Good Restaurant Food Weekend – Hurray!

by Michelle Dudash, Chef and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

August 22, 2011 • 1 comment

It’s mind-boggling how quickly life can change from day-to-day. One day I’m escorted to a fabulous dinner in a sleek black SUV conversing with intelligent adults, and two days later I find myself tripping over Hot Wheels and scraping chocolate chips off my Pima cotton bed linens. Sans husband.

Scarlet stayed home from preschool today with a virus, ironically picked up from an outbreak at school. But it wasn’t the baby-wants-to-sleep-all-day virus. It’s the keep-your-baby-at-home-only-because-she’s-contagious virus. Absolute mayhem. While I wouldn’t trade being a mom for the world – there’s nothing like it when your child isn’t acting like a caveman – you can assume I won’t quit my day job anytime soon.

Friday night we welcomed our tradition of take-out sushi at home. I ate half an order of edamame, two avocado eggroll halves, yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno and ponzu, and a couple of slices of salmon and tuna sashimi. A glass of Sauvignon Blanc reigns as my drink of choice with sushi.

I felt like a nap was in order after my Saturday morning segment on 3TV. Afterwards I revived an “oldie but goodie” afternoon refresher of Izze sparkling juice mixed with plain iced tea. Steve and I shared the bottles.

My friend redeemed a discounted car service offer that was about to expire, so we happily accompanied them on a trek to Scottsdale for dinner. We chose Citizen Public House because of rave media reviews.

Our bartender highly recommended the sangria, layering it with pomegranate syrup, fresh juices, fresh fruit schnapps, brandy, and red wine. It tasted dangerously good.

I could tell the chef really liked bacon since it showed up on every section of the menu. I munched a handful of the ‘Tender Belly’ Bacon Fat Heirloom Popcorn.

This may very well be the best salad that ever graced my palate. Smoked Scottish salmon, Israeli couscous, arugula, pepitas, corn, dried currants, tomatoes, and buttermilk dressing was tossed tableside by our server. It was the perfect marriage of flavors and textures and Steve and I devoured every morsel.

I almost always order pork belly anytime I’m confident the chef won’t screw it up. I’m very glad I followed the advice of fellow Dame and food writer friend Gwen Ashley Walters to try the pork belly pastrami with rye spaetzel and Brussels sprout slaw. Steve split this with me, too.For my main course I ordered the pan-seared scallops, served with bacon, roasted corn grits, snow pea greens (amazing), and Red Rock cola gastrique. While the dish was very good, my full belly forced me to put the fork down when I hit the two-thirds mark. I needed to save a little room for a cinnamon sugar cream cheese donut hole dipped in caramel.

After dinner we headed to The Mint, a swanky ultra lounge just minutes away. I passed on champagne service in the ladies room, a first for me.

Relaxing, productive, delicious weekends like this get me through crazy, non-stop weekdays like today.

What is it about your play days that get you through the week?

Estimated Calories: Friday (490 dinner), Saturday (65 Izze sparkling juice/plain iced tea, 1257 dinner)

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