Girdwood, Alaska: Salmon Heaven

Success! I have finally been inspired to write about food again.

Well, I had my share of salmon growing up. I'll even go out on a cocky limb and say that I'm a salmon connoisseur. Having been exposed to wild Alaskan salmon on numerous Seattle occasions, I was always curious if it would taste better at the source. Of course, I'm talking about eating Alaskan salmon in Alaska, though not necessarily catching it myself.

This particular meal was at the Hotel Alyeska, a ski resort in Girdwood, about 30 minutes outside Anchorage. I wish I had a picture of the entree, but I don't so I'll do my best to describe it. Hmm... a beautiful cut of salmon lay quietly on my plate. It was grilled wild Alaskan salmon preserved in lemon butter. Next to it sat half a lemon, and nearby something like grits -- maybe it was grits! There were also several carrot slices and something green, a vegetable perhaps. As you can see, my memory is hazy when it comes to anything other than the salmon. I was very focused on the salmon. There was so much anticipation for this moment built up over the preceding two months, that it was somewhat of a religious experience. When I made the first cut into the salmon, it fell apart effortlessly. When I took the first bite, I fell apart effortlessly. I was one with the salmon. When I say "fell apart", I do indeed mean from uncontrollable pleasure. The meat was succulent, the flavors perfect. My expectations were met, and then expertly surpassed.

If I had my way, I would have fresh Alaskan salmon all the time, but reality has a way of getting in the way of one's objectives, especially mine. I think a cold shower is in order.

The Legend

There is a fascinating story behind the title of this blog. This rich family history is provided by my grandfather; I hope he doesn't mind me putting his tale on the Internet.

He was going through security at an airport after getting off an international flight to London. Suddenly, an officer stopped him and said, "Sir, you are not permitted to bring fruits into the country. The pomegranates must stay here."

He thought seriously for a minute or two. He hated the idea of trashing a bag of fresh pomegranates. Or worse — leaving them with the security guards. He worked so hard to transport these scrumptious fruits such a long distance, and the thought of leaving them in the undeserving hands of a few hungry security guards was deeply upsetting.

Then, he had an idea. "I want to eat them," he said to the guard. "Where can I sit?" The guard pointed him to a chair off to the side near a wall, where my grandfather took upon himself the laborious task of eating 20 pomegranates in one sitting. To make things easier, he thoroughly squeezed each one before punching a hole in the top and sucking the juice out. And so he ate them, one by one, every last drop. He collected the remains in the bag and threw them out, then continued through security toward home, content as could be.

May this inspire anyone faced with any degree of injustice — from the trivial to the severe — that they may have the cunning to outwit their foe and enjoy what is rightfully theirs.

Correction

I just came back from my second dinner at Shandeez Grill, and I must admit, it was significantly better the second time. Namely, the rice was excellent and the chicken kabob was moist and juicy. Actually, all the meat was so much more tender. I also tried their kashk-e bademjun, an appetizer made primarily of eggplant and yogurt, which was very addictive. And their ice cream -- amazing! The flavors of saffron and rosewater were overwhelming and incredibly refreshing. The baklava was good, too: crispy and filled with honey, but not too rich. A successful evening indeed.

Shandeez Grill (Austin, TX)

A week ago, a few friends and I decided to try a so-called Persian restaurant 30 minutes north of Austin, TX. Little did we know that it was Mexican, too! (On the menu, they claimed to harbor Mexican cuisine, but the menu items did not reflect that.) Let me preface the rest of this saucy tale by mentioning that the three of us had already tried another Persian restaurant nearby called Alborz, so we all had something to compare Shandeez Grill to. Now, down to business...

We wanted to try as many menu items as possible, so we decided early on that we would share our meals and order different things. Who wants ghormeh sabzi? A green stew made with vegetables (type depends on the chef), herbs, kidney beans, lime, and traditionally lamb, all served over basmati rice. As I reluctantly let someone else order the ghormeh sabzi, I realized that this was one of those moments in life when you have to make a sacrifice for the benefit of others. To balance the stew, M and I decided to get kabobs - one soltani each. Soltani is the typical name for a combo kabob dish (you might wonder if the name is derived from sultans and their rich lifestyle, but I have no way to verify that). Anyway, we both ordered chicken and beef, but we differed drastically in beef, with M on the koobideh (awe-inspiring, seasoned ground beef) and me on the barg (marinated, thinly cut, tender steak). Since I was the only one interested in doogh, a minty yogurt drink, we opted for a communal mast-o musir instead, which is a side of yogurt with shallots mixed in.

I must say it all looked fantastic when it arrived - perfect beds of rice, kabobs carefully laid over the top, sweet aromas. I surreptitiously eyed the ghormeh sabzi as I ventured a first bite. Success! The chicken had a sweet, tangy marinade, the koobideh was juicy, and the barg was tender and cooked to perfection. As far as I could tell, the ghormeh sabzi was in good taste but unusually watery, which was somewhat disappointing. The rice, too, was less than perfect, and acquired a noticeable mushy consistency half way into the meal. Unfortunately, this could not be completely concealed by the combined flavor extravaganza of grilled tomatoes, mast-o musir, onion, ghormeh sabzi, and kabobs, but that does not mean I would give up on Shandeez that easily. Indeed, I shall make my presence there again soon with renewed enthusiasm and expectations. Even with the watery nature of their ghormeh sabzi and rice, Shandeez is certainly the best Persian restaurant in Austin.

Such an apt title

Hopefully, if I get my act together, I will actually start writing things here this year.