Mar 08 2010
Twist of a classic where all the flavors explode in your mouth! And, healthier!!! Shrimp lightly dusted with my own seasoned breadcrumbs, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese floating on a basil, fennel and garlic tomato sauce…
This dish rocked the house! Same basic ingredients—baked not fried and lightly coated—if you like the way it looks, you would love the way it tastes!
Mar 08 2010
I should have known better, but there’s that ever hopeful side of me…
Italian name, flashy packaging, well wrapped, New York looking and much higher pricing… All dragged me in. I was in the mood for really good meat raviolis, something I haven’t had for maybe 20 years…
Do I have to do everything myself, do I have to drag the controversial PASTA machine out from it’s cover and go back into business as the pasta-man???
Meat might have been “An” ingredient, but it certainly wasn’t the main ingredient! (further inspection showed that chicken was the meat—that should have been enough for me—but NO!) It tasted like some sort of breadcrumb filled, chicken base flavored—Yuck!!! Like the rest of the crap out there in the market—CRAP!!!
Even my luscious tomato sauce with zucchini wasn’t enough to make this mess passable… afterward I felt empty—that it was a waste of my liquid gold…
Genova Delicatessen brand from California since 1926, besides being ashamed of themselves for such an inferior product and fraud for calling it “meat ravioli” FAIL!
Avoid: Genova Delicatessen
Mar 05 2010
Shrimp Oreganato…
Is it really a sacrifice to eat fish versus meat??? Well, only if you dislike fish, crave meat, or have problems with self denying… And then there’s the possibility you can’t cook, I guess.
You can’t go wrong with shrimp, olive oil, garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, grated cheese, bread crumbs, wine, and lemon… Unless you over cook it! DEE-lish!
Mar 04 2010
Aquarius (1/20-2/18)There’s no reason to continue letting this thing bother you. You have things to do and people to see — and not nearly enough time to squeeze it all in. Let go of your nagging concern. Focus on the pleasant things going on in your world, and let someone else do the worrying. You’ve done enough of that lately. Think of this as a day off — no, make it a week.
Feb 28 2010
"Voted #1"! Really? Who voted???
As you recall I had a voulez or vuole as my parent’s would say being Italian and all. Well, however you say “I have a: want, desire, craving, thirst, yen, hankering, jonesing…” —I had one last weekend for Chicago style pizza, but it was unrequited—so very sad…
I do have to say after viewing some do-it-yourself Chicago pizza making youtube videos, reviewing countless recipes, and finally running out of Funday Sunday time, I resorted to trying a pizzeria that specializes in Chicago Pizza here in California. They even call themselves, get this, Pizz’A Chicago… I’ve had Chicago pizza at the best places in Chicago (Gino’s East) and this my friends, WAS NO—CHICAGO PIZZA!
I had my doubts going in, but my hopes (as they sometimes do…) superseded them and I went anyway and waited the extra long time that this usually delightful dish requires—it’s understood…
So it wasn’t cheap, took a lot of time, and wasn’t the real deal—regardless of how many peoples pictures on the walls, newspaper clippings, and award plaques that were displayed, said it was… (in case you forget it even says so on the box… If they tell you enough it must be true!)
A Vuole, Voulez, want, desire, craving, thirst, yen, hankering, and jonesing, is not something to leave in amateurs hands—Pizz’A Chicago—amateurish…
Lesson learned: if you can’t count on a restaurant to prepare a classic dish and you have a VUOLE for that dish—do it yourself and live with your best efforts versus someone else’s…
Shoot! All this talk is giving me a vuole for that damn Chicago pizza again!
Feb 27 2010
Broiled salmon steak with a blended honey mustard glaze, served with a split heart of romaine lightly dressed, sauteed carrots with pistachio nuts, green onions, and candied garlic.
Sauvignon Blanc was the grape juice of choice to wash it down!
Sooooo FREAKEN good!
Feb 21 2010
Sooooooo GoooooooD!
Garlic, white wine, fennel, sausage, Parmesan, in a rich tomato sauce—Fan-f’n-tastic!
Feb 19 2010
The perfect combination of sweet and dry, the perfect way to celebrate your birth, the perfect way to end a perfect day…
I prefer to warm my carrot cake with cream cheese frosting—just taking the chill out so the frosting is just starting to melt, but not so that it runs off the cake. Again, it’s all about the right balance…
It’s interesting because people either love or have no love whatsoever for either carrot cake or Guinness. And even those who love one of them don’t necessarily love them both, but that’s what makes it that much more special. Either way I don’t care because you don’t need to love it or even like it—it’s my favorite it doesn’t need to be yours, however I do recommend that you give it a try before you dismiss it as you might enjoy it as much as I do…
Feb 19 2010
Being from New York makes finding decent pizza anywhere else a challenge to say the least… Finding the right crispy crust, the right zesty sauce, and the right amount of mozzarella coverage—not to much, not to little—just right… Amici’s uses wood fired ovens that leaves the most delicate char on the pizza crust bottom—Oh my, it’s sooooo GOOOOOD!
Well, I’ve been eating Amici’s Pizza since I arrived here on the left coast Bay area and never been disappointed (except when there was a fire in the Union Street location in SF many years ago and I had to find a substitute until they rebuilt…)
My favorite is the Boston which is traditional cheese pizza with fried eggplant. Over the years there have been many combinations enjoyed including the caramelized onions, pancetta, chicken, roasted garlic on a traditional cheese pizza…
I also highly recommend the chilled broccoli with olive oil and lemon!
If you do ever get to experience Amici’s I highly recommend ordering the mustard Italian dressing to dip your pizza in or sprinkle it on—sounds odd, but I know what I’m talking about—TRUST ME, you won’t regret it!
Feb 14 2010
to all those enjoying someone else’s company tonight—enjoy it, for tomorrow we die!
Or not tomorrow—eventually…
Tonight however we dined on the delights of the gods: Fantastic Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc to wash down the filet mignon au poivre (peppercorn brandy sauce) sauteed portobello mushrooms, and sliced yams with a balsamic reduction—Ohhhh my!
I almost forgot the Alaskan king crab legs with lemon butter—sorry about that…
Were you lucky enough to have a seat at the table??? —maybe next year!
More pictures please!
