Salt Lake City Fall Dine O’ Round: September 11th-27th, 2009

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Fall_DOR_Logo

I occasionally receive press releases and will post those I think might interest you- this event is already underway:

Fall Dine O’ Round: September 11th-27th, 2009

Downtown Dining and Dynamic Deals

Salt Lake City- Thirty-one of Salt Lake City’s best restaurants extend a special
invitation to enjoy dining at an exceptional price during the 7th annual Fall
Downtown Dine O’ Round. In addition to the regular menu, participating restaurants
offer a three-course dinner for $15 or $30 per person; some also offer a two-course
lunch for $10. The program has become increasingly popular during a downturn in the
national economy, with some restaurants reporting a 25 percent increase during the
Spring Dine O’ Round event.

“With more than a dozen new restaurants opening in the past few months, dining in
Utah’s Capital City has never been more dynamic,” said Jason Mathis, executive
director of the Downtown Alliance. “This Salt Lake tradition is a great way to enjoy
restaurants like the New Yorker, Squatters, Metropolitan and Bambara while sampling
new spots like Donovan’s, Gracie’s, J. Wong’s, Tipica and the Sandbar Mexican
Grill.”

Asian, Italian, Lebanese, American, Austrian and Mexican cuisines-and specialty
restaurants featuring seafood, steak and vegetarian fare-provide savory selections
to satisfy any world traveler and cuisine connoisseur, all in downtown Salt Lake
City. Indulge the frugal foodie in you during Downtown Dine O’ Round…it’s an ideal
way to explore new restaurants or enjoy old favorites. There are no coupons, no
punch cards and no strings attached.

Venues to Visit

Bambara

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano

Caffe Molise*

Cedars of Lebanon*

Christopher’s Seafood and Steakhouse*

Donovan’s Steak and Chop House

Este Pizzeria*

Eva*

Gracie’s*

Iggy’s Sports Grill/Downtown*

J. Wong’s Asian Bistro

Lamb’s Grill Café

Lumpy’s Downtown

Market Street Grill*

Market Street Oyster Bar*

Martine

McGrath’s Fish House*

Metropolitan*

Red Rock Brewing Company

Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana*

Squatters Pub Brewery*

Star of India

Takashi

The Garden Restaurant at Temple Square

The Melting Pot

The New Yorker*

The Sandbar

Tin Angel Café*

Tipica

Tucanos Brazilian Grill*

Vienna Bistro*

*Offers Dine O’ Round lunch special.

More information, visit www.dineoround.com.

web_page_2009

Presented by the Downtown Alliance and American Express. Supported by Model Citizen,
Muir Copper Canyon Farms, Nicholas & Co., Stone Ground Bakery, Sysco, US Food
Services and City Weekly.

The Downtown Alliance is dedicated to building a dynamic and diverse community that
is the regional center for culture, commerce and entertainment. For more
information, visit downtownslc.org.

California Chicken Salad plus fresh homemade dressings

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california chopped salad

As this season slowly draws to a close and those last days of outdoor grilling and garden fresh tomatoes go by,  we really savor the last and best of our “salad days”. Store bought tomatoes and baked chicken breast can be used in other seasons but it’s just not quite the same.

I call this a California Chicken Salad because it has ingredients that I associate with several years of growing up in Orange County, California. More often than not, we had a salad topped with chicken for dinner. I love the interplay of flavors with the chicken, avocado and tomato. Black beans and corn add a little Southwest touch as well. Try this with my Creamy Cotija Cilantro Chile Pepita Dressing , a fresh vinaigrette or even some homemade Blue Cheese or Ranch style buttermilk dressing. Making your own dressing is so easy- don’t rely on commercial dressings that may be loaded with ingredients you can’t pronounce and that your body doesn’t need.

cuccs

California Chicken Salad

  • Romaine lettuce, washed dried and chopped
  • one green onion, washed and sliced
  • a fresh garden tomato, sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh or frozen steamed and then chilled corn kernels
  • 1/4 cup cooked and chilled black beans
  • 1/2 Haas avocado, sliced
  • one grilled and sliced or cubed boneless chicken breast
  • 2 Tablespoons shredded medium cheddar cheese
  • 1 small handful homemade or good quality baked croutons
  • 1 Tablespoon slivered blanched almonds

Mix the Romaine and green onion together in a salad bowl. Top with the remaining ingredients grouped together around the top. Dress and enjoy.

Home style Ranch Dressing

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise- Best Foods or homemade
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, plus more to thin if necessary
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons parsley, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix all together in a food processor or blender and blend until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill for at least one hour before using. Use within a few days.

Blue Cheese Dressing

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon best quality olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 cup great quality blue  cheese (try Cowgirl Creamery’s Point Reyes  Farmstead Blue if you can)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons, minced parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except blue cheese in a food processor or blender and blend well. Crumble the blue cheese and stir it in well. Chill for at least an hour before using. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use within a few days.

Vinaigrette

  • one shallot minced finely
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • pinch of salt
  • a few grindings of black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar of choice- Sherry, Balsamic, Port or a good quality wine vinegar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons best quality extra virgin olive oil

Place the shallots, mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar into a the salad bowl you’ll be using or another small  bowl and whisk well. Let stand 10 minutes and then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Dress  salad just before serving. Two to four servings.

xo

Patatas Bravas & King Crab Cakes for Tapas plus Pom Sangria

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pbcu

crabcakespatas

We enjoy the small plate style of Tapas now and then and two of our favorite dishes are Patatas Bravas and Crab Cakes. While it’s lovely to go to Meditrina or Martine Cafe (two of our favorite local tapas restaurants) and order many small plates to share- occasionally we like to make our own at home.

Patatas Bravas (brave potatoes) are very easy to make and so delicious.
In exploring some Spanish cuisine I’ve found that spicy foods are not often the standing order.  Spanish friend of mine once complained that black pepper was too spicy. So these potatoes are for those with “machismo.”

Patatas Bravas

  • Potatoes as many as you like, scrubbed and dried -about 2 pounds will serve four people
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 large or 3 small dried chiles- I use Guajillo, remove seeds and break up into pieces
  • 3/4 teaspoon of toasted and ground cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
  • pinch of salt
  • olive oil for frying
  • one bell pepper, seeded and sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste for finishing
  • chile salsa mayonnaise or Romesco sauce for serving

bravas paste

Boil the potatoes until almost tender- about 10-12 minutes. Drain and cool them.
While the potatoes are cooling, place the garlic and chilies in a mortar and pestle and pound them until a smooth paste forms, add the cumin, paprika, vinegar and salt and mix well. Set aside.

frying potatoes

Slice the potatoes about 1/4″ thick or even a little thicker. Heat a heavy, wide skillet for a few minutes over medium flame and then add olive oil to thinly coat the bottom. Add the sliced potatoes in a single layer and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Fry until golden on one side and then flip. They will stick at first- but will release once a crust is formed. Fry the other side until it releases and add the sliced pepper and fry until the pepper is tender. Add a tablespoon of the garlic-chile paste and turn the potatoes into it to coat all sides. Fry for a few minutes and then serve. Drizzle a  bit of mayonnaise mixed with some salsa to taste over the top or serve a Romesco sauce on the side.

cuinthepan

The chile-garlic paste will keep for a few days in the fridge so you can cook extra potatoes and make these a few times, or use the paste in other dishes to add some spice.

I know it’s not usual to use King Crab in crab cakes but I had some on hand and they were delicious.

kingcrabcake

King Crab Cakes

  • 1 cup cooked king crab meat, picked over for shells
  • 1/2 cup red onion minced
  • 1/2 cup celery minced fine
  • pinch of old bay seasoning
  • pinch of chile powder- I use Rick’s homemade mmm
  •  a couple of teaspoons of mayonnaise
  • about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of moist bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • panko bread crumbs to coat
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chile mayonnaise or Romesco for serving

Mix all except the panko crumbs until you have a light mixture that will hold together when pressed lightly. You may have to adjust the bread crumbs but don’t add too many or you will make the crab cakes heavy. Form small cakes and coat with panko crumbs. Fry in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat in a little olive oil until cooked through and browned on all sides. Serve with a bit of chile-mayonnaise or Romesco sauce.

pom cooler

I made a nice Pom spritzer – with Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice and a bit of San Pellegrino sparkling water and lemonade to go with these one night. Janny from Pom Wonderful was nice enough to send me some a while ago. I do really like and use their very healthy product and have posted about it before, we make a lot of Pom martinis and cocktails around here. I also like it in smoothies, have used it to make granola, had it over cereal and we even add it in a splash to our water with meals for a refresher. There is always a bottle in our fridge.

Try using some in Sangria- I made a pitcher of that on another night that we had Tapas.

Pom Sangria

  • one bottle nice Spanish red wine like Rioja
  • 1- eight ounce bottle Pom Pomegranate juice
  • 1/2 cup orange brandy or Gran Marnier
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • Sparking mineral water such as San Pellegrino to taste
  • Sliced fruit- oranges, lemons, limes or even grapes and peaches etc.

Mix the first 5 ingredients making sure the sugar dissolves. Add sparkling water to taste to dilute or add fizz. Add the sliced fruit and enjoy responsibly.

Do you ever enjoy an evening of Tapas- what are your favorites?

forktapas

xo

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