....I've officially moved in at http://winemedinemecincinnati.com
This site will stay up, but it's 100% mirrored at the above URL. Please change your bookmarks and RSS feeds-- though the Feedburner feed I use will transfer quite easily.
See you over there-- it's still being updated.
(And that's not the big news. Check out the new website soon, where I'll announce the ACTUAL big news. Aren't you excited? I am.)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
News: Bootsy Ruby's
You've all heard that Bootsy Ruby's is opening, but I chatted with Bowie over at Jeff Ruby's Culinary Entertainment and got some more details:
It's opening on December 1st, but won't open to the public until Thursday, December 3rd. They expect to seat 100-150.
Chef Mark Bohr will be the Executive chef-- new blood from Sarasota, FL and Chicago.
They will be featuring tapas, sushi, and signature cocktails with a Latin flair-- influences include Spain, Latin America and South America.
Around 10-11 PM, the restaurant will transition to the lounge. There will be a resident DJ (not yet announced) and an area of the restaurant that is cocktail-only, as well as an area that is bottle service only. Bowie emphasized that Bootsy Ruby's, unlike other venues in what has become the new bar district, will be a restaurant first and a lounge second.
You can expect to spend $40-50 per person to have dinner, but with plates running between $7-13, you can get a quick bite before a show or something after a show as well and not break the bank. This seems like a nice, high-end alternative to a lot of the more expensive restaurants in that block-- it seems like it will fit in, but maybe be slightly more affordable, depending on how much you eat/drink.
Watch this space-- you'll be seeing a little bit more about Bootsy's sometime soon.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Review: Relish Modern Tapas
Every once in a while, a few of us at work get a wild hair to go someplace that isn't "cheap chinese" (AKA Chan's Asian Wok, which is both cheap AND good, a rarity in Mason). Someone suggested Relish (I think it was Susannah) and I jumped on the chance. We piled into my car and headed over.
Relish's surroundings are interesting-- very modern, with high ceilings, lots of light, and lots of sharp angles. It's very different than the usual decor of the chains in Mason-- a nice change.
The one thing that I noticed about the menu is that there isn't a whole lot of continuity. Unlike menus that have a theme (and this one is supposedly tapas), this seemed more like small portions of a whole lot of different dishes. To test this theory, the five of us tried a pretty wide variety of dishes, off of both the lunch and regular menu.
My coworkers are such good sports.
Steve and I both ordered grilled cheese and soup. The soup choices were shrimp drop and French onion. I got the shrimp, he got the onion.
The onion soup, according to Steve, was pretty authentic-tasting, and didn't taste prepackaged. There was enough cheese on top-- but not too much-- and a generously sized crouton.
The garnish for both soups were strips of tortilla (either the natural yellow corn color, or colored bright blue or bright red, how...patriotic?) and a lot of balsamic reduction.
The shrimp drop soup was excellent-- well seasoned, a lot of shrimp, strands of eggs, and vegetables. I think it was probably my favorite dish of anything I tried, and soup is rarely a "winner" in most meals.
There was balsamic reduction on everything, we'd soon discover. It covered every flat surface. It garnished everything. It was so overdone that at least one of us got some on a sleeve.
The grilled cheese sandwich, unfortunately, wasn't great. At a restaurant such as Relish, I expect a grilled cheese sandwich to be somewhat inventive-- good quality bread, cheese-- something. It was thick-cut white bread, american cheese, applewood bacon (which was not as crisp as it could have been) and a slice of tomato. I could have made it at home, and probably better. The potatoes served with the dish were good, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination was not worth $7.75, even with the soup.
I also ordered some tapas for the table. The menu needs to be clarified a bit. The servings are of similar size, but the "large" plates are what they consider "entrees", the "small plates" could be appetizers and the "petite plates" are more like sides. The lunch menu are for people who dont' want to share at lunchtime (thus completely negating the appeal of tapas). It's very confusing. I ordered the Signature Relish Chorizo and medjool dates wrapped in smoked bacon. I had the idea in my head that it was dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon, but instead these were chorizo meatballs wrapped in bacon, with little to no hint of date. They were good, but a lot heavier and richer than I expected, and I really wanted to taste the dates, which I didn't. It was also swimming in the grease from the chorizo. I wouldn't order it again.
My coworker John ordered the tuna tartare for the table, as well as a Reuben. The tuna tartare was excellent-- very fresh, simple but great flavors, and a good portion size. The soy and lime made it very bright and fresh, while the capers added an edge of salt. I'd definitely order this again. I didn't try his Reuben, but he said it was a traditional Reuben and a lot of food-- a good value for lunch.
Susannah, the vegetarian, ordered the potato spheres and some grilled asparagus. She said the asparagus was perfectly grilled (always good!) and the goat cheese was a nice complement. I tried a potato sphere-- it's basically deep fried potato balls. Perhaps I'm used to potato spheres being the molecular gastronomy sort; a suspension of potato puree encased in a sphere, but I thought these would be different. They weren't bad (deep fried potato anything can't be bad) but the name was misleading. The wasabi cream tasted more like tzatziki, but worked well with the dish, even though there was a drop of balsamic reduction on it, too.
Nick got the mini cheeseburgers and some zucchini. I tried the zucchini-- well-flavored, not overdone, a really good choice (and I'm a big fan of zucchini). Nick liked the cheeseburgers-- said they were a good value (he's a value minded kinda guy) and tasty, on good bread with fresh toppings. Say no more.
Last but not least, dessert. Every meal comes with some complimentary almond and sesame lace cookies. I need the recipe, they were great. We fought over the last one. There was no balsamic reduction on that plate. I was shocked.
I'd go back, but I would have a few bits of advice: garnish is lovely, but garnishing every dish with balsamic reduction is overdoing it. Get some continuity to your menu-- it seems a little random. The tapas don't seem modern, but instead, scattered. Get a writer in who can redo things unambiguously (I'm for hire..) because several parts of it are confusing and some of the descriptions are downright misleading. If you're going to do a lunch menu, do it tapas-style. The average customer you will get, even at lunchtime, is not going to want an American cheese sandwich. Even just a change of ingredients-- crusty bread, smoked gouda, whatever-- would really make a huge difference in that lunch menu.
And two cookies per person, please. Darn, those were good.
Relish's surroundings are interesting-- very modern, with high ceilings, lots of light, and lots of sharp angles. It's very different than the usual decor of the chains in Mason-- a nice change.
The one thing that I noticed about the menu is that there isn't a whole lot of continuity. Unlike menus that have a theme (and this one is supposedly tapas), this seemed more like small portions of a whole lot of different dishes. To test this theory, the five of us tried a pretty wide variety of dishes, off of both the lunch and regular menu.
My coworkers are such good sports.
Steve and I both ordered grilled cheese and soup. The soup choices were shrimp drop and French onion. I got the shrimp, he got the onion.
The onion soup, according to Steve, was pretty authentic-tasting, and didn't taste prepackaged. There was enough cheese on top-- but not too much-- and a generously sized crouton.
The garnish for both soups were strips of tortilla (either the natural yellow corn color, or colored bright blue or bright red, how...patriotic?) and a lot of balsamic reduction.
The shrimp drop soup was excellent-- well seasoned, a lot of shrimp, strands of eggs, and vegetables. I think it was probably my favorite dish of anything I tried, and soup is rarely a "winner" in most meals.
There was balsamic reduction on everything, we'd soon discover. It covered every flat surface. It garnished everything. It was so overdone that at least one of us got some on a sleeve.
The grilled cheese sandwich, unfortunately, wasn't great. At a restaurant such as Relish, I expect a grilled cheese sandwich to be somewhat inventive-- good quality bread, cheese-- something. It was thick-cut white bread, american cheese, applewood bacon (which was not as crisp as it could have been) and a slice of tomato. I could have made it at home, and probably better. The potatoes served with the dish were good, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination was not worth $7.75, even with the soup.
I also ordered some tapas for the table. The menu needs to be clarified a bit. The servings are of similar size, but the "large" plates are what they consider "entrees", the "small plates" could be appetizers and the "petite plates" are more like sides. The lunch menu are for people who dont' want to share at lunchtime (thus completely negating the appeal of tapas). It's very confusing. I ordered the Signature Relish Chorizo and medjool dates wrapped in smoked bacon. I had the idea in my head that it was dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon, but instead these were chorizo meatballs wrapped in bacon, with little to no hint of date. They were good, but a lot heavier and richer than I expected, and I really wanted to taste the dates, which I didn't. It was also swimming in the grease from the chorizo. I wouldn't order it again.
My coworker John ordered the tuna tartare for the table, as well as a Reuben. The tuna tartare was excellent-- very fresh, simple but great flavors, and a good portion size. The soy and lime made it very bright and fresh, while the capers added an edge of salt. I'd definitely order this again. I didn't try his Reuben, but he said it was a traditional Reuben and a lot of food-- a good value for lunch.
Susannah, the vegetarian, ordered the potato spheres and some grilled asparagus. She said the asparagus was perfectly grilled (always good!) and the goat cheese was a nice complement. I tried a potato sphere-- it's basically deep fried potato balls. Perhaps I'm used to potato spheres being the molecular gastronomy sort; a suspension of potato puree encased in a sphere, but I thought these would be different. They weren't bad (deep fried potato anything can't be bad) but the name was misleading. The wasabi cream tasted more like tzatziki, but worked well with the dish, even though there was a drop of balsamic reduction on it, too.
Nick got the mini cheeseburgers and some zucchini. I tried the zucchini-- well-flavored, not overdone, a really good choice (and I'm a big fan of zucchini). Nick liked the cheeseburgers-- said they were a good value (he's a value minded kinda guy) and tasty, on good bread with fresh toppings. Say no more.
Last but not least, dessert. Every meal comes with some complimentary almond and sesame lace cookies. I need the recipe, they were great. We fought over the last one. There was no balsamic reduction on that plate. I was shocked.
I'd go back, but I would have a few bits of advice: garnish is lovely, but garnishing every dish with balsamic reduction is overdoing it. Get some continuity to your menu-- it seems a little random. The tapas don't seem modern, but instead, scattered. Get a writer in who can redo things unambiguously (I'm for hire..) because several parts of it are confusing and some of the descriptions are downright misleading. If you're going to do a lunch menu, do it tapas-style. The average customer you will get, even at lunchtime, is not going to want an American cheese sandwich. Even just a change of ingredients-- crusty bread, smoked gouda, whatever-- would really make a huge difference in that lunch menu.
And two cookies per person, please. Darn, those were good.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mini Review: The Madison, buffet
The Madison, buffet
Originally uploaded by winemedineme
I recently attended a wedding at The Madison in Covington. It's awfully easy to take pictures of food at weddings-- no one thinks ill of you for having a camera out.
I've been to several weddings at the Madison-- it's a gorgeous facility, as far as reception halls are concerned. The food isn't bad for reception hall food-- they have a lot of choices, and their "basic" menu isn't bad.
The usual choices are chicken and beef tenderloin. Chicken's hard to keep from getting rubbery on a steam table, so I went with the carved tenderloin. It was pretty good-- not as rare as I would like, butnot cooked to death, either. The vegetables (green beans and a squash/carrot mix) were good and not overcooked. The mashed potatoes were made out of actual potatoes (I went to one wedding where there were still lumps of potato flakes in the potatoes-- yuck!) and not bad either. The white sauce is horseradish cream (a bit m ore than I would have liked) but was pretty tasty.
There was also a cheese tray, cocktails, bread with cinnamon and regular butter and, of course, wedding cake (and I have no idea who DID the wedding cake-- must inquire). Their per person charge also includes wine and beer, so it's a beautiful spot and not a bad value, either. Weddings are so darn expensive.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Shameless Plug: The Boys Next Door
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I have been so busy for the past few weeks that I forgot to shamelessly plug Falcon Theatre's The Boys Next Door, which just got a great review in City Beat. And if you come tonight (we have tickets left!) you'll see me working house. What a deal, huh?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Recipe: Chicken Satay, Chicken Salad and Apple Tarte Tatin
On Monday night, I was in a real mood to cook. I have no idea why, but it overcame me. Earlier that day I read smitten kitchen and was inspired to make an apple tarte tatin. I had all of the ingredients except the apples. I couldn't just go to the store for apples, so I also decided that chicken Satay sounded good. About $20 and two hours later, I had a pretty tasty dinner.
First, the apple tarte tatin. If you're not familiar, its basically a French, upside-down apple pie. You cook the apples in butter and sugar, then top it with pate brisee, a butter-based pastry, and bake it. It sounds really difficult, but it isn't!
Molly's directions are so darn great, I can't improve upon them. I will give you a few additional tips: make sure that the crust is slightly BIGGER than the pan so you can tuck it in, and also make sure you've separated the pastry from the pan. Really. It'll still taste good if it falls apart.
The chicken satay was really easy as well. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and doubled it. One batch was made with hot madras curry and the other with Thai yellow curry. You see, Terry doesn't like curry-- he had a bad experience involving Air India and food poisoning. I'm convinced he just needs to try it in ways that don't involve airline food. After eating three skewers' worth of chicken, he said, "Wow, these are good, what's in them?" Turns out, he liked the curry!
Yum. I served them with couscous, peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce. My upstairs neighbor, Ilan, came down to see what smelled so good and I sent him home with some satay and peanut sauce. He liked it too!
Since I had a ton of chicken left, I did what I love to do with leftover chicken: make chicken salad. My favorite is curried chicken salad, also known as Coronation Chicken. Mine's not terribly traditional, but I still think it's great-- and a great use for leftover chicken.
There aren't a lot of measurements here-- I hate to be Rachael Ray and say "eyeball it", but that's what I do-- taste and eyeball.
1 pound of cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
handful of chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise (I use Light Hellman's), about a half cup, or enough to moisten the chicken
Mix it all together. Easy, peasy. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to develop. It tastes great alone or on some nice, crusty bread.
First, the apple tarte tatin. If you're not familiar, its basically a French, upside-down apple pie. You cook the apples in butter and sugar, then top it with pate brisee, a butter-based pastry, and bake it. It sounds really difficult, but it isn't!
Molly's directions are so darn great, I can't improve upon them. I will give you a few additional tips: make sure that the crust is slightly BIGGER than the pan so you can tuck it in, and also make sure you've separated the pastry from the pan. Really. It'll still taste good if it falls apart.
The chicken satay was really easy as well. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and doubled it. One batch was made with hot madras curry and the other with Thai yellow curry. You see, Terry doesn't like curry-- he had a bad experience involving Air India and food poisoning. I'm convinced he just needs to try it in ways that don't involve airline food. After eating three skewers' worth of chicken, he said, "Wow, these are good, what's in them?" Turns out, he liked the curry!
Yum. I served them with couscous, peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce. My upstairs neighbor, Ilan, came down to see what smelled so good and I sent him home with some satay and peanut sauce. He liked it too!
Since I had a ton of chicken left, I did what I love to do with leftover chicken: make chicken salad. My favorite is curried chicken salad, also known as Coronation Chicken. Mine's not terribly traditional, but I still think it's great-- and a great use for leftover chicken.
There aren't a lot of measurements here-- I hate to be Rachael Ray and say "eyeball it", but that's what I do-- taste and eyeball.
1 pound of cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
handful of chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise (I use Light Hellman's), about a half cup, or enough to moisten the chicken
Mix it all together. Easy, peasy. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to develop. It tastes great alone or on some nice, crusty bread.
Blog Action Day: Poverty
Have you ever been hungry? Truly hungry. Not just "I forgot to eat today! Oops!" hungry. Or "I'm on a diet and eating less than I used to" hungry. Or "What's in my pantry to last until payday?" hungry. We've all experienced those sorts of hunger.
I mean "not knowing where your next meal is coming from" hungry. "My children go to bed without dinner" hungry. They have no ramen to squeak by on, no PBJs to get tired of. Their pantries are bare, their freezers unstocked, and
With the economic downturn, people who have never experienced hunger may experience it for the first time. Hunger is not limited to the inner city and the homeless. 40% of the people who use the non-profit organizations associated with the FreestoreFoodbank are from suburban or rural areas. 57% have at least a high school education. 28,600 different people receive services per week.
This is just in Cincinnati.
Worldwide, 16,000 children die daily of hunger related issues. 923 million people are hungry daily. Poverty, the focus of Blog Action Day 2008, finds its most extreme form in hunger. Food is our most basic need, and not being able to eat is something that is unfathomable to most Americans.
Food costs are up. Inner city areas often don't have the same kind of access to fresh food that suburban areas do. People who don't have cars, can't afford public transit, and are limited to convenience stores aren't even eating real food. Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity-related diseases are caused by this malnutrition. Hungry? No. Well-fed? Not really.
So what can you do? Start local. Help your neighbors.
1. Support the FreestoreFoodbank. It's easy-- you can donate online. You can organize your own food drives. You can even donate to the virtual food drive, which allows you to buy things that are truly needed. It's sort of like online shopping, with free shipping and everything goes to a great cause. Myrita Craig, spokesperson for FreestoreFoodbank says, "When we feed someone, we earn their trust, and we use that trust to talk about how else we can help them by utilizing any of our programs (housing, foodstamps, medicaid, job training, bus tokens, work clothes, etc.) It is our mission to help people become more independent and self-reliant, and food is the catalyst for that change. Food is where our work begins, not where it ends."
2. Replate. This one's a little off the wall-- but makes so much sense once you think about it, particularly if you live in an urban area.
It's a pretty simple movement: you're walking down the street in your urban metropolis, burrito or sandwich or bagel in hand. Considering the way portions have gotten out of control, chances are you won't be finishing that item that's approximately as large as your forearm. So here are your choices:
1) Wrap it up, put it in your bag, and save it for later (whenever I do this, it either ends up leaking in my bag or I end up throwing it out anyway. Yuck.)
2) Throw it out in the nearest garbage can.
or..
3) Go to that garbage can, and instead of tossing it in... put it on top.
Pretty simple, huh?
I'm not saying to leave tins of mayonnaise-laden tuna salad to rot in the sun and give people botulism. I'm not saying to leave a full meal on top of a garbage can in a bag (though if you want to, hey, bully for you!). Just be thoughtful about your leftovers and their eventual demise, and maybe help out someone who would really appreciate what we throw away.
For some ideas about what you can eat on a limited budget, check out The Hunger Challenge.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
News: Top Cheftestant from Jag's!
A big ol' wine me, dine me shout out to Lauren Starling Hope, who is Chef Tournant at Jag's Steak and Seafood in West Chester. She's a cheftestant on Top Chef this season. I watch this show anyway, but hey, now I have a local to root for! I'll be interested to hear her story unfold on the show.I also need to try out Jag's for more than just cocktails-- I've heard great things. I just never get up to West Chester!
Friday, October 10, 2008
News: New York Times Magazine Food Issue
Ooh, I'll be running out to grab the NYT on Sunday-- the Magazine looks fascinating. Locavorism, Kosher (I am fascinated by Kashrut laws, and ecological Kashrut vs. strict Halachich Kashrut), "What's In Your Fridge", which I think needs to be a blog post here...
Discuss!
Discuss!
 clipped from www.nytimes.com
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Recipe: Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast Casserole
Originally uploaded by winemedineme
Terry loves to talk about breakfast casseroles, because he loves breakfast (He recently discovered that he loves cooking breakfast for me. How it took this long to figure it out is beyond me!) and because they're so easy. My grandma used to make one that involved Swiss cheese, ham, powdered mustard, white bread, and eggs. Terry says he's always made them with sausage. We decided to take last Sunday as a "barely leave the house" day before a busy week, so a breakfast casserole is perfect; just pop it in the oven for an hour, directly from the refrigerator. The recipe he found randomly on the internet sounded pretty good, but we made a few changes and clarified the directions (which were, and I quote, "mix all ingredients together. Pour into a casserole and bake at 325.").
Breakfast Casserole
6 eggs, beaten lightly
8 slices bread, torn into large chunks
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 pound sausage, cooked and drained
1 small sweet onion, diced and sauteed
1 red pepper, diced and sauteed (the sauteeing is optional. We didn't. I think it would taste better if we did.)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine sausage, cooked onion and red pepper and bread in a bowl. Mix milk, eggs, cheese and mustard together, then combine with sausage mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a greased casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 325 and bake, uncovered for an hour.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Movin' on up...
....I've officially moved in at http://winemedinemecincinnati.com
This site will stay up, but it's 100% mirrored at the above URL. Please change your bookmarks and RSS feeds-- though the Feedburner feed I use will transfer quite easily.
See you over there-- it's still being updated.
(And that's not the big news. Check out the new website soon, where I'll announce the ACTUAL big news. Aren't you excited? I am.)
This site will stay up, but it's 100% mirrored at the above URL. Please change your bookmarks and RSS feeds-- though the Feedburner feed I use will transfer quite easily.
See you over there-- it's still being updated.
(And that's not the big news. Check out the new website soon, where I'll announce the ACTUAL big news. Aren't you excited? I am.)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
News: Bootsy Ruby's
You've all heard that Bootsy Ruby's is opening, but I chatted with Bowie over at Jeff Ruby's Culinary Entertainment and got some more details:
It's opening on December 1st, but won't open to the public until Thursday, December 3rd. They expect to seat 100-150.
Chef Mark Bohr will be the Executive chef-- new blood from Sarasota, FL and Chicago.
They will be featuring tapas, sushi, and signature cocktails with a Latin flair-- influences include Spain, Latin America and South America.
Around 10-11 PM, the restaurant will transition to the lounge. There will be a resident DJ (not yet announced) and an area of the restaurant that is cocktail-only, as well as an area that is bottle service only. Bowie emphasized that Bootsy Ruby's, unlike other venues in what has become the new bar district, will be a restaurant first and a lounge second.
You can expect to spend $40-50 per person to have dinner, but with plates running between $7-13, you can get a quick bite before a show or something after a show as well and not break the bank. This seems like a nice, high-end alternative to a lot of the more expensive restaurants in that block-- it seems like it will fit in, but maybe be slightly more affordable, depending on how much you eat/drink.
Watch this space-- you'll be seeing a little bit more about Bootsy's sometime soon.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Review: Relish Modern Tapas
Every once in a while, a few of us at work get a wild hair to go someplace that isn't "cheap chinese" (AKA Chan's Asian Wok, which is both cheap AND good, a rarity in Mason). Someone suggested Relish (I think it was Susannah) and I jumped on the chance. We piled into my car and headed over.
Relish's surroundings are interesting-- very modern, with high ceilings, lots of light, and lots of sharp angles. It's very different than the usual decor of the chains in Mason-- a nice change.
The one thing that I noticed about the menu is that there isn't a whole lot of continuity. Unlike menus that have a theme (and this one is supposedly tapas), this seemed more like small portions of a whole lot of different dishes. To test this theory, the five of us tried a pretty wide variety of dishes, off of both the lunch and regular menu.
My coworkers are such good sports.
Steve and I both ordered grilled cheese and soup. The soup choices were shrimp drop and French onion. I got the shrimp, he got the onion.
The onion soup, according to Steve, was pretty authentic-tasting, and didn't taste prepackaged. There was enough cheese on top-- but not too much-- and a generously sized crouton.
The garnish for both soups were strips of tortilla (either the natural yellow corn color, or colored bright blue or bright red, how...patriotic?) and a lot of balsamic reduction.
The shrimp drop soup was excellent-- well seasoned, a lot of shrimp, strands of eggs, and vegetables. I think it was probably my favorite dish of anything I tried, and soup is rarely a "winner" in most meals.
There was balsamic reduction on everything, we'd soon discover. It covered every flat surface. It garnished everything. It was so overdone that at least one of us got some on a sleeve.
The grilled cheese sandwich, unfortunately, wasn't great. At a restaurant such as Relish, I expect a grilled cheese sandwich to be somewhat inventive-- good quality bread, cheese-- something. It was thick-cut white bread, american cheese, applewood bacon (which was not as crisp as it could have been) and a slice of tomato. I could have made it at home, and probably better. The potatoes served with the dish were good, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination was not worth $7.75, even with the soup.
I also ordered some tapas for the table. The menu needs to be clarified a bit. The servings are of similar size, but the "large" plates are what they consider "entrees", the "small plates" could be appetizers and the "petite plates" are more like sides. The lunch menu are for people who dont' want to share at lunchtime (thus completely negating the appeal of tapas). It's very confusing. I ordered the Signature Relish Chorizo and medjool dates wrapped in smoked bacon. I had the idea in my head that it was dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon, but instead these were chorizo meatballs wrapped in bacon, with little to no hint of date. They were good, but a lot heavier and richer than I expected, and I really wanted to taste the dates, which I didn't. It was also swimming in the grease from the chorizo. I wouldn't order it again.
My coworker John ordered the tuna tartare for the table, as well as a Reuben. The tuna tartare was excellent-- very fresh, simple but great flavors, and a good portion size. The soy and lime made it very bright and fresh, while the capers added an edge of salt. I'd definitely order this again. I didn't try his Reuben, but he said it was a traditional Reuben and a lot of food-- a good value for lunch.
Susannah, the vegetarian, ordered the potato spheres and some grilled asparagus. She said the asparagus was perfectly grilled (always good!) and the goat cheese was a nice complement. I tried a potato sphere-- it's basically deep fried potato balls. Perhaps I'm used to potato spheres being the molecular gastronomy sort; a suspension of potato puree encased in a sphere, but I thought these would be different. They weren't bad (deep fried potato anything can't be bad) but the name was misleading. The wasabi cream tasted more like tzatziki, but worked well with the dish, even though there was a drop of balsamic reduction on it, too.
Nick got the mini cheeseburgers and some zucchini. I tried the zucchini-- well-flavored, not overdone, a really good choice (and I'm a big fan of zucchini). Nick liked the cheeseburgers-- said they were a good value (he's a value minded kinda guy) and tasty, on good bread with fresh toppings. Say no more.
Last but not least, dessert. Every meal comes with some complimentary almond and sesame lace cookies. I need the recipe, they were great. We fought over the last one. There was no balsamic reduction on that plate. I was shocked.
I'd go back, but I would have a few bits of advice: garnish is lovely, but garnishing every dish with balsamic reduction is overdoing it. Get some continuity to your menu-- it seems a little random. The tapas don't seem modern, but instead, scattered. Get a writer in who can redo things unambiguously (I'm for hire..) because several parts of it are confusing and some of the descriptions are downright misleading. If you're going to do a lunch menu, do it tapas-style. The average customer you will get, even at lunchtime, is not going to want an American cheese sandwich. Even just a change of ingredients-- crusty bread, smoked gouda, whatever-- would really make a huge difference in that lunch menu.
And two cookies per person, please. Darn, those were good.
Relish's surroundings are interesting-- very modern, with high ceilings, lots of light, and lots of sharp angles. It's very different than the usual decor of the chains in Mason-- a nice change.
The one thing that I noticed about the menu is that there isn't a whole lot of continuity. Unlike menus that have a theme (and this one is supposedly tapas), this seemed more like small portions of a whole lot of different dishes. To test this theory, the five of us tried a pretty wide variety of dishes, off of both the lunch and regular menu.
My coworkers are such good sports.
Steve and I both ordered grilled cheese and soup. The soup choices were shrimp drop and French onion. I got the shrimp, he got the onion.
The onion soup, according to Steve, was pretty authentic-tasting, and didn't taste prepackaged. There was enough cheese on top-- but not too much-- and a generously sized crouton.
The garnish for both soups were strips of tortilla (either the natural yellow corn color, or colored bright blue or bright red, how...patriotic?) and a lot of balsamic reduction.
The shrimp drop soup was excellent-- well seasoned, a lot of shrimp, strands of eggs, and vegetables. I think it was probably my favorite dish of anything I tried, and soup is rarely a "winner" in most meals.
There was balsamic reduction on everything, we'd soon discover. It covered every flat surface. It garnished everything. It was so overdone that at least one of us got some on a sleeve.
The grilled cheese sandwich, unfortunately, wasn't great. At a restaurant such as Relish, I expect a grilled cheese sandwich to be somewhat inventive-- good quality bread, cheese-- something. It was thick-cut white bread, american cheese, applewood bacon (which was not as crisp as it could have been) and a slice of tomato. I could have made it at home, and probably better. The potatoes served with the dish were good, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination was not worth $7.75, even with the soup.
I also ordered some tapas for the table. The menu needs to be clarified a bit. The servings are of similar size, but the "large" plates are what they consider "entrees", the "small plates" could be appetizers and the "petite plates" are more like sides. The lunch menu are for people who dont' want to share at lunchtime (thus completely negating the appeal of tapas). It's very confusing. I ordered the Signature Relish Chorizo and medjool dates wrapped in smoked bacon. I had the idea in my head that it was dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon, but instead these were chorizo meatballs wrapped in bacon, with little to no hint of date. They were good, but a lot heavier and richer than I expected, and I really wanted to taste the dates, which I didn't. It was also swimming in the grease from the chorizo. I wouldn't order it again.
My coworker John ordered the tuna tartare for the table, as well as a Reuben. The tuna tartare was excellent-- very fresh, simple but great flavors, and a good portion size. The soy and lime made it very bright and fresh, while the capers added an edge of salt. I'd definitely order this again. I didn't try his Reuben, but he said it was a traditional Reuben and a lot of food-- a good value for lunch.
Susannah, the vegetarian, ordered the potato spheres and some grilled asparagus. She said the asparagus was perfectly grilled (always good!) and the goat cheese was a nice complement. I tried a potato sphere-- it's basically deep fried potato balls. Perhaps I'm used to potato spheres being the molecular gastronomy sort; a suspension of potato puree encased in a sphere, but I thought these would be different. They weren't bad (deep fried potato anything can't be bad) but the name was misleading. The wasabi cream tasted more like tzatziki, but worked well with the dish, even though there was a drop of balsamic reduction on it, too.
Nick got the mini cheeseburgers and some zucchini. I tried the zucchini-- well-flavored, not overdone, a really good choice (and I'm a big fan of zucchini). Nick liked the cheeseburgers-- said they were a good value (he's a value minded kinda guy) and tasty, on good bread with fresh toppings. Say no more.
Last but not least, dessert. Every meal comes with some complimentary almond and sesame lace cookies. I need the recipe, they were great. We fought over the last one. There was no balsamic reduction on that plate. I was shocked.
I'd go back, but I would have a few bits of advice: garnish is lovely, but garnishing every dish with balsamic reduction is overdoing it. Get some continuity to your menu-- it seems a little random. The tapas don't seem modern, but instead, scattered. Get a writer in who can redo things unambiguously (I'm for hire..) because several parts of it are confusing and some of the descriptions are downright misleading. If you're going to do a lunch menu, do it tapas-style. The average customer you will get, even at lunchtime, is not going to want an American cheese sandwich. Even just a change of ingredients-- crusty bread, smoked gouda, whatever-- would really make a huge difference in that lunch menu.
And two cookies per person, please. Darn, those were good.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mini Review: The Madison, buffet
The Madison, buffet
Originally uploaded by winemedineme
I recently attended a wedding at The Madison in Covington. It's awfully easy to take pictures of food at weddings-- no one thinks ill of you for having a camera out.
I've been to several weddings at the Madison-- it's a gorgeous facility, as far as reception halls are concerned. The food isn't bad for reception hall food-- they have a lot of choices, and their "basic" menu isn't bad.
The usual choices are chicken and beef tenderloin. Chicken's hard to keep from getting rubbery on a steam table, so I went with the carved tenderloin. It was pretty good-- not as rare as I would like, butnot cooked to death, either. The vegetables (green beans and a squash/carrot mix) were good and not overcooked. The mashed potatoes were made out of actual potatoes (I went to one wedding where there were still lumps of potato flakes in the potatoes-- yuck!) and not bad either. The white sauce is horseradish cream (a bit m ore than I would have liked) but was pretty tasty.
There was also a cheese tray, cocktails, bread with cinnamon and regular butter and, of course, wedding cake (and I have no idea who DID the wedding cake-- must inquire). Their per person charge also includes wine and beer, so it's a beautiful spot and not a bad value, either. Weddings are so darn expensive.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Shameless Plug: The Boys Next Door
I have been so busy for the past few weeks that I forgot to shamelessly plug Falcon Theatre's The Boys Next Door, which just got a great review in City Beat. And if you come tonight (we have tickets left!) you'll see me working house. What a deal, huh?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Recipe: Chicken Satay, Chicken Salad and Apple Tarte Tatin
On Monday night, I was in a real mood to cook. I have no idea why, but it overcame me. Earlier that day I read smitten kitchen and was inspired to make an apple tarte tatin. I had all of the ingredients except the apples. I couldn't just go to the store for apples, so I also decided that chicken Satay sounded good. About $20 and two hours later, I had a pretty tasty dinner.
First, the apple tarte tatin. If you're not familiar, its basically a French, upside-down apple pie. You cook the apples in butter and sugar, then top it with pate brisee, a butter-based pastry, and bake it. It sounds really difficult, but it isn't!
Molly's directions are so darn great, I can't improve upon them. I will give you a few additional tips: make sure that the crust is slightly BIGGER than the pan so you can tuck it in, and also make sure you've separated the pastry from the pan. Really. It'll still taste good if it falls apart.
The chicken satay was really easy as well. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and doubled it. One batch was made with hot madras curry and the other with Thai yellow curry. You see, Terry doesn't like curry-- he had a bad experience involving Air India and food poisoning. I'm convinced he just needs to try it in ways that don't involve airline food. After eating three skewers' worth of chicken, he said, "Wow, these are good, what's in them?" Turns out, he liked the curry!
Yum. I served them with couscous, peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce. My upstairs neighbor, Ilan, came down to see what smelled so good and I sent him home with some satay and peanut sauce. He liked it too!
Since I had a ton of chicken left, I did what I love to do with leftover chicken: make chicken salad. My favorite is curried chicken salad, also known as Coronation Chicken. Mine's not terribly traditional, but I still think it's great-- and a great use for leftover chicken.
There aren't a lot of measurements here-- I hate to be Rachael Ray and say "eyeball it", but that's what I do-- taste and eyeball.
1 pound of cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
handful of chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise (I use Light Hellman's), about a half cup, or enough to moisten the chicken
Mix it all together. Easy, peasy. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to develop. It tastes great alone or on some nice, crusty bread.
First, the apple tarte tatin. If you're not familiar, its basically a French, upside-down apple pie. You cook the apples in butter and sugar, then top it with pate brisee, a butter-based pastry, and bake it. It sounds really difficult, but it isn't!
Molly's directions are so darn great, I can't improve upon them. I will give you a few additional tips: make sure that the crust is slightly BIGGER than the pan so you can tuck it in, and also make sure you've separated the pastry from the pan. Really. It'll still taste good if it falls apart.
The chicken satay was really easy as well. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and doubled it. One batch was made with hot madras curry and the other with Thai yellow curry. You see, Terry doesn't like curry-- he had a bad experience involving Air India and food poisoning. I'm convinced he just needs to try it in ways that don't involve airline food. After eating three skewers' worth of chicken, he said, "Wow, these are good, what's in them?" Turns out, he liked the curry!
Yum. I served them with couscous, peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce. My upstairs neighbor, Ilan, came down to see what smelled so good and I sent him home with some satay and peanut sauce. He liked it too!
Since I had a ton of chicken left, I did what I love to do with leftover chicken: make chicken salad. My favorite is curried chicken salad, also known as Coronation Chicken. Mine's not terribly traditional, but I still think it's great-- and a great use for leftover chicken.
There aren't a lot of measurements here-- I hate to be Rachael Ray and say "eyeball it", but that's what I do-- taste and eyeball.
1 pound of cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
handful of chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise (I use Light Hellman's), about a half cup, or enough to moisten the chicken
Mix it all together. Easy, peasy. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to develop. It tastes great alone or on some nice, crusty bread.
Blog Action Day: Poverty
Have you ever been hungry? Truly hungry. Not just "I forgot to eat today! Oops!" hungry. Or "I'm on a diet and eating less than I used to" hungry. Or "What's in my pantry to last until payday?" hungry. We've all experienced those sorts of hunger.
I mean "not knowing where your next meal is coming from" hungry. "My children go to bed without dinner" hungry. They have no ramen to squeak by on, no PBJs to get tired of. Their pantries are bare, their freezers unstocked, and
With the economic downturn, people who have never experienced hunger may experience it for the first time. Hunger is not limited to the inner city and the homeless. 40% of the people who use the non-profit organizations associated with the FreestoreFoodbank are from suburban or rural areas. 57% have at least a high school education. 28,600 different people receive services per week.
This is just in Cincinnati.
Worldwide, 16,000 children die daily of hunger related issues. 923 million people are hungry daily. Poverty, the focus of Blog Action Day 2008, finds its most extreme form in hunger. Food is our most basic need, and not being able to eat is something that is unfathomable to most Americans.
Food costs are up. Inner city areas often don't have the same kind of access to fresh food that suburban areas do. People who don't have cars, can't afford public transit, and are limited to convenience stores aren't even eating real food. Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity-related diseases are caused by this malnutrition. Hungry? No. Well-fed? Not really.
So what can you do? Start local. Help your neighbors.
1. Support the FreestoreFoodbank. It's easy-- you can donate online. You can organize your own food drives. You can even donate to the virtual food drive, which allows you to buy things that are truly needed. It's sort of like online shopping, with free shipping and everything goes to a great cause. Myrita Craig, spokesperson for FreestoreFoodbank says, "When we feed someone, we earn their trust, and we use that trust to talk about how else we can help them by utilizing any of our programs (housing, foodstamps, medicaid, job training, bus tokens, work clothes, etc.) It is our mission to help people become more independent and self-reliant, and food is the catalyst for that change. Food is where our work begins, not where it ends."
2. Replate. This one's a little off the wall-- but makes so much sense once you think about it, particularly if you live in an urban area.
It's a pretty simple movement: you're walking down the street in your urban metropolis, burrito or sandwich or bagel in hand. Considering the way portions have gotten out of control, chances are you won't be finishing that item that's approximately as large as your forearm. So here are your choices:
1) Wrap it up, put it in your bag, and save it for later (whenever I do this, it either ends up leaking in my bag or I end up throwing it out anyway. Yuck.)
2) Throw it out in the nearest garbage can.
or..
3) Go to that garbage can, and instead of tossing it in... put it on top.
Pretty simple, huh?
I'm not saying to leave tins of mayonnaise-laden tuna salad to rot in the sun and give people botulism. I'm not saying to leave a full meal on top of a garbage can in a bag (though if you want to, hey, bully for you!). Just be thoughtful about your leftovers and their eventual demise, and maybe help out someone who would really appreciate what we throw away.
For some ideas about what you can eat on a limited budget, check out The Hunger Challenge.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
News: Top Cheftestant from Jag's!
A big ol' wine me, dine me shout out to Lauren Starling Hope, who is Chef Tournant at Jag's Steak and Seafood in West Chester. She's a cheftestant on Top Chef this season. I watch this show anyway, but hey, now I have a local to root for! I'll be interested to hear her story unfold on the show.I also need to try out Jag's for more than just cocktails-- I've heard great things. I just never get up to West Chester!
Friday, October 10, 2008
News: New York Times Magazine Food Issue
Ooh, I'll be running out to grab the NYT on Sunday-- the Magazine looks fascinating. Locavorism, Kosher (I am fascinated by Kashrut laws, and ecological Kashrut vs. strict Halachich Kashrut), "What's In Your Fridge", which I think needs to be a blog post here...
Discuss!
Discuss!
clipped from www.nytimes.com
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Recipe: Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast Casserole
Originally uploaded by winemedineme
Terry loves to talk about breakfast casseroles, because he loves breakfast (He recently discovered that he loves cooking breakfast for me. How it took this long to figure it out is beyond me!) and because they're so easy. My grandma used to make one that involved Swiss cheese, ham, powdered mustard, white bread, and eggs. Terry says he's always made them with sausage. We decided to take last Sunday as a "barely leave the house" day before a busy week, so a breakfast casserole is perfect; just pop it in the oven for an hour, directly from the refrigerator. The recipe he found randomly on the internet sounded pretty good, but we made a few changes and clarified the directions (which were, and I quote, "mix all ingredients together. Pour into a casserole and bake at 325.").
Breakfast Casserole
6 eggs, beaten lightly
8 slices bread, torn into large chunks
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 pound sausage, cooked and drained
1 small sweet onion, diced and sauteed
1 red pepper, diced and sauteed (the sauteeing is optional. We didn't. I think it would taste better if we did.)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine sausage, cooked onion and red pepper and bread in a bowl. Mix milk, eggs, cheese and mustard together, then combine with sausage mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a greased casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 325 and bake, uncovered for an hour.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Movin' on up...
....I've officially moved in at http://winemedinemecincinnati.com
This site will stay up, but it's 100% mirrored at the above URL. Please change your bookmarks and RSS feeds-- though the Feedburner feed I use will transfer quite easily.
See you over there-- it's still being updated.
(And that's not the big news. Check out the new website soon, where I'll announce the ACTUAL big news. Aren't you excited? I am.)
This site will stay up, but it's 100% mirrored at the above URL. Please change your bookmarks and RSS feeds-- though the Feedburner feed I use will transfer quite easily.
See you over there-- it's still being updated.
(And that's not the big news. Check out the new website soon, where I'll announce the ACTUAL big news. Aren't you excited? I am.)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
News: Bootsy Ruby's
You've all heard that Bootsy Ruby's is opening, but I chatted with Bowie over at Jeff Ruby's Culinary Entertainment and got some more details:
It's opening on December 1st, but won't open to the public until Thursday, December 3rd. They expect to seat 100-150.
Chef Mark Bohr will be the Executive chef-- new blood from Sarasota, FL and Chicago.
They will be featuring tapas, sushi, and signature cocktails with a Latin flair-- influences include Spain, Latin America and South America.
Around 10-11 PM, the restaurant will transition to the lounge. There will be a resident DJ (not yet announced) and an area of the restaurant that is cocktail-only, as well as an area that is bottle service only. Bowie emphasized that Bootsy Ruby's, unlike other venues in what has become the new bar district, will be a restaurant first and a lounge second.
You can expect to spend $40-50 per person to have dinner, but with plates running between $7-13, you can get a quick bite before a show or something after a show as well and not break the bank. This seems like a nice, high-end alternative to a lot of the more expensive restaurants in that block-- it seems like it will fit in, but maybe be slightly more affordable, depending on how much you eat/drink.
Watch this space-- you'll be seeing a little bit more about Bootsy's sometime soon.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Review: Relish Modern Tapas
Every once in a while, a few of us at work get a wild hair to go someplace that isn't "cheap chinese" (AKA Chan's Asian Wok, which is both cheap AND good, a rarity in Mason). Someone suggested Relish (I think it was Susannah) and I jumped on the chance. We piled into my car and headed over.
Relish's surroundings are interesting-- very modern, with high ceilings, lots of light, and lots of sharp angles. It's very different than the usual decor of the chains in Mason-- a nice change.
The one thing that I noticed about the menu is that there isn't a whole lot of continuity. Unlike menus that have a theme (and this one is supposedly tapas), this seemed more like small portions of a whole lot of different dishes. To test this theory, the five of us tried a pretty wide variety of dishes, off of both the lunch and regular menu.
My coworkers are such good sports.
Steve and I both ordered grilled cheese and soup. The soup choices were shrimp drop and French onion. I got the shrimp, he got the onion.
The onion soup, according to Steve, was pretty authentic-tasting, and didn't taste prepackaged. There was enough cheese on top-- but not too much-- and a generously sized crouton.
The garnish for both soups were strips of tortilla (either the natural yellow corn color, or colored bright blue or bright red, how...patriotic?) and a lot of balsamic reduction.
The shrimp drop soup was excellent-- well seasoned, a lot of shrimp, strands of eggs, and vegetables. I think it was probably my favorite dish of anything I tried, and soup is rarely a "winner" in most meals.
There was balsamic reduction on everything, we'd soon discover. It covered every flat surface. It garnished everything. It was so overdone that at least one of us got some on a sleeve.
The grilled cheese sandwich, unfortunately, wasn't great. At a restaurant such as Relish, I expect a grilled cheese sandwich to be somewhat inventive-- good quality bread, cheese-- something. It was thick-cut white bread, american cheese, applewood bacon (which was not as crisp as it could have been) and a slice of tomato. I could have made it at home, and probably better. The potatoes served with the dish were good, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination was not worth $7.75, even with the soup.
I also ordered some tapas for the table. The menu needs to be clarified a bit. The servings are of similar size, but the "large" plates are what they consider "entrees", the "small plates" could be appetizers and the "petite plates" are more like sides. The lunch menu are for people who dont' want to share at lunchtime (thus completely negating the appeal of tapas). It's very confusing. I ordered the Signature Relish Chorizo and medjool dates wrapped in smoked bacon. I had the idea in my head that it was dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon, but instead these were chorizo meatballs wrapped in bacon, with little to no hint of date. They were good, but a lot heavier and richer than I expected, and I really wanted to taste the dates, which I didn't. It was also swimming in the grease from the chorizo. I wouldn't order it again.
My coworker John ordered the tuna tartare for the table, as well as a Reuben. The tuna tartare was excellent-- very fresh, simple but great flavors, and a good portion size. The soy and lime made it very bright and fresh, while the capers added an edge of salt. I'd definitely order this again. I didn't try his Reuben, but he said it was a traditional Reuben and a lot of food-- a good value for lunch.
Susannah, the vegetarian, ordered the potato spheres and some grilled asparagus. She said the asparagus was perfectly grilled (always good!) and the goat cheese was a nice complement. I tried a potato sphere-- it's basically deep fried potato balls. Perhaps I'm used to potato spheres being the molecular gastronomy sort; a suspension of potato puree encased in a sphere, but I thought these would be different. They weren't bad (deep fried potato anything can't be bad) but the name was misleading. The wasabi cream tasted more like tzatziki, but worked well with the dish, even though there was a drop of balsamic reduction on it, too.
Nick got the mini cheeseburgers and some zucchini. I tried the zucchini-- well-flavored, not overdone, a really good choice (and I'm a big fan of zucchini). Nick liked the cheeseburgers-- said they were a good value (he's a value minded kinda guy) and tasty, on good bread with fresh toppings. Say no more.
Last but not least, dessert. Every meal comes with some complimentary almond and sesame lace cookies. I need the recipe, they were great. We fought over the last one. There was no balsamic reduction on that plate. I was shocked.
I'd go back, but I would have a few bits of advice: garnish is lovely, but garnishing every dish with balsamic reduction is overdoing it. Get some continuity to your menu-- it seems a little random. The tapas don't seem modern, but instead, scattered. Get a writer in who can redo things unambiguously (I'm for hire..) because several parts of it are confusing and some of the descriptions are downright misleading. If you're going to do a lunch menu, do it tapas-style. The average customer you will get, even at lunchtime, is not going to want an American cheese sandwich. Even just a change of ingredients-- crusty bread, smoked gouda, whatever-- would really make a huge difference in that lunch menu.
And two cookies per person, please. Darn, those were good.
Relish's surroundings are interesting-- very modern, with high ceilings, lots of light, and lots of sharp angles. It's very different than the usual decor of the chains in Mason-- a nice change.
The one thing that I noticed about the menu is that there isn't a whole lot of continuity. Unlike menus that have a theme (and this one is supposedly tapas), this seemed more like small portions of a whole lot of different dishes. To test this theory, the five of us tried a pretty wide variety of dishes, off of both the lunch and regular menu.
My coworkers are such good sports.
Steve and I both ordered grilled cheese and soup. The soup choices were shrimp drop and French onion. I got the shrimp, he got the onion.
The onion soup, according to Steve, was pretty authentic-tasting, and didn't taste prepackaged. There was enough cheese on top-- but not too much-- and a generously sized crouton.
The garnish for both soups were strips of tortilla (either the natural yellow corn color, or colored bright blue or bright red, how...patriotic?) and a lot of balsamic reduction.
The shrimp drop soup was excellent-- well seasoned, a lot of shrimp, strands of eggs, and vegetables. I think it was probably my favorite dish of anything I tried, and soup is rarely a "winner" in most meals.
There was balsamic reduction on everything, we'd soon discover. It covered every flat surface. It garnished everything. It was so overdone that at least one of us got some on a sleeve.
The grilled cheese sandwich, unfortunately, wasn't great. At a restaurant such as Relish, I expect a grilled cheese sandwich to be somewhat inventive-- good quality bread, cheese-- something. It was thick-cut white bread, american cheese, applewood bacon (which was not as crisp as it could have been) and a slice of tomato. I could have made it at home, and probably better. The potatoes served with the dish were good, crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination was not worth $7.75, even with the soup.
I also ordered some tapas for the table. The menu needs to be clarified a bit. The servings are of similar size, but the "large" plates are what they consider "entrees", the "small plates" could be appetizers and the "petite plates" are more like sides. The lunch menu are for people who dont' want to share at lunchtime (thus completely negating the appeal of tapas). It's very confusing. I ordered the Signature Relish Chorizo and medjool dates wrapped in smoked bacon. I had the idea in my head that it was dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon, but instead these were chorizo meatballs wrapped in bacon, with little to no hint of date. They were good, but a lot heavier and richer than I expected, and I really wanted to taste the dates, which I didn't. It was also swimming in the grease from the chorizo. I wouldn't order it again.
My coworker John ordered the tuna tartare for the table, as well as a Reuben. The tuna tartare was excellent-- very fresh, simple but great flavors, and a good portion size. The soy and lime made it very bright and fresh, while the capers added an edge of salt. I'd definitely order this again. I didn't try his Reuben, but he said it was a traditional Reuben and a lot of food-- a good value for lunch.
Susannah, the vegetarian, ordered the potato spheres and some grilled asparagus. She said the asparagus was perfectly grilled (always good!) and the goat cheese was a nice complement. I tried a potato sphere-- it's basically deep fried potato balls. Perhaps I'm used to potato spheres being the molecular gastronomy sort; a suspension of potato puree encased in a sphere, but I thought these would be different. They weren't bad (deep fried potato anything can't be bad) but the name was misleading. The wasabi cream tasted more like tzatziki, but worked well with the dish, even though there was a drop of balsamic reduction on it, too.
Nick got the mini cheeseburgers and some zucchini. I tried the zucchini-- well-flavored, not overdone, a really good choice (and I'm a big fan of zucchini). Nick liked the cheeseburgers-- said they were a good value (he's a value minded kinda guy) and tasty, on good bread with fresh toppings. Say no more.
Last but not least, dessert. Every meal comes with some complimentary almond and sesame lace cookies. I need the recipe, they were great. We fought over the last one. There was no balsamic reduction on that plate. I was shocked.
I'd go back, but I would have a few bits of advice: garnish is lovely, but garnishing every dish with balsamic reduction is overdoing it. Get some continuity to your menu-- it seems a little random. The tapas don't seem modern, but instead, scattered. Get a writer in who can redo things unambiguously (I'm for hire..) because several parts of it are confusing and some of the descriptions are downright misleading. If you're going to do a lunch menu, do it tapas-style. The average customer you will get, even at lunchtime, is not going to want an American cheese sandwich. Even just a change of ingredients-- crusty bread, smoked gouda, whatever-- would really make a huge difference in that lunch menu.
And two cookies per person, please. Darn, those were good.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mini Review: The Madison, buffet
The Madison, buffet
Originally uploaded by winemedineme
I recently attended a wedding at The Madison in Covington. It's awfully easy to take pictures of food at weddings-- no one thinks ill of you for having a camera out.
I've been to several weddings at the Madison-- it's a gorgeous facility, as far as reception halls are concerned. The food isn't bad for reception hall food-- they have a lot of choices, and their "basic" menu isn't bad.
The usual choices are chicken and beef tenderloin. Chicken's hard to keep from getting rubbery on a steam table, so I went with the carved tenderloin. It was pretty good-- not as rare as I would like, butnot cooked to death, either. The vegetables (green beans and a squash/carrot mix) were good and not overcooked. The mashed potatoes were made out of actual potatoes (I went to one wedding where there were still lumps of potato flakes in the potatoes-- yuck!) and not bad either. The white sauce is horseradish cream (a bit m ore than I would have liked) but was pretty tasty.
There was also a cheese tray, cocktails, bread with cinnamon and regular butter and, of course, wedding cake (and I have no idea who DID the wedding cake-- must inquire). Their per person charge also includes wine and beer, so it's a beautiful spot and not a bad value, either. Weddings are so darn expensive.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Shameless Plug: The Boys Next Door
I have been so busy for the past few weeks that I forgot to shamelessly plug Falcon Theatre's The Boys Next Door, which just got a great review in City Beat. And if you come tonight (we have tickets left!) you'll see me working house. What a deal, huh?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Recipe: Chicken Satay, Chicken Salad and Apple Tarte Tatin
On Monday night, I was in a real mood to cook. I have no idea why, but it overcame me. Earlier that day I read smitten kitchen and was inspired to make an apple tarte tatin. I had all of the ingredients except the apples. I couldn't just go to the store for apples, so I also decided that chicken Satay sounded good. About $20 and two hours later, I had a pretty tasty dinner.
First, the apple tarte tatin. If you're not familiar, its basically a French, upside-down apple pie. You cook the apples in butter and sugar, then top it with pate brisee, a butter-based pastry, and bake it. It sounds really difficult, but it isn't!
Molly's directions are so darn great, I can't improve upon them. I will give you a few additional tips: make sure that the crust is slightly BIGGER than the pan so you can tuck it in, and also make sure you've separated the pastry from the pan. Really. It'll still taste good if it falls apart.
The chicken satay was really easy as well. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and doubled it. One batch was made with hot madras curry and the other with Thai yellow curry. You see, Terry doesn't like curry-- he had a bad experience involving Air India and food poisoning. I'm convinced he just needs to try it in ways that don't involve airline food. After eating three skewers' worth of chicken, he said, "Wow, these are good, what's in them?" Turns out, he liked the curry!
Yum. I served them with couscous, peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce. My upstairs neighbor, Ilan, came down to see what smelled so good and I sent him home with some satay and peanut sauce. He liked it too!
Since I had a ton of chicken left, I did what I love to do with leftover chicken: make chicken salad. My favorite is curried chicken salad, also known as Coronation Chicken. Mine's not terribly traditional, but I still think it's great-- and a great use for leftover chicken.
There aren't a lot of measurements here-- I hate to be Rachael Ray and say "eyeball it", but that's what I do-- taste and eyeball.
1 pound of cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
handful of chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise (I use Light Hellman's), about a half cup, or enough to moisten the chicken
Mix it all together. Easy, peasy. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to develop. It tastes great alone or on some nice, crusty bread.
First, the apple tarte tatin. If you're not familiar, its basically a French, upside-down apple pie. You cook the apples in butter and sugar, then top it with pate brisee, a butter-based pastry, and bake it. It sounds really difficult, but it isn't!
Molly's directions are so darn great, I can't improve upon them. I will give you a few additional tips: make sure that the crust is slightly BIGGER than the pan so you can tuck it in, and also make sure you've separated the pastry from the pan. Really. It'll still taste good if it falls apart.
The chicken satay was really easy as well. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and doubled it. One batch was made with hot madras curry and the other with Thai yellow curry. You see, Terry doesn't like curry-- he had a bad experience involving Air India and food poisoning. I'm convinced he just needs to try it in ways that don't involve airline food. After eating three skewers' worth of chicken, he said, "Wow, these are good, what's in them?" Turns out, he liked the curry!
Yum. I served them with couscous, peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce. My upstairs neighbor, Ilan, came down to see what smelled so good and I sent him home with some satay and peanut sauce. He liked it too!
Since I had a ton of chicken left, I did what I love to do with leftover chicken: make chicken salad. My favorite is curried chicken salad, also known as Coronation Chicken. Mine's not terribly traditional, but I still think it's great-- and a great use for leftover chicken.
There aren't a lot of measurements here-- I hate to be Rachael Ray and say "eyeball it", but that's what I do-- taste and eyeball.
1 pound of cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon (or to taste) curry powder
handful of chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise (I use Light Hellman's), about a half cup, or enough to moisten the chicken
Mix it all together. Easy, peasy. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to develop. It tastes great alone or on some nice, crusty bread.
Blog Action Day: Poverty
Have you ever been hungry? Truly hungry. Not just "I forgot to eat today! Oops!" hungry. Or "I'm on a diet and eating less than I used to" hungry. Or "What's in my pantry to last until payday?" hungry. We've all experienced those sorts of hunger.
I mean "not knowing where your next meal is coming from" hungry. "My children go to bed without dinner" hungry. They have no ramen to squeak by on, no PBJs to get tired of. Their pantries are bare, their freezers unstocked, and
With the economic downturn, people who have never experienced hunger may experience it for the first time. Hunger is not limited to the inner city and the homeless. 40% of the people who use the non-profit organizations associated with the FreestoreFoodbank are from suburban or rural areas. 57% have at least a high school education. 28,600 different people receive services per week.
This is just in Cincinnati.
Worldwide, 16,000 children die daily of hunger related issues. 923 million people are hungry daily. Poverty, the focus of Blog Action Day 2008, finds its most extreme form in hunger. Food is our most basic need, and not being able to eat is something that is unfathomable to most Americans.
Food costs are up. Inner city areas often don't have the same kind of access to fresh food that suburban areas do. People who don't have cars, can't afford public transit, and are limited to convenience stores aren't even eating real food. Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity-related diseases are caused by this malnutrition. Hungry? No. Well-fed? Not really.
So what can you do? Start local. Help your neighbors.
1. Support the FreestoreFoodbank. It's easy-- you can donate online. You can organize your own food drives. You can even donate to the virtual food drive, which allows you to buy things that are truly needed. It's sort of like online shopping, with free shipping and everything goes to a great cause. Myrita Craig, spokesperson for FreestoreFoodbank says, "When we feed someone, we earn their trust, and we use that trust to talk about how else we can help them by utilizing any of our programs (housing, foodstamps, medicaid, job training, bus tokens, work clothes, etc.) It is our mission to help people become more independent and self-reliant, and food is the catalyst for that change. Food is where our work begins, not where it ends."
2. Replate. This one's a little off the wall-- but makes so much sense once you think about it, particularly if you live in an urban area.
It's a pretty simple movement: you're walking down the street in your urban metropolis, burrito or sandwich or bagel in hand. Considering the way portions have gotten out of control, chances are you won't be finishing that item that's approximately as large as your forearm. So here are your choices:
1) Wrap it up, put it in your bag, and save it for later (whenever I do this, it either ends up leaking in my bag or I end up throwing it out anyway. Yuck.)
2) Throw it out in the nearest garbage can.
or..
3) Go to that garbage can, and instead of tossing it in... put it on top.
Pretty simple, huh?
I'm not saying to leave tins of mayonnaise-laden tuna salad to rot in the sun and give people botulism. I'm not saying to leave a full meal on top of a garbage can in a bag (though if you want to, hey, bully for you!). Just be thoughtful about your leftovers and their eventual demise, and maybe help out someone who would really appreciate what we throw away.
For some ideas about what you can eat on a limited budget, check out The Hunger Challenge.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
News: Top Cheftestant from Jag's!
A big ol' wine me, dine me shout out to Lauren Starling Hope, who is Chef Tournant at Jag's Steak and Seafood in West Chester. She's a cheftestant on Top Chef this season. I watch this show anyway, but hey, now I have a local to root for! I'll be interested to hear her story unfold on the show.I also need to try out Jag's for more than just cocktails-- I've heard great things. I just never get up to West Chester!
Friday, October 10, 2008
News: New York Times Magazine Food Issue
Ooh, I'll be running out to grab the NYT on Sunday-- the Magazine looks fascinating. Locavorism, Kosher (I am fascinated by Kashrut laws, and ecological Kashrut vs. strict Halachich Kashrut), "What's In Your Fridge", which I think needs to be a blog post here...
Discuss!
Discuss!
clipped from www.nytimes.com
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Recipe: Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast Casserole
Originally uploaded by winemedineme
Terry loves to talk about breakfast casseroles, because he loves breakfast (He recently discovered that he loves cooking breakfast for me. How it took this long to figure it out is beyond me!) and because they're so easy. My grandma used to make one that involved Swiss cheese, ham, powdered mustard, white bread, and eggs. Terry says he's always made them with sausage. We decided to take last Sunday as a "barely leave the house" day before a busy week, so a breakfast casserole is perfect; just pop it in the oven for an hour, directly from the refrigerator. The recipe he found randomly on the internet sounded pretty good, but we made a few changes and clarified the directions (which were, and I quote, "mix all ingredients together. Pour into a casserole and bake at 325.").
Breakfast Casserole
6 eggs, beaten lightly
8 slices bread, torn into large chunks
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 pound sausage, cooked and drained
1 small sweet onion, diced and sauteed
1 red pepper, diced and sauteed (the sauteeing is optional. We didn't. I think it would taste better if we did.)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine sausage, cooked onion and red pepper and bread in a bowl. Mix milk, eggs, cheese and mustard together, then combine with sausage mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a greased casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 325 and bake, uncovered for an hour.
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