Bistro Blast

It was that time again, Friday night. The glorious weekend was here and a few co-workers, my wife and I decided to begin our time off in style with some good conversation and food at one of my favorite East Sac haunts...33rd Street Bistro. I was really pumped to go as it had been quite some time since I'd been. The service and food always seems to be at the very least very good. To add to the excitement, one of my dining peeps, affectionately known as Gibby, promised to bring along a little somethin'-somethin' from his Napa excursion a few weeks ago. You can read all about that trip and much more at his blog Gibby Tyme.

We arrived and it was packed to the gills with couples and small parties gathered in the small entryway. The restaurant does not take reservations, so we camped out and exchanged pleasantries for 20 minutes or so before getting settled at a cozy table nestled in the corner of the Bistro. It was a bit cramped for our party of five and Gibby spent the evening under a plant that frequently pricked the top of his dome when he sat up really straight. This wasn't much of a problem as we had plenty of good eats to haunch over.

Our waitress was friendly and very helpful even letting my try a couple of wine selections as I struggled to decide on the right wine for our appetizers that would open our palettes up and start the dinner off right. I decided on one of their specialty international wines that caught my attention. It was light, refreshing, and hinted of citrus fruit...it was Albarino. I wish I had the presence of mind to write down the producer and vintage because it was some tasty hooch!

The food journey at 33rd began with one of my favs, the Crisp Shrimp Cigars. A lively modern interpretation of the egg roll, at least that's what they look like. These tasty little delights have a light, crispy outside texture and are filled with a moist combo of shrimp, green onions, carrots, and something with a little heat...yuuuuum! Next up we shared an order of the Jerk Ribs. A sweet, tangy and spicy pile of oh-so-tender beef short ribs.

At this point in the meal we had thrown down the entire bottle of Albarino, all our apps and we were primed for our mains. Now seemed like the ideal time to bust out the wine that Gibby had brought from Napa. A big bold beaut of a Cab. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from Castello Di Amorosa was every bit as good as he made it out to be. In light of this magnificent wine, my entree of choice had to be the Bistro Meatloaf. Nothing says comfort and good times like a succulent slab of juicy lamb and pork meatloaf . The cayenne aioli that dressed the loaf added a nice refreshing twist to this classic.

My wife and B-Fong opted for the Pot Pie filled with chicken, peas, carrots and a tarragon cream sauce. The dish seemed to have highs and lows. 'The High' being that the chicken was flavorful, and the crust buttery and flaky. 'The low' being the aforementioned cream sauce seemed to be lacking in tarragon and seasoning rendering it forgettable.

Gibby and his wife Amy Vella threw down their mains with unbridled panini lust. Great choice guys. 33rd is notorious for churning out Grade A panini. Gibby's selection was The Gorge, a one-of-a-kind perfect blend of Turkey, Apple Smoked Bacon, and creamy, buttery Havarti cheese. I can personally attest to the greatness of this one....very , very good! AV chose The Columbian, a tasty sandwich filled with a cocaine....just kidding, wanted to see if you dozed off! Seriously though, a fine example of Northwest flavors with perfectly cooked salmon, red leaf lettuce and tomato all served up on crusty delicious ciabatta bread with lemon aioli.

The night ended on a somewhat lackluster note with the trio of chocolate desserts. The molten chocolate cake served up in a white ramekin was simple, rich and executed quite well. The other two chocolate desserts unfortunately are not worth mentioning.

Overall our whole crew enjoyed our time at 33rd Street Bistro. There was good food and wine, some really good laughs, and we even got to see B-Fong almost hook up with our server. Almost being the operative word. But that's another story for another time. The Bistro had cleared out and we were the only ones left. My dining compadres and I were stuffed, happy, and alas... ready for the weekend.

True Love

The ultimate 'Hallmark Holiday' was upon us, Valentine's Day. Many people scoff at this day or reluctantly abide by the pressures and demands from society to shower their loved ones with copious amounts of fine chocolate and floral arrangements. Siege and I, silly romantics that we are, embrace it with reckless, I mean, romantic abandon.

It was suggested that I take the holiday day off so she could express her love for me in a most impressive fashion by making me dinner this time around. It should be noted that Siege considers herself only somewhat capable in the kitchen...but she's just being modest. No, she's more than capable and this dinner was a prime example of her skills.

Let me preface by saying that Siege doesn't even like pasta very much, especially big, "clunky," as she puts it, pasta. But she knows that I am a straight up "pasta fiend" and rarely get to devour the starchy delight. So it was with true love and thoughtfulness that she set out to make me Baked Ziti with Meatballs.

Well what did you expect? This is Sunday Gravy.

This is a dish I've talked about having for quite some time, but for one reason or another have never gotten around to making. This version was just as I had imagined it, a beautiful concoction of tart tomato sauce balanced out by the creamy awesomeness of whole milk ricotta cheese, which gave the dish a surprising fresh texture and almost a lightness. The moist flavorful meatballs were also a nice touch that added just the amount of "heft" to put this meal in the "kick ass" category.

We decided to keep our Valentine's day dinner rooted in Italy with our wine choice for the evening. The 2004 Castello di Monastero is one of the finest examples of Chianti Classico I've had. The Dark Cherry bouquet, subtle tannins, and lively fruit flavors melded nicely with our ziti.

We finished our V-Day on a high note with a truly seductive chocolate hazelnut tart, Siege baked, that was the perfect blend of toasty nuttiness and chocolate decadence. It was truly a night to savor and remember.

The Mighty, Mighty Panino

I've long been a fan of the famed Italian sandwich, the Panino (Panini for plural). It's like the ultimate grilled cheese sammy amplified with a Euro twist. Now I'll admit it, I'm one of those people that hates to get caught up with the latest and greatest. Whether it involves food, music, movies or otherwise, I'd like to think of myself as someone who doesn't follow the mindless mob mentality. Panini certainly has become one of the 'hot' (bad pun) new food items over the past few years. It seems like everywhere you turn it's Paniniville! From grocery stores, slick bistros and fast food chains, these grilled melted treats are all the rage.

I won't be a part of this lunacy, enough is enough!

But fate had other ideas. Much to my surprise and delight I received my very own panini press for Christmas from my in-laws.

You see? I had no choice... I had to give in! What kind of son-in-law would I be if I didn't fully explore the wonders of the Mighty Panino? That's rhetorical, you don't have to answer that.

The possibilities are endless with panini. You can go Philly Cheese Steak style. Perhaps travel to Paris and put a french twist with a croque monsieur. Or just go with a classic Italian version as I did my first time out. That's right, I was playing it safe and I didn't care. My first Panino was filled with thinly sliced prosciutto and Fontina cheese. I drizzled a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the dressing. The addition of a few basil leaves gave the sammy a nice fragrant brightness that was seriously OTH. This is a version I will definitely revisit soon.

But alas, I must press on. Next up, oven roasted turkey breast and Havarti cheese...good combination. I tossed in sun dried tomatoes for some tangy/sweet goodness and it worked really, really well.

Panini is extremely versatile, but the one thing I would strongly suggest is to only use cheeses that melt well: mozzarella, Jack, Fontina, etc. I tried Smoked gouda and it just wasn't the cheesy wonder I thought it would be. Your bread options are pretty much limitless. Rye, Ciabatta, good ol' white bread....you name it!

So yeah, I jumped on the proverbial panini bandwagon...and I'm a happier person for it. Do yourself a favor and get in the kitchen and grill up some tasty treats for you and your friends!