Queen of the Food Age

Quote of the Week 1/9/12

January 9, 2012

I’m still having a hard time getting used to writing “12” when dating things. It’s weird. I’m 22, and I feel so old. Everything’s changing. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m excited for this next phase of my life, whatever that may be! But I digress! When I stumbled upon this week’s food quote, I couldn’t help but related; Lisa Loeb could be describing my own mother in this quote. I think that’s what I love about it. So this one’s for Tina!

“I have many memories of waking up to eat breakfast that my mother carefully prepared for us and her saying, what do y’all want for lunch, and as we’re eating lunch, what do y’all want for dinner? It’s always about the next meal.”

–Lisa Loeb

My mother's very glad I never ended up on the pole. Good parenting.

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Restaurant Reviews

[CLOSED] Imane Moroccan Restaurant, Duluth, GA

January 8, 2012

UPDATE: This restaurant is now closed. Sad day 🙁

On what was to be our final day in Atlanta, we finally found a Moroccan restaurant that was open for lunch, even though we had to drive a bit out of our way to get there (and google maps was about 2 miles off from where the restaurant actually was). Tina’s been going on and on about Moroccan food forever. She likes to hold it over my head whenever I ask where she wants to eat (because she knows there aren’t any Moroccan restaurants in Charleston, thereby forcing me to pick a restaurant, which drives me insane). Tina was happier than a clam to be there.

This is what it looks like to be happier than a bivalve in a Moroccan restaurant.

So we finally make it to this restaurant, which only happens to be open for lunch on Fridays (what luck!) and it’s actually super cute inside, impeccably decorated, with a few women in the corner smoking hookah, speaking what sounded like Arabic. It was beautiful and orante without feeling commercial (it’s a very thin line to toe). With all the food that we’d eaten in the time we were in Atlanta, this was by far the best. To start with, we got the chicken briwates, which are like filo dough stuffed with chicken, but it was almost like a pastry, topped with powdered sugar. It sounds weird, and Tina wasn’t a huge fan, but I really liked it. We also got the falafel, which was the probably one of the best falafels I’ve ever had, but the hummus. Oh my God, the hummus. If you go there and get nothing else, get the hummus. It’s seriously the best hummus I’ve ever eaten, and I sincerely doubt you’ll find it better anywhere else. We also got babaganoush, grape leaves, and something called zaalouk, which was almost like tomato sauce mixed with babaganoush. I liked the grape leaves, and the zaalouk was ok but, once again, I’m not really into egg plant. We also got mint tea, which was really good. Like super sweet and minty and tea. I can’t describe it, but it was delicious.

And this was just the appetizer course.

For entree’s, Sean once again channeled his inner Ron Swanson and ordered a plate of meat, aka the kabob assorted platter–Kafta, chicken, beef, lamb chop, and merguez, which is a lamb-based sausage. I loved every single piece of meat on that plate (that’s what she said?). The spices were amazing, everything was tender and delicious, neither over nor undercooked. I thought the food from Lawrence’s was good, but this was completely out of this world. He also got Moroccan-style potatoes, which are kind of like a curry mashed potatoes that are fried. They were ok, nothing super special, but the meats were amazing.

The aftermath of the meat tornado.

Tina got this soup kind of thing, with giant vegetables in a broth that you pour over couscous. It also came with pretty much all the meats that Sean ordered, but they were served on the side instead of in the soup, which I thought was kind of weird. It was my least favorite of all the things we got, but it was still delicious, and Tina and I really liked it.

NO COUS FOR YOU!

What I got was amazing. I was kind of unsure of how to feel about it when I ordered it, because it was lamb shank, and I’m not usually huge on lamb (fatty, chewy, etc), but I went in with an open mind–I wanted to try something characteristic of Morocco. It’s called a tagine, and I got what was called “casablanca mrozia.” It’s lamb shank braised in mrozia spices, rasins and honey, garnished with almonds and sesame seeds. It was one of the most unique flavors I’ve ever tasted. But it was amazing. Apparently they’re really good at balancing savory and sweet in the food in Morocco. I was very surprised and delighted that I enjoyed it so much. It pained mentally to have to stop eating before I finished it, but the physical pain of being so full overpowered my mental strength.

“This is the song that never eeeeeenNOMNOMNOMS!”

Basically, if you’ve never eaten Moroccan food, you should make a trip out to Imane because it’s seriously my favorite restaurant now…. sucks that I live 5 hours away from it…

Imane Moroccan Restaurant
3455 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard #840
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 638-7990

All in all it was a great trip, even though I ate too much and exercised too little….. although I did manage to plow through 2.5 seasons of 30 Rock. So, I was productive in that sense, at least. Plus, I love Atlanta! I could totally see myself living there someday!

Hope everyone had a fun and eventful New Year!

Restaurant Reviews

Eating in Atlanta, In A Nutshell.

January 6, 2012

HAPPY 2012 ERRIBODY! I hope everyone is excited for this upcoming year! I know I am…minus that tiny little detail where “The World Might End in 359 Days”… not that I really believe it. But, you know, it would be nice if it didn’t actually happen. I feel like I’ve almost gotten the hang of this whole “adulthood” thing or whatever.

This is the side of adulthood I’ve really mastered.

For New Year’s Eve, I travelled to Atlanta to visit my friends, “The Hungry People” aka Sean and Christine where I spent a wonderful span of days hopping from one meal to another. There’s so much ethnic food here. It’s kind of like how I imagine heaven. I was really excited to eat Lebanese food Wednesday with my mom and Sean, but on the way to the restaurant, my mom’s car broke down. So not only were we stranded by the side of the road, terrified that the tow truck would never actually come, we were also hungry because our car didn’t have the decency to wait til after lunch to die. Rude, right? So I’m stuck in Atlanta for another night (or three), and I thought this would be a good time to do a roundup review of all the restaurants I’ve eaten at in Atlanta. However, I’m going to break from my usual style and only do brief summaries of each restaurant, because I ate at so many, it got kind of hard to keep track of it all.

This has been me at every meal this week.

1. Cafe Bombay Indian Bistro

We went to Cafe Bombay on Sean’s recommendation–he’d been there with Thomas for lunch a couple weeks earlier. To be honest, I really hadn’t been in the mood for Indian food that day, but that feeling changed the second I stepped in the door. I could just tell by the scent in the air as soon as I opened the door, that this food was going to be delicious, and I definitely was not disappointed. We were there for the lunch buffet, and let me tell you, this is the biggest indian buffet I’d ever seen (and I’ve been to quite a few). We all know, however, that bigger does not necessarily mean better, but Cafe Bombay definitely knows what they’re doing. They don’t sacrifice quality for quantity even in the least.

Trip 1 of 8 through the buffet.

Their paneer tikka masala with their homemade cheese cubes was AMAZING. Usually I don’t care for paneer because it’s usually bland and tasteless, and reminds me too much of tofu, but if I ever go back there, I will order just the paneer tikka masala. Also, they made this chicken that they marinated in cream cheese. That was really good too. Basically everything they made was delicious, and I highly recommend you visit them if you ever have the chance. But, don’t be surprised if you leave never wanting to eat ever again.

#1 indeed!

Cafe Bombay
2615 Briarcliff Road
Northeast Atlanta, GA 30329-3112
(404) 320-0229

2. Sushi Kiku

So Sean went and woke up (ish) Raina on New Years Day to ask her about a sushi buffet place she’d talked about. She snored out the words “sushi kiku” and Sean decided that’s where we were going to eat for lunch. So Thomas, Sean, Christine, and I ventured out to Buckhead to shove some sushi into our faces. They made about two rolls of each type of sushi at a time, so they really weren’t out long enough to get gross or weird, and I’m pretty sure they changed them out at regular intervals. Every time I went up to the bar, there were different rolls out to try. I was quite impressed.

A very pleasant surprise!

I think they probably had a 9 or 10 rolls total to choose from, and you better believe I tried some of each, and then second helpings of the rolls I liked best. But be warned, their spicy mayo is super spicy. They also had a bunch of non-sushi items for those who aren’t really the lovers of the sushi–steak, salads, fried rice, chicken, pot stickers, cheesy scalloped potatoes (I guess for those people who don’t like japanese food either…I guess no one can say they’re not diverse!), and some dessert items that I couldn’t really look at without feeling nauseous because I’d eaten so much, but Sean assured me they were delicious. I found out that the apartment above Sushi Kiku was for rent, and I seriously considered moving in, dreaming of eating at Sushi Kiku every day…

Because sushi + cats = happiness.

You should definitely try Sushi Kiku if you’re into sushi and like variety. It wasn’t necessarily the best sushi I’d ever had, but it was pretty good, and it was cheap for a sushi buffet, like $12.99 per person for lunch. Which is great, because I definitely ate my money’s worth of sushi. Even though it wasn’t my favorite sushi ever, the quality was still very high, and it was good, and the value was great, so I would definitely recommend it if you’re into sushi.

Sushi-palooza

Sushi Kiku
2770 Lenox Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30324-6006
(404) 467-4544

3. Fat Matt’s Rib Shack

Wednesday was kind of a crazy day. Our original plan was to get some lebanese food with my mom when she came to pick me up, but then the car broke down on 85, which kind of threw a wrench in that plan. We’d had a crazy morning filled with running up an exit ramp against my mother’s wishes, waiting half an hour for Thomas to come rescue us, waiting for the AAA people to figure out what they were doing with the car (which they never ended up doing), etc., before we were free(ish) to FINALLY find something to eat. Only we were so far away from our original destination we were left to answer that age old question “What shall we eat?”

WHY, GOD, HAVE YOU CURSED ME WITH SO MANY CHOICES?!

After driving around for about half an hour trying to figure out what we wanted, Sean finally had the brilliant idea to try out Fat Matt’s, a place he’d wanted to try for a while. We all liked barbecue, and we were half starving to death, so we decided that was where we would eat. The restaurant itself is an unassuming little diner-type building, and the few menu items were written on a board near the ordering counter.

I’ll have….one of everything on the menu.

I ordered the chopped pork sandwich, minus the bun, with a side of macaroni and cheese and collards. Tina got a combo plate of chicken and ribs, with rum baked beans. Sean got ribs with macaroni, and Thomas got the combo plate, but I don’t remember what sides he got. The combo plates came with toast, and the chicken was delicious, as were the ribs. My pork was delicious, and the barbecue sauce was the perfect blend of spicy, tangy, and sweet. The collards were really good, but super spicy, and the macaroni was delicious.

This is some good stuff.

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was comfortable and homey, and the bathrooms were nice and clean. Also, it looks like they have a stage set up for concerts, which I think would be very cool. Check it out!

Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
1811 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 607-1622

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 1/2/12

January 2, 2012

For New Year’s Eve, I went to Atlanta to visit Sean and Christine, which was great for my psyche, but awful for my diet. I spent my holiday shoving food into my face like I was training for a hot dog eating competition. As such, here is a quote that I feel describes my eating habits over the past few days (and probably yours, too, I know how holidays can be).

“I don’t stop eating when I’m full! The meal is not over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself! That’s… that’s when I stop.”

–Louis CK

Oh, so you can finally breathe again? Time to inhale some more food!

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 12/26/11

December 26, 2011

After yesterday’s revelry and indulgence, I find today’s quote rather appropriate in terms of my diet, which I absolutely did not adhere to yesterday…. I mean, hey, it’s Christmas! You can’t be on a diet on Christmas!! Alas, today is a new day, and I’m back on track, although I find myself living vicariously through the following quote by Jim Davis.

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

–Jim Davis

I hate Mondays.

Recipes

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

December 25, 2011

So because I’ve convinced myself that I’m going to lose weight over the holiday season, rather than gain any (don’t you roll your eyes at me), I’ve been trying to find some healthy-ish versions of side dishes to serve at the Christmas dinner table so that I don’t gorge myself on stuffing and mashed potatoes. One that I found, that’s a bit more Mediterranean than what is typically found at American Christmas dinners, is spaghetti squash primavera. Typically “primavera” is italian, but add some feta cheese and ipso facto, it’s now Mediterranean.

It’s all Greek to me!

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoon minced garlic.
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line the bottom of a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil (I prefer the latter method).
On one half of the baking sheet, place 1 tablespoon of garlic, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings, and 1 bay leaf. Repeat on the other half of the baking sheet.
Kind of like you’re the street performer with the ball and the cups.
Place one half of the spaghetti squash with the hollow side over one of the garlic mixtures, and repeat with the other half.
Add an even amount of water to the baking sheet, just enough to come up to the sides of the squash. The amount of water differs, depending on the size of your baking sheet. I used about 2 cups.
Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven. It’s very important that you don’t overcook the squash. You can test if it’s done by flipping it over and scraping the flesh with a fork. It should naturally separate into spaghetti-like strands. Taste it to make sure that it is the same consistency as al dente spaghetti. It might need 5-10 more minutes in the oven if it is still too tough.
If you think squash is “mushy,” you’re doing it wrong.
Once it is finished cooking, remove from heat and allow it to cool.
While the squash is cooling, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and red pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until tomatoes are warm.
Use a large spoon or fork to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and add it to the sauté pan with the vegetables. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, and salt and pepper. Serve warm.
You know you want some.

Optionally: I added ¼ cup Parmesan cheese in addition to the feta, as well as 2 teaspoons of Italian seasonings right before I served it. I really like Parmesan cheese, this is a personal preference. You could also use a can of stewed tomatoes instead of fresh chopped tomatoes to make it more like spaghetti instead of like a primavera.

If I hadn’t already told you this was squash, you’d never have known the difference.

Basically, I think you can take spaghetti squash and add anything you normally would to spaghetti noodles. I think it tastes pretty much the same, only it’s healthier for you since you’re using all vegetables instead of pasta. My next venture will be to try and make a reduced calorie alfredo sauce or cheese sauce to make a “healthified” macaroni and cheese/spaghetti alfredo dish. Stay tuned!

GET IN MY MOUTH.

1 Comments

Recipes

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

December 24, 2011

So, for Santa this year, I decided to branch out from my usual Place-and-Bake-Sugar-Cookies-With-Holiday-Shapes for Santa and make something different. I figured Santa would probably appreciate a little variation.

Not this year, Dough Boy.

After some searching online, I found a nifty looking recipe for a spicy chocolate cookie, which I used as a starting place to creating my own recipe. Since my mother has a self-diagnosed gluten allergy, I tried to keep the cookies gluten-free, but also still delicious. I think I succeeded, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see how much Santa enjoyed them before I make a final judgement.

Santa’s feeling a little spicy this year

Ingredients:

1 heaping 2/3 cup chocolate, coarsely chopped (I recommend dark chocolate, but if you only have milk chocolate on hand, that will work, too, just cut the sugar down by 1/4).
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
non-stick aluminum foil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Combine almond and coconut flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, black pepper and red pepper in a small bowl and whisk together.
Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes).
Add egg to the sugar mixture and beat well.
Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat just until blended.
Add flour mixture; beat just until blended.
Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with non-stick foil (if you don’t like non-stick foil, you can just spray the bottom of the pan with a non-stick spray).
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven. Cool on pans 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooking.
Sprinkle the cookies with cinnamon sugar. I dusted them with a bit of red pepper, just to accentuate the spiciness.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice (And by “everything nice” I obviously mean “CHOCOLATE”)

Hoping everyone has a safe and satisfactory Christmas tomorrow! And to my non-Christmas-celebrating-friends, enjoy your regular, non-special Sunday!

1 Comments

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 12/19/11

December 19, 2011

Today’s quote comes from “The Thin Man” himself, Mr. William Powell. I really like this quote. It’s funny without being gimmicky. It speaks to reality, since I’m pretty sure this is how everyone feels every time they come to my house for a meal.

“Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table.”

–William Powell

Badassery

Restaurant Reviews

The Boll Weevil Cafe and Sweetery, Augusta, Ga

December 18, 2011

This weekend, I travelled to Augusta, Georgia, to visit my dear friend Lauren “the salad eater” and her army of cats. We had a splendid time testing out the area’s bars and restaurants, as well as exasperating their local police force (try and tell me my ID looks fake, see if I don’t put up a fight. When a girl’s gotta dance, A GIRL’S GOTTA DANCE!).

I pity the fool who prevents Lauren from gettin’ her groove on.

After a fantastic night of Wobbling and singing onstage with cover bands, and a productive morning of worship (Lauren) and sleeping in (Sydney), the hunger pangs kicked in and we made our way to downtown Augusta for some lunch. Lauren recommended a restaurant near her office called The Boll Weevil (which makes more sense after you learn that the restaurant used to be a cotton warehouse). I was a little skeptical of the name (the word weevil doesn’t exactly do it for me), but it was a cute little cafe and I was way too hungry to argue about semantics. We sat in a little room with about 6 or so other tables, filled with families dressed in their Sunday best, while I stood out from the crowd in my shorts and tacky sweater (#noshame). Our waiter was funny and super attentive without being overbearing, which was refreshing. For lunch, I ordered the Curious George, which is turkey topped with spinach dip and provolone cheese on homemade honey wheat bread. It was pretty delicious. The turkey was thick cut, definitely fresh, and the toppings were not too heavy. It was perfect. I got the half version of the sandwich and their tomato apple soup, fire-roasted Fuji apples and carrots in a tomato soup. It was an interesting combination of sweet and savory and spicy. I liked it, which is impressive, because I usually don’t care for tomato soups.

It’s Mmmmm, good…. Also, I hate Campbell’s.

Lauren decided to branch out and get the greasy double fried lard burger with extra carbs on the side. hahahahaha, oh wait, who am I kidding? Of course, she got soup and a salad. No branching out for Lala, no way. Specifically she got the greek salad and vegetable soup. That’s right, she got veggies with her veggies. Oh, and how about a side of veggies? Yes. She’ll have them. She’ll have ALL THE VEGGIES IN THE WORLD!! MUAHHAHAHAHA!!!

She needs to start going to meetings. She has a serious addiction.

Cute waiter also guilted Lauren into getting a piece of cake, apparently because they do cake specials on Sundays, so it was only like 5 dollars for a monstrous piece of cake. She had a hard time deciding which one she wanted to get because she was “SOOO FUULLLLL! I FEEL SO FAT!! I’M GONNA THROW UP IF I EAT ANYMORE” (from a salad… A SALAD). She narrowed it down 3 choices–strawberry, red velvet, and coffee toffee–and told the waiter to surprise her and put a piece in a to-go box. “It’s like Christmas! I don’t want to know what my presents are before I open them!” I’m not one to ruin Christmas, but…

It was the Coffee Toffee. Spoiler alert.

Summary: Get a sandwich and some soup. Unless you’re addicted to salads like La. Also, cake is a meal in itself.

Turning the weevil into a cartoon does not make it any less gross.

The Boll Weevil Cafe and Sweetery
10 9th St, Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 722-7772 ‎

Recipes

The World’s Best Lasagna

December 13, 2011

So for my official “Night Before My Last Day Dinner Party” I decided to make lasagna for the coworkers I invited over to share in the feast. I had all of these people to impress so I knew I had to do something more than just thaw out a Stouffer’s lasagna (although Stouffer’s is delicious). So I found this recipe online HERE and tweaked it a bit to fit with what I had and how much time I had to do it in. Here is my tweaked recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I used Johnsonville)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons dried parsley
No-boil lasagna noodles (I used about 24)
32 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
12 slices provolone cheese
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

In a large saute pan (one with high sides, you’re going to be adding a bunch of liquid to it), cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 4 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Meat sauce done right.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with eggs, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 ladle full of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture, and layer with sliced tomatoes. Top with sauce, and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. I eyeballed this, so just use what feels right. I topped it with a bit more meat sauce and then stacked the noodles on top. Repeat layers.
Noodle meat. (that’s what she said)
Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 6 slices of provolone and cover with foil. I used non-stick foil with the non-stick side down toward the cheese to keep the cheese from sticking. You could do the same basic thing by spraying aluminum foil with some Pam or other non-stick spray.
I’ll have a side of cheese with my cheese, please. Also, noodle meat.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. I noticed that the cheese was browning a bit too much around the 19 minute mark, so I took it out a bit early.
Right after I took the foil off.

19 minutes later. aka perfection.

Needless to say, the lasagna was pretty ballin’. Everyone ate pretty much all of it. I made two casseroles full and only one little slice was left over. I laid out hors d’oeurves to accompany the lasagna, including buttery crescent rolls, meat balls and tomato sauce, and mini caprese salad bites (grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil on a toothpick).

I seriously could eat ten thousand of these things. So. Good.

Les brought salad and we all drank wine to go with it. We laughed and talked for like 3 hours. Probably the most fun I’ve had in a really long time. Plus the lasagna was delicious. Then I made chocolate chip biscotti for dessert. It was pretty decadent.

Biscotti is italian for “Cookies from Heaven”

I’m pretty freaking awesome.

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