I literally threw up about five minutes before having a business lunch at Sultan's Restaurants on Roswell Road, and I am thrilled to report that this did not effect my experience. In fact it kinda made it better.
I wasn't feeling very well, and when I walked into the Turkish/Lebanese restaurant, I was wary and sad. I love ethnic food and I love eating, but to be honest have been more of a thai/indian type gal and was not as familiar with turkish and lebanese. I was afraid the food would inflame my troubled insides, and I was teary at the thought of not eating at all...I nodded meekly at my lunch guest and ordered a hot tea while we waited for another guest to arrive. Luckily for me, she was late and my tummy calmed down after 15 minutes or so of tea sipping. My guest and I waited no longer and dove into the well priced buffet, and only option, for lunch ($8.95).
Well, as for ambiance, style and service, the place has little to offer, but the food was wonderful. The fact that 80% of the guests appeared to be of the same ethnicity as the restauarant bodes well for the cuisine's authenticity. There were no menus, so I am only sure of some of the things I ate, all of which were delicious and not as highly spiced as indian/thai...
I think I had:
A delicious lemony chickpea soup
Fresh tomatoes, onions, olives
An awesome hummus
The best ever babaghanoush I have ever had...you could tell they charred the eggplant before making it...it was so delicately smoky...
Some sort of cabbage salad that was unexpectedely different and delicious
Perfectly cooked basmati
Some sort of lamb with potatoes and vegetables in a rich creamy sauce
A basket of fresh warm bread, not quite pita, but not quite roti
Everything was good. I ate seconds of everything, and even on a sad tummy nothing hurt me then or later...it's always a crapshoot with buffets, especially with ethnic ones, so I was thrilled. Cheap, great and didn't hurt.
As an aside, our waitress was breathtakingly beautiful, it made up for the fact that we could only minimally communicate with her. i think I will go back. PS this place is hard to spot from Roswell road, but here is a tip: it is in the shopping center directly behind Whole Foods (roswell/hammond) ON Roswell road.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Squid, Books, Friends
The other day I received a pleasant surprise in the mail from a college friend. It was a total food porn cookbook by the appropriate title "salt and pepper." If you know me well, you know that I LOVE beautiful food photography...(No, I don't care how useful it is, I don't like Cooks Illustrated because there are no pictures!!) and I also have a tendency to both read cookbooks cover to cover and cook my way through them as well. (Note: if you like this idea, read "Julie and Julia"...I can not claim to have cooked my way through the french masterpiece...but I am now inspired to try).Well after I read my way through, "salt and pepper." I have tried two recipes the past few days with much success, pleasure, and of course, modification due to my cheapness/laziness. I owe all this foodie pleasure to my good friend, who reminded me of sweet memories of cooking shenanigans when we were younger and shared at one point a studio apartment with each other and another gentleman in Chicago...I hope to someday be cooking again with her...this time with her family in a big ole house. Thank you.
Squid and I go back further than my college days. My parents brought it home when I was a kid, much to my horror. I even got to clean mid sized ones, popping their eyes out and cleaning their grotesque alien bodies. As I got older of course, my love for the spineless delight has grown, if in a quiet way. I remember baby squid sauteed by a boyfriend with balsamic in the one pan he owned and eating it by itself while sitting on the floor. I remember squid ink pasta...rich and naughty in it's blackness, and of course there are the numerous plates of calamari, most cooked to imperfection. So the first recipe I tried from this book was one for calamari..I have never cooked with it before, and found it easy, surprisingly with total and delicious success.
Adapted from J. Vassallo's "salt and pepper" cookbook
Salt and Pepper Squid (serves 2)
1/2 lb fresh squid rings
1.5 tb sea salt
1.5 tb pink peppercorns (whatever kind is fine though)
2 tsp splenda (or fine sugar)
1 c cornstarch
2 egg whites slightly beaten
corn oil for frying
Combine dry ingredients except cornstarch and grind in mortar.
Mix with cornstarch. (I also made this with flour...it was good, but not as good as the cornstarch)
I put about 1.5 in of oil in my cast iron skillet since I was too lazy to get the wok out...but the wok works well too. Get it shimmery hot.
Dip squid in egg whites and then the cornstarch mixture and toss in oil. Cook for about 2 minutes till golden and remove.
Serve with lime and lemon wedges.
God this was good. I served with Baby Bok Choy tossed with dark soy and olive oil and then grilled. Perfect. Served with a Redwood Creek Sauvignon Blanc I believe.
The next day I made Peppered Salmon with Herbed Lemon butter, and I am now in the process of herbed yogurt cheese...I will update soon.
I am grateful for: Squid, Books and Friends.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
A second chance for Shaun's
I've been holding my breath, hoping that the not-so-great experience we had at Shaun's for our anniversary back in October was a fluke. I'm pleased to say that I'm glad we gave you a second chance last night, Mr. Doty!
I fell in love with Shaun Doty through his menu at Table 1280, and I was more than a little disappointed when our first trip to his eponymous establishment was less-than-stellar (to say the least), all of our friends (including belles mangeuse and bleue) love this place and keep raving, so we gave it a second shot -- this time on Friday night instead of a Sunday (when the service was mediocre, we waited for ages for our drinks and each course and our food came out cold -- my shrimp and grits were kind of rubbery. Yuck! We got the impression that perhaps there was someone in the restaurant more important than us.).
I grabbed a reservation on OpenTable yesterday afternoon for that evening on a whim. I love restaurants that are on OpenTable as I have a weird phobia of calling strangers on the phone. We parked on the street (no need to tip the valet!), I gave the host our name for our 7:15 reservation, and we were seated immediately way back in the cozy dining area past the restrooms which I didn't even realize existed the first time we ate here. Our table was directly under a sort of ominous, though quite lovely metal sculpture of autumn leaves. The effect of the art in the simple, masculine room was really nice, and the room was very romantic and intimate.
We were a bit dismayed that we had the very same server from our first visit, but her perky blondeness was the only similarity between the two trips. We ordered cocktails -- him, the Ruby Red Eye, and me a concoction of pine-flavored liquer, salt, pepper and gin (I think) whose name I don't recall. I'm clearly a sucker for the bizarre cocktails. It was really very tasty and didn't make me think of cleaning the kitchen floor in any way.
We noted immediately how many duck dishes were on last night's menu...a good thing since the Boy loves duck. It made me wonder if they have to prepare so much of it to use up the rest of the duck in whose fat they cook their frites? Anyway, no complaints here. He had the duck sausage bangers and mash which were really solid with just the right amount of spice. I was intrigued by the mustard in the mashed potatoes as well -- a well-constructed dish. I had the fish and chips, and experienced the food orgasm I'd been hoping for from the duck-fat fries that everyone has been raving about. I also really liked the tartar sauce, and I actually hate tartar sauce and anything generally resembling mayonnaise.
We finished off our meal with a late harvest Zin for him and a limoncello for me. We also feasted on people watching -- I have a nasty habit of creating complex stories about the people who are seated near us in restaurants. Last night's was a particularly amusing tale of a first date going very badly. Good times.
We got out of there for about $90, including the tip, which seemed utterly reasonable to me for a restaurant that my brain puts in the "special occasion" category.
Keep this up, Mr. Doty, and you might make me forget all about that bad first impression!
I fell in love with Shaun Doty through his menu at Table 1280, and I was more than a little disappointed when our first trip to his eponymous establishment was less-than-stellar (to say the least), all of our friends (including belles mangeuse and bleue) love this place and keep raving, so we gave it a second shot -- this time on Friday night instead of a Sunday (when the service was mediocre, we waited for ages for our drinks and each course and our food came out cold -- my shrimp and grits were kind of rubbery. Yuck! We got the impression that perhaps there was someone in the restaurant more important than us.).
I grabbed a reservation on OpenTable yesterday afternoon for that evening on a whim. I love restaurants that are on OpenTable as I have a weird phobia of calling strangers on the phone. We parked on the street (no need to tip the valet!), I gave the host our name for our 7:15 reservation, and we were seated immediately way back in the cozy dining area past the restrooms which I didn't even realize existed the first time we ate here. Our table was directly under a sort of ominous, though quite lovely metal sculpture of autumn leaves. The effect of the art in the simple, masculine room was really nice, and the room was very romantic and intimate.
We were a bit dismayed that we had the very same server from our first visit, but her perky blondeness was the only similarity between the two trips. We ordered cocktails -- him, the Ruby Red Eye, and me a concoction of pine-flavored liquer, salt, pepper and gin (I think) whose name I don't recall. I'm clearly a sucker for the bizarre cocktails. It was really very tasty and didn't make me think of cleaning the kitchen floor in any way.
We noted immediately how many duck dishes were on last night's menu...a good thing since the Boy loves duck. It made me wonder if they have to prepare so much of it to use up the rest of the duck in whose fat they cook their frites? Anyway, no complaints here. He had the duck sausage bangers and mash which were really solid with just the right amount of spice. I was intrigued by the mustard in the mashed potatoes as well -- a well-constructed dish. I had the fish and chips, and experienced the food orgasm I'd been hoping for from the duck-fat fries that everyone has been raving about. I also really liked the tartar sauce, and I actually hate tartar sauce and anything generally resembling mayonnaise.
We finished off our meal with a late harvest Zin for him and a limoncello for me. We also feasted on people watching -- I have a nasty habit of creating complex stories about the people who are seated near us in restaurants. Last night's was a particularly amusing tale of a first date going very badly. Good times.
We got out of there for about $90, including the tip, which seemed utterly reasonable to me for a restaurant that my brain puts in the "special occasion" category.
Keep this up, Mr. Doty, and you might make me forget all about that bad first impression!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Simply Delicious
So a couple of us head up to the mountains this past weekend on a free pass. I have to see a client, and they put us up in their generosity at a lovely three bedroom lodge overlooking the river. We hit the spa, then hit the hot tub and several bottles of wine.
All three of us have been working 10 hour days and are very tired. Our usual obsessive compulsive cooking feats that take place on mountain "girls" trips are conspicuously missing. We eat random things that taste good. Cheese weighs in heavily as do olives, nuts and a pound of bacon between us. The wine, mostly care of Trader Joe's was all very good. Right before we left for our trip up, I did grab two of my favorite simple things to make, and belle requested I post the recipes...they are quite good and very simple.
Lentil Lemon Soup
Bring to a boil , cover and simmer for at least a half hour...or till lentils are tender
1 cup french green lentils, rinsed and cleaned
4 cups of broth, any kind
1 tsp red chili paste, or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Before serving add
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Cabbage Salad with Lemon and Herbs
Mix together and chill, or serve immediately
4 cups of shredded cabbage (I just use one bag of pre-shred)
1 lemon, sliced into thin wheels and seeded
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar or splenda
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup chopped dill, mint or cilantro
1/4 cup currants, raisin, or pomegranate seeds
*Note the intensity of the lemon dressing increases as it sits.
Mmmmmm. The first time I made this, the boy and I ate the entire batch.
Today we are grateful for: The boy enjoyed a positive college sports moment, NCAA basketball was great...even though he usually never watches it. I am grateful for my lovely friends and our quiet weekend, even though I had to work for a little part of it. It was beautiful and I feel refreshed.
All three of us have been working 10 hour days and are very tired. Our usual obsessive compulsive cooking feats that take place on mountain "girls" trips are conspicuously missing. We eat random things that taste good. Cheese weighs in heavily as do olives, nuts and a pound of bacon between us. The wine, mostly care of Trader Joe's was all very good. Right before we left for our trip up, I did grab two of my favorite simple things to make, and belle requested I post the recipes...they are quite good and very simple.
Lentil Lemon Soup
Bring to a boil , cover and simmer for at least a half hour...or till lentils are tender
1 cup french green lentils, rinsed and cleaned
4 cups of broth, any kind
1 tsp red chili paste, or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Before serving add
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Cabbage Salad with Lemon and Herbs
Mix together and chill, or serve immediately
4 cups of shredded cabbage (I just use one bag of pre-shred)
1 lemon, sliced into thin wheels and seeded
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar or splenda
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup chopped dill, mint or cilantro
1/4 cup currants, raisin, or pomegranate seeds
*Note the intensity of the lemon dressing increases as it sits.
Mmmmmm. The first time I made this, the boy and I ate the entire batch.
Today we are grateful for: The boy enjoyed a positive college sports moment, NCAA basketball was great...even though he usually never watches it. I am grateful for my lovely friends and our quiet weekend, even though I had to work for a little part of it. It was beautiful and I feel refreshed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
