Tag: steak

Loving Me Some Japanese Hibachi

Posted on by LFFL
Prepping meat Japanese-style
Chicken Teriyaki

Mmmmmm…….Chicken Teriyaki, mixed vegetables, rice with yellow sauce, and Brussels sprouts.  I love going to a good Japanese steakhouse.  You sit at a table with at least 10 other people, who you may or may not know, and watch as fire shoots into the air and your dinner is made right before your eyes.

It’s a really fun experience—until we get to the part where the cook wants to throw shrimp or some other object of food into your mouth (and by your mouth, I mean my mouth).  Some people like this, but I don’t see the appeal.  I mean, 99% of the time the piece of meat ends up down your shirt or on the floor—not to mention everyone looks like hungry seals with their mouths wide open.

I always take a pass on myself, personally, but I’ll watch this maddening game as the cook makes his way around the table and I’ll laugh and clap with the rest of them—but I really just want to eat already.

So please just stop trying to convince me, Mr. Cook Chef Sir, to try and catch a food object with my mouth like an animal!  When I politely shake my head ‘no’, that means move on to the next person—not fixate on making me look like the spoiled sport!  Does it look like I want to fish meat out of my bra at a 10-top table of people!!!  You’re really starting to TICK ME OFF!!  JUST STOP ALREADY AND PUT MY FOOD ON MY PLATE!!!  I’M STARVING FOR PETE’S SAKE!!  I’ll take some more of the yellow sauce on my rice though, please.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, go eat at your local Japanese Hibachi steakhouse and take pictures of everyone with their mouths wide open.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  Start throwing shrimp back at the chef.

Fogo de Chao

Posted on by LFFL

Fogo de Chao menu

OMG!  Who’d ever thought you could have herds of meat coming at you on sticks all at once?!  I just love this place!

I mean, I already love buffets as it is for the obvious reason that I can eat as much as I want—so, naturally, I was in heaven.

The salad bar is a help-yourself kind of thing, but the side dishes are brought to your table on an ongoing basis by the gaucho chefs.  It’s great.  As soon as you’ve eaten one side item, they automatically bring out another replacement—you don’t have to say anything.  And this goes on the entire time you’re there.  They might as well bring me 3 baskets of warm cheese bread off top because the first basket is devoured within 15 seconds of me sitting down.  For reals!

So if you decide you don’t want anymore side items brought to your table, just make sure you don’t eat the next side plate they bring out.  Because if they see you’ve eaten all your bananas—you’re definitely getting another plate of them!

As for the meats on a stick!  There are at least 15 different types of meat to choose from.  YES!  And all guests have their own personal disc at their table that has a red side and a green side.  Just flip it to the green side when you’re ready for the gaucho chefs to head your way with meat on a stick.

And they won’t stop coming at you until you flip the disc back to the red side.  So be warned.  It’s just constant as long as your disc is on the green side.  I made the mistake of forgetting to flip it back over to the red side and had a plateful of meat.  Woah!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, take a trip to your local Fogo de Chao and have some fun eating yourself into oblivion.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  The only difference between lunch and dinner is the price.  Lunch is always less expensive.  So go during lunch, if you can, for the exact same experience and exact same food.  That’s right.

The gourmet salad bar consists of fresh-cut vegetables, assorted cheeses, cured meats, and Brazilian sides.
 The side dishes that are brought to your table consist of warm cheese bread (my favorite), garlic mashed potatoes, crispy hot polenta, and carmelized bananas.
The meats include–filet mignon, rib eye, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, beef ribs, lamb, chicken, pork ribs, pork loin, and sausage.
Desserts include my favorites of South American Flan and Signature Papaya Cream among other delicious goodness.

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Melting Pot Fun

Posted on by LFFL
Cheddar Cheese Fondue
Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue
House Salad
Spinach Mushroom Salad
Breast of Chicken, Teriyaki-marinated Sirloin, Citrus-marinated Pork Tenderloin, Breast of Duck, & Potstickers
Pure Chocolate Milk Chocolate Fondue

Cheddar Cheese Fondue with Cheddar & Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic & seasonings served with chips. bread, apples, & veggies.

Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue with Fontina & Butterkase cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts & garlic served with bread, chips, apples, & veggies.

House Salad with crisp Romaine & iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, croutons, sliced egg with ranch dressing.

Spinach Mushroom Salad with portobello mushrooms, red onion, chopped bacon, & Roma tomatoes with warm, burgundy shallot vinaigrette.

Breast of Chicken, Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin, Citrus-marinated Pork Tenderloin, Breast of Duck, & Potstickers with potatoes, mushrooms, & broccoli served with 7 different sauces.

Chocolate Milk Chocolate Fondue served with strawberries, rice crispie treats, cheesecake, marshmallows, brownies, & pound cake.

When I first tried this restaurant, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I listened intently to the server so I would know how this is supposed to work.  And, oh my goodness, the cheesy fondue he stirred right before my eyes was to die for.  I dipped just about everything into it and had a blast.  The same thing happened for dessert with the chocolate fondue.  I went to town dipping all sorts of things into that pot of chocolate goodness.  I was in heaven.

But who knew I’d be forking over money to a restaurant for the honor of cooking my own food at my table?  So, basically, I pay the restaurant, they bring me raw meat on a tray with skewers, and I cook it myself to the desired temperature then eat it.  Wow.  Now that’s different.  I’m so used to paying restaurants to cook for me that I didn’t realize I’d been doing it wrong all along all these years.  I mean, the stove is actually inside your table and you cook right on top of it for crying out loud.  It was pretty funny when I thought about it.  Definitely something different for me to try.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, take a trip to The Melting Pot and tell them you can’t wait to give them your hard-earned money for a tray of raw meat to cook for yourself.

I’d definitely go again.  It’d be a fun date night with someone.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  Ask how much they charge to bring your own pots and pans from home to use.  Might as well since you’re cooking your own food anyway.

Fabulous Eating At Capital And Longhorn

Posted on by LFFL
Cedar Planked Salmon, Mac & Cheese, Porcini Rubbed Delmonico, Potatoes
Spinach Salad & Proscuitto Wrapped Mozzarella
Filet Mignon, Green Beans, Au Gratin Potatoes, Mac & Cheese

Cedar Planked Salmon with tomato fennel relish made with North Atlantic salmon with fennel pollen, roasted on a cedar plank & finished with lemon mosto & tomato fennel relish; Macaroni & Cheese; Porcini Rubbed Delmonico steak with 12-year aged balsamic; and Au Gratin Potatoes with a combination of cheeses, topped with fried onions & potatoes.

Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella with vine ripe tomatoes served with crostini, fresh basil & a balsamic glaze; Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing made with spinach, onions, mushrooms, chopped egg, & smoked bacon.

Sliced Filet Mignon with cippolini onions & wild mushrooms; French Green Beans with roasted tomatoes & fennel; Au Gratin Potatoes with a combination of cheeses topped with fried onions & potatoes, and Macaroni & Cheese made with campanelle pasta tossed in Mascarpone, Havarti, & Grana padano cream sauce topped with Panko bread crumbs & grated white Cheddar.

The food at Capital is always phenomenal and the service impeccable—at least the one in my hometown is!  You’re really missing out if you’ve never experienced The Capital Grille.

Grilled Chicken & Stuffed Portabella and White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms
Salmon
Sierra Chicken & BBQ Chopped Salad
Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Grilled Chicken & Stuffed Portabella topped with mushroom sauce with a side of Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Green Salad, and Grilled White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms served over four melted cheeses.

Salmon well-done and extra crispy with a bourbon marinade served over rice; Mashed Potatoes; and Caesar Salad.

Sierra Chicken with tomato basil salsa; Mashed Potatoes; and BBQ Chopped Salad with mixed greens, bacon, Cheddar Jack cheese, tomatoes, fire-roasted corn, red onions, and chipotle ranch, topped with crispy tortilla strips and a BBQ drizzle.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes.

I have to say I absolutely love Longhorn Steakhouse!  I get the same thing every time—either the salmon or any of the chicken dinners.  Just amazingly good!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, find the nearest Capital Grille and Longhorn Steakhouse and plan to have yourself a good time.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  You definitely need plenty of money for The Capital Grille—we’re talkin’ top-star-quality all the way, baby!  But you deserve it!

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