Kimmy’s Garden

M and I went out tonight for a visiting Taiwanse elementary school (Wu Fu) diabolo group. After, we went out to seek a fine dinner before a movie.

And I was sort of hungry, so we searched out some sort of sit down place (not Hooters!!) in Bourbon Street, WEM. Et voila, we found D-Lux Burger Bar. Immediately, the Hostesses were friendly while we waited for a table. Honestly, I was a bit worried at first about paying $12-15 for just the burger, I have to say that the sides were generous for $3 more. We had beer battered onion rings (ah! great!!) and sweet potato fries (they were a bit over cooked though!). The beer was served with frosty mugs, I cannot tell you how much I love that, and a B-52 milkshake. OMG. It was thick, creamy and delicious. It was actually my husband’s, uh, drink, but I drank most of it. Let this be a warning to all to never let me try your drink or your food.

At the end of the meal, we did not finish the fries, nor had we room for the desserts. I didn’t even look at the list! But they served us something as a nice salutation with the bill. I won’t ruin the surprise. Cooler than a mint I can tell you.

Then the movie we went to was Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and that made for a really great night.

OK, so I don’t blog regularly. I just have nothing to say unless my muses inspire me to write poetry. But I do eat, and I eat out a lot! So, witness the birth of my food opinions around the city.

My first experience worth commenting on is: The Hat. I met four colleagues downtown for drinks after work tonight. Service was great, the atmosphere was appropriate for the TGIF. The water droplet wall paper was very cool. I had everything to look forward to, and then the beer came. Delicious, now I am just fine! And a bit hungry… My colleagues ordered wraps, burgers, and some kind of dip with chips. DE-licious. And I ordered the spinach salad.

The food smelled great, as all sizzling and creamy things do, and as I was bringing the first forkful to my drooling mouth, one second later, all my tongue hopes were dashed: tasted like, um, spinach. Thsi may seem silly, but a spinach salad should not actually taste like spinach. If I wanted just spinach, I would have stayed home with my big box of “washed and ready to eat” and a fork.

Let’s review before we get into the constructive criticism: spinach, while often the main ingredient in a simple or complex salad, consisting of spinach and at least two (2) other things – salty & sweet, maybe a third of chewy – is pretty easy. This has always been a favorite, and not since 2001 have I ever had a bad spinach salad! And that one was only a let down because spinach was out of season and so not available and so I had to have the ceasar. This year alone I have had at least 10 spinach salads out, from a fruity orange segment with raspberry vinaigrette topped with almond slices to a spicy beet with goat cheese rendition drizzled with apple cider vinegar…honestly, a restaurant spinach salad has never disappointed. Until today.

The salad, while generous in portion size, had no cheese (need a salty!), the onions were cut far too large to give the proper sweet, and their bacon dressing was basically oil with little bits in it – I gave them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps the chef did not SHAKE the bottle before dispensing. After speaking discretely with the kind waitress, she brought me another oyster dish with more dressing, no charge, because it looked like there was no dressing on it! Ah, perhaps that was it. But then the oyster dish was filled with, well, oil that looked like bacon grease but lacked the characteristic saltiness. Eggs, mushrooms were there? What else can I say, it was dark where we were sitting. And, BTW, the other food was fab.

So, an almost perfect night. So, hopefully they will fix that before you go there next time.

OK, so ten days down, and I have been lead a-stray just a few times…
that cranberry raisin bread [yea, i knew that...]
pasta salad? what? [ok, have now been introduced to rice pasta...]
couscous in my bean salad? and those sweet wheat berries are a no-no? ah! [dammit]
hamburger buns [ok, i needed to put the burger someone gave me somewhere...]

But, now I have adjusted my recipes to have buckwheat, and quinoa to replace some of the bean salad bits.
And I have a great brownie recipe made with brown rice flour and quinoa flour, and apple sauce too. very chocolatey.

What I miss most: toast!!
What I like most so far: hot wasabi rice crackers!

OK, so like many people I have been trying to get more fit, and lose a little weight for my health.
I just read a great book called “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by M. Pollan – and there was a section on how corn and soy bean have taken over the world, cows eating corn when they naturally shouldn’t, etc. The corn carbohydrate (C4) is slightly different than a wheat or barley carb (C3) … anyway. Bottom line, the difference that corn as food makes is that corn-(force)-fed cattle are deliciously marbled with fat – and thus so are the humans that eat them [my conclusion].
Instead of simply not eating flesh that was fed by corn, I have decided to cut out corn – except in my curried bean soup and the occasional nachos platter.
Also, reflecting on the fact that I also eat a lot of bread, I have determined that I am fairly bread-like. Soft, doughy, and pleasantly fluffy. What makes bread so wonderful? Gluten and air. Ok, keep air – say goodbye to gluten. This was actually the tough part.
Going gluten free for a month to see what happens. I am now eating my last strawberry Twizzler licorice, for a month. Who knew there was gluten in licorice? This is going to be tough.