Cafe Red Onion - Houston, Texas

A jewel I've discovered (thanks to my Dad) in this culinary wonderland known as Houston, Texas is Cafe Red Onion (http://www.caferedonion.com/). Owner and Chef Rafael Galindo, a native of Honduras, specializes in Latin Fusion cuisine and it was my pleasure to attend one of his "cooking classes" recently. The class is unlike any dining experience I've ever had. First of all it is a very intimate atmosphere with up to twelve diners so you really are up close and personal with the chef. The meal was started with the signature "Cafe Red Onion Pineapple Salsa," that is so delicious I wanted to pick up the bowl and guzzle it down. The first course was a decadent, warm and creamy roasted red pepper soup. It was everything you want in a roasted red pepper soup--smoky, luscious, sweet red pepper goodness in a bowl. Then a nice light, wedge iceberg salad with homemade bacon ranch dressing. The wedge salad is one of my favorites when it comes to salad because it is so fresh tasting, clean and crisp. Chef Rafael's dressing was the perfect accompaniment, adding a layer of richness with the crunchy, salty bacon. The third course was a heavenly lump crab meat wrapped in puffed pastry and baked till a beautiful golden brown and served with caramelized pears that nicely complimented the sweet crab meat and rich puff pastry. Then, the much anticipated main course was a perfectly grilled medium-rare filet mignon served with a skewer of three grilled shrimp over a roasted potato and accented with a mouth-watering Argentinean Chimichurri sauce. Lastly, but certainly not least was dessert. A light and airy Chocolate Tres Leches Cake that is "to-die-for." The story book ending to my idea of a perfect meal. Throughout this cooking class the wine was flowing (a choice of red or white) and coffee was served with dessert. Cafe Red Onion is a zagat rated restaurant and there is no mystery as to why. Each time I dine there I leave completely satisfied, which is a feat in and of itself to accomplish. The Seafood Enchilades are two red tortillas filled with Mexican Gulf Shrimp, crab meat, Colby-Jack cheese and Rafa's secret seasonings. Topped with roasted pablano sauce, cheese and baked till golden and bubbly. Served with beans and rice. They are simply divine and on special every Monday night for $11.95 (normally $14.95 and worth every penny). Another favorite is the Cuban Pork which is pork tenderloin marinated in honey, citrus juice, garlic and Rafa's secret seasonings, broiled to perfection. Served over a garlic mojo with goat cheese au gratin potatoes, garnished with a poached pear and rum caramelized onions for $15.25. New Year's resolutions are a popular trend this time of year, so my resolve is to frequent Cafe Red Onion as often as possible to continually sample Rafael's culinary masterpieces.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

.........are splendid indeed!

I recently took my son on a little road trip to Columbus and knew after watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network that I had to stop by Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams to sample their wonderful wares.
Firstly and very importantly, upon entering Jeni's Grandview location we were warmly greeted and asked if we had ever had the pleasure of sampling their many flavors, namely their signature Salty Caramel or the Queen City Cayenne (which was the above mentioned feature on one of my favorite shows). The depth of flavors these ice creams boast are unfathomable and jaw dropping to put it lightly. The Salty Caramel is heavenly sweet and salty perfection. The Queen City Cayenne is a chasm of deep dark chocolate with a feisty finish of heat that can only be cayenne pepper. The Honey Vanilla Bean was innocent, subtle and pure--the perfect pick for the ice cream purists among us. Bangkok Peanut took me back to my first plate of Pad Thai at Johnny Mango in Cleveland. I've tried them all....well most of them. As I finished my floral, earthy scoop of Wildberry Lavender I wanted more. I ordered several pints to take home with me which Jeni's happily packed in a cooler with dry ice; (apparently this is a common request/occurrence). Since my visit to Columbus I have discovered that my new favorite ice cream is now sold at DeVitis' Italian Market in North Hill. They even take requests! Those of you that are not from this area have not been forgotten....you can order yours online at www.jenisicecreams.com .

Bacon & Chocolate Chip Cookies

With a new bacon obsession come new recipes. My latest and greatest experiment is bacon & chocolate chip cookies. Only one word is needed to describe these delectable morsels of sweet and salty goodness: AMAZING. Not only did they taste yummy, the house smelled like HEAVEN! Imagine the scent of bacon and cookies baking in the oven at the same time. If there was a man in my life he would have fallen in love with me all over again with one sniff of my kitchen! :) I basically just used my Culinary Institute of America chocolate chip cookie recipe then added alot of already cooked-till-crispy crumbled up bacon pieces. I am such a huge sweet and savory fan so these really hit the spot and now I am inspired to create a few other unlikely pairings.

Thai Gourmet-Stow

Today I had a lunch date with my Mom at Thai Gourmet in Stow. When we walked in I automatically noticed the delicious aromas wafting through the air. We were seated very promptly and offered beverages, Diet Coke all around, how very American of us. After perusing the lunch menu for a while I asked our server what her favorite entree was. She suggested the Hot Pepper Chicken so that is what I had. I personally cant stand it when someone I am with asks the server what they suggest and then they end up ordering something completely different. I may be wrong, but isn't that a little bit rude? I digress. Hot Pepper Chicken is not a dish I would typically order but considering the predicament I placed myself in, I plunged head first into my spicy suggestion. The chicken was perfectly cooked and in bite-size pieces, it was served with stir-fried red and green bell peppers and onions. Slightly contradicting its name, it wasn't soooo hot, but it did make my nose sweat--in a good way. The dish was served with a side of steamed rice which sopped up the delicious spicy sauce nicely. Side note: we ordered egg rolls as an appetizer. The egg rolls were D.I.V.I.N.E. warm, crispy, fresh-tasting, perfectly seasoned. The hot mustard sauce hurt so good, the sweet and sour sauce had a nice tang. Complete simplistic egg roll-y perfection. The presentation raised the bar even further, for everyone knows you eat first with your eyes. Thai Gourmet had many, many other options on their menu that piqued my interest and I can't wait to go back soon for some Massaman Curry!

The Besto Pesto

My Aunt Barb makes THE BEST pesto sauce I have ever had (and probably ever will have). I've tried many pesto's and none of them compare to hers. It is consistently perfect every time she makes it and unfortunately there is no recipe because she doesnt measure anything! She eyes it--the fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper......all casually tossed into her Cuisineart Food Processor without a second thought. This is the mark of a true chef.

Eggs, to start.

The most versatile, widely used ingredient and breakfast item of choice is an egg. I LOVE eggs. I especially love eggs with Sriracha. My idea of a perfect, leisurely Saturday morning breakfast includes: and un-ending supply of strong coffee, buttered wheat toast, crispy bacon, sliced avocado and most certainly, perfectly scrambled eggs with Sriracha.

The other day I had breakfast at First Watch Daytime Cafe at Summit Mall for the first.....and last time. That may be premature actually. I might give them one more chance. I ordered the Acapulco Express Omelet with wheat toast and bacon and the dish came with hash browns. First and foremost, the coffee was horrendous. Even the International Delight single serving creamers couldn't help it's watery patheticness. As I sipped it I kept thinking, "man, if I was hungover this coffee would make me vomit." Thank goodness I was not. The omelet was decent but slightly disappointing, the chef clearly hadn't perfected the art of omelet making which was evidenced by the brown, crusty bottom of my omelet. The filling was delish (chorizo, avocado, melted cheese, green chili's and onions) and to my pleasure, evenly disbursed. The toast was served dry, one of my greatest pet-peeves (everyone knows that you must butter toast immediately after it pops up from the toaster) and the hash browns were dry, unseasoned and extremely disappointing. How hard is it to mess up a potato? All in all I left the restaurant wishing I would have gone to Bob Evans for Eggs Benedict but on my way out the door I saw a stack of blueberry pancakes that might get me back in there someday.