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TEAM ILAN!

If there is a God in Food Heaven, may he be crowned the Top Chef next Wednesday.

Austin, TX Part I: Vespaio and Long Branch Inn

I recently spent forty-eight hours in Austin to visit one of my best friends, JR. I’d never been to the hipster town and was looking forward to spending time with JR and gettin’ some grub on! After a pleasant 3 hour flight out of LAX, my friend Mika and I landed in rainy, freezing Austin. Watch out Texas- we had arrived! We were greeted by JR’s smiling face, which was certainly a sight for sore eyes, and were whisked off in his Honda to East Austin where he resides.

We spent most of the dreary afternoon catching up and drinking wine. After a light snack at a local Mediterranean/Italian joint (nothing to write home about) we went to Long Branch Inn, JR’s local pub of choice. The large, loft-like space was filled with people and had a very welcoming vibe. I could see why JR loves it so much. We sipped on red wine, met some of his friends and then remembered that we hadn’t really eaten much. This is where you’ll probably be very disappointed, but we went to a Wendy’s drive-thru. Yes, she of the square burger…..that Wendy. It was late, we were buzzed and I couldn’t remember any of the Austin-based fast food chains that I had seen on the drive from the airport. I got some sort of Southwestern salad which was basically a bowl of lettuce with some hot chili dumped on it. Not good. Should have stuck with the square burgers…..I imagine they’re famous for a reason.

Long Branch Inn………

A little art in the bar……..

The next night we went to our only pre-planned dinner of the trip. I had wanted to celebrate our reunion with one fancy dinner out, so I did some research and settled on Vespaio. When I told JR, he said that yes, Vesapio is one of Austin’s most celebrated restaurants. The three of us put on our good jeans (ha) and made the short drive there. I had been told in advance that Vespaio does not take reservations, so we weren’t too taken aback when the hostess said our wait would be 90 minutes. We made our way through the VERY crowded bar, stared at some people until they relented and left (well, not really) and snagged a small bar table. We were ready to get our drink on!

We got champagne for us girls and a gin and tonic for JR. The time passed quite quickly while we chatted, checked out the other customer and made small talk with the very helpful waiters. I have to say, it was almost uncomfortably crowded- people kept knocking into my purse which was hanging on the back of my chair. After almost exactly 90 minutes, the hostess lead us to our table. Food time!

Oysters

The dining area was nice and large, facing the open kitchen where we could watch the chefs put pizzas in a wood burning oven. We ordered a bottle of red and immediately asked for the baked oysters and an order of calamari before continuing to check out the menu. JR settled on the Bistecca Togliatti Con Palate Fritte, which was the Tuscan marinated hanger steak grilled on oak with a Chianti redurre with shoestring potatoes, sautéed spinach and parmesan roasted tomato. Phew- did you get all that? M went with the Pappardelle with Cream and Mushrooms- chestnut pappardelle tossed in truffle cream sauce with king trumpet and shitake mushrooms finished with parmigano reggiano. (Yes, Vespaio is very thorough in their descriptions!). I opted for (take a deep breath in) the Lasagna a la Bolognese- sheets of handmade spinach pasta layered with beef, veal & pork ragu, béchamel, pepperino romano, Tuscan pork sausage and housemade mozzarella. Sounds good, doesn’t it??
Calamari with yummy marinara

The oysters and calamari arrived and we dug in. Although the calamari could have been a tad crispier, they were nice and tender and the accompanying marinara was so well seasoned that we couldn’t stop dipping everything into it. The oysters were baked in a cream/cheese sauce and also very delicious. Off to a promising start!

Steak and fat fries

The main dishes arrived and were absolutely massive. JR’s steak came with an enormous pile of fries coated in garlic- and they certainly didn’t resemble any shoestring fried I’d ever seen. These were much thicker and definitely lacking any crispness that a well-fried fry would have. He did enjoy the steak, but it was nothing that special. My lasagna was also a heaping pile of pasta just drenched in melted cheese, garnished with half of a sausage link. I don’t mean to sound snobby, but the presentation of these dishes didn’t exactly scream “fine dining.” The sheets of pasta were thick, and the sausage was such an odd touch. Flavor-wise, it was quite delicious actually, but I could hardly make a dent in the behemoth. M’s dish was the best- the flavor of truffle cream sauce was perfect- but once again, the pasta was too thick.

Behemoth lasagna with sausage garnish

The winner of the night…mushroom pappardelle

For dessert we got a trio of chocolate- a dry brownie that none of us even bothered with, a chocolate mousse and a scoop of chocolate sorbet. The sorbet was so good that we ordered a scoop a la cart since we ended up fighting for it. Rich and decadent, we didn’t miss the cream at all.

Trio of chocolate desserts….

After dinner we made our way back to the Long Branch Inn to cap off the night. It was a nice way to end the evening.

Overall, I have to say that Vespaio is certainly not worth the wait. I would certainly go back if they took reservations, but the food better be insane for me to wait 90 minutes. Obviously there are lots of other people who disagree, so I’ll let them wait for Vespaio and give them one less person to hold up the line.

Thanks JR and M for a memorable Austin trip!

More Austin eats to come, stay tuned.

Food Gift For A Friend

I love having friends who are really into cooking and food. There’s something nice about being able to tell someone that the toro at Z Sushi changed your life without having them look at you like you’re nuts. We food lovers understand the impact that a great meal or a beautiful glass of wine can have on our lives, so it’s always nice to have like-minded people around to talk food to.

Have you ever seen a lovelier cheddar?

D is one of those people, and we work together. He’s the one who took me for a lovely Lucques lunch, and we’ve vowed to treat ourselves to at least one gourmet lunch a month in the coming year. Today is his birthday, so I wanted to create something yummy. After all, he got me an autographed copy of the new Bon Appetite cookbook for Christmas!!!

Grated in all its glory….

Although I thought to make something out of the cookbook, another idea hit me. My parents gave me a one pound chunk of the best cheddar cheese I have ever tasted – Hook’s 10-year Cheddar- for Christmas. Although I’d love nothing more than to consume the entire brick by myself (J is out of town for a month), my metabolism would probably stop dead in its tracks and I’d be calling Jenny Craig. I remembered a post I read about cheddar crisps recently and couldn’t wait to try my hand at the little crackers.

Oh NOW you’re all nice and neat!

I have to say one thing- thank goodness for Cuisinart! I grated 12 ounces of the cheese in a nanosecond, thanks to the grater attachment (no, I don’t work for them!). The rest of the ingredients were simply tossed in with the mountain of cheese, blended together, then thrown onto wax paper to be rolled into neat logs. This is the part where I had some trouble since the dough was very sticky and soft. I made two logs (one with cracked black pepper, the other plain) and put them into the freezer.

Looks like butta…..

While waiting for the rolls to harden, I started on what I thought would make a nice accompaniment to the sharp flavor of the crackers. You now know of my love for onions, and I felt that a sweet onion jam would work well with cheddar. I simply sliced six large sweet onions (thanks again, Cuisinart!) and started on the long, slow process of caramelizing them. After adding about a tablespoon of sugar, I just let them do their thing in a bit of butter and olive oil. The entire house smelled amazing! After about 2 hours, the onions had cooked down to a deep, golden brown and I finished it off with a splash of good balsamic and some thyme leaves. After a few pulses in the food processor, the chunky jam was done.

Fluffly, sliced onions……..

Beginning stages of browning…..

The cheese logs were now ready to slice and bake. They were very easy to manage now, and I got lots of crackers out of just half the batch (the rest will be saved for this weekend!). After 10 minutes in the oven, the crisps came out golden on the edges and smelling of salty cheese. For the sake of quality control, I tried one (well, maybe more than one) and WOW. When Molly said to use a cheddar that you really like, she was right. The crisps were as good as the cheese. They were, quite honestly, some of the best crackers I had ever tasted. The black pepper ones were even better! Combined with the sweet onion jam, they would make the perfect compliment to a slightly sweet wine, which I also added to the gift.

Freshly baked crackers

I think I’ll have to put these crackers into regular rotation in my kitchen. Next time, I will probably chill the dough a bit before trying to form them into logs. The onion jam is something I’ll have to make more of as well- I think it would be fantastic with some good ham and gruyere on a sandwich, or even stuffed in a pork chop. I’ll include the “recipe” here although I’m sure you could make a batch using any herbs you like, or even a splash of red wine.

Sweet Onion Jam
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

6 large Vidalia, Maui or other sweet onion
2 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS brown sugar
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
Splash of balsamic vinegar

Thinly slice the onions. Set aside.

In a large, stainless sauce pan (don’t use Teflon- you won’t get good caramelization), heat the butter and olive oil until melted. Add the onions, add the sugar and sauté on medium-low heat until they turn a nice golden brown. Add a splash of balsamic (it will sizzle) and stir well, finish with thyme leaves. Pulse in a food processor a couple of times until you get desired consistency. Spread on anything, enjoy!

Happy Birthday D!!!!!!!!!!!

Akemashite Omedetou! (Happy New Year!)

The picture on the left signals leaving the old year; the one on the right signals walking into a new one.

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year’s celebration. I can hardly believe it’s 2007 already…..in some ways, it makes me feel old but I suppose having that perspective isn’t a positive way to start a new year, so I’ll stop. I certainly hope that 2007 will be filled with as many happy times as 2006 was. I’m very lucky to have such a wonderful family, good health all around, a job that I truly love, fantastic coworkers, fabulous food and this blog on which to share it all with you!

J and I celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends and lots of champagne. The next day, we went over to my parents for a Japanese New Year’s meal. It isn’t exactly osechi ryori since it does have quite a few raw items, but it’s tradition in our family and we look forward to it every year. My mom always makes a nice big batch of her famous shimesaba (which is J’s favorite food), and it just gives us a chance to enjoy lots of different Japanese items.

We arrived to quite a spread- there was hamachi (yellow tail), chu toro (fatty tuna)sake (salmon), ika (squid), the aforementioned saba (mackerel) and hirame (halibut) sashimi; renkon no kimpira (sautéed lotus root), kobu maki (bundles of sweet, marinated seaweed), kuro mame with chestnuts (sweet black beans), tazukuri (small dried sardines), kamaboko (fish cake) and chawanmushi (savory egg custard). We could hardly wait to dig into all of the beautiful goodies!

Hamachi and ika

This year, my mom included a new dish- deep fried yuzu filled with crab salad. She got the recipe out of an old Japanese cookbook, and it was one of the most interesting dishes I have ever seen. After hollowing out yuzu fruit, she filled them with a crab salad, put the yuzu “lid” back on and then deep fried the entire thing. After draining, she sliced each of the two yuzu in half, drizzled each with some thickened dashi (stock) and served. It was so delicious, with the aroma or the yuzu permeating the salad. What a great idea!

Yuzu being deep fried….

The fried yuzu…….

Split and doused with dashi sauce…

We ate and ate until we could hardly eat another bite, and it was all so delightful. Your mouth never tires of any one thing since you’re eating so many different flavors and textures. I’d eat like this every day if I had the time to make so many dishes!

I know there are lots of photos in this post, but it was just so beautifully done that I had to share. Thanks Mom, for a delicious meal!

And to all of you, dear readers, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here’s to a delicious 2007!!!

Countdown to 2007!!!!

Osechi ryori photo(c) Torigoe Yuko, 2003

In this last post of 2006, I just wanted to say “thank you” to all of the people who have read Tuna Toast in the past year. I’ve enjoyed creating this blog, but even more so, communicating with the people who have stopped by or reached out to me through TT. I truly appreciate the international food loving community- without you, there’d be no Tuna Toast!

So here’s to lots of great food and hopefully more cooking in 2007!

See you then!

TAG

Restaurant Review: Punch Grill, Santa Monica


I was recently (well, over a month ago!) invited to try Punch Grill, a new “casual yet elegant” restaurant in Santa Monica. I don’t often dine out on the Westside since I live so far East, so I thought of it as a great chance to break out of the norm and try something new. I reviewed the website, then J and I set off on our merry way!

We arrived promptly for our 7:30 PM reservation and were warmly greeted by two hostesses, one of whom walked us to our large booth. The place is divided into a bar/lounge area, complete with flat screen TVs, and the restaurant, which may have been a Sizzler in its former life. Don’t get me wrong- the room is elegant, but on one side of the restaurant is one of those large, garden windows that you normally see at a chain place. I must admit it does take something away from the nicely set tables for four that make up the middle of the dining room.

Our waitress quickly came and took our wine order, and the manager told us about Punch Grill’s specialties. The Spinach Artichoke Fondue was a favorite, she said, as was their Filet Mignon With Garlic Cheese appetizer. Also, their Chocolate Soufflé was very popular but we’d need to place the order for it now since it took 20 minutes. We checked out the menu and decided to go for the soufflé, although we skipped the other two recs since I had remembered seeing both reviewed on other blogs. I wanted to try something different.

J decided to start with the Grilled Artichoke and I with the Tuna Tartare. The waitress informed us that the artichoke was now steamed, not grilled, and J said that was fine. When I told our waitress that I’d have the filet mignon for my main course, she suggested I try the flat iron steak instead, saying it was her favorite cut. I obliged, and asked for onion rings instead of french fries (I’m a sucker for a good onion ring!). J knew exactly what he was having when he heard the day’s special of Sautéed Whole Crab (he’s a sucker for a good crab!). We sat back, sipped our champagne, attacked the hot sourdough rolls in the bread basket and waited for the goodies to arrive.

Yummy tuna tartare….

My tuna tartare came mound in a perfect circle, surrounded by crunchy toast slices. You’re probably wondering why I ordered the ubiquitous dish, but I can’t help it- I just love the cool, soft tuna against the crunchy counterpoint that usually accompanies it. Punch Grill’s version was a winner- well seasoned, mixed with the right amount of creamy avocado and very fresh. I was a happy camper. Unfortunately, J wasn’t as content – the steamed artichoke was, well….a steamed artichoke, nothing more. The Italian vinaigrette that came for dipping just didn’t have enough oomph to give much life to a steamed veggie. I think a nice, strong, garlicky aioli would work much better with such a plain dish. Either way, J finished it all and helped me with my tuna.

Our main dishes arrived and I think we both knew we had winners. J’s whole crab was gleaming in it’s garlic sauce and my steak looked perfect. The crab came with 1/2 sweet potato and 1/2 regular fries (half and half at our request) and both were perfect for sopping up the tasty juices of the crab, which was cooked to perfection. The aiolis that came with the fries weren’t too shabby either, particularly with the sweet potato version. The flat-iron steak delivered on its promise and was so tender and juicy- I was so glad the waitress recommended it. And the onion rings? Golden, crispy circles of pleasure. What’s better than a good onion ring? Not much.

The crab eyes J as he prepares to dig in….

One potato, sweet potato……..

The chocolate soufflé, unfortunately, didn’t really live up to the hype. When doused with the chocolate sauce it came with, it was rich and hearty, but alone it was more like sweet eggs and lacked the pillow-like consistency that a soufflé should have. Luckily J had ordered the key lime tart which was mouth-puckeringly tart and not too sweet. Actually, neither dessert was too sweet which was a pleasant surprise. So many places serve cavity-inducing desserts and it was nice to encounter sweets made by someone with a light hand on the sugar.

Chocolate soufflé

Key lime tart

Overall, I would recommend Punch Grill if you’re in the mood for something special, but not overly fancy. It reminds me of places like Hal’s in Venice where you can get fine dining-esque menu options in a more casual setting. The restaurant’s own description of “elegant yet casual” pretty much hits the nail on the head. I’ll definitely be back for that flat-iron steak and onion rings. My tummy is growling just thinking about them!

Punch Grill
3001 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA
310-828-8812
http://www.punchgrill.com/index.html

Back From Holiday Break…………..

….if you can call it that! Once again, I apologize for the serious lack of posting. It’s been pretty crazy around here but I’m back on the blog and I hope to post regularly from now on. I hope you all had a very Happy Holiday and have great plans (that involve good food!) for New Year’s Eve or Day. J and I are going to try a new wine bar in Pasadena on New Year’s Eve, then go over to my parents on the 1st for the traditional Japanese osechi ryori. We can hardly wait!

Although I know we will be consuming lots of Japanese food that day, I couldn’t help but make a big ‘ol Japanese meal for dinner last night. After all of the heavy holiday eating, we wanted something on the lighter side. You know how it goes- we all say we won’t overeat for the holidays but it’s nearly impossible. J and I had loads of juicy prime rib, cheesy scalloped potatoes, broccoli, green beans, chocolate chip cookies and champagne at his family’s house on Christmas Eve. Then we went to my parents for roast pork sandwiches, lobster bisque, corned beef, rabbit terrine and big hunks of the best cheddar on rye toasts washed down with lots of wine (I may have had a bit too much, actually!) the next day. Add in all of the cookies, candy and caramel popcorn that has been appearing in the kitchen at work and you know what I mean about needing a lighter meal.

Since I haven’t been cooking as much lately, I went into chef mode and probably made too many things, although it was so nice to be back in the kitchen again. I made these lovely chicken rolls that I snagged off of one of my favorite food blogs, Blue Lotus. They are so easy to prepare but look so pretty and taste even better. Add in the fact that they’re healthy and it’s pretty much a perfect dish. Luckily I have lots left over so I can bring them for lunch this week.

Braising the chicken rolls….

Clams awaiting their miso soup fate!

I also took another tip from Amy and tried sautéing the onions in a bit butter (hey, a bit never hurt anyone, right?) before adding my stock, miso paste and clams to the pot. The mellowness of the butter added a nice richness to the soup.

Miso soup with tamanegi and clams.

The hamachi and salmon sashimi I purchased at Mitsuwa in downtown were so fresh and delicious!!! What’s better than salmon sashimi? Salmon AND hamachi sashimi! It was fun to watch the Mitsuwa staff unload all of the special New Year’s food onto the shelves in preparation for the large crowds this weekend.

Yummy, blurry sashimi

J looooves shishito- a small, green Japanese pepper. When I say pepper, I mean more like a mini bell pepper. Once in a blue moon, you may get a really spicy one but usually, they are mild. I remember asking someone the produce guy at Mitsuwa awhile back, “How do you know which ones are spicy?” to which he replied, “Only the gods know.” Well, the gods must be hatin’ on me or something because every other one I ate was smokin’ hot. I mean reach-for-my-water-please-now hot. J, on the other hand, happily popped one after another into his mouth and didn’t get a single spicy shishito. Hm. I think it will be a few months before I buy those again.

The offending shishito pepper…..can you tell which ones are spicy???

I rounded the meal off with a daikon salad, cold tofu topped with ginger, green onions, bonito flakes and soy sauce and a nice, hot steamy bowl of white rice, of course!!! I suppose leaving the rice out would have made for a healthier meal, but c’mon..who can eat this stuff without rice?!?! I guess the question is, who WANTS to eat it without rice? Certainly not me. I need my rice.

Hiyayakko

It was so nice to just sit in front of the TV, nosh on all the Japanese food and watch Anthony Bourdain travel through the Mexico/US border towns on No Reservations. The Travel Channel is replaying all of Bourdain’s favorite episodes before premiering the new season next Monday. I’ve always loved this show, but next season’s adventures look like the best yet. Can’t wait!!!

And to anyone who is still here reading, I just want to say thanks for all of your support. Happy eating!

A Pledge To Start Posting Again!

Dear dear readers (if any of you are still out there…)

I am so sorry that I haven’t been able to update my beloved Tuna Toast lately. I’ve been working like mad and just haven’t had much time to cook or blog. I miss it all so much and I pledge to start posting at least twice a week from now on. I still have many photos from our wonderful Japan tour, as well as a restaurant review and some cookie photos in the can so please be patient as I will be back soon…..just after I get a good night’s sleep since I’ve been working since 5:00 AM! Damn Golden Globe nominations!

See you soon.

TAG

Renkon no kimpira

Castella shaped like little men……(castella is a sweet cake)

Close up of the castella…….

Fried. Pork. Sandwich. ‘Nuff said, right???

More to come…..

One post before we leave Japan……

An eki-ben to tide you over……

See you all back online soon!

Sayonara Nippon….mata sugu aitai ne!!!