Mimosa Madames - Kitchen 64 05/27/12

 

The Mimosa Madames had PLANNED to brunch at the Dairy Bar, a new place for us.  But turned out the Dairy Bar was closed for the holiday weekend.  Disappointed, but always ready with a “Plan B” we ended up at one of our favorite places from a previous visit, Kitchen 64 on Bouelvard.  (As previously noted, we have a rule which states that we can’t visit any place twice.  But we have another rule that says we can change any rule at any time if we want to).

 

Any of the restaurants owned by this family (they also own 3 Monkeys, Gibson’s Grill, Kuba Kuba, and I think another one in Richmond ) can be counted on for good food cooked with fresh ingredients.  Don’t be surprised to get ample portions either!

 

I had fried green tomato eggs benedict-mmmmm yumm!!  Needed a little more hollandaise sauce, though.  Carolyn had (I think) crabcake benedict and was quite satisfied.  Mary had French Toast (a real shocker-not!), and was also pleased.  We ordered a pitcher of mimosas (more economical that way, as I pointed out).  I sucked my first one down lickety split.  Nothing like drinking a champagne drink with a straw!  I just love a good champagne buzz on a Sunday morning!  My friends laughed at me, but they know they wouldn’t have me any other way.  The coffee (certainly a critical component of any brunch) was excellent.

 

Our waiter seemed maybe a bit “out of it”?  Maybe he was new?  He asked Mary if she wanted her French Toast made with white bread, wheat bread, or biscuits.  Mary just rolled with it and asked for white bread.

 

I have also had dinner here several times.  I have never been disappointed with the food.  I’ve tried a couple of lamb dishes as well as seafood.  All have been seasoned and cooked to perfection, and the portions definitely worth what you pay. 

 

Would any of us go back?  You betcha!

 

 

I Can't Tuna Piano, but I Can Tuna Fish

I offer this:  you do  not have to cook your dinner in a microwave in order to have a really good dinner in about twenty minutes.  From the time I got home feeling cranky and hungry, I was sitting down enjoying my hot meal (pictured above) in just over twenty minutes.

Tuna steak on mixed greens:  smack the tuna in a hot pan for about three minutes a side (it comes out with the middle still rare).  Cook it more if you want.  Really it's okay.  You won't hurt my feelings.  I marinated it for few minutes first in Lawry's sesame ginger marinade.  When the rest of that marinade got heated and started to carmelize I was just drooling like a rabid dog.  Or least a rabid bunny.  Suddenly I flashed on a scene from Monty Python, but that's beside the point.   

Sweet potato:  Microwave on each side for about five minutes to get it cooked all the way through.  You can cook this while the other stuff is cooking.  Let it sit for a minute or so, though, before cutting it open or you'll get a painful burst of really hot air.

I had some leftover whole wheat linguini, so I boiled it up and spinkled (okay, dumped) grated cheese and some Shedd's Spread on it.  Added some Shedd's Spread to the sweet potato, and EUROPA!  There's dinner in about twenty minutes!

Dig this-and this is the beauty part-the whole meal has only about 1% of your daily fat requirement (a good thing) and about 24% of your daily fiber requirement (a SUPER thing)!

Bon Apetit, Y'all!

Tilapia-a Forgotten Favorite

At the suggestion of one of my coworkers, Phyllis Humphrey, I marinated a couple tilapia fillets in Italian dressing for a bit (doesn't take long with fish).  For the record, she suggested fat-free Italian dressing, but all I had on hand was regular.

Whipped up some whole pilaf with pecans and garlic (that "Near East" brand I've posted about before) and some of the green beans sauteed in butter with shallots.  Also something I've posted about previously.  

When the beans were done, and as the pilaf finished, I smacked the tilapia fillets in the green bean pan (I took the beans out first, duh) and poured the Italian dressing over them.  Five minutes later, I had me a darn skippy (and pretty healthy) dinner.  Total prep/cooking time:  about 35 minutes.