best of 2009

As this year comes to an end, I guess it's appropriate to do one of these "best of" lists. But before I get into that, I need to get something out of the way - the notorious New Year's Resolutions. I know people's stance on the resolution vary across the board but I do set a few goals for myself every year. My goals for 2010 are... 1) Cook more vegetarian foods 2) Make the blog somewhat worth reading/putting on people's RSS better 3) Regain lean body mass from last semester (10 lbs...*sigh*) 4) Continue my Les Halles Series and 5) Become a better friend, son and brother.

I hope the people person(s) that keep up with my blog have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed spending time on it. Blogging is a lot of work but if I can put a smile on your face or "hey, that's pretty cool!" at the end of each post, it's all worth it.

Anyways...Listed below are some of my favorite/most requested recipes:

• Foods   
• Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits 
• These aren't exact clones to the ones you'll find at this popular seafood chain but it comes close. I don't go to Red Lobster for seafood oh no - I go for the sole reason of filling up on these cheesy biscuits  
• Apple Pancakes 
• The most requested recipe and food by friends. It's moist, filling and sweet. They're even good as snacks after they cool down!  
• Korean Fried Chicken 
• It's our secret recipe (not so secret anymore I guess). The perfect combination of sweet and spicy is mindblowing  
• Chicken Tikka Masala 
• It's an easy, fast dish that I cook on a regular basis. Amazing for cold days.  
• Sticky Lemon Chicken 
• My go to when I'm having people over for dinner. It's easy, looks fancy and costs pence to make. It's by Gordon Ramsay so you know it's good.  
• Braised Short Ribs w/ Citrus Gremolata 
• These tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs on top of some soft polenta = food coma. A lazy, weekend project that gets better as it sits in the fridge.  
• Carne Asada 
• Nothing like tacos on a weeknight as a quick, tasty meal. Marinade these overnight and cook'em up in minutes the next day when you need to eat. And you thought college students lived off Taco Bell (okay, this might be true for most...)  
• Roti de Porc au Lait 
• An easy, delicious recipe from Les Halles. Don't tell your guests how easy it was and be showered with compliments.  
• Hot Chocolate Fondant 
• Got a dinner date and you need a dessert to finish strong? Look no further. What girl doesn't like warm chocolate oozing out of a moist cake? You can thank me later pal
• Profiteroles w/ Chocolate Sauce  
• I'm so damn tired of making these for holiday parties but they are requested so much for a reason - they're delicious. This choux dough is versatile so feel free to experiment by making eclairs, crullers, cream puffs, etc.  
• Baked Alaska 
• This is stupid easy (seeing a trend here?) but looks like you spent hours preparing it. If for some reason your date doesn't like chocolate (is there really a girl that doesn't like chocolate?) make this instead. This is also a great make ahead dessert for parties because it freezes well.  
• Fresh Tomato Sauce 
• Take advantage of this recipe once summer of 2010 rolls around. It's easy, vibrant and quick enough to cook on weeknights. Gordon Ramsay approved.  
• Broccoli Soup 
• You need 1 ingredient - broccoli. Perfect for idiots like me in the kitchen.  
• Fried Tofu w/ Spicy Soy Sauce 
• A Korean take on fried tofu. I know I make fun of vegetarians a lot but this is one dish I really don't mind eating. Gochukaru may be hard to find so hit up your Asian supermarket and buy the best kind you can. 
 
•  Blogs You Should be Following...besides mine (no particular order, non-ATL)   
• Ambitious Delicious(ness) 
• Esther is one of the first food bloggers I really got to know this past year. She's pretty much a jack of all trades in the kitchen (although she can't make rice...or so I hear haha) and her Korean recipes are definitely worth checking out  
• Bitchincamero 
• Aside from the kickass blog name, Melissa has a wide variety of vegetarian recipes (I have way too many bookmarked) and some great photographs. I swear I'm going to cook more vegetarian stuff next year... Go and say hello!  
• Food Blogga 
• She's a Patriots fan like me so Susan automatically gets props from me but that aside, this is a great food blog. Her posts are light and fun and her recipes are great. I've made a few of her pasta recipes (not featured on my blog) and I've enjoyed them all. My favorite being this one here  
• Kitchen M 
• Em is a dietitian and food photographer from the Bay area. You can tell from reading through her posts that she spends a lot of time researching, prepping and writing for her blog. As expected of a food photographer, the pictures are gorgeous. Her mystery item series is a fun one to follow. I'm also convinced that she knows every single, odd ingredient you could possibly find in the world. 
• Local Lemons 
• This blog by Allison highlights taking advantage of local produce and making things from scratch. A lot of TLC goes into each of her posts and her cooking tips are so useful. The step-by-step photography is a nice touch to help dumb bloggers like me take notes.  
• No Special Effects 
• He's an MD, he's in his 20's like me, he's Asian (zing!) and this man can cook. Mark's a jack of all trades when it comes to cooking and if you haven't discovered his blog yet, you're missing out on some great stuff. His posts really display the great amount of work and attention he puts into each entry. I'm not worthy Mark. I'm not worthy 
• Tiny Urban Kitchen 
• If you're into this whole food blog thing, I'm pretty confident that you've been to Jen's site. Her photography? Amazing. Her recipes? Immaculate. Earlier this year, I was awared the One Lovely Blog award by Jen and I had one of those "I'm not worthy" moments from Wayne's World. Just being mentioned on her blog was a huge honor. Thanks again Jen! 

As for the Atlanta Blogs...

All of the Atlanta blogs I have on the right sidebar are phenomenal blogs that I read on a daily basis (if you're a local Atlantan, you should have all of these subscribed already). Thank you all again for your hard work and dedication in Atlanta's food scene.

I've learned so much about food and met a lot of great people this past year through food blogging. I hope 2010 is filled with more good eats and awesome people like yourselves just like 2009. Best wishes to all of you for the new year.

-Sean

redbrick pizza (destin, fl)

Shopping is hard work man, especially when you're braving the outdoors in a Destin outlet. This pizzeria caught our attention while we were looking for some food and judging by its ubiquitous outlet mall placement, I was pretty confident that we were walking into an epic franchise pizza fail. Little did I know...

Inside is a clean, simply decorated restaurant with an open kitchen. Your pizzas are created, tossed and baked in front of your very own eyes in (what they claim) a 1000 degree F brick oven. I've had one of these before...where was it again? Oh that's right - Antico in Atlanta. Because we had a bunch of annoying little kids with us, we ordered the usual pepperoni and a Veggie pizza.

Not quite sure how hot the ovens really get because there's no visible thermostat displayed in front but the pizzas were baked pretty quickly. I think it was over their 3 minute baking time they approximate on their website but still, a rather fast bake time.

The pepperoni pizza was okay. The crust was thin and crispy but the pepperoni itself didn't taste that great. It lacked that spicy kick that's associated with this cured meat. The Veggie on the other hand was pretty good and this is coming from someone that makes fun of vegetarians any time the opportunity presents itself. Again, the thin, crispy crust highlighted the pizza and the artichokes were a nice addition. You can either get a red or white (anchovy and garlic) and I wish I got the later instead. However, still a surprisingly good pizza.

For a franchise, RedBrick Pizza has some tasty pies. It wasn't the doughy, bland, sloppy mess I was expecting from a chain pizzeria (let alone one in the mall). Forget Sbarro, if there's a RedBrick Pizza nearby go there instead.

kokai thai bistro (norcross, ga)

I'll say this now - I'm not a Thai expert. Sure I've had it here and there but I've never been to Thailand to try their vast, regionally distinct cuisines the country offers. Maybe I shouldn't even be writing this but everyone's gotta start somewhere right? Baby steps people. Rest assured though, I was accompanied by one of the most educated Asian palates around town - C from Chow Down Atlanta.

KoKai Thai Bistro is a simply decorated restaurant located off Jimmy Carter Blvd. in the Hong Kong Supermarket plaza. We came in for lunch and ordered a variety of dishes to quell our hunger.

First, (pictured above) was the Larb Kai. It's grilled chicken, red onions, scallions, chili and lime juice that's served with fresh cabbage leaves. The lime and cilantro gave it a really bright and refreshing flavor while the chilis brought a little heat to the table. The cabbage leaves provided a great crunch when it was combined with the chicken mixture making it fun to eat also. A phenomenal dish - my favorite dish of the afternoon.

Pictured above is the Nua Toob - a deep-fried marinated beef jerky served with KoKai's spicy homemade sauce (a pork variety is available also). This jerky isn't like the tough, leather strips you find from a Jack Link's package. It's chewy (but not leather tough...you feel me?) and flavored well by the marinade. The sauce tasted like Buffalo sauce to me but it didn't take anything away from the jerky either when combined with the meat. Overall, a tasty dish.

Next was the Thai Boat Noodle Soup. From what C told me, it's one of the most common street foods found in Bangkok and eating stuff like this makes you question why we don't stuff like this one the streets. It's a spicy beef broth with slices of beef, meatballs, bean sprouts and no your eyes do not deceive you friends - those golden beauties are chicharrons (fried pork rinds). The soup reminded me of a spicy pho broth and the slight heat from the spice left a pleasant warm feeling. Everything worked well together and it was just a really flavorful dish.

This is the KoKai Beef Curry - beef that's been stewed in a spicy curry. The meat was so, incredibly tender but the curry sauce left me with more to be desired - while delicious, it could've used bolder flavors. While the outside of the meat was flavored well by the curry, the inside lacked the same flavoring. Perhaps it hadn't been stewed long enough? Don't get me wrong, it's still a delicious dish. Just not my favorite one of the afternoon.

The KoKai Grilled Chicken (pictured above) wasn't like the one pictured on the menu but it's the exact same dish so don't worry when this comes out. It's a curry spice marinated grilled chicken with sauteed onions, broccoli in a light brown sauce. The chicken was tender, juicy and the flavor of that curry marinade was delicious. Eat a piece of the grilled chicken with some of the sauteed onions & broccoli. It's a tasty combination.

For a sweet finish, we got the sticky rice with mango. The mango was a little fibrous (the flat end was stringy) but the sweetened rice made with coconut milk was delicious.

The owners caught attention of my subtle DSLR and came over to the table a few times. Super nice, friendly folks that really believe in their food. One got off-track with a history lesson and something about an Italian restaurant (C and I couldn't really follow everything he was saying) but his main point was that he serves nothing but the best to his patrons.

If you're around the BuHi or Jimmy Carter area and craving some good Thai food, head on over to KoKai Thai Bistro. It's tasty food at a cheap price.

• See other reviews here:  


• ChowDownATL
• Blissful Glutton
  
• FnS
• Eat BuHi
  

vobro crouton

...that's Michael Voltaggio to be exact. Love him or hate him, one thing's for certain - this season's Top Chef winner can cook. His confidence (or arrogance) was amplified tenfold by Bravo but he showed us some really creative foods this year.

I needed something to serve my aubergine caviar with for my Rx Christmas party and instead of buying bread sticks or crackers, I made these pita chip looking croutons instead. This was used as a garnish for Michael's Nitro Gazpacho and it's made using regular ol' white bread. The crusts are cut off, the bread is flattened and it's cut into triangular shapes to give you crispy little crackers. It take a little work making all of these but if you're going to serve them as a chip, make a lot because they go quick.

VoBro Crouton

By Michael Voltaggio

Ingredients:

- loaf of white bread

- extra-virgin olive oil

- salt

1) Slice off the crusts from all sides of the bread. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Flatten thin with a rolling pin

3) Cut into triangular shapes

4) Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and rub olive oil over the foil to prevent the croutons from sticking

5) Place the bread triangles on the foil and brush olive oil on top. Season lightly with sea/rock salt

6) Place another cookie sheet on top and bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until golden and crisp. Set to cool until needed. Use as a crouton on top of soups or chip for dips.

(make lots because the batch I made went quick)

merry christmas/happy holidays

May your day be filled with joy, laughter, family, friends and of course - good food.

From Destin, Florida...

-Sean

well bean tofu (duluth, ga)

The soondubu (순두부) scene in Atlanta has skyrocketed ever since I've moved down to Georgia. It wasn't too long ago (almost 6 years now?) when So Kong Dong on BuHi had it's grand opening and ever since then, soondubu joints have been popping up all over Duluth.

Well Bean tofu is a chain in Korea but don't be alarmed by the franchising - their food actually tastes pretty good. Shocking, I know but stay with me here. There's so many soondubu options now that I'd forgotten about this place until C suggested we go for lunch. The first thing you'll notice looking through the menu is the large variety of jjigae they offer. Curry, ham&cheese soondubu? Yup, they have it here. Me? I'm more of a traditionalist so I stick with the usual stuff. Let me know how these unique flavors are if you try them out.

As usual with any Korean restaurant, you'll be welcomed by a generous variety of banchan that's all pretty solid. The side of grilled fish is a nice, generous touch because not a lot of soondubu places in town offer that anymore (it's the economy stupid) and I'm not a big fan of those mayonnaise salads but I enjoyed Well Bean's version. The rice, as you can see, is not white but a variety called jak gok bap. A healthier alternative to white rice.

As for the soondubu, it's pretty tasty. Comes out sizzling, it's vibrant red and just spicy enough to leave a pleasant heat afterwards. The broth on this particular visit wasn't as good as my previous ones but I still enjoyed my jjigae. For lunch, you can get the combo which is a soondubu plus a protein of your choice. C got the galbi and I got the daeji bulgogi. Their galbi is pretty damn delicious when it comes to the soondubu side variety. It's so tender and the balance of the sweet & saltiness is great. The daeji bulgogi was...okay. I found the heat from the Korean jalapenos were a little overpowering. Not a bad dish but not a great one either. I'd still get it if you really want pork over beef.

This was a great meal for a cold, rainy day and if you're around this plaza, I recommend stopping by for a bite to eat. Staff is friendly (for Korean standards) and best of all - it's good food at a cheap price.

Tips:

• Do crack the egg inside the soondubu when it comes out piping hot
• Ask for cold water unless you want warm boricha (roasted barley tea). As Gene-sensei put it, "I still haven't found that zen like place combining hot tea with spicy tofu"

See C's review here.

recipe index - done

Finally finished my recipe index (kinda...) so foods are a lot easier to find now. It's divided into Breads, Beef, Pork, Chicken, Sweets, Grains/Pasta, Soups, Veggie/Tofu/Cheese and Gordon Ramsay right now. The categories will probably expand and become more detailed as the blog moves along.

Why the Gordon Ramsay section you ask? Because there's 24 bleep-ing recipes by Gordon that are featured on my blog. God knows how many of his recipes I've actually made.

You can access the recipe index by clicking on Recipes at the top of the page. Happy holidays everyone!!

transmetropolitan (athens, ga)

My search for great pizza continues in my little town of Athens and this day it led me to Transmetropolitan. Don't let the name fool you - this isn't a comic book store or bus transit. This is a pizza joint and a popular one at that. I was hearing so many praises about this place so I naturally jumped on the opportunity when a group of classmates decided to go after finals.

Transmetropolitan (Transmet from now on) has 2 locations in Athens - one on the East side at Ogelthorpe Ave. and one downtown on Clayton Street. Depending on what you're in the mood for, the location you decide should differ. The one downtown has a stellar bar and banquet room upstairs (aka it's packed from Thursday night to Sunday morning) and the one on Ogelthorpe has a patio on the second floor that you can take advantage of when the weather's nice.

The downtown location has a nice vibe about it. Brick walls, hardwood floors, nice paintings, open kitchen - a nice comfortable environment. There's tables and booths of all sizes so no matter how big or small your party is, they'll be able to accommodate you. Ordering is simple - go up to the counter, grab a menu and place your order. The menu's straight forward with the usual stuff - salads, calzones, pizza, panini, pasta and a few entrees. Nothing out of the ordinary.

While the rest of my group ordered a salad I didn't bother because well...they were all ordinary salads. Sorry, but pass - I'm here for the pizza. I ended up ordering the Hungry Sasquatch (pepperoni, Italian sausage, meatballs, ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions, black olives, green peppers, extra mozzarella), White (ricotta, mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper) and Chicken Pesto (baked chicken, pesto sauce, roasted red peppers, red onions, extra mozzarella). Now, the Hungry Sasquatch sounds like a pizza destined for failure with all those toppings but this was one of the only 3 specialty pizzas I could order with a regular crust (others are Sicilian style). The other 2? Vegetarian (um...no) and Hawaiian (just wasn't feeling it that day).

(from left to right: Hungry Sasquatch, Chicken Pesto, White)

Because our group was so large, the orders did take some time but smaller parties that came ahead of us received their pizzas promptly. When they did arrive, mine came on a pizza pan. These slices are huge. For about $3.50 a slice, you get a Man vs. Food sized portion. 2 slices easily makes for a meal...if you finish it all. In general, I didn't find any of the pizzas that great - all bland and tasteless. The traditional crust on the Hungry Sasquatch had no texture so it felt like I was chewing on mush or cardboard. A nice, crispy bottom was thoroughly missed. The toppings fell short in flavor but for what it's worth, this was my favorite pizza out of the 3. The White pizza didn't taste like anything but a glob of mozzarella cheese. No garlic, fresh cracked black pepper or olive oil like the description said. My chicken on the Chicken Pesto was dry and the pizza could've used a stronger pesto that really comes through because the cheese overpowered any flavor the pesto did have. Both of the crusts on the Sicilian pizzas were pretty hard and dry so it was difficult to eat without drinking something in between. Even though the traditional crust was very one note, I'd have to give the nod to the traditional over the Sicilian. The Sicilian was just simply too tough to eat.

Can't say this is the best pizza I've had in Athens but like many of these downtown locations, Transmet is a nice place to get full and grab a drink with friends. While the pizza slices are cheap and big in size, they all seem to have balance issues with toppings and problems with the crust. I assume that the food's about the same at their other location but I may visit the one on Ogelthorpe to give their panini/calzone a try. In my personal opinion - I beg to differ on Transmet being the best place in Athens for pizza. Sorry fanboys.

Tips:

• This place gets slammed at lunch time. Do yourself a favor and go 10 - 15 minutes early if you don't want to wait in line

swede and cardamom soup

...or better known as rutabaga in the US. Ruta what? You know, it's that ugly, odd colored vegetable that you've been avoiding in the store. Further proof that most people don't buy rutabagas? Both the cashier and manager didn't know what it was when I tried to check out (okay, it's either that or they're #fail at their jobs. Let's be nice and go with the former). Even really really, ridiculously bad looking vegetables have their place in the world and what better way to gussy them up than using them in a soup.

 (rutabaga - the really really, ridiculously good looking vegetable next to the onion)

This is part 3 of my Gordon Ramsay holiday posts and I really fell in love with this one. Rutabaga have a wonderful, sweet flavor once they're cooked and they pair brilliantly with the fragrant, refreshing cardamom. Also, because rutabagas are so cheap, you'll be able to feed an army of hungry people invading your house throughout the holidays.

(make sure you cut off both ends then cut around the outside of that outer ring - just like an orange)

Make sure you have a heavy, sharp knife to cut the rutabaga because they can be a little tough to work with. This is a soup that gets better as it ages in the fridge so make this a day or two in advance before your guests arrive for an easy starter.

Swede and Cardamom Soup

Adapted from Gordon Ramsay

Ingredients:

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 stalks of celery, sliced

- 2 rutabagas, rough dice

- few sprigs of thyme

- 1 tablespoon of cardamom seeds

- softened butter

- 2 tablespoons of honey

- 6 cups of chicken stock, at a simmer

- 1/3 cup heavy cream

- whole nutmeg to garnish

1) In a hot pot, add olive oil. Add in the diced onions, celery and sprigs of thyme. Sweat the vegetables down making sure it doesn't color over medium-low to medium heat.

2) Add in a tablespoon of butter and season lightly with salt/pepper. Sweat down until the onions become almost transparent.

3) Crush the cardamom seeds with the bottom of a pot and add them into the pot with the vegetables.

4) Add in the diced rutabaga. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

5) Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of honey into the hot pot and cover the pot. Steam the rutabaga for 20 - 25 minutes until they're softened. Check the rutabagas after 5 minutes of cooking. If they're starting to caramelize, add a couple tablespoons of water and cover again. This is to prevent the rutabagas from coloring. Add more water as necessary until finished.

(after roasting)

6) Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer and once the rutabaga has softened, add chicken stock. Add enough stock to just cover the vegetables. Bring back up to a boil.

7) Once it's back up to a boil, add in the heavy cream.

8) Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until it's smooth. Add a knob of butter to finish the soup and correct seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat as needed.

9) Pass the soup through a sieve to catch any unwanted fibers. Make sure you get all of the juices out of the vegetables by using the back of a ladle to push the soup through.

10) Scoop the soup into a bowl and finish it off by grating some nutmeg over it. Drizzle olive oil around if you want to.

PS: I'm convinced that soups are the hardest things to take pictures of. Sheesh.