Weekly Shout Out
Hello there pretty ponies!
Horsing Around was on hiatus over the holidays so that we could spend a little time with family and friends. We hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year. Future editions of Weekly Shout Out will appear on Sunday. We made an exception this week because a) we have been away too long and b) we had a couple of things we couldn’t wait to tell you about.
The fine folks at Ferris’s Upstairs have a new dish on their menu: fried eggplant with Moorish spices and honey. Now, you may be thinking, why does a humble vegetable merit a mention? Well, my little ponies, this particular dish epitomizes how, in the culinary world, simple is best. The eggplant’s crispy carapace enfolds a meltingly soft interior and a dusting of zaatar (zaatar is an addictive spice mixture comprised of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds) and a drizzle of honey take everything over the top. We noted that this dish is also available in the adjoining tapa bar, Perro Negro. Even if you think you hate eggplant, we urge you to try this dish, it might just make you a convert. The honey offsets any bitterness, and the seasoning is spot on. We suggest you pair your ‘plant with a lavender sidecar or glass of malbec.
Now that we have harangued you in to eating your veggies, we can move on to dessert. Rebar Restaurant has introduced something new for chocoholics, the chocolate zucchini cake. This cake is reminiscent of something your grandma might have baked, but slightly more sophisticated. The cake is damply moist and not too sweet, with chocolate chunks adding pleasing textural contrast. We detected a hint of cinnamon, but not enough to overpower, just enough to add a subtle depth of flavor. The tang in the cream cheese icing takes the cake. This is a supremely crave-worthy treat. We found that one slice was plenty to share between two people, but we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted a whole slab for yourself. If you don’t want to eat your cake in the restaurant, you can ask for a slice to go, that is, if you can bear to wait until you get home to inhale the chocolatey goodness.
Well, that is it for now. We hope you’ll try these dishes. As always, we’d love to know what you think. You can comment on our Twitter or Facebook pages. Remember, if you subscribe to the blog, you won’t ever miss another issue of Horsing Around. Uncle Monty will come right to your in box.
Until next time, pretty ponies! We’ll see you soon.
Love Monty and the whole gang at Horsing Around
PS: Regrettably, we were too greedy to photograph our finds. But take our word for it, that it all looked good enough to eat!
