The old Evan’s has reopened as the Dam Bistro in town. Remodel looks good. The eggplant caprese salad itself is worth the trip. They use pesto in lieu of basil leaves and use crispy breaded eggplant. Pork Chop with Apples, Sage, Sprouts, on pureed squash was also very good. Not dry at all. Linguini and clams had a good sauce. Give it a try if you are in town.
Good for quick lunch. Low carb, but this makes my tummy very satisfied 🙂
Season Patties with Gobble powder and place them on Grill, with medium high heat, then grill 8 mins first, flip them, place sliced tomato pieces on them, place Sliced Cheese, then continue to grill for 7 mins.
Slice onion, sauté them in small frying pan with Olive Oil, season with salt and pepper.
Place them onto the grilled patties 🙂
Wash greens, dry them well, then place in a ball. Chop up one Carrot (I used the peeler) and fresh Basil leaves and mix them with greens. Serve with your favorite dressing.
Bon Appétit !!!
My mother in Japan had a little trip to Kyoto, and enjoyed walking under the nice Cherry Blossoms Trees along the river.
Around this time, my hometown of Ashiya-city and surrounding regions are in peak season of Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), and it is customary to have leisure outings at many famous viewing spots.
The third picture was taken by one of my hometown friends in Ashiya. Those black and white buildings are actually Condominiums, I remember the time when I was still in grade school, that my Dad took us to see the model rooms when they started to sell. It was designed by Japanese-American Architect, Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the famous twin towers (World Trade Center) in New York.
Oh I miss Japanese Sakura so much, and I say that every single year in Spring time.
Cheating version of Shumai because it is steamed on Frying Pan, not with the official bamboo steamer!
Mix the minced onions with a dash of cooking oil, salt, and pepper. Cover lightly then microwave them for 15 seconds. Set aside.
Mix the ground beef and ground pork very well till becomes sticky. Add the seasonings of grated ginger, corn starch, soy sauce, cooking sake, sesame oil and cooked onions. Mix well. Make 12 meatballs and place them onto the cookie sheet.
Place one piece of wonton wrapper onto one meatball, and repeat till all 12 meatballs are covered. Then using your fingers, press the wrapper around the meatballs to create the Shumai shape. Press the top portion to make them flat.
Pour the frying oil in the pan, then place all the shumai pieces in. Pour 3 tablespoon full of water into the pan, and place a lid. Cook in low heat for about 8 mins.
Turn them upside down to cook the bottom of shumais for about 3 mins to brown them.
Serve them with soy sauce with small amount of ground mustard mixed together.
Wash one whole Acorn Squash, place onto the plate, then microwave for 5 mins.
Take out the Acon Squash from microwave (be careful, it is very hot) then cut it into half. Scoop out the seeds, then place them flat side down onto the plate, with splash of water on the plate. Place it back to microwave to cook additional 5 mins.
If needed, increase the cooking time till the squash becomes soft. Scoop the meat into the bowl, add the dash of salt and pepper with the above noted other ingredients, then mash it all together. Serve 🙂
Slice eggplant into 1cm thickness, salt & pepper, then place them into flour – beaten egg wash – panko in order.
In frying pan, pour thin layer of cooking oil, then fry the eggplants till lightly browned, about a two minutes each side. Set them aside onto clean paper towel to remove excess oil.
Heat up the can of stewed / crushed tomatoes with the above noted seasonings, and cook it down till desired thickness. I usually cook it down quite thick.
Brown ground beef and season with the above noted seasonings, then mix with the tomato sauce.
Line up the fried eggplants on baking dish, then pour the tomato sauce, sprinkle some cheese and 1/2 of cut fresh basil leaves. Place another layer of eggplants, sauce and cheese Bake it in the oven with 375F for about 20 – 25 mins till the surface become light golden color. Take it out from the oven and sprinkle the rest of basil leaves.
Italian Sausage meat is okay to use, but we like simple ground beef the best.
Made it almost down to the dam this morning. Went through the 5 Railroad tunnels. Bikes are not allowed on the final stretch and nobody felt like getting arrested. Lots of sheep out and about today. Not many flowers yet. About 22 miles.
First time to Monta Chaya. Overall it is solid but not magical. Spicy Tonkostu is pretty standard. Chashu was good but not super tender. Shishito peppers are always good to see on a menu.
Jinya is still the place to beat in town, unfortunately they don’t have shishito peppers. Ramen Kobo is by far the hottest ramen I have ever had in my life. Tajima in San Diego or Danbo in Seattle are probably still at the top of the list. So far.
Took the Specialized Turbo Levo out in the desert for a few hours. I saw a tunnel under the highway the other day so I followed the powerlines and found a back way to Gold Strike Canyon. If you ever have 1/2 a day in Vegas, go hike this trail. It has 6 short rope climbs through the boulders. Instead of taking the highway back, I cut over to the Hoover dam (Boulder dam as the locals still call it) and took the historic railroad tunnel trail back. Got to see the lake from a new angle few ever see.
The Mint Indian Bistro is the best Indian food we have found so far in the area. Last night was the Mango Masala, Chicken Vindaloo, Pagoda, Naan, and Mango Lassi. 5 out of 5 stars as always. The lamb rogan josh, biryani, and korma are also reliably wonderful. Put this place in your restaurant rotation.
