Modern Market

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A super fitness-focused friend of mine recommended I join her at Modern Market for lunch some time to consider for review. I had seen it several times before, as it is across from a grocery store I frequent, but I admit at first glance I had thought based on the neighborhood that it was probably outside my everyday lunch price range.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Modern Market is not only very fairly priced, it features unbelievably fresh and seasonal menu items that rotate with the availability of produce.

They also touched on my personal weakness, unique local beverage selections:

My friend and I decided to share a signature salad and a pizza, which were completely original recipes.

The champagne dressing was outstanding, and the portion was exceedingly generous. They considerately offered the dressing on the side, allowing the option to take half of the salad home without it wilting from the dressing- this is always a pleasant bonus for me. 

I selected the pizza, and was seriously impressed with the freshness and quality of the ingredients, as well as the excellent crust. Modern Market has expertly struck a balance between a thin crust pizza and a soft outer crust. Too often a thin crust pizza is basically just a cracker with toppings- not so at Modern market.

The "pizza sauce" was actually a fresh garlic puree and I was amazed to find that it was somehow not overwhelming, but instead punched up and highlighted the flavors of the toppings.

About a week later, I suggested to my husband that we pick up something from Modern Market to-go for an easy dinner. I was surprised, and I admit not a little disappointed to find that I had discovered the restaurant at the very end of a menu season, and I couldn't order the Bianco I had so enjoyed the week before. The cashier was very patient if perhaps a little aggressive in selling me on the new menu, but I have to hand it to him, he sold the crap out of this menu- it was already about an hour and a half later than I usually ate dinner and my hanger was not making it an easy task.

He ultimately talked me into the new Sausage Pesto pizza, a Blueberry Pesto sandwich (yes, you read that right), and a side of Rosemary Sweet Potato Mash for my husband.

While I admit that most of my lack of enthusiasm for the Sausage Pesto pizza was a result of my disappointment that my new favorite pizza was already off the menu, and that fresh pureed garlic had left flavor promises to my palate that would be difficult to fulfill, I found the Sausage Pesto Pizza ok. I expected a stronger pesto flavor, and I found no pesto flavor at all. It was a fairly bland, creamy sauce with whole cloves of roasted garlic that surprised my husband because until he bit into one he actually thought they were chicken. Still, the idea behind the pizza was good, and I actually suspect they forgot to add the pesto, which would absolutely have made a huge difference in the deliciousness of this dish. Also, the sausage was excellent, and tasted as though it had been made in house, and that crust could redeem almost any topping mistakes.

I mostly ordered the Blueberry Pesto sandwich out of morbid curiosity, and because it came so enthusiastically recommended by the cashier. It really sounded like a novelty sandwich that was constructed for the sake of uniqueness, though I could see how blueberries could take the place of tomatoes as a sweet and tart element in the classic combination of tomatoes and basil.

...It actually wasn't bad! It wasn't a mind blowing new combination that changed the way I looked at the ingredients and created a completely new flavor sensation, the way combining say cinnamon and chocolate might do that, but it was a pretty good meatless sandwich. I was correct in my guess that the blueberry spread acted in the role of the sweet acidic balance that one typically looks to a tomato for, but it didn't really contribute something more than a tomato would. Still, as a novel twist on a classic it was successful in that Modern Market took a flavor combination I really did not expect to succeed and made a pretty darn good sandwich.

The rosemary sweet potato mash was, understandably, basically baby food, but dadgum it was good! Well balanced and delicious, this is an excellent side item for any of the healthy fare offered by Modern Market.

All in all, I highly recommend you go check out Modern Market. You're guaranteed to feel both virtuous and satiated, and you won't feel that conflict between healthy choices, flavor, quality, and wallet. Just enter with an open mind and wait to see what their seasonal menu has to offer you, because I think I sabotaged my own experience the second time by priming my taste buds for a specific menu item.

Tomatillo Tortilla Soup- Healthy Food For Picky People

Today I'm featuring the first recipe I invented after I got married, and it's become a long-term favorite. The thing I love most about this recipe is that it's so light, bright, and flavorful, it's delicious during summertime- but it's still a hearty, satiating hot soup, so works in all seasons. 

I created it with picky people in mind, taking care to eliminate the vegetable chunks and unwelcome textures that many children and picky adults don't like, and incorporating hiding places for powerful vitamins and greenery to add their goodness without turning off the kiddos. While it's a healthy green hue, you can sell it to your persnickety offspring by calling it "Hulk" soup, and the pop of lime should win them over if they give it that first taste. 

SOUP:
- 2 lbs tomatillos
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2-5 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
-several large handfuls whatever greens are on sale (you can use spinach, kale, or even mixed greens)
- 1-2 limes
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 3-6 fresh jalapenos

GARNISH
- sour cream or creme fresche
- Fresh Avocados
- tortilla chips or toasted tortillas of your choice
- Optional: fried or caramelized onions

NOTE there is no salt. You won't need it! Seriously trust me. Even if you use low sodium broth you will NOT miss the salt. In fact, I have used plain water when I realized halfway through making this that I was out of broth, and it was so flavorful on its own I may continue to make it that way!

INSTRUCTIONS
- Roast washed tomatillos & jalapeno halves with the seeds removed in a skillet, occasionally turning them until the skin begins to blister and blacken (Note: this soup really is not very spicy at all. If you want it spicy, add the seeds from the jalapenos, and/or a few fresh jalapenos for heat. You can also add cilantro if you'd like.)
- Throw half of the tomatillos, half of the jalapenos, half the cilantro, and a large handful of the greens into a blender and liquify. Add some chicken broth to the blender if the juice from the tomatillos is not sufficient to totally liquify all the contents
- Dump the delicious green liquid into the crock pot
- Liquify the remaining tomatillos, Jalapenos, and greens and add to the crock pot
- Add the chicken breasts, the remaining chicken broth, the juice of the lime(s) and jalapeno seeds if you like it spicy- if you don't include the seeds, the roasted jalapenos really don't make it very spicy at all.
- cook on low while you're at work or on High if you have less time
- shred cooked chicken with two forks and add it back to the liquid

- slice the avocados and toast your tortillas
- serve each bowl with a dollop of sour cream or creme fresche, 2-3 slices of fresh avocado, crispy or caramelized onions, and crispy strips of tortilla.

 I LOVE the addition of the sweet, caramelized onion strings, or crispy, crunchy fried onion strings. It adds an unctuous umame flavor. I'm serious about no salt, too- between the sour cream, the broth, the sour lime and tomatillo, and the spicy cilantro and jalapenos, your taste buds will have plenty to focus on. This makes this recipe incidentally heart and blood pressure friendly, without tasting like something originally unhealthy that was altered beyond recognition to make it good for you. That's the kind of "improvements" I try to avoid in my kitchen.

Try it out and let me know how it works out for you in the comments! Did you add anything? Leave anything out? What's your favorite part? How did your picky dinner guests like it? I'm up to the challenge!

Crossroads Diner

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I've been hearing about Crossroads Diner for over a year each morning on my way to school, because they advertise using personal testimony ads given by the Deejays on the local talk station (570AM). Let me tell you, those testimonials would persuade a drowning man to buy a bottled water from Crossroads Diner. So when my husband told me he wanted to take me on a breakfast date, I picked Crossroads.

The decor is an example of what seems to be becoming standard for back-to-basics-done-really-well gourmet American fare; clean, industrial, with interesting, artistic light fixtures and semi-thematic bric-a-brak on the walls. For what it is, however, Crossroads Diner's decor excels in its category.

My husband and I ordered quickly, and while I was curious to try something a little more unique from their menu, I've learned that the true test of a great breakfast establishment is how well they do the staples, especially eggs. So I ordered the sausage, eggs, and cheese grits, which came with a biscuit and gravy, and my husband tried out the Crossroads Special of Cinnamon Pecan bread pudding french toast. 

Even while we waited for our food, I was excited to see the accouterments plate arrive, because I had heard many times in the commercial that Crossroads makes everything from scratch, even their jams! There is something to be said for marketing that makes your patrons excited to see their butter and jam arrive before they even have anything to put it on. 

When our meals arrived, my plate looked about as one would expect; eggs, grits, gravy and biscuits can only look so many ways. But the sausage was clearly a homemade patty, and upon tasting it it was clear that it was Crossroads' own special sausage. The grits hit a perfect balance of garlic and white cheddar cheese, with a texture of rougher, larger grits than many places offer. When I say a perfect balance, I mean it- in fact, if I had realized the "cheese grits" were garlicky I probably wouldn't have ordered them, because I have had my face explode with over-seasoned, garlicky grit bombs too many times. But at Crossroads, the garlic did what it was supposed to do- it amplified the savoriness of the cheddar and accompanied the lovely al dente of the grits without seizing a starring role on my palate.

The final and true test was the eggs, which were just barely on the easy side of over medium- still within acceptable range to classify as medium, but perhaps a tad runnier than perfection. Not bad for a full dining room in my experience. My repeated comments on the biscuits was that for that particular dish, it felt like there should have been two. This was in part because I both wanted to make a sausage biscuit and wanted to try the famous homemade jams, and not because the meal lacked a nice balance of protein and starch. Still, it's a high complement when people look at a full plate of satiating food and wish for a bit more! I split the biscuit in half and indulged anyway, and both jams delivered on all expectations.

The bread pudding french toast with whipped cream was an irresistible special that day, but I'll preface my description by saying that after working in the food industry, I've learned to be a bit cautious when ordering a daily special. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but specials go either one of two ways: On one hand, they might just be the chef's whim or inspiration, possibly born out of the abundant availability of seasonal ingredients. On the other, particularly with daily soups, quiches, omelettes, and bread puddings, they offer a chef a means to re-purpose excess ingredients or items from the previous day. (Bread pudding is best made from less-than-fresh breads & pastries). So I expected the bread pudding to be likely comprised of leftover sticky buns from earlier in the week. The thing is, I was pleased to find I was probably right! Crossroads Diner is known for their made-from-scratch pastries, particularly their hot sticky buns, and bread pudding is one of my favorite things. The bread budding was excellent. The whipped cream was a tad overwhipped, so that my husband thought it was a frosting or a pudding, but it's a very minor error and even made it easier to spread on the toast. One thing I will note is that in the bites I stole from his plate, I did find a raisin- if you're squeemish about surprise bits of fruit in your breakfast, take note! My husband also got eggs and chorizo as his sides, and the chorizo again seemed to be made in-house.

Finally, I ordered a croissant. I did not ask to confirm this, but the Crossroads Diner advertisements all said that everything is made from scratch, and as a trained pastry chef, I know that a mark of a true food artist's skill is his ability to make any croissant, muchless a good one.

It was flaky, airy, buttery, and fresh. I wondered if I should have tried their famous sticky bun instead until I bit into the croissant, and all doubts melted away.

Like many diners, you pay at the front register, and have an opportunity to take home some of the Crossroads fare for your own use at home.

So check it out! It's worth trying- and let me know what you try and what you think in the comments! Let me know if the famous sticky bun is worthy of its hype!

Not-So-Seasonal Cravings

I got married in October, & in my first week of marriage I learned a vital fact about my new husband.

He. LOVES. Pumpkin.

He loves everything pumpkin; pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread... He's a pumpkin eating fiend.

In expressing his enthusiasm for gourd-based confections, he bemoaned the fact that people get tired of pumpkin because it's seasonal, so they feel like they have to eat everything pumpkin-related during the limited time it's made available, and then in the spring, when they're not pumpkin'd out, there's none to be found. 

So I, being a brand new bride, I started a new tradition of purchasing a few extra boxes of pumpkin bread mix at the end of each fall season, when they go on clearance, and hiding them.

I find that my apartment is small enough I usually don't remember them again until several months have passed, and by then it's about time to treat my husband to a surprise pumpkin treat in the middle of April, and then again in June or July.

This is the second year I've gotten to do this, and it's really fun. My aunt used to do it with the Cadbury candy-coated mini eggs, before they expanded the availability from Easter-only to Christmas, too. My mom does something similar with her favorite Braum's sherbet flavor (Cherry Limeade), stocking up at the end of the summer. Unlike most people, my mom is famous for making her sweets last longer than anyone I've ever heard of.

What are your favorite limited-time, season-specific foods? Are you going to stock up on extras this year for a special treat 6 months later? Let me know in the comments!