Valentine’s Day Menu 2012
Available Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Price per couple - $50

Shared Entrée – Choice of 12 oz. Prime Rib Slow Smoked for 10 hours, or 10 oz Blackened Beef Tenderloin with Poblano Pesto Cream Sauce

Scrumptious Sides – Either choice served with six Hot Buttered Shrimp with Tabasco Lemon Sauce, and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Decadent Dessert – El Rey Chocolate Silk Custard (see recipe insert)

Wine Selection – Served with two glasses of wine: Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay or Cabernet (Upgrades available upon request)

Two Step Restaurant and Cantina is located at 9840 West Loop 1604 North, San Antonio, Texas 78254. The restaurant is at the corner of Braun Road and Loop 1604 in the parking lot of the Braun Pointe Shopping Center. Telephone: 210-688-2686.

www.twosteprestaurant.com

Two Step Restaurant and Cantina where the specialty drinks are anything but boring – that’s right, at Two Step, they’re kicking up the heat! A Texas twist on a cocktail classic, Two Step’s Bloody Maria – only $5.50 – is a take on the traditional Bloody Mary.Made with jalapeno infused tequila, the cocktail, typically made with vodka, is bursting with complex flavor combos that are sure to keep South Texan taste buds coming back for more.

“We call our bar the ‘Cantina’ because we specialize in margaritas and have over thirty premium tequila options. It just made sense to include a Bloody Maria -made with jalapeno infused tequila – that gives a milder, but distinct spiciness,” says Adrienne Munoz,Director of Marketing & Events/Owner.

Beyond specialty drink sand world-class margaritas to boot, Two Step is serving up Texas bar-b-que just the way Southerners like it – high quality and traditional. Prepared by Chef/Owner Steve Warner, formerly of Wildfish Seafood Grille and Morton’s of Chicago, Two Step’s cuisine offers Texans’ favorite smoked meats including brisket, beef ribs, pork chops and sausage. More so, the menu is rounded out by home-style sides including macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy and a slew of homemade pies.

Two Step – constructed from a homestead built by early American pioneers – is hitting the mark across the board. The space is family friendly and casual, which is similar to the original structure that functioned as a warm home setting. The sunset view from the open patio will draw you in, but it’s the quality Texas-inspired food and drinks that will make you a regular at Two Step Restaurant and Cantina.

“We have a beautiful patio here at theTwo Step, ideal for drinking a Bloody Mary on a sunny afternoon. We put a lot of energy into making a spicy, but really tasty Bloody Maria,” said Director of Marketing & Events/Owner, Adrienne Munoz

TwoStep Restaurant and Cantina is located at 9840 West Loop 1604 North, San Antonio, Texas78254. The restaurantis at the corner of Braun Roadand Loop 1604 in the parking lot of the Braun PointeShopping Center. Two StepRestaurant and Cantina is open for business Sunday – Wednesday 11 a.m. to10 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. tomidnight. Enjoy live music every Sunday! Telephone: 210-688-2686 – http://twosteprestaurant.com/.

9840 West Loop 1604 N, San Antonio, TX 78254
At the Corner of Braun Rd and Loop 1604 in the parking lot of the Braun Pointe Shopping Center

• 1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 large sweet onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1 (3- to 4-lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (1-oz.) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 (14-oz.) can beef broth
• 1 (8-oz.) can Italian style tomato sauce
• 1 (8-oz.) can Italian style diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preparation

1. Place mushrooms and onion in a lightly greased 5-to 6-qt. slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle roast with pepper. Cook roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

3. Place roast on top of mushrooms and onion in slow cooker. Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast; pour beef broth and tomato sauce over roast. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

4. Transfer roast to a cutting board; cut into large chunks, removing any large pieces of fat. Keep roast warm.

5. Skim fat from juices in slow cooker; stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Stir together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth; add to juices in slow cooker, stirring until blended. Increase slow cooker heat to HIGH. Cover and cook 40 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Stir in roast.

Make the eggs: For eight servings, bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add ½ cup of small tapioca pearls (found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores). Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes.

Color the eggs: Divide the pearls, with the remaining water, between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food coloring (we used 3 drops of yellow and 1 drop of green in one bowl, and 4 drops of blue in the other) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixtures, then allow them to sit uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Drain and rinse the pearls with cold water.

Assemble the drink: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with seltzer water, then add a splash of lemonade. Place a gummy worm around a spoon as shown.

Ingredients:

• 2 (6-oz.) packages long-grain and wild rice mix

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 12 ounces assorted fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Marsala
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method:

Prepare rice mix according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Add mushrooms and salt; sauté 4 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add Marsala, and sauté 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir mushroom mixture and parsley into prepared rice.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups eggnog

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat all ingredients together at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Increase speed to medium, and beat 2 minutes. Pour into a lightly greased 9- x 5-inch loaf pan.

2. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

The chocolate & wine nuts that you are about to experience have been crafted by hand and created from the heart with love – Dipping The Vine

The Nut Lady

I met a fun and fabulous new friend who has a truly original and irresistible online gourmet shop called Dipping The Vine. Her name is Andi Oakes and she makes artisanal nuts – gluten, dairy and peanut free!

We’re not just talking a bag of mixed nuts here, DTV (link to facebook page) features delightful recipes of chocolate, wine and other savory spices, mixed with the nuts to create a flavorful nosh to have with drinks, accompany a cheese plate, dessert or just as a favorite snack.

The original idea came to Andi while in that open state of mind just before drifting off to sleep – although she was more than satisfied with the menu she’d prepared for a dinner party she was to cater the follow evening, this sudden thought of adding a chocolate and wine cocktail nut to the courses, just couldn’t be ignored. So she got up out of bed and started mixing and baking until – Voilà:Dipping The Vine was born!

I met Andi, appropriately in wine country, at a wedding in Napa Valley CA; although she resides in NY, so we conducted our interview via e-mail:

T & T: So, how long were you in the kitchen before the right recipe was met that night?

Andi: When the idea for chocolate and wine cocktail nuts popped into my head, I started experimenting at 11pm -The batch that hit the mark was at around 1:30 in the morning!

T & T: How long did it take to start marketing the product after they became a hit at the party?

Andi: I obtained my business license about 2 months after the party and then began dropping samples and business cards off at various vineyard tasting rooms, wine bars, cheese shops, anything that I felt was a click with the nuts.

Then I started taking photos and working on text for the online store, dippingthevine.com which took another couple of months. Marketing is really an ongoing process and I’m learning how important it is to stay active with it as much as possible – I learn something new just about every day

T & T: At this point you feature 3 varieties of Dipping The Vine mixes:

• The original recipe of Mixed Nuts with Red Wine, Cocoa & Spices: Walnuts, almond and pecans are coated in full-bodied red wine, earthy cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and fresh lemon zest.
• Cashews with White Wine, Cocoa & Curry: A bit more on the savory side, large raw cashews are blissfully coated with crisp white wine, cocoa powder and a tingling array of curry spices.
• Hazelnuts with Port Wine, Black Cocoa & Espresso: Natural hazelnuts are coated in rich port wine, black cocoa, espresso with a touch of fresh orange peel.

T & T cont: (All available I see, in a handy 3-pack).  Are you in the process of trying out new combinations?  And if so, anything you are ready to reveal at this time?

Andi: Absolutely! Right now I’m celebrating my second holiday season and it’s fantastically busy – I will keep the original three flavors through the new year and then when things quiet down a bit, I’ll have more time to experiment with new flavors. I plan on doing an Asian inspired cashew with cocoa, ginger and wasabi which is spiked with sake. And a sort of “romantic” almond with dark cocoa, lavender and champagne. The third new flavor is up in the air but I’m pretty sure it’s going to involve chocolate and Mexican chilies!

T &T: All of those sound amazing! Think I’m most intrigued by the lavender and champagne.
a: What is the hardest part of running an online culinary business?  b: What is the most satisfying part of running an online culinary business?

Andi: a) Getting it all done. In addition to hand-producing the product, I also do my own packaging, which is almost as labor-intensive as the nut making! Then there’s packing supplies, bookkeeping, invoicing and always being ready for orders at all times which absolutely have to be fresh.

b) When a customer tells me how much they enjoy the nuts or that they were a hit at a party or a perfect gift, all of the hard work is worth it. Upon tasting the nuts for the first time, one woman’s eyes lit up and she said “They taste like LOVE!”-I’ll never forget it.

T & T: Do you still cater private parties?

Andi: When I have time, I will still cater private parties mainly because I love it. I really enjoy personalizing events -The planning, the execution, even the hectic moments are so rewarding when a vision becomes a reality.

T &T: Anything else you’d like Tinsel & Tine readers to know about you and Dipping The Vine?

Andi: I guess that Dipping The Vine Chocolate & Wine Nuts go really well with a movie

T &T: What is your favorite Holiday Movie?

Andi: I’m still a sucker for Rudolph!

I would like to assure my readers that this is NOT a paid post. I met Andi, we hit it off, and I felt highlighting her business would be a perfect holiday post for Tinsel & Tine.  However, if you do try Dipping The Vine nuts or purchase a gift certificate for someone on your shopping list, I’d love for you to let me know.