Taco bout a weird kid
When I met my first taco at Taco Bell in the mid-1970s, the taco sauce came in packets like the kind used for jelly at diners. They were sturdier, easier to open and less likely to be handled at the point where the sauce was dispenced thanks to the foil-like cover. I mention this because I developed a habit of drinking the hot sauce after my two tacos were gone. If two seems like a small number, it is. But that’s all either mom or dad would spring for back then. So, after plucking every last bit of residual meat, lettuce and cheese, I routinely peeled back the top of the taco sauce containers and drained them.
Taco Bell, pre-4th Meal and Chihuahua.
Having watched my two children and a dozen nieces and nephews navigate their sixth year without ever endeavoring to drink chile-based sauce as if it were a Kool-Aid, retrospect tells me me that this was indeed the birth of my flavor profile. I literally couldn’t get enough chile, garlic, onion and tomato puree. That really hasn’t ended.
Thus, it’s time to unveil some of my taco recipes. Starting in February, I will release one taco recipe per month. They sometimes will be Gringo-style, but mostly authentic.
Tomorrow, we’ll get started with a simple chicken taco with green sauce.
Meantime, share your taco recipes right back, and we’ll try them out.
Pigs to Fly at Rococo Tonight?
Chef Bruce Rinehart might’ve staged the bout of the century without meaning to. Tonight at Rococo Restaurant and Fine Wine, 2824 N. Pennsylvania, 10-percent of receipts go to Prairie Dance Theatre. Meanwhile, a meet-and-greet is planned for the Oklahoma City Victory Dolls roller-derby team.
Chef Bruce Rinehart features an eclectic menu that includes classic Italian fare, Asian influences, steaks, seafood and the best crabcakes you can find, though I’m waiting for chef John Bennett to put his crabcakes where my palate is. Stop in tonight as tomorrow may never come if the Prairie Dancers and Victory Dolls get too rowdy.
Speaking of charitable acts and Rococo, Rinehart is supporting efforts by “The Biggest Loser” to help food banks around the country. The “Pound For Pound” promotion pitting state against state and city against city in an effort to form a leaner union continues through the end of June. Individuals and teams can pledge to lose weight on the Pound for Pound Challenge. For every pound pledged up to 50, General Mills will donate 14 cents to Feeding America, which filters down to local food banks. As of Jan. 25, Oklahoma was in 24th place. California and Texas were first and second. Oklahoma City was 38th in the city-by-city competition, which St. Paul, Minn., leads. Pledges will be accepted through June 30.
Chef Rinehart says, “You can enjoy all the world has to offer if you watch your portions, and stay out of the processed foods – starving doesn’t work.”
He shared this recipe, which he developed for the American Heart Association.
Chicken Mediterranean
Serves 4
- 4 lightly pounded chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes
- ¼ cup of Calamata olives
- ¼ cup of sliced red onions
- 2 ounces sherry wine
- 1-2 ounces aged balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 6 ounces of low-sodium chicken stock
- Crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Directions
- Lightly flour chicken breast and place in a sauté pan with a little hot oil.
- Lightly brown on each side, then in center of pan add garlic.
- Lightly brown garlic and then add onions.
- Sauté for 2 minutes and then deglaze the pan with sherry.
- Add olives and sun dried tomatoes then toss a couple of times.
- Add vinegar.
- Add chicken stock.
- Reduce heat and simmer till the sauce clings to a spoon.
Serve with nice light rice; the cheese gives it a great finish.
Source: Bruce Rinehart
Learn to make sushi
Untitled Art Space, 1 NE 3 St. presents “A Taste of Art: Sushi Made Simple” Tuesday night at 6:30. Chef Eric Smith of Sara Sara Cupcakes and the soon-to-be-open Pachinko Parlor will teach Sushi Made Simple, the next in our A Taste of Art series of cooking classes.
Smith began his career as sous chef at The Coach House restaurant. He then moved to Chicago where he worked for several prestigious chefs and eventually became owner and executive chef of two highly-acclaimed restaurants, Romeo Romeo and Citizen. He has received many accolades for his culinary skills including three stars from the Chicago Sun Times and third place in the Best of OKC desserts category. Pachinko Parlor is a new concept he plans to open soon.
Smith will teach participants how to prepare fresh ingredients and create a variety of sushi rolls. Participants will then enjoy their own hand-rolled sushi with wine. The class is $75 and gift certificates are available.
For more information, call Lindsay at 405.815.9995 or download the registration form from here and fax to 405.813.2070. In order for your space to be held for a class, you must provide a credit card number and contact information.
Food and drinks will be provided. You are required to bring your own chef’s knife and apron to class. There will be aprons available to purchase. Without a knife, you may not be able to participate in all facets of the food preparation.
Children 16 years and older are welcome to participate in our cooking classes. Those under 21 will not be served alcohol. There will not be a reduced price for those under 21.
Blend Your Own Chili Powder
Whether you spell it with an i or an e, the blending various powderized chiles with onion, garlic and salt is the basis for Southwestern flavor.
Enthusiasts will doubtlessly want to mix and match their favorite varieties and adjust the amounts for heat preference. Some will simply buy some Gebhardt’s or McCormick’s, though there’s a considerable savings in creating your own. Others will try this and like it, and use it forever. Whatever your future plans, here’s a good, simple chili powder/chile blend.
Makes 1 cup
1/4 cup ground ancho chile
1/4 cup ground hot New Mexico chile
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon ground Chimayo, chipotle or guajillo chile
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin seed
1 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground coriander seed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Dine Out for Haiti
Kyle Guffey spent three months in post-Katrina New Orleans, so he’s familiar with the effort it takes to recover from disaster. While helping restaurants rebuild databases, he witnessed the slow, laborious nature of rebuilding a population center.
So after the tragic earthquake in Haiti, the man behind BeConnectedOK used his relationships with local restaurants to organize Dine Out For Haiti. Starting Sunday, local restaurants will donate 10-percent of sales to the American Red Cross. Sapphire Night Club gets the drive started Saturday night with a pre-party from 8 p.m. to close. Here is the full schedule.
Super Sunday Comes Early thanks to Sean Cummings and John Bennett
Last Sunday started as so many I’ve mine do…at 11 a.m. Big day ahead. Sean Cummings Pub “wake,” San Diego Chargers game and The Cellar Restaurant at Hightower retrospective hosted by Paseo Grill that evening.
We made it to the pub about 1:30, the crowd was late-arriving. Sean was bouncing off the emptied walls, thanking those in attendance while actually trying to get moved from one space to another.
Cathy Cummings, who now is her husband’s de facto landlord, was telling the story of Sean getting kicked out of the Vatican in a dispute over confession etiquette. By 2 p.m., the bagpiper was playing “Danny Boy.” Sean raised a toast to the old spot, the band played “Parting Glass.” Then the piper led the ramshackle crowd clad in black the one and half miles south down N. May Avenue, snarling Sunday drivers and drawing a gentle nudge grassward from a uniformed officer of the local constabulary. The party sallied forth to 6 p.m. when the beer taps ran dry and the bottles of Jameson emptied.
Alas, another celebration of ancestry beckoned, its prominence illustrated by the sweet sorrow of our parting. Bonny an afternoon as it was, the majesty promised in the night ahead was delivered in full.
When Frank Hightower made his mind up to do something, he spared no expense to ensure the pursuit wrought perfection, according to his widow, Dannie Bea. When her husband resolved to convert his tea room in the Hightower Building into a world-class restaurant, he contacted this country’s foremost gourmand. Namely, James Beard.
Beard only knew one other Okie, a young culinary student he’d connected with his good friends Paul and Julia Child– young man from Healdton called John Bennett. Though Bennett assured Beard that no one in Oklahoma was capable of appreciating the French cuisine that their mutual friend Julia Child had made all the rage in discerning kitchens, Beard refused to let Frank Hightower down. Rather than listen to his young and clearly ignorant ward, he convinced young Bennett to meet with Hightower. From that meeting came Oklahoma’s first restaurant of truly fine dining.
“It was opulent,” Dannie Bea Hightower told me. “It was lush with its draperies and Dansk plates, almost regal.”
The restaurant would stay open another 21 years. And almost 30 years later, it would open once again. This was the menu:
Reception: Francois Montand Blanc de Blanc, The Cellar Gin Gimlet.
First course: Sampler of Cellar specialties, including New England Clam Chowder, Grilled Corned Beef Sandwich, Chicken Salad and Shrimp de Jonge paired with Ancien Chardonnay.
Second course: The Cellar Salad with Vinaigrette and Parmesan Cheese Toast. Paired with Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc.
Third course: Filet of Beef Lucius Beebe with Wild Rice Pilaf, braised Belgian Endive, Tomato stuffed with Celeriac Puree and paired with David Bruce Petite Syrah.
Fourth course: Rolling dessert cart sampler, including Mama Bennett’s 4-Layer Coconut Cake, Ouefs a la Neige, Trifle Chantilly and Mousse Au Chocolate with Whipped Cream paired with Tiamo Prosecco and Dark Roast Coffee with Cinnamon stick, Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans and Sugar Cube.
And I was there, listening to stories of those that frequented the city’s finest restaurant in its heydey. I didn’t see a single frown at any point in almost three hours. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any. Those seated with me got to see me frown when, while chewing a delicious bite of Filet of Beef Lucius Beebe, someone said something that made me laugh, and I breathed in the slice of tender beef an instant to early.
Swallowing delicious bites of food too rapidly isn’t foreign to me. But this sensation was. When I tried to politely swallow harder, it only seemed to spin somewhere north of my esophagus. A hint of panic in my heart, I made for the nearby front door the way Penny the Beagle makes for unmonitored trashcans.
Once outside, it was clear I was choking. I fought back the impulse to panic, and thought back to Mama Cathey’s strict instruction on the Heimlich Manuever when it came into vogue in 1974 (or was it 75?). I pressed my thumbs together and pressed upward in the area of my lower diaphragm, and….POP goes the Beebe.
And I alone lived to tell it. Furthermore, the convenience of a vegetarian wife reared its lovely head, as I was able to supplement what I’d lost with what she couldn’t bear to eat.
Beyond that embarrassing bit of sniffing the hereafter, I was treated to a meal brilliant in flavor and artistry and the privilege to share in the celebration of Mr. Hightower and chef Bennett. The lump crabmeat in portobello topped with gruyere was succulent and rich. The corned beef sandwich made my omnivore wife carniverate. So did the chicken salad. The clam chowder was soul-soothing. And of course the dessert cart offerings were decadent and delicious. When the chocolate mousse accidentally danced with Mama Bennett’s Coconut Cake, I swallowed the evidence before scandal could take root.
Iguana Mexican Grill and Table One chef Ryan Parrott helped Paseo Grill chef Jason Heald on Sunday, reporting that he spent most of his time in the kitchen getting yelled at by chef Bennett.
Bennett addressed the accusation during dinner, saying, “Ryan is going around telling people I brow-beat him, and it’s true. But just let me say, I enjoyed it.”
In a room full of smiles, no one smiled broader or longer than Paseo Grill owner Joe Jungmann. The restaurant he closes every Sunday was at capacity. Demand for more compelled he and chef Bennett to repeat the event on Monday for another full house. His over-acheiving staff performed impeccably, and his restaurant staged one of the city’s most memorable command performances.
Mrs. Hightower spoke glowingly, “Paseo Grill, is one of our favorite places to eat, and we just love Joe and are so happy he and John were able to come together to create such a magical and memorable night.”
So memorable a night that when I learned my beloved Chargers had lost against the underdog New York Jets, I didn’t bother watching the game on DVR. No, I just went to bed.
Before dozing into the sleep of the dead, I couldn’t help but wonder if fate would’ve been kinder to the Chargers had my mother been give a chance to give kicker Nate Kaeding the same Heimlich primer she’d given me.
Wake for Sean Cummings Irish Pub Includes Free Beer
He and wife Cathy, owner of Vito’s Ristorante, had been planning to open a new concept within half of Vito’s space, but finally decided to simply move the pub. Now you’ll have a family Italian restaurant on one side, and an Irish Pub on the other.
Sean Cummings Pub is moving in with Vito's Ristorante, but will still feature the copper bar and plenty of Guinness.
To celebrate, the wake begins Sunday at 1 p.m. in the old Pub space. Free beer will be served from 1 to 2 p.m.
Bagpipers will then lead a funeral procession from 9610 N. May down to 7521 N. May where the free beer will continue to flow. Irish music is planned and Sean guarantees, “An absolute riot.”
Cummings serves authentic Irish pub fare like bangers, features Irish music most nights of the week and Guinness on tap every night of the week.
Sean and Cathy had planned to open a street food concept in the portion of Vito’s where the Pub will now take residence.
Sean asks that if you come to Sunday’s services, that you dress in appropriate funeral attire.
“That means all black,” he said.
See you there.
A Local Cup of Joe
I’m not a big coffee guy, but cold as this winter’s been it would be foolish not to enjoy a hot cup of joe. When I do drink coffee, I seek the powers of locally roasted Elemental Coffee.
You can it at these establishments…
Oklahoma City
105 Degrees
Crescent Market
La Baguette – May Ave
Beatnix Cafe
Prairie Gypsies
Market C
The Deep Fork Grill
Wedge Pizzerias
Cafe Evoke
Edmond
Epicurean’s Pantry
Norman
Native Roots
Spots Elemental Coffee is Served
La Baguette – May Ave
La Baguette – Colcord Hotel
Beatnix Cafe
105 Degrees
The Wedge Pizzerias
The Deep Fork Grill
The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro
Cafe Evoke
Queen of Sheba
CocoFlow
Cafe 7
Table One / Seasons Catering
Oklahoma City is Pho Real.
Marine Diana Sanchez stopped by Pho Lien Hoa, 901 NW 23 St., on leave from Camp Pendleton in California to visit family. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
When an area in the city you live in contains an area that is more densely populated with Vietnamese residents than any other spot in the country, it stands to reason that you might find some decent pho.
Not to mention spring rolls and banh mi.
Thanks to the Asian District, all those Vietnamese standards are available daily from a myriad of sources.
Other places have Whole Foods and liquor laws that aren’t the laughingstock of the nation, we have legit pho.
Pho Lien Hoa is the standard-bearer of pho in these parts. That said, you’ll find some of the best pho in the country in the 73106 zip code.
What’s interesting, is the uprising of pho in the ‘burbs. A doubtlessly venerable undertaking, I have a difficult time giving pho the vote away from the Asian District.
I have no problem pinching a taco from Chalo’s Tacos, which is closer to Mercy Hospital than Integris Health Southwest Medical Center. But then I’m a taco junky. Bad example.
More along those lines, I’m hesitant to eat seafood when I can’t sniff salt in the air. I only choose Dr Pepper when I’m passing through Dublin, Texas…Heck, I even went to a Sooner football game, thanks to a very kind stranger at Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler on NW Expressway, and rooted for the Crimson and Cream — though they were playing Texas A&M which at the time was undefeated and ranked in the top 5 at the time. (Yes, it was very, very, very long time.)
ago.)
My motives for pho snobbery are murky. Perhaps I’ll develop a more liberal view of non-Asian District pho since there’s a Democrat in the White House. Maybe Colt McCoy’s pinched nerve was a nightmare I haven’t woken from yet. Maybe “Lost” will finally answer all my questions.
While I’m dreaming the impossible dream, I reckon I’ll be getting my pho in the 73106. See you there.
You and Julia
This Boeuf Bourguignon was prepared following Julia Child's original recipe from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."
Though we lost Julia Child in 2004, she enjoyed quite a comeback in 2009.
Thanks to Julie Powell’s blog, which became a book, “Julie and Julia” became a successful film, starring Meryl Streep. Then I shared the story of Oklahoma City’s own John Bennett, who enjoyed a lifelong friendship with the iconic chef that picked up at the moment in history where her part in “Julie and Julia” ended.
While Streep’s unbridled interpretation of Julia in all her eccentric wonder stole the show, the recipe that likely remained kicking around in the head’s of viewers is Boeuf Bourguignon.
The arctic temperatures that have the Heartland in the stranglehold, make this the the time to embrace your inner Julia. This is comfort food from France, guaranteed to warm the soul. Even my vegetarian wife enjoys the buttery onions and mushrooms in the resulting velvet-smooth brown gravy. Chili is clearly a great call for this kind of weather, but boeuf bourguignon stands shoulder to shoulder with it for cold daze like those upon and before us.
Thanks to Random House for releasing the original recipe for BB plus sauteed mushrooms and brown-braised onions from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’ Simply click on the images and zoom to about 50%, depending on the size of your screen, to read the recipe in Julia’s original text. Bon Appetit!
And here is Julia’s guide to choosing the right beef for this dish, courtesy of Random House:
The better the meat, the better the stew. While cheaper and coarser cuts may be used, the following are most recommended. Count on 1 pound of boneless meat, trimmed of fat, for 2 people; 3 if the rest of the menu is large.
First choice: Rump Pot Roast—Pointe de Culotte, or Aiguillette de Rumstek
Other choices: Chuck Pot Roast—Paleron, or Macreuse à Pot-au-feu
Sirloin Tip—Tranche Grasse
Top Round—Tende de Tranche
Bottom Round—Gîte à la Noix
