Not healthy at all, but....OMG

Most restaurant desserts fall somewhere between disappointing and mediocre, in my experience. But when I half-heard (because of the din) our waiter describe something to the couple next to us last night at a Tavola, my ears perked up. I also stopped eating any more pizza because saving room seemed to be in order.

Dessert @ a Tavola, OTR

And how! This was a first-rate dessert: house-made vanilla gelato topped with caramel sauce (they called it salted caramel but it wasn't notably salty, thank goodness) and surrounded with toasted mini-marshmallows. The shot of bourbon was a suggested accompaniment -- you dip your spoon in the bourbon before digging into the ice cream.
It was terrific. And the bourbon, while nice, wasn't necessary at all to make this dessert memorable.
A Tavola also makes one of the best Old Fashioned cocktails I've ever had -- apparently, others have noticed because bartender Aaron had his O.F. lauded in Food & Wine magazine.
So the start and the finish of this meal -- with a good asparagus salad and nice fig & prosciutto pizza in-between -- was a Best Bite of the season. I will definitely return for more of both.
Got to work off that ice cream first, though.......

Best Veggie Combo. Ever.

While it's still cold outside, roasting vegetables makes for some delicious dinners. In fact, almost any vegetable tastes better when roasted, as opposed to steamed or sauteed, because the sometimes-hidden sugars in them really comes out when cooked by the dry heat of an oven.

This recipe also is great because these ingredients are plentiful now and not dependent on summer crops. The taste combination of fennel, eggplant, red bell pepper and zucchini -- along with some garlic, broth, and finished with cheese -- is better than it should be.

Recipe: Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Fennel (Best veggie combo ever)
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into one-inch cubes
1 large (or two medium) zucchini, sliced lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 T olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I make it with chicken stock, which is part of the magical whole flavor impact, but vegetable stock makes it a vegetarian dish, if you wish)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups uncooked pasta shapes, preferably multigrain or whole grain
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss eggplant, fennel, zucchini and pepper with 2 T of the olive oil. Spread vegetables evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
2. About 10 minutes before veggies are done, heat salted water in a large saucepan and cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and keep warm.
3. Heat remaining 2 T of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 90 seconds. Stir in stock. Remove veggies from oven and add to frying pan.
4. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Stir in pasta and heat through.
5. Spoon into serving bowl and pass cheese at the table.

Pre-Theater Dinner @ Zula's (OTR)

We prefer eating at the bar rather than in a dining room at this lively spot on the edge of Washington Park. Here's a shot of our delicious appetizers -- haricots verts salad (with hearts of palm, roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes and frisee) and cured Scottish salmon. Then we split a mushroom flatbread, with drinks of course, before heading out to catch "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" at the Shakespeare Theater.

If you haven't tried Zula's yet, you need to. Here's a link to their website.

Homemade applesauce -- so worth the effort!

And it's not all that much effort if you don't peel the apples. (Remember, apple peels are good for you -- full of vitamins and fiber.) It's best served warm, and I like to add a sprinkle of granola or nuts -- something crunchy.

RECIPE: Applesauce

Total time: About 30 minutes

3 pounds tart apples, such as pippins, Gravensteins, Macintosh, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, peeled if desired, cored and cut in chunks

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

Sweet spices if desired (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves)

1. Place apples and water in a heavy saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture is bubbling. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring often, until the apples have cooked down but still have some texture, 15 to 20 minutes. Add sugar, lemon or lime juice, and spices, cover and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, or serve warm or hot.

Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups, serving 6

Dinner at Orchids

Best restaurant in Cincinnati -- Orchids lives up to its rep.
We went for a delayed Valentine's Day dinner on Friday night.
Everything about the experience was excellent, not the least of which is the setting in the Hilton Hotel historic, art deco Palm Court. We had a cocktail at the lovely bar before checking in for our table.
I've always liked the appetizer courses best at Orchids, maybe because I'm the hungriest when they bring the first course. My order was the irresistible lobster salad, and George got the bay scallops. Both are pictured here.

Scallops appetizer

My other photos -- taken with the cell phone -- didn't turn out well enough to post.
Sommelier Charles Redmond matched glasses of wine with our courses, and they were almost all unusual and delicious. For instance, with the scallops he poured a Spanish Godello, a wine I've only recently discovered. George loved it.

Signature dish: Lobster salad

We both got a bowl of potato leek soup as a second course; then he had red snapper and I went with short ribs. The beef dish was a bit too rich for my tastes and I didn't finish the dish, but on the other hand Charles poured my favorite wine of the evening, a merlot-based meritage from California, I believe.
The pasty chef is nationally known so we had to order dessert, too. But by then I could only eat a few bites, darn. If I'd skipped the soup......or had fish as an entree.....dessert might have been a more enjoyable addition. Again though I really liked the Banyuls (a French dessert wine) that Charles matched with my chocolate-based dessert.
All in all, a fine meal and great evening.

Giveaway: "Wonderful Sweet Scarletts Texas Grapefruit" Gift Pack

Post three reasons why you love grapefruit and you can have this gift pack shipped to your address!
Be sure to include your email address so I can notify the winner (only one, sorry) and get a mailing address.

The gift pack includes:

• ·         New Wonderful Sweet Scarletts Texas red grapefruit
• ·         A spoon and knife specially designed to help prep and eat grapefruit
• ·         A saver to keep your grapefruit half fresh either at home or on-the-go
• ·         Grapefruit-scented votive candle

The Gluten-Free Scam

It seems like a scam to me, because very few people actually need to avoid gluten for health reasons. But there are plenty of gullible targets out there who think that buying the (more expensive) "gluten-free" products will cure their real or imagined ills.
Here are excerpts from a New York Times article about the money that food manufacturers and retailers are making off all this.

The Girl Scouts recently introduced a gluten-free chocolate chip shortbread cookie to their annually anticipated line of sweet treats.

Vodka companies vie over which one of them was the “first” to introduce a gluten-free version of their products.

And Trader Joe’s recently joked in an advertising flier promoting gluten-free foods that it was selling “Gluten Free Greeting Cards 99 Cents Each! Every Day!” — even though it then went on to say the cards were not edible.

Makers of products that have always been gluten-free, including popcorn, potato chips, nuts and rice crackers, are busy hawking that quality in ads and on their packaging.

What a rip-off!

Click here to read more.