My father basically sold me to a restaurant when I was 14. That may be exaggerating slightly, but the end result was that I spent every Saturday morning of my freshman through junior years of high school waiting tables for the breakfast and lunch shift of a busy local diner. After that, I spent a horrible summer as a hostess at an Outback, and just a couple of years ago, I briefly waited tables at a Polish diner in New York City. The point is, I am highly sympathetic to people who work in restaurants.

Of course, I’m human, so if the service is slow, or the waiter doesn’t refill my drink, or the food is bad, I of course don’t like that — but I rarely say or do anything about it. I naturally avoid confrontation to begin with, but after years of having people yell at me over eggs, I have no desire to even approach doing that to someone else. The few times I’ve ever sent something back, it’s been because I completely cannot eat it. i.e. there’s meat in it, or a hair. Other than that, I’ll just take what I’m given.

So I found myself in quite the quandary recently. Luke and I went to a restaurant whose service was so bad, that we were faced with the immortal question: should we just leave? This is how things went down:

7:05: We arrive at a new Italian restaurant in town. A man in a suit is at the door, and he shows us to a table upstairs.

7:10: We’re still sitting at the table, with no menus, water, or sign of anyone paying attention to us. The restaurant is busy, but not packed. they have a fair amount of business, but I notice that several tables are near the end of their meal. In other words, there has not been a recent influx of customers.

7:15: A busboy/back-waiter comes and fills our water glasses. He does not give us menus or speak to us at all.

7:20: Finally, our waiter arrives. He introduces himself, looks down at our table and says,” You don’t have menus.” He retrieves a couple, and proceeds to tell us about the specials. He gives us a wine list and tells us he’ll be back in a few minutes. This is a lie.

7:25: We’ve decided what we’d like to order.

7:30: Still no sign of our waiter.

735: We’re chatting, but we’re both distracted, because we’re looking around, trying to see if someone will notice us.

7:40: No one has noticed us.

7:45: We’re kind of getting pissed. We’ve been here the better part of an hour, and haven’t even had our drink order taken yet. We debate what to do. Do we tell someone? Do we leave? We don’t want to be assholes, but at this point, I don’t want to spend money at this place, because I know I’m just going to be pissed off when we get the bill. We decide to give them five more minutes, fully expecting someone to show up any second.

7:50: They don’t. It’s been almost an hour, and no one has shown any interest in serving us. We start thinking of all the better restaurants that are within a block of where we are, and how we’re starving. We decide to leave. We get up, look around, still see no sign of anyone, and head downstairs. I expect someone to stop us, and I have a crazy feeling that we’re going to get in trouble or something. We make our way outside without anyone noticing us.

7:55 We to another restaurant, sit on the patio, listen to live music, and have the most amazing dinner we’ve had in a long time. The night ends successfully.

I felt like a jerk, but it had been almost an hour. I’ve never walked out of a restaurant before, but we just crossed a point where I knew that any money I spent there was going to feel like money lost. Did we make the right move, or should we have found someone to speak to? What would you have done in this situation?

I’m like a battered wife when it comes to the Ruby Tuesday veggie burger. We had so many good times. I can so vividly recall some of our happiest days; days filled with food, and friends, and laughter, that it’s difficult for me to reconcile it with the cruel bastard that it has become. So I keep on going back. I know he hasn’t changed; the menu still has the haunting phrase, “made with rice and black beans,” yet I am incapable of staying away.

If you’ll recall, the day that I had the new Ruby Tuesday veggie burger was the day my life ended– or at least, that’s what it felt like. Of course, it should probably be noted that I had just given birth, so the combination of stress, lack of sleep and hormones had me on a crazy train heading to Nutsville, but that doesn’t mean that thing sucked any less. My pain was real.

However, after about a year or so had gone by, I figured I’d return to my abusive lover. Now, the veggie burgers come in slider form, which was enough of a change to give me a small glimmer of hope that they no longer tasted as though they came out of a toilet in a Taco Bell.

Surprisingly enough, they actually were better. It may be the fact that they were smaller allowed them to get crispier, but they definitely didn’t make me want to kill myself this time, or start taking hostages. They’re still a husk of their former selves, but it seems as though its court-ordered therapy has actually done some good. However, until Ruby Tuesday brings back the original veggie burger, I’m still going to be on the lookout for someone who treats me a little bit better.

No, seriously. Where can I get a decent veggie burger, you guys?

I’m sure if you did a Google search for the title of this post, roughly five billion things would show up, most of which would involve  cutting veggies into weird shapes or hiding them in order to trick your kids. However, it’s not just kids who can benefit from veggies being served in new and interesting ways.

Last weekend, Luke and I stayed the night in a fancy D.C. hotel sans baby for my Mother’s Day present. It was amazing. You guys, we ate so much. It was if having a baby keeps us from somehow having meals, so we had to eat like it was our last day before execution. Before we left, we had lunch at the hotel restaurant. The entire meal was delicious, but my favorite part had to be the roasted veggie appetizer.

It’s a simple idea, really. Roasted asparagus, peppers, squash, string beans, and even celery, served up in shot glasses. Honestly, my days of doing shots are long behind me, so how fun is a shot of veggies? Okay, that sounds lame, but damn, they were good. Plus, they came with dipping sauces. Curried yogurt and sun dried tomato pesto. Dude. Not too spicy, not too sweet — just perfect.

I haven’t yet tried to replicate this dish, but I certainly plan to. If you want to try, here’s a recipe for sun dried tomato pesto, and one for curried yogurt dip. It’s a perfect simple, yet fancy-looking dish for your next cookout. Stick those babies on the grill and you’re good to go!

Dave Zatz is well known for his gadget posts over at his own site, ZatzNotFunny.com. Writing and coffee shops go hand-in-hand, so he’s guest clacking for us today about something new (and possibly better?) coming to a Starbucks near you.

As a child raised on the Slurpee, it’s probably no surprise I grew up to become a Starbucks Frappuccino connoisseur. My love for addiction to the frozen, blended coffee beverage began in San Diego the summer of 1997. I’ve been a regular ever since. I’ve mostly kept it simple, going with a plain coffee frappe and always double-blended. Although there was that one spring of the decadent Dulce de Leche blend…. And these days, I get them with a shot of espresso and a dollop of whipped cream.

Basically, I take my frappes seriously. And was absolutely astonished yesterday when my wife, also a SBUX regular, informed me that all the baristas in our suburban DC region were undergoing training to prepare NEW frappes. I assumed she meant there was a new flavor on the horizon. But this is big. Bigger than free WiFi, even. We’re talking a whole new Frappuccino formulation and a whole new method of Frappucino preparation. Unfortunately, my first thought was “New Coke” .… So, this morning, I set out on a mission to discover the truth.

Currently, Starbucks’ secret frappe mixture is prepared in batches, with the liquid generally dispensed on demand via pitcher and blended with ice, along with whatever syrups you need to doctor it up. The new method will have the barista custom blending some sort of coffee or base powder, Frappuccino syrup (coffee flavor, and there’s also a cream version), ice, and your choice of milk – like any other non-blended beverage. Whole, 2%, skim, or soy.

I convinced my local SBUX outpost to prepare me a (2%) sample this AM. After a single grande, I’m not quite ready to declare a verdict. But I was pleasantly surprised … if not necessarily relieved. The taste is most definitely different, but in the same family, and good. Although it is not as good as the frappe it’s replacing. It seems a bit more like some of the competition and may even be a bit sweeter in a caramel sort of way. As in I’ll definitely need a shot of espresso to bolden that coffee flavor. I’d also really like to try it blended with the soy milk, which may be creamier than my 2% sample and the vanilla flavor could add something interesting to the mix.

In our region, Starbucks will be soft launching the new Frappuccinos starting this upcoming Monday. My wife was told the official launch and associated marketing would follow 6/1, while the local manager I spoke with implied it’d happen in just a few weeks. Not sure if this is a regional versus national thing, or if someone doesn’t yet have all the answers. Regardless, I’m both somewhat excited and somewhat nervous with Starbucks’ imminent, dramatic change up. Wish me luck.

Last week, we had my dad and step-mother over for the football playoffs. Luke, who uses any excuse to spend a billion dollars at the grocery store, decided he wanted to make subs. Except, that’s not what he was planning on doing at all. He said “subs,” but what he actually meant was “a muffaletta the size of my head.”

He was planning on making a vegetarian version that involved vegetarian lunch meat, but that wasn’t sounding too great to me, mainly because the second I heard “muffaletta,” I had a completely different picture in mind. There’s a cafe around here called South Street Under, and they make a vegetarian muffaletta sandwich that is to die for. So that’s what I set out to do.

I couldn’t remember exactly what they put on the sandwich, but I had the general idea, so I just decided to wing it. I was going to put zucchini, squash and eggplant, but unfortunately, the grocery store across the street was out of yellow squash, so I just used extra zucchini and threw in some spinach and mushrooms that I already had in the house.

I figured Luke would be bringing home a long Italian roll, but instead he brought home these huge rounds. Apparently, that’s traditionally how a muffaletta is served, and you cut pieces like you’re cutting a cake. A giant sandwich cake that was perfect to share while watching football. So perfect, in fact, that I’m serving it again during the Super Bowl!

Before we go any further, here’s the recipe:

Vegetarian Muffaletta

Ingredients:

• One large round (if you’re feeling daring) or Italian loaf
• 1 cup olive tapenade (from this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 baby eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 cup portabella mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• pepper to taste
• 8 slices provolone cheese

The first thing I did was whip up my trusty olive tapenade. It takes a minute to just throw in the food processor, and it’s delicious. The problem with sandwiches like this is that oftentimes they end up bland. The tapenade adds the kick that the veggies need.

While I’m working on this, I heat up the oil in my saute pan. I had to do this in two batches, so I used half the oil. While that’s heating, I spread the tapenade on the bottom half of my bread and set it aside. I saute the veggies, making sure to add the spinach last, as to not get it too wilted. As they’re sauteing, squeeze the lemon onto them. Generally, I saute vegetables in garlic, olive oil and pepper, but in this recipe I replace the garlic with the lemon, since the tapenade is quite garlicky enough.

After you have your sauteed vegetables, pile them on top of the bottom half of the bread and cover with the provolone cheese.

Cover with the top of the bread, and bake in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the bread is crusty.

Cut like a giant sandwich cake and enjoy!

Join Debbie as she raves about whole foods, rants about chemicals and generally celebrates cooking and eating with fresh, local, nutritious foods. And sometimes she might get a little feisty….

It looks delicious, right? I so wish I could confirm that, but Pizzeria Uno’s gluten-free pizza kind of sucks, and that’s just too bad.

I suppose I should be commending Pizzeria Uno for providing fare that the gluten-intolerant can enjoy; it’s a lovely sentiment. But here’s where it gets tricky … no one, even someone with the most limited of diets, could truly say they enjoy this tasteless pizza.

It’s been quite a few years now since I’ve partaken in Pizzeria Uno’s amazing deep dish pizza, chock-full of flavor. I remember loving it, and even though I could only eat a slice or two, it was worth it … full of sausage, veggies and everything that makes pizza worth eating.

In all fairness, maybe that pizza sucks these days too. Nothing, though, excuses the gluten-free pizza’s lack of … everything. Sure, it’s got veggies, which is always a good thing, but the cheese just kind of sits there on the very lame excuse for pizza crust, and the sauce is truly the unseasoned version of a cheap, canned sauce. Not a green fleck to be had. Dude, try an herb or two, really.

Perhaps I am spoiled, not only by our own homemade, wheat-free (not gluten-free) pizza, but also by the Boynton Restaurant’s amazing gluten-free choices. This is a local restaurant (about 15 minutes away) whose owner’s son has celiac disease, so they’ve developed the most luscious gluten-free pizza you can imagine. The sauce is spectacular, tomato-y and filled with herbs and spices. The three-cheese blend is satisfying, and if you order the broccoli, feta and onion pizza (we’ve even created our own version of this favorite) , you’ll get four — four! — cheeses and a rich, decadent white sauce. I really can’t express in words how delicious this pizza is.

So Pizzeria Uno, what were you thinking? People who don’t eat wheat enjoy flavor just as much as the next bub, so I hope you’ll revamp your gluten-free pizza and add some taste, flavor, herbs … something!

I attended a wedding a few weeks ago for two of my friends. The bride is a vegetarian, so I knew that whatever the vegetarian option was at the reception, it was going to be good. After all, she’s not going to just feed herself crap, right? I was correct in my assumption, but I was not prepared for exactly how good it was going to be.

Pasta is always an easy choice for vegetarians, so it didn’t surprise me that we had a gnocchi dish. However, this is not your ordinary gnocchi dish– this is out of this world. Sauteed spinach, mixed mushrooms, cubes of butternut squash all covered with a healthy topping of feta cheese and a splash of red wine. It was sweet, savory, and I did not want it to end. Alas, however, it did. So I decided to continue its legacy in my own house.

The cool thing about this is that I was able to make the dish using several organic ingredients. At Super Target, I was able to get organic gnocchi and baby spinach, but they were out of butternut squash, so we had to end up getting a bag of frozen organic squash from the regular grocery store. For the mixed mushrooms, we had some dried mixed mushrooms that we had gotten from Costco, so I decided to rehydrate those and throw them on in there.

Here’s the problem: the only time I had ever used that frozen butternut squash was when I was straining it into baby food, so I’ve never cooked with it before. It was cut in blocks, and my intent was to get them crispy on the outside, so I decided to saute them in garlic, olive oil, and a some salt and pepper. That did not work. By the time I added the other ingredients and started sauteing them all together, my blocks of squash had broken down, and basically created strained squash all over my other ingredients, which is why you can’t even really see it in the picture.

Even though the squash broke down, the dish ended up tasting basically the way I wanted it to. The dried mushrooms ended up being fine, but in the future, I’m definitely going to get both fresh squash (which I guess I’ll roast?) and fresh mushrooms. Other than that, this is a super-easy and super-quick meal to make that uses a lot of really interesting ingredients that, chances are, you’re not eating on a daily basis. While the dish I ended up with may not quite be up to Clyde’s standards, I highly recommend you give it a shot yourself. Or, if you’re in the D.C. area, just go to the restaurant and have them do it for you.

When my sister-in-law recently told me about a relatively new Worcester restaurant that offers all local fare, I was intrigued, to say the least. Heck, I base my whole column, Fresh Foodie, on championing local, whole foods. So I hopped over to Armsby Abbey‘s website to check out the goods.

Yeah, it’s about the beer, but that’s never a bad thing. The cheese plates, homemade pizzas and unique salads are mouth-watering, and I’ll share what I’ll be ordering the next time we ditch the kid and get a date night:

I’ll be starting with the West Coast Slate with the recommended Green Flash West Coast IPA. This cheese slate includes artisan goat cheese, blue cheese and Carmody, a hard, buttery cheese; champagne grapes, home-baked breads, roasted pistachios, salami, honey and raspberry preserves round out the selection.

What? Not drooling yet?

Following that cheese plate up will be the fried green tomato salad, marinated in soy lime marinade with a sweet corn and red pepper salsa and chevre crostini.

Armsby Abbey also has artisan stoned pizzas, but seeing as I don’t eat wheat and I just enjoyed some home-baked breads with my cheese plate, I’ll forgo the pizza. OK, I’ll have a bite of Keith’s. Just a bite.

I’ve read all about the swanky spreads they have for the stars on some sets, complete with gourmet chef or specialty caterer. Was it like that on Leverage‘s set?

Since they “filmed just about everything in or near downtown Portland, which is swarming in awesome food carts,” Wil used Food Carts Portland (yeah,I know, who even knew a site like that existed?) “to find a different place to eat every day, and went ‘off campus’ for lunch.”

Want to know what is favorite was? He “especially loved the five-dollar lunch special from Bombay Chaat House at 12th and Yamhill”: naan, rice, dal tarka, aloo saag and navratan korma. Mmmmm … now I want Indian food — curried cauliflower, anyone?

After a cold and rainy couple of months up here in the Northeast summer is finally in full swing. Ever since the weather has gotten hot and humid I’ve been craving some clam chowder. It’s nothing that I’ve tried to make before, but I was intrigued. I’ve had many a delicious chowder in my day, so I really wanted to try my hand at making my own piping hot vat of the creamy stuff.

After looking through a bunch of recipes I picked Tyler Florence’s. He’s almost always reliable, and he didn’t disappoint this time either. The end product was delicious: just the right thickness, chock full of flavor and packed with clams. The addition of littlenecks at the very end, shell and all, made for a nice presentation too. There was quite a bit of work to get to the final product, but trust me when I say that it was worth it.

The recipe uses fresh clams, no cans here. As such, there are a few more steps, like steaming, cleaning and chopping the little suckers. I have to say though, that the homemade clam broth was delicious. With all the fresh thyme and garlic, it made for an amazing base to the soup, but make sure that you strain it well to get all the sand out of it. I think it even would have made a delicious Rhode Island Clam Chowder (without any cream). However, the cream and milk made it luxurious and rich.

I made a couple small tweaks to the recipe to reflect some of my favorite chowders. First, instead of using two potatoes, I substituted one of them with a sweet potato. This is a little trick I picked up from one of my favorite restaurants and it adds something different and really tasty to the chowder. Secondly, I added a bunch of fresh thyme directly into the finished chowder. There was already a nice undertone of thyme because it was used in the broth, but I’ve found that thyme really works extremely well in clam chowder, so I added more in at the end and it was a good decision.

In Newport, Rhode Island it’s traditional to add dill to the chowder. If that’s your thing you could definitely do that with this recipe. They do it at The Black Pearl, and they have some of the best chowder that I’ve ever tasted. The batch I made this weekend, though? It was pretty close.

Let me be clear: by “stupid” steakhouse, I pretty much mean every steakhouse… ever. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat, I’m not going vegetarian now or anytime soon. I have no problem going out to a nice restaurant and ordering a big piece of steak. In fact, I love to do it, especially if it’s dry aged or some kind of game meat. I’m particularly fond of elk.

So… at this point you are probably wondering what my problem is. Shouldn’t I be a huge fan of steakhouses, then? Well, to that I say one simple thing: “No. They are stupid.”

Let me get a little more specific, because while I wish “it is stupid” were good enough for me to always prove my point, I have slowly learned that this is not always the case. When it comes to steakhouses, there are a few problems. For one, they are usually really expensive. I know that you are paying for a really nice piece of meat, but all too often that is the only thing you are paying for. There is a distinct lack of creativity in most steakhouses I’ve visited. A meal usually just consists of a piece of meat, cooked how you like it (and some can’t even get that right).

Would you like something to go with your steak? I don’t know many people who enjoy having a big piece of beef for dinner with nothing else. Well, at the traditional steakhouse this will cost you extra, and sides usually come “family style,” meaning you are forced to buy a monster plate of steamed broccoli or mashed potatoes to go with your overpriced steak. This is both inconvenient and hard on the wallet.

Frankly, I’d much rather pay out the nose to get a nice creative meal. I don’t know about you, but oftentimes I decide what to order based on what the side dishes are. You can throw whatever you want on a bed of lobster risotto and I would eat it. Garlic braised bok choi? Sign me up, I don’t care what else comes with it. My point here is that a meal should be something that is put together meticulously and with loving detail. Each separate part should play off the others, forming a complete and well-rounded flavor palette. Sticking some potatoes on a plate with a dripping steak just doesn’t accomplish this.

Now… I wouldn’t really have a problem with the concept of a steakhouse, except for the fact that so many people seem to think it is the highest form of dining. Really? Whenever I travel for business people just want to “go out and get a steak!” There are some amazing restaurants around the country. Why is it that I inevitably seem to be the only one who is looking for a culinary adventure, not just a ticket on the fast track to colon cancer?

Certainly I can’t be alone with this line of thinking, right? Oh well, I suppose these are the burdens that I must deal with as a complete food snob.

You guys, I can make any good thing bad. Plan a picnic; I’ll bring the ants. Go swimming; I’ll bring the lightning. So it goes without saying that I totally have the ability to make even being a vegetarian unhealthy. Now granted, I am a very healthy person: I never get sick, I don’t have allergies, and I had the easiest pregnancy and delivery on the face of the known universe. I attribute these things way more to luck than diet, as I can eat a lot of crap.

I recently returned from a family reunion in Nashville (which is the main reason this very column is a little bit late this week), and while I had a great time, what made it notable was the fact that it was four days of no access to cooking facilities other than a grill, that was bracketed by two 11-hour car rides. In case you don’t recognize this formula, it is the one for a culinary disaster. So for those of you who are still convinced that vegetarians eat nothing but bark and potatoes, allow me to take you on a journey:  my road-trip food diary.

Thursday:

• Leave the house with a 16 oz. tumbler of coffee and a bag of Wheat Thins Chips.
• Stopped for lunch at a diner in Christiansburg, Virginia where I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, that since I forgot to order wheat bread, came on white. Served with soggy crinkle-cut fries.
• Stopped at a gas station somewhere in Tennessee, got a Coke Zero, a water, and a King-Sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
• Stopped for dinner outside of Nashville at a particularly horrifying Ci-Ci’s pizza. I ate some alfredo pizza and a cinnamon bun. I feel gross for even typing that. Blargh.

Friday:

• Continental breakfast at the hotel: half a waffle and some coffee.
• Met up with my family, who had already eaten, so I skipped lunch.
• Dinner was probably the “healthiest” meal I had the entire time: a Morningstar Chik’n Veggie Patty sandwich with BBQ sauce and a baked potato with butter and sour cream (it’s healthy because I had protein!).
• I drank way too much red wine tonight. But antioxidants!

Saturday:

• Continental breakfast at the hotel. This is a new hotel, so there’s no waffle bar. Instead, it’s the worst hot breakfast I’ve ever seen. I can eat just about anything, but the chafing dish full of egg product that conformed to the shape of the container was just a bit too much for me, as were the grey potatoes. Instead I had coffee, some wheat toast with butter, half a bowl of oatmeal, and a little bit of canned fruit.
• We went into downtown Nashville, to a bar that served fried pickles. Since it had been about eight hours or so since I had eaten and I had never had fried pickles, I ordered some. And ate the entire order. With ranch dipping sauce. I also ate two vegetarian egg rolls.
• Later on, I needed to stop and find a place to feed my baby that wasn’t a bar or a gift shop. That basically left Sbarro’s, where I ordered a slice of cheese pizza. It was a terrible idea, but to my credit, I didn’t finish it. To my discredit, I ordered the garlic dipping sauce with it.
• I drove my kid and my nieces back to the hotel just in time for, you guessed it! More pizza! I had one small slice of cheese, and that about did it for me.
• I’m pretty sure at some point I also got a Twix from the vending machine.

Sunday:

• The dreaded hotel breakfast. This time the potatoes looked less grey, so I decided to give them, along with the eggs, a shot. I had maybe three bites before I gave up. Chocolate muffin? Why, sure!
• Breakfast was around 6:30 am, so by noon, I’m starving. No one seems to have any good food prospects, so I get a Twix ice cream bar from the vending machine. Oh, yes. My hotel does indeed have an ice cream vending machine.
• Dinner was a family affair, and I had a vegetarian lasagna that was apparently a Weight Watchers recipe. It involved beans. I also had a huge salad, but with a pretty good amount of blue cheese dressing on it, lest I actually absorb some vitamins.
• Dessert was a Godiva chocolate chunk brownie and some coffee.
• Some more red wine, but not an ungodly amount.

Monday:

• I grab a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese on the way out of the hotel.
• We stop for lunch on the road at Taco Bell. I have a seven-layer burrito.
• At a gas station, I grab a can of salt & vinegar Pringles, of which I eat half, and a Coke Zero.
• By the time I get home, around 7, I feel so sick that I’m unable to eat dinner or even look at food until about 2 pm the next day.

I will give you the small disclaimer that this is not how I usually eat. However, I will be honest enough to say that I do eat all of these things in my life — just not all together like this. Generally, I have a lot more vegetables and other healthy foods, and not nearly as much, well, bullshit. However, I think my point is made: You can still be a vegetarian and be a disgusting human being.

Vegetarians, they’re just like you! Now let’s all bond over some fries.

Join Debbie as she raves about whole foods, rants about chemicals and generally celebrates cooking and eating with fresh, local, nutritious foods. And sometimes she might get a little feisty….

I appreciate it when a restaurant celebrates, rather than undervalues, the vegetable selections of the meal. A huge hunk of meat with a spring of parsley doesn’t impress me, but I can tell you that I would be so desperate for something green on my plate — and in my belly — that I’d down that parsley like it was the last morsel of food on earth. I know, I can always order a side salad (and I do) but a good chef will accent his dishes with delectably prepared veggies that go with the entree selection.

For our wedding anniversary, Keith and I went to Ming Tsai’s restaurant, Blue Ginger. It had been several years since we’d been back there (since we moved) and a visit to one of our favorite haunts was long overdue. Now, I won’t go saying that Ming’s menu selections are all about the veggies; I was left wanting more, as always. However, he does incorporate vegetables into his dishes like all good chefs should. Let me tell you about them….

For my appetizer, I ordered the fois gras shiitake shumai in sauternes-shallot broth. This is quite possibly one of the most delicious things I have ever put into my mouth, and for just a brief moment, I considered not sharing with Keith (who saved half of his appetizer for me). As it was, I tried to trick him into believing that I had to eat two of the three because it was too hard to split one, but alas, he didn’t fall for it.

The broth was chock-full of shallots, a vegetable, and there were shiitake mushrooms in the shumai filling, but the use of vegetables I loved the most in this dish were the edamame sprinkled throughout the broth, and topping each shumai. The bright green was perfect, and I wish Keith’s cell phone took better pictures so I could share it with you.

Keith’s appetizer was tea-smoked salmon and beef carpaccio with fresh wasabi emulsion — yeah, I know. But the best part was the jicama and avocado — for lack of a better word — guacamole that was served with it. It made the raw meat refreshing; and that, my friends, is the way to serve veggies.

For dinner, I had the rice paper-wrapped salmon with lobster-sake sauce with wild mushroom risotto and shaved fennel-herb salad. The salad was heavy on the fresh cilantro and mint, which made the dish. Sure, I would have served the whole shabang on a bed of microgreens, but the cool and light fennel and herbs balanced the richness of the rest of the entree.

Keith’s dinner was the tea spiced pork loin with black bean-garlic pork belly with spring pea-wild mushroom fricassee and two basil puree. Basically, there was a huge puddle of veggies under his meat, but it was alll so… cooked. I’m voting for that bed of microgreens again to lighten things up.

I don’t know, maybe I’m too veggie-oriented if I can find fault wth Ming Tsai, arguably one of the most creative and whole-foods centric chefs out there right now. I commend Ming’s artistry and the fact that he values veggies enough to make them part of the whole (no a la carte here) but still I crave more. Do I need an intervention?

Not the case with Jake’s Hamburgers. When they say their burgers are handmade it’s actually true. Especially when you see them making your patties minutes after you place your order. The result is a fresh and tasty alternative to normal fast food burgers.

With a little more than a dozen eateries spread along the Eastern Seaboard, Jake’s is a different type of fast food franchise. Instead of being housed in large cinder-block buildings that feature indoor playgrounds and Happy Meals, the restaurants are usually tucked away in non-descript strip malls, stucco buildings, and even old houses that come complete with wraparound porches. That doesn’t mean that Jake’s is unknown. On the contrary, while their venues may be small, their advertising covers a wide area.

And when we say advertising we’re not just talking about print media and radio ads. We’re also talking word of mouth as well. In fact, the high marks from both the public and the press have been more effective in bringing business into these stores than any traditional advertising has. This is good news since Jake’s burgers are somewhat higher in price than your average McWendyBurgerKing burger (around $5).

Jake’s menu is pretty straightforward. There are three types of burgers they sell: the single Jake Jr., the double patty Signature Burger, and the three patty Big Jake. You can choose either with cheese and/or bacon. The bacon, rather than being in strips, is circular in nature. This makes me think it’s a member of the Canadian Bacon family, but I can’t be too sure. All burgers come with your standard lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, ketchup, and mustard.

During my trip to Jake’s I ordered a Signature Burger with cheese and all the fixings save for the onion. I had it to go, but I knew it was fresh from the moment I picked it up from the grease stains peppering the brown paper bag. Despite the heaviness of the 6.6-ounce burger I found the meat cooked evenly with a nice amount of seasoning. The only downside to the burger was how messy it was. This was probably due to the soft bun, which aborbed the condiments like it was a sponge.

Being a place serving burgers, Jake’s also sells its share of sides (it’s the law, I believe). The fires are thick, lightly salted and seem to be cooked per order. If you order cheese fries you receive a fairly large cup of melted cheese that has a slight kick to it. Also available are chili fries, the heart-stopping (literally) chili cheese fries and homemade onion rings.

Jake’s has a small selection of entrees, salads and other sandwiches. Included are chicken fingers, which are actually smalll, breaded chicken wings. At least that’s what they looked like when I took them out of the bag. In no way did they resemble chicken fingers. For about $4 we got three ‘fingers’ with dipping sauce that lasted us through two meals.

In addition to its burgers, the other thing that Jake’s is famous for is its milkshakes. For under $4 you have a choice of 11 hand-dipped flavors as well as the M.O.M (Milkshake of the Month). Unfortunately, though friends of mine have raved about these shakes, I didn’t partake in one during my visit. However, since Jake’s Hamburgers has now been added to my list of eating  joints, I hope to partake in one of their world-famous shakes soon enough.

A few weeks ago Keith McDuffee (or, as we call him at CliqueClack Central, Your Highness) wrote up a little item comparing three nationally-known burrito shops – Chipotle, Moe’s and Qdoba. After presenting their strong and weak points he came to the absolute and total conclusion that… um, they were all good. Hey, we may need to bow down and kiss his ring when we see him, but that doesn’t mean he’s right all the time!

As a man who has never been to a Qdoba I would like to focus this edition of Fast Food Generation on just Moe’s and Chipotle. And, unlike Keith, I have a true winner between the two that I’ll reveal right now. It’s Chipotle. Though, Moe’s has some strengths as well. No, I am NOT waffling!

My relationship with Chipotle began while working in Bethesda, Maryland. My cube mate at the time used to bring in these humongoid burritos for lunch. When I asked where he was getting them he mentioned the Chipotle that was right around the corner from my office. A place I had passed more than a dozen times without even a glance! Curious, I trotted around the corner, picked up my first chicken burrito, and immediately fell in love.

For weeks afterward I would lunch at Chipotle several times a week (followed by several desk naps not long after). Soon enough I had my wife hooked. Then, rather than driving all the way to Bethesda from Gaithersburg, the company opened not one, but two stores within a few minutes drive. This meant not only could we dine on burritos for lunch, but for dinner as well.

Then, we moved to Delaware. Sadly, Chipotle didn’t move with us. Fact is, for the longest time, we didn’t know where the nearest restaurant was. Eventually we found one, but it was nearly 30 minutes away. Needless to say, a casual lunch or dinner was out of the question.

So, we settled for Moe’s. We discovered Moe’s Southwest Grill during a visit to the Delaware beaches (not the shore, the beaches. You say you’re going to the ‘Delaware Shore’ and the locals give you the stink eye). They had the ginormous burritos with the rice and beans and other fillings and, for the most part, it was enjoyable. The only problems I had were with some rice kernels that had been overcooked and the overall taste of the chicken. But, that was rectified when I switched to a steak Homewrecker, which was much tastier.

My family eventually adopted Moe’s into our home, especially when a branch opened up about five minutes from our house. And, while we enjoyed their food, there was just something missing from our Homewreckers that we enjoyed so much in our Chipotle’s burritos. Perhaps it was the steamed cilantro-lime rice or the chipotle-grilled chicken that we missed. Or, for me, it was the combined taste of the rice, sour cream and cheese when the burrito cooled. I always made sure that the last bites I took were from the rice and cheese portion of the burrito rather than the meat side. It was that much more satisfying for some reason.

Now, after five long, tiring years, Chipotle is finally coming into the Philadelphia region. And, we couldn’t be happier. Sure, the closest restaurant is 30 miles away in Southern Jersey, but at least we venture up there enough to partake in our favorite meal. If anything, it has reignited the love that we have for the fresh ingredients that complete a burrito. And, it has given us some hope that, one day, Chipotle will open up a branch right here in New Castle County, Delaware. Particularly near my office or home, if possible. Come on, Chipotle, make my wish come true!

Around noon I began to feel a bit peckish. So, I sashayed over to the local Subway for a bit of sustenance. Over the last few years I had gained an appreciation for the fresh-baked bread and seemingly endless amount of toppings that this healthier fast food chain provided for their sandwiches. Lately, that appreciation increased as the company embarked on their ‘$5 Footlongs‘ promotion, which made every standard footlong sub the company made a mere five bucks! Needless to say, this helped save some of my hard-earned pennies.

So, I lumbered up to the counter, ordered my usual (footlong turkey with cheese, honey mustard, lettuce and tomato), grabbed my chips and soda (as part of the combo meal), and headed to the register. I pulled out my usual seven dollars and twenty-seven cents, the normal cost of the meal, and was ready to hand it to the counter person, when he gave me the total of $8.50.

I was stunned! Even before the $5 promotion a turkey sub combo was under eight dollars. Now, after several months, the price had jumped up a buck-thirty. Dumbfounded, I asked the man behind the counter what had happened and he informed me that the turkey was no longer part of the $5 promotion. Fact of the matter was that its price had jumped up to $6.25. I thanked the man for his answer, kindly told him to put the sub where the sun don’t shine, and walked out.

I don’t know if this was a decision of the local franchise, or a price change across the whole chain, but the decision to limit the $5 promotion to only eight subs was a mistake. Particularly since they left off turkey, which is probably one of the more popular choices (and, I believe, was one of the ones Jared ate to lose all that weight). Considering local competitors like the Mid-Atlantic chain WaWa are offering the same subs for less this seems like an marketing error.

The price changes not only angered myself, but other customers as well. While I walked out of Subway that day, head held high, I heard from a number of other people who were shocked and totally unaware of the changes to the menu. They weren’t keeping it quiet either. While they were directing their opinions at me their voices were just loud enough for the managers to hear as well. Not a good sign.

So, for the time being, Subway is off my list of lunch choices. With other food outlets reducing prices on most of their menu items thanks to the success Subway has had, I’m sure the sub shop will come to its senses and restore the $5 Footlong promotion to most of their standard cold and hot subs. If not, well, I’ll just look somewhere else for that tasty combination of meat, cheese, and veggies.

This weekend I ventured into the city to help celebrate the upcoming nuptials of a close friend. It included dinner and Red Sox game (embarrassingly my first). Dinner, per the bride-to-be’s wishes, was at Addis Red Sea, an authentic Ethiopian restaurant in Boston. To be honest, I was more excited about trying a new type of food than going to the Sox game. I love the Sox, but I’m a huge food nerd, what can I say?

It was definitely a unique and different dining experience. It started right from the get-go, with short stools gathered around a mesob, which is a traditional woven straw table. Frankly, I could have done with regular chairs. More accurately, my back could have done with regular chairs, particularly after a leisurely two hour dinner. I was excited to see that the restaurant carried Ethiopian wine, and I was eager to try some, but they were out of the kind I wanted. It was a bit of a letdown, and I had to settle for a South African red. At least I stayed on the continent.

The food was delicious and served in a very unique way. All the food is served atop large pieces of flatbread, sort of like Indian naan. The bread is used in place of utensils (which led my wine-addled brain to refer to it as a “breadtensil” the whole night). You tear off pieces of the bread and use it to scoop up the food. The food itself was very good. The flavors reminded me a bit of Indian food. There was also fairly liberal use of chili powder, one dish reminding a couple of us of a Mexican mole. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would happily try it again.

As you can see from the picture above, the Ethiopian serving style lends itself to a pretty picture. With all those yummy little piles of food, it’s easy to share with friends and it made our dinner very fun. As you can see from the picture below, we completely destroyed that spread. Needless to say, I didn’t need a hot dog when we got to the park.

I’m big into Mexican food. As you saw earlier, I’m a margarita fiend and ex-parrothead, though the latter doesn’t stop my love for south-of-the-border treats. When salsa gets passed around, I’m all about the HOT, baby. Burritos, tacos, quesadillas … I love it all.

Lucky for me, I’ve got a few really good choices for take-out Mexican food within a five-minute drive of my house. Besides the local spots, we’ve got a few of the heavy-hitter chains nearby to choose from. But which is the best of the three? Let’s go over the offerings of each first:

Moe’s Southwest Grill

“Welcome to Moe’s!” If you’ve been to a Moe’s, you’re familiar with that phrase, shouted out anytime someone enters the restaurant. Before entering the line to place your order, you’re presented with a menu of Moe’s offerings, which can be a bit confusing, even though their names sound cool: The Homewrecker, The Triple Lindy, and the Joey Bag of Donuts. What’s confusing is how little they differ from each other, making you wonder why they even bother to give them fancy names.

On the plus side for Moe’s, guacamole is included in at least a few of the menu items, so it’s not extra. Well, that is, if you don’t ask for extra guacamole. Same with the chips; they come free with every meal.

Qdoba Mexican Grill

Qdoba stands out from the other two in this stand-off because of its unique offerings. Unlike Moe’s and Chipotle, which offer the basics in meats, toppings and salsas, Qdoba has some really tasty stuff that take it up a notch, in my book.

A personal favorite of mine is the Ancho Chile BBQ Burrito, which has a medium-spicy Mexican barbeque sauce that’s out of this world. They’ve also got a Poblano Pesto Burrito which has an awesome pesto sauce that I’m not sure you’ll find matched anywhere else.

The downside to Qdoba, to some, may be not having the ability to fully customize each item. As I said, Qdoba sort of stands on its own for having unique offerings, and you’re better off heading to the other two if you’re not into something different.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Nearly everyone I know virtually (e.g., on the ‘net, most never in-person) lives or works near a Chipotle and most LOVE it. A location just opened up a couple of months ago close to my home, and being the Mexican-food freak that I am, I had to try it out.

First of all, like Moe’s and Qdoba, everything is made to order in front of you, and fast. You’ve got all of the usual fillings and toppings, with nothing all that exotic to add to it besides the roasted veggies (which are really tasty.) The carnitas (pork) stands out above the other meats, and it’s tough not to order it every time. All of their meats are naturally raised, which is a big plus in my book.

The burritos cost all about the same, the only change coming with what kind of meat you choose and if you decide to add guacamole. And you do want to add the guacamole. One downside I will give Chipotle is that their bags of tortilla chips are too small, though I’m probably complaining more about that because the chips are awesome, with a hint of lime.

The Verdict

I’d love to sat it’s a three-way tie, but that’d be cheating, right? Instead, I’ll order them from my own personal preference and why:

3. Moe’s — They lose some points for their strange choice of menu options and lack of anything to make them stand out, other than their famous greeting.

2. Qdoba — They just miss the top spot because, while I LOVE their unique burritos, it’s just about all I’ll eat when I go there. I like some variety, and if they’d just let me slather whatever sauce I want on anything, I’d probably be going there more often.

1. Chipotle — Naturally raised meats, extremely fresh ingredients and awesomely limey chips. I can keep going back and get something slightly different every time, and their prices are really reasonable (as are the other two). Chipotle also gets another point for being the closest place to my house, but your mileage may vary.

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I mentioned in my intro post that when people find out that I’m a vegetarian, the question I get the most is, “wait, well what do you eat?” These aren’t even people like my brother-in-law, who would literally die if meat was taken out of his diet, because he would be down to like, 70 calories a day. These are normal people with relatively normal eating habits, yet the thought of not eating meat baffles them.

“Well, uh, I eat everything that … doesn’t have meat in it?” is my general response, because despite the fact that I’ve gotten this question a million times, it never ceases to confuse me. Since I grew up a vegetarian instead of deciding to become one, I didn’t have to go through a meat break-up. I didn’t have to give up Big Macs; I didn’t have to say so long to steak; I didn’t have to tell chicken, “it’s not you; it’s me.” I’ve always eaten around meat, so it’s not that big of a deal.

People aren’t so much worried about what I eat at home; most of them imagine that I have some elaborate tofu-sprout-tree bark concoction waiting for me at home that I can just nibble on while I cry. It’s when I’m out in public that people get really freaked out (mainly because I just shouldn’t be let out in public, but also because of the food thing).

If I’m out with someone for the first time and we go to a restaurant, oftentimes they’ll worriedly ask me, “is there anything you can eat here?” Nine out of ten times, the answer is yes. Even on the tenth time, I can usually make something work.

Are we going to the meatfest that is Rub? They have a portobello mushroom sandwich (granted, it’s overpriced and lame for what it is, but it’s something). Are you in the mood for cajun food at ACME? They have a side dish dinner that actually makes for a delicious if not carbo-loaded meal. Chains are even better for veggie options. I was obsessed with Chipotle‘s burrito bowls when I was pregnant, and while Burger King can probably never be considered a good option, the veggie burger there is good if you’re on a road trip.

Things have certainly changed from the days I had to cobble a dinner together out of a side salad, vegetable of the day and a baked potato/fries. Restaurants are a lot more accommodating. Just this year I’ve found out that even if a restaurant doesn’t have a single vegetarian dish on the menu (not even a vegetarian pasta, which, how is that even possible?) a lot of times they have a secret dish that they’ll make for you.

I don’t really understand it, but even at a fancy steakhouse with like three things on the menu, where I was getting ready to order a baked potato as my entree, they totally had a secret pasta. Luke told the guy that I was a vegetarian (something that I hardly ever do myself) and the waiter leaned over conspiratorially and said, “I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life. How about a pasta primavera?) The restaurant didn’t even have pasta on the menu! It was pretty slick.

All in all, life is pretty good for vegetarians right now. We have mushroom sandwiches, burrito bowls and secret pasta. So if we go out to dinner together, rest assured that I will be okay. Unless we go to a seafood restaurant. Man, seafood restaurants hate me.

Scott Shulman’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing his thoughts about just how super Ina Garten is in his last post….

I was sitting at my go-to sushi place the other night and noticed a man and woman having what can only be described as an awkward first date. The guy (Guy) had rigid lines in his hair creating the tell-tale ‘fresh-haircut-box’ in the back of his head which showed off the noticeable white skin that used to be covered by his unkempt hair. The girl (Gal) wasn’t much better. You could tell she either spent a lot of time shopping for her outfit, or a lot of time making the outfit, because everything matched perfectly.

Honestly, it was probably one of the sweetest moments I’ve witnessed in recent memory. Guy’s trying to schmooze up Gal with the menu, even though he unknowingly has remnants of shaving cream on the side of his neck. Gal struggles with the chop sticks, inadvertently exploding soy sauce and wasabi across the table. All the while everything is sweetly being anesthetized with the combination of Asahi and sake, as it should be. It was all so cute and innocent … until they started bringing out the food.

It looked as though Guy took to the menu a bit too zealously, because when the uni shooters came out, my innate sushi sense started tingling, and I could tell it wasn’t going to go over well with Gal. (Very seldom do you see an apparent sushi novice jump into the deep end with uni let alone uni shooters.)

I saw her lean into Guy, undoubtedly asking what it was, to which he replied, “It’s really good,” (Good job Guy, brace her for the bad news) “It’s a shot glass with some sake,” (Not bad) “some green onions,” (The fuse is lit) “Tobasco,” (Tic) “smelt roe,” (Tic) “uni, which is sea urchin roe,” (Tic) “and a raw quail egg.” (BOOM!) Gal seemed more like Mariah Carey in a diva tantrum than the sweet girl from moments earlier, as she literally convulsed in her seat. (I’ve had a few uni shooters in my day and they really aren’t that bad … utterly uncalled for, but doable.)

Guy was faced with a debilitating conundrum. Do I take two uni shooters and utterly shatter any chance of hooking up with Gal? Or waste roughly thirty dollars on the ovum version of Surf and Turf and order chicken teriyaki? Needless to say, with the current state of the economy, Guy pounded his uni shooters in front of a thoroughly disgusted Gal, and the rest of their dinner ended as awkwardly as it began.

After dinner, the two uncomfortable twenty-somethings walked into the San Fernando Valley night, disappearing back into the depths of eHarmony. I leaned back in my chair and chuckled at the thought of how brash Guy was with his culinary mandates. I mean, you gotta crawl before you can walk, and he should have known better. (But I can’t really talk, considering I was eating dinner alone.) But that’s when I realized I too faced a daunting query. One that has plagued man since the beginning of time…

What’s the best first-date food to eat?

Stay tuned as I investigate.

During my last journey to the City I decided to venture into an establishment that I had passed numerous times before, but skipped to go eat at Chipotle next door. The place was brgr. After eating there I’m sorta glad I skipped it previously

Situated a few blocks from Penn Station (between 26^th and 27^th Street on the 7^thAvenue side) brgr is a higher class of fast food restaurant. Think Fuddruckers, but without the balloons and merry-go-round. Exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and bare ceiling rafters give the restaurant a comfortable feel. While it’s not a big restaurant width-wise, it is deep. This provides space for a limited amount of small tables and a long, wood and tile counter that overlooks the open grill.

As the name of the restaurant implies, this is a burger joint. No chicken or fish sandwiches, no wraps, and no salads. You get your burger made of cow, turkey, or the elusive vegetable. Burgers are prepared with all-natural ingredients: no growth hormones or antibiotics in these patties. This is probably the reason why my burger was so small and was complaining of a sore throat. But, I digress.

You can order your burger two ways: either a specialty burger, which contains a variety of toppings, or a la carte. If you love to load up your burger with a lot of toppings, then the a la carte way is for you. However, it will end up costing you a pretty penny if you pile them on. If you only like a few toppings so you can actually taste the meat, then a specialty burger is the way to go.

I decided to let the menu make my choice and selected the Beautiful Day Burger. It comprised of one beef patty, American Cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and ‘brgr Sauce.’ I asked to remove the onions but kept the brgr Sauce, even though I didn’t really know what it was. I also ordered a side of Russet potato fries (they also have a sweet potato variety) and a fountain drink. There are no ‘Value Meals’ at brgr, so those need to be purchased separately.

Including tax, my simple meal cost a whopping $12.55, with $7.55 being for the burger itself. Now, I understand this is New York City — one of the most expensive places to eat. But, even that was a bit much. Especially since the burger I received was on the small side (though, the sizes of the fries and drink were worth the price). If the burger had been something totally out of this world I guess I could have forgiven them.

Sadly, the burger was simply a burger. Actually, it was a bit less than that. Greasy and cooked on the rare side (to the point that the beef told me it was grass fed), my Beautiful Day Burger was just an Average Day Burger. Even with the mystery brgr Sauce there was no flavor to this piece of ground beef. I don’t think the inclusion of the grilled onions would have helped it out.

If there was any consolation it was a good batch of fries. Hand cut, they were just the right texture: not too soggy and not too crisp. And, as mentioned above, there were quite a bit of them. So much so that I couldn’t finish them all.

Overall, I would recommend that you walk right past brgr and save your money for a decent burger that can be had at one of a million joints in the city. However, if your meat absolutely needs to be treated like royalty while getting a mani/pedi, then brgr is the place for you.

Because I took such a liking to sushi in the past ten years or so, when I’m at a restaurant and order a fish dish that’s not sushi, I want it nearly raw — not totally raw, but rare-to-medium-rare and simply seared on the outside. Why don’t more restaurants get that I’m serious?

My father-in-law put me onto a phrase that sometimes seems to do the trick: “JUST threaten it with heat.” Just scare that piece of meat into thinking you’re going to cook it to death, then take it off the pan/grill. That’s it! I’m saving you work!

Listen, I’ve read all of the warnings about possible food-borne illnesses, parasites, yadda-yadda. Hell, give me a waiver to sign and I won’t fault you for it — I know what I’m getting into here, tape worm and all. But when I order my tuna steak “rare,” I’d better see a picture like that at the top of this post. Most places define “rare” as a cooked outside, with a cold or room-temperature center. Lots of times lately I’m seeing my fish come back not medium-rare, but medium-to-well-done! Who’s the chef back there, Heat Miser?

Until more chefs get that we’re serious when we order rare, I’ll have a hard time being confident enough to order a piece of tuna or salmon when I go out to eat. And that just sucks.

We know we’re in the minority, and that we’re lucky we can still enjoy a sushi dinner with our son — although it was very hard to share at first! I guess it’s a good thing he’s old enough to get his own order now.

In case you love a good sushi dinner, but your kids think it’s gross, you could try a few things to get them excited about the prospect of trying sushi:

I loved the tips from Phillip Yi, an experienced sushi chef.  From making sure the kids get chopsticks to some menu suggestions sure to please, this article is a must-read if you’re craving some sushi and you’ve got no place to dump the kids.

To me, one of the easiest ways to get kids to eat something is to show them what’s in it. This can start at the farm, when they get to see how vegetables grow, or it can be making sushi at home with your kids so they get hands-on into the process. They’ll see the seaweed, the rice and you can even let them choose what fillings they want in their sushi rolls. Ah, the power of autonomy….

Oh, and a word to the Minx who doesn’t believe that kids belong in a sushi restaurant? You haven’t met mine. There’s a big difference in dragging children out to a place they don’t want to be, and bringing a refined, yet small, dinner companion out for an evening of commonly enjoyed food. I agree that kids should never be running around any restaurant (even McDonald’s, though my kid’s never been in one of those), but if they have been exposed to and have an appreciation for the food and have been taught proper table manners then kids have a right to eat wherever they like.

Do you want to know how to make those luscious items you read on menus? Shift into reverse and bring that menu home!

Keith blogged about our divine Valentine’s dinner this year, a gourmet take-out meal from Pepper’s Catering here in town. I had a wonderful duck dish, and Keith had locally raised char-grilled Lamb T-Bone Chops with black cherry black pepper balsamic demi-glace. Yes, it was as good as it sounds.

Let’s reverse menuneer this one so you can create it at home. It really is super-easy, and this recipe is one we’ve made for years, and often.

Yes, you’ll be reading the next phrase correctly: it’s a Rachel Ray 30 minute meal recipe. A gourmet meal in 30 minutes? The likes of Black Cherry and Black Pepper Lamb and Sweet Pea Risotto can only be called gourmet and anyone can make it. The sauce only has four ingredients, oil and seasoning.

I’d suggest some roasted asparagus alongside the lamb and risotto, and I’d serve it all on a bed of baby spinach or arugula. So now you’ve got a delicious meal with a brilliant presentation — you’re ready to impress. You’re welcome.

Where is all the Asian cuisine? Food Network has been doing a pretty good job diversifying themselves the past couple of years, adding Ingrid Hoffman and Daisy Martinez to fill out the great Latin and South American cooking, but they’re still missing out.

I love Asian food; whether it’s Chinese, Japanese (suuuuuuushi…), Thai (curry!), Indian (more curry!), Vietnamese (pho), or Korean (barbeque) it’s all good. Now, if I could put a list like that together in mere seconds, don’t you think a sustainable television show could be dedicated to cooking these things?

I understand that there are some concerns. A show dedicated to Asian cooking may not have the same mass appeal as a 30 Minute Meals or Everyday Italian. Also, many Asian dishes require specialty ingredients that many people may not have access to. However, it’s been my experience that most supermarkets these days are getting more diverse ingredients, or even featuring “international” sections.

At one time, Food Network did feature Ming Tsai (one of my favorite chefs — his restaurant, Blue Ginger, in suburban Boston, is amazing) in East Meets West, but it hasn’t been on the channel for some time. It was a great show, and I think that there is definitely space on the Food Network for a similar program.

Step up Food Network! It’s time to celebrate all the food of the world.