Multi Restaurant Review! Three in One!

Lucky Pho, Scotty's Fish and Chips and Crispelli's

I have made a conscious effort in the last few weeks to eat more dinners at home. Not all of them are blog worthy but we are trying to cook more at home and be a bit frugal. That being said, that is during the week. Weekends tend to be more about eating out and celebrating that the workweek is over. 

This week we had a true adventure, traveling to Redford and western Detroit to try carry out at two new places. My husband is really loves good fish and chips and had heard that locally Scotty's Fish and Chips in Detroit was some of the best. There was also an article in a recent Hour Detroit magazine about a new Redford Vietnamese place called Lucky Pho. The article was really sweet and worth reading, about how this restaurant is really dedicated to two loved family members who passed away and seen as a legacy. These two destinations were pretty close together on the Google Map so we decided to make this our Friday night journey for carry out.

Scotty's Fish and Chips

My husband had heard about Scotty's Fish and Chips in Detroit as being some of the best. It was quite a drive (about a 1/2 hour) but the food was good. It's a landmark in the Detroit area and when you go in, you are definitely stepping back in time. It probably looks exactly the same as it did in 1950 when they opened. If you are on that side of town, it would definitely be worth your while to try this stuff and it might be fun to dine in. For a local place, this is really good and we can recommend it.

However, if you live in a place like we do, with a lot of local establishments, you can find similar fish and chips closer by. Chicken Shack makes some really good "English Style" fish and chips that might rival these. We have one very close by (we could be there in 3 minutes without speeding) and there are several in the Detroit area to choose from. There is also the Red Fox English Pub in Downtown Royal Oak that serves traditional fish and chips. For a little more adventurous diners not interested in having the traditional far, Sweet Lorraine's makes a great fish and chips with a little bit of kick that my husband seems to like the best out of all the offerings.

So to summarize, if you are local definitely try Scotty's Fish and Chips. If you are nearby, and passing through the Detroit area, you should give Scotty's a try. If you live in a fish and chips mecca like we do, I wouldn't necessarily drive out of my way.

Lucky Pho

For those of you who may have been reading my blog, Pho is becoming a new culinary obsession for me, along with Vietnamese cuisine in general. Since I really like Thai food (okay I live for Thai food), it's not much of a stretch but for years I was apprehensive of the Vietnamese menus because it would be learning a whole new language and I wasn't sure what to try. Recently Hour Detroit Magazine has a whole article dedicated to Pho (pronounced Fu) that is a mainstay of Vietnamese restaurants and locally a treasure in our particular area.

Pho is a noodle soup with many offerings to choose from so it's easy to customize. I personally HATE bean sprouts and with Pho I don't have to let anyone know. The broth is provided separately, and you add the other ingredients yourself. When you go the a restaurant they put all the other items on the plate, including the meat you choose, the rice noodles, onions/scallions, lemongrass, sprouts, sauce, herbs, etc. When you order carry out they put all of the items in a carry out box and I can customize myself.

From the left hand upper corner, going clockwise, we have raw round steak, a container of sauce that is both spicy and sweet, some herbs (basil?), bean sprouts (ugh!), and rice noodles. What you don't see was my latest adventure in this quest. . . under the sauce and herbs was another wrapped section of tendon. Tendon and tripe are often featured in Pho and based on what I have been reading, I really wanted to try tendon. Tendon is the connective stuff between the muscle and bone and it's kind of a gelatin texture when it cooks in the broth. I read somewhere that it was the "new pork belly" so I had to try it!

After picking up the fish, we headed over to Lucky Pho and because I couldn't get a person on the phone (she couldn't hear me when I tried to order) I walked in. The staff there was so nice and the young lady that helped me gave me a brief history of Pho while I waited for my food. She herself was Mung and told me that her family's food is similar and encouraged me to try tripe in my Pho next time (maybe next time, trying tendon was enough for one day) as it would be more authentic and delicious. She also told me that Thai restaurants that are more traditional often have fried pork belly on the menu and I needed to try that. Fried pork belly?!!! I have been going to Thai restaurants for years and have never seen that! Apparently I have some research to do!

Because there was raw meat, it was important to heat the soup back up when I got it home. I put the broth in a pot and warmed it up to a quick boil. Then I placed the broth in a bowl and started to add my choice ingredients. Because the round steak was sliced so thinly it cooked very quickly and was ready to eat instantly. The broth has a really interesting flavor that varies depending on where you get it. This one was really good - not overpowering - just a really nice flavor from the spices.

Final verdict to summarize: LOVED this Pho! I enjoyed the tendon and have to agree it's kind of like pork belly in texture and quite delicious. So far, in my three experiences, the broth in this Pho truly was the best so far. Of course I have a lot of places locally to still try but if I'm back on that side of town I'm stopping there again. Oh, and next time, I'm saying it here, I'm going to try it with the addition of tripe!

Crispelli's

Crispelli's is a relatively new pizza place in town. What makes it special is the wood burning oven and the wonderful choices with pizza toppings, salads, pastas and bakery items they have to offer. They always have top quality meats and cheeses and the set up is a little unusual. You pick a table and then "shop" at the different stations to get your order together. I had done something similar in Toronto and I really like the feel. The environment is homey and comfortable and the food is reasonable.

Recently Crispelli's added breakfast and it's really good. Now, I'm the foodie in this house, and typically my husband pokes fun at me because I plan out meals. . .  where I'm eating next, what I will pick next time from a menu, what we should plan on next weekend, etc. etc. Breakfast here is so good that my husband announced (with the disclaimer that he knew he was acting like me) that he wanted to eat at Crispelli's this weekend. . . on Wednesday night. These kind of requests don't happen often so of course we went.

The desired dish that he was interested in was the French Toast. Let me say that I make French Toast at home and it's pretty damn good. I have even blogged my own recipe and everyone loves it. However, mine does not come close to the delicious offering at Crispelli's. The baguettes are soaked in a custard and then deep fried. Absolutely rich and delicious! The outer surface is crunchy and then the inner part is creamy, dense and sweet. I will say that two order of this stuff, due to the decadence, will satisfy more than two people.Try four people!

Crispelli's also makes some pretty darn good pizza with a thin crust that is still dense enough to hold the toppings. For breakfast they have breakfast pizzas with either scrambled eggs or fried eggs. I tried one with scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, caramelized onions and a little grueyere cheese. It was pretty darn good and I highly recommend it. I personally cannot due a sweet breakfast without the balance of a savory dish so this was the perfect compliment to our French Toast we had. This would comfortably feed at least three people for a main dish to share  and I had leftovers for today which is always a bonus!

My son always likes his own thing (my daughter enjoys the French Toast with her father), so he typically gets a croissant and asks them to put in a little bit of fresh mozzarella that they then warm up in the oven. The croissant is good all by itself bu you add that cheese and wow! While we were there yesterday they were indeed providing samples for new breakfast sandwiches that may debut on the menu in the next few weeks, including one with an omelet and bacon that was superb! I hear there may be a croissant variety showing up as well with ham and cheese!

To summarize Crispelli's is a welcome addition for brunch on the weekend! Great comfortable atmosphere and lots of choices. Great bread to take home from the bakery too (we will be having grilled cheese sandwiches tomorrow for dinner with this stuff).

So it's Sunday and now it's back to normal eating at home. Tonight I will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day with our own spin - thinks some sweet and sour additions that I will post later. I have the whole week planned with menu's so there will be a lot of eating at home! Stay tuned for next weekend's adventures!

Banana Bread Mix Kicked Up a Notch!

Thank you Trader Joe's for making life simpler! Who knew  Banana Bread could be so good!

 

 

First let me vent before I share the recipe. . . 

Join my Campaign!

I don't think it's any surprise that I love Trader Joe's based on many of my posts. I do, truly.

Even if I need to just vent that they continue to keep my favorite product - the Swiss Beer Fondue - hostage. It hasn't reappeared now for over 2 years and I'm sad. I send them a request about once every three months so they remember the fondue but I think I need to start a campaign. By all means, join my cause.

If you are inclined please drop Trader Joe's customer service a line  here and tell them that they should bring this product back. This is what Hazel said as a response to my latest attempt to wage my one person campaign:

Hello Debra,

Thank you for contacting us, and we do truly appreciate your inquiry and interest in our Trader Joe's products.  We are very sorry to hear that this favorite product of yours has been discontinued at this time due to slow sales in all of our stores. 

However, we have also certainly seen discontinued products make their way back onto our shelves due to high demand from our loyal customers, like you. So, we will be sure to share your comments and request for the return of this product with our Product Steering Committee for review and future consideration.

Again, we do appreciate your feedback, and we thank you for shopping with us at Trader Joe's.

Sincerely,

Hazel
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations 

Okay back to normal programming - the Banana Bread

So if you go to Trader Joe's you know that the love to give out samples. For me samples are truly the enemy, I can be tempted easily, especially with food and if  you give me concrete proof that it will taste divine when I recreate it at home, well I'm a goner. So Trader Joe's keep it up and make me spend more money.

Last week Trader Joe's was showcasing their banana bread mix and the samples were fresh and warm. The bread mix, just plain - no additions - was delicious. But I was already trying to decide how to make it even better and customized. Pecans. . . chocolate chips. . . brown sugar. . . How could you go wrong really?

Trader Joe's Banana Bread Mix KICKED UP A NOTCH

Ingredients:

1 Box of Trader Joe's Banana Bread Mix
2 Large Eggs
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Water

Wait for it. . . 

1/3 Cup Pecan Pieces
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar


Now I must give you the disclaimer that Trader Joe's is very helpful with suggestions for a "less traditional route to banana bread bliss" which includes stirring in chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, or dried cherries. So I'm not totally out there by what I am going to propose right now.

Dump the mix into the bowl and add the eggs, water and oil and give the mixture a quick fold/stir. Quick breads in general need to be "combined" but not overly mixed. You are trying to incorporate the dry mix with the wet ingredients but you are not looking for a smooth texture just a quick toss. I find that a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon is a good tool and just dig to the bottom of the bowl and fold over to the top to mix everything.

I then added the chopped pecans (okay they weren't chopped - I pressed into the larger pieces with my fingers and got them into manageable sizes for my bread - I cheated) and about 1/2 of the chocolate chips. I really like milk chocolate chips the best but I only had semi sweet and they are good in this recipe, especially with the brown sugar as an added sweetness factor.

After just mixing, spread this mixture into a greased loaf pan. This is where we really go that extra mile. Take the brown sugar and sprinkle a nice layer on top of the bread and then add more chocolate chips. Yes, more chocolate chips! It's okay, it will be delicious! I really like it with the crunchy brown sugar crust we will get. I have been thinking about mixing some butter with the brown sugar and make a more streusel type topping but I'm just starting to toy with that. . . Next time maybe.

Bake in a 325 degree oven as directed to on the box. They say about 45-55 minutes but with my oven it was closer to about 65. I wanted it very crunchy on top.

This is really a winner for a quick dessert and I won't lie, we eat it for breakfast too. I think that if you compare the nutritional value of Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Brown Sugar topping, with perhaps the Pop Tarts or Captain Crunch my kids eat, I'm coming out ahead!

Great with a glass of milk!

Walkabout Soup - Cream of Onion Bisque

Outback Steakhouse "Copycat" Recipe with a little twist

One of my favorite things at Outback Steakhouse has been the tried and true "Walkabout Soup". When they first debuted in Michigan (and it's more years than I care to admit but I think I was still single so it's been quite a while), they featured a cream of onion soup daily. Over the years the Walkabout Soup has become more of a "soup of the day" and unless you are paying close attention to the weekly schedule it's luck of the draw and you can't anticipate what you will be getting.

Walkabout Creamy Onion Bisque

I did some scouring and with some help from friends I was able to find copycat recipes for Walkabout Soup online. The best one I found I pinned and saved the recipe. You can find the original recipe here and thank you Molly53 for creating this!

Over time, making this repeatedly I have tweaked it to cater to my family and have made some revisions. The most important one is that we add an extra step and make this soup into a creamy bisque rather than leaving those onions whole. I also probably made it more fattening but for creamy soup you shouldn't try to make it "light".


Here's my version:

Walkabout Creamy Onion Bisque

Ingredients:

4 sweet onions, sliced
4 Tablespoons butter
1 carton of chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of soup base (I used beef this time and it added a new dimension)
1/4 cup of Velveeta cheese, cut into small pieces to make it melt quicker
White Sauce (see below)
Shredded cheddar cheese and croutons for garnish

White Sauce:

6 Tablespoons butter
6 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups of half and half

Directions:

Slice onions and place in a large pot (8 quart or so) with the butter and slowly cook. I use yellow sweet onions or Vidalia but I'm sure you could use white onions, for a sharper flavor, if you wanted. I don't concern myself on cutting them evenly, or slicing thinly because we will pulverize the onions later into the bisque with our secret weapon. We want to soften the onions without burning them so go slow. Low heat is good.

Once the onions are softened and clear in color, I add a box of chicken broth (the carton) and some soup base. I think that the chicken broth with the beef soup base really was a good combination and made the soup a bit heartier. The recipe originally called for some salt and pepper at this time but I find that this soup base has a ton of flavor and additional seasonings aren't really necessary. However, if you are familiar with the original Walkabout Soup you will recall it's pretty peppery so if you are wanting to stay true, by all means add a load of pepper. I have persnickety kids so I don't do that. I can hear them now. . . "oh this is too spicy" or "wow this has a lot of pepper in it". I can see them running to the sink dramatically, practically swooning as they fill a glass with water and gulp it down in one fell swoop.

While the soup is heating up with the liquids, you can start the white sauce.  We start with a roux, combining butter and flour in equal parts. This is the basis to the sauce and it's very important to get them evenly combined with low heat. I use a wooden spoon. I think it is helpful and doesn't impart any extra flavors to this base.

You continue to stir until you have a nice smooth glossy mixture. You will see the color change slightly, more of a deeper yellow and the more you heat it you will see that it will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. You will also begin to smell this heavenly scent that goes from buttery goodness to a more nutty aroma. Keep stirring and then slowly add the cream mixture and then the salt.

The key with the liquids is to add in little bits and stir it in completely. If you go too quick you will end up with awful clumps. Honestly in this soup it won't matter as much because we will blend it into a bisque but you might as well master the roux thing. It's important to so many foods. Stir between additions of the liquid and then keep stirring on a low heat. You will feel the liquid begin to thicken as the flour does its magic.

Once you add this mixture to the soup we have going it's time to also add the Velveeta cheese. Now I know some of you are thinking that Velveeta cheese is the Devil. I am leery of it too but for melting, it just works. You don't want to put chunks of cheese in this concoction that just settle at the bottom. We want this smooth. Add the cheese and stir the soup to make sure it's all combined. I then put the lid on and leave it at low for about a 1/2 hour to really get those flavors merged.

Now if you choose, you can be totally done right now with this soup. It would be okay except that I wasn't real careful about my slicing and the onions will be haphazardly sliced and it will be chaos. You may not have the same issues as me. . .  But if you want to join the Bisque Bandwagon, you will need this extra step. . .

Please meet the Immersion Blender! Now I have done the old fashioned thing, taking my soup and putting it in batches in the regular blender or using the food processor. I don't mean to sound like an infomercial but that is messy and the liquid splatters and the gaskets don't hold it because of the steam and there is soup on my ceiling. . . Sigh, just buy an immersion blender. Stop the madness!

When you use the immersion blender you will make quick work of those onions and your soup will be velvet. Now I find that the blender does kick up some froth as you can see here but it will settle down. I leave the soup on low covered for a little longer. I suppose you could eat it frothy but that seems like a creamy onion milkshake and I'm just not interested.


Garnish the soup with shredded cheese and croutons, or bits of bacon. I do like a slice of brown bread with honey butter. That's pretty good too and it's more like Outback. I think I need Outback's bread recipe next.

Pork Belly is the "New Bacon"

 It's a homage to Baconfest!!!

Okay so technically pork belly is the cut of meat that is used from the butchered pig to give us delicious bacon but it's a good thing all onto itself without the curing and smoking. If you have read my blog in the past you will remember that I spoke about "Bacon with a Side of Bacon" at one of my favorite local spots, One Eyed Betty's in Ferndale, Michigan. They give you bacon in the traditional sense, along with a juicy succulent piece of roasted pork belly. Once you have had pork belly you will see what I mean.

So yesterday I bought a piece but since it was a little over two pounds perhaps I should say I bought a "hunk" of pork belly. Pork belly is something you have to ask for at the local meat counter, they have it hiding in the back and if you have to be in the know. But it is actually cheaper than bacon, much cheaper actually. I paid $7.75 for this slab and it's a blank canvas for me to work with. I get to flavor it just how I would like it.


I should note that the young man behind the counter told me that he wanted to come live at my house after I also bought a pound of slab bacon (that stuff is delicious too) and two 1 lb. packages of ground beef. Yes, I know that this is a ridiculous amount of meat but while I grocery shop other areas in town I like a specific butcher counter at a local supermarket (Holiday Market). There are a few reasons: 1. They have pork belly and they are the only ones in town that do, 2. Their Holiday Market Slab Bacon is some of the best bacon I have ever had, at a reasonable price, and it's super fresh, 3. Their ground beef is ground on the premises which I trust better than pink slime the major grocery stores carry, or meat that comes from out of the country, and 4. Fresh chicken breasts. I am scared of frozen ones and since I really like don't like chicken at all I feel better if it's fresh.

Kosher Sea Salt on Pork Belly - Oxymoron?

Spices for dry rub

So back to our pork belly. . . This was a two day process. The first day I had to get the pork belly ready. If you google recipes on line you will find a lot of complicated processes and marinades. Simple is best and will let the pork belly shine. So I made a little dry rub from basic ingredients. For spices I used ground pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper and some garlic salt (new find at Trader Joe's where you grind the garlic and the salt together, brilliant!). To this I added some sugar and some kosher salt. I think the main idea is that you use some spices and balance it with some sugar but the choice of what you use would be your preference. I know a lot of people who really like rosemary but I am not a big fan of that particular herb so I rarely use it. Thyme, to me, is less overpowering.

Pork Belly dressed and ready to go

I rubbed the pork belly all over with the rub and placed it in a covered Pyrex dish overnight. Technically it was closer to 12 hours because it's Sunday and I have other things going on. Really this whole process is easy. . . it sits in the fridge and the rub adds a new dimension to the meat. You could use a plastic bag to store it overnight (or my 12 hours) but really I am weary of plastic bags that sometimes add a whole new flavor dimension that I'm not really interested in. No added flavors with Pyrex.

Before Rinsing

Now here is where it gets interesting. . . when you actually take it out of the fridge to move on to roasting you rinse off the rub. I know, I can't believe it either but the spices have done what they need to do an we can move on to roasting. If you look closely, you will see that it actually marinated even though we call it a "rub". There were juices in this pan that had developed and I have to tell you it was already smelling good. So I rinsed it under cold water and patted it dry with a paper towel before transferring this lovely pork belly to a roasting pan.

A roasting pan is really your best bet. I lined the bottom part that catches the fatty juices with foil for less mess. We just don't want the meat sitting in fat that may burn and char this dish.

Rinsed and Ready to Roast - Cover with Foil!

I then placed the pork belly on the slotted part but covered it with foil as it baked. I put it in the oven at 350 degrees, covered for a total of an hour and a half, turning every 30 minutes and recovering with my foil tent. After 90 minutes of this care (need I tell you it smells divine in this kitchen?), it is time to finish this off.

I added a bit of hoisin sauce on the top of the fat to give it a little more flavor. I didn't overdo it - just a light glaze to mix with those fatty juices.. Hoisin is like an Asian BBQ sauce, giving some of that smokey flavor but with undertones of teriyaki sauce. Good stuff. I just brushed on a thin layer.

Make sure the pork belly is fat-side-up and place in an oven at 450 degrees. You will hear a cacophony of sound as the fat actually sizzles and pops as it browns.

 

Glaze of Hoisin Sauce brushed on. . .

 

Roasted Pork Belly

Ingredients

2 lbs of fresh pork belly
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce

Directions:

• Combine spices to make a rub and cover the pork belly liberally. Place in covered Pyrex dish and marinate overnight in the fridge. 

• Rinse the pork belly and pat dry with paper towel. Place on a roaster pan and cover with foil. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for about 90 minutes, flipping meat every 30 minutes and recovering with foil.

• Glaze, fat side up, with hoisin sauce and place back in oven for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

Book Review: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

Thumbs up for this one!

I started this book on Saturday night and was finished by Sunday afternoon. It was not a short book but because it was so well written, and the plot moved at a steady pace, I found that I could not put it down.

Meet Tom Sherbourne, a veteran of WWI, who comes back to Australia to be the lightkeeper at Janus Point. This post is on a real deserted island, with only the lightkeeper present to the lighthouse illuminated each evening as a beacon/warning for ships on the outskirts of Australia. Service terms are 3 years long, with a ship coming seasonally with supplies and news from the mainland. This arrangement suits Tom well, as he does not think he can be part of the world after the horrors he has seen.

He meets Isabel on the mainland prior to his first term and they become a couple. She is a young idealistic girl, over ten years younger than him who sees this as an adventure with the man she loves. Time and tragedy change her perspective and after three pregnancies that end without a live child, she is disillusioned and bitter.

As she buries her third baby, she hears an infant's cry in the wind, carrying to shore from the ocean. A boat washes up with a dead man and a small infant. Rules would dictate that Tom post this immediately to the superiors but instead temptation takes over and the struggle to appease a mourning wife becomes paramount as he tries to save those he loves.

This is only the beginning of a saga that continues with choices continually made and the ramifications that ensue. Many lives are touched by these rash decisions. What a great read!

Restaurant Review: Sweet Lorraine's Cafe

It's another installment of Food Porn!

Our 11 year old is looking at the milestone of turning 12. Because his birthday fall on a Tuesday we decided to celebrate a little early last night. No curfew if it's not a school night. Andrew was given the honor of picking the restaurant in honor of the celebration. Believe me, living with us, he has a long list to pick from but settled on Sweet Lorraine's in Southfield.

The cuisine at Sweet Lorraine's is eclectic, featuring local produce and both meat and vegetarian dishes. I really like the fresh seafood selections that are typically featured in the weekly specials. My husband enjoys their fish and chips which have a little kick and also their steaks.

The place has all those little touches, great decor, a nice muted soundtrack and focaccio bread with tomato dipping sauces before the food arrives, and wonderful mint truffles at the very end. If you sign up for their mailing lists, you get a special coupon to use during the month of your birthday (Andrew redeemed his for $10 off our bill) as well as special offering near holidays, snow days and other random dates on Facebook.

One of our favorite dishes there is calamari. Unfortunately I was so excited to eat the dish I didn't take a picture. I am really ashamed myself quite honestly. I have let you all down. Let's just say that the calamari is one of the motivating reasons to eat here. It's a really good crispy tempura batter and it's accompanied by three sauces, sweet chili, teriayaki, and peanut. Peanut is the bomb! It has some spicy tones but is married with the creaminess of coconut milk. I have been trying to get it right at home for years. I can't. The sauce is so good I pilfer it from the tray when they collect the remnants and save it for fries and other assorted elements of our main dishes.

Andrew was there for a specific item - Macaroni and Cheese. Sweet Lorraine's is so famous for mac and cheese that they have two outposts at called Mac n' Cheez at local malls (Somerset in Troy and Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills) where you can get the basic mac with toppings ranging from a Cuban theme to lobster or more traditional fare like four cheese.  Now, there are all kinds of local places boasting that they may have the very best in mac and cheese but I have to agree with Andrew, Sweet Lorraine's is up there. It manages to maintain a balance even thought it's finished with a quick bake so it's not too dry and retains that creamy texture of the stove top kind. Andrew loves it best with cheddar and bacon. I have to agree the more traditional toppings are better too! You can get all fancy and get it truffled with button mushrooms or some pesto, but sometimes basic simple fare done will is just better.


My husband got the fish and chips. Like I said they have a little kick. It is accompanied by some of the best french fries around - true shoestring. I don't know why but their cole slaw is really good too. Really creamy and also with a little kick.

Are you curious what I got? I know you are. . . I mixed it up a little bit last night. I had a petite Caesar salad topped with fried clams. Sweet Lorraine's uses crisp fresh romaine lettuce. I know that sounds basic but I can't tell you how many places end up having sitting around way too long lettuce that is warm and kind of soggy from being tossed with the dressing in advance. The crispy clams just really add a new dimension to the salad and instead of croutons you get a wonderful Parmesan cheese crisp that is quite delicious and probably gluten free.

I also had a "small plate" of pear and brie quesadillas. This used to be a standard dish on Lorraine's menu years back and then used to moonlight as a special. It's come back a little updated and much improved. The triangles are topped with a chipolte cremora rather than little bits of herbs sandwiched with the filling so it's more subtle. There is also a side of hot pepper jelly that adds a really nice sweet accompaniment to the smoky brie and chipolte. All in all this was a lovely little plate of yumminess. I have to say that there are great little dishes to sample and share at Sweet Loraine's and I was really torn between this and a portebella pizza with blue cheese sauce and whole wheat crust.

Dakota really likes their kid's cheeseburgers. I can emphasize how much but she doesn't waver from them and thinks that hands down their burgers are the best. Medium rare, with a side of fries, hold the pickle. I think she asked for cheddar last night to top it off. She also may have discovered a pickle hiding under those fries but I can't confirm or deny that. It didn't taint it too bad because she asked to take over 1/2 of her burger home and had it for breakfast this morning without complaint. I should add that Andrew had at least 1/2 of his mac and cheese to enjoy today as well. I had nothing :-( as I ate it all with enthusiasm yesterday.

Seafood Po' Boy

Doesn't it sound fancier or cooler than a "sandwich"? 

I think so! 

My love for a good Po' Boy doesn't come from an actual trip to Louisiana although that is on my "short list" of adventures I would like to have one day. I actually had one locally in Ferndale - at One Eyed Betty's - and was hooked.  This is my version as I can't get it exactly like theirs but for a quick Saturday lunch, it was just fine!

I would have preferred a crustier roll but we had this Coney style hot dog buns leftover from early in the week. What's a Coney style? I had that same question - they are split on the top rather than the side, creating a might good pocket for all this stuff we put in these sandwiches. I toasted them for a bit in the oven to make them a little crustier.

Recipe

1 package of frozen clam strips
1 package of frozen shrimp poppers
1 Roma tomato
2 pickle spears
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Lemon Juice

Cook clam and shrimp according to directions. I would cook a little longer than the package to get them a little crispy and turn them during the middle of cooking.

While this is heating up, chop up the Roma tomato and the pickles and toss together. I use McClure's pickles. They are real crisp and are delicious. I should add that before I had a McClure's pickles I didn't like pickles at all and I will drive out of my way to buy these - as evidenced by my quick stop today to get a jar when I needed NOTHING else at a store but wanted to make this sandwich! Anyways, these are a local business based in Detroit so I'm giving them a "shout out". If you happen to be in New York, they are local for you too as they are also based in Brooklyn!

For the  sauce because we are already using pickles, I made a quick remoulade by mixing equal parts of ketchup and mayonnaise with a squirt of lemon juice.

Assembling the sandwich is easy. I spread the sauce on the opened toasty bun, and then I layered the tomato and pickles on the bottom, added the seafood, and a touch more of the sauce. Good stuff!

Both kids enjoyed this too - although one won't touch mayo and neither will eat the tomato and pickles. They really liked a bunch of fried seafood on a sandwich. They don't get to call it a Po' Boy because of their omissions!