Thai One On

Y'all know that I really like Publico. I've told you that. But, it's been a while since we've been there. Yesterday was my birthday.  So, the three of us decided to continue the celebration of me by having lunch at our favorite neighborhood joint today.  

I got there thinking that I'd order the Classic Carnitas and the Sambol Fish taco.  Like I usually do. But once there, I thought, "no, I'm going to try something new this time."  I chose the Thai Shrimp Burger. 

Shrimp burger with fresh cut fries

 So, this is a burger made of giant chunks of shrimp.  This is significant because too often restaurant dishes really skimp on the shrimp.  The burger is served on a fresh bun with red onion relish that is delicious. There's also a Thai peanut sauce and orange sesame aioli.  It's a very flavorful and successful fusion of tastes.  I could only eat half of it though; it's a big sandwich. I definitely recommend this one!

Neil decided on the burrito du jour, the "Wingerito."  It was stuffed with pulled chicken with a chipotle wing sauce, brown rice, lettuce and black beans.  It was really yummy.  Of course, Neil had them also jam as many jalapenos as they could fit into it. Many of you know that Neil's heat addiction knows no bounds.  He's constantly on a quest for what he considers hot and it's rarely what others can even tolerate. Today he sampled a coconut Ghost pepper sauce and admitted "it's hot."  That says a lot.

Now, the Vivver decided on her "usual," the Crunchy Avocado taco.  Can I tell you how much I love that my kid has an avocado taco as her "usual?"  

The Crunchy Avocado

 It also never hurts to start off with guac and queso.  The chips are always warm and salty.  The guac is creamy and the queso, well, what's not to love about melty cheese? 

Publico has completed their back porch/deck area. Today they had some astro-turf out with hula hoops, cornhole and a baby pool in the parking lot.  I'm not sure if this was special for the holiday weekend, or if this is a new fixture.  And, since the last time I was there, they've added brunch. Check out the menu here. Enjoy!

Craving Crab

In my constant quest for variety, I've learned to obey my cravings. It usually leads to something good. A few days ago, I got a great deal (surprise, surprise) on avocados at Aldi.  They were perfectly ripe, so I needed to use them before they turned the corner. As I contemplated those little dark green orbs, crab entered my mind.  The idea was born.  Crab Louis.

Mayo, green olives, chili sauce, horseradish & lemon make a tasty dressing. Capers for garnish and tang.

 I made a dressing with chili sauce, mayo, chopped green olives, a little horseradish and lemon juice. Then, I just piled crabmeat into the cavity of the avocados, added some boiled shrimp over shredded lettuce and drizzled with dressing. I topped it all with some capers because everything is better with capers. 

Crab, shrimp, avocado and Louis sauce on a bed of lettuce. Parfait, n'est ce pas?

Super fast, super easy, super delicious. We're still in April, but the temps are already getting close to the 90 degree mark, so cold food is certainly welcome this time of year. With my leftover crab, we are looking forward to crabcakes and/or bisque later in the week.  Poor us!  Crab all week long.  

Chef'Store

Those of us who love food have been driving by, wondering, imagining, obsessing about the opening of this strange, new US Foods Chef'Store.  What is it?  When will it be open so I can check it out?  Will I cross the threshold and completely lose my mind?  What is this gigantic former Piggly Wiggly going to contain?  The giddy excitement was becoming unbearable.

Well, it's finally open and I was able to make a small foray into this enormous culinary mecca.  In a word?  Whoa!  It's amazing.  Obviously, this is the place to shop if you own a restaurant or a catering company.  I saw the equivalent of a sheetrock bucket full of soy sauce, a gallon of olive oil, cases of avocados and every type of to-go box known to man.  But, there are still items here that fit into the everyday domestic kitchen.  Unfortunately, I only had about a half hour, so I didn't even make it through all the aisles or the meat department.

However...

I did have time to find two super awesome products. Caperberries and white truffle oil.

I have an intense love of briny, sour, pickled foods.  I crave Claussen's pickles and have actually gotten in my car to drive straight to Publix.  I mean, when it hits, I want a pickle and I want it now.  (Here's where the husband makes some pickle innuendo joke!) I love capers on just about anything, including on a spoon.  Yes, I've been known to eat them right out of the jar.  But, caperberries are a whole other matter.  The first time I had them was about 30 years ago when my family was in NYC.  We discovered them in Dean & DeLuca and all went crazy for them.  Try finding them in Columbia, SC.  Virtually impossible except in the occasional gourmet shop where they've been priced as if they are Beluga caviar. Not anymore!  I got this huge jar at Chef'Store for 6 bucks and some change.  

 

As  you can see, I've already made a pretty significant dent in them.  I admit it!

Now, truffle oil is another thing that those of us here in the South simply didn't grow up with.  I've heard of it, of course, but it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I finally got to try it.  My pickle-joking husband gave me a little bottle of it for my birthday.  As tacky as it is, I had to know how much it cost.  $22 for a bottle that was probably less than one fluid ounce.  (Remember those shops with Beluga prices?).  Well, here at the glorious new Chef'Store, I got 9 oz. of white truffle oil for about $11.  I seized the moment, you know, carpe diem'd it.  I was so excited, I practically ran to the cashier. 

So, now I am armed for truffled risotto, truffled eggs, and one of my favorites, truffle-drizzled french fries!  Seriously, if you haven't ever tried that, you must give it a try.  

This store is really fascinating.  The prices are more than good and if you do need large quantities, it's there.  But, you can still shop for yourselves.  You just might need to split with friends.  For instance, a case of avocados (48) is only $19.98.  That's $0.42 cents per avocado.  The grocery stores act like they're doing you a favor when they put them on sale for $1 apiece.  So, get 5 or 6 friends to split one case and for roughly $4 each, you all walk away with lots of avocados.  If anyone is interested in going in on this deal with me, let me know.  Really.  I'm serious.

The US Foods Chef'Store is located on St. Andrews Rd, right off I-26.  For you Irmese, that's the old Piggly Wiggly on the hill.  For those of you who can't find your pantry without using your GPS, that's 655 St. Andrews Road, 29210. Block out an hour or so and have fun!

Rock 'n Roll-y Guacamole

Neil and I love avocados.  We like them simply sprinkled with salt, tucked into a salad, on a burger, on a sandwich, on a taco and we really love guacamole.  I don't know if you've noticed, but in recent months, avocados have been ridiculously expensive.  So much so that we haven't bought any in ages.  Then this week rolled around:  Aldi has avocados for $.69 apiece.  Yahoo, hallelujah, zoiks, shazaam!

They needed to ripen up a bit, so we waited patiently for a few days.  This morning, we realized today is the day.  We split one for breakfast with just a salt shaker and a spoon.  As I have been patiently waiting, I planned the meal.  Tonight we're having chicken fajitas with homemade guacamole.  I have to tell you guys.  This is the best guacamole I have ever made.  It was epic.  In fact, I was so pleased with the end result I decided to share with you exactly how I made it.  

First, I made pico de gallo.  This makes enough to put into the guac and more to have with chips, on a taco salad, whatever.  I used these little skinny peppers that we've had stashed away in our freezer.  I don't know what kind they are.  A friend of Neil's grew them last year.  Neil (atomic taste bud man) didn't think they were very hot, so he popped them in the freezer for a rainy day.  What was I thinking listening to Jolly King Jalapeno?  These little suckers were damn hot!  And perfect for my pico.  Experiment with peppers that you prefer or you can always bank on a jalapeno.

Pico de Gallo (makes 2 cups)

• 2 cups diced, fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced onion (white or Vidalia if you like it a little more tame)
• 2 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 Tbs minced jalapeno (remove seeds, unless you like the heat)
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all this yumminess together & refrigerate to allow the flavors to marry.

Chop into small dice

Add these to the party

Homemade Pico de Gallo

Guacamole

• 3 medium Hass avocados
• 1 Tbs fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt

Pit the avocados.  Score the pulp with a knife (makes little cubes) then scoop out with a spoon.  Place in a mixing bowl.  Add lime juice and stir to evenly coat the avocados.

Fruit of the gods

The guac that made Neil glad he married me

 Stir in the pico, garlic, olive oil, and salt.  Gently mix and mash the avocado pieces.  You want to create some creaminess, but leave chunks of avocado.  Don't overmash. 


Before dinner, we couldn't help but try it out with some chips. Neil looked at me with the most sincerest expression of love on his face.  I think it almost made him cry.  (Just kidding. That's my ego going wild!) The guacamole was fantastic in our chicken fajitas with the yummy caramelized onions and bell peppers. I gotta reiterate: this is by far the best guac I've ever made and will be my new go-to for guacamole.  If you think making the pico is too much trouble, let me assure you it's not.  It took me about 10 minutes to put it all together.  Well worth it to have fresh, spicy pico to flavor the guacamole.  Don't skip that step; you'll thank yourself! 

More fun at Mojito's

Several months ago I wrote about Mojito's. It is a family-owned Caribbean restaurant in Columbia's Vista.  If you haven't made it here yet, I urge you to do so.  The food is excellent and I blogged to you all before that their Cuban sandwich is the best one I've ever had.  But what I like most about Mojito's is the entire vibe they have going. The decor is very mod and hip, yet carries their Caribbean theme, the location is prime, and the owners are present and accessible.  In fact, Jane (the matriarch) is on the floor moving from table to table...in a good way.