FoodieCuisine.com

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

BBQ Brisket Tacos

At the 15th Annual Disney International Food and Wine Festival this year one of my son’s favorite items were the tacos from Mexico.  They were made using the authentic method of soft-corn tortillas, topped with shredded pork, onions, cilantro, and queso fresco.  I decided to remake the classic at home using some of the BBQ I had frozen from previous cooking.

The only “complicated” thing on the tacos was the green sauce spread over them.  I didn’t know what was included in the sauce so I had to experiment on my own.  For the meat I used BBQ Brisket I had made previously. 

The ingredients for 4 servings are as follows:

• One pound Shredded BBQ Brisket
• 16 Soft Corn Tortillas (Taco Size)
• Red Onion
• One Bunch Cilantro
• 4 Limes
• 1 Avocado
• 1/4 Pound Queso Fresco
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

The Meat

I heated The BBQ Brisket in the microwave on 50% for 10 minutes and then again on 75% for 5 minutes.  Check out the rest of my blog posts for tips on making BBQ Brisket or wait to order some of mine online soon. 🙂

The Condiments

Cut 2 of the limes into quarters, resulting in 8 pieces, set aside.

Slice half of the onion into thin slices and set aside.

Separate the cilantro into two piles.  Remove the stems from one pile and chop the leaves coarsely.  Take the other pile and put it into a blender.

The Sauce

Peel and core the avocado and put in the blender.  It does not have to be sliced.

Pour the Olive Oil into the blender.

Squeeze the juice from 2 of the limes into the blender.

Blend the mixture on high for 3 minutes.  I use my trusty Vitamix blender for this step as it turns things silky smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste and blend again until the spices are incorporated.  Pour the mixture into a sauce bottle or a bowl that you can spoon from later.

Putting It All Together

Heat the soft corn tortilla shells in a tortilla warmer in the microwave, along with a damp paper towel, for 1 minute.  I like to place a damp paper towel between every 2 tortillas to ensure they are nice and soft once done.  The towels add moisture that the microwave would normally rob them of.

Place two corn tortillas on each place and then place two more on top of the existing ones.  This should result in 2 piles of 2 tortillas on each of the four plates.

Top each taco with 1/8 pound of brisket.

Sprinkle cilantro over each taco.

Sprinkle cheese over each taco.

Put two to three slices of onion on each taco.

Drizzle each taco with the sauce (as seen in the photo.)

Put two lime wedges on each plate for people to squeeze over their tacos if they want.

The Result

My son loved the tacos and said they were better than the ones found in Disney World.  My wife liked them as well and so did I.  The only thing I may do next time is to use some of my Spicy BBQ Pork instead of the Sweeter BBQ Brisket.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

15th Annual Food and Wine Festival

I went with my family to the 15th Annual International Food and Wine Festival at Disney World in Florida this past week and had a great time.  We went last year and enjoyed it so much that we booked a trip and went again this year.  They run it during October and November and showcase food and wine from multiple countries in their Epcot park. 

During the event they have tents setup with tapas style food you can order.  Each Country represented (over 25 in all!) has at least two food items to choose from plus two wine or drink choices.  Each item costs between $3 and $8 but average about $4.50.  The drinks are by far the most expensive item but most everything is worth it.

They have free concerts, parades, and seminars running during the event to add to the experience.  Last year I really enjoyed the pasta making class held in Italy and this year I enjoyed watching various concerts.  There is of course the Illuminations fireworks show held at night in Epcot and plenty of beer and other drinks to be had at the Germany and Irish pavilions. 

I saw people with “Drink Around the World” t-shirts on.  They were going from Country to Country ordering the various drinks to be had and “trying” to make it around the World of Epcot.  I doubt many were successful at drinking from every Country but it was a noble try! 

The other nice thing about the event is the lack of too many kids.  I realize it’s Disney World and that most people associate Disney with children, but that’s not the case with Epcot and with the Food and Wine Festival.  There are more adults than kids, especially at night, and plenty to do if you don’t have kids with you.  Given that, our son was with us four of the five nights and loved the food.  On the kid-free night my wife and I enjoyed some time at the pastry cafe in the France Pavilion and some beer from the Germany Pavilion.  We all had a blast though and want to go again next year.

Highlights

• Escargots Persillade en Brioche in France
• Crème Brulée au Chocolate au Lait in France
• Taco de Chilorio in Mexico
• Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée in Argentina
• Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw in South Korea
• Coconut-Braised, Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice in Singapore
• Baked Cheese Ravioli, Creamy Bolognese Sauce, Melted Mozzarella  in Italy
• Spanakopita in Greece

Other Noteworthy Places we Visited in Disney World

• Jiko – Best meal I have had in a long time
• Tutto Italia – Great Italian food

For a full listing of the menu items and Countries represnted, take a look at their webpage.

Image Copyright Lilly's DimSum ThenSome

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Lilly’s Dim Sum Then Some is an Asian Cuisine restaurant located in Little Rock off of Rodney Parham Road and has been around for several years.  Their website offers the following description of their approach:

“Independently owned, Lilly’s is named after a beloved pet dog named Lilly, and operated by a Swede and a Southerner! Nancy Tesmer (the Swede) brings a wealth of hospitality service and experience to Arkansas. She is a nationally recognized wine expert, studying under the only non-French person to be awarded the Certificate Chevalier du Taste Vin, and honing her skills as a wine consultant to many of Chicago’s finest restaurants. Tesmer hosts wine tastings, wine classes and dinners, and consults with individuals on topics ranging from setting up a wine cellar to learning how to read a restaurant’s wine list.  Tesmer is also a spirits consultant, and works with a number of the country’s top chefs and restaurateurs” – (Source: Lilly’s Dum Sum Then Some Website, October 2010).

My wife and I decided to go there for dinner this last Saturday night and arrived at around 8pm.  We were seated immediately as there were many empty tables.  From my past experience lunch is a busy time at Lilly’s and they serve a brunch that may garner more patrons than we experienced on a weekend night.  This could explain why we didn’t see many people there.

The first thing I noticed is that the menu is much larger than I remembered it from years prior.  Either they increased the number of dishes offered or my memory fails me.  There are several items to choose from including Korean, Thai, and Chinese cuisine.  Their specials for the night included General Tso’s chicken and a coconut creme brulee.  Our waiter arrived quickly and took our drink orders.  He went to obtain our drinks while we figured out what we wanted.

We settled on the Spicy Peanut Kung Pao Wraps ($6.99) for an appetizer.  My wife ordered the Award Winning Thai Coconut Soup with Grilled Shrimp ($10.99 for the large bowl) and I ordered the Korean BibimBap with Grilled Steak($11.99).  The appetizer came out with 6 large pieces of lettuce to create the wraps with and a bowl of diced chicken and vegetables in a peanut sauce.  The mixture had a nice flavor to it and reminds me a lot of a dish I make at home called Yu Shan Chicken.  The recipe I have for the dish comes from a good Chinese friend of mine’s wife and is something I make a few times a year.  In fact, I had bought the ingredients to make the dish before going out to eat!  Given the similarity to what I make at home, I expect that the chicken mixture has ginger, garlic, chili-sauce, peanuts, bell pepper, chicken, soy sauce, sugar, corn starch, and oil in it.  The chicken was a bit on the dry side but overall we liked the appetizer.

Our dinner arrived promptly after the appetizer was finished and came out quite hot.  This is a nice change from some recent restaurant trips where our food appeared to have lived under heat lamps for a while.  My wife’s soup had a nice flavor to it and while high in calories from the coconut milk, did not taste heavy.  The soup came out in a huge bowl filled with coconut milk, vegetables, and had rice on the bottom.  It had several grilled shrimp in the soup that my wife claimed “made the dish”. 

The egg on my bibimbap was cooked perfectly with a nice formed white and runny center when cut into.  The dish had grilled steak in it, sprouts, cabbage, rice, other vegetables, and a nice broth at the bottom.  Our waiter suggested I mix the entire dish together, which I did, and it made a nice difference (thank you for the tip!)  Overall it tasted good and with the addition of some sriracha sauceit had a good kick.  It was not quite as flavorful as the bimbim bop I used to have in a Korean restaurant in New Jersey but it is the closest thing I have had since then.  I would order it again.

I already have in mind a few dishes I want to try on my next trip and was pleased with the whole experience.  The total tab was around $40 (before tip) and our waiter was one of the best ones we have had in a while.  The food was light tasting but had good flavor and little to complain about.  It didn’t blow me away but for the style was good.  On leaving a customer made us aware of a brunch they have every Wednesday through Sunday that we may try in a couple of weeks.  It’s held next door in their BSide restaurant.

Lilly’s DimSum ThenSome
11121 N. Rodney Parham Rd.
Little Rock, AR 72212
501.716.2700
501.716.2701 fax

Hours
Monday-Thursday, 11am-9 pm
Friday-Saturday, 11am-10pm
Sunday 11:30-9 pm

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Volcano Roll

There are not many restaurants in Maumelle, but Sashimi is one of them and it also happens to be the best Teppanyaki (also known as Hibachi) place in Arkansas.  A person can only be so lucky!

Sashimi opened in Maumelle a few years ago (I forget the exact date) and has been serving Teppanyaki style food and sushi every since.  They are on Facebookand the restaurant is owned by Tommy and Holly Kattaviravong.

My wife and I visit Sashimi about twice per week and order different items from the menu.  One of the reasons I frequent the place is because Sushi, Edamame, and grilled calamari are all low in calories and fat.  I can eat a nice meal there and never gain a pound from it!  That is saying a lot as most restaurants add to your waistline.

If you have never been to a Teppanyaki restaurant, you sit around a large griddle and watch the chef cook your food for you.  You start with a soup and salad and then watch the show.  They begin by cooking fried rice and vegetables and then move on to cook the fish, chicken, and beef.  The whole show takes about 15 minutes and is entertaining to watch, especially for any kids in your group.

Sashimi has beef, filet, fish, scallops, shrimp, calamari, and other items for sale to be cooked Teppanyaki style.  You can also order straight to a side table or the bar (where we eat almost every time) and bypass the show if you want.  They have a large sushi bar where you can watch the sushi chefs prepare their creations as well and it has plenty of seats.

It didn’t used to be on the menu but my favorite thing there is grilled calamari.  They cut large calamari steaks into cubes after it is grilled and it tastes wonderful.  I order it with a side of edamame (soy beans,) and usually order a volcano roll to split with my wife.  The volcano roll changes in the type of fish used but is my favorite when they use salmon.  All of the sushi looks and tastes wonderful so be prepared to spend several trips trying out different rolls.

I suggest you give the following rolls a try to start out: Maumelle Roll, Volcano Roll, Louisiana Roll (spicy), Superman Roll, and Valentines Roll.  There are many more and I will write down the names for my next blog about them.

All in all I have zero complaints about Sashimi and vote my opinion with repeat visits.  Give them a try.  If you live in a city near Maumelle they are worth the drive!

Sashimi Japanese Steakhouse
(501) 851-4700
1900 Club Manor
Maumelle, AR 72113
Monday – Sunday Lunch and Dinner

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Sweep the Floor Special

Iriana’s Pizza has been in downtown little rock for a long time.  They moved a few years ago to a larger location but the food has stayed the same.  They are not your typical pizza joint in that their pizza has a unique flavor to it.  For uniqueness of taste I rank it up there with places like Damgoode Pie and Zaza’s.

My wife and I have been a few times over the past few months (on weekends only) and each time we order the Sweep the Floor Special($17.95).  The Sweep the Floor special has 7 toppings on it (for the price of 4 they claim) and tastes wonderful.  It’s not too heavy and the sausage is either homemade or they use a brand no one else does around town.  The vegetables taste fresh and the pizza has a seasoning on it that goes very well with the ingredients.  Their red sauce is spicy enough without being overbearing yet is not bland.  I recommend the special for any occasion.

They also sell sandwiches, salads, and breadsticks.  I have not tried the sandwiches or the salads but their Full Order of Breadsticks with Cheese ($4.29) are a good buy.  You get nice soft bread with just the right amount of cheese on top.

I really don’t have much else to say except that Iriana’s is one of my favorite pizza places in Little Rock and I missed it greatly when I moved away for a few years.  I’m glad to be back and to have access to Iriana’s again.

Iriana’s Pizza
(501) 374-3656
Little Rock
201 E Markham St
Little Rock, AR 72201

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

I wasn’t really in the mood to cook the other night but decided to go ahead and make some Jambalaya.  My wife said it would go perfectly with the Saints playing football at the time (versus the Vikings) so there you have it. 🙂

Jambalaya

I decided to go with a low-cal version of the dish since it is a weekday.  For those of you who don’t know how my diet has worked for the past 8 months….I only eat low-cal and low-fat foods during the week and allow myself to eat up to three meals on the weekend containing whatever I want.  As long as I make my goal weight by Friday, I’m free to indulge.  That’s how I can do all these food reviews and not gain a pound.

Crawfish tails are low-calorie as is with only 70 calories per 3 ounces.  I bought a frozen package containing 12 ounces for the dish (210 total calories). 

Sausage has a ton of calories and fat in it normally but I chose turkey breakfast sausage instead of the usual pork sausage.  The turkey breakfast links had 720 calories for the entire package and I only used half of the package for the dish (total of 360 calories.)

Ingredients

Vegetable Mix

• 3 Bell Peppers (Red, Yellow, Green)
• 2 Jalapeno peppers
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Red onion
• 5 Cloves garlic
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 16 Ounces San Marzano Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Teaspoon Harissa
• 2 Tablespoons Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Teaspoons Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds

Crawfish and Sausage

• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 12 ounces crawfish tails
• 2 Teaspoons flour
• 6 Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links

Finishing

• 2 Cups Cooked Jasmine Rice
• 1 Bunch green onions
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce

Seed and dice the bell and jalapeno peppers.  Dice the red onion, green onions, and the whole tomatoes.  Finely dice the garlic.

Melt the butter on high in a dutch oven (such as the one I have in tools of the trade.)  Add the bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and red onion to the pot.  Cook until soft (about 5 minutes.)  Add the garlic.  Cook for another 5 minutes until all ingredients are integrated and fragrant. 

Add the chicken broth and cook for 10 minutes, stiring.  Add all of the spices and stir to incorporate.  Add the tomatoes, stir, and cover.  Cook for 30-45 minutes, stir to prevent burning.

While the vegetable mix is cooking, thaw and drain the crawfish tails.  Heat half of the oil in a skillet on high and add the crawfish tails.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Stir in the flour and incorporate completely.  Add mixture to the dutch oven and mix to integrate.

Heat the rest of the oil in the skillet on high and add the turkey sausage.  Cook for 10 minutes and turn to keep from burning.  Sausage should be well browned.  Remove from the skillet and cut into 1/4 inch pieces.  Place sausage in dutch oven and incorporate with mix.  Re-cover and continue cooking.

Cook the mix until reduced and “thick”.  It’s hard to say how long given the temperature ranges and size of the pot, just to say that you need to cook it until reduced.  Normally this won’t take more than 30-45 minutes.

Cook the rice while you wait and when the mix is thick, turn off the heat and add in the rice and fish sauce.  Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir completely.  Serve Jambalaya in bowls and sprinkle green onions over the top.

by Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

I don’t normally review chain restaurants but had the desire for seafood the other night and Bonefish Grillwas the “best” choice given my attire (not fancy dressed) and the time I had to plan (almost zero.)  We thought about going to Cajuns but decided against it.  My wife and I decided on Bonefish and invited a friend to the Cantrell Road location this last weekend for dinner.

We arrived at 6pm and were told we had a 45 minute wait.  We took our buzzer and sat down at a table in the middle of the bar.  We did not order any food although we could have.  In fact, you can eat an entire dinner in the bar but we wanted to sit in a more relaxed area to eat.  Bonefish is “upper” casual in that I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing shorts there but do feel comfortable wearing jeans.  It is decorated nicely and has a huge kitchen.  Their bar is typically packed with people so get there early if you want a seat to sit in while you wait.

Bang Bang Shrimp

About 45 minutes went by and we were given a seat in the middle of the restaurant.  We ordered the appetizer of Bang Bang Shrimp ($7.90) and I ordered the Maryland Crab Cake Dinner ($16.)  We also placed our drink orders and waited.  We waited for quite some time for our waiter to return and he brought a basket of fresh bread on his return.  He mixed some olive oil onto a plate in front of us with herbs and it was wonderful with the bread.  The bread must have been fresh baked or much improved from my last trip because it tasted great.  I was very impressed with it and it along with the olive oil was gone in short order.

We had to flag down our waiter to order a drink for my wife and I didn’t get a refill of my iced tea, ever.  The place was busy but the service we received was pretty bad.  The waiter was nice but slow.  We received the appetizer of Bang Bang Shrimp and dug in.  The shrimp was nicely fried and not too greasy.  The sauce on the shrimp had a nice kick to it and a great flavor.  There was just enough of the appetizer for three people with a little left over.  I would definitely order it again.

Crab Cake Dinner

Our entrees followed up about 30 minutes later (they were running very slow).  My first reaction was “Wow, the economy has really hit Bonefish.”  I said this because I used to receive two huge crab-cakes when I ordered the crab cake dinner.  Instead, I had two very tiny mounds of crab with a heap of potato au-gratin on the side.  The crab mounds were about 1 inch in diameter.   I don’t know what happened but they used to be huge. 

Regardless of the size, the crab cakes tasted wonderful.  They had a nice buttery texture to them and had great flavor.  They were small but very good.  The potato au gratin had just the right amount of cheese in them and had a great texture as well.  They tasted good and I didn’t leave any on my plate.  I do wish there was more crab on the plate and would have been hungry had I not had some of the appetizer first.  I will order it again but I hope they include more next time.

For dessert I had the Macadamia Nut Brownie($5.50) which is a “flourless brownie with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream”.  The brownie is heated with a melted chocolate sauce poured over the top.  This is one of my favorite desserts and I’ve been known to go to Bonefish Grill just for the dessert alone.  It’s great and something I have ordered in the past and will order again. 

Bonefish Grill
11525 Cantrell Road , Little Rock,AR 72212
Phone: (501) 228-0356

Monday 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Thursday 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Friday 4 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Saturday 4 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Sunday 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Status: Completed and Good!

I’m busy prepping a 15 pound brisket I bought for the weekend.  This time around I’m taking time to inject it and let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator (with the rub on it.)

For the injection I’m trying:

• Lard
• Beef Bullion
• Cayenne Pepper
• Rub Spices
• Habanero Pepper Oil
• Apple Juice

Brisket Prepped & Ready to Go

I cooked the above until boiling and let it cool off.  I then used a meat injector from Amazon.com to inject about a litre of fluid total into the brisket spaced every 1 inch.

I glazed the brisket in peanut oil and then covered it completely with the Cookshack Brisket Rub.  I normally make my own rubs but find theirs to work well when I’m not doing competition work. 

I’m going to let it sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours and then put it in the smoker.  I’ll add to this post when I have some pictures from the smoking part!

Update 9-5-2010

I put it in the smoker at 6pm at 226 degrees using Hickory wood for the smoke.  At 10pm I put it into a large foil pan and covered it.  I put the probe in the thickest part I could find and set the cut-off point to 192 degrees.  Went to sleep.  Woke up and checked the BBQ.  It had been idle at 140 degrees for 5 hours (high enough temp to keep bacteria away.)  Removed from the smoker and let sit for 30 minutes to cool down.  Drained the pan and sliced the Q.  See below!

The point on the cutting board

The flat sliced and chopped

The point sliced