Beach Meal

         Oh, the beach.  I was on the South Carolina coast for the week with my family for our annual beach visit.  My family has what's called "beach rules".  Beach rules state that no one has to do anything they don't want to do, but every person has to cook dinner one night out of the week.  Of course there are unofficial beach rules, like help out with the dishes and don't be a sore loser at Monopoly, but for the most part, making dinner one night was my only obligation. 
          A few years ago I was at the gym and someone had one of the TV's set to Paula Deen's cooking show.  The only part of the show that stuck with me were the tilapia sandwiches she made.  So, created my own little twist for the focus my beach meal.  I knew I wanted to use whatever fish was swimming that morning; it didn't really matter what kind it was.  The freshest fish at the market that day were grouper.  We got one filet per two people, because they were huge and had to fit on a bun.  I mixed together cornmeal, old bay seasoning, blackening, and salt to put on my fish.  I dipped the filets in egg, then coated them in the dry mixture.  I also filled a cast iron pan with about a centimeter of oil and let that get extremely hot, which, in the un-air conditioned house, didn't make the kitchen feel too great.  I carefully set the filets in, because as soon as they hit the pan, spurts of hot oil went in every direction.  I flipped the fish when they were golden brown and crispy on one side.  When they were done, I set them on tons of paper towels to let the excess grease drip out.  When I was watching Paula Deen, she made a lime and dill mayo.  I didn't follow her recipe exactly, but obviously it was the same idea.  I chopped up lots of fresh dill, squeezed a juicy lime, and stirred that into a good heap of mayonnaise.  I put a decent dollop of that on toasted buns for each person, and laid the fish on top.

          Along with the fish, I created a corn, cucumber, and tomato salad that I found online.  I made sure to only use very fresh produce from the family-run stand on the side of the road.  Here is the recipe:
http://localfoods.about.com/od/salads/r/corncuctomsalad.htm

          I wanted the starch for my meal to be easy; I could only slave away in an un-air conditioned kitchen for so long.  I bought a bag of sweet potato waffle fries from the freezer section in the grocery store, threw them in the oven for twenty minutes, and served them alongside my fish and salad.  They were kind of a strange combination, but it worked nonetheless.

         Overall my beach meal was definitely a success.  With influences from Paula Deen, fresh fish and fresh produce, online recipes, and my own genius, this summer dinner was exciting, different, and tasty.

Happy Dining,
The Teenage Foodie

Louisa's Pita Calzones

          Today I had literally 10 minutes to feed myself lunch before running off to go babysit. I'm so sick of sandwiches I could die, and unfortunately our Easy Mac supply is dithering. So, I got creative. I decided to make mini calzone pita bite... things.          We have these mini pita rounds that we use with hummus, but I wanted to stuff it and make a mini calzone.  I started by cutting a slit in the pita so I could stuff it with what I wanted. We didn't have any pizza sauce, but we had a little spaghetti sauce in the fridge. I spooned about two tablespoons of marinara sauce into the pita, and then I stuffed them with mozzarella and pressed them shut. I could've put pepperoni or ham or some other topping in them, but I was low on time, so I stuck with just cheese.  I put them in the oven for about 7 minutes on 375 degrees until the cheese was melted and gooey.  
          I had no idea how these were going to turn out. I just threw them together as a random experiment, and I didn't expect much. For a pretty sad attempt at a garnish, I tossed on a little fresh parmesan. They really didn't look like the most appetizing thing in the world, but I popped one into my mouth, and they were great! I successfully made my own little pizza bites, and they were a wonderful experiment. I will definitely make these again.

                                     

Colbeh Persian Kitchen and Bar

           I feel a little weird reviewing a restaurant that hasn’t quite gotten itself established yet.  Colbeh Persian Kitchen has the potential to be a great Decatur restaurant.  They just haven’t gotten the hang of being a restaurant yet.  They specialize in authentic Persian food.  My family and I love international foods, so that’s why we wanted to give it a shot.

          The restaurant is trying very hard to have their customers try many different types of Persian food.  The moment we sat down, we were given a three-dish starter, as well as an authentic type of bread.  This won my mom’s heart, because they made sure she had food right away.  The decoration and feeling in the room was very pleasant.  The tables were a good distance apart, the lighting wasn’t too harsh or too nonexistent, and the brick wall across the side added tons of cool character.  The only negative parts of the atmosphere were the frantic waiters.  They had probably five waiters on staff, and there were only about four tables.  They were trying very hard to get everyone served and seated quickly, but they were a little too fast and determined to make you feel comfortable.  The waiters were constantly running around, like they might at a hectic full restaurant, but that night was neither hectic nor full.

My mom's Plate

My plate

My dad's plate

          The menu has a series of deconstructed plate options; there are all different choices for meat skewers, vegetables, and rice.   Then, they have the more completed, all-in-one plates focused around the meat.  They also have an assortment of intricate Persian stews.  My mom ordered the lamb, which was a small portion, but the meat was flavorful and cooked well.  My dad and I were going to order the same thing, but the waiter gave us a choice of a half or a whole order.  My dad wasn’t extremely hungry, so he got the half order while I got the whole.  Little did we know that portion size wouldn’t be the only difference.  When mine got out, it came with a long cut of well seasoned chicken, fragrant, delicious, rice, and a roasted tomato.  When my dad’s plate came out, it had half the chicken, no rice, and no tomato.  His chicken wasn’t nearly as good as mine, and we thought we’d receive the same thing.  His was the consistency of being ground and then overcooked, because it was extremely dry.  Mine, however, was moist and string-like, and it was very delicious.

          As always, we ordered two kinds of dessert.  We ordered the red velvet cake and the cream puff.  I have no idea if either of these is authentic and Persian, but they were tasty.  The red velvet cake was moist and thick, and it had a fantastic cream cheese frosting.  The cream puff was even better.  It was crispy, but also doughy, and it had a wonderful creamy filling.  The presentation for both desserts was impressive.

Red Velvet Cake

Cream Puff

           In time, I think that Colbeh Persian Kitchen will be a great addition to Decatur.  They just have a few flaws that they need to sort out, and then they will be very successful.  If you’re in the mood for something international but still simple, give the restaurant a try.  You’ll have a nice meal.

Thanks for reading,

The Teenage Foodie

THE Salad

          I've realized many hip restaurants I’ve visited have their own interpretation of this one salad.  Some create it well, some create it terribly.  The successful version of this salad plays off of different acidities, bitterness, and sweets.  There are five main components.

 1) Some fancy lettuce, maybe a bitter arugula or a simple romaine

 2) Fresh, sweet fruit, like craisins, apples, pears, or strawberries

 3) Blue cheese (the most common), sometimes feta.

 4) Nuts.  My favorite is when they put candied pecans or candied walnuts.

 5) A simple, sweet vinaigrette

Here are some pictures I found off of google that are like the salad I'm talking about.

          Almost every time I order a salad at any restaurant, I pinpoint their variation of this just to try it and see how it compares to other restaurants’.  I love the balance of flavors between bitter and sweet that comes from every bite.  The bitter lettuce balances out the sweet fruit, the bitter sourness of the blue cheese is balanced by the sugary nuts, and then the vinaigrette ties everything together.  The trick to mastering this salad is fresh, quality ingredients, and well thought out proportions.  The lettuce has to be at the peak of freshness, or else it doesn’t hold it’s own weight as a component rather than a base.  The fruit has to be ripe, but not mushy or else it takes away from the freshness of the salad.  The blue cheese has to be good quality and strong, or else the salad is too sweet, like eating candy.  In my opinion the nuts really should be candied or sweetened, or else they don't hold their own weight as a flavor component rather than just a component.  The vinaigrette is important too.  It has to be sweet and sour, but it has to be subtle enough to let the other ingredients stand out.  It also has to be light and acidic, to keep the salad fresh and airy.  If done right, this salad can be my favorite aspect of the entire meal.  I have yet to find the best variation, but I look forward to letting you all know when I do. I also might try and duplicate it myself once I can get my hands on the ingredients.


Keep eatin'!
The Teenage Foodie

Taqueria del Sol

          Taqueria del Sol is an icon for Decatur.  There are two other locations, but in Decatur it is the place to go.  My family and I like it so much that for about two years now, we’ve gone to Taqueria every single Saturday for lunch. 

          The atmosphere at Taqueria is awesome.  No matter what time of year, it always makes being outdoors feel nice.  The majority of the restaurant is a long covered patio, but there’s indoor seating also.  The patio is nice because in the winter, they close up the plastic sides and turn on the overhead heaters, making it warm but open.  Then, in the summer, they open up the sides and turn on the fans.  Taqueria emotes the fun feeling of breezy summertime.  Unfortunately, all of the restaurant’s customers must wait in one very long line to get to the one cash register.  The line usually moves quick, but sometimes it can feel like forever before you finally reach the front.  Sitting at the bar is the easy way to avoid the intimidating line. 

My usual plate (Two fish tacos and the shrimp corn chowder)

          Taqueria’s menu consists of tacos, enchiladas, sides, soups, and dips.  To start the meal, we get the cheese dip and the guacamole dip every time.  The cheese dip is great because it’s got just the right amount of jalapeno spiciness, but still the gooey creaminess everyone loves.  The guacamole is hands-down the best I’ve ever had, and my mom goes on and on about it when we bring people with us to eat.  The avocados are chunky, as are the tomatoes, and there’s tons of lime and cilantro in the dip.  It most definitely is NOT just mushy green gunk.  The tacos on the menu are all delicious, and honestly I wouldn’t bother with the enchiladas.  My favorite tacos are the Memphis, the Fried Chicken, and the Fish.  The Memphis is an entire barbeque meal put into one tortilla.  The fried chicken is good for picky eaters because it’s kind of like chicken fingers in a taco.  The fish taco is probably what Taqueria is most known for.  It’s simple fried tilapia with a delicious jalapeno tartar sauce, but the flavors that come out of it are incomparable.  I like to dip mine in the leftover cheese dip.  The other item that most Taqueria fanatics gab about is the shrimp corn chowder.  That chowder is truly food for the soul; that’s really all I can say.  Meal portions are a little difficult to determine, but two tacos and a side or chowder is a safe amount to order, especially if you’re getting chips and a dip.  What better thing to wash down a meal than a heaping glass of sweet tea? Taqueria has the best sweet tea in Decatur, and I know good sweet tea.  I’m Southern.

          Now, since my blog is The Teenage Foodie, I do have to stand up for my peers.  Taqueria hates teenagers, and they aren’t subtle about showing it.  Maybe it’s because we don’t tip well enough, maybe it’s because they think we make a mess, maybe it’s because we aren’t the crowd they want to target, but this is my only negative comment about the restaurant.  I’ve been there with my friends, and the waiters will snatch up my plate as I’m taking my last bite just to get us out of there fast enough.  They’ve never done anything like that when I go with my parents, so I can only think that there’s some age bias going on.  So, teenagers, y’all need to tip better, and Taqueria, y’all need to lighten up.  There.  Problem solved.

          To conclude, if you haven’t been to Taqueria del Sol you need to go.  It’s just a Decatur experience that you should have.  You’ll leave feeling much happier than when you arrived, and I guarantee you’ll want to return.

The Teenage Foodie