South Indian Style Dinner

JWise Photo of the Day

Dinner South Indian style with friends from all parts of India. Caroline Wise on the right.

Tonight, we had an extraordinary dinner courtesy of Shyam and Shakuntala Bhat. Shakuntala made favorites idli (steamed rice cakes), coconut chutney, and sambar (a vegetable soup-like concoction), along with some new dishes. She prepared cholle (garbanzo beans in tomato sauce), yogurt rice, chapatis (a thin flatbread), a version of patra (a ground rice dish using taro leaves), a plantain and cardamom puree, and for dessert, we had a mixed fruit salad with ice cream, which was heavy on fresh mango – YUM!

Our dinner was truly wonderful, not a dish was unagreeable. Shakuntala must have spent the entire day preparing this meal as only the cholle is a quick dish; the others require lots of patience. She explained the de-veining of the taro leaves and the preparation of the rice for the patra dish, and it was obvious this dish alone took a few hours to prepare. Not a minute of her time was wasted as her cooking is, in our view – FANTASTIC.

The photo above was taken shortly before dinner and shows Caroline with Leena and Sumar. We were joined by our friends, Rinku, Raenu, and Gautham, while Shyam brought Shylesh, Leena, and Sumar. Shashi, son of Shyam and Shakuntala, did not join us again as this traditional South Indian cooking just doesn’t do it for him.

House Light

JWise Photo of the Day

The light on the corner of the building where we live, illuminating our stairway.

Under a decorative cover sits this light, which illuminates our stairwell. It is a finicky light; a slight brush left, and it stops working; jam it to the right and wiggle hard while pushing up, and you might get it working again.

This photo was taken with the macro function of the Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens, which, although a nice all-around lens, is bereft of true macro skill. It is becoming time to invest in a good macro lens, such as the Canon EF-S 60mm Macro USM lens for a cool $449.

I think I will visit FotoForum this week and test the lens; it wasn’t yet available when we purchased the new camera. Look for some real macro images here in the next few days.

The Mesquite Tree

JWise Photo of the Day

Mesquite Tree with pods opened in Phoenix, Arizona

Taking a moment today after working too hard, I look up through the leaves of a mesquite tree to see that the pods are opening and dumping their fruit. The mesquite is one of the coolest trees in Arizona. With roots that go as deep as 60 feet, there is often more wood below ground than above. Used for cooking, mesquite can lend great flavor to any cookout; just check out Cattle Exchange Restaurant in Canadian, Texas, for proof of that. The fruit from the pod is used by the Apache and is ground into flour or fermented to make an intoxicating drink. The gum from the tree can be eaten as candy or used as cement to repair pottery. Who knew?

Lunch at TeePee

JWise Photo of the Day

Had lunch today at Tee Pee Mexican Food in Phoenix, Arizona, George Bush had lunch here in 2004

Yeah, this is mundane, uninspired, and on the verge of pathetic, but I was so busy all day that finding a photo was low on the list of priorities.

Lunch here, though, is excellent. Tee Pee Mexican Food has been a local Phoenix favorite now for more than 40 years. The place is not upscale; it is retro by every measure. The food makes up for any lack of ambiance, although if noise from a busy clientele is your version of ambiance, then this is the place you must get to. Tee Pee may be best known for its Chili Relleno, which is ginormous. I love the enchiladas and green corn tamales; the green chili burrito comes in a close third, while the homemade salsa will force you to eat way too many chips before your meal arrives. Be warned, the plates are delivered sizzling at finger-burning temperatures.

Tee Pee is located at 4144 E Indian School Road in Phoenix, Arizona, and is open seven days a week. During lunch and weekends, the wait can be quite long, upwards of an hour for weekend dinner guests. George Bush ate here last year; I give him credit for finding good eateries.

Other must-visit Mexican restaurants while in Phoenix:

Los Dos Molinos – 8646 S Central Ave – Awesomely spicy hot food served up New Mexico-style from old cowboy movie star Tom Mix’s former home. Closed July for vacation.

Barrio Cafe – 2814 N 16th Street – South Mexican cuisine is the specialty here, and you will not be disappointed by stopping in; the food is terrific. An example item from the menu: Filet mignon in a chipotle/tamarindo red wine sauce served over a grilled nopal cactus pad and chorizo.

Carolina’s – 1202 E Mohave Street and 2126 E Cactus Road, Carolina’s offers great Mexican fast food and has been the winner for many a year of the New Times’ Best Tortillas title in Phoenix, Arizona