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I taught an Initiate level class on Monday, and am happy to report that my energy level was up to the task. I have also been working on the next class, and talking to Jodi and asking her all sorts of questions. She answers them happily and it's neat to get her perspective on stuff. So, I still 'got it' which is a relief. Hopefully the Dedicant class on Thursday will go as well.
Yesterday and today both I ran *an* errand and then had to come home for a nap. Like, a couple of hours of nap. That's really getting kind of old and I am trying not to push things. But I sure hope this non-existent energy level thing goes away soon.
Anyway, as promised, the foodie review. After class Monday Gordon offered to take us out to eat. Everyone agreed to Indian while I was in the bathroom. I was not feeling particularly thrilled about that- I like Indian most days but just wasn't in the mood, but agreed anyway since I wasn't turned off enough to re-engage the decision-making process. But as we were heading over there, I spotted a new Italian place where Iron Chef used to be at Burnet and 183 (where a Lone Star was before that) and said "ooh, look, new Italian place!" Gordon took the bait and turned in. He's all Aries-like and can barely resist a chance to try something new. The place is called 'Tin Tin Nio' and the review is mixed. Gordon ordered a margarita and the rest of us got appetizers. The margarita was on the rocks and in a fairly large hurricane glass, and tasted very alcoholic- which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your taste. The waitress recommended 'Suppli'- balls of risotto filled with mozzarella and deep-fried. I asked 'and that's Atkins-friendly, right?' which got a big laugh. They were bigger than expected- the order came with three and they were about the size and shape of a good-sized kiwi fruit. They were delicious. Phil got the 'Chop' salad, which was a bunch of chopped up lettuce with salami, chicken, chick peas, and several other tasty things on it. Gordon had the 'Wedge' salad, which was a wedge-shaped chunk of iceberg with bacon and a few other things, and had a really good dressing on it. It was like bleu cheese, but not as lumpy and stinky as bleu cheese. He also got some of their creamy tomato soup, which he said was some of the best tomato soup he'd ever had (and he is a soup freak).
The entrees arrived. I had thought about getting Chicken Marsala, but decided to try something different and ordered Chicken Lauto. Sadly, every aspect of this dish was bad. It was 2 very dry chicken breasts with a paper-thin layer of prosciutto and some tasteless cheese melted on top. It was sitting in some very average tomato sauce, and surrounded by some 'potato gnocchi pasta' which were basically tasteless balls of starch. It was topped off with fried artichoke hearts. Those sounded interesting on the menu but amazingly there are some foods that are not improved by frying. Artichoke hearts are one of them- they were just bland and oily and not artichoky in the least. I ate one half of one of the chicken breasts and stopped, and was not going to have it boxed up. If you know me that says a lot- I am crazy about not wasting food and I was willing to throw away 3/4 of a meal. That tells you how bad it was.
Everyone else seemed not unhappy with their entrees, but not overly impressed either (hub pulled the perennial chef's complaint- "I could make this at home for $5"). Another bright spot was Gordon ordered a side of macaroni and cheese (hey, it's pasta, right?) and got a tiny casserole dish of some absolutely marvelous, cheesy, creamy, but still flavorful mac and cheese that was made with fresh pasta and baked so there was a nice crust on top. This is not your Kraft dinner stuff, it was primo. We both made lots of yummy noises as we snacked on it.
So maybe I was unlucky with the entree, but the place was also really expensive which is another minus. However, the decor is very nice- they kept the furniture from when it was Iron Chef and it was all smooth lines and blond wood, like they had bought it all from a Copenhagen furniture store. The waitress was really nice too. So overall, I'd say go if you want atmosphere and don't mind spending a lot, and avoid the Chicken Lauto at all costs.
Yesterday and today both I ran *an* errand and then had to come home for a nap. Like, a couple of hours of nap. That's really getting kind of old and I am trying not to push things. But I sure hope this non-existent energy level thing goes away soon.
Anyway, as promised, the foodie review. After class Monday Gordon offered to take us out to eat. Everyone agreed to Indian while I was in the bathroom. I was not feeling particularly thrilled about that- I like Indian most days but just wasn't in the mood, but agreed anyway since I wasn't turned off enough to re-engage the decision-making process. But as we were heading over there, I spotted a new Italian place where Iron Chef used to be at Burnet and 183 (where a Lone Star was before that) and said "ooh, look, new Italian place!" Gordon took the bait and turned in. He's all Aries-like and can barely resist a chance to try something new. The place is called 'Tin Tin Nio' and the review is mixed. Gordon ordered a margarita and the rest of us got appetizers. The margarita was on the rocks and in a fairly large hurricane glass, and tasted very alcoholic- which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your taste. The waitress recommended 'Suppli'- balls of risotto filled with mozzarella and deep-fried. I asked 'and that's Atkins-friendly, right?' which got a big laugh. They were bigger than expected- the order came with three and they were about the size and shape of a good-sized kiwi fruit. They were delicious. Phil got the 'Chop' salad, which was a bunch of chopped up lettuce with salami, chicken, chick peas, and several other tasty things on it. Gordon had the 'Wedge' salad, which was a wedge-shaped chunk of iceberg with bacon and a few other things, and had a really good dressing on it. It was like bleu cheese, but not as lumpy and stinky as bleu cheese. He also got some of their creamy tomato soup, which he said was some of the best tomato soup he'd ever had (and he is a soup freak).
The entrees arrived. I had thought about getting Chicken Marsala, but decided to try something different and ordered Chicken Lauto. Sadly, every aspect of this dish was bad. It was 2 very dry chicken breasts with a paper-thin layer of prosciutto and some tasteless cheese melted on top. It was sitting in some very average tomato sauce, and surrounded by some 'potato gnocchi pasta' which were basically tasteless balls of starch. It was topped off with fried artichoke hearts. Those sounded interesting on the menu but amazingly there are some foods that are not improved by frying. Artichoke hearts are one of them- they were just bland and oily and not artichoky in the least. I ate one half of one of the chicken breasts and stopped, and was not going to have it boxed up. If you know me that says a lot- I am crazy about not wasting food and I was willing to throw away 3/4 of a meal. That tells you how bad it was.
Everyone else seemed not unhappy with their entrees, but not overly impressed either (hub pulled the perennial chef's complaint- "I could make this at home for $5"). Another bright spot was Gordon ordered a side of macaroni and cheese (hey, it's pasta, right?) and got a tiny casserole dish of some absolutely marvelous, cheesy, creamy, but still flavorful mac and cheese that was made with fresh pasta and baked so there was a nice crust on top. This is not your Kraft dinner stuff, it was primo. We both made lots of yummy noises as we snacked on it.
So maybe I was unlucky with the entree, but the place was also really expensive which is another minus. However, the decor is very nice- they kept the furniture from when it was Iron Chef and it was all smooth lines and blond wood, like they had bought it all from a Copenhagen furniture store. The waitress was really nice too. So overall, I'd say go if you want atmosphere and don't mind spending a lot, and avoid the Chicken Lauto at all costs.
