Cool.

Second Bar + Kitchen

Lunch at Second Bar + Kitchen today, and it was excellent.
To begin I had two starters, the Blistered Shishto Peppers and the Avocado Fundido. The peppers came with a miso aioli which was creamy and tangy and was the perfect dipping sauce for the charred peppers. I'm not that big on avocado or guacamole, but this Avocado Fundido was amazing - and much more filling that I imagined. The fundido contained house chorizo that gave it a good kick of spice and was topped with queso fresco. The chips served with the dish were chipotle masa chips, so they added a little extra spice also!

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Avocado Fundido

After these two appetizers I ordered the Black and Bleu Pizza, which consists of bleu cheese, medjool dates (which I excluded from my order), pork belly confit, and red onions. The pizza gets its "black" from the black truffle that is drizzled over the whole pizza. I consider myself a lover of rich foods, and this pizza was very rich, expecially without the dates! The bleu cheese and pork belly confit meshed so well together and created some really bold flavors.

 Click here to check out Second Bar + Kitchen's Lunch Menu

Steak and Jalapeño Scrambled Eggs

Home for the weekend, and the best part about about that is always access to a full kitchen - something I have been deprived of, like so many while at college. This morning I made an amazing dish, and was quite resourceful with my ingredients.

Yesterday I grilled a couple of ears of corn, and had one or two left over that I had used some cajun rub and seasonings on. Also, last night my sister couldn't finish her steak (Filet Mignon) so we brought it back from the restaurant. I used both of these leftovers in the scrambled eggs and they were great. I am not usually big on leftovers, but if you can incorporate them into another recipe or dish, power to you!

I sautéed the large jalapeños and minced garlic then added the steak to heat it up a bit. It didn't take long once I added the corn for the kernels to cook and start cracklin'. I then added my eggs (3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites) and added a splash of heavy cream and a pinch of thyme.

If I was skilled enough I would of made this into a beautiful omelet, but my pan was too small -- so I resorted to making a scrambled egg dish. I made several "homemade" tortillas.. well, ok, sorta. They are from Tortilla Land, and they are in most grocery stores. They are uncooked tortillas and they take about a minute to make, 30 seconds on each side, and they are amazing. SO fresh and taste almost better than homemade tortillas from an authentic Tex-Mex restaurant.

When my brunch was finished, I couldn't wait to get started. I made a simple wrap with my tortilla and just pilled the steak, jalapeños, and eggs on in. It was so good. the steak was so tender and such a great cut of meat it definitely was the star of the plate. The corn was subtle, and the jalapeños added that heat I love. The soft fresh tortilla that wrapped everything together was perfect. I did add a good amount of Pace chunky salsa, and it really added a little extra Mexican flare that was perfect with the steak and jalapeños.

Blue Star Cafeteria

Blue Star Cafeteria is north on Burnet right past 45th. It caught my eye the other week while I was driving by, but I had never heard of it. When some buddies and myself went last Tuesday, we all left really liking the spot.
For starters we ordered the Shrimp Cocktail with Pea Salad, and some Coconut & Cornflake Chicken Tenderloins. Both of these appetizers were great. The shrimp were huge (but not 'Jumbo'), and the pea salad that accompanied the shrimp was fresh and pretty good. Also, a side of "zesty" cocktail sauce came with the shrimp that was excellent. It was how I like my cocktail sauce, with a good amount of horseradish, but there was also a sort of tangy-ness that I couldn't put my finger on what it was - but it for sure added a little something extra to the order.

The chicken tenderloins were definitely my favorite. They were delicious. The exterior was crunchy and crusted with Cornflakes and shredded coconut and flash-fried. The chicken was still tender and juicy, and really tasted great! They came with a mango chutney dipping sauce that I had never had before. It was similar to an Asian sweet chili sauce, but sweeter due to the chunks of mango. It complemented the chicken well and really helped bring out the flavor of the crunchy coconut, making this dish feel light and a like the perfect appetizer if your looking for a tropical "island feeling" in the summer.

Their menu is not extra-large, but they have many options and different venues to go down. Pizzas, almost a dozen different salads (ranging from your classic wedge to a strawberry or Asian chicken salad), pasta bowls, and entrees. Some entrees that caught my eye was their Maple Chicken Fried Quail or their Cafeteria Meatloaf. I ended up going with the Honey Glazed Grilled Pork Chop per the waiter's recommendation - and I was glad I had! I do like pork chops, but they usually aren't the first thing I'd order, especially with such a diverse and tasty-looking menu. The pork was SO tender, and prepared perfectly. It was marinated in honey, red wine, and apple cider vinegar. It was sweet, but the apple cider vinegar was definitely present, but not overpowering. Instead, it  contrasted the sweetness of the honey with a the sharpness of the vinegar. It comes with grilled green beans and macaroni & cheese, but I switched out the mac & cheese for some steamed broccoli.
Unfortunately we were too full to even touch the desert menu, but there were blackberry and peach cobblers along with an assortment of pies on display at the entrance that looked amazing. On Wednesdays they have half-priced wine from 7-10pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays serve a brunch menu from 10am-3pm that looks delicious!

Blue Star Cafeteria Menu (Dinner)

Random, But Funny

This past summer I was in Argentina with my father and a few of our family friends. I had seen a blog called 'People Brushing Their Teeth in Places Other Than The Sink". I thought this was hilarious, so while I was in the field mid-hunt I took a picture brushing my teeth. After I submitted my picture, the site (which was originally a Tumblr) went down before my picture got on. A week or two ago I came across the site again, and was so happy it was back up. I sent in my picture again, and finally made it! haha take a look:


http://peoplebrushingtheirteeth.com/
(I'm the second one down)

2012 Academy Awards

With Hollywood's biggest night approaching (Sunday, February 26th), we take a look at the past year's best performances and achievements. Here is the full list of nominees.
Here are my predictions for the winners:

Best Picture
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Help"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"
"The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

Best Actress
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

Best Director
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
JC Chandor, "Margin Call"
Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, "Bridesmaids"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
John Logan, "Hugo"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

Best Animated Feature
"A Cat In Paris"
"Chico & Rita"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango"

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Original Score
"The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams
"The Artist," Ludovic Bource
"Hugo," Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse," John Williams

Best Original Song
"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio," Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Achievement in Art Direction
"The Artist"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Cinematography
"The Artist"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Costume Design
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Jane Eyre"
"W.E."

Best Documentary Feature
"Hell and Back Again"
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
"Pina"
"Undefeated"

Best Documentary Short Subject
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?"
"God Is the Bigger Elvis"
"Incident in New Baghdad"
"Saving Face"
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Best Achievement in Film Editing
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"

Best Achievement in Makeup
"Albert Nobbs"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film
"Pentecost"
"Raju"
"The Shore"
"Time Freak"
"Tuba Atlantic"

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
"Drive"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Real Steel"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"