La Panza Llena

Oloroso

2009-01-11T14:15:00.004-06:00

1024 South Alamo
(210) 223-3600
On the Menu

Initially we were planning on an Indian takeout carpet picnic for New Year's Eve. Yup, just Mr. Panza, me, and 7 of our favorite dishes from Madras Pavilion. Very romantic.

But when we found out the inlaws were going to be joining us, we knew they probably wouldn't want to ring in the new year by sitting cross legged by the coffee table with flutes of Brut while watching Will & Grace on DVR.

Our task? To find an upscale, magical, intimate, delectable dinner for four. Oloroso did not disappoint. First, can I say what a breath of fresh air it was to have a high end dining experience somewhere other then North 1604? With all the beautiful old architecture in downtown San Anto, I refuse to believe that a stone facade strip mall is the best we can do! Oloroso understands a good first impression, as it's nestled in a rennovated historic home in Southtown, completely elegant and full of personality like most of the homes downtown.

We started with the charcutiere plate accompanied by the A to Z pinot from Oregon, my suegro's (father in law's) pick. The meats (prosciutto, duck prosciutto, pancetta, lomo, and Spanish chorizo) are all made and cured in house! When they arrived at our table, like red and pink jewels all sliced and layered on a plate, we all perked up and started chatting more festively. This starter was perfect for four, with toasted baguettes and the smoky, velvety mushroom soup.

I was very happy with my duck, roasted in its own rendered fat and perched on wilted swiss chard, but the surprise of the night for me was my suegro's hangar steak. According to Ronnie, our enthusiastic waiter, the hangar is the small diamond cut of meet just below the animal's throat and above the chest (get it? It "hangs"). There is only one per harvest, and it's particularly juicy and succulent.

I was caught offguard but the lack of presentation here, not much garnish on unremarkable white plates. But by the end of the meal, I realized that the chef's focus was on the balance of the food - the way the flavors and unlikely ingredients were crafted together, from the cranberry tartness and savory marsala sauce layered with the pork loin, to the delicate Alaskan cod cuddled with earthy brussel sprouts. Forget art, Oloroso is downright chemistry.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Pan de Plátano

2008-09-13T15:20:00.005-05:00

When I was a junior in college, I studied abroad for six months in Santiago, Chile. I lived with a lively, loving family, the Castigliones, in a large rambling house with many hallways and many doors. In the middle of the home was an open, sun-drenched kitchen, and in the heart of the kitchen was Sra. Castigliona, mother to everyone who crossed her threshold, and matriarch of the family.

Sra. Castiglione had this inhuman ability of cooking exquisite multi-course meals for 10 to 15 people (her family plus whichever friends and neighbors coincidentally happened to be lingering at the time) with seemingly few ingredients, little hassle, and often limited time. The woman was a culinary genius. It was by observing her that I realized how intimate preparing food is - an act of careful creation meant to sate and nourish the bodies of the ones you love. I was fascinated.

Of course, at the time, I thought of myself as an enlightened feminist, and as such had purposefully refused to learn how to so much as fry an egg. I scoffed at the phantom man who might one day expect me to prepare his meals, barefoot in the kitchen - I thought I was being clever by nipping that nonsense in the bud.

Yeah, I was a little obnoxious.

The tangible vision of a summer pepper's bright skin, the sizzle of a sliced onion hitting a hot pan, the smell of fresh chopped cilantro, even better then just-cut grass...it was all as foreign as that new country. And I loved every second. I realized that to Sra. Castiglione, cooking was not an act of duty, but an act of love - love of food and love of family. She inspired me, and I've been trying to live up to her in the kitchen ever since.

I found out that Sra. Castiglione passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. I hadn't been in touch with her, but I was so saddened by her passing that I didn't cook for weeks. Now, whenever I bake her pan de plátanos, banana bread, and the warm, comforting waft fills the house, I think of her spirit, and I'm inspired by food all over again.

Ingredients

3 cups flour
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp, baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Mash bananas in a mixing bowl, then add the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add all the dry ingredients except the flour. Mix with spoon. Grdually add flour, mixing in as you go. Bake for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes - a knife should come out clean when the bread is ready.

To make two loaves, as Sra. Castiglione always did, double the recipe. Serve one sliced and warm with butter, and give the other as a gift to your friends or co-workers.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Chicken Soup for the Cold

2008-09-03T19:32:00.011-05:00

I've had the same "summer cold" for two weeks, and the day before yesterday, my poor Mr. Panza came down with it too.

Oh, how sad I was to leave off to work while my new husband lay miserable in bed, coughing and sniffling amongst the tissues and cough drops! So I made him some chicken soup to keep him company all day.

A quick note about this recipe: I wanted it to be not just about taste, but about restoration. I was reading the Herbal Drugstore in my ~~utterly elusive~~ gradual quest to become less chemical dependent (less processed foods, less synthetic materials, less gas), and saw that ginger and garlic have significant curative properties. So in other words, your breath will stink, but hey, you'll feel better.

1 1/2 cartons chicken broth (maybe 6 or 8 cups?)
2 cups water
1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs, cooked and shredded
1/2 regular bag egg noodles
1/2 small head cabbage, shredded
1 med onion, roughly chopped
2 small carrots, cut into strips
2 stalks celery
3 cloves garlic, smashed (must be fresh, no powder!)
2 spoonfuls sliced ginger (must be fresh, no powder!)
1 lemon
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. chile pepper flakes
salt
pepper
thyme

Okay, this may sound gross, but to cook the chicken I boiled it in salted water in my cast iron. While it cooked, I chopped the veggies. When the chicken was cooked through, I set it aside on a plate, then poured out the water until approximately a couple cups was left. I added the chicken broth to that, then put it back on medium heat.

Next dump the bay leaves, all the vegetables, except for the ginger and garlic, and the noodles in the broth. Cut the lemon into quarters, juicing all of it into the broth and adding one of the quarter rinds for good measure. Raise the heat and shred the chicken while the broth comes to a boil. Once the broth is rolling, lower the heat, add the chicken, give the whole thing some solid grinds of salt and pepper and about a 1/2 tsp of thyme. Last add the garlic and ginger.

Once the noodles are done, the soup is ready for battling nasty man colds .

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

License to Cook

2008-08-14T10:55:00.003-05:00

Julia Child was a WWII spy!

Cross this woman and you'll be sleeping with the fishes...

Texas Fare

2008-08-13T16:37:00.004-05:00

Good Morning America had a feature on Texas carnival food this morning! Check it out here.

Take my word for it, heaven is a deep fried snickers bar...

Thailand Part III: Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

2008-08-13T15:49:00.011-05:00

Our best meal in Thailand back in June was on a crickety open air dock in a small fishing village in the the middle of nowhere, Phuket. Go figure. (More on La Panza in Thailand here and here)

The restaurant was completely empty except for a smattering of locals, and completely quiet except for the singing of crickets and the occasional hum of a motor boat. The sun was just sinking into the hills behind the water as we sat down to eat. In other words, Talay Tong was our kind of place.

We started with the steamed green lipped mussels. Within minutes we were happily slurping the biggest mussels we had every seen, dripping with lime juice infused with lemon basil and galangal.

Um, yeah, those bad boys were basically gone in 5 minutes.

Next up was the squid. We weren't really sure how they prepared this - it was definitely not fried. And it seemed too solid to have been steamed. Baked maybe? Can you bake squid? I have no idea, but it was sweet and succulent. We smothered each slice with the burning hot chile sauce pictured.

Before we we were done with the squid, out came the crab curry.

I was so thrilled when I saw (and smelled) this dish, I almost fell out of my chair. Can't you smell the spicy coconut curry just looking at this picture?

Last was a steamed white fish, which came to the table on its own mini iron stove. Our waitress suggested this one, and we understood why. It was so fresh and bright, we could tell the fish had been caught that day.

Again, what impressed me most about the food at Talay Tong (and all the other spots where we ate really) was (1) how fresh the food was and (2) how simple the ingredients were. Just take the dishes above for example - not one has more than 4 or 5 components. Blissfully simple and impossibly delicious, no doubt because of how darn fresh those few ingredients are. I think those are lessons I'd really like to emulate in my own cooking.

We got all this plus virtual gallons of Singha beer to wash it down for less that $20! And I'm sure we got inflated tourist prices! Unbelievable!

For anyone planning to visit Phuket soon, Talay Tong is a must visit:

Address: 162/7 moo3, Maikhao District, Thalang, Thailand
Phone: 66-818955933

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Mini Chicken Pies for the Guys

2008-08-08T13:51:00.006-05:00

Some good friends of my husband just returned from Prague, and we spontaneously invited them over for dinner last night to share their adventures. Just one little catch - we are well overdue for a grocery run, and I had no food in the house. Pesky little details...

Fortunately, a quick survey of the fridge revealed some leftover roast chicken, and some frantic digging through the freezer produced a bag of frozen peas and carrots and some long neglected puff pastry sheets. Voila - mini chicken pot pies. Fast, simple, and I could even knock it off as "comfort American food" to welcome them home to the States. Success!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
4 spoonfuls flour
small carton of heavy cream
chicken stock
shredded leftover chicken (about 4 thighs worth)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag frozen peas and carrots
1 puff pastry sheet
1 egg
salt
pepper
strong grainy (or dijon) mustard (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make a rue. I find that the secret to a good rue is to melt the butter first on low to medium heat, then whisk in small amounts of flour at a time. This way you can control any lumpage.

Gradually add about half a cup of chicken stock to the rue, slowly whisking the stock in. Then do the same with an equal amount of cream. I then alternated between the stock and the cream until the gravy came to a consistency that was thick but fluid, using maybe a cup of each.

Take your gravy off the heat. With a wooden spoon, fold in the onion, vegtables, and chicken, combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste, and if you're fanatical about grainy mustard like me, a heaping spoonful of grainy mustard (I think dijon would work well too). If I had thought of it last night, I would have also added some paprika and nutmeg. Set aside.

Whisk the egg with a fork in a small bowl. Set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry with a rolling pin, and use a small bowl or cup slightly larger then the opening of a ramekin to press circles into the dough. A circular cookie cutter would have been useful here, but I'm not much a baker and don't have any!

Fill 10 ramekins equally with the chicken mixture, then press a pastry circle over each so that the mixture is sealed inside. Place the ramekins on a foil lined baking sheet.

Brush over each pastry lidded ramekin with the egg wash, and poke a fork once through each. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until pies are golden.

The guys liked the pies, a little too much - they were gone before I was able to snap pictures.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Summer Lovin'

2008-08-04T17:05:00.006-05:00

After a horrendous month of a messy trial and some long nights writing post trial briefing, the boss lady surprised us with some lovely comp time. I do love me some comp time.

I took last Thursday off and slept practically all day, so by Friday I was ready for some fun. Translation: wine. And Lots Of It.

By the time my husband came home, I was 3/4 of the way through a Vega Sindoa Rosé. I don't care what anyone says, there's nothing more refreshing than a cold glass ~~or four~~ of crisp rosé on a hot summer day.

One of my roommates from law school, a petite freckled sprite from Canada with a French accent, taught me a great trick for rosé:

Glass full of ice
3/4 Rosé
1/4 Soda Water
1 twist lemon peel
Stir

I always feel a little guilty when I do this with wine, even cheap wine, but I don't care, it's yummy.

I had already put out a tray of olives, sweet pickles, nuts, and pita with hummus, but when a friend of ours dropped by unexpectedly, I added a small mountain of tomato ciabatta bread, and neat, pink rows of chorizo and serrano ham. Four hours later, we were were stuffed, laughing, and starting our third bottle of garnache. Glorious.

I finally feel like it's summer...better late than never, right?!

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Thailand, Part II: Tom Ka Gai

2008-07-31T18:17:00.020-05:00

Photo Courtesy of Jamie's Phuket

My posts on Thailand now average one a month. What a sorry blogger I am. But with many apologies and without further ado, here is Chef Tutka's delicious recipe for Tom Ka Gai:

Ingredients

1 shallot, cut into rough wedges

1 stalk coriander, pounded

1 sliced galangal (fresh ginger is an alright substitute)

1 stalk lemongrass, pounded

40 grams oyster mushrooms

60 grams thinly sliced chicken breast, no skin

1 spoonful fish sauce

1 half spoonful sugar

1 half spoonful salt

200 ml. coconut milk

350 ml. chicken stock

4 lime leaves (kaffir lime leaves if you have access)

1 small serrano chile (deseeded, deveined, cut in half and pounded)

1 spoonful lime juice

Preparation:

Isn't it great how all these ingredients are completely fresh and virtually unprocessed? In Thailand, you can buy stock and coconut freshly made. But I digress - I hope you enjoy this recipe - it's very fast and easy to prepare, but the doesn't look or taste that way.

Bring the chicken stock to boil, then add the shallot, coriander, galangal, and lemongrass. Leave it rolling for a couple minutes.

Lower the heat just a bit, and add the mushrooms and chicken. Boil until the chicken is cooked.

Season with the fish sauce, sugar, salt, and chili. I like mine extra spicy, so I just dump the whole thing in, but I suppose you could slice it up and add to taste.

Add the coconut and boil for a minute or so. Add the lime leaves, then take off the heat. Take care not to boil the milk too long or the milk will brown!

Right before you serve, stir in the lime juice. Don't add the juice while the soup is on the heat, you don't want to sour the milk.

I've only made this recipe once since Thailand, but the second time around I used more lemongrass and ginger than the recipe calls for. That extra sour taste with the hotness of the chile and the sweetness of the coconut milk, well, it's just the best. My mouth is watering just thinking of it...

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

When in Phoenix

2008-07-21T12:43:00.002-05:00

Just back from Arizona and the conclusion of our big trial ~~and tribulation~~. One of the only redeeming factors about the stress, agony, and 20 hour workdays that come with long court cases in far off places is the opportunity to explore a new city's food scene. Because really, and perhaps a little sadly, when all you're doing is shuttling from work to bed and back again, food becomes the highlight of your day.

As suburban-centric as Phoenix is, there are some fabulous food spots (gasp) close to downtown. Here are some of our favorites that made repeat appearances in the mealtime rotation:
Switch
2603 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 264-2295

All the food here is rich and delish, good comfort food for us road weary attorneys. Think ham & gouda crepes and chicken pot pie galletes. Cool modern atmosphere so we didn't feel embarassed taking our expert witnesses there. Try the happy hour (3-6pm) for $3 vodka-spiked Italian soda spritzers. Just the thing on a 110-degree day. Eesh.

Fez
3815 N Central Ave # B
Phoenix, AZ 85012
(602) 287-8700

Mediterranean / Morrocan meets EZ's. Apparently the same owners as Switch, and it shows. A perfect pickmeup was the cinnamon dusted sweet potato fries with a pomegranate cabernet. Also enjoyed the fez salad on more than one occasion.

The Wild Thaiger
2631 N Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Lame name, I know, but they surprised us good. I could not get over the fresh lemon basil in the grapao - I had to fend off all the neighboring forks that kept darting over into my plate.

Barrio Cafe
2814 N. 16th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85006

I saved the best for last - Comida Chingona!! We celebrated the end of our first week of trial with two pitchers of Barrio Cafe's special margaritas. What an intimate, artsy, sexy little place, perfect for a first date. I was shocked by the prices until I tasted the food. Now those were some $20 enchiladas.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Bento Envy

2008-07-03T20:37:00.018-05:00

In a ~~moment~~ hour of writer's block today I unwittingly stumbled across the most adorable food trend ever. Bento boxes. Seriously, I couldn't stop staring at Flickr, drooling over the poetry of it all. . .

More bento eye candy.

Doesn't this make you want to run out and buy a bento box? (Me too, go crazy for cheap here)

One of the things I love about cooking is putting nonsensical things in a sensical place, so the color coordination and texture of these boxes is just driving me nuts.

Is the bento trend catching on here in the States? Who knows, this is the first I've ever seen of this. Then again, I live in Texas, and news trickles down slow. But I think Bento afficionados are on to something here.

When my parents were kids, they used to walk home from school for lunch. Today, pretty much every country in the western hemisphere (except the U.S.) allows work and school breaks for family meals in the middle of the day. Bentos seems like some small way to put some love back in the lunchbox. Not to mention a sure method of making leftovers more appealing in the midst of an economic ~~recession~~ slowdown...

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Easy Chicken Tagine

2008-06-22T15:08:00.025-05:00

I have been wanting to test drive my tagine for a while. Ever since we received it as a wedding present, it has been sitting prettily on top of our fridge, taunting me.

(taunting, silent taunting.)

I have a trial next week, so things at work have been pretty hectic, plus I had to work this weekend. Boo. So this recipe fulfills 3 important busy work week requirements:

1) It uses ingredients I already have in the kitchen since I didn't have time to buy lamb at the grocery store.

2) It makes 6-8 servings, plenty of leftovers for my honey and me, since I'll be at the office more often than not this week and won't have time to cook.

3) It's fast to prepare and easy to clean up.

Lovely, savory, and spicy. A hectic schedule does not necessarily equate "home cooked meal" with "Hamburger Helper." Just because you're stressed doesn't mean you can't take the time to smell the cumin and cinnamon is all I'm saying...

Ingredients
7 chicken thighs (boneless, skinned, cut in half and seasoned with salt and pepper)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 small onion, sliced into rings
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp anise seed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chile seeds
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup oil (not olive oil)
salt and pepper
4 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
3 small potatos, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
I also threw in some celery. I don't know if North Africans cook with celery, but it was there and I like celery.

Directions

(Disclaimer: I made this recipe from 3 or 4 different recipes I found online, and adjusted accordingly to my taste.)

Heat the oil in the tagine over a low heat and sauté the garlic and onions until glassy. Mix in the spices (or grind the spices in a small food processor then dump them in, like I did), then lay the chicken breasts on the bottom. Brown the chicken on both sides.

Spread the potatoes and veggies evenly around the chicken, add about 1 cup water. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or 3 episodes of Rescue Me.

When the vegetables are nearly cooked, arrange the tomato wedges over the top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the vegetables are done (I made some couscous and harissa, and cleaned up a bit during this time, about 20 minutes).

With the couscous and harissa, this dish was scrumptious. If I had some olives around, I would have used them as seasoning, and bought some crusty white bread to sop up the juices - the couscous just did not cut it.

I found this recipe for harissa online, and modified it a bit since I don't have a mesh colander and didn't want to go through the hassle of cleaning my blender:

Ingredients

½ cup of dried chili flakes
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic-peeled
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Place a small sauce pan over high heat and bring about 1 cup of water to a boil.

Remove from heat and add the chili flakes to the water - Let them steep for 5 minutes or so. Drain the flakes into a mesh colander (or squeeze the water out using a coffee press like I did). Blend the chili flakes and the rest of the ingredients into a blender (I used my countertop food processor) until the mixture resembles a smooth paste. Salt and pepper to taste.

Overall, a successful tagine christening!

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

Thailand, Part I: Seeking Sanuk

2008-06-21T09:12:00.009-05:00

We're just back from Thailand, and I can't stop dreaming about our first trip to the Asian continent. Specifically, the food. Good lord, the food.

We split our visit between Bangkok and Phuket, and we did not have a single bad meal. I was eating every two hours. So not joking!

One of my favorite food experiences (among many) during the trip was a cooking class with Chef Tutka at the JW Marriot Beach Club in Phuket.

The lesson began with an excursion to the open air food market in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket on the mainland. The sights and sounds were so richly foreign, I was gaping left and right the whole time trying to take it all in.

(A man makes naan from scratch.)

(Dorian, the "king of fruit." Stinky as all getout, but delicious with a buttery texture.)

Tutka insisted, and we quickly came to understand, that it is impossible to learn Thai cooking without seeing the ingredient source. That's because good Thai cooking is about using what's fresh and available in the fridge or the market place, and not about blindly following a recipe.

That "toss in everything but the table leg" style is right up my alley! It allows for plenty of experimentation and creativity. And given my messy nature in the kitchen, the happy disregard of precision in measurement was heartening as well.

According to Tutka, Thais believe that everything you venture in life, including cooking, should be pleasurable or enjoyable. The term "sanuk" signifies striving not for hedonistic pleasure, but for positive expression. So cooking is most importantly a process of living - even though it's a daily activity, that doesn't mean it must be mundane. Enjoying the process of cooking (as opposed to obsessing over the finished dish) is just one small way to make the most of every life moment, savoring even the smaller pleasures that come our way.

As someone who loves good food, sharing meals with friends, and smelling, prodding, and tasting every ingredient as she cooks it, that's definitely a cooking philosophy I can live with! Chef Tutka taught us three recipes from her own collection, and I'll post about my favorite next time.

Until then, Buen Provecho!

DeWese's Tip Top Cafe

2008-04-30T11:39:00.010-05:00

2814 Fredericksburg Road
(210) 732-0191
Open Tuesday to Sunday at 11am, Closed Mondays
On the Menu

As a little girl, whenever I would visit my abuela's little house in Mercedes, Texas, deep in the Rio Grande Valley, there was something very comforting about how everything was always the same. The same little yard with the aloe bush and a forked tree in the front perfect for climbing. The sight of my abuelita in her little bata house dress, eternally at the stove turning tortillas on her comal (which I use to this day in my kitchen). The same smells of chopped onion and bright cilantro and refried frijoles wafting about her small two bedroom home. It was everything ordinary in the most extraordinary way.

That's kind of how I feel about DeWeese's Tip Top Cafe. The place is over fifty years old and probably looks the same way it did when it was opened with its wood paneling, mounted deer heads, and floral curtains. But it's these same sights and sounds that great you when you walk in that make you feel at home. And they're also what enhance a menu full of Texas all-stars.

This past weeked my honey and I met my parents for Sunday lunch at the Tip Top. We started with a towered plate of fat onion rings, which arrived hot with a perfectly golden, crispy crust. They were a sight to behold. I need to start taking pictures.

I was torn between the cheeseburger and the chicken-fried steak, but dear old dad ended the agony and graciously offered to order the latter so that we could split them. The burger bun was lightly buttered, just like the rolls. The chicken fried steak was hot with a crispy crust that was not at all sogged with grease.

Incidentally, service was tops, excuse the pun. I never had a cold coffee cup and we sat, put our orders in, and had our food right away, despite the full house.

For dessert we settled on a slice of chocolate pie and the cherry cobbler. The pie was a let down. The meringue had a rusty taste to it, and the chocolate filling was slimy with a chalky taste. The cobbler, on the other hand, stole the show - equal parts tart, juicy berry and thick, chewy crust. The syrup had a tart sweetness, too. A perfect end to a perfect lunch at home.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

FINAL WORD: San Antonio institution perfect for a quick bite or lunch after church.
PANZA RATING: A

Picante Grill

2008-03-24T11:57:00.009-05:00

(210) 822-3797
3810 Broadway

Due to travel and hectic work schedules, my honey and I ate Easter lunch with my parents at a restaurant this year (instead of the usual honeybaked ham at home). To avoid crowds, we opted for our tried and true Picante Grill. The Poso Family has done a remarkable job with this little gem on Broadway. Over the years, they have expanded space and staff, while maintaining reasonable prices and a lovely sense of family hospitality and intimacy.

Creative mexican food in San Antonio is rare - more often than not, mexican food here translates to standard "Tex-Mex." To keep the menu lively and innovative, Sra. Poso regularly travels to her home state in interior Mexico every year, bringing back new recipes from the likes of Yucatán, Puebla, Veracrúz, and Oaxaca. Never to be missed is Sra. Poso’s renowned chile en nogada, or a baked chile stuffed with roasted fruit infused pork and a walnut sauce bejeweled with pomegranate seeds. It is a must-have when it’s available. Yesterday’s winners were the cabrito (stewed baby goat) and tacos de pescado (fish tacos). The cabrito had been stewed in its light tomato sauce so perfectly that I barely had to chew it - it was heaven wedged in Picante's thick corn tortillas with chopped cilantro. The fish tacos were large (fish tacos in town tend to be small and more loaded with cabbage or coleslaw then fish) and baked, not fried, in a red chili sauce (pasillas perhaps?) - a superior choice for bringing out the fresh, clean flavor of the white fish.

My honey had the pork in achiote sauce. Because Picante Grill has a cochinita pibíl (slow roasted pork) that is a family favorite, I had high hopes and quickly reached over to stab at the pork when it arrived. I was immediately disappointed - the sauce was overwhelmed with the licorice flavor of anise. The paella was also a let down. The seafood was delicious - very juicy, not rubbery and undercooked, but I couldn't taste any saffron in the rice.

As always, our waiter was friendly and attentive. I also noticed that someone had taken some time with the presentation of our dishes. They looked beautiful, all carefully arranged and garnished. I guess it's that's loving attention to detail that keeps us going back to Picante Grill.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

FINAL WORD: Creative dishes transported by attentive service, family atmosphere
PANZA RATING: A-

A Fine Pair

2008-03-20T10:47:00.002-05:00

I found this nifty wine matcher today courtesy of Nat Decants. It suggests a match based not just on a type of food, but on the actually dish. Pretty awesome.

Lisa's

2008-03-14T11:10:00.012-05:00

Lisa's Mexican Restaurant
(210) 433-2531
815 Bandera Road

Remember that sitcom Cheers? My honey and I grew up with that show, so perhaps it was embedded in our psyche that we had to find a neighborhood spot where "everybody knows your name." When Lisa's moved from their old location to Bandera, mere blocks from our house near Woodlawn Lake, we couldn't wait to try it out. And we weren't disappointed! We have dined in on at least five separate occasions, including lunch, breakfast, and late dinner (post-9pm). The food and service are terrific. If you are looking for a solid place to take a large group at the last minute, this is it.

My favorite meal is the shrimp nachos, because Lisa's never overcooks their shrimp - they are large, plump, and perfectly pink. My honey and I recently ordered the parilla for two. For $20 we got a huge platter of beef and shrimp fajitas, with corn tortillas that arrived warm. The guacamole that came as a side was homemade, you can tell by the larger size chunks of avocado in there.

This brings me to one of the best things about the food at Lisa's - the charro beans. The fajitas come with a little cup on the side. Tex Mex comfort food at its finest! The smell and the taste of the warm bean broth were right on - I felt like I was tasting my abuelita's frijoles again, que Dios le bendiga. I was spooning it in like soup and savoring every slurp.

Another must have at Lisa's is the michelada. For those of you who don't live in Texas, or do live in Texas except under a rock, micheladas are like Bloody Marys but with Mexican beer instead of vodka. It's hard to make a michelada properly, because without the perfect mix of beer, tomato juice (or clamato), and the right splashes of hot sauce and fresh lime juice, really what you are going to end up with is the way your beer tastes the morning after you drank too much of it. Not good. Lisa's has one of the best micheladas in the City. Plus they serve it in a cold glass with a salted rim. Mama I'm home.

The icing on the cake at Lisa's is that everyone is so darn friendly. Ode to a place where the water glasses are never low and the panza is never empty.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

FINAL WORD: Modern family spot with authentic Tex Mex, consistently exceptional service.
PANZA RATING: A-

Ciao La Vanderia

2008-02-15T12:33:00.010-06:00

(210) 822-3990
226 East Olmos Drive

Look, I'm an easy girl to please on date nights, but when my honey told me he made reservations at an italian restaurant for Valentine's Day, I was a little meh. Italian on Valentine's? "How cliche" said I to my obnoxious little foodie self.

Oh ye of little faith. I brightened as we pulled up to the charming little Ciao La Vanderia in the gorgeous, woodsy part of the Olmos Park neighborhood. Noticeable absence of the cheesy white and red table cloths so typical of so-called "authentic" italian eateries? Check. Intimate, sleek, yet non-pretentious atmosphere? Check. Old laundry machine and dryer vent pipes? Check. Wait, what? Oh yeah, the place used to be a washateria. Tongue-in-cheek. Cute. I dig it.

Upon entering Ciao, my honey swelled with pride when we noticed the mayor of Saytown dining with his wife in a romantic little corner. We assumed that this was a reflection of my honey's impeccable taste in date night venues. Can he pick 'em or what? I have to say, we were excited about this new little find.

The Valentines menu was a fixed 3-courses with 2 or 3 choices for each course. We started with a mascarpone stuffed mozzarella and rabbit ravioli. The mozzarella was drizzled with olive oil and flavored with vibrant fresh basil, sea salt and fresh black pepper. Perfect seasoning, and the first bite was bliss. Same with the ravioli. Even though my honey and I plate swap regularly, he glared a bit when I honed in on the ravioli, swirling the juicy bits of pasta wrapped rabbit in the light brown sauce.

Both dishes were incredibly fresh. The mozzarella is made in house, and I would be shocked if the the pasta was not also homemade - it had that perfect, chewy a dente texture. The anti-Olive Garden if you will. To be honest, I can't remember what my honey had for my main course, but I was so inspired by the ravioli appetizer, I subsequently ordered the roasted rabbit entree. It came on a bed of pureed potatoes, in a perfect portion.

As spot on as the food was, the service was lacking.

We had reservation, but we still had to wait for about fifteen minutes at the front desk for our table sans bar or waiting area. So there we stood, trying to keep our little glasses of house wine from spilling as we were jostled by the bustling wait staff while everyone stared at us. Awkward.

We were seated, and waited some more. We didn't see a waiter for a while. When he finally came by, he asked for our orders even though we didn't have menus. I began to wonder how you say "annoyed" in Italian. It would have been nice to pair a good bottle of wine with such a wonderful feast. But we were never offered a wine list...or even a second glass of wine. Boo. We plan to give Ciao a second chance, and hope we are able to chalk it up to a wayward waiter. I'll report back.

Until next time, Buen Provecho!

FINAL WORD: Way above par cuisine for Saytown, but we felt neglected!
PANZA RATING: B+