Rakka got a whole pile of food drops in the mail (from Chotda). I took part in the great food drop taste test. I'll summarize, but you should follow that link for the in depth review.
Right. So, food drops are sugar candies that come in flavors of regional Japanese foods. We're talking beer, octopus balls, udon... you get the idea. We tried 8 kinds. How was it? The short answer is: most of these foods were not meant to be sweet; not, at, all.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Bento Kudasai
I haven't been to Japan, so I can't speak to the authenticity of Bento Kudasai. But authenticity doesn't matter when lunch is on the line; it's on value for money that we judge places on around here. 'Course, perceived authenticity is a factor in the formula, so maybe it does matter. Well, either way, Bento Kudasai has it. So lets get to it.
nigirizushi bento
The most important question is, is it good? Yes it is. They say they make pretty much everything themselves, including the kimchi (which, omg, kimchi! you know i'm going back again and again). It shows; the quality is really high. Though, to be honest, the vegetarian boxes have tasted better to me than the fishy ones. The vegetable boxes are full of subtle flavors and textures. I think the fish is pretty low on the sashimi quality scale though.
zOMG! Kimchi!
But then it would be, he segued, because the price is right. Lunch for under $10, come on down. Well, unless you're me and fail to resist the mini box full of kimchi. But I usually manage to get away for $11. A box and kimchi is a pretty ideal portion for me. I did a full box and udon once; man, was I stuffed.
case full of bentos
Other notes: CG seriously digs the gyōza; I think whenever he suggests Bento K, he's got the gyōza on his mind. It's pretty small, just a bench with about 4 stools. The lady that runs the front is really friendly.
In conclusion, get on down the street and get you some bento.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
damson gin
As I mentioned over on casa rakkaleff, we have this damson plum tree in our back yard. The plums aren't really hand fruit, but they're good for canning and stuff. As soon as we figured it out, I ordered a bunch of canning stuff (which I wanted anyway). Everything got here quick, with the minor exception of the actual feckin' jars. So the jam is on hold.
The le parfait jars did make it here, and so did a couple of fifths of gin. And that's all we need for damson gin. Rakka found this recipe on cottage smallholder. It's super simple, and we both love gin, so we thought we'd give it a go.
Damson Gin
We don't have a kitchen scale (yet), so I had to estimate how many plums in a pound. I thought about rigging up a stick with a can of beans on one end and a bowl of plums on the other and yadda yadda yadda. Sounded like work though. And really, we're talking about gin that will be more or less plummy depending, right? Should be fine.
'Course, we won't know if I screwed it up for three months. Assuming I didn't, it's important that you get your name on the casa rakkaleff new years party guest list. The gin should be about ready then, and seats are limited. natch.
Fritz European Fry House
To be honest, I've only been to Fritz European Fry House a handful of times. The trouble is that I love fried potatoes and Fritz fries a really good potato.
Portrait of a Fry Cone
If I don't keep it in the special treat category, I'd soon be rolling down there on a hoveround and reserving 2 seats for myself on airline flights. As special treats go, they're fantastic.
The fries come in a cone, street food style. The tables, which are more bars to stand at, have holes in them just the right size to hold a heaping cone of fries. There are 10-15 different sauces to choose from. Plain ketchup and tartar sauce, obviously (it's close enough to seattle that the tartar sauce is a given), but they have some unexpected stuff like thai peanut sauce, bbq and red pepper parmesan. This time, we went with curry ketchup.
Large Cone and Spicy Curry Ketcup
There are a selection of belgian beers to compliment your fries with, which makes sense.
If a giant cone of fries isn't enough fried food for you they have fried chicken and sausages. I've never tried any of that stuff though. I'm just there for the fries.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
bread and butter
Rakka got this cheese making book. I thought she was taking this whole self-sufficiency lark a bit far, but I picked it up and flipped through it. And of course, I'm the first one to attempt one of the recipes. Butter!
it's butter, which I made
It turns out that making butter is astoundingly easy. You don't need an official churn or anything, just an old pickle jar or something. Make sure to wash it out pretty thoroughly though. Learned that the hard way.
Anyway, put your room temperature heavy cream (has to be heavy milk, learned that one the hard way too) in the jar, put the lid on tight and shake for 5-10 minutes. That's pretty much it. You've just got to pour off the buttermilk, push the rest out with the back of a spoon, and rinse it a bit. You can mix in some salt.
It's the best butter ever.
And the best thing to put it on is homemade bread.
sourdough came out pretty good this time
This is a recipe from the book of bread. Or, two, really. I made the sourdough starter a couple weeks ago. Attempted the bread last weekend, and it sort of worked. It worked better this time, but still not great.
I have a long way to go before I really understand bread. I always end up using nearly twice as much flour as the recipe calls for. The sourdough in particular always sticks to every freaking thing. The work surface, my hands, the bowl, the pan. Everything.
Maybe it's like driving a stick shift. Keep grinding the gears long enough and one day you just get it.
update: changed "whole milk" to "heavy cream". Whole was the stuff I tried the first time, and it didn't work at all.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Myhre's Restaurant
After one visit, I'm very enthusiastic about Myhre's Restaurant. I can't help it, I love authentic diners, and Myhre's is the oldest working restaurant in Kitsap county. At least according to the waitress.
I know you're hungry, so we'll get right to the food. It's exactly what you'd expect from an old diner. Exactly. For instance, in the chicken sandwich the chicken is deep fried. Also, the side of fries is bigger than the sandwich.
French Fries. Oh, and a chicken sandwich
I have to say, that chicken sandwich seemed slightly small. But the quality was higher than I expected. It evened out. I came away perfectly satisfied.
Another for instance: Rakka said this potato salad was just like her grandma used to make. No faint praise there. It has big chunks of egg.
Potato Salad... and a tuna sandwich
The tuna had noticeable chunks of pickles. As if to prove conclusively the dinerism of the establishment, they were the same pickles as the ones next to the sandwich.
It takes more than food, however, to make a really dinery diner. The Cafe has an attached Terrace Room, and a skinny bar sandwiched in between. Nothing says diner like attached bar. Nothing says sixties makeover like attached 'Terrace Room'. Unfortunately it wasn't open at noon on Saturday.
Terrace Room
Ok, here's a little more of the interior. Note the country flavor. Do you not love this place?
Cocktails, rest room
I do (love it). Reasonable food at reasonable prices in a real diner. What more could you ask for? How about I throw in at least one boat ride to get you there, which will be the easiest transport (unless you live in port orchard).
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Samudra Coffee and Yoga
Samudra Coffee and Yoga is literally right over my back fence. They're good neighbors to have, because they make wonderful baked goods and fantastic cold brewed toddy coffee. I haven't tried the yoga yet.
toddy coffee
Toddy coffee is the hot [don't you mean cold? -Ed] new thing. I can see why. When they mix a bit with ice and water it has a very subtle, almost tea like, flavor, with no bitterness. I can't get enough.
The baked goods are awesome too. I really liked my cranberry-orange scone. I tried Rakka's berry bar; the flavor was intense. Everything is baked on site, so it's super fresh.
Scone and Berry Bar
The blondie was as good as it looks.
Blondie
Samudra is in a location that has a rep for short lived businesses, but I want it to last. So please, I beg you, go there, try one of everything.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
