Tag Archives: Sriracha

Nov 12 2012
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Asian Inspired, Recker-mendation, We Eat Well

Recker-mendation: Banh Mi Barista

Shrimp and Pork Spring Rolls

It does’t take long for foodies to sniff out a new establishment. About three weeks ago, I noticed a small restaurant tucked into a strip mall along North Coldwater, next to One Fine Day Bridal and across the street from Steak ‘n Shake. I caught it out of the corner of my eye but couldn’t read the name. On my way home that day, I made a point to check it out: Banh Mi Barista. “Huh,” I thought and didn’t give it much more thought. A few days later, someone tweeted about it , asking if anyone had been there. A conversation erupted during which people speculated if it served only coffee drinks. Someone else piped in and said they serve sandwiches. No one had been. Little by little, I started to see checkins on Four Square and Twitter. Soon enough, it seemed like everyone was going there. Today, I was pushed over the edge when I noticed a group of my friends check in there on Facebook. I asked them how it was and one of them replied: “My new favorite sandwich.”

Viet Special

I waited for Jon to get home from work, told him we had to try the place immediately, and away we went. I wasn’t overly impressed with the atmosphere when we walked in. It is a restaurant in a strip mall, so I am not sure what I expected. I didn’t expect it to feel so Yogoland. And while ambiance isn’t everything, it’s something. We were greeted immediately by the staff working behind the counter, and they were very helpful as we made our selections.

Korean BBQ

The menu is simple, offering several varieties of Banh Mi, a vietnamese sandwich. They also serve bubble tea, smoothies, Vietnamese coffee, baked goods and spring rolls. I chose the Korean BBQ Banh Mi made with BBQ beef. Jon ordered the Viet Special, made with steamed and BBQ pork. We both ordered our sandwiches spicy, which means loaded with jalapeños. Sriracha is available at all of the tables for folks like Jon and me who like it extra spicy. We also ordered spring rolls. We were pleasantly surprised to find the spring rolls are better than those served at Saigon, and that’s saying something since it’s one of our favorite restaurants. Not only did the spring rolls have shrimp, they had BBQ pork as well, adding to the flavor and texture.

The Banh Mi is outstanding. The combination of cilantro, jalapeño, daikon/carrot salad, soft baguette, and seasoned meat is absolute perfection. You can’t beat the price either. The sandwiches range from $3.25 to $4.50. Our entire meal, including spring rolls and 2 bottles of water, was less than $15. My only complaint about the sandwich is its size. When all is said and done, I don’t think one would fill me up, and I am not accustomed to eating large portions either. Several others I’ve talked to agree and had to order two or three when they visited.

As an added bonus, we ran into our friend Alec who was stopping in for a smoothie. He raved about the sandwiches and said he was bringing his wife back later that evening.

I am so glad Banh Mi Barista is close to where I work. I imagine I will be making several trips there a month for lunch.

Have you been there? Tell us what you think.

Banh Mi Barista on Urbanspoon

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Jul 22 2012
2 Comments
We Eat Well

GINGERKITCHENdog- Our Week with Brava’s Dogs

When I met Bo, the creative force behind Brava’s Dog, a few months ago to work out the details of our Picnic in the Park event to benefit Cancer Services, I was thoroughly impressed. Here is a young entrepreneur who is chasing his dream and making it work. Not only that, he also has an appreciation for quality food and a desire to introduce people to it. And he truly loves our city. I love meeting people who love our city. It’s so refreshing. I love our city and too often I run into people who want to get out of here. Not only is Bo staying, he’s revving up our culture by bringing us stellar food, as well… I can’t wait until he launches his food truck.

After our first meeting, Bo started reading our blog and would often drop me a line to rave about the yummy dishes we had prepared. I couldn’t believe it. I relished his feedback. To say I was blown away when he asked us to create a recipe for him is an understatement and I dove into the task, carefully crafting my “dream dog.” Eventually, I presented him with 3 original recipes to consider and together we chose a simple, yet powerful, mango salsa. With his permission, I am posting it here. We’d love for you to recreate the GINGERKITCHENdog experience for yourself. After all, it’s important to get close to your food, to know where it’s coming from, and to realize how easy it is to make a wholesome meal with quality ingredients at home.

Thanks again, Bo. That was fun. Let’s do it again soon!

Ingredients:

  • 1 large ripe yet firm mango
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced into small pieces
  • 1 medium Jalapeno, seeded and diced into small pieces
  • 1 small red onion, diced finely
  • 1 -2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Little sugar to sprinkle if your mangoes are not sweet enough
  • Few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
  • Few mint leaves (optional)
  • Sriracha to taste
Preparation: 
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Top your dog with the salsa and add a few drops of Sriracha.
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Apr 09 2012
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On the Grill, We Eat Well

Easter Dinner: Roast Duck and Grilled Veggies

I’ve had duck before, but never like this. For those who haven’t had it, duck is 100% dark meat. If done right, it’s fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy and flavorful, with the exact amount of crispy skin. It does not taste like chicken. Jon found a recipe to maximize the juiciness. The  marinade knocked it out of the park. The house smelled so good, I could hardly wait to dig in. He paired the duck with grilled carrots and asparagus.

How to Duck recipe: The Hungry Mouse

Grilled Veggies

  • 3 cups baby carrots
  • 1 bunch asparagus, chopped

Coat the veggies with oil olive and mix in salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and oregano. Place in a grill skillet and grill until slightly charred (15 minutes). The veggies will still be a bit crunchy. For softer veggies, grill longer.

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Apr 30 2011
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We Eat Well

Easy & Spicy Chicken Tacos

Stress level is still high in the house as Jon gears up for finals week, so dinner duty has been on me. I don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen and I hate going to the store, so using our leftover ingredients from the big salads we had this week and some random items in the fridge, I made easy and spicy tacos that turned out better than expected.

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 packet of guacamole seasoning
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped coarsely
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • corn and flour tortillas
  • salsa
  • taco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
Preparation:
Grill the chicken on indoor or outdoor grill  until just browned. Slice chicken into 1/4-inch wide strips and place in skillet with vegetable oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes until juices are bubbling. Add gaucamole seasoning and Sriracha. Mix well, reduce heat, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through (5 mins). Using a spatula, break up the chicken into smaller, taco-appropriate, pieces. While the chicken in cooking, get to chopping those veggies. To warm your tortillas, place a damp paper towel in the bottom of a bowl with a lid. Insert no more than 3 tortillas into bowl, cover with another damp paper towel, cover and microwave for 30 seconds. There are various ways to warm your tortillas, but this is the quickest.

Assemble tacos to your liking. I prefer flour tortillas, lots of cilantro and taco sauce. Jon prefers corn tortillas, more onions and no sauce. You can also use sour cream and shredded cheese, but we didn’t have any in the house.
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Apr 27 2011
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We Eat Well

Sesame Soy Chicken Salad with Sriracha

When I called Jon on my way home from work today, I could hear it in his voice- major stress overload- and he said, “I am looking in the fridge trying to figure out what to eat.”

“What do we have?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

Sigh. That meant I needed to stop by the grocery store and I had no idea what to get. He quicky read what we did have in the fridge: cauliflower, broccoli, red peppers, spinach, scallions, and thawing chicken breasts. “Okay,” I said, still without a clue what I would get at the store. I ended up with some mixed greens, 2 Roma tomatoes and a bottle of Moscato and whipped up one of the best salads we’ve ever had.

As I have stated before, I am not one for using recipes. I like to wing it. For this salad you can use whatever greens and veggies you’d like. I used spinach, arugula, a spring mix, broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, scallions, and tomatoes and chopped them all up. Then, I sliced the chicken and sautéed it over medium heat with sesame oil, salt, pepper and some fresh thyme. Once all sides were browned, I added a dash of Sriracha for some heat, covered and turned to low.

For the dressing, I used 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of sugar, whisked together.

I assembled salad, sprinkled with feta cheese and drizzled with dressing. Voilà! Done in under 20 minutes.

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