Costa Mesa CA: Darya

Darya is in one of the satellite malls around South Coast Plaza. I stumbled across this gem one evening many years ago when I couldn't get into one of the other, more boring restaurants. It combines outstanding food, elegant surroundings, and very gracious service. This Persian restaurant has a reputation with Persians I know on the other side of the country. I have long considered it one of the best restaurants in Orange County. While I was tempted by the fesenjon, a walnut pomegranate sauce I have had before, I went with the four course meal.

The bread is very thin, much more so than a pita. It tastes great by itself but also comes in handy for the next course.

This eggplant, rich in both smoked flavor and texture, is a great excuse to dip that bread.

The Persian salad was very crisp and tart. It made a great complement to the eggplant.

Lamb is something I don't eat every day and I really enjoyed my main course. The meat was medium rare, tender and juicy, yielding gently to the fork and knife. I really enjoyed the roasted tomato, slightly charred but still firm. The rice was comforting and elegant.

I ended my meal with this wonderful fruit custard and a cup of decaf.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

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