Eating – Mom's Guide to the Galaxy

Thoughts on the Universal Yums Advent Calendar

As I mentioned in my previous post about Universal Yums, we purchased their Advent Calendar for this holiday season. Unlike the location-specific boxes, this was entirely sweet: candy and chocolate, as indicated on the box cover, and from a variety of locations. The back of the box (not pictured) has the entire ingredient list for all 24 varieties of candies, particularly useful if dealing with allergies.

The box opens up to reveal (not surprisingly for an Advent Calendar) 24 squares to open leading up to Christmas. Each one is decorated in a way that relates to the contents. For example, the box labelled 1 has illustrated pomegranates, and the candy was a pomegranate-flavored jelly candy from Greece. Each square contained 4 candies (except for that one with 5… yay, us!), mostly of the same flavor, though a couple squares were described as “assorted flavors” and came with a couple different flavors of the same candy to try.

The accompanying book included the bracket pages and information about each candy in order. My one complaint here is that the candies weren’t numbered on the information pages, which would have been useful for the elimination bracket. There is a QR code on the brackets pages to a PDF version, so each person participating can have their own copy to work through. This was helpful; our brackets diverged in several places, and ultimately resulted in different winners.

In my case, the finalists were a Lithuanian blackcurrant and melon-flavored candy and an Italian multi-colored chocolate square that included dark, milk, white, and hazelnut chocolate. Despite the inclusion of white chocolate, the “Novi Cuadro Quattro” was the winner in my bracket. I liked all of the candies to some degree – even the salty licorice caramel – and will be delighted to see what their future years’ Advent Calendars include.

Universal Yums, round 2 at the library

Over the summer, our local public library hosted a Yum Club event with treats from Taiwan. Having enjoyed that, we prioritized signing up for the next one when it was announced and were delighted to discover a variety of treats from Mexico.

Part of the introduction to Mexico sheet from Universal Yums.

Similar to our exploration of treats from Taiwan, Universal Yums provided full ingredients lists for every treat, as well as a paragraph with a detailed description and context for each of the treats. For example, one of the items was “Japanese-Style Coated Peanuts,” which is described as “an international fusion snack” and explains that they were created by a Japanese man who immigrated to Mexico in 1932. They’re quite popular, Mexico produces over 30,000 tons of them each year.

Most of the treats in this box were sweet, with only four of the thirteen items being savory. One of those, the Snacker Norteñitos Corn Chips with Chile placed first on my list, followed closely by the Las Sevillanas Obleas, a Caramel Wafer Cookie with Goat’s Milk. There were several people attending who didn’t care for caramel, so that cookie ranked low for many of the other attendees. My third choice was the Lupy Lups Sour, a Sour-Flavored Challenge Cotton Candy – easily the best pre-packaged cotton candy I’ve had. (When I was younger, I’d buy fresh spun cotton candy at festivals in Guatemala, and that’s hard to beat.)

All in all, a delightful experience, and an excellent precursor to the Universal Yums Advent Calendar that we’re currently working through. I expect I’ll share details about that adventure in the near future.

That was yummy.

Well, mostly. Earlier this week, we attended a snacking adventure at our local library, which consisted of a box of eleven distinct treats from Universal Yums from one of their country boxes – in this case, Taiwan.

Part of the cover for Universal Yums' Welcome to Taiwan selection. The full cover includes a map of Taiwan with some key locations noted; the partial includes the edge of that map with Kaohsiung (a port) and Tainan (Taiwan's oldest city) just showing.

This was our first tasting adventure at the library and our first chance to try Universal Yums, though we’ve been aware of the concept for a while now. The library event was described as “Yum Club”; we didn’t know the theme was Taiwan until we arrived. This was clearly not the first iteration of Yum Club at the library, and many of the attendees were familiar with the process. It was our first, hopefully of many, Yum Club exploration.

The library provided information booklets – from Universal Yums – to each participant. The cover features the theme and a map of Taiwan, highlighting some important places with a tidbit of information about each on the map. The second page has “The Yum Scoreboard,” which includes a spot to rate or record comments about each snack, suggested ratings (essentially Wow, OK, and Yuck), and a spot to guess at which four of the eleven treats will be your favorites. We were warned going in that each person would be asked their top and bottom choices at the end, so I ranked the treats as I went. Of the four that I guessed for my top choices, two made it, and a third treat only missed by one.

The first of three pages with photos of the snack food in its package, a title with an abbreviated description, and detailed description with context for each. The four treats featured on this page are Triko Foods Taro Cookies (Crispy Cream-Filled Cookies), Koloko Crispy Pea Snacks (Lemon & Pink Salt Flavored), Popsmile Popcorn (Milk Bubble-Tea Flavored), and Taiwan Choco Ball (Creamy Peanut Filled Mochi)

The third, fourth, and fifth pages have images, names, an abbreviated description, and then a detailed description and some context for each item. For example, the first item we tried was the Triko Foods Taro Cookies, described briefly as Crispy Cream-Filled Cookies. (Unfortunately, there weren’t enough of these for everyone, so we broke them while still in the package, which resulted in one person trying the center of the cookies – which was cream-filled – and the other person tried the crumbly exterior. I suspect I would have rated these higher if I had gotten some of the cream filling.)

The last page of the booklet is the important one for those of us with food allergies: the ingredient list for all included items. Having arrived a few minutes early, I was able to verify that all of the treats were safe for me before we started snacking.

My guesses at top four were (in no particular order) Taiwan Choco Ball (Creamy Peanut Filled Mochi), Cadina Crunchy Corn Layers Snacks (Butter & Garlic Flavored), Nice Choice Peanut-Brittle Candy (Crunchy Roasted Peanuts), and Triko Foods Taro Cookies (Crispy Cream-Filled Cookies).

My actual top four were (in order, starting at my top choice) Nice Choice Peanut-Brittle Candy (Crunchy Roasted Peanuts), Koloko Crispy Pea Snacks (Lemon & Pink Salt Flavored), Nice Choice Yogurt-Flavored Biscuits (Crispy Animal-Shaped Crackers), and Taiwan Choco Ball (Creamy Peanut Filled Mochi).

I was an odd one out listing the mochi fairly high; several people listed it as their least favorite when we went around the room because of the consistency. That said, more people – myself included – listed the Khong Guan Smoked Candy (Plum Flavored) as the one they liked the least, mainly because of the smoked part of the flavor.

If you’ve tried Universal Yums or something similar, drop a comment and let me know what you thought. I think it’s a neat way to catch glimpses of other cultures.

Another Restaurant Week, another new restaurant tried

This year’s Restaurant Week (which actually runs for two weeks) took us to the nearby suburb of Aurora, to a restaurant I have been following on Facebook since before they opened this location: Leilani Asian Fusion. Restaurant Week, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is an opportunity for local restaurants to draw in new customers with fixed price (“prix-fixe”) menus that offer a limited selection, showcasing some of their best options.

Honey Walnut Shrimp: Tempura Fried Shrimp, Honey Aioli, Candied Walnuts
Salmon Teriyaki: Scottish Wild-Caught Salmon, Miso Carrot Puree, Charred Broccolini
Drunken Scottish & California Rolls: California (Crab Mix, Cucumber, Avocado); Drunken Scottish (Crab Mix, Cucumber, Avocado, Seared Salmon, Unagi Sauce)
Ube Crème Brûlée: Ube Custard Topped with Seasonal Fruits

I’m not sure it’s possible to overstate how good this meal was. The Honey Walnut Shrimp had a surprising bit of spice to it (probably those red specks in the aioli sauce), and that may be well have been the best salmon dish I’ve ever eaten. The waitress mentioned that they use sushi-grade salmon for it, so it’s high enough quality that it can be served anywhere from raw to well done. The entire outside of the salmon had a delicious crunch to it. (The sushi plate wasn’t mine, though I assume it was also tasty.) And then the dessert… the Ube Crème Brûlée was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, with that beautiful purple color and fresh berries on top. And everything was perfectly-sized, so we left feeling full without that overwhelming need to explode or sink into a food coma.

Leilani Asian Fusion is conveniently located just down the street from the Paramount Theatre, which makes it an easy meal choice before or after a show.

Kura Sushi, conveying food to your table

Salmon passing on the conveyor belt at Kura Sushi

Conveyor belt sushi is not a new concept – instead of placing a food order, every table is next to a covered conveyor belt the transverses the restaurant, carrying sushi from the chefs (usually somewhat visible) to hungry guests. One of the puzzles, however, was how much you’d be paying at the end of the meal. Typically (at the restaurants I’ve visited) the plates were color-coded, with different prices based on the plate color, and a reference sheet on the table.

Golden Crunchy Roll passing on the conveyor belt at Kura Sushi

Kura Sushi has taken a different approach, standardizing the plate price and varying the quantity on the plate. The next advantage – besides making it easier for guests to track their spending – is that each table has a receptacle (not pictured, sorry) to slide your empty plates into. In addition to keeping your table clear, it reduces the staff responsibilities at each table.

The robot at Kura Sushi carries a tray to deliver your drinks.

Of course, the robot delivery drinks helps too. When we first arrived, we were created at the door, and as we were seated, asked if we have visited a Kura Sushi before. If you haven’t, your waiter or waitress will bring a practice plate over, so you can practice popping up the cover and removing the plate. That process needs to be fairly quick, since the plate is trying to escape on the conveyor belt. At my second visit (just a week apart, at different locations and with different people), the entire chain had rolled into a Dragon Ball Z promotion, with a dispenser above every table automatically dispensing a prize when the table reached 15 plates in the receptacle.

That’s standard plates, mind you… there are some dishes (such as the fried scallops) that you can order that come on plates that clearly aren’t intended for the receptacle. There are also soups (miso, ramen, udon) that arrive in bowls… there’s no way they would fit. Those are added to your bill when you special order them.

If you do special order – from the touch screen above your table – the screen will announce your incoming order as it zips towards you on the upper level belt. Even if you special order something, the dishes that you see on the conveyor belt have the same price; all prices are noted on the screen.

Altogether, it’s a delightful way to enjoy sushi.

Cooking like a pirate

When you learn to cook, you typically follow recipes – whether in writing or instructions from someone else – usually as precisely as possible. I recall a kids’ cookbook growing up that included basic recipes for things like scrambled eggs and grilled cheese sandwiches, and I do mean basic: bread, American cheese slices, and butter (for the outside of the bread). As I grew more comfortable with each recipe, I began to alter it. The American cheese became a combination of cheeses (typically Havarti and Pepper Jack), I stopped buttering the outside of the bread, and began adding vegetables or even sandwich meat. Yes, you could argue that it then becomes an “[insert sandwich meat] sandwich” instead of a “grilled cheese sandwich,” but the important part isn’t the name… it’s the fact that I enjoy eating it.

Rice buried under sauteed shrimp, asparagus, and a yellow bell pepper, garnished with feta cheese and a sliced lemon-stuff olive. The olive is only there because we haven't found any other way we like that particular stuffing option.

Now, when I find a new recipe, I treat it more like the pirate’s code in Pirates of the Caribbean: “the [pirate’s] code is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.” This shrimp bowl, for example, is very loosely based on a shrimp bowl recipe from Centr. (To be fair, I have made their recipe as written.) Theirs is almost certainly healthier, deliberately balancing the appropriate carbs, greens, and protein. My approach was more cobbled together with ingredients currently available in the house, including leftover rice. Thus the recipe became simply guidelines.

Ultimately, my goal when cooking is to make something we enjoy eating and that we have the ingredients for. Not every meal has to be a fancy attempt to follow a recipe precisely; it’s more important to have a fairly balanced meal that can be assembled in a short period of time.

Exploring something new through Restaurant Week

First, let me explain what Restaurant Week is: a joint marketing effort between a city and several local restaurants, presenting a fixed price menu – typically lower than regular prices – to attract new customers. I learned of this winter’s Restaurant Week from the Facebook page of nearby Geneva, and thought it would be a fine opportunity to explore something new. We were originally going to try a different restaurant on a different day, but postponed due to incoming snow. When I checked the next day, as we were getting ready to leave, our original choice was completely booked, we decided to wing it by driving to a part of Geneva that featured several restaurants, hoping that our first choice there would have space.

They did have space, so we ended up having a lovely lunch at Barrel + Rye. You’ll be shocked, I’m sure, that a restaurant with an extensive whiskey menu was already on my radar. I had walked past it one morning, over a year ago, after shopping at Geneva’s farmers’ market.

What appears to be a bland white soup garnished with snippets of something green was a delightfully tasty celery root and coconut soup.

Their Restaurant Week lunch menu had two courses with two choices to choose from: Celery Root + Coconut Milk Soup or Citrus Salad, then Italian Roasted Pork Sandwich or Chicken Shawarma. (Dinner had different entree options, plus a dessert course.) We both selected the soup. (This was also their Soup of the Day, so it’s not listed on the normal menu.)

Cheese curds are a Midwest staple. Brie cheese curds, however, are something I had never encountered before. They were tasty with the raspberry jalapeño jam.

But wait! The Shareables section of their normal menu has Brie cheese curds with a raspberry habanero jam. Since we both love cheese curds, and had never tried brie ones, we opted to include an appetizer as well. (There are also white cheddar cheese curds available as part of another appetizer.)

Italian Roasted Pork Sandwich (including broccoli) with a dipping sauce and a side of tasty seasoned fries.

Chicken shawarma and vegetables tucked into naan bread, with a side of tasty seasoned fries

After all that deliciousness, we made it to our entrees: an Italian Roasted Pork Sandwich (listed as Philly Italian Pork on the normal menu, which explains the dipping sauce) and Chicken Shawarma, both with sides of tasty seasons fries. And yes, I tried a new (to me) whiskey: Rabbit Hole Dareringer.

Given the tasty food and fabulous service, I suspect we’ll be returning to Barrel + Rye before the next Restaurant Week.

Florida 2022: places to eat

I’ve discussed culinary tourism before… when traveling, we like to explore new (to us) restaurants. We certainly managed that in Florida! I’ll mostly let the photos talk here.

Key West: The Cafe – we had walked past several restaurants on Duval Street when this charming restaurant on a side street caught our eye.

Miami: Tapas de Rosa – this was a Google find, looking for somewhere to get a nice lunch between Vizcaya and Miami Beach. Being a tapas restaurant, we selected several small dishes to share.

Miami Beach: the quest for restaurants, hidden inside hotels and apartment buildings, led us (with Google’s help) to the delightful Lola Restaurant & Grill. We likely would have eaten there again if it weren’t for the next day’s lunch.

Dinner at Lola Restaurant & Grill in Miami Beach

Coral Gables: Havana Harry’s does not skimp on portions – we ate three or four meals from the leftovers after this lunch! Pictured below are three entrees and one of the plates of side dishes. (Also, arrive early for good parking.)

Lunch (and a couple other meals from leftovers) at Havana Harry's in Coral Gables

Melbourne: Pane e Vino, to my delight, had escargot on the appetizer menu. Yeah, I know, that’s a French dish. I had it anyways.

Kissimmee: Last, but certainly not least, was El Tapatio, a Mexican restaurant recommended (and rightfully so) by our hotel. What’s that greenish drink in the photo, you ask? That was a delicious avocado margarita (not to be confused with a key lime milkshake I had near the Everglades).

Driftless Glen Distillery

Recently, I drove to Minneapolis for a weekend. Without traffic or pit stops, it would be around a six hour drive. But what fun is a road trip without some interesting stops along the way? The first stop was to revisit Ehlenbach’s Cheese Chalet to purchase some bratwurst for that evening’s grill. It was a little early for lunch at that point, so we ignored the variety of restaurants at that exit and rejoined the highway.

Almost immediately, I noticed a billboard for Driftless Glen Distillery – and restaurant – in Baraboo, twenty miles down the road. Between cities in Wisconsin, that’s only three or four highway exits. This is not dissimilar to how I discovered Journeyman Distillery a few years ago, though the signage for finding Driftless Glen once we left the highway wasn’t as good as Journeyman’s. Fortunately, technology was able to determine the correct path, leading us past Circus World, which I may have to return for on a separate occasion.

As the weather was near perfect (and, let’s be honest, there’s still a pandemic going on), we opted to dine outside. This provided a lovely view of the river, including the occasional kayakers drifting by. I rarely drink soda, but on a whim, ordered a Shirley Temple. I was a bit puzzled by the color when it arrived, it’s darker than usual… it’s made with real cherry juice instead of the usual grenadine.

Driftless Glen Distillery in Baraboo, Wisconsin. A Shirley Temple made with real cherries. Pasta salad. Driftless Glen sampler pack: brandy, bourbon, rye, 51 rye; Mammoth Distillery Cherry Bounce; Driftless Glen New American Gin.

The food was as tasty as the drinks, and we followed up our lunch with a stop in their retail shop. Torn between multiple bourbons and ryes, I found a sampler pack that settled the choice for me. When I queued up to pay, the couple in front of me asked where the samplers were so they could purchase one as well. They had a couple different gins as well; I opted for their New American. (The Mammoth Distilling Cherry Bounce was waiting for me in Minneapolis; I haven’t been to their distillery… yet.)

I can’t speak to the brandy… it’s tasty, but I don’t recall the last time I drank brandy, so have little room for comparison. Their bourbon, rye, and gin are also nice. The 51 Rye, however… well, that’s something worth taking a detour for. I would absolutely go out of my way to buy that again. Not that I have to – now that I know about Driftless Glen, I know to look for it at my local Binny’s. Though I suppose I’ll have to visit again for their Shirley Temple.

I forgot to buy bread.

I went grocery shopping Saturday morning and forgot to buy bread. (I generally make rolls, but I prefer to buy loaves of bread.) After dropping off some spare raspberries and strawberries that afternoon, I considered stopping somewhere to buy bread, but there aren’t any shops on that particular route home. So I deferred the chore until Sunday.

Early Sunday morning, it occurred to me that farmers markets are open again, and there was probably at least one near me on a Sunday. For those of you unfamiliar with farmers markets, they’re typically outdoor markets with fresh produce and other shopping that are only at that location one day a week. They frequently have fresh bakery products, which is what drew me to Google this fine morning.

Sure enough, I found a Sunday morning farmers market five miles away. Shortly after eight in the morning, I headed out, hoping to find bread and perhaps some bite-sized tomatoes.

As you can see, my mission was successful… there were several stands with baked goods, one specifically with loaves of bread, where I selected a sourdough rye bread. Directly across from it was a produce stand where I procured a multi-colored selection of small tomatoes.

The unexpected purchase, however, was the delightful find for the day. Anybody who has gone to the nearby Renaissance Festival has experienced the delicious smell of roasted nuts with tempting samples luring the passerby in. Apparently, the Geneva French Market includes freshly roasted nuts as well… with the choice of whiskey-roasted or vanilla nuts, produced by Nuts To Go. They are, in fact, quite tasty.

And that is why I went looking for a recipe – Honey Whiskey Roasted Pecans | Kara Lydon – and am wondering what effect using different whiskeys will have on the flavor.