It’s Cafe Rio that I can’t get enough of lately — Upon realization, I photographed the latest, a Shredded Chicken Enchilada with Green Sauce, Green Chili Rice and Black Beans. Good stuff!
Fortunata’s Oven at Inka Grill in Costa Mesa puts the emphasis on Rotisserie Chicken.
Finally discovered that it’s worth dining in or taking out at Rotisserie Chicken Inka Grill.
Our first bites included 1/2 a Chicken, Aji Sauce, Tortillas and Cilantro Rice.
Inka Grill reports to have “The Best Chicken on the Planet” and it’s certainly good, especially with their Aji Sauce (Serrano Chili Sauce). All is deliciously spicy. Reasonably priced and conveniently located, we’ll be going back again and again — We now see there’s more on the inside than the outside. It’s a taste of Peru too.
I bought these fresh White Currants for less than a dollar at Grower’s Direct. The price was good, like most of the produce there, and I’d never tried them before. You’ll find great prices on fruit and vegetables at Grower’s Direct, if you can put up with the narrow aisles, people traffic and (sometimes) parking issues. I went there for the makings of a Vegetable Platter and tacked on these White Currants for a try.
I quickly learned that White Currants aren’t too edible alone — They’re tart and have a lot of crunchy seeds inside. So much for simply enjoying a new tasty Berry, HA. I was hoping to eat ’em like a Blueberry, Raspberry, etc. The next thought was to make something out of them. What? The obvious was Jam/Jelly, which I don’t use. And I couldn’t see them enhancing the flavor of anything that’s quick and simple to make.
Since I didn’t want to waste all of them, I tossed some in a small batch of Rice Pudding, which isn’t as simple as it sounds. I had the prepared (leftover) Rice, but it’s necessary to pick off both ends of the White Currants before adding to a recipe. And by the time you pick off the bottom fur-ish part, you’re left with mostly seeds and skin, HA. It’s real worth it, not.
Overall, they weren’t bad in the Rice Pudding, nor good either. I learned a lot, yet still don’t know the best thing to do with White Currants. That’s okay, because it’s always fun to try new things — Some are fabulous finds and others just an educational story. Next.
Thai Tasty Corner Restaurant closed, then moved down the street renamed Thai Tastee. The rent is better they say. Although I never ate at Thai Tasty Corner, I gave them a try as Thai Tastee. I had their Thai Fried rice with Shrimp and regret to report that the first bite included an eggshell — That’s never happened. Past that, the Rice was good and the staff is very nice. Thai Tastee is worth giving a try and better suited in its new location (formerly Mazzottis) down the street.
And Carm’s Coneys will soon be occupying Thai Tasty Corner’s former location. To continue musical restaurants, Jimmy’s Burger Joint now occupies Carm’s Coneys former location. We hope all will do well and serve great food.
UPDATE 10/10/09: It looks like Carm’s Coneys changed their mind about moving to the above location. The coming soon sign is no longer in the window. We’ll report if they end up somewhere else in Orange County.
Fried Rice is so easy to make, especially if you already have left over rice. For a simple and flavorful Fried Rice, just dice half an Onion, then carmelize in Oil/Butter. Once cooked well, add a clove of minced Garlic, cook for a minute, and then add the prepared Rice, thawed Peas, Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil.
Mix all together and heat through. Then push the Rice to one side of skillet and scramble a couple Eggs on the other side. Once cooked, fold the Eggs into the Rice. Taste. Stir in more Soy sauce, if necessary. You’re done.
Note: Sometimes it’s easier to scramble the Eggs in a separate pan to avoid having them prematurely mix with the Rice.
Recent Comments