Monthly Archives: December 2014

RESTAURANT REVIEW….IN ODESSA

December 8, 2014

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My bestie sans baby and I like to venture out and about in Midland to find the most edible restaurants in the Tall City. Since neither of us have littlens attached to our teet, we are able to travel for food, so we decided to revisit a favorite from a year ago.

When I called my family and told them I was finally going to do another restaurant review in Midland, the first thing they asked was where?! It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of non-Mexican restaurants in West Texas, so they are always curious. I told them that I was going to make the LONG TREK (12 miles) to Odessa, to go to Odessa Donuts. All I could hear was judgmental silence, and I could picture them thinking of me with wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, with an overgrown fupa and yesterday’s makeup. RELAX mom, Odessa Donuts serves delicious Vietnamese food, namely Pho. And I wasn’t wearing sweatpants, I was in Lululemon. With an XL hoodie…

When you pull up to Odessa donuts, they have an incredible display of advertisements for literally everything. There is a weight loss pill add next to the same poster that ice cream trucks have displaying the popsicles for sale. A donut sign next to a picture of soup. It is the most ADD storefront I’ve seen, and it makes me happy.

Here’s what you order: No. 8 Beef Pho, No. 11 Chicken Lok Lak, and an order of spring rolls. Get your own soup (because people who share soup also probably share needles), and share the chicken and spring rolls. Warning: When you order, they will as “Is dis all FO YOU?”. Yes, a**hole, it’s all for me, so zip it, and enough with that judgmental look. Phok you, alright?

The Pho is served with two types of questionable beef, but that isn’t an issue for me, since I’ll pretty much eat anything.  Add in plenty of life, sriracha and a small amount of hoisin (that they bring you), and you’re set. Did I mention that this is a sit down restaurant? Yes, we sit down at donut shops in West Texas. I think some of the tables even had tablecloths. FANCY. The chicken is served with tons of grilled jalapeños and a fried egg, and it rocks. The egg rolls are crunchy and legit but so is everything else that is fried-they are more like fried spring rolls than egg rolls, and I’m pretty sure they are vegetarian. Which means they are healthy. I was tempted to get a donut for the ride home, but decided against it, since my lulu’s were getting a little tight, and I don’t want to have to buy a double XL hoodie.

Chicken Lok Lak

Chicken Lok Lak

You can’t go wrong, and it’s worth the trip across the tracks to get it.

PS- They also are a deli and serve sandwiches. Because why wouldn’t your traditional donut shop/Vietnamese restaurant not serve a club?

PPS- I HIGHLY recommend checking out their facebook page. They have better pics, but it’s also incredibly entertaining.

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls

Shrimp & Scallops – even YOU (well, maybe you) can do it!

December 7, 2014

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Pan Seared Scallops and Shrimp with Cauliflower Foam

  • 6 medium/large scallops
  • 6 medium/large gulf shrimp (MAKE SURE THAT IT’S NOT FROM ASIA!)
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • Wedge of lemon
  • ½ tbs butter
  • 1 tbs. grapeseed oil (no taste, high heat oil)
  • 1 head (or one package) of cauliflower. I bought the bag that already is in florets
  • ½ – 1 cup heavy cream (woof. But worth it)
  • ½ tsp. black truffle salt

 

Steam the head of cauliflower. My husband thinks that steamed or roasted broccoli/cauliflower smells horrible, so light a candle. Without fail, every time I cook broc or cauli, he walks in the house, and thinks that I’ve just been tooting all around the place. I swear it’s the broccoli!? Put the steamed cauliflower in your Vitamix with the salt and heavy cream and puree just until smooth. It looks like whipped cream and tastes just as fattening. Put to the side.

Peel and devein your shrimp. I have to P&D my shimp b/c the only peeled and deveined shrimp we have at HEB are sickass ones from Thailand or Cambodia. Fresh gulf shrimp is where it’s at, and the extra step is no big deal. Pat all the seafood dry, and set the scallops on a paper towel for a minute to absorb any extra moisture. Season the scallops and shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet to high. Once hot, add in the grapeseed oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add in the scallops and make sure they are sizzling—you want to get a really good sear. Otherwise you just have weird , somewhat moist, rubbery  seafood. Sick, I wish my mind didn’t wander to where it is right now….so NOT kosher for a Sunday morning. (I am however watching church on my laptop, so that counts, right?) Glad my mom doesn’t know how to use the internet. Cook each scallop for 45-60 seconds and flip to finish. Remove the scallops and let them rest on a paper towel and put your shrimp in the skillet. Once I put the shrimp in, I like to add in a clove of minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon and a tiny bit of butter. Shrimp take like a minute to cook, so once they are pink, remove.

Put a little bit of the cauliflower puree on a plate (the recipe above makes a lot more than you should eat….) and top with the seafood. Garnish with chopped parsley if you so fancy… Enjoy!

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