We Devoured Capital Grille Downtown

I love a good steak, and several of the best ones I've had come from Captial Grille. Last night's dinner was no exception, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

My Indianapolis fan base will surely know about Devour Downtown . . . the two week celebration of Indianapolis's restaurants that takes place every summer and winter. This weekend we were invited to Capital Grille with friends and had a great time. You've still got time . . . it runs until the 15th.

First, the menu:  I went for Caesar Salad, Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin with Shallot Butter, and Creme Brulee. All excellent choices.

We also opted to pair our evening meal with the Master Wine Tasting Event--"11 wines hand-selected by George Miliotes," the Capital Grille sommelier. If you go for the wine tasting, be aware that you really don't get 11 tastes even though that is what all the promotional material says--including the Capital Grille web page. Also be sure that everyone in your party receives a fresh glass with each pour and a taste of each wine poured. This is where our otherwise very attentive waiter got a little sloppy. But imagine our surprise when we had our fifth taste and we were told we were finished. What? We complained to our waiter and received a sixth taste and a comment that suggested "you've had enough . . . no more wine for you." When we complained to the manager, our wine tasting was comped. Clearly there was some miscommunication somewhere. The manager was very nice and apologetic and our party of six received wine tasting on the house that night.

All that aside, let me tell you about the meal and the wines that we were able to taste alongside our fabulous dinner. Of the six wines we tasted, only two in my humble opinion stood up to the food. While they were all delicious, the point was to really enjoy the pairings.

We started our culinary tour with salad and two wines--I had the Caesar Salad as did most everyone in our party, and it was paired with two white wines: a Spanish Muscat--Botani, Malaga 2008/09 and an Australian Chardonnay, Penfolds Bin 311, Tumbarumba, 2008. Not being a Chardonnay fan (but loving the name of the wine), I immediately started with the Botani, lovely and fruity on the nose and crisp on the pallet. If you have a heavy or creamy dressing on your salad, this would be a nice pairing. But the Caesar Dressing on my salad was lighter and it had lots of lovely really full-flavored parm along with garlic croutons, so the Botani didn't work with the salad. Imagine my surprise, however, with the Chardonnay. It worked in a great way with the salad, picking up nutty buttery tones that weren't oaky that was really delicious with the caesar dressing. Yum. So I DO like chardonney, when it's paired with the right dish, this time Caesar Salad. Round 1's unexpected Winner, an Australian Chardonnay.

Now for Round II, the Kona Crusted Sirloin. Melt in your mouth delicious, especially with the shallot butter and of course the mashed potato deliciousness and creamy spinach goodness on the side. This is where our wine tasting got sloppy. The waiter said that he brought us a California Merlot and an Australian Shiraz, but he really brought an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. Ok, I like cab (but I prefer Zinfandel with steak). Anyway, after raving over the Beringer (yes, California) Bancroft Ranch, 2003 Merlot, our waiter poured the tastes. I got nothin'. I think he raved because there was nothing there . . . you know, power of suggestion. When I tried the Merlot with the steak, it completely disappeared. The Australian Cab, on the other hand, was a nice screw up. Greg Norman Reserve, 2002, it was full bodied, big and jammy and went really well with the steak. If you don't like big bold wines, however, you will be overpowered by this wine. It's a bit much on its own, so the steak was a nice accompaniment. Round Two winner by mistake--an Australian Cab. So far, Australia 2, Spain 0, California 0.

Finally, dessert. Gotta love creme brulee, and I'm thinking the waiter is going to bring us that desserty muscat from Spain that he told us about. No, he starts with the Australian Shiraz that he mentioned during round 2. Ok, but not a wine that I'd pair with anything desserty. It was another Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz 2003. It was tasty, but not as big as the Cab. I'm not sure it would have stood up to my steak with shallot butter, and it really didn't work with dairy. My friend offered me a taste of his chocolate cake--hey, red wine and chocolate, good idea. However, the chocolate completely wiped out the Shiraz. Disappointing.

So, we're nibbling on our desserts, trying to save some for the next taste. When we asked, this is when we were told we were finished. Complaining, we chose another wine since the waiter wasn't going to offer us anything. And by the way, the desserty muscat was apparently all gone  . . . even though these 11 wines are featured on the tasting menu for another week. So, we chose the Tempranillo from Spain, Triton, Tinta Del Toro, Castilla y Leon, 2008. Again, the waiter absolutely raved about how good this wine was going to be. It was quite fruity and light, and tasty, but not a wine to have with creme brulee or chocolate cake. So, I was overall disappointed with the last pairings.

Then, we asked what was next. And that was when we were told we really were finished even though there were five wines we had not tasted (and I do mean taste . . these were tasting pours, not dinner pours). And this is when my friend complained to the manager. And so the wines were free.

So, my Capital Grille dining experience--the food was wonderful, my friends fabulous, but the wine tasting a train wreck. I will return to the Capital Grille, but next time I will choose the wines myself and avoid the wine pairings unless I'm confident in the ability of my server to actually pair food and wine well. And I will ask how many.

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers . . .

family, and friends for my garden bounty. Growing up as I did on a large farm with a garden that exceeds the square footage of my lovely Meridian-Kessler abode, I have an appreciation for fresh-from-the-garden goodness. I watched my parents work for hours over a hot stove to make delicious tomato sauce that was stored in sealed Ball jars (no, not Mason jars) and kept in the basement. I remember the stench, yes stench, of the pickles in the 10 gallon crocks that would ferment in the backroom before reaching their savory deliciousness, also to find their way to Ball jars on basement shelves. This and much more would keep us fed during the winter months as if we lived in a climate that would accommodate year round gardening. But that's not the case in my modestly-sized back yard.

This week I was blessed to fall right into a lovely basket of roma tomatos and cucumbers. And my Hoosier roots were rekindled. My mother would be so proud (you're reading this, aren't you mom?). But no, no hot stoves with 10 gallon pots of boiling water for me (unless there's lobster involved, but that's another show), hoping upon hope that the Ball jar seals. I have found my way to very tasty and simple garden fresh recipes that we love, but will admit that I cannot accommodate the quantity that my mother did (who also worked full time as a teacher and coach and somehow filled the freezers and basement shelves with garden bounty). While my parents could feed us from the garden for months, I can put up enough garden goodness for a few treats during the winter months. Regardless, they are delicious treats.

Those of you who know me well, know that I swear by "low and slow" cookery. My ribs, low and slow. . . I also think this is the best way to wrench all the flavor out of tomatos for marinara. So this weekend, I did three batches of tomatos, low and slow, and will have a small but mighty few containers in my freezer of the best tomato sauce this side of Food Network. I was both dismayed and delighted to see that Alton Brown of "Good Eats" fame agrees with me--sort of, and if you check his recipe, you will see it's very close to my own (but I'm more patient). All I can say is I've been doin' this before Alton was making boat loads of money on "Good Eats," and since he makes more money than I do, you can take or leave my recipe. I won't be offended.

Take your romas, cut in half and seed them, put them in a glass baking pan (NO, not metal--tomatos and metal have a funky relationship), and lightly add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and herbs and roast them at 225 degrees (no higher) or so for  2 or 3 hours. What I like about this method is that it concentrates the flavor and carmalizes the tomatos. It's gotta be low, however. Garlic, onions, and pepper will burn. I also use dried herbs--they are a little hardier. You can add the fresh stuff later. Keep an eye and nose on your garden goodness. If you smell burnage, it's probably too late.

When you're happy with the carmely goodness of the tomatos, take them out of the oven and let them cool enough that you can touch them. Then peel off the skins. Really. They come right off, so don't fret this step. I don't happen to have a food mill nor do I enjoy the sort of bitter taste of tomato skins that also can get caught in your teeth, so I don't immediately go to a food processor without removing the skins. Then, let the fun and creativity begin.

Then, finish your tomato goodness however you like. I put the peeled tomatos in a pan, add a little wine, and let them simmer uncovered for a few minutes until the mixture thickens up. I use an immersion blender to puree the tomatos and onions, so all you have is this tomato-y deliciousness. Add some fresh herbs from the garden (basil and thyme are my favorities) and serve with your favorite fresh pasta. Mine happens to be made by my friends Joshua and Betsy, who sell their pasta deliciousness at the Fisher's Farmers Market. Top with some of Josh's fresh mozzarella, and you have a dinner that rivals any I've had in Italy. Of course, I freeze the rest of the sauce in containers that are just the right size for a lovely dinner for two and Ian can make me dinner any night of the week!

For an extra special bit of goodness, save your parmesan cheese rinds in the freezer and when you simmer your marinara, drop in the rinds too. Yum!

Now for recipe number two. I mentioned I also had some cukes. My friend Dan (yes, still depending on the kindness of friends . . . ) gave me this delicious recipe for "killer dills" that does not require a hot stove, boiling water, or sealed Ball jars! I've jazzed it up a bit because I like garlic. But this is so easy.

I cut my cukes and put them in a Ball jar (definitely not a Mason jar) and add dill, onion, mustard seed, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and at least one whole jalopeno to each jar. Then I pour the brine (3 parts water, 1 part white vinegar, 1/4 part salt, cooked until the salt disappears) over the pickles and let them sit on my counter for 3 days. That's right, only three days. No messing with 10 gallon crocks for weeks at a time. After 3 days, I put on the lids and put them in the fridge. How easy is that. I let them sit in the fridge for a week or so, until I can't stand it any longer, and then I have the most crispy, garlicy, jalopeno-y pickley goodness on the planet. Really.

Thanks for reading this week kids. And don't be afraid to try your own efforts at preserving summer's bounty if you have friends, family, or even strangers who are willing to give you the fruits of their labor. It doesn't have to be difficult or depend on large pots of hot boiling water. But it most definitely will be delicious.

Indy's Newest Speakeasy--the Ball and Biscuit

In a new space at 331 Mass Ave you'll find the Ball and Biscuit. When you walk in, you'll find dimly lit spaces with comfy chairs, tables, candles, and "a great vibe" (to quote one of my drinking companions that night). The decor and especially the menu makes me think of New Orleans and pre-prohibition era speakeasys where the whiskey was flowing and the cops looked the other way. But no shenanigans here; this is just a great place with vintage cocktails, delicious small plates, and enough space for the cool kids to gather after work or after the other pubs close.

And it turns out the name is a nod to that vintage era as well. Ball and Biscuit is a reference to the first voice transmitting device ever built. If you look on the shelf behind the bar, you'll see why--a clunky looking thing that inspired the great decor around you. Notice the microphone graveyard hanging on the wall.

The vintage cocktails are a lot of fun too. When is the last time you ordered a sidecar? The signature cocktail is a sazerac--the first cocktail ever invented in the United States. But here it's given a classic touch with blood orange bitters. Whiskey drinkers, this is a must!

The small plates are lovely and very tasty. Sometimes I don't like small plate restaurants because they spend more time on the pretty plate rather than the taste of my overly priced nibble. But not at the Ball and Biscuit. Taste is great, but don't expect to go there for dinner. They do mean small plates and they have a limited menu, which means they focus on just a few things they do well. You can have everything from twice baked fingerling potatoes to trout spread to a great selection of cheeses to whet your appetite.

We went simple for our first visit and started with the twice baked fingerling potatoes and artichoke dip. Both yummy, especially when you dip the potatoes in the creme fraiche! Wow. Big chunks of tender artichoke and creamy cheese are in the dip. The pita was a little tough, which was disappointing, but I'm not sure they have a full-fledged kitchen in the back. This is clearly a place that specializes in drinks and food that can be prepped ahead, so keep that in mind when ordering. Finally, we ordered the garlic chips--twice. Not sure how they do it without a deep fryer that I could see when I peaked into the kitchen, but these things are yummy and crispy and garlicy.

So be sure to check out Indy's newest addition to the restaurant scene, the Ball and Biscuit on Mass Ave. A fun new place with a vintage vibe that is NOT named after the White Stripes Song!

The best pizza ever!

In a strange effort at rationalization, I've posted tonight's dinner. I'm thinking, if I blog about food, maybe that will motivate me to write about what I really should be writing about . . . you know, that women and politics stuff. So here goes.

This is my most favorite pizza ever and it came out of my very own kitchen...BBQ pork pizza, with hot peppers and the best mozzarella Indianapolis has to offer. One of the things I love about this pizza is that it's all left-overs:

1. extra pizza crusts from last night's fabulous gathering at Betsy and Josh's place.

2. the most outstanding mozzarella Indianapolis has to offer, hand-made by Joshua Slagle. If you doubt me, just head out to the Fisher's Farmer's Market next Saturday, but get there early because the good stuff is gone by 10 am.

3. then I made ribs a while back . . . you know, my low and slow deliciousness. I pulled the meat off the bones, made a fabulous BBQ sauce, and, (ok, this is the only store bought quick food item) opened a jar of hot banana peppers.

Presto, you have the most fabulous pizza on the planet.

So, check back every week or so kids. I promise to make you hungry.

xoxo

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Polish Food

I know you can't wait for more food posts, so here are the top dishes we've had while in Poland, so far--best tasting or at least most "memorable." Generally Polish food is very similar to Czech--lots of pork and some lard thrown in for good measure. No kidding. How folks stay so thin here is beyond me.



5. Stuffed Cabbage, at a traditional Polish restaurant in Krakow. Stuffed with saurkraut, meat and rice, topped with some sort of yummy gravy, with buttery dill potatos on the side.

4. Bigos: lots of pork, some spare ribs, saurkraut, and maybe some plums or some sort of fruit. Yumm. Under the Golden Deer in Wroclaw.

3. Lobster Risotto at an Italian Restaurant in Wroclaw. Definitely not Polish food, but certainly a nice change.

2. Lard spread--really. See the suspicious-looking crocks of spread on the right. Well, we tried it, not knowing what it was. But this familiar flavor came through and Ian had to ask the waiter what it was. Very proudly, he replied, "lard." Apparently thinking our shocked faces meant we didn't understand, rather than disbelief, he clarified--"pork fat." This is often brought to the table just like chips and salsa at Chi Chi's back home. It's also served like bread and butter sandwiches. Needless to say, we haven't had it since this little clash with cholesterol in Krakow.

 1. Birthday Pierogis in Krakow. Little balls of doughy goodness stuffed with saurkraut and meat. Probably swimming in butter. Happy birthday to me.

Hanging Out with Friends

We made it to Wroclaw a day early because of the flooding in Poland. It's pretty serious really, but the worst is behind us, thank goodness. The best part is meeting up with Blerim and Emira. We haven't seen them in at least two years, so we've had a great reunion catching up with them and exploring Wroclaw. And the weather has definitely improved, so all is well.

Here we are in the main square in Wroclaw. This weekend the square has been really active with music and everyone is out enjoying the weather. It is bringing our travels to a nice close.

Oh yea, sabbatical...

For those of you keeping score, I really am on sabbatical and supposed to be working for my travel. So Monday I did a lecture at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Jagiellonian University is the oldest University in Poland and one of the most prestigious in Europe, founded in the 1300s. I must admit, Poland is one of those places I never thought I would go, so having the opportunity to lecture here is really cool. The Euroculture Program has created lots of great opportunities to meet faculty and students from all over the world. A student from the UK who is studying in Krakow will be at IUPUI in the fall, so it will be nice to welcome her to Indiana and probably nice for her to feel like she has a contact there.

The lecture went OK. I talked about my research on U.S. female politicians and then tried to make sense of some of the data I've collected in the Czech Republic from women politicians. I still have a lot of work to do on that front, but it was a good opportunity for me to talk through it. The audience mostly wanted to talk about the 2008 presidential election in the U.S., and specifically about Obama and Hillary, so that was actually a lot of fun. They asked good questions and seemed to be interested, or were at least polite!

What I found most fascinating about the lecture was where it was held. This part of Jagiellonian University is called "the Przegorzaly Castle." If you click on the link you'll see why. It is located at the top of a hill, and is basically two huge buildings--a hotel and an old building that is now a university office and classroom building for the Institute of European Studies. So this part of the universtiy is also rather isolated. Interestingly, during WWII, the building housed pilots for the German Luftwaffa. So, I'm standing in a room talking about women and politics and 65 years ago, German pilots were standing in that same room talking about their next bombing run. That's enough to make your head explode, isn't it?

As a side note, it has done nothing but rain here in Krakow for four days, and it's not expected to let up for a couple more days. When we got to "the castle," we commented to my colleague Marcin that he had a great view from the top of the hill--overlooking trees and a lovely lake. Well, there isn't supposed to be a lake there. That's just how much rain we've had. Streets are flooded, bridges are washed out, and things are overall just damn wet. We'd love to be able to get out to explore this incredible city, but haven't been able to. The oldest street in Poland is located here (1000+ years old), which leads to Wawel Castle. It's called the King's road and it starts at the Barbicon, the entrance gate to the city, and goes straight to Wawel. There is also an old Jewish area, the Kazmierz, where Arthur Schindler's factory was located. And there's apparently an amazing salt mine located just outside the city, where the miners made incredible sculptures and it's now a tourist attraction. So much to see, but high temps of 50 degrees and torrential rains inhibit our sightseeing. But if you want to do a little virtual sightseeing, you can click here.

So kids, that's your cultural lesson for the day. I promise, more food posts coming soon!