Joseph’s vs. Taylor’s Biscuits
Our family took Heirloom Restaurant Group’s great biscuit showdown challenge. Here’s the summary (tl;dr at the bottom):
Mixing ease
Taylor’s biscuits were easier to make: dropping vs. rolling and a higher oven temperature made for quicker to make and quicker to cook biscuits. I think Taylor’s biscuits came out 10 minutes earlier than Joseph’s.
Texture
Joseph’s biscuits had a flakier and slightly more buttery texture. At the 10 minute mark on Taylor’s biscuits, I could see the butter bubbling at the bottom of the biscuits, some of which eventually soaked in. Joseph’s biscuits cooked more evenly but required rolling and cutting.
Flavor
Some differences: we opted for buttermilk for Taylor’s recipe and heavy cream for Joseph’s recipe. The difference was plain to taste. Joseph’s biscuits tasted familiar to me and were comfortable to eat. Ana thought Taylor’s biscuits had superior flavor, but then admitted that she liked the texture of Joseph’s biscuits and preferred eating them.
A funny thing
Ana followed Joseph’s recipe and I followed Taylor’s; each of us liked the other’s biscuits better. Our children showed the opposite pattern: the two oldest (who express more of my genes) preferred Taylor’s and the two youngest (who express more of Ana’s genes) preferred Joseph’s biscuits.
Caveats
Some things we probably didn’t get right: Ana cut the butter a little too much and possibly let the dough warm up too much: the result was that Joseph’s biscuits raised fine but then fell slightly. For my part, I’m not handy in the kitchen. I noticed I could have folded the buttermilk a touch more (there was some unmixed flour on top of some of the biscuits) and maybe been more careful sizing the drops (my biscuits were of all shapes and sizes).
Things to try
Ana thinks she’d like to try Taylor’s recipe using Joseph’s method (rolling and cutting).
tl;dr
Our family was split evenly between the two, but because this is my blog, I’m giving Joseph’s biscuits the edge. If Ana cooks up Taylor’s recipe with Joseph’s method, I’ll update this entry.
posted on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 at 20:48 | permanent link | view comments
Pizzeria Seven Twelve revisited
I think this is my fourth time visiting Pizzeria Seven Twelve. Let me summarize this place in as few words as possible:
Exquisite, subtle, unique.
Yet again I have found here new and delightful flavors and textures. Next time you’re thinking that you’re worth every bit as much as the good food you consume, do yourself a favor and go there (disclosure: I have no financial interest in P712—I only hope it survives the recession so that I can continue to eat there). P712 uses locally farmed ingredients, so you’re also helping out our local economy directly.
Today’s menu:
Pizza: Spec, soppressata, garlic, mozzarella; dessert: Buttermilk panna cotta (with cherries).
I’ve never tasted anything like it. I love this place.
posted on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 at 14:40 | permanent link | view comments
The other day, I went to Chinese Restaurant with some cow-orkers for some Nice Chinese Food. Why do these things tickle me so?
posted on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 at 10:11 | permanent link | view comments
Nuggets o’ wisdom for Mouseketeers
Still recovering from a lovely trip to Disneyland last week. Here are a few things I seem to forget for long road trips.
Ain’t no pillow like your pillow. If you’re going by car, take it.
If you’re going to be walking much, take something your feet will feel good in. I had a pair of old sandals and ran in them on the first day. My feet were bruised and achy the rest of the trip.
If you’re staying in a nearby hotel, take the shuttle to the attractions, even if self-parking costs less. Unless you get there on your Magic Morning day way ahead of everybody else, self-parking takes at least half an hour and often up to an hour to get into the park. Your hotel/ART shuttle will drop you off as close to the front gate as you can get with less waiting.
Smallish meals for a child cost $8. Get over it. We brought in food with us most days, but beef jerkey and fruit don’t give you the calories you need. We tried PB&J and had success with that one day, but most other days the sandwiches were smashed and unappetizing. Just budget extra money for meals and pack lighter.
There are some sweet beaches off Moss Cove and Pearl Street in Laguna Beach.
Fast passes can save over an hour in line, especially on popular rides on hot days like Splash Mountain. We rode this twice (and had tickets for a third go-round, but the ride was closed for maintenance) and walked past at least an hour long line both times. It felt great to pass group after group and hear them say “How are they doing that? Fast passes. Oh, we should have done that.” A little planning can help you beat the lines when it counts.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was a quick fix for our roller-coaster needs. The line was never more than 5 minutes for some reason.
posted on Thu, 14 May 2009 at 09:39 | permanent link | view comments
194 South 400 West (The Gateway) Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Last night I had a great meal in a quiet restaruant. I’m pretty hard to please (though at the same time, I’m not picky about what I eat), but Biaggi’s did a good job, especially for a large chain. I’m giving this review mainly because of our server, Albert.
If you go to Biaggi’s, ask for Albert. If I were giving service reviews, Albert gets my highest rating. I’ve never had a better waiter. Ever. He was perfectly attentive, never troublesome, never disdainful (I’m astounded at how many servers harbor some kind of pent-up resentment toward their patrons and mask it poorly). He made me feel like I was in the presence of a good friend (and he called us “my friends” several times—nice trick) whose chief concern was my pleasure at this meal.
Albert offered several recommendations, which we took. He was dead-on. If you have Albert as your server, yield to his judgement! It may also help if you bring him some Bundaberg Ginger Beer. He seemed to like what we brought. Mention my name.
Here’s what we ordered:
Butter Squash Ravioli: This was a sweet dish, but savory enough to keep interest.
Chilean Sea Bass: Served over a bed of sautéed spinach, over garlic potatoes, over a roasted pepper cream sauce, this was my favorite dish of the night. Highly recommended if you like fish.
Chicken Piemontese: a little strongly flavored for my taste, but that’s the definition of this dish. The potatoes were beautiful.
Would I eat here again? Yes.
How eagerly am I looking forward to doing that? I’d give it a month. I’d go back next week if Albert were my server.
I just had lunch at Pizzeria 712. Before I dig into the review, let me explain how I’m changing my rating system. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days and realized that I can simplify and become more honest at the same time.
First, I’ve reduced all the variables down to two questions:
Would I eat there again?
If “yes,” how eagerly am I looking forward to doing that?
There are of course other variables that are worth considering, but only after the questions are answered. Things like atmosphere, noise level, portions, service level, etc. are important components to consider individually, but only important when first taken as a whole. What was the entire experience like? I don’t know of a more succinct way to answer that than my Two Questions above.
And why is this more honest? I don’t want to fool anyone into thinking that a 5-star rating means a place is great. It just means I thought it was great. These questions make it clear that this is my own opinion of the establishment.
So, on to Pizzeria 712 (blog). The former Tree Room Chef cooked me up a braised beef with sweet onions, mushrooms and provolone panini sandwich. As far as panini sandwiches go, I can’t remember one better. I had a salad with it, but don’t remember what it was called now (it wasn’t on the menu). The service was good; one of those cases where I can’t find anything wrong.
Would I eat there again? Yes. How eagerly am I looking forward to doing that? I think I’d like to go back in two or three weeks.
1700 N State St #6 Provo, Utah (801) 373-9015
My friend Paul introduced me to this little gem. I think this is probably the best Argentine food I have ever eaten. We had some empanadas for an appetizer. I’ve never liked empanadas, but these babies were deep fried and I think if there weren’t so many of us at the table, I would have eaten more than one.
We also had an excellent tortilla española (I’ve had better, but only in Spain). The vacio (flank steak) was better and more genuine than the beef I’ve had at much better-known steak houses. I’ll definitely order this item again.
Ana got milanesa de plato (plain milanesa). The mashed potatoes that came with it were heavenly and the milanesas were perfectly done (note: Ana makes excellent milanesas herself, and while I prefer hers over these, these will do in a pinch).
For dessert we had flan that was better than the flan served at Mi Casita #2 in Salt Lake (which in my opinion is some of the best flan available in Utah).
Highly recommended.
posted on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 at 07:48 | permanent link | view comments
Jackson Hole Soda Company Buckin’ Rootbeer
Nothing remarkable. To be honest, I should have written the review a little closer to the time I drank this.
Scott’s Score: 6 (out of 10)
posted on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 at 11:47 | permanent link | view comments
Faygo Beverages, Inc. Detroit, MI 48207
I had to check the bottle twice to make sure there was some kind of flavoring at all in it. Astonishingly weak, but unoffensive.
Scott’s Score: 3 (out of 10)
posted on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 at 16:11 | permanent link | view comments
Unique Beverage Company, LLC Everett, WA 98213
Nothing remarkable in this one. A bit too much wintergreen.
Scott’s Score: 6 (out of 10)
posted on Mon, 17 Sep 2007 at 09:56 | permanent link | view comments