We had some hamburger cutlet curry last night, making use of the last of the curry I cooked earlier in the week. As often happens, we had a bunch of rice left over, so I whipped up some rice balls, aka onigiri, aka samgak kimbap, using one of Maangchi’s fantastic recipes. Maangchi has yet to steer me wrong. I made my own kimchi after Christmas and I really think it’s got to be some of the best kimchi I have ever tasted and I will owe this to her recipe and accompanying video that made it very achievable. It’s a long process, but I’d not say it’s hard. It’s something to do when you’ve got a day off or a half-day from your usual obligations. Anyhow, yeah, let’s get to the gettin’.

I had some canned salmon that I bought a while ago for these very purposes, so I decided to swap the tuna in her recipe for salmon. This recipe couldn’t be easier to follow. There’s a good reason why you’ll see these made for little kids in trendy hipster bento lunchboxes photographed/blogged about by hipster parents online. It’s something you could do with kids. It was just as tasty to do this with salmon as tuna, what a shock. My eyes wandered to some of the sardines I’ve got lying around… I’m going to have to try that next…

Tonight was the fourth time we’ve given the Friendly Toast in Kendall a shot at our dining dollars. So far, it’s been pretty inconsistent. I maintain that the one in Portsmouth  was better in terms of food quality, service, and consistency; husband says it was just as inconsistent The mojito milkshake in Portsmouth is full of lime, vanilla, and fresh mint flavor (or it was); the one in Cambridge tastes more like mouthwash-mint and has not even a hint of lime. We got our almond joy pancakes in two shifts. They were good, but I’ve had them fluffier and cooked just right instead of just about the other side of overcooked. Homemade hash was very tasty, no complaints from me. I dunno. Maybe I’ve been putting an unreasonably high standard on it, but I am pretty sure that the Portsmouth location’s been better. After almost a year, I’d like to see them work out the dang kinks a bit better. Is it because this area lacks the gutterpunk work force that’s present in Portsmouth? I do not know. The only way I think this is going to be settled is to go up to Portsmouth. I’d like to see how they’ve redecorated the Portsmouth location. The first time I went there, it was a few years ago on a Sunday morning with my parents and I tell you, I felt more of a spiritual connection with that place than I ever felt in church. It was like a glorious palace of all that is good in the world in terms of decor, menu, atmosphere, even location.

My six degrees of separation story about Todd English is that my dad helped him get building permits to open up Olives (and later, Figs) in Charlestown, MA in the 1980s. I’d never actually eaten at his restaurant until I went there for my BFF Prairie’s 24th birthday in 2000. I don’t remember everything I had, but I do remember having something involving a lobster ragout over squid ink pasta. I’d seen squid ink pasta on Iron Chef and very much wanted to try it, delightful gothy black pasta. Mmm! Say what you will about what Todd English has become, as MC Slim JB does very well, but back when he was into cooking, the man knew how to make some dang pizza and he knew how to make some effin’ crab cakes. I received The Olives Table several years ago as a birthday or Christmas present, either from Prairie or from my mom, I’m no longer sure. I liked the sound of his crab cake recipe as it didn’t involve red bell pepper or mayonnaise, bold moves indeed!  I made the crab cakes and I made an aïoli also from the cookbook and whoa. Oh, Todd English, you’re the real Iron Chef USA.

Adapted for the home, his cookbooks are easy to follow and replicate in your kitchen. If nothing else, these crab cakes are worth trying. Rather than welcome a C&D, the link there is for “mini” crab cakes, but it’s the same as the recipe in his cookbook; the recipe omits the fact that you will get four crab cakes from that recipe.