Tarheel Tasting

Heron's

2011-03-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last month my mom came into town to celebrate some good news. We deliberated on some Raleigh area restaurants since she was staying in Raleigh and wanted me to chauffeur her around, and Heron’s at the Umstead was high on the list. The Umstead Hotel is located on the edge of the SAS campus in Raleigh. It is an unbelievably gorgeous hotel, with an awesome spa, and a great restaurant. Heron’s chef is one of seven chefs in the triangle who have been nominated for a James Beard Award this year. They have garnered acclaim from countless magazines, newspapers and critics, and their commitment to fresh and local produce and proteins, as well as a elegant and extravagant presentation are sure to make it a dining destination if it has not become one already.

For my appetizer I had the duo of foie gras. There was the traditional seared foie gras, served with a shallot jam and gingerbread emulsion. This was as most seared foie gras is, decadent and delicious. But it was the terrine that wowed me. So silky, so smooth, so rich, so savory, so out of this world. It was paired with poached cranberries and may have been the best thing I have tasted in 2011.

In between our appetizer and entrée we were served a selection of fresh breads. My favorite was a cheese scone, but all of the breads were expertly made. For my entrée I had seared venison tenderloin. It was matched with spinach custard, butternut squash puree, crispy maitake mushrooms and picked kumquats. The venison was cooked to perfection, and the squash puree and spinach custard were both unusual and unusually tasty.

We also had this great dessert, but I cannot really remember that, I can only remember continually getting up to go to the bathroom so I could flirt with the hostess. Yum.

Southern Rail

2011-03-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Southern Rail is one of my favorite places to have a drink outside when the weather calls for it, and also a pretty tasty spot to grab brunch. With cheap mimosas and a good selection of tasty breakfast and brunch favorites, along with bartenders who can make an exceptional version of almost any cocktail, Southern Rail is a nice place to visit any time of day or week.

This past weekend I hit up Southern Rail with a few friends of mine. I had a few mimosas and the Benny and June. Rye toast with pesto, spinach, crab meat, and two poached eggs covered with classic hollandaise. While they are skimpy with the crab meat (what do you expect for 10 bucks), the eggs are cooked to perfection, the pesto is nice and garlicy, and the home fries on the side are roasted with caramelized onions (my fav). Throw in a few four dollar mimosas and you can cure most hangovers or start a day full of drinking off right.

Cooking at home

2011-03-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

I lived without a microwave for almost 4 years, because there really is nothing you can only cook in a microwave that is good for you. While I still hold true to that, a microwave can do some things faster, like steam vegetables. A lot of broccoli and green beans are now available in microwavable bags. One of my favorite ways to cook green beans is steaming them in the bag, around 4 minutes in the microwave, then takes them place them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, some balsamic vinegar, and a half a teaspoon of olive oil, toss beans until ingredients are full mixed and beans are coated. This is also a great recipe for sautéed spinach; throw the spinach in a hot pan with olive oil, balsamic and Dijon cook until how you like spinach.

Jersey Mike's

2011-03-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

My work girlfriend Jenny and I go to Jersey Mikes whenever there is a slow afternoon at work. Both of crave their subs, something about the meat and cheeses at Jersey Mikes make their subs far and above the best in chain restaurants in this area. I have been eating Jersey Mikes since highscool, and I almost always get the same sandwich, regular six inch roast beef mikes way, the expertly cooked roast beef, shaved paper thing, great roll, provolone cheese, and tomatoes, lettuce, onions and oil and vinegar. A perfect sub for a perfect date with my work boo.

Acme

2011-03-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Like the coyote, I keep going back to Acme again and again to secure my meals, however I am always satisfied. . Sorry, Chapel Hill/Durham isn’t the biggest area, and when you find a place you like, you keep hitting it up.

A while ago I had what ranks up there as one of my favorite Acme dishes ever. Seared scallops over top of a luscious, rich cauliflower puree, accompanied by sautéed spinach and morels. There is a reason cauliflower and scallops are an old school application. This was a great combo. I am not the biggest fan of cauliflower, but when you add a generous amount of butter to any vegetable puree it tastes silky and delicious. There was an underlying cauliflower note, and more importantly an interesting texture created the course puree that played brilliantly against the scallops. The only problem I ever have with Acme is that their menu does not change much, but now I am hoping this dish stays on for a long time.

I also had a green tomato soup, with smoked salmon and goat cheese. The soup was more like a goat cheese soup, while it was tasty, a creamy cold cheese soup was not the greatest thing to eat in 100 degree heat (obviously I am behind, I think I wrote notes down on this dinner like 7 months ago).

Pizza

2011-03-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am not the biggest fan of pizza, I feel like you have an almost infinite amount of opportunities to eat pizza over the course of any period of time. I think I have eaten pizza ten times in the last three months in some random fashion or another. Last night a friend of mine just brought over some pizzas to watch an afternoon basketball game, half the time at work when someone buys us lunch its pizza. I don’t dislike pizza, who could? But I never get a craving for it, it’s hard to crave something so available. Maybe that could be a reason for some of my problems with women…wait what kind of blog is this.

Obviously there is a point to this pizza diatribe. My favorite place in Durham to eat Pizza is Pop’s Back Door. My favorite pizza there is one with granny smith apples, brie, white truffle oil and ricotta spread. It’s called the #1; there is a reason they call it that, because it’s good. It was recommended my good friend Wendell, we definitely have similar tastes in pizza.

They also have a great beer selection at pops, and more importantly a full bar. There have been a few times when I have loudly cursed in front of a young child after I had more than one martini, but if we are going to talk about all the times that has happened, I feel like my hands would be tired from typing. They have to grow up sometime.

My favorite Chapel Hill pizza is Camos Bros. This is located in the Courtyard, right off of Franklin. It is the little area that used to house Sandwich, Loco Pops, and 3 Cups. Apparently the landlord is a total douche, and I don’t live on Roberson St anymore so people don’t find this area as cool as they once did. I understand that I’m not there, but Jordan lives there now so it can’t be that bad. When we went to get some Pizza before the glorious UNC vs Duke game at the Dean Dome, my friend Ad and I took Jordan to Camos Bros. They have delicious New York Style pizza, a great selection, but you really only need to try the red and white pizza. It’s an artistic layering of spicy and savory red sauce, basil, fresh mozzarella and ricotta. Even my co-worker Kelley co-signed this place and that pizza, and she eats pizza like it’s her job. Her last day is Friday, so maybe it will be soon.

Jujube

2011-03-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Jujube is one of my favorite restaurants. It is like a more meat eater friendly version of the Lantern. While not quite as good, it is also not quite as expensive, so it balances out.

Restaurant week was in January of this year. They did a really poor job of marketing it this time around. Myself, along with many others had no idea it had even begun until Wednesday or Thursday. Luckily my boss Susan took pity on me and brought me out to Jujube for lunch to close out restaurant week.

The first course was lobster and shrimp dumpling in a scallion dashi. The broth was delicious, and the dumplings were soft, fluffy and delicious.

Next up was a red curry of pork and pineapple with rice cake. The rice cake was crispy and delicious, and the pork was fork tender. I never thought the pineapple would go well with the curry pork, but its sweetness added balance to the spicy pork.

We finished with a trio of ice creams, Vietnamese coffee, bourbon vanilla and roasted banana. There was just enough to make you full, but not too full. The ice creams were delicious; they reminded you why you love ice cream. So creamy, so rich, but also light and refreshing.

I might have missed out on most of restaurant week, but this lunch was all that I needed to make it worthwhile.

Whiskey at Whiskey

2011-01-03T18:23:00.001-08:00

Laphroig, I am almost certain that I have written about Whiskey before, but just in case you have forgotten, Whiskey is a private club in downtown Durham that caters to a crowd with a love for fine whiskey and cigars. Since it is a private club, smoking both cigars and cigarettes is still legal in Whiskey, which makes it one of my roommate’s favorite spots, while the vast selection of fine whiskies makes it one of mine. Whiskey is not just for those with a sweet tooth for whiskey and smokes, they have a full bar, and a bar tenders who take tender love and care of their cocktails and their customers. Whiskey is the type of old fashioned bar, that serves a great Old Fashioned, calls cabs for its patrons, and does it all with a sense of style without being snooty.

Whiskey is one of my favorite places to go after a great dinner or as a jumping off point for a rockin’ night out. This evening it was a little of both. After a tasty meal at Watt’s, three of us hit up Whiskey. We started it off with their House Manhattan, made with Elijah Craig 12 yr, a small batch Kentucky Bourbon, then moved on to a glass of Basil Hayden on the rocks. Basil Hayden is an 8 yr bourbon, also out of Kentucky, at only 80 proof it is one of the smoother small batch bourbons at there, and easily goes down with just a few ice cubes. We finished up the evening with a glass of Laphroig 10 yr. This scotch whiskey from the isle of Islay has a smoky, peat, slightly salty flavor that is the most full boded and flavorful sips you will ever take. Some call it an overpoweringly smoky flavor, but I think that this scotch is a perfect palate cleanser, and the drink I want to finish off my night, on any night. Laphroig 10 yr is a slow sipping whiskey that is the perfect accompaniment to great friends and a good cigar.

-J

Lime and Basil

2011-01-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

UNC and William and Mary were playing a few weeks ago on a week night. A friend and I decided to go for dinner and drinks before the game. We have always been big fans of Ham’s, but apparently Ham’s is no longer. The greasy food and cheap drinks are perfect for a pre-game meal. I was almost happy when I realized Ham’s was closed because I thought a lighter meal at a place like Lime and Basil. Lime and Basil is a Vietnamese restaurant on Franklin Street, directly across University Square.

I decided to go with the Pho, mostly because the menu says this is their specialty. I have seen Pho but never eaten it for myself; if I had I would’ve known that it is not necessarily the lightest dish, especially when ordering the Grand Combo Pho, that consisting of beef shank, flank, eyeround, meatball, tendon, stomach, and brisket. This huge bowl of deep, rich, flavorful beef broth is filled with rice noodles, the seven different types of beef, and you are able to mix in as much or little of the bean sprouts, chilies, and herbs that come in the accompanying basket. While it may have not been the best choice for a dish to eat right before you walk down to the Dean Dome, it is definitely a great choice for a meal you don’t soon forget.

-J

Life, Love, Liver

2011-01-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

One of my best friends came into town for dinner the other night. Gee and I decided that Watts Grocery would be the best place to further his journey into the Durham food scene. We had already taken him there for brunch, but dinner at Watts is even better. There is a unique ambiance that allows you to feel at home on a big date, business dinner or a night out with the guys. We sat down and quickly ordered some of their awesome cocktails and perused the menu. I was not drawn in by any of the entrees, but three appetizers looked unbelievable, so I went for the three appetizer dinner, often a favorite of people like me, those with an inability to make food based decisions.

Pan Fried Chicken Livers with duck fat, flavored fingerling potatoes and little onions
Liver has become one of my favorite foods. It started with an introduction to the ‘Joan Holloway’ (Mad Men) of liver, foie gras, and has now extended into liver that has not been fattened up with the forced feeding of an animal. While I am not ready to add beef liver to my list of liver loves, chicken livers are most definitely climbing higher and higher by the day. Like any liver lover, I ordered them pink. The duck fat provided an unctuous and velvety sauce when combined with the onions, potatoes and crispy livers. People often describe chicken liver as grainy or mineraly in texture, with a gamey flavor reminiscent of very few other flavors. This can turn away more than a few diners, but once you develop a love for liver, it’s for life.

Fall Beet and Blue Cheese Salad with endive, lettuce, toasted walnuts and dijon vinaigrette
Beets have become another item recently added to my food lexicon. For beets it’s as much for their nutritional benefits as their taste. They are definitely not my favorite vegetable, but with the phytonutrients, B vitamins, fiber, etc they are a welcome addition to any meal. Beats have a starchy almost potato like texture, they are easy to prepare, and when added to a salad, with walnuts, blue cheese and a wonderful Dijon vinaigrette, they hit the necessary notes to complete the harmony in a symphony of flavor. The creamy rich flavor of blue cheese is a perfect accompaniment to beets.

Fried Oyster and Pickled Okra Basket with low country remoulade
The okra were pickled whole, and the oysters fried perfectly, with the insides still plump and juicy. The acidic okra played well against the rich and creamy oysters. Both were enhanced by the remoulade which was like mayonnaise flavored with Dijon and Old Bay.

Another great night of food and drink in Durham, but the drinking was not done. (Two posts above, Whiskey, Durham).
-J

Nantucket

2010-09-01T18:34:00.001-07:00

I could have written about this before, I can’t remember, but I have been eating this dish every few months for the past three or four years. Nantucket Grill & Café is a great restaurant on the corner of the 40 and 54 intersection, a great family atmosphere, nice outdoor seating, and now a bar that not only serves beer and wine, but also liquor! When I lived across the street I used to eat here at least once and week, and almost every time I would have this salad. A small piece of salmon expertly blackened and placed upon a bed of mixed greens, red onion, walnuts, carrots and feta cheese, all lightly covered in a delightful raspberry vinaigrette. Filling, light and a great meal to eat with a cocktail outside.

-J

Samosa Chaat

2010-09-01T18:28:00.001-07:00

I have written about Kabob and Curry many times. I almost always top off any order with the vegetable samosas. One night I ordered these samosas and received a surprise, but a very pleasant one. A new dish was placed on the menu and I had ordered it without even knowing. The Samosa Chaat is very similar to the samosas but they are samosas that have been busted open with a topping of additional chickpeas, sour cream and Indian spices. They are like the samosas but better.

-J

Toast

2010-09-01T18:23:00.001-07:00

There have been tons of gourmet sandwich shops popping up in the area over the past few years. The most delicious and well known, would definitely be Sandwich in Chapel Hill and Neal’s of Carrboro. Now Durham can lay claim to its own, Toast. A great Italian sandwich shop, where authentic paninis and tramezzini’s are served with crostini, bruschetta, soups and salads. All of their sandwiches are made with local farm raised ingredients or flown in directly from Italy.

On my first trip to this fabulous sandwich shop, I had a tasty cured salmon tramezzini, served with watercress, pickled red onion and lemon aioli. All of the sandwiches are six dollars, which is the thing that sets Toast apart from its Chapel Hill and Carrboro counterparts, where some sandwiches can be more than twice that amount.

Toast is a great place for lunch, dinner or just an afternoon with a bottle of wine and a nice snack.

-J

Triangle Brewing Company

2010-09-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Steve has lived in Durham his entire life. He knows just about everything there is to know about this city. His expertise has led me on countless culinary and cocktail laden adventures. This past Saturday he took me to the Triangle Brewing Company in downtown Durham. Every Saturday at 1pm there is a brewery tour. Other than the actual 20 minutes you are touring the brewery, the beer is flowing from the tap and it’s free. This is the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon, drinking free beer with your friends while learning everything you need to know about brewing beer. And you can bring a growler home, so even though the party ends, it is just beginning.

-J

IP3

2010-09-01T18:05:00.001-07:00

I’m not the biggest fan of pizza, but when I have a hankering for good old fashioned Italian Pizzeria style pizza, and the possibility of eating with a UNC basketball player, Italian Pizzeria #3 is where I go. I have been in IP3 at least 3 or 4 times a year since I started going to college at UNC, and I have never sat down and eaten a complete meal without seeing a UNC basketball player. I’ve even had Marcus Ginyard make me a soda one time.

A great place to watch a soccer game, to have a pitcher of beer with a group of friends, or just to check in on how the team is looking over the summer, IP3, Franklin Street’s best choice when you are looking for pizza.

-J

Tomato, Tomatoe

2010-09-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is a great time for fresh tomatoes. Gee and I planted a few tomato plants in the back yard and they have grown out of control, but due to their lack of sunlight, they have produced more vines than fruit. I love fresh salsa, tomato sandwiches, tomato and cucumber salads and a myriad of other tomato dishes. In restaurants all over North Carolina you will find some form of an heirloom tomato plate, bruschetta or caprese salad. I had a dish at Watts Grocery that was a blend of all 3. Grilled sourdough bread, Heirloom Tomatoes, Local Goat Cheese and pea tendrils with a lemon vinaigrette. This was an excellent celebration of the tomato and another bullet point in the long list of reasons to go to Watts.

-J

411

2010-09-01T17:49:00.003-07:00

During my first two years at UNC no one helped me out more than my best friend’s sister Katie. She was always there to share some sage advice or take me out to a nice dinner when I was having a tough time getting acclimated to college life.

For the past few years Katie has lived on the west coast, but luckily she is now back in The South where she belongs. The other day the two of us had a nice lunch at 411 on Franklin. She had The Crab, a red pepper papardelle in a rich dill cream sauce, with scallions, bacon and fresh crab. It is a pasta dish that 411 is famous for, it is one of my favorite dishes in Chapel Hill, but too much for me on this day. I had the dry packed scallops pan seared with house gnocchi, wilted spinach and a balsamic red wine reduction. The scallops and gnocchi were made to be indistinguishable which gave the dish a nice touch of whimsy, and other than a heavy hand with the salt, this was a delectable lunch on a beautiful summer afternoon in Chapel Hill.

-J

Jimbaran Beach Fish Grill at Kekeluargan

2010-08-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

Where are pictures when you most need them? I have thrown in the towel when it comes to food pictures with my camera. Everything comes out looking greasy or fished from the garbage. But for this post it won't be hard relying on sensory memory as this was the best seafood meal I've had the pleasure of eating. Ever.

Place: Jimbaran Beach, Bali
Table: on the sand
Time of Day: sunset
Menu: cooked water spinach, fried peanuts, rice, fresh from-the-tank grouper, clams, prawns, lobster & slice of pineapple and watermelon with a squeeze of lime for dessert

The way the seafood restaurants operate is "you pick it-we grill it." Back to back, each warung originated as a mom-and-pop food booth. Now with modernity and a flush of tourism, each resembles a proper restaurant. We chose a wide assortment of seafood because we were hungry, yes, but also because prices in Bali are cheap. We didn't have much to lose.

So as we sat down at our table with our toes in the sand, we waited patiently while snacking on garlic flavored fried peanuts, and just as the sun set before our eyes our feast was laid forth. We requested everything to be grilled over the coconut husk fire and marinated with their secret sauce. After dinner we caught a glimpse of the chefs first brushing the fish with a puree of garlic and olive oil and then towards the end slathering on a marinade of tomato, garlic, sugar, red chile and magic. The grouper was my favorite--partly because I didn't expect it to be. Cut lengthwise and grilled whole, we tore away at the juicy meat with our fingers, daring to eat the eyeball but wimping out at the last minute. Besides that and the skeleton, nothing was spared. The lobster meat had a hint of coconut husk smoky flavoring.

Fresh and al fresco, nothing can beat this meal. Now if only I took a picture.....

Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre - Singapore

2010-08-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my favorite lunch from Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre in the business district of Singapore. I got a side of rice which took my tab up to $4.80 from $4.00 but it was an extra handful of change I was happy to hand over. I was most impressed by this food stall for making my order of garlic naan fresh in the circular oven in the back--it came out warm. Soft and doughy towards the outer edges. Crispy thin towards the middle and seasoned with the perfect balance of garlic and some other green herb that I couldn't identify. The chickpeas were seasoned with star anise and cinnamon. The fried cauliflower was the spiciest. I tasted what I thought could have been a spicy pickled carrot like you see in Mexican cuisine. It had the faintest crunch to it but was mostly cooked down and "geriatric" as my Mom would call it. The tumeric seasoning on the okra was mild. Altogether these 3 vegetarian dishes balanced each other out well.

Crispy Pork Cracklins Tacos (Chiccarones)

2010-07-30T00:55:00.000-07:00

Before we flew the coop we had to have one last trip to the beloved taco truck on Rose Avenue. I went out on a limb this time and ordered the chiccarones taco....otherwise known as pork cracklins taco with white Peruvian beans, cilantro, diced white onion and salsa. Easy peasy Oaxacan style.

By itself I had no idea these lardons of crispy fried pork skin could be so tasty and so not.....gross. But in a taco I gotta say I prefer the standard filling of carne asada or carnitas pork meat. Something to do with texture. The cracklins did have more ummph and filling to them than pork rinds you get out of a bag but they didn't give as much resistance as a braised piece of juicy meat would. And something to do with richness. Popping bites of skin is one thing but taking a full mouthful along with the other accoutrements made me a little dizzy. Perhaps an acquired taste.

Reporting from Hong Kong

2010-07-20T02:08:00.000-07:00

I'm back on the blog after an unacceptably long break and Asia is why. The preparation for the move in the weeks prior kept me away and now that I've successfully crossed that mark, and the border, I'm back in business. We landed in Hong Kong this morning so I did the only thing I knew to do, eat dim sum and take pictures of food.....errrr, or animals that will soon be food. In order of appearance:

prawns

pork dumplings

chicken dumpling soup

steamed barbeque pork with mini buns

steamed barbeque pork bun (before)
peking duck (I think)

crispy pork belly

beef TONGUE

pig ear and snout

It's good to be here.

Bourbon Dinner

2010-06-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Growing up I was a vodka man, or should I say boy. As I grew into a man, I began to appreciate other spirits, mostly for their complexity of flavor and the abundance of unique high quality choices on the market. Those were the attributes that attracted me to bourbon more so than any other liquor. When I heard that my favorite restaurant (as we all know its Blu Seafood and Bar), was having a dinner centered around my most beloved spirit, was there any chance I would not attend? For $50 apiece, myself and three friends were treated to four courses of Kentucky inspired cuisine all accompanied by a bourbon cocktail. The perfect event for the Wednesday before the Kentucky Derby.

Our first course was a baked brie served with a Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned. I am a huge fan of baked brie, and this luscious, rich and creamy cheese was covered with a drizzle of maple syrup, some slivers of toasted almonds, all easy for dipping and finishing in a matter of seconds. The Old Fashioned is a classic cocktail with bourbon, sugar, orange and bitters. The citrusy drink cut right through the brie.

Our second course was a Kentucky Hot Brown. Shredded turkey confit, roasted tomatoes, and a bacon mornay sauce over toasted brioche. This classic dish was served with a new aged cocktail, ‘bourbon sangria’. Bourbon, mango puree and orange juice made this the best sangria I have ever had. And the tender turkey and bacon infused mornay made this introduction to Kentucky Hot Browns a memorable one.

The next plate was something truly unique. A lamb bbq, served over pureed potatoes and a corn, lima bean and green bean succotash. The lamb had a distinctive spice rub, was kissed with smoked, shredded like pork bbq but with a taste that was all its own. This was served with some Elmer T. Lee, a single barreled bourbon that I had on the rocks, and quite frankly it rocked!

We finished up with a piece of pecan pie under a coconut whipped cream. I am a sucker for pecan pie and homemade whip cream, so this was right in my wheelhouse. With the Derby around the corner we knew a Mint Julep was in the works, and we were right. The classic Derby cocktail with a classic Derby dessert, a fitting ending to an unforgettable meal.

Chubby's Tacos

2010-06-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

Chubby's tacos is a great hole in the wall type restaurant with a few locations in Durham, one of which is on Ninth st. Authentic Mexican tacos complete with fresh ingredients and salsas, the kind of place everyone loves. There was a Mexican restaurant in Concord by my mom’s job that used to serve authentic tacos like these; shredded meat, cilantro and chopped onions. The tacos were so good we never ordered anything else on the menu; the same is true for Chubby’s. A variety of fillings from shrimp to barbacoa (Mexican shredded bbq) lay on top of six inch corn tortillas with toppings like the old standbys of cilantro and onion or fresh new ideas like chipotle cream. These tacos are so tasty that you end up eating two or three more than you should, every time. The last few times I have had Chubby’s has been at a favorite bar of mine, The Tavern. It is on Markum right off Ninth in Durham. The Tavern hasn’t gotten their kitchen up and running yet, so a lot of the fellas like to bring in some tacos (including a few for the bartender Chris) and have them with their best side dish, a cold beer.

Black Bean Salad/Salsa

2010-06-05T18:16:00.001-07:00

Soak one bag of black beans overnight, bring a pot of water to a boil, add worchestire, powdered garlic, salt, olive oil, and pepper, along with the black beans. Reduce the beans to a simmer and let them cook for an hour and a half or two. Drain the beans and let them chill. Finely chop a whole red onion, a bunch of cilantro and three jalapeños, then cut the kernels off three raw ears of corn. Add all of these veggies to a bowl along with salt, pepper, the juice of 1 lemon, 3 limes and red wine vinegar. Mix well and add to the beans, along with 2 diced avocados, 1 diced heirloom tomato and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the salsa chill overnight and use as a side dish, for dipping or just for a snack.

Only Burger

2010-06-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I hit up the Only Burger truck for dinner with a few friends. This truck has been trolling the streets of Durham over the last year, and has become so mythical and popular that they will soon be opening up a restaurant downtown. They call it the “Only Burger” you will ever want. While I wouldn’t go that far, it is the best burger I have ever had out of a truck, and one of the best I have ever had period. Perfect crust from the flat top grill, fresh onions, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes, and shoe string fries that taste like a gourmet version of the ones you would get at Steak N Shake. You can go to onlyburger.com, follow the truck in real time, and make your next burger the Only Burger you will ever need.

Blu Again

2010-06-05T18:10:00.001-07:00

My mother took my sister and myself out for dinner the other night. We went to an old standby, Blu. It was there that I had a new dish on the menu, which was definitely one of the best I’ve tasted in a while. I ordered the Diver Scallops with country ham lardons, grapefruit supremes, shallots, arugula, roasted potatoes and an herb and sherry vinaigrette. The scallops were perfectly seared, so tender, juicy, and delectable. Potatoes were expertly roasted; the grapefruit and arugula cut through the sweet and rich flavor of the scallops and the ham provided a hint of salinity, while the vinaigrette offered up a punch of freshness and bite. Dishes like these are why I go to Blu so often, days later I am still left savoring the flavor.

Late Night Grubfest at Emporio

2010-05-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

In recent years "getting late night" has evolved from a thrice-weekly hobby to, for the most part, a pasttime. Lord only knows how many late plates I snuck out of the KD dining room and slices of white pizza I walked out of Ben's Pizza with back in the day. But every now and then I find myself in the right company with the right appetite and make an exception to my new rules. This time I classed it up and went with Emporio on Mott between Elizabeth and Prince. I figured if you're gonna do it, go somewhere worth remembering the next morning.

I must note that I was not the only one at the table. While my appetite late at night does increase, you can rest assured it's not to these gargantuan proportions:

tasting of 3 cheeses
mushroom croquettas
pepperoni pizza
mozzarella, proscuitto, & arugula pizza
1 bottle of Dolcetto d'Alba

This was a pretty standard order for a rustic Italian trattoria--I've ordered all of these dishes at least 3 times in my life--but the quality of food rose above...and that's not just the tipsy talking. The atmosphere was warm, lit by small tea lights that reflected a soft glow off the wood interior. I enjoyed the setup we had at our table and would definitely keep this on my list of neighborhood favorites, regardless of time of day.

Kenmare's Sicilian Margarita

2010-05-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Sicilian Margarita contains:

Milagro Silver tequila

Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

a touch of Campari

blood orange juice

shaken and strained into a tall glass with 2 large cocktail ice cubes.

Gin Cocktail fit for Spring

2010-04-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

A great Spring martini I discovered last week combines Bombay Sapphire gin with Lillet and St Germain elderflower liqueur.

Lillet is a French aperitif that blends white wine with orange and lemon liqueurs. It's very light and mild--not at all like the lighter fluid aperitifs, sambuca and grappa, or the herbal aperitifs, amaro and bitters. Like Lillet, Elderflower liqueur exhibits milder flavors and smells. Made from fresh picked Alpine elderflowers and elderberries, St. Germain has a light pink hue and a sweet floral nose.

I'm not sure what parts Lillet, St Germain and gin are called for but I don't think you can go wrong with trial and error. Serve in a martini glass with a lemon rind garnish.

Grand Central Oyster Bar's Bourbon & Pecan Oysters

2010-04-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I came across an oyster dish at Grand Central Oyster Bar I've never seen before--broiled oysters on the half shell topped with bourbon butter and pecans. The oysters were cooked just a little--not searing hot like they are when served "rockefeller"--with a dash of the bourbon butter and a small pecan donning each shell. Serving the pecans chopped, not whole, made them more of a garnish than anything. Good move.

Durham Food Makes the NY Times

2010-04-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

I told Jonathan a while ago I felt like Durham/Chapel Hill has more "locavore" restaurants than Santa Monica--which is to say a lot considering the fact that Santa Monica hosts 3 farmers markets every week all year long. All of the restaurants that Jonathan reviews on his blog posts seem to take such care to feature local, seasonal products. The NY Times agrees....

Durham, a Tobacco Town, Turns to Local Food

Cooking At Home

2010-04-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

My back up for Friday night was a Salmon dish that I also thought up in Fresh Market. I ended up making it on Saturday for my roommate and myself. Salmon is one of my favorite foods, and while I prefer Pacific Salmon, I always go for fresh fish and it is extremely hard to get any Salmon other than Atlantic that has not been previously frozen in NC. And even though I prefer Pacific, Atlantic Salmon is great in its own right.

-Ingredients: 1 lb of Atlantic Salmon, one Meyer lemon, fresh dill, fresh basil, fresh garlic, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar

-Place Extra Virgin Olive Oil in pan on medium heat

-Add Salmon to pan skin side down, heat for 5 minutes and then turn over for 5 additional minutes

-Top salmon with chopped dill and slice of lemon, and put in 400 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes depending on desired doneness

-Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 1to 2 minutes; add to bowl with balsamic vinegar, olive oil chopped garlic, and juice of one lemon

-Place in preheated 400 degree oven for 10 mins

-Mix tomatoes in bowl with olive oil, chopped basil and balsamic vinegar

-Add cherry tomatoes to oven for 20 mins

This is an unbelievably simple dish, that is easy to make, and even easier to clean your plate!

-J

Cooking At Home

2010-04-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I was luckily enough to host a wonderful Colombian woman who I am quite fond of, at my home for dinner. I went back and forth when deciding what to serve, and with some help from my work girlfriend Jenny and the imagination starter that is The Fresh Market, here is how it turned out:

Ingredients: 2 10oz grass fed beef tenderloin steaks, 1 pint of brussel sprouts, 1 pint of gemstone fingerling potatoes, 1 sweet onion, 1 red bell pepper & 1 yellow bell pepper, chili garlic paste, fresh rosemary and thyme, and one lemon

-Cut larger potatoes in half, long ways, use smaller ones whole
-Coat in olive oil, rosemary and thyme
-Place in 400 degree oven for one hour

-Juliane the onion and peppers, coat with worchestire, minimal amount of chili garlic paste, juice of half a lemon, and extra virgin olive oil
-Add to sauté pan at medium high heat, cook until caramelization begins (8 to 10 mins), then lower to medium heat for another 8 to 10 mins
-Peppers and onions will be caramelized and cooked down a great deal

-Heat cast iron skillet to med high with 1 pad of butter, 1 to 2 tablespoon(s) of extra virgin olive oil and worchestire
-Place steaks in hot pan, 5 mins on each side
-Put steaks into 400 degree oven for 7 mins
-Take steaks out of oven; rest on plate with tented aluminum foil for 10 mins

-Cut the bottom off of the brussel sprouts, then cut in half long ways
-Add cut side down to the pan that the steaks were seared in, (add more worchestire, butter, olive oil, if needed)
-Cook for 5 mins on medium high heat, lower heat to medium; add red wine to deglaze the pan and turn brussel sprouts over in pan until wine reduces

-Place sautéed peppers and onions on top of steak, and serve with potatoes and brussel sprouts. You can time all of these elements to come together at the same time, it takes a little forward thinking and the use of quite a few dishes, but it is definitely worth it!

-J

Milltown

2010-04-18T10:48:00.001-07:00

After a particularly hard day at work, my friend Megan and I headed to a Carrboro staple, Milltown. I often shy away from this heavily trafficked venue because of the many bad experiences I have had in the past, but I was in the mood for a good beer and a nice warm hearty meal, two things that Milltown does well.

I ordered the cheddar and beer soup, which was a comforting warm bowl containing big flavors, served with some crusty bread. For my entrée I had the vegetarian sliders. These were wonderful black bean cakes, cooked down and melded with a variety of herbs and spices. Many times people talk about a meaty flavor and texture in things like a veggie burger or a mushroom dish. I often laugh this off, nothing can taste like meat except meat, this case seemed to be the exception. With some melted gruyere cheese on top, and accompanied by sweet potato chips, these sliders were off the meter. After a few beers Megan and I were ready to go home, unfortunately here comes the rub. One of the reasons I have such disdain for Milltown is the subpar service. Milltown is the illustration of all of the negative aspects of Carrboro, waiters and waitresses who feel as if you are lucky to be served by them. We waited for over 30 minutes just to get someone’s attention and ask for the check, and then it was another 10 before we could get that. The crazy thing is they weren’t even busy. I had a great meal at Milltown, and almost forgot why I never go there, but unfortunately the taste left in my mouth was not that of a delicious veggie slider, but that of their usual horrendous service.

-J

This is Me

2010-04-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

First Camera, Then Fork

People Who Photograph Food and Display the Pictures Online....article in the NY Times

GLASSHALFULL

2010-04-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

Over the past few years tapas have become all the rage. Tapas bars have sprang up all across America, and countless fine dining establishments have added a small plates section to their menus. To me, tapas are a double edged sword. They are perfect for someone with my inability to choose one item off of the menu, but they often end up wreaking having on your wallet. Recently the concept of the wine bar has supplanted tapas bars on the scene, but in name only. They are basically the same thing, except tapas are now called small plates. I have visited more than a few of these establishments, and Glasshalful in Carborro is definitely my favorite.

I made my first trip to Glasshalfull last weekend with my roommate and my sister, two of my most consistent dining companions. We shared five different plates, four from the small plates menu and one large plate. The large plate was a NC Bouillabaisse, with shrimp, red snapper and mussels, simmered in a crustacean fennel broth with leek and saffron. It was unbelievably full bodied and flavorful. Was it a large plate? I don’t know about that, but it definitely was a great plate.

Small Plates:

-Crispy Calamari with peppadew peppers, garlic butter and parmesan cheese. You could tell the calamari was local because of its smaller size, and you could tell it was fresh because it’s amazing taste. Lightly breaded, cooked to perfection, this was some of the best calamari I have had in a while. With just a squeeze of lemon, it was to die for. I am glad, because the aioli was not doing it for any of us.

-The Cheese Plate, with spiced Chevre, sheep’s milk Manchego, and Ba Ba Bleu, which is also a sheep’s milk cheese. The cheeses were served with Morello cherries, quince paste and shaved pear. All of the cheeses were delicious, as were their accoutrements, the Manchego was my favorite, but it almost always is.

-Grilled Chicken Brochette Oreganato, which are herbed crusted chicken skewers, served with artichokes in a chicken jus. Chicken is probably the meat I eat the most of at home and order the least of at restaurants. This chicken was perfectly spiced, perfectly cooked and a surprisingly good if not uninspired, choice from my roommate.

- House Cured Gravlax, my favorite dish of the night, lightly cured salmon, salty capers, tangy pickled shallots, cool crème fraiche and tasty buckwheat blinis. This was the definition of a well put together dish. All of these ingredients were tame on their own, but together they form a symphony in your mouth.

For desert we had the chevre cheesecake, and the homemade banana pudding. There are some things that cannot be churched up; banana pudding is one of them. They tried it with butter cookies instead of Nilla Wafers, somehow just not the same, too hard, not as good. The cheesecake on the other hand, was a hit. I have had many a goat cheese, cheesecake, never one that I did not enjoy.

With our meal we had a great Spanish Red and a nice Pinot Noir, unfortunately we had enough to where I cannot remember much about these wines, other than the fact that they went down very easily. Glasshalfull is a wine bar with a great atmosphere, upscale décor, a nice bar, delectable plates and of course, awesome wine.

-J

Emilio's Ballato

2010-03-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Round 2 with Emilio's Ballato on Houston between Mott and Mulberry. The first time I ate here was a Thursday night with 4 friends. We sat around one of the few tables in the narrow dining room that stretches back from the Houston-facing front door and filled the next 2 hours sipping Emilio's fine red wine (I think he actually makes and bottles it), indulging in several of his mouthwatering classic appetizers and entrees including meatballs and eggplant parmesan, enjoying great conversation and at the end of the night, we received a special tour of the new private dining room and downstairs club renovations. Talk about Italian hospitality.

This time around I took my order back to the apartment and found that the food was just as magnificent out of house as it was in house. While there was definitely magic to the dining in experience, the majority of it comes from the food. Tonight we ordered the broccoli rabe, arugula salad with oranges, fennel and meyer lemon vinaigrette, tagliatelle bolognese, and linguine with clams in a white wine garlic sauce.

Though these may sound like pretty standard Italian dishes you could find anywhere on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, the quality of ingredients makes them anything but standard. Exceptional is the word. The bolognese reminded me a lot of Capo's rigatoni with truffle meat sauce in Santa Monica, where the meat is rich but not heavy, the weight of the sauce kept in check by the light oils and absence of tomato. For the linguine with clams, what stood out the most to me was the pasta itself. I often don't think too much about pasta quality but this stuff was so good that it made me pay attention. The tagliatelle pasta in the bolognese was equally as premium--both pastas made into soft dough with a little bit of gluten elasticity but not so much that it sticks and bounces like a rubber band as so many dry pastas from the grocery store do. I wasn't surprised to discover later that they make their pasta from scratch every day. Moving onto the broccoli rabe. The rabe was super green--greener than spinach--and sauteed with olive oil, thick slices of garlic, and red pepper flakes. The arugula salad's soft, sweet, not-too-tangy meyer lemon vinaigrette was the complement of all complements to the peppery fresh arugula leaves (wouldn't be surprised if they got the arugula from a local source) and crunchy light shavings of fennel. I was practically drinking the leftover juices from the salad. Actually I did.....

Of all the Italian restaurants in this city I've tried, I must say Ballato and Babbo are tops. There are so many I've been to that imitate the rustic menus of cheese plates, cured meat plates, pizzas, pastas, ensalate and frankly, I'm getting a little bored with them. They're great don't get me wrong but when you see the same thing over and over, it feels less special. The novelty wears off after a while. Otto Pizzeria was the 1st of those types of Italian restaurants I ever went to and I'll never stop loving it but I think there's just too many copycats in the city these days. They'll never be able to make me feel like I'm eating in a hillside trattoria in old Italy like Ballato and Babbo do.

2 Champagne Cocktails Taste Test

2010-03-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

I'm always eager to read over cocktail menus especially since these are the revival days of the mixologist, where bartenders receive as much acclaim for their inventions as four star chefs. The drinks with the most exotic ingredients grab my attention first but in the end it's usually the simplest drink I like the most. This was the case for 2 champagne cocktails I had at the Gramercy Park Hotel last night.

1st up: the James Bond
Hennessey Cognac, Orange Curacao, a splash of pineapple and fresh lime topped with Prosecco

2nd: classic Champagne cocktail
Champagne, bitters, cube of sugar

I preferred #2. I had high hopes for the James Bond--which wasn't too different than the classic--but the juices overpowered the other flavors in the flute making it too sugary and less fizzy. When you have such a little space to work with, balance and proportion is crucial to nail. You can get away with mistakes in a pitcher but not so much in a delicate glass like a flute.

I was also enamored with the way the sugar cube dissolved in the bottom, adding more bubbles to the visual.

Does Searing Seal In The Juices?

2010-03-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

The short answer is no, and before I go any further let me admit that I stole all of this information from an episode of Good Eats. That being said, it doesn’t take a TV show host to taste the inherent goodness of a properly seared protein. Alton proved that when you sear a piece of meat and then cook it to the same temperature as a similar sized un-seared piece of the same meat, the seared piece actually weighs less, thus proving that it did not help with the retention of moisture.

This is where the issue becomes more complex. While searing may not seal in the juices, it does contribute a great deal to flavor and appearance. A well seared piece of beef, chicken, poultry, fish etc looks much more appetizing than a protein that has just been put in the oven to roast, and we do eat with our eyes first. However, the most important part of searing is the flavor it imparts. The caramelized surface of a well seared protein creates depth of flavor and a contrast of texture that is a key to the enjoyment of a dish.

I sear almost any protein that I cook, whether it’s something delicate like a piece of salmon, something simple like a chicken breast, or something bigger like a pork tenderloin or even a pork shoulder. Searing your meat is the first step in creating a flavorful dish. So, should you be searing your meat? Yes, but maybe not for the reason you thought.
-J

Drinking on an Empty Stomach

2010-03-24T19:02:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of food myths out there; the danger of drinking on any empty stomach is not one of them. Countless studies have proven that the rate of intoxication increases when you have not had much to eat. Eating stems the tide of intoxication, because it decreases the rate of your body’s alcohol absorption. By decreasing your body’s metabolization of alcohol, your stomach contents also decrease the amount of alcohol in your blood stream, which is a nice little tidbit for those who try to push the limits of the law.

I did my own research Friday night. It was no double blind study; actually it all happened by accident. I started drinking as soon as I got off of work, and kept putting off dinner. By the time 9 o’clock rolled around, I was heading off to bed instead of spending the rest of the night with my friends. Not only did this miscalculation affect my night negatively, it led to quite the unpleasant feeling when I woke up the next day. So remember, never drink on an empty stomach, especially if you plan on having more than a couple.
-J

NYC Pimm's Cup Winner

2010-03-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

I tried a Pimm's cup at the Spotted Pig and Madame Geneva on Bleecker. To my surprise, Madame Geneva served the better glass. Spotted Pig's was too watered down.

Spotted Pig Gnudi & Burger

2010-03-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

BP and I hit up Spotted Pig for dinner at the bar last week. First up was the sheep's milk ricotta stuffed gnudi with brown butter sauce and crispy sage. Next was the burger cooked medium rare on a brioche bun with rosemary and fried garlic seasoned shoestring fries. If you read my post about the mochi balls, the gnudi was fashioned with the same fundamental structure but instead of rice flour and ice cream, it's potato pasta and creamy cheese. If you think about it, this kind of formula does well across all cuisines if the translations are pierogies, spring rolls, samosas, etc.

I mentioned the Spotted Pig in my Breslin post as they share the same head chef, April Bloomfield. The Spotted Pig takes the same British gastropub approach and similarly turns up the notch on richness and flavor in their dishes. I once had brunch here and nearly passed out on my walk home. A fully cleaned plate of 2 fried duck eggs (which are twice the size of chicken eggs) over a fried chicken liver hash did me in faster than a plate of country ham and grits. Phew. Decadent and health hazardous, but never disappointing.

Next time I go back I'm going to be a little more adventurous and try their roll mops which the bartender told us was pickled herring. Doesn't sound very appetizing but you never know.

Fun Fact

2010-03-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Another fun fact I learned in the wine class. Monks are who we can thank for wine. They started growing vines in France way back when and they were the ones who determined which estates got the "grand cru" classification.

Q-Tip: Sancerre

2010-03-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

I took a wine class last night and learned that Sancerre is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre is a village in France and their forte, the only grape they really grow for white wines, is Sauvignon Blanc. French wines don't list the grape varietal on the bottle, they just expect you to know who uses what grape since they've been in the business for 400 years.

New Zealand mussels & leeks

2010-03-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

New Zealand mussels have a tint of green on their shell and are huge in size. I had these at 230 Forest in Laguna Beach, CA. The leeks made the broth and each bite that much better. (I love love mussels and always have a hard time ordering around them on a menu. If they're there, you bet I'll be eating them.) I don't have that much experience with leeks but they're such a great addition to broths and dips and pasta sauces. I always thought they'd taste like onions because I think they're from the same family but they actually don't at all. They're very refreshing and slightly crunchy. Healthy and green without the onion tang or smell. I almost want to say there's a bit of citrus to them.

The wine in the picture is a La Crema Pinot Noir from California. White wine probably would have paired better but since the Pinot is a light bodied wine, it matched the light white wine broth. If the broth was creamier, a Merlot or CA Chardonnay probably would have been a better pair. The only issue I had with this wine is that I woke up with a searing headache and this was my only glass. I have different next day experiences with different wines. Sometimes I can drink a whole bottle and wake up the next day fine and dandy. Other times just 1 glass of red keeps me up all night with a headache and jitters. This might be a sulfite factor but I'm not 100% positive.

The Breslin's Scotch Egg & Onion and Bone Marrow Soup

2010-03-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

All I can say is Wow. The Breslin and its decadent menu nearly knocked me off my feet. April Bloomfield, the same chef behind the Spotted Pig, opened up the Breslin last year and I just now discovered it. Like the Spotted Pig, the food is British gastropub and it's all super duper rich. Like whoa super heavy. For example, they have thrice fried french fries which they cover in salt. We ordered the Scotch Egg and Onion and Bone Marrow Soup.

A scotch egg is a soft boiled egg that's wrapped in bacon and then breaded with a peppery dough and deep fried. The dough was a little bit of overkill but their egg was perfectly soft boiled. I wouldn't order it again but glad I tried it.

The onion and bone marrow soup was another story. I can confidently say this was my favorite version of this dish and I love French Onion Soup. They served it like any traditional French Onion Soup with a slice of bread and melted cheese (think they used parm) in a brown baking bowl. The difference in contents was that instead of beef stock they used veal stock and to the veal stock they added bone marrow for flavor. If you're thinking, bone marrow?! yuck! Think again. You can't taste or see or feel the bone marrow in there--it's a taste enhancing component. As for the veal, I learned in my cooking class last week that veal stock imparts more flavor than beef because veal bones are younger and have more gelatin in them which turns out to be a good flavor agent. Hmmph. The end result is a thick, rich stock that's a touch on the sweet side. Bon apetit!

thebreslin.com

Spring Wine: Vinho Verde

2010-03-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Vinho Verde and Rose make fantastic Spring wines. At only $10 a bottle from Whole Food's, this is one of the best deals. The wine is slightly effervescent but not as carbonated and bubbly as champagne or prosecco. Its teeny tiny bubbles make it really crisp and zippy. The tip of your tongue will be the giveaway for this characteristic. It's super light bodied, very pale yellow/green, and has citrus notes. The sales rep described it as "poolside" wine. This was great by itself but I could also see it pairing nicely with shellfish and salads with citrus vinaigrette.

Buy Online

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-16T19:34:00.001-07:00

Tonite I went to Acme with my wonderful sister and my awesome friend Megan. Yes I spell tonight, tonite, I just like it better that way. I sent some of my blog entries as writing samples for this food critic job, and that was one of the few things they corrected me on. I know how to spell it, but I just like tonite better. So there! On to the food…..
I have posted about Acme Food and Beverage Co. at least once in the past, and for good reason, it is probably the best restaurant in Carrboro. Acme also speaks to my soul. Their theme is southern food with a gourmet twist, the two halves of me made whole. Their menu changes semi-regularly, with most of the changes occurring in the small plates portion of the menu. They also always have a few good specials for the evening. On this night they were offering Shad roe. Many of you have probably never heard of Shad roe, and I never had until an evening last year at this same restaurant. Shad is also known as river Herring. It is a fish native to the eastern/northeastern United States and prized for its roe, because of the remarkable taste and because it is only available during the spring. Thus, Shad roe is the culinary equivalent to the opening of flower buds. My roe was fried, covered in bacon, capers and lemon juice, then baked and served over cheese grits. This was an amazingly rich, savory and filling appetizer, so much so that I regretted ordering the pork belly small plate for my entrée. That regret soon faded the moment I took my first bite. It was so tasty that I completely glossed over the fact that I was full until I was making my way out to the car.
The pork belly was braised then seared, and served with a chile marmalade, radishes and pickeled confit onions. If I thought the last dish was rich, this one made it seem like a salad. It is often said that Pinot Noir goes well with pork, and that fact was proved once again, with my pairing of those two on this night. Before my Pinot I had a nice cocktail made with Bombay Sapphire Gin, rosemary syrup and lemon juice. While tasty, as with all Acme cocktails, it was not strong enough for me to pay the 8 dollars it cost. My sister loved the fried green tomato, mozzarella, and balsamic napoleon I had the last time, that she went with that on this night, as well as the Mahi-Mahi special. Megan had the field green salad and a nice vegetarian risotto. Acme can make a mean risotto, but while risotto is always rich, Acme’s risotto is like eating 2 lbs of butter, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And as always, eating at Acme was not a good thing, it was a great thing.
-J

Ruh Roh News for The Hump

2010-03-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

My favorite sushi restaurant in Santa Monica--The Hump--just got busted for serving endangered whale meat. And my favorite sushi chef--Yama-san--is taking the heat. Yama-san and Susumo-san took me to my first Japanese karaoke bar. And served me my first taste of raw horse meat. Yep I said it.

I'd like to know who was on whale patrol. Maybe Hayden Panettiere?

Oscar Winners Try To Keep Whale Off Sushi Plates
Sushi Spot is Charged With Serving Whale Meat

Asparagus Fries & Fried Deviled Eggs

2010-03-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed these 2 appetizers at Nick's in Laguna Beach, CA. The whites on the eggs were fried in panko bread crumbs. The asparagus fried in a parmessan panko mix. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Natalie MacLean's Drinks Matcher

2010-03-11T17:23:00.001-08:00

Ensalate Pulipo (Baby Octopus Salad)

2010-03-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

Behold. Caffe Falai's baby octopus salad. Pan-seared, paprika seasoned baby octopus with fingerling potatoes, fried capers, black squid ink and celery root puree. salty salty salty. If you're unfamiliar with the taste of squid ink, it's seafood-y. I've even read the description: "seafaring flavors".....when you think of what seafood smells like, that's squid ink. Falai missed the mark on the ink though. It didn't have any smell or taste and was a bit dry.

The octopus stole the show. What made it so nice was the paprika crusted in spots like the curly cue tentacle. It almost gave the same sensation as a Bojangles french fry...especially when on the fork with a bite of potato. Octopus has become one of my favorite foods in the past year. I love octopus sushi over rice, octopus sashimi with lemon and fresh ground black pepper, grilled baby octopus (see Casa Mono post) with grapefruit, and octopus ceviche from the taco truck. Out of all variations I must say baby octopus is my favorite for reasons of texture: it's not as chewy and tough as (grown?) octopus is. And when pan-seared it releases it's juices which mingle well with the crispy, juicy outside that the pan gives it....I can't think of anything to compare it to. You'll just have to try it for yourself.

Dolcetto d'Alba & the "Godmother"

2010-03-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Last week I offered to host a meeting at the house which required me to find good catering to feed 20 mouths and good wine to go with. The first place that came to mind was Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica. Bay Cities is a local gem of an Italian specialty market/deli on Lincoln Blvd between Colorado and Olympic that is unfortunately not so hidden. If you walk in on a Saturday or Sunday you're guaranteed to wait at least 30 minutes before your ticket is called, but it's a wait well worth it because the deli meats, homemade baguettes, cheese, and antipasto delights (meatballs, marinated artichokes, herbed olives, peppers) are the best Italy can offer. Aside from the deli counter, at Bay Cities you'll also find specialty olive oils, vinegars, hazelnut spreads, biscottis, Italian wines, every imaginable cheese, and all sorts of other Italian condiments.

So to cater I went with the Godmother sub, an all-time fan favorite. The godmother has everything on it. Cappiocola, ham, provolone, pickles, mustard, roasted red peppers, pepperocinis, onions--the works. The bread is cooked on premise so it's fresh. The outside is firm with a slight crunch and the inside is dense but soft enough to absorb the juices of the sub contents. It's not the kind of baguette that flakes into a messy pile when you take a bite--everything in this one stays intact.

To go with the Godmother I chose an Italian Dolcetto d'Alba from the Piemonte region by Bruno Giacosa, a very well known producer. I became acquainted with his Roero Arneis white wine this summer which was addictive so I figured the Dolcetto would be just as good--plus my wine book said it would go well with deli meats. Dolcetto, the name of the grape, means "little sweet one." d'Alba denotes the part of the Piemonte where the grape is grown--Alba, where the best dolcetto wines originate. The wine was a deep ruby color, dry, medium bodied, slightly bitter and had hints of violet and berries. The pairing was perfect because the Dolcetto's soft tannins didn't overpower the mild deli meats...and the acidity was high giving a good clean finish.

These wines are typically inexpensive and drink well with many things.

Lamb Navarin

2010-02-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

I picked this recipe because "Navarin" sounded Indian and I pictured the outcome looking something like a curry but in actuality, Lamb Navarin is a French ragout (stew) of lamb and turnips (turnip = navet in French). I couldn't have been more off target --and I didn't even include turnips sooooo.....I guess this is just Andi's Lamb Stew. Forget the whole navarin business.

The portions I yielded from this are gigante. 5 days of lunch and dinner for 1 person. And a good thing that it tastes wonderful, otherwise it would have been ladled out at the soup kitchen long ago.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless lamb leg, cubed (trim off excess fat)
head of cauliflower, cut in florets
1 bunch of small carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bunch of kale, torn in bite size pieces
5 red potatoes, quartered
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. tomato paste
4 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup red wine
cayenne pepper (5 dashes)
cumin (1 1/2 tsp.)
salt & pepper
3 tbsp. of all purpose flour

Prep all of the vegetables first. This always takes me the longest amount of time--wash, dry, clean your workstation, cut, toss, peel, etc. Took about 45 minutes. Then cut up the lamb. In a large pan on medium-high heat brown the lamb and set aside in a big mixing bowl. Don't cook through, just get the outsides browned because the lamb with finish cooking while stewing. You'll probably have to work the lamb in batches because 2 lbs. yields a lot of lamb. In the mixing bowl, toss and coat the lamb with flour. I'm not sure what this does but the recipe I followed instructed me to do so. Maybe it seals in some of the flavor? or helps thicken the stew?

Put all of the lamb back into a big pot on medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, wine, tomato paste, tomatoes with their juices, and spices. Bring to a boil then simmer on a lower heat for 45 min-1 hr. Then add the vegetables and simmer on low for an hour and 1/2, stirring occassionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Surprisingly, my favorite part of this stew is the kale. I've never had kale but it retained most of its strength while softening a bit, giving light crunch, and soaked up a lot of the flavor and juice from the stew. Kale is about 4x tougher than lettuce and 4x darker. It's a great contrast to root vegetables like potato and carrots.

Foie Gras at Capo

2010-02-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

I ordered the Foie Gras appetizer special at Capo last Saturday and took one step closer to fully loving this hepatic delicacy. I'm normally accustomed to eating foie gras with sweet flavors (pistachio, fruit) but this time Capo prepped it in a savory style. The foie gras was warm, silky and tender and sat atop a piece of toasted brioche and a few wild forest mushrooms. I thought this was a great idea since the texture of foie gras reminds me a little of a portabella mushroom. There was a little sauce at the bottom of the plate making this even juicier than it would be on its own.

Primitivo

2010-02-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

My favorite tapas restaurant west of the eastern seaboard is Primitivo in Venice, CA. The decor is a bit wacky--walls covered in Spanish oil paintings hung haphazardly, too high or too low, of contemporary looking women in front of antiquated Mediterranean backdrops (contextual misfits)--but an overall set design snafu I'm willing to look past considering how well they do on their food. Primitivo's seasonally changing menu breaks down to about 10 cold tapas and 20 hot tapas including shellfish, fish, red meat and white meat. Lots of choices bodes well for large groups and picky eaters. And not only that, their menu changes periodically which indicates creative, forward thinking chefs. They know what ingredients are best when, and make menu changes accordingly. I'd go as far as saying Primitivo outranks all of my favorite tapas haunts in New York City in terms of quality of food. Also important to mention is their stellar atmosphere: always busy, inviting and alive.

With Alex in town I decided this was as good a place as any to dine. We ordered bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo, steamed mussels and chorizo in a white wine garlic sauce with herb seasoned frites, and Moroccan spiced lamb chops atop chickpeas and tzatziki sauce. The lamb chops were my favorite. They were charred on the outside, blushing pink medium rare on the inside, juicy, flavorful and best of all, hot when served. It was like eating ribs in that the last drip and sliver of meat was worth salvaging. The dates were very sweet, a little too sweet for me, and the stuffed chorizo was a substitution I can't say I favor to the almond. The mussels were an outstanding counterpart to the lamb. Medium in size, each shell containing savory broth, a slice of chorizo sausage, and garlic. I had to make a conscious effort to stop dipping so much bread into the leftover broth.

For wine, we tried a glass of Chianti Classico, a glass of Rioja Reserva and a glass of a Merlot/Cabernet blend from Oregon. The Oregon blend was the fruitiest/youngest and the Chianti the driest. I like the Rioja the best. Met somewhere in the middle. The wine list at Primitivo spans Italy, Spain, France and California. I'd like to know who, if many at all, order any French wine. Doesn't seem like an obvious pair for a Spanish tapas place.

Beet, Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Salad

2010-02-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Andi here.

I've slacked on the blog lately but now that I'm home alone I have no excuse not to make updates on my cooking and dining forays.

We had a dinner party the other night and I decided to throw something different into the usual menu of roasted vegetables and steak. I made a hearty, winter salad (even though it feels like summer in Santa Monica) that was delectable in my humble opinion. A salad like this provides a lot of contrast in texture between the roasted beets, crunchy pine nuts, silky goat cheese, and crispy arugula. The tangy balsamic and lemon used in the vinaigrette also provides good taste contrast to the sweet goat cheese. And visually, a very pretty salad of pinks, purples, golden, and green. Not just your monochromatic spread of steak and potatoes.

Recipe as follows:
4-6 purple and golden beets
goat cheese
1 cup of pine nuts, toasted in a pan
baby arugula
balsamic, dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon, salt & pepper (for the vinagrette)

Peel, quarter, toss in olive oil and roast beets for 25-35 minutes at 400 degrees
To make the vinaigrette, combine everything except olive oil in a mixing bowl, then slowly whisk the olive oil in. This allows the mustard to emulsify the oil and vinegar. Toss the arugula in the dressing to coat evenly, then plate the arugula first. On top of the greens, plate beets, then goat cheese and pine nuts sprinkled around.

Cypress On The Hill

2010-02-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

Tax refund money is great, and I decided to use some of mine to take my sister out to a nice dinner. It took me a while to figure out where we were going. I ended up deciding where by coming to the realization that there was one restaurant that people often talk about when listing the best restaurants in the Chapel Hill-Durham area that I have never been to, and that is Cypress on the Hill. Jordan and I hit up Cypress on Tuesday for dinner and we were not disappointed.

For my appetizer I had the pan seared Sonoma Foie Gras. It was served with bruleed Ruby Red Grapefruit, a micro greens and pickled shallot salad and poultry port jus. As foie gras always is, it was unbelievable. Foie gras is one of my favorite foods, and this was one of the best foie gras dishes I have ever had. The bruleed grapefruit and the pickled micro green and shallot salad played perfectly with the richness and bold flavor of the foie gras. My sister had the Cypress “Eggs Benedict”. Cross’ Farm sunny side egg, Stephen’s brioche toast, house-made pancetta, spinach and a béarnaise aioli. I’m a huge fan of eggs benedict and this was a great interpretation of the dish. Jordan is not the biggest eggs benedict fan, but she loves bacon and all things similar, and the house-made pancetta caught her eye, despite eggs benedict not being her fav, this won her over.

For our entrées we had a seared tuna with Asian slaw and the grilled lamb loin. Jordan chose the tuna, and it was perfectly seared with Szechuan pepper, while the Asian slaw was something neither of us had tasted before. It was crisp and fresh with the familiar Asian flavors, but it was also rich and creamy like a southern cole slaw. This fusion style slaw was the best of both worlds, and a nice accompaniment to the Tuna. My lamb loin was cooked to a perfect medium rare, with a basmati rice pilaf, pine nuts, overnight tomatoes and an olive and red pepper tapenade, all served over a lamb jus. This dish was so simple, but so well done. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a perfectly cooked piece of meat with well chosen accoutrements. However, if you are looking for something to blow your mind, then maybe it is not for you.

The cocktail selection was not necessarily to my liking, but they make a great Hendricks martini and have an overwhelming wine selection. The Cab Sav that I had with my lamb was superb. I don’t exactly remember what we had for dessert. It was something similar to fudge, with caramel toffee and a white chocolate crème anglaise. My inability to remember what it was called does not take away how much we liked it. I definitely enjoyed Cypress on the Hill, and sitting next to the kitchen allowed us to be jealous of the dishes that we didn’t choose, like the whole Red Snapper. Despite this I do understand how when a good portion of the population goes out to an expensive dinner, they are expecting something out of this world, and at Cypress every dish may not provide this, but if you just want a great meal and aren’t looking for someone to reinvent the wheel, add this place to your list.

The Bean and Barrel

2010-02-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

While I have loved my move to Durham, I still definitely miss living in Chapel Hill. Being closer to work, going out more often on Franklin St, proximity to my sister, and my old apartment. It was up Mt. Carmel Church Rd. across the street from The Governor’s Club. Seeing deer in the trees as I drove to work in the morning, watching the sun rise or set over Jordan Lake, leaving the door unlocked, being able to walk to the grocery store; all of the those things were great. Another great thing about that area was The Bean and Barrel. It is a coffee and wine shop that was a block from my apartment complex. I often walked over there to grab a coffee on a Saturday morning, or to use their free wireless when I was too cheap to get the internet after the guy in the apartment next to me moved and I had no one to pirate it from.

Right before I left, they got their liquor license. Now they have a full bar, and the well drinks are mid-shelf, it is awesome. It was bittersweet to learn that right after I moved they put up the only thing missing in my neighborhood, a bar I could walk to, with top shelf liquor. They also serve pretty good food at the B and B, it is just a nice place to grab a drink, beer, glass of wine or a sandwich. Last weekend my sister and I needed to burn some time while my car was getting an oil change, so we decided to go back to a place where we have had many a lunch after a day at the pool. I got a turkey Reuben and the sweet corn and crab chowder. It was a nice Reuben with plenty of sauerkraut and a rich, creamy, spicy chowder with an overriding, deep flavor of crab. All in all, a great lunch for a cold day. Jordan got a turkey sandwich and a mocha frap, The B and B has her favorite mocha fraps, and I think she has tried them at everywhere in a 30 mile radius.

It was a nostalgic trip to a place that is a nice piece of the community in the Chatham County part of Chapel Hill, at a spot that is getting better and better all the time.

Watts Grocery

2010-02-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

Since I moved to Durham a few months ago, it is sometimes a hassle explaining to people exactly where I live. What basically ends up happening, is that after some back and forth I realize the easiest thing to say is that I live a couple of blocks from Watts Grocery. It is a quaint little restaurant that espouses North Carolina cuisine done in a unique, simple and delicious way. All of these things have made it a staple in the Durham community.

It was pouring rain, so we were hoping that we did not require a reservation to eat out on a Friday night. That turned out not to be the case, but even with a 30 minute wait, the meal was worth it. I started off the night with a Bourbon Sazerac, which has Woodford Reserve Bourbon (my favorite), Peychaud’s Bitters, a sugar cube, Pernod and a lemon twist. A great cocktail, and luckily I overheard the bartender apologizing for making someone’s drink too strong, and I was able to let her know that there would be no such need for mine. J My roommate had the Blood Orange Margarita, with Herradura Gold, Cointreau and blood orange puree. I love blood oranges, and if you do as well, then this is a great drink choice.

On this night I had the North Carolina Red Drum, served with roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and red peppers. The drum was cooked perfectly, and while the brussels sprouts were not as good as the ones that I make it home, they were good, and along with the sweet potatoes and red peppers they all worked harmoniously with the fish.

My roommate had the pan-seared duck breast with a sorghum, sultana raisin, and apple reduction over roasted brussels sprouts and an Anson Mills antebellum grits custard. While he went against all culinary ideals and ordered the duck medium-well, it was still unbelievably, moist, savory and it tasted like DUCK. Now that might seem obvious, but many times I have ordered duck at restaurants and been disappointed that I paid 10 more dollars than I would have for the chicken, to have something that tasted quite a bit like chicken. The rich and slightly gamey taste of a great duck breast is always even better than you remember.

Overall it was an affordable, filling and tasty meal, and as soon as the high gets above -140 degrees, it will be a great place to walk to from my house, for brunch, dinner or just a few drinks.

A Study In Oysters

2010-01-30T19:19:00.001-08:00

This week I went to Blu for an oyster tasting. On this night they featured six different types of oysters from all over North America. It was great to compare all of these delectable delights side by side. I ordered two of each, covering one with a champagne mignonette and some cocktail sauce, while keeping the other untouched. I went around the plate, tasting each oyster and then weighing my thoughts on them against the information provided on our menu. Oysters are one of my favorite foods. I love them in every preparation, but believe that their true essence is best experienced raw. It is important to understand that there are vast arrays of oyster varieties, and that you cannot know which is best for you, until you try them all!

-The first kind I tasted Wednesday night were the Appalachicola’s. January and February are the two best months to eat these gulf coast treats, harvested off the Florida panhandle. This is because during these months their glycogen levels(what makes them sweet) are the highest. While these are the best of the gulf coast oysters I have tried, they were definitely my least favorite of the night. I am partial to a nice dose of salinity in my oysters, and that is something that those from the gulf coast just do not provide. However, they are a tasty snack, and unlike many other oyster varieties, they are extremely affordable and available at most seafood restaurants.

-Up second were the Chef’s Creek, from British Columbia. I loved these because they are big, and I am a huge fan of big oysters, nice and creamy, and a clean taste, but nothing special.

-Third were the Blue Points from Rhode Island. Probably the most famous east coast oysters, sweet, salty, big, creamy, and up until this night, my oyster of choice. While the Blue Points are still near the top in my book, they have now been overtaken by the next oyster on the list.

-The Crab Sloughs from the Pamlico Sound. North Carolina oysters don’t necessarily have the greatest reputation, and this is why I tasted my oysters and then looked to see what they were, to avoid any predispositions. These are the saltiest of all southern oysters, briny, big and full of flavor.

-Our fifth oysters were the Salvation Coves from Canada. These were salty up front but only for a second, definitely tasty, but lacking in depth.

-Lastly, we had the Kusshi from Washington State. These crisp, clean tasting oysters are delicious but definitely not my favorite. I want a punch in the mouth from my oysters, and these do not fit that bill. I liken them to a cucumber, a burst of a clean, fresh and vibrant taste, but they are small and definitely not full of flavor. Since I live on the east coast, they are often one of the more expensive types of oysters, and if I am going to be paying 2 or 3 dollars for per oyster, I want something more filling.

After the oysters, I had a great conch ceviche that I have written about before, and a mixed green salad, with bacon, apples, and blue cheese. Overall, this was another excellent meal at Blu, and a great study on the oyster and its many faces.

Fuse

2010-01-23T12:41:00.001-08:00

I haven’t been to Fuse in a long time. I used to go all the time when I lived in Chapel Hill, especially for laid back nights when you just want to sit outside and have a few drinks. Last night I went there for a few drinks, and for dinner. This was the first time I have eaten at Fuse, and I was pleasantly surprised. A group of us shared the tempura vegetable plate, which was delicious. All different kinds of vegetables, from carrots, onions, broccoli, etc, lightly fried but still crispy, fresh and yummy.
On the menu there are small plates, salads, sandwiches and large plates. By the time we ordered I had already had quite a few beers, and if I was going to continue drinking, I definitely needed a full meal. I ordered the crab cakes, with corn and tomato relish and wasabi tartar. The crab cakes were almost 100% crab, which is always a necessity when talking about good crab cakes. The corn and tomato relish was cold, creamy, sweet and delicious. On top of the warm crab cake it was a perfect contrast. The wasabi tartar added a punch that vibed nicely with the rich crab meat. The two large crab cakes were served on top of a salad, which also helped soak up the beers in my stomach. This was a great meal for a Friday night out, enough food to satisfy you, but not so much as to leave you too full to continue drinking!
Crab cakes are one of my favorite foods, which probably why a quarter of my blog entries contain them. If they are on the menu it is almost impossible for me to ignore them. I love how crab meat can be so savory and sweet at the same time, and also how it meshes so well with different flavors, textures and temperatures.

Brussel Sprout, Walnut, Pecorino Salad

2010-01-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Andi here....Toast walnuts in a small, non stick pan on low heat until you can start smelling the oils (about 5-7 minutes). Grate as much or little pecorino cheese as you like. Use a slicer or cut the brussel sprouts lengthwise. Coat the sprouts in a little olive oil and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes just to warm the leaves. In a bowl toss all ingredients together and sprinkle with truffle salt and fresh ground pepper.

Presentation-wise, this salad looks really nice. Green, delicate ingredients with a contrast of textures-lots of crunch. Taste-wise, it's rich. The cheese, truffle salt and pepper give sharpness and bite while the toasted walnuts round everything out, making it quite filling. The truffle salt also makes the salad much richer smelling and tasting. Like butter, truffles give anything much more "ooo" and "aahhh" but unlike butter, truffles have to be used sparingly, otherwise they can be a bit nauseating. I would serve this as a side dish with a light fish main. Grilled branzino with lemon perhaps. Or grilled swordfish, a meatier fish.

*Key Ingredient: toasted walnuts and truffle salt*

I love truffle salt. Could eat it for lunch if I had my way. The toasted walnuts are also really nice in this mix. They add so much fullness (can't think of another word) and they're really really healthy.

You can find truffle salt at Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table.

New Way to Serve Up Gorgonzola

2010-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

I rarely use gorgonzola on its own because I think the taste and smell is a little too powerful. As a cream sauce atop gnocchi, delicious, but out there in the great wide open, I hesitate. However, I discovered a new way to serve it on a cheese plate or even as the main contender without offending nearby noses.

Cut your block of gorgonzola in small cubes (smaller than the generic cheddar cheese & swiss cubes you see on platters at the grocery store or at speaker conventions). Place on a saucer and drizzle with enough honey to coat. The honey sweetens the cheese a bit and softens the aroma. Serve with toothpicks & slices of baguette to sop up what's left of the honey/cheese mix on the bottom of the plate.

-Andi

Chicken & Chickpea Curry

2010-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

I just winged this one and it turned out pretty well. At Whole Food's the other day I noticed a good-looking chickpea dish in the Indian hot bar called "Chickpea in Madras Sauce" so I bought a jar of Seeds of Change Madras simmer sauce from the condiment aisle. What I used to make my dinner:

1 can chickpeas
3/4 jar Madras simmer sauce
1 chicken breast, cut in cubes, seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin
frozen peas
diced yellow onion
2 cubed red potatoes
1 diced carrot
cumin and cayenne
serve over rice

*Key Ingredient: Madras simmer sauce*

The simmer sauce was really spicy and tasted just like the curries at any great Indian restaurant. Matched the traditional tastes and flavors perfectly.

So easy. All I did was throw everything in the saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes. Before I added the chicken I seared in a pan with olive oil to brown and crisp the outside. The chicken was only cooked on the outside/raw on the inside when I added to the veggies. Serves 2. -Andi

Smoky Tomato Soup

2010-01-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Put this recipe in your back pocket. I found it in Food & Wine's July 2009 edition and I'm filing it away in my foodie file because it was so easy to make and delicious to taste (Naomi Pomeroy submitted it, I don't want to deny her-whoever she is-credit). The soup actually wasn't as smoky as I thought it'd be, so if you like smoky flavor add more paprika.

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup EVOO
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. grated orange zest
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry rose wine (I didn't have any on hand so I used a dry white wine)
2 15-oz cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups water
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tbsp. sour cream (I also didn't have any on hand so I used a little heavy cream)
crispy bacon to top upon serving

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened, 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, paprika, orange zest, 1 tbsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add the rose and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes with their juices; bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
3. Stir in the water, OJ and sour cream. Working in batches, puree the soup until smooth.

I used San Marzano brand of chopped tomatoes which I think made a big difference.-Andi

Jamie Oliver's Thai Green Curry

2010-01-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Back in November in NYC I stood in line for an hour at Border's with Jamie Oliver's new cookbook, Food Revolution, under my arm eagerly awaiting his signature. Now that I've got the book and the autograph I'm finally trying out some of his simple, straightforward recipes.

For dinner the other night I made his Thai Green Curry. It was very good and tasted a lot like the wonderful green curry takeouts I love to order in the Big Apple, though there were some differences. For one, Jamie's version was not spicy which is what Thai is all about in my opinion-- next time I upping the red chile. Two, he threw in non-traditional asparagus and excluded some of the traditional vegetables like japanese eggplant. The asparagus was a good change and visually worked. However, next time I'd use a small handful to avoid overpowering the other simple veggies.

The only complaint I have with this recipe is that the lemongrass left spiky "splinters" in the curry paste which got all over the place. I had to pick them out each bite which got kind of annoying.

*Key Ingredient: coconut milk*
I have never used coconut milk before but it was almost magical how it transformed the dish. You know when you're making a pasta dish and you can't figure out what to add to mesh everything together to make it juicier/saucier? Coconut milk is the answer for that question when it comes to Thai food. I don't know what the answer is for pasta but I wish there was that one clutch ingredient you could always add to guarantee yummy pasta.

Recipe as follows:
bunch of asparagus
1/2 fresh red chile
1 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 lb large shrimp, raw, peeled
1 x 14 oz can of coconut milk
handful of snow peas
1 lime
(For the green curry paste)
2 stalks of lemongrass
4 scallions
3 green chiles
4 cloves of garlic
thumb-sized piece of root ginger
bunch of cilantro
1 tsp. coriander seeds
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. fish sauce

Puree all of the green curry paste ingredients in a food processor. While pulsing, add soy sauce and fish sauce. Set aside. Slice asparagus lengthwise. When the skillet/wok is hot, add the oils and shrimp. After 30 seconds, add the asparagus and green curry paste from the food processor. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add coconut milk and snow peas. Bring to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes. Squeeze lime and serve with sticky rice.

Mochi Ice Cream

2010-01-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

I first tried Mochi ice cream in Hawaii and to my delight, found some last night in the Trader Joe's frozen dessert section. I'm willing to bet this is a little tough to find on the East Coast since it's a Japanese brand but it's worth the hunt.

In case you're curious, mochi means "decimated sticky rice." Each mochi ice cream ball consists of a gooey rice flour shell, which is like a soft dough, filled with flavored ice cream. Each is about the size of those little soy sauce dishes you get at your place setting at sushi restaurants. Flavors come in mango, chocolate, strawberry, and green tea (that's all I saw at least). I must say, the first time I had one I was a little weirded out from the rice flour but it's a texture thing I eventually got used to.

Acme

2010-01-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to dinner with my favorite person in the entire world, my sister. As much as I love her, she is a total pain in the ass when it comes to choosing a place to eat. Luckily for her I was in the mood to pay for us to have a nice meal, and lucky for me it was one of the few times she wasn’t too busy to take me up on my offer.

We went to Acme Food and Beverage Co. in Carrboro. It is one of our favorite spots, showed to me years ago by my friend Katie. I have had countless great meals at Acme. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that there is something for all types of people on the menu, and even better it is all great. The best thing though, is the way that Acme puts a Southern twist on classic dishes or has a gourmet take on Southern classics.

For my dinner I had two of the small plates. The first was a fried green tomato and fresh mozzarella napoleon with tomato confit, sweet corn, and a balsamic reduction. The tomatoes were crispy, hot and luscious, while the mozzarella was creamy and cool. This contrast of temperatures, along with the amazing balsamic reduction, made the dish. After that I had a local pork red chile relleno. Along with the pork, the relleno was filled with rice, cilantro and cheese and served over a spicy mole. I wish I could recall the name of the chile that was used (almost certain it was an Anaheim but not positive), while I love the standard poblano, this was a nice change of pace, and the mole was so delicious, almost too spicy to eat on its own, it melded perfectly with the rich taste of the stuffing.

Jordan had the Acme Burger Deluxe. A burger might seem boring, but not at Acme, cooked perfectly with their great hand cut fries it’s a perfect burger, especially for J, she can never turn down a bacon cheeseburger, or a bacon anything for that matter. We each had a drink, I am not the biggest fan of their cocktails because they are always a tad sweet for me, but they had a Hendrix Martini, so I couldn’t resist. I should’ve stuck to my usual glass of Pinot Noir, because the drink was just average. The wine list is so extensive at Acme; I suggest always sticking to that. And I suggest always keeping Acme in your rotation of restaurants in the area; it is one of the best!