Fatty Crab

I'm occasionally amused by the way restaurants view themselves. Fatty Crab, a Malaysian-influenced restaurant owned by a non-Malaysian, Zak Pelaccio, seems to think it's a "joint." The Web site makes the place seem really funky, but it's just a small Meatpacking-district restaurant with tall front windows and a menu with lots of interesting and tasty stuff on it. Maybe we ate early, and the funky/joint stuff happens after dark. I'll never find out, nor do I particularly care. I have never been a scenester, so vibe isn't nearly as important as the food, and the food was good.

My semi-regular NY dining companion, David, and I chose to split three apps and one entree. We got the green mango and papaya salad, which was the typical Thai-style salad with chili, lime, and peanut. It was tasty, but not the best version I've had. The mango wasn't particularly green, but it was appropriately fiery.

Next up were pork belly buns served with a sriracha soy sauce and a cilantro salad. These were really nice, with tender fatty pork and nicely pillowy buns. The pork was flavorful enough without needing the sauce, and the cilantro salad added a bit of herbaceousness to cut the fat.

Not to be redundent, but we also tried the Fatty Sliders, made from a blend of beef and pork with sambal aioli and caramelized onions on potato rolls. The aioli was incendiary, but the burgerettes are something I'd love to replicate for one of summer's many grilling occasions.

Finally, we had the beef rendang, which was gorgeous. Short ribs had been braised forever in a mild lemongrass chili sauce and served with coconut rice and a side of pickles. So much better than the local version I had earlier in the year, I wished I didn't have to share this dish with someone else.

We didn't order dessert, but were brought little squares of sweet glutinous rice cakes, which were delish.

There are lots of other interesting items on the menu, including chili crab (with Jonah or snow crab, at either 45/60 bucks - a little rich for my blood) a clay pot chicken, a Malaysian fish fry, and Szechuan pepper lobster.  Maybe next time I'll splurge.






Posted on Minxeats.com.

Herb & Soul

The stretch of Joppa Road between Providence Road and Loch Raven Boulevard has become the area we frequent most often for dinner. There's Noodle Charm, Spice & Dice, Gino's, Mo's, and now, just around the corner on Loch Raven (Yakona Road), there's Herb & Soul. We paid our first visit to the restaurant on one of those days when neither of us felt like making dinner. As I checked out the restaurant's web site, I noticed they had extended their Baltimore County Restaurant Week menu for another week; that seemed like a sign from God.

It started out as a carry-out and catering operation behind a convenience store, but when the store moved out, Herb & Soul snatched up the remaining space and became a full-service restaurant that offers lunch and dinner, with live entertainment most nights that includes comedy, poetry, and music. The space is large and open, and the decor is eclectic. The few tables and chairs range from old church pews to bright green-upholstered seats. It's all very homey, like an impromptu dinner party held in someone's club basement.

The menu is Soul Food with a green twist: Herb & Soul uses sustainable organic produce, grass fed and free range meats, and they even recycle their cooking oil. Oh, and the food is pretty amazing.

After we ordered, our server brought us our glasses of lemonade (the restaurant is BYOB) and a bowl containing two sweet potato biscuits. Hello there, sweet potato biscuit! Where have you been all my life? Sweetened with a touch of blackstrap molasses, these biscuits are prepared by one of the owners, who loads them with butter and love. They are moist, slightly sweet, vaguely cinnamony, and taste like Autumn. They've quickly become my favorite baked good in the world.

The first two biscuits are complementary; extras will cost you $1 each.
But before you open your wallet, there's plenty more food coming.

As it was Restaurant Week, we had appetizers, entrees, and dessert. Mr Minx ordered the chicken and waffles. The chicken was cage-free, with a light and crisp coating. The waffle was Belgian-style, light and fluffy and still crisp, flavored with sweet potato and drizzled with a maple syrup infused with rosemary.

Chicken & Waffle

I ordered the orange-chipotle braised pork belly, and expected a few chunks of pork belly on a plate. What I received were three rather hefty "sliders," each containing a nicely-sized slab of pan-seared, moist, and lightly fatty braised pork belly and a bit of green. The buns were toasted, and there was a dab of chipotle sauce on each one. The heat was at the perfect level for me, but I could have done without the buns, as they muffled the flavor and texture of the meat.

Orange-Chipotle Braised Pork Belly

Mr Minx is a sucker for pasta, and the penne with kale pesto and garlic tofu meatballs sounded too unusual to pass up. The meatballs were very garlicky and tender, and if I had not known they were made of tofu, I might not have guessed. The pesto had a very fresh and green flavor, but could have used a bit more salt. 

Penne Rigate; kale pesto with garlic tofu meatballs

I had the free-range Old bay fried chicken with mac and cheese and sauteed squash and onions. Both entree portions were enormous, and I did the best I could with mine. I managed to finish two of the four piece of chicken (leg, wing, partial breast, partial thigh) about half the very cheesy and somewhat addictive mac, and most of the veg, which still retained a nice crunch. Like Mr Minx's chicken, mine had an almost ethereally-light coating that shattered with crispness. It was perfectly seasoned and piping hot.

Old Bay Fried Chicken (Freebird Farm Chicken)

And then there was dessert.

Mr Minx chose the apple and mango pie eggrolls. Think back to the days when a McDonald's apple pie was a real treat. The filling was always incendiary, and the crust super crisp. These eggrolls (spring rolls, actually) had those same molten/crispy qualities, but of course tasted far better. The fruits inside were cut into a tiny dice and still had a little texture, and the caramel sauce on the side just gilded the lily.

Apple Mango Pie Eggrolls

Remember when I said that sweet potato biscuit was my new favorite baked good in the world? I lied. It's actually the beignets at Herb & Soul. Ok, so they're technically not a baked good, as they're deep fried, but damn are they good. They are light and fluffy, with huge air pockets inside, almost like choux pastry that accidentally ended up in the Fryolater. So good, I barely used the brown sugar caramel dip, although that was pretty tasty, too.

Beignets

Couldn't finish the beignets, so they got to share a doggy bag with my leftover chicken. As I said, the portions and Herb & Soul are large! In addition to the terrific food, the service was attentive - we never had to ask for lemonade refills - and everyone there was extremely friendly. We're definitely adding this restaurant to our regular weeknight dinner rotation.

Herb & Soul Gastro Cafe
1702 Yakona Rd
Parkville, MD 21234
(410) 668-1886



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Gypsy Queen Cafe

The latest food truck to hit the University of Maryland Baltimore area is the Gypsy Queen Café, run by the fine folks who brought us the late Helen's Garden in Canton. If you watch the Food Network, you might, as I did, recognize Chefs Annemarie Langton and Tom Looney from their appearance on Chefs vs. City.

Mac and cheese topped with bacon "bling" in a waffle cone is probably one of the more outrageous lunches out there. The mac is rich and creamy, of the old-school American cheese variety, modernized by a chunky, onion-rich bacon jam. The waffle cone is...an actual waffle cone, ordinarily found sporting scoops of ice cream. Honestly, it works best if you just don't eat the cone.

The truffle sliders feature three plump and juicy little beauties served on a toasted squishy bun with subtly truffle-flavored mushroom duxelles. While I might like more truffle flavor, I have to say the burgers themselves are pretty delish.

I also tried the black pepper chicken kabob, made from nicely peppered chicken breast with a slight sweetness, well-cooked, accompanied by a side of hash-brown-like potatoes. The dish also included a handful of undressed but otherwise slaw-like shredded cabbage and raw red and green onion.

The chai caramel donut - with bacon! - was of the "honey-dip" variety, coated with a spiced caramel sauce, bacon bits, and a dollop of whipped cream. Evil, but I think a cake donut would have worked better.

Prices are a bit high for lunch, and tax is not included, but if you like variety, and maybe even some weird stuff, check out Gypsy Queen Cafe when it rolls into your neighborhood.

ETA: Gypsy Queen is going taco crazy! The tacos al pastor, with Mexican chorizo and pineapple on a corn tortilla, are messy but delicious, as are their new Mission Bay fish tacos, with crisply breaded fish on a soft corn tortilla.

Thai Party Recipes

Here are a few of the recipes I created for my recent Thai party.

Three Dips

8oz light or "neufchatel" cream cheese, softened
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Thai chili basil paste
Thai sweet chili sauce
Coconut milk powder
Nam pla wan (Thai fruit dip paste)
Sriracha
Minced jalapeno
Minced shallot
Chopped green onions
Cilantro
baby carrots, bell pepper and cucumber strips, tortilla chips, and pretzels for dipping

Place softened cream cheese, yogurt, and mayonnaise in a bowl, stirring well to combine. Divide into three equally-sized portions.

Dip 1: mix in a heaping tablespoonful of the chili basil paste and a teaspoon or so of Sriracha. Stir in a tablespoonful or so of chopped green onions.

Dip 2: mix in 2 tablespoonsful of nam pla wan and a squirt of sriracha. Stir in some minced shallot and jalapeno.

Dip 3: mix in 2 tablespoonsful of sweet chili sauce and an equal amount of coconut powder. Stir in some minced jalapeno and shallot or green onion.
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Thai Deviled Eggs

1 dozen large eggs
Thai red curry paste
Thai chili basil paste
mayonnaise
sliced shallots and jalapenos
chopped scallions

Place eggs in one layer in a large pot and fill with cold water to cover by about one inch. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. As soon as water starts boiling, cover pot and remove from heat. Allow to sit in the water for 15-20 minutes. Remove eggs to a bowl of ice water. Allow to cool for at least an hour, or refrigerate them until ready to use.

When ready to use, crack and remove shells from eggs. Slice each in half lengthwise and remove yolks to a medium bowl. Some of the whites will tear and be unusable - that's ok, put them in the bowl with the yolks. Mash the yolks and broken whites with enough mayonnaise to make the mixture spreadable but not runny. Divide in half and add to taste chili basil paste to one batch and red curry paste to the other. (If you use supermarket curry paste, like Thai Kitchen, you can use quite a bit. Be more judicious with the real stuff, as it's extremely spicy.)

Use a piping bag or a spoon to fill egg whites. Garnish with shallots, jalapenos, or scallions.
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Tod Mun Mu for a Party

2.5 lb ground pork
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1/4 lb green beans, sliced into 1/4" bits
1/4 cup finely minced Kaffir lime leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Mix together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight to allow flavors to blend. Form slider-sized patties (about 3" diameter). Fry over medium-high heat in a dry non-stick pan (they will ooze a ton of fat) until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain for a few moments before serving.

Serves 8-16, depending on how much other food is available. :)

Serve each burger on a small slider- or dinner roll-sized potato roll. Top with sprigs of cilantro and marinated cucumbers.

Marinated Cucumbers

1 cup cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
1 Tablespoon vinegar
2 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan or in the microwave, heat vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool, then pour liquid over cucumbers. Stir in jalapeno and shallot. Let rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

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