You've Got To Taste This

This afternoon, I met my Mom and Grandma for lunch at The Spiced Pear Tearoom in Birmingham, Alabama.  The Spiced Pear is a lovely ladies' lunch spot located in a cute cottage style home, complete with pink shutters. The quiche was delicious, the tea flavorful (Carmen Miranda=pina colada, more or less), and the atmosphere, a just-right mix of charming and fun.

Indulging our hankering for sweets with a spot of calorie-free and delicious tea, our trio of ladies enjoyed a perfectly pleasant afternoon lunch break, which reminded me of the last time I'd had afternoon tea.

My Mom was big on taking our family to see parts of the world that were foreign to my native Florence, Alabama roots. On one occasion, we spent a week in Vancouver, venturing out to Victoria Island one day for, you guessed it, high tea.

The foursome on that trip included my parents, my brother, and myself.  As you might guess, my Dad and brother had minimal interest in high tea, and really had no idea what it was.  After enjoying tea and delicate sandwiches loaded with cucumber and spread, my brother asked Mom, "When are we getting lunch?"  Needless to say, at $25 a person, this was lunch.

That tearoom may have been too much for the rookies that my brother and I were back then, but it seems that in recent years, tearooms have been popping up in historic downtown areas, offering a location for Red Hat society meetings, showers, birthday parties, and even etiquette lessons.

Tell me, do you take your tea more often these days?  I only wish I'd gotten a pot with a little caffeine in it.  It's time for my afternoon nap!

Disclaimer: I tried to eat at every restaurant in the city and failed miserably, dining only at a handful of top-rate eateries.  I'm sure there are other fabulous finds out there.  In fact, I'm volunteering to go back and find them.  Today.

This weekend, my husband and I escaped to Charleston to celebrate my birthday, stopping at several delicious eateries along the way. Visiting this noted Southern city soon? Go hungry, my friends, and you'll thank us, I promise!

Our first stop was The Governor's House Inn, our home-away-from-home for the weekend.  We arrived just in time for "afternoon tea," which in Charleston translates to "wine, cheese, chocolate, and other assorted goodies," with apologies to Britain, I'm sure! The Inn, a fabulous bed & breakfast, also offered a delicious morning meal that got us up and going early each day. One morning it was a cornbread-based sausage casserole, the next it was a spinach quiche.  Both arrived with a heaping bowl of fresh fruit, sweet zucchini bread, and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, all served under the softly whirling fans on the back porch.  Heaven!

For dinner, we followed sound advice and tried Magnolias, a delicious find just off the waterfront.  The ambiance is classic Southern elegance: casual white tablecloth, if you will. To start, we sampled fried green tomatoes served atop grits with thin slices of ham and a tomato chutney on top and a delicious seared scallop platter.  The food was excellent, but the sauces were to die for.  If I hadn't worried about wasting the scallop sauce, I would've bathed in it.  For our mains, we enjoyed a pimiento cheese-stuffed steak (which inspired the menu for our rehearsal dinner. Yum!) and Parmesan-crusted flounder with a crab-and-cucumber salad on top.  Just to prove we could, we ordered dessert: a delicious cream cheese brownie.  The presentation, sauces, and flavor at Magnolias was top-notch, and earned it a "definitely going back" status in our book!

On Saturday, we sampled another top-notch find: High Cotton, where we (thankfully!) ate less but enjoyed ourselves just as much.  The atmosphere felt like an old country club dining room, one where you've been a member for years.  I loved my crab cake and creamed peas (which offered more bacon than greens, yum!) and my husband loved his prime rib and chilled watermelon soup

For dessert, we made our way over to Baked, a little pastry-and-coffee shop across the street from High Cotton for their Grasshopper Cake.  Oh. My. God.  These generously-sized treats, while perfectly sized for sharing, are too good to share! My husband loved it so much that he went back and got the cookbook, which I've been reading ever since! 

Sunday we stopped at Hominy Grill on the way out of town.  The wait was short, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere top-notch.  We dined among locals and students from the local colleges and loved every minute of it.  I couldn't sell Brian on the GuinNess Float, but we did enjoy a lamb gyro and a "big nasty biscuit," topped with fried chicken and homemade sausage gravy.  Watch out, Chick-fil-A! The big nasty is coming to get you!

Sure, we saw more in Charleston than the interior of restaurants (need I mention the rooftop bars at the Vendue Inn and the Market Pavilion Hotel?), but these culinary feasts will always come to mind when I think of this beautiful city.  Next time, we're definitely going to try out a few more stops, and maybe one more Grasshopper at Baked...

When we were in New York at the end of June, Holley Grainger and I had the most amazing meal at Felidia with our friends Marge Perry and David Bonom, both recipe developers and food writers, and even better, friends of the head chef.  Because Marge is such a great food writer, and because I was too overwhelmed by this incredible meal, I asked her to assist me with the post.  Thanks, Marge!

There’s a reason Lidia Bastianich’s acclaimed restaurant, Felidia, continues to thrill some of the world’s toughest food critics—as well as the foodies who flock there—more than 40 years after it opened. As much as we love Lidia (and all her cookbooks and television shows:), she is not the reason: it is Felidia’s talented Executive Chef, Fortunato Nicotra who makes our toes curl in delight with every bite.

It doesn’t hurt that Chef Nicotra is the quintessential Italian male, complete with a charming smile and enchanting accent. But really, it was his food—dish after artfully conceived dish, with nary a misstep—that truly won our hearts. As each plate was brought to the table, we couldn’t help but ooh and ah. Surely in a previous life, we decided, Chef Nicotra was a painter. But back to this life: as a chef, the plates he creates are neither contrived nor overwrought. Thank goodness, because who wants to eat food too pretty to touch? No, Nicotra’s food is, first and foremost, inviting and accessible. You don’t just want to look at it-- you want to eat it.

And eat we did! Nicotra, a Sicilian, earned his first Michelin star while cooking in a coastal village, and his predilection for seafood delighted us. But whether he is preparing seafood, meat, vegetable or grains, what makes every dish memorable is his ability to balance and harmonize without getting fussy or losing sight of the ingredient itself as the true star. We would follow this man to the ends of the earth to eat his food. Lucky us: all we have to do is go to New York City! And, while artistry like this doesn’t come cheap, it is worth noting that relatively speaking, Felidia’s is truly not as outrageously priced as many restaurants here.
Menu highlights: Octopus Mosaic, Cacio e Pere: Pear and pecorino stuffed ravioli,“Crudo” platter of seared blue fin tuna, branzino, lobster and white salmon, red Quinoa risotto with summer vegetables, razor clams with pasta, peach mascarpone tiramisu, fried zucchini blossoms, roasted angus flat iron beef paired with hangar steak tagli,and corn-crusted ricotta cheese crostata with blueberry sorbet.

So, take it from me, Holley, Marge, and David: if you are yearning for a fine dining experience, go to New York City and eat at Felidia. And say hello to Fortunato for me.

While I was in Sonoma, California, I sat down with one of my favorite chefs, John Toulze. John is the Executive Chef and with his business partner and proprietor Sondra Bernstein runs three wildly popular restaurants in Sonoma County: the girl and the fig, the fig café, and Estate. John is passionate about both food and wine so I sat him down to talk about Sonoma wine country cooking. He even parted with a recipe for one of my favorite pasta dishes, Rabbit Pappardelle. (More recipes are available from their cookbook, the girl & the fig Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Acclaimed California Wine Country Restaurant and on their website, www.thegirlandthefig.com.)

What about wine country inspires you in the kitchen?

Wine country epitomizes the availability of great seasonal ingredients. In our kitchen we are only a back door away from picking fresh herbs or vegetables. At Estate we have a farmer on the property behind us, and in Glen Ellen we are five minutes away from our largest vegetable growers. Obviously all this is instant inspiration and when successful wine country represents a simplistic approach that is built on seasonality and locality.

What flavors do you consider quintessential wine country?

I don’t think of a specific flavor but of a specific style.  To me wine country is simple, fresh, and clean. Successful wine country chefs are driven first by the ingredients and making sure that those ingredients are represented appropriately by our skill.  Few places have our bounty and quality, so we are tasked with honoring that by allowing those flavors to speak at the right moment. 

What is your favorite summer ingredient?

There are so many incredible flavors in the summer but more than anything it is the fruits that shine. From tomatoes to plums and peaches, in no other season do fruits just explode for us than summer. I find myself having entire meals of stone fruits and preparing them in ways I would normally reserve for proteins [meat and fish] like grilling, searing, or braising. 

How can a home cook bring a little wine country into a meal?

Simplicity. Make it simple but focus on seasonality and quality. At our restaurants we have gardens that we use not just to grow various things but as gauges for what we should be preparing in our kitchen.

What is your favorite wine and food pairing?

It really depends on my mood but I am constantly trying to think of wine when I cook.  Wine and food are meant to be complementary and a separation of the two undermines the one. I see wine as an ingredient in the dish. I would never forget to season my food and so I don’t like to eat without wine. The possible combinations are so immense that I hope to not have a favorite for very long. 

What is your favorite varietal from Sonoma County?

Syrah. Syrah really gets to show its varied personalities in the various micro-climates of Sonoma County and really reveals the depth of winemaking talent that has amassed here.

Braised Rabbit Pappardelle with Spring Vegetables

Serves 6

1 fresh whole rabbit (2 ½ - 3 pounds)

2 ounces blended oil (we have a blend of 25% olive oil and 75% canola oil on hand at all times)

1 large carrot, peeled & chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves peeled garlic

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 cup red wine (we use syrah)

2 bay leaves

1 bunch fresh thyme

10 black peppercorns

5 cups veal stock or chicken stock

3 bunches baby carrots, blanched & peeled

1 red pepper, julienned

1 yellow pepper, julienned

1 red onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ cup white wine

1 cup rabbit/chicken stock

1 pound pappardelle

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tablespoons whole grain mustard

6 ounces diced (¼”) and cooked pancetta

4 tablespoons butter

Break down the rabbit (or have butcher do for you) into front and hind legs and saddle. Reserve the trimmings and rib cage set aside liver for another use. Place the bones and trimmings on a sheet tray or roasting pan and roast in 350’F oven until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan or similar oven proof pan over medium-high heat. Season the rabbit legs and saddle generously with salt and pepper. Add the oil to pan and sear the rabbit on all sides until golden brown, remove and set aside.

Keep the pot over heat and add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic & tomatoes and cook until ingredients have caramelized. Deglaze with the red wine. Add the herbs, peppercorns, rabbit, roasted bones and trimmings, and stock and bring to a simmer.  Cover and place the entire pot in the oven.  Cook until the rabbit meat begins to pull away from bone (between two & three hours). Remove the pot from oven and let cool until you can remove items with your hands. Remove the saddle and legs from the pot and pull the meat from the bones. Set aside.

Strain the cooking liquid and skim any fat off the top. Place the liquid back in the pot and reduce by half and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta until just tender or al dente. Toss lightly with olive oil and set aside. 

In a large sauté pan (large enough to hold all ingredients) place 5 cups of the braising liquid, mustard, pancetta, and rabbit. Bring the ingredients to a simmer and cook until the mixture begins to thicken slightly.  Add the baby carrots, English peas, fava beans, roasted garlic and pasta. Cook until heated through, finish with butter, season with salt and pepper as needed.

Portion into six large bowls and serve immediately. 

Recipe and photo courtesy Sondra Bernstein & John Toulze.

My husband has been talking about Archibald's ribs for years and he finally took me there this past weekend. We were in Tuscaloosa for the 4th of July holiday weekend and decided that eating ribs was the best way to celebrate.

It's a rib joint in the truest sense, tucked away in a little neighborhood in Northport, Alabama, just across the river from Tuscaloosa. The restaurant is small, mainly just the pit and a bar with 5 stools and some picnic tables outside. It's right out the backdoor of Betty Eugene Archibald's house.  If you want some ribs, especially on a holiday weekend, you need to call ahead to Betty Eugene's house and place your order. If you just show up, they may not have any left. 

We stopped by in person to order and were lucky because they were getting close to selling out.   My heart would have been broken if we'd not been able to get some as they were some of the best ribs I've eaten.  I especially loved the sauce, which is on the vinegary side and does not take attention away from the tender, smoky-flavored meat.  Award-winning food writer John T. Edge includes Archilbald's on his list of "100 Southern Foods You Absolutely, Positively Must Try Before You Die".

If you find yourself in Northport, Alabama any time soon, give Betty Euguene a call.  If you've got a favorite rib joint, I'd love to hear about it, even though I'm not sure you can beat Archibald's. Let the rib wars begin!

I have a friend who has given me a great piece of culinary advice: "If you're looking for the best barbecue joints, eat at the ones that have a pig on their sign."  I've been following his advice for years and haven't been disappointed yet.   This past weekend my husband and I were at Callaway Gardens and drove over to nearby Pine Mountain, Georgia for lunch.  When I saw the sign for The Whistling Pig Cafe and all the motorcycles in the parking lot, I knew where we'd be eating!

I had the smoked chicken and my husband had the chopped pork, both of which were good.  But we were most impressed with the Brunswick stew.  It was some of the best I've had in a while.  This was packed with pork and chicken from the smoker out back and was a little bit tangy. Sometimes there's just too much ketchup and brown sugar, making it too sweet for my liking. This was perfect!  They also had fried green tomatoes as a side dish choice, and this made me so happy. 

In addition to the barbecue, there were some other things I just  loved at this place. For one, the unsweetened tea was in a regular pitcher like you'd have at home and I just poured it up myself. I guess they figure if you're silly enough to order something other than sweet tea, you might as well get it yourself.  I also was quite taken with the salt and pepper shakers that had been 8-ounce glass Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper bottles in a previous life. And, as yet another nod to the pig, they had fresh pork skins right next to the front door.  Not the prepackaged kind, but fresh and placed in ziplock bags.  The pig on the sign did not disappoint.

I'd love to hear about some of your favorite BBQ joints and the kind of "cue" you enjoy the most.  

For a long time, my husband and I were hopelessly in love with the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken pizza from Papa John's.  Not only is this pizza incredibly delicious, but we loved being able to order online - not to mention being able to put the tip on our card.  This pizza has been so popular in our house that I'd actually planned to write this blog post about it

That is, until last night.  Home from a weekend away, we wanted a quick dinner and pizza sounded like a winner.  On a whim, we decided to check out the Domino's menu online.  We used to order from them all the time, but the super-easy online ordering (and sinfully delicious garlic butter sauce) lured us away to Papa John's.  Much to our surprise, Domino's now offers online ordering too!  And as someone who works with a website every day, I've come to appreciate a well working site when I see it.  The Domino's site is incredibly easy to use and offers a Pizza Tracker, which tracks your pizza from order to delivery.  Ours was accurate to 2-3 minutes and yes, it did arrive under 30 minutes!  Since we can (and did) build a pizza similar to our Papa John's fave, I can see us becoming loyal Domino's customers all over again.

  When I was visiting my cousins in Atlanta this past weekend, we were treated to brunch at Muss & Turner's in Smyrna. It has the feel of a neighborhood pub, but also has a deli and a restaurant menu featuring casual gourmet food. Apparently one of their favorite mottos is "foie gras in your flip flops."

I did not have foie gras, but I did have a big ol' biscuit sandwich.  Let me just say this was a far cry from any drive-thru sausage and biscuit I've ever had!  On the brunch menu it's called the "Doowutchyalike", and it's a very large homemade biscuit with an over easy egg, cheddar cheese, and your choice oof Neuske's bacon, fried chicken or homemade sausage.  As I find it pretty hard to ever turn down bacon, that was my choice.  This huge biscuit also came with some thick and creamy grits.  I did not ask, but I'm pretty sure these grits were cooked in cream and almost looked like mashed potatoes with just a little more texture.  Being a true Southerner, I can put away some grits, but these were so rich that even I could not finish them. I sure did try.

The entire brunch menu is playful with items such as the Soul Man, the Vincent Vega, and the Cheech & Chong. You'll just have to go there and find out about these yourself.  At Muss & Turner's  they make everything from scratch and feature produce from local farmers. Other offerings include regular beer and wine tastings, and coming up is a Mother's Day Buffet. 

Aside from the great food, which was really great, the atmosphere is delightful. You get the impression that although they take good food seriously, they don't take themselves so seriously. And this makes for a fun dining experience.  Our waitress on that Sunday was so cute and friendly that we wanted to invite her to join us for brunch.   If ever you find yourself in the Smyrna-Vinings area of Atlanta, check out M&T's.  If you eat one of those biscuits and some of those grits, you won't need to eat for the rest of the day.

I'm in Denver, Colorado for the International Association of Culinary Professional conference. It's my first trip to the Denver area and the eats are indeed fine. On Wednesday we were on a tour and had lunch at The Kitchen.  They have gotten a reputation for being one of the "greenest restaurants in the country,  but Kimbal Musk, the chef and one of the owners, shared his view that they would rather be known as a community restaurant.  They do indeed support local farmers and run their business in a way that supports the Boulder community and the local environment.  Yes, all of this is important, but my main impression of this place is that the food is top notch.  We started out with an enticing dish of hummus (photo) and rustic bread, then moved on to flatbread with proscuitto and cheese, a spring greens salad with pecans and goat cheese, pork sandwiches, french fries, salmon over greens and mashed potatoes, and finally, almond squares and  brownies. As if we had room for any of that dessert!

Thursday night, we dined at Frasca and I had one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The chef, Lachlan  Makinnon-Patterson won the James Beard award for best chef in the Southwest in 2008. The cuisine is inspired by the culture and cuisine of Friuli, Italy. I've never been there, but if it's anything like this restaurant, I want to move there.

The food was not pretentious, but full of flavors that worked together and the dishes were presented simply and beautifully.  If you go there, do yourself a favor and start with the "frico caldo". It's a potato cake that's creamy on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside, and drizzled with a light cilantro sauce.   I also fell in love with duck thigh ravioli in broth, escolar with a polenta cake, and the pork tenderloin over braised escarole with lemon olive oil.  I can't even pick a favorite course because they were all so perfect.  I sampled from the plates of my friends and, again, everything was divine.  Especially the raosted potato gnocchi. We all ordered desserts and sampled from all. I think the prize might have gone to the Valrhona Dark Chocolate gelati. You get a choice of three flavors and they were all good, but if you are lucky enough to be there, I would suggest just cutting to the chase and ordering three scoops of the chocolate.  Rarely am I speechless when tasting a dessert, but I was with this one!   The bar has certainly been raised for my fine dining expectations and I suspect it may be a long time before I have a meal as wonderful as the meal at Frasca.