eG Foodblog: Verjuice - Red, Green or Christmas?

[christine007]

I have a violent seafood allergy, but DUDE?

Who the hell needs oysters? You got you Marmite, stilton, prime rib, lamb, and your kitchen made me cry with envy.

I'm thinking you are female, like me right?

Can I be your hetero life mate, ala Jay and silent Bob?

Thanks for blogging, rock on!  

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That reminds me. A tale of legendary idiocy: A few years ago, before I knew I was allergic, I ate a couple dozen Wellfleet oysters and fell violently ill. My ribcage seized up and I felt like my whole body had been beaten with a sledgehammer. I lay awake all night, shivering and wincing from the pain. At the time, I had assumed that it was one bad bugger in the lot. A year later I was at Blue Water Cafe in Vancouver, and I must have eaten about forty oysters before I started to hallucinate, break out in hives, and feel my intercostal muscles begin contracting again. At the hospital an hour later, I had to confess to eating several dozen oysters before realizing that they were making me sick. The ER dc looked at me like I was either the biggest dimwit or the greediest person he had ever met.

Finally, two years later, I tried eating one kumamoto oyster at a chef's insistence. Don't ask me why I did it. Sure enough, ten minutes later I felt like I was being stabbed in the gut with a dough hook.

But I figured I should rule out gluttony as a potential aggravating factor in my allergy to oysters.

Ahem.

Oh- and yeah. I'm a chick.

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Oh my God. That's horrible.

my last one was an man from another country thought I WANTED a shrimp eggroll.

It could not have been more than half a tablespoon, and I had no clue, just ate the thing.

My body does this evacuation that I won't speak of (it is body functions that must not be named. )

And, then it's to the E.R. to lay around watching the tube getting an IV.

I warn, friends, neighbors, family, co-workers.

They look at me like I'm weird but HELLO? People share food!!!

I walked out of joint once that we wanted to eat at they had hosted a mussel boil the night before. barf.

I can't believe you can stand to be around them. I make my sometimes roomie eat that crap outside!

ETA- Jay and Silent bob are friends who do everything together but the sexy time.

They call themselve's hetero life mates. Funny movie.

Edited December 27, 2007 by christine007 (log)

[Verjuice]

Hola, boys and girls.

For lunch, I went over to my friend Wren's place to a) learn how to make pfannkuchen (German pancakes; Wren is German), and b) play Scrabble (we are both hopeless addicts).

Wren is one of the loveliest , bravest, and most generous people I know. She is also a gifted physician and fabulous cook, potter and enamel artist, among other things.

Here are her rescued kids. The first picture is of Lucky, whom Wren legally kidnapped last month, so to speak, from her neighbors. They were abusing him and one day he ran away from home. Wren went to the local shelter on a hunch and adopted him from there. Very gutsy, considering her neighbors are a rough bunch, and they have yet to figure out that their former pet is living right next door! Look at that loyal face.

Phoebe:

Jack:

Emma:

Edited December 27, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[Verjuice]

Of all of the creatures in Wren's home, I probably bonded most with this monster. Here is the largest, sexiest single clove of garlic I have ever seen:

When Wren made the pfannkuchen, she used coconut oil to grease the pan. Mamma mia!! It imparted the most wonderful flavor to the finished product...

As if pancakes weren't enough to talk me into coming over, Wren pulled out a bunch of mushrooms that she foraged herself earlier this year-- Aspen boletes and King boletes! These were sauteed with a respectably-sized knob of good butter.

And that was lunch!

Before we settled in to play Scrabble Wren served me a cup of green tea in this mug that she made:

Edited December 27, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[racheld]

Great covetings and envy of your lunch game with Wren and her gorgeous companions.

Oxyphenbutazone, quetzals and whizbang to you both.

[christine007]

We really are kinda longdistance kindred spirits!

Hug Wren from me. Every dog, cat I have ever had was a rescue, except my purebred shep, but he kinda was because his mommy and daddy escaped from the breeders barn and had some unplanned sexy time.

So, how do the mushrooms compare to white buttons, portabellas, etc, the only ones my sorry self was ever exposed to?

I love to heat the oven to 400, butter a pita, cover it with sliced mushies, S and P, and after they melt down, hit it with a ton of swiss and put it back in for five minutes. So damn addicting.

How did you get the pics of the beautiful dogs to come out so, well, beautiful?

Tell Wren from me I rescued my cat Linus from the gangstas across the street who were throwing him against the house, repeatedly. I gave birth to my son two weeks later, scared that the kitty would be jealous.

Linus would lay on the pillow I had on my lap for nursing, and I had to gently stop the two pound kitten from grooming my son.

I fell asleep with my son in the bed and when I woke up, linus was sleeping on his head, keeping him warm.

She'll love that story.

[Kent Wang]

Oh my, I just called them and you're absolutely right. I don't remember them always doing it that way! They said that they use lemons because of their year-round consistency. What the heck- are you kidding me? Every other place in town manages to locate limes throughout the year.

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This is absolutely bizarre. Sounds like you need to BYO limes!

[mizducky]

Of all of the creatures in Wren's home, I probably bonded most with this monster. Here is the largest, sexiest single clove of garlic I have ever seen:

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Word. I've seen those giant single-clove garlic heads here and there recently. Haven't come up with a reason to get one yet, but they look like they could be way fun to play with. Once I brought myself to sully their beauty by peeling 'em and stuff. But I'm already imagining thin lenthwise slices of the stuff lubed up with olive oil and browned onto some crostini ...

Digging all the images and info. And yeah--also digging your lifestyle. Rock on.

P.S. As a flatlander, I'd long heard about adjustments needed for cooking at higher altitudes, but I'd never thought about how it would affect something like brewing coffee. D'oh!

[Verjuice]

P.S. As a flatlander, I'd long heard about adjustments needed for cooking at higher altitudes, but I'd never thought about how it would affect something like brewing coffee. D'oh!

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Thanks for the sweetness, mizducky.

I called my friend Dan, owner PD Bean coffee shop, earlier today to get more accurate info on the whole coffee brewing thing. I had never discussed my theory with anyone before posting about it here; I just know from experience that it never tastes right when it's made in a home kitchen.

Dan confirmed that his commercial equipment is pressurized to keep the water at 195 degrees throughout the brewing process, whereas at this altitude with an ordinary drip coffee maker/French press/percolator/Moka etc. the water will just never get anywhere close.

Edited December 28, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[Pierogi]

Verjuice, I thought no one would be able to top the triple treat of Abra, Chufi & Lucy that we had last, but your blog, while very different, is every bit as enjoyable ! You have an obvious flair and joi de vivre that is contagious and comes through the computer. Thanks for sharing with us. And love, love, LOVE the puppy pictures, next time you see them give them all a big tummy rub from me. Blog on sister, blog on. Eagerly looking forward to the next installments.

[Tepee]

I'm also glued to this blog...so many 'new' things to see. I don't see you posting very often, so this blog is a great revelation.

My bro-in-law, as well as my daughter's best friend (her mom got a job there), has gone over to Dubai...it's incredible how many Malaysians are heading over there. Would love to see more. What should we ask him to buy home when he returns for a break?

Cheers.

Edited December 28, 2007 by Tepee (log)

[prasantrin]

I'm also glued to this blog...so many 'new' things to see. I don't see you posting very often, so this blog is a great revelation.

My bro-in-law, as well as my daughter's best friend (her mom got a job there), has gone over to Dubai...it's incredible how many Malaysians are heading over there. Would love to see more. What should we ask him to buy home when he returns for a break?

Cheers.

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I'm not Verjuice, but...Dates! The ones from Bateel stuffed with almonds or pistachio paste! And the spicy cashews from Lulu's (supermarket). They were gooooooood!

I just did a search and they have Bateel in KL, so maybe you don't need the dates...but the spicy cashews from Lulu's are still highly recommended!

Edited December 28, 2007 by prasantrin (log)

[prasantrin]

I wasn't going to say so, but since you asked: the pastries sucked! They didn't look good too me to begin with, so I wasn't surprised. A lot of people disagree, but I think that high-end dining in Dubai is grossly overpriced and overrated. You've been to the Lime Tree Cafe, right? Best value in town, and it's not cheap (the brownies are amazing, though).

I like the bottom left and middle ones. I'm a sucker for anything that looks like it might be meringue (bottom-middle one--though it's probably more like ladyfingers). The purple thing near the top is certainly fugly, though!

I never made it to Lime Tree Cafe--we had planned to go, but never got there. I did make it to the Boat House or Marina or some sort of place like that, and I kind of thought it sucked (but it's very popular with the ex-pat crowd, probably because you can order very watered-down drinks there).

I'll let my friends know about the Lebanese place in RAK. I'm sure they'd love to try it!

[C. sapidus]

Verjuice, love the kitchen, the books, the ‘shrooms, the house, the pooches, the photography, and the insight into your two homes. But mostly:

You have an obvious flair and joi de vivre that is contagious and comes through the computer.  Thanks for sharing with us.

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What she said. I do have to take points off for this disturbing sight

I hear wonderful things about New Mexican food, but haven’t experienced it in person. If you are taking requests, please do share some of your favorite New Mexican dishes, whether home-made or not.

Otherwise, just keep doing what you are doing.

[Verjuice]

Buenos dias and sabah al-khair!

I uploaded my pics from last night when I got home, but kept nodding off in the middle of trying to post, so I put it off until this morning.

It snowed intermittently all day yesterday, and it was really coming down when we got to Maria's at 8 pm (without a reservation because I've never needed one before, and am always happy to sit in the bar). I have never seen a restaurant lobby so crowded here in Santa Fe- the wait was nearly two hours and the bar was packed. Not my idea of a good time, so we just made a reservation for tonight at 8 and left.

We slipped and slid our way on the icy roads to the Staab House at La Posada on Palace Ave.

The courtyard was stunning, with fire several fire pits:

The bar is comfortable. There are a couple of cozy rooms attached, which is where we sat.

The hotel lobby itself consists of a series of a half dozen furnished rooms, and cocktails can be served in any one of them:

Edited December 28, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[Verjuice]

And Kent, I hate to disappoint, so this is for you. The tequila list at the Staab House:

I ordered the house special Silver Coin... Herradura Silver. And--- a tragic combo of lemon and lime juice. Garnished with slices of lemon and lime. I only had a couple of sips; too sweet and too strong. Oh, the mockery:

He had a Monk's Ale, made here in NM by monks up in Jemez:

The menu was tempting:

And LOOK, Seattleites!

[Verjuice]

We had Pissaladiere:

And eight small plates. They weren't particularly photogenic, so I won't post many photos. But we had:

Manchego and membrillo

Crab croqettes with aioli

Pate Forestier with whole grain mustard and cornichons

Duck rillettes and crostini

Stuffed mussels

Andouille sausage with apple compote

Gnocchi alla Romana

Salt Cod Brandade

The pinons in the rillettes were.... interesting:

The spineless little cornichons from the pate performed some impressive gymnastics for us:

[Verjuice]

We wrapped things up with a proper margarita at the Rio Chama. Ahhh..... perfection:

Of course, I can't go anywhere without ordering food, so food was ordered.

Mini-burgers:

Nachos with green chile:

And also these, just for dipping the nachos into for maximum pleasure:

Roasted tomato salsa, tomatillo salsa, and habanero guacamole:

And Chama chili:

Yes, that bowl of m&ms was full when I sat down. And yes, it was empty when I left.

Edited December 28, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[Verjuice]

Oxyphenbutazone, quetzals and whizbang to you both.

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Oh no... you've got the bug, too!

[Verjuice]

Verjuice, I thought no one would be able to top the triple treat of Abra, Chufi & Lucy that we had last, but your blog, while very different, is every bit as enjoyable !

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That is a lovely compliment. Thank you.

[Margo]

[...thanks for the additional info on Mr. Stamm, Margo; he sounds like Santa Fe's answer to M.L. Levitt...]

I also never seem to to tire of this awesome thing, which I often deliberately walk past when I'm downtown:

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That looks like something Moshe Safdie might have built if he worked in adobe or stucco. What is it? Do you know who designed it?

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I thought La Fonda hotel at first, but is it the Inn at Loretto?

You mentioned the Monte Sol neighborhood around St. John's College--my alma mater! Did my junior year "abroad" at the Santa Fe campus, where I fell in love with red and green chile. Even today, they are among my pantry essentials.

Maria's was a favorite spot, for fajitas. Is Molly's Mexican Kitchen still operating? Dave's Not Here?

[Verjuice]

I thought La Fonda hotel at first, but is it the Inn at Loretto?

You mentioned the Monte Sol neighborhood around St. John's College--my alma mater! Did my junior year "abroad" at the Santa Fe campus, where I fell in love with red and green chile. Even today, they are among my pantry essentials.

Maria's was a favorite spot, for fajitas. Is Molly's Mexican Kitchen still operating? Dave's Not Here?

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Yes, it's the Inn at Loretto! Pretty impressive, no?

Dave's is still there (or "here", I suppose. Never did figure out the name). I used to go there all the time when I lived in the neighborhood, but after I moved back to town, I noticed it was getting written up in the paper a lot for violating health codes, and a couple of friends told me it just wasn't the same.

Molly's Mexican Kitchen is gone. I don't think this place is related. Is it?

As for Monte Sol, I don't know what I'd do (or how I'd eat this way) without Dorothy Stewart and Atalaya for frequent excursions...

eta: Dorothy Stewart and Atalaya are hiking trails.

Edited December 28, 2007 by Verjuice (log)

[Wein1965]

I'm coming out of the woodwork to let you know that I'm loving your blog. I have family in Albuquerque and visit them often. I always make it a point to go to SF while I'm there, and it's one of my favorite places on Earth. Even though it's a long way off, I've already informed my husband that we are retiring to Santa Fe.

[Verjuice]

I'm also glued to this blog...so many 'new' things to see. I don't see you posting very often, so this blog is a great revelation.

My bro-in-law, as well as my daughter's best friend (her mom got a job there), has gone over to Dubai...it's incredible how many Malaysians are heading over there. Would love to see more. What should we ask him to buy home when he returns for a break?

Cheers.

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Hi Tepee!

I always bring back Lebanese sweets. There's a huge Lebanese population in the Emirates, and they keep the bar quite high:

1) Baqlawa (baclava) from Al-Samadi Sweets in Abu Dhabi. Not sure what the best is in Dubai, or if Goodies in Wafi City in Dubai has decent stuff- but it might, as it is Lebanese in origin, and that's never a bad thing! There is so much mediocre baqlawa out there, and very little that manages to be simultaneously light, crisp, rich with real butter, and not too sweet.

2) Nammoura and basbousa from, randomly enough, Carrefour. None of their other sweets are remarkable, but these are ambrosial- the best ever! There are several Carrefours in Dubai where these can be found. They are sold by the kilo at the Lebanese pastry counter. Make sure he asks to taste them first, so that they give him the best and the freshest, which they save for buyers whom they presume to be discriminating.

3) Dates. Bateel is grossly overpriced. Their presentations are gorgeous, but the quality itself is quite poor. You can get outstanding local dates at any supermarket for a song. Plain, stuffed with almonds, you name it... there are countless varieties. Bateel dates are more the sort of thing you send to a friend's hospital room in lieu of flowers, after she's had a baby.

On a non-food related note, jewelry. Small pieces or otherwise. Dubai has become obscenely expensive, but there are a few places in the Free Zone where I know excellent, honest dealers of gold and gemstones, with prices that cannot be matched anywhere.

<<Full disclosure: I am not connected as a businessperson to the dealers mentioned above, but tor several years, I've had a business on the side with another Emirati woman (a gemologist), dealing in fancy (colored) diamonds)>>.

[Verjuice]

I'm coming out of the woodwork to let you know that I'm loving your blog. I have family in Albuquerque and visit them often. I always make it a point to go to SF while I'm there, and it's one of my favorite places on Earth. Even though it's a long way off, I've already informed my husband that we are retiring to Santa Fe.

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Thanks for making an appearance.

Hopefully, by the time you've retired here, I'll have my very own Emirati/Lebanese/Northern New Mexican fusion restaurant going, and you can come by for dinner.

[Verjuice]

Verjuice, love the kitchen, the books, the ‘shrooms, the house, the pooches, the photography, and the insight into your two homes. But mostly:

You have an obvious flair and joi de vivre that is contagious and comes through the computer.  Thanks for sharing with us.

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What she said. I do have to take points off for this disturbing sight

I hear wonderful things about New Mexican food, but haven’t experienced it in person. If you are taking requests, please do share some of your favorite New Mexican dishes, whether home-made or not.

Otherwise, just keep doing what you are doing.

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Thank you!

As for the Marmite, well... what can I say. Do you have any idea what it's like to go through life as a slave to sodium? Clearly not.

edited because I never proofread and have clumsyy fiingrs

Edited December 29, 2007 by Verjuice (log)