Gandolfo's

Not far from my home there is a sandwich shop that I have fallen in love with: Gandolfo's. I use to go here only when we had a flight that day or the next morning. It made for a great meal while on a long trip. Since Ruby came along two years ago, I found myself frequenting this place more often as there was less energy and time to cook. But over $30 a week just in sandwiches adds up. For a while I went cold turkey but relapsed a few months ago. I no longer have the desire for sobriety and have found a more moderate pace of sandwich indulgence.

It's quite a sight in people watching when you enter. People aren't necessarily in line but scattered about with their heads looking up at the huge menu wrapping around two areas of the restaurant. You soon do the same and realize that you will be there for a few hours if you read the description of each sandwich. Thankfully you can pick a column a research from there: Specialty Sandwiches, Pastrami Sandwiches, Turkey Sandwiches, Chicken Breast Sandwiches, Roast Beef Sandwiches.

This past Thursday I went with the Dagwood in the Specialty Sandwich section. The delicious combination of roast beef, turkey, ham, corned beef, Swiss, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, and spicy mustard leaves you needing two hands to eat it.

The Dagwood - Delicious!

I have also indulged in the Carnegie Hall (loved it), Rockefeller Reuben, I love New York, Pastrami on Rye, Central Park, King of Queens, Sicilian, Hampton, Bridge Hampton, Gandolfo, and Holland Tunnel. They are all delicious but I would highly recommend sticking with the Specialty and Pastrami Sandwiches; you can't go wrong. Some of the workers, upon recognizing me as a regular, begun recommending sandwiches that weren't even on the menu. Love this place.

Be warned: you will spend more money than the more ubiquitous chains; no $5 footlong here (I know this is a chain also but the focus is on quality not quantity), but you will never go back to those other joints as you will have found a truly authentic sandwich.

Happy Eating.

Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, and Thyme (maybe I am a Baker)

When I first made this dish, Rachel didn't believe that I actually put something in the oven. I don't follow recipes well; I like to improvise. Anything you put in the oven, needs to be more precise than on the stove top. It fits my charming personality; depending on who you ask.

This dish was a hit from the start and we make it often.



Uncooked: beautiful but do not eat yet-unless you don't like your Guests

 Roasted Chicken with Onions, Potatoes, Garlic and Thyme:

3 chicken breasts (halved crosswise)

1 pound yellow potatoes (halved, quartered if large)

1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch segments

1 head garlic cloves, minced

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 lemon quartered

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken, potatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, and lemon wedges (squeeze over all ingredients first) into a 12" by 16" roasting pan (or glass casserole dish). Whisk together oil and vinegar and drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 50 minutes.

For best serving results, whisk 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar with 1/2 cup sour cream and pour over top. Enjoy. 

I originally found this recipe in FOOD Magazine. Since then I have altered it many times but it still gets fabulous reviews.

Happy Eating.

Chile Pepper Gloves

Not long ago I learned a painful lesson: handling chili peppers should be done with caution! Thinking that I would hold and cut quickly did not work as I was left with very itchy and irritated hands. It takes a few hours and lots of hand washing to go away.

Solution: pepper gloves from IKEA. They are fabulous and inexpensive. I used them last Sunday on anaheim and serrano peppers and was pleasantly surprised. No more spending the rest of the day muttering obscenities.

Just a hint: hide them from your young kids. I had some a year ago but before I could use them, Ruby relocated them. That pair of gloves has still never been found.

Happy Eating

Pawit's Royale Thai

On a previous post here, I mentioned that I am a lover of Thai cuisine. If you can make it to most Thai restaurants during lunch, you get a good variety for a great price. Last Friday, on impulse, I had a craving  and immediately recruited my mom & sister to join me at Pawit's Royale Thai in Holladay. It's located right next to what was formerly known as the Cottonwood Mall; now mostly a dirt patch. For all my growing up years, the building was occupied by Hong Kong Cafe.

They really work hard to make you feel that you are in Thailand. The Asian style design, large water tank with exotic fish, large screen TV promoting Thailand tourism. All of this is nice but what really matters? The food of course.

For $7.95 you get your choice of two dishes, served with jasmine rice, a house salad, and a fried wonton. It's hard for me to turn down curry, especially massaman curry so I ordered Tom Kha (coconut soup) and Gang Massaman.

The salad is served with the creamy house dressing. I wouldn't have thought twice about it except that I was at a Thai restaurant and it didn't really fit. At Thai Siam, Sawadee, and Tasty Thai, the salad is served with a peanut dressing; delicious and authentic.

The coconut soup was fabulous. I had been craving this for quite some time. It has chicken, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal, mushrooms, cabbage and cilantro. They know how to make this into the perfect soup. It has the right amount of kick and creaminess. It is beyond delicious and I only wish I could have taken a gallon of it home with me.

The massaman curry has chicken, coconut milk, tamarind juice, potatoes, carrots, and shelled peanuts. It was good but I believe that my expectations were too high. When I reviewed Tasty Thai, I remembered that massaman curry at Pawit's being wonderful. It was okay but bland compared to Tasty Thai. The wow factor was missing.

Given the variety, the delicious coconut soup, and the price, I will definitely be back but will try something other than the massaman curry.

Happy Eating.

Super Bowl Food

My love for football is great but the Super Bowl can be a long game if your team is not playing. The Philadelphia Eagles have not been to the big game for 7 years. In that time, I have usually watched the second half. The first half and a few hours prior are spend preparing delicious eats for friends and family. Yesterday did not disappoint. Here are but some of the culinary delights we enjoyed:

sage pork tenderloin
hot habanero hot wings
taquitos
quinoa with onions and parsley
tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, basil, and homemade italian dressing
salad
chips
artichoke dip
red pepper hummus dip
guacamole (my nephew tells me that 70% of the guacamole eaten in America is on Super Bowl Sunday)
lemon bars

I was careful to fill my plate with small portions of each dish so that I could return many times. It was difficult to make it back for even a second plate; I was stuffed.

Whether your team won, lost, or even played, I hope that the culinary bowl at your home was delightful.

Happy Eating.

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

Rachel and I have been in this quandary many times: it's 5:30pm and you wonder, "what should we make for dinner?" Typically, the meals I make have a lot of prep work. If I am proactive, I do the prep work early that morning or the night before. Without the proactive prep work, there are a lot of blank stares inside the fridge and cupboards. Rachel looked up some attractive-looking crock pot recipes, and this morning we put one to the test.

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast
courtesy of: www.accoksquest.blogspot.com

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
Seasoning Salt

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder
black pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (can use a can of beef broth, but be sure to reduce it)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Rub meat well with seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don't rush the browning step.

While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

Place onions in bottom of slow cooker. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time.

Remove meat from slow cooker and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

 

 

Of course (Rachel laughs), I altered the recipe some. Not much, I actually followed the cooking process with discipline. Where I made changes was in the last step. Rather than serving the meat with the liquid, I made a gravy. To do this, start with a roux (cooking equal parts by weight, butter and flour), then adding the liquid a little at a time until you find the right consistency. Just for trivia: a sauce/gravy made out of dark stock and a roux is called Espagnole and is one of the five mother sauces. From the five mother sauces, you can make any sauce.

 

 

 

Final Verdict: Not that great! It wasn't inedible but was too strong. I thought it interesting that the ingredients were going to be braised (cooked low & slow) in both a beef stock and balsamic vinegar. Vinegar of any kind is an acid and acid is the only liquid added to a crock pot dish; maybe with a little water. Beef stock is already strong in flavor and when added to balsamic vinegar, packs quite the punch. During the cooking process, the meat creates a broth. No need for a broth and a stock (broth is made from meat, stock from bones and vegetables). 

 

The gravy was delicious by itself but, with the meat, added another punch to a dish already overloaded with flavor.

 

Next time I will try it with the balsamic but no beef stock. Please let me know of your crock pot creations.

 

Happy Eating

 

 

Kyoto

Since moving into the Sugarhouse area in 2002, Kyoto has been an occasional treat for me. Located on the corner of 1100 E. 1300 S., it's a venerable institution that has always served delicious food. The setting is unique in that you can sit in a Japanese style booth; but please remove your shoes of course.

My first memory of dining at Kyoto was in March, 2003. Rachel and I ate there on a Saturday night, just one week before we got married. The bill was $35 and that was painful for a poor college student. Soon I found that the lunch menu was just as delicious and much less expensive. My friends and I have met there a few times since for lunch.

For under $9 you can get Chicken, Beef or Shrimp Teriyaki. It comes complete with miso soup, salad with house dressing (honey mustard), your choice of meat, rice, tempura onions and sweet potatoes. It's almost worth ordering one of the teriyaki dishes for the tempura vegetables alone. They are plentiful, sweet, crunchy, and have the perfect amount of batter.

For those of you not interested in the teriyaki or tempura, there are other authentic Japanese dishes to enjoy. The Sukiyaki is also delicious. It's brought out on a sizzling platter and contains thinly sliced beef, vegetables and noodles. Typically the ingredients are dipped in a bowl of raw, beaten eggs before being eaten.

The Donburi is a Japanese rice bowl dish with ingredients on top. Types include: Oyako Donburi where the main ingredients are chicken and eggs; Katsudon Donburi: served with tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet), eggs and onions; Gyudon Donburi: a more simple serving of cooked beef over the rice; and Eel Donburi: eel is grilled and prepared in a thick soya based sauce before being served on top of the rice.

Yesterday's choice: Beef Teriyaki with a California Roll for an appetizer. They also serve sushi. Having been spoiled by the world's best sushi at Happy Sumo, I was reluctant to try it. I know that the California Roll is the most generic of the rolls but I was pleasantly surprised. The meal was delicious except for the beef. That was a little tough which was the first time that has happened. No worries, there was plenty of other food to enjoy. Since I am within walking distance of Kyoto, I will have to discipline myself on the number of visits.

Gluttony! But don't worry, I didn't get a Dr. Pepper. That would have been over the top. I waited until I got home (3 minute walk) and pulled one out of the fridge.

Dinner is great also but you pay more for less food. If you decide to go there for lunch, get there before noon; the place fills up fast.

Happy Eating.