working downtown, i start to salivate every time i hear of a new restaurant opening within walking distance of work. so when cafe lola popped up as part of the nbc studios extravaganza at broad and high, i had to check it out. adding to my anticipation was the news that cafe lola is a kevin ames restaurant. past ventures of his are two places i still miss: frezno and dagwoodz.
even though salmon is not my favorite protein, the idea of a fresh fish being grilled for hundreds about a mile from my house was too good to resist. and i'm a sucker for food events. so the husband and i jumped in the car, met a friend at the hills market and got into a line that stretched almost to the end of the shopping center. the line moved quickly and hills had ingeniously set up product demos the entire way. 
the salmon sandwiches are served with the hills coleslaw and an onion sauce, both complimented the salmon well. this was a tasty sandwich! the aroma of the grill, the beautiful sunshine, live music and relaxed family picnic atmosphere really added to the experience. we chatted with the young men grilling the salmon, who told us the aroma of grilled salmon seeped into their pores enough that they didn't plan any dates for the couple of days following the roast. thanks for your sacrifice guys, it was well worth it. 
the hills market maintains an excellent website where you can get tips on future food events (like wine tastings), read about featured products and all sorts of other tasty tidbits.green wave
this is a great sauce. it is so enjoyable i’d suggest that sauce cartel start selling it in at least 10 oz jars. the peppery notes are the first thing you’ll notice upon smelling green wave, they hit the pepper just right in this sauce with both jalapeno and black pepper prominently featured. the second thing that I noticed about green wave was the slightly sweet taste of pineapple. the lighter citrus flavors of pineapple are the perfect foil to the darker, more complex pepper of the jalapeno. for those who don’t want to hurt themselves when eating hot sauce, this is great. you get a nice middle-of-the-tongue heat that just builds slightly the more you eat. as tempting as it is to eat directly from the bottle, i really wanted to use it in a way that highlighted the excellent flavors. using the green wave, i came up with this recipe for fresh pineapple salsa:
1/3 cup diced red onion
¼ cup diced jalapeno
¼ cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
2 tbs green wave sauce
locura mayan
i've been craving veggie soup and came up with this hearty version this weekend:veggie soup
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls of baby carrots
18 cups vegetable stock
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 package frozen spinach
1 lb shelled edamame
1 tbs basil
1 tbs oregano
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 package harvest grains blend from trader joe's
dice onion, carrots and celery and saute in olive oil until softened in large stock pot. add all remaining ingredients except harvest grains and simmer for 40 minutes. add harvest grains and simmer for at least 20 more minutes.
i really like the edamame in this soup. they retain their texture and add a great boost of nutrients. the harvest grains from trader joe's consist of israeli couscous, yellow lentils, orzo and quinoa. any other healthy grain, like barley for example, would do for substitution.
