Thrifty Table
THRIFTY TABLE
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill
I've been meaning to try Blue Ribbon for some time now and finally, on this first trip to Vegas in the new year, I was able to find a night to head out to Blue Ribbon, made much easier as we were guests at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. We had dinner reservations at 7PM reservations on a Thursday and when we arrived the sushi bar was empty, we decided to take our seats there, I prefer sitting at the sushi bar and love to sit at there and watch the sushi masters work their magic. After a short wait, our waitress came over, handed us a menu and served us bottled water.
The restaurant decor is very "woodsy" with dark wooden sculptures of waves or leaves running down the walls. A large chefs table sits just inside the restaurant on the far side of the bar and past this opens to the full restaurant. I found, like with many of the restaurants on this floor at the Cosmo, that the ambiance and the noise are at odds with each other. The music is turned up way too loud, making is hard to have a conversation.
After sometime our waitress returned and we ordered a Samurai beer (the name eludes me right now) and the Kanpachi Usuzukuri (Amberjack w/yuzu pepper) as well as the irresistable Beef Marrow, both appetizers were spectacular. I found the usuzukuri to be far superior to the one we had at Nobu here in LV and the beef marrow was perfectly seasoned with little challah toasts that held the marrow without becoming soggy. My only issue with the bone marrow is I wished that they had a proper spoon for it, the one they served it with was much too large and made it difficult to extract the yummy goodness, but that's what fingers are made for, right?
We ordered several sushi nigiri and maki, including a the Blue Ribbon roll, the KANI SUNOMONO, ENOKI & HAMACHI and of course, some uni (because I can't resist uni). I have to say, apart from the uni, I wasn't very impressed. The rolls were unevenly filled, so each piece from the same roll was a different size and just in the end, despite the combination described being enticing the rolls themselves were just not all that appealing.
Overall, I enjoyed the appetizers, in fact, had we stopped there, my impression of Blue Ribbon Bar and Grill would have been completely positive. Instead, because the sushi fell flat, I left feeling a little cheated. Though I wouldn't revisit this restaurant for sushi, I would most definitely return for some of their appetizers. As well, their late-night menu is interesting and has received great reviews, and so, I would keep that in mind on my next visit.
The total for the evening, including tip and 2 beer was just under 300$ for 2 people.
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
3708 Las Vegas Blvd South (in The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino)
(702) 698-7000
L'il Lemony Cheesecake
I'm craving sweets. I'm L'il Lemony Cheesecakes
makes 6 cheesecakes
8oz cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsps lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1 tsp lemon zest, minced
6 round tea cookies (large)
Set the oven to 325˙F and line a large 6 muffin tin with paper liners. Insert 1 cookie into the bottom of the each of the liners.
Whip together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, lemon juice & lemon zest. Divide the batter onto the six cookies and bake for 20 minutes.
Set on a rack to cool, them put into the fridge for an hour for the cake to set. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Decorate these mini-cheesecakes with whipped cream, fresh berries and few sprigs of mint.
Restaurant review: Alex H
After plenty of planning and back and forth trying to nail down New Years Eve 2012 plans, and with so many options here in Montreal, we finally decided on staying close to home and chose Alex H. Not only is it fairly close by, but it is also a BYOB restaurant, making it superb choice for larger groups who would most certainly be indulging.
The restaurant wasn't decorated for NYE, but as always, it was a quaint, rustic French bistro. When we arrived, one of our party was already seated and had decanted one of the wines we brought with us, "Les Meysonniers", and it was ready for us to imbibe.
The restaurant wasn't really busy, but there was obviously a large party expected as there was a long river of tables and chairs smack dab in the middle of the restaurant. They were going to be hit with a crowd sometime soon, that much was certain.
The surprise of the evening was my son, who decided to join us old people for the evening. The restaurant quickly adapted, adding a chair to our table along with a place setting. Once our whole party arrived, the young waitress came over to tell us a little about the evenings fixed menu and to serve us water. She also informed us that unfortunately they had run out of the rack of lamb. Too bad, but our reservations were for 8PM and I wasn't surprised that something would run out.
The menu was 4 courses, a choice of rillettes or escargots for the first course, and the second course was a choice of a creamy borscht or salad. The main meal choices were salmon et brie feuillette, filet mignon, coquilles de fruits de mer or the rack of lamb, and desserts were creme caramel or Amaretto creme brulee. 45$, 4 courses, and BYOB, what a great deal for NYE!
We each ordered something different and after having tasted every dish available, the only thing I didn't enjoy was the borscht and the salad. The borscht simply because I am very particular about beets, and the salad wasn't very interesting, it was a mix of rough greens tossed with a very vinegary vinaigrette.
The filet mignon was moist, served medium rare with sauteed wild mushrooms. The feuillette of salmon with brie was polished off by someone I consider to be the most finicky of eaters. The coquilles de fruits de mer, though strangely enough, not served in a coquilles was equally delicious.
My criticisms are very minor, and thus, I didn't penalize this restaurant with a 3-star review. For one, no one took our coats and even as I struggled to reach up and hang my coat (the bar was fairly high for this shorty), no one helped. Second, service was a little inattentive, but that large group had arrived and our waitress seemed pretty overwhelmed. Finally, it turned out there was still lamb left, but they were saving some portions for the big group coming in a little later than us.
I spoke with the owner about the lamb thing, and he apologized. That's really all I ask. I totally understand in the end, and if I hadn't seen one of the big group people sharing his AMAZING rack of lamb down the table, I wouldn't have been the wiser.
Overall, everyone in our party had a great night, enjoyed the food, the company and the service at Alex H, and will most definitely be visiting the restaurant again soon!
2011: My year in review
How freakin' unoriginal is my title?! My brain is fried from cooking and cleaning over the past few weeks, just trying to keep pace with the holidays, family and friends. Overwhelmed would be an understatement.This year was unique for me, from Yelp to Twitter and other meet-ups, I took time to step out of my shell and tried to actually meet a few people face-to-face. I'm a shy person and so, when amongst others I either talk their ears off, or sit there without saying a peep. I am proud of myself for trying, though, I confess, in an effort not to become less like wallpaper at events, I probably talked a little more than I listened.
I can no longer say that I am a person who doesn't like chocolate. Thanks to places like Cacao 70 and Le Maitre Chocolatier and chocolate bars like those made by Theo or Dolfin, I think I might be hooked. There was a time when I couldn't even stand the smell of chocolate, and now, in the span of a year, I am a regular at the Brïmstone chocolate shop in NDG!
I've been taking classes to learn the basics of cooking and prep. Though I have been the main source of food prep for my family for decades, I still manage to slice half my finger off at least once a month, so a basic knives skills class I took last month will hopefully help me end such bloody fiascos. For my birthday I took a sushi making course, which was not only informative but a lot of fun. And the course that started it all was a pastry course with Francois Paynard back in May during Vegas Uncork'd where I learned to make Sticky Toffee Pudding, the perfect pie crust and Flour-less Chocolate Cookies.
I can finally admit it... I am a foodie. However, I am, according to the article 10 Types of Foodies a "DYIer" with a sprinkle of the "I made it myself" foodie. In a way, my foodie ways are very reflective of my childhood obsession with electronics. It wasn't enough for me to have a radio or tv that worked, I had to build one myself to really get into how everything worked. I'm much the same way with food. I really get a grip on the science of food when I pull it all apart and rebuild it on my own.
And finally, I've decided to stop complaining about my itsy-bitsy-terribly-laid-out kitchen. Instead, I am definitely going to move, probably out of Montreal. I'll likely be relocating to Vancouver come July, we are looking at apartments in the coming months and so that will be the final deciding factor. If I can't find a suitable apartment in Vancouver by April, we'll start looking here in Montreal, possibly even change my 'hood (I'm thinking Little Italy).
This has been a very different kind of year for me. I feel like I've grown as a foodie, as a friend and as a more sociable person than any other year and I am planning to continue this throughout 2012. Getting involved in my community, both virtual and around the city is more important to me now than ever before, maybe it is because of my plans to leave, but whatever the reasons, I'll putting myself out there!
Happy holidays and here is to a fabulous NEW YEAR!
Restaurant review: La Louisiane
I have been a customer at La Louisiane since they opened over a decade ago. Living in NDG, moving to Laval, on contract in Las Vegas and in DC, I always talk about this place. This place hasn't change very much over the years, their menu works and I say, don't mess with it! It would be a very conservative estimate if I said I have been here 100 times. It's my goto restaurant. Close by, easy, consistent and an atmosphere that is suitable for many different situations. It can be romantic (sit in the corner on the right hand side next to the window), great for a group of people, or sit at the bar and enjoy a few cocktails (my favourite is the mint julep).
Last night, after realizing I wasn't in the mood for leftover pot roast, we easily chose to head over to La Louisiane. I had the crawfish etouffe, boyfriend had his usual, dino ribs, and my girlfriend ordered the blackened fish, tilapia. We started with our usual apps, the coconut beer shrimp and the crab cakes.
The coconut beer shrimp and the crab cakes came out fairly quickly along with the pitcher of red sangria. I love the shrimp and we cleaned that plate of 6 shrimp within minutes of their arrival, piping hot with a crispy outside hiding tender shrimp. We ended up ordering another round.
The only glitch in the night was that they forgot our mains and we waited almost 90 minutes for them to come out. That wasn't a huge issue, but it would have been nice if they had acknowledged the delay. Instead, they said nothing, no apologies, nothing. That was disappointing because it is not a reflection of the service I normally receive here.
That said, the place was busy, not full but definitely, for an icy-snowy-miserable night, they had a decent number of tables filled. They didn't seem to have a regular waiter or bus boy either. The bartender was serving us and the manager was clearing tables, so maybe they were just overwhelmed. Still, a simple apology or explanation would have gone a long way. It didn't make a good impression on my guest 
so I doubt I can convince her to go back there.
so I doubt I can convince her to go back there.Unfortunately, we were quite full once our food arrived. After 90 minutes of sitting with bread, the appetizers and drinks, we just couldn't eat more than a few bites. We wanted to. We really did, but we were completely stuffed.
I will give them 4 stars because I know this restaurant and this was not typical of the service I have received. If this had been my first visit to La Louisiane, I probably would have given them 2 stars since we didn't get to really enjoy our main meal. That pains me, to even say I would have given them a 2 stars.
That pains me, to even say I would have given them a 2 stars.
Under appreciated: Rice pudding
My mother's version of rice pudding is the golden standard of this heart-warming dessert in my mind. This wasn't something she whipped together in 30 minutes, this was a few hours in the making. I remember looking through the oven door, wondering how much longer I would have to wait to dig my spoon into it and pull up a heap of rice and raisins all soaking in a custard bath! The combination of smells, vanilla, nutmeg, sugar would make my mouth water.Recently, I found an old recipe book, with the last handwritten entry scribed over 30 years ago. In it I was the recipe for her rice pudding, and one of my mothers most famous desserts; lemon custard filled cupcakes. Guess I better get baking!
Baked Mexican Chocolate French Toast
I've been saying I am not a huge chocolate fan for my entire life, but something funny is happening; I am sorta, kinda starting to like that stuff. I still can't stand chocolate cake or chocolate ice-cream, but I am really drawn to some foods where chocolate is one of the main characters. It's been a slow shift, happening maybe only in the past 3-4 years, but I am seeing it clearly now.
Chocolate cake, blah, chocolate bread, love! Love the Mexican chocolate bread loaf from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Book by Beth Hensperger. I made the 2 pound version the other night with the specific intention of slicing it up thick and using it to make French toast for breakfast for my son the next day. While it was still warm, I slathered a bit of butter on one of the slices. That's when it hit me. I like chocolate, I am just very particular about it.
Baked Mexican chocolate French toast
4 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
4 slices thick sliced chocolate bread
2 tbsps butter, softened
2 tbsps brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 400˙F.
Beat together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a flat vessel that can comfortably house each slice of bread (I used a deep casserole dish). Soak each slice of bread for about 1 minute on each side. Place each slice onto a greased baking sheet with plenty of space between each of them.
In a small bowl, mixed together the butter and sugar, then crumble a bit over each slice of bread.
Bake at 400˙F for about 15-20 minutes. Serve topped with fresh whipped cream and sprinkled with a little cinnamon.
Chocolate cake, blah, chocolate bread, love! Love the Mexican chocolate bread loaf from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Book by Beth Hensperger. I made the 2 pound version the other night with the specific intention of slicing it up thick and using it to make French toast for breakfast for my son the next day. While it was still warm, I slathered a bit of butter on one of the slices. That's when it hit me. I like chocolate, I am just very particular about it.
Baked Mexican chocolate French toast4 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
4 slices thick sliced chocolate bread
2 tbsps butter, softened
2 tbsps brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 400˙F.
Beat together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a flat vessel that can comfortably house each slice of bread (I used a deep casserole dish). Soak each slice of bread for about 1 minute on each side. Place each slice onto a greased baking sheet with plenty of space between each of them.
In a small bowl, mixed together the butter and sugar, then crumble a bit over each slice of bread.
Bake at 400˙F for about 15-20 minutes. Serve topped with fresh whipped cream and sprinkled with a little cinnamon.
Turkey Ossobucco with Cranberry-Celery Leaf Gremolata
I have a continuing obsession with ossobucco and have used many cuts of different meats. Everything from the very traditional use of veal shanks, to the more unconventional use of pork, and even tried Antelope ossobucco at Tenders in Las Vegas. By far, using veal shanks is my preference, but that can be expensive, and considering this is a dish I want to make for Christmas lunch, I thought an experiment with turkey would be a fitting option.
There are quite a few recipes around using turkey for ossobucco, but they all contain onions, carrot, celery and most also have tomatoes. Now, here is something you may not know about me... I am not a big fan of chunks of meat in tomato sauces. I don't like things like chicken cacciatore, or meat balls in tomato sauce, stuff like that. I love tomatoes though, so don't count me out yet.
In any case, I decide to adapt my favorite ossobucco recipe. Again. The New york Times recipe by Mark Bittman. It's simple, and straight forward and easily adapted to suit my every whim. I made more changes with this recipe than I ever have, so I'll take more credit for this one!
Turkey Ossobucco
1 tablespoon olive oil
There are quite a few recipes around using turkey for ossobucco, but they all contain onions, carrot, celery and most also have tomatoes. Now, here is something you may not know about me... I am not a big fan of chunks of meat in tomato sauces. I don't like things like chicken cacciatore, or meat balls in tomato sauce, stuff like that. I love tomatoes though, so don't count me out yet.
In any case, I decide to adapt my favorite ossobucco recipe. Again. The New york Times recipe by Mark Bittman. It's simple, and straight forward and easily adapted to suit my every whim. I made more changes with this recipe than I ever have, so I'll take more credit for this one!
Turkey Ossobucco1 tablespoon olive oil
2 turkey legs, with the first couple of inches cut off
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, lightly mashed and peeled
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon butter
Rinse the turkey legs in cold water, then pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a deep, pre-heated skillet with a tight fitting lid, and add the turkey legs, cook until nicely browned on all sides (that might turning 3 or even 4 times, depending on the thickness of the legs).
Add garlic to the pan and just lightly cook for less than a minute. Add the chicken stock and thyme, bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet. Let simmer with the lid on until the meat falls away from the bone, about 4-5 hours, turning the drumsticks about once per hour, adding a little water should it become necessary (it shouldn't).
Remove the turkey from the skillet and turn the heat up to high. Boil the sauce until it becomes thick; about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, serve the turkey with the sauce spooned over it.
Cranberry-Celery Leaf Gremolata
1/4 cup cranberries, pulsed a few times in a food processor
zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsps celery leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Kosher salt
Mix all together and serve atop the Turkey Ossobucco
I served my Turkey Ossobucco over fettucine, but for "the meal" I will be using mashed sweet potatoes for a more traditional feast!
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, lightly mashed and peeled
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon butter
Rinse the turkey legs in cold water, then pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a deep, pre-heated skillet with a tight fitting lid, and add the turkey legs, cook until nicely browned on all sides (that might turning 3 or even 4 times, depending on the thickness of the legs).
Add garlic to the pan and just lightly cook for less than a minute. Add the chicken stock and thyme, bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet. Let simmer with the lid on until the meat falls away from the bone, about 4-5 hours, turning the drumsticks about once per hour, adding a little water should it become necessary (it shouldn't).
Remove the turkey from the skillet and turn the heat up to high. Boil the sauce until it becomes thick; about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, serve the turkey with the sauce spooned over it.
Cranberry-Celery Leaf Gremolata
1/4 cup cranberries, pulsed a few times in a food processor
zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsps celery leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Kosher salt
Mix all together and serve atop the Turkey Ossobucco
I served my Turkey Ossobucco over fettucine, but for "the meal" I will be using mashed sweet potatoes for a more traditional feast!
Montreal: Greater than the sum of its parts
I'm moving in 2012. Out of NDG. Out of Montreal, out of Quebec. Thinking about it makes me nostalgic for all the places I will miss, and all the places I never really explored. There is so much going on in Montreal, and I don't want to leave here thinking I didn't make the most of it. So these next 6 months, before I am gone for good, I am going to explore a different part of this city each week. I'll check out activities, restaurants, shopping and anything else that pops up.
Here is a list of some areas that come to mind, but I won't necessarily visit all of these places, but I am definitely going to try.
Ahuntsic
Anjou
Cartierville
Chinatown
Cote des Neiges
Cote Saint Luc
Cote Saint Paul
Dorval
Downtown
Greektown
Griffintown
Hochelaga
Koreatown
La Petite Patrie
Lachine
Lasalle
Little Burgundy
Little Italy
Little Portugal
Mile End
Montreal North
Notre Dame de Grace
Old Montreal
Outremont
Park Extension
Plateau Montreal
Point Saint Charles
Quartier Latin
Rosemont
Saint Anne de Bellevue
Saint Henri
Saint Leonard
Saint Michel
Verdun
Ville Emard
Villeray
Ville Saint Pierre
Westmount
Here is a list of some areas that come to mind, but I won't necessarily visit all of these places, but I am definitely going to try.
Ahuntsic
Anjou
Cartierville
Chinatown
Cote des Neiges
Cote Saint Luc
Cote Saint Paul
Dorval
Downtown
Greektown
Griffintown
Hochelaga
Koreatown
La Petite Patrie
Lachine
Lasalle
Little Burgundy
Little Italy
Little Portugal
Mile End
Montreal North
Notre Dame de Grace
Old Montreal
Outremont
Park Extension
Plateau Montreal
Point Saint Charles
Quartier Latin
Rosemont
Saint Anne de Bellevue
Saint Henri
Saint Leonard
Saint Michel
Verdun
Ville Emard
Villeray
Ville Saint Pierre
Westmount
For goodness sake: Dulce de Leche
I have been craving sweets for the past few days. Crazy cravings, and I'm constantly thinking about marshmallows, or cookies, fudge, cakepops. It wouldn't stop and frankly, I was having trouble concentrating on anything else. As I am researching ideas for homemade holiday gifts, I came across a very simple recipe for Dulce de Leche. It's so simple that some people think that if you make it this way, it isn't really homemade. I beg to differ, the idea of homemade is not indicated by how much effort is put into making it.
In any case, this Dulce de Leche requires only 3 things, a can of condensed milk, a pot of boiling water, and patience. That's all. It perfectly meets both of my needs, that of my sweet tooth and a great item for me to add to the jars of deliciousness I plan to give to my loved ones.
The one thing wrong with this stuff is that I cannot stop eating it. I've spread it on bagels, dripped it over ice-cream, swirled it into plain non-fat Greek yogurt (how ironic) and dipped bananas into it. Worse though, I have been sneaking tablespoons of it here and there since I made it. It's getting out of control!
Dulce de Leche
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
Put the can of milk, unopened, in the bottom of a large pot. Add water to the pot until the can is totally submerged and about 4" over that. Bring the water to a boil, then set to simmer for 2-4 hours depending on how dark and thick you want your dulce de leche to be. However, while it is simmering, check on the can often, and make sure there is water covering the can at all times.
At 2 hours (or 4), remove the pot from the heat and let cool. Wait an hour or so, and make sure the can and its contents are well cooled, when you open the tin, use a cloth or a napkin to cover the opening area, it will spurt out a bit.
DO NOT TRY TO COOL IT WITH COLD WATER OR ICE. That is a bad, Bad, BAD idea! The can could explode and boiling hot dulce de leche will burn severely. Remember, one of the ingredients is patience, if you don't have that, try a different method.
That's it! Crazy easy!
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