Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/324279
ByAngelHuracha Correspondent Ifthere'sanycooking method that can make all foods taste great, it's deep frying. With that thought, came the craving of fried fish ta- cos — a craving I was able to somewhat satisfy at Pelican's Roost Chowder House. Located on 1354 East Ave., the establishment of- fers a variety of "Find- ing Nemo" cast members. There isn't an abundance of fish in the area, so this has to be one of the biggest sea- food selections in Chico. Needless to say fish isn't a cheap plate to purchase. I knew I would find some difficulty with the unbend- able Starving Student price rules. Of course this got me thinking about why fish is so expensive. Understandable, it seems like it would be more of a hassle to catch fish than to raise livestock like cat- tle or other animals in the long run. I would assume that gath- ering seafood en masse is much harder to do than keeping or raising farm an- imals. Seafood probably spoils quickly so it must be transported quickly and longer distances. Realiz- ing that I was too consumed with this topic in my brain, I began to browse the menu. Immediately my eyes fix- ated on the Alaska cod fish tacos. It was a match made in heaven because the price with tax came to $7.47. From the outside, the restaurant in a strip mall has the looks of a to-go en- vironment. I walked in with the image in my head that this place would be for ca- sual dining, perhaps the kind of place where you stand at the counter and or- der your dish. It turns out that it has waiter service. It's a pretty standard place with funky ocean de- cor. The wooden tables and green cushion chairs give it an old pirate ship theme. For a brief moment I thought I had entered a low- budget "Pirates of the Ca- ribbean" production. With fisherman nets, starfish and tiny ships, you'd think I was taking part in the filming of the Little Mermaid's MTV Cribs episode. The wait for my order was no more than 15 minutes. With the order came a side of coleslaw. My thing with coleslaw is that it had better be a mayonnaise massacre. Reason being that it tastes better. This coleslaw, how- ever, was dry and had no taste whatsoever. Fairly disappointed with the side I began to dive into the main entree. The two reasonably sized tacos with fried Alaska cod were filling. The fish was crisp and well-battered. At no point did the batter take away from the fish flavor. Sadly the topping sauce of the tacos also lacked flavor. Nonethe- less I still enjoyed satisfying my craving for fish tacos. Next time with some ex- tra cash I'd like to try other items. But this menu isn't built Ford tough for the Starving Student. Angel Huracha is a Chico State University student. Each week he's asked to find a meal that costs no more than $8 (one hour at mini- mum wage) and then write about it. STARVING STUDENT Fish dishes challenge the frugal ANGELHURACHA—ENTERPRISE-RECORD Pelican's Roost Chowder House, at 1354East Ave., Chico. PELICAN'SROOST CHOWDERHOUSE Address: 1354East Ave., #A, Chico Telephone: 530-899-2762 Hours: Monday through Friday, 11a.m. to 9p.m.; Sunday, 11a.m. to 8p.m. By L.V. Anderson Slate In 1951, New Orleans restaurateur Owen Bren- nan became an innovator in the field of back-scratch- ing when he named a des- sert after his buddy Rich- ard Foster from the New Orleans Crime Commis- sion. Bananas Foster be- came a customer favorite and was Brennan's most-or- dered item until the French Quarter institution closed last summer. The dessert's popularity is easy to ac- count for: It is sweet, boozy, sticky, creamy and flamma- ble. Even if you don't like ba- nanas, you just might make an exception for bananas Foster. There are only two prob- lems with Brennan's recipe, which was actually invented not by Brennan himself but by chef Paul Blangé. The first is that it calls for ba- nana liqueur. Have you ever had banana liqueur? If not, rest assured that it's just as terrible as it sounds. It be- longs to the family of cloy- ing flavored brandies that, like Dan Bern's 1997 bal- lad "Marilyn," I loved when I was a teen-ager but now have serious qualms about. Unless you're (a) preparing to throw a rager while your parents are out of town, (b) planning to make a Plata- nos en Mole Old Fashioned, or (c) both of the above, you have no business being in possession of a bottle of ba- nana liqueur. So what should you use instead? Kill two birds with one stone by using ama- retto, which lends bananas Foster a pleasant almond flavor without interfering with its smooth texture, the way chopped nuts do. The other problem with Bren- nan's bananas Foster recipe is the way it instructs you to light the rum sauce on fire: "tip the pan slightly [into the fire of the burner] to ignite the rum." Yeah, right — as if anyone's ever done this without spilling hot butter- scotch all over their stove, possibly extinguishing their pilot light in the process. Please, do yourself a favor and use a long match or a kitchen lighter to set your bananas Foster aflame. It's much easier than this slight- tipping business, and much less likely to result in a visit from your friendly neighbor- hood firefighters. BananasFoster Yield: 4servings Time: About 30minutes 1cup brown sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/2 teaspoon ground cin- namon Pinch ground allspice Pinch salt ¼ cup amaretto 4bananas, halved length- wise 1/4 cup rum 1pint vanilla ice cream 1. Put the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a large skillet over low heat. Cook, stir- ring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to bubble, about 15minutes. Add the amaretto and cook, stirring, until the mixture is smooth, then raise the heat to me- dium and add the bananas. Cook until the bananas are coated in the sauce and warmed through, about 5 minutes. 2. Add the rum to the skil- let. Light a match or lighter and lower it to the surface of the sauce until it ignites. When the flame subsides, turn off the heat. Divide the ice cream into four bowls, then divide the bananas and sauce among the bowls. Serve immediately. Even if you don't like ba- nanas, you just might make an exception for bananas Foster. CLASSICS St or y be hi nd N ew O rl ea ns 1 95 0s d es se rt JULIANA JIMÉNEZ JARAMILLO — SLATE Bananas Foster originates from the 1950s in New Orleans. This version uses amaretto instead of banana liqueur. Upgrades: Amaretto instead of banana liqueur; a kitchen lighter for the flame Tehama County's fourth annual Passport Weekend will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 7-8. The self-guided agricul- tural tour allows partici- pants to explore Tehama County farms at their own pace. An easy-to-follow map is provided with the pur- chase of each ticket. Tickets are $20. A self- guided passport ticket can be purchased for $20.For those who don't feel like driv- ing, a two-day guided shuttle service and passport ticket can be purchased for $60. Guests may visit family farms that produce vegeta- bles, fruits, nuts, beef, olives and olive oil. Some Tehama Trail farm- ers have events planned, others will pair fresh food, wines and artisanal olive oils. Cedar Crest Vineyards in Manton will host a mu- sic festival and wine tast- ing, while Tehama Oaks Vineyard & Winery in Red Bluff, partnering with Pa- cific Sun Olive Oil, plans a barrel tasting. Country Ha- ven at the Red Barn in Los Molinos will offer specials on locally grown and pro- duced goods. Tickets include free sam- pling at each location and are available first-come, first- serve at Tehama Oaks Vine- yard & Winery, Enjoy the Store, Julia's Fruit Stand, Burlison's Farm, Bianchi Orchards Walnuts & Wine, Country Haven at the Red Barn, New Clairvaux Vine- yard, Lucero Olive Oil, Olive Pit, Indian Peak Vineyards, Alger Vineyards, Mount Te- hama Winery, Cedar Crest Vineyards and Shasta Daisy Vineyards. TEHAMA COUNTY Passport Weekend ag tour coming Deli-TastyBurgers-Wraps NewTo-GoSection Thursday,Friday&Saturday Lunch&DinnerBuffet Happy Hour with Cocktails, Food & Entertainment Saigon Bistro 723 Walnut St. Red Bluff 528-9670 Reserveour BANQUET ROOM LosMarachis 529-5154 CUSTOM CUT MEATS AT NO EXTRA CHARGE WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS WeAcceptEBT "YourFamilySupermarket" Weappreciateyourbusiness-andweshowit! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY 384-1563 WE FEATURE BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA Prices good June 4 thru June 10, 2014 Baby Back Pork Ribs $ 3 49 Lb. Fresh, Foster Farms Bagged Fryers $ 1 29 Lb. Boneless Beef Chuck Steaks $ 2 99 Lb. Bone-In Beef Rib Steaks $ 7 99 Lb. Black Tiger Prawns 31/40 Count $ 8 99 Lb. Jumbo Artichokes 2 $ 5 for Fresh Express Salads Caesar, Caesar Lite, Caesar Supreme, Chopped Asia, or Chopped SouthWest Crisp Green Beans $ 1 59 Lb. FreshProduceSpecials Yellow Peaches or Nectarines $ 1 19 Produce Specials Beef Spareribs $ 1 79 Lb. for Lb. Meat Specials Grocery Specials Kellogg's Mini Wheats Cereal 15 - 18 oz. Boxes, Select Varieties KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce 17 - 18 oz. Bottle, Select Varieties $ 1 89 Western Family Peanut Butter 28 oz. Jar, Select Varieties $ 3 99 Kellogg's Pop•Tarts 10.5 - 14.7 oz.Packages, Select Varieties 2 $ 4 for Pepsi Soft Drinks 2 Liter Bottles Select Varieties +crv Budweiser or Coors Beer 30 Pack, 12 oz. Cans, Select Varieties $ 19 99 +crv Natural Beer 30 Pack, 12 oz. Cans, $ 13 99 +crv Pepsi Soft Drinks 24 Pack, 12 oz. Cans Select Varieties, $ 6 99 +crv Western Family Concord Grape Jelly 18 oz. Jar $ 1 69 for +crv Western Family Vegetables 11 -15.25 oz. Can, Select Varieties 59 ¢ General Mills Cereal 10.7 - 12.2 oz Boxes, Select Varieties 2 $ 4 for Kraft Mayonnaise 30 oz. Jar $ 2 99 Kingsford Briquettes 15.7 - 16.6 Pound Bag, Select Varieties $ 8 99 Oscar Mayer Wieners 16 oz. Packages, Select Varieties 3 $ 5 Fritos, Cheetos or Doritos Dinamitas 8 - 10.25 oz. Packages, Select Varieties 2 $ 4 Red, Ripe Roma Tomatoes $ 1 19 4 $ 5 for Keystone Beer 18 Pack, 12 oz. Cans, $ 10 99 +crv for for Blueberries 18 oz. Container $ 3 99 Ea. Lb. 2 $ 4 Gatorade Thirst Quencher 32 oz. Bottles, Select Varieties 10 $ 10 for +crv 2 $ 5 Lipton Iced Tea 12 Pack, 16.9 oz. Bottles Select Varieties, $ 4 99 Take 15% off your entire bill dine in only Open Tues-Sat www. palominoroom .com 723 Main St. 527.5470 FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, June 4, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4