Meal Ready-to-Eat....... A Soldiers Meal

Since I am a connoisseur of things put in your mouth for subsistence, I decided try some unusual meals. I have a dear friend that has been deployed to sand ridden places multiple times (over ten) and told me about MRE’s. The Meal, Ready-to-Eat, commonly known as the MRE, is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging bought by the United States Military for its service members for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available.
 
Our soldier brought over some MRE’s for us to try and to say it was the most interesting meal of my life is an understatement. He started the meal by placing a traditional Afghan quilt as a tablecloth. He also made me a present of a Bunker Bracelet, a quilted parachute cord adornment made in the tedium amid combat. I respected that soldiers are making jewelry in between shots being fired at them. He also had Gary put on the Shemagh, the tradition cloth used to keep the dust off while in Afghanistan.
 
He had us try two different MRE’s. These prepackaged meals are dense with calories and sugar, as that is what is needed in a combat situation. The MRE’s have a 5-6 year shelf life, expect in the heat. He told us of the 130-degree heat that is a daily challenge. He said that they adjusted too the heat so much that when they were in an air-conditioned hanger, 90 degrees felt cold to them. With the laying out of the meal, the extreme conditions, I was awed with the sacrifices these men give to our country.

He produced a big knife, to open the contents and we laid them out. There was toilet paper, gum and instant coffee on top. A hot beverage bag came out next, which uses chemicals to warm up the coffee or tea. A bag marked peanut butter came next and I was instructed to knead it. We spread it on a dense cracker (that was like tack bread). The spoon was a treasure and he said most the soldiers save them for coffee later. The drink was a carbo-loaded electrolyte grape flavor you poured into a bottle of water.
 
The applesauce and the fruit flavored snack were the next bites, they were loaded with sugar and I asked him what his first impression of these meals was. “I was glad to have it when I needed it,” was his pragmatic answer.




The main dish is warmed up with a salt heater. You drop the food in a bag, add water and close it, then shake to activate the heat. The instruction said to lay it on a rock or other hard surface. The box of the food comes apart and makes a free postcard; in fact there was little waste in these MRE’s.

We shared the wheat bread and cheese spread; both were dense and full of the familiar sense of food at home. Each meal has over 1250 calories to help soldiers keep moving. The grape flavored drink reminded me of Kool-Aid when I was six. The coffee was Nescafe and came with sugar and creamer.

Our main meal was Spicy Penne Pasta and after 5 minutes in the Flameless ration heater or warmer, it was ready to eat. It had a faint familiarity of an Italian Grandma’s cooking and was hot, so a bonus. Our other main meal was Beef Brisket with biscuits and mashed potatoes. Each pack came with warm reminders of home, if not in taste, at least in name.

My hero told me that hot sauce and chocolate peanut butter packs are coveted by our soldiers. MRE’s are mostly used when soldiers are on assignment and away from the base; they serve a nutritional value to the brave men and woman risking their lives for our freedom.
 
I dare you all to try one and then not to lobby congress for better food for our troops. I am glad I tried the meals and delighted I am lucky enough to call this brave man my friend.






Raku Ramen San Luis Obispo

There is nothing that excites me as much as a good noodle. We have been lacking in a noodle habitation, so I was excited to see Raku Ramen open in in one of the three restaurant spaces in San Luis Obispo’s Mix on Monterey. A quick stopover delighted my senses with a casual atmosphere, solid menu, and lunch friendly prices. Focusing on noodle and rice bowls, this little haven stole my heart. I took my managing editor that is a notorious picky eater, but they made her a believer.  Owned by the same mastermind of flavor, Steve Supina who runs the Raku Izakaya in Grover Beach and has been a staple in my family for years. Steve has opened a noddle centric place, and kept a few favorites from Grover Beach on the menu for the San Luis Raku Ramen.

First my guest asked me “What is Ramen?” thinking there would be no way my palate was accepting of the Dollar Store Top Ramen we all subsisted on in College. I explained, with my noodle passion, what truly comprises a bowl of ramen. Perfect Ramen subsist with three distinct parts: the soup, noodles, and toppings. Each part is no less important than the other. The chemistry between them creates the rich and exquisite taste of Japanese ramen. Each part, depending on the chef’s tastes and preferences, vary widely as well. The soup may be created using soy sauce, miso, salt, and countless other ingredients. The noodles also vary in taste, texture, color, and form, but most noodles share the consistency shared by the common ingredients of flour, eggs, and kansui (a type of alkaline water). The toppings help to accentuate the noodles and the soup, from the Chashu (braised pork belly) to the ni-tamago (boiled egg pickled in soy sauce). With limitless varieties and variations in each respective ingredient, Japanese ramen is truly diverse, allowing each chef to create their own unique flavors and tastes.

We started with the Spicy Garlic Edamame, which she would pronounce her favorite thing in the world. These Japanese soybeans are enhanced with a garlic/miso/chili sauce that is out of this world. She went for the Curry Udon that was done with a Japanese Beef Curry Sauce. She loved every bite. I went for the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen that was a beautiful to the eye as it was to my taste buds. The noddle soup was filled with flavor, spicy ground pork, a slice of chashu pork, and the ni-tamago. It was garnished with chopped green onions and garlic chips. It was subtle and wonderful, even with its spicy zest.

I brought back Gary and friends the next night and we all went crazy for the food. We all shared the Spicy Garlic Edamame, an order of Mixed Tempura and Takoyaki. Raku is one of the few restaurants in SLO that serve this amazing dish that is commonly called octopus balls. All appetizers were flavor forward and wonderful. We shared a bottle of crispy Pinot Grigio that was perfect with the subtle flavors and flashes of spice.

We each tried a bowl of Signature Ramen including Basil Ramen, a unique basil pesto broth with spinach noodles garnished with chashu, tomato slices, spinach, onions and garlic chips. It was wonderful. We also tried a Donburi Rice bowl. The Spicy Tuna Don was a bit of enchanting spicy tuna served over jasmine or brown rice with avocado and Ikura (orange caviar). I was vacillating over who was my true love, rice or noodles?

The Vegetarian was not lacking anything sans meat with its house made vegetable broth served with spinach noodles and Japanese vegetables, shitake mushrooms and tofu. I had the Raku Ramen, a spicy bowl filled with premium Tonkosu ramen, with pork cutlet, corn bamboo shoots, scallions and Rayu chili oil. I had them add extra noodles and a fish cake, and it was a heavenly bowl.

We finished off sharing a Heart Attack with is a jalapeno sliced and cleaned then stuffed with spicy tuna and cream cheese and tempered, hot delicious and savory.
 
This is comfort food in its finest form. I have eaten here ten times since my first visit. I almost always order a bowl to go for dinner later. The service is friendly, though the ordering is confusing at first, both the counter and the cook will help you select what is flawless for your tastes.  Raku Ramen is located at 1308 Monterey Street
 in San Luis Obispo; call them at 
(805) 439-3088.






Crazy Sushi Fever

One of my children had a celebratory event and wanted us all to go out to dinner. She was honored with choosing a spot and she chooses well. As a group, we descended upon the restaurant, CrazySushi Fever in Atascadero a Fusion Japanese Tapas and Kitchen.  They were amazingly accommodating and had a wide variety of dishes to satisfy the 2-year-old to the 70-year-old and everyone in between.

We ordered steamed rice and Edamame for the little’s to sedate their appetite and boredom. Edamame is a Japanese soybean that you eat like sunflower seeds, so it is a skill and a treat. I spied a Garlic Edamame on the menu and ordered that for the big folks to share. The beans were steamed and then dashed with slices of garlic and oil, it was a hit. The chef also sent over some Salmon Skin that was dredged in panko and then deep fried, covered with a spicy sirracha sauce and sweet eel, it was resting on a bed of greens and disappeared very quickly.

The reason this restaurant was primarily chosen is because they do sushi rolls without rice. The No Rice Rolls were all works of art and although I was set against them at first, they ended up being my favorite. We started with the Love Love that consisted of spicy diced tuna and avocado slices wrapped with tuna sashimi, spicy small scallop pieces and drizzled with a chili sesame sauce. It was as delicious as it was pretty. Next we tried the Pink Lady with crab and avocado wrapped in big salmon sashimi and a sweet ponzu sauce. My favorite was the Cucumber Special that has cubed pieces of salmon, tuna, albacore and gobo wrapped in a cucumber skin and drizzled with a ponzu sauce. One of the things I like best about these rolls, is you didn’t fill up on rice; there was room in your tummy for more raw fish. They boys liked the What The Heck with a deep fried soft shell crab wrapped in spicy tuna with a tasty creamy lemon sauce. The kids said it looked like a spider and we agreed that if spiders tasted this yummy, no one would be afraid of them.

The non-sushi eaters tried the noodle menu and it was big, hot and full of surprises. The CSF Nabeyaki Udon came in a huge cast iron pot and was chocked full of scallops, mussels, shrimp, Japanese vegetables, hard boiled egg and glorious noodles all in a broth of rich savories. We also tried a Chicken Teriyaki bowl with the right amount of salty teriyaki flavor over grilled chicken breast on a bed of jasmine rice and veggies.

We finished with a Popcorn Lobster roll with langoustine pieces deep fried and sitting over a California roll with a sweet eel sauce and a Spicy Tuna Nacho with spicy diced tuna and salsa served on a crispy wonton. The best roll was the strangest name, Who’s Your Ex-Wife with a deep fried spicy tuna and a crab stick, cream cheese, asparagus and jalapeno all drizzled with a white and sirracha sauce.

We ended with strawberry Mochi for the kids, these frozen and deep fried pockets of sweetness were a hit and the birthday girl got a deep fried cheesecake with fresh berries and berry syrup. We opened presents, sang an off key song and were all delighted with the meal and the wonderful servers and chefs. It was a prefect celebratory meal.

Crazy Sushi Fever is located at 8050 El Camino Real in Atascadero and can be reached at (805) 464-5027. They are open Monday thru Thursday from 11:00am to 9:30pm, Fridays from 11:00am to 10:00pm, Saturday from 12:00pm to 10:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm to 9:00pm.






LaLocanda Restaurant

A good chef lays the foundation for an insightful and memorable meal, a great chef lays the memory of the meal so deep in your soul, you dream about each morsel. I have had the pleasure of dining with many chefs, but every now and then one comes shinning through with a skill set in the kitchen that makes me want to dine with them every day. My current obsession is with Luciano Bardinelli of La Locanda on Garden Street in San Luis Obispo. I was told there was a new eatery with a classic Northern Italian flair, but I was more than impressed and have eaten there four times so far.

The bistro has just ten tables with white table clothes, lacey curtains and a serious wine rack. The chef’s daughter warmly greeted us and we mused with the unique and authentic wine list. We ordered a bottle of Terrabianca 2009 Camipaccio Toscana that paired perfectly with our first course a Caprese salad, with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil. The secret to Caprese is the portions and these were impeccable. Next we had the Involtini di Melanzane which was a brilliant thinly sliced eggplant rolled with Gruyere cheese and ham. Surprising and delightful, I had already begun to fall in love with this chef. Gary started with the Mousse di Cioccolato, which we all inhaled as the creamy cocoa-ness of this fancy pudding nearly floored us.

Our main courses were a delight and we all shared. I had the Spaghettini Carbonara, which is my favorite Italian dish, but rarely done correctly, and here it was. Thin spaghetti noodles are tossed with raw eggs (this makes the sauce) then they are tossed with Prosciutto pieces fried in garlic and olive oil, then topped with Parmesan Reggiano cheese. This is what heaven tastes like, simple yet elegant. I need to mention that all the pasta’s are made in house, but pasta done correctly is a rare indulgence. My companions had the lasagna that was made with a béchamel sauce instead of cheese and was said to be the signature dish. It was light and flavorful and an instant favorite. Gary had the Risotto con funghi di stagione rice with savory seasonal mushrooms swimming in perfectly done Arborio rice. The house made focaccia bread was great for dipping and savoring each sauce.  We finished with Homemade Tiramisu and Pera al vino rosso, pears with wine. Both were authentic and amazing.

Gary and I returned for a romantic luncheon for our anniversary and shared a bottle of Italian Prosecco and a Prosciutto and Melon start. Moon slivers of melon layered with a perfect prosciutto with a generous virgin olive oil pool made this dish brilliant. We shared our meal “Lady and The Tramp” style as we inhaled yet another perfect feast. Gary had the Wild Corvina Sea Bass with butter and lemon sauce, Haricots verts, capers and mushrooms, while I started with a Caesar salad. My salad was chopped and flawlessly portioned with all the ingredients. We shared and took home a Margherita pizza that was the most outstanding pie we have eaten here in the states. Chef Luciano came to sit and talk with us and when he heard it was our anniversary, he jumped up and brought us a Torta al Limone, an impeccable Lemon Tart. Gary got so excited, he spilled his bubbly. I dream about this chef, these dishes and can’t wait to try everything on the menu.

La Locanda features authentic Northern Italian cuisine, old world charm and a wonderful wine list. This is the perfect restaurant for a romantic meal or an amazing lunch. La Locanda recommends making reservations by calling (805) 548-1750. They are open
Tuesday thru Sunday
 for lunch from 11:30 to 2:00pm and dinners from
5:00pm to 9:00pm, they are closed Monday. They are located at 1137 Garden Street in San Luis Obispo.