FOOOOOOOOD!!!

I checked out Hard Knox Cafe on Clement and 26th. They claim to be Authentic Southern Soul Food. Of course anything "authentic" automatically becomes under scrutinizing judgment. They do have Collard Greens and Mac and Cheese (I'm thinking that it isn't served in a styrophone cup but that's just Texas I think) but they seemed to be lacking a smoker or any type of smoking type of device for their ribs. I dunno...





















Fresh lemonade served in a weird jar mug. Ok, I can go with that. It was quite tasty but I probably would have preferred less sugar. Because my tongue is getting old.





















Eggs were good. Home fries I felt were a bit... lacking? big? not sure. The rosemary is a nice touch but not really enough to bring it to the next level.
















I liked the pork chops. They were not dry and the crispy batter had a great aroma. Maybe could have used some gloppy white sauce? Or just salt? I dunno. Still missing just a little something to be special.
















Corn bread was good but my mouth got dry eating it as well. Nothing on my plate really said "don't eat me! I have a stick of butter in me!" which I perhaps wrongly associate with soul food. It might be not the healthiest thing in the world but it's one of those it's so wrong but feels so right types of things to eat.

So my first full weekend off since the 4th of July. I'm cooking!
















Here is a fruit salad. I used this recipe. The fresh thyme really adds an interesting depth to the dish. I forgot the ginger so oh well.





















Revisited scallop risotto. I had never cooked risotto in my larger pot before. It was a lot more difficult to control so in the end, I think it was overcooked just a little bit. Still turned out tasty. This time I added mango for sweetness and some mustard green for bitterness.
















The scallops were pan seared with bacon and skewered with rosemary. I saw the rosemary trick on Iron Chef. It helps add an aromatic quality to these suckers and it helps hold the bacon on. Dinner guests included Dan, Jeremy, and Anthony.