2008 May | Zingerman's Roadhouse

Turning Back the Cocktail Clock a Hundred Years

One of the most exciting flavor developments at the Roadhouse has actually come about behind the bar. Just as we have worked to bring back classic, full-flavored traditional American foods, we’re reviving classic American cocktails of earlier eras. This return to old cocktail form is not just some superficial change. It’s not really about style (though it has it in spades), nor is it merely an academic exercise. There’s an enormous difference between the classic cocktails and the “modern” versions that carry the same names, as much as there is between factory and farmhouse cheddar, or the Creamery’s cream cheese and the stuff they sell in the supermarket. And the biggest part of that difference is about flavor—classic cocktails simply taste a whole lot better! Here are the keys to traditional cocktails at the Roadhouse.

Guanciale from Herb Eckhouse in Iowa

Although I’ve known about guanciale for ages, and certainly have eaten it here and there, it was pretty much out of my eating routines until I got to working on it for the upcoming little Zing-published bacon book to be (not done yet but getting there!). As with so many things we sell here, hardly anyone in this area is likely to know guanciale. But of course they didn’t know about balsamic vinegar twenty years ago and look where that’s …

More Secrets from Iowa

I promised last week to share a couple more secrets about Iowa’s little-known food traditions. We talked last week about flavorful ingredients and shared about Maytag blue cheese, free-range pork from Paul Willis and American cured meats from Herb Eckhouse.

We’re going to be serving a beef entree at this event from Jacqueline Venner’s family farm. (She’s a long-time deli staff member.) Emily “Duff” Anderson, the chocolate specialist at the Deli will be reading from her grandmother’s diary, who grew …

Radio Free Bacon – Season Kick-off!

Radio Free Bacon kicked off its first show of the season outside on the Roadhouse patio. The first in a seven-week run, their energy is bigger and more focused than last year! With live radio broadcasting through Ann Arbor’s 107one, these guys are a force to be reckoned with! Their pictures from the show are online now! Check them out. Take a look at the website for up-to-date season information.…

Accomplished Chef & Storyteller Visits Roadhouse

The Roadhouse is gearing up for Martha Foose, executive chef at the Viking Cooking School, owner of the Mockingbird Bakery in Greenwood, MS, expert storyteller and all-around great personality who will be a special guest on May 20 at 7pm for a special dinner promoting her new book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea. An active participant in the Southern Foodways Alliance, Martha is already a great friend of the Roadhouse, and we’re happy to have her back.

Martha’s accomplishments …