Lunch 2019

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

my favorite   at Rice Noodle Thai eatery :

 

Duck w green peppercorns  and Thai Basil with  broad rice noodles

 

 

as good as it gets

 

 

minus the broccoli!!!  They should have use chinese broccoli, which tastes nothign like regular broccoli (thankfully)...

 

Also, a great combo with fresh peppercorns is grachai - sometimes translated as wild ginger or lesser ginger... doesn't really taste like ginger though.  You can get it shredded and frozen... a little bit goes a long way - but the combo is magical!

[liuzhou]

Lunch today with a couple of young lady friends. The venue was chosen due to a conversation I had with one of them  a couple of weeks ago. She mentioned that she had been in a certain restaurant in another city and I said they have a branch here, too, but I've never been as it's not suitable for solo dining and none of my friends here want to go as they have an aversion to the place's specialty - frog. She promised we would go on her next visit, which turned out to be today.

 

 

Basically, they only have one dish, but that dish is tweakable.

Spicy Frog Hotpot.

 

You're having this no matter what. Then to this huge platter you add extras as desired.

 

Enoki Mushrooms

 

Lettuce

 

Tofu

 

Preserved eggs.

 

The eggs were fake and not at all pleasant. To make up the ladies ordered some fuit salad, of which I did not partake. Apple, melon, banana, ragon fruit and cherry tomatoes slathered in sweet Kewpie "mayonaisse". Yuck!

 

 

The frog dish was easily enough for the three of us and would have easily coped with a fourth - this is why I say it's not for solo dining.

 

 

190 元 = $27 USD

 

 

Edited November 24, 2019 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

@liuzhou,  I hope this isn't too wacky of a question. If the Chinese eat a lot of frog, do they also farm it? Or is it wild caught?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

17 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

@liuzhou,  I hope this isn't too wacky of a question. If the Chinese eat a lot of frog, do they also farm it? Or is it wild caught?

 

Interesting question.    Live frog are available periodically at Seafood Center (Clement Street, SF, CA).    Also, as I remember, at Mai Wah, same area.

[Katie Meadow]

1 hour ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

 

Interesting question.    Live frog are available periodically at Seafood Center (Clement Street, SF, CA).    Also, as I remember, at Mai Wah, same area.

As a fellow Bay Area and Californian you have no doubt noticed the drop in the frog population, generally, not that I know anything about the various species, but I do know that you hear a lot less croaking in the evenings around ponds or various suburban and country habitats. And, of course, frogs are one of these bellwether critters, another canary in the coal mine. I think I have tasted frog's legs once, and have no memory of flavor. I'm getting squeamish in my old age.

 

Why is it in westerns cowboys (or in other venues campers) roasting on the fire is always a bunny or a snake or a possum, but never a frog? Surely there would have been loads of them near wherever you put up your pup tent. I must have too much time on my hands this morning because now I'm going into the weeds. Would you roast a whole frog or just cut off the legs first like you assume they do in French restaurant, not that I ever to French restaurants. Although I have to admit I always suspected that many places called them frogs legs but subbed the drumstick of the wing. And of course, that's why it is common knowledge that frogs legs taste like chicken.

 

@liuzhou, tell me, in the frog restaurants in China do they eat more than just the legs?  I can hardly believe I'm thinking about this while I have a whole Sunday NYT sitting by.

[blue_dolphin]

A couple of Trader Joe's potato pancakes, heated from frozen in the CSO and served with sour cream and David Lebovitz's cranberry chutney. 

Plus a glass of sparkling wine, (Trader Joe's Reserve Brut Rosé North Coast) not pictured. 

For me, the charm of potato pancakes is in the lacy edges which are understandably lacking here but they're not bad. 

Edited November 24, 2019 by blue_dolphin (log)

[heidih]

Our Asian markets all sell frog legs in the frozen meat section. I think @Shelby has often shown frog legs that they catch near her home.

[liuzhou]

6 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

@liuzhou,  I hope this isn't too wacky of a question. If the Chinese eat a lot of frog, do they also farm it? Or is it wild caught?

 

Some is farmed; some wild. They live in the paddy fields here in the south. But there are also huge farms in the non-rice-growing areas.

[liuzhou]

4 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

@liuzhou, tell me, in the frog restaurants in China do they eat more than just the legs?  I can hardly believe I'm thinking about this while I have a whole Sunday NYT sitting by.

 

Yes. The whole body is eaten.

[kayb]

Frog legs, to me, taste sort of like chicken, but the texture is more like a firm-fleshed fish. We ate them often when I was a kid, after late-night frog-gigging expeditions. I don't recall us ever eating anything but legs, and I never had them any way but fried. They're really good pan-fried with a light crust and a lemon-butter sauce.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 minute ago, kayb said:

Frog legs, to me, taste sort of like chicken, but the texture is more like a firm-fleshed fish. We ate them often when I was a kid, after late-night frog-gigging expeditions. I don't recall us ever eating anything but legs, and I never had them any way but fried. They're really good pan-fried with a light crust and a lemon-butter sauce.

 

My mother-in-law fried up killer frog's legs...but wouldn't touch them herself.      That was salad night for her.

[BonVivant]

Had lunch in the big city Düsseldorf on Saturday. First time returning to this brewery's restaurant in a long time. The whole town and restaurants or cafes were absolutely full of partying football supporters. It was insanely crowded and loud everywhere.

 

Plate of different sausages and Speck, Sauerkraut and creamy mash. It baffles me when someone says they have leftover mashed potatoes. Put enough cream and butter in mine and watch it disappear from my plate!

 

The meats:  boiled Speck (quite salty), ball of liver, Kochwurst (a type of sausage), Blutwurst (blood sausage), Leberwurst (liver sausage) and Mettwurst (a type of sausage).

 

Not one photo of this dish on review sites anywhere. Creamy broad beans with Speck is home-style food. One of the reasons I prefer eating at brewery-restaurants in Germany. It's where you can eat typical, home-style food (not to mention the prices are usually agreeable).

 

The bill

 

This was outside the restaurant. The same inside but people were sitting and eating, and drinking of course.

 

My own lunch was oven baked beetroot falafel and tortillas.

 

[Kim Shook]

@robirdstx – I noticed on your burger wrapper that it says “Frozen Custard”.  I am a custard fanatic and will choose it over any ice cream/froyo/gelato anywhere.  But sometimes I find that it is really just soft serve and NOT true frozen custard.  How is the custard at Freddy’s?  Because I notice that they have one in Fredericksburg VA – not too far to go for really good custard.

 

@blue_dolphin – lovely looking TJ’s potato pancakes.  Certainly better looking that mine ever are.  I’ll have to look for them.

 

Lunch (brunch) after church yesterday with Mr. Kim.  He found a new (to us) place he thought I'd like:

 

The couple who started this place have a fascinating backstory.  They have a successful Brooklyn restaurant and decided that they wanted to start one here, where neither of them is from.  We really enjoyed the meal and the staff and the feel of the place and plan to go back.  It really is one of those places that you wish you lived close to.  We live out in the suburbs and always planned on moving back into the city neighborhood that we love when Jessica got out of school and the neighborhood priced themselves right out of our range!  

 

Bread service:

Bottom piece was focaccia and the bean thing had olive oil, herbs, and red pepper flakes besides the (slightly too al dente) beans.  

 

 

I had the Chicken Parmigiano with spaghetti pomodoro:

So perfectly classic and SO good.  The chicken was a beautifully pounded out paillard – very tender. 

 

Mr. Kim had the Eggs Polenta:

Poached eggs w/ shaved fennel, prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano:

It was a great combination and tasted lovely. 

 

We had no interest in dessert.  Then we saw that the servers were carrying around a large copper saucepan full of chocolate sauce and ladling it over various desserts.  We got vanilla gelato:

 

Today (because I forgot that I had the other half of my chicken Parm and spaghetti in the fridge ☹️), I had frozen shrimp and some copy-cat Bang-Bang sauce for dipping:

Edited November 25, 2019 by Kim Shook (log)

[robirdstx]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

@robirdstx – I noticed on your burger wrapper that it says “Frozen Custard”.  I am a custard fanatic and will choose it over any ice cream/froyo/gelato anywhere.  But sometimes I find that it is really just soft serve and NOT true frozen custard.  How is the custard at Freddy’s?  Because I notice that they have one in Fredericksburg VA – not too far to go for really good custard.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry Kim, I have not had their frozen custard, so I can not comment.

[heidih]

5 hours ago, BonVivant said:

Had lunch in the big city Düsseldorf on Saturday. First time returning to this brewery's restaurant in a long time. The whole town and restaurants or cafes were absolutely full of partying football supporters. It was insanely crowded and loud everywhere.

 

 

Not one photo of this dish on review sites anywhere. Creamy broad beans with Speck is home-style food. One of the reasons I prefer eating at brewery-restaurants in Germany. It's where you can eat typical, home-style food (not to mention the prices are usually agreeable).

 

The bill

 

This was outside the restaurant. The same inside but people were sitting and eating, and drinking of course.

 

My own lunch was oven baked beetroot falafel and tortillas.

 

 

Beetroot falafel sounds appealing. Just raw grated into mix before frying you think?  I would have been tempted to make off with some of the Little Fox beer items - fairytale like. At least the coaster - I'd sit on my hands about the glassware. (I am kidding)  

Edited November 26, 2019 by heidih (log)

[Anna N]

Lunch wasn’t just about the fried bread. But the desire for a piece of fried bread channelled the rest of lunch along a well-worn path. Bacon fat being essential for good fried bread and bacon always needing an egg or two and always a little something-something on the side. 
 

All was proceeding according to plan until I managed to break the egg yolk. 
 

[Smithy]

21 minutes ago, Anna N said:

All was proceeding according to plan until I managed to break the egg yolk. 

 

Broken yolk notwithstanding, that looks like an excellent lunch! Or breakfast, brunch, elevensies, midnight snack....  

[Duvel]

Goose ...

 

[rotuts]

@Duvel

 

Home Cooked ?  or from a restaurant ?

 

either way , Id love to try that dish.

 

I think Ive only had Goose ones or twice.

 

can't remember anything about it.

 

😂

[nickrey]

Lunch for 45 people on Tuesday. The main was duck three ways: duck spring roll, confit duck on lentils cooked in a red wine jus, and onsen duck egg dressed salad.

 

 

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, nickrey said:

onsen duck egg

Please tell me more about how you prepared this. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

No school today, so granddaughter spent the night and spent this morning creating many (plastic) lunch dishes for us.    (Best flea market buy I ever made.  Hours of fun...and distraction.)

[BeeZee]

Cubing the defrosted bread I had been saving in the freezer for stuffing...one partial loaf of a grainy/seedy variety that held up very well, I held back the "heel" end and made a mini sandwich of just provolone cheese on the bread. It's amazing how good bread, if wrapped well, holds up pretty well in the freezer.

[heidih]

46 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

No school today, so granddaughter spent the night and spent this morning creating many (plastic) lunch dishes for us.    (Best flea market buy I ever made.  Hours of fun...and distraction.)

Wow that is like the plastic food one sees in Japanese restaurant windows. All we ever had were found items, usually from outdoors. We "cooked" up a storm.   From wiki oIn Japan, (shokuhin sampuru (食品サンプル), taken from the English "sample") are widespread

Edited November 27, 2019 by heidih (log)

[nickrey]

11 hours ago, Anna N said:

Please tell me more about how you prepared this. 

duck egg cooked sous vide for 2 hours at 62.5C (144.5F). Peel and serve. I chilled all of them and reheated at 50C.