Category Archives: Restaurant

Baked Potato Wedges

Spring is the perfect time for bbq’s and  picnics in the park. Whether you cook hot dogs or burgers, fries should be a side dish. However, homemade fries is an easy dish to ruin. You want that crispy outside with a soft, creamy inside but without the grease or oil.

An alternative to deep-frying the fries is to bake them as potato wedges and get that perfect texture inside and out. This cooking method is healthier, faster and much easier to complete.

Ingredients:
Russet potatoes(2 per person), washed and cut into eighths.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, pick out some medium-sized russet potatoes. The recipe I am using was given to me by Sam Handam, a local restaurant owner. He said he uses about two potatoes per person.

“Unless they are small of course then I use more,” he said jokingly. Sam said he uses this recipe at personal bbq’s and his restaurant which serves fish and chips.

“I like wedges more for bbq’s because they are thicker and you get a better potato taste,” he said.
Directions:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

•Cut the potatoes into eighths and place them in a bowl with the olive oil and spices.

•Toss the wedges in the bowl to evenly coat each one.

•Place the wedges on a baking sheet and put them in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Then let cool for about 5 minutes before eating.

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One customer Ruben said he prefers these type of fries over any from a fast food place. “I prefer my fries homemade because they taste better and are fresh.” Ruben goes to Sam’s restaurant a couple of times a week. He enjoy’s this place more than other fish and chip restaurants because of the “quality” of food.

My only adjustment to this recipe when I recreated it was that before I placed the wedges in the oven to cook, I cooked them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. My reason for doing so was to assure that all the potatoes cook evenly and get a more crispy texture. This also reduces cooking time in the oven to 20-25 minutes.

Other than that, I liked this recipe because it is simple and healthier than traditional french fries. You can adjust the seasoning and add your own twists. Sometimes I add cajun seasoning to enhance the flavor. Just don’t add as much salt if you add other seasonings. Enjoy!

 

The Bread Boy

While I was interviewing a restaurant for a video, I met a guy named Jose. He stood out to me because he loved to bake. His passion for baking lead him to earning a job baking a variety of different breads for local restaurants and food trucks. He has taken of the role of bread boy at his current job.

“I don’t know who came up with the name but I like it,” said Jose.

He said that we wakes up around dawn to head to work and start making the bread at the restaurant.

“He has to make bread for about a dozen different restaurants and vendor,” said his boss Sam. “He feels like pressure to be on time and ready to go.”

One of his favorite breads to make accompanies the delicious Sonora Hotdog for a few local food trucks. A Sonoran dog is a Mexican style hotdog fixed with a variety of different toppings such as chile beans, salsa, guacamole, green peppers, etc.

“I really enjoy eating the Sonoran dogs especially from the ones I deliver bread to. My family does too,” he said.

Jose has been baking for several years. He said he wasn’t interested in it until he got a job working at Marylins. He worked his way up to making bread and decided to stay doing it.

“It’s fun,” he said while laughing. “I think I bake more than my mother does.Oh dios mio” (which means oh my gosh in Spanish).

Jose was glad to share a delicious recipe to accompany your next Sinaloa dog or any hotdog. He didn’t have his own recipe at first but over the years he adjusted to using only one instead of a different one for each vendor.

The ingredients are:

 To begin, Jose combines the lukewarm milk, egg, butter, sugar, bread flour, potato flakes, salt and yeast in a mixing machine. When doing this at home you can use any standard mixer. Mix the dough on low for 8-10 minutes. It should be smooth and elastic. You should let the dough rest for 1-2 hours. Take the dough out of the mixer and cover it on a pan with a towel.
Next:
  • He places parchment paper on his baking sheets.
  • Divide dough into 3 equally sized pieces and form into logs.
  • Divide each log into 5 equal pieces for standard sized rolls.
  • Make each piece out into an oval.
  • Press an indentation down the length of the center of the oval with the side of your hand.
  • Roll the dough up around the indentation.
  • Transfer to the baking sheet
  • Leaving the dough about 1 inch apart, and let rise for about thirty minutes
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Brush the dough with buttermilk.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes
  • Let the bread cool for a few minutes
  • Make a slice down the center of the top of the roll nearly through to the bottom.
  • Then open the bread to put a hotdog inside.

Jose randomly chooses a bread to taste and assure that it is up to par.

“He always finds ways to make his job fun and easy,” said Sam. “He is a joy to be around.”

Jose sometimes delivers the bread personally to the different vendors.

“I love seeing their faces when I arrive with the bread. It makes my job good.”

This recipe was the first that Jose mastered. He practiced everyday and after a few weeks, he no longer had to read it off of a piece of paper. He said he will never eat a prepackaged hot dog bun again. “Fresh is the way to go,” he said.

The ingriedients for this recipe can be found in most pantries becasue they are typical everyday cooking items. So why buy bread when it is so simple and easy to make. It will compliment any hotdog nicely.

Marilyn’s Fish and Chips

If you are ever in the mood for fresh, homemade seafood or bar food, this is the place to go. The owner Sam ensures that the quality of food is up to par. He goes the extra mile and makes all of his sauces from scratch each morning. They have a bakery in the back of the restaurant, which he uses to freshly bake all the bread for his various sandwiches and burgers. He even uses that bread to sell to the local hotdog stands. This restaurant is family run and operated, so it has a great family atmosphere. You can often find Sam, his son and wife cooking up the food or taking orders. Aside from their perfected fish and chips, they offer a variety of sandwiches like chicken sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers, fish sandwiches and etc. And for dessert they offer a variety of ice cream flavors like mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, strawberry cheesecake, which are all made from scratch in the back of the restaurant. Ty it out and you won’t be disappointed.