Po Girl

Shrimp is one of my all time favorite foods.  Those little babies are so versatile and tasty and they are a cinch to cook. Great for breaking up any mealtime monotony too. 


I got a craving for a shrimp sandwich.  One thing I'm always looking for is the perfect remoulade.  There are as many variations as there are people on Earth.  I've made it using a recipe, winging it, trying to recreate something I had in a restaurant.  Mixed reviews on my concoctions, so I continue to look for just the right one.  Well, I may have found one I can stick with.  I looked around the Food Network's site and modified one of Tyler Florence's recipes.  Here's what I did:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 1/2 tsp minced dill pickle
• 1 1/2 tsp minced capers
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped parsley
• 3/4 tsp dried tarragon
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

I mixed it all together and refrigerated for awhile to blend the flavors.  Then, I fried up some shrimp, sliced one of those big, red tomatoes we've been talking about, tore up some romaine and made myself a fantastic Po' boy, I mean, girl.  I got these really nice hoagie rolls from the Publix bakery that were perfect for this type of sandwich.  Slathered on the remoulade and piled in all the yummy ingredients. Success!

That's just a work of art, as far as I'm concerned!

**Restaurant Review-Zoe's Kitchen**

I have been the fortunate recipient of catering from Zoe's Kitchen before but have never made it into the restaurant.  Samples of their food I've had include grilled chicken skewers, grilled vegetables and (truly) the best Greek salad I think I've ever had.  

Today, I had to take the poor little Vivinator to the doc for the lovely cough that I've shared with her.  When I put my hand on her last night and realized I could make a grilled cheese sandwich on her back, I knew that cough had taken an ugly turn and chances are the ears were about to join the party. So, sure enough, both ears are "fully involved" and the doctor sent me off to Publix for free antibiotics.  Can you believe they do that?  Free anything in today's world excites me greatly!  My Publix is one of the "urban stores" which has no pharmacy, so off to Forest Acres I went.  The pharmacy was backed up and asked if I could do a little shopping.  Hey, I wasn't complaining...it's free medicine, right!  So, I seized the opportunity to visit Zoe's on Forest Drive.

I went in determined that I was ordering that fantastic Greek salad, but once I got in there, my mind reeled.  The menu was awesome.  Just simple, fresh, Greek-inspired salads, soup, sandwiches, wraps.  Nothing too fancy, but just quality.  Have you ever been able to sense quality just by "feeling" a place?  That's what was happening to me.  So, I decided to actually read the menu and perhaps decide on something other than salad.  So, I approached the cashier and ordered the "Gruben" which is a turkey reuben dubbed a "Zoe's favorite."  Then, the guy  behind the counter asked me if I'd ever had their chicken salad.  "Does it have celery in it?" I asked.  "Yes," he said.  Well, that takes me out of the running. But he convinced me to try a sample and lo and behold, I loved it!  Celery and all.  Theirs is shredded very fine so you can appreciate a little crunch, but not that foul celery flavor.  So, I changed my order to chicken salad on the 7-grain bread.  When it came to my side order, I couldn't really make up my mind, so I took the cashier guy's recommendation again and ordered the rice pilaf.  I know, it's not a typical side you'd have with a sandwich, but he was right it's simply delicious. 


Since I was by myself, I had time to study the menu.  They offer lots of lean foods...turkey, grilled chicken, homemade chicken & orzo soup.  Definitely not the average sandwich shop kind of fare.  The decor is warm yet bright and sunny.  And, they have several patio tables as well.  And, there's now another place in town where I can order chicken salad without disappointment!