Sweltering Summer Relief

Posted by Kathryn @ 8:50 AM

These are the days when I wish I had central air conditioning! In the spirit of easy summer recipes that don't heat up the kitchen I tried a new recipe a cold corn soup. I know it sounds offbeat, but it is absolutely delicious and is a great way to eat the bounty of fresh produce that is available this time of year.

* 20 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt ( I used whole milk yogurt, but low fat would also be good)
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 or 3 limes)
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* Pinch cayenne pepper ( I like Cayenne so I used more)
* 1/2 pound cooked frozen shrimp, thawed, roughly chopped, reserving 4 whole shrimp
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
* 1 small avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

In a blender, working in batches if necessary, puree corn, yogurt, milk, lime juice, coriander, and cayenne. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Stir in chopped shrimp, and season with salt and pepper. Top with grape tomatoes and avocado chunks and whole shrimp.

This served 2 for a light supper, but it would be even better as a appetizer for 4.

To Repeat or Not Repeat

Posted by Kathryn @ 4:43 PM

Have you ever been accuse of not repeating things? I think this is the particular woe of the true foodie. There are so many recipes to try and restaurants to visit. Even though I love many of them dearly, I have a tendency to forget about these favorites and instead blaze a new trail. So this blog is to some respects to help me remember the tremendous successes, so I can make sure to revisit them.

This past Monday was my husband's birthday, so I made reservations at a lovely French bistro called Le Pommier on the Carson Street in the Southside. To be honest, visiting this place had been on my mind since the Primanti Bros trip when I passed Le P's window and saw they were serving Thanksgiving Dinner. As we had just moved to Pittsburgh and knew practically no one in town, we had decided to eat out on Thanksgiving day. So I called Le P and was completely crushed to find out they didn't have any seatings left. So Le P was destined for a birthday celebration.

We arrived at 7 PM and realized that the restaurant was kind of quiet, we shouldn't have worried because by 8 PM the restaurant was humming nicely for a Monday evening. We hung our coats in the coat room and sat down near the window. It was chilly, but we both wanted to be able to see the people and traffic pass by. We both chose the $35 four course prix fixe but with different options along the way. We chose a new wine, a Chanin, something I had never tried before. It had a wonderful color and with a few minutes of exposure to air a nice full bodied flavor. I had the squash soup with creme fraiche and chives, a salad verte, cumin crusted bass, and nice little raspberry pot de creme. The crusting on the fish was perfect and even though it was heavy on the spices it had a nice clean fresh taste. He chose the pate, salad verte, roasted chicken with truffle risotto, and macadamia nut ice cream. The risotto was truffley and the chicken had a nice melt in your mouth quality. At the end of the meal, my husband declared that was the best roast chicken he had ever had and that we must come back. While I thought the fish and the pot de creme were perfectly prepared, neither were the best I had ever had and I am afraid the best chicken I have ever had still remains a little restaurant I don't remember the name in Rome. The salad verte could have used a bit more inspiration, but for $35 and four courses at least they made their budgetary cuts on the salad course. I am eager to try some of their regular menu items. So the verdict is that we will definitely be repeating this restaurant! Although we didn't know this when we went, Monday is a fantastic budget night to go because they have a BYOB night where they reduce their corkage fees!

Il Valletto

Posted by Kathryn @ 10:37 AM

Today I had a networking lunch with someone who helped me find a job here in Pittsburgh. As she had been a student at CMU but had not been around campus much recently she recommended that we check out Il Valletto on Forbes. She couldn't quite remember the name, only that some of the guys at school called it "Romantic's." Which I suppose is a fitting name from a college student's perspective. Il Valletto is right about Panther Hollow next to a vintage clothing store. I had peered in the window several times and wondered about this curiousity that combines card tables and folding chairs with white table clothes.

My friend was held up looking for a place to park, so I had a chance to peruse the menu and note the special prix fixe options for Valentines Day. While I don't think is on my romantic list, it was a good lunch option in Oakland. I had the veal and pancetta tortellini in vodka sauce with a cup of spicy white bean soup. The soup was not spicy as advertised, but had good flavor and was perfect on such a chilly day. The tortellini was generously sized, with a nice flavor, but also did not knock my socks off. So for an average italian meal at a student size price, Il Valletto's is a place to consider.

Lunch at Palomino

Posted by Kathryn @ 8:55 PM

A recent business lunch brought me to Palomino at the Gateway Center. On arrival I was surprised at how appealing the chain restaurant appeared. Despite not having reservations at a popular noon time slot, the staff graciously found us a table. While Palomino has a downtown fine dining price point, they do offer several lunch combo options that won't break the bank from $11-13.  These options include half sandwich, cup of soup, salads, and pasta. I chose the penne gorgonzola with hazelnuts and the portabella mushroom soup. In a matter of minutes the servers were back with complementary bread and marinara. Before my lunch partner and I could finish the tasty bread, the food had arrived. The staff at Palomino don't waste time, which is appreciated by a busy business diner like myself. I hope the dinner service is a bit more relaxed.

The penne gorgonzola had good flavor that was nicely complemented by the toasted nuts, but I felt it needed a fresh herb or vegetable to brighten the dish and add complexity.  Similarly the cream of mushroom was acceptable but not outstanding, it would be greatly improved by the addition of wild mushrooms.  My first experience at Palomino, definitely made me want to come back for dinner to check out if their $20+ dollar entrees have more wow factor.  The ambience and service made for a perfect and quick business lunch.