Restaurant Widow

Dairy, Dairy, Dairy

As we speak, I have just made salted butter and ricotta.  I have some cream culturing for cultured butter and buttermilk, and I have creme fraiche brewing with some of the buttermilk I have.

All of my whole milk and cream came from Snowville - they are going to be at the Clintonville market tomorrow, so there's not excuse not to try it out yourself! 

Anyone have any ideas for using up a few quarts of whey?  As it turns out, ricotta has a pretty low yield.

I will share my processes as soon as I have a chance to taste everything and write it up.  I was specifically asked not to share these recipes by the chef who gave them to me, but I will google and try to find something very similar.

After this, I'm going on a much-needed diet . . .

Perfect Spring Lunch - Ponzu Marinated Salmon with Rice, Homemade Pickles and Pea Shoots

Pea shoots are really delicious.  I received some in my Elizabeth Telling CSA this past week, and the lady in line next to me said she loves them in salads, so I chose to use them as a crunchy garnish to this lunch; the taste very fresh and green, screaming Spring in a surprisingly subtle way (yes, I know, too much alliteration in an oxymoronic sentence. sue me).  Aside from being an adorable garish, there is the occasional tiny pea amongst the shoots - like half a centimeter tiny.  Very cute.

I bought a small, inexpensive Japanese pickle pot the other day, so of course I immediately set about making some very simple Japanese pickles (read: radishes and salt).  But you can buy really good premade Japanese-style pickles at Tensuke or other Asian grocer stores.  I am particularly fond of the bright yellow turnip pickles (in the refrigerated case).

This lunch is beautiful and comes together in the time it takes the rice to cook (30 minutes).

Ponzu is a marinade made from soy sauce and citrus juice.  You can buy it already made, or you can make it yourself my mixing equal parts soy sauce and lemon or lime juice.  I like to put it in a squeeze bottle so that you can squeeze it over the salmon under the broiler.

This far-too-simple-to-win-anything is going to be entered in Marx Foods' Summer of Salmon contest, which they invited me and all of my readers to join.  Click here for more information.  The deadline is Friday.  The winning recipe wins 15 pounds of different kinds of wild salmon!  YUM!  And nice, since wild salmon is amazingly expensive this year due to a lot of the salmon runs being closed. 

Ponzu-Basted Salmon with Seasoned Rice, Homemade Radish Pickles and Fresh Spring Pea Shoots - serves 2

For the Rice
1 1/2 cup short grain Japanese Rice
2 1/4 cups water
3 ounces rice vinegar
2 ounces sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black sesame seeds

Place the rice and water in a small pan and bring to a boil.  Stir the rice and reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes, then turn the heat off and allow to sit, covered for 10 more minutes.  Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt and stir together; set aside for a few minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve.  Pour it over the rice and toss with a fork.  Place rice into bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

For the Salmon
2 5 ounce pieces of wild salmon, skin attached
1/2 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned, please)
salt
1/2 cup ponzu (see above)

Preheat the broiler.  About 15 minutes before you are ready to grill, place the salmon in a plastic bag and pour the rice vinegar over; this is optional but begins the cooking process with acid, and I think it leads to a very mellow-tasting and tender finished product).  Place the salmon in a flame-proof, shallow baking sheet, skin side up.  Douse with a little ponzu and sprinkle with salt.  Broil for about 7 minutes, basting continuously with the ponzu sauce.  Serve on the seasoned rice.

Tear the pea shoots into 1-2" pieces and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil (I realize this is completely un-Japanese, but it how I rolls) and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of kosher salt.  Place on top of the salmon, along with a few pickled vegetables, such as radishes or turnips.

Things to do in Columbus::June 18th Edition

After the monsoons of last week, the cool sunshine this week is very welcome (at least, to me).  The sweet peas are ripe, raspberries should be out this week; I had my first fried green tomatoes at Alana's last week, and we're in full grilling season.  It's my favorite time of the year!

This is the time of year when there are so many events to list it's hard to know where to start!

As always, please leave our events in the comments!

• But, let's start of with the North Market, shall we?  This Saturday is the Grillmaster's Festival!  There will be cooking demonstrations, a BBQ sauce making contest, and a chef cookoff, among lots of other things!  Of course, the farmer's market will also be in full swing, with special bbq-related vendors.  Grill on!
• This weekend is Festival Latino!  I have only been to Festival Latino for the food (and there's lots of it, and it's good) but I've heard there is lots of great music and dancing until all hours.
• Cafe Brioso will have a Barista Jam this Saturday; there will be lots of education and a latte art competition.  I didn't know we had any latte artists in Columbus, so I'll be really interested to see some pictures of that even.  Alas, you know where Lisa the Waitress is at 6pm on a Saturday night.
• *gasp!* I'm about to post an event in the 'burbs!  This weekend is the Creekside Blues & Jazz festival in Gahanna!  The event lasts Friday - Sunday and includes lots of music, a jazz brunch; lots of great things! 
• This weekend, the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus will perform their tribute to Elton John.  I've heard nothing but great things about CGMC, and I wish I didn't have to work all weekend because I'd love to go.  Guess you'll just have to go and tell me all about it!
• This Thursday is Third Thursdays in the Short North.  Stores will be open late so you can get your shop on, late-night style. 
• This week, MadLab opens "Stones in His Pocket," a 2-man show set in Ireland.  Our friend Kevin McClatchy stars!
• This Thursday, the Wexner Center's Drive-In series continues with The Mummy.  Cash bar and settling in begins at 8pm, and the movie will begin around 9.  Of course, all sorts of other great things are happening at the Wex, click over to their calendar for more info.
• This week is another 30 for $30 at the Burgundy Room, featuring the wines of the Southern Hemisphere.
• If you need some help getting our canning career started, OEFFA has an event for you this Sunday, where you can learn simple preserve and pickling recipes.  The class takes place at Dodd Hall (OSU) and the suggested donation is $3 - $5.  Click over to OEFFA for more information.

The Refectory Hosts Rachel Widomski Benefit this Wednesday

This event is only $38 and supports a great cause.  A nice evening to go out, drink some wines and have a few canapes while supporting a great cause.

From CORA:

The Refectory Restaurant To Host Rachel Widomski Medical Trust Fund Benefit
Wednesay, June 18, 2008, 6:30pm

On the evening of May 15, Rachel Widomski was seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver outside of Haiku restaurant.  Rachel, a Haiku employee, had followed a customer out into the parking lot as he had walked-out of the restaurant without paying his check.  As he attempted to flee in his car, he struck and then ran over Rachel.

Rachel sustained severe spinal cord injuries that will leave her paralyzed for the rest of her life.  Many city-wide fundraising efforts have been held, and more are planned, to help support Rachel and her family during her long road to recovery.  Go to www.haikuhelp.com for more information.

In support of these efforts, The Refectory Restaurant, in conjunction with Cutting Edge Selections, is hosting a special charitable Huia Vineyards Wine Tasting in Rachel's honor, with all proceeds from the event going to the Rachel Widornski Medical Care Trust.

THE WINES
Huia Brut NV $40
Huia Riesling 2004 $18
Huia Pinot Gris 2006 $23
Huia Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $22
Huia Gewurztraminer 2006 $23
Huia Pinot Noir 2005 $30

The Hors d'oeuvre   
Gougere Salami Coronets
Duck Breast Tapenade
Tuna Tartare
Mushroom Tartlette
Salmon Rillette Lavash
Ratatouille Broshetta Caesar Salad Grilled Beef Brochettes au Poivre
Cheese Display Chocolate Petit Fours

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
6:30 PM    $38

Prepaid reservations for this charitable event are a must and can be made by calling The Refectory (614)451-9774

In Which Lisa Continues Discovering Dairy, by Making Cultured Butter

Cultured Cream, ready to be whipped into butter

So, I was heady from experience making butter for the first time out of delicious Snowville Creamery Heavy Cream.  And then someone asked if I soured the cream first, and someone else led me to another blog where the writer has cultured the cream before making butter.

Hm.  I thought.  I can do that.  I have plenty of hot places in my house, and I love making yogurt - this is almost the same thing.

So, I put about 2 cups of cream in a jar and stirred in big dollop of Fage Greek Yogurt (I think 2%).  I shook it up a little bit and left it on the desk in my office on the third floor of our house, where it is is around 90 degrees.  And the I just let it sit there.  For 24 hours.  And I got this, the most fattening yogurt ever (can you believe how yellow and pretty it is?!):

And then I whipped it up.  I noticed that the yeild seemed a little higher with this technique; possibly because the cultures bind some of the fats? I really have no idea, but this butter was lighter in color than the standard butter, with a much creamier texture and an interesting, slightly sweet and complex flavor.  I think the next time, I think I will let the butter culture just a little longer, maybe up to 48 hours, just to develop a really complete and interesting - and maybe funky - flavor.  Yum!  I will, of course, keep you posted.  The buttermilk which comes from this process is really, really great.  If you were at my dinner, you had both - the cultured butter was served at the beginning, with the radish crostini, and the buttermilk (cultured and fresh) was in the salad dressing.

The finished product:

bonoTOGO

What a week for eating it's been!  First there was Pita Hut, then Sage, and then, bonoTOGO.  Husband and I were driving home from a glass wine and a bit of (wine) studying last night, hungry and lamenting having to go home and cook, when I suggested we drive past Russell St (in the Short North) just to see if maybe bonoTOGO was open.  I had read they were open until midnight, but I was sure they would be closed on a Sunday.  But no, they were open!  Bliss! Happiness!

The new pizza joint by veteran pizza-maker Bill Yerkes (he's had stores in various locations, mostly pretty far from downtown) is located inside the Eleni Christina bakery, where they will operate during the hours the bakery is closed.  There is one table in the small space and 3 tables on the sidewalk, giving the place a best-kept-secret-hole-in-the-wall-charming-urban-side-street appeal.  Pizzas are on the smallish side, about 8-10 inches, and are $8 apiece or 3 for $20, so they are a pretty good bargain.  I guess I should be ashamed to say Husband and I ate all 3 pizzas.  No leftovers for breakfast.  Without even thinking about it, we ordered three vegetarian pizzas, so for all you veggies out there, no worries: there are plenty of vegetarian options.

The pizzas are hand-tossed and baked in a very hot oven - 1200 degrees, to be more precise.  It's that heat which separates pizzas; the heat enables the pizzas to cook in 3 minutes and creates a nicely puffed and crisp crust.  This was some seriously good crust. 

I had heard the Hulk (#17) was really good; it includes pesto instead of sauce, and is topped with all sorts of green things - mine had spinach, zucchini, olives, green peppers and scallions on it.  I was asked if there were any veggies I didn't like, in case they had anything else to add.  Nope, I love all veggies.  Well, I don't really love green beans, but somehow I didn't think that would be an issue.  It was really good.  The veggies tasted fresh and the smattering of really good Asiago (not always available) really made the whole thing sing:

I ran over to the Burgundy Room to buy a bottle of Nebbiolo to go and let Husband choose the next two flavors.  He fist chose the Puttana (#7), a take on the famous puttanesca sauce on pasta (er, "good" woman sauce - read, prostitute sauce).  This was really spicy, but still tasty.  It mixed tomato sauce, lots of artichke hearts, capers, olives, and fresh hot green peppers:

Lastly we chose the Cippolini (#13), topped with tomato sauce, lots of carmelized onions, gouda, scallions, fresh mozzarella and Parmesan.  It was sweet and savory; a nice foil to the very spicy Puttana:

My only complaint with the space is they aren't open for lunch (they are Wednesday - Sunday daily 5pm - midnight).

In addition to the suggested combos, there is a very extensive list from which you can choose your own toppings. 

The owners are really nice, and they will probably recommend you eat your pizza there; last night's weather was perfect, and it would have been nice to sit on the street, but we headed home anyway, and the pizzas survived the 3 mile journey just fine.  We were sitting at home, munching away on the pizza, and Husband looked at me and said "I am very, very happy with this pizza."  High praise, indeed.

I highly recommend bonoTOGO, and only apologize that you have to wait until Wednesday to try it.  Oh well, it's the anticipation which makes it even better.

info:  bonoTOGO, west Russell street (the address is technically High street, but the storefront is on Russell) 614.906.TOGO.  Menu.

In Season with Lisa::Peas!

Today's edition of In Season with Lisa will feature the much-maligned sweet green pea.  You can catch me at 3:56pm today and every day on WCRS (102.1 or 98.3).  Please let me know if you have any show suggestions!

Sage American Bistro

I always get excited to hear a new restaurant is opening, but when it's right in my neck of the woods, I get really excited.  There just isn't much in the North Campus/South Clintonville area (I am sure to get attacked for that, but go ahead - bring it on.  Tell me your faves in the area).  Most people I talk to who live within the area agree: we just need a good place to go.  Nothing fancy, just good and comfortable.  Sage seems as though it's going to fit the bill pretty well. 

The space is simple, with exposed brick broken up by fabric-covered canvasses on one wall, and original artwork on the other side.  There is a small bar in the corner - small, but not so small you wouldn't want to sit there; we actually considered it, but there were four of us and we opted for a table instead.

Now, I'm not usually one of those people who reviews restaurants the second they open; having worked in the restaurant biz for awhile, I know it can take awhile to iron out the kinks.  But I think there's a lot of interest in Sage, so I thought I should check it out for everyone.  And I'm going to highlight the positive - really there wasn't anything really negative; certainly nothing experience won't fix.

They were full when we arrived at noon, so we sat at the bar to await a table.  There is a nice list of mimosas and bellinis offered for Sunday brunch (brunch!); I chose the Bombay bellini (Cava - Spanish sparkling wine - is mixed with Mango nectar), and it was very nice.  Husband had a champagne cocktail - Cava mixed with bitters (typically a sugar cube is added, but wasn't in this case. Not being a champagne cocktail aficionado, I can't vouch for which version is better).  Both drinks were tasty pick-me-ups for a Sunday morning.  There are also beer bloody marys available (no liquor on Sundays).  The drink menu for non-Sundays looked pretty good; of particular interest to me was the house "Sage Martini," vodka with basil, tomato water along with a tomato and an onion.  That sounds pretty tasty to me.

I'll say on thing about Sage: they managed to get a sort of who's who out on a Sunday morning.  I must have seen about 15 people I knew (believe me, me and my ilk, we're the "who's who"), including Mr. Brilliant, who supplied me with some "Buy Local Columbus" stickers!  So I'll be passing those out soon.

Fortunately, everyone ordered something different so we were able to sample the menu.  I chose the black bean, chorizo and sweet potato hash topped with two fried eggs, and I think I made the best choice of all.  This is what Northstar's hash could be like if it weren't dry.  The next time I order it (and I'm sure there will be a next time), I'll get an order of toast on the side for dipping in the yolks.  The dish employed a nicely spicy fresh chorizo, which I suppose was more of a Mexican vs. a Spanish chorizo, since it was spicy but lacked the paprika-y flavor and ruddiness I usually associate with chorizo.  One the side was a nice (seemingly homemade) salsa verde, which had a pleasant and mild heat with a refreshing quality as well.  Because I promised not to complain about anything, I will simply post the picture and, having read the list of ingredients, you can guess what's missing:

Husband, possibly in an attempt to compensate for a Hounddog's-related indiscretion at midnight last night, went light with a house salad, a sweet and busy mix of good lettuces, white grapes, apples, citrus segments and crumbled goat cheese, all tossed in a pleasant creamy dressing:

and the yogurt and granola parfait, which was nice and full of dried fruits.  It was very nice, and certainly one could feel very proper going for this option:

Guest #1 had the enormous stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with bananas, walnuts and maple syrup.  Perfectly competent pancakes - hopefully they will eventually be available by the single pancake:

Guest #2 chose the frittata, which included pancetta and mushrooms, and was also very tasty:

And, because we are complete gluttons, I ordered the creme brulee French toast for the table.  Wow.  The Texas toast is soaked in custard and then lightly fried and topped with a nice compote of berries and bananas.  It was really good; not nearly as rich or as sweet as it sounded.  I found myself going back for bite after bite:

All in all, I thought this was a great opening for a Columbus restaurant.  I only saw a tiny bit of chaos one might expect for their first brunch ever.  The food was all tasty and well-prepared, and I was pleased to see they had a basic breakfast - eggs, toast, bacon, home fries, because sometimes that's exactly what you want.  I didn't have any coffee, so I can't vouch for that.

Dinner will come at some point, although like all good restaurants, they are closed for dinner on my only two days off.  *sigh*

Okay, I'm not going to whine, just offer three suggestions, which, like everything I write, are very reasonable and smart:

1. It would be great if you would have a sweet crepe option as well as a savory crepe option.  We were all thinking about crepes but were disappointed that today's option was a sweet crepe.  Otherwise, crepes are a great idea, and in retrospect, I suppose we should have tried them.
2. Please, please, please put salt and pepper on the table.  I really like to sprinkle salt on my egg yolks when I break them and if I've recently changed handbags, I don't always have my purse salt with me.  That being said, I thought my dish was very well seasoned and I didn't miss the salt and pepper as much as thought I would have when I first noticed it wasn't there.
3. You need another POS system.  Trust me.  Your servers and bartender will thank you every day.  You could probably put the POS system so that it faced the restaurant and make the bartender walk around; that would save the cluster which goes on behind the bar with everyone trying to ring their food, pick up drinks, etc. 

All in all, I think Sage is off to a great start, at least brunch-wise.  I get constant requests for good brunch spots in Columbus, and I am always at a loss as to what to tell people.  It's a bonus that Sage is within walking distance.  Everything was priced very fairly - in the $7 -8 range for each brunch dish.  Dinner options seemed to be almost (if not all) under $20.  I think Sage is just what this part of town needs: nothing earth-shattering, no foam or sous vide or whatever, just a nice casual spot with unpretentious, good food from a good chef.  (Alana, we can't eat with you every night - come on, now.)

Good job, guys - especially for your first week open, and your first brunch.  I'll see you soon for dinner!

info: Sage American Bistro 2653 N. High St (North Campus/South Clintonville) 614.267.SAGE

CSA & Market Report for June 14th

Wow.  Could you believe those storms last night?  Our electricity went out - strangely, after the storms were over - so I took the oppurtunity to sleep in a few minutes longer, and didn't get to the markets until after 9.  I don't plan to do a ton of cooking this week, so I tried to keep things really light this week.  That usually proves to be easier said than done.

Just to back up a few seconds, I visited the Pearl Alley market again yesterday and was pleased to see that Blue Jacket Creamery was there, so I bought some Gretna Grillin' Cheese and a container of cheese curds.  We are in love with those cheese curds.  I also swung by Paige's Produce for a box of peas (pictured above) which I shelled, boiling briefly and ate with just a bit of butter and salt.

But! On with today!  First off I stopped into the Clintonville market for my some white bread from This Little Farm (I love that bread; it's very similar to the soft bread I grew up eating in Amish restaurants, which is still my favorite soft-crust breads) and my Wayward Seed Farm CSA.  The Wayward Seed fruit CSA this week included 3 quarts of giant strawberries, which I plan to share with coworkers.

The Wayward Veggie CSA included French Breakfast radishes, Heliotrope radishes, white turnips, another kind of purple radish whose name I can't remember, more of those luminous white turnips, bag of lettuce mix, chinese broccoli, tat soi, another braising green whose name I'm not sure of, and little red scallions:

Last night, I had a dream that I was eating red thumb potatoes and today I was a little bit surprised to see the Arbor Hill Organics was at the market with their delicious red thumb potatoes!!!!  It's one of my most favorite times of the year, and I was surprised by how early they are this year:

Then I was off to the North Market to pick up my week of the Elizabeth Telling Farms CSA:

which included lettuce (I'm going to have to eat some salad this week; it's a good thing I still have buttermilk-herb dressing left!), lovely white turnips, scallions, stinging nettles (they're dangerously delicious!), strawberries, and sweet pea tendrils.  Could there be anything prettier:

I also bought my weekly allotment of Toby Run Shitakes, a few sugar snap peas from Comb's Herbs, and then went inside to buy a good-sized flatiron steak for the grill this week at Blues Creek Farms.

I stopped off at the Greener Grocer and discovered my friend Jen there passing out free milk from Snowville Creamery!  In case you haven't tried the milk, it is very tasty.  I used it make butter, and I hope to use it to make some cheese sometime soon.  They were only asking that if you like their milk, you request your local grocery store to carry the milk for you. 

Where, for keeping things light, I sure did get a lot.  I even made it home and trimmed and scrubbed all of the radishes and turnips and strawberries so they would be available for eating out of hand.

And what did you get this week?

Pita Hut 'n Grille::Meet Your New Addiction

The falafel sandwich at Pita Hut 'n Grille

I've been hearing a lot of things about Pita Hut since they opened awhile back, but it seemed as though everything I drove past, it was 10 in the morning.  What a mistake!

The Pita Hut quite certainly has the best gyro in Columbus.  I repeat: the best.  Husband and I visited them for lunch on his birthday, and the next day I was ready to go back.

Writing this, I am ready to go back.  I could probably eat it for lunch and return after work.  Seriously.  They haunt me.

So, what it is about the schwarma sandwich at Pita Hut that's so good?  Well, it starts with the schwarma.  Unlike a lot of places with the tower of myster meat spinning round and round, Pita Hut has a rotisserie with flattened layers of beef, lamb and turkey.  When it comes time for sandwich-making, the man behind the counter sharpens his knife and makes quit cuts along the edge of the schwarma, making small, bite-sized pieces. 

The pita is sliced along the top, not down the middle (this is important for maintaining the integrity of the pita whilst eating).  The insides are smeared with hummus; the meat is added, along with a great mellow vegetable blend of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions - again, not scathingly oniony, like you usually get, and halved little pickles.  The pickles are coated with a little yogurt sauce, the meat goes in, and there you have it: lunchtime heaven.  Everything in the pita is well-balanced.  Flavorful without being overwhelming.  There's no scary meat; no gristle or other yucky bits, just really juicy and flavorful meat.  Seriously good:

And then, there's the falafel.  Now, I always thought I would like falafel, but everytime I order it, it's dry and pasty and pretty much blech.  But the falafel at Pita Hut is enough to make me actually eat a vegetarian lunch.  (just kidding; I eat lots of vegetarian lunches, but the schwarma is so good it's a testament to how good the falafel is that I would order it instead)  The falafel is full of parsely and is very moist and savory.  The pita is filled out with the same ingredients as the schwarma sandwich. 

They offer hummus, tabouleh, eggplant salad, and cauliflower salad as well.  We find the cauliflower salad particularly tasty:

Oops, I drooled on my keyboard. . .

At any rate, I highly recommend you get to the Pita Hut as soon as possible.  Here's another great idea: Bob's Bar, which is located next door to the Pita Hut, has an amazing selection of brews and they will let you eat your pita in the bar (Pita Hut is open until 12am every day, fyi).  Husband and I ordered 2 schwarma sandwiches, a falafel sandwich, some really good cauliflower salad and 2 sodas for $19.  Small sides of creamy cole slaw accompany the sandwiches.  As if that isn't a good enough deal, there are coupons on their website.

info: the Pita Hut 'n Grille 4964 N. High St (Beechwold/in front of Graceland) 614.433.0996