When I was growing up, eating out usually meant going to an Asian restaurant or an American fast food joint. Our very rare visits to sit-down, non-Asian restaurants were big deals, and we mostly went to chain restaurants. One favorite was the Macaroni Grill, and I always ordered the exact same dish: salmon with a side of sun-dried tomato orzo pasta.
I ordered it not because I loved the salmon, but because that orzo was just so delicious. Flecked with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, the tender pasta wasn’t drowned in tomato or cream sauce like most of the other dishes at the restaurant, and I couldn’t get enough.
