Paella, Paella

I haven't posted in a little while because I have been incredibly busy. I have been trying to pick up shifts at work (I am on call), coach a high school girls varsity soccer team, have a mentorship (like an internship), oh, and I have been studying my butt off for my certification exam. Despite all of this going on I managed to find time to make a killer plate of paella.

I started by dicing half an onion and mincing three cloves of garlic. In a sauce pan I warmed some beef broth. Normally I use chicken broth, but I didn't have any. I also opened a can of garbonzo beans and then diced some pork jowl bacon as well as de-boned four chicken thighs. In a pestle and mortar I ground up kosher salt and saffron. I then added a garlic clove and made a paste with the salt, saffron, and garlic. I added a little bit of stock and then added it to the sauce pan to infuse into the broth. In my paella pan I seared the chicken, skin side down until it was golden brown and crispy. I then flipped it over to sear the other side. I removed the chicken and then added the bacon. Once it started crisping up I added the onion, followed by the garlic once the onion started turning translucent. I then added some sweet corn and the garbonzos. The rice followed. I used arborio rice, the same as used for risotto. If I can find it I like to use bomba rice, but arborio is similar enough that it works nicely as a substitute. You have to cook the rice a little bit in the oil so it can absorb the broth better and cook right. After a minute the chicken was added and then broth added to cover the rice. Over the next 20 or so minutes, broth was added once it was all absorbed. Once the rice is cooked, let the liquid evaporate and be absorbed so the rice on the bottom starts to caramelize. Oh, I almost forgot, I also added some time, basil, rosemary, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper to season. On the side are some homemade pita chips.

I think it turned out good. It was a little different then other paellas I have made, mostly because of what I had on hand. But the flavors were there. The chicken and bacon were good, and the corn and garbonzos added depth and sweetness to it. The rice turned out perfectly with a nice brown crust on the bottom. Mel liked it a lot. She said it was her favorite one that I have made. She took leftovers to work, and one of her coworkers commented that it was comparable to paellas she had when she was in Spain. That was nice to hear. I think I will be making this one again.

Peppino's: Possibly the best pizza in GR?

Yesterday, the 10th, Mel and I went to Peppino's on Kalamazoo by Celebration South. We wanted to go out and pizza sounded good. We had been meaning to go for a while, and it seemed like a perfect time to go. Originally we were thinking about going somewhere like Uccello's. But then we saw the new Grand Rapids Magazine that rated Peppino's as the best pizza in GR based on their panel of experts. We had to see if this was the case.

We started with a basket of onion rings. They were good. The batter was nice and crispy and it didn't taste like it was fried in old oil. The onion was sweet and not overpowering like can happen with a strong white onion. I wouldn't make a trip to eat them, but it was nice they were there.

We ordered two 10" pizzas. The first one here is the Chipotle Chicken pizza. It was a very "American" pizza, especially compared to the pizza reviewed below. The sauce was a chipotle mayo, with chicken, tomato, and cheddar along with mozzarella. I didn't really get much of the chipotle taste or heat. I thought it was going to be a little bit spicier. However, Mel said she could taste it. The chicken was pretty flavorful and tender. That was nice, as chicken can get dry on pizzas. The tomato was a brilliant touch. It added a nice bit of acid to an otherwise heavy pizza. Ill get to the crust with the next pizza. Overall it was a good pizza.

This is the Roma Pomodoro pizza. It features a base sauce of pesto olive oil. Basically it was a pesto with some more olive oil drizzled over top. It had a great fresh taste of basil. It also had a nice bit of garlic that was in the back ground but was noticeable. It was a nice touch in balance with the rest of the pizza. The toppings consisted of marinated tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil and spinach. The toppings were in perfect balance with each other. The spinach and basil brought a nice fresh, green, "herbalness" that complimented the pesto, onion, and cheese. The mozzarella was gooey and when pulled apart was stringy. I don't know if it was fresh or a really good shredded, but either way it was of high quality. The tomatoes added some acid to counter the richness of the cheese and the sweetness of the onion. The crust was possibly the best crust I have had in GR. It was thin, yet the doughier parts around the edge were chewy and tender with good texture. The bottom was solid throughout, and it didn't get soggy in the middle like often happens with pizza. Ever since our trip to Italy, Mel and I have been searching for a pizza that takes us back there. This is the one that so far has been the closest to doing that. We both agree that this pizza, specifically the Roma Pomodoro, is the best we have had in GR. Much better than Rose's (which, although good, is overrated in my opinion), better than Uccello's, and better than Brick Road Pizza. 

Quick Dinner Idea

So, seeing how right now our cupboards and fridge is getting pretty bare, I had to be a little bit creative with dinner the other night, and it had to be a quick made dinner. I was hungry.

I was thinking about what sounded good, and something Asian sounded good. I cut up a quarter of an onion, and crushed and minced some garlic. I also had a chicken thigh and removed the skin and bone, and then diced it up. I also grabbed some quick cook rice and garbonzo beans (aka chickpeas). The chickpea idea came from some Indian dishes that use chickpeas in a curry. I started by cooking the onion in a mix of canola oil and chili oil. I also started heating up some water to boil. after a few minutes I added the chicken, then the garlic after a few more minutes. I added the rice to the boiling water then removed it from the heat. Meanwhile I added the chickpeas to cook with the onion, chicken, and garlic. When the rice was done I added it to the pan. Following that I added some soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha hot suace, lime juice, Madras curry powder, lime juice, and coconut milk. I let that simmer for another 5 minutes to tighten and thicken up a little bit. I then spooned it into the bowl and topped with peanuts. Total cooking time was less than 20 minutes and only two pans used, one for the rice and another for everything else. 

I thought the flavor was pretty good for just throwing things together. I ended up with a mix of Indian, Thai, Indonesian, and southern Chinese flavors. It had a nice acidity from the lime that complimented the heaviness of the coconut milk. There was a little heat, but not too much. The natural sweetness from the onion also added a nice counterbalance to the other flavors. The peanuts added some texture to the bowl. I might have to try and perfect this one.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road Pizza

On Good Friday, after going to a Good Friday service, Mel and I stopped by Brick Road Pizza in the East Town area on Wealthy. We had been there together once before, sometime last year. I forgot to write about it then. I am not making the same mistake twice. Its a fairly nice sized place that tends to cater slightly toward the hipster crowd that frequents the area. But by no means does that make it inaccessible to everyone.

We started with some breadsticks. They were pretty good, with butter and parmasean on top. They were made fresh and the bread was pretty good. I would put them in between Uccello's and the Reservoir's bread sticks in terms of size and butteriness. They were reasonably priced too for the portion. A nice start to our late lunch.

We decided to make our own pizza, even though they have a ton of different pizzas catering to all people, from vegetarians to the carnivores and everything in between. We decided on splitting a 12" pizza topped with bacon, caramelized onion, and roasted garlic. The crust was done really well. It was nice and crispy on the bottom and wasn't soggy in the middle. The cheese was melted nicely and was of a good quality, as it had a nice stringiness to it when the slices were pulled apart. The bacon was crispy and went well with the sweet caramelized onions and roasted garlic. It was a nice pizza and well deserved of the reputation Brick Road Pizza has.

Best Burger in America!?!

Mel and I went to Stella's on the 10th. It is home to "The Best Burgers in America," as given by GQ Magazine. In case you haven't been to Stella's, it is a little hole in the wall bar owned by the same owner of Hopcat and GRBC. It has a bit of a hipster/alternative/geek vibe. It is dark with some interesting artwork. Outside of the food and drinks, the best part about Stella's is the vintage arcade and pinball games.Nothing like a burger and some Mortal Combat or Street Fighter II. Anyway, on to the food.

We started with the beer battered onion rings with avocado ranch. The rings were cooked very nicely. The batter was light and crispy and the onion was fully cooked and sweet. The ranch worked well with the onion rings with just a hint of avocado coming through. 

 Mel got the Stella blue stuffed burger. The burger is stuffed with blue cheese and bacon. The cheese oozes out of the burger and the bacon adds a nice saltiness and kept the burger from drying out. It also adds some saltiness. It was topped with some onion and crispy lettuce. Ketchup and mustard are at the table. The fries are similar to Hopcat's crack fries and GRBC's seasoned fries, however they are spicier. Mel thinks they go great with a little ranch dressing to cool them off.

I got "the Buffalo" burger. It is just like the Stella blue burger, except it also has buffalo sauce and a celery mayo on it. The buffalo sauce adds a nice little bit of heat and the celery mayo does add a hint of celery flavor that recalls a classic buffalo wing with celery and ranch on the side. The burgers are big and satisfying and the buns are toasted and dense enough to hold up to the burgers, yet also soft enough so they don't tear up your mouth like I have had happen at some restaurants. Also, the burgers, in my experience, are always cooked perfectly to order. Medium is medium, medium well is medium well. 

Stella's is one of those places that you sometimes hesitate to tell people about because you want it all to yourself. It is so unique in a sea of similar bars/eateries. But the burgers and drinks are too good not to tell people about. The servers have always been friendly and you can play arcade games. As far as being "the best burger in America," I don't know about that. I haven't traveled the country eating hamburgers. However, I can say that it is the best burger in Grand Rapids, and possibly the best I have ever eaten. It is the perfect combination of high class taste and working class sensibility; the taste is good enough to be found on a top dollar restaurant, but priced and served so anyone can enjoy it. Highly recommended.

GRBC round 2

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. It has been crazy around here after one of our cars died and we had to try and buy a new one. Anyway a couple of weeks ago (3/2) Mel and I went back to Grand Rapids Brewing Company with her sister Emily and her husband Jordan. Here is a quick rundown of what Mel and I had.

We started with the fried dill pickles with avocado ranch. The batter was crispy and light, and the pickles were sliced perfectly. It seems trivial but having the right thickness of pickle really affects how a fried pickle turns out. The avocado ranch was a perfect dipping sauce for the pickles. As a southern boy, I have had a lot of fried pickles and these definitely pass the test.

Mel got the braised beef and smoked cheddar sandwich. The beef was braised in stout beer and was tender and falling apart. It was also very tasty. The sandwich also featured the cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. It was, as Mel put it, "Sexy." The fries were good too; nice and crispy and seasoned.

I got two of their hand cranked sausages: the duck sausage and the chorizo. The duck sausage came with an orange sauce and the chorizo with beans. I also got a pretzel bun to go with them. The duck sausage was good, although I preferred it without the orange sauce. It was well spiced and the duck flavor really came through. The chorizo was very good. It was spiced very nicely without the pepper being overpowering. The heat was still there, but in balance to everything else. With the beans on the bun it was fantastic.

For dessert we had the salted caramel pudding with whipped cream and chocolate streusel. Salted caramel anything is already off to a great start, but the whipped cream and chocolate really added to it. A fine ending to the dinner.

Once again GRBC impressed with food unique and well executed. I still highly recommend this place.

Living it up at Leo's

Mel and I dined at Leo's, downtown on Ottawa and Louis, Feb 28. Before I go any further I need to say thank you to my mom and dad in-law for giving us a 2 for 1 entree coupon that  enabled us to be able to eat there.

The restaurant is pretty classy looking on the inside, with a lot of natural colors such as various shades of tan. It has the feel of an upscale eatery. The restaurant is known for serving seafood, but also has dishes without fish such as steak, chicken, and lamb. It is generally on the pricey side with many entree's over the $30 mark. However there are also quite a few plates that come in under $30. The service was good. At first our server seemed a little awkward, but as the night went on that went away. He was able to explain dishes well and even took my lobster claw into the back to bash it open with a hammer after the shell cracker couldn't break through (seriously, that was the thickest shell I have ever experienced on a lobster, and I have cracked through a few! Now that is service. Also of note is a fairly healthy wine list for bottles. The wine by the glass is limited and not as extensive as the by the bottle list.

On to the dinner. (Regrettably my pictures did not turn out very well. I will still post them but they may be blurry and hard to see)

We started with an appetizer of their chicken spring roll with sweet and sour hoisin sauce. It was a good start to the meal. The wrappers were crispy and fried. The chicken was very flavorful and here were quite a few veggies as well. It was a perfect portion to start with for two people.

 Mel ordered the filet mignon with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and fresh saute'd asparagus. The filet was covered with a merlot demi-glace. The potatoes were good with a nice garlic and sour cream flavor. They also were kind of chunky which was nice. I like a rustic mashed potato. I think it tastes better personally. The steak was cooked perfectly and the demi-glace added a nice flavor that complimented but didn't overtake the flavor of the steak. Our server said he thought it was the best in the city; I am not so sure about that. I think Ruth's Cris may still have a better steak from the places I have been to. The asparagus was well cooked and seasoned as well.

First off, this is a horrible picture and I apologize for that. I had the Bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse is basically a French seafood soup/stew. This one had clams, mussels, scallops, salmon, shrimp, snow crab leg, and half a lobster in a saffron-sherry tomato broth with leeks. The broth was amazing. It was probably the best part. It was light and all the flavors worked in complete balance as not one thing dominated. The saffron was present but not overpowering, the tomato was not too acidic and it wasn't thick like tomato soup. The sherry also was able to be tasted. The seafood overall was spot on. The clams had a smokey taste to them like they had been smoked before being put in the broth. The mussels were very good and were not rubbery at all, which can happen if over cooked, like most seafood. The snow crab was really sweet. The shrimp were good but slightly overcooked, but still cooked better than most places. The scallops were perfectly poached and sweet and meaty, as was the salmon. The lobster was hit and miss for me. The flavor was spot on. It was sweet and perfect with the broth. However I thought the tail meat was a little over cooked as it was on the tough side. The claw was good and was cooked better than the tail. That could be because it was whole while the tail was cut in half. Overall though I would order it again. The flavor overrode the slight flaws of the overcooked lobster tail and shrimp.

 For desert we had a vanilla cheesecake topped with fresh berries and kiwi, a gram cracker crust and a berry puree. The cheese cake was very good. The vanilla came through very nicely. The texture was good too, not too dense but not very airy either. The berries added a nice burst of freshness, acidity, texture and sweetness. A very satisfying end to our meal and night out.

I liked Leo's over all. The ambiance was pleasant and the food good. It was a bit pricey, so for us, at least, it is a place that we would visit only once in a while. I would recommend it as an alternative if someone had never been, but had visited some of the other good restaurants downtown, or to someone who likes seafood. Does it get my highest marks? Sadly no. I think there are better restaurants around. But it is worthy of eating at and I do recommend it is given a try.