lunch at Cantina 1511

 

{ Crab-Jicama Salpicon on Guacamole}

matt and i have taking advantage of living in such a "foodie" neighborhood lately now that the weather is cooling down here in North Carolina.  we have a bunch of really good restaurants in walking distance, and now that we're trying to focus on a healthier lifestyle, we want to force ourselves to walk to get our food when we want to go out to eat *wink*.

Cantina 1511 is a super-popular Dilworth neighborhood restaurant focusing on authentic Mexican-fare.  the couple times i went i was disappointed because it is always so crazy-packed with yuppies and the food i ordered wasn't what i expected.  this time though i was sooo satisfied, yum!

we were dying to try this ceviche-like dip featuring lump crap and crisp jicama on top of guacamole.  delicious!

lunch at vapiano.

Granchi De Fiume

vapiano is a new style of restaurant.  part-cafeteria, part italian bistro?  i suppose it is set up to be a modern cafeteria:  you get a "credit card" when you walk in and swipe your card at each station when you order and it totals it all up on a tab at the end.  the prices are really good for the high-quality food but it is a little bit confusing to eat here....well at least the first time.  i think we will be back; maybe for takeout.  

the grandchi de fiume is tossed with fresh veggies and crayfish in a lobster sauce.  delicious!  you get to choose your own pasta and it comes with a side of bread.

 

all the pasta is made in house and there is a giant pasta machine that you can see in the open kitchen.  such cool layout.   the Filetto Di Manzo E Rucola was also delicious!  i had it will my favorite:  pappardalle noodles.  

tossed with fresh vegetables, mushrooms, filet of beef and arugula.  i liked that all the pasta tasted so fresh and the sauces were light and flavorful.

 

appetizer of roast veal, capers in a tuna cream sauce

 a really fun cocktail of fresh cucumber, mint, gin and tonic.  refreshing!

a delicous berry-topped panne cotta

Crema Di Fragola:  mascarpone creme with fresh strawberries

a wide space with lots of open seating

ooooh desserts!

 fun decor

fresh herbs as decor

lunch at 3 amigos.

the chorizo-queso at 3 amigos.  3 amigos is a local cantina in plaza midwood

with a big following.  known for their awesome specials and staying open late

on the weekends.

the perfect balance.  a light sprinkling of spicy chorizo, sweet caramelized onions,

and smooth, creamy queso.

2 empanadas.  one chicken one beef.  they were huge!

i loved that you could see the fork marks from them 

pressing the empanadas closed.  a little dry--but still delicious!

carne asada plate.  a tad bit dry.  i am always bad about ordering steak at

places i probably shouldn't.  haha, stick to the classics.

 matt doesn't know where to start with his giant chalupa.

so huge, delicious, and hand-fried with chicken and mexican cheese.

their tiny tacos are amazing.  they are fried almost like a little packet...

so the ingredients stay tucked inside perfectly.  this is our new go-to 

Mexican joint for sure!

recipe: spaghetti and meatballs

sometimes i just want/need carbs for dinner.

 

sooo yummy.  turkey meatballs, vegetarian sausage grounds, sliced olives,

a slightly sweet tomato basil sauce, a sprinkling of parmesan and homemade

garlic toast.

lunch at 7th Street Public Market.

matt and i spent the day downtown because we heard through the grapevine about the 

"Top Chef" tour coming through.  didn't really know what to expect, but we are huge

fans of the show so we definitely wanted to go.  ended up being a tad boring--we 

didn't know the 2 chefs cooking off, but glad we went anyway because we found

the 7th Street Public Market we'd been hearing about.

7th Street Public Market is still a work-in-progress but sooo cool so far.

Reminds me of the specialty markets found in big cities like the ones I've been

to in New York or Charleston.

 

Pure Pizza creates gorgeous artisan pizzas in unique flavor combinations

 we split the pulled pork pizza topped with purple slaw (what's with this

great purple slaw we keep seeing everywhere?!) on sprouted grain crust

served with a local honey/ cinnamon mixture for the crust.  *delicious*

 

Cloud 9 Confections for dessert.  Matt had the tuxedo cake which

he loved and i had a mediocre chocolate chip cookie.

 

lunch at Hyman's Seafood, Charleston, SC

Hyman's Seafood is famous in Charleston with tourists and locals alike.  they are consistently voted "best seafood" from magazines like Southern Living.  they are a true "southern hospitality"-type joint with easy food and good service.  the menu is HUGE and a little kooky-crazy....but definitely start off with this appetizer, their most-popular "Carolina Delight".

Lightly fried grit cake topped with
your choice of shrimp, scallops,
oysters, crab cakes or salmon. Covered with a creamy, rich garlic alfredo sauce then sprinkled with a hint of cajun seasoning.

started off with some cocktails...why on earth would i EVER order a damn margarita??? they're disgusting!  but it was on special and i was feeling "crazy" so i ordered one.... *ick*  i made matt play trade-sies with me because he got a Cosmopolitan which is much tastier.  i still have visions of puking in front of a record store after my first margarita that i drank out of a styrofoam cup.

matt and i LOVE LOVE LOVE  a good she-crab soup, so when we are in a seafood-town we always order a bowl.  their's was....okay, nothing special unfortunately.  the best we've had is still from that hole-in-the-wall seafood shack called Mr. Fish in Myrtle Beach!

not happy about his adopted margarita!

but i'm happy with mine! matt tryin' to get all "artsy" with his cheesy camera angles

matt's overly fried seafood platter: fried mahi-mahi, crabcake, deviled crab, sweet potato souffle

my plate: broiled swordfish, fried catfish, broiled scallops

all together a pretty good meal....but maybe not worth the $90 we threw down for lunch????  xoxo

recipe: salmon burger with horsey-caper spread

had to mix up "healthy burger night" by making salmon burgers.  i love horseradish with fish and i love capers with seafood so i figured, make a sauce with both!  sooo super easy, flavorful, and has a good kick.  i used a few tablespoons of lite miracle whip (or veganaise), a couple teaspoons of horseradish (less if you don't want it too spicy), a tablespoon of capers. 

spread caper sauce on both sides of toasted bread--i used leftover hoagies but will use whole wheat sesame seed baguette next time.  top with fresh veggies like romaine, tomatoes, onion and sprouts.

 

served with a light and crunchy salad

 crunchy romaine, baby spinach, red peppers, shredded carrots, red onion, cucumbers and feta tossed with a light italian vinaigrette

leftovers for tomorrow's lunch:  toss salad with grilled salmon for a heartier lunch.

 

recipe: "healthy" philly cheesesteak

as part of our healthy meal plan, i try to incorporate mostly veggies and less of all the other stuff (starches, meats, dairy, etc).  so this healthy philly cheesesteak is mostly green and yellow bell peppers, onions, baby portobellas.  i added a little grilled chicken and some tasty seasonings (garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper).  the secret to a really good cheesesteak is not the cheese or the steak...just make sure you saute the veggies until they are nice and caramelized and soft.  all the delicious natural sweetness will come out of the peppers and onions.  make it lighter by serving it on a toasted wheat baguette (210 calories), one slice of provolone cheese (60 calories), and a couple tablespoons of miracle whip (20-40 calories). 

 

 

recipe: grilled arctic char and sauteed zucchini and squash

this is one of my go-to weekly meals.  so easy, delicious, and healthy!  i pick up frozen fillets from Trader Joes and just make a large portion of a veggie side from my local farmer's market.

just grill fish in a grill pan or non-stick pan with some olive oil cooking spray (no calories!) and season generously with salt, pepper, dried herbs.  finish off with a fresh lemon wedge.  eliminating starches from our evening meals when possible and loading up on extra veggies so we can stuff our faces sans the calories.

lunch at saigon palace

saigon palace is an old-school Vietnamese restaurant on South Blvd that's been around forever.  my mom loves it and irene was craving good Vietnamese so we went for her birthday.  she says she has yet to find good vietnamese in Durham.  i always order a taro bubble tea if it's available because it's my favorite.  i love anything taro, ever since i was a little kid.  my mom used to make taro spring rolls for me when i was little as long as i would peel and wash the root vegetable for her first.  and also it is a cool light purple color.  *neato*

Vietnamese iced coffee: irene's beverage of choice.  syrupy sweet, but a delicious treat!  we steep coffee by the glass with a french press.  mix with a good bit of condensed sweeten milk and pour over ice.

fresh summer rolls with jicama and chinese sausage.  a light appetizer served with hoisin peanut sauce.  stuffed with fresh mint and basil traditionally.

i had grilled pork chop served with nuoc mam (fish sauce) over broken rice with fresh cucumber, tomatoes, and pickled carrots/daikon.