Straits

Two weekends ago, my boyfriend and I met up with friends for a birthday dinner at Straits (http://www.straitsrestaurants.com/). A restaurant owned by Ludacris, Straights took over the former Spice restaurant, keeping it's trendy atmosphere. We came into a quiet night, although Straits didn't officially open until the following Tuesday. The food is a inspired by Singapore, and features various Southeast Asian dishes.

At the bottom of their menu, there us a blurb asking patrons with allergies to talk to the manager about their needs. Our waiter did a good job making sure I got my allergen-free food, though seemed a little overwhelmed by our party of 12.

I ordered the muscles. Straits serves family style, so as soon as a dish is ready, it is served, so the diners can eat their food fresh and hot. As dish after dish was laid on the table, I was curious to see how mine would be served. Although we missed what some of the waiters said as they laid down other dishes, mine was called out "Specially prepared muscles." The waiter made sure it passed straight into my hands. :) I enjoyed every bite.

Restaurants with G-F Accomodations in the Atlanta Area

This list is a little more challenging. My wonderful boyfriend put together a Google doc with all of the restaurants in the Atlanta area who have G-F menus or who will accommodate G-F food needs. We haven't gotten to try all the places on the list, so in this post I will make a list of the accommodating restaurants we have successfully tried, and then post new restaurants one by one.

5 Seasons Brewing (www.5seasonsbrewing.com)

Buckhead Diner (www.buckheadrestaurants.com/diner.html)

Cafe Lily - I LOVED their egg and salmon dish for Sunday brunch (www.cafelily.com/)

Carol Street Cafe - wonderful staff and wonderful dishes! (www.apresdiem.com/carroll/home.htm)

Eclipse di Luna - there are so many G-F tapas choices (www.eclipsediluna.com/)

Fuego - more great tapas & live music! (www.fuegocafe.com/)

Garrison's Broiler and Tap - I LOVE their steaks and their staff is amazing (www.garrisionsatlanta.com)

Horseradish Grill - their staff is knowledgeable and their food is high-class comfort food (www.horseradishgrill.com/)

Loca Luna - owned by the same people as Eclipse (www.loca-luna.com/default.html)

Longhorn Steak House - my second choice in steakhouses, second to Outback (www.longhornsteakhouse.com/splash.asp)

McCormick & Shmick's - fresh seafood in Atlanta?! YES! (www.mccormickandschmicks.com/)

MF Sushi - fresh fish, smaller proportions (www.mfsushibar.com/)

Oceanaire - the best trout I've EVER had in my life (www.theoceanaire.com/location/index.asp?id=7)

The Real Chow Baby - pesto sauce I didn't have to make 100 different ways, and a great take on a fun modern dining experience (www.therealchowbaby.com)

R. Thomas - G-F breakfast! (www.rthomasdeluxegrill.com/)

Sage - the owner, Roi, is good.

Sushi Avenue - Sato made the first sushi I've ever eaten, and still makes my favorite sushi in the city

Ted's Montana Grill - let's say a Bison burger without seasoning, no bun, and avocado is a weekly experience (www.tedsmontanagrill.com/)

Taurus - beautiful place, staff is helpful, food is good (www.taurusrestaurant.com/index.html)

Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus in and Around Atlanta

* Five Guys (www.fiveguys.com)
* Beleza Restaurant (www.frittirestaurant.com/beleza/index_b.html)
* Bonefish Grill (www.bonefishgrill.com/)
* Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse (www.bugaboocreekstakhouse.com)
* Cheeseburger in Paradise (www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com)
* Figo
* Grapes and Hops Bar and Bistro (www.grapesandhopsbarandbistro.com/)
* Lavendar Asian Bistro (www.lavenderasianbistro.net)
* Outback Steakhouse (www.outback.com)
* P.F. Chang's (www.pfchangs.com)
* Ritter's Restaurant (www.rittersrestaurant.net)
* Saba (www.saba-restaurant.com)

Spur of the Moment Stir Fry

Sarah and I went car shopping today. She wants a hybrid, and I'm thinking of getting trading in my gas-enemy, bad-karma SUV. (I still love it, but, well, uh, it's complicated...) I fell in love with a Fit.

When we came home, I did a few small chores, caught up on last week's *new* episode of Grey's Anatomy (my only true tv addiction), and then realized:
a) I have one more day of work left
b) I have no food for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow
c) I also need to make sure my laundry is done so I have clean scrubs and sheets

Obviously one of those was an immediate priority.

Here is what I threw together (literally) with the musical accompaniment of Van Morrison. I thought it was purdy good for a shot in the dark.


Spur of the Moment Stir Fry * About a pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized morsels
* 1 broccoli flower, cut into smaller pieces (yes, including the tree trunks AND leaves)
* 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into think 1" pieces
* 1/2 shallot
* 3-4 cloves garlic
* 1 teaspoon (+/-) red pepper flakes
* White pepper
* Black pepper
* Tumeric
* Dry roasted peanuts (cashews probably would have been better, but it's what my pantry had)
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 lime
* A nice warm pot of cooked rice
* Musical muse of choice

1. Turn on music of choice.
2. Wash the chicken, and pat dry with a paper towel. Season generously with white pepper.
3. Head 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and wipe the pan out with a paper towel.
5. Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onions, pepper, broccoli, garlic, and shallots to the pan. Start moving them around.
6. After about 3 minutes, add the teaspoon (or so) or red pepper flakes, sprinkle over some black pepper, the lime juice, and 2 large pinches of tumeric. Stir in well. Add peanuts proportionally to taste- I had somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup. (I think. This is spur of the moment, remember?)
7. Taste. Adjust spicing as necessary, then serve over hot rice.

* note: dancing like nobody is watching might help make this recipe better.

Picadillo de Livsita

Let me just say, Picadillo is one of the most useful dishes I have ever cooked. Picadillo is a spicy Spanish/Latin American dish with ground meat and veggies (onions, peppers, tomatoes). Serve this dish over rice, in lettuce as a wrap, as a stuffed pepper, in a tortilla... or whatever else you can think of.



To top it all off, my sister keeps telling me this is her favorite.







Picadillo de Livsita



Ingreditants

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 cup green and red pepper mix

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded (to taste) and minced

4 garlic cloves

1 pound beef sirloin

1/2 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon (rounded) cumin

2 small tomatoes, chopped into small pieces, or run through the food processor chop cycle

1/2 cup raisins

red wine (optional)

Hot white rice




1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, green peppers, garlic and jalepeno until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the meat, turning the heat up to medium-high. Brown the meat, breaking up any lumps. Cook the meat thoroughly, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain off the fat.

4. Add the cumin and tomatoes. Stir in well. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the raisins, cover, and let simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the raisins have plumped.





Today, I forgot to get a jalepeno, so I used dried red pepper flakes, and it still turned out well. Sometimes I splash in a little red wine (and then have a glass over dinner) for a different flavor. Adding green olives at the end- when the raisins go in- also adds another dimension.

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

Hospitals are not noted in cookbooks for their food. What have I found that is G-F at my hospital? The salad bar and the once-a-week baked potato bar (I bring my own butter). Each week I have "the big cook" and make myself dinner, with enough leftovers for the 3, 12-hour shifts I work. This dish is one of my favorites to bring to work, because it warms up well and is easily prepared.

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry

Serves: 4 hungry people; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

What You Need:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, cut into 1/4 inch strips (or bite-sized morsels)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion (I recommend a sweet onion), coarsely chopped

2 bell peppers (red, yellow, green, or a mix), ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/4 inch strips

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups Thai or other basil leaves, tear the larger leaves in halves or fourths

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok, over medium high heat.

3. Cook half the chicken, cooking until just cooked through. Remove to plate, and cook the remaining chicken in the same fashion. When all the chicken has been set on a separate plate, wipe the pan out with a paper towel.

4. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, keeping the heat at medium-high. Add onion and bell peppers. Cook until they start to brown (3-ish minutes). Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

5. Add chicken and basil leaves to pan, and mix. Remove from heat.

6. Serve over warm white rice, with a dollop of peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 2 minutes

What You Need:

1/3 ("heaping") peanut butter - best with pure peanut butter that is not sweetened

1 shallot

5 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons walnut oil

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon cardamon

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon rice milk

coarse salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor (I use a food processor attachment on my blender), and whip it, whip it good.

2. Dollop onto each plate of stir-fry or mix it all over the stir-fry.

Real Reason

There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good. - Brian Andreas