Headed to 4th and Swift with a few friends for an annual b-day dinner. Atmosphere was nice, rustic, open. I wish I sat on the patio, it was so gorgeous out. I have mixed feelings about the place. The food was out of this world, which is most important, but I have a few gripes about our experience that I will mention after I extol the virtues of the food.
We started with a few good beers - they do have a great beer selection: Rogue Dead Guy, Brooklyn Brewery Summer Ale and a coke.
The most beautiful thing happened next:Truffle Butter & Parmesan Popcorn: This was exquisitely salty and decadent...all of us were licking our fingers and praying for it to never end.
A second appetizer of “Lasagna” of Braised Lamb Shoulder with Wild Mushrooms, and Hand Dipped Ricotta did not disappoint either. It was so rich, even split three ways. A companion noted she would never be able to make lasagna the same way again. The ricotta was heavenly, light and grassy.
For our main courses we devoured “Three Little Pigs” - Loin, Belly, & House Made Sausage, Macaroni & Cheese - All of the pigs were flavorful and rich - the mac and cheese heady and decadent.
House Made Pappardelle with Summer Vegetables, Arbequena Oil, Red Pepper Flake was so surprising. I rarely order a non-meat dish at these prices, but I was craving vegetables. The Pappardelle was SO light and flavorful, the spiciness of the pepper and the crisp youth of the vegetables combined perfectly. I loved this.
Oak Roasted Harris Ranch Flatiron Steak with Crispy Potato Ribbons, Crushed Olive “Chimi”, and Watercress - I had a bit of the steak and found it perfectly cooked. The birthday girl found it perfectly great and cleaned her plate!
Sweet Corn Risotto- a bit of an aside side (ha! sorry, that was lame) was very creamy and very sweet.
Dessert was a peanut butter tart which I found too intense, but companions adored, and a marscapone mousse which was agreed orgasm-worthy by all.
Wine was a moderately priced Four Vines Zinfadel - very tasty.
Humpf. Everything was so tasty, but I had service and experience issues. We tipped for the sake of the food, and my companion hoped our server was new, but well...I have to admit I didn't like our table which was next to a giant red pipe and across from the bathroom tucked in the back. A strange choice as the restaurant was not full at 9pm, and there were plenty of comfortable tables in the main section. Our waiter, while sweet, had to be asked three times for something to fix the wobbly table, forgot our first appetizer order, took our second order and then returned fifteen minutes later to note they were out of it, and actually notified us that the proper way to order was to order everything we wanted at once, and he would manage the timing. I'm pretty easy going, but I was a bit perturbed after all this.
Nonetheless, the food was great, the bill was a happy surprise, and I hope to come back and find service and experience that matches the quality of the plates.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Fabulous Foccacia
It's been a while. I apologize. Life has been topsy turvy.
The husband loves foccacia. It is expensive (or what I deem expensive) to buy at teh Farmers Market and frozen will not do. For years it has been a special treat I only buy when it is marketed down. The husband has been very good lately and I told him if he kept it up I would make him foccacia from scratch. Today I did. And who knew it was so easy! I am thrilled. It was fairly quick for something that has to rise, quick baking, no fancy ingredients...a great thing to make. I found a basic recipe and then added a few things. It came out moist, crisp, fresh...lovely and savory.
The Basic Foccacia Recipe from Allrecipes
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
MY ADDITIONS
1 cup krinos oil cured olives, pitted and chopped coarsely
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
2 roma tomatoes thinly slices
1/2 c parmesan/romano
pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about 1 minute.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. (I put mine in the sunshine!)
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. **Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake focaccia in preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness. If you like it moist and fluffy, then you'll have to wait just about 10 minutes. If you like it crunchier and darker in the outside, you may have to wait 20 minutes.
** At this point I folded in 1/2 of my olives and 1/2 my basil into the dough. After I flattened it out I put the the remaining ingredents of mine on top and pressed lightly into the dough and ground fresh pepper/sea salt over top. We ate it wiht a little olive oil for dipping - a perfect weekend lunch.
The husband loves foccacia. It is expensive (or what I deem expensive) to buy at teh Farmers Market and frozen will not do. For years it has been a special treat I only buy when it is marketed down. The husband has been very good lately and I told him if he kept it up I would make him foccacia from scratch. Today I did. And who knew it was so easy! I am thrilled. It was fairly quick for something that has to rise, quick baking, no fancy ingredients...a great thing to make. I found a basic recipe and then added a few things. It came out moist, crisp, fresh...lovely and savory.
The Basic Foccacia Recipe from Allrecipes
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
MY ADDITIONS
1 cup krinos oil cured olives, pitted and chopped coarsely
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
2 roma tomatoes thinly slices
1/2 c parmesan/romano
pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about 1 minute.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. (I put mine in the sunshine!)
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. **Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake focaccia in preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness. If you like it moist and fluffy, then you'll have to wait just about 10 minutes. If you like it crunchier and darker in the outside, you may have to wait 20 minutes.
** At this point I folded in 1/2 of my olives and 1/2 my basil into the dough. After I flattened it out I put the the remaining ingredents of mine on top and pressed lightly into the dough and ground fresh pepper/sea salt over top. We ate it wiht a little olive oil for dipping - a perfect weekend lunch.
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