Hot Dish Review

The Kentucky Derby fell on Cinco de Mayo this year….an unfortunate coincidence. LC and I were the only two of our group going to the track for The Derby, however, we wanted to enjoy breakfast with the gang before donning our hats and throwing our (I mean his) cash away.

Our Derby trip hostess TH, a college friend of LC’s, often visits Wild Eggs for breakfast, and suggested we go there. The decor was bright and modern, with a partition cleverly made of plastic eggs encased in glass. We weren’t necessarily in a hurry, but the 45 minute wait for a table was a bit lengthy. The girls enjoyed mimosas and the gentlemen bloody Marys while we waited.

As a regular, TH knew our server well. Once seated, he delivered an enormous complimentary cinnamon roll for us to share, however we had to wait an additional 30 minutes for our coffee. Not a good start.

Folks love to recommend their favorite dishes to me when they discover I’m a food writer. Usually I go with my instinct, but on rare occassions, I take their advice….and then regret it. Unfortunately, my breakfast would prove to be a perfect example of the latter.

Several menu specialties have a Tex-Mex flavor including Kalamity Katie’s Border Benedict which TH said was the best thing she ever ate. I was in the mood for a benedict smothered with rich hollandaise so why not try it with a Mexican twist?

The menu described the dish as “green chili cheddar corn cakes, topped with chorizo, two poached eggs, queso fundido, pico de gallo, sour cream, green onions, and avocado”. Visions of crispy corn cakes, juicy slices of spicy sausage, poached eggs with creamy yolks, and chunks of avocado whirled in my head. I wasn’t sure about the queso sauce, described as “sauce like you put on nachos” by our server so I requested it on the side along with a side of hollandaise.

When the plate arrived, 80% was covered with potatoes. I have no use for potatoes and didn’t realize they accompanied the benedict or I would have made a substitution. Sadly, the corn cakes were thick and dry, there was a tablespoon of very salty crumbled sausage scattered on top, and my poached eggs were overcooked. The bits of avocado could have fit in a thimble and the queso was disgusting but, of course, there was no hollandaise. I had to wait another ten minutes for that. It was impossible to hide my dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, another damn cinnamon roll came out.

Like the horses racing by us at Churchill Downs, much of the food we ate was also a blur. We enjoyed decent boxed lunches from Lotsa Pasta on Oaks Day. During The Derby itself, LC and I got a lobster roll at one of the snack bars near the betting windows. Among all the ladies with hats were a couple of dudes with sombreros, reminding me that it was Cinco de Mayo.

In a futile attempt to have a decent bite of Mexican food, LC and I decided to stop at Senor Iguana’s on the way home. All we wanted was a table outside, a decent margarita and a few tacos. Too much to ask? You bet. There were no tables available on the patio so we sat at a hightop in the bar. LC ordered skinny margaritas, but the bartender had clearly never made one before, filling the tall plastic cup with soda after a shot of tequila and a squirt of lime juice. Horrific.

We fared better with the starters. Chips were quite good dipped in freshly made guacamole and queso (much better than the queso at breakfast) and there was a lovely dish of jalapenos to spice it up. Tacos were not offered individually so we got one order with fish and another with carne asada, all on corn tortillas. I requested cheese on the beef.

Our server brought out pork instead of beef but quickly remedied the error, although the advertised diced onions and cilantro were absent. Each taco was made with two somewhat soggy tortillas. I peeled off the unnecessary tortillas and added guacamole. An unexpected bowl of tasty red chili sauce was served with the carne asada which did a decent job of covering up the chewy, flavorless meat. Shoulda gone to Chuy’s.

Uncharacteristicly, LC didn’t win at the track. And Wild Eggs and Senor Iguana’s didn’t place.

Please enjoy this repost as I am recovering from my trip, and the mostly horrendous food, at The Kentucky Derby:

Half a bag of cheddar goldfish, Fruit Loops and warm beer were the only edible items left in our room. Sounds more like the breakfast of losers than the breakfast of champions.

Around noon, LC and I checked out of the swanky motor lodge on the outskirts of Athens and hit the road back to Atlanta, still recovering from the Widespread show and its aftermath. An hour into the drive and we were ravenous.

Then, just like a mirage, a Waffle House appeared in the distance. It sat alone, perched on a hill at a traffic light in Dacula.

There are two kinds of Waffle House dining experiences….post clubbing at 3:00am and “the morning after” hangover breakfast. Of all the times I have eaten there, the meal has always fallen into one of those two categories.

Friday was obviously the latter, although neither of us was actually hungover. We chose a booth by the window and ordered coffee. I love their kitschy laminated menus with photos of the food…everything looks so delicious!

My regular Waffle House order is like a broken record; scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, raisin toast, and grits on the side. I rarely eat any of the grits, just don’t want them to contaminate my eggs. If I don’t order this I get a fried egg and cheese sandwich with bacon….good stuff.

LC ordered an omelette with onions, jalapenos, green peppers, bacon, and cheese with hashbrowns, scattered, smothered, and covered. He was very pleased with his omelette. In fact, he was still talking about it days later.

The diner franchise is celebrating 55 years in business, with strikingly consistent food from Hollywood to Dacula. It is always exactly the same….just like the pictures on the menu. My bacon was thick and chewy and the eggs were very cheesy. The toast was full of raisins and slathered with margarine. No real butter here missy!

LC and I added sugar, margarine, and black pepper (indeed!) to the grits making them somewhat edible. Another splash of coffee and we were on our way, fueled by fat and caffeine.

It was a good day.

Sure, I could drive to McDonald’s and get a delicious Egg McMuffin any day of the week for $2, so why try to recreate this fast food classic at home? Because I can make mine in my pajamas! (or lack of, as the case may be)

You may remember my discovery of Jimmy Dean’s D’Lights….microwavable breakfast sandwiches with turkey sausage, egg white and cheese. They are a quick, tasty and low calorie alternative to McDonald’s sausage McMuffin with egg. But it was LC’s Mom that introduced me to the homemade Egg McMuffin.

She had experimented with cooking the eggs individually in coffee mugs, then topping them with turkey ham and cheddar sandwiched between two toast English muffins halves. Initially there were issues with the egg squishing out, but eventually, she perfected her method.

As with any microwavable food, cooking times may vary. So I checked online and found several variations on how to cook eggs in the microwave. One gave a longer cooking time, but at 50% power, so I thought I’d give it a try.

My first attempt looked good, but the egg yolks were very runny and the cheese had melted too much, both oozing out of the sandwich onto our hands and dripping on the floor….messy! On the second go round I adjusted the cooking time, but still had the dripping cheese issue.

The third time was the charm! Here’s how I did it:

Homemade Egg McMuffin

1 Omega 3 egg
1 English muffin, split (any variety)
1 Slice Canadian bacon or ham
1 Slice light cheddar cheese

Spray the inside of a coffee mug or microwave safe cup with cooking spray. Break the egg and cover top of cup with damp paper towel. Cook at 50% power for 1 1/2-2 minutes, checking the yolk for doneness (I like mine semi-soft).

Toast the muffin halves, butter lightly, then melt the cheese on both sides. Nuke the Canadian bacon until warm. Flip the cup onto a muffin half and season the egg with salt and pepper. Top with meat and second muffin half. This method keeps everything in place.

It’s not rocket science, just microwave science. Tasty!

While the storm was raging outside on Sunday, LC and I found refuge at a diner with a retro decor called All American Diner. I was thinking brunch, as in eggs benedict or a nice frittata. What I got was a Waffle House style diner breakfast with the added classy touch of the breakfast buffet.

I remember a time when buffets were popular….when I was a kid. Shoney’s had a breakfast buffet. All you can eat bacon….how could that be anything but awesome?

These days, the word buffet is about as appealing as pork sushi. But not in Florida’s panhandle! Time stands still there, and apparently LC is right at home. He was eager to get a plate full of whatever, while I ordered the standard scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and wheat toast. Grits came with it despite my objection.

LC came back to the table with a combination of eggs, sausage, grits, and various other indistinguishable items. And what goes better with a breakfast buffet than a fountain Mountain Dew?

He enjoyed it because he got to try everything, then felt sick later. Shocking. Most of the other diners looked like they had been eating at the buffet on a regular basis.

As for me, my bacon was chewy, my eggs were cheesy, and my toast was dark. Good enough.

15406 Front Beach Road 850-233-6007

LC and I arrived in Pigeon Forge in the Smoky Mountains late Saturday and met up with his daughter little T and her aunt DC, her daughter little A, and lifelong friend C at Cirque de Chine, a Chinese acrobatic show….a poor man’s Cirque de Soleil, after which we had a late dinner at TGI Friday’s. Grilled shrimp and veggies was the least offensive menu item which LC and I both ordered. I was proud of him for abstaining from the fried cheese sticks!

DC had rented a great condo for us at a resort with its own lazy river. We had a full kitchen, laundry, and balcony overlooking the golf course. It was really very comfortable. The next morning, LC slept in while us gals headed down the street to the Red Rooster Pancake House, a well known breakfast place on the main drag.

Flapjacks. Pancakes. Whatever you call ‘em, they are a staple for breakfast in Pigeon Forge. Pancakes come with everything on the menu at Red Rooster. You want ham and eggs, honey? That comes with an order of pancakes. How about an omelette with cheese grits? Ditto on the pancakes.

Our group ordered a variety of dishes including C’s Southwestern omelette and little T’s strawberry pancakes. I had a boring yet somewhat healthy plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and wheat toast with butter on the side (instead of pancakes!). DC ordered her favorite, country ham, grits, and eggs scrambled with cheese. Plenty of pancakes went home for snacking later.

The day would be spent at Dollywood, riding every ride. And later that night we were in for a real treat….Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede.

And to think, a year ago I was staying in a $4000 a night condo in Cabo San Lucas overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, eating lobster and drinking champagne.

Have I lost my mind? I’m sure of it.

3215 Parkway, Pigeon Forge 865-428-3776

This should be the standard for all air travel….after enjoying a snack and drinks in the Sky Lounge, take a leisurely stroll to the jet where you can casually slip on your comfy socks and sip a little champagne.

First Class, now called Business Elite, on Delta is the ultimate in comfort on overnight flights, providing noise cancelling headsets and fully reclining seats. And then there’s the food. You know all the clinking of silverware you hear when you are in coach? Yeah, that’s First Class getting real food while you are removing the plastic wrappers and foil from your TV-dinner-like meal (more on those later).

Flight attendants in First Class take your order before you leave the ground. It’s cute that the options are in English and German….my first taste of my native language in quite some time. Celeb chef Michelle Bernstein designed some of the swanky dishes.

There is a choice for the first course, however, generally you get both. We had rosemary duck breast and couscous salad with dried fruit and almonds….indeed! Of course the duck was well-done, but the flavor of the dish was nice and I always love dried fruit with duck. Pumpkin bisque soup, “Kuerbiscremesuppe” auf Deutsch, the other appetizer choice, paired nicely with the duck and couscous.

Having already had two glasses of champagne, I chose the 2006 Chateau Beaumont bordeaux to have with my meal. Mom tried a South African chenin blanc that was similar to a good sauvignon blanc.

The second course was a large salad of mixed greens with yellow peppers, pecans, and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. Nice and fresh.

Given the choice of grilled beef tenderloin with shrimp scampi or crab cakes, both me and my Mom chose the latter. For me, it was the fact that all meat is cooked well-done and I prefer beef medium-rare. Plus, the crab cakes came with baked spaghetti squash and braised leeks. Braised leeks!

The entree was very well-executed, with two meaty crab cakes and those meltingly delicious leeks. There was a bit too much nutmeg in the spaghetti squash though. And Mom complained about the copious mound of lemon aioli that sat between the two cakes.

Next was the cheese course or dessert. Actually, I have been known to have both, but this time Mom got the cheese and I got the ice cream sundae made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, chopped nuts, and whipped cream….very traditional.

After a second glass of red wine, I watched the Oscar winning movie The King’s Speech. It was awesome, but left only a couple of hours to try to sleep.

The next thing I knew the smell of coffee filled the cabin and we were awakened from our slumber to be served yet another meal of scrambled eggs on English muffins topped with melted cheese, spinach, served with Canadian bacon and a croissant. No doubt they feed you well in First Class!

Arriving in Frankfurt, the city of my birth, always causes me to reflect on the years that have passed since my last visit. So much has changed! Am I on the right path? I can see myself in one or two years, landing in Frankfurt once more. Then I will know the answers to all the questions I have now, but there’s always a list of new ones.

Several weeks ago when I was trying to cut back on sugar in my diet, I made an effort to eat more vegetables in lieu of fruit. My usual berries with breakfast went on hiatus. Instead, I devised this healthy and delicious omelette using veggies.

SOUTHWESTERN OMELETTE

3 egg whites (or 1 Omega, 1 white)
1/2 small tomato, diced
1/4 ripe avocado, diced
handful of cilantro
thin sliced onion
thin sliced mushrooms
lite pepper jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and mushrooms until caramelized and set aside (Note: I usually prepare enough for several servings). Whisk eggs (whichever kind you use) with a dash of milk, if desired, and heat non-stick skillet to medium. Pour eggs into skillet, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add some of the tomato, avocado, cilantro, and cooked onion mixture to one half of the eggs, allowing to cook a while longer until mostly set.

Flip and cook for 30 seconds, then flip back and add one slice of lowfat pepper jack cheese to the side of the omelette with the veggies. Top with remainder of filling and fold in half, allowing cheese to melt. Season with salt and pepper.

I serve my Southwestern omelette with two slices of pre-cooked bacon and a piece of whole wheat for a satisfying and tasty breakfast.

Whenever I do a cheese plate, I pay as much attention to the bread and accompaniments as I do the selection of cheeses. I love bread, especially with good quality sweet butter. Perhaps it’s my German heritage.

The difficulty in the US is finding good bread. You can get an amazing baguette in the airport in Paris for God’s sake but I can’t find a decent one even at most specialty bakeries here in Atlanta. It’s ridiculous.

Jonathan St. Hilaire is one of the best bakers in the city. He really cares about the craft of bread-making. If I have time, I stop by Bakeshop for a crusty loaf of ciabatta. But more often than not, I end up grabbing what’s available at Whole Foods or Kroger. The last time I got a mini boule at Kroger and it was surprisingly good. When they convert their cheese shop to Murray’s I have a feeling they will step it up another notch.

What does all this have to do with eggs al forno? Everything! The leftover bread from my cheese plates invariably end up in the freezer to find new life as a fancy BLT, cheese toast, or bread pudding. I frequently buy a chunk of cave aged gruyere, along with taleggio, Humboldt Fog, and perhaps something a bit more experimental.

There is always leftover cheese as well. Don’t think any of this is a coincidence, it’s all part of my plan. I fully intend to have excess bread and gruyere for eggs al forno. Gooey cheese, the soft yolk, and crusty bread are a combination to die for. I serve it with bacon and berries….simply delicious!

How do hotel restaurants do it? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, room service…..they constantly crank it out. Getting it done and doing it right, however, are two different things.

It is rare that I get the opportunity to have breakfast at a hotel in Atlanta. More often than not, hotel breakfasts find me in a foreign country like Spain, Mexico, or Brazil. However, after L and P’s wedding, the party continued until the wee hours at AltoRex, the rooftop lounge at the Palomar, after which everyone stumbled to their rooms. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the modern decor since most of my time there was spent asleep, wrapped up in the cloudlike duvet.

But not for long. My lucky ass had to get up early to go to work. But before I took off, LC joined me at Pacci for breakfast. It was 9:00am on a Sunday. Only two other tables were occupied. Handsome young servers greeted us with smiles. The coffee was smooth, and so was the service.

Pacci has a fun “Flip For Your Breakfast” menu. Guests that order off this only slightly abbreviated list get to call a coin toss after their meal by none other than Keira Moritz’ sous chef Aaron Love. Not only that, a portion of the cost of your meal goes to charity, regardless who pays. Classy.

One of my all-time favorite brunch items is eggs benedict. Pacci’s version is made with proscuitto, spinach, tomato slices, with the traditional Hollandaise on top of toasted English muffins. It didn’t come with anything on the side, which is fine with me. I’m not a fan of breakfast potatoes.

LC ordered two fried eggs with wheat toast. His meal did come with potatoes, but no bacon. We ordered a side to split….thick and chewy just the way I like it. If you are not lucky enough to be staying at the Palomar overnight, the bacon alone is worth the short drive for brunch!

My benedict was a solid rendition of the popular classic. I liked the slightly Italian touch with the substitution of prosciutto for the standard Canadian bacon.

It was time to try our luck with the toss of the coin. LC’s a gambler by nature so it was all or nothing. He called heads and our breakfast entrees were free! By this time several other members of the wedding party had made it downstairs to Pacci, just in time to witness LC’s lucky streak continue.

We both cleaned our plates before I sped off in the HotDish mobile. Pacci is in my Top Ten for a reason…..whatever time of day or night, they do it right!

866 W. Peachtree Street NW 678-412-2402

When is a bagel not a bagel? When it is bread in the shape of a bagel like Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagels.

I knew better when I was buying them. Bagels are hard but these were spongy like regular bread. Nevertheless, I bought them because they contained more fiber and less carbs and calories than the other brands that make mini bagels.

With only 110 calories, each mini bagel contains 22 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat, they don’t sound half bad. However, despite the decent amount of fiber, they really aren’t as healthy as Thomas’ would have you believe. Sure, whole wheat is the first ingredient, but sugar is the fourth, followed by suspicious ingredients like guar gum, maltodextrin, datem (what?), and algin (what what?).

I thought I could satisfy my bagel craving with a schmear of light cream cheese for a total of only 160 calories. Not so much. Bagels should be chewy and dense, not light and fluffy. Put a sugar glaze on ‘em and they would be doughnuts!

At least they are made in the USA, in Horsham, PA but Thomas’ Bagels still deserves a Knuckle Sandwich, which a schmear.