Golden Beetle

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My friend Marly and I took a cooking class from Maria Hines, owner of Golden Beetle. The food was great and the recipes approachable. Within days I tried all the recipes at home and loved them. To round out the week, of course I needed to revisit her restaurant and have the recipes as they are truly meant to be served (down to the homemade flatbread and every other perfected ingredient). Once again I had a great meal there. I really enjoy her menu and creations. It's also a good menu for those wanting to eat vegetarian or pescatarian. So many great options that it's hard to decide what to get. Here's what we settled on.

Vino
Vega Murillo Verdejo, Rueda, Spain ’09

Starters
Wood Fired Flat Bread
Muhammara Dip - walnut, pomegranate molasses, extra virgin olive oil

Salad
Baby Spinach Salad - apple, kasseri cheese, sumac vinaigrette

Small Plates
Toasted Couscous - preserved lemon, sultana, celery
Grilled Halloumi Cheese - roasted beet, arugula, herb vinaigrette
Spanakopita - baby spinach, feta, phyllo
Roasted Cauliflower - currants, caraway, turmeric
Lamb Kibbeh Meatballs - lamb, date sauce, grilled eggplant

Dessert
Turkish Baklava

I might not get the lamb meatballs again only because I'm eating less meat so I want things that really leave an impression (like her lamb tagine did on my last visit). Everything else was incredible.

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