Accidental Vegetables http://accidentalveg.com/ I live in Portland, Maine, where my husband Otis and I alternate between abject food laziness (frozen hippie pizza) and exalted states of cookery (organic pork loin stuffed with gorgonzola and fennel). This blog is an attempt to catalog what we do with the vegetables from our CSA, Wolf Pine Farm. It's called Accidental Vegetables because although of course the farmers put enormous amounts of thought into their harvests, for us the bounty that arrives is wonderfully random. This will also include random musings on food, restaurants, and other issues that impact my taste buds. Like beer. en Copyright 2008 Sat, 03 May 2008 08:34:07 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Breakfast Serial OhNo every morning on the way to work, but the cost would add up quickly, and I would feel too guilty about being extravagant. Weekends are another story. There are so many options for a breakfast out in Portland it's crazy! (Erin of TypeA is doing a poll at the moment-- head over there and vote for your favorite.) Depending on how we feel and what we're in the mood for, Otis and I will head to Ruski's, Local 188, the Porthole, the Bayou Kitchen, Hot Suppa, or the Front Room. All of these are great for what they are-- obviously you can't expect gourmet food at Ruski's but it's always well cooked and yummy. (Note; I like weird fake hollandaise sauce. If you don't, don't order the benedict.) One restaurant I don't enjoy is Bintliff's. When we first moved here about four years ago we went there frequently... but the quality of the food was very inconsistent, and the prices are astronomical. The last straw came when I ordered huevos rancheros and got a pile of unseasoned canned black beans and white rice with eggs on top and a teaspoon of bland salsa. It was so nasty I sent it back to the kitchen...and still got charged the $12.95 or however much it cost. It's just not worth it, especially when you factor in the long waits for a table. I'm excited to try a new option Mothers' Day weekend-- Caiola's is opening for weekend brunch! It will be wonderful, I'm sure, and once the sun warms us up again we'll be able to sit outside on their lovely patio. When I was growing up the West End Cafe was in that location and I loved going to brunch there with my parents. The one restaurant that developed my love of brunch, though, was the Magic Muffin on Congress Street. When I was in high school I'd go there with friends all the time. They had the best little glass/ceramic coffee mugs that they'd eternally fill with coffee, and the coffee cake muffins were phenomenal. It was a long time ago, but I think the special breakfast, which included 2 eggs, coffee, meat, and a giant muffin, was around $4. I loved that place. The waiters were always great to a bunch of degenerate teenagers, and let us nurse our coffees forever. I wasn't living in Maine when it closed. I wonder what happened to it? Edited: As I was posting this, evidently Erin was posting the results from her poll. Bad timing. Regardless, I think it's interesting that her results, and opinion, diverge so dramatically from mine. That's why there are practically as many restaurants as people in Portland, I suppose. Edited again: The Breakfast Club (which I was not aware of and just added to the blogroll; I found them courtesty of the Portland Food Map) just re-reviewed Bintliff's. ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/05/breakfast_serial.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/05/breakfast_serial.php Miscellaneous Recipes Sat, 03 May 2008 08:34:07 -0500 Evangeline Part Deux John Golden steps quietly back into the Portland food blog world with his take on Evangeline. I felt compelled to respond to the sneakers thing. Also, I apologize for failing to include any details about Evangeline. I think it's my biggest flaw as a blogger-- I almost never remember that people might want to, you know, call and make a reservation or something. Evangeline, 190 State Street, 207-791-2800.]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/05/evangeline_part_deux.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/05/evangeline_part_deux.php Evangeline Thu, 01 May 2008 11:59:02 -0500 Evangeline Deathmatch Japanese, so we do know him. But I saw how wonderful he was with every guest that night-- it wasn't just us.) While we were sitting at the bar Jenn and I had a few glasses of red wine Joe recommended. Of course, I don't remember exactly what it was-- we ended up drinking a few (ahem) glasses and I forgot to bring my notebook. But the wine list is huge, and informative, with great maps of wine-growing regions, and Joe did a great job offering tastes of different options based on our preferences. One of the nice things about the wine list is that there are many wonderful wines available by the half-bottle, and the prices range from affordable to astronomic (depending on your budget of course). The crowd was very diverse and friendly-- we chatted with a nice couple, who shared a bite of their calves' brain appetizer with Otis (I declined. Yes, offal is not my thing, but Otis said it was tasty). We also talked with a lovely older man, a quintessential 'Old Mainer' wearing a plaid shirt and red overalls. While we were waiting for a table we ordered the charcuterie plate, which had head cheese, prosciutto, and lamb prosciutto. I had never tasted head cheese before, but it really was delicious-- pieces of pork in a sort of jelly, molded into a loaf and sliced. My only complaint was that the bread that we were served was mediocre-- a basic focaccia. I would have preferred a crusty French-style bread, and I think it would be more appropriate to the food. By the time we sat down for dinner (which took a while, but I can't really fault a restaurant for that on their second evening open) we were ready to order, having digested the menu at the bar. It's a fairly simple menu, with about as many small plates/appetizers available as entrees. I was excited to have the steak frites, which has always been one of my favorite French dinners. The entrees are reasonably prices, with most between $19 and $23. Our waitress was excellent-- always on hand when we needed her, and knowledgeable about the menu. Amusingly, when I ordered the steak I asked for it medium rare, and she told me that's the only way they serve it! When I wondered what would happen if someone wanted it done to a different temperature, she said that they suggest an alternate entree. Although I absolutely agree that medium rare is the correct way to serve steak, I imagine that will make for some difficult conversations! When the entrees arrived we were all so famished and impressed with the food we ate silently for a few minutes. My steak was perfect-- delicious, and served with a red-wine butter that was divine-- and the fries were such perfectly uniform tiny spears I had to wonder if they were hand cut. (They are.) The portion was generous; I took some of the steak home, although I ate all of the fries. (Everyone else cleaned their plates.) After we finished, we declined dessert, but we were brought a plate of wonderful tiny sweets, including a chocolate with a little salt that I could probably have eaten six pieces of, despite my satiety. Sadly, I had to share with my husband and friends. Damn them. Overall, our meal at Evangeline was outstanding. With our drinks (which, again ahem, we had quite a few of) the bill came to $112, including tip, per couple. It's not the kind of money we can drop on dinner every week, but for a special occasion (including tax refund time, depending on how you define special occasion) Evangeline will definitely be at the top of our list. ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/04/evangeline.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/04/evangeline.php Evangeline Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:55:50 -0500 Mmmm Mmmm Miyake Miyake, and I'm really regretting that it was the first time...I've wasted so much time! The meal was phenomenal. Every single piece of sushi exploded with freshness and flavor, and contained a perfect balance of flavors. The clearing of each plate was a little depressing, but then a new plate would arrive with a new and amazing array of flavors. It really was a wonderful meal. Otis and I made an improptu date with our friends Spencer and Shea, who had dropped off their toddler with the grandparents. Miyake is a busy place, and there was a bit of a wait, but the server was nice enough to take our cell-phone number and call us when a table was ready, so that we could go up the the Downtown Lounge and have a beer while we were waiting. Overall the service was very good; the college-aged server was friendly and prompt, and he had an excellent command of the menu. We ordered pretty much exclusively from the specials menu, which totally paid off. The fabulous dishes included a ceviche roll; a salmon sampler; a California-style roll with seared Maine shrimp in a light spicy mayo on top; seared Kobe beef; and much more. Literally every plate was perfect. I've had sushi in a lot of places (NY, SF, LA, Hawaii, etc.... unfortunately not Japan), and the meal at Miyake stands out as one of the best. Prices are very reasonable, and it's BYOB. If we hadn't gotten the Kobe beef, which is $8 a piece, the total bill would have been about $100 for four people. Don't do what I did and waste potential Miyake-eating meals! Go! Go! (We went to the new Evangeline last night and had a lovely dinner...I'll post about that shortly as well. Yum, steak frites.) ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/04/mmmm_mmmm_miyake.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/04/mmmm_mmmm_miyake.php Miyake Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:36:29 -0500 Dinner with the General General Tso's Chicken... who hasn't at one point appreciated its greasy, sweet, weird wonderfulness? Happily for me, Cook's Country, one of the many many food magazines that we receive, featured a recipe for the General in its most recent issue, and my husband, being undaunted by deep frying, agreed to prepare it for dinner this week. A word about deep frying. I can't do it. Partially because it scares the hell out of me for some reason-- I am positive I am going to either set the house on fire or, alternately, cook something at an excessively high or excessively low temperature and destroy it. (Yes, we have a thermometer. Doesn't help the phobia at all). I also shy away from deep-frying because I know I shouldn't be eating that sort of food, because it is bad for you, and if I don't prepare it myself I can still eat it an pretend there aren't 50,000 grams of fat in my dinner. Otis, however, does not share my phobias, and prepared a masterful rendition, although he insisted on calling it 'General Gau's Chicken' and kept talking about some place called the Food Wall. Memories of his former life as a Massachussan, presumably. It took about a billion hours, which is par for the course for recipes from Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country, but I was willing to wait. It was worth it.

General Tso's Chicken

From Cook's Country Feb/March SAUCE 1/4 C hoisin sauce (Otis cut down the amount of hoisin by quite a bit, so it wasn't too sweet) 1/4 C rice wine vinegar 3 T soy sauce (we use light) 2T cornstarch 1 1/2 c water 1 T vegetable oil 6 garlic cloves, minced 2T grated fresh ginger 3 t red pepper flakes CHICKEN 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks FRY 3 egg whites 1 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda lotsa vegetable oil for frying 1. Whisk hoisin, vinegar,soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a bowl. 2. Using just enough to cover, mix with chicken in a bowl or bag 3. Reserve the rest of the sauce 4. Heat 1 T oil in a skillet and cook garlic, ginger and pepper flakes for 30 sec-1 min. 5. Add 2 cups of the sauce and and simmer while stirring until dark brown and thickened; remove from heat and cover. 6. Whisk egg whites until foamy. 7. Combine corn starch, baking soda and remaining sauce in a shallow dish until resembles coarse meal. 8. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, 9. Dredge egg whites and then cornstarch mix. 10. Transfer to a plate to fry. 11. Heat oil to 350 degree oil; fry chicken until golden. 12. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. 13. Toss with sauce.]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/04/dinner_with_the_general.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/04/dinner_with_the_general.php Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:23:51 -0500 Service Hot Suppa. I was starving, and I ordered biscuits and sausage gravy, with eggs over medium. When the plate arrived I noticed the eggs were undercooked (more like over easy, which makes me a little queasy). I told the waitress, who promptly whisked my plate away, returned it without the eggs so I could eat my biscuits while waiting for the refire, and then took $2 off our bill without being asked. I was so impressed! Good service doesn't require fine dining, or snobbery. It just requires someone who cares about his or her job. Thanks Hot Suppa waitress whose name I don't know! You've restored my faith in Portland waitstaff! (Plus the food was tasty, as usual!) ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/service.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/service.php Miscellaneous Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:52:31 -0500 Weekend Wonderland Walter came up for the Maine Boatbuilders Show, some delicious eating, and lovely conversation. Friday night we went to Local 188 for fancy old-timey cocktails, and then headed over to Caiola's for dinner; as usual everything was delish (channeling Rachael Ray, sorry), especially our deep-fried sardine appetizer. It's always nice to have Walter and Jane here, although they do tend to bring pretty crappy weather with them-- what's up with that? Anyway, my fingers are sore from all the typing I've been doing on the big paper I have due Tuesday, so I hope everyone will forgive me for a short-but-sweet entry. Happy Easter!]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/weekend_wonderland.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/weekend_wonderland.php Caiola's Drinks Local 188 Miscellaneous Restaurants Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:03:05 -0500 Deathmatch Japanese former Restaurant Bandol and forthcoming Evangeline, which featured shiso-miso marinated black cod, saffron-bonito fumet, mussels and pickled fennel, horseradish rouille, and fennel pollen. This dish was an incredible meld of Provencal and Japanese flavors, which played off the richness and subtlety of both cuisines. A Duo of Fish prepared by 'Sean' (I don't know who he is, so if someone could tell me, that would be super helpful). This pairing of a light snapper tartare in tangerine rice wine vinaigrette and a sashimi of tarahiki in a ponzu glaze over an uni emulsion tasted like Spring, with a perfect balance of acid and smoothness. Sweet Potato Gyoza with a dipping sauce of coconut, sesame, ginger, and sake, from 'Shane' (again, I didn't meet him so I am not sure who he is) that were ridiculously addictive. And finally, my favorite dish, the Tampopo Ramen from Bronwen, who cooks at 555. This dish included a chicken and pork broth, braised pork belly, pickled ginger and dandelion greens, and a hard-boiled duck egg. The intense flavors were simultaneously exciting and comfortable. Yum yum yum was really all I could say while eating it. Well, technically it was more 'mmm. mmmmmm. mmmmmmmm.' Thanks to all the talented folks who cooked for this meal, and thanks again to Dietz for the invite. I am a very lucky woman. EDITED to add: check out John's much more comprehensive (and photographed!) rundown of the event. (John's gorgeous Maine shrimp were also fab!)]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/deathmatch_japanese.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/deathmatch_japanese.php Deathmatch Japanese Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:17:26 -0500 Lunch trauma-- possibly solved? Thai Kitchen Instant Rice Noodle Soup, and I will eat it every day for weeks until I can't stand the thought of eating it ever again, plus my office smells like lemongrass to the extent that I need to buy air freshener. 4. I try to avoid non-organic meat and stuff that has tons of preservatives or ingredients I can't pronounce. 5. The 'hippie' frozen entrees tend to be both incredibly expensive and ridiculously small (8 oz.), which makes me not want to buy a bunch and see if they're palatable. 6. I refuse to buy anything from Seeds of Change, based solely on the hideous advertising campaign they ran when the brand first debuted. (Yes, it was over 7 years ago. So what?) However, I have learned this morning that salvation might be at hand. HeatEatReview is a blog that reviews prepackaged meals and includes information about the ingredients and health info. I am poised for a better life. As soon as I have time at work I am going to bop off to whole foods and pick up some of the highest-rated items. I'll report back. In the meantime I have leftover pot roast, mashed potatoes, and roasted green beans for lunch today. Thank goodness.]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/lunch_trauma_possibly_solved.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/03/lunch_trauma_possibly_solved.php Frozen Foods Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:56:00 -0500 On Budget Cuts and Bacon Cups bacon cups? What a brilliant idea. There is a 100% chance I will make these for our next party. The possibilities for filling are endless! In other news, the continued battering from Ye Olde Man Winter is starting to get me down. However, last week I invented a speedy way to make creamy and delicious chicken pot pie in a remarkably short period of time.

Short-Cut Chicken Pot Pie

1 grocery-store rotisserie chicken (I got the herb-rubbed chicken from Whole Foods) 1 bag frozen peas 1 bag frozen carrots, or whatever other veg you want. (I used mixed carrots & green and wax beans, which Otis didn't like that much. I thought the beans were tasty.) 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup butter 2 cloves garlic 1 1/2 cups chicken broth Splash white wine 1/2 cup half-and-half s&p and herbs and spices (I used thyme and marjoram) Drop biscuit dough a. Preheat oven to 350. 1. Make a roux with the flour and butter. add the garlic. Sautée in heavy pot until brown. 2. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring, so as not to form lumps 3. Add herbs, spices, s&p, any other seasoning you desire 4. Add wine 4. Simmer on med-low for 5 minutes 5. In the meantime, pull all the meat off the chicken and put it in a bowl. 6. Pour the drippings from the chicken into the sauce. 7. Snack on some of the chicken skin. Give some to the dog. Give some to Otis. 8. Add the half-and-half to the sauce, simmer for another 5-10 minutes until it seems the right creamy texture. Remember to stir once in a while! 9. Remove from heat, stir in chicken and frozen vegetables 10. Pour into large flat pyrex pan. 11. Make biscuit dough* and drop in large spoonfuls onto top of pot pie mixture 12. Bake in oven until biscuits are nice and brown and pot pie mixture is bubbly and hot, about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. In the meantime, catch up on your law school reading while drinking a Pabst. * A note on biscuits. There is no need for bisquick. Seriously, people. Cut 1/4 cup butter into 2 cups flour, 1 T baking powder, and 1 t salt, add a cup of milk, mix with a fork. Ta dah!! That's it! A nice cozy dinner requiring less than half an hour of prep time. I wonder if chicken pot pie would be good in bacon cups. I guess the filling would run out the holes... ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/on_budget_cuts_and_bacon_cups.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/on_budget_cuts_and_bacon_cups.php Miscellaneous Recipes Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:50:18 -0500 Who Eats Dinner at 5 p.m.? El Camino in Brunswick at 5:00-- we were meeting our friends who have a year-old baby. That makes sense-- the baby gets cranky after 6:30ish and it's time for her to go to bed, so of course our friends Cece and Jeff asked if we would mind an early meal. No, I'm talking about the throngs of people who descended on El Camino at precisely the stroke of 5. We were there in the parking lot at about 5 minutes till, and were shocked hysterical by all of the people who showed up, waiting at the door for the restaurant to open. I have no idea why Otis and I both find this so funny. Anyway, I realize this is beside the point when really you probably want to hear about the food, but it was seriously such a funny surprising thing I just can't get over it. So, about El Camino. The interior of the restaurant is really warm, painted southwestern colors with little colored lights everywhere. The tables are arrayed fairly close together, with booth seating on one side and chairs on the other. That was in our room, at least-- there were a few dining rooms in the sprawly-feeling space. We started with drinks-- Otis enjoyed his margarita, I thought my 'limeade,' made with lime juice and coconut milk, was outstanding. It had just a touch of a salty flavor, and wasn't too sweet. The food was quite tasty-- a reasonably delicious interpretation of Cali-Mex cuisine. Otis had tacos with chorizo and sweet potato; Cece had a salad with ancho-rubbed steak; I had a quesadilla with the same steak; and Jeff had the special enchiladas with chicken and a Mexi-BBQ sauce. (For those who are keeping track, Frieda, the baby, had beans and rice. She seemed to enjoy them.) Everyone agreed that the food was good-- Jeff's enchilada, especially, was really yummy (he was nice enough to let me have a bite). My quesadilla was quite large, and nice and crispy on the outside without being greasy. The amount of cheese and meat was perfect, although the whole shebang was somewhat underseasoned. The most frustrating part of my meal, however, was that my dish came with literally a teaspoon each of crema and salsa. I would have asked for more, except the waitress never came back after she dropped our food, until it was time to clear our plates and give us the check. This type of service is what I like to call hipster-indifferent. Like, "I am only working here because I am an artist, but really I am super duper hip, so if I feel like it I will be nice to you and maybe even get you stuff, but not because I'm obligated to you or anything." Seriously, if you're really to busy with the aforementioned throngs of early bird diners to stop for a split second and ask "how is everything?" you might want to consider a different line of work. The thing is, our waitress was friendly enough when she was around; she just didn't do her job. I know I come off sounding fairly harsh about waitservice in a lot of my entries, but that's primarily because it was my business for quite a few years, and I've been there. I know what is required to serve a big section of hungry people who want, want, want. I know that sometimes you're just not in the mood, or you're hungover, or your mind is on how much you want to be somewhere--anywhere--else. And you know what? I don't care. You don't have to be my best friend. You don't even have to smile. You just need to come by and ask my how my goddamned meal is and see if I want more salsa than the teaspoonful provided, or maybe another glass of limeade. Whew! Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel much better. Anyway, aside from the lame-ass service and slightly high prices (11 bucks for my quesadilla was a little bit on the high side, I thought), El Camino provided a delicious meal of a sort you really can't get anywhere else in Maine. I definitely recommend it. Just be prepared to leap out of your seat or trip the waitress or something if you want anything. ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/who_eats_dinner_at_5_pm.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/who_eats_dinner_at_5_pm.php El Camino Restaurants Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:02:37 -0500 Gastro-What? Frog and Turtle, which describes itself with the somewhat twee phrase "a gastro pub." Their website uses some dubious etymology to define "a gastro pub" as "an neighborhood spot that has good, fresh food." Regardless, it was a fun adventure to go to Westbrook. Normally, I don't make it out there unless I'm passing through on the way to Gorham for a meeting. Somewhat like a Manhattanite who rarely deigns to visit the outer boroughs, I've often felt that there's really no compelling reason to leave Portland, since I have all I need here. This is ridiculous, of course; but it does become difficult to leave the city once you have all your favorite spots picked out. (Before my readers get all up in arms, I should clarify that my New York residency took place in Brooklyn and Queens, not the faaaabulous Manhattan of Sex and the City. If you haven't been to Brooklyn Chinatown you haven't lived.) Happily, we're breaking out of our rut somewhat-- Frog & Turtle was fun, and this Saturday we're off to Brunswick to El Camino. Now, on to the review of F&T. We arrived to find that John and Toby had secured a lovely booth next to a big window. The space in general was nice and homey, and the seats were all filled. (Note: I think Chicky's Fine Diner used to be in the same space. Never went there. For why, see above.) I started, of course, with a bloody mary. You can argue all you want, but I am a firm believer in a) drinking in the morning on a weekend, and b) always ordering a bloody mary at any restaurant you visit for brunch. It makes the meal so much more enjoyable. Plus, there's something about the tomato-horseradish-salt-spice thing that acts as a wonderful appetizer. Sadly, the bloody mary at F&T was not satisfactory. It's advertised on the menu as "packing a smoky bite" -- in fact, it tastes like someone added a teaspoon of liquid smoke to the mix. The smoky bloody mary concept is a good idea, but in execution it just didn't work out. I kept sipping it, hoping the flavor would grow on me, but no dice-- it continued to taste off. Finally, I asked our waiter for some extra limes and did my best to drown out the smoke flavor with citrus. It was minimally effective. However, aside from that, our meal was delicious. The absolute best part was the homemade doughnuts. They're three for $5 and worth every penny. Freshly-deep fried, they were warm and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You get your choice of flavors-- we opted for chocolate glazed; raspberry jam-filled; and cinnamon sugar. They were, quite simply, incredible. It's worth the drive just to try them-- I would have taken some home, except I realized that the magic partly comes from being fresh out of the fryer. Seriously fabulous. After the doughnuts, my benedict made with kielbasa seemed like something of a let down, although it really was quite tasty. The hollandaise was nice and light, and the eggs poached just right. The potatoes were fine. My only complaint there was that $11 was a little much for a brunch entree. So, all in all, our experience at the Frog and Turtle was quite nice. it's a neighborhood spot that has good, fresh food. And kick-ass doughnuts.]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/gastrowhat.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/gastrowhat.php Frog + Turtle Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:16:04 -0500 Back to Empire last visit to Empire Dine + Dance, we were so squicked out by the odd atmosphere and random menu that we didn't even stay for a meal. But last Friday in the midst of the sleet/rain/storm Spence and Shea called to invite us to join them, and adorable 2-year-old Sasha, for a meal. We intrepid travelers made the long trek 5 blocks down Congress st, figuring if a family with a toddler can make it out in such icky weather, so could we. (Plus, we were hungry and had just barely settled on ordering a pizza.) Empire was surprisingly busy for such a stormy Friday. Spence and Shea and Sasha were tucked away on some couches around to the right, away from the main dining area. In general, the space at Empire does still feel a little 'off' to me-- but it's much nicer when it's filled up. There was an old-time/klezmer/bluegrass band playing, which also made the atmosphere feel a bit festive. They've expanded the menu a bit, but it's still all over the place and a little overly ambitious. The portions are really mixed, too-- Spencer got the lasagna, which was an enormous slab of pasta and cheese, whereas my Jalapeño steak melt was a bit on the undersized side for $11. However, everything was fairly tasty-- the lasagna was basic but chock full of the things you want in lasagna (a.k.a. lots of cheese); Otis's blue cheese burger was pretty tasty if not especially juicy, even at medium rare; and my steak bomb had a nice spicy aioli and well-seasoned steak. I hated the roasted potatoes accompanying my sandwich (I had a choice of three sides, 2 involving potatoes, but not French fries, unfortunately)-- they were overwhelmingly covered with dried rosemary. However, both Otis and Sasha seemed to like them a lot. (I say 'seemed' because although Otis did say he liked them, Sasha just kept eating them without comment.) All in all the food at Empire is fine. If you're out and about and want to grab a bite, you could find something pretty tasty at a pretty reasonable price. It's certainly nice to have more options on Congress, and I hear that the performance space upstairs is great (I missed a great show a couple of weeks ago-- Honey Clouds. Mea maxima culpa. I was asleep. This school-and-work thing is tiring.) Next time: Marya and Otis venture into the wilds of Westbrook to drink smoked bloody marys and eat homemade donuts at the Frog and Turtle.]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/back_to_empire.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/02/back_to_empire.php Empire Dine + Dance Restaurants Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:29:42 -0500 We're in the Jet Set, Just Like Fergie Jewish Home for the Aged. He just turned 93, and I hadn't seen him in 2 and a half years. (The actual birthdate is a matter of some internal family debate, since he always said his birthday was Dec 25. It now seems that was a dramatization, and his real birthday is Dec 29. Part of this also stemmed from the fact that his parents were named Mary and Josef. He is a character.) So, we flew out of Boston early Friday morning (6:10) and had a whirlwind weekend visiting the city and my family. We had gorgeous, sunny weather, and had the chance to see my grandpa, my cousins Leila and Damon and their respective spouses and adorable children, my uncle Merrill and aunt Nancy, and my mom. We also got to visit Otis's old high school friend Seton, his wife Patty, and their adorable little toddler Eva. Part of what makes spending time with my family amusing is the constant food-related talk. (Hey, I come by it honestly!!) This is a group of people who plan their dinner while eating breakfast. We basically arrived, went to visit my grandpa in the home, and then went out to dim sum, without a pause. So, there was a lot of delicious food to report on: - Friday dim sum at Mayflower Seafood - Friday dinner at my cousin Leila's house, which featured a delicious warm shrimp salad which was prepared from a recipe Merrill and Nancy learned at a cooking school during their recent trip to Vietnam - Irish breakfast at O'Reilly's in North Beach - Burritos at a restaurant in Alameda with Seton (I forget the name of this one, I'll have to check with Otis!) - Pastry and coffee at Caffe Trieste - Sunday brunch with bagels, lox, some insanely cheesy hash brown casserole, and mimosas at Leila's house - Dinner at Cafe de la Presse I think that's it! A lot of food in one short weekend! It was a wonderful time, and if I have a chance I will post restaurant reviews. And, as a special treat, here is the warm salad recipe from Vietnam. The recipe calls for squid, but you can make it with anything, really. Also, there are comments written on my copy by my uncle Merrill... but I can't read them, his handwriting is so bad. Hopefully there's nothing important! (This recipe is from the Red Bridge Cooking School in Hoi An, Vietnam. If you're ever there, it sounds like a fabulous day of cooking and eating!)

Warm Squid Salad in Half a Pineapple

100 grams sliced squid 2 t vegetable oil 1 t garlic, chopped 1 t ginger, chopped 1/2 t sugar 1 t light fish sauce 1 T tomato puree or tomato sauce 1 T sweet and sour chilli sauce (recipe below) 1/2 cup chopped hot pepper 1/2 cup chopped pineapple 1/2 cup chopped tomato 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 T water Few pieces cilantro Add vegetable oil to wok with ginger and garlic. Add squid, fish sauce, and sugar, and stirfry 1 min. Add vegetables and tomato puree, and stirfry 3 minutes. Add water. Serve in hollowed-out pineapple sauce and top with cilantro and hot pepper.

Sweet & Sour Chilli Sauce

1 T water 1/2 t sour chilli sauce (super sour sriracha is probably what they mean here) 1/2 t tomato puree 1/2 T finely chopped white onion 1/2 T finely chopped pineapple 1/2 T finely chopped tomato 1/2 t crushed ginger 1/2 t veg oil Heat oil in wok and add all ingredients except water, sour chilli, and tomato puree. Fry for a few seconds, then add reserved ingredients. Bring to simmer, simmer until cooked. ]]> http://accidentalveg.com/2008/01/were_in_the_jet_set_just_like.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/01/were_in_the_jet_set_just_like.php Miscellaneous Recipes Restaurants Travel Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:38:55 -0500 Freezer Love When people come to our house for the first time, they often don't notice the fact that there are two refrigerator-shaped items in the kitchen-- it's only when they go to put their beer in the freezer that they realize that there is, in fact, a full-size standup freezer where there used to be a closet. It's not a very big kitchen, at all, so I attribute this to people's preexisting expectations for kitchen appliances. And boy, do we love our freezer. Not only does it allow us to easily preserve much of our annual CSA bounty (aside from the stuff Otis cans), but we also have a ton of leftovers preserved for emergencies of laziness. (Or just to use when appropriate. This Thanksgiving I made a pumpkin pie with pie filling I had made from our CSA pumpkin and frozen two years before. It was delicious.) Right now, this is what's in our freezer: baked rigatoni puerto rican pork and rice pureed tomatoes shucked oysters chicken tikka beef stew beef stock bbq sauce (otis's secret recipe) more pumpkin pie filling pureed squash pesto plus an assortment of purchased items: whole grain english muffins pitas frozen chicken and vegetable dumplings whole wheat tortillas a frozen spinach pizza fake breakfast sausage linguica chicken sausage chicken thighs bags of innards from chickens (for making stock) handle of vodka ice and probably more stuff... I didn't want to keep the door open too long. I'd say we're fairly prepared. For lazy Sundays, at least. http://accidentalveg.com/2008/01/freezer_love.php http://accidentalveg.com/2008/01/freezer_love.php Miscellaneous Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:01:39 -0500