Southern Charm Bistreaux & Bar Review (Gretna, LA)

First, if you want a much more in-depth review of Southern Charm with better pictures, please read this piece on Nola.com. If you want some old-fashioned Hungry & Fit charm, stick around.

Apr152019

Why We Eat A Lot of Fish!

The most consumed primary protein source in our home is probably seafood. We eat a lot of tuna. Salmon is also one of our go-to meals. Canned mackerel, sardines and even anchovies are staples in our pantry. You might even find a variety of frozen, wild caught fish in our freezer… in case of emergencies. (For anyone wondering, Morningstar, Tofurkey, Beyond Meat and other “fake meat” products are our second most common primary protein source.) We eat fish because it is, in our opinions, more humane and sustainable than consuming other animals such as cows, pigs and chickens. It can also be healthier, if done properly. Even though I am not a vegetarian, I was a pescatarian for nearly a year when we lived in Boulder. If you manage your macronutrient and overall caloric intake properly, and supplement micronutrients such as vitamins/minerals properly, you can most likely live a healthy lifestyle without certain sources of protein.

Aug132018

Aloha Poke Co Review (Chicago)

We’re not Hawaiian, but as you’ve seen on the blog, we’ve spent some time there and Hungry is a huge fan of Hawaiian food. Why? The answer is simple. Hawaiian food screams love and spreads the aloha spirit. Hawaiian food embraces the mana of the islands, from the mighty volcanoes to the powerful yet serene oceans. Every time you grab a plate of loco moco from the local family restaurant, or a pile of pancakes covered in lilikoi and macadamia nuts from the town’s diner, you want to throw up the shaka as you walk out the door. There is just something magical about the Hawaiian culture because of the loving people that you’ll find there.

Jun022018

The Best Food in Ireland

Wow, what a way to highlight the seafood available in Ireland. It is an island, after all.

Americans have a less than favorable perception of food from Northern and Eastern Europe. That includes Ireland, England, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway and every other nation in between. Greece, France, Spain and Italy are given much more love when it comes to highlighting their cuisine in the US, but is that a fair assumption for us to make.

During our recent trip to Iceland, Ireland and Northern Ireland (the UK, technically) we finally had the opportunity to more fairly judge the quality of their food. As a whole, it wasn’t anywhere near as flavorful as Chinese or Mexican food, but it wasn’t terribly bland and it certainly wasn’t lacking in freshness.

Feb072018

Connie & Ted’s: LA Restaurant Review

Second stop on our 2018 “Must Visit Before We Move Out of LA” Food Tour (last stop was Sqirl and next week is… well, we’re not sure yet, but we’re going to have a nice, romantic meal at The Ponte on Valentine’s Day) is Connie & Ted’s. Connie & Ted’s is a restaurant based on a New England love story featuring, well, Connie & Ted who are this restaurant owner’s grandparents. When you think New England, you perhaps think lobster or clam chowder or some kind of seafood–and that’s what Connie & Ted’s is all about! The restaurant is huge with plenty of staff and it is everything seafood. Obviously, expectations are high based on their reputation, perennial presence on Mr. Gold’s 101 Best List, etc.

Nov132016

The Crustacean: Restaurant Review

Can we just avoid writing any words and let you eat with your eyes for a moment? As you can tell from all the pictures below, the food here is beautiful and a considerable amount of extra time is spent on presentation, which we appreciate, because it’s a testament to their high standards. The elephant in the room is that The Crustacean, owned and operated by the House of An from Vietnam, is a little on the expensive side, impossible to get a reservation, and requires you to dress up like you’re heading to a wedding, right? Wrong and none of these are necessarily true.

While you can’t walk in off the streets on a Friday night wearing sandals and a fitted cap, expecting to be seated quickly and fill your stomach with a $10 bill, The Crustacean is a lot more than a “fancy restaurant” in the heart of Beverly Hills. Its atmosphere can be magical with the elaborate indoor setup that makes you feel like you’re in the Vietnamese equivalent of a castle grand dining hall. As the host walks you through the entry into the two-level main room, passing over bridges made from beautiful wood, it’s impossible to ignore the glass-covered river underneath the floor filled with large koi. You’ve been successfully transported into a different part of the world and then you eat.

May022013

Healthier Fish and Chips

I say healthier because fried fish and chips are to some degree “unhealthy” due to the oil. However, I did not use as much oil as calls for in most recipes and I did not beer-batter the fish or the fries either. So you don’t have to feel too bad eating this, it’s good fresh fish, with a light crust, and sweet potato fries instead of regular potatoes.

DELICIOUS

You may be surprised to hear that growing up (in Southern California, no less), I didn’t like seafood. With the exception of fried calamari, but what kid doesn’t like that. The only real fish I would eat were fish & chips from Jack n the Box. It was mum and I’s go-to quick meal if it were just the two of us. And not only was that the only fish I would eat, but the only way I would eat them is literally to put them in a pool of malted vinegar. I am not exaggerating, my family can testify–a pool. Completely saturated. And I would eat it. Jeez, looking back, I wonder how much malted vinegar we went through because of me.

Anyways, now that I’m a weirdatarian (only eat hunted or wild caught meat/fish), I eat lots of fish now because it’s much more common to get wild caught fish than hunted game in a restaurant or the grocery. So here I am, cooking up some wild cod and sweet potato fries for dinner. I got the recipe from this lovely blog and altered it to fit me. Instead of tartar sauce, we used ketchup and salsa (yes, we’re strange).

Prep Time: 15-25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients

1/2 pound wild cod
1 huge white sweet potato
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp old bay
salt & pepper
olive oil

Directions

Cut sweet potato into 1/4 inch thick long pieces

Put sweet potato slices into a bowl of cold water and leave them there while you work on the fish

Get three plate-bowls (or pie dishes) ready. Put the flour in one, the eggs in one, and the panko in the last. Beat the eggs with a fork.

Slice your fish into a few inch cuts
Cover all sides of fish with flour. Shake any excess flour off and move to the egg. Make sure you get it soaked on each side. Finally, completely cover and bread the fish with the panko

Ready to be cooked

Lay out the fries and dry them from the water. Season with salt, pepper, and old bay.
Heat up oil in a deep straight-edged pot. Make sure there is 1-2 inches of oil in the pot.
Get the oil so it’s hot and sizzling. Drop the fries in the oil and let it fry. Cook for about 4-8 minutes, until golden brown.
Lay out the fries. Pick up your fish and place it in the hot oil. This only takes 4 minutes. You want to turn the fish as each side gets browned.

And that’s it! We had a beautiful salad (that Chris made) with spinach, red cabbage, carrots, feta, and more to go with the fish and chips. The longest part about this process is cutting the sweet potato and even that doesn’t take long. So grab some fresh-caught fish and fry it up! Enjoy!

DELICIOUS