I'm too old for you.

I'm too old for you.

Look, when we started hanging out, I thought, no big deal. It's all in good fun! I like cheese, you like cheese, sounds like a perfect night out to me!

But now that we’re spending nearly EVERY DAY together I am starting to question whether this is really appropriate. It’s not that you’re not good enough, Mac n’ Cheese, it’s me. Really. I’m THIRTY TWO. I just don’t know if we have a viable relationship.

That said, I REALLY LIKE YOU. I’m willing to give it a shot. But I can’t keep pretending I’m still a kid. We’re going to have to do this grown up style. We may even need to get you out of the box and start making you from scratch. At the very least, I’m going to dress you in grown up clothes. I’m adding tomatoes, peas, maybe even butternut squash. Mmmm…..

Ok we may have a future. But if I start hankering for Flintstones vitamins, we’re done. I have to face facts that I’m an adult and need to eat grown-up food. And I’m pretty sure they’re not going to make me sit at the kiddy table at T-giving this year. Big stuff for me. I can’t have you holding me back. But for the moment, I do like you. Let’s eat! xo

just make yerself a dang quesa-dilla!

When all else fails, then you go for the quesadilla. If you're lucky, they might add veggies inside. And if you're double lucky, then they might remember NOT to add the chicken when you ask.

It's not so bad, I suppose, the quesadilla. Tortilla, cheese, some veggies. No wait, that's what's so bad. I mean, they taste good; that's why when you're 13 and you discover the wonder of melted cheese inside crispy tortillas you embrace them with such gusto. But undoubtedly, the tortillas are trans-fat-laden. I know this for several reasons:

1. only New York and California have banned transfats in restaurants
2. only transfat flour tortillas get that nice crisp when you fry them. It's much harder to get that texture from the healthy variety. And don't even think about the whole grain variety. Uh uh.

And besides the TF problem, they are super cheesy. Which is good if you heart cheese. Which I do. In my mind. But when you're a bit lactose intolerant, then that much cheese is, frankly, just wrong.

But you can come to terms with them because of the guacamole and the salsa: if you can't get veggies inside, at least you're getting some tomato and avocado. Right??? Well, unless your guac is the Kraft variety, which actually doesn't have any avocado in it. Which brings me back to my first point: when all else fails.

I usually only go this route when I'm at a bar, looking for a snack, and I'm facing toasted raviolis (which, by the way, someone tried to recently convince me were stuffed with spinach! the nerve!), chicken fingers, or fried cheese (again, tasty, but hard on the body). Lately I've done this a lot it seems. Here's my ranking:

1) First place goes to the Irish pub downtown (the other Dubliner), Tigin's. These were quite yummy: pepper cheese and lots of fresh garden veggies inside, including tiny tomatoes, but not on tortillas. Nope, in true Irish fashion, they were grilled on boxtys, which are potato pancakes. Amazing! 2) Second place is the Cheesecake Factory. I asked them to add veggies to their cheese quesadilla and they stuffed it with some really nice corn succotash. I actually had to purchase a side of corn succotash and then they stuffed it in, but it worked out!

3) Felix's. oy. Felix's is good for one thing: the chocolate covered strawberry martini. Which is not a veggie quesadilla. But the two went hand-in-hand ok for a work happy hour. You do what you gotta.I'm going to think of some interesting, easy to produce, healthful, tasty suggestions for bars to include on their menu and then send them all a postcard. Perhaps it will go something like this:

Dear happy hour locale:

Please consider adding any of the following for your happy hour menu:

• asian veggies and a sesame-tahini dip
• fresh spring rolls with cucumber, carrots, lettuce, sprouts, you name it!
• fresh hummus with whole-grain pita
• bruschetta with mushrooms, tomatoes, and/or roasted red pepper. oh and roasted garlic. maybe beets and goat cheese, too
• baked sweet potato fries
• edamame.

I appreciate it!

Signed,
Megfood.

Just a thought! They might not be thrilling options, but they would be a far superior choice to us near-vegans out there when happy houring. Seriously.

In the mean time, if you are a die-hard quesadilla fan, then I did happen upon a fabulous quesailla recipe that I make myself sometimes. If you're in the mood, try it.

• whole-grain transfat-free tortillas
• fresh corn cut off the cob
• yellow onion
• baby spinach
• mozzarella, grated
  

1. Just saute the veggies (make a generous amount)
2. throw them on a tortilla laying flat in a dry, hot skillet
3. sprinkle with a tiny amount of cheese--just enough to bind it
4. cover with another tortilla
5. heat till melty and crispy
6. flip
7. voila!

Amazing!

• whole grains? check
• protein? check
• iron, fiber, other nutrients? check.

did you add real avocados and tomatoes?

• then lycopene, vitamin C, healthy fats, check.

you catch my drift.

I bet these aren't the kind that Napoleon Dynamite made, though. His were probably cheesier.

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.

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.

If I were a red curry....

Then I'd probably first live at Thai Country Cafe. This curry broke me; supposedly, red is the hottest, although I can't really support that with fact. Nevertheless, when I first began my first venture into red curry, I'd order it mild and sweat and gulp down water as I worked my way through a few bites of mostly rice. However, like a good foodie, I persevered and now I'm thoroughly "medium" with occasional forays into "spicy"; what? Yep!

So TCC curry: I've eaten here regularly (sometimes every week) for years--5, 6, 9? Don't know; but suffice it to say, it's good, it's consistent, they know their regulars, and they do it right.

TCC red curry comes vegetarian with steamed tofu, red and green peppers, and basil. I always order "extra extra vegetables," which for $1 buys me broccoli, mini corn, bamboo shoots, carrots, and mushrooms. The sauce is coconutty, a little trace of peanutty, and very very curry. It's just freaking delicious.

But although technically my second place winner would be The King and I, that's partly out of deference and respect for the last 9 years, because in many ways, KI trumps TCC.

The red curry at KI is much thicker; best I can figure is that they use coconut cream vs. coconut milk. It's very very rich. And it's spicy and a little bit more peanutty. Theirs comes standard with bamboo shoots, tofu, peppers, corns, mushrooms, and basil, as well as eggplant. For $1 I can add a vegetable, so I always choose broccoli. Overall, it's fantastic. Much richer, so you leave feeling a little roly poly, but still good.

Besides the richness--which may change your choice of restaurant (in 100 degrees you may prefer lighter curry?)--the restaurants vary. The wine list at KI is superior; I probably wouldn't drink the wine at TCC. But it's packed on the weekends and you may wait up to an hour, which is always a bummer. Finally, TCC is in the loop and KI is on the southside, so it really depends on where you're at for the evening.

If I were to be allowed to give a tie, I think I'd give them a tie for first. Wait. My blog. My rules. I tie TCC and KI for first.

Following behind in second, then, is the only other candidate up for review today: Basil Spice. This is the new Thai place on South Grand, which is ballsy, I'd say, not only opening up amidst several other established Asian restaurants, but also opening just doors from KI, which has been around since the 80s at least. Anyway...

Their red curry was very mediocre. If I were reviewing others today, BS would most likely be pushed back to 3rd, 5th, maybe even last place. It wasn't hideous; but it wasn't anything to go gaga over. In fact, the dish my dinner partner had, a basil dish, was far superior. So maybe it's jut not the place to order a curry.

Their curry was very watery. My request for "extra extra vegetables" bought me a little of this and a little of that, but nothing major. And the tofu was fried; that's always tasty, but unnecessary. If I went back there, I'd get something else.

Other solid red curries in town, if you're not on Delmar or Grand (or if you don't feel like heeding my advice): Rearn Thai in Clayton. It's good. Blue Elephant in Clayton; also good, but I think it's more of a lunch place. And Thai Cafe, TCC's sister-restaurant East of Skinker. It's a slightly more upscale red curry. Actually, it's exactly as if KI and TCC had a curry baby--it's a little rich, but not too thick, a little pricier, but not too crowded, etc. And I hear (although tasting is believing) that Sen Thai is very good. We'll see about that.