While in Arkansas I have been craving a fresh berry pie. In Texas, berries are limited, so I figured Arkansas should come through. Right? :-) Welll, "This Cakes for You" did exactly that!! When Jameson and I explained to "This Cakes for You" we were looking for a blackberry pie, they made one specifically for us AND delivered to our travel trailer site. The service was beyond amazing and the pie was crazy delicious. Seriously!?!? Who delivers two pieces of pie 30 miles from their home office? ONLY someone who pays attention to customer service, quality and small town pride. Yep... a million appreciative thank yous!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-Cakes-For-You-LLC/228968030463194
Thank you for reading!!! LoLa xoxoxox
Friday, August 26, 2011
First Dinner ALONE as Husband and Wife
We (Jameson and LoLa) arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas, early yesterday. Travel Trailer in tow and amazing food on board, we made the trek from Hutto to Hot Springs in approximately 7 hours. Hurrah!!
Too tired to cook, we drove into Hot Springs proper for dinner. The quaint town appears to have been built straight into the hills and is full of lush trees, deep green grass and summer flowers. For a Texan, green grass and flowers is certainly an oddity to see consider our current drought! Historical buildings line the streets of Hot Spring and are in various stages of life. Hot Springs is an interesting town that has certainly lived through better days and seems to long for moments of past. Hungry and in need of food, Jameson and I strolled the streets for a few blocks before we decided to stop into Bella Arti for dinner.
Now, we have watched endless episodes of "Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare" so we believe we are experts at redesigning... reconfiguring... redoing.... recreating a restaurant. Are we experts? Oh... certainly NOT. Regardless, we seem to have an opinion of how to make a restaurant better and the food tastier. Yes, this approach is a bit egotistical, but we are good with it.
After being seated, we were greeted by our waiter, Jonny Steele (sounds like a porn star name). Lordy! He was a character. Recently transplanted from Portland, he and his cat, Molly, moved to Hot Springs to follow a girl. <<According to Jameson, everywhere we go, EVERYONE is from Oregon. Go Figure!! LOL>>. His quirky nature added to the "smile factor" of our meal. The meal was old school, delicious with an 80's presentation.
Where do we start? How about the beginning!! We initiated the dinner with a tepenade. Hmmmm.... though fine tasting, the appearance of the appetizer was more akin to sewage. Gratefully, the pungent garlic, tangy olives and warm bread saved the dish. The next meal to arrive was an Avocado Pesto Scallop Shrimp dish. The sauce was quite nice, however, far too overwhelming for the delicate scallops and shrimp. After much debate, Jameson and I decided on Cesar Salads for the salad. As a Cesar Salad snob (Thanks, Mom) Jonny stated the dressing was made as the restaurant and done in the traditional fashion. Well...... this was not the case. Many restaurants either import Cesar Dressing to save money or create the dressing with mayonnaise to reduce the risk of salmonella with a coddled egg. My personal opinion, ICK!!! Sooooo.....for those who don't know a good Cesar dressing recipe, we have included a basic recipe below. Cesar salad is easy and amazing.... when done right!!
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/caesar.htm
For the Salad:
The final dish was the main course. I received a 8 ounce filet. The steak was amazing, sadly the steak was overwhelmed with Gorgonzola, mushrooms and too much salt. After a few bites, the meal was too much, however, we saved the steak for a breakfast frittata. Wow... he is an amazing cook!! That evening Jameson had the Osso Bucco. Happily, superb!!
The evening ended with Jonny sitting at our table to discuss the development of his cats, the wows of he and his girl, his ability to transform a car, and thought provoking tidbits regarding Hot Springs. Jameson and I made a friend and will keep in contact with Jonny and we will continue to share our love of food and Oregon. Yes..... a great start to an amazing honeymoon. Thank you for reading!!
Thank you for reading!! LoLa xoxoxo
Too tired to cook, we drove into Hot Springs proper for dinner. The quaint town appears to have been built straight into the hills and is full of lush trees, deep green grass and summer flowers. For a Texan, green grass and flowers is certainly an oddity to see consider our current drought! Historical buildings line the streets of Hot Spring and are in various stages of life. Hot Springs is an interesting town that has certainly lived through better days and seems to long for moments of past. Hungry and in need of food, Jameson and I strolled the streets for a few blocks before we decided to stop into Bella Arti for dinner.
Now, we have watched endless episodes of "Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare" so we believe we are experts at redesigning... reconfiguring... redoing.... recreating a restaurant. Are we experts? Oh... certainly NOT. Regardless, we seem to have an opinion of how to make a restaurant better and the food tastier. Yes, this approach is a bit egotistical, but we are good with it.
After being seated, we were greeted by our waiter, Jonny Steele (sounds like a porn star name). Lordy! He was a character. Recently transplanted from Portland, he and his cat, Molly, moved to Hot Springs to follow a girl. <<According to Jameson, everywhere we go, EVERYONE is from Oregon. Go Figure!! LOL>>. His quirky nature added to the "smile factor" of our meal. The meal was old school, delicious with an 80's presentation.
Where do we start? How about the beginning!! We initiated the dinner with a tepenade. Hmmmm.... though fine tasting, the appearance of the appetizer was more akin to sewage. Gratefully, the pungent garlic, tangy olives and warm bread saved the dish. The next meal to arrive was an Avocado Pesto Scallop Shrimp dish. The sauce was quite nice, however, far too overwhelming for the delicate scallops and shrimp. After much debate, Jameson and I decided on Cesar Salads for the salad. As a Cesar Salad snob (Thanks, Mom) Jonny stated the dressing was made as the restaurant and done in the traditional fashion. Well...... this was not the case. Many restaurants either import Cesar Dressing to save money or create the dressing with mayonnaise to reduce the risk of salmonella with a coddled egg. My personal opinion, ICK!!! Sooooo.....for those who don't know a good Cesar dressing recipe, we have included a basic recipe below. Cesar salad is easy and amazing.... when done right!!
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/caesar.htm
INGREDIENTS
For the Croutons:
- 2 large garlic cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- 2 cups French baguette slices cut up into 1/2 inch cubes (white bread works too)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 medium garlic clove, crushed
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 4 flat anchovies
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup virgin olive oil
- 2 medium heads of romaine lettuce -- outer leaves removed
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
PREP WORK
Prepping the croutons - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush the garlic cloves with the side of a chef's knife (be very careful) or with a garlic press. Slice up the baguette and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.
Prepping the salad - Again crush the garlic. If you are using flat anchovies out of a can, mince one or two to make 1 1/2 teaspoons worth. Grate the Parmesan cheese. It's always better to grate it yourself if you have the opportunity.
Prepping the salad - Again crush the garlic. If you are using flat anchovies out of a can, mince one or two to make 1 1/2 teaspoons worth. Grate the Parmesan cheese. It's always better to grate it yourself if you have the opportunity.
HOW TO MAKE AT HOME
Croutons - Combine garlic, oil, salt, and bread cubes in a bowl. Mix until cubes are coated evenly. Spread the coated cubes onto a baking sheet and bake until the croutons are golden. This should take about 10 minutes.
To make the salad - Bring a pot of boiling water to boil, add egg and cook for just 45 seconds....NO MORE. This is coddling the egg. Remove from heat and let it cool off.
Meanwhile, mix the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper, anchovy, mustard and capers in a bowl. Crack egg and add to these ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
Now for the tricky part. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream while constantly whisking again until smooth. Reason: if you add the oil too quickly, the dressing will be separate and not emulsify.
Tear the romaine lettuce into 1-2 inch pieces and add them to a large bowl (wooden if you have one). Add half the dressing, toss, add remaining dressing, Parmesan cheese, and croutons and toss again. Serve on chilled plates.
To make the salad - Bring a pot of boiling water to boil, add egg and cook for just 45 seconds....NO MORE. This is coddling the egg. Remove from heat and let it cool off.
Meanwhile, mix the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper, anchovy, mustard and capers in a bowl. Crack egg and add to these ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
Now for the tricky part. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream while constantly whisking again until smooth. Reason: if you add the oil too quickly, the dressing will be separate and not emulsify.
To serve:Tear the romaine lettuce into 1-2 inch pieces and add them to a large bowl (wooden if you have one). Add half the dressing, toss, add remaining dressing, Parmesan cheese, and croutons and toss again. Serve on chilled plates.
The final dish was the main course. I received a 8 ounce filet. The steak was amazing, sadly the steak was overwhelmed with Gorgonzola, mushrooms and too much salt. After a few bites, the meal was too much, however, we saved the steak for a breakfast frittata. Wow... he is an amazing cook!! That evening Jameson had the Osso Bucco. Happily, superb!!
The evening ended with Jonny sitting at our table to discuss the development of his cats, the wows of he and his girl, his ability to transform a car, and thought provoking tidbits regarding Hot Springs. Jameson and I made a friend and will keep in contact with Jonny and we will continue to share our love of food and Oregon. Yes..... a great start to an amazing honeymoon. Thank you for reading!!
Thank you for reading!! LoLa xoxoxo
White Trash Honeymoon
Jameson and LoLa
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