Eats Week treat: Mid-week Mint!

I had SUCH a great dinner birthday at Mint Bistro in Manchester; I'll have to let you all know about it sometime. This week is Eats Week in Manchester, though you would NEVER know it. There has been no press, I have no idea who organizes it, I even did a Google search and found something from 2008. It's too bad because I have really found a lot of great food here and new, cute, and delicious places seem to be opening all the time. I did see something either on Facebook or Twitter from Mint Bistro about their Eats Week special: 3 courses for $30. Now, I know, that is not a cheap meal and I have no right to take myself out to an expensive dinner mid-week...but really, half price for food at Mint? How can I not go?  I went early hoping to get a table and sure enough it was quiet when I got there but filling up quickly when I left. Just like last time, the service was friendly and not snobby, the wait staff was knowledgeable, I just can't say enough good things about it. Tonight's dinner was among the top 10 restaurant experiences of all time for me.

I started with a Caipirinha (thanks Mila for introducing me to this) to celebrate the warm, sunny evening.

It was refreshing but not quiet sweet enough for me. They also brought me some bread with some olive hummus, oil and balsamic, and olive tapenade spreads. Sorry, I didn't like any of these things...I don't like olives or balsamic on their own, so I don't blame the restaurant and I am aware that most people love these things. I started my meal with an arugula and beet salad.

This was so yummy. The mustard dressing was not too sweet, had lots of nice texture-adding coarse mustard. The nuts were barely candied, the arugula was very very fresh. I ALMOST asked for fresh pepper and the waiter suddenly appeared to offer me some. Hooray! I love pepper on veggies.

Then, the main attraction: apple braised pork shank with buttermilk mashed potatoes, golden leek puree, buttered peas, cranberry jam, and apple cider gastrique.

Yes, this dinner (minus the peas) is probably more fall than spring but that didn't stop me. This was so moist and delicious. The pork practically jumped off the bone it was so tender. The peas had that fresh-pea toothy texture. And the best part, the absolute BEST part was that nothing was too salty. Everything tasted like the food itself, which is the sure sign that it was perfectly seasoned. Hearty, satisfying yummyness is right there in that picture, folks. I ate half and brought half home so I could enjoy my three (yes 3--I didn't plan it) desserts.

There was a little biscotti that came with my coffee.

I had two choices for dessert; a bittersweet chocolate cake or a caramel vanilla flan with rhubarb sauce. I simply cannot choose between chocolate or rhubarb so I let the waiter choose.

He said the chocolate cake was tiny and that is why he picked this (he could tell a tiny dessert would be no good for me). The little pistachio shortbread cookies were light and not too buttery...the flan had a visible crust of vanilla bean flecks over the top. To me this dish was a perfect balance of flavors and textures without being too sweet.

And, with the check, a half-bite of mint chocolate brownie.

This was the cutest little end to such a great meal. Because I was there when the restaurant was pretty empty, I got a good chance to chat with the house manager (who came over to ask why I was taking pictures in a nice, not accusatory, way). 

This was definitely the best meal I've ever had out alone. I can't wait until I can justify the expense of going back!

Chocolate pumpkin cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting

Recently I have been reminded that I love to bake. There is something very very satisfying about throwing things in a bowl, mixing them all just right, throwing them in the oven, and having something delicious pop out. 


A coworker was having a birthday so it was the perfect opportunity to try this recipe for cupcakes. Now, for those of you who are turned off by things pumpkin-pie-ish, let me put your mind at ease. Especially at room temperature, these cupcakes do not have even the slightest hint of pumpkin flavor (until someone tells you there is pumpkin in them, then your taste buds trick you). They are just incredibly moist. They weren't my favorite chocolate cake I've ever had (that is Wegman's best chocolate cake) but they are yummy. I did not make the frosting from this web site, I used this recipe instead. This Simply Recipe is my go-to for frosting now. I'm happy never using another recipe again. I think they came out great.

Here are some tricks/tips I think helped:


Use real vanilla, preferably with visible flecks of vanilla bean in it. It's $20 a bottle, yes, but worth it for the flavor.


When you mix the wet ingredients for the cake, mix the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes. I do this in my Kitchenaid on med/high speed. Mix the batter for at least 45 seconds-1 minute after each egg addition.


You can use regular milk if you don't have buttermilk, but it's worth it to use buttermilk. It adds just a tiny depth to anything baked. I keep this in my refrigerator. If you don't, you can add 1.5 tbsp of vinegar to a cup of milk to make "sour milk," which achieves the same result (or close enough). 


Let me know what your favorite chocolate cake recipe is, I'm sure to be trying another soon.

Asian food next to the Turnpike....in Westbrook....

You wouldn't expect these things to add up to a good meal but surprisingly, it did! Kon Asian Bistro (don't let the link fool you, it's not "club"y at all) is actually a good place to have dinner, and, if it's your thing, go to hibachi. The first time I went here was in November, when I walked out SOAKED in saki (the hibachi cooks shoot it into your mouth via a squirt bottle...it's tough to get them not to do it, or to stop once they start). Friday night, however, I ate in the dining room and would like to focus on that since all hibachis are virtually the same. 


We started our dinner with three great appetizers. I had the least exotic, Philadelphia roll.

This was pretty but not as flavorful as it could have been. Less cream cheese would have been nice, with more salmon. One of my dinner companions had delicious beef medallions with scallion in the middle.

I'm not sure what the sauce was but it was slightly sweet, brought out the savory meat flavor and the scallions were a fresh surprise in the middle. Very yummy. My other friend had a duck dumpling appetizer:

I love make-your-own food. Nothing on this plate tasted especially special in my opinion, but it was fun to build and eat. The cucumber/scallions were fresh and crunchy, as they should be. 


For dinner itself, I had pad thai, which I thought was pretty good. Pretty good is a compliment I rarely bestow on pad thai, as I find it is a delicate balance between tasting too fishy, too dry, or, and I really cannot think of another way to word this, too vomitous. Seriously, has anyone else noticed that pad thai can taste like vomit?

Overall, this restaurant is completely in place with Westbrook in regards to the crowd--a combination of families with young kids and tons of carseats, baseball caps, and flannel, and the groups of young people who like to dress up in really sparkly clothes, put on their best Snookie hairstyles, and have some drinks before hitting the actual bar scene; and yet, completely unlike anything like Westbrook in terms of decor.  Would I recommend this restaurant? Well, if you're in Portland/Westbrook, want some pan-Asian food in a restaurant that is clean and the food is fresh, maybe not magnificent, and you want to spend less than $50 each, or if you want hibachi, this is your place. I've been here 3 times so far and haven't had anything that blew my mind but I haven't had anything inedible yet. Also, unlike most Portland restaurants, I haven't had anything that was too salty.  Let me know if you've been there and what you thought!