Persian Cuisine
Mood:  surprised
On a recent business trip, I found I really enjoy Persian cuisine. There's a great little restaurant in the Gaslamp district of Downtown San Diego called Sadaf Royal on 828 Fifth Ave. It was really delightful. I ordered the Lubia Polo and started with the Dolmeh appetizer. Everything was very delicious. I have a small appetite, so when I couldn't finish it all, I wished my hotel had a refridgerator so I could keep the leftovers. Needless to say, I've been thinking about Persian ever since.

Steakhouse in New Jersey
I found a great steakhouse near Trenton, New Jersey. It's called KC Prime on 4160 Quakerbridge Road in Lawrenceville. Prices are on the medium to high end, but they are well worth the extra few bucks. It's a great place for entertaining clients and family who have a discerning palette. Everything on the menu is good.

Savoury French Toast
Mood:  bright
I've been experimenting with breakfast recipes recently and have found an interesting combination for a French Toast recipe. Basically, you use 1 egg per slice of bread, soak each side in the egg and pan-fry both sides on a non-stick, greased pan. Then instead of using syrup and powder sugar, you can use cream cheese and smoked salmon as the filler for a salmon-stuffed French Toast. Very delicious. I think I'm going to try grilled mushrooms and garlic next.

Jog the memory
Mood:  chillin'
Wow! It's been a while since I blogged. Well, I have a pretty good excuse, I completely forgot my username and password and I even forgot the name of my blog. Somehow, I managed to pull it out of my memory banks today and just randomly got it right. Pretty cool

Great German Food
There's a quaint place near Philadelphia called Otto's Brauhaus in Willow Grove, PA. They have several German beers including the standard American and common beers. Their menu includes several classic German dishes that are extremely tasty. I had their Neishwanstein, which was filet mignon meddalions in a mushroom, burgundy sauce over spaekle (a German noodle). The meal is exquisite. If you're up for German, head to Otto's.

Grilled Fish in Lemon and Ginger Marinade
I've discovered a simply no-nonsense fish recipe. It is best grilled, but baking and pan-frying will do.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Grated Ginger
1/4 cup Lemon or Lime Juice
1/4 cup Green Onions
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper
2lb Talapia fillet

Rub in ginger, salt and pepper into talapia fillets. Add lemon or lime juice. Allow to marinate about 1 hour. Grill talapia. Garnish with green onions and drizzle soy sauce for flavor.

Cafe Med
Last night I went to a favorite dining spot in Pasadena California. It's called Cafe Med, and was a sort of american-italian bistro/bar and grill. They had a beautiful glass table with inlaid lights down the center that was built to be accompanied with bar stools, so you could feel like you're sitting high up above the world, looking down at your dangling feet through the glass. Then to make the atmosphere even more breath-taking, the table was positioned in a room that had a beautiful view through 3 walls of wall-to-ceiling windows.

It was gorgeous. The food was gorgeous and dessert was divine. Unfortunately, they closed down recently and I was left to the other 100+ restaurants in Old Towne Pasadena, but none with the view of Cafe Med. Arrivederci Cafe Med.

Moroccan Food
Philadelphia, PA has a quaint little Moroccan restaurant, complete with an authentic Moroccan atmosphere. The restaurant is called Marrakesh, located on Leithgow St. Leithgow is a small dark alleyway between 4th and 5th off of South St, right by I-95.

If you've never had authentic Moroccan food, this is the place to go. You don't order off a menu, the chef creates the menu based on freshest ingredients available that day. It's a seven course meal, 2 of which is a fruit and desert course. So, go with a group and enjoy the feast.

You sit on big comfy couches full of pillows around a round coffee table. They start you off with rosewater to wash your hands before your meal. Then you get an appetizer, usually an assortment of salads, pickled or otherwise. You're likely to get a bread dish and 2 meat dishes. The remaining 2 can be a surprise.

And finally, if you're lucky, you may get a private show from some belly dancers.

Not recommended for first dates, unless you know for sure your date (and yourself) can handle the exotic food.

Caribbean Recipes
I recently went on a trip to the Caribbean and returned home with a savvy little Caribbean cookbook. It has all the classic Caribbean recipes, from Jamaica Rice and Peas, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Stuffed Christophenes, Stew Beef and a delightful array of Caribbean salsas. The recipes are relatively lightly flavored. If you like stronger flavors, go ahead and vamp up the seasonings and if you're an experimentalist, the recipes provide lots of room to dabble.

The book is called "Caribbean Flavors" by Wendy Rahamut. If you're lucky you may try to track down the book, but I was not able to find it anywhere on the online bookstores. However, you can check it out at http://www.macmillan-caribbean.com/books/General/Food%20drink/flavors.htmand buy it directly from Macmillan.

While in the Caribbean, I went on a sailing vessel
called the "Freewinds."


The Freewinds frequents many of the local islands. Here are some web sites I found of their ports of call and the colorful culture they host:

Freewinds Jazz

Freewinds Jazz Concert

Freewinds Curacao Jazz

They also visit Bonaire Freewinds in Bonaire
and Barbados Freewinds in Barbados

Freewinds in Bridgetown
Another Freewinds Page

Here are some photos of the Freewinds on Russian domains, they are a bit slow loading and in Russioan also:

Freewinds
More Freewinds Photos

Here are pages giving info on the Freewinds, detailing how the Freewinds, operates out of her home port in the Caribbean, far from the turbulent crossroads of the world and offers Scientologists the highest levels of spiritual advancement.

Freewinds

The Freewinds, the Flag Ship Service Organization


I also found another beautiful charter yacht by the same name. Here are some photos for you.
Freewinds
The Freewinds
Freewinds Virtual Tour

Hope you found this as interesting as I did.
The favor of the food goes with the flavor of this part of the world - completely jazzy!

Scientology and Dianetics
As this blog is generally about food I thought I would add some food for the soul. There is a lot being talked about Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard. Here you can find an abundance of resources on the subject. Why don't you check them out and find out for yourself.
Basic Dianetics and Scientology Services
L. Ron Hubbard the Writer

St. Petersburg Times: David Miscavige Speaks ...
David Miscavige’s Address from the Grand Opening of The Church of Scientology, D.C.
Religious Tolerance: Scientology
Beliefs of the Scientology Religion
Church of Scientology UK