Crimson

Crimson is hidden in the corner of a strip mall on Los Gatos Blvd. It’s really not a great location but worth the time to find. As soon as you walk in you will know why the restaurant is named Crimson. Inside it is covered head to toe in red decor. My favorite being the beautiful fresh red rose at each table. Crimson is a Green Certified restaurant serving ingredients direct from local farmers. We arrived on Tuesday July 8 for their weekly $30, 3-course prix fixe menu. We had heard about it over a year ago and we finally decided to go. After looking at the menu Mike and I ordered one of everything so we could try it all.

Prix Fixe Menu - July 8, 2008

The Starters

- Black Mission Fig and Charentais Melon Salad with Gorgonzola, Candied Walnuts, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar

- Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad, with Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Garden Basil and Lemon Oil

These both were wonderful. I especially liked the warm sweet figs. I’ve never had figs prepared like this before.
The Main Courses

- Herb and Dijon Mustard Marinated Prime Rib with Cabernet Au Jus and Garlic Mash
- Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon with Delta Asparagus, Jasmine Rice, and Organic Lemon Butter

Again, two delightful and hearty dishes. Just because this is a Prix fixe doesn’t mean small portions. We both had to get doggie bags. We never have to do that…

The Desserts
- Mixed Summer Berry Bread Pudding
- Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berry Sauce
The mousse was silky and rich. The bread pudding was a little doughy — the only miss for the night. 5 out of 6 dishes were on point.

With the economy as it is it’s getting harder to justify all our lavish dinners out. This $30 Tuesday is one of the best deals in town!

Rating:
Website: http://www.crimsonrestaurant.com/

Tasty Tip: don’t forget to fill out the form that comes with your bill to get on the weekly email list.

Fried Chicken

Once a year, maybe twice I will dust off my deep fryer and make Fried Chicken. It is one of the few meals I create without Mike’s help. I LOVE my fried chicken. It’s so simple to make I hate to even say it’s a secret family recipe. There are no eggs or buttermilk. I use 3 ingredients: flour and large amounts of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and Garlic Salt. To prepare I mix them all together then dredge and drop into hot oil (365 degrees/7 minutes/8-10 wings). This produces a thin, salty, crispy skin. I don’t like thick batter covering my chicken.

Once again, I outdid myself. Having a portable deep fryer makes preparing this dish really easy. I can do all my frying outside to keep the funk in the house to a minimum, and clean up is a snap.

Note: Stay tuned for the Ad Hoc part II review. Mike and I will be returning to Ad Hoc at the end of the month to try the Fried Chicken everyone is going gaga over. We’ll see if it deserves all the accolades.

Curried Lamb Burgers

So did the h-u-g-e burger on the July cover of bon appétit call to you as you stood at the checkout in the grocery store? That burger looked so darn good I had to have it. The cover story gave recipes for a variety of burgers. The 1st burger Mike chose to recreate was the Curried Lamb Burger with Grilled Vegetables and Mint Raita.

I found the texture of the lamb patty to be wonderful and it was super juicy. Much nicer than regular beef. The sauce was minty fresh, and I will use that naan more often. It is a nice alternative to a bun. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the curry flavor. I have never been a fan. It was cool to be adventurous and try something new but I think I’ll stick to my royale with cheese.

Recipe link

Next on the list: Cheddar Burger with Balsamic Onions and Chipotle Ketchup. The bon appétit covers have been really enticing this year, so much that I just ordered a subscription. It’s much cheaper than buying the individual issues.

Eton Mess

I’d never heard of Eton Mess before watching Nigella Lawson whip up a batch on her show Nigella Express. Eton mess is a dessert of English origin consisting of a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue and cream and was first created at Eton College in Britain. Although I find meringue nests unappetizing, Nigella made them look divine.

The meringue crumbled in the cream was awesomely sweet. This was one of the best strawberry desserts I’ve had. It was a tasty mess, indeed.

Recipe link

Note: The only modification I made to the recipe was use balsamic instead of pomegranate juice. Nigella mentioned on the show that you could use that as an alternative.

Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers

For some reason Mike really wanted to cook some bone-in chicken breasts. The thought of a chicken dinner never makes me overly excited but if he’s cooking, I’m eating. I did my part by finding a recipe in my new go-to cookbook. The dish was entitled Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers.

This chicken was fab-u-lous. The skin was crispy and the sauce buttery and tangy. It was so good I actually did a happy dance in my chair. It was really something special and on a Wednesday night…

Man, I am really lucky to have a husband that likes to cook.

Recipe link

Mr. Pickles

How could I not know about Mr. Pickles? I am in downtown Los Gatos at least once a week and I have never seen this little sandwich shop. I read a review on Yelp and decided to seek it out. It is located on a small side street across from the Wells Fargo bank. When we arrived on the 4th of July around 1pm there was a line out the door. I guess I’m the only one in LG not familiar with this place. They feature over 20 specialty sandwiches that are huge, fresh and tasty. Mike and I shared “The Abbott” which has turkey,avocado and bacon with a bag of dirty chips and were full for hours. If you are in need of a great sando, go see Mr. Pickles.

FYI- If you’re in Los Gatos and you see a man in a pickle suit don’t be scared it’s just Mr. Pickles.

Address:151 N Santa Cruz Ave

Grilled Buffalo Steak with Radicchio-Beet Skewers

Yes, that says Buffalo. How did we come about preparing such a unique kind of meat? Here is the scenario…

Setting - Whole Foods Meat Counter

Mike: “That london broil looks nice”
Me: “I think that’s buffalo”
Mike: “No, the meat above that is buffalo”
Me: “No, I’m pretty sure that is also buffalo”
Mike (to the butcher): “I’ll take that nice london broil”

Setting - Our Kitchen unpacking the groceries

Me (looking at the wrapped meat label): “I knew it was buffalo…”

So that’s how we ended up eating a weird cut of buffalo. Oddly after scouring epicurious and foodtv.com I couldn’t find that many preparation options for our broil. We ended up using a recipe I found on the Eating Well website. Because Buffalo is a super lean meat you have to cook it pretty rare to avoid making it tough. Mike as always did a bang up job grilling and everything turned out nice. The sauce was similar to a Greek tzatzikiz and went perfect with the meat and the bitter radicchio. I adore beets so those were the highlight of the dish for me. Although tasty I don’t think this will go on our list of things to make again.

Nutella Coconut S’mores

Every year we spend the 4th of July at home with our dog Edison. Our 105 lb black lab mix is deathly afraid of fireworks. Most of the evening he is cowering in our closet as our neighbors light off M-80’s loud enough to rock our foundation. This year in between consoling Mr. Ed we made S’mores. I decided I wanted to do something different so instead of a chocolate bar we used Nutella. I also toasted some coconut to toss on top because I like it. The Nutella was a brilliant substitution. Instead of the usual semi melted chunk of chocolate we had creamy chocolaty hazelnut. Give me S’more! I’ll never use a chocolate bar again…

Rotisserie Chicken

Mike bought a big, new, manly grill. It has a Rotisserie… we decided to take it for a spin.

Two hours and two birds later we had this…

Juicy, fall off the bone chicken. That grill was worth every penny!!

Recipes used:
We made one sweet and one savory. Huli Huli Hawaiian glaze and Lemon and Rosemary marinade (Warning: this stuff is potent — Mike’s hands after numerous washes smelled like garlic for 24 hours).

Fun Wine

While wandering around the Vintage Wine Merchant store at Santana Row Mike and I noticed a display of wines for under $10. The low price is not what caught our attention it was the labels on two of the bottles. One was called Bitch and the other Pure Evil. As we chuckled we then saw a sign that said Bitch, a Grenache, and Pure Evil, a Chardonnay, received 90 point ratings from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

For that price and rating we purchased a bottle of each. Turns out they didn’t taste half bad. Pick up a bottle or two if you know an Evil Bitch.

Both are produced by R Wines in Australia.

Eggs Benedict

I finally attempted to make Eggs Benedict at home. I have been traveling to all kinds of breakfast cafes trying to find the Best Benedict of the Bay when I thought “Hey, I can do this.” So I decided on a ham AND bacon benedict smothered in, of course, Béarnaise. For a first try at pouched eggs I was pretty impressed with the creation Mike and I concocted. Our eggs were a little less runny than I would have liked but other than that it was pure heaven. Now all I need to do is work up a mean potato side dish and I could be in the running.

Cafe Beaujolais

Café Beaujolais is a California French restaurant located in a restored Victorian Farmhouse. This would be the destination for our one dinner out in Mendocino with Mike’s cousin and wife. The restaurant has been a town staple since 1969.

We started the night with the following appetizers; seafood bisque, crab cakes and butter braised beets with micro greens. All were good but the award winning crab cakes seemed to get the most admiration. Our main courses included:

-Pan Roasted Quail, Organic Greens, Sparrow Lane Golden Balsamic Vinaigrette, Candied Walnuts, Cashews and Dried White Figs

-Pan Roasted California Sturgeon Fillet, House Made Tagliatelle, Truffle Emulsion Sauce, Wild Mushrooms, Beets and Snap Peas

-Salmon with Raspberry Chile Sauce, Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

The boys had stellar remarks for the salmon special. The sturgeon also deserves some props. For dessert we ordered the Cherry Crisp with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, the Coconut Cream Pie and House Made Fruit Sorbets. Everything was delicious.

My only complaint was that the server wasn’t very knowledgeable about the entree ingredients or the wine we ordered. This is unusual in a small well established restaurant. Despite those minor setbacks we had a wonderful evening.

Shots of the Eats (click to enlarge):

Rating:

Website: http://www.cafebeaujolais.com/

Mendocino

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting the Mendocino Coast here are a couple snap shots for you. These were taken June 14, 2008. The weather at this time of year is cold and there is a good amount of fog. I have been told that going in October is better. Still chilly but at least there is no fog.

Goldeneye Winery

If you ever travel through Anderson Valley make sure to stop at Goldeneye Winery for a tasting of their world class Pinots. Goldeneye is owned by the Duckhorn family so you know they produce some outstanding wines. While in Mendocino we decided to do a day of Pinot tasting and Goldeneye was our first stop. We had made a reservation to take their Estate tasting session which is a 45 minute semi-private tasting (8 people max) that discusses the winery’s history and production process while tasting wines paired with a selection of cheeses, nuts and dried fruit. This was one of the best tastings I have been to. Our host was knowledgeable and friendly and the setting was breathtaking. At $20 per person this was a steal compared to Napa. You will find that many winery tastings in the Valley are low in cost or completely free.

Tasty Tip: Before you arrive pick up a picnic lunch and sit and enjoy the magnificent views of their vineyard.

Hours: open daily
11:00am - 4:00pm
Website: www.goldeneyewinery.com

Flank Steak with Portabella and Cremini Mushrooms

Mike and I took our dog Edison to Mendocino for a long weekend. We rented a beautiful house on the coast with Mike’s cousin John and his wife Raquel.

John and Raquel are wonderful cooks. On our first night they prepared a foodie feast. Here was the menu:

Cesar salad with giant crouton

Grilled Flank Steak with sauteed Portabella and Cremini mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes. They found the recipe on epicurious. The steak was marinated in a soy mixture and grilled to perfection. The mushrooms were combined with a hefty amount of balsamic so they had a peppery kick. Everything turned out delicious.
You would think that the meal was complete but NO… there was more. Raquel had made a Tomato and Cheese Tart the day before so we all had a slice of that too. I had not had anything like it before. For some reason I was expecting egg but all it contained was a light flaky crust with dijon mustard covered in Parmesan cheese and sliced tomatoes. It was finished off with a drizzle of garlic herb oil. Very unique and tasty.

After all that I was completely stuffed but then came dessert…. see deep dark chocolate cookie post.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

While in Mendocino Raquel made the deep dark chocolate cookies from the bon appetit June 2008 issue. Wow, these were sinful. They were great right out of the oven but I think I preferred eating the balls of dough. They tasted like dark chocolate truffles! Made without butter or flour you can pretend they are healthy.

Tasty tip: watch the oven closely or these bad boys will burn. Recipe link

 

Cocola Bakery

You may have passed by the Cocola Bakery in Santana Row and drooled over the delectable pastries, tarts and cakes on display. Many don’t know this, but they also sell a handful of specialty sandwiches. My favorite being the turkey breast with cranberry sauce and brie cheese on a fresh baked baguette. It reminds me of Thanksgiving. It’s a bit on the pricey side at $9.90 but a nice treat every once in a while. For a more affordable bite try the ham and cheese croissants. They also have great beverages…on cold mornings I will sometimes pick up a banana hot chocolate. Really good stuff!

Conduit Restaurant

Conduit [kon-dwit, -doo-it, -dyoo-it, -dit]
–noun : a pipe, tube or the like, for conveying water or fluid.

Photo credit: Eater SF

We ended up at Conduit not because we heard rave reviews but because of its location. Mike and I were going to be in the Mission for an event and this was only a few blocks away. We met some friends for dinner with no expectations. As the name states Conduit is filled with many horizontal and vertical copper and bronze pipes. Interesting concept and design. As I scanned the precise menu I noticed it only lists the ingredients for the dishes which requires you to converse with your server to get the full description. Luckily our server was witty and engaging and he did a wonderful job explaining each item. For a starter we order the hamachi special for the table to share. It was refreshing. We then all ordered the beet salad for appetizers which as we all know I love. This version was one of the best I have had. For my main I chose the halibut with artichokes and almonds. The fish was cooked perfectly with a nice seared crust and seasoned well. The almonds gave a wonderful crunch. I accompanied my meal with a kick a** Bründlmayer Riesling. I don’t usually make a fuss about wine but this was amazing. Mike had the game hen with pea ravioli and our friends had the halibut and pork. All the plating was beautiful and the flavors melded perfectly. When it was time to order dessert, to my delight, we were told that all desserts come with a homemade ice cream. We ended up with the chocolate pound cake with espresso chip ice cream and the chocolate creampuffs with, I believe, a tangerine ice cream. I could be wrong about that – regardless, the desserts were out of this world.

I found Conduit to be a very pleasurable experience. Even though we were there for 3 hours I never felt rushed by our waiter. They let you take your time and enjoy your evening. At just six months old this venture possesses fantastic food, staff and prices. I’m sure you will hear more buzz about them in the future. If I lived in the city I would become a regular at this little gem.

Note: My pictures came out horrible so do visit the Conduit website. They have tons of clear photos to peruse. Oh, don’t forget to check out the restroom…I’ll just say it’s different…

Rating:

Website: http://www.conduitrestaurant.com/

 

Pork Sliders with Corn Salad

When I saw the special June Grilling issue of Gourmet magazine I was inspired to make the pulled pork sandwich gracing the cover. After I read that it takes 10 hours to prepare I decided to make my own version of a pork slider. Here is my creation:

PORK
Mike’s parents have a no-fail recipe for preparing pork tenderloin on the grill. It comes out perfect every time Mike makes it. First you marinate the meat in equal parts of vermouth, oil and soy. You can drop some fresh thyme leaves in if you have it. Marinate for at least an hour then remove, add salt and pepper and toss on the grill for 10 minutes a side. You may have to adjust the time depending on the size of the loin.

COLESLAW
I did use the recipe from the magazine for the coleslaw. I like my slaw a bit sweeter but other than that it turned out well. It actually tasted better the day after I made it.

Assembly: I took a couple slices of the pork and placed them on a soft roll then topped it with the slaw and a dollop of bbq sauce. Delish!

For a side dish I decided on a roasted corn and tomato salad by Emeril Lagasse. I found this recipe while cruising the Food network website. I r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to love this salad. I mean look at it, it’s gorgeous! Unfortunately, the taste didn’t live up to the beauty. It was bla. Maybe it was because I left out the jalapeno peppers. I didn’t want it to be spicy.

Cin-Cin Restaurant and Winebar

On a whim Mike and I decided to check out Cin-Cin, the replacement restaurant for Cafe Marcella in Los Gatos. We were big fans of Cafe Marcella. When Mike and I started dating it was the site of our first night out at a restaurant that didn’t have paper napkins. Cin-Cin has only been open about a month and seems to be doing well. The evening we went they were relatively full. I really like the new look and feel. It has a very eco friendly vibe from the wicker-like chairs to the bamboo walls and floors. They also tout an organic menu. It took some time for us to go through the menu as it is pretty extensive. It’s filled with wine by the glass, wine flights, beer, specialty cocktails, appetizers, small plates, large plates and sides. Our server did a good job of explaining the majority of the menu items; I guess a new restaurant feels the need to do that. The thing that stood out to Mike and I were the wine flight options. See those three large glasses above… those were $9 TOTAL! Even if only two out of the three were any good the price was unbelievable. Mike was further impressed that the flight glasses came labeled. Usually glasses are dropped in front of you and you have to try to remember what is what. We started our meal with the mushroom empanadas with truffle oil. I found them to be lacking in flavor. For the main course I chose the braised lamb shoulder with mint fava bean puree and fingerling potatoes (is it me or is everyone serving fava beans these days?). Mike had the pan seared salmon with fingerling potatoes and fennel confit. We both enjoyed these dishes, the lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender. To finish things off we had the cheesecake beignets AND the coconut sorbet. The beignets came with a honey/hazelnut dip and a milk chocolate dip. Both desserts were fantastic, my only complaint was that there were 3 beignets. I have a pet peeve about receiving servings in uneven numbers. The chef should recognize that most likely there is going to be an even number of people at a table so give 2 or 4 not 3. I dislike having to cut things in half to share (by the way this was also the case with our empanadas).

Overall the food was good but nothing spectacular. I can definitely see myself dropping in for wine and dessert or to share some small plates with a group of friends. There are a number of large tables as well as a lounge like area with low couches. Cin-Cin seems like a prime location for a gathering.

Rating:
Website: http://www.cincinwinebar.com/