Did I say smear?

Mother of Food and I had just picked up her brother (Uncle of Food) at McCarran Airport. He mentioned he was hungry and could go for some old fashioned deli styled salami and eggs (probably testing to see if we had any kosher styled deli here in Sin City). Now we have the Stage, the Carnegie, and Canters delicatessens’ and many other fine deli’s but if you want the real Las Vegas deli experience then you must go to Harrie’s Bagelmania.

Harrie’s is located about 5 minutes east of Las Vegas Boulevard in a strip center well past it’s prime. It is open from 6:30 AM - 3PM serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. If you like a New York style bagel this is the place. Their Bialy’s are great and they have the best lox in town (did I say smear). On any morning you will find many of the movers and shakers of LV or resident entertainers holding court.

Now about the salami and eggs pancake style (I had mine with onions added) - super! Harrie’s Bagelmania is certainly more than bagels, they have great tasting food. You will find all types of egg dishes, fresh salads, fish platters, sandwiches, homemade soups including chicken with matzo ball or kreplach and of course items like chopped liver, potato pancakes, noodle kugel w/raisins or different types of knishes. Take home some black and white cookies or rugalah for later.

Stop by on Tuesdays for special pricing on bagels, corn beef and pastrami.

Location - 855 E. Twain Ave., Suite #120 Las Vegas, NV. 89169
Tel.# - 702-369-3322 (Delivery Available)

Have you seen this mustard?

I was walking through the aisles of Zabar's on the Upper West Side of Manhattan the other day, and my eye was distracted by a bottle of mustard. I didn't recognize the shape of the bottle, and hadn't seen the label yet, but the color and texture were unmistakable. I thought--is that Stadium Mustard?

Stadium Mustard was the famous brown mustard served on hot dogs at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Family of Food grew up before we were all dispersed to the four winds. Everyone in Cleveland loved Stadium Mustard. Father of Food still orders it by the case and has it shipped to Las Vegas. How long does it take to consume a case of mustard?

I picked up the bottle, and the label said "Cleveland's Famous Original Bertman Ball Park Mustard," made in Cleveland, Ohio. So was it Stadium Mustard? Bertman was a familiar name, but why not call it "Stadium Mustard"?

Well, it seems there are two companies making this mustard now, and both of them claim to be the original. Here's a link to another blog that offers a plausible story about how Stadium Mustard got shut out of the Stadium and chaos ensued--

http://sullicom.blogspot.com/2007/10/stadium-mustard.html

Poster "Buckeye1" gives a similar version on this discussion forum thread--

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12782

Bertman adherents claim that Stadium Mustard got the name, but Bertman got the recipe. Stadium Mustard claims to be the mustard served in Cleveland Stadium for more than 50 years. I don't know which account is true, but Bertman Ball Park Mustard tastes like the real deal--a spicy tangy smooth brown mustard with a good mustard flavor that's not overshadowed by turmeric or hot pepper. When we last visited Father of Food, though, the Stadium Mustard also tasted like Stadium Mustard, so next trip I'll have to bring a bottle of Bertman Ball Park Mustard with me for a real side-by-side taste test.

Until then, you can get Stadium Mustard from

http://www.stadiummustard.com/

and you can purchase Bertman Ball Park Mustard from

http://www.suttonsbayspices.com/Various_and_Sundry/Bertman's_Ball_Park_Mustard.html

or in more sizes from

http://www.americanspice.com/catalog/search.html?SEARCH=21&WORDS=%22bertman%2Bball%2Bpark%2Bmustard%22%2Bhorseradish&_ssess_=SEARCH_ENGINE,

if you don't happen to be browsing the aisles in Zabar's (where it's cheaper, by the way--notice the price tag in the picture of the 9 oz. bottle) or watching an Indians game at Jacobs Field (where they serve Bertman's).

Cake as Art

I was blown away when I saw pictures of this amazing Wedding Cake today. (photo by Studio Vérité Photography).

It is based on the wildly popular Nintendo Mario Games including Mario Galaxy.

Want to know where to get a cake like this? You can check the website of Let Them Eat Cake a masterful bakeshop in Costa Mesa, CA.

I have a quote from the Flickr page of the Bride and Groom

The greatest wedding cake ever! The Super Mario Kart Cake was a hit with guests at our wedding. Everything in the pictures of this cake is 100% edible. This Chocolate Decadence Cake (black chocolate cake filled with bittersweet chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream and chocolate mousse) was as delciious [sic] as it was unique.

Yum.

Check the Food as Art on the sidebar of the blog to link to the happy couple's Flickr page. Family of Food wishes them the very best!

Duck Wear

One of our most popular posts is Birthday Duck, a chronicling of the Duck Cake I made for my twin daughter's first birthday. I themed the whole party around ducks, but found that some ducks were harder to find than you would think. So, I made my own. Here is a link to Duckie Town, so you can find duck images on all kinds of stuff. Stuff to wear while making and eating a duck cake.

Coupon Results

After my last post, Food and Grocery Coupon Conglom-o-rama, I gathered up my coupons and went shopping at Ralphs. The results... I still spent just as much at the store, however I bought a heck of a lot more for the money. My trip included non-food staples like diapers and dog food as well as a full load of groceries. I am hoping not to have to do a major trip for at least a couple of weeks.

I saved over $67 by using the coupons, which is nothing to sneeze at. Many of my coupons were combined with in store sales and then doubled adding to the savings. The shopping took about twice as long, but in time I hope I can get more organized with it. The best coupon I had, get one free Arm and Hammer Fabric Care (laundry soap FREE!), the worst I had was $.65 off Naturally Preferred Cage Free Brown Eggs, they only had white and I wasted too much time looking for the brown.

Food and Grocery Coupon Conglom-o-rama

Last night my husband and I paid the monthly bills and we realized something entirely shocking, we’re broke. We are going to have to tighten our belts, count our pennies, and yes… clip our coupons.

Because it is fashionable these days to be low on dough, I have collected a group of coupon links for all of us little people struggling to stay afloat in this economy. Save a penny, earn a penny, right? Coupons are a great way to slow the hemorrhage of cash going to the grocery store as food prices rise. Just be careful of how you use them. Coupons are enticing advertisements designed to lure you to certain products, so try to use them to buy things you would buy otherwise.

These links are somewhat Southern California Centric, so if you have suggestions for other coupon sources, please leave a comment with your tip. I have put a Bookmarker at the bottom of the post so you can check back to this post whenever you need coupons.

Whole Foods - This link lists Specials at the market. The offers are limited, but you can still save money at Whole Foods by sticking to the “365” house brand for staples, cooking fresh foods instead of buying prepackaged, and by checking the following websites for manufacturer coupons.

Organic Valley - Coupons are good for organic dairy.

Organic Prairie - Coupons are for organic meats.

Earth’s Best - Coupons for baby and toddler foods.

Kashi - You have to join MyKashi to get these Kashi coupons, but who knows… maybe you’re a big Kashi eater.

Trader Joes - Their legendary “Flyer” is like a travel magazine complete with pithy stories and hand drawn illustrations. New products and specials are highlighted in the Flyer. Also on the site is a radio Flyer which has Trader Joe’s Staff talking about their products, this will only likely make you spend more dough as you are tempted by the stories.

Bristol Farms - Get the weekly specials for your local store with this link, though generally Bristol Farms is not the place to save.

Coupons.com - This site is easy and loaded with brand name savings, but you have to install printer software which keeps track of the coupons you print so you don’t abuse the system.

Smartsource - This is a general coupon site. Unfortunately you have to install printer software here, too. The following stores seem to use the Smartsource coupon engine, so you may want to stop here first.

Ralphs

Albertsons

Von’s / Safeway

Kroger - Ralphs is a Kroger store, so is Food 4 Less, Smith’s, Bakers, and others. If your Kroger Store isn’t listed, check the corporate site here.

Safeway - Vons is a Safeway Store and so is Pavillions, check this site for local Safeway stores in other parts of the country.

Supervalu - Bristol Farms and Albertsons are Supervalu stores. Check for local chains here.

Stop and Shop - An East Coast favorite, check the Circular for bargains before you shop.

Target - No special software required, just pick your coupons and print. Target is so nice.

Smart and Final - Click on Store Specials Button for the local circular. If you haven’t been to a Smart and Final, it is like a Small Club/Bulk Store, but you don’t have been a member to shop there. Lots of great bargains to be found, but some items are limited, for instance they carry no baby supplies.

For Baby Supplies try this Momsview.com link. They’ve got a long list of offers and coupons for your perusal.

Here’s to us all saving a few bucks. Just doing tests for this post I found $15 dollars worth of coupons for things I need and if I take them to Ralphs or Vons, those coupons with be worth $30, since both of those stores have Double Coupons. Check your local stores for Doubling since the savings can add up quickly that way.

Good Luck and Happy Saving!

The Nicest Restaurant To Which My Kids Have Ever Been

This past Friday, I took my two 19 month old girls down to the Los Angeles Central Library to read some books. Since we were to be downtown on a Friday we arranged to meet Grandfather of Food for Lunch. He picked a spot right next to the library, a nice little joint named Cafe Pinot. OK, Cafe Pinot is not just a little joint, it is one of the Patina group of Restaurants founded by Chef Joachim Splichal. I love Patina, but I had never been to Cafe Pinot before. Based on my experiences at Patina, I had expected an elegant and delicious menu. What I hadn't expected was how very child friendly Cafe Pinot was. I should have guessed this was the case when I saw Chef Splichal's latest cookbook, Feeding Baby in the lobby of the restaurant. After checking in, we were seated in the garden with our two high chairs already in place (it pays to call ahead). We were given milk for the girls in their sippy cups right away. This is a blessing for parents and patrons who don't wish to hear babies crying for milk. The Kids were given children's menus which had no prices because kids food is free, a bargain that would starve Joachim Splichal? Nah, don't worry, The Patina Group made out fine on the adult's meal. Grandfather of Food and I had salads, but plates the girls got could have fed us all. They had a grilled cheese with french fries and a chicken breast with french fries. Both were made with more care than at the average restaurant. Specifically, I had the Yellowfin Tuna in Salad, which was seared perfectly. We were all fed beautifully. My one and only request for the "in diapers" set would be for Cafe Pinot to get a diaper changing area. The only place I saw to use was the on floor of the bathroom. I opted to wait until we went in to the library where, FYI, they have a koala bear care changer in the children's section on the second floor.