rouxmaker's Profile
Seafood for lunch between Houston and Lake Charles
Looking for a Cajun place to stop for lunch near I-10 between Houston and LC
Tenoch - Medford square
Enjoyed takeout on Saturday night. We ordered enchiladas - one steak with mole and the other carnitas with salsa verde. The mole was the star with hints of cinnamon and other spices giving it a subtle smoky sweetness. Each order had 2 enchiladas, rice, beans, and pico de gallo. My only complaint was the thin texture of the corn tortillas, which sort of dissolved in the sauce. We also ordered the house salad with housemade dressing. The dressing was a little sweet for my taste until I ate the pickled jalapeno garnish, which balanced it out. I was pleasantly surprised that the greens were all romaine, very fresh, and the tomato was good for this time of year. The place was busy and the staff was extremely friendly and a bit apologetic about the wait, which wasn't necessary because I waited only about 8 minutes.
I'll definitely becomea regular and look forward to trying the torta and horchata next time.
olive oil?
Armenian stores in Watertown (Mt. Auburn St) is the best selection and value. They run about $30 for a 3L can or bottle with selections from Lebanan, Greece, etc.
H Mart [Not] Closed!
Last night the parking lot was dark and the building had some dim lights on, but they were probably battery operated emergency lights. It's odd that everything else around it has power.
The end of Good Eats :(
Boo hoo. I love the science and history behind cooking and I learned a lot from AB and I was entertained by his quirky comedy. I never learn anything from other FN shows, nor do they make me laugh.
Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, gets her own show
I've read and enjoyed her blog for years and I have speculated that her days must have more than 24 hours with the cooking, blogging, ranching, gardening, home-schooling, novel writing, and photography that she does. She seems to be a smart and witty woman, but I did not like the show. I fault FN for this and not her. FN is waaay overplaying the cowboy theme. As a matter of fact, I was thinking the show would make a great drinking game and everybody would be smashed if you had to drink everytime she said the word "cowboy'.
Fried clams in Falmouth?
You've probably left the Cape by now, but for future reference, and for others, there is a hidden gem in East Falmouth called Green Pond Fish Market that has the best fired clams in the area. Big plump clams and light non-greasy breading. Other fried seafood is good too. There is no seating, so plan to carry them to the beach nearby. http://www.greenpondfish.com/index.htm
Top picks in the Dennis area ?
Marshside in Dennis - beautiful dining room that lives up to its name with a view of the serene marsh. Quality American fare with good New England traditional dishes. The seafood stew is a must have!! Loaded with seafood and the best seafood stew I've ever had anywhere. http://www.themarshside.com/
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Marshside Restaurant
28 Bridge, East Dennis, MA 02641
Neptune Oyster This Sunday; Recs Please?
Texture like braised or steamed calimari (firm yet tender). Taste is like a scallop but sweeter.
Neptune Oyster This Sunday; Recs Please?
The razor clams are perfectly prepared and something you don't see on many menus. The blue crab cocktail will have you licking the bowl.
Dog Friendly Martha's Vineyard
i've taken my dog to a restaurant called Coop de Ville in Oak Bluffs several times. They have a covered outdoor seating area on the harbor. Very dog friendly - they bring a water bowl and seem to appreciate having their floor cleaned of crumbs.
Aarti Party
Check out the ratings on FN for her raw kale salad. Sure, a few are 5-star pats on the back for the show instead of the food, but the vast majority are kale-haters raving over how good and unique the salad tasted.
It's been a looong time since I got any cooking inspiration from FN, but I will make that kale salad.
Best Burger FOUND on Cape Cod! (Great chowder, too!!!)
If you are in Falmouth, RD Brody's on Rt 28 in East Falmouth has great burgers and fries
Aqua Grille Sandwich...New Found respect!
Here's another positive lunch experience at Aqua Grill. Latish afternoon we sat by the window overlooking the harbor and were entertained by boats trying to dock in the wind.
My meal replicated the OP - tuna carpaccio and lobster salad. I loved both and took about half of the lobster salad home for a second meal. DC had lobster bisque which was very lobstery and rich. And he had a special flounder napoleon: the "napoleons" were fried flounder fillets and the filling was lobster mashed potatoes. It was divine.
We could have made a meal on the warm garlic bread and olive oil alone!
Service was really good (restaurant wasn't busy at all) and good wine by the glass choices. We will definitely to back.
Cooking Classes?
I took one of the Cambodian classes at Elephant Walk and it was wonderful. Very hands-on (we hand chopped over a pound of ginger) and a delicious group meal afterwards.
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Elephant Walk
2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
Restaurants in Breckenridge, CO
Briar Rose is where we kick off our annual ski trip in Breck. Great service, reasonable wine list. Don't miss the elk medallions and the sausage appetizer.
Tastings at Patriot Place - Lunch report
I haven't seen anything on this board about Tastings yet so I thought I should report on a great lunch experience we had last Sunday.
You can order wines by the glass but it's fun to experiment with their flights. A flight is a selection of three 4-oz (I think) pours on a theme. We tried a Spanish and an Italian flight. Each flight has clever name and I believe they rotate the choices periodically.
For lunch we started with 2 appetizers: Rabbit bruschetta and a spring veggie salad (carrot, beet, asparagus, turnip, fiddleheads) in a nice creamy dressing. The veggie plate was good but the rabbit was the star. It was sort of a rabbit stew atop slices of french bread. If the bread was toasted, it was very light. Absolutely delicious!
For our mains, I took advantage of the in-house charcucherie and ordered the lamb sausage. It is served on a bed of nicely seasoned white navy beans and the lamb was lean and delicious, seasoned with allspice.
My DC had the stuffed squid. This was the star entree. Tender squid tubes stuffed with tasty ground pork served over squid-ink homemade pasta. We both wanted to lick the plate and we plan to try to duplicate this at home.
Tastings is reasonably priced and I want to go back for dinner for the wine pairings.
ISO best authentic gelato
Angelato in Belmont (Waverley Square) is excellent and is the source for several restaurants.
Replace Oil in Baking
Flax seed can be used as a substitute for fat. I usually replace half the fat with flax (the ratio is 3-to-1 which seems like a horrifying amount of flax but it works). Be aware that it will add a nutty flavor and will produce a darker product, so think about your flavor profile and desired looks before using flax. I love it in muffins and quickbreads.
Thanksgiving Salad Suggestions
Shredded endive, grated apple, thinly sliced fennel, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles tossed in a light (lemon or cider vinegar based) vinaigrette.
Couple's Cooking Class Suggestions
Like you, we are accomplished cooks and wanted to take a class beyond the basics. We thoroughly enjoyed the class we took at Elephant Walk. Each team prepares a dish then you all eat together. The kitchen is a little cramped but hey, you're in a real restaurant kitchen cooking on enormous woks. We learned to cook a new and healthy cuisine (Cambodian) and had a good time.
Horrible service at Harvest
I typically don't write strictly-negative posts, but I am so angry about the service we received last saturday, here I go. The food was wonderful but the experience was ruined by the service.
8:30 reservations for 4.
Waitress started taking our orders before telling us the specials. We had overheard the server at the next table describe the truffle risotto and had we not, we would have missed out on a perfectly executed dish!
Three of us ordered the duck. Waitress came back and said they had only 1 duck left. Very disappointing for a regular menu item to be sold out relatively early on a Saturday night.
Foie Gras appetizer was plate-licking out of this world, but they were stingy with the toast points. Being unable to find our server for awhile, DC had get up and walk around to find someone to provide bread.
Meals not served at the same time. A side order arrived at least 5 minutes after the entree was delivered.
Two dessert orders were lost. At first we thought it was the aforementioned issue of not delivering the food together. After about 10 minutes of waiting, we couldn't find the server (again) so we got the manager. He sent her over and she claimed we only ordered one dessert. Manager never checked back, although the waitress did say he was willing to comp it. By then we just wanted to get the heck out of there so we declined. Manager never stopped by to apologize or to see if we were satisfied.
I'd love to return for the food, but I'll go elsewhere due to the service.
While you're at Russo's: Pumpkin Whoopie Pie!
Had a Pumpkin Whoopie pie at Cafe Escadrille that was also surprisingly good. Tender spice cake with a subtle orange-flavoring in the cream cheese frosting center.
Breakfast Casserole Challenge
Saute some onion (white and/or green) and red bell pepper.
Saute anything else in your fridge that you want to use up like aspeargas, zucchini, potato, fennel, etc.
Mix with beaten eggs (at least 6 eggs for 4 smallish servings)
Add grated cheese (any flavor) or chunks of cream cheese
Add herbs (chive, basil, oregano, parsley) - whatever you have fresh
I add cured salmon, ham or bacon, but you could leave this out or substitute with tofu)
Pour into a greased pie pan or larger (8x8 or 9x13) pan, depending on how many eggs you used.
Float halved cherry or thinly sliced regular tomatoes on top
Bake at 350 for 20 - 50 minutes. (time depends on the number of eggs) It is done when the edges are firm and the middle is not jiggly. Allow to set on counter for about 10-20 minutes before cutting.
To stretch this recipe, add cubed bread pieces.
Oatmeal Recipes?
granola doesn't require steel cut oats. I make it with regular oats all the time. Just make sure they aren't "quick" or "minute" oats
So what's in your tuna sandwich?
Fell in love with this one in France (no mayo)
Canned tuna (in oil is best)
Kidney beans (about a half-can)
Red onion (chopped)
Capers
Chopped green or black olive
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Fresh parsley and/or tarragon
Mix everything to desired consistency and flavor. Serve on crusty french bread.
Making homemade pizza (from pre-made dough) - share your tips
I make my own dough, but if you buy it, the baking techniques are the same:
use a pizza stone (I line my bottom oven rack with unglazed red quarry tiles and bake directly on that)
Like tommy said, heat your oven to the highest temp for a long preheat to really heat the stone/tiles.
Use a pizzal peel with cornmeal. If you don't have a peel, use a large cutting board or the bottom of a sheet pan sprinkled heavily with cornmeal so you pizza will slide from it to the oven. The cornmeal prevents sticking and adds a nice crunch to your pizza.
Use great ingredients and less is more. Also like Tommy, I don't use a "suace". A few chopped San Marzano canned tomatoes, a few slices from a ball of fresh mozzarella from your local deli, and some fresh basil, and maybe some procuitto makes a great pizza.
Another winner at my house is a grating of Gruyere, some sliced roasted chicken, and some caramelized onions.
Best Iced tea recipe?
4 green tea bags, 1/2 "tub" Crystal Light, 2 quarts boiling water. (1 "tub" is said to make 2 quarts of Crystal Light lemonade...we use half that for the tea)
This is a calorie-free high anti-oxident delicious beverage.
Six Frozen Yellow Fin Tuna Steaks- what to do with them?
if the quality/texture is good enough once thawed, encrust in crushed peppercorns or sesame seeds and sear to cook about 1/4 inch of the surface, leaving the interior rare. If the quality/texture has suffered in the freezer, I suggest braising for about 20 minutes in an italian puttanesca sauce and serving over pasta.
