I
went to Landry’s for the first time today.
I ordered Oysters Rockefeller and found the oysters to be very fresh and
baked beautifully with minced fried bacon but the dish was diminished by the use of a heavy cream sauce
in the spinach topping that obscured the flavors of the spinach and the
oyster. The dish definitely did not taste
like the Oysters Rockefellers my mother made when I was little.
When I went home, I checked my mother’s cookbook Party
Planning Menu Cookbook for her recipe.
Her recipe uses sour cream instead of a cream sauce, so I offer her
recipe as a better choice.
Mark
and Suzette Dawson organized a group: Suzette and me, Cynthia and Ricardo and Mike to
meet their new friend, Susan, from Denver for dinner at Cosmo. Suzette googled Cosmo and told me it was in
the old Martini Grille location at 4200 Central. J.B. was kind enough to do a half sit so we could
end meditation at 7:30. I arrived at the restaurant at approximately the same
time as the others and before even Mike. I did not know that Albuquerque has a
real tapa restaurant.
When
I looked at the menu it looked like a tapa restaurant in Spain with three kinds
of ham including Iberico. I sat between
Cynthia and Mark and across from Ricardo so I could discuss and taste the food and
beverages. Ricardo told me that the
bartenders at Cosmo came in second in the last Hard Rock Hotel mixology
competition. Who knew? Ricardo ordered an interesting drink; a St.
Germain Cocktail made with Elderberry
liquor and sparkling wine, garnished with apple slices. Cynthia ordered a martini. I tasted Ricardo’s drink and loved it. It was light and fruity and refreshing.
Mark
and I perused the wine list and I looked at the daily wine board and we finally
decided that the Campo Viejo Reserva was the best choice at $27.00, so we
ordered two bottles of it. Cynthia said the cheese platter looked good and I wanted to try the Iberico ham so
we ordered one Spanish Cheese Platter ($11.00) and one Spanish Charcuterie Platter
($18.00). The Cheese Platter included slices
of Mahon de Menorca (cow) Idiazabal (sheep) Drunken
goat (goat) Iberico de solera (cow, goat, sheep) valdeon azul (cow) and the
Spanish Charcuterie platter contained:
Spicy chorizo,
iberico cabecero, serrano ham, lomo embuchado, olives, pickled onions, &
baguette.
When we were in Spain two years ago we ate lots of Serrano ham but no
Iberico ham. The product available in the
U.S. is a little different than in Spain where slices are taken off a whole leg
of pork. In the U.S. the favored product
appears to be the top tenderloin (cabecero) with its richly marbled texture. What makes Iberico ham different is it is a
unique species of pig and it is usually fed on herbs and acorns in the wild
until it is slaughtered so its meat has a rich herbaceous flavor.
Ricardo asked, "What is Lomo Embuchado?", so here is a description
Lomo Embuchado Dry Cured Pork Loin
Among Spain's most treasured cured meats, Lomo Embuchado is carefully dried for 2 months, seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic and spices. Lomo embuchado is simply a whole pork loin, solid meat with no fillers. Because of this, many prefer lomo to chorizo or salchichón sausages.Each thinly cut slice has a light marbling of fat which adds significantly to the texture of the meat. The lomo is sometimes smoked with charcoal and wood and slow cured in natural drying houses. There are three types of lomo - from normal 'serrano' pork, from Ibérico, or "pata-negra" pork, or finally from Ibérico pork from free range, acorn fed pigs, also known as "bellota". from www.lomoembuchado.com
Gourmet Food World describes their Iberico cabecero as follows:
About Cured Acorn Fed Iberico Pork Top Loin (Cabecero Iberico de Bellota)
Delicious, intense flavor, brought by a curing of over three months and premium cuts of pork from purebred Iberico pigs. Made using only the leanest and most select cuts of pork, Dehesa dry-cures these Iberico pork loins with garlic, salt and paprika, adhering to a tradition that brings out the full flavor of the famed Iberico meat. Dehesa Cordobesa uses only Iberico breed, without mixing it with any other type, and the pigs happily graze away in 40,000 hectares of sweet Holm Oak tree forests in Cordoba, Spain. Rich in protein and healthy fats, Lomo Iberico is a spectacular treat. Slice thinly and enjoy with rustic bread, in sandwiches, and just by itself.
I loved the platters and could have ended my meal at that point
but everyone was ordering tapas to eat for dinner, so I was no exception. I ordered grilled Morcillo (Blood Sausage)
served on a slice of potato and Suzette and I both ordered white anchovies Boquerones Bruschetta | $6
Spanish marinated white anchovies. We
both must have been responding to our memories of buying fresh anchovy filets at the fish market in San Sebastian
and frying them in Spanish olive oil. What
we missed was that the menu was offering marinated white anchovies. The same anchovies, but pickled. So we were disappointed when they came on a
piece of bread on a swizzle of mayonnaise garnished with a slice of onion, a few capers and minced red
pepper. I would have loved this cold tapa
in the summer but it was 40˚
outside and we wanted a hot sautéed fresh anchovy.
On the other hand, the morcilla was fabulous. Slices of great tasting
grilled sausage. Cosmo serves two
different types of morcilla, one onion stuffed and the other rice stuffed. I ordered the onion stuffed on the
recommendation of our waiter. I tasted
Ricardo’s scallops ($20.00 for four); they were good with an pleasant absence
of flavor, probably because they are fresh and sautéed in Spanish olive oil. I also tasted Mark’s Asparagus Con Carne | $9 Fresh
asparagus wrapped with marinated steak, grilled & finished with balsamic
reduction. I found
his meat a little tough, but liked the fresh grilled asparagus (Cynthia really
liked this dish). Suzette Dawson ordered the grilled lamb chops that looked terrific and Susan ordered the artichokes which were served in a very pleasing presentation garnished with a ball of goat cheese and orange zest.
I ordered a third bottle of Campo Viejo to finish off dinner. With all the food and wine and drinks the
bill was $35.00 each without the tip.
I cannot wait for summer to come so we can return to Cosmo for a pitcher
of St. Germain cocktails with seafood tapas followed by cheese and charcuterie
with red wine. A lot cheaper than a trip
to Spain and just as much fun; foodwise.
On balance my day of food was a plus. I was unimpressed with Landry’s Oysters Rockefellers, but reminded of my Mother's wonderful Oysters Rockefellers and loved dinner at Cosmo Tapa Restaurant enjoying the comradery of friends around a table of good food.
Bon Appétit
No comments:
Post a Comment