POSITIVELY MONDAY

It's the first Monday of Spring - and the beginning of Cincy Restaurant Week! Looking forward to trying out some new places. Happy Monday!

TOP CHEF MASTERS: BY THE NUMBERS

With only 3 weeks - woo-hoo!!! - until TCM returns, something's been driving me CRAZY here in the bowels of the Aubergine TC Crack Monkey Basement: Does the fact that there are 22 contestants (yep, I counted 'em repeatedly on my fingers and toes) signal a change in format for Masters Season 2?

The 1st half of last season consisted of all-or-nothing battles within each group of 4 chefs, with the top toque from each moving on to the 2nd half of the season, and the remaining 3 immediately PYKAG'd at the conclusion of their respective episodes. The talent level was so high I would have loved to see more of the "losers'" food, especially if they had the opportunity to acclimate to the unfamiliarity of the Top Chef kitchen and competition.

But how could 22 contestants be fairly divided into teams of 4? Or even 3? Do those wily Elves have some twists in store for us? Do kitchen accidents befall a couple of contestants (gasp), requiring alternates to be brought in? Does anyone simply volunteer to go home mid-epi? (Methinks this highly unlikely.) Or . . . is TCM2 going back to the model of Top Chef "Classic" (aka "regular Top Chef"), with only 1 chef eliminated each week for the full season?

Dear Readers, if you spy any spoilage on my weighty TCM question, please let me know. Like I said, it's driving me, er, nuts.

Thanks!

The Inquisitive Eggplant

LOUISVILLE ROAD TRIP - Part IV - THE LIMESTONE

I saved our favorite Louisville restaurant experience for last. But darn it, discovered I brought home nothing comparable on the photo front. When we arrived at the Limestone at 10:30 for Sunday brunch, we were practically the only people in the place.

I could have snapped some pics of the colorful aquariums atop the half-wall that wraps around the main dining area.

I could have tried to capture the airiness of the space, or the views of blue sky and woods that sunny morning outside this unlikely deserted suburban strip-mall location.

I could have photographed the lovely spread of salads, the giant shrimp cocktail display, the carving station with a glistening whole beef tenderloin, or the staggering dessert table . . . before the restaurant filled up and I lost my nerve.

Instead, here's what I've got.

The Limestone's brunch is an all-you-can-eat buffet for something like $16.95 or $17.95 (must take better notes in future). So the dishes you're about to see are as we served ourselves, not as the restaurant would plate. 

Cindie and I decided to start with "breakfast" and samples from the hot food station. I chose bacon, cheesy Weisenberger grits, a made-to-order omelet, a bit of house-made barbecue, some roasted potatoes, and warm black beans with cilantro and melted cheese - they looked stunning in their latticework presentation before being devoured by the post-church-going Louisvillian crowd (alas, another missed photo op).

We also tried the Limestone's signature bourbon sour-mash biscuits and (unphotographed) gravy.

For plate #2, we sampled the salads and afore-mentioned shrimp.

They included a creamy potato salad, an Asian-inspired whole-wheat noodle salad with yellow squash, a corn, black bean & chickpea salad, leaf lettuces with mojito vinaigrette (note to self: must try to figure out how to make this at home) and a cucumber-tomato-onion salad that was probably a little too early for the season. 

But the highlight of the cold buffet had to be this house-smoked salmon with scallion cream cheese, diced red onions, and capers.

By plate #3, we were ready to delve into the prime rib with - what else? - more Weisenberger grits. We'd seen the name "Weisenberger" affixed to grits the previous evening at Lilly's too, and Cindie asked one of the cooks about them. Our guess was that they must be made of locally ground corn (which may be the case). The cook she spoke to replied that "Weisenberger" had something to do with being cooked with cheese in a casserole fashion. Whatever the case, they were some darn fine creamy, cheesy grits.

This is Cindie's plate, avec horseradish sauce and sans jus. That's cabbage, with hints of apple, at top right. And Weisenberger grits to the left of the cabbage (in front of barbecue).

As we approached our feast's 2-hour mark, we were finally ready to tackle dessert.

(Clockwise from top) Bread pudding made with Limestone's house-made sour-mash bread; cheesecake square (I drizzled raspberry sauce over mine, although it might have been intended for the angel food cake also on offer); mini chocolate lava cake drizzled with bourbon ganache; and tiny blackberry muffin.

Even if I didn't take the best photos, or the best notes, we thoroughly loved this brunch. A steal for the plenitude and the price, it gave us a sense of what Limestone's food is all about and convinced us to put it at the top of our list for a (much pricier) dinner on our next visit . . .when I promise to bring back better photos and have at least inched up on being a better blogger.

POSITIVELY MONDAY

If this first Monday of Daylight Savings Time is kicking you in the rear (it always does that to me), I say kick right back. In fact, do the can-can. Happy Monday!

Dim Sum Sunday: KIDS' CHOICE

"OK, kids. Shamu over at The Karmic Kitchen says that for this week's Dim Sum Sunday, you get to choose what we cook."

I.E.:  "So what'll it be? How about stuffed peppers . . .

" . . .  with farro, bismati rice, kalamata olives, and sundried tomatoes?"



#1: "Ewwww!"
#2: "Yick!"
#3 (rolls eyes): "You're weird."


I.E.: "Then how about a nice salad . . .

". . . with some Maytag blue cheese . . .

" . . . and pickled carrots?"

 #1: "Ewwww!"
#2: "Yick!"
#3 (rolls eyes): "You're weird."

I.E.: "Well, we could bake . . .

"How about some kale and carrot muffins?"

#1: "Ewwww!"
#2: "Yick!"
#3 (rolls eyes): "You're weird."

I.E.: "Now, kids, remember you're in The Eggplant Kitchen. We like to try new things around here.  I have an idea. What about hot dogs . . .

" . . .with fig mustard?
"And corn on the cob . . .

" . . . with shallot-rosemary-blood orange composed butter?"

#1: "Ewwww!"
#2: "Yick!"
#3 (rolls eyes): "You're weird."

I.E.: "I've got it. Let's make pizzas, and everyone can top them with whatever they like."

#1: "I want sausage on mine."

#2: "I want mushrooms on mine."

#3: "You're weird, #2. I just want cheese on mine."

I.E.: "And I want pears and Brie on mine, just the way Aunt Della used to make it."

In unison: "You're weird."

I.E.: "Well, I'm going to write down the recipe anyway, just in case anyone else wants to try it."

Della's Brie and Pear Pizzas

Cut prepared or purchased pizza dough into 2 1/4" rounds and place on pizza stone or lightly oiled baking sheet.

Combine in food processor: 1 tablespoon each of cilantro, basil, cream, water, and oil. Salt to taste.

Spread half the mixture over the rounds. Cover with thin slices of pear, then top with sliced Brie and remainder of mixture. Bake 15 minutes at 375 or until done.

I.E.: "Okay, kids, let's get 'em into the oven."

 I.E.: "Great job, kids! Yours look tasty!"

I.E.: "And I'm happy with the way mine turned out too."

I.E.: "So what's for dessert? I know - we could make banana splits. . .

" . . .  with Madisano's French vanilla gelato. And I'll show you how to make an easy chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top."

#3 (rolls eyes): "There she goes again."

I.E.: "But we'd better go ahead and get our DSS post up. So for now, let's wish everyone a happy Dim Sum Sunday."

I.E. and the egg-lets (in unison): "Happy Dim Sum Sunday!"

For more DSS fun - and fabulous photos - head on over to The Karmic Kitchen.

FRIDAY FISH FINDS: SMOKED SALMON BRATS

I find it hard to resist foods I've never imagined before. So when I happened onto smoked salmon bratwurst recently, I had to buy one.

But once I got it home, what on earth was I going to do with it? Should I brown it and braise in beer with caramelized onions as I would a traditional brat or cheddarwurst? Or go with a more lox-inspired preparation? What kind of side to round out my meal? And where to settle on the bun vs. no-bun question?

A tempting hunk of baguette suggested it could make a fine bun. But I really wanted to taste this unique sausage, so opted to forgo the bread.

Condiments are de rigueur in my kitchen, so I put together a little lox-meets-dog sauce of horseradish with chives and capers. With a hefty pinch of salt to bring out their flavors so much better than when they were simply lying here in the sour cream.

As a simple and french-fry-esque side for my dog, I went for roasted potatoes, with some leftover yellow squash and a stray piece of zucchini while I was at it, cutting my veg into three-sided pieces. Keeping them uniform in size and shape (no rectangles here) simplifies how many times to turn them in the oven.

My one issue with roasting - and I tell myself this EVERY time - is that I have to get over fear of high heat. My comfort zone is at about 425 F., but real roasting works best at 450 or, gasp, 500 degrees. Yes, you've got to watch what you're roasting - even better, let the smell dictate when you need to check and turn. Still, as many times as I've roasted vegetables, I don't know what my deal is - do I think my oven is going to blow up if I set it to 500?

What you're looking for with potatoes is a bit of puffy, browned exterior. Ideally, a little caramelized crunch on the outside, with the inside of the potato cooked through.

As for the brat, the kind folks at the fish market (Lobsta Bakes of Maine) confirmed that this sausage is already fully cooked. Although many customers like to grill these babies, given the winter weather, they suggested simply sauteeing in butter.

When mine was warmed through, I couldn't resist slicing it for a closer look.

The result: a delicious and unique dinner. Happy Friday!

STILL GNAWIN' ON THE LEFTOVERS

Flinstonian lamb shank from Lilly's - sadly, after all the fried leeks were gone.