what do you feed a foodie?

as related by liberal foodie and get in mah belly, i had the absolute pleasure of hosting them and beth (and our husbands) for dinner last week. of course, i had anxiety about what i should serve. what do you make for people who actually like food, and don't just eat it to survive? i stuck to some tried and true dishes to alleviate the anxiety. sorry, i'm a wuss when i have to make food for other people to eat.

first, i decided to make an easy appetizer: radish-chive "tea sandwiches" (whatever that means)
1/4 cup butter at room temp
3 tbs minced chives, divided
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds (just toss for a few minutes in a hot skillet)
3/4 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp sesame oil
16 1/4-inch-thick baguette slices
10 radishes, thinly sliced

mix butter, 2 tbs chives, sesame seeds, ginger, and oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. spread butter mixture over each bread slice. top with radishes, overlapping slightly. sprinkle with remaining chives.

i am a huge fan of pork. it is one of my favorite meats (along with turkey). i feel like you have to love something to be able to prepare it well. so for the main course, i decided on our family's special occasion (puts in appearances on christmas eve and birthdays) pork tenderloin teriyaki.

marinade, per 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin:
4 tbs soy sauce (i used tamari)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger

combine it all and marinate the pork for your desired amount of time. i slice the pork pre-marinating and put it all in a ziploc for the day (refrigerated, of course). you can cook the pork under the broiler or on the grill as you see fit. just a few minutes on each side. i don't use a thermometer; i use the juice-is-clear-it-must-be-cooked method.

i also made a greek salad, which i was thinking the whole time i was eating it didn't taste quite right. the next morning, i realized when i opened the refrigerator it was because my dumbass forgot to add the feta. oh well.

all in all, it was a wonderful evening with great food and great conversation. can't wait to do it again.

blast from the past

i must start this post by saying i do not drink pop. maybe once a month. maybe. if i really need a mcdonald's fountain coke or i go to frisch's and get a vanilla coke.
but i had to try throwback pepsi, made with natural sugar instead of the dreaded high fructose corn syrup. my first taste made me think of diet pepsi, only without the super-nasty aftertaste. that diety-taste disappeared, though, with the second taste. i pronounce the throwback pepsi positively delightful. and it tastes pretty good from a can.

since i am more a coke girl than a pepsi girl, i really hope they make throwback coke. i have been told the reason why coke in a glass bottle tastes so much better is because it has cane sugar and not corn syrup. however, i inspected this the other day and found the bottled coke does have high fructose corn syrup. so it's amazing taste remains a mystery.

the holy grail

once upon a time, jknepfle charged me with the task of seeking the holy grail, promising me the rewards would be rich should i succeed at this quest. legend tells of the holy grail being nestled deep in a valley in the land of delhi. my first attempt failed miserably, as the way was shut and the chamber dark and empty. my second endeavor proved worthy, and banners ceremoniously welcomed me, proclaiming my triumph.
the cavern was lit with the light of glowing crests and keno screens. as was bespoken, the bounty was indeed plentiful. i was served twisted pretzels with a glorious, golden sauce, slightly spicy and a perfect complement.
illustrious paul goebel created reuben wontons, full to the brim with corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and the dressing of a thousand islands. i found the combination gratifying, although my companion brian did not find it so.also presented was an incontrovertibly succulent beef patty cloaked in bleu cheese, garnering a 5/6 on the gradation governing all burgers in the kingdom. the accompanying barbeque sauce was neglected as it did not captivate the palate.a brew bubbling with blueberries was brought to me. it was overly sacchariferous and not the divine drink i remembered from my youth in the countryside of clifton. perhaps my youth or intoxication had rendered me indiscriminate.

sakura

brian and i are too poor to eat sushi at beluga before his brother's shindig, so we decided to check out sushi westside style at sakura, the japanese steakhouse (complete with hibachi) and sushi bar that opened where dante's used to be. we have heard mixed reviews about the food and service, so we needed to see for ourselves.

i haven't been in dante's since i was a kid and went there for breakfast with my grandparents after church, but i am pretty certain the chandeliers in the dining room are the same. no matter. the interior is much more minimalist than the heavy red and gold i remember.

sakura gets points for cocktail creativity. i have never before had a wasabitini.

composed of ciroc vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and a dissolved "pea of wasabi", the effect is quite scintillating. very pleasurable and unusual, like the essence of sushi in a glass. one was enough, though. it's too...dynamic...to drink a lot of.

first course was the jj's salad - spicy crab and cucumber. held together by something i suspect was mayonnaise, which gave it a heavier flavor and texture than one would expect from crab and cucumber. brian really liked it, although he struggled with his chopsticks transferring it from plate to mouth.

we ordered the eel and cucumber roll, smoked salmon, and bluefin tuna. all were fine, nothing out of the ordinary. the fish was probably not the freshest i have ever had, but it was by no means bad.

we were pleased with the service. it was efficient and i was never without water. and the sushi chef was friendly. sakura is connected to poppy's by a glass wall, where there is a distinctly different menu. we saw club sandwiches going by to be delivered to the bar. there was live music and some folks were dancing. in 10 years it will be a great place for us to hang out.

band member telling me "no photos, please". awkward.

beluga: not a review, a rant

pop quiz:
you are out at a swanky night spot with some girlfriends. you walk into a room where a dj is playing and have a seat at one of the tables. a few minutes later, someone asks you if you know this is a private party. do you:
a) apologize, explaining you were unaware
b) leave the room and enjoy the dj in the front room instead
c) get up and start dancing provocatively in the middle of the room
d) two of the above
e) none of the above

while you ruminate on your answer, i would like to tell you this is not a review of beluga, the swanky night spot in the above scenario. this is a review of bad behavior by adults who should clearly know better. last night, my brother-in-law's girlfriend hosted a party for him at beluga, with a dj set up in one of the back rooms. my brother-in-law is freshly arrived home from boot camp and is leaving again monday. four girls walk in and sit at the table next to me. nicki (brother-in-law's girlfriend) tells me she has no idea who they are. i casually tap one on the arm (the one wearing leg warmers) and explain this is a private party for my brother -in-law, etc. she says she didn't know, chats with her friends for a second, and a few minutes later they get up. they get up and start dancing. no one else is dancing. they continue to dance and hang out for an undetermined amount of time, as brian decided it was time for us to go.

ok, i know it's a club. i know there was a dj (that nicki was paying for) and the room wasn't completely packed with people wishing my brother-in-law well or roped off in any way. but, what the f? at least introduce yourself to the guest of honor if you're going to crash his party.

bison burgers

i headed north to columbus last weekend for a conference. i have one rule when eating out in another city: it can't be anywhere that i can eat in cincinnati. ted's montana grill fit this requirement and promised bison burgers.

ted's (founded by ted turner) is interesting because it is very eco-friendly, you know, for a chain restaurant that serves burgers and chicken fried chicken. the straws are made of paperboard. the toilets flush two ways; up for liquid and down for...you get the picture. they are 99% plastic free. that's admirable.

the ambiance in the restaurant is great. dark wood paneling. big bar. very masculine, but not oppressive. bowls of pickles on each table.

we all ordered bison burgers, which are served up 25 different ways and all are presented with an american flag stuck in the top (obviously removed pre-photo).

the burgers were a good size and full of EXCELLENT flavor. not at all greasy. mine had bleu cheese, mushrooms, and bacon, which i paired with rancho zabaco dancing bull zinfandel. (seemed appropriate.) the bun held up well to the giant burger. the fries were also amazing. fresh cut and not overly oiled or overly browned. this is kind of blasphemous, but i think i like them better than terry's turf club. shh...they may revoke my cincinnati blogging privileges.

for dessert we shared the strawberry shortcake, which i easily could have eaten all by myself. the shortcake was real shortcake, not that spongy crap kroger's tries to pass off as shortcake. the berries and syrup were fresh and not too sweet. i think the server mentioned they were organic strawberries and never frozen. a perfect ending.*must give props: all photos are the handiwork of my fellow pharmacy student andy, who kindly humored my blogging habit. thanks, andy.

good friday at dewey's

somehow, it has become a good friday tradition that we eat at dewey's; two years in a row constitute a tradition, in my opinion.


two years in a row, brian and i have arrived first at dewey's.

maybe since its a holy day is how things like that actually happen. if you note in the previous post we were just as shocked.


as you may guess from the picture above, i find the green lantern to be a pizza far superior to mere mortal pies. look at the crust, brimming with delicious artichokes, pesto, and goat cheese. phenomenal. behold the power of the green lantern.
dewey's salads

candied walnut and grape. i didn't care for the dressing. much too thick.
i had the peppercorn ranch. sometimes (often times) i tend to get what i know because i like it. this salad is something i order every time i am at deweys. i see everyone else order the Greek/Mediterranean and it always looks so good. but every time i still order the peppercorn ranch. its good. it does have bacon (as you can see) and friends have ordered it without it and also liked it. the dressing is the right consistency and good flavor.



eric and i split a small make your own pizza. we like things spicy so we have jalapenos with chicken. simple, spicy and tasty. this is something else that i order often (not every time) as pizza toppings.