Rok's Bistro Review

Jason here. It’s going to be just me this time, since Kayleigh wasn’t with me to enjoy this unique restaurant dining experience. 

Not too long ago I took a trip down to lovely Sunnyvale California, and ate a restaurant called Rok Bistro (Warning it plays annoying music). The restaurant caught my attention because it advertised having hot-stones. What are hot-stones you ask? Well you can read about them on their website here (no music), but essentially they are square stones they heat up to incredibly hot temperatures and they serve your food on when it comes out. The whole idea is that you don’t have to order your main entrée in any particular style (well-done, medium, rare), instead it comes out sizzling on the hot-stone rare and you leave it to cook, or slice off bits and cook them individually to your exact liking.

 I should point out at this point that I ordered a steak, but they do serve plenty of other items which can come on the hot-stone.  I wasn’t immediately sold on the idea, since the part of the appeal of eating out is that ideally my food is cooked by an expert chef to perfection. However, when my food arrived I immediately warmed up to the idea.

 The hot-stone certainly adds presentation and style to the meal, which in turn adds into a good meal. My steak came out sizzling on the hot-stone giving off a delicious aroma. Furthermore, when I said I warmed up to the idea, I also meant that literally since the hot-stone gives off a decent amount of heat making it feel like you are sitting next to a small fire. It was chilly that day, so the heat made me think of eating by a nice warm campfire.

Then came the actual part of cooking the meal to my liking. I actually found this an enjoyable experience. Slicing off little bits so they would lay more flat against the hot-stone and cook quicker, made it so that each piece was more-or-less how I wanted it done. The benefit I didn’t foresee, but completely sold me on the entire thing, was that the whole time I was eating, my steak never got cold, or even warm. It was always hot, like it just came out of the kitchen. I am a pretty slow eater, so having each bite taste like that first bite fresh out of the kitchen was great! 

I am pleased to say the restaurant is also gluten intolerant aware. When I asked if the sauces which came with my meal were gluten free, the waiter politely said she wasn’t, sure but has a list in the back. It is always a very good sign when they say they have a prepared list, since that means at some point someone took the time to really figure out which items were safe. 

It’s worth mentioning the restaurant also specializes in fondues, but I did not get a chance to try them. Perhaps next time.

Overall, I would say it was a unique experience that I think everyone should give a try. The food was good, they are gluten friendly, and they offer an experience that would be hard to find anywhere else.

Recipe Experimentation, Part Two

All right, so last week we were talking about the whole issue about trying different cuisines of the world while avoiding gluten. Sometimes, the solution is simply looking up "___ gluten free recipe". Other times, you may just end up finding recipes for similar dishes, and cobbling things together yourself. The best solution, though? Just look into gluten free cuisine!

Back when most cultural cuisines were first invented, people really couldn't just hop on Amazon grocers for flour and yeast. They worked with what grew there, which often didn't involve gluten at all. Growing corn, rice, or potatoes were much easier to cultivate and harvest in their climates, so they made do just fine.

So, instead of lamenting the loss of airy French pastries, try making mochi instead! Make fried rice with a decorators flair. Give Brazil's cheese bread a chance, or Sweden's almond-based cakes. Most authentic mexican foods are cornmeal or cornflour based, and Japan just as soon uses sweet rice flour for their sweets. Just search around a bit with naturally gluten free foods in mind, and you can guarantee that nothing will get lost in translation.

Jason here. It’s been amazing finding new interesting cuisines from around the world that are naturally gluten free. The Swedish almond-based cakes were particularly great, and Brazil’s cheese bread was wonderfully delicious. Since becoming gluten free, I have learned to appreciate the recipes I have always cooked that were gluten free. For example, simple fried rice, or chili.

As a final note, just be creative! Making eggs benedict with arepas instead of english muffins, for example, is pretty darn good. Throwing an extra egg or two into gluten free pancake batter, along with a bit of extra liquid, can make a great crepe. Instead of feeling like you're just making do, change it to something you'd like even more than the original!

Recipe Experimentation, Part One

Kayleigh here. This week's post is going to be about experimenting with unusual foods, since I grew up trying new recipes and cuisines on pretty much a weekly basis. Chicken Mole Enchiladas one night could lead to Mediterranean style pasta the next, and Peanut Turkey Sliders on Friday.

With this level of variety going through the kitchen, sometimes our only knowledge of the dish was through the recipe, or through a friend’s description of how it should turn out. So when we were suddenly slammed with that Gluten Free barrier, there came a question- How can we try different cuisines, if we have to go and modify the recipes to eat them?

The first option, of course, is to look up blogs and recipes that are already gluten free. Find an authentic cook, read their story behind the recipe, and know that they can compare it to the original dish through their own experience. You'll still be getting exactly what you crave, and you won't have to fret about it being 'different' from how it is supposed to come out.

Of course, sometimes your desire for that dish may be from a gluten-full recipe that caught your eye, and you do not really want to try a different chef's take. If you have just been DYING to try Cooking With Dog's Okonomiyaki recipe, or you were handed a recipe for Nutella Crepes by a good friend, you may be able to find a gluten free recipe with a similar serving size, and substitute the flour blend and xanthan/guar gum for the flour in the original recipe.

Once you have gotten a pretty good hang of how each flour and component reacts to each other in gluten free baking, you may just find yourself able to concoct those substitutions on your own. Knowing in advanced if the bread is supposed to be light and fluffy or a heavy batter to deep-fry with can provide some excellent clues for what to use. Besides, the end product will usually still be delicious, so why not just give that a shot!

Jason here, with some examples. Our third post was all about our Buffalo Seafood which we created by guessing which flours would work together well to create a nice batter for deep-frying. That recipe is still one of my all-time favorites. We also tried creating a gluten free toaster strudel. It made a terrible toaster strudel, but pretty good pop-tart. We are slowly perfecting our bread recipe, making it better with each iteration.

And, of course, there is one other way of making gluten free ethnic foods, but why don't we save that for another post, hmmm?