Brunch @ Bar Carlo on Foster

"Specials" Board

Not too long ago Rob and I were trying to decide where to go for brunch, and I realized I hadn't written about Bar Carlo yet.  I discovered it late last year when trying to find a nice brunch place to go for a big family gathering (including my parents, siblings, their families, mine, you get the picture).  I walked in to check the joint out and peep their menu.  I quickly came to the conclusion that it was a bit too small for such a large party, but was intrigued by the place's menu, vibe, and the fact that they have both a piano and a movie theater/screening area.

Since then, I've frequented Bar Carlo for brunch on several occasions, and have never been disappointed.  First off, they have a lovely bar and I have been known to enjoy either a bloody mary or a mimosa with a lazy weekend brunch.  What I really appreciate about this place are the daily specials.  Delicious savory/sweet crepes, for example, are nowhere on the menu, but can often be found on the "specials" board.  So the other day, we headed over there and I made Rob promise to remind me to take pictures of the food before digging in.

First I ordered a mimosa.  Though it doesn't look as elegant as one that's served in a flute, Bar Carlo's OJ mimosa is not for the faint-hearted.  It is not only generous portion-wise, but also extremely champagney if you know what I mean.

We decided to order the Breakfast Carnitas plate and the (special) Savory Crepes.  Let me start with the Carnitas plate.  Piled on the plate were 2 eggs, Bar Carlo's take on Mexican rice, black beans, carnitas with salsa verde, fresh pico de gallo and warm corn tortillas.  The highlights of the dish were the carnitas and the black beans.  The carnitas were saucy and flavorful, and the beans had both an intriguing taste and texture (like a cross between whole and refried).  The beans truly knocked my socks off, and the pico de gallo provided the perfect cool and fresh balance to the entire meal.  (It may not sound like it, but I only ate half).

Now, in my opinion, the crepes at Bar Carlo are always perfect in texture, and perfectly artistic in content.  The ones we ordered this time had well-cooked proscuitto, roasted red onion, spinach and Swiss cheese.  They were covered in a swiss cheese cream sauce that exuded a hint of white wine.  The combination resulted in a salty, creamy, fresh and fulfilling experience.  I would order these every day.  And at $10.50 a pop, I could.

Tamales & Fish Tacos at Por Que No?

About a week and a half ago I had a mom/daughter date with my 10-year-old girl.  The plan was to go hang out at Powell's on Hawthorne, maybe get some good reads, then find somewhere to grab a bite for dinner.

After helping each other find good books and window-shopping around Hawthorne street for a while, we started to get hungry and headed up the street to Por Que No.  When we entered, the place was very crowded and there was quite a line to order.  We looked at the menu and quickly decided to share a tamale plate and two fish tacos.  We grabbed out number and headed out to the back, where the makeshift covered seating (think corrugated plastic roofs) and decoration was quaintly reminiscent of Dia de los Muertos kitsch.

Our food arrived, and the tamale plate looked AMAZING.  It was artistically arranged over banana leaves, and included two sauce-topped pork tamales garnished with crema, a small side of Mexican rice and pinto beans to boot.  The shredded cabbage, cilantro and fresh pico de gallo on the side were a tasty touch and the perfect cool/fresh contrast to the hearty meal.  The tamales themselves may have been delicious to someone NOT intimately familiar with authentic Mexican tamales (not to mention Nicaraguan Nacatamales, Peruvian tamales and other varieties).  To me, however, the masa resembled more of a spiced polenta than a true tamale dough.  The meat was tender, but lacked some spice.  Unfortunately, the sauce served over the top did not make up for this.  The true highlight of this combo was the rice.  It was like Mexican rice on garlic steroids.  The garlic flavor was strong and aromatic, and made up for the lack of flavor of the tamales.  It made me wish I'd ordered a bowl of rice rather than this pretty ensemble.

The fish tacos, on the other hand were definitely something to write home about.  The small, soft tortillas had a real homemade maiz flavor.  They were so fresh, I expected to see an abuelita grinding corn in a molcajete.  Instead, I got a forward-thinking flavor combination that fused a crispy cornmeal crust on flaky Alaskan cod topped with salsa verde, crema, shredded cabbage, pineapple, and of course - onion and cilantro. The effect was a gourmet twist on the island tacos I'd had in in Maui this past May.  ANYTHING that brings me back to those days is A-Okay in my book.

Lunch at Thai Terrace

Ok, guys.  New lunch place for you, up by PCC Cascade.  Last Friday I had a lunch meeting with C.C. and C.D. and we were meeting up at C.C.'s office on campus.  C.C. suggested walking up to a Thai place that he likes, so we did just that.  The restaurant, Thai Terrace is located at 902 N. Killingsworth Street. I wasn't too hungry, but when we walked in I was immediately overtaken by the appetizing aroma.  

The place itself was pleasantly decorated with striking colors, authentic-looking Thai art, beautiful mother-of-pearl looking chandelierish light fixtures and dark wood tables throughout.  I ordered the (chicken) Panang Curry (the one with green beans, bell peppers and kaffir leaves) and was asked how spicy I like it.  (Nice of them to ask).  I said "medium," and immediately regretted it, thinking maybe the curry wouldn't be spicy enough.  To my delight, however, their "medium" was spiced perfectly to my liking.  The curry tasted very fresh, the coconut milk was not too dense, the green beans were crisp-tender and oh-so-green.  It was absolutely tasty and just the perfect portion size for lunch.  It was priced at $6.75 for lunch, so I will definitely be back.  (Maybe next week).

How to Cook Black (Dry) Beans

First of all, let me apologize to Kami, whom I owe this recipe to.  A few weeks ago we were at Happy Hour and I was talking about how much more authentic (not sure if I mentioned ECONOMICAL) it feels to cook beans from scratch (dry).  She asked me to send/give her a recipe, and I've owed it to her ever since.  It's a good thing she reminded me today, or I may never have gotten around to it!  Before getting to that recipe, however, let me tell you about a few things coming up (partly to get you excited, but mostly to keep track of what I've been cooking/eating and not forget to post about it).

1. Lunch at a Thai restaurant near PCC Cascade.
2. Learning Garden Harvest Party 
3. Today's Organics to You bin contents
4. LAVENDER RICOTTA ICE CREAM - seriously

So......without further ado:

Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)

1 lb package of dry black beans

1 small onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

Salt (or Adobo seasoning from Goya) to taste

1/3 of a bunch of cilantro

Instructions;

First, you'll need to presoak the beans.  The overnight method requires that you soak the beans in a pot for 8-10 hours (make sure there's lots more water in the pot than beans - they should be covered by at least 2-3 inches of water as it will be soaked up by the beans.)  The quick-soak method  requires that you cover the beans by as much water, but then bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat source, cover, and let sit/soak for 1 hour before moving on.

After the beans are presoaked, you'll need to drain away the nasty soak-water and replace with fresh water.  For a 1lb bag of beans, I'd use about 6 cups of water.  (For extra extra flavor, use some sort of broth instead of plain jane water).  At this point I'd add the onion - either halved or quartered, and the cloves of garlic - lightly smashed to release the flavor.  

Bring the pot to a boil at high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for about an hour or hour and a half (do you like your beans al dente, tender, or straight-up mushy????) About 45 minutes into the process (when the liquid starts to thicken,) it's time to add the other seasonings.  If you can find Adobo, go for it!  Otherwise, salt is just fine.  Finally, add the cilantro, but not all chopped up....you don't want it in your teeth, you just want the flavor to infuse.  

Once your beans are done, you are ready to enjoy them atop a lovely mound of white rice, as a base for a black-bean soup, or mashed up in a pan as a "refried" version which goes super well with sweet plantains and sour cream. Mmmmmmm.   Makin' me hungry......

Variations:

People sometimes use these ingredients to flavor their beans.  I have used/tried all of them and do also throw them in if I have them in the house.  Any or all of them are good depending on your taste.

1. Chopped green bell pepper

2. Cumin

3. Ham hock, thick bacon, etc.

4. Bay leaf

5. Jalapeno (or juice from pickled jalapenos).

Carolina's Eggplant Parmigiana (and Sasha's Vinaigrette)

 

Now here's a dish that I've been making since I was 19.  I can't really take credit for creating it (obviously), nor can I feel very honest about calling it "eggplant parmigiana," but it's one of my signature dishes and a winner every time.  I learned how to make this one summer when I visited a friend who was staying in the NYU dorms as a part of a summer enrichment program.  My friend's friend had just returned from Italy where she learned how to make eggplant parmigiana and tiramisu.  It was my first time in New York, and I'll never forget scouring the markets for the freshest eggplants, basil and mascarpone cheese (for the tiramisu). Over the years I've modified and simplified the recipe to suit my needs, but I've never had a dissatisfied customer.

I hadn't made eggplant parm in a while, so when the familia found out what I was making it became a party.  My 7-year-old decided to make a salad dressing she'd learned to make earlier that day at the Learning Garden (on SE 60th), and let me tell you - it was FABULOUS.  Truly, this is a girl after my own heart.  So we accompanied the main dish with a simple green salad with Sasha's vinaigrette.  Here are the recipes:

Carolina's Eggplant Parmigiana

3 smaller (round) or 2 large eggplants

Flour for dredging

3 eggs

Salt

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Good quality marinara sauce

2 cups of shredded mozzrella*

Start by cutting the ends off the eggplant and cutting lengthwise into slices 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick.  Sprinkle salt on both sides of each slice and layer in a colander.  Take a gallon-size ziploc bag and fill with water then zip shut.  Place the colander with eggplant in the sink and put the bag full of water right on top so that its weight can help squeeze out the extra water.  This process helps remove the bitter bite that eggplant can sometimes have.  Let sit for at least 1/2 an hour.

Next, get ready to prep the eggplant for frying by placing flour in a pie pan and beating eggs in a bowl large enough to dip eggplant slices in.  (This time I added some dried oregano from my "garden" and freshly ground pepper to the beaten eggs).  In the meantime, put about 1/4 cup of vegetable and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Take each slice of eggplant and dip first in flour, then in eggs until well-covered.  Put the prepared eggplant slices into the hot oil and fry about one minute on each side until just golden brown.  Repeat this process, (putting the fried slices between paper towels to absorb any excess oil) until all slices are fried.

Now it's time to assemble the dish!  First, preheat your oven to 350.  Take a 9x13 glass or ceramic pan and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of marinara sauce in the bottom, spreading it evenly.  Place some slices of eggplant right on top of the sauce, and spoon some more sauce on top of the slices.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over this layer, then place another layer of eggplant on top, trying to get as even coverage as you can.  Continue to layer sauce, cheese and eggplant until you're all out of eggplant slices, topping with extra mozzarella.  Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted, bubbly or golden.  When it comes out of the oven, you can cut into it just as you would a lasagne, and it is not only lovely but tastes divine!

*I have tried different variations of cheese in this dish and encourage you to do the same and find what you like: provolone is good, mixing in real shredded parmesan makes it feel more authentic, a nice salty Edam adds bite and originality......

Sasha's Learning Garden Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (we had basil, rosemary and oregano)

1/4 Tsp sea salt

Freshly ground garlic pepper

Whisk it all together!  Enjoy on your salad or use as a dip for crusty bread.