Today’s New York Times dining section announces the extinction of entrees in restaurants across the country. Personally, I’m glad. I agree with all the foodie chef-y explanations like boredom of the palette, but I like it for another reason. Entrees these days are giant. I mean, they’re enormous. I don’t want to leave a restaurant feel like I’m going to puke. I just want to enjoy something tasty and be satisfied. Call it a snack, a small plate, whatever you want. I’m convinced that this new dining phenomenon is simply a return to normal portion sizes… with tastier edibles.
I’m ashamed to admit that for years food writer extraordinaire Mark Bittman barely registered on my radar. This was primarily due to the fact that his cookbooks (which are wonderful by the way) have bright yellow covers. Seeing as how I’m a librarian and all I’m sure I ought to follow the old adage of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” but I tend to buy book I think are pretty and I really don’t care for bright yellow and as a result of this (shallow) prejudice I ignored his book. I have seen the error of my ways however and am now proud to call myself a Mark Bittman fan. His weekly New York Times Column “The Minimalist” is fabulous and frequently the best thing I read all week. Even better: the online version links to video of the man himself cooking some of the food he writes about. They’re beautiful and informal and I aspire to the sort of clean simplicity he demonstrates. Plus the food looks delicious.
The New York Times had a nice little gem of a piece in their food section last week talking about the pros and cons of kids’ menus in restaurants. The author was heavy on the cons and came down especially hard on the ever-present chicken fingers and fries but Meg and I found ourselves torn. While we’re both fans of the chicken fingers (I’m a fan of most anything that’s deep fried), we are, as Meg put it, “kinda con, but not exclusively con.” Basically we think the kids’ menu can be a good thing but it is kind of wrong to go to a great Thai restaurant (or Turkish, or Italian, or…) and order chicken fingers. We understand why places have kids’ menus- kids aren’t always open to trying new food stuff and a lot of spicy foods don’t agree with their little tummies- but there really should be some other option than the generic fare offered on just about every kids’ menu in the country. Our thought: the kids’ menu ought to offer simplified, kid-friendly (and kid-sized) versions of the items on the regular menu. The restaurants already have the ingredients around and the little ones get introduced to new flavors. Everybody wins!
For girls who love food, we eat pretty boring lunches on workdays. I’m all about the yogurt, fruit and sandwich. Sarah’s the occaisional delicious leftover, tuna, yogurt. It’s good, we like it, but lunch isn’t generally our finest production. Myself, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out which deli cheese responds best to being unrefridgerated for 4-6 hours.
Swiss (especially baby swiss) tends to wimp out under heat. It doesn’t taste bad, but the texture is limp, kind of soft plastic-y.
Muenster has a little more fortitude than swiss, but still gets too soft, too fast.
A thickly sliced provolone stands up to heat nicely. I think it might have something to do with the rind, it has something to hold its form.
Asiago is mighty because it not only keeps form, it holds onto flavor. The cheese is totally separate from the meat and really doesn’t do any of the weird mixing that a more melted cheese does.
But, the best is a really sharp cheddar, particularly a harsh, bright orange one. Love it!
On that note, I leave you with Cheddarvision. The West Country Farmers in England got together over a pint last year and decided to broadcast the aging of a massive block of cheddar, 24/7 for one year. Way better than watching the grass grow. Catch the first three months, time elapsed, here:
Some folks give Hump Day a bad rap. Personally, it’s one of my favorites. By the time Wednesday is over, you’re closer to the weekend than not. The Anacostia Farmer’s Market is open. But most importantly, the Washington Post and New York Times dining and food sections come out. Between the two: the most fun I can have with $1.35. I have the option to read them online, but I won’t. It’s a totally ritualistic thing for me to go down to Trover on the Hill and buy my papers. Like St. Exupery says, “Il faut des rites.”
In other news, I made salt and pepper salmon, tomato and mozerella salad, and Boyfriend Mashed Potatos last night. Cassie (of pizza fame) sent me a pasta sauce recipe this morning:
“All you do is slice up one fennel bulb and one shallot. Saute those in olive oil for a few minutes then add a pinch of sugar, 1.25 cups of tomato sauce and 1t. oregano. Simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes and then toss with 8 oz. penne and serve with crumbled bleu cheese on top. It was fantastic and fantastically simple.” I think I’ll try it next week!
Today, I’m considering going to the Bed, Bath and Beyond after work for a citrus juicer thing on a stick. You know, those wooden ones? But, I could just as easily go home and make curry. We’ll see.