why study when there's indian buffet to be had?

it was a dark and relatively stormy afternoon. four pharmacy students hunch over a table, studying furiously for their last final before graduation. a low rumbling begins, and blood sugars are plummeting. strange things erupt from mouths, impossible mnemonics that are completely illogical.

jenn, heather, and matt; studying furiously

the first attempt to ward off hunger is a visit to the vending machine. peanut m&m's. matt tweets "i just had a dark chocolate peanut m&m-gasm". apparently blood sugars are back up, but focus is not what it should be. discussion of neurosyphilis and ibsen's ghosts ensues. clearly time to break for lunch.

what would be a better treat than indian buffet at amol india?

the legend behind amol and ambar's proximity and similarity is that two brothers feuded and the result was the competing restaurants.

don't park here unless you are going to amol or habanero. NO PARKING for ambar.

hungry pharmacy students enter via the back door. there is a vague odor of something unpleasant (urine?), but it quickly passes.

steaming indian buffet awaits

matt heaps spoonfuls of indian delights on plate #1

i load up my plate with round one. onion nan! today is a fabulous buffet day.

my plate

the problem with indian buffet becomes quickly apparent: no individualized spice levels. everything is prepared level 1. after sampling a number of dishes, chicken vindaloo emerges as the winner, despite mysteriously shaped chicken pieces. the vindaloo has a little more flavorful spice to it than the others. the saag paneer, usually a great favorite (um, ok, one of the greatest foods ever), is a disappointment when compared to ambar's offering next door.

on to dessert. some of everything, of course. the yellow is a custard with nuts, kind of a vanilla pudding without the sweetness. in the white is kheer. think tapioca with a light, refreshing taste (possibly cardamom?). the fried spirals of dough coated in crispy sugar are delicious javeli. (i am not sure where this name comes from; when i google it, a weapon used for hunting in portugal comes up most frequently.)

a trio of desserts

$30 (including tip) for three grossly full stomachs is not unreasonable. overall, the students are satisfied with their meal. perhaps a nap is in order rather than more studying. only time will tell.

three well-fed and happy students, eager to get back to not studying

cactus pear

all the food at cactus pear is fabulous. i have never had a bad meal there. their mojitos and margaritas are equally outstanding. the atmosphere is friendly and the service (usually) stellar. it is another pharmacy student favorite, along with mecklenburg gardens.

but my point today is to rave about their salsa. it is the most unique chip accompaniment i have found. first, it's black. second, it's cilantro free (as far as i can tell). it has a roasted tomato taste and i suspect a recipe that includes crack. the nomerati mentioned recently it did not have enough of a kick, but i think the flavor is complex regardless. plus, less spicy equals more consumable to my bland midwestern palate. smoothly textured, the salsa can be amply heaped on a chip. my only complaint is they now charge $1 for this savory perfection.

mmm...makes mouths happy

so, go today for margaritas and chips and salsa. your tastebuds will dance and sing.

welcome back, ciabatta

larosa's has re-introduced their ciabatta sandwiches for a limited time.

i was quite a fan of the turkey ciabatta, which was not resurrected. instead i settled for the deli ciabatta with capacolla ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese and "ciabatta spread". previously, i remembered the spread on the ciabatta as a pasty, sun-dried tomato. all i could taste on this one was italian dressing. i have also never had provolone cheese in little oily cubes before; it was really more like feta. overall, the sandwich was fine, although not what i remembered and slightly overpowered with italian dressing.

is the ciabatta worth keeping around? the bread is unique, but the sandwich stuffing was suspiciously similar to a royal hoagy. i was excited about the reappearance initially, but now i would just be happy to get the ciabatta bread with my salad. i don't think the sandwiches add anything to the larosa's menu.

interesting taste sensation

today, i discovered something fairly disconcerting. i was eating at a bar and grill type place and found pinot grigio tastes really good with dill pickles.

a night out in newport

awhile back, veggie option offered to satiate my curisosity and take me to the crazy fox for some absinthe. last week we were finally able to meet up.

we had dinner at the pepper pod, a classic greasy spoon on monmouth in newport.

unfortunately, the table juke boxes no longer work. we figured, based on the selections, they stopped working sometime in the 80s.

salisbury steak slathered with gravy, mac and cheese, fries - all for $5.50! it was pretty much what one would expect. note the shine on the gravy.on to the crazy fox. it was a pretty low key crowd, but it was a wedensday. veggie said on weekends it can get pretty packed, especially if there's a band.

the crazy fox has a sense of humor about itself

we had a blanche and a verte absinthe, i cannot remember the names. i believe, from what i've read, that it was prepared in the classic french absinthe ritual. basically, a flat, perforated absinthe spoon is laid across the rim of the glass, and a cube of sugar is placed on the perforated area of the spoon. the sugar is used to balance the bitter taste of the wormwood. ice cold water is dripped into the absinthe from a small pitcher. this very slow and gradual addition of the water forms the heart of the absinthe ritual, and is done with or without the sugar.

it is desirable for absinthe to gradually demonstrate increasing turbidity or turn partially translucent as ice water is gradually added to it, known as the louche effect. the louche effect is primarily produced by the herbs anise and fennel, and the precipitation of the herbal essential oils. (reference here)

the louche effect in all its glory

my first glass of absinthe

i have to say, the absinthe smelled much better than it tasted. it smelled subtly of anise, but the actual flavor was much more pronounced. it also became significantly more potent as it warmed to room temperature while veggie and i gabbed about everything from fresh popcorn to traveling abroad. i liked the licorice flavor; it was like jagermeister with the frat boy removed (beth's paraphrasing of my description). definitely more refined and complex than jager, it is still not really something i ever see myself drinking a lot of. i barely had a third of the glass and was beginning to feel warm and tingly. oscar wilde is quoted as saying of absinthe, "after the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. after the second, you see things as they are not. finally, you see things as they really are, which is the most horrible thing in the world.” regrettably, i don't even think i could drink enough to see things as i wish they were.

i did have a fab time hanging out with veggie option, even if absinthe didn't make my list of favorite liquors. maybe next time i'll try it in a cocktail, like the chrysanthemum.

cloudy with a chance of meatballs

did anyone else love this book when they were a kid? such a creative story, and what a fantasy. can you imagine all the food you ate everyday just falling from the sky at the appropriate time?it was absolutely one of my favorites, especially the part where things start to go haywire and it does nothing but rain cream cheese and jelly sandwiches all day (another childhood favorite - cream cheese, strawberry jelly, and bananas on pumpernickel). well, they have made it into a movie, and people, it's 3-D! i saw my first preview for it today, before up (a great 3-4 kleenex pixar endeavor). it looks like they changed the plot a bit, save the food falling from the sky. we'll see. it opens fall this year.

first watch: a brief review

this is pretty much the most boring review ever. first watch - it's good. it's consistent. they bring a huge pot of coffee to the table so there is no wait for refills. why not personally a caffeine addict, i can appreciate that convenience because i am a water drinker and they also bring a pitcher of water.

i always order either the key west crepe or the chicken salad melt. they are reliable. the sourdough toast and breakfast potatoes are good.

i don't feel the need to describe anything there in glowing terms laced with stunning adjectives. the food doesn't deserve it. "good" is the most appropriate descriptor. and unlike some other restaurants mentioned previously (ahem. montgomery inn.), the crowds around first watch on sunday morning (and every other day of the week) are completely justified.

sorry so unimaginative. i don't even have pictures to jazz it up.