A wonderful Christmas Eve Dinner with some help from Luke’s Grill
This year, probably for the third time in two decades, I didn’t cook Christmas Eve dinner. I’m going through one of my anti-cooking spells, and the thought of making course after course of food I’d barely have time to eat before getting up to prepare the next one just wasn’t appealing. Plus, after the fiasco that was Thanksgiving Dinner, I wasn’t eager for a repeat. Moreover, with another COVID wave hitting us, we had decided that once again it would only be us having dinner.
So, I decided on take out – but what? This shouldn’t have been that hard a question, but I wanted something “special”. That meant something that we didn’t usually get for take out, something that I wouldn’t be able to make easily, something that could be eaten family style and something that would satisfy all our individual food issues. Deciding on a specific cuisine, much less a restaurant, was hard.
Ultimately, I decided upon Greek because it’s homey, it’s somewhat Christmasy and it can be served family style. We actually have two pretty good Greek restaurants in town, and rather than decide between them, we tried them both.
Items from the Zeus Platter from Luke’s Grill.
We ordered the Zeus Platter ($20) from Luke’s Grill. This appetizer combo came with Greek sausage, meatballs, tiropita, spanakopita, dolmades, tzaziki and abundant pieces of pita. Though it was a bit cold by the time we started eating it, I was quite pleased with both the sausages and the meatballs. The tiropita, phyllo dough cooked with herbed cheese, was also quite delicious, and I enjoyed the pita with the tzaziki. Unfortunately, my vegetarian daughter wasn’t in the mood for dolmades or spanakopita, so those went uneaten. NOTE: since this blog post, Luke’s Grill has closed. Nick the Greek, a chain, has opened in its place.
We got all our mains from Moussaka. I particularly enjoyed the Hunkar Beyendi or Sultan’s Favorite ($28), apparently an Ottoman specialty. The dish consists of a smoked eggplant and mozzarella puree topped with braised lamb and tomato sauce. It’s served with a rice/orzo combination. By the time I transferred it to a serving dish, the whole thing was mixed together but that’s how you are supposed to eat it anyway. It was delicious. I’m not a particular fan of eggplant, but it provided an amazing smokiness to the dish. The lamb was tender and flavorful and the whole dish just came together with homey umami. And it was just perfect for Christmas: it has too many elements for me to easily replicate and it’s too expensive for a regular take out meal, and thus provided the “specialness” I wanted from a Christmas Eve meal.
Manti
I was far more disappointed in the manti ($18), pasta filled with spiced beef and supposedly served with a garlic yogurt sauce, brown butter and fresh mint. The little dumplings were tasty, but they were very lightly sauced, and therefore way too dry to really enjoy. They quickly became monotonous. I wouldn’t order them from here again.
Two portions of the combo kebap (one kofta already eaten)
In order to get a good sampling of their offerings, we ordered the combo kebap ($29), which came with a meat skewer, a chicken skewer, a single kofte, a mixture of beef/lamb gyro meat, rice and a salad. The meat skewer was listed as a lamb skewer, but it was actually beef. It was very tender, very nicely spiced and just delicious – often times kebabs are dry, but this was not the case even when the leftovers were reheated.
The same cannot be said for the chicken kebaps. They were very tasty, but dry. Fortunately, the kofta was delicious.
Beef/lamb gyro meat
I’m totally in love with the beef/lamb gyro meat. I couldn’t tell a difference between each slice of meat, so I’m going to guess it was all lamb, but whatever it was was delicious. Also very tender and not dry, and perfectly seasoned.
Chicken shawarma
A dish of chicken shawarma ($20), also served with rice and salad, was equally delicious. Again, they seasoned it perfectly and managed to not make it dry.
Finally, I ordered a felafel wrap ($13) for my vegetarian daughter, and she was happy enough, though wouldn’t elaborate about it.
In all, it was a great meal and I’d order from here again for a special occasion meal.
Gateau Basque, perspective from above
We had two desserts, though we were too full to eat more than one that night, and then well after the meal. Early in my meal planning, when I still thought I’d actually cook Christmas Eve dinner, I had proposed making Gâteau Basque for dessert. My first trip with Mike after we got married was to Spain, where we spent several days in the Basque country. We had enjoyed an amazing gâteau basque at a restaurant in Aoiz, my great-grandparents’ hometown and the memory has lingered with Mike ever since. However, in the decades since, we’ve been unable to find a cake that matched those memories, either at a restaurant or at home. It’d been many years since our last try, so I was game to do it again.
This time I decided on a well reviewed recipe that I found on the internet. I was quite pleased with the flavor, both of the cake and the pastry filling, but I felt that the dough needed more flour – my daughter preferred the soft texture, however. In all, it was good but not as sublime as our memories of that cake in Aoiz.
I also bought a Tres Leches cake from Safeway, a favorite of all of us. I was lucky to get to eat a slice the next day.
For many years, my father and my sister used to come to spend Christmas with us and they’d partake on my multi-course meals. Once my sister got married, however, she started spending Christmas with her in-laws, but still missed my cooking. So for the last few years we’ve been going down south after Christmas and I’d end up making a New Year’s Eve dinner for the whole family. This got disrupted in 2019 when we went abroad that holiday season, and while we had a belated dinner in February 2020 – the last one with my father – I didn’t record it. Then the pandemic came and we stayed home in 2020 but armed with vaccines and home tests, we decided to give it a new try in 2021. Alas, my sister had a trip planned for New Years, so we had our family Christmas dinner early in December. Unlike my disastrous Thanksgiving dinner, this was an overall success.
It wasn’t easy to come up with a menu. My mother has never eaten poultry and is now disgusted by beef. She also says that vegetables make her feel bad – so she mostly just eats pasta. Now, I love pasta as much as the next person, but there is nothing particularly “special” about pasta. Unless, of course, it’s the sort of pasta you never make because it’s too much work. Enter, cannelloni.
I loved cannelloni – canelones, in Spanish – as a child. It was one of the dishes I most often ordered at restaurants. I preferred beef cannelloni, but would accept spinach and cheese cannelloni as well, even though I otherwise would not eat any vegetables. I didn’t even realize there were other types of cannelloni until one meal during a trip to Brazil and Paraguay, back in ’80, when I was 11. For some reason we were having lunch at the restaurant of the Stroessner airport in, I’m assuming, Asunción. Ours was a road trip, so I’m not sure why we ended up in that airport, but we did. I ordered cannelloni, they were ham and cheese. I hated ham – and most other foods, apparently – so I threw a tantrum (maybe a quiet one, I was too shy to make a scene back then) and didn’t eat them. I’m not sure if anyone did. But I did pose pretending them to eat them for the picture. Who knows? Without the picture I might now have remembered the incident – though what made that meal also memorable is that the then-President of Paraguay, the same Alfredo Stroessner for whom the airport had been named, was also having dinner at the restaurant, just a couple of tables over. I knew nothing of politics or the brutality of dictatorships at the time, which is probably a good thing.
My family I at the Stroessner Airport in Paraguay, 1980
As much as I loved cannelloni as a child, I’d only once tried to make them as an adult, over two decades ago. The problem, of course, was the dough. Cannelloni are stuffed pasta rolls which really require fresh pasta. I’ve never made pasta in my life, and I really don’t mind if I die without making it. My memories of making ravioli with my grandmother Zuni are all I need as far as pasta making goes. During my first attempt at making cannelloni, I used lasagna sheets. But these proved too short, and the frilly ending made the cannelloni visually unappealing. It’s a hack, but one that I didn’t thing was worth making.
My idea this time was to actually make them with crepes, another common hack. However my oldest daughter wasn’t keen on the idea. She didn’t think they would be actual cannelloni, and I thought she had a point. That’s when I thought of the Pasta Shop. I had seen their fresh pasta at the Market Hall in Oakland for years and years, and it occurred to me that they might sell pasta sheets as well. A quick online search proved that they did! Indeed, they listed pasta in a huge variety of flavors – when I finally went to buy it they only had egg pasta and spinach, which was fine – I don’t think you can actually taste the pasta when you have both fillings and sauce.
It was particularly difficult figuring out how many canelones I needed to make for my whole family, and how many I could get from a sheet. It turned out that a 6″ x 13″ sheet could be easily cut in 4. The sheets pretty much doubled in size when cooked (boil for 4 minutes for the perfect texture), but the size was good to roll them about 2-3 times over the filling.
Calculate between 2 and 6 cannelloni per person. People who ate soup and appetizer ended up eating 2 or 3, a couple of the guys who skipped everything else ended up eating 5-6. Next time around, I’ll probably just make 4 per person and then add another few just in case.
Note that making cannelloni is a slow process. When I tried to hurry and boil more than 5-6 cut cannelloni sheet at the time, or left them to rest together for too long, they stuck to each other and were ruined when I tried to separate them. The best process is to first cut all the sheets into fourths, and then drop 5-6 sheets into a pot of boiling water one at the time. Boil them for 4 minutes and then transfer them into a bowl of cold water, so they stop cooking. Again, do this one at the time so they don’t stick to each other. Transfer them from this bowl to kitchen towels to dry. You can make each batch one after the other, but make sure you have lots of towels to keep them separate.
At first, I was very ambitious and I thought I’d make a bunch of different fillings and sauces to go with them, but soon after I was daunted by the task and briefly considered just buying ravioli – but given how non-special that would be, I settled back on more streamlined cannelloni. The fillings I ended up making were my traditional ground beef/picadillo filling (the same one I use in empanadas or, with more pasta sauce, as a beef pasta sauce), ham & cheese (a slice of ham and some chunks of fresh mozarella) and spinach & cheese (fresh baby spinach leaves, fresh mozarella or goat cheese and chopped almonds). I made some with just Monterey Jack cheese, as i had some cannelloni sheets left over, but these were not as popular. The other ones were well received, though everyone had different preferences. My brother, for example, loved the ham & cheese ones, and my daughter was not at all fond of the goat cheese ones.
I made some with regular pasta sauce (from a jar) and others with a cheese sauce (bechamel sauce mixed to saturation with grated Parmesan cheese) and, of course, sprinkled parmesan before baking (20 minutes at 400F).
Now that I’ve made them once and I know how well the pasta sheets work, I’m tempted to make them again in the future, probably for a special family meal. Unlike other types of pasta, cannellonis are heavier on filling than pasta, which makes them more acceptable for the diabetics among us.
Another request from my sister which everyone loved, though my oldest daughter would prefer it with a different cheese. I may try it with fresh mozzarella for her next time around.
I followed the NYT recipe, which was simple enough but does call for uncooked eggs. I used Argentine ladyfingers, called vainillas, which are easily available at Argentinian and Latin market in LA, but harder to find elsewhere. They were the perfect texture. This was probably the best tiramisu I had in my life, I’m guessing because I was able to control the amount of coffee I used (I used regular coffee, not espresso).
This year, we stayed home for Thanksgiving. That meant that I would be making dinner, and I was just not at all inspired this time around. It took me forever to come up with a menu – I finally settled on a seasonal French-inspired menu – and then I completely failed in its execution. There wasn’t anything wrong with the recipes, several of which I’d cooked before, but my timing was off, dishes were unbalanced and I just couldn’t deliver. Still, I do like to know what I’ve done in previous years, so here is what I cooked.
1 – Canapés
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese on Crackers
Tri-Tip and White Cheddar with Horseradish Cream Crostini
Baked Camembert with Honey and Rosemary with crackers
I decided near the last minute to serve a few canapes, as I had invited my friends Lola and Iggy for dinner rather early and I wanted them to have something to eat while I prepared the dinner in the kitchen. I chose things that didn’t require much effort to put together, and they all worked wonderfully.
For the salmon canapés, I simply spread cream cheese on crackers and topped these with slices of refrigerated smoked salmon I got at Safeway. I don’t eat salmon, but everyone liked them. I was inspired by Panera’s steak and white cheddar sandwich for the tri-tip canapé. I had previously toasted some tri-tip in the oven, and I simply made thin slices, which I topped with a slice of white cheddar. I don’t remember what recipe for horseradish cream sauce I used, but there are lots of online and I know I chose one of the simplest ones. It was delicious, and I will be sure to make more of these in the form of sandwiches next time I can get tri-tip on sale. Finally, the baked camembert was just delicious.
This turned out to be OK to good. I had made the dressing the day before and I didn’t like it at all, perhaps because I put too much garlic – but it was OK on the salad. My guests did enjoy the pears in particular.
This is where things started to go sour. Rather than make a French Onion soup and simply used vegetable broth instead of beef broth, I went with a recipe that enhanced the flavor of the broth with tamari and other seasonings. The results were not tasty. The soup was very intense – though I solved this by adding extra water when I reheated it – and just not that good. Next time, I’ll stick to the traditional recipe or simply serve a different soup altogether.
I had made this recipe before and it had been delicious, but this time it just didn’t work. I’d doubled the sauce and vegetables but there were just too many vegetables and they weren’t well integrated with the sauce. I’d made an effort to get organic, free range chicken and somehow it was dryer than the chicken I usually buy. I don’t know, it was fine but not great. I did enjoy the leftovers, however.
I made this for my vegetarian daughter, but it was too alcoholic tasting for her, and the flavors were really not well balanced. Another failure.
Sage Stuffing
I also don’t remember what recipe I used, but it was a pretty standard vegetarian one. It was actually not bad, but I did overcook it so it was dry. Still, my vegetarian daughter liked it
Mashed Potatoes
I’m sad to report that, together with the canapes, the mashed potatoes were everyone’s favorite part of the meal. I’m sad because these were just plain mashed potatoes: yukon gold potatoes boiled and mashed and then mixed with a ton of butter and whipping cream.
This is a French apple tart with a custard topping. My daughter actually put this together for me while I was taking a nap. The top was very good, but I had messed up the dough when I’d made it and it was way too tough.
CookUnity is a that sends you ready-to-warm refrigerated prepared meals, in single-serving trays. The meals can be warmed by microwaving them for 2-3 minutes or heating them in a pre-heated oven for 8-15 minutes. When they first appeared, I saw them as a competitor to the now-defunct Freshly. Currently, their competition is some of the traditional meal kit companies which have launched ready-to-heat meal lines, but with far more limited selections, and localized services such as Shef (which offers home cook meals) and Locale (which offers meals from local restaurants). In general, it’s my least favorite of the three, but it’s still a solid choice for prepared meals.
Single-serve meals do serve a very niche clientele. They didn’t work for us as a family, but now that my kids are away at college, they fit my “I don’t feel like cooking” periods.
The Food
CookUnity’s main selling point is the wide selection of prepared meals they offer. They run the gamut of proteins and cuisines, from the exotic to the mundane, from the high caloric, to the diet minded. Lately, they’ve added more ethnic choices, which is a plus. They offer a number of vegetarians, vegans and special diet dishes, though my vegetarian daughter hasn’t been impressed with their offerings.
The second selling point in the taste and quality. While there are some duds, most meals are quite good and some are even excellent. The meals included special ingredients, such as hand-made sausages and forbidden rice, and mostly offered a balance of meats to vegetables to carbs. All the nutritional values are listed so you can choose when you order. Note, however, that many of the meals with special ingredients incur an extra cost.
Most meals are well sized to fill without overstuffing.
We tried both microwaving and heating them in the oven, and there wasn’t a huge difference in results – with the exception of steak. Few steaks could survive reheating in the microwave, so if you don’t want to fire up your oven, go for other types of meats.
The meals come with an expiration date of either 5 or 7 days, so if you are getting for the whole week you probably should look at the dates when you get them and prioritize the ones that will expire first.
As far as I can tell, CookUnity contracts with professional restaurant chefs in major cities where CookUnity has commercial kitchens, and the chefs conceive of the meals and prepare them. In addition to providing chefs with the kitchens, CookUnity also buys the ingredients, packages and ships the meals and is in charge of marketing and sales. All the chefs need to do is cook.
The Plans
CookUnity’s basic meals cost between $11 and $13.50 each depending on how many you order. Some of the meals – progressively more of them – which have more expensive ingredients have an added cost, usually $4 to $10. If you unsubscribe, they will offer you a deal to stay subscribe for $8.50 a meal. Still, when you add the shipping/extra fees, the cost of each meal with the discount ends up being around $11.50 – which is about the same price than the undiscounted meals at Shef and Locale.
It is easy to skip meals, and you can even suspend your account for up to 2 months. Unsubscribing is simple as well.
The Packaging
CookUnity meals come in a microwave and oven-safe tray made out of paper waste product with a plastic seal. They are not compostable, but CookUnity used to claim they were recyclable. However, while they have the recycle symbol on them, they don’t have a number. I am thus guessing they are not recyclable at all. It’s a pity, because if they used wax instead of plastic, they probably could be composted and would eliminate a lot of waste (though probably wouldn’t be oven safe).
The meals trays are covered by a plastic film that you throw away, and come with a paper sleeve listing the ingredients and nutrition facts, as well as cooking instructions and date of expiration, which can be recycled. Some meals have sauces or vegetables in removable plastic containers within the trays. You are supposed to remove these before you cook them. These containers are usually recyclable, or you can wash them and reuse them.
CookUnity ships their meals inside an insulated bag, with small freezer packs in the bottom and/or top. The bag and freezer packs are picked up when you get your next set of meals.
The Shipping & Delivery
CookUnity meals are now delivered. My meals always come on time.
Customer Service
Customer service has been stellar. They’ve been prompt in answering my e-mails, solved problems when they existed and responded to texts.
Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragout & Porcini Cream: A
This might look like gruel, but it’s really a comforting hug in a plate. The dish is exactly what the name describes and it tastes exactly like you hope it will taste. The polenta is soft and sensuous, the mushrooms earthy and delicious. Microwaving this dish did make the mushrooms a bit rubbery – an expected problem – but they weren’t overly so and the taste made up for it. I’m sure they’d be better if reheated in the oven. The portion is a little small – more like a snack than a meal -, but I’ve still ordered it
Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed Mushrooms in Truffle Cream Sauce: A-
This was actually a very good dish, but not worth the premium price. Both the ravioli and the cream sauce were very tasty, though a bit on the mild side. It really needed some Parmesan-type cheese to bring it up a notch. It also needed some of the advertised truffle flavor – I couldn’t taste it at all.
Mushroom Ragu with Crispy Polenta Cakes & Porcini Cream: B
This was a pretty tasty dish, but it was very, very salty. I’m someone who likes highly seasoned food, but this was over the line. I was also not much of a fan of the texture of the polenta cakes. They have a thin, crispy layer but below that they are quite soft, almost the consistency of a flan. You have to try to feel the very fine grain in the polenta. I think I’d have preferred them to be grittier. The mushrooms were a bit tough/chewy, but I’d expect that on microwaved mushrooms. Still, the dish was tasty, it just needs far less salt.
Plant-Based Massaman Curry with Brown Rice and Peanuts: B-
This was an OK Massaman curry. It was quite spicy – unusual for a Massaman curry – and the flavors weren’t as complex or inviting as those in Thai restaurants. The rice was a bit chewy. In all, it was fine, but not something we’d order again.
Fajita Bowl with Impossible ‘Chorizo’ with Brown Rice and Chipotle Crema: C
My daughter turned this bowl into two burritos by putting it into a couple of tortillas. She thought it was fine, compared it to Chipotle’s bowl, though she found it a little less flavorful. In all, she felt the dish lacked acidity. It came with a tasty chipotle crema, but it didn’t have the necessary acidity. What it really needed was salsa – she added sour cream, but it wasn’t enough – and some guacamole would be good as well. Finally, she felt it had too much cabbage.
Spicy Peruvian Shrimp Chowder with Steamed Rice: A+ by Peruvian chef Walther Adrianzen
My husband absolutely loved this. It was nicely spiced, it had a great mix of textures, had a great flavor and lots of shrimp and not too much shrimp. He’d definitely have it again.
Classic Croque Monsieur with Frisée Salad: B-
This was pretty good for a microwavable croque monsieur. However, the bread was a bit too thick for the filling and there wasn’t anything remarkable about it. The greens were extremely bitter, to the point that I couldn’t eat them and I usually like bitter greens. I don’t think I’d order it again.
Bacon Corn Chowderwith Potatoes: C
This was just OK. It was basically the same quality of the chowder you get at the supermarket, but in a smaller portion. The flavor was pretty mild, and it didn’t have enough bacon to brighten it up. I wouldn’t get it again, but it did remind me that supermarket soup is a good choice for lunch.
Tonkotsu Ramen with Chashu Pork Belly and Spinach & Corn: C-
I was pretty disappointed in this meal. It was basically just noodles with pork belly and corn kennels plus a couple of spinach leaves in a very salty broth. The pork belly itself was plain and not very flavorful and the broth was just salty and one note. Honestly, I prefer Top Ramen to these. Plus it takes about as much work. I’d definitely not order it again.
These tacos were good but pedestrian. There wasn’t anything really wrong with them, the meat was tasty enough without being outstanding, the guacamole was fresh and the pickled onions added a nice umph. The only problem were the tortillas, which were hard and crumbled when folded. Still, the dish wasn’t exciting or novel. It didn’t make a case for tacos. I probably wouldn’t order it again.
Pork Al Pastor Tacos with Pineapple and Salsa Verde: B+
Overall, I enjoyed this dish – it was fine for lunch. The pork (which is a mush, not discreet pieces) had a nice smoky flavor that managed not to taste like liquid smoke. The tortillas were OK – I did wrap them in a wet paper towel and microwaved them to make them be more flexible. I wasn’t a fan of the salsa verde – which was a spicy, liquidy type rather than the more solid bright green type shown in the pictures -, but the tacos didn’t really need it. It was a good sized portion for lunch – four street-sized tacos – but I was left feeling like something was missing. Not sure what that would have been, though.
Chicken Tinga Tacos with Fresh Guacamole: C+
I didn’t really enjoy this dish. Chicken tinga seems to be a stewed with an old fashioned flavor, OK though not exciting. But the flavor just did not match the fresh and overly acidic guacamole or the cilantro. As usual, the tortillas broke apart when you tried to eat the taco, making them superfluos. I wouldn’t order again.
This dish was OK. The flavor was good, mostly because the slaw with pickled onions was great and went well with the somewhat spicy sauce. The problem was in the execution of the pork and tortillas. The pork was probably overcooked, when reheated it became one solid mass that I had to put force to break apart. Some of the resulting pieces were extra crispy. The tortillas were also too hard, even when microwaved for twice as long as recommended. They broke apart when trying to fold them. I ate this the day after it was delivered, so it wasn’t an issue of them sitting in my fridge for too long. This is also a rather light portion, there is about as much pork as there is slaw.
It was a pretty tasty crab cake. The other stuff was fine.
BBQ Shrimp Boil with Andouille Sausage, Potatoes & Corn: B+
My husband really liked this dish and would like it again, but felt it needed more shrimp.
Shrimp Scampi over Spaghettiwith Spiralized Zucchini: B+
We ordered this dish twice. The first time, my husband loved it. He thought it was tasty and there was a good ratio of shrimp to pasta. The second time, he wasn’t as enthusiastic, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why it was less tasty.
My husband had it. He liked it. He didn’t think it was too spicy. Beyond that, he didn’t go into details.
Classic Shrimp Gumbo with Rice Pilaf: B
The shrimp and sauce were tasty, but there was too much rice. My husband would have it again.
Chili-Roasted Shrimp with Fresh Corn Grits & Pepper Jack Cheese: B
My husband liked the shrimp but wasn’t big on the grits – I thought they were quite good. We’d probably not get it again.
Nikkei-Style Shrimp Fajitaswith Japanese Rice and Cilantro Sauce: C
My husband had this meal and he gave it 3 stars. He couldn’t really explain why it was only “OK” for him, but he did eat it towards the end of its shelf life and might have enjoyed it more if it was fresher.
Greek Shrimp Saganaki Bowl with Farro & Pickles : F
by Israeli Chef Einat Admony
I should have known better than to order this dish. It was Greek, so of course it had olives. My husband doesn’t like olives. So it was a fail for us, but your MMV
My husband liked this dish a lot. He particularly enjoyed the Cajun cream sauce. The problem was that it comes with baby arugula, which you are supposed to remove before heating the dish. The arugula, however, is sort of mixed in with the farro and placed under the fish, so removing it is a pain in the butt. Still, he’d probably like this again.
Plantain Crusted Mahi Mahi with Arroz Moro: B+
This was a good dish, though the mahi mahi and the rice really needed the sauce to flavor them – the sauce was quite good, though. The main problem is that there was too little rice, so the dish felt unbalanced.
Cajun Baked Swai Fishwith Collard Greens & Pan Sauce: B+
Another solid, flavorful dish. It was too heavy on the collard greens, however, and it really needed a starch for balance. The sauce, however, was tasty and it was a suitable portion.
Sweet and Sour Fish Filletwith Chinese Sausage & Fried Rice: B+
This was another tasty dish. We enjoyed the flavor of the vegetables and the light breading on the dish. There was, however, too much rice vis a vis the other ingredients.
Grilled Sea Bass with Lobster Sauce & Truffle Mashed Potatoes: B
The piece of bass was too small for dinner. The sauce was good but not out of this world. The mashed potatoes were good, though.
I also don’t like salmon, so all of these dishes were enjoyed by my husband.
Teriyaki Roasted Salmon with Brown Rice, Roasted Carrots & Brussels Sprouts: A
“Anything immersed in Teriyaki sauce is going to be good,” or so said my husband when I asked him what he thought of this meal. He was happy with it. He liked that the Brussells sprouts had been sliced, so it wasn’t the huge whole vegetables he got in a previous meal.
Roasted Salmon Teriyaki with Tricolor Quinoa & Roasted Romanesco: A
This seems to be the newer incarnation of the dish above. Once again, my husband liked the sauce and therefore liked the dish.
This was pretty good and my husband liked it. He was pleasantly surprised by the spiciness. The salmon was well cooked and he enjoyed the mujadara. His only criticism is that the dish needed some greens to make it outstanding, particularly as a summer dish.
Chipotle Lime Salmon with Brussels Sprouts: A-
This was a good dish. There was a good mixture of textures and tastes and the chipotle sauce was very good. The portion of salmon, however, was on the small side.
Gingery Salmon Cakes with Sushi Rice and Cabbage Slaw: B
by NYC chef Chris Ratel
My husband thought these were quite tasty. The sauce was particularly good. They weren’t mind blowing, but he’d have them again.
Turmeric & Tamarind Glazed Salmon with Roasted Zucchini & Rice: B
My husband liked this dish, but also wasn’t amazed by it. He’d have it again, however.
Creamy Miso Udon Noodles with Salmon & Spinach with Cremini Mushrooms: B
My husband liked this, but he wasn’t wowed. A day later, he can’t remember anything about it to give feedback. So I guess the dish was just not memorable.
Herb Roasted Salmon with Truffle Mash: C+
The salmon and mash were fine, but the Brussels sprouts in the dish were giant. They were about twice the size of a regular Brussels sprout and lacked flavor. We probably wouldn’t get this again.
My daughter positively loved this dish, and would actually give it an A+. The portion size was perfect for dinner as well. Now, my daughter is a big fan of chicken pamesan in general, so kudos to the chef for executing it well. This meal is a $3 premium.
Southern Fried Chicken with Spicy Honey & Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes: A- by NYC chef Chris Ratel
This was another dish that I got for my milanesa-loving daughter. She was very happy with both the chicken and mashed potatoes (and she’s not always a fan of the latter), though she didn’t try the honey. She’d have it again.
Chicken Marengo with Rice Pilaf: A-
I enjoyed this dish of boneless chicken and mushrooms in a creamy tomato sauce. The chicken was moist, the sauce was flavorful and not too acidic – it was quite well balanced -, and I just love mushrooms. I’d get this again.
Moroccan Chicken & Couscous Tagine with Green Olives, Currants & Toasted Almonds: B+
by Israeli chef Einat Admony, chef-owner of Balaboosta in NYC.
This is a the new rendition of the a former dish by the same chef simply called “Chicken Tagine”. It now is supposed to have olives instead of the apricots it had before – but there were no actual olives. this means that the dish lost its sweetness without acquiring the brininess the olives would have supplied. This was not a problem for my husband who dislikes olives, but I felt the dish needed something. The chicken is now shredded, which makes it more tender than before. Overall, a good dish but not an amazing one.
Crispy Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Mashed Potatoes & Tomato Salad: B+ by NYC chef Chris Ratel
My daughter is a big fan of milanesas and she enjoyed this chicken schnitzel. She even liked the mashed potatoes. She prefers the Chicken Parmesan, however, which is basically a chicken schnitzel with tomato sauce and cheese on top.
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Pink Peppercorn Saucewith Peppercorn Sauce & Sautéed Green Beans: B+
Chicken cordon bleu is a hard dish to get right because it’s hard to cook chicken breasts without making them dry. This problem is even greater when you have to reheat them. So it’s not surprising that the chicken here was somewhat dry – it would have been almost miraculous if it wasn’t. Fortunately, the sauce helped moisten it, but I think what it needed was more ham. Just a tad more. Still, it was a pretty good dish.
Caribbean Chicken Curry with Sautéed Cabbage & Rice: B
This dish was exactly what it meant to be: a curry-powdered-based, lightly spiced Caribbean chicken curry. It was good, without being great (I don’t think any curry based on a pre-mixed curry powder or paste can be great). The portion was on the small side, however.
Halal Cart Style Chicken & Rice with Rice, Garlic Yogurt & Pickled Cabbage: B
This dish felt pretty authentic to the description, though, of course, not Halal cart quality. The chicken was tasty, though a little underseasoned. The rice was very good, though I wasn’t a fan of the cabbage. I liked the white sauce, though it tasted a little more like ranch than garlic yogurt. The red sauce was too spicy for me, as red sauce usually is, but it tasted authentic. The main problem was that there wasn’t enough white sauce to season the whole dish, and there wasn’t enough chicken. Still, I might order it again.
Greek-Style Chicken Gyro Pita Wrapwith Handmade Tzatziki: B
This is my third time ordering this dish. What keeps bringing me back in the soft, doughy texture of the pita after it’s reheated in the microwave, I just love it. The problem with this dish, however, is that the chicken is under-seasoned. I think it might have gotten slightly better this time, but you still need to add salt to it. I also think it could use some lemon juice. Finally, it’s messy to eat, but that’s just a warning, not a dis.
Spiced Chicken With Pork Chorizo Roasted Peppers: B
by chef Dustin Taylor, last at AC Hotel in LA
The first couple of times I had this dish, I really enjoyed it. I found the chicken nicely spiced, moist and tender, the rice flavorful and harmonious with the hearty chorizo/pepper mix. Later, I felt the chicken was a bit scrawny and needed more flavor, and the Mexican chorizo seemed less integrated into the other ingredients. There also seemed to be les peppers. Finally, the dish stopped including the chorizo, even though it stayed in the name. I don’t think they offer the dish anymore, but if they do again, I’d probably try it.
Chicken Corn Korma with Green Peas Pulao: B
This dish was fine overall. I’d say it’s a Trader Joe’s quality korma, not great, but fine for a prepared meal. Same with the pulao. I’d preferred chicken cubes to the large pieces, which required a knife and made it less moist.
Desi Butter Chicken Breast with Cauliflower Mash: B
The butter sauce was pretty good, better than what you get in frozen entrees though not restaurant quality. The chicken came in large pieces that needed to be cut, and I’d have preferred cubes that could absorb more sauce and that wouldn’t require a knife. The cauliflower mash was awful, extremely thin and watery. It didn’t help that it just tasted like concentrated cauliflower.
Tomato-Braised Chicken over Orecchiette: B- by LA chef Kevin Meehan
The main problem with this dish was that the chicken was dry. Now, this is a problem with chicken in general, and white chicken in particular, but I expect more from a chef. The tomato sauce itself wasn’t bad, I’d say a step above supermarket sauce. The zucchini definitely gave it a fresh, veggie flavor. It was also pretty spicy. The orecchiette were a little tough, but they were tasty with the sauce from the chicken and plenty of Parmesan cheese. However, there was too much pasta and too little chicken – I didn’t necessarily mind, given how awfully dry the chicken was, but it did mean I was hungry not too long after. I wouldn’t order it again.
Comforting Chicken Roganjosh with Spicy Roasted Cauliflower: B- by Indian chef Aarthi Sampath
My husband felt the chicken skin was unnecessary in this dish. The flavors were good but not remarkable. He probably wouldn’t order it again.
Belgian Chicken with Rice Pilaf & Creamed Kale : B-
by LA chef Ludo Lefebvre
This dish was, unfortunately, a failure. The chicken itself was under-seasoned and the sauce just lacked flavor. I’m not sure what it needed, maybe more reduction or just more salt, but as it was, it wasn’t bad but terribly mild. Better order the chicken marengo, which has a similar type of sauce, but is far, far more flavorful.
The rice with creamed kale was also just OK. It needed perhaps a little more acid. I ate it because I was still hungry after eating the chicken, but it’s not something you’d reach for.
Grilled Chicken with Tabbouleh & Hummus with Pita Bread: B-
This dish was OK but the chicken was underseasoned – a problem when the dish is all about the chicken.
Grilled Chicken Shawarma Bowl with Couscous & Chickpeas: B-
This was another very underseasoned chicken dish. It made me wonder if I had COVID (I didn’t).
Lemongrass BBQ Chicken with Garlic Java Rice: B-
The rice was tasty, especially after I added the sauce. The chicken was mildly spiced and somewhat better than OK on its own. Unfortunately, the sauce didn’t add much to it. The sauce is really what is lacking. I don’t think I’d order it again, unless they changed the formulation.
This was an Ok and even tasty dish – as long as you could get a bite with all the ingredients together. Separate, the chicken was dry and not very flavorful (and I wasn’t particularly fond of the flavor), the rice lacked seasoning, and the tomatoes (sent fresh but which explode in the microwave) were too sharp. The only actual flavor comes from the pickled papaya, and as long as you are able to get a couple strands in each bite, you are good. But it’s too inexact a science. I wish the dish was good in itself and the papaya added to the dish, not made it.
Jerk-Spiced Chicken with Johnny Cakes & Braised Collard Greens: C
This dish was disappointed. The chicken was dry and lacked seasoning. The pancakes were hard and unappetizing, not worth the carbs. We wouldn’t have it again.
Coq au Vin with Tagliatelle Pasta: C
by French chef Cedric Nicolas, former sous chef at Belle Vie Food & Wine in LA (now closed)
This is a premium dish. I actually found this to be a lazy dish. There is really no excuse to not make a good coq au vin, it’s a simple recipe and one that is ideal as a leftover. But this one was a failure. The main sin is that I don’t believe the chicken had been braised in the red wine sauce, despite the fact that that’s the whole point of coq au vin. The chicken was bland and had not incorporated any of the flavors of the sauce – my guess is that it was cold when it was plated alongside it. Most tellingly, it had not been stained at all by the red wine, which is what happens when you braise chicken in a red wine sauce for a while. The sauce itself was rather pedestrian and there wasn’t very much of it. Still, the dish wasn’t unpleasant to eat, so I gave it a C, but it certainly did not meet expectations. If you do want to eat a good coq au vin, here is the recipe I’ve used for the last 30 years.
Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes: C
This dish was just “blah”. The sauce just lacked flavor, and there wasn’t enough of it for the mashed potatoes. It’s a pity because it’s a relatively easy dish to make, it just needs a tad more mustard and probably some cognac, sherry or wine to brighten the sauce. The mashed potatoes could be lighter too. Still, perfectly OK to eat – but not for the price.
Parisian Chicken Kebab Basmati Rice, Tomato Salad & Green Sauce: C- by LA chef Ludo Lefebvre
The problem with this dish was the chicken, and when dish is a chicken dish, that can’t go wrong. The chicken breast was dry to the point of chewiness and tasted like boiled chicken. Yes, I know it was grilled – it had grilled marks and boiled chicken couldn’t possibly be that dry, but the flavor was off putting. The cilantro sauce was really good, but it couldn’t penetrate the dense, dry pieces of chicken and there wasn’t enough of it for the rice. This is definitely in my “not order” list.
Chicken alla Cacciatora: D (undercooked)
by NYC chef John DeLucie, chef at Bedford&co , Ainslie, and Empire Diner, The Lion, and The Waverly Inn
I’ve gotten this dish thrice. The fist time I thought the chicken, particularly the skin, was tasty and the sauce tasted exactly like you’d expect it to, though perhaps it was a little too heavy on celery for my taste. I was a bit disappointed at the size of the portion. The chicken itself was sort of scrawny and there was no starch as a filler (except for carrots, but I’m not fond of carrots myself). The second time my husband had it, and he didn’t like the sauce as much. The third time, however, it was very undercooked – red next to the bone. For that reason, I wouldn’t order it again.
Piri Piri Spiced Chickenwith Stewed Peppers: D (undercooked)
The chicken was undercooked, and close to raw near the bone area. The rice and peppers, which I tried before I cut into the chicken, were quite good, the rice was standard yellow rice and the peppers were nicely stewed/spiced and not too spicy. It would be a good dish if the chicken was cooked properly.
This is a good, but not perfect dish. It’s a nice, complex dish that would be pain to do at home. It convinced me I actually like cannellini beans (they melt in your mouth without the powdery texture of other beans). The duck and pork sausages (two!) are very tasty. But what brings it down a notch is the very pedestrian tomato sauce. I’m not /that/ picky, but it reminds me of Ragu or even Chef Boyardee (shudder). Improve the sauce, and this would be perfect.
Orange Pepper Duck Leg Confit with Creamy Herbed Potato Salad: B
The duck was well cooked and tasty, I liked how crispy the skin was. The orange sauce, however, was watery and added nothing to the duck. The potato salad was just OK.
Grilled Duck Leg with Orange-Coconut Saucewith Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini: B-
The problem with this dish is that the duck didn’t go with the vegetables. The duck was nicely seared, with a light smoky flavor. It was a bit dry – but that would be hard to avoid. It was utterly a savory dish. It could add some spicing, but didn’t really need much. I ended up having duck for dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant, and that one was barely better than the one from CookUnity. The sweet potatoes and broccoli in the orange-coconut sauce, however, were very sweet and completely discordant with the duck. They were good in themselves, but belonged in a different dish. Their flavor notes were just too different to eat together (or even one after the other, as I did). From the title, it sounded like the sauce would go on the duck, not on the veggies. I love duck a l’Orange, and duck can go very well with sweet flavors – but not here because of the spicing of the duck. I wouldn’t get this dish again.
Lamb and Pork Meatballs with Parmesan Polenta with Tomato-Basil Sauce: A-
This is a very simple, peasant style dish. It tastes like you expect it to taste, the tomato sauce is quite ordinary and the only thing that elevates the meatballs is the presence of pine nuts (brilliant idea). But sometimes simple dishes and familiar flavors are what you want, and this is the definition of comfort food. I get it pretty much every time I order CookUnity. Update: the meatballs continue to be as tasty as before, but they’ve become lighter and lighter – I think they’ve reduced the amount of meat vis a vis filling.
Stewed Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Brown Rice and Herb-Yogurt Sauce: A-
This was a tasty dish, but there weren’t enough meatballs, even for lunch. The amount of rice was fine. We’d order it again.
Italian Meatballs with Homemade Tomato Sauce: B
This is one of the new “protein only” dishes. The meatballs and sauce are good, they taste pretty homey, and if you are avoiding carbs no matter what, they seem like a good choice. But I ended up missing the carbs to soak up the sauce and wished the meatballs were lighter. Still, as a low-carb dish it works well.
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs: B
by chef Dustin Taylor, last at AC Hotel in LA
My husband had this dish for lunch one day. He can’t remember eating it at all, so it wasn’t memorable. My own recollection is that he liked it but wasn’t enthusiastic.
Korean Flank Steak Rice Bowl (Steak Doep Bap) and Asparagus: A by Korean-American chef Esther Choi
The steak was tender and not fatty. It had a great flavor. The sauce was awesome. The asparagus were well cooked and yummy. Definitely in the “order again” category.
Grilled Hanger Steak with Peruvian Pesto Linguine: A
by Peruvian chef Walther Adrianzen
My daughter loved this dish, though hers came without the promised (and unneeded) chimichurri sauce. The steak was flavorful, if a little chewy (not unusual for hanger steak), and the pesto pasta was fresh. I felt it could have used some Parmesan. She’d want it again.
Hanger Steak and Coconut Forbidden Rice: A-
by Filipina chef Stacy Bareng, chef-owner of Tagalog Takeover pop up in LA
This was my favorite of the hanger steak dishes we had. It’s also one we warmed in the oven. As you can see, it wasn’t cooked medium-rare as on the picture in the website, but the beef was tender and flavorful, and I could still taste the beef flavor. The forbidden rice was tasty and fun. The broccolini, however, didn’t work. It was chewy.
This was a very good dish for being a re-heated steak. The beef was pretty tasty, a bit spicy, but not something out of this world. The rice tasted very Latin American – like the sort of rice I’ve had in cheap market food stands in Mexico and Central America. There is something nostalgic about it, that I do enjoy, but it’s not a flavor profile I otherwise seek out. The red chimichurri, however, was quite good, and really brought the dish together. In all, I might order it again.
Blackened Hanger Steak with Chimichurri Sauce& Curry Potato Gratin: A-
I don’t usually like CookUnity’s steaks reheated in the microwave, but this one worked. It was tough, but you expect that from hanger steak, and the chimichurri was really delicious. The curry really didn’t work in the potato gratin, however. I like curry as much as anyone, but it has no place next to chimichurri and cheese (unless it’s a tasteless cheese like paneer). Moreover, it was one note. But the chimichurri sauce was good enough to make up for it.
Miso Butter Flat Iron Steak with Cauliflower Purée & Sautéed Spinach: B
This was a pretty good dish. The beef slices were very tender and had very little, if any, fat. The flavor was pretty mild but overall good. I think the “cauliflower purée” was actually a potato purée, because it had no cauliflower flavor whatsoever. This, of course, was a good thing. What wasn’t good is that it was extremely thin – I had to get a spoon to eat it. The spinach was soggy, but it had a nice flavor if you like cooked spinach, which I don’t. I might order this again, if I was sure I got potato purée.
Steak Diane over Garlic Fettuccine with Asparagus: B–
The beef in this dish was severely under-seasoned and it just wasn’t very tasty even after I added salt. The sauce was great, but there wasn’t enough to flavor the beef or sufficiently flavor the mushrooms and fettuccine. I don’t think I’d order this again.
Sabzi-Rubbed Flat Iron Steak over Pearl Couscous Risotto with Crispy Shallots: C+
I was really disappointed by this dish. The beef was pretty tasteless and whatever slight flavor the sabzi rub might have given it, wasn’t particularly pleasant. The risotto was marginally better, but also on the tasteless side.
Garlic Hanger Steak with Roasted Vegetables and Avocado-Cilantro Lime Sauce: C
This was probably my least favorite dish of the bunch. The steak wasn’t very flavorful, and it was completely overwhelmed by the spicy sauce. The vegetables where OK, but one-dimensional. I wouldn’t order it again.
Herb Marinated Steak with Ratatouille and Rice Pilaf: C-
by chef Dustin Taylor, last at AC Hotel in LA
This is another strike-out by Dustin Taylor (who fortunately redeems himself with the next dish). I liked the texture of the beef, tender but somewhat chewy/tough, but it had practically no seasoning and it was almost tasteless. What is worse, the smell and flavor it did have was somewhat fishy. I don’t have any fish in the fridge, so it couldn’t have acquired it from something else. The pilaf was nice enough, but the ratatouille was mostly eggplant and zucchini, with little in the way of onions or peppers. It’s winter, so I understand the latter, but still! This is not a dish I’d order again.
Grilled Tagliata Steak with Arugula, Parmesan and Lemon: D
by NYC chef John DeLucie, chef at Bedford&co , Ainslie, and Empire Diner, The Lion, and The Waverly Inn
This is the 3rd subpar steak dish I get from CookUnity, and this helps to cement my opinion that steak just does not lend itself to being cooked in advance and re-heated. This steak was tough, a little chewy and not all flavorful. I did like that it came with a fresh side salad, but it also lacked flavor. I don’t complain often that a meal has too much steak and too little salad, but that was the case here. In all, I would not order it again.
My husband raved about how good this dish was. He loved that the goulash had very tender pieces of meat, and the flavor went great with the rice. He’d like it again.
My husband really liked this dish. There was good flavor and the mashed potatoes were smooth. The Brussell sprouts were cooked differently that he usually has them, but he liked them. Overall, he’d have this again.
Nikkei-Style Steak Fajitaswith Japanese Rice and Cilantro Sauce: A-
Simple but very tasty lunch. The meat has a nice marinade and it goes great with the peppers, rice and aioli. I’ll definitely order it again.
Guajillo Beef and Cheese Enchiladas: A-
I’m not a huge fan of enchiladas, but I decided to give these a try. I was quite pleased. The beef filling was tasty, the rice was good, and the combination of all with the sour cream worked very well. It was also a very filling dish but that left me wanting more.
Short Rib Ragu over Pappardelle Pastawith Fresh Ricotta: A-
This was a very nice, satisfying meal. Exactly what it advertised itself to be. It was a tad too spicy for my taste, and I think the portion could have been bigger – it left me hungry. But it’d be good for lunch or when you’re not too hungry.
Red Chile Braised Beef Tamale Salsa Verde & Mexican Crema: B+ by chef Jose Garces
These were very good beef tamales. There was plenty of filling, and it was very tasty, ant he sauces that came with it worked very well. Really, as tamales go, these were excellent. As usual, however, I ended up feeling that there was just too much masa. It does help filling you up, but it mutes the flavor of the beef. I’d order it again if I had a hankering for tamales, but not otherwise.
This “stew” has the consistency of bolognese sauce – it’s made with ground beef -, and a slightly spicy, very tomatoey Middle Eastern flavor profile. By itself, it’s too intense/acidic, but the yogurt sauce mellows it wonderfully. As a combination, it’s among the most flavorful, homey dishes I’d had at CookUnity. What brings it down is the flatbread. It’s *extremely* hard. More like a thick, dense cracker than the pita bread you expect. The problem with that is that it can’t absorb the stew – plus it’s not that pleasant to eat. I’m taking away a star for that reason. I don’t know if the bread is meant to be that hard or if the problem was with microwaving it. Next time I’ll test it before I do, and perhaps cover it with a moist paper towel. Or just eat it with my own bread (I’ll have to make sure to get some). But you definitely need *something* to absorb the liquidity of the sauce and balance the acidity.
Grilled Beef Lula Kabob with herbed tomato salad, Hummus & Pita: B
The patty was tasty but dry. The hummus and pita bread were average as was the tabbouleh, which due to the lack of bulgur, seem more like pico de gallo. I wouldn’t rush to order it again.
Beef Shank Peanut Stew with Vegetables & Rice: B
This dish was completely underseasoned. I’d be surprised if they used any salt at all. It was fine after I salted it, the meat was a bit fatty – but you expect that from a shank – and the sauce could have used more complexity. It might be better to actually cook the meat in the sauce, rather than add it later. But in all, it was a pleasant dish.
Rustic French Beef Raguwith Potato Gnocchi: B
This dish was fine but it could be improved. The gnocchi were a bit too chewy and dry in parts. There just isn’t enough liquid sauce to withstand the heating up process. I also think the gnocchi themselves could have used more flour and less potato to make them a bit lighter. The sauce was tasty but a little too sour/intense, it didn’t really taste French, though now thinking about it perhaps the acidity came from wine (though it didn’t taste boozy). If the sauce was thinner maybe the gnocchi could have absorbed more and counterbalanced it.
Mushroom & Swiss Beef Burger with Sweet Potato Fries: C+
by NY chef Ruben Garcia
I was both curious and apprehensive about ordering a burger that has to be reheated. As it happened, the burger was better than I expected, but not by much. The burger itself was dry. I guess they must cook the patty to medium-well to be food safe, and that doesn’t make for a particularly juicy burger. The burger also felt like it had fillers, though I can’t say for sure. In any case, there was little flavor in the meat itself. I did like the flavor the mushrooms and beef imparted, however. The “sauce” it came with was a mayo/sour cream mixture with chipotle/adobo flavoring, which tasted slightly like BBQ. It was also slightly spicy and not bad. The potato buns worked well after lightly toasting them. It was a filling meal and I’d say the burger was better than fast food, but not what I want in a burger. Still, I’m going to guess that’s impossible for a commercially made, reheated burger.
Bangkok-Style Linguine with Thai Basil Beef Sauce with XO Sauce & Scallions: C+
This was an OK meal. It was simple noodles and mostly unseasoned beef with a liquidy sweet soy sauce that gave the whole dish flavor. It was pleasant enough to eat, but not interesting or complicated enough to bother ordering it again.
Spicy Braised Beef with Glass Noodles and Roasted Potatoes, Carrots & Shishito Peppers: C+
I wasn’t thrilled by this dish. I thought the beef lacked flavor. It was spicy, but it should have been flavorful as well. it was, however, very tender. The vegetables and noodles were OK, but as the whole braising liquid wasn’t that flavorful, it didn’t elevate them much. My husband, however, who tried it, liked it.
Mexican-Style Beef Stew with Red Potatoes and Hominy: C
I was rather disappointed in this stew. It just lacked flavor. The meat was tender, though one large piece was pretty fatty, but it lacked seasoning. There was little sauce to speak of and what there was didn’t add much flavor to the rice. I’m also not sure what made this stew Mexican beyond a little bit of spiciness. I wouldn’t order again.
Braised Beef and Polenta: C
by Filipina chef Stacy Bareng, chef-owner of Tagalog Takeover pop up in LA
On the one hand, there is nothing I can fault this dish for. It tasted exactly like what I expected it to taste. On the other hand, there are more delicious ways to braise beef, some wine and caramelized onions would have done wonders. Still, a satisfying meal.
Update: I got this dish for a second time, and it now came with only a tiny bit of sauce. There was too little to even moisten the meat and polenta, and the meat was overcooked and terribly dry. Without the sauce, it was also rather unseasoned. I wouldn’t get it again. (Note: photo is from the first time I got it).
Bulgogi Japchae (Stir-Fried Glass Noodles with Marinated Beef) with Charred Vegetables: D
This dish was utterly bland – not what you’d expect from bulgogi. It was edible, “not gross” but not in the least flavorful. There was absolutely no complexity to the sauce. A big fail
by Israeli chef Einat Admony, chef-owner of Balaboosta in NYC.
This dish tasted exactly what I expect lamb sabzi to taste. It’s a dish of Persian origin, tangy and fragrant with Middle Eastern spices.
Handmade Merguez Sausage in Moroccan Couscous Stew with Harissa: A-
by French chef Cedric Nicolas, former sous chef at Belle Vie Food & Wine in LA (now closed)
This was a very tasty dish. The merguez sausages were delicious, if much smaller than those shown, and the whole dish tasted very home made. Definitely a winner. For some reason I enjoyed it less the second time around, but it may just be how I was feeling.
Lamb Kebab with Turmeric Hummus and Roasted Sweet Potatoes: A-
by Kentucky born chef Akhtar Nawab, owner of Alta Calidad in New York, Otra Vez in New Orleans, and Prather’s on the Alley in Washington, DC
These were kofta-like rather than kebabs per se, as the lamb was ground and mixed with spices, but it was very tasty nonetheless. Kofta tend to be dry, and this was no exception, but it was no drier than pretty much every other one I’ve ever made or encountered. They came with a cumin spiced hummus, which tasted lightly of curry and was also very tasty. It worked as a dip for both the sweet potatoes and lamb. I’m not a huge fan of sweet potatoes, but these were quite good.
Braised Lamb Shawarma with Pearl Couscous with Red Onion-Sumac Salad & Creamy Tahini: B+
This was an overall tasty dish. I liked the lamb very much. It was moist and soft, without much fat, and had a pleasant, mild lamb flavor. The couscous, OTOH, was just OK. It was tasty enough, but nothing special – more could have been done with it. The big miss was with the tahini sauce. It was too bitter and not acidic enough, and didn’t add anything positive to either lamb or couscous. Perhaps if there had been more onions it would have worked, but there weren’t enough to have them in every bite. Still, an overall tasty dish.
Pasture-Raised Rack of Lamb with Creamy Potato Gratin: B+
by NYC chef John DeLucie, chef at Bedford&co , Ainslie, and Empire Diner, The Lion, and The Waverly Inn
This was a premium dish, almost restaurant-priced at $19. Unfortunately, while it was good, I don’t think it was worth it. The lamb chops were tasty and juicy enough, but they were underseasoned. They needed the accompanying gelatin to brighten them up, but the flavor of the gelatin hid the lambiness of the chops. The potato gratin was very tasty and satisfying in itself, but it matched the lamb very badly. The flavors were not at all complimentary – the strong cheesy flavor in the gratin overwhelmed the lamb, so the two components had to be eaten separately and with sips of water in between. Scalloped potatoes would have been a better choice.
Masala Lamb Kebabs with Cucumber-Mint Yogurt & Dirty Rice: B
This large ground lamb patty/meatball was tasty but dry. The yogurt help to some degree and the rice was tasty, but I wouldn’t rush to order it again.
Adobo Spare Ribs with Garlic Rice and Baby Bok Choy: A–
by Filipina chef Stacy Bareng, chef-owner of Tagalog Takeover pop up in LA
The ribs were very tasty, moist and tender. I also liked the rice quite a bit. It came with bok choy which I don’t like, but my dog does. that gives you a discount and, if I’m subscribed at the point when you claim such discount, might give me one as well for future purchases. As always, look to see if there are better discount deals elsewhere. Note: I just had this dish again under its new name (it’s been edited to reflect it). It’s just as good as before, though now you get smaller chunks of ribs rather than full ones. The bak choi must have been added to replace some of the quantity of meat.
Classic Québécois Poutine(Cheese Fries with Gravy) with Applewood Smoked Bacon: A-
I was hesitant to order this dish because of the many reviews saying that the fries were soggy. And yes, they were soggy. If you are going to microwave French fries and then put hot gravy on them, they are going to get soggy. What I wonder, though, is if this dish could be re-imagined to warm the fries in an air fryer.
In any case, the fries were fine for soggy fries. The curds and gravy were good, the bacon was nice. Probably as good a poutine as you are going to get in the States without making it yourself.
Gochujang Baby Back Ribs: B+
by Korean-American chef Esther Choi, chef-owner of Mokbar and Ms.Yoo in New York City
I liked these tangy and tender ribs and really enjoyed the sweet corn. The rice was just OK.
Brioche French Toast with Strawberries & Maple Syrup: B by French chef Cedric Nicolas
This was fine but unremarkable. It tasted like you would expect it to taste, but there was nothing surprising or interesting about it. It definitely could have used more strawberries. It did made me realize that I could, too, make French toast and refrigerate it or freeze it for later.
Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes with Thyme-Infused Maple Syrup: C+
Who doesn’t love having breakfast for dinner once in a blue moon? Unfortunately, these pancakes were a disappointment. I had hoped the ricotta would have made them moist, but they were very dry. The thyme flavor in the maple was good, but using all the syrup to moisten the pancakes made them too sweet. And, of course, it’s just carbs. Some bacon would have made it better. I wouldn’t order again.
At first, my list of cuisines only included major national cuisines – but as I gathered more regional cuisine cookbooks, I added those too. With time, they’ve multiplied to the point that national cuisines are now the exception. In all, in these 21 years, I’ve visited 215 different cuisines and cooked 690 different dishes for this project.
When I first started, I’d do a menu for a cuisine, including an appetizer, a main and dessert, and invite friends over. Later, when I had kids, I could not manage dinner parties except in the most special occasions, so I started exploring these cuisines as every night dinners. Accommodating my children’s changing tastes and diet preferences wasn’t always easy, but we managed. Still, it’s been a very slow process. If I want to finish it – something I never thought possible -, I’m going to have to speed things up.
So as I start 2022 and tackle “K” cuisines, with just one child at home (but still a picky eater), I’m going to try something different. Whenever possible, I’m going explore national cuisines for Sunday dinners, doing full menus. Not every cuisine lends itself to an appetizer-entree-dessert format – indeed, my first K cuisine, Kenya, does not – so in those cases, I’ll just explore different dishes on different nights. Otherwise, I will leave regional and ethnic cuisines for weekday nights but limit my exploration of them to just one or two dishes. We’ll see how that works.
Meanwhile, here are the J cuisines I explored, as well as the A-I cuisines I discovered and explored (usually for just one dish) in the last year:
Jakartan: Indonesian food rocks so I was happy to explore the food of the capital. The dishes I made included chicken sate, a beef & noodle soup and a great cake for dessert
Jalisciense: I didn’t make Jalisco’s most famous dish, birria, but I fell in love with their tortas ahogadas
Jamaican: there were so many good choices for this island cuisine, and I finally figured out how to make a good jerk pork.
Japanese: I didn’t try my hand at sushi, but learned I couldn’t make a vegetarian miso soup anyone liked. Other dishes, however, were great.
Javanese: coconut beef, coconut chicken and coconut balls. If you like coconut, Javanese cuisine has lots to offer.
Jerezana: this Spanish city offered tasty dish after tasty dish, from braised oxtails to their own version of chicken cordon bleu
Jewish American: a roasted chicken was a failure, but their cheese blintzes and apple cake rocked
Jiangsu: I only made one dish, ribs, but we enjoyed it a lot.
Jiangxi: we enjoyed the fish and chicken from this Chinese regional cuisine, but the steamed pork with rice powder was a disappointment.
Jordanian: This was the only “J” cuisine from a country I had visited. I think my dishes were better than anything I ate there.
And these are the regional and ethnic cuisines I briefly explored, mostly for just one dish:
A’chik Mande / Garo: I enjoyed cooking an unusual dish of chicken with papayas from a tribal group in the Indian highlands.
Acholi: While I only made one dish, peanut & banana pancakes, it was great to learn about these Luo people from northern Uganda.
Adjarian: bread with cheese and an egg, hard to believe it but it works!
Ambonese: unfortunately, the one dish I cooked from the Indonesian spice islands, was a failure
Balochi: I made the most famous grilled chicken dish from these southern Pakistani cuisine
Bukharian Jewish: The single dish I made from these people from Uzbekistan was a complete mess, but it was fun to try a new cooking technique.
Cornish: I tried my hand at traditional cornish pasties and failed terribly. No wonder they’ve improved on the recipe in the last century or two!
Gagauz: the culinary traditions of this Muslim people from Moldova may not be particularly exotic, but I did enjoy their chicken with a paprika gravy.
I absolutely love Indian food, but I’m cursed with not being able to successfully replicate my favorite dishes – of which butter chicken ranks at the top. I’ve tried making it, and while the results weren’t bad, they were not nearly as good as those of my local Indian restaurants. I’ve also tried a number of commercial sauces, none of which can compare to restaurant-make. That’s why I was particularly impressed that Gobbled managed a very good butter chicken sauce, that rivals that at any of our local restaurants.
The kit was fairly easy to make: you cooked the pre-cubed chicken for a few minutes, then added the prepared butter sauce and cooked it for a few more. Pre-made rice was heated in the microwave and a single naan bread was supposed to be baked in the oven. I hate preheating a whole oven just for that, so I put it in the air fryer for 4 minutes. It was a bit crispy, but very good.
Finally, the kit came with a cucumber & tomato salad with a pre-made salad dressing. I don’t like cucumber and my husband doesn’t like tomatoes, so we ate our vegetables separately. The dressing was OK, but didn’t really have much to do with the rest of the meal.
Yesterday I was introduced to a completely new ingredient to me: calamansi fruit. These tiny citrus fruits are also known as kalamansi, calamondin and Philippines limes or lemons. They are extremely sour, and their juice is used instead of lemon or lime juice in Filipino and other southeast Asian cuisines. They do have a more orangy taste profile than lime, and a common substitute for their juice is a mixture of equal ratios of orange juice and lemon or lime juice (though I imagine the result will be less sour). Calamansi start out green, and turn orange when they are ripe. I don’t know that their taste changes much, however, the ones I got were mostly orange (see picture) but they were extremely sour.
I came across them in a recipe for Ambonese fish, which called for their juice. I was excited to see that calamansi juice was available at my local big-chain supermarket, but disappointed when I got my order and found out that what they sell is actually calamansi nectar, a drink whose first and second ingredients are water and sugar. Basically, it’s a lemonade made with calamansi fruit instead. As a drink, it’s rather good. I liked it much better than lemonade though les than limeade. It did feel the particular brand I bought was rather watery, but perhaps in my old age I just need more intense flavors (I don’t have a problem with commercial limeade, however).
As much as I enjoyed the drink, I still needed to find calamansi which, fortunately, was an easy task in California. Not only do we have a large Filipino population which consume these fruits, but it seems that we have a good climate for growing them. I found several ads on Facebook Marketplace for people who had trees in their backyards and sold them for $4/lb.
However, I ended up buying these at a local Asian supermarket with a large Filipino selection. A 1/2 lb bag was $2.25 and it produced 1/3 cup of juice. So it is definitely more expensive than lime/lemon/orange juice. I think there might be commercial brands selling calamansi juice, but I didn’t think it was worth my time seeking them out at the local Asian markets.
Juicing the calamansi turned out to be very easy if a bit time consuming. You basically cut off the side with the stem and then squeeze them by hand into a strainer – they are full of seeds. Alternatively you could just squeeze them into a bowl and then strain the whole thing, I imagine. At least when they are ripe, they are very soft and very easy to squeeze.
I’m actually looking forward to find another dish that calls for these little fruit, they are that cute and fun to cook with. Meanwhile, I’ll just drink the calamansi-ade.
I learned my lesson in my last Gobble box: order meals that include sauces and items that I cannot easily replicate myself. Otherwise, Gobble is not that much of a convenience. While it seems fewer of Gobble meals meet both this requirement and my personal meal preferences, this kit did both. It was quick and easy to make and very tasty. What it was not is beef stroganoff.
The kit required minimal preparation, all I had to do was slice some onions and mince some garlic, probably just so I felt I did something. Beyond that, I had to boil some fresh pasta, and prepare the beef from pre-made ingredients. I mixed the braising liquid from the beef with a prepared demi-glace sauce and some beef stock in a bowl and then heated the beef in a pan. I added the sliced mushrooms, cooked for a few minutes, and then added the sauce I’d mixed and pre-cut carrots and peas. After a couple of minutes I added the cooked pasta as well as some pre-made herbed butter. After plating it, I finished it with sour cream and parsley.
Both my husband and I were happy with the meal, it tasted homey and like something I’d make (just not like stroganoff), and the portion was adequate.
My daughter was home for the weekend from college and she wanted Ethiopian for dinner. I decided to give Awazi Kitchen a try because it was rather new and got great reviews on Yelp. It was fine, though not special enough to make me eager to come back.
The restaurant is located in downtown Oakland, next to what used to be Le Cheval. It has a large square room, with socially distanced tables. It was completely empty at 5 PM on a Saturday. This would be a good place to go with a crowd, as it has the space and at least at that time, you wouldn’t have to worry about sharing air with customers outside your group (I’m writing this review during the pandemic).
Their menu is pretty straightforward and serves the usual Ethiopian dishes you can get at most Ethiopian restaurants. You can order online and you can specify how you want your dishes made – I asked for two to be made mild and they complied.
Kik Alicha
We ordered the Kik Alicha (yellow split peas in a mild sauce, $13.3), the Gored Gored (beef cubes in sauce – $16.6) and the Meat Combo ($18), which included Doro Wot, Yebeg Alicha & Beef Wot. All the meals came with cooked vegetable sides and plenty of injera. I’d bought another portion of injera just in case, but it was completely unnecessary.
Both my husband and daughter were happy enough with their dishes – which tasted pretty much like you would expect. The wots were far less spicy than at other Ethiopian restaurants, however. The portions were generous and they both had leftovers.
I was less happy with my gored gored. Now, this is usually a raw meat dish, but in the menu description at Awazi Kitchen it said you could have it rare or medium-rare. I chose medium-rare but what I got was raw meat. I don’t necessarily have a problem with raw meat, but the beef cubes were too tough and chewy to be able to be eaten raw. If you are going to do a raw dish, you really need to use very tender meat – this wasn’t it. Fortunately, I was able to solve this problem by transferring the meat to a pot, adding some water and simmering it for about 10 minutes. It was pretty good then, but I would not order this dish again at Awazi Kitchen.
To make the sandwiches, you slice and sautée the onions and peppers, you cook the ground beef with Italian seasoning and beef base and then mix them together. The kit has you make garlic aioli by mixing mayo with garlic powder and garlic butter by mixing your own butter with that same garlic powder. Instead of the garlic powder, I minced some of my own garlic cloves and used that. The buns are toasted with the garlic butter and mozzarella cheese, you spread the mayo and then add the beef filling. They were filling and very tasty.
The side dish was HelloFresh ubiquitous oven baked potatoes – they were plain this time, but I added some Italian seasoning to make them tastier. I feel, however, that HelloFresh should have chosen a different vegetable. This dish was very carb heavy to begin with and very light in vegetables. Maybe zucchini chips would have been a better choice? I did like the potatoes, however.
Kit for four servings
I made this dish five days after receiving it and everything was still fresh.
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