Sunday Surf and Turf

Today's menu for my 2 favorite guys (My Fiancé and My Dad):
Grilled Peppercorn crusted flank steak
Chili lime shrimp
Farro and roasted cauliflower salad
Asparagus with lemon zest and shallots
Grilled bread
Vanilla ice cream with blueberries and grape nuts

Recipe and pics to follow

Restaurant Review - Bartaco, Stamford, CT

A good friend at work took me out for lunch to kick off my weekend of birthday celebrating.  A treat to have time for lunch with her outside the office, and its a rare occasion that I get time for a social lunch vs. working lunch with sales reps.  Yes, I'm spoiled by frequent vendor lunches.  No pictures in this one as I left my phone at my desk on purpose, another rare treat for both of us!
It was my first time eating at Bartaco so I was excited to try the new local taco spot that I've heard so much about.  My hours (and hours) spent watching Diners Drive Inns and Dives have left me longing for a small hole in the wall taco joint.  This is not exactly the same thing but a good fish taco anywhere is worth a try in my book.  Also, the over crowded bar scene on a late Friday night was my first impression and I needed to give it another try for a meal.

It wasn't crowded at about 12:15, so we were able to get a seat in the high booth.  It took a few minutes for the waiter to stop by but we quickly ordered a few of his suggestions.

• Chips and Guacamole - a must for any tex/mex lunch break
• Grilled Corn - a personal favorite of mine, Ill try it anywhere that its offered
• Baja Fish, Thai Shrimp and Chicken
• Rice - not the rice bowl, but a plain side of rice
• A much needed House Margarita (Rocks/Salt)

The ordering system is cute but the whole "table needs help" card is not necessary in my book, a good waiter should keep an eye out and know when he's needed...a place that small can't be that hard to handle.

The drinks came quickly, a plus for any good restaurant.  The guac came next, perfectly spicy, slightly chunky and came with large salty chips to break apart as we ate. 
The corn followed and was exactly as I expected, with a kick, good grill marks and the right amount of light cheese.

Tacos arrived next and just in time as the drinks started to kick in.  All three were great but the Shrimp stands out as my personal favorite.  I would prefer the double tortilla outer layer to ensure there's not tear or sog but the flavor was spot on.  A twist of lime and some of the house made Salsa Verde makes for the perfect bite.  Fish tacos are my usual favorite as I enjoy the contrast of crunch and soft fish, these were good by no means the best I've had.  The slaw lacked the right crunch and kick that usually stands up to the fried fish.

We finished it all off with the churros and a birthday serenade from my lunch mate and the waiter, who had an impressive voice.  You can't go wrong with fried dough and chocolate sauce, and Bartaco did a great job with this as well.  The right amount of sugar and crunch to finish off our spicy and salty meal.

All in all, very good lunch with a good friend.  Ill definitely be back to try the brunch, griddled egg, corn and chorizo sounds pretty amazing.

Restaurant Review - DeMain's Kitchen

This "Restaurant" review is a shout out to a friend who's dinner was restaurant worthy!  Chris and I took a trip into NYC on a springlike/winter day to visit, check out a museum and of course eat a great meal with great friends.  Again, I've lucked out again that my awesome boyfriend has awesome friends that I enjoy spending time with, an added bonus is their adorable son Simon and their shared love of food and wine :)
We took an afternoon trip to the Museum of Natural History, very cool as I haven't been there in about 20 years (or more), Simon showed us the Baboons, we were amazed by the incredibly lifelike animals and huge elephants.  After our cultural adventure it was time to mangia.

We started with brine olives (a refreshing change to oil curred), prosciutto and amazing cheese...my personal fave was the hint of truffle oil (told you I was lucky). I was happy to see my red wine selection worked well with the meal, cant go wrong with a rich and fruity Bourdeax.  To top it all off, a light bite of caprese with the freshest Mozzarella Burrata made locally and perfectly paired with crusty bread, sweet tomato and basil.

For dinner we were treated to home made ricotta gnocchi and spicy tomato sauce with sausage, topped cheese and fresh herbs.  The gnoccihi was amazingly light and fluffy vs. the heavy potato version.  Good thing is you can enjoy a big bowl with out internal combustion. 

A green and garlicky side of broccoli rabe was a refreshing compliment and is a favorite in our house. Steve out did himself with an additional side of tender lentils and of course lots of crusty bread. (Nature's Spoon)











Dessert was tough to fit in but we powered through and enjoyed (a few) home made brownies. 
All in all an amazing meal that forces me to start planning for our next dinner date as Steve has surely upped the ante.

Roasted Fennel with Penne

The following was an accidental masterpiece made from three different leftovers...a perfect Friday night feast.

Pan roasted Fennel and pasta:

• Thinly slice Fennel, removing root/core
• Thinly sliced shallot
• Chopped garlic
• Fresh Thyme
• Parsley
• Splash of White Wine - whatever your drinking
• Splash of Chicken Stock
• Lemon Zest
• Penne

Boil Whole Wheat or Regular Penne till al dente
Saute fennel in medium/high pan till browned (5-8 minutes), add shallots, garlic, thyme, parsley, liquid and lemon zest, cover for (5-8 minutes) till soft
Add chicken meatballs or diced grilled chicken, cook for a few mins to warm meat
Add Pasta (and a spoon full of pasta water) and simmer till combined
Top with fennel fronds, Parmesan cheese, olive oil
Serve with green salad or light some veggies

Chicken Meatballls

This simple recipe is great to make a head, freeze and have on hand when you need to whip up a pasta or veggie dish on a week night.  Also, I use these in my Italian Wedding soup (recipe to follow...some day)
For the meatballs:

• Preheat oven to 350
• 1/2 lb Ground Chicken
• 1/4 lb Turkey Sausage or Pork Sausage
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thyme
• 1 Egg White
• 1/4 cup panko

Add to food processor and chopp till all inredients are fine and smooth
Roll into small balls with wet hands, place on parchment lined baking sheet
Bake for 15/20 mins, enjoy with your favorite pasta sauce.

I keep them in the freezer to add to add to soup, pasta, or to sauteed veggies

Restaurant Review - The Feed Store; College Park, GA

During a recent business trip to Atlanta I visited an awesome little restaurant, The Feed Store:  http://www.thefeedstorerestaurant.com/Located in College Park, an area I'm told is not so great but its close to the airport and not the gross Westin Hotel, so Ill take it!  We've been there before for a few appetizers and drinks for an after work baby shower thing...but it didn't eat dinner.  This trip we needed a good meal and this one came with a few referrals so it was worth a try.  I was with two co-workers, both food lovers in need of a good glass of wine and even better service.
The industrial-ish decor was misleading as the menu was had a few old school/southern classics.  The restaurant also has a great history, which I wont bore you with...but you should give it a read some time.  http://www.thefeedstorerestaurant.com/about.html

• Our adorable older waiter suggested the "Almond Sparkling wine" odd but intriguing for 3 busy ladies after a long day of travel and meetings.  It tasted exactly as it sounded, like almond flavored sparkling wine - something you have one glass of
• For food we started with the local cheese plate with edible honeycomb, Kumquat Jam (Amazing) and toast points
• Next a light salad to add some veggies to our day
• Followed that with a glass of white wine, the almond stuff was done...and had to go
• For dinner I chose the Scallops over Cauliflower "Risotto" with Tomato jam and chive pesto: 
• Honestly one of the best Scallop dishes I've ever had, and I am a whore for scallops
• The Risotto style cauliflower was creamy, tender and a bit confusing, hard to tell if it was rice or just the veg; either way - amazing.
• Tomato Jam is so good it belongs on my toast every morning
• Chive oil is light and earthy and the perfect addition to the dish
• Lastly, there was something called 'Bacon Powder' on top, I have no idea what it is or how they make it but yes, its as amazing as it sounds

For dessert we chose the scoops of house made ice cream, simple, sweet, cold and a great finish:

• Gin and Juice Sorbet - more juice than Gin flavor but a great pallet cleanser
• Red Wine, Raspberry, Chocolate Ice Cream - the lesser of the three scoops but clearly fresh and homemade
• Mexican Chocolate/Chile Ice Cream - So delicious and so unique, it started with rich chocolate ice cream flavor, then went to a warm cinnamon and ended with a sharp note of spicy Chile - a great compliment to a heavy red wine

Leftover Taco Pie

During my hours and hours of pinning...(my new obsession) I found a few pictures of things called enchilada pie, or taco lasagna, sounds weird but its basically layers of taco stuff meant to look similar to lasagna.  It looks like a perfect use for leftovers since we do taco night often, generally on a Tuesday for Taco Tuesday.  The leftovers turn into salad or a quick wrap as a snack. 

This time I had:

• Taco Meat
• White Rice
• Black Bean/Corn Salad
• Enchilada Sauce
• Chunky Salsa
• Shredded Cheddar
• Whole Wheat Soft Tortilla Wraps
• Pie Plate (Sprayed with cooking spray)

Pour a few spoon fulls of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pie plate then go:

1. Wrap
2. Meat+Salsa & Cheese
3. Wrap
4. Corn/Bean Salad+Rice+Enchilada Sauce
5. Wrap
6. Meat+Salsa & Cheese
7. Wrap
8. Enchilada sauce and some cheese

Bake for 30 mins or till its all bubbly, let it sit for about 5 mins before cutting.  I used the wrong container to bake and had to scoop it out but it was yummie and messy. 
Serve with Sour Cream, Salad or avocado