Overdue food post

[muckefuck]

The one advantage to waiting so long to sum up last weekend's food adventures is that it allows me to incorporate last night's dinner as well.

• Polish It should come as a surprise to no one that our research expedition to Trójcowo was crowned with a pierogi pig-out at Podhalanka. Well, pierogis for me and princeofcairo; mollpeartree opted for blintzes instead, which had POC crying foul. "I can't believe you get away with calling that 'lunch'. 'Here, give me a plate of cheese danishes.'" "Fried cheese danishes," I prompted. "Right, 'And make sure to fry them, too.'" He was also surprised to find that his "sour borscht" didn't actually contain any beetroot, but that's because it was really żurek appearing under an assumed name. The owner/server was pushing his homemade kompot and, it turns out, with good reason.
• Moroccan It was probably a mistake to eat like that a few short hours before turning up at the penthouse of our friends Bender and Tracy for couscous and Calvados, but somehow I managed to do justice to their entree as well. It was quite striking in its presentation--on a huge majolica platter--and very tasty, despite the substitution of chuck for lamb. But the real highlight of the meal was the dessert, a buttermilk panna cotta with stewed pears and home-candied kumquat peel.
• Korean Sunday we made a date to see the bonsai exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden, which was well worth the trip. On the way there, we swung by Super H Mart just before it was mobbed by knots of well-dressed Korean youths. I went for the 대구탕 because (1) I'd never seen it before and (2) it has fresh cod. The broth was too spicy to finish, but I enjoyed it despite having to wrestle with tiny bones and a whole unshelled prawn. Still, monshu obviously chose the better portion with his double order of dumplings made to order. And no more big pink guy! For desert, he scored us a steaming bag of 호도과자. I feared the scalding bean paste filling would take the skin off his tongue when he ill-advised bit down instead of nibbling, but he professed no ill effects.
• Italian Last night I stayed in E-ton so monshu could polish off the leftovers in peace. It allowed me to make good on a promise I'd made months ago to drop in on Italian Chef Bear and his boyfriend, and I was rewarded with fresh fettuccine with pseudo-bolognese. I had to go sparing on the sauce, but even so it gave me far less trouble that I feared, so a return trip is definitely in order!

Comments

the Super H Mart...

[(Anonymous)]

I so love the Super H Mart, except for the frightening walking next to open boxes of still trying to get away crabs. I have nightmares of falling in and being snapped to death. Gwyn

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

One of our companions was more than a little upset by the fish section. She mentioned in particular the whole dead tuna lying there with a small section missing.

[tyrannio.livejournal.com]

Speaking of the Super H-Mart, have you ever eaten the hoya? Lonely Planet has described the flavor as "rubber dipped in ammonia", and I've never seen them anywhere else.