Monthly Archives: September 2012

Tan’s Asian Cafe, finally!

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Dinner, Review

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Tallahassee’s Chinese/Asian restaurants (especially take out) get a bad rap. I used to love Ming Tree, but after moving to the Northside and their eventual decline, I have been without a go-to for Chinese fare.

I have been hearing great things about Tan’s Asian Cafe, and had been trying to get there for a while. Well, last night I convinced my daughters that they REALLY wanted Chinese food, and (after taking pictures of rainbows in the backyard during a sudden storm) we were off!

So, like the diligent researcher I am, I examined Urbanspoon reviews to see what the best dishes are and we submitted our order. Our waitress was an adorable little lady who charmed the girls, and promptly brought our drink orders. I got Mongolian Beef and Egg Drop/Wonton Soup, DH got Chicken Curry, and the girls got a Ninja Sushi Roll and Sweet & Sour Chicken.

My soup came out within minutes and my Mongolian Beef very close after. The soup had a rich flavor, and great texture – not too thin as is the usual experience.

Food Porn Alert! Do not attempt to lick your screen…

The Mongolian Beef was spectacular. The tender beef was gorgeously glazed and the flavor was a perfect balance of sweet and spicy. (Even the picky daughter loved it.)

The Sweet and Sour Shrimp arrived hot and crispy with a nice light sweet sauce. The 9 pc. Ninja Roll was a sizable roll with tempura crisps in the middle and BBQ Eel on the outside. It drizzled with eel sauce and a spicy mayo, and was accompanied by two fried panko shrimp – very good. The hubs’ Chicken Curry was also solid. The light and flavorful curry had chicken, mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots, baby corn pieces and water chesnuts. It had a little spicy afterburn, but the 9-year-old said that it wasn’t too spicy.

And just to make sure that we stuffed ourselves silly – we ordered Chinese Doughnuts. Who can say no to fried dough covered in sugar? Not us. (Very good, by the way. And also good the next day for breakfast…)

I have to admit that I didn’t want to have too high of expectations, but the food was really impressive. The service was quick and friendly, the restaurant was very clean. I wanted to try their Indonesian dishes, but I figured I would start out with the more traditional Chinese entrees. (Beef Tendon Noodle Soup or Baba Rica – You’re Next!)

Note: We brought home boxes from all of the entrees. The dinner portions are large, sharing is definitely a solid option.

Tan's Asian Cafe on Urbanspoon

First Caribbean Food at G & G Caribbean Restaurant

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Lunch, Review

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I am lucky to have friends that love a wide range of cuisines and tastes. When I was searching for something a little different last week, a friend recommended G & G Caribbean Restaurant over on West Pensacola Street (across from the old Publix and Hobbit Hoagie complex).

The parking lot was cramped, but we were lucky and got a front spot. The restaurant is simple but clean, with cafeteria style service that allows you to look at all of the options. The most expensive entrees were the Oxtails and Goat Curry, which come with two sides, at $11. My friend got the Oxtails, for us to share, and I got the Chicken Curry, which was $5. I was disappointed that they were out of one of their specialties, the Goat Curry, but hope to sample that on a future visit.

The Oxtails were in a rich, beefy gravy over fluffy rice and beans, with buttered cabbage. I loved the Oxtails, but would have liked more veggie options. The gravy had a warm allspice taste to it with a little sweetness. Very comforting dish.

The Chicken Curry was a great portion for the price and had a light and mildly spicy gravy that was delicious over yellow rice. (Not photogenic, but tasty.)

As we ate, the restaurant quickly filled up. And with a small staff of one manning the counter, expect to wait. This was a solid lunch for the price, and I look forward to coming back again to try the Goat Curry. There is also another location that the Urbanspoon reviewers like better – I may try that one next time. However, I was happy with the experience and hope to have more Caribbean food in the near future.

G & G Caribbean Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Lemon Caper Salmon Burgers with Herb Aioli

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Dinner, Recipes

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What to do with extra salmon? That was my quandary this weekend after doing my go-to salmon recipe (soak in balsamic vinegar/soy sauce for 30 min, pat dry and add salt/pepper/brown sugar before saute – awesome and simple) for dinner yesterday and having extra. And we had wonderful mashed potatoes with it, but of course forgot to take a photo.

So on to tonight, I was thinking that salmon burgers would be something different, and after tooling around various recipe sites, I figured I could wing it.

Well, my experiment was not mind-blowing, but still was a big improvement on most that I have had in restaurants. I decided to do a fine chop instead of using the food processor (or canned salmon, um no.) I mixed the salmon with lemon zest, a little white onion (fine dice), diced capers, mayo, S/P and mashed potatoes for the binder.

As many of you know, I feel like the bread is a big deal for a good burger or sandwich. I had the hub pick up fresh bakery hamburger rolls, which were toasted and buttered. (Of course.) Served with romaine, and Stonewall Kitchen lemon herb aioli from Fresh Market, this was a solid effort. I think I need to add a little more binder next time (or use a thinner spatula) as two out of the three patties were difficult to turn without a little disassembly, but still very yummy.

The patties themselves were very flavorful, I loved all of the crispy edges on the little chunks of salmon. I also really liked the texture of the mashed potatoes as the binder. I’m thinking adding a tablespoon of panko next time and maybe an egg white will help with the structure, but I would hate to modify the texture too much. So B+ effort, but will report back when I make these again. Also, the 9-year-old inhaled hers, so I’m thinking it wasn’t too bad. 😉

Do you have a go-to salmon recipe? I would love to hear about it…