crossrhodes

We chose a Spanish and Portuguese venue for our Mother’s Day celebration this year.  The Iberia twin restaurants in Newark’s Ironbound district is somewhat of a landmark.  This part of town is scattered with rodizio-style restaurants where various offerings of food (in this case, grilled meat) are carved and served table side directly from the skewer.

It was a carnivore smorgasbord of grilled fillet mignon, chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin, beef ribs, pork ribs, pork sausage, chicken sausage, and grilled pineapple (to cleanse the palate in between courses).  The rodizio was served with garlic collard greens, rice and beans, french fries, and fried plantain on the side.

There’s also a huge selection of seafood for non-carnivores.  Some of us ordered the Parrilhada for two - a heaping platter of lobster, jumbo shrimp, clams, mussels, garlic shrimp, calamari, and flounder, atop a mound of saffron rice.  It was more than enough for 4 people, especially after you fill up on the savory bread.

The parking is free (a huge bonus in the city), but it is also a stone’s throw away from Penn Station.  I’m thinking it’s worth a train ride to return for lunch.  I’d go back for their bread alone.

All photos by Jeniel Corpuz.

I’ve been up and down the east coast as a child, but I don’t recall experiencing culture shock as I did recently when we visited James in South Carolina.  First of all, breakfast or late night options severely deteriorate south of the NJ border.  I sorely missed my good ol’ Jersey diners while I forced Denny’s grand slam down my throat.  Either that or Cracker Barrell where the green beans ought to be called gray beans.

Once we hit the Carolinas, we could almost hear “cha-ching!” in our pockets when we saw the price of food and gas.  We had an all-you-can-eat southern buffet lunch for under $7!!!  Even McD’s can’t beat that anymore.  The food was so-so but for the price, I could afford to try fried okra for the first time and discard it if it didn’t please my palate.  Fried okra turned out to be tasty, so did the blackeyed peas, pole beans, and “fat back” (crispy pork skin crackling) with chili vinegar.  (The latter was not new to me.  We Filipinos have our version called chicharon.)

There was one off-the-beaten-track restaurant that was unforgettable.  While we were in Fort Jackson, SC, Don asked the locals on amateur radio for a good southern BBQ joint.  They all piped in the Palmetto Pig on Divine Street in downtown Columbia.  If you are ever in the capital city of South Carolina, you must dine at “The Pig”.

There is nothing fancy about this place.  Just down home good cookin’!  The BBQ pulled pork is so tender and the southern fried chicken is finger lickin’ good.  It comes with an array of BBQ sauces, veggies, side dishes, and condiments.  The sweet tea was the best sweet tea I’ve ever tasted.  I still crave it to this day.  I tried for the first time “rash and hash” or rice and their version of hash (not chopped potatoes but a savory sweet meat sauce).  For under $10, you can’t beat this buffet and the friendly folks behind the counter. The owner was so enamored with Layla, she walked out with a free tub of homemade banana pudding =)  Daddy ate it when we returned to our hotel.

I suppose it’s a good thing we don’t have one of these joints near us.  My heart can only take so much pork and fried everything.  But if I ever cross the Mason Dixon Line again, “The Pig” will be a stop on my itinerary!

I’ve had this post on homemade baby food in my draft folder for months.  Layla’s eating table food for a couple of weeks now, but this is still worth posting for new moms searching the web for info as I did 6 months ago.  BTW, I only did 2 baby food-making marathons.  Each batch lasted 3 months and I had extras to give away.  The moral of the story is that it was so worth it in time, money, and quality of food.  So, here’s my take on homemade baby food.

WHY? Because it’s more economical than store bought food, I can control what goes in it for the most part, and simply because I can!  I follow the rule of thumb that the more colorful the food, the more nutritious it is.  I’ve noticed the variety of store bought baby food is mostly in the beige to yellow variety.  Every day since Layla started eating solids, she’s been eating a serving of blueberries (purple foods are the healthiest) and avocados (dubbed “The Perfect Food” for it’s complete nutritional value).

WHAT? I make everything but grains and dairy.  I buy organic and all-natural products.  It costs a litte more but I figure, she’ll have the rest of her life to eat unhealthy, processed food.  In addition to blueberries and avocados, I also make squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, bananas, pears, and apples.

WHEN? It only takes ONE DAY (excluding freezing time) to prep, cook, puree, and store enough baby food to last SEVERAL MONTHS.

HOW? I steam (never boil) produce that needs softening in a stainless steel double-boiler.  Read more

We tried a new trattoria-style Italian restaurant for dinner tonight.  Neither Don nor James thought the venue was worth repeating.  I, however, found the food quite good and both Layla and I enjoyed the ambiance (she loved the grape vines hanging from the ceiling).

Don ordered the usual Fried Mozzarella and Baked Manicotti. You risk disappointment when you order neighborhood pizzeria dishes at trattoria prices.  James thought the Fried Calamari tasted too much like… well, squid!  Duh!  He expected it to be disguised in so much batter so it didn’t taste like squid anymore… the same way he likes his fish sticks.

The unusual caught my eye.  I ordered the Fried Smelts Antipasti and Handmade Gnocchi in a Duck Ragu (shallots, Pinot Noir, shiitake mushrooms and a special duck glace with a touch of mascarpone), not your local Olive Garden fare.  Everything I ate was delicious!  I didn’t finish my entree because I filled up on the smelts, house salad, and fresh ciabatta rolls dipped in herbed olive oil.

The Chef/Owner stopped by our table, too.  Layla caught his attention and we got into a conversation about her name and Eric Clapton.

Next time, I was hoping to sample the Roast Beets and Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese salad and Wild Mushroom Risotto.  But sadly, I doubt Don will take me there again.  Olive Garden, anyone?

On our last night in Fort Lauderdale, we drove an hour to Miami to an Argentine restaurant for dinner.  Now, you know I eat almost anything and will try everything once.  We ordered a parrillada (a mixed grill) for two of chorizo (pork sausage), beef short ribs, flank steak, chinchulin (tripe), molleja (sweetbread), and morcilla (blood sausage).  You’re drooling just from reading this, aren’t you? LOL!!!

Okay, let’s go through some of them.  I enjoy tripe in stews and dim sum, but I’d never had them grilled whole with the “stuff” (bile?) still inside.  It wasn’t pleasant.  BTW, sweetbread has nothing to do with pastry.  It’s an edible gland, either the thymus or pancreas, that is common in European diets.  I enjoyed it’s crispy outside and tender inside.  I thought I would enjoy the blood sausage, too.  There’s a Filipino dish of pork stew cooked in its own blood that’s quite good.  But the blood sausage (aka, black pudding in England and boudin noir in France) must be an acquired taste because I could not get the hang of its texture.  It tasted fine but, for the same reason I’m not fond of American meatloaf, it lacked texture.

Don did not touch the tripe or blood sausage.  He ate a piece of sweetbread not knowing what it was.  It tasted just like sliced sausage.  I may try blood sausage again cooked differently from another country to see if there’s a difference, just as there are differences in any variety of sausages. I will stick to the tripe I know, in stews and dim sum.  But at least I can say I’ve tried it.

So far, in one week in Florida, I ate for the first time: kidney (in an Irish kidney pie), sweetbread and blood sausage (a la Argentina).  As I write this blog at home, I’m chowing down on a Wendy’s cheese burger, wondering which parts of the cow are in my meat patty.