Top Chef All Stars thoughts

The premier episode did not disappoint and in fact I am super excited about this all star season! Excellent choice to have Anthony Bourdain as a rotating judge. He's just awesome.

The bar is set pretty high in the kitchen and all the food looked pretty amazing. With a few exceptions of course. It's always sad to see Fabio on the bottom for a pasta dish. I mean, how embarrassing! I was never impressed and still don't know why Marcel is always in the mix. In fact, I had the opportunity to taste his food at Test Kitchen recently. To my surprise, he was the guest chef of the night and I was disappointed. His food is too contrived and is just not very good. The stuff he put out tonight was much of the same. Stephen is just so annoying, annoying personality, annoying wardrobe, annoying food. His body is so weird too. On that note, life must get better for all chefs that appear on Top Chef because they all gain so much weight! Well, all the women look the same but all the guys, not so good. For some reason, I do not remember Richard at all. I totally watched his season but he is a stranger to me. Who is he? Well, they sent home the right person. Ciao Elia. She was kind of annoying too, clearly not ready for the level of competition. For the most part it was fun seeing all the contestants and remembering particulars about each. I'm sure I'm wasn't the only one waiting for Dale to wig out and slam a sheet pan over someones head. Well, its going to be a fun season and you'll hear from me again! Did I mention that Bourdain is a judge????

Pan Fried Strip Steak Dinner

NY Strip Steak pan fried medium rare please!

I will never forget my first juicy steak that was made by my lovely grandmother. Perfectly charred and tasty every time, seasoned with only salt and pepper, filling up the air with the most delicious aroma. She only ever used her favorite well seasoned cast iron skillet ( god knows how long she had it ). 

I wonder which of us sister owns it now hmmmm? they should be so lucky,

Here sharing a quick and easy steak dinner.

2 Strip Steak

Remove from fridge and let it sit in room temperature for about 10-15 mins.

After that, season well with salt and pepper 

Roast Onion and Tomatoes

While the steak is coming to room temperature. Heat oven to 375.

Slice tomatoes and onion, season with salt, pepper, oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.

Pop in the oven and let it roast for 30 mins- I like to check on them at 20 mins

Add the steak to a heated pan with oil.

They were a little less then a inch thick so i fried them for 3 mins on each side.

Pan fried strip steak medium rare 

 with rice,  roasted tomatoes & onions

and sugar snaps.

I love having steak with rice, 

as you cut into the steak with the rice soaking up the tasty juice, soo good.

Very juicy and tender with sweetness of the veggies.

Who is having steak tonight?

Pho' Grand Vietnamese Weekend Lunch

Pho Grand Vietnamese Restaurant

277 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 965-5366

When having Vietnamese food, I always like to order a

No#2 Pho Beef Noodle Soup -

with fresh eye of round, brisket, navel, tendon, etc..

with a squeeze of lemon and handful of fresh basil...

to the very last drop pf pho' ...slurp!

and sometimes -

Beef stew with toast bun

chunks of beef shank, gelatinous tendon that melts in your mouth

and carrots swimming in this rich broth.

so savory

First time trying -

Deep Fried Crab Wanton

first bite was delicious then the richness of the cream was overpowering

so just one bite was fine for me

We like to come here whenever we can. Nice quick service and place seems clean.

Are you hungry yet?

Breakfast - Simple Tomato Onion Scramble

Egg-Onion-Cherry Tomatoes-Cilantro

scramble the eggs and chop the rest of the ingredients

For smooth & moist scramble eggs I like to 

add small cold cubes of butter to the mixture, 

this way it cooks with the egg and not brown it. 

Add oil to a heated pan then tomatoes and onion to follow

When the tomatoes / onions are cooked down - add the egg mixture

Lighty scramble on medium low heat until desired doneness

 a light sprinkle of your favorite cheese and cilantro and serve!

**How do you like your scramble eggs? **

I know this is a very easy recipe.

I tend to get out of hand with snapping photos so why not share :)

Enjoy!

Shanghai Lunch - Shanghai Garden Restaurant

*updated*

Looking for delicious Shanghai cuisine?

This little hole in the wall down in Chinatown is where we like to go sometimes. It is a very small space with booths and connecting tables. It might be a little wait but it's worth it.

The service is good,very nice and attentive.

Shanghai Garden Cuisine

14A Elizabeth Street

New York, NY 10013

Chinatown 212-964-5640

menu

Chilled Combination Dish :

marinated jelly fish - crunchy and fresh on the palette

boneless pig's trotter - taste like pastrami with gelatinous texture

drunken chicken - a nice pungent wine flavor with a fresh finish....what more can I say?

* this dish can be fun and tasty if you're on the adventurous side and

it's a perfect starter*

Another one of my favorite Shanghai dishes :

Stir Fried Rice Cakes with Shredded Pork, Preserved Vegetables and Bamboo shoots

The nice and chewy rice cakes with the crunchy texture from the bamboo shoots blends nicely with pickled and sweet vegetables. Sounds nice right?

Deep Fried Jumbo Shrimp with Mayo and caramelize walnuts.
They were huge, crunchy to bouncy with each bite.
Succulent shrimp we have here, so good..

 Wonton with hot chili and garlic sauce 

This was okay....they were too big for my liking and the sauce seem sweet then tangy

but might work for you

Who would like to join us next time?