Mar 07

Reuben Sandwich – Einstein’s Pub (Katy, TX)

Reuben SandwichIt is no secret that I will go great distances to enjoy a Reuben Sandwich. What makes the Reuben Sandwich at Einstein’s Pub on Mason Road in Katy, TX so enjoyable is that the establishment is about a mile from the house.

I have lived in Katy, TX since 2002 and will admit that I have not come close to trying all of the restaurants located on Mason Road. I probably have only gone to Einstein’s a few times, typically to drink a beer or two at night on my way home from socializing. At night the pub is loud, crowded and is an interesting mix of people that call Katy, TX home.

I have gone to Einstein’s Pub twice for lunch and this is the time to enjoy their Reuben Sandwich. There is typically only a few patrons lounging on bar stools, but the place is much more quiet. You can have a conversation and the beer on tap is cold and fresh. This is another positive for Einstein’s Pub, they have a decent selection of beer on tap.

The first time I ate the Reuben Sandwich at Einstein’s I was amazed at how well it tasted. Not only was the sandwich a good representation of a Reuben, but how the cook had prepared the sandwich is what was unique and innovative. The cook first grilled the Pastrami, then added the Swiss Cheese to the meat and then topped it with the sauerkraut. Nothing too amazing about this, but then what the cook did different was that he folded the layered ingredients so that the cheese and sauerkraut were inside the “roll” of meat. It was amazing.

This last time that I went to Einstein’s, I met my friend Chris for lunch. The beer was cold and the conversation was good. Although the Reuben Sandwich was not prepared in the same fashion, it was just as good. The portion of meat was generous, the amount of sauerkraut, cheese and thousand island dressing were spot on and the marbled rye bread was toasted. Einstein’s Pub for being a bar first does a great job in delivering classic Reuben.

As mentioned, I will go to great effort to try a Reuben Sandwich, but it is comforting to know that a mile from my house I can find a great sandwich and cold draft beer when I am desiring a Reuben.

In my Reuben Reviews post Einstein’s Pub is rated:

Classic Representations / I think there are other items on the menu?

Mar 06

What to do with that unwanted bottle of alcohol?

Re-Gift Bottles of Alcohol

Orphaned & Maligned Bottles of Alcohol

A few weeks prior to the holiday season I was thinking that a party at the house was in order. However, the holiday season was getting booked with the typical Christmas parties, open houses and conflicting holiday travel schedules to grandma’s house. A quick look at the calendar determined that between the NFL playoff schedule and a Robert Burns party that the end of January looked to be the best time.

Then there was a need for a theme? Why do you ask? Simply because it sounded better when inviting guests. Stuart and I threw out a few ideas for my excuse of a party and we came up with the idea of the “Alcohol Re-Gift Party”. Everyone one has a bottle of alcohol (liquor, wine, liqueur) that they have received as a gift and they have no intention of drinking.

The idea was born and put into action with the invites going out. The entire premise for the party was to bring an unwanted bottle of alcohol to the party and when leaving, look for a bottle that another guest brought that you would like to bring home. Many of the guests participated in both giving an unwanted orphan bottle and taking a much aligned bottle of alcohol home with them. At the end of these evening there were still some bottle remaining and many of these were simply emptied of their contents for they were beyond my  desire to try.

I kept a few bottles due to their unique shape, age, or to be re-gifted at a future date (see Newcastle Brown Ale). Word of caution when organizing a party like this, clarify that guests are to bring unopened bottles of alcohol. Strangely enough, opened, half empty bottles of wine were contributed and had gone to vinegar. I wonder how long those opened bottles had been chilling in the guest’s refrigerator?

Mar 05

Does Size Matter….Garlic Cloves

Peeled Garlic Cloves of Different Sizes

Garlic Cloves of Different Sizes

I do love garlic, whether browned and simmered whole in a slow cooked marinara sauce, sliced thin and sauteed with anchovies and olive oil then tossed with pasta, used in a stir fry with broccoli or rubbed raw on toast and eaten with steak tartar.

The aroma, flavor and versatility of garlic (Allium sativum) make it a frequent component of my cooking. Garlic is a close relative of onions, shallots, leeks and chives which are all in the plant Genus: Allium. There are two subspecies of Garlic, but Elephant Garlic is in neither subspecies. In fact, Elephant Garlic is not even garlic, but a Wild Leek (Allium ampeloprasum).

Despite my love and frequent use of Garlic, even I know when too much garlic has been used in meal. We have all read recipes that say to use 4 – 6 garlic cloves. What exactly does that mean? Is it a function of the cook’s preference or is there this universal understanding that not all garlic cloves are the same size? In the picture accompanying this post, I have laid out 11 garlic cloves that I recently used in a recipe. I arranged them by size, with the top left clove being the largest and the bottom right being the smallest. It is apparent that there is significant variation in the size of the garlic. Aside from experience, intuitive knowledge and some pure guessing, is there enough room for error when using garlic that size of the clove does not matter?

This very unscientific analysis has created another level of questions for me to ponder on the topics of potency, volume, weight and median (whole, sliced, ground, minced, dried, fresh) in which spices and herbs are used in recipes.

 

Mar 04

Open Faced Broiled Swiss Cheese & Ham on a Portabella Mushroom

Broiled Portabella, Swiss Cheese & Ham #1A creation born out of being hungry and there was little in the way of food in the refrigerator except Swiss Cheese, thin sliced Deli Ham, Portabella Mushrooms and there was no bread.

In the post Decadent Duet: Potabella Mushroom & Broiled Blue Cheese I went into detail on how my enjoyment for Portabella Mushrooms was well behind the marketing campaign. Now that I have embraced these overpriced meaty fungi, I am finding uses for them in snacks, meals and soups. The lunch I prepared for myself was easy to make, full of flavor and probably a lot healthier then the ham, cheese and mayonnaise sandwich I was going to prepare.

Ingredients (one person lunch):

  • 2 Large Portabella Mushrooms
  • 4 – 6 Slices of thin / shaved Deli Ham
  • 2 Slices of Swiss Cheese

Instructions:

  1. Remove the stems (Save in a freezer bag for future use in mushroom / vegetable stock)
  2. Poke three or four slits through the mushroom to allow the juices to drain when it bakes.
  3. Preheat the oven (toaster oven) to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  4. Place mushroom in aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Once the baking of the mushrooms is complete, drain off the mushroom juice (I pour it into to same freezer bag as the mushroom stems)
  6. Place the ham on the mushrooms and top with the cheese
  7. Set the oven (toaster oven) on broil and cook for 5 – 7 minutes
  8. Serve and eat

 

 

Mar 03

Rum from Colorado

Montanya DistillersRecently I was in Crested Butte, Colorado ski-ing and across from our hotel there was a bar called Montanya Distillers. Thinking it was just a funny name for pub, we didn’t go there the first night, as there are so many places to go in Crested Butte, even though it is such a small town. After dinner on our last night we thought we should go in for a night cap, which turned into quite a few.

Montanya Distillers isn’t just a pub, but as the name implies they are distillers, who make American rum. The distiller is in another part of town, so we weren’t able to have a tour. They make two types of rum, Platino Light Rum and Oro Dark Rum made from raw, unrefined sugar-cane imported from Hawaii. Because of this, no sulphur is produced during the fermentation, which can produce bitterness found in some molasses-based rums.

There are two theories to the origin of the name rum. The first was suggested to have come from the British slang term for “the best” as in “having a rum time”, the other is from the Latin word for sugar, “saccharum”. Neither theory holds much weight and though there is disagreement over the origin of the word, rum itself has been brewed for centuries in various forms.

Their Platino was smooth, light with a hint of vanilla and the Oro was full bodied with a hint of honey and vanilla. However the majority of the rum we had to drink came in cocktail form.

 

Montanya Mojito and Strawberry Daiquiri

Montanya Mojito and Strawberry Daiquiri

First we ordered the special ‘Strawberry Daiquiri’ (I don’t have the recipe for this one) and a ‘Montanya Mojito’. The daiquiri was a little sour, but the mojito was perfectly fresh and minty.

Montanya Mojito
Collins glass filled with ice and a sugar rim
1 squeezed lime
2-3 muddled mint leaves
2-3 oz Platino
Top with Seltzer

 

 

 

Next we had the Thai Boxer and the White Room (without Almonds)

Thai Boxer and White Room

Thai Boxer and White Room

Thai Boxer
Collins Glass with ice and a sugar rim
0.5 squeezed lime
3-4 basil leaves muddled
2 tsp blueberries and some juice
2 oz Platino
Fill with ginger ale and seltzer

White Room
Martini Glass
1.75 oz Vanilla infused Platino rum
1.25 oz Oro
2 oz light cream
0.5 oz simple syrup
Splash Orgeat syrup
Strain into glass and garnish with almonds

 

The Rio de Janiero and Stu's White Russian

The Rio de Janiero and Stu's White Russian

After tasting the White Room, it reminded me a little of Demijohn’s Vanilla Cream Vodka Liqueur and the ‘White Russians’ I used to make with it. I noticed that there was a coffee machine behind the bar and asked if they could make me a cocktail not on the menu. They were a little sceptical at first, but once they tasted it, they agreed it was a successful concoction. Emily had the Rio de Janiero

The Rio de Janiero
Collins glass filled with ice / mix in shaker
2 oz Platino
2 oz Pineapple juice
0.25 cup cream of coconut
1 oz orange juice
Strain into glass, drizzle with grenadine and sprinkle with nutmeg. Garnish with lime

Stu’s White Russian
Martini Glass
2 oz Vanilla infused Platino
1 oz Oro
1 shot of espresso
2 oz light cream

 

If you are ever in Crested Butte it is well worth the visit, but I believe they also have some distribution across the U.S.A as well