Blast from the Past

I'm often asked in conversation, "if you could have lived in a different time when would it be and why?" I have a few answers to this question but I'm often drawn to the 1920s: the first talkie films like The Jazz Singer, my favorite authors Fitzgerald and Hemingway, flappers, the allure of the speakeasy, and the excitement of the decade. My second choice decabe to explore? The 1950s. However, unlike Owen Wilson's character in Woody Allen's latest movie, Midnight in Paris, I don't have the chance to explore Paris in the 1920s. But, a hidden lunch gem in St. Louis helps me relive both of my desired decades. Jennifer's Pharmacy and Soda Shoppe, tucked in the middle of downtown Clayton, is a true blast from the past.

The unassuming storefront should not be a repellent but instead a testament to the genuine nature of Jennifer's. Inside, is a true old-fashioned pharmacy with its traditional companion: a soda fountain and lunch counter. The front of the shop sells pharmacy items, although slightly quirkier than your average CVS with fun toys and creative gifts. The back of the shop is a true, working pharmacy. Yet, the middle is what I'm going to focus on, given this IS a food blog. Set-up as a single lunch counter with fewer than 20 stools, Jennifer's caters to regulars. My friend and I were the only diners who didn't seem to know the two women running the shop but instead of feeling like outsiders, we were welcomed warmly. The friendly, neighborhood nature of the place was apparent and also a relic of a type of community that is hard to come by these days. Diners have a choice of 30 traditional sodas, "phosphates,"and a range of more exotic ice cream and phosphate combinations like an egg cream: chocolate syrup, milk and carbonated water. A phosphate is the name of soda's predecessor which involved carbonated water and syrup. I opted for the strawberry phosphate and it was delicious! The bubbles were refreshing and the syrup was just sweet enough. I was a little concerned since I don't love the overly sugary syrups that make up most grape and other fruit flavored sodas today but was not disappointed! I could drink 100 strawberry phosphates on a hot day. My friend got a lime phosphate, which was even more refreshing, a little sweet, but overall, a little bitter for me. Oh well, it's not what I ordered and he enjoyed it! 

The food menu consists of a handful of classic sandwiches, hot dogs with a few different topping choices, and the house chili. I decided to try the turkey reuben and it was just what the doctor ordered! The food is served in a plastic basket but the presentation feels natural and in keeping with the theme of the restaurant. The bread was perfectly toasted; it even had cute little toast lines. The sandwich was stuffed with juicy turkey, succulent thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, and crunchy sauerkraut. The thousand island was creamy and a great companion to the tart sauerkraut and sharp swiss cheese. Not a bite was left. On the side, diners have a choice of chips or coleslaw and I HIGHLY recommend the slaw. I'm not the biggest fan of most slaws but decided it would give me a better taste of Jennifer's than the chips. It was creamy, the kind of slaw I like, but still had a nice vinegary tang. It mimicked the flavor contrast of the sauerkraut and dressing on my sandwich, which made it the perfect side! Next time though, I'm leaving room for pie! 

Whether the 1920s and 50s are your flashback decades of choice or not, Jennifer's is truly a gem worth visiting. The delicious food, old-style soda, and warm atmosphere will really take you on a trip down memory, or imagination, lane. And one of the best parts? The prices feel more like a lunch in 1950 than 2012 too! (Maybe not quite 1950 but it's definitely a deal in the middle of Clayton). 

Idol Worship

What do I do when I find myself with a break from my busy schedule? Food Network. While I eat lunch? Food Network. While I cook? Food Network. Ok you get it and my favorite chef is the none other than the Food Network star extraordinaire, Bobby Flay. Flay owns several restaurants around the country, including Bobby's Burgers in DC (I'm obviously a regular). One of his first and most famous restaurants though is Mesa Grill. Originally in NY, Mesa has a location at Caesar's in Las Vegas, where I was for a wedding this weekend. Flay is most well-known for his creative and modern twists on southwestern food and Mesa specializes in these types of dishes. As soon as I realized I got to choose the lunch locale for Saturday, I instantly jumped on going to Flay's culinary creation since I'm a huge fan! I don't want to give my experience away too soon but, since Vegas is the place for happy endings, Mesa lived up to both the Vegas reputation and Flay's.

The restaurant is tucked along the casino floor just behind the sports screen and area to bet on sports. The restaurant's exterior is decorated in multi-colored glass panels with big, colored block letters spelling out the name. The restaurant winds around a bend and guests enter through an opening in the glass panes. We were then directed to wait in the lounge, sets of oversized couches looking at the semi-open kitchen, while our table was prepared. Like many places in Vegas, the lunch menu is not available on Saturdays and is replaced by weekend brunch. The brunch menu contained about 12 entrees and a handful of starters. Our waiter told us about the special of the day and encouraged us to try the house margaritas. Craving something sweeter, I ordered the white pear margarita while someone else at my table ordered the traditional. Mine was sweet but not sickly so and well blended, as was the traditional. Making decisions among the succulent sounding choices was far too challenging of a task for me so I mentioned a few things that sounded good and let my parents choose. We decided to order 3 main courses and split all of them three ways. While we waited for our food, we were brought an incredibly varied and unique bread basket. The basket contained several types of breads, scones and biscuits each of which was beyond flavorful. The jalapeño biscuits were about the size of a corkscrew, crumbly, and full of peppery jalapeño flavor without being spicy. The scones was moist almost more like a pound cake or a cookie than a traditional scone. The blueberry cake was to die for! It was made up of a generous layer of powdered sugar, crunchy brown sugar, blueberries, and a beyond moist coffee cake on the bottom. It was sweet, the perfect texture and full of flavor; I easily could have eaten a basket of these. But my favorite item in the bread basket was the cornbread-type item. It was corn based for sure but nothing like a traditional cornbread with its intense corn meal flavor, hints of pepper and pieces of whole corn. It was almost like a tamale bread. Then, our entrees came.

I'll start with the most breakfasty dish first: chicken hash with sweet potatoes. For starters, this dish was beautiful (as they all were). It was served as two compotes of the hash topped with a poached egg, green chile hollandaise and a pepper sauce. The thing that initially struck me was the color! The eggs' yellow shone underneath the green and red sauces while the compote was a rainbow of reds, yellows and oranges. Both eggs were perfectly poached so as I poked them with my fork, the yolk oozed into the hash and blended with the sauces. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! The hash was a blend of succulent chicken, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro, among other spices. The hash was flavorful enough to eat on its own but mixed with the oozey egg, the tangy and creamy hollandaise and the spicy red sauce it was to die for! I'm not even joking when I say I would eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. Our next dish was technically a starter: tuna nachos. This plate was just as breathtakingly colorful with bright red cubes of tuna surrounded by a brilliant orange mango salsa, red habanero sauce and a green avocado crema sauce. The tortilla chips were served on the side making the dish almost like a tartar accompanied by chips. The tuna was PERFECT! It was fresh, tender, cut into perfect bite size pieces, and AMAZING with the sauces. Something in the sweet mango salsa brought out the tuna's natural sweetness giving the dish an initially very sweet flavor. Diners should not be fooled though, about a second after dwelling on the sweetness, the habanero kicked in for a real kick in the mouth. Finally, the avocado crema took over mitigating the spice and sweetness with its mild creamy flavorful leaving the diner wanting more. It's one of the few dishes I've had where I felt like each bite was truly an experience among itself. Wow. Lastly, and perhaps least adventurously, we ordered a cheeseburger. I mean, we saw a few go past our table and they all looked bomb, as they were. The bun was golden and topped a well-cooked, well-season burger. It was garnished with grilled onions that were great and tasted almost as if they'd been pickled before being grilled. My favorite thing about the burger though, was the homemade mustard that came on the side. It had a traditional mustard seed flavor followed by a fierce hit of horseradish. The horseradish was a unique twist on a traditional mustard and worked well; I couldn't get enough on my seasoned fries. I looked at the dessert menu but the only thing that really stood out to me, churros with a chocolate sauce and a coconut sauce, wasn't available so I opted to skip dessert.

This was one of the most flavorful meals and complete culinary experiences I've ever had. And in the middle of a casino! I highly recommend checking out Mesa Grill if you're in Las Vegas or NY. I have not lost my amazement for or obsession with Bobby Flay and it has instead been solidified by his creative blending of ingredients, mingling of favors and use or vibrant color. I can't wait to try other Flay restaurants now too! Bar Americain, watch out next time I'm in New York. I know some say avoid the celebrity restaurants in Vegas because they charge a premium for the celeb name but Flay is trusted in food and hey, I like to gamble on the slots not my meals!

Loco for Lobster

I love lobster. Always have. I love it served as a full Maine meal steamed with drawn butter, corn on the cob, potatoes, and ice cream. I also love it in bisque. And yes, lobster rolls. The fresher the roll tastes, (less mayonnaise) the better but I'd walk uphill in the snow both ways even for a slightly oversauced lobster roll. But today, I had a PERFECT lobster roll: from a food truck! I'd heard great things about Red Hook Lobster Pound but hadn't tried it because the long line always scared me away. Yet, almost serendipitously, I happened to walk past while the truck was on campus today and it had no line! It was fate!

For lobster rolls, guests have the choice of Connecticut style which apparently means a little butter or Maine style which is a lemon mayo dressing. I obviously chose the Maine style and was blown away! I expected the roll to be good but a little saucy; I mean we're in DC not New England and it's not even summer yet. The roll was straightforward and no frills: a buttery toasted bun, a little lettuce, a few scallions, huge pieces of lightly dressed lobster and paprika. It. Was. Perfect. The lobster, which I initially needed to eat with a fork because the roll was overflowing, was perfectly cooked! Each bite gave a slight light flavor of lemon from the dressing and then tasted like simple, fresh lobster. It was also ideally cooked and tender, not at all chewy or tough (symptoms of overlooking). The toast was buttery with a slight crunch on the edges and soft in the middle. It was easily one of the best lobster rolls I've ever had, including the many I've tried in Maine.

I'm sort of an iced tea nut. And also very particular about my iced tea. In my opinion, the South and New England are the only places to get really good iced tea. Despite being bordered by the South and the Eastern Seaboard, DC has terrible iced tea so I've been brewing my own sun tea. Which isn't bad, I just wish more places sold good iced tea. Well, Red Hook does! I ordered an Arnold Palmer and it was ideal! It was just the right balance between lemonade and iced tea. It was initially sweet but not overly so, followed by a slight tartness. If only other places sold such well-balanced Arnold Palmers...

This post is quiet effusive I know but I really cannot say enough how great this meal was! I would go again in a heartbeat even with a line! Although sadly, the steep price may keep me away for a few weeks.

Artichoke Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This week I made a delicious and simple dinner so I thought I'd share the recipe with you all! It's not easy to find the time to make a gourmet dinner but this took under an hour and tasted like it took wayyyy more time and work! I shared it with my housemates after and they couldn't get enough!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts: literally roasted veggies are one of my favorites and beyond easy to make. Preheat the oven to 400. For the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut each in half. Toss them in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat each of them, a generous amount of sea salt, and a little pepper. Like a cookie or baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the brussels sprouts (or any veggie) along the foil and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes. Take tongs and shuffle the sprouts around a little, add another few grinds of sea salt, and put them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending how crunchy you want the outsides to be. Take them out, and enjoy! So easy and good enough to make those who don't like brussels sprouts change their mind!

Artichoke Chicken:
2 boneless chicken breasts
Sea salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Jarred garlic (or fresh)
Can of artichoke hearts drained and sliced
About 4 Tablespoons of butter
Olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon flour
Lemon juice from about a lemon and a half

Pound the chicken so it is less than 1/2" thick, it doesn't need to be cutlet-style thin though. Cut into four pieces. Season each piece with a little sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle with a little flour, not enough to fully bread the piece. Make sure to season both sides! Heat a teaspoon or so of olive oil in a skillet with a teaspoon of jarred garlic and when hot, add the chicken. When I made it the chicken needed about 4-6 minutes per side, but it will vary based on how thick your pieces are. As the chicken cooked, I added another little drop of jarred garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice to each piece. Once the chicken is cooked, put it aside covered by foil and put 3T of butter in the skillet on low-medium heat. As the butter starts to melt, add the artichoke hearts, the juice from one large lemon (about 3T) and about 1 1/2 t garlic on low heat. Add in another tablespoon or so of butter to get your desired consistency. I let the artichokes sautee for less than 5 minutes. Be sure to taste the sauce as it cooks and decide if you want more lemon, garlic or butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken and enjoy!

It's a fairly healthy meal (brussels sprouts must be healthy right?) and so easy! This is a great meal to make when a friend is coming over to dinner because of its simplicity but gourmet flavors! Enjoy!

A Weekend of Fine DC Dining

This weekend, my grandparents came to visit me in DC and while this means several things, most importantly for all of you, it means great food! I certainly didn't starve this weekend and it was a great break from my usual, student dining restrictions.

When they arrived Thursday night, we went to dinner at one of my favorites: Kinkead's. This long-standing restaurant is a bit of a dining classic in DC, especially for seafood. The restaurant calls itself "an American brasserie" and it's menu reflected this broad name. Though about 95% of the dishes involved some type of fish of seafood, there were dishes ranging from spicy ceviche to Asian influenced fish with coconut broth to their "Kinkead's classics." last time I peered the simple salmon, which was far from simple but delicious, so I decided to be a little more adventurous this visit. For my starter, I choose the "Mexican-style" seafood cocktail because the waiter told me t was one of their newest menu items, and one of his favorite. It was sort of like a ceviche married a shrimp cocktail in a joyous and flavorful ceremony. Served in a cocktail glass, the appetizer had a tomatoe sauce base like a traditional cocktail. Yet, it was diluted with a acidic and vinegary mixture, like a ceviche. The glass was then loaded up with several shrimp, a few scallops, a clam or two, and some white fish. All of the fish was fresh and full of the flavor. To help flavor the cocktail and add crunch, there were also jalapeños, peppers and onions with the sauce. It was a delicious, fresh, light and surprisingly filling appetizer! For my main course, I ordered a pasta with a simple sauce of garlic, olive oil and a little vinegar. The noodles were fresh but what really made this pasta though was the giant and flavorful head-on shrimp topping the pasta. These giant prawns were succulent, beautiful, and full of flavor. The clams in the pasta were also well cooked and the tomatoes were perfectly steamed. The pasta was simple but full of flavor! Despite being so full I was concerned about my ability to walk home, I naturally ordered dessert. For dessert, I got a mini pecan pie tart with rum ice cream. The ice cream tasted very strongly of rum but the tart was perfect! The outside was crunchy and subtly sweet while the inside filling was sticky, crunchy and yummy. I tried not to imagine it having the same effect on my arteries. It was a struggle to walk home after eating all of this food. (But totally worth it.)


Friday was a busy day of sightseeing, shopping in Georgetown, and the newseum so miraculously, I was hungry again by dinner time. For dinner, we went to a hidden gem I discovered freshman year, I Ricchi. Tucked off from the street and situated between the downtown business center and DuPont Circle, I Ricchi is truly a worthwhile find. How does a lowly freshman discover such a great restaurant you may ask? , of course! The small inside is intimately decorated with vines, a few plants and sandy orange hues which truly give the restaurant an Italian feeling. The open window to the kitchen, decorated with copious amounts of bread adds to the Tuscan ambiance. After being seated, our waiter came to our table where he talked us through the huge three page menu, pointing out his favorites along the way. The individual attention of the waiter, who was only serving one other table despite a nearly full restaurant also helped add to the atmosphere of the meal. The entire first page of the menu was full of the daily special starters, salads, pastas, seafood and meat specials. The next two pages consisted of an enormous list of their staple offerings. Our waiter encouraged us to order Tuscan-style since it was a traditional Tuscan restaurant, meaning we order a smaller portion of pasta and then a meat. For my starter, I opted for one of the daily specials: a smaller portion of a risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and  cheese. It was delicious! The rice was perfectly cooked and the sauce mild but flavorful. The rice was ideally al dente: soft while maintaining a slight crunch. The sauce was made of a mild tomato base but was simple, allowing the flavors of the tomatoes and cheese to truly flavor the dish. I could not get enough! For my main course, I ordered one of the special fish dishes of the day. It was a trout grilled with only a few spices and then served with sauteed artichokes, lemons and a simple lemony roux. The sauce was full of flavor but not overpowering, the artichokes were tender and the fish, which flaked easily, was perfectly cooked. For dessert, we ordered a chocolate mousse which was one of the most unique dishes I've enjoyed! It was prepared and looked like a slice of cake, with a thin layer of meringue on top of the dish, which was then dusted with powdered sugar. Beneath the meringue was a generous portion of dark chocolate mousse and then a thin layer of chocolatey crunch. Then, a layer, equal to that of the dark chocolate, of semisweet mousse and finally another layer of chocolate crunch on the bottom. Chocolate + chocolate + chocolate mousse + chocolate mousse + meringue = more please! In case the dessert wasn't sweet and decadent enough, one side of the plate had a tart, simple rasberry sauce which helped balance the chocolates but the other side had powdered sugar and cocoa powder in case you wanted to make it more chocolatey. It was AMAZING! 

Overall, it was a lovely weekend full of delicious meals! If anyone else wants to come visit me at school, I can promise just as exciting a culinary tour of DC and a shout out in the corresponding blog entry. Just throwing it out there...

10-Step Tacos

Tonight for dinner, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes: fish tacos. I'm sure you all have figured out by now I'm on a bit of a taco craze right now so it really shouldn't be that surprising. I was surprised by how easy and flavorful it was to make great fish tacos though so here's the recipe! I made this recipe for three people and we each had two tacos. The amount of fish worked out well but there was extra sauce. As for the other toppings, adjust accordingly for the size of your group.

All of the toppings waiting to be enjoyed: (clockwise from top left) Cotija cheese, avocado, cabbage, Panela cheese, Green Chile sauce.

Marinated red cabbage

1/2 cup Frontera Grill Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 avocado
Cotija  cheese
Panela cheese
1 lb. Tilapia -feeds about 3-4 people
Red cabbage - I used about the four outer layers
1-2 T lime juice
Plate full of cornmeal
Sea Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Canola Oil
Corn tortillas - I used 6
1 can black beans



1. The morning before you plan to serve the tacos, peel off and wash the cabbage you want to use. Then rip it into the size pieces desired, I hand-shredded the cabbage to about 1/4" wide and an inch long.

2. Put the cabbage in a freezer bag and pour as much lime juice as desired, about 1-2 T and a few grinds of sea salt. Seal the bag, shake it up, and put it in the fridge.

3. Also in the morning, mix the half cup of sour cream with the half cup of enchilada sauce, cover, and put in the fridge.

4. About 30 minutes before you want to eat, begin to season the fish. I simply flavored each piece with a little salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne. Make sure to season both sides!

5. Then, dip the fish in the plate of cornmeal gently to give the fish a little breading which will add a nice texture to the tacos.

6. Cut the fish into strips around 1/2" by an inch or two long: it's not a science.

7. Heat a can of black beans according to the can directions, the stove or microwave works.

8. Prepare the toppings- this can be done ahead of time or while the fish cooks. Slice the avocado, bring the sauce out of the fridge, get the cabbage, and cut your cheeses. I grated the Cotija to go on top of the beans because it's sharp but sweet flavor. I cut slices of the Panela cheese to go in the tacos themselves. Panela is sort of like a Mexican Mozzarella: a soft cow's milk cheese with a mild flavor. Heat the tortillas in a microwavable dish, covered with plastic wrap in the microwave for 45 seconds on high heat.

9.  Put enough Canola Oil in a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat. When the oil's hot, drop in the fish. Depending how thick each piece is, it will take about 3-4 minutes per side. You know Tilapia is cooked when it flakes easily with a fork.

10. Assemble your taco, let your friends and family assemble theirs, serve with black beans topped with the Cotija cheese, and ENJOY!

Midterms (a convenient excuse)

I just wanted to take a minute to apologize to you all for my lack of postings recently. I'll blame midterms since it's easy to do so but now midterms are over and I'm heading back to St. Louis for spring break so you can look forward to MULTIPLE, yes I'm promising more than one entry, in the coming week! Thanks for your continued readership!

Food that get me through midterms? I can't stop snacking on Whole Foods Lemon Hummus with a local restaurant's tzatziki. One of my favorite things about Whole Foods is that they sell food products from local restaurants. I encourage you all to grab a dip they're featuring from an area restaurant next time you go into Whole Foods; they're usually more flavorful, taste handmade, use fresher ingredients, and give back to the local community. I also LOVED the "Good Guy" cupcake I had from Crumbs the other day it was the perfect pick-me-up after a long day of studying!