Edible Sunshine

Two thoughts - both citrus related.

First - I love citrus, it is edible sunshine. however, getting at ti sometimes can be a bit of a pill. If you have fingernails or you don't for that matter - you are familiar with the tiresome and often frustrating act of peeling a citrus with your nails/no nails. It is absolutely fruit drudergy and the impatience you feel rising as you attempt to access the sweet flesh inside is often unbearable. Behold - the citrus thingy. Not sure where I got it..I think maybe ma put it in my stocking one year, but I am totally enamored of it. Only an inch or so of plastic, you run in downt he side of a citrus several tiems and it makes peeling fast and easy. God bless you cirtus thingy.

I found it online for $1.50 at Amazon - It's worth it: http://www.amazon.com/MSC-Citrus-Peeler/dp/B000FRZCKQ

Note my husband giving me a big orangey middle finger for making him be my hand model. Yes , he is very clever...

Second - while in France we had the combination of grapefruit and avocado. It was delightful. Who knew? So I attempted to recreate it the other day with a decent amount of success. Probalby because there is little involved with the combination. Here is it served with chicken burgers which were a nice light main with the avocado/grapefruit with it.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
(serves 2)
1 ruby red grapefruit
1 avocado
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of ginger

Slice grapefruit in about four circular slices.
Cut avocado in half and twist slightly to seperate. Gently remove the pit fromt he second half with a knife tip.
Mash avocado with a bit (about 1-2tb) grapefruit juice, pinch of ginger and salt and pepper to taste. The consistency should be thick and textured versus thin/puree.
Place a little avocado on plate, place a piece of grapefruit on top, add another dollop of avocado, another slice of grapefruit and one mor dollop...Volia! Sweet, rich, tangy, bright...lovely. Nice with grilled fish as well.

Nice Tryma Kyma

The husband and I ventured out on our first date as spouses to Kyma. A BLG card initiated the experience.We stylishly arrived at 4:30pm on a Friday...much too early to be seated, but were welcomed nonetheless to sit and have a drink at the bar. The drinks were well poured and enjoyed.

I imagine that the place is gorgeous in the evening hours,and fabulous in the dark...very sexy nooks and what not, but with the summer sun shining in...let's say white hides not age. I feel the pain of attempting to have white anything in my life...I can't imagine trying to keep that place immaculate...but that said, it should have been.

The service, while attentive, was appreciated though the staff in general were a bit tiresome as a whole as they were grouped about canoodling and texting and whatnot. This place is not a diner, so I would have hoped for a more refined approach to the atmosphere. (Canoodling is okay pre-opening...I realize we were early, but after 5pm on a Friday, a no-no...especially in Buckhead!)The food had its high points and low. I loved the option to have a series of meze for the meal as I love to taste everything...that is a high point. Now onto the food itself.

Melitzanusala (eggplant, mint, walnut)Good, loved the hint of mint, but think I like babghanoush better with its smokiness.
Htipiti (red pepper, feta)A-ight.
An unnamed bright yellow spread (yellow split peas, lemon)I really liked this one, super bright flavor.Grilled pita that accompanied was warm, delicious and retained just a hint of grilled tste - very good.
Dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with bulgur, tomato, onion. mint, cumin-yogurt)We are a huge fan of dolmades, and every culture makes them slightly different. These were quite lovely and different. Plump, fresh and the cumin-yogurt I think really was beautiful with it.
Baby Maine Calamari These were very good. Similar to the kind I make at home...super light with only a hint of crisp - no heavy breading, the squid itself, meltingly tender. Well done.
Saganaki (pan fried cheese)This was overwhelmingly salty, rich and warm. I loved it. The build up on our palates from the meze in this order peaked here.
Braised Rabbit mousaka And the crescendo descended. This dish was light and creamy...but that is kinda all you could taste...there was a nuance of nutmeg floating about, but by this time in our dinner, our tastebuds had been focusing on bright, acidic lushness...and this dainty lactic dish could not compete. I would serve this earlier in the meal if one hoped for proper praise of it.
Lambchops (3day marinade, wood grilled, oregano, tzatziki and greek fries)Very good. Cooked perfectly medium rare. Mine was better than the husbands. It was smaller and burst with flavor. I admit I gnawed the bone a bit (I NEVER do this, not even with ribs). He gave a piece of his thicker chop, and sadly it contained not the herbal boost of mine...understandable, as it was a thicker cut..but avoidable. Still good though.

Overall, a reasonable evening. Reasonable price. Not our favorite of the Buckhead Life Group restaurants.

how many Guys does it take...

I'm going to come clean--I'm a burger snob. In fact, it was an overwhelming craving to eat a cheeseburger that broke my 8-year streak, changing my status from "pescatarian" to "omnivore" 5 years ago.

I'd been resisting going to Five Guys because I'd heard way too many people raving. I mean, really...if they don't cook my burger until I order it, and I can't have it bloody as hell, what's the point?

I finally gave in today, and the point is that this place is competing with McDonalds, not with the Vortex. Yes, it is better than Mickey D's, but not that much better. And, to be honest, I like McD's fries better. There were things about the Five Guy's fries that I liked -- that they were obviously made from real unpeeled potatoes, that the establishment offers malt vinegar (don't ask me where this Southern girl picked up a thing for malt vinegar). But they didn't have enough salt, for starters, and they weren't all that crispy. I think I ate about 10 and threw the rest out.

And so, the illustrious burger. I got the small cheeseburger. It was juicy, especially for a well-done burger--I will give them that--and I liked the array of toppings offered, especially the grilled onions and mushrooms. But they got my order wrong. I waited for 10 minutes for this thing, and it had mayonnaise on it. The only thing I asked them NOT to put on it. I hate mayonnaise.

I hate mayonnaise in a passionate way in which it is impossible for me to ignore the mayonnaise residue on my sandwich after I wipe it off. As infrequently as I order there, McDonald's always gets my no mayo order correct.

My receipt clearly stated "NO mayo"--that was it. Everything BUT mayo. Gah.

So, yes, Five Guys was okay, but I don't really get what the fuss is about. If they had gotten my order correct, they might have earned one additional star, but I really can't see myself going back. It would be one thing if it was a great value, but it's not that much cheaper than the Vortex (considering there is no beer involved).

Score: Lobby 1, Harrison Ford 0

We dropped into Lobby at Twelve for a pre-movie dinner tonight. The dinner was much more successful than the movie. The new Indiana Jones is...kind of bad. Even Cate Blanchett can't rescue it.

Anyway, so the restaurant. It was really dead at 6:30 when we arrived for our reservation and we were seated at a huge booth by ourselves. So huge, in fact, that we quickly made the decision to sit on the same side of the booth together. Schmoopiness aside, I kind of like it when empty restaurants don't try to put you in the window so that passersby will think there are people in there. The seats were kind of uncomfortable, especially for my tall husband, but the decor of the restaurant was understated and spacious. The kitchen is huge and open with bar seating overlooking the workspace. I guess these guys want the customers to have confidence that they are above board!

We started with glasses of wine--he the XYZin, me the Trivento Malbec. Both were good, and the pours were generous. The glasses were a little on the pricey side, so the generousity was definitely necessary for them to be a decent value. First course arrived quickly -- the shrimp ravioli, which our server recommended. It was really good, topped with a shrimpy beurre blanc sauce, peas, asparagus and tomato. It was very spring-y.

Entrees were appropriately timed, and attractively plated. He had the duck breast which was served with a mushroom egg roll. Both the duck and the spring roll thingie were really tasty--well seasoned, not greasy. My Boy doesn't normally like mushrooms, but the preparation really took advantage of the earthiness of the mushrooms. I especially liked that the cabbage and mushrooms in the roll weren't minced beyond recognition as they often are in stuffings for Asian dishes.

I wanted a recommendation from the server who did the thing that I hate the most when I ask for a recommendation--he asked what I was in the mood for. Um...I want to know what the specialities of the house are and your personal favorites. If I was in the mood for something in particular, I wouldn't have asked for a recommendation. Gah. That response makes me think either that the servers don't like or haven't tried the food. Anyway, other than my personal hang ups, the service was great.

I ended up having the prime rib which wasn't really anything to write home about. It was strangely bland and came with a horseradish sauce that really overpowered the meat in a weird way. It was tasty, of course, but I liked the duck dish better.

Sides are served to the table, and appear to be seasonal. We had beets, english peas, Israeli couscous and mashed butter with a little bit of potatoes in it. All were tasty, even the beets, and I really don't like beets. The peas were especially good. And my prime rib was really good slathered with the butter...erm...potatoes.

The bill came to about $90 which seems reasonable for the value that we got from the meal, and the service was attentive, but not rushed. The convenience of having a nice place to have a solid meal and go to the movies (or any of the other attractions in Atlantic Station) makes the creepiness of Atlantic Station worth it. Give me good food and H&M, and I can handle feeling like I'm walking around a fake movie set of a deserted city. There probably won't be zombies wandering in during dinner...I hope.

We made our movie with time to spare, and our bellies were satisfied, though our nostalgia for the original Indiana Jones trilogy was a bit tarnished. Harrison Ford is pretty spry for a senior citizen, but it's not exactly a newsflash that swashbuckling adventurers/archaeologists don't chase aliens. Le sigh.

Food Diary #5 Paris

Whew...it's been a while since I wrote. Well, only about a month, but it feels like forever...in the meantime I got married and the husband and I ate our way across Paris. Of course I chronicled it all...though we were crippled by the nasty euro/dollar exchange, we still managed to gain about ten pounds each despite walking all day every day for two weeks. I digress...

Wed May 21

Lunch - Chez Germaine, Montparnasse area

Beef tartare, lentil salad, Marinated herring and potatos, roast duck and a cote de rhone

Ate on patio, perfect in every way

Dinner - Le Gymnase, Montparnasse

Escargots, croque monsieur, pommes frites and a cote de rhone

Ate on patio, read our books, best snails ever, watched Chelsea/Manchester game

Thursday May 22

Lunch - Au petit bar, Champs Elysee

Camembert, Bleu de Auvergne, Saucisson plate and a cote de rhone

Ate at a tiny bar inside, extremely expensive neighborhood, this was a little gem. The bleu

cheese was amazing...and as we found out auvergne and camembert are on every menu.

Dinner - Sucky and not worth mentioning

Friday May 23

6am - Our hotel, Montparnasse

A bottle of champagne

Lunch - Forgot to write the name down, somewhere near Les Invalides

Veal, steak, beer, pommes frites, cappucino, creme brulee and cognac de Napolean

A very nice lunch at a table on the cusp of outside, watched little girl feed the pigeons, the PBR of beers served in France, Kronenberg, is rather sweet and fruity. The owner couldn't make their credit card machine work so the husband trekked to the nearest ATM, only to return to an apologetic owner who then bestowed cognac on us and bade us relax. Very nice people.

Dinner - Restoration Bar, Montparnasse

Nutella and Bannana crepe, Chevre and Potato crepe, many many beverages.

The only time we hung at a bar for hours. Bizarre combo of american seventies love ballads alternating with modern hip hop for music. Had a wonderful conversation with a Moroccoan gentleman in stunted french. He was thrilled and surprised that we neither threw our cigarette butts on the street nor were offended an older gentleman declared he did not like americans at all.

Sat May 24

Lunch - A Gyro Stand near Notre Dame

Gyro and Falafel sandwiches rolled up and stuffed cone like with fries

Ate partially standing and then crouching on rocks in the street. Really tasty and cheapest thing there...though crepes are pretty cheap too.

Dinner - Our hotel/La grande epicerie

Grocery store dinner of caviar, creme fraiche, bread of course, camembert de calvados, lives, terrine sud-ouest and echine des porc seches with champagne...all laid out beautifully on our bed and ate with a pair of scissors and our sugar spoons while watching CNN.

Sunday May 25

Lunch - A repeat of last night's dinner! "Aw ma...caviar and champagne...AGAIN!"

Dinner - Le Bec Rouge, Montparnasse

An alsacian brasserie - Foie gras, salmon tartare, flamekueffe ( a sort of piece of cheese baked), lamb shank, veal kidneys, champagne and a kir alsacian, cherry, vanilla and cafe sorbets.

Everything was good, thought the kidneys will not be visited again by me...just not my style. The sorbets were excrutiatingly flavorful. There was a cheese plate as well, but we had to take it and some lamb home we were too full with the evening's prix fixe.

Monday May 26

Lunch - Le Bruant, Pigalle

Smoked salmon, eggs with homemade mayonaise and salad, spaghetti bolognaise and the fish of the day, which I took to be sea bass and a pitcher of rose...

Ate on super cramped patio and followed lunch with a visit to Sacre Coeur and a Peep Show...good times.

Dinner - Leftover cheese plate and lamb andd bread!

Tuesday May 27 - Normandy

Lunch - D-Day Museum, Caen

Steaks, pommes frites, apple tart - quite nice for museum fare

Dinner - Gyros before we jumped back on train in the rain!

Wednesday May 28

Lunch - La Coupole, Montparnasse

Our most expensive meal

A huge silver tray on an ice pedestal with raw oysters, sea snails, mussels. clams, oysters, and shrimp

Salmon and eggplant wrapped in a roasted eggplant "sleeve"

Lobster ravioli

Fois gras escaloppe

Crepes suzette flambe and ile flottante with cappucinos
This was a beautiful long lux meal in a lovely art deco restaurant that was massive in size. The sea snails were delightful...everything in fact, was delightful.

Dinner - Grocery store Fixins

Lentil salad, bananas, bleu cheese, bread, champagne

Thursday May 29

Lunch - Versailles

Bad and expensive paninis followed by a very bad snack later of gross potatoes

Dinner - La criee, Montparnasse

"Crisply prawns", Prawn and Sea Bream rolls, moules mariniere, moules creme and pommes frites

All was fantastic...I think they served us 5 pounds mussels each...I have never gotten stuffed on mussels till then...french fries included for dipping in the delicious broth...we waddled home

Friday May 30

Lunch - Place de republique

Grapefruit and avocado puree with crepes and dill (to die for), baked goat cheese, escalope to veau with leek and anisette, "salade orientale" with a bottle of sauvignon blanc...a wonderful "last great meal"

Dinner - Montparnasse

Goat cheese and potato crepe from outdoor stand and a "speed rabbit" pizza which the husband enjoyed with a bottle of champagne while wearing no knickers...we finished our grand french trip by watching the new "King Kong" in french...neither of us had seen it before, both of us cried horribly.

It was a good eating time...some bad, some good, all very expensive...I will keep USA and the ability to have a fabulous meal at $10 or $200. God Bless America!

We are grateful for: each other, and our love which has lasted so long now.