Café Isis/Al Pacino Café, Mount Vernon

This place is confusing, from the outset. What's it's name? Cafe Isis or Al Pacino Cafe? And why Al Pacino - Does Michael Corelone own it or did he once grace my humble neighborhood with his presence?

A too-long line at Donna's led Mom and I to C.I./A.P.C. for a mid-Holly Tour lunch on Sunday. Walk inside and you feel like you've been magically transported to the Jersey suburbs, with booth tables and mauve and beige non-descript colors and a flirty waiter with a heavy accent.

Still confused, this place had me from the start. On their menu of Egyptian fare and pizza and pasta, they offer whole wheat pasta and pizza crust as well as soy cheese. We started with some tomato-spinach soup, uncharted territory in my tomato-soup loving life (a quick breeze on Google shows that the recipe is pretty simple - it will be made in a TF kitchen near you very soon). The soup was fresh and delicious, and served with a piece of seasoned flatbread that was ruined by a flash in the microwave. But at $5 for a small cup, it is too pricy. We then split a small "Four Seasons" whole-wheat pizza, topped with spinach, artichoke hearts, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Pizza was pretty good, or at least tasted healthy, but the crust was undercooked. With Iggie's just a few blocks away, I'll head there for pizza.

I may return to C.I./A.P.C. to sample their Middle Eastern cuisine, as that seems to be their headliner. More TK. So as you've read, I'm still confused. But sated.

Pad Thai, office-style

Contuining the elusive search for an easy, yet healthy and edible take-to-work lunch, I tried the Thai Kitchen product that I found on sale at Giant last night for $1.79.

From the "Noodle Cart" line, I tried Pad Thai. The product comes with a serving of rice noodles in a microwaveable plastic dish, along with a packet of oil, a packet of spices, and - gasp! - a fork. You cook the noodles quickly, in hot water, then add the contents of the packet. The portion is small - 250 calories - but tastes high quality, as rice noodles always do. The peanuts are fresh and crunchy - a delightful natural taste.

It's no restaurant Pad Thai, of course, but for a quick work snack, just fine. But as a noodle dish would, it lacks nutrition - just 2g of fiber and 3g of protein, yet 569mg of sodium and 53g of carbs.

Carma's Cafe, Charles Village

For two years I've passed by an unadorned basement-level shop, apparently a restaurant, just off the JHU campus on 32nd between Charles and St. Paul. The only sign of a food-bearing place are a few cafe tables in front and a hand-lettered sign offering soup and sandwich specials.

I found out last week it's Carma's Cafe.

For those of you who, like me, blindly ignore this little place, I've got to tell you to check it out. Down a set of stairs form the street is a cozy, inviting, and mysteriously crowded little cafe offering a hot drinks, sweets, and sandwich menu that blows me away.

Last week I lunched on a generous - oh, heck, enormous - brie, apple, and honey panini served on a near loaf of french bread, and a cup of 16-bean soup that was as good as my mother's. The ingredients seem fresh and flavorful and while faux creative, the menu is executed well. A highlight are the sweets - homemade cookies, macaroons, and scones.

Try it!

Purdue Oven Stuffer Roaster

At the start of the week - a rare Sunday to myself with no where to be but home, finally - again I took advice from Men's Health and roasted a chicken. In response to a reader who wrote he was sick of turkey sandwiches for lunch every day, the magazine suggested roasting a chicken on Sunday then eating boosted-up chicken salad for lunch, mixing the meat with spinach, apples, salad dressing, nuts, and berries. Brilliant, I thought!

So, post-Farmer's Market, I stopped by the Super Fresh on Charles Street (a sham of a grocery) and picked the most-organic, most-antibiotic and hormone free bird I could find - the Purdue Oven Stuffer Roaster. A few hours and little effort later, I had a cooked bird sitting on my counter.

I got one meal out of it before I was so grossed out I had to toss the picked meat. This chicken - seasoned only with salt, pepper, and olive oil - had a strange, unappetizing taste. I'm very sensitive to additives, so I wonder if, despite technical promises of "all natural," these birds are pumped with additives that make them taste bad.

Thoughts? Anyone else trying to roast chickens but having success?

The 20 Worst Foods In America

I'm fast becoming a fan of Men's Health, for the unobvious reasons.


Check out this month's article, "The 20 Worst Foods In America." Hello!! Cheese fries are my downfall. What's yours?

So Sweet

A shout-out to my new favorite root:



Thanks to the farmer's market, I'm on a a big winter vegetable kick, which includes a lot of squash and sweet potatoes. For lunch, I've found a simple and delicious meal. In the morning, I toss a sweet potato in my bag, and mix up some cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, dried cranberries, and pecans in a bag. When I get hungry, I poke the potato with a fork, throw it in the microwave for 4 minutes, then empty out the baggie of toppings and add a little butter that I keep in the office fridge.

Perfect! And chock-full of vitamins A and C and fiber.

Breezin' and Boozin'

I love Florida for its easy living, balmy breezes, and waterside dive bars that christen drinks with names like "Sex on the Island."

In case you want to mix it up yourself, I brought back the recipe.

Saturday Morning Market, St. Petersburg

Ah, St. Pete.


Most readers know that while I happily dine in the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area, my taste bud of taste buds is in St. Pete. Many is the reason, but today we'll elaborate on downtown's Saturday Morning Market.

This market beats the oft-heralded Baltimore Farmer's Market for a few reasons: fresh-squeezed OJ and cored-while-you-watch pineapple, more artisan foods like this uhhh-mazing salsa and excellent breads and prepared salads, and several kitschy yet sophisticated made-to-order food stands as well as a fair-trade tea and coffee hut (although I am generally a free trader, I can be swayed at times). For $6 you can get an omelette with hashbrowns and toast and sit at a darling little table and listen to local musicians jam, while the sun warms your skin and the atmosphere your heart. (Yeah, I get really cheesey about St. Pete.)

We arrived on a balmy afternoon around one, hungry even after a delicious farewell noshing at The Breakfast Nook in Bradenton. By noontime, vendors were sold out of fair-trade iced tea, homemade meatball subs, slow-cooked bbq ribs, roasted turkey legs. So J opted for the grilled sausage because it was pretty much the only option. Cold off the grill, mealy, dry bun, and poor-grade mustard. Alas.

Lesson learned. If everything else is sold out, there's a reason the grilled sausage is still up for grabs.

But still. Something about it was monumentally delicious. Ah, St. Pete.

Sweet n' Sour

This baby eats lemons. Like candy.

Don CeSar, Thanksgiving brunch

Part I of Thanksgiving day was the brunch buffet on the Sun Porch at the Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach.



Opened in 1928, the grand pink palace was a hot spot for high society of the Gatsby age before it shut down after the depression and became a hospital for battle-fatigued World War II airmen. It reopened in the 1970s, and is now a family favorite for milestone meals and events.

I'm never one for buffets, and while this one was certainly above average, it wasn't as good as the usual meal at The Don. They offered the traditional turkey, with stuffing, gravy, homemade cranberry relish, sweet potatos, etc. - as well as carved prime rib, a pasta station with lobster ravioli, and other protein items like mahi mahi, chicken, and salmon. Everything was tasty, except for the pasta which kind of seemed like an afterthought. What was a true dissapointment was the desert table, peppered with aluminum foil tins filled with grocery-store quality pies.

Overall, it was a fine experience. But the truth is you can't beat Thanksgiving dinner at home.

Starving

The Luncher regrets to inform you that she not eaten in the past few weeks, leading to a dearth of posts. Actually life is nuts right now with schoolwork, freelance work, and work work, plus a pathetic attempt at maintaining a semblance of a social life.


Tomorrow I'm heading to sunny (but cold!) Florida for a week of fun and family, but stay tuned for reports of Thanksgiving lunch at The Don, a wedding dinner at The Vinoy, and hopefully, lunches at a few of my St. Pete faves: my favorite Spanish tapas restaurant Ceviche, amazing chicken place Ya Ya's, and the charge-you-for-ketchup old-timey burger joint El Cap.

Jyoti Restaurant, Adams Morgan

Happy Diwali!

To celebrate our inner light, G and I caught up for a late-night dinner at Jyoti Restaurant in Adams Morgan.

I love Indian food and don't ever need a holiday to order some Chana Masala, but the experience is way better when you dine with someone who can pronounce the menu items with a semi-native toungue and make solid suggestions. To break out of my Chana Masala obsession, G suggested I order a Thali Vegetable - "An assortment of five vegetarian specialties, bread and rice." The sampler came with, among other items:
-Baingan Bharta (Tandoori roasted eggplant cooked in spices, tomatoes, and onions)
-Vegetable Jalfrezi (Garden fresh vegetables sautéed with fresh spices)
-Chana Masala (Chickpeas and potatoes cooked with herbs and spices)

Of course, my fave was the Chana Masala, and I also really like the lentil dish and can't get enough Naan to dip into sauces. The sampler was plentiful, complimentary, and delicious - definitely enough to share. But not with me - I just can't get enough Indian food these days!

Kali's Mezze, Fells Point

For a generically fun Saturday night with a slight breeze of urban chic, our party of four headed to Pazo. The Harbor East tapas place was closed for a private party, so we kept heading east for Kali's Mezze.

At 9:05 the hostess at Kali's tells me she can seat us at 9:45. We grab a pitcher of red sangria and its no sweat.

Closing in on 10 p.m., we're getting a bit antsy. Another party of four walks in, and the manager approaches them with a hearty hey-howya-doin' and a smile. We distinctly hear the manager ask how many people were eating tonight (4, the man said) and reply that he'd get a table right away. It was clear that the new party didn't have a reservation. A few moments later the hostess is leading them up the stairs to their table.

Now I know how the world works. Heck, I work in philanthropy. But the manager should have been a little bit more discreet. After some bantering, he tried to placate us with a complimentary spread of appetizer dips and a pitcher of sangria. Kind, but fruitless.

But poor and rude service aside, Kali's Mezze serves delicious food (which is what's keeping it off the BANNED list for now). The Greek dishes are more substantial than the typical tapas restuarant's offering, and most are very flavorful. The hummus, however, leaves something to be desired. We particularly enjoyed their falafel, a shrimp dish, and roasted mushrooms with cheese.

However, keep in mind that we were only at Kali's because Pazo was closed. But the sangria is good, the food divine, and the prices reasonable for a Saturday night - so there is a major cognitive dissonance here about returning.

Welcome Baby Grace!

She sure did give her Mom a hard time and the rest of us a big scare, but now Grace LeeAnn Willis is doing fine and making our world a better place!

Soup's On, Hampden - Again

Twice last week I went to Soup's On for lunch. I can't help it. It's so delicious. On Tuesday I had this amazing beef chili with a not-particularly impressive chopped salad. In the future I think I will skip the soup-salad combo and save a few bucks by ordering just the soup - a generous portion that is more than enough for a meal, paired with a chunk of hot French bread.


And I couldn't resist a chocolate mocha cupcake:

Kawasaki, Fells Point

Been wanting to check out Kawasaki for months now; finally did on Friday and I may now have a new favorite sushi place. Fun atmosphere, with fake on-the-ground booth tables that require no shoes to sit there, pretty reasonable as far as cost-to-quality, and excellent sashimi. We ordered the sashimi boat - for $18 or so we got a boat of well cut, fresh fish including red snapper, tuna, white tuna, salmon, clam, and more, and it was too much for two people. Interesting rolls, including a conch-mango roll that was surprisingly tasty. Mostly, we were entranced by the boat on which the sushi and sashimi were served. And that's why M went home and found the entertaining video posted above.

Farmer's Market

My Sunday pull from the Farmer's Market, plus a copy of the Sunday Sun:




A loaf of whole-wheat cranberry and orange bread; one dozen cage-free extra-large eggs; two single-serving butternut squash; one spaghetti squash; one green pepper (for hash browns); a pint of brussels sprouts; a three-pound medley of cooking apples; and a quart of redskin potatos = a delicious breakfast plus produce for dinner all week!

Sotto Sopra

Friday night. Birthday dinner. We sit down at a table for two in the ambient Sotta Sopra, and the server comes up to the table with a fateful question:

"Tonight will you be drinking bottled still water, Italian sparkling, or... tap water?"



Before we even glanced at the menu, we were forced to define ourselves to the server. I found this quite tacky and would prefer that a restaurant take a more subtle approach to this, perhaps increasing entree prices by $2 or $3 and offering bottled water - sparkling or still - carte blanche.

Anyhow...

My first visit to Sotto Sopra was in college, when the recruiter at The Sun took me out for a farewell lunch at the end of my internship. I look back on my former life as a newspaper reporter with much fondness, and feel nostalgia at most anything that I can connect.

I've been back a few times and on Friday, when I needed to choose a place to celebrate the birthday of a person who hadn't eaten anything buy plain rice, applesauce, and Gatorade for four days, I picked Sotta Sopra.

This Italian place has chic-chic decor and lies on the Charles Street corridor that also includes Ixia, Helmand, and a few others - one of my favorite perks of living in Mount Vernon. The menu has everything from the basics to more creative fusion items, and it's always pretty delicious.

We started off with fried calamari, which was quite good. The server told us the calamari is fresh, and I could taste the difference. Mixed in with the squid were the thinnest shaves of green and yellow squash - also delicious. The dish is served with a spicy marinara sauce and a wasabi sour cream. The tomato sauce was tasty but the wasabi was a bit too heavy for either of us to enjoy.

Birthday boy - who came down last Monday with a nasty virus and spent the week eating a sick person's diet - ordered a duck-stuffed ravioli sauteed in butter and sage and covered in a truffle reduction sauce. Very flavorful and hearty, but this dish might be better shared or served as a side offering. The sauce was incredibly rich and - although it was finished - made the dish in my mind a bit too much for a stand-alone entree. Perhaps it would be better atop a bed of sauteed spinach or swiss chard.

Last time I ate at Sotta Sopra, food envy kicked in over H's Papardelle Sotta Sopra - so after a difficult run through the menu, I went for it. The restaurant makes a perfectly thin sheet egg pasta, served with a light tomato sauce and pockets of smoky fresh buffalo mozzerella. Simple, but delicious. I thought there was perhaps a bit too much sauce - it was nearly soup - but I was very pleased.

For dessert we shared a liquid-center chocolate flourless cake. I don't normally appreciate chocolate, but of course, knew not to insert an opinion about dessert on someone else's birthday. But this was phenomenal - there wasn't a hint of sugary sweetness to mask the cocoa flavor. It was rich, but not too rich. And, a delightful surprise - it was on the house.

Despite the irritating water question, I thoroughly enjoyed Sotto Sopra and, as it's in the neighborhood, will definitely return again and again. I certainly reccomend it as an alternative to Little Italy's offerings and as a highlight of Mount Vernon restaurants.

Ersters

Before the season ends, I suggest everyone in Baltimore high-tail it to Cross Street Market for a plate of delicious, slurpy, salty oysters on the half shell and an afternoon experience that can't be beat.

In Federal Hill, at Cross Street between Light and Charles streets, the oyster bar is on the end of the market facing Charles. This place is a slice of Baltimore, without the sketch, and just as much about the experience as it is the taste. You sit at the bar and a crusty oysterman shucks them off a pile of ice right in front of you, while he theorizes on life and women. For $7 you get a half-dozen +1 served up on a styrafoam plate with a slice of lemon, and all the hot sauce, horseradish, cocktail sauce and crackers you'd ever want. Plus - cold beer for cheap. If you're hungry for more, the market also has a cool sushi bar and offers items like steamed shrimp and some amazing french fries.

Regi's American Bistro

I've wanted to try Regi's, on Light Street, for ages.

We went for a late lunch on a leisurely Sunday, after oysters at Cross Street. To celebrate turning in a 31-page paper (ok, 15 of it was collateral - but still) and volunteering away my Saturday night (ok, I enjoyed it - but still) I decided a glass of wine was in order.

But that's neither here nor there. Regi's offers outdoor seating, and since this perfect fall weather has streteched into late October, we sat there. We sat down around two, so we straddled brunch and dinner and had only a limited menu to choose from, but that was still enough.

For an appetizer, we had No Choice But to try AJ's Tater Tots, described as "old fashioned tater tots stuffed with melted brie cheese and apple wood bacon." In reality, they were school-lunch fried tater tots and, rather than stuffed, they were topped with some large pieces of awesome bacon and what I have no choice but to assume was brie. While this dish tasted good, it was a little misleading to describe them as stuffed when they were really just glorified cheese fries. We expected something much more exotic and interesting than what arrived on our table.

Regi's menu has two sections of salads - one called Big Salads and another kind of tucked under the appetizers. I ordered a not-big salad, the Cape Cod. If this was not-Big, I do not want to know what is BIG at Regi's. The salad was pretty awesome - field greens (no spines!) with dried cranberries, bleu cheese, and candied walnuts with balsamic. Simple but delicious!

The Helmand

One of Baltimore's culinary gems is The Helmand, an Afghan restaurant on Charles Street. It's owned by a brother of Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, and I swear that while you are in the restaurant you will overhear at least two different people mention that fact or ask server if that's true. (Our server politely told us that yes, that's true and Karzai is the server's uncle, too)

So Afghan cuisine is seriously delicious. For an appetizer, we ordered what everyone says is the must-try: Kaddo Borawani - "Pan fried and baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce." The pumpkin is super sweet, and on its own is pretty gross. But topped with the sauce, the sweetness is balanced out and while I couldn't imagine eating one on my own, but it was perfect to share. I do admit that one bite was more than enough for me. We also got an eggplant - Banjan - appetizer, cooked with tomatoes and that delicious Afghan spice and served with the yogurt garlic sauce.

And for the meals... I had the Lamb Lawand. Two days later as I think about this I am gushing. Menu description:

Boneless lamb sauteed with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and herb seasoning, topped with a dressing of yogurt and sour cream; and served with sabzy and challow.

The lamb just fell apart in my mouth and was so good; the mushrooms were kind of gross and looked canned. I wish there had been more sauce because it was so delicious on the rice; I was not a fan of sabzy - which is like overcooked spinach and not very flavorful.

I'm trying to be more critical rather than just gushing over food, but I actually loved The Helmand.

Savoring summer flavor

Fall is always a nostalgic time for me. Not for any really deep reason like the symbolism of the falling leaves, but just because I love summer.

To me, summer is sundresses and pedicures and ice-cold gin & tonic, nights that start as the sun fades and stretch into the sultry heat of dark, and the time of freedom and few cares. Things happen in summer that don't happen the rest of the year. Each summer of my life that I remember - most until I finished college spent living in another city or centered around a major event - has marked a seminal moment, starting with the one in 1979 when I was born. In 2000 I lived in New Orleans for those three months and that summer I learned to be the person I am and I want to be. I love those moments of my summers, of my life.

It's October. Definitely fall. This summer was one of self-discovery and a little bit of difficulty that forced me to look inward, and its ok that it's over. I got a lot out of it. And now I'm getting a bit nostalgic for summer, especially after today's lunch: cucumber and what was probably the last haul of summer tomatoes from the Farmer's Market.

Perfectly ripe, sweet and tangy and rich, those tomatoes came to me so late in the season as if to remind me that I am supposed to be thinking, pondering, reflecting on this summer. They're telling me that summer might be over, but the beauty of the summer can pop back at any time, so don't forget it. That I need to appreciate the things that came of this summer all year long, and look forward to the times when I can reach back on those lessons and use them, savor them. Just like you do the surprising fall tomato.

Matsuri, Federal Hill

Last time I ate at Matsuri, I failed to detail the wonderfulness of the sushi place in the heart of Fed Hill. This time I dined with the same person as I did last time, and it was twice as nice.



Head over heels, Matsuri is a million times better than Kiku, and even Minato. From the edamame to the generous rolls, this place is a hit. Their Dragon Roll - a rainbow of salmon, tuna, and avacado encrusting rice hiding tempura-cooked shrimp - is better than the usual specialty roll. At this point I'm impressed by just-above-average, thanks to Kiku - therefore blown away by Matsuri, so their spicy tuna was amazing because the spiciness was mixed up with the tuna. At our request, they made a special salmon and asparagus roll, and I was pleased with that as well. Matsuri also serves Quail Egg, my new favorite dare for those lucky enough to get sushi with me, and this time with Smelt Roe. (Sorry friends - suggest we go out for pizza instead and you'll be safe.)

Above all, the service at Matsuri is excellent. We took a long time to order, as we had a few months to catch up on, and the server was kind and patient. As the place shut down and we finished our dinner, one worker fed the tank of tiger fish next to us, making for a delightful bit of entertainment.

Matsuri's drink list offers a white wine, called "Oroya Sushi Wine." Sushi wine? I asked the server. She said "Hm, I don't really know. It is from Spain."

Beautiful.

BANNED Kiku Sushi Restaurant

My first free Saturday in, uh, months was destined to be perfect. It was - class in D.C., then terrific shopping at the always-awesome Cupcake, a nap and then a jaunt over to Fed Hill to meet the runners for rooftop debauchery and then carousing, all mixed in with perfect weather.

Yep, perfect. Until we ordered sushi from Kiku Sushi. Maybe it was an off night, as this place was named Best of Baltimore in 2005. But with so many other sushi places in the nabe, it's not worth chancing.

The rolls were sloppy - too much, uneven rice. The fish was fishy - not the way it's supposed to be, but the way that makes you pucker your mouth because of the foul after taste. The steamed dumplings were crunchy around the edges and the edamame was brown and looked three days old.

So I'm being harsh, I know. But with so many great sushi places in Baltimore, including Matsuri and Cross Street just in Federal Hill, a restaurant can't afford to deliver poor-quality food on a Saturday night. Gross fish, messsed-up orders, sloppy sushi and nasty edamame... Kiku is BANNED.

(That said, Saturday was still perfect. The sushi just sucked.)

Soup's On, Hampden

OMG. Right now, as I type, I am savoring the most delicious fast-food lunch. If good food appeals to you - good food as in simple, fresh ingredients thoughtfully merged into a healthy meal - you must try Soup's On in Hampden.

I've written about this place before, but today I just can't get over my lunch -- fennel and shrimp soup, perfectly balancing the flavors, and an arugula salad topped with apples, almonds, and a little bit of brie.

It's like I died and went to heaven.

b bistro, Bolton Hill

After a squash-perfect trip to the farmer's market, Mom and I ventured to b bistro for Sunday brunch. After reading glowing reviews and hearing praise from friends, I had high hopes for this place.

b bistro is nestled among the stately, urban rowhomes along the tree-lined streets of Bolton Hill. Inside it's simple and urbane, lending to a very appealing charm. The brunch menu was simple - the two eggs & bacon bit, an array of omelettes and benedicts, and a few mundane extras like the breakfast burrito and a skillet melt.

Mom ordered an omelette with brie, asparagus, and crabmeat. She was very pleased with it, as the asparagus was thin and fresh and the crab was aplenty. (There's few better ways to irritate a Baltimorean than to skimp on crabmeat, so way to go, b!)

I ordered the traditional benedict. The hollandaise was lighter than I've had before, which confused me - I think hollandaise has to be rich to set off the dish. The ham was great, obviously of high quality, with grillmarks that I appreciated. And the english muffin tasted home made or at least artisan. The eggs were a bit undercooked for my taste, as the poached whites were still clear in many places. That may be a personal preference, however, I've never had such an undercooked egg on a benedict. The home fries served with both the omelette and the benedict were above average, with lots of fresh cooked bell peppers and onions, but unfortunately, were served to us cold.

My critical thoughts were wiped away when the bill came - less than $30 for two to enjoy the atmosphere and eat a mostly good Sunday brunch. I'd like to give b bistro another try, perhaps for dinner, because I think there is a lot of potential. Given the charming location, organic ingredients, and overall positive ruling on the food, I would also return for brunch.

Trinacria

Reaching back for childhood memories, I recall occasional trips after Sunday mass at Mom's ancestral parish to a magical Italian grocery store in downtown Baltimore. We'd emerge with a Volvo full of gallon-sized tins of olive oil, cases of canned crushed tomatoes, boxes of cheap wine, and pasta, olives, sardines, pizelle, and fresh mozzerella.

I recently rediscovered Trinacria when I moved to Mount Vernon. On the outside, on the 400 block of Paca Street, it's a little less magical than I remembered, so at first, I was wary. But inside, Trinacria still delights and inspires me. It's a small row-house first floor, stuffed with people and walls lined to the ceiling with authentic Italian imports.

This weekend several darling friends will run the Baltimore Marathon, so I offered to host a pre-race pasta party. I'll be in class during race time, or else I'd be running at least a relay leg myself. During my lunch break, I ran home to meet a washer repair man. He finished his task in minutes, so I spontaneously decided to check out Trinacria, in hopes of avoiding Safeway for my party purchasing. Score! I came away with a bottle of vino di tavola (for me, not the runners!), a half-dozen fresh meatballs, cheese ravioli from Veleggia's, portobello mushroom ravioli hand-made at the store, five cans of Cento crushed tomatoes, garlic, a pound each of dried whole-wheat and white pastas (and all for a price lower than dinner for one at a generic pasta place).

Salute, Trinacria!

My Perfect Dinner Tour

About every two years I get the chance to catch up with a great old college buddy. In town from L.A. for a wedding last weekend, his boss asked him to head to Chicago this weekend, so he stuck around town for a few extra days and took a night to visit me in Baltimore. I took him on a Charm City culinary tour, with stops at some of my favorite places for some of my favorite foods. Only a half-dozen oysters could have made this any better. Here's the perfect drawn-out dinner in my world:

Stop 1: Iggie's, shared a small margherita pizza and sipped Pellegrino

Stop 2: Brewer's Art, drank a couple cocktails in the basement

Stop 3: Minato, ordered a spread of sushi - including quail eggs (yes, I finally ate one!) - and sake

Stop 4: Dangerously Delicious Pies, housed a day-old slice of raspberry pie

Wedding bells

This blogger is back after four glorious days celebrating the wedding of H&D. I can't even begin to tell you about the delicious meals we shared at party after party in their honor. Congratulations to a beautiful couple!



See more photos on their photographers' blog.

Baltimore's Fancy Markets

My love for Whole Foods blossomed over a summer living in New Orleans. One afternoon I stumbled upon the adorable little market on Esplanade - it was an intimate, homey store that appeared like more of a mom-and-pop shop than the big ware-house versions we see today. I was hooked. KF and I would go there and get this amazing pesto dip, which I have never been able to recreate, and the makings for our summer hit, "Super Nachos," a dish of chips piled with beans, avacados, tomatos, peppers, herbs, whatever that we ate nearly every week and became more and more elaborate with each rendition.

Anyhow, that love reigns. I love the little market with high-quality, original offerings, excellent prepared foods, friendly service. I try to limit my shopping at the generic Safeway and Shoppers because those places tend to bleed out the pleasure of the experience for me.

The Baltimore Sun published an interesting comparison of the area's four specialty stores. I have my own opinions of Whole Foods vs. Wegman's vs. Fresh Market vs. Eddies.

What are yours?

Bistrot du Coin

Friday night I finally ate at Bistrot du Coin. Over the years I'd heard so much about this place from friends living in DuPont and nearby, and given my appreciation for French food, I was dying to try it.

Truth is, I had low expectations. But now I feel like a jerk for assuming that this was a yuppie scenester place that delivered more atmosphere than quality food. Bistrot du Coin turned out a fantastic meal in a great atmosphere.

To start, I had Gratinée des Halles (French Onion Soup) that - really - is the best I've ever had. The cheese was perfectly crispy, the broth cooked long enough that the onions mostly disintegrated, leaving a delicious balance of wine and onion. I expect to return just for a second helping of this soup.

C and I also shared Salade d'artichaut et asperges (baby artichoke and grilled asparagus salad), Gratin d’endives au jambon (braised endives with French ham, Swiss gruyère and béchamel sauce), Mergez grillées, taboulé version Bistrot (Grilled spicy lamb and beef sausages served with couscous salad) and a dessert that was not very memorable, hence why I can not list it here. Overall, it was a great meal and representative of my view of authentic French cooking. Oh, and the scene was happenin'!

Have your cake and eat it too!

Who serves their kid ice cream for dinner?!!??

On Tuesday night my friend L, a special-ed teacher who is in her late 20s and has been married for over a year, talked about how she is ready to have kids and hopes to start trying next year. Four of the seven girls at the table shared her sentiments, and we went on to discuss things that change with the advent of parenthood. For me, notions of lost freedom and scheduling life around someone else's digestive system came to mind. For L, she said:

"I ate ice cream for dinner last night. Probably I can't do that when I'm a mom."

True, I guess. One of my favorite childhood memories was a night when Mom was at a conference and the whole family accompanied her to make it a vacation. She had a dinner one night, so Dad took us to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. Each of us was allowed to choose one thing that we turned into a meal. Dorothy chose Pringles, Rob chose Reese's Pieces, and I chose strawberry ice cream. (Dad got a salad).

We turned out alright. L, I think you'll be just fine as a mother.

Dinner with the Baltimore Parking Authority

Last night the girls met at Yellow Dog Cafe to catch up and enjoy a meal. I'd read several reviews that didn't make the food sound worth paying for a $40 meal, plus I had some school work to get done, so I showed after dinner.

Over a glass of wine, we chatted and had a great time. An hour into my visit, the waitress showed up asking if any of us drove a silver Honda - because the Baltimore Parking Authority just issued that car a ticket. My car. Ticketed for obstructing traffic because the car was parked on a corner and, I guess, pedestrians walking on the sidewalk would have to alter their path to get around the car as they crossed the street. There are no signs, as there are in Mount Vernon. There was not an indented curb. I legitimately didn't know I couldn't park there.

The fine is $52. I might as well have gotten to the restaurant on time and eaten some soggy fish. Apparently at 6:30 there were plenty of parking spaces.

Tabard Inn

Last time I saw A, we drank a six-pack on my porch at Rocky Point and ordered Domino's. She was wrapping up her internship at the St. Petersburg Times and heading back to her last semester at Northwestern. We'd bonded because she is adorable and sweet and also from Baltimore.

Now she's a full-fledged adult, with a sweet (sweeter than she knows) gig covering technology and politics and living in D.C. We caught up for brunch at the Tabard Inn in DuPont, another fave of C's that I'd been wanting to try.

When you arrive at Tabard - behind SAIS on N Street, in an unlikely place - you feel like glamorous, Gatsby-like people had some wild times there long before you walked through the door. For brunch, the kind waitress helped me choose eggs benedict (remind me to write about my philosophy on this dish one day) and also some "famous" homemade donuts. The benedict was average, with the hollandaise sauce really lacking flavor and quite bland and the ham really not up to par, but the donuts were delicious. If only I liked donuts! While the highlight of brunch certainly was catching up with A, the food was perfectly fine and tasted better because of the Tabard's fabulous atmosphere. I'd like to go back at night and muse over the atmosphere with a Pimm's Cup or a Manhattan or something else that makes me feel like I'm a part of the Jazz Age.

So cute, you could just eat her up

Today the Lunchbox takes a break from our regularly scheduled meal to wish a happy first birthday to the always-giggling, soon-to-be-walking, slightly mischevious and utterly fabulous Miss Keegan Emily!

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!

Our peaceful Saturday night

2Amys, Washington

After BIG performed Friday with WIT, we drove up past the National Cathedral to 2Amys for dinner. C loves this place, and I was delighted to finally find out what all the fuss is about.

2Amys doesn't take reservations and is enormously popular with what appeared to be both the family crowd for pizza night and the young couples for date night, so we waited about a half hour for our table, even at the late hour of almost 10 p.m. We relaxed at their wine bar, C with a Moretti and me with a house specialty drink, the Lemonade McQuaid - lemons, honey, and Grey Goose. That drink was so delicious we attempted to make it again at home the next night. The wine bar offered a list of the cleverly named "Serenity Now," an exhaustive list of antipasto offerings that were served straight from dishes on the bar.



At a table outside - ah, lovely fall - a Maggie Gyllenhaal look-alike served us Polpettine al forno (fried risotto balls with cheese), Supli a telefono (meatballs), and Oven-roasted olives (hot olives!?). They were out of an amazing-looking eggplant parm and the fennel crostini that we'd ordered. By the time we sat we weren't starving, so this small-ish amount of food turned out to be perfect.

I was impressed with 2Amys simplicity, which lends to some pretty amazing food served in a relaxing atmosphere. Next time I'd like to delve a bit more into their "Serenity Now" offerings and try the pizza, which seems to be a hit offering.

Sushi with Bob

One of my last trips to the Harbor East Whole Foods was with Bob. On our way to the closing for my condo, we grabbed lunch at the store - me, brown-rice sushi and Bob, a salad and meat from the hot bar - and reviewed the condo documents and strategized my (failed) demand for a new air handler in the unit. I met Bob in improv class and then, after finding the condo I wanted, figured I'd just have him be my real estate agent. What a bonding experience.

Anyhow, I recently told Bob he is my hero. He wrote about why in an entry on his blog. It sounds like I was joking, but there is a lot of truth there. While I make concious decision to focus on positives in life and am generally very happy with my lot - thrilled, actually, I am trying to figure out how to balance the desire to break free of the American standard (born, educated, job, married, kids, retire, die, as explained by my Dad) with the need to pay my mortgage and eat at good restaurants. Consumerism is killing my American Dream!

My sketchy understanding is that Bob worked in IT at a government agency for a few years, and then realized this wasn't the life for him. He's now in that stage we all go through trying to figure out how to make life fulfilling - but rather than doing that behind a desk he's doing it while sleeping at his parents' house and doing some odd - but meaningful - jobs part time. I admire Bob's courage to break out of the prescribed choices most of us make and I only wish I had his moxy!

Cheers to Bob!

Anyone out there have any suggestions to this modern problem of philosophy?

Australian cuisine

For months I've been (obnoxiously?) anticipating my first taste of a Roo Burger - but the truth is that I've never actually considered Australian cuisine. As I learn more and more about the country that I liken to Disney World in form of a nation, I'm finding out about Australian foods and C's favorites, most notably, Vegemite.

Vegemite is a dark brown, super-salty paste that tastes like wet buillion on steriods. The Kraft Foods of Australia website describes it as a concentrated yeast product and full of vitamin B. If C eats breakfast, it's Vegemite spread on toast, and apparently, his countrymen swear by this as a cure-all health food. It's part of their heritage. When he shared it with me for the first time, he told me how Americans can't handle the strong taste of Vegemite - and, in fact, a product launch in the U.S. failed - so I was only allowed to taste a tiny bit on a cracker. I stomached it, and will do it again, because I think I might be brainwashed like the Aussies into believing this stuff is good for me!

Still waiting for that Roo Burger.

Read more in Whole Foods' feature on Australian cuisine.

Minato, again

Bob nominated me this week as "most likely to overdose on sushi." His prediction is even more likely now that I've discovered the deals at Minato.

At lunchtime today, I snuck out of the office to meet the appliance repairman at my place. Thanks to the Federalist Papers, I've neglected nearly everything this past week, most notably grocery shopping and laundry. So I called Minato and ordered their three-roll combo - a generous deal that gives you two fish rolls and one veggie roll for $10.95. I got spicy tuna, cucumber and plum, and bagel (a departure from the usual, but fun and spontaneous). After lunch, I still have enough leftover for a pre-class dinner!

Tamber's Restaurant, Charles Village

From buffalo wings and sandwich wraps to tikki masala and naan, you can order most anything Indian and generically American at Tamber's in Charles Village.

After learning that I have faculty privileges at the library - which means I can check a book out for the entire school year and it can not be recalled - I met a biomed post-doc for lunch. Charles Village doesn't offer a wide selection of reasonable (sofar as cost, time, healty) lunch spots, so we settled on the default Tamber's.


I ordered Chana - chickpeas in a masala sauce - and naan, and Biomed Post-doc ordered tandoori chicken. We don't know each other well, and I have that strange American detatchment/individualism thing going on, but I mustered up the decency to share. No way I could eat that many chickpeas myself, anyway.

Generally, Tamber's Indian food is pretty excellent, and not too oily - the mark of bad Indian to my uncultured palate (much to the chagrin of G). It's a bit expensive for lunch - some chickpeas, four folds of naan, and an iced tea cost me $18 - but that's the price you pay to stay away from the university dining hall.

Chicken Curry in Acorn Squash

With the advent of another autumn, it's time to begin worshipping the squash. Spaghetti, acorn, butternut - whatever you choose, nature's perfect package offers a delicious source of nutrition that's often entertaining, too.

Stumbling on the first acorns of the season at the Farmer's Market, I was inspired to make a recipe I'd clipped last winter from Men's Health: Chicken Curry in Acorn Squash. The meal turned out simple to make, delicious to eat, fun to put in a bowl made of squash, and nutritous. If you try the recipe, I'd suggest using a little more curry powder and more raisins.

Farmer's Market delights

Most Sundays I go to the Farmer's Market and buy lots of vegetables that I'll never eat. But now I'm trying to force myself to not waste the bounty.

To save the crimini mushrooms, I sauteed them in a little butter with french shallots (also acquired at the FM) and then cooked the mixture with an egg. With a fresh yellow tomato, this turned into an awesome meal.

Partly in vain, I rescued a mess of baby eggplant, green pepper, and zuchini, along with store-bought cherry tomatos and, of course, those French shallots, and made a faux rattitoule. First, I roasted the cubed eggplant in olive oil and salt, then I added everything to a pan and cooked it with more olive oil. The first round was delicious, with a sprinkling of parmesean cheese - but the leftovers looked more like depressing oil soup

Sette Osteria

As summer fades and talk turns to Christmas in Tuscany, we couldn't help but find Italian for dinner. (That, and the wait at Bistro Du Coin was too long.) We settled on DuPont's Sette Osteria, where C had been before but been displeased with the service.

Our forgot-to-make-reservations Friday night turned out, however, to be a surprising delight here. We waited for our table for about 20 minutes, a time that flew by with a glass of Rose at the restaurant bar. After we were seated - and famished, as it was nearing 9 p.m. - we ordered calamari. I selected the "calamari" genre, and C honed it down by choosing the grilled dish rather than the fried - Calamari alla griglia offered perfect summer flavor, charred just right and served atop greens in a lemon vinagrette.

For our meal, we ordered two dishes to share:

"Cavatelli con cime di rapa, salsiccia e pomodoro" - Cavatelli pasta with mild Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, pecorino cheese

"Pesce spada alla Trapanese" - Seared swordfish on a Trapanese pesto sauce with roasted eggplant

Both were delicious - again, a surprise for a cheeky, scene-y DuPont restaurant better known for its pizza. The pasta dish offered a great balance between the ground sausage and the seasoned broccoli, and wasn't too heavy as pasta often is. The fish was the clear winner, topped with capers, tomatos, and olives that tasted delicious, atop diced eggplant, not overcooked, as eggplant often is, and cooked in some wine. Perfect!

Our service was fine - good, actually. When I mentioned to someone that we'd eaten at Sette, the first comment was "Oh the food is good but I always get terrible service." It wasn't an issue at all, and our server was extremely attentive and the food came out in fair time.

Eating out Italian isn't my first choice, as I belive I can create that cuisine well enough myself. But for a fun, low-key Friday night dinner, Sette delivered on all fronts.

Flour + Egg + Salt + Oil = Pasta

Last night I christened the new pasta machine, in anticipation of a low-key pasta party at my place toinght.

First, I hand-mixed (literally, with my washed fingers and palms) a non-measured recipe of flour, eggs, salt, and olive oil.



After some kneading on my granite countertop, the ingredients turned into a pasty ball.



They "rested" for a while under a towel and then I cranked them through the new pasta machine so they were long, thin ribbons.



After another little nap, I cut the pasta into looong pieces of fetticuine, then stored them in the fridge in an air-tight container for tonight's meal. Mostly I just wanted to make sure the pasta machine was seasoned and ready to work and that I was able to mix the pasta dough by hand, sans Cuisinart.

New York Times Takes Canton

After living in Canton for two years, and partying there longer, I have a deep affection for my city's grungier hot spot. Many a memory has been made - and lost - on the square that honors seaman John O'Donnell almost as grandly as it honors Natty Boh and RBVs.

The New York Times recently published "Cold Yuengling, Fresh Oysters" -- a sloppy travel piece that lists the restaurants and stores lining Canton Square. Firstly, the illo graphic calls South Curley Street "Scurley Street" and beyond that, it appears that the writer didn't actually dine at Mama's On the Half Shell or order a drink at Coburn's before suggesting readers go there. They mention Looney's but miss JD's Smokehouse, where the food is pretty great for bar stuff. They mention Mama's but forget Portside.

Alas. Black-and-white print, written by someone who doesn't know - the tragedy of journalism, lamented by a fundraiser who recently wrote an authoritative piece on secrets of the hotel industry for a major publication.

Dinner, August 31

The Brewer's Art quickly became a neighborhood fave after I moved into Mount Vernon. Partly because they offer Nora beer, an Italian hoppy brew. Off the menu, Nora costs $15, seemingly pricey even in a haute beer house. But she comes with two glasses and can last almost all the way through happy hour.

This place is also a fave because of the food, of course. Upstairs Brewer's serves dark, cave-like haute-ish cuisine, like rabbit and pork, in a classy, white-tablecloth atmosphere. But downstairs is where you'll find the real gem; excellent food they try to pass as bar grub but really is high-quality fare at a reasonable price. The burger is a favorite, not remarkably different than what you'll find anywhere else, but a perfect excecution of a favorite. And the fries... now I generally try not to eat French Fries. (Years ago, during the post-college chunky days, a friend in Philadelphia and I were having those young-20s insecure weight conversations. She said something like "well, you really like french fries..." And I stopped eating them.) Except when I'm at Brewer's. These are the most delicious, perfectly delicate fries cooked to perfection and seasoned with rosemary.