I have been chowing at so many places recently and I just don’t have the time to devote a post to each place so I am going to give some collective notes from the field.

Lyon Hall- the newly opened restaurant in Clarendon features a wonderfully diverse menu of all things seasonal and meatastic.  They have a nice and rather long beer list (with appropriate glasses for the beers).  The charcuterie selections of duck proscuitto and rabbit rillettes were a hit (although they needed some sort of serving mechanism- we used the leftover bread basket).  The pickled vegetables served with the charcuterie were particularly delicious.  The leek salad and pea and proscuitto snitzel both showed that Lyon Hall is quickly going to produce some extremely tasty and creative dishes for the neighborhood.

Cafe Normandie- Although this restaurant has graced the Main street of Annapolis for years, I had my first brunch there recently.  The omlettes reminded me that the French have a knack for making a fluffy and appropriately crisp omlette in a way that many other persons just haven’t figured out yet.

Cafe Atlantico- The cocktails at Cafe Atlantico tell you how your meal is going to be: full of surprise with a focus on creative, vibrant food.  The passionfruit martini was dangerously close to eating the juicy, gooey goodness right out of the fruit shell.  The guacamole, conch fritters and duck confit with fresh favas are noteables on the menu.

Earl’s Sandwiches- While this place has few tables, it has many fans.  Their freshly roasted meats and good bread make for excellent, comforting sandwiches.  My favorite are the Louis and the Cuban.

Liberty Tavern- on my most recent visit the candy bar dessert wowed me.  You wouldn’t think of Liberty tavern as a dessert destination, but their often changing dessert menu keeps me ordering more.  The pasta with fresh seafood wasn’t bad either.

H St. Country Club- this restaurant surprised me.  I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.  Not as good as it could be with a little more care and finess, but it has potential that you wouldn’t expect.  Although I don’t know if they will harness the potential as it is clearly all about partying and drinking.  The tacos were good, duck entree also good.  But avoid the sangria on all accounts, and the mojito for that matter, both were terrible.  Stick with beer or something simple.  The games downstairs were fun.  They need a better seating system though.

The bar at Eventide- I find time and time again that this is a great place to relax.  Probably the best reason for this is that the managers are very hands on and involved.  The pretzels with homemade stout mustard and chopped Virginia ham are addictive.  The bison sliders are like a wonderful gourmet sloppy joe.  And the cocktail program is phenomenal.  The seasonal and well balanced cocktails here really are the biggest draw for me, the good food though is why I come back time and time again.  Save room for the brown butter cake.  Their desserts are elegant, but with excellent flavor profiles.

Sidamo- the best iced chai that I have had ever, period.  The food coming out here smelled delightful, and the ginger molasses cookies looked heavenly.

Taylor Gourmet- I had the South Street with arugula.  The bread was great, crunchy, but not too much bread.  The grilled chicken wasn’t overcooked with nice grill taste.  The ingredients were all fresh and none overwhelmed the other.  The fried risotto balls stuffed with mozarella were crunchy on the outside while just oozy enough on the inside to be delicious.  When not ordering for delivery will have to try the roast pork.

Kline’s Frozen Custard- I always mean to stop here on my way from court in Prince William County and I finally did.  This place is the ice cream stand of your youth, in my hometown it would be a-kin to the Custard Stand.  I got a mixer with vanilla custard and heath bar.  The custard here has a really rich full flavor while still really refreshing.  It may be the best custard around.

Blacksalt for Mother’s Day Brunch- I truly love Blacksalt and kudos for having a normal a la carte menu and not ripping off the general public because it is a holiday.  Highlights were the fresh herbs in the gratis fruit, the crisp hot beignets loaded with powdered sugar and the Louisiana poached eggs with perfectly cooked crawfish, and a poached egg that would make you slap your Momma if it were not in fact Mother’s Day.  The little market outside also provided some wonderful lemon lavender sugar cookies in nice packaging for Momma.  (They had a whole stall of only lavender goods and I only had $6, so sad)

Coastal Flats- The lobster roll here is really hard to beat in this area, especially when served with nicely grilled corn.

Tacklebox- as a general note- do not get the lobster roll here, it is a disappointment.  However, the wood grilled bluefish is amazing, especially with a side of grilled asparagus or broccoli, and that makes for a really healthy meal.  The mac and cheese here is a little strange, way too saucey, like gourmet kraft gone wrong, as if it doesn’t sound wrong with that description anyway.  Also the fried clams here are pretty darn good.

I am sure that there are more, but that is all I can think of.

Coming up- homemade dressing recipes.  For Tamaki, with love.

They other day while running errands with the Pup and Hubby, stomachs began to growl.  It was a beautiful day so we decided to head to Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe.  When the weather is decent, and sometimes even when it is not, they are out grilling wursts.

I got a beautiful knauckwurst- a little spice, but a lot like a big flavorful hotdog, on a homemade bun.   What I love is if you are unfamiliar with the taste of their wursts they will give you samples to help you decide.

We split some sides of homemade German potato salad (a mix of skin on potatoes, caramelized onions, vinegar and spices served warm), pretzel and apple strudel.  This was a huge meal even when you split the sides.  But everything is prepared with care and baked fresh.

They have picnic tables over on the grass some with umbrellas, so you can sit outdoors enjoy company with fellow diners and enjoy the splendor of nice weather in Virginia.  Max got to run around in the grass and sniff for sausage, of which he found none, a big disappointment I am sure.  We got some time in the sun and very good food.

The shop itself has pastries, breads and deli.  Whenever someone asks where to find some sort of baked good, I always end up seeing it at Heidelberg.  Their Black Forest Bread is exceptional for sandwich making.  And while their pastries are not as artistic as Patisseries by Randolph, I have found that they have a great variety of the German favorites my Amish Nanny used to make me.

And to top it off, with my hands full with drinks and Max, they carried my lunch to the table for me.

So I thawed another large chunk of ham and sliced it down for sandwiches.  A couple where so tasty I thought I would share:

Ham and Brie on Pretzel Roll- to be fair this sandwich is totally stolen from Draper’s Cafe at the Greenbrier, although they do it better than me, although I try.

Buy some fresh pretzel rolls from Heidelberg Bakery, Whole Foods or Wegmans.  Note they don’t last very long so don’t get too many extra.

Slice roll in half.   Spread a nice spicy brown or stout mustard on the bottom roll.  Add a generous amount of ham- the stack should be at least 1 3/4″ thick, add a couple slices of plain brie.  Put in a grill pan or under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes until bread is just a little crispy and the cheese melts.

Apple Cheddar Ham Panini

Use a nice grainy bread.  I like a sliced loaf of multigrain myself.  On one slice of bread put a little mayo, on the other side (I opt for mayo on the bottom slice) put a generous amount of apple butter.  Slice some ham, I like mine as thin as I can cut it.  Put in on the bottom.  Top with some white cheddar (I like a medium sharpness).  And then slice some apples thinly and straight and top.

Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a grill pan or griddle once the pan is about medium heat, place the sandwich baste a little oil on the top side of the bread.  I like to use a meat press for my panini’s and grill them for about 3 minutes on each side.

I should have taken pictures they were pretty.  Unfortunately they were so tasty the thought didn’t cross my mind.

Griddle idea- here.  The Le Crueset Griddle is a little pricier than the Crate and Barrel one I featured in registry ideas on a previous Wedding Wednesday earlier, but it also heats very evenly and cleans easy.  I like mine, but I think over time this one would wear and cook better. $165.  I like the large surface of these griddles and that they can easily slide in with your baking sheets and don’t take up much room.  Grill grooves on one side, smooth on the other for a griddle.

Meat Press- here.  I know this says it is for bacon, and it is, but it can be used for so much more.  I like it because the size makes it easy to fit in most pans and it is only $12!

My last trip to Miami was very bitter sweet.  I left my Dad’s bedside to see him for the last time to go, but I knew in my heart he would want me to go, really he would want to be there.  My Father was a sunaholic.  He loved to go lay on the beach, get frozen drinks and turn at just the right time to have the perfect tan.  He enjoyed Anguilla, St. Barts, and the French Riviera way more than any city.  He never went to Miami, but he would embrace Miami, the good food, pretty women and lots of sun.

We went despite everything because our best friend was getting engaged.  And I think it was important for me during that time to embrace the good that was happening, as well as, the bad.  Just feeling the warm sunshine I was reminded how much Dad loved to feel that warmth.

The Skinny on Hotels.  Now I have stayed at many places in Miami and visited others.  And some notes on hotels.  First off, stay in South Beach.  Everything you really want to be around is either in or near South Beach.  After being at the Biltmore or Ritz Key Biscayne, it is just a lot nicer to be at South Beach.  Second, don’t stay at a huge hotel, pick a medium sized one.  My favorite is the Ritz in South Beach.  I prefer it because of its great location right at Lincoln Road, the 24hr pool and decent spa, and the spacious bathrooms with wonderful Ritz beds.

I also really like The Palms, which is a little more North, but also quieter and has a nice beach area, which isn’t quite so busy, with nice, comfortable rooms.  I also really enjoy the hammocks by the pool for a lazy afternoon napping in the sun.

This past trip I stayed at the National.  When their Pool Suites are renovated it will be really nice.  During the renovation it was so noisy relaxing by their beautiful pool was a no-can-do.  The rooms were moderately sized, bathrooms were smaller, like a boutique hotel.  My only quibble with the bathroom was not the size, but the half glass shower door which got water everywhere and was a bit more chilly than a normal shower.  (Very European like)  It is also really lacking in amenities and their toiletries were dreadful.  But if you wait till the renovation is done it isn’t a bad hotel at all, especially if you can get a good deal and don’t mind going out of the hotel for your amenities and bringing your own shampoo (with the Delano and Ritz next door spas are just a step away).

After Sleeping, Eating is Best.  When you want an excellent meal, head to Hakkasan at the Fontainebleau. The monstrosity and madness, and almost half mile walk through the resort, is worth it for this restaurant.  The extremely long bar has almost any spirit you could think of with a huge drink list.

For dinner we had the dim sum platter, tea smoked ribs, duck spring rolls, soft shell crab with curry and grilled shanghai dumplings. The dim sum platter, tea smoked ribs and soft shells were the best, but all the appetizers left us very satisfied and hungry for more.  Dumplings weren’t too thick and everything had excellent flavor. For entrees we had five spice wagyu in hot pot which was really really good, if you like beef this is a must order.  The stir fry xo prawn with pineapple was good, but not a must have spicy and sweet, but just not as good as other entrees, such as the roasted satay chicken with very crispy skin and juicy chicken, shredded ribeye beef that was spicy and chewy got a B+ in my mind, the doung bo pork was excellent and the snow pea shoots were excellent with both garlic and ginger sauce. End of the meal with a white chocolate mousse with passionfruit sorbet to leave yourself on a sweet and tangy, the mousse had great texture and richness, but the passionfruit really cut the sweetness.  This is one of our all time favorite restaurants in Miami.

Next on the list is the Blue Door in the Delano.  This place holds a special place in my heart as it is where I got engaged.  The menu is always creative and excellently prepared, with great ambiance.  I like indoor seating for a intimate, romantic dinner, and outdoor for a more fun, laid back vibe.  At night the whole place seems to be a glow with a just right amount of ambiant light.  The Homard Paillette and Mango Porco are some of my favorites on the menu.

Being from a city with a real lack of deli- Hubby and I always stop by Jerry’s for a lean pastrami.  It is tender, juicy with great taste.  I like the melt myself.

I also really like Sushi Samba, Tantra and for Cuban in South Beach Puerta Sagua.  And if you do stay at the Biltmore, the one big perk is they have great restaurants.

To do once the Sunburn sets in.  I love visiting Vizcaya.  It is a beautiful house, with really nice gardens and a fun history.  I also really like to shop at Merrick Place in Coral Gables.  An outdoor mall, with covered walkways, housing all designer stores such as Diane Von Furstenburg and Caroline Herrara.  If you want a daytrip, head down for some great diving in the keys, or head to Key West.  You can also charter a boat to take you around to check out the outrageous celebrity homes.  Did you know J. Lo has a huge, ugly bunny statue in front of her gigantic pink house?  Lastly you could take a drive down to the Fairchild Botanical Gardens, they are a bit of a drive, but have some really unique plants.  And of course, Little Havana, is definitely worth checking out.  Or stay local and wander Lincoln and Collins Avenue.

(Vizcaya)

Wouldn’t it be nice to live like this?  Way to go James Deering.  You’re an industrialist with vision.

Dear Readers,

Thank you for your patience.  I am officially starting my blog back as of today.  Many of you may know that my Father, Henry Moomau, passed away.  It has been a very hard past couple of months dealing with everything.  But it is time to begin again.

My Father was about 50% of the reason why I am a foodie.  My Father loved to dine out, there was a twinkle in his eye when he thought about going to get something to eat.  And he loved to share the experience.  He would share tasting menus with me, part of his filet mignon, any bite that I might want of something he was eating, he gave me.  He always had dessert.  And he always enjoyed food be it a humble sausage biscuit at the Irvington Farmer’s Market or a meal at NOLA in NOLA.

My Father also taught me to go big or go home: if you want something you have to go for it, all the way.  Work hard, play hard, love hard.  If you are going to throw a dinner party- throw a great dinner party. If you want eat out, eat out well.  If you want to succeed- do it.

He had impeccable manners and expected the utmost in civility from his children.  He had Southern charm to pair with those manners, that helped him garner the respect of many.  I am so grateful that I learned that civility from a young age, it has carried me through life well.  I know that every action towards every person counts.

My Father taught me a lot.  And there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.  He wasn’t a perfect man, but he was a good man.  And he loved life dearly, so readers- Love life dearly!

To my Blog Readers,

Very sorry that you haven’t gotten any new posts and you probably won’t for the near future.  My Dad has had some very serious health problems and is in critical care.  For that reason I will be rather distracted.

Thank you for your loyal support during this time.

Katelin

I have been itching to go to New Heights now for months.  In the whispers of foodie land I heard great things about Logan Cox, the chef and the creativity he has brought.  And I wanted to go before everyone realizes he is a genius and you have to make reservations a month in advance.  Can I just say with strong affirmation: now is that time.

I went during Restaurant Week- of all weeks to try out a new fabled legend, Restaurant Week is not it.  Still it was the only interesting place on the list with a reservation.  But man, if ever did a restaurant pull off Restaurant Week while still keeping it high end and creative, New Heights did.

New Heights is in an akward area of Woodley Park, but thankfully they have valet parking.  Downstairs is a small, but glamorous gin bar.  While everyone is touting dark woods and prohibition era cocktails, this bar keeps it really prohibition style with a huge gin list and house made tonics.  No nonsense just good gin.  It is glamorous in that it doesn’t try to hard, but feels particularly delightful to sit at.  It isn’t Gibson or Zaytinya glamorous, it is glamorous for people who don’t need other people to make them perfectly happy.  I particularly recommend the Krahn.

Then you go upstairs to a cozy, warm dining room.  The owner Kavita, is particularly friendly and you can tell she puts a lot of care into the oversight of her restaurant.  The server chilled our wine while we sipped various gins, and the bread basket with warm, moist cornbread gave promise to the rest of our meal.

The appetizer of chicken liver pate was smooth on perfectly crisp toast and eaten with the pickled vegetables had a really nice balance.  The artic char entree was creamy in texture on the tongue; however, the skin was crisp and had just the right amount of salt to balance out the sunchoke puree and broccoli rabe.  However, the real winner was the roasted pork loin that was cooked perfectly with perfect texture- a little crisp on the outside but juicy and incredibly tender on the inside- the smoked apple butter served with it made the bites a refined, homey taste that you could have eaten four plates of, paired with brussel sprouts and buckwheat polenta the dish had a great winter warmness to it.

Desserts were a nice finish to the very composed meal.  Ginger creme brulee had a wonderful taste of real, fresh ginger not something you get in many “ginger” dishes.  The toasted almond biscotti served with it was some of the best biscotti I have had.  I would love that recipe (hmm, this might have a follow up post).  The sugar and masala doughnuts were light cake doughnuts with good spice, but the chocolate dulce de leche sauce served over them was incredibly decadent, and you will want to finish any part not swabbed by your doughnut with a spoon.

The service was professional, not fussy, not too absent, he hit that fine line where he read you just right.  Wine glasses looking a little low, filled, but not after every sip.  Recommendations given when asked and very thoughtful to personal likes.  Courses explained as they arrived, and yet it was never intrusive.

And this was only Restaurant Week… I look forward to seeing what this place can do every other night of the week.  Next time I am bringing my gin loving girls with me.

Sometimes I find buying big huge pieces of meat in the grocery store a bit daunting, especially when there is only Hubby and I to eat it all.

But you can get some wonderful deals on whole tenderloin, ham, chicken, and etc from time to time.  Right now bone in cooked hams are on sale in many places.  So here are some ideas on how to use a whole ham in a relatively healthy and tasty way:

First- cut your ham into manageable sections, leaving the ham hock with a bit of meat, not large sections because you want to be able to thaw and use a piece completely.

First night: Ham, butternut squash and green bean saute.  This is a quick fix because well after breaking down a ham you don’t want to linger hours over a soup, but want something filling.  Either start cooking your rice out ahead of time or cheat and use instant rice.  I suggest brown or wild rice.  Set your over to 350 degrees.  Cut half a peeled medium butternut squash into about 1/2″ cubes,roughly slice/chop a shallot put them in a roasting pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon parsley and salt, pepper and mix pieces to coat. Roast about 20 minutes.  While that is roasting cube about 1 1/2 cups of ham into 1″ cubes (Cut about 1 cup extra for future use).  Then snap and cut about 1/2 cup of green beans into 1″ segments.  Remove the roasting pan and add the ham and green beans and stir the mixture.  Roast about 10 more minutes.  Remove and add your rice (however cooked) right to the roasting pot, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and mix gently.  Then serve.

Then slice some ham for sandwiches.  Refridgerate your ham hock and sandwich meat.  Wrap the remaining meat in butcher paper and freeze for a time that you won’t be sick of… ham.

Next day: Ham and swiss panini with mustard, mayo and bread and butter pickles, a faux cuban if you will.  If you don’t have a panini maker at work you could use a toaster oven to melt your cheese for the desired goodness.

Next evening: Ham Hock White Bean Cabbage Soup, well it’s more like a stew really.  Put the ham hock in a large stock pot with about 3 pints of water, bring to a boil then down to a simmer for an hour.  Use that time to dice 3 potatoes, 3 cups of cabbage, half a cooking onion and 3 cloves of garlic and drain and rinse a can of cannelli beans.  Add those to the pot with 1 large bay leaf, 2-3 tablespoons dried parsley and 1 tablespoon dried thyme and let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes and remove the ham hock let it cool and shred the meat to add back to the pot.  Add a couple dashes of Old Bay to the pot.  Then remove the bay leaf and serve.  It is excellent with a few dashes of Old Bay.

Next day or two if you are full of ham.  It is time for a ham and brie sandwich on pretzel roll.  I first discovered this sandwich at the Greenbrier and have loved it ever since.  Put some spicy grainy mustard on it to cut the richness and enjoy.

Then use your left over dice to make breakfast with a ham, cheddar and jalapeno (or spinach or mushroom with swiss) scramble.

That should do quite well for about half or more of your ham.  I suggest waiting a little while before using the rest.

In this time where everyone (or just Fox News) is telling old people to buy gold, and telling everyone else to sell their gold, gold has become passe.  Which is a real shame because gold is a fabulous statement.  Gold is classic, like Coco Channel, if you pick the right pieces it will look amazing forever.  Anyone who doesn’t like gold just has never owned the right piece of gold.

But let’s face it when it comes to dining you just can’t afford the gold or sterling silverware that used to be customary in yesteryear, and it is so pricey you feel bad even putting it on a registry.  But with many of the beautiful china styles, with amazing colors and warm hues out there you really do need a classy set of gold settings.

The solution: Seletti Midas Cutlery.

Normally available on Yoox.com or Bloomsburystore.com, it is all sold out right now because it is fabulous, but don’t despair  because The Conran Shop Online has a full 24 piece set for $225.00.

This is gold plated steel cutlery with a matte finish.  Allowing it to blend with modern and classic china sets.  I think it would even look particularly stunning with mixed plates or plain white casual china, as well.  And it comes nicely packed in a china box, small enough to actually fit in all those places you would want to store your china.  I am really quite smitten with this set of silverware, actually less smitten more absolutely covetous.  So get it while it isn’t sold out.  And if you are looking for a nice wedding present for those brides out there who aren’t registering (ahem bad idea) I think this would make a really nice present that any modern couple would find quite pleasing.

*Sigh* If only I had seen this BEFORE Christmas.

Last night I met up with a few girlfriends at Overwood.  The space is tucked away on North Lee Street, in a little brick building full of shops with La Bergerie right next door.  The inside is warm and casual, with an open kitchen in the back, just the right place for a cold winter night.  There is a nice small bar space with TVs showing news and sports.  We had a nice booth in the back of the restaurant near the wood grill.

We happened to be there on half price bottle of wine night, and considering how reasonable their bottles of wine are anyway, this was a particularly good deal.  As a note they have very nice wine list, with a lot of affordable, but good bottles.   We had two bottles of Tepana, Tempranillo for $26.  It was a nice red that was mildly fruity with a nice balance, which is good for us ladies as we can have some very different taste in wine.

We were waiting for our last friend stuck in traffic and our server was really fantastic about letting us take our time and wait for her to arrive while enjoying our wine, but checking in to make sure we didn’t need something.  Then when our friend arrived she was wonderful about letting us take our time to catch up.  The service really was wonderful, the server read us so well, she anticipated our needs and had perfect timing.

All of us on best New Year Resolution behavior ordered salads, although the Blackened Mahi Mahi on grits, and steak going by to other tables smelled amazingly good.  I really like places that offer interesting dinner salads, as sometimes for whatever reason a big dinner salad is really needed.  And I really liked that they understood that a salad isn’t just iceberg or romaine with tomatoes, red onion and a couple cucumber slices.  Rachel had a nice looking ceaser salad with wood grilled salmon, I had the arugula salad with chicken instead of duck (I know it can be rather lean and it looked beautiful, but doctors recommendations are to eat more fish and white meat so I am trying.).  The salad was really lovely with spicy arugula lightly tossed with vinagrette with oranges, hearts of palm and a few fried onions.  the chicken was sliced thinner than normal grilled chicken in a salad which made it easier to eat.  Next time will get it with duck.

We all split a brownie sundae to give us time to finish our second bottle of wine, and to splurge a little.  Sometimes after all the fancy desserts you just need something simple.  I have to comment that many places have one or two desserts on their list that are tempting, but the whole list at Overwood looked quite good: Godiva chocolate bread pudding, key lime pie, the Elvis, Sweet potato cheesecake… it all looked great.

Between the reasonable prices ($84 for three huge salads and two bottles of wine), the wonderful service, and the very good food (and very good smells eminating from all directions) we will be back, and I think I might have to take Hubby for a date here.  It is a perfect low key, but nice spot which tends to be my favorite.

So if you haven’t been, GO!  It is really a great place that I wish I had discovered long before I did.  And if you are abiding by your New Years Resolutions too, they have a lot of healthy options other than salad to help you stay on track even when eating out.