Meg, Food, Blog: July 2008

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

raw blog

I like the idea of raw, I really do. I know that it's healthy for you (despite my father trying to convince me that NOT cooking food zaps its enzymes), I know this. I have considered embracing a raw lifestyle, I have. I have pored over the pages of this cookbook, and I even registered for a vegetable dehydrator for my big event that begins with a W and ends with an ING, I did. But, for now, I'm still dabbling with the vegan thing; once cheese and I are on the skids permanently, maybe the transition to raw will be the inevitable next step. We'll see.

So for the moment, my raw lifestyle exists only in short bursts; usually when I'm traveling, because the one and only lonely raw restaurant in STL closed a while back. So, when I'm in NY, I hit PURE Food and Wine. This place is the one featured on SATC. I think it was the one where Samantha met Smith. Or at least that's the rumor. Or at least that's what New Yorkers let Midwesterners believe when they come visit, so they have a story to tell back home. (Remind me to tell you of the time I meet the Doog in NY... he's no MD, let me tell you!!).

The thing about raw is that it looks like "normal" food (whatever "normal" is). It's not some new invention concocted that highlights the food's natural raw beauty; nope, it's lasagna, pizza, tamales, risotto, etc. But the weird thing is that it's not just "normal" food uncooked (or kept under 118 degrees); rather, it's all kinds of unusual ingredients used to make food that resembles rice (which requires serious cooking), cheese (which is from an animal), etc. Hence, cashew cream, celeriac risotto, sprouted wheat crackers, and the like.

So at PURE, that's what we had--regular old run-of-the-mill food made from wacky ingredients and kinda room temperature. Here goes:

Caesar Salad with Pignoli Parmesan and Nori:

Spicy Thai lettuce wraps with pea shoots, mango, cabbage, and a tamarind chile sauce:

Marinated shitake, avocado, ginger, and cucumber "sushi":

Creamy cauliflower samosas with banana tamarind sauce and mango chutney:

Chanterelle mushroom and Kalamata olive ravioli in macadamia nut cream:

White corn tamales with raw cacao mole and marinated mushrooms in salsa verde:

Wild mushroom and asparagus En Papillote in celeriac cream:

And last but not least, Zucchini and Roma tomato lasagna with a basil-pistachio pesto and pignoli ricotta:

Holy zucchini!

So here's the thing, though. These dishes are amazing; they look stunning on the plate, all vegetably and fresh, and they taste incredible. It might not taste like Grandma's cheesy Ragu lasagna, but you get the idea--it's kinda "cheesy," it's tomato-y, the zucchinis are shaped like noodles. And it's good, it's way flavorful. It's fresh. It's healthy........

But I just can't commit to that right now. For the moment, I'll keep my rawness for special occasions or for when I need to detox. I'll still cook my beans til they're done. And in the mean time, in an attempt to eschew the animal products and embrace the earth, I'm on the hunt for yet another GREAT VEGAN BAG.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Pizza Parade

Being cheese-wary (and no longer an adolescent), I don't consume the mass quantities of pizza that I used to. And too, I just loved Chicago-style pizza, and though I can appreciate Imo's and the St. Louis creation provel, my heart belongs to another crust. (sorry)

Nevertheless, there are times for pizza, and during those times it is crucial to have the proper balance of veggies, sauce, cheese, crust, spice, etc. This may vary from person to person, I will grant you. But I will also tell you this list is right. It just is.

First off, I'm not a fan of Blackthorn. To those unfamiliar, it's gooey, it's cheesy, it takes literally and seriously 2 hours to get your pie, and the restaurant (really more of a bar) is smoky. I know that people go crazy for it, but it's just too much cheese for me and I leave feeling like a stuffed (soy-based) pig. One stuffed with 2 lbs. of cheese, that is.

The pizza that I find most delicious in the STL is Pizzeria Della Piazza. It's on the Hill, of course. It's wood-fired, it's local, it's fresh, it has that awesome cornmealy crust, and it's not overly cheesed (well, rather, they respect your request for light cheese). I always get it with tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions. It's phenomenal. It can take a while to get your pizza, just like Blackthorn, but it's well worth it. And the house salad is yummy too! And the wine! (This is why I have my birthday party there every year...)

I have pizza in my family, which means that my taste has been upgraded slightly. I can no longer just take the old Domino's as it comes; no, I've been spoiled by home made and organic. My brother is a bit of a pizza connoisseur, and for holidays and visits he makes his own dough and whips out his famous pear-leek-goat cheese or lemon margherita. wow!

But if you're in the STL and it's not a holiday or brother's not visiting, then the closest thing, probably, is the newest pizza joint in town, Katie's Pizzeria. It's actually pretty good. They have the gourmet style pizzas with light cheese and fancy toppings; I think they're more like flatbreads, but really yummy. Mushroom is awesome and so is the potato.

Next of my preferences, I'd say, is La Villa Pizza in New York. You may disagree pizza-wise, but remember I'm right on this (and also, everything's better in NY.). Their vegetale is crazy-veggie-insane. Tons of veggies. Lot's of garlic. There's not even room on the crust for too much cheese. Unfortunately, I don't know how this represents in NY Pizza terms; this guy doesn't even rank it. But it's become a standard for me whenever I visit.

Another new St. Louis pizza place, Onesto, is pretty good. The pizza is super wet and doughy--lots of sauce, lots and lots of garlic, big, fresh crust. But I think that it's best because of the atmosphere; despite an hour wait just to get a table, the restaurant is just really nice; people nice; wine nice; grassy area nice; neighborhood nice. Pizza nice, yes, but mostly just nice place for a bite.

Then there's the standard fast-food answer to gourmet pizza, California Pizza kitchen. For being in the mall, it's pretty OK. It sure beats Pizza Hut and Dominos! The mushrooms on this baby were awesome; but it was super super cheesy, which kinda did me in after a slice. Leftovers, however, leftovers!!

I don't know about other cities, but the newer upscale restaurants in STL are really into including pizzas on their menus lately: Revival, Koko, etc. It's just the thing to do, I suppose (mac-and-cheese, too). But here's my thought: yes, you can, and yes, it might be OK, or even good, but let's leave the pizza to the Pizzerias of the world and let the chefs cook up some other ingenious food creation. Right? I mean, if Iron Chef put every ingredient on pizza (squid-ink pizza, cod roe pizza, praying mantis pizza!!!!, etc.), then who'd watch? Not me. Ok I know that they do that on the American version of Iron Chef (shoot, even the secret ingredient one time was "pizza dough,") but still, good restaurants ought to try to fight that urge, branch out, get off the crust, folks!! That's what I say. And yes, the pizza at KOKO was pretty OK, but nothing like good old vegetale or Pizzeria Della Piazza. I digress...

Finally, if we're spanning coasts (and time), then we have to tour west for California-style. I have two that are opposite ends of the spectrum for CA-style: one overly cheesy Italian roasted veggie and one raw. Yep, raw. Made with wheat germ mold crust and cashew cheese. Both good, both a little shocking to the system for obviously different reasons, but still, both pizza.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Food Musings: Part I

Well, some of you know that my life has changed lately. In some fairly major ways. And though these ways are largely un-food-related, because of me being who I am, Megfood, these changes definitely have made an impact on my eating. Most notably, I’ve been eating out. A lot. As if to say, “Life, you may give me lemons, but I’m going to eat out. At fabulous restaurants! And I'm going to love it!!” I’ve tried new places in STL, I have happy houred all over town, I’ve enjoyed countless working lunches, and generally, I’ve just chowed down.

But life is throwing me another major life-changing event in about 6 weeks, and this one will have a definite, certain, tangible impact on my eating.

I am going to law school.

I am quitting my job.

I am preparing for my future as a Food Critic (wait, what? I mean, my future as an Attorney.)

And I am living on….. student loans.

Ack!

And though I’ve been polite, neither Mohela nor Wachovia, nor Commerce Bank nor Bank of America, have agreed to my request for extra funding for gourmet food. So that means that me living high on the vegan hog’s days are numbered; we’re at T-6 weeks and counting. And after that, oh my, I’ll be facing the long, lonely frozen food aisle.

Double Ack!

In homage to some of the best food I’ve had this summer and to those of my friends that cooked it, and in acknowledgment of the fact that my days in restaurants are numbered, I’d like to take a moment to honor the greatness that is eating at home.

And I’d also like to add, politely and with full esteem and graciousness, that if any of these generous, talented, remarkable cooks’ cups ever runneth over, or their plates ever overfloweth, then they should feel free, at any time, to call me from the depths of ramen and I will gratefully partake of their feasts. Here’s to you!