Teeth Cracking Eye of Round Roast

I hosted my first holiday dinner this year. While I've had a high batting average on new dishes, this particular dinner was not a hit.

Without doing much research on different cuts of meat, I took a trip to Costco beforehand and bought a six-pound hunk of eye of round roast. For those who don't know, the eye of round roast is taken from the cow's upper hind leg where there is a lot of muscle. As a result, the meat is tough, and doesn't have the same marble as you'd see from a softer cut (such as a rib eye). This is what makes the cut less desirable, and thus, less expensive.

And what you save on price, you pay in embarrassment. Even though I marinated the beef for 28 hours and left it medium rare, it remained tough enough to break a few plastic forks and stress my guests' jaws from chewing--an unfortunate result given all the hard work put into the dish. I couldn't help but apologize for the cut and pour more wine in their glasses.

My guests did enjoy the taste, which was a result of the marinade and seasoning. Here's what I did:

1) Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1 cup of whiskey, fresh thyme and dried basil. Marinade the beef in this for about 24 hours.

2) Pat the beef dry and lightly season it with salt and paprika. Heavily coat it with black pepper.

3) Cover the meat with bacon, then roast in your oven to your desired finish.

Give it a try. Just don't buy the eye of round roast.

Happy holidays, everyone.

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What's this [edible] substance?

Go to the fun blog fooducate to find out. Warning: It's not so yummy.

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Bite of Brussels

I made my first visit to Brussels, Belgium, and, of course, I ate my way through the city. Here's a tour of what Brussels had to offer. Vegetarians, beware.

Lapin a la gueuze (rabbit in Brussels beer)

Mussels with white wine, onion and celery

Steak tartare

Lamb shoulder with beans and potatoes

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Foodie Tips on Bermuda

Summer is over and so is An Amateur's Palate's hiatus. The season has been great, and I had so much fun trying new restaurants, recipes and ingredients. For example, I recently came back from my first visit to Bermuda. The island is beautiful and its beaches are amazing. And since I've never heard of Bermudian cuisine, I was excited to have my first taste of the island's dishes and food. So, here's a quick round up of tasty tips for you to use when you decide to visit the island.

DO order the fish chowder. It's the island's famous dish that features seafood and Caribbean spices. Remember to top off your soup with Sherry Pepper Sauce and Rum.

DON'T expect much from their signature protein, the Rockfish. Its texture is tough for a fish that offers little in taste. If you're set on trying a local fish, try the Hogfish instead.

DO visit the Fairmont Southampton's Ocean Club. It has a beach side cabana restaurant that serves the island's best burger. Imagine a juicy patty served with ham, cheese and pineapple. Yum.

DON'T forget to bring your credit card to restaurants. Like many things in Bermuda, food is pricey. Dinner for two can easily cost more than $125.

DO try the island's favorite cocktail, the Rum Swizzle. It's basically a lot of rum with fruit juices (pineapple, orange, etc.) and a sweetener (ex. grenadine).

I hope these tips help. If you have some of your own, please share!

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Manhattan's Japanese Street Food

I recently ate at Saki Bar Hagi, which is located in the theatre district in New York City. I heard a lot about the subterranean restaurant, which serves diners Japanese street food and was featured on Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations."

I had the octopus balls, which reminded me of Spanish croquetas, just with tentacles instead of ham. Surprisingly, they were tasty and satisfying, and the octopus wasn't overcooked. In contrast, the marinated eggplant appeared to be packed with flavor, but we quickly realized that it had a bland taste instead. Afterwards, we ordered the fish collar which had a wonderful, fatty flavor. To finish off our meal, we had a plate of skewers which included quail eggs, steak cubes, pork belly and lamb. The skewers were exactly what you were expecting from protein dishes sold on the street and nothing more.

While Saki Bar Hagi's Japanese street food certainly beats the hot dog stand around the corner, the flavors did not meet up to the hype that so many foodies raved about. Perhaps it's because I'm Asian and the unique ingredients don't surprise me, or perhaps it's because I don't have the nostalgia for Japan that its regulars have. Nonetheless, the restaurant was okay...nothing more than good, old street food.

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Recipes to Make Brussels Sprouts Palatable

Brussels sprouts are probably the most disliked vegetable around. And I don’t blame anyone for thinking this. How can one possibly salivate over something that exhibits such a strong, bitter, cabbage-like taste?

Yet it’s hard to ignore how good this vegetable is for the body. It’s rich in fiber, folic acid and vitamins A and C. It also contains a lot of sinigrin, which is believed to protect the body against colon cancer.

So, to ensure that you don’t miss the great nutrients brussels sprouts have to offer, I’ve included three recipes for you to try. Hopefully this will help make your sprout consumption more enjoyable.

Choux de Bruxelles Sautes

Since it was the French who first brought brussels sprouts to America (settlers planted them in Louisiana), let’s start with a simple recipe I learned from the country’s guide I Know How To Cook.

First, remove any wilted leaves and cut off the hard-to-chew ends. Boil them in salted water for about five minutes. In a separate pan, turn the burner on high heat and melt the butter. Throw the cooked sprouts in the pan and cook until it is browned. Afterwards, season the sprouts with salt and pepper and add more butter to top it off.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Do you remember the MTV VJ Karen Duffy? I recently bought her cookbook for $1 from the Strand Bookstore. She offers easy-to-make dishes for beginners and has a great recipe for brussels sprouts. The recipe also includes bacon, garlic and olive oil.

Cook the bacon until it is crisp and set it to the side. Steam the sprouts for about seven minutes. Once they’re done, cut them into smaller pieces. Afterwards, put the sprouts, bacon and garlic cloves into a baking dish. Pour a bit of olive oil over them and toss the ingredients to make sure everything is coated evenly. Afterwards, roast them in the oven for about half an hour.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

My friend Shaina Kohanzadeh is a health nut and always finds ways to ensure that her meals are packed with nutrients. In fact, she created a salad for lunch that uses brussels sprouts instead of lettuce.

Boil the sprouts until they are cooked, and cool them afterwards. Once they are cooled, chop them up into small pieces. Add canned tuna, tomatoes and avocado to the mix. Dress the salad with either Dijon mustard or balsamic vinaigrette; both work well for this dish.

Let me know how these work out for you. And if you have any recipes of your own, please feel free to share!

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Tasting Poland at Lomzynianka

I recently accompanied a food club to one of New York City’s best pierogi joints. We visited Lomzynianka in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a small Polish restaurant that lightens the diners’ spirit with its abundance of streamers hanging on the ceiling and flower leis around a deer’s head.

Diners will know they are getting an authentic experience by peering into the kitchen, which looks more like a family’s kitchen in Lomza, Poland—the region that inspires many of the dishes—than a commercial one.

I shared my food with a fellow diner. We started off with the Pierogi Sampler, which offers a plate full of the dumplings (you can have them boiled or fried).

It would be a disappointment for anyone who visits this restaurant and doesn’t have them. Each pierogi bursts with flavor and didn’t exhibit the bland doughy taste that many restaurants settle for. Order the pierogies stuffed with potato and cheese, as well as the ones with meat; I found it hard to pick a favorite.

We also had the Polish Platter which included three more pierogies, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, bigos and potatoes. While I visited the restaurant for the pierogies, the rich rustic taste of the stuffed cabbage was the highlight of the meal.

Better yet, the tab for two full diners was less than $20.

Polish Platter

Pierogi Sampler

(Photos taken from Yelp.com users)

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