'Food Porn' at Prairie Star Restaurant

That's what they call it you know, those tantalizing images of mouth watering, seductive food. They call it 'food porn'. My husband and I just celebrated 27 years of marriage and went to the Prairie Star Restaurant to celebrate. It was a perfect evening with a perfect meal executed with every attention to detail.

We started off our meal with an appetizer of the fried calamari rings:

It was served with a horseradish tomato aioli on a bed of mixed greens and garnished with a wasabe furukake (a Japanese condiment comprised of seaweed and sesame seeds). Done perfectly-tender on the inside, crisp on the outside.

While we dined, we got to enjoy the uninterrupted view of the Sandia mountains and the ever changing evening light.

 

This is the literal view from where we sat-I didn't even stand up to take this photo-I took it from my seat.

For our entrees, I had the special of the day which was the fresh Chilean sea bass dish (line caught-which means it was fished responsibly) and Mark had the Niman Ranch sirloin steak.

(overhead view, of course)

 (a closer look)

The sea bass was served on a potato hash stack that had corn and red peppers-which sat upon a roasted red pepper 'catchup'. The fish was cooked perfectly-not overdone, not underdone. Everything worked well together-not one component of the meal competed with the other. Quite a symphony, in fact! Each dish created by chef Darren McHale demonstrates  a clear knowledge of global cuisine and an effective use of food pairings. 

(2010 Acrobat Pinot Gris from Oregon)

I had a glass of Pinot Gris to go with it. Prairie Star also offers their wines by half glass too-which I really appreciate as two glasses of wine for me are too much, but one isn't enough to carry me through the entire entree. Mark is not a drinker, so he did not have wine with his beautiful steak.

 

 The Niman Ranch sirloin steak

The steak came with apple wood smoked onion rings, herb mashed potatoes on a reduction of balsamic demi glace, along with some spring vegetables. The steak was very flavorful and fork tender. Onion rings are always a hit with my husband. He ate every bite that was in front of him!

Without any guilt, we each ordered dessert. After all, it was a celebration!

(Boca Negra. “Dense, bittersweet chocolate cake with Amarena 

cherries served with a miniature chocolate milkshake”)

Mark ordered the sinful chocolate dessert. It did come with a little chocolate malt milk shake and garnished with some incredible cherries from France. I love the dendrobium orchid on top of it too!

I had the apple empanadas that were served with a peach tapioca sauce. The desserts (several of them) also have a dessert wine paired with them. Although this dessert was paired with a muscat wine, I opted to swap out for the port instead. Prairie Star does have an actual wine (full time and accredited) Sommelier on staff, so check out their website for their special wine tasting events. The wine tasting events are surprisingly affordable and you will be served a nice flight of wines and perhaps even learn something interesting about them that you can later impress your friends and family with.

(2000 Warre’s Late Bottle Vintage Port)

The port wine-with some really nice 'legs'!

Admittedly, it had been a couple of years since we last dined at the Prairie Star Restaurant. We both agreed, after having such a perfect meal, that we should make it a point to come by more often. The ambiance, the spectacular views, the food and impeccable service made it feel like we took a vacation somewhere. Not to mention, the totally romantic setting!

Tequila Lime Shrimp at El Toro Grill

Tonight I was torn, because when we headed over to the Inn at Rio Rancho for dinner at the El Toro Grill, I had their calamari on my mind (as in, a craving). Theirs is very good-especially with the chipolte aoili sauce. However, I ended up ordering the tequila lime shrimp with the home made chorizo sausage and potatoes in a broth served with garlic infused grilled french bread.

I almost forgot to take a picture of it before I started to dig in!

Mark had the El Toro burger which I already did a previous post on (which he is quite content with and claims that it is as good if not better than the Holy Cow burger).

This tequila lime shrimp dish was insanely good! So full of flavors-it had a great kick to it from the home made chorizo sausage, yet you could taste every flavor component in the dish-the garlic, the cilantro, the lime. And, happily the potatoes were not soggy!

This is listed in their appetizer section and is enough for about 3 or 4 people to share. I had it as my meal and now I will be craving this dish in addition to their calamari. And, of course I HAVE to have one of their house hand made margaritas. This restaurant should NOT be a best kept secret! Go there and try them out! I know they also have a Sunday Brunch, so one of these days, I need to get over there for that too.

Frank & Lupe's In Socorro, New Mexico

If you happen to be on the I-25 freeway and find yourself near Socorro, New Mexico, plan on stopping by Frank & Lupe's Restaurant to stretch your legs and grab a bite to eat!

They have 2 restaurants and the other is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The one in Socorro is on the north end of town along the frontage road. My friends and I were out and about photographing a slot canyon nearby and decided to stop here to eat. Pat Berrett had the blue corn tacos with shredded beef and he just about licked his plate clean!

Tim Anderson had the standard taco plate and he did indeed lick his plate clean!

Me? I had the chicken enchilada mole plate and the mole was exquisite! I tried really hard to finish it, but there was so much food that I had to call for help from Tim to finish off the last of the three enchiladas. Tim, of course, happily obliged (what a trooper!).

The El Toro Burger

Back in November, my husband and a friend went to a place called, Holy Cow (located on Central Ave. in Albuquerque just off of the I-25 freeway) and claimed they have had the best burger they ever had. It's a great place to eat, but for us, a bit of a trek since we live in Rio Rancho and don't find ourselves in that part of town very often.
So, for quite sometime, my husband would wistfully (and lustfully, I might add) talk about that Holy Cow burger.

A few weeks ago, we decided to have a dinner at the El Toro Bar and Grill located in the Inn at Rio Rancho. He tried their El Toro burger and now claims that this is the best burger. He even brought our friend back to see if he would agree with his take on the burger. The verdict? Although our friend would not say that it was better than Holy Cow's burger, it indeed did RIVAL it. That's good enough for us! Besides, at least the El Toro Bar and Grill is in our 'hood! And they also serve the best hand made margarita (it rivals MY handmade margarita).

(unassembled burger)

 

Ready to eat! The fries are perfectly done too.

 

Eggplant Poor Boy (that's what I had)

So, if you are looking for a good place to eat in Rio Rancho (or the Westside for that matter), stop by the El Toro Bar and Grill located in the Inn at Rio Rancho. If you are a tequila aficionado, you are in luck since that is something they specialize in.

Savory Spice Shop

When we were up in Denver last summer, we were on Platte St. enjoying all the shops there. No franchises-just small businesses. A welcome sight, really. My husband caught up to me (I was exploring on my own and was focusing on clothing stores) to ask me if I had gone in the spice store named Savory Spice Shop yet. I hadn't and wasn't planning on it (don't know why).  He insisted that I go. For him to be impressed by spices (he doesn't cook) must mean that this store was off the charts.
I went in and was surprised at how extensive their spice selection is. They are very helpful in explaining the unique aspects of their ware and they let you taste the spices. Once you start to taste the spices, that really closes the sale. They order the spices fresh from around the world and also create their own blends. They use quality ingredients and everything is ground there on the premises. Everything is so flavorful and fresh.
I understood why my husband was so excited. Their spices are nothing like you've ever had before. Even ordinary spices like cinnamon have a lot more flavor and 'robustness' to them. One of our favorites is the Pimient d' Espelette which is like a really, really good paprika-it is made from a blend. My son puts it on everything! Even their green chile was impressive (those of us who live in new Mexico are very critical of green chiles beyond our borders).
If you plan to be in the Denver area, stop by the Savory Spice Store on Platte St. Or, just visit their website and do your shopping there!

The Perfect Pot Luck Dish for a Summer Party

Psst.....want to know of a great dish to bring to any summer potluck party that is easy, beautiful and always a hit?

A berry fruit salad. Just take market fresh strawberries and market fresh blueberries wash them and dry them. Trim the  strawberries and slice them in half the long way and half again-quartering them. Toss them in a pretty, food safe bowl along with the cleaned blueberries. Cover and set in your refrigerator  until it's time to head out the door to the party. It is best to make it up the same day you plan to attend the party-if you make it too far ahead of time, you could end up with some mushy fruit.

 

Super simple. Beautiful to look at. Always a hit. And, it disappears quickly! The best part is, you didn't have to heat up your kitchen or dirty any pots and pans to make this 'dish'! A perfect dish for a 4th of July potluck party.

Blueberry Lavendar Muffins

There's no reason why making blueberry muffins at home has to be so complicated. You can use a box mix such as Krusteaz (my favorite box mix) and jazz it up with just a few tweaks.

Fresh lemon zest. Some food grade lavender ground up fine (about half a teaspoon). I like to add a small container (snack size) of pears-you can puree them if you don't want the pear 'chunks' in your muffins. Personally, I love those chunks. A bit of safflower oil (I am not an advocate of Canola oil), coconut milk formulated as a milk substitute (two of us in our home are lactose intolerant) and about 1/4 cup of buttermilk (we can tolerate about that much dairy). The milks here are used in place of the water that is called for on the box recipe. I always use milk or a milk substitute instead of water on all box cake mixes. And, I always add a fruit puree of some sort, be it applesauce in the snack size container or the pears. This is also a good chance to use up whatever yogurt you have unfinished in your 'fridge. All this makes for a very, soft and moist crumb. Follow the package directions (I tend to view package directions as mere guidelines).

Vuela! You have muffins with a homemade touch!

Goes really well with a latte...or a nice cuppa brewed black tea.

BON APETIT!

Lee's Gourmet Asian Restaurant

It seems like we hardly go out to dinner in the past several months as we are trying to watch our expenditures carefully.


However, several of our friends had RAVED about this new Asian restaurant that opened up here in Rio Rancho. I'm Asian and I love Asian food. For me, it is soul food. My husband, however, has the all-American, meat-and-potatoes palette. Reluctantly, he agreed to give it a try. In fact, he had me pick something out for him. He loves shrimp. He loves fried food. He loves sweet things. I ordered the Lace Shrimp for him under the Southeast Asia style section of the menu. It read as: jumbo crispy shrimp in a delicious fruit sauce.

My camera did not do the food justice! Note to self: next time use the 'close up' setting instead of the 'food' setting.


This dish was a home run with my husband. He barely let me take a bite to taste test it! The shrimp was indeed crispy and not saturated with oil. What really impressed me was the FLAVOR of the shrimp. It actually tasted like shrimp. The sauce was incredible. Some sort of tropical mix: I did detect mango, but the flavors melded nicely with the shrimp. And, of course, as you can see, the presentation was artfully done. My husband ate every single bite!

I ordered the Asian Grilled Chicken-again from the South East Asia section of the menu. It read: grilled chicken breast marinated with lemongrass sauce over market fresh vegetables.
OMG-this was so flavorful! The sauce had seasonings in it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I usually can identify off the list of spices in a dish. I detected what I thought was anise or liquorice kind of flavor as an undertone in the sauce. Quite nice...I loved all the veggies that came with it and next time I order this dish, I will do without the rice and ask for perhaps a little more of the veggies. There was onions, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus and I think some carrots (recalling from memory now).


Check out their website-you can download their entire menu as a PDF file to see what they have to offer. It is a very extensive menu complete with all the familiar Asian dishes and many dishes that you do not see at other Asian restaurants. I see too that they also do catering, so next time you have a party, surprise your guests with something different!

Lee's is located at 7820 Enchanted Hills Blvd. Suite B in Rio Rancho. Phone: 505 867-8887. And, they do NOT use MSG in their food. If you are planning on going to an event at the Santa Ana Star Center, this would be a great place to have dinner as it is easy to get to the Center from Lee's (head west on 550 and take Paseo de Volcan to get to the Center).

How To Fire Roast Chiles in 3 minutes

Safety FIRST! If you have never used a propane torch before, make sure you learn how before trying this! Otherwise, is makes for a very handy dandy method to quickly fire roast your chiles.



To get the full screen HD version, just go to the You Tube link for this.