Pork Chops for dinner with the Culinary Cutie

Rub ingredients:
-Adobo chili powder
-Brown sugar
-Sea Salt
-Black pepper
-Cumin
-Coriander

I made up this rub of some of my favorite spices, I didn't measure anything so you will have to freestlye it. That is what makes cooking fun! I used brown sugar as the base, and used equal parts of all the spices, then season with a little salt. Apply the rub to the pork chop. I actually pack it on until I have a nice crust. Heat a saute pan with olive oil and sear the pork chop on both sides. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 and finish the pork chops in the oven for 20 mins. Sorry, no picture for this one, by the time I realized I wanted to share this creation with you, it was half eaten.

Enjoy!

Deliciously Yours,
The Culinary Cutie

The Culinary Cutie and Chef Randy of Haven

In honor of restaurant week coming up on Aug 1, I thought I would post the link to my first Culinary Cutie show with Chef Randy of Haven who will be featured in the Houston Restaurant week 2010.

I will be visiting several restaurants during this time and posting interviews and experiences on my preferred restaurants. If you are a food lover and would like to accompany me to one of the restaurants, feel free to post the restaurant of your choice and we will make it happen! Can't wait!

Deliciously Yours,
The Culinary Cutie

The Egg and I- Dallas TX

So your in Dallas, and you have a hankering for some breakfast, and you want your tummy and your wallet to be full after leaving. I say to you my cheap and greedy friends, go to The Egg and I. The Egg and I is a  quaint and causal restaurant where my party was seated by the extremely chipper manager . We had a group of twelve with no reservation, and we were accommodated without a lot of hassle. I ordered the special of the day which was an omelet with bacon, avocado, and cheddar. I ordered mine with egg whites and opted for the raisin toast. This was just what I needed and only set me back around 10 bucks.

The Egg an I was pleasant and just what I expected. Nothing over the top just good ole fashioned breakfast.

The Egg and was eggcatly (sorry, I couldn’t resist) what I needed. A hearty breakfast before hitting the road.

15203 Knoll
Dallas, Tx
469-375-0750

Canopy

The Culinary Cutie loves to enjoy brunch at Shade in the heart of the heights. So when I heard that the owner/chef of Shade, Claire Smith, was opening another restaurant called Canopy located on Montrose, I had to stop in a check it out. I know what you’re thinking, Geez Mrs. Cutie, Canopy has been open for quite some time. First I say to you, SO? Second of all I tried to go when it first opened on a Sunday, and I am guessing they were about to close since the young women at the front ignored me until I left. I didn’t let that experience stop me from bringing my little food lovers the greatest and sometimes not the latest delicious treats.

The feeling of Canopy is an open and airy vibe with a simple earthy twist. The crowd at Canopy was young and vibrant filled with lots of lively chatter. Our waitress greeted us after we were seated and took our drink orders. I had the Montrose Queen which consisted of Campari, Orange Bitters, and Champagne. It had a refreshing a crisp taste.

For my appetizer, I had the crab cake with fried green tomatoes. This was absolutely delicious. The tomatoes added such an element of surprise to the dish which was well appreciated. I try crab cakes everywhere I eat and I think that the execution of the crab cake presentation and preparation was top notch.  We also tried the quail which my husband thoroughly enjoyed.

For my salad course I chose the Tomato Salad with pumpkin seeds, and feta cheese. What a great course to whip up at your homes for the summer. So far I give my visit an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

My entrée, which was my least favorite, was the fried pork cutlets. I choose the dish because the waitress made the suggestion and the sides sounded so well put together I couldn’t say no.  Unfortunately the breading was more of a shell than a coating, which caused the golden casing to break away from the meat leaving only the thin piece of cutlet to fend for itself, all by its lonesome.

To end on a positive note, I had the lemon ice box pie for dessert. If you are not careful it would be easy to become addicted to this dessert. With all of the right flavors interacting with one another it couldn’t be wrong eating two slices in one sitting. I digressed and only had one. 

Whatever you are in the mood for, Canopy has you covered.

www.thecanopyhouston.com

3939 Montrose Boulevard
Houston, TX 77006