Posted on June 28, 2009 by bayareafoodie
Mike decided to surprise me with a new burger he found in the Great Burgers cookbook by Bob Sloan. Preparing us for our upcoming trip to NOLA he made the Bayou burger which is a lamb/andouille sausage patty packed with cajun flare. This had great flavor and was super juicy. I will warn you that these bad boys stay with you far after the time you eat them (if you know what I mean)…
Ingredients (adapted from Great Burgers- makes 4)
1lb ground lamb
1 andouille sausage (3 ounces) cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 egg beaten
2 tsp. cajun seasoning
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
pepper to taste
Mix everything together to make burgers. Cook 5 minutes then flip for 4-5 more minutes. Serve with red onion, lettuce and mayo or creole mustard. We added tomato.
Buy the book
Hey! I’m in the process of planning our New Orleans trip. Any suggestions for food/fun please leave a comment here or send me an email.
Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: andouille sausage, bayou burger, bbq, bob sloan, burgers, cajun, cooking, food, lamb, RECIPES | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 20, 2009 by bayareafoodie
If you were thinking about having organic produce delivered to your home here is your chance. I received a coupon code for $15 off your first shipment from Farm Fresh to You, a Bay Area delivery service. We’ve been getting deliveries from them for over 5 years and we really enjoy it. To redeem this offer mention promo code #NICZ9497 when signing up. Enjoy!
Website: http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/
*This discount is for NEW customers only or those who have not received a delivery in 3 months.
See my past posts about this great local company:
Our first delivery
Recipes made with our produce
Filed under: VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: bay area, cooking, coupon, discount, Farm Fresh To You, food, grocery, Health, northern california, Organic Produce Home Delivery, service | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 18, 2009 by bayareafoodie
I finally made it to Bouchon, Thomas Keller’s French bistro! The restaurant is tricky to locate in the Venetian hotel but well worth the search. We were lucky enough to get a table outside in the sun (which is next to one of the pools). It took an extraordinarily long time to decide what we wanted to order because everything sounded fantabulous. As we sipped on mimosa’s we needed to have the specials explained at least twice. 
Rachel and I ended up with the Croque Madame which is toasted ham & cheese on brioche with a fried egg and mornay sauce (Béchamel) and a side of pommes frites (fries). It was beyond good. It was sinful and I ate the entire thing without batting an eye. Dena had her first benedict. Unbelievable, right?…at our age! Well, her first was a doozy — Eggs Florentine (substitute spinach and smoked salmon for the ham). I loved everything about our long relaxing brunch and I can’t wait to return. I’ve already decided what I’m having next time.
Website: http://www.bouchonbistro.com/
Filed under: Las Vegas | Tagged: Bouchon, brunch, Croque Madame, food, review, thomas keller, vegas, venetian hotel | 5 Comments »
Posted on June 17, 2009 by bayareafoodie
Hubert Keller, best known for his upscale restaurant Fleur de Lys, has a burger joint in the Mandalay Bay hotel. I’d heard good things about the restaurant so I wanted to give it a try. Keller is supposed to be a burger master (he’s even written a book about burgers). When we arrived it was not what I envisioned. I thought it would be more high end but it’s really just a sports bar. It was filled with men yelling at TV screens. As we were seated I thought to myself… I’m here for the burgers not the ambiance. Looking over the menu I was surprised to find only 4 chef created burgers to choose from and none were appealing at the time. I ended up making my own mushroom & swiss burger with Black Angus beef — not very exciting. The beef was really fresh but overcooked. The fries were hot and tasty but nothing special. They were just piled on a plate and didn’t come with any dipping sauces. Let’s just say I wasn’t impressed — I expected more from a potential Top Chef Master…
Rating: 
Website: http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/burgerbar.aspx
Filed under: Las Vegas | Tagged: burger bar, food, Hubert Keller, mandalay bay hotel, review, vegas | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 15, 2009 by bayareafoodie
images © FIX Bellagio
I took an impromptu trip to Las Vegas with my BFF’s from college (Hi- Rachel & Dena!). We stayed at the Bellagio hotel and after walking around for hours earlier in the day we were in no mood to leave so we ended up at Fix for dinner. Fix is like eating in a night club. The music is pumping nonstop. I had to hold back busting a move during dinner. Many of the songs played were from the 90’s which was cool since they brought back some college memories. We decided to get a bunch of small plates to share. We went with the soft shell crabs (special of the day), crispy rock shrimp, lobster tacos, BLT wedge salad, yellowtail sashimi and spring rolls. Everything I tasted was great but I do wish the tacos were larger (see picture below).
the lobster tacos (each was the size of a pinky finger)
I couldn’t leave without dessert because the choices were so enticing. We (I) chose the banana bread pudding with coconut ice cream and the espresso milkshake with warm chocolate cake/brownie. The bread pudding was the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot). The milkshake looked just like a hot cup of espresso (foam and all). I almost called the waitress over to say we got the wrong order then I took a sip and it was a chilly shake. Excellent presentation. Overall, I enjoyed the vibe and food but felt it was overpriced even for Las Vegas standards. I will return for dessert at the very least.
P.S. The pineapple mojito was awesome.
Rating: 
Website: http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/fix.aspx
Filed under: Las Vegas, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: banana bread pudding, bellagio hotel, fix restaurant, food, lobster tacos, review | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 13, 2009 by bayareafoodie
This was nothing like the orange chicken at Panda Express. This was much healthier because it’s not fried. I found this recipe in the 15 minute meal section of June’s Bon Appétit. As you can see we added mushrooms because they came along with the peas in our produce delivery and we used yellow onion instead of red. I have to admit I think I like the Panda Express version better but this was a tasty alternative and my waist appreciated it.
Recipe link
Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: asian, chinese, cooking, food, orange chicken, RECIPES, Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 11, 2009 by bayareafoodie
I hope you all watched the first episode of Top Chef Masters last night. We enjoyed it although I was a bit grossed out by the shower scene. I’m happy to say that Mike stayed awake for the entire hour which is unusual since it’s on way past his bedtime. My only hope is that host Kelly Choi gets her eat on during the season because she is a tad skinny.
As you can see we had a pre- show pizza party courtesy of Bravo (we couldn’t wait till 10pm to eat!). They provided the grub and swag. Thanks Bravo!
So what are your predictions for the winner? Without seeing all the chefs in action I’m going out on a limb and picking John Besh because of his Iron Chef experience — Mike is keeping his choice local and thinks Cindy Pawlcyn is gonna take home the prize. We’ll see..
Leave a comment with your choice of Top Chef Master!
Filed under: REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS, VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: bravo, cooking show, kelly choi, Top chef masters, tv | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 10, 2009 by bayareafoodie
Only 4 more Sprinkles cupcakes to go! I can’t believe it!
Anyone try the Key Lime? I did…see my thoughts here
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: sprinkles key lime cupcake | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 8, 2009 by bayareafoodie
I’m baaaack! Sorry for the sporadic posts… my real job has actually been keeping me very busy 😥
Welcome to another episode of Top Scallop (if you watch Top Chef you’ll know what I mean). We have been eating a lot of scallops lately. These were covered in a light garlic sauce. I know it’s hard to see but trust me it’s there. Of course it was good — they were covered in garlic cream and served with buttered rice!
Recipe link
Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: cooking, Emeril Lagasse, food, RECIPES, Seared Scallops with Roasted Garlic Cream | 2 Comments »
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