wilsons5stars

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‘Grandpa’s Secret’ Shrimp Cóctel

#mexican food #recipes #seafood #summer

[wilsons5stars]

Finestère 1025 Lawrence St Port Townsend, WA 98368 “Cosmopolitan eatery with a relaxed vibe specializing in high-concept American cuisine” —https://www.takeout-guide.com/

First off, this is one of the first 4 star restaurants to exist, the first— I think it’s the first good restaurant, like really good restaurant to exist in PT, WA.

The woman chef/ owner got tired of working under other people, threw away her sous chef title and decided to take a risk and become a boss restauranteur/ James Beard nominee. She’s fucking fire.

Beautiful, two-room, quaint dining room. The walk-in side has a sit down bar with maybe 6 seats, white tile floor— simple. From that room you can look into the kitchen and the adjacent dining room with more tables and chairs.

This is a true land-to-table restaurant, always serving raw and fried oysters, literally sourced from a block away.

They have an insane happy hour: we’re talking fine food— queen’s feast, pauper’s price. Selection of four cocktails and glass of wine, all 5 bucks for happy hour. 4 or 5 appetizers at half price, two-dollar oysters on the half shell, and then a pasta dish at like 9+ or 10+… daily, rotating.

The raw oysters alone with the raw horseradish and mignonette at 2 dollars a pop is enough to make me come here every day at happy hour when I’m in town.

Although this is not a southern town (this is actually one of the farthest reaching points in the Northwest United States) the deviled eggs are perfect, and they’re topped with salmon roe— Russian-style to me: eggs on eggs.

Oh, the pan fried oysters, also, not being in the South, and me being from the South… up there, they were the best I’ve had. Lightly dusted, pan-fried, served atop a nice remoulade and topped with shaved, pickled fennel and fresh dill sprigs.

The other thing I love is the chicken liver mousse with red onion jam. So it’s just straight up, house-made chicken liver mousse topped with house-made red onion jam on a nice sized piece of toasted house made bread.*

*When she bought this restaurant, it used to be a bakery. The whole back of the restaurant is barely used, and it’s a full bakery. They make all of their bread in-house, and they make their own butter. They have an appetizer of just bread and butter, and I’m not fucking kidding, it’s the best bread and butter I’ve had in my whole life.

The other thing I fancy here on the appetizer menu— they make croquettes… because they do. Sometimes they’re ham and cheese— delicious, and one time, I had cream corn croquettes, and that was one of the best versions of a corn nugget I’ve had in my life.

I’m mostly touching on apps here, but the last time I ate here I had a whole fish. I splurged for an entree, and I had a whole fucking trout. And it was perfect.

The next night, I was just having a drink and this guy made me sit with him. It turns out he’d been performing all over the world for the last 20 years, and he does kids’ performances at elementary and middle schools. I ate some of his side dish of mushrooms, and best mushrooms I’ve ever had. Cooked for him— for me.

#fine dining #pacific northwest #appetizers #milk music

[wilsons5stars]

Let’s do Chex Mix

Ancient secret.

My dad taught me this recipe when I was little. No one knows who I am, but those who know me, know that I have a steel trap. So when I watched my dad make this when I was a kid, we’re talking 4-10 years of age, and I remember.

Then I got older, and one time I asked, and he gave me the recipe, and it was exactly how I remembered.

If you wanna make a big batch it’s better, because you’re not gonna wanna stop eating it. So you need a couple big bowls for mixing, and 2-4 big pans with a lip on ‘em, for baking. This is a baking thing where it’s just slow and low. Oven: 225 degrees, and you might have to mix it from time to time. Bring the bottom to the top, swirl it around.

Okay, so, it’s called Chex Mix, so you get Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex (the cereal)— it’s cheap, you can get the knock off brand, NBD.

I like to go heavy on the Wheat Chex. For some reason they seem to soak up the most juice. They taste the best. The other things I add— optional, to your taste: pretzels (twists or sticks), any type of nuts… (I like pecans in mine because it goes off, peanuts are good— salted works because then you don’t have to add so much seasoning. Filberts work, but not so good). I like to add cheerios always. Lately, I’ve been mixing a bit of Honey Nut Cheerios in there because the sweetness sets it off once the sauce is baked in…

Another (lately) pro tip: you can get the fun party mix, pre-mixed Chex bag that also has Gardetto’s chips and sesame sticks and Cheetos. You can add that too.

Basically, all you do is melt a bunch of butter in a container with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and a little bit of garlic powder, and that’s it.

I like it spicy. The other day, I used Crystal brand garlic flavored hot sauce. Any thin hot sauce works. You want a cheap, thin hot sauce. The butter’s there for the thickness.

And then you just put whatever you like in the bowl and you pour over the microwaved sauce— butter et. al, spiced to your liking and mixed by hand (preferably). Layer it onto the baking sheet, two layers max.

Throw it in then oven, 225. Take your time, let it go. Chex on it every once in awhile, lol. Let it dry out. Put it in a giant Ziplock bag and enjoy.

#family #recipes #chex mix #snacks

[wilsons5stars]

Tomatoes

I never really liked tomatoes as a kid. There were a solid five foods I didn’t care for up until my teens, but everything else… I was down with.

One time I went to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996. I still have some family that lives outside of the A. Didn’t really want to go due to family circumstances, but I went.

So, one time in 1996, me and the fam headed north to go to Atlanta for the Olympics. It was a big deal for the city of Atlanta, and for the state of Georgia as a whole, as one would expect. But this story is not about the Olympics, it’s about tomatoes.

Stayed at my great aunt’s compound in Griffin, Georgia, right outside of the city. It was like two or three double, triple-wide trailers. Farmland in the back.

Great aunt’s daughter had her trailer next-door to hers. They were growing tomatoes, but also maybe growing weed because they had a lot of security cameras and monitors and a huge fish tank. And why wouldn’t you just buy a house, you know what I mean?

But, either way, throughout every meal they kindly served us, on the middle of the table would sit a platter, a big platter, of backyard, homegrown, ripe tomatoes, and that’s when, then and there, my young ass realized: it wasn’t that I didn’t like tomatoes— I just had never had a fucking tomato. I just mean I’d never had a fuckin’ actual tomato.

That day forward, I was obsessed with tomatoes. It’s like, maybe it’s worse, because now, after that— when I get a bad tomato, I hate them even more. When you get a bad tomato, when you’ve had a good tomato, what’s the fucking point?

#stories #Georgia #family #sports #tomatoes

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Din Ho, D-I-N H-O

Din Ho: walk in, look to your hard left, see the hanging Peking duck, roast pork, and that’s delish… but I like another dish.

Get sat. Have a seat. Order a water, and a Coke/ Diet Coke because it comes in a can with a cup of ice— that’s cool. I’m just gonna say, I’m not doggin’ on the roast pork or the roast duck, but I’ve eaten numerous meals at this eatery on Christmas and Thanksgiving because— I have. I’m not lying.

My go-to is Walnut Shrimp, and probably, a side of, vegetables— they’re all good. Every dish is huge. These dishes are all made for 2-4 people to share.

Walnut Shrimp.

Large, battered and lightly fried shrimp with candied walnuts, and that’s it… tossed in a mayonnaise— sauce? Glaze? It’s tossed in Kewpie Mayo. It’s just tossed in mayo, pretty much, but the walnuts are candied, but like, actually candied. And then, basically it just comes served on a plate with some shredded lettuce, and, maybe a couple of pieces of steamed broccoli. But we aren’t worried about the veggies, that’s why you get the side. And of course, they bring you family style steamed rice.

The one thing you have to ask for, that sets this dish off, is Sriracha— drizzled on the shrimp. It cuts the sweetness and makes it perfect in your mouth. I do love the chili oil and the black vinegar, but in this case, the Sriracha really sets it off.

It’s the best. Don’t let me disaude you from the roasted animals hanging in the front door. I’ve had ‘em. Also, the back of this restaurant is fishtanks where you can pick your own fish and crustacean. This is not a fight, this is just what I like. I like the Walnut Shrimp.

#chinese food #austin texas #family style

[wilsons5stars]

Miss Billie

My babysitter, well she was more than a babysitter. She kept me. She kept all the teachers’ kids when they were littler, as the moms were teaching. Billie Gomez.

Miss Billie Gomez— she always looked 75 years old. I saw her last summer. I knocked on her door crying, but she still looked 75. But even as a kid, she looked old.

A born grandmother, a lover of children. I got a lot to say about Miss Billie. She lived about six houses down if you count the corner in my neighborhood, and she ran an in-house daycare center. State-mandated, fed-us-twice-a-day, breakfast and lunch, menu had to be on the wall in the kitchen per government rule. First lady I ever talked back to and got my mouth washed out with soap multiple times. Stuck a bar in my mouth and, later, pumped liquid soap into my mouth. On top of that, she had egg water (laymen’s term. Suffer Water— smells like eggs, tastes great. Doesn’t taste great— tastes like shit). It was the only thing we drank at daycare (which wasn’t called daycare; it was called ‘You’re Going to Miss Billie’s) was red sulfur water kool aid all the time. It was nasty as fuck.

She was a widow. Had one hanger-on drunk young son… he probably did drugs. I know he did drugs. No names. He still kept a bedroom, but he was never really there. The rest of the house was: communal living room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms in the back where the kids took naps, and a perfect childhood setup backyard equipped with monkey bars, slide, yard-grass, grass-yard, and what do you call it? A treehouse that was not on the ground? A ground house. Play house, made out of wood. Particle board. I had my first kiss in there.

She was a good babysitter. It was her job, it was her life. She loved us kids like her own. She wasn’t necessarily the nicest young old-looking woman, per se, but every time I take a trip home, I make a point to go see her, even if I’m crying— I knock on her door like a psychopath.

I never ate breakfast as a kid because I didn’t like it because it was too early in the day for food. I still like my sleep, and I like lunch.

One of the meals on her weekly cycle changed my palate for rest of my life, beginning at age three. And it was: non-breaded, pan fried chicken livers with oven baked crinkle french fries— on a plate, with ketchup, and egg-water red kool-aid.

I remember having dinner with my parents, and them asking me what I had for lunch, and I told them: Miss Billie feeds me this thing, and the taste of it reminds me of the way that our old dog smelled. And they were like: dog’s been dead… you barely knew the dog. And I said, “Yeah, but I remember the way the dog the smelled. And this food she feeds me tastes the way the dog smelled.”

And then we went about, and they figured out I was talking about chicken liver. Growing older, I experienced fried chicken livers in various gas stations across rural Georgia. My father, turns out, loved them maybe more than I did. And we bonded over loving them with ketchup and hot sauce. And now I’m gonna cry.

He best fried chicken livers in America, IMO (in my opinion), are at a town called Sparta, Georgia. I don’t know if they even have a grocery store, but they have a gas station with a chicken-broaster counter.

The way these little places fry their chicken— it’s a giant pressure cooker partially filled with frying oil, so you bread and load the meat and put it in there, and then you seal the top, you half fry and half pressure cook. So you half fry and half pressure cook. It’s amazing. It’s fire. It’s legit the best fried chicken you ever had.

But for some reason, the gas station in Sparta, Georgie has the best fried chicken livers you ever had. And my dad and I would sit in the car and eat them. In the van, with ketchup and hot sauce.

#stories #georgia #family #gas station food

[wilsons5stars]

Wendy’s

I want to just say, what number is Wendy’s spicy chicken? Always number 7.

This picture is fire. That’s a good picture because it gives the caloric intake, which I like.

I thought it was a number 7, a #7, but it’s a #6, and, maybe they shuffled their numbers, but my favorite fast food restaurant, as an eater, I have to say, since childhood, is Wendy’s.

As a kid, we had a Wendy’s on the mainland. My parents donated a palm tree to the Wendy’s, and it was planted next to the drive thru window. We would have family dining experiences inside that Wendy’s. Back then, if you ate in the dining room, you were offered an amazing salad bar consisting of foods from all over the world, ranging from chocolate jello pudding to a lettuce salad. Also containing, do it yourself (DIY) loaded potato and/or tacos. It was actually fire.

But, during my first experiences as a small child, Mom only gave me the classic cheeseburger patty removed from bun and torn into child bite-sized pieces with an accompanying pile of ketchup. I think we had a discount back then because of donated palm and/or banana tree discount… I think we had a discount because of said donated palm tree at drive-thru.

As I grew older, I experienced the pleasures of which are now unknown to humankind — the Wendy’s extensive salad bar.

Moving on in life, my favorite fast food burger became a Wendy’s single cheese, or with cheese/ mayonnaise, ketchup, letttuce-onion, only.  As I grew, and my palate refined, I moved, into the number 6 (#6): the Spicy Chicken Sandwich combo (what we all now know as: the Spicy Chicken Sandwich combo).

A sandwich consisting of a lightly battered, mildly spiced, breaded white-meat-chicken-product, sandwiched on a bun, and for my liking, with cheese, lettuce, onion (later, tomato added), mayo… I asked for ketchup as well.

On the whole, dining in at Wendy’s, regardless of food quality, was always somewhat of an eating vacation because their tables were covered in old ads from magazines from years past, i.e. Sears-Roebuck, etc, offering wares of a begotten time. And call me history buff, but I like to eat and look at old stuff.

The downfall of Wendy’s, as a chain, and/or fast food restaurant, was when they tried to be too hip and compete with other chains. French fries, case in point. Just trust me. French fries... I watched it happen. Wendy’s, up to a point, served my favorite fast food French fries. I don’t quite remember the year exactly, but I know it was in the 2000s.

But then Wendy’s decides to make new age French fries. NO THANK YOU. Oh, still some skin on, still some skin on the tips... still some skin on the tips, natural sea salt, and even then, I gave them a chance. But they always came to tepid, soggy-ish, and not salted enough.

Other than that, the best fast food cheeseburger ever mass produced, and the best Spicy Chicken Sandwich (#6) that you can still get.

Though the days of the salad bar are gone, and the tables with the Sears-Robuck advertiments may be gone, still, the best fast food restaurant to stand the test of time is Wendy’s.

You can still get a baked potato in the drive thru. And I didn’t even touch on the original Frosty (tm).

If you were ever lucky enough to dip the Wendy’s OG fries in an OG Frosty, you know.

#fast food #family #salad bar

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Okay, Kome.

Camembert tempura. Served with honey, ask for a side of go-go sauce and double dip.

#sushi restaurants #austin texas #appetizers

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Pho Please, original location only, please.

Crab rangoon, full order. All you can get is a full order — so get it.

Kid’s. Size. Veggie. Pho.

No, kids bowl tofu pho, that’s what it’s called. It’s just noodles and broth and tofu in a smaller portion, for half the price, but it’s plenty to eat. You won’t eat it all, especially with a crab rangoon appetizer.

The true move is, for the money, you don’t add steamed vegetables in the bowl. You get a side plate of steamed vegetables. And, it’s less expensive than adding, and it’s a gigantic portion because it’s not considered a kid’s menu item— that’s the truth.

They have a nice, what do you call it… bar of cilantro, raw onion, pickled jalapeño, fresh jalapeño... and you load up a plate with that. Also, what no one ever sees, to the right of that, is a bottle of vinegar, and you wanna pour that on it. And the bar has limes too; you want to put limes on it.

I usually put it in a small to go box, instead of a plate, because it is deeper and, with the vinegar, it will leak off the plate. Upon adding those ingredients into your soup, you use that vessel to mix: *hoisin, chili sauce, and sriracha to make a nice mixed dipping pile — with walls. It doesn’t spill out.

Then, take those steamed veggies, add them to your kid bowl. I want to be proper on this place, so add green onions from the bar. They have green onions, and you need those too. So add them to your kid bowl, along with the provided fresh basil and bean sprouts. Mix up your soup with whatever sauces you like to add and enjoy.

I’m the type of person/ they/them… when I chopstick a big hunk of fried tofu, I like to remotely dip, separately, in my sauce mix*, in said to go container from before.

#vietnamese #pho #austin texas #tips #kids menu #asian restaurant

[wilsons5stars]

Fountain Soda, in general

Any time you see these two flavors on a fountain machine, this is what you do:

Ice 3/4 Dr. Pepper 1/4 Orange Soda Add lid Add straw And then shake-stir with the cup.

Drink it, and tell me it doesn’t taste like the best carbonated candy.

#soda #tips

[wilsons5stars]

Ready? Mac Donalds.

This one’s gonna be real short. UAK, for me, here’s what you get. Big Mac, fries, twelve-piece nuggets, Fillet of Fish. Cheese on the fish sandwich.

The only thing else you need with this meal is a lot of sweet and sour, and of course, ketchup.

I would say get a drink, but they quit serving Hi-C Orange (Burger King has it now). But at McDonalds, you really can’t go wrong with a nice cold fountain Cola. Wash your sins away.

correction/additional: They have one dollar drinks every day, large-size; and that includes sweet tea. Including sweet tea at all times. They have good sweet tea, trust me, but too sweet for me— throw some lemon in that shit.

#fast food

[wilsons5stars]

Now, we’re moving on from Mexican Food. So much good Mexican. New people to Austin are gonna go to my spots, and I’ll have to wait for a table. Gross, I’ll just eat at home.

Where are we going? Chez Nous. This one’s gonna be good.

This place, this little French restaurant, downtown Austin, right off dirty 6th street, has all the luxuries of somebody’s old house. A perfect place to eat French food. Low ceilings, carpet— thin carpet, no hard liquor, beer and wine and a few cordials… you come here to eat, not to be seen.

I eat snails here. Snails come in increments. I get a dozen. They come in a ceramic boat, much like you would be served a banana split in. The snails come swimming in butter, garlic, and mushrooms. Unlike most places, it’s a little more sustenance, and, very fairly priced, if not under-priced.

As you know, snails come pasteurized in a can 99.9% of the time— they are reheated, making this my favorite spot for snails, for the price. I like to go here for a seven o’clock snack. Snails and a salad with a beer or a glass of wine. The servers are very attentive and knowledgeable about the extensive wine list, which is mostly handwritten.

This is a nostalgic place that still stands up. Hopefully, stands the test of time. What’s the French way to say goodbye? Au revoir? Au revoir Pee-wee. Magnifique.

The host/bartender has really long hair with cornrows and braids, reminiscent of a French man who just got off a… Caribbean cruise. One of the nicest restaurant workers I’ve encountered, with the demeanor of a saint.

The rest of the menu remains unexplored at this point, but as a knowledgeable restaurant professor, I’ll say it is a minimal, perfectly thought out, French menu.

(Five French chef kisses.) Au revoir.

#french restaurants #austin texas

[wilsons5stars]

Next place, Taco Cabana. North Lamar.

No, no don’t say North Lamar. Drive-through window— only.

Beyond Meat nachos, no guacamole, add chopped onions, and, grilled onions.

This is a large to-go portion of chips covered in fake meat, queso, grilled onions (you have to ask), chopped onions— raw (you have to ask), no guacamole (you have to ask), and a dollop of sour cream. I really gave up on their salsas— although, the normal red is fine and the ranch salsa is... crazed. But I had to stop. It’s just red salsa with ranch dressing mixed in. It’s literally thin red salsa with ranch mixed in. Psycho.

But, being who I am, with a refined palate, I take it home and add Trader Joe’s brand sriracha, specifically, and Hill Country Fare ketchup (it’s like the cheapest HEB brand). Put the to-go lid back on and shake to mix all ingredients. Best eaten in bed, with a fork, and a paper towel bib. Paper towels all over your body, while watching show of your choice. That’s it, there’s nothing else.

#mexican restaurants #fast food #heb #austin texas #trader joes

[wilsons5stars]

I got another Mexican restaurant. Habanero Cafe. *Lunch only/ cash only, ATM on premises*

An unbelievable, no— I don’t like that word, an amazing, experience, with a veggie chimichanga, packed full of grilled onions, mushrooms, Serranos, fried, well it’s a chimachanga, UAK, topped with queso, red sauce by request (I like both, always), served with rice and beans. The house salsa is spiced to a point where it’s not too hot, and you can’t stop eating it. A dinner size portion at a place that’s only open for lunch, at a lunch price, four chef kisses, five Chef kisses. Pay cash, tip well.

#mexican restaurants #austin texas #vegetarian #lunch

[wilsons5stars]

3 Mexican ones in a row. Now we got El Secreto de Abuela.

I don’t want to tell which location. I’ll do Taco Cabana next.

There’s a couple locations of this eatery. Unfortunately, I will not disclose the one I frequent. Unfortunately. This little eatery is the secret of Grandma, no, it’s Grandma’s secret. A few items, no— many, many items on this menu are… delectable.

I’m gonna key in on the seafood options. Pescatarian, if you will, non-vegan. First up, some of the best, what are they called— shrimp cocktail, but it’s spelled shrimp c-o-k-t-e-l. This shrimp, this one is served like many, in a large margarita glass, you know what I’m talking about? A large glass, a margarita glass. Unlike some, the shrimp in this one are large, lightly cooked, and soaked in a delicious juice. Juice is made up of tomato, ketchup, citrus, raw onion— like any good shrimp cocktail should be. But, there’s something about this restaurant. They just do it right. Whether it’s meat, beef, chicken, pork, seafood, everything I’ve had is seasoned the proper amount. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, eat more Tex Mex, and you’ll find other places are more bland.

Kind of like, if you like picadillo. P-i-c-a-d-i-l-l-o. Kind of like, when you want good picadillo, and you’re longing for that well seasoned ground beef and boiled potatoes with the right ratio of the potatoes to ground beef. And even when the menu says the picadillo has potatoes, the plate hits your table, and there’s no potatoes, and the ground beef is more grease than spice.

Getting back to the seafood, this place just does it for me. The shrimp cocktail is served with plenty of saltines, two to a package. You get to have the experience of opening every pack before you spoon it on, but I’ve 

never

had to ask for more.

Seafood dish number two, the ceviche tostadas. Tres versions— options. Fish, shrimp, pulpo. They are very fairly priced, come one per order. A fried corn tortilla with a nice swipe of mayo on top, followed by your choice of seafood, topped with pico and fresh avocado slices. You can’t go wrong here. The only thing you can add that can make it better is a couple dashes of Cholula. Because that flavor makes something great, better... more greater.

Seafood dish number three, grilled shrimp enchiladas. Once again, these are just enchiladas con shrimp, but they are seasoned— properly. Large shrimp cut in half, grilled and seasoned, in two very nice corn tortillas. Smothered in a great amount of tomato, chunkier tomato red sauce— cause it is, it’s like… topped with cheese, grated, shredded cheese, flashed in the salamander. That’s like a broiler. Served with rice, and, I usually skip the beans, but this place has some of the best refried beans in town. Side note: the steak enchiladas covered in the queso are the best I’ve ever had (when I was eating meat) #AdamR.

Bottom line: rustic tables, great service. Also, get the giant glass of unsweet tea, and they only offer pink fake sugar. That’s the place.

#mexican restaurants #pescatarian #seafood #austin texas

[wilsons5stars]

Still to this day, my favorite hard shell taco

This is more a recipe, than anything, it’s an at-home deal. My dad made my sister and I these tacos as children. “Easier to eat” was the idea.

Cook seasoned ground beef. Strain and put in large mixing bowl.

Add shredded cheese to bowl.

Add shredded lettuce to bowl.

Add fresh diced tomatoes. To bowl.

Add some ketchup to bowl. Add some sour cream to the same bowl.

Mix into somewhat of a “paste.”

Fill store-bought hardshell, corn shell, hard crispy corn shell.

Serve to your child, or, keep eating as an adult.

We all know a layered hard shell taco gets everywhere. The paste makes for less waste.

Enjoy.

#mexican #recipe #family

[wilsons5stars]

Veggie Burrito

Beto’s E. 7th St location, next door to the now defunct Hard Luck Bar, and the new location of what’s the tire place that that shitty place took over… next to Leal’s new location, after they were forced out to make way for what’s it called, that chicken place.

Beto’s has an incredibly sweet staff. An older woman always rings you up. Competitive prices. Very, very homey dining room. The veggie burrito comes with rice and beans, if you want— I usually get double rice. The beautiful thing, or the special thing, about Beto’s is they’re very willing to make you a veggie burrito according to your own specifications without many eyerolls. 

I usually get mine, specifically, with: grilled onion, pepper, mushrooms, rice, lettuce, tomato, avocado. It’s topped with queso and if you ask, they will also add their delicious red gravy on top of that, making for a delicious “wet,” cheesy veggie burrito.

In foodie terms, it’s sometimes remarkable how fast the ticket time is at this place. That means how fast the food comes from the time you order. You literally, can’t, fill up on chips. Which is cool, but not for them. I also recommend this dish, and probably every dish, with a giant glass of unsweet tea, with lime and one pack of pink stuff added in.

#mexican restaurants #austin texas