Sweetgreen Limited-Time Tiger Bowl

I was excited about the collaboration between Sweetgreen and Danny Bowien's Mission Chinese Food on the Tiger Bowl. It's available for a limited time from now until Jan. 3, 2018 only at NYC Sweetgreen locations, and the ingredients sounded pretty good.

The Tiger Bowl is a warm salad with organic spinach, organic wild rice, roasted sesame tofu, kimchi, shiso, carrots, cucumbers, pears, spicy sunflower seeds, nori furikake, tiger dressing. No details on the dressing ingredients but photos on Sweetgreen's site would suggest it has some red chili pepper. It costs $12.15, which is on the higher end of their prices.

Image: Sweetgreen

The Tiger Bowl version that I got could have been great. Unfortunately, all the ingredients were severely overpowered by the extremely sour vegetable pickle that Sweetgreen tries to pass off as kimchi. Instead of kimchi, I got a pink-hued mix of napa, radish, & sliced carrots heavily pickled in red wine vinegar that assaulted my taste buds. There was no spicy red chili that kimchi tends to have. I like pickles & sour things. But this was a very sour jardiniere. And it's wrong because someone who hasn't had kimchi will get a very wrong idea of what kimchi really is. I pushed the pickled veggies aside and tried to salvage the rest of the salad, but their acidic, sour juice was everywhere.

My Tiger Bowl order

Pink pickled vegetables as so-called "kimchi"

I also tasted a lot of black pepper. It seemed like that was the only spicy heat element in the bowl. No flavor or heat of red chili peppers. There was no shiso either.

I stopped by Sweetgreen on 75th & Amsterdam on Nov. 2, the first day the new bowl was available, and that may have been a mistake. I wonder if this location had all the right ingredients yet to make the Tiger Bowl. Maybe this is just wishful thinking. But I don't plan to give the salad another try to find out.

I usually like Sweetgreen salads & bowls, but this was a big disappointment. I can't believe what I got is what Danny Bowien imagined or that he approved the recipes.

My Rating (out of 5): 1

Sweetgreen
311 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10023
www.sweetgreen.com

Wolfgang's Steakhouse Review

BLOT: I'd rather go to Peter Luger.

I'd give the porterhouse 4 stars because it is a decent steak but the rest had a lot to be desired.

Medium-rare porterhouse for two

If you didn't already know, Wolfgang's Steakhouse was started by a former Peter Luger waiter, not Chef Wolfgang Puck. (The fact that Wolfgang Puck recently opened his own steakhouse in NYC, called Cut, doesn't make it any less confusing.) So, Wolfgang's Steakhouse is a copycat of Peter Luger in menu and how they serve the porterhouse. Yelp reviews of other Wolfgang's locations weren't good, so I decided to try their flagship location on Park Avenue.

When I arrived for my reservation, I was checked in by two young women at the host stand right away, but told to wait for someone to seat my party. Another party came in after me, and an old guy in a suit (maître d'?) walks up to the stand and motions for my party to step aside even more than we already were. He stands there smiling at the other party waiting for them to remove their coats and chit chat. Then, he seats them first at a table that already has guests sitting. Clearly, he favors this other party, but it's rude to disregard other paying customers.

I've worked at a restaurant, so I know friends, VIPs and regulars get preferential treatment. But he could have seated us in the time he stood there waiting for the other party, or he could have asked one of the young women to seat us instead of making us wait and watch him kiss up to the other party. Not a good way to guarantee repeat business.

When he seats us, he stops at a table in the main dining room but then decides to take us to the back room and tries to sell it as "quieter". The back room is darker, looks run down, and only had a couple of other seated tables which notably were all minorities. The decor looks like they originally tried to be an upscale steakhouse but they skimp on up keep. I sat facing a terrible paint job of different colors because an expensive steakhouse couldn't spend the money/time to repaint the whole room. Maybe that's why the back room was darkly lit. And this is their flagship location?

Our waiters weren't very friendly and just went through the motions without explaining anything. For the tips they get at an expensive steakhouse, they could make just a little effort in trying to earn it. Our main waiter didn't even have the courtesy to say bye when he walked by us on the way out.

As for the food, the crab cake did not have too much binder/filler and tasted fine. The bread basket was meh. The medium rare porterhouse (currently $49.95 per person) was good, but we thought the one at Peter Luger's tasted better and was more tender. The side of sautéed mushrooms was extremely salty almost making it inedible. But I hate wasting food and money so I forced myself to eat it.

When we left, a huge (literally & figuratively) middle-aged douchebag was blocking the door. He's the epitome of the arrogant male steakhouse patron out with his boys club. He barely moved and we still couldn't get around, and he made dumbass comments to harass me. Got no help from the hostesses who just stood there watching.

Extremely disappointed given that a lot of people rave about Wolfgang's (along with Luger's). I wouldn't go back even if someone wanted to try it or offered to pay. I'd rather go to Peter Luger for better service and food.

My Rating (out of 5): 1.5

Wolfgang's Steakhouse
4 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
wolfgangssteakhouse.net/parkave/

Eggs in Clouds Recipe

I just heard about eggs in clouds (or egg clouds) and supposedly they have been a thing on social media recently (according to one email that I got). I don't know about that, but I like to have fun with food and just happened to have most of the ingredients in the fridge to make them. Plus, they are really easy to make in small or large quantities and could be fun for kids (who are willing to eat runny yolks).

I chose a recipe from Rachel Ray's magazine site and made half the recipe to try it out. I also substituted Parmigiano Reggiano for Pecorino Romano cheese since that's what I already had.

Since I already had the oven on to bake the eggs, I cooked some applewood-smoked bacon in the oven at 450º for 15-18 minutes.  But to cut down on cooking time, the bacon can be cooked in the microwave for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, living in the city means space is precious, and I don't have a stand mixer. So, I used a hand mixer to beat the egg whites to (semi-) stiff peaks.

 

I sprinkled the cheese, bacon and chives over the egg whites, vs. dumping them in, so I didn't have to fold the egg whites too much and cause them to deflate. I only folded the ingredients into the egg whites a few times .

 

Since egg whites puff up some while baking, I would make even deeper wells next time.

Before baking

After baking for 3 minutes

Everything was looking really good and the first yolk went into the well perfectly. And then, the second yolk almost made it in perfectly until it stuck to the edge of the dish and broke. (wah wah) When I separated the eggs, I really didn't leave any egg white on the yolks which is why I think one of them stuck to the dish.

I baked the eggs for another two minutes but I wanted more color on the egg whites and left them in for another minute. (Total of 3 minutes after adding the yolks.)

Other than the small snag, this recipe was fun to make and looks fun. The whipped egg whites give them an airy, light texture. Just like clouds! And they also have lots of flavor from the cheese and bacon with just a little bite from the chives.

Definitely would make these again for brunch or when I could use some whimsy.

My Rating (out of 5): 4

I usually don't have cooked bacon sitting around, so I accounted for making bacon with an adapted recipe based on Rachel's.

Eggs in Clouds Recipe

Adapted from Rachel Ray Every Day

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 22 to 25 mins

Total time: 27 to 30 mins

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

3-4 strips of bacon
1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
4 large eggs
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Freshly-ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place bacon on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer bacon to paper towels and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, pat with paper towels to remove any excess grease. Crumble or finely chop bacon and reserve 1/4 cup. (Snack on any leftover bacon.)

While bacon is cooking, finely chop chives.

Separate eggs, putting whites in 1 large bowl and yolks in 4 separate small bowls. Whip whites until stiff peaks form.

Lightly fold in cheese, chives and 1/4 cup of bacon. Spoon into 4 mounds on parchment-lined baking sheet and make a deep well in the center of each. Bake for 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and add 1 yolk to each well. Season with freshly-ground pepper. Bake until yolks are just set, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Notes:
- To up the presentation, serve on toast or with toast on the side for dipping into the yolks.
- Bacon can be cooked in the microwave according to package instructions instead of the oven.
- If chives are not available, scallions can be substituted.

Sour Cream & Bacon Deviled Eggs

I haven't made deviled eggs in what feels like forever, and I decided to make some to bring to a party. Most recipes have traditional ingredients like mayo, mustard, and/or vinegar, but Trisha Yearwood's recipe with sour cream, bacon and chive caught my eye. 'Cuz everything's better with bacon.

So, I didn't plan ahead on making this and had to buy eggs the day I made them. I've heard suggestions that using older eggs are better for peeling hard boiled eggs, and this is suggested in Trisha's recipe. But, I lucked out in using this Epicurious suggestion for peeling eggs. Only two eggs ended up peeling ugly. (Swirling didn't do much for me to crack the shells, but cracking the shell and peeling under cold running water helped the filmy membrane separate more easily from the egg white.)

Peeled hard boiled eggs (you can see one of the ugly ones)

Egg white halves

Since most of the bacon is mixed into the filling, I cooked my bacon on the crispier side to help keep the bacon from getting too soggy. I like the flavor of applewood smoked bacon and used that in this recipe. Because the slices are on the thicker side, I usually finely chop the bacon because it doesn't really crumble by hand. And if you're like me and can't resist eating the bacon, make extra!

Applewood smoked bacon

I decided to use a light sour cream and it actually worked fine in this recipe and didn't lack flavor or creaminess.

Light sour cream, egg yolks, & mayo

I followed the recipe but added 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar to add some acid and tanginess. (Ok, and I only used 5 slices of bacon because I ate one.)

The recipe says to reserve 1 tablespoon of chives to garnish, but I thought it was a lot and a 1/2 tablespoon (or 1-1/2 teaspoons) is plenty.

I wanted to use a star tip to pipe the filling, but my star tip was not large enough for the bacon to pass through. So I removed the tip from the coupler and piped round swirls.

I thought they turned out pretty good and are an easy variation on deviled eggs. Definitely would make this again! A friend even asked for the recipe so she could make it for an event she was having.

My Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Note on egg tray: I usually don't like to buy serving ware or kitchen tools that have limited use and take up storage space. Transporting deviled eggs can be tricky but possible with disposable DIY trays using egg cartons or assembling at the party host's place. But I found a inexpensive, reusable tray for $3.99. And it comes with a lid! So I splurged and went for it. It holds 24 deviled eggs, but eggs in the center can tumble during transport. And if it cracks or breaks, I won't be too upset.

Meat Pupcakes Recipe

This year, I decided to make turkey pupcakes (i.e. cupcakes) for my dog's birthday. I did a scan online for similar recipes but essentially made a variation of the recipe I use for this puploaf.

I basically used ingredients I had or that were available at the store. I used ground turkey because it's accessible, inexpensive, and a lean protein. But different ground meats can be used instead like beef or lamb. Same goes for different veggies like kale or zucchini.

To test that the sweet potato frosting would stand and not run, I piped a few swirls on a plate and scraped the swirls back into the bowl with the rest of the mash. This also helped me practice my swirl technique.

I also had turkey bacon so I cooked one strip in the microwave and chopped into pieces to top the pupcakes.

These are fun for any gatherings with other pups (assuming they have no dietary restrictions or allergies).

Meat Pupcakes Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 to 25 mins

Total time: 35 to 45 mins

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Always check with your vet about which foods are appropriate for your pet and any pre-existing condition, medication, or planned surgery affecting your pet.

This recipe does NOT contain all the nutrients necessary for complete nutritional health and is NOT intended as a dog's regular diet. This recipe is for special occasions. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup rolled oats, uncooked

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

1 small carrot, shredded

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

2 large eggs, beaten

2 large sweet potatoes

Special Equipment
Standard-size cupcake/muffin tin
Cupcake liners (optional)
Piping bag or large plastic ziploc bag
Round or star piping tip (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a standard-size cupcake/muffin tin with nonstick spray, or line with cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients EXCEPT sweet potatoes. Mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the mixture will end up dense. 

Form into 12 large meatballs and place into cupcake tin. Lightly press the meatballs into each cup. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F and the cupcakes are cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly for about 5 minutes. Because of the vegetables, there may be a bit of water that cooks out of the cupcakes.

While cupcakes are cooking, wash the sweet potatoes and prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning the potatoes once. Let cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.

Mash sweet potatoes with a fork or masher until smooth. The potatoes should be smooth enough to pipe so the frosting is not clumpy. The mash should also be thick enough so it stands when frosted and doesn’t run. If the mash is too wet, try to drain excess water by letting the mash sit in a fine mesh sieve or strainer lined with cheese cloth. Or mix in some plain, cooked Russet potato to thicken mash. Set aside.

Fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the mashed sweet potatoes. Snip the tip of the piping bag or corner of the ziploc bag to create a 1/2-inch opening. If using a piping tip, assemble before filling the bag with the sweet potato mash. Pipe the sweet potato in a swirl over each cupcake.

For extra decoration, garnish the cupcakes with bacon, blueberries, or any dog-friendly food of your choosing.

Refrigerate or freeze any leftover cupcakes.

Dough Doughnuts Review

I like a good doughnut, but I haven't made a point to visit all the doughnut shops that have popped up in the city over the years (i.e. Dough, Moe's, Dun-well, etc.). In my opinion, the gourmet/artisan doughnut trend started with Doughnut Plant, which is where I tend to go to when I want some fancy doughnuts. But, Dough is one shop that I see others post positively about, so I finally got around to trying it when I was in the Flatiron District. 

Dough's Flatiron location had a good selection of 10 or more flavors; most of them are yeast-style doughnuts with a couple of cake-style options. And they offer doughnut holes and their doughnut-babka hybrid, a doughka. Their doughka is currently only available at this Flatiron store. 

The doughnuts are huge, catering to American oversized culture. I will say that given the size, the price is decent at $3 for most doughnuts and $3.50 for filled doughnuts (compared to other similar doughnut specialty shops).

Hibiscus (l) and Boston cream (r) Dough doughnuts

Being my first time at Dough, I asked the employee what their signature flavors were. She apparently didn't understand what I said and made it very clear in her twisted up face and unfriendly response of "What?" like I have the problem. Sadly, you are probably familiar with the type of service/attitude that I'm referring to. Hate to see how she'd treat someone with a disability or impairment just because she may not understand them. I didn't really care about the answer after that.

I ended up getting hibiscus and Boston cream flavors and tried the Boston cream first. I was kind of excited about taking my first bite of a Dough Doughnut given the extremely positive endorsements!  Upon my first bite, "what is this?" came to mind. It is the densest, breadiest doughnut I have ever had, and not in a good way. It felt like I was eating bread instead of a doughnut. It's just not the texture that I want in a doughnut. I want some airiness in a yeast doughnut and this just didn't have any. The fact that the dough is so dense, I don't get why they are so huge. The chocolate glaze had a bitter dark chocolate taste, so I assume some kind of high quality chocolate is used. The cream was a nice thick consistency, but lacked in flavor that I expect from a Boston cream. 

Boston cream

The glaze on the hibiscus doughnut is very pretty and tasted really good. I also liked the dried hibiscus flower garnish. I could taste the nutmeg in the dough more in this one. But the doughnut was also the same dense, bready texture. 

And the grease. SOOOO much grease soaked into the paper bag from only 2 doughnuts. Kinda gross. Never had this issue with Doughnut Plant. 

According to Dough's website, they use a proprietary brioche-like dough. I like brioche, but I don't want it in my doughnut. Hate to say, but I'm perplexed by the numerous raving reviews. This place is definitely not for me. 

My Rating (out of 5):  1.5

Dough
14 W. 19th St.
New York, NY 10011
www.doughdoughnuts.com

Eleven Madison Park's Granola

I'm not a big granola eater, but I decided to finally make my own. It really is so easy that it's one of those things that I should make more often. I had a hankering for some kind of granola with cherries, and my search immediately turned up Eleven Madison Park's granola. Perfect!!

I used The New York Times adapted recipe, but the same recipe is also available on Food Network. There are some slight differences between the two recipes: Food Network specifies unsalted ingredients and uses two sheet pans to bake the granola. I've had the fortune of dining at Eleven Madison Park for a special occasion and received a jar of their granola. The granola was pretty good and I remember there were tiny bits of an ingredient (chocolate?) that isn't in the adapted recipes.

There seems to be quite a difference of opinion on the amount of kosher salt in this recipe (it's even noted in the NY Times recipe). Since it was my first time making granola and trying this recipe, I wanted to stick as close to the recipe's measurements. The only reason I made adjustments is because I only had 2 cups of rolled oats so I was 3/4 c. short. So, I reduced the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil by roughly a third of what the recipe calls for since I had less oats. I kept the amounts of the rest of the ingredients the same. If I've totally lost you, I don't blame you. Bottom line: Make sure you have enough ingredients to cover all the measurements so you don't have to do weird math like I did. 

I got pistachios in their shells mainly because it's less expensive. To yield 1 cup of shelled pistachios, I went through two-thirds of a 16 oz. bag. Next time, I'll probably splurge on the shelled pistachios to save time. I also chose raw pistachios and pumpkin seeds (a.k.a. pepitas) that are unroasted/untoasted since they are going into the oven and will toast when baked.

Dry ingredient mixture

The Salt Debate: I think it's important to use unsalted ingredients in this recipe to balance out the amount of salt. Also, make sure to use kosher salt. (I used the Diamond Crystal brand.) Once my granola was done, I could definitely taste a good amount of salt but I did not find it too salty or inedible. It was a salty sweet combo of flavor. I personally think the salt is balanced with the brown sugar, maple syrup, and sour cherries. And, I'll have the granola on yogurt or with milk, which will also help balance the salt.

But if you don't want to risk it and cut back the salt, it will still be good. You can always add salt to suit your taste after baking and mixing in the cherries. If you follow the recipe and think it's too salty, you can make a separate batch without salt and mix the two batches together to save it. Why not try to save it instead of wasting food?

I thought the amount of light brown sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil was just fine to balance the salt and coat the dry mixture nicely. I will probably try coconut oil in the future to enhance the coconut chips.

Coated and ready to go in the oven

I baked the granola all on one half sheet pan. After 30 min., it was ready to come out. I left it in for a total of 35 min. just to get more color as a personal preference.

The final product came out nice and crunchy, but not sticky. I will definitely make this recipe again and try different nuts, dried fruit, and spices for variety.

4.15.2017 UPDATE: I made another batch using the full measurements in the recipe (2 3/4 cup rolled oats, 1 Tablespoon kosher salt) with pecans instead of pistachios and coconut instead of olive oil. I still did not find it too salty, especially when I have it with milk or yogurt.

My Rating (out of 5): 5

Arugula Pesto Farfalle with Chicken

This is an easy recipe that is great for a quick weeknight meal or even for a party. Pesto pasta is nothing new, but I just found this dish enticing when I saw it on The Chew show.

I totally forgot to get golden raisins, but I didn't miss them or think the dish suffered.

Note: Meyer lemon is not in the recipe but I used it to marinate my chicken thighs

The Chicken
To keep this recipe quick and easy, the boneless, skinless chicken is cooked with a very basic preparation. I decided to marinate the chicken thighs in extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat) and the juice and zest of half a Meyer lemon. I let it sit for a short amount of time while I made the pesto and got the water boiling for the pasta. It came out tender and juicy.

The Pesto
Using arugula is a nice change up to basil and makes for a nice pesto because arugula has a spicy bite. Walnuts are not my favorite nut, but I wouldn't actually mind a little more to taste them in this pesto, say 1/3 cup. As a personal preference, I'd use less extra virgin olive oil next time (1/2 to 2/3 cup) to reduce any oiliness or separation.
 

The recipe makes plenty of pesto to coat a pound of farfalle very well.

Finishing the dish with dollops of ricotta cheese is a nice option. If you don't have ricotta, I also don't think the dish would suffer since there's Parmigiano-Reggiano in the pesto. In trying to cut out some fat, I used fat-free ricotta...wah wah. :o( I definitely miss the creaminess of whole milk ricotta or even reduced-fat. I only used 3 heaping tablespoons of ricotta instead of 3/4 cup that the recipe lists. However much ricotta you use, I suggest seasoning the ricotta with salt before topping it on the pasta so that the ricotta's also flavorful.

This is a tasty dish and I would definitely make it again. I had some arugula left over from a 7 oz. bag and used some for garnish as well (see above).

My Rating (out of 5): 4

Ikinari Steak's First U.S. Outpost

Ikinari Steak is a hit Japanese chain that brought high-quality steak to fast casual dining. They don't even have seats. The concept brings quality steak at a reasonable price in a fast, efficient manner. And they opened their first U.S. location today in NYC's East Village (with plans to open more in Manhattan).

I don't remember much buzz about this opening and heard about it just a few days before with press releases and promotion. And I was intrigued enough to make a visit for lunch...on opening day.

Because New Yorkers are obsessed with being one of the first to try new restaurants, I expected a line to be down the street on opening day. So I was very surprised there wasn't one when I arrived around 11:50 a.m. (They opened at 11.) There was a bunch of press standing around outside that I didn't think they were open to the public. Inside, there were mostly press people with video cameras standing around blocking and ignoring waitresses that were trying to bring food to customers. I was quickly reminded why I normally don't check out places on opening day. There were only few actual customers when I arrived, but more customers started to stroll in by the time I left.

The restaurant chain has a standing-only model. But at the East Village location, they did include 10 seats. From a quick look around, it looks like two 4-top tables and one 2-top table. The rest are standing stations.

The menu is small with 3 cuts of 40-day wet-aged beef by weight and 1 lunch special, a few sides, and a few drinks including beer and wine. There is no chicken or fish and I'm not sure if they will add any since its a steakhouse. There are no appetizers or desserts. This helps with a fast and efficient dining experience. Everything comes out when it's ready rather than being spread out.

Current prices are 9 cents/gram for rib eye, 8 cents/gram for sirloin, and 11 cents/gram for filet. There are minimum weight orders for the steaks to keep them thick. So rib eye starts at 300g/10.6 oz. ($27), sirloin at 200g/7.1 oz. ($16), and filet at 200g/7.1 oz. ($22).

The steaks are freshly cut and weighed in front of you. The restaurant chain calls this "Japan cut" or "J-steak". The wet-age beef are sourced from a company based in Illinois that’s also used in Japan.

All steaks come with corn but you can substitute it for a different garnish like potatoes, green beans, onions, or broccoli. If you want more than one garnish, it costs extra. The waitress nor the kitchen chef asked what garnish I wanted, so make sure to ask if you want something else. So, I didn't realize my steak came with corn until I got my steak. And, I discovered after my visit that you can ask for something else thanks to this Yelp photo.

At lunch, they also offer a Wild Chuck-eye Steak special with soup, salad and rice for $20. It is not available for order by weight. Media reports say the chuck-eye is 14 oz. But the lunch menu and website lists 300g (or 10.6 oz).

 

Lunch menu (l); Dinner menu (r)

How it works (based on my visit):

- When you arrive, an employee shows/directs you to a numbered standing station (or a table if you prefer seat which you probably need to request)

- Menus are already at the standing station. A waiter will come over to take your order for drinks and sides only, bring water, and bring a paper apron.

- Then, the waiter will walk or direct you to the back kitchen counter to order your meat. You order the cut of beef and amount that you want and they cut and weigh it in front of you. Bring the number card for your station/table so the kitchen knows the right place to send your steak (and because you probably won't remember your number).

Even if you order the chuck-eye lunch special, you still have to go tell the kitchen counter your order. But you don't see it get cut. A little odd, but I guess this is to make the process consistent for the staff.

- After you order your steak, you go back to your station and your food is brought out to you

- Forks, knives, napkins & condiments are already at your station. There were no spoons.

- A bill is brought to you when your steak is delivered. Keep it so you can pay at the front desk when you leave.

I had the $20 chuck-eye steak lunch special because it's a good deal. The soup and salad are very small and basic, but it's nice that rice is also included. The soup was a small mug of beef or chicken broth with a few bits of carrot, celery and beef that you drink since there were no spoons. The salad was a small handful of lettuce and a few shredded carrots. The onion and pepper dressings were good but nothing special.

Salad & small cup of soup with chuck-eye lunch special

My chuck-eye came out sliced on a sizzling platter with the garnish of corn. The chuck-eye already had nice color from cooking over a fire but was still blue rare on the inside. There's a printed guide on the menu on how to enjoy your steak, and they suggest rare. But if you want a different temperature, you just leave the steak on the hot plate to cook longer.

I usually prefer my steak medium or medium rare, but I went rare this time. My chuck-eye was very tender, juicy, and flavorful from the fat and seasoning. Chuck-eye is not the same as chuck steak. Chuck-eye is cut from a different part of the rib than rib eye. So chuck-eye still has a lot of good flavor but costs less than rib eye.

The house hot steak sauce, dubbed J-Sauce, was delicious without covering up the flavor of the steak. It's their own soy-based steak sauce. Not sure if the steak sauce is hot because it's warm and kept in a thermos, or also spicy. If there is spice, I didn't really taste it. But having warm sauce is perfect to help keep the steak warm.

There's also Ikinari sauce that is a sweet sauce. I asked what's in the sauce, but the employee who brought out my steak didn't know. My waitress just said it was sweet. It's also tasty but I preferred the house steak sauce.

Other than the steak sauce, I didn't use any of the other condiments because I didn't need them.

My steak also had a small dollop of what they call a garlic paste. It looked and tasted like some type of butter or mayo, but I didn't taste much garlic. And it looks very different than the garlic available in the condiments.

They are a non-tipping restaurant. I walked out full and happy from chuck-eye steak lunch for $21.78 after tax.

About that paper apron...it's a good idea to help keep any grease splatter from the sizzling hot plate from getting on your clothes.

The standing stations have lots of storage. A shelf where you can place menus after ordering or to store items, a hook to hang a coat or bags, and even foldable stands on the floor that can  hold briefcases or bags.

The kitchen is open so you do walk out smelling smokey like hibachi or K-BBQ places.

The restroom has a fancy Japanese toilet with a heated seat, washing & dryer options. There's also Listerine if you want to be minty fresh. [toilet pic]

And if you're so inclined, they have a Niku mileage membership card that you can sign up for to track the weight of meat you eat. The card comes complete with Lady Liberty and has rewards after consuming a certain amount of beef.

I was done in 35 min., and I didn't scarf down my food or feel rushed. Maybe this might be different when it's busy.

Some people are already taking criticizing the fast concept as not being fine dining, only appealing to the college crowd, or rushing people to make money. I think this is snobby and out of touch. Full-service, upscale restaurants are having to close or forced to move due to rent hikes and increasing costs, so I think it's close-minded to criticize a business for creating new ways to bring good food to people and stay in business to keep serving good food to customers.

I enjoy a nice steak dinner at a high-end, full-service steakhouse. But that's usually for special occasions. I love steak, so I welcome a concept that can make quality steaks accessible without a special occasion and for a modest price. I don't always want to have a 3-course meal that stretches on for a couple of hours just to have a good steak. And I'm more interested in getting quality food at a good price than having white cloth tables and a fine dining ambience.

I'll be back to try other cuts. Definitely recommend trying this place for quality steak at reasonable prices.

My Rating (out of 5):  5

Ikinari Steak

90 E. 10th St.

New York, NY 10003

http://ikinaristeakusa.com/

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

After eating a lot of bread carbs over the last week, I was in desperate need of some healthy eats. I found this raw Brussels sprouts salad by The Real Food Dietitians and was excited by the ingredients.

Full disclosure: I made some substitutions to use what I had at home but I don't think they drastically changed the flavors or result of the salad.

This recipe makes a hella ton of salad and is good for a large group of people or a party. I made the full recipe and had a lot leftover. And Brussels sprouts are a hearty vegetable with plenty of chew compared to arugula or spinach. If you want to make a smaller amount for 4 people or less, I suggest cutting the ingredient amounts by half.

I highly recommend buying a bag of shredded Brussels sprouts. I think it's really worth it in this case. (Thank you, Trader Joe's!) Since Brussels sprouts are small, shredding them yourself can be time consuming and I don't love that my food processor leaves small chunks behind with the shredder attachment.

I had turkey bacon in the fridge and used that instead. I cut up the turkey bacon into small strips so they got evenly crispy in the oven. Since the bacon will start to get soft once the salad and dressing are mixed, I cooked the bacon until it was very crispy.

For the dried cherries, I also recommend using tart cherries if you can get them. I think they add a nice balance to the bacon and Brussels sprouts. Trader Joe's had three dried cherry options to choose from including tart Montmorency cherries.

I love pecans and already had some. I also think they go great with dried fruit. So, I used rough-chopped pecan halves instead of almonds.

Clockwise: red onions, turkey bacon, pecans, dried tart cherries
(shredded Brussels sprouts underneath)

The recipe calls for 1 cup of sliced red onions and I thought it was a little to much. While I like red onions, I would cut back to 1/2 to 3/4 cup the next time I make this. And to take out some of the bite, soak the sliced onion in cold water while the bacon cooks. Then, drain and pat dry with paper towels when ready to add to the salad.

For the citrus vinaigrette, I used an average sized naval orange and am guessing that it had a little more juice than a small orange that the recipe calls for. I used a Meyer lemon instead of the regular lemon variety since they are in season. I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest because why waste it?

Vinaigrette ingredients

The vinaigrette recipe calls for 3/4 cup of olive oil, but I only used 1/2 cup. I could taste the extra virgin olive oil in the dressing and didn't want it to get too oily or overpowered by an olive flavor. Last, I used Dijon mustard since I didn't have any yellow mustard. I ended up with exactly 1 cup of vinaigrette after my modifications. I thought the dressing was good, but I think I prefer an all-lemon dressing for more tang and brightness to the salad. And I'd leave out the shallots, since the salad already has a lot of red onion, and use garlic instead.

I skipped the optional goat cheese to be healthier, but I may include it another time.

I thought there's a good ratio of bacon, nuts, and cherries in each bite. There's very little chopping involved in this salad, especially if you get pre-shredded Brussels sprouts. The vinaigrette is the most complicated part of the recipe! I'll definitely make this again.

My Rating (out of 5): 4

11.6.2017 Update: Decided to add my recipe version below which makes a smaller amount.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:

• 4 slices of turkey bacon
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion 
• 10 oz. package of shredded or shaved Brussels sprouts
• 1/3 cup dried tart cherries, unsweetened (such as Montmorency cherries)
• 1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted and rough chopped

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1/2 small orange, juiced
• 1/2 tsp. orange zest
• 1/2 Meyer lemon, juiced (regular lemon can be substituted)
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. dried thyme, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• Kosher salt and black pepper 

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Chop the uncooked turkey bacon in to small splices. Spread pieces in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread pecan halves on a separate small baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in the oven on a rack placed in the middle. Toast the pecans for 3-5 minutes, making sure to watch that they don't burn. Cook the bacon for 12 minutes, until very crispy.

When the pecans are toasted, let cool. Then, roughly chop the pecans and set aside.

While the bacon is cooking, slice the red onion and soak in a bowl with cold water. This helps remove some of the bite.

While the bacon is cooking, also make the vinaigrette. Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients, except the olive oil, together in a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil in a slow stream while constantly whisking to emulsify the vinaigrette. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.

Once the bacon is cooked, set bacon on paper towels to drain excess grease. Also drain the red onions and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl with turkey bacon, red onion, cherries, and pecans.

Add 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette immediately before serving and toss to coat well. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed.

Silky Cauliflower Soup

I was in the mood for some healthier food when Smitten Kitchen posted a silky cauliflower soup that she likes to make. The recipe is by Dave Lieberman, and since Deb gave it an endorsement, I gave it a try.

What the recipe has going for it is that it's super easy to make, has only a few ingredients, and I thought the texture had a nice silky feel like the name describes. I also like that there isn't cream or whole milk which keeps the soup light. It's a nice option for lunch or dinner when you don't have a lot of time and you likely have most of the ingredients at home. But with the simple ingredients, the flavors are straight forward and aren't going to have a big wow factor.

(Note, I didn't make the Parmesan crisps mentioned in the recipe.)

After the cauliflower cooked through

I used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which has strong flavor, and regular chicken stock instead of a low-sodium version. While the cauliflower and cheese flavors come through, the soup can be one-note without other ingredients to build more flavor. Some reviews called the soup bland. But when I think of bland, I think a dish may need more seasoning with salt and pepper. This recipe doesn't specify an amount of salt and pepper so I added enough to suit my taste.

Soup blended to silky texture with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

The soup could benefit from more flavors by adding celery, using leeks, or adding cayenne. But it's not a terrible option if you need to make something in a jif.  I also made raw Brussels sprouts salad to serve with this soup which you can find out more about here.

My Rating (out of 5): 3