Let’s Head To The Left Bank

Need a new destination to head to for dinner?  Then you are in luck, because I’ve just discovered The Left Bank.

Left Bank is an American bistro that serves everything from fondue & tilapia to red beans & rice.  No matter what you are in the mood for, the diverse menu offers options for all kinds of taste buds.  The menu is separated into Bourgeois Fare (tastes for the rich) and Peasant Fare (tastes for the commoner).

If you have expensive taste but have a commoner’s budget, then check out the affordable wine list.  Where you can buy a bottle of red/white wine for around $20, or sip it by the glass for $5.  Located on Rhode Island Street, fine dining is not far away!

Can You Handle The Bone In The Stone?

There’s nothing like a good steak.  No matter the cut of steak, there’s just something about a sizzling hunk of meat sitting on your plate.  And before you yell through the computer at me about how unhealthy it is, there are ways to make your steak healthier .

Nonetheless, steaks are as American as apple pie, baseball and political debates.  Adam Richman, of the popular Travel Channel show Man vs. Food, has filmed a segment in Grand Island, NY at The Riverstone Grill.  The Executive Chef at this establishment is Chaz Bulera.  You’ll enjoy his world class dishes at hometown prices.  If you ever get the chance, you should definitely check out the chef’s specialty, The Bone in the Stone.

That’s the challenge that Adam Richman filmed during his stay in the Grand Island/Buffalo area.  The Bone in the Stone is a 48oz. rib-eye steak entrée’, that is accompanied by sautéed onions and a plate full of waffle fries.  The results of the challenge won’t be known until the new season of Man vs. Food airs this fall.  Richman is in Buffalo following a trip to Syracuse where he stopped at a local diner called “Mother’s Cupboard“, a hot dog joint called “Heid’s” and the infamous BBQ hot-spot “Dinosaur Barbeque“.

Grand Island, New York is a unique, close knit community. Riverstone Grill promises to make every effort to become both a respected community member and welcome neighbor.

Get Your Protein Punch at the Red Mill Inn

Where’s the protein? Why, at the Red Mill Inn, of course.

And right now, thanks to Groupon, you can get all the protein you need for half-off.

That’s right! You can get $30 worth of eats and drinks at the Red Mill Inn in Williamsville for $15.

The Red Mill Inn has everything you need to fill up your stomach and quench your thirst. Their dinner menu includes a variety of traditional American prime rib and seafood. The prime rib is slow-roasted and served in 10-ounce, 16-ounce, and 32-ounce proportions. The seafood selection includes pan-seared scallops, and a king crab dinner tipping the scales at one pound.

For lunch, burgers are the featured eat and a Sunday brunch buffet that includes eggs Benedict, roasted turkey, au gratin potatoes, and champagne.

This offer is good through January 27, 2011, is limited to 2 per person and you can buy multiple as gifts. The deal is also limited to 1 per table, 2 per table of 6 or more.

Don’t miss out on the chance to give your stomach the protein and stop by the Red Mill Inn soon.

Snacking Helps You to Eat Less at Mealtime

“You’re much better off having two snacks between the hours of two and seven, then having a light dinner,” says Sara Ryba, a registered dietitian in Scarsdale, New York. “If you wait until you’re so ravenous that you would eat the kitchen table, you’ll wind up eating way more calories when you do finally sit down for supper.”

Experts suggest choosing a snack that has roughly 100 to 200 calories (a meal should start at about 300). Make sure it fills you up (to stop you from decimating the bread basket when dinnertime arrives) with a healthy balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. “Together they stabilize blood sugar levels and keep you feeling satisfied,” Ryba says. “If a snack is high in refined carbs or sugar, your blood sugar will jump, then crash, leaving you feeling tired and even more hungry.”

Another way to ensure that a snack tides you over: Make it feel like a small meal, with multiple components. Experts suggest that if a dieter is given a 100-calorie snack that mimics a meal, such as shrimp cocktail or soup and a bran cracker, versus an apple, she is more likely to feel much more satisfied and less hungry. One good choice that covers all these bases is low-fat cottage cheese and berries. The cheese contains fat and protein, and the berries have carbohydrates. Or you could opt for a single food that contains all three elements, such as low-fat yogurt. (It’s best to buy your yogurt plain and sweeten it yourself, using a little honey, some fruit, fruit preserves, or a dab of apple butter.)

Are you still eating 3 meals a day and not snacking?

A Healthy Choice for Breakfast

Do you or your kids like oatmeal? If you don’t, it might be time to consider the health benefits.

Did you know?
Although oatmeal isn’t particularly low on the glycemic index, it outranks almost every other breakfast cereal and most whole-grain breakfast products. Oatmeal is also regarded as a super food when it comes to supporting digestive health.

For those reasons, many medical practitioners and nutritionists not only allow their diabetic patients to eat oatmeal but actually encourage it, especially since oatmeal helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Enjoy a hearty breakfast and get the benefits of both oats and dairy by serving hot oatmeal. It is better to avoid flavored oatmeal because flavored oatmeal is full of sugars that suppress the health benefits of oatmeal.

What do you eat for breakfast?

Community Supported Agriculture

As the local food movement takes off, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is becoming more popular. One type of CSA is a farm with members who pay for a share and receive produce and other items (meat, eggs, honey, etc.) in return.

Some of these farms require members to work the land alongside the farmer; others only ask that members pick up their boxes of goodies on a certain day and time.

Knowing a food’s source is becoming more important as issues, such as food-borne illness, become more widespread. Also, as gas prices increase, so do food prices. (The average vegetable travels 1,500 miles from farm to table.) Knowing, then, how food is grown and by whom can alleviate both food safety and cost concerns.

Not only does buying locally help consumers, but it also helps farmers. Community-supported farms provide farmers with a reliable income. They can then spend more time growing their products, rather than figuring out how to sell them.

Of course, the partnership between consumers and farmers means members share some of the farmers’ risks. After all, farmers encounter countless setbacks during the growing season. Any of these problems can affect the amount of food CSA members receive.

If you decide to join a CSA farm, learn what to expect. Check out the advice offered at www.LocalHarvest.org.

Will you become a member?

Match Your Pasta to the Right Sauce

Interesting enough, spaghetti isn’t exactly paired well with spaghetti. Another pasta, rigatoni is. I’ve had rigatoni and other pastas, but I didn’t really know that they specifically go with certain sauces. I guess it all makes sense because each of the pastas are different sizes and shapes that can accommodate rich sauces, meat sauces or cream sauces. Check out the chart in the article to find out your perfect pasta/sauce combination. You might discover something new.

Is Organic Better?

We hear the term over and over again in reference to “healthier” food options. But is organic food or produce really better for you? Well, not really. While it is good to eat fresh produce, there’s not really a way to know what “organic” farm the food came from, and often the food is imported.

The bottom line is that if you eat fresh fruit and vegetables that is local and in season, you’re doing well. Do you get your food from farmer’s markets?

Nothing Compares to Buffalo-Style!

Straight from the Buffalo News, here’s an awesome recipe for buffalo style shrimp. I personally love Buffalo style anything. Wings, sandwich, chicken tenders, anything. This Buffalo Grilled Shrimp recipe is right up my alley.To start, you will need:

• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, shells removed, tails on
• 10 ounces Frank’s Red Hot cayenne pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Will you try it out?

Mmm, Crab Cakes!

I always forget how delicious crab meat is until I get crab cakes. Just thinking about those delicious treats is making my mouth water. I didn’t realize there were so many options in creating crab cakes. With a little seasoning, corn, or curry, there are so many choices!

As a matter of fact, here are six crab cake recipes. Which will you try? (I’m still leaning towards original.)

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