It's Kitchen Thyme!

So, I had the great tour of Kitchen Thyme on February 14, 2012. This wonderful culinary concept came to fruition on February 10th this year. I had to get in there to see for myself. Sometimes "dream kitchens" are just that -- a dream. We work in restaurants all our life and see all the equipment, but rarely do we get to see this type of stuff for personal use. Yes, that's right! I said, "personal use!" Kitchen Thyme is available for rent by the hour (minimum of four hours). Melissa Krumbein has innovated the idea of a Dream Kitchen and a Commercial Kitchen, all under one roof. Food trucks now have the kitchen required by law at their fingertips. Caterers can now mass-produce their creations in several ovens, at one time. As a home cook, you can now cook everything at once for the Thanksgiving meal, instead of waiting for your one oven to turnover!

So, their website's photos are not Kitchen Thyme. I took a few that day and want to share them with you!

First, the Dream Kitchen...

Looking In, at the Dream Kitchen at Kitchen Thyme!

Main Cooking Area.

Back Sink and Counters. Look-In Refrigerator and Freezer

Two Ovens and Warming Drawer

Beverage Cooler and Wine Cooler

Three Restrooms. Two Are Handicap Accessible

Six Burner Stove w/ Griddle and Grill. Another Two Ovens Below Stove

Camera, Above Stove. Streams Video to Flat Screen TV, Which Is Mounted On Wall Behind Stove

Steamer/Rice Cooker. Can Also Be Used as a Large Crock Pot/Soup Warmer

Another View of Six Burner Stove/Ovens/Griddle/Grill

Digital!

Flame

View From Dream Kitchen Counters. Nice Large Area for Seating or Gathering Area

And the commercial kitchen...

Wow!!! Now, That Is a Whisk!

Dishwashing Area

Dry Storage Area -- For Rent

I didn't get very many of the commercial kitchen. Sorry. I know Melissa will set you up for a tour, though, so please give her a call. All her contact info is on her website, Kitchen Thyme. I cannot wait to see what is produced in this establishment. Such a cool idea and is great for any level of skill. Don't be intimidated! If you need a spot to host a great cocktail party, you should do it! If you want to plan any kind of an event here, you can! The possibilities are endless. Get creative and call her! Thought you could never cater because you didn't have the space? Not anymore!!!

Pasture -- Restaurant Review

So, as I say on my Review Page, I will only comment on my most stellar dining experiences, this one I have struggled with what to do. Therefore, I am going to keep this short and sweet. The food is why I am sitting here, typing right now. The food was outstanding. That is all I can comment on at this time. My service was not up-to-par, at all. Jason Alley, Chef of Comfort and Pasture, is extremely talented. I found that to be true when I visited February 11, 2012. Wonder if his talent in the kitchen could have been translated to the service at my table that night. ;)

Enough on that. He asked me to email him my story. I did. I have yet to hear anything back. So, that brings me to being accessible to the public. Pasture's website is not up-and-running yet. They do not update Facebook or Twitter very often, either. So how does the public relate here? I am not sure why they are not updating these "free" social networking outlets when their pay-to-use website is not available. I was asked to email my story. I did. I have not heard as much as a "Thank you for your feedback." Odd to me, but the food holds its own.

That night we ordered quite a few of the "small plates." Now, do not think you are going to get a full-sized entree here. It is a Southern small plates concept. I think it works well. I love small plates/tapas. I have raved about that concept before. The menu is separated into three parts; Snacks, Cold and Hot sections. Here's what we indulged in...

Deviled eggs with truffle and salmon roe. Damn! I could never make an egg like that. Absolutely sexy. Can an egg be sexy? Sure it can. Okay, I can start dinner off like this! We then enjoyed barcat oysters, fried so tenderly and cooked just enough. They were served with a celery root slaw. Take a bite of both, and you know this is gonna be good! Next was the braised beef brisket (hello! Gotta do it. Always.) with grits and diced turnips. The brisket was delicately tender and flavorful. Do not confuse this with the regular Texas brisket. It has a different vision, but that vision was spot-on. Upon reading up on Pasture and getting a couple of suggestions, the brussel sprouts kept coming up. So, we ordered them. Eh, they were good. Not as I expected with all the reviews. I felt they could definitely be done in a home kitchen. The crunch of the pecans was perfect with them, though. So, yes, we did the pork belly, too. Yum. The black vinegar was amazing with it. A perfect balance with the apple turnip puree. I finished with the steak tartare with jalapeno, chili ketchup and a beautiful quail egg yolk on top. Stunning. I loved the green onion and the slight spice that it was mixed with. My husband wasn't a fan, but it may have been too sophisticated for him.

Cocktails were average, and I tried a few. But the "Pulaksi" whiskey shot with a pickle juice chaser was totally distinctive! Place was crowded and loud, but it's a new, hip restaurant on a Saturday night. Duh. No pictures. Just commenting on the food. That's it. It was damn good food for me to write this. Going to have to go again and maybe I will update this. For now, don't send your mama.

C'est Le Vin -- Restaurant Review

C'est Le Vin, simply translated to "it is the wine" or "this is the wine," located in the historic Shockoe Bottom of Richmond, Virginia, is preparing for a few changes, folks. I got the opportunity to preview those changes on Friday, February 10, 2012 at their Valentine's Day prequel. They are changing over to a more tapas-based menu with the help of their consulting chef, Jannequin Bennett. I really, really enjoyed my time at C'est Le Vin, not only for the food, but for its cute little boutique-style wine shop/art gallery/restaurant. I like the fact that they are set up for whatever mood you may be wearing that day. If you want to sit at a table and consult with a business partner and need a table to spread your paperwork out, you can do that. If you want to plop your butt down on a couch with your two best girlfriends to discuss an upcoming wedding or maybe even a divorce (?), you can do that, too! If you want to pull up a bar-stool-type-seat and meet that woman who you have been exchanging emails with for a month through match.com, you can. If you want a window seat because you and your wife are celebrating that twenty-year anniversary, it is there! It's great! The staff was wonderful, as well. They were very attentive. They seemed comfortable. When a staff seems comfortable, it usually means they are. That only means it is probably a great place to work, especially when you are in the restaurant business. Think about it. When you have come across a high-stressed waitstaff, it affects your mood at your meal, as well. When the staff is comfortable and happy, you are comfortable and happy. I was definitely comfortable...and happy!

Window Seat -- See the Farmer's Market?

Window Seat

So, we had four different wine tasting stations. I like stations. It makes it easier to go at your own pace, whether that is fast or slow. They chose some really good wines to go with the food that night. I was impressed. I was impressed with the wine bottle prices, as well. Very reasonable! I was also really dazzled with the food, my friends. Everything was spot-on. They have not officially changed their menu on their website yet, but I can tell you what I sampled!

First, I apologize for not taking pictures of the food. I wasn't there to stop the server to snap with my blackberry. Check out www.richmond.com's slideshow for food pics HERE. Each wine tasting station had their olives with lemon & orange and their spiced almonds available. These would be considered their "snacks" part of the menu. As for their soup sampling, we enjoyed the beet gazpacho with a goat cheese mousse and celery. This was served chilled. I am not a fan of beets, but I was a fan of this! The color was an absolute vibrant magenta. Gorgeous. Their Bacalao salad is salt cod with peppers, tomatoes, olives and parsley. This salt cod was divine. I had some salt cod about two weeks prior at another, unmentioned restaurant and it was some of the worst restaurant food I had ever had, so I was skeptical when I heard this was going to be served. This was tender and had just enough saltiness to know it was salt cod, but was not so overpowering that you puckered. Perfect! We also sampled poquillo peppers with herbs and pinenuts. This was served on a small crostini, but I am not sure if this is how it is exactly served for the full menu tapa. It was just a small amount of sweet heat. When they started preparing the shrimp with garlic sauce, the aromas that came out of that kitchen were like o.m.g. Anyone who consumes food, loves the smell of garlic cooking away and I just could not wait! The shrimp was tender and the garlic butter sauce that was served on top was just right. Just enough garlic and just enough richness from the butter to make you look around for more. We also sampled a pork belly that was served over a white bean puree. I kept overhearing people think it was mashed potatoes, so the seasoning was comforting!

For dessert, a goat cheese cheesecake! Ummm, my adoration for goat cheese is beyond belief. Add that to a cheesecake and I am in orgasmic heaven!! They also served a tres leche cake sample.

Everything was great, y'all. I can't think of a better way to gab over a bottle of wine. And you know there are just certain foods and certain places that SCREAM a bottle of wine. C'est Le Vin is this place. Tapas are perfect for a bottle of wine. So is Shockoe. What a conversational piece in itself.

Check them out. They also do "Wine Down Fridays" on the 1st and 3rd Fridays. 8-10 pm. Very excited to visit again!

B.L.T Deviled Eggs

I prepare deviled eggs a lot of different ways. I'll have to share those with you now, as I am back into the entertaining saddle again. Starting this blog in August, and having an accident in October, I haven't produced many entertaining-recipe-sharing-moments! I have to keep reminding myself of this, so if I remind you of this too, I hope you understand. We have a long way to go together. And we have a long time to share together.

Do you fancy these mouth-popping, darling treats? What creative flavor(s) have you eaten before? Share with me! I am always looking for new egg ideas! Additionally, I sometimes do an assortment of eggs to take to a party or to serve at mine. That goes over real well, folks! Try it.

So, everyone loves a BLT from time-to-time. I have mentioned before that I am not a tomato fan unless it is diced up and all the goo is gone. I can do diced, goo-less tomatoes in tacos. I can even do small chunks of tomatoes in some soups/chilis, as long as they are cooked well and not too big. So, I leave the tomato off a few for myself (as seen in the first picture). Like I always try to convey, cooking should be adapted to your tastes. Recipes are just a guide, and you should always adapt for you and/or the people you choose to prepare food for.

Get your bacon going on the stove. This doesn't take more than 4 pieces of bacon here. I only use thick cut bacon, but don't let your bacon get too brown or let your grease burn. Take two tablespoons of the bacon grease and set aside in a small bowl to cool while you do your eggs. After your bacon pieces have drained on a paper towel-lined plate, you can crumble the bacon into pieces.

Next, boil your eggs. And, yes, I always do extra, depending on how many I am making, especially if it's for "show." One/some always get(s) messed up in the peeling process. Plus, you always wanna try the product as a whole, right? Adding the white to the mix can change the way the egg tastes. So, just make 1-3 extra eggs, okay? I start my eggs in cold water and bring up to a boil. As soon as it boils, I cover and turn off the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, without removing the lid. Make sure you are watching closely and do not let the eggs boil around in the water. That will cause premature cracks, which turns into leaks! Eeek! Once the 10 minutes are up, empty the hot water and add cold water to the pot. Let eggs sit only as long as it takes for you to comfortably handle them. They peel better while still warm. Crack on the counter and roll the egg with your palm along the counter until it is cracked all around. Start peeling a little piece off, making sure to get under that membrane. Once you have started the peel, dunk the egg back in the cool water and then proceed to peel. Once completely peeled, rinse with cool water and place on a clean towel to drain while you continue to peel the rest.

Slice the eggs in half and put the yellows in a bowl. For 12 eggs, I use about 1.5 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease. For 6 eggs, 1/2-3/4 tablespoon of grease will do. Take a fork and break up all the cooked yellow yolks into the bacon grease.

Make sure all the yolks are broken up good and there are no major lumps. Balls, formed by the bacon grease, are okay, but you don't want a lot of yolk lumps.

Now, add your mayo, dry mustard, onion powder, vinegar, sugar, and salt & pepper. Mix well and then start adding your bacon bits. This is completely up to your tastes!

You can choose to use a large Ziploc bag here as a pastry bag and pipe your egg mixture back into the whites, or you can just spoon it back in. For the BLTs, I just spoon it because the chunks of bacon give me a fit coming through the pastry bag hole. Plus, you have lettuce and tomato to go on top to cover any ugliness!

Top with shredded lettuce (the greener the prettier AND better for you) and then top with a slice of a cherry tomato. Serve cold. They made it to my Super Bowl table, next to the Pimento Cheese and Onion Dip!

Recipe Card: (Half this recipe if you need to!)

12 hard boiled eggs, halved
4 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon drippings/grease
3-4 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2-3 teaspoons white vinegar (start with 2, add more if you like)
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Pimento Cheese

So who remembers it? Who did it? Who had it done to you?

I remember it. Growing up (in Texas if you haven't already figured that one out), we always seemed to have a tub of pimento cheese in the fridge at my house, at my Grandparent's house, at my friends' houses...it was everywhere. It was the Randall's variety that made its home in our fridge, and that tub was actually a treat in comparison to the mayo and american cheese sandwiches we would get most of the time. But, have you ever had it homemade? It is not that difficult and is way more pleasurable!

If you have never had the tub version of this Southern staple, I urge you to go ahead and make this recipe and be very, very content. If you have ONLY had the tub version and developed a bad taste in your mouth from it, please give pimento cheese another try and give this a whirl. If you have had the pleasure of having it homemade, then Godspeed, my friend, you are fully aware of the power of the upscale mayo and cheese sandwich. Enjoy!

Shred about 3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese.

Drain a jar of diced pimentos and add to the cheese. Half a jalapeno, remove the seeds and ribs, and finely dice it.

Ain't those colors purdy now? Ok, so add the jalapeno to the cheese & pimentos with the mayo, garlic powder and salt & pepper. Mix thoroughly. Best if chilled before serving, but dive on in, if you must! Serve with crackers and sliced bread, if for a party (like my Super Bowl 2012 picture below). Definitely worthy between two slices of bread, as well!

Recipe Card

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 large jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed & finely diced
jar of diced pimentos, drained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 - 1 cup of mayo (start w/ 3/4 cup, then add to taste)
salt and pepper to taste