Half Impressed at Empellón

Empellón is one of the latest “can we get a reservation there?” places and lucky for me, the answer last night was yes.  I admit, I thought the inside of this West Village spot would be either funkier, quainter, or both.  I anticipated the décor to say “hey!  I’m so hip and different!” but the food did that kind of talking on its own.

We started with an order of guacamole.  The guac was good but unimpressive, non-spicy, and completely unadorned – for the purists.  What came with the guac, however, is what deserves a write-up on this blog.  The chips were actual fried tortillas.  If they weren’t made in-house, they are buying them from some old Mexican lady frying them in her own kitchen because these did not come out of any bag from Gristedes.  It also came with a side of two salsas – a spicy árbol chile and an almost sweet smoked cashew one that I could have poured over anything.  The queso fundidos and ceviches looked good, but we opted for a lighter heirloom tomato salad with jalapenos and squash blossom crema.  This was definitely more of a summer item, very light and refreshing.  I loved the dish but it didn’t quite fit the rest of the menu. 

For the main course, we decided to try three different tacos since that’s why you go to Empellón.  This restaurant has gotten crafty with tacos and I thrived on the variety.  I actually thought the sweetbread, beer braised tongue, and lamb versions looked particularly interesting, but we went a little safer this go round.  The tacos can be ordered in plates of two or three and we went with three orders of three so we could try as much as possible (note: the picture shows all three types on one plate but that was an arrangement we made ourselves – you can’t make up an order of different taco types without sharing like we did).  We tried the chicken, skirt steak with garlic sauce, and scallops with cauliflower, caper, and spicy raisin purée.  The other girls liked the chicken the best (it was incredibly tender and juicy), but my favorite was the scallop.  It was perfectly cooked and the purée was something special.  It was sweet, salty, and spicy all in one. 

For dessert we got the chocolate flan with cinnamon ice cream that had a thicker than normal texture with a deep flavor.  We also ordered the guanabana tart, which was basically the best key lime pie I’ve ever had.  A soft cookie crust, tart filling, raspberry sauce, and sweet meringue was a nice way to finish the meal.

The overall experience at Empellón was good, not great.  The service was prompt and friendly and there were some standout moments like the smoked cashew salsa and scallop taco.  However, I wrestle with the fact that an order of three of those small scallop tacos was a whopping $28.  The meal was fun and the food good, but that kind of food usually makes me want a cocktail, which only further drives up the price.   

Unfortunately, there seems to be a gap in the taco diversity spectrum.  You can either go to Dos Toros, which I feel is basically Chipotle (at those happy prices) or you can come here.  Who wants to open up a taco restaurant that’s got Empellón’s creativity at reasonable prices?  It doesn’t have to be bargain basement Taco Bell costs – let’s just find some middle ground.  

Sunflower Seeds in the Salad

A little birdie (okay, a magazine) gave me a chicken salad tip recently that I put it to use today.  I don't like celery in my chicken salad, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate ways to jazz it up a bit (and don't suggest grapes - not my thing).  As usual, I mixed my rotisserie chicken (already cooked and spiced - a no brainer) with mayo, but then I mixed in some sunflower seeds.  It doesn't sound like much, but those sunflower seeds made all the difference.  They add texture, saltiness, and when it comes to nuts/seeds, they're some of the cheapest around.  I was trying to be healthy so I served the chicken salad in lettuce wraps instead of bread.    

I had some feta to use up, so my chicken salad lettuce wraps came with a side of veggie stacks.  I roasted some eggplant and topped with tomatoes, feta, and panko breadcrumbs.  I still haven't completely gotten the hang of roasting tomatoes, but the flavors were all there.

I can not tell you how nice it was to have Columbus Day off from work.  I'm very glad I took advantage of the extra time and made myself a real meal that I wouldn't normally get on a Monday workday.  

Pie Practice

I wanted to bring a little something to Break-the-Fast and Greg and Susan told me I could be in charge of bagels.  I obliged, but also wanted to make something myself.  I wanted to put a little skill into my potluck contribution and picking up bagels doesn't require any aptitude beyond being able to de-code the cashier's accent at H&H.  I needed to make something that didn't need to be served hot or right away since I would have to drop my dish off early and let it sit while I was at dinner #1.  [Yea, that's right - I was invited to two Break-the-Fast dinners - can you ay POPULAR?!]  The timing constraints ruled out most of the appetizers I would have normally made, and I realized I was going to have to bake - scary territory for me.

There were going to be 12 people at the party, so one pie would not suffice.  I consulted my Mommy for my two favorite pie recipes: pecan pie and fudge pie.  She swore I wouldn't be able to screw them up, so I decided to give it a whirl.  Besides, I needed to get a little more practice because pecan pie is a Southern staple and I am told its perfect execution is requisite for making some man very happy one day.

I told Susan to tell people the pies came from Food Emporium, in case they didn't come out well.  Fortunately, they turned out good enough for me to take all the credit.  Perhaps I'll make some man happy after all!

Sprout Salad and a Slightly Spicy Sandwich

Not long ago, I saw a recipe for Brussels Sprout salad on a blog I am almost surprised I follow, The Chubby Vegetarian.  It may come as a shock that I am a fan of such a site, as I am a meat lover through and through; however, the more blog browsing I did, the more recipes I found.  This particular recipe subs Brussels sprout leaves for lettuce for a solid bite.  This switch-up makes the greens the star of the salad instead of a bed for the more interesting ingredients.  As I mentioned, I am a fan of meat so I used the vegetarian recipe as inspiration instead of dictation and added bacon.  Because the sprout leaves are thick and flavorful, the salad does not need to be elaborate.  The leaves are blanched to give them a gorgeous bright green color, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, topped with the bacon, and capped with a poached egg.  I may have veered away from The Chubby Vegetarian's meatless goal, but this was a dang good salad.  

I didn't think a simple salad would be enough, so I turned to another favorite blog for further menu guidance.  Grilled Cheese Social is about one thing and one thing only: inventive grilled cheeses.  My variation was not as crazy as some of this chick's cheesy combos, but it was new to my sandwich repertoire, and I am quite proud of it.  I mixed up some sriracha mayo and spread it on two slices of sourdough bread.  I covered one half in shredded Vermont white cheddar, added two slices of tomato, and then a little more cheddar on top of that to bind it to the other half slice of bread.  No butter needed to get this grill goin - I cooked it in the bacon grease that was leftover from my non-vegetarian salad topping.  This sandwich was cheesy love.  The sriracha mayo gave it just enough kick and the versatile white cheddar didn't compete.  The key to the tomato is to make sure it's nice and firm.  If you find just the right tomato, it will take this sandwich from good to great.  And mine was great.

     

Book Review: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

After reading two of Chelsea Handler's books, I didn't think there were any more stories she could tell.  I was proven wrong with this truly hilarious collection of essays.  While My Horizontal Life focused on Handler's crazy sex stories, this book is centered, primarily, on the practical jokes she plays on her friends.  How she comes up with this stuff I don't know, but I yearn for her wild and obscurely detailed imagination.

What a Cacc

Nobody's itchin to get back to the office on Monday, but it's a lot easier to ease into the work week when you end the weekend with a wonderful supper.  Wendy invited Raychel and I over for a home cooked meal, and although it was hard to tear myself away from a busy afternoon of doing nothing, I managed to grab a bottle of wine and head to Wendy's apartment. 

The meal started with two appetizers (which I found impressive since this was a lazy Sunday supper).  The first was a take on pigs in a blanket, made with apple chicken sausage and cheddar and served with honey mustard.  I'm not a hot dog girl but really like sausage so this was the sort of pig in a blanket I could support.  The next appetizer was whole wheat crostini topped with lemon ricotta, roasted butternut squash, and sage fried in brown butter.  October arrived this weekend, along with the Fall weather.  This slightly chilly weather practically requires butternut squash and Wendy's preparation, where the squash got almost caramelized, was spot on.  For the entree, we had chicken cacciatore so tender it fell off the bone, served with asparagus in brown butter and parmesan and roasted potatoes.

Between the butternut squash and the low and slow quality of the chicken cacciatore, this meal was a nice way to welcome Autumn.  Once again, Wendy prepared a fabulous meal that was the perfect cap to my busy weekend.  

Feel Like Old Friends at Heidi's House

Last night, Greg, Susan, and I grabbed a late dinner at Heidi's House.  Although this restaurant is in the neighborhood, we never would have known about it without a Scoutmob coupon.  This little restaurant is tucked into a slot of a location on 78th between 1st and 2nd.  The name is truly appropriate because I felt like the husband/wife ownership team were letting me into their home, with touches like real hand towels in the bathroom and the fact that we all seemed like friends after about three minutes.  The owners sat at the bar with us, and we all waved goodbye to the chef when he left for the night.  It was like we were all just chilling in their kitchen.  And the food that came out of this particular kitchen was made with love.

Greg and Susan started with the shrimp tacos.  I didn't try them,  but Susan said they were very good and the shrimp were huge and well-seasoned.  For the entrees, Greg ordered the mac and cheese with bacon, Susan got the paella special, and I picked the gnocci special.  I tried every one of these dishes and loved them all.  The mac and cheese was packed with bacon and the clay pot it was served in kept the cheese warm and gooey.  The paella was packed with tons of seafood and sausage.  I think it was a good sign that even after Susan said she was full and was going to take the rest home, she couldn't stop picking at it until there was almost nothing left to take home.  My pieces of gnocci were so large I could split them in half, at which point they almost fell apart because they were so light.  They were served in a bowl with oyster mushrooms, truffle oil, parmesan, and roasted garlic.  The gnocci were made fresh that night, and you could tell.  They yielded to the firm mushrooms as I picked them out of the broth formed from all the oils and juices.

For the portion size and unique flavors, I was surprised how reasonably priced everything was.  I'm so glad Heidi invited us into her home.  I'll be sure to knock on her door again soon.