Gourmet Burger Night At Red Robin

Song:  Theme from Midnight Cowboy

Composer:  John Barry

On this night...

my mother and I went out to eat at Red Robin.

We go here whenever we feel like a really good burger.

I had requested to sit in the closed off area...because...well...

the customer is king  :)

We ordered the Western BBQ burger with slight modifications.

Instead of the shoestring onions on the burger...

I requested raw onion slices.

My mother and I had ordered the same thing...

medium well done...and delicious.

My mother and I love a good burger.

These are half a pound of juicy beef.

It has a charbroiled taste with just a hint of BBQ flavor...

making this a finely balanced burger.

You can taste both savory flavors in each bite.

We always order O'doul's non-alcohol beer.

When you have a good burger...

this just goes so well with them.

Although my mother's mouth looks small...

she can take a full bite out of these half pounders :)

My mother acts like a child at times.

Before she was even half way done...

she told me to order two more for us to eat  :)

Her eyes were bigger than her stomach.

Just before finishing off her burger...

she realized that one each was enough.

I wasn't going to order any more...

as I know how big a half pounder really is.

My mother finished off her half pound burger and her beer...

and said she felt fully satisfied by the delicious burger.

I then ordered a small stack of cronuts.

These come out piping hot...

and come with hot fudge and berry dipping sauces.

It seems my eyes were bigger than my stomach  :)

They were delicious...

but as I had eaten a late lunch...

I was full after just one.

My mom took them home to eat later.

My mother smiling like a child, with food in hand.

She gets delighted every time we eat out.

We had a very good meal...

but, as I was tired...

I dropped her off at her home...

and I just relaxed for the rest of the night at my home.

My mother loves eating out...

and she says she wants to eat out at least twice a week.

I told her that it would then not be special.

So...

we shall only eat out once a week...at most.

We now have our favorite burger place.

I will have to research places for different ethnic dishes...

as eating out is part of the adventure, and one of the great simple pleasures, of life.

Pizza And Movie Night

Song:  Good Vibrations

Group:  The Beach Boys

Today...

I had decided to make it Pizza and Movie night at my mother's.

On the way to pick up a cook at home pizza...

there was a herd of deer crossing the road not too far from home.

Although it is not unusual to see an occasional deer or two in the neighborhood...

this is the first time I had seen a whole herd of them wandering around.

I had pulled on to the side of the road to take these pictures.

I then continued on to pick up the cook at home pizza.

They pull out the raw dough on a cooking safe plater...

and put on the sauce and toppings for you while you wait.

You then take it home and bake it for 17 or so minutes.

Although, neither my mother, nor I, usually drink sodas...

Root Beer goes well with pizza...since she had run out of O'doul's.

17 minutes at 425...

and the pizza is ready to eat.

Pizza with a fork.

I say it takes out half the fun  :)

My mother feeds the wild rabbits in her backyard every night during winter.

You can see the rabbit hop prints in the snow.

My mother gives them a healthful combination of greens and carrots.

It was then...

movie time.

The movie I had put on was...

Oblivion.

Hana will follow us to each room we go...

and she looks for...and takes...

the best seat in the house  :)

We Tried A New Mexican Restaurant - Meh

Song:  This Time

Artist:  John Legend

We had tried a new Mexican restaurant...

as this one was just a few minutes from home.

Our favorite one is across town...

but we shall go back to it in the future.

As with adventures...

they don't always turn out well.

Their complimentary chips and dips are very good...

but this is where the quality ended.

Although the quantity was good...

the food quality was not so good.

I expect full flavors in my Mexican food...

and to have freshness in each bite.

This food was kind of bland...

and most of it hadn't seemed to be very fresh.

This is a cardinal sin in any food...

but it is especially bad in Mexican food.

There should be a fresh and zesty taste in every bite.

Although the decor was very fitting and nice...

it seems they had concentrated on all the wrong areas.

The cook is the bread and butter of any restaurant...

and in this...

they had failed.

The tortillas were thick and hard.

The rice and beans tasted as if they were overly warmed and dried out.

We then ordered dessert.

When I had asked about the portions for the desserts...

the waitress depicted the deep fried ice cream as being the size of a fist...

so, I ordered it (the one on the left of the photo).

What had arrived was the size of an elephant's foot...

not a human fist!

My mother had just taken a little of each dessert...

and I couldn't finish the rest.

From now on...

we are going back to our old favorite Mexican restaurant.

Sometimes...

the best is what we already have.

However...

we will continue to search for other types of ethnic restaurants for the pure adventure of it.

My mother loves to try new places...

so, this is reason enough to continue to explore.

But...

for Mexican restaurants...

we will keep our old favorite.

Extra High Protein Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

Song:  Gymnopedie No. 1

Artists (Alto Flute)  Luke Pickman

(Piano)  Paolo Bertolotto

This is a high protein meal...

which is also very delicious.

The ingredients:

6 eggs

2 large carrots or 10 mini carrots

1 lb of lean ground beef

1 large yellow or white onion

1 container tofu

Sake

Memmi

Mirin

The vegetables you will dice.

Place aside

Brown the hamburger meat on medium high

(The whole meal will be cooked on medium high heat).

As soon as the hamburger meat is browned...

mix in the diced onions and carrots.

Add about two thirds the depth of the food with sake.

Add approximately 1/2 cup of Memmi.

Add Mirin to almost the top of the food.

Add a cover to the mixture while on medium high heat...

for 10 - 15 minutes.

Cube the tofu.

If the onions are still mostly visible...

cook until they are almost all liquified...or at least translucent.

The broth will taste salty.

Don't worry...

you will not be drinking it.

It is just the cooking broth.

Add the tofu.

Mix in the tofu.

Add the six eggs to the top of the dish.

Cover...

and keep cooking on medium high heat until the eggs are fully cooked.

Do no more stirring of the mixture.

Put whatever amount of rice you desire in a bowl.

Use a slotted spoon to allow any juice to drain off the food before putting it over the rice.

This dish will easily feed a family of five...

with leftovers for the next day.

This is an easily digestible high protein meal.

My new favorite Kimchi.

The Asian market I buy from...

makes their own Kimchi.

This is especially good as it has very little garlic in it.

However, it is filled with the red chili which makes this especially flavorful.