Category Archives: Restaurants

The Full Italian Meal at Osteria Uvaspina in Montevarchi, Italy

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Before going to Italy, a couple of my best friends said that while I was in Italy we had to go to a restaurant and have the full Italian meal.   I needed to have all the courses.

So let’s review, what are all the courses in the full Italian meal? I’ve heard different versions but there’s Antipasto, Primo (Pasta), Secondo (Meat), Dolce (Dessert), Espresso, and then after dinner alcohol like limoncella.

Well, one night while in Montevarchi a city in Tuscany, we were looking for some food.  One of the local shop owners recommended Osteria Uvaspina.  We walked by.  It looked like a cute place.  Had a nice modern interior, which was different in ancient Montevarchi.  We decided to go in.

After a quick chat with the waitress, who also may have been the chef (it was a slow night), we decided… what the heck! Let’s get the tasting menu with all the all courses.

Let me walk you through what we had.   First, let me warn you.   This will be a food porn heavy blog post…

This was just a quick bite to start things off.  It’s a sardine in a cucumber foam.   Definitely don’t eat a lot of sardines but this was deliciousness.

We had two antipastos.  I don’t remember what this one was called exactly but it had ham, mozzarella, basil with some balsamic vinegar, in between two flaky pastry sheets.  It was delicious.

The second antipasto was  a carpaccio of horse meat.  Yep horse… like Wilber.  It’s the meat raw and cut really thin and pounded out.  I think there was basil under it.  Had some type of cheese shaved on it with a drizzle of olive oil.

The pasta course was house made tagliatelle with a pea puree and bacon.  It was one of my favorite courses.  Of course, it was a play off of the classic of peas & bacon.   And… as they say, a meal without pasta is a sin against god & man.

Next was some kind of pork medallion deliciousness with a puree of something that looks like mashed potatoes but it wasn’t .  It could have been polenta.

Next was dessert.  I had some sort of peach thing with a flaky cookie thing and peach juice.

Lauren had some sort of multen chocolate cake.   It oozed chocolate in the middle in a very sexy way.

By the time we were done, it hardly felt like we were there for 2 1/2 hours but we were.  You really got to see eating as something more than this utility that you do to give yourself nutrition.   Eating is an experience.  It’s an experience that you share with your friends & family.

Impressions of Shake Shack DC

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Lauren and I had some errands to run in NW DC on Sunday.  Around 11, we were starting to get hungry and were trying to figure out what to do for lunch.   We weren’t horribly far from Dupont Circle so we thought it’d be fun to check out Shake Shack, which has JUST opened up in DC.

A lot of my NYC friends rave about how great the burgers are, so much so that they wait in line for sometimes an hour plus just to get a burger or a shake.  Plus with all the hubbub that it’s been getting on the area food blogs, figured we’d have to see if it lives up to the hype.

In short, it was a darn good burger but it didn’t change my life.  With all the hype that it’s been getting, it was really excepting for it to redefine the way that I understand the American cheeseburger.  When it actuality, it was just a damn good burger.  I don’t think it’s worth waiting in line for more than 15 minutes.

We were pretty stoked because when we got there today the line was maybe 5 or 6 people.  It probably helped that we were there around 11:30 and it was Sunday.

We both got the Shack burgers.  We split some cheese fries.  She got the chocolate milk shake and I got the red velvet custard.  It was all SUPER delicious.  I like that their fries are the crinkle cut fries.  I like fries that have some heft to them.

It’ll be interested to see how Shake Shack fairs in the long-term.  Have you been there?  What do you think?

Also… are heading towards a burger bubble in Washington DC?  It seems like we have SOOOOO many specialty burger places in Washington, DC.

In DC, Five Guys is everywhere.   Spike Mendelson has Good Stuff Eatery.  BGR is starting to grow in popularity.   Didn’t I hear that Bobby Flay was opening a burger place in DC sometime soon?  When is it just too much for the market to bare?  Then again I didn’t think that Georgetown could support 3 different high-end cupcake shops and yet it does.

Well, till the next blog post.  Toodles…

(Photo by Scaredy kat)

The Little Neighborhood Restaurant Around The Corner

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In my current neighborhood, one of my favorite things I’ve discovered is a little Italian restaurant around the corner.   It’s a little bit tucked away from the main intersection so the only way people would know about it is if they live in the area and have walked by it.

You walk in and there are maybe a dozen tables.  The dining room is maybe just a tad larger than the living room of a house.   There are a handful of other folks in the place but it’s never so packed that you can’t hear the person sitting across the table from you.

The food is just good.  It’s nothing that’ll change your life.  It’s just classic Italian meals done the way that I’d expect them.  And… the prices are really reasonable.   You can get salad, entrée, dessert, and a bottle of wine for 2 people and not flinch when the check arrives.

This is the place you go when it’s been a long week, you want to sit down, eat great food with friends, and you definitely don’t want to cook it yourself.

There’s something romantic about this kind of place.  I think every neighborhood should have one.  This is the restaurant that I love finding when I travel.   It’s where the locals eat.

I remember being in Brooklyn last year and having this same exact feeling with a little Mexican place.  If you blinked while walking down the street, you would have missed it.   To get to our table, I feel like I had to crawl over someone else’s table.   Everyone wanted to get in there.  And… it was probably some of the best tacos I’ve ever had.

You have this place too, right?   What does your little neighborhood restaurant around the corner?

(Photo by Monica’s Dad)

In Praise of Antonio’s

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It would take something special to post again on this oft-neglected piece of cyberspace. Justin and I have been busy, after all. In my case, working and new fathering have kept me from sampling DC’s finest or reflecting more on the absolute perfection of Hefeweizen (at least in written form).

But I am on vacation at my parents’ house in Orlando. Last night, my folks took care of our little one, while my wife and I found a new corner of restaurant heaven.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Orlando? The land of Disney and plastic culture? Isn’t Orlando the headquarters of all those big restaurant chains that push a bland uniformity into U.S. food culture? Isn’t Orlando cuisine nothing but overpriced tourist trap food?

Well, in part. But step away from International Drive. Go from the corporates to the foodies. Put down that expensive Disney Turkey leg. Next time you take the kids to Disney World and Universal Studios, be sure to drive over to Antonio’s Cafe & Deli in Maitland on 17-92. We did so, on my parents’ recommendation, and we tasted the best Italian food I’ve had in a long time.

Our romantic table in the liquor section.

Now, here is the charm. The Cafe & Deli, as you can see, is nestled within a mini Italian grocery and wine shop. We had a romantic little table in the liquor section. It may sound strange, but experience it, and you’ll find it creates a natural ambiance that most restaurants attempt to produce with funky decorations and weird lighting. We sat at our table and had two servers: A nice waitress who took our order, and their resident wine expert. The wine expert helped us select a bottle of wine from around the store (“we have an excellent wine list, and it’s all around us,” he joked), and was kind enough to open it and give us the “sniffy sniff sniff.” To go with our food, he selected a Dogajolo – 80% Chianti and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (“which gives it more complexity,” he said). Yum.

For an appetizer, we had the Topped Ciabatta – fresh Ciabatta bread, blanketed with Mozzarella and tomato sauce – fresh, delicious, opposite of canned. It was a generous appetizer to say the least – on another more budgeted night we may have gone with just appetizers and wine. But this was a rare date night for new parents. We were going the distance. (I should also mention that this was alongside some fantastic bread, fresh butter and olive oil that could have stood alone)

My wife ordered the pizza. Delightful, authentic crust, generous portions of prosciutto, red onions, sauce and spices that blend and flavor delightfully without dominating. As a real European, she has authority to say what she said afterwards. “Here in America, all the Italian food is Chicago-Italian or New York-Italian. It’s fine and everything, but it is hard to find Italian-Italian.” Antonio’s fit the bill. Yes, she’s from Germany. But as Texas has top-notch Mexican food, southern Germany is peppered with fantastic Italian restaurants. She knows what she’s talking about.

I had a hankering for some pasta and went with the Linguini Calabrese. Wonderful sausage, onion and that perfect tomato sauce, tossed lovingly into linguini noodles. The garlic was present but not overwhelming, and as far as I could tell, the ingredients were fresh. Excellence.

The portions were generous, and though good taste spurred us on, we couldn’t quite clear our plates. But our server corked our wine bottle and gave us boxes, and our movable feast would continue the next day.

We walked away from the restaurant with a sense of satisfaction I don’t often feel. We did not feel like we had a lake of grease cratered in our stomachs. We did not feel as if we couldn’t look at another garlic clove again. We strolled through the the shop, admiring the wine selection, fresh meats, cheeses and gelato. All the while, the full feeling in our bellies didn’t make us groan. It made us smile.

Bene.

Joe’s Stone Crab – Eating at a Miami Beach, FL Institution

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Last week, I was in Miami Beach for a work conference.  While I was down there, I was definitely looking for some type of restaurant that really was Miami Beach.  Boy, did I find it.  It was Joe’s Stone Crab.

It was a Monday and I was walking down Ocean Drive to meet up with my buddy Doug, who was joining me for dinner.    That night, it was immediately noticeable how quiet all the other trendy Ocean Drive restaurants were.  I was thinking that maybe we had caught a lucky break.  Maybe we wouldn’t have to wait as along to get into what was Yelp rated as a top restaurant in Miami Beach.  Ha… was I wrong.

You walk in and it was FILLED with people. There was definitely a palpable excitement or anticipation amongst all the other patrons that were there waiting to dig into a big pile of stone crabs.   The restaurant is MASSIVE and it was still overflowing with people.

Doug and I made our way to the host who was taking people’s names to be seated.  There was an hour and a half wait.   Doug assured me it was worth it, so we put in our name, went to the bar, and got some drinks.  Three drinks later, our names were called and we moved back to the staging area where they take you to your table.

The whole experience with the hosts was pretty crazy.  You definitely had folks that were flashing hundred-dollar bills to the host in order to by pass the line and go directly to a table.  I don’t think that I’d ever seen that before.

So… we got to our table.  On the way you got to see, even more, how expansive the restaurant was.  You could also tell how it was run like a very tight naval ship.   All the food and drinks came out pretty smoothly and looked to be consistent and uniform with what everyone else was getting.

Since Doug paid for drinks, I bought a bottle of wine.  Normally I don’t buy wine at restaurants because the markup is ridiculous.  This wasn’t bad.  I  think we had an Albarino.  It was an acidic wine that was very crisp and refreshing.

At Joe’s, you’re obviously getting stone crab claws but you can also order a variety of incredible sides.   We got coleslaw, grilled tomatoes, and cornbread.  The coleslaw came out first.  Usually when I have coleslaw, it’s that typical cream based coleslaw that you get everywhere.  This had a vinaigrette, which was delicious.

Next, with the rest of the sides,  came the beloved stone crab claws.  Unlike other crabs that I had in the past, these are served hot.  They’re served cold, which is interesting.   You peel off the shell and then just suck off as much of the delicious meat as possible.  They give you this really tasty mustard with a kick and some butter sauce that you can choose to dip the claw meet in.    I commented to my friend Doug that the crab claw was like an “adult popsicle.” :-p

I was definitely worth trying.  I’m told by my friends that a lot of the stone crabs that you see throughout the East coast all come through Joe’s Stone Crab.   So, it was especially rad to go to the source directly.

The cherry on top of the sundae for the evening was the key lime pie.  It was everything that you want key lime pie to be.    I can’t put the joy that the pie gave me into words.   A week later, the though of the pie still puts a smile on my face.  :-)

All in all, going to Joe’s Stone Crab was a really awesome experience and would be something that I’d recommend to everyone.   It is a little expensive so it’s probably not something that you can do all the time but it’s worth going at least once.

(Photo by snowpea&bokchoi)

The Old Toad, My Favorite Bar From College, Gets Featured in Slashfood

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I went to college at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.   When I became of legal drinking age, one of my first discoveries was the Rochester bar/English pub The Old Toad.   It’s the perfect place for long conversations with friends over great beers.    I have so many great memories there.

It was fun to see The Old Toad featured in the popular food blog Slashfood.  Check it out…

For the past 20 years, the Old Toad has been a mainstay in the Rochester area and even has a regional claim to fame as the first bar in the eastern U.S. to serve cask ale. “We’re a British-inspired pub,” says bar manager Kevin Roman, explaining the reason for selling beer the way they do across the pond. “The Rochester community has taken to it. We see a lot of demand for cask.”

Boston’s Pizzeria Regina Is So Good I Dream About It

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Not this weekend but last weekend, I was in Boston for work.   The conference was on Saturday so I had some time on Sunday to explore and have fun before I came back to Washington, DC.

I decided to walk through Boston’s North End or what looked like ”Little Italy.”   It was a lot of  narrow and bumpy brick paved streets.  Every corner had some type of shop, cafe or restaurant on it, most of which had some type of amazing smell emanating from it.

Now, I remember 2-3 years ago I was in Boston for a different conference and going to this pizzeria up on the North End but I didn’t remember what its name or where it was exactly.  I just remembered that it was good, that it was in kind of back alley and that it was on the North  End of the city.

And, like wise men getting guided to the stable by the star, I was led just out of muscle memory back to Pizzeria Regina.   It’s at an intersection where three or 4 streets come together.  None of them are particularly busy streets.  You kind of felt like you were wondering through a series of back allies but you knew what was in there was going to be amazing because it was 11am on a Sunday and people were already lining up for it outside.

I decided that I’d come back a little bit later, get a spot at the bar, and enjoy some pizza for lunch.  When I came back, it was just like I remembered it.  The staff was doing everything that they could to stuff as many patrons into the restaurant as possible.   They patrons knew what they were about get was going to be worth it.  It was a delicious brick-oven pizza.

I ordered the white pizza.  (I have an obsession with white pizza.  I’m not sure why.)  I got the small, which was PLENTY of food for one person.  The mix of all the cheeses together with the very good crust in your mouth is just a magical combination.  Really, how can you go wrong with anything with goat cheese on it?  Hah!

All in all it was like $9 and another $4 for a beer.  It was the perfect way to end a great trip.

The next time you’re in Boston, you need to seek out Pizzeria Regina.  You won’t regret it.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizzeria-regina-boston-4

Navigating A New City’s Food Scene With Yelp Mobile

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Lately, when I travel, one of the things I try really hard to do is avoid the restaurants that just appeal to the tourists and really go to the places where the locals go.  I want to eat what’s going to give me a flavor of that local culture.

Now, I have had some success with doing this by just wandering.  I remember when I was in NYC, I was looking for a cool indie non-Starbucks coffee shop.  I happened to find my way to Think Coffee in Greenwich Village.  I was very happy about this but it’s not easy to replicate.

Last weekend, I was in Boston, wasn’t meeting with friends that I could ask for recommendations for a few hours,  so I decided to use Yelp on my iPhone as a way to guide my noise.  I was looking for a good latte and a sandwich.

I found my way over to Cafe L’Aroma in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.  I was thrilled with the results.  Not only was I able to get a really quality latte, I was able to get a great sandwich.   It was a turkey sandwich with this cranberry bread.  Mmmmm…  It was about $12 all together, which isn’t bad considering.

I was impressed with how Yelp was able to steer me in the right direction.

Have you used it before to find new places? How has it worked for you?

What Would You Name Your Restaurant?

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As I mentioned in my last post, one of the initial reasons I darkened the door of the Sacrificial Lamb Kebob and Pizza was the clever name. I like clever names for restaurants, cafes and shops, and I’ve often thought about what I would call my coffee shop, if I owned one. (admit it – you have too)

I especially like names with local flair – here in D.C., Hawk & Dove and the 18th Amendment come to mind. Literary references are cool too. Familiarity has bred contempt – I’m not a huge Starbucks fan, but the Moby Dick references helps you remember the coffee giant’s independent beginnings. Sometimes a name simply sounds cool. A bar/music club in Orlando, Florida (my hometown) was called, for reasons unknown to me, the Sapphire Supper Club. Before I moved away, they changed it to the Social, killing that delightfully alliterative example of pizzaz.

So, commenters, let’s hear it! What’s a great restaurant name? Has the name of a bar ever convinced you to drop in for a drink? If you owned a burger dive, a coffee house or a tapas bar, what would you name it?

New Kabob Shop in Dupont Circle

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Like most Americans, the right sort of marketing will get me in the door. Last week, I forgot my usual packed lunch and was wandering the Dupont Circle neighborhood when I came across the Sacrificial Lamb, a new kabob and pizza joint on 17th and R, NW. It’s a basement deal with only counter seating inside (though it has a handsome patio, which I’m sure will be useful in the spring), but my love for Kabobs, the affectionate dinginess of the place (any restaurant that doesn’t look like it has a team of marketing experts determine the design is a plus in my book – unless of course the marketing guys figured that out and are using my useless quest for authenticity against me) and the name (that’s where I’m a sucker) drew me like a magnet. I like the thought that the sheep used to make my Kabob was ritually sacrificed (though this caused no small amount of controversy in the New Testament). In any case, a sheep was sacrificed so that I would pay someone a small amount of money to enjoy a tasty sandwich.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, it would not surprise you that I my taste for Kebabs began in Germany. Germany has a significant Turkish minority, who wrapped Turkish meats and vegetables into flat-bread to serve as fast food to hungry Germans and other pale-skinned visitors. Doener Kebabs are available in any German town and train station, and, should you backpack Europe on a budget, they only cost 3 to 4 Euros (and as little as 1 Euro in the poor-but-sexy East).

According to the owner, the Sacrificial Lamb Kabobs are more South Asian – he described it as a hybrid of food you can find in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. (I believe he was from Pakistan) On my first visit, I ordered a Lamb Kabob and fries. The Kebab was delicious – more saucy and less spicy than its Turkish-German cousin. The meat was good, and the vegetables were not immaculate, but the whole combo was stupendous. I regret that I ordered a side of fries – these were no better than the fries in the back of your freezer and their more South Asian sides looked more appealing – particularly the spinach. Before I left, my host let me try the butter chicken, which was their opening special. Delicious – the chicken is wrapped in this tasty, tangy, slightly-spicy red sauce with none of the fried, high-fructose sweetness that you’ll find on the end of a toothpick in a shopping mall.

The butter chicken is exactly what I bought when I went back yesterday, this time with a side of spinach, rise and chickpeas. A tasty treat in a Styrofoam tray. It was still on special, which meant the whole thing was around about $6.75 – just under $10 when you throw in a diet Snapple plus tax. Non-special meals run about $10 on their own. As the name implies, they do have pizza there, which you can get cheaply by the slice, but frankly, like the fries, it did not look special or appetizing. I say, drop by, and see for yourself – but stick with the South Asian specialties. I may “forget” my lunch more often.

(PS: The owner is looking to rent a parking space in Dupont Circle – if anyone reading could help him out, give him a call at 202/797-2736. Order yourself some butter chicken, while you are at it)