Cowboy Ciao!

 While looking for ideas for this Fun Frank Friday, we browsed through the internet for restaurants in Phoenix.  Cowboy Ciao's caught our eyes with wording on their menu such as this description of their dessert: "Save room to satisfy your sweet tooth with equally creative selections from Pastry Chef Country Velador, who contributes housemade breads, ice creams, sorbets, you name it – take the Cobbler on Quack, which features duck fat ice cream (you heard me, duck fat ice cream – like I could make that up)"  and their description of the Black Tiger shrimp with "habanero chile/apricot glazed, grilled, served atop “I'm gonna get you, sucka-tash”
(roast corn, snap peas, bacon, red onion)".    When Patti also saw that the top of the dinner menu started with desserts rather than appetizers she said "this is my kind of place!" and since I haven't tried duck-fat ice cream, I had to try it now making this "my kind of place" too.

Shortly after we sat down, I was craving something a little different than just a Coke.  So I decided on a Sioux City Sasparilla.  Patti was able to get her favorite, Cherry Diet Coke.  After our waiter brought our drinks, we started in on the third degree questions about the different appetizers.  The main one that sparked my interest was the Wild Boar Meatballs.  Before I mentioned that I was thinking about it, the server indicated that was one of his favorites and he couldn't understand why it wasn't served as a full entree.  He also recommended the Buffalo Carpaccio and he did say that Ahi Tuna Tartare was made with fresh tuna.  Our choices ended up being the Wild Boar Meatballs and a for a contrast the Ahi Tuna Tartare.  The first to arrive at our table was the meatballs.  Wild Boar Meatballs are ground wild boar with salsify, charred broccolini, chanterelles, cream, truffle oil, shaved Montasio cheese.  The meatballs were seasoned perfectly to match the wild boar flavor.  They were well cooked on the outside but juicy and moist on the inside.  They were covered with bold cream sauce and served with vegetables and the entire thing topped with cheese.  These rich flavors on the appetizer were so incredible that I agreed with our server that it should be offered as an entire entree.

Every good meal needs a balance of powers so to speak.  For every sweet there should be a sour, for every smooth there should be a crunch, for every bold meatball there should be an Ahi tuna tartare.  The Ahi tuna tartare consists of fresh raw tuna chopped then topped with charred orange/prickly pear vinaigrette, black sesame seed kettle corn, and popcorn shoots.  As bold and rich as the Wild Boar meatballs were, this appetizer was smooth and cool with a sweet flavor and the popcorn gave a crunchy texture.  These two went together like a ying and a yang.  It was best eaten with alternating bites between the two dishes.

My entree was the first one to hit the table.  I was a little reluctant to order swordfish and as many times it is known to be dry and tough.  But I was assured by the waiter that this was not the case here at Cowboy Ciao.  The Grilled Swordfish is grilled to medium, served with green peppercorn/oyster mushroom cream saute and ‘Chef Lester-veg’ (a mélange of charred rapini, salsify, garlic, onion & speck).  So I may not know what all these terms mean but I do know that the fish was moist and flaky which surprised me because it was at least 2 1/2 inches thick.  The cream sauce was similar to that on the wild boar with a strong bold flavor.  I enjoyed this dish especially when I was able to have the flaky fish, the crunchy vegetables and the smooth cream sauce in one large bite.  My entree was so good that it reduced my dinner conversations to simple grunts of satisfaction.
Patti was intrigued with the entree called "We're Bananas for Flat-Iron".  We tested our waiter to see if we could get special orders.  They were happy to accommodate our several requests which included putting the coffee/veal demi-glace on the side.  This dish is described as a half-pound-plus flat iron steak, grilled to temperature, sliced and fanned, with fried plantains, served over shaved parsnips, and a Meyer lemon/mint/cherry tomato salad on the side. A flat iron steak comes from the shoulder muscle and in layman's terms it is generally a tough cut of meat.  Patti took one bite of the steak and said "Frank this is so tender that it rivals your filet mignon" (which she LOVES by the way).  I was skeptical so I had to try a bite, and I wasn't quite satisfied so I had to have two more and it was delicious.

By the time we finished our entrees I was feeling full, but the draw to try something on "quack" was too strong.  Patti couldn't resist the dessert that included not only her favorite flavors but also her name.  The Peppermint Patti Brownie was a rich warm brownie topped with a peppermint cream pattie which was then topped with chocolate ice cream.  The ice cream froze the peppermint cream into a crunch that was a surprise contrast to the gooey brownie center.  The ice cream also was drizzled with a light peppermint sauce and a chocolate crumb sprinkle.  It may sound rich but the contrast of the light mint kept the chocolate from becoming so overpowering that you can't take more than a single bite.
To me, my dessert was irresistible by name alone: Warm Apple Cobbler - on Quack (with brie cheese crema and duck fat ice cream).  The apple cobbler was made with fresh apples and given the same care as any grandmother would give her own recipe.  I was very curious what duck ice cream would taste like.  Duck with a strong poultry flavor is not an ingredient one would think to put in ice cream.  As I put a spoonful into my mouth, it was actually very similar to a vanilla ice cream.  The only difference being it had more of a rich creamy flavor due to the duck fat. 

Cowboy Ciao was a fun adventure, a fusion of flavors with sense of humor and great atmosphere.  And if you've never tried Cobbler on Quack...try it now.

Mijana- Authentic Lebanese Cuisine

 Too often when dining out, it is so easy to say "let's go grab a burger" or "let's get Chinese".  How many times have you heard "Let's do Lebanese"?   Well if you are going out to dinner with me, you will hear it more often.  Patti and I sat down at our table, we tried to decide what to order.  The first thing that jumped out at me was the veal tartare, but because this specialty dish needs to be ordered in advance to ensure freshness of the meat, I was unable to have it this time.  But rest assured the next time I eat at Mijana's I will order it in advance!  Since we were unfamiliar with what constituted Lebanese cuisine, we opted for their house "Dinner Special" that included a variety of their menu options.  It first started off with Fattouch which is Romaine lettuce with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, radish, tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, sumac and pita chips.  This salad was very well mixed and it also came with two freshly baked loaves of pita bread.  The bread was warm to the touch and ideal as an essential component of the rest of the meal.  
Next was the appetizer sampler or Mezza.  This included:  hummus, a puree of garbonzo beans with tahini, garlic and lemon juice then topped with a drizzle of olive oil; babagannouj, fire roasted eggplant pureed with tahini, garlic and lemon juice also topped with a drizzle of olive oil;  falafels, four made from scratch chickpea croquettes with tomatos, onions and pickles; borek,  crispy handmade fillo pastry rolls filled with feta, mozzarella and herbs.  The hummus was an excellent dipping sauce for our warm pita bread but for a real zing in the mouth I preferred the babagannouj.  It had more tang from the eggplant, lemon juice and garlic together.  I was pleasantly surprised on the taste of the falafels.  I expected it to be more dry and cardboard like with an after taste of sawdust.  These falafels were crisp on the outside and warm, moist on the inside but not doughy.  There was a hint of curry to them as well.  But out of all the appetizer choices, I loved the borek the best.  

After trying one of these you will never want to go back to the breaded, fried mozzerella sticks again.  The light pastry was crisp on the outside melded with the smooth creamy cheese inside.
The added herbs gave an extra delicate flavor.  All these appetizers came with two small spears of a homemade pickle.  Although it might appear to be just a garnish, the pickle was excellent tasting as well.

Now that we were starting to feel full from all of our appetizers, the main entree came to the table.  The Dinner special included Kefta kabobs and chicken kabobs.  Kefta is seasoned ground beef and lamb minced with parsley and onions. Grilled and served juicy over rice with tsatziki (yogurt and cucumber mix).  While the chicken is charbroiled and also served over rice, with a garlic dip.  The kefta had a rich bold, meaty flavor and fall off the skewer tender.  We used our pita bread to pick it up and dip it in the tsatziki sauce.  The chicken appeared to be dried as it looked similar to tandoori chicken we have had in the past.  We were pleasantly surprised to find it was not.  This chicken was soft and so juicy that I wasn't sure if I was drooling or if the chicken juices were dripping off my chin.  This kabob was the best one.  It had an amazing accent with the garlic dip.  It was so rich, creamy and with garlic to the tenth power that it will take days for the garlic flavor to leave.  Now I am not a big fan of rice, most of the time, I usually taste it and push it to the side.  I am not often impressed with dry and bland rice.  But this rice was smooth and extremely flavorful from what seemed to be exotic spices.

 Our first dessert was baklava.  It is a fillo pastry filled with honey, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg.  The plate was drizzled with a berry syrup and pistachio pieces.  As baklava goes, I felt it was weak and needed the berry syrup to give it more dessert flavor.  Patti on the other hand, who is not a big fan of baklava typically, enjoyed it.  She felt that the berry gave it more of a balanced sweet taste rather than the overpowering honey and spice that typical baklava has.



We saved the best for last.  The dinner special menu recommend that we try their "Baked Kanefe for Two" so we did.  It is described as a "vermicilli " looking fillo pastry that's shredded then colored orange..with a layer of cheese in between- baked..and topped with sugar syrup and pistachio pieces before serving. Oh. My. Sweet. Goodness.!  I think I discovered what they must serve in heaven.  Whether you are a cheese lover or not, this dessert will blow your mind on so many levels.  I enjoyed the shredded wheat texture from the pastry contrasting from the creamy smooth melted cheese.  The sweet syrup was singing praises on one side of your mouth while the nuts were dancing on the other side.  This is a must try!  And an item that will be calling us back to Mijana in the future.  So if you haven't tried Kanefe or babagannouj, try it now.

Fun Frank Friday on Steriods....Part two

So of course who can resist going to Alaska and not ordering Reindeer sausage?  And of course if you order reindeer sausage you need to ask for the maraschino cherry.  Why you ask?  So you can have a Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer sausage of course.

I tried the reindeer sausage in a few places (this one was at the Sourdough Mining company).  I found the meat to be smooth and flavorful.  This is a type of sausage that could be easily eaten any Fourth of July barbecue.

Being in Alaska there are a few other staples that you must try.  Crab legs and halibut are a given and easily found in just about any state.  But when you eat them in the neighborhood of where they are caught they just have such a fresh taste to them that rivals any fresh fish you've gotten anywhere else.  I wish I could tell you more about the crab legs but I blinked twice and they were inhaled.  I did savor the halibut a bit longer and it was tender, flaky and extremely moist surrounded with a light beer batter.  This is fish that does not need tarter sauce.

Patti chose the Alyeska Chicken Burger, a mesquite chicken breast, grilled over an open flame, and served with teriyaki sauce, swiss cheese, and two grilled pineapple rings.  The most notable item that accompanies each dish is the "Korn Fritters".  So put a muzzle on your hushpuppies and make room for some.  The flour dough is mixed with fresh corn, cut off the cob and rolled into little balls, then deep fried and served with honey butter.  Korn fritters seem to be quite popular and we found them throughout Anchorage.  They served them in many restaurants as well as at the weekend farmer's market.  They are so filling that Patti was only able to eat half of her burger because she stuffed herself with fritters.
Right across the parking lot from the Sourdough mining company is the Alaska Wild berry products store.  Where you will find the world's largest chocolate fountain.  It was so big that we couldn't fit it all into one photo.  There is a sign that warns you not to eat, taste or touch the chocolate.  Having seen Willy Wonka we didn't want to end up like Augustus Gloop so we didn't.  This was an excellent place to buy Alaskan souvenirs to take home (or in our case mail home).

I must say that my favorite part of Fun Frank Friday on Steriods/20th Wedding anniversary was the riding the Harley's through the Alaskan mountains.  Patti and I rode the trike and my piece of advice to you when learning to ride a trike...DO NOT PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN WHEN YOU STOP!  I found out the hard way and actually broke my toe early in the morning.  Not wanting to spend my day in the emergency room, I didn't tell anyone.  That way I could spend my time riding the motorcycle through the mountains.  It was an extremely scenic view.  We passed many waterfalls on the side of the road (down the mountains) and watched bald eagles landing on the opposite side (where the river was).

 Since we were on motorcycles we got more of an open view and Patti took this opportunity to snap photos (look closely in the rear view mirror).  We headed down to Seward where we enjoyed our lunch and visited the SeaLife Aquarium.  On display there were many fish, sea lions, seals and even a discovery center where you were allowed to touch sea slugs, starfish and even hug a sea urchin.  After our visit we headed over to the Exit Glacier.  This was a mile and a half trek up the mountain to where the glacier is now.  The walk wasn't strenuous and it was soothing to hike through the woods.  We found a beautiful landscape overlooking the mountain valley to take our picture.  Please forgive Patti's helmet hair, it's a natural byproduct of motorcycle riding.
As we were walking up there were signs with numbers representing years on them along side the trail.  Each of these spots were representative of where the glacier was during that year.  This shows the gradual receding of the glacier.  We were finally able to reach the glacier and as we stood next to the glacier all you notice at first is that it looks like a pile of dirty snow.  But as you look closer at the cracks and fissures you will see a deep beautiful icy blue.  At this time the temperature outside was about 67 degrees and I was amazed that a mammoth sheet of ice was still standing in front of us.

Now we decided to hike back down to the visitor's center, another mile and half back down the mountain.  Though it doesn't seem that it would be such a strenuous hike, with every step Patti was reminded that she was wearing her sister's motorcycle boots.  As we approached the bottom, I was reminded with every step that I still had a broken toe.  Once we reached the visitor's center, we sat down to rest our feet for a few minutes.  I noticed there was still a patch of snow on the ground, so as Patti took off her boots and socks, I snuck over, grabbed a handful and proceded to "help" her cool off her feet.

By this time it was already 5pm and we needed to start heading home.  As we were on the road home in an area that had zero cell phone service, Patti's nephew Sam got a flat tire on his Harley.  After two, 20 miles each way, runs back to Seward to get "Fix a Flat" and then more "Fix a Flat".  We were fortunate to have a tow truck driver stop in our pull-out as he secured a car that had been involved in an accident earlier.  He quickly was able to plug the hole and filled the tire with air.  All that was left for us to do was wait for Linda and Dave to return from Seward so we could let them know it was fixed.  Since it was getting late, we stopped off at the next town up for dinner.  The Trail Lake Lodge in Moose Pass, Alaska was still open for dinner.

Sam had the chicken fingers.  Linda had the taco salad.  Dave had the French dip.  Patti had a grilled chicken salad.  And I had the Rock Bass burrito.  After being on the road a long time, this food hit the spot and it was perfect in helping us have the energy to return home.



As were on the road home, we saw moose grazing in a field near the road.  But what was truly spectacular was seeing the sun set behind horizon.  It was brilliant hues of orange and yellow and was incredible to watch this happen at 11:30 at night.  I was even more amazed that when we arrived home at around midnight, I still had my sunglasses on because there was still light outside.

The next day we explored the Wasilla Urgent care where the doctor x-rayed my toe and confirmed that my toe was broken.  By this time, we were finished with the motorcycle ride so I was able to take pain meds and limp around without any one threatening to take away my fun.

For our last night in Alaska, we stayed in Anchorage and explored downtown.  We visited various souvenir shops and even got to pose with Yogi (or Smokey, whomever you prefer).  But this will give you an idea how big the bears can be.  We also spent some time at the Bear and Raven theater with it's quaint and kooky exhibits.  This was made more bearable/enjoyable by the pain meds I was under.  They show a couple of films with interactive elements (i.e. blowing snow on your seats).  We watched one about the Iditarod and also one about bears in the wild.

As we walked down the street we found a couple of totem poles that would make excellent Alaska pictures.



There are so many things that we were able to do and eat here in Alaska.  If I told you everything, you would be wondering when we found the time.  But to give you an idea, we took a picture at 11pm to show you how bright and long the days really are.

So if you ever get the chance to go to Alaska, try to fit in as much as possible in your schedule.  Sample some of the local cuisine because if you haven't tried reindeer sausage, try it now.

Fun Frank Friday- on Steriods...Part 1!

Everybody knows that I enjoy adventurous eating.  Although there may be many adventures that do not take you far from home, there are times where you need to venture out into the world and explore new places.  For the 20th anniversary of our wedding,  Patti and I took a wild trip to the frozen tundra.  This adventure was brought to you by Tennille Moore and James West.  It would not have been possible without their buddy passes and frequent flier miles.  Anchorage Alaska is a very picturesque coastal city with a background of large mountains and forests.  We landed at about 4 pm (Alaska time), got our rental car and headed north, up the highway to Palmer/Wasilla area.  The hour drive flew by quickly as we were enjoying the scenery and marveling at how green mountains can be.  Every now and again we would pass by a moose crossing sign and we kept our eyes peeled for our future four-legged dinner.  We arrived at the Anderton's house (Patti's sister) which was found only because they posted the "You are here" sign at the start of their dirt road and an "X" marks the spot at the end.

In a variety of restaurants the only food that can be served are those that are farmed either from the sea or from the land.  In this harsh environment, there are some staples of food that may be hunted but still are not allowed to be served in restaurants. One of these examples is the majestic moose.  This four legged massive beast seems peaceful from a distance but they harbor quite a temper and are dangerous when they attack.  Since moose is rarely found in Arizona, coming to Alaska provided me with a rare opportunity to try moose steak.  Lucky for us my brother-in-law, Dave, was given some moose meat by a co-worker and he offered to grill it up for us if we made it to Alaska.  No matter how many restaurants you go to there is something about a home-cooked meal with family that makes it special.  I got my first opportunity to see the meat before it was cooked. 

The meat is such a deep, dark red with little to no fat marble in it.  When most people see this type of meat it would be easily mistaken for an organ rather than muscle. Dave topped the meat off with an Alaskan seasoning that is commonly used up north.  He fired up the grill and laid the steaks on it.  I stood outside briefly and talked with him a bit as he grilled.  I didn't want to stay outside too long as my blood has thinned and I feared hypothermia in the nearly 60 degree weather.  As soon as the steaks were done, we sat down at the table and were joined by Sam and KC (Patti's nephews) as well as Linda (Patti's sister).   We explained to them that each Fun Frank Friday post has rules that accompany it.  The main one being that if they are eating with us their picture will be taken.   So Linda is holding the mashed potatoes.  KC has the mixed vegetables.  Sam had the honor of bringing the moose steaks to the table.

Moose are vegetarians and their diets are made of a variety of plants.  They are very strong and do a lot of walking.  All these contribute to the flavor of moose.  The flavor of the meat had at first a rich iron taste with a grassy aftertaste.  I was surprised that it wasn't as gamey as I had expected from my previous experiences with wild deer and elk.  I expected it to be extremely tough but I was surprised at how tender it turned out to be.  Once we completed our dinner, our evening was topped by dessert; a chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting, prepared especially for us by Sam. 

By this time, we had been awake for approximately 40 hours in our adventure to make it to Alaska.  Sleep deprivation and delirium was starting to set in.  The sun however was not setting and it is hard to sleep when it is continuously light outside.  Knowing that the summers are cool and the winters are rough, it is hard to imagine why someone would want to live here year round.  And then you take one step out in the back yard and are greeted by this majestic view, snow covered mountains and an endless forest that hides any neighbors you might have.  So make no "moose-steak" about it....if you haven't tried moose, try it now.

Unphogettable! That's what you are!

 It has almost been a half of year since Fun Frank Friday's have begun.  I have been to 25 restaurants to date.  Some times it is hard to remember which restaurants I have been to.  That is why it's funny that our next restaurant will not be forgotten so easily because it is so "Unphogettable".  Unphogettable is a Vietnamese Restaurant located in the Mekong plaza at Dobson and Main in Mesa.  We arrived at the restaurant at about 5pm and as we scanned the tables, we noted that they were about 50%  full.  But we were quickly seated and our server asked if we had ever been there before.  When we told him that yes, we were new patrons, he offered to go over any questions we had.  I am not a Vietnamese-food-virgin but Patti is.  First on the agenda was drink orders.  I don't know that I am magnetically drawn to restaurants that serve Coke products or not, but it seems that most that we have been to do serve Coke.  Lucky for us Unphogettable is one of those.  I do believe it was the owner of the restaurant that came over and explained the Vietnamese menu to us.  I was intrigued by the fact that not only do they serve traditional spring rolls but they also have summer, autumn and winter rolls to round out the seasons as well.  If you are familiar with Vietnam, they also include regional specialties that you might recognize similar to Americans understanding that in Maine we would expect lobster.  .He also explained the Vietnamese salads as well as the vegetarian options.  He explained that we should not shy away from the vegetarian meals and he could add meat to them if we so chose.  He assured us that no matter what we chose, every item would be an excellent choice.  I really did appreciate that the owner was so willing to spend time with the patrons and stand behind the product.  It says something about where you are eating.  The main dish as Unphogettables is the beef broth soup, called Pho.  Hence the name of the restaurant.

We did start off with a couple of appetizers.  The first one that intrigued me was the Summer roll.  This consists of fresh rice paper rolls with Vietnamese pork sausage served with house special sauce.  once we were served, the owner explained that the best way he believed to eat this was to take 50% red chili sauce and 50% of the house special sauce and mix them together.  He also explained that the pork sausage was made fresh in house.  The summer roll was an incredibly fresh combination of crunch from vegetables and the soft mild pork sausage.  I dipped the roll into the red chili sauce and then plunged it into the house special sauce.  This intensified the flavors ten-fold.  Although I thought the fresh cilantro was a bit strong, it was just right for Patti.

The next item that hit the table was our Autumn roll, fresh rice paper rolls with sausage, egg, dehydrated shrimps, jicama served with peanut sauce.  This dish was a complete symphony.  When you listen to one instrument at a time, it can be beautiful in its own way, but it is when they all work in harmony that the music is incredible.  The first layer on the outside was the smooth rice paper, the next that I bit into was the crisp fresh vegetables with the egg.  The dehydrated shrimp added a new texture and flavor to the palate and came as a pleasant surprise in the center of the roll.  This roll's symphony of flavors and textures was completed with fresh mint leaves.  Not too many restaurants will use such fresh mint as an ingredient rather than as just a garnish.

 This restaurant is obviously known for its pho.  The owner explained pho as the equivalent of Vietnamese cheeseburgers.  He also explained that it had been simmering for 26 hours to enhance the flavors.  I don't think you can appreciate how flavorful soup can be until you have had soup that has had the time to let the flavors fuse like this.  I ordered the most popular dish on the menu, it is  "Pho Dac BÎêt Bò Viên", I pronounced it as "number 1".  It consists of beef based rice noodle soup with lean rare steak, well-done flank, marble brisket, tendon, tripe & beef meatballs.  It comes with a side of green chilis, bean sprouts, a wedge of lime and a sprig of fresh basil. 
The owner explained how to mix the Asian dipping sauce and the red chili sauce with a squirt of the lime wedge on top.  You mix them all together and it is used for dipping the pieces of meat from your soup.  This Vietnamese soup is really quite unforgettable.  Forget everything that you might have learned Campbell's soup company and take a lesson who really know how it should be done.  The soup has a rich flavor but without the salty taste that most American soups have.  All the meat was very tender and delicious and I even got Patti to try the tripe.  For those who might be unfamiliar with tripe, it is actually cow intestine that has been cleaned and cut before added to the soup.  It has a firm noodle like consistency with a slight beef flavor. 

I enjoyed that I was able to use the fresh basil to flavor the soup to my liking.  It was a nice twist from the option of table salt and pepper choices.  I finished every drop in my bowl and though I felt satisfied with a happy tummy, the meal didn't sit heavy in my stomach.

Patti's choice of dish was the Bún Bò Nuong Chä Giò which was pronounce "Number 34".  Bun is a rice vermicelli salad served with Vietnamese pickles, lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts and fish sauce.  The option she chose also came with seasoned grilled sliced beef and an egg roll on the side.  The beef had a citrus, orange marinade similar to teriyaki but definitely not the same.  Patti just fell in love with the egg roll.  She even considered not letting me try a bite because it was that good!  The outside was crispy while the inside was a balance of well seasoned meat and fresh vegetables.  We have found in previous experiences with egg rolls that they are overly stuffed with vegetables.  These were not.  The moist center with the crunchy outside made you want to snarf them down without sharing.  The next time we go, we are making sure to order these as an appetizer.  The fresh vegetables of the salad mixed with the warm rice noodles were paired nicely together for texture and flavor.  The fish sauce on the side and was recommended by the owner to be used similar to salad dressing by pouring it over the dish.  However, she found that the marinade from the beef was sufficient to provide flavor to the whole dish without it.  The mix of noodles, vegetables and beef quickly became our favorite entree.  It even made for great left overs the next day!

By the time we finished our meal, the restaurant was completely full and people were found waiting at both entrances.  Obviously once you try this place once, it is Unphogettable!  So if you haven't had a chance to sample Vietnamese cuisine or even had a bite of tripe, try it now.

The Golden Buddha

  "Fun Frank Friday" adventures off to the Far East, not the actual country of China but rather the Chinese Culture Center here in Phoenix.  We entered the restaurant at about 5pm and immediately was impressed by the stylish Chinese decor.  We were ushered over to our table that overlooked the Chinese gardens outside.  We were also pleasantly surprised that instead of canned music playing overhead or watching the chinese channel on the TV, we were treated to a live pianist who played both a piano as well as a small electronic organ when the song called for it.

Naturally this restaurant remains in good standing with us as they do serve Coke products.  But the one item on their menu that caught my eye was the "Jelly Fish marinated with Vinegar".  Most people recognize jellyfish as the sea creatures that deliver a horrifying sting from their tentacles.  For this dish to be prepared they had to remove the tentacles and the bell, or head, was cut into small thin strips.  These were then marinated in a sweet vinegar along with carrots and what we think was water chestnut or something similar to a white radish.  The entire dish was then sprinkled with sesame seeds which added a nutty flavor and a sprig of cilantro.  It is really difficult to describe this dish because I truly have never eaten anything with a similar texture.  The best way for me to try and describe it, is when you bite into a really good sausage and the casing provides a crisp snap.  You then pair this crisp snap with a limp noodle.  So there is a combination of a wiggle and a crunch in the same bite.

 

 Because Patti can never make a decision when it comes to appetizers, we went with the Chinese version of a combo platter, also known as "Po-Po Platter for 2".  This consisted of Crab Rangoon, Pan-fried Pot stickers, Garlic Chinese short ribs, egg rolls and teriyaki beef (on a stick).  It came with two dipping sauces, one was a sweet and sour while the other was soy sauce with onions.  The Crab rangoon had a nice crisp outside wonton with a rich cream-cheese with crab center.  The Chinese short ribs, while some parts were dry and overcooked, the other parts were rich and fatty.  All the parts were covered in a sweet, garlic glaze.  The pan fried pot stickers were doughy, more than expected, and with not as much crunch as we hoped from the pan frying.  It was filled with a rich meat center.  The egg rolls were wrapped in a crispy won-ton and filled with shrimp and vegetables.  Finally the teriyaki beef was the best item on the platter.  The meat was so tender it almost fell off the stick.  The rich teriyaki marinade brought out the beef flavor without overpowering it.
Patti was searching for an old flavor from her first Chinese restaurant experience back in Logan, UT and the closest she came to the "Tiny Spicy Chicken" was called the "Sesame Chicken".  Pieces of tender white chicken meat were battered, deep fried then smothered in a sesame sweet glaze.  The meat was still very juicy and was complimented by the outer crunch of the batter.  The glaze provided a sweet contrast to the cooked broccoli on the side.  It was served with a side of white rice.

My entree came with some assembly required.  I ordered the ever-so-famous "Peking duck".  It was explained to me that this was a whole duck that would be deep-fried in its own skin.  You do have the option to choose it without skin but then you would get "duck skin soup" on the side.   Our server recommended the skin on the duck option.  The entree arrived at the table with a lot of duck meat a top a bed of crispy rice cakes.  The first thing that caught my eye was that this whole duck had four drumsticks.  Now I don't know about you, but I've never seen a duck with four legs.  But with the amount of meat I received, I think it was actually two bottom halves of the ducks.  The one of the items that he brought out to accompany the meat was Chinese pancakes, similar to a white bread roll.  The third plate included carrots, Chinese onion (similar to a scallion) and duck sauce.
So to truly appreciate all the textures and flavors you must assemble it all together.  First you take a pancake and open it up like you would a dinner roll.  On one half you spread the desired amount of duck sauce, place on it a few carrots and onions then add a piece of duck meat, don't forget the skin.  Then fold the other half of pancake back over and eat.  The duck does not have a gamey taste, on the contrary it was quite tender and juicy.  The skin added a salty crunch.  The pancake added a sweet doughy texture that was off-set with the tart duck sauce.  The vegetables gave it extra crunch in every bite.

 Our meal ended in the traditional way with a fortune cookie for each of us.  Every time I read mine, I always like to enjoy it by reading it out loud and adding "between the sheets". {Patti just shakes her head}.   The Golden Buddha is a great Chinese experience with a very elegant and romantic atmosphere without the elegant price.  So if you haven't tried the Jelly Fish, try it now.