08.04.08
OMG, TRUFFLES!!!!!!!
I have been presented with some really lovely black truffles.
My mind is completely whirling with the possibilities.
07.20.08
7-17 - The Left Bank
After last year’s great experience at The Left Bank, we had to go back again this year, and once again, we signed up for the 7 course chef’s tasting menu. My brother didn’t even look at the regular menu - he wanted to be surprised. For someone who loves Taco Bell and KFC, I am always impressed at his willingness to go the foodie route with me.
Everything was great - not a big surprise. Here’s the rundown:
Amuse Bouche: Cold pureed summer squash, with a nice chunk of local cured bacon in it to give a bit of bacon-y goodness and chives on top. Very refreshing and a nice start. Despite the fact that it comes in a demitasse cup and you just knock it back, I still always instinctively go looking for a spoon…
NC Pamlico Sound Oysters finished in an aged sherry mignonette with champange caviar on top. I’ll admit I was a touch concerned with raw oysters. Not because of any health/safety reasons, but because the ones I’ve had have been rather chewy and not so great. Well, I had nothing to worry about - these were spectacular. They said they were “finished” with the migonette, but I’d swear they’d been marinating a while or something. They were sweet and tasty and when you chewed them - they broke into pieces in your mouth!! Amazing! There were 2 medium sized ones and 1 large one, all served on the half-shell. They could have easily gone with just 3 mediums, as the large one was HUGE.
Baby seedless watermelon with arugula, feta, pinenuts, capers & honey balsamic vinegar. This was the only thing I didn’t think melded super well. The watermelon was really wonderfully sweet on it’s own, so the vinegar made it almost too sweet and it didn’t go quite right with the arugula. However, there is an easy solution to that! Eat the watermelon first, then the arugula salad with the vinegar. Problem solved. :) This was when my brother said, “Apparently I don’t much like arugula.” Understandable - it is an aquired taste and it’s hard to get used to the peppery finish on it when you’re used to greens that *don’t* have that. I think the watermelon would have been great as part of a dessert plate, or with any number of cheeses. Or just watermelon for that matter!
Jumbo lump crab galette (Crabcake! Just call it a crabcake!!) with seared local shrimp over butterbean succotash with lobster mushrooms and ramp puree. Very good. Lots of crab, not a lot of filler, the shrimp on top was perfectly cooked and I love butterbeans, so that was just a bonus.
Line caught rockfish, with abalone mushrooms, cipollinis, spinach and a garlic puree. Well, I love rockfish, cipollinis and garlic, so I was sold on this right away. Really tasty.
The best of the night: Braised pork belly, with a raspberry reduction, and a braising reduction of the braising liquid, baby squash and carmelized onions. The pork belly just fell apart on the plate, and with the sweet onions, it was just heaven in your mouth. My brother and I both agreed this was the winner of the night. So simple, yet so absolutely delicious.
Sugar Loaf Farms Hoop Cheddar and fruit butter, with toasted almonds, sourdough crackers and blueberries. OH YUM. Bit of fruit butter, a blueberry or two, a piece of cheese and a couple bits of almonds on the fork, eat. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Scuppernog-Blackberry Granité. Served in a little egg cup, it was just the right amount, because it was pretty sweet. I might have gone heavier on the blackberries than the scuppernog grapes, but nice and cold and refreshing.
Dark run carmelized white peach with a cinnamon sugar beignet, served in bittersweet chocolate soup and white chocolate chantilly cream drizzles. Again, OH YUM. The peach and beignet were rich and filling on their own, and it’s the end of the meal - they could have easily gotten away with dark and white chocolate drizzles over it vs. the soup. But it was a lovely finish.
The Left Bank Get reservations.
7-15 Ocean Boulevard
More “fancy” dining. :) Apparently reservations are recommended, we lucked out because we wandered in relatively late in the evening and there were only two of us.
They’re very heavy on using local ingredients whenever they can and will tell you what is from local farms. I like that a lot. There are so many farms around here, there is no reason not to take advantage of them when you can.
I ended up going with the special - pan fried catfish with an heirloom grits cake, and andouille sausage with roasted peppers. It was fantastic. I was a little iffy on the grits-cake at first - it seemed like it could use a bit of salt/pepper/cheese, but that apparently was just the corner of it I started on, as the rest of it was perfectly seasoned and nice and creamy. The catfish was great, too - cooked just right. I love andouille sausage and it goes so well with the grits. The catfish filet could have been half the size of what was presented and still would have been plenty to eat, as the grits are fairly filling.
IIRC, my brother got a steak and had there been a pattern on the plate, I’m not sure it still would have been there when he was finished.
Great place, will probably go there again next year.
07.14.08
Meridian 42
Tonight we ate at Meridian 42, which was great, just as it was last year - it’s become a new favorite. I first stopped in there for cocktails with a friend in 2006 and while perusing the menu, decided that we MUST try it last year and that was a very good decision.
Their menu changes seasonally, so I was looking forward to seeing what was on tap this year. It’s heavy on the seafood (shocker here at the beach) and has a mediterranean theme, but not so much that it would scare people off. They usually have about a half dozen apps, 2-3 salads, a soup, and then 6-8 entrees and then one or two specials depending on what’s good and in season.
I was debating between the sea scallops and the “fresh catch” in wasabi sesame seeds, when the server came about with the specials…
Fire Grilled Grouper.
OK, that’s usually pretty good.
On a zuchinni blini (why can’t they just say pancake?)
Alright, I’m still listening
with grilled asparagus
Oooooooooh
And heirloom cherry tomatoes with crabmeat
No more calls we have a winner
In a caper/dill compound butter
Bonus.
It was SO GOOD. The grouper was cooked just perfectly. The blini was really tasty - quite similar to zuchinni madeleines that I’ve made in the past. The asparagus was done just the way I like it - just cooked through so it’s hot, but still has a nice crisp to it. The tomatoes and crabmeat were just, well, it’s tomatoes and crabmeat - it’s awesome. And the butter complimented everything just beautifully.
I just wish I could have finished it all. The grouper itself was a nice sized filet, which had that been all there was, I could have polished it all off. But that, plus the blini, plus the tomatoes and crab, and the asparagus AND the butter adding even more richness to the mix, well, at least I polished off a good chunk of all of the treats on the plate. They could easily go with smaller portions and still have a dish that is exceptionally satisfying.
My brother got the chicken roulade. But it was rolled with basil and pancetta and cheese with a lobster cream sauce, over a polenta cake and sweet corn succotash. He seemed to really enjoy it, but also had the same problem of it being exceptionally rich and the portions could have been smaller and no one would have missed anything.
It’s not a terribly cheap place to eat as entrees range from $20-35, but it is definitely worth it. They also make an excellent Grey Goose dry, dirty vodka martini.
07.13.08
Greetings from the beach!
We’re down at the Outer Banks for the next two weeks. Which means seafood. LOTS of seafood. :-D I will be reporting accordingly.
Tonight after the drive down, we hit Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar. They’ve been around for years, but for whatever reason, last year was the first time I’d ever been there.
First, let me warn you - the mixed drinks are deadly. I’ve watched the bartenders pour them and your liver had better be ready for it. Me? I stuck with Red Stripe.
AA’s is a basic steamer bar, and really good. (Of course, you can’t be crappy and last around here.) I had the crab & lobster bisque, which was awesome. I had it last year as well and just couldn’t pass it up. Knowing from experience how rich this stuff is, trying to figure out what to have with it was a little harder. After much hemming and hawing, I settled on a half dozen clams casino. I know this is a classic seafood app, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had it before. Well, it was wonderful. The clams were sweet and not at all chewy and well, anything with bacon on it is OK in my book. Last year I had the crab bites - basically itty bitty crabcakes. Those are great, too, but really rich.
My brother got the steamed shrimp & snow crab. (OK, snow crab isn’t exactly local, but it’s yummy and it’s really not local anywhere on the east coast…) His only issue was the shrimp may have stayed in the steamer a touch too long as they were a bit of a bear to peel. But he perservered and managed to barely leave the pattern on the plate. :)
Definitely on tap this week, Meridian 42 and The Left Bank.
05.17.08
Farmer’s Market - Or why I would fail at Iron Chef…
Today I stopped by the local Farmer’s Market*. The closest one to my house is very small, but nice.
Lots of produce. Green onions, radishes, new potatoes, mixed greens, fresh herbs, asparagus and new potatoes.
I looked at all of this lovely stuff and couldn’t come up with a single idea of what to do with it. And, I tend to not buy produce unless I know what I am going to do with it. So, today I left almost empty handed (couldn’t pass up the chive cheddar cheese!) but making a mental note of “come up with something to use all that good stuff!”
Best part was finding two new meat suppliers - Smith Family Farms for Angus Beef and Cibola Farms for buffalo meat. (Links in sidebar under Suppliers.) Both have free range pork as well. I didn’t expect this at all, but I grabbed both of their brochures and I will pick something out to try next week.
Seriously, if I were on Iron Chef, I’d be done before I even started. :)
*In years past, the thought of going by only occured to me on Saturday afternoons, afterкомпютри they were closed. I’m trying to do better this season.
Press in pan pie crust
Life has horridly gotten in between myself and the kitchen, but I saw this today and had to pass it on.
Ward Street Bistro presents Press In The Pan Pie Crust. Complete with pictures and doesn’t look like it could be simpler.
Also, no sooner did I upgrade WP, a day later they released another upgrade. Also trying to get a plugin for subscribing to comments.
04.27.08
Well, at least we’re in delivery range of 3 pizza places.
Inedible. 2.5 hours at 250 degrees. Internal temps between 160-170. (I was shooting for 160, but still…)
Tough and tasteless. The veggies were rock hard. (2.5 hours! Small pieces!!)
The worst part is that I have no idea what went wrong. Wrong amount of liquid? Wrong cut of meat? Bad temp?
The vegetables not cooking through is what really mystifies me.
Bless his heart, my brother said, “You win some, you lose some.” And kindly decided it must be the cut of meat.
I’m going to throw it all in a pot tomorrow with some stock and BBQ sauce and see what we get. As my brother said, “It’s not like it could get worse.”
ETA: Talked w/ones more knowledgeable - apparently I didn’t cook it long enough! Next time, next time… Really though, you’d think Pot Roast would be a no-brainer.
Well, we’ll know in a few hours.
The pot roast is in the oven, but not without some minor worries.
The searing went OK, next time I need to use the larger skillet I have.
Rubbed it in S&P and some minced garlic before searing. Into the dutch oven, added the potatoes, carrots & onions.
Added about 1/2 bottle of beer (Guinness) and then equal parts chicken & beef stock, until the meat was about 1/2 covered. Could be too much liquid, we’ll know for sure later!
Into the oven at 250 degrees (yes, you’re reading that right.) Decided to go with low & slow. (I have a friend that does his at 200 degrees for most of the day with the veggies in from the start. However, given my relatively late start, I figured 250 would speed it up somewhat, but not make it too fast.) Mainly, I wanted to put all the veggies in now rather than trying to guess at when a good time would be to put them in.
The biggest problem is that I couldn’t get the meat thermometer to sit properly in the pot with the lid on… So, I’ll check the temp in an hour and then every 30 minutes. Given that it’s only a 2# roast, hopefully we’ll be eating before 8PM.
More than anything, I just want it to taste good and be as good as Mom made.
The hazards of trying to recreate family favorites…
The problem being that you don’t know exactly how it was made, you might not have a written recipe, and your memory may fail you. Even if it’s tasty, it may not be “what Mom made” - and when it’s your brother that’s made the request, well, you can’t help but feel like you’ve failed just a bit.
Last week I attempted goulash - my Mom made it all the time, but I never *saw* her make it, and there were no written instructions left behind. I figured I could modify my Goulaschuppe recipe and come fairly close. It did taste very good, but I forgot until halfway through that my Mom never put carrots or potatoes in it - just straight meat, sauce & noodles. Ah well, I’ll remember next time.
Tonigh I am attempting pot roast. Another one of those “Mom” dinners. It always just “appeared” - mainly because it takes a fair amount of time to cook, so again, I have NO actual idea how she did it. I know it DID have carrots & potatoes at least. :) There are no less than 100 variations on pot roast in allrecipes.com, so it looks like I’ll be winging it.
I’m thinking lightly score it, S&P, and sear it. Then into the dutch oven with the carrots, potatoes and onions. Beer, beef & chicken stock to cover the veggies. (I like to cut beef stock a bit, otherwise things get too “heavy” tasting for me.) Into the oven at 350 until the thermometer says it’s done…
We shall see!