Chicken Breast with Zucchini, Mushrooms and Grapes

I find I really like cooking with grapes.  And they seem to lend themselves to dishes with a Mediterranean bent.  So I sauteed a cup of chopped porcini mushrooms in olive oil for 2 minutes, then added a chopped zucchini for 3 more minutes, then about a cup of halved red globe seedless grapes and 3 cloves of garlic, minced and sauteed that for another 3 minutes.  Seasoning with salt and pepper with each new ingredient going into the pot.  Then I added a chopped up chicken breast (Next time I'd use 2) and season with salt, pepper, marjoram, oregano and some red pepper flake.  After cooking for about 4 minutes...tossing to be sure the chicken is cooked through, I added a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and cooked for another 2 minutes or so.  Really tasty stuff.  This will be going into regular rotation I think.

Sign Me Up For Southern Living

My first attempt at shrimp and grits.  Not bad at all.  Not that I've ever had grits before now.  But it all came out really good.  I didn't realize grits were so labor intensive.  You can't just leave them alone.  You're standing there stirring every few minutes for like 25 minutes.  The shrimp and sausage were tossed in a bourbon/hot sauce/chipotle butter sauce...tasty stuff.

Shrimp and Faux Scallops in Bourbon/Peanut Butter Sauce

10-12 shrimp (31-40 size)
1 banana (cut into 1/2-inch slices...these will be your faux scallops)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
1oz bourbon (I use Bulliet, you don't have to use that but use something you'd drink.)
1 heaping tsp peanut butter
2 tbsp butter
1tbsp olive oil.
1tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sriracha
1 1/2 tbsp five spice powder

1.  Dust the shrimp and the banana slices in five spice powder.  
2.  Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat.  Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan.  Add shrimp and cook 1 1/2 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add bananas gently and cook about 45 seconds per side.  Be careful not to crush the bananas as they're meant to look like seared scallops.  Remove pan from heat and carefully add bourbon.  Toss and allow to cook for about 30 seconds.  Until bourbon is mostly evaporated.  Remove bananas.
3.  Return pan to burner and add 1 tbsp butter to pan.  Raise heat to medium.  Once butter is melted add olive oil.  When the oil is shimmering add the garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant.  About 2 minutes.  Add vinegar and peanut butter, stir to incorporate.  Then add the sriracha and stir more.  Allow to cook another minute then add shrimp and bananas.  Toss to coat and cook another 30-45 seconds.
4.  Serve with some steamed broccoli or snow peas and rice noodles.

A Dinosaur From the Past

This is from a visit in March of '07 to Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem.  I've since had better BBQ but never in a sit down place.  The only place I've had better BBQ in NY has been at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party.  Sadly, I haven't made it back to Dinosaur since.  Being a 2 hour train ride away makes it a bit of a pain in the ass.  But I'm thinking a return engagement may be necessary.  That's kind of the benefit of going through some of these old reviews...it's making me want to revisit some places.  I have heard a rumor that Dinosaur is opening a location on Union Street in Park Slope in the near future.  That would be fantastic.

When Good Carnivores Die, Heaven is Dinosaur BBQ

For the first restaurant review of ’07 do we ever have a doozy. I think it might be the best place overall that we’ve been to. I’ll have to remember to ask my other companions for their opinion. Get a lil best of list going. Maybe get some comments on what places anyone else thinks we should hit that might make our list. We’re always up for some good food. Well, off we go to the first review of the year.

To think at the beginning of this little adventure Adrienne thought it might not be worth it to take such a long trip uptown. Silly, silly girl. As we now know any trip to Dinosaur BBQ will be well-rewarded. The train ride to 131^st street was so worth it I just don’t have the words to tell you how worth it, it was. I met Doreen, Adrienne and newcomer Phil for a railroad journey into Harlem to eat what turned out to be the best damned BBQ I’ve ever had pass through my lips. Before I get to the food, lemme tell you this place was PACKED! The amount of people just standing around waiting for a table was insane. Don’t even waste your time going there without a reservation. You ain’t getting’ a table any other way. But once you do get a table there is all kinds of cool stuff to look at. Everything inside is worn brick and weathered wood. The food comes on blue plastic plates with little separation-y things kind of like upper class TV dinner trays. So not only do you get this amazing food but it’s kind of like eating it in someone’s backyard. When it’s warm out it seems that they just open all the windows and that must really add to the atmosphere. Even the music was good…a lot of bluesy jazz type staff. Now, on to the grub.

There was nothing that our waitress Sheena brought to our table that disappointed. We’ll start with the fried green tomatoes because that’s what we started with. The sauce they came with was really the tastiest bit of that. The breading was good and a lil tangy but there really was no taste of tomato. I don’t know if that’s how it always tastes because I’ve never had fried green tomatoes before. They were good but nothing exciting. The ribs were what sex would taste like if it came on a bone (no pun intended). They were so tender that I have no doubt that if Age wanted she could’ve stuck the whole rib in her mouth and sucked all the meat off in one shot just like in a cartoon. After the 3 ribs I had I was already getting close to full. And I still have pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans and a piece of cornbread to get through. The pulled pork was awesome. The brisket, which I snagged from Doreen, was fantastic. I had a side of potato salad that was just a touch spicy, just to remind you that it said Creole on the menu, sooooooo good. The macaroni and cheese, that I didn’t have the foresight to order but I also snagged from Doreen (she’s good for sharing food…usually) was the reason we breathe. God put us on this earth to eat food that tasted this good. The worst thing we got was the BBQ beans and they were excellent. If you could’ve seen the looks on Doreen’s and Age’s faces when we were finished eating it would’ve told the whole story. There was total satisfaction and the desire to keep eating despite the risk of exploding. The prices weren’t really bad at all. I think it came to about $23 a person. You can’t go wrong being that kind of full for less than $25. Next time I’m definitely trying the drunken shrimp boil though. I’d say it’s certainly safe to say we’re going to make a repeat visit…and I can’t wait for it.

Dinosaur BBQ NYC

700 West 125th Street

NY, NY, 10027

212-694-1777

That's A Pretty Plate...Sort Of

 Whipped up some tasty grub tonight.  Bowtie pasta with spinach/garlic chicken sausage, grape tomatoes and oyster mushrooms tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.  I like all the purty colors.

GOOOOOOOD STUFF!

Oh Yeah, Grilled Sammies Rock!

Grilled ham and provolone on jalapeno/cheddar sourdough bread.  Grilled in honey/chipotle butter.  Oh hell yes!

Burger Bistro Makes My Tummy Smile

Last night I met my friend Jessica for dinner at Burger Bistro. It had been a little while since I'd been there and I was reminded why I like the place so much. It's always comfortable and relaxed. The back patio is an excellent place to sit outside with a burger and a beer. The staff are always very friendly and very helpful. And it's always fun to mark up a menu with a grease pencil. Interactivity rocks.

Bacon Cheeseburger Rice Ball

Every weekend there's usually something creative on the menu. Last night we had bacon cheeseburger rice balls which were really good.  I had a shrimp burger that came with sriracha mayo...everything sriracha is good. The shrimp burger came with a french green bean salad, which was good. But I needed tater tots too. Gotta have my tots.

I've had everything from a normal beef cheeseburger to a kangaroo burger at Burger Bistro. I've had elk, lamb, turkey, roo. Hell, I've even had the veggie burgers and they're quite excellent. Every weekend I wait for the specials to be put on Facebook. They're always interesting. From the aforementioned kangaroo burger to the Elvis to the osso buco burger. These are just the ones that jump to the top of my head as I write this. Don't let me forget that they have great ice cream sandwiches for dessert. How can you go wrong with an ice cream sandwich? The answer to that question is “You can't”.

Bottom line is if you find yourself craving comfort and creative vittles check out Burger Bistro. You might find me there on the patio eating one of the specialty burgers and washing it down with a Sam Adams Summer Ale.