March in to Merivale - American Diner at Mad Cow, CBD

Pinch and a Punch for the first day of the Month! And for my fellow Sydney friends, its that time of the year again - March into Merivale! A couple of hooligans couldn't say no to the promise of a bonafide American Diner experience. Star Spangled banners decorated the Mad Cow steakhouse, with (albiet empty) Ketchup and Mustard squeeze bottles - get into the USA spirit!

As I nursed my non-american beer it was clear that these events in each of Merivale's restaurants really pull in the crowds. On an ordinary tuesday night, the entire dining area of Mad Cow was packed out. This $70 event featuring 5 courses which would "showcase and celebrate American diner classics" were one of the events in the program that  had sold out.

Our overly hyperactive and enthusiastic table agree that head chef Christopher Whitehead had a tough crowd specifically in this table alone - with 2 of the diners including myself having fond childhood memories in the US of A and another co-eater back from a long stint of travelling through the country.

It took a while to get the meal started but I suppose such is the case when you are feeding the whole restaurant identical courses. For our amuse(ment), a corn and cheese quesadilla. We figured this was a taste of America in close proximity to the Mexican border.

Our First Entree was a chopped salad with prawns, avocado, cucumber, tomato and onions. A very light and fresh shrimp salad. California-inspired perhaps? I think a side of ranch would have made this dish a bit more American perhaps. I figured that if the American flag was featured in my photo's it would validate the dinner theme.

 Our second entree was a perfectly cooked Salmon filet with crushed peas. Cooked to perfection with a rare middle and crunchy skin, we marked Alaska off the map of the USA - they catch salmon there right?

Tio's Cerveceria, Surry Hills

Im going to start this post with a blurry photo of the bar because I wouldn't be the empty fridger you have grown to love had I been able to hold my camera straight at Tio's - a fun new establishment dedicated to a liquor close to my heart.

Instead of the usual tea and scones Myself; Demos and our ever reliable honorary fridgemagnet The Gooseman found ourselves at Tio's for a casual and lighthearted tequila throwdown. Well casual and lighthearted was the idea but then when we found ourselves at a tequila bar, all bets were off. This was not a time to do things in halves.

I might start of listing beverages in order of alcohol content. Candidate number one is little miss mexico - the little Coronita. The opportunity was not missed to showcase its teeny tiny size next to Demos' face.

As this was on a Sunday afternoon, the bar wasn't at all packed and we had the attention of the tequilla experts behind the counter. Not that I counted but apparently there are over 70 different types of tequilla on the bar shrine. Now where to start?

Baffi and Mo, Redfern

I could end this post right now after that photo right?

Here at The Empty Fridge, you should really believe that we don't do things in halves, especially with breakfast. We really do mean business when it comes to the morning meal - or noon depending on the prior evenings' shennanigans.

Demos, Myself and this post's honorary fridgemagnet - the Safa were in serious recovery mode one morning and  in search for a breakfast that would repair us. We found ourselves at Baffi and Mo, a cafe in Redfern renowned for kickstarting the broken with their hearty breakfast offerings. Below is how we roll..

Buffalo Dining Club, Darlinghurst

If "All I have in the world is my Mozzarella and my Word" then after promising to "write a post tonight" for so long, all I am left with now is just my Mozzarella and there will be cheese aplenty in this post! The faithful trio of myself; Demos and the Gooseman wound up finding ourselves at Buffalo Dining Club, another new addition to the Darlinghurst precinct off the main drag of Victoria Rd

Buffallo Dining Club is a two storey super casual eatery. It's  fun and rowdy, just the way we like it. It was a busy saturday night and although they don't take any bookings we missed the first wave of diners. There are no menus, only a chalkboard and a very reasonably priced wine list. A great bottle of Santa Cristina Sangiovese ($42) was the pick of the bunch and was one of the several bottles listed that was under $50. 

Now for the food. With a name like Buffalo Dining Club, I know I was picturing another new eatery riding the american food wave and serving buffalo hot wings with cowboy hats. No friends; the buffalo in question here is buffalo mozzarella and LOTS of it. Lactose Intolerants need not apply. No seriously, just don't. 

Starting the proceedings was a serving of Burrata, with a side of potato croquettes and chilli brocollini. $15 gets you 125 grams of Burrata (or 100 grams of fresh buffalo mozzarella) and a selection of two sides from the chalkboard menu. Aside from the two we selected they offered other dishes such as balsamic baby carrots, portobello mushrooms, honey roasted fennel almonds and so on and so forth. What about the meat? 

Dos Senoritas, Gladesville

Oh hey there my neglected friends of the fridge! 

First things first, a very happy holiday season to all of you - please don't be mad about my absenteeism.. here's to more empty fridge action in 2012. Its been a busy fiesta season but lets hit the ground running shall we? And what better way to do it then in typical and true Empty Fridge style with 

DEEP FRIED BURRITOS

For anyone that enjoys a little viva la mexico in their life, then man have I got the place for you! I first came across this little pocket on Victoria road Gladesville while I was stuck in life sucking traffic. There he was, a jolly man - donning a poncho and shaking his hips to the strums of his own guitar. There and then in the life sucking traffic of Victoria Road, I knew I had to visit Dos Senoritas.

What perfect excuse for fiesta time then a burrito throwdown with Demos and our favourite fiesta buddy the Goose Man (long story short..the name came from the numerous sessions we've had emptying bottles of Grey Goose) Since we all lived within a 2km radius from Dos Senoritas, the three of us were keen to engage in some sillyness with the option of stumbling home.

After the complimentary corn chips and salsa are rolled out and line our stomachs we were keen on throwing a couple down. My margarita ($12) was strong, salty and sour..definitely emphasising the strong part and their generosity with the tequilla and thats coming from me! But there were burritos to be had, and I had to limber up. The boys refused to partake in margarita madness and drink from girly glasses settled on some local mexican cerveza - bottles of Pacifico at $8

Dos Senoritas claim to be the only authentic Mexican food in Sydney, pretty heavy call right? But I'm on their side in this one. This restaurant is very casual, colourful and fun..no air of "cool-ness" and just straight up Guadalajara-n heart. The menu covers all the mexican dishes we Sydney-siders have grown to love during this recent mexican cuisine explosion..Taquitos, Quesadillas, Enchilladas, Guacamole..The "specialties" section of the menu however is where the real excitement is.. its where the real mexican dishes like Mole (the green Poblano kind and the Dark Chocolate Oaxaca kind) and Tamales are listed. 

Hello, Guadalajara indeed!

Considering all the choice we had..(there are a whopping 8 varieties of burritos on the menu) we did something never seen in the history of The Empty Fridge. I would go as far as saying that this breaks the main rule of food blogging, but hey - the three of us ordered the same dish despite all the choice. Why?

SuperCheesyGoeyChimichanga

Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills

So friends of the fridgers..we are on the home stretch to the christmas break and if you are like us, you are probably clinging on to every ounce of sanity you have left while yearning for the long holiday break! Forget the fact that its close to mid-december and yet to send out Chrissy cards or do gift shopping - but lets focus on the good things shall we. We are all about the good things here - shittyness goes elsewhere.

I have a strong belief that Japanese food fixes everything. If you are sick, a bowl of ramen cures anything. If you are sad, karage chicken is a great perker up-erer. If you are feeling guilty for indulging, then sashimi gives you "I had something healthy with no carbs for lunch" glow. Excuse my fuzzy logic for just wanting to eat good japanese food all day every day.

I blog alot about how going out for a nice meal is all about celebrating and having fun and getting together. Often, its not about the celebration - its about the comfort. Its finding a nice meal after a tiring day, or taking someone out to cheer them up. Now I cant remember what needed fixing on this particular night but without out doubt Izakaya Fujiyama fixed it. This is how.