Lunch With Beth–Eatsa the Automat

Beth and I are both old enough to remember the automat, so when we learned that Eatsa is open, we went over there to check it out.  Eatsa is a fully automated automat. Located at 121 Spear Street, it was easy to spot from across the street.

There's a friendly concierge to help first-timers with the process.

Order on their computer, or download their app on your phone. Even though it was their first day, everything worked perfectly! There is no cashier. You have to pay with a credit or debit card.

There are inspiring messages to entertain you during your short wait for your food.

The orders are delivered into "cubbies."

When your order is ready, the display tells you which "cubby" it's in.

Tap twice, and the door opens. Your name is on the wrapper, too.

Utensils are dispensed one at a time.

Glasses of fizzy water were tucked into a corner.

Beth ordered the Smokehouse Salad and a side order of Chips and Guacamole.

J.K. got the Balsamic Beet.

  

This was fun and tasty. We will be back.

Quinoa for Kat --Angela

Quinoa has recently become a main grain in my life. It's very simple to use in salads, soups and stews. In this post I'm going make a Quinoa stew using chicken broth, fresh veg and black quinoa from our local co-op Rainbow Grocery. Quinoa is most commonly cooked in a similar manner to rice. 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Boil, let it sit until water is absorbed. Very simple and delicious. You can use plain water with salt or any flavored broth you like, I chose homemade chicken and onion broth from the poached chicken used in the Cold Chicken and Potato salad we ate at Opera in the Park.

I skimmed off the fat from the poached chicken broth before adding the quinoa. (I also removed the poached chicken, but tossed in a bit that was chopped up.) I brought the quinoa to a boil and then turned it off until I was ready to add the next ingredients.

skim the fat

putting in quinoa

I tossed in a cup of dried veggie mix to help add flavor and absorb the extra broth.  This included garlic, tomatoes, carrots, celery and potatoes, you can find a mix like this online or at a co-op. I bought it as part of my pretend earthquake kit, but I like to use it even when the earth isn't shakin'.

I brought the dried vegetables and quinoa back up to a simmer. The germ of the quinoa was showing, so I knew it was technically done cooking, but it's a hardy grain so it could stew in the pot (ha!). You can see the little curls below, those c-shapes are the germ.

Per usual I had to add some veggies to give it texture and further develop the flavor profile. In this case, eggplant (which I chose because it breaks down when you cook it), broccoli (I like to rough chop it so some of the mini florets swim around), celery and a 'challenge' vegetable, fava beans.

I asked around to find the best way to cook fava beans as the last time when I got them from the farmer's  market, they tasted bitter and ruined my meal. Turns out I overcooked them, which leached the bitterness into that stew. Knowledgeable and prepared, this time I tossed them in on top to steam After I simmered the other ingredients until they were cooked. They are quite tasty. I also learned you can steam them in their pods like edamame.

The finished stew, served with an heirloom cherry tomato garnish. It made a potful, which I have been taking to work for lunch. It just seems to get more savory and filling everyday!