Like myself and Alli, Erin McPartlan is a relatively new foodie. While Alli and I turned to restaurants to satisfy our cravings, Erin decided that she’d take a big step and try cooking on her own. Since April of this year she’s decided to step her game up and learn how to cook, basically starting from scratch. In the 8 months since she started the blog she’s tried a lot of new foods, upgraded some of her kitchen gadgets and attempted some elaborate recipes.
I guess I have a soft spot for people who realize that trying to cook or trying new foods shouldn’t be a scary experience. So we got a hold of Erin on twitter and sent her some of our usual questions, here’s what she had to say….
Right now, where are your favorite places to eat in Buffalo?
EM: I have a lot of favorites, but at the top of the list is Niagara Cafe. At Taste of Buffalo two years ago they were there and I had a sample of the chicken and rice dish and I pretty much spent all of my Taste of Buffalo tickets getting more because the little sample of it was just not enough. I have somewhat of a rule that I am grossed out by meat when it is still on the bone (weird, I know) but Niagara Cafe’s chicken stew would be my last dinner request if I was on death row.
When I have a craving for Chinese food, Gin Gin is my only choice. It was one of those places I had driven by hundreds of times and then finally had stopped in for dinner and I was totally hooked – even though I live in the city and there’s at least five Chinese places within walking distance, I find any excuse I can get out to Sheridan Drive and eat there. I actually think that within the first week of my first time eating there I wound up there for lunch or dinner at least three times that week. Also, whenever I am even remotely downtown for lunch I have to hit up Liquid Energy – their meal replacement smoothies are my favorite lunch.
Where do you enjoy grabbing a drink with friends?
EM: I don’t think anyone would consider me a big drinker, but I have a new appreciation for cocktails after going to Vera Pizzeria. Their food is awesome as well, but I can honestly say I have never seen such attention to technique and detail put into each and every drink as they do at Vera. The whole vibe and atmosphere of the place is really great, very laid back and perfect when you want to really hang out with friends and actually enjoy a really awesome drink. The first time I was there I had no idea what to order off the drink menu, so after chatting with the bartender about what sort of drinks I usually like (sweet or sour or savory, etc.) he wound up making up a new drink with crushed strawberries and mezcal on the spot.
If you had a friend visiting from out of town, where would you go to show them a good time in Buffalo?
EM: When people visit from out of town I take them to the places that my friends and family who have moved away talk about missing, such as Ted’s Hot Dogs for hot dogs and loganberry, Gabriel’s Gate for wings, the Elmwood Village for shopping and coffee, Albright-Knox.. there is just so much to do. I get very excited when friends come to Buffalo who have never been here or are returning after being away, because I love showing people around or what has changed in the city since they have been gone!
What are some food memories you have from your childhood?
EM: A lot of the food memories I have from my childhood revolve around me not wanting to eat what everyone else was eating. Since I started cooking I now have a new appreciation for what my mom must have went through trying to accommodate my picky food tastes. Although there was always what you’d consider “regular” food around and my mom always made ham or something for dinner, Kraft macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chicken fingers were basically all I ate as a kid. I have a lot of memories of McPartlan’s Corner being that it’s the family business and I grew up very close to the restaurant so my brothers and I were always down there as kids messing around.
What do you wish Buffalo’s restaurant scene had more of?
EM: Aside from more food trucks, I would love if Buffalo had a Portuguese restaurant/grill. There is a Portuguese restaurant in Toronto called Bairrada and ever since I ate there I have dreams filled with chicken smothered in piri-piri. Aside from having great food, the restaurant itself was fabulous – one of the best tree covered outdoor patios I’ve ever sat at and the whole place just had sort of a laid back communal friendly atmosphere to it. I could see a place just like it in Buffalo being a huge hit.
Have you been eating out less since you started cooking and do you find yourself trying to be a more adventurous eater?
EM: I actually eat out more now that I’ve started cooking (and go to the gym a lot more.) I sort of have developed a new outlook on eating out in general being that I actually can appreciate what actually goes into cooking food now, and I always wonder how the chef cooked it, try to guess exactly what is in it, etc. I have actually been a lot more adventurous (for example, the first time in my life I’ve eaten pork was in the last year, thanks to Bistro Europa) but it’s hard for me because I know if I go somewhere and order something new and exciting, I might not like it as much as my “usual” and then feel like I wasted money on something I didn’t like, and so on. But I really have been trying to just suck it up and try new stuff. What has been working the best is when I go out with my boyfriend and friends for dinner, we just order a bunch of entrees and sort of eat family style, so it gives me a great way to try new things and that way if I don’t like something there is backup food for me to eat so I don’t leave miserable and hungry!
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start cooking more in their kitchen?
EM: To just get in there and start doing it and don’t take yourself too seriously in the process, especially when things don’t work out. When I first started to cook I threw my own little hissy fits here and there when things weren’t going according to the recipe. I would be so obsessed that I followed the recipe exactly to the letter and measuring ingredients precisely that my boyfriend always told me I cooked like a baker and not a cook and that I needed to follow my taste buds and cook more to my taste. So I really have learned that just because a recipe calls for, say, a tablespoon of something that it doesn’t mean I “have” to put a tablespoon in. Also, get a good knife!! I didn’t really understand the importance of quality tools, but I finally got a good sharp knife to replace my cheap dull one I had been using and it has made a HUGE world of difference.
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If you haven’t checked it out by now, read through some of Erin’s posts. They have links to recipes that might inspire your next dinner. The pictures are also great and could be food porn all on their own. Follow 29 and Hungry on twitter to keep up to date with the latest posts!
