Friday, November 19, 2010

Manhattan- The Chef

 
The Chef from the road



Everyone once in a while, I run into a restaurant that specializes in breakfast.  More often then not, these places are known for being pretty good. In my opinion, The Chef, in Manhattan, Kansas is one of the very best! This quaint little place is tucked into a downtown building, in a side street, near the mall. If you are in the area, The Chef is worth finding!  During a recent visit with fellow blogger Mike, we were pleased to have great service, with a pleasant wait staff that quickly got us our orders. 

Meaty Beast


I ordered the breakfast burrito. I must warn you: do not order this meaty beast unless you come hungry, because it is huge! The delicious pork filled treat is big enough for two, but good enough that you won’t want to share! Mike ordered a pork chorizo burrito which also looked and smelled fantastic.  

Inside the Meaty Beast


I can’t say enough good things about this place, but I can say it ranks in my top 10 of all Kansas restaurants.

While we love breakfast, dinner is where this week’s giveaway fits the best. Answer the question below for a chance to win. We will randomly choose one person from the comments below on Saturday November 20 (yes, that's tomorrow) at 9 pm CST.  

Holiday=Easy


The giveaway includes: (1) A Hamilton Beach Set & Forget QT Programmable Slow Cooker. This slow cooker offers a traditional slow cooker setting, a time program setting and a thermometer probe setting. The thermometer probe is a pretty neat plus for busy folks like us that like to make pork loin roasts. To use the probe you simply set it to a desired meat temperature, place the probe within the meat and allow it to cook. When the specified internal temperature of the meat is reached, the slow cooker automatically shifts to the “keep warm” setting, preventing overcooking. To see pork cooking times and temperatures see this Pork Basics chart.  (2) 2 oxo SoftWorks Silicone Oven Mitts.

Again, we thank the Kansas Pork Association for supporting us and providing these gifts to you guys.  

Question: Dr. Seuss’s "Green Eggs and Ham" recently celebrated a special anniversary. How many years ago did Dr. Seuss introduce us to "Green Eggs and Ham?"


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Manhattan- Cox Brothers BBQ

Grain Storage? I think not.

On a recent business trip to Manhattan, KS, a grain storage bin caught my eye. Not because grain storage bins are unusual in Kansas, but because this one happened to be in a busy part of town and connected to a restaurant. This architecture is very similar what is commonly used by the franchise barbeque chain Bandana’s Bar-B-Q  located in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. 

BBQ'in in Style.

To my surprise, the new place was not another Bandana’s chain, but a new locally owned Cox Brothers BBQ  which has re-opened after being absent from the Manhattan, Kansas restaurant scene for a few years. Cox Brothers features several styles of barbeque. You are sure to find one you like. With this in mind, you owe it to yourself to try this place when you are in Manhattan!

Cox Brothers Ribs are Rib-A-Licious.


I had the opportunity to eat here twice while in town. During my first visit, I thoroughly enjoyed the Big Memphis sandwich, featuring delicious pulled pork along with two other meats on a toasted bun. This was a good sandwich at a good price. I will certainly recommend this one! During my second visit, I tried the ribs, which were served up in traditional Kansas City BBQ style with bread, and pickles.  Cox Brothers offers four sauces and a variety of rubs for purchase along with a selection of shirts and caps. 



Speaking of caps, this place is a cap collectors dream. Hundreds of caps from countless locations decorate the ceiling. The friendly wait staff indicated that the owners, Bud and Bob Cox thought this would be a fun and unique decorating idea. They will gladly display your cap, should you choose to donate it to the collection.  

On another note, who wants some free stuff? Yeah, that’s right free. Below you will see this week’s giveaways provided by the Kansas Pork Association. Answer the question below for a chance to win. We will randomly choose one person from the comments below by 7:00 pm today.  Please make sure to provide your email so we can contact you for shipping reasons.

Free stuff= Good stuff


The giveaway is includes: (1) A Taylor Gourmet Wireless Thermometer. This is the perfect little gadget for the person on the go. Whether you’re chasing a few kids around the house or just really focusing on that NFL game, you can be sure to benefit from it. The thermometer includes a remote pager that notifies you with light, sound and vibration up to 200 ft. away from your kitchen. (2) A Architec EcoSmart Cutting Board. Use this cutting board to prep a great recipe like stir-fried pork.

Question: When roasting a large cuts of pork, like a pork roast, at what temperature should you remove the cut from the oven or grill to ensure that the meat is not overcooked?

- Until next time, Swine and dine!

Chris