Food What's For Dinner Tonight?

I did specify that it was high-end (actually, to be fair, it was very high mid-range).

IMO, $12-15 is appropriate for a single entree plus a single non-alcoholic beverage at a very high low-range or very low mid-range cafe or no-frills bistro. Which is fine for your average "let's not cook tonight, what's decent and not too expensive around here" situation. Not for celebrating, and not for splurging. Which is what we were doing.

In fact, for the quality of the restaurant, it was pretty decent-- splurgy for us, because we're very middle-class, but not at all ridiculous for celebrating or wanting a special night. Mrs. L's minestrone was like $9, true, but it was a huge bowl-- I had a little too-- and her gnocchi was like $10. My trout was $24, I think, but my wine was only $6 (they have an option called "wine guy's whim," where you let the sommelier give you whatever he thinks you might like, which is what I did), and I think her drink was around $10. Dessert was $9, and they comped us the glass of Malmsey for my birthday (the sommelier/co-owner likes me because when they opened, I was the first guy to order Malmsey, and I was very excited about it, and he was therefore excited, because he wasn't sure anyone else around these parts would know and appreciate Malmsey). Anyhow, all very reasonable for one of the top three or four eateries in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago.

You get what you pay for. If I'm going to splurge, I want excellent cooking-- better than I can do myself at home, ideally by a wide margin. I want good wine, good atmosphere and good service. If I get those things in spades then I say dinner for two under $100 (including generous tip, because I am a big believer in that), then I say that is a good deal.
--- merged: Jul 18, 2016 1:02 AM ---
Also, as long as I'm posting in this thread-- dinner tonight was chicken marinated in fresh squeezed orange juice, sprinkled with paprika, pepper, cinnamon, and flaked sea salt, and rubbed with chicken fat; roasted with yams, onion, garlic, purple and yellow carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. Dessert was ice cream, Girl Scout cookies, and fresh fruit.

 

I screwed up my timing with when the store I wanted to go opened today (Sunday duh) and managed to make myself really sick with heat stroke (92 at 10 AM
WTF) so I spent a good portion of the rest of the day in bed.
When I was finally able to function I went down to the steak house/live music venue down the street.
The music was great and I decided to splurge and get a nice aged New York strip which I ordered rare.
I'd worked a third of a way through the steak and realized the poor thing was medium at best and barely that.
Whoever had cooked it was just mean.
When I called the waiter over I told him it tasted great and I'd already eaten a bunch but they really needed to talk to their grill man.
I told him I worked kitchens for twenty years and I knew that shit happens but damn...
Despite my protests that it wasn't what I was looking for they took the $45.00 steak off my tab and apologized like crazy.

But the music was really good, a young guy named Dante Marsh who has a voice a bit like a male Tracy Chapman and did a great mix of covers and original songs.
I sat next to his grandmother who would call out her favorite songs that she wanted him to do.

 

Meal prep is so important to us. Our lives are busy and our choice is to eat at home as much as possible.

 

More of a side dish: I made a big batch of my summer favorite, carrot raisin salad. I just use finely grated carrots, golden raisins, fresh oranges, fresh pomegranate seeds. Chilled well, it's so incredibly refreshing.

 

Tonight's meal was so good. 1 inch thick bone in pork chop. Fried in a cast iron skillet. Seasoned perfectly with garlic and seasoned salt, cracked black pepper. Moist, plump, firm but tender. Sandy made fresh snapped green beans and cream style corn, white rice with a little left over gravy and sliced cucumber from a friend's garden. Bread and real butter. My gawd I am spoiled.

 

JRB Slow Cooker Ribs last night. From 'Down South Paleo.' with hasselback hannahs and salad.

 

I just made a GF lasagna. I ate cheese. Good God.

Bottom layer was browned and seasoned ground beef, pork, and an Italian sausage from the butcher. With some sauce and thin-sliced hand-pulled mozz. GF pasta next, topped with seasoned handmade ricotta from some farm in Wisconsin, fresh basil chiffonade, and sea salt. Then GF pasta topped with duxelle and spinach I made from scratch, some sauce I also made from scratch, and microplaned grana padano. The top layer of pasta was finished with sauce, and the cheeses.

I outdid myself. I had to put the cover on it so I didn't eat myself sick. Sounds like a lot of cheese, but I kept the layers thin. And relied on spices, herbs, and seasonings to give it flavor. Damn.

 

And allow me to add FUCK YEAH!

 

It was totally a Fuck Yeah experience.

 

Yesterday I got stuck at the automobile dealership all day. My simple breakfast of a small bowl of muesli and a banana at 8:00AM didn't stay with me very long.

So last night I cooked pan fried (more like sauteed) boneless pork sirloin chops in margarine, Tuscan Sunset salt free Italian style seasoning (a freebie courtesy of Penzys Spices), & garlic. Sides were steamed carrots and boiled Brussels sprouts.

 

1* stuck at a dealership sucks
2* breakfast at 8 a.m. WTF @ChrisNOYB you sleep in? Breakfast is served at 5 am.
3* boiled Brussel sprouts? I wouldn't put that in my mouth, @Lindy had sliced Brussel sprouts for breakfast and I just don't get it.
My oldest son's birthday celebration today so we went to the Panda buffet. Really good and then clothes shopping and vintage stock for music and Anime.

 

A Good Stuff Melt

and Spike's Village Fries

at the Good Stuff Eatery.

 

After having leftovers two nights in a row...

Last night, after going through three cookbooks, we cooked Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops (from Rachel Ray's Book of 10).
--- merged: Aug 14, 2016 5:09 PM ---

There are very few veggies that I seriously don't like, and even then I can force myself to eat them. Brussels sprouts certainly aren't everyones taste and I understand why. I actually like them, but within reason--we don't have them too often and the quantity is low, no more than six. At least we don't smother them in some totally unhealthy sauce, such as cheese sauce.