Hill Country Chicken

It’s a little embarrassing how long it took me to get to Hill Country Chicken. I mean, I’ve been planning to go for quite some time but just didn’t make it there. I will say after heading to Momofuku for fried chicken last year, I envisioned hitting up all the fried chicken joints I could handle. Mr. M agreed this would be a worthy endeavor and I was psyched. Truth is I’ve been slow rolling, but now I’m feeling a little reinvigorated by our trip to Hill Country.  Ms. O and I had both spent some time looking over the menu in advance so when we arrived, we agreed that the best thing to do would be to get both the Hill Country Classic and Mama Els’ Recipe.

I thought I would be able to pick one as the best or my favorite.  Alas, both were crispy on the outside but moist on the inside. They were both flavorful and fabulous! The Fire-n-Ice Pickles in between were a good addition.  We also helped ourselves out to quite a few side dishes.  My favorite was the Blistered Corn Salad.

It contained celery, tomatoes, red onions and a little something to give it a kick. Definitely an unexpected treat! The Creamy Coleslaw was also a pleasant surprise.

I don’t typically love coleslaw because most of the time there’s too much mayonnaise.  This one was well balanced and the cabbage was crunchy, not mushy.  You can’t have chicken without biscuits!

These biscuits were best eaten when warm. As they cooled the fresh flavor remained, but they were at their prime when we first got them.  The French Fries were another gluttonous addition to our meal.

There was nothing remarkable about the fries. They weren’t bad, but they didn’t blow my mind either.  The food at Hill Country is great! The chicken is definitely the star of the show, which makes sense considering the name. But don’t sleep on the side dishes because they are great supporting stars. My only complaint about Hill Country is the basket situation.  Considering how much food we ordered, we could have really used some plates! We picked up a couple of extra baskets so we could use them as plates, but you know what would have been great? Plates! Perhaps they have some and we just missed it, but for the most part it looked like a basket only situation. You should also keep in mind that it's counter service so best to have someone grab some seats while another person gets the food. That way you're not left holding your tray with nowhere to sit.

Hungry yet?

Hudson Hall

A while back I bought the Gilt City offer for a deal at Hudson Hall. Now that Ms. R works so close, it was easy for us to get together and walk over to the Hudson Hotel. When we walked in to the cafeteria I was immediately captivated by the film being projected on the walls. We were escorted to a table with benches and a throne like chair.

After we sat down we were told to help ourselves. Just like in high school, we grabbed our trays and made our way down the line.  We definitely made great selections. We started with the Tuna Tartare. (Like a rookie I forgot to charge my camera, but thankfully Ms. R came to the rescue!)

It was so bright we couldn't help but select it. The tuna was definitely sushi grade and tasted fantastic.  The Flat Bread Pizza was equally amazing.

The serving was really small though so I was left wanting more. Thankfully the Thyme Roasted Chicken came to the rescue.

The chicken was incredibly juicy and the seasoning was perfect. My favorite dish was the Roasted Corn.

It was very fresh and cooked with mushrooms and jalapeño. The jalapeño added a spicy bite that I wasn't expecting but definitely welcomed.  I look forward to replicating this dish in my kitchen.

Hudson Hall has an interesting atmosphere that is great if you're looking for a unique dining experience. It has so many options that dining there can be great for those with a desire for many different flavors. My biggest qualm is the hit or miss possibility of cafeteria style dining, but some dining risks are worth taking!

Hungry yet?

The Sweet Life Cafe

For our final dinner in MV we had a tough choice to make. So many delicious restaurants and only one more night. We decided that The Sweet Life Café would be the best way to close out an awesome weekend of great eats.

The restaurant is in a small house in Oak Bluffs. Most of the seating is outside in a dimly lit garden area that's decorated with Christmas lights. We sat outside on what turned out to be a lovely evening. I immediately decided my appetizer would be the Escargot Napoleon. 

When it arrived, I was floored. It was sandwiched on a phyllo dough crust and the snails were sautéed in almond butter, Pernod, spinach and blue cheese fondue. It was so good I found myself pausing many times to truly savor the taste. Z ordered the Sweet Pea Risotto.

It is typically served as a side but they were willing to offer it as an appetizer. The bright green color showcased the freshness of the peas. They were certainly generous with the portion. The risotto was delicious, but a little too filling for an appetizer.  When my entree arrived, I was equally thrilled.

The Grilled Striped Bass was served with heirloom tomato crab and corn salad. It was sitting on a wild rice pancake. The bass was amazingly good. The seasoning really allowed the freshness of the ingredients to shine through. I loved the salad and the crab added a nice textural contrast. The wild rice pancake was a first for me and I really enjoyed it! I may try to recreate it some day. Z's dish was also really good.

Wild Mushroom Strudel with creamy rosemary polenta and asparagus. It was cooked in a porcini broth with truffle oil, braised in white wine then baked. Quite the intricate preparation and it certainly paid off! After the disappointing dessert at Atria, I was really looking forward to something spectacular.

The Caramel Ginger Creme Brûlée did the job. It was served with orange ginger biscotti and the combination was perfect. It definitely had me wanting to lick the bowl.

The Sweet Life Cafe is a must try in Martha's Vineyard. The food is fresh, the staff is friendly and the ambiance is lovely. And besides if it's good enough for Mr. President, it should be good enough for you.

Hungry yet?

Gingered Salmon

After Bestie came over a few weeks ago, she was appalled by the lack of food in my fridge so she was kind enough to drive me to the grocery store. I took the time to buy some ingredients for a recipe I wanted to try.  I was flipping through my Food and Wine magazine when I saw the recipe for Gingered Salmon with Grilled Corn and Watercress Salad.  Something about slivers of ginger stuffed in salmon just sounded so good, and even better when I realized it would be cooked on a skewer! Although it was delicious, I made a few mistakes with this one. I’ll point them out and let you know what I would have done differently.

Ingredients

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

5 ears of corn, shucked

Four 6-ounce skin-on salmon fillets

20 small slices of pickled ginger

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/4 cup of onions, julienned 

1 bunch of spinach

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan, boil ½ cup of balsamic vinegar until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Let the reduction cool then stir in 1 tablespoon of canola oil.  Heat a grill pan and grill the corn over high heat, turning until nicely charged.  

Let it cool. Using a serrated knife cut the kernels from the cob.  Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make five ½-inch-deep slits crosswise in the flesh of each fillet. Stuff 1 slice of ginger into each slit, then thread each fillet lengthwise with a short skewer.

The first error I made was buying such thin slabs of salmon.  Although this was fresh Atlantic and tasted amazing, I should have opted for larger pieces even if it was previously frozen.  This made it difficult to cut slits deep enough to stuff the ginger and still have room to stick the skewer through.  The next step requires a large, ovenproof skillet. Another mistake! I really need to buy an oven-proof skillet. IMMEDIATELY! Shame on me.

Well, you’re supposed to heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil on the skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add the fillets to the skillet skin side down.  This was fine until I realized that my skewers were too long! I had to snap them while cooking which was awful. Cook the salmon over moderately high heat until the skin is lightly golden.  That part I got right!  

You’re then supposed to put the skillet in the oven and roast the salmon for about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through.  I put the salmon in the oven but shouldn’t have turned it over! It left the fish looking very unattractive.  While the salmon was cooking, I quickly put the spinach in a hot pan with garlic and onions until it was wilted.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of balsamic with the mustard and honey.  Gradually whisk the remaining canola oil into the dressing.  Add the corn and the spinach to the bowl and toss to coat.  Transfer the spinach and corn to the plate and top with skewered salmon.  Drizzle the fish and salad with balsamic reduction and serve immediately.

Overall the recipe turned out great. I opted for spinach and I wouldn’t call that a mistake, but I wills ay that because it wilts so much, I really should have had more spinach than I used. I had tons of left over dressing!  It was delicious though!

Hungry yet?

b.e.d. Miami

Months before our trip to South Beach, Ms. M was kind enough to make reservations for dinner at b.e.d. (beverage.entertainment.dining.) I was definitely curious about how exactly it would work. I mean how do you enjoy your meal when your table is your seat? Well thankfully they knew to serve our meals on personalized trays. Upon reviewing the menu I was surprised by how many items I actually wanted to order. Then I narrowed it down to the ceviche and the stuffed lobster tail. The nerve of the waitress to tell me neither item was available! Apparently they had a busy Friday night. I was extremely unhappy. She did tell me they could still make the lobster tail but sans crab meat. I reluctantly agreed and started by ordering the Crab Cake appetizer. Serves them right that I forgot my camera so these are the best images I have.

It was really different than the crab cakes I usually eat. This one was in phyllo dough which was wildly good. The crab chunks were huge and really tasty. The other appetizers also looked great. Ms. K ordered the Shrimp and Grits.

It was made with cheddar and sprinkled with bacon. She loved it and it inspired the elder Ms. K to order one too! Ms. S ordered the Seared Scallops.

It was served with a chorizo corn medley and a creamy BBQ sauce. She was loving it so much that Ms. M ordered it too - sans chorizo. Eventually our entrees started to arrive. Ms. S ordered the Grilled Sesame Tuna.

That was one good looking tuna. It also tasted amazing! The seasoning was perfect. I usually expect sesame tuna to have a strictly Asian taste but this had some Caribbean flavors. The elder Ms. K ordered the Australian Rack of Lamb.

Wowed quite the presentation. It was served with Parmesan regiano risotto sautéed mushrooms and a cognac thyme Demi glace. It looked amazing and according to her it tasted even better than it looked.  The popular item that evening was the Chilean Sea Bass.

Both Ms. K and Ms. M were delighted to order this dish. It was served with haricot vert white truffle and Yukon mashed with vermouth cream sauce. I had a bite and it was very rich - almost overwhelming but just under that level. That dish was creamy goodness at it's best. I compromised on my desire and accepted a different version of the Lobster stuffed with crab meat.

When I dug in, I realized it was actually stuffed with crab meat which is not what the waitress said so that was a pleasant surprise. The penne was not an adequate substitute for the black fettuccine.   Shrimp scampi just should not be served with tubular pasta! Luckily the flavor was right so I wasn't terribly offended.

We finished our delicious meal with the Cloud 9 souffle. When I saw souffle I mistakenly assumed it would be chocolate. Imagine my surprise when an inflated pot of Dulce de Leche arrived! Don't get me wrong this dessert was heavenly. I just wasn't ready for it. It is definitely made for sharing. Incredibly rich and sweet there's no reason one wouldn't love this! I certainly did.

We finished our meal at b.e.d. and decided to stick around for the rest of the night. It turned out to be quite a marvelous one. Congratulations Ms. K - I'll never look at Miami the same.

Hungry yet?

The Warmest House Ever

They moved!! Ms. O and Mr. M moved! To celebrate their glorious new home (which shares a wall with their old home) they invited several of their favorites to a rockin good time.  After brunch, I had a hard time getting it together so I didn't arrive at their home quite as early as I wished.  By the time I arrived, almost everything was already set.  Ms. O was still in the kitchen so thankfully I was able to help a little bit.  It was quite the spread!  The best part is that Ms. O labeled all the food and beverages with toothpick signs...umm awesome!  So let’s see, where to start...

This Armenian string cheese was my favorite thing that I didn’t eat enough of.  It was fresh and light and moist.

The chicken wings were FABULOUS I was quite shocked to see that there were so many left over and the next day I kicked myself for not taking some home. 

I loved the chicken meatballs. They were even tastier than last time.  Which I didn't think was possible!

The corn salsa was so good, I ate it by itself and pretended the chips didn't exist.  That is until I saw the guacamole.

Wowee. Many party goers were there because of the legendary guacamole.  It was creamy avocado heaven.

I didn't try the various meats but I heard good things from others.

I also realize I didn't try the brie. Definitely my loss because it looked amaaaazing and smelled really good too.

I was a big fan of the fruit plate and spent a lot of time reaching for the sweet sweet pineapples.

The sandwiches looked pretty good but they were close to the wings so I always picked the wings over the sandwiches.

The assortment of cheese probably went really well with the meat that I didn't try, but I saw some people enjoying the cheese solo.

The vegetables were fresh and also a nice healthy choice, but it didn't stop me from getting to the sweet treats.

Ms. O's sister was kind enough to send a couple of boxes of Crumbs mini cupcakes.  I had my eye on the red velvet and had a couple of them.  They're just as delicious as the monster sized versions.

Ms. O definitely knows how to make a party. Lots and lots of different types of nibbles, good music and an excellent crowd.  I hope the housewarming is not the only party they plan on throwing (hint, hint). I'm looking forward to returning for many more celebrations and amazing dining experiences.

Hungry yet?

Café Habana

After last night's debacle I had no desire to eat anything that I didn't make. So when Mr. G suggested that we go to Café Habana, I reluctantly agreed.

Cafe Habana on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth streets was the place to be on Thursday night.  The relatively small restaurant was completely full and there were a number of people outside waiting for tables. I knew then that this was a good decision.

Within 20 minutes we were seated at a small table in the back near the stereo which played Stevie Wonder, MC Hammer, Michael Jackson and some Cuban tunes. We started off with an order of Mexican corn.

Grilled corn with cotija cheese sprinkled with chili powder. It was phenomenal!!! The chili powder was only on one side of the corn so when I needed a break I would flip to the other side with a cool taste of melted cheese. The few parts that had blackened a little from being on the grill also tasted amazing.

The corn was so good I would have ordered more and ate it as my entree. However I was quite happy to have the Baja Fish Tacos.

They were incredible! The taco was in a corn tortilla that was hard enough to stay in one piece but soft enough that it didn't scrape the roof of my mouth. The beer battered catfish was juicy, well seasoned and tasty. The taco also contained cabbage, tomatoes and spicy crema. For those that are not a fan of white sauce, the sauce was definitely not offensive. I barely noticed it.

The tacos were accompanied by rice and beans and salsa negra. The salsa was excellent and I dipped my taco in there several times. The rice and beans were seasoned to perfection.

This was one dining experience that I didn't want to end. The incredible flavors were only one part of what made this enjoyable. The service was on point and the music added a fun and playful atmosphere. Café Habana is totally worth the trip and I highly recommend it.

Hungry yet?

Central Park Zoo catered by Flik

Mr. G's firm hosted an event at the Central Park Zoo.  We showed up just as the Sea Lions were eating.  That meant we got the chance to eat while the rest of the guests watched the Sea Lions.  The event was catered by Flik.

Flik did a fantastic job and offered many options.

I stayed away from the roasted vegetables.  Although they looked great I wasn't interested.

The potato salad was alright.  Not as delicious as I would have made it, but it was edible.

The BBQ chicken was the highlight of the meal.  Juicy, succulent and simply fantastic.   So much so that I went back for a second plate.

The grilled chicken was also well done.  I placed one of these pieces on a bun and enjoyed a grilled chicken sandwich.

Mr. G helped himself to one of these burgers.  It was apparently a hit, because someone stopped by our table and noted how delicious the burgers were.

Many thanks to Mr. G and his firm for providing my dinner.  I guess cafeteria food isn't that bad after all.

Hungry yet?