Napa cabbage and daikon kimchi I started prepping yesterday and finished this a.m.
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We were hungry after playing in the snow this afternoon, so I made some shrimp sauteed with butter, garlic, Peri peri sauce, and smoked chili salt as an appetizer. The main a bit later was eggplant parmesan, Tuscan kale with garlic, aged balsamic, golden raisins, orange zest and juice, and chili flake. DH made a salad with creamy mustard dressing.
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Not sure if anyone here checks the NJ boards but here’s an update on my Prohibition lecture and cocktail pairing at a historic speakeasy last night:
After talking ABOUT Murphy’s in my Prohibition lecture for years, I finally got a chance to visit the place yesterday, but as a guest speaker. There was an auction a few months ago benefiting the Oceanic Library in Rumson and Murphy’s donated a two hour party for 30 people, drinks, snacks, and included me giving a talk about Prohibition. There was also a cocktail pairing during the talk.
I got to hang out with owners Robb and Heather, who were both awesome and really attentive to the bartending craft. They are two of only three employees for the whole place! It really is owner-operated. They have a good whiskey selection, including a Manhattan-based bourbon Great Jones which was excellent. I also have to say their pizza is along the lines of Pete and Elda’s in Neptune NJ for thinness and crunch. It was surprisingly good.
The place truly retains its historic speakeasy roots. It’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood and on your way driving there you may say out loud, “No way there’s a bar down this street!” We are planning more events in the future.
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DH requested prawns which also means fries. Never a bad choice.
Choice of mayo, cocktail or tartar sauces.
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Tonight I had the brilliant idea to butterfly some chicken breasts and stuff them with the remainder of the spinach-artichoke dip the BF made on Saturday that we all loved.
WELL it was awful. I couldn’t tell if the chicken was overcooked or undercooked. I pretty much examined it under a microscope and while there was no pink, it just had a weird mouth-feel. The dip itself also did not taste quite the same. Very disappointed. Only ate about half. Pic destroyed. Win some, lose some.
Night saved by a flan that he made this afternoon. He said this was more Mexican than Puerto Rican owing to the addition of cream cheese and cinnamon. Delicious and velvety!
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Beautiful cat. A good friend of my mother’s is married to a Mexican and he makes flan for me when I visit her in Ohio. It’s such a treat, he’s so proud of it and I feel the love!!
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Never from my older one. The 2 boys have very different temperaments!
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I’m wondering @gcaggiano, if you were experiencing what I call rubber chicken? Mouthfeel is chewy, and nothing about it makes you want to eat it. Truly awful, but just guessing.
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Like “woody breast”? It could be possible, though the breast did not appear to have the whitish tint that such rubbery chicken normally has.
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Interesting - so you didn’t notice any white striping when the chicken was raw? It can also feel quite dense and springy if pounded. Could be just a bad chicken, I guess. Disappointing in either case.
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2-day aged shio koji ribeye + red wine miso pan sauce, olive oil poached green beans, and a small russet potato with TPSTOB to mop up with juices. Shio koji steak browns so, so beautifully and has so much umami.
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I have been wanting to experiment with koji. I’m not interested in meat preparations, but I must say, yours looks delicious.
Not that I remember, but I could have just not been attentive. White striping/woody breast was rampant in supermarkets over here, actually prior to Covid. They loved slipping in slices of affected breasts into packs of thin-sliced cutlets so it would be more difficult to spot. Rarely did I see one in a pack of whole breasts but yes it did happen. Ironically enough, with all the supply chain issues, etc, it has been much better lately.
Here’s an article I did on it January 2020. It became my most read non-restaurant review:
And you know what this means? Steak tonight!
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It’s a great, comforting dessert! Never the same in a restaurant.
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This is just AWESOME!!! Three things:
- How the hell did they get a license to serve booze in a residential neighborhood?
- The outside of the house completely belies the inside of the speakeasy atmosphere. Love the floor, the bar, the walls. (Don’t like the single Miller Lite tap amongst the other more interesting beers on tap, but whatchagonnado when the masses want it?)
- Robb’s moustache is ALSO AWESOME!
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That steak looks SO good…but OH, that tater with those tabs of golden yellow butter… 
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The flan looks fantastic
Love the snow bar idea! Like a block party but for adults and taking advantage of the winter. I wish I knew more than 1-2 of my neighbors. Our street is antisocial.
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Like Edie’s in Little Silver.
How’s that Great Jones bourbon? I just bought a bottle for my sister’s finace (he likes local liquor), but I’ve never had it myself.
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