Lunch: Crivello Ristorante Italiano

Mel and I have been in California for Christmas break and when we're visiting her parents that usually means two things: Disneyland and Crivello.

Crivello is an Italian restaurant up the street from Mel's house in Murietta and they have THE BEST PASTA I've ever tasted.  

The House Salad with balsamic dressing.

Spaghetti Garlic Pasta.  

Pasta, son!

I read about a great pasta dish a few weeks ago.  It was featured on the blog: Queenie Takes Manhattan, which I've been following for a few months now.  "Queenie" is a gal in New York that blogs about food, decor, etc.  She often posts delicious dishes that she's created herself, including this pasta dish.  I thought I'd give it a try...

1/4 lb. fettuccine noodles (I like Barilla brand, but any old box of pasta will do.  Fresh pasta is obviously best).

1/2 cup chopped bacon 

1 tsp. olive oil

1/4 of a white onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chives, finely chopped

1 tbs. heavy cream

1/8 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

Small handful of finely chopped parsley

1. Chop a few strips of bacon into small chunks.  By the way, this is the best bacon I've found out there.  It's "Wright" bacon, and when you open the pack it smells like smoky goodness.  It's very thick and super flavorful.  Also, at this point, begin cooking your fettuccine pasta until al dente and set aside (Don't forget to add a generous amount of salt to the water as boiling begins).

2. Sautee bacon chunks until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp.  After bacon has rendered, take  out of the pan with a slotted spoon and empty half of bacon oil.

3. While bacon renders take care of all of your veggie chopping and preparation.

4. Add Olive Oil, onions, and a pinch of salt to pan, cook for a few minutes until onions are browned.  Once onions have browned a bit add garlic and cook until fragrant.

5. Add peas, half amount of chives, and pinch of salt to pan.  Allow to cook for a minute or two until peas are cooked through.

6. Add al dente pasta, heavy cream, remaining chives, and Italian parsley to pan.  Allow to cook together for a couple minutes.

7. Finish with Parmesan cheese and serve in large bowl.  Put a couple of chives on top to make it look extra awesome and gourmet...

I really enjoyed this pasta dish.  Thanks to Queenie!  It's a great, quick meal.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  

Sonic: Diet Coke with Lime

I never thought I would, but I do.  I love this.

Lunch: Flour Girls and Dough Boys

I had a hankering for a good sandwich today, so I decided to walk around the corner to Flour Girls and Dough Boys.  I've had their breakfast sandwiches before, and have been thoroughly impressed, but I've never ventured to try a lunch sandwich.  I wanted some variety, so this is what I ordered:

The classic BLT:  Bacon (really good bacon, by the way), Lettuce, Tomato, Sunflower Wheat Bread, Honey Mustard, and an obvious attention to sandwich detail (THE most important ingredient).

Honey Butter Ham: Honey Butter, Sliced Ham, Provolone, and Cranberry walnut bread.  So so good!

 Lest you think me overindulgent, I'll inform you that I didn't eat both sandwiches at once.  Not even close.  

Food Network: The Best Thing I Ever Ate

I've been a faithful Food Network watcher for about 8 years now.  It all started in college: I was growing tired of TV -with all of it's terrible, draining, awfulness- and was looking for something a little lighter and more uplifting.  Then I found Food Network and my life changed forever.  Seriously, I'm passionate about food and cooking because of this channel.

I've recently fallen in love with a new show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."  I've always wondered where successful chef's go to eat?  Are they food snobs that only eat their own cooking?  Maybe most of the time, but on this show they talk about some of their favorite eating establishments and food obsessions.  It's fascinating to me.  Check it out. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-best-thing-i-ever-ate/index.html

Ice Cream: Bailey's Shake from Haagen Dazs

Best.  Thing.  Ever.  Try it.

Del Frisco's Steak House

This weekend we had dinner at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House in Las Vegas.  I don't know what the "Double Eagle" means, but I'll bet it stands for double delicious!

Waiting to be seated...

Melissa being shy...

Steak Tartare:  I've actually never had this before, but I really liked it.  If you've never had tartare, it's basically chopped raw steak with onions, pickles, herbs, etc.  It's usually served on a crouton of some sort.  It sounds weird, but it's actually great.  I'm sure sushi sounded weird to you at first as well.

Cob Salad: Bacon, Blue Cheese, Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Steak:  I chose the 16oz. Prime Rib eye.  I'm usually a filet man, but I went with the Rib eye with truffle butter.  I could have slowly sipped that butter.  Incredible.

Creamed Corn: Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of all the sides.  We were too busy eating them.  But this is the creamed corn.  We also ordered baked potatoes, potato au gratin, and mushrooms.

It was a delicious night.  

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

This has been one of my favorite side dishes for a long time, but I've never tried to actually cook it before.  Well, last night I made the effort.  And it turned out perfectly. 

Ingredients:

Brussels Sprouts

Olive Oil

Bacon

Shallot 

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Put 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a pan and bring to high heat.  Reduce heat to half and drop in a couple strips of bacon sliced into small chunks.  Cook bacon until fat is rendered and mildly crispy and add chopped shallot.  Cook shallot for a minute or two until tender and strain the oil of all bacon and shallot.  Also, strain about half of the oil.

Place sliced Sprouts in the pan with half of the oil and brown for 2 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add other half of the oil back in the pan and drop pan into the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Take out of the oven, add bacon and shallot, finish with balsamic vinegar.

Delicious!  

Countdown to Del Frisco's Steak House: 7 Days

Next week Melissa and I are having Thanksgiving in Beaver, UT with the Smith family (my side).  Afterwards we will be meeting Mel's family in Las Vegas for a weekend of golf, food, and fun.  I was just informed tonight that we will be eating dinner at Del Frisco's next Saturday night.  Before tonight I had never really heard of it, but I've read some reviews and apparently it's a pretty darn good steak house.  Needless to say, I'm really excited.  

Del Frisco's has received a 4.5 out of 5 stars on yelp.com.  That's pretty good.  Here's an excerpt from their website, "The cornerstone of the Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House menu is aged USDA Prime Beef. We serve only the best hand-cut steaks, chops and freshest seafood, including Australian cold water lobster tails. We use the freshest ingredients to create mouthwatering appetizers, flavorful side dishes and irresistible desserts."

Okay, I'm sold.  Let the countdown begin...

Lunch: Lomo Saltado

Before 

I was introduced to Lomo Saltado a few years ago by my dear friend Jon Bjarnson.  He worked at a little restaurant called La Carreta for a few months and asked me to come and try it.  La Carreta serves Peruvian-based cuisine, which was new to me at the time.  He advised me to get the #16 (Lomo Saltado).  I obediently followed and my life hasn't been the same since.  That's a little dramatic; let's just say, I haven't had a more delicious Peruvian meal.  Actually, I don't think I've ever ordered anything other than that.

Lomo Saltado is basically grilled steak and vegetables on a bed of fries and white rice.  I know it sounds weird, but it's magically delicious.  The steak is grilled with a touch of soy sauce at the end; the fries and rice are a perfect starch to soak up all of the juices, and the veggies are incredible.  It's an oniony, steaky, French fry-y treat.  Go check it out.

After (Owned)

Lunch: Salad

I am pretty bad at eating healthy sometimes.  I LOVE rich, greasy, delicious food.  I could eat a cheeseburger and fries everyday for lunch and then follow-up it up with a steak for dinner.  Okay, probably not.  But it feels like it sometimes. 

Luckily, I also have a desire to be healthy and skinny as well.  This desire gets me to the gym everyday, has me running half-marathons every year, and basically works as my conscience for when I'm about to drive to In and Out and order a Double Double.  

The thought of eating a salad for lunch makes me sad, but I want to be healthier today, so I'm doing it.  I've come to realize that the old quote, "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels" doesn't apply to me.  I learned this after a brief conversation with a 24 Hour Fitness Instructor:

Me: What do you eat everyday to stay so in-shape?

24 Guy: Eating is the key to staying in-shape.  I make a huge batch of grilled chicken and brown rice on Sunday and I eat it throughout the week with fresh steamed veggies.

Me: You eat that everyday? Do you ever eat out or switch it up?

24 Guy: Not really.  Sometimes I eat fish.

Me: Burgers?

24 Hour Guy: Nope.

Me: Pizza?

24 Guy: No way!

Me: Coke?

24 Guy: No, I just drink water all day.  I don't even drink juice.

Me: I hate you.

24 Guy: I have a six pack.

Me: ...Touche

Pizza Survey

What is your go-to pizza place?  And why?

Around the office we have a heated debate about which delivery pizza is the best.  Now, the debate isn't over fancy gourmet pizza, we're talking places like: Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John's, etc.

Leave your comments below!  I'm interested to see which pizza wins... 

For you hot dog lovers...

We made hot dogs last week and I wanted to share my favorite kind of hot dog with you: Nathan's Famous.

Next time you have a hankering for a delicious frank put the Oscar Meyer crap back on the shelf and grab a pack of these bad boys.  They are much better and deliciouser!  And they are kosher, which means that they are made from high-quality cuts of meat and follow rigorous USDA requirements to ensure quality.  

Or...just go to J-Dawgs.

Oh's

What you see before you may be the CRUNCHIEST cereal on earth.  I'm pretty sure it annoys my co-workers when I partake of this oaty delight because of the crunch noise factor.  Also, I may need some dental work done now.  

Wilted Salad

I tried one of my dad's recipes this week and it turned out really great.  Whenever we have Sunday dinner at Ken's (my dad) house I always request his Wilted Salad.  It's a simple salad, but it's really great.  

It's called "wilted" because you put a small amount of dressing, salt, pepper, and Parmesan on the salad a few minutes before serving.  It all gets room temperature and it just turns out so good.  It almost tastes sweet.  It's one of my all-time favorite salads.

Ingredients: Red Leaf Lettuce (or butter lettuce), Red Onion, Snow Peas, Parmesan Cheese, Salt, and Pepper.  

Dressing: Devil's Lake Dressing (an amazing home-made oil and vinegar dressing):

Light Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

Worcestershire Sauce

Mustard Powder

Salt 

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Planet Bollywood Indian Restaurant

While I was in Washington, DC this week I had some pretty great Indian Food.  The restaurant was called Planet Bollywood.  

Basmati Rice

Chicken Tikka Masala

Lamb Vindaloo

Matar Paneer

The one thing that disappointed me was their naan bread.  Nobody does it like Bombay House.  

Behold, the Panini

I had my first experience with Panera Bread this week.  I tried the Tomato Mozzarella Panini with fresh garlic and basil.  It was really good. I've had plenty of panini's in my day and this was definitely one of my favorites.  Also, my dad makes a mean panini.  :)

Unfortunately, there are some places that "miss the boat" in terms of the panini, namely: Zupas.  When you get a panini from Zupas the sandwich is barely warm and the cheese is never melted.  Have you ever noticed that, or is it just me?

Don't get me wrong, Zupas has delicious soups, but they need to cook their paninis a little longer.

Friday: My Lunch vs. Jon's Lunch

My good friend Jon Beecher and his lovely wife just moved to New York City a few weeks ago. Jon took a job with a reputable law firm in Manhattan following his graduation from BYU.  He and I were roommates in Provo for a good 5 years, which means we shared many delicious meals together.  We had our favorite spots, in fact, I remember going to the same restaurant 3 nights in a row one week.  

If anyone knows about fine dining, it's Jon.  Having lived in New York for the last few summers he's had a chance to try some of the best restaurants in the country.  Today he texted me pictures from his lunch at the Gotham Bar and Grill.  

I thought I'd compare Jon's lunch with my own:

My Lunch: Beto's, American Fork, UT

If you've been there before, then the yellow wrapping paper is music to your eyes.  Beto's is a "hole in the wall" Mexican joint that never disappoints (that rhymed).  

Today's choice: The Bacon, Potato, and Cheese Breakfast Burrito.  This bad boy will fill your belly and make you sluggish the rest of the day.  Mission accomplished.

Jon's Lunch: Gotham Bar and Grill, New York City, NY

Today's choice: Roasted Scottish Salmon, market vegetables, quinoa
fines herbes vinaigrette

Jon Wins.

Hostess Chocolate Pudding Pie

It's a little embarrassing, but I love these pies.  I think it's partly because of nostalgia and partly because they are just really good (500 calories worth).  REALLY GOOD.

When I was a kid I LOVED the Ninja Turtles (we all did, right?) and Hostess made a pudding pie that had Ninja Turtles on the cover.  That was enough to win my business.  You could have put Ninja Turtles on  a can of sardines and I would have eaten them.  Anyway, so began my love/love relationship with these pies.

There are other flavors of pie: blueberry, raspberry, lemon, apple, etc., and you may like those flavors better, but it's probably because you haven't tried the chocolate kind.  I'm just saying...

Wusthof Knives

Every year for Christmas the company I work for buys a bunch of great presents and we play a game to see who gets what.  The catch: you can steal someone else's present before the end of the game depending upon who's turn it is.  I don't know if that makes sense, but let's just say it's intense (that rhymed awesomely).

Well, it's easy to imagine that some presents are more desired than others (at one point during the game last year I had a Nintendo Wii in my hands and 10 minutes later it was in someone else's).  Every year I seem to play the game wrong and end up choosing from the "leftover pile" for my present.  The left-over pile is a compilation of presents that no one else wanted.  Two years ago I chose a set of Wusthof knives and was actually laughed at pretty heartily.  

WELL, I AM HAVING THE LAST LAUGH!  I can't believe the value I have gotten out of these knives.  They are incredibly sharp, easy-to-maintain, and will probably last forever.  I'm glad I traded in my Nintendo Wii for a set of really great knives.  

Tuscany!

This weekend we went to Tuscany and had one of the best meals of the year.  If you've never been, it's this sweet little restaurant right off of I-215 in Sugarhouse. 

Appetizer: Red and Green Tomato Bruschetta

The best bruschetta I've ever had.

Starter Salad

  Main Course: Wood-Oven Roasted, Cured Double Center-Cut Pork Chop with Scallion Mashed Potatoes, Balsamic Roasted Red Onions, and Port Reduction Sauce 

I get this every time I go.  

Melissa's Main Course: Wood-Oven Roasted Half Chicken with Garlic-Dijon Butter, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, and Natural Chicken Jus

This was really good too.

I'm going to Washington, DC...

I'm going to Washington, DC for work in a couple of weeks and would love advice on great places to eat while I'm there.  I've never been, so I have no idea what I'm doing.

Any suggestions??

Bombay House: Paneer Masala

Bombay House is one of my favorite restaurants in Provo.  Last night we ordered Paneer Masala, which is basically the same as Chicken Tikka Masala, but with cheese instead of chicken.  It was incredible.  I could pour that broth over Frosted Flakes and it would be delicious.

Paneer Masala

Cheese

Bell Pepper

Onions

Garlic

Ginger

Tomatoes

Cream and Spices

Paradise Cafe: Eh.

Behold the $8 BLT!

I was craving a BLT, so I decided to go to Paradise Bakery today for lunch.  Yeah, I'm not a big fan, what with all of the up-selling and $8 tiny sandwiches.  Is it just me, or is that place REALLY expensive and not that awesome?

  I could get a double-double, fries, and a coke at In-and-Out for like 5 bucks...

In-and-Out, you complete me.

Today's lunch: FAIL

PS. My BLT tasted like cinnamon.  Weird.