16 Friday Nov 2012
In honor of the upcoming holiday, I had to share this new recipe for roast turkey with bacon. I can’t imagine how good the gravy is…
Looks amazing, no?
Bacon Bird with Turkey Neck Gravy from Food52
BTW, the runner-up in this contest – the Spatchcocked Roast Turkey – looks delicious as well and cooks in less time…
Posted by AllOutOfForks | Filed under Dinner, Food Porn Friday
06 Tuesday Nov 2012
Tallahassee has kind of a sad reputation when it comes to barbecue. For some reason, we do not have a BBQ joint that has been around for 50 years with an old character running the pit – as you would see across Texas or in Memphis.
Thankfully, we have had several new places open up and my hopes have been high for each one. However, so far I haven’t been very impressed. We do have several roadside/food truck establishments that have been filling that gap.
Last week, a new bbq place opened on the north side of town by Hurricane Grill and Wings (in front of Z. Bardhi’s, across from Publix) called the Tallahassee Smokehouse.
I had (thankfully) already found them on Facebook so that I could track their progress, and had sort of forgotten when they were opening. But then I saw a post that Mondays were “kids eat free” and “$6 Martinis” – a dangerous, but enticing combo. 😉
Walking up to the Smokehouse, we could smell smoke emanating from the building – always a good sign for a bbq place. The interior is woodsy and welcoming, with a nice bar over to the side and flat-screen tvs all around. The bar menu has a great selection of beers and martinis.
In the back, you can see a huge smoker working away in an open kitchen type area. We were quickly seated and provided drinks. They had a nice selection of kids beverages and had wikisticks for the girls to play with. The menu actually has a lot more than BBQ, with many sandwich and burger offerings in addition to non-bbq entree choices such as fish and steak. The server was quick to point out that all apps and entrees (including the BBQ) are fresh and made that day. He said the Swordfish Dip is made fresh – cooking the swordfish and chopping it with the other ingredients (definitely trying that next time.) They are open for lunch and dinner every day, and stay open late on Friday and Saturday.
In order to try a variety of the barbecued meats, we got the Three Meat Combo with Brisket, Chopped Pork and Baby Back Ribs (with two sides – Mac ‘n Cheese and BBQ Beans) We also got one kids rib meal, with St. Louis Style Ribs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
The brisket was moist and you could pull it apart with a gentle tug, perfectly cooked. The smoke and dry rub really flavored it well. I was impressed especially since I haven’t had good brisket in Tallahassee before. The Baby Back Ribs were good, even though they were a little too saucy for me. I think I liked the St. Louis style a little better – drier with a great bark on them. They also had a variety of sauces to choose from: Original, Sweet, Hot, and Carolina Vinegar.
St. Louis Style Spare Ribs – Kids Meal
The Texas Toast was a hit, but the rest of the sides were a little uneven. The Mac ‘n Cheese was liked by half (this version had corn and peppers in it) and the Garlic Mashed Potatoes were liked by half. They were a little on the gummy side to me – a frequent side effect of making mashed potatoes in mass and over beating them. The beans were more on the light and vinegary side, instead of the traditional sweet and porky southern style – I wasn’t a fan, but it may have been just the surprise of the different style.
The kid’s meals come with dessert. Although we only ordered one, the waiter generously provided one for each girl and even thought ahead to get the fried funnel sticks ordered before we were done with the entrees. Fantastic service, and we ended up having a bill of $30 for four – which is unheard of for us.
Bottom line was that when you have good ribs and brisket (harder degree of difficulty), that matters a lot more to me than the sides. When you add that to the great specials and service, you can bet that we will be back regularly. It may not be a old bbq joint in the traditional sense, but it is a definite upgrade from Sonny’s and a solid addition to the Northeast Tallahassee restaurants.
31 Wednesday Oct 2012
Last week I was able to take my hubs out on a date night to the Miccosukee Root Cellar. I had heard good things, but had no idea what to expect.
The MRC is located right next to Uptown (who I love) across from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (where I was born, woot!). The outside is unassuming, but I was very impressed with the bright but cozy interior.
We were immediately greeted and provided the menu. They have a delightful selection of craft beers and nice wines. My hubs got an Abita and I got a crisp chardonnay.
MRC calls itself a “farm-to-table” restaurant and lists its providers. I was happy to see Sweet Grass Dairy and Orchard Pond farms (Sidenote: the Orchard Pond CSA is fabulous.)
To begin, we ordered the Charcuteries board. The cured meats included beautiful salame and sausage.
They also provided a Dijon Mustard and a Horseradish Mustard with cute little toasts. I have to say that my fave was the pickled veggies. I may have to go back and see if I can take home a jar of the pickled okra, which was outstanding.
I hated to just try one entree on the menu, as everything looked great, so I asked if the chef could make a sample plate with small portions of featured entrees. To my delight, they created a plate with the MRC Meatloaf, a special Barbecue Brisket, and the Braised Short Ribs. We ordered the bacon mashed potatoes and squash for our sides.
If I could eat that over again, I would. Amazing. The sauces were rich and flavorful. You can taste the chipotle in the BBQ, which was incredibly deep and smoky. And the bacon mashed potatoes were everything I hoped. Pure comfort food.
Mershed Perderders!!
I was full to the gills, but in honor of our date night, we ordered dessert. (We had too!) We ordered the Bay Leaf Creme Brulee, although we were tempted by the variety of homemade organic cookes and ice creams. 
The creme brulee had a nice floral/herby note, without being to strong and was light and creamy. Really a nice way to end a meal.
I loved the Miccosukee Root Cellar, and could definitely see us coming back with a group of friends to enjoy live music or just a relaxing happy hour.
Check out their music calendar or the menu on their website or on Facebook!
11 Thursday Oct 2012
Tallahassee has an interesting assortment of Mexican food establishments. We have the chains (El Jalisco, On the Border etc.), some locally run (La Hacienda and La Tapatio are my faves) and even some Mexican groceries and food trucks (La Tienda, Tacos Gringos) that offer takeout.
One of our go-to spots is Pepper’s Mexican Grill and Cantina on Capital Circle (sort of across from Sam’s and Sonny’s). It is a small Florida chain, and has consistently been a favorite for my family.
An entrée that I continue to order is the Mariachi. It is mild white fish and fresh shrimp grilled with onions, tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos. It is served with rice and beans (delicious!), but is a great low-carb dish if served without.
This dish is fresh and filling. I love the jalapenos, but they can be moved to the side to reduce the total heat. The grilled onions/tomatoes/cilantro make a great sauce that elevates the fish and the shrimp.
The chicken nachos were ordered by one daughter and the other got the cheese quesadilla. The nachos are huge (even the kid’s portion) and they are yummy. Covered in shredded chicken and queso, they would be plenty for an adult as well.
Peppers’ service is generally pretty fast, even on crowded nights. The parking lot fills up, but because of some fairly spacious outside seating, you are usually not going to have to wait very long. The restaurant is clean and bright, and also features a nice bar area.
I have also had their Fish Tacos several times and think that they are some of the best in Tallahassee. (Cabo’s is a close first). Definitely worth a try and is one of their lunch deals.
This restaurant is not well-known for those who don’t live on the SE side of town, I would encourage you to try it at lunch as it is only 10 min tops from downtown.
18 Tuesday Sep 2012
I know that Ted’s Montana Grill is small(ish) chain, but since he owns so much land in our area, I consider it a kind of local place. The restaurants are mainly in Colorado and Georgia, sprinkled in some others on the East Coast and with one actually in Montana.
Ted’s aims to have that western feel with bison on the menu (and on the wall), resulting in an overall atmosphere that is very hunting lodge meets family restaurant. One of my favorite features is that you can call ahead to get on the waiting list – very necessary on Friday or Saturday nights.
The 8 yr old, K, examining the large menu at Ted’s…
We recently had a 10 year old’s birthday to celebrate, so we met my parents at Ted’s for dinner.We were all famished so we put in an order of their Chips and Dip, which is homemade kettle chips and ranch dip. Very creamy, and very good. Warning: this goes really fast with six people, so grab some early. (We saved the rest of the ranch to dip fries in…solid choice.)
My husband ordered a cheeseburger with fries. Their cheeseburger is by far one of the best in town. They sear fresh ground beef on a well-seasoned griddle and then steam the burger by covering it with a bowl and spraying liquid under the rim. The burger is incredibly juicy and you can taste the high quality of the beef. (The bison burger is excellent as well.) The french fries are freshly hand cut – if you eat at the bar, you can watch them cut the potatoes.
I attempted to order something new, but I just could not get the Red Rock Chicken Sandwich out of my head. This sandwich comes with grilled chicken breast, Pepper Jack cheese, fresh jalapeños, cilantro, fried onion straws and their signature Z-Sauce. The combination of the Z-sauce (kind of bbq sauce), the fried onions and jalapeños really enhances the chicken. And I love the ciabatta bread – they toast it on the interior side so that the outside isn’t too hard (which happens often with ciabatta.)
Soooo good.
You can have the hand-cut fries, but I attempted to be healthier by getting a side of broccoli. They steam it till it is just barely tender, ask for it to be cooked longer if you like the broccoli more tender (as I do.)
B (the birthday girl!) got the Angus Sliders app and K got the kid’s menu steak and fries. The kid’s portions are no joke. Great size – I have even ordered the kids Salmon entrée for myself once and it was plenty.
My mom got the short ribs and mashed potatoes (looked amazing) and my dad got the same sandwich as I did. All were very pleased and we got boxes for the leftovers from the girls’ meals.
Last, but not least, we ordered birthday dessert. The official birthday dessert is a large homemade cookie and vanilla ice cream. Both girls got the chocolate chip. Once again, the portions are huge. The cookie was almost the size of B’s face! The vanilla ice cream was flavorful and creamy, a perfect foil to the immense cookie.
Birthday girl! Can you see her behind he cookie?
This was a great meal and I love bringing my family here. It is more expensive than most fern bar/restaurants, but the quality of the food and service make it worth it.
And get the burger. Do it.
11 Tuesday Sep 2012
Okra is not the prettiest vegetable, but it is sooo good. I grew up eating fried okra, where I would eat each batch as fast as my Mom could make it. Flour, salt, okra and some oil – and you are done!
I love the different shapes and colors that okra can have. I was pleasantly surprised to find some Crimson Okra in my CSA bag from Orchard Pond Organics, in addition to the more common Green Okra.
B (the almost 10-year-old) thought the red okra was a little sweeter that the green. I thought they tasted about the same.
I heat up a couple of inches of oil at med-high heat. To test to see if it is hot enough, I put the handle of a wooden spoon in – if the oil reacts with lots of bubbles, it is too hot; if there is a steady stream of bubbles, then it should be about 350 degrees.
I like to put the flour, salt and sliced okra in a Ziploc, and then pour the okra in to a colander (either in the sink or in a grocery bag) to shake off the excess flour. I fry the okra in batches, using the colander to pour the okra in the oil. (FYI: Oil burns are painful, and create lovely blisters. Ouch.)
Just fry the okra until crispy and spoon out onto a paper towels. IMMEDIATELY SALT OKRA. It sticks better and flavors the okra more thoroughly.
Oooo..here they are. Just amazing little crispy gems.
Bonus photo with B’s fingers eating MY OKRA.
Now, I also like okra sliced and added to veggie saute (squash, onion, garlic and any other veg in the fridge), as well as roasted whole, but fried is just so good.
How do you like your okra?
07 Friday Sep 2012
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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.
04 Tuesday Sep 2012
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…
17 Friday Aug 2012
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Food52 is one of my favorite recipe resources, mainly because the recipes are tested by home cooks as well as more professional testers. This recipe in particular looks amazing…
Ermahgerd, STERK!
Porcini and Rosemary Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce
Posted by AllOutOfForks | Filed under Dinner, Food Porn Friday
13 Monday Aug 2012
I was lucky to spend my last semester at Florida State University abroad in Florence, Italy. It was an amazing (hot!) summer where I first discovered wine I liked and was seriously overwhelmed by good food. When I got home to Tallahassee, I learned how to cook all of my favorite dishes from Italy, and my passion for good food and cooking took off from there – learning to cook all of my favorite things from my childhood and beyond.
The two of the first dishes that made an impression were Risotto Milanese (ridic!) and Pasta alla Carbonara. Carbonara looks complicated, but comes together very quickly and is a luxurious sauce that is seriously addictive. Pancetta seems like an exotic ingredient but it is simply uncured Italian bacon. It is definitely worth seeking out at the grocery deli counter or Italian specialty store.
Via Wikipedia: As the name is derived from carbonaro (the Italian word for charcoal burner), some believe the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers.
This recipe came from Cooking with Love, Italian Style by Francis Anthony
12 ounces spaghettini, spaghetti or linguine
5 ounces pancetta (available at the deli counter at Publix)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 jumbo eggs (I used large and it was fine), coddled (I put them in with the boiling pasta for a couple of minutes and removed to cool – this step is only if raw eggs make you nervous)
4 ounces Romano or Parmigiano cheese
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer or 2 to 4 as a main course
Begin cooking the pasta (per the instructions on the box) in salted water. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the pancetta in the olive oil until crisp (you can omit the olive oil and let it crisp in its rendered fat). Remove the crispy pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat in the skillet and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, and pepper and mix well. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta. Quickly toss the pasta with the butter, then add the egg mixture and toss.
Transfer the pasta to the skillet with the reserved pancetta fat and quickly saute it until the egg mixture has adhered, adding the pasta water. Sprinkle the reserved pancetta over the finished pasta and serve immediately.
Posted by AllOutOfForks | Filed under Dinner, Recipes
