The Ladies Who Lunch (Part 1)

[Darienne]

Man, I am still thinking about those frites. That place is definitely on my must-return list!

I do the brisket at 175 degrees F for about 16 hours. Before I bag it I just give it a blot and put about 2/3 of the spice packet on just the fat side. I love the texture - it just about crumbles if you slice it thinly enough, but not in that terrible sawdusty dry way. I cooked a tiny one over the weekend and have been eating it for lunches (except today!) over coleslaw, with a sprinkling of cut-up lite jarlsberg and a little bit of thousand island dressing.

That sounds delicious. I have never cooked brisket but you have me thinking that I will soon fix that gap in my cooking!

DH, Ed, is the meat buyer in this family. I just asked him and he says he has never seen brisket in a local supermarket. I remember that my Bubi used to cook it. That's a long time ago. Anna, do you have it in your stores?

[JTravel]

I am always interested in what people come "here" to buy. When I travel I always try to hit supermarkets, as well as farmers markets. I always find things of interest.

People in Rochester are rather proud of being the home of Wegmans.....plus they are a good employer. I remember when the "Chuck Eye" discussion started on eG and I went off to Wegmans to look for it, sure enough it was there though I had never noticed it.

Looking forward to checking out the Blue Monk in Buffalo sometime as son lives there, and loves beer.

[Anna N]

.....

DH, Ed, is the meat buyer in this family. I just asked him and he says he has never seen brisket in a local supermarket. I remember that my Bubi used to cook it. That's a long time ago. Anna, do you have it in your stores?

I have seen it in most supermarkets but not all the time. Most of our meat managers will order in any cut if you ask them to do so.

[Kerry Beal]

They do indeed have a market area, well stocked.

Csvarki is little bits of pork and fat, fried. Chicerron essentially.

[Anna N]

Yesterday Kerry and I were lucky to have almost a whole day to indulge ourselves and partake of some retail therapy AND a leisurely lunch.

A local kitchenware store is going out of business so naturally that was our first stop. Unfortunately, even with their advertised 30% off prices their wares still managed to be priced about 30% too high! We left pretty much empty-handed but for a couple of citrus reamers and some NO2 cartridges for an ISI whipper. We also popped into a charity store in the vicinity and I snagged a second pour-over coffee maker which I use for anything but coffee. It is perfect for soaking raisins/dried mushrooms, etc.

Shopping always works up a good appetite and we were very close to Pane Fresco and my all-time favourite pizza.

Mushroom pizza:

Here I have folded back a piece to show off the gorgeous crust.

Kerry had the chicken and artichoke pizza:

And we both had enough leftovers for supper last night.

After lunch we headed over to the Re-Use Centre where I grabbed a few copies of ancient cooking magazines: The Pleasures of Cooking (the much loved magazine by Cuisinart), The Cook’s Magazine (precursor to Cook’s Illustrated) and Cuisine (so old that it sports cigarette ads). I also found a lovely covered condiment server that has a reservoir for ice. It had my daughter’s name written all over it and will perfect for her patio parties this summer. A most satisfactory day for the Ladies Who Lunch.

[Anna N]

I am almost embarrassed to admit to yet another lunch of pho but it seemed the perfect lunch yesterday given Kerry’s work schedule and the curves I fielded all week in my life.

Besides lunch we managed to pack in an amazing amount of retail therapy. We are both back into (sous-vide) and dabbling in some (molecular gastronomy) while we wait with bated breath for our (shared) copy of (Modernist Cuisine).. What better excuse can one have to acquire a few more tools and ingredients.

We found a surplus store where I stocked up on ice packs to chill down S-V products and there I found the pasta pot of my dreams for a very reasonable $28! We went in search of slotted spoons and found instead some small skimmers at one of the three Asian stores we visited. These leaves caught our attention but we have no idea what they might be. Anyone?

At Fortino’s Kerry talked to the meat cutter and persuaded him to cut her some “long” short ribs which she will turn into S-V pastrami.

After a quick trip back to Kerry’s house to unload groceries and add to my store of molecular ingredients we called it a day.

[Dejah]

The leaves might be papaya leaves? I picked up a packet that were papaya leaves about a month ago and never did get around to using them. I'll be interested to know how you will use yours.

[Kerry Beal]

The leaves might be papaya leaves? I picked up a packet that were papaya leaves about a month ago and never did get around to using them. I'll be interested to know how you will use yours.

Took a picture - but didn't buy them. We figured we'd find out what they were - decide if they would be useful to us - then go back and get them if we 'need' them.

[Kerry Beal]

Ran down to Buffalo again today to pick up a couple of things - Patris and I had a nice lunch at The Delaware in Kenmore.

To start we enjoyed Pork and Cheddar Tater Tots - potato croquettes filled with pulled pork, cheddar and onion.

Patty had the Pretzelweck Brisket Burger - house ground USDA choice brisket and chuck, horseradish mayo, caramelized onions and pepper jack.

I chose the Delaware Brisket Burger - cheddar, lettuce, tomato and onion. No relish available in the restaurant - we Canadians have weird tastes I guess. Nice burger though!

[heidih]

Those pork and cheddar tater tots looks worthy a recreation attempt. Nicely crisped. Burgers nothing to sneeze at either.

[Pierogi]

Kerry, *that* is a lunch to write home about ! Simply amazing, quality "junk" food (and I mean that in the abosolute most complimentary way... )

[patris]

Those pork and cheddar tater tots looks worthy a recreation attempt. Nicely crisped. Burgers nothing to sneeze at either.

Kerry, *that* is a lunch to write home about ! Simply amazing, quality "junk" food (and I mean that in the abosolute most complimentary way... )

It was a tasty meal indeed, made more enjoyable by the company. It was made memorable by our poor befuddled waitress, who was... not good at multitasking. After quite a lengthy wait for our burgers, she brought out only mine, apologizing all over herself that she had forgotten to put both orders in at once (at least I think that was what she was apologizing for; it was such a lengthy monologue that I lost track), and rather than have mine sitting under the lamps to overcook, she thought I should get started while Kerry's was cooked. Turned out she needn't have worried that mine would overcook under the lamps - the chef (and the carryover cooking from the wait, as I was not about to eat my lunch in front of a plateless companion) took care of the overcooking up front. No matter, though - the meat was of very good quality, and its lovely fattiness overcame the temperature abuse.

[Kerry Beal]

A lunch from Tuesday that I forgot to report on - my first chocolate student and I went to Earth to Table Bread Bar in Hamilton.

We both had the same lunch - the soup and sandwich special - parsnip and celeriac soup, with a toasted corned beef with sauerkraut sandwich. Needed a little cheese to round out the sandwich - but then I guess they'd have to call it a reuben.

[Kerry Beal]

Anna and I had lunch in this week - I stopped at The Bombay Grill and grabbed a few things. Onion bhaji, lamb tikka, chicken bhuna and naan.

[Darienne]

I have not had an onion bhaji for years now. Oh, how I remember that delicious treat! Lucky you.

[Anna N]

Last week Kerry brought an Indian take-out to my place as I couldn’t get away. It was so good that we decided this week we would visit the restaurant itself and sample the food on-site.

The first thing we noticed when entering the restaurant was the smell of smoke from BBQ and sure enough, a BBQ platter was one of the day’s special.

Here’s what we enjoyed:

This plate intrigued both of us with its elegant simplicity.

Basmati rice

BBQ platter with lamb and chicken

Balti chicken

Shrimp jalfrazie

Amazing naan bread

We also managed to squeeze in a visit to Ikea where Kerry picked up some dimmer switches for use in her chocolate room and I bought a spice grinder for my daughter and one of Ikea’s ingenious pot lids that can be used on many sizes of pots.

[Anna N]

Lunch yesterday was to satisfy my craving for bibimbap. Fortunately it’s also one of Kerry’s favourite meals. We knew we would be in Hamilton as I needed to replace most of my Indian spices so I could experiment with some curry dishes to be done on the Big Green Egg for the June Eggfest. I am ashamed to admit to how old some of my spices were. We googled “Korean” in Hamilton and came up with Hoya Japanese and Korean Cuisine.

Although calamari appeared on the appetizer menu we opted for something a little different. I am sorry but I don’t recall the name of the dish. It was a sushi-like roll with a rather gelatinous noodle centre.

We each ordered dolsot bibimbap with kalbi beef.

What we did not count on were the additional dishes that appeared. First up was something we think was congee.

It was a mild dish of rice topped with a garnish of seaweed.

Then we were each served a small salad

and then a bowl of miso soup.

The additional dishes interfered with my ability to finish my bibimbap. Kerry, however, was determined to get to the crispy rice at the bottom of the dolsot!

We visited the Punjab market and I stocked up on fresh Indian spices and grabbed some German tilsit cheese for my husband. A quick stopover in Value Village netted Kerry an ISI whipper in almost mint condition for $5.99, an enamelled meat tray, and a bag of acrylic shapes which she will use to mold chocolate shapes. I snagged two cook books.

We then headed back to Kerry’s house in hopes that Modernist Cuisine had been delivered. We saw the UPS truck on the street and chased it down. Alas, no books for us. But this morning I checked the UPS site and MC is due to arrive by the end of today!

[Kerry Beal]

Lunch was Thursday this week due to the inconvenience of having to work for a living. And of course having been away in Lancaster.

We were sticking close to home - so decided to eat at Salad Thai in Oakville.

Calamari of course!

Beef salad.

Shrimp panang curry.

This has been a test of posting from my iPad - it's only required about 4 hours of my time. Thanks for your help Chris!

[Kerry Beal]

Lunch this week was a quick run out to The Purple Healther GastroPub.

We shared an order of duck poutine and a roasted tenderloin steak sandwich. A bit of creative naming we figured - not a chance that sandwich was made with tenderloin!

Not a place we are going to be rushing back to.

[Anna N]

Once again our lunch plans were thwarted by circumstance but Kerry showed up with a fine spread of Indian food. From the Bombay Grill in Burlington we have:

Chicken Bhuna, Madras Beef Curry and Basmati Rice

and the absolutely essential naan bread.

I made tea for Kerry and washed mine down with a glass of wine.

[robirdstx]

A few recent lunches:

Late last month, my GF and I had lunch at the South Shore Grille, located near the south shore of Clear Lake in League City. I had been there a couple of times for dinner, but this was a first time for both of us for lunch. We both selected their version of a Cuban. She had the whole sandwich, while I had the half with a cup of tortilla soup. And since I was the designated driver, my GF opted for a cocktail to go with her lunch.

The sandwich was very good; the soup, however, was very salty and I did not take more than a couple of tastes. GF's Chocotini, fortunately, was a hit!

At the start of April, we tried a new to us Chinese place on the north shore of Clear Lake in Seabrook, Cafe 1979. We had a perfect view of the lake on a lovely day, but I forgot to snap a pic. I did, however, remember to photograph our food!

I had the Chicken in Garlic Sauce with an egg roll and fried rice. I also had a bowl of wonton soup that was the best I've ever had. The broth was very light and almost clear, but so full of flavor.

GF had the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, along with the egg roll, fried rice, and the wonton soup. After a minor mix-up where the waiter brought her the wrong plate, my GF pronounced her dish exactly what she had been wanting.

And mid-month I had lunch, on the porch at the Blue Iguana, with my DH while in Magnolia for the town's annual Depot Day.

We weren't really too hungry so just shared a Fajita Steak Quesadilla.

After lunch, we stopped in Tomball to do some antiquing. I found a copy of Diana Kennedy's Tortilla Book and a 1971 copy of the Fisherman's Wharf cookbook. Total cost $3.90 Score!

[Darienne]

That was an amazing score! I despair of our poor second-hand stores around Peterpatch. 90% microwave cooking books.

Your quesadilla looks HUGE. I cannot imagine scarfing down a whole one.

And we would kill...well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration...for a decent Chinese restaurant in our area. As it is, DH likes to have Chinese at least twice a week, which means...making it ourselves. He does sous-chef for me, so I can't complain. Too much.

[Kerry Beal]

Anna and I had the pleasure of being joined by Marlene today for lunch. It was Marlene's birthday and one of our last chances to enjoy lunch with her before her big move to Cowtown.

We had lunch at the Coach and Four a pub in Bronte Village. It serves pretty traditional pub grub - not shy on the quantities. It's 9 at night, I haven't had any dinner and I'm still not hungry!

Anna and I of course had to compare their squid with everyone else's and had the 'calamari volcano' - so instead of the usual squid rings, they cut theirs so that when it is fried it is kind of a 'squid blossom'. Nice heat in the flour they sprinkled it in and in the chili sauce it was served with.

We also shared 'irish nachos' - thick cut fried potato slices with nacho toppings.

I went on to have the rather unphotogenic split pea soup.

Anna had the lamb sandwich.

And Marlene - the beef dip.

[Marlene]

It was great to have a chance to lunch with the ladies before I leave Ontario. Boo. And I just want to say for those of you who know me. I did try the calamari. And ............I liked it. I really liked it!

[robirdstx]

Anna and I had the pleasure of being joined by Marlene today for lunch. It was Marlene's birthday and one of our last chances to enjoy lunch with her before her big move to Cowtown.

Anna and I of course had to compare their squid with everyone else's and had the 'calamari volcano' - so instead of the usual squid rings, they cut theirs so that when it is fried it is kind of a 'squid blossom'. Nice heat in the flour they sprinkled it in and in the chili sauce it was served with.

Happy Birthday Marlene!

That calamari looks awesome! I have 2 1/2 pounds of squid bodies in the freezer that are going to get that treatment real soon.

Tomorrow, my regular 'Ladies Who Lunch' gf and I are meeting up with another eGulleteer or two for a Cinco de Mayo lunch meet-up at Houston's new El Real Tex-Mex Cafe.

Edited May 5, 2011 by robirdstx (log)