The Idle Rich and Kismet

I had a busy weekend a break from my normal curl up and stay home routine I have been in lately. I visited a few local watering holes. Friday night I met some friends at The Idle Rich Pub. Its actually not a bad little pub. It does not compare to my favorite pub in Chicago Fado. Both of these are chains, which is not exactly Pub tradition but who are we kidding, we are not Irish or English so if we have something that works why not reproduce it somewhere else? Welll…. probably because it usually gets watered down. But these two chains have managed to keep a fun environment, good beer, good food… a great place to hang out with friends at their various incarnations. The Idle Rich is in the same chain as The Old Monk and The Dubliner, both of which are old favorites for Dallasitets. I came in and liked what I saw… rustic, big tables, nice big bar, bar games including darts and bar billiards (be kind to the table it is an antique!). Sat down to order and found a multi-page beer and whiskey menu. Which was nice to see… thrilled to see Grolsh. Love them! In particular I love the bottles, but the beer is very good too. I was confused by the lack of Irish beer on the menu though. It turns out that they only have Irish beer on tap. Glad it was there, not a tremendously eclectic selection of Irish beer, but it was a pretty expansive collection of Eastern European beers none the less. If you can’t find a beer you like on there, you don’t like beer. The bartenders were not really very chatty or friendly so that cut down a bit on the Pub atmosphere. I like a friendly bartender. Is it too much to ask for a smile and a how do you do? My friends and I were chatty enough to keep ourselves entertained. We decided we wanted a snack, so we ordered the Belgian Style Steamed Mussels with skinny fries.. They actually were not too bad. I think the mussels could have been a bit fresher and the broth was very nice, I think they were cook a little too dry, so the flavor did not permeate the Mussel the way really amazing steam mussels are, and they were not as tender as I would have liked, but the flavor was good andI enjoyed them. The skinny fries were actually really good and the spicy mayo was nice too. We actually ended up staying so long that we ordered the cheese fries several hours later. Unlike the previous order of fries there are steak cut fries. Thick and perfectly cooked. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, really very good. They come with a huge layer of cheddar cheese, melted and gorgeous… but a really wayyyyy to much cheese. There is also bacon, red onion, and jalapeno. Here is the problem, the bacon all ended up on the plate, the cheese was so thick that it did not come with the fry when you picked it up. So this yummy collection of ingredients does not come together that well. Don’t get me wrong, we polished off the whole thing, but I think with a few tweaks and some care in implementation, these cheese fries could be amazing. 

Saturday night my fabulous friend Vik had a going away celebration at Kismet. So we sent him off with a bang. This is another concept from the creators or Cafe Izmir and Izmir Market and Deli. Sofa’s, dance music, hooka and cocktails. It was too crowded for relaxing on the sofas and smoking hooka. So I will have to try that some other time. Our party was in the back bar which was being manned by the very friendly and happy Nacho. I ordered a Pomegranate Martini because I am currently in love with anything Pomegranate. Nacho mixed the with flair, and made a really, really yummy martini. I would recommend it too anyone… as long as they like fruit . I was in the mood to dance, but sadly the DJ kinda sucked. It just was not that danceable. Oh well maybe some other time. Kisses to Nacho cause I am going back for another one of those Martinis!

Berryful Scones

Felt the urge to bake… in the hopes that I would come out of my Holiday funk. So I pulled out the ‘ole Joy of Cooking to make some truly yummy buttermilk scones.

PreStuff: Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. 

First… Dry Stuff: Sieve all the dry ingredients together.

2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it is fresh and not that old stuff that has been sitting in your pantry for years! Unless of course you like flat hockey puck scones.) 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (again, not the stuff that has been sitting in your fridge absorbing all the onion smells, FRESH).

 

Second… Wet Stuff: In a separate bowl whisk together:

1 large egg (fresh, fresh, fresh, check the expiration date on those eggs, it DOES matter) 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

   

3 1/2 tablespoons warm melted butter (Warm… not boiling… don’t want to cook that egg!).

1/2 cup dried fruit. (I used cherries, cranberries, blueberries and golden raisins) I chopped them even though it was not in the recipe… I was shooting for more fruit per bite.

 

Pour the wet into the dry and mix together with a rubber spatula. Just until all the dry ingredients are moist. Don’t mix more than you have too. The more you mix the more gluten you create… that makes for a tough scone. Blech. If it is looking a bit dry add more buttermilk. Use your judgement, don’t leave alot of dry flour in the bowl… but don’t make it soupy… should be a fairly stiff batter when you are done. 

Now… the Fun Stuff:Scoop out the batter with an ice cream scoop or a soup spoon and drop on a baking sheet (or in my case a piece of aluminum foil… since I broke mine and have not replaced it). Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake for 12-15 minutes.

   

 

Remove from oven and burn your mouth trying to eat one that is too hot, put the rest of them on a rack to cool. 

 

Enjoy with a nice cup or Earl Grey or your favorite coffee! 

Holiday Food

So, here I am. The gal that loves to cook. And wouldn’t you know it… I am stuck in a family full of folks that would rather go to Luby’s for Christmas dinner. Every year it is a battle between me and my Mother “but it is soooo much work!” she says… I say “but I like doing it!” and she mumbles something about the work again and wanders off. Between me and my brother…” Why can’t we have some thing normal!? I just want ham and Macaroni and Cheese!” he says… This little gem after I suggest that I make (and pay for) Standing Rib Roast and Yorkshire Pudding. ACK! What is a girl to do!

She makes what the diners want of course! So this year the menu is as follows:

Appetizer:Crab and Pequillo Pepper dip with Toast points

Entree:
Brown Sugar and Honey Ham
Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts with toasted pecans (for me)
Green Beans with Bacon
Waldorf Salad
Scalloped Potatoes
Mac and Cheese

Dessert:
Is up to my brother so I am guessing Apple Pie and Ice Cream.

However, even a humble meal such as this… can be awesome.

The crusty exterior on a perfectly cooked ham… YUM.

Green beans cooked perfectly with the smokie flavor of bacon and the extra yuminess that onions give.

Perfectly caramelized brussel sprouts with toasty pecans are soooo…. good. I can’t believe that anyone that has ever had them this way could turn their nose up at the often dis’ed sprout.

Waldorf Salad, the tart crunchiness of apples, the sweet burst of grapes, the lemony creaminess of the dressing… uh.. yeah, I can’t believe we don’t eat this more often.

Scalloped potatoes with gruyre and bacon… creamy, cheesy goodness. I don’t care what 1950’s housewife came up with it… I want some NOW.

Mac and Cheese with: mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan… heavy cream… ummm yeah. Sorry not complaining on that one either!

Well the appetizer is not so humble… but it is simple to make and loverly to eat. Pequillo peppers, lump crab meat, and manchego cheese. Decadent and AWESOME.

So, yeah… Merry Christmas to ME!