Results tagged “goatcheese”

When I lived in Japan, I often ate a communal stew called nabe in the wintertime. One of the staple ingredients within the myriad of possibilities of a nabe is konnyaku. Konnyaku is a firm translucent gelatin with black spots that is completely flavorless. After a few months, I felt comfortable enough to ask a close friend why Japanese people eat the flavorless konnyaku. The answer surprised me. It's the texture of the konnyaku that makes it important in the mix. It turns out the nabe is something to be savored in every part of your mouth. One should contemplate each ingredient’s distinct flavor, sensation, and texture within each mouthful. Even the simple act of eating of a stew in Japan can have a Zen-like importance.

Orlando, Florida's Walt Disney World is quite a different ride than our local Anaheim day-tripping Disneyland. For one, the Florida theme park is all about kids and family, family and kids and some more kids, kids, kids (so there is Pleasure Island, but the name is just sort of weird to start with). So other than never growing up, what else is there to remember about a few days at the massive theme park? Food....

Here are a few spots for eats and drinks that we are looking forward to seeing open: 1. We were very excited to pass on to you that last month was National Grilled Cheese Month, and now we're gearing up for the impending opening of Culver City's Meltdown, which is a (mostly) grilled cheese eatery that's slated to open as early as this week. Their menu, which is available online, looks like an ooey-gooey...

Recently we checked out downtown's noted Ciudad, and had a generally enjoyable time. Bottom line: good food, great drinks, and uneven service at times. Despite the drawbacks of our experience, this bright and colorful spot draws raves from devotees, most of whom give the enthusiastic thumbs up to their cocktail hour offerings. In a move that seems on par with many local restaurants' initiation of specialty nights to fill tables (Jar's Mozzarella Mondays, for example) the folks at Ciudad are offering a Tapas Sunday special, featuring an all tapas menu and Spanish wines by the glass, starting this weekend. Some of the savory items on the menu include Cabrales Blue Cheese Fritters with Sherry Soaked Bing Cherries, Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Avocado Goat Cheese, Seeded Lamb Chops with Algerian Eggplant Jam and Preserved Lemons, and Lobster Salad with Shaved Cucumber, Melon, and Sherry-Mint Aioli. Some of the sweet dessert tapas are Hazelnut Meringues, Espresso Dusted Churros, and Chocolate Barcelona Cake. Little dishes can have big taste; even typing these words is making us hungry!

Admittedly, we like Gordon Biersch, although it had been probably a good two years or so since we'd last sat in the brewpub and sipped a microbrew. We adore the smashing way they pair garlic with french fries, and hear that now you can even buy them at good old Dodger Stadium, which, if you're headed there, seems like a good thing. Our table ordered various shades and flavors of beer--Hefeweizen, Blonde Bock, and Marzen being the top choices--as well as various items off the menu. Plates were passed around to share the wealth of appetizers, like our Spicy Ahi Spring Rolls, Shrimp and Chicken Potstickers, and Calamari. Some swore by the Goat Cheese Ravioli, a pizza was split three ways, and burgers with piles of aforementioned garlic fries were gobbled with gusto. Desserts, like the generous Carrot Cake and the Key Lime Cheesecake, met with eager forks. The food is good--not stellar, not revolutionary, but good--and everything is better with beer. Moreso, everything, including life in general, is better with a mojito, we think, and GB's is a winner. We think they sub Sprite for sugar and soda water, which, granted, takes away the rugged authenticity of the cocktail, but makes it incredibly refreshing and sippable. When the bill came there was the usual chaos of group dining--who owes what, who needs change, were we overcharged, is the tip added in?--and after some fussing, it was settled. We did notice, however, that there's an item called "Gratuity Tax" listed; this seemed odd, and even our pleasant server was stumped to its purpose. A good old Google search unearthed this piece from Seattlest territory, that assures us it's completely legit. So the tale of "where do we go?" woe ended on a happy note, and we left, full of beer, and garlic, and the sweet fizz of mojitos.