Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • Maple Syrup and Apple Cider Pork Loin

      Adapted from The Complete Meat Cookbook

      Ingredients:
      3 pork tenderloins
      5 cups hot water
      2 cups apple cider
      2 cups maple syrup
      2 tbsps cracked black peppercorns
      salt

      1. Stir the hot water and salt together until the salt is dissolved. Add the apple cider, syrup and pepper. Cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
      2. Trim any excess external fat from the meat. Submerge the pork in the brine in a large bowl. Make sure the meat stays under the surface. Refrigerate the pork in the cure for 3 hours.
      3. When ready to cook, remove meat from the cure and pat dry. Place meat on a roasting pan and broil close to the fire for about 10 minutes per side.

    • Tomato Cilantro Soup

      Adapted from Mediterranean Light

      Ingredients:
      1 large can plum tomatoes with juice
      1 bunch of cilantro, washed and tied with kitchen twine
      1 large onion, chopped
      2 garlic cloves, minced
      1 tbsp ground cumin
      2 tsps paprika
      juice of 1 lime
      plain yogurt

      1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, cumin and paprika, and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add tomatoes, 1 quart water, cilantro and season salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
      2. Turn off heat, remove and discard cilantro, and blend with hand blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lime juice. Serve hot or cold, with spoonful of yogurt in each bowl.

    • Island Time on Roatan, Honduras

      Before breakfast, we decided to run on the beach. Of course, I lasted for only two trips from the beachfront to the end of West Bay. After breakfast, I thought it’d be a great idea to bike around the area. We borrowed the Bananarama bikes even though it was already 85 degrees before 10am. Of course, I lasted one hill before I begged the Dr. to turn around and give up with me. We spent more time laughing at ourselves than the actual biking. After all that “effort”, we decided that the rest of the day would be spent under the shade, on the beach and near the water.

      At La Palapa, the only thatched-roof beachfront bar on West Bay, we bought several beers during lunch while the cook fried the two snappers we caught the day before. She served them with fried plantains. For dinner, we returned and bought more beers. The cook fried the last of our catch, the grouper, with some fries.

      The next day, we hired another water taxi driver to take us snorkeling. We couldn’t find Luna, the guy who took us fishing the day before, so another guy ripped us off by convincing us he was going to take us to the Blue Channel to snorkel. When he anchored the boat, I could still see the beach. This is Blue Channel?, we asked. For $50, we thought Blue Channel was far away, but we were already deep in vacation mode to even argue. We said bye to our money and snorkeled around the so-called channel. There were the usual fish: parrot, grouper and snappers. The water was clear and my vest kept me afloat. After only an hour, we asked to be dropped off at West End where we finally found some good food with our beers.

      Walking down the main street, we saw a lady with a basket. We asked her what she was selling and she said she had chicken tamales with cheese and beans. They were soft tortillas instead of masa wrapped in corn husks, but for thirty limpiras, or $2, for three pieces, we were sold.
      We sat under a tree at the beach and ate our first meal of the day. I was still hungry, so we walked a little bit more to find the fruit guy with the pickup truck. We instead saw a tent where another lady was grilling chicken. She was selling them with rice and beans for seventy limpiras, less than $4. I sat on one of her plastic chairs and the Dr. positioned himself on top of a crate. We shared a plate under her tent with a cold bottle of Coke. Our entire lunch was better than anything we paid $10 for on the island. Sometimes, street food is all you need to get a better sense of the local cuisine.

      We spent more time on the beach the rest of the afternoon and savored our last full day in the country. We met our Bananarama neighbors earlier and found out that they were from Colorado. When we saw them later at La Palapa, we agreed to take the last water taxi to West End to eat dinner together and split a cab back after hours. We ended up at Velva’s where my meal was served in some salty tomato concoction. I had ordered a snapper, but they instead served me shrimps. After we ate, the four of us walked around to find a bar, but unfortunately everything was already closed. We paid $10 for a cab to drive us back to West Bay. Thankfully, La Palapa was still open. The owners were wrapping up a private party on the beach, so the bartender bought us a round of drinks and we enjoyed the last few minutes of the fire they built.

      We flew out of Roatan the next day not knowing anything about Honduran culture and its people, but we were grateful for our time and for the opportunity to check off another Central American country from our list.

      Related post/s:
      Hello, Honduras
      Fishing in Roatan
      Roatan, Honduras photos on Flickr

    • Fishing in Roatan, Honduras

      Clink.
      Clink.
      Clink.

      What the hell! It was 7am and the divers were already getting the tanks out of storage to prepare for the day’s dive. We would not be able to sleep in the following days because of the diving preparations each morning. Roatan is a diving community, but because we don’t dive–the Dr. became a certified diver a long time ago but has lost interest–we were more interested in snorkeling and just taking it easy. Bananarama Dive Resort is frequented by those who travel far to learn how to dive. We were just there because they had the nicest cabins for rent on West Bay, the more quiet side of Roatan island.

      After some anemic eggs and sausage and tortilla garnished with a hibiscus flower for breakfast, we took a water taxi from the dock several yards away to go to the West End, the opposite side of West Bay. The entire island of Roatan is only 34 miles long and West Bay has the best beach, but West End is where the stores, restaurants and bars are so it’s teeming with life during the day.

      We walked around to get a feel of the island. We bought some fruits from the guy with the pickup truck, canvassed prices for snorkeling trips and visited some gift shops. We were pretty disappointed that condos were being built all over the beach, some priced at $300,000. It’s inevitable, right? But when we were in Panama, the settlers were mindful not to build tall concrete buildings in the mountains or the beach. Roatan looked like it was just waiting to be the next Florida.

      It wasn’t even noon yet and the sun was already out in full force. We settled for Creolan food at Bertie’s because the Honduran restaurant the water taxi driver recommended was still closed. The only problem was that the fried chicken we ordered for $8 did not taste Creolan at all. In fact, there was nothing Creolan in the menu. We would find out through our stay that food prices on the island range from $5 to $18 and those just include a small bowl of soup and a plate of fried fish with a sorry piece of iceberg lettuce they called salad. Alas, we’re tourists just like everyone else so we just had to suck it up.

      Late in the afternoon, we hired this guy Luna to take us fishing for two hours. If we can’t get a decent meal on the island, well, we’re just going to have to catch it, right? We got in his boat and we asked where the bait was. We’re going to get it!, he exclaimed. We docked back at West End and we watched him wade in the water with his big kitchen knife, stabbing all the crabs he saw. With the crabs, we caught three small yellowtail snappers to use as bait.

      We trawled in his boat for two hours, but the fish weren’t biting. We had to revert to the old-fashioned way and anchored the boat, waited for the smaller fish to bite and hoped for the best. Luna entertained us. His stories all started with My-uncle-this and My-uncle-that. He laughed like a maniac. We found ourselves laughing at him rather than with him. Later, when we told other locals that we had hired Luna during our first day, their reaction was always, You hired Luna?! Apparently, he’s notorious on the island as the town lunatic.

      The Dr. got lucky and caught two yellowtail snappers right away. Soon after, we had a grouper. (Endangered, we know, but Darwin made a good point!) The sun came down fast after that. When we caught a slimy, we knew it was time to go back to the beach.

      Back at West Bay after cleaning up for the night, we bought a Cuban sandwich, a plate of pasta and fish ceviche for dinner from the restaurant in the Mayan Princess Resort. No fish that night because we had three waiting in the fridge for the next day.

      Related post/s:
      Hello, Honduras
      Roatan, Honduras photos on Flickr

    • Hello, Roatan, Honduras

      We woke up early to catch our Atlanta flight that connected us to San Pedro Sula in Honduras. We spent a lot of time waiting at the airport before we boarded the flight to La Ceiba and then to our final destination, Roatan. The sun was setting when Omar picked us up. As soon as we checked in at Bananarama Dive Resort, we took a walk to check out the scene.

      We were spent, but the sunset made it all worth it. The island was deserted–we later found out that there was a national football match going on and that’s why none of the Hondurans could be bothered. We felt like we had the beach to ourselves. When darkness enveloped us, we began our search for our first Honduran meal.

      We started with the conch soup at Foster’s. We also ordered rice and beans with a fried red snapper. We’ve tried the Barena beer at the airport, so we ordered the Salva Vida this time. I read that one company owns all the Honduran breweries, so all the beers basically tasted the same. We sat in one of the palapas on the beach, away from the restaurant, to eat our dinner. The warm wind was blowing, the stars were out and all we could hear beyond the darkness were the waves crashing. Automatically, we switched to our don’t-care-about-anything-else-right-now mode.

      Hello, Honduras.

      Related post/s:
      Roatan, Honduras photos on Flickr

    • Sugar Snap Peas and Portobello Mushroom Salad

      Adapted from a delicious. magazine recipe using shiitake

      Ingredients:
      3 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stalks trimmed
      1 small bag of sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
      4 tbsps rice vinegar
      2 tbsps soy sauce
      1 tbsp brown sugar
      1 tsp chili sauce
      1 tbsp sesame oil

      1. Preheat oven to 350º. Whisk all the liquid together with the sugar and chili. Brush mushrooms with dressing and bake for about 10 minutes, turning once. Slice into small pieces when cool.
      2. Toss with the snap peas and sprinkle with remaining dressing.

    • Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar

      239 East 5th Street off 2nd Avenue
      212/979.1012
      $130 for two, with two drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      The latest from the Jack and Grace Lamb empire, Degustation is the replacement for Jewel Bako’s robato grill next door. They kept the same layout: an open kitchen where you can sit at the bar and watch everything unfold as you wait for your food. This time around, polite Latino chefs show their skills behind the counter instead of the more familiar Asian chefs along Second Avenue.

      Head chef Wesley Genovart, fresh from Perry St., is twenty-six years old and looks it, too, but he’s adventurous enough to fry artichokes with Kumamoto oyster in mussel broth and celery leaves. He’s smart enough to recognize that a slowly poached egg can be served with Serrano ham in chicken broth and, bless his heart, stuff a squid with braised short ribs and serve it with lentils.

      The lamb was perfectly grilled with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and served with a sauce simply called “chlorophyll” which was, you guessed it, green in color. The pork belly is so crisp, the fat just screams Eat Me as soon as the plate arrives in front of you. The grapefruit in caramel water was the perfect complement to the seared foie gras and the lemon juice went well with the grilled jumbo shrimps. To end our night out, one of the chefs grilled strawberries and served it with ginger granita and basil and mint sauce. My only regret was not ordering this in between our seafood and meat courses to cleanse our palate.

      Our 8pm reservation was easy to get, but we ended up waiting for forty minutes at the door to be seated. The staff never forgot us and served us complementary glasses (two each!) of champagne while we waited. A croquet amuse started us off and they still kept us in mind after six dishes and served us a wild arugula salad with ham and almonds to show their appreciation for our patience.

      For a minute, I forgot that we were in New York City because of the exceptional service but, really, where else can I get this much good food for under a hundred dollars?

    • Peter Luger

      178 Broadway, right under the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn
      718/387-7400
      about $400 for four, with a bottle of wine, with tip, cash only
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      Most New Yorkers will think of Peter Luger when porterhouse is the topic of conversation. How could we not when it’s been around since, oh, 1887. Even our cab driver knew where Peter Luger was. You mean the boo-jee steak place? when we only mentioned the steakhouse by the Williamsburg Bridge.

      Since some of us have eaten here before, we knew to split the porterhouse for two between four people because we ordered the fresh bacon, two salads and creamed spinach with our meat. Our waiter was obviously disappointed when we refused the steak for four but lit up when we ordered the 2002 Cakebread with it.

      We were a bit dismayed when our waiter brought a 2003 bottle and told us that he had run out of the 2002. Good thing my friend was aware of the fact that the 2003 harvest wasn’t worth the 2002 price. When we tried to order a less expensive bottle instead, our waiter returned with the 2002 and told us he just “found it” in the cellar. He was this close to opening that 2003 bottle and charging us the 2002 price! Tsk to Peter Luger! It pays to know something about your wines.

    • ChikaLicious and ChikaLicious Puddin’

      203 East 10th Street off Second Avenue
      212/995.9511
      $104 for four, desserts only with matching drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥

      If you have room for dessert, Chika will whip up one of the most simple yet satisfying desserts for you at ChikaLicious, a tiny space on 10th Street. Assuming, of course, that they haven’t sold out by 11pm or that you’re not waiting to be seated for more than 20 minutes.

      The prix fixe is only $19 and includes an amuse, a main dessert, petit fours and a glass of wine. Your choices for main desserts run from the creative, like kiwi in lavender soup, to the surprising, like peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce with warm chocolate tart.

      Update, 2008: They have opened ChikaLicious Puddin’ across the street that serves three kinds–at least when we visited–of “puddin’”. Light, fluffy and sweet, their puddings are the perfect end to a blistery winter night.

    • Ivo & Lulu

      558 Broome Street between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street
      212/226.4399
      about $100 for three, BYOB, without tip

      I was so happy to find another restaurant that let us bring our own wine for no corking fee. My friends from Los Angeles were in town and I had a bottle of Uruguayan red wine on my desk at work. Even though it was a rainy Friday night, we braved SoHo and waited at the bar next door to be seated at Ivo & LuLu.

      Listings say the menu is French Caribbean: the rabbit and boar saucissons are truly français except for the extra kick in the spice. The grilled avocado with spinach mousse was interesting but even more so with shiitake-sesame dressing. The rain outside just made it more comfortable inside this sliver of a space off the Holland Tunnel.

      I came with four other people during my second visit. We ordered the entire menu–less than 15 dishes–and shared everything with two bottles of wine. The French owners ended up closing the restaurant while we were still inside. They served us desserts on the house and sat with us to smoke and chat.

      We found out that the bar next door is now part of the restaurant during a more recent visit. Three of us shared five dishes with two bottles of wine: the duck confit which was crispy outside, yet soft inside. The mussels in an addicting spicy sauce. The potato gratin and the roasted pear with blue cheese. The winter squash, roasted and served in its shell–the mushiness of the meat with carrots and peas was very comforting. I’m not sure if they will take the wall that separates the two spaces down but I hope the coziness of the place won’t change. I also hope that the food will stay the same.

    • Turks & Frogs

      323 West 11th Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets
      212/691.8875
      $86 for two, with two drinks, with tip

      The salad portions shocked me the most at Turks & Frogs because they’re meant for two people even though the price is more familiar for one. Our waiter didn’t say anything when we ordered two salads and one main course so my only complaint is not being advised to order less.


      The owner’s antique expertise showed in the lamps

      It was a warm Thursday night and I thought of walking over to TriBeCa to see if we can score a seat at the Turkish restaurant set up by Osman Cakir, the same owner of the antique store of the same name in the West Village. It turns out his antique expertise is more useful when it comes to picking more than fifty bottles of wine from around the world and small Turkish specialties like lamb kebab, cucumber salad with yogurt and mint sauce and grilled swordfish.

    • Cantonese-Style Flounder

      Adapted from Mr. Tang’s, Chinatown, New York

      1 flounder, cleaned, rinsed, patted dry
      1 ginger, julienned
      4 stalks of scallions, sliced
      1/2 cup sake
      2 tbsps soy sauce
      1 tbsp peanut oil
      red chili flakes
      salt and pepper

      1. Preheat oven at 375º. Scatter half of the ginger and scallions in a baking dish large enough to accommodate the whole flounder. Place the flounder and top with the rest of the ginger and scallions. Add all the liquid and season with the chili flakes plus the salt and pepper.
      2. Bake fish for about 20 minutes, adding a little water after 10 if the dish seems to be dry.