Restaurant Review: Hotel Tides

Another hidden gem in Asbury Park: The restaurant in The Tides Hotel.

My parents and sister discovered this restaurant last week and raved about it. They loved it so much, that they were dying to take me there so I could see for myself. As we walked a few blocks away from the beach in some of the sketchier areas of town, I was hesitant about where they were leading me! Long and behold, we showed up at the hotel... it was not what I was expecting. The outside decor seemed rundown and unimpressive. However, as soon as we walked in, I realized my parents wouldn't steer me wrong. The dining room was exquisite and we were led to a cozy booth off to the side. The lack of crowd at 7:30 on a Friday night was a bit discomforting, but the quiet atmosphere was quite enjoyable.

Naturally, we checked ahead to see if we could bring our own wine. You all should know by now that we are wine snobs and would rather bring a nice bottle from home and pay a corkage fee than have to choose from a short selection of overpriced wines from the restaurant wine list. My dad surprised me by bringing my favorite.. Cask:
My mom and I started off with a lovely beet salad. It was served with lightly dressed arugula and ricotta salata.
My dad started with cornmeal crusted calamari served over greens and a smoked paprika remoulade. It was out of this world!!
For our main dish, my mom and I both ordered the cod that was served over white beans, artichoke hearts, and a sage butter sauce. It was a very light dish with a lot of flavor. I loved the sage flavor that really came through in the beans!
As much as I enjoyed my meal, my dad's meal is seriously worth mentioning! It is pretty clear that I'm not the biggest meat eater and I rarely order meat out at restaurants. However, I would go back to this restaurant and order this dish.. the rack of lamb:
This was the most tasty meat I have ever eaten! The seasoning was incredible and every component to the dish was wonderful. I especially loved the vanilla-scented fennel slaw on the side.. so unique and flavorful! The chef even came out to greet us as we were eating our dinner. I was gnawing on a lamb bone as he came up to our table... that's how good this lamb was. I don't gnaw on bones! My mom, who doesn't eat red meat at all, even had to try a bite..and agreed that it was incredible!

Overall, it was a great night of wonderful food, service, and atmosphere. The restaurant should really work on its marketing to get more customers in. If more people knew about what they have to offer, they would have a packed dining room every night!

Grilled Romaine Salad

My family had some 4th of July weekend! We had fabulous dinners starting at the ever popular Langosta Lounge on Thursday. It was fabulous as always. My mom, sister, and I all got a Mahi Mahi special that was incredible! My dad ordered the baby back ribs that came with the best sweet potato fries I have ever had in my life!

On Friday, we had to try out The Trinity and the Pope, which is a new restaurant in Asbury that is owned by the same owner as Langosta (Marilyn Schlossbach). While the cuisine was a bit different than we're used to (Creole/Louisiana-style), it was out of this world! We were immediately given some spicy kettle chips with a Remoulade sauce. I have never tasted anything like it! We all went crazy over it! My dad ordered a short rib in puff pastry appetizer that we all had to try... It was so rich and decadent. I would have ordered it as a main meal! I had the barbecue shrimp with jalepeno andouille grits as my entree. The spice and flavor was incredible! Everybody was very pleased with their meals! Marilyn has done it again... made my very picky family extremely happy with a unique dining experience!

On Sunday night, I cooked for a my family. I made crab cakes yet again, as requested from the rest of the group. I tripled the recipe for Ellie Krieger's crab cakes and made a few small changes. I sauteed the red pepper and green onion before adding it to the mix. I also mixed in whole wheat bread crumbs and then coated the cakes in panko.

For the side-dishes, I made some sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, and a grilled romaine salad. I was inspired by a TV shoot I helped out with at Good Housekeeping featuring Guy Fieri. He grilled romaine hearts and topped it with a sauteed onion and bacon mixture and some crumbled blue cheese. It looked soo good, so I had to make my own recreation of the salad.

I started by halving 3 romaine lettuce hearts and washing them thouroughly. After patting them dry, I grilled them a few minutes per side, until they were slightly charred and wilted. I sauteed 2 large vidalia onions and spooned it on top of the romaine. I also sprinkled on some dried cranberries, gorgonzola, and topped it with a balsamic vinaigrette:

For our last day of the holiday weekend, my parents, sister, and I layed on the beach until the early hours of the evening. We didn't make it out to dinner until around 8:00. We walked on over to Stella Marina, hoping for a delicious, relaxing dinner that we usually always recieve. Unfortunately, Stella was slacking on Monday. Not sure if it was the aftermath of a crazy weekend or what, but there shouldn't be any excuse for the service that we recieved. We arrived at the restaurant and were not seated for another 20 minutes, despite the availability of tables. It took longer than usual to recieve our bottle of wine. The waitress brought over some bread, which we were delighted to see because we were starving. However, upon first bite we realized the bread was unebile..stale and clearly very old. We kindly asked our waitress if there was any fresher bread available, but she regrettably told us they ran out from the weekend (couldn't they have at least revived a loaf by popping it into the oven?!). We got over it quickly and anxiously awaited our salad and vegetable appetizers. Well, those never came. We were waiting over an hour before we had to complain and beg for an explanation for the ridiculously long wait. The manager came over and said that the salads would probably not be out any time soon because of a back up in the kitchen. We asked for the check, paid for our wine, and left. Stella Marina is off our list of favorite restaurants for a while. Unfortunately, because I have always enjoyed it there. Our night ended with pizza on the boardwalk and a late night walk home...

Final Practical Exam + a Vegan Experience

Today was quite the day! I traveled to school with a strong stench of garlic... Chef asked all of us to peel a couple of bulbs of garlic each and bring it back to school today. I think it was for some event he's doing? There were definitely no vampires going near me today. I kept getting whiffs of garlic coming from my bag..not very pleasant.

My mom came to school with me today to attend the Alex Guarnaschelli cooking demonstration (I bought her a ticket for Christmas). We love watching Alex's new show "Alex's Day Off" on Food Network (Sundays and Tuesdays at 9:30 AM). I love the way she talks about food and cooking. You can tell that she has such a passion for food and her career when she speaks. I was so jealous that my mom got to attend the event while I had to take my practical.

I walked my mom to the 12th floor (where the event was held) and hung out for a bit while hoping to catch a glimpse of Alex. I saw her setting up in the room and decided to go in and introduce myself. I am definitely not the forward type to just have the confidence to walk into a kitchen and introduce myself to a Food Network star, but my mom helped me gain the courage. I knew I would regret it if I didn't take the chance. It helped that I was in my uniform and could tell her that I was about to take my module 5 practical. She was super nice, wished me luck, and even gave me a few words of wisdom.

Here's a picture my mom snapped during the demonstration:

I entered kitchen 1401 ready to take my exam and still a little bit starstruck from meeting one of my favorite chefs. We set up the kitchen to perfection and began going through the list of things to complete for our exam. I started out very calm and got through the mise en place with ease.

After fabricating my chicken, I immediately started braising the legs, thighs, and wings. Next, I blanched my green vegetables and presented them to Chef. They were perfect. By that time, it was already nearing 3:30 and my mom came up to check on me since her demonstration was over. I was doing really well at that point and had no problem with her standing outside the kitchen and observing. I grilled my chicken paillard and was about to take my braised chicken out of the oven. While I was putting the finishing touches on my braise and reducing the liquid, I noticed my mom wasn't watching anymore (I figured she left and went shopping to kill time while I was finishing up). As I was about to plate my braised chicken, I went to grab the handle of the saute pan... the saute pan that just came out of a 400 degree oven.. OUCH! My whole hand was scorched. As any chef would do, I complained that it hurt like hell, but did nothing about it and continued to cook and plate my dish. Eventually I couldn't take the pain anymore and sunk my hand in the nearest bowl of ice water. Gahh.. my hand STILL hurts!

As I walked to the end of the hall to present my braised chicken, I noticed an extra person at the "judges table".... MY MOM! I was pretty frazzled at this point after burning myself, so seeing her was a bit of a shock. She was sitting next to chef trying everyone's dishes. I presented my dish to chef..and apparantly my mom too. I'm not going to lie, it was a bit weird to have my chef and mom critiquing my braised chicken, that apparantly needed more salt...

At this point, I just started getting emotional. My hand REALLY hurt, I wasn't happy with my braise, and why was my mom judging my class's food with Chef?!!! I overreacted a little and told my mom to leave, but Chef insisted she stayed. I'm glad she did... I shouldn't have let that affect my performance. I eventually pulled it together and presented my perfect sauteed supreme of chicken with pan sauce and my ..umm.. not so perfect puree. My puree was fine -was the right consistency and tasted good, but I didn't take the time to make sure it was hot when I served it. It was getting towards the end of class and frankly, I just wanted to be done!

In the last hour of class, the kitchen was chaotic, so there was a HUGE cleanup at the end. We actually didn't get out of class until around 5:20. Lets just say, I was in need of a nice glass of wine when we left! My mom and I went to a local wine bar and discussed the crazy happenings of the day over a nice glass of cabernet.

Then, we walked up a couple of blocks to Blossom Restaurant for a Vegan dinner! I ordered the Feijoadinha with Smokey Tempeh-- a stew of smoky roasted tempeh, black beans, chayote squash, and sweet potatoes in an orange-lime broth:
This dish was AMAZING!! I especially loved the crunchy sweet potato crisps on top, which added a nice texture to the stew.

My mom ordered a "seiten" special that was grilled and was atop some vegetables, kale, and a red pepper sauce. It was also very good, but I liked my dish more ;)

A lot of people are against trying vegan meals, but if you go to a good restaurant that knows how to serve up gourmet vegan dishes, it is soo good! I prefer it to a steak dinner!

Time to go collapse into bed... long long day!

Restaurant Review: Vivas Restaurant

Tonight my parents and I visited one of our favorite Jersey shore restaurants, Vivas. Vivas is located in a small shopping center in Belmar. The outside of the restaurant isn’t impressive, but once you step inside, the atmosphere represents the amazing quality of food you are about to receive.

Vivas actually closed for a short amount of time last year so I have not visited the restaurant in almost 2 years. I was a bit disappointed to see that the menu has changed and they took off my favorite item, the Tango Lamb Chops. However, I knew that the chef would not disappoint with the other options on the menu.

I debated between a few choices, but ended up ordering the Signature Chilean Seabass. I have learned that you can never go wrong at a restaurant when you order their “signature” dish. Not to mention, the flavors and accompaniments sounded right up my alley. This dish was described as: “Encrusted in a sweet potato over an artichoke, rosemary, and Cabrales cheese risotto, topped with a wild mushroom caper reduction drizzled with a honey mustard".
The fish was cooked perfectly and had a crispy crust covered with a thin layer of sweet potato puree. The sweet potato added a perfect sweetness to the fish. The sauce was rich and creamy, however I was a bit disappointed with the lack of mushrooms and artichokes (I think I got a total of 3 slices of mushroom and 1 piece of artichoke). It was still very tasty and the risotto was creamy and delicious. I cleaned my plate!

My mom ordered the Ensalada Cubana and added on Grilled Salmon. I have had this salad before as a starter and know that it is fabulous. It is a large portion of greens, warm black beans, cherry tomatoes, and sautéed sweet onions. My mom said the salmon was cooked to her liking (medium rare) and tasted delicious. I know my mom loved it because she finished the whole thing. My mom never finishes her salmon, but when she does I know that it had to have been cooked perfectly!
My dad ordered a Skirt Steak Special wrapped in Serrano Ham and accompanied with shrimp and chimichurri sauce. His meal marked the only negative part of our dinner. When his dish came out, we realized it was not the dish that he ordered. Instead of a skirt steak, they gave him a strip steak (that was cooked not to his liking). He sent it back and received the meal that he originally ordered several minutes later. This was a mistake that could happen very easily in a busy restaurant kitchen, so I convinced my parents to get over it and have more wine :)
My parents also disliked the fact that the busboys wanted to take away our plates before my dad was finished with his meal. We like to keep our plates in front of us until the very last person is eating. I told my parents that the busboys are trained to take the plates away as soon as a person is done eating, but they still believe that it is common courtesy to let everyone keep their plates until the last person is done eating. I do agree that it is sort of awkward to have one person eating while everyone else’s plates are gone.

Vivas made it up to us by offering a few $10 coupons for our next visit because of the minor mistake they made. Although the meals at this restaurant are rather pricey, it is a BYO so we saved money on wine and were able to use coupons to make our bill round out to only $50 (We happened to have some coupons from the last visit too..). That's a bargain for 3 people, especially for the quality of food we received!

Overall it was a wonderful meal and I am very excited to come back again this summer!

Restaurant Review: Portofino Ristorante

Last night my family and I went to Portofino Ristorante in Tinton Falls to celebrate my dad's birthday.  We used to come here all the time until there was an incident with the valet making a dent in my dad's car.  The restaurant didn't handle the situation well, so we have been very hesitant to return.  Until last night...

We gave Portofino a chance to redeem themselves and serve us a meal that would convince us to return again.  However, this wasn't the case.  

The manager brought over the wine my dad ordered and I saw him look at me trying to decide if I was 21.  He casually went and asked to take away my glass (it must have been a mistake that there were 4 wine glasses on the table!) and my dad told him that I will be having wine.  Instead of just asking for my ID, which I would have preferred, he did the judgmental laugh while asking "are you 21? Wait, don't answer, I'll be a nice guy and give you wine anyway hahahahaha".  SERIOUSLY?!!!  I'M 22!  (I didn't respond quite like that, but I did tell him I'm 22) His response: "Hahaha, right, right".  This made me angry.  Even my dad was like "um, she has her ID if you'd like to see it.."  While my brother told him I was 16.  Thanks.

The appetizers took a long time to arrive, but at least we were satisfied with our dishes.  My mom and I shared the special fennel and blood orange salad.  Blood oranges are in season now and they tasted wonderful on our salad.

My dad and brother each ordered the sauteed calamari.  I didn't try it but they loved it!

So far so good, right?  We waited an extremely long time for our entrees.  It was nearing 9:00 and we got to the restaurant at 7:15!

Finally our dishes arrived.  I ordered the salmon al cartoccio.  I rarely order salmon at restaurants because I am usually very picky with salmon.  However, I really like the preparation of steaming fish in foil or parchment so I figured I'd give it a try.  It is really hard to dry out fish with this cooking preparation, since you simply bake it for a short amount of time (10-15 minutes) in the oven until the pouch steams.  

I took my first bite and believe it or not, it was EXTREMELY dry.  I was starving at this point so I ate most of it anyway, but the fish was unpleasantly chewy and not very flavorful.  I had to eat each bite with the salad that was nicely dressed with balsamic.  The potatoes on the side were flavor-less and under-seasoned.

My mom ordered the mahi mahi special.  Unfortunately her fish was dry too.  She didn't even have to taste it to know that it was over-cooked.  My mom could barely eat the fish and picked around at the vegetables around it. My brother had the rack of lamb special.  His lamb was not dry.  It was rare, as in completely raw.  He ate most of it even though I told him it was unacceptably raw.  He left a piece on the plate that even he couldn't eat because it was clearly not cooked at all.   We showed the waitress and she offered to cook it more.  No, we do not want you to cook the one bite of lamb.

There was nothing to complain about my dad's rigatoni carbonara.  It would have been really disappointing if a simple pasta dish wasn't good at this high-class Italian restaurant.  At least the birthday boy had a good meal!

Overall, not the greatest dinner.  That was strike 2 for Portofino, so it might be a while before we decide to return again.

The Blue Ribbon Experience

I just had the most amazing culinary experience of my life.  I had the pleasure of dining with five of my classmates, along with another friend, at the Blue Ribbon Restaurant in Soho.  

Chef Karen recommended this restaurant to our class a couple of weeks ago because of its bone marrow & oxtail appetizer.  When we listened to her explanation of this dish we knew we had to plan a class trip!  Oh boy was she right!  This appetizer was an experience in itself.  BUT before we get to that, I must start at the beginning..

We arrived at the fairly empty restaurant (it was only 5:45) and were led to a cozy both.  We all reviewed the menus and were a little unsure of what to order.  We had to decide whether we just wanted to share appetizers and which ones we should get.  We also came right from school so we've been tasting foods all day and didn't want to go too crazy with the amount of food.  Our waiter was extremely helpful and gave us a few suggestions on the best appetizers and the order in which we will eat them so that the whole experience is perfect.  We finally made our decisions and placed our order.

Obviously, we had to start with a nice beverage to accompany this anticipated meal.  We couldn't have chosen a better wine, a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, to pair with the luscious, rich spread of food.

We were surprised when the first dishes arrived at our table because it was not what we ordered!  The server announced that he brought some extra appetizers for us on the house (he knew we were culinary arts students and were excited to try many of the menu options)!  Some of the complementary items included Foie Gras Terrine:

fried oysters:

and grilled octopus (I failed to get a picture of this because I dropped my camera under the table and couldn't reach it..woops).   The oysters were served on a creamy spinach, bacon, and apple sauce.  I splashed a bit of the "special hot sauce" on top.  It was out of this world!!  The octopus had a very distinct grilled flavor, which was extremely tasty.  The foie gras was served with toasted bread and shredded apples.  I loved making my own little "foie gras sandwich" with a little bit of everything in every bite.  The apples were a great addition for an extra bit of sweetness and crunch.  I made sure to taste the foie gras on its own (it was my first time trying it) and it was amazing!

Next, the first plates that we ordered arrived (and we already had so much food!).  Our spread included raw oysters on the half-shell, grilled shrimp remoulade with zucchini fries, and a warm goat cheese salad.  My favorite was the grilled shrimp--I loved the creamy remoulade sauce underneath each shrimp.

Our "transition" dish before the star of the show was a creamy 3-cheese & white wine fondue.  We were each given a long fondue fork and dipped a selection of cubed bread, sliced apple, and breadsticks into the gooey cheese mixture.  Towards the end, we added some bacon bits and scraped up the rest of the sauce!

Alright, now time for the part of the meal that changed my life (well at least my life as it pertains to food).  We received our bone marrow, which was served over an oxtail marmalade and surrounded by toasted challah bread.  This is how you eat this culinary creation:

You take the tiny fork they give you with the dish and scrape the inside of the bone.  The marrow pops out of the bone and you mix it in with the oxtail marmalade.  Then you take a piece of bread and spread the marrow/oxtail mixture on top and sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt.  I can't even explain the flavors in my mouth.  I was speechless.

Along with our 2 orders of bone marrow, we had an order of escargot.  This was sort of like a stew and had some vegetables mixed in with a super thick, rich sauce.  My favorite part was the strip of bread waiting at the bottom of the bowl that was just soaking up all of the flavors.  It was the perfect little surprise when you reach the end of the bowl!

When the waiter came back to take our dessert orders we all agreed that we were way too satisfied and wanted to end the food experience with the bone marrow.  

You've probably noticed I used the word "experience" a lot in this review, and that is because Blue Ribbon did turn eating dinner into an experience for me-- especially with the way the food was presented.  The waiter gave us suggestions/instructions on how to approach the dishes and from there we were able to interact with the food and create our own perfect bites.

I can't wait to return and try some of the other dishes on the menu.  We only tried appetizers, so I can only imagine what the main dishes entail!

Restaurant Review: Langosta Lounge

You may see a trend in the location of restaurants that I choose to review for this blog.  Asbury Park has an amazing restaurant selection.  Last night, my parents and I made reservations at Langosta Lounge.

The restaurant is located right on the boardwalk and is within walking distance from our beach house.  We are currently not staying at our beach house in the winter months, but still choose to drive the 20 minutes to enjoy the great atmosphere and cuisine at Langosta.  The restaurant serves up caribbean-style menu items that matches the eclectic, oceanic decor.

Several restaurants by the shore are suffering during winter months, but Langosta is certainly not one of them.  We were lucky to get a reservation on a Saturday night (the manager knows our family after our frequent summer visits).  We were seated in a cozy corner of the restaurant right by the window so we had a view of the ocean.

Langosta has a full bar (with outstanding mojitos), but we usually choose to bring our own wine and pay the $15 corkage fee.  Last night, we enjoyed a full-bodied Zinfandel to accompany the robust flavors of food.

Immediately after being seated, we were given a fresh bread basket with a roasted garlic & tomato olive oil and an herb butter compote.  My mom and I love the crunchy breadsticks with the creamy roasted garlic.

For our first course, my dad ordered the Lobster Rolls.  We have ordered this as an appetizer before and were expecting sushi rolls.  However, they are very literal when they mean Lobster Rolls.  Fresh lobster salad is piled on top of 3 mini potato rolls.  At first, I thought the potato rolls were so low class to accompany lobster salad, but the soft doughy bread was the perfect pillow for the lobster.  

My mom and I split a simple house salad.  The salad was served in an oversized bowl with a vinaigrette on the side.  The shredded beets and carrots added the perfect sweet touch to a rather simple and boring salad.

For my main dish, I ordered the Eco-Fish of the Day.  Gooseberry Cod (which is just a type of wild cod) was topped with a lemon-herb relish.  I was afraid that this relish would be too lemony, but it had an array of other vegetables and spices mixed in and added the perfect flavor and crunch to the fish.  The cod was steamed to perfection and was flaky and buttery.  All of this was atop a creamy sundried tomato risotto.  This dish was seriously perfect! I loved getting every component of the dish in one bite-- a little bit of fish with the salsa-like topping and a touch of risotto.  It was a burst of flavor and textures in my mouth!  Even the vegetables on the side were perfect--broccolini with onions, collard greens, peppers, and carrots-- all wonderfully cooked and seasoned.

My mom also ordered the Gooseberry Cod, except had it Curry Style.  The large portion of fish was on top of an array of mixed vegetables and rice noodles, all coated with a slightly spicy and sweet curry sauce.  I couldn't decide which preparation of fish I liked more, mine or the curry.. but I must say I was very satisfied with my choice!

My dad ordered the Sugar & Spice Short Ribs.  These short ribs are absolutely incredible.  They taste like they have been slow cooking for hours and are so tender and juicy.  They were served over slightly chunky mashed potatoes (that were perfect for mopping up the sauce from the short ribs) and crisp broccolini.  

We all agreed that this was the best meal we have had in a while and that Langosta never lets us down with great food and a fun atmosphere.  The service is always superb and the food is consistently out of this world!  I cannot wait to go back!

Dining in Philly

Happy new year!!!  I clearly took the week off from blogging since I was not in class, but I still want to share some good eats from the week!

I spent new years eve and the rest of the weekend in Philly with my sister.  She took me to some great restaurant spots that were all within walking distance of her apt in center city.  When I first arrived on Friday afternoon, we were both starving and headed straight to lunch at the Marathon Grill.  I ordered an omelet with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and goat cheese (with a side of FRIES).  The omelet was pretty good. I love anything with goat cheese mmm!  The fries were perfectly crispy and slightly salty.. nom nom nom!

We went to Tria Wine Bar for a glass of wine before getting ready for the NYE party.  I had a wonderful zinfandel that was very full-bodied and flavorful.  We decided to split the fig and gorgonzola bruschetta for a light snack.  We both agreed that the fig jam was very overpowering and the gorgonzola tasted more like a tart blue cheese.  I would love to go back there because all of the other small plates sounded very interesting!

We had a blast at the NYE party at the crystal tea room!  We were VIP, so we arrived at 8:00 for the extra hour of drinks and hor’deourves (including shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, brie & pineapple bites, and lobster quiche)! 

The next day, we were pretty lazy and ate a late breakfast while watching “The Hangover”—hilarious!  We finally ventured outside around 2 to check out the crazy parade in the city (lots of creepy old men dressed up in weird costumes—I was scared..).  We got a little hungry again and decided to get take-out from a vegetarian Chinese restaurant around the corner.  We split the eggplant and tofu in garlic sauce, which came with brown rice and a side (we chose sweet corn).  There was a lot of food, so it was perfect to split for a light lunch.  I loved the eggplant and the rice was perfectly sticky ;)  .. I wasn’t crazy about the tofu because it was fried and tasted sort of rubbery.  The sweet corn.. well.. wasn’t sweet.

For dinner we went to El Vez, a Mexican restaurant.  I loved the décor and atmosphere.  There was also a great crowd at the bar.  We got there very early for our 8:00 reservation, so we went to the bar and had a Sangria.  The Sangria tasted great and had a little spicy bite to it, but it gave us both heartburn.  I still drank it because it tasted delicioius ;).  After a drink we started getting really hungry so we ordered GUACAMOLE.  Holy wow, this was the best guacamole I ever had.  It was so fresh and had goat cheese, pistachios, and roasted tomatoes mixed in.  After demolishing the guac (and ordering another round of drinks) we were way too full to even consider sitting down for dinner.  However, we weren’t too full to stop at Max Brenner’s Chocolate Factory to grab a chocolate molten cake To-Go, which we ate while watching Julie & Julia :)

The next day we had a lovely brunch at the Continental Café.  I was also impressed with the décor at this restaurant—very chic.  We sat on the top level in cute swinging chairs.  

We were each given a shot-sized lemon granita as soon as we sat down.  I thought this was a great touch and really cleansed my palate.  

I ordered the egg white frittata with tomato, spinach, parmesan, and croutons.  It was the perfect, satisfying brunch with a side of multigrain toast and an oversized mug of tropical green tea.   

My sister had the poached eggs over a smoked salmon hash with dill hollandaise.  

Afterwards, I had a sweet tooth and was freezing walking around outside, so what better way to cure this than another trip to Max Brenner’s for hot cocoa?!  (yes, it was our third trip there in 2 days—don’t judge).  This was seriously the best hot chocolate I have ever had, and was served in the cutest “hug mug” that I just had to buy!

I was a lucky little girl and got to experience one of the best steak houses in Philly—Butcher & Singer.  I had the perfect medium-rare filet mignon.  It was divine.  So moist, flavorful, and succulent.  I usually don’t order steak when I’m out to dinner, but obviously had to when I’m at a top steak house..and I must say, I have never enjoyed a steak so much.  The table shared sides of sautéed mushrooms and onions, along with a large potato pancake stuffed with a creamy sour cream filling.   Everything was delicious, especially paired with a wonderful bottle of red wine!

Now I am ready to get back to school and continue my culinary adventures!!

Restaurant Review: Bistro Ole

Bistro Ole has been a favorite restaurant of mine for years.  It is located in Asbury Park, NJ and specializes in Latin infused, Spanish, Portuguese cuisine.  While it is a bit pricey, it is also BYO which is a major plus for my wine-loving family.

It is always hit-or-miss at restaurants on Christmas Eve because of the crowds and limited wait staff willing to work on the holiday.  Bistro Ole did not disappoint us. Since we had a party of 8, we had a nice table in our own little room away from the large crowd in the other part of the restaurant.  We did have to wait a bit for our main meals, but we were in no rush and were happy to have more time to enjoy our wine!  

For appetizers we ordered two orders of the "cala, cala, calamari", which is pan-fried calamari served over a chile chipotle reduction.  Every time we go to this restaurant, the calamari is always ordered.  Here's a picture of some that my brother served for himself (and decided to garnish the plate with a piece of lettuce..)

The sauce that is served with the calamari is soo flavorful.  We all mop up the remaining sauce with warm bread.  It was a bit spicier than usual, which I  usually don't complain about, but sometimes spiciness takes away from the flavor.  It was still delicious though!

We also had two orders of the verde salad for the table.  I love creamy goat cheese in a salad, and the almonds on top added a great crunch.

For the entree, my uncle ordered the Chef's Best Seller Sea Bass, which was topped with a Spanish pesto, bread crumbs and guacamole.  The presentation was wonderful and it definitely tasted like a best seller dish.  The fish was cooked perfectly and was super flavorful.

My grandma got another version of sea bass with a mild pine nut sauce.  It had a surprising amount of flavor and was a little lighter than the chef's best seller.  I would definitely order it the next time I go!

My mom ordered a shrimp and scallop appetizer as her main course.  She gets this every time she's there and usually loves it.  Unfortunately, this time the portion was smaller than usual and she was not satisfied with her meal.

My brother ordered the paella, which was a very large portion of mixed seafood and spanish rice.  This is another specialty item and was excellent as always.

My sister and grandpa both ordered one of the dinner specials, braised chicken in a white wine thyme sauce, served with spinach & bits of bacon and mashed sweet potatoes.  The chicken was flavorful and juicy, but I thought it was weird how many thyme stems were left on the dish.  I don't really like garnishes that are not meant to eat.  The sweet potatoes that were served on the side were very sweet.. kind of like dessert!

My dad ordered his usual dish, Skirt Steak with sauteed onions.  He loved his dish as always.  I had a small taste of the fried plantains that were served on the side and the onions--they were fantastic!  Yet again,  the presentation is beautiful:

I ordered the second dinner special (there were only two), Baked Red Snapper with Romesco Sauce and spinach & asparagus.  The snapper was very good, especially with the romesco, but I didn't like the bread crumb topping.  It just added a weird, tough texture to the fish.  The spinach & asparagus on the side was very tasty, but I kept getting large chunks of garlic which is never too appetizing (good thing I wasn't kissing anybody ;) ).  

Overall, dinner was excellent and I can't wait to go back again!  Rico, the owner usually stops by our table and give us all big kisses, but I guess he was super busy and didn't make it to our table tucked away from the rest of the crowd.  We chose to skip dessert since we had Christmas cookies waiting for us at home, but if you all ever go there, I highly recommend the chocolate dipped strawberries with fresh whipped cream! mmmm

Practical Exam & Restaurant Review

I entered class on Friday anxious and excited to complete the practical exam for module 1.  I kept going through the steps of making cream of broccoli soup and mayonnaise in my head over and over.  I even practiced my medium dice before I left my house and practiced 2 mayonnaise recipes on Thursday.  As a few of us entered class a little early, we began prepping the kitchen for our exam.  

We each drew a number from a bowl to determine the order we would be entering the kitchen (every five minutes somebody else could start--so there is some sort of order and everybody wouldn't finish at the same time).  I prayed that I wouldn't be last to enter the kitchen and that I would be in the top 5 to start.  I really lucked out and drew #1!!  I was sooo happy and had a 5 minute head start alone in the kitchen.  I immediately started making my veloute sauce because I knew it had to simmer for a half hour.  Then I began chopping my vegetables for the soup as more students gradually entered the kitchen.  Everything was going smoothly until I walked away from my cooking vegetables to get a strainer for my veloute.  I came back and saw that my onions browned.  Chef Allen specifically told us not to brown the onions because the caramelized flavor will overpower the broccoli.  I was bummed that I made this silly mistake and then I was flustered because I didn't know how to fix it.  

Not only did I not have the time to re-chop all my vegetables, but I knew there would not be enough broccoli stems since the recipe calls for 12 oz!  I washed another pot and tried to pick out some of the really browned onions and put the rest in a fresh pot with more butter.  I continued to cook my remaining vegetables over low heat while I kept a close eye on them!  I went through the rest of the motions-- strained my veloute, added it to the pot with chicken stock and brought it to a simmer.  While the soup simmered away I blanched my broccoli florets.  I pureed my soup + blanched florets, put it through a food mill and strained it.  In the meantime, I medium-diced my potatoes and made my mayonnaise.  I tasted my mayonnaise and couldn't tell if it was salty or lemony...or both?!  So, I added more salt to be on the safe side (for Chef Allen you can never add too much salt) to try and rid of the acidity.  Finally, it was time to present my finished products!

I ended up getting a 97.. not bad, but being the perfectionist that I am, I kept thinking how I messed up my vegetables and thinking about how I could've made that 97 a 100.  Since I was one of the first to finish, I spent the remainder of class cleaning up the kitchen and helping out with the overload of dishes in the sink.  We said our final goodbyes to Chef Allen (I'm going to miss him!!!) and left the kitchen wondering who is going to be our Chef instructor on Monday and what Module 2 will bring us.

Last night my family revisited a favorite restaurant located in Ocean Grove, Bia's (located in the Majestic Hotel).  We went to Bia's a lot in the summer because of its lovely atmosphere on the porch overlooking the ocean.  The last time we were there in August, I actually met the Chef because I was just beginning to consider going to culinary school.  He was a really nice guy, but scared me a little talking about his lack of a social life and all the hard work it takes to becoming a chef.  I still knew that I wanted to pursue my passion and knew that I wanted to work hard to do what I love.

In the past, my favorite dishes at Bia's were the vanilla-infused barbecue chicken with a delicious cornbread pudding and the crab cakes with a sundried tomato aioli.  I was kind of bummed to see a new menu when we arrived last night, but knew it would still be very good if Chris was still the chef.  To start our meal, we each received 2 thin slices of baguette with a dollop of soft whipped butter and a drizzle of olive oil.  For appetizers, my mom and I split a salad with mixed greens, walnuts, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and a pumpkin vinaigerette.  The dressing was excellent, but my mom and I agreed that the walnuts had a weird taste, like they were stale.  My brother had the crab & artichoke dip with toasted baguette (when he read the menu, he asked me what a "bag-wet" is.... oh boy).  I had a taste and it was very good!  My dad had the tomato bisque and really enjoyed it, but it was a large portion and was very heavy so he was kind of full before we even had our main dishes.

For my dinner, I had the curried chicken with mixed vegetables, pita, and jasmine rice.  The menu said it was made with pulled chicken, but the chicken was cut into little chunks.  It was still very good though and nice and juicy.  The sauce was really tasty!  I thought curry would be a tad spicy and it wasn't at all (I like spice, so it could've used a touch of cayenne).. The mixed vegetables were excellent and even contained sundried tomatoes, which isn't very traditional for a curry dish but I loved the texture and sweetness it brought to it.  The rice was soo moist and sticky, just how I like it.  The dish could've done without the pita.. it just got soggy under all the sauce.

My mom had grilled salmon with a tarragon reduction and wild rice.  It was just okay..  I'm not a huge fan of salmon so I didn't like it, and my mom wasn't crazy about it.  The sauce didn't have a ton of flavor.  My brother ordered the crab cakes, which were awesome as usual.  Instead of the sundried tomato aioli and jicama slaw it used to come with, it came with old bay mashed potatoes (which I didn't care for-- I like old bay, but not on potatoes) and a cervil aioli (not as much flavor as the sundried tomato).  My dad had the fresh spinach fettuccini with a short rib ragu.  I thought it was delicious, especially with the huge dollop of ricotta on top (I love ricotta!)  

Overall, our dining experience was not as good as in the past (especially because it was too cold to sit on the nice balcony!) but it was still an enjoyable dinner.  The restaurant is byo, so we brought 2 bottles of Copolla Director's Cut (1 cab and 1 zin), which we really enjoyed with our meal. 

My mom and I are spending the day Christmas shopping and then cooking dinner together.  We love nights that are just the two of us because we can experiment with new meals (my dad and brother are going to the Giants game).  I'll post pictures and a recipe of what we decide to make tonight!