One of the challenges of being single is getting all the produce cooked while it’s still fresh. I’ve finally come to accept that simply isn’t going to happen until a fresh produce market opens within comfortable walking distance of my home so I can shop every day. Meanwhile, I keep working at ways to reduce waste.

Some strategies have worked and some haven’t. One recent one that definitely has worked is moving to dried mushrooms. They’re available in small packages in the grocery stores and I recommend starting with those while you experiment with different types. There are an amazing variety of dried mushrooms available, even at the grocery–far more dried varieties than fresh varieties.

But, once you’ve experimented some, you’ll probably want to start ordering online because you can order in larger quantities and for a better price.

Google “mushroom farm” and you’ll be surprised at the number of hits you get. Here’s just a few:

• Oregon Mushrooms
• Phillips Mushroom Farms
• Lost Creek Shiitake Mushroom Farm
• Sher-Rockee Mushroom Farm
• Fungus Among Us

(I absolutely love that last farm name!)

But, the place I order from (no, I don’t get a kickback for mentioning them) is JR Mushrooms & Specialties. I picked them on the basis of consumer reviews on Amazon. They have consistently high reviews from a large number of reviewers, some who have bought from that company for years. My own experience confirms their high opinions.

I bought a couple pounds of dried shiitake mushrooms and one pound of dried porcini mushrooms, Grade Extra AB. I just soak the mushrooms in water in the fridge overnight, but it doesn’t have to be that long–a few hours will do it. However, never eat dried mushrooms without reconstituting them first because of chocking dangers. Fully reconstituted, there’s no issues, of course.

The photo at the top of this post is of some reconstituted mushrooms. The photo immediately above is what a pound of dried shiitake mushrooms looks like. The photo below is this morning’s breakfast: a mix of some those reconstituted shiitake and porcini mushrooms, with minced garlic, okra, ginger, and eggs, scrambled in olive oil and topped with a generous dash of salsa, a low-carb, whole-wheat tortilla to the side.

If you’re in the mood for authentic Cantonese on the St. Pete side of the bay there’s really only two places: ABC Seafood, reviewed earlier in Inkwatu, and the Lucky Star Hong Kong Style Chinese Restaurant (4175 66th Street North, St Petersburg, FL 33709-4915; 727-381-8888‎; map).

On the Tampa side of the bay, my favorite is China Yuan, but over here in St. Pete, I’m partial to Lucky Star, not only because of its food, which is so flavorful you never even think of reaching for soy sauce, but also because Lucky Star, in its earlier incarnation on 34th Street before their fire and relocation, was my introduction to authentic Cantonese food in St. Pete. The earlier restaurant was one of the many little experiences that accumulated to inspire me to move to St. Pete.

I was introduced to it by a friend whose father had had a similar restaurant while my friend was growing up. He showed me the dishes that the Lucky Star had that made it a special place and helped me to feel comfortable there. Sadly, by the time I moved to St. Pete my friend had, himself, moved to a different city and the Lucky Star had closed because of a kitchen fire. Then, the owners finally reopened up on 66th Street, north of Tyrone Mall. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since and I’m remiss in not having reviewed it earlier.

It’s open 7 days a week, but only in the late afternoon and evenings (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 3pm to 1am; Tuesday 3pm-11pm; Saturday and Sunday 1pm-1pm). Notice that it’s open into the wee hours for late-late dining. That truly makes it a special place.

But, it’s the food that really makes it special. Here are just a few of the dishes, from their large menu, that you won’t find on less authentic restaurants around town:

• Shark Fin Soup
• Jelly Fish
• Spicy Duck Feet
• Fried Chitterling
• Spicy Chicken Feet
• Preserved Duck Wing
• Blue Crab
• Pepper Corn Squid
• Sautéed Conch
• Bird’s Nest Seafood
• Razor Clam
• Braised Sea Cucumber
• Snail w/Black Bean
• Frog with Chinese Chive
• Steam Salted Fish with Minced Pork

Lest you think the Lucky Star’s appeal rests only upon these more exotic dishes, let me stress that it’s the taste that keep me coming back there. And, the dishes that I, myself, order are the ones that are a little less adventuresome: the casseroles, vegetables, and sizzling plates.

A friend and I, who have, several times, gone there for their whole roast duck, which is spectacularly crunchy, were there again recently and were blown away by two of their sizzling plates: Sa Cha Eggplant and Garlic Shrimp. There wasn’t anything left by the time we were finished eating. We were dickering over who got to lick the plates.

They also have a number of fried rice and noodle dishes. I’m a fan of both those, especially noodles, so I’m slowly working my way through them. Next time I go, I’m going to try the Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles.

They seem to have two menus, one that’s more authentic foods and one that caters to the typical American-”Chinese” fast food tastes. It’s fun looking at that second one, too. That one actually has five chop suey dishes!

The origins of the dish, “chop suey,” are not clear. I make that plural because, as the Wikipedia entry (Chop suey) points out, some think it originated in San Francisco during its early days and some say it came from Taishan, in Guangdong Province. Adding to the confusion is that some early Chinese restaurateurs in the US served a dish of mixed entrails, calling it “chop suey.” This, the Chinese, themselves, did not eat. So, there’s a lot of confusion around the term.

I assume that chop suey is really kind of a late-19th century/early 20th century American-Chinese food, much lacking in authenticity…about as authentic as the game mah jong, which is to say, Not much! But, for me, there’s considerable nostalgia in the dish. When I was a little kid, when our parents would take us into the city (St. Louis) to eat, chances were we’d eat at a huge, Art Deco style cafeteria. My favorite dishes there were egg fu young and chop suey. I’m not sure why. I think it was the sound of the words and a taste for the exotic even at age 5.

Now, that version was definitely of the non-authentic (but not entrails!) type, typified by this Woolworth’s recipe. I love the opening ingredient in that recipe: “1 tablespoon lard or Crisco shortening.” This was in the days of a St. Louis that still had electric buses that click-click-clicked around town. I tried to identify the name of that old Art Deco cafeteria (it wouldn’t exist now, of course), but couldn’t. However, my searching did turn up a neat page–a list of defunct restaurant chains (see Defunct restaurant chains of the United States).

I was also pleased to discover, during my couple years residence recently in Hawaii, that Honolulu sports a number of restaurants exclusively devoted to chop suey (see this Google search). So, if you get a hankering for chop suey, check out what they have at the Lucky Star.

However, I recommend you try one of their more authentic dishes. Everything there is good. You simply can’t go wrong. I very, very highly recommend the Sa Cha Eggplant sizzling plate.

If you’re interested in fresh produce you definitely want to make it to the Saturday morning market. Here’s their website, www.saturdaymorningmarket.com/, a map, and some pretty pictures I took at the market: German bread, pastries, and very fresh fish and Saturday Morning Market.

Midweek, my favorite places to buy fresh produce are City Produce, any day, and Gulfport Fresh Market on Tuesdays.

For very, very fresh seafood, I recommend Island Seafood Market and Bistro.

There are other markets and specialty shops–too many to easily mention–but, the above are my usual produce and fish shopping haunts. For more possibilities, visit the Index page of Inkwatu at inkwatu.com/index/ and look under the Food category.

After the beans are tender, I serve in bowls, adding a half (or whole) small carton of non-fat, plain yogurt to each bowl and stirring thoroughly.

There’s something about the onions, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, and yogurt that works well together and keeps the lentils from being plain ol’, plain ol’.

Just made a batch and had a bowl.

SLICED FRESH FIG

Almost everyone has enjoyed a Fig Newton. Perhaps, fewer folks have had dried figs, and fewer still fresh, ripe, juicy, sweet figs like those (pictured here) which were for sale last week at my favorite local produce stand here in St. Pete, City Produce Fruit Market (2701 4th St. N., St Petersburg, FL 33704; 727-822-4876; map).

FRESH FIGS

It had been since I was a child that I’d had fresh figs. In that case it was off fig trees in the backyard of my aunt Zo and uncle Doc’s yard in southern Mississippi. These days, the south still produces a lot of figs (see this article on Mississippi figs, Fruitful harvest: sumptuous homegrown figs are favorite mid-summer treats, from Mississippi Magazine, July-August, 2006 by Mary Leigh Furrh). But, the primary producer of figs in the US is California. For more on the specifics of fig production and history, visit these websites:

• a good history of the fig from the K & W Farms, a fig producer in Coachella Valley, California;
• more on history and production from the California Rare Fruit Growers website; and,
• the Wikipedia page on the common fig which has some good production statistics.

FRESH PRODUCE AND GREEK FETA CHEESE

You’ll notice in all those websites, that the fig was a staple of the ancient world from “southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Greece).”[ref] In the Inkwatu article on the Bosnian Food Store and Bakery, I reported on an excellent fig marmalade from Macedonia. The Republic of Macedonia is a modern day country “bordered by Serbia and Kosovo to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west.”[ref]

Greece…therein lies the heart of this story about the City Produce Fruit Market, which is a superb, small, independent produce market in operation for many, many years, owned and operated by a local family of Greek ancestry.

SPINACH & CHEESE PIE W/PHYLLO DOUGH CRUST (Spanakopita)

As you might expect in any Greek market, they have fresh figs! And, more than one variety of feta cheese, in bulk. They also have assorted Greek pastries and treats, including one that I simply must purchase every time I visit: spanakopita, or cheese and spinach pie in a fluffy phyllo dough crust. To try your hand at making spanakopita yourself, follow this allrecipes.com recipe. It looks quite doable.

If you’d like to find more opportunities for trying Greek food in the Tampa Bay area, there’s no shortage of good locations, especially since Tarpon Springs, a town here in Pinellas County, has, “the highest percentage of Greek-Americans of any city in the U.S.”[ref].

All of the food pictured in the photos in this article are from City Produce and, taken together, cost less than $36 and that’s including the ½ pound of real Greek feta cheese. I recommend City Produce Fruit Market very highly for their Greek items and their fruit and produce, much of which is locally grown.

CITY PRODUCE

statue just inside entrance

On 62nd Avenue North, not far from Phat Phap Temple, the Vietnamese Buddhist temple, is a small, but very good restaurant, the Thai Kitchen (1126 62nd Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702-7422; 727-525-8748). I definitely recommend it, not only because it’s very good food at reasonable prices in a very congenial atmosphere, but also for the breadth of its menu, which includes a number of items I’ve not seen in other restaurants around town. Just a few examples–out of many more–are the kaprao frog’s legs, the pho taek soup, the stuffed chicken wings, the crispy noodles with shrimp (mee grob), mussels, scallops, fresh snapper, and boneless duck. It’s an impressive menu, well prepared. There are a number of vegetarian selections. While I was there, several women were placing a large advance order for a vegetarian dinner party. The Thai Kitchen lunch and dinner menus are available from their website. Thai Kitchen is small–I’d estimate it seats only about 4 dozen diners, but, you won’t be disappointed in the quality of its food. It’s very tasty.

I’ve often seen the Thai Kitchen when traveling down 62nd Avenue, but I’d never stopped in. I guess I was afraid it was just a fast food joint. (It’s definitely not–it’s a small, but “legit” restaurant, complete with beer and wine license!). Then…just a couple weeks ago, I needed to have some pants hemmed. (How’s that for a non sequitur?)

my take-home green curry, tom yum, and spring rolls

I checked Google for St. Petersburg clothing alterations and picked one at random that I thought would be easy to find: Alterations by Pat (1237 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33710; 727-551-9408). At Pat’s, it was such a treat to be greeted at the counter by a smiling Thai woman who pointed to my neck and said, “Thai gold!” Peeking out from under my collar was the chain of a necklace I’d bought in Thailand. We talked as if we were old friends sharing stories of Thailand, the local Thai temple, and Buddha necklaces. Among the services that Alterations by Pat offers, in addition to alterations and wedding services, are imported Thai items.

While we continued to chat, I got measured for my alterations. On my way out, Pat gave me a paper menu for their family restaurant–the Thai Kitchen! I finally stopped at the Thai Kitchen and I’m so glad I did. This time I did take-out and brought home some tom yum soup, a lunch portion of green curry and rice, and a couple Thai egg rolls. But, it is really a dine-in restaurant. Their dining room is full of authentic Thai decorations, mosaics made of tiny pieces of mirror on lustrous metal backgrounds. There are pictures of the beloved king, Rama V. There were at least three generations of the owner’s family working when I got my take-out; I enjoy that family restaurant feeling. The Thai Kitchen is open for lunch, Monday through Friday, 11am to 3pm, and for dinner, Monday through Thursday, 5pm-9pm, and Friday and Saturday, 5pm to 10pm.

Thai Kitchen

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TRIVIAL PURSUITS AT CAPPY’S

Cappy’s is an independent pizzeria on 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg, Florida. Its Greek salad is my favorite in town. That’s not to diminish their deep dish pizza in any way. I’ll get to the main attraction soon, but their Greek salad with its homemade oregano dressing is, just by itself, worthy of a trip to Cappy’s. As you can see from the picture below, it’s a complete meal. I’ve had their Caesar salad, too; it’s good, but I favor their Greek. It has a token bit of potato salad, which is really more like interestingly seasoned mashed potatoes–just a bit, but just right.

The best plan–taught me by the friend who introduced me to Cappy’s–is to order and share a salad and a deep dish pizza. While you wait for the pizza, which takes a while because it’s prepared from scratch and deep dish pizzas take longer to cook, you eat your salad and play Trivial Pursuits from the decks of cards stashed with the salt and pepper in old cigar boxes on every table. Just about the time your humiliating total lack of trivial knowledge is obvious to your eating companions, your pizza arrives.

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SMALLEST GREEK SALAD

They have both New York style pizza (that’s the hand-tossed, thin crust variety) and Chicago Style (deep dish) pizza. I’ve only ever had their deep dish, simply because good deep dish pizza is harder to find in my experience, so when I go to Cappy’s I stick with that. The deep dish comes in cheese, single topping, vegetarian, and The Cappy (everything–my favorite). Like everything at Cappy’s TASTE is paramount. You’d think that would go without saying in a restaurant, but at some places it’s more true than at others. Everything at Cappy’s tastes great. My guess is it’s their original recipes, the care with which things are put together for that “homemade” quality, and the freshness of their ingredients. (The diced green peppers are always crisp, fresh ones, never mushy frozen ones.)

The edge crust on their deep dish is more like the flaky crust on your great-grandmother’s homemade pies rather than tough and chewy like some national brands. It’s a pastry dough rather than a bread dough. The crust on the bottom provides a soft, billowy thick bed for the toppings yet with a slightly crunchy outside to it. The topping’s main feature is its tomato sauce, with plenty of chunks of real stewed tomatoes. It’s a “tomato-y” pizza instead of a “cheesy” pizza. That region where the toppings meet the bottom bed is wonderfully juicy, the kind of juicy where it drips on your shirt. Once again, the portions are large. The 12″ deep dish serves two with leftovers. The 9″ deep dish really serves two perfectly, or one person taking half of it home.

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SMALLEST DEEP DISH CAPPY’S

Cappy’s takes all major credit cards and is open for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays from 11pm to 2:30pm, dinner 5pm-9pm Sundays through Thursdays and 5pm-10pm Fridays and Saturdays. There’s eat-in and take-out, outdoor dining in front and indoor dining at tables with high-backed wooden booths tucked in every available corner of the converted traditional Florida bungalow. There’s plenty of parking assigned to Cappy’s along the wall of (and also behind) the dance studio next door.

Definitely try Cappy’s Pizzeria, 2900 1st Ave. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33713; 727-321-3020, for Greek salad and deep dish Chicago Style pizza.

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CAPPY’S PIZZA

NOTE: Nitally’s has relocated to bigger and better quarters at 2462 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL. Same good food, just more of it and more space and parking too!

Nitally’s Thai Coffee House (1040 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701) offers something I have never heard of before, nor could I find it anywhere on the Internet: Thai-Mexican fusion cuisine.

I found Thai fusion. I found Mexican restaurants in Thailand. But not this—Thai-Mexican fusion. It’s a natural. Both cultures share one important spice: cilantro. They also share a taste for spicy foods, although, of course, Thai is typically much spicier. But the owners, Nit (Thai) and Ally (Mexican), have created a concept that I hope makes them famous and an entrepreneurial success.

Consider these dishes:

• Chorizo Fried Rice
• Panang Burrito
• Green Curry Burrito
• Yellow Curry Burrito
• Spicy Basil Beef Taco
• Spicy Basil Chicken Taco
• Panang Mole

Just contemplating them makes my knees weak. Culinary beauty,

Of course, Nitally’s has the usual authentic Thai offerings. You can download a PDF of their menu here. This visit, I chose from those and had the chicken salad, which was a perfect blend of red peppers and lime juice. It was extremely good. On my next visit, and there will be another visit soon, I’m headed for the Spicy Basil Chicken Taco…or maybe the Green Curry Burrito…or maybe the Chorizo Fried Rice.

In addition to the usual hot teas and Thai iced Tea, iced Coffee, and iced Tamarindo, they carry something dear to my heart: pearl tea, also called boba tea, or bubble tea (see SPIFFS — 2nd Annual Asian Pacific Rim Festival 2008 for a full explanation of boba tea). Nitally’s selection of boba tea flavors is considerably wider than usual: Espresso Mocha, Cappuccino, White Chocolate, Green Tea, Honeydew, Watermelon, Strawberry, Thai Tea, Thai Coffee. Some of those I’ve never seen used as boba tea flavors before. If you’re never had boba tea, give it a try. It’s a textural treat as well as a flavorful one.

Nitally’s is very small: exactly two tables inside, four stools along a bookcase width wall counter, and one table on the sidewalk for alfresco dining. Parking is also minimal; just a couple spaces in front and then along the side avenues. But, it’s worth the trouble to find a place to park. This restaurant really is a “find.” I hope they succeed. Their concept and product are first rate.

Nitally’s will make most entrees vegetarian or vegan upon request. They also have a myspace page: myspace.com/nitallys. In addition to their 4th St. restaurant, which is open Tuesday-Friday 11am-2pm/6:30pm-9pm, they also have a stand at the Saturday Morning Market at Al Lang Park.