Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Review: Thai Kitchen Thai Peanut, Rice Noodle Cart

I've had this in my drawer at work for quite a while, in case of emergency.  Well, today we have snow tumbling down by the foot so I'm resigned to eating lunch at my desk and trying to get home at the "hottest" time of day, which also coincides with when the snow is supposed to taper off.
So, I have the opportunity to try out this sweet little box of goodness!
The first thing you probably want to know is if it tastes good, right?  Well, yes it does. Surprisingly so!
The sauce actually has this tangy flavor that nicely offsets the spicy bits and the peanut topping was nice and fresh - nothing ickier than stale peanuts, am I right?  I definitely liked it.
Also, it looked very much like the picture on the front, minus the fresh garnish, of course.  That was also a super surprise! Instant meals usually look like a ball of mush and you wonder how they can live with themselves putting a delicious picture on the outside of a box when what is inside looks like a partially digested version.
You know what I mean!
Pros of this meal:
1. You just dump all the packets in a dish and 2 Tablespoons of water, nuke for 2 mins and it's yummy lunch!
2. The ingredients are pretty good.  Here's what was on my box:
Cons:
1. My little dish was broken, and I couldn't tell until I opened up the entire package. That would have been a bummer if I wouldn't have had an extra bowl at work.
2. Unlike other bowls, you really need the microwave because the noodles will be rubbery if they don't get a touch of heat. I've been able to just add hot water to other noodle bowls from the coffee maker - not this one!

Monday, January 9, 2012

OUT OF BUSINESS Bloom restaurant, Broomfield, CO



I went to Bloom last week with my coworkers for lunch and the waiter knew immediately, when I told him I needed gluten free, which 2 options and desserts, on the menu(!) were ok for me. I had the Salmon with polenta and arugula. First let me say, my meal was delicious, piping hot and safe. Then let me say, it came a full 10 minutes after everyone else at the table was served...and they waited to eat until I got mine despite me telling them to go ahead without me. The waiter explained that they had overcooked my salmon and made me a new dish, that was the delay.
So, I had no problem with the wait because I'd rather sit for 10 minutes to eat something divine than get something crappy fast. I also had a martini - which was fantastic! They have Hendrick's gin.
And made it just how I like it - neat, 3 olives :)
For dessert I ordered the flourless chocolate cake without the little cookie cup that comes with it, of course! And they delivered my sorbet that accompanies it, in a martini glass on the side. I've had the flourless cake in the past and it's been a little eggy tasting but this time it was perfect.
In the past I've gone, also with work groups - they require a pre-set menu on large groups, we are usually 20 - 30 ppl and get their private dining area. One time, I arranged for a pork option and everyone who chose it complained that it was undercooked, which is unacceptable, especially for pork! So we hadn't been back since.
Every other group meal we've had there though, I had to arrange for something "special" for me and it was always inedible. I usually opt for a plain steak and vegetable for business dinners because restaurants can accommodate that easily and usually safely but Bloom has always delivered mine cold, over cooked and covered in mystery sauce so that I couldn't eat it. I've always felt that was unacceptable because restaurants are set up to cook for individual meals so just because I was with a group shouldn't mean that they make mine and set it under a heat lamp until they've made the other 29 meals.
I'm glad to be able to add them back to my possible dining list though.  I still don't enjoy eating out - but it's good to know I can!
Where do you guys eat out? Do you have any sneaky tips to getting a safe meal, especially if you have other food allergies and/or intolerances?

Sunday, January 1, 2012

What's your New Year's Day craving?

Good Morning and Happy 2012 to you!
I'll tell you right now, I'm not making resolutions this year.  Well, unless it's a resolution to just fix my problems in the moment instead of planning to do them in the future!
Yeah, I may not get anything accomplished with that attitude but how much gets done when we plan to do it in the future anyway?
So, this morning I was thinking about all the people with hangovers. I've never had a hang over, thankfully. It's either genetics or the fact that I tend to wake up 2 hours after I fall asleep, and drink enough water to give my liver a fighting chance over night. Maybe both.
I have friends who wake up after a night, such as many had last night, and crave the greasiest, saltiest, sugariest mess of a breakfast lunch dinner, ever. You know who you are.  Well, I'm here to admit that this morning all I wanted for breakfast (can you call it that at 1:30 PM?) was meat and cheese with a side of giant cokes and cookies. ahem. But, you know it's a rule in my house to start with something green and build from there - it's how I survive.

So I made the salad pictured above.  Yes, it's got hard salami (Hormel brand...let me sing their praises, gf and nitrite/nitrate free!!!) and sharp cheddar cheese. I even drizzled a little evoo on it in addition to the usual balsamic vinegar. Heavenly. 
I'm not braggin here...as soon as I was done with that I had a coke and a handful of salty cashews.
I also popped a couple Viactiv caramel vitamins... 
Thank you Dr. for prescribing 1000 mg of D per day!
I feel better. Honestly I'd love another Coke but I only keep 1 emergency soda in the house at any time and due to nasty neighbor issues I'm refusing to go out. Long story short the wind has blown the trash they pile up outside their garage - not bagged!- in front of my garage and I'm refusing to pick it up again today, for the 22nd day in a row. Happy New Year to me.

So, how's your year starting out? What do you crave on the first day of a new year?