Unlike many of my peers, I had a rather uneventful Spring Break this year, with home as my vacation destination. After three straight days of zoning out in front of the TV in my pajamas, however, I decided that I needed to do something somewhat productive with my precious time off from school. Since eating, (as opposed to extra studying), has always counted as a productive activity in my book, I opted to gain some new and exciting culinary experiences in the Atlanta area.
One of the places I discovered was Seasons 52, a restaurant chain based in Florida. Before you judge though, let me make it clear that Seasons 52 is not just another Applebee’s or Red Lobster. Seasons 52 distinguishes itself from the pack as a casually upscale grill and wine bar. When I first walked into the restaurant, I sensed a relaxed and unpretentious, yet quietly sophisticated, ambiance. The interior design featured a blend of rich mahogany and cool slate, subdued wall lighting and foliage accents, which provided an intimate and contemporary feel to the space. The restaurant was divided into three main sections - piano and wine bar, dining area with tables and booths and kitchen behind glass dividers. The live jazz music coming from the piano bar, coupled with the bustle from inside the kitchen, created a relaxing yet sophisticated atmosphere.
Another distinctive feature of Seasons 52 is its commitment to serving market-fresh, seasonally-focused meals without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. The “Seasons” part of the name touches on the changing of the menu that coincides with the seasons, while the “52” refers to the weekly switch of soups and vegetables. This is hardly a new concept in restaurant dining, but certainly an innovative undertaking for a chain establishment.
Something else unique about Seasons 52 that you definitely would not see at another food chain - or at any other restaurant, for that matter - is that no menu item contains more than 475 calories! Instead of cracking out the deep-fryer and slathering on the butter, Seasons 52 focuses on cooking techniques such as grilling over open fires and sprinkling generous amounts of herbs and spices to enhance the food’s natural flavors, but not its calorie content. To be honest, I was a little skeptical as to how the food would taste, so I was prepared to be a little unsatisfied, but to my delight, the food made me feel just the opposite.
The first dish that my friend and I sampled was the plum tomato flatbread with fresh basil, roasted garlic and melted Parmesan. All the ingredients were bursting with flavor, without being too overpowering, and the melted cheese on top perfectly balanced out the other flavors. The flatbread wasn’t too greasy or salty, which is usually the problem when I order similar items at other restaurants; this flatbread was the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy without the oily mess.
For our entrees, we ordered the roasted crab stuffed shrimp and the caramelized sea scallops. For less than 475 calories, I was expecting child-size portions, so I was surprised to see that each dish was actually what I would expect a healthy, moderate-portioned meal to look like. The shrimp was sautéed with a medley of asparagus and peppers in a light garlic sauce and then stuffed with oven-roasted crabmeat. The chef definitely did not skimp on the crabmeat, as each shrimp was thoroughly and properly stuffed, which cannot be said about food at even the more upscale restaurants. The shrimp and crab were delicious - perfectly cooked, popping with flavor and fresh-tasting. The dish was accompanied with a wedge of grilled lemon, which I squeezed over the seafood; the fresh lemon juice added a pleasant “zing” to the shrimp and complemented the garlic flavor from the sauce.
The other dish we ordered was the sea scallops. They were grilled and served over a bed of roasted asparagus and sundried tomato pearl pasta. The scallops were fantastic - juicy and a little smoky from the grill. The pasta, with the pieces of sundried tomato, was also a standout and went very well with the scallops. All the vegetables featured in both dishes were fresh, crisp and vibrant, which added to the simple yet beautiful presentation. And nothing was drowning in sauce, which was a pleasant change; for once, the flavors of the dish came from the actual food, and not the sauce covering it.
Even the desserts are guilt-free “mini indulgences,” which come in three-ounce shot glasses that contain no more than 300 calories. The menu includes everything from strawberry cheesecake to key lime pie. We settled on the mocha macchiato and pecan pie, which were both rich and creamy and completely satisfying with only a few bites, which is how dessert should be enjoyed.
My experience at Seasons 52 was completely refreshing as it is not everyday when you come across a restaurant where good food and healthy food are not considered to be mutually exclusive. And what about those in the Philadelphia area that are dying to have a taste? Well, good news - Seasons 52 just opened up a new location in Cherry Hill, NJ, which is definitely a feasible - and worthwhile - trip!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Enjoying the Seasons
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Apple Toffee Tart
This tart, adapted from a Hershey's cookbook, is easy, delicious and beautiful to serve! This recipe yields 2 tarts.
Ingredients:
5 large apples
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 frozen pie crusts (already in foil pie pans)
1 1/3 cups Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Peel apples and slice thin. Toss with sugar, flour, ginger and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/3 cup toffee bits along the bottom of each crust. Arrange apple slices on the crust. Sprinkle the remaining toffee bits on top of the apples slices. Fold the edge of the crust down over the apple center. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Locally Grown
In the dead of winter, have you ever thought about where the ripe orange you are eating came from? How about the banana you had for breakfast? If you don’t live in a tropical climate, chances are, your piece of fruit traveled many miles to land in your stomach..jpg)
Why worry about things like that? Well, oftentimes the oranges we eat are grown in the right climate for them and then picked prematurely and shipped very quickly to their destination so that when the oranges reach a local distributor (your supermarket) they are not overly ripe or rotting. Large, commercial farming also uses harsh chemicals and pesticides to produce a commercially viable quality and quantity of produce. Commercial farming enterprises are also promoting deforestation, as farmers clear forests in an effort to grow more commercially viable products.
So lets say you’re worried about your “carbon footprint” and the freshness of fruit from thousands of miles away--what are you to do? Buy local produce! Many ecologically and environmentally conscious people are doing just that, even starting their own vegetable gardens. Recently Michelle Obama started a vegetable garden at the White House. The First Lady placed emphasis on educating the youth of America about healthy eating, but she is also putting forth a very public promotion for “homegrown” produce.
One place you can see more and more locally grown produce and seasonal foods is in restaurants across the country. I was in San Francisco over spring break, and I could not go anywhere without eating a locally grown product or ordering from a seasonal menu. I even ate seasonal pizza! I mean, I think that prosciutto, its main ingredient, is pretty year-round; that’s pretty much the point of cured meats. But, the arugula scattered artistically over the locally produced goat cheese and the spicy prosciutto was very fresh. Now, I can’t unconditionally guarantee that food at a restaurant serving local and seasonal food will taste better than one that does not, but I have to say that the odds are good. The same goes for your own cooking. Fresh food simply tastes better, but you still have to use it well, obviously.
So visit your local farmers market (for Penn students, try Clark Park's, every Saturday at 43rd and Baltimore), or ask at your supermarket where their produce came from. Eat food that is grown when it is supposed to be grown and picked when it is supposed to be picked, in the right hemisphere. Be an informed consumer and eat better, with the great added side effect of being environmentally conscious.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Upcoming Food Events - Two Exciting Freebies!
Free Lunchtime Demo
Where: Reading Terminal Market, 12th St. and Arch St.
When: April 1, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
What: A cooking demonstration from Chef Judson Branch of Thirteen, focusing on Easter ham, including great ideas for leftovers.
How Much: Free!
"Fork You" Live!
Where: Foster's Urban Homeware, 399 Market St.
When: March 7, 2:00 pm
What: A live filming of the popular podcast, forkyou.tv. Part of Fosher's free cooking demonstration series.
How Much: Free!
When in Florida...
You hear the phrase everywhere. It’s on bumper stickers, the side panels of cereal boxes, on the Food Network; over the past few years, it’s become absolutely omnipresent: “Eat locally.” An organic and local food enthusiast myself, I strive to select my food according to this mantra, but on a recent vacation, the phrase took on completely new meaning for me.
South Florida in early March. It’s a hit or miss time with the weather in this area of Florida at this time of year, but somehow “in like a lion” missed its mark, and a week of perfectly clear skies and shining sun proceeded. There was no reason not to be outside, and I found myself constantly walking the streets and sand of Delray Beach, a small town near Boca Raton hosting a mix of well-tanned snow birds and fully-burned Spring Breakers. In this town, there’s no such thing as rushing—and this easy lifestyle is most present in the lunch crowd, which takes its time savoring the experience of eating.
My family had visited this location several times, and we’d fallen into a food rut—eating at the same main-street restaurant nearly each afternoon. On this trip, however, something changed; perhaps the perfect weather inspired us to explore the area one morning, and so we walked for hours, perusing the streets of gorgeous villas with amazing views of the turquoise Atlantic… and inevitably, all of this walking left us hungry… and a bit off the beaten path. We encountered a small restaurant we’d never seen before. It had only a few outdoor tables, each shaded by a simple umbrella. “Locally grown food” a sign said. I looked beyond the restaurant and spotted a small garden, full of various types of produce growing naturally from the ground. No kidding—this was a local as it got.
The meal that followed was incredible: fresh produce, homemade pasta, and smoothies made with berries picked in the backyard. I could have sworn the food was some of the most delicious I’d ever had. Maybe it was that the lettuce on my plate hadn’t been flown thousands of miles from the field in which it was grown to the plate on which it was served. Maybe the food contained more vitamins and phytochemicals because the crop hadn’t been sprayed with pesticide, and that resulted in better taste. Perhaps the fresher ingredients yielded a better final product. Or perhaps I was convincing myself that local food truly is better. But in any case, for me personally, the experience of eating locally is significantly more fulfilling than doing otherwise. Knowing that there was no convoluted process to get the food to the plate made the meal so incredible and rush-free; and that’s what this beach town was all about.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
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Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday Blog Lovin' - Cookie Dough Truffles
Blog: Salt and Chocolate
If it wasn't for salmonella, I would never bother with actually baking cookies, because let's be honest, the dough is far superior to the cookies. Check out this easy cookie dough truffle recipe if you know what's up.
Note: Click here to see the original post.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Crazie about Zazie
This past Spring Break, I ventured to San Francisco, a city of plentiful sunshine, picturesque bayviews, hilly neighborhoods, and of course, exquisite cuisine. Of the different places I dined at, Zazie, a French bistro tucked in the residential Cole Valley, was definitely the most outstanding.
Zazie's unique moniker is derived from its namesake movie from the 1960s Zazie dans le metro - a film about an intrepid young girl from provincial France visiting her uncle in Paris. In an oddly contrary spirit, stepping into Zazie from the streets of San Francisco feels like being transported from a bustling metropolitan city into a small-town, local bistro.
The cozy bistro is along a nondescript row of shops on a mixed-use street that boasts a laundromat, car mechanic workshop, and a liquor store nearby. How much more residential can you get? It's perfectly camoflaged among these neighborhood shops. The interior is not fancy at all - exposed wall with posters, narrow tables for elbow-to-elbow dining, and a charming garden patio with more seating past the kitchen area. It feels almost like dining at a close friend's home rather than a restaurant.
Our party started with a sampler of three appetizers (beet and avocado salad with gorgonzola vinaigrette, chicken liver and brandy pate on grilled garlic bread, and spinach and walnut salad with balsamic vinaigrette) as well as a separate order of mussels, steamed with white wine and garlic. Each of these was a delightful play on the palate - the smooth creamy texture of the pate, paired off with the crunchy spinach and walnut salad, followed by the aromatic succulence of steamed mussels, and not forgetting the sweetness of the beet salad. The plating was simple, nothing was overdone, and we could be very well have been somewhere on the Mediterranean coast.
For the entrees, we had the Cassoulet Pialat, a hearty peasant meal originating from southern France near the Toulouse region. This was similar to a duck confit casserole, slowly stewed with beans, vegetables, and sausages. It was deliciously tender and juicy, with the duck meat literally falling off the bone. We also tried the Black Truffle Ravioli, cooked al dente with wild mushroom, white wine, garlic and parmesan cheese. It was exquisitely creamy and paired really well with the shavings of black truffle.
The desserts at Zazie definitely stole the show. We had the Baked Chocolat Chaud - a soup mug worth of baked molten chocolate topped with a crown of golden-brown toasted marshmallows. We could even smell the caramel from the marshmallows. If this doesn't give you a sugar rush, nothing else will! We also ordered the combination of Pot de Creme du Chocolat (chilled chocolate cream) and Creme Brulee which could be veritable dessert sizes individually. What better way to end the dining experience with a shot of decaf espresso.
So when you next travel west to San Francisco for a culinary vacation, Zazie should be at least one of your stops . . . as long as you keep this our little secret. :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tapas
Life at Penn can be very stressful; every day just seems to whizz by! Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed the leisurely pace of life in Spain, while I was there over spring break. Its not that people are lazy, or just spend three hours of the day snoozing during ‘siesta’- there’s just no rush. I discovered that the term “siesta” encompasses relaxing in the park, spending time with family, and more importantly, eating and cooking. Lunchtime can span three hours, usually 2pm-5pm, and after people have digested their food, they hit the bars a few hours later for drinks- and tapas. Many tapas restaurants I have visited in Philly just serve different variations of toppings on bread; the true Spanish tapas experience is however very different. Just to give you a taste, here are a few of the tapas that really stood out!
Huevos revueltos con jamon
This rather hodge-podge of ingredients consists of scrambled egg, potatoes and Serrano ham. You can eat it with or without bread, either way, the simple combination of the blandness of the eggs and the spicy succulence of the ham is heavenly.
Patatas bravas
This was a standard at most of my tapas adventures, and one of the few vegetarian options on the menu. Cubes of potatoes are fried to a perfect crisp, and served with a spicy tomato sauce.
Pulpo a la Gallega
This is octopus cooked in Galician style, meaning it is boiled or grilled as opposed to fried. Even though I’ve eaten calamari, I was still surprised by the texture; I never realized how effective the crispy dough is in concealing the rubbery feeling of the octopus. Nevertheless, the octopus, if cooked just right, soaks up the olive oil, sweet Spanish paprika, and garlic. Divine.
Tortilla de patatas
A very typical dish of Spain, this is essentially a potato omelet. Potatoes and onions are fried in oil, and then raw beaten eggs are added, and fried to make almost a fluffy quiche like omelet, using a special utensil called "vuelve-tortillas". Eaten hot or cold, tortilla de patatas is probably the most popular in Spain.
Don't forget, tapas cannot even be called as such without drinks. One can choose from beer, wine, Sangria, and good old soft drinks. I truly miss the evenings where we just ate and drank, not to stuff our face with food and get drunk, but to take part in a cultural activity that the Spanish have immense respect for - savoring a meal.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
Tea Leaf Salad (La Phet Thote) is a traditional Burmese dish. If you order this in a restaurant it will generally be presented with the ingredients separated on the plate and the waiter will mix it at the table, similar to a traditional Caesar salad. It's a specialty of Burmese restaurants that taunt their American customers with a delicious dish that is incredibly hard to replicate unless you have a contact in Burma who can ship you the pickled tea leaves that are central to this dish. I have tried to recreate this dish as best I can making good use of the local asian supermarket and the wonders of the Internet, and once you've gathered all the ingredients it is a very easy salad to assemble.
Ingredients:
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/3 cup La Phet (pickled tea leaves)
Peanut Oil
2 tsp Dried Shrimp
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
2 tsp Fried Yellow Beans
Chopped cabbage or lettuce
3 tsp Chopped Peanuts
2 Roughly Chopped Tomatoes
Lemon Wedge
Directions:
Fry the garlic slices in a small amount of peanut oil until golden brown. I suggest buying pre-made fried yellow beans though. Add 3 to 4 tsp peanut oil to the La Phet and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Place chopped lettuce on plate and place the La Phet in the center of the plate and then place the sesame seeds, peanuts, tomatoes, dried shrimp, fried yellow beans, fried garlic and lemon wedge around the center of the plate. This can then be mixed at the table. Squeeze the lemon juice on top of the tea leaves and then toss the salad. If this presentation is not desired, feel free to mix all the ingredients in one bowl and toss.
Note: You can find La Phet in some Asian supermarkets, but you might have more luck looking online for a Burmese supplier; there are a few that carry La Phet.
