So I was pretty hungry next day, but I'm not into breakfast,
so I kept quiet until shortly after noon, when I suggested we
go on an expedition. Swisher took us to the mall, where nothing,
not even Texas Roadhouse, appealed, but then I remembered West
Berlin, where we'd had a reasonable meal a couple years back.

The place is still operating, the menu a little abbreviated
from before. Swisher had a sandwich of Schweinesschnitzel with
"garlic aioli" and fries, and I asked the cheerful and cute
waitress for my braised brisket to be extra fatty, which she
assured me was possible. The Schnitzel was a little stiff and
dry though tasty enough; the fries were a little flabby but
tasty enough; the aioli tasted more like mustard than garlic,
and I didn't care for it. I got probably 12 oz of beef that was
somewhat underdone to my standard for brisket but with truly
enough fat - it was untrimmed point cut, and I enjoyed that. The
smothering gravy was a little industrial (there was a Maggi taste
about it) but thick, smooth, and abundant, also not too awfully
salty. Rotkohl had been stewed with cloves and orange; whipped
potatoes with a few lumps that let you know that it had been
made from scratch served well to sop up the gravy.

I got an Ayinger dark ale that set a Bavarian tone that went
with the meat but not with the name of the place. It would have
done well in a carbonnades.

After which Swisher wanted to check out Costco, where he
proceeded to turn his nose up at everything. I paid a visit to
my friend Big Chris, who works at the deli department (he
makes the prepared food, including the taco kits, of which he
is inordinately proud). I ended up just picking up a couple
pounds of Almond Roca for a party Friday night at my friend
Bob's, where I was supposed to provide some kind of stir-fry.

We ended up at Fred Meyer, which offers meats in more practical
amounts but at somewhat higher prices. We got a couple pounds
of tri-tip steak at a higher unit price than the big trays of
beautiful ribeyes at Costco. Also some burger meat, part of
which I used to make Italian meat sauce out of. It turns out
Swisher has a freezerful of meat sauce.

Carbonnade a la Flamande (Flemish Beef Stew)
Categories: Belgian, beef, celebrity, carbonnades
Serves: 8

4 Tb unsalted butter
3 lb beef flatiron or blade steaks
- sliced 1/3" thick and 3" wide
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 c thickly sliced onions
1/2 c all-purpose flour
36 oz beer
1/2 ts dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Boiled carrots and potatoes, for serving

In an enameled cast-iron casserole, melt
2 Tb butter. Season the beef with salt and
pepper and add 1/3 of it to the casserole.
Cook over moderate heat until lightly
browned, 3 min per side. Transfer to a
bowl. Repeat with 2 more batches of meat,
using the remaining 2 Tb of butter.

Add the onions to the casserole, cover
and cook over low heat, stirring, until
browned, 8 min. Stir in the flour until
the onions are well coated, then slowly
add the beer. Return the meat to the
casserole along with any accumulated
juices. Add the thyme and bay leaves,
cover and simmer over low heat, stirring,
until the beef is tender, 2 hr.

Uncover and transfer the meat to a bowl.
Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until
thickened slightly. Discard the bay leaves.
Return the meat to the casserole and season
with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley
and serve with boiled carrots and potatoes.

The carbonnade [sic] can be refrigerated
for up to 3 days. Reheat gently.

Jacques Pepin, October 2011
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