Beatniks New Town St. Charles

My experience at Beatniks is thanks to a couple of great lunch friends Holly and Tracy. We all love to try new foods, new places, and most of all we love to visit with each other. Generally that means when we go to lunch we are there until juuust about dinner time. After a long hiatus from each other we headed out for a day of shopping and eating. Purposefully roaming off the beaten path to something unique, we headed to Beatniks.

Sitting in a neighborhood that is just shy of step-ford quality is Beatniks. It has the feel of a restaurant at the end of a pier and is decorated by iron sculptures and mannikin's dressed in every manner of funky clothing. The manikin that greeted us at the door was even holding a baby with a cigarette in its mouth. Holly removed the cigarette from said babies mouth ;)

The bar area is separated from the porch area that has several more iron scultures. Each table has an iron flower arrangment centerpiece. The porch area was walled in with glass garage doors making the entire area convertible from indoor to outdoor dining. Since the weather was unseasonably cool for May the doors were closed and since it was Monday were among very few diners.

Our waiter was a tall, red beared young man with an affable personality who admittedly hadn't been with them long but was eager to please and to visit with us when we invited him to do so. We asked what he recommended and ordered accordingly.

The Chipotle nachos were scrumptious. Not being a nachos fan, these were ones I would order again in a heartbeat. They were pretty simply prepared with a chipotle cheese sauce, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and chunks of brisket, over multi-colored chips. To accompany our nachos we opted for the large bavarian style soft pretzels with three kinds of dipping sauce. The girls and I agreed that plain mustard was better than any of the dipping offerings made available with the pretzels.

Our main courses were varied; chicken with a truffle brandy sauce, a club sandwich with poorly sliced avocados and a soft fried egg on top, and a Monte-Cristo sandwich with current jelly. All in all it was tasty fair. The exception being the sweet potato fries. They were overcooked, and lacked any real sweet potato flavor.

A standout was the Truffle Mac N Cheese. We did as our waiter suggested and tossed some diced jalapeños on top of the Mac N Cheese for a little added spice. It was delicious if not a tad bit too salty. The sauce was creamy and rich just as it should be.

We thoughroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Beatniks and are eager to return when the garage doors are open!!!

La Casa Mexicana Grill and Cantina

La Casa Mexicana Grill and Cantina

201 Harvard Dr.

Edwardsville, IL

I have had the privilege of dining at La Casa twice now. The first was late on a Sunday evening. The seating was immediate and the waiter was attentive. The second experience was much different, but in both cases the food exceeded my expectations. My expectations were to find an establishment that was like every other Mexican restaurant that drowns its dishes in cheese sauce, and uses meats that are tough, and shredded. This is not what I found at La Casa.

The menu was extensive, authentic, and moderately priced. My biggest gripe with Mexican food is that its generally bland and sauced far beyond what is necessary or healthy. La Casa had neither of those problems as the food was fresh, well seasoned, and beautifully plated. The restaurant itself is beautiful as well. They have a small bar area and several dining spaces with booths set apart from the other diners creating a kind of intimacy in your dining experience.

Now for the picky bits. As I stated, my first experience was near Mexican Nirvana "cielo", but my second was more terrestrial. We went on a busy Friday night and had to wait to be seated. This is not only expected but good to see in a new restaurant. Our first unpleasant surprise came when they seated us in the VERY small bar area without asking if we would prefer something else. We had to stop a couple of times on our way to the table because there wasn't enough room for the servers and passersby. We were also seated about a foot and a half from the actual bar, where a girl and her friend were lamenting over a pitcher of Margaretta's about a recent break up. A few times patrons backed right up to my right side to gather around an amigo at the bar.

To me, this was tolerable, because what will we not tolerate for good food. Our waitress was straight off the set of a Mexican soap opera, perhaps the one that was distracting my dining partner as it played on the tv over my head. The real unpleasantness for me started when my food came very quickly along with my dining partners side dishes. His main dish took 15 minutes longer and 3 servers to make it to the table. Being a polite table mate I attempted to wait for his food to arrive before eating. Some nibbling took place... by both of us. Our waitresses beauty was tempered with a general disinterest in service. We actually had another server approach our table when he saw us looking lost. He was kind enough to refill beverages and agreed to check on our missing dish. There weren't any apologies or explanations made for the mix up or delay. Oh, and to add to the overall joy of the service my cornbread came late and overcooked as well.

Given that negative experience, the food was still delicious and fed my dining partner for days. I would recommend La Casa to anyone interested in delicious, fresh, authentic Mexican food. Just avoid the bar... unless you just broke up with your boyfriend and need a pitcher of Margaretta's.

Wang Gang Review

I recently made my first trip to a much talked about eatery in the Edwardsville area. The concept of Wang Gang is pretty simple yet innovative. The cuisine is decidedly upscale Asian but without the cost of a P.F. Chang's. They make this possible by having dinners order at the counter and gather their own cutlery, condiments, drinks, and even to go boxes. A restaurant with a similar theme is Pei Wei of P.F. Chang's.

I must say right away that the food was excellent. The staff was more than friendly and at atmosphere was very pleasant. The dining area had just enough tables that it felt full but you weren't listening to the conversations of the dinners next to you. When mistakes were made (which I will surely share with you) an effort to correct them was made immediately and apologies were made quickly.

Now, having said all the good things here were a couple of disapointments. Having never been to Wang Gang I wasn't sure of what to expect. I assumed that I was to order at the counter but neither a sign or a staff member invited me to do so. Eventually after we grabbed menus from an off to the side holder, and sort of approached the cash register, someone offered to take our order. This is obviously only an issue for first time visitors but it does give a less than stellar first impression.

When my friend and I ordered we were each told that they were out of something that we wanted so we opted for something else. This isn't a huge issue for me, it happens on a busy Saturday night, which is was. However, once we got to our table and waited for quite a bit we were told they were out of both of the replacement dishes my friend ordered, and just a few minutes after that I saw the fresh spring rolls (which I was told they were out of) get delivered to another table. We were offered our money back or a substitute. We opted for chocolate egg rolls. Yummy and rich.

This following complaint is perhaps the biggest for me. My hot food was served on very cold plates. I have a pet peeve of having my cold salad served on a hot plate. This happens frequently as most restaurants, but I have never been served such a cold plate. The first few bites brought hot and cold in the same mouth full, and I mean COLD.

As we left we were told to have a good night and "thanks for bearing with them". This leads me to believe that I caught them on a bad night. I sure hope that is the case because despite my complaints the food was crave-worthy and met the upscale taste they promised and the staff was awesome. I would encourage anyone to try this off beat place to grab great Asian food. I plan on going back and having a completely different experience.

The Omelet Project

In these next few posts, I will be sharing with you the successes and failures of omelet making. Not the puffed, stuffed, slathered kinds you could order at your favorite brunch spot, but the actual, real deal French Style omelets. You may be asking, “Why”? My boyfriend, Gene, can take the blame.

My Christmas gifts from Gene this year consisted of a myriad of cookbooks. Having learned fast of my obsession with cooking, he knew what would butter my toast, so to speak. One of these cookbooks was the cookbook of all cookbooks, the piece de resistance, and the jewel of any cookbook aficionado’s collection: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertoholle, and Simone Beck.

Julia is the one who started it all. The reason you hear “BAM!” on television, watch Rachel knock out a 30 minute meal, or see Bobby throw down on the grill is all because of Julia. As a child, I would pretend to be Julia while assembling the most basic of recipes. I would line up all of my pre-measured ingredients (imagine, mise en place at age 8), and speak to the kitchen window in a high lilting voice while making boxed caked.

Now you may be asking yourself why someone who is so obviously obsessed with cooking, cookbooks, and Julia does not already own this masterpiece of masterpieces of a cookbook. Folks, if you know me at all you know I am CHEAP! I cannot think of the last time I bought a book that was past the first tasty rows of bargain books at Borders. You can be assured that my wanderings toward the café always veered by the cookbooks. After passing those shelves my arms would be heavy laden with books that I knew I would never purchase for myself. Mastering the Art of French Cooking was almost always one of them. My dear sweet, ever thoughtful boyfriend bought me all the books that he knew I would never buy for myself because he paid retail.

I have a theory that these gifts come with a secret (or not so secret) ulterior motive of being the beneficiary of my labor and I am more than happy to oblige him. He is going to be eating a lot of omelets in the near future. [Editors note: Yummy!]

Julia’s description of omelet making presents an interesting temptation. While she says there is a trick to making omelets, and that I may have to throw many omelets out before getting it just right, she also says it takes less than 30 seconds to make. It’s one of those great conundrums of life where learning takes minutes mastering takes a lifetime. The French omelet may prove to be my game of chess.

Attempt Number 1:

I read the directions about ten times before attempting this omelet, the reason being, that Julia told me to. “There is no time at all to stop in the middle and pore over your book in order to see what comes next.” My first attempt was made in a non stick pan that seemed to be the appropriate depth and width. I had my 2 eggs lightly beaten, with a fork standing by, while my pan came to a ripping hot temperature. My home being absent of butter I used peanut oil and dumped in the eggs. I noticed immediately that I did not have my sliding technique even close to effective. I had to use my fork a lot to get the eggs where I needed them and in rolling it onto the plate I found I had pushed the eggs to the wrong edge of the pan. The finished product was not very pretty but resembled some very tasty, well textured scrambled eggs. Not a bad first attempt but I knew that I needed to work on presentation.

Attempt Number 2:

Omelet number two was made with room temperature butter. Julia does not warn against the foibles of room temperature butter, but I warn you now. A screaming hot pan and room temperature butter are not a successful combination. My butter went from melting, to foaming, to browned, to burned in about . . . maybe point zero five seconds. I threw my eggs in right away and immediately realized that butter was a useless liquid that would only serve to discolor my eggs. The good news is that my technique improved greatly. After reading the directions in the book several times, I knew I had to see Julia make an omelet. Youtube.com proved to be a goldmine of Julia omelet making clips. I watched her make an omelet in black and white, in 1964, and in 1980 on the Today show. I was armed. My eggs came out underdone to my taste. I believe this to also be a product of the overcooked butter as I was mentally hurried to get it finished before blackening began. It was very well formed and slid onto the plate in a beautiful gentle roll. The brown liquidly butter that ran here and there was unappetizing as was the underdone texture. My dog seemed to enjoy it.

Attempts Number 3 and 4:

The next morning I met Gene at his house to go into work with him. Arriving at just after seven a.m. with a departure time of seven-fifteen, I attempted my 3rd and 4th omelets. Remember, it is supposed to take less than 30 seconds. Pan . . . HOT: check. Butter . . . Room temperature: check. Eggs . . . Mixed: check. Technique . . . We will see. Eggs in, pan shaking, jerking, tipping, rolling onto plate . . . VIOLA! Despite the egg being just a bit browner than I think Julia would approve of, the egg looked fantastic. I set it aside and began attempt number 4. This was the most successful to date. While the 3rd proved to be a little uneven in doneness, the 4th was a perfect creamy little roll of egg. I think there is still improvements to be made on doneness, color, and smoothness (mine was wrinkly, Julia’s was not), but I am getting there.

Smokin' the Bird

I recently stumbled upon a gang of fools, Grillinfools.com to be exact. This website, an all in one smoker sitting lonely and forlorn in Gene's kitchen, and a sale on pork butt's inspired me to add a new cooking method to my repertoire.

My first venture out was a smoked pork butt and it was a moderate success. I used a rub recipe from Grillinfools.com and scoured the internet for more advice. The best I found was from a member of the aforementioned site via Facebook.

Pulling at least a draw on my confrontation with the butt, I decided to step it up and smoke the Thanksgiving Turkey. I threw all fear, and caution to the wind and spoke boldly to the 20 people attending Thanksgiving dinner and said "I will smoke the turkey!" Who cares that I have only fired up a smoker once before, or that I have never prepared the thanksgiving turkey before.... or a turkey. I was confident. HA!

I harassed Scott from Grillinfools.com so much I am surprised he didn't take out a restraining order. With his advice, the recipes and tips from the site, and a large cooler full of ice on hand I felt ready.

A point that was hammered into my brain over and over again was BRINE THE BIRD!! This was the purpose of the cooler. The bird and the brine were far to big for my fridge. Scott was not the first to encourage this course of action. My long time love Alton Brown in Romancing the Bird called for this moisture inducing method years ago. I was a fan.

Taking a page from Grillinfools.com recipe for smoked whole chicken, I stuffed the skin of the Turkey with a butter garlic mixture. Setting the Bird in the smoker and the wood chips in a crush of aluminum foil I turned on the propane (yes, I said propane) and resolved to leave the lid in place for several hours. This is the hardest part as doubt causes you to want to check on the bird often. Resistance was key and ultimately played into my success. In smoking the butt I learned that temperature recovery took almost an hour every time I opened the lid and I didn't want to make 20 diners wait to eat.

This is where I confess that I asked my mom to make a second Turkey. This is also where I mention that more of my bird was eaten than hers, I was paid more compliments, and was even told that *gasp* hers was meant for gravy.

Since Thanksgiving I have tackled the mid-west favorite of smoked pork chops with great success. The next time you see smoke rising from my humble abode's back porch Mozzarella stuffed Portabellas will be the cause. I guess if I am going to take up a smoking addiction this late in life it might as well be one that produces such delicious results. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!

and the secret ingredient is.....

PINEAPPLE!

Every issue of Food Network Magazine has a secret ingredient contest in the back. This issue pineapple is the food of challenge. Despite being slightly confused as to why this out of season fruit is the secret ingredient, I am determined to give this one a shot.

My ideas are leaning toward the savory and include a veggie stir fry, and a chipotle pork and pineapple empanada, and... and... well, nothing else. Any suggestions?

I will be sure to keep you updated on any successes or failures in this endeavor.

I am BACK!

Sorry for the extended absence. The fact that a few of you mentioned missing my entries encouraged me to figure out what was wrong with my blog that was preventing me from logging in. I am excited to continue sharing with you tips, recipes, successes, failures, and restaurant recommendations with you. But I have something to ask of you first.

I want to know from you what you want to read about. I also want your tips and suggestions. If you aren't a member of this forum feel free to email me Jennichu75@gmail.com or post on my facebook. I would really love for this to be a two way street.

Now, to the meat of the matter. I have been stuck in the last little bit. My career as a teacher is on hold awaiting some red tape and paperwork. In the meantime I have had an opportunity to reflect on my choices and opportunities. In other words, I am broke and I need to figure out how to make some dough (and I am no baker).

But given that I am already broke why not take the time to think about what I love to do. Recently in my Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Class (highly recommended) I wrote a note on Gene's paper that simply said "I am so discouraged, the only thing I can think of that I am passionate about is people and food". Almost immediately I figured out what I would love to do with my time, my life, my livilhood. I would LOVE to teach cooking.

Here is where the birds chirp the benevolent stranger comes and begs me to use his money to open a one of a kind culinary institute, and pay off all my bills so that I can focus on my new mission. Ah... no. Living in the real world as I have for the last 3o something years, I think I need to take a different approach.

While pursuing my teaching certificate I will also be going back into the world of home direct sales. Many of you may know that I used to be a Tastefully Simple Consultant. I really enjoyed the business but life took me on some turns that pulled me away from it. I plan on diving back in enthusiastically. Its a perfect combination of people and food.

While I am excited about this new venture its not the end game of my plans. Stay tuned to find out what comes next. In the meantime, Let's Eat!