Friday Night Feast

Sad but true: On my way to work on Friday morning, I was thinking about what to make for dinner that evening. The weather was supposed to be gross (and it was) and usually on Friday nights the last thing I want to do is make a high maintenance meal. I want something quick, easy, healthy and satisfying.

I decided to make a pizza. Normally, I would have purchased some dough and let it proof but since this was going to be a minimal effort meal, I picked up a Boboli thin crust bread from the supermarket and let my refrigerator do the heavy lifting for me.

After lightly spraying the Boboli with my beloved olive oil Pam, I spread some roasted eggplant and zucchini evenly on the bread. Next, I placed some broccoli rabe with chopped garlic around the pizza and generously scooped some low fat ricotta cheese over the pie.

Once my assembly was complete a whole 2 minutes later, I drizzled some olive oil over the pizza and placed in the oven for about 10 minutes until the crust was crusty, the ricotta started to brown a bit and my smoke detector went off. That's when you know it is done!

I was amazed by how great the pizza looked! The veggies were flavorful and the ricotta added a nice balance of creaminess to this savory pie. I finished it with a bit more olive oil and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.
Pizza and an X-Rated martini on a snowy slushy cold night - it just doesn't get any better than this!

Kickin' it old school at Il Postino

There's just something about "old-school Italian" restaurants. While the food can sometimes be tired, there are usually tuxedoed men (sorry no women seem to work at these places) who have been waiters at the restaurant for at least thirty years and are all about great service.

That's the vibe at Il Postino on the East side where I met up with Lila last week for a long overdue get together. This was not my first visit to Il Postino; RRR & I took our Dad here for his 70th birthday a few years back so I knew we were in for an amazing meal.

The place was pretty busy for a Wednesday evening, but we were greeted warmly and seated promptly, even without a reservation. As soon as we were seated there were a flurry of servers offering us water, drinks, appetizers and some house treats. Tonight's 'treats' (I'm a little remiss to call them amuse bouche) were some slightly tart zucchini marinated in olive oil along with a chopped seafood salad with calamari and celery in an endive boat. I found the latter to be a bit lackluster but the zucchini was absolutely delicious!

But Il Postino's all about what's not on the menu. We were presented with a minimal menu and then listened intently to the long list of specials recited by one of our many waiters. What was that one in the middle again? We got a repeat performance from our host who came by and we didn't really want to interrupt him (plus I needed to hear them again to help inform my decision!)

We ordered some buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto while we waited for our entrees. The cheese was creamy and rich and while the prosciutto was cut a little thicker than I would prefer, it stood up to the deep flavor and texture of the cheese.

For our main course, I let our waiter help me decide between a few entrees and eventually went with Il Postino's take on zuppa de pesce with monkfish, clams, mussels, calamari and scallops. The portion was so generous and the fish was so fresh that I didn't miss the pasta that was omitted from this dish. It just didn't need it.

Lila went for it with the 3 1/2 lb lobster over pasta and we were both in Italian heaven! As we were enjoying our meal, our waiter began to sing opera to a large party seated behind us. I told you this was old school!

Despite being full, we did manage to find room for dessert and split a delicious piece of tiramisu. I'll argue that my Mom still made the best I ever had, but Il Postino's was far better than any tiramisu I've tasted in quite some time. It is easy to phone it in on this dessert; but the cake was moist but firm and the marscapone rich and creamy. Bravissimo!

The one problem with not having a menu is that you don't really figure out how much you are spending until the bill arrives. The waiters offered to tell us the price if we asked but as Lila and I chatted the night away; there was a bit of a gasp when the bill arrived. Gulp! Oh well, it was worth the splurge!

The bitter taste of failure

It was bound to happen sooner or later. One can taste only so much success before you have to choke on bitter failure. Perhaps I was getting too cocky, too bold, and too confident in my culinary prowess.... tonight, my friends, I have failed.

I bought a piece of redfish and curious about the meaty fish, figured I could do "something Cajun" with it while expanding my fishy horizon. "Something Cajun" evolved into a meal of pistachio-crusted redfish with string beans. This dish was healthy and seemed simple enough to execute.

Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn when I decided to make this low-cal and sprayed the fish with olive oil flavored Pam versus using a more traditional batter dip. What I wound up with was a mealy mess and the redfish wound up in the garbage.

I got to spend the evening with a sink full of dishes and an ordinary meal of string beans and some leftover jasmine rice. I did walk away from my tiny kitchen this evening with an important lesson. Cooking is all about trying new things and you have to take the failures along with the successes.

P.S. I'm sparing you the photos!

Vegas Baby!

In about a month, I will be heading out to Las Vegas with a few co-workers for the annual NAB Convention. In getting ready for our trip, first and foremost on my mind, is where are we going to eat?

Last year, we enjoyed fabulous meals at Bouchon, Border Grill, Simon Kitchen and Bar and Craftsteak.

How do you choose the best restaurant? Word of mouth of course! In Vegas there are SO many good restauants and SO little time. In determining where to spend our four nights of culinary bliss, I am looking to you, dear readers, for some suggestions on where to go:

DB Brasserie at the Wynn?
Michael Mina's at the Bellagio?
Joe's Seafood at Caesar's?
Zeffrino at the Venetian?
Emeril's New Orleans Fish House at MGM?

So what do you think? Any of these restaurants? Or do you have some better suggestions? Bring it!

Oh yeah and I guess there's gambling in Vegas too isn't there?

Roast Chicken - a simple easy twist on a classic

I am always struggling over what to make/bring for lunch. Last weekend, I decided to roast chicken using a recipe I saw in this month's Real Simple magazine. One of the reasons I like this magazine's recipes is that it gives me a slightly different take on some staples in my culinary routine. This one used chicken parts instead of an entire chicken, cutting down considerably on the cooking time.

Basically, you season the chicken parts with thyme, red pepper, salt and pepper and then place in a roasting pan with two cloves of chopped garlic and add loads of whole garlic cloves for good measure. These along with some orange zest and a halved orange in your pan and you have a nice new twist on the old lemon & rosemary chicken standby. The "official" recipe can be found at the link above, but once again, just wing it with whatever you have on hand; you really can't go wrong.

This recipe was "officially" called chicken with mushrooms and string beans, but I made this with caramelized brussels sprouts and onions. Now, I know I have said that I don't poach, blanch or boil in the past but I decided to try something new with one of my favorite vegetables, the brussel sprout - a veggie oft-mocked and rarely appreciated for its tasty leafy goodness.

After halving the brussels, I boiled them for about five minutes and then put in a colander to drain. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, I softened half of a white onion with some garlic. Once the onions began to brown, I added the brussel sprouts and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg. I was tempted to drown my veggies in chicken stock (my culinary kryptonite), but I managed to avoid it long enough to get some good caramelization in the pan. The result was a delicious, new take on a side dish that I often take for granted.