Top five reasons why guests keep coming back to Beyond the Bull

No. 5    Smart food

No refined grains, no added sugars and plenty of anti-inflammatory (anti-aging) food choices.  That means gluten free, Paleo, low sugar, weight watchers, Atkins and other dieters can finally have as many choices as the rest of us.  BTB customers know that eating smart makes them feel good! 

No. 4    Fun, quick and casual

Hot food is served up from a bright red, five well steam table and cold foods are freshly composed from the salad station.  No waiting to eat in or take out!  Only complaint (from the owners) is that when it is time to close, "eat in" guests don’t want to leave.

No. 3    Interactive kitchen

Where in the upstate can you go to a restaurant and sample before buying?  At BTB, that’s where.  New customers are treated to samples of signature salsas, dipping sauces, quinoa and duck cakes and that oh-so-delicious ratatouille.  Never had elk?  Try a taste of get-your-game-on chili BEFORE you order.

No. 2    No tipping

Seriously, no gratuities are accepted.  Cafeteria style service means you order, you pick up.   No servers, no tipping!  Don’t even try it.  The owners, Chef Bell and her husband, David, will insist you take it back.

Duck cakes caramel from Beyond the Bull  

No. 1    Best darn duck cakes in America---

and the only place where you can get them!

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB

Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630
http://antiaginggastronomy.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefAngelaB

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheBull

Eat Smart, Feel Good---get your game on!

My guests (guests of Beyond the Bull, that is) often ask what I mean by “eating smart”.  All of my customers assume correctly that it refers to a healthier nutritional diet, but none seem to agree on just what that is.  For some, eating healthy means eating low fat, for others it means the Paleo way, still others assume counting calories or less sugar.  But, it is none of those.  At BTB, “eating smart” means eating a diet consisting of at least 60% alkaline producing foods, foods which happen to be

anti-inflammatory as well.  So, to help our customers reach the 60% on every plate, we prepare a variety of substantial vegetable dishes like ratatouille and sautéed zucchini, eliminate refined grains and added sugar, and offer fresh salsas as well as alternative proteins---those found to be less acid forming than the commonly served pork, lamb, beef and deep fried fish dishes we Americans can’t seem to live without. 

Since all animal protein and grains are acid producing, it is difficult for those of us who are used to eating meals based on them as the center of the plate ingredients, to satisfy our need to eat what we were served when growing up.  Well, we don’t have to give them up totally and become vegetarians.  We just need to eat fewer and smarter.  Most of us eat far too much protein anyway.  So, instead of an 8 or 12 ounce portion of steak, cut it down to 4 or 5 ounces and load up on a variety of vegetables and alkaline producing salsas like those served at BTB, tomato salsa fresca, chimichurri, sauces made from chilis, herbs and fruits like blueberries, figs, lemons, sour cherries,

cilantro or parsley, cucumbers and garlic.  There is another way as well, and that is to choose animal protein wisely.  Not all meat is equal.  One of the less acidic producing varieties is game meats. 

These animals are considered hunting animals, and forage or graze for their food.  Having lived in Maine for 25 years, I am familiar with the meat of the deer and moose, and have on occasion tried bison.  All three make an excellent chili when cooked in an acid like tomatoes and wine, paired with chili peppers and cooked using a long, slow stewing method.  Rabbit was one of my favorite dishes when growing up, and ever since culinary school I have had a love affair with duck, but I am unfamiliar with the likes of ostrich, elk, alligator, kangaroo and yak.  Although less acid producing than beef or pork, game meats are still on the acid producing side.  Therefore, like all of the other animal proteins, game meats should be eaten in a portion size no larger than the size of your fist, and never equal to more than 40% of the plate, even less if grains are included.  And as always, cook and pair the animal protein with as many alkaline forming ingredients as possible. 

Here, in this recipe for venison loin, I use chilis, sour cherries, herbs and shitake mushrooms to boost the alkalinity, and pair the venison with a plateful of garlic sautéed broccoli rabe and a side of great northern white beans and caramelized onion.  Add a fresh salsa made from any of your favorite vegetables, vinegar and spices and you will be rewarded with an eat smart meal that makes you feel good. 

Or, if you would rather someone else do the cooking, you can always take out or eat in at Beyond the Bull, open now for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday.

Chocolate, chili, cherry venison

Yield  :   4 servings          

Preparation Time :  30 minutes 

Cooking Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

1   1 to 1- ½ pound venison loin, cut in two to four equal pieces for more even cooking and more exposed surface for marinating  

2 cups red wine

3 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme (remove some leaves for garnish)

1 ancho chili, seeds removed and crumbled

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 cups beef stock

1/4 cup dark chocolate (minimum cocoa of 70%)

Sea salt

Crushed black pepper

Garlic granules

Canola oil

16 ounces of shitakes, sliced

Sour cherries, crushed with seed removed

Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

In a large stainless mixing bowl, combine the wine, bay leaves, thyme, garlic and ancho chili.  Add the meat , cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.  Turn the pieces part way through.  Remove and pat dry.  Let the venison come to room temperature before cooking.  Do not discard the marinade.

In a sauce pan combine the marinade and beef stock.  Bring it to a boil and let it reduce by half then half again to the desired consistency of a sauce.  Remove the bay leaves, garlic and thyme.  Add the chocolate then puree to blend in the chili.  Stir in the cherries and set the sauce aside, keeping it warm. 

Pat each piece of loin with salt, pepper and garlic granules.  Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with canola oil.  When the oil ripples, add the venison pieces and brown on all sides.  The pan must be hot enough for the meat to sizzle when placed in the oil.  When all sides are caramelized, move the pan into the oven at 425 degrees and roast for 5 to 10 minutes uncovered.  The meat should be served rare on the inside.  Remove it when the temperature reaches 115 degrees and let it rest while the temperature reaches 120.  Cut it into thin slices, against the grain on a diagonal.   

For the mushrooms, add a small amount of canola oil to the same pan.  Cook quickly over high heat and serve.  The mushrooms will pick up all the little bit of caramelized venison from the bottom of the pan. 

Recommended Service:   Make a bed of garlic sautéed broccoli rabe.  Place the venison slices on top, cover with mushrooms and drizzle with chocolate, chili, cherry sauce.  Garnish with thyme leaves and lemon wedges.   Serve with a side of white beans and caramelized onions.  A glass of Zinfandel wine is an excellent accompaniment to the chocolate, chili, cherry venison. 

 

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB

Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630
http://antiaginggastronomy.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefAngelaB

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheBull

P.S.  Both my first book AS GOOD AS IT GETS, COOKING SKILLS FOR LIFE, VOLUME 1 

( a how to primer for the first time cook) and my latest book GOOD FOOD BAD FOOD, COOKING SKILLS FOR LIFE, VOLUME 2 (all about the anti-aging diet with many more recipes like the one above) are both available now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Or if you are looking for an “eat smart” kitchen for lunch or dinner, stop by BTB in Central, SC and while you are there, pick up a signed copy.    

A week of firsts

An exciting week of firsts at BTB include our first culinary intern

our first full parking lot









our first “86” when we sold out our Carolina bison short ribs

and our first catered corporate event…whew!  Can’t wait to do it again next week!

Mark your calendars, BTB will be open for lunch Tues. to Sat. from 12 to 2 beginning May 21.  Here’s one last “first”---our first lunch menu!

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef Angela Bell 

Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630
http://antiaginggastronomy.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefAngelaB

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheBull

Happy first anniversary---first month, that is!

Has it been a month already?  Hard to believe after 3 years of planning and searching for just the right location and 87 days of sweat, blood and tears as we scraped, washed, installed and cooked, that we have just completed our first 30 days.

For a chef owner of a restaurant, the second most important milestone (first is, of course, to open) is when a customer walks through the door for the second time.  In the second week, we crossed that milestone easily as customers returned with happy smiles and appetites for more of the same.

That leads us to the third milestone.  The third milestone is what a chef considers the most important.  Why?  Because, consistency is key to customer retention, and although you may be able to get a customer to come back to try you out one more time, it is the customer who returns every week, on or about the same day, the regular, who validates your consistency .  (Pause for a deep breath…)  Yes, we have regulars!  Thank you to Ed, Christian, Kevin, Sandra, Wanda, and James for being the first regulars of Beyond the Bull. 

Because we listen to our regulars, we have added some new items to our menu.  The very popular turkey dinner (a roulade stuffed with butternut squash and goat cheese) has led to the creation of two new turkey dishes, a turkey cake and dirty turkey, a loaf of butter roasted turkey and spicy dirty rice. 

Menu for week of May 6, 2013 follows:

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef Angela Bell 

Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630
http://antiaginggastronomy.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefAngelaB

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheBull

I recently wrote this article for Merchant Processing Resource, an independent resource for merchant processing and merchant cash advance, where my contributions are posted as part of The Small Business Corner.  I wrote this particular article to pay tribute to all of those women who are not business owners, but whose  contributions as Homemakers lead the way for many of us who followed our dreams to become business owners against all odds.  Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, here it is one more time. 

Culinary Byte$...A Mother’s Day tribute

I was raised in a household with a mother who was known in those days as a Homemaker, a woman whose career choice was to raise her children in a way that included parenting skills such as cooking, sewing, medicine, sports and psychology.  If you fell off your bike, Mom administered first aid.  If you were invited to the school dance, Mom made your gown.  When you broke up with your boyfriend, Mom said you were too good for him anyway.

By now you are probably questioning, how relevant is this to the small business corner?  Here’s how.  I owned and operated a successful small business for twenty-three years.  It was a retail store.  It required skills in marketing and human relations, as well as budgeting and cost saving, and character traits such as perseverance and diplomacy.  Although I graduated from various colleges with a variety of degrees, none was in business management or marketing or anything else that would prepare me to be the successful retailer that I was.  No, I was not successful because of any formal training that I received, but rather from the example set by my mother, a Homemaker who showed me how to stretch a dollar when I tagged along to the grocer, the Green Stamp redemption center or the downtown Salvation Army outlet.  She taught me how to persuade my dad to give me the keys to the car, what to say to keep my other siblings from fighting, how to get the front seat on the long ride, how to sell the most Girl Scout cookies, and most of all--- not to give up.

Thank you, Mom, for all the lessons without which I would not have enjoyed the successes and learned from the failures.  Happy Mother’s Day to all Homemakers everywhere!

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef Angela Bell 

Beyond the Bulll (an "eat smart" kitchen)

233 W. Main St., Central, SC 29630
http://antiaginggastronomy.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefAngelaB

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheBull

Ten Reasons to Eat Smart, America

Eating smart means eating a diet packed with anti-inflammatory foods, what I refer to as anti-aging gastronomy.  Eating a diet based on the 60/40 ratio of alkaline forming to acid forming foods is anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and has multiple benefits. Here are the top ten reasons to eat smart, America.

Beyond the Bull
Quinoa Cakes

No more mood swings

You know the moodiness that plagues you mid morning and mid afternoon and sometimes results in brain fog as well?  Most likely it is from eating sugary, refined grains (cereal and bread) at breakfast and luncheon meals.  When the body gets a load of these, it reacts with a load of insulin.  The result is elevated blood glucose from the sugar (happy, happy) followed by a plunge of blood glucose (grouchy, grouchy) when the insulin does its job.  Eating smart guarantees your family and friends can tolerate you 24/7 with no timeouts in between. 

More energy

Without the mood swings from high and low blood glucose, you will find you have more energy and are more productive at home or at work.  Eating smart results in a constant level of blood glucose where and when it should be in your body to do its work---to energize. 

Higher libido

Naturally, when you feel better all around, the feel-good feeling makes for a higher libido.  There’s no more to say about that!

More awake time

With more energy and clairvoyance, you don’t need to sleep to noon anymore and still wake tired.  Your spouse will be happy to converse with you before your morning caffeine fix and your boss will be pleasantly surprised when you arrive on time.  More awake time means more time with family and friends who can now tolerate you 24/7 with no timeouts in between.

Kick the over the counter meds

You can finally stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs for nagging aches and pains, anti-histamines for allergies and decongestants for stuffy nose and sinus.  Eating smart means eating fewer acid producing foods.  Acid producing foods cause excess mucus formation in most people resulting in symptoms of sinusitis and congestion.   

Complements from family and friends

After 4 to 6 weeks you will be receiving unsolicited, genuine complements from family and friends.  Why?  You will see a difference in hair, skin, and nails.  Hair will be shinier (maybe even thicker since it will no longer be falling out) skin less dry and nails stronger and healthier (no more ridges).  You might not see it in the mirror, but when your long lost cousin turns up to visit after a year or two of absence he will think he came to the wrong address.  Oh, and did I mention that your clothes will fit you better?  Cutting down on sugar and refined grains and increasing vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts will also result in shedding of the extra pounds around the middle.  That pesky “beer belly” look will slowly fade away.

Reduce risk for age related chronic disease

There may not be scientific evidence that eating a diet based on anti-aging gastronomy reduces the risk of heart disease, joint/autoimmune disease and diabetes II, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence.  I, for one, can document my history of success, lowering blood glucose from 109 to 85, reversing hypothyroidism, and turning heart disease risk factors from bad to good, not to mention reversing the joint swelling that plagued me since my mid forties.  You won’t need a scientist to prove it to you. 

Longevity

Of course you will live longer without obesity, diabetes II, auto immune disease or heart disease!

Grow your savings account

How does eating smart mean a bigger savings account?  Here’s how:  fewer medical bills, lower household food expense, no more over the counter drugs to buy, lower expenses for dining out, less time off work and maybe even more overtime, a second job, who knows?  With all the extra energy, you may even want to start a second career. 

Be a role model for your kids  

Childhood obesity and diabetes has been on the rise for decades now and needs to come to an end.  For your kids, eat smart, and they will too. 

For more information on the anti-aging diet read the book EAT SMART,AMERICA, an anti-aging diet primer by Chef Angela Bell available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in paperback and ebook format.  For those of you in the upstate of SC, visit the first "eat smart" kitchen, Beyond the Bull, recently opened in downtown Central, SC.  Be sure to mention  you saw it in this blog and I will be happy to step away from the kitchen and sign a copy just for you.  

Eat smart, America! 

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB.

A taste of “smart” food from Beyond the Bull

Duck cakes caramel 

Mark your calendar, this Saturday, April 27, 2013, the Bull will open at 10AM to serve up some “smart” street food---limited amounts of award winning buffalo (bison) chili, the trio of BTB “cakes” and of course, the most popular, ratatouille.  One time only!

Serving out the side door (Main St.) from 10AM to 2PM.

Bison chili                            $ 4

A hot and sweet winner of the Santa Cruz, CA county chili cookoff

Ratatouille                          $ 4

Oven roasted eggplant, peppers, zucchini and onion in a thick tomato basil sauce

The following will be served with a choice of the Bull's original dipping sauces: 

Quinoa cakes

Quinoa cakes    2/$ 4

Duck cakes caramel    2/$6

Crab cakes       2/$8

PBR, Bud lite, Shipyard, Fat Tire, Barefoot Wines and Coke.

All prices are tax included. 

Parking will be available in the front lot during the festival. 

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB.

Corn Fed America!

SODA BELLY

Duck is one of my favorite proteins.  It has the meaty texture of lean beef with a unique, sweet flavor that pairs well with my anti-inflammatory, original fresh salsas and dipping sauces, especially blueberry ginger and peppery raisin.  But my admiration of all things duck does not include foie gras for which a customer asked recently.  Here is a longer version of my response, which I am reprinting from an earlier posting.  For all of you who are trying unsuccessfully to rid yourselves of the fatty middle just above the waistline, this is especially for you.

What do ducks raised for foie gras and Americans have in common?  They are both corn fed.  How are they different?  Ducks are forced to eat it, we do it willingly, happily even, all on our own---corn cereal, corn bread, corn dogs, corn tortillas, corn starch, corn chips and the most consumed of all, high fructose corn syrup.  And, then there’s the corn we can’t see, in soft drinks, fruit and energy drinks, condiments, packaged foods and even in the meat from corn fed animals. 

As a chef, I have known for some time that geese, and more recently ducks, are force fed through a tube resulting intentionally in a diseased, fatty liver ten times the normal size for the production of foie gras.  But, until recently, what I didn’t know was that the food of choice for ensuring the grotesquely fatty liver is---corn.  It doesn’t take a scientific study to draw what is an obvious conclusion.  Hmmm, fatty liver around America’s middle, foie gras, fatty liver, foie gras, fatty liver, foie gras…

Eat smart, America!

Beyond the Bull does not serve any added sugar from corn or any other food sources.  The reference to corn in the above article, is processed corn (not fresh) used to sweeten prepared foods, juices, soda and just about everything boxed, bagged and canned.  Beyond the Bull prepares all menu items from scratch, avoiding all added sugar whether from corn or sugar cane.  

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB

P.S.  My current book Eat Smart, America, an anti-aging diet primer is available now for Kindle on Amazon.  Download it today.

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-America-anti-aging-primer-ebook/dp/B008H76MAK/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341433257&sr=1-5&keywords=eat+smart%2C+america

Okay, I give up. Yes, chili on Thursday and Bison short ribs on Friday, okay? Here's the menu for week of April 23. Thank you to all of you who love the food and have returned three times in three weeks. To a chef (me) your return is better than a standing ovation is to a Broadway star. Curtain rises again for a repeat performance on Tuesday at 5PM.  Hammonassett Chicken and our daily platters (duck, quinoa and crab) will be ready and waiting.
To the young girl who came in on Friday for Hammonassett Chicken, but we were sold out, hope you read this.  I am holding two just for you!  

Don't forget to try our "eat smart" street food being prepared for the Central Railroad Festival this Saturday.  Opening early at 10AM and serving all day:  our "cakes" with dipping sauces and favorites (chili and ratatouille).  

Menu for next week follows.

Still the number one favorite, quinoa cakes, second only to our original recipe duck cakes caramel.  Matched with our proprietary peppery raisin sauce, they are mouth watering delicious and oh so good for you, too.  Eat smart, feel good!

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB.

Nothing like a good old street festival in downtown Central

to usher in spring to the upstate and a give us a chance to introduce Beyond the Bull to thousands of spectators.  The crew is getting ready to participate in the Central Railroad Festival, Saturday, April 27.  The Bull will open early, at 10AM, to serve up some finger licking street food.  Wine and beer will be available to complement the food. 

 

Central Railroad Festival Fare, Saturday, April 27

Bison chili                            $ 4

A hot and sweet winner of the Santa Cruz, CA county chili cookoff

Ratatouille                          $ 4

Oven roasted eggplant, peppers, zucchini and onion in a thick tomato basil sauce

The following will be served with a choice of the Bull's dipping sauces: 

Quinoa cakes    2/$ 4

Duck cakes caramel    2/$6

Crab cakes       2/$8

All prices are tax included.

Menu for week of April 15 includes some new items.  Now you can order quinoa, duck and crab cakes a la carte with a side of salad.  New, extended hours for Friday and Saturday open to 9PM.  

                            

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB.