Camacho Watcho

I’ve eaten out a lot lately…

First of all, Sea Change is an amazing addition to the neighborhood. I have eaten there several times and everything has been perfect. The mussels in green curry (don’t forget to spoon up all that tasty broth) and braised short ribs are foods to dream about. I also recently checked out L’Ecosse, the new Scottish restaurant at 48th and Chicago – solid comfort food and creative dishes from a former White House chef. I even tried haggis…and liked it! Then this past week I tried Volnay Bistro in Wayzata, which was…well, not the best of dining experiences. I hope to see a turnaround from a restaurant with such an idyllic setting.

With all this eating out – I was looking forward to cooking a few meals at home. But to be honest, I’ve tried a few recipes recently that just haven’t been up to snuff. The corn risotto with seared scallops underwhelmed me. However, the leftover risotto, amped up with some additional seasonings and veggies, was pretty tasty stuffed into green bell peppers a few days later. Even pasta dishes that I normally love, just haven’t been as tasty. I blame the weather.

This all changed when I made the Herbed Ribeye with Mustard Sauce, which I topped it with crispy fried sweet onions and served on a bed of roasted green beans and onions. Oh, yeah…that satisfied.

Herbed Ribeye with Mustard Sauce
adapted from The Best of Food and Wine 1986 Collection
serves 2

1/4 c dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 TBSP creme fraiche
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp rosemary, crumbled
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/8 tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 6-8 oz ribeye steaks

1. Combine the mustard, Worchestershire, ginger and clove in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.
2. Mix all the herbs in a bowl – basil through pepper – then press mixture evenly onto both sides of steak. Grill or broil steaks as desired. Allow to rest 5 minutes, tented with foil.
3. Stir creme fraiche into mustard sauce, along with any meat juices that have accumulated on the platter. Serve sauce on top of steak.

The roasted green beans and onions were tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper at 375 for 20-25 minutes and the fried onions were thinly sliced and fried in vegetable oil (without any batter) until crisp. Drain onions on paper towel then serve on top of steak.

It’s no secret that I absolutely loved the three months I spent in Uruguay! I shared many a story last year on my blog about it and I continue to long for the good times and good food that I had there. Therefore, when I heard that Anthony Bourdain had travelled there this past February and No Reservations would be airing the show in late July, I was excited! I DVR’d the show and sought out some friends for an Uruguay party!

The scene was set to happen at my house this past Sunday with our friends Ed and Carly. They had joined Kyle and me for the last ten days of our trip and had travelled in Uruguay and Argentina with us. We were prepared to eat and drink like Uruguyans and to enjoy the show! In true Uruguayan fashion, we started out the night with some beverages and appetizers. The wine was a Sauvignon Blanc from Pulenta Estates in Mendoza, Argentina. We had drank that wine in Mendoza as we stood under a trelise in the dappled sunlight, looking out at the Andes Mountains in the distance. Ahhh…that was the life. Our appetizers were twofold, a chorizo wrapped date wrapped in bacon and the typical melted provolone with oregano. Sweet and salty – I love that combination! If you’re wondering, the provolone platter was a purchase in Uruguay; you see these everywhere there!

We then started the show and began our asado (the Uruguayan terminology for grilled meat fest…my translation). A few tears came to my eyes as I watched Anthony drive around La Plaza Independencia, where I ate lunch every day when I was there. And we were overall happy with his choices for locations – Punta del Este, Jose Ignacio, Cabo Polonio, Montevideo (of course). I longed to be there with him. I was a little disappointed, however, that he kept hooking up with non-Uruguayans to get his tours and information. He made a comment at one point that he had not met any true Uruguayans…uh, try talking to some of the locals. I promise, they are very friendly and many speak English. The best part of it all was he and his brother eating at el mercado del puerto…at the same parilla where Carly, Ed and I had eaten just eight months prior! The show ended and our food fest began.

A quick overview of the food we grilled and how we prepared it. A true asado is not really a grill like we know it. I wrote about it last year when I was invited to an asado by an Uruguayan, so if you’re interested in the grill and technique, I’ve linked to it here. In true Uruguayan fashion, however, we did keep the preparations simple. Just sliced some veggies (peppers, onions, sweet potato) and threw them on the grill (parilla) along with corn on the cob, a large steak and some sausages. Although we were missing the typical blood sausage and sweet breads, we were pretty proud of how our asado turned out.

We broke open the second bottle of wine, a cabernet sauvignon from Finca Familia Cassone and again we were taken back to our wine tour in Mendoza. We had wondered if the wine would taste as good as it did that day in the sun, and we were not disappointed. Wow. For dinner, we served up our food family style, with a big platter of veggies, a platter of meat and, of course, a side of chimichurri. I am in love with this chimichurri (I’ve included a link to the recipe here). The food was simple and delicious.

The only non-South American part of the evening, besides the fact that the party ended at 10pm instead of the usual 4am that would happen there, was the dessert. I had previously bought some key limes that I didn’t want to go to waste. So, although this is not typical to Uruguay, we ate homemade key lime pie for dessert. And I have to admit that it was good!

A trip down memory lane on a wonderful Sunday night. Both Kyle and I said that we can’t wait to go back to Uruguay. Punta del Este…here we come! Well, maybe not now…but soon.

I love steak…I love cheese…I love bread…so when in Philly I KNEW I had to try a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Better than that, along with two friends, I tried three Philly cheesesteak sandwiches at three different restaurants…all in one day.

It sounds worse than it was. But, even though we split a sandwich at each place, it was still a lot of cheesesteak in one day. I will admit that the third sandwich was not by plan; it was a last minute airport munchies decision using the rationale of my friend Andy who said, “when will we be in Philly again?”

The two places that we tried first were Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks. We had gotten the recommendation from a friend who said that Pat’s was the original, best place for cheesesteak. In fact, Pat’s is credited with creating the cheesesteak sandwich in 1930 and opening the sandwich stand in the location that still stands on the corners of 9th Street, Wharton and Pussyunk Avenues. A little over 30 years later Joe Vento, the founder of Geno’s, decided to go into the cheesesteak business. He decided that he would open on the corner directly across from Pat’s on the same intersection. I like Joe’s spunk.

Although we didn’t know the whole history when we went to this intersection of cheesesteak magic, it was immediately apparent that the competition was tight when we got out of our cab…Pat’s to the right and Geno’s to the left. Pat’s is a more understated structure, with a white and blue theme and two simple, although quite large, signs that advertises the name. Geno’s, on the other hand, is a mass of orange, white and black with flames and lightbulbs highlighting the large signs and the simple statement that says “The Best.” Both sandwich stands have outdoor seating only, walls covered with pictures of celebrities who have tried their cheesesteak, a cash only business, and a strict policy on how to order.

How to order a Philly cheesesteak? First, have your cash in hand and ready. The sandwiches cost $7.50 each, so be prepared. Second, all they want to know is what kind of cheese (provolone, American or Cheese Whiz) and with or without (wit or wit-out) onions. Wait for your sandwich and then step down to the next line for a drink and fries or other side orders. That’s it – sounds simple, but you’d better be ready.

Pat’s King of Steaks Cheesesteak

Geno’s Steaks Cheesesteak

So what was the verdict? The three of us agreed and preferred Geno’s over Pat’s cheesesteak sandwich. Although we did not order the exact same at both (Geno’s was the Cheese Whiz wit onions and Pat’s was American with onions), the bread and meat were still different enough to compare. All of us were very skeptical of putting Cheese Whiz on our sandwich, but we agreed that it was best cheese we tried for this sandwich. Regardless of the cheese, the deciding factor for me was the meat. Geno’s was juicy and perfectly cooked and Pat’s was a little dry and had little flavor. All in all, Geno’s wins the Best Philly Cheesesteak Award from me.