The Show Must Go On

The show must go on. Evidently, that’s an old show business phrase, even though with all my research (well, googling) I couldn’t find out who first said it. However, it appears that the real saying (well, per Wiki) was actually: The show must go on, otherwise we’ll have to give them their money back.

It’s also used as the title of any number of songs, books, movies…you name it.  So what does all this have to do with Tasty Travails, you ask? Good question.

You know, in the food business, the show must go on is just as important as in the show business. That is, if you’re in the restaurant biz or you’re a caterer, and you’ve got a wedding or a bar mitzvah or a fully booked house on Saturday night, you can’t cancel out on your customers at the last minute…you’ll never work again in this town, if you know what I mean.  But what happens if…

This past weekend, Significant Eater and I had invited the family to our apartment for a birthday brunch to celebrate her dad’s 80^th. It was scheduled for Saturday noon, because on Sunday, Sig Eater packs up and heads down to DC for work the following week.  Only thing is, I woke up on Saturday morning not feeling well; without going into the gory details, I could barely stand up for more than 5 minutes without getting woozy.

The show must go on.  I mean, I had planned a really nice menu, ordered a lovely birthday cake, was gonna make some dishes a la minute, etc. etc. And there was no way I was giving them their money back!

So, thinking quickly, (okay, barely thinking), I decided to call our niece and see if I could persuade her (and her lovely Sidekick) to come over early and help Sig Eater (who wore an apron!) set up and keep this party going. Fortunately, they’re food peeps (after all, they live in Brooklyn AND have tattoos), she writes a great blog called Chronicles of a Stomach Grumble, and best of all, they agreed, which meant Significant Eater did not have to take all of her remaining xanax…only the normal amount for when she’s spending family time.

Fortunately, I had done all of the shopping ahead of time, including at this place…

As anyone can tell you, the nova and the lox (and the sturgeon) are delicious…

As is the herring…

Neither the frittata nor the potato pancakes topped with crème fraîche and caviar made it onto the table (the mispucha offered to make them, but wanting them to enjoy the party, the offer was turned down), but I had made a nice health salad (well, Jewish cole slaw), whipped up my own veggie/horseradish and scallion/chive cream cheeses, and baked rugelach and oatmeal cookies to go along with the cake.

They set up a beautiful table…

Mimosas and Stumptown coffee were served.  I was able to pop out for a minute to take a picture of the cake and sing Happy Birthday.  And thanks to Sig Eater, Chronicles, and Sidekick, everyone had a lovely time.  Happy 80^th Birthday, Norm…and many more...

If It's Not Paella...

What do you get when you take rice, add some tasty ingredients to it, cook it on top of the stove until all the rice is tender and a crust forms on the bottom?

If you said paella, for sure you’d be right.  But you’d also be right if you mentioned the classic rice dishes from a few other places around the globe.

Take China, for instance.  While it might not have a specific name, you can get the popular rice dish at many restaurants in NYC’s Chinatown, and if a restaurant (most likely Hong Kong style) is offering it, it’s simply called rice in casserole on the menu. After trying a couple of versions around town, including an excellent one at a restaurant called A-Wah (recommended by a neighbor), I decided to make my own. 

To start, you'll need one of these...

It’s called a sandy pot, or clay pot, and it’s made out of - you guessed it - sand and clay. Usually just glazed inside and on the lid. Before using a sandy pot for the first time, you should soak it overnight; according to a few other sources, it’s also a good idea to cook a little rice in it to seal up any microscopic cracks and crevices.  I did both.

Wanting to make a version with chicken and mushrooms, which seems to be a favorite at the Chinese restaurants that offer the dish, I cut up a few chicken thighs, as well as 2 or 3 types of mushrooms which happened to be in the fridge. To punch up the flavor a bit, start by browning the thighs and mushrooms in a hot pan…

Then deglaze that pan before adding the thighs, mushrooms and deglazing liquid to the rice (medium-grain) in the sandy pot. For even more flavor, use a nice home made chicken stock, but water will work, and the standard ratio of rice to water (1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cups liquid) is fine too.  It all looked like this, before being brought to a boil and then covered and cooked at a moderate simmer for around 20 minutes…

I think it helps to turn the heat up to medium for the last few minutes in order to get the rice nice and crispy on the bottom. I did okay on my first attempt…here’s what the dish looks like when it’s done, before garnishing with some chopped scallions and cilantro leaves...

Happy Anniversary - Time to Eat!

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary, so Significant Eater and I decided that we should spend a good portion of the day involved with food and drink. Because after all, anniversaries are special, and we wanted to spend it doing something different…well, doing something that we both enjoy…a lot.

We were married in Las Vegas 14 years ago, and for dinner that night we wanted to eat at a Jean-Louis Palladin restaurant called Napa. Unfortunately, it was closed and we ended up at a restaurant called Fiori.  I don’t remember what we ate that night, and I don’t have any pictures from dinner, but I’m pretty sure it was good; and though we didn't get to eat Jean-Louis' food, rest assured - he was one of the greatest chefs on the planet.

These days, when the two of us head out for a special meal, we try to pick a place we know is good…often an old favorite, sometimes a new one.  And so yesterday for lunch, for the umpteenth time, we wound up at Momofuku Noodle Bar – the Momo that launched the career of another damn good chef.  And yes, this time a camera came along.

We started with a nice "pot" of kimchi; trust me, this will keep all the vampires away...

One of the earliest dishes to grab attention for David Chang - the pork buns.  Yesterday, a special bun made an appearance - this time it was brisket.  With horseradish, pickled red onion and cucumber, it was maybe even more delicious than the original...

Since we always try to get our veggies, we had to have the baby greens salad, with apple, radish, chestnut and yes, duck proscuitto...

One of Sig Eater's old faves, roasted rice cakes, was on the daily blackboard menu, so...

To top it all off, another of the daily specials, showcasing duck, this time the leg/thigh meat cooked into a ragu with poblanos, cilantro and a fried egg to top it all off...

With only minimal pouting, we passed on dessert. After all, dinner at Acme was a mere 5 hours away.  

I don't know that anything could be better than our 14 years together, but I'm sure looking forward to the next bunch of decades.