jscarbor

I always try and get a great first bite then 1/2 way through the meal I start strategizing on how to maximize my last bite. That way i can beat the law of diminishing return theory.

Boy that does look great! The braised veal pot pie thingy looks awesome.

Lopez moved a block away in bigger nicer digs.

Primos did leave many years ago but I still remeber that place for the best fajitas ever. the owner popped up again downtown a few years ago and served great food but he had a heart attack I bileive and didn't make it. Lopez is thriving and still serving honest to goodness tex/mex.

Even though i am not a huge fan of pecans I would have to say pecan pie.

I will also under whip a little next time.

The recipe said to leave choc at room temp while doing the cream procedure. But your method sounds like the way to go here. Do you think other than the room temp part that the recipe is sound?

Off the top of my head the recipe is: 10oz white choc 4 Tblsp water 2 cups heavy cream Melt choc and water in double broiler over low heat ( I could have gotten the water too hot? It never came close to simmer though?) and stir with spatula until melted and set aside. Whip the heavy cream til stiff (I didn't think I whipped too much but this has to be the culprit) Vigorously whip 1/3 of cream into the white choc then fold the rest. Thats it.

I made the W C M from the Death by Choc cookbook. The mousse comes out a little gritty. Not real gritty just not a smooth as I want. What could I have done to cause this, if anything?

I actually recvd a tagine for my anniversary earlier this month and was wondering what to cook in it. Anyone have a good north african dish for me?

If not Noe, Cafe Annie would be a great place.

How about the new restaurant in the Omni? Noe. I'v heard that it is good.

Strwberry jello pretzel salad that my mil makes. She hates making it now because we (my family) always want it at get togethers. It crushed pretzels, cream cheese filling and strawberry jello. Peanut butter on pancakes and french toast. Another thing my wifes family brought to the table.

You know if my wife were to make me a very special dinner I would want her to get meat from the Meat Shop in Austin Texas. They sell dry aged high prime and wagyu beef. It isn't cheap but oh boy is it great steak. You can't buy it online but you can call them and they will ship. The ribeyes are my favorite. If you google search you can find an article or two about this place. The meat here is much better than what I have ordered from Lobels.

Sometimes I like to cook on the cheap just to say I did it and to save a little money. Making a big batch of tomato sauce alwyas helps me out. I can do polenta topped with tomato sauce and mozzerella or plain spaghetti and sauce. Another thing i like to do is cook up a huge batch of carnitas and start with carnita tacos for a couple days then make some carnita enchiladas with the rest. I usually cook up a pork shoulder that I get for about a buck per or so. My guess is I can feed 14 people with this dish if I have to and with all the side dishes I am in it for less than $30. Just over $2 per person. Red Beans and rice are always a winner and super cheap. Fried rice with leftover white rice from home or takeout.

I really need to learn how to download some pictures. It really makes an impression. Since I don't know how to dl pictures i'lll just tell you what I made. Tonight was sauteed salmon with a maple/mustard sauce. Really tasty and very easy. It was an epicurious recipe. Wild rice which I cooked with way too much water? and roasted asparagus finished with rosemary grapeseed oil. And for dessert! Hot fudge sunday! Yum... yum!

I need to clarify, the food is sophisticated, the decor not so, even though it is nice.

I was just wondering how hot a person would typically cook with one of these ovens?

I actually ate at Niko's earlier this week and yes it is very different. Niko's is a great casual place and actually offers good seafood, but ATGG is sophisticated and worthy of a nice night out. I might even pick it over say Marks as a dining destination? The fish dish I had last night was a special. The owner, Yanni, takes pride in getting Mediterranean fish flown in for his restaurant. So whatever the fish special is get it if you are a big fish person. He also has fresh snapper but I'm here to tell you that snapper can be found anywhere so go with the special. If you folks decide to go to ATGG please tell Yanni that John Scarborough sent you. He'll be glad to hear that and will treat you very well.

You just said the magic words. (I love Mykonos.) Did you happen to notice the appetizers? This is the kind of food that with a certain group of friends, we like to order a bunch of appetizers and pass them around. ← You can view them here http://www.alexanderthegreatgreek.com/111741.html

After a long haitus from ATGG I decided to take my wife there for some greek food. She hasn't been and most of my experiences have been at lunch. I have always thought the cabrito they serve here to be a fine dish, in fact I think its one of houstons best dishes. I have also had the snapper dish at lunch and it is always great. Its a sauteed filet in a olive oil, lemon, garlic, oregeno sauce. After a semi bad experince in which we never ate I thought I would never get to go with my wife and dine here because of that experience. After some prodding she finally decided to give it a try. And boy, is she glad she did. Tonight we started with sauteed calamari in a butter sauce, and the calamari was some of the best in houston. Why people get this fish fried all the time I don't know? They are missing out. Then I had the chicken soup with orzo and finished off with some egg in order to thicken. Its a really tasty soup. Then we shared the evenings special. It was a whole grilled fish (branzini I think) with vegatables. The fish was exquisite! Perfectly grilled fish with no seasonings except the fire, olive oil, oregano and lemon. If you like whole fish presentation then this was great. At the top was the head with perfectly clear eyes and the mouth was filled with 2 very nice shrimp then a butterflied filet midsection followed by the tail. The side vegies were perfectly cooked and would be wonderful on their own. Now the prices here can get steep but I honestly think you are getting some of the best, most honest ingredients around. Are fish dish was $40 but it was for 2. they have a rack of Lamb that is in the $35 range and it is supposed to be excellent. I would imagine that it is enough for 2 people. The aforementioned cabrito is in the low $20 range but I think its in the $12-15 range at lunch. Di I mention live grek music? and when it is crowded it can get really fun. Go to ATGG and enjoy the best greek in Houston. And this is coming from a Mykynos fan.

I've always had good experiences at Hugos. I really enjoy tasting different tequilas and chasing with the homeade sangrita. I also have good luck with most the appetizers, especially the squash blossom special appetizer menu. Its been awhile since Ive been soi need to get back soon.

Tonight I made sautee halibut in a tomato basil beurre blanc sauce. It was devine. My very picky 20 month old son loved it. I was so proud. We served it with basic brocoli and mashed sweet and regular potatoes that were left over from last night. Additionally it was my first consious very low sodium dish because of an ear problem my wife is having. We are big time saltaholics so this is much bigger than it seems. this weekend could be carnitas weekend!?

Actually there are some very chowish places in Playa, to bad you missed them. Yes it is a bit touristy but I felt it was clean, fun, and overall nice place to visit. We actually only did one short ATV jungle tour and it was a blast. yaxche is actually on the other side of the freeway and is a interesting place serving mayan cousine. El Pastorcito had great tacos al pastor as did tacos alla something. Papa Hemmingways had great sopa d lima. La Floresta, El oasis for great ceviche and fish tacos, Hotel Allhambra for incredible chilaquillas and of course the churra stand in the middle of town. PLus many more I didn't hit like the butcher who will sell you meats cooked by the kilo and throw in tortillas and salsa.

Topwater is a great joint. I think the food is good but it really is the type of place I want to get drunk in(i have never been drunk here though) and eat all day. The fried shrimp is first rate. And I have to get down there for some oysters, like right now. Looks like a weekend trip is in order.