cakeypal: November 2007 Archives
Bo's a natural in the kitchen. With ease and grace, she chops, stirs, fries as she creates delicious food. She never seems to panic, always sure of what she's doing. And the result is always delectable, healthy food.
Last week, Bo made dinner for Johnnie and I. We started our meal with wonton soup, a new dish in her repertoire (at least it was new to me). Bo made the wontons from scratch, combining ground chicken, mushroom, and ginger which she handily wrapped in a wonton wrapper. The wontons were larger and, I found, more packed with flavor than wontons I've eaten at restaurants. After cooking them in boiling water, Bo added the wontons and hot water to a bowl with pickles, sliced green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and spicy mustard. The result was a flavorful soup with a pronounced ginger flavor. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture until I'd eaten most of the wontons. Still, you get the idea, I hope.
This was just the first course of the meal. Bo also made one of my favorite soups, salmon and tomato. This soup also contains carrots, ginger, soy sauce and green onion. She cooks it on her stove top for an hour which makes the salmon quite tender. At several phases of the process, she also skims off the fat--yet the soup still retains the richness one expects with salmon. It's a delicious soup, one I've tried to make at home. This time, though, I made sure to write down all the ingredients used. Note to self: don't saute onions at the beginning of the process. Instead, add green onions just before serving. Next time I make this soup, I think it will turn out more like Bo's.
The trio above also features Bo's sauteed green beans with garlic and fried tofu rice noodles. Both these dishes are just as good as Bo's soups.
Ever since we were roommates, I've tried to replicate Bo's cooking. There are certain dishes I still want to master: her boiled beef with anise and mushrooms, the ginger chicken leg soup that she made when I got sick, and the tomato and egg soup that she was able to so quickly throw together. Bo's cooking features ginger, a taste I've grown to enjoy--other than that, the complexity of her food depends on her cooking techniques rather than a variety of spices. I'll finish where I started: Bo's a natural in the kitchen.
On my last night in New York, Tom, Andre and I ate at Bogota Latin Bistro, another good Park Slope restaurant. They seated us in a covered back patio area that was quite charming--ivy growing on the walls, soft lights, and very few people. Andre and I began the meal with bacalao potato cakes in honor of our shared interest in Portuguese/Brazilian food. Tom abstained since he had snacked quite a bit at a memorial service earlier that afternoon. Bacalhao is the Portuguese word for salted cod fish. In Portugal, cooks soak the bacalhao for an extended period before combining it with potato and parsley in order to make pasteis de bacalhao. Bogota serves their version with a tasty roasted red pepper cilantro sauce.
Andre ordered shrimp, taking the perfect picture of his dish. I think this is one of his favorite meals at Bogota.
Tom and I ordered the fish tacos. I liked the grill marks on the tortillas and the chipotle sauce. In fact, I put the sauce on the chayote (squash) as well. This wasn't a great meal, but it was good. And I liked that I could order vegetable side dishes--after eating so much during my trip, I needed something that felt lighter.
I'm so glad that Tom and Andre are in my life. They are great friends--fun to be around and always kind to me. Although I've only been back in California for a week, I miss them!
On my last full day in New York, we ate breakfast at Miriam, an Israeli restaurant on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn's Park Slope. I'd eaten at Miriam a year and a half ago and was excited to eat there again. Although my breakfast was pretty good, the quality wasn't up to par--the result, we think, of Miriam becoming so trendy it can't keep up with the masses who now go there for Sunday breakfast. We managed to slip in just before the long lines formed.
Tom ordered the least Israeli breakfast of the three of us: a breakfast croissant with egg and (I think) bacon. He ate a lot of the potatoes, but didn't touch the salad (perhaps due to the lack of croutons, eh, Tom?).
Andre ordered a dish that is one of their favorites: the Mediterranean Crispy Dough with scrambled eggs, harissa, diced tomatoes, and pickles. Andre isn't a fan of the spicy harissa, but he seemed to enjoy everything else, down to the last pickle.
Going against the advice of Andre and Tom, I ordered the Israeli Breakfast with fried eggs, labneh cheese, Israeli Salad, and french fries. Although Tom and Andre warned me that when they had tried this dish, it (especially the cheese) was too salty, I quite liked the cheese and the Israeli salad. They agreed that the cheese was much better this time. We also shared a side of chunky hummous. If only there had been less oil, it would have been a perfect breakfast.
I hope that Miriam will recover the quality they once had. I like the food, but would look elsewhere for a breakfast that doesn't resemble an oil slick. After breakfast, Tom and I shopped on 5th Avenue in the rain. Although restaurants inhabit the majority of buildings, a couple of small shops offer interesting and charming objects. I found a great t-shirt for Johnnie at Brooklyn Industries . It was a limited edition design in honor of Earth Day. The fabric was made of corn and could be composted if he ever decides to get rid of it. I also enjoyed Brooklyn Frameworks with its display of space inspired advertising from the 1950's. One poster portrayed a rocket with oranges as its exhaust. I ended up buying two matted crate labels for oranges, one from France and one from Strathmore, CA. Once they are framed, I'll hang them in my kitchen.
When I told Tom and Andre about my newfound love of miso soup, they decided that Andre needed to make two of his specialties: miso soup and beef sukiyaki. Andre, a former pop star in Brazil (really!), is a great cook. He can make sushi (wow) and he figured out how to make miso soup by trial and error. He wanted to replicate his favorite miso soup and developed this recipe. It's much more complex than the soup I've learned to make (miso paste, boiling water, add scallions, voila!) . . . and it's quite delicious.
Andre's Miso Soup
Put four bowls of water in a pot (use the bowl that you will eventually eat the soup in). Add shimeji mushrooms to the pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cube a block of tofu (broiled, firm is best) and set aside. Slice the green stems of scallions (reserve white part for another use) and set aside. When the water comes to a boil, add 4 large wooden spoonfuls of miso and 4 teaspoons of fish powder. Then, add tofu and 2 T. tamari/soy sauce. Sometimes, Andre adds sake, as well. Turn off heat and add 4 healthy pinches of thinly sliced seaweed. Let sit until the seaweed expands (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle with scallions and serve.
The main course for dinner was beef sukiyaki, which, according to Andre, is a common dish in Brazil. The ingredients are prepared, then everyone sits around a table where an electric skillet cooks the ingredients. After a few minutes, people extract what they want to eat with chopsticks. When there's just broth left, one could add more ingredients, cooking until everyone has eaten their fill. Andre and Tom know that I don't eat a lot of red meat, but they thought I would at least enjoy the veggies. Turns out, the meat was my favorite part of the meal: it's thinly sliced and the broth gives it such a nice flavor. And it was such fun to sit around the table, talk and eat.
Beef Sukiyaki
Prepare the following vegetables:
Whole cherry tomatoes, halved
Shimeji mushrooms
Cucumber, sliced
Yellow onion, thickly sliced
Yellow pepper, sliced lengthwise
Napa Cabbage, thickly sliced
Thinly sliced beef (see picture)
Firm tofu, cubed
Sauce:
1 T. crystalized raw sugar
1 t. granulated sugar
1/2 glass soy sauce
1/2 glass cooking sake
Dissolve the sugar in the soy sauce and sake.
Melt several tablespoons butter in an electric skillet (at about 300 degrees). Cook beef on both sides for a couple of minutes (it will brown, but not be done all the way through). Push to one side and add veggies and tofu. Pour sauce over top, making sure you hit all the ingredients. Cover and cook until done to your taste (you may want to turn up to 350 degrees after the first few minutes of cooking the vegetables). As described above, take food from the skillet, place in a bowl of rice and eat. Add more vegetables and beef, if desired, and eat to your heart's content.
The thing about visiting Tom and Andre is that they know the best places to eat and the best food to order. I think I've loved every restaurant they've ever recommended--the food is always affordable and well prepared. The other day we were talking about pizza and Tom said that there's only one place he likes to go for pizza: Adrienne's in the Financial District. So we made the trek to Adrienne's today. I was charmed by the street, one of New York's oldest.
Since the weather was cold today, no one was sitting outside--but I'd like to return when there's better weather to enjoy the lovely street. The interior was bright and clean: white paint, clouded glass barriers and light colored wooden tables and chairs.
We ordered a small antipasto platter to start: a huge variety of ingredients dressed lightly with olive oil and pepper. The roasted eggplant was smoky and smooth, as were the prosciutto and salami. The olive oil brought out the taste of squash, cauliflower, and artichoke rather than obscuring it. The lentils and beans were prepared just right. I wasn't crazy about the cubed parmesan--too strong for my taste--but that's probably my only complaint. I even loved the sections of orange which I don't usually like in this setting. Lastly, the bruschetta on top was garlicky and crisp. This was the best antipasto I've ever had. I'd love to learn to make this dish--but it's overwhelming to think of preparing so many different ingredients so well.
The pizzas were nicely prepared. Our first pizza was topped with potato, prosciutto, and scallions. The pizza margarita had a light tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. They both came with a thin, slightly charred crust. The margarita was by far our favorite, but I also liked the prosciutto topping. Next time we return, we think that a large antipasto platter and one pizza would be perfect for two or three.
After our meal, we walked down the street to the Patisserie Financier. Andre and I had a hard time deciding which pastry we wanted, but I finally decided to have the orange creme brulee with a fruit crown. And Andre had the flourless chocolate cake. Tom bought a cappuccino and a box of palmiers. We also tried a macaron, since I've been reading so much about them on food blogs. None of us were particularly taken with it. Ah, well.
Last night, I went to dinner at Aurora, an Italian restaurant in the Soho section of New York City. The restaurant is on Broome Street in between Broadway and Thompson. It was a little difficult to find with only a black banner hanging above its entrance, but our search was rewarded with a delicious meal in a modern rustic setting. After ascending a small staircase outside, we entered a dimly lit space with exposed brick and duct work. The Goth looking hostess, dressed in a red mini and thick grey tights, quickly seated us. Our table was hard to access in its cozy corner, and it was impossible to talk to everyone at the table. Nevertheless, I was entranced by the tea lights in small brown paper bags and the place mats made of brown butcher paper, and I quite enjoyed the food.
Our waiter started us off with a basket of focaccia and olive bread which we dipped in olive oil infused with pine nut and anise. Wow, what a great olive oil! Since I was eating with a group of people I didn't really know (except for my good friend Sam), I didn't take photographs of all the dishes, but others seemed to enjoy their salads and pasta. My pasta, i Malfatti, was quite delicious, dumplings made with crunchy kale and sheep's milk ricotta topped with butter, sage and shaved parmesan. I ate every bite.
Over the last six months, I've tried sushi a couple of times. I used to hate sushi, disliking the fishy taste and the texture of raw fish. But now, surprisingly, I'm starting to like it. One of the things I wanted to do during my trip to New York was to try sushi here. Thursday night, Tom, Andre, and I went to their favorite neighborhood sushi place, Kiku, on 5th Avenue in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn. Kiku has divine sushi--and we tried dishes that aren't available at other restaurants.
We started off with Tuna Dumplings, thin pieces of raw tuna act as the shell which contains a stuffing of more tuna, avocado, crunchy pieces of tempura, and wasabi mayonnaise, topped with a sprinkling of caviar. The Dumplings are beautiful to look at and they are deliciously rich and buttery. We also enjoyed the rectangular slices of cucumber topped with a miso sauce.
Next, we had one of the day's specials, a pancake with assorted fish, mango and avocado. None of us were particularly crazy about our first bite. But, oddly enough, we all really enjoyed our second bite. We decided that it was crucial to have avocado on each forkful since it contrasted so nicely with the other flavors. I ended up enjoying the dish. The next dish, duck spring rolls with sweet potato fries and hoisin sauce, was our least favorite of the evening. There was nothing wrong with the dish, but there also wasn't anything particularly interesting about it.
Our last two dishes of the evening were the Kiku roll and the Green Lady. The Kiku roll included grilled Chilean sea bass, ginger, lettuce, and spicy mayonnaise topped with crunchy onions. The dish was good, but not as show stopping as the Green Lady, tuna and tempura wrapped in avocado slices with a bit of a kick. This was my favorite dish of the evening, it was similar to the Tuna Dumpling, but the spiciness provided a more interesting layer to the buttery smoothness of the avocado and tuna.
Overall, I loved Kiku. My only regret is that the dishes I most enjoyed won't be available in other sushi restaurants. If I want the Green Lady, I'll have to come back to Brooklyn. I guess that's not a bad thing. I love the Park Slope area with all of its wonderful restaurants.
I have a very tactile relationship to food. I love fluttering my fingers through rosemary branches when I walk in the morning, using my fingers to sop up the last bit of sauce in a container, tearing pieces of bread off a loaf. There's nothing I like more than sitting down with a bowl of popcorn, eating the kernels one by one or picking up single Hot Tamales to devour. Something about the action of feeling food with my fingers and placing it directly in my mouth feels right to me. And when I've encountered places, restaurants, cuisines that allow me to have direct contact with food, I've instantly felt at ease and happy. In my opinion, those feelings should always be in place when we eat. Eating should be pleasurable and comfortable, as much a labor of love as cooking.
Fresno has a new Ethiopian restaurant, Lucy's Lair. Or perhaps I should say, Fresno finally has an Ethiopian restaurant. Tegest and Petros opened up Lucy's Lair two months ago in north Fresno. When we arrived last night at about 6:30, there was a line of people ahead of us. Petros suggested we return in an hour, which we did. At that time, there were just a few people left in the restaurant. We were so glad we returned, as the food is flavorful, well prepared, and savory. We decided on three dishes: one a combination of four vegetarian plates and two chicken dishes. We loved everything we ordered.
If you haven't eaten Ethiopian food before, it's usually served in sections on an expansive piece of spongy bread called injera which you use to scoop up the food. At Lucy's Lair, they bring a basket of rolled up injera to get started, but I've also eaten at places where you use the injera the food is served on to eat.
At the right, you'll see Shiro Wot, made with chickpeas and spices. Tegest said that was the dish that her kids like the least, but we all enjoyed it. The next dish is Fosolia, sauteed green beans and carrots that were quite tasty. The Kosta, collard greens and spinach, tasted healthful. To the back is my favorite dish, the Misir Kik Wot, delicious split red lentils. A salad and fresh cheese complete the dishes around the perimeter. In the middle of the picture is Doro Wat which the menu labels as a premier Ethiopian ceremonial dish. It includes chicken in a rich, spicy sauce and a boiled egg. I'd never eaten chicken off the bone using injera, and the process proved to be messy but infinitely pleasurable.
After we'd eaten awhile, our waitress also brought out Tibs, a divine chicken and rosemary dish, and added it to our platter. We really enjoyed our meal. Part of our happiness at the end was due to how delicious the food was. But I like to think that part of our enjoyment of the meal grew out of unmediated contact with what nourishes our bodies.
This restaurant is a labor of love. Tegest dreamed of opening a restaurant while working as a doctor, and she and Petros seem a little surprised at how quickly Fresno has embraced their establishment. Still, go to Lucy's Lair soon and often. Like all restaurant owners, they are worried about making a go of it. Fresno needs more restaurants like this--quality food that represents the ethnic diversity of the Central Valley, a comfortable environment, great food, and restaurant owners who got into the business because they love food.
Tonight, Rick, Karen, Johnnie and I went to dinner at Oaxaca Restaurant (4773 E. Belmont). The building is unassuming and on a section of Belmont that I don't visit very frequently. Now I have a compelling reason to return to this part of town. What a great meal!The ingredients were high quality, the selection was diverse, and the preparation was perfect. Fatima, our waitress, brought us bowl after bowl of chips with a mole sauce and light sprinkling of cotija cheese to start the meal. The mole, with an almost cinnamon twist, was such an interesting change from a tomato salsa. Nevertheless, I was so fascinated with the menu that I actually didn't eat as many chips as I normally do . . . which was a good thing since the rest of the food was so amazing. In addition to horchata with melon, I finally decided to order a tamale to share with the table and a chile relleno for my dinner. The tamale came out quickly, wrapped in what looked like a plantain leaf. The masa and chicken ratio was just right; I'm usually not happy with tamales because the masa is so heavy and tasteless in comparison with the filling. But this masa took on the flavor of the chicken while still maintaining a nice firm texture.
Before we had time to eat much of the tamale, however, the rest of our meal arrived. Karen's Camarones a la Costena smelled divine, and we loved that it included green olives.
Rick ordered the Mole Negro and proceeded to eat every last drop with great gustatory pleasure. Karen loved Rick's rice and Johnnie thought the mole was delicious.
Johnnie's Camarones a la Diabla were so spicy it made him sweat . . . and he loved the shrimp, rice, and beans. He also took a perfect picture of his food.
And my chile relleno? Well, I retract everything I said about the one I had at Sal's. The Oaxaca's version used cotija and the sauce was an amazing complement to the green chile. I <3 chile rellenos!
When Johnnie raved about the beans, at first I didn't agree. I had a hard time getting past the light color. But when I tasted the beans without any sauce covering them up, I saw his point: I could actually taste the beans rather than lard. Johnnie also ordered a fish taco, which was just like I like them: fried fish, lots of lettuce, and homemade corn tortillas. You can also see Rick's chicken taco in the background, another dish he loved.
I'll go back to the Oaxaca just for the chile relleno and the fish taco--although I also want to try other items on the menu. Rick described the food as being "primitive," but, after discussion, he decided that "elemental" was perhaps a better word. Fresh ingredients, excellent preparation, and savory flavors. I think you can tell by the expressions on our faces that we really enjoyed this meal.
Final comments:
"They could charge $20 a plate or more for this food, it's so good" (Johnnie).
"I wish I could eat this exact same meal all over again" (Kathee).
"MMMM!!!!!" (Karen).
Addendum (11/12/07): My friend Maythee sent me an email in which she commented on the food at the Oaxaca. She has some good insights: "I thought the food you described at the Oaxaca restaurant looked like the real thing, meaning the food looked extremely well prepared. I'm also partial to the thinner version of refried beans, they are healthier and much lighter on the stomach. It's also the way I've seen the mothers of Mexican friends prepare them. As for the tamale wrapped in banana leaves, that tends to be the Caribbean and Central American way (I grew up with those). Perhaps the owners of the restaurant are from the Yucatan area or the region nearer to Guatemala. I thought the use of olives also indicated a shift from the typical Central and Northern Mexican style."This entry is about fish, water, and friends. That may not be a holy trinity, but the convergence of the three yesterday was inspiring.
Johnnie and Tom have been friends since grad school, but, in spite of Johnnie's consistent boosterism, Tom had yet to visit Johnnie's hometown. Yesterday, the fates finally brought us all together, resulting in a tour of Monterey at dusk and my first visit to a sushi restaurant.
We started our afternoon in Monterey, admiring Tom's new, goofy hat. Tom had tried on a number of other hats in Santa Cruz, but this was his favorite. I especially liked it when Tom wore the hat backward, so that the monster's grin scared all who walked behind him. After taking a brief tour of Marina, we took off for Monterey, arriving just at dusk. We stopped at a beach just into Pacific Grove to admire the view, which included rocky outcrops, birds, glassy green waves, and dark clouds of incoming fog.
I snapped away, taking picture after beautiful picture. That's just how picturesque this area is. The fading light produced an atmospheric mood and the sound of the wild waves created an energy which echoed inside me.
After communing with nature, we were ready for dinner. Johnnie thought he remembered a great place for sushi, so we went to Sakura Restaurant. Although the restaurant wasn't the one he remembered, we still sat down to eat. I really loved the miso soup that started our supper. The salty, thick broth contained noodles, a few chunks of tofu, and some sliced green onions. Johnnie and Tom thought the soup was a little too salty, but I enjoyed every bite. Besides, they were so busy fighting over the merits of the iPhone that I think they didn't pay enough attention to the soup.
Tom: The iPhone is broken. It needs a new keyboard [like the keyboard on his Blackberry-like device].
Johnnie: You're just in denial about the iPhone.
Tom: The iPhone is like a child that will be something some day. You feel pride in it, but it hasn't yet reached its potential.
Johnnie: The iPhone rocks.
Kathee: Slurp.
Since I had been adventurous at the previous night's dinner (trying two dishes, escargots and calimari, that I don't normally eat), I felt less willing to experiment last night. Once our waitress brought out Johnnie's spider roll, I quickly changed my mind. The fried crabmeat and avocado combination looked and tasted delicious to me, although Johnnie thought it earned just a 5 out of 10.
I ordered a bento box with tempura and chicken teriyaki, which was just okay. The tempura needed to be crisper . . . and the vegetables needed to be more thinly sliced. The chicken wasn't of the best quality, either, so I was disappointed with my order. Next time, I'll try more sushi, a dish that I'm finally beginning to like. Tom's bento box with tuna looked good, though. And our dinner conversation was definitely stimulating.
Tom: Conspiracies abound. You just need to educate yourself about the events surrounding 9/11.
Johnnie: That's not logical. Besides, the more you read, the more likely it is you'll be indoctrinated.
Kathee: [Silence, then . . . ] There could be much better conspiracies . . .
After a spirited dinner conversation, we returned to Marina for a some Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby. At evening's end, I reflected on how glad I am that Johnnie and Tom are a part of my life. I'm so glad I could be there to share Johnnie's joy at showing off his beautiful city to one of his closest friends.
Every time we come to Monterey, we have a breakfast routine that necessitates three stops. It's a routine we look forward to, the drive into Monterey, Tyler Street where we always park, walking past the shuttle stop to the Bagel Bakery, walking back to East Village coffee shop, then driving down to Pacific Grove to Pavel's. Whether the weather is foggy or sunny, the trip allows us to move through beautiful landscape. On sunny days, the first view of the ocean from Highway 1 is spectacular. And on foggy days, the ethereal forest on the way to Pacific Grove looks haunted. Monterey has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Yesterday morning we had the perfect breakfast run. Because it was a sunny day, we could see the big waves as they crashed to shore. And because it was a Saturday morning, we didn't encounter much traffic. Our first stop was the Bagel Bakery. Johnnie always gets the New York bagel (lox, red onion, cream cheese), but I try different things. Yesterday, I ordered the sesame bagel with walnut olive cream cheese (today I tried the superseed bagel with veggie cream cheese, a choice that just may become my regular order). Bagels from the Bagel Bakery are perfect--just the right size, texture, appearance, taste. And we enjoy seeing the brother and sister team that are usually working in the morning.
Next, we walk to East Village coffee shop. The stone walls, wicker furniture, dark colors, and rich woods create a pleasing ambience, one I'm enjoying right now as I write this entry. Johnnie's been coming here for years and swears by their coffee. Unfortunately, the last couple of days the coffee hasn't been quite right. My hot chocolate yesterday was quite good, though, and I think J's coffee this morning was back to its normal quality.
Last, we drive down to Pavel's Backerie in Pacific Grove. The pastries here are beautiful. Johnnie always gets the enormous chocolate croissant, and he sometimes gets a bear claw, as well. I generally try the fruity pastries, but yesterday I wanted a chocolate macaroon. One thing I like about the pastries here is that, although they are obviously rich, they aren't super sweet. They balance the flaky crust with the fruit/fillings/chocolate in such a way that one can savor all the tastes involved instead of being overpowered by sweetness. Our one complaint is that Pavel's isn't open on Sundays, which means we have to have inferior pastries on that day. Painful, all too painful.
I don't get tired of our Monterey breakfast run. It's a lovely beginning to what are always enjoyable days in a beautiful city. And when we return to Fresno, I like bringing a couple of bagels home in order to prolong the pleasure for a couple of days, eating them toasted with gruyere and fresh tomato.
