May 3, 2019 Lunch – East Ocean Dinner – Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery’s Cinco de Mayo Menu

May 3, 2019  Lunch – East Ocean Dinner – Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery’s Cinco de Mayo Menu

I ate q bowl of tropical fruit salad, yogurt, and granola for breakfast.

Mike Verhagen called around 10:00 to invite me to go to lunch.  He suggested East Ocean and we decided to meet at 12:15.  Mike’s favorite dish is Kung Pao Chicken, which is a stir fried dish combining diced chicken, green bell pepper, onion, celery, roasted peanuts, zucchini, baby corn, water chestnuts and red Schezuan pepper flakes in oil.

It is almost the same combination of vegetables as are in the dish I almost always order, Deep fried tofu with mixed vegetables, except the mixed vegetables contain more and different vegetables, including mushrooms, bok Choy, snow peas, carrots, and broccoli flowerets in addition to those in the Kung Pao dishes, but without any celery or zucchini.

We ordered dinner entrees of each which is about a 50% to 75% greater portion than the lunch portion for the same price but without the egg drop soup and egg roll.

Here are pictures of each dish.

 

                                                             Mike, the happy eater

I tried eating the Kung Pao chicken but I was involuntarily choking on the chili peppers, seeds, and oil. Mike had no trouble with the spiciness of the dish.  We ate all we could which was about ½ of each and then boxed the remaining into plastic to go boxes at 1:30.

I told Mike we would be cooking BBQ shrimp on Saturday and would call him for dinner if that transpired into a definite plan.

I went home and picked up the bottle of Saint Anne Pommeau de Normandy from Normandy and put the PPI Chinese food in the fridge and drove to the Center in Los Lunas for my 3:00 at 2:00.

When I arrived at the Garden Gate Day Spa I gave the bottle of Pommeau to Pierre, who is a massage therapist and sommelier who is from Normandy, because he once mentioned making a special sauce for duck with Pommeau.  He seemed happy and came to talk a bit before my facial treatment.

Rose Marie did my treatment today and the treatment was wonderful.  Not only did it include a complete cleaning and rehydration of my face, but she also rubbed my hands, feet, and back with lotion and defoliate my hands and arms of dead skin with a gritty rubbing agent.  I felt no pain in my feet and my skin on my hands, arms, and back after the treatment. She also removed the dirt logged in the pores on my face, so my face feels really clean also.

After she finished the treatment I rested for a few minutes and then walked to the Bistro, which has a new chef named Keeton.  There was also a new waitress who is more energetic and creative than others I have experienced before.  I did not get her name but she offered me sangria that she had
made and told me her recipe for the red sangria: 1 bottle of sweet red wine, ½ bottle of dry red wine,
½ cup each of pomegranate and apple juice and a must made from blending fresh blueberries and strawberries.  I loved it and drank two glasses.

The chef had made a special Cinco de Mayo menu and when Suzette arrived we ordered it.

Here is a picture of the menu.

The first course served was the brisket gorditas.  I loved the tender stewed brisket and pick de Gallo garnish, but the corn cakes had been over baked until they were dry and hard.  I felt like giving the chef a comal so he could feel the texture of the corn cake as they heated. Otherwise this was my favorite dish because of the wonderful combination of the tender brisket and the saucy slightly picante fresh salsa.

The next course was a lovely salad on fresh torn greens grown in the Center’s on premises garden.  After dinner we toured the garden which is in full bloom.  The greens were garnished with julienned strips of mango, jicama, and red bell pepper dressed with a citrus dressing and a dusting of red chili powder.   This was an especially lovely and delicious dish.

Soon the waitress brought us small bowls of chicken tortilla soup.  The tortillas had been cut into rectangles that resembled croutons and toasted to perfection but the chili in the soup made me choke for the second time today.  Suzette ordered ramekins of sour cream but even after adding sour cream the intensity of the chili’s spiciness was unbearable for me and I noticed the Suzette did not finish her bowl of soup either.  As I told Chef Keeton, “I am a wimp when it comes to chili.  9 out of 10 Los Lunas diners probably enjoy the heat.”

 Next we were served the entrée, a plate with three deep fried homemade flautas made by rolling seasoned stewed meat in a flour tortilla.  There was a beef, a pork, and a chicken flauta, sitting on a platter filled with a puddle of really delicious retried beans and three small ramekins filled with three different sauces, a sweet tamarind sauce, an avocado crema sauce, and a surprisingly mild savory ancho chili sauce.  The meat fillings were all wonderful, stewed in spices and pulled.  I loved this dish also, especially the crisply fried outer edges of the tortilla wrappers.

Suzette had ordered a Dos Equis to drink, so I drank sips of Mexican beer with the entrée and really enjoyed that dining experience.

Finally, after we finished our entrees we were served a small plate with two three inch long churros, deep fried extruded sweetened dough coated with a combination of raw sugar and cinnamon.  A very nice way to finish a traditional Mexican feast.

I took a cherry almond turnover home for breakfast.

Everything considered I loved the Cinco de Mayo dinner.  It was creative, traditional, and completely delicious, except for the two small issues.  I was particularly impressed with the chef’s ability to cook meat in the Mexican style.  When I complimented him on the tenderness of the brisket in the Gordita, he said, “I cooked that for five hours.”  I believe it because that is how long it takes for the onion and spices to yield their individual flavor and integrity and meld into a unified stew.

I have high hopes for the Bistro under the direction of Chef Keeton.

Stay tuned in for further wonderful dining experiences.

By the way, the entire five course menu cost only $15.99.

We went home after our tour of the garden, watched Rachel Maddow and went to bed.

Bon Appetit