All food, all the time.

Let’s start out with a big sigh. I’m still stuffed from Saturday night’s meal and…it’s days later.

After many years of wanting to actually dine at Le Cirque, with little success, it finally happened last Saturday.

We used savored.com and saved 30% off of our meal - what a nice incentive to really do it up.

Preparing for LC was daunting. Reading reviews made me nervous…the dress code…the sometimes lackluster service if you’re not a VIP…being sequestered to the alleged “back-room’…etc tc etc.

We expected one of these situations..

But nope, we experienced awesomeness.

After a little back and forth, the main squeeze settled on his loafers, jeans [jeans are acceptable!], a collared shirt and a blazer [jacket required].

I decided on my staple outfit choice: black something or another.

 
(old broke legs)

We arrived right at 630, greeted cheerfully by Sirio’s son, Mario, and after a quick coat check, we were brought to our table: the second banquet on the right - score.

For an awkward 10 minutes or so, we sat side-by-side, trying to investigate the atmosphere without glaring…it was hard to not glare and stare and peer and look.

…waiters moving every which way, couples and 4-somes whispering over wine…ah.

Our waiter, Pablo, was very lovely and incredibly friendly. He was the captain. His waiter pals, in white coats, we’re also super attentive and very pleasant.

Within about twenty minutes, we felt a little more at ease  - a sense of, “this is no big deal” came over us and we started to relax.

I ordered a Vioginer - Jaboulet and the sommelier presented the wine, I swirled and tasted, replying in what was probably a whisper; “good”. I was paranoid because I think the table next to us looked at me whenever I spoke…meh, it happens.

I decided to go for the tasting menu because why not

:

 

Calf tail and feet
Endive and celery salad, mustard, shallot vinaigrette
*********
Ricotta gnocchi
Braised lettuce, baby carrots, truffles
*********
Butternut squash risotto
Roasted squab breast - option for black truffle supplement for $20
*********
John Dory
Fennel compote, zucchini, bouillabaisse jus
*********
Minute steak bordelaise
Grilled sirloin, carrots, onion, potato, Brussels sprouts

After we sent our orders in, we received the chef’s amuse bouche: smoked salmon mousse with watercress and a toasted baguette.

(I should mention really before the amuse bouche, we were presented with the bread tray - an assortment of fancy baguettes and whatnot)

The salmon was great and we “cheated” and used our baguettes to scoop up the rest of the salmon haha.

Moments later I received the “tail and feet ”  and wow.

It tasted like really awesome pulled pork or brisket. The mustard and celery were a nice pairing. The tail part reminded me of crackling - just fatty friedness.
This dish was so perfect and packed with crazy flavors: I wish I could eat everyday.

Next - not in my tasting, was tuna tartare, and again, really fantastic.

The tartare had a celery root taste in it and was super fresh. It was served with little triangle shaped toasty breads served in a warm napkin! How sweet!

 At this point, I couldn’t stop grinning with giddiness.

My next dish was the ricotta gnocchi and although good, it wasn’t anything amazing.

The gnocchi basically fell apart in my mouth on contact. The sauce was brothy, like a barley soup.  Overall, just okay.

Up next, the squab and risotto. It was seriously rich and creamy and delicious and every bite I said “oh man this is so good”. It may have benefited from truffles but seriously, it was just excellent the way it was.

John Dory fish came next. John Dory is a nice fish [nice man too] - fleshy, soft and firm all at the same time. It had a fennel compote with it and I don’t really dig fennel but this was good.  It was almost puréed to a baby food consistency - which worked because I’m a baby, I mean, because the overpowering licorice-y flavor of fennel was almost gone.

At this point, the Senor French got his steak and he said: “butter, it tastes like butter” (in a very Charlton Heston Soylent Green voice ha).

It did taste like butter, in the best possible way. It was truly delicious.

Finally! My last course: minute steak aka cube steak. It too tasted like butter except it was much, much richer. The vegetables tasted like butter. Butter, butter, butter….

I was too stuffed to really enjoy this last course - I just wanted my bed and maybe a nightcap…wait was Le Cirque reading my mind?

After the last dish was taking away, Pablo came to the table with the dessert menus.

Stuffed. Soooo stuffed I didn’t even want to punish myself by having some rice krispie treat ice cream peanut butter candy bar thing [say that 67 times fast].

But Pablo insisted. Pablo knew I could push through the insane stuffedness. Pablo was a smart man.

He said “I’ll bring you both something nice”. Okay fine! Fine, bring it on.

Moments later we received an overflowing chocolate souffle and a berry Napoleon. We also ordered some coffees but a sort mixup occurred and they came later that they should have, so Pablo’s buddy brought us some sort of dessert ice wine/grappa something or another.

Muchos gracias!
I ate way too much souffle…probably a 1/4 of it was consumed in moments. Moments!

Pablo then brought over their end of dinner “petit fours” and the plate was filled with macaroons, candied lemons and limes, Madelines and moon candies aka chocolate almonds dusted in glold.

The check came and the discount was applied (no awkward “Oh My Words! Where’s the discount?!”) and then after the bill was paid I received a little trinket box with two little chocolates inside, for a keepsake. Que bueno!

We got up - somehow, and wobbled over to the cafe. I like matchbooks (pyro?) so I grabbed two and then proceeded to blankly stare at the wine tower. I was staring - probably -  because I was  out of it and also because it was cool (it was cool, I think…).

We finally got the strength to leave, with lots of “goodbyes” and even a goodbye from Pablo, who exited the restaurant to make sure he said goodbye, we had a truly amazing dinner.

Overall - wow. It was nothing like the reviews of cold shoulders…nope…only warm, niceness! Warm, gluttonous niceness.

I’d like to pretend that I’ll return but I don’t want to ruin my sweet memories of this meal. Memories.

Goat cheese, yes.

Pork tenderloin, yes.

Ques-a-dillahs, double - triple yes.

In an effort to switch things up, I suggested we try a weird recipe [made up in my head] and it turned out great.

Here’s what you’ll need for this easy and delicious dinner:

• Pork Tenderloin - I picked ours up from Trader Joe’s…probably a baby sized 1-lber
• 1/2 o’log of goat cheese or chevre - I wish I had picked up Capricho Cabra…it’s more robust.
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella
• 2 scallions, green and white parts
• 1/4 of chopped cilantro - give or take
• 4 taco sized tortillas - we buy WF’s flour style
• Decatur Poydras pork rub - this rub is just: wow
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil or grapeseed, preferably grapeseed=high heat.

Firstly, heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Take your pork out of the fridge and let it set at room temperature while your oven heats up [15 minutes? or longer?].
Season your pork with about a tablespoon of the Decatur Poydras pork rub.
Have a few sips of wine.
In a bowl, mix in the: goat cheese, mozzarella, scallions and cilantro + salt and pepper to taste.
In an oven-safe pan, pour in some olive/grapeseed oil and place on burner to about medium heat.
Place your pork in the pan and sear on one side for about 3 minutes.
Repeat on other side [the sear should be dark, dark brown but not burned].
Pop that into the oven.
Have a sip of wine.
Cook for about 18 minutes [160 degree internal].
Remove from oven and let rest for minutes.
Sip more wine.
Chop up the pork to bite size pieces.
Meanwhile……..
On a baking sheet, line with aluminum foil then, spray it [or oil it] up.
Place two tortillas on there and put about a tablespoon, or so of the cheese mixture on it - followed by a few bites of pork - top that with another tortilla - top that with the remainder of the cheese and then pop that contraption into the oven.
Heat until the tortillas [pronounced TOR-tiiiiiill-ahs, emphasis on those ‘Ls’] are cripsy and brown.

Serve with some sour creme and voila.

I grabbed lunch yesterday in New Haven with my H.S friend Brooke Shields [ha]. 
She was doing some sorority type stuff for Yale’s Theta chapter and since she was in that area [she lives in Boston], I figured let me finally try Soul de Cuba with her.

Overall, the food was okay, I guess. 

Cubano, Media Noche and sampler platter [fried plantains, crab cake and a potato thing] were just fine.
Really terrific sangria though!

Anyway, after I left lunch - I went to Ikea - crazy…

And then I got a craving for some ceviche, so I made the recipe below from BON APPÉTIT *I added shrimp to mine*
Don’t skip the olives; they really give the dish a little niceness.

Ceviche Verde

Save Recipe

 

Serves 4

Recipe by Johnny Hernandez, La Gloria, San Antonio

Photograph by Zach DeSart

August 2011

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Pacific halibut or other firm-fleshed fish
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 3/4 cup green olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup tomatillos, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, very finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Tostadas or torilla chips

• ingredient info

  To ripen avocados more quickly, place them in a sealed paper bag with an apple or a banana for 24 hours.

Preparation

• Chop fish into 1/2” cubes; place in medium bowl. Add kosher salt; toss to coat. Add lime juice; toss to coat. Marinate until the edges of the cubes begin to turn opaque, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Dice avocados; add to bowl along with green olives, tomatillos, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño Add olive oil and season to taste with salt.

Serve over tostadas or with tortilla chips for dipping.

Hungry for More? If you have a question about this recipe, contact our Test Kitchen at askba@bonappetit.com. To see more recipes like this one, check out our Mexican Favorites Slideshow.

• nutritional information

  One serving contains: 
  Calories (kcal) 244.1
  Calories from Fat (kcal) 151.8
  Fat (g) 16.9
  Saturated Fat (g) 2.0
  Cholesterol (mg) 24.2
  Carbohydrates (g) 7.8
  Dietary Fiber (g) 3.8
  Total Sugars (g) 1.3
  Net Carbs (g) 4.1
  Protein (g) 17.0
  Sodium (mg) 472.1

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/08/ceviche-verde#ixzz1mqITDntw

I’m entering this pizza into the Applegate Farms Cupid’s Contest because I love to cook for the love of my life…and when I do cook for him, I try to use the best possible ingredients. 

Whenever I make a pizza, I rarely grab specific accoutrements but I made a discovery on February 3^rd: Applegate Farms Pepperoni + Whole Foods pizza dough + Decatur Pickled Red Onions + a block o’ Monterey Jack cheese [+ about a tablespoon of classic marinara sauce] = epic pizza party. 

This pizza is amazing.

When using ready-to-go dough, I cook it my own way [don’t follow those instructions printed on the bag!]:

Remove dough from plastic bag

Spray glass bowl with cooking spray [or lightly oil it with olive oil]
Place dough into bowl
Cover dough with dishtowel
Let sit, room temperature, for 30 minutes
Crank your oven to high-test aka 500F

Prepare for an amazing pizza.

Roughly grate an 8oz block of Monterey Jack cheese [or more if you wish to indulge].

Grab some Decatur Pickled Red Onions [you can purchase it here]…the sweetness from the onions plus the peppery Applegate Farms pepperoni make the perfect combo.

Take out the dough and shape it onto your pizza pan [mine is nonstick with holes on the bottom].

Spread your tablespoon of sauce onto the pizza.

Evenly distribute your grated cheese.

Top – either sparingly or go crazy with the pickled red onions and then top that with lots and lots of pepperoni!

Put it into the oven for about 10 minutes [until it’s bubbling] and serve ASAP.

The pizza is just so good, so easy and did I mention good? Oh it’s good.

I’m making this delicious mess today:

Bloomin’ Onion Bread - via GWAE

My husband and I waited tables at Outback Steakhouse while we were in college and ate our share of Bloomin’ Onions. But the funny thing is we never actually ordered them. If a table ordered a Bloomin’ Onion and canceled the order, the onion would sit in the window until another table ordered one which was usually just a matter of minutes. But every once in a while there would be a lull where no orders would come in and the “Bloom” was pronounced “dead”, meaning it would not be served to customers, and all the servers got to eat it. For some reason we always came to work starving so when this happened we ate our little hearts out. 

I don’t know if there are other servers out there but I still have reoccurring nightmares where I’m in the weeds with all of my table - everyone needs a drink refill and all of my orders are wrong. I’m sooo happy when I wake up from that dream!

This naughty Bloomin’ Onion Bread has cheese stuffed in every crack and is cut just like the Bloomin’ Onion from Outback. My family loved this but really it’s enough to feed a small army. It’s a fun way to serve bread because everyone can just pull off a piece of cheesy onion bread. This would be a great appetizer or bread for a meal.

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Source: The Changing Table

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread

12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

I’m acclimating myself to new awesomeness but fear not! I’m nearly ready to get things back to regular programming.

Aside from that, I had a small electronic disaster recently that sent my information gathering into a blackhole [it’s nice when content is curated for you vs you attempting to make sense of a food, food world!].

Put your LeBaron in park and I’ll catch you soon.

P.S. In the event you’ve been living in a different solar system [in which case, I want a ticket!], this boring stuff is to clarify that I’m just a girl who eats for fun :-)