ABOUT AND BEYOND
Pamplona
631 Jefferson St
Lafayette LA
337-232-0070
www.pamplonatapas.com
Lunch Tuesday to Friday 11 AM - 2 PM $2 - $32
Dinner Tuesday to Saturday 5PM - 10 PM
This establishment offers other things beside tapas but I went here especially for the tapas. The roasted Piquillo (small pepper grown in northern Spain) peppers were stuffed with red fish mousse and drizzled with garlic aioli. They looked very spicy in their red coat but they turned out mild and sweet. It paired perfectly with the rich creamy mousse. You get two to the plate. Next the Morcilla (blood sausage) and fried quail eggs came out. A round of sausage topped with a sunny side quail egg sprinkled with smoked paprika, four perfect bites stuck with toothpicks. The yolk fat coating your tongue plays well with the earthy minerally sausage. Galician Octopus had a similar presentation. On a slice of potato poached in duck fat they smear a nice layer of smoked paprika aioli. It is topped with a ring of octopus tentacle that has been pressure cooked to tenderness then flash sautéed. The rich earthy flavor and the smokiness uplift the octopus. Again four perfect bites hit your palate
A round of a half dozen char-grilled oyster showed. The slightly cooked bivalves in their shells under a crust of cheese, bread crumbs, and herbs stood out. Bite after bite surpassing the last. Now I ordered a real indulgence in the form of Duck Rillettes. Duck meat poached in it own fat then made into a sort of pate with the cooking fat. A layer of fat lies on top to preserve it, it will last no more than five minutes on my plate. Toasted ciabatta bread slices to spread it on and a pea tendril salad to cut the richness complete the dish. What can I say, “Fat Rules”. On the table was also a quarter loaf of ciabatta with chopped green chile oil for dipping. To tone down the fat I also had Catalan Spinach, wilted spinach dish with raisins, pine nuts and green apples. Delicious except for the undercooked stem left on the spinach leaves
Dessert was Panna Cotta (cooked milk) with strawberries and balsamic syrup. Basically a cooked cream thickened with gelatin rather than eggs. It makes for lighter and more refreshing custard that goes well with fruit. It is just like berries and cream. The balsamic syrup adds both a sweet and tart note
I highly recommend this venue for an out of the ordinary meal while still being in the box.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mikey's Kitchen
OUT AND ABOUT
Mikey’s Kitchen
909 East Napoleon Street
Sulphur LA
337-287-4889
Monday thru Sunday 6 AM to 10:00 PM $1 to $23
This building has been around for awhile. It was a bar in my youth and a plate lunch place most of the rest of the time. The new owner continues the tradition. With its spiffy interior and good home cooking it remains a great neighborhood place
First round was a cup of Shrimp and Crab Gumbo. Really nice flavor with a back note of crab boil spice. It had lots of shrimp and for my taste too much rice. It ate like rice and gravy. Tasty but I prefer mine a little brothier. Next perfect Boudin Balls came out. A flour crust that was crisp and not greasy revealing an interior of shredded meant and perfect rice with a nice spice snap. I could eat these all day. The finale was excellent Fried Oysters and onion rings. The oysters possessed perfectly crisp crusts and moist juicy interiors, not overcooked and just the way I love them. The rings were medium cut, flour coated and wonderful. Again a way I love them
On a Friday plate lunch I ran into Shrimp Stew. It was thinner than I normally prefer but the shrimp flavor stood out. They gave less rice than the gumbo so this one ate like a gumbo. At this point I am just picking nits. The main thing here is not how it eats but rather the flavor as you eat it. The flavor was there in spades and I left a happy camper and would come back for more. The topper was the excellent banana pudding made in house and put the final touches on a great meal.
Establishments in Sulphur in my experience fry things well. It seems to be in their genes (jeans).
This place is no exception I thought as I tackled my Deluxe Seafood Platter. On a hill of fries were hushpuppies, popcorn shrimp, butterflied shrimp, catfish fillet, frog legs, crab cakes, stuffed shrimp, oysters, and a soft shell crab. The frog legs, butterfly shrimp, and soft shell crab has a flour coating and were excellent. The oysters, popcorn shrimp and catfish sported more of a corn meal crust and proved delicious. The crab cake and stuffed shrimp had a cracker meal crust and the thank God the stuffing had not been overworked. The in house hushpuppies suffered from not being fried all the way. Fries were ok. I like a good seafood platter every once in awhile and this certainly hit the spot.
Last time in was the Mikey Burger. I like a good burger and this one was good tasting and plentiful. My only complaint as with most stacked burgers the bun never stands up to them. This mouthful had two juicy patties. One topped with bacon and American cheese and the other with bacon and Swiss along with tomato, onion, and lettuce. It took awhile but I finished it enjoying every bite
I enjoy this place a lot. The snug feeling dinning room with a large party room in back. The friendly and competent staff was a joy. However sometimes the kitchen and servers can get overwhelmed but it all turns out alright in the end. They do
breakfast and if I ever get over there that early I will report on it on the blog
Mikey’s Kitchen
909 East Napoleon Street
Sulphur LA
337-287-4889
Monday thru Sunday 6 AM to 10:00 PM $1 to $23
This building has been around for awhile. It was a bar in my youth and a plate lunch place most of the rest of the time. The new owner continues the tradition. With its spiffy interior and good home cooking it remains a great neighborhood place
First round was a cup of Shrimp and Crab Gumbo. Really nice flavor with a back note of crab boil spice. It had lots of shrimp and for my taste too much rice. It ate like rice and gravy. Tasty but I prefer mine a little brothier. Next perfect Boudin Balls came out. A flour crust that was crisp and not greasy revealing an interior of shredded meant and perfect rice with a nice spice snap. I could eat these all day. The finale was excellent Fried Oysters and onion rings. The oysters possessed perfectly crisp crusts and moist juicy interiors, not overcooked and just the way I love them. The rings were medium cut, flour coated and wonderful. Again a way I love them
On a Friday plate lunch I ran into Shrimp Stew. It was thinner than I normally prefer but the shrimp flavor stood out. They gave less rice than the gumbo so this one ate like a gumbo. At this point I am just picking nits. The main thing here is not how it eats but rather the flavor as you eat it. The flavor was there in spades and I left a happy camper and would come back for more. The topper was the excellent banana pudding made in house and put the final touches on a great meal.
Establishments in Sulphur in my experience fry things well. It seems to be in their genes (jeans).
This place is no exception I thought as I tackled my Deluxe Seafood Platter. On a hill of fries were hushpuppies, popcorn shrimp, butterflied shrimp, catfish fillet, frog legs, crab cakes, stuffed shrimp, oysters, and a soft shell crab. The frog legs, butterfly shrimp, and soft shell crab has a flour coating and were excellent. The oysters, popcorn shrimp and catfish sported more of a corn meal crust and proved delicious. The crab cake and stuffed shrimp had a cracker meal crust and the thank God the stuffing had not been overworked. The in house hushpuppies suffered from not being fried all the way. Fries were ok. I like a good seafood platter every once in awhile and this certainly hit the spot.
Last time in was the Mikey Burger. I like a good burger and this one was good tasting and plentiful. My only complaint as with most stacked burgers the bun never stands up to them. This mouthful had two juicy patties. One topped with bacon and American cheese and the other with bacon and Swiss along with tomato, onion, and lettuce. It took awhile but I finished it enjoying every bite
I enjoy this place a lot. The snug feeling dinning room with a large party room in back. The friendly and competent staff was a joy. However sometimes the kitchen and servers can get overwhelmed but it all turns out alright in the end. They do
breakfast and if I ever get over there that early I will report on it on the blog
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Mama Rosa Special
I did some notary work for Mama Rosa and got the following. My favorite dish of Pasta Carbonara. Wonderful as usual.
And Tiramisu as I never could get it at the restaurant as it was only sold out
That was the good news for me. For all Mama Rosa fans the good news is part of what I notarized has to do with the new restaurant. It will be open in Jennings next month sometime. As soon as I know I will post it
And Tiramisu as I never could get it at the restaurant as it was only sold out
That was the good news for me. For all Mama Rosa fans the good news is part of what I notarized has to do with the new restaurant. It will be open in Jennings next month sometime. As soon as I know I will post itFutzing in the Kitchen
The new product in the cheese section. I had a coupon don't I always. Betcha they never thought of doing this. Sometimes thing just float into my mind. They suggest using it as a sauce for vegetables. That sinks in and then I look around and I have Jiffy cornbread mix and canned corn and beans. There it is.
The product mixed with beans and corn.
The product and beans mixed with the cornbread mix. I omitted the egg figuring the cream cheese will provide the fat.
Was going to put cheese in it but forgot and put cheese on top. Italian blend which I had in the frig
Final bake
A piece with my cafe au lait in my bowl straight from Paris
Next time I will put the cheese inside. A mexican blend would have done better but I didn't have it as would some canned chiles. I have a can of butter beans and I think they do a garlic herb one. Sounds good to me
The product mixed with beans and corn.
The product and beans mixed with the cornbread mix. I omitted the egg figuring the cream cheese will provide the fat.
Was going to put cheese in it but forgot and put cheese on top. Italian blend which I had in the frig
Final bake
A piece with my cafe au lait in my bowl straight from Paris
Next time I will put the cheese inside. A mexican blend would have done better but I didn't have it as would some canned chiles. I have a can of butter beans and I think they do a garlic herb one. Sounds good to meSaturday, March 5, 2011
Dippin Donuts 4402 Nelson Road, Lake Charles, LA 70605-4122 (337) 478-9142
I have noticed this establishment and the other day I had the opportunity to drop in. It has in house and drive thru dining. I opted for a boudin kolache and a dozen doughnut holes. Pictured below is the so called kolache. The boudin link was OK but the croissant dough it was baked in was way too light to stand up to it. Kolaches need a true danish dough or a bread dough to really work. Putting them into croissants or frying them in doughnut dough just does not cut it for me.
The holes which I did not take a picture of were very good. Light and fluffy with an adequate amount of glaze on them. I would stop by again for the doughnuts but not the kolaches.
The holes which I did not take a picture of were very good. Light and fluffy with an adequate amount of glaze on them. I would stop by again for the doughnuts but not the kolaches.Big Daddy's Sports Grill 1737 W Sale Rd # 101 Lake Charles, LA 70605-2579 - (337) 477-9033
I am doing Bargain Bee here in town. After my blood work Friday I went here. I have always liked it and it did not disappoint. I was running a little early therefore the plate lunch was not ready yet but it sounded good. Fried catfish and seafood casserole. I was too hungry to wait. Now here is the mark of a true Cajun place. I had ordered gumbo and they brought file and pepper vinegar to the table. I love both of these condiments in gumbo.
Here the gumbo in question. A medium dark roux with loads of chicken and sausage but a little much rice for me. The taste was there.
I order a hamburger with pepper jack cheese and bacon with onion rings. The patty was thick and juicy and the onion rings medium cut and fried with just flour and spice
Here is the flip side. I must say this is the first burger I have had in awhile that the bun stood up to the inside. A nicely toasted bun thick but not gummy. It certainly made the burger more enjoyable not having to fight a disintegrating bun. Each bite contained all of the burger.
I finished with a nice piece of lemon meringue pie. Tart and sweet in the right proportions
I really like this place but it is across town from me and I don't alway think about it. BargainBee gave me an excuse to go there
//http://tinyurl.com/68qu7u9
Here the gumbo in question. A medium dark roux with loads of chicken and sausage but a little much rice for me. The taste was there.
I order a hamburger with pepper jack cheese and bacon with onion rings. The patty was thick and juicy and the onion rings medium cut and fried with just flour and spice
Here is the flip side. I must say this is the first burger I have had in awhile that the bun stood up to the inside. A nicely toasted bun thick but not gummy. It certainly made the burger more enjoyable not having to fight a disintegrating bun. Each bite contained all of the burger.
I finished with a nice piece of lemon meringue pie. Tart and sweet in the right proportions
I really like this place but it is across town from me and I don't alway think about it. BargainBee gave me an excuse to go there//http://tinyurl.com/68qu7u9
Monday, February 28, 2011
Another Breakfast
This starts off with Bruce's Sweet Potato pancake mix made into waffles. Usually I am in a hurry and do not let the batter hydrate enough. Sweet potato batter takes awhile. This time I had other things to do concerning the breakfast so it had time to work its magic
As usual I rendered bacon. I normally put the fat and bacon in the batter and go from there. This time the fat went in the batter and bacon went into some pepper gravy I made from a mix.
My new table top appliance does a good job on eggs. Done this way they are a cross between poached and shired. Some release agent and little water in the glass ramekin make for both easy release and steaming
The finished waffle and the basis of the meal
The cooked egg. It just took about five minutes and the yolk is soft.
The peppered and bacon white gravy on top. It turned out perfect.
For the last waffle I made it kinda of a dessert. Below is apple butter and whole milk Greek yogurt from the Tuesday afternoon Cash & Carry Farmer's Market. I mixed them fifty fifty
Here it is. It does look a bit nasty but I assure you it was delicious. I ate this about 10 AM and did not have to eat again until about 4PM when I ate a small snack.
As usual I rendered bacon. I normally put the fat and bacon in the batter and go from there. This time the fat went in the batter and bacon went into some pepper gravy I made from a mix.
My new table top appliance does a good job on eggs. Done this way they are a cross between poached and shired. Some release agent and little water in the glass ramekin make for both easy release and steaming
The finished waffle and the basis of the meal
The cooked egg. It just took about five minutes and the yolk is soft.
The peppered and bacon white gravy on top. It turned out perfect.
For the last waffle I made it kinda of a dessert. Below is apple butter and whole milk Greek yogurt from the Tuesday afternoon Cash & Carry Farmer's Market. I mixed them fifty fifty
Here it is. It does look a bit nasty but I assure you it was delicious. I ate this about 10 AM and did not have to eat again until about 4PM when I ate a small snack.
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