Melting over the Melting Pot

For my birthday the husband and I decided to use a gift card to The Melting Pot.  (It has only been collecting dust for 2 years!) Because of all of my previous food allergies, I had never been to The Melting Pot let alone tried fondue.  Honestly, I was more than a little skeptical about fondue.  I mean I can shove meat on a stick, boil it in pot over the stove, and then dip it in some melted cheese all in my own kitchen.  So why would I pay (ok I wasn’t paying this time) so much money to do this in a restaurant?

Besides, fondue seems like something fancy rich people do or maybe goofy teenagers on TV.  Have you ever seen Glee? There is  a segment that the ditzy, but loveable Brittany does with her cat called “Fondue for Two.”  Basically it is spoof on TV shows that interview celebrities; they always have some disgusting looking fondue and scream the theme song “Fondue for Two” a couple of times.  I couldn’t get this song out of my head until we got to the restaurant. 

However, once we walked in the doors all the joking and preconceived notions melted away along with the name of the restaurant and yes, I experienced "the fondue effect." The manager greeted us and really introduced us to the concept of fondue.  He said that he had been with the company for 10 years and he even said it was an expensive place, but worth the experience.  He answered my above question without me having to ask: fondue isn’t so much about the food itself, but the experience.

And that is what my husband and I enjoyed: an eating experience.  Our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and helped us pick the items that were right for us.  We decided to splurge and order the four courseoption.  We started with the cheese fondue and chose spinach and artichoke.  We were given bread, apples, broccoli, and cheese to dip in the gooey pot of melted Fontina and Butterkäse cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts and garlic.  I never thought that apples and cheese would pair well, but the combination of sweet apple and garlicky cheese was an experience itself: intriguing and delicious.

Next came the salad. We ordered the California Salad which consisted of mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette.  I’m not a fan of Gogonzola cheese as it’s what I call a “stinky cheese” and tastes too strong for me; however, the vinaigrette completely made up for the stinky flavor.  It was a deep sweet flavor with a tiny kick of balsamic vinegar that made me curious for me.

 

 

 

Finally, the main course arrived.  The husband tried The French Quarter which had Cajun seasoned shrimp, chicken, Andouille sausage, and pork, while I ordered The Land and Sea which consisted of herb crusted chicken, sirloin, and shrimp.  The waitress recommended that we choose the Seasoned Court Bouillon as the broth to cook the meat.  Because the husband’s choice was so flavorful, we didn’t want something to overpower that flavor. And this was the real experience! The meat is served raw and you really do cook it in boiling broth. It sounds simple enough, but it is FUN!

 
Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, we ordered dessert! We ordered the s'mores - melted chocolate, marshmallows, and bits of graham crackers. I could have eaten it with a spoon, but they gave us strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, and marshmallows that only complimented the delicious sauce. (After we started cooking our meats, I completely forgot about taking pictures, so there are no pictures of our delicious dessert.)

After three hours of eating, I truly understand "the fondue effect!" And I truly appreciate a good eating experience.

Cheesecake and its Factory

My husband and I are visiting our old stomping grounds in Orange County, CA. We are here to remember the life of a very special person who lost her battle with cancer. While the circumstances of our trip are not the happiest, we still wanted to catch up with friends and visit the places we used to enjoy. The Cheesecake Factory was at the top of the list.

I have always loved the Cheesecake Factory. I have tried their Orange Chicken, Navajo Sandwich, Fried Chicken Sandwich, and even a special BBQ Salmon with crunchy onion straws on the top as well as a number of other delightfully delicious dishes. However, I've never tried what they are truly famous for, what they are named for: their cheesecake. That is until last last night!

My husband and I had dinner with his best friend and his lovely girlfriend. When my husband and I had finished eating our fried shrimp basket, I was happy to see that our friends had requested a dessert menu. Talk about a menu! Two pages of different types of cheesecake! His friends ordered the Tuxedo Cheesecake and the Oreo Cheesecake. After some deliberation, (they had more than one kind of peanut butter cheesecake!) my husband and I decided to split the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cheesecake.

First, the Cheesecake Factory gets an A+ for presentation. The plate was absolutely beautiful, a work of art, really. It had two huge dollops of whipped cream at either end of the generously cut slice and carmel drizzled over the entire plate. I almost didn't get a picture because I wanted to dig in!

The taste? Divine. There were so many different flavors all divine in their own right that the combination made it even more so. The crust was a thin blonde brownie topped with a thin layer of chocolate brownie. This would have been a great dessert on its own, but was made better with a thick layer of white chocolate cheesecake peppered with macadamia nut pieces. Did you know that cheesecake tastes nothing like cheese, not even cream cheese? It is simply and sweetly divine. And what could enhance this even more, but the airy sweetness of whipped cream and the buttery goodness of caramel?

A divine dessert and the company of two fantastic friends made us forget the sadness that brought us back to CA, made us relish the life we have, appreciate the small joys that make the hardships we face worth enduring. The next time I visit the Cheeecake Factory, I won't be sharing with my husband.

Shamrock Shake

So, I tried it – all 530 calories of it!  McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is the strangestcolor of green – a lighter version of the color lime, the color of washed outgrass, maybe even mushed up shamrocks – not a color that I would normally eat.  On top of all the green cream is a big dollopof whipped cream.  Before getting to theactual flavor of the shake, I got a mouth full of super sweet vanilla.

Even though in my head I knew a shamrock shake was supposedto be a mint flavor, my tastebuds were expecting lemon lime because of thecolor.  So, they were completely confusedwhen the cold green creaminess hit them with a super light mint flavor swirled withcreamy vanilla.  In fact, they convincedmy brain it really was lime.  I tookanother sip and thought, “how odd – it’s like a lime mint, no just mint, novanilla, no a mint vanilla.”  Ipractically inhaled the entire shake through the straw (so it wouldn’t melt, ofcourse!) and I’m still not 100% sure what the flavor really is.  I bet it’s better than mushed up shamrocksthough!

Robyn’s Breakfast Burrito Ratings

About a year ago I had my very first breakfast burrito.  I was not impressed.  I ordered it from a vendor at Albuquerque’s annual International Balloon Fiesta.  I honestly don’t even remember the name that hung over the booth.  The burrito itself was uninspiring.  It consisted of mostly potatoes with tiny little bits of bacon and even tinier bits of egg.  It had a very thick, chalk like texture and unfortunately tasted like cardboard.  I knew that breakfast burritos had to taste better than this or they wouldn’t be so popular, so I ventured out into the city to discover the best ones: a sacrifice that had to be made! (I'm so glad that I'm not allergic to eggs and potatoes any more.  Now I know what I was missing.) Here is my list in order of yumminess according to me:

1.       Garcia’s

Smothered with green chile and served
 with beans and potatoes

This breakfast burrito is huge!  I order mine with sausage, green chile and no cheese.  It includes eggs and huge wedges of fried potatoes and served with the chile smothered over the entire thing.  This may be a heart attack waiting to happen, but at least you would die happy!  Usually the meat ratio is significantly higher than the other ingredients.  This is good because the sausage adds a sweetness to the overall spiciness of the burrito.  The chile is excellent – just enough flavor, but not so hot you can’t enjoy it.  The best part: it’s wrapped in a delicious, thick, bready tortilla that is absolutely irresistible.  I try not to eat too much bread, but I can’t say no to these tortillas.

2.       The Frontier

Knife and fork burrito with
 green chile inside

This breakfast burrito is a normal size.  I have ordered both sausage and bacon and I think the bacon has a better flavor.  The sausage can sometimes be too spicy, but the bacon adds just enough saltiness that it brings out the other flavors in the burrito.  The meat is usually chunky: two entire pieces of bacon or two halves of a sausage patty are placed on top of lots of eggs and shredded hash browns.  The hash browns add a deep salty browned taste.  The green chile is served inside the burrito and can sometimes be too spicy, but it really depends on the day.  Cheese can help tame this fire though.  The best part: the tortilla is always fresh, always moist, and wraps up everything perfectly.

 


No picture of Hello Deli's burrito -
had to eat it fast to keep warm and enjoy
 the balloons.

      3.       Hello Deli!

I tried this breakfast burrito at this year’s balloon fiesta as it was recommended by KOB’s Steve Stucker and balloon fiesta/breakfast burrito aficionado and because he said it only cost $6.00.  That is a really good deaI for food at an event like this. First, I was completely shocked at the size of this burrito.  It was short and fat!  I’m not sure how they fit all that yumminess into a handheld burrito. Thank goodness for foil!  Second, I was completely shocked at the taste of this burrito.  It was completely different than the other burritos I had sampled.  It had eggs, and a lot of potatoes with just enough bacon in it to know it had bacon in it.  The tortilla was thin and not memorable though.  The best part: the overall flavor.  I don’t think it had any chile, but it had a distinct garlic and pepper taste, but it was inviting rather than overwhelming.  This burrito was definitely all about the filling.  If it was this good at balloon fiesta, I can’t wait to eat at the restaurant.

4.       Manny’s

This was another hand held burrito.  My mom and I actually split it.  I was completely full eating only my half.  It had eggs, sausage, potato, and green chile all wrapped in a thin tortilla.  The tortilla wasn’t very flavorful, but it seems like that’s the case with the handheld burritos compared to the smothered knife and fork burritos.  I may need to try this one again.  I’m happy to do more research! 

5.       Weck’s

This burrito is huge!  It took me three meals to finish it!  I ordered this one with eggs, bacon, and green chile.  It is also served with hash browns. The flavor was extremely spicy, very hot, maybe too hot for breakfast.  The hash browns helped calm the fire that burned my tongue, my throat, but it lingered on my lips for at least an hour.  It was a good burrito, but a little too hot for my taste. The best part: it’s size.  

6.       Twister’s

I ordered the #8 with eggs, potatoes, bacon,  smothered with green chile, and no cheese.  Everything in this burrito is diced.  The fried potatoes were little cubes as well as the bacon and eggs.  The texture was a little strange.  The green chile seemed to be more like an enchilada sauce and was smothered over the entire plate.  In fact, it seemed like my burrito was swimming in it.  It had a gelatinous look and texture, but tasted fine, not delicious, just fine.  The tortilla wasn’t memorable either.  The best part: completely filling!

This is a short list compared to all of the restaurants that serve breakfast burritos in Albuquerque.  I’d still like to try Blake’s Lotaburger, Flying Star, and even Sonic.  Do you have any you would like to recommend?

 

 

 

Peppermint Patties

Have you ever had one of these delightful drinks?  I had never heard of them until my husband suggested that we make them.  And I’m glad that he did because they quickly became my favorite holiday drink.  They’re actually quite simple to make too: hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps.  If you have a sweet tooth like I do, you can add marshmallows on the top and a candy cane for garnish and extra peppermint flavor.

I asked my husband how he would describe the taste of these and said, “It’s like a cool breath of fresh air.”  (He also recited a commercial for York Peppermint Patties about the winds rushing from the gale or something.) He’s right about the breath of fresh air though!  Remember, it’s hot chocolate!  Not  that anyone could ever forget about hot chocolate.  I even remember its sweet taste from when I would sneak a cup when I was little.  It gives you that warm comfy feeling that makes you scrunch up your nose, shrug your shoulders, and simply smile. 

Now, as an adult I can appreciate the added zing of the peppermint schnapps.  It’s strange, but the flavor reminds me of camping, of sitting next to a blazing fire at night, stars twinkling above, a cool breeze that chills your nose, a calm breath of the cool mountain air, a moment of clarity where nothing exists but that breath of air and chocolate.

Wishing you all that moment this holiday season.  Merry Christmas!

Boston By Food

Boston has been deemed a walking town. Who would call it this?  Probably all of the residents walking there and now my mom, my sister, and me! I overheard one man in an Italian restaurant say that he drove to the city, parked, and then walked 20 miles to get to there.  He may have been exaggerating, but probably not by much.   There was no parking in the Italian district and really no parking anywhere now that I think about it, so it is good thing that we didn’t bother to rent a car.  It was definitely worth the walk for the homemade pasta, homemade gnocchi, and, of course, the polpette (meatballs) at the Cantina Italiana in Boston’s Northern End.  And so we took our walking shoes and walked everywhere we went.  I loved it!  We developed a routine of walking, eating, and walking. Perfect!  There are a number of tours out there – Boston by Foot – but I’m calling my Boston experience Boston by Food.

When in Boston, you should have lobster or some kind of seafood, right?  We decided to splurge after our trip to the New England Aquarium and eat at Legal Seafood on the harbor.  It had great ratings on Trip Adviser and a few other sites, so we thought it would be a safe bet.  I ordered the Louisiana Gumbo, my sister ordered a Fried Clam Sandwich, and my mom ordered the Crab Roll.  Out of the three, the gumbo was the only thing tolerable. It was good – spicy, with meaty shrimp, fried okra, and LOTS of rice.  I would have liked more okra and less rice.  Because the other two dishes were so bad, we decided to share our food.  The clams in the sandwich were too greasy, slimy, with an oily taste.  It came with seaweed salad, which tasted exactly what I imagine the bottom of the ocean tastes like.  The crab in the Crab Roll was odd, very cold on a hot roll.  It tasted like cold fish that shouldn’t be on a sandwich.  For the cost of lunch, the food should have been superb and the service exquisite.  It was neither.  To make the experience even worse, the waitress was rude and ignored us as soon as we ordered water instead of alcohol.  I guess Boston isn’t known for its hospitability.

Just when we thought the food of Boston was a lost cause, we found a quaint, cozy, Irish pub called The Black Rose.  It had a green door and a green stair case that led to extra seating on the second floor.  Our waitress greeted us with a smile and in a thick Irish accent gave us recommendations, which we took.  I ordered my very first Fish and Chips, my sister ordered the Guinness Beef Stew, and mom ordered Shepherd’s Pie.   This time we all shared our dishes because they were so good! 

Fish and Chips- All I can say is delicious! Two haddock filets fried to a perfect crispiness and accompanied with fried potatoes that were cut perfectly - not too thin and not too thick.  I don’t like Tartar sauce and usually opt for Ketchup, but these fries were seasoned so perfectly that I didn’t even need it! All fish and chips will now be compared to this.

Guinness Beef Stew – Hearty is the best word that describes this dish.  The beef was thick and so tender that it hardly had to be chewed.  It was accompanied by potatoes, carrots, in a rich gravy-like base.  This is comfort food at its best. I would definitely order this for myself.

Shepherd’s Pie – This was made with ground beef and ground lamb.  I’m not a big fan of lamb, but because it was mixed with the hamburger, the taste wasn't as wild to me.  The combination was interesting.  The peas and carrots stood out to me as a yummy compliment to the mashed potatoes that topped the dish.  The best part to me was that it was served with broccoli.  The broccoli was slightly salted, but not overpowering.

We also tried Sam LaGrassa’s for lunch one day.  It was on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, so we couldn’t resist.  The menu of sandwiches is extensive and it was difficult to choose, especially in a line that was meant to move fast in a busy downtown lunch environment.  We decided to share the Pastrami Sandwich and the Club Sandwich.  Both were delicious.  They were so big that we decided to split them and share.  Of the two I enjoyed the Pastrami the best – thick cut slices of meat with tangy mustard.  However, the bacon from the club sandwich added just enough saltiness to keep me eating the club too.  The pictures speak for themselves.  

And so that was our trip to Boston by foot and mostly by food.  There are so many pubs and resturaunts there that we barely sampled them.  And I can't close this post without mentioning Duncan Donuts. There are over 107 Duncan Donuts in Boston and we couldn't pass up stopping in a few time for donuts, tea/coffee.  Yum!

Deboning Da Fish

My dad wanted to go fishing for his birthday, so one cool Sunday morning in August he picked me and my husband up and we met my sister at Fenton Lake about an hour north of Albuquerque.  It was perfect fishing weather: cool with a light rain.  We set up our lines and cast out into the unknown yet small lake and waited and waited.  A big part of shore fishing is waiting, which is probably why some people consider it relaxing and others boring.  It can be both, but the waiting also creates an air of anticipation – waiting on the edge of a folding chair, waiting for the unknown, waiting for a possibility, waiting for that slight moment when the tip of your pole dips and snaps back upright, waiting for that bite, waiting for the exhilaration of setting the hook and reeling in a mystery – is it a fish, a boot, lake muck, who knows? – waiting.

Eventually my dad walked back up to the truck that was parked not too far away.  As soon as he was out of sight, the waiting ended.  My sister’s (the Pie Goddess) line jerked, she grabbed her pole, set the hook, and reeled it in.  I ran to get the net to the surprising cacophony of clapping and cheering from fellow fishers.  The Pie Goddess had an audience!  I unnecessarily netted the fish.  It was little and the Pie Goddess decided to throw it back.  My dad missed the entire show, but from then on the bite was on!  At least for the Pie Goddess.  She had a number of missed bites, but caught two more and kept one.  I even managed to catch a little one that I threw back.  Somehow the girls caught the fish and the boys were skunked!

But this is what the waiting game is all about: it’s fun – you never know what might happen or what might not happen.  But luck is always on my side with this game because my dad and sister don’t eat fish, but my husband and I do!  So even if I don’t catch anything, I always go home with the fish! 

But that means I have to figure out how to cook it.  (I always manage to have someone else clean it!)  However, I still had to debone out how to debone a trout.  Wikihow gave 3 options on how to do it.  Because this fish was still on the small side, I decided to cook it with the bones in.  The cooking part was actually a lot easier than I expected.  I thawed the fish, combined olive oil, parsley, and a little salt and pepper and basted the inside of the fish.  Leaving the bones in with all of the seasoning seemed strange, but I did it even though it felt wrong. I wrapped it in foil and put it in the oven. It cooked fast too – maybe only 10 minutes.

And then for the deboning.  I couldn’t do it; I was too nervous of ruining the whole thing.  The husband stepped up to the plate and did a fabulous job!  He put his fingers into the hot fish and pulled the entire backbone out.  Impressive!  There were no bones left in the meat of the fish!

Trout is a bit on the wild side and has a definite fishy taste to it, but the olive oil and seasoning mellowed it out.  We paired it with some shrimp (concocted by the husband) and some veggies for a yummy, healthy dinner.