt than an olive, finding them too salty or bitter. In at least one way, though, most people have olives in almost every meal they eat out. Well, sort of. Almost...

Eric: The olive might be ubiquitous; it also is amazingly versatile. My guess is that most people (non-epicureans, that is) only really, associate olives with one variety -- but there are oh so many types of the little Greek goodness. Olives truly fill the whole spectrum of taste; but the focus of...

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O Meyer Lemon, Picholine Olives & Champagne Tapanade

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:59:04 +0000

Bonnie: Walking the Fancy Food Show earlier this summer, I heard a voice saying, "It's all your fault."

When I turned to see who was blaming me, I saw Greg Hinson, founder and president of O Olive Oil smiling. "Because of your blog," he said, "I'm now addicted to...

Bryan:

Let's first try to get on the same page.... Tapenade is a French Provençal dish consisting of finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. The mixture, while possibly foreign to many American palates, is an incredibly popular staple in the south of France and elsewhere along the Mediterranean Sea.

This wonderfully distinct...

Eric:

Tapenade is an acquired taste -- it's certainly not your run-of-the-mill flavor profile. O is looking to re-create the tapenade "wheel," and they couldn't have chosen a more traditional starting point. On their own, Picholine olives, the original type used for typical tapenade, are widely known as cocktail olives (or the garnish you play with while....

Maya Kaimal Spicy Ketchup

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:59:37 +0000

Bonnie: I smiled when I read the press materials delivered with Maya Kaimal Spicy Ketchup: "Spice up your summer with spicy ketchup." I smiled 'cause that was my exact thought when I first tasted this sweet (from brown sugar), spicy (from hot chilies), sort of Indian-flavored (redolent of toasted cumin) ketchup at ...

Bryan: Ketchup's not an Indian food... is it? I asked myself this same question when I was told we possibly would be reviewing Maya Kaimal Spicy Ketchup. Maya Kaimal is an Indian specialty foods company. Huh?

To me, ketchup is the ultimate American condiment, the sauce that, right or wrong, seems to get added to almost everything Americana. While some foods are natural....

Eric: Condiments seem to be emerging as their own food classification, and with good reason -- they're _spectacular_. I am a glutton when it comes to condiments, my favorite being the classic fry sauce (a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise). More specifically, I enjoy the flavor they impart. Ever try a spicy mango chutney on a turkey burger? Delicious...

I was a little taken ....