The Unofficial Cook

This little cafe is our favorite spot to stop for brunch when we head out to the mountains and little towns west of Colorado Springs.  We stumbled upon this place while antique shopping on the main drag of Manitou Springs.  It was the closest place to the shop we were at and it was past our lunch time, so we just walked in not knowing anything about the restaurant.

I had the Hungarian goulash which came with potato dumplings and pickled sauerkraut on our first visit.  They were so good, it had to be authentic.  The ladies in the restaurant all had European accents so I’m guessing it was authentic.  Authentic or not, they  run a very nice cafe with good food so we kept coming back….again and again. (more…)

This is a reprint from my other blog which I remembered while doing the previous restaurant review on Good Times Burgers. The Sunset Grill is a real gas station/convenience store/restaurant northwest of Dallas.

Spouse and I were on US Hway 287 coming from Ft. Worth, Texas last spring when we both realized it was past 1 pm and we were running out of small Texas towns to stop for lunch. A few minutes later, a sign for  ” The Sunset Grill” came up which said it was right by the next exit, beside a gas station. Now that is convenient. (more…)

Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard is a Colorado-based burger chain that’s been around since 1987.  Strangely enough, Spouse and I had never heard of the chain  though we live in Colorado, until they opened a branch close to our place. That was just a couple of months ago and we promptly checked it out a few days after they opened.

Today, we decided to have a very late lunch out and instead of going further up north to PF Chang’s like we were originally planning, I insisted we go back to Good Times…it was closer, it was late, I was hungry and I had my camera.  I could finally write about this local burger chain that serves only additives-free Coleman natural beef burgers.  Coleman Natural is another Colorado-based food company. (more…)

From the first time I had this soup years ago at the old Bistro Burgos in Makati, I fell for it.  The last time I had it was at Johnnys Cafe in Omaha which was sometime last year when Spouse and I were on a business trip there. Steak houses should have the best onion soups since they have all the ingredients to make the perfect beef stock.  Johnny’s is an institution in Omaha, having been around since 1922 - that’s a lot of experience churning out steaks and onion soups.  They are located right in the middle of where the old stockyards used to be and have this 1950’s, stepping back in time feel about the place.  If you watched Jack Nicholson’s “About Schmidt”, you might remember the restaurant where Schmidt’s retirement party was held - that was Johnny’s Cafe.  They serve fantastic, perfectly aged steaks and the best onion soup I’ve ever had - before this one of course. (more…)

That’s what Pass Key Restaurant in Pueblo, Colorado says of its signature sandwich, the Pass Key Special.  It’s an Italian sausage sandwich served on a loaf with lettuce and plenty of mustard, fries and sweet peppers.

You can have it with your choice of cheese:  American, Swiss or Provolone.  I chose provolone to go with mine.  They also have the Super Pass Key Special which is basically the same sandwich with all three cheeses.

I’ve never had an Italian sausage sandwhich before.  Even Spouse who grew up in New Jersey with their big Italian population, had never heard of it before.  It was different. Lovely with the spicy mustard and nicely seasoned homemade sausage patty.

The real surprise of our visit to this restaurant were the Munchers.  You know how servers at all restaurants will try to make you order more, right? (more…)

This was my first time to cook Cannelloni.  My first taste of this was when my cousin had just come back from studies in the US and prepared it for one family gathering during our teens.  My cousin is really a gifted man in the kitchen.  It’s a trait he got from his godmother I was told…umm… by  his godmother…. who happens to be my Mom.

Back then, everyone swooned over how good this was since most of us hadn’t tasted it before.  I’ve had it a few times since then, but never thought of making it myself because I was intimidated.  Cannelloni sounds like a lot of work but isn’t really. There’s a lot of steps in the preparation, but they’re not at all delicate or difficult in anyway.  Besides, the results are worth it.

The combination of the ricotta with the spinach, tomato sauce with basil and rosemary and fontina cheese was excellent.  There’s a delicate sweetness to this dish I only tasted once before in a stuffed pasta shell dish of one restaurant.

It’s a home-style Italian restaurant in Cheyenne, Wyoming called Avanti Ristorante Italiano. They serve excellent Italian food, never touted as authentic, just home-style.  If you find yourself passing through the Cowboy State in the future, make a stop at Avanti. I guarantee, it will be worth it.

For planning purposes, I made one full recipe and have another dish sitting in my refrigerator for another day.  It should keep about 5 days.  Freezing is not recommended because the Bechamel Sauce will separate. (more…)

It was more than 2 years ago when Spouse and I went to New Orleans on a day trip from Biloxi, Mississippi.  I fell in love with the city even before we set foot in it.

On our approach to the city, the car radio was tuned to a local station that was playing the music of the city, jazz.  Driving on Interstate 10 to cross the now world-infamous Lake Ponchartrain, I was struck by the beauty of the many bridges, the city and the beautiful waters of the lake and the mighty Mississippi beyond.

Aside from being the home of jazz and the blues, New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine.

My target on that summer’s day was the Muffuleta of Central Grocery.  I first heard of it in the PBS special, “Sandwiches You Will Like”  that Spouse and I watched just a few weeks before our trip.  Central Grocery is located in the French Quarter, on Decatur Street.  If you are not looking for it, you can easily miss it.  But I was a woman on a mission that day….my radar was up and my tummy was leading the way. (more…)

Culver’s is a restaurant made famous by their mouth-watering ButterBurger.  I have to do another post on their burger when I have photos. Ohhh……mmm….and if I remember to take a shot before I take a bite.

They’re a 22-year old restaurant chain out of Wisconsin, the state made famous by cheese. Spouse and I like going to this restaurant because their burgers are exceptionally good and because they have a clean, well-lit place that just makes eating all the more pleasing. (more…)