Vanderpump Rules Food

Any show that mentions housewives and reality rules these days.The Vanderpump family, a spin off faction from The real Housewives of Beverly Hills is no exception. two cast members have opened a sandwich shop.Is it real good? Maybe reality good would be a better term.

Regular contributor and chef herself Tejal Rao wrote about this in today's New York times Food section.The shop Something About Her  was created by two ;lesser stars of the show,.Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix. Fans of the show might know Ms Madix from the Scandoval episodes  in which her boyfriend Tom Sandoval was cheating on her with another cast member, Rachel Leviss. THeir loyalty for the jilted Ms. madix played into their visiting the shop and becoming customers.Some, such as KIm MYkitta drove two hours from her home in HUntington Beach to eat at the shop. She is a diehard fan who also runs Bravo Breaking News on Instagram.Her and other fans devotion are making Something About Her successful despite a dismal year for Los Angeles eateries. The LA Times even called the previous year, 2023 "as the year that killed restaurants." Dozens of them have closed, including the famed jeans -Georges of Beverly Hills and three of entrepreneur Nancy Silverman's places.

Perhaps it;s just the fan loyalty along with the chance to be seen in a reality show that's drawing the long lines.She's All Thar snakes around the block and the wait time for a table is long. Is the food that good though? The sandwiches and shops are named for actresses such as Reese ,Meg, Viola, Diane and Cameron to name a few.Are the bites out for the ordinary. The menu is basically the same as any upscale Manhattan sandwich shop, maybe with a few less choices.The Drew, named for Drew BArrymore has whipped chive infused goat cheese along with a mango jam. Prosciutto is extra which would be almost mandatory in a Soho or Greenwich Village eatery. The Reese is a chicken salad sandwich with mustard and gem lettuce.The Meg  is a Greek salad with tzatziki sauce and tomatoes but nothing else. There should also be feta and anchovies in it to give it some body.As for extras there's only potato chips and they're probably the packaged kind. The only hot meal is a grilled cheese .Unlike other sandwich shops there is a choice of beer wine ciders and even hard teas. That's perfect for a Sunday lunch but not for an everyday one.It seems Ms Rao is Ok with the sandwiches, their taste and presentation. A place like this is perfect in Hollywood.

She's All That is a Hollywood story and a Hollywood eatery,. That's about it. It can give good drama and seemingly good food.

Eggs And Fish

As Lent progresses, it's hard to cope up wth meatless dishes to feed the family. By now they're probably sick of  pizza and pasta and cringe at the idea of another plate of steamed veggies, The solution is easy . Turn to eggs and fish .Both are filling alternatives for meatless dinners.

The idea comes from yesterday's New York Times Food section. Melissa Clark gives us an egg dish  more exotic version of hard boiled eggs while David Tanis takes on monkfish. Ms. Clark's  column, A Good Appetite focuses on ande ki kari, a recipe taken from Julie Sahni's 1980's cookbook, Classic Indian Cooking. It is hard boiled eggs with a spicy tomato sauce. It is simple enough to make. Hard boiled eggs are swimming in a sauce of contrasts,sweet and spicy , earthy and pungent. It's grated (yes, grated ) tomatoes mixed with onions sauteed in vegetable ghee, a solid vegetable shortening. Butter or olive oil can be used instead. Garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds are also added. The puree also has coriander, cumin and pepper flakes as well as black pepper for zing and pop..It should be cooked until it thickens and the fat starts to separate.In the meantime, cut eggs in half lenghtwise. At this point turn the heat on again add garam masala and the eggs. Serve with naan bread or over rice with yogurt.

Another meatless idea is monkfish. David Tanis gives an interesting spin on it in his A City Kitchen column. The fish is sometimes known as the "poor man's lobster" because of its' look and taste. The meat is a creamy white and very firmly fleshed. Any home chef can fool the family with it by passing it off as the expensive crustacean.The French call it "gigot de mer" leg of lamb from the sea. The tail is the most desirable part of it and it 's about the size of a pork roast , according to Mr. Tanis. He uses a restaurant chef;'s technique of wrapping the tail in butcher's twine, making it compact for cooking. He suggests rubbing it in extra virgin olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. For a southern Mediterranean vibe  lay the tail on a bed of thyme and rosemary branches. Tuck lemon slices and olives around it. The meat can be smeared with an easy to make olive paste. Mr Tanis puts pitted black olives, garlic, and quarter of a cup of olive oil into a food processor in a food processor and grind to a rough paste.This last can be also good on its own , slathered on crusty Italian or French bread.

Try these recipes for a different spin on a meatless Friday - or any day. They're exciting and fun for even a dinner party on a Saturday night. Meat won't be missed.Honest.