Italian Fix at Mambo Italiano . Bellingham, WA

Last night, Cinco de Mayo, I was craving a good Mexican meal and a nice, perfectly blended margarita. My mom, cousin and new baby cousin was visiting at the time so we decided we go to Dos Padres in Fairhaven and celebrate the festivity. Finding out the weight was 45 to and hour, we left with empty stomaches. "I could go for some Italian," my mom says. Even though I felt like it was a sin to go to Italian food on Cinco de Mayo, I agreed.



So here is my somewhat quick critique of the day. The hostess was not very nice, and I could tell she felt affended when the baby started crying. At one point when she was redirecting us to a new table, I turned to look around and found her making an irritated face at one of the waitresses. Our waitress though was really nice and helped out alot with my little cousin's needs, such as bringing him some extra bread to munch on to keep him down.

The Food. The pizza tasted really good, especially the rustic mambo that was a vegetarian pizza with garlic, rosemary, and kalamata olives, along with a few other ingredients. The pasta was also really great, especially the seafood putanessca. The putanessca sauce is really unbelievable. It is a red chunky sauce with a mix of mushrooms, olives, tomatoes and other vegetables. My dish, the pollo mambo, was not something I'd order again. Although it took the longest to make because they roast the chicken for twenty minutes, the meat was pretty dry. Also, the side starch of the day (rigatoni with a red sauce) was very bland. Although it is just a side, I think taking pride in creating all parts of the meal is important. All in all, I don't know if I'm going to frequent the restaurant.

Angel Food Trifle with Whipped Cream and Berries

Yesterday we went down to Gig Harbor for my boyfriend's grandpa's birthday. We sat down, talked a little reality tv, had some long overdue pizza and chocolate milk, and then divulged our appetites into this sinless dessert made by his aunt: an angel food and berry trifle with whipped cream. Seeing as I wasn't the one who made it, I don't have a complete recipe, but I can explain the procedure.

First, she made from scratch (!) the angel food cake. She said that once you make it from scratch the stuff they sell at the grocery store will taste like styrofoam. After eating this cake, I fully agree. I found a couple good recipes on foodtv.com for the cake. Then you cut them up into about two inch squares and start layering you trifle. The bottom layer was the angel food, then covered by a layer of berries (she used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries...the more the better!) mixed with some lemon juice (*another great addition to mixed fruit, whether its fruit salad or in a dessert is rose water... you'll be pleasantly surprised). Then the third layer, the fat free whipped cream. She made about three layers of each part and then the dessert was finished! It's a nice easy recipe with a sweet taste and a harmless side effect :)

Tasting Menu at Nimbus . Bellingham, Wa

Last night was the night I finally got to give Nimbus a try for myself. I put aside all the opinions I heard and decided to create my own critique of the restaurant. For those of you who aren't familiar with the restaurant, Nimbus is fine dining located in downtown Bellingham on the top floor of one of the tallest towers in the city.

First notable mention: The View. It was definitely breathtaking. We arrived as it began to get dark, and I would say the most beautiful time to enjoy the view is dusk. It gives the restaurant a nice cosy feel, and the downtown lights really come out at you during this time of night. The restaurant was surprisingly small, but it allowed an intimate dining experience and made every table in the house a good seat.

The Food. It was undeniably fine dining. We decided to try the eight course tasting menu for $65 dollars a person. I thought the food was exquisite, some of the best was the beet risotto, the halibut, and the kobe beef. Many of the ingredients that were used in the dishes were really wide ranged and top notch, including truffle oil, chorizo, and as mentioned before the Japaneses kobe beef. The portions on the other hand, were extremely small, and although I was pretty content by the end of the meal, for $65 dollars a person I usually expect to be stuffed. My last praise was the amazing wait staff. Our waitress went above and beyond to please us, and even brought me a separate dessert from everyone else (for our last course) when she heard me mention my love affair with chocolate. Which reminds me, the warm chocolate cake with white chocolate...divine.

A Cajun Escape at Bayou on Bay . Bellingham, WA

Tonight a friend and I decided to try out the new Cajun restaurant that opened up in Bellingham, Bayou on Bay. It’s a pretty interesting setup, a lot like Bay Street Coffee before it. We walk in and immediately my eyes were drawn to the flower patterned fabric on the waiting booth, and later linger to the stairs and walls of the restaurant where simple white light strands are hanging. A very romantic and inviting feel. We are escorted upstairs by the calm, cool hostess to our table (upstairs definitely recommended if you have a choice). Each table comes with our very own mosaic, multi-colored lantern, a nice touch to the uniqueness of the set up.

The Food. Let’s start with the menu. It’s strong point was its selection of traditional appetizers, main dishes, and sides. Some appetizers that stood out were fried okra, and Cajun corn fritters, along with the collard slaw, sweet potato fries and collard greens for sides. Two main dishes that eventually won the race were the jambalaya and the vegetarian gumbo. The similarities and differences between the dishes brought out flavors that we both may have not noticed if we had just stuck with our own dishes. My advice, share some plates!

The Jambalaya is cooked with rice as compared to the gumbo which is poured over it, giving the jambalaya a stronger flavor. Every bite, from the dish to the fork to my mouth, had a nice warm spice taste. Extremely enjoyable. The gumbo, on the other hand, was lacking in some strong flavors that would really carry the dish, but the hotness it left in your mouth was a nice feeling to go home with. Last but NOT AT ALL least, the amazing cornbread with pieces of actual corn! You can’t make it out of there without an order of these beauties.

If you’re looking for an endearing atmosphere, nice wait staff, and some traditional Cajun food give Bayou on Bay a try. I’d definitely like to go back and give the Blackened roasted vegetable Po Boy a try. Anything with smoked gouda usually sells it for me.

Trader Joe Salmon with baked asparagus and green beans

So I was shopping at Trader Joe's and I found this Atlantic Coho Salmon. The price was unbeatable (10 ounces for $4.30) but I was very skeptical about the flavor. I put it down and kept shopping. Right before checkout, I became the crazy person who bolts out of line when you are in it longer than anyone should stand in the grocery store, but with good reason. For $4 salmon, hell if it really is that bad, I can toss it or hide it in a salad or something. Well it definitely didn't let me down, and I ate that baby baked and whole. The recipe you ask, here it is:

I decided to season the salmon with simple spices to give it a nice herb taste, but not too overpowering. I think the combo of italian seasoning, all spice, and cinnamon is a nice set of spices that always goes good together. Then I made a tahini based sauce to go over the salmon, that is really simple and tasty. It's a Lebanese recipe, called tarratour, that my mom has been making forever, and the way it compliments fish, salmon especially, is pretty unbelievable. I could lick the bowl with this stuff.

THE SALMON
Defrost, obviously.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray or drizzle fish with olive oil
Season the fish with salt, pepper, italian seasoning, all spice, and cinnamon.
Let it bake for about 15-20 minutes. I found it perfect at about 20 minutes, but it all depends
on the weight and thickness of the fish, and the hotness of your oven.

TARRATOUR (heavenly sauce...my own nickname)
Since the majority of the ingredients with volume is the tahini, pour some tahini into a bowl
(amount of tahini in the bowl with be about the same amount as the sauce, maybe a little
less cause we will also be adding a little water and lemon juice)
Pound some garlic pieces to taste. I like a lot, and the flavor of the tahini meshes nice with the
garlic so if you happen to put a little too much I think it'll be ok.
Add the garlic to the tahini.
Keep adding small amounts of water to the mixture and keep stirring until you reach a liquidy
consistency, like a thick soup.
Add some lemon juice, and stir again...and your done!

For the vegetable side dish, I like to keep it simple. There is nothing like clashing flavors that can ruin a meal. One of my favorite ways to cook asparagus and green beans is to bake them. It's healthy and lets the simple seasoning absorb much better.

ASPARAGUS AND GREEN BEANS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Snap the asparagus at the right level by holding the thick side and bending the tree side. It will
snap perfectly!
Trim your green beans.
Lay out the asparagus and beans on the cooking tray and spray or drizzle them with olive oil.
Season them with salt and pepper.
Let them bake for about 15 minutes.