East-West Grille

Chris texted me a photo - a list of duck specials, and there were several from which to choose. I called him immediately. "Where are you?" I demanded, "Are you eating duck without me?" He replied, "I wouldn't dare," and described the dish he was eating. I wish I could remember what it was, but I was still stuck on the duck thing. Mouth full, he raved about the new place he discovered, well, new to him anyway. Turns out it's been open ten years, and is right around the corner from his work. "Wanna come back for dinner tonight?" he asked. "If you don't mind going back twice in one day," I said, thinking he was kidding. When he said, "I could eat here every meal," I knew I was in for a treat.

And East-West Grille on New Park Avenue in Hartford is, in fact, a treat. Specializing in Laotian food, along with other traditional and fusion Pan-Asian dishes, the restaurant serves Eastern food in a "Western" setting - a diner, of all things. The decor is 50's diner-turned-Asian restaurant, and as expected has lots of red, with pretty curtains dividing the diner's booths, straw baskets and hats hanging about, and fresh flowers on each table. East-West is Zagat-rated, earns top scores from local food critics, has a small but pretty outdoor dining area, and serves beer and wine.

Let me describe our first outing together which occurred last week. The server is shocked that I have never tried sticky rice, and brings some to try in a small lidded basket. She teaches me to roll the white and purple mixture in my hands, flatten it into a patty, and dip it in one of the sauces she's delivered. Chris has been here before (four hours earlier!) so he's all into it. Excellent! We want gyoza but the server steers us in another direction, admitting that is one of the few things that is not made in house. She suggests the chicken curry samosas, featured on the spring special menu. The samosas are lightly fried pastries stuffed with minced chicken in a spicy curry sauce. They taste good, but there is a texture issue - the filling is a bit mushy and reminds us of baby food. I order the panang duck, described succinctly on the menu: "half boneless roast duck topped with kaffir lime leaves, mixed vegetables and coconut milk." It has two "spicy" symbols next to it. This is my favorite Thai dish, and I'm wondering if it will be as good as the one Sawadee (where I get my usual panang fix) makes. This duck ROCKS. Tender, moist duck with the crispiest skin ever is served over shredded lime leaves and sauteed red and green peppers, green beans, carrots and bamboo shoots in the cutest ceramic duck dish. Don't even ask me what Chris ate. Some salad I think since he wasn't that hungry for dinner (wonder why?). It was no surprise to me, but he wasn't too full for dessert, and we shared the deliciously sweet coconut ice cream with coconut sticky rice and go home to chill out in a food-induced coma.

I think about that duck all week and when we're planning this week's date night, much to Chris's delight, I suggest East-West. This time we get the gyoza which, although not house-made, are prepared lightly battered and fried. They're good, but the sauce they're served with is incredibly salty. While I enjoy the panang duck again (how could I not???), and it was fantastic again (add points for consistency!) Chris is very pleased with his spicy "tom-kar" - a soup made with coconut milk, mushroom, onion, pepper and ginger - which is offered with a choice of proteins that he opted out of. I try it and it's great - sweet yet spicy, it warms me right up. He loves his entree as well, jasmine rice stir-fried with egg, pineapple, cashews and raisins, which is both sweet and savory at the same time. We can't fit dessert this time but we're satisfied so that's okay.

After thanking Chris for "discovering" this gem (thanks also goes to Paul who recommended it!), I exclaim "So long, Sawadee! Sorry, but East-West has stolen our hearts." We highly recommend a visit (or even two in the same day!)

Foodie Book Friday: A Homemade Life

In the effort to post more frequently, I've decided to institute "Foodie Book Friday," weekly posts in which I'll share my thoughts about food-centric books.

For the first of these posts, I think it's appropriate to start with the book A Homemade Life written by successful food blogger Molly Wizenberg, creator of Orangette. I have followed her blog for about a year and her recent absences from it make me grateful to have the book to turn to for an occasional fix of her writing.

The book is written in short chapters, each of which tell the story of a dish then give a very clear, well-written recipe for that dish. Her prose writing is as delicious as the recipes sound. Her wittiness made me laugh aloud, while many of the reminiscences of her family, in particular her late father, often brought me to tears. It is a sentimental book, but not in an over-the-top saccharine way. Rather, her father's presence is evident throughout as she tells stories of his cooking and how it influences hers. Along the way, she takes the reader to Paris, back to Seattle, and on the journeys of how her blog came to be and of meeting the man who will be her husband.

Like Orangette, A Homemade Life is charming, romantic, honest, insightful, passionate and moving. When you read it, you fall in love with Molly, with her writing, and with the food she creates and inspires her readers to create as well. I'm grateful to be one of them.

Springtime Risotto

Chris is the risotto maker in the family. I think it's because he's so patient, something for which I, and I'm sure his students, are grateful. All that stirring makes me want to turn the heat on high, and that's not what risotto is about, so I let him handle it. Luckily, he's happy to do so. He has wowed plenty of people with his various risotto concoctions, and last night, he did it again with what we're calling "Springtime Risotto." Having bought a pound of fresh spring peas at Apple Tree (a produce-centric market in Hartford), as well as some carrots and green onions, we decided that fresh spring vegetables would be the focus of the dish. That, and plenty of freshly grated parmegiano-reggiano, of course.

Here's the recipe, enough for two with some leftovers:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable works best)
1 pound of fresh spring peas (about a cup after shelling)
1 carrot, chopped finely
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus some for the table
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and saute the chopped onions until they become translucent. Add the rice and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, so that the rice is coated with the butter, mixed well with the onions, and starts to turn translucent as well (about four minutes). Add the broth 1/3 cup at a time, stirring constantly and adding broth as the liquid in the rice evaporates. After the first cup of broth is gone, add the vegetables. Continue to add the remainder of the broth, 1/3 cup at a time, stirring constantly until all the broth is gone and the rice is cooked through. Turn of the heat, then stir in salt and pepper, and the parsley and cheese. Serve hot and enjoy. Would be nice with a glass of chilled pinot grigio!

A Slow Food Spring Dinner

We are members of Slow Food CT, our local chapter of Slow Food USA, which is an organization that "links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment." Membership offers us an annual subscription to the worldwide movement's journal The Snail, a monthly newsletter called The Food Chain, discounts on Slow Food merchandise, and, most importantly, invitations to a variety of Slow Food events.

The last is what today's post is about - the Slow Food Spring Dinner held at Firebox Restaurant in Hartford Thursday night. If there is a restaurant in the Greater Hartford area that epitomizes Slow Food, it is Firebox. Their commitment to seasonal, locally grown ingredients is evident in everything they do, from the contemporary American menu to the weekly farmers' market that is held on the grounds of the restaurant. For Firebox, farm-to-table is what it's all about.

Robert Sinskey wines were featured at the dinner, an excellent choice since these are organically grown in Napa Valley. We liked the Pinot Noir so much we've already purchased two bottles for the cellar.

The Menu:

Urban Oaks Organic Farm Mixed Greens - With pickled baby carrots, watermelon radish, goat cheese crostini, white balsamic vinaigrette. Wine pairing: Abraxas," Vin de Terroir, Sonoma, 2007

Connecticut River Shad - With spring garlic soubise, asparagus, fiddlehead ferns, red wine gastrique. Wine pairing: Pinot Blanc, Los Carneros, 2007

Connecticut Lamb - With white bean purée, English peas, pea tendrils, Roman mint pesto. Wine pairing: Pinot Noir, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 2006

Beltane Farm Goat Cheese Panna Cotta - With Jones Family Apiaries' honey comb. Wine Pairing: "Vin Gris," Pinot Noir Rose, 2007

Each and every dish was remarkably fresh tasting, wonderfully prepared and beautifully presented. Chris adored the shad which was served with a nice crisp skin, and I loved the lamb which was served medium rare and had a herby charred crust. Nonetheless, the star of the evening was the dessert. Airily light and not-too-sweet, it was a perfect finish to a refreshing spring meal. In honor of springtime, we urge you to get out to the opening days of your nearby farmers' market and support your local food producers. With ones like we experienced at this dinner, we certainly will be!

Guilty Pleasures - Mac and Cheese

I probably shouldn't admit this, being a self-proclaimed foodie and all that, but I love Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I do. Yes, the blue box stuff, the neon orange stuff, the there's-no-cheese-in-that-mac-and-cheese stuff. I can't help myself. It think it's because it was the first thing I ever learned to "cook," and it's comfort food. In a box. In less than ten minutes.

I make mine a certain way, and my graduate school roommates love to tell (and retell) the story of the first time I gave them my Kraft-making instructions, apparently with gestures. "Firm but watery" is what they claim I said, that drunken night when we had little money for food, but plenty for cheap wine. "Firm but watery" actually is how I like it, which is why I ignore the directions on the box and cook my Kraft elbows for only five minutes (firm) and add 1/3 (not 1/4) cup of lowfat milk (watery), then eat it straight out of the saucepan.

And while I gave my school cafeteria a bad rap several posts ago, they make a mean mac-n-cheese. They sprinkle in tons of garlic salt and garlic powder, then top it with garlic croutons, so when I see it coming up on the monthly menu, I buy some mints and gum and indulge. I try not to think about the calories I'm ingesting as I fill myself up with that cheesy, garlicky goodness. I'm not even sure it falls under the new state department of education's "healthy foods only" guidelines, but what can I say? I don't really care. It's yummy.

These two very different macaroni-and-cheese "meals" don't belong in the same category as most, like the one my mom makes, like ones that everyone's mom makes. These are beyond comfort food - they are guilty pleasures. Shhhh. Don't tell.

Oh My NOLA!

As previously mentioned by my husband, I spent last week in New Orleans. We had different school vacations this year, and I've been missing my best friend and my old stomping grounds, not to mention the food. And my, what a foodie good time I had! I had a list of things to eat and places I wanted to eat them, and with the help of my friends Karen and Joe and the Hubble family, the mission was accomplished. Many thanks to them for an awesome time all around. Here's my own personal TOP FIVE!

#1 - Crawfish


Naturally, I had to have crawfish, since it's the season and my own Yankee-style attempts to have crawfish have been a bit unsatisfying. Karen promised me a traditional crawfish boil, and that's what I got. On Sunday morning, Miss Linda lugged in a 25-pound box filled with steaming crawdads, corn on the cob, bits of sausage and red potatoes. When I lifted the lid, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. They were hot and spicy and delicious. We peeled long after we had our fill, and the result was that I had enough to freeze and take home!!! Hooray!!! I happened to have crawfish several other times over my few days in New Orleans, including fried crawfish tails, crawfish pasta, and even eggs covered in crawfish etouffee, but these were the best, most of all because they were shared with old friends.

#2 - Barbecued Shrimp from Pascal's Manale

I made the mistake once of ordering BBQ Shrimp here in Connecticut. I got a skewer of grilled shrimp basted in barbecue sauce. Hideous! The barbecued shrimp I wanted can be found at several Crescent City spots, but none do them better than Pascal's Manale. I would attempt to describe them, but I think reviewer Don Pierce sums it up better than I ever could:

"The truth is the shrimp aren't really barbequed and I'm not sure where the name came from but who cares? It works and they will make your mouth water and make you come back over and over and wait for hours to sit down and peel. Peel? Yes, peel your own (it's all part of the fun... The shrimp come out and you see shrimp heads, you see shrimp tails, you see shrimp legs and you see them stewing in a bowl of garlic, butter and pepper with an aroma that makes your mouth water like no other. You pop the heads off then remove the shell, then you dip the shrimp into that special sauce and then into your mouth. Ohooooo. Then with the other hand, you break off some french bread and again, you dip it in. Ohhhooooo. Heaven!"

Heaven indeed, Don. Heaven indeed.

#3 - Crab Fingers from Mandina's

Mandina's is a mid-city neighborhood joint that I used to go to all the time when I lived in NOLA, and everytime I went, I ordered this amazing appetizer that 1) I've never been able to recreate, and 2) I've never seen or heard of anywhere else. Dozens of tender little crab fingers are sitting in a luscious garlic, butter, white wine and breadcrumb mix and as you dig down to get them, you are forced to lick every bit of it off your dripping fingers. Then you break off some french bread and again, you dip it in...sound familiar???? Thank GOD they reopened after Katrina.

#4 - Dinner at Cochon

Cochon is the place to be these days in New Orleans and everyone knows it. Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, the New York Times, they've all been buzzing about this place and Chef Donald Link for years now, so I knew we'd have to pay a visit. Karen and I were excited about the food while Joe was excited for the moonshine, and yes, they do have that on the menu, along with other typically Cajun dishes. And I do mean CAJUN. We were hungry and feeling adventurous, and everything we tried was delicious. The buzz is most definitely well-deserved. For appetizers we sampled fried alligator with chili garlic aioli (tasted a bit like chicken!), fried boudin with pickled peppers, and some great grilled andouille sausage served over grits with lima beans. I ordered the house specialty, Louisiana cochon (deliciously seared pulled pork - see photo) with turnips, cabbage and cracklins, and I loved every bite. Karen very much enjoyed the perfectly smoked beef brisket that was served with a horseradish potato salad. Joe dug into the oyster and bacon sandwich (the number one Louisiana "must-eat" according to Food and Wine) with gusto. We shared two casserole-style sides: macaroni and cheese, and crawfish with green tomatoes, both of which paired well with our meals and did not disappoint. We couldn't do dessert for being too full, but Joe and I toasted each other with a shot of "Catdaddy" moonshine that burned on the way down but had the surprising aftertaste of nutmeg. Next door, the newly opened Cochon Butcher offered specialty housemade cured meats and sausages with Cajun flair and of course, some of these goodies like tasso and andouille, found their way into my luggage. Next time you're in New Orleans, go to Cochon. It's a MUST.

#5 Sweets from Sucre


A candy shop on the best shopping street in the Big Easy, Magazine Street, Sucre is new to me and I'm excited to say it lived up to its reputation. Their French macaroons (one of Oprah's favorite things, apparently!) are sweet and delicate and filled with velvety cream. Their handmade chocolates are almost too pretty to eat, but with flavors like thyme, passion fruit, Sicilian pistachio, and chai and Earl Grey teas, you must indulge. A bonus for me is their use of Harney's Teas, which are originally from Connecticut! We stopped by here while shopping one afternoon, then again for a late dessert (see photo) after Cochon. Fabulous!

Food Buzz Top 9!

Chris's first solo blog post "When your wife is away..." made Food Buzz's Top Nine for April 28th!

Way to go, husband!

When your wife is away....

I don't want this to sound like I don't love my wife because I do. Really. It's just that one of my guilty pleasures is that when Amy goes on a trip I get to eat what she refers to as 'Chris Food'. I have my own shelf. It's full of things like Soy milk, artichoke hearts, sardines, tartufo paste, curry spices and various pickeled sundries. I also have a small section in the fridge which is filled an assortment of fruits, meats, cheeses and juices that, quite often, "Take up too much space". Needless to say, I like food. All types. If there is a person sitting next to me eating something that I can't identify, and the person doesn't seem to be in pain or near death - I want some. Maybe it's from growing up in a big family ('Eat it or Starve') or from the times I ran low on rations while hiking the Appalachian Trail ('Eat it or Starve'). I don't know. What I do know is that these adventures have gotten me my own shelf, my wife is away, and I am hungry. This is my story:

Yesterday a package showed up at my doorstep. Now the UPS man is not a stranger to our house, but the 'Perishable' label caught my eye. Since Amy is visiting friends in New Orleans I thought, "Are these crawfish? Does my wife love me that much? Maybe they're pralines! A 1'x1'x1' box of pralines!....with Cafe Du Monde coffee!....and maybe some fresh beignets!! I have the best wife in the world!!" I call her to thank her for the package. One ring, two rings, three rings, "Hello" a gently slurring voice answers. I explain about the package, to which she says, "What package? Open it and see what it is." Her voice perks up as I tell her it contains a package of pasta, "What kind?" she asks. "Buitoni All Natural Agnolotti stuffed with wild portobello and crimini mushrooms!" I exclaim. "Oh...mushrooms huh? That's Chris food. You don't have to wait for me." As I said before, I am hungry; so I don't."

Bring water with a dash of salt and oil to a boil. Melt about 1Tbs of salted butter in a saute pan for a couple of minutes. Place pasta into boiling water and set the timer to 4 minutes. Add one large handfull of baby spinich into the saute. Toss until wilted. (Basically until the timer goes off.) Drain pasta, mix with spinich and serve. Dinner in less than 10 minutes.

This could be my favorite Chris Dish ever. The near-ghee brown butter sauce coated the bitter spinich with just enough ''umph' that when I bit into the al dente angoletti and allowed earthy wild mushroomness to combine with the sharp Grana and Parmesean I almost forgot to chew. My mouth was screaming for more. As I type this I can't stop breathing through my mouth in a vain attempt to get the post-coital flavors off of my tongue. I wish I wasn't on a diet. I want/need more. Is it strange to buy a case of pasta? I may need another shelf. I can't wait for her to go away again...

Portuguese-Style Stew

I hope you haven't given up on A Couple in the Kitchen. Life got weird for a few weeks and Chris and I have been existing (subsisting?) on restaurant food, take-out, delivery, and heat-n-eats. Not a good foodie scene whatsoever, but we're resolved to head back to the kitchen as the days grow longer and warmer, and farmer's markets begin to sell their wares.

We hit up new Hartford hotspot, Barca, for a much needed after-school happy hour last week, because their tapas are cheap and to die for. At 2 for $5, I can have my spicy chicken (sauteed in a garlic white wine sauce) and Chris can have his crispy fish (specifically, codfish potato cakes with cilantro aioli). These were accompanied nicely by well-made caipirinhas (like a margarita but better). As for their bread - one bite and I was hooked, begging the bartender to sell me a loaf or two on which I planned to base some sort of dinner for the following day. Warm and crusty on the outside, so light it melts in your mouth on the inside, Chris, who had been to Barca before, simply said, "Told you so," as I drooled over the two small slices that came with our tapas. It reminded me of the super-fresh Portuguese rolls my mom used to buy in Ludlow, MA.

As I always seem to be planning my next meal, the idea for a Portuguese-style dinner started brewing in my head and luckily, the bartender assisted, handing over two small, neatly wrapped loaves with warming instructions as we paid our check. We created our dish the next day, after buying clams at the local fish market. The stew, inspired by Barca's bread, was very easy to make and came out well. We knew that clams and sausage should be our base ingredients, then we threw in onions, tomatoes and seasonings at whim. We thought we needed a starch and put it over some pasta, which, in hindsight, was unnecessary, as the delicious bread was all we really needed. The sweetness of the clams and onions balanced well with the spiciness of the sausage and red pepper, while the grill and paprika added that smokiness we love.

Ingredients:

1 pound linguica (Portuguese sausage)

1 Vidalia onion

1 pound mahogany or other small live clams

28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Slice the linguica into rounds and grill for a few minutes each side until browned, then throw them in a large stock pot. Slice the onions into thin strips and grill the onions, in the pan used to grill the linguica, for several minutes until they begin to caramelize, then throw them in the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and give a good stir until everything is well mixed. Put the lid on and cook over medium-high heat for fifteen minutes, or until everything is heated through and the clams are open. Enjoy with good, crusy Portuguese bread.

A Glutton for Surf and Turf

Last week Chris had a mini-reunion night out with some high school friends, so I decided to be my carnivorous self and fix a nice ribeye for dinner. I got a great bone-in ribeye for $7.99 at Price Chopper - it had gorgeous marbling and was just the right size to go with my baked russet potato and steamed rock lobster tails ($9.99 for two!). Yes, I was being gluttonous, but that's okay...now and then. I seasoned the ribeye with my usual: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, a light sprinkling of garlic powder, and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. While I let the steak marinate for a bit, I wrapped the potato in foil and put it in the toaster oven on 450 for an hour. Then I "grilled" my steak stove-top in our ridged Calphalon pan over high heat so I would get a nice char but it would still be medium-rare. Meanwhile, I steamed the lobster tails and melted some butter. It was a feast and I washed it down with a Trader Joe's (reserver!) Cabernet Sauvignon, enjoying every bite...including those last few nibbles off the bone. That will teach Chris to leave me home alone...(anytime!!!).