ArcaMax

Twenty-five and Happily Counting...

Last night was our 25th wedding anniversary. If there was a day to cheat on my latest diet, I figured this one rated as one in which I could cheat and feel good about myself. Because it was our anniversary, I chose the restaurant using a theme. I picked the restaurant, Table 52. Get it? Our 25th. Table 52. 52/25?

Anyway, this is the same restaurant that President Obama and Michelle picked to celebrate Valentine’s Day last winter, so I figured if it was good enough for them, it was going to be okay with me too. The restaurant is owned by Art Smith. Art won “Best Chef” awhile back and he’s also Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef; another reason I thought it had great potential. How often is Oprah known for picking bad food?

Table 52 is located in a small, historic building that used to be a coach house. It’s strategically located just off of Michigan Avenue, and is one of the few buildings that was not destroyed by the famous Chicago fire. That’s old. Only 14 tables. The atmosphere is quaint. The food is Southern.

Art Smith was kind enough to come out of the kitchen last night and schmooze the diners; us included. He says “Y'all” once in awhile. A charming guy with a marketing bent. I like that.

This is the first time I thought to myself, “I’m just going to choose what looks good to me and I’m not going to worry about carbs, or flour. I’m just going to eat, and we’ll see where that leads.

Instead of bread, this restaurant brings two diners, two perfectly baked biscuits; right out of the oven. They are even served from a tiny cast iron pan. Authentic. I thought “here goes”. They smelled so good, I had to try one. I ate mine in teeny bites. Each bite contained a bit of goat cheese, or a bit of cheddar or smooth and creamy butter. It was delightful. Worth the cheat.

I ordered a fried green tomato stack. Except for the breading on the tomatoes I knew I was not cheating. This one scored high in my book.

I ordered medium-rare lamb chops. They came with a cauliflower-corn ragout. Corn. I hadn’t eaten corn all summer. Too many carbs. I thought it would be an amazing sensation in my mouth. Turns out it tasted mostly like cauliflower and I had just had cauliflower two days ago.

After that, I snarfed up some of my husband’s fried okra and I dipped it in an orange cream sauce that was quite tasty.

When we were getting ready to get dessert, we both looked around the room. One man was eating a HUGE piece of cake. I figured out that was the hummingbird cake. I had made one of those for a dinner party once. It’s banana and pineapple combined. Very sweet and with cream cheese frosting. Another woman had a pecan pie piece. That didn’t interest me. When I took a look at the dessert menu actually nothing sparked my interest. Two more women sitting next to us were splitting a piece of the hummingbird cake. I decided I could serve four at a dinner party with a piece that large!

I announced, much to my own surprise, that I was not doing dessert. I remember that I had some blueberry compote at home. It was a nice evening. A bit of that on the roof with some cognac would be nice. We headed out.

It was a quiet evening. Before the recession, we had planned to go on a Greek Islands cruise as our second honeymoon. The recession killed that idea. But on the other hand, it sort of went along with our wedding 25 years ago. We did the wedding and waited a full year to do our honeymoon because we were new entrepreneurs building a business. So what’s wrong with waiting a year to go on our second honeymoon? Nothing in my book.

Fluffy Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Here’s a fun, new twist on scrambled eggs. It makes the most fluffy, smooth eggs. Try it. You just might be impressed!

Serves 1. Can be doubled or multiplied easily.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 -3 Tbl of organic unsweetened coconut milk (You find this in the milk section in a carton. This is not the canned stuff you use for making Thai food. Organic stores like Whole Foods carry it)

1 Tbl of butter

1/3 cup of your favorite cheese shredded or cut into bits

Directions:

This is a great use for your little blender (if you have one). Put in the eggs and the coconut milk and give it a 4 second whirl. Stop the blender. (Otherwise, a good idea is to put this all in a jar with a lid. Break up the eggs, put in the milk, close the cover tightly, and practice your bartending skills by shaking the jar like crazy to mix up the egg and milk)

Melt the butter in a small sauté pan.

Add the eggs. Let them cook for a bit without messing with them. They will start to firm up. Now take your spatula and put it under the edge of the eggs so you can tilt the pan and get the loose parts to run under the eggs. Stir the eggs around a bit.

One thing I have learned from the French, in making scrambled eggs, is not to mess with them too much. That’s what makes them tough. When there is just a bit of moisture left in the eggs add your cheese and turn off the heat. The cheese will melt in a bit and you’re set.

When we do Mexican cheese, we add some cayenne or hot sauce on top.

When we do French cheese, we can add some tarragon

When we do Italian cheese blend, I add some freshly cut basil shreds to the mix.

Get creative. Eggs are great for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. Just not all three in one day!

Cheers
Enjoy,
Zola

Send email to Zola at dinnerwithzola@hotmail.com.