A Very Quick Way...

...to tell Guy Fiere and Anne Burrell apart: Guy Fiere is the one with the mustache.

Anne Burrell

Guy Fiere...just look at that mustache!

A Very Quick Way...

...to tell Michael Symon and Michael Psilakis apart: the one who's smiling is Michael Symon.

Why So Serious, Psilakis?

Cantina Los Caballitos

Hmmm, sound familiar? Kind of like Cantina Dos Segundos, huh? Well, that's because it is! Kind of. Cantina Los Caballitos (Los Caballitos = horses) is the twin sister restaurant of Cantina Dos Segundos, located in South Philly. We told you we'd be back to Cantina Dos Segundos, and we did, kind of. The menu is the same, the specials are still written on blackboards, the food is still spectacular, the portions are still generous, the margaritas are still strong, but the ambiance is diametrically opposed to that of Cantina Dos Segundos.

As you approach CLC, you notice that it is much more unassuming on the outside than CDS. CDS, to me, will always be a daytime restaurant. With outdoor seating and massive windows, CDS is made for enjoying a hot summer day. CLC, on the other hand, has smaller windows, a cramped front door, and no outdoor seating. The crowd is jeans and blazers, not shorts and tees. Dimmed lights only added to the atmosphere.

However, that is where the contrast ends. As we sat down, we noticed the familiar dish ware, menu, and cutlery of CDS. The complimentary chips were accompanied by a salsa fresca and a salsa verde as usual. Despite being more crowded than our Battlefood fan listserve (I wish), the service was responsive, kind, and cute. Okay, Napoleon put in that last adjective. So let's get to the food.

The first course we got was pibil-style wings. Per wikipedia, "pibil involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, coloring it with annatto seed, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf." Of course, the wings had an intense citrus flavor and a wonderfully crunchy skin. They were accompanied by a citrus ranch sauce that quizzically did not wind up overdoing the citrus component. These were great wings to be sure, but unfortunately they lacked some spice. A habanero accent would have been well received. Napoleon's note: Dude, General Tso has dementia or something. There were two other types of wings there, including a chipotle orange, and one that I can't remember either. Whatever, at least I remembered there were three types on the plate.

Wings Three Ways

For entrees, Napoleon wound up getting some ho hum enchiladas. The best part: there were FOUR enchis on the plate, two chicken and two cheese. Amazing. I told you the portions were massive. I have to question her pick here, however. Why go to a restaurant with a reputation for creative specials as well as amazing regular entrees and order enchiladas. But, when all was said and done, they were delicious.

I, on the other hand, went for something a little more adventurous. Okay, I lied. I'm also being a hypocrite here because I ordered skirt steak (which, by the way, is an amazing cut of meat). However, let me redeem myself by letting you know that this particular dish was what inspired my "anyone can cook a steak" rant. Yes, the steak was great, but the real stars of the plate were the yucca fries. When fried, they reach a consistency and flavor similar to plantains, but a bit saltier. You don't need any sauce for these, just pop them in your mouth and enjoy the crispy exterior and the silky, savory yet slightly sweet interior.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Skirt Steak and Yucca Fries

Rating: 3.9/5 horses

Finale (Boston)

About a year ago (I can't believe it's been that long), my graduating friend and I went to visit a mutual friend up in Boston. We were inseparable in college, so it was nice to get the group back together. While reminiscing about that trip recently, I came across some photos I took of desserts from Finale, a "desserterie and bakery" (their words, not mine). I'm going to come out and say this right away: these are by far the best desserts I have ever tasted. The only thing that may top it is some tiramisu I had in Italy, which is saying a lot.

Finale itself is an upscale dessert bar. Think Max Brenner, but smaller and more intimate. You can either dine-in, or carry-out. As we were three manly men, we decided to carry-out, mostly because we didn't want anyone to hear our moans of pleasure. The only drawback is the price. The accompanying picture to this post represents $60 worth of food. However, the desserts are so decadent, rich, and heavy that these seemingly small samples lasted us 2.5 days. Also, the picture doesn't do the cakes justice. The larger ones are approximately 6 inches across and 3 inches deep, while the smaller ones are standard dessert portions for an upscale restaurant.

Like, I said, it's been a year, but I can still remember each dessert as if it were yesterday (okay, the picture I took doesn't hurt). We ordered the Finale cheesecake (upper left), Boston cream pie (upper right), carrot cake (center), a death-by-chocolate cake (bottom left; no longer on the menu, apparently), and another Boston cream pie (bottom right). I'd take the time to tell you about each of them, but let's just say they were all amazing. The smooth creams topping the fluffy cakes, the beautiful fondant decorations, and the simple (but not simplistic) presentation made for a perfect dessert. I will say this much, I literally fed my friend the Finale cheesecake on the drive back from Boston to Philly. We didn't care if we looked like a couple who had traveled to Massachusetts to become life partners, the cake was that good.

Diabetes In A Box

Rating: 4.3/5 dessert life partners

Homemade Sushi

General Tso here, back home in Virginia on a two-week vacation before classes start up again. To surprise me, mi madre hunted down some ingredients for homemade sushi! I love that woman. We made some together, and though the final product looks like a little, um, "special," the taste was great.

Here's what you'll need:

1. Nori (Some notes here: do not get the 2 inch squares that some markets sell. You will need whole sheets to do this right. I'm not sure about the measurements, but 8 x 10 inches sounds about right. Also, nori is actually made from algae, NOT seaweed, so don't let anyone tell you that you need "seaweed sheets.")
2. Sticky rice (Soak some rice in warm water for an hour or overnight, and then steam them for 20 minutes. For some added taste, sprinkle with rice wine vinegar.)
3. Avocado
4. Sushi grade fish (Tuna is definitely the easy option here, but you could always be adventurous and use Fugu.)
5. Pickled veggies (Again, do whatever you want. It's your sushi, and you'll cry if you want to.)
6. Wasabi (Please don't get the ready-made paste. If you want pre-grated, that's fine, but if you can grate your own, you're an all-star baller.)
7. Soy sauce
8. Pickled ginger

The recipe is easy. You need a bamboo mat, by the way, which come pretty cheap. Start out by laying your nori sheet out on the mat, with the longitudinal axis of the nori in parallel with the long axis of the mat. Have the edge of the nori overlapping the edge of the bamboo mat where you plan to start rolling.

Now, lay out the stick rice on the nori so that it comes just to the edge. You want the thickness of the layer to be a little more than half a centimeter (yes that's metric, and no, I'm not converting to the English system; welcome to the 21st century).

In the center of the sticky rice layer, start putting down ingredients in a thin row parallel to the short axis of the mat/nori/rice. Use less than you think you should! Of course, we used avocado, some wasabi, pickled veggies, and cooked catfish (mother dear was scared to use uncooked fish). If you want Philly style sushi, then add some cream cheese.

Finally, roll that sucker up really tight, but do not put downward pressure on the roll. You don't want sushi guts spilling out onto your counter. Trust me, if you wrap tight enough, the mat will put pressure on the ingredients and fuse them together. Once fully formed, unwrap the mat and voila! But wait, there's more...

Now that you have this log of goodness in front of you, you need to carefully and meticulously cut it into six pieces. This is where a sushi knife comes in handy, but according to Alton Brown, they can be pretty pricey. Just make sure you have your sharpest chef's knife with you. Please don't use a serrated blade. This ain't bread, homeslice. Bisect the log, and then lay the hemi-logs in parallel and cut each into thirds. Top with pickled ginger and soy sauce, and enjoy!

Please don't laugh at my "special" sushi.