Dinner tonight - or last night.

Grilled salmon, lemon/spinach couscous and a big green salad. Peek Frean Bran Crunch biscuits for dessert (the really healthy high fibre kind) with a dollop of raspberry jam to help them down.

sure sounds as if tai chi had a lot of fun with those biscuits - where they the "gourmet" biscuits ?
hbg

Well, you know how it is hamburger. When something's really good for you it doesn't always taste that great. The jam really helped to make them palatable.

Dinner out with friends last night.

Combination tasting plate
oyster in tomato based sauce
Tempura prawn
scollop
some kind of pate
Pork belly (very tender)
Pear sauce, asian soy sauce and a chilli sauce

Main
Kangaroo steaks in a redwine jus. The best roo steak I have ever eaten. Very tender and flavoursome.
mixed baby green vegies snow peas baby asparagus.

Mumpad had Beef goulash.

Yes it's terrifically pongy, isn't it, Dorothy!
Probably keeps evil spirits away, too!
God that was so good!

hamburger

I've noticed that you really have a thing for asparagus! It comes up often in your posts. What is your very, very favourite recipe? Tell me & I'll try it & perhaps become one of the converted!

That lemon/spinach couscous sounds terrific, Tai. If there's a quick way of explaining how to make it I'd be interested in having a go!
(Not so sure about the Peek Frean Bran Crunch biscuits, though .... but I'll take your word for it. :wink:)

Trying to virtually taste a good roo steak. I guess I can go there... I trust it doesn't taste like chicken?
anything like venison?

Sounds like a good meal, there, dadpad.



Dys & Diane and I went to Spinn's. Not sure if it is a local joint or a chain, but the people there are swell. We tend not to go at busy/noisy times, and people are friendly to us in Not-in-a-corporate-demand way.
And the three of us are not unfriendly blobs in real life. (Though I've oft ranted here about being asked how everything is 67 times.)
Dys in particular is a real conversation sparker, and that works, uh, a great deal of the time

Anyway, Diane and I had the brat on ciabatta, side of sauerkraut, me getting mashed potatoes and gravy (good lord, is that gravy?), and she the fries. Dys got, not that you asked or I should tell, the chile dog...

Diane and I ordered beers - they have a good selection, though no damned Down Town Brown or Red Tail Ale (northwest US beers). I am not much of a beer drinker; I make up for that in other ways. But - I like to try different ones. So I ordered Stella Artois, a belgian lager, which I'd heard of. Light, but, as Dys said, better than Coors (well, anything...) Dys likes beer but it doesn't like him; still, he has opinions.

The beer tender came over and suggested, when Diane asked about unfiltered beers, a number of items, some from a trappist monastery, but they're in large bottles. Maybe when the group is larger...
anyway, he brought over Blue Moon, to test, and she schniffed. I tried it, and it was ok, mellow. I guess I liked Stella better, which might not be saying much. She ordered Witmer? unfiltered, and, not to report for her, liked it. I tried it, yeh, that's ok too.
None of 'em the fulsome northwest ales, but then they weren't supposed to be.
(The beer guy was funny and patient. We have another hundred to try.)

The mashed potatoes were too salty, and on the runny side. Nevertheless, they passed the tasty test, I liked them, masssssssssssshhhhhed potatoes! Scarfed them up. The brat sandwich was delicious, and I applaud their choice of bread (though ms. pickypoo would suggest thinner slicing.) I think the bread the last time I was there was not this good, but that was a while ago.

So, I like the restaurant, works for us. Long may it thrive.

Pizza!

Walter, mac11, the Empress, brendalee and I went to La Mela in Little Italy yesterday. Turned out there was a street festival on the go - streets shut down - musicians, gelato everywhere.

I had two antipasti - mozzarella and tomato and then the hot antipasti plate. Fantastic tomatoes, fresh soft mozzarella - paradise. The hot antipasti plate had perfect asparagus, stuffed mushroom caps, roasted red peppers/garlic (lotsa lotsa roasted red peppers), and something marvellous called spedino alla romano (roasted cheese pie of a type).

Really nice rustico bread with good olive oil and balsamic for dipping.

mmmmm

http://www.lamelarestaurant.com/alacarte.htm#ANTIPASTI

Not like venison a lighter flavour. Veal? I dunno. Roo is only good if you like your meat rare. Because of the lack of fats in the meat it tends to be (sometimes very) dry if overcooked. The upside is that because of the lack of fats it is very healthy.

I often wonder what kangaroo might be like if it was barn raised and grain fed. Roo meat is quite accepted in some areas of Europe.



A la carte menu example
Emphasis is on local produce with the chefs Austrian heritage influencing

( msolga, the couscous was from a BOX! I did check out the ingredients though because my husband really liked it -- and normally he's not a couscous fan -- I think I could duplicate it with chicken broth, lemon or orange zest and spinach/parsley, that sort of thing.)

Oh well, it still sounds good to me, Tai!

I'll have a go at making it next time I'm couscous-ing. It'll make an interesting change from my usual variety.

"Lamb You Can Eat With A Spoon" last night (busy day, just threw everything in the crockpot and left it to its own devices) with (more) couscous. Threw barley into the leftover juices so tonight I've got the beginnings of Scotch Broth I guess. Meanwhile it's something like 42 degrees celsius with the humidex. I must be nuts...

Stuck at JFK airport in New York from 3 p.m. til 2 a.m. The airline gave us a cheque for $36 to get dinner for 3 in the terminal

Tuna with melba toasts $4
Mini ham/cheese wraps $5
Chicken wrap $10
Bagel $2
Cheese/salami $6
3 yogurt/granola cups $12
1 big bottle of water $3
Fruit Salad $5

hmmmmm picnic for 3 at the airport $47

guess it coulda been worse

..... Yep, it can always be worse. It could have been $20!



Tonight: a sort of cheat's risotto. Baked. With onion, mushrooms, fresh thyme, Rice (of course!) tomatoes, chicken stock, parmesan & a few other things. Not bad really, for an el quicko.



Tai, you really like your couscous, don't you?
Me, too!

Chips 'n' egg.

(and it ain't even Monday!)

cooreh

I wonder what that could be McT.
Are you going to tell us?