Jamieott's Blog

This vegan joint is vibrant and fun. It serves globally inspired cuisine for a decent price. I appreciate the creative menu but think it lacks finishing flavor. Let me explain, while the bangkok curry dish was good, the intensity of curry was very mild, almost bland. And the vegetables were the typical frozen stir-fry mix versus a more local, farm fresh approach. The portobello and sausage burger had some flavor but lost on texture and fell apart in my hands.

I liked that I felt healthy afterwards, but I want more taste in my food.

Portobello and sausage (seitan) burger with sweet potato fries

This Sunday my friends and I will be making steamed ‘tacos’ with a pork belly filling. The tacos are actually dim sum steamed bun dough but pounded flat to use as a wrap. In a quick search online, I found a pork belly preparation by the chef of Casa Mono (a fav of mine!) in New York. It’s a great watch:

http://www.foodista.com/blog/2011/04/23/coolest-pork-belly-preparation-video-ever#

P.S. I am so jealous of the finishing techniques that require deep fryers!!

http://www.savefoodfromthefridge.com/p/about-project.html

My friend sent along this clever blog which educates the average consumer on how to store food outside of the fridge. My first realization that not everything should be refrigerated started with tomatoes. DO NOT refrigerate tomatoes, their flavor becomes painfully diluted.
A few favorites from this site:
1. keep root vegetables vertical
2. put rice in your spices to absorb moisture
3. keep apples and potatoes together so the potatoes don’t grow sprouts
4. fresher eggs will sink further in water and they should be keep in a clean environment, away from odors of other food ingredients

Noma is now known as the best restaurant in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/9669147.stm

Love this story of empowerment:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/in-egypt-ghalia-alia-mahmoud-is-a-new-kind-of-tv-chef/2011/08/12/gIQABvdqKJ_story.html?hpid=z9

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/safety/story/2011/06/Apples-top-list-of-produce-contaminated-with-pesticides/48332000/1

I stayed a long weekend at a bed and breakfast in Vancouver, BC called The Corkscrew Inn. It was located in a beautiful, almost suburban neighborhood called Kitsilano. I was punctual for a warm breakfast served at 8:30am every single morning.

My favorite breakfast of the weekend was lemon ricotta pancakes. Just my luck, Rebar has a recipe for those which I’ll have to try!

So cute! Salmon and cream cheese omelette

He’s a chef god. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/chi-grant-achatz-chicago-chef-alinea-20110215,0,5439243.story?page=1&track=rss