Saturday, March 24, 2007
Dinner at Home
Chupaqueso Taco Salad
Fast, easy, delicious, and the taco meat is great for leftovers. For a video demo on how to make the chupaqueso shell, click here.
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, Mexican, salad, turkey
Afternoon Snack at Home
Low Carb Quesodilla
This yummy quesodilla was made with horseradish/chive havarti and low carb tortillas.
Brunch at Eccolo, Berkeley, CA
On the recommendation of a great burger, we headed to Berkeley for brunch at Eccolo, a place we'd never been to nor heard of. It was ok, although the service was a bit off. The pace was far too slow for brunch and the service inattentive. It took at least 45 minutes from the time we ordered for our food to arrive, although we saw other tables sit down and be served before us. And never in this time did the waitress come over to explain why our food was taking so long.
Crab Omelette with Spicy Guacamole $16
Pretty expensive for an omelette, although it was a good omelette, with big chunks of crab. Spicy was a bit of a misnomer for this guacamole, but it was decent nonetheless.
Triple Garlic Burger with Bacon $15
This burger was topped with garlic aioli, garlic butter and a while head of roasted garlic. The roasted garlic overpowered everything else, but that was fine with us. Also, this burger was heavy on the bacon, which was nice, since you usually get a measly 2 slices. The one fault of the burger was it's shape, which was more spherical then disc-like, making it a bit difficult to eat.
Crab Omelette with Spicy Guacamole $16
Pretty expensive for an omelette, although it was a good omelette, with big chunks of crab. Spicy was a bit of a misnomer for this guacamole, but it was decent nonetheless.
Triple Garlic Burger with Bacon $15
This burger was topped with garlic aioli, garlic butter and a while head of roasted garlic. The roasted garlic overpowered everything else, but that was fine with us. Also, this burger was heavy on the bacon, which was nice, since you usually get a measly 2 slices. The one fault of the burger was it's shape, which was more spherical then disc-like, making it a bit difficult to eat.
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, Italian, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Friday, March 23, 2007
Dinner at Home
Neither of us are particularly fond of eggplant, but we got one in our organic delivery box, so we had to figure out a good way to use it.
Morrocan Chicken Stew
This recipe was adapted from something Alexis found on Epicurious.com. It was pretty good. Nice and tangy.
Morrocan Chicken Stew
This recipe was adapted from something Alexis found on Epicurious.com. It was pretty good. Nice and tangy.
-6 chicken thighs
-1 eggplant, cubed
-6 tomatos, diced
-1 onion, diced
-10 cloves garlic, minced
-juice of 2 limes
-1 cup water
-1 ts each: turmeric, cumin, marjoram, fennel, coriander, paprika
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup chopped almonds
Spread the eggplant cubes on a cookie sheet. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake on 400 for 25 minutes, until soft and brown. At the same time, sautee onions and garlic over medium high heat in a bit of olive oil until brown, stirring constantly. Add the spices and sautee for another minute or so. Add the tomatos and water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Add the eggplant and lime juice and simmer, uncovered, until a thick stew has formed. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.
-1 eggplant, cubed
-6 tomatos, diced
-1 onion, diced
-10 cloves garlic, minced
-juice of 2 limes
-1 cup water
-1 ts each: turmeric, cumin, marjoram, fennel, coriander, paprika
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup chopped almonds
Spread the eggplant cubes on a cookie sheet. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake on 400 for 25 minutes, until soft and brown. At the same time, sautee onions and garlic over medium high heat in a bit of olive oil until brown, stirring constantly. Add the spices and sautee for another minute or so. Add the tomatos and water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Add the eggplant and lime juice and simmer, uncovered, until a thick stew has formed. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.
Labels: chicken, dinner recipes, eggplant, homemade
Pre-movie Snack at Frisson, San Francisco, CA
We went for a drink and a bite at Frisson, between work and a movie. They have a $5 appetizer and $5 drink list for happy hour.
Pork Croquette $5
This used to be called "Pig's Feet" on the menu, but it looks like perhaps that was unappetizing to their clientele. Same dish, just a different name now.
Oxtail Empanas with Mango Chili Dipping Sauce $5
These were surprisingly good, full of tender oxtail meat with no starchy filler.
Previous Post
Pork Croquette $5
This used to be called "Pig's Feet" on the menu, but it looks like perhaps that was unappetizing to their clientele. Same dish, just a different name now.
Oxtail Empanas with Mango Chili Dipping Sauce $5
These were surprisingly good, full of tender oxtail meat with no starchy filler.
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 1, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Lunch from Focaccia and Fatt Dogg, San Francisco, CA
We got lunch catered in from a new place, Focaccia, which was actually quite good. They make lunch boxes complete with a salad or sandwich, a fruit salad or chips and a cookie or brownie.
Cobb Salad
Tasty, fresh ingredients.
Giao had some hot dogs (topped off with our own chili) from Fatt Dogg...
Cobb Salad
Tasty, fresh ingredients.
Labels: Food: 1, restaurant, review
Breakfast at Home
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Lunch at Good Earth Cafe, San Francisco, CA
We headed off to Good Earth Cafe, a remarkably clean and spacious noodle and wonton joint in Chinatown. They offer a variety of wontons served in one of 4 broths, with or without noodles or pork. They also have a salad bar, which seems unnecessary, but was beautifully laid out.
Pork Wontons in Miso Broth with Pork Slices $7
A huge bowl of tasty broth with about 6 very large wontons. Tasty and filling.
Pork Wontons in Sweet and Sour Broth with Pork Slices $7
Same as above but with a more powerfully flavored broth.
Pork Wontons in Miso Broth with Pork Slices $7
A huge bowl of tasty broth with about 6 very large wontons. Tasty and filling.
Pork Wontons in Sweet and Sour Broth with Pork Slices $7
Same as above but with a more powerfully flavored broth.
Labels: Chinese, Decor: 1, Food: 1, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Breakfast at Home
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Dinner at Home
Seared Scallops and Wilted Red Chard with a Warm Bacon Vinagrette
A healthy and tasty weeknight dinner.
Scallops
Season scallops with salt and pepper. Sear over medium high heat in a mixture of butter and olive oil for 2 minutes on each side.
Red Chard
-1 bunch red/swiss chard, chopped
-4 strips bacon, cut in lardons
-1/2 red onion, diced
-2 tb balsamic vinager
-2 tb olive oil
-1 tb whole grain mustard
Sautee onions and bacon together until brown and crispy. Drain fat and set aside. Sautee chard in the same pan until just wilted. Mix the balsamic, olive oil and mustard into vinagrette, add in the drained bacon and onions and then toss the chard with the mixture.
Season scallops with salt and pepper. Sear over medium high heat in a mixture of butter and olive oil for 2 minutes on each side.
Red Chard
-1 bunch red/swiss chard, chopped
-4 strips bacon, cut in lardons
-1/2 red onion, diced
-2 tb balsamic vinager
-2 tb olive oil
-1 tb whole grain mustard
Sautee onions and bacon together until brown and crispy. Drain fat and set aside. Sautee chard in the same pan until just wilted. Mix the balsamic, olive oil and mustard into vinagrette, add in the drained bacon and onions and then toss the chard with the mixture.
Labels: chard, dinner recipes, homemade, pork, seafood
Lunch at Work
From Manhattan Hub:
Chili Philly Cheese Steak
Giao decided to create a new sandwich by putting chili on top of a standard cheesesteak. It was...hard to eat.
Chili Philly Cheese Steak
Giao decided to create a new sandwich by putting chili on top of a standard cheesesteak. It was...hard to eat.
Labels: eggs, homemade, leftovers, lunch recipes, salad
Breakfast at Home
Alexis was still not hungry this morning after last night's feast, that didn't stop Giao...
Fried Egg with Low Carb Cracker Topped with Goat Cheese Artichoke Roasted Red Pepper Spread
Fried Egg with Low Carb Cracker Topped with Goat Cheese Artichoke Roasted Red Pepper Spread
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Dinner at Plumpjack Cafe, San Francisco, CA
Plumpjack Cafe has been on our list of restaurants to try since they got their new chef, James Syhabout, a 27 year old who has worked at Coi (our favorite restaurant so far this year) and El Bulli (where we've been trying to get a reservation for 2 years). The food was very good, although the service was spotty. The waiter mistook us for friends of the chef (we believe because Giao and the chef are similar in age and both Asian). In any case, before we could tell him that we were not, in fact, friends of the chef, we were offered a tasting menu that did not appear on the menu. We then told him about our non-friend status, but said we'd take the tasting menu anyway. After being served the tasting menu, which consisted entirely of normal sized portion dishes, we were quite certain that Plumpjack has no idea what a tasting menu is supposed to be. The food was great, but there was SO much of it. This restaurant definitely gets the back-for-your-buck award. The tasting menu was $90 per person, a steal for the amount of food we were served. The wine pairings (11 full sized pairings) was also a great deal at $40. In any case, we emerged from this meal stuffed to the gills and quite drunk, but, you know, in a good way.
Quince Smoothie
This was interesting in that it sparkled on your tongue, but all in all, it was a smoothie, albeit a very smooth one.
Foie Gras Nougatine on Quince Paste with Vanilla Salt
This was very interesting in flavor and had a nice crunch from the single hazelnut inside, although it was a bit too sweet. The finish was nice saltiness though.
Chilled Carrot Soup with Sea Beans, Edamame and Cherry Gelee
The soup itself was very smooth. The sea beans added a nice crunch and saltiness and the gelee complements the sweet tones in the soup. The edamame were superfluous and really didn't add much.
Blanched Asparagus with Ham Hock and Herbs Fine Paste and Mustard Oil
This dish was so simple and yet totally transcendant. The asparagus were the absolute perfect tenderness.
Tempered Foie Gras with Dates and Shaved Hazelnut
This dish was great because you usually only see two preparations of foie gras: torchon and seared. This one was cooked sous vide, then sauteed and served room temperature.
Sweetbreads with Curry Powder, Mustard Chlorophyll and Pomelo
We couldn't really tasty anything in the chlorophyll, but this dish was refreshing figuratively because you don't often see the use of curry in high-end (non-Indian) restaurants, and literally because the pomelo added a nice citrus kick.
Sea Bream with Baby Vegetables, Ver Jus and Seaweed
The fish has a nice crispy skin to contrast the tender veggies that tasted like the embodiment of Spring.
Stinging Nettle Risotto with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Yellowfoot Chantarelles and Parmasean
Very tasty. The rice had a perfect chew and the mushrooms added an earthiness that rounded out the dish.
Roasted Lamb Loin with Brussel Sprouts
This very straight forward dish was well executed and tasty, but what was amazing was that the lamb was not gamey at all.
Suckling Pig with Cabbage and Apples
This was actually the only stinker of the night. The flavor was nice, but the skin, which should have been crispy, was soft and stuck to our teeth, which was rather unpleasant.
Olive Oil and Pistachio Cake with Citrus Sorbet and Beet Soda
This was an inspired take on dessert, but it wasn't incredible. The beet soda was slightly sweet and very smooth, but the cake had a weird liquid center. The sorbet was, um, sorbet.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Sour Cherried and Almond Sorbet
The sour cherries added a nice touch, since we are not that into super sweet desserts and the sorbet was delicious, but the cake itself was just ok.
Quince Smoothie
This was interesting in that it sparkled on your tongue, but all in all, it was a smoothie, albeit a very smooth one.
Foie Gras Nougatine on Quince Paste with Vanilla Salt
This was very interesting in flavor and had a nice crunch from the single hazelnut inside, although it was a bit too sweet. The finish was nice saltiness though.
Chilled Carrot Soup with Sea Beans, Edamame and Cherry Gelee
The soup itself was very smooth. The sea beans added a nice crunch and saltiness and the gelee complements the sweet tones in the soup. The edamame were superfluous and really didn't add much.
Blanched Asparagus with Ham Hock and Herbs Fine Paste and Mustard Oil
This dish was so simple and yet totally transcendant. The asparagus were the absolute perfect tenderness.
Tempered Foie Gras with Dates and Shaved Hazelnut
This dish was great because you usually only see two preparations of foie gras: torchon and seared. This one was cooked sous vide, then sauteed and served room temperature.
Sweetbreads with Curry Powder, Mustard Chlorophyll and Pomelo
We couldn't really tasty anything in the chlorophyll, but this dish was refreshing figuratively because you don't often see the use of curry in high-end (non-Indian) restaurants, and literally because the pomelo added a nice citrus kick.
Sea Bream with Baby Vegetables, Ver Jus and Seaweed
The fish has a nice crispy skin to contrast the tender veggies that tasted like the embodiment of Spring.
Stinging Nettle Risotto with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Yellowfoot Chantarelles and Parmasean
Very tasty. The rice had a perfect chew and the mushrooms added an earthiness that rounded out the dish.
Roasted Lamb Loin with Brussel Sprouts
This very straight forward dish was well executed and tasty, but what was amazing was that the lamb was not gamey at all.
Suckling Pig with Cabbage and Apples
This was actually the only stinker of the night. The flavor was nice, but the skin, which should have been crispy, was soft and stuck to our teeth, which was rather unpleasant.
Olive Oil and Pistachio Cake with Citrus Sorbet and Beet Soda
This was an inspired take on dessert, but it wasn't incredible. The beet soda was slightly sweet and very smooth, but the cake had a weird liquid center. The sorbet was, um, sorbet.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Sour Cherried and Almond Sorbet
The sour cherries added a nice touch, since we are not that into super sweet desserts and the sorbet was delicious, but the cake itself was just ok.
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Lunch at Work
Breakfast at Home
Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito
Sausage and cheese scramble all wrapped up in a low carb burrito.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade
Monday, March 19, 2007
Anthony Bourdain's List of Essential Tools (from Kitchen Confidential)
The V Slicer
Otherwise known as a mandoline, this slicer dices and juliennes in no time. And it comes with a knuckle saving guard.
Otherwise known as a mandoline, this slicer dices and juliennes in no time. And it comes with a knuckle saving guard.
The Offset Serrated Knife
Perfect for slicing bread without bumping your knuckles.
Perfect for slicing bread without bumping your knuckles.
The Global Paring Knife
Globals hold their sharpness longer and this knife has an amazingly ergonomical handle making it a pleasure to cut with. I've had mine for months now and it still slices through a tomato like butter.
Globals hold their sharpness longer and this knife has an amazingly ergonomical handle making it a pleasure to cut with. I've had mine for months now and it still slices through a tomato like butter.
Labels: buy, kitchen tools
Dinner at Home
Shrimp Coconut Curry
A quick weeknight curry that probably would have been better if I hadn't tried to use the leftover root vegetables.
-15 shrimp, peeled
-2 packages shirataki noodles, boiled for 2 minutes and drained
-2 cups leftover roasted root vegetables
-4 scallions, chopped
-1 handful fresh basil leaves
-1 can coconut milk
-cloves garlic, minced
-1 tb thai red chili paste
-salt to taste
-juice of 1/2 lime
Sautee the garlic in a bit of olive oil. When brown, add the coconut milk and chili paste. Dissolve chili paste and add noodles and root vegetables. Simmer for 5 or 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until just cooked through. Add the scallions and basil. Cook for one minutes. Add the lime juice, stir and serve.
-2 packages shirataki noodles, boiled for 2 minutes and drained
-2 cups leftover roasted root vegetables
-4 scallions, chopped
-1 handful fresh basil leaves
-1 can coconut milk
-cloves garlic, minced
-1 tb thai red chili paste
-salt to taste
-juice of 1/2 lime
Sautee the garlic in a bit of olive oil. When brown, add the coconut milk and chili paste. Dissolve chili paste and add noodles and root vegetables. Simmer for 5 or 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until just cooked through. Add the scallions and basil. Cook for one minutes. Add the lime juice, stir and serve.
Fresh Blackberries with Freshly Whipped Cream
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, shirataki noodles, shrimp, thai
Lunch at Work
Philly Cheese Steak
Lots of meat and cheese, the best cheesesteak in the financial district.
Egg Salad in a Lettuce Wrap
A low carb "sandwich".
-8 hard boiled eggs, shelled and chopped or crushed with a fork
-1/3 cup mayo
-1 tb dijon
-1 ts each garlic powder and white pepper
-salt to taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and serve in romaine lettuce leaves.
Labels: eggs, homemade, leftovers, lunch recipes, salad
Breakfast at Home
Sausage, Brocolli and Cheese Scramble
We're trying to branch out from the standard bacon and fried egg.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Dinner at Home
Chili con Carne-3 lbs lean ground beef
-3 cans chopped tomatos
-1 can water
-2 tb beef bullion
-3 large bay leaves
-2 onions, diced
-1/2 cup chili powder
-3 tb granulated garlic
-1 tb ground cumin
-1 tb cayenne
-1 tb paprika
Sautee and onions and the beef together until beef is browned. Drain all fat. Add the remaining ingredients in bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours, until thick.
-3 cans chopped tomatos
-1 can water
-2 tb beef bullion
-3 large bay leaves
-2 onions, diced
-1/2 cup chili powder
-3 tb granulated garlic
-1 tb ground cumin
-1 tb cayenne
-1 tb paprika
Sautee and onions and the beef together until beef is browned. Drain all fat. Add the remaining ingredients in bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours, until thick.
Labels: beef, dinner recipes, homemade, leftovers
Breakfast at Home
BIG Low Carb Breakfast Burrito
Scrambled eggs, cheese, sausage, onions and brocolli in a low carb tortilla, pan fried.
Labels: breakfast recipe, brocolli, eggs, homemade, sausage
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