Review of restaurant in town. Akin to a tapas bar, but not quite.
Main dishes hilights
Ceviche was good, but, could have been better.
Walnut Gorgonzola Polenta- fabulous in theory however was a bit too dry.
Pizza was decent. and was mini pizza so i could have a slice and not...cry
All food is pale in comparison to roy's lately.
*sighs*
THis place def. a good value though
xoxo
Monday, March 9, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Dinner Review
This started as an anthropology inspired blog. it has become a food inspired blog. Go figure right?
So, We went to a place called Roy's. It's fancy and an upper-class restaurant with under 10 sister locations.
It was Hawaiian Fusion. And, though pricey, was well worth it.
I had to resist ordering a Manhattan and settled for a glass of wine. But I know for certain that a manhattan would fuck the shit out of my blood-sugar. (and I didn't want to pair an unknown alcohol combinations with new foods. I also would like to mention that firefox's dictionary does not recognize the plural form of Combination).
So, we have our wine, make our choices.
Now, we all shared but I'll go around the table.
Appetizers:
Me: A Hawaiian inspired Caesar Salad, with Avocado, capers, a dressing, romaine lettuce, a slice of Panchetta and a goat cheese croquette.
my thoughts: Wonderful contrast in this dish. the dressing was rather bland (however, I was eating this at the same time as the Dragon roll, so I have a feeling my tastebuds were comprimised by a glob of Firecracker sauce. Sometimes, I am my mother's daughter.) But, the blandness (imho) of this dressing allowed the individual elements of the salad to come together. The avocado paired wonderfully with the Panchetta and my goodness. Now, Please understand, I may be exposed to lots of ethnic food as a whole, I am missing general areas in things. I had never had a Croquette before. Now, understand also, that I have a huge weakness for goat cheese, so a goat cheese croquette? Damn near divine to me. :) This salad was wonderfully organized and presented. But the star of this dish were the capers! Now, again, I have never had capers (or if i have, i don't remember them) but I realized that I love the little things (even if they do look like rabbit turds). The acidic bite of the capers was perfectly paired with the richness of the avocado and the goat cheese. Definately the star of the dish!!
Dad: A "Dragon Roll" With Tuna, general sushi fixings, & avocado, rolled in a crust and fried. Served with "firecracker sauce" (basically chile+oil) and Kim Chee
My thoughs- Absolutely fabulous. I didn't get to examine this as closely as i'd have liked (one of my issues, restaraunt was a tiny bit TOO dim, but then, I scrutinize <3), but the flavors paired excellently with eachother and the crust around the nori was FABULOUS. What the crust was? I couldn't tell you. If i had to guess? Spiced Panko. The firecracker sauce gave it a fabulous edge and the KimChee was even better than I'd hoped it'd be. I'd just watched No Reservations-Korea and had been craving KimChee something fierce, yet, the last time I had kimchee I *hated it* (though I'm not entirely sure if it actually was Kimchee...Dad made it...and it might have been KimChee A-la-Dad, which the a-la-dad leaves a lot of wiggle room).
But it was nice, and LIGHT, more akin to pickled ginger than the crap dad made (sorry dad, love you but...plz don't try and make kimchee again). It was a perfect palate cleanser.
Grandpa and Steph-Mom: Fried Calimari-- Calimari bodies (no legs :( soo sad) marinated briefly in Citrus juices, then tossed in flour and Panko breading, lightly fried, served with I believe a garlic and chile aoli
My Thoughts: If you're looking for value in an appetizer, this is your dish! They presented a FABULOUS *bowl* of calimari that I nearly wished I'd gotten as an Entree (it was that good; then again, severe weakness for calimari).
The calimari was marinated in citrus, which made me automatically think CEVICHE~! (Now, I have been craving Ceviche for *months* thanks to bizarre foods and No reservations, however, finding somewhere to get it down here, not so easy.) But, they went one step further, they *fried* the citrusy calimari in a breading of flour and panko.
This was my favorite appetizer of them all, I have to say, due to the portion, and the "poppability" they were completely addictive. And the aoli was simply fabulous. Light, but creamy! and the Calimari had a nice kick to them.
Main Dishes:
Dad: A whole snapper, pan fried til crispy, with a sweetish sauce, and a side of Jasmine rice
Fish was cooked PERFECTLY. flakey, crispy. delicious. The fins were fried to perfection--nice and super crunchy (until it started "fighting back" and it stabbed me in the cheek while i chewed). I was jealous of this dish for sure. Perfect portion of rice at just the right consistency (i'm particular about my rice :B) However, I started scavenging the carcass. Dad had joked with teh waitress (who warned him that it was a WHOLE fish) upon delivery that "it was looking at him" to which i said "I'll take the head" well, I did. Now, I watch a lot of Bizarre Foods. So, really...i'm not squeamish. In fact, while watching that show there are few foods i would not try. (Whether I'd try them twice, is another story). So, me, still hungry after picking the skull clean, went for the contents of the head cavity and the eyes. Now, fish brain (or what I assumed was fish brain) tasted exactly like marrow of say, a lamb. Very rich, irony- similar to chicken liver if you haven't had marrow... Interesting texture. Kind of mealy, but creamy. Much like chopped chicken liver spread, actually. Eyes, are much like marrow too, except more like that little part of fat that accompanies it, or the little slip of fat you can find in a pork or veal chop in the crevace in the bone. Rich, creamy, fatty. Very good, actually. The only thing I found iffy was since the fish was fried, there was a kind of crunchiness that I could have done without, but otherwise, it was very cool. Dad has dared me to try something *larger*, claming fish eyes are too small to count as eyeballs. I told him to find me some.
Me: Seared Ahi tuna with a soy-wasabi butter sauce
To be perfectly honest, I was mildly dissapointed with this dish. As some of you may recall, I recently made an Ahi Tuna dish of my own. I'm almost serious when I say I liked mine better. Now, I only really mean that about the sauce. Their tuna was far superior to mine (melt in your mouth amazing, which was what made it worth it). Nice crust, seared perfectly. Presentation was simple, and clean, with a pile of shredded veggies and a PILE of pickled ginger (how did they know I love pickled ginger so much? *bats eyelashes*) But, the sauce... was...bland. Really bland. Like? Really? wasabi? barely.
It was nice to taste the fish, definately, but i would have loved something BIGGER in the sauce.
Also important to note: if you're a light eater, the salad and the tuna was a fine portion. if you were hungry like me...and can afford it...go for a full entree. I hate to say it but I will be hungry again soon, and normal food will be pale in comparison
Grandpa- some sort of Shrimp with a goat cheese Polenta
My thougts- didn't get to try it, :( but, I really wanted to try the goat cheese polenta and will try and beg Dad (or moreso mom, who dislikes goat cheese) to make some.
and Steph-Mom: appetizer platter.
my thoughts? Don't know don't care. Was very token. Some tortellini dish, spring rolls, ribs, and a slice of dragon roll.
Overall, this was an incredibly fabulous dinner
Pros: Fabulous Service, Fabulous Location & Ambiance, A+ presentation, A++ food. Very inventive combinations, and I can assure you that deciding on the menu (though it's rather conscise) was dificult.
Cons: Could be a tad bit brighter in the dining area, and Price. I understand that fab food usually doesn't come cheap, and I will say that this dinner was worth every penny, however, it's sad that to get GOOD, unique food in Florida it takes that kind of price-tag.
And yes, I know that it can be argued that there's more options for less, etc, however, this wa the first meal in quite some time that *moved* me.
i blame the goat cheese :B
I am glad to say that this dinner saved spring break from being a complete disaster. Thank you Roy's.
So, We went to a place called Roy's. It's fancy and an upper-class restaurant with under 10 sister locations.
It was Hawaiian Fusion. And, though pricey, was well worth it.
I had to resist ordering a Manhattan and settled for a glass of wine. But I know for certain that a manhattan would fuck the shit out of my blood-sugar. (and I didn't want to pair an unknown alcohol combinations with new foods. I also would like to mention that firefox's dictionary does not recognize the plural form of Combination).
So, we have our wine, make our choices.
Now, we all shared but I'll go around the table.
Appetizers:
Me: A Hawaiian inspired Caesar Salad, with Avocado, capers, a dressing, romaine lettuce, a slice of Panchetta and a goat cheese croquette.
my thoughts: Wonderful contrast in this dish. the dressing was rather bland (however, I was eating this at the same time as the Dragon roll, so I have a feeling my tastebuds were comprimised by a glob of Firecracker sauce. Sometimes, I am my mother's daughter.) But, the blandness (imho) of this dressing allowed the individual elements of the salad to come together. The avocado paired wonderfully with the Panchetta and my goodness. Now, Please understand, I may be exposed to lots of ethnic food as a whole, I am missing general areas in things. I had never had a Croquette before. Now, understand also, that I have a huge weakness for goat cheese, so a goat cheese croquette? Damn near divine to me. :) This salad was wonderfully organized and presented. But the star of this dish were the capers! Now, again, I have never had capers (or if i have, i don't remember them) but I realized that I love the little things (even if they do look like rabbit turds). The acidic bite of the capers was perfectly paired with the richness of the avocado and the goat cheese. Definately the star of the dish!!
Dad: A "Dragon Roll" With Tuna, general sushi fixings, & avocado, rolled in a crust and fried. Served with "firecracker sauce" (basically chile+oil) and Kim Chee
My thoughs- Absolutely fabulous. I didn't get to examine this as closely as i'd have liked (one of my issues, restaraunt was a tiny bit TOO dim, but then, I scrutinize <3), but the flavors paired excellently with eachother and the crust around the nori was FABULOUS. What the crust was? I couldn't tell you. If i had to guess? Spiced Panko. The firecracker sauce gave it a fabulous edge and the KimChee was even better than I'd hoped it'd be. I'd just watched No Reservations-Korea and had been craving KimChee something fierce, yet, the last time I had kimchee I *hated it* (though I'm not entirely sure if it actually was Kimchee...Dad made it...and it might have been KimChee A-la-Dad, which the a-la-dad leaves a lot of wiggle room).
But it was nice, and LIGHT, more akin to pickled ginger than the crap dad made (sorry dad, love you but...plz don't try and make kimchee again). It was a perfect palate cleanser.
Grandpa and Steph-Mom: Fried Calimari-- Calimari bodies (no legs :( soo sad) marinated briefly in Citrus juices, then tossed in flour and Panko breading, lightly fried, served with I believe a garlic and chile aoli
My Thoughts: If you're looking for value in an appetizer, this is your dish! They presented a FABULOUS *bowl* of calimari that I nearly wished I'd gotten as an Entree (it was that good; then again, severe weakness for calimari).
The calimari was marinated in citrus, which made me automatically think CEVICHE~! (Now, I have been craving Ceviche for *months* thanks to bizarre foods and No reservations, however, finding somewhere to get it down here, not so easy.) But, they went one step further, they *fried* the citrusy calimari in a breading of flour and panko.
This was my favorite appetizer of them all, I have to say, due to the portion, and the "poppability" they were completely addictive. And the aoli was simply fabulous. Light, but creamy! and the Calimari had a nice kick to them.
Main Dishes:
Dad: A whole snapper, pan fried til crispy, with a sweetish sauce, and a side of Jasmine rice
Fish was cooked PERFECTLY. flakey, crispy. delicious. The fins were fried to perfection--nice and super crunchy (until it started "fighting back" and it stabbed me in the cheek while i chewed). I was jealous of this dish for sure. Perfect portion of rice at just the right consistency (i'm particular about my rice :B) However, I started scavenging the carcass. Dad had joked with teh waitress (who warned him that it was a WHOLE fish) upon delivery that "it was looking at him" to which i said "I'll take the head" well, I did. Now, I watch a lot of Bizarre Foods. So, really...i'm not squeamish. In fact, while watching that show there are few foods i would not try. (Whether I'd try them twice, is another story). So, me, still hungry after picking the skull clean, went for the contents of the head cavity and the eyes. Now, fish brain (or what I assumed was fish brain) tasted exactly like marrow of say, a lamb. Very rich, irony- similar to chicken liver if you haven't had marrow... Interesting texture. Kind of mealy, but creamy. Much like chopped chicken liver spread, actually. Eyes, are much like marrow too, except more like that little part of fat that accompanies it, or the little slip of fat you can find in a pork or veal chop in the crevace in the bone. Rich, creamy, fatty. Very good, actually. The only thing I found iffy was since the fish was fried, there was a kind of crunchiness that I could have done without, but otherwise, it was very cool. Dad has dared me to try something *larger*, claming fish eyes are too small to count as eyeballs. I told him to find me some.
Me: Seared Ahi tuna with a soy-wasabi butter sauce
To be perfectly honest, I was mildly dissapointed with this dish. As some of you may recall, I recently made an Ahi Tuna dish of my own. I'm almost serious when I say I liked mine better. Now, I only really mean that about the sauce. Their tuna was far superior to mine (melt in your mouth amazing, which was what made it worth it). Nice crust, seared perfectly. Presentation was simple, and clean, with a pile of shredded veggies and a PILE of pickled ginger (how did they know I love pickled ginger so much? *bats eyelashes*) But, the sauce... was...bland. Really bland. Like? Really? wasabi? barely.
It was nice to taste the fish, definately, but i would have loved something BIGGER in the sauce.
Also important to note: if you're a light eater, the salad and the tuna was a fine portion. if you were hungry like me...and can afford it...go for a full entree. I hate to say it but I will be hungry again soon, and normal food will be pale in comparison
Grandpa- some sort of Shrimp with a goat cheese Polenta
My thougts- didn't get to try it, :( but, I really wanted to try the goat cheese polenta and will try and beg Dad (or moreso mom, who dislikes goat cheese) to make some.
and Steph-Mom: appetizer platter.
my thoughts? Don't know don't care. Was very token. Some tortellini dish, spring rolls, ribs, and a slice of dragon roll.
Overall, this was an incredibly fabulous dinner
Pros: Fabulous Service, Fabulous Location & Ambiance, A+ presentation, A++ food. Very inventive combinations, and I can assure you that deciding on the menu (though it's rather conscise) was dificult.
Cons: Could be a tad bit brighter in the dining area, and Price. I understand that fab food usually doesn't come cheap, and I will say that this dinner was worth every penny, however, it's sad that to get GOOD, unique food in Florida it takes that kind of price-tag.
And yes, I know that it can be argued that there's more options for less, etc, however, this wa the first meal in quite some time that *moved* me.
i blame the goat cheese :B
I am glad to say that this dinner saved spring break from being a complete disaster. Thank you Roy's.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
my fucked up little head
so, heres the dream i had last night...
i will refer to the main female character as "i", however its not me +laughs+ just to get that straight
so i am a female superhero of some sort, i can fly (and sometimes have trouble keeping on the ground) and i hook up with batman! so we and a little group are incognito at bruce wayne 's remote beach house , spying on his neighbors the smiths (not the band) and ladidadida we go say hi and we're being all sneaky but im having gravity issues while we rub elbows; so long story short i end up having batman's babies and then
it switches over and im in a giant lecture hall, and theres a still from the scene on the projector- then we have to share some sort of assignment, which i do well and get like 20/40 then the douche after me gets a 40 and like just said his name
so i protest to the prof who is the 4th american idol judge
and i get all pissy b/c she wont budge and
then apparently im watching the superhero who is no longer super talk about how shes married to ricky martin
... exactly wtf!?
so the end story is ricky martin is batman?
O_o; chyeah
back to sleep!
i will refer to the main female character as "i", however its not me +laughs+ just to get that straight
so i am a female superhero of some sort, i can fly (and sometimes have trouble keeping on the ground) and i hook up with batman! so we and a little group are incognito at bruce wayne 's remote beach house , spying on his neighbors the smiths (not the band) and ladidadida we go say hi and we're being all sneaky but im having gravity issues while we rub elbows; so long story short i end up having batman's babies and then
it switches over and im in a giant lecture hall, and theres a still from the scene on the projector- then we have to share some sort of assignment, which i do well and get like 20/40 then the douche after me gets a 40 and like just said his name
so i protest to the prof who is the 4th american idol judge
and i get all pissy b/c she wont budge and
then apparently im watching the superhero who is no longer super talk about how shes married to ricky martin
... exactly wtf!?
so the end story is ricky martin is batman?
O_o; chyeah
back to sleep!
Friday, February 27, 2009
I am two steps away from Ritual Suicide.
I say Ritual Suicide because really, ritual just adds pizazz!
My grandmother is here.
I rather dislike my grandmother.
I completely abhor company.
I completely and totally abhor idol banter.
"oh i never know what to get when I go to taco Bell" That is the dumbest statement ever. It's all the same shit.
I am going to kill myself. I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time at the beach. Sometimes I'm happy I live in Florida.
By the way, this is how I'm spending my spring break.
My grandmother is here.
I rather dislike my grandmother.
I completely abhor company.
I completely and totally abhor idol banter.
"oh i never know what to get when I go to taco Bell" That is the dumbest statement ever. It's all the same shit.
I am going to kill myself. I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time at the beach. Sometimes I'm happy I live in Florida.
By the way, this is how I'm spending my spring break.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sometimes, I can cook. Part II
"Procrastination Thai Noodle Soup"
To be honest, this is a spin off of something my dad made. It all starts with College Inn chicken stock base-- they have a flavor that's thai curry and it's fabulous. IN FACT if you're the type that hates cooking or is low on ingredients and spices, you don't need much other than the base stock. It stands well on its own.
But here's what I did.
1 carton of the College Inn Stock Thai Curry Flavor. (you could use regular chix stock (or possibly veggie stock...i dunno about veggie stock though) and just spice it up, but that's for you to experiment with)
1 cup (to taste, could mean more or less) of Coconut milk
1/4-1/2 of an onion (chopped)
Spices! (i have no idea what I used other than Tumeric and Cumin, there were definately 2 other spices i put in, but...we don't label our spices we go by smell...of course this is all to taste)
A bit of crushed red pepper flakes
A bit of water
Noodles (Ok, here was my dillema. Technically the really really thin rice noodles would be best for this dish. HOWEVER, as a diabetic I took one look at the carbs (88g per serving, which I'm sure was a monsterous serving, but still) and went for v.v.very fine pasta. The choice is yours.
-
cook your onions in a bit of oil in your soup pot. I left mine a little crunchy coz I like the bite.
Add the stock (entire carton), give a stir, add a little h20 to taste. (I find the broth to be a little too salty out of the carton, nothing a little water can't cure)
Add your spices, stir, add your coconut milk. Again to taste. if you like it less creamy, less coco-milk, more creamy more coco-milk. I went more generous on the coconut milk.
Simmer simmer over low heat.
In the meantime, cook your noodles according to the package. Or if your package like mine doesn't HAVE directions (or cooking times) WING IT.
once cooked, add your noodles and enjoy~
Perfect for a cold day. the spicy soup warms you up inside and out~!
This, is what i did instead of studying. Now I need to find out how to bring this for dinner.
Ps: would it be totally weird if i packed it in a water bottle? lol
To be honest, this is a spin off of something my dad made. It all starts with College Inn chicken stock base-- they have a flavor that's thai curry and it's fabulous. IN FACT if you're the type that hates cooking or is low on ingredients and spices, you don't need much other than the base stock. It stands well on its own.
But here's what I did.
1 carton of the College Inn Stock Thai Curry Flavor. (you could use regular chix stock (or possibly veggie stock...i dunno about veggie stock though) and just spice it up, but that's for you to experiment with)
1 cup (to taste, could mean more or less) of Coconut milk
1/4-1/2 of an onion (chopped)
Spices! (i have no idea what I used other than Tumeric and Cumin, there were definately 2 other spices i put in, but...we don't label our spices we go by smell...of course this is all to taste)
A bit of crushed red pepper flakes
A bit of water
Noodles (Ok, here was my dillema. Technically the really really thin rice noodles would be best for this dish. HOWEVER, as a diabetic I took one look at the carbs (88g per serving, which I'm sure was a monsterous serving, but still) and went for v.v.very fine pasta. The choice is yours.
-
cook your onions in a bit of oil in your soup pot. I left mine a little crunchy coz I like the bite.
Add the stock (entire carton), give a stir, add a little h20 to taste. (I find the broth to be a little too salty out of the carton, nothing a little water can't cure)
Add your spices, stir, add your coconut milk. Again to taste. if you like it less creamy, less coco-milk, more creamy more coco-milk. I went more generous on the coconut milk.
Simmer simmer over low heat.
In the meantime, cook your noodles according to the package. Or if your package like mine doesn't HAVE directions (or cooking times) WING IT.
once cooked, add your noodles and enjoy~
Perfect for a cold day. the spicy soup warms you up inside and out~!
This, is what i did instead of studying. Now I need to find out how to bring this for dinner.
Ps: would it be totally weird if i packed it in a water bottle? lol
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sometimes, I can cook.
Menu Tonight:
Samurai Magic Tuna
Publix California Rolls.
Samurai Magic Tuna (named because I wasn't sure how to cook tuna at first, and asked Stephanie a question about "treatment" just to make sure that they didn't put anything special on it to make it raw-edible...Samurai Magic.)
Started with a Yellowfin Tuna Steak.
Dipping Sauce/Marinade:
Measurements all by ear and by taste. but will be approximated.
Wasabi mustard (in with the condiments, however wasabi paste would have been preferred.) (aprx 1.5 tbsb)
Soy Sauce (2 tsp?)
Rice Wine Vinegar (a small splash)
Sesame Oil (1/2 tsp, maybe a bit more)
Chopped up some Pickled Ginger (from a jar) as fine as i could and added a splash of the pickling liquid.
mix. Should be a nice consistency, not too thick not too thin. Runny is bad. If you want to know how to thicken it....don't ask me coz i have no idea.
Take your tuna and coat all sides with anywhere from 1/4--1/2 of the sauce.
Take it out to the grill....stove...wherever.
PREHEAT the pan on Med-high that has been coated w. sesame oil. Put down the tuna steak and sear 1 minute each side. then Wa-La
Slice the tuna, plate it, drizzle with sauce, garnish w/ a little pickled ginger and put the rest of your sauce in a bowl.
WHEE.
I can haz skillz.
And btw yes I'm proud because I cannot cook 90 percent of the time.
*heart*
Samurai Magic Tuna
Publix California Rolls.
Samurai Magic Tuna (named because I wasn't sure how to cook tuna at first, and asked Stephanie a question about "treatment" just to make sure that they didn't put anything special on it to make it raw-edible...Samurai Magic.)
Started with a Yellowfin Tuna Steak.
Dipping Sauce/Marinade:
Measurements all by ear and by taste. but will be approximated.
Wasabi mustard (in with the condiments, however wasabi paste would have been preferred.) (aprx 1.5 tbsb)
Soy Sauce (2 tsp?)
Rice Wine Vinegar (a small splash)
Sesame Oil (1/2 tsp, maybe a bit more)
Chopped up some Pickled Ginger (from a jar) as fine as i could and added a splash of the pickling liquid.
mix. Should be a nice consistency, not too thick not too thin. Runny is bad. If you want to know how to thicken it....don't ask me coz i have no idea.
Take your tuna and coat all sides with anywhere from 1/4--1/2 of the sauce.
Take it out to the grill....stove...wherever.
PREHEAT the pan on Med-high that has been coated w. sesame oil. Put down the tuna steak and sear 1 minute each side. then Wa-La
Slice the tuna, plate it, drizzle with sauce, garnish w/ a little pickled ginger and put the rest of your sauce in a bowl.
WHEE.
I can haz skillz.
And btw yes I'm proud because I cannot cook 90 percent of the time.
*heart*
Sunday, February 15, 2009
New Ink
So, apparently I have started a tradition. Valentines means tattoos. I am cool with this tradition.I went with a friend to get her tattoo. I for some reason thought I could resist.
I was just supposed to be babysitting the munchkin. And then I saw it on the wall flash.
It's perfect. I'm glad I rethought the location. It's so perfect. It means "Life & Death".
On the bad part, I think mom is pissed at me because yes, I lack fundage, but...come on. 100 bucks, lasts forever. that's the best value you can get! :P
Dad was actually not grumbly, which was...odd.
I think mom and dad switched bodies. lol.
Procedure wise? Not bad at all. Outline was kinda owie (but i also have some freckles up there...so...ow) but fill in was amazing. I was so high on endorphins by that point that I was just ...squee-able.
Post-procedure pain? Something I never noticed because of the location of my other tats...It's *just* like a day old sunburn, with th
at stiff, stingy, feeling. So v. cool :) I even slept on it last night and was fine.Cool, huh? This is what I got last year--> This year was a much better experience since I was at *my* tattoo artist, not getting butchered by some apprentice.
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