Why do we eat out? I was inspired to write this article after reading a post from one of my favorite blogs called Whipped. Caroline had a dining experience that was over the moon because of the ridiculously good service; from the valet to the host, waiter and ending with the bus boy smiling as she and her hubby walked out the door. Could they have fluff her pillow before she took her avo nap? I think yes! sounds like a United ad…Of course quality of food and cost is an issue but the service is what really drives a restaurant’s experience!

A couple of weeks ago Molly, Molly’s father, Jim, and I went to a high end restaurant for dinner…(and the reason that I’m not giving names is because it was a random experience at a consistently good place)…. We were greeted at the door with warmth and promptly seated but the experience took a quick down turn when our waiter arrived with an unhealthy sniffle and upside down smile. It was apparent that she wasn’t 100 percent “on” that night and subsequently didn’t give us the spark that was needed at such a glorious place. The food while still being delicious fell flat for me because of the ho-hum delivery. I wanted to whisked away on a magic carpet ride; I expected the world to rotate around ME! and when you’re spending $100 a head this is what you expect, right? Caroline had eggs and pastries and I had magnificently prepared abalone and squab dishes… her experience topped mine? why?? simply because all of her planets were in alignment and my sun had an eclipse that night. bummer!

Now some of you might disagree, some of you might be OK with poor service if the food is good. The other side to consider is that not all of our dining experiences cost over $50 per person.. what about the burrito joint? or the crab shack? yup, it would be nice if the counter person had a big toothy smile and a cheery hello but we only are looking for some good simple nourishment when we patronize these places. hmmmm, I think I’ll cover cheap eats in an up-coming post.. so stay tuned..

At the end of the day eating out is both social and experimental. so just do it and get er done out there on the Flavor Highway..

The image from above is from a new space in our neighborhood called Serpentine and it has all the pistons firing while driving down flavor highway. Environment, food and especially SERVICE.

Eat much and laugh out loud!

Over the years, I must have poured out a small fortune worth of wine. It has felt like the GNP of some small country jumping out of my pocket and doing the breast stroke right down the damn drain! Trust me, I don’t want to do it and I really truly feel awful when I have to say goodbye to any worthy varietal. All that time it took to grow the grape and make it into wine…and then gone..poof!

Here’s one scenario that could lead up to said tragedy: You get home from a long day of work and think to yourself, “boy I’d love a big robust glass of wine to help me wind down” … but just one glass. It’s a school night remember, and any more might have you picking cobwebs out of your head the next day… so you do what a lot of people do and cork the bottle with anticipation of finishing it off the next day. Well, next day comes and you forgot that you had to go to your niece’s school play after work and then go out to dinner with your sister. You have two Sapporos with sushi and call it a night. You get home, eye the bottle from across the room and promise that you’ll finish it off the next day. Well, that next day never comes and then the liquid eventually turns into paint thinner.

Folks, here’s what you can do to save both wine and money. Buy one of these: it’s called vacuvin and is a magnificent device that extracts the excess air out of the bottle. It helps preserve the wine a couple of days longer and lets you not feel pressured to consume the wine in two to three days. It’s cheap and something you simply can’t live without. Buy one today and start feeling better about not wasting wine.

Not long ago, I struck up a conversation with this lady while standing in line at the grocery store. I looked at her purchases and spotted vanilla wafers and cottage cheese. I asked who it was for and she said that it was for her kids. Man oh man, I used to go goobers over nilla wafers with chocolate milk AND cottage cheese with liberal amounts of salt and pepper! well as the story of life goes.. you move on, try new foods but never forget things that you’ve enjoyed. In my odd mind, I consider foods that I haven’t eaten in a while as old friends.

The two canapes that I’m featuring here are from my past and strike up fond memories. We made the bastilla for our HOG events two season ago; and I used to make 50 orders a day of the spring rolls over 10 years ago for a restaurant I worked at..It’s as easy and comforting to make a dish from your past as it is to slip into conversation with a long forgotten chum.

Chef Stephen from HOG nation.. happy cooking!

For the recipe of the Shrimp and Lemongrass Spring Rolls (photo on the right), click here.

“Bastilla”
Chicken, Phyllo, Saffron, Ginger, Cilantro, Almonds and Cinnamon
Makes 30 bastilla

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups water
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 stick cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
¼ teaspoon fresh black pepper
3 eggs
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅔ cup chopped blanched almonds

For the Garnish
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Special Equipment
sheet pans
fine mesh strainer
parchment paper
pastry brush

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large stock pot, add the chicken, water, parsley, cilantro, cinnamon stick, ginger, black pepper and saffron. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool enough to handle. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Strain the stock, discarding solids left in the strainer, then bring it to a boil over medium heat. Lightly beat eggs and pour slowly into the stock, stirring until curds form, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, add the chicken and almonds to the stock/egg mixture.
In a small bowl, mix the white sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Remove the phyllo from its box, unwrapping the plastic and unfolding the sheets. Keep the sheets covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying out. Brush one sheet of dough with butter, then place another sheet on top of it. Lay 4 sheets one on top of the other, with butter in between each layer. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the top sheet of phyllo.
With a sharp knife, cut the sheets lengthwise into thirds and cut each length crosswise into fifths, making 15 sections, each approximately 4 x 3 ½ inches in size.
Place a level teaspoon of the filling in the center of each phyllo section. Working with one section at a time, gather the corners of the phyllo over the filling and twist them gently to create a purse-like shape. Transfer the pastries to a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake the pastries in the lower third of a preheated 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden.
Sift the powdered sugar-cinnamon mixture over the baked pastries. Serve while still warm.