Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • Where to eat in Houston, Texas: Burn’s Bar BQ

      What would you do if you had a five-hour layover in Houston? If you’re like me, then you’d grab your backpack from baggage claim, call 411 for information, ask the airport information clerk and the po-po for directions and finally convince the cab dispatchers to find Burn’s Bar BQ so you can eat a decent rack of ribs.

      We’ve followed Anthony Bourdain’s advice before and ate chapulines, or crickets, in the market of Oaxaca, Mexico. We’ve tried nose-to-tail eating at St. John’s in London. Eating barbecue from one of his favorite barbecue joints in Houston was just too easy.

      We paid a total of $74 for cab fare to and from the airport to eat three kinds of barbecue with potato salad, white bread and pickles at Burn’s Bar BQ. Our entire order cost us less than $15. It took 45 minutes to eat everything. It wasn’t the first rack of ribs we’ve ever had that tasted as good, but man, was it all worth it! Talk about dedication to my meat.

      Burn’s Bar BQ is at 8307 De Priest Street off Williamsdell Street in Houston, Texas. They can ship a big order of ribs to your city if you call 281/445.7574.

    • Deep-Fried Quail with Red Wine Reduction Sauce

      Sauce adapted from a fisherman in Panama

      Ingredients:
      4 semi-boneless quails, butterflied
      1 red bell pepper, julienned
      1 red onion, thinly sliced
      1 garlic clove, minced
      1 plum tomato, roughly chopped
      1/4 cup of red wine
      1/4 cup of chicken broth
      salt, pepper and oil

      1. Rub quails inside out with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat enough oil to submerge quails halfway. When almost smoking, fry quail on both sides, pressing on them so that they lay flat.
      2. Afterwards, throw away oil, leaving some for sautéing. Sauté garlic until brown and onions until transparent and tomato mushy. Add peppers and broth. Simmer and cook pepper until soft. Add wine and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with quails.

    • Hearty Vegetable Soup

      Adapted from Everyday Food

      Ingredients:
      1/2 cup ditalini, or any short tubular pasta
      1 large can of stewed tomatoes in juice
      1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
      1 garlic clove, minced
      1/2 tsp dried thyme
      salt, pepper and oil

      1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Sauté garlic until brown and then add tomatoes with juice and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
      2. Add pasta and bring back to boil for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add thyme and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is tender.

    • Herb-Rubbed Salmon Steak

      Adapted from Everyday Food

      Ingredients:
      1 salmon steak
      1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
      1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
      a handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
      1 scallion, finely chopped
      1/2 tsp dried thyme
      1 garlic clove, minced
      salt, pepper and oil

      1. Preheat oven to 425º. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil.
      2. Make the rub. Combine garlic, mint and thyme in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Rub mixture onto salmon. Place on sheet and bake salmon until opaque throughout, about 10 minutes.
      3. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a skillet. Sauté garlic until brown and tomatoes until mushy. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add scallions. Season with remaining rub. Serve with salmon.

    • Quail with Artichokes

      Adapted from Mario Batali’s Quaglie con Carciofi

      Ingredients:
      8 semi-boneless quails
      8 slices prosciutto
      8 medium artichokes, trimmed, choke removed, cut into wedges, held in a bowl of lemon water
      8 cloves of garlic, crushed
      2 tbsps tomato paste
      1 cup dry white wine
      1/4 cup flat parsley leaves
      salt, pepper, olive oil

      1. Season each quail with salt and pepper. Wrap each one in a slice of prosciutto, securing it with toothpicks if necessary.
      2. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the quail, a few at a time and brown on all sides. Transfer to a large plate and set aside.
      3. Add artichokes, garlic and tomato paste to the pot, stirring ocassionally until paste turns into a deep rust color. Add the wine, cover and cook until artichokes are tender. Add the quail, cover and cook until the meat is just pink at the leg bone, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the parsley.

    • Beef with Oranges and Olives

      Adapted from a Stinco di Agnello con Aranci e Olive Mario Batali recipe using lamb shanks.

      Ingredients:
      1 pound of boneless beef chuck roast
      1 orange, cut into 8 wedges
      zest of the orange
      1/2 cup gaeta olives
      1 red onion, chopped
      2 tbsps rosemary
      6 cloves of garlic, crushed
      1 small can tomato sauce
      1 cup chicken stock
      1 cup dry white wine
      olive oil, salt and pepper

      1. Preheat oven at 375º.
      2. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until smoking. Reduce the heat and brown beef until golden brown on both sides, in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer browned beef to a bowl.
      3. Add onions, garlic and oranges to the pot until garlic is softened. Add rosemary, olives, wine, tomato sauce and stock and bring to a boil.
      4. Add the beef back to the pot and bring to a boil again. Cover tightly and cook in the oven until beef is tender, about 1 hour or so.
      5. Serve in a bowl, let the beef rest before topping with zest.

    • Amy Ruth’s Home-Style Southern Cuisine

      113 West 116th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton
      212/280.8779
      about $60 for two, without drinks, without tip

      Chef Carl Redding opened the restaurant a year after his grandmother, Amy Ruth, passed away. They’re not kidding when they say that they offer home-style cooking because you can taste the love in their collard greens and in the gravy of their mashed potatoes. The honey-dipped fried chicken was to die for, flavorful both inside and out. I couldn’t have enough of the crispy skin and even the white meat was tasty.

      I looked forward to ordering the spareribs but they were overdone; swimming in sauce and mushy like bad soup. I like my meat when they easily fall off the bone but I also like gnawing on some actual ribs, not softened bones.

      They ran out of macaroni and cheese when we visited so we ordered a side of string beans instead which were so overcooked they weren’t crunchy nor buttery. Their fried okra was excellent but as soon as they cooled down, the batter became chewy and inedible. I had two slices of the corn bread and somehow, they made up for the restaurant’s shortcomings.

    • Beef Bourguignon

      Adapted from Everyday Food

      Ingredients:
      1 1/5 pounds of boneless beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
      4 slices of bacon
      4 small carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
      a handful of small red potatoes, peeled in the middle and boiled until half-cooked
      crimini mushrooms and pearl onions, roasted
      1 large onion, sliced
      3 garlic cloves, crushed
      1 sprig of thyme
      2 tbsps rosemary
      1 sprig of parsley
      1 cup of red wine
      1 small can of tomato paste

      1. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
      2. Raise heat to medium and brown beef cubes in bacon fat, in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer browned beef to a bowl.
      3. Bring to a boil 1/2 cup water in the same pot while loosening the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid to a few tablespoons.
      4. Add garlic and onions. Cook until softened. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the beef back with the bacon, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Add water to avoid drying up.
      5. Add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions and parsley leaves until warm and carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

    • Roasted Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

      Adapted from Everyday Food

      Ingredients:
      1/2 pound of crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed
      1 small bag of pearl onions, peeled
      1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper

      1. Preheat oven to 425º. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms with onions and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and browned, stirring halfway through.

    • Frisée and Pear Salad

      Adapted from Everyday Food

      Ingredients:
      mixed greens
      1/2 cup of walnuts, toasted and crushed
      1 Bartlett pear, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
      2 tbsps sherry vinegar
      olive oil, salt and pepper

      1. Whisk vinegar and oil in a small glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a larger bowl, combine mixed greens and pear with the dressing. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts before serving.

    • Where to eat in Chicago

      Chicago was cool, both literally and figuratively. I was bummed to pack my winter jacket in New York on Friday when it wasn’t even cold, but as soon as the wind hit us when we stepped out of O’Hare, I was thankful I didn’t put fashion ahead of function.

      Friday night was all about Persian food at Noon-O-Kabab. Four of us split the lamb shank and the koubideh kababs with eggplants, borani, hummus, warm pita bread and a bottle of Shiraz. The entire meal was a nice welcome greeting. I haven’t seen Anna and Mike since we all met up in Manila last year.

      Saturday was Colombian at Brasa Roja where we watched the lady behind the counter shovel charcoal into the rotisserie pit. Our chicken was all salty goodness together with the arepa (Colombian corn pancakes but Salvadorian pupusas are so much better), plantains plus rice and beans and the bowl of broth peppered with chicken neck and liver.

      We also stopped by Izumi for some Japanese to tie us over until dinner. The blue fin otoro and their uni were very satisfying. They also had flying fish roe in black, which I’ve never seen before. We also ordered a flight of sake and a glass of plum wine.

      Sunday brought us Scandinavian brunch at Tre Kronor: salmon quiche, corned beef sandwich, crabcakes and a hefty onion soup. Their Danish pastries were to die for.

      Dinner was with other anesthesia residency applicants at Meritage, a New American spot that served pretty impressive monkfish and barracuda.

      Monday was Mexican at Lindo Michoacan for some awesome chorizo and carne asada tacos. We had to eat something while waiting for the boy to finish his actual interview at the hospital.

      The tacos alone made us crave “gourmet” hotdogs at Hot Doug’s.

      We stayed with Anna in Albany Park and we were within walking distance from a lot of restaurants offering ethnic cuisines. Chicago is just like New York City in that way–the streets are just cleaner.

      Where to eat in Chicago:

      Noon-O-Kabab, 4661 N Kedzie Avenue, 773/279.8899
      La Brasa Roja, 3125 W Montrose Avenue, 773/866.2252
      Izumi Sushi Bar & Restaurant, 731 W Randolph Street, 312/207.5299
      Tre Kronor, 3258 W Foster Avenue, 773/267.9888
      Meritage Cafe & Wine Bar, 2118 N Damen Avenue, 773/235.6434
      Lindo Michoacan, 3148 W Lawrence, 773/539.6627
      Hot Doug’s Inc, 3324 N California Avenue, 773/279.9550

    • Le Parker Meridien Burger Joint

      118 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh
      212/245.5000
      about $25 for two, with two drinks, without tip

      Behind the heavy curtains next to the front desk of Le Parker Meridien hotel is a hole-in-the-wall burger joint that serves no-nonsense burgers, French fries, milkshakes, beer and soda. They proudly declare that “If you don’t see it, we don’t have it!” The staff has a no-nonsense attitude to match the burgers they serve. They call out your name and you get your burgers wrapped in paper, your fries in a brown bag and your drink in a plastic cup. Thank you very much.

      Le Parker Meridien burger joint has been one of those (not-so)-secret New York City places that has been written numerous times throughout the years but still enjoys a certain anonymity. And when you’re finally there, you can’t help but feel glad that you’re a part of something so New York.