Out for dinner two nights in a row. Pre-COVID, that was semi-normal. Now, its a real luxury (almost vacation-like), as I probably go out to eat once a month since I’m just so used to cooking almost nightly. But I guess its good to treat oneself, right?
Last night: took mom out for pizza at a old school pizzeria in Red Bank, NJ. She had a personal veggie pizza and I a Margherita, of which we both had leftovers. Shared a fried “galamad” and sauteed spinach because greens. Excellent martini for a place that appears to be more beer/wine. The $9 price tag for Bombay Sapphire means there will be more visits to come. I don’t remember the last single digit cocktail price.
Drinks and apps with friends at an upscale Italian bar and steakhouse, same town as above. Shared a bunch-- all excellent. Garlic bread (some of the best around), Firecracker Shrimp, Calabrian baked clams, and an unbelievable seared octopus over carrot Romesco.
Chopped salad with honey peanut dressing. I forgot it was supposed to be chopped and I shredded, and I uses super chunk peanut butter instead of adding peanuts to the salad. Salad was good, loved the dressing.
I’ve had a lot going on the past couple of weeks and haven’t given dinners much thought. Things are settling down and I need to get back into a dinner routine rather than winging it so often.
Shrimp tacos with nopales. The shrimp were lightly marinated in oj, garlic, jalapeno cilantro, olive oil and lime juice then grilled. The little grocery in town sells prepared nopales - no thorns - so they are easy to prepare. Served with a slaw made with some of the 8 pounds of cabbage I bought when it was $0.19/lb.
Thank you. I’m trying to change my style/take better pictures. Plus everything was already on the platter to make it easier to carry inside form the grill.
Another improvised dinner - winter flounder fillets marinated in a small amount of light and dark soy sauce, wine, white pepper, and sesame oil and then roasted topped with some knobs of unsalted butter. I sauced it with the juices from the pan when it was done. I served with jasmine rice and green beans roasted on a sheet pan next to the baking tin.
Lime and pepper pork tenderloin (olive oil, fresh lime juice with a bit of the pulp, lime zest, freshly ground pepper, a pinch of salt, and a little honey all blended together) and steamed broccoli. Simple.
I had something of a shopping odyssey today (not entirely by choice) motivated by my need to get to the USQ Greenmarket and have my Winter Warrior card stamped for the 10th and final time (I am now eligible for PRIZES). While there, I picked up some scallops, which made me think I ought to make ceviche, and I also needed hot mustard and ginger. So I hoofed it to Wegman’s for raw tuna and - a pretty good find - crab pieces that had been mostly picked over and were destined for the stock pot, but actually had a fair amount of meat left on them. For $1.75!
We arrived at our hotel around 3pm, giving my boo ample time to prepare for his event tonight, which took place at a bar on the UWS. The food was your regular ole bar food, and a couple of friends of ours who joined us had the house (bacon cheese) burger with fries/tots they weren’t impressed with. I got an order of the jalapeño poppers that were pretty terrible. The first one I bit into squirted molten lava temp cream cheese on my dress sleave, the breading didn’t add anything to them, and the sour cream dip didn’t make any sense. I had 2 or 3 and left the rest. Good thing they were part of a HH deal.
Once my dude was done we decided to go to a Neapolitan pizza place just a block up. It was alright TBH I wasn’t very hungry anymore, but we shared a bresaola “carpaccio” with lots of arugula and a fennel slaw that needed salt and other seasoning,
Pro tip: to spread out TJ’s pizza dough really thin, leave it out of the fridge for a few hours before working with it. It will smooth out like silk fabric.
TBH I wasn’t very hungry anymore, but we shared a bresaola “carpaccio” with lots of arugula and a fennel slaw that needed salt and other seasoning,
