Rhapsody Grub of the Day: Texas Caviar-Black Eyed Peas!

Happy New Year! Black Eyed Peas recipe for good luck in 2012, paired with...

a tune by The Blackeyed Peas...cheers!

Rhapsody Grub of the Day: Jalapeno Sausage Balls paired w/Fizzy Bloody Mary by True Foodie

Since the pairing is a Fizzy Bloody Mary, we thought you'd enjoy Willie Nelson's Bloody Mary Morning:

Rhapsody Grub of the Day: Top 10 BEST Red Wines under $15 paired with UB40's Red, Red Wine

Okay, as promised, daily we're going to post pairings of food or wine and music, picked daily, just for our friends, fans, and followers. Today, since some have tapped out for the holidays financially, I thought some of you might appreciate a good bottle of wine at a low price. If you know wine, you know there are some gems out there that carry a high dollar taste on the palate with a low budget cost.

paired with...UB40's Red, Red Wine, of coure ;-)

McGill's is the true McYummy!

Seriously good food. If you've never tried escargot, this is the place you want to for the first time. The only place I've ever had escargot that melts in your mouth without a rubbery after taste.

They bake it in an iron dish with individual slots loaded with savory butter and top each individual piece of escargot with a puff pastry. Absolutely the best. You'll have to try the rest of the menu to see for yourself. Great wine selection and bartenders that know their stuff!

Dallas.Eater,Com: "Fancy Chefs Drive..."

I thought this was an interesting and cute story...read more at http://dallas.eater.com/tags/tiffany-derry

Korean B-Won...oh so good, I'll be two if I keep eating there ;-P

Delicious...fresh, vibrant flavors. Savory, spicy goodness!

I was visiting my aunt in OKC. She likes the "chain" restaurants, but I said NO! She said she'd never eaten Korean food and didn't really want to try it. So I took her home, went back and ordered take out. I ordered the house fried rice and sweet & sour chicken.

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. Let's just say their sweet & sour is NOT like Chinese sweet & sour. It's not served with a red, way to sweet, syrup-ee sauce, but rather a translucent, light tea looking, slightly sweet sauce with the tartness of real lemons. The chicken was delicious as was their sticky, steamed white rice, cooked to perfection. So when I say sticky, I mean "sushi" grade sticky, not mis-cooked sticky. The house fried rice was vibrant with fresh ingredients and none of the greasiness.

They served it with delicious condiments that were fresh and flavorful as well...you'll just have to make that trip JUST to try it!

I took our yummy food back to my aunt's house...served it up for her and waited until she commented on how delicious it was before I finally told her it wasn't Chinese but Korean food she was eating. She laughed and then I heard nothing but mmm's, this food is so good!!

If at first you don't succeed, eat it and try again ;-) Red Velvet Cake, take 2!

So, I'm a decent cook...or so I think I am, and those that know me have told me so. Let's hope they're not jacking with me or I'll have to find another passion besides music and food.

Here's a tip #74, if you're gonna make something, no matter how good of a cook you are, try making it at least once before making it for a crowd. I, unfortunately, learned the hard way. I decided to add a homemade Red Velvet Cake to the list of home cooked items I was bringing to my sister's for our annual Christmas gathering. If I'd only made it at least ONCE before deciding to commit to such a project. The cake itself is not hard to make, in fact, today, I decided to try making it for the 2nd time and it turned out freaking delicious. The cake was so moist and the icing was like, well, velvet.

For those of you who like the popular cream cheese icing, most commonly paired with the red velvet cake, that's fine and I like it as well. However, I knew a lady named Netty who made the best red velvet cake I ever had. She used the old fashioned flour, milk, butter and sugar icing that turns out tasting just like whipped cream, except it doesn't melt!

My family is wonderful, supporting me in my foodie ways and they all claimed to like the cake I brought, but next year, I'll redeem myself and have it down so it turns out like the 2nd cake I made today. Follow your excitement and urge to try "new to you" recipes and always challenge yourself, especially if you have a passion for cooking/baking/creating. By the way, I listened to Motown music while I cooked all day Christmas Eve. Cook, bake, create to the beat of your own drum (spatula) ;-)

True Foodie's Braised chicken & cabbage...smarty, hearty, goodness!

Braised chicken & cabbage Recipe by True Foodie Ah, they go together like peas and carrots...only, without peas and carrots in this recipe because this is all about the chicken and cabbage. Ingredients: Chicken thighs (my favorite part of the chicken) cabbage- 2 heads(green is the best for this recipe) 1 yellow onion paprika sea salt onion powder garlic powder ground sage fresh ground pepper cayenne pepper fresh rosemary olive oil chicken stock 1 table spoon of rendered bacon/pork fat 1/4 cup of white wine OPTIONAL: Mongolian Fire Oil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Rinse and pat the chicken thighs dry. Mix all the seasonings in a cup then rub on the chicken thighs. You can do this hours ahead of time to let the seasonings penetrate flavor through the chicken, but it's not necessary. In a dutch oven, on the stove, pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil, on high heat, sear the seasoned chicken thighs on each side, just until they're golden, caramel like on each side, but don't cook all the way through. I usually sear about 4 thighs at a time, remove and set aside until I get them all seared. Once they're all seared, take all chicken out of the dutch oven and add roughly chopped onion and cabbage, saute for just about two minutes, then remove the cabbage and onion and set aside. Place the seared thighs back into the dutch oven, add wine, chicken stock, place lid on the dutch oven and put in the oven, bake for about :30 minutes.

After thirty minutes, take out of the oven, ladle the sauteed cabbage and onion you had previously set aside, over the chicken, drizzle with rendered bacon fat, and/or optional Mongolian Fire Oil, and place lid back on, and put back into oven for another :30 minutes. Chicken will be falling off the bone, cabbage/onions will be savory bunch of goodness. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving. !!

Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen Christmas video...raises money for Meals on Wheels:

A Bitchin' Christmas

Cooking Channel's Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen gathered big time stars of the food world's finest - including Charm City Cakes' Duff Goldman,

Kelsey Nixon of Kelsey's Essentials,

Guy Fieri,

and Bizarre Foods' Andrew Zimmern.

All in the name of charity and of course, tying in her promo's for her show, they recorded a hilarious holiday music video for the Meals on Wheels charity! A Bitchin' Christmas premiered during Nadia G's 'Bitchin' Holiday Special' - Wednesday, December 7th at 10pm EST on Cooking Channel. Check out the video now! http://youtu.be/p_nmL_hGZyE You can help support Meals on Wheels and buy the song on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/a-bitchin-christmas-feat./id485644695

Savastano's Umami Nation...

Savastano's makes EVERYTHING from scratch. Their sausage, pasta...everything! You can tell...I've had the pizza and anyone that says it's not flavorful, doesn't have a good palate. Does the word Umami not mean anything to you? This place is Umami nation...or it should be. Remember, these are just recommendations, don't take my word for it or any one else's, try it for yourself.

The pizza is flavorful and delicious...today, I had the lasagna for lunch and wow. Creamy, velvety lasagna pasta is made from scratch. The sauce is exactly what you would expect from an authentic Italian restaurant and as I've mentioned, everything is made from scratch. My guests had the "thin" crust pizza...how anyone could eat chain restaurant pizza after this? It's just not right. In my opinion, the negative comments come from people who really don't know, recognize, nor have taste in "great food" and they're just used to greasy, fast foods. Furthermore, they don't really have a palate for truly delicious, flavorful authentic food. Sometimes, I think some of the negative comments might even be coming from a competitor or friends of the competition. Always try what you want and decide for yourself!

Savastano's Pizzeria (918) 369-9387 Bixby 8211 E Regal Pl Ste 109 Tulsa, OK 74133 savastanospizzeria.com

Becks Fresh Mediterranean--NOW OPEN!!! Woodland Hills/71st Street Corridor 6808 S Memorial Drive #302 Tulsa, OK 74133 htt://www.becksfreshmediterranean.com

Wow, where to start. First, Thanks Chef James Beck for coming back to Tulsa and opening, what is sure to be a repeatedly award-winning restaurant. We began with the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, described as white meat crab mixed with aromatic vegetables, fresh herbs and provolone cheese. Aromatic is the best word to describe it.

As I breathed in, to cool off the delicious bite before chewing, the aromatics literally went through my palate and all through my senses. Truly an amazing foodie experience.

My friend ordered the Jumbo Stuffed Shrimp, filled with a crab meat, seafood stuffing, baked to a golden succulence, and topped with a creamy, lemon hollandaise sauce. This heavenly, savory delight is served nestled in a bed of pilaf with sauteed vegetables.

I ordered the Chicken Piccata. The menu describes it as "Boneless chicken breast, dipped in egg and parmesan batter, sauteed in lemon, white wine and capers,finished with a refreshing, butter sauce".I call it white chicken breast,melting into pure oblivion,serious MELTING I SAY!I've never had chicken breast this moist,tender and buttery...ahhh.

My friend and I are more of a savory fan vs. sweet so we opted for no desert; however, we had to try one more dish, which seemed to scream out our names during the entirety of our dinner.

Seafood Stuffed Crepes, described on the menu as "A luscious blend of shellfish and seafood, sauteed with butter, herbs, and aromatics vegetables, wrapped in tender crepes, topped with hollandaise and broiled." I describe it as a savory, creamy, velvettie, seafood concoction, wrapped in the tender loving arms of a delicate crepe. With each slice of the fork, the word "buttery goodness" repeated itself as our palates agreed with delight.

If all this wasn't enough, Chef Beck graced us with not only is presence, but a goodie...Scallops fresh from Florida, topped with a mushroom cap and drizzled with the sauce used in the Chicken Piccata dish. Yes, nicely crisped on the outside and ever so tender and perfectly cooked on the inside. (I'll be dreaming of this food until my next visit...which I suspect will be in the very near future)

The menu is simple and to the point as is the wine list, which we found to be phenomenal. You know when you taste the food and you think to yourself, "wow, this tastes exactly as I imagined it should and then some" you've eaten at a gem of a place that exceeds your expectations. That, along with the friendly staff and Chef...is a dining experience that fulfills your every foodie desire :-)

Bravo TV's Chef Roble & Company cater for Matisyahu!

Music & Food fusion at it's finest... Chef Roble will cater for two musicians...Matisyahu and Kandi Burruss! http://www.bravotv.com/chef-roble-and-co

Kid Rock Teams up with Food Network's Guy Fieri on DDD

...Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” paid a visit to Clarkston to feature Kid Rock at one of his favorite restaurants, Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen — a restaurant converted from a 1840’s church to a bar in 1996.

http://middletownpress.com/articles/2011/08/21/entertainment/doc4e51cfbc563be583796994.txt

And then there were four! #NextIronChef

www.foodnetwork.com/the-next-iron-chef

and one more test

Fat Guy's Burger Bar--Classic Cheese Burger, with...

...jalapeno relish, green chili, grilled onions, spicy mayo AND Thai Chili...to say it was to die for is really to say the least. I had spicy fries with carmelized onion aioli. I did have it to go so by the time I got back to the office it was a bit cool for my taste, but even then it was delish! As for the wait staff, girlie taking my order, all I can say is chill out...I told her I was new there but each question was like excruciatingly painful for her to answer. She took the excitement of ordering there for the first time completely away. If you don't like your job, find something else to do, don't kill business for the owner. But, since the food was so awesome, I'll chalk it up to a bad day :-) Fat Guy's Burger Bar (918) 794-7782 Brady Arts District 140 N Greenwood Ave Map Tulsa, OK 74120 fatguysburgers.com

Snacks, drinks and rock 'n' roll - NYPOST.com

“You can’t digitize a bottle of wine yet and hand it out on the Internet.--Les Claypool
Snacks, drinks and rock 'n' roll - NYPOST.com

Ciao Ciao Baby!! More like Cucina Divino!

Ciao
3308 South Peoria Avenue  Tulsa, OK 74105
(918) 293-9333
http://www.ciao-brookside.com/

I have to start my review with the fact that I'm a true foodie, but not an educated food critic, so naturally, my review is just my opinion. I will say that 95% of the reviews are from people like me, except I'm not cheap and I'm willing to pay for amazing food. I have a palate that screams "food writer!!" or so I believe ;-)
On to my review of Ciao on Brookside... I started with the Calamari di Ciao...the fried calamari. It was very flavorful, a bit on the greasy side, but flavorful nonetheless. It had a slight kick of heat from the sprinkled red pepper flakes which, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, seemed to cut through some of that greasiness.
Next was the Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass with white truffle risotto, shallot mushroom beurre rouge, topped with fried leeks. Again, the food was flavorful throughout. The risotto was a bit too thick and cold for my taste, I prefer it hot and more of the oatmeal consistency, where it "lays" on the plate rather than retaining a clump form, but I didn't complain because as I arrived at 10pm.
The sea bass...oh, where to start ...the most delicious sea bass I've ever had. I'm trying to figure out how it was seared so to perfection.  I mean it IS called "Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass" but, there's more to it than that.  I guess some things should remain a magical mystery.  It was buttery and savory throughout and slightly crisped, ever so delicately on the outside. The beautiful green on the plate, not mentioned anywhere on the menu, looked and tasted like a spinach puree of some kind. It was the perfect balance of fresh food taste with the puree and sea bass mixed in with the starchiness of the rich white truffle risotto and crunchiness of the fried leaks. Every foodies' dream. My rating on food, atmosphere, and jazzy music...four guitar riffs out of six.

                                                                            

 Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass

The French Hen--under new and experienced ownership!

7143 South Yale Avenue  Tulsa, OK 74136
(918) 492-2596
http://www.frenchhentulsa.net/

Beef Bourguignon En Croute...
... with crimini mushrooms, pearl onions and lardons. Absolutely delicious. The fried onions ladled atop gave it that balance in textures that was crunchy and succulent at the same time. The atmosphere is perfect for a business lunch or just lunch with friends. At night, if you're wanting a romantic dinner with amazing food, this is the place to take your date if you truly wish to impress. Delectable food, nice ambiance, and beyond amazing service. Thumbs up!

 

Beef Bourguignon En Croute

Waterfront Grill, it's not just steak baby!

120 S Aquarium Dr  Jenks, OK 74037
(918) 518-6300
http://www.waterfrontgrilljenks.com/

Went there for lunch yesterday and had the most amazing sushi. I didn't even know they had sushi there! Great atmosphere, awesome food and wine list! Perfect for business lunches and in the evening, the soft lighting and breath taking view is enough to seal the deal at the end of the date...did I just write that out loud?