It happens to us all. It's a Wednesday night, we all need to eat, and mom is tired and not feeling terribly creative. For this reason, I keep a stash of go-to items so I can still whip up something filling, tasty and that constitutes a decent meal on the fly.
After spending some of my last week in the hospital (what an experience!) I am still dealing with a dull headache, fatigue and frustration as we try to get my meds straightened out. So, this was one of those "call it in" nights.
Thanks to my beloved Aldi, I had cheese ravioli, jarred Alfredo sauce, regular pasta sauce, and pesto on hand. The ravioli takes a whopping 8 minutes. I warmed up the red sauce for the kid and for Neil and myself, I used the Alfredo with some pesto and extra parmesan mixed in. I had sliced fresh mozzarella, my basil plant and made a reduction of balsamic vinegar. Lastly, thanks to my buddies at Publix, there were garlic knots in the freezer.
Result? It really hit the spot! And, there's still some leftover ravioli that I can turn into a pasta salad tomorrow. I highly recommend this plan for your busy weeknights when cooking isn't really in the cards for you. I know it's not "real" cooking, but it was just the thing for a Wednesday night!
I have never made fresh pasta. Not because I don't want to but because I don't have a pasta machine nor do I have the counter space to roll it out by hand. One day I suppose. So, we are forced to eat dried pasta and other store-bought pasta. I like the "fresh" refrigerated pastas from time to time but I think they're overpriced. But one thing I really like having in my freezer is ravioli. They go on sale often and coupons are pretty easy to come by as well.
Why do I like this stuff so much? It's quick and easy to cook and it's ridiculously versatile. Obviously, you can serve it with red pasta sauce. I like them coated in bread crumbs and toasted. Another way that we really like to prepare them is simply with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil. And, of course, we cannot forget about pesto!
The wunderkind usually does well with these too. Until the other day. When I mentioned having ravioli, she announced that she doesn't like the kind that I cook. She prefers ravioli from a can. Picture me looking over each of my shoulders to see who on Earth she's talking to? As I embark on my (very) logical explanation of why this is so much better than canned, Neil waved his hand very slowly at me and gave me that mystical "I've got this" look. I stopped talking and just walked away shaking my head.
Here's what the genius did. He opened a can of something, put it in a tupperware and removed the label. Then he cooked some of the frozen ravioli, tossed it in sauce and put it in the can. Next, he found the Vivver and showed her that he had indeed discovered a can of ravioli in our cabinets. She was delighted and daddy headed back to the kitchen to warm it up in a pot. Peace. Everybody wins.
Why the hell didn't I think of that?
Yesterday was Friday and Neil and I had time to go out together, thank you "Parent's Night Out" at Capital Karate. As you know, restaurants are a high form of entertainment for me, so I was really looking forward to this. But, I spent the better part of my day agonizing over where we should go. I even reached out via Facebook for suggestions. Got a few good ones, but just wasn't feeling it. I checked out countless menus online and finally came across one that interested me AND it was a place that I hadn't heard of yet. How did this escape my attention? My razor wit? My eagle eye surveillance?
Virtu: Located next to Dianne's on Devine. Well, that would be the old Grazin' Monkey. And, as irony would have it, Virtu is also a tapas restaurant, just like the Monkey of days gone by. But, even though the menu looked fantastic, I left my office unsure. Why, you ask?
Over the years, many places have popped up billing themselves as "Tapas Bars" and it's been disappointing. See, true tapas is a snack and it's FREE. That's right. You go into a bar in Spain, order a drink and they bring you a little plate of their house tapas. Some places switch it up from time to time, some have their own signauture tapas that they serve all the time. Keep drinking, they keep bringing you little snacks. So, when America got a hold of this idea and Americanized it, what we got were restaurants serving micro-food with macro-prices. This led me to my mediocre reaction to the discovery of Virtu, because cynicism crept into my brain and told me, "Don't get excited. It's just another perversion of the tapas idea and you'll be pissed off about your bill." Oh, cynicism, you're just so bad...
Ok, I need to speed this up...got home, mentioned a few ideas to Neil, he shot them down, then I casually mentioned this new place. That's what he wanted. I pulled up the menu to show him; uninterested in seeing it, we're going. Ok, then.
Long story short (I know you're relieved), I was really impressed. It's locally owned & operated, which is a biggie for me and the Neilix. Our waitress, Nicole, was very professional, attentive, knew the menu and brought her *A* game. Now, for the food. We each had the "Three Hearts Caesar Salad" which features hearts of romaine (of course), hearts of palm and hearts of artichoke. I tend to find that restaurants will tell you there is good stuff like heart of palm and you search and search to no avail for it on the plate. Not so here. The salad had a generous portion (but not too much) of palm and artichoke. The lettuce was prepared the right way...bite size, no wilted or bruised leaves, like it's supposed to be. The dressing was impressive too. It contained all the classic flavors of a good Caesar dressing, but wasn't too acidic like some and the salad was properly tossed in it, not drowned in it. The menu features this salad with tomato...I had mine without. Success.
Then, we shared tapas. We chose three...Cuban mojo chicken skewers, crab & artichoke fritters and langoustine ravioli in beurre blanc. The chicken was very flavorful and perfectly tender. We received three skewers of bite-sized chicken breast and it was plenty for the two of us to share. The sauce was delicious, the chicken tasted "grilly" and the presentation was very nice. Success. The fritters were a test. So often, I find that fried dishes end up over-fried: too greasy, too hard, too damn fried. And, again with the cynicism, so often, we get gypped on crab, even though we live in a coastal state where we can catch the little suckers all day long! So, these fritters were going to be scrutinized. Surprise! They were very well cooked, nice deep gold color and the inside was soft and warm and CRABBY! They were drizzled with a super remoulade sauce, making all the flavors work really well together. Success. Lastly, there were the langoustine ravioli. I hate to sound like a broken record, but again, really outstanding. The pasta was perfectly cooked and al dente...even fine restaurants have a tendancy to send out rubbery ravioli, in my experience. Not the case here. The filling was light and delicately flavored, which was complimented nicely by beautiful beurre blanc with a little bite of citrus. Success.
I overheard Nicole tell the table behind us that the restaurant has only been open about 9 weeks. It was a Friday, which is busier anyway, but I was pleased to see the restaurant full and people arrived, ate and more took their places consistently during the time we were there. This, of course, is a good sign for a new restaurant. And, if you like to support locals, like we do, this is very encouraging.
Neil and I will definitely be going to Virtu often. I recommend it wholeheartedly and would love to hear your comments after you try it out. Maybe we could all hook up there!
