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« August 2008 | Main | October 2008 »
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 09:24:15
Woo pig! Cabernet!
So this is interesting. Razorback Wine Works “Hog Red” Cabernet Sauvignon has hit the shelves just in time football season. (And from what I understand from friends who pay attention to sports, just in time to drown your sorrows in a glass.)
It is a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon made in Santa Rosa, California. It’s a typical Cab from California: Oak and vanilla on the nose with earthy black fruit on the palate. But we all know, no one is buying this wine for its delicate nuances and the way it pairs with a filet mignon. I’m trying not to think of this one too far beyond the bottle. It’s obviously something that’s cute and fun and best of all, 5% of all of the revenue from the sale of this wine goes to Arkansas educational institutions. Super. It’s retailing for around $16.00.
Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 09:40:24
Taziki's opens today
Taziki’s, an upscale Greek restaurant, today brings grilled meats, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, grilled fish and many other touchstones of Greek cuisine (including the yogurt dip from which the restaurant’s name derives) to an expensively remade slot in the strip center at 8200 Cantrell Road.The first franchise outlet of a Birmingham, Ala., restaurant, it’s overseen by restaurant veteran and former state legislator Jim Keet and his sons, Tommy and Jake. Ethnic food, heart-healthy Mediterranean cooking and food to-go are all hot properties in restaurants today, so Taziki’s should be well positioned. Many will be happy, too, that it hasn’t joined the general rush to far western locations.
Fish choices will include tilapia, grouper and salmon. It will be served in sandwiches at lunch and larger portions for dinner.
The restaurant will have a choice wine and beer selection, though the permit may not be in place for Thursday’s opening (Sept. 25). Hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11-9 Friday and Saturday, and 11-3 Sunday. There’s a big deck in the back.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 13:43:48
Home alone Part II
Joel DiPippa files a second report on the pleasure of being able to dash home for lunch and put a little verve in the cooking at the same time.
I continue to try to make lunch more than just food, but something memorable. Building on my ability to quickly get home for lunch, and the fact that there was a good half pound of flat-iron steak left I went for more with gusto.
As soon as I got home, a pot of water with some Worcestershire sauce and garlic cloves went onto the stove with the green beans in a colander above to steam. Then I sliced "pocket steaks," my name for flat-iron medallions, to a nice thickness and got them on the cast-iron skillet. It took a little bit of patience, but I was rewarded.
The green beans were done and the steak was on top of them to rest. I did not waste the time. Instead, I deglazed the skillet with some vermouth (bought by the fifth for cooking purposes) and added some butter and lemon juice. Freshly minced garlic and a handful of chopped parsley went in to absorb the last bit of heat.
Plated and enjoyed for lunch.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - 08:24:37
A rave for Rolando's
A reader mentioned Rolando's in Kat Robinson's earlier tribute to McClard's BBQ. She's been and loves the "South American treasure" on Central Avenue in Hot Springs. Pictured are Rolando's goat cheese quesadillas.
Friday, September 19, 2008 - 14:28:01
Lunch for one
Cooking Joel DiPippa writes about a pleasure of life in LR that's not easily matched in most big cities -- dashing home for a home-cooked lunch.
Lunches seem to be underappreciated these days. I am fortunate enough to live a few minutes from work so I can run home for lunch. Earlier this week, I thought a nice sliced steak sandwich would be really tasty.
I set the bread to toast while I carmelized some onions. While this was working, I sliced thing strips from the flat iron steak purchased for lunch duties this week. The steak got a quick sear in a sautee pan and a dab of vermouth was added to the onions. I layered this onto the toasted bread, spread with some stone ground mustard and colby jack cheese.
Prepped and cooked in about 20 minutes, and eaten even faster!
Even with a busy life, tasty food should never be out of reach.
Tortilla flats busted
This will not stand.
I visited the Buffalo Grill in Riverdale last night to pick up the family's standing to-go order, a grilled tuna platter and the tortilla flat.
I first got a warning.
The tortilla flat has been changed. No longer do they heap cheddar cheese atop the mound of chips, chili, onions, tomato, olives, jalapenos and lettuce, then run it under a broiler for a melted cheese cap.
No. Instead, they give you a cup of cheese dip to pour over the top as you choose.
This is NOT a tortilla flats, perhaps the defining dish at Buffalo Grill, the thing that set it apart from every other restaurant in town. It is just a taco salad, or cheese dip on top of salad.
Nacho lovers will be sorry to learn the same routine applies. No more cheese-topped chips melted under a broiler. It gets the cup-of-dip treatment, too. (Nothing wrong with the Grill's dip, but it's not the same in this application.)
Explanation: The salamander, or the wall-mounted broiler in which the dishes were finished, is on its way out to make room for some new equipment. They're apparently thinking of adding fried catfish.
You can get catfish hundreds of places. Until recently, you could get the tortilla flats only at Buffalo Grill. No more. (This change is coming at the Bowman Road location, too.)
The end of family life as we knew it.
Get your barbecue on
McClard's doesn't rank quite so supremo with some bbq-heads in Arkansas anymore. The competition is tougher, for one thing.
I still say, for attention to quality across the board, it's hard to beat McClard's, even if you might like this rib joint or that sauce concoction a bit more than what's been served at McClard's forever.
Kat Robinson at Tie Dye Travels is solidly in the loves-McClard's camp.
I'm happy to report that they haven't changed the gourmand's favorite gluttony -- the spread, with tamales, beans, onions and cheese (always side this with cole slaw as a cholesterol blocker).
Rooftop dining
UPDATE: Mi Ranchito
Whole Foods opens, finally
Anybody been to Woody's?
Pig-lickin' good
The Sistine Chapel is completed
Chips ahoy
Meet Your Waiter
Pizza time
Starving Artist Cafe Reopens
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