As I am sure you are aware, there was a horrific mass shooting in my beloved city last night. Of course, things like this bring out the best and the worst in many people. I am proud to belong to this community and so proud of the way people came together from all walks of life to help out in any way they could.
Community – a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
People waited in line for up to 10 hours to donate blood. Citywide, culinary community members delivered meals, water, snacks and blood to donation locations across the valley.
Our culinary community and hospitality community offered meals, drinks, blood, and hotel beds to anyone who needed them. Read this great article by pal Al Mancini to see how so many are helping out.
Even if you are not in Vegas, you CAN help.
Follow the link to donate funds to the GoFundMe campaign to help victims and their families.
Many restaurants are donating food and beverages around the clock. Call a local restaurant and offer to pay for some meals to be delivered. Here’s a short list of some that are active participants.
Give cash to the Red Cross or donate blood in your community.
Be sure to hug your loved ones often. Give thanks for their safety. Finally – many thanks to all of you who reached out, called, texted, messaged or emailed to make sure my family, friends and I are all safe. Thanks as well to the many readers of this blog who have donated time, cash, blood, food and every other thing imaginable.
The final stop on our cruise was Amsterdam and though we stayed a couple of days and I could have used a few more even if it rained all but 5 hours of our stay. Amsterdam has a wild food and beverage scene. From the streets, to the cafés, and “coffee shops”, there is so much going on. We learned quickly that “coffee shop” is a euphemism for hash or weed shop. If you actually want coffee you need to go to a café where you can also get beer, wine and some great snacks. What we found fascinating were the number of ethnic restaurants in the tourist corridor and the complete lack of Dutch restaurants. We saw everything from Turkish and Italian to Mexican and Halal eateries, but not one single Dutch restaurant other than the cafés.
Our hotel, the Marriott Renaissance, was centrally located in the downtown, tourist corridor. While it was convenient to everything we wanted to do, we wished it was a better hotel. For the record, we didn’t choose it. The lobby and public areas are contemporary and lovely, but the room was a major disappointment after the opulence and luxury of the River Princess. The carpet was stained in several places, one of the chairs had a tear, the bed was uncomfortable and the breakfast was atrocious. Thankfully we weren’t in an isolated area and could explore Amsterdam easily away from the hotel. The only bright side to the hotel was the café that had some great local beers and a friendly staff.
The Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam
After a morning including the happy accident of a Banksy exhibit at the MOCO Museum we decided to continue acting like tourists. In Amsterdam, near one of the seemingly thousands of canals, there is a daily open air market, the Albert Cuyp Market. Here you can find everything your heart desires from souvenirs and clothing to produce and ready to eat snacks. Even in the rain, it was a treat to walk through and check out all the stalls, vendors and food. The produce is glorious, the souvenirs as schlocky as you would expect and the clothes exactly what you would find at a swap meet. What we found really interesting were the cheese, fish and meat vendors selling fresh product to take home. And it wasn’t just tourists shopping at the market; there were plenty of Amsterdam locals who had favorite merchants there. Needless to say, I had a BALL! Of course Gouda (pronounced HOW-duh) was purchased and brought home. The merchant happily pointed out the “factory made” vs. handmade cheeses. Three guesses as to which ones ended up in my shopping bag.
The red is aged, the green has herbs and the yellow is “young”. All together about a kilo and €15
Just Say NO! to Herring
And then of course there was the street food. I had to eat them all! I even tried the herring! It is known that if you are in Amsterdam, you should have some herring. John wouldn’t touch it, and after one bite, I didn’t blame him. I took a second bite, hoping for the best, but it’s just not for me. I like pickled herring and creamed pickled herring and this wasn’t like either of those. And it wasn’t the taste, it was the texture. I found it slimy and a little tasteless if I am being honest. Thank goodness for the dill pickle and the onions on the roll with it, or it would have had little to no taste at all. There is no photo because, well, it was gross and who wants to see that, or my face upon NOT enjoying?
Moving on to Tastier Things
I am not a fan of waffles in general, unless it is a waffle cone with ice cream inside, therefore I wasn’t entirely sure about stroopwafels. Let it be known, I am convert! They are thin (like a waffle cone), crispy, waffle sandWISH cookies with caramel smeared between the layers. The trick to eating them is to keep them in the paper wrapper because the caramel is like glue and will stick to every single thing it touches. Totally worth the trouble, believe me!
Even in the rain, this was a delish treat! Golden brown and crispy with a gooey center. What could be wrong with that?
On board the ship the final night, one of the dessert offerings was poffertjes. We tried them, and frankly were a bit disappointed since we had heard and read a bit about them. So when we saw them being made in the market, we elected to give them another try. I am so glad we did! If you have ever been to an Italian style street fair, like San Gennaro, I hope you have had the good sense to eat “fried dough”. These little puffs of pan fried, yeasted batter taste similar, but they are tiny, coated in butter and powdered sugar (traditionally) and you don’t feel guilty for eating an order of 10! Check out the video of the vendor flipping them. On the ship they were cooked like waffles between two plates and were more like cake than dough. You can see the difference here in the video and picture. They puff up on the pan and then collapse onto themselves making layers of doughy goodness.
This was an order of 15 and John and I shared them because we were eating ALL the things!
No, I Am Not Making That Up
Then we had the bitterballen. No, I am not making that up and get your mind out of the gutter. Yes, I know we are talking about Amsterdam, but this is about food dammit! These are our favorite of all the snacks we tried. So much so, that I am planning to make them at home. You know how when you chill gravy it turns into gravy jello? Ok, make the gravy even thicker, throw some finely chopped meat in (usually beef or veal). Then chill it, form it into balls, bread it and deep fry it. Yes, my friends. Deep fried gravy balls! We liked them so much that we had three different versions in 2 days and the “original” was our least favorite. They are always served with mustard, and it oddly works! The gravy never gets back to the liquid consistency, so they aren’t a mess to eat. They are just damn good.
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Drinking is a mainstay on all cruise ships. After all, when you are on vacation you feel freer to enjoy a cocktail at any hour. That has been true on our river cruise as well as ocean cruises we have been on. The difference is the quality, not the quantity of drinking. The bar was stocked with brand names you recognize and civilized beer, not only on tap, but in bottles (no Bud, Miller or Coors). And I have to admit, I was drinking more wine and champagne on this trip than I have all the rest of this year. I normally avoid both because of migraines and hangovers in the past, but I had no issues at all in Europe. Was it the wine, or that I was relaxed? I am crediting the wine – perfection!
Each evening we had regional wine pairings created by Sorin our head bartender who is working toward his Sommelier certificate (a little more challenging with his mobile work venue) and has 13 years of experience working in the beverage industry. I am not an expert on wine, by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like and can tell you that the wines were delicious. Each region we sailed through had us drinking a different type of wine. In Budapest we had Hungarian wines, Austrian wines in Austria and of course, crisp and clean Riesling and Pinot Blanc were what we were drinking through the German wine regions.
Drinking My Vodka and Soda in a Daiquiri Glass
Without exception, the entire bar staff on the ship was exceptional, starting with Sorin, Stoyan, and Bruno. What makes a great drinking experience for me is that the bartenders knew what I wanted after just a few visits to the bar. We pesky Americans LOVE our ice and I personally love a tall or large glass. These guys had it figured out in just a few days and started serving me my drinks in daiquiri glasses because they held the most ice and liquid by volume. I may have looked a little ridiculous drinking my vodka and soda in a daiquiri glass, but, “Frankly I don’t give a damn.” And Agnes (the only woman on the food & beverage service team) in the dining room had my number too. I asked for a “large glass of caffeine” in the form of a Diet Coke at lunch and she made that happen in a red wine glass, the largest they had in the dining room.
City-side Drinking Experiences
And of course there were the city-side drinking experiences. We hit 5 breweries in 5 hours in Bamberg, found a brewery and a fine American style cocktail and cigar lounge in Vienna, and a craft beer bar in Frankfurt where we were having such a good time drinking with the locals that we skipped dinner on the ship! There were so many opportunities to enjoy local adult beverages and we took advantage of them all!
Bamberg – Five Breweries in five hours! Wish we had more time in this city! Currywurst, pretzels and beer.
Vienna – Left – Beer at a little bar, Kruger American Bar cocktail lounge, 1516 Brewery with the best coaster of the entire trip. Right – all the goodies from Demel Cafe – Amaretto coffee, Sachertorte and the House Specialty torte.
Frankfurt – L – R Mispelchen, Calvados brandy and a special breed of apricot. You do it as a shot – chew the apricot and then drink the brandy, tagliatelle with in season chanterelles, local craft beer, all at Naiv bar; the hilarious trashcans in the touristy city center.
Remember how I mentioned that John upgraded our room to a suite? Well, yeah. The suite came with an honest to goodness butler who has been trained by the head butler to the royal family in England. It is part of the corporate structure of Uniworld and Red Carnation Hotels (sister companies) that the butlers are all trained in classic English tradition. Our butler, as mentioned before is named Panche and I’d love to take him home just for the little details (he folds laundry like it was meant to be folded). John has a sweet tooth and always has some sort of chewy candy on or in his nightstand at home. John had been grabbing a small glass and filling it with gummi bears from the lounge snack bar stash and leaving it on the nightstand. Panche saw this and replaced the offending glass with a proper canister for his chewy treats! We, of course, had a great chuckle over that one! I mentioned how much I have always wanted to learn how to “saber” a champagne bottle and he provided me with an instruction sheet and a lesson using a bottle of bubbles given to us by British Airways as a celebratory gift for our 30th Anniversary. It’s the details kids…it’s the details.
After the sabering lesson, Chef Daniel treated us to caviar complete with accompaniments and fruit.
As I sit waiting to go through one of the many locks (in total more than 60) on this voyage, I am stumped on where to begin and how to share with you how much fun I am having with the food and how much I appreciate the detail oriented service from the ship’s staff. I do miss cooking though, and can’t wait to get back to my kitchen to play with the new spices and pastes I picked up. At home I would just rattle some pans, but I think Chef Daniel might take umbrage with me just waltzing into his kitchen. For the record, I have asked for a tour of the kitchen and have yet to be invited to check it out. According to Marin, the hotel manager, the entire kitchen is electric. As one would expect, no open flames are on board. And there are of course safety concerns with allowing guests into “behind the scenes” areas of the ship.
Continued Excellence from the Kitchen
The food on board this trip continues to be quite excellent. If you have ever been on an ocean cruise, you know how fucking miserable THAT food is, and that is SO not the case here. I expected after the Welcome Dinner (see Part 1) that the food would be simpler, or somehow “less” and that is not the case AT ALL (witness John’s lamb shank, below, from the other night). Continued excellence from the kitchen and the bar staff pleases me to no end. The freshly baked-on-board breads and the variety of European cheeses are truly wonderful. And I feel quite virtuous that I am skipping dessert most evenings or selecting the cheese plate. The other fun thing about the food on board is that regional specialties are served as you sail. For instance in Hungary we had Paprikash, in Austria there was Schnitzel and so on. And to make it even more special, they gifted me with a set of recipe cards of some of the dishes that we have enjoyed on this cruise.
Lamb Shank with roasted root veg
Roast Duck with red cabbage and potato dumpling
Recipe cards featuring some of the recipes from this cruise and a few other Uniworld itineraries as well.
Special Surprise for our 30th Anniversary
Our cabin attendant, Veronika, is a gem. Fast and efficient, she always makes sure the room is perfect whenever we return from any adventure. Upon returning from dinner one night, there was a bottle of bubbly, rose petals, a bow and electric candles set out as a special gift for our 30th Anniversary. I am not sure if a staff member overheard us talking, or our travel agent, Phillip Archer, clued them in, but it was an unexpected treat!
We came back from dinner to THIS – chocolates, bubbly German “champagne” and a beautiful setting. And yes, those are electric candles.
The service from the wait staff in the dining room and bar are spot on! Because the ship is intimate, they are able to provide personalized service and attention. After a few meals, they know I don’t drink coffee, skip dessert most evenings, and always want water. The bartenders know what I want to drink and have it ready in an instant.
Uniworld must have a lock on the best tour guides in the river valley. Without exception, each of the guides has been knowledgeable, entertaining and fun to be with. At the Melk Abbey, we were guided by docents of the abbey, but in every other city thus far, we have had a local who gives great tips on what to see, do and eat outside of the tour. So far my faves have been Elizabeth at the hops farm and Stephanie in Bamberg.
Here I am, bedecked with a freshly cut wreath of hops at the Hallertau Hops Farm. Just call me the Hops Queen!
This is the original “town hall” or Court in Bamberg. When royalty came to visit they stayed nearby and all of the merchants and “support staff” worked from here to accommodate the royals. Grain, beer and other consumables were stored here as well. This building was used in The Three Musketeers version with Orlando Bloom and Mila Jovovich.
And let us not forget our Cruise MANAGER (not cruise director) Heidicha (Pronounced Hi-DEE cha)! She has the patience of Job and has demonstrated that time and again this cruise, not only with me (and I can’t remember SHIT!) but also with a few problem children who don’t listen to anything anyone says. I plan things and get paid to it, but I’d be slapping someone if I had to do her job. She’s incredible
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Stay tuned for more soon! John upgraded our cabin to a suite for the remainder of the voyage and all I can say is WOW! We now have an honest to goodness butler . No. I am not kidding. His name is Panche (pahn SHAY). Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For Facebook, enable ALL notifications so you never miss a post.
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When we started planning our 30th Anniversary trip, and The Hubs suggested a European river cruise, I looked at him slack jawed and said, “Why would you want to do that?! You hate cruises!” We had been on a few ocean cruises and he said he felt “trapped” and really didn’t enjoy the food (I agree), the entertainment (I agree), the other people and their kids or anything about it, so I was beside myself wondering why he thought he’d enjoy a river cruise. Apparently he’d done some research behind my back and hit me with the details.
He had checked out a few different routes, cruise lines and options and had decided on Uniworld’s European Jewels 15 day river cruise over the others for various reasons:
Unlike Viking, because Uniworld is a “boutique” cruise line that specializes in river cruises, there was a significant price difference, so the chance that there would be families with young kids was reduced. In fact we anticipated being among the youngest on our ship and we are.
All of our meals, snacks and beverages (including alcohol) are included all day long. Many of the other cruise lines had upcharges for beverage packages, just like the ocean cruises.
All tips and shore excursions are included on Uniworld. Each city offers multiple excursions, and of course there are options for “bespoke” tours that are exclusive to each ship and itinerary at an upcharge. That was not the case with the other lines. On other river cruise lines the options for shore excursions were limited and all were at an additional fee; just like an ocean cruise.
Each ship has less than 200 passenger occupancy. Our cruise has 63 passengers (half capacity).
While we had lived in Europe at the beginning of our marriage, each of the cities on this cruise would be new to us.
When it comes to the excursions, Uniworld provides a small “QuietVox” unit and earpiece to help you hear your tour guide in even the noisiest of conditions. The Vox unit also works while you are sailing to indicate and explain points of interest on the banks of the rivers. Everything from castles and ruins to modern architectural marvels and small towns are explained.
Make No Mistake, This is NOT a Budget Trip
Make no mistake, this is NOT a budget trip and it is one you should plan well in advance and be prepared for a bit of sticker shock if you are used to ocean cruises and their pricing. The bonus with THIS type of all-inclusive service is that are really no financial surprises. You can leave your wallet in the safe until it is time to go on an excursion, and sometimes even then.
Our ship is the River Princess and while our cabin is smaller than I imagined, it is outfitted with luxurious linens both on the bed and in the bathroom. It is beautifully appointed in an “old world” style in keeping with the locales we’ll be visiting. Our stateroom attendant offers turndown service and handles special requests of course.
Regionally Influenced Wine Pairings
And let’s talk for just a sec about the food and beverage. SOOOO much better than I could have hoped for! Our welcome gala dinner on this river cruise was beautifully plated and included regional cuisine from the area of Europe we were travelling through at the time. Spot on flavors, regionally influenced wine pairings, with excellent preparation and attention to detail from kitchen to service. After speaking at some length with the Chef (did you think I wouldn’t?), Chef Daniel informed me he shops the markets at each port so all the ingredients are the freshest possible.
River Cruise Welcome Dinner
The following pics are from our welcome dinner. A set menu with the entree as the only option. It was truly fantastic!
Amuse Bouche of bleu cheese mousse
Shrimp cocktail with radicchio
Scallop with risotto and caviar garnish
Broiled branzino with bok choy
Veal Chop with bearnaise – John enjoyed this. I just say “NO” to bearnaise because I dislike tarragon. Had there been another sauce, I’d have eaten this! It was perfectly cooked and seasoned…other than the tarragon.
Chocolate mousse with mango sorbet
Dessert assortment of mousse cakes. These were petit fours sized.
Watch for part 2 on this river cruise extravaganza as WiFi permits. Enjoy the photos here and follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for frequent updates throughout this journey.
If you have been searching for my posts lately, I am sorry. I’ve been stuck in a rut. A rut doing the same old things, visiting the same old places and generally NOT trying new things. It is blistering hot outside (Hello? It’s Vegas!). I am bored, and I am too damn hot and bored to do anything about it!
“I don’t like it down here. It stinks.”
We all get there at different times in our lives. Those times when trying new things or stretching our comfort zone is a fucking chore. I am there. Right now. I am stuck. In fact I am a little down in the dumps, and as my Mom says, “I don’t like it down here. It stinks.” I know that getting out and doing stuff, trying new things, always makes me feel better, but frankly, I have no interest in doing much of anything right now.
So how do I get “unstuck”? Well…I have been cooking of course; sometimes with friends and sometimes alone. I have been trying new things, and teaching others some tried and true things. And yet, I still find myself stuck in this fucking rut!
I made these sourdough sesame bagels. They came out looking more like pretzels. I think I figured out WHY they were so dark, but haven’t had the gumption to try them again to test my theory (too much lye in the water bath). Stuck.
A little darker than I wanted or expected. I suspect too much lye in the bath, but I don’t care enough to re-try the recipe…Stuck
No stretching my comfort zone. Stuck.
I hosted our monthly supper club – Cooking with Gemini – again. It was Greek themed this time. I offered gyro meat, spanakopita and dolmades. And I made labneh for the first time; not that difficult. No stretching my comfort zone. Stuck.
Pals John and John learned to work with phyllo and created the spanakopita. I do love men in the kitchen.
I did check out a relatively new place, Cured & Whey for a fab panini (Spanish ham and Manchego cheese with quince jam) and some lovely conversation with the owner. But I would hardly call that stretching my comfort zone. Stuck.
House made pickles came with this fab sandWISH and I loved every bite.
As I write I am getting ready to revisit Chicago for the first time in several years, and while I love the city, I am left wondering should I hit up the tried and true spots that I love and can’t enjoy here, or should I try new places, or a combo of both? Will I “ruin” my trip if the new places don’t live up to the hype or expectations? Will I label myself as a boring tourist if I stick to what I know and already love?
I despise being called boring. If you want to insult me, that’s one of a very few words that’ll REALLY piss me off. And yet I am about to label myself that way because I am STUCK. In fact, I feel boring and probably deserve that hated word. So, for now, I am reading M.F K. Fisher’s recollections of Provence in 1970, and I find myself very much in her mindset; simultaneously wanting familiarity, and wanting to experience new things at the same time. And I curiously find myself increasingly annoyed by people who never annoyed me before, like M.F.K. did all those years ago in Provence.
So, I’ll sit here, reading, drinking tea, and smoking, waiting for my next adventure to begin.
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Hype…is it really all that? Is hype a product of a great PR team? Are “people in the know” really that knowledgeable? Who decides what is great, “on trend” and a “must have”? I have never claimed to be an expert on ANYTHING. I know a little bit about a lot of stuff and I know what I like and I will share that info with you. I try to keep this a positive space, because we have all been told, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. But every now and then I just have to dish on stuff that isn’t great.
Was I Disappointed BECAUSE of the Hype?
Recently I went to a few places that were chattered about, recommended to me repeatedly or just had so much hype and press that I had to go and check them out to see if they lived up to the hype. Some did and some were disappointing. I have to wonder if I was disappointed BECAUSE of the hype. If these dishes hadn’t been SO talked about and swooned over, had there not been so much hype over them, would I have felt differently? Or am I right and they just aren’t that great?
Friend, and fellow food lover, Zack and I did some “food crawling” and day drinking while he was here last month and we checked out some places that I hadn’t been to yet and a few tried and true places that I knew he would love. When we got to the Cosmopolitan there was miraculously no line for Egg Slut. Moment of Truth – they have been open here in Vegas for quite a while and because I do not like to wait in line for anything, let alone food, I hadn’t been yet. So we bellied up and ordered the “iconic” Egg Slut. It is whipped potatoes with a coddled egg. You mix it all together and chow down. Yeah…I don’t need to eat that ever again. I found it bland, boring and tasteless. If you want a tastier version, go to Carnevino (Scroll to the bottom of the menu for the dinner side dishes) and get the Mascarpone & Guanciale Mashed Potatoes there. You’ll thank me later. Did I dislike it because I had Carnevino’s version first? Who knows?! All I know is that I am glad I never waited in line to eat it. I might go back and try their version of the egg sandWISH* if there is no line though.
The most underwhelming dish so far of 2017. The “iconic” Egg Slut.
In San Diego last weekend, three people in one night told me I HAD to go to Slater’s 50/50 and try the self-named burger. They all told me it was amazing and that there was nothing else like it. So I went to see if it would live up to the hype. Um…I can skip that in the future. It’s a burger that’s half beef and half ground bacon and topped with all the stuff I love – a runny egg, avocado and pepper jack cheese. It sounded like something I would dream up on my own; almost like they plucked it out of my id. My egg was only partially runny and the burger was really salty. If you know me at ALL, if I say it is salty…it’s fucking salty! What I did love about this place was the amazing draft beer menu that was chock full of fab local beers. I also loved the fried bacon mac & cheese balls. This was the best version of fried mac & cheese I have ever had. I felt guilty for wanting them and even guiltier for eating and loving them.
Studded with bacon and literally oozing with cheese, these were the best version I have ever had.
And Now for the Good Stuff!
With Zack, I went to Momofuku and not having heard anything other than “everything is awesome there” we tried the chilled spicy noodle dish on the lunch menu. YES! The noodles were cold; the sausage was hot, both in temp and spiciness. In fact, it is one of the best dishes I have eaten so far this year! I need to get back there and try more stuff!
Before we mixed it up, you can barely tell there are noodles in this dish. Cold noodles, candied cashews and warmed spicy sausage made this a winner!
While eating our way through the Venetian, Zack and I went to Chica to visit with pal Chef Mike Minor. New resto openings always get a lot of hype and this one was no exception. I’d have gone anyway just to visit with Mike, but now I need to go back. Nearly everything he sent our way was fantastic. Of particular note were the corn dishes. Their street corn was dirty, sexy, and over the top. And their twist on mac & cheese was inventive and toothsome and downright delish! And don’t even get me started on the chicken and avocado arepa. Sloppy and so packed with flavor that I need to eat it again.
Imagine the best chicken salad you have ever had, replace at least 1/2 the mayo with smooth guacamole and you’d be on the right track.
If you have read this far, thank you! Last week marked the 6th anniversary of this blog. If you haven’t subscribed, please do – there’s a convenient button for it at the top right of the page. You’ll hear from me on Tuesday evenings only when I post something. Yes, that’s right, just once a week regardless of how many posts I make in a week and NO, I won’t sell or share your email address.
Lionfish in San Diego, a partnership between Clique Hospitality Group and Andy Masi, is a place you will want to check out and visit often. The gorgeous dining room and bar are perfect settings for both dinner and happy hour with an eclectic menu. Handcrafted cocktails, small shareable plates, excellent entrée selections and thoughtfully prepared sides fill the menu.
You may indulge in caviar, the raw bar or a prime New York strip steak. What coastal California menu would be complete without fresh seafood selections? With a California twist on the preparations, Chef Jojo Ruiz has created unique dishes. Chef Ruiz is a homegrown San Diego chef, paying close attention to presentation and interesting flavor combinations to wow everyone. Expect to find locally caught sushi and sashimi and entrée fish dishes. The “on trend” use of seasonal ingredients is evident on the menu, so expect changes and surprises when you visit repeatedly. There are several vegetarian options to choose from on the small plates and sides menus. Gluten free items are indicated on the menu for those with a gluten concern.
Lionfish Packs a Huge Flavor Punch
Do try the Spicy Grilled Octopus and the Lamb Tartare! Both were excellent, perfectly pitched in spice and seasoning and beautifully plated. The New York Steak Tataki was packed with a huge flavor punch. The service team and management staff all work together seamlessly with confidence, care and courtesy, making for a truly enjoyable dining experience.
This lamb tartare was so good that the beets were just gilding the lily.
New York Steak Tataki – with sour, sweet, and salty notes, this hit all the right buttons for me.
Spicy Grilled Octopus. Tender, delicious and just the right hit of spice.
Recently opened in the Gaslamp District of San Diego, Lionfish is located in the Pendry Hotel at 435 Fifth Avenue. Reservations are suggested – call 619.738.7200
Sparrow + Wolf is my most anticipated restaurant opening in ages. I have waited for fucking EVER to eat Brian Howard’s food again. Since Comme Ça closed in 2015, the only time I was able to enjoy this Chef’s food was at events.
Neighborhood Cookery INDEED!
Sparrow + Wolf opened last Wednesday in Vegas’ Chinatown and although we wanted to be there, we didn’t want to be there. You know what I mean? So, we planned a date night at Sparrow + Wolf and it turned into “old home week”! Their sign says “neighborhood cookery and libations”. Neighborhood Cookery INDEED! You would have thought we planned a night out with friends. So many people we knew walked in the door! It was fantastic to see folks we hadn’t seen in some time, former clients of mine from a previous job and try some fantastic food.
We left our menu selections in Chef Brian Howard’s hands and he sent out some amazing stuff! The only item we selected was the dessert because I knew John would love it. There was only one item that I didn’t care for, but that is a personal preference, not a verdict on the dish. And it is not pictured here.
Be sure to make a reservation – they’ve been packed!
Heads up – they have been PACKED every night, be sure to make a reservation. We chose to sit at the bar, because we enjoy that, and yes, we made a reservation FOR the bar. The cocktail menu is fun and tasty and of course I didn’t take any pics of my drink, but I had the Have Knives Will Travel and it was delish! Craft beer on tap (no crap on tap) makes me even happier! The Stone Tangerine IPA was available, grab it while you can.
Enjoy these quick pics and I promise a more in depth post after I visit again.
These are NOT your grandad’s clams casino where you eat a dozen and are left wanting more. Adding uni to Clams Casino? Gilding the lily you could say, and you’d be right, but in the best of ways. It is slightly pricey, BUT worth every penny and it’s so rich you only need one! My fave dish of the night.
A unique presentation for sure. The hamachi is on a crispy, cloudlike rice cracker. This hits all the right notes – salty, sweet, spicy and crunchy.
Beautiful duck breast with seared foie gras and woodear mushrooms. Again gilding the lily, but in the best possible way. This dish was introduced and enjoyed at Whiskey in the Wilderness, it’s even better here in the resto where they have perfected it!
You may think udon with lamb bolognese would be sacrilege, and I did too…at first. It works for me! The thickness and toothiness of the noodle is the perfect foil to the sauce.
Beef cheek and bone marrow dumpling. JUST when I think I am done with foams…THIS arrives! This was The Hubs’ fave dish of the night.
Calamansi tart – think of everything you love about citrus, and that’s a calamansi. With vanilla meringue and blueberries.
I know some of you do not enjoy cooking, and that’s ok. But what if I told you it is like therapy when you do it with friends? I personally love cooking. I don’t enjoy it for myself; I am happy with something grabbed out of the fridge if I am eating alone. I am happiest when cooking for, and with, a crowd. Maybe that’s why for almost 20 years I did live cooking demos as a job. It could explain why I love what I do now (managing culinary events and tradeshows). Perhaps that’s why I have always wanted my own food show.
Friend John M and I have often joked that we should have our own TV show about cooking together. We both love cooking and love doing it together. And more times than not, we end up laughing our asses off. Each of us enjoys cooking alone, but when we cook together, the enjoyment is amplified. We smile more, relax more, and the act of cooking together ratchets up the enjoyment of the meal itself. Sadly we don’t always MAKE TIME to have this happen, but that has changed.
Friends cooking together is more than “many hands make light work”. It’s fun therapy anyone can get behind.
Friend Gemini is going through a rough time physically and LOVES to cook. We have tried to get our schedules to synch up to enjoy cooking together for ages and we finally made that happen. Cooking with Gemini was born! It started with inviting Gemini and her guy John to my house to cook. Then we invited a few other couples where at least one member of the duo loves to cook. I literally had a house full of Johns, as every single man in attendance was named John! Toss in Friend Janet who loves cooking and has some chops, and Friend Lynn and we have a winner. Moment of Truth – Lynn HATES to cook, but she is HELL on clean up and she took all of the pics, so that is her contribution. We intentionally chose menu items that we had never tried before, or wanted to learn from someone else. We decided on fish baked in a salt crust, which none of us had ever tried to do, and fresh gnocchi. Gnocchi is a personal favorite of mine and I coached everyone through that process. Some prep was done ahead of time, but the idea was to do as much as possible together.
All the tension melted away
At first there was a little tentativeness on everyone’s part. For me, I am very comfortable being bossy, but I don’t USUALLY like to boss my friends around. I needed to get over that and take charge of the flow. For others, they felt in some way like they didn’t want to step out of bounds in my kitchen, or get in someone else’s way. All the tension and tentativeness melted away gradually while we made gnocchi with truffles and garlic and amberjack baked in a salt crust. We laughed while we drank wine and stood shoulder to shoulder to roll gnocchi. Everyone who wanted to “get their hands dirty” was given a job and of course there was shock and a learning curve involved. Especially when we went to crust the fish and realized it hadn’t been gutted…my fault. The Hubs was appalled I didn’t learn to do that in culinary school (they were always cleaned for us). Thank goodness for former Boy Scout John M! He coached me through the process, and it was easier than I imagined with his guidance. A salad of blanched veggies with hearts of palm and sun dried tomatoes rounded out the meal.
Gutted Amberjack stuffed with lemons getting ready for the salt crust.
Hand rolled gnocchi. The lines in this case come from a gnocchi board available at Sur la Table (link above)
Food is so much more than fuel
Most of the folks in attendance knew at least one person other than The Hubs and me, but no one knew everyone. Politics were left at the door. We talked about food, booze, books, movies, games, ourselves and our lives. We got to know one another on a deeper, more intimate level and everyone left relaxed. As if they had gone to a therapy session with a masseuse or a shrink. We had such a good time; we decided to make a monthly event of it. Our next event will be Cajun/Creole themed. It was decided that sticking with one base idea and working off that premise would make a more cohesive evening, food wise. We also decided to keep it small and intimate and only the folks invited to the first one will be invited to future events to grow and nurture these new friendships, to foster the love of cooking and to keep it manageable for everyone to be able to participate. For each attendee, food is so much more than fuel. We all LOVE food, appreciate the details and effort that go into the prep, and revel in the outcome. And doing it all together made it so much more than just a shared meal.
Friend John M removes the skin after the salt crust has been cracked off.
The gnocchi were finished in olive oil with black truffles that came from Try the World in my “Italy box” and fresh garlic
To finish off the meal, Gemini brought a gorgeous flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. She garnished with candied flowers and freshly whipped cream and plated it a la minute.
Flourless chocolate cake with ganache and candied flowers
If you are in need of self-care, try cooking with friends. Set up your own cooking supper club. You’ll end up feeding more than your body; you’ll feed your soul and your mind too. Watch for future pics of “Cooking with Gemini” on my Facebook page and Instagram.
![Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste by [Barr, Luke]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51CLjhLj8ML.jpg?resize=283%2C441&ssl=1)
