Albion River Inn Leftover

My favorite part of the Steamed Shellfish is taking the leftovers and adding pasta to it for lunch the next day. Bacon and cream, part 2. Add a little fresh Italian parsley and it's yum, yum! Look how much pasta I add to the sauce.

2012 07 28

Albion River Inn

Every few weekends, we drive to Albion and have dinner at Albion River Inn. It's a nice restaurant right on Hwy 1 with a wonderful view of the water.

 

 

For dinner, there is a $25 Chef's Choice, which includes 2 courses and a glass of white or red wine. On this particular evening, it was a Feta cheese salad (it's always a Feta cheese salad to start), and Pasta with Steamed Mussels and Rock Shrimp.

 

 

The pasta was prepared with garlic, Kalamata olives and roasted bell peppers in an oven-roasted tomato, Balsamic vinegar and fresh basil sauce served with linguini pasta and crumbled Feta cheese. Nice tomato flavor but not much pasta.

Tonight, they also had a Dungeness Crab & Heirloom Tomato Appetizer.

 

Fresh crab layered with sliced organic tomatoes and fresh basil, with a tomato-caper vinaigrette, served with sliced avocado and crumbled Feta cheese for $14. This was amazing. I love this dish--I love the sweet crab, the ripe tomatoes and the vinaigrette. This is seasonal and I always order it when it's on the menu.

My other favorite dish is the Steamed Shellfish.



Prince Edward Island mussels, Manila clams and tender rock shrimp with caramelized bacon, brandy and lemon, finished with a touch of cream and fresh basil. What's not to love when there's bacon and cream! This is actually a starter and a great value at $14.

2012 07 27

Joel Robuchon

In 2010, we went to Las Vegas to celebrate our anniversary. We go to Vegas to eat and got a reservation at Joel Robuchon. It's rated 3 Michelin stars and it was one of the best meals we have ever had. You can choose a la carte, prix fixe dinner starting at $140 (2012 prices) or for a supreme splurge, the 16-course degustation menu for $425.

No matter which option you choose, you start with the bread cart. I judge a high-end restaurant by its bread basket and Joel Robuchon delivered. This is the most amazing bread selection I have ever seen. Choose as many as you like.

Look! There are 2 more layers underneath.

Bacon Bread, Fleur del Sel, Cheese Bread and Milk Bread. The bacon bread was amazing but then again how can you go wrong when you add bacon to anything. The cheese bread was another favorite. There's just something special about salty, melted cheese on top of a crispy crust.

My husband's selections--Cheese Brioche, Rosemary Baguette, Pesto Focaccia and Cheese Bread

Amuse Bouche--Caviar and Crab. This is the most amazing dish. A nice layer of crab with a layer of caviar.

Scallops with Coriander Sauce. Perfectly cooked scallops--moist, not chewy and cooked all the way through. The sauce was delicious.

Guinea Hen and Foie Gras

Veal Cheeks

Robuchon Potatoes--so rich and creamy; there's probably a cube of butter in this little portion

Le Pistachio

Our Anniversary Cake--compliments of the chef

And then there was the Mignardise cart--almost as many options as the bread cart.

It was a memorable meal. Even though we each ordered the 2-course option, we were more than full.

2010 05 07

Raku

When in Las Vegas, get off the strip and go to Raku, a Japanese Grill. It's located in a strip mall in Chinatown. You won't regret it.

Yellowtail Carpaccio $12--fresh and delicious

Raku's Tofu $4.50--soft and silky, like nothing you've tasted before

Agedashi Tofu $10--yummy. I'm a fan of agedashi tofu but this was amazing. Loved the tofu and the broth.

Poached Egg with Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe $9--this was our least favorite. Too mushy--it's a texture thing.

Steamed Foie Gras Egg Custard $10--tasty but not enough foie gras flavor.

Pork Ear $3--crisy on the outside, soft on the inside then the crunchy cartilage. Loved it!

Duck with Balsamic Soy Sauce $4.50--can't remember too much about it.

Kobe Beef Outside Skirt with Garlic $7.50

Foie Gras with Glazed Soy-base Sauce $10

Portabella Stuffed with Ground Chicken $4.50

2010 05 06

Rosemary's, Las Vegas

One of my favorite restaurants was Rosemary's in Las Vegas. I loved their $25 3-course lunches on Fridays. I couldn't believe it when I went to do some research and discovered that the restaurant closed in 2011. I will never be able to have its white chocolate rolls again.

Potato roll and white chocolate roll--YUM!
 



 

Potato Leek Soup with Creme Fraiche and Toasted Walnuts
 



 

Seared Shrimp with Roasted Garlic Creamed Potato, Tomato Concasse and Saffron Buerre Blanc

 

Paneed Veal Tenderloin with Pecorino Polenta and Wild Mushroom Reduction Sauce
 



  

Butterfish Baked in Mustard Bread Crumbs on Shallot Poached Haricot Vert with Lemon Caper Butter. This was my favorite dish. I loved the soft fish and the sauce was amazing. I would have licked the plate if no one was watching.

 

Dorothy's Lemon Sponge Pudding Cake with Dried Cherry Coulis. This was my favorite dessert. The cake was so light.

 

Carrot Cake with Ginger Anglaise Blueberry Sorbet

 

Strawberries Romanov Shortcake with Almond Sponge Cake and Vanilla Whipped Cream

 

 

2010 05 07

Thursday Night at Flavors

This week's courses:

 

Bruschetta Con Gamberoni--Topped with Grilled Marinated Jumbo Prawns, Spicy Red Pepper-Saffron Aioli, Warm Herb Salsa and Organic Greens served with Villa Sandi Prosecco Treviso Brut, Veneto, Italia. This is one of my favorite dishes on Thursday night. The shrimp is cooked well and I love the flavors.

 

Pezze Della Nonna--Pasta Folds Filled with Organic Spinach and a Trio of Cheese Baked in a Garlic Salsamella and Pomodoro Sauce Topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano served with 2009 San Polo Rubio (Sangiovese), Toscana, Italia. The Sangiovese was very hearty and paired well with the pasta. The saltiness of the dish worked well with the wine.

 

Braciola Di Carne Alla Chianti--Slow Cooked Center Cut Short Rib Garnished with a "Sweet Pea" Risotto and Roasted Organic Mushrooms in a Chianti Reduction Sauce served with 2008 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre, Veronese, Italia. This was amazingly tender and the reduction was delicious. It worked well with the risotto.

 

Bomba Di Bianco E Nera--Italian Style Ice Cream Float with Homemade Vanilla and Chocolate Gelato Topped with Espresso, Chantilly Cream, Bittersweet Chocolate and Almonds served with 2010 Ceretto Moscato d'Asti, Piemonte, Italia

See you next week!



2012 07 26

Taste Buds

Whenever I go to the south bay, I pick up food and freeze them so I can have ethnic food when I want. I ordered from an Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale--Taste Buds. I asked for medium spice and there was a nice bite but it didn't linger long and you could still taste the flavors.

 

Gutti Vankai (Eggplant Masala)--$7.95. Nice soft eggplant.

 

Saag Chicken (chicken with spinach)--$7.99. This had nice flavor but beware of the bone shards.

 

ChickenTikka Masala--$7.99. Boneless pieces of chicken breasts sauteed with spices and cream. There's more than enough sauce so I'll add chunks of rotisserie chicken to the sauce and eat it another night.

 

Goat Dum Biryani--$9.99. Basmati rice cooked with goat and spices. I liked the flavors of the rice. Usually, I order the Chicken Biryani but they were out this time.

 

Naan--$1.49. I like the naan here--it's nice and chewy.

 

My dinner plate--a little of everything. I felt I needed some green vegetables so I sauteed baby bok choy with grated ginger. It made me feel better that I had some greens with all the heavy sauces.

 

 

2012 07 23

A Simple & Healthy Dinner

After so many meals out, we were due for something healthy. This was so simple to make--the entire meal took less than 30 minutes to prepare. On the menu: grilled salmon with salsa, Israeli couscous with tomatoes and basil, and sauteed zucchini.

 

At the beginning of the summer, I get a basil plant from Trader Joe's for $2.99. The plant lasts me the entire summer. I leave it on the counter and I have fresh basil whenever I want.

 

 

Israeli (otherwise known as "pearl") couscous. This is actually a toasted pasta in the shape of small balls. I found this bag at Costco.

Israeli Couscous with Tomatoes and Basil

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup couscous

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

cherry tomatoes, halved

basil

Heat oil in pan and add chopped onion. Saute until translucent. Add couscous and fry until toasted. Add chicken broth and boil. Turn down heat and cover.

After 10 minutes, add tomatoes, stir and cover. Continue heating until broth is absorbed, another 5 minutes. Roll the basil, chiffonade and add to couscous.

Serves 2

Sauteed Zucchini

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 zucchini, sliced and halved

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onion. Saute until translucent and add zucchini. Cover and lower heat. When zucchini is soft, add garlic salt.

Grilled Salmon with Salsa

Wild salmon

salt & pepper

salsa

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Grill, skin side down until cooked through (white protein will appear on the surface).



 

2012 07 22