Taste Cafe and Marketplace

A few days ago my dining companion for life and I went to Taste Cafe and Market Place for a late lunch. This was not my first dining experience at Taste Cafe, but my my my how things had changed from that casual experience a few years ago, when the main offerings were deli salads in a glass case and you could order 2 or 3 of them for your salad plate. Actually, that's still available and the glass case remains, but Taste has expanded, and oh how I love it. The menu is a feast for any foodie's eyes. The combinations range from the familiar to unique and creative combinations of flavors. They offer breakfast, lunch, and dessert and have a nice sized espresso bar menu as well. The breakfast menu has bagel options including a fantastic sounding bagel with lox, granola parfait with housemade granola and fresh berries, egg creations including quiches and omelets, and various side options like bacon and pastries. The lunch menu has a wealth of creative salads, gourmet sandwiches, and yes the deli salads that I remembered. Taste is also known for their pommes frites.

I've got to say, I became very familiar with the menu as I had lots and lots of time to stare at it while I waited in line to order. My husband Brian and I arrived around 1:30pm and the line was to the door. I don't mind a little wait, especially since I want independent restaurants like this one to succeed in our Midwest culture of Ruby Tuesdays and Applebees. Besides, it looked like Taste had plenty of people behind the counter working on getting everyone through the line. Except it took FOREVER. I realize that sometimes I can be as patient as a 6 year old the night before Christmas, but it did take us about 45 minutes to get to the front of the line, and there were only about 20 people in front of us to start with. As I got closer to the front of the line and could see the employees, it seemed like one poor girl was attempting to take orders AND run the espresso machine and Sally Susie Q is standing there with an iced tea pitcher just waiting for someone to order iced tea so she can fill the pregarnished glasses! It was a very strange division of labor that was not working well at all. The staff was perfectly friendly and knowledgeable, but some people were working really hard while others were standing there gazing into the distance, waiting to be needed.

When we finally got to the cash register to order, I order the Pear and Roquefort salad, which comes with field greens, candied walnuts, sherry vinaigrette, and of course pears and Roquefort cheese. My husband ordered the Prosciutto and Caprese sandwich which comes with mozzarella, balsamic vinaigrette, basil aioli, and yes prosciutto. We split an order of the famous pommes frites with the basil aioli, and I got a half pound of curried chicken salad to go. Brian ordered an iced tea (It's your moment to shine, Sally Susie Q!) and I got a latte.

We got a number and sat down at a table. Our food came out pretty quickly, and after one bite of those amazing pommes frites, I was like, 'what service problems, I don't remember any service problems'. I was drunk on perfect potato fried goodness with a touch of basil love. The pommes frites are sliced thin, perfectly fried and sprinkled with salt and chunky black pepper. They are crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. The basil aioli was a thick ball of luscious, rich, creamy light green heaven, just waiting for those perfect sticks of happiness to skim along the surface on the way to my face. My very generously proportioned salad was perfectly dressed with the right amount of vinaigrette, already tossed together (I just hate it when I have to mix my dressing into my salad myself) and the flavors were nicely balanced between the sweet acidity of the pear and the dreaminess of roquefort. Brian's sandwich had nice quality prosciutto, but he felt it went a little heavy on the aioli, to the point that the basil was overpowering the meat. My latte was lovely and I sweetened it with a touch of honey. The sandwich was served with housemade bread and butter pickles to die for. The iced tea was clear, perfectly brewed, and I appreciated the mint and lemon in the glass. There is nothing like presentation!

The decor is modern and fun, brown and orange with accents of blue. The other patrons are likely to have accents, expensive shoes or dreadlocks. There is a touch of pretension, which I love. There is no soda fountain. There are no substitutions, meaning you can't say 'Can I have cheddar instead of provolone?'. The chef is an artist and I personally think it's important to taste the original concept, not your slant on the concept. And frankly I think many Americans are spoiled 2 year olds when it comes to their food. But I don't liiiiiiiiike onions, stomp stomp. Look kids, caramelized onions are completely different than the raw white onions you get on your double cheeseburger. Try it. If you hate it, pick it off.

The prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality of the ingredients. All of the salads and sandwiches are around $6.00. The latte was cheaper than you would get at Starbucks. I need to remember to get to this place for coffee and dessert. The tarts and cakes that are lined up before the cash register are beautiful and if they taste half as good as they look...well...let's just say a treadmill would have to become part of my existence.

Bottom line: Try Taste. It's all about the food.

Oh, and the curried chicken salad was a perfect weekday lunch. Yum!

Cock-a-doodle dooooooo!

Coq au vin means rooster in wine. Yum! Who doesn't love a good cock with some pork and wine? *Excuse me, I need to go giggle in the other room...okay, I'm back now.* So, ah hm, most cooks use chicken instead of rooster, and I'm one of them. Aren't roosters supposed to be tough and old? I found a likely looking coq au vin recipe on foodnetwork.com by Tyler Florence.

Ingredients
6 slices bacon
2 chicken breasts
2 thighs
2 legs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups pearl onions, peeled
2 cups mushrooms
2 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup cognac or brandy
1 bottle Burgundy wine
2 cups chicken broth
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
3 bay leaves
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Directions
In a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Coat chicken pieces in flour, salt and pepper. Brown chicken in hot bacon fat on both sides.
Add garlic, onions, mushrooms and carrots. Saute 2 minutes to soften. Pour cognac into a small glass. Remove pan from heat, pour in cognac, Flambe by lighting a long match and holding it just above the pot, light the fumes. The brandy will catch fire and the flames will burn out within 1 minute. When the flames die down, return the pan to the heat and gradually stir in the wine and broth. When the wine is well blended, add the herbs. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce a bit. You may want to add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or cornstarch to aid in the thickening process.
To serve, top the chicken and vegetables with reserved crumbled bacon and fresh parsley.

Being me, I can't just follow a recipe. I always think that I know better than some fancy nancy TV Chef who spent years in school and training perfecting his skill. So instead of pearl onions, I used a chopped yellow onion, and I used dried parsley because herbs are so darned expensive, and in the summer I grow my own, but in the winter I'm just not going to blow my budget on herbs (I did use fresh thyme, as I had another recipe this week I would use it in). I also split the recipe in half. And I used homemade chicken stock. I'm not bragging, just mentioning it. You know, it's homemade. I made it myself. In my home. Because I'm awesome.

Frankly, I almost didn't finish the recipe because the chicken, lightly dreaged in flour and fried in bacon fat looked absolutely AMAZING. I mean, how can it not? Bacon makes everything better...chicken, salad, ice cream, you name it. Sometimes I dab a little bacon fat behind my ears. However, I pushed through and I completed the recipe. Food network says it takes only about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Lying liars who lie with their lie holes. It took about 2 or so hours. Food Network always lies about cook times.

The verdict: it was good. Solidly good. Very warm and comforting and nice on a cold day. I loved the addition of the herbs de Provence (a mix of lavender, rosemary, and other wonderful herbs). I wanted a little more brightness, a little less heavy and savory and maybe more...something...maybe I'll add some lemon zest next time. Or I'll serve it on an herb salad or with a side of melon-mint fruit salad. Or eat it with a Lemon Drop Martini! Everything is better with a Lemon Drop Martini!

Simple favorites

Some of the best things in life are simple. This is especially true about food and flavors. Okay, I’ll admit, I do love how impressive it sounds to make something like roast lamb with a rosemary-Dijon rub and a cool mint mascarpone dipping sauce. Yes, yes, admire me, envy my culinary prowess and bow before me Queen of the Kitchen! Buwahahaha! Bragging rights aside, simple flavors are often superior. Here are a few of my best simple favorites.

Marinated tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes (or grape or whatever small tomato you find)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper


Halve the tomatoes and put in a bowl, add enough olive oil to just coat. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the tomatoes to marinate for at least 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread. It’s soooo good. In fact, I recently had a party with a number of different appetizers and this was the favorite dish. No one can believe it’s just tomatoes, olive oil, and salt and pepper, it’s amazing. The best part is the tomato juice mixed with the olive oil in the bottom of the bowl. I also eat this for lunch sometimes. Be sure to try this one.

Perfect balsamic vinaigrette
1 part Balsamic vinegar
2 parts extra virgin olive oil
A dollop of Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
Add all of the ingredients in a plastic container with a lid and shake to combine. The Dijon mustard acts as an emollient so the vinegar and the oil don’t separate like a standard oil-vinegar dressing. This is almost the only dressing I use. You can refrigerate, but the oil will get cloudy and clumpy but will be fine once it warms to room temperature again.

Balsamic chicken
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Rosemary
Salt and pepper




Wrap chicken breasts loosely in plastic wrap and using a meat mallet or frying pan pound the breasts flat, until they were about 1/3 as thick as they started. Put flat chicken into a plastic bag and add balsamic vinegar and olive oil-enough to coat. Chop rosemary (however much you enjoy) and salt and pepper. Marinade for 20 minutes or so. Cook chicken over medium-high heat until both sides are nicely seared and then reduce heat to low and cook until the marinade melts. Cooking it over high heat causes the sugars in the vinegar to caramelize and then cooking it over low heat causes it to melt.

The chicken is the prettiest chicken you have ever seen. This is delish on pasta (the pasta tossed with some browned butter and a slash of balsamic vinegar and grated ramano), by itself, or my favorite application, on a salad with dried cranberries, goat cheese, candied pecans, and the perfect balsamic vinaigrette mentioned above.

Baked Goat Cheese
5 inches of goat cheese
Jar of tomato-basil marinara
Garlic toast

Heat oven to 350. You can make garlic toast by buttering some bread and sprinkling with garlic salt and baking until golden brown. Break the goat cheese into thumb sized chunks and sprinkle in a baking dish (9X9 or smaller) and pour a jar of marinara sauce over the goat cheese. Bake for at least 20 minutes but up to 45 minutes. This is a great dish to entertain with because you can leave it in the oven until everyone is ready to eat without worrying about burning it.

Locally Grown Gardens

Locally Grown Gardens
Produce that’s hot on the block * 1050 E 54th St * Indianapolis, IN

Local and sustainable food sources are going to be a common theme around this blog. One of my favorite places in the city is an ex-gas station on 54th street between Keystone and College Ave. This is a food market that gets its food as locally as possible, and thus in season as well. One a huge blackboard on the far wall is a seasonal breakdown of each month and the foods that are ripe and ready for the eatin' each month. To me it's as exciting as Christmas, anticipating the first tomato or weird but incredibly good Indiana yellow flesh watermelon. Mmmm. My mouth is watering right now.

This is not for the Zionsville Soccer Moms who want 'ORGANIC' splashed across their kid's microwave mac n' cheese who views shopping at Whole Foods as a status symbol. This is for serious foodies who care more about sustainability than if a farm pays out the thousands of dollars to be labeled organic or not.

It's open every day, which makes it as convenient as Kroger and the prices are equivalent!