Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Old Cuevas Bistro

Isn't it funny when you think that you will not find a simply divine meal, you stumble upon one without even looking.

I am concluding my stint on the Gulf Coast, and wouldn't you know we decide to take a long lunch, and the locals led me to a little "bistro" called The Old Cuevas Bistro. This little gem is hidden in a little white house off the beaten path just miles from the beach in the Pineville Community in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Though damaged in Katrina the restaurant reopened in 2007, and reclaimed its home in the old post office and trading post. The building has such character, you can only expect that the food that comes out of the kitchen is nothing but superb.

I happened to visit the local restaurant last week for the first time, and ordered the blue chip encrusted chicken, though it didn't wow me, I did enjoy it, It came topped with melted cheddar cheese, sour cream and fresh salsa, with a side of saffron rice. Today I went back and tried the Philly Cheese steak on ciabatta. This sandwich was nothing like the real thing but it was a gourmet version of the sandwich. The meat was cooked perfectly, with mushrooms just enough provolone cheese, and grilled onions. Oh, and instead of fries, the sandwich came with home made potato chips, that were amazing. I know they were just potato chips but, they were delicious, slightly thicker than your average chip but cooked to the perfect crispness. Well, with my time limited now, I decided to get another item that I was torn between, the first time I visited the bistro, and this time, so I ordered the Granny Smith Salad to go. This amazing salad, had slices of crisp granny smith apples, walnuts, blue cheese, red onion, all on a bed of baby spinach. The dressing that comes with the salad is a homemade maple vinaigrette. I think this was the best salad that I have ever had. I am aware, it is just a salad, but man, it was my dinner today. And after a 2 mile run, that salad was right on time, only wish I bought 2 salads.

If you are ever in south Mississippi, and staying at the Beau Rivage, Hard Rock, Island View Casino where one of Emeril's restaurants is, make sure that you take a special quick trip over to Old Cuevas Bistro. Two words, "sophisticated" and "casual", it describes the food and the ambiance.

Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Radegast Biergarten

Let's talk about stepping out of your comfort zone. A friend of mine was celebrating his birthday and decided to be a bit different, and celebrate at a somewhat authentic biergarten....... in Brooklyn. I know, I know, I wasn't too sure about that myself but, when I we pulled up, we only had to park, not even a block away. And when we walked up it was just as noisy and exciting as I remember the biergartens in Munich. As you walk in it is somewhat dark with heavy wooden tables and benches set up through the beer hall. We immediately found our party and decided to order right away. Me not being a beer fan I stuck with the water as the responsible Designated Driver that I am. But they have a very extensive beer list as well as an impressive wine list. I was not surprised that they had heifer weisen, Pilsner, and Kolsch that is a popular beer that all of my friends loved in Germany.

I decided to order a fairly healthy meal of Chicken Breast w/ Couscous & Goat Cheese Stuffing, served w/ Spaghetti Squash, Swiss Chard & Green Beans. This was a great choice, it was not the typical heavy German fair. The chicken was perfectly cooked, very moist and had just enough stuffing. The chicken was also covered with a delicious sauce that seemed to be the pan jus with other flavors. The spaghetti squash was magnificent, you know it is easy to over cook spaghetti squash, but this was seasoned wonderfully and cooked to perfection. I was able to sample the Bratwurst, and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut was flavored nicely with some extra spices, that gave it some excitement. I was also able to sample the turkey burger which was certainly fresh and moist, and thick, I mean hard to take a bite thick, but of course no complaints from me. Finally we ordered the Angus Hanger Steak Salad w/Arugula, Watercress, Roasted Beets, Haricot Verts, Grape Tomatoes, and Balsamic Vinaigrette. Unfortunately, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs so I will have to eat that the day after, but it was plated beautifully, and I know would have been delicious fresh. I would certainly tell people to visit this restaurant/experience, the beer flows until 4am, and the food until 2:00am for the grill and 11:00pm for regular entrees. Until next time.


Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer

Saturday, April 11, 2009

I'm Back

Well.....Its been a long time, not at all because I haven't been eating great food. I have traveled to the Gulf Shores every week since November, and have had delicious food that represents the area.

Where do we begin, after getting the casino buffets out of my system, which don't need to be mentioned, I finally was able to get into the local foods. I had a fried catfish poboy at this cute little family owned poboy shop, that was wonderfully filling. During Mardi Gras, I enjoyed a great dish at a restaurant called Lookout 49 http://www.lookout49restaurant.com/ in Gulfport Mississippi. The catfish was cooked perfectly and covered in blackening seasoning and stuffed with seafood stuffing. served over rice with delicious mixed vegetables. Oh but before that we ate an appetizer of Sesame Soy Seared Tuna with wasabi and an Asian sauce, the tuna was cooked perfectly and was the perfect color. We finished dinner with a huge piece of bread pudding. The Sweet Potato Bread Pudding (Courtesy of Creole Chef Leon Courney), and the Jack Daniel's Whiskey cream sauce couldn't have tasted better. I usually would try to imagine any dessert with vanilla ice cream but we decided ice cream wasn't even a thought with the perfection of the cream.

The next great meal was the delicious barbecued shrimp and Paschal Manale's in New Orleans. When I was told about this historical restaurant, famous for the barbecued shrimp, I thought of the thick barbecue sauce. To my surprise, in the gulf barbecued shrimp means seasoned with all sorts of goodness like, creole seasoning, garlic, and the most important ingredient is the Worcestershire sauce. I highly recommend both of these great establishments, and recipes.

I have recently registered to run a half marathon at Walt Disney World and so my new updates will be my healthy selections at restaurants, as well as my healthy recipes that I will enjoy making and especially eating.

Taste big, and dream bigger : )
Foodieengineer