Restaurant Review World

кухниAnother Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I am sad it’s over (but of course thankful that I had such a wonderful long weekend with my husband eating good food).  This year, I did a few new things, and kept other things the same as previous years.  I am happy to report that I finally got the turkey part down - mostly due to the fabulous brine.  Also, I think I finally put the thermometer in the right place of the turkey, because it was actually done when it said it would be!  Therefore, I was able to let it rest before doing any carving, so the juices stayed exactly where they should have been - in the turkey.

I think the best way to describe the day is to write about it in the order of my timeline.  Yes, I made a timeline.  Honestly, it’s the only way to make sure you remember everything, and to make sure you eat when you expect to.  It’s the only way I can possibly make a multi-course meal with any sort of success.  So, without further ado, the meal….

11:30 - 12:30:  Because I had done so much to prepare the night before, I didn’t have to wake up early.  I even got to squeeze in a run before the marathon cooking (note to self, running was not a good idea, as I was totally exhausted from standing for five hours after running).  Anyway, two of the new things that I wanted to do this year were mashed potatoes with crispy shallots on top, and salad with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.  So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use buttermilk as part of the batter process of the crispy shallots.  I soaked sliced shallots in a 3/4 of a cup of buttermilk for about ten minutes.  Then, I removed the shallots and moved them into the flour to coat.  Meanwhile, I put the remaining buttermilk aside to use for the dressing - this was perfect as the shallots really helped flavor the dressing.

Once the shallots were coated with flour, I fried them in about a quarter inch of olive oil until they turned just golden.  It’s really important not to let them brown, or they will taste burned (as you can see from the picture below, I learned that from experience!).  It really only takes a couple of minutes for them to fry up.  Then, I removed them from the oil, let them drain on paper towels, and sprinkled a bit of Kosher salt on them.  Here are the mini onion rings:

They were very crispy and delicious, but a lot of work.  Although I enjoyed them, I am not sure I will do this again for Thanksgiving.  Still, it was a good thought, and something I would repeat if I ever have a need for crispy onions.  Definitely much better than the canned stuff.

Next, I took the reserved buttermilk and added 1/4 cup of mayo and seasonings to taste: garlic powder, celery seed, paprika, oregano, black pepper, and salt.  I stirred that all together, and that was my dressing.  This is a great ranch, and even makes a good potato chip dip out of the leftovers.

Finally, I washed and cut the romaine lettuce, and put the prepared leaves into the fridge, along with the dressing, to keep cool while I made the rest of the meal.

12:30 - 1:30:  This is when I took the turkey out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.  I left it out for an hour, and still the meat thermometer said it was below 40 degrees.  Oh well.  I also took the store bought mini apple pie out of the fridge.  Yeah, sorry, but I just can’t do the whole dinner from scratch and dessert and hold down a full-time job.  At least, not yet…maybe next year!

While the turkey was out, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees, and started on the cranberry sauce.  I used the exact same recipe that I always use, and have already blogged about it here.

Anyway, the whole process takes around half an hour, and here are the delicious results:

I like to make the cranberry sauce early in the day, because I prefer to eat it at room temperature, not hot.  I just covered it and kept it out of the way until it was time to eat.

Because I put the juice of half a lemon and half an orange in the cranberry sauce, I used the rest of the citrus juice directly on top of the turkey.  Then, I cut the squeezed lemon and orange into wedges and stuffed them into the turkey cavity, along with some onion, garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, carrot, and celery.  You know, whatever there was room for.  I threw anything that didn’t fit into the roasting pan, along with about a cup of white wine.  Note: the wine was not enough.  Next time, I will also put a few cups of stock in there.  Otherwise, all of the liquid burns off, and there isn’t much to make gravy out of.  Not to worry, I was able to make gravy, but just barely!

Anyway, here she is, stuffed and trussed:

Let me tell you, buttering and seasoning the bird the night before was very helpful.  Next year, I will also stuff and truss her the night before, because it’s just so much easier to not have to touch raw turkey the day of Thanksgiving.

1:30 - 2:00:  At this point, the turkey had been out of the fridge for an hour, and the oven had preheated.  I stuck the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, and put her into a 450 degree oven for thirty minutes.  At that point, I turned the oven down to 350.

2:00 - 4:30:  While the turkey roasted, I worked on the stuffing and the potatoes.  (Note: at one point, I noticed the breast was getting very dark, so I put a foil triangle on the turkey to protect it.)  Anyway, first I made the stuffing, using the cubed Challah that I had made the night before.  I used the same recipe as always, which again, can be found here. 

For the mashed potatoes, I boiled about a pound of quartered, skin-on, Yukon golds (the absolute best for mashing) in salted water.  When they were fork tender, I drained them off and added them back to the pan.  I mashed them with a masher along with a quarter cup of the boiling liquid, butter, milk, buttermilk, a bit of cream, parsley, and black pepper.  Once they were all mashed together, I put them in an oven proof dish.

At that point, I had my potatoes and my stuffing all ready to throw in the oven, once the turkey was done.  And, at 4:30, done it was.

4:30 - 5:00:  I took the turkey out and removed it from the roasting pan.  I covered it with foil and let it rest while I threw together the rest of the meal.  The stuffing went in the oven first (still 350), as that had to be in for thirty minutes.  During this time, I put the roasting pan on the stove, deglazed it with white wine, and proceeded to make the gravy as usual, recipe found here.

I also put together the salads:

At around 4:45, I put the potatoes in the oven to keep the stuffing company, and so everything would be hot at the same time.  When 5:00 rolled around, I removed both the stuffing and the potatoes from the oven, put the shallots on the taters, and both items on the table. 

Here’s the stuffing:

And, here’s the potatoes:

Oh yeah, and the gravy was ready, too:

You can’t really tell by looking at it, but it was thick and lump-free!  Yeah, I know.  Next year, I will get a gravy boat!

Finally, it was time to carve that beautiful turkey.  Here she is before we cut into her:

Look at all of that brown deliciousness!

And here she is on the plate:

The taste really was perfect.  I could really taste the brine.  In fact, there was really was no need to season the turkey any further after the brine, not that it hurts.  You definitely don’t need anymore salt, though.  I always get so scared of under salting the meat, but the brine does all of that for you.

Anyway, everything was great.  The husband ate thirds, and we have been living off of leftovers all weekend.  I am so sad it’s over, but hey, there’s always next year.  I don’t think there’s much that I will change from this time, except maybe now I have the confidence to invite people over to enjoy it with us.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Yay - one of my most favorite times of the year has finally arrived: Thanksgiving!  Okay, well maybe it arrives tomorrow, but it feels like it’s already here.  I have been prepping since Tuesday evening, and my apartment has already benefited from the fabulous smells. 

Actually, I guess I technically started my prep on Saturday when I went to Sur La Table to get my knives sharpened.  Sadly, the place that I normally go, Larry’s Shaver Shop, seems to have gone the way of the recession.  When the husband arrived with the knives, the store was closed down.  So, it was up to Sur La Table to save the day, which they did, but going there resulted in me buying a few extra necessities.  Seriously, that is one dangerous store.

Anyway, with my chef’s knife nice and sharp, I was ready to really get started on Tuesday.  I picked up my pre-ordered turkey, along with all of the other ingredients I will need, from Whole Foods.  Since I generally make my own chicken stock for Thanksgiving, I was planning to pick up some chicken wings while I was there.  But, Whole Foods actually had packaged turkey necks priced pretty damn cheap, so I thought to myself, Self, why not make turkey stock instead.  I grabbed four necks (yum) and also got a turkey wing.  I had an extra chicken neck in the freezer (double yum), which I used, plus I threw in the neck from my Thanksgiving turkey.

Okay, enought about necks!  The point is, I have full-fledged turkey stock to make tomorrow’s dinner all the more gobble-licious.

Moving on….this morning, before work, I got my brine on.  I started by dissolving three cups of Diamond Kosher salt and one and a half cups of brown sugar in six cups of water over high heat.  To that, I added a handful of sage, thyme, one head of garlic (sliced lengthwise in half), a few bay leaves, and about a tablespoon of whole, black peppercorns.  I let those all steep together for a bit, making sure all of the salt and sugar completely dissolved.  Then, I moved that mixture to a 12-quart stock pot, and added enough cold water to get to two gallons (AKA, 32 total cups).  The cold water brought the brine down to room temperature - the perfect bath for my 9.54 pound turkey.  I threw the whole thing in the fridge, and let it sit for one minute per pound (about ten hours).  I put the turkey in breast-side down, to make sure the breast meat got the most of the brine.  However, with three hours left in the process, I did give the turkey a flip just to make sure the whole thing got some brine-time in.

Here she is right before I pulled her out:

After removing the bird, I rinsed her thoroughly, and put her in her final resting place: the roasting pan (okay, her actual final resting place will be my stomach).  Then, I made an herb-butter compound: half a stick of butter, a few tablespoons of olive oil, chopped sage, thyme, and parsley, the juice and zest of one lemon, one minced garlic clove, black pepper, and just a wee bit of salt.  I rubbed it under the skin on the breasts, inside the cavity, and all over the skin.

Don’t she look perty?  Now, I know most people brine the night before, and take the turkey out right before going in the oven, but I have heard that leads to soggy skin.  So, I am trying this method, where the turkey basically air-dries in the fridge overnight.  Anyway, marinating in the extra flavor can’t be a bad thing, right?  Fingers crossed!

The last thing on my agenda for the night before Thanksgiving was to make Challah for both the stuffing and for sandwiches on Friday.  My sister gave me the best Challah recipe, and while it’s time consuming, it’s so worth it.  It literally makes the best stuffing ever!  I thought I’d share her recipe with you, in case anyone ever is in need of a great Challah recipe.  This makes two loaves of bread, or countless “knots”.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs dry yeast
2 cups very warm water (not hot, or you’ll kill the yeast!!)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
approx. 7-8 cups of flour

Method:

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar and one cup of flour.  Allow to become bubbly - about 30 minutes.  This step is a type of proofing before the actual proofing.  It proves that your yeast is alive, so you don’t end up getting to the actual proof to only have to throw the whole batch away.  Here is what mine looked like:

I thought that was pretty good - those yeast were definitely alive and well!

Next, add three more cups of flour and the salt, mixing as you go.  I don’t have a stand mixer, but I have found a hand-held mixer with the dough hooks work well.  Once that is all worked in, add the beaten eggs, mix, and then add the oil.  Keep mixing until it’s all incorporated.

Then add two to four more cups of flour.  Soon, it will become too difficult to mix with the hand-mixer, and you will probably have to move to using your hands.  Keep adding flour until the dough forms a ball and isn’t sticky anymore.

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise until it doubles in bulk.  I like to keep it in an off oven for this portion.  The warmth seems to help.  After I take it out, I preheat the oven to 350.

Once it’s risen, punch it down and knead out the air bubbles.  Add flour if necessary.  Then, shape as desired.  (I like the six-strand braid).  Glaze with egg wash of beaten egg and water.  Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes.

When you are done, you should be thusly rewarded:

After they cool, I put the prettiest one away for sandwiches on Friday.  I take the one that just didn’t turn out so nice and cut into many small cubes for the stuffing.

I let the cubes sit in an off oven over night to dry out.  If they don’t completely dry, I can turn the oven on 200 tomorrow for a little while.

That’s it!  Now it’s 11pm, and I am ready for bed!  I start the meal tomorrow at 11:30.  I have my whole time line written out, so I feel confident that we will be eating between 5 and 6 tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Finally, after over two years of waiting, I can report that La Provence Patisserie & Cafe has opened its doors in Brentwood.  The husband was actually the first one to notice as he was driving by - the balloons were out and the signs were up.  I was very excited - I have been waiting for the promise of Parisian macaroons ever since I saw that La Provence was moving in.

That very day, the husband and I walked down Barrington to San Vicente, filled with the anticipation of trying a new restaurant in our neighborhood.  I knew exactly what I wanted - French onion soup and macaroons.  Anything else would just be gravy.

When we showed up, we found out that La Provence hadn’t even been opened for a week yet.  They were definitely still trying to work out the tweaks, and the liquor license hadn’t come through yet, but the pastries were on display, and that’s really all that mattered.  The restaurant is decorated with a French country-casual flair: wrought iron painted white, knotty pine dining tables, and lots of flowers.  It was very homey.  To up the casual factor, you order at the counter and the food is brought out to you.

The thing that caught my eye, however, was the fact that they actually put green chenille blankets on the patio, you know, in case you get cold.  I thought that was genius!  Not only did it make me feel like someone was thinking of me, but it made the patio that much more inviting.

When we got up to the counter to order, the staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable - aka, not very French.  Right away, I asked if they had French onion soup.  It turned out they did, but it was vegetarian!  What?  No beef stock?  I was nervous, but decided to go for it.  I figured it might not taste exactly right, but it would still be good in its own way.  I decided to order this as part of their pick any salad as a half salad and add any soup for $1 over the regular salad price.  The salad I chose was the wild grilled salmon.

Oh, and I also got a cappuccino:

Let me tell you, that was delicious.  I didn’t add any sugar, but did they?  All I know is, there was no trace of bitterness at all.  It was absolutely wonderful - there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a hoppin’ breakfast joint.  In fact, that gives me a really good idea of what to do tomorrow morning, but I digress….

Next up was our food.  As I mentioned already, I ordered the vegetarian French onion soup along with the wild grilled salmon salad:

Oh man, look at that soup!  It was amazing - the cheese was thick and stringy, and perfectly covered the soaked bread beneath.  And the broth - you would never know that it didn’t have beef stock.  It was rich and complex, and very onion-y.  As for the salmon…eh.  I thought it was a bit dry and over cooked.  The greens were nice and refreshing, and the grilled veggies were tastey.  But, next time I will just get the soup.  It was huge and delicious.  There was really no need to complicate things with salmon.

The husband ordered the beef steak panini with avocado, tomato, Swiss cheese, and aioli:

It, too, was a bit dry.  However, he was able to get some au jus on the side, which he said made a big difference.  Overall, it wasn’t too impressive.  Perhaps our dry meats were due to the fact that the place had just opened - we would definitely be willing to give it another shot.  But, the soup was perfection, in case you weren’t sure how I felt about that.

Next up, and the reason I was so excited to go there in the first place: dessert!  We actually decided to get this to go.  Obviously, I was all about the macaroons.  The husband opted for a red velvet cupcake.

We were both happy with our choices.  The cupake was moist - not too sweet either.  The macaroons were very sweet - perfect for me as I have a big sweet tooth.  The cakes on the macaroons were perfect - crisp on the outside and spongy on the inside.  The cream filling between the cakes was creamy and delicious.  The three flavors above were hazelnut, coffee, and raspberry, the hazelnut being the best of the three.

The dessert was so good that we actually went back the next week just for that (no pictures, sorry!).  The husband got a cream puff, which was rich and fluffy.  I went for two more macaroons, and those two were the best by far.  I chose the vanilla and the caramel fleur de sel.  OMG.  The vanilla was so creamy, and you could see the vanilla beans in the cream filling.  The carmel was the perfect balance of salt and sugar, if you like that kind of thing (read: I like that kind of thing).  The filling was actual carmel, not a cream.  Seriously, unbelievable.  I could have eaten a dozen of each.

In all, I would suggest La Provence Patisserie & Cafe.  If nothing else, you have to try the soup, coffee, and pastries.  And really, is there much else to life?  I’m not sure there is.

леглаLa Provence Patisserie & Cafeis located in the Brentwood Gardens at 11677 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 442-1144

The Reviews

Tucked away between wineries on Sonoma Highway is a nondescript little restaurant called Vineyards Inn.  The husband and I would have never noticed it if we didn’t happen to be starving when we passed it.  To be honest, we didn’t expect much.  We figured it was a tourist trap, that would charge high prices for only average food.  After all, there aren’t too many places to grab a bite to eat between wine tastings.  However, we decided to give the place a try.

When we first walked in, our fears were not abated.  The restaurant was empty, and the decor was nothing special either.  However, we were given the choice to sit in a greenhouse of sorts, complete with hundred-year-old vines as tall as the ceiling and dripping with table grapes.  Ah, now we were starting to get excited.  It suddenly became clear - this place was a quaint find!

Once seated, we started to peruse the menu.  It turns out, Vineyards Inn was more well known than we tourists had realized.  It was voted the greenest restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area.  The food was not only organic, but it was locally sourced as well.  The owners, a husband and wife team, are leaders in composting and recycling as well.  The restaurant itself has been around for over 25 years, serving up organic Spanish delicacies.  We began to realize that we had stumbled upon a real gem.

Of course, the real test was to taste the food itself.

Being Spanish food, the husband and I decided to share a few of the tapas.  Let me first mention, it’s very difficult to decide on any one thing, because the entire menu sounded amazing.  Still, we had to narrow it down, and so we chose three items: the world famous artichoke, the fire shrimp, and the chicken and avocado quesadilla.

Check out that artichoke!  First of all, I have been to too many restaurants where you only get half a choke.  But in this case, we each got our own very large half.  The artichoke was fire broiled with a chili mayo dip, sprinkled with herbs, and seasoned to perfection.  It was difficult to resist the temptation of sneaking my fingers over to my beloved’s half, but that would have been simply to cruel.

The shrimp were equally generous and delicious.  Each skewer featured six shrimp, fire-broiled with a bit of heat.  It was hard not gobble these up as soon as they appeared on the table.

Last but not least was the organic chicken and avocado quesadilla.  The chicken was moist and flavorful, the cheese was melty, and the tortillas were crispy.  And, who can complain about avocado?  It was another generously-sized tapa.

The best thing about this meal was that you could feel good eating it.  Knowing that the food was not only prepared beautifully, but also with a concious, made every last bite taste even better.

The husband and I felt very lucky to have accidentally stumbled upon this amazing wine country find.

Vineyards Inn is located in amongst the wineries at 8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, CA 95452
Phone: (707) 833-4500

The Reviews

If you get a chance to go to San Francisco, please make sure to make a quick stop at Ghirardelli Square and get one of these:

The fudge is made from melted Ghirardelli chocolate.  Yes, it’s an $8 sundae, but I don’t care.  It was amazing.

And, you can pick up some delicious presents for all of your friends at the same time.

Ghirardelli is located in Ghirardelli Square at 900 North Point #142, San Francisco, CA  94109
Phone: (415) 474-1414

The Reviews