Cookbook Review: The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches

Another cute and interesting cookbook from Quirk Books. At first glance I thought "oh great - a sandwich cookbook. I can put anything between two slices of bread and call it a sandwich." But alas, the cynical voice inside my head was quickly brought to heel. And that was just because I read the introduction! Side note - I always read the introduction in a cookbook. It gives you insight you might not necessarily gleam (especially if the cookbook isn't organized properly). Susan Russo obviously loves sandwiches - but not just their construction, their history as well. Right away she tells you how this book is going to be different from the others you've seen - this will be the sandwich book to rule all other sandwich books.

What I found most fascinating about this book was that along with every recipe, the author gave us something juicy to read as well. From discussing the origins of the sandwich in question, or talking about the regional influences that helped bring about something as fascinatingly foreign to Americans as the Chip Butty (I'm not going to deny that I've secretly been craving the Chip Butty since I read about it...page 92 - bread, butter, and hot french fries - is that enough to get your mouth watering?), the book is filled with fascinating information about sandwiches. And why are you reading a cookbook about sandwiches if you don't desperately want to know more about them?

The recipes are to the point - it's hard to screw up a sandwich (I say that, and then watch me try to make the 1950's inspired Sandwich Loaf that resembles a layer cake in sandwich form). They're also approachable, and entertaining. This book delivers on it's promise - the sandwich is "among the most democratic of foods. They're perfect day or night." I can easily remember a time when I've had a sandwich for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not all in the same day, of course). And if you don't want to make a sandwich after flipping through this book, I'll be greatly surprised. Not just because of the read, and the recipes - but because of the drool-inspiring photos of each and every sandwich described in the book (photography by Matt Armendariz). The cookbook in all is lots of fun, and even inspirational - it's time I finally learned to make my own Oyster Po'Boy at home instead of waiting for those rare moments when I see it on a menu somewhere!

Monday, December 5 - Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition

Talk about a reason to celebrate!! Prohibition was certainly an interesting point in this country's history. keith and I recently watched Ken Burn's documentary "Prohibition" - well worth it. It's amazing how similar things are politically to how they were at the time of Prohibition. The issues have changed, but the actions, reactions, and ignorance is still pretty much the same. But I digress...prohibition.

What an interesting concept - to place all of the evils of humanity on alcohol. In my humble opinion, the only reason things are (typically) used in excess is often because they are taboo or illegal, at least in this country. By making alcohol out to be this great sin, it ends up being glamorized and misused (much like other taboo topics...sex, marijuana...but again, I digress). Our country has one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the world - and I can only believe it's mostly due to the fact that it is so restricted. Think back, wasn't that first sip of beer exotic and exciting because you were "too young" for it? Remember those college parties where you first had some box wine - you felt like so much more of an adult because you weren't supposed to be drinking it. And think back to that glorious age: 21! At that point you could already vote, die for your country, and drive...FINALLY you're now allowed to order a glass of wine with dinner!!

So all that being said...I suggest we all raise a glass on Monday to the anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. A cute little article in Huffington Post (IMBIBE: 5 Ways to Toast Repeal Day) suggested five old-school cocktails that could help you celebrate, including the El Presidente, the Boulevardier and the Fallen Angel. So drink up - if you're of government determined age, that is.

Capers

For years I've bought capers in glass jars that are floating in a brine solution. For years I've read and listened to people like Mario Batali (not in person...on his shows...seriously I WISH I knew Mario Batali) tell me that I should buy salt-packed capers, because the taste is amazingly fresher. Well I finally did as I was told. I found a jar of salt-packed capers. They require a tiny bit more prep than the brine-soaked ones. At least 10 minutes before you need them you simply need to shake out your desired amount into a small bowl, and then soak them in water for 10 minutes or so. Drain them, and they're ready to go. All the salt melts away and doesn't impact the flavor. And speaking of flavor - so much more true and sharp. The brine-soaked capers often just taste like the brine they come in. So if you are wondering about capers, go for the salt-packed. It will make all the difference in the world!

Sunchokes

I love it when I see sunchokes in the store - they aren't available often, so when they are I grab a bag full! Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes, are the tuber of a type of sunflower. Amazingly I recently discovered that nearly 90% of all sunchokes in Germany go towards the production of a liquor called Topinambur. I must find Topinambur.

Sunchokes are beautifully ugly on the outside, and can be prepared in any traditional recipe calling for root vegetables. I would guess they make a great mash! They have a slightly nutty flavor that is really quite pleasing. Often I've roasted them, but this time I tried something different.

I peeled the sunchokes - I would think the skin is fine to eat if you scrub them clean. However I was going for a visual so I peeled them and sliced them. And like potatoes or artichokes, they will begin to "rust" when exposed to the air for a short time. In order to stop that, simply placed the peeled sunchokes in some acidulated water - in this case I had a bowl with 2-3 cups of cold water and I squeezed 1/2 a lemon into the bowl. Drop the sunchokes in the water and leave them there until you're ready to use them.

I decided to pan fry the sunchokes in some brown butter. 4 Tbl butter, heated over medium heat until it begins to take on a golden color - don't let it get too brown at first, since you still need to cook the sunchokes. Drop the strained sunchokes into the pan and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, or until they get tender.

I thought the finished sunchokes in brown butter looked a lot like water chestnuts. :) But they were delicious - I pulled them off the heat when they were still just a tiny bit firm in the middle - the texture is delicious. So here's to sunchokes!

Thanksgiving update

The theme has been selected: Stuffed. Sounds simple, right? Here's the idea - I bought a Turducken and went from there (I've never made or eaten one before, so I'm pretty excited). A turducken is a de-boned chicken stuffed inside a de-boned duck stuffed inside a de-boned turkey. CRAZY! A FREAK OF NATURE!! :)

So with that in mind, my plans now include apple stuffed yams (or sweet potatoes...not quite sure yet); and stuffing balls "stuffed" with a center of cranberries and chestnuts. I'm working on a cocktail idea as well. Possibly something savory (cucumber or rosemary vodka) "stuffed" with a small fruit jello-shot (cranberry? apple? - floating in the middle of the drink).

Okay, I feel so much better now that I have a theme and a plan. So now, who wants to join us for my Stuffed Thanksgiving Dinner?

Food on Flickr

Here's a breakdown of food photography on Flickr - not surprising which "category" of food is represented the most:

Desserts 18.3%
Vegetables 17.8%
Poultry 13%
Meat 10.7%
Bread 8.8%
Drinks 7.8%
Dairy 7.1%
Pasta 7.1%
Other 9.4%

Thanksgiving...it's nearly here!

I've been overwhelmed with the new job. I know, it's no excuse. But I'm worried - typically by this time I've settled on a menu for Thanksgiving, tested some of the new recipes, and generated an excel spreadsheet of the day in order to make sure everything comes out all at once. NONE of that has happened so far this year and I only have one week to go!

So here are some initial thoughts:
Duck...maybe a goose?
sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping (old school - for keith)
some sort of leek soup...or maybe pumpkin?

What is everyone else having for Thanksgiving? Traditional? Non-traditional? HELP! :)

holiday spices

It's that time of the year again. Time to buy what I like to call the "holiday spices." And no matter how many times I heard Jamie Oliver say I should always buy whole nutmeg, for some reason I never have. Until this year. And can I just say...wow. The flavor is so much more intense and robust when you grate your own nutmeg. Definitely worth the effort. Go buy some whole nutmeg and grate it yourself. Just onto the cutting board. Then smell it. Now taste it. Are you as giddy as I am?

Roasted Chicken

There is something so comforting about a whole roasted chicken. I read once that there are a few simple things to prepare that can tell you if someone is a good cook: eggs (either just a simple fried egg, or an omelet), and a roasted chicken. They're simple, but they're also very easy to get wrong.

Typically when I roast a chicken there are a few things I almost always do. I never let the bird sit directly in the pan - first, because a lot of fat drips out and I don't want it sitting in it; second, because I don't want any part of the bird to cook faster than another. So I always use a natural lift - sometimes celery, or lots of whole garlic. This time I used whole carrots and quarters of an onion. If you end up using the drippings in the pan to make a sauce, these also add great flavor to the sauce. And they do serve as aromatics, adding some flavor to the bird.

Inside the chicken - I always stuff it with aromatics. Often herbs are used, but this time I halved a couple of shallots and threw in some whole garlic cloves (skin and all, you don't eat it so don't go through the trouble of peeling it). Apples work great, or onions and thyme. Anything you like that will add moisture and flavor to the bird. I've only ever used a stuffing inside a bird once - generally I don't do it (turkeys, ducks, etc.) because the bread of a stuffing helps dry out the bird. Plus if it isn't cooked exactly right, you run the risk of contaminated stuffing. I did it once, like I said, inside some ducks. It was a prune & apple stuffing - sounds odd, but it was outstanding. And lots of it - it was for Thanksgiving a few years back and with six people I had 3 ducks going at once!

When you're roasting a chicken, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Simple is great. Most times I just rub in some olive oil all over the bird and then sprinkle with salt & pepper. This time I used a savory butter (thyme, salt & pepper) which I not only spread generously all around the bird, but I pushed up under the skin of the breast and legs. Always remember to prep the bird - this one was an amazingly fresh bird from a local farm, so I had to even remove a few lingering feathers. I always pull the wing tips back under the bird to keep them from burning. And I also always truss the legs - simple tie to close the legs over the opening of the cavity. This just helps ensure the legs cook evenly and not too quickly.

Obviously cooking time depends on the size of the bird. However I always start with a HOT oven - often 500 degrees. I get it pre-heated, throw the bird in, and immediately drop the temperature to 350. This helps get a sear on the skin of the bird, and aids in browning and crispiness. Mine cooked for about an hour. If it starts to get too brown, simply pull it out and cover the breast with some aluminum foil.

Doneness - I always recommend a meat thermometer. But sometimes you just don't have one handy, so a good rule of thumb is to pierce the bird in a meaty place (breast is good for this - deep pierce), if the liquid that runs out is clear and/or yellow with NO pink or red in it, then the bird is likely done.

I'm still working on my carving skills. I did pretty good this time, except for the second leg. I ended up yanking off all of the meat and leaving the leg intact on the carcass. Oh well, that was keith's plate. :)

Celery Root

So ugly, so delicious. Try boiling & mashing it like a potato. Or mix half potato and half celery root in your next mash. Or simply cut it up and roast it alongside some other root vegetables for a great fall side dish.

Voodoo Doughnuts

We finally made our way to Voodoo Doughnut yesterday - it's a Portland staple, and a must-try when in the city. I'd seen them profiled on many different food programs, so was excited to finally get in line and sample the wares myself - despite the fact that I'm not a HUGE sugary-sweet eater. keith, on the other hand nearly pouted when I told him he could only get 2 doughnuts. :)

The vibe of the place is great, and the options are insane. keith - worried that he wouldn't be able to make a decision - looked up the menu on his iPhone before the line let us into the store. He wanted to be prepared. Yet when he saw the doughnut covered in Captain Crunch cereal, he nearly crumbled under the pressure of the decision!! We each got 2 doughnuts - a suitable lunch, right? With pink box in hand, we went out into the sunshine to enjoy.

My first pick was the Voodoo Doll - loved it! Let alone the quirkiness of the design, it's quite a tasty doughnut. And when you get down to the raspberry jam, you can't help but smile as you're devouring the little person.

I then moved on to the Bacon Maple Bar - this was the reason I wanted to come to Voodoo Doughnuts. Come on, bacon on a pastry? Sign me up!! It tasted like breakfast! And while I couldn't eat the whole thing, I still enjoyed it!

keith started with the Old Dirty Bastard - oreo cookies, peanut butter and chocolate frosting. I don't think it was sweet enough for him. :) Just watching him eat it made me cringe!

And then he moved on to the Portland Cream - a basic but delicious cream filled donut.

Seriously check them out if you're in town. And if you come visit us, we'll take you. It's worth the wait in line.

Facing My Shame

I nearly didn't mention this on the blog. But then decided it needed to be shared. 

I had a craving. Odd one since we never eat "fast food" from chains like this. Never!

But I had a craving. And a coupon. Drat. 

Craving + Hunger + Coupon = Burger King

Lord help me, I enjoyed it.

Be strong. Don't make a habit out of it. 

:)

When I was 17 I worked at a Burger King with Lori (the other half of The Wonder Twins). So every now and then that craving just hits and I can't ignore it. Although it usually only hits when we're making long road trips and it's also a very convenient thing to stop and eat.

Green Curry with Chicken

While shopping at New Seasons, I happened across a selection of curry pastes from a local company here in Oregon. I've never tried to make a curry on my own, so this seemed like a good way to make the first attempt. The paste simply needs to be added to some coconut milk - I can do that! And I have tried in vain for years to find a suitable green curry that can compare to the one at The Elephant in NYC (sadly no longer around). This ended up being one of the closest recipes yet! Isn't it funny how we can have such sense-memory, especially with food?

So in order to make this as close to the recipe I hold as the standard for green curries, I added the same ingredients - peeled potatoes, chunky carrots and chicken. Unfortunately I only had chicken breasts, and the recipe I fell in love with was always served with dark meat cuts of chicken. Still, I plodded onwards.

Final touches to make this just right - long grain white rice piled perfectly in the center of the plate (slightly sticky rice and a lightly oiled bowl made this easy); chopped peanuts; and some lime wedges. All that was missing was a sliced banana, but I didn't have one handy.

The curry was quite delicious, albeit WAY too spicy for keith. Stubbornly he ate a bunch of it and paid for it the next day...no details required. All in all I'm glad I bought the paste in a jar - it worked out quite well! And next time I'll just make enough for one serving. :)

Grilled Whole Trout

I nearly fell over when I saw the gorgeous trout in the seafood department of New Seasons. I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to find any whole fish anywhere - and then I'd have to learn to fish and then learn to gut & clean the fish...and that was beginning to seem like way too much effort. So I stumbled upon these beauties and snagged four of them for dinner. 

This is one of my favorite ways to cook fish, and I haven't done it in years (lack of a grill, you understand). I made some sticky Jasmine rice with fried shallots & garlic to go with the fish. And as we sat down to eat, I had to give a little whole fish eating lesson to keith - remove the skin from the side that's up. Pull of the flaky white flesh, leaving the tiny little bones still attached to the spine. Flip the fish over and do the same to the other side. So much fun! It brought back such a wonderful memory of my first whole fish experience. I was 25 or so (granted, I'd fished - I'd had fish many times - but I'd never been served a whole fish at the table before this moment), and in Venice, Italy with my then-boyfriend Mark. We wandered into this tiny little restaurant that was completely off the beaten path (in other words, we were the only Americans and that was lovely). It was late afternoon and a little chill was in the air, so we stopped for a carafe of the house red wine. We sat and sipped wine, talking about the day and laughing with the bubble blonde woman who ran the place (likely the owner as well). At one point a man walked in with a basket and handed her a pile of fish - fresh caught from the sea. On top was a gorgeous monkfish. I pointed to it and said "prego?" - she giggled and nodded her head. 30 minutes or so later (and well into our second carafe) she brought it out to the table. She had steamed the fish and it was sitting on a bed of greens. She sat it down and had a big smile on her face. Mark cut the fish open and pulled out the spine and I was in heaven. All in all we sat at that restaurant for probably 4 hours eating and drinking. Lovely memory - delicious fish!

Grilled Whole Trout

1 -2 whole Trout per person, cleaned with heads on (preferably)

2 sprigs rosemary per piece of fish

2 lemon slices per piece of fish

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

**special tool: fish basket for grill

Salt and pepper the interior of the fish, then stuff in the rosemary and the lemon slices. Rub some olive oil over the skin of the fish on both sides and arrange them snugly in the grill basket. I also like to sprinkle a little salt over the skin as well. Place the basket on the grill, and cook for 6 - 8 minutes on each side (this really depends on how thick the fish is, keep a close eye - it will stay moist even if you overcook it slightly, so don't worry too much).

Dried Arbol Chiles

I love these. Truly. I like keeping a bowl of them in the kitchen and adding them as needed to give a little kick to dishes. And if you're truly daring, crumble one over top of your finished pasta dish for a spicy finish. I totally got this idea from watching Mario Batali - he always has dried chiles available when he's cooking, instead of red pepper flakes. Love it!

Pacific Oysters

Yesterday at the market I saw these AMAZINGLY HUGE oysters - they were fresh and local, so I couldn't resist. I asked for 8, and the lovely woman behind the counter said "okay, but you'll have to give me a minute to get them." She had to go in the back to get them - they could only fit 4 at a time in the ice display, I kid you they were huge. She gave me to big bags, each had 4 oysters. Every one of them was at least the entire size of one of my hands - a couple were even bigger. I was in oyster heaven! As I was taking the bags the woman behind the counter said "these are great on the grill." I paused and thought "really?" But so as not to appear like she had some knowledge that I didn't, I simply said "yep! Can't wait!" On the grill?? Really?? I was intrigued!

I still wanted to open one up and eat it raw. Come on, it's freakin' huge. So I scrubbed them clean, and keith stood eagerly nearby while I shucked two - one for each of us. That slimy little fucker was massive. Not ideal for raw consumption, just too big. But we did it anyway. I threw on a little red wine vinegar and a couple of dashes of hot sauce and down it went. VERY briny and of the sea, almost a little too much. But still, great intensity of flavor. So the decision was made - the rest would be grilled. I looked up a few recipes and just decided to go simple. 8 - 10 minutes on a HOT grill, covered, until they start to pop open. Then shuck them as necessary (I still had to fight a couple of them), add a small pad of butter to each, and for me also a few dashes of hot sauce.

The grilling was awesome - not for the oysters, but for me. They were steaming/boiling in their own shells. Poor guys. Oh well, they tasted great! I'm higher on the food chain, so whatever. :) I ripped off the top shell of each and severed the muscle attaching each oyster to the shell. The shells stayed hot pretty long, so the butter melted easily. I also added just a dash of garlic salt to each because I felt the need. They were great - still very briny, but deliciously so. A great appetizer, if I do say so myself!

What I've been eating while staying in hotels...and the reason I need a kitchen. FAST!

Yes the food is delicious. But dear god I cannot wait until I have a kitchen. It's so hard to eat out 3 meals a day AND find healthy options. That being said, I love me some comfort food. :)

A lunch: as we were wandering around looking for furniture options, we decided to get a burger. We've seen Five Guys Burgers around and thought, hey - let's pop in there. Seriously good cheeseburger, my friends! They have a great philosophy of all fresh ingredients - they don't even have freezers. The meat is delivered every day, and the potatoes are in huge sacks in the dining area (and there's even a chalkboard to tell you where the potatoes from - not just the state, but the FARM). Great atmosphere and seriously good food. I ordered my burger & fries, and keith did the same. The lovely girl at the register said "are you sure you each want fries? They generally can serve 2 people." Now I don't like to be challenged - even when somewhere inside of me I know the person "challenging" me has more information and is likely just trying to help. Yet my immediate response was "no, I want my own." Glutton. :) So the food arrives (or rather the energetic guy behind the counter yells "Guest Number 18" over the noise and keith retrieved our food) - and when you're unsure about what protocol is proper in a new place, just look around. Everyone had pulled their hamburgers out from the brown paper sacks, and then ripped open the sack to devour the fries inside. I did the same. Delicious. Fattening. Delicious.

A dinner: we are staying in between no-where and no-place right now (best option for dog friendly hotels on a budget). We've driven past Buster's Texas Style Barbecue plenty of times in the last few days, so I thought we'd give it a try. Tonight is the big night - the last HARRY POTTER movie at midnight, so we needed something to fortify ourselves for the amazing, magical and heart-wrenching journey we're about to take (I know, I know...I can't help myself). The restaurant is set up cafeteria-style, which is actually a lot of fun. I got baby back ribs & chicken with mashed potatoes, bbq beans and a beer. Probably 4 days worth of calories in one meal. But yummy in my tummy indeed! There's a "fixin's" bar with all kinds of things you can add on (including making your own salad for free) - and there are tubs of their homemade bbq sauce. I opted for mild, keith went with sweet. Probably a combination of the two would have been even better. Very nice food - don't forget the wet-nap at the fixin's bar. And I can also definitely say one more thing - food service guys in Oregon are damn hot. :)

the hotel "kitchen"

Finally I could stand it no longer - despite the meager kitchen set-up, I raided Safeway for some fresh produce. I was craving fresh food - but more specifically food that had only been touched/handled/prepared by ME (another control issue, but I prefer knowing everything that is in my food at times). This was the best I could do given the situation - the shallow & small dishes forced me to cook vegetables & chicken separately. I had to buy pre-crushed black pepper (GASP)! :) Thankfully the meal turned out great, and was exactly what I needed. Nothing too special, just a BUNCH of vegetables* sauteed in some olive oil, salt & pepper - the chicken I cooked in a little garlic-infused olive oil. Then I just piled everything together on a plate!

*I went visual with the vegetables - some bright peppers, a big carrot, some baby bok choy. But my favorite addition was the Walla Walla sweet onion. Where I grew up, we had Vidalia sweet onions. That's very typical in the east (they're brought in from the Vidalia region down south). But out west we have the Walla Walla sweet, from Walla Walla, Washington. Delicious! I would be hard pressed to say which is better, but I do love the Walla Walla!

Cocktails are a necessity

We've been in hotel limbo for weeks now, and it's truly starting to get to me. I've gained weight because I can't cook for myself (and I have limited will power when I go out to eat). I haven't exercised (have you SEEN some of the hotel exercise facilities), and I'm seriously going crazy without my own kitchen. We move in on Saturday, so hopefully I'll be able to gain some sanity again (not to mention the 24 hour work out facility AND the pool...those will help tremendously!). So how have we been surviving thus far? Simple:

Cocktails, and more cocktails. :) Over the weekend we met a new friend (previously a digital/email friend), Kevin. We had some fantastic Gin & Tonics - the gin is from a local distillery and I may need to get that info from Kevin again. I haven't had a good gin & tonic in a while, and I want some more. After drinks, I took keith to a steakhouse for dinner (sorry Kevin, I know you're a vegetarian and it felt kind of wrong going from you to steak...but I go where my stomach demands). The food was great, but more to the point it was my first Scotch since St. Louis (and the incomparable Holly!). So I enjoyed my scotch & soda while keith imbibed on a cucumber martini. Delicious!

Holly - Niche - St. Louis - cigars & scotch

The first leg of our journey west was nothing all that special (I'm talking food here - obviously seeing our families was a highlight!). And then we arrived in St. Louis, MO. Having emailed back and forth with Holly for months, we decided it was the ideal opportunity for us all to meet and for her to show off her city! Side note about Holly - we met because of the blogs. She and I have had some fantastic and lengthy email exchanges, and covered a ton of various topics. However it always comes back to food. So I knew she would take us somewhere amazing. She showed up at the hotel with gift bags (for ALL - including Max), filled with local goodies (and in true Holly fashion, the gift bags were specialized - mine was much more savory, keith's was deliciously sweet).

We started with a quick walk over to Union Station for some Grey Goose martinis (with olives, mine dirty) before heading to dinner. Holly had mentioned the restaurant Niche, and I was sold from her description. She had been wanting to give it a try, and this was a perfect opportunity to share our love of great food. The restaurant had a great feeling as soon as we walked in - the atmosphere was inviting and relaxed. After ooo-ing and aah-ing over the menu for a few minutes, we decided that - as a table - we could not resist the Chef's Tasting Menu.

First course: Maple Custard. The custard was gently piled into the bottom of an egg shell. There were delicious morsels of roasted mushrooms on top, and the entire thing was topped with a generous pile of bonito caviar. Fantastic explosions of flavor throughout this tiny little dish. From the salty pop of the caviar to the creamy sweetness of the custard - these were definitely flavors I would never have been brave enough to put together on my own. Which is why I love experiencing the creativity of an excellent chef.

Second course: Lobster. The lobster was cooked perfectly, and all of the components of the dish meshed fantastically. However I have to give total props to the brown butter hollandaise. It was creamy and delicious and gave you the butter flavor you wanted for the lobster as well as the creamy texture that complimented the dish as a whole.

Third course: Pig Head Fagottini. This was one of the dishes that made us really excited about the menu - I was sold when the waitress said it was actually pig jowl meat. YES - bring it on! And I should say at this point that Holly and I have some fun things in common - one of which is how vocal we are when we eat. Not necessarily talking - but non-verbal appreciation of the food we're enjoying. Lots of moaning and sighing. Amazing food is definitely orally orgasmic. :) Back to the pig jowl - unfortunately it was the weakest part of the meal. The strawberry juice was hard to find in the flavor of the dish, and the meat was certainly not the star. The big flavor of the dish was the pasta cups - and unfortunately pasta just isn't a strong enough flavor to carry a dish. Instead it just created a bit of a bland note. However by the third bite I was tasting more of the components, and perhaps that was the chef's plan.

Fourth course: Sorbet. The sorbet was lemon & basil and was one of the most fantastic things I've put in my mouth in a while. Cold, tangy, herbacious and amazingly fragrant. The basil flavor was wonderfully strong and delicious, and the sorbet did exactly what it was supposed to do - it cleansed our taste buds to prepare us for what was to come.

Fifth course: Beef. This was, in my opinion, the best course of the meal. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly, and the mixture of fava beans, peas and mint was outstanding. Yet the stand out had to be the ramp hollandaise - I could have licked the plate clean (and nearly did).

Sixth course: Rhubarb Napoleon. Perfect and light ending to a gorgeous meal. The rhubarb was as it should be - tart and not too sweet. And while we did not follow the wine suggestions for the menu (we started with a bottle of Illumination - Sauvignon Blanc, and ended with a delicious Chardonnay), I don't think we needed them. This was an outstanding meal, and we got to share it with one of the most fantastic people in all of St. Louis. But the evening didn't end there!

Holly had one more surprise up her sleeve - the address of a cigar bar. SWOON! We hopped in a taxi and shuttled off to Charles P. Stanley. We piled right into the cigar room - keith and I both took suggestions and bought some cigars, while Holly went for something that could be inhaled. :) And with cigars & torch in hand, I finished the package with a glass of Macallan 12 year old scotch. We sat and talked about everything from friends to kids to relationships to sex. An amazing evening in St. Louis, all thanks to the amazing Holly. Thank you for such a fantastic evening - I can't wait to show you around my food favorites in Portland!