Category: Ethnic Food

Dining Out: Old School Italian

Published August 31, 2018

Perhaps it is my age, or maybe it is my history. But I love dining at traditional, old-school Italian restaurants where the recipes are passed down through the generations. These restaurants are focused on quality of food, not cutting edge presentations, glitz or glamour; just the food. I remember the first time I went to one of these restaurants. I was sixteen, and my grandmother took me there for dinner after I passed my driver’s test and got my license. That was at Ann & Tony’s in West Jefferson, Ohio. Dining out was a big deal as a kid in my…

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Mexican Street Corn es Muy Delicioso

Published August 10, 2018

Several weeks back I read this recipe on Pineapple House Rules, a Texas-based “mom blog” I follow because of Lilly’s recipes. This particular recipe made me think about the street vendors in the Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago where we used to live. They served the corn “on the cob” with the husk still attached as the handle, slathered in mayonnaise, spices, and cheese with a wedge of lime. Since my mayonnaise usage is selective, the idea of slathering it on fresh sweet corn seemed over the top and too sweet. All I could think was, why would they do that. Now decades later…

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Le Farfalle * Fine Italian Cuisine * Bravo!

Published May 1, 2018

Le Farfalle has been open for 18 months, and I had yet to give it a try. Honestly, new restaurants are opening in Charleston almost every month throughout the year. Some make it, and some don’t because this is a food town and “good” is just not good enough to make it. Le Farfalle came to Charleston with great fanfare, but as we all know hype is not always deserved. So, I usually let a new place get its legs and will wait for the “grand opening crowds” to die out. I will read a few reviews, and listen to…

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Lasagna Melange: Party of Ten

Published April 5, 2018

Last Saturday, it was my turn to host a group of friends who gather to drink wine and have dinner at each other’s home. I bumped up attendance by adding my two sisters and Bryan & Craig, so instead of the usual six, we had ten. With wine school that morning I knew that my time was going to be restricted, so I needed to make a one-pan dinner and lasagna is always a great dish to serve. My sisters also volunteered to assist. One did appetizers, and the other did dessert. Whew, that saved me a tremendous amount of time.…

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Corrales Casserole from Pineapple House Rules…

Published December 14, 2017

Gary needed a “Mexican” dish for a potluck lunch at work today. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to make this rice dish – Corrales Casserole – that looked incredible when I read it on “Pineapple House Rules,” a mom-blog that I peruse. Yes, I know, I am not a mom. And babies are only cute as long as I can give them back to the parents when I am done with them. But Lilly makes some really good looking food, so I follow her to see what she is eating. Then there is my first winter cold…

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Side Note: This and That for the Weekend

Published September 29, 2017

It has been a whirlwind week. I can not believe that it is the weekend already. We had family in town, so we have been out and about most nights which was super fun. So for this post, I am calling it Side Note as I am piecing together various moments from the week. The Indian dinner we had on Monday was flawless. The Chicken Tikka Masala was a huge hit. I also made an accompaniment called Raita which is to provide a “cooling” effect that tames the heat from some of the dishes. The recipe is below. I think…

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Tikka Masala aka Butter Chicken: Updated

Published September 25, 2017

My sisters, Gary and I love, love, love Indian food. The sisters have traveled extensively in India for business and grew to love the cuisine. Gary and I used to frequently go to Little India on Devon Ave. while we lived in Chicago. Tikka Masala was always one of our dishes to order. In Charleston, we used to have a group of friends that got together a few times a year, and we would all scratch make an Indian dish. Unfortunately, the group disbanded after the matriarch of the group passed away, but we as a family continue to make…

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Remember, Ramblings and Recipes

Published September 7, 2017

Dear Hurricane Irma: While I would prefer you just dissipate, please leave Charleston alone. Our bank account is still recovering from Matthew and the tropical storm the month before that! Rambling… My parents always had a string of “I remember” statements like, “I remember having to walk to school for a mile in the snow.” So here are a few of mine… I remember when: Spam is/was a meat-byproduct loaf that we ate when we could not afford ham or bacon not junk email I remember when outlet malls were for overstocks and seconds. And it was all about “the hunt” for…

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Queso Fundido Pizza

Published August 10, 2017

I’mmmmm baaacckkkk! OMG, yesterday was such a fantastic day! I started the day with a 3-mile walk with my niece-puppy and sweat by butt off. Then I finished processing and posted a wedding for one of my clients while doing six loads of laundry. While the computer chugged away on the wedding, I went to a wine tasting at Monarch Wine Merchants and met some new importers. Came home and made a Queso Fundido Pizza that I have imagined in my head for over a week. By then it was 10:30 pm and I was exhausted so I could not keep…

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Top Spots: My Charleston Eats

Published June 16, 2017

The other day I was asked by a reader, “What are the two Charleston restaurants that someone visiting Charleston should not miss? My first reaction to that question was…. Wow! How can I pick just two? There are so many factors that could play into the answer. So today’s post is all about my favorite spots to eat. My Charleston Eats is arbitrary and based solely on my experiences. I will list a few others at the bottom that are certainly notable but did not make my list for some reason. This post will become a page that is on my…

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Workshop: A Food Concept Incubator

Published June 6, 2017

* Workshop * My friend Eve and I had lunch yesterday. It had been a while, so we had lots of catching up to do. We decided to check out Workshop, at 1503 King Street just north of downtown. As they say on the website, “Welcome to Workshop, Charlestons’s exploratory food court. Try something new at one of six rotating kitchens, where emerging and renowned chefs experiment with culinary concepts.” Food court equals choices so since neither of us knew what we were hungry for this was the perfect spot. As we drove north on King St. we saw 1501 on a building,…

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Sartù di Riso or {Sartu of Rice}

Published May 22, 2017

What is a Sartù? Sartù is a rice meal cooked in a dome-shaped bowl with a medley of ingredients as a filling. *Worth Every Minute* When my friend Karen suggested I make this dish, I thought sure, no problem, I got this. She said it was like Arancini (Italian Rice Balls) on steroids. Then I read the recipe, and on the outside, I was cool, calm and collected. On the inside, I was sweating bullets. It took me a couple of weeks to commit and finally head to the market to get the remaining ingredients that are not always in my pantry. And…

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Stella’s Charleston: Upscale Greek Finally!

Published May 2, 2017

I love Greek food. But the offerings in Charleston are very limited. There is a good gyro joint in Mount Pleasant but I’m not driving to the opposite side of town for a gyro. There are a couple Greek restaurants around town that are more tavern-like but the food is “just ok”. If you go to any of them once every two or three years that is plenty. Then again, perhaps I should have said, “were” limited. Because now there is Stella’s. Stella’s: Not a Character in a Tennessee Williams Play but Definitely Desired Stella’s Charleston came onto the Charleston food scene…

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Me and You and a Little Peru…-ivan Style Chicken

Me and You and a Little Peru…-ivan Style Chicken

Published May 1, 2017

Gary is out of town this weekend at a conference. I have no dogs to watch over, so it is just me on a Friday night and it’s time for dinner. Actually, I came to this realization early Friday morning and I thought…”This will be a great day for that delicious Peruvian-style Chicken with Tangy Green Sauce and Salad.” I say that because this is a recipe that uses a whole roasting chicken with skin and bones. Gary likes his chicken without bones or skin so this was the perfect dish since he is not here. So I called a…

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