Happy 75th anniversay of the repeal of Prohibition. Go celebrate!

teri versus the pate

Yesterday afternoon was...interesting.

Since I'm not a turkey person, I thought I'd indulge in Thanksgiving goodies I actually liked.

And you know that means a Dangerously Delicious cherry pie. Worth all the hype, I tell you. This pie defies hyperbole.

But then I got this brilliant idea...to grab some of Morris Martick's famous French country pate. Thus the adventures began.

• bribe boss to cut out of work early with me with promise of lunch
• attempt to locate Martick the pate guy....thwarted initially, no pickup of phone or answering of doorbell as previously agreed upon
  
• almost get mugged, for reals....eek
• get in touch with Martick...my attempts are not successful
  
• sadly give up for own safety
• take boss to lunch, obsessively worry about lack of pate
• pick up my pre-ordered DD cherry pie...easy peasy (looks like they make out like bandits with Thanksgiving orders)
• one last ditch phone call to Martick.....and he picks up!
• speed-racer dash back to the gnarly part of Baltimore
• finally pick up precious, precious pate from grumpy-yet-lovable Martick
• give half of pate to fellow food-loving friend Noel (we went in on it together - it's a lot of pate)

(pate shown at right in tin foil; as it turns out, a slab of various meats is not especially appetizing until you slice it thinly, place it on a plate and surround it with slices of french bread. Cornichons are encouraged but not required.)


A Thanksgiving feast with a start and finish that I can be proud of providing.

New obsession...

...champagne grapes. So diminutive and sweet!

Thanks for a truly excellent cheese plate, Peter's Inn.

kopi luwak

One more foodie adventure crossed off the list...

I mentioned it before - kopi luwak, the world's most expensive coffee. And this Sunday, I had the opportunity (courtesy of Zeke's) to try it. An inner gauntlet was thrown - I couldn't resist.

The Baltimore Sun covered the event and their article is here. I spoke with the Sun reporter but declined to give details, as I somehow prefer to not have my name associated with cat poop coffee forevermore. But the "smooth" and "earthy" descriptions were mine.

expensive taste

Do I ever have it.

Behold a few of my pretties:


The Bianchi 'Milano' bike, in the wonderfully retro Celeste color.


Crane's/Kate Spade letterpress calling cards in Futura, my favorite font.


DWR's take on the Murano glass chandelier. In smoked glass - but of course.

Charleston.

Baltimore's poshest restaurant was featured in the Wall Street Journal's Power Tables.




Evidently, for dinner we were teh A+ awesome.

baltimore foodies

They're out there.

I've found two more blogs I'm fond of.

Curiously Ravenous - classic blog styling; a good Baltimore cook and lover of food.

Marginal Foodie - "Gastronomic Economics and Baltimore Restaurant Guide". I really dig the graphs.

a perfect combination

One tiny square of the 91% cacao Guittard Nocturne bar, paired with black coffee. The coffee somehow tempers the strength of the extra, extra dark chocolate, allowing smooth fruity notes to materialize on the tastebuds.

best breakfast ever

Steel cut oats with buttermilk and farmer's market blueberries. A touch of Trader Joe's new Vanilla Paste drizzled on top - you can see the vanilla bean bits.

This is seriously delicious - and it's so easy to make!

(Am I nesting or what? I'm sure it's not just the oats - this place is starting to feel more like home.)

epicure's lament

I believe that blogs can often be best when they have a singularity of purpose. A theme is decided upon and developed, and then you (you plural, the blog reader) always know what you'll be viewing once you click on that particular link.

And I'm (actually not very) sorry to say that this one does not. You get the same non sequiturs that you would if you talked to me in person. That's okay, really, because I'm not writing for an audience. If there's any sort of theme, it's just what I happen to think about while living in Baltimore.

And with some great restaurants in this town and some friends and loved ones with developed palates, well, it's often thoughts on food.

Enter the food blog.

I've found three consistently good Baltimore-specific sources -

• The local Chowhound board - of course.

• http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/ is the Sun's critic's blog.

• Coconut & Lime is quirky, neat recipes. It's where I first learned of the ultra-summery Baltimore lemon sticks. (Don't those sound so good right about now, in this heat?)

There are others, certainly. But ones that looked promising weren't, and I won't be bothering to link to them. Guess there's an semi-open niche to fill....if I ever decide to keep my thoughts to one subject.

I'd heard of the elusive (for a reason?) 'cat poop coffee', but this LA Times article really brought me up to speed.

Adventurous eaters - a new bar has been set!

Somehow I doubt you can find kopi luwak at BlueHouse.

Dayna's comment on my cherry blossom pie picture has inspired me to wax poetic about something near and dear to my heart...

the porte-couteau.




Simply translated as 'knife rest', it's an idea whose time has...well, never left, really. An outrageously simple little device that is placed traditionally by the upper right hand quadrant of the plate until it is called into service during your meal.



And then - you rest your knife on it. That's all. But it works beautifully. No soiling the tablecloth. No precarious teetering of knife on edge of plate.



One more functional, yet decorative element. One more thing to love.

As an aside: they're not the easiest things to find. You can look for them under knife/chopstick rests, too. Ebay France seems like a good place to find antique versions, usually of the cut glass or animal-shaped variety.

bowl of cherries

I thought my cherry blossom bowl was a fitting vessel for said cherry DDP.

I recently took D. to DiPasquales, where he enjoyed a meatball sub that came with a warning...."BE PREPARED."




Italians. More than a little insane about their food.

sympathy for the tummy

I am no restaurant critic. The pleasure of food defies a pinpointing description far too often for me. Frank Bruni can sleep at night, I'm not after his day job.

At the same time, I can't deny the small triumph of a dish that transcends mere sustenance to become, perhaps, the highlight of the evening. And the small satisfaction that comes from your lucky guess as to what might be the best thing on the menu.

So, here are some of my very favorite items, from some of the places I'm happy to frequent.

Some are places you suffer through abominable service to get to the food (Mezze, Taste). Others are spots where the atmosphere is part of the fun (Henninger's, Golden West, Pazo). And still others you likely don't notice anything, except the Ode to Joy your tastebuds are singing.

But all are dishes I adore.

Akbar - tamarind chicken, lamb pasanda
Attman's - rare roast beef
Blue Moon - cinnamon bun and eggs Benny
Bob's Noodle 66 - oyster pancake
Brewer's Art - rosemary garlic fries
Charles Theatre - the classic combination of popcorn and Junior Mints
Dipasquales - tuna diavolo
Dangerously Delicious - cherry pie (mixed berry running a close second)
Dukem - kitfo and lamb wot
Five Guys - little cheeseburger
Golden West Cafe - whole wheat blackberry pancakes, and Rose's cake (n.b. - the version with chocolate cake & mocha icing. An important distinction.)
Henningers - pan fried oysters with Pernod sauce
Helmand - kaddo borwani and kabouli
Jack's Bistro - smoked gouda grits
La Cazuela - plantains...in all their glory
Mama's on the Half Shell - raw oyster selection and diver scallops
Mezze - grilled mushroom
Nacho Mama's - ribs (best delivery in the [relative] 'hood)
Pazo - fish with pomegranite sauce
Petit Louis - cheese plate, but everything here is good
Salt - pecan-crusted venison with cherry foie gras spaetzle and ginger butter brussel sprouts
Samos - souvlaki
Sotto Sopra - lamb with gorgonzola risotto (a special- if you see it, order it)
Sushi Sono - rolls - some of the absolute best sushi I've ever had.
Tapas Teatro - the olive and cornichon amuse bouche
Taste - grilled Caesar
Teavolve - bubble tea
Thai Arroy - tom yum
Tio Pepe - sole with hollandaise



Feel free to comment...I'd like to hears others' suggestions or opinions.