Mako's birthday (2022)
"Breakfast" course
If possible, lets start the day with those grilled ratatouille sandwiches from Bakery Nouveau!
Beer and Peanuts course
- Hazy IPA (ideally Crux or Cloudburst)
- Salted peanuts in the shell
Appetizer Course
Baha fish tacos!
- Crispy plant-based battered fish - creamy jalapeno slaw - cilantro - pico de gallo - a lime wedge
Tapas course
The tapas course will include three different simmple dishes that I had on my travels this last year.
1. Mixed cheese yaki (ミックスチーズ焼き)
Mixed cheese yaki from 「鉄板バル SOURCE」
Ingredients:
- base is a simple crepe - the top is just a generous helping of mixed shreeded cheese (jack + cheddar) - top is just pepper
2. Mushrooms and eggs
A very simple wild mushroom dish similar to what we had at Le Venecia in Madrid. Three ingredients: (1) very good olive oil, (2) mushrooms, (3) eggs from El Cisne Azul. Here's a simple picture.
Another photo is on Tripadvisor here that looks more like what we got.
3. Gazpacho soup
We had a delicious gazpacho soup at Achuri in Madrid. It was incredibly creamy and I think the trick was (a) extremely good olive oil, and (b) bread. Let's try this recipe: https://tasteoftheplace.com/gazpachoandaluz/
- 3 pounds (about 6 medium) ripe tomatoes, cored
- 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded
- 1 medium green bell pepper, halved, cored and seeded
- 1 small red onion, peeled and halved
- 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
- 1 small serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
- Kosher Salt (see note)
- 1 slice High-Quality White Sandwich Bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus extra for serving (see note)
- 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley, chives, or basil leaves
- ground black pepper
Salad Course
We'll have a salad with:
- shredded carrots,
- red cabbage
- grapes
- feta
- mixed greens
- pepitas
- walnuts
- quinoa
This is thje dressing: https://cookieandkate.com/fresh-mint-dressing-recipe/
Main Course
Collard green melt sandwich from the Turkey and Wolf (NOLA): https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/the-collard-green-melt
Pictures:
We can use the slaw for this sandwich and the tacos.
Drinks
Sakura Martini
Recipe: https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/sakura-martini
- 2 1⁄2 oz Sake
- 1 oz Gin
- 1⁄4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
- + garnish w/ pickled sakura
My comments: "Definitely 5★ in terms of looks. Taste is simple and sake forward. I would add a pinch of salt before mixing, especially if using fresh Sakura (which is even better looking)."
Early Bird
Recipe: https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/early-bird
- 2 oz Rum, Plantation 3 Star
- 3⁄4 oz Simple syrup (skinny)
- 3⁄4 oz Lime juice
- 1 Cherry (Klug Farm, Pitted, Muddled)
- 1 rinse Coffee liqueur, Bittermens New Orleans Coffee
My comments: "A shockingly good daiquiri." (5)
Akoya
Recipe: https://kindredcocktails.com/cocktail/akoya
- 1 1⁄2 oz Japanese Whisky (Yamakura)
- 1 oz Sloe gin (Plymouth)
- 1⁄3 oz Suze
- 1⁄4 oz Pine liqueur
- 2 ds Orange flower water
- 1 ds Bitters, Angostura
Shopping list
general supermarket like QFC or safeway or the farmers market
- [TODO] jack and cheddar cheese (a bag of the premixed shredded is fine) [mixed cheese yaki]
- [DONE] veggie fish fillets (we have 2 small fillets already plus some veggie crap cakes) [for tacos]
- [TODO] fresh very good tomatos [pico de gallo, plus gaspacho]
- [TODO] jalapenos [pico de gallo]
- [TODO] collard greens [collard green melt]
- [TODO] red wine vinegar [collard green melt]
- [TODO] sherry vinegar [soup]
- [TODO] head of cabbage (ideally red) [collard green melt and tacos]
- [DONE] mama's lil peppers (or similar pickled red cherry peppers) [sauce in collard green melt]
- [TODO] swiss cheese [collard green melt]
- [TODO] sliced caraway rye bread [collard green melt]
- [TODO] cilantro [tacos]
- [TODO] mixed greens [salad]
- [DONE] masa for tortillas [tacos]
- [DONE] grapes [salad]
- [TODO] salted peanuts
- [DONE] cherries (they are in a can) [cocktail]
uwajimaya or similar
- [TODO] kewpie mayonaise [tacos and collard green melt]
- [TODO] preserved sakura [cocktail]
somewhere fancier (met market?)
- [DONE] foraged mushrooms (ideally chanterelles) [mushrooms]
Big John's PFI
- [DONE] high quality olive oil
- [TODO] feta
