Weirdest Thing I Ate All Day

Yes, folks, it’s a plate of fried smelt. 

Hub and I went to Cafe Madrid on Travis today.  The idea of going to Cafe Madrid is always a little better than the food.  It’s a fun place to visit.  I love picking out all sorts of little dishes to try.  Unfortunately, I’ve never really settled on anything that I’m totally wild about.  We like the sweetbreads quite a bit.  They didn’t have that today.  The octopus vinaigrette is good.  None of that either.  I decided on the fresh anchovies and some fried smelt for something different. 

Anchovies, a little too much garlic and vinegar, but good.  The fried smelt?  I’m not so sure about these babies.  We had fried anchovies in Italy and they were fabulous.  The smelt could have been fried pencil erasers and I wouldn’t have known the difference, other than the fact that the smelt fish have eyeballs.  Since Cafe Madrid is kind of hit and miss, I was wondering if they had actually fried the dish too long.  I mean, there was no flavor at all really.  Very crispy and then chewy.  Chewy like jerky, not fish.  No white fish flesh, nada.  I did finally find one big fatty.  Still, nothing to get excited about, though I could detect a hint of fish flavor.  Hubbard said he had fried smelt in a bar in Minneapolis and they were chewy, too.  “Just bar food, kind of like fish French fries”, he said.  Well, if they were French fries the outside would be different from the inside and I bet I would like them better.  I don’t think I’ll be trying the pile of fried smelt again. 

Maybe next time I should go to Cafe Madrid in Bishop Arts instead.  Maybe it’s different.  I wasn’t all together excited about paying $26 for a  pitcher of weak Sangria, either. 

Trophy Smelt.

I’m in Love with my Knife

Hubbard seems to be taking it well.  I’m just crazy about this knife that my sweet friend Emma bought for me.  It’s a Kyocera ceramic Santoku knife.  Lori used it the other night and confessed to having knife envy.  It’s super sharp and lightweight.  And it’s pink!!  Look at how you can see the red spatula through the blade.  It’s that thin.  But, it cuts like a razor.  I just love it.  We refer to it as the special knife. 

Something to put on your list for potential presents you might want to buy yourself.  Hey, you deserve it, right?!

Restaurant Week Looking for Your Input

Julie, from the North Texas Food Bank is putting together a Facebook page dedicated to Restaurant Week.  If you have any memories or thoughts about RW please drop her a line at Julie@ntfb.org.  Here’s a recent message from her.  I might have to look into this Twitter thing if I can get the inside scoop on RW!

“Hey yall – I haven’t heard from any of you, but I have just put Restaurant Week on twitter: It’s under DFWRestaurantWeek, so be sure to follow us to get updates. I will let you know when the facebook page is ready to go!
Thanks, and please email me with any stories or quotes to post!”

What’s on Your Short List?

Where are you going next?  I’m thinking about a few places…

Chapman Chile Kitchen

DiTerra’s Urban Italian

The new Penne Pomodoro in Lakewood (really close)

Sushi on McKinney (again!)

Hong Kong Market

I’d like a recommendation on a good Mexican grocery store.  There are so many out there, I really don’t know where to start.

Where are you headed?

Edible Yard Pictures

So, who knows what’s what below?  The first one is pretty obvious.  But, what about the rest?  All of the plants below can be used in cooking.

Edible Yard

Pork Belly

So, what do you think?

It’s a big hunk of pork belly, slathered with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt, sitting on huge onion halves, roasting in a 320 degree oven.  Will it be good?  I guess we’ll see in about 3 hours!

Well, it looks OK.  But, at this point, it’s begging for a sauce.  I’ve tasted it and it’s good.  It’s just not quite complete…  What to do?

Sushi on McKinney Reborn!

Some of you may know that I considered Sushi on McKinney to be my sushi comfort food spot for years.  Nothing fancy.  In fact, a bit Miami Vice, when it came to decor.  But, I loved the food and the sweet ladies who served it to me.  When it closed, I lost the place I could go no matter what I looked or felt like.  I lost the Ahi Special that looks like a big tuna parfait.  I was really sad.

Hubbard and I visited their new spot down the street last Thursday.  Same sweet ladies.  The food was a little better, though, and the decor is outstanding in comparison.  Live orchids on every table and art from a recent decade.  Right now it’s BYOB, so that’s fun too.  I’ll report back once I’ve check out the menu a little more thoroughly.  I didn’t see the Ahi Special on the menu, but I did see someone eating it.  Obviously, if I ask, I can get one. 

Hey, S!  You ready to go?

Do You Love Really Simple Things?

Sometimes that’s really the best way to go.  I always think if I go to a lot of trouble it will be a lot better.  But, that’s not necessarily true.  Like tonight… Hubbard made steak sandwiches last night.  So, we have leftover hogie rolls.  The steak sandwiches were terrific, by the way.  Grilled onions and cheese.  Anyway, tonight we wanted to come up with something else  you can put on a bun.  How about Sloppy Joes?  Matt Martinez has a great recipe in his first book for just the thing.  This is an adaptation of that recipe.  What could be more simple?

I started with a half-frozen pound of ground beef.  When I buy ground beef, I freeze it in one pound portions in quart sized freezer bags and smash them as flat as possible before freezing.  That way, when it’s time to thaw, it happens super quickly.  I’ve been known to break it into chunks with my hands to promote the thawing.  I threw the beef into a skillet and added…

1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup (or so) chopped onion and celery
1 – 4 oz can of diced, hot Hatch chili peppers
1 tablespoon chili powder (or more)

The meat wasn’t really thawed.  But, it sure was once I turned the heat on and it all sauted together.  Once it looks good, you add…

3 tablespoons of flour 

Cook for two or three minutes, until the flour is incorporated and starts to thicken things up.  You want the raw flour taste to go away, but you don’t want it to stick too much.   Then add…

1 – 8 oz can of tomato sauce

Cook until just right to pile on a bun.  Tonight, I’m thinking of topping one side of the buns with grated cheese and sticking them under the broiler.  Once the cheese is melted, I’m going to add the Sloppy Joe stuff and serve.

Easy and super good!  Some Lay’s Original potato chips and some Ranch Style beans should make a perfect pig-fest!

When It’s Just You

I’m going to have an evening alone pretty soon.  Hub is going to a bike related activity that doesn’t interest me too much.  I’m going to stay home.  Hubbard is almost always home with me and we plan our evenings with each other in mind.  But, what about when it’s just me?  What should I do?  What should I have for dinner? 

I always think it’s a good idea to do something that Hubbard wouldn’t usually be very enthusiastic about doing.  I mean, I love sushi.  He likes it.  I often go have sushi when he’s away.  Another option is something that is expensive.  I mean, it’s only half as expensive if it’s just me, right?  Maybe I’ll go buy some Alaskan King Crab legs and indulge myself in a little drawn butter and crab.  Maybe I’ll catch up on some podcasts of Splendid Table.  Maybe a little online shopping.  Hmmm…. what to do… what to do?

What about you?  Do you live it up when you’re alone?  Or do you pop in a frozen pizza and curl up with a good movie?  Maybe a hot, bubble bath and a glass of wine.  What’s your idea of a perfect evening alone?