Verjuice

Did anyone see last night's episode, Bobby Flay vs. Martin Rios? My DVR malfunctioned and failed to record it, and I'm dying to know what happened; who won, and how it went down. Chef Rios is one of the favorite chefs of Santa Fe. I have actually never watched Iron Chef, but for his sake I really wanted to see this one.

All of the above--- if available. Consequently, I never go shopping while hungry, and I don't buy snack food. Also, I am in awe of people who can keep things like bowls of cold bing cherries, ripe triple-creme cheeses, tupperware containers of tarragon chicken salad, leftover mac and cheese, gorgonzola-stuffed olives and freshly-ground peanut butter in their fridge--- without feeling the urge to consume them immediately. I need to keep food around that requires a bit of effort to produce, or I'll just eat it. The only thing I can inexplicably keep around the house and not be tempted by is chocolate.

Made the milk chocolate and salted butter caramel mousse from Trish Deseine's book, but I added a layer of Chef Neil Wyles' incredible caramel on the bottom beforehand... insanely good.

I absolutely love Sidecars made with Meyer lemons. The fruitiness makes it a different drink entirely, but I find it incredibly delicious and complex if made with a very nice cognac.

The Liberté dessert series is the greatest yogurt on the planet. And I don't even normally like sweet yogurts. I once drove to Montreal from Boston and back again in one day, just to fill a couple of coolers with the stuff. Orange Marzipan, Apple Pie, Coconut... but it was the one with dates and figs that captured my heart forever. Haven't had any in years, though.

I would go with eggs or really good pasta. Actually, if it were me, I'd make scrambled eggs in a double boiler until custardy. Lots of of butter with the eggs and finish with a spoonful of the truffle cream and some Maldon salt. Then I'd toast a hunk of bread, butter it, spread a thin layer of truffle cream on that, and pile on the eggs...

Just made a wonderful salad for dinner, with roasted golden beets as the main event. Inspired by various tapas menus that I've been perusing lately. Peppery greens, golden beets, goat's cheese, chopped marcona almonds (skins and all), plump dates from the garden. Dressed with a vinaigrette made with saffron, honey, sherry vinegar, olive oil and blood orange juice Served with toasts loaded with roasted garlic butter. Terrific combination and my new favorite.

Make a creamy roasted red pepper bisque with shellfish. Saute in good olive oil with onions and garlic and puree in large batches with cream and vodka, to make a sort of winter-friendly vodka sauce for pasta. You could add tomatoes if you wanted; it'd be delicious either way. I recently tried this red pepper marmalade with balsamic vinegar from Chefshop. If you're into preserving, perhaps you could attempt something similar. Or you could make red pepper confit, which would be great in everything from omelettes to sandwiches.

Well, to be perfectly frank, the reason I recommended Feast upthread over How To Eat is... pictures! How To Eat doesn't have any. I'm easy that way. For the recipes and the writing, yes: How To Eat.

I do the same. My stores provide boxes of tissue paper for handling baked goods; I use the bag turned inside out all the same.

Get yourself a copy of Feast. Don't even think twice.

I have that sink, and I absolutely adore it. Here is a photo:

When I'm introducing myself to someone who isn't yet aware of my obsession, I usually just say, "I'm really into food". I'd rather be known as a good cook than a gourmand, or whatever.

Where've you been, fyfas? Yes, Josh's is very good (well, the sauces at Whole Hog are better, but the rest isn't). They do a terrific green chile coleslaw. I had thought about mentioning it in my previous post, but it's a long way from the plaza and Cerrillos Road is not exactly scenic (though you could take 599). Chow's is good, too... they call themselves an Asian bistro; they have a lot of contemporary takes on American-style Chinese food as well as the usual suspects. They are msg-free and all that. I had forgotten about Jinja! Try the Black Pearl Salmon; it's pricier than the other salmon dishes on the menu because it's wild, but man is it tasty, if a little sweet. It comes with green curry coconut udon and a little cucumber salad and a couple of very tasty salsas... I may need to go and get me some for dinner, it's been too long. Kaune's can do no wrong by me because they carry D'Artagnan duck fat. Enough said.

Absolutely! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. 1) Mu Du Noodles, (505) 983-1411, 1494 Cerrillos Road Try the beef jantaboon and the shrimp & lemongrass soup. All of her meats are organic and a lot of her ingredients are straight from local farmers. 2) Rooftop Pizzeria, (505) 984-0008, 60 E San Francisco St. I know you said no pizza, but what if it had duck confit or lobster on it? They are located right off the plaza; you can check out the menu online. They also deliver through Dashing Delivery, which you might want to check out as they service other notable restaurants in town. Details and menus are on the website. 3) Rio Chama, (505) 955-0765, 414 Old Santa Fe Trail I am constantly waxing poetic about their bar food (excellent burgers and fries, buffalo short ribs, killer nachos, wonderful salsas, habanero guacamole, chicken tacos, wedge salad, barbecue ribs), but they have an extensive regular menu as well. It's located between the Pink Adobe and Guadalupe Cafe. 4) Sleeping Dog , (505) 982-4335, 114 W. San Francisco St. Also just off the plaza, this is the closest thing Santa Fe has to a "gastropub". Kobe beef burgers, good salads, a very nice Harris Ranch flank steak, oyster corn dogs. 5) Shohko Cafe, (505) 982-9708, 321 Johnson St. Best sushi in town, very fresh, and you can swing by and pick it up. 6) Cowgirl BBQ & Western Grill, (505) 982-2565, 319 S. Guadalupe St. I cannot stand the interior of this place, so to me it's only as good as it's takeout. And they do have an extensive menu. I like the brisket on anything; a bun, a quesadilla, or just a big plate. And I have been driven to distraction more than once by the sweet potato fries with honey walnut mayo. 7) Counter Culture, (505) 995-1105, 930 Baca St. The fall salad is always great: greens, roasted beets, gorgonzola, Chimayo chile-dusted walnuts, but it's the cinnamon rolls and the cinnamon sour cream coffee cake that have truly captured my heart. Make sure you don't leave without at least one of them! 8) Bumble Bee's Baja Grill, (505) 820-2862, 301 Jefferson St. Delicious and super-fresh Mexican take-out.

Someone said that the darker caramels were passionfruit and the lighter ones were mango, but I said no way! They're the same flavor (passionfruit and mango combined). Maybe different batches account for the difference in color. Kerry, can you confirm that my palate is in working order? Yes, they were awesome, and I disgraced myself by eating well over a dozen.

Rob modestly neglected to mention that my new buddy... was previously the subject of one of his great kitchen masterpieces:

I can't believe it's over! I had such a good time. You guys are awesome. Thanks for everything. Now, for the sugar coma...

Lunch was burritos from Don Juan. That's Lexi whooshing past in the background. Bean and cheese with red: Picadillo with spicy jalapenos: Chicharron: Relleno burrito with green chile: 'Cia. So effing adorable: Gorgeous Lexi. She is Rob's girl:

Kerry's class... Pictures say it all.

oh.. it was chiffon cake, not pound, right?

I cannot do justice to our wonderful evening by attempting to describe it while exhausted, so I'll keep the words to a minimum and just post pics for now. The dinner was held at one of the most beautiful homes I have seen in New Mexico. It was like a jewelry box full of beautiful things to entertain the eye at every turn. Our hosts were lovely, fascinating people, and everything made by Chef Mel was delicious. "Mexican Buttermilk" (margaritas): Roasted Thai Lime Shrimp: Tropical Fruit Salad with Mint Chimichurri and Gouda on Baby Organic Spinach: Roasted Red Pepper & Mushroom Bisque: Roasted Corn Crab Cake with Mango Cilantro Salsa, Crab Leg, Sweet Potato Pureé with Crystallized Ginger, Grilled Lemon and Stuffed Grilled Peppers with Spinach and Mushroom: Rob, correct me if I'm wrong! This is Rob's Lemon Pound Cake with Blackberry Mousse, Italian Meringue, Candied Celery and Candied Ruby Red Grapefruit Peel:

Last night, Rob, Kerry and I had a quick dinner at La Cocina Mexican Restaurant, just across the street from The Curious Kumquat. Like a true northerner, I could not resist the urge to order my enchiladas "Christmas". The red was significantly hotter. This was my first experience with enchiladas that had been stacked rather than rolled. Rob commented that New Mexican food in this part of the State is more similar to Chihuahuan food, stylistically. Today, the three of us met for lunch at Kountry Kitchen. Chips and salsa: I had the enchiladas Christmas with a side of guacamole. Kerry had the enchiladas Green with an egg over easy (a traditional accompaniment around here, says Rob): Rob had the flautas because the albondigas he was pining for turned out to be unavailable. Everything was excellent. And I am speechless over this incredible thing, so I'll leave it open to interpretation. Behold the Guadalajara Taco:

Rob and I split a chocolate croissant at Yankie Creek Coffeehouse. I had a black coffee and Rob had a mocha caramel explosion. I forgot to ask him if he enjoyed it. Did you enjoy it, Rob? Then we went across the street to Vicki's Eatery, where Rob had a green chile turkey melt with a side of chips and salsa: And I had an Italian mushroom and provolone melt with a side of Greek salad. Both sandwiches were made with toasted sourdough, but mine had garlic butter on it. Very good. Here is some of Rob's lauded "marzipan art" at Eklektikas Gallery: Just kidding. They were made by artist Helen Wilson.