Out to Dinner: Cantina 1511

Tonight's dinner out was at Cantina 1511 in Stonecrest. Their menu has evolved over the past few years, and now includes both standard Mexican-American/Tex-Mex dishes (tacos, burritos, quesadillas) as well as more upscale protein-centric dishes. I tried one of the latter this evening - duck breast in blood orange sauce.

The duck was a little too fatty for my taste, the fat not fully rendered out of the skin. I took the skin off and ate the meat, which had a fine flavor. The blood orange sauce was very tart and strongly flavored - it almost overwhelmed the flavor of the duck but not quite. The fruit salsa served over the top was a nice addition. The rice was pretty bland - they say "saffron" but I'm thinking turmeric.  I wouldn't bother with this dish again as there are so many other items to choose from. Last time I was there I had duck "carnitas" tacos and it was much better.

I Can Haz!

Finally - finally! - starting to regain a normal appetite after weeks of being sick.

Cheeseburger w/ 2 oz. ground beef (93/7), 1 oz. potato roll, lettuce, tomato, 1/2 2% American cheese slice, ketchup, mustard, and low-fat mayo: 225 calories.
8 Tater Tots: 150 calories

Fighting Off the Klingon Flu

You may have noticed a certain absence of blog posts for the past couple of weeks. Everyone in the house has been sick, with what I can only surmise is the Klingon Flu. (The defining symptom of the Klingon Flu is that when you wake up each morning, you think "Today is a good day to die.") I've been subsisting on Gatorade and Lipton's Cup-a-Soup. Signs of recovery are apparent however - I only get into an uncontrollable coughing fit once an hour or so. Blog posts will resume when normal meals do, which should be any day now.

Making the most of leftovers

Breakfast:

Hash browns made from leftover mashed potatoes, and an egg over easy.

Lunch:

Sliced filet mignon with dijon mustard on ciabatta bread.

Out to Dinner: 131 Main

We decided to have dinner out tonight rather than battle the Valentine's Day weekend crowds. We went to 131 Main, a reliable restaurant about three miles from home.

I started with a house salad, dressing on the side:

Main course was filet mignon, medium, with mashed potatoes.

Before:

...and after:

The leftovers are in the refrigerator, awaiting tomorrow's breakfast and lunch.

Dessert:

A warm brownie covered with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces. How does this fit into healthy eating? This is what I ate:

One perfect bite, and I left the rest for the menfolk to finish.

Hungry Month

I've felt less inspiration to blog lately, because my meals have been uninspired. I think it has something to do with it being February - nadir of the food calendar in this neck of the woods. But the daffodils are up, and trees are coming into bloom. I'll do my best to muddle through the last of winter and early spring, but my eyes are on mid-April and the first of the local strawberries. Then it'll really be time to let the good times roll.

Out to Lunch: Malaya Kitchen

I had an errand to run at the Arboretum yesterday, so ended up at Malaya Kitchen for lunch. They had a special on the menu I couldn't resist: Hong Kong style duck soup with baby bok choy and egg noodles.

This was spectacular - the broth was rich and sweet, and the duck was tender and tasty. My only quibble was that it was kind of challenging to eat, as the pieces of duck included bones. A very hearty meal - I had to leave half of it behind.