Mind of a Chef: Season 2

This is going to be incredible.

New Generation Butchers Revive the Craft

Porkapalooza

Back in May I had the privilege of being on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives when they were filming at Martins BBQ. As with just about everything else, it made it to the interwebs. Now my 2 seconds of fame.

Merry Christmas from the Family

Does this sound familiar?

Turkey Tips from Anthony Bourdain

Friday Night Slice, Part 10

Matteo's Pizzeria



Old Franklin faithful know the name Matteo's Pizza from its original location inside The Factory where this locally owned restaurant (and catering outfit) established itself as an outstanding place to get fresh, specialty pizzas. A local favorite, of course, is the Rocky Top pizza (Red Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Bacon, Mushroom, Onion and Black Olives), named for our state song and university anthem. Now in its tenth year, Matteo's serves pizza out of Cool Springs using pure Italian olive oil for their hand-made pizza dough, made on-site daily. They pride themselves on not cutting any corners, offering the finest quality and freshest cheeses, meats and vegetables.

But more than offering a tasty pizza, Matteo's strives to offer healthy pizza that is sensitive to the dietary needs of some of their patrons. A few years into the business, manager Peter Spellman decided to hone in on a market segment left mostly unserved in middle Tennessee: the gluten-free community. Individuals with wheat allergies and celiac disease often adhere to a gluten-free diet that excludes wheat, barley, rye and even some oats. Individuals following this diet steer clear of the direct gluten-based food items (such as grains, cereals, pastas and typical pizza dough), but they must avoid products that include gluten and even products processed on shared equipment as well.

Matteo's has undertaken the meticulous, precise process required to ensure that their pizzas are gluten-free. They have a separate gluten-free prep room with separate tools and sinks where they build pizzas that are completely free of fillers and additives. Seeing themselves as part of the middle Tennessee community, they wish to offer a tasty option for gluten-free dieters and a healthier option for all pizza lovers.

*NOTE: You can order either "regular" or gluten-free pizzas. Not ALL pizzas served at Matteo's are gluten-free.

It's an interesting niche market and one that continues to rise in popularity. While only 1% of Americans have celiac disease, using a gluten-free diet to treat self-diagnosed stomach ailments has become almost something of a fad. As in, gluten is the new carb, maybe? (read more about it here)

But enough about that...how did it taste?



We chose to "create our own" half-and-half thin crust pizza with, of course, pepperoni and cheese on one side, adding sausage and black olives on the other. Matteo's offers a true, traditional thin crust that is hard, flaky and very crispy to the edge. The pie was cut into party squares which surely measured no more than 1/2-inch in total thickness. The sauce was applied very, very thinly and from the small amount left to taste, it was light and tomato-ey with a tiny tinge of sweetness. It was a good sauce with noticeable but not overwhelming flavor. A thin coat of cheese covered nearly every inch of the pie. There was very little pull-away, but the cheese was distinct and delicious, thick and somewhat creamy. The pepperoni was good, just good, safe and predictably un-spicy. With pepperoni, most places stick to simple flavors that appeal to the masses.



Overall, Matteo's is a friendly, local establishment that serves a pretty good pizza at prices typically a buck or so lower than the monster chains. They're haunted by the many naysayers who claim that the quality declined with the move out of The Factory, but their newer gluten-free fans might be heard a little louder.


Matteo's Pizza
1800 Carothers Parkway, Brentwood, TN 37207 (map)
Mon - Thurs 11:00am - 8:30pm; Fri - Sat 11:00am - 9:00pm; closed Sun
Dine In, Carry Out, Order Online

* * * * *

Cold Pizza:
Friday Night Slice, Part 1: MAFIAoZA's and Joey's House of Pizza
Friday Night Slice, Part 2: Pizza Perfect and Pizza Perfect Kebobs
Friday Night Slice, Part 3: Rudino's Pizza and Grinders
Friday Night Slice, Part 4: Chicago Style Italian Beef
Friday Night Slice, Part 5: Pie In The Sky
Friday Night Slice, Part 6: Castrillo's Pizza
Friday Night Slice, Part 7: California Pizza Kitchen
Friday Night Slice, Part 8: Ahart's Pizza Garden (Murfreesboro)
Friday Night Slice, Part 9: New York Pizza Depot (Clarksville)

Got any suggestions for places that I should cover? Let me know!

BBQ IN THE NEWS: Rise and Fire - Gus Johnson's Beale Street Experience

In honor of the greatest sporting event in the world getting underway today, here's a tidbit about one of those personalities that makes the tournament so special - Gus Johnson. Sports blog The Big Lead had a story yesterday about Johnson's recent late night experience at Memphis' Blues City Cafe. It seems Johnson wasn't too pleased with the food or the service, got into a shouting match with the manager, and eventually wound up in the back seat of a police car. No charges were filed. Man, I would love to hear Gus Johnson in a shouting match.

Having actually dined at Blues City Cafe last time I was in Memphis, I have to say that I side with Gus. That place is a straight up tourist trap. Their barbecue is buddy and their "World's Best Tamales" aren't even that good either.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a few of Gus Johnson's greatest hits. Enjoy the games!

Music Thursday: Extra Hot Edition

Last week, I went to a party that was graciously serving a buffet of Prince's Hot Chicken. There were four 12x20 aluminum pans full of Prince's wonderful, delicious hot chicken wings and each pan contained one of the four heat levels (mild, medium, hot, and extra hot). As a big fan of the hot, I went straight for it. Luckily, I had my pick because most people were starting with the mild or medium.

I have had Prince's lately and the hot didn't seem as hot as it used to be, but this wing had some real kick. After downing that wing and a few Yazoo crushers, I was challenged to a piece of the extra hot. The extra hot had gone virtually untouched all night. Well, I was in just the right...errrr, wrong state of mind to say yes. After the first bite I thought, this is not much hotter than the hot. Unfortunately this line of thinking had me going back for a second piece of extra hot. WOW. It was extremely hot. It had a purplish tint and the spice hit my lips immediately. Each bite was hotter and hotter and so so good. Most people ask me how I can eat that hot chicken. I just have to reply that it is like crack. After one bite you have to go for the next and the next. Also like crack you, will have to pay the consequences in the end. I am glad I can say that I have tried the extra hot, but I think that I will stick to ordering just plain hot next time.

Widespread Panic 10/31/02 NOLA - Hot in Herre

SFB Super Bowl Shuffle

This is classic.

Music Thursday: R.I.P. Billy Powell

Billy Powell, the famed keyboardist from Lynyrd Skynyrd, passed away yesterday. A one time roadie for Skynyrd, Powell joined the band after an impromptu jam session on the piano. He was later a survivor of the famed plane crash that took the life of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and five others in 1977. After the crash, Skynard went on hiatus, but that did not stop Powell from pursuing his love of the piano.

He had some rough times down the road though, including serving a bit of time for a DUI conviction. But in prison, Powell found the Lord. After being released, he joined a Christian rock band named Vision.

Well, when Johnny Van Zant decided to get the old band together, errr.... get his brothers old band together, Powell left the life of a CCM artist and went on tour with Skynyrd. When Skynyrd reunited/reformed (this time), they were still pretty good because Johnny sounded very similar to his brother, but they just couldn't write a good song like they did in the 70s. I guarantee that you can't even name a song that the band wrote after 1977...now the band has pretty much turned into a joke. How long can you really survive on Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird? I guess the answer is 22 years. Thank you, Kid Rock, for stretching out the run even farther.

The song I am bringing you this week is a classic Skynyrd tune: That Smell. It is a song about lead guitarist Gary Rossington, a man who was known for being wild, crazy and unstoppable. He bought a new car, got wasted and crashed it into a tree, then a house ("whiskey bottles, brand new car, oak tree you're in my way"). The band was supposed to start a tour a few days later, but it had to be postponed because of Rossington.

If the UlikaBBQ team were to make an album of cover songs, this would be track 1.

R.I.P. Billy Powell

Recap of the 2009 KCBS Banquet

Last Saturday night, BP and I attended the annual KCBS Banquet. This end of the year/season banquet was being held outside of Kansas City for the first time ever and we were glad that they chose Nashville for the event. The banquet was held at the Sheraton Music City Hotel located near the airport. When this location was first announced, I gasped for a moment. Not because of the location or the quality of the place, but because I knew the chef at the Music City Sheraton. And where do I know him from? I met him at a competition as he is the chief cook on a KCBS team. I gasped because I could not imagine cooking for hundreds of my peers who are cooks themselves. However, whether the banquet attendees knew that their meal was prepared by a fellow competitor or not, the food was good. The intentionally basic menu certainly did not allow the chef to flex his culinary muscle, but everything served was pretty tasty and of good quality.

BP and I arrived just as the banquet was about to begin, so we grabbed some of the only open seats left in the back of the room. The banquet started with Mike McCloud from MMA Creative addressing the crowd and giving out the standard thank yous to the KCBS board, the members in attendance, the KCBS staff, and the volunteers that helped with the event. That was followed with a brief statement from the KCBS President Mike Lake and the introduction of the headlining speaker, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. While I am not a supporter of Mr. Dean, I thought that he delivered a good speech. He talked about how he moved to Nashville to attend law school and was invited to a bbq on the first day of classes. He, of course, thought they would be having hamburgers and hot dogs, but he was treated to true pork bbq. This is the consistent annoyance for bbq cooks - barbecuing is incorrectly assumed to be synonymous with grilling. After his story he gave some shameless plugs for Nashville tourism, but the crowd seemed to eat it up. He then moved on to talk about how he was an honorary judge at the CMT Fan Fair BBQ Contest and he described the experience that he had at his first KCBS event. Overall, he delivered a good speech that seemed to entertain the crowd.

After the speech, the buffet opened. Dinner consisted of a Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, grilled zucchini with roasted red peppers, roast beef, pork loin, and a mushroom bisque. For dessert, they had a cheesecake and slices of an apple tart. Everyone at our table enjoyed the meal and the hotel patron that sneaked in towards the end of the banquet enjoyed the food as well, helping himself to some of the leftover rolls with some roast beef.

After everyone was finished eating (except some of us in the back), Mike Lake again addressed the crowd. He then brought Mike McCloud back on stage to give the 2009 Tour Sponsors and Marketing Brief. This was the most interesting part of the banquet. It was revealed that Weber and Tabasco are returning as sponsors and the new companies on board this year are Tums, Reynolds Wrap and Scott Towels. I can't believe that Tums is just now joining hands with the KCBS - Tums and bqq competitions have long been friends in my mind. It was also revealed that there is a NASCAR/KCBS event in the works. If this goes through, there will be a KCBS contest at Daytona for the night race in July. If that goes well, there is talk of future NASCAR/KCBS events. It seems that someone has finally realized that the bbq demographic and the NASCAR demographic are pretty similar. Kudos to MMA.

After Mike's power point presentation, they announced the results of the election for the Board of Directors. Three members were re-elected: Merl Whitebook, Don Harwell (not to be confused with local contest rep extraordinaire, Ron Harwell) and Wayne Lohman. One new member was elected: Gene Goychochea. I met Gene at a get together on Friday night (put on by DoRag and Long Dawg Blue Smoke), but I had no idea he was even running for the BOD. Gene was a very nice guy and I wish him best of luck as he joins the KCBS BOD. I am sure he will serve the membership well.

After the election results were revealed, the awards were announced. This was very anti-climatic since the KCBS had already posted the results on their website. They announced the Top 10 teams in all four meat categories and then announced the Top 20 overall teams. Munchin Hogs @ the Hilton was named the team of the year, Quau was named the chicken team of the year, Munchin Hogs @ the Hilton won the rib category, Four Men & a Pig was tabbed as the best pork team, and Smokey Mountain Smokers won top team in brisket. Lastly, they gave out the award for the top overall score from any contest which went to Rod Gray of Pellet Envy for the second year in a row. After the awards were presented, an announcement was made informing the membership that efforts were being made to reward the TOY with a monetary prize. The KCBS is also going to have an updated TOY tracking system on their website throughout the year. These changes should make for an exciting chase in 2009.

To close out the banquet, the raffle winners were announced. There were probably about 50 items that were given away from KCBS table centerpieces to a box of pellets. There were also about 160 contest entries that were given away through a raffle, but we were not fortunate enough to win one of those.

Overall, the banquet was a good experience. It wasn't a profoundly exciting event, but I wasn't expecting it to be as banquets are banquets - we've all been to them. BP made an interesting observation of the event, comparing it conversely to an afterhours gathering of co-workers. Just as it is odd to see your co-workers in their non-work, casual clothes, it's odd to see your bbq peers dressed up in formal wear. I doubt that I would travel to attend another event unless I was up for an award, but I'm certainly thankful that I had the opportunity to attend one here in my home city. It was nice to meet different faces from across the country and learn more about the future direction of the organization. I hope everyone enjoyed their trip to Nashville, and you are welcome back anytime.

Music Thursday: Bill Monroe

This week, I bring you the sounds of Bill Monroe. Mr. Monroe, who is considered to be "The Father of Bluegrass Music", is the only musician that is a member of four Halls of Fame (The Country Music Hall of Fame, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Honor, and The Songwriter Hall Of Fame). He first came into the national spotlight on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in the early 1940s and he continued to play bluegrass music up until his death in 1996. His music has influenced thousands of musicians in all genres. Even folks that don't care for bluegrass music can respect the life and career of Bill Monroe.

One of the most interesting things about Mr. Monroe is that he played the same mandolin for the majority of his 50+ year career. It was a 1923 Gibson F5 master model mandolin signed by Lloyd Loar. It is one of only 200 F5 mandolins signed by Lloyd Loar. In 1985, a home intruder smashed the famed mandolin into several pieces. All of the pieces were then gathered up and sent to Gibson where they had their specialist repair the instrument back to mint condition. After the instrument was returned to Bill, he continued to play it until he passed away.

More recently, the mandolin has been the center of some controversy involving a Ponzi scheme organized by the late Robert McLean. As part of the whole scheme, McLean made some large donations to the Country Music Hall of Fame - one of which was the purchase and donation of the F5 mandolin. When McLean passed away and the scheme unraveled, the duped investors wanted to collect the 1.5 million for the mandolin from the County Music Hall of Fame. The latest information I've been able to find on this issue still lists the lawsuit as ongoing, but the mandolin still rests today in the CMHoF (pictured above). When I visited the CMHoF a few years back, I thought that the F5 mandolin was one of the coolest things in the entire museum and I hope that the lawsuit ends up in their favor.

Without further ado, here is Uncle Pen by Bill Monroe

Music Thursday: Belle and Sebastian

The Ulika Food Blog is committed to bringing you a different flavor of Music to kick off 2009. Instead of just posting a song from YouTube each week (sometimes food related, sometimes not), I am going to give you a little more information about the music and the artists that you might hear under the Ulika tent. I am not ready to rename the blog "Ulika Food and Music Blog" or anything, but I do want to make Music Thursdays a little more informative and fun. I decided that I would just shuffle my iTunes and see what comes up. I will continue this for Music Thursday until I run out of tunes or until I freak everyone out with the music I listen to.

In the first edition of Music Thursday, I am going to bring you a song from Belle and Sebastian. Now B&S is not a group that you would ever associate with bbq, nor would you ever hear anyone blasting their music at a competition. However, team Ulika does not really fit into the norm. If you stop by our site at any given competition, you might just hear some of Stuart Murdoch's catchy melodies.

For those that don't know, B&S hails from Glasgow, Scotland and they drew great acclaim in the UK in the late 1990s. I came to discover this band from Space Man some time in 1999. I had heard them before, but never really got into them until the album Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant. When I was living in Athens, GA I listened to this album almost nonstop. After that, I got into some of their later work and have continued to enjoy every album they have released since. As I was clicking through B&S songs on YouTube, I came across one of my favorite tunes, Like Dylan and the Movies. This is a live version of the song from the album If You're Feeling Sinister. This was B&S's second album and the one that launched them to the top of the charts. Pitchfork Music tabbed this album #14 in the top 100 albums of the 90's (what a list of albums). So enjoy the video and check back next Thursday for more music.

Music Thursday: So This Is Christmas

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band
with the children of the Harlem Community Choir

Thanksgiving Hangover

So now that you have all that leftover turkey, what are you going to do?



How bout some turkey dumplins?

Maybe you could make a turkey pot pie (a substitute for the chicken).

There is also the gobbler cobbler.

10 good ideas for leftover turkey

10 bad ideas for leftover turkey

Don't have any leftover turkey? Don't worry, the grocery stores are having a fire sale on turkeys and you can get a great deal.

What is your favorite leftover turkey recipe?

I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday...but hopefully you didn't get caught up in something like this:



Well, it seemed like a good idea to stand in line at 4:00 am in the Wal-Mart parking lot to get one of three DVD players available for $20.

Music Thursday: Highwayman

I came across this song, and remembered just how good it is. It's like four things in one. How can you beat that?

Football Saturdays : The Comeback Drink

Now that we are in the heart of the football season, we are getting into some really important football games. Most people in the South have a deep passion for their football, and on Saturdays it can get pretty crazy. There are the tailgates and co-eds, and there is always the booze. Whoever your team might be, at some point in the season they may be trailing in a game. Some people try the rally caps and others use good luck charms and there was that rally monkey. However, I have an age old secret that will work every time. Note: This has never been posted on the internet. This is a deeply kept and dearly held secret. I am revealing what some people never wanted others to know. It's called the comeback drink.

If your team is down by 14 or more points, it is time for a comeback drink. Making this drink will guarantee that either a) your team will come back and win or b) you will forget that you were watching a football game. Part of the comeback drink is believing in the power of the comeback drink, and the other part is whiskey (well really, six parts whiskey). Yes, that's right, a comeback drink is six parts whiskey and a splash of Sprite. It is guaranteed to work every time. If your team is really down, it may require more than one comeback drink (use your own discretion here).

Go Dawgs. Sic' em.

There is a reason they call this the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Music Thursday: Wildfire

I love the 70's.

Michael Martin Murphey's Wildfire

Music Thursday: Speaking of Coconuts...

Here is some old school Panic for ya!

I Pity the Food

Mr. T is now endorsing the FlavorWave Turbo, and I literally pity the food.



I really like the time elapsed cook. They may need a lesson from Dr. Carl Winter after they put cooked meat on the same plate they put the raw meat on.