Catch 122

Went to Catch 122 for brunch today. It was kind of weird when we arrived. There were several empty tables and we were asked to wait 15 minutes. No one was seated before us though. I think it has to do with whether or not a server is ready to serve a table, but seriously, they could've sat us down and have us wait with a glass of water instead of making us stand at the door.

We ordered mimosas and a coffee and they brought us some muffins to start while we waited for our dishes.

I ordered the truffled-scented mushroom omelette. It was pretty good, nice and light. Good amount of goat cheese in it to make it creamy as well. The sides didn't have any truffle taste, but there was more by the middle.

My friend ordered The Catch 122. It came with a perfectly cooked medium poached egg. Well seasoned, the salmon and dill perfectly balanced each other.

Overall a good experience. They didn't rush us after our meal, but not too many people were waiting. We've had dinner there before and it was a good experience. We just don't go back often because we don't want to pay for parking. I would recommend visiting Catch 122 though- for brunch and dinner!

Speakeasy on Broadway

Went to Speakeasy on Friday because it was a sunny day and they have a patio - it's also really close to where one of my friend's live and convenient for us to get to.

I've been there twice before for brunch. The first time, the place was semi-empty (there was one other table). Our server was attentive and ensured that our food was cooked perfectly before he left the table. In general, it was a pretty good experience.

The second time we were a little early and the server told us they wouldn't be open for another 15 minutes. We were standing on the street debating where to go next when we were told by someone (probably the owner) that the kitchen was open and we could sit down. Why didn't the server just tell us to sit down and serve us coffee until they opened? So we sat down in the patio and there were flies EVERYWHERE. Food was still decent and my tiny friend actually finished her entire plate of eggs benedict.

This time, we were there for happy hour. When we sat down, the server came to tell us the drink specials - we ordered the specials ($3 beer). When he brought the beer, he told us the food specials - half off appetizers. That's great, I thought, I'll order a bunch of appetizers. We waited for him to come back and take our order. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, after about half an hour, I was able to flag him down to take our order. He refilled our beer pretty quickly. Then we wanted to leave, so we asked him for the bill when he took our dishes away. He brought it over, but disappeared. We saw him cleaning some other table, taking dishes away, and chatting to other servers in the restaurant. We tried to make eye contact. I was facing the street, and I physically turned around to keep staring at him - no luck. We had our credit cards on the table waiting. I had had enough. We threw down exact change (to the penny - yes, we still carry that around sometimes), and left. I don't think he noticed. I don't know if I'll return any more. Mediocre food is a small thing when you have a patio in the summer - but if you can't even serve me in a timely manner and are holding me hostage while I'm trying to pay, that's a crime.

It's really too bad I had such a terrible experience, because I really did enjoy the chicken wings that I ordered. I ordered the Thai Chilli wings with a side of blue cheese. At first, I thought the wings were too sweet, but once I dipped them in to the blue cheese sauce, it was pretty good. It was sweet, but had a kick of tang to it from the cheese. The wings were crispy and well coated. My companions ordered the hot wings and the barbecue wings. B also ordered the calamari. I wish we read the reviews before we ordered it, because it was soggy and flavourless. It was also served with four pieces of brick they call pita bread.

I wish my server was more attentive so I had a reason to go back. I wouldn't mind having more wings and beer on a nice patio. I suppose there are more around town.

One Pot Smoked Sausage Skillet Pasta

I got this one-pot pasta recipe from Damn Delicious. This is pretty much like mac and cheese except with sausage and prep work.

Ingredients

(From the pantry)

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cubes mushroom bouillons
• 12 oz macaroni
• salt and pepper, to taste

(From the market)

• 1 large onion, diced
• 500g smoked sausage (we used Polish and Ukrainian smoked sausages)
• 3 tomatoes, cored and diced
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add garlic, onion, and sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Stir in bouillon, 3 cups of water, tomatoes, milk, and pasta.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and top with cheese.
7. Cover with lid until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.

It was pretty good. Simple, filling, and not a lot of dishes to wash afterwards. I may make this again in the future instead of my farmer style mac and cheese (which calls for bacon).

One Skillet Spicy Chicken

Got this recipe from Well Plated, but changed it quite a bit.

Ingredients
From the Pantry (or market)

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 mushroom bouillon

Fresh from the market (mostly)

• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
• cilantro

Directions

1. Put quinoa, 1.5 cups of water, and bouillon in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken and onion.
4. Sauté, stirring often, 2 minutes.
5. Stir in bell peppers, black beans, tomatoes, and quinoa.
6. Bring to boil, then cover.
7. Simmer on low heat, 5 minutes, or until chicken is done.
8. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
9. Serve topped with cheese and cilantro.

One Pot Burrito Bowls

Another quick and easy recipe to get us through the week. This One Pot Burrito Bowls recipe was found on I Heart Naptime.

Ingredients
From the pantry (or market)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1 cup Uncle Ben's brown rice
• 1 vegetable bouillon
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt & pepper to taste

Fresh (kind of) from the market

• 1 small red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup diced)
• 1 small sweet onion (about 1/2 cup diced)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 jalepenos
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat.
2. Saute onions and red bell peppers.
3. Add ground beef and cook until brown.
4. Stir in salsa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, jalepenos, taco seasoning, and chili powder.
5. Pour in 2 cups water and add bouillon and then bring to a light boil.
6. Cover pan and reduce heat to low.
7. Cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is all the way cooked.

I don't know if it's because the dish was so quick to make or if I am craving meat and everything tastes good, but I really liked this recipe and would definitely make it again. We also served it with the extra cabbage from yesterday's Pork Stir Fry recipe.

Vietnamese Caramel Pork Stir Fry

After the lack of meat from last week's meals, I decided we needed some meat. We got this 30-Minute Vietnamese Caramel Pork Stir Fry recipe from How Sweet It is.

Ingredients:
From the Pantry (or market)

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 bouillon Chicken stock
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 3 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked Uncle Ben's 20 Minute brown rice)

From the market

• 1.5 lb pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
• 1.5 large sweet onion, dicded
• 3 tsp grated ginger
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 head cabbage, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro
• 2 limes

Directions:

1. Prep your ingredients. Season pork with salt & pepper.
2. Heat oil in large wok over high heat.
3. Add pork once the oil is hot. Cook until seared and golden brown on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Remove pork from wok and set aside.
5. Add onion, ginger, and garlic to the wok, stirring to toss. Cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
6. In a bowl, whisk together chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, and pepper flakes.
7. Pour mixture into wok and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Add pork and red pepper into the wok, tossing to coat and cook for another 2 minutes.
10. Add rice, cilantro, peanuts, and lime juice.
11. Serve over cabbage.

This was a pretty tasty recipe and pretty simple to make. If you prep all your ingredients in this order (onion, ginger, garlic, red pepper, cabbage, cilantro, pork) and set each one aside, you will only need to wash three bowls, one cutting board, one knife, and one wok. We will probably make it again because it didn't take too long to make.