So on Saturday afternoon we made the trek over to East Lansing to see Dr. Beef at Goodrich’s. We ended up getting two ~7oz prime cuts (we just recently learned that “prime” and “choice” are two separate levels of goodness). The prime had just come in, and we figured if we were already going to get the most expensive cut of beef there is, we might as well go all out. That way we could definitely rule out the meat as the problem if the recipe didn’t turn out well. I also picked up some baby yukon gold potatoes for a quick skins-on mash.

I cut the potatoes into like-sized chunks and dropped them into some boiling water. I don’t think I salted the water but I meant to. I also started to reduce the balsamic vinegar. I actually think my balsamic vinegar might have been too good for this purpose. As proof that Jason knows me better than I know myself at times, he got me some 25-year barrel aged balsamic vinegar for Christmas. It is nothing like the grocery-store stuff and definitely a worthwhile splurge at least once! Anyhow, I don’t think I needed to reduce the vinegar quite as long or add as much sugar because of the age of my vinegar, so it turned out kind of sticky. Next time I will cut the cook time in half or try something younger, maybe like only a 4-year old balsamic or a pre-made glaze.

Meanwhile, I seasoned the steaks on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and melted the butter in a medium sized pan. Giada’s recipe was for 6 servings but I used the same amount of butter for just two.

After the butter had melted and the pan was appropriately hot, I dropped the steaks in for their first side. The hardest part was to stand there and not move them for 3 minutes straight, but the thought of seared crusty goodness was enough to keep me from fiddling with them.

While I finished up the steaks, Jason got to mashing the potatoes with a little milk, chives, and some of the leftover goat cheese that we wouldn’t be using for the steaks themselves.

When the steaks were done on their second side, we topped them pretty liberally with goat cheese and popped them under the broiler for just a minute to get the cheese melted. We plated the steaks up on a bed of mashed potatoes, drizzled them with some balsamic sauce, and were ready to eat!

I must say, they turned out FANTASTIC! The meat was a perfect doneness and the combination of flavors was excellent. I wish I had a picture of the inside of the steaks but I was too busy devouring it to stop for a photo. Was that TMI or TMB (too much bragging)? Whatever the case, I would definitely recommend this recipe. It couldn’t have taken more than 45 minutes to prepare and the results were excellent.

The recipe is great as-is, but I do have a few notes on how we do them in the amuhlou kitchen.

1. We are currently using a pre-made chipotle mayo because I couldn’t find chipotles in adobo the last time I needed them. If you can find it, it’s a pretty good swap (time-wise at least, not sure about cost).
2. If you are making the mayonnaise from scratch and have never used chipotles before, start out with 1/2 of one chipotle rather than the two chipotles the recipe suggests! Then taste and adjust. I used exactly what the recipe suggested the first time and ended up adding a lot of extra mayo.
3. I would strongly recommend that you do not cook these in a frying pan if at all possible. The amount of fat that can come off them is pretty high and quite frankly disturbing. We use a George Foreman grill and it works really well. I do think the 20% fat in the 80/20 ground beef does lend to the flavor though, so I wouldn’t switch.
4. Resist the urge to “doll up” your patties with other ingredients besides salt and pepper. I am known to put Worcestershire sauce in just about anything with beef, but these little guys really, really don’t need it. I promise!
5. Dent the middle of each patty with your thumb to prevent burger bulge. Also, season just the dented side with salt and pepper.
6. I have never, ever found what the recipe calls “mini burger buns.” We use dinner rolls and they work just as well–we just have to cut them in half ourselves.
7. I like my cheese a little melted, so I just add it to a couple sliders right when they come off the grill.

As you can see, in addition to making the sliders, I stopped to snap some pictures of the process. I’m finding that indoor photography is hard without proper lighting. It’s also hard because it increases the time it takes for the food to get into my belly! If you want to check out a slideshow of the photos from this recipe, I have them posted on my flickr photostream under the tag “sliders.”

If you like miniature burgers, you should definitely give these a try!

Well, since you asked, I would ask for a similar restaurant in my new hometown of Lansing. As of yet, I have not discovered it. I always assumed that the food at El Zarape was so good because it was authentic, but now I’m not so sure–maybe it’s authentic enhanced? It’s so good that I’ve stopped there on my way to my parents’ house so that Jason could taste the food I use as the basis for my comparisons.

We have gone to restaurant upon restaurant in the Lansing area, each time hoping that this one would be “the one.” No such luck. Here are the places we’ve tried, with a few notes:

1. Alicia’s Authentic Mexican Deli: Judging by the reviews, we thought this place would be a perfect little “hole-in-the-wall” location. Unfortunately we were wrong– the food was bland, tasteless, and overpriced for what it was. And served on styrofoam plates, the food didn’t exactly scream “delicious.” (Though I would like to note that had the food blown me away, the styrofoam wouldn’t have been much of an issue)
2. La Seniorita: The food seemed over-seasoned and over-cheesed (yes, there is such a thing as too much cheese), perhaps to cover up a lack of quality ingredients. To top that, our service was pretty slow.
3. Los Gringos Restaurant: Nothing memorable except for the fact that there weren’t many menu options and they are a cash-only establishment.
4. Famous Taco: Because of its convenience, we tried Famous Taco many times, but gave up on it because of how underwhelming the food was. The rice and beans were bland.
5. Los Tres Amigos: Again nothing memorable. Seemed pretty run-of-the-mill.
6. Pablo’s Panaderia: Another one we had really high hopes for based on reviews, but the food was a letdown. The taco meat, like everything else, didn’t seem to have much flavor.

We did find two places that will go on our short list. While the food wasn’t quite like El Zarape these restaurants stand out among the competition:

1. Aldaco Restaurant: The place has a good atmosphere, large portions, and pretty tasty food. Jason and I also have a little bit of a sentimental attachment to it because we happened to stop there on one of our first dates.
2. Cancun Mexican Grill: The atmosphere is good and the food has an authentic feel. I will probably go there again.

I figure we have to be running out of places to try by now and I have yet to be completely wowed. Maybe my attachment to El Zarape is something more than taste? If you have a place in the Lansing-East Lansing area you think we should try, leave it in the comments! Oh, and if you have any good Chinese cuisine spots, leave those too… but that’s a post for another day!

Update 01/18/2010: We tried El Azteco this past weekend. We liked the salsa a lot, and the beef taco seasoning was good. However, the refried beans (which are a deal breaker for Jason) were awful. Not sure if we will go back to try some other menu items.

Update 05/10/2010: We tried the El Oasis Taco Truck this past weekend. I think they are probably the best tacos around and very reasonably priced. I was also excited by the Coca Cola in glass bottles from Mexico. It’s quite a luxury! We will definitely go back sometime to try other menu items.

Those who are close to me know I am a pretty huge fan of Ina Garten. I started watching her show on Food Network back in 2007 and I was hooked. Her food is simple, fabulous, and doesn’t require much of a fuss. So on to the Mac and Cheese! The prep work of grating all that cheese by hand wasn’t too fun, but I’m pretty sure Ina would have done it in a food processor. We cut the recipe in half, since we weren’t serving a crowd. It turned out really delicious–especially with its contrasting textures. Even better, you can make the base of this recipe ahead of time!

On to motive number two: to show off a picture from my new camera, a Canon Rebel XS. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of our dinner, and you can expect a lot more in the future.

I still have a lot to learn about this camera, but I’m excited by the opportunity to take my photography to another level.