Eli, just misses the final four on Top Chef.

Nice run for the Joe Wertz

This is not Eli, it's Gazette Entertainment Editor Joe Wertz (glasses not pictured)

lookalike, but Eli will not make it to Napa.
It’s down to Kevin, Jennifer and the brothers Voltaggio.
Check out today’s podcast.

Wagyu Wednesday is under way at Red Primesteak.

Videographer Tanner Herriott and I recently visited Red Prime Steak, 504 N Broadway Ave., which recently was listed one of the top 10 steak houses in the United States by msn.com, to learn about Wagyu Wednesday.

Chef Robert Black who oversees all the kitchens in A Good Egg Dining Group, has a serious passion for food. When he talks about Wagyu beef, that passion spills forward like flavor spills from the beef in question. Chef Robert speaks about Wagyu like an instructor, and that’s a good thing when it comes to the confusion there is about Wagyu and Kobe beef. Robert explains Kobe is merely a place while Wagyu is a breed. The Japanese government protects Kobe the way French protect Champagne. But that doesn’t mean the uber-premium beef can’t be raised elsewhere. American and Australian Kobe are what premium California sparkling wine is to French champagne.

To learn more about it, check out Tanner’s video.

 

To taste it, head over to Red Prime any day, but specifically Wednesdays for a chance to sample multiple cuts. Guests can expect a special Wednesday menu featuring entrees made with a variety of cuts, grades and breeds of Wagyu beef. Each week, chefs will introduce an innovative preparation and will offer meals at different prices to accommodate customer budgets.

One bite, and cost will no longer matter. This is otherwordly stuff. Have you been to Wagyu Wednesday? Let me know how it went.

Walter Gaylord at work, as he has been for 30 years, at the Tulsa Country Club.

In today’s column, I mentioned an honoree who has been washing dishes at the Tulsa Country Club for three decades. Here’s a story we ran, via the Tulsa World, back in August about the amazingly humble Mr. Walter Gaylord.

Is bringing the Jumbo Jack to the metro the first step in building a bigger, better culinary community? No. but together we can make it happen.

My term as friendly Oklahoma Food Dude is a little more than a year old. What fun it’s been. I’ve been with The Oklahoman since Dec. of 1990, working in Sports, Metro, City and State. I even did a stint as television columnist. In the nearly 19 years, I’ve never worked harder than I have the past year. At times, I’ve felt a little overwhelmed — so many story ideas, so little time.
But I’ve never been happier. It took almost two decades, my snoot a-spark from the grindstone, but I’m working to my passion.
In the past year, 105degrees has brought raw food to the city thanks to 105degrees, Ryan Parrott has grown from chef to restaurateur to social media entrepreneur, Chris Lower brought us Cool Greens and Big Truck Tacos — which has spawned copycats on the north side who might not be award that BTT is an inspired a copycat of what’s been going on down South for years – longtime Coach House owner Kurt ”The Big Kahuna” Fleischfresser partnered with Carl Milam and Western Concepts, OKC native Rick Bayless become the first Top Chef Master, “Food Inc.” changed the way people look at food, the Deep Fork Group gambled and won with Ian McDermid’s inspired Drunken Fry concept, the Rock Cafe reopened a year after a devastating fire thanks to the sheer will of owner Dawn Welch, La Baguette opened a second location, Peruvian food was introduced to the metro, Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond took the nation by storm, and I had the sincere privilege to make the acquaintance of  been introduced by the inspirational Kamala Gamble and a host of local producers around the state.

While all this was going on, I had a dark secret. I was moonlighting as editor of LOOKatOKC. That job had previously been held by a full-time employee, so I was essentially holding down two jobs. While food is my passion, music and entertainment aren’t far behind. Had that been my only job, I would’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. However, because of the time it took, I sometimes felt guilty that I wasn’t able to give either food coverage or LOOK, the attention they deserved.
Well, that’s changed now. Entertainment writer extraordinaire George Lang has taken over LOOK and I’m now a full-time Food Dude.
I’m spending this month assessing the past year’s coverage to formulate a plan for 2010.
That’s where I need your help.
How can I better serve you? Think big, be critical. It’s time to raise the bar, but I can’t lift it alone. Together, we can put Oklahoma City’s culinary scene on the national landscape. And no,  Jack in the Box coming to town isn’t the first step – but 4th meal just got some stiff competition.
Comment, call (405-475-3155) or email (dcathey@opubco.com) me your suggestions. I’d really appreciate it.

Don’t have time to cook your own Thanksgiving Dinner and didn’t call premium meat markets or restaurants on time? Buy 4 Less grocery stores also offer help with all your Thanksgiving dinner needs. This year’s heat and eat holiday offerings include:

Turkey

• Smoked Turkey
• Stuffed Turkeys
• Turducken
• Turducken Rolls (Boneless)

Hams

• Farmland ½ Hams
• Farmland Spiral Hams
• Farmland Ham Steaks (Bone-in)
• Farmland Whole Ham (Bone-in and Boneless)

Beef /Lamb

• Standing Rib Roast
• Large tied Boneless Beef Roast
• Grilling Steaks
• Leg of Lamb

Pork

• Crown Roast

For more information check their Web site or drop by one of their many Oklahoma City locations. A dry white wine is the perfect compliment to Thanksgiving dinner.

Local Homeland stores are offering Granny Dee’s Turkey Dinner. The meal Includes a 10-12 pound turkey, 2 pounds of Old-Fashioned Corn Bread Dressing, 2 pounds seasoned mashed potatoes, 1 pound giblet gravy, 16 ounces of cranberry-orange salad, 12 King’s Hawaiian Rolls, and an 8-inch Pumpkin Pie. The stores Traditional Turkey Dinner includes a 10-12 pound turkey, 2 pounds of Old-Fashioned Corn Bread Dressing and 1 pound of giblet gravy. They also offer version of these dinners with ham.  All meats and sides can be purchased individually as well. For more information, go to the deli section of the Homeland Web site.

A Good Egg Dining’s Market C also has a holiday feast to consider. Their offering includes: 

 For more information, go here.

Over at  Gourmet Gallery, with locations in Edmond and Northpark Mall, you can purchase Bear Creek Smokehouse turkeys and spiral-cut hams. Give them a call at 715-3663.

If you’re a guest bring a couple bottles of Rombauer to ensure next year’s invitation.

Where orange to get me for free!

With Bedlam football lurking, Cowboy fans will enter the game one-up on Sooner fans, thanks to Whataburger.
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Whataburgers around the globe will offer free burgers to those that dine in between 5 and 8 p.m. But the catch is you must show up dressed head-to-toe in orange.

"I don't eat fast food burgers often, but when I do, I eat Whataburger," The Food Dude.

The promotion is part one of a new company-wide attempt to respond to the down economy.

 
While “Orange Night Out” is a tribute to the company’s colors and isn’t intended as a slight at the University of Oklahoma, OSU fans will have a leg up in garnering the free grub.
Here’s hoping they accept burnt orange.

The folks at Butterball sent me their new indoor fryer to check out, and I must say I was dubious. However, I’ve now used a half dozen times without incident.
I fried a whole chicken, then a couple batches of french fries, simmered carnitas and seared meatballs before finally putting a 14-pound turkey to the test. Success on each front.
The machine does what it professes to do without making a mess or setting off fire alarms.
You can also steam and boil with the device.
Clean up is as easy as is humanly possible for a machine that holds a miniature vat of oil. Check out the video we shot.
By the way, the seasoning for the turkey was Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning, which performed beautifully. I brined the bird with half-cup salt and half-cup sugar in enough water to cover.
If you like to fry turkey for Thanksgiving, this is the cooker that will get you in from the cold.

Now that “Food Inc” is out on DVD, it’s time to see it yourself, share with family and friends. The need to support local producers is plain good sense. The only thing to lose is a little of your budget on the front end. As business increases locally, the prices will be driven down. If our local grocers begin using local producers, it does nothing but help our health, local economy and the flavor of our food.

I wrote a review of the film after seeing it during the summer. Film reviewer Brandy McDonnell had a different take.
If you’ve seen the film and would like more information, go here.

Have you seen “Food Inc.?” Let me know what you thought.

Haskins opened Epicurean’s Pantry about five months ago after a long career in the information technology field. Haskins has a wide selection of cheeses, olive oils and other gourmet items. The store has a full test kitchen, carries international gourmet items and local meats and sausages.

The line to see the Pioneer Woman would've made Santa Claus proud.

After the first book-signing in Tulsa for her new cookbook, Ree Drummond had an idea that Thursday was going to be a long night. She alerted Vivian Boroff, who was organizing a tweet-up and Rococo, that the Tulsa event went to 11:30 p.m. and that she might not make it to chef Bruce Rinehart’s restaurant to sample the three-course meal he prepared using her recipes.

Ree Drummond, better known as The Pioneer Woman.

As usual, Oklahoma City proved itself Tulsa’s superior by keeping the Osage County rancher’s wife busy until 12:30 a.m.
Crowds of folks arrived as early as 3:45 in the afternoon for the 6:30 p.m. event.

Kristin Chenoweth, no match for The Pioneer Woman.

One Full Circle employee told me Ree outsold Kristin Chenoweth and had drawn the largest crowd she could remember since Barry Switzer was signing copies of “Bootlegger’s Boy.”
That’s right, Oklahoma royalty has been toppled. Ree and her Marlboro Man husband Ladd are the Charles and Diana of Oklahoma. (Here’s hoping they don’t follow a similar path).
Ladd was signing autographs, the kids were signing autographs and all the while fans stood in line for hours to not only get their book signed, but share a hug, pose for photos and, on some occasions, drop gifts with Lady Ree, who never lost her smile and never had to switch hands to sign autographs.
The folks in line ranged from infancy to retirement. The line reached beyond Belle Isle Brewery and back. Those who didn’t have time for the line, lurked at nearby bookshelves just to get a glimpse of the red-haired blogosphere titaness.
At one point, Full Circle ran out of books and had to summon more. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 400, and that didn’t include the number of people who brought their own.
The number of people who showed didn’t surprise me, but the mood of them did.
Having met Ree, she doesn’t wear the celebrity that’s been cast upon her. She comes across as a neighbor you wish you had.
But what she means to those who waited all that time to meet her, or came by just so that they could be near her is something altogether more profound.
While Rococo did end up of having to close without her, about 20 of her fans showed up for the dinner and prize giveaway. The enthusiasm there hadn’t fizzled.
Bruce’s food, as always, was brilliant. There’s few restaurants that combine an inviting atmosphere with an upscale menu. None do it more seamlessly.
I covered both events to get an idea what it is that attracts people at a rate of 90,000 per day to The Pioneer Woman blog. I talked to a lot of people, observed and listened in. I picked up some pretty good clues and will reveal my findings on Sunday Nov. 7 in the Oklahoman and on www.newsok.com. See you then.