Dinner with Rona + request



M

Melba'S Jammin

Guest
Rona Yuthasastrakosol and her mom are in town on business. We hooked up for dinner last night at the
Mediterranean Cruise Café in nearby Eagan. The company was, as always, wonderful! Rona is about the
most cheerful person I've ever met and there's nothing phony about it (or her). She brought me sweet
treats from Canada. Yeay! Clodhoppers!

In thinking about it, the meal was mediocre -- the appetizer plate had Hummos and eggplant dips,
Falafil, fried vegetables, Tabouli. Pureed eggplant with Tahini Sauce, garlic and parsley. Most of
it was pretty tasteless -- Rona's mom and I agreed that there were no special flavors jumping out at
us. The flat bread accompanying the plate was hot -- steamed perhaps. The hummus was very creamy and
had a note of peanut butter in the flavor. We didn't ask if it contained peanut butter. Here's their
website: <http://www.medcruisecafe.com/>

I had shish kabob -- but it wasn't served on a skewer. :-( And the lamb was overcooked.

The best part of the meal was a garlic dip. Out of this world! The consistency was almost like
whipped butter. We inquired about ingredients and the waiter said it was garlic and lemon juice
only. Hard to believe. He called it "tomeh" or something similar. We think it maybe is a Palestinian
thing but aren't sure. Anyone here ever hear of it or have any particulars on how to make it? It had
a stronger lemon flavor than garlic -- until I got home. :)

The evening ended at 10:30 and I came home. Woke up this morning to about 7 inches of snow on the
driveway. I've just posted a couple pictures on my webpage.

Garlic dip, anyone?
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 2-19-04 -- Dufus picture posted!
 
Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> deliciously posted in
news:[email protected]:

>
> The evening ended at 10:30 and I came home. Woke up this morning to about 7 inches of snow on the
> driveway. I've just posted a couple pictures on my webpage.
>
> Garlic dip, anyone?

Sounds like you had a great time in spite of the ordinary food. Except the garlic dip. Was the
garlic roasted or maybe sauteed in some type of fat? The way you described it sounded almost like
whipped cream cheese.

It was 60 here today. I am dying to get out in the yard but I'm not allowed to do any of it yet. The
area where the tree was taken down is a mess and I've got stuff sprouting up all over the place. I
need a yard boy this year. Someone that knows a weed from a legitimate plant. The SO sure as hell
can't do it. If my lawn and gardens have to suffer yet another year of neglect I'm going to turn
into an evil, nasty *****.

Michael <- watching the cilantro and oregano sprout up

--
Deathbed statement...

"Codeine . . . bourbon." ~~Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d. December 12, 1968
 
In article <[email protected]>, Dog3
<dognospam@adjfkdla;not> wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> deliciously
> posted in news:barbschaller-
> [email protected]:
>
> >
> > The evening ended at 10:30 and I came home. Woke up this
> > morning to about 7 inches of snow on the driveway. I've
> > just posted a couple pictures on my webpage.
> >
> > Garlic dip, anyone?
>
> Sounds like you had a great time in spite of the ordinary
> food. Except the garlic dip. Was the garlic roasted or
> maybe sauteed in some type of fat?

I don't think so. Waiter said it was not cooked. And it was
pure white.

> The way you described it sounded almost like whipped
> cream cheese.

That, too. Lord, it was good! My nail tech says they sell it
at the Renaissance Festival in August; she'll get some for
me. I'm just curious about how it's made.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 3-5-04.
Rec.food.cooking's Preserved Fruit Administrator (I've got
the button to prove it!) "Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
 
On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 09:43:50 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
<[email protected]> wrote:

>The best part of the meal was a garlic dip. Out of this
>world! The consistency was almost like whipped butter. We
>inquired about ingredients and the waiter said it was
>garlic and lemon juice only. Hard to believe. He called it
>"tomeh" or something similar. We think it maybe is a
>Palestinian thing but aren't sure. Anyone here ever hear of
>it or have any particulars on how to make it? It had a
>stronger lemon flavor than garlic -- until I got home. :)

Might it have had pureed (boiled) potatoes in it?
There's a Greek
dip/spread (Skordalia) that has garlic, lemon juice, and
potatoes (some versions also have bread, parsley,
nuts, etc).

Call the restaurant and ask, if not for the recipe, at least
for the proper name (spelled out!).
 
"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Rona Yuthasastrakosol and her mom are in town on business.
> We hooked up for dinner last night at the Mediterranean
> Cruise Café in nearby Eagan. The company was, as always,
> wonderful! Rona is about the most cheerful person I've
> ever met and there's nothing phony about it (or her).

(laugh) Are you sure you were having dinner with me and not
some imposter? I'm not going to tell my mother what you said
or she'll write you with the truth :).

>She brought me sweet treats from Canada. Yeay! Clodhoppers!

I have a recipe for them if you want it! I've been told
they're pretty easy to make (though I've not yet tried).

> In thinking about it, the meal was mediocre -- the
> appetizer plate had Hummos and eggplant dips, Falafil,
> fried vegetables, Tabouli. Pureed eggplant with Tahini
> Sauce, garlic and parsley. Most of it was pretty tasteless
> -- Rona's mom and I agreed that there were no special
> flavors jumping out at us. The flat bread accompanying the
> plate was hot -- steamed perhaps. The hummus was very
> creamy and had a note of peanut butter in the flavor. We
> didn't ask if it contained peanut butter. Here's their
> website: <http://www.medcruisecafe.com/>
>

I agree. While not bad, the food was not outstanding. Da
Afghan was much better. I did like the nuttiness of the
hummus, though. It was far better than any of the hummus
I've had in Winnipeg!

> I had shish kabob -- but it wasn't served on a skewer. :-(
> And the lamb was overcooked.
>

My chicken was overcooked, too! Quite dry, it was, but at
least I got a skewer.

> The best part of the meal was a garlic dip. Out of this
> world! The consistency was almost like whipped butter. We
> inquired about ingredients and the waiter said it was
> garlic and lemon juice only. Hard to believe. He called it
> "tomeh" or something similar. We think it maybe is a
> Palestinian thing but aren't sure. Anyone here ever hear
> of it or have any particulars on how to make it? It had a
> stronger lemon flavor than garlic -- until I got home. :)
>

Near the end of the meal I could taste the garlic a little
but during the drive to the hotel, I could really taste it!
I'm sure our hotel room reeked of garlic the next morning.
That's why we left housekeeping a big tip :).

> The evening ended at 10:30 and I came home. Woke up this
> morning to about 7 inches of snow on the driveway. I've
> just posted a couple pictures on my webpage.
>

We gave up on Al's Friday morning because of the snow. I'm
not a bad snow driver, but I don't know how good I would
have been on those fast roads of yours. And boy, those MSP
drivers are not very courteous!

> Garlic dip, anyone?

We bought two containers of garlip dip from Holy Land. The
ingredients are garlic, olive oil, and lemon (in that
order). I haven't tried it but will let you know if it's the
same. I haven't been able to find any recipes on the Internet--
most call for much too little garlic and too much olive oil.
Once I get settled in Japan, I hope to do some
experimenting!

We made the trip back in a record (for me) 6.75 hours! Just
before we got to Moorehead we started to see more snow and
ice on the roads. My car almost slid off the road but I
managed to maintain control. Just after that I watched in my
rearview mirror as a car, not 50 metres behind me. slid and
ended up in the ditch facing the opposite direction. I think
s/he must have stepped on the brakes! Then we saw several
more cars in ditches, including one that had landed on its
roof! It was not a good driving day for them but luckily,
the icy roads only lasted a mile or two.

Thanks for all the treats! The front desk lady laughed at my
expression as she lifted a big heavy bag in front of me (I
had thought the package was going to be something from the
school). As I opened the bag, I laughed too! Some of the
jams are coming with me to Japan if I can get my mother to
give them up! And the book will accompany me on the plane!

And where are the newest pictures of Sam?

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the
inconvenience!***
 
"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I agree. While not bad, the food was not outstanding. Da
> Afghan was much better. I did like the nuttiness of the
> hummus, though. It was far better than any of the hummus
> I've had in Winnipeg!
>
>

The hummus at the greek market is fairly good.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on
nothing but food and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.
 
"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> And where are the newest pictures of Sam?
>

You want a pic of my granddaughter ? E-mail me if you do...

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on
nothing but food and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.
 
In article <[email protected]>, Frogleg
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 09:43:50 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> >The best part of the meal was a garlic dip. Out of this
> >world! The consistency was almost like whipped butter.
> >We inquired about ingredients and the waiter said it
> >was garlic and lemon juice only. Hard to believe. He
> >called it "tomeh" or something similar. We think it
> >maybe is a Palestinian thing but aren't sure. Anyone
> >here ever hear of it or have any particulars on how to
> >make it? It had a stronger lemon flavor than garlic --
> >until I got home. :)
>
> Might it have had pureed (boiled) potatoes in it?
> There's a Greek
> dip/spread (Skordalia) that has garlic, lemon juice, and
> potatoes (some versions also have bread, parsley,
> nuts, etc).

Waiter swore it was garlic and lemon only. We asked about
Skordalia. Not.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 3-8-04.
Rec.food.cooking's Preserved Fruit Administrator (I've got
the button to prove it!) "Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
 
In article <[email protected]>, "Rona Yuthasastrakosol"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Thanks for all the treats! The front desk lady laughed at
> my expression as she lifted a big heavy bag in front of me
> (I had thought the package was going to be something from
> the school). As I opened the bag, I laughed too! Some of
> the jams are coming with me to Japan if I can get my
> mother to give them up! And the book will accompany me on
> the plane!
>
> And where are the newest pictures of Sam?
>
> rona

Ahem. I don't want to break your heart, Sweetie, but the
jams in the box were, um, for your mom---she'd mentioned
wishing she had some for gifts, remember? But, hey, I'm not
there and you are. :) I had a nice chat with your mom about
all the treasures I presented -- when I dropped it off, I
had quite a chat with the hotel staff (isn't THAT a
surprise?) and said they could dig through it, but they'd
better leave at least half for your mom. :)

Sam pix? They're up. :) "Grrr! Come p'ay 'egos me!"
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 3-8-04.
Rec.food.cooking's Preserved Fruit Administrator (I've got
the button to prove it!) "Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
 
"hahabogus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> The hummus at the greek market is fairly good.
>

It's too thick, imo. I haven't had it recently, though, so
maybe I'd like it more now.

And I'd love to see pictures of your granddaughter! You can
use any one of my addresses except the mts.net one (I never,
ever check it).

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the
inconvenience!***
 
"hahabogus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> The hummus at the greek market is fairly good.
>

It's too thick, imo. I haven't had it recently, though, so
maybe I'd like it more now.

And I'd love to see pictures of your granddaughter! You can
use any one of my addresses except the mts.net one (I never,
ever check it).

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the
inconvenience!***
 
"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Ahem. I don't want to break your heart, Sweetie, but the
> jams in the box were, um, for your mom---she'd mentioned
> wishing she had some for gifts, remember? But, hey, I'm
> not there and you are. :) I had a nice chat with your mom
> about all the treasures I presented -- when I dropped it
> off, I had quite a chat with the hotel staff (isn't THAT a
> surprise?) and said they could dig through it, but they'd
> better leave at least half for your mom. :)
>
> Sam pix? They're up. :) "Grrr! Come p'ay 'egos me!"

I know...but did you really think she'd give them away :)?
As soon as she saw them she said, "Oh good, now I have more
jam to eat" or something like that. The thought of giving
them as gifts never even crossed her mind! She said I could
have one of the extra strawberry jams and she might even
give me more than one. I'll ask her for it just before I leave--
she won't be able to refuse me then!

Sam is still as cute as ever!

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the
inconvenience!***
 
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