Lunch at Hacienda de Don Manuel - Meet Some VIP's in my Life

Hacienda's Link

Lunches with coworkers fall into three general categories: those we eat in our department's conference room and the food is either brought from home or purchased in our cafeteria, the Chinese restaurant or the Mexican restaurant.  Sometimes we break the rules and head to the diner or one of the pizza places.  Rarer still is fast food from either Wendy's or McDonald's. 

On a fairly sunny Friday afternoon, four of us walked to Hacienda de Don Manuel and my mouth was wishing for fresh and table side prepared guacamole.

We could be considered an eclectic blend of women.  One has been with the company for 25 years, one is a newlywed and looking at us I believe the range of ages may span about 30 years.  Our life experiences, backgrounds and interests are all over the map and that is partially what makes going out to lunch together so interesting and fun.

The newlywed will be celebrating the Chinese New Year this weekend with her inlaws.  They will be staying at her house, preparing and eating traditional foods and perhaps a shopping excursion or two.  She has a warm smile, easy laugh and sincerity that radiates from within.  For her, the Devil's Pork Chops.

 

My vegetarian friend also works a part-time job on Saturday and will look forward to a day of rest on Sunday.  She shares her home with a husband and three beloved kitties.  She is a woman with no time for BS, has a wicked sense of humor and outstanding with comedy movie quotes, is impatient with women who depend on men and if you are looking for an honest opinion, she will give it to you.  However, she will not intrude nor try to impose her thoughts on others unsolicited.  The quesadilias prima vera (or veggie quesadilias) are her request.

Going through some turbulent times, this woman also finds joy in volunteering, giving back, the beach, butterflies and her senior kitty.  She is compassionate and a true people person with a love of the shrimp quesadilias.

Me?  Well, I love food, my sons, the Mr. and my family.  I miss the beach terribly and was worried when my emotional yellow Lab, Maddy, recently had some stomach issues which seem to have passed.  I love to play loud music while I clean my house which sometimes turns into a full blown concert/dance event instead.  Today, soft steak tacos.

Life is a buffet - though sometimes we take what we want and sometimes we are served some "icky" things.  We need those VIP's to help get us through and keep us feeling Fed Well.

Aroma Osteria

Aroma Osteria Link 

 
My husband and I delayed our Valentine's Day dinner by one day.  This year my husband decided to surprise me with a mystery reservation and we went to the Aroma Osteria.

Once inside we checked our coats and were immediately shown to our table.  The dining room lighting is dim to perhaps add to the atmosphere, but it was almost too dark.  I quickly glance through the cocktail and wine list and decide on a Limoncello based drink.

On the table is a small dish of olive oil with both Calamatta and green olives as well as a basket of bread.

The couple at the table next to us is preparing to leave and I ask the woman what she had for dinner and whether she enjoyed it.  I have done this in the past with my sons present and they were mortified.  They retell the story with shock and horror.  On this night, I am answered with enthusiasm that not only is everything on the menu just wonderful, but she had the fish stew and her husband enjoyed a pasta dish with broccoli rabe and sausage.  Fine sounding selections.

We are given a single page listing of specials and a regular menu and decide to begin with an antipasto for two.

The plate included 2 slices of prosciutto, marinated mushrooms, baby carrots, mozzarella, eggplant, zucchini and roasted red peppers.  I have to confess, this was my favorite part of the meal.  While we were eating, I noticed a number of camera flashes go off throughout the dining room.  I had recently read an article in the New York Times Dining section regarding the nuisance of flashes during dinner and how a number of NYC restaurants were trying to ban photography during meals.  I have not been using flash photography in public for two reasons; my family complains and it washes out the final image of the food.  Though it is distracting for a moment, I don't think I really mind when others use a flash.  We do talk about the possibility though of restaurants offering "Flash or No Flash" areas in the same manner hosts used to ask, "Smoking or non?"

A new couple is seated next to us and I can not help but notice the gentleman was given a magnifying glass with a light to read his menu.  While this is a thoughtful touch, I wonder if maybe the mood lighting isn't a bit too dark if this tool is necessary to read the choices.  I also can't help but laugh when the woman takes her husband's picture while he is using the lit magnifying glass.  "That's going on Facebook," we laugh.

Our main courses arrive.  For him, the fish stew our first dining neighbor recommended.

The broth is flavorful, fish is firm and the large prawn was sweet and tender.  The Mr. finished the stew and was watching me eat my dinner (which I always share with him anyway).

For me, a generous portion of the linguini with shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and calamari.

"Would you care for some dessert tonight?"

Certainly.  We order coffee for him and tea for me.

After looking over the dessert menu, we are also told about the evening's final course specials.  I order the Limencello cake which arrives with a vanilla cream sauce, fresh raspberries and "the flower is edible," our server informs us.

Yes, I tried one of the petals.  Do you know what it tasted like?  A flower petal.

It was a wonderful date night.  The meal, the company, the conversation, the camera flashes all made if fabulous and left us feeling Fed Well.

Beef

My husband rarely orders beef in a restaurant, but loves it at home. Why? He trusts the ways I prepare it - well, I think that's a bit of my ego talking. In all fairness, he does prefer chicken but if he is going to eat beef, the dishes I prepare seem to make him happy.

Valentine's Day can be tricky in the restaurants. However, I didn't have time after work and before attending a Village Board Meeting tonight to make a lovely and fussy holiday menu. Instead, I bought seemingly good quality sirloin tips and instead of cooking slow and low, I went for fairly quick sear and well seasoned with mushrooms over simple egg noodles. I also used my stand by for easy gravy - Bisto granules from England.  (Read more about Bisto here)

 

The beef was tender, the mushroom browned and the noodles al dente.  What more could sweethearts, and well their sons, ask for on Valentine's Day or a Thursday night in February.  Dessert?  I enjoyed a few decadent caramels from my box of assorted chocolates!

 

We are truly Fed Well.

Setting the Scene

One of the first kitchen tasks I remember participating in and having my own sons carry out as little ones was setting the table.  I also recall as a young Girl Scout being shown the "proper" place setting - which by the way is not the method I use at home.

I would say I make sure my table is set 90% of the time when the entire family is going to sit down for a meal together.  I also use a cloth tablecloth on the dining room table at least 95% of the time when serving a meal in the dining room.

As a newly wed I did try cloth placemats for awhile.  I also know I had cloth napkins at some point.  I think I want them again.

Is it work?  A labor of love?  A habit? 

I think a set table matters visually and hope it says to the diner, "I care about you and the food experience you are about to have here."  

This was the table at my sister's house for my birthday last year - a casual taco meal was dressed up with a festive table and margarita glasses.  How fun and fabulous!

The setting below is a bit fancier, also at my sister's house for a holiday...

I've yet to learn how to fold the fancy cloth napkins like fans!

 Two heads of table chairs - side by side.  A laid back starter course for Thanksgiving.

Clusters of red carnations as a centerpiece with a second bunch at the other end of the table.

Cloth tablecloths are also brought along if we are going to eat in the park and I throw one on the patio table in the summer.  It adds to the whole experience for me.

I like to remember special event tables as well...

So, does a set table matter when it comes to feeling Fed Well?  Probably not really, but it does fancy things up a bit and tulips never hurt anyone!

Paczki Day/Fat Tuesday

Religious, met? No, not really.  Traditional, yes.  Spiritual, yes.  Open to new experiences, especially when food is involved, yes!

A few years ago I joined the Morale Improvement Team at work.  Our mission was to of course improve morale with little to no budget and one thing we learned relatively quickly was food treats generally make people happy or at least most won't complain while they are busy chewing.  We would meet and decide which unusual or little celebrated holidays could be honored and if individual serving food could be included we welcomed new opportunities.

One man on the team, yes, he is Polish, taught many of us about paczek (singular) - a traditional jelly filled pastry eaten the day before Lent begins to use up all fats and sweets in the house in Polish homes.  Today, the paczki (plural) are available both cream and jelly filled and they are a HUGE hit at the office.

The sweet smell of the baked treat forms a scent cloud in our office area that I don't think anyone was able to resist.  

I select just the right chocolate covered, cream filled, confection and bring it to my desk for a brief but intense photo session.  Here is the one I felt worthy to share...

The cake is crisp, not soft and doughy.  It may sound strange to describe a baked good as having "snap" but it does work here.  The cream filling is not what it may appear.  It is light and not at all a heavy, overly sweet custard.  Instead the true taste of cream with a touch of natural sweetness whispers across the tongue.  

Hmm, Fat Tuesday in the office?  Not really in the Mardi Gras sense, but we often have sweet treats at work designed to keep us feeling Fed Well while experiencing a number of different customs.  Wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Personalized Pancakes

Sunday breakfast.  We alternate who prepares it, and whether it is a sweet or savory meal, but it is almost as big of a deal around here as Sunday dinner.  As it turns out, this week it was the priority over the evening meal since our sons had their own social agendas.  The ham will be a Monday night treat instead.

The table, though set with paper plates, seemed a bit fancy for our typically casual gathering. I believe it was the flowers that really made it special for me!

Though the pancakes are arranged on a plate in 3 distinct piles, two flavors were available; plain and chocolate chip.  Blueberry is on the menu when I buy the fruit and since I wanted something to jazz things up, I simply cut up half a banana and added it as a topping.

The Mr. does a lovely job with pancakes.  

How do you like yours?  With sausage?  Do you cook the sausage or banana in the pancake?  Flavored syrup?  Fruit only?  It was a lovely, simple meal and fabulous way to start the day feeling Fed Well.

Lunar New Year's Eve or the Mr. Returns Post Nemo

The Mr. spent the past week in Colorado for training related to his job.  The joke is that after 25 years working for the Federal Government, how can training be needed?  Well, it was computer related training, but I further push that this expense could certainly have been handled cost effectively via tele-conference or an Internet based computer training (perhaps through in some high tech Skype-ish feature) and voila thousands of dollars saved.  What do I know?

He was schedule to return to the Northeast on Friday.  Yes, pretty much in the middle of Nemo's performance with an 11:30 p.m. landing in Newark.  His flight was rescheduled for Saturday and he pulled into our driveway about 4:30 p.m. with this beautiful bouquet from Hearts n Flowers Florist.  TULIPS are my favorite flower and I was quite happy to see some!  Spring is on the way.

Wish I could say I ordered Chinese food intentionally in honor of the Lunar New Year.  However, the reality was I spent the day outside covering an amazing winter festival for the newspaper I write a community column for and cover local events.  I was cold from the inside out and in need of a bit of convenience. 

Won Ton Soup is always the perfect warm up.

Yes, I order a lot of shrimp in my Chinese food.  Years and years ago when the jokes were plentiful about questionable animals being used for meat in Asian dishes, I switched to mostly recognizable and difficult to impersonate shrimp.  Of course I also enjoy them immensely.

The Mr. goes with C11 or Four Seasons.  A bit of beef, pork, chicken and shrimp in a brown sauce.  I spear a few of the vegetables he pushes aside.  

We are tired.  He from traveling.  Me from the weather.  Happy Lunar New Year and may your year find you always feeling Fed Well.