Food Truck Fiesta & Daisy Cakes

As a follow-up to my previous post on Indian Food on Wheels I looked into the origins of food trucks. Meals on wheels as we know them are the current incarnation of mobile foods. For instance, in the 1800s chuckwagons were part of wagon trains to feed cowboys and other workers out on the prairie. Chuckwagons may also have originated from the mobile kitchens in the battlefield. Later, in the twentieth century during the manufacturing boom, workers would line up at food trucks for sandwiches and burgers before going back on the line. Now in the next millennium, these food trucks are a new means of bringing food to the foodies.

Durham does very well in this new food fad. We have several trucks that move to different locations to serve up various vittles. And a couple of weeks ago, many of these trucks met up in one spot to circle the food wagons and unleash their culinary bounty en masse.


Among the vendors present were Daisy Cakes with their cupcakes and other sweets, Only Burger, Indian Food on Wheels, Bulkogi Korean food, a crepe truck, a comfort food truck, and a smoothie/coffee truck.


As you can see, the lines for this extravaganza were quite long. I waited in one line for about 20 minutes to get a cupcake, after which I gave up and went home. The trucks ran out of food in two hours, meaning this event was a monumental success for the vendors. But for the customers, it was not that great of an experience. The mercury was pushing 90 degrees F that day with very long lines.


The only fruit of my labor was a single red velvet cupcake from Daisy Cakes. The cake was moist with a just-sweet-enough cream cheese frosting on top. I'm disappointed that I don't have more to add about this food fest, but that may have to wait until the next food truck roundup.

Indian Food on Wheels

Who says good food only comes out of stationary kitchens? Food trucks have seen a great rise in popularity the past couple of years, and I'm finally getting around to having my first meal from one of these mobile eateries.


Right next to Sam's Quick Shop on Erwin Rd. in Durham is a giant red school bus. At night in moonlights as a source of Mexican food (perhaps the subject of a future post), but by day this Magic School Bus showcases Indian cuisine.


In addition to some basic combo platters, there's also a changing daily special. On the day I went, it was aloo tikki chat, a crispy rice and potato dish. Unfortunately, the special was not quite ready when we rolled up, so I settled for the chicken combo.


For $6, I received a styrofoam box bursting with food and delicious sauces. Atop yummy rice were potatoes, peas and succulent chicken in a delightful light brown sauce. I'm not quite sure what specific sauce it was, but it had a nutty sweetness and a medium heat that made lunch a very enjoyable experience. It is still a little odd to get your food out of a vehicle without it being a pizza delivery, but it seems like the bar has been set pretty high with this new foodie avenue.

Strawberry Picking

STRAWBERRY SEASON IS HERE! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits in the whole world and this year I committed myself to obtaining them from the source. I woke up early last Saturday and drove about 20 minutes north of Durham on Guess Rd. and found myself at Double R Cattle Services. Don't worry about the name, they have strawberry patches too. And no, you don't have to pick them while cows are hovering over you. That could be a good business to get fresh cream with your strawberries, but I don't think that's part of their business model. Anyways, on to the berry picking...


The first thing you may notice is that these plants are laden with strawberries of all sorts of ripeness. Everything from the white flowers to the green nubs to the large red berries. Your goal is to only pick the red berries. The reason behind this is twofold: 1) you get the best sweetness out of red berries, and 2) leaving some of the unripened berries benefits people who come to pick their berries in the next couple of days.


The farm has a large field of strawberries with about 15-20 rows of plants. Everyone gets their own row if there's room and you go to town picking. I like to pick the berries with a little stem still on in case I want pictures later. I don't recommend this, but you can eat a couple berries as you go. You do pay by weight so this is a little shady, but how can you resist not popping one of these red marvels into your mouth?


You don't have to pick your own berries if you don't want to. You can pick up a freshly picked batch while supplies last. It is a little labor intensive to kneel, squat or bend over to pick all these berries. So the farmers have a device that suspends them over the berry patch while laying down. Don't worry, you shouldn't need this device unless your plan is to pick more than 20 pounds of strawberries. Plus it feels more natural and fun to do it on your own.


The farmer's system is that they place flags at the end of each row. When you're done picking, you move the flag of a particular row to the point where you stopped. I would recommend being very thorough in picking all the ripe berries in your row because the next group of people will start at your flag and any ripe berries in your "already done" section will go to waste. It is a cleverly simple method, but it works well I think.


I picked two baskets worth of berries. I may have just been overly excited about going picking, but I felt I drove a half hour to get there so I might as well get my fare share. These two baskets together contained 9 pounds of strawberries that cost $11.25. Not bad for a half hour's work.


I'm guilty of never washing my fruit when I get it home from the store. But I made an exception for these berries. There was not much dirt on them, but there were bits of straw that definitely would not fit into any of the recipes I had planned for these beauties. After a good wash, I patted them dry and stored them in the fridge. I would recommend using your berries the same day if you can, or maybe even the next day. They are at their peak ripeness when you pick them, so they are only going to get mushier or more dried out as time goes on. Plus, you can brag to your friends and family that the pie you are serving contains berries that just that morning were still hanging on to their plant.


The normal berries look absolutely gorgeous, but I'm more interested in the freak show berries that you find. You often have berries with multiple lobes, but some of the others that grow are just downright weird. I had one that looked like a tripod, one with a rhinoceros-like protrusion, and a selection that looked like little octopi with different numbers of leg-buds. Nothing is wrong with these berries and they were every bit as good as the rest, but they are just a bit different.

Strawberry picking was a great experience. I normally relish sleeping in on the weekends, but this was definitely worth sacrificing a little sleep in order to have some of the tastiest berries you can get at your disposal. Plus, this is only the beginning. You still have to decide how to use your red harvest. And believe me, that is quite a dilemma, especially when you can just eat an entire basket by itself.

Magnolia Grill

I realize quite often that I am very fortunate to live in Durham, a city that is home to many incredible chefs and institutions. The restaurants in the area are regularly ranked among the best in the nation. This past week I was celebrating a graduate school milestone by going to Magnolia Grill. I am certainly not the first to review this local eatery, but I do want to share our experience.


The menu is divided into two portions - starters and entrees. Most people order one of each, but we split three starters between the two of us. If you're going to celebrate, do it in style. The first starter was this vibrantly verdant green tomato soup. Swimming in the slightly spicy sea was an unlikely duo of proteins, crab and country ham. Each bite of the soup seemed different, some salty, some pickled and vinegary, some briny. I don't normally expect much from a soup, but this one was a sparkling surprise.


A refreshing salad was our middle starter. But don't let a salad fool you any more than the soup. What appeared to be butter lettuce was topped with chunks of smoked trout, dried cranberries, pickled Bermuda onions, and small bits of spicy pecans. Just to show how well crafted each piece is, even the tiny pecan pieces packed a punch of flavor. What I love about restaurants like this is that they assemble what seem to be disparate ingredients into a coherent whole.


My favorite appetizer was this free-standing grits souffle. The grits were creamy and decadent, but also light and airy at the same time. Quartered mushrooms are alongside that somehow give a smokey flavor to add extra intrigue.


Now that we had whetted our appetites, it was time for the entrees. The first is this pan-seared Muscovy duck breast served with a pomegranate molasses jus. The jus kept the dish lighter without losing the flavor and the simple sear on the duke was so impeccable that it would have been delicious plain. On the side were sweet potato gnocchi, some assorted vegetables and some supremed citrus and zest for that last layer of complexity. A well-crafted dish in its entirety.


The other entree (yes, only two for this course) was this very nicely cooked pork chop. On the side were some shrimp and grits along with various other vegetables. This entree was not the one I ordered, but I was jealous that I hadn't because it was so delicious. The meat was tender and paired wonderfully with the rest of the plate.


"The Elvis" is a large slice of cheesecake flavored with white chocolate, banana and peanut butter. I rarely taste white chocolate when it's in a dessert, but the other flavors melded and stood out awesomely. The cake itself was rich and creamy. On top is a peanut butter sauce and to each side are banana slices and bacon peanut brittle. If you're not full by the time this is put in front of you, then you will be by the time the plate is taken away. For me, this sweet slice was definitely The King.


Lastly, we had a piece of chocolate caramel tart with caramel whipped cream and a touch of fleur de sel. The filling was smooth and rich. I think it needed a little more salt to get the most of the salty-sweetness, but this dessert was still hard to beat.

I was honestly worried that Magnolia Grill would be too highfalutin for me or too pretentious, but it was everything I hoped for and more. Friendly staff, elegant atmosphere and sublime cuisine. I don't think anyone should eat there every week, but when you have a special occasion, go there to celebrate.

Vin Rouge Brunch

Continuing my goal to explore the Triangle's best bruncheries, we wandered over to 9th Street in Durham. Vin Rouge is already known for good dinners, but their brunch should not be underestimated.


First up are the eggs Mediterranean, which are scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, shallots and capers. These fillings make for fairly salty eggs, but the eggs made a nice vehicle for the salmon and capers. The side of pommes frites helped to balance out the flavors. Just so you feel a little healthier, there's also a simple side salad. A good breakfast, but it pales in comparison to our other entree.


Vin Rouge serves some unbelievable French toast. Their bread is baked as these large rounds, so they take one slice and cut it in half to make a huge portion of French toast. Crisp yet soft on the inside with cinnamon and maple syrup, this brunch staple is probably one of the best French toasts I've ever had, not to mention the bacon on the side.

A word of advice to the Sunday bruncher: be sure to make a reservation or be prepared to wait. While Elmo's next door may have a larger amount of traffic, Vin Rouge does get very busy shortly after they open. You can make reservations online, which would probably save a lot of time. Their electronic seating system seems confusing, even to the staff. In the end, we only waited 15 minutes for a table, but just keep this in mind when planning your lazy Sunday morning.

The Palace International

Have you ever had African food? For most people, including me last week, the answer is no. If you have, it may have been Ethiopian or Moroccan. But how about food from a Kenyan? If you live in Durham, you have the opportunity to have authentic African food at The Palace International.


I've heard of ox tails in Hispanic cuisine, but I've never had the gaul to order them. It turns out they are very similar to Korean short-ribs. American-style ribs are cut in between the bones to produce corn-on-the-cob-style eating. Korean-style ribs, on the other hand, are cut through the bone, so you end up eating the meat off of each piece of bone. These ox tails were exactly the same, except they had been slowly simmered in a garlic-ginger-tomato sauce. The tail meat is a little fatty, but that just adds to the delicious, savoriness of chewing the meat off the bone. On the side I had some yellow rice with collards that were sauteed but still fresh and green.


The other entree we ordered was the curried goat, which was outstanding. The meat was amazingly tender. There were some large bones involved, but also some stand-alone pieces of meat too. The curry sauce was great. It was packed with curry and garlic flavors without being overbearing or too spicy. We had this dish with ugali, a cake of solid grits-like-grain that was a little course but still good.


Dessert choices were decidedly un-African, but they sounded too good to pass up nonetheless. We ordered strawberry Tres Leches. Tres leches is a marvelous Latin dessert that is moist but not soggy. The cake is immersed into a mixture of multiple milks and sugar. This tres leches was served with strawberry jam and white chocolate. As it was served, it was topped with a splash of sweet wine which really rounded out the flavors and made this dessert absolutely incredible. The overall feel of this cooking was a mixture of Spanish, Indian and Ethiopian, which is quite intriguing. I will definitely return to The Palace International to try some of the other dishes that I missed.

Cuban Revolution

The American Tobacco District is what I consider to be one of two hotspots in downtown Durham (the other being Brightleaf Square). If you want to make an evening out of an outing to the performing arts center or the ballpark, American Tobacco is the place to go. One new restaurant there, Cuban Revolution, was our destination on a cool Friday evening.

The restaurant itself is quite dark on the inside. The dining room was bustling with activity, most of which was clearing out to go see Kathy Griffin at the DPAC. We were seated right away. To start, we ordered a mango milkshake and an egg cream. While the mango milkshake did not have much flavor at all, the egg cream was fizzy, creamy and delicious.


One of our entrees was the JFK, a steak sandwich on Cuban bread. The sandwich was slathered with mayonnaise. We're still unsure if this was because they just like mayo or if they were trying to make up for a sub-par sandwich. On the side were some black beans and rice which tasted pretty good, but the texture was off. Beans normally have a grainy texture both inside and in the surrounding sauce. But these beans were disconcertingly smooth. The rice had the same issue, making me think that the whole lot was over-buttered.


I ate the ropa vieja, which had good flavor coming from the tomatoes and peppers in the sauce. I was not accustomed to having so much broth with my ropa vieja, but it tasted fine. I would have eaten the broth, but our waitress pretty much disappeared after we got our food, so I was never able to get a spoon before I lost interest. On the side were some platanos maduros, which were firm and sweet, as well as some tostones seasoned with adobo, which were pretty good.

It is very difficult for me to give Cuban Revolution a lot of credit because it seems to be nothing spectacular, especially for the price. I grew up in a suburb of Tampa, which has an extensive Cuban community. I'm accustomed to receiving tremendous quantities of delicious ropa vieja with lots of yellow rice and maduros on the side for a reasonable price. As one of few Cuban outlets in Durham, Cuban Revolution may be the best we have, but that still does not make it a great restaurant. If you're in the American Tobacco District, I would recommend going to Tyler's Taproom or the Mellow Mushroom. As for Durham's Cuban scene, it seems we will need to stand up and demand better quality Cuban fair: viva la comida!

Nosh

Even though they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, graduate school has taught me that statement is not entirely true. My classmates and I often do our best to maximize the amount of free food we eat in a week. As low men and women on the totem pole at this point in our careers, we’re not exactly raking in the bucks at the moment. So we’re more willing to sit through a seminar for some coffee and snacks, listen to a vendor for an ice cream bar (especially Locopops) or entertain a post-doc candidate for lunch.


We went to Nosh last week for lunch, all on the bosses dime since we were socializing with someone who potentially wanted to do a post-doc with our lab for a couple years. Nosh is a big favorite among people at school, chiefly for their lunch catering. They make nice platters of wraps and sandwiches with good pasta salad and saccharinely sweet tea. This is the first time I’ve made it to the mother-ship, though. I ordered the Rascal’s Razzmatazz burger, which has a slice of havarti and sauteed bell peppers, and a side of so-so cole slaw. The burger was pretty big in size and I probably could have turned it into two meals instead of wolfing it all down. They put some great flavors together with the cheese and the peppers that were soft but still a little crunchy. Like many burgers, this one suffered from slippage problems where the juices of the burger and the other ingredients make everything want to slide right off the bun. One day someone will invent a solution, but until then we must accept that burgers are messy. But this one was good enough that I did not mind getting my fingers a little dirty to eat up the last little bits.

George's Diner

I've driven by George's Diner on Hillsborough Rd. multiple times and have always been intrigued by it. The restaurant has that old-time 50s/60s-style diner feel to it, with some modern Greek-American overtones. Small LPs and pictures of stars and starlets of that era are on all of the walls. The menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner all day (24 hours all day), with some Greek favorites mixed in.


At diners I love to try their pancakes or French toast. You can always find both at any restaurant that claims to be a diner and they are just classic dining-out breakfast foods. Plus they give me a handle for how seriously the cooks take the food. This French toast was pretty good. Not as much as I was hoping for and not the best I've ever had, but it was pretty standard. We also tried the grilled cheese which was disappointing. When I make grilled cheese at home, the bread takes on a crispness from the application of butter and heat, which also serves to melt the cheese. George's version, however, had very dry bread, making the sandwich a little difficult to eat. It seems like they toasted the bread first then somehow melted the cheese by the way all the moisture was lost from the bread. Overall, this brunch meal was a bit sub-par. There are a few other breakfast restaurants/diners that are definitely worth more of my time.

The Federal

Eating out at restaurants becomes more, well, let's say interesting when you have some sort of food restriction. Having no current food allergies (knock on wood), my diet is usually only curbed by my personal food preferences. Many people, though, are lactose intolerant or allergic to something in food (nuts, gluten, kiwi, berries, mushrooms, soy). One problem I was not anticipating for many more decades was my post-gum-surgery need to eat soft foods. So when you go to restaurants, anything you can't cut up (sandwiches) or that's too crunchy (including lettuce) is not in the realm of possibility. Luckily, when I went to visit The Federal on Main Street in Durham, among all of their delicious-sounding burgers, sandwiches and salads was the special seen above. The main dish is a flavorful meatloaf stuffed with mushrooms and coated with a honey-whole grain mustard mixture. Not only was this food sufficiently soft for my healing palette, but it was amazingly flavorful. The interplay of sweet and savory, tangy and earthy really astounded me. For side dishes, they served steamed broccoli (which, believe it or not, was a little too solid for me to eat) and macaroni and cheese prepared with basil. It's always a surprise when the addition of a single spice can help add so much depth, especially when paired with that juicy meatloaf. After such a good first experience at The Federal, I need to make sure I go back once I can tackle their more solid fare.

Ted's Montana Grill - 7/29/2009

I love trying new meats. I like to live my life like Noah from the Bible, except I'm eating two of every animal. When I found out I had the chance to try bison, I was chomping at the bit. We went to Ted's Montana Grill, where they have a giant bison's head hung on the wall to ward off vegetarians. I ordered a bison burger with Monterrey jack cheese, onions and mushrooms. The menu is chiefly devoted to burgers, available in beef or bison, and chicken sandwiches. The bison meat itself is actually lighter and almost fluffy compared to a beef burger. It was still a little greasy as all burgers should be, but it didn't form a ball in my stomach afterwards. The only drawback to the burger was the fact that the toppings absolutely refused to stay on the bun. It was all very tasty, but just architecturally unsound.


I'm not normally a grilled chicken sandwich eater, but I may make an exception for this one. The chicken has some potent seasoning on it that actually gives it some flavor. That and it was very moist and there was more chicken than bread. On the side were some monstrous onion rings that fulfilled that occasional need I have to consume fried food. All in all, Ted's was a good experience for us carnivores, especially since I managed to add another animal to my growing list consumable critters.

Local Yogurt - 7/29/2009

I heard about the opening of a new ice cream store and, like a good ice cream fanatic, had to try it.


The store is called Local Yogurt. They serve actual frozen yogurt (aka "frogurt" but never "froyo"). Most frozen yogurt is just light ice cream but the original flavor at Local Yogurt has a wonderfully tangy taste to it, like real yogurt. Who'd have thought? They have 3 other flavors that they rotate regularly which are not as tart but definitely delicious. I've seen blueberry, chocolate, peanut butter, butter pecan, and others so far. My first time I had peanut butter frogurt with potato chips. This time around, pictured above, was original flavor with blackberries and cubed mochi (a glutenous rice substance that is like gummi that does not freeze up in the yogurt. They have beaucoups of other toppings too, including Fruity Pebbles, many different fruits, chocolate curls, and candy bars. Of all of the ice cream markets that already exist (gelato eaten with small spoons, Dairy Queen eaten by the bucketful, Cold Stone eaten after some massaging), Local Yogurt is already carving out a niche for itself with a unique idea and a product that won't impact your waistline as severely as most of its competitors.

Bahn's - 7/28/2009

I've tried Bahn's on 9th Street in Durham previously and found their rice vermicelli to be a little mediocre, but I was convinced to go on a Wednesday or a Saturday to try their vegetarian combo. I don't usually eat vegetarian because meat is too delicious, but this combo changed my mind on the taste of tofu. The dish comes with tofu in a black bean sauce that is a bit salty, but nicely flavored. The tofu cooks up nice and lightly fluffy. On the side is some ridiculously (in a good way) glutenous rice with some crushed peanuts on top and you either get a fresh spring roll (Saturdays) or broccoli and bok choy (Wednesdays). As a whole, the meal was well balanced and filling, but I still felt healthy enough to get a shake from a place a few doors down the street. I think this combo dish is one of Bahn's main draws because at least half of the people in the restaurant ordered it. So for vegetarians and carnivores alike, give the vegetarian combo a shot and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Star-Spangled Cake & Mad Hatter - 7/12/2009

This week had some preparation for a weekend trip (see next post), so this post is a little shorter than some of the other epic entries, but it's still delicious nonetheless.


Early in the week, I had the chance to go to Mad Hatter for brunch. I opted for their Cuban, seen above. It is a very non-traditional take on the usual pressed sandwich. Instead of a relatively thin compilation, the Mad Hatter take is piled high with thickly sliced pork and a slightly spicy sauce on top, all on a thick, chewy bread (not Cuban bread, but still very good). On the side is a cold pasta with bell peppers and tomatoes. Not pictured is a "Mostess cupcake" in the style of the Hostess chocolate cupcakes with the curly-cue of white frosting and white cream filling. I was surprised to find the cupcake very dry, making the whole experience a little disappointing. I've had their cake before, and it was pretty good, especially after an overnight chill in the fridge. I will definitely go back to Mad Hatter, but I will be a little more wary of the desserts.


The cake theme of the week was Fourth of July, despite the fact that the holiday has passed. I decided on some All-American flavors - vanilla spice cake with an apple butter filling - similar to what you find in apple pie. I will admit to save time I used a box cake mix, but I did throw pretty much every spice I could think of into the batter (including, but not limited to, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves). The cake was moist and a little more airy than is good for frosting, but luckily this week we were also working with fondant. Fondant is like a frosting dough. You can buy it from stores like Michael's and roll it out on a cornstarched surface. Then you drape it on top of your cake, smooth it out and cut away the excess. I can easily see fondant being a great way to save a cake that does not look like it will be presentation-worthy by itself. Most people liked the slightly chewy quality it brought to the cake. As a final note, the stars on top are made of gum paste, which when set to dry turns almost inedibly solid after a couple days (but they sure look good).

More Desserts than Food Again - 5/20/2009

This was a good weekend for eating. Some friends and I started by taking advantage of Restaurant Week at a French restaurant in downtown Durham. It's called Rue Cler. While we waited for our table (some patrons just don't know when to leave), we were treated to a tasting of some Rose champagne (Bugey Cerdon) and pommes frites. As an appetizer, I wanted to try the pate maison, which oddly enough tasted of Romano cheese. We had a 3 course prix fixe selection. I chose a salad with feta and pecans, shrimp with gnocchi and duck breast with potatoes au gratin (one of the best I've had). All were quite delicious in their own way, but the size of each dish was moderated to make up for the 3 courses. The prix fixe portion of the menu was set at $25. For dessert, we split a terrine au chocolat (an oddly delicious cross of a chocolate mousse with a dense chocolate cake) and a banana-caramel crepe. We chatted and had a good time until they kicked us out around 11pm (they didn't really kick us out, but we got the hint from the way they were cleaning up).


Here's a dish to feed a small army. It is a free-standing lasagna (aka lasagna pie). Instead of a casserole dish, it's made in a springform pan. There are 6 distinct and alternating layers in this dish: noodles, sauteed carrot and zucchini, sauteed spinach and mushrooms with basil, a ricotta-Parmiggiano mixture, tomato sauce (home-made), and mozzarella cheese. The only real trick is that the noodles are trimmed to fit in the round pan. It is baked for an hour, rested for 15 minutes and then unveiled for all to marvel at. I enjoyed this dish (and I'm continuing to enjoy the leftovers), though next time I would probably try to increase the Italian flavors a bit. But this was definitely an innovative recipe that will satisfy both meat-eaters and vegetarians.


I had a Merlot-blackberry sauce, made with vanilla, cinnamon and citrus, left over from a failed recipe, so I decided to use it for poaching pears. Pears are not one of my favorite fruit, but they are growing on me. The gritty nature of the flesh is the least appealing feature, but that's where poaching comes in. It softens the pear and adds some other flavors to distract your mouth. I peeled some medium-sized bosc pears, then poached them in the simmering sauce for about 5 minutes per side, then let them cook to room temperature. The real battle with these pears is making sure they are evenly cooked and colored without beating them up too badly or letting them cook for too long. But in the end, you're left with a sweet treat with full-bodied flavors. I accented mine with Ciao Bella blackberry-Merlot sorbetto (what a coincidence to find that at the store), a cardamom-vanilla whipped cream and a sprig of mint that I'm growing myself.


I received a sampling of Berry-Saffron Cookies recently that were, simply put, amazing. The story behind them is that they started as a chocolate chip cookie recipe that has evolved to incorporate non-traditional flavors so much that you would scarcely recognize the resemblance to the original recipe. This newer version contains a combination of strawberries (dried, I believe), sesame seeds, dark cocoa powder, turmeric, salt, pepper, and saffron, among some other possible flavors. The reason I liked these cookies so much is they are something you must savor to really enjoy. While eating them, you sharply taste the salt and a bit of pepper, but there's a background chocolatey flavor with hints of berry, meanwhile your entire mouth is filled with a plume of saffron essence. Unlike many other cookies, just eating one of these treats is very satisfying.


What do you do when you have a friend confused by baking? Help them out of course!


One problem with this solution that I did not recognize initially was that the item to be baked is from an Indonesian cake mix. The difference with this cake is that it is made of multiple layers that are sequentially baked on top of one another. The goal is to have lots of even, thin layers (easier said than done). As you may be able to see in the picture, the cake is surrounded by burnt shrapnel. Our end product was a bit of a diamond in the rough. The extended baking burnt a bit of the outside of the cake, so some cosmetic surgery was necessary. What was salvageable was an interesting cake, moist from lots of butter and a touch of rum in the recipe, possessing a flavor like vanilla and some other unidentifiable spices. This cake is undoubtedly better when made from scratch by a professional, but how many Indonesian bakeries are there around here?


I'm turning into a baking fiend. Someone in my lab mentioned celebrating something and I was all over it like a fat kid on a box of Ho-hos. I made this beauty of a coffee cake, flavored with raspberry and cream cheese. You start by making a crumb with flour, butter and sugar, saving some on the side. To most of the crumb, you add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg, and almond extract. This mixture is spread into a springform pan as the base of the coffee cake. On top of this is spread a mixture of cream cheese, sugar and egg. About half of a jar of raspberry jam is placed on top of the cream cheese mixture (I pretty much just marbled mine a bit), then this is all topped with slivered almonds and the reserved crumbs. This is all baked for about 55 minutes until it is golden brown on top (no real way of testing it for doneness without just cutting into it). My cake layer was a little dry, but the cream cheese and jam helped to alleviate this problem. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially evident from the way it was gone within some hours of it being put out. I'll chock this one up in the win column.

Restaurant Round-up - 5/8/2009

No need to worry. Just because I have not posted in a couple weeks does not mean I'm not eating. In fact, I cooked so much last weekend that I ran out of time and energy to post it all. So I will be marathon posting my eating experiences tonight. Firstly, I want to talk about the food I didn't make.


While tooling around in Charlotte looking for a late dinner, Jessica and I happened across this place called Punchy's Diner. The main draw of the restaurant was that it looked like an old timey diner. It seems the owners may also own the auto parts store nearby (also named Punchy's), which makes them credible to prepare my food in my book. Inside the diner, they had a couple of old cars on display along with all of the usual diner paraphernalia. I could not resist getting this chili dog. For most places, chili dogs are a simple equation: hot dog + chili + bun. This restaurant chose to give the chili dog a North Carolinian flavor by topping it with cole slaw. The creamy deliciousness of the cole slaw helped to cool the chili, but also let the meaty chili pair with the hot dog. And steak fries are always a welcome side item.


New to Charlotte is an Ikea store. If you are in need of reasonably priced furniture or accessories or just want to get inspired, you should definitely stop by your local Ikea. Take as long as you want in the store, because they have a small cafeteria for all of your dietary needs. Now, Sweden may not be top of your list for your next international foodie adventure (we all have them, right?), but the food at Ikea is pretty good. My first choice was an obvious one: Swedish meatballs. The meatballs are served with some mashed potatoes and slathered with a light gravy, all of which forms a plate of tasty wonder on its own, but they added some lingonberry (I think) jam on the side. Like cranberry sauce with turkey, this jelly added a bit of sweetness to the savory meat.


To wash down our plate of pre-dinner, we drank from these juice boxes. I preferred the chrysanthemum drink to the lingonberry one (the latter tasted a little like grape juice). A nicely nostalgic way to rehydrate for more shopping.


Now to revisit a previously posted restaurant: No. 1 Panda. The first time we ate at this restaurant, we had a good time and I took ok pictures with my phone. This time was even better and I remembered my camera. I will admit, the service is still not optimum, but the food and the friendliness of the family working there more than make up for this. Two friends and I split three entrees that ended up coming out successively instead of all at once. This may have actually been better for us as communal eaters. First to be served was a beef brisket "casserole." Casserole in this context means a Chinese hot-pot beef stew. The beef and mixed veggies came out simmering in one of the most flavorful beef sauces I've ever had. This is my new favorite way to eat brisket. There's no way to describe all of the levels of flavor packed into this dish, so you'll just have to try it yourself.


The middle dish was a seafood medley. Clams, calamari, fish, and probably some other parts were combined in a light but delectable sauce that was perfect for table-wide picking. You can't lose with fresh seafood cooked just right.


Last but not least is crispy duck. I was expecting more Peking-style duck, but this one had a sturdy breading on the outside (sturdy enough for the duck to be fried whole and then cleanly chopped into pieces). Warning: this is the dish that took the longest to prepare, so buyer beware. At first, I thought the breading was salty, but then I came to realize that the duck meat itself may have been brined beforehand. The salty crispiness made me covet each piece a bit more, almost like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. I don't get to eat duck that often, but when I do I make sure to get it somewhere that knows what they're doing.