On The Road Again ~ ~ Thai on Hilton Head Island!

3 Spice Encrusted Red Snapper in Thai Chili Sauce

I need to have a Thai food fix more often than not!  Although my favorite food on the planet is Italian, Thai cuisine is to me the next most beloved food genre!  Having been to Thailand twice for extended periods of time, I have to admit that I'm really, really particular when it comes to finding excellent Thai food outside of Thailand.  I want the real deal now, and nothing less than that.  This quest has not been easy, because most Thai restaurants in this country are just 'so-so' . . . passable . . . and nothing to jump up and down over!  The real deal still lies in The Land of Smiles.  Only a handful of Thai restaurants in the U.S. have earned the stamp of authenticity by the country of Thailand as well.  I've never been in any one of those eateries but hope to be able to do so someday!

In the meantime, while on the island of Hilton Head for our "May escape/retreat", we decided to check out a very highly rated Thai restaurant, "Ruan Thai Cuisine".  We were not let down.  Everything was excellent, although not hot in 'heat' at all despite asking for "hot, but not Thai hot".  Some Thai restaurants in this country are overly mild on the heat due to our preferences here in the States.  However, if you want the real deal, folks, ya gotta go for the gusto and have some fire hot Thai food where your lips burn after every bite!  OK, I know most Americans won't do that, but even what is called "Thai Hot" in the States is as mild as butter compared to the real stuff that is served in Thailand.  What is considered 'mild' in Thailand is 'super Thai hot' here!

So back to our dining experience:  Ruan Thai Cuisine is a small, quaint, and very nicely decorated restaurant with soft spa-soothing music to take you away.  I've always loved the soft, gentle sound of water fountains upon entrance to Thai restaurants because it reminds me of the Thai tradition of graciously offering fresh cold water to guests when entering a home or business to refresh oneself from the intense heat of Thailand.

An immense, 3" menu is presented to you at the table.

Interiors decorated with a soothing, yet stimulating hue of salmon are filled with fresh linen dressed tables and lovely contemporary tableware.  No paper napkins at this place!

Another water feature (on the left) which I've just got to find for our home:  A clear glass wall with water fountain that continues to enhance the atmosphere of this darling restaurant.  The local Thai restaurant in our hometown has a ceiling to floor version of this water feature and I just love it!

To begin our dining experience we enjoyed the combination appetizer platter of chicken satay, spring rolls, pot stickers, and won tons.  Three sauces:  chili, soy, and peanut were accompaniments in addition to a small Thai cucumber salad to cleanse the palate.  Very nicely prepared and presented!

My husband enjoyed the Thai Mango Sea Bass with Thai salad (above) that was just marvelous.  He didn't leave one bite left on his plate and that says a lot for Mr. M. and P. (meat and potatoes).

This is a dish that really excites your taste buds, evoking many of Thailand's signature flavors that are light and fragrant!  For a side dish we are always served Thai rice which pairs perfectly with fish.  For this recipe, I've added a lovely fragrant Thai-style paste to enhance the rice to a higher flavor level.

Thai Mango Sea Bass with Steamed Rice

4 (6 - 8 oz.) sea bass fillets, skin scored
handful of snap peas
2 bunches green onions, long green stems leaves discarded, trimmed and finely sliced
1 - 2 fresh red chillies, de-seeded and finely sliced
lemon juice
Cilantro (stems and leaves)
1 - 2 limes, quartered
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thai Paste Flavored Rice:
2 large bunches of fresh coriander, leaves picked and stalks reserved
2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 fresh red chillies, halved and deseeded, and stemmed
2 teaspoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
juice and zest of 2 limes
1 can of coconut milk
14 oz. Basmati rice (or more if desired)

In a food processor blend the following:  cilantro stalks and half of the cilantro leaves, ginger, garlic, halved chillies, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice and zest and the coconut milk.
Cook rice in salted, boiling water until it’s just undercooked.
Drain in colander.
Place a piece of aluminum foil on top and sides of a high-sided roasting pan.
Brush/spray some olive oil on foil.
Spread rice out onto pan.
Pour the Thai paste over rice, mix in well, then spread rice out flat in the pan.

For the Mango Salsa:
Prepare this in advance and let sit in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours.
4 large mangoes (Thai mangoes are best - the smaller yellow ones but the other big mangoes will work too as long as they're ripe)

1/4 red onion, chopped into small pieces.

Cilantro leaves

1 1/2 jalapeño peppers (seeds and stem removed), minced/chopped.

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2 - 4 limes, juiced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt

Chop mangoes into a bowl.
Add red onion.

Add chopped jalapeño.
Add a handful of cilantro.
Add olive oil and lime juice.
Salt to taste.

For the Sea Bass:
Rub olive oil onto the fish (on top and sides – should be covered with a thin layer).
Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper (salt it generously).
Lay sea bass fillets on top of rice.
Scatter over the sugar snap peas, green onions onions, sliced chili and the other half of the coriander leaves.
Squeeze juice of half a lemon over the fish.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and put it in the preheated 400 degree oven.
Depending on the size of the fillets, bake for about 15 minutes.
Check by putting a fork into the thickest part of the fish. If the fork goes all the way through easily, it’s done.

To serve:
Place rice on each plate, lay a sea bass fillet on top of rice,
Top each with the mango salsa.
Place roasted snap peas, onions, chili, and cilantro on the side.
Garnish with a wedge of lime.
A purple iris flower and some decorative carrots also enhances visual appeal.


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Fabulous Food And Fotos ~ A Few More From Maui!

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Jet lag really sucks!  Nearly three days after returning home, I'm still trying to adjust back to East Coast time (USA) from Hawaii time and the six-hour time difference.  I haven't fixed a thing in the kitchen, since my head is so out of it!  I'd probably burn down the kitchen while falling asleep at the wheel stove!  But for Wordless Wednesday, I'm going to simply share just a few of my last shots taken on Maui . . . and this time they include some famous dishes that are sought out by foodies who visit the islands.

Above are the famous "Macadamia Nut Pancakes with Coconut Syrup" from The Gazebo overlooking Napili Bay.  Enjoying this sweet indulgence early in the morning with a hot cup of kona java is absolutely one of our must-do breakfast rituals whenever we visit.  The portions are so large, that we each take home half and then re-heat them the next day for a second breakfast. These monster-sized pancakes really do hold up nicely overnight in the frig!  When you're there, make sure you pick up a bottle of the coconut syrup that they sell right there at this "very small" eatery.  There are lots of brands of this syrup available for sale on the islands, and the brand that The Gazebo uses is the best!  Click on this {link} to read the reviews of this great little eatery!  If you choose to go to The Gazebo, know that they do not take reservations and each and every day there is a 20 to 30 minute waiting line before the place even opens at 7:30 all the way through the lunch hour.  Yea, that good!

Macadamia Nut Pancakes

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (chopped)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

3 tablespoons butter (melted)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Coconut syrup and whipped cream to lather on top of the pancakes. 

In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Combine the dry and wet mixtures until the batter is lumpy.

Heat a non stick frying pan or griddle over low heat.

Pour batter for the size of the pancake that you prefer onto the frying pan or griddle.

Sprinkle some of the chopped macadamia nuts onto each pancake, flip it overand cook until golden for another 1 - 2 minutes.

Next on the photo show is this incredible hamburger, "The Luna" from Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina on Front Street, winner of the best hamburgers on Maui since 2005 (click on 'Cool Cat Cafe' for the link, full menu, and reviews).  To put the size of this burger into perspective, the plate that it is sitting on is a dinner plate . . . it took up HALF of the enitre plate.  I was being a real pig, and ate the whole thing.  My husband had no problem eating his entire burger too, "The Bogy".  The Luna was a 6 1/2 oz. angus beef burger with bacon, melted Jack cheese, avocado, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and thousand island dressing.  Warning:  You will stretch the diameter of your mouth as you try to bite into these!

Here's a sample review from 'urbanspoon':

"I see a lot of people are talking about the burgers at Cool Cat Cafe in Maui, and there is a reason folks.  TEXAS has some of the best burgers you can wrap your mouth around, and this burger joint puts out one of my top 3 ALL TIME best burgers I've had...and i have had many a burger in 62 years!  We're talking the type of burger where the grease runs down your hand with flavor, large slices of onions and tomatoes, and the cheese tops it off, dripping over the bun. This a two-handed burger my friends...nothing skimpy here."

Got the picture?  And now I have just got to work on re-creating these massive babies for our Memorial Day grilling!

I realize that the above photo is not one of food or tropical scenery.  Yes, it is a picture of the commode in our favorite restaurant on Maui, Mama's Fish House.  I included it just to demonstrate that only on Hawaii would guests be treated to such tiny attention to details such as these tropical flowers tie-twisted to the tissue paper.  Not just your ordinary potty room experience!

The food at Mama's is literally as dreamy as is the scenery directly in front of the restaurant (shown below).  "Zagat" ranks Mama's Fish House as one of the top 5 restaurants for 2011!  Yes, when you make your reservation, go EARLY for your seating time so that you can sit as close to the beach as possible.  This is what you will look out at while you dine on extraordinary, fresh fish:  turquoise blue waters with white-capped waves rolling in and wind sailors dotting the horizon!  It is truly heavenly!

Our daughter Lauren, her husband Dawson, and our son Jesse gave us a gift certificate for our Christmas gift (which really helps because this is the most expensive restaurant on Maui).  Mahalo and grazie to you three sweeties!

For a real cyberspace treat, click on this {link} to Mama's to hear some fantastic Hawaiian music, view photos, recipes, menu, awards, and more!

Every night is a beautiful sunset, including those that we enjoyed from the lanai (deck) of our hotel room.  Below you can see how romantic every evening becomes before drifting off to sleep with the sound of the surf outside your room.  As they say, "Maui no ka oi" which translates from Hawaiian into "Maui is the best".

But truthfully everyone, even though Hawaii is a lovely paradise, there's really no place like home!  

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The Recipe for Pineapple Grill's Wasabi Pea and Pistachio Crusted Ahi Tuna

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We were told that some of the recipes from Pineapple Grill were posted on their web-site.  For real?  Is the chef really sharing some of these incredible dishes with the world?  YES!  Oh my goodness, here is the recipe for the mouthwatering, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth ahi tuna entree that I told you about on Mother's Day.  This is truly to DIE FOR!  I am going to try to re-create this for a special occasion!

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Wasabi Pea and Pistachio Crusted Ahi
With Coconut Scented Black Forbidden Rice and Hamakua Mushrooms
completely credited to Pineapple Grill, Maui, Hawaii, USA from their web-site
Serves 2 portions

Ahi Steak, a 6-7 oz piece
Black Forbidden Rice (cooked),1 cup (we were told that this is black Thai rice)
Coconut Milk, 1 cup
Cleaned Hamakua Mushrooms,1 cup (I imagine one could use other varieties)
Cleaned Spinach or Choy Sum,1 cup
Garlic, minced,1 tsp.
Wasabi Ginger Beurre Blanc (see recipe), 2 oz.
Salt and pepper, a pinch of each
Olive oil, 2 oz.

Wasabi Ginger Beurre Blanc
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Shallots, sliced, 2 pc
Whole garlic clove, 2 pc
Fresh ginger, 1 finger
Dry Sake, 2 cups
Rice Wine Vinegar, ½ cup
Heavy Cream, ½ cup
Unsalted Butter, cubed, ½ lb.
Soy Sauce, ¼ cup
Pickled Ginger juice, 2 Tbsp.
Wasabi paste, 1 Tbsp.

Combine sake, vinegar, shallots, ginger, garlic in a sauce pan.
Reduce until almost dry.
Add heavy cream, reduce by half.
Add soy sauce.
Slowly whip in cubed butter, on low heat, until incorporated.
Season with pickle ginger juice.
Whisk in Wasabi paste.

Wasabi Pea and Pistachio Crust
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Wasabi Peas, 1 cup
Pistachio Nuts, 1 cup
Furikake Mix, ¼ cup (I have no idea what this is, but one might find it either at an International Market or on-line)

Place nuts and peas in a ziplock bag, and crush lightly with a mallet or a fry pan.
Sprinkle in Furikake blend.
Place ahi steak in Wasabi pea mixture, season with salt and pepper.
Sear to rare in a hot skillet.
In a separate pan, reduce coconut milk.
Slowly stir in black rice, using a wooden spoon, until all becomes thick, just like risotto.
Season to taste.
Place rice in middle of plate.
In a separate sauté pan, sauté mushrooms in garlic, olive oil and spinach.
Season to taste.
Place mushroom mix next to rice, and place Ahi on top of both.
Finish with pouring some sauce around the plate.
Garnish with some green onion or herbs.

Mahalo to the Chef for sharing this recipe!
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A Generously Shared Recipe: Pineapple Grill's Signature Pineapple Upside Down Cake in Caramel Rum Sauce!

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After our experience for Mother's Day dinner, my husband and I can say that, hands down, without a shadow of a culinary doubt, Pineapple Grill on Maui is our most favorite and preferred restaurant.  Now this is saying a LOT, because we've always favored Mama's Fish House, previously ranked as #1 on the island, and where we always dine before catching the red-eye flight back to the mainland on our last night on the islands.  I can't emphasize enough the fact that this special restaurant, Pineapple Grill, has won the prestigious ranking among Maui food critics for being the best restaurant on Maui for 2009 and 2010, with second place earned this year in 2011.  Not too shabby!

Maui native and Executive Chef Ryan Luckey and his team create culinary magic for an increased loyal fan base of locals, critics, and visitors alike!  I'm ready to go back for the unbelievable weekly events that take place!


Maui Gold Pineapple Upside Down Cake With Dark Rum Sauce and Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
completely credited to Pineapple Grill in Maui, Hawaii, USA

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup of diced pineapple (cooked with a
dash of cinnamon, brown sugar and butter)
2 tbsp. coconut flakes (toasted)
Dark Rum Sauce
Macadamia Nut Ice Cream (Chef Joey recommends Maui’s Roselani Ice Cream)


Using a mixer – cream butter and sugar together
Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl
Add egg into wet mixture then add in dry
ingredients, mix at low speed
Fold in sour cream to the mix and reserve
Place sliced pineapple in a 4 oz. Non-stick loaf pan
and spread soft butter inside
Pour batter into about half of the pan and tap the side
of the pan to make the batter even
Bake for at least 20 minutes in pre heated oven at 300 degrees

Dark Rum Sauce:
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1tsp. brown sugar
Dash of cinnamon
2 tbsp. corn syrup
2 tbsp. dark rum
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In a pot – place butter, sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon and bring to a boil
Add rum – flame to burn off alcohol
Slowly whisk in cream, keep warm and reserve
Place upside down cake in the center of the place and glaze with the sauce over the top.
Place Macadamia Nut Ice Cream on the cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes.

I know one thing for certain:  I am going to try my amateur best to prepare this sweet indulgence at home!  Mahalo (thank you) to the Chef and Owner of Pineapple Grill for kindly sharing this recipe on your web-site! 


For more information and to make reservations, click here for the Pineapple Grill's web-site.
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A Maui Mother's Day!

We celebrated Mother's Day on the island of Maui with a day of simple resting while the 'pineapple juice' (drizzling rain) misted the sky throughout the day.  We took a nice walk along the beach boardwalk and stopped in at the new Duke's Beach Club at the Westin Resort in Kaanapali.  My husband and I have a tradition of enjoying smooth and creamy Lava Flow tropical cocktails upon arrival to Hawaii to make a cheers/salute to a wonderful vacation.

Rather than do a breakfast in bed, or go to a brunch, we opted to do dinner at a highly rated and most amazing restaurant:  Pineapple Grill.  Whenever we travel, we always dine at eateries that we've not tried yet . . . and make our selections based on conducting a LOT of research from trusted travel guidebooks, as well as from the unsolicited tourist comments on the web's travel sites such as Trip Advisor.  Frommer's 2011 exclaims that "If you had only a single night to eat out on the island of Maui, this (The Pineapple Grill) would be the place to go."  Now that is a compelling recommendation for this 'Pacific Island' focused cuisine and venue.

The considerable talent and impeccable service of all those associated with Pineapple Grill began at the threshold of the front door!  We were warmly welcomed with a gracious hostess overflowing with an aloha-filled spirit, were kindly wished a Happy Anniversary, and seated immediately with our reservation to what was to be a simple, yet elegant and lively island dining experience in a beautiful tropical setting with matching ambience.  Our table was one with a view of both the ocean and the mountains of Maui.  Despite the gray skies, the views were lovely and a reminder of our good fortune of being in Maui!  A very extensive, noteworthy and smart wine list worthy of Wine Spectator's Top 100 began our evening, with offerings by the glass, a truly rare opportunity.

The diverse and tasteful array of menu selections that tempt you are highly focused on using the freshest, locally-grown ingredients, and as Fodor's states, "attracts foodies who appreciate exceptional Pacific Island cuisine".  The seafood, such as the ahi tuna entree (below) that I enjoyed, is harvested sustainably.  The service was perfect and flawless with Erin as our main server.

I just had to have some fresh ahi tuna and went with Erin's and Frommer's recommendations for the incredibly creative "Pistachio and Wasabi Pea-Crusted Rare Ahi Tuna Steak" with coconut scented 'forbidden' rice, roasted 'Hamakua' mushrooms, in a wasabi-soy butter sauce.  I WAS IN FOOD HEAVEN with this culinary masterpiece!  Savoring each bite with my eyes shut, I was in flavor paradise!  I didn't want it to end and wanted more!  Just incredible!

Pistachio and Wasabi Pea-Crusted Rare Ahi Tuna . . . now this is foodie nirvana!

The salad above is the "Maui Farmer's Chop Salad" that I was delighted with prior to the entree.  The sheer portion size and amount of veggies in our salads was astoundingly huge compared to other fine restaurants who serve about 5 leaves of lettuce and overcharge you for it.  As I said, everything was perfect in exceeding our elevated expectations.  This salad combines 'Waipoli Farms' butter lettuce, 'WeFarms' local grape tomatoes, roasted beets and green beans, loads of crumbled, soft bleu cheese, 'Hana Herb Farms' pohole fern shoots, and a generous amount of applewood smoked bacon bits.  All of these were tossed in a perfect amount of a local papaya seed vinaigrette.  Simply delectable!

We shared the restaurant's signature dessert that sent us over the tropical moon on the horizon of the Pacific:  "Maui Gold Pineapple Upside-Down Cake".  There is not one recipe for pineapple upside down cake that can ever rival this!  This sweet indulgence is prepared with fresh, sweet Maui gold pineapples, swimming in a pool (not a silly drizzle) of 'Hana Bay' dark rum-caramel sauce, Maui 'Roselani' macadamia nut ice cream, and toasted coconut.  What a sublime perfect ending to a perfect Mother's Day dinner!

On the way in, guests walk through a two-level bar with a tasteful, beautifully painted ceiling that causes you to feel as if you are underwater with the fish looking up towards the sun.  So creative and fun!  Nothing stuffy here at all, but totally A+++ in every way!  Every necessary element, from the smallest details and simple courtesies, was evident and manifested into a dining experience not to be forgotten.

One of our views of the mountains on Maui.  My photo of the ocean was too blurry to share due to the misty rain.

What an unforgettable Mother's Day on Maui!

Lastly, I wanted to introduce a young foodie whose passion for cooking definitely showed through in her attentive and impeccable service.  Erin, a nursing student on Maui, came all the way from Michigan.  When young, hey, do your thing, such as live a little on Maui!  I wish I had her courage when I was her age in college!

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Oktoberfest in Georgia's "Little Germany"

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Germans really are great cooks with a delicious cuisine!  I never really knew this before hubby and I visited the little German mountain village in Georgia, named "Helen".  There are just too few German restaurants to allow us to experience the delicious way in which their dishes are prepared.  Since October is the official month for celebrating the German Oktoberfest, I thought I'd take you to the closest similarity to Germany that I could.  About four hours away from us in the northeastern corner of Georgia is this little German town (well it is really quite fake) that engaged in a marketing campaign to increase tourism.  To achieve this goal, every building exterior was converted to resemble old-style German architecture.  The strategy worked and Helen is a tourist trap extraordinaire.  But we visited  during the week and not on the weekend when the crowds arrive.  This made a huge difference in the experience satisfaction scale.  An annual month-long Oktoberfest takes place and hotels fill up very early in advance.

So you my be asking, why would two people like ourselves, who try to enjoy the quiet, pastoral life on an acreage, venture off to a Blue Ridge Mountain town filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic and hundreds of beer-drinking, motor cycle riding tourists?  Well, for one thing, we went there in the high heat of August when the temperature in the mountains is quite literally 10 degrees cooler than in South Carolina.  And in August, I'll take 90 degrees any day over 100 degrees!  We found an inexpensive lodge tucked far away from the noise that had a freezing air conditioner unit and an equally freezing outdoor pool for me to swim in daily.  Just what the Southern heat doctor ordered!  So we thought, 'what the heck, we've never been there, so let's go check it out'.  And truly the key to enjoying Helen, is to get the heck out of Dodge and stay on the outskirts of town.

From our lodge, we ventured in only a few times to 'get our fill' of what the town had to offer and were really quite pleasantly surprised.  It truly was hotter than "h", so we spent as little time as possible outdoors on concrete sidewalks (other than in the swimming pool and sitting by the mountain stream rushing by our room).

So here's my little pictorial tour of our experience of Germany in Georgia for Oktoberfest!

"Willkommen" means 'welcome' in German (I'm sure that you knew that though) and this greeting was scrolled over the entrance to a marvelous, wonderful, delicious, quaint little 10-table German eatery called "The Vines".  This is where I tasted my very first bite of authentically prepared German food.  My husband is part German, but his family never prepared German fare.  As a result he had absolutely no idea what he was about to put in his mouth.  All he was familiar with was German Apple Strudel; but there was much more to be had in this little restaurant . . . oh so much more that my tummy expanded 3 sizes in one sitting!

The Vines restaurant is on the first level of the Edelweiss Country Inn (about 6 rooms are upstairs) located in Sautee, Georgia, just a few miles drive south of Helen.  Check out the web-site to see some lovely photos!  This little establishment embraces the philosophy and sensibility of using locally grown, seasonal and sustainably harvested ingredients in their simple farm-fresh-to-table agrarian cuisine.  Only brunch and dinner are served, including a "Tyrolean Farmers' Breakfast" with potato pancakes, sausages, fried potatoes, "Schnitzel ala Holstein", and other Alpine dishes from Germany for those guests who lodge upstairs and come down with large appetites!

We chose to go to The Vines for dinner because it truly is their major attraction.  For appetizers, we began with "Smoked Salmon Potato Pancakes with Creme Fraiche".  For our entrees, each of us chose a traditional 'Schnitzel' with potato dumplings.  Schnitzels are truly Germany's most famous food specialty, which are flattened slices of veal that are breaded and fried.  For dessert we shared a decadent apple strudel creation that left us waddling out the door.  We highly recommend this restaurant, although the menu has become decidedly more French and Italian and very minimally German.  When we spoke to the owner/manager, he told us that he was going to make this change due to consumer preferences and therefore, you won't find the "Schnitzel" on the menu any longer.  That is truly sad, because what we tasted in the town of Helen was extremely poor in comparison.

Wine is becoming a major player in the Georgia mountains and the vineyards are beginning to receive national recognition.  Here is a map and list of the growing number of vineyards to visit, sample and purchase local wine and a link to Georgia's Wine Country, a tiny version of Napa Valley.  German wine offers some of the best varietals for pairing with Thanksgiving turkey, such as Gewurztraminer, a white wine with subtle fruit flavors.  Along with Rieslings, you can't go wrong with a delicious German wine at this time of year for a fall picnic of artisanal bread and cheese!

Just a few snapshots of the quaint German and Alpine architecture in town.

Since I'm a gardening fanatic, I had to take photos of the lush landscaping 

that was meticulously taken care of.

There are so many more great photos of this trip to the little German town of Helen, Georgia in this full post, complete with restaurant reviews for foodies to view and read, so please click on "READ MORE" below my signature, especially if you plan on visiting Helen or if you have ever been there.

The buildings had a lot of three-dimensional adornment depicting German life.  I thought these were darling and made the town more quaint.  The shops are filled with imported German products and crafts,  such as meticulously carved cuckoo clocks.  The store windows are filled with enticing items to tempt you inside.

And then there was this most incredible candy and chocolate factory called "Hansel and Gretel" where the most silky-smooth, melt-in-your-mouth, richly decadent slab fudge is made fresh daily.  The fudge is prepared in loaves that are cut into half pound chunks.  Together hubby and I easily put down a pound while there.  As I said, plan on gaining some weight in this little town.  This chocolate shop also has mail order available to take care of your your cocoa cravings.

And what would a visit (although not authentic) to Germany be without a few beers?

even if it's with a few painted pals on a mural!  That's hubby on the right (below).

Can't you just see the "German" in him?

One other restaurant that I wanted to point out and highlight which also receives high praise is "Hofer's Bakery and Cafe".   This place is located in the hustle and bustle of downtown Helen, so expect traffic on the weekends when the bikers and other tourists swarm in.  There is also a new 'biergarten' (Bavarian beer garden) on site. 

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If you are like us, and go to Hofer's for breakfast, expect to stand in line BEFORE the cafe opens; it is that popular.  This little place has been voted the #1 best bakery in Atlanta and NE Georgia combined.  Wow!  When you enter the door, you are teased by the bakery's German pastry showcase that you can't pass up!  There are also numerous German grocery items that are already canned or packaged to take a little bit of Germany home with you from your visit.

(photo above is from Hofer's web-site and not my own)

Once seated, a German menu like no other that I've ever seen is presented.  Listed are dishes such as "schwarzwald", "jagershnitzel", "apfelkkuechle", Belgian waffles, goulash, more "schnitzels", German pancakes, European pastries, Black Forest and German Chocolate cakes, apple strudels and other Bavarian delights!  Just read this menu and see if you can pronounce the German names!  Here is just a tease of the German specialty breads baked at Hofer's (click on link).  Can you say "wendelsteiner landbrot, schinkenbrot, sauerteigbrot and sonnenblumenbrot" three times without getting tongue tied?  This is truly German food!  One last comment about Hofer's:  where in the U.S. can you sit down and read German magazines mailed directly to the States . . . but they are all written in German, so if you don't know the language, you just have to look at the pictures!

On our last evening in Helen, my German husband was in the mood for just a simple pizza.  We had some fabulous pizza at a place called Bigg Daddy's Tavern and Music Club that has its own vegetable and herb garden outside.  The fresh-from-the garden Margherita Neapolitan pizza with fresh basil and tomatoes was out of this world.  The beer selection, as you can imagine, is huge and extensive.  Anthony Bourdin of "No Reservations" food show has also patronized this pub.  On any day besides Friday and Saturday when the bikers take over the place, we give this little place a high thumb's up.

In addition to the food and wine of Helen, there is a community theatre, an original and still operating grist mill where you can purchase wonderful stone-ground grits and flours, some antique stores, hiking trails, white water rafting outfitters, a folk-art pottery museum and more.

If you're still in need of more German spaetzle, red cabbage, sauerkraut or strudels to take home with you from Helen, plan to stop at the famous Betty's Country Store full of gourmet specialties that will make your foodie heart sing like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music!  (They also have mail-order services for hard-to-find German delicacies).

So from your Italian food bloggin' friend to all of you:  Happy Oktoberfest!  Auf Wiedersehen!

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Ahhhh! Cool Summer Cocktails from the Tropics!

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.Lava Flows at Duke's Canoe Club and Barefoot Bar

Is it hot enough for you this summer?  Goodness, we're all just baking and melting away!  Plus my home town of Ames, Iowa is completely underwater this week from the extreme flooding of these two normally harmless rivers that flow through it.  All of that water with temps in the high 90's make it a very undesirable environment to be in right now.  I've already called and Facebooked my family and friends in Ames to check on how they are doing.  My parents have the best attitude --- they're boiling water, living without showering, etc. etc.  At 82 and 90, they are such troopers, having lived in the days of outhouses and bringing in water from a well pump oustide, so this is not terribly difficult for them.  But I digress (as usual).
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So for those of you who DO have clean water and household amenities, yet it's still hotter than 'broil' on the oven, here's some fantastic, oh-so-yummy cocktails from the Tropics to share with you.  The photos were taken from our trip out there last week, and the recipes are authentic from the sources that I've cited.  So come on, light that kitschy tiki torch hidden in the garage or basement, grab your best rum, and mix up some tropical good times!
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For hubby and I, there is one tropical drink that we both absolutely love:  The Lava Flow.  It's like a strawberry shake, with a little coconut and banana whipped in, plus rum.  Since my hubby's favorite thing is ice cream and his fave flavor is strawberry, this cocktail is easy for him to give in to.  Be careful, you think you're just drinking a strawberry shake and so after 2 or 3, you may fall flat on your face from the rum that is extremely well hidden!  You can also make this a VIRGIN Lava Flow without any alcohol and still have a great summer beverage!


Lava Flow
Recipe courtesy of Duke's Canoe Club on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii
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1 oz. coconut syrup
2 ozs. pineapple juice
2 ozs. light rum
Splash vanilla ice milk (or ice cream)
1/2 cup ice
(1/2 a banana, optional)
1 1/2 ozs. strawberry puree (we like another ounce added for more strawberry-ness!)
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Blend all ingredients except strawberry puree. Pour into a cocktail glass and gently pour in the strawberry puree (which is to resemble 'lava flowing').
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We enjoyed these Lava Flows at the infamous Duke's Canoe Club and Barefoot Bar on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.  This landmark establishment sits right on the beach where guests dine and drink under palm-leaf thatched and bamboo umbrellas and sit in beach-y rattan chairs.  Memorabilia from Duke Kahanamoku, the famous Hawaiian surfer who won Olympic medals in swimming, are placed all over the restaurant.  If you ever go, you MUST try the salad bar's FAMOUS Caeser Salad -- the best on the planet . . . and that's the truth!  Duke's even serves anchovies for your Caeser, which most eateries are eliminating due to the expense (yet some still have them listed in their salad's ingredients on their menus!  I think that's bad business myself!)

Here is another version straight from "Hawaii" magazine on how to make Lava Flows the way they are made in Hawaii:

http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/8/30/_lava_flow_hawaii_tropical_cocktail

Just a fun tropical drink menu!

On the left is a typical Mai Tai (for hubby) and on the right is a Zombie (a more potent Mai Tai for me!)

The La Mariana Sailing Club, one of the very last authentic tiki bars left in Hawaii, which is being threatened to be demolished for modern developments such as condos, hotels, or office buildings.  This little gem is so threatened that it may not be there when you get to Honolulu.  Elvis could have walked in the joint at any given moment it seemed!

Although this photo is a bit blurry (from excitement while holding the camera!) this is the
 Mai Tai at Along Wong's with THREE rums!

The towering, ceiling high tropical floral centerpiece of Alan Wong's Restaurant

Back in the 1940's a guy named Trader Vic concocted this now world-famous cocktail and introduced it to Honolulu for the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider hotel bars.  Apparently there is an ongoing debate on how to prepare this drink, so instead of referring to my cocktail recipe bible, I did my research and found the original, classic Mai Tai recipe from Francesco Lafronconi, a highly esteemed and respected author on the history of American cocktails (as a research professor myself, I wonder why I didn't choose that research focus!)
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The Original Mai Tai

1 lime
1/2 ounce orange Curacao
1/4 ounce simple sugar syrup
1/4 ounce orgeat syrup
2 ounces rum (one ounce dark Jamaican rum, one ounce light Martinique rum)
(Alan Wong's uses 3 ounces of rum!)
Fresh mint leaves
Pineapple slices
Maraschino cherries


Cut the lime in half.
Squeeze all of the lime juice over ice (preferably shaved or crushed ice) in a double old-fashioned glass.
Save the lime rind for garnish.
Add the remaining ingredients with the light rum poured in first and the dark rum poured in second.
If necessary, fill the glass with more ice.
Decorate the cocktail with the lime rind, fresh mint leaves, fresh fruit on a stick, and if possible, a colorful little paper umbrella and an orchid!


Mmmmmmm Ahhhhhhhh!  I guarantee you that these will cool you off 
during these intensely hot summer days!  Salute' and ching ching!



Linked up at:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Mangoes and Chutney
This Chick Cooks
Lady Behind the Curtain

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Orchid's of Halekulani Sunday Brunch!

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One of the things that my hubby and I always make sure that we do while on vacation is to find one or two really nice restaurants, especially those where local cuisine is prepared that we cannot enjoy when we are home.  So for this trip to the island of Oahu, my research found that "Orchids" in the 5-Star Halekulani hotel is ranked quite high on the travel web-sites (Trip Advisor, Urbanspoon, Yelp, etc.), but especially for a not-to-be-missed Sunday brunch.  Hands-down, after experiencing this tropical brunch, we can say it was the most wonderful that we have ever been to.  Everything was as perfect as could be! From the attentive service, pristine cleanliness, awesome setting and views, quality, taste and variety of food selections ~ ~ well, it was just an over-the-top "wow" dining experience.  And to top it off, you really received your moneys worth!

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Oh yes, all the normal standby food items are available to select from, such as a prime rib, turkey and ham station, an omelette station, a dessert station, salad station, ice cream and topping station, eggs, bacon, sausage and hash brown station, but there were also sushi and raw food stations, Japanese noodle and soup stations, Chinese rice stations, and even Thai salad stations.  

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I go for the unusual, hard to find sushi, raw ahi tuna items that I never prepare at home due to the expense and inexperience in preparing and hubby, being the true meat and potatoes guy that he is, only goes for the prime rib and traditional brunch items.  

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This was the gorgeous view from our ocean-side table . . . the dormant Diamond Head volcano is in the background with the surreal turquoise blue waters of Waikiki Beach.  If you look hard enough, you can see some dots in the water which are surfers up early waiting for the surfs to come in and ride.

A perfectly set white linen table with a strong champagne Mimosa.  This plate is full of tropical foods such as lomi lomi salmon, ahi tuna, steak tartare, salmon poke (po-keh), sushi, wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce.  

This was one of the lovely dining rooms in the restaurant.  You can see that chairs have been set up out in the garden lawn beyond the room where a wedding was about to take place.

This bowl of ahi tuna on ice was at least three layers deep!  The servers kept refilling the bowl endlessly.  To think of the value of this food selection alone is mind-boggling to me, because at 'market price', if you order an appetizer of ahi tuna, you'll be lucky to receive 6 pieces for $15 to $20!  This brunch was just an incredible value!

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This is a close-up of the ahi tuna (with fresh ginger slices on top) on the left, smoked salmon, capers and onions above the tuna, steak tartare above the salmon, a few rolls of avocado sushi, an artichoke and avocado salad, and on the right is lomi lomi salmon and soy sauce dish.  A raw foodie's dream!

OK, now I have to show you my husband's dessert selections.  This is a tiny cup, no more than two inches high of a tropical, citrus panna cotta with fruits.  Very, very light and tangy!  Chocolate covered strawberries and tropical fruit in a raspberry sauce mingle in the background.

This shot shows miniature desserts, again no more than a few inches wide, a little lemon cake with a gold-painted slice of chocolate garnish.  The attention to detail was incredible!

This was both of our favorites; it's a banana, pineapple warm bread pudding.  Hubby has me on a search to find a recipe to duplicate this as best as possible!  Yummy to say the least!

The grand finale was on my plate . . . gosh, I do love the combination of chocolate and raspberries and simply could not pass up this chocolate raspberry mousse cake.  Just look at the gold garnish inside the raspberry!  A thread of chocolate completes the garnish.  Not your ordinary chocolate cake!

So if you ever get to Oahu, I highly, highly recommend without any hesitation, to make a reservation (required) at Orchids for an absolutely divine tropical brunch experience!

Aloha!

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