Beirut, Auckland, NZ

Posted on May 12, 2016 by melsmosaic

Another night, another restaurant. Asked for another suggestion from the concierge and this time because of what we were looking for, the restaurant suggestion was Beirut, which is contemporary middle-eastern food.

After pouring over the menu, we opted to split several small dishes and opted for:

Za’attar: kale, thyme, coriander, sumac, goat’s cheese

Fattoush: watermelon, beetroot, cucumber, orange blossom, parsley

Bubba: burnt eggplant, black sujuk, toasted sesame, black cabbage

Skate: fermented apple water, bees wax, pine oil, onion ash, batarekh, white radish

All were amazing. The bubba just melted in your mouth. The radish wasn’t my favorite in the fish dish (skate) but the rest of it was great. Love this kind of food!

Depot Eatery, Auckland, NZ

Posted on May 9, 2016 by melsmosaic

First night in Auckland, received a suggestion from the concierge to not walk more than 100 feet outside front door of the hotel to this place called Depot Eatery for dinner They don’t take reservations so you just either get there early or wait patiently in line.

We were fortunately there on a weeknight so it wasn’t too crazy but still had to wait. Once we got a seat, we got to sit at the bar, which makes it more fun. While looking over the menu of course it was necessary to grab a drink. There was wine on tap. Awesome! Always love trying that stuff. It was perfect.

Then, they bring you white bean hummus and pita bread to nibble on while picking food.

While looking over the menu we asked for suggestions from the bartender. It was the kingfish. Ok, sold. The description was Kingfish belly w/ eggplant kasundi, lime & toasts. We chose that and Brussels sprouts — ‘not your mothers’ w/ ‘Otello’s’ pancetta & walnut crumbs.

There was nothing left on either of these plates. Amazing food. So glad this restaurant was recommended and can totally see why it has a wait.

Eichardt’s, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 29, 2016 by melsmosaic

The last (dinner) stop in Queenstown was a place called Eichardt’s.

We went to the bar area for wine and tapas. Another great menu! This time the wine choice was a flight of Pinot Noir. It was comprised of Mount Edward ‘Eichardt’s’ 2013 Gibbston, Wild Irishman 2013 Bannockburn and Misha’s Vineyard ‘The High Note’ – 2009 Bendigo.

The first on the tasting was ok. The 2^nd was quite solid with very nice fruit notes. The 3^rd was absolutely amazing. There was the slightest hint of leather, almost like a Pinotage with the traditional fruit. I still had many stops to go on this trip so it wasn’t easy to buy one.

For dinner we grabbed several of their tapas.

Seared Otago nectarine & goat’s cheese salad with local rocket, shaved fennel & candied almonds.

Grilled bruschetta of local wild mushrooms, thyme and feta

Sourdough bread with Cairnmuir olive oil & macadamia nut dakkah

Wild game terrine, sourdough toasts, homemade pickles and relish

All of them just melted in the mouth. Absolutely outstanding. Between them and the wine, great final dinner in Queenstown.

Coyote Grill, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

Next place to check in a NZ town if of course a Mexican restaurant, right? After getting back fairly late from a tour it was close to the hotel and looked pretty good, so why not? So we checked out Coyote Grill.

One of two mandatory orders was right (and done right away) – chips & guac. The other that wasn’t (margarita) was simply replaced with sangria.

The guac had a perfect texture and spice to it.

Two appetizers were ordered after that for dinner.

Prawns (that’s what they call shrimp) Veracruz– sautéed with mild guajillo chili and slow cooked garlic

Duck Tostada – shredded roast duck served on a crispy corn tortilla with salsa

The shrimp had a nice kick to them and whatever seasoning they used on the duck was amazing. And for appetizers, these were big dishes. Perfect end to a long day.

Fishbone Bar & Grill, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

New town, new country, of course new exploration. The hotel where we stayed recommended a great seafood restaurant for the first night in Queenstown; Fishbone Bar & Grill. Of course, you have just a bit of water around you when you’re in New Zealand so there is likely to be some decent seafood.

And to kick off the meal in the new country we started with some vino, of course. We opted for some Rockface Pinot Gris from Waipara, NZ. Pretty dry, which is why we picked it to pair with upcoming seafood.

For dinner we decided to go with 3 appetizers. They were good sized as we saw them going to other tables, which is why we went this route.

Seared Tasman Sea scallops with tomato and fennel ragout, shaved fennel, orange and fresh fennel pollen

Sesame-crusted west coast Albacore tuna sashimi with Daikon, cucumber and bok choy, black garlic mayonnaise

Salt & chili arrowhead squid with radicchio, endive, orange, and squid ink mayonnaise.

I don’t think you could find a piece of food left on these plate. The tuna was perfect crusted in sesame seeds and the perfect size, the squid had been cooked to perfection and was the perfect texture and those scallops, oh those scallops. This place needs to open a location in DC.

8407 Kitchen Bar

Posted on March 27, 2016 by melsmosaic

Have heard of the restaurant 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring, MD for awhile and was finally able to check it out recently. It’s right next to the Silver Spring Metro and just outside of Washington, DC.

There is a bar area downstairs with TVs and then the restaurant upstairs. My friend and I were ‘normal’ and (actually) got a table upstairs.

After looking over the menu we decided to split a bunch of small plates versus going for entrees. The decisions the ended up on the table were:

-Farm Fresh Deviled Eggs

-Pickled Veggies

-Salmon Bites

-Gouda Ewephora Cheese

-Black Goat Truffle Cheese

-Prosciutto Americano

(so we devoured half the salmon before I took a picture)

Also ordered some Temptation Zin to pair with all this. Nice wine with berries and spice.

Was a very nice meal. Service was a bit slow but nothing to worry about. Prices are about the same as most restaurants (as in entrees were low upper teens to mid 20s) in the DC area. Would totally be game for checking this out again.

Green Vegetable Soup

Posted on January 11, 2016 by melsmosaic

Cold weather, new soup. Went for one I saw in Cooking Light — Green Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked orzo
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (didn’t use this because I didn’t feel like getting a whole head of celery)
1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup water
3 thyme sprigs (went for dry)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1/4 pound) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach leaves, divided (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2. While pasta cooks, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add leeks, celery, 2 teaspoons garlic, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, 1 cup water, and thyme. Cover; bring to a boil. Add peas and beans, and simmer, uncovered, 4 minutes. Discard thyme. Stir in pasta and 1 cup spinach.

3. Place 1 cup spinach, basil, cheese, rind, juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 2 teaspoons oil in a food processor; process until smooth. Divide soup among 4 bowls; top with pesto. (I didn’t make this part).

This stuff was ok. I think there was way too much orzo in there. Nothing to write home about. It was missing a lot of flavor, thought that could be because I didn’t make the pesto. I’m not keeping the recipe.

Boudro’s

Posted on December 11, 2015 by melsmosaic

Continuing travel took me to San Antonio, TX. I had only heard good things about Boudro’s so had to check it out. It is known as a Texas bistro per their website. Was able to snag a table outside — though it only in the upper 40s in late November in TX (why???). They do have nice blankets to cover you if you get cold.

Of course, a margarita is the #1 priority here. It came in a nice martini glass in this case. Very smooth and a perfect start to the evening.

The menu had way too many great options on it, but guacamole was a must. They make it at your table, too. It was delicious! They use orange juice in it, versus a more traditional lime or lemon. They also use roasted tomatoes which made it even better. You can snag the recipe from their site.

When going to restaurants I usually try to order something I won’t make at home so I finally opted for the Mesquite Grilled Quail. I was able to get grilled veggies vs the traditional pepper jack grits with fried parsley and jalapeno chips and chipolte demiglace due to my lactose issue. This stuff was amazing! I hadn’t eating quail for ages. The flavors all around were amazing.

I can see why this restaurant has such a great reputation. Check it out when you’re in San Antonio.

Silver

Posted on November 17, 2015 by melsmosaic

So I actually went to see that movie about the guy who made all those computers that aren’t PCs. No, I don’t own one. It was interesting, though the end was a bit odd…could we not have brought us forward another decade+.

Ok, onto food…since the movie let out around 9:30, one must eat! There has been such a change in downtown Bethesda in the last several years and even more so in the past 6 months. So, new restaurants are popping up all over. My friend and I checked out Silver. I was unaware until that night that it is the posh version of Silver Diner.

We almost had to wait for a table at 9:30pm — it has to be good. The interior design of this place is quite nice. The chairs alone have some leather that we couldn’t quite identify. I almost felt under dressed! The drink menu is extensive and some of the shakes — I almost thought they could curdle with the contents coming against each other. Dang, sometimes I wish I could have one!

After way too much surveying of the menu (because I couldn’t decide) I opted for two appetizers, Crispy Brussels Sprouts that were cinnamon chipotle spiced, with apricots, cranberries, pecans, ranch (nixed that) and Wild Caught Scallops with lemon garlic sauce, wilted spinach, feta, cilantro.

This food was amazing. I had to finish every single Brussels sprout on the plate.

And all the flavors of coming together on the perfectly cooked scallops…just take me to heaven now.

This place will be worth checking out for other meals.

Not Your Average Joe’s

Posted on November 17, 2015 by melsmosaic

A Not Your Average Joe’s opened up in the past several months in (North) Bethesda. I have checked it out a couple times for happy hour (which has some decent specials) but haven’t ever eaten there. I am on their mailing list and got a birthday email worth $15 towards my next visit to the restaurant. Great. Maybe I’ll go and actually try their food.

Decided to go last Friday. It was very busy but was able to grab a spot at the bar. Let the bartender know I had a $15 b-day email I was going to use, he was cool with that. Made it towards the end of happy hour and snagged a margarita for a good price. Sipped that for a bit while I enjoyed their amazing warm bread that they serve with olive oil, garlic (and normally cheese, but I get it without). So addictive! There were some decent menu items to pick from, some a bit restrictive for lactards. I finally saw a seasonal item that the bartenders recommended — Cider Glazed Chicken Kabobs, which were grilled and glazed with zeigler’s apple cider, served over a warm farro golden raisin salad, roasted spaghetti squash and toasted pumpkin seeds. Put an order in for that and shouted for a glass of red right before HH was over to have ready for when the food came out.

Eventually (maybe 30 minutes later) my food arrived.

The chicken was warm and the squash was cold, not even room temp. I mentioned this to the bartender, he was very apologetic and the manager came and told me they would get me a new dish. About 15 minutes later a new plate came out with half the chicken and still at lukewarm temps. I picked at it a bit but was not really hungry. The manager came to apologize and was kind enough to take it off my bill.

I still had the margarita and wine on my bill. I presented them with the coupon I had from the email, which I had read VERY carefully prior to going to dinner about what it might or might not cover (aka alcohol). No where did it say anything. The ‘fine print’ read “P.S. As much as Joe loves birthdays, we’re obliged to include the usual disclaimers: This offer is nontransferable, not valid with other offers, only one per person and doesn’t apply to take-out.”

The bartender came back to me and told me that even though my coupon was for $15, I would have to pay for my $10 worth of drinks. The manager made him do that, couldn’t do it himself. Long story short, it was not pleasant, they eventually let me leave without paying, so I could fortunately leave the bartender a nice tip. Overall not pleased with the restaurant, except for their great bread.