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.
11.28.2007
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.
11.27.2007
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.
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.
11.26.2007
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.
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.
11.16.2007
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.
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.
11.15.2007
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.
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.
11.05.2007
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:
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!
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!
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