The Steak-House Meal At Home
Ingredients
Preparation
Tools
About
I sometimes wish we could just pick up and leave--with the kids in tow--and drive down to this little local bistro that has one heck of a happy hour menu at a great price! But it's too nice of a menu and place to rush the trip. My son, now almost five, could probably sit and draw while my husband and I noshed on the chilled gazpacho soup garnished with scallop ceviche, avocado and cucumber ($4.50 a bowl) and followed it up with the beef bourguignon ($9) and the Australian lamb chops with port wine sauce ($12!). But we wouldn't be able to savor the affordable gourmet happy-hour meal with the must-have glass of syrah or cab that the food deserves--unless we downed everything with extreme urgency before the "heeby jeebies" set in.
"I want down, mom. Can we go now? What's that red stuff on the plate? Can I use my napkin as a karate bandana?"
And I won't even go there--thinking about our little almost-two-year old little girl. She is so sweet. And then she realizes she is strapped in. Yikes! Does anyone have ear plugs. You can't blame her. She just discovered she is her own little individual person.
"Mommy. 'Et me dowwwwwwn!"
Ok, I know. One word. Babysitter. The thing is, money is so tight right now that the happy hour prices would just go out the window if we hired a babysitter for this venture. So I sit and stare at the happy hour menu and scheme to figure out how I am going to have some of those dishes. Soon.
And finally, this weekend, I got an idea. Why not make a dish from their menu at home and see how it turns out? Yes! So I decide on a traditional steak-house dish: Filet Mignon Wedge Salad. It's simple. Char-grilled fillet mignon, sliced, and draped over a wedge of iceberg lettuce with yummy, rich bleu cheese dressing drizzled on top! Double Yes!