The Swatini - my very own Holiday Cocktail

So, if you follow my page on Facebook, you know that I was determined to come up with a cocktail for my book club group meeting this evening to celebrate the holiday season.  Here's what I came up with......

Let's call it the Swatini......why not!!  No self confidence issues here.....

Ingredients

2 Cups Williams-Sonoma Pomegranate Cherry Margarita mix
2 Cups Vodka (I used Ketel One 'cause that's what I had)
50 ml St. Germain
Juice of one Orange (I used a Naval)
Juice of one Lime
1/4 tsp Fleur de Sel


Mix all ingredients in a pitcher and serve over ice in whatever glasses you have on hand.  I used the stemless wine glasses.  I like my cocktails on the tart side so you may want to add some sugar or honey, but I must tell you that there wasn't a drop left and this one was a big hit!!!!  Some even switched from the delicious Rioja to the Swatini!!!

The book we discussed for all of 20 generous minutes - Gone Girl.

Cheers!!

Recipe - Madeleines

 

I make these delicious cakelike cookies every year for the holidays and they are always a big hit.  I can't believe Starbucks sells a stale version for $1.95 each.  I'm not sure where I got this recipe anymore as I've had it written on an index card for years, and today it is covered with stains from all my baking adventures.  Sometimes I will variate the recipe by adding other flavoring and spices (cardamom, orange zest & Grand Marnier work really well) but this year I left them alone.  Hope you try them and enjoy!!

 

Ingredients

 

4 eggs

2/3 Cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 lb (1 stick) butter - melted & cooled

1 Cup sifted flour

2 tsps lemon zest

Extra melted butter for pan molds

 

Recipe

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

 

Lightly brush melted butter onto each mold in the madeleine pan.

 

In a Kitchen Aid with balloon whisk, beat eggs on low speed while slowly adding the sugar and salt.  Turn mixer to high speed and beat until mixture is ribbony & pale yellow (approx. 10 minutes).  Turn down to low and add vanilla and stir till combined.  Remove bowl from mixer base.  Using a rubber spatula gently fold in the flour until just combined.  Add the cooled, melted butter and fold until incorporated.  Be sure to take the spatula all the way from the bottom up to make sure you get all the butter mixed in since it will sink to the bottom.  Add the lemon zest and complete folding.

 

Place a tablespoon of batter into buttered molds and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from mold immediately and cool on wire rack.  Serve sprinkled with powedered sugar or dip narrow end into chocolate.  Makes approximately 24.

 

 

 

 

Happy Baking for the Holidays!!

Swati



 

Chinese Hot Pot

If you live in the Northeast, you will recall a little storm that passed by here recently named Sandy.  The storm itself was interesting, cool & scary at the same time.  The aftermath was, and for some still is, challenging at best.  I was lucky to have only lost power for two weeks and got in shape walking everywhere due to a lack of gasoline in my car.  Others lost so much more and are still suffering.  My life and the life of those around me has now gotten more or less back to normal, and I hope that those of you who are still affected see quick progress very soon.  Our thoughts are with you.

As we counted the days without electricity and gasoline in our cars, we also counted on our neighbors for support.  It was wonderful to see everyone come together and help whenever possible.  Facebook and text messages became our lifelines to each other and for information.  We brought our children together in parks or each other's homes to play as they suffered from boredom without school, TV & video games.  We took turns making meals from food that would have otherwise been thrown away due to spoilage and served them by candlelight.  We provided warmth to those without heat if only for short bursts of time and access to our wireless service if it was active.  In so many ways, tragic events serve to bring us closer together.

In the midst of our facebook/texting conversations, a small local group of us decided that whoever got their power back first would host a party for the rest.  The winners were L & W and the date was set for November 10th.  The menu - Chinese Hot Pot.......

Until this day I had never encountered this wonderful experience.  When we arrived, our hosts had the table setup for the event, and for me it was most certainly an event.  There were plates, bowls, spoons, chopsticks and a utensil that resembled something I might use to scoop out goldfish from their abode.  At the center of the table was a propane stove with a pot of bubbling broth.  Surrounding the pot were large plates of thinly sliced raw meat (beef & pork), mushrooms, fish balls, pork balls, tofu squares, dumplings in all shapes and sizes, quail eggs, regular eggs, watercress, cabbage & mushrooms.  At one end were more than a dozen jars & bottles of condiments of different kinds like soy sauce, rice wine, multiple varieties of hot sauce with different levels of heat, chopped garlic & ginger, etc.  It all looked amazing and I felt like we were about to play a really fun game with food....

As we began our adventure, W added the fish/shrimp/pork balls, dumplings, mushrooms, vegetables, tofu and quail eggs to the broth to start them cooking.  He then demonstrated how to combine the condiments in our bowls depending on the flavors and heat level we each preferred.  Some cultures add a beaten egg to the sauce to thicken the consistency a bit.  We proceeded to make our sauces and take our places at our assigned seats where we used the goldfish scoop to remove the cooked food from the broth onto our plates.  The ceramic spoons were used to add some of the broth to our sauce mixture to add flavor and provide the desired consistency.  Using our chopsticks we picked up our chosen morsels, dipped them into our individually concocted sauce and popped it into the mouth.  It was absolutely delicious!!!  The thinly sliced raw meat is not added to the broth.  Instead it is placed into the small mesh scoop which is then held in the broth for a short amount of time for the meat to cook and then eaten by dipping in the sauce.

 
 
Completely filled with happiness we moved onto dessert and more wine.  It was an evening I will not likely forget anytime soon.  A big thank you to my hosts!!!

One of the things I find most fortunate about my life is that I have friends from many different cultures and nationalities.  This has allowed me, over the years, to gain exciting experiences that others may not.  Some think I'm crazy because I will talk to strangers while traveling and later stay in touch and become friends with them.  But I can't imagine all the experiences I would have missed out on had I just played the quiet, confused tourist.  So I encourage you to have your own food experiences through friends of different cultures while you share yours with them.  If nothing else, it is tasty and lots of fun and most certainly capable of curing the post hurricane blues!!!

Thai Spiced Cold Poached Chicken

For the past few weeks I have been craving the Khao Man Gai that I had from a food truck in Portland.  When I went food shopping this weekend I decided I was going to attempt to replicate it (yes I'm a trekkie) with my own spin. And so began dinner tonight.  I went from this.........

To this.........

 

 

So I poached the chicken breast in a water solution of salt, Thai red curry paste, sliced ginger, sliced red bell pepper, lime slices, & cilantro.  I started it in cold water on low heat and brought it to a simmer and let it simmer until cooked.  I served it with Jasmine rice cooked with grated ginger & cilantro and Tondlee (Indian vegetable called Tindora in Hindi; Ivy gourd in English).  Tondlee is what we call it in Marathi.  They look like this..............

 

 

I slice them lengthwise and cook them in a bit of oil with mustard seeds, chopped onion, salt, red pepper, turmeric and cumin-coriander powder sauteing them on medium heat until cooked to desired doneness.

 

Overall the meal was really good and my little 10 year old man scarfed it down in no time.  It helps that I starve him for several hours before an experiment meal.  But seriously he commented that it smelled good while doing homework upstairs and then asked that I remember the recipe so I could make it again.  Always a compliment from my mini food critic.  Personally I thought it could use the following improvements:

1. More heat and more salt in the poaching liquid.  Perhaps some chopped green chilis will do the trick in addition to more red curry paste.
2. More ginger & cilantro in the rice.  I could hardly taste either.
3. Grate the ginger in the poaching liquid for more even distribution of flavor.  Particularly since I boiled the poaching liquid after removing the chicken and used it as a sauce to serve over the chicken and rice.
4. Cook the chicken for about 5 - 10 minutes less.  It was a bit tough for me....and I really dislike tough or stringy chicken.  Might also want to try it with skinless, boneless thighs instead of breast.

The above 4 items are the reason I didn't bother posting the recipe.  In my mind it has not yet been perfected.  I also want to try this with a little coconut milk in the cooking of the rice.  Once perfected I will post but I'm looking for suggestions to improve my efforts.  This was my first attempt at poaching chicken so if you've found the best way to do it, please let us know.

 

I can't wait to try this again and improve upon it.  I will have my very own version of Khao Man Gai!!!

 

Happy experimenting!!

 



 



Recipe: Cranberry Chutney

It has been some time since my last post as it has taken a few weeks to recover from the effects of the storm.  Thanksgiving has arrived suddenly and I'm sure you are all getting ready to prepare your meals and give thanks for so many good things this year.  I will post a full blog about our family Thanksgiving meal but for now I wanted to post the Cranberry Chutney recipe I promised on my Facebook page yesterday.

Ingredients

1 pkg cranberries
Juice & zest of one orange
1 pear or apple peeled, cored and diced finely
1 Tbsp Honey
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper (ground) Optional
Pinch ground cloves
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot and cook on medium heat until cranberries pop.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until thickened stirring frequently to ensure it does not stick.  Store overnight and serve with your turkey.  Sugar can be adjusted depending on the level of tartness desired.  This recipe will yield approximately 3 cups of chutney.  I used pear this time but the apple variation tastes great too.

If you make it, please add your feedback in comments.  Would love to hear if you varied it and what you thought of it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Swati

Hurricane Food Survival Tips

The Persnickety Palate has been busy gathering material for the next post throughout this Hurricane Sandy experience and aftermath.  It has been a good lesson in how food & wine really do bring people together; particularly during tough times and put some brightness in our days.  Hope all those who have been affected are staying strong and warm!! 

If you need anything that doesn't need me to drive (no gas in the car) please let me know.  Venting in allowed.

My Tips

I have spent the past few days emptying out my mother's freezer, marinating chicken, fish, etc and cooking whatever we could salvage.  She keeps her freezer stocked for an army at all times and I just couldn't bear to see all that food go to waste.  I have two large coolers set up on my back porch with ice since Tuesday morning to hold milk, cheese, eggs, butter and all the other perishable necessities.  With the cool weather and the addition of some ice from my mother's freezer, everything has stayed cold till now.  Hoping to get more ice today to prepare for the long haul just in case.

Curries and stews last the longest and taste good as leftovers.  Just remember to reheat them daily.  Use the trunk of your car as storage since it's fairly cold out there making refrigerator not necessary.  Your car may smell for a few days but heck it's a small price to pay for some good homemade food.
Use leftover vegetables and meats to add to the canned chicken broth and make soups.  They will keep you warm and use up the food before it goes bad.


I have been lucky enough to store my frozen items at a generous friend's house with power.  She has also taken us in each night for dinner and a few hours of heat.  I am also lucky enough to have down comforters and extra blankets to keep me warm at night and hot water for showers in the morning.  Walking everywhere due to the gas situation has allowed me to get a great workout in and lose some weight and also incented me to do my crunches, push ups and strength training with weights.

So while I am most definitely starting to get quite cranky, I am trying to look at this whole experience as positively as possible.  I find it helps me realize what the really important things are.  There are people out there who lost their homes and some even lost loved ones.  I am most definitely lucky & thankful.

Please stay warm, positive & cook some food if you can!!!  And don't forget to pair it with a nice wine.

Swati

Welcome to Tulsi!!

This past Saturday I was invited to a private party at a new Indian restaurant in Manhattan called Tulsi.  It is the concept of Chef/Owner Hemant Mathur, formerly of Devi which he co-owned with Suvir Saran, also in NYC.  We had the whole restaurant to ourselves for the night and what a wonderful evening it was!

Tulsi is a holy basil found in the entry ways to many Indian homes in India as a welcome sign.  It is similar to Thai basil used in cooking.  True to its name the restaurant is welcoming and warm.  The staff was cordial and friendly and the service impeccable throughout the evening.  One only needed to mention that he/she needed something and the alert wait staff was ready to deliver. 

First order of business upon arrival was to get a taste of their signature cocktail for the evening – the Indian Summer – a concoction made from Rangpur gin, lime juice and lychee.  I noticed that no one else had a drink in their hand when I arrived and yet somehow I was steered to the bar to try this drink.  And this after being labeled the “booze girl” earlier that afternoon at a charity event setup.  Hmmm! Wonder what that’s all about?  As you know I like anything with gin but I don’t like fruity or sweet.  This was good.   A little less lychee perhaps (though I swear my version had rose water and not lychee in it) would have been better, but the crowd loved it!!  Later versions had a much more pungent aroma of lychee which is quite unmistakable.  I opted to move onto my usual – wine.  The hosts had chosen some great options – Lemelson Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and the Gary Farrell Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley.  While I love my Pinot from Oregon, Gary Farrell was the clear winner in this one. 

So let’s get to the food at Tulsi.  If you’ve read my blog about Junoon (posted a few months ago), you know that I am always seeking good, quality, Indian restaurants and find them hard to come by.  The food at Tulsi was delicious!   It was different, inventive and tasty!  Appetizers passed around included Lamb Kebab with a mint chutney (the Indian kind), Crab Cakes with a spicy sauce, Manchurian Cauliflower, and a to-die-for spicy shrimp served on a little crispy cracker that had the distinct taste of celery seed.  Luckily the group I was hanging with was observing a religious holiday and on a vegetarian diet that day so I got to eat more than my share, though I did convince one of them to come over to the dark side pretty easily.   He follows this blog so you know who you are…

Dinner was served family style at each table and included  Chicken Curry, Halibut wrapped in a banana leaf, Baby Eggplant with bell pepper in a thick flavorful sauce, Malai  Kofta and Chef Mathur’s famous Tandoori Lamb Chops all served with some Naan and Basmati rice.  All of the dishes were excellent but my two standout favorites were the Halibut and the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Malai Kofta.

I am not a dessert person, but the ones served to us looked really good.  I walked away to get myself a glass of Glenmorangie, got caught up in a Scotch conversation at the bar, and when I came back my desserts had been devoured by a mysterious stranger.  Most likely one of my table mates not willing to admit to the crime.  Chef Mathur’s wife is the pastry chef for the restaurant and is trained in French pastry techniques which she artfully applies to traditional Indian desserts. 

So what makes this Indian restaurant or its food stand out over others?  For me it’s in the clear quality of ingredients used, the level of service offered, and the presentation of the food.  All of these “ingredients” show the pride taken by Mr. Mathur in the delivery of his restaurant and food to us.  One of the highlights of the evening for me was that I got to meet Chef Mathur whose rising career I have followed over the past several years since I ate at Bukhara in New Delhi.  Unlike some other famous chefs I have met in the past, he is a genuinely warm person who greeted me with an unpretentious Namaste and a great big smile instead of the usual handshake and dismissal.  He took an interest in my interest in food and invited me to come back to the restaurant for dinner.  He even gave me his card and asked that I send him the link to this blog when one of the hosts told him I wrote one.  And whether he actually reads it or not, he is a gracious gentleman – a lost breed. 

Overall we had a fabulous evening with the food as the highlight at a wonderful restaurant.  We ended the evening with a shot of Patron.  After all cheap tequila just wouldn’t do after an evening of amazing food.  I urge you to try this restaurant. I know I surely will be going back.  Let me know if you do and what you think of it.  I’ve heard their regular menu is an eclectic combination of unusual ingredients (for Indian food) and street food from around the country presented in an upscale way.  I will post an update after my return.

A special thanks to my hosts, Suneel Devgan (General Mgr at Tulsi), the awesome staff, and most especially Chef Hemant Mathur for a lovely evening to be remembered.

Namaste!!!

A Foodie goes to Brooklyn

Not too long ago, a friend of mine moved from the West Village to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn which is across the Williamsburg Bridge of course.  Since then I have visited a few places for food and drinks in this very up and coming neighborhood that is being revitalized and quickly becoming a high rent district.  Being a follower of this blog from time to time, he has been suggesting to me for quite some time to spend a day in Williamsburg and walk around to the various restaurants and bars that are cropping up everywhere so that I could write about his new “hood”.  So this past weekend, we did just that!

It was a beautiful, sunny, fall Sunday with that crisp, cool feel.  After a workout, a trip to the local farmer’s market and a few chores around the house, I got on the road fairly early and met my friend at his apartment.  We started out at Pies & Thighs (yup, that’s the name of the place) for brunch.  It’s a very small restaurant which specializes in Southern style breakfast items like chicken & waffles, biscuits and gravy, and grits.  They also bake some awesome looking pies on premises and I was told have great donuts.  I ordered the smoked pork hash and my friend had the fried chicken & waffles.  The food was really good.  I was glad I had not eaten anything in the morning.   The hash came with potatoes and two eggs, which I chose to have over easy, with a green salsa on the top.  The pork was tender and the combination of the salsa, runny yolks and meat was perfect.  I tried some of my friend’s waffles which were made of buckwheat flour and were really good.  He didn’t share any of the chicken so it must have been too good to part with.

After brunch we decided to walk toward the East River and work off some of the calories we had just consumed.  We ended up at the Brooklyn Flea market.  For the most part it was like any other flea market with people trying to sell their junk.  But I was surprised by the number of food vendors selling all kinds of tasty and interesting bites.  There was a truck selling lobster, another one selling tacos; there were stands with dosas, pizza, lemonade and ice cream.  There was even one stand that had porchetta which they were slicing to order.  We were glad we had just eaten else we would have likely eaten one of everything.  This is definitely a place I’d like to go back hungry someday though so that I can try the food.

Having had enough of the crowds, we exited the market and went to sit on a bench by the river to rest our feet.  As we sat there watching the passersby and debating whether we could swim across the East River, we watched a storm cloud approach overhead.  I’m not really sure why we didn’t opt to start for our next destination until the drops actually started but we didn’t.  Perhaps it was because we were both in lazy Sunday mode and didn’t feel like moving.  We decided to go find a sports bar to catch the Jets game which had started by then.   Running through the pouring rain we wound up at The Whiskey Brooklyn.  We sat at a table with a great view of the game and ordered their house draft beer in the dark style.  The only choices are dark and light and it's the only beer on tap.  When asked where it was made, the waitress told us it was a secret and would not divulge any information.  The beer tasted like someone took Schlitz and added color to make it dark so we have now dubbed this the place with the "crappy secret beer". The beer may have been bad but the Jets game was worse so we waited till the rain stopped and moved on to Banter, an Irish bar that was much quieter and had better beer.  The Jets game was looking pathetic by now with the 49ers winning 24 to zero.  So we drowned our sorrows in a glass of Corsendonk Dubbel on tap and turned our attention to the exciting ending of the Ryder Cup instead.  I never thought I would admit to watching golf and I’m not sure that it’s something I would watch on a regular basis but at this particular moment it was quite fun.  The Europeans sitting at a table nearby cheering on their team made the vibe a little more interesting I think.  For a second we thought about heading to a driving range but who were kidding in our lazy Sunday modes.  We opted for a another Dubbel instead.

We walked around more of the neighborhood as my friend pointed out some of the other interesting eateries along the way.  After some time went by we realized that it had been a while since we ate and we were starting to get hungry so we decided to head back toward his part of the neighborhood and find a place to eat.  We wound up at Rye.  He had eaten there before, and said the food is consistently good.  It’s a nice place inside with dark wood walls and a big bar. We sat at the bar not wanting to necessarily get a table.  As we perused the menu, my friend decided the place was too quiet for him on this night and wanted to try elsewhere.  Not wanting to be rude, we had a cocktail before leaving.  I had something called a Southside which was really delicious.  It was made with gin, cucumber and lime juice.  Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that gin is my drink of choice for cocktails.  We then headed for Walter Foods for dinner.

Walter Foods was much more lively and fun.  The menu looked good.  We asked our waiter to surprise us with an appetizer of his choice which ended up being a warm artichoke dip with toasts.  It was really good!  In fact it was the best artichoke dip I’ve ever had with big pieces of artichokes in it.  For my meal I ordered a seared Arctic Char served over sautéed mushrooms and roasted corn.  My friend was apparently having a fried chicken kind of day and ordered it again for dinner; this time served with mashed potatoes and a hot sweet honey glaze.  Both meals were excellent - my mushrooms and roasted corn particularly tasty. This time I got to taste the chicken which was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  The flavor from the honey glaze made it extra good.  I commented it was almost as good as mine so I then had to promise to make him my skinless version of fried chicken to compare tastes.

After dinner we started heading back toward my car when my friend spotted the neighborhood hangout, Clem’s, and decided we should have one more drink to end our day.  When we walked in we saw that the Giants game had started and ended up staying to watch.  It was a far more exciting one than the Jets game earlier in the day.  Despite a Giants loss to the Eagles, it was an exciting game to the very end.  Quite tired after a fun but relaxing day, we headed home. 



A view of Manhattan from Williamsburg - taken from rooftop bar at Wyeth Hotel

I’m looking forward to going back and trying a few more of the places we didn’t get to.  One can only eat and drink so much in a day.  And now I have a blogging buddy to drag along.  Other places I’ve been to in the area are the Brooklyn Brewery, Hotel Delmano (it’s not really a hotel), and the rooftop bar at the Wythe Hotel with its spectacular views of Manhattan.  So if you ever catch yourself just passing over the Williamsburg Bridge, why not take a detour into this wonderful neighborhood with little traffic, friendly bike paths and a whole new culture growing just on the other side of the East River!!

 

The Palate goes to Portland Part II – From the Cascades to the Coast

One of our longer journeys during the Northwest adventure started in Portland and wound us through the Cascade Mountains, Bend, Crater Lake and ended at the Oregon Coast from Newport to Cannon Beach.  Two overnights and approximately one thousand miles later, we returned to Portland absolutely awestruck at some of the places we had just visited.

After a fairly relaxed morning on that Monday and a short local hike after breakfast, we packed up a cooler with food, water & a bottle of local Pinot Gris, and started our drive towards Bend where we would hang our hats for the night.  As you head South from Portland to Salem on the I-5, it feels like you are on any other interstate in any other part of this country.  Once you head East from Salem and into the Cascade mountains however, the vistas will take your breath away.  I love to drive and especially enjoy winding roads through the mountains continuously ascending or descending as your ears pop.  We passed mountain after mountain, waterfalls, streams, lakes and so much more.



Detroit Lake

 A couple of hours into our drive, we felt the hunger pangs and started looking for a cool place to eat our packed up picnic goodies.  This is where maps are far better than a GPS.  A GPS is great at getting you from point A to point B, but if you want to just follow your nose it won’t give you the big picture to say “let’s go there!”.   I had put my son in charge of navigation and so he opened up the map and started scouting.  He spotted Detroit Lake along our route and so that is where we headed.  A brief stop at the Parks Commission to ask for the best place for a picnic and we found ourselves at an amazing spot on the lake that wasn’t overly crowded.   It was a hot day (98F) and the lake is a popular summer destination.  Our little spot was in full sun (which is why it wasn’t crowded) but allowed us to wade in the lake for a bit. 

We unpacked our picnic of Ciabatta, goat cheese, salami, cherries, and other goodies.   As I started to open the wine, I realized that I had forgotten to pack a corkscrew; just as well since I still had a long drive in front of me.   I love picnics!  There’s something about sitting in the outdoors with a great view and nibble on food that’s cold and generally not so healthy.  I suppose I could come up with a healthy alternative but it just wouldn’t be the same.  There would be a certain loss of ambiance had I packed a salad with grilled chicken.  Besides we usually picnic after hikes so we’ve earned the food at that point.  Not so in this case of course.  I did pack some fruit!!

After we ate, we scattered with our respective cameras to capture our own perspective.  I have always loved taking photos and this adventure found my son enjoying it as well.  I gave him a quick lesson on some settings on the camera and off he went.  Needless to say he graduated during the trip from his little Kodak point and shoot to my Pentax Lumix point and shoot to my Nikon D80 DSLR.  I guess I will be sharing my camera & lenses from here forward.

We made our way to Bend through more of the Cascades, checked into our hotel and decided to kill some time by taking a tour of the Deschutes Brewery.  We planned to go for a drive on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and do some hiking but the temperature gauge was still reading 98F.  Deschutes is the second largest craft brewery in the US.  The tour and their operation are interesting and we got to taste any and all beers we wanted at the end.  My son was only somewhat interested (he was only offered root beer) and would have preferred to spend his time in the hotel pool.  But I enjoyed the beer tastings after a long day of driving and my favorite was the Obsidian Stout. 

A quick dip in the pool for my son and we were off to do some hiking, catch the sunset and see some beautiful lakes around Mt. Bachelor.  Several hours later we returned starving for food.  It was late and options were limited so we wound up at the Deschutes Brew Pub which we had been told earlier served good food.  It was nothing to write home about – just your basic pub food.  We ordered a burger, fish & chips, a side of asparagus and for starters tried their fried chick peas.  The chick peas I could have done without.  They were a little tasteless and need to amped up a bit.  What they needed was a bit of red onion, cilantro, lime juice and a sprinkle of red chili powder.  Add all that and the dish would have been perfect!!  Leave it to me to Indianize bar food.

After a good night’s sleep, breakfast and a quick stop at the grocery store to replenish our cooler, we continued our journey.  This was one of our favorite days of the entire trip.  We hiked up to a lava butte which was formed during the eruption of the Newberry volcano, walked with lanterns through a lava river cave, watched some amazing footage of volcanic eruptions, and wound up at the edge of Crater Lake in the early afternoon.  Walking up to the rim of the lake was a similar experience for me as the first time I walked to the rim of the Grand Canyon.  No matter how many photos you’ve seen or descriptions you’ve heard, you’re not quite prepared for the actual splendor in front of you.  The crystal clear lake is a caldera lake formed when the Mt Mazama volcano collapsed into itself.  Its sole source of water is the annual average snowfall of over 40 feet.  It is considered one of the purest bodies of water as it has no tributaries running into it.

We weren’t quite hungry when we arrived so we decided to drive around the lake which take about one hour without making any stops.  But stops you will most certainly make as the lake just takes your breath away and calls for many many clicks of the camera shutter.  We did some short hikes along the way and one awesome hike to the lake shore on the Cleetwood Cove trail.  A steep hike that descended 724 feet to the lake in a distance of 1.1 mile.   We had fun going down and my son kept telling me to hurry up because he wanted to get to the bottom and see if we could take a boat ride on the lake.  I knew of course that the rides were reserved well in advance and we didn’t stand a chance, but I didn’t want to disappoint him so I rushed.  We stayed by the crystal clear water for a while and relaxed before making the long steep climb back up.  That was not an easy feat, particularly because now our stomachs were grumbling.



Cleetwood Cove Trail



Exhausted and hungry we made it to the top and set out to find a place to have our picnic.  We found one at the rim village in a quiet spot and enjoyed our salami, brie, bread, fruit & a little wine.  I had obtained a corkscrew by then.  Having satisfied our hunger pangs we proceeded to the gift shop to buy some souvenirs, took one last look at the gorgeous, blue water and started what was to be a 4 plus hour drive to the Oregon coast to the town of Newport.

We didn’t arrive in Newport till nearly midnight.  I had lost my son to sleep hours earlier and the drive was long and tiring.  We had reservations at a Shilo Inn & Suites that was less than luxurious.  In fact it was likely the dumpiest place my son has ever stayed and he made it a point to say so as soon as we walked in.  Exact comment was “Couldn’t you find a Marriott here? this place is disgusting”  All this while half asleep.  I of course have stayed in worse places during my travels and thought it was ok.  It didn’t scream “go find another hotel” to me.  He wore his flip flops everywhere because he was afraid to step on the floor.  He pulled back the bedspread and sheets to make sure there was nothing in them.  He was funny and I realized then how much he has been spoiled at his young age of ten.

The next morning he refused to eat the Inn’s breakfast and so we made our way up the road to Georgie’s.  We loved this place.  It was a diner of sorts with a full view of the ocean.  We were seated by a window and while we were waiting for our food, we spotted several whale spouts fairly close to the shore.  It was a great way to start our day.  I had the corned beef hash with two poached eggs while my son had their pancakes and fruit.  The hash was fantastic and I polished it off in no time since we had not eaten dinner the night before.  I don’t usually comment on coffee but their coffee was so good I had more than 3 cups of it.  My son enjoyed his fluffy pancakes and finished off two large glasses of milk.  I guess we were hungry.



Haystack Rock

 We spent several hours at the Oregon Coast aquarium (my son wants to be a marine biologist someday so the aquarium was a must) and then started our drive up the coast on Highway 1.  It’s a beautiful drive that winds up through quaint seaside towns with some great vistas along the way.  Several hours later we made it to Cannon Beach, home of the famous Haystack Rock.  After spending some time walking along the beach and taking photos of Haystack, we made our way to the Wayfarer restaurant which is right along the beach.  We were early enough to get a great table on their deck so we could eat and watch the sunset.

The food at the Wayfarer was fantastic with a view to match.  We ordered a warm wild mushroom dip and Dungeness crab cocktail followed by Halibut Oscar which was topped with more Dungeness crab and a béarnaise sauce.  I had a glass of Matello Pinot Gris with my dinner which paired beautifully with not just the food but also the surroundings.  My son finished off his meal with a crème brulee which he loved so much that he wouldn’t share and I had to sneak a taste.

After dinner we took another walk on the beach as the sky grew darker.  I couldn’t help but reflect on the past few days and wish that we had more time to spend in each place.  I would particularly like to go back and stay at Crater Lake and do more of the hikes around the rim or just sit and stare at the lake.  We looked out onto the endlessness of the Pacific Ocean and turned to make our way back to the car for the 2 hour drive to our temporary home in Portland.  It had been a phenomenal few days that we are not likely to forget anytime soon.

Stay tuned for Part III through the Columbia Gorge, Mt Hood & some fantastic wineries...

Happy Travels!

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!

It’s been one of those weeks for me.  You know the kind where there is so much to do that you are completely overwhelmed and exhausted from the sheer thought of it.  But it’s Friday and I’m a positive thinker so I thought I’d take a little break in responding to emails and doing the assignments for my training class to write about the two bright spots in my week.  The first is that my son has been home taking awesome care of me all week while I have been multitasking to sit through a week long web class, do evening homework assignments, coordinate with a plumber for the slop sink overflow,  etc. – all while doing my regular job.  He has been terrific with making his own breakfast, doing his laundry, and even bringing me water or whatever else I need. 

Okay, so now that I have bragged about my child enough, let’s move on to bright spot number two which actually relates to this blog - Dinner at Pig & Prince Restaurant & Gastro Lounge in Montclair, NJ.  Some friends who live in town invited us to join them in trying out this new restaurant whose official opening night isn’t till next week.  It is housed in the old Lackawanna train station off Bloomfield Ave.  The space has been beautifully renovated and decorated.  There is a long bar at one end and tables scattered through the rest of the room under a high ceiling and two large chandeliers.   Chef/owner Michael Carrino, formerly of Passione, was on hand to greet guests on this particular evening. 

 Keeping in mind that the owner and staff are still working out the kinks, we went with our minds open and stomachs hungry.  After a round of cocktails, we ordered a charcuterie board and a merguez “hot dog” for starters.  The restaurant makes some of their own charcuterie and you can see some of it hanging in the drying room near the rear entrance.    The homemade bread served with extra virgin olive oil was a nice accompaniment.  Merguez hot dog could have used a little more heat but was flavorful and delicious nonetheless served with a carrot slaw.

For our entrees we ordered homemade Pasta with Sous Vide Pork Bolognese, Duck Risotto, Duck with dried fruit compote & rice, and for me a Single Steer Burger.  Could I tell that all the meat in my burger came from a single cow?  Not really, but an interesting concept.  All items were very good in taste but each had a slight flaw.  The pasta had too much sauce, the risotto a little too al dente, the rice with the duck had a little too much heat (should have used it in the merguez), and the bun on my burger was a bit stale.  This was fine by me as I’m trying to go low carb anyway so I just skipped the bread and enjoyed my meat.  As I mentioned earlier, they are working out the kinks.  I would love to go back in a month or so and order the same dishes again and compare.

The highlight of our meal was the desserts.  I am generally not a dessert person and rarely order any.  Others of course love desserts and so we ordered three to share among us four.  Our choices – Key Lime tart, Pannacotta, Goat Cheesecake.  Each of these was absolutely delicious and if we weren’t civilized we might have been fighting each other in public for the last bite.  The tart was just the right amount of sweet and sour, the pannacotta was the perfect consistency and served with a yummy rhubarb base, and the cheesecake served with carrot caramel and carrot ice cream was amazing.  One could definitely taste the slight tang from the goat cheese.

We chose a very “beastly” and delicious wine with our dinner – La Tarasque Cote du Rhone 2010.  The name is a particular kind of legendary beast in France and the wine is the product of an American wine maker.  I even tasted a dry rose from Arizona made from the zinfandel grape.  Never knew they grew grapes in Arizona.

If you’re in the area, I highly recommend checking this place out.  Looks like a fun place to meet for cocktails too.  If you’re not able to forgive a few missed steps in service here and there, I suggest you wait a few weeks before you go.

Happy Eating!!

The Palate goes to Portland, OR

PART ONE - FOODS AROUND THE CITY

Several months ago, as I began to plan our annual summer vacation I started out with a plan to go to California.  My son had never traveled to the West coast and I have quite a few friends there that wanted to meet him.  Once I started mapping out our trip and deciding on places to visit, I realized the amount of driving I would have to do to get it all in.  Then I began to think there might not be that much of interest to my son in that state aside from Yosemite, the San Diego Zoo and the beach.  We had recently gone to Disney World & Sea World and amusement parks aren’t his thing. 

On a conversation with a friend who lives in Portland, OR, he suggested that we consider vacationing there.  He even offered to let us stay at his apartment which is a 10 minute ride to downtown.  How could I possibly refuse this generous offer?  And I’ll admit, I was immediately excited about the trip.  I have been to Portland many times for business and found a day here and there to do some fun things but I’ve always thought the state is so beautiful that I was looking forward to exploring more of it with my son.  A bonus was that most of the places we wanted to go were all within a day trip distance from Portland.  And so it was decided, we would go to Portland – the city of bicycles, food carts, great restaurants, awesome microbrews, wineries of the Willamette & Hood River, and lots of outdoor activities in the surrounding area – all right up our alley.

What I realized in our eleven day journey was that Oregon is one of the most diverse and least touristy places I have been to in this country.   The diversity I’m referring to lies in its varied climate and topography.  Portland gets an average of 37 inches of rain per year while Bend the most number of days of sunshine of any city at 300.  Mount Hood is the one place in the US where you can ski right through till the beginning of September.  Yes, they were skiing on the Palmer lift at Timberline Lodge in August when we visited.  So if you live in Portland, you can be skiing one hour to the East or at the beach one hour to the West.  One thing we did notice was that while Portland is pretty culturally diverse, the rest of the state is fairly monochromatic.  I don’t mean that in a negative way at all, it was just a fascinating observation for me and even my 10 year old son who one day, out of blue, stated “This is the first place I don’t see a lot of Indian people”.  I had to laugh because he’s so right.  We Indians will go anywhere.  So, why the low tourism here?  My theory (with no data whatsoever) is that Oregon is the forgotten state between California and Washington.  And I don’t believe the locals are unhappy about it.  There’s a certain way of life there that I have not seen elsewhere in the US.  It is very hard to describe but the words laid back and friendly without the California superficiality are a great start.  Nothing against Cali folks, I love that state too!!

As I start writing this post, I’m not quite sure how to attack this one.  There’s so much to write about.  We ate at great restaurants, awesome food trucks, some hole in the wall finds, many picnics after long hikes, meals with friends, wine tasting in two different AVAs, and even a trip to a microbrewery.  I’ve decided to break it up into multiple posts each highlighting a different component of this fabulous vacation that I did not want to return from.  I even went real estate hunting – only partially as a joke.

So we begin with the city of Portland.  We spent more days here than any other place we visited.  As mentioned earlier, my friend (we’ll call him D) was kind enough to lend us his apartment for the duration of our stay.  I much prefer staying at a home than in a hotel when I travel.  It makes the trip so much more comfortable and D went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of.  I can’t thank him enough.

Portland is a beautiful and interesting city.  Considering the climatic challenge they face, Portlanders are all about the outdoors and taking advantage of great weather.  This city boasts the most percentage of bicycle commuters in the country.  Portlanders are very conscious of the environment and very “green” indeed.  The Willamette River separates the East & West parts of the city.  Most restaurants & food joints will offer outdoor areas of some sort. And if they don’t, you can always get takeout and go to Pioneer Square or the park along the river and find a spot to eat.



Food Trucks on Alder Street

Our first day upon arrival (we landed past midnight West coast time so it was very late for us), we got a lazy start and eventually decided to venture out into the city.  I had done a lot of research on the food trucks of Portland and while there are many all around the city, you can get to a majority of then off Alder St.  That is where we headed for our late lunch.  I think it was more fun walking around the square and checking out all the menus than actually eating the food on that day (exhaustion & jet lag will affect your appetite).  We settled on a gyro for my son and a Bahn mi (Vietnamese sandwich with pork, onion, cilantro, hot peppers) for me.  Don’t get me wrong, they were very good.  We just weren’t ready to tackle the food scene yet.  So we moved on and went to the river and walked around instead.



I didn’t go to my usual places this time around and tried some new ones instead.  I promise not to give you a day by day account and bore you but instead will give you some highlights and lowlights.  We had a fabulous day at the Bite of Oregon which is an annual event to benefit Special Olympics.  There were ribs, and philly cheesesteaks; Ice cream, crepes, and so much more.  My son had his first pav bhaji from an Indian stall and loved it.  Pav bhaji is a typical street food in Mumbai made by cooking and pulverizing a mix of vegetables including potatoes, cauliflower, bell peppers, etc and then served on what looks like a slider roll.  There’s no meat in it so not something my son would normally go for, but he was feeling adventurous and I think he liked the girl who was serving them. We also enjoyed tasting the microbrews and wines while listening to the fabulous live entertainment.



View from Three Degrees



Restaurants we hit included Esparza for some great Tex Mex introduced to us by some friends.  Three Degrees for a light midday snack after a bike ride along the Willamette.  This restaurant is part of the Riverside Hotel and has an inviting patio for seating.  Happy hour each day goes from 3pm – 6pm and you can get food for next to nothing.  We had large servings of fries and edamame for $4.  Of course the wine makes up for the difference.  They let us hang out there for hours.  My son even went and explored the nearby marina with his camera while I enjoyed my drink.  We had lunch with a business associate at McCormick & Schmicks by the water where I had really good rock fish which I had never tried before. 



My "plate" of Khao Mon Gai



My next visit to a food truck was rewarded with the most delicious Khao Mon Gai which is a Thai chicken dish and this one was just perfection.  The truck had been recommended by friends who visited Portland last year.  It serves this one dish only.  The line was long but the food worth the wait.  I pick up my wrapped parcel and we walked to Pioneer Square for a seat on the steps.  The paper wrapped package, when opened, let out a wonderful aroma of fragrant jasmine rice, ginger and cilantro.  The chicken was perfectly poached in a flavorful broth, then placed over a mound of jasmine rice cooked in ginger, all topped off with fresh cilantro, lime and a delicious sauce.  I wish I had time to go back one more time before returning.

Our other Thai food venture wasn’t as successful.  On a recommendation from someone I had met that day, I took my son and D to Thai Peacock.  I’m not sure if they just had an off day or what.  Or perhaps they were on a mission to increase diabetes in the city.  The menu seemed pretty traditional and sounded really good.  The restaurant was crowded – always a good sign.  We ordered our food medium spicy but unfortunately when it arrived, everything had a distinct taste of added sugar.   This was weird to all of us.  I’ve eaten a lot of Thai food and even attempted to make a few dishes at home and have never had any that had the spice covered up by a blatant addition of sugar.  If anyone knows Thai food better than me, please let me know if perhaps this is a regional thing.  So, if you don’t like the overwhelming taste of sugar, I do not recommend this place.



View from Portland City Grill





After the disaster at Thai Peacock we headed to the Portland City Grill which is a rooftop restaurant with an amazing view of the city, especially at night.  I couldn’t bring my son to this city and not take him there.  After perusing the dessert menu, he settled on the tray of fresh baked cookies.  They were so good and warm that we saved them, took them home and were eating them throughout the week.  A final glass of wine later, and one last look at the city lights, we headed home.  Yes, by now it was feeling like home.

By far, our favorite meal in Portland was Sunday brunch at a small Mexican restaurant called Autentica in the Northeast section.  I read about it in a magazine and decided we would check it out before heading to St. Helens and Seattle.  If I say the food was fantastic, it is an understatement.  The Sopes with chorizo were to die for.  My son ordered the Chilaquiles with hangar steak and black beans and proceeded to finish most of the very large portion.  I had the Entomatadas (tortillas filled with chicken and vegetables, then topped with various sauces, cabbage, radishes, cotija cheese and crema.   I can still taste the food as I write this and my mouth is watering for more.  The house special bloody mary was the best I’ve ever had.  I could only drink half since I had a long drive ahead of me but it gave us a reason to chill out and hang around extra long.  At that point we didn’t care that we might get to Seattle pretty late.





 

I also have to make mention of our final meal in Portland.  I am pretty snobby about my fish tacos but I was impressed by the ones they served at this restaurant at an airport of all places.  They were really good.  Even worth the time I took to eat them causing us to rush to catch our flight.  I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of it from my son.



Don't leave Portland without one...



There are so many other great restaurants in Portland that I have been to on previous trips, but I’m glad we ventured to some new ones this time.  Some classics like Higgins, Jake’s and the Veritable Quandary (I just love that name) are a few to try if you’re in the area.  There are also many more in the famous Pearl District.  And remember no trip to Portland is complete without tasting a bacon maple doughnut at Voo doo doughnuts on 3^rd off Burnside.

The famous Portland Bubbler



Stay tuned for Part two coming soon........