Oh, yes I do.

Set on a little street on the edge of the German Village in Columbus, OH, lies a “cafe” (and believe me, it really is nothing like a quaint coffee shop you would imagine when the word cafe comes to mind)— Thurman Cafe. It’s more like an old sports bar, with a pinball and pacman video game machine in the waiting area, Ohio’s sports team memorabilia hanging from the walls, neon signs and beer posters, and whole lot of character and attitude. It is also home to one of the most monstrous, and delicious, burgers in Columbus.

I watched Adam Richman from Man vs. Food consume the massive Thurmanator; a 2x3/4 pound beef patties, a generous heap of ham, cheddar and american cheese, sauteed onions, banana peppers and pickles and the regular lettuce and tomato. Since Shannon and I were in Columbus, we had to pay homage to this legendary burger joint.

We arrived around 6.30pm on a Saturday evening and had to wait for almost an hour before we were given a seat by the bar. The idea of 1.5 pounds of beef were daunting to our little asian stomachs. So we chickened out and ordered the regular thurman burger, basically a mini thurmanator (with one less beef patty).

There’s only so many ways a burger can go wrong— dry tasteless patty, bad/unmelted cheese, cold bun.. but the thurman burger was awesome! The patty was juicy and tasty, and so was everything else that was smothered on that patty. Shannon and I shared one burger, and we were already feeling the struggle to consume our entire halves (I woke up the next morning still feeling semi-full from the dinner). This burger, along with the fried pickles (a new found favourite appetizer of mine!) and fries smothered with teriyaki garlic bbq sauce glaze and bleu cheese, definitely a highlight of our day trip to Columbus!

I’ve never been a fan of greek yoghurt- way too viscous and tart for my liking. But recently, I’ve found that greek yoghurt really adds a creamy yet light richness to some dishes, as well as some much needed ‘color’ to a dull/dark dish.

First dish: Bacon, apple, arugula salad with maple syrup yoghurt dressing.

Mix one cup of greek yoghurt with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup- Voila! Simple salad dressing! The creaminess and sweetness of the dressing really complements the bitter nuttiness of the arugula. NOMNOMS.

Second dish: Street meat (chicken over rice, 53rd and 6th, anyone?)

I think most of us who’ve been to NYC are familiar with the chicken over rice stall at 53rd and 6th. Jonathan and I tried to recreate this dish that day with a recipe we found on Gilt taste and I must say, i think it definitely was on our list of favourite dishes we’ve cooked. We polished off almost a whole pot of rice and 6 chicken thighs— and that was just for the two of us. But yes, that ubiquitious white sauce you see doused over your orange rice and browned and heavenly smelling mixed meat is made with mayo, greek yoghurt, parsley, lemon juice and white vinegar! and it really does go with any heavily spiced dish. So whip up a tub and keep it in your fridge til you need some :) and I suspect that once you make a batch, you’ll find even more excuses to cook more things just to have it with :)

This weekend, I made a new discovery— Beer sangrias. Arguably the best drink for hot summer days!

I don’t have a standardized recipes, but you can basically mix any light beer (we used a lager) with gingerale, triple sec, fresh lemon and lime juice, and a few fresh cut fruits of your choice! I personally chose mangoes and oranges, but I know people commonly put in pears and apples too.

The beauty of this drink is that it is completely customizable— so put in whatever tickles your fancy.

Top it off with some ice cubes, drink from a mason jar, and enjoy it while basking in the sun.

Noun

raviolo (plural ravioli)

1. (chiefly in the plural) A single, large parcel of pasta with a filling, served with a sauce.

Now I know this picture does the dish absolutely no justice.

Preferably, I should have taken a photo resembling this: 

But, romantic dim lighting in restaurants do not allow for such clarity. Anyhow, I discovered the amazing dish at Amali, a mediterranean restaurant in NYC. This amazing large raviolo (basically, singular of the ravioli, and bigger) was filled with creamy ricotta cheese, prosciutto and AN SOFT AND RUNNY EGG YOLK that burst with intensely rich, creamy, golden goodness when sliced into, and oozed into the white wine sauce and parmesan sauce on the plate. 

I love pasta. and the millions of variations. and the millions of ways it can be prepared. 

New found pasta love; the raviolo. The only thing I would change— I would have more than one on the plate. :P

For more information on how to make this delightful dish, check out this website: http://www.sippitysup.com/uova-da-raviolo-big-plate-and-oozing-egg

LONG LIVE OUVA DA RAVIOLO!

Machinetta

williamvalle:

Four local chefs turn the most famous dish at McDonald’s into a five-star meal. BY: Karon Liu

We asked four chefs to turn a Big Mac combo (burger, fries and a Coke, plus lots of condiments) into a five-star dish. To our surprise, they agreed. The only rule: other than oil and water, no extra ingredients allowed. The result is four meals that won’t be seen on a specials board anytime soon.

1. Local Kitchen’s McLumi Platter
It took chef/co-owner Fabio Bondi three tries to get this dish right. He made mortadella (an Italian cold cut) out of emulsified patties, lettuce, onions and sweet-and-sour sauce. But when he poached the sausage, it exploded. The same thing happened when he put it in a hot pan. In the end, he prepared it in the restaurant’s backyard smoker. The buns were toasted and made into crostini (the sesame seeds were mixed with ketchup to resemble mostarda, a fruit and mustard condiment). The nodini (bread knots) were made from fries.

2. Campagnolo’s Big Mac All’Americana
Chefs Craig Harding and Nigel French kept it traditional (sort of) by making a (sort of) pasta dish. Fries were julienned for the spaghetti, which they served with a burger-patty-and-ketchup bolognaise. In lieu of parmesan: a grated, toasted bun. “In Italy, when you can’t afford cheese, you would actually use bread instead,” says Harding. “It’s called ‘poor man’s parmesan.’”

3. The Drake’s Birthday Surprise
“I wanted to keep it kitschy, which is what we do here at The Drake,” says chef Anthony Rose. The burger was iced with a blend of fries, ketchup, special sauce and Coca-Cola. The flowers on the side of the cake are pickles, and a cola reduction was used as sauce. One final touch: The extra fries were used as candles and were so greasy, they actually lit up when blasted with a blowtorch. Coincidentally, there was a birthday party in the restaurant that day. Rose did not serve the burger cake.

4. Aravind’s Open-Faced Samosas
Father-and-son team Raj and Aravind Kozhikott wanted their creation to reflect their restaurant’s Indian cuisine. To make the samosa filling, they diced the meat, mixed it with the onion and used barbecue sauce as a binding agent before wrapping it in two rolled-out-and-fried burger buns. The fries were bundled up using strips of a cut-up fry box. The cheese from the burger was scraped off the patty and used as a sauce.

o.m.g.

frenchcuisse

I just chanced upon a blog that I wish were mine. Amazing photography of dishes created by the photographer and chef himself. 

That crema is to die for.

ffoodd:

cappucino (by Ozanilhan)

(via ffoodd-deactivated20120802)

How amazing does this sound?!

Deep fried balls of mushroom-infused roux!!