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Simon Restaurant & Lounge – Palms Place – Las Vegas – Review

August 13, 2013 / / 0 Comments

We were staying at the Palms Place, so having lunch at Simon was a no brainer.  Not only was the restaurant conveniently located in the 6th floor of our building, but restaurant.com offers $25 vouchers for the restaurant (minimum purchase of $37.50). The food was good, the ambiance was relaxing (all that light from the wall to wall windows works its magic towards lunch time), and the service was top-notch.

The menu is pretty short, emphasizing sushi for lunch, but also including some salads, pizzas and sandwiches. My husband and oldest daughter, Mika, had the California rolls.  Mika got the regular kind ($12) and while  she liked it, she felt it had too much rice.  Mike had the baked roll ($15), which came with salmon and a sauce; he was much more pleased.  The sauce, in particular, added the extra yuminess the dish needed.   Neither was a large portion, but they weren’t expecting them to be.

My youngest and I had the pizzas. Her Margherita ($12) was OK, though the basil could have been fresher.  It tasted more like a regular cheese pizza, than a fresh and bright Margherita.

My smoked chicken pizza ($14), on the other hand, was absolutely delicious. It had a great tangy flavor from the goat cheese that contrasted nicely with the bitterness of the arugula, the smokiness of the chicken and the sweetness of the walnuts. I’d highly recommend it.

The zucchini bread served with lunch was also a winner.  The regular white bread was just OK.  Both were served with butter.

Simon offers a happy hour with cheap appetizers, but we didn’t take advantage of it.  It would be worth trying, however.

 

 

Soul Indian Wraps – Review

July 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

soul_butter_chkn_3dIf you’re tired of having the same old frozen burrito for lunch, Soul’s Indian wraps provide a reasonable alternative.  They have four flavors, butter chicken, chicken vindaloo, chicken tikka masala and vegetable curry.  I’ve tasted the three chicken ones, and I can’t say I could really distinguish their flavor. They all tasted like mildly spicy generic chicken curries, acceptable but not exciting. Of the four choices, the tikka masala has slightly less calories/fat (370 c/11 g. fat) than the others, so that may be your best choice.  The vegetable curry, which I haven’t tried, has the greatest fat content.

The wraps were about $1.50 at Grocery Outlet and they cook in the microwave in about 3 minutes (you have to turn it half way).

Not really ice cream reviews: Gelateria Italiana vs. Tempt

July 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

(Note: These companies have closed)

First of all, let me start by saying that I feel like a complete jerk for blogging about ice cream after reading this article about the torturous conditions in which California inmates find themselves, and hearing from a friend of mine who is a prison lawyer, that water was being rationed in California women’s prisons during the heat wave we had last week.

Be that as it may, not blogging about ice cream won’t change any of that, so here it goes.  These are two new, for me, brands of ice-cream-like products that I found at Grocery Outlet, here in San Leandro.

Gelateria Italiana

I tried both their Hazelnut & Chocolate and Pistachio flavors.  The Hazelnut & chocolate one was divine.  It tasted exactly like you would expect it to taste, but it was lighter that your regular gelato.  The Pistachio was pretty good as well, but less exciting because, after all, pistachio ice cream gets boring after a whole.

The ice cream comes all the way from Italy and I would fully recommend it but for its ingredients.  The first two ingredients are what you’d expect: milk and sugar (I guess no cream in gelato), but we then encounter “glucose syrup” – which is basically like corn syrup, but not necessarily from corn – and then “refined vegetable oil”.  Say what?  What is oil doing in my ice cream? I’ve made ice cream many times and gelato a few, but never, never have I heard of using oil.  I might have thought the oil was for cooking the hazelnuts, but it comes before “roasted hazelnut paste” as an ingredient, which means there is more of it than hazelnuts.

The gelato came in a 30 oz tub (so not quite a quart) and cost about $3 at GO.

temptTempt

What tempted me to try Tempt Coffee Biscotti “frozen dessert” ($2 for a pint at GO) was that it’s main ingredient: hemp milk.  Sure, I knew there would be nothing “naughty” in the ice cream, but I like the idea of supporting the hemp industry.  Alas, the “ice cream” was very disappointing.  The texture is nice enough, quite creamy, but the ice cream’s flavor is very mild and somewhat off putting.  According to my daughter, the after taste is better than the taste, however.  Tempt could probably improve this flavor, at least, by using more coffee so the coffee flavor is stronger, but they should also forgo the soggy, flavorless, gluten-free biscotti.

Tempt uses mostly organic ingredients, chief among them rice, but it also includes oil in its formula.  In all, it’s probably not a terrible choice for vegans, but others will probably want to avoid it.

 

Three Twins Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Review – Yummm!

July 2, 2013 / / 1 Comment

(Note: This company has closed)

3twinsChocolatePeanutButterI found this gem of an ice cream at our local San Leandro Grocery Outlet for $2.  It was the first time I came across a three twins product, but I’m one of those people who absolutely loves peanut butter and chocolate (as I write this, I’m plotting to make my husband go and get me the ingredients for a peanut butter shake), so I had to try it.  I’m glad I did.

Unlike most ice creams of this type, this wasn’t chocolate ice cream with swirls of peanut butter or vice versa. Instead both the peanut butter and the cocoa powder are mixed together into a combined flavor.  I think I still prefer the traditional type, but this is quite good too, albeit more peanut butter would be better.  Then again, nothing stops you from adding your own.

My oldest daughter pronounced it the “best ice cream ever”, and while my youngest wasn’t as enthusiastic, this is a girl with a limited like for sweets.

Three Twins seems to be this century’s answer to Ben & Jerry’s.  The company is based in the North Bay and makes organic ice cream from locally sourced milk and cream.  They have four stores and they seem to mostly sell through Whole Foods (which would explain why I never heard of them).  In addition to regular flavors, they have some interesting sounding ones such as cardamon, lemon cookie and sea salted caramel.  They sell ice cream through their website for $10 a pint, so the $2 Grocery Outlet price is particularly tempting.

Buckhorn Grill Review (@ Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton)

July 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

This restaurant has closed

buckhornsandwichWhen my kids were younger, I used to take them to Yerba Buena Gardens and we’d often had lunch at the Buckhorn Grill in the Metreon.  I wasn’t super fond of that restaurant, but it served food they would eat.  So when my husband suggested that we had lunch at the Buckhorn Grill at Stoneridge Mall, after a visit to the Apple store, I wasn’t extremely enthusiastic.  But food options were limited and it was Father’s Day, so he had the right to pick the place.  I have to give him credit, he picked right.  Not only was the food at this Buckhorn Grill excellent, but it was reasonably priced.

I had the “bacon cheddar buck” ($8.50) and it was pretty much the perfect sandwich.  The roast beef itself was delicious, and the bacon and cheese complimented rather than competed with the meat.  Mike liked his “big buck” ($9), which came with caramelized onions and he also thought it was great, at least until he tried my sandwich.

My daughters had the burgers, and while the old one was pleased with hers (at least until she tried my sandwich), the younger one didn’t like it at all.  It was a plain burger, so my husband, who finished it, didn’t find it particularly exciting.

In addition to sandwiches, Buckhorn Grill offers platters of their BBQ meats.  A whole take home tri tip (feeds 5 to 6) is $25.  You can even order online.

Buckhorn has ten restaurants in the Bay Area/Northern California.  I think they would do great if they came to San Leandro, and if our business development unit at City Hall wasn’t so lame, they would be trying to entice them to come to town.

Buckhorn Grill
Stoneridge Mall
2245 Stoneridge Mall Rd.
Pleasanton, CA
925-463-2825
http://www.buckhorngrill.com/

 

Baked Pasta with Italian Sausage

March 2, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com and it’s absolutely delicious!  Heart attack worthy, but well, worthy.

  • 1 package pasta (penne, ziti, rigatoni or something of the sort).
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 1 lb mild Italian sausage
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (with garlic & basil if available)
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Boil pasta until it’s al dente.  Drain and place in an 13″ x 9″ baking dish.

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sausage and cook until browned.  Pour out and discard excessive fat.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the white wine and deglace the pan.  Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well.

Sprinkle both cheeses on top of the pasta and bake in a 350°F. oven for 20 minutes.

Marga’s Best Recipes

Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta – Red Bluff, CA – Restaurant Review

February 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Mike, the kids and I have now gone to Luigi’s for dinner twice – once, in May 2012, when coming back from the Redding area after watching the amazing lunar eclipse, and more recently, last November, when coming back home from Oregon.  Both times we had quite a good meal.

There are two words to describe Luigi’s (OK, maybe they should count as tree): cheap and large portions.  Indeed, Luigi’s has the largest variety of pizza sizes we’ve ever seen.  You can get a 10″ mini – but also a 30″ “Big Luigi”.  It’s big enough for a large crowd.

I can’t recall exactly what we’ve had in those two occasions, but I know we’ve sampled both the pizza and the pasta and we’ve been happy with both.  The pasta seems freshly made (but I’ve only had their beef ravioli, $4.60), their huge meatballs are quite tasty and the pizza features fresh ingredients.

There is another pizza restaurant in Red Bluff I want to try, but this one is conveniently located by the freeway and easy to find, so I’m sure we’ll stop by again.

Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta
75 Belle Mill Rd.
Red Bluff, CA
530-527-9227
Su-Th 10:30 AM – 9 PM
F-Sa 10:30 AM – 10 PM

Marga’s I-5 Restaurant Reviews
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Outside the Bay Area

Steak Diane Recipe

January 20, 2013 / / 2 Comments

After 12 years (yes, 12 years), I have finally arrived at the “Fs” in my international cooking project.  And, of course, that means I must cook classic French food.  Finding classic French recipes is not as easy as it sounds – I have already explored several French regional cuisines and I don’t like repeating dishes.

I was happy when I came upon a recipe for steak Diane.  I don’t know why I immediately assumed it was a classic French recipe.  Maybe it was the name? The ingredients?  Though, as my 10-year-old daughter pointed out after a couple of bites, this dish is very close to the beef Stroganoff I’d cooked earlier in the week.  In any case, I made it, we enjoyed it, and it wasn’t until I started writing the recipe up that I took a look at its origins – only to find out that it’s an American invention.

Never mind, it was pretty easy to make and the kids enjoyed lighting the pan on fire.  Indeed, it lit on its own: the instructions said to tilt the pan away from you and light the alcohol with a match, but when I tilted it, I splashed some liquid on the burner (I have a gas stove) and suddenly the pan was ablaze.

The recipe I used came from the great Emeril Lagasse.  The key to making this dish is having each component ready and easily accessible from the stove top. I used tri-tip as it was 1/3 the price of tenderloin, but it was too tough for this cooking method (it was better on the Stroganoff, as it was thinly sliced for that recipe). I’d like to try it with tenderloin, though sirloin might be an alternative.  Instead of the “reduced veal stock” the recipe asked for, I used a combination of water/whine and stock concentrate. If you still want to have the flavor of veal, but don’t want to make the stock yourself, Cook’s Delight has a veal base. Finally, “someone” dropped my dish with the chopped parsley/green onions on the floor so I wasn’t able to serve them on the steak.  Still, it was delicious.

Steak Diane

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tsp. beef base (such as Better than Bouillon)
  • 1 lb beef tenderloin medallions
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped shallots
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 8 – 10 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup Cognac or brandy
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped green onions or chives
  • 2 tsp. minced Italian parsley

Instructions

Place the water, red wine and beef base in a small cooking pot. Cook over medium heat until the base dissolves completely, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in the saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on one side for 45 seconds. Turn and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove the steak to a warm platter and cover with foil. Continue cooking the mushrooms until soft, a couple of more minutes.

Add the cognac and lit the pan on fire. Keep on the stove until the flame burns out and then add the cream and the mustard. Mix well and cook for one minute. Add the beef stock and cook for another minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mix. Return the medallions and the accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat.

Before serving, sprinkle with the green onions and parsley.

Reindeer Hash Recipe (Poronkäristys)

January 6, 2013 / / 0 Comments

reindeerIt’s early January, Christmas is well passed and you don’t know what to do with the reindeer that Santa Claus left stranded on your backyard.  Well, here come the Finns to the rescue with a delicious (I’m sure, Santa Claus skipped me this year) recipe for reindeer hash.  It comes from the book Natural Cooking the Finnish Way, which, by the way, has quite a few really good recipes.

If you have kept your reindeer in the backyard, hopefully they are cold enough, but if not, do freeze the meat for a while to  make it easy to slice, and always do it across the grain, of course.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb bacon, cubed
  • 1 lb reindeer meat, thinly sliced
  • water
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the bacon on a heavy frying pat over medium heat until the fat melts.  Add the reindeer meat and cook until browned.  Cover the meat with water and season with salt. Turn down the heat, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 2 hours, adding water if necessary.

Serve with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Lucky Supermarket’s “Pick 5 for $25” deal.

January 3, 2013 / / 4 Comments

5/13 Update: Lucky continues running this promotion from time to time, but the quantities of meat you get are lower, so the prices have increased. The ones advertised this week are noted in bold. Do note, that sometimes you find larger packets at the supermarket than those advertised.

I like to do my menu-planning based on the meat that’s on sale at my local supermarkets in a given week.  Not only does that save money, but it gives me a place where to start deciding on recipes.  Lucky’s has been offering a deal that has you buy 5 packages of meat for $25.  You can pick and choose between different offerings marked with the “pick 5” sticker, but you must buy at least 5 packages to get the deal.

I couldn’t find a list of what items were available with this deal, so I decided to go to Lucky’s and look for myself.  I noted the cuts, the maximum weight of the packages available under the deal (and note that some may be over 50% heavier than others) and the original price, so that I could see what were the maximum savings that you could accumulate.   These varied from 13-cents a pound for leg quarters (which you can get for even less at Grocery Outlet) to $4.75lb for boneless New York steak.  I will have to pay more attention to prices, but I don’t think the prices on this sale are lower than on other sales, and you have to buy $25 worth of meat to take advantage of this deal (which, honestly, is not hard unless you are buying chicken).

Lucky says you can pick “from over 60 cuts”, though I only found 21 at the Lucky’s in San Leandro (I can’t imagine I missed more than a couple).   Here is what you can get, at least today, though I don’t think the offerings vary that much.

  • Salmon, packages up to 1.15lbs ($4.35lb), regular price $6lb.  Potential savings up to $1.65 per lb. Now, up to 12 oz, price increase 33%
  • Large shrimp, ~1 lb packages, regular price $9lb, on sale at Safeway for $7lb.  Potential savings up to $2-$4lb.
  • Foster Farms chicken thighs, bone/skin in, packages up to 4.7 lbs (~$1.05lb), regular price $2lb. Potential savings up to 94cents lb.
  • Foster Farms leg quarters, up to 3lbs ($1.66lb), regular price $1.79lb.  Potential savings up to 13c lb.  Note: These are often available at Grocery Outlet for $1.30lb.
  • Foster Farms drumsticks, up to 4 lbs ($1.25lb).  Didn’t note original price.
  • Foster Farm boneless chicken breasts, packages up to 1.7lbs (~$3lb), regular price $5lb.  Potential savings up to $2lb. Now up to 20 oz, price increase 25%
  • Foster Farm boneless/skinless chicken breasts, packages up to 1.5lbs ($3.33lb), regular price $6lb. Potential savings up to $2.66lb
  • Foster farm thin slice chicken breast fillets, up to 1.25lb ($4lb), regular price $6lb. Potential savings up to $2lb
  • Foster Farm ground turkey, 2lbs ($2.50lb) No original price on package.
  • Foster Farm ground turkey breast, 20 oz ($4lb).  No original price on package @ Lucky’s, package on sale at Safeway for $6.  Potential savings $1 on 20 oz.
  • Foster Farm white turkey lunch meat, 2lbs ($2.50lb) No original price on package.
  • Lamb shoulder chops, packages up to 1.17 oz (~$4.25lb), regular price $6lb.  Potential savings up to $1.75lb
  • Laura’s Tri-Tip, packages up to .7lbs ($7.15lb), regular price $8lb. Potential savings up to 75-cents lb. Note: tri-tip steaks at Safeway are on sale for $6lb, for a savings of $2lb over Lucky’s
  • NY Steak, bone in, packages up to .9lbs ($5.50lb), regular price $10lb.  Potential savings up to $4.5lb. Note: NY steaks are often on sale at Safeway for $5lb.
  • NY steak, boneless, up to .8lb ($6.25lb), regular price $11lb.  Potential savings up to $4.75lb.
  • Seasoned boneless NY steak, for carne asada, up to .8lbs ($6.25lb), regular price $11lb.  Potential savings up to $4.75lb
  • Chuck cross rib steak, thin cut, up to 1.5lbs ($3.33lb), regular price $5lb, on sale for $4lb at Safeway.  Potential savings 70c to $1.66lb.
  • Petit sirloin steaks, up to 1.25lbs ($4lb), regular price $5lb, on sale at Lucky’s for $4lb.
  • 85% lean ground beef, up to 1.3 lbs ($3.85lb), regular price $4.29lb.  Potential savings up to 45c lb.  Note: Safeway has 93%lean ground beef for $3lb. Now up to 1.5 lbs, price down
  • Pork loin chops, boneless, up to 1.5lbs ($3.33lb), regular price $6lb.  Potential savings $2.66lb
  • Country style ribs, up to 4 lbs ($1.25lb), regular price $1.88lb.  Potential savings up to 38c lb
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