johnnyd

Red Snapper and Littlenecks in red curry/coconut milk with baby bok choy, mushrooms and basil

What is the pretty colored item in the jar? Mango juice? That's our go-to morning juice with OJ, unsweetened cranberry and DOLE pineapple. We found the grits online - they are fantastic.

Grits from Palmetto Farms, South Carolina; sauteed Black Forest Ham; Fried eggs with diced Fresno and garden fennel; freshly sliced imPeaches...

Gochujang chicken skewers, heart of palm salad, Israeli couscous and smashed kimchi cukes

From Portland Food Map 4-26-2022: Masa Miyake is renovating his eponymous Fore Street restaurant with plans to reopen this summer, hopefully in July. The newly refreshed space will seat 28, with an 9-seat sushi counter and another 20 seats between the new L-shaped bar on the left and tables along the right-hand wall. The menu will feature “shareable plates, including traditional Japanese preparations, dishes of Masa’s personal creation, rolled sushi, sashimi, and nigiri”. The bar menu will offer sake, wine and beer as well as house-designed cocktails that make use of Japanese spirits and ingredients. When they reopen Miyake will no longer offer an omakase option. Seating will be available on a first-come first-serve basis with a guest wait list. Miyake will be open for dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

Indeed. One pays for the experience as a whole, not just the menu. That's why Fore Street is Fabulous and I will pay whatever they ask. I don't have the same love for Eventide, but that's just me - doesn't mean it's bad because I don't care for it as do others. Sheez, Weinoo, you got me all excited to go out in this town again!

I do seem to recall the Lobster Bisque recipe has morphed a couple of times since the Paprika version. I have not eaten there since before the pandemic. In fact, I had been denied a seat 3 or 4 times before that and basically gave up trying to go anymore. Strictly a friends-from-out-of-town destination now, I can open my own oysters just fine, and at 1/5th the cost. Something that should be on visitors radar is https://grossconfectionbar.com/dessert-restaurant-and-bar/ right on Exchange Street down a few steps in a bricked former bank vault restored by the chef/owner. In spite of the awkward naming convention, chef Brant is a highly skilled dessert chef who has staged in many high-end locations. Check it out.

The thing to get at Eventide is their Lobster Bisque. As you move the spoon through it, little dots of paprika oil pop to the surface. I met one of the chefs outside for a smoke and he said they coat the bottom of the bowl in paprika oil before adding the bisque. Between the heat of the Bisque and the customer's spoon, everything starts exploding. Looks really cool, and it's delicious. Eventide is part of three restaurants - Hugo's, Eventide and Honey Paw - all in the same building, and share one big kitchen in the back. Hugo's, ran by J.Beard award-winning chef Rob Evans for many years, sold the place to three of his cooks, who formed Big Tree Hospitality. I especially like Honey Paw's innovative Asian fusion dishes that use local ingredients, and the fact you can actually get a seat in the Summer.

The Iraqi bakery also have terrific sides like stuffed grape leaves, pickled veggies, a ton of hummus seasoned every which-way and baklava-type sweets oozing with honey...yum!

We've gone with a Levantine menu for a few years now. This year, I'm thinking Musakhan chicken thighs on onions with sumac. Pilaf with fruit and nuts in it. I saw a tahini with pomegranate syrup which looks interesting. We did lamb kebabs last year and I have some in the freezer, so maybe those too. There's a Iraqi bakery a couple miles from us who make a big puffy naan so we'll have to get those...

That looks great @johnnyd - enable us with a recipe! I don't think the price of oil is helping with the price of seafood. Lobsters here have settled to about US$15/lb but picked lobster meat, $45/lb around Xmas is now $95/lb !! JohnnyD's Killer Chowder Render a handful of pancetta, remove when brown Saute 1/2 an onion, some green pepper, and I added a minced fresno for some pop. Add oil if it looks dry. Add One big russett diced around 3/4 inch, stir to coat, leave it while you go have a smoke At this point I had almost a pint of turkey stock to use up so threw that in to hasten potato break-down Then added one quart *hot* lobster stock, bring all to a hard simmer. Add a couple minced garlic and 7-8 branches of shucked thyme leaves, stir. When you think everything has married, add about a pound of haddock pieces, about a 3/4lb peeled shrimp (30-40size) and 1/4lb smoked mussels Stir, turn off heat. Uncork some white bordeaux. Go have another smoke. Grind in some white pepper. Check for salt - we have a tiny bowl with spiced salt we use on everything w/red pepper flakes Serve.

Chowder Day! Lobster stock, local russett, haddock, shrimp from Ecuador, local smoked mussels, thyme leaves Seafood is getting expensive, even in this New England port.

Make sure you deploy the high-pass filter on the backside of that SM57 Nary a wisp of smoke. Scrubbed for 20 minutes then turned it blue. See up-thread.

Grilled fresh Rhode Island sardines

Seven hour blocks at 450F with just a veil of oil each. Nice. Now we have to cook something. I'm on page 41 of Grace Young's "Breath of a Wok". I feel the need to get a good handle on things before I do anything complicated. Thanks, all, for playing!

Fair enough. My fault for limiting the subset of "go-to wok seasoning agents" to youtube videos I've been canvassing for wok seasoning technique. Have to say this wok looks terrific, but lets see how it cooks our food. Pics soon...

The internet is obsessed with Dawn detergent because it's a great product. Need your drain unblocked? Pour a half cup Dawn down there, wait 30 minutes, then pour boiling water in and, boom! All clear. Flax seed comes up a lot as the go-to wok seasoning agent. I'm on bake four at the moment and will keep seasoning until dinner, a total of eight hours. It's a medicinal oil so I won't be using it for cooking. I'm assuming this is a sealant.

Finally got around to seasoning this Bad Boy: The delay was a result of seeing so many different ways of getting the job done but there was always something that felt off about every one until I saw this gentleman, Jason, on YouTube: Many of his conditions met mine, like a Gas range/oven at home, and he's clearly done this before. From minute one he displays the result I want. As I watched this video, I recognized sections found in other season-a-wok videos. So you don't have to watch, here is his punch list: Scrub inside/outside with sponge scrub-side and Dawn detergent. I spent about 20mins doing it over and over +rinsing Unscrew handle and use straight-jaw, vice-grip pliers to hold wok at handle stub when starting the bluing Remove gas-burner diffuser lid so the flame jets straight out of the burner. I didn't have to go past 4 (out of 9) setting to roast the wok from edge to edge in 20mins When cooled (surprisingly fast, I'm used to cast-iron) apply very thin coat of flax seed oil on both sides. Wipe again to absorb any excess. Bake at 200F for 15 minutes Re-apply flax seed oil thinly; wipe again to absorb excess oil. Bake at 300F for 15 minutes Re-apply flax seed oil thinly; wipe again to absorb excess oil. Bake at highest setting (I'm doing 450F) for one hour - after one hour, turn off oven to let cool (~one hour) This is where you can wok up your ginger/scallion Good Luck fry, but Jason does it three more times so I'm-a goin' for it. The only smoke I saw/smelt was a small wisp from inside the hanle stub which I didn't wash. I'm on the first hour bake and already it is a satisfying translucent blue/black color, evenly hued from edge to edge. Success!

TicTac, yes 4tblsps red wine vinegar at service, stirred in before (big) dollop of sour cream in your bowl. And you're right, beef stew foundation definitely. Diced potato added to sheet pan halfway through roasting. Fine chopped onion added after searing stage til glassy, then 1st four cups stock. Recipe calls for fresh dill too but we didn't have any. I'd become so bored with whatever borscht recipe I was using so when this came along I've never gone back. A hit of paprika on your dollop takes it even higher.

I met a Ukrainian Lady when I was in Vermont in the 80s who taught me the "proper" way to make Borscht. First you sear and simmer until tender, a bone-in beef shank in 4 cups beef broth. On this particular day my usual butcher suggested this honking-big marrow bone and a chuck sirloin end-cut he had behind the counter. Okay, then. Next, cut 2lbs beets and 1lb carrots into 1/2" dice and roast at 400F for 1/2hr. Add 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage, roasted veg, and another 4 cups beef stock. Simmer some more... Totally marries up overnight and takes on a little more crimson hue - served piping hot with creme fraiche and/or sour cream

We always buy locally-bred meats from farms around Maine. It's pretty expensive but it's just better for you. Scallop season just started and they went to $36.50/lb this year. They are usually $20. Lobsters are steady at $10/lb. There are a gazillion new oyster farms so they are about a buck each.

Blue fin tuna caught off-shore over the weekend... ...belly seared in coconut oil, dressed in house-made ponzu, a hit of mustard oil, furikake, arugula and local veg. Probably the tastiest lunch I've had in weeks.

Wonderful mini-blog, Duvel! I've never been to Berlin. Your travelogue hit all the right notes and the diverse cuisine was most enjoyable. Thank you!

Take out Congee from Cong Tu Bot, Portland Maine (among the NYT top 50) featuring mung bean, pickled mustard greens, egg, chili oil. Delightful!

Yam Nua - everything but fish sauce and limes grown within five miles