With Much Love and Strawberries

We used arugula in this salad.  I think it adds an unusual flavor that you don’t really get with any other type of green.

Now, before I get to Yes!Chef! recipe for strawberry-lime sauce for a pork loin, I’ll speak a minute about love.  But just to make sure you don’t stop reading here, I’ll give you a little teaser…

This week, Yes!Chef! and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary.  Yes, 30 years together with the love of my life.  We both wondered about where the time had gone.

He made reservations at one of our favorite restaurants in South Lake Tahoe, The Chart House.  It’s perched high upon a hill overlooking beautiful Lake Tahoe.

The menu is mostly fish, although they have some great meat dishes on the menu.  I ordered Lobster (I can’t remember the last time I had lobster) and Yes!Chef! ordered a steak with mashed potatoes.

To start, he ordered a martini and I had a mango mojito.  We split an appetizer of Chimichurri Grilled Shrimp with Roasted Corn Avocado Salsa.

The grilled shrimp was quite amazing.  I love Chimichurri flavors (cilantro, parsley, lime) and the roasted corn and avocado salad was a perfect pairing.  We also split a chopped salad.  Although the salad was very fresh and had a lot of fresh greens and veggies, the salad also included large chunks of raw garlic, which really overpowered and ruined the taste of the salad.  I wish restaurants would not use raw garlic in their dishes.  It’s just too sharp, overpowers everything else on the plate, and ruins my palate for the next dish or taste of wine.

Yes!Chef! bought a great French Bordeaux (I can’t remember the name right now), which paired beautifully with his steak and did not overpower my lobster. The Chart House charges a $20.00 corkage fee.

I think Yes!Chef! has spoiled me forever with his food.  We don’t go out to eat very much because it is our opinion that he can generally make better food than any restaurant that we go to.  I’m afraid my opinion has not changed with this meal.  I thought my lobster was a bit overdone.  Instead of a nice snap when you bite into the lobster, it was a bit stringy.  It had a beautiful sweet taste, though.  The jasmine rice was quite tasty.  It had fresh ginger in it and it was piled up in a little pyramid.  The grilled tomato was perfect.

Yes!Chef!’s steak was perfectly cooked, juicy and tender.  His mashed potatoes were good but should have been called smashed potatoes because it was very, very chunky and not the creamy kind of mashed potatoes that he likes.

So, what was the problem?  Improper or no seasoning.  The steak was not seasoned (or not seasoned very well) before cooking.  The potatoes tasted a little bland and needed salt.  Even my clarified butter was unsalted.  Sigh.  I do not understand why so many chefs at high end restaurants are afraid of seasoning.  I hate to salt my food after it has been cooked.  It is just not the same as layering a dish with seasoning as it is being cooked.

However, the grilled shrimp appetizer was tremendous.  The service was excellent.  The view was too beautiful for words.  And the food was good…just not great.  We got there at 6:30 and were able to watch the sun set over Lake Tahoe with some beautiful clouds going on.

Right?  I would highly recommend this restaurant because of the view, service and generally tasty food.  It is a little pricey, but worth it.  Make sure you have a reservation if you are here during the summer months.  They also have a Happy Hour at the bar starting at 4:00 where you can order appetizers.  Every table in the restaurant has a view of the lake.  Quite amazing.  And everything is better when you are with the love of your life.  Happy Anniversary, Handsome!

Okay, so now about the roast pork loin with strawberry-lime sauce.  First, trim up the artichokes, cut them in half and boil them until just soft.  Season them with salt, pepper and other interesting seasonings to your liking.  Meanwhile, use the dry rub on the pork and set aside.

Make your strawberry sauce and grill up the meat and veggies!

Here’s the recipe.

Spicy Grilled Pork Loin with Strawberry-Lime Sauce

For rub

• 3 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. ground Chipotle Chile Pepper
• 3 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 3 Tbsp. coriander
• 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 2 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix this altogether and rub over entire pork roast before grilling.  This is the basic mixture for a spice rub.  You will not need it all, so save it for another occasion.

For the Strawberry Lime Sauce

• Sugar to sweeten strawberries to taste (1-2 Tbs.)
• 1/2 pound strawberries, chopped
• 1 zest of lime
• juice of 1/2 lime
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a saucepan on low heat to thicken.  Taste for sweetness and add more sugar, if necessary.  Once it thickens, remove from heat.  Serve warm over roast.

Grill your roast until done.  Yes!Chef! always uses a charcoal grill and moves it around on the grill to get the best heat.  He does not leave the grill while he is cooking, consequently, his meat is rarely overcooked.  Yes!Chef! removes the meat just before it reaches 145 and lets it rest for 5 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer.  Don’t guess.

Serve to someone you love!

Enjoy!