dinner

Toscana Cafe and Wine Bar in San Diego, California

Dining Outside the Home: Toscana Cafe and Wine Bar in San Diego, California. After a day of walking around downtown in the bustling Gaslamp District, rest your feet at a corner table where the music is soft and the romantic mood is perfect for sharing. This is Toscana Cafe and Wine Bar, an authentic Italian ristorante, which features amazing dishes like fresh burrata and beet salad, for starters. If you have yet to try burrata cheese, it is a semi-soft cheese that is formed into a pouch, then filled with soft curd and cream. Once it is sliced open, the luscious cream spills out. Act like this is no surprise to you, but try not to lick your fingers. That’s amore.

Flour & Barley Brick Oven Pizza in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: Flour & Barley Brick Oven Pizza in Las Vegas, Nevada. Everyone has that craving for pizza at one time or another. Flour & Barley, on The Linq Promenade, designed an Italian-American eatery for just that reason. Don’t expect the ordinary choices, though. Flour & Barley focuses on uniquely fresh ingredients, gluten-free options, specialty Italian sauces, and even a vegan cheese if needed. Pizza not your thing? No worries. Go with a meal salad, pasta dish, or seafood entree. It’s all good. Hip patio dining offers the perfect vantage point for people-watching plus a nice view of the High Roller.

Salisbury Steak

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Take a Seat at the Table: Salisbury Steak! Everyone knows it’s not really steak, but instead hamburger patties smothered in thick brown gravy. I like to think of it as savory meatloaf patties that are more economical than certified Angus sirloin steak. And honestly, I’ve never heard a single complaint when serving this American favorite. Add mashed potatoes and your choice of vegetable. It takes less than hour to prepare from start to finish.

SALISBURY STEAK

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, lean

1/3 cup onion, chopped

1/3 dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon Lea and Perrins sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 tablespoon olive oil

For Gravy:

2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

Instructions:

Combine ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, Lea and Perrins sauce, egg, and parsley in a medium bowl. Mix well and form into meat patties. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the patties 4-5 minutes, then flip and brown 4 minutes longer. Remove from skillet. Add olive oil and mushrooms to the skillet over medium heat. Cook until soft. Sprinkle flour over all. Gradually add beef broth. Using a whisk, stir to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil. As the sauce thickens, reduce heat and cook for 1 minute longer. Return Salisbury steaks to pan. Coat with gravy. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas, Nevada When it’s hot outside in Vegas, crank up the heat even more at Hell’s Kitchen with smoky cocktails and iced shrimp cocktail. The world-renowned celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay, recreated the infamous studio set from the television show. Prepare to be amazed. The sleek contemporary restaurant also landed a view overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. But forget all that. Come to Hell’s Kitchen for the outstanding food, extraordinary cocktails, and the dining ambiance. Take your time. The Beef Wellington is unsurpassed, which is the reason for the HK Signature Prix Fixe Menu. The final culmination of a fabulous meal would be the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Don’t forget the coffee.

Mushroom Beef Tips

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Take a Seat at the Table: Mushroom Beef Tips! The biggest challenge you’ll have today is deciding if you’re going to serve this over buttery egg noodles or garlic mashed potatoes! I know, right? Some days I take the way of least resistance and use a slow-cook method, but this recipe can certainly be pulled together in minutes as well. I really enjoy using my French Le Creuset cast-iron Dutch oven because it seals in the juices the way a crockpot enhances results. It just goes to show you how creative cooking can be.

MUSHROOM BEEF TIPS

Ingredients:

1 pound sirloin steak, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces

10-ounce can beef consommé

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup Lea and Perrins sauce

1 tablespoon French Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon tarragon

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons water

Instructions:

Place beef tips in a covered roaster. Add beef consommé, wine, Lea and Perrins sauce, mustard, tarragon, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place sliced mushrooms over all. Cover and bake at 275° for 6-8 hours. Then To mix water and flour in a small bowl, to thicken sauce, and stir into beef mixture. Cover and cook another half hour until thickened. Serve over noodles or potatoes.

Kauai Beer Company in Lihue, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Kauai Beer Company in Lihue, Kauai! Crafted beers aren’t the only things being served up at this hip neighborhood brewpub. Every Wednesday night, at dinner time, you can treat yourself to an aged boneless sirloin prime rib roast that has been in the smoker marinating in its own juices all day long. Talk about tender! Order a large cut to share; it’s perfect for two, especially with the generous side dishes. The atmosphere is kid-friendly, even down to the family dog. Water bowls and back rubbing for furry pets comes naturally to the wait staff. So, kick back, sip on a flight of brews, and let the good times roll.

Café Portofino in Lihue, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Café Portofino in Lihue, Kauai! Feel the romantic rhythm of northern Italy in a tropical destination overlooking the beach. This is paradise on the island of Kauai. The food is true Italian cuisine, the wine from cellars across the world. Café Portofino, a family-owned business, offers fresh seafood and locally sourced vegetables as well as classic dishes. Notice the Red Beet Salad and Grilled Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, both celebration-worthy. Chat with the wait staff. Their friendly reception is warm and connected with deep-felt hospitality. For a memorable evening, especially bringing in the New Year, treat yourself to a taste of Italy.

A Seat at the Table

Pull up a chair. Nothing goes better with food than a little conversation. Enjoy the company you’re in no matter what the circumstance may be. If there’s one thing I learned while traveling, it’s that people are yearning for an open mind and listening ear. A few minutes in your day, can make all the difference in someone else’s world. Join me now for “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: A Seat at the Table.” This remarkable journey of the palate is special because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement. What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? It’s as simple as reciting your A-B-Cs. One of my passions is being at home in my own country kitchen. I love to cook, and my husband loves that I do it often. Now more than ever, since I am retired, I relish the thought of creating something delicious from scratch. I adore time-honored traditions using tried-and-true recipes. Yet, I often never think twice about tweaking old favorites or modifying others to suit the inner craving of the moment. Most of the recipes serve 2-4 people, but can be altered in any direction. The leftovers are golden morsels to be eaten again later or shared with others. And I love to share. To me, seeing a smile in gratitude is thanks enough. The recipes you will find here in the next several weeks can be prepared very easily. Feel free to contact me with questions. Now take a deep breath, inhale the aromas, and join me on a tasteful journey entitled, “EATING MY WAY THROUGH THE ALPHABET: A SEAT AT THE TABLE!”

Hukilau Lanai in Kapaa, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Hukilau Lanai in Kapaa, Kauai! Every meal becomes a special occasion with a superb wait staff who is willing to satisfy your heart’s desire. Romance, you got it. Nostalgia, no worries. Impeccable food, a given. Start things off leisurely with a crafted cocktail: Ginger Martini. Sip it deliberately. Let the Hawaiian vodka seduce your taste buds with a tangy ginger liqueur finish. Mmmm. My husband chose a Ginny Hendrick’s garnished with a fresh rosemary sprig from their very own herb garden. Feeling pampered yet? Nibble on a savory appetizer of Lobster and Goat Cheese Wonton as a prelude to an incredible Lobster Curry Bisque. Can anyone have too much lobster? Wait, this is just the beginning. The entrées are first-class, the desserts divine. Surrender your will power. Every bite is worth it.