Anniversary Dinner at Jackrabbit PDX

May 20, 2019

Shelby and I celebrated being married 29 years yesterday! We don’t make a huge deal out of our anniversary but this year the circumstances were a little different.

Shelby had some work to do in Portland, OR so I took some time off to tag along and check out the city. We were excited because we’ve never been to Portland it ‘s been on our list of places to visit.

Coincidentally, not only did our anniversary fall between the dates of the trip, but our friend Chris Cosentino owns a restaurant there called Jackrabbit. We knew were we were going to have dinner!

Late Dinner at Chow

February 23, 2018

Sonja, Shelby, and Marion at the University Theater

We were invited to watch a move our friend directed at the University Theater at ODU. It was great experience and we bumped into a bunch friends. After the movie we ended up heading over to Chow with our buddy Carmen. We met Carmen a while back at Whole Foods, she's at Tinto's Wine & Cheese now - which you should check out if you haven't been yet!

Chow was open a hour later than most places about the area which meant we could relax and grab a bite to eat, a drink (or two) and not worry about rushing out or keeping the shop open on our account.

After grabbing a spot to eat we tried to figure out what to drink. Since we had Carmen with us we decided we'd have her peruse the wine list and pick a bottle we could share. She suggested a Zin from the Frank Family Vineyards. The 2013 Napa Valley Zinfandel was super smooth, fruity, and dark, just the way we like them. Good call Carmen!

The next line of business was figuring out what to eat. Chow's menu is centered around "southern comfort" food and it's truly represented! We've had dinner here a few times before and it's always been good. Speaking of good, I decided wasn't going to be with my entree because all I had to eat that day was two apples and a Caesar salad (seriously!)

I went for the Chicken Fried Steak (below), Shelby got the Steak Frites (photo at the top of the page), and Carmen got the Vegetarian "Meatloaf". I didn't try Carmen's, though I should have, but Shelby's dish was basically a delicious steak on top of some Parm-Truffle Fries. The compound butter on top was melting making the whole sexy. Yeah I said sexy. You can look at a Insta story I made here, sorry for the vertical and low-res clip. The Chicken Fried Steak was great and I loved the Collards I picked as a side. The mac and cheese looked good but I would have liked for it be more cheesy!

All-in-all a great meal with great company, I need to get back and try some of the burgers there, they looked great. Head to Chow, try it for yourself!

Tuna Kebabs

August 3, 2017

I had to share these Tuna Kebabs I made for dinner last night. My friend James caught a bunch of tuna off the coast here and gave me belly. I had to freeze so I figured since it was frozen I would cube it and put it skewers. The marinate was simple: teriyaki, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. I tossed on some cherry tomatoes my mother gave me and some red onion.

Simple and delicious...it looked pretty too!

Image courtesy of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay

Chefs Jet Tila and Fabio Viviani Face Off in Virginia Beach!

October 19, 2016

Something exciting is happening next week, especially for those who like to following cooking shows on TV. Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay will be hosting an “An Evening in Culinary Excellence”. This charity dinner will have not one, but two famous chefs that have previously visited the community through the Celebrity Chef Series - Chef Fabio Viviani and Chef Jet Tila. The two chefs will each perform a cooking demonstration for the audience in addition to orchestrating meals for dinner. Chef Tila will be performing a cooking demonstration of Black Cod Misoyaki, Forbidden Rice and Chef Viviani will cook Fresh Egg Pasta. The charity event benefits the Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Guests will be enjoying some of Fabio's wines from his collections, an open bar, and a four course meal directed by the chefs. The meals will be made up of both the chef's recipes and prepared by the Westminster-Canterbury Culinary team under the leadership of Executive Chef Sandra Suria. The team at the retirement community is top-notch and knows how to execute a big meal like this so it's done right. I was very impressed when I had my meal there and am very excited about this one.

After the meal guests will get the opportunity to vote for their favorite entree! Here’s what’s cooking:

Amuse

Arancini with Pancetta (Fabio Viviani recipe)

Petite Salads

Butter Lettuce Salad with pomegranate seeds, apples and shaved celery (Fabio Viviani recipe)

Yuzu Crab and Avocado Salad (Jet Tila recipe)

Duo Entrée (plated separately)

Burrata, blistered tomatoes, pine nuts and marinated beef filet (Fabio Viviani)

Black Cod Misoyaki, Forbidden Rice (Jet Tila)

Dessert

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with tropical fruit (Jet Tila)

Shared Table Dessert Signature Chocolate Lavender Truffle (Westminster-Canterbury Culinary Team)

Though I didn’t get to attend Chef Viviani’s dinner at Westminster a few years ago, I was able to catch Chef Tila when he was here and it was a ton of fun. There was a lot of banter, moving around with tables and of course the food! Auction was held at the end of the demonstration that got a little out-of-hand, but in a good way. The proceeds for that also went to Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Also, if I recall correctly, Chef Tila said something along the lines of taking down Chef Viviani if the the two of them ever met at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay in the future. Looks like that day has come! This should be a lot of fun to watch and I really appreciate being invited to attend.

Here's a little bit about the chefs.

The Le Cordon Bleu trained Chef Tila has been in working in the industry for over 20 years and is famous for Thai and Chinese cooking. Being part Thai and Cantonese he grew up with the two distinct cooking styles and spent a lot of time in his family’s well-known, Los Angeles based restaurant Royal Thai. After committing himself to his work he’s been involved in countless projects around the country and has appeared on several television shows such Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped. He was a contender on Iron Chef going head-to-head with Chef Morimoto – Tila didn’t win but he only lost by two points!

Florence born Chef Fabio Viviani is best known for his run on Bravo's hit reality series Top Chef earning the title of "Fan Favorite". By the time he was 27 he operated 7 restaurants in his hometown and was involved in several other ventures. He moved to California in 2007 opening Café Firenze, and later, Siena Tavern in Chicago, IL. Afterwards he put a few more openings under his belt and even launching his own wine line - Fabio Viviani Wine Collection. Viviani is now a regular on the food entertainment circuits including television appearances, festivals, global food events, and signature cookware.

General admission tickets ($125) include the demonstration and dinner, while the VIP tickets ($250) allow you to attend an early Cocktail Reception an hour before the dinner. Sponser Tables at two different levels Table Sponsor ($2,000) and Silver Sponsor ($1,000) can be purchased too, head over to the site to see the details for each level of benefit associated with the purchase.

The event will be held at 6:30 P.M., October 25, 2016 at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, 3100 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach.

To purchase your tickets and reserve a seat, follow this LINK or call 877-320-2066.

Sorry Chef Viviani, I have lots of photo of Jet from his visit last year ;)

Dinner at Esoteric

September 3, 2016

We actually went out to dinner with friends last week!

You're thinking, "Yeah, yeah big deal", but it is for us. With the regular work week Shelby and I have and my regular schedule running around town, there actually isn't a lot of time we go out to just relax - let alone with friends. In the month of August, in the year 2016 we officially went out to dinner twice with friends. I can't remember that last time that as happened! The first time was with Cappy and Lauren to the Commis dinner earlier in the month (still working on the gazillion photos I took at that one) and the second was with our friends visiting from San Francisco.

Tatiana and Chris were staying in Sandbridge with family and wanted to hang out someplace close to the beach house and after putting together a short list we finally decided to hit Esoteric. I figured the food, beer menu and the atmosphere are great and we have the option to sit inside or out. When we arrived they were already out back on the patio. Warm (hot would be a little more accurate) Virginia summer nights are a little bit different than the cool ones in San Francisco.

Clockwise from the left: Pork Chop, Scallops, Charcuterie, Duck, and Wings.

We ordered the Charred Octopus to start and they house brought out some Roasted Shishitos grown in the garden and Pimento with their housemade crackers (which are great!) Our entree orders were the Pork Chop, Scallops, and Duck. I went ahead and ordered some other things to pick at which included a Charcuterie board and some wings. I had judged a "beer food" contest earlier so I wasn't starving though I got some bites from everyone's plates.

Chef Ian Hock came out to say "Hi" and after a little chat he brought out a couple of The Veil Brewing beers they had stashed away in the fridge. This was a great treat for us and our guests because if you know anything about Veil beer their cans go quick and are only sold at the brewery in Richmond. We all shared the Lil' Kitty Boi IPA and Eternal Shredder DIPA. Man I love their beers, you should check out pedigree on The Veil Brewing's Matt Tarpey, here's a good article at Good Beer Hunting.

Chris with the Ian Hock and his crew. I had to slip in the photo too ;)

After sipping our beers and ordering a few more Resins, I asked if we could slip into the kitchen to meet the crew. Ok, the elephant in the room is that Tatiana's husband is Chris Cosentino, a world renown chef who has pioneered snout-to-tail cooking in the U.S. They also own Boccalone and the restaurant Cockscomb, both in San Francisco. The guys in the kitchen were excited for the fact that he was eating at their shop so it was a treat for Chris to come back and hang out.

Shelby and Tatiana were hanging out back while we were in the kitchen but we all eventually made our way to the bar and drank more beer. Go figure right!? All in all, it was a great time and we were glad we were able to get out and have a proper sit down and just hang out. We need to get to San Francisco those two keep saying. Don't be surprised when we show up on the doorstep Tatiana and Chris, I know we've been saying that for years but it's coming. Here's to seeing you in your town next time!

Tatiana and Shelby. I need to dig up the photos Shelby has of the two of them taken over 25 years ago.

Savory Oatmeal

November 1, 2015

A little while ago Shelby said we should eat more oatmeal. She's a fan of the steel cut oat variety and will make a batch ahead of time and eat portions over a couple of days. After making some one day she said we should try to make a dinner with it. I said, "Sure."

So we did.

One version of the oatmeal I made was with some sauteed garlic, onion and thyme. I topped it with some green bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes and more onion. It's easy, toss it all in a pan. After a couple of minutes scoop in some oatmeal and mix it together.

The finished product can look and include whatever you like. I'm a believer that if you put garlic and onion on something it'll taste good, no matter what it is!

We still had some oatmeal so tried something else. This one included garlic, onions, and mushrooms again but also a dollop of yellow miso. I mixed it all together, topped it off with some more mushrooms chive, and a soft fried egg. This ended up being Shelby's favorite.

The miso was perfect with the slightly sweet steel-cut oats. I've tried a few more recipes too, I think I'll get them written up. I recently made a couple with some shrimp too. Stay tuned!

Celebrity Chef Jet Tila to Host 2nd Annual Cooking Demonstration and Dinner at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay

September 17, 2015

Coming to town next week is something pretty spiffy – Los Angeles Chef Jet Tila will be in town on September 23rd to perform in a Celebrity Chef event that includes a cooking demonstration and benefit dinner for the Westminster-Canterbury Foundation. This of course will be in Virginia Beach at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay off Shore Drive.

The Le Cordon Bleu trained Chef Tila has been in working in the industry for over 20 years and is famous for Thai and Chinese cooking (especially his Drunken Noodles.) Being part Thai and Cantonese he grew up with the two distinct cooking styles and spent a lot of time in his family’s well-known, Los Angeles based restaurant Royal Thai. After committing himself to his work he’s been involved in countless projects around the country and has appeared on several television shows such Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped. He was a contender on Iron Chef going head-to-head with Chef Morimoto – Tila didn’t win but he only lost by two points! He also appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, giving Bourdain a tour of Thai Town in L.A.

As a testament to the quality and care put into telling the story of his heritage through food, he was named Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine by the Royal Thai Consul-General in Los Angeles. Fun facts – he has set three world records for the world’s largest stir fry (4,010 lbs.), the world’s largest seafood stew (6,656 lbs.), and the largest California roll (422 ft.).

The dinner even at Westminster-Canterbury will be made up of a cooking demonstration by Chef Tila then a 3-course meal consisting of the following:

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Satay Lamb Chops with Peanut Sauce
Roasted Salmon with Mango Slaw and Ancient Grains
Dessert Course: Poached Asian Pear over Almond Cake with Franzipan cookie, toasted almonds, Japanese pinwheel

General admission tickets ($100) include the demonstration and dinner, while the VIP tickets ($150) allow you to attend an early Cocktail Reception an hour before the dinner. Sponser Tables ($1,750) can be purchased too, the table will get you 8 VIP Cocktail Reception RSVPs. In addition to early entrance, VIP guests will get to meet Chef Tila during the Cocktail Reception and will receive the following: personalized autographed photo, apron and Cutthroat Kitchen wooden cutting board.

It should be a great time and I’m really looking forward to trying that food. Hope to see you there!

To purchase your tickets and reserve a seat, visit www.wcbay.com/chef or contact Ashley Allman at (757) 496-1106 or Ashley.Allman@wcbay.com.

A little kick-off for the Independence Day weekend - Avery's Maharaja!

Dinner at Lynnhaven Pub

July 8, 2015

Our friends Cappy and Lauren wanted to meet-up at The Pub for dinner and a drink. Obviously I do not need a whole lot of convincing to grab a drink at Lynnhaven Pub and Shelby was up for it. Done deal.

Friday nights host "Charlotte Hour" out back where Charlotte, longtime Pub regular, pours some of her favorites till 8:00 PM. Decent line-up too, I always enjoy a pour of the latest "Enjoy By" when I can get it.

After the tasting we headed inside for bite. Lauren said she wanted to try the ribs The Pub has been smoking this year, we crossed our fingers hoping there were some left. They used to only make them on a Thursday and only about 8-10 racks, I don't know if this is true still but they usually sell out.

She was in luck, there were some left, they had some left so she ordered up a rack and Cappy had the brisket tacos. Shelby and I had beef brisket sandwiches, it's hard not to eat that stuff whenever we go (so good, you gotta try it.)

Lauren, "You guys can have some." Um, not unless I want to lose a finger!

We had a round of drinks after we finished eating then gave Cappy and Lauren a ride home, it started to rain and they rode their bikes to meet us earlier. Luckily my car (Honda Element) is like a Transformer and I folded the seats up and we crammed their two bikes, Cappy and myself in the back.

We did all this and got home in time to watch and movie. Very nice night.

Turkey Brine

November 26, 2014

It's Thanksgiving! One of my favorite holidays of the year and I love to cook dinner for the family. The smells, picking at what's being made and the thought of everyone home just feels good. Bonus for us: Our son will be home for the weekend from his training! Can't wait to see him.

I've only recently started brining turkeys, this being my third. I've browsed a lot recipes out there and picked what I liked from them. This recipe will produce a nice aromatic mixture that will add flavor to your bird. Another thing I like to do too is roast mine upside down and them flip it the last hour to brown the top. I can write about that later.

The following brine recipe will be mixed with approximately 2 gallons of water. Brine the fully submerged turkey for about 24 hours (12 in a pinch!) If you don't have room in the refrigerator to hold it, you can use a large, ice-packed cooler. Half way through brining make sure to flip the turkey.

Ingredients:

4 cups Apple Cider

½ bottle White Wine

1 ½ cups Kosher salt

6 cloves of Garlic, crushed

5 medium Bay Leaves

2 cups Brown Sugar

2 medium Onions, sliced

2 Oranges Worth of Peels (just the peel! No pith. I put the peeled oranges inside the turkey while it's roasting)

2-3 tablespoons of Rosemary

2 tablespoons Black Pepper Corn

2 tablespoons Coriander

1 tablespoon Mustard Seed

1 tablespoon Fennel Seed

A few sprigs of Thyme

Mix all ingredients in a stockpot and bring to a roll. Lower heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes, until the salt has dissolved. Cool before pouring in brining container with turkey. From what I've read it could cause problems with bacteria if you pour hot or warm brine on the turkey. You can use ice to cool down the brine if need be, just make sure you don't add as much water when you mix it all together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chicken Piccata

March 25, 2014

I stayed a little late at the office last night and I texted Shelby to figure out what we should have for dinner. She offered to cook; we're trying to eat at home more because we've been all over the place recently. You could probably guess that it gets expensive!

We had some chicken in the freezer and some mushrooms in the fridge--Shelby was feeling creative. She looked up several recipes and decided she's put together Chicken Piccata. She's made it before and it came out really good the first time but she worked it a little different this time around. After going through several recipes she melded together what she liked best out of all of them and started.

She kept seasoning the dredge until she was happy with it dry, then browned the chicken breasts. Adding whatever she figured would taste good (onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper) and saved the some of it for the sauce. The sauce was made up of wine, lemon juice, shallots, capers, lemon zest, garlic--the dredge had salt and pepper in it already.

She added the browned chicken to the sauce and let it simmer to finish off. She had me clip a little bit of our parsley in the garden to garnish. We ate it with some old bread we toasted and buttered.

Trip to the Bier Garden

March 18, 2014

Shelby and I recently had dinner at The Bier Garden in Portsmouth, VA. One of the first establishments to have an extensive beer menu in Hampton Roads. It's the "opa" in our craft beer scene!

We walked around a bit and check out the bar--warm, cozy--it reminded me of some the places we actually ate at in Germany when we lived there. We made our way to the dining area and ordered dinner. We both loved our food, I can't wait to go back. Of course, I had a nice Ayinger Weisse and Shelby had a Duchesse De Bourgogne sour. You're not taking in the whole experience without sipping a good beer while there.

I wrote about The Bier Garden in HR Growler. Please check out my article and leave a comment about your experience or anything related to the story and restaurant that comes to mind.

Read it here: Comfort Zone: The Bier Garden

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Prost!

Merroir Terroir at Terrapin - Jan 2014

February 9, 2014

We made it to January's Merroir Terroir at Terrapin. If you'll remember Merroir Terroir is the oyster and wine pairing dinner the restaurant hosts. Once again, Chris Ludford was our captain on our journey to enjoy our favorite bivalve—the oyster. Terrapin's Brian Williams perfectly paired our wines to compliment the oyster selection for the night.

Chef Rodney Einhorn, his parents and Shelby

Chris started off by talking a little bit the oysters we'd be having that night. Of course, we would be enjoying some of his delicious Pleasure House oysters and a couple of new ones—new for us at least. He also explained how oysters were, until recently, primarily eaten cooked. It wasn't unitl after the 70's and 80's that a shift in the market came about with more people opting to eat them raw. Cooked is still the preferred serving for the majority but fresh on the half-shell is appreciated more now than ever before.

Erika came around and help set our places and assisted in the direction of the servers. We were seated at her space, so she made sure things moved along smoothly. After everyone was in place, Brian started pouring the first wine.

Our first pairing consisted of a L'Oiseau D'or Muscadet with a Grand Pearl oyster from the Eastern Shore. The Muscadet was a natural pairing with the oyster—light, crisp and a great finish. The bayside oyster marketed with the trademark name Grand Pearl has a salty liquor and a light, thin shell.

The second course paired Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Blanc and a nice James River Oyster. The oyster had a dark flesh. The lower salinity contributes highly to fooling your mouth into thinking you're eating something sweet, but it's the lack of salt letting the oyster come through. It's a very opaque, winter oyster. The fat (glycogen) is high to protect the oyster in the cold water. The Pinot Blanc went well with the James River Oyster, it's high acidity and clean finish showcased the oyster.

Our last pairing had a bonus treat. We were given two oysters: Keeling's Pride and Pleasure House. We've had the Pleasure House Oyster from Chris' farm before—love them. Big, juicy, very satisfying to eat. The Keeling's Pride were new to us, these are an old oyster that grow wild in the Lynnhaven. Somewhat rare but hopefully making a comeback, it was a treat to eat them. Keeling's Pride Oysters are meaty, salty with a sweet connective muscle. The Pleasure House Oyster is huge, sweet and a little sandy. Brian poured a bubbly, something he wouldn't normally do, but the dry Crémant drew out the flavors of the oysters. A little bit about the Cote Mas Crémant De Limoux, though it is French and like a champagne, it is not made in the Champagne region and cannot be designated as “champagne.”

Comparing the Keeling's and Pleasure House

Once again, we had a great time at the Merroir Terroir dinner. Terrapin never disappoints. I do have to give an honorable mention to the Charcuterie plate one of the diners had in lieu of oysters. It looked delicious and something I need to try in the future.

View all the photos from our dinner here.

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week 2014

February 1, 2014

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week 2014

In the Hampton Roads area we recently finished up a couple of restaurant week events for Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Newport News still has one going on till February 2nd and Portsmouth will be running theirs in April. Unfortunately, we only made it out for Virginia Beach's because of bad weather and a head cold that popped up during Norfolk restaurant week. I meant to have this written up last week but I've been pulled in a few different directions. Better late than never tough right?

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week (VBRW) basically works this way: participating restaurants offer a lunch and/or a dinner at a discounted rate. Most of the time the dishes they serve showcase what the eatery has to offer and it also affords people the chance to try out different places without breaking the bank. Shelby and I tried four places in Virginia Beach, I'll give you a little rundown on what we had.

Croakers

As soon as Shelby and I got off of work we started checking out the restaurant week menus. It was hard to choose one place to eat but we finally settled on Croakers Neighborhood Grill. We've heard good things about the Virginia Beach local's spot and the menu looked good. Croakers is located on Shore Dr., if you're not familiar with Virginia Beach, Shore Dr. runs the length of the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk.

When we pulled up the parking lot was packed. After a couple of run-arounds we got a spot and went inside. It reminded me of the classic Virginia Beach aesthetic—beachy, colorful, and the feeling its been around for a while. The hostess immediately seated us and the server came out and gave us info on the restaurant week menu. Croakers gave you the option of having a drink or cocktail instead of your third course dessert. We both opted for drinks, Shelby got a chocolate martini and I got a beer.

The appetizers being offered were Fried Calamari, Oysters Rockefeller, and Breaded Popcorn Shrimp. I chose the Rockefeller and Shelby got the calamari. The calamari had a great batter on them. Probably a beer batter with a little bit of Chesapeake Bay seasoning at the end. You get the whole squid; I love the tentacles. The oysters were good but I've been eating so many Oysters Rockefeller lately, I've been spoiled (I'm talking about Croc's.)

Entrees were Blackened Chicken, a NY Strip or something called St. Charles. Here's the description:

“Chef's choice of fish pan sauteed and topped with fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions and shrimp which have been simmered in our special sherry, lemon and butter sauce – delicious”

Sounded good, we both ordered it. I was glad I did, normally this is a $20+ dinner but they put together a little something for restaurant week and it was so good. Out of everything I tried during VBRW, this was my favorite. They used talapia the night we went and it was cooked perfectly. I'm actually going to write more about this dish later, so I'll stop now. Definitely worth a try.

Braise

The second thing we tried was the lunch menu at Braise the next day. Braise recently opened in the city by the locally known chef Bobby Huber of Bobbywood fame. Braise was offering a $10 lunch with a few options to choose from. We went with one of our friends—Alisa—who had never been before.

I was really excited about was that Chef Huber's popular Oyster Stew was on the special menu. Shelby and Alisa both got the Braised Short Ribs with Cheddar Grits and Fried Spinach. They offered starters before the aforementioned dishes: Emily's Famous Lumpia or a Wedge Salad. I had the wedge salad while Shelby and Alisa, again, chose the same thing. Emily's Famous Lumpia.

Let me back up a bit. When we arrived it was packed! We lucked out because we were able to grab the only available table. We settled in and eventually our server arrived, it took awhile because the volume of customers in the restaurant. We looked at our menus, were given water, and then we ordered. We got our food eventually but my water glass wasn't refilled. I'm only mentioning it because that is my one major pet peeve when I eat out. I hate not having water, it really bothered me. I ended up drinking Shelby's since she didn’t want it.

I loved my salad. I love lettuce, so this would be easy to make me happy. The wedge had crumbled bleu cheese and dressing poured over it. A nice balsamic was dashing around the plate with some grapes and tomatoes. Mixed in with the cheese and dressing was nice, chewy bacon. Good stuff.

I didn't try the lumpia but Shelby and Alisa both seem to enjoy them. The entrees took long time to get out, and as I mentioned, I had no water. When the food came out, they forgot one of our entrees. I was worried it would take a while to get the missing plate out, but he was back quickly with it.

The oyster stew was very good. Tasty with perfectly cooked oysters and mildly seasoned. I like being able to taste the oysters without them having to compete with the rest of the soup. Potatoes and more bacon were in the bowl too, can't go wrong with that combo. The Braised Short Rib was good and the portion was small, but I guess I shouldn't complain about a $10 lunch right?

Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro

We've been to Sonoma before and liked the service. The food was good, but I thought a little overpriced and my entree could have used a little seasoning. I was looking forward to trying again though.

We went for the lunch menu and we had another of Shelby's friends, Crystal, with us this time. It was later in the week and the lunch crowd was manageable. The soup of the day was the first course and we had a choice of Chipotle Pork Taco, Blackened Crabcake Sandwich, and Seared Mahi. Shelby and Crystal went with the crabcake and I picked the tacos for variety.

The soup of the day was French Onion, which is one of my favorites. It was delicious and the cheesy baguette was great for soaking up all the broth. The Crabcake Sandwich was pretty good, not overloaded with filler, but definitely not lumpcrab. The tacos weren't too exciting and but they were good.

Chick's Oyster Bar

The last place we tried was Chick's at the Lynnhaven Inlet. A local staple, if you live in Virginia Beach you know about this place. I'll have to admit though, I've never been. I didn't realize how big this place is, on the outside it doesn't seem like much. They have a several bars services the different sections of the restaurant. We were seated on the deck which was enclosed for the season. Casual and relaxed, easy place to roll into for a drink or to grab a bite to eat. I'll probably write a little more about the place later.

Luckily we had Marleigh and Chayce with us that day and we met with my step-father, John and my sister Diane. After we were seated I walked around a bit to check out the joint. I bumped into Gerald from Hoffman Beverage who was there with one of his people who was pushing Monster drinks at the bar.

The lunch menu offered some pretty good choices: Open with a salad, She-Crab Soup or ½ Dozen Oysters (steamed or raw) and an entree choice of Fresh Catch Sandwich, Blackened Mahi Tacos, or Everything Greek Salmon Salad.

Chayce and I ordered the oysters, his steamed, mine raw on the half shell. Shelby got the She-Crab soup. She had the Greek Salmon salad and I thought I'd try the tacos here too. Chayce got the fish sandwich which turned out to be flounder that day. It was huge and looked great. My tacos, again, weren't anything I got excited over and Shelby said I might not want to order tacos anymore. Her Greek salad was huge too and out of everything we had that week, she said that was her favorite. The She-Crab was very good too. I'd like to go back again and try some of the other menu items, they have a lot to choose from.

All in all restaurant week was fun, like I mentioned earlier, it's a great way to get out and try some places you might not normally head to. The prices were good and the overall experience was a good one. Can't wait till next year's event.

Ribeye with sauteed mushrooms and onions

Quiet House

January 4, 2014

If you didn't know it yet, Shelby and I have adult children; after Christmas they both took off to do their thing. We spent New Year's Eve with Shelby's side of the family and then they left for home the next day. That left Shelby and me home alone on New Year's Day. We were trying to figure out dinner for the two of us and we came up with a couple of favorites: steak and crab.

Truffle Fries!

December 16, 2013

Last night we had sliders for dinner and I made truffle fries to go along with them. These were inspired by the fries you can get at Yardhouse.

Easy enough to make:

Thinly slice your washed potatoes in shoestrings.
Blanch the fries in either water or oil (I went with boiling water this time.)
Drain for a bit then fry in oil.
When they're all fried, toss with a few dashes of truffle oil, grated Parmesan , and chopped parsley.

Peter Chang China Grill in Virginia Beach

December 15, 2013

First I wanted to say thank you to Patrick Evans-Hylton for getting me and Shelby on the invite list for the Peter Change China Grill preview dinner. We had a great time!

Earlier this week we were invited to a special RSVP event at Peter Chang's new restaurant in Virginia Beach. He started off the night with a demonstration on how he makes noodles by hand. Unfortunately, we showed up after this but from the video I saw, it was pretty impressive.

We were all seated at tables with lazy Susans on them and the food was brought out in five courses:

Hot Appetizers
- Crispy Pork Belly
- Pearl Balls
- Lolli Fish
- Green Pillow
- Spicy Wonton
Cold Appetizers
- Mushroom Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Numbing Smoked Tofu
- Hot & Numbing Shredded Tofu Skin
Snacks
- Pan Fried Pork Buns
- Handmade DanDan Noodle
Main Entree
- Sticky Rice Seafood Ball
- Peter Chang Stone Duck
- Grandmother Tofu Ball
- Steamed Pork with Rice Flour
- Braised Beef Topped with Chili
- Whole Fish with Pine Nuts
Dessert
- Pumpkin Ball

The food was brought out tapas style and we spun the lazy Susan around so each diner at the table could grab a bite. There was so much food. I have a habit of making sure I eat everything I put on my plate and about halfway through I was figured out to take smaller portions from each dish being served.

Towards the end of the meal Peter Chang was introduced to us and he went table to table greeting everyone, shaking hands, and taking photos. Gen Lee, Mr. Chang's business partner, was also making the rounds and we exchanged cards. The whole experience was great and the food was amazing. I'm looking forward to going back and trying some of the spicier dishes they'll have on the menu; they toned it down a little bit for the crowd at the event.

Check out the food and more photos by clicking here.

Oh! This was my favorite dish from the dinner: Braised Beef with Chili

Check it out for yourselves. Peter Chang China Grill is at Landstown Commons in Virginia Beach, VA.

Thanksgiving Day

December 1, 2013

It's been a few days and I've been recovering from Thanksgiving Day!

I love Thanksgiving. The idea of being able to stay home all day and just cook that meal is a great feeling. I don't do a ton of planning and things are simple. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, and a couple sides.

When I get up in the morning I'll turn on the television to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every year I do this every year and then I'll complain about how it's no good, but that's a whole other story. The past two years I've been brining our turkey, it's a cider brine with savory spices, seasonings and fruit. Quartered orange and a little lemon juice; salt, sugar, clove, sage, all of it soaks into the bird for close to 16 hours. Afterwards I wash it off and pat it dry.

I'll put the turkey on top a bed of carrots, celery, onion and various seasonings. I used to stuff our turkeys but now I'll fill it with aromatics: onion, thyme, citrus, parsley. The outside is sprinkled with a few dashes of Herbes de Provence, pepper and a little bit of salt. The brine had plenty of salt so no need to add much more. I'll roast the turkey breast side down, this allows the breast to be baste in the juices from the darker parts of the bird. When the pan fills with drippings, the breast sits in this and keeps it moist. The last hour I'll flip the turkey to brown the top. The whole thing has a nice, crispy skin. Everyone loves crunchy turkey skin!

While the turkey is roasting I'll make a stock from the giblets, these will be combined with the drippings for the gravy. I used to chop up the giblets by hand but I use Shelby's immersion blender to mix up the gravy and pieces now.

We gathered all the family we could in the area and had a great dinner. Shelby made me a plate while I finished in the kitchen. All in all, it was nice. Like it always is.

See what was for dinner here.

Stock and Broth

November 26, 2013

With Thanksgiving coming up I've been telling myself to get stuff ready before the big day arrives.

Gravy, stuffing…all kinds of things need stock and I'd usually bust out a box of store bought chicken stock. This year is going to be different though—I'm making my own stock!

Plenty of people out there have their own way of making a stock and broth. Technically what I'm going to spell out here is a broth. Stocks are made primarily from bones and some scrap—that's it! Broths will have more meat and seasoning in the pot. For my Thanksgiving stock (I'm just going to call it stock for the sake of simplicity) I won't add a lot of salt; a little goes a long way. I make a lot of soup stocks too. This is about the same, save for some seasonings I've omitted.

A couple of things to note before you begin:

Turkey necks are pretty cheap but are very meaty. The Herbes de Provence is something Shelby put together from herbs I clipped from our garden and dried in the kitchen. I used just a pinch to flavor. Careful with the salt and pepper; when I say add a little bit, I just mean a shake or two.

We're cooking here. We need a pot. Go grab a large stock pot, a 6-quart should do.

Ingredients:

2 packages of turkey necks
2 tbs olive oil
2 medium onions
2 ribs of celery
2 medium carrots
salt and pepper to taste
3 medium Bay leaves
Approx. 6 parsley stems, leaves on if you like
5 quarts of water, heated (stovetop, microwave, even hot from the tap)
Optional: Herbes de Provence

Preparation:

1. Chop up the turkey necks into chunks, about 2 inches.

2. Heat the oil a little over medium, we're going to brown the vegetables and turkey.

3. Brown the vegetables first, in batches if you have to. Add a little salt and pepper. I like cooking the vegetables first because any residual browned bits in the pot will mix with the turkey when it goes in. When the onions look a little translucent, you're good. Place the browned vegetables to the side.

4. Add the turkey pieces, brown in batches. Salt and pepper a little bit with each batch. They don't have to be browned all the way, I just heated up and a little done on the outside.

5. When the last batch is done, add the bay leaves, parsley and any other seasonings you're tossing in there. Put the vegetables back in the pot.

6. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to about medium-low. Skim the foam off the top of the stock.

7. Simmer for approximately 5 hours, stir occasionally. Scrape the sides of the pot when you do this. Get the dried bits inside the pot into the stock.

8. You’ll know it's done when the liquid has reduced to about half of the original volume. I ended up with a little more than 2 1/2 quarts.

9. Strain out the turkey and vegetables. Keep this stuff, put it to the side.

10. Refrigerate the stock.

What I like to do after it has been in the fridge overnight is skim the fat off the top. It’ll be easy to scrape the hardened fat off and toss it away. I don’t use the fat for anything, but some people say if you want to keep your stock in the refrigerator the hard fat on the top will help extend its life.

You can see the fat has hardened on top of the stock

Scrape away at it till you get most of the fat off

The neck bones, meat and vegetables can be used to flavor dishes or as a thickening agent. You could just throw them away but that seems like a waste. Enjoy and good luck. Leave a note here with any questions or comments.

Lancashire Hotpot

October 28, 2013

With the weather getting cooler, I tend to start using my Dutch oven a bit more.

You'll need a Dutch oven if you don't have one! All kinds of good stuff you can cook in those things.

A suggestion before you start: search Lancashire Hotpot to get an examples of the neat patterns people use with their top layer of potatoes. You'll see what I mean when you check out the photos.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Lamb, cut into approx. 9 pieces

3 cups Beef broth

16 oz. Mushrooms, sliced or halved

6 Medium potatoes, thinly sliced

2 Medium onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

2 Medium stalks celery, thinly sliced

Bouquet garni (I used thyme, savory, rosemary, parsley, rosemary)

2 Bay leaves

Herbes de Provence

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare your ingredients beforehand, makes like a lot easier when cooking anything.

1. Collect the ingredients and prepare all vegetables. I know, I know, obvious right?

Well I don't do this half the time and I end up doing things in the middle of cooking when I should have had prep work done already.

I always check the discount bin at the butcher's counter. Found these at a great price.

2. Preheat oven at 380 degrees. For the first hour the hotpot is in the oven it will cook on high. After an hour reduce heat to 320.

3. Start layering your potatoes, vegetables, and lamb. Season as you go along with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence--be careful not to over season.

About halfway through layering add your Bouquet garni and bay leaves.

The top layer is supposed to be a layer of potatoes arranged in a fancy pattern. This potato layer will be browned after the dish is done.

Traditionally the top layer will be layer of potatoes, arranged in a fancy pattern. I just added the ingredients till I ran out.

4. Pour beef broth over the lamb and vegetables in the pot. If you haven't seasoned the hotpot, do so now. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook for 5-6 hours.

5. Remove hotpot from oven. Test meat to make sure it's tender and ready. When the meat pulls apart easily with a fork, you know it's done.

6. Crisp top layer of potatoes. Spritz olive oil or brush melted butter over the potatoes and broil, uncovered until potatoes brown and are slightly crispy.

Alternate method: I removed the potatoes from the hotpot and places them in a casserole dish. I then coated them and broiled separately from the meat and vegetables.

To plate...

...just put it on your plate and eat it.

Enjoy!

Run to Whole Foods

October 9, 2013

We ran by our go-to place for a quick dinner tonight—Whole Foods in Virginia Beach. We went specifically for the Pulled Pork (so good) but it wasn’t on the line!

Fortunately the Mac ‘n Cheese was and the Beer Battered Cod. I grabbed some of the Loaded Bake Potato soup, it had a great smokey flavor. Perfect for today; it’s been wet and chilly all day.

Shelby got a small assortment including wings seasoned with chili pepper. They looked good. On the way to the register we also bought a vanilla cheesecake tart and a caramel one.

Leaving we bumped into a some people we know, had a little chat. Standing in The Porch, Shelby stood in the only spot that had a little drip from the roof. We finished up, came home and ate. Very nice.

p.s. - They have this years vintage of Bogle Phantom in store!

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