Chickpea to Cook

Ever wonder what the stomach of a Grouper fish tastes like?

Me neither, but that didn’t stop me from trying it when I was in Mexico last week. It was my last day there and our driver, Avelino, offered to take me to this little-known local seafood restaurant in downtown Cancun while I waited for my flight.

Avelino knew the owner of the place and was a regular. He didn’t even glance at the menu when we sat down. A football match blared on the TV in the unassuming restaurant. Not a tourist in site–I was excited.

Avelino doesn’t drink, so I wasn’t going to order alcohol but when he heard me ask for a juice he spoke up.

“What?? No beer?” he said incredulously. “Seafood always tastes better with a beer.”

That was all I needed to hear. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes it’s the old favorites that call your name.

While dining at Kincaid’s, an upscale steak and seafood eatery in Bloomington, Minnesota, I promised my friend Jessica that if she passed on their famous steak offerings and ordered the Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese her experience would appear in my blog.

So here it is…a gourmet twist on the unglamorous American comfort food that usually comes in a blue box from Kraft.

With a melted medley of Gruyere, Cheddar, and Fontina cheeses, this dish is so sumptuous you’ll polish off the last bite quicker than you can say, “Velveeta.”

Mixed in with the macaroni are bite-sized pieces of lobster. The dish is also served with two small skewers of the shellfish.

And, just so there’s no confusion that this isn’t the mac ‘n’ cheese of your childhood, the pasta is drizzled with truffle oil.

Still don’t see the difference? You will when the check arrives: $23 for Kincaid’s Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese–enough to buy 20 boxes of the other K’s variety.

But sometimes it’s worth it to indulge your inner child with some food the grown-up will enjoy as well.