Monday, November 9, 2009

Dos Perros - a new eatery in downtown Durham

This past weekend I had the pleasure to enjoy my first meal at Dos Perros in downtown Durham. The restaurant was packed on a Saturday night, a good sign, especially for a once desolate downtown Durham.

The menu was quite interesting and the vegetarian options refreshing. The vegetarian options included a Chile Rellano, which can be pretty standard. But I tried one of the other two options - Tortitas de Calabaza Dulce -- Butternut squash-masa cakes with kale and hominy stew. It sounded like an odd dish, but I had to try it. It was quite tasty and the best kale I've ever had. The third vegetarian entree was the Mole Amarillo con Chochoyones --vegetables and masa dumplings simmered in a rich sauce of tomatillos and spices. I'd like to try that another time. My friends all ordered various sea food dishes and were quite pleased as well.

We only tested on appetizer, the cactus, which was very tasty. We did, however, each sample one of their margaritas. I ordered the Skinny and another friend ordered the "1967 Cadillac". The "Skinny Dip" has Cointreau in it, so I thought I'd like it, but it was a tad too dry for my taste. I preferred the Cadillac which has some Gran Marnier in it. Luck would have it that my friend preferred my drink, so we switched.

For desert, I tried the Mexican chocolate ice cream with orange zest. It was yummy.

I hope to go to Dos Perros soon. Also, as a dog lover, I'm fond of the name of the restaurant, which means "two dogs" and appreciated the walls covered in framed photos of dogs and dog cartoons at the back of the restaurant.

Overall, I was very impressed. The restaurant is on a nice corner location and the decor is elegant and modern. The service was also excellent. This might be one of my favorite restaurants in Durham, next to my all time favorite, Piedmont!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Delicious dining at my sister's house

Staying with my sister & her husband is like visiting a gourmet restaurant - EVERYTHING tastes good.

Treats that they served up included, but not limited to:

Grilled eggplant - This is my #1 favorite vegetable and #1 favorite grilled vegetable. Oktavijan showed me just how to prepare it. To my surprise, it was much easier than I had done. Here are the simple and easy steps:

1. Peel the eggplant. This prevents bitterness.
2. Slice lengthwise roughly into just a few large thick pieces.
3. SKIP drying & salting - he said that this is unnecessary, time-consuming and messy.
4. Place them on the grill and drizzle some olive oil.
5. Cover & check on. Estimate time on grill is about 20 minutes, depending on heat. I think the temp was about 450.

Perfectly grilled quarter pound hamburgers with Vidalia onions (not just any onion) ketchup and lettuce. It was one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever eaten. I’m not sure of the secret, but I think it has to do with cooking them to “medium” and not to “well done” to retain the moisture. While enjoying our hamburger, we all relived the scene in the movie, “The Pink Panther” in which Steve Martin’s character is trying to learn how to say, “I want a hambuger” but instead keeps saying, “ I want a DAMburger.” My little niece did almost the entire scene. It was funny.

Sorbet from a gourmet store in NYC. They found it at a local boutique grocery store. I tried the strawberry and chocolate flavors - very yummy. The strawberry was, in fact, so popular in the house that Oktajivan resorted to sanctioning out small allotted portions per person. Therefore, I had to try the chocolate instead of strawberry. My sister kindly gave me her “allotted strawberry gelato” for the day.

Pesto flatbread Mozzeralla Pizza - this they made from scratch, using fresh crushed basil for the pesto sause, fresh Mozzerella and a sprinkle of pine nuts. They put the square delectable creation on the grill and it was delicioso!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Peak City Grill, Apex, NC

Peak City is known for its great food, which is why I brought my parents there. I didn't know that Sundays at lunchtime there is a buffet. At first, I was unhappy about this as I worried that it was only breakfast food. But, I was pleased that they had an array of offerings including beef medallions, barbeque chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans as well as an omlette station with the best hashbrowns (baked with cheese) that I've ever had. My father was smiling the entire time he was savoring his lunch. And the deserts - esp the chocolate mousse that was sugar free - was delicious. The staff was very friendly too. Most options, save the chicken and soup were gluten-free too.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Shopping, not eating.But still important

Okay, this posting isn't about food, it's about shopping, something I don't usually write about. But, this new store in downtown Durham, called Vert&Vogue is just super cool.

It just happens, that I had eaten at 1 of the restaurants in Brightleaf Square and decided to just take a stroll. I was delighted to find this new gem of a store.

First of all, they have very fashionable items, especially shoes, that you won't find anywhere else. Secondly, all the materials are good quality and vegan! So, if fashion and vegetarianism are important to you, you have to stop by.

Only down side is that is a tad pricey. I did find some very nice soft cotton t-shirts for just $10, which was very reasonable. The service there is also excellent.

PF Changs - great GF menu

I usually don't like "chain restaurants", but since I've been gluten free, I appreciate that PF Chang's has a gluten free menu & it offers a broad selection. I think it's very thoughtful of them to do so! Plus, it's really yummy.

Actually, the other day, I was craving Moe's, but their entire list of offerings has gluten in it. I was also surprised that even their meats have soy added to them. Perhaps it's just soy oil and not actual soy.