Foodmomiac

t'afia in Houston - Mom Bloggers INVADE!

As I mentioned the other day, I spent last weekend in Houston at the Mom 2.0 Summit. When I travel for work (which I do pretty regularly), I make it a habit to find a really great restaurant. I'm kind of picky when it comes to food, so sometimes, it's hard to find someplace that meets my critical standards. However, I had no issues in Houston.

One of my clients is the Mushroom Council. We promote the use and nutritional benefits of domestic, cultivated mushrooms. Cool gig, right? Anyway, the Mushroom Council has this awesome program called the Chef's Advisory Panel, and one of the participating chefs is Monica Pope, my new favorite person, and chef/co-owner of t'afia in Houston. (Monica is the cool one smack dab in the middle of the above photo, wearing the Cranky shirt. Photo courtesy of Yvonne from Joy Unexpected.)

Early last week, prior to my trip, I made a reservation for Saturday night for four people at t'afia. At that point, I had no idea who would join me. I figured that worse comes to worse, I'd change the reservation to one and sit with my own bad self at the bar. Little did I know. By Saturday afternoon, we were up to a party of 11, and practically had Tino the manager on speed dial. "Hi Tino. Can you add one more mom? Can you add a baby?"

The menu at t'afia is a true showcase of local foods and, as expected, there were a ton of choices that featured mushrooms. It was truly hard to decide what to get, so most of us stuck to the five course tasting menu. It's hard for me to do the food justice with words alone, so let's start the photos, shall we?

These chickpea fries were a table favorite, and they weren't even part of the Tasting Menu (As I mentioned, Monica is awesome, so she kept bringing the crazy mom bloggers little treats.) They were served with a spicy ketchup, and sprinkled with za'atar. The inclusion of a Middle Eastern spice was a running theme throughout the evening. As Monica explained, Houston is on the same latitude as Beirut and Cairo, so it only makes sense.

This was the first course of the tasting menu; Homemade crackers with raw milk cheddar and mustard fruit. I had NO CLUE what mustard fruit was when I saw this on the menu, but I'm glad I tried it. Turns out that it's dried fruit cooked with mustard. I was sitting next to Devra (from Parentopia) at dinner. We are both Jewish, and we agreed that it was kind of like the tsimmes or compote that our moms make, but with much more of a kick (which was an improvement, if you ask me).

This was a Vegan Sweet Potato Soup. It was incredibly creamy and savory. Again, you could really taste the Middle Eastern influence. One of the things I loved best about this soup was how well it paired with the rosé that was served alongside it. 

Sitting next to me on my other side was Catherine (from Her Bad Mother). She didn't do the tasting menu, but she ordered REALLY well, so I snapped some photos of her food as well. These were the Tempura-Fried Crimini Mushrooms. They looked and smelled amazing, and Catherine devoured them, all while juggling a very tired Jasper (who is the sweetest little 9-month-old around). This photo also does a great job showcasing the adorable tables at t'afia. They were super bright and colorful, and lent the restaurant a very elegant, yet casual feel. Loved them.

The endive folks aren't a client, but if they were, I'd tell them to just travel the country serving this salad to food bloggers. Endive can sometimes be bitter. Not the way t'afia serves it. The endive was crunchy and cool and sweet, and was a perfect foil to the candied walnuts, the tangy bleu cheese, and OH YES, those awesome Criminis. I love that the Criminis here were served raw. Most people don't serve raw mushrooms, but I love them. Finally, the black truffle vinaigrette pulled everything together. If it were up to me (and if I were rich), I'd sprinkle everything with black truffles, but Michael doesn't love them, so I rely on fabulous restaurants to get my truffle fix.

A couple of the ladies were concerned about the presence of venison on the tasting menu, but when they expressed those concerns to Monica, she told them not to worry. She was totally right. There was no gaminess. The medium rare meat was as tender as can be. This is venison that people who hate venison will LOVE.

This was another dish that Catherine ordered, called Balsamic Caramel Beef Cubes with Shiitake Mushrooms. (The gorgeous Isabel from Alpha Mom ordered it as well, but Catherine's plate was closer to my camera.) I have to say that I was kind of jealous of this dish. It looked and smelled divine.

By the time dessert rolled around, I was in too much of a food coma to snap any more photos, but trust me when I tell you that we were all making satisfied moaning sounds and threatening to pick up the ramekins to lick out every last bit of goodness (especially the chocolate mousse, and Julie, Ms. Mother Goose Mouse herself, would have totally done that if I wasn't watching, I'm sure of it).

The ladies at the table kept thanking me for arranging the evening, but I really need to thank THEM. I had such a blast, and it was a zillion times better than eating by myself at the bar.

The t'afia Dinner Club Attendees:

Yvonne from Joy Unexpected
Isabel from Alpha Mom
Julie from Mother Goose Mouse
Catherine from Her Bad Mother (and Jasper!)
Devra from Parentopia
Sarah from Sarah and the Goon Squad
Joanne from Pundit Mom
Amie from Mamma Loves
Lindsay from Suburban Turmoil
Aimee from Greeblemonkey

If fried chicken is wrong, I don't want to be right!

  Best Fried Chicken EVER 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

I'm trying to figure out how to tell you about Willie Mae's Scotch House, but I'm feeling a bit tongue-tied.

What can I say that hasn't already been said by Jason Perlow?

How do I tell you how much it means to be eating here after it was closed for so long post-Katrina? Words don't seem to cut it when you can instead see actual photos from the re-building process.

Everyone from Bon Appetit to the Food Network has declared Willie Mae's the best fried chicken in the country, and I won't argue with them.

The skin was crispy all over. The meat was juicy beyond belief. The accompanying red beans and rice were amazing. Give me an adjective that can be used to describe delicious food, and it would work here.

Yes, we waited over 30 minutes for a table and then over an hour for our food. Yes, we waited another 45 minutes for our cab to show up when we were done (tip we gleaned from another table of foodies sitting nearby - invite your cab driver to eat with you!). I would do it all again, though.

When you are talking about the best fried chicken ever, all the waits are worthwhile.

Kung-Fu Tiki Mai Tai - The Best Friday Night Drink EVAH!

  Kung-fu tiki mai tai 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

The Kung-Fu Tiki Mai Tai has become a Friday ritual for me (well, the last two Friday nights I've been in town, at least). We have a restaurant just a few blocks away from us called Kitsch'n. We had basically avoided the joint because of one mediocre meal and the fact that Rachael Ray recommends it. I just can't trust someone who uses words like, "yum-o" and "delish." (In fact, I cringe just typing them.)

But ANYWAY, we moved even closer to the restaurant when we bought this house, so we decided to give it another try, and I just love it. First of all, it is perfect for children. Kids meals are very varied, and come in a totally cool, retro metal lunchbox. You can also have the kitchen mix peas or broccoli INTO the meal, which is a nice feature. Adult food is also quite good (our first visit must have been a fluke). I have a hard time ordering anything other than the Fried Chicken, but the Beef Stroganoff also rocks, and Michael has even enjoyed more gourmet fare, like Tilapia in a White Wine Sauce.

It's just a great place to eat with kids without losing sanity. Everyone can be kept entertained with the board games piled high on the shelves, and adults can drink away the screaming and whining with drinks like the Kung-Fu Tiki Mai Tai (or a Daquiri made with Tang, but I haven't yet been so bold as to try that).

mmmmmm... pork.

  Roasted Pork Shank 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

Wow, what a week this has been. I forgot how tiring a full time job could be. Damn.

All I wanted to do today was curl up in my bed and nap, but that doesn't seem to be an option EVER now that we have two kids. Max has been on a tear lately. If he's not standing on my glass coffee table, he is standing on the open door of my dishwasher, or climbing into the dog's crate, or dragging the stool across the kitchen so that he can open the silverware drawer. It's hard to get mad, because he does ALL of this with a smile on his face, but it is just exhausting. I spend all of my time with him (which is now at a premium, mind you), chasing him around and saying, "No Max. Put that down, Max. Max, NO!! NO NO NO NO NO NO!"

Well, anyway, I really just wanted to sleep, but that wasn't an option, and the thought of just chasing children around an apartment all day was not appealing, so I decided that we needed an outing. The original plan was the Field Museum, but then Michael started talking about German food, so we ditched the culture and ended up at the Chicago Brauhaus, which was a total blast.

I ordered the day's special, a roasted pork shank, which as you can see was enormous. It came with those pretty spaetzle, and a delicious dish of sweet and sour red cabbage. It also came with a cup of yummy liver dumpling soup, but Max ate my whole dumpling, so all I got was some liver broth. The pork shank was outrageous. I can't figure out how they cooked this thing, but the skin on it had turned into just one giant pork rind. It was so good and crispy and delicious. Michael had some tasty wiener schnitzel and Dylan and Max shared a plate of wiener wurst and fries. And... Michael and I each had a giant mug of ice cold German beer.

Which brings me to my next point.

Did you all see Melissa on The Today Show yesterday? The video is here. I should state, first, that I am a staunch Good Morning America viewer. I have never liked the Today Show, and I never will. Matt Lauer was very cute back in his local NY days on Live at Five, but I don't care for him anymore, and Meredith Viera annoys me. This segment did not change my opinion. I can't believe the way they were trying to demonize Melissa and the rest of us moms who enjoy cocktails now and then.

As Michael and I were enjoying our beers at lunch, we started chatting about how annoying that segment was. And then we had this exchange:

Michael: So, if you aren't supposed to drink at playdates, does that mean that we shouldn't have these beers at lunch?

Danielle: Probably. Ridiculous.

Michael: Seriously.

Danielle: I know. I love drinking during the day.

Michael: Yeah, that's the best time to drink. Drinking at night just makes me fall asleep.

Oh, one more random thought. I had such a great night Thursday. Jess from Sassafrass came over for wine (more drinking!) and Thai food. It was the first time we met, but we talked for hours, and I had a fabulous time. She is awesome, and I am so glad that Stefania pointed me towards her blog. I love spending time with other bloggers!

Eating Out with Kids

  I think I'll pinch his ear 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

I LOVE restaurants.

I love the excitement, the luxury, the menus. I love getting out of the house.

My kids are destroying this for me, and I fear that it will be years before we can go out for an enjoyable dinner as a family.

Yesterday morning, we thought it might be nice to go out for Sunday breakfast with the kids. And we did EVERYTHING right. It was early. We figured we'd get to the restaurant before 9am and avoid any major crowds. We chose a loud and boisterous place that is known to be kid-friendly. None of this mattered. The meal was a disaster.

Dylan was crying before we even sat down. She refused to sit next to her dad, so I ended up with one kid on either side of me. The waitress kept placing items in front of Max, seemingly unaware that he is a BABY. Note to the waitress: babies don't use crayons. Babies eat crayons. Babies can't feed themselves from a small dish of complementary ice cream. Babies rub the ice cream all over themselves. Babies don't know to avoid the hot handle of their mom's skillet eggs. Don't put the freakin' handle in front of them!

As I tried to save Max from every possible disaster thrown his way, Dylan threw fit after fit. She was starving. She was tired. She wanted to go home. She wanted sausage. She wanted grapefruit. The grapefruit is sour. The sausage is too spicy.

By the time we left the restaurant, I was ready to call it a night and it wasn't even 10am. I just can not do this again, and that does not make me happy. Tell me this will get better.

The Foodmomiac Philosophy on Chain Restaurants

Today was my sister-in-law's birthday. Not the one I'm super close with - the other one. The one that I'm not super close with. I'll leave it at that.

So, ANYWAY, in the Wiley family, the birthday person gets to choose the restaurant, and every year Melissa chooses Olive Garden. Sigh...

I am not a fan of chain restaurants. Yes, the food is fine. Not great. It's fine. The salad is nice. It's endless. Endless salad is lovely. But... why the love affair with the chain?? Why are chain restaurants so ubiquitous and popular?

An anecdote for you: We have a GREAT local BBQ place in Toledo called Shorty's. I love it. It has been open a few years now, but earlier this year, two BBQ chains opened up within 1/2 mile of Shorty's - Smokey Bones and Famous Dave's. These two places are packed every night. PACKED. The business at Shorty's has suffered. Why America?? Why do you do this?? Why on earth would you patronize a chain, non-locally owned restaurant in lieu of a high quality, locally owned place?

In my mind, the one redeeming quality of the chain restaurant is the focus placed on children. he chains are very consistent with the kid love. They have those great sling things to hold the infant carriers. They have endless high chairs. They have CRAYONS. It seems to me that the small local places are going to need to start doing some of these things if they want to compete. Not that it will always help. Shorty's has a great kids menu complete with crayons. And it hasn't helped them any. (The very best kid diversion, by the way, is at Filippi's in San Diego. They give the kids pizza dough! How cool is that?)

Is there anything else, though, about the chain? What am I missing? Why does Carrabba's have a three hour wait for dinner, but locally-owned Gianno's have empty tables? Why does Melissa choose Olive Garden every year?

Thoughts of Korea

Michael is in Korea for a few days, so when a friend asked me to join her for dinner last night, I knew exactly where to go. Kotobuki is our favorite Japanese restaurant in town (if not our favorite Toledo restaurant period). But, the sexy owner Dennis is actually Korean. They have a few Korean dishes available, some advertised, some not.

Sue, our waitress, kindly started us off with two bowls of panchan (small bowls of Korean hors d'oeuvres). While a typical Korean restaurant would provide four to five bowls at least, there were no complaints from us diners. After all, we weren't charged, and for a treat that's not even on the menu, we took what we could get! One bowl was Kimchi, of course. The other was filled with a mysterious root that had been macerated in some sort of pineapple-y, soy sauce elixir. Both were delicious and addictive.

For our main course, we opted for Dolsot Bibimbap. Dolsot is the stone bowl in which the Bibimbap is served. It is heated ahead of time and serves to keep the food incredibly warm for what seems like ages. Bibimbap is basic Korean comfort food. Steamed rice is topped with delicious vegetables, all cooked separately. The traditional protein is beef (bulgogi usually) and an egg, sunny side up. Most restaurants offer a vegetarian option, with chunks of tofu standing in for the marinated beef. The entirety is tossed with Gochujang, a spicy Korean sauce with the texture of ketchup. Bibimbap is one of my favorite dishes. Before Michael left, I gave him a list of Korean food items to bring back with him. I can't wait to make some Bibimbap at home.

Technorati Tags: bibimbap, korean food, toledo, gochujang, kimchi

Huitlacoche - i finally tried it

I've read quite a bit about Huitlacoche. This corn fungus is considered a blight by most US farmers, but is a delicacy in Mexico. In recent years, however, it has made headway into US restaurants. Not in Toleod, however.

But, luckily, I'm in Chicago tonight! I'm here on a quick business trip. We are attending the Kitchen and Bath Show tomorrow. Today was filled with eating, drinking, shopping, and walking in the delightful spring sun. This is an awesome city.

Where was I? Oh yes, fungus. The client we wined and dined tonight is a huge fan of Mexican food, so we thought it would be fun to take him someplace very authentic. We went to Salpicon. I was very impressed.

The huitlacoche, though, wasn't as mindblowing as I expected. From the descriptions I've read, I was expecting something more like a truffle. I wanted muskiness and richness and that sexy earthlike flavor. What I got was something with a light vegetal flavor. It was tasty, but more like eggplant than like truffle.

Photo courtesty of Wikipedia.

Technorati Tags: huitlacoche, corn smut

Messy Eaters

We go out to eat quite a bit, especially when Michael is around. And now that Max is big enough to sit in a highchair, he has become a messy kid, just like his sister!

When Dylie was seven months old, our dog, Friday, suddenly gained five pounds. It was all from dropped Cheerios! And it's happening all over again. The dog is beside herself with joy, and we have once again become the scourge of the local restaurants.

Michael came to town tonight and we headed out to one of our favorite pizza joints. Max settled down happily in his highchair, and soon enough, the floor around him was littered with Cheerios. Tonight, Dylie was happy to clean them up for us, snatching up every one of them in a display of OCD that would have made my dad proud. But, what if she were busy with something else? What's protocol in this situation? My friend Yaelle tends to leave the mess that her kid makes, and she compensates by leaving a larger than usual tip. Her reasoning is that the restaurant staff are better equipped to clean the mess, and that by increasing the tip, it's a win-win situation.

When we had Dylan only, I did my best to clean up after her. Leaving a mess embarrassed me. Now, though, with two kids on my hands, it's not always convenient to get on the floor and gather up small bits of food. What do you guys think? Should I switch to the Yaelle method?