Shrimp Creole 8.4.14

Yesterday was one of those days.  After dropping my son off for half-day Mandarin camp, I had to stop by the bank for PTA (because in my copious spare time I chose to run for PTA treasurer and was elected), be on a research call with a friend in Colorado, do some searching and downloading of journal articles for an upcoming piece, run back to school to pick my son & his two friends up for a playdate, host the playdate, and then have dinner ready in 30 minutes so that I could head over to the PTA executive board meeting.

I'd imagine I'm not the only busy one out there, so I figured I'd blog about one of my favorite super-fast dishes: Shrimp Creole.  Please note, despite these first two cooking blog posts, not everything I cook uses canned tomatoes (really--in fact the grilled chicken that I made on Sunday was completely a different set of ingredients...really!).  Okay, so here's what the finished dish looks like:

Shrimp Creole--YUM! 

Here's your ingredient list: 

• Onion
• Green Pepper
• Celery
• Cooking Oil
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Shrimp (I use medium, frozen cooked shrimp 80-100 count/lb)
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Rice

I am always really cooking for 2 (we have weird dietary conflicts in our house--in this case, the two is my husband & me--sometimes it's my son & me) so I used about a half pound of shrimp, 1 stalk of celery, half an onion & green pepper, 1/2 cup of rice & 1 can of tomatoes.  Feel free to adjust.  

Step 1: Start your rice in a rice cooker (yes, this is a cheat. By assembling mostly cooked ingredients, everything goes quicker); chop the fresh veggies & thaw your shrimp: 

Onion, Green Pepper, Celery

Step 2: Heat the oil and add the red pepper flakes to the heating oil.  This releases the heat from the red pepper flakes--adjust to taste.  It's good without the red pepper flakes too, but then it's just not as creole. 

Red Pepper Oil

Step 3: Add the veggies to the red pepper oil & sauté until onions become slightly translucent.  You don't want to overcook your veggies because then they lose that crispness in the final dish.  

Step 4: Add in the shrimp & canned tomatoes.  Since the shrimp is pre-cooked, it's just about heating.   Simmer for about 5 minutes

Step 5: At this point, if you've started the rice before you began dicing your veggies, it should be done.  Add your rice into your large skillet or wok (yes, a non-stick 12-14" wok is perfect for this dish)

Step 6: Simmer as long as you can before you have to rush off to the rest of your life or feed your hungry self/family, plate and serve

This dish is even better warmed up the day after (like the chili)--once the flavors have had a chance to absorb, but often there's none left at my place for the day after.  Bon appetit! 

No-Bean Ground Beef Chili 8.2.14

Yesterday, it began to rain...in Southern California...in the summer.  We had planned to make hamburgers on the grill, but the rain made me nostalgic for cool fall days (and I was really bored) so I decided to turn our ground beef into some chili.

I searched around on the internet for some decent no-bean chili recipes (although for vegetarian/vegan friends/bean loving readers, this chili would make a great base for a bean chili as well, subbing or adding black or kidney beans for the meat), but didn't really find anything I loved so I decided just to experiment.  I figured I'd use spices that I had that some of the recipes recommended, and then I'd just keep tasting it until the balance seemed right to me.

After cooking for a few years, this has become my philosophy towards food preparation--start with a basic idea of where you're going, use recipes as a guide for ingredients and then modify according to taste.  So, here's what the chili looked like in the mid-simmer stage:

Mmmmm, chili...

And here's what's in the chili (in the order I used it):

• Cooking Oil (I used olive oil, but I don't think it really matters)
• Diced Onion
• Diced Green Pepper
• Diced Red Pepper
• Fresh parsley
• Chili powder 
• Cumin
• Garlic Powder
• Sweet Paprika
• A touch of brown sugar
• Ground beef
• Worcestershire sauce
• Canned tomatoes

Just guestimating, I'd say approximately 1 onion, 1 green pepper & 1 red pepper & 1-2 cans of canned tomatoes (depending on how much tomato you like in your chili) per pound of meat is about the right ratio.  Use the seasoning to taste, but don't put in too much brown sugar unless you really like sweetness.  I found the chili powder & the worcestershire to be the most useful (read copious) seasonings.  Sauté veggies in oil over medium heat, add in dry/fresh herbs & spices, add in ground beef, season with worcestershire sauce--add in canned tomatoes, taste, add salt, taste some more and add in seasoning to taste.  Simmer for about 30 minutes to let the flavors soak in or less if you have less time. Because it really cooks in 10-15 minutes.

For serving, you'll notice there is no real thickener and the chili comes out a little soupy.  I solved this by adding crushed tortilla chips to the bottom of my bowl, piling on the chili then adding some cheddar cheese.  Yum.  And the leftovers are just as tasty (or perhaps more so, as the flavors have had more time to develop).  I didn't need tortilla chips for my morning-after breakfast chili, but it's totally up to you.  Happy Eating! 

Random Honolulu Eating & Drinking Tips

So, before we say aloha to my Honolulu vacation posts, one more somewhat random post on the pleasant, less formal culinary experiences that we had on Oahu.

Musubi & Bento Iyasume

Iyasume Musubi & Bento: A Hole in the Wall, not to be missed! 

The one dining spot that we visited more than once on our trip was Musubi & Bento Iyasume, a small hole-in-the-wall take out place with several locations in Honolulu although the one closest to central Waikiki (or at least, the closest one we found) was across the street from Ross on Seaside Ave.  This location is open from 7 am - 7:30 pm which made it a perfect breakfast stop for us and a perfect, pre-plane flight home stop as well.  

Salmon bowl, Spam ume musubi & Ume onigiri bento

As the name suggests, Musubi & Bento Iyasume specializes in various forms of musubi & bentos.  Musubis are protein (often spam) on top of rice, wrapped with a piece of nori (seaweed) and bentos are combination boxes of various savory treats--the one pictured has an ume (plum) onigiri, sausage (these tasted like little smokies), tonkatsu (breaded fried pork) & tamago (Japanese omelet).  The shop also includes several bowls including the salmon bowl (cooked salmon flakes over rice) and various forms of onigiri (triangular rice "balls" stuffed with various fillings and wrapped in nori).  For those of you not super familiar with ume, it's a type of plum-apricot that is common in Japanese cuisine and has a sour salty flavor and a bright fuchsia color.  There are also shiso onigiri or spam-shiso musubis which contain shiso, a Japanese herb related to the mint/basil family but a little bitter when cooked.  I really loved the spam-ume & spam-shiso musubis as they helped to balance out the saltiness of the straight spam on rice of a classic musubi.  For those of you bacon & egg lovers in the morning, there are also these beauties: 

Bacon, tomago, spam musubi

Aloha Harmony Tea House

If you love tea and don't really want to settle for Lipton on your trip, I'd recommend a stop by Aloha Harmony Tea House in the Embassy Suites. The storefront is actually on Kalia Road and they also open at 7am, which is a plus if you're coming from the mainland and are not quite adjusted to the time change on the first day of your trip.  

My tea supply for the trip with plenty to take home! 

I really like green tea and since there was hot water on demand & a tea pot in our hotel room, I ended up picking up two really nice teas--jasmine pearls & first love, which is a blooming green tea.  Rather than getting the 3oz packs, I asked for just 1 oz of each (there are loose-leaf tea bins) and had more than enough for a pot of tea each day & some to take home.  It's somewhat pricey, but, frankly, good tea is pricey & it was less expensive and better than going to a fine dining establishment for tea.  Really cool to find this place across the street from the beach. 

Magoo's Burger (Food Truck) -- Diamond Head

I'm not a hiker. But, somehow I decided that hiking Diamond Head was a good idea.  We didn't know that we decided to do the hike on the same day as the Waikiki Beach triathlon, meaning an extra half mile walk from the bus stop, but hey, what's an extra half a mile walk...uphill...just to get to the park entrance (we took a cab home).  I did make it to the top and back down to the park where I was in desperate need of refreshment.  Luckily the bright yellow Magoo's Burger food truck was there waiting with shaved ice. 

Rainbow shaved ice

We decided to share a rainbow (strawberry, coconut, pineapple) shaved ice ($3.50) and the sweet, icy goodness totally hit the spot as we sat on a shady bench in the park before heading back to Waikiki.  If you're not into the rainbow, you can also choose two flavors of syrup on the shaved ice for the same price.  I am sure there is better shaved ice on the island, but honestly, location is everything, and this was amazing and refreshing--a great post-hike treat. 

Marukame Udon

Another place that was cheap and delicious was Marukame Udon.  Note--this place is highly ranked on yelp and pretty inexpensive so if you're going in the evening, expect a wait.  We went in the evening, decided the line was too long and went back the next morning where we walked through the line: 

Ontama Bukkake Udon with Green Onion, Tempura Flakes, Tempura Shrimp & Asparagus

This place is a cafeteria style restaurant where a chef behind the counter will get your udon then you proceed through various tempura & musubi offerings before arriving at the cashier. My husband got the Kake Udon, which is the most basic udon bowl, noodles with traditional broth and a spam musubi, but I decided to go with the Ontama Bukkake Udon which has the bukkake (salty, savory, probably soy based) sauce and a soft boiled egg on top.  The soft boiled egg is an amazing addition to the bowl that makes it full of creamy goodness.  The tempura was delicious and well done, although the asparagus was a little chewy. Still, overall, a great start to the day. 

House Without a Key (Cocktails)

House Without a Key is both a restaurant and a bar lounge, but is also a great place to catch some Hawaiian music and have a fantastic mai tai.  In the summer, the sun is too far west to catch the sunset there, but it's still a great time.  I wasn't sure that I wanted to do dinner at the restaurant so I had my husband call ahead to make sure that just doing drinks & pupus (appetizers) was okay.  The restaurant hostess who answered the phone was so nice--she let us know about the sunset view being obscured in summer, but also about the Hawaiian music & hula dancer, that cocktails were out on the patio, and we should arrive by 5:30pm if we wanted to be seated for the music/ dancer.  It was perfect advice.  We got a seat right by the music/ hula dancer: 

House without a Key: Live Music & Hula Dancer

And, we also had some great drinks, including the signature Mai Tai which I highly recommend: 

House Without a Key Mai Tai

There are other places to get cheaper drinks on the island, but for tasty drinks, tasty appetizers (we had the coconut shrimp which was yum -- and they serve a bowl of potato chips to all drink tables), and a great show in a very laid back environment, I'd highly recommend House Without a Key.  

So, that's the Honolulu (Waikiki) wrap-up.  I think I'll start a series on my own food next (after all, I can't eat out ALL the time, especially after Hawaii) so stay tuned for that.  Aloha! 

Alan Wong's (Honolulu) 7.27.14

After a short cab ride through the night to downtown Honolulu, we arrived at Alan Wong's, a restaurant situated on the third floor of an office building. Upon entering the elevator, pictures of the elegant offerings we might choose from adorned the walls and I could feel my excitement building for the final fine dining experience of our short stay in Hawaii.  I'm so glad that we saved Alan Wong's for our final night as it was a new and wonderful experience.

My husband had told the hostess when making the reservation that we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary so we were greeted with personalized menus that the restaurant staff had signed.  It definitely put an immediate smile on my face as I was gazing over the selections.

Chef Alan's Favorite Beer & Virgin Passion Fruit Mojito

We actually weren't planning to drink since we had a flight to catch the next morning, but my husband wanted to try Chef Alan's favorite beer, a Koshihikari Echigo “Lager” from Niigata, Japan, and there was a large selection of non-alcoholic cocktails & drinks so I went for the non-alcoholic passion fruit mojito, which was a really refreshing blend of passion fruit, lime, mint, watermelon and soda water.  Yum. 

Since it was our first time at Alan Wong's, we decided that my husband would break from his pescatarian ways (who are we really kidding, I actually decided this ;) ) and order "A Tasting of the Classics" menu while I would order a few dishes a la carte.  I eat more slowly than he does so I felt like my 3 dishes to his 5 would be fine, plus I figured that he had a "tasting" menu so he'd have plenty of room to help me with any leftovers I might have.  This second statement was, in fact, far from the truth.  Unlike most fine dining establishments where a tasting is a much smaller portion, Alan Wong's tasting menu is pretty substantial so for those of you checking it out, come on the hungrier side of fine dining...

By the way, before your first course arrives, you are served fresh warm house roles with a garlic aioli spread.  They are amazingly good, but be careful not to plow through too many or you won't have enough room for your actual meal.  

On to course 1: 

"Soup & Sandwich" & Chopped Ahi Sashimi & Avocado Salsa Stack

These were my husband's starters from the tasting menu.  The soup was a chilled Hamakua Springs tomato soup--a gazpacho--served with a parmesan crisp and a very fancy pig (foie gras & kalua pig) & goat dairy mozzarella grilled cheese sandwich.  The soup was a pleasant counterbalance to the richness of the sandwich and I really loved parmesan crisp.  The ahi sashimi was really fresh and the avocado salsa tasted like a pretty classic guacamole to me.  Again, it was a nice balance of richness with lightness & a nice textural contrast between the fish & avocado and the crunchy wonton base.  

 Richard Ha's Whole Tomato Salad

As soon as I saw this salad in my preview of the restaurant from the web page, I knew that I had to try it and it certainly didn't disappoint.  The blanched tomato is served on a bed of cucumbers with a Li Hing Mui Ume vinaigrette.  The tartness of the vinaigrette with the sweetness of the tomato and the crunch of the cucumber was AMAZING, one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip.  The dressing is like a haw-flake infused French dressing which I loved, but if you don't like French/Catalina dressings or haw flakes or if you're not into tomatoes (which are my favorite food in the world), I could see how this wouldn't be your thing.  It was completely up my alley though! 

Butter Poached Kona Cold Lobster with Keahole Abalone, Hamakua Heritage Enoki Mushrooms & Green Onion Oil 

Next on the tasting menu was the butter poached Kona cold lobster which was delicious.  Texturally the lobster was perfect--firm, not rubbery and the earthiness of the mushrooms was a really nice balance.  It's always entertaining to watch the bonito flakes dance atop any dish and there was a savory, earthy, overall sense to this dish. 

Kampachi Ceviche with Kaffir Lime & Chili Oil Granite

I'm a sucker for the kampachi/hamachi family of fish and of ceviche generally (I did marry a Peruvian) so when I saw this as the chef's special, I had to try it.  I have to say that this is the one dish of the night of which I wasn't a super fan.  It was extremely spicy with a lot of granite to very little fish.  The fish that was in the dish was perfect texturally, but it's natural flavor was drowned by the spiciness of the overall dish.  A little sad but definitely redeemed by my main course.

Oh sadness! The blurry picture! 

Ginger Crusted Onaga (red-tailed snapper) with miso-sesame vinaigrette, corn & mushrooms

I just tried a bite of this and, unfortunately for you, dear reader, there isn't much of a review to go with the poor picture :( It was a very well cooked piece of fish, but I don't remember much else about this.  When I asked my husband what he remembered, he replied, "yummy." (This is why I write the food blog.) He did say that the crumble on the top was savory, crunchy and tasty, but really I don't exactly know what that means.   However, since it was my anniversary, I guess not taking notes during the meal is to be expected...

Pan seared Opakapaka with shrimp-pork hash, truffle nage, gingered vegetables & tapioca pearls

This was my main course which I ordered because it was a classic dish, not really knowing what to expect.  What I got was absolutely amazing.  I am Chinese-American myself and this dish brought me back to some of the favorite Chinese dishes that I've eaten.  Generally, I prefer Japanese food to Chinese, particularly in the realm of fine dining, but this was a great change of pace.  It was like the tastiest steamed fish (I've never had a non-whole fish that was so tender) sans eyeball and on top was the shrimp-pork hash which reminded me of a very tasty shumai filling that complimented the fish nicely.  The truffle nage (or poaching broth) was also incredible--buttery and just a touch sweet.  I could have eaten that with rice as another meal (but I was pretty full at this point so I didn't actually eat much of the rice).  The vegetables were crunchy and while the ginger was present in the flavor, it wasn't overpowering.  A really excellent dish.  

Twice Cooked Short Rib, Soy Braised & Grilled "Kalbi" Style with Gingered Shrimp

I didn't try the shrimp on this dish, but the short rib was fantastic, both day of and as leftovers the day after.  Because of the double cooking, the meat was very tender.  If you are rewarming the day after (because your eyes were bigger than your stomach like ours were!), I'd recommend putting the short rib in a shallow bowl with a damp paper towel lightly draped over the edges to give it a little more moisture so that it retains the first day tenderness. 

Although we really didn't have room for dessert, the tasting menu came with a dessert: 

"The Coconut"

The coconut is a haupia (traditionally a Hawaiian coconut-milk based pudding) sorbet in a chocolate toasted coconut shell with yellow passionfruit (lilikoi) sauce and fresh fruit. This dessert was like the island on a plate.  It was so refreshing and simple, a delightful finish to the dinner.  While I was super full going into dessert, I couldn't help but eating more that I should have of the coconut because it was just so tasty. It wasn't quite as good as the Cherry Tobanyaki from Nobu, but it was definitely an excellent dessert. 

Chocolate Cheesecake Anniversary Dessert

We ended up taking most of this dessert home, but it was such a sweet (pun intended) gesture to include not only the signed menu, but also this beautiful plate at the end of our meal to celebrate our anniversary.  And before our check, there was a small plate of brittle coated macadamia nuts which we also ate the next day.  It was such a memorable evening and a memorable dinner.  

I honestly can't wait to return to Hawaii--the aloha spirit of the state was captivating--and the food was incredible.  When we're near an Alan Wong's, we'll be sure to make reservations for another fantastic meal.  If you only have time and/or budget for one fine dining meal on the island, my choice would have to be Alan Wong's--it is truly a Hawaiian experience worth having.  

Morimoto (Waikiki) 7.26.14

Another morning at home, thinking about how just 4 short days ago at this time, I was at Morimoto Waikiki having lunch.  I have to start this review by saying that I have a total fangirl crush on Masaharu Morimoto and have probably watched every Iron Chef (original & America) that he's on.  I love the concept of his food and that he just seems like a nice guy.  The first time I ate at a Morimoto restaurant was shortly after the opening of Morimoto Napa for my 6th wedding anniversary.  As the restaurant had just opened, Chef Morimoto himself was cooking there and signed my Morimoto cookbook. The omakase that night was truly one of the best meals that I had.  We had been back to the Napa locations a few times after that, when we lived in the Bay Area, and it just was never quite the same, but the last time we were there, I had a chirashi bowl for lunch and thought I had died and gone to heaven (the sushi rice is AMAZING) so we decided to try the Waikiki location for lunch.

Morimoto Soba Ale

So, it was a longish (1.2 mile) walk to Morimoto from our hotel and when we got there, we needed some liquid refreshment.  Morimoto is a little hidden in The Modern Honolulu hotel (it's across the street from Red Lobster), but we found it alright and were quickly seated.  The lunch crowd was pretty sparse, but there were two wedding parties and a larger birthday party there so plenty to keep them busy.  My husband ordered a Morimoto Soba Ale (he had tried it before at the Napa location so he knew he'd enjoy it).  Morimoto has a partnership with Rogue Ales to produce three speciality beers, the soba ale, an imperial pilsner, and a black obi soba.  I ordered an iced tea.  Pro-tip on the iced tea.  It was $7.  And it was not a fancy iced tea.  I understand that I was at a fine dining establishment, but $7 for non-specialty iced tea?!?!

Then, it was time for lunch.  

[Side note: Because we've had a lot of the specialities, we didn't end up ordering any of the appetizers, but I have to say that if you're at a Morimoto and haven't had a tartare (toro or hamachi), you really have to try one.  The tartares are amazing and super beautiful, pricy but worth it.]

Okay, on to our meal.  My husband, in his pescatarian ways, ordered the chirashi bowl: 

For those of you not particularly familiar with Japanese food, chirashi is assorted raw fish on a bed of sushi rice and Morimoto's is definitely one of the best.  I love that the chirashi bowl used a lot of local fish and the rice was the amazing slightly sweet, sticky goodness that I remember. If you're a a fan of raw fish or chirashi in general, it's completely worth the trek to any Morimoto for a chirashi bowl. 

"Loco Moto" Lunch Set

I decided to do the loco moto lunch set, which is Morimoto's take on loco moco, a Hawaiian classic dish.  Morimoto subs wagyu beef for the usual hamburger meat and uses an organic local egg with hayashi gravy (stewed onions & beef).  It was savory deliciousness, but really, really filling and pretty heavy for lunch on a warm day.  The rest of the set was also nice.  The miso soup had freshly cut silken tofu, the sushi was (as to be expected) fresh, and I loved the kabosu dressing on the mixed green salad which was a light counterbalance to the richness of the loco moco.  

Overall, I was pleased with our meal, but it wasn't my favorite on the island.  Morimoto still is my favorite celebrity chef though and I have a hard time imagining that changing any time soon. 

Nobu (Waikiki) 7.25.14

Just returned from a weekend in Waikiki for my 10th anniversary where we got to take advantage of the shopping, the beach, the hiking, and, of course, the food.  This will be the first in a series of fine dining blogs & then I'll probably end up doing a shorter, combined post on cheaper eats.

We started our anniversary weekend with dinner at Nobu, Waikiki.  The Nobu fine dining chain is one of my favorites in the world, so it seemed appropriate to start there. We got there in time for happy hour and started at the bar, where signature drinks were $8.  This is the Matushisa Martini:

Premium Hokusetsu Sake & Ketel One Vodka garnished with cucumbers

I don't drink much, but I took a sip of this cocktail just for good measure.  It was too boozy for me, but there are plenty of other signature cocktails that are sweeter and all of them are $8 at Happy Hour.  I actually had the Signature Shiso tea which was AMAZING (if you're a huge tea lover like I am).  It was a white peony tea with shiso, really subtle in its flavor and perfect for the post-flight headache that I walked in with.  

We decided that we wanted to focus on the local fish of the islands.  We've been to a couple other Nobu locations (Los Angeles & Las Vegas Hard Rock) so we thought we'd try dishes & specials that might be more unique to the Waikiki location, unfortunately, this means that I didn't catch all of the names of the fish that we ate, not being very well versed in Hawaiian fish names :( 

Whitefish Sashimi with Dried Miso

The whitefish sashimi with dried miso is one of our favorite Nobu dishes and the Nobu Waikiki version uses a local whitefish which is slightly firmer than the whitefish normally used at the other locations.  I love this dish because the citrus of the yuzu with the savory of the dried miso, and contrasting textures of the garlic chip & whitefish make a perfect combination in your mouth, with just a hint of onion from the chive.  So delicious! 

Bigeye Ahi Poke NOBU Style

Our next dish was the bigeye ahi poke Nobu style which was pretty much all local, from the island.  The bigeye tuna was locally caught and the seaweed & heart of palm garnish were also harvested from the island.  I had this seaweed several times during our stay on the island and I loved it.  It provided a nice textural crunch and saltiness without being very briny.  This wasn't my favorite dish, but my husband loved it (which is perfect because then we didn't fight over it ;) ) .  It was too earthy and savory and I'm not a huge heart of palm fan, but if you are, it's a great dish to try. 

Tempura Monchong with nori, jalapeño, cilantro, & red onion on a light ponzu tempura sauce

I don't think I've ever had Monchong before, but this was delicious.  The tempura batter was perfect, the sauce was light and it was really balanced on the palate.  I really enjoyed the hot crispy tempura with the freshness of the cilantro & onion and a bit of sweetness with the ponzu sauce.  

New Style Salmon Sashimi

New style salmon sashimi is my go-to dish at every Nobu.  I love it so much.  The salmon melts in your mouth and blends perfectly with the soy, sesame, hint of chili oil and chives. I loved the roasted tomato on the plate--the skin was crisp and it was delicious.  This is probably not my favorite rendition of this dish (I like it better at the Las Vegas Hard Rock location), but it was still definitely a winner. 

Finally, what took the cake (literally) was dessert: 

Drunken Cherry Tobanyaki

I think this is the best dessert I've ever had in my life. Zaya rum-soaked cherries, mochi sponge cake, macadamia nut brittle, warm spiced caramel and amaretto ice cream.  This was seriously AMAZING--as in, I am actually salivating writing this blog right now in remembering the taste of this dessert amazing.  The brittle with the amaretto ice cream & caramel were seriously magical.  I liked that the cherries weren't overly tart or sweet, but really balanced and the sponge cake was a really nice texture.  I seriously would eat this a million times.  In fact, I wish I was eating it right now.  

Well, that's a fitting note to end this blog on--as I look longingly for some poor substitute for some dessert around the house.  But, stay tuned for more culinary adventures from the Hawaii trip soon on the blog.

Georgia's Restaurant (Anaheim) 7.23.14

Just got home from lunch at Georgia's Restaurant in the Anaheim Packing House.  I have been waiting for Georgia's to open because I love soul food. And, I have to start by saying that it is my new favorite spot in the Packing House.  The service is incredible (possibly even over-attentive, but better more than less), the food is delicious and, of course, I love the Packing House as a spot.

After ordering, the server asked if we were dining with them or taking food out.  When you dine in Georgia's space, they bring out cornbread biscuits before your entrees arrive:

Cornbread biscuits--A nice start to the meal :) 

My friend ordered the pulled-pork sandwich with fries.  She's not a cole slaw fan so she took that off (I tried it and it was a little bland on its own).  The pork, however was fantastic--tender with plenty of sauce but not overly saucy.  Their barbecue sauce is on the sweet side (which I love but I know some people are not as into).  She thought the bun that the pork was served on was the best part of the meal. 

Pulled Pork Po-Boy with Fries

I ordered the tri-tip with collard greens and baked beans.  The tri-tip was medium/ medium-well with just a hint of pink.  That's a little more well-done than I usually eat it, but it was still tender and delicious.  I asked for a side of BBQ sauce which was delicious.  The sweet BBQ sauce was a really nice balance for the greens and the baked beans, but of which had a slight kick.  The baked beans had a really nice balance between sweet and spicy and were definitely homemade.  And, I'm a sucker for good collard greens. I also had a sweet tea which was good--not overly sweet or artificial tasting--and very refreshing.  

Tri-tip, baked beans & collard greens

A note on the service, the owner, Gretchen, was so nice.  She came by every table and had a really nice conversation with us.  Everyone who works at Georgia's is super friendly; we were checked on numerous times.  The service was prompt and the food came out quickly.  Seriously, my new favorite place at the Packing House.  I wish Georgia's lots of success and will be back again soon.