The Clumsy Eater

30 Seconds With - Siefers Valomilk

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:06:00 +0000

Psst! Hey you...

Yes, YOU!

Have you had these yet?

No? Well then you simply MUST!

Their website will tell you where to find them.

I buy them at Cracker Barrel, the most vile resto on the planet IMO, but I will brave the throngs of old peeps just to buy my Valomilk's.

Look!

All natural ingredients.

BONUS- there's no gelatin in their marshmallow so it's veg friendly!

*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

I get them in Florida where it's hot, so they are usually leaky.

*shrugs*

It does not detract from their deliciousness!

Oooohhhh.....

Ahhhhh.....

Sweet, sticky and milk chocolatey.

REAL Vanilla too.

Mmmmm....

10 out of 10 sticky, messy, gooey Monkeys for Valomilk! Hoorah!

.

Reviews on the Road with Katy - German in Germany!

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:02:00 +0000

This review is long overdue, but as it often happens, if I don't do things right away, life gets in the way. I apologize that not all the pictures are of great quality. Most are taken with my cellphone, and with being out and about, the battery was often too low for the flash/focus to take crisp pictures. There are so many delicious dishes to try and I have only have pictures of a fraction. No worries, I'll be back there in April again and will grab more pictures!

Quick note: while normally my dishes reviewed are vegetarian this is not the case when I am home in Germany. Fun fact: the first time hubby went with me (this is after he'd known me for several years) he could not believe all the meat type things I ate several times a day! I do not eat seafood or game but I do eat certain German sausages/meatballs and cold cuts that are just too hard to come by outside of Germany (and I do love veggies)!

* * * * * * * * * *

The first few pictures were taken on our first stop of the trip. We landed in Frankfurt and headed to Munich for Hubby's wish to check out the Oktoberfest. Our second night there we headed to the Wirtshaus with our hosts. The restaurant is one of their favorites! We all had different dishes and everyone seemed happy with their choice.

Picture number 1 is Kaesespaetzle - one of my favorites; Picture # 2 Schweinebraten; Picture # 3 Ofenfrischer Schweinebraten (pork roast) with Dumplings; Picture # 4 (my dinner) stuffed cabbage with boiled potatoes. I usually love stuffed cabbage but unfortunately this one was made with bacon, and had bacon in the sauce, so I ended up picking out bacon most of the night. Picture # 5 was Kaiserschmarn - this too is one of my favorites and can be eaten as a meal or dessert. This dish you'll find in Austria and Bavaria: it's essentially a different version of pancakes [usually] with raisins and powdered sugar.

8 Monkeys for the Wirtshaus!

S`Wirtshaus (Pictures 1-5)

Augsburgerstraße 3 - 82194 Gröbenzell

Telefon: (08142) 53 79 0

http://www.wirtshaus-groebenzell.de/

* * * * * * * * * *

While heading back from checking out "Cinderellas castle" in lower Bavaria, thanks to an unplanned detour, we stopped at Landgasthof zur Sonne on our way to Saxony. The weather was dreamy so we decided to dine outside. We love sitting in the Biergarten and had fun sharing our lunch with 2 adorable kittens that strolled around.

Hubby had ordered a typical game dish (Picture 7) - Hirschbraten (Deer) but instead of dumplings he had potato salad. He enjoyed it very much as did the kittens. I ordered Maultaschen with a creamy mushroom sauce (Picture 6) and this was one of my favorite dishes on this trip. Usually Maultaschen are shaped like ravioli and are stuffed with a Spinach/ground meat mix. While these reminded me more of Lasagne from the shape, the taste was delightful. We rounded up our lunch with dessert: Apfelstrudel (Picture 8) for hubby and Plumcake (Picture 9) for me.

10 Monkeys for the Gasthof zur Sonne!

Landgasthof zur Sonne (Pictures 6-9)

Dorfstraße 7

87675 Stötten am Auerberg

Telefon: 0 83 49 / 2 11

http://www.landgasthofsonne.de/kontakt.html

* * * * * * * * * *

For my birthday we went to go visit my grandma in Olbernhau in the Ore mountain range. One of many stereotypes Germans have for Saxons is that we like to wander = hike/take long walks... which is very true and there are many paths to do that on! So we wandered 7km to the restaurant Saigerhuette from my Oma's place.

It was a pretty day, perfect for a walk. Once there we were starving! Oma and I had ordered soup but I failed to grab a picture. Hers was a Pumpkin soup and mine a Mushroom soup. She loved hers and I have to say I was not sold on mine (and passed it on to hubby) as it had a sour taste to it which I did not care for. For dinner I had Hackepeter - this is something like steak tartar but made of pork (Pictures 10 and 11) and you eat it on top of bread. Yes, it is raw ground pork, usually has a raw egg mixed in and onions (or like it was served here it had the onions on the side). I love this dish! It's not usually found in the summer and it's not a dish they will let you take to go, which I found a bit annoying, since it was good, but my eyes were too big for my stomach. I know it's for safety... but still. Being a typical American, Hubby will not go near this dish, raw pork and all, so I did not have any help eating it. Hubby had another Game dish - Gulasch with the typical Dumplings you'll find in and near the Czech republic.

8 Monkeys for Saigerhuette!

Saigerhuette (Pictures 10-12)

In der Hütte 9

09526 Olbernhau

037360 787-0

http://www.saigerhuette.de/

* * * * * * * * * *

We were much too full to contemplate dessert right after our Lunch with Oma, so we checked out the Hammerwerk (where copper used to be processed) and then started on our walk back. We walked into the center of the town and decided to have some coffee and Ice cream at Cafe Flamenco.

One of the things I love about Germany is all the delightful Ice cream creations they have. I had choosen the Yogurette Becher - Raspberries, Yogurt and Yogurt Ice cream with yogurette bars. Hubby had the Fruitbecher with multiple fruits and ice cream. (Picture 13)

9 Monkeys for Flamenco's!

Cafe Flamenco

Grünthaler Straße 4

09526 Olbernhau
Telefon: 03 73 60 - 66 98 40

http://www.cafe-flamenco.de/

* * * * * * * * * *

So, picture number 14 is not from a restaurant but from the Market in Chemnitz were I bought one of my favorites fruits - red currants. They are very had to come by in the US and I am always happy to be in Germany in late summer early fall when they are in season.

* * * * * * * * * *

Pictures 15 and 16 are from Restaurant Zum Fuellort in Bad Schlema. This place is awesome - not just the food but the ambiance too! Saxony and Ore mountain regions are in what used to be East Germany, and the area I grew up in was a mining area. My aunt and uncle thought we'd love this place and we did. It's located in what used to be the cantina for the Wismut miners and they renovated it to look like a mine with lots of memorabilia from those days past. It was really neat to see, and even more importantly, they had my all time favorite dish (picture 17) from my childhood. I couldn't believe when I saw it on the menu! I used to have it all the time when I was a kid.

Hubby ordered the Miners plate which was pork and fried potatoes. My dish was delightful! It's a big German meatball with a fried egg on top served with mashed potatoes and fried onions. It was amazing! I can't wait to go back and show it to my mom when her and I travel back to Germany next year. They also serve the old time Wismut schnapps which hubby got to try *snicker*. The before and after pictures were priceless.

I'd give 11 Monkeys but since 10 is all we have on our scale 10 Monkeys it is!

Zum Fuellort (Pictures 15-16)

Kulturhaus "Aktivist"
Bergstraße 22
08301 Bad Schlema
Tel. +49 (0) 3771/29020

http://www.kur-schlema.de/kulturhaus/index.php?page=20

* * * * * * * * * *

Picture 17 is from my favorite restaurant in my home town - Gruenhainer Kapelle. I love the building and the food is always great. Hubby had ordered the German version of a baked potato and check out how it was served! I normally have fried potatoes when I go there but tried one of their seasonal dishes this time around - a Spaetzle Mushroom dish which was yummy too, but nowhere near as good as my usual.

9 Monkeys for Gruenhainer Kapelle!

Gruenhainer Kapelle (Picture 17)

Peter-Breuer-Straße 3
08056 Zwickau
Telefon: 03 75 / 2 04 82 55

http://www.gruenhainer-kapelle.de/

* * * * * * * * * *

The last picture is from our dinner in Berlin at Zillermarkt. We met up with a friend of mine and checked out a few different places before settling on this one. The ambiance seemed romantic and there were cartoons from Heinrich Zille everywhere. Sadly, the food, and even more so the service, were not up to par.

Hubby ordered the Eisbein (picture 18) - a very typical German dish and liked it. I had Potato salad with meatballs and did not have more than 2 bites. I was glad I had ordered an appetizer. My meatballs were flavorless and the potato salad had peppers in them. Our friend had Schnitzel and Pommes and seemed happy with that choice. Our waitress seemed to have been in a bad mood as she literally ignored us several times when we tried to order more drinks and then tried to tell us we had ordered and gotten things we did not have.

Only 5 Monkeys for Zillermarkt!

Restaurant Zillemarkt (Picture 18)

Bleibtreustr. 48a

10623 Berlin

http://www.zillemarkt.de

Until I eat again,

Katy

Back from Hiatus with a Mess of Excuses and a Recipe for Wine Wednesday!

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:19:00 +0000

First of all, my sincerest apologies for the unscheduled break. I knew December would be busy with all the cookie orders (I ship out holiday sweetboxes to many of my previous clientele from the pastry shoppe in WI). What I didn't see coming was the unexpected passing of my great Aunt, just weeks after we got her situated in her third (!) new room at an assisted living facility (thanks to a whole lot of help from friends back in WI, Roxanne and Mark, since we couldn't possibly make the trip again so soon). Auntie left me in charge of everything... including her sister (who suffers from dementia and can't speak due to a stroke years ago). I swear I spent an entire month on the phone and doing paperwork, two things I despise! This left little to no time for things like this blog, which I consider very important. Unfortunately, The Clumsy Eater himself could not even step in to post for me due to his 9am-5pm being more like an 8am-10pm for a few weeks.

The holidays brought four days of quiet relaxation for the clumsy eater and I... rather, that's how it was supposed to be. We have been pup-less for quite some time, ever since the sudden passing of my beloved Brioche. With the cross country move, the temporary stay with JDC's family and our (current) great vintage apartment that doesn't allow dogs, the need for another companion animal has been growing out of control. I've always been allergic to cats, but also believe strongly in mind-over-matter and developing a tolerance, so we went and adopted a kitten on Xmas eve. Ohhhh and what a doll! So sweet, so well behaved, he even let JDC give him a good scrub down in the sink after my allergies started acting up... too bad that didn't cut it. :-( Two days later JDC was worried he'd end up taking me to the ER. Breathing was laboured and my body was consumed by welts, but worst of all, I couldn't even play with or hold the kitteh because everything would get worse. Poor little guy had to go back, and it took me a good two weeks to start feeling like myself again. Oh well, we look back upon it as a nice donation to help strays for the holidays, since we donated a few bags full of cool stuff we had purchased for the kitteh.

Anyway, enough with the excuses! I have hundreds of photos to go through, several new resto reviews and a super great post from Germany, via our traveling correspondent Katy, of her amazing experience at Oktoberfest. There will also be many product reviews coming up, including the long awaited PaperChef parchment testing (I'm going to go ahead and spoil the surprise... I LOVE their products!!!).

* * * * * * * * * *

Today's wine was an impulse buy. Even tho I'm pro organic everything, my experience with "No Sulfite Detected" Organic wines has not been very positive. From what I've read, they have a very limited shelf life and, much like unfiltered wines, take a bit of getting used to, which makes me wonder if that's been my problem. They always seem to taste too vinegar-y to me. (I tend to not have this issue with wines that have been made from pesticide free grapes and contain naturally occurring sulfites, and are labeled as such.)

Mother's Choice disappointed me as well. So much so, that I couldn't even finish one glass. It cost just under $10, if I remember correctly, so there was no way I was going to toss the whole bottle even though I knew I couldn't drink it. I decided to turn it into Sangria because everybody knows one can turn any non-fabulous wine into a fabulous Sangria in a heartbeat!

Start this the night before you intend to serve it, if you can wait that long. ;-)

Pour the wine into a container.

Bring to a boil approximately 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of bottled water. (You can play very freely with this amount. It depends on how sweet the wine is and how sweet you want the Sangria to be!) Turn off the heat and prep the rest of your ingredients.

This was a last minute plan so I just used fruit that I happened to have on-hand: clementines and apples. Other nice additions are grapes, pineapple, oranges, lemons, limes or even fresh ginger.

Add the fruit to the wine and pour in the simple syrup.

Spirits are a nice touch to make it extra special. Most people add either Brandy, Whiskey or Rum... but I always head straight for the Cointreau! MMmmmm... Cointreau. :-D

At this point you want to let it sit overnight in the fridge so the Sangria is infused with all that fruity goodness.

Just before serving, add a quart or so of carbonated water. More or less, to taste, is fine! (And yes, I use a Sodastream. I love it! Although I don't use any of their flavours. There'll likely be a post about it in the near future.)

Here's where I should have the pic of the glass of Sangria. Um... but one glass led to another and before we knew it, it was all gone, with neither one of us having snapped a photo. Oops!

I'm afraid the bottle of Mother's Choice 2010 California Organic Red Wine garners only 3 Monkeys on its own, however, once married to the Sangria mixture it tops out at a whopping 10 hiccuping Monkeys!

.

Review - A Return to "Green Chili Indian Bistro"

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:33:00 +0000

This has been one our favourite go-to restos since we moved to St. Pete. We wrote them up months ago, here, giving them 8 out of 10 Monkeys for consistently amazing, scratch-made, Indian delicacies.

We eat out frequently and take advantage of Groupons (Living Social, Crowd Savings, etc.) when available. In fact, I know of certain proprietors who inform their regular clientele about an upcoming coupon, encouraging them to take advantage of at least one, if not more. Because it's not only a way to get new people in, it can also be utilized as a way to thank existing clientele for their continued patronage with a nice discount.

Several weeks ago I noticed Green Chili had a Groupon deal for dinner. I was also pleasantly surprised to see they quoted our very own blog review in the sidebar of the deal where we cited that, "Their Paneer Pakora was some of the best we've ever tasted..." It even sent wary purchasers directly to our full review complete with mouth-watering photos. It wasn't my favourite type of deal, since it was for a "Dinner Package" as opposed to a dollar amount off your dinner. The difference, with us being vegetarian, usually our food sans meat is far cheaper than that of a carnivorous feast. The "Dinner Packages" tend to allow extra dollars for higher priced [meat] entrees. However, I picked one up anyway.

Knowing full well how packed a resto with a fresh Groupon can be, The Clumsy Eater and I jinerally wait a few weeks before going in to redeem the voucher. This time I believe we waited about 3.5 weeks. We also went mid-week hoping it wouldn't be over-crowded.

JDC went in ahead of me as I had an urgent phone call which I took outside. I noticed there was a sign on the door that stated reservations must be made for dinner, no exceptions (thankfully, I'd called ahead, it did say on the Groupon that reservations were required). After I entered, I mentioned I was with the gentleman that just came in and as I headed toward the table where he sat I was stopped with a slightly harsh, "Yes. You have a Groupon. Give it to me first before you go in there." This came from the same person who had greeted and seated us on numerous occasions previously... always in a very friendly and welcoming way. Suddenly, I had a pang of regret for getting the Groupon, wondering if this was to be one of those awful experiences like we've had before, although rare, where the resto seems to punish the customer for coming in and collecting. But no, not here! *sigh* That couldn't happen here... we've had so many wonderful, quiet and relaxing meals!

After I sat down I noticed JDC looked concerned. I read his mind in a jinstant... he was worried our dinner would be disappointing. Oh no, he had picked up on it too! When our server came over I made it clear that we wanted to purchase extras that were not included on the Groupon. I had hoped this would set us apart as being untypical-groupon-lousy-tipper-cheapo's.

I must say, the service was nearly spot on; water was refilled constantly and dishes were cleared timely. Good thing too, or I would've been furious about the 20% tip they added to the bill, which was not expressly stated on the Groupon. (For the record, when service deems deserving, 20-25% is our norm and when using a coupon, we tip on the full amount!)

We started with our beloved Paneer Pakora. I popped one in my mouth after dipping it in the tamarind sauce and JDC watched as a distasteful look spread across my face. They were awful. Dry and tasteless; nothing like those we'd enjoyed at dinners past. I broke one in half with my fork and could immediately see why- there was a tiny cube of cheese surrounded by batter that was twice as thick as the filling. We also had the Vegetable Samosas, which were alright, but a far cry from their usual perfect light pastry wrapped delights.

We upgraded to two orders of garlic Naan (as opposed to the one order of plain which was included with the meal) and added a dish of their Mango Chutney which I adore. I've commented on it previously; they proudly explained to me that they make it from scratch where other Indian resto's generally buy it pre-made. The Naan came to the table fresh, but overbaked. It was thin and hard. Very disappointing. But not nearly as disappointing as my beloved Mango Chutney. After one taste I wanted to spit it out. JDC looked at me and said, "It's not their normal scratch chutney, is it? I'm sorry sweetie. I was worried it wouldn't be." I didn't eat any more of it... the gelatinous acrid tasting chutney clearly came from a jar.

For entrees we chose two we hadn't tried before, the Vegetable Biryani and the Dal Makhani (Yellow Dal). We normally order our entrees "Medium" and they are plenty spicy and flavourful, so we stuck with medium on this visit as well. We should have gone "Hot" though... they were not even mildly spiced/hot. One of the things we've enjoyed there in the past was the depth of their sauces, the flavours were multidimensional. Not on this visit though. The Dal was watery and the Biryani was simply bland. The entrees were not terribly bad, they merely paled in comparison to what we know they are capable of creating.

We couldn't help but wonder if their standards were temporarily dropped due to people using their Groupons (just under half the resto was filled and from what we overheard they were all using Groupons) or if they had slipped and simply cut quality. I tend to believe it was the former, which upsets me more than it probably should. If you decide to put out an offer for new business, cutting quality is not going to bring people back! In fact, as we walked out of what was once a favourite go-to of ours we voiced in unison, "I don't really ever want to come back."

We've since discussed that, in fact, we do not want to go back. We're going to start looking for a different Indian resto to satisfy our craving. So, if you've any suggestions, do tell!

A very disappointing 2 out of 10 unsatisfied monkeys for Green Chili Indian Bistro.

Location:
310 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Website:
http://www.greenchilibistro.com

.

Joint Review - MEZE 119

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:32:00 +0000

[Just a reminder that the "Joint Review" constitutes those occasions when The Clumsy Eater and I feel we both have oh-so-much to say! As always, I'm in purple (purple for passion!) and JDC's thoughts are in black (creatively dark soul that he is ;-).]

Whispers of MEZE 119 were wafting on the breeze throughout our beachfront paradise well before its grand opening. Are you kidding? An haute resto that was 100% Vegetarian?!!? That got me jinmensely excited.

I was still familiarizing myjinself with the downtown area when I had heard their doors were officially open. Yet, I could not seem to locate them for anything as I was constantly crossing my streets: 2nd Avenue would turn to 2nd Street in my map-muddled brain. Then, with all the different one way streets, I'd get even more turned around. (JDC always laughs at me. I confuse easily with directions in a new city until one day it CLICKS. Literally! There's an audible *pop* in my head that quickly resonates jinto an excited utterance something along the lines of, "OhMyGoddess I've finally got it!") So, one day I finally got it... and then I realized I was looking in the wrong place. Hee! *blush*

From the moment we first walked in we loved the décor. Very IKEA (and that's a total compliment coming from us ;-), very crisp and clean, über cozy. Lots of white with just enough colour to sooth the eyes and nourish the soul. Personally, I adore the pillow lined booths; so comfy! As you can see above, they have snazzy outdoor seating as well.

I'm not giving you an entire snapshot of the wall manifesto... because you must go in to see (and taste!) for yourself. What's that? You say you don't live in Florida? Well, just one more reason to visit. ;-)

The Moroccan Mint Iced Tea.

We honestly meant to do a write up months ago. Instead, this review gives you a taste of the many meals we've already enjoyed because we keep going back. It's fresh, healthy and we are trying to work our way through their extensive menu. I just didn't want you to think we ate all this food in one sitting. Heh heh. Leetle piggies we are not. Wellll.... maybe occasionally. ;-D

They offer Bourekas as pictured above, with various fillings dependent on the whims of the chef (I assume) but one thing remains the same: their awesomeness! I admit, the first time we went I hesitated to try them because puff pastry generally fills me with unhappiness when I order it out. It's usually too thick with far too little filling and can leave a rancid taste on the palate from the type of fat used in the pastry. Yes, ok, I'm a puff pastry snob due to years of mixing and rolling my own, from scratch, in the pastry shoppe. Ahhhh.... but these make me happppy! I've tried many different kinds and shall continue to try more. The pastry is the perfect thickness and the filling is plentiful with just the right touch of spice.

They also have amazing varieties of hummus and schmeer to happily round out a plate of their pillowy light pitas. They offer whole wheat or white, and while both are delicious, we have a deep fondness for the white.

As far as faux meats go, I've been a Vegetarian for so long that I jinerally don't miss, or feel the need to, eat them. However, they've helped my sweetheart through a huge lifestyle change so I gladly make them at home and share them with him when we dine out. I usually can't tolerate anything too 'beefy' though, even when it's not the real thing, but have no problem nibbling on faux fowl from time to time. That said, I am in love with their "Chikk'n Nug'itz" which they serve with two dips; a delightful tamarind honey sauce and an exotically spiced BBQ sauce.

The Grilled Vegetable Napoleon.

I believe we had worked our way through half the entrees listed on the menu when they suddenly added more. More! Ohhhh.... could we be any happier? A place where JDC could get his "beefy" fix and I could get vegetable based delights. Bliss.

The Flat Iron Stāk.

The Tz''iips. Yummmmmm! :-D

I must speak of my favourite and one of the reasons I may never ever work my way through their menu. The Cyprus BLT has me mesmerized. With every other visit, I try with all my might, to order something different. I usually succeed. Usually. ;-D I think I shall never tire of this unique creation though, so pretty please don't ever remove it from your menu. I don't believe that one single ingredient stands out for me, it's simply a mélange of happiness for your mouth: panko encrusted tomatoes, olive tapenade, tempeh bacon, caramelized onions and syrian cheese. Oralgasmic!

Their dessert offerings are some of the most flavourful I've encountered in St. Petersburg and you all know how particular I am. We've sampled all but one and were very pleased. Their baklava is also extremely good, not overly syrupy sweet like most. For myself though, I wish there was a bit more spice... the plate is served with a trio, one almond, one walnut and one pistachio. I know I'm a hard sell when it comes to pastry (they don't call me the anal-retentive pastry chef for nothing!) but to push a "very good" dessert into "absolute excellence" I'd like to see 3 distinct flavours... maybe a Cardamom Pistachio, a Rose Water Almond and a Cinnamon Walnut. But, that's just me. Now behold, absolute perfection (I wouldn't change a thing!), their Lemon Custard Parfait:

The Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake.

The Clumsy Eater says:
I've been disappointed with iced tea in many a resto and I've all but given up. Given up until I hit Meze. Holy crap, I love this tea. First off, brilliant idea adding a strip of sugar cane. Moroccan mint tea at its best! Crystal clear and delicious, I usually knock out five or six glasses during our visits.

I've enjoyed the lemonade, but it's a bit too sweet for me. While I love a good Arnold Palmer, I love the simple purity of the mint tea itself.

The Flat Iron Stāk comes with caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, cheese and a homemade hot sauce on garlic flat bread. This damn thing is amazing. I spent five minutes just tasting the gravy over and over. There was this amazing beef taste to it the likes of which I have not enjoyed in a long time.

I need to say something first. I hear the few people that feel compelled to defend meat and say "if it is so much like beef, why not just eat beef?" Well, my philosophy is that I'll eat healthy alternatives if they satisfy the itch. I've lost over a hundred pounds eating healthy and choose alternatives. My life and my choice. I'm not judging you by living my life.

Anyway, I was astounded at how amazingly accurate this meal tasted. I just kept tasting it over and over while trying to analyze the flavors. I moved onto the stāk and found it it be remarkably similar to cube steak. The texture was spot on.

The mashed potatoes were Yukon Gold and just the right amount of lumps to keep my interest. I almost asked for seconds. Just look at the pictures and envy my taste buds!

In closing, I must add, the only thing that precludes us from giving MEZE a full 10 for 10 rating is occasional blips in service. This rarely distracts from our personal dining experience, however we feel it's worth mentioning. The timing can be slightly off when it comes to dishes coming out of the kitchen. For example, we like to enjoy our apps before our entrees arrive. There have been a few times that we have just started on our apps when our entrees came out. I do know some diners that prefer this, so we've simply adjusted our ordering protocol by choosing our apps and waiting to place or main order until after they've arrived. This seems to work perfectly. On one occasion there seemed to be a miscommunication between waitstaff to kitchen, as I was over halfway through my entree and JDC hadn't yet received his (there was also a loud crash in the kitchen and we wondered if that was his dinner). We are very forgiving, because accidents do happen, but we truly would have appreciated an, "I'm sorry, yours will be coming out soon" or some such thing, but it almost seemed as if they didn't quite know what to say, so nothing was said. Although when his food did finally come out of the kitchen, our server said she had the chef add extra potatoes for the wait. Again, these blips are minimal, especially with MEZE still being very young. They seem to have started out exceptionally!

We bestow upon thee, 9.5 out of 10 Monkeys, and recommend MEZE 119 to anyone who will listen!

MEZE 119

Vegetarian Bistro

Location:

119 Second Street N

St. Petersburg, FL

Website:

meze119.com

Review - A Return to "Primi Urban Cafe"

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:23:00 +0000

The Clumsy Eater and I had been to Primi quite some time ago, on two occasions, and posted a review filled with unhappiness. Recently, the owner Saverio asked us back to sample his new chef's creations. We dined there last night and were amazed at the transformation!

Saverio and his wife Ulyana took such good care of us. They are very passionate about what they do and try very hard to satisfy all of their clientele. The place was packed but everything seemed to flow at the perfect pace. We heard nothing but satisfied happy diners all around us, while a pianist tapped out elegant tunes from the front of the resto. It's a wonderful and relaxing atmosphere.

For our dinner last night, we wanted to let Saverio and Ulyana choose for us, so they could showcase their favourites. Being aware of our vegetarian lifestyle, everything you'll see here was tailored to our taste. But for those of you who want Carne, Pesce and Frutti De Mare look no further- because they offer an amazing selection! There truly is something here to suit every taste.

We started with San Pellegrino, a very nice iced coffee for JDC (with cream on the side, just how he likes it!) and Ulyana brought me a delightful Montepulciano. It's also worth mentioning that each table is draped with a real tablecloth and there are no paper napkins in sight. This is of no consequence to some, but to us it's a sign that the resto is willing to go the extra mile; it's a classy touch and appreciated by both JDC and myself.

We both agreed that the Bruschetta was amazing. The bread was the quintessential combination of crisp yet chewy while the tomatoes were ripe and flavourful. The shaved cheese atop (Pecorino maybe?) and Balsamic were the ultimate finishing touch. Neither one of us barely uttered a word whilst savouring it.

We were told some of the bread is made in house, but the table bread comes from a bakery in St. Pete Beach. It was very good and went beautifully with the lightly seasoned oil.

I adore mushrooms so the Ravioli al Funghi (Wild Mushroom Ravioli served in a Sage Browned Butter) was something I ordered on one of our previous visits. That dish, so long ago, was nothing like what I received on this visit. The Ravioli, pictured above, was executed impeccably! Nothing needed to be added and nothing taken away. It was ambrosial. JDC agreed and promptly snagged another one, because he knew, from the look on my face, that there would be none left-over.

I saw a video of Chef Tony making Gnocchi from scratch and had told JDC about it. Luckily, that's one of the dishes they sent out for us. It impressed us profusely! They gave us a sampling of two different sauces: the Pomodoro and a Gorgonzola Cream. Again, everything was seasoned to perfection and the Gnocchi.... ahhhh.... the Gnocchi was a pillowy light delight! Both sauces were exceptional, but JDC is particularly a sucker for a great tomato sauce. He exclaimed upon clearing the bowl, "I'm coming back here for a whole dish of this with the Pomodoro Sauce... I thought Mazzaro's Gnocchi was good but this blows theirs away!"

Shortly after they brought us this sublime Blueberry Pannacotta, Saverio introduced us to Chef Tony Macaroni, the whiz behind all their flawless food. He explained that the Pannacotta was prepared only 4 hours prior to our arrival and you could tell. It was fresh, soft and out-of-this-world! He's putting the finishing touches on a new menu which will be revealed soon. When I told him that I could tell he cares about his food and what comes out of the kitchen he replied with a huge grin and an excited twinkle in his eye, "Well you have to! I make love to the food... and you can quote me on that!" That my friends, is one of the biggest reasons we ever started this blog, because when you enjoy food as much as we do, one can easily taste when the food is prepared lovingly. Chef Tony has a special touch and you'd be remiss to pass up a chance at consuming his edible works of genius.

A wonderful strong espresso without any hint of bitterness.

They've rounded out the business with family and added a chef who takes his art very seriously; the passion of the front of house is carried all the way into the kitchen and the dance is timed to perfection. We'd also like to tip our hats to the rest of the staff that helped to make our dinner so memorable.

Primi, you have won us over with your hospitality, generousness and sincerity, so we are awarding you our very first ever, scale breaking, 11 out of 10 Monkeys!!! You far surpassed any expectations we had, and filled our evening with phenomenal food and service. We look forward to dining with you frequently!

Primi Urban Cafe
primiurbancafe.com
27 4th Street N.
Saint Petersburg, Fl
727-895-4909

In closing, after our meal last night, we must also agree, "Saverio, you do have the best Italian Restaurant in St. Petersburg!"

Italian bliss...

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:49:00 +0000

Having a wonderful time at Primi Urban Cafe! Review to follow later.

Wine Wednesday... with jin!

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:55:00 +0000

This past week I picked up quite the deal at Publix! Normally, Chateau Ste. Michelle goes for $21 per bottle, but they had a 2 for $20 special!!! I snapped up two 2008 Cabernet's which I adored. Went back a few days later for more and they were sold out. They did have the 2007 Merlot's though, so I got two of those at the same price.

Both very very good... very smooth... pleasant on their own or with deenah! Although, if I had to pick a favourite it would be the Cabernet. That's just the kind of girl I am. ;-)

Meanwhile...

The Clumsy Eater sat nibbling away on a huge deep dish scratch pumpkin pie I made him. 'Tis the season! Even if it is still 70 degrees... ;-D I <3 Florida!!!

Ink and Wine with Simon Marshall-Jones

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:53:00 +0000

First of all, apologies for not being around for a while – there was a point a month or two ago when life suddenly got very busy with the publishing, along with attendance at an important convention and subsequently the preparation involved in getting a publication into print. Today, however, I find myself with a little spare time, so I’ve sat down and written a little article on the joys of Sicilian wine (and I have appended a review of a Sicilian white to round things off with).

(*This column will now appear every two weeks, rather than weekly. As I said above, my professional life has sky-rocketed of late, but the new schedule should suit me perfectly!)

So, let’s get on to Sicily or, more specifically, its wines. Sicily sits at the foot of Italy, almost but not quite being connected to the European country. Grapes have been cultivated here from roughly 1500 BC, starting on the Aeolian Islands just to the north-east of the island, and then moving to Sicily proper in the 8^th Century BC, when the Greeks brought vines and viniculture with them when they settled there. In the 18^th Century, we see the establishment of Sicily’s most famous wine, Marsala, which was actually created by an Englishman, John Woodhouse. Marsala is a fortified wine, ie, like Port (which again was promoted by the British and made into a flourishing industry), it has had alcohol added to it, which does two things: it stops the fermentation process and increases the alcohol content (usually between 15-20% ABV). This variety of wine is classically produced, using the in perpetuum system* (similar to that used to produce Sherry), from Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto varietals, amongst others. By introducing alcohol into the base wine, it naturally produces a richer, thicker-tasting and smoother wine, in much the same way that the Port-making process does.

(*The in perpetuum system is one in which parts of any years’ production is added to the latest batch of wine, after a given length of time, usually annually. So – a portion of Year One’s production will get added to and blended with Year Two’s, a portion of the results of which are then added to Year Three’s etc, etc. As noted above, this is the way in which Sherry is made, where it’s known as the solera system, and it’s capable of producing extraordinarily complex wines in some cases.)

There are 23 DOC classifications and 1 DOCG area defined in Sicily (DOC = Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata and DOCG = Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) which are equivalent to the famous Appellation Contrôllée used in France. In other words, it’s a guarantee of quality. Both red and white wines are made in Sicily: reds are created from grape varieties such as Nero D’Avola, Perricone, Frappato and Calabrese, as well as recent introductions like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (also known as Shiraz) and for the white styles varieties such as Grecanico, Damaschino, Trebbiano, Moscato Bianco are cultivated, along with those used in Marsala and recent arrivals such as Viognier, Chardonnay and Fiano.

I sometimes feel that not enough attention is drawn to a wine-producing country like Sicily, which is easily overshadowed by its larger and more famous neighbour Italy. However, whenever you go shopping for wine, please do look around for wines from those places that are less well-known, because without a doubt, you will always find something to surprise you.

###

This week’s wine being reviewed, in keeping with the preceding exposition, is also from Sicily. It’s an Inycon Selexione Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon Blanc blend, which comes in at roughly $20. The varieties used in its creation are, like some of the ones mentioned above, fairly recent introductions. Very pale golden in colour, the first thing it presents to you is its extremely citrusy aroma, with sharply heavy hints of grapefruit backed up with lemon and a clean minerality. Palate-wise the grapefruit theme is dominant, quite possibly overpowering anything else that may be in there, although there are tiny hints of lemon in there if you allow the taste to develop on your tongue. This is not to infer that it’s at all unpleasant – on the contrary, I would say that it’s a very zesty wine, a good accompaniment to salads and other light meals and, I daresay, citrus desserts. It is itself a light wine at 12.5%, so this should be drunk with friends sharing an evening repast. I would give it a 3.8/5.

###

In the coming months, now that winter is looming around the corner and the days are getting shorter and colder, I will be concentrating more on red wine styles, including types such as Port, which remains one of all-time favourites. In the meantime, I shall see you in a fortnight but, until then, I bid you good drinking!

----------------------------------
BIO: Simon Marshall-Jones is the heavily-tattooed owner/editor/publisher at Spectral Press, artist, book & occasional CD reviewer, a writer & columnist, and even more occasional blogger: also ex-owner of the short-lived FracturedSpaces record label. Attended art school for a couple of fruitless years, where he nurtured vaguely-formed dreams of being the next HR Giger: he can still be found dabbling in painting when someone offers him the right incentive (either money or copious amounts of French wines and cheeses). Has travelled extensively, studied for a degree in Computer Multimedia, written fiction (of which a couple of short stories have been published) and has now thrown himself wholeheartedly (and successfully) into the heady world of genre publishing. Currently lives in the Midlands of the UK with his wife Liz, stepson Steve and a whole menagerie of furry four-legged friends. He realises that he likes wine and cheese far more than is actually good for him.

WEBSITES:
SPECTRAL PRESS: http://spectralpress.wordpress.com/
RAMBLINGS OF A TATTOOED HEAD: http://simonmarshalljones.wordpress.com/

Wine Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:09:00 +0000

First, I'm going to admit that these bottles were consumed over a one and a half month time period. Second, I'm going to completely admit that I took no notes. Third, I'm going to totally completely admit that I do recall what I liked and what I didn't! Lastly, I'm going to cheaply totally completely admit that each and every bottle here was purchased for under $10.

eye candy 2009 California Merlot

I recall liking it, however, I decided I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it again.

Gumdale Australian Merlot

Oooohhhh.... didn't like this one very much at all. Tasted cheap I thought.

Verdant Circle 2007 San Luis Obispi County Zinfandel

I recall enjoying this one a lot! Ahhhhhhhh.... and look at that label! It's beauteous!!! I shall buy this one again.

Ramon Bilbao Crianza Rioja

I recall not disliking this... yet I know I decided to not purchase it again.

I'm so methodical at times, no?!!?

;-)

Happy Hump Day!

Review - Bula Kafe

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:18:00 +0000

It's very rare that we walk into a place and come out with absolutely nothing. In fact, I can only recall it happening once in the past year (and that was because we accidentally wandered into a resto that didn't offer one single vegetarian item on their extensive menu, including sides). But it happened the other night and it wasn't because we weren't willing to purchase anything...

We had driven past the Bula Kafe on a few occasions and not knowing exactly what it was, decided to check out their website before popping in. It seems they are known for their "authentic" pricey Kava, but also serve smoothies, teas and coffee. We happened to be in the neighborhood one evening after our usual go-to coffee places were closed and decided to try them out; I recalled the website mentioning they were open quite late.

It's mostly an outdoor cafe but there was an "Open" sign on the door leading to a small room where we saw a counter and the menu. Shortly after walking in a girl came from the outdoor cafe section and told us we could come outside and she'd take care of us. I told her it was our first time there and we weren't quite sure what we wanted to order.

She started explaining the Kava to us in extreme detail, very quickly, and the only words that really stuck with us were: "...it's totally legal..." "...if you take meds for *blah blah blah* or are pregnant you shouldn't drink it..." "...you shouldn't consume alcohol within 3 hours..."

As soon as we could get a word in, The Clumsy Eater mentioned to the girl that we had imbibed with dinner so that nixed the Kava anyway, and maybe we should come back another time. I piped up and said we could just order tea or coffee then, because I really do hate walking out of a new-to-us place without purchasing anything. But before I could even ascertain JDC's thoughts, we got dissed.

Said the girl, (as word-for-word as I can recall including the run-on's) "Ohhhhhhhhh.... you don't look like you'd like our coffee. I don't think it's what you're used to, it's not regular coffee, it comes in a package powdered. See, I made it for someone like you once and I told her she wouldn't like it but she wanted it anyway so I went through the trouble of making it for her because you have to mix it up and she took one taste and said it was awful. So I had to give her her money back and then I had to pay for her drink myself out of my own pocket AND I had to throw it away so it was completely wasted and I was out money. So if I make it for you and you don't like it I'll have to pay for it again and I really don't want to waste another coffee, you know? And this isn't really the type of place where you have to buy anything anyway. People just come here to sit around and hang out and have fun so yeah I really don't think you'd like the coffee..."

(No mention of the tea option though, yet upon checking their website later they seem to have quite a selection!)

After that speech, JDC and I didn't even have to communicate about what we wanted to do; in unison we both said on our way out the door, "I guess we'll come back another time."

Not.

I suppose, as far as a score goes, considering we weren't able to actually taste anything, I'd have to give Bula Kafe Zero out of 10 Monkeys. As for how we "look"... well, there are plenty of other places in this city that are more-than-happy to have us as regular customers, so we'll just keep spending our money with them.

30 Seconds With - Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:17:00 +0000

The Clumsy Eater and I have always wanted to try Old Rasputin but the $11+ price tag for a 4 pack tended to scare us off. However, the other day we spied a single for $3 and snapped it up!

JDC tasted it first and didn't like it. I took a sip and thought it was quite good! I forgot about it until 2 hours later when I noticed he hadn't even finished half the bottle. Poor poor beer. I asked him to pop it in the freezer for me and half an hour later I finished it off.

I'm not a huge fan of dark heavy beers, although I do have one or two faves. This may be a new one to add to my short list... it was nice. Very molasses-y without being bitter. Take note that it paired exceptionally well with one of my Jasmine Tea Glazed Cookies. Yum!

Reviews on the Road with Katy - Virginia Indian

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Nawab Indian Cuisine

nawabrestaurant.com

118-A Campbell Avenue, SE

Roanoke, Virginia 24011

United States

540.345.5150

Nawab is my favorite Indian Restaurant in Newport News, so I knew I'd have to try their Roanoke location when in town. While the interior, music and set up is more western and contemporary than the one in Newport News, the food is just as delicious.

I ordered the vegetarian version of the appetizer sampler and Vegetable Korma as my meal. Of course I had to have Naan and a Mango Lassi to go with it all.

For plentiful and deliciously made food I give Nawab 9 out of 10 Monkeys!

Until I eat again,

Katy

Reviews on the Road with Katy - Georgia German

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:52:00 +0000

Augsburg Haus

augsburghaus.com

4460 Washington Road, Suite 17

Evans, GA 30809

United States

706-667-8181

Having tried this place last time I was in town, I knew I had to make a point to stop in again while in Augusta. We came in the early evening so it was quiet. Diesel was the drink of choice and potato soup the appetizer. Dinner was Roulade with mashed potatoes (they didn't have dumplings), red cabbage for my dinner companion and Kaese Spaetzle for me. My dish was not on the menu but since it was quiet they were sweet enough to make it. The Roulade came with salad and we opted for their yummy cucumber salad. We were too stuffed for dessert but the Apfelstrudel sounded good for breakfast. ;-) I do enjoy the food here, especially when coming early so the kitchen has time to accommodate special requests. There is always plenty of food and to-go boxes will come in handy.

Overall The Augsburg Haus gets 7 out of 10 Monkeys. (I deducted points for deep frying Bratwurst and Bratkartoffeln, instead of grilling the Bratwurst and pan frying the potatoes, which I found out the hard way during my last visit. Plus, the staff seemed a bit occupied during today's visit.)

Until I eat again,

Katy

Reviews on the Road with Katy - Minnesota Italian

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:45:00 +0000

Bellisio's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar

www.grandmasrestaurants.com/bellisios

405 Lake Avenue South

Duluth, MN 55802

United States

218-727-4921

When I book my travels I don't choose Hotels by what attractions are near, but rather, by how far my morning commute will be. I was very happy to find that tonight's hotel was not just at the shore of Lake Superior, but also within walking distance to the Duluth Lake district, which has several restaurants. With the beautiful weather I set out for a walk by the lake and then to find a place to dine. The hotel had given me some menus: one for a Thai restaurant, a usual favorite of mine, but the menu did not speak to me; the other place did look interesting, but when I saw they were a chain I decided to see what my walk would bring. When I saw Bellisio's and the building which looked like something out of Tuscany, I had to check it out! I did not even see the "50% off all wine on Monday's" sign until after entering. Their wine selection is extensive and I had a hard time deciding what to choose. I did stick with Chianti and chose their Fattorie Melini "San Lorenzo". I am no wine connoisseur, that I leave up to our other writer Simon Marshall-Jones, but it was very tasty in my opinion.

Their selection of appetizers left me with an issue I seldom encounter - I had to make a choice as numerous sounded delightful! I decided to opt for the unknown, for as tempting as Bruschetta and Caprese salad sounded, I was intrigued by fried zuccini and fried green tomato. The latter was offered with chicken or shrimp but they were nice enough to do a veggie version for me. The zucchini was not as crisp as I like but it was very tasty and made with fresh, not frozen, zucchini. I decided to save the tomatoes for tomorrow's lunch. I did snack on one and loved the crispy polenta breading.

They offer 3 different menus and since I was only a few minutes away from dinner service I enjoyed my wine and appetizers before ordering a dinner entree. I chose the Spinach Gnocchi. They sounded divine and I wasn't in a pasta mood. The focaccia bread and olive oil served prior to the main course was tasty, but the bread was cold. I so adore fresh warm bread and this was a bit of a let down. Unfortunately, so was my main meal. I guess I didn't read the fine print because I missed that it was Gnocchi coated in a green cream sauce served with pine nuts and lemon zest. While the sauce looked like pesto, it lacked the flavor of spinach, much to my dismay, as I love spinach. However, the waiter was nice enough to let me either order something else (which I didn't as I already had 2 boxes of leftover appetizers to take) or to take it off my bill which I said would be great.

The dessert counter was extremly tempting when I came in, and with not having eaten my dinner I decided to try some Triple Chocolate Gelato with Keoke Coffee (italian roast, brandy, kaluha and fresh whipped cream). Both the Gelato and the coffee drink were outstanding!

All in all I give Bellisio's 6 out of 10 Monkeys.

Until I eat again,

Katy

Submission Saturday - Pat Barber's Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:43:00 +0000

We'll be starting a new column here at The Clumsy Eater. We've been receiving a number of reviews, from various sources, and if we deem them worthy of our site "Submission Saturday" is where/when they'll be published. I'm working on a submission guidelines page so as soon as it's live I'll let you know. (Of course, I'm also still working on the contributors page and an updated template and the cookbook and and and... well, you catch my drift. ;-) We'll start it out as being posted once a month or so and go from there. If you have something you want me to consider send it on over! theclumsyeater(at)gmail(dot)com Be sure to put "Submission Saturday" in the subject line. Thanks! :-)

Review Of Village Inn

I know, I know ... Village Inn? Seriously? Ughhh! Common and mostly unappealing food, priced uncommonly high, and likely equally uncommonly high in calories, bad cholesterol and heaven-only-knows-what-else "bad" for a body. Nonetheless, I found myself at the Village Inn in Southlands Shopping Center this morning. My teen-aged son was still sleeping (it was before noon, after all), I had to do grocery shopping ... and I was starving. One really should not grocery shop when one is starving! So I ended up at Village Inn.

Sorry - no pics as I didn't have my cell phone with me, and besides, I really wasn't expecting to be impressed!

I normally crave a high meat content breakfast, but not this morning. And a plate of eggs (no matter how expertly prepared) was equally unappealing this morning. I was in the mood for something meatless and, well, different! I spied potato pancake breakfast specials on the menu, and the Farmer's Market Potato Pancake Breakfast caught my eye: potato pancakes (which I love by the way) topped with sauteed artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, melted Swiss cheese and scrambled eggs. All smothered with a tomato basil Hollandaise sauce.

In truth it was the tomato basil Hollandaise sauce the really caught my eye! Definitely different, especially for a chain restaurant! With a cup of coffee and a tall glass of ice water, please!

I love being pleasantly surprised, and this was one of those times! I was expecting two mounds of unidentifiable mush carelessly, and unappetizingly, thrown together. I was amazed that I could easily distinguish each ingredient. And I was really surprised to find fresh baby spinach leaves were used, not frozen spinach! And fresh, not canned, mushrooms! Even the artichoke hearts were extremely tender (I normally avoid artichoke hearts because, at least in these parts, they are usually served "spikey" or tough.) And there were scrambled eggs, but not so much as to overpower the dish. I dare say everything was expertly balanced! Even the cantaloupe wedge garnish was sweet and fresh, not wilted!

Mary, my server, was awesome! Fast, accurate, friendly and easy to talk to. Attentive, making sure my ice water and coffee stayed filled ... but not a nuisance.

And she really scored points with me when she recognized I might just be that odd customer who wants dessert with breakfast! Didn't even blink an eye when I ordered a slice of mixed berry galette! I have to be in the mood for pie, you see. Pies generally have way too much crust for my liking. But right now Village Inn is offering two rustic galettes (peach and mixed berry) in addition to their usual pie selection. Their mixed berry galette intrigued me: apple, rhubarb, raspberries and blackberries. Wait ... rhubarb? Really? I LOVE rhubarb! And the mixed berry galette did not disappoint! Sweet, but not overly sweet, and the rhubarb added just enough zing to make everything really pop in a most pleasing way.

All in all I left Village Inn this morning very happy and satisfied! If there was a negative at all, it is only that their coffee is only average, not awesome. But oddly enough I can be OK with only average coffee (as long as I can occasionally have awesome, to help offset the sacrifice)!

* * * * * * * * * *
BIO: Pat Barber
When I asked Pat to submit a paragraph about herself for the footer to this post she typed back, "Hmmm - a paragraph about myself, from myself? Awkward!! Why don't you just write what you want about me? :)"

So, I shall. ;-D
Pat and I are blogging buddies from waaaay back. In fact, we hit it off so well as friends from the start that she drove cross country to stay with me for a mini vacation. She helped me in the pastry shoppe for a few days and I filled her to the brim with food and sweets. We traded skills as well: she esoterically interpreted my natal chart and I gave her an in-depth Tarot reading.

Pat is no stranger to a keyboard and you'll find her inspiring, cancer fighting, super surviving, story here www.patbattlesawolf.blogspot.com. Colorado is her home and her jobs are endless, but at the end of the day, she has an amazing son and two furbabies to help her through this incarnation. In an email she once told me, "You already know I don't mind being referred to as one tough old bird - that somehow still believes the most important things in life are to Love, to Live, and to Laugh - in that order!"

Wine [or rather, Whine?] Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Really. Really jin? It's been how long since your last post? I'm ashamed. I adore this blog (which was the top secret plan of The Clumsy Eater when he started it... grrr... he's right way too often!) and here I let it sit. In my defense, it was for a cause worth fighting for and as much as one can "win" at this type of thing I suppose I have finished first.

Enter the "Whine". We took an unplanned 3,000 mile road trip (yours truly abhors flying) to help my 90 year old great Aunties (two sisters that have lived together their entire lives) get settled in a nursing care facility due to a sudden deterioration in health (honestly, the docs never expected one to leave the hospital).

Now, I'm certainly not whining about the trip or the duty... it had to be done, I could not just sit by and let strangers handle the situation (my home town is not know for its competence). But, the trip was designed to get everything in place: the nursing care paperwork, their rooms, their belongings, all the little details with closing out their previous dwelling, but most importantly, to be sure the banks had all of the required paperwork so I could handle everything easily once I got back to Florida.

In my mind it was handled brilliantly and by the time we left I was confident it would be easy as pie once we arrived back home. Not! The incompetence was stunning. Absolutely stunning! The past few weeks were spent on the phone daily, trying to straighten the mess out. Between the bank where they did the majority of their business, and the nursing care facility, I honestly can't say which was worse.

The bank lost all the paperwork we brought in. LOST IT! After we arrived back in Florida and I could not access their accounts via internet banking I was informed that, "We can't seem to locate the paperwork you brought in granting you access. Our computer says that we received everything necessary but we've looked everywhere and can't seem to locate it." You'd think that would be their problem, no? Ha. No, my problem. No access for me until I fix it. Papers had to be faxed, some new ones had to be signed, notarized and posted and I still had everything back to them within the week.

Countless hours were spent on the phone jinsisting the paperwork be rushed as bills needed paying and I needed the access I was promised the day we left Wisconsin. I hounded them daily (polite yet firm). It took them a month to finalize! Plus an additional week before the internet banking was set up. Ridiculous.

When we were in WI the nursing care facility (highest rated in the county) verbally reinforced that one of the Aunties would be on the Medicare floor for 100 days (at no cost to her) and then be moved near her sister over to the assisted living side. A week after we were back in FL I was informed, by an extremely rude director, that she would be moving to a large and very very expensive apartment after 30 days on the Medicare floor and I needed to furnish said apartment. More daily calls from me hounding them. I wanted her near her sister, as promised... not for them to drain her money as fast as possible. Reprehensible! As soon as I started faxing copies of my phone calls, so they'd have it in writing, and requesting promises be faxed back to me, in writing, things started moving along. As of now, both Aunties are where they should be and settling in comfortably. The only thing left to deal with is her first bill which, of course, is double what it should be. My new nick name back home is likely "That Bitch!" or some variation thereof. They still haven't heard the last from me though... not as long as they continue to try and take advantage of my sweet wonderful Aunties.

Here, I need a quick shout-out to Roxanne and Mark, friends from back home. Without you two helping me on that end I don't know how I'd have ever taken care of all that needed to be accomplished up there. Thank you both SO MUCH! You will have one of my jinfamous SWEETBOXES heading your way very soon...

So, it's finally back to business as usual here at The Clumsy Eater. We have so many reviews to catch up on, products to test out and restaurants to review (and one special place to re-review, more on that soon!). Needless to say, with all the added stress, I have quite the collection of Wines to review for you as well!!! I'll have to post two or three at a time just to catch up. ;-)

I have become quite the fan of Big House wines. You might remember a review I did a while back on their Zinfandel of which I wasn't overjoyed... however, they recommended I try a few other varieties and have been thrilled with each and every one!

I rarely drink whites, but when I do it's got to be Pinot Grigio. The Birdman does not disappoint! It was very very nice... plus I always get a kick out of their labeling.

I believe I paid around $8 for this and will certainly pick it up again sometime.

I'm not a huge fan of champagne, unless it's in a Mimosa. However, I do like the sweeter varies, such as Asti Spumante, on occasion.

This Riondo Pink Spago Argento was a complete impulse buy as I had never heard of it before. What a pleasant surprise! It was sweet but not too sweet and bubbly but not too bubbly.

I've had this twice already and noticed that they switched from a cork to a screw top which makes it much easier to access. The cork (not a traditional champagne cork but a wine type cork) was one of the most difficult I've ever had to remove and was worried it would crack my Screwpull!

It sells for $10 and is a wonderful change of pace if you want something light.

.

Review - William Dean Chocolates

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:37:00 +0000

When I saw a daily deal a couple months back for a "William Dean Chocolates in Largo" I was stunned. You see, when we first came to Florida we were in Largo... for almost 9 months! I had never heard of these chocolates! And if you know me at all, you know I tried hard to find good chocolates. You also know I'm very particular: what some may deem "good chocolates" are not necessarily what this lifelong vegetarian organic pastry chef would agree with.

When I figured out where it was, I was even more shocked that I'd never discovered it. It was mere seconds away from one of my favourite Tuesday Morning's!!! I thought to myself, "Jin, don't worry, you probably weren't missing much..." and then I walked inside.

It's beautiful. It's classy. It's posh. Suddenly I was filled with hope! This looked and smelled (dear goddess it smelled like REAL chocolate!) like a city centre chocolatier. The cases were pristine, colours vibrant and I spied luscious looking samples upon the counter.

[However, I rarely jindulge in samples myself. I think this comes from my many years in business where I always offered samples and thoroughly enjoyed watching my clientele bliss out on them... but there were always a few that would ruin it. You know the type... I had a lady walk in on one occasion with an eggroll in hand from the Saturday morning market. She proceeded to nosh away exclaiming how wonderful it was. She them turned to my complimentary organic coffee and pastries, filled her face and announced, "There! Now I don't have to buy anything!" And she didn't. Granted, I'd never be that person- the graceless hick with no manners, but still...]

When a gentleman came out from the back I explained it was my first time in and that I had one of the daily coupons. (I still sometimes flinch when I say that, waiting for that "tsk tsk" look I've received a few times in the past which I posted about here. But not at William Dean!) He was very gracious, knowledgeable and explained their chocolates to me in detail. He also told me how many pieces I could get if I didn't want to go over the coupon, but most importantly, he offered me a sample. I savoured it, Mmmm-ing and grinning like I hadn't in a long time.

Between packing my box of chocolates and learning about the owner he offered me several more samples... each one better than the last! No chemical tastes, no waxy chocolate; just wonderful amazingly mouth-watering happiness on my tongue. It may sound silly to some, but I had a blast! I probably spent little more than 15 minutes in that petite oasis... but I had so much fun!

I went well over my coupon amount and walked out wishing I'd have purchased even more. I sampled the Pate de Fruit while there and regretted not taking any with me... I haven't tasted quality like that in years! Plus, the gentleman waiting on me said it's made with pectin (I asked because I don't consume gelatine myself) so that makes it Vegetarian friendly! Yay!

Over the next few nights, I actually took tasting notes whilst trying each and every chocolate I bought. Alas, with my unplanned emergency trip up to Wisconsin, I misplaced them. After spending 20 minutes searching, I decided it was better to just type up the review, because you need to get them for yourself anyway (and take your own tasting notes)! ;-D

There was not one I didn't like. Not one! The flavour profile was so unique for each and every piece... I was amazed. There was even a Rosemary Caramel which I adored. (Jin's luv rosemary!) I must go back, and soon. I did share a couple bites with The Clumsy Eater and although he is not as adventurous with flavours like I am, he truly enjoyed what he tasted. (That simply means more rosemary, tarragon and lemongrass chocolates for moi... YUM! ;-)

10 out of 10 Monkeys for the phenomenally sublime perfection of William Dean Chocolates!!! (And don't use the excuse that you don't live here because they ship them all over the US! :-)

William Dean Chocolates
Location:

12551 Indian Rocks Road, Suite 1

Largo, FL

Website:
williamdeanchocolates.com

.

Reviews on the Road with Katy - Maryland Italian

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:15:00 +0000

That's Amore

thatsamore.com

15201 Shady Grove Road

Rockville, MD 20850

United States

240-268-0681

This Restaurant was suggested by a friend of mine who lives in Rockville. I was a bit disappointed. It seems their menu changed but they did not update it; so when I ordered the fried mozzarella and zucchini appetizer I was told they only have fried mozzarella. I decided to order the Bruschetta instead which was tasty. For my meal I ordered the Tortellini in four cheese sauce which seemed plain to me and I asked if they could add some veggies to it. The tortellini were okay but the sauce wasn't what I'd hoped for. My friend enjoyed her Eggplant Parmesan.

In my opinion, dessert was the best part of the meal! The Cannoli was large enough to share. My friend said she didn't like cannoli, but after tasting I assured her this was the real deal- not the one with fake super sweet filling. She tried it and was surprised to find that she did like cannoli after all.

This reminded me more of an Olive Garden than a fine dining restaurant. Now I can see why my friend refers to it as such. The food was filling, but a far cry from fine Italian, and the interior reminded me more of a moose lodge type dining room than an elegant romantic restaurant.

Overall, 6 out of 10 Monkeys for That's Amore.

Until I eat again,

Katy

Ink and Wine with Simon Marshall-Jones

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:58:00 +0000

One of the wines I’m reviewing this week has been created from the Riesling grape, a variety that finds its fullest expression in wines crafted in the Rhine region of German and the French Alsace. The origins of the grape lie within the borders of Germany, and wine produced from this grape account for a high percentage of the total of wine production for Germany, the majority of the vines being grown within the Rhineland. Alsatian production and growth numbers aren’t that far behind those of their German counterparts. Riesling isn’t confined to just those regions, however: it’s also grown in Austria, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Northern Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, South Africa, and even China and the Ukraine.

One of the properties of the Riesling grape, or rather wines made from it, is its longevity. This is something that many ‘sweeter’ wines possess – an ability to age extremely well, lasting years, decades and even centuries. Take, for example, the wines stored in barrels in the town of Bremen – some of their Riesling-based examples go right back to the 1653 vintage and are still able to be drunk. Most Riesling wines, however, are drunk fairly young, as they’re considered to be at their freshest and tastiest then. Older examples of such wines tend to develop a taste of petrol (gas), a taste which is highly sought after by some connoisseurs, while German wine-producers see it as a defect. Riesling grapes are also prone to the Noble Rot, better known as Botrytis cinerea, which is especially looked for when making eisweins (see last column for details) and late bottle dessert wines.

One particular producer of fine Riesling wines that I can heartily recommend is Dr Loosen, based in the Mosel Valley, located in the western part of Germany. This vineyard exclusively uses the Riesling grape - nothing else. I remember picking up a bottle many years ago after a wine-tasting, being impressed by its clarity, clean palate and smooth taste. It’s a little more expensive than your average Riesling, but it’s worth every cent, in my opinion. It’s available all over the world, and if you’re keen on trying it out, just Google it and I’ll have no doubt that you’ll find a ready source near you!

------------------------------------------------

I have a veritable cellarful of wine reviews this week, with not one, not two, but THREE to tell you about. All three are European wines, one each from Germany, France and the other from much further south, east a bit and right at the foot of Italy, in other words, Sicily.

Let’s start our journey in Germany, with a Rebgarten Riesling 2009 in fact, which comes in at a very light 11% ABV. This is an absolute beauty of a wine – a very light wheat-yellow in colour, possessing a rich, peachy aroma enhanced by a very subtle undertone of minerality. The palate is also full of a sweet peachiness, but, just like a well-made Riesling, it’s balanced by a goodly amount of acidity to prevent it from tasting too sweet. Excellent value for money – I got this one for half-price; normal retail is around $14.50. I would rate this a 4/5.

I can’t help it, but I just keep returning constantly to the vinous product of the Bordeaux region, and the French one is yet another example from this famous winemaking area. The choice of wine was actually a no–brainer, anyway: reduced from $20 to half that and I couldn’t possibly pass the opportunity up. I’m so transparent sometimes... =)

So what have we got? It’s a very young wine that I’m reviewing today, a Roc Saint Vincent Sauvignon Blanc 2010, which, as you might have guessed, is a white wine. This particular example derives from the Appellation Bordeaux Controleé, specifically from the environs of the village of Saint Vincent, for which it is named. Appearance-wise, it has the faintest hint of straw-yellow about it, but don’t let that apparent paleness fool you: the strong but cleanly invigorating aroma of fresh grapefruit with a hint of lemon behind it wafts pleasingly from the glass, stimulating the taste-buds to anticipate further delights. And it certainly doesn’t disappoint on that score; grapefruit and a citrusy tanginess is most evident here, followed a short time later with a honeyed aftertaste as it slips down the back of the throat. This is a nicely balanced wine, with carefully judged acidity and dryness. Although this is one of those wines that can be drunk immediately, it CAN be kept for up to three years; to be honest, however, I’m not sure that I could ever wait that long if it was sitting around somewhere in the house. This is a veritable bargain even for the $20 price tag, doubly so for it being half-price – so I give it a commendable 4/5.

Admittedly, I’ve not tried many white Bordeaux wines, but those that I have tasted have all been absolutely wonderful, and this makes me very curious as to why this style of Bordeaux it isn’t as well-known as its red cousins. So, I encourage you wine-lovers to be adventurous this weekend and try something that you might not otherwise have considered – a white Bordeaux. You may just be very pleasantly surprised...

Now, let’s jet down south for my third wine, the Sicilian one, which is produced by Pontoro, and is in the red style, made using the native Nero D’Avola grape. It’s a deep velvety red, tinged around its edges with a deep purple, and presents scents of blackberries to the nose. The palate is full-bodied and quite a dry example, with more blackberry notes and subtle hints of raspberry as well as a lovely plumminess that coats the mouth and throat. I’ll give this one a 3.8/5.

More next week, so, as always, good drinking until then!

A Brief Hiatus Friends!!!

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:18:00 +0000

So sorry to take away your foodie fix... but I am needed back in my hometown due to a pressing family emergency. The Clumsy Eater will be right by my side through this difficult time. Please send us love and light and we'll be back posting before you even miss us...

Simple Pleasures Vol II

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:19:00 +0000

A Perfect Cappuccino.

Jin Cooks For The Clumsy Eater - Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:54:00 +0000

Ahh..... poor poor JDC. He used to go crazy for my scratch waffles and pancakes. But I did a silly thing when we left Wisconsin, I pared down my kitchen essentials to much less than the essentials! I had many pieces of equipment that were getting on in years and decided I wasn't letting them weigh me down on our move south. Two things I left behind that I have not been able to replace (with my anal-retentive standards anyway) were my waffle machine and my electric griddle.

The Clumsy Eater has been bugging me nonstop for weeks to make my pancakes. He's had them at a few resto's and is always so disappointed; instead of quelling his craving they make him even more desperate for mine.

You see, I despise making pancakes in a saute pan. I like using a griddle. Preferably a big-ass griddle. Mainly because I have this food rule about eating food at the proper/perfect temperature the second it is ready to eat. if I'm making pancakes one-at-a-damn-time no one will get to consume them at the proper temperature. I mean, we all know, pancakes have to be served in a stack of three, right? Right!

I always cook him breakfast on Sunday. As we're laying in bed I'm running through the ingredients I have in the fridge and realize there's not enough toast or eggs for a big breakfast for him. What to do what to do... I happen to know I have everything for my fancy pancakes except the damn griddle.

Me- "I can make pancakes for breakfast but I'd have to use my saute pan and I don't have the patience to do a lot of them in there so they'd have to be really big pancakes and since I have to do one at a time they won't all be perfect temperature..."

JDC- "Yes Yes YES! I want them!!! Go, now!!! I don't care about perfect temperature that's only you! I love you! Pancakes! You're AWESOME!"

And so, I went to make him his pancakes. Then I thought, even though I don't really follow a recipe, it's so easy to do and maybe some of you would like to give it a go!

When I don't have fresh berries on hand I pull a bag of Cascadian Farms Organic Berries out of the freezer. (Yes, I always have some in there. Always. ;-) This was one bag of their Strawberries. I chopped them smaller, while frozen, tossed them in a sauce pan with a couple Tablespoons of Raw Sugar and a generous splash of Cointreau. Heat on medium heat until the berries are unthawed and the syrup is warm. You can let this cook while you make the pancakes.

For the batter I just whisk everything together in a 4 cup liquid measure. I usually figure one cup of liquid per 2 plates of pancakes (normally that would be three medium sized per plate) so if you need to serve four just double the recipe.

1 cup Vanilla Soy, Almond or Coconut Milk
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(Blood Orange Infused Oil adds a nice flavour!)
1 Large Egg (I use Organic Free Range Vegetarian Fed)
2 Tablespoons Raw Sugar
Dash of Sea Salt
1-1/2 Tablespoons Aluminum Free Baking Powder
Organic Flour as needed

Whisk together the Milk, Oil, Egg, Sugar and Salt. Add 1/2 cup of flour and whisk in thoroughly. Add the Baking Powder and incorporate. Keep adding flour, about a 1/4 cup at a time, and whisk well after each addition. I never actually measure the flour myself, because I'm always using different amounts of liquid, but you want the batter to be smooth and thick. Not too thick that it doesn't run through the whisk easily though! Don't worry if you add too much, just pour in a bit more milk. Trust me, once you've done it a few times you'll be able to "feel" the perfect consistency.

I heat the pan to medium and lightly spray with Olive Oil. When pouring the batter it should start to spread on its own slowly; you may have to tilt the pan a bit in each direction for a larger sized pancake. When it starts to bubble across the entire surface that means it's time to flip.

After you flip it, it will only need another 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time. It will pouf up and the bottom will become a lovely golden brown.

While you finish the rest of the pancakes you can whip the cream.

1 Cup Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Organic Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste

Whip until stiff. (Heh. I like saying that. ;-)

The rest is easy. Pancakes on the bottom. Top with the Berries and spoon over the sauce. Next, be sure to put too much Whipped Cream on your stack. :-D Finally, sprinkle with Powdered Sugar. Voilà!

Before.

After.

Ink and Wine with Simon Marshall-Jones

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:50:00 +0000

In this week’s column I shall be talking about one of my most memorable wine tasting experiences, wherein I got to try what I deem to be one of THE most exquisite wines I’ve come across (as well as the one of the worst – there has to be balance somewhere). It’s not often that a wine connoisseur, working for one of the premier private wine sellers in the UK, arranges a tasting in a local specialist store and brings with him some of the best examples of the tipple for us mere mortals to imbibe.

Anyway, he’d brought some examples from all over the world, including a wine made by a British ex-pat in California that came in at a whopping 17% ABV, which is technically illegal for a wine according to UK alcohol laws (where the upper limit is defined as being 16% - after that I think it’s classed as a fortified wine). I have to admit that I absolutely hated it – the strength of the alcohol took away any finesse it might have possessed. After just a single glass my head was swirling: the wine itself felt ‘heavy’, and it’s safe to say that it was the fullest-bodied wine I’ve ever tried.

However, after tasting a white Rioja from the 1930s (which I felt was a tad too oaky for my liking), came the greatest surprise of the evening. James, the host, plonked a half-bottle of Müller-Catoir 1999 on the table. This is an example of an Eiswein (Ice Wine or Icewine if you live in Canada), one of the rarest styles of wine of all, and is exactly that – a wine created through the agency of ice. Or, rather, that has ice as part of the process of making it.

Eisweins are made from grapes that have been harvested when ice has formed on them, thus effectively freezing the water content and leaving a concentrated juice that’s high in sugars, thus producing a very sweet wine. It’s produced across an extensive swathe of Europe, as well as Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, the US and Canada. This is a style that inevitably only allows for very small quantities, leading equally inevitably to them being quite expensive. In fact, this particular example, even seven years ago and in a 37.5cl bottle, cost $245! So, given the hefty price tag, was the money justified?

I would have to say that it would be an unqualified YES. For fully five minutes, no-one uttered a single word after tasting it. This deeply golden-coloured wine tasted of distilled sunshine, syrup and honeycomb, with perhaps a pinch of cinnamon spiciness and just the right amount of acidity cutting through the sweetness – in other words, the perfect wine. Indeed, that ensuing silence was simply because people were absolutely stunned at its refined exquisiteness. It was almost beyond words – it dispelled any notions that wine was ’just’ wine, and proved that in the hands of a master winemaker whole new dimensions of taste and experience can be crafted into it. Just for the record, when anyone felt they were able to speak, the first words uttered were: “So, THIS is what the gods of Mount Olympus drink.”

And THAT, my friend, epitomised absolutely right on the nail-head my reaction to this wine – it was indeed the fabled Ambrosia made real.

-----------------------------------------

This is the bit where I review a wine, for which we come back to earth from being amongst the privileged ranks of the Greek gods of yore with a bump to South Africa, where this week’s example, a FirstCape First Selection Shiraz Rosé 2010, originates. The first thing you notice is the vibrantly bright colour, a traffic stop-light sort of red and yes, the wine does kind of stop you. The aroma leaps out of the glass and straight up your nose, with a strong scent of raspberries. Raspberry notes, along with an equal measure of strawberry, feature heavily on the palate, positively assailing the tongue, but not assiduously so – it’s surprising just how big the fruit is on this one without it being overpowering, and it tastes a lot bigger than its 11% ABV would indicate. In fact, I would say that, despite its unpretentious nature, this is a wine that knows exactly what it’s doing. Which it does extremely well, I have to note. This gets a thoroughly deserved 4/5.

I’ll see you next week, so in the meantime, good drinking!

Reviews on the Road with Katy - Northern Virginia Vietnamese

noreply@blogger.com (jin) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:37:00 +0000

Four Sisters Vietnamese Restaurant

foursistersrestaurant.com

8190 Strawberry Lane, Suite 1

Falls Church, Virginia 22042

United States

703.539.8566

One of the perks of my job is that the locations I have to travel to change frequently. Every so often I get to go to places where friends live nearby which means I don't have to dine alone. This week I am in Northern Virginia/Maryland and tonight I met up with friends at Four Sisters Vietnamese Restaurant in Falls Church. The restaurant suggestion was theirs; truthfully my experience with Vietnamese food was nothing to write home about and is part of the reason why I usually go straight to Thai if in the mood for Asian.

The downside of having dinner in great company is that one has too much fun; therefore being sidetracked from taking photos as the plates arrive. I did remember halfway through. ;-) I ordered the veggie fried rice and it was tasty; more flavorful than at Chinese places but not quite as tasty and spicy as Thai. My friends ordered sesame chicken, a chicken veggie dish and a spicy beef curry. Everyone enjoyed their food and I certainly enjoyed the company!

Overall I give Four Sisters 7 out of 10 Monkeys!

Until I eat again,

Katy