A Chicken In Every Granny Cart

What bar is this? Why, it's the Queen Monkey Bar. What, you've never heard of it before? Ah, wellll, there's a reason for that…

My friends V&G are new parents, to the beautiful Annabelle Lee (if you don't know why that's such a cool name, click here). They love being parents, but, when life gives you formula and burping cloths, well sometimes it takes away other things, like, say, going to a bar on a Friday night. So what have V&G done? Well, every now and then the magic words trip off V's tongue "The Queen Monkey Bar's open tonight, pass it on!"

And what does this thinly veiled, barely coded message mean? Basically, come on over, we're cooking and drinking and laughing profusely tonight. The Queen Monkey Bar is really just V&G's apartment, with a chalkboard in the kitchen:

Stellas £7

Ketel One & Sodas $6

Formula €3

Kibble (I can't remember how much kibble is!)

The QMB, named after one of each's nickname (I'll leave you to decide who's the queen and who's the monkey) was once again open this past Friday. V ran off to the market to pick up some purple artichokes I had seen, and grabbed a huge gorgeous sea bass to boot. Southern T and the bubbly Italian C contributed mussels (also kinda purple), and my favorite Brooklynites N&J brought cheese, blissfully, not purple (some might say however that J's prose is sometimes purple).

I picked up the boy at his favorite (real) bar and then we stopped to pick up the fixin's for my Aunt(she of spätzle fame)'s amazing Purple Cabbage & Pine Nut Salad.

V was already starting on the fish when we got there. G mixed martinis, Annabelle was being cute (as usual) and Willie (named after Prince William natch) was acting like a wingnut, as always. V's fish was just insanely good, nay, I'd say, it was perfect. She had the fish monger clean the sucker and then she stuffed its cavity with a highly aromatic herb and garlic paste and the roasted the whole thing (head on) over a bed of fennel and tomatoes (she says its a recipe she cribbed from Jamie Oliver, I don't care who she got it from, it's genius).

I boiled the 'chokes in water with lemon and made my simple, no fail dipping sauce. There's no real recipe, you just use tons of garlic cooked until nearly melting in a good quantity of olive oil, tons of lemon, some white wine if you've got it and tons of parsley. You let the whole thing just cook and bubble and right before serving add in a huge, unhealthy amount of cold butter. This is simply delicious and I recently found out, it's good for dipping other things too!

We started with the cheese (Gromit!) moved onto the mussels, steamed simply and finished with tarragon and then it was time for the Purple Salad, the Purple 'Chokes and the Perfect Fish. It was delightful!

As always, any night spent at the QMB ends late and rather un-soberly, but its a fine and appropriate payoff for eating so well and laughing so much!Oh, and in case you were wondering… The little 'Bellie slept through almost the entire party (apparently she likes the voices!).

Head below the jump for my Aunt's recipe for Purple Cabbage & Pine Nut Salad

Purple Cabbage & Pine Nut Salad

prep time: 30 minutes ~ cooking time: 10 minutes

Okay, confession time here folks. Being well, a wee bit inebriated upon leaving the QMB, I actually left the recipe for this salad at the "bar". This is what I remember, but, I'm sure if I'm wrong V will jump right into the comments pool and correct me.

• 2 cloves Garlic, very finely minced
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Vinegar (white wine or sherry)
• 1 tsp Dried Prepared Mustard (like Colman's)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 pound Purple Cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches Radishes, sliced into matchsticks
• 1 block Feta, cut into cubes
• a few handfuls Pine Nuts
• Dill, to taste

In a small skillet over low to medium heat toast the Pine Nuts (keep an eye on them, the minute you smell them toasting, they're done. The minute you see color on them, they're ruined).

Combine the garlic, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar in proportions that taste good to you. I like my dressings very vinegary, but some people like them more oily, but be sure to include the mustard, it acts as a go between, allowing the oils and liquids to get along!

Set the dressing aside.

In a very large bowl combine the cabbage, radishes, feta and pine nuts. Toss to mix. Mix in the dressing, toss, toss, toss and then add the fresh dill to taste. (Dill's funny, some people love it, some hate it, a lot like cilantro!)

Allow the salad to set out for at least an hour before eating so all the flavors can mingle.

Cheers!