You know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that? --Ratatouille (Pixar, 2007)

Monday, November 25, 2013

Where HAVE I been?

Bogged down in high school, that's where.  :(

Plagued with lots of homework, college applications, and the usual load of clubs and activities, I just haven't found time to fill you guys in on the restaurants I've eaten in and dishes I've cooked lately. As you know, no matter how busy I get, I never stop eating.

SO: This short blog post is dedicated to short blurbs about notable things I've cooked/eaten lately. I'll try to keep everything short!

REVIEWS:

Barbacoa, 64 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore PA

Barbacoa is one of my new go-to takeout restaurants. It's essentially an American barbecue restaurant that presents itself as something a little more ethnic and a little classier. Though the food definitely holds up to a higher standard, the restaurant is my takeout standard because the ambiance on the premises is subpar. The highlights of the menu are:
   -The extremeeeely moist and flavorful rotisserie chickens, served by the half or the whole (below).
   -The thinly cut angus beef brisket (below): would be great if it had more sauce, but still a good choice normally.
   -Cornbread pudding: A dense, delicious, lump of moist cornbread. It's not pudding...but it's not cornbread. What is it? Delicious.




Tietra, 1425 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA

Boy, this place stunk. My parents and I went here before going to the orchestra at the Kimmel center a few blocks away. We frequent the hip bar across the street (The Good Dog, 224 s. 15th St) but went here when it was too crowded there.
My mother and I got pasta dishes, mine with sausage and hers with seafood. My pasta was far too oily and the poorly chopped mini cubes of sausage were the only strong points. My mother's pasta was better but her scallops were overcooked. My dad got eggplant parmesan and called it (paraphrased) "The most average eggplant parmesan he'd ever eaten."
All the while, we were stuck upstairs in the auxiliary seating--away from the fun of the restaurant and out of the way of our haphazard server's already poor range of service. Needless to say, everything took a while. Our food didn't look horrible (below) but I just can't recommend this place.






INTERESTING STUFF I'VE COOKED:

Espresso Fudge Cupcakes from http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/.

This website is full of pictures of decadent looking cupcakes and accompanying recipes. Recently, I tried "Cupcake #1," the espresso fudge cupcake. I declined the recipe for frosting and topped them with my own chocolate ganache (found on the previous post from last year about peanut butter chocolate cake).
The cupcakes were delicious the first night. I had one fresh out of the oven and almost died. I tasted the chocolate, I tasted the espresso flavor--I just loved them. I brought them into my Spanish class the next day for a project and they were awful. They were as dry as cupcakes come, I just didn't understand what happened.
If anyone can find out how to make them and keep them, let me know. They were delicious at first but now I feel like I can't trust the recipe.





Meatball Madness!

I had a weird affection for meatballs at the end of the summer. It took me a while to realize how quick and easy it is to make meatballs.
All I did was...
Buy two pounds of ground beef. Combine that ground beef with an egg, garlic, and ample (sorry I didn't measure!) breadcrumbs. Then, I filled my meatballs. Some with pesto, some with hot sauce and red pepper flakes, all sealed up tightly so nothing spilled out.
After baking in the oven at 350 degrees for ~12 minutes, I was astounded. Time after time I had moist and delicious baked meatballs to go with my meals.








I'll try to post again soon! I miss my blog and wish I had more time to post.

Not to turn this already infrequently visited blog into an advertisement but...not matter how busy I get, I generally keep up with my food by instagramming everything interesting I eat on the Instagram account @teenwithtaste. Feel free to follow!