Ribeye with Young Tamarind Leaves

My potted tamarind plants are loving the blisteringly hot weather outdoors.  They are budding like crazy and are sending out hundreds of young, succulent leaves.  These have a pleasant but sharp, tart flavor.  In south east Asian cooking, young tamarind leaves are traditionally used in stews, soups, chutneys, pulses, candies or jams.

With leftover grilled rib-eye staring at me in the fridge, I decided to do a rib-eye rice bowl makeover by briefly searing the cubed rib-eye in a pan, adding young tamarind leaves, cooked carrots, red bell peppers and a sweet and tangy sauce made with raw, organic honey and balsamic vinegar to tie everything together.

Did you know?

In South Asia and Africa, fresh leaves and fruit of tamarind is a common health remedy.  In many parts of India and Africa, it is used for digestive problems.  In Malaysia, Philippines, Borneo and Indonesia, a leaf infusion is used in managing malaria and fever.

Texas Roadhouse

A couple weeks back we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Teen had been wanting to go to the newly opened branch at Perkins. One reason why we never did visit earlier was the mixed reviews from friends about the salmon being over-cooked and the baked potato tasting like a salt mine but the rolls were supposed to be soft and fantastic. The day before, I mentioned to Hubby we should try going there to find out for ourselves. So when Kim asked if we would like to join them at Texas Roadhouse on 270, we were eager to go. On the way there I heard Gerald was lusting for a thick, juicy steak after being on the fifth day of a vegetable and soup diet that's supposed to be good for keeping bad cholesterol in check.

We had to wait for the rest of our party to arrive so it took a while for everyone to get seated. I looked around and noticed the floor was littered with peanut shells. Kids were popping peanuts and stomping on the shells or throwing them at each other. So, that's how they keep the guests entertained while waiting to be seated.

Finally, we were led to our table but our group was too big so they split us up to two tables. Someone a table away had a birthday and the wait staff made a big fuss about it, letting the guest sit on a saddle, focusing a spotlight on the poor guy and singing to him. Every so often, music would blare out and the wait staff would get together and form a line to sing and dance to the music. Very noisy and a lot of fun!!

The food was to my liking. I ordered Sirloin kabob -- meat was perfectly marinated and cooked just right with a good balance of peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. It went well with my Caesar's salad. Hubby and Teen both had Fort Worth Ribeye --one with baked potato and the other with fries. Cooked medium-well, the steaks were tender and seasoned perfectly but true to a friend's feedback, the baked potato had a salt crust!! The seasoned rice was too complex and overly seasoned for Teen but the Rattlesnake bites (jack cheese mixed with diced jalapenos, lightly fried and served with Cajun horseradish sauce) made up for this. On the plus side too was the soft rolls that were perfect - buttery and soft with honey-cinnamon butter on the side.

Overall, the place was high energy and fun...the crazy ambiance was infectious! The food was very good but if you are on a low-salt diet, better ask your server about your options or request for the cook to go gentle with the salt.