Last week, I read an interesting article on how men are so exasperated when women in their lives can’t decide where to eat. It’s the total opposite with me. I decide where to eat 99% of the time. I usually book our weekend restaurant reservations on Mondays. I was pretty sure that I booked for BCN this weekend but for some reason, I just didn’t. This threw me off completely, so, for once, I let D decide where to eat.
He chose Quattro because he said that we have been loyal patrons to this restaurant for the last 8 years for a reason— it is always consistent in it’s quality and service. I have good memories of this place. I remember how we always have our Easter Brunch here because Beans loves the egg-hunt and there’s always an Easter bunny handing out treats.
This is B with the Easter Bunny. He’s about 8 years old in this pic. I can’t wait for him to find out I posted this.
This is also our go-to restaurant during New Year’s day when I’m too lazy to cook.
This was 5 years ago. Getting an early buzz courtesy of the amazing bellini is always a good way to start a year.
D’s criteria in choosing a restaurant is based solely on the wine list.
This is the real reason why we are here. He wanted to get this bottle. Luckily, it was really good.I had Jalapeño Mule.The server recommended that we start with Padini – they contracted this cheese maker from Italy. It is very similar to Parmesiano-Reggiano without the saltinessI loved, loved, loved this wild caught octopus. Perfectly cooked and paired with olives and grilled potatoesD had 30 day dry aged filetThis tiramisu was made table-side and it totally stole the show. The lady fingers are freshly made and soaked in espresso with marsala.
Yesterday, we had a really bad experience in a once-loved restaurant. It has all been settled now. Manager has apologized and all. But for once, it’s nice to dine and have everything the way it should be. That is Quattro. From the time they lead you to your table, to the way they pour the wine, everything is done correctly. D made a great choice.
As you’ve probably seen on my Facebook posts, I am now a proud mom of four adorable puppies. For the longest time, we always maintained two. But as I unwittingly followed Facebook feeds of Pomeranian breeders, I instantly gained access to adorable puppies looking for a forever home. Truffle is a puppy Pom that I got from North Carolina and Tofu is a year old Pom from Russia. He was imported by a breeder here and was meant to be a show dog until his teeth started overcrowding, which, I was informed was a big no-no in AKC standards.
Isn’t Tofu the fluffiest thing in four legs???
Anyhooo…How do these furry babies equate into my present kitchen? The first two pups, Cookie and Mochi, always hang around in the kitchen. They know very well that when I cook, scraps of food fall to the floor, so they’re always on a look-out. Naturally, when the two newer ones joined us, they caught on to that as well. So I now have four dogs, yipping at my heels every time I cook. Oh joy!
I once saw a video of a Pom breeder and it was a scene in her kitchen where she had almost a dozen fluff balls running around. I thought that was the coolest thing! I only have eight more to go to have my dream kitchen. Ha!!!
These are my kitchen buddies. Three smiling Poms and one Yorkie wishing he was an only puppy.
Enough of my puppy insanity…. Let’s get cooking! I am on week 3 of my low-carb cooking. I’ve been having lettuce/cabbage, fruits and sashimi. Surprisingly, it’s almost painless. I have discovered a slew of flavored vinegars and spices which jazz up the dish without bringing on the calories. I am, however, close to being sick of raw salmon and tuna (let’s not even go on how expensive those are ).
Innovation is the mother of necessity — said by some philosopher who was tired of paying $29/pound of sashimi-grade tuna. So I will whip up the next best thing — lean turkey. Here is my Cilantro-Lime Turkey Wrap.
Get a pound of the leanest ground turkey you can find. Saute lightly. It will look like it’s one huge stretchy piece, but be patient, it will break apart as it starts to cook. As it breaks apart, add salt and pepper.Add Lime Ponzu sauce, about 3 tablespoons.
It will look soup-y and you will feel like you’re doing it all wrong. Don’t despair, it WILL dry up. As it dries, it will concentrate the flavor of lime. This is really needed because when you work with super-lean meats, the low amount of fat makes it difficult to hold flavor. Hence, you need to cook in the flavor.
When dry and broken-up add freshly cut cilantro, about 2 teaspoons.Wrap in cabbage and lunch is ready!!!
Check-out my folded plate. Got it for $12 at Home Goods. So pretty! It makes up for the atrocity of my wrap. I still haven’t figured out how to separate cabbage leaves without tearing, so I always end up with odd pieces that make it difficult to wrap well.
If you can stand to lose a pound or two, this is a good dish. Very flavorful, calorie-friendly, cooks fast and uses only one pan! In my book, it can’t get any better than that.
