We didn't go to a restaurant this week. The weather has been terrible (for Houston) and so has my husband's work schedule. We did get a meal-to-go from Central Market last night, so I'm going to blog about that.
Before anyone stops reading, you should know that this isn't just a regular grocery store. Central Market purports to offer restaurant-quality meals for two, and even has an attached cafe for those who would prefer to eat in. So it's kind of like a restaurant; enough so that I don't feel completely ridiculous writing this.
The menu at Central Market changes daily. Last night was honey garlic flank steak with mashed potatoes, Asian slaw and dinner rolls. The food is prepackaged in paper bags with insanely simple reheating instructions. For around $20 you buy a bag and get everything you need for dinner in one fell swoop.
The steak was good, but tough. The meat had been cut into little 1 X 3" strips, which made reheating easier but sucked most of the moisture out of the beef. The flavoring was good, and had it been a little more tender (perhaps by including instructions on rehydrating the meat with a wet paper towel, a trick I thought of too late) it would have been restaurant quality.
The mashed potatoes were serviceable and heated up well in the microwave. The dinner rolls were a throw-away, added simply because many people don't believe you can have a meal without bread. The real stand-out side dish was the Asian slaw. The vegetables (carrot, daikon, lettuce) were still crispy, despite being bathed in a very tasty spicy dressing. I was worried that the salad wouldn't pair well with the meat and potatoes, but surprisingly nothing looked or tasted out-of-place on the plate.
Portions were VERY generous. This is supposed to be a meal for two, but you could easily feed three or even four out of the bag. We actually ate the leftover steak this morning with scrambled eggs, meaning we really got two meals for the price of one. This is a very economical option for couples or small families who want well-balanced, nutritious food but don't have the time to shop and cook. Is it a substitute for a restaurant meal? No. Is it a really good substitute for (or even a step-up from) homecooking for busy people who care about eating well? Absolutely.
