If I’m not mistaken I’ve posted some of Moody75’s delicious dining pictures in the past. Perhaps we share a common interest in photographing our plates and maybe I am just a little bit hungry when selecting them, but they really do give you a sense of place. Something like this could surely be found in a French restaurant in NY someone, but Moody75 was lucky enough to nosh and photograph the brunch while in Nice, France. All I can say is yum and I think I’ll be heading to my kitchen now.
Word for the Travel Wise (12/10/06)
Just about anywhere you go in Central Asia to eat you’re bound to come across this slightly greasy, yet appetizing and filling meal of rice, chick peas, and sometimes meat. I ate it plenty of times in Tajikistan and once you get past the greasiness of all the food this is one you can enjoy easily.
Today’s word is a Uzbek word used in Uzbekistan:
osh – food, rice pilaf
Uzbek is spoken by 18.5 million in Uzbekistan and across Central Asia. It is the official language of Uzbekistan and classified as an Eastern Turkic language in the Qarluq. Wiki has great background on the lang as usual where as you can find an incredible list of the most common Uzbek words at this Introduction to Uzbek Language site. In addition to the wordlist there is also a small section for pronunciation and grammar.
Makeda in New Brunswick, NJ
A friend of mine thought after a long holiday celebrating food and feasting for days would slow down my appetite and for a second I did too, until I walked into the Ethiopian spot she had been talking about on our ride from the airport to my hotel. The only thing is I hadn’t eaten much during my travels my earlier that day, so by the time we made it to Makeda I felt like a lion who’d gone months without a meal. As we walked in and through the restaurant I saw the cutest set-up of African chairs and tables in the bar/lounge and several great pieces of art hanging from the wall. Before I even caught sight of the menu, I knew Makeda had flavor. Our hostess seated us in the main dining area towards the back, but close enough for me to look into the bar area. It was empty and quiet at the time of our arrival, but my friend states Makeda is the place to be on Friday nights when there is live music and lots going on. I tried to imagine handsome couples sitting together starring into the others eyes and digging into their delicious dishes with their hands. Passion being exchanged between each bite taken from the meal and love secrets being exchanged with each whisper across… Using my imagination started making me hungrier so I stopped to look at the menu and get some real food action going at the table.
To start I ordered Zaalouk, a diced pan fried eggplant in virgin olive oil with a blend of garlic, ginger, chopped parsley and cumin with a hint of lemon. It was too spicy according to my friend, but that only meant more for me and less for her. I gobbled down all the egg plant on my own after she sampled two. I thought it was well-seasoned and the right kick-off for any dinner. The main course followed shortly after I devoured the appetizer and what my waitress sat in front of me was by no means a small portion. The plate was filled with a hefty amount of everything I had ordered. My plate consisted of the following: Assa Tibs, marinated filet of Cape Hadie seasoned with fresh herbs, sautéed in Shiba wine with African salsa; and from the veggie menu Atakilt Wat and Ful with Ethiopian bread. I don’t recall breathing much as I wrapped my food into the bread almost taco-style and inhaled it off my plate. I was in an Ethiopian food lotus land. What had taken me so long to dine like this before? I’ve longed to visit the country for centuries almost, yet I’d never even taken the simple pleasure of eating out at an Ethiopian restaurant with so many past opportunities! Sometimes I don’t even understand myself or how I managed to finish the evening off with a serving of vanilla gelato, but I don’t question these things too long.
Although it was my first time eating Ethiopian cuisine, I’m going to highly recommend you go if you’ve never been. If you have by chance please share your thoughts.
Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant is located at 338 George Street, News Brunswick, NJ 08901. Ph. 732.545.5115. Meals range from $13-36.
Can Holiday Pie Be Considered a Dangerous Liquid?
Before reading further keep in mind that no question is a dumb question. Now having stumbled on this piece originally found in the Consumerist where a man questions TSA as to if his pie is considered a dangerous liquid I think to myself, what a silly question to ask. But wait, no, no… It isn’t as silly as it seems. In these days where even a smile in its most contagious form comes across as a terrorist act, you really do have to ask before making any sudden moves or bringing your pie on board the plane. The writer of the piece featured had been standing by when he heard the question tossed out into the open. In his recount he notes TSA doesn’t consider pie a liquid, but now he ponders if cherry pie filling is considered a gel? Things that make you go hmm, right?
Well in the end our pie-carrying character gets to take his crusted filled sweet potato dessert with him with no fuss, although the TSA employee was looking to confiscate it for her own personal reasons.
via Boing Boing
Brasa Restaurant – Seattle, WA
Allow me to apologize before proceeding to discuss the incredibly mouth-watering meal my taste-buds recently tangoed with during dinner at Seattle’s Brasa Restaurant. I apologize because I attempted to take photos of my dishes, but the lighting was far from favorable for a food photo shoot and so I ditched the camera to nosh on my meal and give it full attention. So there – sorry.
Dinner at Brasa (‘live coals’)was a real treat compliment of my father who wanted to treat me and my friend to a post-marathon meal and Portuguese inspired foreign fare. It was also a huge change of pace when looking back at some of our previous dining destinations on our weeks long road-trip. In any event the atmosphere was cozy, intimate and warm. The hostess and wait staff were friendly and especially attentive, but onto the food! To start I had a Judy Jetson martini and ordered a cooked octopus appetizer to help move the wait along for the main course. Shortly after the meal I had been waiting for arrived and it was time to really get down. I was excited for one because I had never eaten monkfish before and the waitress made it sound absolutely to-die-for. My running and travel companion ordered the cod and after a short moment of silence and thanks we went in for the kill. It was like we had burned up everything in us from the race or like we hadn’t eaten for months. I found that the monkfish wasn’t exactly as great as the waitress described, but it had its fine tasting and texture qualities to it unlike other fish I’d tasted. Everything else was top-notch and I couldn’t have asked for a better post-race dining experience.
If you go take $$$ for a real nice meal, luckily mine was on my Dad! Check out their website for any additional details, like the menu for the month through from what I can tell it hasn’t been updated since June. Reservations recommended.
Brasa is located at 2107 Third Ave, Seattle, WA. Ph. 206.728.4220.