Asheville NC: Cinnamon Kitchen

Cinnamon Kitchen is off the tourist trail in the suburban area of Asheville, up the road from the Vanderbilt mansion. I had a very enjoyable meal and the chance to get away from the crowded downtown area. The service was extremely courteous and helpful.

Papadum are obligatory and always enjoyable. These were very flavorful. The lentil flavor came through very clearly. I'm not sure of the identity of the green vegetable but it provided a good complementary note.

The meal started with a selection of fried vegetarian appetizers, all very tasty.

Here are the main courses. Top is chili paneer. The paneer had a wonderful texture. I asked for spicy; the result was attention-getting but not tear-inducing. The sauce was shiny with cornstarch, perhaps a Chinese influence. The bottom photos are chicken tikka, served with sauce on the side, something that I've never seen before. The vegetables served with the chicken also reminded me a bit of a Chinese presentation.

Garlic naan complemented the meal. It was fresh and soft with just the right amount of garlic.

The finishing touch was a mango lassi that disappeared quickly.

Comments

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) ...

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.

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...

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

Search This Blog