Flipside Bar & Burgers

We went to the 3rd Street Cinema to catch "Foxcatcher." After the movie, we were looking for a place to grab a quick bite. Flipside Bar & Burgers is located right next door to the theatre, at 630 3rd Street.

Single burger with lettuce wrap--$9.95. It's normally served with crinkle fries but I wanted onion rings. It was an additional $2 for the onion rings but they were worth it. The onion rings were much better than the fries. The burger was just an ordinary burger. I like In & Out better.

Single cheeseburger with crinkle fries--$10.95.

We should have gone across the street to Flavor Bistro. From my postings, you may think I have a financial interest in Flavor. I really don't--I just love the dishes and value at Flavor.

2015 02 25

Flavor Bistro--Off the Menu

We had some visitors and it was too late to sign up for the Friday Night dinner so we ordered off the menu at Flavor Bistro. We've never ordered off the menu.

Pork & Shrimp Wontons--Tossed in Spicy Asian Dipping Sauce, Pea Shoots & Asian Veggies--$8.50. I had never had this before. The sauce was great and the wontons were full of flavor.

Organic Pear & Endive Salad--Balsamic Glazed, Topped with Walnuts and Gorgonzola Dolce--$9.50.

Romaine Wedge--Organic Romaine, Blue Cheese Dressing, Bacon & Chives--$8.95.

Seared Day Boat Scallops--$2.75 each.

Martin's Ragu--Boscaiolo Meat Sauce Flavored with Porcini & Red Wine, Pasta Ribbons--$16.95.

Gnocchi--Potato Pillows, Roasted Chicken & Sausage Ragu, Mascarpone & Parmesan Cheese--$16.95.

Molly's Chicken--Slow Cooked, Middle Eastern Spices, White Wine, Citrus, Creamy Potatoes--$13.95. Just like the one at Wednesday Night Dinner. Hard to believe that you can actually get an entree in Sonoma County for less than $15.

Center Cut Short Ribs--Braised with Aromatic Herbs & Vegetables, Butternut Risotto--$22.95.

Chardonnay Pear--Served in Puff Pastry with Mascarpone Cream & Chocolate Gremolata--$7.95.

Chocolate Torte--Topped with Chocolate Mousse Garnished with Vanilla Creme Anglaise--$7.95. Loved the chocolate torte--thick and rich.

I loved the items off the menu but I still love the Wednesday and Thursday nights with wine pairing.

2015 02 27

Brined Pork Chops

My favorite dish on Flavor Bistro's Wednesday Night Dinner is brined pork chops. This is my attempt. It's a recipe from Sandra Lee.

Apple Brined Pork Chops

2 cups apple juice

1 Tbs coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 cup Kosher salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar

5 rib end pork chops, about 1 1/2 pounds

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add 1 cup of water, apple juice, pepper, salt and sugar. Bring to a simmer making sure to stir occasionally to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat and add to a large bowl with 2 cups of ice.

Once the brine has cooled, add pork chops. Brine for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Remove pork from brine, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat grill or grill pan over medium heat. Place chops on hot oiled grill. Grill chops for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

My pork chops were thin so they were too salty. I also like a sweeter flavor. Next time, I'll modify the recipe by omitting the water and using 3 cups of apple juice. I'll also skip the ice and just wait for the brine to cool before adding the pork chops. Or, I may just add more brown sugar. Oh, and I'll use thicker pork chops.

Otherwise, the pork chops were amazingly juicy and delicious! Almost as good as Flavor's.

2015 03 31

Wednesday Night Dinner

This week's Wednesday night dinner at Flavor Bistro featured Middle Eastern Chicken. It's my 2nd favorite Wednesday night meal so we went.

Middle Eastern Style Chicken. It's moist and has great flavor. The Hummus was creamy and was served with Greek olives. There were lentils and cucumber as well.

Arugula Couscous

Spring Veggies of sautéed peppers.

Farmhouse Soup--sweet potato. Thick & creamy.

Organic Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing & Sheep's Milk Cheese. The sheep's milk cheese was slightly sweet.

Warm Flatbreads. I always love their flatbreads--cheesy pizza dough.

Apple Free-Form Pie with Whipped Cream. The pie was delicious. The apples were sliced thin and the galette dough was the best.

2015 04 08

Ledford House, Albion

While up for the Mendocino Whale Festival, we also had dinner at Ledford House. It's located at 3000 North Hwy 1 on the Mendocino coast. They serve a 3-course bistro dinner for $30. The menu changes regularly.

First course was a fennel salad with red onions, frisee and kumquats. They always have a nice salad.

Rock cod with garlic aioli and beans. I wasn't a big fan of this dish. The fish was too fishy and I'm not a bean fan. The aioli was deliciously garlicky.

Berry Cobbler. I liked the cobbler--it was nice rich shortbread.

2015 03 06

Albion River Inn

Dinner after the Mendocino Whale Festival was at Albion River Inn, located at 3790 North Hwy 1, Albion.

They offer a 3-course menu for $32.50. They had chicken on the 3-course menu and I really wanted shrimp so I ordered off the menu.

Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell--$16 for 6. It's served with a spicy & tangy relish of cucumber, ginger & jalapeño and a fire-roasted red bell pepper cocktail sauce. I love the relish of cucumber, ginger and jalapeño--just the right amount of spiciness and the ginger is great on the oyster. 

Lime & Ginger Grilled Prawns--sweet jumbo shrimp marinated & basted on the grill with lime, ginger, garlic & soy, sauced with tangy cilantro-lime butter and served with steamed coconut jasmine rice & caramelized beets--$29.50. This is one of my favorite dishes at this restaurant. The flavors meld so well but then again I love anything with cilantro.

2015 03 07

Mendocino Whale Festival--Chowder

The Mendocino Whale Festival was the first weekend in March. It celebrates the migration of the gray whale from the lagoons of western Baja to the Bering Sea. The whales go south between December and February and go north between February and April. The whales come closer to shore on their northward migration because they are traveling with their calves.

Highlights of the weekend include a Chowder Tasting for $10 and a Wine Tasting for $35. New this year was also a sampling of beer from the North Coast Brewing Company.

We purchased our Chowder Tasting tickets online and were able to avoid the long line. It was worth the convenience fee of $1.34.

Local restaurants serve their chowder--most were New England white chowder but there were a few Manhattan red chowder. It was a small group--less than 10 restaurants participated.

Tasting kit with cup, napkin and spoon.

My favorite was the chowder from Cafe Beaujolais. It was thick, creamy and full of flavor--just the right amount of bacon flavor.

2015 03 07