Mojarra Rellena de Camaron

Salvadoran whole fried tilapia with shrimp!
   
     The translation of this Salvadoran fish entree is not literal.  Rellena refers to stuffed.  The shrimp are usually spooned over the tilapia and not stuffed in the cavity of the whole fish.  Tilapia is usually served as the fish mojarra.  Mojarra refers to a fish that is used for bait like large pinfish.  Mojarra frita refers to a whole fried tilapia.  Many coastal Mexican recipes refer to this entree as mojarra con mojo de ajo camarones.  San Salvadorans call this entree mojarra rellena de camaron and sometimes mojarra rellena de camarones.  The diction depends on tradition and local dialects.  This is somewhat confusing to some, but it goes to show how food names are worth researching!
     There are many great Salvadoran restaurants in the Las Vegas valley.  I have posted a few Las Vegas Salvadoran restaurant reviews in the past.  Salvadoran food is usually mild tasting and not overly spicy hot.  Just because Salvadoran food is mild does not mean that it is bland!  The sauce for the shrimp is a quickly made sofrito of tomato, garlic, cilantro, onion, mild peppers and mild chile powders.  Coriander, cumin and a generous couple of pinches of ground anatto give this sauce a very pleasant flavor.
     The mojarra frita cooking technique is a great way to cook tilapia.  The whole tilapia is gutted and scaled first.  Deep gashes are cut into the flesh, so the frying time is drastically reduced.  The oil must be at least 1 1/2 inches deep in a large cast iron skillet or saute pan.  The oil must be about 360 degrees, so the skin and highlights of the fish become crisp.  The fish is fried one side at a time and the fish needs to be flipped a few times to prevent excess browning.
      Restaurants usually cook mojarra frita in a deep fat fryer, but many use the deep pan frying method.  The result is a whole fish with caramelized crispy highlights and the meat underneath the surface is very moist and full of flavor.  Pan frying a whole fish with this method locks the flavor and moisture in!

     Mojarra Frita Recipe:   
     Gut and scale a medium to large size whole tilapia.
     Cut slices through the skin and meat to the bone on both sides of the fish.  Do not cut through the bones!  The gashes should be spaced about 1 inch apart.  The line of the gill behind the head should be used as a guide for the first slice gash.
     Dredge the gashed whole tilapia in flour that is seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.
     Heat about 1" to 1 1/2" of vegetable frying oil in a deep sided cast iron skillet or sauteuse pan to 360 degrees.  (The pan must be wider than the length of the fish.)
     Carefully pick the fish up by the tail and place it in the hot frying oil.
     Pan fry the tilapia.
     Turn the tilapia once every two minutes or so.  Use tongs to turn the fish in the pan, so splashing is minimized!
     Keep pan frying and turning the fish, till the flesh gets some light brown highlights and till the fish becomes fully cooked.
     Place the whole fried tilapia on a dry towel to drain off any excess grease.
     Keep the fish warm on a stove top.

     Mojarra Rellena de Camaron Recipe:  
     The shrimp and sauce should not be made ahead of time for this entree.  The sauce can be made while the fish is frying or the fish can be kept warm while the sauce is made.  This sauce only takes about 4 minutes to make!
     Heat a saute pan over medium high heat.
     Add a small splash of vegetable oil.
     Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion.
     Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped green bell pepper.
     Saute for 30 seconds, till the onions begin to turn clear on the edges.
     Add 3 cloves of minced garlic.
     Add 1 thin sliced green onion..
     Add 12 to 14 peeled and deveined medium size shrimp.  (Remove the tails for this recipe.)
     Saute till the shrimp become halfway cooked.
     Add 1 small handful of finely chopped tomato.
     Saute till the tomato starts to become soft.
     Add 1 splash of dry white wine.
     Add 1 cup of light chicken stock.
     Add 1 pinch of crushed red pepper.
     Add 2 pinches of ground chile pasilla.
     Add 1 pinch of cumin.
     Add 2 pinches of coriander.
     Add 3 pinches of ground anatto.
     Add 2 pinches of paprika.
     Add 6 chopped cilantro leaves.
     Stir and rapidly reduce the sauce, till a medium thin sauce forms.
     Add 1 small squeeze of lime juice.
     Remove the sauce and shrimp from the heat.
     Place the mojarra frita on a plate.
     Generously spoon the shrimp and the sauce over the fried tilapia.
     Garnish with cilantro sprigs or parsley sprigs.
     Serve with white rice that is cooked with chicken broth on the side.

     Delicious!  The mild mojo di ajo camarones sauce is perfect for smothering the mojarra frita!  The pasilla chile adds a mild fruity chile flavor to the sauce.  The anatto and coriander add color and mild gentle flavors.  The tomato gives the sauce a nice rich body.  The lime is always added last, so the crisp clean lime flavor remains sharp.  The tilapia is crisp on the outside while moist and tender in the middle.  The shrimp are plump and tender, because they are not overcooked.  This is a very nice healthy Salvadoran entree that is not too difficult to make!  Yum!  ...  Shawna
  

     
   

    

Shrimp Radicchio and Mint Egg Rolls with Spicy Sweet Lumpfish Caviar Sake Sauce

French fusion confusion!
     This appetizer was a spur of the moment creation.  I stopped by the office at the club house to pay rent and two of my favorite "food fan" office girls were working today.  They loved the sauces from school that I gave them a few weeks ago and the conversation turned to food.  Both the girls wanted to try some of my cooking, so I offered to make a nice appetizer for them.  This Shrimp Radicchio and Mint Egg Rolls with Spicy Sweet Lumpfish Caviar Sake Sauce appetizer came to mind!
     The girls at the clubhouse office were very surprised to see me return with this entree after a very short 15 minutes.  It took 12 minutes to come up with this idea and to cook this appetizer!  The other 3 minutes were spent driving to and from my apartment.  If you are going to be a chef, you have to be very fast at creating and cooking!
     This recipe is my own creation and it turned out rather impressive!  I wanted to create a contrast of levels of balancing flavors that would satisfy all the taste sensations.  Bitter radicchio, savory shrimp, mellowing crisp mint, sour lime, umami red lumpfish caviar, hints of Chinese five spice, gentle snow peas, spicy and lightly sweet.  That is complex!
     The crunch of the egg roll wrapper adds to the appeal.  The fusion presentation of this appetizer looks nice and modern too.  This turned out to be a nice appetizer idea that I could easily sell in a trendy restaurant.


     Shrimp Radicchio and Mint Egg Rolls Recipe:
     Prepare all the ingredients, before starting to saute!
     Heat a saute pan or a wok over medium/medium high heat.
     Add a very small splash of vegetable oil.
     Add 6 medium size shrimp.
     Saute the shrimp, till they are a little less than halfway cooked.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of ginger paste.
     Add 1 teaspoon of garlic paste.
     Saute for 5 to 10 seconds.
     Add 1 large handful of very thinly sliced radicchio.
     Add 8 to 10 snow peas that are very thinly julienne sliced.
     Add 2 very thin julienne sliced green onions.
     Add about 1/2 to 1 ounce of very thin julienne sliced green bell pepper.
     Add 10 to 12 chiffonade sliced mint leaves.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1 small pinch of Chinese five spice powder.
     Saute till the vegetables begin to wilt.
     Add 1 small splash of sesame oil.
     Add 1 small splash of rice wine.
     Reduce till the liquid evaporates.
     Add 1 small squeeze of lime juice.
     Immediately transfer the stuffing mixture to a plate and let it cool.
     Remove the shrimp from the mixture.
     Slice and shred the shrimp.
     Return the shredded shrimp to the stuffing mixture.
     Toss the ingredients together.
     Place 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of flour into a small bowl.
     Add 1/4 cup of water while stirring, till a thin wash is formed.  (This starchy wash takes the place of an egg wash, for sealing the egg rolls.)
     Lay two 7"x7" egg roll wrappers on a counter top.
     Spoon equal amounts of the stuffing mixture on the center of the egg roll wrappers.
     Form the stuffing into a short mounded straight even line shape on each wrapper, but leave about a 1" to 1 1/4" bare border on the wrappers.
     Brush the border of the egg roll wrappers with the cornstarch and flour wash.
     Fold the sides of the wrappers over the ends of the stuffing.
     Fold the wrappers over the stuffing and roll the egg rolls into a sealed, tubular egg roll shape.
     Place enough vegetable frying oil into a small sauce pot, so the oil is about 4" deep.
     Heat the oil to 360 degrees.
     Fry the egg rolls till they turn a light tan brown color and till they become crisp.
     Set the egg rolls on a dry towel to drain off any excess grease.
     Keep the egg rolls warm on a stove top for a few minutes, while the sauce is made!

     Spicy Sweet Lumpfish Caviar Sake Sauce Recipe:
     Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat.
     Add 1/2 cup of rice wine.
     Add 2 teaspoons of sugar.
     Add 1 small pinch of crushed red Thai chile pepper.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of thin soy sauce.
     Bring the sauce to a gentle boil.
     Reduce the liquid by 1/3, till a little more than 1/4 cup of liquid remains.
     Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 small splash of water together in a small bowl, to form a slurry.
     Add only enough of the slurry while stirring, to thicken the sauce to a thin sauce consistency.
     Remove the pan from the heat, after the color of the sauce turns clear.
     Add 1 teaspoon of red lumpfish caviar.
     Add 3 or 4 drops of sesame oil.
     Stir the sauce.
     Keep the sauce off of the heat after adding the caviar, but keep it warm on the stove top!

     Shrimp Radicchio and Mint Egg Rolls with Spicy Sweet Lumpfish Caviar Sake Sauce:
     Blanch 4 feather cut snow peas in boiling water.
     Remove the snow peas from the water, when they become al dente.
     Minimally cut the ends of the egg rolls, so they stand up straight when plated.
     Bias cut the egg rolls in half on a 45+ degree angle.
     Place the egg roll halves on the center of a plate, so they stand vertically.
     Place the 4 blanched snow peas on the plate, so the feathered ends point outward from the egg rolls.
     Spoon the spicy sweet caviar sauce on the plate around the egg rolls.
     Place a few mint leaves at the base of each egg roll.

     I did have time to taste the egg roll stuffing and sauce, before delivering this appetizer to the office.  The flavors were very well balanced and interesting!  The sauce had a very nice balance of flavors.  The red lumpfish caviar added a nice Vietnamese fish sauce kind of flavor to the sauce.  From the reaction and descriptions that the office girls had for this appetizer, I could tell that this appetizer was well received.  The problem is that I am now very hungry, because I had none!  Ha!  ...  Shawna

   
   
 

Kuku Sabzi Jibneh Arabieh Dolma Felfel

A creative Persian style stuffed pepper for breakfast!
     I have been craving Arabic food, Persian food and eggs for the last few days.  So I decided to create a breakfast recipe that combines all of those cravings!
     I posted a kookoo sabzi recipe a few months ago in this blog.  There are several ways to spell kookoo sabzi.  Kuku or kookoo means the same thing, when referring to sabzi.  Kuku sabzi is a flat thin parsley and egg frittata.  Kuku sabzi can also be made with minced mint and herbs, not just parsley.  The kuku sabzi egg mixture is is mixed with basmati rice and fresh cheese.  The egg stuffing is partially cooked before being placed in the pepper.
     Dolma felfel simply means stuffed pepper.  Most often, dolma felfel refers to a meat stuffed pepper.  Eggs are very popular in Persian, Arabic, Jewish and Egyptian cuisine, so it was a natural to try stuffing a pepper with eggs to make a middle eastern style breakfast recipe.
     There are several different kinds of fresh cheese that are used in Arabic and Persian cooking.  The Jibneh Arabieh cheese that I used for this recipe is a cows milk cheese that is similar to queso fresco or fresh mozzarella.  Fresh cheese can be found in middle eastern markets.  If a Persian market is not close to your area, then Mexican queso fresco is a good substitute.
     Goats milk yogurt is used in the stuffing and to make the sauce.  The yogurt sauce has a bold flavor, so a little bit goes a long way.
     I made this recipe with breakfast in mind, but this egg stuffed pepper entree can be served as an evening meal too.
   
     Kuku Sabzi Jibneh Arabieh Dolma Felfel Recipe:
     Soak 3 tablespoon of basmati rice in water for 1 1/2 hours.
     Rinse the rice seven times.
     Drain the water off of the rice.
     Boil 1 cup of water in a small sauce pot.
     Add the soaked and rinsed basmati rice.
     Return the liquid to a boil.
     Reduce the temperature to medium low heat.
     Simmer the rice, till it is cooked al dente.
     Drain any excess water off of the rice and set the rice aside.
     Place 2 eggs into a mixing bowl.
     Add about 20 minced mint leaves.
     Add about 20 minced Italian parsley leaves.
     Add 1 pinch of basil.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add 2 pinches of tarragon.
     Add 1 minced garlic clove.
     Add 1 thin sliced green onion.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add the reserved basmati rice.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of Greek style goats milk yogurt.
     Add 1 small squeeze of lemon juice.
     Whisk the ingredients together.
     Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add the egg mixture.
     Gently saute and stir the egg mixture, till the egg are only halfway cooked and so the eggs are very runny.
     Transfer the egg mixture into a bowl.
     Add 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh Arabic cheese or queso fresco.
     Stir the ingredients together.
     Select a bell pepper that can stand up straight.  (Red, yellow or green bell pepper is good for this recipe.  I chose red!)
     Neatly cut the top off of the pepper and reserve the top.
     Remove the pulp and seeds from inside the pepper.
     Lightly brush the outside of the pepper and pepper top with olive oil.
     Place the pepper on a baking pan.
     Spoon as much of the egg stuffing into the pepper as you can.
     Place the pepper top back on the stuffed pepper.
     Bake the stuffed pepper in a 350 degree oven.
     Bake until the pepper becomes cooked, but not brown and till the stuffing becomes fully cooked.  (About 30 to 45 minutes.)
     Carefully remove the baked stuffed pepper from the oven.
     Allow the pepper to cool for 2 minutes.

     Garlic Mint Yogurt Sauce Recipe:
     Place 2 tablespoons of plain Greek style goats milk yogurt into a bowl.
     Add 2 minced garlic cloves.
     Add 7 minced mint leaves.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of turmeric.
     Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
     Add 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil.
     Mix the ingredients together.
     Add just enough water, while stirring, to thin the sauce to a thin cream consistency.

     Assembly:
     Place the stuffed pepper on the center of a plate.
     Spoon the yogurt sauce around the pepper.
     Garnish with mint sprigs.

     Yummy and very aromatic!  This is not your average breakfast recipe.  The aroma of mint, garlic and herbs is mouth watering.  The lemon juice prevents the eggs from turning gray in color and the yogurt keeps the eggs moist.  The melted mild fresh cheese in the stuffing adds to the appeal.  The simple yogurt sauce compliments the flavors of the stuffed pepper.
     The basmati rice takes the place of potatoes as a starch and the egg stuffing is comfortably filling.  Any leftover stuffing can be used to stuff smaller vegetables as a snack.
     This is a nice Arabic Persian style breakfast stuffed pepper creation!  It definitely has a fresh aromatic flavor.  Yum!  ...  Shawna
   
 

Lamb Kabob at the Shish-Kabob Restaurant, Las Vegas!

Kabob City!  Yum!
   
     There are many kabob shops that have opened in Las Vegas during the last few years.  Kabobs are a traditional desert treat that are perfect for the Las Vegas active lifestyle.  After the turkey day holiday, kabobs were a welcome sight!
     The Shish-Kabob Restaurant is located at 380 West Sahara, just a couple of blocks off of the strip.  The Shish Kabob shop has a small dining area.  They do deliver and kabobs to-go are great for the on the go crowd.
     The first sign in the kabob shop that you will notice is the one that clearly states "NO FREEZERS, NO HEAT LAMPS and NO MICROWAVES!"  This kabob shop cooks everything the old fashioned traditional way.
     The grill and kabob menu is extensive.  Traditional middle eastern and Greek kabobs are the featured items on the menu.  Grilled lamb chops, pork, chicken and seafood are also offered.  There is a large gourmet sandwich menu on the board.  Greek salads, hummus and eggplant are on the menu too.
     After browsing the menu, I decided to order the lamb shish kabob platter.  The kabobs are cooked to order, so I sat at a table with my drink and waited for my kabob.  A nice view of the northern Las Vegas Strip can be seen from the window.  The dining room and kitchen were clean and the wait was very comfortable.
     Many of the employees at the shish kabob shop are from the middle east.  This adds to the appeal, because Arabic and Persian cooks are experts at making shish kabobs.  The Shish Kabob Shop is a stereotypical first generation middle eastern immigrant kabob shop!
     While waiting, the food stock delivery for the restaurant arrived in a stereotypical Arabic black Lincoln Town Car!  The big trunk on the black Lincoln popped open and the employees quickly unloaded the fresh food into the restaurant.  A huge big middle eastern guy was wearing a T-shirt that was about 3 sizes too small and his huge hairy belly was exposed for all to see.  I thought to myself, this could really be sensory overload for some people, but for a fan of middle eastern food, this was a view that brings back many great memories!  The odd thing that I noticed, was that Christmas music was playing in the restaurant and this was an Arabic style establishment.  I can't say that this Kabob Shop lacks character.  In a place like this, you know that the kabob's are going to be good!
     My lamb kabob order was delivered to my table fresh from the grill.  The aroma of the lamb kabob smelled awesome!  The lamb was lightly marinated before grilling and the meat was very tender.  There was no shortage of flavor on these kabobs!  The lamb kabob platter included a large bed of white rice, pita bread, pepperoncini, a grilled tomato and a very nice salad with a fresh middle eastern style dressing.  This was a very filling large plate of good food for the money!
     After finishing my meal, the owner of the Kabob Shop, who was the big middle eastern guy with the big hairy belly, asked me if I enjoyed my dinner.  I responded with nothing but compliments.  I asked about the Pumpkin and Pecan name that was given to the business.  He told me a long story that was kind of hard to understand about some meeting with President Bush and stuff and my mind kept saying to myself that this place was really very stereotypically first generation Arabic!  The Pumpkin and Pecan cartoon characters were chosen to give children something to identify the place by, for commercial potential.  This shop was doing everything that they thought was good for promoting middle eastern cuisine in America.  Christmas music and Thanksgiving cartoon characters really are not what you would expect in an Arabic style kabob shop!
     The Kabob shop is very popular with Las Vegas taxi drivers.  I have said this statement before, if you dine where the Vegas cab drivers dine, then you will find great cheap food!  The owner asked if I was a cab driver and I told him that I drove taxi for a year in Las Vegas, but I chose to resume my chef career.  We talked about Arabic cuisine and chef school.  Apparently the owner wanted to start a middle eastern chef school in Las Vegas.  I was flattered to hear him ask me to teach at the school!
     My experience at the Pumpkin and Pecan Shish Kabob Shop was a good one!  The food was great and the atmosphere was first class middle eastern.  I highly recommend this Kabob Shop for Las Vegas visitors and locals who want to dine on some great middle eastern food!  Delicious!  ...  Shawna 

Mahi Mahi with Papaya Seed Vinaegrette at The Market Street Cafe in the California Casino, Las Vegas!

Hawaiian Style Yum!
   
     The California Casino is located downtown in Las Vegas, one block north of Fremont Street by Main Street.  The California Casino is very popular with the Hawaiian visitors of Las Vegas.  This casino is one of the old fashioned charms of downtown Las Vegas.
     The Market Street Cafe is located inside the California Casino.  The Market Street Cafe is open 24 hours a day!  This cafe has an old fashioned atmosphere and the food is always good there.  Tables are not crammed together in the cafe and there is plenty of room to relax.
     The cafe also features an old fashioned counter where customers read the newspaper and drink coffee.  It is always fun rubbing elbows while dining at a counter in Las Vegas.  People always have something to say in this town!
     Sometimes, I crave dining on a nostalgic plate of food while sitting at a counter.  While I was on chemo a couple years ago, I used to stop by The Market Street Cafe just to get a comfortable cottage cheese and fruit platter.  Many years ago, cottage cheese and fruit platters were the token health food item on nearly every diner and cafe menu in America.  In the old days, all you could expect was canned fruit with cottage cheese when you ordered one of these platters.  Fresh fruit is much more appealing.  The cottage cheese and fruit platter at The Market Street Cafe was always made with a very generous portion of fresh fruit.  Hey!  This is a favorite dining spot of Hawaiian visitors of Las Vegas, so Hawaiian size portions are par for the course!
     For today's dinner, I decided to dine at a table, instead of at the counter.  To tell you honestly, I had never sat in the main dining area at The Market Street Cafe before.  I was pleasantly surprised with how open and airy that the cafe was!  The cafe has a nice relaxing Hawaiian atmosphere.
     The Market Street Cafe offers several Hawaiian specials du jour.  Each day of the week, the Hawaiian special entrees change and there are several to chose from each day.  The portions of the specials du jour are Hawaiian style too.  The portions are large!
     I decided to try the Mahi Mahi with Papaya Seed Vinaegrette special du jour.  The specials du jour were all priced at less than $8.  For a few dollars more, a salad bar is included with the entree.  I chose to stick with just the entree, because my legs were a bit tired from a long day on my feet at school.  I sat near the salad bar and the food looked fresh and appealing.
     My mahi mahi entree arrived at my table after a short wait.  The first thing that I noticed was that the portion of mahi mahi was about ten ounces.  That is a big portion, when compared to modern portion size standards!  The mahi mahi was perfectly cooked and the papaya seed vinaegrette was well matched to the fish.  The papaya seed vinaegrette had a very nice tropical Hawaiian flavor.  I ordered brown rice with my fish.  A medley of beans and carrots was the vegetable du jour.
     This was a nice plate of food for the price!  I like mahi mahi and a Hawaiian size portion made this meal one of the best deals in Las Vegas.  A customer sitting at a table nearby ordered the Hawaiian Style Hamburger Steak special du jour.  The burger looked like a 10 to 12 ounce portion that was smothered with the Hawaiian style sauce!  A big Hawaiian guy would be happy seeing honest old fashioned portions like this.  As it was, a big Hawaiian guy just happened to be the customer that ordered the huge Hawaiian Style Hamburger Steak entree!
     The price, the quality, the portions and the relaxing laid back Hawaiian atmosphere at The Market Street Cafe give me good reason to heavily recommend this cafe for visitors of Las Vegas and locals alike!  The Market Street Cafe is a great place to get your Hawaiian grub on!  ...  Shawna

Dinner at the Cannery Row Buffet at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas!

Working class buffet at a casino that is a favorite of the locals!

   
     The Cannery Casino is a Las Vegas success story.  The Cannery Casinos have quickly become a favorite with the locals and a favorite for Las Vegas visitors that prefer to stay away from the strip.  The comps and player card points add up quickly at the Cannery Casinos and that is what the locals like!

     The Cannery Casinos have an old fashioned cannery row style theme.  Plenty of old nostalgic pin-up girl calendar pictures decorate the casino, especially around the Pin Ups bar and lounge.  An old fashioned looking night club at the Cannery has a nostalgic 1930's look.  All the signage at the Cannery Casino is circa pre 1950's.
     The musical acts at the Cannery's bars and the club are usually impersonators of musicians from the past.  The Fab is on the billboard for a date in December.  I have seen The Fab in the past and they are one of the very best of the Beatles impersonator bands.  A Billy Joel impersonator, an Elton John impersonator and The Doors cover band Peace Frog were all playing this week at the Cannery.  

     The Rampart Casino is currently part of the Cannery Casino company.  The Rampart was built as a high end casino resort in Summerlin.  Now that the Cannery Casino company runs the Rampart, the marketing has been directed to the local community.  

     The Eastside Cannery is a very popular casino for the locals in East Las Vegas and Henderson.  I used to play the horse races at the Eastside Cannery everyday, when the Las Vegas economy was at its worst.  I had just finished two years of chemotherapy at that time and playing the horses at a casino that rewarded players with perks was important.  I am a good handicapper and horse racing has been my source of income a few times in Las Vegas.  Player rewards translate to cash, free drinks and free food!  

     I nearly ate everyday at the Eastside Cannery for free for one year.  You might think that living off of Las Vegas buffet food is nothing but fattening.  In fact, when dining everyday at a buffet, it is wise to chose healthy items like salads, salmon, seafood and fruits.  A newly opened buffet usually takes a few weeks to get the food right too.  I was at the Eastside Cannery buffet on the opening week and the food was worth complaining about.  After a few weeks, the buffet food became quite palatable.  

     The healthy choices are a better option if you do not prefer the middle of the road style of cuisine at the cheaper Las Vegas buffets.  Most of the food at the cheaper Las Vegas buffets is not gourmet cuisine, but it does appeal to the working class customers.   Recently I have dined at a buffet once every week or two and I have been trying some of the food items that I never used to eat.  Yes, the quality is not like classy restaurant food, but it does taste good and it is a cheap way to fill up a hungry tummy!

     With the poor economic times, a few negative changes have occurred at the cheaper Las Vegas buffets.  It used to be that the standard carving roast was prime rib at every buffet in Las Vegas.  Cheaper roasts like brisket and steamship rounds have taken the place of prime rib at the lower price buffets.  I must say that the customer satisfaction is down a bit, because of buffet management penny pinching!  The other item that is missing from the lower price buffets is cocktail shrimp or peel n eat shrimp.  Cocktail shrimp at a buffet was kind of the marquis item at Las Vegas buffets.  Very few cheap buffets offer cocktail shrimp during this bad economy.

     Other than the two items that you have come to expect to be at a cheap Las Vegas buffet being left off of the menu, the food at the Cannery Row Casino was pretty good.  A large selection of Italian red sauce food items were on the menu Sunday night at the Cannery.  I filled a plate with some yummy and healthy Italian red sauce food.  Nothing on the gourmet side of the fence, but the Italian food was satisfying!

     A plate of spare ribs, Chinese vegetables, kung pow chicken, spring roll, a pot sticker with hot sauce was my second plate.  Again, this was some nice working class food!

     The roast at the carving station was a steamship round of beef.  A steamship round is a bone-in bottom round leg section of beef.  The outside of a steamship is usually cooked well done and the center is quite rare.  I do like rare roasted beef and steamship leg does have a nice flavor.   Only at a Las Vegas buffet will you see a plate with steamship beef, taquitos, arroz Mexicana, camarones a la plancha and refritos on the same plate!  Ha!  Las Vegas buffets are a "see-food" experience!

     With all the old nostalgic Cannery Casino memorabilia, I was in a mood for a nostalgic dessert.  Apple pie with vanilla ice cream is about as much of a working class dessert as it gets!  Only soft serve ice cream is offered at the Cannery Buffet and I usually avoid that stuff, but it did taste nice with the apple pie.  

     My experience at the Cannery Row Buffet was a good one!  There was no gourmet food to brag about, but the regular family style food was good tasting and filling.  The waitstaff was attentive and the hosts were very polite.  The dining area and kitchens were very clean and well maintained.

     I recommend the Cannery Row Buffet at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas for those who wish to enjoy a good filling meal with no frills at a low price!  Working class yum!  ...  Shawna       

Limu Poke and Fish n Chips at Ilocos and Island Foods, Las Vegas

Hawaiian style food!

     Update:  1-22-2012  The Ilocos and Island Foods Restaurant has gone out of business and a new restaurant with a new theme has taken its place.  There are many other good Hawaiian and Filipino restaurants in Las Vegas where Ilocos style cuisine can be found!  Sustainable Alaskan seafood is also sold nearly everywhere in Las Vegas.  I will leave this old restaurant review in place, because someone with business aspirations may be interested in this kind of Ilocos/Hawaiian food restaurant theme.   
     
     Ilocos and Island Foods is a new restaurant in Las Vegas that features Hawaiian cooking and Ilocos Filipino food.  Ilocos and Island Foods is located at 2201 South Maryland Parkway one block north of Sahara.
    Ilocos and Island Foods sells entrees that are made with Alaskan sustainable seafood.  The Alaskan fishery is protected and well managed, so the seafood is fresh and not over fished.  Alaskan seafood is a good choice for guilt free seafood dining!
     This Hawaiian style restaurant does a lot of to-go food business and it has a small dining room.  The restaurant has an old fashioned local restaurant feel and both the kitchen and dining area are clean.  A few restaurants have done business at this location, so the restaurant has remnants of the looks of some of the previous tenants.
     The menu offers many Hawaiian entrees, salads and appetizers.  Some Ilocos style Filipino food is kept warm on the to-go steam table.  Pre-made Hawaiian poke salads are displayed in the deli style cooler.  Fish and chips is the headliner of the menu board and several Alaskan fish are offered.
     I asked my English friend if she wanted to do lunch and she said she was famished!  I offered to buy lunch and she wanted to try the new fish n chips place.  English people do like their fish n chips!  The English girl only saw the fish n chips sign on the Ilocos and Island Foods marquis and she didn't realize that the restaurant had a Hawaiian and Ilocos theme.  Lucky for her, fish n chips is popular in the islands!
     My English friend chose fish n chips made with ling cod.  I chose to have salmon fish n chips.  I also ordered a small limu poke salad.  Limu poke is an ahi tuna salad that has limu kohu red seaweed, crushed kukui nut, Maui onion and soy sauce.  The limu poke tasted very refreshing and the flavor was very mild.  Poke salads are old traditional healthy Hawaiian food.  The limu poke was a nice appetizer for the fish n chips!
     Hawaiians are experts at frying food.  Hawaiian style fish n chips are not beer battered like English fish n chips.  The fish is lightly battered and then breaded.  The fish n chips that we ordered had a nice crispy fried golden brown coating and the fish was very fresh tasting.  The cod had a nice mild flavor that my English friend preferred.  Not many people think of salmon as a choice for fish n chips, but it can be done.  While working in seafood restaurants in Florida, I have fried salmon a few times as an evening meal.  When deep frying, the flavor of the salmon is sealed inside the crisp coating.  Salmon is a very healthy tasty fish and fish n chips made with salmon was a pleasure to eat!
     Traditional English malt vinegar was offered as a condiment and of course my English friend dowsed her fish n chips with a generous splash of malt vinegar.  Personally, I prefer hot sauce!  A few hot sauces were also offered as condiments.  We both had a Hawaiian brand of canned fruit nectar to drink with our meal.  Many Las Vegas Hawaiian restaurants offer Hawaiian Sun brand drinks.  Tropical fruit nectar does add a nice Hawaiian touch to a meal.
     Our experience at Ilocos and Island Foods was a pleasant one.  The clerk and cook were very friendly and helpful with describing the menu items.  The atmosphere was laid back Hawaiian style.  Hawaiian style fish n chips is about as casual of a meal as it gets!
     I recommend Ilocos and Island Foods for Las Vegas visitors and locals who might be craving good island style fish n chips and Hawaiian poke salads!  Yum!  ...  Shawna

Yankee Pot Roast

So comfy!
   
     Yankee Pot roast is a favorite entree at many dinner tables when the weather gets chilly.  Pot roast is made by slowly braising tougher sections of beef.  Chuck roast is perfect for making pot roast.  Carrots, onions and potatoes are usually cooked in the braising liquid with the chuck roast.
     Yankee pot roast is an easy to make meal that is cooked in one pot.  A cast iron dutch oven is the best kind of pot for making pot roast.  Any deep sided braising pan or shallow pot can be used.  The pot has to be high enough to allow the gravy to cover the meat.  Usually pot roast is braised uncovered, so the meat browns and the gravy reduces.
     Yacht clubs are famous for serving old fashioned traditional favorite entrees.  When I worked at a yacht club for a few years, we had a theme night called Good Old Days.  The Good Old Days menu was filled with old fashioned comfort food.  Yankee pot roast was always offered on the Good Old Days Menu.  That yacht club was one of the few places that I was able to sell pot roast on a menu.
     Cheap diner style restaurants seem to be the only places that offer pot roast on a regular basis.  The pot roast at most diners is usually made with the wrong cut of beef and the meat becomes very dry, even after braising.  Bottom round is a poor choice of meat for making pot roast, because the grain of the meat is lean and tight.  Roasts from the shoulder of beef are a better choice.
     This is not a fancy Yankee pot roast recipe by any means!  There are no fancy cut vegetables or extra ingredients in the gravy.  The presentation of this entree is not fancy either.  This is pure comfort cooking!

     Yankee Pot Roast Recipe:
     This recipe makes enough for 2 to 3 large portions!   
     Heat a deep sided braising pan over medium heat.
     Add 5 pats of unsalted butter.
     Place a 2 pound boneless chuck roast in the pan.
     Sear one side of the chuck roast, till it turns brown.
     Flip the chuck roast in the pan.
     Add 1 small handful of chopped onion.
     Sear the roast and saute the onions, till the onions turn a caramelized brown color.
     Add enough beef stock to the pot, so that the beef is barely covered with the liquid.
     Raise the temperature to high heat.
     Bring the broth to a boil.
     Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat.
     Add 3 ounces of unsalted butter.
     Add an equal amount of flour to create a roux, while constantly whisking.
     Constantly stir till the roux emits a hazelnut aroma and till the roux becomes a blonde color.
     Add just enough of the blonde roux to the broth in the braising pot, while whisking, to thicken the beef broth to a very thin gravy consistency.  (Save any extra roux for another recipe.  Roux can be refrigerated for 7 days.)
     Add 1 bay leaf.
     Add 1 pinch of ground celery seed.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 2 to 3 medium size peeled onions.
     Add 3 peeled carrots that are cut in half.
     Add 3 celery stalks that are cut in half.
     Add 2 peeled russet potatoes that are cut in half.
     Place the braising pot in a 350 degree oven.  Do not cover the pot with a lid!  Braising the chuck roast uncovered will cause the roast to brown as the gravy reduces.
     Braise the chuck roast, till the meat becomes very tender, and the gravy reduces to a thin sauce consistency.  (About 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours of braising should be enough time.)  Do not stir the ingredients while braising or the vegetables will break into pieces!
     After braising, carefully remove the roast and the vegetables from the pot and set them aside on a dish.  Keep them warm on a stove top.
     Place the pot with the gravy over medium high heat.
     Reduce the gravy, till it becomes a medium thin sauce consistency.
     Place the roast on a cutting board and cut it into thick slices.
     Place the sliced yankee pot roast on a plate.
     Place the vegetables on the plate, so they look nice.
     Spoon a generous amount of the gravy over the sliced roast and vegetables.
     Garnish with a few dandelion leaves.  (This is a traditional American recipe, so parsley takes a back seat to dandelion!)
   
     Delicious, rich, hearty and satisfying is what yankee pot roast is all about!  The chuck roast is so tender, that it can be sliced with a fork from five miles away!  The chopped caramelized onions add color and flavor to the gravy.  By the time the gravy finishes cooking, the caramelized onions liquify into the sauce.  The braised vegetables also add flavor to the gravy and they are very tender.  Yankee pot roast is the all time favorite American cold weather beef entree!  ...  Yummers!  Shawna