Category Archives: Great Finds

Lamb-Spice Lamb Chops That Are Kismet

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A quick spice mix gives these lamb rib chops incomparable flavor.
A quick spice mix gives these lamb rib chops incomparable flavor.

Dare I say that smoky, juicy, and flavorfully spiced little lamb rib chops are your destiny?

They definitely are if you follow this recipe from the new “Kismet” cookbook (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

“Lamb-Spice Lamb Chops” is one of more than 100 mouthwatering recipes in this book by the chef-owners of Los Angeles restaurants, Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson were named among the “Best New Chefs” in 2017 by Food & Wine magazine.

You have to love a cookbook that states from the get-go: “Yes, we’re restaurant chefs. No, this isn’t a restaurant book. Why? Because we want you to actually cook these recipes.”

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Liven Up Your Cooking with The Spice Lab

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Grilled bread with cheese, tomatoes and basil that gets a generous sprinkling of The Spice Lab's Pizza Dust Seasoning.
Grilled bread with cheese, tomatoes and basil that gets a generous sprinkling of The Spice Lab’s Pizza Dust Seasoning.

How to make a simple slice of grilled bread taste like actual pizza?

Just shake on a generous amount of The Spice Lab’s Pizza Dust Seasoning.

Close your eyes, take a bite, and you’ll taste the sweetness of tomato, the pungency of garlic, a kiss of anise from fennel, a hit of warm spice from Aleppo pepper, and a subtle bread-y note from yeast flakes. In short, a close approximation to your favorite sausage pizza.

Based in Pompano Beach, FL, The Spice Lab is a family-owned business that turns out award-winning sea salts and unique seasoning blends that are all natural and kosher certified, with a good many of them gluten-free. The company, housed in a sweeping 125,000-square-foot facility, also makes custom blends, including the Nom Nom Paleo seasoning powders for best-selling cookbook author Michelle Tam.

The Spice Lab’s chef-in-residence Fiona Kennedy recently reached out to send samples for me to try.

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Dining At Mustards Grill

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Flowering artichokes in the garden at Mustards Grill.
Flowering artichokes in the garden at Mustards Grill.

It’s a massive achievement for a restaurant to endure long enough to celebrate 41 years in business.

It’s even more impressive when that restaurant continues to draw crowds day in and day out of both locals and visitors alike.

Mustards Grill in Napa is that restaurant.

Chef-Owner Cindy Pawlcyn opened her restaurant in 1983, naming it for the brilliant yellow wild mustard flowers that bloom all over the Napa Valley in spring. It didn’t take long for it to turn into one of the valley’s first destination restaurants.

So, when I found out my husband had never dined there, I was flabbergasted. That omission was remedied last week when we were headed to Napa, armed with a reservation at Mustards.

The ever-popular mountain of onion rings.
The ever-popular mountain of onion rings.

We dined on a Tuesday night. But you would have sworn it was a Saturday evening, as the dining room was packed, with even a couple parties waiting outside in hopes that a table would open up soon.

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Red Boat Introduces New Simmer Sauces

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Chicken thighs, red bell pepper, and summer squash cooked in Red Boat's Vietnamese Lemongrass Curry jarred simmer sauce.
Chicken thighs, red bell pepper, and summer squash cooked in Red Boat’s Vietnamese Lemongrass Curry jarred simmer sauce.

Hayward’s artisan Vietnamese fish sauce maker, Red Boat, has introduced new simmer sauces to make cooking dinner easier and faster.

Red Boat’s Vietnamese Lemongrass Curry, Spicy Vietnamese Lemongrass Curry, and Vietnamese Simmer Sauce are made with chile peppers, ginger, cinnamon and a host of other spices, plus Red Boat Fish Sauce, of course.

I had a chance to try samples of each recently.

The three new simmer sauces.
The three new simmer sauces.

Each 12-ounce jar is designed to be used with about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of vegetables and/or protein of your choice, such as tofu, beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. Simply saute your ingredients briefly, making sure to half-cook or fully-cook the protein, before adding the jar of sauce.

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The Tasting Menu Experience at Michelin-Starred Protege

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An artful sea trout-stuffed crepe heaped with caviar at Protege.
An artful sea trout-stuffed crepe heaped with caviar at Protege.

I have enjoyed the exquisite food at Palo Alto’s Michelin-starred Protege many a time.

In the lounge with the a la carte menu. Dining outdoors on the same. And even with takeout during the throes of the pandemic.

But I had never ever tried the tasting menu that’s offered in the restaurant’s more intimate dining room.

Until last week — when I finally decided it was the perfect time to do so to celebrate a late-birthday dinner.

It’s a 7-course menu for $225 with an automatic 20 percent gratuity tacked on that requires a full prepayment. Any cancellation must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

Unlike the lounge, which has a bar with seating and an view into the kitchen, the dining room is more serene, done up with a tufted banquette and curved leather chairs.

Co-owners, Chef Anthony Secviar (right) and Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly (left).
Co-owners, Chef Anthony Secviar (right) and Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly (left).

Owners, Chef Anthony Secviar and Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly, met while working at the French Laundry. So, it’s not surprising that there is an air of precision to everything. What’s not so expected is the touch of whimsy and light-heartedness here and there. It all makes for an upscale experience that makes you feel well cared yet in an unpretentious manner.

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