Menus and More: La Fiesta Mexicana

Stinkin' Pinterest for getting me all riled up to host a dinner party. But, of course with Pinterest, just a typical spread 'round the table wouldn't be enough...no, I needed a theme. Inspired by a little of this and a lot of that, I decided a Mexican Fiesta sounded delicious.

Menu:  Shrimp tacos . Elote . Fruit salad . Mexican sodas . Dessert


I can tell some of you are hardened Pinterest users and this does not impress. Relax, I'm bringing more to the table (literally.) Knowing I was facing a tough crowd I devised a little craft project of my own: banderas de papel (paper flags.)

Oh, you want a little how-to? You got it. Check it out here. Buena suerte!

Review: Taste Bar . STL

Before too long you all are going to suspect I get paid to peddle for Gerard Craft's lineup of St. Louis restaurants*, but with food this good the reviews write themselves. That and the menus are very pork heavy, which speaks to my Midwestern soul (we aren't just corn-fed around here).


Ambiance.
I've been to Taste twice. Once, in the middle of winter, where we sat inside in a room at the back of the joint in a second floor with a view of the shotgun main floor. The lights were dim - so dim that I thought my eyesight was failing me. For some, this is romantic. For others (like me), it provides an opportunity to be paranoid about maladies causing the current symptoms of blindness. But, confessions of hypochondria aside, the place was cozy and the bar was where the real action lay - it sparkled with candles; it glistened with all kinds of bottles and all manners of bartending tools. Weekend revelers and foodies sat together for good food and drink.

The most recent time was just last weekend and -- having found the only summer night in a good, long while where Mother Nature had the decency to realize that 100 degrees was just too damn hot for anything after dusk -- we chose the patio. The patio sits on a massive sidewalk in front of the building and stops just short of the street. The neighborhood is charming with tree-lined streets, adorable retail facades and great people watching. With the sun setting and a nice breeze it made for a fantastic atmosphere.

Service.
I have absolutely no complaints with the wait staff that are quick with water refills, the final bill (something I appreciate) and to back up your selection of food or drink. I guess whenever the whole menu is fantastic, it is easy to say "Yes, that's good." and know you ain't lying.


The Taste test
From the spectacularly unique cocktail menu, Daniel got daring with a cocktail featuring duck fat infused Grand Marnier, lemon, mascarpone and pepper, amongst other liquors (name Ab-duck-tion, in case you are taking notes at home.) He reported the creamy drink was definitely something to try, with the citrus notes really lightening the potentially heavy ingredients. But, if a drink with duck fat, cheese and citrus isn't what you're after you got lots of other options.

A mere 22 food items comprise the menu of Taste - including appetizers, mains and desserts. But quality over quantity ruled. We selected pig popcorn (you heard me right), fingerlings with spanish sauce and manchego cheese plate from the 'Snacks' menu and then got serious with a summer vegetable tart and ricotta gnocchi from the 'Small Plates.' The summer vegetable tart and ricotta gnocchi were all they promised to be and more. Mmmm, mmmm...so much more. The tart pastry was fantastically crisp, the summer vegetables caramelized and piled on; the gnocchi were big, fluffy and savory, becoming the perfect thing to sop up the butter, orange, tarragon and bits of walnuts in the cast iron pan. Realizing we were satisfactorily full, we stopped short of dessert. Perhaps I'll have more to report on this in the future.


*Taste, in its original form, was a Gerard Craft production. My brief online research tells me in late 2010/early 2011 chef Adam Altnether bought Taste by Niche to become the chef/owner. So really this review becomes a quirky love letter to chef Altnether, rather than chef Craft. See, we have variety in our reviews.

Earthweek 2012 . Drink Specials (and breath mint tins)

Earth day is this weekend! Bringing you inspiration all week long for reducing, reusing and recycling.


Today I present cool uses for soda cans and bottle, glass jars, breath mint tins and coffee cans. One man's recycling is another man's treasure!

[hair rollers . soda cans]  [fabric covered tins . breath mint tins]

[drip catcher . plastic soda bottle]  [coin purse . juice containers]

[outdoor lanterns . coffee cans]

[mini emergency/sewing/on-the-go kits . breath mint tin]

[twine wrapped vases .   glass jars]

Check out my upcycling pinterest board for these and other inspirations.

Recipe for success: Baby Bellini

Here is my new non-alcoholic drink of the week...or two weeks...or maybe drink of the month. It is both delicious and super easy, requiring only 2 ingredients and no blender. AND unlike the good ol' cucumber/pineapple/ginger concoction I think this one always turns out pretty. What a relief!

Assemble the ingredients: Peach nectar ( found in the juice section) Sparkling apple cider Add 2 oz. of chilled peach nectar to a champagne flute and top off with the chilled sparkling cider. *

*For those of you wanting to get a little booze action, substitute champagne in for the sparkling apple cider. Just mix it with the peach nectar, take a sip and then call me up and tell me how much better it is then silly sparkling cider.

Recipe for success: Agua Fresca mocktail

The word is out that we are expecting...which means this blog is going to be totally dedicated to all things baby from here on out. Just kidding. It does mean that I guzzled enough sparkling apple juice and pretend sipped on any cocktail in front of me to coast through the holidays. But now that the secret is out I am ready to join the big kids table with some caffeine free, non-alcoholic drinks of my own. To start is a cucumber/pineapple/ginger agua fresca that is very refreshing and magically delicious. The picture on LA Times made the drink look like a tall sip of Ireland, but I whipped up the drink and it looked more like pond water. But not to worry, just serve it in a colored or opaque glass before serving to your more discerning guests.

1. Assemble the ingredients:

   Pineapple juice 1 cucumber Ginger ale

2. Dice and blend the cucumber, then strain the juice. If you leave the peel on, be sure to scrub it first. And I tried mixes with and without the peel and it didn't make the drink any prettier.
3. Mix 3oz. of pineapple juice, 3oz. cucumber juice and 3.5oz. of ginger ale.
4. Pour over ice and garnish with a slice of cucumber or pineapple.

Recipe for success: Chai wallah!*

Not only will you love to curl up to this hot cup of chai on a cold night, but steeping the ginger and spices makes the house smell fan-freakin-tastic. Our friend Todd came over one night last winter to share this recipe and I have been hooked ever since. Making this homemade chai is such a treat that I have a little space in the kitchen where I store all my chai making goodies and a mortar and pestle dedicated for these spices. A little tip when buying the ingredients - make a side trip to a speciality Asian or Indian store to find all the ingredients and save some serious cash.

1. Assemble the ingredients:
   

   Fresh ginger Water Whole milkloose leaf black tea sugar

   Spices are all per serving: 4 cloves4 peppercorns 6 cardamom pods1/8 stick of cinnamon

2. Place a few slices of ginger or minced ginger in the water and bring to a boil.
3. Crush the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cinnamon together and place in the boiling water. Let these steep in the simmering water, the longer the steep the spicier the chai. This step can be from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.
4. Add milk (equal to half the amount of water) and bring the temperature back up to a gentle boil.
5. Add a few teaspoons of tea and steep for a few minutes.
6. Strain the mixture.
7. Add sugar to taste.

* Up until 2008's surprise sweetheart movie, Slumdog Millionaire, I had never heard of a chai wallah. This profession is held by the protagonist and is apparently a person who sells or serves chai. Try screaming 'chai wallah' at the top of your lungs when serving the drink and really hope that my internet research is correct...and it isn't a horribly offensive word.

Linked list: Controversy's a brewing

...or, technically, controversy about brew.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's beer blog (we are a proud beer town, remember?) reports that Bud Light has been surpassed by China's Snow brand as the biggest selling beer in volume*. The controversy is best summed up by an astute commenter to the blog:

"Talk about number manipulation for a stupid ranking. If you’re going to count all 25 or so brands that encompass ‘Snow’ then do the same for AB and see how you stack up. The list doesn’t even make sense. Snow is a line of beers. Snow Beer, Snow Dry, Snow Light, etc etc. Bud Light, when introduced was labelled as Budweiser Light, because that’s what it is. So if you’re going to include all of the beers that make up Snow, the only fair comparison would be to all of the beers that make up the Budweiser brand. Budweiser, Bud(weiser) Light, Bud Ice, Bud Dry…. Just because the name got shortened doesn’t change what it is.

Saying Snow sold more beer than Bud Light is like saying General Motors sold more cars than Honda Accord.

Is GM a more popular car than the Mustang?"

For those not floored at the utter injustice of the situation and just want the stats - here are the rankings that were released (in millions of hectoliters):
1. Snow 61.0
2. Bud Light 55.6
3. Budweiser 43.4
4. Skol (Brazil) 35.4
5. Corona 32.7
6. Heineken 29.1
* To give credit where credit is due: report was issued by Plato Logic, reported by Reuters and blogged about by STL Today - only for me to reblog it.

A Farewell to Soda

I love soda - Cherry Coke, Coke and an ice cold Pepsi, in particular. Give me that sugary sweet concoction of caffeine and carbonation and watch me go. But, as I do every few months, I must make a break with my liquid lover. To honor the slow afternoons and late nights that soda has gotten me through, I would like to present a short list: the best ways to procure soda. Yes, I have actually thought this through and yes, I am this pathetic. From best to worst.

1) Soda Fountain
2) Aluminum Can
3) Glass bottle
4) Plastic bottle
5) 2 liter plastic bottle