Mmmpanadas

I met up with a friend last weekend to go walking; she lives in the Delwood neighborhood, between IH-35 and the Mueller development. She walks her dog daily, so she knew the route to get from Delwood to Mueller. It's been a long time since I've been up in that area, and it was neat to see how far Mueller has come along. A couple years ago, I went driving through there with some other friends, when houses were still just being started. They've got a beautiful green space, trails for walking, etc. Not sure that I'd want to live there, but still pretty, and it seems well-planned. And they even have their own little trailer food court!

We found the Mmmpanadas truck, along with Elixir coffee, and the Short Bus sub sandwiches. Tried the Argentinean empanada, that had ground beef, green olives, and some hard-boiled egg with chipotle mayo; my friend had the spinach mushroom with lemon aioli. Have to say, I was impressed. Mine had good flavor and texture. My friend said in hers, she didn't really get mushrooms, unless they were really chopped up. Both dipping sauces were good too.

What I probably appreciated most was their crust -- it's light and somewhat flaky, but doesn't crumble to pieces when you bite into it. Many other empanadas use a soft, doughy crust, which just doesn't cut it for me. After finishing, I asked the guy working the trailer what the dough was made of; he said he didn't know (you should ALWAYS know your ingredients, even if you are just the hired help!), but I am guessing it's shortening.

This Argentine empanada most closely resembles the empanadas of my youth, purchased from Wagshal's Deli in Washington, DC, generally my gold standard for empanadas. Add a few golden raisins or currants and maybe some dried thyme, and the Mmmpanadas one would be right there.

Tell the Government -- Don't Cut SNAP Benefits!

I recently wrote a post on hunger awareness and the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, i.e. food stamps) program. Now the federal government is considering deep budget cuts to these, putting thousands of children (and adults) at risk for poor nutrition. The local Fox news affiliate, KTBC, ran a story yesterday on the proposed cuts.

Please contact your state senators and tell them NOT to cut the budget. Click on each of their names, and it will take you to their website. Here's a sample (or, just cut and paste it) letter asking them not to cut SNAP; in Texas, contact Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson

Please do not cut SNAP benefits.

The House Agriculture Committee recently promoted a proposal to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program instead of farm subsidies.

With Texas having the second highest rate of children in serious danger of hunger, this is not the time to make it more difficult for struggling families to feed their kids. Cutting SNAP will have only have a marginal impact on the deficit, yet send millions back into poverty, further delaying the economic recovery.

I believe that no child in America should go hungry, and I urge you to continue funding SNAP at its current levels and do all you can to protect programs that fight childhood poverty and hunger in the budget proposals for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011.

Uchiko

Yes, I wrote about Uchiko last September, but this is certainly a place that warrants more raves! Tuesday, late afternoon, one of my best girlfriends texted me and asked if I was free for dinner that night. Yes, I was free after 7pm. She was feeling fishy and fancy, how did I feel about either Uchi or Uchiko. I said I felt great about either one. She looked online for a reservation, and Uchiko could take us at 8pm. We both got there about 7:30, hung at the bar for a few, and the hostess seated us at the sushi bar. We were introduced to our sushi chef, Angela, who told us just to call out whenever we were ready to order. 

We studied the menu (and started with a very drinkable bottle of the Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling,) debating over personal favorites and the new, daily selections; picking five items to at least start with, we told Angela what we wanted. We got through the list, and she shook her head, and suggested we should do the omakase menu (chef's choice tasting menu) for the evening, because three of our five were on there. We easily agreed, and figured we could still add on some items as needed.

Our waitress started us off with the amuse bouche of the evening: sweet potato chips on what I believe was a pumpkin (or squash?) puree, that was silky smooth, but not strong in flavor.

Golden beets with Icelandic yogurt, honey and  greens was next; the beets came both roasted and in chip form.

Next the Uchi salad (not part of the omakase) -- baby romaine leaves served upright; it's a fun little thing to eat with your fingers! Followed by the hama chili -- yellowtail sashimi, thai chile peppers, and orange segments. The combo of all components together is amazing. The yellowtail is so mild and smooth, it will make a believer out of those who don't care that much for raw fish, namely, me. Though after also having yellowtail at The Slanted Door in San Francisco, I am now diggin' it!

Then there was yokai berry -- Atlantic salmon with dinosaur kale chips, Asian pear, yuzu, and candied quinoa. Loved the crunch and light sweetness the quinoa provided; I must figure out how to make it!

Needing a little extra protein (!), we asked for the tiger cry roll -- wagyu beef with yuzu koshu (citrus wine), with toasted rice. The beef gets a great grilled flavor, but is still medium rare, and it's a wonderful combo of texture and flavor. 

We added the tempura nasu, or Japanese eggplant, which has no typical eggplant bitterness or sliminess. Rather delightful little rounds, battered and fried, with sweet chile dipping sauce.

The ninjin bacon was up next; this was the dish I was anxiously awaiting. The pork belly I had previously at Uchiko is some of the best I have ever had. This one was prepared differently, but equally as fine. The pork is grilled, sliced and served with roast baby carrots and "pecan dirt"; the pork is so perfectly cooked, and not overly fatty. It has a great taste -- somewhat bacon-y, some just succulent goodness, the streaky meat that's seared getting a bit crispy, and the layers of fat melting with flavor. If you like pork belly, do not pass up whatever version they are serving.

Finally, the omakase dessert, sweet corn milk ice cream with polenta and corn crispies. I have to admit, I just didn't get this one, neither of us did. I didn't get enough sweetness or corniness in the ice cream, and the molded block of polenta had the texture of undercooked dough; there were dots of a gelee around the plate, which were lemony, but too astringent in a household cleaner sort of way. Angela asked what we thought of it, and I said honestly, it wasn't my favorite, but everything else was truly fantastic.

She offered to get us the ginger ice cream dessert of the day, and we declined, but when she offered to make us a half-portion, how could we say no? She described it as like an Arnold Palmer -- the half ice tea, half lemonade drink. This was a ginger sorbet, with an ice tea mousse, with a lemon ribbon, presumably made with agar agar, a gelatin made from seaweed. This was much more to our liking, though the texture of the mousse was a bit different.

Sitting at the sushi bar is a lot of fun, even if you are in semi-close contact with your neighbors, and you hear them asking questions to the sushi chef like "what's the nutritional content of the uni (sea urchin)?"  Really?? Anyway, the bar gives you a great view of the orderly chaos (only because there were so many bodies moving through there) that is the main kitchen, and of course a front row seat in watching the sushi chefs do their thing. I have to commend Angela, because apart from being the only female on the line, she was chatty, efficient, and appeared to be multitasking really well.

Uchiko is probably not a destination for those who aren't willing to be a bit adventurous in their eating habits. Great, more for the rest of us! But if you can appreciate some creativity in both ingredient combination and presentation, save your pennies, make a reservation, and head on over for a meal you won't forget for a long time.

Cazamance

A friend and I went to the Senegalese trailer, Cazamance, last week. Raise your hand if you've eaten food from Senegal before? Uh huh. Thought so. Well, this charming trailer and it's equally personable owner Iba, will make you venture over to Rainey Street and attempt to find parking just so you can eat there. 

Cazamance has a nice corner lot, a stone's throw east of the Gara'j Mahal Indian food compound. They're got ample seating, some of which is under a shade awning, all of it under some twinkle lights. We started with the hummus, olive and cheese plate; perhaps not authentically Senegalese, but a good vegetarian beginning. (The picture was saved landscape-style, and I've reposted it like 5 times now, and I can't figure out why it's posting portrait-style. So just turn your head to the right....)

For our main dishes, we got the roast curried vegetables in a coconut milk reduction (on the left), the lamb sausage with tomatoes and harissa, served "bunny chow" (in a bread pocket), and a side of plantains.

 

The curried vegetables were fantastic; the sauce had great coconut flavor, but wasn't predominantly so. The lamb sausage was a little dry, and it comes with a lot of bread, but it's an interesting concept. For items on the entree menu, diners actually have their choice of how they would like the dish served -- over rice, in a wrap or bunny chow-ed.  It is nice that you can pick how you'd like it. The plantains appeared to have been cooked on a flat-top griddle, and had nice flavor; they are one of a few side dish choices.
It was a nice night out, and it was pleasant to sit outside with a bit of a breeze. It was also nice to see the place fill up with customers of different ages and ethnic backgrounds. Rainey Street may have enough of that funk to keep things interesting over there, and not get too homogeneous. Iba and his crew made it welcoming and comfortable -- reason enough to return!

Second + Congress

Got invited to a tasting at Second Bar + Kitchen by the Google Places last week. It was a fun time, and great to meet some new blogger friends!  Google Places is a personalized local recommendation engine, that can also help you to find local businesses based on the ones you already know. It's similar to Yelp, but from what I can tell thus far (and not being a regular Yelp user), GP has the ability to do much more. They were a wonderful host for the evening, as we enjoyed the semi-cooling breezes up on the second floor private balcony.

It began with cocktails, which is always a good start. The bar made three different cocktails that aren't on the current menu, and over the course of the evening, we tried them, and rated them; the winner will be included in the summer menu. First up was Forever My Queen, with chartreuse, reposado tequila, and orange juice. Sort of like a tequila sunrise.

There were some cheese plates, which I wish I had gotten the names of all the cheeses, because they were delicious! The dish on the right is the avocado fundido, which was layered guacamole with chorizo, and queso fresca on top.

The waitstaff began with some passed appetizer dishes; my compliments to them, because they were extremely patient and gracious about us (most of us!) taking pictures and asking what things were. This little bite was a sensational combo of flavors -- beet and watermelon with arugula, blue cheese, and Maldon sea salt.

Next we had veal meatballs arrabiata with a fennel gremolata, and grana padana cheese. Loved the little whiteware serving dishes.

Buffalo fried pickles with a gorgonzola sauce arrived next; the pickles were marinated in a house-made hot wing sauce, battered, and fried, with the sauce at the bottom of the cup. 

Another delicious bite was the beef short rib sitting on truffled grits. 

Various pizzas started arriving, these were the pulled pork shoulder with green chiles, asadero cheese, and tobacco onion rings, and the pomodoro with fresh mozzarella and basil. Nice crust, with generous amount of cornmeal sprinkled on the pan before baking. 

Then the bianca with gruyere, grana padana, and arugula. There was also French fries with black truffle aioli.

Midway through the food, the Dickel Daisy was -- Dickel whiskey, powdered sugar, lemon juice, marachino liquor. Tasty, but I am just not a huge whiskey person. 

The last drink however, the Gin and Jam, has made a gin drinker out of me! It was Citadelle Gin on the rocks, with a spoonful of homemade raspberry jam in it. Fantastic! And this was hands-down the best of the drinks! Too bad this was the last drink served, because I could have had multiples of these!

As the sun was beginning to set, there was a huge storm cloud that had formed to the south east. I got a few pictures of it, and then thought it would be best to beat it home, in case it started to storm. I really thought we might be in for tornadic activity, but fortunately it dissipated, though we could use the rain!

I would really like to go back to Second and have a full meal; I enjoyed all of the items that were served, but nothing absolutely knocked my socks off. I hope that David Bull and his team's efforts did not all go into the pricey Congress restaurant, so a return trip is needed!