Wednesday - Not Very Jerk Wings and Lots of Watermelon

Before we get started, I decided that -- despite its deliciousness -- I didn't need to eat the leftovers from yesterday's dinner. I gave them to one of the girls at work... I'm sure she enjoyed it as much as I did.

First off today, a bowl of Watermelon

Then, James at work brought me a bag of Peppers from his garden. I ate them over the course of the day.

After that, Gordon gave me ONE Blueberry. One.

A little bit later, more Watermelon. One piece of Cantaloupe from Dave.

Brent and I watched the Heat game together at Stout Irish Pub. This was the place with the killer Jerk Wings that we went to last Friday. The TV situation there is a little odd: They have a zillion TVs, but none of them seem to be convenient to any of the tables. Brent and I moved one of the tables around and we settled in to watch the game.

We both ordered the wings.

They were good, but they weren't as Jerk-y as the ones on Friday night. That didn't stop me from eating them. I told my tale of woe to Jolene, and she offered to talk to the kitchen about making me a second set with more Jerk to them.

Well, the second ones came out, and they were a little more flavored, but still not like last week. Again, it didn't stop me from eating those, either. I guess that there was a different chef on the other night.

Here's a picture of Brent, who is making his first appearance here in the Blog.

Later, before I went to bed, I had a bowl of Frozen Grapes.

There won';t be much in the blog tomorrow, because I am traveling. But starting Friday, we should be action-packed, as I will be in the delicious food capital of the world... Lima, Peru.

Tuesday - Meatballs and More at Anthony's Runway 84

This morning... watermelon. Then, more watermelon.

Later, I cut up some Yellow Squash, added spices, and nuked it.

I offered some to Larry, Gordon and John before I took the picture, but I ate what you see above.

Around 3:00, I had 5 ounces of Turkey Breast Roll-Ups.

Frozen Grapes!!!!

Lonnise and I went to Anthony's Runway 84 for dinner tonight. They are old-school New York Italian, and they're really good at it. They've been there since 1982; in fact, Anthony is the same Anthony that now has the chain of Coal Fired Pizza restaurants all around Broward County. I don't think they've changed anything in their 30+ years, except maybe the prices.

The place was just about full on a Tuesday night. We get the next-to-last table in the dining room, sit down, and order.

Just sitting at the table at Anthony's gets you two plates full of food: A mess of Mussels in Red Sauce and a Salad. Because we're both trying to watch what we eat, I only ordered us one extra appetizer to split... the Meatballs.

First, they brought out the Mussels and the Meatballs.

The white stuff on the right is ricotta cheese

We each had a Meatball, and -- Lucky Me! -- Lonnise doesn't like Mussels. So I finished them off.

At Anthony's, even the house salad is interesting. I forgot that the dressing is pretty oily, so I didn't ask for the dressing on the side. I did my best not to sop up the salad in the dressing, but I probably took in more than I wanted to.

Lettuce, tomato, hard-boiled egg, salami, olive, onion, cheese, green pepper... all the food groups.

For my main dish, I ordered the Chicken Al. This was a half of a chicken on the bone, cut up and cooked with potatoes, onions, red and green peppers, some oil, and a mess of spices. The plate had a ton of (delicious) food.

Chicken Al

The photo doesn't do it justice. I left my camera in the car, so we only have cell phone photos. I also ordered a side dish of broccoli rabe.

Broccoli Rabe is very prevalent in Italian restaurants, at least the ones that Phil & Loretta took me to when I was a kid in Brooklyn. It's known as Rapini in Europe, and it closely resembles collard/turnip/something greens. They saute it in (of course) oil and garlic, and it is delicious.

In a development that no one saw coming, I left over half of my Chicken Al, and I took that and the remaining Broccoli Rabe home with me to have for Lunch tomorrow.

The rarest photo in the entire Blogesphere -- Rich's leftovers.

Lonnise ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese. That was no surprise, as she chooses pasta with Meat Sauce often when we eat at an Italian restaurant. She said it was very good, and also took home a lot of it for tomorrow. Anthony's serves large portions.

Close Up!

Digging in!

We passed on dessert, but we both ordered Cappuccinos.

The food and the service at Anthony's is always excellent. They are not giving away their food, not by any means, but when you factor in the Mussels and the Salad, along with portions large enough to make a second meal, the pricing is somewhat softened. If we had skipped he meatballs and the coffee drinks, we could have knocked $20 off the total. It would have still been plenty of delicious food, and virtually a bargain.

Spanx the Hog BBQ

Lonnise and I went to Spanx the Hog BBQ tonight to watch the first half of the Heat game. The way the Heat played at the start of the game, it is amazing that I was able to eat anything at all.

Nevertheless, I trudged on and managed to get some food down. And then some more food.

We split the Hog Trough for two.

Did the vegetables in front trick you? I didn't think so.

OK, so the Hog Trough has two Wings, two Ribs, two Sausages, Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Smoked Turkey and Beef Brisket. It also comes with some sides... we chose Collard Greens, Baked Beans, Collard Greens and Collard Greens.

Lonnise had the beans, a wing, a rib, some pulled pork and some brisket. I pretty much ate the rest. Well, except for the pulled chicken. I didn't like that too much. But I didn't feel all that deprived.

I forgot to take a picture of Lonnise with her meal. As a consolation prize, here's one of me.

Me, in living color. You can thank me later.

Sunday Post

For a pre-game snack this afternoon, I opened a can of Chopped Collard Greens. These had nothing but collard greens and water, and probably a little salt. No sugar, no meat, nothing like that. I added some chili sauce, some garlic paste, and a dash of Dijon mustard, mixed it all together, and nuked it for three minutes.

 

Later... watermelon. Then, more watermelon.

Yesterday, I had picked up a few different varieties of Hormel Completes. They were only $2 at WalMart. They don't need to be kept in the freezer, and the couple that I tried before were OK.

Tonight's dinner was the Roast Beef & Mashed Potatoes.

Unlike the cover of the box, there was only one piece of meat. However, it was a good (if small) piece, and the gravy worked well with the potatoes. And... what can I possibly expect for two bucks??? I had some watermelon for dessert.

I thought that I was done for the day, but my friend Mario stopped by with one of his buddies for a while. They invited me to join them at Pollo Tropical. It would have been ungentlemanly of me to turn them down, so off we went.

I ordered the Chicken Breast plate with two sides. I chose Yellow Rice with Vegetables for my first side, and for the second, I selected Yellow Rice With Vegetables.

I didn't eat the roll, but everything else on that tray: Gone.

That's it for the day, except for the bowl of frozen grapes that I am eating while I type.

Forgot About Saturday Afternoon

Sometimes, I forget the meaning of the word "Every."

So here's Saturday afternoon: Turkey Rollups

Yup, there it is. Six ounces of the finest breast that Albertsons had to offer. I squeeze on some Guldens Mustard, roll 'em up, and pop them in my mouth.

There you have it.

Last night, after I shut the computer down, I had two bowls of frozen grapes. And there you have that... every bite.

Early Mother's Day at Ceviche by the Sea

I won't be home for Mother's Day, so Loretta and I decided to celebrate tonight.

I showed up at her house with a whole pineapple, and we used her new corer to cut it up. Delicious.

She had heard about my earlier trip to (and how much I liked) Ceviche by the Sea, and she was excited to try the Chupe de Camarones. I talked her into letting me do the ordering, so -- here's a surprise -- we had too much food.

We started with a bowl each of the Chupe de Camarones. This is a Shrimp and Vegetable soup that's just wonderful. The manager came by to check on us, and he agreed with me that the soup is enhanced by leaving out the habas (a large bean that's prevalent in Peru). I don't like the flavor that the beans give the soup.

Loretta had eaten the Chupe de Camarones at Astrid y Gaston (the top restaurant in all of Peru) and loved it, so this soup had a high standard to live up to. Even though she knew that there was a lot of food coming, she couldn't stop herself from finishing the entire bowl. This was my second try at this dish, and it was just as good as the first time.

I ordered an assortment of appetizers and then followed it up with one main dish for us to split. The first course contained two cold appetizers: A Ceviche of Shrimp and Calamar and a Trio of different Causas.

This shrimp and calamar ceviche was excellent. All the food here was excellent, but I will continue to point that out. I had about two thirds of this dish.

Causas are potato-based, and are used in Peruvian cooking as a food delivery device. The three we had tonight were topped with (from left to right): what we would call crab salad, shrimp (I think), and a small portion of Tuna Ceviche in an Oriental-flavored sauce which featured Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil. I had half of the first two and the entire Tuna Causa. Oh yeah... excellent.

The next course contained two hot appetizers: Anticuchos de Atun (Tuna brochettes) and Conchitas a la Parmeseana (Scallops Parmesan).

The Tuna dish was four (cooked) chunks of tuna with a chili marinade. Even though they were already cooked, the restaurant gives you a little flaming pot to heat them up with. You give me Tuna and Fire and I'm happy.

I ate three of the skewers; Loretta had one.

The Scallops Parmesan are a classic Peruvian dish. Scallops are wonderful. Butter is wonderful. Pisco adds a great flavor. Parmesan cheese rocks. Just add heat, and the sum is greater than the parts. I love Conchitas a la Parmesana. So does Loretta. I ate four; Loretta had one.

Here they are!

Here's a close-up because, well, it's my blog and I can.

As if we really needed another plate of food, it was time for our main Course.

I ordered the Cau-Cau de Choros y Conchas (Mussels and Scallops in a spicy, yellow pepper sauce).

"Let me at it," she says!

No, we didn't need to have this dish, but we would have missed out on something special if we did. This was, um, wonderful. It had eight large scallops and a bunch of mussels, as well as potatoes and peas, and probably something else in there, too. Loretta and I split half the dish, and we wrapped the rest up for her to have for dinner tomorrow.

We passed on coffee or dessert... we had nowhere to put it.

I think that Ceviche by the Sea has the best Peruvian food in Broward County, and mom and I both agreed that this was much, much better than the meal that we had last week at Mi Propedad Privada down in Miami.

The only down side to our meal was that the chef refused to go off the menu and make a Pescado Saltado (fish stir-fry) for us. I even appealed to the Manager, and he gave me a lot of reasons why the chef wouldn't do it. I didn't buy any of them, seeing as I have enjoyed that dish in some of Peru's finest restaurants, but we wound up getting the Cau-Cau instead, so all wasn't lost. Also, their menu says that they won't split checks. Not that we were planning on doing that tonight, but when you're dropping anywhere from $30 to $60 a person on food, I feel that the restaurant can take the extra minute or two to allow you to pay how you would like, especially here in South Florida where we have so many great dining options. But it's not my restaurant, and if that's their decision, then that's their decision. My decision is that I will go return to Ceviche by the Sea, and hope that they soften their occasional hard-line stances.

Stout Irish Restaurant & Sports Bar

Tonight, Lonnise, Jeff, Joe Robert and I went to Stout Irish Pub, an Irish Restaurant and Sports Bar on Andrews Avenue. They've been open around a year now, and I drive by the restaurant every day on the way to work. I saw an ad for them last week that announced that they had 6797627033592 Large Screen TVs, so we went there to watch tonight's playoff games.

The place was pretty crowded, and we had to valet our cars. The hostess changed channels on the TVs so that we could see what we wanted from our seats. We had a waitress team, as there was a trainee 'following' the regular waitress, but the trainee did all the work. And she did a fine job.

They offer Grilled Chicken Wings. Me, Jeff and Lonnise all ordered them with sauce on the side. They were kind of dry rubbed with Jerk seasoning, so they were spicy without being all full of sauce. They were big, too. Even better, they were excellent.

My ten wings were really, really good. Good to the point of me sitting there trying to figure out how to order ten more without getting dirty looks from Lonnise. Jeff saved me, as the Jerk seasoning was too spicy for him (I didn't think so, but I like Hot more than he does). He had only eaten three, so I took the remaining seven off his hands, and he ordered a side salad, and that kept him happy.

Jeff and his salad.

That's seventeen wings for me if you're keeping score at home. Lonnise didn't finish hers either, but she took them home to have for Lunch at work tomorrow.

Joe Robert ordered the Fish and Chips. Aside from it being a big order, he said the breading was tasty, crisp and not greasy, the fish was fresh and not 'fishy', and the waffle fries were very good. Here's Joe Robert and his food. The dining room was very dark, so I didn't have great success taking pictures there.

All four of us thought that we would go back and eat there again... the rare unanimous verdict! And it's right down the block from my house.

Cantaloupe?

When I was a kid, one of the first jokes I learned was "Cantaloupe?" "Oh, Honeydew."

Anyway, I still had my Birthday Cantaloupe in the refrigerator, so I decided to crack it open.

I cut it open, scooped out the seeds, and sliced it up.

Then I ate it.

When I got home, I had some frozen grapes.

Friday - Festival of Freaking Fabulous Fish

Two bowls of watermelon this morning. They are on sale at Albertson's this week for $2.99 each.

For Lunch, we took out the Whole Steamed Fish from People's Choice Restaurant again. This time, we asked for it to be a little spicy. I brought my own fork. After inspecting all the containers for the most photogenic fish, I made my selection.

Like last time, there is a whole steamed fish (no idea what kind), carrots, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli, two types of peppers, just a few potatoes, and a few crackers that really soak up the juice. All that was left of this container was some bones and the head. I would eat this any time, day or night.

Attending Today's Festival of Freaking Fabulous Fish were Jennifer, Racquel, Percival and Sergio. Everyone makes the blog! We're photo crazy! It's the weekend!

Racquel

Jennifer

Percival, representing a soon-to-be on vacation basketball team.

Sergio

 As a bonus, for your viewing pleasure... LeBron James:

Thursday Night

For dinner tonight, I nuked a Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada Suiza.

Not surprisingly, it looked nothing like the food on the box.

What was surprising, however, was that it was really good. And it was just $2 on sale last week.

Not a glamorous day, but if every day was Oysters and Stone Crab, well, it just wouldn't be special when it was.

Thursday...

I remembered to take my vitamins this morning, for the first time since Saturday.  I usually do; hopefully, I am not starting a new trend.

Two hard-boiled eggs on the way to work.

Watermelon. More watermelon.

In one last remnant of Birthday Week, Johanna brought me some Meatloaf and Quiona with Mushrooms that her mom made. She left it for me for lunch yesterday, but Erin took me out instead,and I save it for today.

I don't think that I have ever eaten Quinoa before. According to Johanna, it is a 'Super Grain.' I looked it up in Wikipedia, and they say that it is a species of something called goosefoot, and originally came from parts of South America, and is supposed to be really good for you. They didn't mention flying around or x-ray vision, so perhaps Johanna was overstating just a little.

Both the meatloaf and the Quinoa were very good. It reminded me -- consistency-wise -- of a Mushroom and Barley dish that you would find in a Jewish Deli. If I see it on a menu somewhere, I would order it.

A few minutes ago... more watermelon.

Wednesday Night

When I got home from work, I tried out my new Pineapple Corer. Working off the experience at mom's house, I whizzed through this one, even leaving the core in the empty pineapple shell when I was done. This is quite the little machine.

As if you couldn't guess, I ate the whole thing.

I was coming home from shopping at around 8:30, and I got hungry. I stopped at the Boston Market on Federal Highway and 23rd Street for a round (or four) of All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Noodle Soup.

Four of these babies!

Four bowls of soup is a lot, but I ate nothing else this morning, and I like soup. And, it brings the cost down to $1 per bowl.

That's it for tonight.

Lunch at Flanigan's

Two Bananas this morning, then the watermelon from my Birthday Fruit Basket at around 11:30.

It seems that Birthday Week just keeps going. Erin didn't get a chance to pay his respects last week, so he took me to Flanigan's on Commercial Blvd. for Lunch today.

I ordered the BBQ Half Chicken with white rice and beans. I asked the waitress if she could have them go light on the sauce, and she did me one better: she served it with no sauce at all. Perfect.

It was better than I expected, and they gave me a choice of two hot sauces for the rice & beans.

Erin had the Mahi sandwich, and was muttering to himself about how good it was.

Erin likes a nice photo opportunity.

Later on, I was feeling a bit peckish, so I had some frozen grapes.

Tuesday dinner

Well, after Vivian scared me by asking how many points the Bratwursts were earlier today (I have no idea), I decided on a dinner of just vegetables.

So, I broke out a bottle of Recaito (a latin cilantro-centric soup base that I use for cooking), some garlic paste, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, mushroom slices, capers, peperoncini, pearl onions and diced jalapenos and tossed it all in a saute pan for a few minutes.

It came out really tasty, and pretty much zero points. So TAKE THAT, Viv!

There was also some watermelon along the way.