Spice-Rubbed Rib Eye with Bar Americain Sauce and Grilled Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Mayonnaise

Today I tried the recipe that I was going to do last weekend.  I had most everything I needed (except the steaks themselves) and was in the mood for something tasty.  Considering the let-down I had with the last entry I decided to stick to the directions as closely as I could.

The Bar Americain steak sauce was the first item I made.  It's a honey-mustard-horseradish steak sauce that's very popular at Bobby Flay's restaurants.

Next was the steak rub.  It called for a lot of ancho chile powder, but the book said that it wouldn't be too spicy.

I also found a good side dish - the grilled potatoes.  I thought the spicy mayonnaise would go well with the spicy rub.  One of my favorite things to eat with french fries is a mix of ketchup and mayo.  This sauce was a mix of grilled tomatoes, mayo, and chipotle peppers.  (Yes, I got to use some of the leftovers from before.)   When I saw that the tomatoes would be grilled I thought it was unusual, but once I put them on the grill I remembered that I've grilled tomatoes before - when I do shishkabobs.

It's difficult to see, but each time I flipped the tomatoes steam rose out of the center.  It also gave Kristen a chance to use her new tomato corer and garlic slicer.

When I was in the checkout line at the grocery store, the guy behind me commented on how nice the steaks looked.  By the way, if I ever get the inclination to go to a grocery store on a Saturday again, I want you to tackle me and drag me back in the house.  Believe me, the experience would be more enjoyable. 

And it gave me an excuse to use the new grill basket Kristen got me.

Tonight's wine is Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  It's been open for a while now, but I haven't had an occasion to drink red wine recently, and I already knew it would pair well with any red meat.

Admittedly, tonight's meal was something that I wanted instead of something Kristen and I wanted.  I ended up putting the steaks back on the grill because Kristen does not like anything cooked less than medium-well.  She also does not like fatty steaks, which usually makes up at least 10% of a rib eye.  But I really enjoyed it, and felt everything had just enough of a kick without overdoing it.  =o9

Grilled Banana and Nutella Panini

Well, unfortunately our grill plans this weekend fell through, so the rib-eyes will have to wait.

But I did try a quick recipe for grilled banana and Nutella paninis.  They took so little time to make that I didn't do any pictures of the preparation.  (That and it was dark out when I started.)  I did make too much filler, unfortunately, and I can't really store mushed bananas for too long. 

I do feel like I rushed this one and the final product was not as pretty as it could've been.  However the taste factor was a winner.  Considering their simplicity and speedy completion time, I think this is something we'll try again.  =o9

Rethinking / Reheating

I had leftovers tonight, and I'm rethinking the success of last night's creation.  The chicken wasn't nearly as good as the first time I used that sauce.  The sweet rub didn't add the flavor that I wanted.  Plus I think the chicken was a little underdone. 

The shrimp were definitely overdone, and didn't mix well with the chicken.  They certainly didn't go with the wine.  And the scallions were pretty much an afterthought and a way to get rid of what I had left.

The whole thing was a similar example to the first entry where I try a mix-mash of everything, but this time with unsuccessful results, at least eating it a second time.  Things seemed to taste better the night before.

Even though I tried planning out things more, it still turned into a hodge-podge of items.  I'm just shocked because the spices together smelled so good and it's almost heartbreaking it fell short. 

So this weekend I plan on returning to the cookbook and am going to try my hand at a Spice-Rubbed Rib Eye with Bar Americain Steak Sauce.  This is apparently a popular menu item at Bar Americain and this weekend my friends get to have it for free.  =o9