So I drove around all over town for much of Sunday, looking for some Gruyere cheese for my Mac & Cheese recipe.
It was that kind of day.
Sixty miles and three hours later, I ended up visiting Whole Foods, Ralphs, CostCo, Gelsons, and a specialty cheese shop... before finally finding what I needed at the eventual winner, Bristol Farms. The CheeseStore in Silverlake prolly woulda won, but I couldn't get to the friggen store because half of Sunset was blocked off that day. Dumb art fair.
Before you can fully judge the extent of my disorder, let's get something straight. Most of these places actually had Gruyere cheese. That's right. Ralphs even had 3 different kinds! But by then it was too late. I was already tainted.
You see, I have a weird obsession when it comes to buying stuff, *especially* when it is something important-- like mountaineering gear... or trying out a new Mac & Cheese recipe! I HATE the feeling of spending good money on what, at the end of the day isn't "the right thing". So I overcompensate by spending hours upon hours researching whatever it is I want to buy. It just so happens that I am a big fan of Cooks Illustrated, and I knew that they have an entire section of equipment and ingredient reviews...
That's right. I read a review on Gruyere cheeses.
After that, I was done. Game over. Had to... absolutely HAD to get "the best" cheese. And here we are, three hours of my life I'll never get back. :) It doesn't just stop at cheese. I could go on...
Beef? Not only do I know that beef comes in many different grades of deliciousness that is directly proportional to its ability to clog arteries, I can also rattle off at least 7 different places in LA where I can get the best tasting, most heart attack inducing variety, USDA Prime. Of course, there is Wagyu or Kobe, but that is so crazy expensive I haven't bothered to source it yet. :)
Giant sea scallops? At least two places near Pasadena. You want the "dry-packed", not the "wet-packed", which have been soaked in phosphates to increase juiciness, but will not sear properly because of all the extra liquid. Dry packed scallops will come in many colors, while wet-packed scallops will be uniformly white.
The list goes on. I love shopping for food. :)
Oh, the Mac & Cheese? Pretty damn good. Ironically though, I think the cheeses I used were a bit too strong! Sadly, the crab cakes I also tried that day didn't turn out so well. If anybody knows how to prevent mushy crab cakes, let me know!
