So I apologize for getting my blog up and running and then abandoning it for a few days, but my husband and I took a mini vacation to Solvang, California, and let's face it - I was eating way too much to blog! Since I have so much to write about - mainly, my two BIG food adventures - I am going to break this entry up into two parts.
PART ONE - ROOT 246
While I would love to tell you all that I was true to my new life of healthy eating, I would be telling a blatant lie. For those of you who have never been to Solvang, it is a little Danish town located in the hills of Santa Barbara County. It is nestled among many wineries and boasts, among many hotels and quaint shops, about a million pastry shops. Let's just say the "Danish" pastry is alive and well in Solvang. From warm cinnamon rolls to delicious florentine cookies, from fresh baked breads of all sorts to piping hot pretzels with crock cheddar cheese for dipping, let us just say that this place is pretty much a healthy eater's nightmare. But while I ate some treats that I normally would not, I am happy to report that our little adventure to the rolling hills was not all doom and gloom. Solvang offered some EXCELLENT cuisine and provided me with the perfect opportunity to embark on some new food adventures.
Looking to eat some good food (and of course spend lots of $$$$), we learned of a restaurant called Root 246. When we asked around the hotel bar, the name was thrown out by the bartender but she seemed leery and a couple at the bar referred to the cuisine as "weird." My husband and I looked at each other, and instead of being completely turned off, we were intrigued. We went to the hotel lobby and located a magazine that had a story about Root 246. Quite the opposite of weird, Root 246 offered fine cuisine from celebrity chef Bradley Ogden. It looked delicious. So we got dressed up and made the five block stroll over to Root 246.
When I looked at the menu, I noticed that my eyes instantly glazed over anything involving fish or vegetables. By now, most of you are aware of my aversion to vegetables, but let me tell you another thing about me. I HATE fish. I can't stand the smell and hate the "fishy" taste (even though I haven't tasted fish since I was maybe 10 years old). So when you take out fish and vegetables, you are pretty much left with meat and potatoes. That's when I stopped myself and really focused on each menu item. Now, I wish I could say that I picked something "different." I didn't. But I committed to sharing my dish with my husband, in exchange for him sharing his plate with me. I mean, who the heck wants to take a chance on a meal that costs 30 bucks!?!? So I got the Guinness braised short ribs with creamy mashed potatoes and English Peas. Bo got Alaskan Halibut with Mango and Arugula. Now, I have never had halibut. I mean, I won't even go as far as eating Salmon (more on that later) - so branching out to something scary like halibut was a big move for me. And arugula?!?! What is scarier than a leafy green vegetable that even some of the healthiest people I know do not like? But more on the main entrees later. After explaining my "situation" to our waitress, she said something as she was leaving our table - something about her really looking forward to what I was going to say about "X." I couldn't hear her, nor could Bo, so I shrugged it off, and sipped on my champagne as I reclined back into the cushy booth. About 5 minutes later, our waitress came back and plopped two of these interesting concoctions in front of us - one for Bo and one for me.
Bo got a big smile on his face - instantly knowing what it was. I was still blessedly oblivious. Here I am thinking, "Wow! We get a free fruity shot! I like this Root 246." Meanwhile, Bo asks the waitress if the concoction is what he thinks it is - the waitress responds with a nod and a huge smile. I ask to be clued in, when Bo smiles and says "It's an oyster shot! I've never tried one of these!" Instantly, I am horrified. Oyster? GULP. Shot? GULP. I can't do this!!!! So I ask for every single ingredient in the thing. Amazingly, it sounds pretty good . . . but for the DAMN oyster. Now let me take a short detour in this conversation. Oysters - slimy, fishy, smelly, gross. Bo gets those chicken of the sea oysters in the can, and I LITERALLY cannot kiss him for a week because the stink of the oysters permeates his pores. Now I am supposed to drink one? And really - an oyster? Out of all the fish I could try for the first time I try fish since I was 10 - a measly oyster presents itself????
So there I am, staring at this somewhat appetizing looking shot glass. I convince myself that it can't be all that bad. Bo and I count to 3 and . . . bottom's up! We both down the oyster shot. And you know what? Whatever the heck Bradley Ogden decided to mix with the oyster shot pretty much removed any oyster taste. It actually tasted like a citrus-y juice concoction, and wasn't too bad. I can't tell you how proud of myself I was for trying probably one of the scariest foods I can imagine. Now, I can't say the next time the oyster and I cross paths that I won't face it with some trepidation, but I am much more likely to try it having had a good first experience.
Next it was on to the main courses. Bo's Alaskan Halibut was delicious. Again, it wasn't too fishy and when eaten with the mango and arugula it tasted like pure summer. I have rarely experienced food in such a way - food didn't taste just like food, it embodied something so much more. The Arugula was surprisingly good. I have heard from some people that they don't like the intense taste, but I actually enjoyed it. It tasted rich and had a sort of peppery or spicy taste to it. And here's the kicker about our meals, I liked his more than mine! I never realized how much meat and potatoes can "weigh" you down. The fish dish was much lighter and I felt good after eating it.
Alaskan Halibut w/Mango & Arugula
My meal was also very good. Although the short ribs and mashed potatoes are things I often eat, the dish contained English peas and mushrooms. First, I have to say the English peas were interesting. They were much larger and tasted great, but the taste wasn't much different from regular peas. In case I haven't already said so, peas are a vegetable that I actually DO eat. Shocking, I know. So on the scary food scale, these things were like a -2. Mushrooms, however, are a totally different story. I do not like mushrooms. I never really understood why - maybe it was the way they looked, maybe it was my perception of what they would taste like, maybe it was the "weird" texture. On the scary food scale, mushrooms, for me, probably rank around a 9 or 10. Out of all of the various vegetables, mushrooms are a definite challenge for me. Needless to say, I ordered the dish without actually asking them to hold the mushrooms. I resolved to eat every last one of them - and I actually did! They had no flavor, and when eaten mixed with every other ingredient on the plate, I had no problem swallowing them. No gag reflex, no mock choking, no difficulty whatsoever. Bo, of course, had to do the whole "I told you so" thing, because he eats mushrooms and has been telling me for ages that they really don't have a ton of flavor.
Guinness Braised Short Ribs w/Creamy Mashed Potatoes & English Peas
Now after an amazing meal, it was time for dessert! While I would like to say I passed in an effort to not load up on the "bad" stuff, I totally did not forsake dessert and opted for the Root 246 Banana Split. But this was not any banana split - it contained fresh pineapple, bananas, and strawberries. The ice cream and marshmallow topping were minimal. This is what real dessert should be. Why does dessert have to be the mother load every time? Dessert is an after dinner sweet snack, yet so often we are offered dessert that could serve as a meal in and of itself. We can eat dessert, and we should. Every now and then we deserve a treat.
Root 246 Banana Split
After eating an appetizing dinner - Can you tell how proud I am that I tried so many new things???
I have to say that in addition to learning about some new foods, I learned a few other things from my experience at Root 246. First, I do not eat good food enough. I eat food, but I never experience it. Experiencing food makes it that much more likely that I will take a walk on the wild side with food. Second, trying things you've never tried before is best done at a restaurant that knows what it is doing. When you have never eaten a particular food, and you're going to try it, there is nothing worse than getting instantly turned off by a bad experience. A good restaurant means that you are that much more likely to get the scary food at its finest - a true taste test. Third, scary food should not first be eaten in isolation. I am a segregationist in that I do not mix food together. I like having a fine divide of plate in between each item of food, and that's how I eat it. But when you eat food mixed together, you dull the what-could-be-overwhelming taste of a particular food. Plus, eating food in tandem with other foods gives everything flavor - the experience of summer, for instance. I have a feeling that mixing food together will be a powerful tool to combat scary food that actually turns out to be scary.
Some fun facts about the items in my Root 246 dinner:
- Mushrooms are an amazing vegetable, and my little book ranks them as a FIVE star vegetable. Here's why: Mushrooms are high in fiber, and contain many minerals such as potassium, selenium, and phosphorous. Mushrooms (the shiitake variety) also contain eritadenine, which allows for better cholesterol absorption and lowers cholesterol that circulates in the blood. You have to watch out for store bought varieties (particularly white or "button" mushrooms), however, because they are farmed and can contain high levels of carcinogenics.
- Leafy green vegetables, including arugula, are also FIVE star vegetables. Arugula is low in calories and is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. It is native to the Mediterranean region and the Romans cultivated it as an aphrodisiac. Oh la la.
- Oysters provide an excellent source of several minerals, including iron, zinc and selenium, which many of us likely do not get enough of on a daily basis. In addition, they are also an excellent source of Vitamin B12 and Omega-3 (see more on Omega-3s below). The high nutritional value doesn't come at the sake of calorie intake either - oysters are very low cal.
- Fish is a very good source of protein, nutrients, and minerals. One of the biggest health benefits of fish comes from its high Omega-3 content. Omega-3, while found in things like whole grains and vegetables, is most prevalent in fish. Omega-3 is a fatty acid that has proven health benefits including promoting healthy brain function, lowering blood pressure, decreasing heart disease, and helping arthritis. It has also been shown to help promote eye health and decrease eye dryness. Many of these health issues run in my family, so it is a shame my Omega-3 intake is so paltry. Fish is also a lean protein, meaning it doesn't have fat and is usually low in calories. It really has a lot of bang for your buck!
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