Lima 51 Cebiche Bar

During the day, I had some Watermelon and the last few pieces of the Pineapple that Loretta grew in her yard.

Gordon and I had plans for Saturday. They got changed around some, and we wound up at Lima 51 Cebiche Bar in Coral Springs for Dinner. Gordon hadn't had Peruvian food before, so it gave me a chance to show off.

He said that he was anxious to try Cebiche, so we started with their Big kahuna, the Cebiche Trilogy.

(Left to right) Rocoto Sauce, Cebiche Classic, Aji Amarillo

Right out of the box, this is enough for Dinner right here. This dis was three separate Cebiches, with the first being a 'classic' Cebiche... just fish chunks in a lime marinade. It was slightly spicy, and delicious. For the other two, we upgraded from just Fish to Mixed Seafood (Calamari, Shrimp, A Scallop or two, a couple of pieces of Octopus, and Fish). The Cebiches were in sauces made from Rocoto (the red one) and Aji Amarillo (the yellow one). Those are both Peruvian Peppers. On their own, they are not that spicy, but they give the Cebiches a slightly different flavor. All three we delicious, and I have eaten quite a few Cebiches in my day. The three Cebiches were served on a plate with Cancha (toasted Corn) Choclo (giant Peruvian Corn kernels) and Jalea, which is assorted pieces of fried Seafood. This dish was $32, but the Cebiches were full-sized and cost more than $12 each, so it was a fair price for this dish. And it was excellent.

Since my specialty is Ordering Too Much Food, we had plenty more coming. Our next appetizer was a Cuasa relleno de Pulpo (Octopus).

 

Causas are mashed yellow potatoes shaped (in this case, into patties) to sort of form a sandwich. The 'sandwich' was stuffed with chunks of Octopus, and the whole thing was topped with some Mayonnaise-type sauce, and the an Olive and piece of Egg. At this point, Lima 51 was two-for-two. This was very good as well.

We then got into the hot items. Our next appetizer was Anticuchos de Corazon.

I apologize for the crappy photos. My phone takes terrible pictures, and I usually forget to bring my camera with me. To those of us in the English-speaking world, Anticuchos de Corazon are Grilled Beef Hearts. Despite my many trips to Peru, it took me while to get with the idea of eating Beef Hearts. I'm glad that I finally did. These were a very good example.

Gordon was pretty open-minded in letting me do the ordering. I gave him the option of us getting something else instead of the Hearts, but was willing to give it a try. I think that they were his favorite dish of the evening.

After all this, we only ordered one main course. Another thing that impressed me with this restaurant was that -- when I asked the waitress about some Peruvian food items that weren't on the menu -- she told me that they could make anything I wanted; all I had to do was ask.

So I asked her to have the Chef make us Tacu Tacu with Lomo Saltado.

Tacu Tacu is a Rice and Bean patty that Peruvians use as a Food Delivery Device. I like the taste of it, and I get to say, "Tacu Tacu." For this dish, we chose the most classic of Peruvian dishes. A Lomo Saltado is a stir-fry mix of Steak, Onions, Tomatoes and spices, usually served over french-fried Potatoes along side a portion of White Rice. This dish came out of the kitchen while we sere still working on the Cebiches, so it wasn't as hot as I would have liked when we got around to eating it. Other than that, it was also very good, so Lima 51 was four-for-four.

We passed on dessert.

Gordon said that he liked everything and he would return. Here he is with the Tacu Tacu:

I will also return. The food was very good, the prices were on the high end of fair, the kitchen was willing to work with you on special requests, and it is not far from Loretta's house, so I now have another place to take her for Peruvian food. I would be more careful on the food timing next time, perhaps even holding back our orders for the main courses until we were close to done with the appetizers. We were there pretty early, so it wasn't crowded. Perhaps it won't be an issue when the restaurant is busier.

Later, when I got home, I had some more Watermelon.

Big Friday Night at Mason Jar Cafe

When Jim buys, it's a big day. And there's a Surprise Ending to this story.

We went to The Mason Jar Cafe for Dinner. I've been there twice before, and we've all enjoyed it. Jim was open to suggestion and I was driving, so it was pretty much a done deal.

We both chose the Manhattan Clam Chowder to start. It was a daily special. Jim had the cup; I went for the bowl.

It was really good. And spicy. And good. Jim regretted not getting a bowl. I laughed.

Next, I ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes.

I may or may not have had these before, and I don't know what I was expecting, but the plate contained slices of Fried Green Tomatoes. Green Tomatoes. Sliced. Fried.

They were topped with some Crab Meat, which always helps. And I'm sure that these were damn good Fried Green Tomatoes. And I ate them all. But I'm not sure of the attraction here. I mean, I fully understand that everything is better when it is breaded and fried, but still. Maybe it's a cultural thing... when I grew up, Green Tomatoes sat in a bowl next to the Pickles and Sauerkraut in a Jewish Deli.

Anyway, I ate them, they're gone. I won't get them again. There are plenty of other appetizers here to enjoy.

For my main dish, I ordered the Short Ribs with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts. Jim stayed with the specials and ordered the Macadamia-Crusted Halibut, with Carrots and Brussel Sprouts.

Jim ate everything on his plate. He's a good eater. My ribs were delicious. The sauce tasted like a standard brown mushroom sauce, which kept the focus on the meat. I downed all of the vegetables, too. Who knew that Brussel Sprouts were delicious? Not me, until I went to this joint.

And now for the Surprise Ending... Here is the rarest of all photos in the Blog:

Yes, folks. It's true. I did not finish my dinner. I left over a Short Rib. And, for some absurd reason, I was feeling very diet-y and declined to take it home with me. I'm regretting that decision now, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Big Friday - Daytime

It's Big Friday, because Jim is buying Dinner.

Breakfast today was a container of Strawberries.

Later, there was a Bowl of Watermelon.

Then, 13 Frozen Grapes.

We were having Pizza at the office today, but I had other plans. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying one of the Peperocinis that come with the Papa John's Pizzas.

Brandi had other plans, too... she doesn't eat Pizza. I brought her some Turkey.

My Lunch plans were more spectacular. Junior and I each had the whole Fish from People's Choice, over by the Swap Shop. We've had it before, and it was as great as ever.

For dessert, I had a lot of Frozen Grapes. I have to stop eating now; Jim is buying me dinner later.

Turkey Thursday

Today is going to be fruit-heavy until I get to the Turkey.

Bowl of Watermelon. Then a half Bowl of Watermelon (Cherie got the other half).

Then I nuked some Asparagus, and forgot to take a picture.

Then some more Watermelon... and it is only 12:47 now.

I held off until 3:45, and had a lot of Frozen Grapes.

Then I went home and waited for it to be 7:15 so I could break out the Turkey. You can read about the prep work here and here.

It was beautiful. First, I grabbed the neck while the rest of the bird cooled off.

Then, I lopped off a drumstick.

Then, I sliced some of the breast. I had that with both Dijon and German mustards.

After that, I carved myself a wing.

Then I cut up some of the thigh for some dark meat.

Then I was just about done. I sliced off a few pieces for Brandi at the office. There's a chance I had another nibble while that was happening. Or six nibbles. We're having pizza tomorrow at work, and she's on a pizza-free diet, so she asked me to bring her some. Here's what the Turkey looked like when I wrapped it up to put it in the refrigerator:

Is it the greatest Turkey every? No, but it is very good. And I bought it months ago, so it is kind of free. Did I like my new try at marinade? Yes. Is the injection method better? Probably, but this was diet-er. And I have lots of Turkey for the next few days. And I am full now.

I am making a Turkey - Part 2

Last night, I prepared a Turkey to cook today.

I came hope at 3:00, put it in the roaster, cranked it to 325 degrees, and went back to work.

Exactly four hours and 15 minutes later, it was done.

That's what it looked like when I opened the cover of the roaster. Here's what it looked like on the platter, ready to carve:

"How was it, Rich?" That's a fair question.

 And I will answer it when I post today's Meals!

(Spoiler Alert: Delicious)

I am making a Turkey - Part 1

Every time I tell someone that I am making a Turkey, they act like I just invented the cure for Cancer.

It's easy. And when you're done... you have a Turkey.

I am doing it a little differently tonight than my normal preparation, but not much. I have had the Turkey in the refrigerator defrosting for three days; it's just about ready. To finish the defrost process, I just put the whole thing (package and all) in the sink and let water run over it for an hour.

After that, I unwrapped the bird, rinsed it off, threw away the bag of Giblets and the bag of gravy, and trimmed off some of the excess fat and skin. Here it is with the all-important Turkey Neck sitting on top.

This is where I am doing something different. Usually, I just buy a bottle of injection marinade and shoot the Turkey full of flavor. It's always great. This time, I read the bottle, and it seemed to me that there was stuff I could do that would be more diet-friendly. I broke out a bottle of Sofrito (a Spanish tomato-based sauce base), watered it down a little, and added liberal amounts of Adobo Seasoning and Weber Kickin' Chicken Seasoning.

I then finished rinsing the Turkey off, and -- so I could replicate what happens when I inject the regular marinade -- I went all Psycho on the bird and put a LOT of knife holes in it. I then moved it to the roasting pan of my Electric Turkey Oven.

Once that was all done, I doused the Turkey on my Sofrito marinade, and sprinkled on some more Adobo Seasoning and just a little bit of some Spice & Herbs Seasoning that was sitting in my closet.

So now I am all ready to cook. Since it is now 11:00 pm and I don't want to set the alarm for three in the morning, I am going to cover it and put it in the refrigerator for now. I will leave the office tomorrow afternoon and run home to start the cooking process, so it will be ready for Dinner tomorrow night at a reasonable time. Here's what it looked like, just before the cover went on.

Wednesday - It's a Big Day - Home Grown Pineapple!

Not very surprisingly, I was hungry when I woke up this morning. I nuked a Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portabello. Breakfast!!!!!

When I got to the office, I had a bowl of Watermelon.

At 12:40, more Watermelon. It is delicious these days.

1:30... more Watermelon. That's three if you're keeping score.

I went and picked up Loretta for dinner. She gave me four choices, but she said that she wanted to go to Bonefish Grill, so that's where we went.

We each had an Appetizer. I had the Mussels, and mom had the Bang Bang Shrimp.

Bonefish Grill always does a good job on the food; today was no exception. Both dishes proved popular. Loretta and I swapped a Shrimp for a Mussel, and we both cleaned our plates.

For our Main Courses, Loretta had the Crab Cake Dinner, and I ordered one of the daily specials, Shrimp Pad Thai.

 

My dish was very good, and it was more attractive in person than in the photo. I ate it all. Loretta liked hers, and she took half of it home for tomorrow.

We passed on Dessert and went back to her house. She has a small garden in the front, and there's a Pineapple plant. It takes about two years to grow the one Pineapple, and it is always an event. She had been saving it, and tonight was the night.

I cut it up (it was too small for our Pineapple Corer Machine), and it was really sweet and delicious. We only had a couple of pieces each because we were full from dinner. I'm regretting it now.

Here's one more picture of Loretta. She was doing the Juanita Banana dance with the Pineapple. I whish I had the camera on Video mode. Anyway, I told her that I was going to say that she was about to attack me with the Pineapple.

Tuesday!

I started the day (Breakfast!!!!) with eight Plumbs.

Well, seven and a half. One of them was so juicy that it burst all over my clean pants, and I only ate half of it, and am wearing the other half.

At 11:15, I downed a bowl of Watermelon.

Just a short time later, I shared a bag of Baby Carrots with Shauna and Sergio.

At 3:00, Cherie and I split a bowl of Watermelon 70-30 (70% me; 30% Cherie).

It turns out that when I walk around with fruit, people eat some of it for me. I broke open a package of Strawberries, and shared them with Jennifer, Dave, Lydia, Johanna and Shanika.

Sergio also had a Strawberry. I didn't take his picture.

There were about 20 Grapes in the freezer from last week. I polished them off, and then stopped eating.

Somehow, I missed Dinner, but I inhaled another bowl of Watermelon at around midnight.

Monday... back in Florida

Incredibly, when I weighed in tonight, I was down 3.8 pounds for the week. Makes no sense, even though I walked a lot in New York, but I will take it.

First off, a bowl of Watermelon.

I was going to go out to celebrate the weight loss with a big dinner, but Jim is taking me out Friday night, so reason got the better of me. I went to Albertsons and shopped. At the supermarket, I snuck three String Beans. When I unpacked at home, I ate the last Pickle out of the jumbo bottle in the refrigerator, to make room.

Dinner tonight was an old stand-by: Broiled Salmon with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Onions.

I seasoned and broiled the Salmon (13 ounces), and while that was happening, I cut up the Broccoli and Onion, and I cleaned and halved the Mushrooms. That all got nuked for 8 minutes, and I had a full, delicious meal with just one bowl to wash, plus the plate.

For dessert, more Watermelon.

A little later, in a shocking development, more Watermelon.

That's enough for today; I'm going to bed.

Sunday. Travel Day

I woke up this morning before the rest of the house. I updated the blog, and decided to take a walk around Park Slope and get Breakfast.

I wound up right on Anna & Michael's corner at the Purity Diner. It's a diner. It's in Park Slope, so the food cost a couple of bucks too much, but it's a diner.

I ordered a Egg White Vegetable Omelet with dry Rye Toast and well-done Home Fried Potatoes.

What can I say? It didn't kill me, and it was probably the most health-conscious thing that I ate (except for the Strawberries) in three days. Michael disapproves of Purity, too. I would avoid this diner before I would stop going to Smiling Pizza, but it was Breakfast.

Later, I get to JFK early and I am wandering around the concourse, Not Eating Anything Bad. I was doing well, and then I ran into a section with four or five different upscale restaurants. They were real restaurants, with interesting menus. Except they were in the airport.

I went into the Italian one and ordered the Chicken Cacciatore.

This was a half Chicken on the bone, topped with diced Tomatoes and Vegetables. Not your classic Chicken Cacciatore, but it looked good, and it was a zillion times better for me than the junk at most of the places in the airport. And, it was good. I wouldn't fly to New York just to eat there, but it was good.

I slept through whatever they were giving away on the airplane.

I wasn't hungry when I got home, and the next thing I knew, it was 11:00. So that's it for Sunday.

NYC - Saturday

If I never left Ft. Lauderdale, I would weigh 87 pounds.

I was meeting my friend Les in Queens, so I was walking to the subway. The station is right next to Smiling Pizza.

Smiling Pizza isn't special... it's just a Pizza Place on a street corner in Brooklyn. You walk in, say, 'slice,' and they give you pizza. There's a million of this type of place in New York. I walked in, said 'slice,' and they gave me one.

It was immeasurably better than anything you can get in Florida. Michael *hates* Smiling Pizza; he thinks it is drek. He just has no clue how lucky he is.

I met Les in Forest Hills on Queens Boulevard. There are a lot of restaurants in that area. He said that he knew one that was just OK, but they didn't have much in the way of customers, so it was quiet, and we could talk. Biu Bella Cafe sounded like just the right place.

He was right; it was empty. On a street where every restaurant was busy.

The food was fine. I had a delicious bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup, and a perfectly-average Eggplant Parm Sandwich with delicious vegetables instead of French Fries.

Les had a Turkey Wrap. First, they brought him someone else's Eggs Benedict (which could have something to do with the lack of customers), so here he is, making his blog debut with the Wrong Food.

When Les went on his way, I killed some time in Forest Hills (I got my eyebrows threaded) and met my friend Walter, someone I knew from Peru.

We took the train one stop to Jackson Heights. Roosevelt Avenue is a whole different world. It's like Epcot made a new country: Spanishland. We walked around a little (I loved it) and caught up. We stopped in front of a Mexican place and I bought a cup of camarones y pulpo (Shrimp and Octopus) cocktail. It was $8 and worth every penny.

 

I also picked up a two-pound package of Strawberries for $2. Anna, Michael and I ate those when I got back to the house.

Anna and Michael were fascinated with my stories of the food in Peru. They wanted to try some, so we made reservations at La Mar Cebicheria in Manhattan. La Mar is owned by Gaston Acurio, who is the Pope of all things food-related in Peru.

We ordered a bunch of things and shared them. Our first two plates were cebiches. One was the classic fish cebiche, and the other was Tuna Nikei.

The 'classic' version was very good. The only thing that its South American cousin has over it is a bit more spice. The Tuna dish is marinated with lime juice, soy sauce and sesame oil, giving it a Japanese flavor. That's starting to get popular in Lima as well, and this was a very good example.

Next, we ordered the Causa.

I love Causas. They are mashed Yellow Potatoes (held together with some lime juice) which are then sliced and 'stuffed' with one of a variety of things, usually what we would call Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad or Crab Salad. The newfangled, fancier Causas are balls of potato topped with one of those items. That's what these were. I don't like them like that in Lima, and I don't like them like that here. This method favors the flavor of the toppings (in our case, Chicken) over the potato. For what it was, it was good, but Anna and Michael were not impressed, and I didn't blame them.

We shared two Main Dishes.

The first one, Lomo Saltado, was the hit of the night. This is a stir fry of Beef, Onions, Tomatoes and some spices, served over French Fries. It is the classic Peruvian Dish, and this was a perfect example. Everything about it was perfect, but for $30, it damn well better be. The second dish had a name that I don't remember, but it was Rice with Seafood (Arroz con Mariscos). That's half of what I eat when in Lima, so you could call me Subject Matter Expert on this dish. This was good, but nowhere as good as the Lomo. However, the three of us finished every bite.

Considering that we were 3600 miles from Lima, this was an excellent Peruvian meal. It was possibly the best Peruvian food I have had in the USA. The Lima version of La Mar is twice as good, with a better menu selection.

Anna and Michael had a few Pisco Sours during dinner, so I drove home. We took Flatbush Avenue, and passed Juniors.

We really didn't pass Juniors; I stopped the car and the two of them got out while I circled the block. We got home with two slices of cheesecake.

I had one slice, they shared the other.

If you think you like cheesecake and haven't tried Juniors', then you are missing out. It is the best. End of discussion, unless you've tried it. Here's Michael reveling in his piece:

 

Then, bed. Sunday, airplane. If I can fit in the seat.