Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures: It's GREEK to Me!

One of my favorite things about food is that with one bite, it can magically transport you to any time or place or memory in your life. Fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, vine-ripened tomatoes, and a drizzle of hand pressed olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar always brings me back to The Jazz Club (a hidden, little restaurant that I was fond of) in Venice, Italy.

Greek food always reminds me of when I lived in Cluj Napoca, Romania. Yes, kind of a weird jump....who thinks Greek when you're in Eastern Europe?  The Akropolis was the most amazing Greek restaurant and a nice change from all of the pizza and pasta offered everywhere. The atmosphere was fun, the service was good, and the food was always delicious.  I have some very fond memories of celebrations at the little white and blue corner eatery.

The Akropolis Restaurant in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

My time in Romania was years ago at this point, and I'm still on the search for another memorable Greek meal.  Reno has some decent options for "one-the-go" Greek. I love Nick's Greek Deli (keep an eye out for an upcoming review). They do a mean gyro and Greek salad.  But Nick's doesn't offer that sit-down meal atmosphere, with linen tablecloths, plates with patterns of gods and goddesses, souvlaki that comes to your table in a fiery blaze, and an owner who will serenade you with Greek love songs.  You can't find that anywhere in Reno...that I know of.

So when I was craving Greek food the other day, I was THRILLED to stumble across this recipe in one of my cookbooks:

Greek-Style Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce

I found this recipe not only quick and easy (it was in my 20 minute cook-book after all), it was also way yummier then I had expected.  The lemon juice and oregano really brightened up the whole dish.

For the most part, I followed the recipe. I did add some extra veggies to the salad mixture -- had some extra carrots, peppers, and a few olives sitting around from a previous recipe.  I also opted to use a "spring mix" of greens instead of the called-for romaine lettuce.

Lettuce/salad mixture, tzatziki sauce, wild rice, and garlic-oregano chicken.

One of the biggest changes I would make to this recipe would be the tzatziki/yogurt sauce. 

I thought all of the flavors were spot on, but the combination of the non-fat plain yogurt and the wet cucumber made for a liquidy end result.  When I make this again I will "drain" the yogurt before adding the other ingredients.  This is done by putting the yogurt in some cheese cloth, which allows for some the extra liquid come out.  I will also remove some of the cucumber's extra moisture by blotting with paper towels. Taking those two extra steps, will result in a thicker and creamier sauce.

This meal easily serves four people.  Since I am just one, it made for one great dinner and three grab-and-go lunches.  Two of the days I opted to leave the rice out.  I felt the vegetable packed salad, chicken, and cucumber/yogurt "dressing" was plenty for my mid-day meal.

While this dish doesn't come close to that served at The Akropolis, it most definitely curbed my craving for Greek!

Rediscovering Reno: The Eatery Built on Granite

Do you ever get stuck in an "eating" rut?  You feel uninspired.  You're sick of your usual places.

Last week one of my friends and I decided to catch-up and chit-chat over a nice meal.  After throwing around several ideas, and vetoing the "usual suspects" we both decided on Old Granite Street Eatery in downtown Reno.  We had enjoyed a memorable meal at this cute restaurant when it had first opened, and decided it was time to give it another go.

We were not disappointed this time either!

Old Granite Street Eatery: 243 S. Sierra Street, Reno

One of my favorite things about Old Granite Street is the location itself; a brick building on Sierra Street that was erected in 1940, formally housed a wedding chapel. The inside is now simple:  a large chalk-board advertising the daily specials, black and white checkered floors, high-backed wooden booths.  The staff are cute, personable, hipster-type, with a great knowledge about the food they make and serve.  The cocktails are handcrafted (and strong). And the menu, while not extensive;  is complex, well thought out, and has all of your basis (and cravings) covered.

On this night my friend and I started with cocktails.  She had a Dark n' Stormy (rum and ginger beer) while I sipped on a Sloe Gin Fizz (sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white & soda).  Both of these classic cocktails were delicious, but not at all what I expected.  The Sloe Gin Fizz was pink, frothy, tart...and DELICIOUS!  I would without a doubt order this again.  We split an order of creamy, smooth deviled eggs as we decided on our main course.

Classic Cocktails: a Sloe Gin Fizz and a Dark n' Stormy

Our patient waiter took our order after we spent much time deliberating.  Bless his heart for checking back so many times to see if we were ready, darn girl-talk was getting in the way!

We both started with a salad (she ordered the Lentil, I ordered the Summer).  Each were equally delicious and unique.  My favorite part of the Summer Salad was bed of couscous the salad was piled on top off.  We shared a bottle of wine as our main course came out. 

My friend ordered the Wood Grilled Burger with aged white cheddar and shoestring potatoes.  If you are craving a REAL hamburger, you definitely want to go to this.  It's big, juicy, and so simple that the quality of the ingredients really have a chance to shine. 

I opted for the Pan Seared Salmon with barely risotto, seasonal veggies, and preserved lemons.  I LOVED this dish!  The preserved lemons added a sweet, citrusy zing to the perfectly cooked salmon.  The barely risotto was not what I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised with the dish. The barely added an extra "toothiness" that you don't find in a rice-based version.  The creamy risotto paired with the light salmon made for the perfect bite.

I had planned to take some home, but it was all too good.  We both cleared our plates. Filled to the brim with delicious food, and a bit sleepy from the libations, we ventured out into the beginnings of a beautiful Autumn Evening in Reno.

An after-thought....Old Granite Street Eatery may have one of the best hidden secret Happy Hours in town. I need to remember this when my co-workers and I are looking for a place to enjoy our end-of-the-week-cocktail!

Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures: Bangkok Meets Bear

I LOVE THAI FOOD!  I mean, how could you not?  The vibrant spices, the complex flavors, the creamy sweetness of coconut milk.  Every time I eat a Thai Curry, I dream that I'm in Bangkok or along the water in Phuket (both locations I've yet to travel to, but are HIGH on my list).

What I don't love about Thai food is how calor-ific it is.  Lucky for me (and now you too) I found this awesome recipe in one of my Weight Watcher's cookbooks.  It's quick, and surprisingly easy.  You too can make amazing Thai Curry at home!

Chicken and Coconut Curry

Click on recipe to enlarge.

When I ate it for dinner, I served it with wild rice. For lunch, I just ate the curry as is.  The curry paste I used was a bit spicy (weird that something was too spicy...I like it HOT!) so I also ate this dish with a little non-fat plain yogurt.  SO YUMMY!

I would without a doubt make this recipe again. Because I bulked up the curry a bit by adding extra carrots and cauliflower, I had plenty of leftovers.  Enough leftovers actually for two days of lunch for me, and dinner for two for my mom and one of her friends while they went camping.  

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we all did!!!

  

Rediscovering Reno: SPICY Tuna Handroll

As most of you know by now, I'm a Foodie.

While my love of food has come from many sources, I attribute most of my passion to the years I spent as a youth eating out with my family.  For most of my childhood, my mom reviewed restaurants for the Reno Gazette Journal.  Through my mom's job, it allowed little me to experience types of food the average 8 year-old in the early 90s wouldn't be exposed to. 

For those of you who have lived in Reno long enough, think back. Remember the early 90s?  We were still a quiet little town.  We didn't have big chain restaurants (BJs? Claim Jumpers? Even Applebees.  What were they?).  We had a few good "Nevada-Style" Steak Houses (remember the Glory Hole?).  We certainly didn't have much variety when it came to ethnic food.  To find a Vietnamese restaurant to have a bowl of pho was difficult.  And to enjoy some korma or Indian curry, you had to go to some obscure places.  When it came to sushi, it was simple.  None of those crazy rolls that I eat (and enjoy) now. 

Sushi & Teri (still in the Toys R Us shopping center) for many years, was the only place in town you could get good sushi.  And it was basic.  Nigiri.  California Rolls.  Those sweet teriyaki tofu-pockets stuffed with rice.  Definitely no All-You-Can-Eat.

And you know what? With just those basics, I fell in love with my favorite food in the whole world. There's something about the balance of flavors with the fresh fish and the seasoned rice, a bit of wasabi, and a small dunk of soy sauce.  PERFECTION! 

When Groupon offered a few months ago a discount for Nothing To It Culinary Center, my mom and I both jumped on it.  A few years past, she and I had attended a "Taste of Thai" class and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We scoured the class catalogue, and decided to take a sushi making class. 

I thought this evening out, would be a perfect for my "Rediscovering Reno" post.  Nothing To It! is without a doubt one of Reno's hidden treasures.  The center is tucked away and you would think you were in Napa, not in South Reno by Meadowood Mall.

 The class was taught by the Center's amazing chef and instructor, Lara Ritchie.  Lara started off by making everyone feel welcome and then went through the history and basics of making sushi. 

We learned that traditionally, people in Japan would choose their sushi "hut" by how dirty the curtains covering the door were.  Napkins weren't used at the time, and people would wipe their hands on the curtains on their way out of the restaurant.  The dirtier the curtains, the more popular the place.  We also learned how to choose a good piece of fish (and were in this land-locked city we can do so), how to properly slice the fish for nigiri or sashimi, how to make sushi-rice, and how to construct rolls.  

After the interesting lesson, Lara broke us up into "teams" and we got to work constructing our mountain platter of sushi. I've made sushi before, but this was the most fun I've had doing it.  We had such variety of ingredients: tuna, salmon, imitation crab, a variety of sauces, a variety of vegetables, tempura shrimp, and new to me...WASABI TABIKO (so good!).  This was the first time I used a bamboo rolling mat.  It made things so much easier and my rolls actually looked presentable. 

All of the sushi we created during the cooking class!

We spent close to an hour building our sushi.  By the time we sat down to enjoy it I happily looked at our creation.  It looked, dare I say it, almost professional!?!  And though I enjoyed every single bite of our masterpiece; the nori (seaweed) was a little soggy, and the tempura shrimp weren't crispy.  We just took too long for those items to retain their crunch.Without a doubt it gave me an extra appreciation for the sushi chefs at my favorite joints here in town.

Mmmmm....the perfect bite!

For those of you who have never been to Nothing To It!, I would HIGHLY recommend it.  It's the PERFECT date night outing, or even fun for a girls night out (they always serve wine).  For those of you who burn water, no fear!  They have demo classes, where you watch them cook and just eat what they create.  For those a bit more adventurous, take one of the cooking classes.  The recipes are always simple enough that a novice in the kitchen will feel like a pro.  And for those who have a little Julia Child in them (like me), you will learn new techniques and feel a bit like a "master-chef".

Nothing To It! also has a Gourmet Deli that is open Monday - Friday from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and offers summertime deck dining and catering for your office party or other special occasion.  It's worth a trip to the south side of town for lunch in this hidden location.  I will talk more on their deli at a later time.

They are located just two blocks from hwy 395, right off South Virginia Street. Heading south on South Virginia Street, Take a right on Crummer Lane, 1 block past Barnes and Noble. They are right at the end of Crummer Lane.

Nothing To It!
225 Crummer Lane
Reno, NV 89502
(775) 826-2628
Website: http://www.nothingtoit.com/