a la Grit

Cookbooks from The Grit, one of Athen's coolest restaurants, were all the rage at this year's Christmas in Santa Barbara. Jenny had gotten one for a friend, which we all flipped through before it was wrapped. Of course, that sneak peak was more than enough to convince all three of us that we each needed one for ourselves!

I've already made quite a few things from it, in just the 2 weeks since Christmas. For our holiday feasting we made their Chocolate Eclair Pie, Pecan Pie (we couldn't choose just one pie, and why force ourselves to?!), and Spicy Thai Noodles. Since returning home, I've also made Barbecue Tofu, Squash Casserole, Carrot Cake, and Tofu "Meatloaf".

It's so great! I'm thrilled to have a fantabulous vegetarian cookbook since I almost exclusively cook vegetarian. And it's great to go on these nostalgia trips, even though I don't think I've ever eaten any of the dishes that I've cooked so far at The Grit, except possibly some of the desserts. (I think I only ever chose between two meals whenever I ate there: the Mid-E Platter (falafels, tabouleh, hummus and pitas) and the Dal Baby (dal, samosas, and rice).)

Everything's been really good. The desserts are all AMAZING. Isn't my carrot cake beautiful? It tastes great too! I'm very proud of it. It's the first layer cake I've ever made! Everyone who tried the pecan pie was very impressed and declared that it tasted "professional". And who could turn down a slice of chocolate eclair pie?! :D

The main courses have also been very good. I'm not sure if I'll make the Thai Noodles again. I have another recipe for a noodle salad with spicy Thai peanut sauce that I like better. And after all, why recreate Asian inspired dishes from a Georgia restaurant? I'm much more excited for the vegetarian renditions of American cuisine in this cookbook. It's very easy to make Asian vegetarian food; that's the original venue for tofu... It's the "American" dishes that are unique. That's why I made barbecue tofu and tofu "meatloaf" first. I was drawn to them! I really liked the barbecue tofu. It's the first time I've ever made homemade barbecue sauce, one of which's ingredients was coffee. I'm so glad I know how to brew coffee! Also, it prepares the tofu in a new way for me, so that was very exciting.

I made the tofu "meatloaf" tonight. I'm still digesting it, in a few senses of the word. It's definitely very unlike anything I've ever made or eaten before. I like it, which probably comes as a surprise to all of you. Everyone that I mentioned it to, from my rabidly meat-eating friends to my vegetarian sister, was revolted by the prospect. There are a few ways I'll change it if I make it again, however, mostly to give it more texture. (Basically, I just won't combine things in the food processor.) It was a little too salty, so I'll also reduce the amount of soy sauce. I'm eager to see how the leftovers are. Chances are the salt will mellow with time.

So, to those of you readers who are from Athens and who love The Grit (and you know you all do!), you almost certainly need this cookbook! And to those of you who aren't from Athens and have never heard of The Grit, except maybe seeing the t-shirts Jenny and I occasionally sport, you probably need this cookbook too. :D