west o dilemma

in light of an earlier suggestion that we include restaurants in our conversation, are there any good, independent restaurants/bistros/lunch spots/even sports bars with good menus west of 114th street? we're suburb dwellers this summer, and have spent many a lonely half-hour meandering west maple and west dodge, feeling out of sorts, looking for a place for dinner.

i realize most (if not all) of you are mid-town dwellers, but if anybody has any recommendations, we'd be much obliged. we've found good indian food and sushi, but have had a hard time finding other places that are NOT red robin, outback, etc.

caron, my clairvoyant powers predict that you're going to say the cracker barrel. but wait. we'd have to go to council bluffs for that...

Norma's Raw Summer Salad

this is one of my favorite dishes that my Grandma used to make. it's pretty simple, but oh-so-good...

finely chop the following raw veggies (you choose the portions):

- turnip (this is the veggie that makes the salad, in my opinion)
- broccoli
- carrot
- radish
- tomato
- cauliflower

add bleu cheese crumbles and toss with Brianna's blush wine vinagrette. i make up a bunch of this and keep it in the fridge (adding the cheese and dressing later). you can dress this salad up a lot, or do different variations. crunchy summer!

(if you end up making a variation of this salad, post it in the comments!)

Tomato and Egg Curry or "Eggs Floating in Red Gravy"

I made a yummy tomato curry for the first time last night. It almost tasted like the real deal indian food, which my indian food rarely does. i think fresh curry leaves make a difference. i'm always surprised by how cheap it is to cook indian food! granted, i have a lot of the spices needed, thanks to sarah who gave me lots of her indian spices. but indian markets usually have really reasonable prices. indians have mastered the art of making yummy food with few resources.

1.5 pints tomato juice (i used an entire 32 oz bottle, who uses tomato juice for anything else. no leftovers please!)
2 oz. coconut cream (i used about 1/2 - 3/4 cup whole coconut milk instead)
4 Tbsp gram flour (never used it before but its cheap at an indian market)
3 tsp garam masala (2 tsp of that was supposed to be kashmiri masala but i couldnt find it)
salt to taste and 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp each of sesame and veg oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 whole dried red chilies
6 curry leaves
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 tsp asafoetida

4 hard boiled eggs
browned onions and cilantro for garnish

mix first 6 items in a pot and gently heat until coconut has dissolved.
in frying pan heat oils and fry remaining ingredients except eggs and garnish.
when the garlic slices are a deep golden brown (best to let this mixture get SUPER brown), pour everything over the tomato mixture and cover to allow the spice aroma to infuse.
reheat gently, float eggs on top and garnish with browned onions and cilantro and serve hot over basmati rice.

i also added 1 cooked cubed baking size potato, peas and green beans for more veggies.