Review: My Delivery Boys

You thought you were gonna get some pics of hottie delivery boys in this post, now didn't you? ;) Well, I hate to disappoint you, but this post is actually about the nearby places that I depend upon to save my evenings on a regular basis with their wonderful and prompt delivery. Even though they rarely send cute delivery boys (those only seem to come from crap places like Domino's), they do send a good dinner!

Jasmine Tea House

When I first left my place in the Sunset, I was concerned that I was going to have to revert back to crap Chinese food for delivery. I was a bit spoiled having the excellent San Tung so near to my place over there. I took a chance on Jasmine Tea House after finding their menu hooked to my door handle one evening. While it doesn't quite match the level of San Tung, it comes so darn close that I always have a good meal from here. I always order way more food than I could ever eat 'cause I love leftovers - especially leftover chow mein (and theirs is one of my favorites). All of their dishes are quite good, but when I'm treating myself, I tilt towards the vegetarian and seafood dishes on the menu - especially the Singapore Fish. They are the best things on the menu. Their dim sum items are kinda ho hum (I'll stick to Yank Sing or Canton for my dim sum fix), but they get props for having dim sum available at any hour. However, they had me at the hot and sour soup - my personal "litmus test" for Chinese restaurants. It's wonderfully spicy and definitely a bit more sour than most - and I LOVE it. Really solid Chinese food here.



Serrano's Pizza

OK... relative to the East Coast, most pizza here on the West Coast is only ho-hum - unless you're going to the fancy schmanzy places like Delfina. And delivery pizza is usually a lot worse. I found Serrano's on the recommendation of a friend. They have a lot of cool specialty pizzas but the main thing I like is they have tons of toppings from which to choose to make your own pizza - including one of my favorites, roasted eggplant!!! But the major winner - the crust is not too thick or thin (West Coast pizza tends to have WAY too much crust) and it always arrives piping hot. Any leftover slices get frozen to become a pizza dinner later. Is it the best? No... but with so many options, I can always get what I want, and it's always tastier than any other pizza I've ever gotten delivered.



Little Nepal

I have been here many times as an evening diner. It's a quaint little place on Cortland at the top of Bernal Hill, so very close to my house. And then I found out they delivered... and I knew I was doomed... doomed to goodness!!! :) If you know nothing about Nepalese cuisine, it's very similar to Indian cuisine although it has elements of other East Asian cuisines swirled in. Their chicken in spicy tomato cream sauce is one of my favorites. The little side dishes they serve with the entrees (dal, curried veggies, naan) are all excellent. I also think their seafood dishes are quite excellent. Given there's not really any good traditional Northern Indian cuisine available near my house, I'm so glad that I found out Little Nepal delivers!!!



Regent Thai

Three words: Spicy Red Snapper. Oh, my mercy - this dish is just pure heaven. They lightly bread and fry New Zealand red snapper filet and top it with a spicy/sweet red pepper sauce - it is by far one of my favorite dishes EVER. All of the standards are also spot on - pad thai, red or green curries, etc. But, I'm telling you - you MUST have the snapper. It is so, so good.



Lotus Garden

I almost fainted when I found out I could get yummy Vietnamese noodle soups (pho) and vermicelli dishes (bun) for delivery. I am a pho fanatic - all the beef versions, chicken, seafood - I've had them all. The delicious broth with rice noodles that put the meat, fresh mint leaves, cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapenos, and hot sauce into and then slop up. The portion they send me is so big it makes two meals - because I can't order anything from there without getting their Imperial Rolls and their BBQ Pork Rolls. The Imperial Rolls are stuffed with carrots, rice noodles, shrimp, and pork and then deep fried, that you wrap with lettuce leaves, mint, sprouts, carrots, and cucumbers that are served on the side and dip into fresh nuoc cham (fish sauce). So yummy! And the BBQ Pork Rolls are stuffed with BBQ'ed lemon grass pork loin meat, rice noodles, mint, and cilantro and served with nuoc cham. They are also lovely. I just found this place like a few weeks ago, so I'll explore more of the menu and let you know. But, this is one of my new favorites.

Review: Sensi at the Bellagio, Las Vegas

So, this past week I had to go to Las Vegas for my company's yearly user conference. I really hate going to Vegas for work... especially when you're depending upon people to show up at your morning presentation sessions actually ready to listen. Why companies book events in a place with so many darn distractions I will never understand...

On the plus side, I doubled my money in Blackjack while I was there. I am not much of a gambler at all, but I do have fun playing Blackjack. I guess it's because I've gotten good enough where I can kill several hours at a Blackjack table with a relatively small amount of money spent in. Or maybe the free cocktails help ;)

Anyways, I got a meal on my boss at Sensi in the Bellagio. Since the restaurant was my choice, I thought I would give it a review. Now, first off, unless a restaurant in Vegas has earned at least 1 Michelin star, it ain't worth what they charge. I have major issues with a dining scene that offers barely any mid-priced dining options. You are often paying 5 star prices for 3 and 4 star food - some are so bad the food is actually 2 star (most of the restaurants in the MGM Grand fit this profile, in my opinion). Since Sensi hasn't been granted a Michelin star, you can probably deduce that I would never eat there again if I was paying...

Wine list? Forget about it... 300 - 400% mark-up at least and nothing on it worth what they were charging. Cocktails were a bit more reasonable and they indeed made an awesome Knob Creek Manhattan (so awesome I had two :)). I had the tuna three ways as a starter - tuna tataki, tuna ceviche, and tuna tartare. The ceviche was kick butt - the other two were actually mediocre. I've had better for half the price back here at home. Then came the entree - breaded and fried whole red snapper topped in a green curry sauce. Now THIS was off the chart - LOVED it. The fish was so perfectly done and the curry sauce had a slight coconut flavor and only a hint of heat. For side dishes I shared asparagus and green bean tempura and truffled "tater tots" with some dinner mates. The tempura was perfectly done, although the aioli they served on the side with it was a little odd - so I ended up eating the tempura with no sauce. But the "tater tots" were off the chart - you could taste the truffle oil well and they had the perfect amount of salt and pepper on them. I got so full that I skipped dessert... although admittedly the desserts were all very standard and didn't look too impressive.

Final verdict: A few more hits than misses, but regardless, not worth the money. If you're in Vegas, splurge on something that's worth your money - like Joel Rubochon or Nob Hill (in the MGM Grand - which eerily break the "overpriced, mediocre" mold of the other MGM Grand restaurants) or Aureole (in Mandalay Bay). Next time I'm in the Bellagio, I'll investigate one of the other restaurants and let you know if it improves upon Sensi.

Recipe: Kitchen Sink Soup

OK... this is based on one of my grandma's recipes. You can actually throw whatever veggies you have around into this and it still comes out good...

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
25 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cups of green beans
1 1/2 cups of white corn kernels
1 1/2 cups of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of black-eyed peas
1 1/2 cups of okra, diced
4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. of kosher salt
1 tbsp. of garlic powder
1 tbsp. of onion powder
1 tbsp. of savory
6 cups of water

Directions:

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and chicken breasts to the water and reduce heat to medium. Poach the chicken breasts for 8 minutes. Add the shrimp to the water and poach for an additional 5 - 6 minutes. Drain. Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts and put the meat back into the pot along with the cooked shrimp.

Add the vegetables, chicken broth, and all other spices back to the pot. Return heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Recipe: Scalloped Tomatoes Provencal

Yeah, it's a Sunday, so I'm in a cooking mood... this is dinner :)

Ingredients:

5 - 6 large heirloom tomatoes
1 orange or yellow bell pepper
1 French baguette, cubed
2 tbsp. of olive oil
4 oz. of pancetta, diced
2 tbsp. of butter
2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1 tsp. of black pepper
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
2 tsp. of Herbs de Provence

Directions:

Spread baguette cubes out on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or so to toast.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the diced pancetta and garlic. Cook until the pancetta browns, about 7 - 8 minutes.

Reduce heat on the oven to 325 degrees. Dice the heirloom tomatoes and bell pepper and put into a large bowl. Add the baguette croutons, pancetta in butter and garlic, and the other spices to the bowl. Mix thoroughly. Coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour the tomato mixture into the casserole dish, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 50 - 55 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad

I make this to put on toasted bagels in the morning. It's so easy and refrigerated, it lasts about a week. It's so darn tasty!!!

Ingredients:

4 - 6 oz. of smoked salmon (I prefer smoked sockeye for this recipe)
4 hard boiled eggs
8 slices of slab bacon, cooked to crispy and crumbled
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 cup of scallions, green and white parts, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1 1/2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
1/2 tsp. of black pepper
1 tsp. of lemon juice

Directions:

Dice up the smoked salmon and hard boiled eggs. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to thicken. Serve on toasted bagels or English muffins.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Recipe: Zen Pepper Steak

This turned out so well it became steak sandwiches for lunch today... last night it was served with creamed spinach instead. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lb. of lean flank steak, cut into 6 equal portions
3/4 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of mirin (Japanese cooking sake)
4 tbsp. of minced garlic
2 tbsp. of minced ginger
1 1/2 tbsp. of rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. of sesame oil
1 tsp. of chili oil
2 tsp. of hot sauce (I prefer Sriracha, and I up it to 3 tsp. 'cause I like the heat)
2 1/2 tsp. of yuzu juice (Japanese citrus... no yuzu? Use lime juice)
1 1/2 cup of chopped scallions (green and white parts - about 1 bunch)
1 red bell pepper, diced

Directions:

Whisk together all ingredients but the steak into a bowl. In another large bowl, place the steak cuts. Pour the mixture over the steak cuts, cover in plastic wrap, place in refrigerator, and let marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Put the steak on the grill and grill for 7 - 8 minutes on each side (for medium-rare), basting the steak in the marinade constantly to keep it moist. Serve either as is or slice into thinner pieces and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound eggplant, cut into thick strips
1 bell pepper, red, diced
6 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. dry sherry
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. chili oil
2 tbsp. Sriracha (Vietnamese garlic/chili sauce)
2 tbsp. dark sesame oil
3 tbsp. canola oil
12 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup scallions, finely chopped, white and green parts

Directions:

In a colander, toss eggplant strips with the cornstarch to coat evenly. In a bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, white vinegar, rice vinegar, dry sherry, chili oil, Sriracha, dark sesame oil, and minced garlic together. Whisk to combine. Heat the canola oil in a wok over high heat. Once oil is hot, add the eggplant strips. Saute them, turning frequently, until they are lightly browned - about 6 - 7 minutes. Add the sauce mixture, reduce the heat to medium, and continue stirring. The sauce will begin to thicken (feel free to add an additional 1 tsp. of cornstarch if it does not thicken to your liking). Once the sauce is thickened, add the bell pepper and scallions and mix together to combine. Remove from heat and serve.

Variation:

Add 8 - 12 oz. of cubed firm tofu to the oil in the wok first. Once it starts to brown, then add the eggplant and follow the directions above.

Makes about 4 servings.