This week, before we get into Halloween and then holiday havoc, I thought we'd take a gentle stroll through some of my recent findings.

High-Class Coffee

Several months ago, I was strolling through Central Market in Houston on a Saturday, when all of the product-demonstration folks were set up and showing their wares. One learns early on not to eat breakfast before heading to CM, as that won't leave room for enough sampling.

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As I headed for the bulk area to bag up a couple pounds of coffee, I passed a couple dispensing java from air pots. It smelled like good stuff, so I queued up to get my 2-ounce jolt. To my chagrin, I learned what they were dealing out was instant coffee. I told the man behind the table, David Dunn, that I wasn't a fan of instant and started away. He entreated me to try a cup, so to be polite I took one and walked off.

Long story short: I LIKED it. Here was an instant coffee that not only tasted like fresh-ground beans, it tasted better than a lot of them. The aroma from the can is intoxicating. You know how when you first take the top off the coffee grinder or open a fresh can of pre-ground coffee you love that first big inhale? You'll spend 20 minutes with your nose buried in this stuff.

What's it called? It's Africafe, a Tanzanian import made from organically grown beans. It's high-octane stuff. You may find yourself actually needing less of it to get your morning buzz.

You can get more information, or get some for yourself, right here.

Dining Discovery

From almost my first day in the Charlotte, N.C., area, I've been told about a little joint called Lupie's, near downtown. As I live a good 20 miles out in the suburbs, it took a special trip to bring me in striking distance last week.

At first glance, Lupie's looks like just the sort of place I could call home: unprepossessing exterior, entryway full of racks of all local "alternative" newspapers and a funky decor inside that includes a Harley-Davidson pinball machine. The tables in the center of the non-smoking section are big 12-seaters, with rollup shades used to divide them into two rows of six-seaters.

The menu? It's not much to look at for those of you used to some six-page foldout job designed by a team of ad executives. It's one sheet, printed on both sides. There are daily specials, which I hear are to die for, and a full selection of burgers and sandwiches. My eye, however, as it so often is, was drawn to the chili. Mentioned prominently was the lack of a tomato base, which to a fan of Texas chili spoke volumes. I placed my order.

My one major demerit in my book against restaurant chili has always been the unwillingness of restaurant cooks (or their bosses) to put anything approaching real heat into their product. Afraid of having orders sent back, they go light on the spice and thus deprive their diners of true chili enjoyment.

I say this so that you'll understand my sheer tabletop-dancing joy when, after a few bites, beads of sweat began to stand out on my forehead. Halfway through the bowl, I was begging for water refills as my tastebuds alternately cursed and reveled in their taste treat. This was without a doubt the finest chili I'd ever had that didn't come from my own chili pot. The meat had actual texture and flavor, the beans weren't cooked to mush and it wasn't cluttered up with too many other extraneous ingredients. I'm already trying to come up with an excuse for my next trip.

Oh, and before we leave Lupie's, a quick word about dessert: I ordered banana pudding, thinking my tongue could use the break the cooling confection would bring. Lupie saw me eating the pudding and materialized by my table bearing a bowl of peach kuchen, a cobbler-like confection with a crust that tastes very much like shortbread. I was in heaven.

Now, I fully realize that the great majority of you out there don't live in, or even near, Charlotte. I promise I'm not trying to tease you! What I want to do is inspire you to go out and do some of your own exploring. Get out of the neon-infested jungles of chain joints and seek out the darker corners of your local culinary scene. Talk to cabbies, bellhops and restaurant workers about where they eat. Take notes.

In short, find your own Lupie's!

'Rotisserie' Chicken

In "Ask The Cook" a couple of weeks back, I mentioned in passing a method for making chicken at home that's a very close approximation of the rotisserie chickens so popular as a quick dinner solution at everything from full-service supermarkets to megamarts.

Well, I've refined the method a bit, so herewith is your secret to rotisserie taste at home:

Start by setting up your crock pot. The original recipe called for filling the bottom of the pot with balled-up foil. However, I've found that three or four small ramekins, inverted, do the job of holding the chicken up off the bottom just as well and don't require wasting half a roll of foil.

Then, address your bird. Now stop. Talking to chickens is a sign of mental instability.

For seasoning, you'll want five or six cloves of garlic, sliced; half a yellow onion, in chunks; and the seasoning rub of your choice. I use the Chipotle Chicken Rub from TexMexToGo.com.

Using your fingers, loosen the skin on the thighs, breast and back of the bird. Start at the edges and just wiggle those digits in. You'll feel some tearing of membranes and such, but the skin should stay intact fairly well. Using your best wrist-flick, shake your seasoning liberally under the skin, then distribute the pieces of sliced garlic there as well. Put more seasoning inside the body cavity, then put the onion pieces inside. Anoint the skin liberally with more seasoning (getting a pattern, here?) then put the chicken in the slow cooker.

Insert the probe of your probe thermometer (you DO have one, right?) into the deepest part of the breast, but NOT touching the keel bone, and set the temp alarm for 170 degrees. Turn the slow cooker on low.

Wait six to eight hours, depending on your cooker and bird.

When the bird is done, remove it from the cooker and allow it to rest, under a foil tent, for 20 minutes before carving. A very tasty gravy can be made from the drippings in the cooker. Use the 2-2-1 ratio: 2 tbsp. drippings, 2 tbsp. flour and 1 cup of chicken stock. Mix the flour and drippings over medium-low heat and cook briefly, then add the stock and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Consume in mass quantities.

Got a question? Comment? Topic you'd like to see covered? Drop me a line anytime!

Previous Stories:

• Oct. 1, 2004: Ice Cream Travelogue
• Sep. 24, 2004: Geaux Fish
• Sep. 17, 2004:In Praise Of Ice Cream
• Sep. 10, 2004: Building Your Storm Pantry
• Sep. 3, 2004: The Great Foodie Test
• Aug. 27, 2004: Leftover Surprise!
• Aug. 20, 2004: The True Greats
• Aug. 13, 2004: Introduction To Greek Food
• Aug. 6, 2004: Books For Cooks
• July 30, 2004: After Further Review