The House of Marinara

The Marinara Has Moved

2009-02-23T19:57:00.004-05:00

I finally did it. I bought my own domain and tried WordPress. If you want to follow The House of Marinara, please update your link to http://www.themarinara.com.

Look forward to seeing you on the other side.

Places I Like: Mary Angela's

2009-02-11T07:59:00.001-05:00

I grew up in NY State and pizza in NY State equates to large slice of thin pizza that can be folded in half. So while I can appreciate other styles of pizza, my default will always be that NY style slice. For my money, that is no better replicated than at Mary Angela's in Carytown.

Mary Angela's is a typical 70's style pizza shop with the cramped booths, painted Italian murals on the wall, and Italian football..er..soccer on the tv. Its location in carytown gives it a good dose of foot traffic, and it always seems to be crowded. That being said, I live close by and I frequent it through the perverbial take out. They have delivery, but most people say that it takes too long to get the pies and they are often too soggy by the time they arrive.

Truth is that I am very boring when I order from there. I always order the 18" x-large pie. This is key for slice folding (see ablove). As for toppings- pepperoni or sauage, sometimes onions. sometimes basil. The final product is a crispy-brown crust, gooey-salty cheese and perfection in the mouth.

It tastes amazing, the product is consistant and that is why I will continue to order from there.

Brock's Bar-B-Que: It has a buffet?

2009-02-03T07:23:00.004-05:00

I have heard about Brock's BBQ for years. It's a bit hazy whether it was from radio advertising or actual people. So yesterday when I was driving down RT 10 in Chesterfield yesterday at lunchtime, I deceded I should stop by for a quick bite.

The first thing I noticed was the big neon BUFFET sign. I was in a bit of a hurry so I figured I'd try it and really a buffet tells me a lot about a restaurant. I ordered my sweet tea and headed up to the buffet. I piled up some minced pork and then went through the remainder of the buffet. I was in shock. I could be wrong but it felt like it was an advertisement for Sysco foods. We had fajitas with looked to be pre-cooked fajita style chicken. There was the preformed country-fried steak with the the runny country gravy. The salad bar seemed average. The veggies looked straight out of the freezer or can. There was the mixed veggies, spinach (or turnip greens), baked beans, etc. Maybe it was too late in the afternoon, but they just didn't look that appealing.

I tried a few things and most everything was average at best. The exception was the minced pork bbq. That was actually very good. I believe it was NC style. There was a not a lot of reddish color in the meat that I ate, but there was a nice subtle smoke flavor. I then slathered the stuff with the vinegar based sauce. It was that perfect mix of sweet, spice, and vinegar. I ended up dousing the vegetables in the sauce because it was that good.

I'm not sure how often I will go out of my way to go to Brock's, but I will definitly not be opposed to stopping there again. I just will make sure to stick with stuff ordered directly from the menu as opposed to risking the buffet. In my humble opinion, they would do much better with a much smaller buffet with a few dishes that are done very well. I do realize that I am not their average customer, and they have seemed to have done well enough without me.

Places I Like: Mamma Zu'

2009-01-30T08:07:00.001-05:00

In honor of WhineMeDineMe's post title old school eats, I have decided to start a series on the restuarants I love to frequest in Richmond.

So Mamma Zu'. Most of you have already formed your opinion on the matter. Overhyped. Rude. Grungy. Wonderful. And in many ways, everything I have heard about the place is correct. It's all about what is important to you.

I personally am a fan of great food and consistency. And those are two qualities found at Mamma Zu'. The great food is rarely argued. Whether its the white pizza (we call it "crack"), eggplant parm, penne all'Amatriciana, penne with gorgonzola, orrechietti, spaghetti carbonara, soft shell crabs, sweet breads, broccoletti, ossobuco, or white beans, it all rocks. I love it. I crave it. The only time people are disappointed when they eat the food is when then settle for plain old stuff- sausage and marinara sauce. It's not that it tastes bad, it is that everyone else has amazing food around them. And then when you finish the amazing meal, you are obligated to order the best Tiramisu in VA. So yes, I love the food and I generally eat way too much.

Now, the consistency is also present at Mamma Zu’. Some argue that they are consistently rude and provide consistently poor service. Rudeness… I can see that. The service isn’t bad. It’s hurried and rushed, but it’s what I would expect in a place that is that busy. The rudeness is usually focused on the maître d’. I often wonder if he is one of the more infamous people in Richmond. He is tough, he is stubborn, and he instills fear in the hearts of those who want to eat. The thing is that he actually seems like a nice guy, but he has to run a tight ship to keep the restaurant humming. So the key to Mamma Zu' is knowing the rules.

1) All members of the party must be present. Don't bother even asking if they aren't.

2) Get on the list. Wait your turn. Don't ask again. You are on the list. Don’t worry. Relax. Resist the urge. Don’t do it.

3) Reservations are kind of helpful but then it gets all confusing with "family style." Take the large groups to Edo's.

4) Try to get to Mamma Zu' by 6 PM or just resign yourself to a long wait.

Once you come to grip with the rules, you will have a much better experience because you can spend your time appreciating the food rather than trying to fight the man.

One important note- they only take Amex, local checks and cash.

When it can't be sunny on Philly

2009-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am enamored with cheese steaks. Gooey cheese, soft rolls, mushy onions, crispy beef- heaven.

I do my best to grab at least one of the magnificent creations each time I pass through the City of Brotherly Love. Those times are few and far between so I have to find a way to make due. Yesterday, I came close to recreating the cheese steak. NOTE_ I am not so vain to think that I could actually compete with the likes of Tony Luke's, Pat's, Geno's or Jim's.

The Cheese- Cheese steaks are to be made with Provolone or Cheese Whiz. I tend to prefer the Whiz over the Provolone, but I could not find proper Cheese Whiz at Ukrops or the drug store. I had to settle for Kraft singles. They melt well but lacks in true meat penetration.

The Roll- Cheese steaks should be made with Amorosa rolls. They are made in Philly and very few other places, if any. The are soft, light and chewy. Fortunately we can find these gems in our neighborhood WaWa market. Make sure to warm them up in a low-temp oven.

The Onions- This is the easy part. I generally use yellow onions, but lastnight I mixed both yellow and red together with a bit of peanut oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.

The Meat- I am not a fan of Steakums or really any other processed frozen meat. I went down the street to Belmont Butchery, where they gladly cut up some local, ethically raised beef in what they term "Japanese Style". All that really means is that they slice it up similar to lunch meat and therefore perfect for cheese steaks. I cooked the slices on a griddle, topped with a dash or two of seasoning salt. That's it.

I threw on some Heinz Ketchup and mayo (I was out of hot pepper relish). Great sandwich.

More Perfect Grilled Cheese

2009-01-21T06:02:00.003-05:00

I have had a few more wonderful recipes come in this week so I thought that I would post them.

Russell T. Cook- formerly of Millie's Fame

A simple straightforward grilled cheese I like requires a partial loaf of crusty baguette, olive oil, 1/2 clove of garlic, a few slices of comte or raclette and a broiler. I cut the bread, a little more than a 1/2" thick, on a severe bias. (to give you a good bread::crust ratio) Oil each side and rub with garlic clove. Toast one side in broiler until GBD. (golden brown delicious) Flip and toast other side half as long. Cover that side with cheese and continue to broil until gooey and bubbly. Sandwich the two pieces together and go to town.

Sometimes, when I feel like a fancy-pants, I'll add sliced apple and bacon.

Candace Nicholls- IT Recruiter

Start with 2 slices of a country-style white bread. Spread one slice generously with pesto, and the other with just a teeny bit of mayo. Add several slices of provolone or fontina cheese to the piece of bread spread with mayo(usually the former, the latter is harder to come by in New Kent County), and top with sliced Roma tomatoes (they taste better, often, and the smaller slices fit together better on the bread), then sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Top with the slice of bread spread with pesto, then dot the outside of the sandwich with butter (on both sides, but it’s usually easier to do the second side once it’s in the pan). I’ve been using the flat griddle plates of my waffle iron to cook this- it smashes it enough without smashing it TOO much- my Panini maker makes it too flat.

Billy Pillow- Graphic Designer

He suggested that I look at Welsh Rarebit recipes that use Guinness.

The Perfect Grilled Cheese?

2009-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am running a survey out there based on the perfect grilled cheese. This all started because of recipe and article I found in December's Saveur magazine. The recipe was a simple grilled cheese made out of sourdough bread, unsalted butter, and comte cheese. I cooked that sucker up and it was amazing. Then I realized there has to better combinations that I am missing. So here are some of the results I found on day 1. I hope to get another onslaught of responses so that I may post a follow-up.

Tanya at Belmont Butchery

If I'm eating a grilled cheese... ham and gruyere on brioche/or some soft egg bread... a skim coat of mayo on the bread, mayo down on the griddle, when brown pull off griddle. Top browned side of bread with grain mustard, good sweet ham, gruyere, top with bread - again browned side to food. Finish on a griddle, with a skim coat of mayo on the outside of the sandwich - cook until browned and cheese is melty.

Ben at Belmont Butchery

Grilled cheese shouldn't be gussied-up. It's american and it's simple. In fact, it should be a rule that you can't add any more than two toppings to it, anything beyond that is bullshit. SO, with that in mind...

white or wheat (personal preference white)
unsalted butter
2 slices kraft american cheese
If I'm "Going Big" I'll add one slice of tomato and chopped jalapeno. If I'm drunk I'll sub the jalapeno for Texas Pete

Julia at River City Cellars

Mine is not so much the traditional, I prefer to call it the heart attack snack--it was my celebration for when I FINALLY got my cholesterol checked and found out it was absurdly low. I love genetics!

Take a cakey bread like challah and slice off a 1.5-2" chunk. slit the side open enough to stuff with salty ham or prosciutto. grate a meltable alpine cheese or combo (aged gruyere+appenzeller, or just comte) and stuff that in, too.
heat a griddle or cast iron pan. add butter.
in a shallow bowl beat an egg, a pinch each of salt and white pepper and a bit of milk (or if you're really thumbing your nose at the gods, half and half) and coat the stuffed sammy like french toast. not so much it starts to fall apart but enough to soak in a bit.
fry that 6,000 calorie delight until golden on both sides and melted inside.
open a yummy white (Loire chenin or better yet, brut Champagne).
cancel all plans for the rest of the evening because in 22 minutes you will have face-planted into a carb coma.

Sarah at River City Cellars

Crusty bread, butter, Meadowcreek Farms- Grayson, pickles

I wish I could cook

For me, thick, spongy bread, lots of butter, basic Cheddar-esque singles, tomato and sometimes ham when I'm feeling kinky.

In vino veritas

sourdough bread brushed with REAL unsalted butter grilled with swiss and tomatoes. and smushed. for some reason, i have to smash it with a spatula

RVA Foodie

Butter, bread and cheese.

The bread should be thin sandwich style (white/wheat/whichever).
The butter should be unsalted (Karen says to put it on both sides of each piece of bread! but I think that might be overkill).
The cheese should include "american processed cheese food" and maybe one other variety from the fridge (but not too fancy).
The sandwich should be pan fried until golden, then flipped and pressed flat with a saucer so that there's a little circle in the middle of the bread. Both sides need to be crunchy and butter-logged.

variations:

sauteed thinly sliced onions and fresh homegrown tomatoes
sauteed apples and thinly sliced onions, and brie tween white bread
nabulsi cheese. it stands alone
fresh mozzarella, steamed greens lightly sauteed in garlic and butter or olive oil

Josh from Ch'ville

From the pan: butter, sweet potato bread, sharp honey mustard, fresh chopped basil, s & p, cheese blend (last time was chevre, sharp cheddar, havarti dill, smoked Gouda)

Carol from Cap1

Cooked in a frying pan, 2 pieces super thick white toast with butter, cream cheese and thickest velveeta slice ever with pepper sprinkled on top

Zuppa

Fresh basil pesto, tomato, mozzarella, dill havarti and prosciutto ham

Café Caturra

Sharp cheddar, provolone and vine ripe tomatoes grilled on panini bread

Holy Frijoles

2009-01-07T09:36:00.004-05:00

So I am proud to say that I have mastered a dish, albeit a simple dish- The Refried Bean!

So the basic process of making frijoles is taking the dried pinto bean, cooking it in water over a period of 3 hours, mashing them, and frying them up with some onions and fat*. I used duck fat the first time and bacon fat the second time. I also used generic taco seasoning. And really, both times, the beans were good but not great. I was really disappointed in the in the consistency. It was very chunky and husky. I tend to like creamier beans.

So last night, I made some major changes. After cooking the beans in water, I dumped them into the blender with some additional water and went to town. I then fried the blended concoction with onions and duck fat. I seasoned them with salt, Penzy's Adobo seasoning, and Hungarian Paprika. They were heavenly and by far the best thing on the table last night. Thank goodness I will never have to subject my guests to canned or freeze-dried frijoles again.

*Note- any fat will do. Olive Oil is fine for those vegetarians out there. I love the meat fats because they provide great flavoring.

Grecian Delight: An Epicurian's Photo Blog

2009-01-02T16:53:00.007-05:00

There were the small batch wine shops

and the wonderful delicatessens

and there was the wonderful Tavern Food

and there was the exquisite seafood

and finally, there was our special dinner at Selene

Looking for a Cure: The Bacon Experiment

2008-12-25T10:09:00.003-05:00

It is really hard to find people out there who don't love bacon. I mean, really, its bacon. Crispy, greasy, smokey, wondrous! I have been spoiled over recent years because I have easy access to bacon at the Belmont Butchery. They carry their own store made stuff as well as the always wonderful Nueske's brand. I love getting it from there especially because I can have them custom slice it for me, a nice thick slice on number 5 (the slicer setting).

This year I thought it would be fun to create bacon myself. Here is a short diary of my experience:

So I went to the butcher and had them hook me up with 2.5 lbs of pork belly (without skin). I started the process by soaking the pork belly in rum. After about 5 hours, I patted it dry and mixed it with a cure consisting of brown sugar, salt and pink salt. Then left in the fridge for 5 days to work its magic. I then rinsed and let if sit in the fridge for another 24 hours before smoking.

The smoking process went well. I used apple wood chips and I was able to control the temp as well as get a good smoke. The smoke lasted about 2 hours as we tried to get the bacon to 150 degrees. We took it out and cut off a slab and it was beautiful in color, but the it was really salty.

I sliced up the slab by hand and let it soak for a bout 4 hours in water. I noticed that salty flavor was gone, but also gone was a good bit of the smokiness.

Finally this morning, I cooked the bacon on my grill. And overall I would give myself a B-. It was flavorful, a great consistency, but there was slight sourness. I am pretty sure that it was related to the rum.

Lessons Learned:

1) No rum

2) Not so much salt

3) Try hickory with the apple wood for a stronger smoke flavor

The Dancing BBQ Man

2008-12-16T06:57:00.004-05:00

He shows up in Richmond at least twice a year. His setup smells like heaven. He’s the man dancing to his Irish music, spraying your mouths with Irish whiskey, and then wielding a knife as he passes around samples of his glorious smoked pork shoulder. He’s an English born, African-raised, Irish-bred, and now a full-fledged American BBQ man. He is Peter Baker, owner of Sneaky Peat -the foremost Irish peat business for US homes since 1998, and he is the man who helped me finally understand BBQ as it should be.

You will generally find Peter at Irish and Celtic festivals. He is present at the Irish Festival in Church in March and at the Richmond Highland Games in the fall. He advertises his product as IRISH BBQ and his method for making IRISH BBQ is with peat- yes, the same stuff that is used as a heating source in Ireland. He freely admits that he gets some chuckles from BBQ purists and that if you were to talk about Irish BBQ over in Ireland that the people would think you were bloody crazy. Yet, he would be quick to remind you that BBQ was a way of survival in years past. It was about using the hearth with peat to heat one’s home. While heating the home, people would store/cook/preserve their food using that same hearth. So while the Irish would never claim to own the BBQ, they were using the BBQ process years before America existed.

What you can’t help but notice as you walk by Sneaky Peats is the wonderful sweet earthy smell of peat. No sooner do you stop to take a look at the product when Pete graciously hands you a slice of meat. He might have sprayed your mouth with whiskey, he might dip the meat into his sauces, but the when all those flavors roll away; the rich, smoky flavor of peat persists. That was the exact experience that hooked me and made me decide I was going to make this myself. What I didn’t realize going in was that I didn’t get it when it came to smoking meats. I have several outdoor methods of cooking and possibly smoking. My often-used implement for BBQ was my little electric bullet smoker. So my first go around, I soaked me some chuncks of peat, and laid them near the coil. I filled up my water basin with beer. I rubbed my pork shoulder with salt, pepper, sugar, and dried mustard. I served it with a mustard-beer sauce. Honestly, it was a hit. The taste was great, but not because of peat, but because I could flavor food well with spices and sauces. I was disappointed because I wanted a wonderful smoke flavor, but that just didn’t happen.

When I cornered Peter in October and in subsequent conversations, he proceeded to teach me the basics of BBQ. He taught me that if I separated the elements, then I could truly understand and appreciate BBQ and subsequently Irish BBQ. He also taught about how peat works. The trick to peat is to give it a slow burn, but not too slow because that chars the product and traps the oils that produce the wonderful aroma and flavor. As such, it is important to select the appropriate size of peat to the heating element that you would be using. He said that water is essential to backyard BBQ because it helps transfer the flavor to the meat. He also told me to never, under any circumstance, soak the peat in anything. There were several conversations like these over both phone and email. Honestly, we didn’t have success I was looking for that next time around. Finally, after more talk and a little trial and error, we found the system that worked.

Needless to say that this homage is a way of saying thanks to the person who literally gave me hours of his time to help me refine my technique in the art of BBQ.

When the Moon Hit My Eyes at Lucali's

2008-12-07T07:37:00.001-05:00

I find one of the most challenging decisions in NYC is where to dine. On one hand you have all of these amazing high-end restaurants with world-renown chefs. On the other hand, you have amazing cheap ethnic food. And then there is the pizza. So my recent trip up there involved some decision making. Based on finances and flexibility and my sister’s wonderful post a month ago, we decided on pizza. I suggested the “old man” but she was concerned about the wait. She instead pointed me to Lucali’s. While I may never know taste the wonderful craft of the Old Man, I can say that I had a wonderful experience and a magical pizza at Lucali’s.

I often don’t discuss service when talking about a restaurant unless there is something out of the ordinary. The staff at Lucali’s was especially cool to us that night. We had a really long, frustrating drive from RVA and it was pushing 9 PM when we were finally on the George Washington Bridge heading into Brooklyn. Anyway, they let you call in and place your name on the wait list. So we called while on the bridge and they actually had seating at the moment. We left no name and said that we would see them in a few minutes. 15 minutes later, there were people waiting, but we had a table. They saved it for us.

The restaurant itself is very similar to many of the fan restaurants here in RVA, classic row house, pressed tin ceilings, glass store-front. The one big difference was that the tables only made up half of the room (maybe 15 at the most) and there was no bar. The entire back-half of the restaurant was an open kitchen with a brick-oven. The room had very dim lighting that was accentuated by the small candles on the table. The combination of the lighting and the lively conversations surrounding us made for a very surreal experience.

The menu at Lucali’s is very simple. You can have pizza and you can have a calzone. There are a handful of toppings but those might change on a daily basis. There are also a handful of bottled soda pops. The restaurant is BYOB, and gee I wish there were some BYOB places here in RVA.

We ordered a pepperoni pie and a mushroom pie. They served us the pies one at a time. I am not sure if this was due to the size limitation of the table or the timing in the kitchen, I just remember liking that they did it. So yes, the pizza was wonderful. The crust was delightfully light, airy and crisp. There was a light char on it, but it provided a nice flavor. The sauce was simple and elegant. The tomatoes were bright and cheery and there was no overwhelming salt or sugar flavor. The cheese seemed to be a mixture of fresh and shredded mozzarella. And while the toppings provided the accents to the pizzas, they didn’t dominate it the way they often do. Between the four of us there, we finished off the 2 pies (four slices each) and each one of us left content but not stuffed. It was that light.

The price on the pies was a bit steep. Each one was $24 plus toppings, but I didn’t feel that it outweighed the experience. As I am writing this, I just want to get back there.

I want to give special thanks to the staff at the Paupered Chef. Mrs. Marinara would not let me take any photos due to the lighting. She thought it would be too obvious. Anyway, the Paupered Chef was gracious enough to let me borrow their images. Please check out their review of Lucali’s when you get a chance.

Post-Turkey Day Musings

2008-11-28T08:47:00.001-05:00

It’s been 10 Thanksgivings since I was last in college, and in all that time I had never hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, I have helped in the kitchen several times, but it was never my Thanksgiving. I was always helping somebody else (or eating Tapas in Sevilla). This year I did it and I wanted to put my mark on it. My goal was to make it a nice long enjoyable meal as opposed to the 45 minute gorge fest.

My plan was to have Thanksgiving dinner over 5 courses. By doing it over courses, we could slow things down and let people enjoy themselves. So here was the menu:

1) Soup- Carrot Dill as inspired by Limani
2) Salad- Spinach Salad with chevre, craisins, pecan pralines, and lavender vinaigrette
3) Pasta- Sweet Potato Gnocchi with a maple, sage, brown-butter sauce
4) Entrée- Fried Turkey. Andouille and cornbread dressing, Green bean casserole
5) Dessert- Apple-calvados tart, chocolate-pecan pie, pumpkin crunch

The Soup- This wasn’t a challenging recipe, and overall it tasted very good. The basic concept was cooking down and browning a bunch of carrots, pureeing it all together, and adding heavy cream. Hind sight being 20-20, I wish had cooked down some more white wine and had added it to the mix.

The Salad- This came off really well. My sister had been working the dressing earlier in the afternoon. It is really hard to have a bad salad with crumbled chevre and craisins.

The Pasta- I’ve learned my lesson on gnocchi. Not how to do it better, but rather buy it from someone who knows how to make it. To be fair, I tired finding someone else to make it and no one accepted the challenge. Still the gnocchi itself was decent and the sauce a decadent.

The Entrée- The turkey tasted great. The beauty of frying a turkey is that there is a lot of forgiveness, it cooks quickly, and it doesn’t take up oven space. The negative is that it forces the meal to become regional. The biggest failure of the night came with the dressing. The combination of the Andouille sausage and unfettered cayenne pepper made the dish too spicy. It had great flavor but it came with a cost to those eating it. The green bean casserole was a Paula Dean recipe. My mom did a great job with it.

The Dessert- I subbed all of the desserts to different people. All were well received. I was able to try only a bit of everything because I was still quite full.

Overall, it was a positive experience. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and I look forward to trying it again. Special props to my sister, she truly made this whole thing possible. I always forget how challenging it is to get up from the table and get the next course ready, especially for 10 guests.

Confessions of an Espresso Addict

2008-11-26T08:38:00.001-05:00

the prelude

- NoVA correspondent Dogburt

(Note to readers - my espresso rantings may be what gets me kicked off The Marinara)

I would have you all know that Mr. Marinara handles his bizness with much grace and aplomb. Whenever he has prepared something for me and my friends, there is never a sense of anxiety, and for that, he is worth emulation. That is not to say he feels no anxiety when he's throwing down in the chef's kitchen, but it never shows. I on the other hand am a nervous wreck, because no matter how frequently I do something, I'm always afraid that this is the one time when I screw it up for my guests and whatever expectations they have of me falls through the floor.

I know espresso. I don't know it extremely well, I'm not an expert by any means, but I've spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it over the past 10 years of my life, ever since I was given one of those entry-level Krups-style espresso makers. Even owning one of those and knowing how to use it in a manner of proficiency probably put me in the top third of the espresso-wise. I drank Starbucks, I drank Greenberrys' (a Charlottesville thing) and I liked it. My goal was to produce in the home a reasonable facsimile of my standard Starbucks drink - the Caramel latte. There is no magic to this - it is simply a shot of espresso, steamed milk, and several shots of caramel syrup. My Krups-style espresso maker along with a heavy dose of sugar kept me entertained for many years.

Eventually though, curiosity crept up on me. I wanted to try espresso made by high end restaurants. You know, like Panera. And so during the early years of my marriage, I started to sample espressos and cappuccinos from every restaurant I attended. And very slowly, I started to learn to distinguish between two types of espresso - that which sucked, and that which did not. That which did not suck simply looked different. It had a vibrant glow in its crema, it smelled different, and it didn't taste like burnt dirt. So now, what to do? Well, I began to think that I was ready to take the next step in my relationship with the espresso bean. Second base, as it were.

I took a poll, did some research, and determined that this beautiful machine was in my near future. This little lady, called Miss Silvia, would take me to the next level in my espresso obsession. So I ordered it, unpacked it, followed the directions to set it up, ground up some beans in my nifty Starbucks coffee grinder, and thus proceeded to pull a shot of dirty water.

I was crestfallen. I wanted to cry. Countless research hours, hundreds of dollars, and my espresso was worse than when I was using my Krups machine. Sisyphus, I feel your pain.

It was not until many months later that I learned an invaluable lesson - your espresso is not primarily governed by your espresso machine, but your grinder. If you pay big bucks on the machine but skimp on the grinder, you are in for much disappointment.

Soon thereby armed with a decent if not spectacular grinder, I finally had the tools to proceed. And proceed I did, over the next two years leading up to today, I have experimented, altered techniques, refined each step, worked diligently to produce the best shot of espresso that I could. And it continues.

Now, dear reader(s), you might be left with two questions:

Are you going to tell us anything useful in this blog post?
Is all of this worth it?

Answers:

There will be much more to come (I hope) but what I will leave you with for starters is, barring all other information present in the process that you know about or otherwise, the best rule of thumb that I've come up with on determining whether a shot is good or bad, is the speed at which the extraction occurs. If it drips out like warm honey, you're probably good to go. Anything else, throw it away or pretend you just picked up some Starbucks.
When you taste espresso that has been pulled with precision and care, it is a true paradigm-shifting experience. You may or may not like it, but it will change the way you see espresso and forever alter your expectations of it.

Don't Ask Why I Ordered Papa John's

2008-11-20T08:54:00.003-05:00

Once again I am here using my blog as a confessional. I live in the Museum District. I am within walking distance of Mary Angela's, Arianna's, Bon Giornio, and 8 1/2. Yet, I still found myself ordering PJ's last night. My excuse is that I could use the online ordering system to order ahead of time, pay easily with a credit card, and try this new Zesty Italiano pizza.

Guess what! It sucked. The sauce was way too sweet. The pan crust was like cardboard. I am not sure why I thought a combination of toppings would somehow make it better, but now I know. And knowing is half the battle.

Cavanna Update

2008-11-18T07:43:00.002-05:00

I spoke with Mrs. Cavanna yesterday and she said that the store would not be totalling closing. Starting January 1, the store will be open a few hours a month. And as stated before, they will be focusing their efforts on farmers markets, restaurants, and grocery stores.

I see this as good news. I know I can goto the village Ukrops, but it is more fun buying directly from Gianni.

In the Hands of the Pasta Mamas

2008-11-15T08:40:00.000-05:00

- NoVA correspondent Dogburt

I may be in the minority, but I have found dining in our nation's capital to be somewhat of a challenge. When I've visited Chicago or NYC or LA, it has always been easy for me to settle into an earnest search for both fine dining as well as the magical hole-in-the-walls. Yet for some reason DC represents the equivalent of a dining writer's block. I know there is good stuff there, but I have a tough time extracting the cream from the chaff. Perhaps it is my fault, since I spend a great deal of my waking hours in the city, but general fatigue of the city leaves me unfortunately uninspired.

So with that trepidation always lurking, I cling to my sure things with all my might. One of those is my favorite DC Italian restaurant, Filomena Ristorante. Tucked in the corner of historic Georgetown, Filomena is quite nondescript in comparison to other more lavish spots. If you choose to drive there, your best bet is to park in the Georgetown Park Mall's underground garage and walk across Wisconsin Ave to the small opening.

Have you ever gone into a historic building, or a well preserved home, or grandma's kitchen, and just smiled? When you enter Filomena, you will simply smile, because upon entering, immediately to your right, is a tiny, ancient kitchen where a little old lady is hand making pasta. On my most recent visit, she was hand-stuffing raviolis. Regardless of what you were thinking about on the outside of that door, on the inside of that door, all you can think about is eating the very thing that this little old lady, whom Filomena boasts as its "Pasta Mama," is making.

You won't want to leave the side of the Pasta Mama, but eventually you will have to part ways (possibly not before whispering to her, "will you come home with me?") and head down a flight of stairs into an atmospheric dining area that conveys New Vesuvio, but in a good way. It is almost always busy with commotion and crowds, but the manager and wait staff go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.

Ah, but how is the food? Short of describing the nuances of every dish I've ever eaten there, the easiest all-encompassing statement I can make is that the food matches the rest of the experience, if not surpassing it. I have shared in dishes of pizzas, linguinis, raviolis, and in my most recent visit, a penne dish called Penne con Salsicce. The care by which the sauces, meats, and pasta are made help redefine your thinking on what Italian food does to a man. It makes you feel warm and good inside and that you wish for a little while you were an authentic Italian.

If you dine for dinner, you are then treated with courtesy after-dinner cordials. Thoughtfully (if not dangerously) they don't just bring you a tasting glass; they actually leave the full decanter on your table to imbibe at your leisure.

No, you're not done yet. To finish things off, you have at your option and capacity the choice of tasting their pastry chef's magic. The first time I went there with my family, the chef came out to talk to us about her cakes. She recommended a decadent chocolate cake, and said that with this cake, she would quite happily sit down with it and a glass of milk and enjoy her breakfast. After one bite I knew exactly what she meant.

You leave the restaurant begrudgingly, but it is now time to walk off your dinner. The historic area of Georgetown is the perfect place to go arm in arm with your loved one, delaying the inevitability of fishing your car out of the garage and leaving the place that you swear your loving Italian grandma is calling you back for one more bite of ravioli.

Filomena Ristorante
1063 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 338-8800

Gravlax- Take 1

2008-11-13T08:02:00.003-05:00

Since returning from my trip, I have been fairly adventurous in my cooking. This initially started with Greek food, but it has extended into other cuisine. Last week, I thought I would give gravlax a try. I have been fascinated in trying it ever since Bookstore Piet was telling me about how well it turned out. A few months later, I was fortunate enough to try the actual goods from the man himself. So without further ado, here are Piet's gravlax instructions.

Ingredients:
Salmon (high quality, preferably sushi grade)
Salt
Sugar
White Pepper
Fresh Dill

Instructions:
-wash the salmon, pat dry, remove pin bones
-combine salt and sugar (1 part salt to 2 parts sugar) and add 2 tablespoons white pepper
-place salmon in a dish or pan. pour a shot or two of akavit over and let sit for 10 or 15 minutes
-remove excess liquid and pat dish dry
-pour a small base of sugar/mixture into dish a place salmon (skin side down) onto mixture.
-place several sprigs of fresh dill on top of salmon
-cover salmon with remainder of salt/sugar - make sure the salmon is completely covered
-let sit on counter for 30 minutes to an hour
-cover and place in fridge and wait 36-48 hours to do it correctly
-when you remove it rinse under cold water, make sure you do NOT rehydrate the salmon.
-after rinsing pat dry and wrap tightly in saran wrap until ready to use. I find it best to remove from the mixture at least a couple of hours before serving
-slice thin at a heavy bias

Oh, it turned out perfect!

Thanksgiving Question for RVA Foodies

2008-11-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

This is the first year that I will actually be cooking a Thanksgiving Dinner. As such, I want to buy a decent turkey. So my question is:

Where will you be buying your turkey this year?

My Afternoon Scorpion Snack

2008-11-01T15:41:00.004-04:00

Compliments from my darling sister-in-law. She procured this somewhere in AZ. Should be interesting.

Oh My, My Mashed Potatoes

2008-10-30T06:18:00.004-04:00

As you may know, Mrs. Marinara does the baking in our household. Other than that, it is only warming things up for the little Marinara. So when friends have babies, I have the pleasure of preparing a meal for them. Well, this latest meal was tricky because I am friends with the guy but have only met his wife in passing. On top of that, he is an Italian from Upstate NY, so my basic Italian meals might be considered rubbish. On top of that, people have built up my skills much further than they really deserve. So I have this pressure to deliver.

I decided to stay simple because simple works. I knew I wanted to grill steak (flat iron beauty from Belmont Butchery) and asparagus. For the starch, I was leaning towards a pesto farafelle when it occurred to me that pesto is out of season. Most people wouldn't care, but that stuff bothers me. So my buddy, The Sausage King of RVA, gave me his take on mashed potatoes.

His advice was to boil the potatoes until they fall off the knife when you poke them. In the meantime, heat up ungodly amounts of butter with some heavy cream. He had me dry the potatoes, then break them up using a potatoe ricer, and add the butter/ cream mixture in slow intervals, while stirring slowly. He said moving to fast would release the gluten and mess them up. He then told me to add salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.

So I followed the recipe, except that I had no nutmeg. Oh yeah, I also added some crumbled bacon (with just a tad of bacon grease). In reality, I used 2.5 pounds of potatoes and melted 3 sticks of butter into a pint of heavy cream. I only ended up using 1/2 of the mixture because I thought you can only make mashed potatoes so liquidy before they turn into soup.

Anyway, they rocked. They could have killed a small child, but they were so good. I would rather have 3 tablespoons of amazing food than a full serving of anything average.

I completed the meal by sending over a loaf of flour garden bread, 2 large Ghiradelli mix brownies, and a pint of Bev's ice cream (espresso oreo and dirty chocolate). I hope they enjoyed it, I sure did with all the leftovers!

Try Our Donuts...So You Don't Go Nuts

2008-10-28T12:22:00.009-04:00

-NoVA correspondent Dogburt

When you think of donuts, you generally think of two places - the timeless Dunkin' Donuts, and the only place that would ever think of combining a donut with a hamburger, Krispy Kreme. For me, I always liked the fact that Dunkin's donuts were solid if unspectacular, and they also had the benefit of decent coffee and other breakfasty type foods. Krispy Kreme's one strength - the glowing sign - meant that magic was about to happen. I recall in my pre-Krispy Kreme life driving through Charlottesville with Mr. Marinara one late night, and we drove by a Krispy Kreme when the sign as lit up. "We're stopping here," said he. "Why?" "Because the sign is lit." "So what? What does that mean?" "It means we are stopping." The discussion ended there, and frankly, what more is there to say?

So recently a small chain came onto my radar known as The Fractured Prune. Originally started in Ocean City, MD, it has now branched out to about 22 locations, with two within reasonable driving distance of my abode. When they finally opened, we were there for the opening pitch.

The interior is small and definitely kid-oriented with a hint of 1950's soda shop. There are murals on the walls and flat screens playing Spongebob. While the limits of seating might compel you to get your order to go, I would urge you to consider at least staying to eat one donut right as it comes off the assembly line, because you can never recapture that sense of fresh wonderment.

Fractured Prune donuts are cake-style (generally speaking there are two types of donuts - yeast-raised and cake). They are small, extremely rich in flavor, and made to order. You will have to wait a little longer than if you just rolled up to Dunkin' Donuts, but the wait is rewarded.

You can select from an assortment of pre-designed donuts, or you can create your own. In our home joint, local radio celebs The Junkies have donuts named after each personality. If I do one thing of substance while I live in VA, I would hope that it garnishes enough public praise to earn the right to name a donut after me.

The types of flavors are everything under the sun, and some things that you would never expect. But each one has its own special place in our hearts, if not our tummies. Even the Plain Jane, no frills donut is crafted well. Light and crisp on the outside, soft and cakey on the inside, it is a stellar compliment to a good cup of Joe and excellent for dunking, as it has both high retention (from the doughy middle) as well as high anti-drip performance (from the crisp outside).

Fractured Prune donuts are a completely different experience from other famed donut eateries. So save yourself from Donut Hell, prepare to be treated well, and consider ordering some salad for later.

Fractured Prune NoVA locations
23520 Overland Drive
Suite 152
Dulles, VA 20166
Phone: (703) 661-5050

3073 Nutley Street
Fairfax, VA 22031
Pan Am Shopping Center
Phone: (703) 280-0415

**********************
Exit question - how rich do you need to be to justify buying your own donut hopper?

Greece Updates

2008-10-27T07:40:00.005-04:00

I have finished my trip updates from my wonderful trip to Greece. If you are interested in reading them, goto http://sadlerfamily.blogspot.com/search/label/Greece.

Over the next few weeks, I will be updating The House of Marinara with a few Greek restaurant reviews.

Planet Wings Update!

2008-10-23T08:49:00.003-04:00

Planet Wings recently was put under new ownership. As part of their new ownership, they are implementing some new changes.

1) they have started serving beer.
2) they are adding a drive-thru
3) they will be adding traditional fried chicken and hand-breaded chicken strips
4) they will be reopening the other location on Belt. blvd.

As you may already know, I am a chicken wing nut and I have found that Planet Wings is by far and away the best place for Buffalo wings in the Richmond metro area.

Brooklyn Pizza 101

2008-10-21T18:47:00.016-04:00

Guest Blogger- Sister Marinara

So my darling older brother asked me to add a touch of Brooklyn to his blog while he’s away in a Mediterranean paradise. Of course I’m happy to oblige, and the topic of today’s discussion is my favorite Brooklyn Pizza, or Pie.

I first point to a newbie, but also one of the best pies I’ve had in New York proper. It is called Lucali (pictured above), and lucky for me, it is located one neighborhood away from my apartment. It isn’t one of the venerable coal-oven pizzerias, but the wood-fired oven does a pizza connoisseur proud. The owner and pizzaiolo, Mark Iacono, takes his cues from the legendary “Old Man” Dom Demarco of Defara’s Pizza in Midwood (I will address soon). He makes each pie himself, working in a zen-like state, no matter the number of drooling patrons. Each topping is hand sliced on a mandolin directly onto the pie, and it is cooked to a beautiful char each time. This no-reservation, BYO joint frequently has quite the queue to get in, but if you catch it on a good night, it is without a doubt one of the most pleasurable meals you can have.

On to DeFara’s, located in Midwood. I am comfortable saying it is the best pizza I’ve ever had, but there is a price to pay. Dom makes each pie by himself, slicing toppings and shredding cheese to order. When the pie comes out of the traditional gas oven, it is topped with hand grated grana padano and basil and oregano snipped fresh from the plant sitting in the window. DeFara’s location and popularity can make it an investment in time, patience and grumbling tummies. Unless you go 30 minutes before they close up, you could be in for a 1-2 hour wait and potentially crazy customers. Dom is also getting up there in years, he may have already crossed the 80-year mark, and occasionally the pie waits a minute or two too long in the oven. But once you take your first bite, all is forgiven. I highly recommend the pricey baby artichoke pie.

Next, just a short ride from the Old Man, is a place in Bensonhurst called L&B Spumoni Gardens. It is a bit of a circus, with a Spumoni counter, take out red-sauce italian, sit-down restaurant and pizza joint all in one big bang. Top that with the year round out-door seating area full of your classic brooklyn “goombas” and you can’t beat this spot. But wait, the pie! It is a square pie, with the mozz UNDER the sauce, and topped with grated parm. I really think they put crack in the dough. It is awesome. A definite do not miss.

If you’re heading to Coney Island, the next top pizzeria is Totonnos on Neptune Avenue. Totonnos has been around since 1924 and uses one of a handful of coal-ovens in New York. The pie is more than great, but it really is part of the whole package—including the aging waitress who will refuse to sell you a pie if you order too many toppings. The truth is she’s right. The pie is so good, more than 2 toppings is a bit sacrilegious. So go, ride the Cyclone, and eat some killer pepperoni pizza.

Some of you may be saying, “Okay, you can’t forget Grimaldi’s”...As one of New York’s oldest pizzerias, with a coal-oven no less, Grimaldi’s has a great product. But the constant barrage of tourists make it one of toughest places to enjoy. And the mean eastern europeans who run the place can be a little intimidating. So here’s my advice, call ahead and get the pie to go. Walk down to the nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park and enjoy your pizza with one of the best views of New York City. When you’re done, top it off with super-duper creamy ice cream from Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. If you feel guilty for your caloric overload, take a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge—it’s a mile each way!

I’d like to end this doughy, cheesy homage with a shout out to all the local slice joints that make Brooklyn, and all of New York, a great pizza town. They might not compare to the above-mentioned establishments, but when it’s late, or cold, or you’re tired or a little drunk, they put out some of the best pizza you’ve ever had. (My personal thanks to Mark’s Pizza.)

Of Prosciutto and Pizza

2008-10-20T20:21:00.011-04:00

-NoVA correspondent Dogburt

Devoted readers of The Marinara (and Mr. Bassett), in case you aren't already aware, the suburban sprawl is the mortal enemy of "The Sauce."** When you have to exist in this culinary temperate zone that goes on for miles and offers a never ending supply of Starbucks and Chili's (but to be sure, always revere the Dundees), there is high potential for your taste buds to become dulled. That is not to say you can't find pockets of sunlight or admit to enjoying the occasional chicken fried steak, free from the ire of your peers. The fact is, the proliferation of this ready-made food introduces a high level of sodium and sugar that weakens our ability to identify true gravitas in our cuisine.

This is all prelude to alerting you that when I find a place in NoVA that is not a TGI-chain-linked fence that keeps out culinary enjoyment, I will do my best to inform you that cooking chivalry is not yet dead. And so today I bring you two that I have found in the course of my daily living.

Cafe Antonios

If you live outside the Beltway, you might be familiar with the small suburb of Herndon, VA. It is an older area, one which more contemporary and wealthy communities were built around. That reality can cut both ways, but one positive is that it has retained a reasonable amount of restaurants and shops that are still owned locally. Sure, they're a little less polished than your 21st century McDonalds, but I'm at the point in my ever-increasingly jaded life where that's a positive sign, not a negative one.

To be sure, Antonios exists in a K-Mart plaza, and is part of a small shopping island. It is small and non-descript, but local reviews were positive so I took with me my lady and we checked it out. Inside, the dining area is not more than about 1000 square feet, with a bar area taking up a corner and most likely the kitchen in the back taking up an equal amount. It fits maybe 30 tables, and we were fortunate to beat the dinner rush. To the best of my knowledge, we were greeted at the door by the owner of the restaurant, who was constantly tending to every patron in the restaurant.

Regrettably, our dinner had time constraints on it, so we were not able to indulge in the full experience. My wife decided on a lobster bisque and salad. As for me though, I was a bit overwhelmed with the menu. For such a small place, the choices are vast. The categories are pastas, chicken, veal, and fish. Since the place is renowned for its veal, and as a rule of thumb I always try to at least for the first time order the one thing the restaurant is known for doing best, I defaulted to this part of the menu. Even then, the choices were daunting. But then, what was that? It was something called "Veal Bomba," described as: "Veal stuffed with prosciutto, fontina, parmesan, and asiago cheese, dressed in mushroom red wine sauce."

Prosciutto? In the veal? Oh gosh yes.

And it was amazing.

Because of my wife's and my general malaise toward NoVA dining, it is rare that she is surprised at a new venue. But I got a "good choice, my man," and that's how I knew that we would be returning soon to enjoy Antonio's once again.

Cafe Antonios
454 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 437-3307

Fireworks Pizza

Pizza. Seems easy, right? It's basically just bread, sauce, and cheese. So why is it that so many restaurants do it so poorly? I have elevated myself to what I would probably proclaim as a "pizza snob" since I've lived in NoVA. And it isn't because there is so much great pizza here. It is because there is so little. But when you find spots that really work hard to do it well, this simple dish imbues you. I daresay it creates a paradigm shift and you can never call 1-800-Dominoes again.

And so the hunt for great pizza has taken me far and wide across the continental U.S. As Mr. Marinara once uttered for time immortal, "I'm always hungry for great pizza." Yes, yes. That is it exactly. You find great pizza, you crave it regardless of time of day.

So did I find some? Early polling says, "Yes." As I mentioned earlier, Herndon is an older and mostly preserved community in NoVA. Downtown historic Leesburg is another. It practically feels like a different state, yet is only about 35 miles outside of the epicenter of the free world.

My wife, daughter and I were alerted to Fireworks Pizza, whose specialty is wood-fired pizza. Like Antonios, it was small on the inside, and focuses almost exclusively on the magical pizza dish. The aroma of real firewood and smoke soaks into your pores. The wait was agonizing. What we quickly learned was that we were attending on the same evening as a local high school's homecoming dance. Lined up were young men in ill-fitting suits hanging on to frigid debutantes wearing strapless gowns in the 45 degree evening autumn air. But the fact was, they were HERE, waiting next to me in my jeans and sweatshirt. That should tell you something.

When it was our turn, service was prompt in all regards. For appetizer, we ordered bruschettas on ciabatta toast, covered in either mediterranian eggplant and olives or tomato jam and mozzarella. The combination of the flavors was astounding. It was a wonderful contrast of salty (olives) and sweet (tomato jam). They did not last long.

For our pizza, we ordered my standby - the classic margherita. Bad pizza can sometimes be covered up with good toppings, so if I want to get a true gauge of their craft, I keep it as minimal as possible. Light sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, roma tomatoes, drizzled with EVOO. This is my basis for all comparison.

I'm pleased to say that Fireworks indulged my demands without exception. The crust was very thin, crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside, and full of flavor. the scent of fresh basil mixed with the scent of the smoke was most appealing. But what really made their pizza sing was their roma tomatoes, which were so sweet to the taste you would swear that they were glazed in sugar.

We left victorious, knowing we had found another hidden treasure, horded by locals, and ignored by people calling Papa.

That night I dreamt of tomatoes and basil leaves...

Fireworks Pizza
201 Harrison St. SE
Leesburg, VA 20175
703.779.8400
___________________________________________________________________
**"The Sauce" is a figurative concept as well as a literal one. It could mean -actual- sauce that goes along with your chicken parm or linguini with mussels, but it can also mean that indefinable authenticity of a home made piece of mouth-watering bliss. It is cooked and served with love, each and every time. The source of my terminology dates back to college, when myself and several other guys opted to spend a weekend at Mr. Marinara's homestead, and the Matron Marinara had prepared "The Sauce," which in this case actually was sauce. The aroma pulled us into the kitchen, and it wasn't but a few minutes that we all bowed in humility to The Sauce, and had to stop one hippie-haired brother from stripping down and taking a dip in it. It beckoned us like the Sirens' call to Odysseus.

If You're Ever in Boston ...

2008-10-17T07:12:00.005-04:00

Although maybe not totally relevant to most of you, since I live in Boston and this blog is dead, I figured I would give you some tips on favorite local places to check out should you ever come to Boston.

Favorite Bahh to Watch the Sawhx: Cask n Flagon -- There's no choice! Right next to Fenway and recently re-done, the place is great, the food is solid, and for out of town games or football, it's easy to find a seat and parking spot.

Favorite Steak Place: Bonfire -- 300+ day corn-fed beef? Jackpot!! Chef Todd English is becoming world reknowned and his steak place in the Park Plaza is one of my favorites in the city. Everything I've had is good, but the skirt steak is one of my favorites.

Favorite Celeb Chef Place: Blue Ginger -- Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger out in the posh suburb of Welleseley (also the town where budding fashionista Gretta Cole got her start) is beyond compare. For around $30-40 a plate, it's not overly (by Boston standards) expensive. The menu changes regularly and the town itself is very cute and worth a stroll if you have to wait for seating. The desserts there are fantastic, but if you are looking to save some coin and go around the corner to Truly Yogurt and try the Black Raspberry Chip Yogurt. Best. Yogurt. Ever.

Favorite Italian: I've never been to the same place twice, and I've never been disappointed anywhere. Go to the North End early, walk down Hanover Street, find a place that has seating and is in your price range. Enjoy.

Favorite Seafood Place Not Named Legal: The No Name -- I'm not a big seafood fan, so asking me this is like asking Mr. Marinara about being manly. Other than Woodman's of Essex, I don't get amped up too much about seafood in the city or Boston area. If you go to the No Name, GO EARLY ON WEEKENDS, the line gets HORRENDOUS and you can't bring your own beer (my aunt tells times when she and college friends brought a keg) to drink while waiting in line like you used to.

Favorite Tapas: Tasca -- The line gets long on weekends, so if you plan to go get a reservation (4 or more) because you'll still have to wait. The duck confit, tenderloin meatballs, croquettes, beef carpaccio and mussels are great to name a few. If it looks good to you, it probably is. Their desserts are amazing, I once had a creme brulee with orange zest that was one of the best I've ever tasted.

Favorite Cheap Eats: Dok Bua -- I'm a big fan of Southeast Asian cuisine, and I've still not been to the haute Elephant Walk which might be a sacrilege, but for good simple Thai food, Dok Bua in the Brookline neighborhood of Coolidge Corner (predominantly Jewish Eastern European historically) is one of the best in the area. For less than $10 bucks at dinner you can enjoy a full meal with Thai standards (Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, curries, etc) with spring rolls, rice, fried dumplings and a soup (I always substitute for their excellent Tom Kha Gai). Wash it down with some red Thai Iced Tea with the condensed milk? YUM!!!!!

Favorite Beacon Hill Yuppie Bar: Beacon Hill Bistro -- Beacon Hill is one of the most expensive areas in the city, it's also one of the oldest, which combines for interesting stores, architecture and people. Go after the work crown dies down a bit, but make friends with the bartender and ask him/her about some of their specialty drinks. You won't be disappointed.

Favorite Brunch Place: The Paramount -- Since Bob the Chef's was sold (it brings be to tears to think about) the Paramount it is. Bring good company, the line is always out the door, but it's always moving. This trendy bistro in the evening serves up one of the best brunches in the city. Wait in line, order at the grill in the back, wait in line, pay for your breakfast at the register, find a table, feast ravenously on belgian waffles, huge pieces of bacon, or delicious omellettes and enjoy.

Favorite Romantic Spots: The Hungry I -- Tiny, unassuming from the outside and same on the inside, the I has one of the best romantic patios in the city. It's not big, there's no view but it's vine-covered and cute go during warm months and get a reservation .. off hours are best to get a spot on the patio. Afterwards, walk the Esplinade for a romantic walk and view of the Charles river and Cambridge. For another romantic spot, go to The Top of the Hub in the Prudential Building (or 'Pru'). The food isn't great, but the view is world-class, so go for drinks after the dinner crown settles down (9 is good on a weeknight) get a drink and have the warm-baked cookies dessert (nothing's great there, but this is their most generous portion)

The Top Eight Places I Come Back For

2008-10-14T06:30:00.002-04:00

Greetings, Marinarees.

I'm a longtime friend of Mr. Marinara, and during his time in Greece he's asked me to stop by and check in on the loyal readers and make sure you are getting your foodie updates. Although I am a shadowy comparison of The Mr. Marinara, I'm always glad to lend a hand.

As a guy who lived in Richmond for over seven years, then moved away, but who comes back to the River City at least a few times a year, Mr M asked me to share some of my favorite "when you come back to the city" places. What follows is my list. My hope is that even though I now live in Boston ... a foodie's heaven, there are some places that you just can't find comparisons to outside of Richmond ... so don't go "grass is greener" on me, there's some Richmond landmark's you just can't replicate.

Best Brunch: Millie's Diner -- Yes ... yes ... it can be a long wait. Go with good friends that you enjoy talking to and it's always worth it. My two favorites have to be the Devil's and Castro's Mess, but there's always good specials that tempt me too.

Best Greasy Spoon: McLean's Diner --It's mostly regulars and it's not a place you go for ambience in any way shape or form, but the breakfast is good. The first time I was there with Mr. Marinara, he asked them for fatback and they told him that he didn't want it ... priceless.

Best Italian: Mama Zu's -- Mama Zu's has what I think is the best Italian in the city. You have to respect the owner / chef for not getting distracted with the trappings of restauranteuring, and for sticking to the basics. I've never eaten anything there that I didn't like ... but I admit I've not gone for the sweetbreads yet. That said, bonus points for going to a restaurant where you get to see uncomfortable yuppies standing in the middle of a restaurant waiting to be seated.

Best Let's Grab A Beer Spot: Capital Ale House -- I looooove good and varied beers, and this is an amazing place with a great array of beers from all over the world. Their late night menu is one of my favorites in the city.

Best Dive Bar: Sidewalk Cafe -- Nothing special, I know but dark, cheap and good food, Sidewalk is one of my favorite places in Richmond to go get a beer and have some laughs with friends.

Best Chicken Sammy: Chick-Fil-A -- Us yankee idiots have not caught onto the goodness that is Chick-Fil-A or even sweet tea for that matter. You don't know what you got til it's gone, and when I moved away I find this is one of those places I find myself sneaking a meal at when I'm back in RIC.

Best Barbecue: Buz & Ned's -- Although I never went to the place until I saw it on Bobby Flay's Throwdown, going back to Richmond is just an excuse for me to get some of those amazing ribs. I'm a fan of pork sandwiches and other than Pierce's in Williamsburg, this is one of my absolute favorites.

Best Dinner at a Friend's: Mr. Marinara's House -- It never disappoints, even when he's not trying to make a big fuss. Last time I was at his table was a semi-fuss and I was not disappointed. A primi of simple red lentils and fresh sausage from Belmont Butchery then grilled Wagyu hanger streak and asparagus followed with some Bev's ice cream ... yum.

The Challenge of the Pit, and an Introduction

2008-10-13T09:57:00.008-04:00

- by Northern VA correspondent, Dogburt

Greetings, fair readers. I am your humble guest-blogger while Mr. Marinara gallivants around Greece, eating taste morsels and screaming, "Μολὼν λαβέ!" while plunging through the Hot Gates. I have had the privilege of knowing your host for about 15 years now, and he has seasoned and seared my culinary tastes over that time. There are two things you should know - Mr. Sadler once absolutely wrecked me with an experimental serving of venison chili; and if I have a choice between dining out at a five star restaurant and dining at casa de Sadler, I take the latter.

I currently reside in Northern Virginia, so hopefully I can offer some perspective on the local cuisine here, as well as offer information on my personal obsession, espresso. But for today, I want to do a quick review on a new restaurant that just opened in Ashburn, Bluz Brothers BBQ and Grill. I took the family there on Sunday for lunch, and we learned that they had been open but a few short weeks. The exterior is still being decorated, and I soon learned from the manager that they were rolling it out slowly so as not to get slammed with heavy traffic too quickly.

I cannot boast of any standard qualification for recognizing good BBQ. My soul basis for comparison is one particular reptilian biker bar in upstate NY. But like Justice Potter Stewart once said (I think), I shall not attempt to define what good BBQ is, but I know it when I taste it.

The meal began with a complimentary appetizer of home made potato chips served with some sort of ranch dip. If you like your chips nice and thick with a little bit of chewiness, then this was spot on.

We ordered several platters that contained:

Open faced pulled pork sandwich
Open faced brisket sandwich
corn bread
hush puppies
fried okra
collard greens
mac & cheese

The sides were hit or miss. The corn bread and hush puppies were dry, which was troubling since we got there as soon as the place opened. You would think that they would have just come out of the oven. However, the okra and greens were very good. The fried okra had a light batter on it that made it extra crunchy, and in the greens you could really taste the ham with which it had been prepared. The mac & cheese was surprisingly good. I don't know about you, but I personally think good mac & cheese is one of those things that seems easy in theory, but difficult in application. Too often the explosion of a good cheese is simply not there. However, this one was solid and my young daughter gobbled it up.

As for the entrees, I would give a thumbs up on the pork, thumbs in the middle for the brisket. The brisket was somewhat dry and chewy, regardless of what you added to it. Also there was a bit too much fat on it for it to be a winner. The pork, however, was very solid. Tender, juicy and flavorful, it mixed well either just by itself, or with the various assortment of sauces that they make in-house. Home made sauces get bonus points from me, as it is easy to simply purchase them and nobody would be the wiser. Taking the time to make it requires commitment to the end product. I would probably classify the overall style as most similar to either Memphis or East Texas.

Good BBQ is simply hard to find, especially when you live in a metropolitan area where the focus is often on speed and stature. Good BBQ does not lend itself well to either. Good BBQ takes time and patience, and you can't be afraid to get messy. Bluz Brothers is on the right trail, because they want to do the BBQ the right way. As long as they can maintain their focus on doing the basics well, this should be a spot that has staying power. I will definitely be visiting again.

Bluz Brothers BBQ and Grill
43150 Broadlands Center Plaza, Suite 194
Broadlands, Virginia
(703) 858-9499

Quick Note to My Readers

2008-10-10T09:11:00.006-04:00

I will be heading to Greece this weekend along with Mrs. Marinara to celebrate 10 wonderful years of marriage. Mrs. Marinara made me promise not to bring my laptop; so no food postings from me. I will be posting trip updates on my sister site The Sadler Family Blog. I am also pleased to have a series of guest bloggers to bring a little variety while I am gone. And with all sincere apologies to iwishicouldcook, I will be updating you on my food escapades as soon as I return.

Thanks!

Last Night's Dinner

2008-10-08T16:31:00.004-04:00

A nice dry-aged strip from Whole Foods.

Romaine lettuce, roasted peppers, cucumbers, manouri cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Holy Sheep Batman, That Is One Amazing Cheese!

2008-10-07T08:41:00.009-04:00

“It is like the smell of a rotting peach on a tree in the backyard”

I think anytime I hear quotes like that I am in trouble, but fortunately that was Julia talking and I was eating a glorious, semi-soft cheese from Portugal called Amanteigado Sera. This was one of the six different cheeses I tried as part of a cheese class called “Holy Sheep”.

The class is part of a series of fromage classes put on by River City Cellars (RCC) located in Carytown. The class was held next door to the wine and cheese shop in the old Urban Artifacts storefront (this will be soon be a wine bar that will be run by Julia, the owner of RCC). There were about 25 students crammed in there and the information was presented by Julia and the Cheese Goddess Sara.

This is my second class with them, and I was anxious to get into this one specifically because I have fallen in love with sheep’s milk cheese. One of the biggest reason is that sheep’s milk cheese has a higher fat content than either goat or cow’s milk cheese. This is because sheep produce limited amounts of milk, but it is full of fat and vitamins and wonderful stuff. On top of that, most sheep’s milk cheese is pressed condensing all together.

Anyway we tried 6 different cheeses. They were from different regions. We had a blue, a brie, two semi-firm, one semi-soft, and a fresh cheese. Of the six cheeses, I really liked four of them. They are listed below with the basic information and the location on the cheese plate

Manouri- pasteurized, fresh, Greece, 12 o’clock
Casa Madaio Cinerino- pasteurized, semi-firm, Italy, 4 o’clock
Amanteigado Sera- raw milk, semi-soft, Portugal, 8 o’clock
Bleu de Basque- thermalized, blue, France, 10 o’clock

In the end it was hard to pick a favorite. I ended up buying 3 of those 4 varieties. Overall, it was a great way to spend 2 hours: eating cheese, drinking sparkling stuff, and learning about all the cool stuff that surrounds cheese.

I Can Choose To Not Be a Grilling Snob

2008-10-02T10:35:00.005-04:00

I love grilling snobs. I love it when people are so passionate about grilling that they will only use charcoal or high searing infrared gas grills or wood. I am, however, a bit more pragmatic when it comes to outdoor cooking, and that is why I have 3 outdoor appliances (gas grill, charcoal grill, and a smoker). I write all this because I find myself ready to buy a completely different type of grill made by Holland (company not country).

The Holland Grill uses electricity or propane to heat the grill but the elements are completely covered by the drip pan. The design is set up to avoid flare-ups and make use up the drippings (from fat or marinade) to recycle the flavor back into the food. I was able to try some pork loin that was cooked on it and it was very tasty. After 15 minutes with salesman, I was very intrigued. So much so that I sent Mrs. Marinara over to look at it (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).

As much as I am intrigued by this, it also seems gimmicky. It definitely violates so many grilling rules. The temperature ranges from 300- 425, which means it cooks at too high of a temp to smoke properly and to low of a temp to properly sear meat. Yet, the testimonials seem to point to this grill making great steaks and great ribs. Still can this be even qualified as grilling?

If I do buy into this, it will be out of necessity. I have been looking for a grill that can be used at tailgating events and they do have the compact Companion model. It is nice because it has a canvas bag that can be used for transportation and it runs on the smaller propane canisters. And even if I buy into this, really I need Mrs. Marinara to buy into this.

Trying to Smoke a Brisket- Again

2008-09-26T15:39:00.007-04:00

I have made several valiant attempts at smoking briskets, and all to often I can't seem to get over the hump from good to really good. There are probably several reasons why I seem to be OK at this exercise including quality of beef, use of an electric smoker, spice combinations, wood usage.

This time I tried the following preparation.

*Injected the briskets with Creole Butter
*Rubbed it with yellow mustard
*Combined various amounts of Lawry's Seasoning Salt, sugar, brown sugar, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper
*Soaked Hickory and Cherry wood chips
*Used water and pomegranate juice in the basin

So it's been in the smoker for about 5.5 hours. A few more hours and we will be in business.

Chili Plateau

2008-09-23T19:56:00.005-04:00

About 4 years ago, I had a pretty good chili recipe that included corn, kielbasa, and sugar. People loved it, but I gave it up because it wasn't real chili. It wasn't Texas chili.

So took a few years off and decided that I needed to start over with chili. I have had several chili's that I liked. Most of them fall into the category of hot dog chili, but from everything I can tell, hot dog chili and Texas chili are the same thing. Some of these chili's are made at places like Jimmy's in the West End, Jess' Quick Lunch in Harrisonburg, Texas Tavern in Roanoke, and Ben's Chili Bowl in DC. They all seem to have that addictive combination of meat, grease, and spice.

My first attempt at a Texas chili was an accident. I made taco meat, but I decided to break up the ground beef in water and then boil it. After cooking and adding the spices, I realized I had found the consistency that I would need for my chili. But that was all the success I had. Since then, I have tried three different times to start concocting the perfect recipe. Each time I could never get the spices right. It always seemed to lack that spark. So desperate times called for desperate measures. I decided to cheat and use the chili seasoning packet that my mom used. It is called Caroll Shelby's Chili Kit and it comes in the brown paper bag. I cooked up the chili and still it didn't do it for me. So now, I am at a loss. I need to figure out how some of these places do it. I know it would be too much to ask if anyone would mind sharing their secret with me ;)

Cowboy UP! @ Rays

2008-09-18T10:23:00.005-04:00

Believe it or not, my sister and brother-in-law are the real foodies in the family. So when they make it a priority to check a place out, it is usually worth my while to follow them up. They were traveling between Richmond and their home in Brooklyn, and they made a stop at Rays the Steaks in Arlington, VA near the Courthouse Metro stop, and after hearing about it, I knew I had to check it out. So when I happened to be in the area on Saturday, and felt like I should take advantage of the opportunity.

The place is snuggled in a small strip mall and it was packed. I was fortunate to find seating but that was probably based on the fact that there were only two of us. The space was very minimal: white walls, little decor, soft lighting, and tight seating. The menus were paper. This to me was a good sign. Packed house with no atmosphere means good food.

My suspicions were correct. I started the evening with an appetizer of blackened scallops. The dish was two large scallops perfectly cooked on each side. There was enough spice on each side to give it very tasty crust. I then followed it up with an iceberg salad with applewood smoked bacon and blue cheese. Again this was wonderful, especially with the generous amounts of bacon. Dinner was a hard choice. I heard the hanger steak was the way to go, but I was finding myself forced to choose between the cowboy steak and the Brazilian pichana. My partner in crime convinced me to stick with the cowboy steak. My compromise was that I received a side of the chimchurri sauce. The steak was nice and charred on the outside and red and wonderful on the inside. The chimchurri had a perfect spice to it, and the horseradish sauce was also great with its creamy kick. We complimented the meal with an old vine zinfandel.

If I had any complaint with the evening, it was the service. I knew from other people that I would feel rushed. I just didn't like getting my steak while I was still eating my salad. To me this was a minor concession for such good food. And trust me, I hope to be back again in the near future.

Sad News for Pasta Lovers

2008-09-16T09:35:00.002-04:00

As reported at RichmondBizSense.com, it looks as though one of my favorite establishments, Cavanna Pasta, will be closing their storefront. The article states that they will try to move to a warehouse location in order to keep providing their goods to farmers markets, restaurants and other retailers.

Gionni and Martha have been great to do business with over the past couple years. If you get a chance, call the store before they close up and put in for a special order of crab ravioli. It is spectacular.

I wish them the best of luck!

Disappointment at Papa Ningo

2008-09-13T13:44:00.002-04:00

I remember getting in trouble as a child and the parents making some dumb comment as they were about to deliver the painful punishment, "This hurts me more than it hurts you." I never believed them. Yet as I write this post, it is hard for me to write a negative report from one of my favorite places in town. So in a sense, I guess I get it.

Yesterday I went with some buddies over to Papa Ningo for lunch. They have a pretty decent buffet for $6.99 and it includes a chicken curry, stewed chicken, pepper steak, pasta, rice, beans, and some other stuff like spare ribs or fried fish. Sometimes there will be a plate of plantains.

I would have to say that my favorite dish on there is the curry. So when we hit the buffet right at noon, we were a bit disappointed to see that the curry was almost done. We each took a small amount thinking that they would refill the supply. Alas it was not meant to be. We watched as all the meat dishes were systematically finished off by 12:30 pm. Then we watched how each tray remained empty with no obvious attempts to fill them back. The chef in the kitchen seemed to be doing nothing about it. The girl in the front wasn't doing anything about it. Finally, we just paid and left.

I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it was an unexpectedly busy day, but really any place in the buffet business should be prepared for restocking it. Nonetheless, I will give them another try but I will say that for the first time I was really disappointed there.

Love Them Peruvian Chicks

2008-09-08T19:51:00.001-04:00

I have always liked a good rotisserie chicken. Yes, I liked Boston Market. The problem is that when Boston Market went out business in RVA, there was nothing to fill its place. I hate dry, old chickens that have sat around for hours. That description fits the bill for Ukrops, Fresh Market, European Market and others. So when I had the chance to be in Northern Virginia, I would make my way to any number of the Peruvian style chicken places up there including Crisp and Juicy and El Pollo Rico. Pollo Ala Brasa is the term they use at the restaurants and it is characterized by well seasoned chicken, cooked on a rotating spit over a charcoal fire, and served with very tasty dipping sauces.

About 18 months ago, I saw one of these Peruvian Chicken joints in RVA. The place is called Chicken Fiesta and is located on Midlothian Turnpike between Chippenham Pkwy and the Powhite Pkwy. Since that time I would consider myself a frequent visitor.

Let me preface this by saying that I am no way an expert on Peruvian style chicken, and I will even go as far to say that this isn't the best that I have eaten. I will say that I am grateful that it exists here, and they do a good job at it.

For atmosphere, it's nothing exciting. It is counter service with about 10 tables inside. The staff and the clientele are mostly Hispanic. I think a good sign for any ethnic restaurant is that the clientele represents the origins of the food being made there. I think one of the standouts though, is the manager, Harold. From the first time I have been there, he has engaged in conversation and remembered me every other time I have returned.

The menu is made up grilled and roasted meats, sandwiches, and several side dishes. While I have ventured into the other cuisines, I think the chicken is where it is at. It is served in four pieces (a whole bird) and each piece has a nice golden brown color. The skin is perfectly flavored and crispy, The meat has a nice pink smoke color on the outer edges, and is juicy and wonderful. I like the dark meat better than the white, but that is because I think fat always tastes better. And speaking of fat, I like their mayonnaise based sauces. They serve a yellow, pink and a green. The green actually is a hot sauce with no mayo in it. But the yellow and the pink are perfect for dipping the chicken (the boring breast pieces). If you ask nicely, Harold may give you a sample of the special sauce he is currently working on. IT IS PHENOMENAL.

As for the sides, I think they have a well fried Yucca. The plantains served with crema are also nice. If you are feeling adventurous, they have an amazing drink made out rice milk and cinnamon.

This is a simple joint with solid food. It is reasonably priced, and it helps me when I start jonesing for some GOOD rotisserie chicken.

Olive Oil Heaven at La Grotta

2008-09-03T13:59:00.001-04:00

So I have this dirty little secret that I am publicly declaring here and now- I am on a low carb diet. I know the goods and the bads. I had to say this because it explains my food decisions over the recent weeks, but I don't want any lectures.

So I met a buddy at La Grotta today. I was totally craving the beef carpaccio. So I got there and forgot that they had this killer dipping sauce for their bread. This sauce is olive oil and I think pureed artichokes and/or olives. I asked once but can't remember for the life of me. So I held myself in check and ordered a mixed salad without the dressing. I totally doused my salad in the glorious olive oil concoction. Then the raw beef came with its heavenly amounts of olive oil, capers and Parmesan cheese. Perfection. And I kept to my diet. The only downside was that it wasn't cheap, but when has that stopped me in the past.

Time to make sure that La Grotta is on the regular lunch rotation.

No, I am not Hungover. I am just not 100%

2008-08-31T16:39:00.001-04:00

While I have blogged for several years now. I have always felt like I was on the outside looking in when it came to the blogging community. I had my personal blog with the readership of 15 people and that was about it. My buddies at the Celtics Blog and the Jets Blog were building their empires. Other friends at Listening to the Sustain and Cinerant faded away. Of course, RoyaleRant always remained, but no one could compare to his greatness.

Last night, for a brief period of time, I felt like I was part of community. Graciously, Bookstore Piet invited me to a grill party/potluck that was comprised of other Richmond food bloggers. This is the kind of event that makes me a bit skiddish. I love to cook for other people. I love to cook for people who love food. I get nervous cooking for people who know food. So once I figured out what I was going to throw out there to serve, I began to enjoy the process.

For the evenings festivities, I decided to stay close to my roots. I prepared little meatball burgers, topped with basil and fresh mozzarella. I also brought a side dish of sauteed Swiss Chard with garlic, pine nuts, cheese and bread crumbs. Simple and hard to screw up.

The other food there was simply delightful. Bookstore Piet served up a simple Prime Rib with Au Jus and some Grava Lox. Sketchy made his legendary Dragonscale Fish and grown up Oreos. Both people provided me with way too much hard liquor. All this, made for a very pleasant evening.

So after I was good and mellow, I sat down to enjoy the rest of the evening. RVA foodie showed up and I was taught to ways of blogging in Richmond, VA. I learned about the RVA aggregate. I learned which bloggers were cool. I learned about some restaurateurs who do not appreciate the bloggers. It was a great crash course of what I can come to expect if I choose to continue to expand my blog readership. But the best part of the night was that I felt like I was part of something. I was the new guy, but that didn't matter because I could drink Akvavit with the rest of them. I think I am going to continue on this blogging journey for a while. Worse case scenario, is that I meet a few friends along the way and eat some good food.

You know you are a cooking snob when......

2008-08-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

So I volunteered to help in the cooking line for a church breakfast on Saturday. I had been going back and forth with the organizer about when and where. Finally, I asked him the all important question about what is on the menu. I qualified the question by saying that I wanted to bring my own cooking tools. This surprised him a bit, and it made me very aware that I am in a small minority of people who are extremely picky about anything when it comes to food and food prep. I am not ashamed of this fact. Cooks and caterers do it all the time. Actually, it is fun to be an elitist in something.

Penzey's

2008-08-18T20:53:00.002-04:00

I've had mixed feelings since Penzey's came to town a few months back. On the positive side, it is 5 blocks away and it's nice not having pay $6 for a spice when you only need $3 worth of it. On the negative side, the hours are a bit restrictive, the staff know the spices but don't seem to be creative cooks, and my secret mail order place is now exposed to everyone.

So really, the negatives aren't all that bad, and having them local has been great because it's a lot easier to be impulsive when the item is in hand and does not have to be shipped. So all this to say, I have been intrigued by their English Prime Rib Rub for years now. Unfortunately, I let Chris at Belmont Butchery convince me that beef only needs salt and pepper. Needless to say. I had to listen to Chris and it took me two years to actually buy the rub. And while salt and pepper are the perfect combo for grilled beef, the stuff is equally as perfect.

The rub hand-mixed from: salt, ground celery, sugar, Tellicherry black pepper, onion, garlic and arrowroot. I have only used it twice and both times it was on some beautiful hanger steaks. Both times I could feel the celery powder drawing me back for more. I think it really complimented the stronger flavor of the hangers.

So yes.... I am trite and a hypocrite because really I'll buy 85% of my spices at Penzey's from now on.

A Legend but not Legendary

2008-08-15T11:23:00.001-04:00

I visited the Robin Inn last night with little Marinara. I must say that I have very fond memories of this place, but Mrs. Marinara was never a fan, so I could never go with her.

So I love the ambiance. It is a row house with drop ceilings and plenty of neon lights. While most people say that the renovation should have come years ago, I think it is cute.

I sit down and order a $4 pizza for the little man. When the waitress returns, I order the Pasta a la Manual Loupassi. This is a baked spaghetti with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, mushrooms and whatever. I also upgrade my salad to the small Greek salad.

Little man's pizza was pretty much a prefab thin crust (think Domino's thin crust) with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. He loves pizza any way you slice it. I think, well, it was $4. My pasta salad arrived and it has all the staples of a Greek Salad- feta, lettuce, onions, kalamata olives, pepperocini, and optional anchovies. It was OK, the Greek dressing was not up to par with some of the other Greek dressings I have had recently. It lacked the sweetness that i have come to expect over the years. Then the baked spaghetti arrived. And it was all that it was advertised. it had everything on it. the problem was that the sauce was.... ehhhhh. So basically, my food was just average.

As you, may or may not know, I love Joe's Inn. I think it is the standard for Diners in the Richmond area. And really, the Robin Inn doesn't seem to compete in the same ballpark. Will I go back? probably but at least with realistic expectations.

Too Embarrassed- Part 1

2008-08-12T19:50:00.000-04:00

This is a series where I mention the crappy foods that I actually like.

Today's installment- The Flip Pepperoni Pizza at CiCi's Pizza

Here is what it is, if you don't know. Cheap, crappy dough topped with pepperoni and processed cheese sauce (think cheap Velveeta). The pizza is the folded over and topped with some garlic and parmesean-like cheese. Then it is baked and there you have..... Bliss! I don't get it, but I can't help it.

Sunday Night Star-lite

2008-08-11T16:21:00.001-04:00

So I have never been a huge fan of Star-lite as a drinking venue mostly because I don't like large crowds. I tend to more often find myself hanging out in the Commercial Tap House or Chiocca's. Anyway, last night I went to Commercial tap House and it was especially smoky and there was live music. It was not going to meet my needs for having good conversation.

I took a chance and walked the block to Star-lite. It seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Mind you it was about 78 degrees last night so it was a perfect night to sit on an open-aired porch. So we settled in and were happy to find out there were $6 pitchers and half-price appetizers.

Granted the beer was Miller Lite, but hey it was dirt cheap. What was a treat was the Crab-artichoke dip that we ordered. In typical fashion it was very rich and creamy. There were generous portions of crab and none of the ingredients seemed to overwhelm the spread. It had an especially nice kick to it. I couldn't tell if was a generous helping of cayenne pepper or jalapenos. Nevertheless, it was a nice compliment to my water....err..... beer.

I wouldn't mind making it a regular stop on future Sundays!

Working Lunch at Gutenberg

2008-08-09T13:20:00.001-04:00

I love it when restaurants and cafes have wireless Internet. It's a great benefit and I often choose these places because of access to the world wide web. That being said, I get pissy when the wireless is down or not working properly. If I make a decision to go somewhere because of something and that something is not there, then it just sucks.

So the other day, my buddy and I had a working lunch over at Cafe Gutenberg. It's a great place. It's quiet, it's comfortable, good coffee, good wine, good beer and good menu. But, we made the decision to go there based on the wireless because we needed to reference some web pages during our discussion. As you can guess, the wireless was down and we were automatically frustrated. And in typical coffee shop fashion, there was no one there to fix the thing.

Thankfully we had food and it rocked. I had the Bella Panini with jumbo lump crab, tomato, mozzarella, sun dried tomato aioli on grilled artisan sourdough. It was almost the perfect sandwich. It was served with well seasoned hashed potatoes (they would have been only slightly better with a bit of a crust). Nevertheless, it settled my blood sugar and my frustration.

So I had a great meal and bad working lunch..... I'll come back but maybe with an air card this time.

It's the Real Thing- in Mexico?

2008-08-08T07:34:00.000-04:00

I have the joy of working in a cube next to Mike. Mike is a great guy, and he is one of those people who is filled with all sorts of facts and stories. The other day while discussing High Fructose Corn Syrup, he was telling me about how Coca Cola pulled a fast-one on the American public. As the story goes, Coca Cola removed its traditional product (made with cane sugar) from the shelves and replaced it with the now infamous New Coke. New Coke was disaster and was later replaced by what were told was the original recipe, Coca Cola Classic. The thing is that Coca Cola Classic was no longer made with cane sugar but instead with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Mike went on to say that this was due to tariffs imposed on cane sugar imports, and that there are places in the world, like Latin America, that still use cane sugar.

I bought into this story because over the past 15 years, I have been to Haiti (4x), Mexico (1x), and Nicaragua (1x). And I distinctly remember liking the Coke there. I attributed it to the hot weather, lack of water, and glass bottles. Mike told me to check out the local Latin Markets and try buying Coke from a bottle there. So last night, I went to the Bodega Latina. Found a glass bottle of Coke, read the label and sure enough there was sugar and no High Fructose Corn Syrup, and it was bottled in Mexico. So Mrs. Marinara and I split the Coke and it was great. It didn't seem as sweet, but the sweetness it did have seemed more pure. There was no filminess in the mouth that seems to exist after drinking Coke Classic. It was perfect.

I am tempted to give up soda except for the chance I have the opportunity to pick up a few bottles of the REAL THING!

Failing the Memory

2008-08-06T21:28:00.000-04:00

So I was asked to make a meal for a family that just brought in two teenaagers from Haiti. My thought process was as follows:

"H'mm I've been to Haiti 4 times"

"H'mm I bet those boys would appreciate a meal that reminds them of home"

"All I remember is fried chicken and thier rice and beans."

So I scoured the internet looking for Haitian fried chicken. When that failed, I looked for Carribean fried chicken- BINGO. The recipe called for cleaning the chicken with lime, using adobo seasoning, and light flour to coat it. Now I hadn't had Haitian fried chicken in 10 years but I remember it being amazing- then again I was tired and hungry when I ate it.

So I buy the ingreadiants, prep the chicken, heat the peanut oil, and fry away. Guess what! It was pretty good, but it didn't taste anything like my memory. So now I'll have to figure out something else for that dinner.