the_maestro
Comparing Impossible and Beyond Burgers
I confess I was a shameless ridiculer of the new meat-substitute products that have flooded the market and taken even fast food...
AT HOME
the_maestro
- Jan 25
- 5 min
The Chef in Charlotte – Bolognese
I am lucky to have family nearby––if I'm ever feeling lonesome in Charlotte or need a change of pace, it's an easy 90 minute drive up to...
87 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jan 16
- 8 min
The Chef in Charlotte – Soup Billi-Bi
I excitedly watched the weekend weather forecast for the Charlotte metro area develop over the past week––a massive winter storm was set...
69 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Dec 31, 2021
- 9 min
The 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay Awards
Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom resulting from waking up every day in this pandemic, now again in a terrible phase, that...
37 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Aug 12, 2021
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Unless you've been living under a rock, y'all know that things are getting bad out there again with the virus. For this and mental health...
18 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 4, 2021
- 4 min
Inspired Ingredients – Ramps
You may have heard a bit of hubbub about ramps in recent years. Or maybe you haven't––I myself hadn't heard of them until five or six...
20 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 29, 2021
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Shiitake Larb
I wasn't planning to double down on my Lao food posts, but holy shit people... this recipe. Larb has been called the national dish of...
35 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 25, 2021
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Lao Khao Poon
My sister signed me up for a monthly spice delivery service, Spice Madam, for my Christmas gift, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting my...
6 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 23, 2021
- 2 min
Wasting food waste: Broccoli Stem Hummus
Here's a quick post for a quick, healthy, easy-peasy, and super ethical snack to inaugurate a new series about various ways to reduce our...
8 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 6, 2021
- 8 min
Unboxing the Farm: a week with Stone Barns' "resourcED" Grocery Box
My mini-crusade to improve my choices and shift my life toward a more ethical food trajectory has involved a multitude of little...
30 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Feb 26, 2021
- 5 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Sea Urchin Pasta
Today I present another of my neglected posts from back in the early parts of quarantine in Iowa, with the hopes that you, too can find...
37 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Feb 24, 2021
- 8 min
Inspired Ingredients – Hakurei Turnips
Something I learned from my first visit to Stone Barns is how corporatized and streamlined our food experience has become. There are...
15 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Feb 22, 2021
- 4 min
Table X @ Home – Salt Lake City, UT
One of the cooler trends we've been seeing emerge during the pandemic from restaurants are take-home, heat-and-eat style dinners. These...
18 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Feb 20, 2021
- 7 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Xiao Long Bao
Despite writing it up, I'd never posted this gem from back in the depths of Iowa quarantine in March 2020, but figured no time like the...
16 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jan 30, 2021
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Tom Kha Gai
This short and sweet blog post is dedicated to the impending first week of classes, a time when I need short and sweet (and comforting!)...
54 views1 comment
the_maestro
- Jan 9, 2021
- 6 min
The Maestro's Big Drunk Gay Awards – 2020 Dumpster Fire Edition!
I really enjoyed issuing a series of absolutely meaningless "Big Drunk Gay" awards last year, highlighting the very best things I ate,...
27 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Sep 30, 2020
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Cacio e pepe
Like much of the country, I woke up on Wednesday morning feeling pretty darn terrible. Not just because of the amount of rum I drank the...
26 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Sep 19, 2020
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Moroccan Chicken
I always love exploring the various cuisines of the world, but know relatively little about African culinary traditions. I have, however,...
10 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Sep 13, 2020
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Salmon and grits
Now that I am back in the south, some of my memories of the south come back from time to time, and my discovery of the wonders of grits...
48 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Sep 11, 2020
- 3 min
The Chef in Charlotte: Bison tenderloin
Ah, we have a new series to inaugurate! "Quarantine Cuisine" no longer seemed quite right, since I am, for all intents and purposes, not...
10 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Sep 1, 2020
- 5 min
The Maestro moves to Charlotte
Well kids, what can I say? Life is crazy, and my dearth of posts this past month was due in part to my grand adventure in Alaska, yes,...
28 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jul 16, 2020
- 4 min
Summer Grilling: Thai Chicken Thighs
Things have been slow around here recently, mostly owing to the fact that my much-anticipated trip to California had to be shelved due to...
22 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jun 30, 2020
- 4 min
Summer Grilling: Currywurst
It's getting mighty hot out here in the heartland of late, leading the Maestro to sometimes decide it's not worth stepping out into the...
47 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jun 19, 2020
- 5 min
Summer grilling: Cedar Plank Salmon
Salmon has quite a reputation. Ask anyone and they'll likely have very strong feelings about it, love it or hate it. Most Americans have...
17 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jun 6, 2020
- 3 min
Summer Grilling: Churrasco
I suppose now that we are out of the most intense aspects of the "Quarantine" these days, at least in Iowa, I have decided to rename the...
12 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 25, 2020
- 3 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Sichuan Mapo Tofu
In southwest China is the rugged province of Sichuan, also Romanized as Szechuan, and beyond the modern-faced capital, Chengdu, lie...
12 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 17, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Duck breast
Rounding out our order from D'Artagnan was a beautiful breast of duck, one of my favorite proteins to cook, and one that is sure to make...
7 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 15, 2020
- 7 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Paella
Back when the pandemic was just starting, I noticed that our old reliable supplier of fresh seafood, Fulton Fish Market, was offering a...
38 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 13, 2020
- 6 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Brisket
Yesterday might be the day I fell in love with my pit barrel cooker. It also might be the day I decided it's the most infuriating thing...
38 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 10, 2020
- 3 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Mother's Day Special
Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas and mama figures out there! It's been a wonderful day here in Cedar Rapids. Despite some really...
13 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 9, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Veal chop
Some nights call for a simple, classic meal. Mom and I have been working diligently on transforming our kitchen, and things are slowly...
10 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 6, 2020
- 5 min
Quarantine Cuisine: The perfect cheese plate
One of my favorite snacks during this quarantine (and ya know, generally) is a delicious cheese or cheese and charcuterie plate, with an...
49 views0 comments
the_maestro
- May 2, 2020
- 6 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Brunch edition
I had received some feedback recently that my Quarantine Cuisine series features a) entirely dinner items and b) entirely meat or...
32 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 26, 2020
- 10 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Joël Robuchon's Quail
As quarantine drags into the 40-plus day timeframe, I find myself seeking increasingly interesting and challenging dishes to keep myself...
286 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 24, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Shrimp and grits
My dearest readers, you are now gaining entrance to a very dear place in my heart––my love for the cuisine of the Lowcountry, the coastal...
20 views1 comment
the_maestro
- Apr 22, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Chilean Sea Bass
This edition of Quarantine Cuisine might be called the "Prose" edition, or perhaps the "George W.'s least favorite" edition. Why? I...
17 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 20, 2020
- 5 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Pit Barrel Ribs
How are we lucky enough to have barbecue in our lives? I do not claim in the least to be a barbecue expert, so don't @ me, BBQ pros (very...
10 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 17, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Greek Chicken Thighs
If you are like me, thirty-plus days of quarantine has begun to spark days of pronounced lethargy and depression––days where you stare...
23 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 14, 2020
- 3 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
As long as we can't travel physically, we might as well travel culinarily! Korean food is having a real moment in the Unites States....
18 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 11, 2020
- 5 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Turkish Lamb Loin Chops
I wasn't planning on creating anything transcendental with this meal, so the Quarantine Cuisine series was supposed to next travel to...
13 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Apr 8, 2020
- 6 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Surf and Turf
Apologies for the delay in posting this next installment! The Maestro's computer suffered an unfortunate cracked screen, so a new one had...
10 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 27, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Octopus and Mole Amarillo
This week I present a double dose of seafood, because our Fulton Fish Market order was particularly large (so we could trigger the free...
19 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 21, 2020
- 7 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Scallops
Well kiddos, as you may have noticed, the world has stopped moving. Restaurants and bars are closed, the stock market is crumbling, the...
16 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Mar 5, 2019
- 2 min
Monday Mollusks: easy IPA-steamed Mussels!
Quick post tonight to write a bit about a quick, easy snack! And to inaugurate my "Monday Mollusks" series ;) I don't know about you, but...
11 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Feb 2, 2019
- 7 min
Duck Duck Syrah
Today's dinner is brought to you by a convergence of circumstances, and also a shade of melancholy. Despite my endless love affair with...
9 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jan 30, 2019
- 4 min
Double-Header, pt. 2! Grass-Fed Filet
Spent some time at Central Market this week (anyone surprised?) to snag some proteins and produce for the week's sustenance. I haven't...
12 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Jan 22, 2019
- 4 min
Black cod: First 2019 Home cooked Dinner!
I'm finally back in Austin! I must admit I still feel a bit adrift, and after 6 weeks of traveling, it was difficult for me to focus on...
9 views0 comments
the_maestro
- Dec 30, 2018
- 5 min
My gift to mama
I am not good at gift-giving. Come the holiday season, I find myself mindlessly perusing malls and websites trying to find something...
14 views0 comments