steak

Monday Munchies: Floramo’s Restaurant- Chelsea, MA

March 16, 2015

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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Price and I have only had a few ‘Date Nights’ since Autumn was born. I think 4, maybe 5 of them. And 2 of them were on the cruise that we took in January. And since then we have been talking about how we needed to get a babysitter so that we could have a Date Night soon.

As it was our first time using our sweet babysitter at night so we wanted to pick a place that was close by. We weighed our options and decided to go to Floramo’s restaurant, which is about a 3-4 minute drive from our house. We’ve lived in Chelsea for about 3 years now so we were excited to try a local place.

When we arrived shortly after 7pm we were told it would be able a 25-30 minute wait. We took our pager to a bench off the lobby to wait while discussing upcoming wedding stuff. But before we knew it a few minutes had passed and our pager began to go off. I’m glad our wait was much faster than originally predicted.

We debated getting an appetizer but once we checked out the Appetizers menu we decided we had try the Buffalo Fried Calamari ($9.95). We both really like traditional calamari that is fried and served with marinara sauce. Or the Rhode Island Style that has spicy cherry peppers.

But this was different as the crispy fried calamari was tossed in Buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese dressing was for the dipping sauce. It all worked together perfectly. A cool mashup between calamari and buffalo wings.

As Floramo’s is known for their steak tips and delicious meats, Price decided to order the Mixed Grill ($16.25) for his entree. It included Sausage, a Steak Tip, a Turkey Tip, Chicken a Tip, 1/4 Rack of Ribs. It was a good introduction to the selection of meats that they serve. All of their barbecue is meat that is cooked to your desired level of done-ness and marinated in Floramo’s secret barbecue sauce recipe.

Price really enjoyed everything on the mixed grill. He was really impressed by the amount of food served, although he wished there was more steak tips as the piece was really good. The piece of sausage was really big and grilled nicely. The slogan for Floramo’s is “Where the meat falls off the bone!”and it really is true as the meat on the ribs was fall off the bone tender.

As well, Price decided to get a baked potato, between his choice of fries, rice, mashed potato, baked potato, or pasta. It was served with butter and sour cream on the side.

I had originally thought I’d order steak tips, but once Price ordered a meaty dish I decided to check out their selection fish entrees. I ordered the Haddock Italiano ($13.95), which was lightly battered and sautéed haddock served over pasta with onions, diced tomato, spinach and crushed hot peppers in a wine based sauce. It was fantastic! I picked angel hair pasta and I think it worked well with the sauce. The 2 large pieces of fish were tender and very flaky. The sauce was spicy from all the crushed hot peppers in the sauce. It all just worked together really well.

Both of our dinners came with a simple salad. There were a handful of dressing to choose from, like ranch, blue cheese, Italian, but we opted just for oil and vinegar.

Even though both of us only had half of our entrees we were stuffed. I would have loved to have hung around and ordered dessert but we were just too full.

As the entrees were so large (for us) we enjoyed the leftovers the next day, making our dinner a great deal.

I’m so glad that we finally had a chance to make it to Floramo’s Restaurant. I’m already thinking about the next time we can go so I can have some of my own steak tips!

Floramo’s Restaurant

213 Everett Avenue

Chelsea MA, 02150

617-889-1330

Monday- Wednesday: 11-9pm

Thursday – Saturday: 11-10pm

Sunday: Closed

Whole30: Days 28-30

March 12, 2015

I am documenting my Whole 30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come and to keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Read why taking on this challenging dietary adventure is so important to me HERE.

{Day 28}

Sunday, March 1st

It was a good/bad food day. Good in that it was Whole30 foods, but bad in timing of eating. I grazed most of the morning and early afternoon picking at a recipe I was trying to develop for the blog. At least dinner was awesome.

Brunch

(Failed) sweet potato waffles with a berry sauce (no sugar!)

I was trying to make my waffled hashbrowns but with sweet potatoes and it just didn’t work out well so we ate the waffles that sorta survived.

Dinner

Salad with steak, with a homemade mayo based ‘ranch-y’ dressing, topped off with salsa and guac (Holy Guacamole)

This was so good, and not just because it was delicious, but because we all sat down to dinner together. It’s pretty rare for us to eat with Autumn as she eats so early (5.30) but we get out act together today and had an early dinner together. So nice. I really need to put that effort in on the weekends. Plus, she loved the steak. kept asking for more and more, as well as humus. Adorable!

{Day 29}

Monday, March 2nd

In the home stretch! I felt good all day and then crashed and had a banana at night as a snack/dessert. It was really good then but annoyed with myself later. I need to get better about fighting urges like that. Blah.

Breakfast

Eggs over a potato hash with salsa and guac

I overcooked my eggs and was pissed so I made myself new eggs. Annoyed to waste food, but I should at least be able to enjoy the eggs I am eating, no?!?!?

Lunch

Salad (romaine, carrots, tomatoes) with some yummy leftover steak, with EVOO & vinegar dressing. Almonds.

Awesome salad. I got the almond from a job walk through. They were giving them out to promote heart health instead of junky snacks. Love that.

Dinner

Leftover Roasted Chicken with potatoes and green beans

We finished up the chicken from the Mayo Crusted Roasted Chicken that I made on Saturday night. It was basic but quick and it works some nights just to get dinner out of the way.

Dessert

Banana with some almond butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon

Super hungry. I shouldn’t have given in but I’m all over the place with being hungry/not. In a moment of weakness I grabbed the banana. Kinda pissed about it but I have been weird/blah/whatever since getting my period post-baby & post-breastfeeding. My body is just freaking out some days. AHHH!!!

{Day 30}

Tuesday, March 3rd

It’s our last day!!! Kinda exciting, kinda bittersweet. I know I can extend it but I need to take a break from it to test things out and just have a damn cookie. It was a crazy busy day but a good one.

Breakfast

Egg scramble with mushrooms, topped off with salsa and guac

I’m tired of eggs, I don’t care anymore. I am very thankfully for picking up the organic salsa from Costco though.

Lunch

Mixed greens salad with berries and prosciutto, EVOO & vinegar dressing

This has to be my favorite salad, at least currently. I freaking love the berries in the greens. Nice mix with the salty prosciutto

Snack

Cherry Pie Lara Bar

Lunch was great but it left me hungry. I need to up the protein in my salads.

Dinner

Chicken skewers with mixed veggies (peppers & mushrooms) in a sunbutter sauce

Price made this as I was at a planning board meeting (my first one!!) so he made dinner for us. He was bummed he didn’t make a dipping sauce for the chicken but I was starving after the meeting and going to Trader Joe’s (for Autumn’s goat milk). It was really good. I can’t wait for all the snow around our grill to thaw and for Price to start grilling again!

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I’m so proud of us for doing Whole30 and that we did it together. I know that this experience has taught us both about our eating and drinking habits. It’s been very eye-opening. I’ve noticed changes throughout the process about cravings,

I’ll do a follow-up with our lives post Whole30 soon!

Whole30: Days 7-9 Recap

February 14, 2015

{Day 7}

Sunday, February 8th

Price had to go into work today to make up time time he had missed from taking Autumn to the Dr on Friday so it was mainly just Autumn and I hanging around. I prepped food for Price but I got to do whatever for my meals. So I basically did whatever, and whenever. Like lunch at 2.30, very unlike me. But sometimes things are just ‘meh’ when it comes to the day and food.

Breakfast

Spaghetti squash with steak and veggies.

I got ta late start to breakfast so I just morphed it into lunch food. I used up the spaghetti squash, TJ’s Cruciferous Crunch mix, mushrooms, and some steak. I didn’t like that I make it into stir fry since once I was done with it it just felt weird to eat it for breakfast so I picked at it and ate the steak and some of the rest.

Lunch

Waffled Hashbrowns with a fried egg and salsa

This made up for my lack luster breakfast. I’m loving my Waffle Wednesday posts so I was excited to make this. I need to make more and more and more of these hashbrowns.

Dinner

Beef Burger Patty with grilled pineapple, guac & cilantro. Side of sweet potato fries.

I was struggling to think of what to make for dinner and ended whipping this up. It worked but I miss buns and ketchup. I think I only use ketchup for burgers and fries which is a vast improvement from when I used to eat it with everything. So I miss it with meals like this. But it was still really, really good.

{Day 8}

Monday, February 9th

We were getting pummeled with snow and daycare was closed so I stayed home with Autumn. It felt great that is was a

Breakast

Potato and veggie hash with 2 fried eggs

Lunch

Shrimp scampi with zoodles and an apple with crunchy almond butter

This lunch felt like a treat but I felt like I needed a treat as I was home yet again with Autumn because of the snow. Shrimp for lunch is such a treat! And it was a very good lunch. I make it scampi style with some oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and some ghee.

And an apple with almond butter never hurts anyone. So good.

Dinner

Chicken breasts with a kumquat relish on a bed of chard and mashed potatoes (Modified Blue Apron Meal)

This was a winner! We loved it. It was so flavorful and hearty.

I forgot to cancel Blue Apron this week so I just ended up modifying the ingredients to make it Whole30 compliant. I skipped the sugar in the relish recipe and I swapped out the freekah for the mashed potatoes made with vegetable broth. And I made a pan sauce with the drippings in the pan after I cooked the chicken, some veggie broth, and almond flour. I have to make this one again.

{Day 9}

Tuesday, February 10th

Yet another snow day. The MBTA was closed down so I had to work from home (unless I drove in), but daycare was closed so I had Autumn at home, so no real working, besides a conference call. Price had to get in so he drove in. So just me and Autumn again! 🙂

Anyway, I feel that the biggest progress in this process

Breakast

Scrambled eggs with veggies, salsa mixed an an avocado, and pineapple

Price was still home when I made this so I enjoyed the company. Autumn ended up eating quite a bit

Lunch

Chicken with swiss chard mashed potatoes and asparagus

I’m always so glad when I make a lot of food when cooking something as it makes the next meals come together quickly. As in this one as I got to enjoy leftover chicken and mashed potatoes from the night before. I just quickly made some asparagus in a skillet and ta-da, all done!

Dinner

Pork Cutlets with a Beet, Heirloom Carrot, and Hazelnut Salad (Modified Blue Apron Meal)

There was not much to modify about this recipe to make it Whole30 compliant, just ditch the butter and use ghee. Simple! And we ended up with a delicious, filling dinner. Plus, it just meant that I only needed to dirty a pot and a skillet. Next time, if I use prepared beets I’ll only need to dirty a skillet- such a win!!

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I’m glad that I have stuck with Whole30 so far at this point without any slip ups. The strict restrictions have really helped me stay in check with what I was eating while at home, which is when I will most often snack on stuff like Ritz crackers or Goldfish crackers. It’s not about not even having them at home, since I have other similarly tempted things (chocolate pudding, cheese, etc), but more about controlling cravings. yay!

We had some great dinners so the repetitive nature of some of the foods so far is. I’m glad that I forgot to cancel the Blue Apron package as those dinners were fantastic!

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

August 2, 2013

Recently I’ve been craving sweets. So unlike me. Typically I’d rather have chips but I can’t get chocolate chip cookies or brownies OR a brownie sandwiched by 2 chocolate chip cookies with a glass of chocolate milk. Instead I eat fruit- let’s not talk about the # of peaches I’ve eaten this week. ha

But bringing me back into my salty carb loving self were these Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches. Fresh shaved steak, sautéed pepper and onions, and melty cheese on a soft sub roll… perfect! Plus then I couldn’t resist serving them up with some curly fries. Umm you just can’t have salad with a cheesesteak. nope.

This Cheesesteak is quick to whip up and would be great to serve this weekend while you watch the Pocono Race! A race in the great state of Pennsylvania, so I figured a cheesesteak was just what was needed for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. Nestled in the Poconos, Long Pond is only 2 hours away from Philly so I couldn’t resist making a cheesesteak. At least I’m not dragging Gino’s and Pat’s fans into this since you get to make your own at home and don’t have to pick which dueling cheesesteak institution is the best.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches_00

Enjoy a cheesesteak and the race this weekend!!

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Makes 4 subs

Ingredients

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 large yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound shaved steak
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 sub rolls
8 slices of provolone cheese

Process

Slice the peppers and oil into long thin strips. Set aside.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the pepper and onion strips and the garlic. Sautee the vegetables until soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Return the skillet to the cook-top over medium-high heat and add the meat and Worcestershire sauce. Stir the meat to mix and evenly cook throughout. Once the meat is done, add the cooked vegetables back to the skillet to combine.
Place 2 slices of cheese on every roll, then evenly top with the meat.

4.12-14: Weekend Recap

April 15, 2013

{Friday night} cab ride home from South Station | Chris arrives | hang out | guys get food- Taco Bell | hang out more | bed

{Saturday} up early | go to Market Basket | make breakfast sandwiches for the 3 of us | hanging out| guys get rental truck and shed | errands: stop and shop and CVS | nap | make late lunch/early dinner – steak, baked potatoes, grilled veggies, beans | guys finish shed | guys get ready & go to

{Sunday} sleep in ’till 8am | get ready | monster breakfast sandwiches with leftover potatoes and steak | talk to mom | Chris leaves | photo edits and blog post | errands- sweet meadow farm, Kohl’s, Old Navy, Container Store | purge and reorganize bags | dinner | project life | DVR’d Sunday morning | blogging | bed by 10

new shed_01 new shed_02

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tired kemper cuddle kemper

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Steak Quesadillas

March 1, 2013

Well, we have made it through Race Week and the Daytona 500. While the Daytona 500 was exciting the previous day’s Nationwide Race had a very scary ending with one of the cars becoming airborne and slamming into catch fence. Driver Michael Annett is out indefinitely because of a fractured and dislocated sternum and 28 fans were injured when debris went into the stands. I can only hope that people recover quickly and that this provides valuable information to help NASCAR continue to work on driver and fan safety.

This upcoming weekend’s Sprint Cup race is at Phoenix International Raceway. Since the race is in Arizona I felt that something with a Mexican influence would be fun for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. I decided on some Steak Quesadillas because I love how they are perfect for snacking but filling for a meal. Plus when you walk by some fantastic looking beef at your grocery store you can’t resist.

I swear I could eat quesadillas every day. They are just so amazing! It’s a twist on a sandwich that I can enjoy. Typically my least favorite part of a sandwich is the bread, either because it is too soft and plain or too hearty and heavy. If I were goldylocks the tortilla would be just right. Plus how can you resist

Besides enjoying these Steak Quesadillas while you watch the race be sure to make them for a party as they make for a great dish to serve as you can prep them right before the party and you can keep warm in a oven at 200 degrees. Or just make and enjoy for dinner with some rice and beans. yum!

Be sure to check back every week to see what Sprint Cup Snacks recipe I have whipped up for the upcoming race. The next race is in Vegas… oh the possibilities. 🙂

Steak Quesadillas

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 pound of beef loin sirloin tip
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning, divided
1 large white onion
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
12 ounces white mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 ounces of pepper jack cheese, shredded
8 flour taco tortillas

Process

Coat the sirloin with adobe seasoning. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the sirloin is resting, slice the onion and the mushrooms, slice the peppers into strips. Mix in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and then add the vegetables to cook until browned and soft.
Grill the steak until it is medium-rare with an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees. Let the cooked steak rest for 5 minutes prior to thinly slicing across the grain.
Assemble the quesadillas by laying out one tortilla, put 1/4 of each the shredded cheese, cooked vegetables, and sliced steak on the tortilla, then top with another tortilla. Repeat the process for the other 3 quesadillas.
Place the quesadillas on baking sheets and broil until tortilla has browned the cheese has started to melt. Flip to brown the other side.
Serve warm with condiments like salsas, guacamole, and sour cream.

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

NASCAR races at the Phoenix International Raceway for the second and the second to last race of the year. There is a triv oval racing track as well as a 1.51 road course configuration. The stands seat 67,000 fans… consider that is A LOT more fans than these new Baseball Stadiums- Marlins Park (36,742) and Yankee Stadium (50,287).

Track: 1 mile

Shape: “D”-shaped Tri-Oval

Banking: 10-12 degree banking in Turns 1 and 2; 8-9 degree banking in Turns 3-4; 10-12 banking in the Backstretch; 3 degree banking in the Frontstretch

Surface: Asphalt

Race: 312 laps for 500 kilometers

2012 winners: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick

Stuffed on Steak: Fogo De Chao- Boston, MA

December 14, 2012

Are you looking for a new restaurant to try this weekend? Do you deserve a really great night out? Do you love steak?

If you think that you fulfill any of those things then you need to check out Fogo De Chao, a churrascaria, in Copley Square as soon as you can!!

Last month I attended the grand opening of Fogo de Chao, the new Brazilian Steakhouse located at the Westin Hotel that has your mouth-watering once you walk in the door. The smell of freshly seared steak, chicken, sausage, and lamb was the perfect perfume hanging in the air.

Fogo De Chao_Boston_04

The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail. I had the pleasure of enjoying the combination of cachaça (a sugar cane rum), sugar, and lime that make up this cocktail. The cocktail goes down easily as it is so sweet so you better watch out that you don’t have too many.

Fogo De Chao_Boston_06

As soon as we walked in Price and I remarked how amazing the space is. We have been to other Brazilian Barbecue restaurants before but this was the first one that was really stunning. I was quiet enamored with the lights.

Centrally located, the salad bar is packed full of fresh greens, smoked meats, a variety of cheeses, and much, much more. I wish I took more photos of the 30 plus options available but I didn’t want to hold up the line as everyone was dying to dig right in. But I could not miss taking a picture of a bowl full of bacon!

In addition to the salad bar there is an adjacent hot food bar that served things like rice and beans that would pare perfectly with your meal.

Fogo De Chao_Boston_11

I tried to only select a few things from the salad bar that I would really enjoy so I would not fill up but the options seemed endless. I really enjoyed everything I picked from the fresh mozzarella, steamed asparagus, hot peppers, and prosciutto. My favorite things were the sun-dried tomatoes since they were so flavorful and soft. I had the best intentions of going back to the hot bar to sample the rice and beans there but I ended up getting too full to go back.

As small as they were the pão de queijos were one of my favorite things about the meal. Small puffs of cheesy bread were served to accompany the meal. They were light and airy, with a crunchy exterior, and, of course, packed with cheese. I might have been tempted to throw a few in my purse, but I didn’t. I swear!

The only thing that I didn’t think was stunning were the plate of fried bananas, fried polenta, and mashed potatoes that the servers, which are known as Passadores in Brazil and called meat gauchos at Fogo De Chao, brought to the table. The bananas were delicious but the polenta and mashed potatoes were a little too plain for my preference. Also since we were so distracted by all of the meat available we ignored these for a bit and they all got cold. I just didn’t feel these were necessary to enjoy the meal.

Once we were seated after our trip to the salad bar we were ready for the gauchos to come around and start delivering a variety of different meats to us. The service was top notch and very knowledgeable on all of the different cuts of suculant meats you could enjoy. Fogo De Chao offers different cuts of beef, chicken, and lamb. The signature meat is the Picanha, which is a top sirloin cut of meat that is very popular in the churrascarias of Southern Brazil. This was available in a traditional light seasoning or a garlicky seasoning.

True love. The gauchos would ask you how you would prefer the meat to done and based upon where the meat was located along the skewer you would have a different degree of done-ness. I prefer rare to medium rare so they would rotate the skewer until they had the right piece in front of them to slice off and I would grab it with my little tong to enjoy.

This plate is true love to me.

My favorite cuts were the garlicky Picanha, Filet Mignon, Fraldinha, and Linguica. The Filet was an easy favorite as it was so tender it just about melted in your mouth. I prefered the Fraldinha, the bottom cut of the sirloin, over the Beef Ancho, the rib eye, only because I tend to like less marbled pieces of meat. I loved the Linguica as it was so flavorful and the exterior was very crisp from the rotisserie, which helped seal in the juices.

The only thing I did not get to try that I was looking forward to was the chicken but I think everything else more than makes up for that.

The biggest thing to remember is to pace yourself so use the GO and STOP cards they give you. Flip them over to tell the servers if they should come by the table or not. While it is completely acceptable to stuff yourself silly on all the different delicious meats you should try to save room for dessert. We had to keep reminding ourselves that.

We decided on getting the signature dessert which is the Fogo de Chão Signature Papaya Cream. This is a dish that is made with ripe papayas and ice cream. They use fresh, ripe papayas to blend with ice cream to create a very rich fruity dessert. This was a really good treat as it was so rich.

Of course we had to have some Creme de Cassis on top!

South American Flan was the real winner to us. Our server told us they make it daily on site and it is one of the top desserts. We thought the texture was light, creamy and very delicate. I could not get over the amount of vanilla specks that were visible in the caramel part of the custard. I would go back just for this.

Fogo De Chao is a special place to go to when you want to really enjoy a unique steakhouse meal. Dinner is $46.50 (Salad Bar Only – $22.50) so this is not a place to go for a casual dinner. A dinner out will cost you at least $60 a person and you will be so stuffed on very rich food you might want this to be for a nice occassion. Be sure to eat light before hand so you can really enjoy everything that is twirled around your table. And be sure to save room for dessert!

Fogo De Chao – Boston

200 Dartmouth St.

Boston, MA 02116

617.585.6300

*While I did recieive a complimentary brunch from Fogo De Chao these opinions are entirely my own.

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Monday Munchies: Monti’s La Casa Vieja- Tempe, AZ

December 3, 2012

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the first and third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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I love when I travel and I get to go to some great local places to experience some fantastic regional favorites. Just as much, I love to tell people my favorite places when they are visiting Boston or New England. But getting to discover new places always is the best. And thankfully, Price’s Dad, Tom, was so eager to show us around to his favorite places when we were visiting him in AZ for Thanksgiving. So after several hours strolling around the World Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium, we went to Monti’s La Casa Vieja in Tempe.

Monti’s La Casa Vieja has been around for over 120 years and is connected to a really pasts since it was first built in 1871. Charles Trumbull Hayden built the original adobe hacienda as a home when he settled in the area to establish a flourmill and a ferry service for crossing the Salt River. Over time that home transformed and grew into a hotel, blacksmith shop, post office, general store, and then a restaurant. After the Hayden family moved to a new home in the 1890s, they began referring to hacienda as La Casa Vieja – Spanish for “The Old House.” Originally, the community became known as Hayden’s Ferry, but in the late 1880s, the name changed to the Vale of Tempe, and few years later, the town’s name was officially changed to Tempe.

Since the 1890’s, a restaurant of some sort has been operated at La Casa Vieja as it was convenient to e to those who had traveled a great distance to use the flourmill or ferry service. It was run by the Hayden daughters until the 1930s. The details about the restaurants at La Casa Vieja are sketchy from the Great Depression through 1954 as it was run by several owners.

In 1954, La Casa Vieja was purchased by Leonard F. Monti, who had been operating a 13-stool diner in Chandler since 1946. Monti opened his new restaurant, “Monti’s La Casa Vieja”, for business in April 1956, after waiting for tenant’s lease to expire. Since then it has been run by members of the Monti family. Today, Monti’s La Casa Vieja serves approximately 500,000 customers annually.

Our server was pulling double duty be being out waiter as well as the bartender on the quiet afternoon. We didn’t get there until 3.30 from the zoo so it was during the afternoon lull so it worked out well that we got great seats by the window and fast service. The waiter was so nice and it didn’t hurt that it made a really great banana strawberry daiquiri.

It was so hard not to fill up on the bread that was brought out to us. It was similar to a focaccia bread but was less oily and was a slight bit denser. The bread was topped off with fresh rosemary and the the scent was perfuming the table as it was served warm. I could have eaten the whole basket, but thankfully I saved room for the real deal!

The reason why Tom brought us to Monti’s was for their filet mignons. He was raving about their filet lunch deal and how you get a great steak for a fantastic price. And it was not just about the price as they didn’t skimp on quality.

I had Monti’s Classic Lunch Filet for $12 which was a 5oz filet served with cheesy garlic bread, a side, and cheesy garlic toast. Price and Tom had the regular Arizona Raised 7 oz Filet Mignon for $22. Their dishes came with 2 sides, which they had a side salad and loaded baked potato. Either entrees could have been wrapped with applewood smoked bacon for an additional $2. I think that with a great cut of meat you don’t’ need to add a lot to it so I skipped the bacon.

The three of us split a side of onions and mushrooms. These went perfectly with the steak. Each bite was loaded with flavor from the juicy steak, caramelized onions, and the meaty mushrooms. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare with a nice char on the outside and a tender, juicy interior.

I highly recommend going to Monti’s for their filet’s. It was a great deal and, best of all, it was a fantastic meal.

Monti’s

100 South Mill Avenue

Tempe, AZ 85281

Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict @ Cafe Mirage, Port Chester NY

June 20, 2012

In the past my mom has ventured up to Boston to spend mother’s day up here but for the most recent one Price and I went back to G-town to spend the weekend there. It was a whirlwind weekend, as per usual, because my nephews were also performing in a local performance of Beauty in the Beast. So Saturday quickly became Sunday and we found ourselves at Cafe Mirage in Port Chester, NY.

I had called all around for Mother’s Day brunch reservations and thankfully we got one at Cafe Mirage. They don’t normally do brunch so I don’t think a lot of people thought of them for the typical M.D. brunch. We were able to get a table for right when they opened. Score! I was so glad that I thought about Cafe Mirage because it is one of my favorite places in the area. We’ve gone there to celebrate my birthday in the past as well as just go out for a great meal.

My mom and I both ordered the Filet Mignon Eggs Benedict that Chef Dave Haggerty created for the brunch. As soon as I saw that as an option I knew I would have to have it!!! (Price had the Chicken and Waffles and loved it.) And I was so happy that I made that decision when it was brought out to us. The pieces of filet mignon sat on toasted cutouts of hearty multi-grain toast and on that set two perfectly poached eggs and a spicy hollandaise sauce. The eggs has to have been so fresh since the yolks were so bright. The hollandaise was also very bright, but it was studded with fresh peppers and tiny piece of vibrant green chives.

Hello lover…

Each steak medallion was rather large and carefully seasoned. But in general the steak really spoke for itself, which I really appreciated. I had ordered it medium-rare and it came out medium but it was still so very good. I guess it was good that it came out medium anyway as the foundation of the eggs benedict was a piece of toasted multi-grain bread. It was nicely toasted and tasted really good. I would have enjoyed it more on a sandwich (oh my gawd thinking about a chicken salad on that… drool!) more than the eggs benedict. I just think that it did not stand up to the steak juices and hollandaise very well, but that is just me.

The eggs benedict did not come with a side but the meal itself was more than enough. Hello!?! Steak!!! But that made me even more glad that I did order a bloody mary. Our waitress told us that co-owner Katy is a pro at making bloody mary’s and that were in luck that she was there to make it for us. Thankfully it did live up to the hype! Plenty of horseradish and lemon, and just a tiny bit of pepper.

Rating

Multi Grain Toast– 12 pts

Filet Mignon– 18 pts

Poached Egg– 25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25 pts

Bloody Mary– 9 points

Total: 89/100

While Cafe Mirage does not always serve brunch you should still give them a try for lunch and dinner. Some of my favorite dishes are the Bangkok Mussels, Old School Chopped Salad, and Coconut Curry Shrimp. They have a great selection of dishes you can try out. Give them a call when the next holiday approaches and see what they have up their sleeve for brunch.

Cafe Mirage

531 North Main St

Port Chester, New York 10573

914.937.3497

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