shopsins

i like killing flies. a documentary about a general store owner turned restauranteur, kenny shopsin, rumoured to be the real soup nazi from that late 80’s sitcom starring a comedian and his misfit friends. this documentary isn’t new, but i like it and it is airing on IFC this sunday, twice. check it out & if you don’t have IFC, guess you’ll be joining netflix. i sent my investigative field reporter, mbracy to shopsins restaurant in ny, ny, and was told that it had moved again, to a stall inside essex street market. oh well. a year ago, kenny wrote a book eat me. check it out. i actually took notes for recipes i want to try. if you’ve got 27 minutes to burn, listen to a kenny podcast. watch, read or listen, you will like kenny. promise.


I Like Killing Flies
IFC Sun, Sep 6, 6:55 AM
IFC Sun, Sep 6, 2:45 PM

this is better than yours

spaghetti with meat sauce. yeah, you think your recipe is the best but you’re wrong. this recipe from america’s test kitchen beats yours, fo sho. you’ll need a food processor, pulsing the meat in the processor is the key here. this recipe may come off as daunting, it’s not, just do it, you won’t be sorry. the recipe is ripped straight from their website. you’ll have to register, but it’s free.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

Except for ground round (which tasters found spongy and bland), this recipe will work with most types of ground beef, as long as it is 85% lean. (80% lean beef will turn the sauce greasy; 90% will make it fibrous.) Use high-quality crushed tomatoes; our favorite brands are Tuttorosso, Muir Glen Organic, and Hunt’s Organic. If using dried oregano, add the entire amount with the canned tomato liquid in step 2. The sauce makes enough for nearly 2 pounds of pasta. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

4 ounces white mushrooms , cleaned, stems trimmed, and broken into rough pieces
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 pound 85% lean ground beef (see note and related content)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1½ cups)
6 medium garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, ¼ cup liquid reserved
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano (see note)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ¼ cup)

See Illustrations Below: Keys to Great Flavor

1. Process mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down side of bowl as needed; transfer to medium bowl. Add bread, milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to now-empty food processor and process until paste forms, about eight 1-second pulses. Add beef and pulse until mixture is well combined, about six 1-second pulses.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned and dark bits form on pan bottom, 6 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook until fragrant and tomato paste starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved tomato liquid and 2 teaspoons fresh oregano (if using dried, add full amount), scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add meat mixture and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until beef loses its raw color, 2 to 4 minutes, making sure that meat does not brown.
3. Stir in crushed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and gently simmer until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining teaspoon fresh oregano; season with salt and pepper to taste.

tips: don't add oil to your pasta water & don't rinse your pasta. there.

fried

deep fried feastival. krazy mike’s shrimp n wings. think flying fish, smaller, & with 10 less people on the payroll. little rock bites went at high noon and the place was packed. orders are taken at the counter, you get a number and wait until your number is called. my bitch about places like these are the fuck faces that plop their asses down and save a table before they order. that messes up the order/food flow. try explaining it to them & they won’t get it. so while i waited for a table, i put hexes on them. back to the food. krazy mike cooks food to order (that’s a good thing), so have patience. the menu offers wings (50 hot ones, please), 10 for $6.50 up to 100 for $54.50, po boys (with authentic new orleans bread), chicken & sausage gumbo, ribs, catfish fillets (that’s right), fantail skrimps (oh, yeah), fried oysters (uh, huh), chicken tenders (yum), boiled skrimps (right on) and combo baskets. sides are; real homemade onion rings (mmmmm), baked beans, cole slaw, rice, potato salad, fresh cut fries, grilled veggies & veggie stix. prices of baskets range from $7.50 to $15.50 & sweet tea (yep, sweet) runs $2 bucks a cup. be prepared to spend more than you normally would for a lunch, the menu is the same for lunch & dinner. i have been twice and the word has definitely gotten out since my first visit. dinner specials are posted, so that tells me dinner time is a lonely time for krazy mike. go by and give an independent restauranteur a try. you’ll like it. open everyday (yes, that means sunday) for lunch & dinner.

Krazy Mike’s Shrimp N Wings
Bowman Curve Plaza
200 Bowman Road
Little Rock, AR
501-907-6453

Aaaaaah

THERE IS A GOD or just someone at pepsico that finally got the natural sugar trend in soda equals money memo. thanks to my Gifted And Youthful, super investigative research specialist and field reporter, mbracy, there is fantastic news for the hardcore fans (me) of pepsi throwback. late december, pepsi throwback is returning for another limited run. you can read about it here: pepsi throwback. i now have reason to clear out that spare room: a throwback cellar.

got crabs?

crabs. gorillaman surprised me with 6 seasoned & steamed maryland blue crabs from the fresh market. before his car was off my street, they were placed on newspaper ready to pull apart. no doubt they were a lot of work to eat, but i managed to extract all the tender meat. nice, easy and delicious and perfect for a summer dinner.

The Fresh Market
11525 Cantrell Road
Little Rock, AR
(501) 225-7700

On the Road with LRB

little rock bites was on the road recently and visited the red stick farmers market in baton rouge, la. while there, we caught a top chef cook off, of sorts, and got to sample & cast a vote. the two dishes battling it out were alligator, okra & tomatoes over grits and fried soft shell crab with a cream sauce. little rock bites neglected to snap a photo of the sampling dishes, but fortunately did snap a few of the chefs preparing the soft shell crabs. the event turned out to be the Fresh from the Market Cooking Show which is held each Saturday at 10 am inside Main Street Market. the cooking demonstrations as they are called, feature local chefs from around Louisiana and the recipes always incorporate local, seasonal ingredients found at the Red Stick Farmers Market. fun.

Red Stick Farmers Market
Fifth Street at Main Street
downtown Baton Rouge

half human carrot goes straight to the compost bin

ok, not a crisp photo taken with my camera phone, but you can see that this carrot half morphed into human form, complete with a belly button. i have heard horror stories told by the organic farmers on the north side of the river, talking smack about the non organic farmers that sell at the river market. when i got this carrot in my bunch purchased on the south side of the river. i was, at that point, a believer. no, i didn’t eat it, i was afraid it might scream.

asian pear(less) mojito

asian pear mojito. sweet, refreshing & delicious. sold at the chain, p.f. chang’s china bistro. gorrillaman treated me to my first one. wee and i had to go back for another. according to cheers magazine, june 2009 issue, P. F. Chang’s beverage director, Mary Melton, states the leading drink across their 133 restaurants is the Bacardi-based Asian Pear Mojito, which accounted for $5 million in sales last year. whew.

i made a call to p.f.chang’s manager and asked if there was any pear in the pear mojito. his reply was; “it is pearless”. my next question asked about the inclusion of sour apple pucker, his answer; “no”. he went on to say “believe it or not, it is Barcardi Limon rum muddled with mint that gives it that pear taste.” obviously more research will be involved. i am thinking zelcat and i will swing by there to close the deal, after all, she works near there, right? zelcat? hello?

asian pear(less) mojito, $8. drink one.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro
317 South Shackleford Road
Little Rock, AR
(501) 225-4424

made in spain

andalucian style spanish gazpacho. i am a bowl of gazpacho. it has become my go-to lunch in an inspirational or time pinch. it is light, fresh and delicious. it is not chunky and it is not like eating salsa with a spoon. i don’t like that. the way to avoid the eating salsa pitfall is to follow the recipe and add a slice or hunk of bread. you need a blender. a food processor does not work (for me) in this case, sorry. i don’t measure, this is another clean-out-the-produce-bin recipe. don’t be afraid to use those tomatoes with the bad spots, cut them out, use that shriveling cucumber, just remove the wrinkled parts, no big deal. gazpacho is not super red. if you need that super red color to enjoy it, you can cheat like the restaurants do and add a teaspoon or so of tomato paste. i don’t do that. toss all the following ingredients into a blender and whirl until smooth. add an ice cube or two (or not) if you are going to eat immediately. this can be refrigerated up to 24 hours, it may separate, just stir it before you serve it. if you want to be fancy, you can add some seeded and chopped tomatoes and/or cucumbers with a few drops of olive oil, á la restaurant style, to the top before serving. ingredients: 1 cucumber, chopped, (i don’t peel or seed it), 1 green bell or poblano pepper, seeded and diced, 3-6 ripe tomatoes, diced, 1/2 garlic clove, peeled & pressed, 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 slice bread, crust removed or a hunk of baguette, stale is fine, lots of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, 1/4 cup of water and 1-2 ice cubes (or not). blend and consume.

fungi part II. redemption.

this is a follow-up post to jay justice takes the fun out of fungi. it took a week, but, he’s not being judged on timeliness. it looks like jay has seen the error of his ways. he’s redeemed himself in my book. read on.


> Subject: Mushrooming in Arkansas
> Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:46:21 -0500
> From: JUSTICE@adeq.state.ar.us
> To: me
>
> Ok,here is some info about the Arkansas Mycological Society
>
> The purpose of the Arkansas Mycological Society is to impart to its members sufficient taxonomic skills so that they will be able to distinguish safe edible mushrooms from poisonous ones and to promote the overall interest in mushrooms and fungi that can be found in Arkansas.
>
> Members are encouraged to develop and sharpen their taxonomic skills by attending field trips or forays that are convened on selected Saturdays throughout the fungal fruiting season (March-November). We meet at previously selected sites, usually Lake Sylvia Recreational Area or Woolly Hollow State Park both of which are not too far from Little Rock, sally forth into the woods with our baskets and enthusiasm and collect mushrooms/fungi until we feel we have collected enough. After a brief lunch to refresh ourselves, we spread out all our fungal finds onto a picnic table and go about the business of identifying the little beasties! While the intent of these forays is to learn the identity of new mushrooms and not fill our baskets with edible mushrooms, on occasion we have come across large collections of edible mushrooms and knowing that if we do not pick these edible mushrooms they will most likely decay in situ, we avail ourselves of the bountiful harvest that nature sometimes bestows upon us.
>
> The society will conduct its annual Fungus Fair at Pinnacle Mountain State Park on November 7. This is an all day affair and includes an interpretive walk in the morning, a slide presentation entitled "Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of Arkansas", a lecture on growing wild mushrooms at home, and a mycophagy session where several examples of wild mushrooms are sautéed and eaten. At this event I also have many examples of fresh and dried mushrooms on displayed with proper labels showing their correct identification. AMS members may attend this fair at no cost, but non-members over the age of 18 are asked to pay a fee of $10.
>
> The society does publish newsletters throughout the year. Our next one will be coming out soon. The newsletter gives information about the forays on Saturdays. Membership in the AMS for the remainder of this year is $5 for individual membership and $7.50 for family membership. Checks for membership can be made out to the AMS and sent to me (Jay Justice), 16055 Michele Drive, Alexander, AR. 72002.
>
> I will also be doing a mushroom workshop at Devil's Den State Park on Oct. 3 of this year from 10AM - 4 PM.
>
> Attached is a file listing the field guides that I recommend for identifying mushrooms that can be found in Arkansas. I suggest that individual purchase a copy of the Audubon field guide and/or the Phillips' guide and supplement these field guides with a regional one such at Field Guide to Southern Mushrooms or Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States by Bessette, Roody, Bessette and Dunaway.
>
> There is some information about the kinds of Mushrooms/Fungi that one can find in Arkansas at http://www.hsu.edu/content.aspx?id=48368
>
> Fungal-mentally yours,
>
> Jay Justice, President Arkansas Mycological Society

ok, anyone up for the mushroom workshop at Devil's Den State Park on Oct. 3?

Guacamole!

guacamole. easy to make. yummy to eat. don’t over complicate this. really. scrap the food processor or the blender. use a fork. forget the mayo or the sour cream. this will be creamy enough if you use a ripe avocado and blend in 2 batches. ingredients: avocado, a few squeezes of lime juice, onion (green, white or purple onion finely diced), green pepper (poblano, seeded jalapeño or green bell, one or all), smidge of freshly pressed garlic or a dash of garlic powder, chopped and seeded tomato, a sprig of cilantro, chopped and salt to taste. blend 1/4 of the mixure in a bowl with a fork, get that creamy, then add the rest and mix. be sure to leave chunks for texture. there. where are the tortilla chips?

ratatouille, not the movie

since i go to the farmers market twice a week, at times my fridge can be a little full of some sad looking produce. the remedy was alice water’s recipe for ratatouille, yes, i know dears, the animated movie is your only reference to this dish. now, thanks to me, you will have notion to make your own. this is a literal clean-out-the-fridge meal, i happened to have all the ingredients wilting away in my possession and it turned out delicious. i served my ratatouille with arkansas basmati rice. use this as an outline, recipes are not carved in stone. cut eggplant into the bite size pieces, salt and place in a colander to drain in the sink for 20 minutes. i used mini japanese eggplants, cut length ways in half. diced onion, i used mini leeks. peppers, i used a mix of tiny green bell, a large sweet italian and 1 tiny hot red pepper. zucchini/squash, i used 2 small green zucchini and 2 tiny green and 1 tiny white patty pan squash. 3-5 tomatoes, i used a mix of green and red heirloom and a handful of cherry tomatoes. after salting and draining the eggplant, pat dry with a few paper towels and sauté in olive oil until golden. remove from pan. sauté the onions until tender about 7 minutes, add peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes, add 4-6 cloves of finely minced garlic and sauté for less than a minute. add diced tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat add the eggplant and cook for another 15 minutes. top with a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps a splash or balsamic vinegar. this is a fabu side dish, say, served with some baked chicken or a fabu meal, served with rice or a grain. yeah, that’s right.

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a culinary vision

when a culinary vision strikes, i must act immediately. acorn squash & black bean soft tacos served with avocado sauce, à la hacienda style. may not sound like much to you, but this was super delicious with the green sauce balancing the sweetness of the acorn squash. i love me. you will need: 1 food processor or blender to make the avocado sauce. ingredients for sauce are: 1/2 peeled avocado, 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and garlic powder, 2 sprigs cilantro, 2 green onions, 1 green poblano pepper, seeded, 1/2 fresh jalapeño pepper, 1/4 cup of water. blend in processor/blender until smooth. for the tacos: flour tortillas, 1 acorn squash, a few springs of cilantro, 1 can of rinsed black beans, cumin, salt, mexican cotija cheese, diced or crumbled. cut acorn squash in half length wise. de-seed with a spoon. place a spot of butter where the seeds were, add a shake of cayenne pepper and salt the entire cut side of the squash, cover and microwave for 4-6 minutes until fork tender. set aside to cool. rinse black beans, add salt to taste & a dash or two of ground cumin, microwave for a minute to heat through but not cook. place flour tortilla on a griddle or in a cast iron skillet and heat until pliable. assemble tacos by placing 2 slices of acorn squash, 2 tablespoons of black beans, a sprinkling of cotija cheese, a sprig of cilantro & top with green sauce. roll and eat. it’s that quick. just freakin’ do it.

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Union Restaurant; caught in a smackdown

union. the first time we drove by this place it was empty, so we opted to go elsewhere. when a favorable review hit the paper (see note at the end of this post), we joined the flock. union serves small plate servings, tapas, or in arkansas, a bunch of appetizers. my bet is; if you appreciate good food, perfectly prepared, you won’t be disappointed. my camera only came out at the beginning of the meal. so, here you get a small taste of the items that came to the table. the blue corn prawn dogs (pictured) were large, meaty, perfectly cooked, skewered & deep fried shrimp served with two dipping sauces: mango habanero and lime creme fraîche. the lime creme fraîche didn’t have much more taste than your run-of-the-mill sour cream, but overall, this was a favorite. the heirloom tomato stack (pictured) was simple, beautiful and tasty, topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese, sprouts and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. shrimp and garlic, (not pictured) were 6 shrimp in a garlic infused broth served with thinly sliced and toasted baguette ovals. that broth totally invited the toast to be dipped. each item ordered was beautifully presented and cooked appropriately. no complaints, except for the bread that came with cinnamon butter. sweetened butter? ick. all was well in the end, that bread mopped up the shrimp and garlic broth. try union, you’ll like it.

Union Restaurant
3421 Old Cantrell Rd
Little Rock, AR 72202
661-8311

note: WAR: restaurant vs. critic
the following letter to the editor was printed in today’s ArkDemGaz;

Comment uncalled for
As independent restaurant owners with a 23-year track record in Little Rock, we are writing to express our feelings for Jack Schnedler’s remarks about one of our restaurants in his recent review of Union Restaurant.
First of all, congrats to Union. We can’t wait to eat there and support another independent restaurant. Reviews can make or break a restaurant, especially a new restaurant. Food criticism and reviews in particular are completely subjective. Our complaint is in the way Schnedler felt compelled to compare our new restaurant, Capi’s, to Union in a less than favorable way. Let Union’s review focus on Union. Why make a negative comment about another restaurant when you are writing a review of a new restaurant? It is hard enough to make it in this business without this kind of help from a restaurant “critic.”
As a member of the Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission, Capi sees so many restaurants struggling, especially the small, independent restaurants, during this ongoing recession. Even in good times, restaurants have the largest failure rate amongst small businesses. Little Rock is blessed with a vibrant, diverse and progressive culinary scene. We hate to see someone wield his or her pen to cast a negative spin on any restaurant when it is not justified. It almost feels personal.
Restaurants, especially small, mom-and-pop-owned entities like ours, are working hard to stay afloat in these economic times. Don’t make it harder on us than it already is.
BRENT PETERSON
Cammack Village
CAPI PECK

Jay Justice takes the fun out of fungi

i like mushrooms. i thought mushroom foraging could be a cool hobby. that lead me to google arkansas mushrooms. my google search came up with this: http://www.mushroomthejournal.com/startingout/clubs/Arkan5.html

not much info. i then sent an e-mail to, what appears to be, the lone member of the Arkansas Mycological Society. yeah, i get it, the tone of an e-mail can be misinterpreted, that is the case in the unedited e-mails below or see the photo.

>From : me
> Sent : 8/8/2009 11:00:53 AM
> To : justice@aristotle.net
> Subject : FW: mushroom foraging class?
>
> hi, do you have information on how i can learn to
> forage mushrooms in arkansas? thanks!

> Subject: RE: mushroom foraging class?
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:12:50 -0500
> From: JUSTICE@adeq.state.ar.us
> To: me
>
> Not sure what you are asking. I do not have a quick fix for anyone that
> wants to learn edible mushrooms from the poisonous ones. I lead forays
> through-out the year to show members of the Arkansas Mycological Society
> edible and poisonous mushrooms but there is no easy way to learn the
> difference between the two kinds of mushrooms - people have to devote
> some time to learn how to tell poisonous ones from edible mushrooms.
>
> Fungal-mentally,
>
> Jay Justice



RE: mushroom foraging class?‏
From: me
Sent: Mon 8/10/09 3:22 PM
To: justice@adeq.state.ar.us

OK.

the Arkansas Mycological Society website, from what i can see, has zero information 'cept for your contact information. i was not asking for a "quick fix" --- sorry you read that into my e-mail.

i thought you could be a source of information on upcoming 'classes', 'workshops' on foraging or perhaps would give information on an upcoming foray. or how about this: information on how one becomes a member of the Arkansas Mycological Society. that is what i was trying to ask.

have a wonderful day.

Layla's, you've got me on my knees

layla’s. a favorite in little rock. i actually had my birthday lunch here and received the royal treatment, complete with a birthday serenade culminating with a demi-cup of delicious turkish style espresso (sweetened and condensed espresso with a hint of cardamon). my usual order is the greek salad, a gyro and 6 pieces of baklava to take home. yeah, i know, gyro meat isn’t particularly good for you, but it’s good and they know how to put it all together perfectly. the gyro (pronounced YEER-oh) consists of various compressed, rotisserie meats, marinated onions, yogurt tzatziki sauce all served on warm flatbread (tastier than a pocket pita) as a wrap sandwich. the greek salad, served with warm flat bread triangles, is a large plate of fresh iceberg lettuce, black olives, feta cheese and refreshing, homemade oil & lemon dressing. this is too much food for a one person lunch, find someone you like and share the greek salad. gorillaman ordered the gyro platter, pictured here, which is a build-your-own wrap plate. you will need more than one flatbread. we also ordered a hummus dip (pictured) and, as you can see by the photo, it is all served with love. get in your car.

check out Layla’s menu.

LAYLA’s Restaurant, Grocery & Halal Meat
9501 N Rodney Parham
Little Rock, AR
501-227-7272

higher and higher and higher

here’s an update for the chanterelles i purchased from The Garden @ Becky Lane booth at the Argenta Farmers Market on saturday. remember that mushroom brush you never, ever use? well, dig it out. first, cut the tough, dirty root end off the ‘shrooms. now, rinse (yes, i said rinse) the chanterelles under cold running water while using that forgotten mushroom brush, dragging the dirt away from the mushroom. place the rinsed chanterelles, trumpet facing down, on a dry dish towel. now you’re ready to do an infinite number of yummy things to ‘em. cut the large chanterelles in 1/2 and leave the smaller ones whole. the pieces will look large, but they shrink considerably as they cook. here’s how i prepared them; sauté chanterelles in 1 tablespoon of butter, using tongs to gently turn them & cooking long enough to allow them to soften, about 4-5 minutes on medium high heat. add salt, a smidge of cayenne & some finely ground pepper (you can use white pepper) and a 1/2 clove of garlic. sauté the garlic for less than 30 seconds. add a splash of cognac (white wine or sherry is a-ok) to finish it, cook off the alcohol, about another minute or two. that’s it, ugly betty. this makes for an excellent side dish or serve on top of toast for a lovely brunch or lunch. heap on toasted baguette rounds for a spectacular crostini appetizer. the options are really endless. the idea is to showcase the chanterelles and not bury them in some soup or other convoluted recipe. i tried the ‘chew 30 times’ rule to savor the deliciousness, after all, this could be considered a decadent lunch at $7.50 a quart, but, trust me, well, well, worth it. go buy some.

The Garden @ Becky Lane
Argenta Farmers Market
Tuesdays & Saturdays 7-noon

Heirloom Tomato Pizza or get off your lazy ass

the best pizza ever. yeah, i said it. last week i found myself in a hail storm in northwest arkansas, before that hail hit i did some shopping at Ranalli Farms Produce and Bakery in Tontitown and bought some great heirloom tomatoes. yesterday, at the Argenta Farmers Market, i picked up pizza crusts, which are sold 2 to a pack for $4. these pre-baked crusts are not your run of the mill bland pizza crust, these have a distinctive sweet flavor. i topped this pizza with a green and a red heirloom tomato from Ranalli Farms, added crushed garlic from Vang Family farm stand at the River Market and a fresh mozzarella cheese ball from Boulevard Bread and baked it at 500℉ for a mere 6 minutes. i topped it off with a few shakes of hot pepper flakes and a couple stolen basil leaves from a nearby community garden. yeah, it's super quick, super delicious and super easy. do it.

Ranalli Farms Produce & Bakery
1960 W. Henri de Tonti Blvd.
Tontitown, AR 72762

479.361.1313

Chanterelles from Fun Guy Sam

chanterelle mushrooms. i picked these up at the Argenta Famers Market this morning from The Garden @ Becky Lane booth. Sam tells me that they grow naturally under the hickory trees on his park like property. i haven't had my culinary vision yet on how i will use these but will keep you posted.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

ah, tomato season. this is an heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella salad. thyme (from my herb garden) fresh moz cheese and baguette from Boulevard Bread, topped off with a dash of balsamic vinegar & a drizzle of olive oil. a perfect lunch for a hot summer day. you can pay $8 and get 1/2 the portion or you can make your own. i opt for you to make your own. don't forget the salt and pepper.

looks are not deceiving - YaYas EuroBistro

Dear YaYas, oven roasted tomatoes and sundried tomatoes are not the same. this is shrimp linguine from YaYas EuroBistro. YaYas opened in West Little Rock late January 2009 and the kinks should be worked out by now. by menu definition this dish was described as: sautéed shrimp, oven-roasted tomatoes, spinach, roasted garlic, sweet vermouth-sage sauce for $16.95. this dish was watery, the sundried tomatoes were leathery and difficult to chew, the sage gave an unpalatable bitter twang, the shrimp were few and BLAND. no amount of grated parm could save this kitchen disaster. i came home and ate pita chips.

Tru Blood --- no High Fructose Corn Syrup

i loosely follow HBO's True Blood and just ran across the new merch for the show. to explain it to those of you who don't have HBO (hi, mbracy) i think it goes something like this: vampires are integrating into society and want equal rights inexchange for their promise that they won't feed on their neighbors -> enter the japanese made Tru Blood. faux blood in a bottle to satiate the vamps and also allow them to be social in the bar scene. ok, that's in fictional Bon Temps, LA. well, HBO is selling it for realz. check out it out here:
http://hbo.seenon.com/detail.php?p=106272&v=hbo_shows_true-blood_tru-blood

at least it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup...