Teela Taqueria

This past weekend Brian and I had lunch at a little Southwestern restaurant called Teela Taqueria.  We arrived around 1pm on a Saturday afternoon.  The dining room is not large and they have a patio in the back that overlooks a park.  The inside walls are filled with southwestern art to set the mood.
 
We started off with salsa and chips, which are not complimentary.  This is always a disappointment but after sampling the chips and dip I changed my feelings.  The salsa was chunky, mild and fresh tasting.  The chips were thin and crispy and dusted with a chili spice mix to add a little zing .

The menu is laid out alot like Taqueria Del Sol.......everything is al a carte.  I'm finding that this is a popular trend here in Atlanta.  I love this concept.  Filling up a plate with beans and rice is not what I really want.  This way I can opt out and dive right into the good stuff.

We both ordered a blackened fish taco.  A grouper fillet lightly blackened stuffed into your choice of flour or corn tortilla slathered with a chili aoli and topped off with mango salsa.  This was pretty tasty, although I would have preferred the fish to be blackened a bit more.

I also had the Chorizo Stuffed taco.  This was excellent.  Diced spicy chorizo filled a soft corn tortilla piled with dates, feta cheese and bacon bits.  The combination of flavors was amazing........a little spiciness from the chorizo, sweetness from the dates and saltiness from the feta and of course bacon.  Is there anything that bacon doesn't go with?  I remember buying a chocolate bar in San Francisco that had bacon bits in it.  It was unexpectedly tasty.  I've had cupcakes with bacon in it as well.  I think the salty porky taste compliments sweet tastes.

Brian also had the brisket enchiladas.  The brisket was melt in your mouth tender but the sauce was way too mild tasting for an enchilada.  Overall it was good and the service was outstanding.........that always is a deal breaker for me while eating out.  Bad service can turn the tables on a fabulously prepared meal and ruin the whole experience.

Next time I'm there I have to try the fried green tomato taco............sounds interesting.

Al Fresco Sausage Recipe Contest

With alot of free time on my hands, well not really. Looking for work can be a very tedious and full time job. I try not to spend the entire day searching the Internet and sending out resumes and go outside and enjoy this remarkable spring weather. BTW, when do the mosquitoes and humidity engulf Atlanta? Everyone keeps telling me it's coming but it's already mid May and no sign of either just yet, which is fine with me.
Anyway back to my story. Al Fresco sausage (http://www.alfrescoallnatural.com/) is sponsoring a recipe contest with the grand prize being a $1,000 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma. The recipe is judged on it's healthfulness and ease of preparation and of course including one of their products. I have been making this red lentil soup for some time now so I just tweaked it a bit to include their product and submitted it today. How nice it would be to win that prize. Who knows? It could happen.
Here is the recipe:

Sun Dried Tomato Sausage and Lentil Soup

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 12oz. package Al Fresco Sun Dried Tomato Sausage diced into 1/4" cubes
2 cups leeks diced - about 2 leeks
1 cup diced carrots - about 2 medium
1/2 cup diced celery - about 2 medium
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups red lentils
1 cup wild rice
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
pinch of saffron (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add sausage and cook about 2 minutes. Add leeks and cook until leeks begin to soften (about 2 minutes). Add carrots and celery and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally adding small amounts of water to desired consistency.

Strawberries and Shrimp

     Yesterday Brian and I decided to take a little road trip to Athens, GA, birthplace of the B-52's and REM.  Athens is a cute college town (at this time all the kids are gone for summer) with a quaint little downtown filled with Magnolia trees.  We spent the early afternoon walking the streets popping in and out of local shops.
      We had a late lunch at the East West Bistro on Broad st. downtown.  A nice and very well air conditioned restaurant with bench style booths and top notch service.  I wanted a lighter lunch so I ordered a spinach salad with crumbled bacon, tomato, white raisins and a poblano vinaigrette dressing.  That was very good.  The highlight of this salad was the pan fried, panko crusted chevre cake served with it.  I love goat cheese and this prep method is my favorite.  The cake was crunchy on the outside and a nice, warm, melt in your mouth goodness on the inside.
     As we headed back for our 65 mile drive to the city we decided to take some backroads that would lead us to the Atlanta Highway.  The same highway mentioned in the B-52's single, Love Shack......."Heading down the Atlanta Highway, looking for a love getaway".   Anyway, as we were driving we passed a huge field with a sign that said Pick your own strawberries.  We quickly made a U-turn and drove in.


Brian makes a smoothie for his breakfast every morning with strawberries and I eat them with greek yogurt, granola and blueberries.  The idea of having a breakfast in the morning with berries just picked from the vine was an opportunity not to be passed.
We were given a 2 quart bucket that we could fill up and pay $10 as we left.  This was alot of fun.  As I picked the berries  I couldn't help but eat some at the same time, as I'm sure everyone does.


We left the field with our berry stained fingers feeling quite naturalistic in an elevated mood.
The wholesomeness of actually picking your own food to consume just cannot be beat.


We had so many strawberries I made a cobbler for dessert after dinner that night.  Just knowing these berries just came off the vine hours earlier with my own hands made it taste so much better.


Before the cobbler, Brian steamed some wild caught Georgia shrimp with his signature Maryland style steaming method.  I know this is a simple process using vinegar, water and old bay seasoning but it sure makes those shrimp yummy.  He served it with steamed fresh corn on the cob and a little cucumber, tomato, basil salad on the side.  
Next month the blueberries will be ripened, so I'll be "heading down the Atlanta highway"......again.

Lemon and White Wine Chicken with capers

     Last night I made this lemon chicken.  I think I read about it in one of the numerous food magazines I subscribe to (note to self: as subscriptions end don't renew all of them) or shows I'm constantly watching on the Food Network.  It was really tasty and very easy to make.
     I seared two boneless skinless chicken breasts that I had marinated in a 2 to 1 ratio of bottled lemon juice and soy sauce for about 3 hours.  I then added the juice of 3 whole lemons and about 1/2 cup of white wine (Debra's leftover wine while she visited....thank you!).  I "braised" these chicken breasts for about 20 minutes until done adding more wine as it evaporated and threw in some capers and lemon zest and let it simmer for a few minutes and served it with steamed broccoli.  It was as good or even better than going out and ordering off a menu at a nice restaurant.  The whole process was not much more that 30-45 minutes........a great weeknight meal.



     I had a handful of these little treasures I discovered at Trader Joe's for my after dinner treat.  Bite size chocolate chip cookies made entirely from whole wheat flour.  I saw these while I was there and thought they couldn't be that good but since it fared on the healthier side for cookies.......what the hell.  I'll give it a try.   They are amazing.  The flavor just pops with a burst of vanilla and at 130 calories and 3 grams of fiber for 8 pieces it makes for a low calorie dessert.  I love Trader Joes!!

Cakes and Ales

     Cakes and Ales is a quaint but bustling little bistro type restaurant in downtown Decatur.  The menu is small and changes from day to day.  There is an oversized chalkboard raised high on the wall over the dining room of about two dozen or so tables listing the selections for the night.  Each table has a mini version chalkboard placed on each table for easier reading.
    
     We met MaryJane and Scott at their cute little bungalow in Decatur for a drink, snacks and some catch-up conversation before heading out to dinner.  They appear to be really happy and busy people with promising careers.  MaryJane is a journalist working for Bloomberg.  Scott is a PR Strategist for Turner Broadcasting.
MaryJane brought me up to date with her two sisters and I brought her up to date with my side of the family.
     Around 8:00pm we headed out to the restaurant for dinner and continued conversation.  We had a really nice time and Brian really enjoyed his time with them.  They are both really nice and very smart people.  We chatted about everything from gardening, to how everyone ended up in Atlanta, to weeknight eating habits........a very well rounded discussion.
     We started off dinner with a couple of appetizers to share.  MaryJane selected the Arancini ( little rice and mushroom balls coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried).  She handed me the menu and told me to select a couple and the pickled shrimp popped out at me but I thought that might be a little too much of a specialized taste for a group so I chose the gnocchi (excellent little potato dumplings mixed in a light sauce with ground beef and peas).  Then Scott said he wanted some of the pickled shrimp.  Yay!!  That started us down a pathway of pickled foods talk.  Come to find out, they are both fans of pickled foods and have okra growing in their garden and plan to pickle when harvested.
     Our entrees consisted of pork tenderloin, roasted chicken, trout and salmon.  As the waiter placed each entree down in front of the party that ordered the dish, we all dove in with our forks and commented how tasty our meals were.  Then one by one all plates were pushed to the center of the table so everyone could take a jab at each other's plate and taste.  Everything was really good but I especially liked the chicken that MaryJane ordered.  It was so moist and juicy.  We all commented how good it was and the conversation steered to fried chicken and which places in Atlanta stood out with the best of the fried birds.  I can't remember all those places Scott and MaryJane suggested but the one that is embedded in my mind is Chicken and Waffles.  Located in downtown Atlanta and owned by the legendary Gladys Knight.  I have put that on my growing list of places to try.

New York City

    
     We arrived in NYC late afternoon this past Sunday.  We checked into the newly opened Fashion 26 hotel at 7th Ave. and 26th St. right across from the Fashion Institute of Technology.  It's a nice modern hotel with decent size rooms for NYC.  The picture above is the view we had from our hotel window on the 20th floor.
     After Brian made some calls and did a bit of work to prepare for his following work day, we headed out to Grand Central Station to have dinner at the Oyster Bar Restaurant.  This restaurant is noted within the city as a favorite stop for fresh seafood.  To our disappointment, they were closed on Sundays.  Not a big deal,  I would make a reservation for dinner the following night.  We ventured out into Midtown Manhattan in search of another place to eat.  As we walked block after block and found ourselves further downtown, Brian said he felt like just sitting in some quiet little pub eating a burger.
    We came across Jack Dempsey's.  It was the perfect little Irish Pub.  Brian ordered a burger and fries and I had an Asian chicken salad with a peanut dressing.  Both were pretty tasty.
    
     We headed back to the hotel but not before a stop into the Garden of Eden near the hotel.  I love this store.  This is a local "chain" of about 6 stores based out of NYC.  This is NYC's answer to Whole Foods.  They're not overwhelming, reasonably priced and has the feel of a mom and pop business.  I always say if I lived here this is where I would be shopping.

     Monday morning after a quick breakfast at the Malibu Diner on 23rd st., Brian headed off to work and I hit the streets.  My first stop was down into the subway where I purchased a pass so I could jump on and off the train to get me around the city at my convenience.  I headed over to Macy's since the forcast was for rain and I wasn't about to let the weather manipulate my plans.  I picked up an umbrella.

     I took the train up to the upper west side and strolled around 72nd street and watched and listened to crowds of tourists outside the Dakota building where  John Lennon lived and was murdered.  I stood across the street and peered into the gated arched breezeway where his demise was met.  I walked into Central Park and into Strawberry Fields dedicated to his memory.  The pathway leading to the grassy field brings you to a mosaic embedded into the pavement with "Imagine" stamped into it.   The day was overcast and somber but very calming.  I found this private little spot near a lake in the park and sat for a while listening to the birds and realizing the sounds of the city had disappeared.  I saw a man across the lake with a fishing line cast into the lake and  I thought  how nice that this vast chunk of land in the middle of Manhattan was dedicated for all people living and visiting to escape from the city and "imagine" they're somewhere else.

     As I was heading back to Central Park West to catch the train, Brian called and said that he had to go to Philadelphia and would be leaving in about 2 hours and not be back until later that evening (which ended up being about 4am).  I was on my own for dinner.  Oh well.  He did come here to pull off this project that had been problems from the beginning, not to play tourist with me.
     My plans included having lunch at Joe's Shanghai in Midtown.  The original Joe's is in Chinatown but I just didn't want to go all that way.  This was closer and the food is the same, which is wonderful.  Joe's started the soup dumpling craze a while back and although I've never had them anywhere else I'm sure these are the best.  These doughy buns are filled with a zesty broth and a pork meatball and steamed, served in a bamboo steamer basket nestled on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce and served with a ginger sauce for dipping.  Biting into the side of the dumpling opens a hole where you can sip out the broth before devouring the dumpling.  I think this has to be my favorite asian delicacy.  After I have scarfed down the dumplings I place the lettuce onto my plate and use the dipping sauce as a dressing for a little salad.......absolutely yummy!
     Since Brian was not having dinner with me I still went with the plan of having dinner at the Oyster House.  Instead of sitting in the dining room I grabbed a stool at the U-shaped counter where people on the go and commuters hurrying to catch their train will sit.  Besides, it's a perfect people watching area.  The menu offers everything seafood.  I kept going over and over trying to decide how much I could possibly order and eat.  I wanted everything. 
     I started off with a 1/2 dozen of Bluepoint Oysters ( my new favorite ......maybe  everyone else's since the oil spill will affect the production of gulf oysters), followed by a bowl of New England clam chowder (which their noted for........excellent by the way, and finally pan fried soft shell crab.  These are in season now and the restaurant only serves them fresh while in season.  They only serve them pan fried not deep fried like I have always eaten them.  For some reason I have shyed away from any preparation other than deep fried.  Have I been missing out! These were incredible and I'm sure alot healthier since they weren't breaded and cooked in a pool of oil. 

For dessert I had a classic vanilla cupcake with chocolate cream frosting from Magnolia Bakery.  This is the bakery that  made famous the cupcake craze and was featured in a few episodes of "Sex And the City".  I have to say it was pretty good.  I was so excited when I stumbled upon this in Grand Central Station after dinner.  After eating my cupcake, I sat in the "urban living room" in Grand Central and people watched for about an hour or so.  It's just so much more interesting than watching television.  I was finding alot of entertainment doing this and  envisioning people's current state or life just by watching their actions.

Wed. morning I headed out with Brian.  He got in about 4am and had to be back at work at 8:30am.  He asked me if we could eat at this little Italian restaurant tonight just a few doors down from the hotel since it had been recommended to him by his vendor he was working with in NYC.  Of course we can.
I spent Wed. morning in Greenwhich Village.  I think this is my favorite neighborhood in NYC.  It's quaint, homey and is filled with little cafes and boutiques.  It's tree lined streets give it that pleasant comforting village feel.

Murray's on Bleeker St. in the Village is the best cheese shop ever.......or so far.  They have every kind of cheese you can imagine.  I walked through the shop and found myself fortunate that I could not buy any cheeses to take home with me otherwise I would have over done the spending.  I did buy the Murray's Cheese Handbook.  This is a little paperback they published as a guide for those ignorant about cheeses.  I snatched it up and will start another food quest of cheeses I read about in this book.

Around 11am, Brian called me and said he was done with work until further notice.  He said he wanted to get some lunch and relax afterwards.  I met him back at the hotel and then we headed down to the lower east side to have a sandwich at Katz's.  This Jewish deli is famous for their pastrami and corned beef they make in house.  I couldn't wait to try it.  I was told that the sandwiches are huge so we ordered one to split.   OMG!  This was the best corned beef ever!  I mean ever!  I don't know how they do it but this corned beef was so tender it just melted in your mouth, served on rye bread with mustard and a side of homemade potato salad with 2 halves each of their sour pickles and half-sour pickles.  The setting is nothing special but the place was packed.
     The Italian restaurant we ate that night , Tres Dici, was superb.  We both had pasta.  I had the tagliatelle with crabmeat and a white wine sauce.  I could pick up a hint of fennel in there as well.  Brian has a rigatoni style pasta which I can't remember the name with grilled shrimp and light cream sauce.  That was very good too.  I also had a glass of a pinot noir from Peru that was really good.  I wrote the name down so I could search for this in a local wine shop next time I'm in the mood for wine........maybe with a new cheese that I'll be purchasing.

After lunch Brian was beat and wanted to go back to the hotel and take a nap.  I dropped him off and went to Times Square where I saw Katie Couric on the corner of Broadway and 45th rehearsing for bit she was filming about the bombing incident that happened right there.  It was interesting to see how they prepare to film a segment and she was so nice and waved to the crowd gathered and shook hands.

     I made my way over to Rockefeller Center and up to the "Top of the Rock" observation deck.  What a spectacular 360* view of the city.  Seeing the city from this view really validates how massive this city is.
  My time in NYC for three days by myself let me take notice of the Manhattan life.  Street vendors are abundant, selling everything from pretzels to gyros.  Corner convenience stores seem to populate every block and all have some kind of hot food bar or salad bar for all those New Yorkers that are on the go, usually with no seating but just a counter that you can stand and eat and be on your way to get to work, home, school or catch the next train.
This city is built for convenience and not an aesthetic design.  I marveled at the ramps circling out over the streets of the westside from the Port Authority Bus Terminal that lead the busses right to the Lincoln Tunnel so they can avoid the city traffic and keep on schedule to all the commuter train lines that lie under Grand Central Station taking people to their homes after long day in the city.  The city's subway system is truly amazing.  The city forefathers did an excellent job creating hundreds of miles of tunnels and underground walkways to connect people from one line to the next.


    This was my most memorable breakfast........a handmade water boiled bagel that NYC is famous for.  I see what all the fuss is about.  A huge bagel with a delicate outside crust and a soft chewy inside.  A definite treat.  I had mine with an olive and pimento cream cheese.......yummy!

Landmark Diner

     Since we are leaving for NYC for a few days.........Brian has a business trip there and all his expenses will be paid, I can tag along with only a cost of a flight and meals.  Of course, being let loose in Manhattan by myself for 3 days will surely add some increased and  unnecessary balance to my credit card.  Oh well, I can justify this by telling myself that we're not putting out the normal $250 - $300 a night for a hotel room in Manhattan.
     Back to my thought.......we decided not to cook at home but instead try the Landmark diner in Buckhead.  I've driven by it almost everyday since we've moved here and I always tell myself " I need to stop in and try this place."
     The place is somewhat retro in design and spotless.  The whole interior just shines and looks immaculate.  This wasn't going to be your typical greasy spoon.
     The menu is extensive and filled with your normal comfort foods plus alot of Greek influenced items, pastas and seafood.  We noticed that the staff seemed to be predominantly Greek.  All the entrees are served with a choice of house, cesar or greek salads and a basket of nice soft and warm bread with softened butter.
     Brian ordered the seared sea scallops and I ordered a good old southern favorite ( but not the healthiest ) country fried steak smothered in a white gravy served with mashed potatoes and brown gravy and a side of green beans and carrot mix.  The steak was nice and tender and spiced just right but the chef was a bit heavy handed with the gravy.  No problem.....I just moved aside what I didn't want to eat.  The green beans tasted canned as well as the brown gravy.  Actually the brown gravy reminded me of those powdered gravy packets that you can whip up with just a pot of boiing water.  I made a mental note to pass on brown gravy items in the future.
     Brian's dinner was loaded with scallops.  All perfectly seared and served with tartar and cocktail sauce, a huge baked potato and the same disappointing green bean and carrot mixture.  There was a nice half of a lemon on the plate.  A nice touch, as most restaurants serve just a wedge of lemon which is never near enough (for me anyway) to evenly coat all my pieces of seafood.
     We began our meal with each of us getting a greek salad.  This was excellent.  It was massive as well.  A nice blend of chopped romaine, iceberg, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, whole kalamata olives (right on!) and red onion.  The dressing was the typical lemon and olive oil blend.......light and citrusy with a hint of sweetness.......very nice.
      I also ordered a crock of french onion soup.  The oniony beefy broth was ladeled onto cubes of toast squares and topped with a thick layer of mozzarella cheese that was melted and browned under a broiler.  I love that combination of ooey- gooey melted browned cheese and broth.......yummy!
    Needless to say we left feeling stuffed like a Christmas pig but very satisfied.  As we were leaving, we passed by a pastry counter where all their homemade desserts are displayed.  It was very tempting but we declined and made a promise to save room for dessert next time.  There was an interesting little morsel (which I forget the name) but it was described as a fried dough that's been soaked in a citrus honey syrup.  It looked very different and unique and kept calling out to me resembling decorative orange colored packing peanuts.  I wish now that I had brought a few home to sample.  I can't wait to go back.