Where were all the people?

Peter and I were treated to a most wonderful dinner last night, by my parents who were in town. The service was great, the food was great, the decor was lovely and atmosphere just right, and yet somehow there were far too many empty tables!

I definitely come by my taste for good food honestly as both of my parents also quite enjoy a good meal. I wanted to try with them a new restaurant that I had heard good things about, and so Evangeline it was. I had chosen it because I have eaten a few times at Bresca, where the chef of Evangeline's wife is the chef and have enjoyed it each time. We were not disappointed.

We started with fiddle head and gruyere beignets which were delicious. We each had a beet and goat cheese salad (you can never gone wrong there!). We each tried something different for our main course -- mine was a roast duck with beluga lentils, Peter had cod, my mother had chicken and my father had steak and pom frites. All were delicious as were our various desserts. My father put the responsibility of wine in the hands of our waiter who preformed beautifully. I can't remember now what we drank, but both bottles went perfectly with the meal.

And throughout the entirety of this delicious meal, with fabulous service, more than half of the restaurant was empty. Having not eaten there before I don't know if this is a trend or just an off night, but, not that I have eaten there, I will recommend Evangeline highly to anyone that is listening!

Mmmmm....Beer.

The Lion's Pride Brewery in Brunswick has come up once too many times recently as a beer lover's Mecca for us not to take a pilgrimage...and so pilgrimage we did. We were not disappointed. It would have been good even if we had been left to our on devices, but we were treated to Ryan, the waiter. He probably knows all there is to know about beer and did not lead us wrong once, through all 6 beer "courses." Below are the beers and their descriptions (the descriptions are not ours, but as described on the Lion's Pride beer menu...far better than anything we would come up with.)

AG #1: Sasion dErpe-Mere: crisp aromas of citrus, fruits & yeast, smooth, bitter finish
AG #2: Tsmisje Wostyntje: dark amber and spiced with Torhouts' mustard
AG #3: Covee de Angelique: Abby style Belgian dubbel, malty and sweet

PK #1: Weyerbacher Hops Infusion: heavenly hops flavor with earth sharp citrus note
PK #2: Jacobins: not on the menu, but a solid recommendation from Ryan
PK #3: Old Rasputin: Rich and intense with robust palette, nice warming finish

At any rate, we enjoyed a good meal and delicious beer and have every intention of returning soon to further our beer education.

Pastrugula!

I like a good sandwich. When the right combination of ingredients are put together between slices of the appropriate type of bread with just the right accent of condiment use the results can be magnificent. There are many sandwiches that grace my short list of favorites such as the tempeh sandwich from the New Day Bakery in Eugene, a turkey and provolone sub from Mike's in Belmar, the soy burger sandwich at Dojos, the pork roll egg and cheese at the General Store, turkey salad on rye at Pat's Diner, a falafel from Mamoon's, and a cheese steak hoagie from Two Brother's in Trenton to name but a few.

On a recent trip to the suburbs of Detroit, I stumbled upon a new addition that has been vaulted up into being on the podium with the others. Despite being from New Jersey I'm not typically one to go out of my way for pastrami. Sure I like a Rachel as much as the next guy, but actually end up preferring turkey or tempeh in my variation of a Reuben. So, I was a little shocked when at the Royal Oak Brewery I ordered a sandwich that had pastrami as the major ingredient. In this case, the name of the sandwich was the bate that lured me in. Pastrugula. I don't ever think I've seen a portion of the word arugula used in a sandwich name and would never have thought that a brew pub off the Left Coast would even attempt to try to market something on the basis of it containing arugula. But it was enough to cause me not to be able to even think about ordering anything else off the menu. And that was even before I realized that it was accented by horseradish aioli.

I was a bit concerned that this would be all name and disappoint upon delivery. Let's face it, pastrami, arugula, and horseradish are all bold flavors and I was curious as to whether or not they would be able to work together for a common goal or let their ego's get the best of them and fall apart like the 2003-04 Lakers. The first bite into that crusty ciabatta dissolved my fears as my taste buds were transported to a yummy nirvana providing a combined taste that I have never experienced before and can't for the life of me think of the words to adequately describe. Lets just say that it works and you should try it.

I have been thinking about that sandwich for the two months since that visit to Detroit and was disappointed in my google search to find no other listings for a Pastrugula anywhere else. I did find a pastrami and arugula sandwich listed on the menu at the Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan and may have to swing by the next time I venture south to the city despite the fact that they were unable to come up with a unique name for the sandwich. This past Friday the memory of the Pastrugula was so strong that I decided to try to make it my self. Even though the only pastrami I could get at Whole Paycheck here in Portland was turkey based and that it in a state of laziness I decided to forgo making my own aioli and just mix together horseradish and mayo, the sandwich still managed to taste at least in the same ball park as the original. Next time I'm visiting my parents on Long Island I'll have to procure some proper pastrami and give it another go. Either that or I'll have to figure out some reason to wind up back in Detroit.

Breakfasts I Dream Of

For me, breakfast is hands down the best meal to go out for. It tends to be cheaper than lunch or dinner, even crappy restaurants can scramble some eggs, and there are so many great things that can be done with potatoes, eggs and bacon. I almost always a savory breakfast girl, although I can often be convinced to partake of the community pancake (single pancake of some decadent flavor like chocolate chip shared by all at the table as an appetizer or dessert).

Given that breakfast is my favorite, there are three particular breakfasts that catch my fancy. They are as follows:

1)Potato Gnocchi from the Front Room: Delicious gnocchi with bacon nubbins topped with spinach, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce...I will say no more.

2) Veggie Homie Plate from Bayou Kitchen: Better home fries than any where else in Portland (stay tuned, Peter promises he's gonna write about his fascination with the grill top at the Bayou) topped with sauteed veggies and cheese.

3) Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict from Hot Suppa: Exactly what it sounds like and really fabulous.

If we're going out for breakfast, Peter has to work very hard to convince me to go somewhere other than one of those three places, and it is a rare day if we go to one of those places I don't order the dishes mentioned. My theory is I have plenty of variety in the rest of my life!

A Gift All Around

Giving a gift because it is time to give a gift (ie Christmas, birthdays, Valentines Day (which is a whole nother subject not to get me started on!)etc) has never been my favorite activity. Don't get me wrong, I love to give gifts, but I love to give them because the perfect one has emerged, not because I have to go find the something to give someone because I am supposed to. My general tactic is just to not give birthday gifts and to start planning months in advance as to what the perfect thing to make for folks for Christmas is.

All this to say, this last December I was at a loss as to what Peter and I should get my sister. Luckily for us, she emailed with the perfect gift idea: Peter and I could cook a dinner for her and her housemates. We immediately loved the idea not only because we knew she would be happy with it, but because it would be as fun for us to give as for her to get.

This weekend she "cashed in" on the gift...and what a treat it was! The co-op that Stef lives in, and community that she surrounds herself with are both full of really wonderful, dynamic people who appreciate good food and conversation and live in conscience community with each other.

We arrived at Stef's co-op, with groceries overflowing the trunk, early afternoon on Saturday and spent the afternoon cutting and cooking and interacting with each other and the various housemates that wandered in to see the disaster we'd created in their kitchen. At 7:15 the appetizer course was set and drinks were served. By 10 we'd finished off all 4 courses but most of us stayed up until way past 2 am engaged in lively conversation. Below is the menu:

Appetizers: Cheese & Mushroom Puffs, Various Dips and dippables (orange humus, carrot dip and spinach artichoke dip with veggies and chips), Asparagus & Gruyere Roll Ups, Assorted Nuts & Olives

Salad: Encrusted Goat Cheese Medallion with Beet Rosti served over Arugula

Main Dish: Winter Squash Lasagne served with Balsamic Kale, Crusty Bread & Sage oil

Dessert: (Vegan) Chocolate Mousse with Marinated Raspberries and Citrus

It was fun to plan for, a joy to create and a real treat to share with Stefanie and her wonderful community of friends...a Christmas gift I look forward to giving again.

Just a bit of Oil and a bit of Panko

It has recently occurred to us that any leftover can become great. A few simple steps will make any leftover turn into a brand new, delicious meal, irregardless of how it was in its original form. Form it into a patty, dredge it in some panko and fry it up. We have only actually put this method to test with a few of the myriad of potentials, but feel confident it is a fail safe method.
Follow these simple steps below:

1) Select leftover from fridge. Don't fear if you aren't terribly excited about it. Consider adding two leftovers together,or three. Throw the veggies right in. Did you make a sauce to go with it, throw it in! Left over rice, throw it in. You get the idea. Consider it's texture...is it slice-able? mushy and patty-able? What else can you throw into it? rice? an egg? a bit of flour?
2) Slice, or form into a patty (depending on what is most appropriate for this particular leftover concoction).
3) Dredge in panko
4) Heat a bit of oil in a skillet and fry up your leftover patty or slice.
5) Serve, perhaps with some sour cream or a bit of cheese or some other more appropriate condiment. Enjoy.

So far, we've tried this with macaroni and cheese (a treat definitely worth making!) and lentil loaf mixed with rice. They were great. But think of the other possibilities! Think of Thanksgiving all mixed together, turned into a patty and fried up. Or rice and beans. Or Thai food. Or baked ziti. Or mashed potatoes and gravy... or, or, or.

My Brain on Food

Sometimes I am embarrassed about how much time food takes up in my daily life, but mostly I relish it. I think about it, I make a lot of it, I think about food some more. Thankfully this life style hasn't lead me to be an oomph loompah...and in fact I think it has helped me to stay fairly healthy. I don't just grab something frozen from the freezer for lunch...I've been thinking about what I am going to take for lunch today since at least last night at dinner, if not long before that. As soon as I finish one meal, at least a small portion of my brain turns its attention to what will be next - if it is something that will take prep time, all the better! And forget about Sunday brunch, that I have been thinking about since at least a week before. Eggs will definitely feature prominently, but what will accompany them?

I wonder if others have the same fascination? I know Peter does - that is why we get along so well! And I know our dog does, as evidenced by the fairly constant drool he exhibits when any where near something edible. But I wonder about other people. I think most folks dread Mondays because it means the beginning of the work week, figuring out what to wear and the return to productivity. I dread Mondays because I don't know if I have sufficiently planned out the meals I want to eat for the week.

When it comes down to it, I think the time and energy my brain devotes to food is well worth it. It keeps me busy, it allows my brain to focus on something I have some measure of control and, most importantly it makes me happy.

~ Alex