Pan Seared Pork with a Pesto Gorgonzola Cream Sauce and Fixins

     Everyone in college, and in the world for that matter, loves a good meal.  It's a fact.  I wish as much as the next patriotic and red blooded American that steak was a feasible option for every meal of every day (trading off with BBQ Ribs of course), be with the cost of meat going up all to often the price of steak is costly as shit.  If your like me, then you can't afford much shit... especially the good shit.  But fear not, here is some good shit you can afford.
  
     This dish is great for guys trying to impress a woman (because it's easy), it's good for friends (because it takes a while and there is enough for two people), and its great if you wanna treat yourself (because it makes good leftovers).

     Now there are a few components to this dinner.  First, the main dish.  Two to three medium to thick pork chops will be needed for this dish.  Many people get intimidated when cooking with pork other than bacon for the first time... don't.  Pork is an extremely easy meat to work with, and hard to mess up if you keep your eye on it while cooking.

     The taters.  As a cook in Idaho it would a mortal sin to not cook up potatoes with the meat.  I am a big fan of mashed potatoes, and that is something I am clearly not alone on.  Mashed potatoes are easy, comforting, and a great tool to soak up some of the cream sauce from the pork.  You will need 4-6 (depending on the size) Idaho grown (hopefully) Yukon Gold potatoes.  I like to use Yukon Gold because of the naturally buttery flavor the posses on their own, and it mixes really well with cheeses and garlic.  Score (cut) the potatoes all the way across the center before boiling them in a big pot for 15-20 minuets until soft.  Stick in a bowl of cold water right after you take them out as this will easily get the skins off of them.

     I like to usually do two sides with a main dish, and the second one that always seems to go well with meat is asparagus.  I like to use the really skinny shoe string asparagus because of how easily it crisps up in the oven compared to the thicker stalks.  I keep it really simple with the vegetable, using salt, pepper, oil, and a little rosemary (and sometimes a little balsamic vinegar).  I put the asparagus on a baking sheet and throw on the ingredients and just mix by hand.  Throw it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375 and broil on high for the last two minutes.  Wah-la, done.

Hugo's Deli and Fried Chicken- Boise, ID

Hugo's Deli and Fried Chicken

2789 Broadway Ave
Boise, ID 83706

While in Boise a few weeks ago I decided to take a trip with an old friend of mine to find what had been rumored to be the best fried chicken in the Valley.   As we drove down Five Mile Rd. trying to find the place we looked for anything that might fit the bill for a comfort food establishment.  We finally spotted the sign as we drove past an unassuming strip mall and took a turn into the lot.  Josie and I looked at each other silently asking the question if this place was legit enough to give the time of day to.  We silently answered and were cautiously optimistic as we got out of the car.  As we got into the restaurant we gave the rather plain decor and un-flashy interior a once over as we walked to the counter.  I knew what I wanted well before I came in.  I ordered a 2 piece fried chicken plate with coleslaw and JoJos (seasoned thick cut fries) as sides.

 Josie ordered a thick sandwich (the other thing Hugo's is known for) and a drink.
I took my first bite of chicken and it was exactly what I wanted, it was well seasoned, juicy, and crispy not soggy.  The pepper added a well placed kick to the seasoning and a nice jolt to the pallet.  Over all well done.  The Jo Jos were outstanding, well seasoned and thick.  They came with a house made fry sauce and a spicy house made ketchup that really complimented it.   The coleslaw was just so so, nothing out standing about it and a bit watery but decently seasoned.  Joise's vegie sandwich was well build and looked like a hearty lunch.  Overall the food was good, and the company was great.  I would go back again but wouldn't go the distance for Hugo's.  Worth the try.

Boise's Big Jud's.

BIG JUD'S BURGERS

1289 S Protest Rd. (Off Boise Ave. near campus)

Boise City, Idaho

The first time I went to Big Jud's was during my freshman year of college while I was attending Boise State University.  I had heard people rant and rave about this place for a couple months before I actually made my way to the godsend of a burger joint.  It was a our friend Jordan Tuchek's and he easily convinced the ten or so people that went to go with him to Jud's that night.  We had to wait a little while because the room is small and the tables are few in number, but the smells when you walk inside of the grease, onion, and raw potato are worth the wait alone.  The second you walk in you get the sense of how satisfying this genuine Idaho eating establishment is going to be.  It's a little tacky, covered in Boise State garb, unpretentious, friendly, authentic, and a what you see is what you get kind of place... just like Idaho itself.  I remember the first time I was there with everybody (like every time I have been there since) no one left unhappy or not full.  I have tried a few different kinds of burgers there over the times I have been there, and found nothing that pleases me more than the Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger with the works (sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, grilled onion, swiss cheese, mayo, and fry sauce (the most important staple of Idaho cuisine a ketchup and mayo mix with a slash of hot sauce and chopped relish) on a toasted, fresh, locally made sesame seed bun.  

The time I went recently I went down to Boise for a weekend to get a little R and R and visit some good friends of mine from a couple years back, and of course reunite with my burger.

I gave the young lady my order the BB Burger with a side of their home made tater tots (made with Idaho yukon golds... salty, golden and will melt in your mouth), and a small root beer which is actually the size of a small bucket sure to give even the healthiest of people diabetes, and huckleberry ice cream to top it off after.  After a few minutes of catching up and ogling at the Boise State women's volley ball team across the room, our food came out on little white plates and red plastic baskets.

  

I stared at it for a little bit, taking in the oozing bleu cheese, golden strands of pungent and sweet onion, and watching the sweet pink fry sauce drip off the sides to the plate as I contemplate the many reasons I love Idaho, my delicious adopted state. As I take my first bite the world around me as I knows it stops, even if for just a couple seconds.  I return back to earth slowly to the taste of crisp cold evenly sliced juice tomato and lettuce which washed over by the salty and sharpness of the  bleu and swiss cheese, mixed with the pepper and smokiness of the thick cut bacon and perfectly cooked patty omitting a tantalizing drop of greasy goodness that covered the pallet.  I took a few seconds to savor the burger a little more only to come across the sweetness of the grilled onion that carries a little punch that contrasts and embraces the bleu cheese all in one, and the mayo and fry sauce... sweet and tangy... over the top yet refined... it plays with your taste buds while you try and wrack up how to pin point the happy feeling this is causing and put it into words.  But, you can't... and thats okay, this moment is for you and you alone. You deserve it.

I shared some old stories, and created a few new ones as I finished my burger in dream land with my friends of the days of old, smile intact the whole time.  I am always glad to have a burger and take a little vacation with my taste buds from reality when I go to Jud's, but more importantly I'm glad to go there with some of the best people I know.  A shout out to Fazio, Tuna, Brent, and Toast.  It was a great trip to the city, made even better by a stop a Big Jud's.  Thank you, Boise. You're the best.

Check out the Man vs. Food that went down in Jud's a couple years back!

See what others think!

My first bite... Atilano's Mexican Food (Spokane, WA)

 My first bite... Atilano's Mexican Food, 725 W. 3rd Ave., Spokane, Washington (Downtown) Open 8 AM-3 AM, Cheap!

California Burrito (Potato, Steak, Cheese, Mexican Salsa)  I added Guac, Sour Cream, and Lettuce.

It was fucking awesome

This wasn't my first time hitting up Atilano's, but it is my first time sharing it with the world.  Shortly after I moved to Moscow, ID from Boise, ID I was feeling a huge void in my life being so far from Los Betos (the Mecca for burrito connoisseurs such as myself) and had to find an alternative.  I did some extensive research and came upon some places in Lewiston, ID, Pullman, WA, and the big city (Spokane, WA) since there were none that matched up to my needs in Moscow.  I looked online to see what these places looked liked and all of them looked too nice and too remodeled (you can often judge by the cover with Mexican food) to be up to snuff, spare Atilano's.  I was desperate for some fun on a Friday night last winter and decided to take a spontaneous ride up to Spokane with a friend to get out of town and the usual routine, and try this gem of a place to boot.  It was love at first bite.  This place knows greasy goodness and keeping it fresh to a tee.  The burrito I got this last time (pictured above) was a replica of the first, and just as satisfying.  The steak and potato are a little spicy and surprisingly tangy. The cheese (a mix of cheddar and monterey jack) adding to the tang and texture, and of course a necessary staple to any suitable burrito. The salsa clearly made fresh that day with flavorful tomatoes, pungent cilantro, lime, peppers for a serious but abrupt kick, and caramelized diced onions (instead of raw) to make it a little sweet.  The guacamole, lettuce, and sour cream add a refreshing and comforting depth to the rest of it.  The house red and green sauce is a spicy and vinegary topping that would be almost a crime not to put on top. In short, it's a burrito made from the gods.  I recommend this place highly, because just like Spokane's unfitting motto... it's "near perfect". Anything on the menu here will satisfy. 

Feel free to see what some other people thought!