braised beef

Last weekend was the first time that i have braised something. I got a bottom round roast and seared it off in a stock pot ( i don't have a dutch oven). Then took it out and added chopped onion, garlic, celery, and carrot. I used a wooden spoon to get all the good bits off the bottom of the pan, and added some chicken stock ( I didn't have beef stock). On a side note there is only one organic beef broth that is BEEF BROTH not beef FLAVORED broth. Once that was done I put the roast back in and added enough red wine to go up 3/4 of the way up the side of the roast. stured it up so all the Veg was mixed in and the roast wasn't sitting on all if them. I added saffron and salt and pepper. and in to the oven it went for about 2 hours.

So it turned out good it was a little tough it could have been that it wasn't that great of a cut of meat or that i cooked it too long. I think using the stock pot instead of a dutch oven cut down the cooking time, or that it was only a 3lb roast. But the flavors were good the only thing is that next time less saffron it was a little strong. I really liked cooking it and would make it agian and I'm going to be Braising lost of other stuff.

Well he had about 1/2 if the roast left so i turned it in to beef stroganoff, that was really good to. I made a rue out of chalots, garlic, and olive oil. Then added beef broth, beef, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and mushrooms. season with salt and pepper and simmer till the mushrooms are warm. Serve over egg noodles, it was good.

Bistro One... first dinner

This is another place we have been wanting to try. Bistro one was one of 5280s best new restaurants this year. We finally said we need to go. We met for an early dinner.

I ordered the meatball fettuccine. It is Kobe meatballs and had mad noodles, with a great slightly spicy tomato sauce. The meatballs were light and fluffy, and not a strong "beefy" taste. the noodles are to die for. My wife order the Stake Frites, it was very good as well.

all and all i need to eat more because what i had was really good.

bistro one

Pete's Central One Restaurant... lunch

well i have driven by Pete's Central One Restaurant hundreds of times but never have stopped. One day for lunch i decided to stop in. well my first tip off should have been there was no one in there but me. i know it was late lunch but still. so after a bit of looking at the menu i decided on the Greek Style Combination lunch plate.

A combination of Mousaka and Pastitsio served with vegetables. now Mousakais a casserole layered w/eggplant, potatoes, seasoned ground beef, and cheese. Topped w/a parmesan custard and a light tomato sauce. And Pastitsio is a layered blend of seasoned ground beef and large macaroni noodles topped w/a creamy parmesan custard and a light tomato sauce. This sounds good so i could try a couple of different things and came with soup or salad, i got the soup it was a creamy chicken and rice.

Well the soup tasted like caned NOT fresh and the veg on the side tasted frozen. The Mousaka and Pastitsio both came in a "light tomato" sauce witch is code for flavorless. The Mousaka was an odd mush on some ground beef that had no flavor. The Pastitsio noodles were over cooked and pasty.

well there was a reson that no one was eating there... its just not good. so if you are driving by Pete's Central One Restaurant keep driving

Central one Greek

The Counter... burger of the month

We found out about The counter form 5280 magazine. It sounded so go so we went for lunch. It is a burger joint, but not just a regular joint. You can build your own burger form beef, turkey, veggy, or chicken, in the sizes of 1/3, 2/3, or 1 lb. There are 10 different cheeses to chose form, and you can pic 4 toppings of 18 and 10 premium toppings. Finley a sauce and a bun. so you can get any burger you like! There are a few signature burgers as well, including the burger of the month.

I had this month's burger witch is JAPANESE STYLE AHI BURGER
ahi tuna mixed with pickled ginger, topped with furikake nori, daikon radish, carrot ribbons and scallions. served on a hamburger bun with wasabi aioli. I ordered mine with a over easy egg on it. The tuna was great and fresh, the flavor of the burger was Very Japanese. It was really good, like eating a spring roll or rice bowl at a good Japanese place. The burgers my wife and mom ordered were very good as well.

Every thing was every fresh and cooked to order, with so many choices there are lots of reasons to eat at The Counter but the best is that it is SO Very good.

The Counter

Fontana Sushi...

well Rachel and I went to Fontana Sushi before her Christmas party. We had been there many times before, this time there was only a few people there. Rachel thought i was just early on Saturday night. But Fontana has taken a down turn.

I will eat bad sushi but this was really bad. The rice was bad, and rice is the base of sushi. you can put bad toppings on good rice and is ok but it doesn't matter what you put on top it will still be bad.

Fontana was good but lately has taken a bad down turn. so i would pass on if you can

my favorite breakfast

Its simple but so good. Rice, egg (soft boiled or fired) the yolk should be runny, and any left over protein laying around. this morning it was teriyaki chicken meat balls. well you just layer rice, meat and and egg. break the yolk and mix it up and eat, its so good.

ThanksGiving day supper

This is one of my Favorite holidays. for 2 reasons first I cook the meal in my moms nice kitchen. Second i get to see me brother and sister. whom i don't see that often.

The turkey was a heritage, organic, locally framed bird. We stoked it in a brine of salt, sugar, whole pepper corns, all spice berries, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme chicken broth and ice water. you start buy dissolving the salt and sugar in the chicken broth. once it simmers you add the spices, and pore it over the ice in a cooler. once it is cool you add the turkey and soak over night.

As sides you had sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberries sauce, turkey gravy, squash rolls.

the sweet potatoes were baked cooled, pealed and cut up. then the chunks were covered in a layer of brown sugar, butter and bourbon, and baked off. 20 min before you serve them cover with marsh mellows.

the mashed potatoes were just straight up nothing fancy so was the dressing and the green bean casserole.

the cranberries sauce was fresh cranberries, bourbon, orange juice, pomegranate juice, sugar and vanilla. you simmer the cranberries, sugar, and the juices together then add the bourbon and vanilla. once the cranberries have broken down you cool and serve.

The rolls are made with fresh squash that my wife made form scratch. all i know is that she cooked the squash and ran it thought the blender, and they are good.

she made a pumpkin pie form scratch as well and my sister made a punpkin cheese cake.

all and all it was a great thanks giving