Chicken Quesadilla

Been wanting to make a chicken quesadilla for quite some time now. As dumb as it sounds, I never made it because I was always afraid of cooking bland and dry pieces of chicken. After making some chicken cutlets for my salad a few months ago, I realized that a simple combination of seasonings can make a decent piece of chicken. So I decided it was time I make this simple classic dish.

For the seasoning, I used a taco seasoning mix (link to recipe below). I defrosted 3 thin skinless, boneless chicken breasts cutlets that I already had in my freezer. I put my newly bought Jaccard meat tenderizer into good use and applied the seasoning on the chicken via the zip lock bag method. I rubbed the cutlets in the bag until it had a good coating on it and put it back in the fridge for approx an hour so that the flavor could sink in.

Took the chicken out of the fridge about 45 mins before I wanted to cook so that the chicken was closer to room temperature (I didn't want the outside of the chicken to burn before the inside was cooked).

Used my cast iron pan and grilled each side of the cutlets for 2-3 mins. I removed the chicken from the pan, cut it into slices and put it aside. Took a paper towel and lightly oiled my cast iron pan. Put the flour tortilla on the pan, added a good layer of cheese (I decided to just buy the shredded Mexican cheese mix), added the pieces of chicken on one side of the tortilla and then added another layer of cheese. Took my fish spatula and folded the tortilla like you would when making an omelet. When the cheese started to melt, I flipped over the quesadilla and grilled the other side for another min (low to med heat).

When it was done, I cut it in half and voila!

(P.S. - I decided to make green sauce instead of salsa)

Overall, the quesadilla came out pretty good. The chicken cooked just right and with the right amount of flavor. The cheese was nicely melted and the tortilla was warm and crisp. It also went pretty well with the green sauce.

Next time, I think it will put some green/red peppers and onions in the quesadilla.

Taco Seasoning: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/detail.aspx
Chicken Quesadilla: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-quesadillas

Shake Shack

I was never a big fan of Shack Shake but I gotta admit, I was pretty excited when I saw that one had opened up near Roosevelt Field mall. Finally, after 6+ months, I had a chance to try it.

I got a SmokeShack, cheese fries and a fifty/fifty (half lemonade and half iced tea). As I said earlier, I was never a big fan. But seeing one out in LI and hardly seeing a crazy line, I figured it would be a good opportunity to give Shack Shake another try.

I got there around 820 on  Tuesday night. No line whatever so that was great. However, while we were waiting for our food, a line about 10 people formed. Nothing compared to the typical shake shack line.

The burger was what I remembered it to be. Decent but nothing that blew my mind. The only thing that was memorable was the chopped cherry pepper. The burger can't compare to five guys imo.

Fries weren't special either. I never understood why a place like this would serve fries like that. You would think they would have better fries to go with their "delicious" burger. Anyway, I saw on their website that they are piloting a new "fresh-cut" fries in one of their location in Manhattan. I'm glad something better is coming! (Five Guys Cajun fries is the best!!)

Anyway, I'm glad this location is there but I think when I crave a burger, I will choose five guys 90% of the time.

...although I may come here for a late night milk shake??

Shake Shack
860 Old Country Rd
Garden City, NY 11530

shakeshack.com

The Crazy Flamingo

Wow, it's been so long since I posted. I really don't have a good excuse...I've just been lazy.

Let's star this off with this local bar in Florida.

Kathy's Seafood Marinara - $12.99

Fish Sandwich - $10.99

Buffalo Wings - Bald Eagle Sauce - $9.99

Overall, good restaurant/bar to have near your house. The fish sandwich was fresh and delicious. The wings were spicy (as promised - Bald Eagle is their spiciest sauce) and not too big. 

Looking back at these pics is making me crave some buffalo wings and beer...

The Crazy Flamingo
1035 N Collier Blvd Ste 313
Marco Island, FL 34145
(239) 642-9600

thecrazyflamingo.com

Datz

Stopped by here for a bite before flying back to NY. It was the #1 tampa place on Yelp so I figured why not.

Got there around 11am so we were able to sit right down.

Chili

The chili was good. Taste was flavorful. The consistency was more soup like than stew like. It also lacked an abundance of beans. Personally, I prefer it a bit thicker base and a good amount of beans. Other than that, I enjoyed this.

Dumb Cluck Beer - $12
Braised pulled chicken, bbq sauce & white ched-dar served hot on a house-baked sourdough bun

Chicken was moist, flavorful and wasn't too sweet. Good sandwich. Chips were good as well.

Havana Hottie - $12
Datz pulled pork, baked ham, swiss cheese, dill pickle, honeycup mustard, served hot on a house-baked batard

I personally did not like this one as much. H liked it though. I thought it was a bit on the bland and dry side. Fries were good.

Overall, great place to stop by for some lunch. Service was super nice. They also had a nice bakery. If I had more people to share a dessert with me, I would have gotten one ;)

Datz
2616 S MacDill Ave
Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 831-7000
datztampa.com

Carnitas' Snack Shack

This place is really a shack. There is a small order window in the front of the establishment and seating in the back area. It seems like a young/college crowd (based on my one time experience). 

We ended up getting ours to go. 

Steak Sandwich  - sliced ribeye/ jalapeno cheddar bread/ tomato/ pickled serranos/ chipotle aioli - $9

This was actually very good. The steak was flavorful and not chewy. I think what did it for me was the jalapeno cheddar bread.

Pork Belly App - braised duroc pork/ sweet-spicy glaze/ frisée salad/ apples/ radish/ lemon vinaigrette - $8 

So do you notice the small container of sauce in the first pic? Well, that was suppose to be spread all off the pork belly! When I first saw it, I thought it was for the salad so I didn't think anything of it. It was only until after we finished the pork belly, did we realized. Too bad actually because I think it probably would have enhanced this dish. I found this one a bit plain.

Side of Seasoned Fries - $2.50

Ah, a side of seasoned fries...good but I wish they had given my ketchup. Argh.

Overall, good place but I would recommend calling ahead of time to place the order. The long line for food is just not worth it.


Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Ave (between Pershing Ave & Villa Ter)
San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 294-7675
http://carnitassnackshack.com/

Pan Seared Salmon with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

I think you guys should be proud of me. Yesterday evening I had decided that I was going to eat 5 guys for dinner tonight. After speaking to a co-worker (that does not eat meat) talk about the fish dishes she eats, I was inspired to cook fish for the first time tonight!

It came out pretty good! I followed a salmon recipe that I found online during lunch today and I am really happy with the results. It's really easy to cook. The hardest part is just skinning it and removing the bones from the fillet. The skining part just needs some practice and I think I need to get some tweezers for the deboning part.

I am happy that I no longer have to go to the over priced Malagueta to get my salmon dish!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/super-simple-salmon/

The Cottage

Side view of the restaurant

The line is suppose to be crazy but since we went on a weekday around 10ish, we only waited for about 10 mins. We ended up with an outside table. It was nice.

Fruit Smoothie - $4

Good smoothie but I'm not a big fan of smoothies with a meal. I feel like it's a meal by itself.

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice - $4

Not sure why I ordered this and ....the below

Mexican Mocha

Looks pretty but I wasn't feeling it.

Joe’s Special - eggs scrambled with chicken sausage, spinach, mushrooms, onions- $11.95

H enjoyed it. I thought the potatoes were on the bland side.

Wasn't very hot in my opinion.

Stuffed French Toast - country style french toast with strawberry compote and marscapone cheese top with fresh bananas and strawberries - $14.45

The regular size portion comes with three pieces. You can actually ask him for one or just two pieces. I opted for two but I was only able to eat one piece. They are super filling and good.


The Cottage
7702 Fay Ave (between Silverado St & Kline St)
La Jolla, CA 92037

(858) 454-8409

www.cottagelajolla.com
www.yelp.com/biz/the-cottage-la-jolla

George's Ocean Terrace

First restaurant we ate at in San Diego. I was pretty excited about this place because the restaurant supposedly had a great view of the ocean. People were right. It was a nice view. I love restaurants overlooking water.

I forgot to take a plain shot of the view with my camera so here's a pic courtesy of the internet;)

I had an early reservation (5pm) ish and the sun was still out and bright. Besides the sun beaming down on us directly, the weather was prefect.

I really wanted a glass of red white but it was pretty hot outside so I figure I'll enjoy a margarita instead.

George’s Famous Soup - smoked chicken, broccoli and black beans - $10

This was for H but I had a couple of spoons. It was pretty flavorful.

Crispy Calamari - $12

This was good. It was crispy and not too chewy like some calamari that I've had. The pieces were just the right size and the breading had some good seasoning on it. The sauce on the side reminded me of the sauce that comes with the toasted meat ravioli at Olive Garden. It went well with the calamari.

Fresh Mussels - baked in natural juice with stock and butter, served with grilled country bread - $13.5

I'm not sure when I started enjoying mussels but I'm glad I did. This was good. I love mussels as an appetizer because it's light and won't fill you up.

Spaghetti with Clams - toasted garlic, roasted tomatoes, white wine, and extra virgin olive oil - $20

H said this was good as well. Fresh clams and pasta cooked right. It might have had a bit too much wine for his taste but overall, it was good.

Garlic Roasted Shrimp - chickpeas, chorizo, piquillo peppers, roasted fennel, lemon and almonds - $25

This was my entree...I thought it was great. The shrimp was nicely grilled and seasoned well although H said it was a bit bland. I didn't think so.

The chickpeas was a nice addition too. It complemented the dish instead of overwhelming it.

Overall, I would recommend this restaurant if you are looking to enjoy a good meal with a beautiful scenery. The food is not spectacular but ambiance makes up for it.


George's Ocean Terrace
George's at the Cove
1250 Prospect St
La Jolla, CA 92037

(858) 454-4244
www.georgesatthecove.com

In-N-Out Burger

I guess I am still on east coast time because I woke up at 4am PST today. Waiting for someone to wake up, I figure I'll post a few pics of what I've ate so far.

In-N-Out Burger...I had totally forgot about this place! You can guess how happy I was when I saw it from the corner of my eye while heading to my hotel. It was noon and I was hungry so it was like it was meant to be...

I got myself a single patty cheeseburger with chopped chilis, animal style! The other burger was the same thing but it had 2 patties.

(Excuse the pics - took it at the wrong angle)

The burger was good although I remember it being better in SF. It was actually a bit messy. Not sure if they overdid it with the sauce or not. I actually waited for H to finish his burger first so I can eat mine over the tray.

The only thing that stood out was the chopped chilis. It gave the burger that extra kick. Everything else was not memorable.

The fries were decent as well. Nothing special. I think I might have gotten the last batch because it had a lot of little tiny pieces.

Overall, the meal was good but not as good as I remember. I still think 5 Guys is better.

In-N-Out Burger
San Diego, CA

Peruvian Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Green Sauce

This post is dedicated to a certain someone that has the same initials as me. Sorry you couldn't make it for dinner.

I was browsing some food blog sites and came across the recipe for peruvian chicken and the green sauce. The pictures looked really good so I decided to try out the recipe myself.

Overall, I thought it was pretty good meal. However, I will definitely make some adjustments the next time I cook this. The chicken was moist and packed with flavor. It might have been packed with a little too much flavor, especially since I had the green sauce. I did think that the combination of the chicken and green sauce did conflict with each other. I feel like if you are going to use the green sauce, you should use it with a lightly seasoned chicken. The next time I make the chicken, I will cut back on the salt and see how it goes.

I liked the roasted potatoes as well. It was simple to make and tasted good. Soft on the inside and somewhat crisp on the outside (well, at least the thin slices). The next time I make this, I will make sure that I cut the potato into thinner slices.

The green sauce was really good. I think it is just as good as the one from pio pio. I am super happy I found this recipe. I definitely don't have to go out to pio pio as much anymore.

The salad was a nice complement to the meal. The chicken, potatoes and green sauce was very hearty. The light and crisp greens was a nice way to balance things out.

I can't wait to make this again with my adjustments!

Recipe for Chicken and Green Sauce
http://tasty-eating.blogspot.com/2013/03/lunch-week-10-peruvian-chicken-with.html

Recipe for Roasted Potatoes
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oven-roasted-potatoes/Detail.aspx

*Notes*
For the Roasted Potatoes recipe, I used 5 Yukon Gold Potatoes. I also did not put every ingredient listed on the recipe. I only added the following ingredients: Olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, black pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. I baked it for about 45 mins (@425-450F)  and then broiled it for 10 minutes. At the 30 mins mark, I would check on the potatoes to see their progress and adjust the timing according.

For the chicken I had baked 7 chicken thighs. I found that it needed to be in the oven (@ 375 F) for about an hour before the thickest part of the chicken reached about 180-190F.

Since I didn't know how to adjust the temperature and timing to cook both the chicken and potatoes in the oven at the same time, I decided to cook them separate. I cooked the potatoes first (for approx 45 mins) and then cooked the chicken. Once the chicken was done, I took it out to let to rest and then broiled the potatoes for 8-10 mins.

Grand Lux Cafe

Anyone that knows me knows that I love me a good Chicken Parm!!

I don't know if it's sad or what but I really like Olive Garden's chicken parm. I find their chicken breaded nicely and flavored well. I can't say how many times I've ordered chicken parm at an Italian restaurant only to be disappointed. I guess that is what I get for ordering such a dish at an Italian restaurant.

Anyway, long story short, I found another place that makes awesome chicken parm.

The chicken is extremely tender and flavored well. Their portions are huge. The above pics represents their lunch portion. I can't imagine what their dinner portion looks like.

One thing I have to say is that I'm not too sure about their fettuccine alfredo yet. The first time I got it, it was good. The second time, I felt it could have been a bit softer.

Baked Apple Pie with Ice Cream

You have to order this when you order your food because they supposedly bake it fresh. We had to wait about another 10 mins after we finished our meal before we got this.

The crust was good but I found the apple slices a bit tart.

Latte

As you can see, the prices are pretty reasonable.

This place can get crazy packed. If you want to go there for lunch, I recommend showing up around noon to 1230. Any time after that, the lobby is usually packed.


Grand Lux Cafe
630 Old Country Rd.
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 741-0096

www.grandluxcafe.com