Archive for May 2010

Pan-Asia

As you may recall, last Thursday I mentioned the “take your ethnic friend to eat” promotion going on in participating Jackson, MS area restaurants. Well that night my husband took his ethnic wife to Pan-Asia.

Backing up for a moment…I have been reading Asian Dining Rules by Steven A. Shaw and can’t put it down. It’s been a great read so far, ranging from covering bits of history behind popular Asian cuisines, to tips on how to have enjoyable meals when dining out, to entertaining restaurant stories. As an unavoidable result, reading this book has produced a severe craving for sushi. Pan-Asia features a geographical mix of dishes from lands across Asia, including sushi.

I usually avoid fusion restaurants because they tend to do a mediocre job of executing a large variety of dishes, versus concentrating their energy on one type of cuisine. However, every restaurant deserves a shot. Besides it’s a local place and the chef’s credentials are promising.

We managed to find our way there, entered, and were seated at a four top near a large encapsulated waterfall. The decor is sharp and posh, with an Asian flair (descriptive I know, I’m an eater not an interior designer!). The interior lights had been dimmed (I assume for the dinner crowd), so much so it almost too dark to read the menu.

We went all out and ordered a huge meal. We began with miso soup, tom yum soup with shrimp, a seaweed salad and summer rolls. Both soups had clear, strong flavors, the seaweed was fresh, and the summer rolls were light and refreshing.

My husband took a chance on the special that night, which was seared tuna with grilled vegetables and wasabi mashed potatoes. His dish was pretty good, but the tuna was slightly overdone (should have been more rare in the middle), there was a strangely paired semi-sweet chimichurri sauce on the side, and the potatoes needed salt.

To fulfill my sushi craving, I ordered two pieces of nigiri unagi, a green caterpillar roll (avocado, eel and cucumber), and a rainbow roll (tuna, yellow tail, spicy albacore, salmon and avocado on top of a California roll). The rolls were smooth, filled with buttery fish, and the presentation was very pretty.

Giving in to my bad habit of needing a sweet fix after a meal, we ordered the banana spring rolls with strawberries and ice cream. The crispy shells contrasted nicely with the warm banana and cool ice cream.

We each had four courses and a drink (a fruity martini for me, beer for him) which amounted to an expensive dinner even with a 22% discount, but we had a big spread and were satisfied. For the cost, it wouldn’t be one of the first restaurants I would head to. On the other hand it’s a great date spot, they have drink specials nearly every night of the week, and it’s a fun place to try new dishes if you are venturing into Asian food.

We enjoyed the attentive service, food, and most importantly, each other. Pan-Asia, improving ethnic relationships, including marriages.

Pan-Asia
720 Harbour Pointe Crossing
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone 601-956-2958
www.pan-asia.com

Read Up and Eat Up

Two recent news articles attracted my attention. And we wonder why there is an obesity epidemic in the United States.

• Some restaurant dishes go to fat, calorie extremes from the USA Today
• Pricey grocery stores attract skinniest shoppers from MSNBC

We eat out, eat too much, don’t know what we eat, and it’s expensive to eat the good stuff.

Alas, don’t be forlorn dear reader. I believe one of the best ways we can take action is to educate ourselves as consumers, and assume responsibility for our health.

I fully agree with the fact that you can only do so much, with what you have. And if I had four hungry mouths to feed, this $2 meal from Taco Bell would be way more tempting than spending $2 on a 5.3 oz. container of Fage yogurt (but I do love it!). There are times in life when we do what we have to do, or rather, eat what we have to eat. Keep in mind small steps are still steps.

• Save on Organic Food from the Bargainist website

With that said, when we do have a choice, I urge you to make knowledgeable, wise decisions as much as possible. Many people would be horrified to find out about the pink sludge incorporated into a vast number of fast food hamburger patties they are consuming. People, pink sludge = ammonia treated slaughterhouse trimmings! Beyond gross.

• Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned from the New York Times

Why should you care you ask? A fair question. These matters don’t interest everyone to the same degree, but to put it lightly, we all gotta eat.  More practically speaking, we also directly support businesses and restaurants (and their practices) depending on where we spend our money (money talks). Besides even that, what we eat has the ability to effect us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.

The other day at our local coffee shop, I forgot to ask for decaffeinated coffee and mistakenly received the real deal. About an hour, later my heart was racing and I felt overwhelmingly anxious. At lunch time I went to yoga and could not hold a pose, concentrate on my breathing, or focus on my inner energy. Let me tell you, when folding your body into a triangle, you want to be able to relax and radiate energy. The coffee disrupted how I felt nearly all day. I’ve stuck to green tea since.

Knowledge is power and everyone deserves to eat well.  Just a few things to think about.

Bring Out the Popcorn

I reached a milestone in my life completely un-food related, but very blog worthy.

As of Wednesday night, I have officially watched the entire Star Wars movie series for the very first time. We viewed the films in the appropriate order, number four through six, then one through three (George would be proud).

Back in December my little brother bought us a wonderful Christmas gift of six months on Netflix. I casually mentioned having never seen Star Wars, and my husband took advantage of this by immediately putting all six movies on our queue. (I didn’t even know there were six movies.) Apparently watching the “epic space opera franchise” is a rite of passage into being a whole, well-rounded person and I needed to travel that path.

Oh sure, I may have seen a piece or scene here or there, but I could never identify which movie it belonged to, what was going on, or how the story fit together. The series is so ingrained in pop culture that the basic premise and characters were easy to identify, but beyond that I was lost.

The original films (four through six) were highly enjoyable and lived up to their popularity complete with action, romance, and at that point in movie making – impressive effects. Films one and two I felt were a slight waste of time (long fight scenes, heavy handed computer special effects, poorly written story lines), but my co-workers encouraged me to hang in there for number three to redeem the investment (which it did).

Yoda is awesome, Jar Jar Binks is not. Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen were miscast, their relationship was passionless and robotic. My husband makes wookie noises and I laugh every time.

As the credits rolled in Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith I was kind of sad to be finished. And although this path has come to an end, I am now a more experienced Star Wars fan who can express their appreciate with theses adorable Star Wars cookie cutters and Star Wars pancake molds! Have them I must.

The force has won me over.

Food Brings Ethnicities Together

Too much is going on at the moment to be able to put a lot of thought into what this incentive implicates.

• Eat cheap today in Jackson and improve race relations, too

In Jackson, MS  these twelve restaurants are offering a 22% discount on your meal today only, if dining with another person of a different race or ethnicity:

• Basil’s (downtown Jackson location)
• Bon Ami
• Bravo!
• Broad Street Baking Co.
• Bully’s
• Foodies (dine-in only)
• High Noon Cafe (at Rainbow Whole Foods)
• Koinonia Coffee House
• Pan-Asia (in Ridgeland)
• Primos Cafe & Bake Shop (both Flowood and Ridgeland locations)
• Sal & Mookie’s
• Two Sisters’ Kitchen

Geez, can you imagine the fun conversations today?

I won’t go into it too much, but underlying this strange promotion surely are good intentions.

I’m trying to sway my husband into participating in this special discount personalized just for me. Asian woman with Caucasian husband, check! Opportunity to eat out, check! Discount on said meal, check!

That’s a triple whammy people, so weirdness be damned, let’s hear it for improving race relations and enjoy a good meal.

Eating in Style

This weekend we ate at the Crawdad Hole, the Farmers Market, La Taqueria de Guatalupe and Broad Street Bakery. No wonder I’ve gained five pounds within the last year despite working out at least five days a week. Newlywed bliss, eating out, and rich Southern cooking has added up to inches on my waistline, a significant difference on my 5’2″ frame.

Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote from Built

On one hand I workout a lot, but on the other, I also enjoy good food. In other words, I can put it down and never forgo eating for the sake of appearance.

Sigh, either way, it’s time to ante up the balance and moderation because I refuse to give up desserts or buy bigger pants.

It’s fairly easy to eat healthy during the week. The weekends are when my good intentions disappear like brownies at a bake sale.

From Monday through Friday, I pack my lunch which consists of fruit, a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with yellow mustard, baked potato chips, and a container of grape tomatoes, bell pepper and sugar snap peas. (I love me some sugar snap peas!)

Minisax from Envirosax

My default lunch bag has been a plastic Kroger’s sack, but I’ve had my eye on a couple of possible replacements. The Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote seems sturdier that the Minisax, both are much more stylish, but I’ve not given in to order either of them.

Does anyone have any other lunch sack suggestions?

Here’s to doing what is necessary, to continue the practice of good eats!