Lately, I’ve been trying to act like the grad student that I am and respect the fact that I should be living and eating on a budget. This means more cooking at home…for now anyway. In addition to being a budget-friendly meal, this is also my “meatless” Lent post for the week. These shrimp tacos were very quick and easy to put together and also crazy good:

Shrimp Tacos

I was purposely looking for a taco recipe with a mango accoutrement after my successful foray into avocado salsa, and these did not disappoint.
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This week’s Lenten fish dish is a flavor-boosted version of one of my least favorite fish. I’ve always found tilapia bland and sometimes dry, but I guess that was the fault of the cooking method and not necessarily the fish itself. This baked tilapia has a yummy Parmesan topping which keeps the fish moist and flaky. I baked some frozen mixed veggies in a foil packet along with the fish to round out the meal:

Baked Tilapia + Veggies

It’s Lenten season, and I told myself I would try to do a fish series for any readers looking for ways to spice up their meatless existence. Plus, I need to eat more fish myself. It’s brain food after all! So, I’m going to try to have a new fish recipe up every week. First up, Honey-Balsamic Glazed Salmon:

Honey-Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Typically, I like my salmon pretty naked: simply seasoned and pan-seared in olive oil. But for something to spice up its rotation during the next 40 39 days, this glaze offers a nice change of pace.
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This is a long overdue post on an amazing dinner and wine tasting hosted by Mark Beringer of Artesa Vineyards and Winery at Bone’s Steakhouse. Mr. Beringer is the new VP of Production and Winemaking at Artesa and has been touring the country showing off some of the Spanish-owned company’s products. Bone’s is arguably the best steakhouse in Atlanta, so I was very excited to be treated to a meal there complete with wine pairings: an area I know little about but am interested in learning. I also had the opportunity to meet the ATL bloggers behind Atlanta Restaurant Blog, Amy on Food, and Atlanta Foodies, so you can check out their reviews of the event as well!

Our first course was Bone’s chilled seafood platter, which contained a number of beautifully presented crustaceans:

Chilled Seafood Platter

Artesa Chardonnays

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Before I get started, I must disclose that this meal was comped. Apparently the FTC can now fine me thousands of dollars for not letting my readership know about freebies. Mario and I were invited to Piedmont park-side restaurant The Nook by one of the owners, Adam, to check out new executive chef Michael Gogolin. Gogolin is former Chef de Cuisine at the Marlow’s Tavern franchise (which I hear good things about) and was head chef at the Vinings location. I hear The Nook has not gotten good reviews on its food in the past, but when Mario and I stopped in one drizzly evening, we were not disappointed.

The place was not especially busy when we came in, so we got a good look at the space, which we both liked. The bar area is the room’s focal point, with booths lining the walls for those who want a more “nook”-like experience. The main attraction is likely the large patio, which was available (though enclosed and equipped with heaters) that night, but we only saw one small group braving the cold outside. We decided to start with an app of “Ooh Ooh Bread” (topped with creamy Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic and mayo that is lightly toasted and served with homemade marinara sauce), which I think we chose based on the name alone:

Ooh Ooh Bread

I’m ashamed to admit that I have spent almost zero time in the Inman Park area since I’ve been in Atlanta. Equally as surprising is that before last week, I had never visited Parish Foods & Goods, a New South eatery with a New Orleans flair (hence “Parish”…we don’t do counties in Louisiana). I stopped by the market side for lunch (Parish consists of the restaurant upstairs and the market downstairs) and was looking forward to trying a po’boy. They offer shrimp, oyster, and for those of us who can’t make up their minds, combo po’boys. I went for the combo:

Shrimp & Oyster Po'boy

On my drive back to Atlanta, I made a pit stop at a little place in Mobile, AL I’ve been meaning to try out since I started making drives to and from Atlanta (~5 years). Wintzell’s Oyster House is apparently a Mobile tradition famous for its “fried, stewed, or nude” oysters. I didn’t visit the original location in “Historic Mobile”, but the Saraland location right off I-65 didn’t disappoint.

Wintzell's Oyster House

The interior walls of the restaurant are covered in corny one-liners–like, “What’s the most arrogant insect? A cocky roach!”–which kept me occupied during my quick stop. I ordered one of Wintzell’s lunch specials: a half dozen oysters on the half shell with fried crab claws and fries. The oysters are served “any way you want ‘em”, and Wintzell’s offers raw, grilled, Rockefeller, Monterey, and Bienville. I asked the waitress whether I could mix and match my cooking styles, and after a quick check with the kitchen I decided on half grilled, half Bienville (covered with shrimp, crabmeat, and parmesean sauce):
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I made this salad a few weeks ago when I was on my oyster craving kick and am just posting it because I wasn’t totally in love with it. But, cooking comes with successes and failures, so I’m putting it up after all.

Fried Oyster Salad

The salad overall was ok, my issue was with my Gorgonzola vinaigrette–in hindsight, I think a creamy dressing would have paired better with this salad than a vinaigrette. However, I had to make do with what was in my pantry at the time.

I’m currently experimenting with frying batters on different items, and for these oysters I chose a seasoned mix of cornmeal and flour (probably about 50/50). I really liked the texture, flavor, and crunch.
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The chilly weather last week had me craving a hearty soup, and even though it has warmed up a little, I decided to go ahead with my soup-making plans anyway. Buut, maybe I should have waited after all. My wild mushroom and oyster stew obviously requires oysters, and I could swear the entire city of Atlanta was out of my favorite mollusk last night. I like to buy pre-shucked oysters for this to save time and my fingers, and I spent 2 hours calling and visiting close to 10 grocery stores around Midtown/Downtown before I was finally charged an arm and a leg for the last container at Whole Foods. If only I lived closer to the Dekalb Farmers’ Market… Anyway. Once you actually have all the ingredients, the soup comes together pretty quickly. I made a few additions to the recipe, which I will discuss after the jump:

Wild Mushroom & Oyster Stew

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Though we Louisianians eat a LOT of seafood and in fairly wide variety, scallops are not something I think any of us have a lot of experience with. So just as with my souffles and duck, I thought it was strange when I felt a strong urge to cook some last week. When I couldn’t decide on a recipe (simple, or +bacon?), I just decided to go the Top Chef contestant route and make “scallops two ways”; pan-seared and balsamic soaked bacon wrapped.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (front) and Pan-Seared Scallops

Both recipes were fast, easy, and delicious! I promise that bacon is well cooked, though it doesn’t look like it in the photo. It probably would have been even better had I brown sugared it first. Mmm.
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