Sunday, March 28, 2010

Bin 112



On Saturday, We decided to go to dinner at one of our all time favorite Restaurants, Bin 112 in Downtown Greer. We discovered Bin on August 18th, 2007. The night we got engaged.

We'd eaten that evening at Gerrard's, which was also in Greer but closed a year or so later. After dinner, we were walking around downtown and came across Bin. It had opened only two months earlier in June. We went back and tried it a few weeks later and instantly fell in love with it.

The atmosphere is very intimate and casually elegant but the food and service was what really got us. The wait staff are very attentive but what really stands out is how friendly they are. Each time we go back they remember us and always strike up a conversation. A few of them will even remember our favorite dishes each time we go even if they don't wait on us for months at a time.

Atmosphere and service are great, but the reason we go, of course, is the food. The cuisine can best be described as "eclectic southern". Every item on the menu comes in half or full sizes so you can get your own meal or go tapas style. We prefer tapas style. I also love the little southern touches like the use of collard greens in many of the dishes.

Here's a rundown of our dinner on Saturday night and a few of our favorite items. We start with a bottle of Redhead Studios Yard Dogs Red Blend of Cab, Malbec and Petite Verdot From Australia. They also bring complimentary homemade chips and bread.

Our first items were half size orders of "Flaming Kasseri" "Mussels on the Beach", "Tapas the World, Mom!". Three of our standards.


The Flaming Kasseri is a fried Greek Mediterranean melting cheese finished with lime and flamed with Tequila. So freakin' good.


The Tapas the World, Mom! is a plate of marinated vegetables like olives, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, green beans, artichoke hearts and tomatoes.


Mussels on the Beach is my personal favorite. It's fresh mussels sauteed in an incredible garlic, lemon Sauvignon Blanc sauce. My suggestion, get more bread to soak up the broth once the mussels are gone. (The picture doesn't do it justice, trust me.)

After our standards, we tried something new. The night's special was a pan fried grouper with a bacon-wrapped scallop over Carolina rice and collard greens. The dish was garnished with clams in a lobster cream sauce. WOW! The grouper was absolutely fantastic.

For dessert, we tried their new special... the Cordillera S'Mores. It's a homemade smoked chili chocolate bar with marshmallows and graham crackers served with a fire pot so you can make the s'mores yourself at your table. It was very fun.

As always, our meal was fantastic. But don't take my word for it. Try it for yourself. The website is bin112.com.

- Jeff

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Reuben Dip

This dip will be my contribution at tomorrow's Dip of the Month Club. What is DOTM Club, you may ask? A couple of girls at work, Natalie and Jennifer, came up with a great idea to gather a bunch of co-workers each month to sample new dips and share the recipes. So I will have more dip recipes coming soon! I came up with this recipe over the weekend and it is a new favorite. I just happened to find Rye Triscuts and they go really well with the dip. I think I like this combination even more than a regular Reuben sandwich!

Ingredients


1/2 pound corned beef. Deli sliced thick then cut into ½ inch pieces
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup sauerkraut, drained and squeezed well
½ C Thousand Island dressing

In a medium bowl, combine corned beef, cream cheese, 1 C Swiss cheese, sauerkraut,and dressing. Spoon into a greased, 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining ½ C Swiss cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with Rye Triscuts or rye bread.


Note: I used reduced fat cream cheese, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing and it turned out great.


Friday, March 19, 2010

Smoky Tomato Soup

Oh my goodness this is my new favorite gotta-get-dinner-ready-in-less-than-20 minutes recipe! It is so tasty but quick and very healthy. The key is the quality of the ingredients so make sure you actually have the smoked paprika and the fire roasted tomatoes. Don't substitute the regular versions.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 large 28 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (Muir Glen makes an organic version usually in the health food aisle and I recently found some made by Hunt's in the regular vegetable aisle. )
1/2 C orange juice

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute about 5 minutes until they are soft. Add garlic and paprika and saute for 2 more minutes. Add tomatoes and orange juice and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer half the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Since it will be hot, make sure you open the center piece on the lid to allow steam to escape. Cover it with a towel as you blend. Pour into a large bowl and repeat with other half. Or you can use an immersion blender if you have one. I prefer the regular blender because it makes smoother soup. Top with some Parmesan or cheddar cheese or sour cream and enjoy.

We sometimes make grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it if we are especially hungry.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Scallops in White Wine Butter Sauce

I love any type of seafood but scallops are one of my favorites. Jeff feels the same way so we enjoy making them at home. These were particularly good because we got a good crust on them. We served them with sauteed spinach and lemon Parmesan orzo.

3/4 lb large sea scallops (3-4 per person depending on the size)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 C dry white wine (we used a sauvigon blanc and drank the rest with dinner)
1 tsp fresh dill chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to season scallops

Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. This removes extra moisture and ensures the exterior gets a nice sear. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a stainless steel pan over medium heat. Make sure the pan is hot enough by sprinkling some water in the pan. If it dances and evaporates, the pan is hot enough.

Add scallops and cook approximately 3 minutes on each side. The trick to using stainless steel pans like All Clad is to wait until the food is ready release. Using tongs, try to gently pick up the food. If it doesn't release easily, leave it alone and let it it cook for a couple more minutes. Don't pull it or it will fall apart. Once the food is cooked, it will release easily from the pan and you will have a nice sear on your scallop. When using stainless steel pans, I rely on the releasing technique much more than I do on actual cooking times.

Once scallops are cooked on both sides, remove them from pan. Delgalze the pan with the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Add the dill and salt and cook for a minute to allow the alchol to evaporate. Stir in the butter and immediately serve the sauce over the seared scallops.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Tag You're It


I know I have not posted in over a month and there is no excuse other than both Jeff and I have been extremely busy at work. What better way to get back into blogging on a regular basis by participating in a blog game. Here is the deal:

1. Open your 1st photo folder
2. Scroll to your 10th photo
3. Post the photo and the story behind it
4. Tag 5 or more people

The photo above is my 10th photo. It is me and my friend Jami in Charleston on 4th of July weekend 2006. I think this was at Ravel on King Street. We were out with her husband, Dan, and my other friends Miriam, Roxanne, Melonye, and Melonye's husband John. It was a really fun night but the 11th picture in my folder made me laugh out loud and I have to tell you the story behind that one!



This picture was taken once we got back to Miriam's house. It is a picture of her brisker. You may be asking, "what is a brisker" because Roxanne and I certainly asked that question. A brisker looks like a bread box but really its function is completely opposite of a bread box. It is an electric crisper. It keeps food like crackers, chips, cereals and cookies crisp. Miriam said they have been used in her family for years and this one was passed down to her. We think they were used a lot in the South years ago when not everyone had air conditioning and summers were very humid. Roxanne and I had never heard of a brisker before that evening and we were so glad Miriam was able to enlighten us. And that we had crispy bagel chips to enjoy when we got back from our night out on the town!


I tag Jami, Katie, Deanna, Melanie, Mary Katherine, and Cristin. If you don't have a blog, you can email me your picture and story. Thanks Rox for tagging me!