Wizard of Oz Wings

Ozzie's Restaurant & Sports Bar - St. Louis, MO
http://www.ozziesrestaurantandsportsbar.com

Growing up in Memphis, our folks used to take us to St. Louis during the summer where we would go to Six Flags and catch a Cardinals game. One of my favorite parts about these summer trips was going to Ozzie's Place in the Westport Plaza, which is a restaurant owned by the great Ozzie Smith. Not only did we get to see him play on the field, we got to eat at his restaurant. It was jam packed full of St. Louis memorabilia and all his awards achieved during his great career. When I was in high school, we ended up moving to St. Louis. Frequent visits to Ozzie's then became common. I have moved since, and so has Ozzie's Place. They recently closed their original location in Westport and moved downtown on Washington Ave, in hopes of snagging a good pre or post game crowd for Blues, Rams and of course, Cards games.

I made a trip to St. Louis last weekend, which I do often to see family and friends. This weekend we caught a Saturday night Cardinals game and decided to check out the new Ozzie's beforehand. We parked right in front of the new location on Washington and made our way to the bar that had TVs built into the top, all showing ESPN or some type of sports highlight/broadcast. We ordered a round of beers, selecting various brews from their many taps, but were told that most of them were dry. They had just opened this new location only days before our arrival so it was expected for them to be out of anything outside of St. Louis brewed beers. (I asked if they had a line directly from the Anheuser brewery underground but was told they did not.) We all ordered our meals and I decided on the "Chipotle Chicken Wings" and asked them to burn my mouth. The bartender said she would ask to make them hotter for me. After our first round of beers, I noticed game time was approaching, but so was a bad storm. As we ordered another round, it appeared that the game would probably be delayed, so we had time to enjoy our food. The wings arrived and I was amazed by the looks of them. The sauce appeared to have a syrup base that had lots of peppers and spices mixed in. The wings were then coated with chopped, fresh jalapenos. I knew right away these wings would be good, and they were. Not very hot, however, for my standards, but the flavor of the maple syrup, spices and peppers impressed me quite a bit. I highly recommend these wings to anyone who visits the new Ozzie's because not only did Ozzie Smith have a sticky baseball glove, he has some sticky wings at his restaurant.

I like cheese

Great Midwest/DCI Cheese Company
http://www.dcicheeseco.com

Last weekend, while doing some yard work, my neighbor walked over asked me if I like cheese. Funny he should ask, because I sure do like cheese. Anyone close to me could tell you that, I tend to say it often. I think it's the Wisconsin roots from one-half of my family that keep the urge alive. Regardless of my liking for cheese, I never have anymore than the average person in my fridge, especially not this much. He hands me a 1.7 lb wheel of Great Midwest "Three Alarm" colby jack cheese that contains three roasted chili peppers: chipotle, jalapeno and red habanero. He said he got it at Sams Club, thinking about the blog. I took it in, finished my yard and saw it in the fridge later in the night. I snapped some pics then cut off a slice.

The peppers are an amazing addition to what would already be an excellent colby jack without them. They are slightly crunchy and spicy. The chipotle adds it's usual smokey flavor. The jalapeno and habanero add a decent heat to the cheese that is probably calming it down a bit, the same way drinking milk works. I have since eaten a lot of it. It goes great as a side with a good soup (I recently acquired some amazing chicken and dumplings) or with a good pale ale. I took it over to my brother's while my dad was in town and we almost finished it off. Even my nephews snagged a few pieces, meaning that it isn't super spicy. It is, however, an excellent cheese where you can taste all three peppers combining with some great colby jack. I might always have a roll of this in my fridge now, but a pound and a half of cheese available for me to indulge in at any time gives it a whole new meaning. I don't just LIKE cheese, I love it.

Bloody Caesar Recipe

A while back, me and my dad played in a golf tournament that started at 6 in the morning of a Friday. Since we had the day off work, we decided to have a few the night before and were feeling a little lousy that next morning. Luckily, when we got there, we noticed a group of guys drinking what appeared to be Bloody Mary's and they kindly gave us some. After a few sips, we noticed that they tasted better than any Bloody Mary we have ever had. We then saw a guy mixing up another batch in a yellow, 5 gallon Igloo water cooler and noticed he was using Clamato juice instead of a Bloody Mary mix. My dad asked him what the recipe was but he only knew the ingredients to make 5 gallons worth, so he couldn't be very specific. 5 gallons! After the tournament, it's was a goal of my dad's to figure out this recipe and low and behold, it turned out to be a Bloody Caesar instead of it's sister, Mary. Neither of us have ever been bartenders so this was a new drink for us. After a few years of toying around with the recipe, he finally perfected it to his liking. I have taken what he has taught me, modified it to my liking, and share it with you today.

*32 oz Clamato Juice
*6 shots vodka
*1/2 shot lime juice
*1/2 shot pepperoncini juice
*1/2 shot worcestershire
*1/2 shot steak sauce
*1/2 shot Tabasco
*3/4 tablespoon salt
*3/4 tablespoon black pepper
*3/4 tablespoon celery salt

Mix above ingredients in a pitcher. Serve on the rocks. Add a pepperoncini or two for added spice.

Tips:
Subtract 1 shot vodka for a less-stiff drink. Add another 1/2 shot Tabasco for added heat. Follow with an ice cold beer.

The 'Zvous

Charles Vergo's Rendezvous - Memphis, TN
http://www.hogsfly.com

Unless you were born in a cave and raised by wolves, you have heard of Rendezvous and their world famous dry rubbed ribs. Some people credit Charlie Vergo for inventing this style of ribs, although he just brought a family recipe to the city of Memphis back in 1948 and mixed the two together: Slow-cooked baby back ribs and dry Greek seasoning. No sauce. Not while cooking them, at least. After the ribs are slow-cooked (not smoked) over charcoal in the, what is now, famous coal chute in the basement below the original diner, they are basted with vinegar. Rub is then shaken on the ribs then served. The sauce, however, remains on the side and most customers probably never even taste it. Two bottles are on every table: a mild and a hot. Weaklings beware because the hot isn't your average "spicy" BBQ sauce as so many claim to be.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post: Rendezvous Hot BBQ Sauce. I do not use any other kind of sauce at home. I have the luxury of being able to go to the local grocery store and buy as much as I want while my friends from afar do not. They stock up on it each time they visit and run out quickly back at their homes. Why? Because this stuff truly is addicting to anyone who likes BBQ and hot food. Not to mention, the flavor is outstanding, mixing sweet with the heat. It also has a perfect texture that isn't thick like most ketchup-based sauces and isn't thin like a vinegar-based sauce. I put this sauce on everything that comes off my smoker; pork butts, ribs, chicken, you name it. Baste it or dip it or both. The sauce packs a punch that always keeps me from even considering another sauce and living in Memphis provides me with dozens of other options. The rub is amazing, too, and use it on everything. I even put it on my popcorn which I noticed on the menu at the 'Zvous one day. Dry rubbed popcorn! The point to this post isn't seasoning, however. It's the sauce for your BBQ that will make you sweat and stock up on yourself.

A True Southern Hot Wing

Mister Tart's Buffalo Wings - Bartlett, TN
http://www.mrtartswings.com

For a period of my childhood, I grew up in what is now considered "Old Bartlett", TN. I used to ride my bike all over town with my friends and never had a care in the world except for having fun. After moving around so much in my life and then coming back to Bartlett 4 years ago, there isn't a time when I drive through Old Bartlett that I don't think about these adolescent years and the fun we had. I have seen and heard about a hot wing restaurant right in the heart of this area in Bartlett, called Mister Tart's Buffalo Wings, but have yet to check it out for myself. That all changed this evening.

When I walked in, I was instantly impressed with the Memphis-style nostalgia and noticed that they had many tables to fulfill a dine-in meal. There was a PA system setup in the corner of the dining area where it appears you can catch some live tunes at times. I then noticed a large menu consisting of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, grilled fish and a large selection of fried yard bird. You can even order a fried turkey at Mister Tart's. No turkey for me today, however. My eyes were instantly focused on their "Suicide" wings on the menu, so I placed my order with Mrs. Tart herself. "A 10 piece of your hottest wings, please, kind ma'am."

As I waited, I sat down and took in the pictures and articles on the walls. It became apparent to me that the Tart family has a very long history in the South and they are very close. They are also deeply Christian and after reading more on the walls, I learned that they originated as a Mister P's franchise. After continuous pressure from the parent company to sell beer and ease up on the displayed faith in Christ within the restaurant, Mister Tart decided to fly solo. Regardless of your religious preference, you have to give it up to Mister Tart for this bold move and applaud his continued success afterward. Now family-owned and operated with another location in the Hickory Ridge Mall, Mister Tart's Buffalo Wings was already awesome in my book, and I have yet to try the wings!

I took my 10 piece home and was anxious to indulge after smelling this sauce for 5 miles. At first, I didn't think they were very hot but was enjoying the flavor very, very much. The butter was very evident and, to me, always makes a great addition to a hot wing sauce. After the 6th wing, I instantly changed my mind about the heat as the perspiration began to build up. I finished the remaining Suicide wings quickly and the burning mouth subsided moments later. Although I could handle much hotter wings, these were an absolute perfect amount of heat combined with amazing flavor on a meaty wing. A fantastic family story, great service and great hot wings, I recommend Mister Tart's Buffalo Wings to anyone who is to visit Old Bartlett in their future.