How To Cook Eggplant Green Curry

Preparation for serving 4

There are a lot of special ingredients in this curry. We've provided links to Amazon for some of the harder-to-find items, and most can be found at an Asian market if there is one near you. Also most of these ingredients can usually be found at Whole Foods.

1 Place a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan over high heat. Add eggplant and stir-fry until skin becomes lightly brown and blistered, and the eggplant insides begin to soften and get a slight sear, about 3 to 4 minutes. The eggplant will absorb the oil, if some of the eggplant pieces don't get any add a little more oil. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.

2 Place another tablespoon of vegetable oil in the wok heat over medium heat. Add the curry paste - be careful, as it will cause the oil to spit - and saut? over medium heat until fragrant, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add half of the coconut milk and mix, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

3 Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, brown sugar, and remaining coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the bamboo shoots, cooked eggplant, and bell pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened a bit. Stir in basil and chilies and remove from heat. Serve over rice with lime wedges on the side.

How To Cook Green Chile Enchiladas

Preparation for 4-6 persons

You can easily substitute prepared canned tomatillo salsa verde for the tomatillo sauce (you'll need two cups), and canned whole Anaheim green chiles for the chiles (remove the seeds and stems if still in the chiles).

1 Prepare the tomatillo sauce. Remove the husks from the tomatillos. Rinse off the tomatillos. Cut them in half and place them cut-side down on a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Place the garlic and jalape?os on the pan with the tomatillos. Broil on the top rack on the oven for 5-7 minutes until the tomatillos are lightly charred. Remove from the oven and let cool to touch. Remove garlic from the garlic skins, discard the skins. Cut open the jalape?os and remove and discard the seeds and the stems. Place tomatillos, cooked garlic, the jalape?os, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender, pulse until well pur?ed. Set aside. (You can make several days in advance and store in the refrigerator.)

2 Prepare the Anaheim chiles. If you have a stove-top gas burner, you can roast the chiles directly over the flame of the burner (see How to roast chile peppers over a gas flame), otherwise use a broiler and broil the chiles in a roasting pan, turning them until they are blackened all over. Place the blackened chiles in a small brown paper bag. Close the bag and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Then remove the chiles from the bag and peel off and discard the blackened skin. Slice open the chiles and remove and discard the seed pod, any seeds (they're hot!) and the stems. Slice the chiles into strips.

3 Cook the tortillas. Heat a couple tablespoons of canola or grapeseed oil in a frying pan (cast iron works well) on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add a corn tortilla to the pan. The tortilla should sizzle as it hits the pan. Turn it over and let it cook until little pockets of air start to bubble up in the tortilla. Then use a metal spatula to remove the tortilla from the pan, shaking off any excess oil, to a plate lined with paper towels. Continue to the tortillas this way, adding more oil as needed, separating the tortillas that are cooling with paper towels.

4 Preheat the oven to 350?F. Spread a little of the tomatillo sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole pan. One by one, place a little grated cheese and a strip or two of green chiles in the center of the tortillas, roll them up, and place them in the casserole. Once you have filled the casserole with the rolled tortillas, spread the remaining tomatillo sauce over them, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

5 Bake for 15 minutes at 350?F, until cheese is melted

Serve with sour cream (thinned with some water) drizzled over, and some chopped fresh cilantro. Also good with it is thinly sliced iceberg lettuce that has been sprinkled with cider or white vinegar and salt. Makes for excellent leftovers, will keep in the refrigerator for days.

How To Cook Chicken Normandy

Preparation for serving 4

In this recipe we brown the chicken on the stovetop, then braise the chicken in the oven, and then finish on the stovetop. You can make the whole dish on the stovetop if you wish. In step 6 just simmer the chicken on the stovetop (uncovered if skin-on, covered if using skinless chicken pieces), until cooked through and tender, 15-30 minutes. The reason to do it in the oven is to produce a crispy skin.

1 Sprinkle salt over the chicken pieces and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

2 Preheat the oven to 375?F. Heat 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large, oven-proof saut? pan over medium heat. Add the apple slices and saut? until they turn a little brown around the edges, turning occasionally. Sprinkle the apple slices with a little salt. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

3 Dredge the chicken in flour and place the pieces in the saut? pan, skin side down. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Fry until golden, about 3-5 minutes on medium to medium-high heat on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

4 Add the onions and increase the heat to medium-high. Spread the onion slices out in an even layer to cover the pan. As the onions cook they will release moisture that will help deglaze the pan of the browned bits from the chicken. Saut? the onions, stirring occasionally, until they just being to brown, about 5-8 minutes.

5 Add the brandy to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any remaining browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the brandy boil until it has reduced by about half. Add the cider and bring it to a boil.

6 Sprinkle in the thyme. Add just a pinch of salt to the cider. Arrange the chicken legs in the pan so the skin faces up and is not submerged by the cider-brandy mixture. Place in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

7 Remove the pan from the oven. (Watch out for the hot handle! I like to run an ice cube over the handle as soon as I remove the pan, to help bring the handle temp down quickly and prevent a bad burn if I forget the handle is hot.) Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside. Place the pan back on a stovetop burner on high heat. Add the apples and boil down the sauce by half.

8 When the sauce reduces to the point where it's a little syrupy, add the cream and turn down the heat. Taste for salt and add some if needed.

To serve, spoon some apples and onions on the plate, top with sauce and a piece of chicken.

How To Cook Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Preparation for 6-8 persons

3 Tbsp olive oil1 onion, choppedSalt4 garlic cloves, chopped1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped3-5 anchovies, or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste2 Tbsp tomato paste1 1/2 cups red wine4 cups roasted red peppers (jarred or freshly roasted)1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)1/2 teaspoon cayenne or hot paprikaGrated cheese (parmesan, pecorino, manchego, etc.)Some minced fresh sage for garnish

1 If you are using jarred peppers, drain away the marinade and soak them in a large bowl of cold water. If you skip this step, the sauce will become too acidic. Soak for 10-15 minutes before proceeding.

2 Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saut?, stirring from time to time, until it is wilted and translucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle some salt over the onions as they cook.

3 Add the garlic and sage, mix well, and saut? another minute. Mix in the anchovies, smashing them up, and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the paste begins to turn a brick red.

4 Add the red wine and stir well. Turn the heat up to high and let this boil down by half. Stir in the roasted red peppers and turn the heat back down to medium. Let this simmer for 10-20 minutes ? it?s pretty forgiving at this point. You just want the peppers to be cooked through and soft.

5 Pur?e the sauce in a blender. You might need to do this in batches, because you don?t want to fill your blender more than 2/3 up at one time. Pur?e the sauce, starting with the machine on low for 1-2 minutes to break up the big pieces. Turn off the blender and scrape the sides down. Turn it on again, and starting at the low setting, bring it up to its highest setting. Pur?e for at least a minute, until smooth.

6 Return the sauce to the pan and heat to medium-low. Taste for salt and add some if needed. Add the cayenne or hot paprika, along with smoked paprika if you have some. If you want, a teaspoon of sugar helps, too, if your peppers are not already sweet enough. Keep the sauce warm while you make the pasta.

7 Make the pasta according to the package instructions, depending on the type of pasta you are using.

8 To serve, drain the cooked pasta and put it into a large bowl. Ladle some sauce over the pasta and mix with tongs to combine. You want to coat all the noodles evenly. Divide into servings. Garnish with some grated cheese and minced fresh sage. Serve with a medium-bodied red wine, or a dry rose.

How To Cook Chinese Long Beans In Sichuan Style

Chinese long beans (also called Chinese green beans, yardlong beans, and chopstick beans) are a staple vegetable in much of Southeastern Asia. While they can be eaten raw they're often thrown in stir-fries, curries, and omelettes. They taste like the European-American style of green beans but the flavor is sharper and they have a crunchier texture. Incredibly healthy and now widely available in most supermarkets, Farmers' Markets, and Asian markets, they're a new and affordable option for adding to main courses or using for simple side dishes.

I love to prepare them in a Sichuanese style using Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies (preferably, a Chinese variety). The spices are quickly stir-fried to bring out their flavors before the long beans are added. The result is a fiery dish that will awaken the senses and perk up your usual dinner rotation.

How To Make Delicious Moussaka

Prepare the meat sauce

1 Heat the olive oil in a large saut? pan over medium-high heat and brown the ground meat. By the way, the meat will brown best if you don't stir it. Add the onions about halfway into the browning process. Sprinkle salt over the meat and onions.

2 Once the meat is browned and the onions have softened, add the garlic, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano and tomato paste. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3 Add the red wine and mix well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Mix well and taste. If the sauce needs more acidity, add more lemon juice.

Set the sauce aside.

Prepare the potatoes and eggplants

4 Mix the 1/2 cup salt with the 8 cups of water in a large pot or container. This will be the brine for the eggplants.

5 Slice the top and bottom off the eggplants. Cut thick strips of the skin off the eggplants to give them a striped appearance. A little skin on the eggplant is good for texture, but leaving it all on makes the moussaka hard to cut later, and can add bitterness, which you don?t want. (Some moussaka recipes leave the skin on and have you slice the eggplants lengthwise, which is an option if you prefer.) Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and drop them into the brine.

6 Let the eggplants sit in the brine 15-20 minutes, then remove them to a series of paper towels to dry. Place a paper towel down on the counter, layer some eggplant on it, then cover with another sheet of paper towel and repeat.

7 As the eggplants are brining, peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds. Boil them in salted water for 5-8 minutes ? you want them undercooked, but no longer crunchy. Drain and set aside.

8 To cook the eggplant, broil or grill the rounds. You could also fry the eggplant rounds but they tend to absorb a lot of oil that way. To grill the eggplant rounds, get a grill very hot and close the lid. Paint one side of the eggplant rounds with olive oil and grill 2-3 minutes. When they are done on one side, paint the other side with oil and flip. When the eggplants are nicely grilled, set aside. To broil, line a broiling pan or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Paint with olive oil. Place the eggplant rounds on the foil and brush with olive oil. Broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on one side, then flip them over and broil for a few minutes more. Set aside.

Prepare the b?chamel

9 Heat milk in a pot on medium heat until steamy (about 160 degrees). Do not let simmer.

10 Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat. When the butter has completely melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Let this roux simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Do not let it get too dark.

11 Little by little, pour in the steamy milk, stirring constantly. It will set up and thicken dramatically at first, but keep adding milk and stirring, the sauce will loosen. Return the heat to medium. Add about a teaspoon of salt and the nutmeg. Stir well.

12 Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. Temper the eggs so they don?t scramble when you put them into the sauce. Using two hands, one with a whisk, the other with a ladle, slowly pour in a couple ladle?s worth of the hot b?chamel into the eggs, whisking all the time. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the b?chamel while whisking the mixture. Keep the sauce on very low heat, do not let simmer or boil.

Finish the moussaka

13 Preheat the oven to 350?F. Layer a casserole with the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Top the layer of potatoes with a layer of eggplant slices (use just half of the slices).

14 Cover the eggplant slices with the meat sauce. Then layer remaining eggplant slices on top of the meat.

15 Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Ladle the b?chamel over everything in an even layer. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

16 Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

Let the moussaka cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

How To Cook Turkey with Mustard Sauce

Preparation for 6-8 person

4 turkey thighs, skin on, bone-inSalt4 Tbsp vegetable oil1 large yellow or white onion, roughly chopped1-2 large parsnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces2-3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces3 cups chicken or turkey stock2 Tbsp brown sugar1/3 cup yellow mustard1 heaping Tbsp dry mustard powder2 teaspoons chipotle or chili powder 4-6 Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces1 cup (packed) roughly chopped mustard greens, arugula, spinach, or parsley1/4 cup whole grain mustard

1 Salt the turkey thighs well and set out at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2 Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat for a minute or two. Pat the turkey thighs dry with a paper towel and set them skin side down in the hot oil to brown. Turn the heat down to medium. Let them brown well, at least 3-5 minutes, before turning. Don?t crowd the pan, the meat needs air flow around it to brown properly. Cook the turkey in batches if needed. When the thighs are browned, place them in a slow cooker or Dutch oven.

3 Saut? the onions in the pan once the turkey has browned, then add them to the slow cooker or Dutch oven.

4 While the turkey and onions are browning, place the stock in a medium pot and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the brown sugar, yellow mustard (reserve the whole grain mustard for the end of the recipe), mustard powder, chipotle and a little salt. Cook for a minute and add salt to taste. Depending on how acidic your mustard is you may need to add a little cider or white vinegar as well.

5 Add the carrots and parsnips to the pot with the turkey and onions. Pour the sauce over everything until the liquid is about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the turkey and vegetables. Reserve any remaining sauce. Cover and simmer on low, or cover and turn the slow cooker on high.

6 Cook in a slow cooker for 4 hours on high, or in a Dutch oven for 1 hour on simmer.

7 Add the potatoes and a little more sauce, if you have any. Cover and cook another 1-2 hours in a slow cooker, or 30-45 minutes in the Dutch oven.

8 Before serving, remove the turkey pieces from the pot, strip off and discard the bones and the skin, return the turkey pieces to the pot. Stir in the mustard greens, arugula, or other greens you are using. Stir in the whole grain mustard. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt, chipotle powder, and mustard to taste.

How To Cook Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Onions

Preparation for 4-6 persons

2 pork tenderloins, about a pound eachSalt4 Tbsp butter1 white or yellow onion1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced8-10 mission (dark) figs, quartered2 Tbsp chopped parsley1-2 teaspoons lemon juiceBlack pepper

1 Salt the pork tenderloins well and set them out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Heat the oven to 300?F.

2 Slice the onion into strips lengthwise (from the top to the root end). Cutting the onion this way helps keep the pieces hold their shape. (See How to caramelize onions for a visual).

3 Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saut? pan over medium-high heat. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels. Place the tenderloins in the pan and sear on all sides, until nicely browned. Remove the tenderloins to an oven-proof pan, and place in the oven at 300?F. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloins reaches 140?F. Then remove from oven and let rest.

4 While the tenderloins are roasting, add the onions to the saut? pan along with the other tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine and saut? for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar, and toss to combine again. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.

5 Once the onions have softened and browned, add the rosemary and figs. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir to combine. Saut? 2 minutes, stirring often.

6 Remove from the heat. Mix in the parsley and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the pork tenderloins into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve alongside the onions and figs.

One Dish Wonders: Los Cucos Mexican Cafe

By Mike Sutter

AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC

Beef Stuffed Avocado ($8.99)

After El Arroyo closed at Bee Cave Road and Texas 71, it didn't take long for its replacement to find a customer base. Just weeks after it opened in July, Los Cucos was packed, its cavernous main room filled with neighborhood families, people I recognized from our elementary school, their echoes bounding off the concrete floors. I can't claim familiarity with the sprawling menu of Tex-Mex standards and grill platters. Doesn't matter. Give me the Beef Stuffed Avocado every single time. It's a baseball-sized avocado filled with smoky beef fajita meat and melting Cheddar-Jack cheese, fried to a grainy crunch. By itself, it's possibly enough, once you factor in free chips and two salsas. But this plate has its own cheering section: a juicy chicken fajita taco covered in queso, plus refried beans, chopped tomatoes and sour cream, even a cup of tortilla soup. At $8.99, it's a solid introduction to this regional chain specializing in mid-priced Mexican food.

Los Cucos Mexican Cafe. 12432 RM 2244, Bee Cave. 263-3400, www.loscucos.com .

Think outside the bell: 6 true Mexican dishes in Austin

By Mike Sutter

AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC

Many of us grew up eating what we thought was Mexican food, food that had as much connection to Mexico as french fries have to France or Swedish meatballs have to my Swedish ancestors. What exactly was the 'Enchirito' at Taco Patio? Heckifino.

But talk to a person who was born in, travels through or loves Mexico and you'll hear about dishes worlds apart from a No. 2 plate.

We're thinking about sabores auténticos (authentic flavors) as Austin celebrates two Mexican milestones - independence and revolution - with a gala Monday at the Long Center for the Performing Arts (see the box with this story) that includes historical Mexican dishes.

Don't have $250 for a ticket to the ball? Here are six dishes from Austin restaurants that speak to the spiritual and geographical heart of Mexico.

Cochinita pibil at Sazon

1816 S. Lamar Blvd. 326-4395, www.sazonaustin.com . $11.95.

Chef and owner Margarito Aranda: 'A true cochinita is going to be cooked in the ground, in what's called a 'pib,' in an earthen oven. That's the way the Mayans would cook it. The name 'cochinita pibil' is a mixture of Spanish and Mayan, which is 'little pig cooked in the ground.' We braise it in the oven, try to mimic the temperature and the time. We grew up cooking a different type of Mexican food. I was actually born in Mexico, but I was born in northern Mexico, so there's a completely different style. There's more grilling, there's more beef than farther south. (Cochinita) is from the Yucatán. They have more black beans as opposed to pintos. They use habaneros as spices, as opposed to jalapeños or serranos. (Cochinita) is braised in a banana leaf, and it'll impart a little bit of a smoky flavor. We'll serve it with garlic rice, and it's white. That's very traditional throughout Mexico. … There's a side relish dish called 'xni pec' that comes from the Yucatán. It's pickled red onions, habaneros. It's got a Mayan name. "Xni pec" means "nose of the dog." It's called that because with the habanero peppers, when you eat it, it should make your nose run and have it wet like a dog's nose.'

El Califa tacos at La Condesa

400 W. Second St. 499-0300, www.lacondesaaustin.com . $14.

La Condesa chef René Ortiz: 'One favorite for me which is on the menu (at La Condesa) right now is the Califa. That's a restaurant in Mexico City, in the Condesa neighborhood. It's sliced rib-eye that's seared a la plancha, and then manchego cheese that's griddled next to it. And the meat is tossed over it, and the queso becomes chicharron (crispy like fried pork skin). They put this on a very tiny tortilla and then they put salsa on top of that, and the salsa's cooked in the juices of the meat. So when you're there, it's as dramatic and beautiful as it is delicious. The meat is larger than the tortilla, and the cheese is bigger than the meat. You crack the whole thing and fold the meat into the tortilla with the salsa juicing out of it. And that's your taco.'

Menudo at Joe's Bakery

2305 E. Seventh St. 472-0017, www.joesbakery.com . $4.19 for a half-pint bowl.

'Today's the day,' I told my waitress at Joe's. 'Having menudo for the first time.' God love her, she arched her eyebrows and brought a little bowl for me to taste before I committed all the way. Menudo is a fabled hangover cure, a bar snack at closing time, a comforting taste of home for Mex-pats everywhere. But the truth? It's beef tripe. Sure, they're sliced and washed and cooked in a spicy soup stock with red chiles and kernels of hominy, no matter what the purists might think of hominy. But there's no getting around the musky aroma and the bouncy texture. It's cut into sections about a square inch wide, a smooth alabaster white on one side, shaggy on the other side like a bank of sea anemones in a salty red lagoon. The more I ate, the more I warmed to the flavor and primal texture. A colleague told me the smell of menudo being made in the kitchen - like being trapped in an elevator full of shoes - will drive everybody out of the house. But sitting down to a bowl of it, that's the thing that pulls everybody back in.

Five Under Five: The breakfast edition

By Mike Sutter

AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC

Breakfast is a good time to know where your eggs come from.

For example, all four locations of Dan's Hamburgers get their eggs from Congdon Farms in Lockhart, Dan's owner told me. Her name is Katie Congdon, daughter of late Dan's patriarch Dan Junk.

'Wait, your last name is Congdon?' I asked her. Turns out she's married to Philip Congdon, the egg man. Has been for almost 22 years, about as long as he's had the Dan's account. 'He's a really good salesman,' she said.

Business has been good for Congdon as the local farm fills some of the gaps left by out-of-state eggs that have been recalled for possible salmonella contamination, Philip Congdon said. His family's clients include the Four Seasons Hotel, Sweetish Hill Bakery and, I was happy to hear, the Omelettry.

The Omelettry and Dan's are both part of this Five Under Five report, an occasional series about good food and drinks that cost less than $5 before tax and tip. Today, it's the search for an inexpensive breakfast without leaning on the ubiquitous breakfast taco, a quest for biscuits and gravy, a late-night bagel and eggs on the sunny side.

msutter@statesman.com; 912-5902

Dan's Hamburgers

No. 19: Half-order of biscuits and gravy with sausage and one egg: $4.29

At breakfast, Dan's feels more like a small-town diner than a hamburger joint. There's table service in the morning, and the waitress tops off my coffee (sadly, not part of the Under Five package) before it's halfway gone. There isn't an empty spot in the parking lot at 10 a.m., and the inside is a South Austin perfume of bacon and coffee and toasted bread. People talk about the biscuits and gravy here almost as much as they talk about the whole Dan's-and-Fran's split from years ago. The No. 19 breakfast is one biscuit made from scratch, the kind that crumbles more than it flakes, with a crust just thick enough to hold up under the gravy. And that gravy is as thick as family history, maybe not quite as peppery, with a few chunks of politely spiced country sausage mixed in and a sausage patty on the side. The egg, of course, is a perfect creamy-yolked sunrise, the only kind a good salesman (and smart husband) would allow. 4308 Manchaca Road. 443-6131. Breakfast served 6 to 11 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays, until noon Sundays.

Dart Bowl Cafe

One egg with toast and potatoes, small coffee: $4.75

There was a $2 enchilada special last month as Dart Bowl celebrated 40 years in business, but 10:30 a.m. seemed a little early for all that cheesy-greasy-Pepto-pleasy. Besides, I like that thin, crunchy toast they make with sweet homemade bread for breakfast, smeared with peel-a-packs of grape jelly. The potatoes are hot and soft in that homefries style, and the egg won't win any prizes at the state fair, but it's great for sopping up with purple toast. The plate's cheap enough at $3.50 that you can squeeze in a cup of coffee and stay under five bucks. I like the G-rated writing on the salvaged panel walls and the booths with upholstery like vintage bowling bags. But the best thing? People who bowl in the morning are the best kind of people. The joy they get from picking up a sleeper spare will remind you that the day's biggest victories are the little ones. 5700 Grover Ave. 459-4181 , www.dartbowl.com . Breakfast served continuously from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (until 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays).

The Omelettry

The Economical: $4.50

'Hi, guys. Y'all are welcome to sit anywhere that's clean.' Words to live by. I heard those words over and over during breakfast at this nursery-rhyme nexus where Burnet Road meets 49th Street meets Woodrow Avenue. Humpty Dumpty sits on the wall in drawings and paintings and crayon masterworks everywhere, his egg-shaped head creased by smile lines - even as fate dictates that he'll wind up on your plate in some form. Your five dollars won't buy an omelette here (they start at $6.65 with sides). But $4.50 gets you the Economical: two eggs with toast and homefries, cottage cheese or fruit. Or even better: two eggs with a short stack of two buttermilk, whole wheat or gingerbread pancakes. The buttermilk pancake is so fluffy it barely holds together, like your dream life. The gingerbread pancake is more spicy and stubborn, like your real life. Either way, the pancakes form an enormous smiley face on the plate where they overlap, with fried eggs for eyes. And that's the only way to leave the Omelettry after pancakes and eggs: smiling. 4811 Burnet Road. 453-5062 . Breakfast served continuously from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Jezebel's creator keeps hope alive with Simplicity and Braise

By Mike Sutter

AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC

This review was supposed to be about Restaurant Jezebel.

The little place downtown with all the giant paintings of naked ladies played host to a bellwether restaurant night for me. My brother was in town on business, and we sat by the windows and ate osso bucco and lobster bisque and brie-stuffed chicken and snails in sweet balsamic and drank two bottles of good wine. He said it reminded him of one of those grand old places in New Orleans, cut down to personal size.

But on July 26, fire destroyed the dining room, and Jezebel won't be coming back to Congress Avenue. Chef and owner Parind Vora says he'll have to move, that it would cost too much and take too long to reopen downtown. After standing with him among the charred ruins of his wine cabinets and dinner tables, I believe it. I'm not supposed to meet the people whose work I review, but the fire damage was something I had to see for myself. That's how I met Vora face-to-face, at the worst possible time, after so many phone conversations about grease traps and cooking in Spain and $500 bottles of wine.

But this review isn't about Restaurant Jezebel. It's about Vora's side projects, an inexpensive wine-and-tapas bar called Simplicity and a midpriced bistro called Braise, both of which opened this year. He put together the menus and staffs for both places but never intended to cook at either one every night like he did at Jezebel. Still, it's easy to play spot-the-influences.

Both places have concrete floors and dark-earth color schemes (like Jezebel). Both places are decorated with canvases by a single artist (like Jezebel). At both places, vegetarians will have something to eat besides salad (again, like Jezebel). Simplicity and Braise are cousin and son to the mother restaurant.

The cousin, Simplicity, builds a tapas menu around a wine list of about 80 value-conscious bottles, with 30 by the glass for no more than $8. The plates and utensils are disposable, from a local company called ToGoCo, and the wine glasses are sturdy glass tumblers.

What started as a flat $4.95 per-plate system - a screaming bargain for shrimp and grits or a fruit-and-cheese plate with chevre, manchego and bleu - has evolved into a three-tier system of plates for $4.95, $5.95 and $6.95. At the lower level, two simple skewers of spicy roasted sweet potatoes went well with a chilled Sicilian white, which also held up to hearts of palm wrapped in bacon like a barber's pole.

At the middle level, my favorite riesling from Idaho (yeah, I said it; it's gone now) was ideal for spicy Buffalo-style sauteed calamari, and sesame oil turned a watermelon salad with goat cheese into an aromatic sensation. The upper price level now includes the shrimp and grits and an exotic 'beggar's purse' of braised lamb and garlic in a pastry shell and a more grounded dish of chicken meatballs in sweet red-pepper coulis.

Simplicity lives up (and down) to its name. The white letters of the sign are set off against artificial turf. Signs on the window announce both free Wi-Fi and free sarcasm. Inside, there are deep sofas and high tables. Black-and-white posterized canvases of Green Day and Kings of Leon hang within smirking distance of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. The exhibits rotate according to the tastes of general manager Claire Hees, herself an accomplished painter.

Outside, there's no getting around the fact that you're sitting in a parking lot on Burnet Road. But the planter boxes around it are filled with green peppers and herbs, and a noseful of fresh mint and basil fixes just about anything. Maybe not cold pork satay skewers or a dried-out frittata-style tortilla Española. But the gaffes seemed like a small price for the exploratory possibilities and the occasional glimmers of Jezebel here.

A few miles to the east and a few steps up the culinary ziggurat lies Braise, in a section of East Sixth Street stamped from a quasi-contemporary gentrification mold that wouldn't be out of place in a Santa Fe suburb.

Inside, Braise reminded one of my guests of a little restaurant he knows in Belgium, about a dozen tables draped in white cloth, the walls covered with quirky paintings. Think 'Yellow Submarine' meets 'Moulin Rouge.' Braise is like Jezebel Jr., its menu a mélange of bistro classics (roasted chicken with white wine reduction and mashed potatoes so rich they tasted truffled) and defiantly out-of-category surprises (hot, rustic jerked pork with black beans sweetened by pineapple).