Olive’s Herbs Visits the Mile High City

The beautiful view from Sugar Loaf

When I first began Olive’s Backyard Herbs I envisioned it being as much about travel as about food. Well, as with most of my visions, this just is not the case. I eat a lot more than I travel. And in this economy traveling has appeared more out of reach. Dining on good food can sometimes cost as much as a plane ticket, but you usually only find that out after the fact.

But recently airlines have been catching on to the fact that times are tough and a lot of fares have gotten dirt cheap. Capitalizing on this trend Chris and I recently bought $130 tickets on Frontier Airlines to visit some dear friend we have in Denver – Jen and Loren McDaniel.

I have to be honest I was not expecting much. Denver always seemed like a nice city. But it’s just not a sexy city in terms of perception. There is no Statue of Liberty or even a thriving restaurant scene like New York. And while I still do not think there is much of a local foodie scene, I will tell you I came away loving the city. Hey, if you are a good cook, you can just do it at home. Despite a dearth of yummy local food finds we did manage to eat a lot.

Capital Grille Wedge Salad

Our first night in Denver we headed to a chain steak restaurant – Capital Grille. Chris and I had been given a gift certificate to Darden restaurants a few months ago. And the only ones in Austin are Red Lobster and Olive Garden. We do not love either so we decided to try a nice steak place in Denver. Turns out it’s pretty tasty… and REALLY EXPENSIVE. Our gift certificate did not get us very far. But all in all it was not a complete bust. We had a yummy wedge salad topped with super, thick and very tasty smoked bacon. Jen and Loren both got the clam chowder. It was average. Not bad, not great and it cost $8 just for a small cup. For dinner I ordered the Filet Oscar. While it was definitely perfectly cooked and full of flavor, it was a bit much. I definitely could not finish it. Jen ordered the swordfish with a lemon shallot relish. While the fish itself was a bit overcooked, the relish was superb. And both Chris and Loren ordered the sliced filet with Cippolini Onions and Wild Mushrooms. I had wanted to order this because it sounded awesome, but I thought that might be overkill. I am actually glad I did not. The mushrooms and onions, I think, overpowered the great flavor of the meat. The sides we ordered were asparagus and mac and cheese. Both were pretty awesome.

I know I do not sound super excited about Capital Grille. But I just know places that can produce this quality at much cheaper prices. But I do want to add that they were very good at cooking my steak at the right temperature and the food was good.

Filet Oscar - a 10 oz. filet topped with crab meat and a Bearnaise sauce

I almost forgot one of my favorite things about Denver – the weather. We arrived in Denver at the end of August. When we left Austin the temperature had been hovering at 100 degrees for the past three months. That first night in Denver, we slept with the windows open. It was the best sleep I’d had in months. And a miraculous thing happened Saturday morning, my husband got up with me at 8 a.m. and we jogged together. For those of you who know us this is amazing. For those who do not, let me explain. 1. I am not a morning person, I love the mornings, I just have a hard time getting up early enough to enjoy them. 2. My husband had not run in 15 years and he has asthma.

So together we got up and enjoyed a two and a half mile loop around Washington Park or Wash Park as they call it in Denver (or Wa Pa as I call it). Afterward we dropped by a local coffee shop called La Belle Rosette and had a superb cup of joe and we got a couple of bagels. I highly recommend this coffee shop, the staff is so nice and the food was great. They also serve herb-infused lemonade that is so refreshing. You can check them out at their website: http://www.labellerosette.com.

Chris and me at Sugar Loaf

The rest of our crew hiking

In the afternoon we headed up to meet some of Jen’s friends from college in Boulder – Kim, Drew and their baby Rowan.  We decided on heading to Sugar Loaf since it had great views and was not too long. I had been looking forward to the hike a lot. We never get to do anything outdoors in Austin because of the heat. So I was very excited. Unfortunately, the weather in Boulder was not cooperating either. Right as we got up there a storm rolled in. We made it almost to the top, but turned around before we made it.

But that’s ok, because we went straight to the breweries. Boulder has a long and proud brewing tradition. And we drank a lot, so we can back that up. We started off at Upslope a brand new brewery in a strip mall (right next to a wine tasting room, Denver wine, who knew?). It was a tiny room. But the beers were very yummy. When we were there Upslope only had two beers on tap Upslope Pale Ale and Upslope India Pale Ale. These guys are new, but I expect they are going to grow immensely in popularity. Check them out at their blog: http://www.upslopebrewing.wordpress.com/about/.

Twisted Pine Beer Sampler

After Upslope we headed to Twisted Pine Brewery, in yet another strip mall. Despite being in a shopping complex there was a real authentic feel to Twisted Pine. I especially liked them for a couple of reasons: they had tons of flavors and they allowed dogs into the tasting room. It did make me wish we had taken Olive with us though. But enough about sad things. On to the flavors. For approximately $10 you could get pretty large samples of some of the most flavorful beer ever – from the Billy’s Chilies beer brimming with fresh anaheim, fresno, serrano, jalapeno and habanero peppers to the Big Shot Espresso Stout flavored with a shot of local Amante Coffee.

Bison Burger at Walnut Brewery

After drinking A LOT of beer we all needed something to soak it up and sober us up. So we headed to Walnut Brewey. Apparently this place is a favorite with our friends. We all ordered another round of beer, except Jen who decided a different beer was in order – the Root variety. I almost thought that would be a better idea, but I decided to stick with the regular variety. And it was great. I got their Hefeweizen, which is my usual favorite. I also ordered for dinner a bison burger topped with mushrooms, onions, peppers and cheese. It was heavenly. I love burgers and bison meat is much leaner than regular ground beef. So I tricked myself into believing I was being healthy… I hardly touched the fries. Everybody else seemed to enjoy their meal as well. Another stand out at the table was Loren’s bison fajitas. They came to the table sizzling and smelling fantastic. After all that drinking and eating we were all beat. Jen, Loren, Chris and I headed back to Denver and called it an early night.

Eggs New Orleans at Lucile's

The next morning Chris and I got up early again and ran at Wa Pa. By the time we were done Loren and Jen were up and showered and wanting to take us to Lucile’s (www.luciles.com). Apparently Lucile’s is a big breakfast deal in Colorado. There are four locations – Denver, Boulder,  Fort Collins and Longmont. All apparently involve long waits. After spending 45 minutes on the front lawn our name was called and we sat down to a Cajun breakfast. The little flourishes are what make Lucile’s special – huge, square biscuits, homemade ketchup and strawberry jelly, fresh squeezed jugs of orange juice, the list goes on. Despite waiting a long time to sit and a VERY long time to get our food. I still feel that Lucile’s is a must-eat if you are in any of the aforementioned Lucile’s locations. The food was down home good with huge portions. I ordered Eggs New Orleans which is essentially Eggs Benedict, but with fried eggplant instead of an English muffin. It was super satisfying and the sides of potatoes and sausage were excellent. Everybody else at the table was happy as well.

Red Rocks

After stuffing our faces at Lucile’s Jen and Loren drove us to Red Rocks. We were not going to see a show, we just wanted to see what all the fuss was about, maybe catch a glimpse of the Dave Mathews Band since they seem to live there. But alas, it was Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal playing that night. We just watched their crew set up and visited the museum at Red Rocks. It was actually a pretty interesting museum. So even if you are not going there for a show and you love music it’s worth the scenic drive from Denver. And it’s not very far – maybe a half hour.

Content from the sights we had seen, the beer we drank and the food we devoured Chris and I headed back to Austin with the promise of returning in the winter for a snow boarding trip.

Red Rocks at Red Rocks

A Change of Plans Leads to An Excellent Dinner

Oca Potatoes, Pork Tenderloin and Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

 

A few weeks ago Chris and I planned a nice trip to the Hill Country. We were planning on staying at his parent’s house while they are summering in Maine. We asked a couple of our friends Mat and Christina Thompson to go with us. We had an excellent weekend planned – breakfast at Bluebonnet Cafe (a Texas, breakfast legend), wine tasting at a few of the Hill Country wineries and then a nice grill-out on Saturday evening. Well, when Chris and I arrived on Friday night we noticed it was a bit hot at his parent’s place. We decided it was nothing and we would wait for the air conditioner to kick in while we sipped on some wine. Well, after the bottle was done we went inside. Somehow it felt hotter. So at midnight we gave up and drove the hour back to Austin.

I was really looking forward to the weekend, mainly because I really enjoy the company of the Thompsons. So while the trip was out of question we still finagled a dinner invitation out of them. We figured since we had already gone shopping why not turn lemons into lemonade. And I must tell you Chris and I were both blown away by Mat’s chef skills. I had heard he was pretty good in the kitchen. But I was not prepared for his presentation. As I have stated many times in my blog lots of our friends are great cooks. Mat might be one of the first that made his food look as good as it tasted.

My salad and Mat's Lovely Meal

We did not have appetizers so I will jump right into the meal. Mat cooked a yummy pork tenderloin in a Big Green Egg. For those of you who do not know this is a smoker/griller contraption. It produced super tender meat with a nice, smokey flavor that was not overpowering. He topped the tenderloin with sauce made from fresh peaches, organic apple juice, ginger, cumin, chipolte and brown sugar.  He simmered the ingredients reducing it a bit and then he pureed the sauce. After pureeing he  strained the sauce again and reduced it a bit further into a thick sauce.  Mat then finished it off with a little red pepper/chipotle sauce for color and a little heat. For sides he roasted Oca potatoes with a little salt and pepper and olive oil.  Oca potatoes are Peruvian and are a little chewier than normal potatoes. I found them to be awesome. They were not as heavy as normal potatoes and they were spiced perfectly. Mat also whipped up a perfect, light watermelon and cucumber salad. It was kind of a gamble since the meat and potatoes had a bit of a theme going and then the salad had some ginger and sesame oil, giving it a more Asian feel. While it was different, I thought it went together wonderfully!

Summer Berry Pie

My only contribution to this gorgeous meal was the salad, which was fine, but hey it’s just a salad. And I also made dessert. I few weeks ago at The Gypsy Kitchen class, master pastry chef Sandi Reinlie gave me some extra short dough.  In honor of the season I made a Summer Berry pie. I love, love, love making fruit desserts – peach cobbler, apple spice cake, pumpkin bread, whatever! If it’s a dessert with fruit in it, I am all over it. And not to toot my own horn but this pie was awesome. Mainly because of Sandi’s great crust.

Below is Mat’s recipe for the absolutely fabulous Melon and Cucumber Salad. It’s in photo form – Enjoy!

Cucumber and Melon salad!

Gypsy Kitchen Cooking Class

Summer in Capri Cooking Class

In a previous post I discussed my friend Danika’s new endeavor into the world of culinary classes including a traveling cooking class to Paris. Since the last post Danika has officially entitled her cooking classes “The Gypsy Kitchen.”

Recently, I took part in Danika’s inaugural Austin class entitled “Summers In Capri,” a class based on my favorite cuisine – Mediterranean. I must admit at the time of this class I was on one of my cleanses. For those of you who do not know me well, from time to time I cut back on my gluttony and attempt to be healthy – no alcohol, bread, pasta, etc. Instead I eat a lot of brown rice, salmon and vegetables. So going to a cooking class with wine, limoncella, bruschetta, pasta and more was a lot like putting a sugar-starved ADD child in a candy store. But  I think I did ok. I only took bites of the food ( I have to write about the flavors, don’t I??). And I did take a sip of the limoncella. That was probably unnecessary, but ever since that whole Danny DeVito incident I am so intrigued.

Danika mastering the grill

Ok, enough about me and onto the food experience. We started off with Danika showing us how to cook grilled octopus. I found this super interesting. While I love food and cooking, I have to be honest, I am not the most exotic eater. And I have never eaten octopus. It was utterly fascinating to watch her prep the baby octopus and then just throw those suckers on the grill. Danika also did a great job of explaining what she was doing while smoke from the grill was blowing in her face. So kudos for incorporating some different foods and keeping calm under pressure. And by the way, they were fantastic with the lemon basil aioli she whipped up.

 

Fantastic Octopus from the Grill!

 

Marinating Tomatoes Before the Bread

The second course was a lovely marinated tomato bruschetta. Something Danika discussed during the preparation of this course resonated with me. She spoke about how summer was a great time to eat light and that this dish was a perfect example.  And essentially, minus the bread I could eat this (as well as the octopus) and not even break my cleanse. It was a lovely melange of tomatoes, tons of olive oil, basil, salt, pepper all mixed and then placed atop ciabbata bread. Danika said that ciabatta bread or foccacia are perfect for this recipe, as they easily soak up the juices from the tomatoes, olive oil, etc. I loved this dish, but then again I do not believe you can go wrong with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. It’s just a general rule I have.

Spaghetti alle Vongole

The last savory course consisted of Spaghetti alla Vongole – basically spaghetti with clams. This was another spectacularly simple dish. Simplicity was another topic Danika hammered home during the class. So for any of you who are interested in learning to cook, but who think cooking is too complicated this would be a perfect class. Danika spends a lot of time discussing substitutions, simplifying recipes and much more that can make a novice cook feel at ease.

Since I was on the cleanse I only got to take a small bite. But the pasta was indeed very simple and tasty.

Pine nut, vanilla bean mascarpone and balsamic glazed strawberry tart

Lastly, we sampled a delightful creation by Ms. Sandi Reinlie, pastry chef extraordinaire. The little tarts consisted of a short dough crust filled with mascarpone and topped with strawberries and balsamic vinegar.  She whipped this baby up in 20 minutes. And it was heavenly.

What was interesting about Sandi’s portion was the clarity that baking and cooking are very different. I have some friends who bake and others who cook. And they rarely cross the line into the other territory. Which has always been weird to me as I do love both. But I know I am not afraid to follow a recipe. Some cooks really pride themselves on not following recipes and I think when you venture into baking you have to.  I will give you a very embarrassing example. Once, I got into a cake-off with my mom. She insists that there is no need to bake cakes. According to her you just need to get a mix and doctor it up. I DISAGREE strongly (as you can tell by my all caps.) I firmly believe in fresh ingredients and not using off the shelf processed box cake mixes. So we proceeded to bake. I had a sure fire winner, some type of spice cake made from scratch. Well, I unfortunately relied on my father to serve as my sous-chef. Big mistake. He knows where his bread is buttered. Instead of handing me baking powder he handed me baking soda. So basically my cake fell flat – literally.  My mom won – by default. I still need to re-challenge her and defend homemade cake bakers all over the globe.

All in all, I found this experience to be fun and yummy, despite my inability to actually eat a lot of food. You can experience this as well. Danika has a number of classes coming up in Austin as well as her Paris classes.  Please check out Danika’s class schedule on her website http://www.danikaboyle.com or simply email her at danika.boyle@gmail.com. She has a number of intersting classes coming up including a Spanish cooking class, a class focused on cocktails and appetizers and much more.

Here are a couple of the recipes from the class.

Grilled Baby Octopus w Lemon and Basil Aioli

1 pound of fresh baby octopus, heads removed

6 tbsp of evoo

2 tsp of salt and a pinch of pepper

1 tsp of chopped garlic

2 egg yolks

5 basil leaves, rolled together and chopped

Begin by preheating your grill on high for 5 minutes, top down. Take your thawed octopus, 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt, pepper and 1/2 the garlic and toss together in a large metal bowl or ziploc. Set aside.  Can be left in marinade overnight or for a few hours, although it is also unnecessary if time doesn’t allow.

Once your grill is smoking hot, take tongs and gently lift the octopus out one by one and lay them flattened on the grill. ( If you dump them out all together, the oil will catch fire and they will not cook evenly )

Leave to grill for 4 minutes on high, top open,  then turn and repeat on the other side. After 8 mintues, remove from heat to a platter.

For the Aioli, take your egg yolks, remaining salt and garlic and whisk gently in a large metal bowl. Slowly stir in remaining olive oil, whisking well to incorporate. The mixture should have the consistency of mayonnaise. Throw in the basil, stir and serve immediately . If you don’t have eggs or want to make a different version, 1 c of store bought mayo with the juice of half a lemon and the basil makes an easy and elegant sub.

* when consuming raw eggs, the remaining mixture should be kept cold. Throw out any aioli that was served, but not eaten.

Spaghetti alle Vongole

2 pounds of clams, mixed or all one type – I find the smaller ones easier to manage.

1-2 pounds of spaghetti, linguine or angel hair

2 c of white wine ( that you would actually drink )

2 tsp of minced garlic

Juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp of EVOO

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp of cold butter, diced

Start by bringing a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. ( should taste like the sea ) Throw in your pasta with a touch of olive oil.

In a large sided pan, add olive oil and garlic and cook until slightly opaque.

Toss in your rinsed clams and saute for a minute or less.

Throw in the white wine, carefully lifting the pot off the fire if you are worried it might be too hot. ( if the garlic begins to burn, add more olive oil or wine to drop the temperature in the pan )

Once the mussels begin to open, drain your cooked -al dente -pasta, which should be soft but snap a touch when pulling apart, reserving a few tbsp of pasta water. Remove your clams and begin to reduce your sauce by a third by adding in the reserved pasta water and lemon juice. Once the sauce thickens a bit, remove from heat and stir in cold butter. Toss in your pasta and clams and stir to coat. Remove to a large serving bowl and serve with herb croutons slightly crushed on the top~

Ooh la la!

A table setting for 36

So, I think I have mentioned in past posts that not only do I love food and travel, but I have some friends that also share my passions. One of these friends, Danika Boyle, recently threw a small, intimate dinner party for her closest 36 acquaintances. And we were delighted to be a part of it.

Caprese Salad and Caramelized Onion Bruschetta

The six-course meal kicked off with a delightful marinated tomato salad and bruschetta with caramelized onions. I have a theory that anything with caramelized onions is good. So needless to say I was a big fan. At this point the table started to get filled up with vats of wine. And the mingling began.

After a half hour of eating appetizers and drinking wine it was time to sit down for the rest of the meal. Danika also had a cute idea of not sitting couples next to each other. I believe this is the correct way of holding a dinner party. While it was a bit awkward at first, it quickly became fun. I even found out that the girl next to me was friends with someone I had recently met. Small world.

Spaghetti with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Next up was the pasta course. Danika created a perfect summer dish. For those of you not in Texas it has been hovering over 100 degrees for the past couple of months. So this light sage butter sauce was so fantastic. I am a sucker for carbs and this packed so much flavor. It was one of my favorites that night.

Braised Short Ribs and Sauteed Mushrooms

After the pasta came the piece de resistance – the braised short ribs. I know this picture does not do the course justice.  So I apologize. I gave the camera to Chris and I think he was more interested in the vino and talking to his new dinner partners. But I digress. The ribs were fantastically fall-off the bone good. I believe there was a bit of chocolate in them. I am not 100 percent sure, so do not quote me on that. Needless to say they were fantastic. And similarly to caramelized onions, I can never say no to a sauteed mushroom. The combo was perfect!

Unfortunately, too much vino was had by all so there are no pictures of the dessert. Danika outsourced the dessert (yes, everyone is doing it!) to her close friend Sandi Reinlie. Sandi delighted us all with petit fours covered in dark chocolate ganache and  topped with a whipped ganache rosette and sliced strawberries. I should mention that  Sandi is a pastry chef at Walton’s Fancy and Staple. Walton’s is a brand new delicatessen, bakery and cafe as well as a floral shop. I have not been yet, but it sounds divine. Find out more here.  So please visit Sandi at Walton’s to try some of her fantastic creations.

The meal while delightful, also served as the perfect venue for Danika to announce a new venture. Ms. Boyle is offering cooking classes in Paris. Interested in learning about Bordelaise sauce? Or perhaps you have dreamed of making the perfect Pot de Creme? Well, why not do it in Paris. Danika’s culinary tour of Paris includes classes as well as tours of famous Parisian markets and bistros. To find out more visit her website. There you can also find out more about Danika’s Austin cooking class schedule as well.

Honoring My Dad

Great Grandma Anna, My Dad and My Grandma Rita, circa. a long time ago

My dad was not in the kitchen a lot when we were growing up. That’s not to say he did not have some specialties. My dad was a whiz on the ice cream maker back in the day. Not the easy, fancy ones of today. I am talking old-school all day long, rock salt using machines of yore. He would make rum raisin, strawberry, peach – whatever was in season.  The texture of the end product was always in question, would it be a little runny, or would it be the perfect creamy texture? But the taste was never in doubt. The rum raisin always packed a heady punch (especially for a six-year old), the peach always tasted just like summer.

Another Jack Ahearn classic is cheesecake. My dad has a cheesecake for every occasion. His concoctions range from the classics – strawberry and lemon to the more exotic raspberry white chocolate and pumpkin. He is a veritable Cheesecake Factory.

My Dad and Mom, circa. kind of a long time ago

As we grew older and mom went back to work dad stepped up more and more. It was not just ice cream and cheese cake.  In the beginning it was not always the most exotic fare, perhaps a steak-um sandwich with fried potatoes. Or, another favorite was an omelet with um, fried potatoes. You might start to see a trend here. My dad is a fan of potatoes.

But a funny thing happened as we grew older, and out of the house. My parents became gourmands. And my dad was the head gourmand. While my mom has always been an excellent cook, she is very traditional and sticks to her favorites. It was my dad who was always trying new things out – from Low Country boils to Cioppino.

My dad always makes sure he has the freshest fish, vegetables and best cuts of meat. He introduced anchovies into our lives (much to my mom’s chagrin). He even made me try venison once (I hated it, still do). I view my dad’s style of cooking as innovative. He seems to posses that quality that a lot of male chefs have – love of trying new recipes, new techniques and new ingredients. To this day my dad is still one of the most inventive chefs I know. And the first to try any recipe.  When I got back from Croatia and gave him the Ajvar recipe, he was the first person to make it. I have not even made it yet.

One of my favorite things to do is to call my parents on Sunday and discuss what they cooked over the weekend. And in turn I tell them what I whipped up for a dinner party. It’s nice to have this language to share with your parents. I love hearing about my dad’s pesto sauce he made or the fresh grouper he stuffed. But most of all I love the shared connection and the talks that that are squished before, between and after we talk about our dinner.

Here’s a recipe of my father’s I think is super tasty. It’s not one of his most exotic, but it is a winner.

Lemon Grouper

• Grouper fillets
• Fresh breadcrumbs
• Garlic
• Butter
• Lemon
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper

Cut skinless grouper fillets into serving size pieces, salt and pepper.

Prepare fresh breadcrumbs and coat the grouper fillets.

Place on a dish and let sit in the refrigerator and hour before cooking.

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Remove fillets from refrigerator and sauté for 4 minutes on each side in butter.

Place sautéed fillets in a baking dish that is coated with a mix of olive oil and a generous amount of butter.

Squeeze the juice of 2 whole lemons over the fish.

Cover the fish with minced garlic.

Place the fish in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the fish is baking finely chop Rosemary and Thyme.

After 20 minutes sprinkle the fish with the herb mix and return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Then you are done. Serve with Pinot Grigio.

Summer Grill Out Celebration

Eating on the patio

So I have a had a few requests for less content and more pictures.  While this post will follow this mantra, not all of them will – so enjoy.

This past Saturday Chris and I had some close friends over – the Nite’s and Gary Marburger and his lovely wife Jessica Lee to celebrate my new employment and do some grilling. I originally intended to do a traditional Italian meal as inspired by our recent honeymoon. But I realized I wanted something more summer-oriented ( and I ate pasta three times last week). Frantically, I searched for a replacement.  After reading a few Food & Wine magazines I found my centerpiece – grilled chicken thighs with a roasted garlic and ancho chile sauce. After that decision the other dishes fell into place quickly.

Yummy Grilled Scallops with Honeydew Melon and Avocado Salsa Salad

The first dish was a grilled scallop salad with honeydew melon and avocado salsa. It was originally supposed to be just the scallops with the salsa, but I saw it as a great salad. So as Chris was grilling the scallops I plated six separate servings of  spinach, diced cucumbers, feta cheese and then I topped them with the salsa. After the scallops were grilled we plopped them on top and then we served the salad up with a nice Vino Verde. It was superb. A nice, light summer starter. I highly recommend this recipe. The salsa was incredible – not too sweet and a little creamy.

Jessie and Gary Digging into the Main Course

For the main course I stayed with the theme of a nice, light summer meal based on the grill. The roasted garlic-ancho chile chicken was accompanied by grilled corn with a mango-jalapeno butter and saffron rice topped with red pepper, asparagus, peas, celery and artichokes. It was a beautiful meal if I do say so myself.

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Paella

Unfortunately (or fortunately for myself), we drank a lot of wine that night. Hence there are no picture of our absolutely perfect dessert. There is a family recipe the Nugent’s passed down called a “Magic Pancake.” It is essentially a dutch pancake with lemon zest and powdered sugar. It was one of the first things Chris ever made me and I loved it. The dessert Chris made was similar except he added raspberries, blackberries and topped it with nutmeg and cinnamon-flavored whipped cream. A perfect ending to a perfect evening!

Here is the recipe for the scallops and salsa, minus the salad part. This recipes is taken from Food & Wine Magazine.

Ingredients

1. Finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3. 1 1/2 pounds honeydew melon, rind removed and melon cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 1/2 cups)
4. 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
5. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6. 2 pounds large sea scallops

Directions

1. Light a grill. In a large bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the diced honeydew melon and avocado. Season the salsa with salt and black pepper.
2. Drizzle the scallops with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until nicely charred and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops to plates, spoon the salsa alongside and serve.

Iron Chef: Brunch Edition

Even the brunch menus were conceived with much thought and attention to detail

You can probably tell by the fact that I have a food blog that I really like food. What you might not know is Chris and I are surrounded by friends and family that love food as much if not more than we do.

Recently, Chris and I were honored to be asked to judge a cooking competition a group of friends host.  The premise consists of three couples (Sarah and Chris Swanson, Abe Kant and Erin Stark and Rob and Amanda Nite) cooking three courses a piece – nine plates total – all centered around a theme.  For example the last competition was all about incorporating citrus.

This event was a bit different. All the past meals were in the evening and had a food item theme. This time the theme was brunch. The chefs were tasked with creating a savory, eggs benedict and a  sweet course. Usually the chefs do the judging. But after much harassment by me, they caved and allowed us to be involved. In total there were three judges – me, Chris and John Villareal. John is another fantastic cook you will be reading about in future posts. He is a first-rate smoker (and by that I am referring to meat).

So last Saturday morning at 11 a.m. armed with pencils, a grading sheet and a BIG appetite we got started.

The Savory Course Showdown

Yes, that is a vodka shot at 11:30 a.m.

A little after 11:30 the games began. First up was team Swanson. They served us a  buckwheat blini with homemade creme fraiche topped with caviar – oh and a shot of vodka.  I should probably mention there was a lot of liquid bribing going on. The Kant-Stark team made us pre-brunch apricot juice (fresh-squeezed) and champagne cocktails. Back to the Swanson dish. It was fantastic! I will be honest I was very skeptical at first. I am not much of a caviar fan. But I simply loved the combination. Everything worked well together and the vodka shot finish was surprisingly appropriate. I really enjoy it when I find a dish that surprises me.  And this one did.

Lobster Crepes with caramelized mushrooms and onions - score Team Nite!

Next up was Team Nite’s creation. This dish consisted of a homemade crepe lined with eggs, caramelized onions and mushrooms and brie and then a thick, yummy chunk of lobster is rolled up in there. And it’s topped with a chive sprig and a champagne shallot sauce – seriously??? I thought there were laws against such yumminess. But no one got arrested so I guess I was wrong.

The Stark-Kant Yummy Latke Pancake Creation

Up last was Abe and Erin’s savory dish. It was superb. Their dish was a scallion latke, topped with bbq duck and homemade hoisin sauce. While it was not super brunchy the flavors were AWESOME!!!! I really enjoyed Abe and Erin’s creativity in this process. As you will see in the next dish they are a team that pushes the envelope. Sometimes with hits and other times misses. This dish was a hit. All of the judges raved about this one.

Eggs Benedict Course: AKA the Heart Clogger

Chicken-fried tenderloin topped with a homemade dill-lemon biscuit

First up for the Eggs Benedict category was the Nite’s. Once again they hit a home run. Rob’s creation started with a homemade lemon zest, dill biscuit atop a pan-fried and flour-dredged beef tenderloin topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. This was probably my favorite dish along with the lobster crepe. The tenderloin was so flavorful and tender.

The Most Creative Dish winner!

What do you get when you cross homemade challah bread dipped in an orange zest french toast batter topped with maple syrup, refried beans, sugar-cured ham, muenster cheese, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce? Give up? It’s Abe and Erin’s Eggs Benedict Course. This dish while exceedingly creative definitely did some warring on the taste buds. I did not know whether I was in love with the orange zest or if it was overpowering. Did I like the beans or were they unnecessary? It was a lot to take in. But once again I really love how Abe and Erin are not afraid to just try something. I have so much admiration for how they approach their dishes. And even though this one was a bit much for me, it was still a million times better than most dishes I get at fancy restaurants. And this dish did win most creative and I definitely agree.

The Awesome Swanson Spanish Eggs Benedict

Last, but not least was the Swanson’s Spanish Eggs Benedict. The foundation was a homemade dense and yummy English muffin, with saffron butter and jamon serrano topped with a poached egg and pimenton hollandaise.

This dish to me epitomized the Swanson’s simple, continental cuisine that they seemed to be going for in their menu. They were almost the counterpoint to Abe and Erin’s unrestrained experimenting. The Swanson’s seemed to have such a zen, practiced approach. While the Nite’s I would characterize as classic American with a twist.  Their menu was filled with traditional, solid fare executed with just a touch of edginess.  All the team’s end results were phenomenal. I just found it significant that the team meals carried with them such personality.

The Sweet Side

Abe and Erin's Lobster Salad

The Nite's homemade danish with ricotta filling and a raspberry coulis

The grand finale was the sweet course. To start us off we had Abe and Erin who prepared a nice, light salad with fresh baby greens, lobster, avocado, grapefruit drizzled with a grapefruit vinegar, chive and shallot dressing. I loved this salad. Especially after the heaviness we encountered in the first two courses. Unfortunately I docked them a couple of points just because it was not very brunch-y (yes, we had to judge on brunchiness as well as taste and appearance). But they made up for this in taste. Second up was the Nite’s who plated up danishes filled with a lemon and ricotta mixture, topped with raspberry coulis and garnished with mint and raspberries. I thought this was yummy. It was simple, yet tasty.

Trio of Zeppole

The Swanson’s finished the event up with a trio of zeppole, essentially Italian donuts. The trio consisted of espresso glazed, apricot filled and raspberry filled. Topped with powdered sugar and plated on chocolate shavings this was an awesome dessert. The zeppole were very similar in texture to beignets but a bit more dense. And the fillings were not overpowering, just perfect.

The Results

So after feasting for four and a half hours (yes, you read me right) we got down to the scoring. Really, all you need to know is Chris and I won for best dressed… Just kidding, kind of.  So here are the results:

• The Nite’s won for best overall (judge’s decision)
• Erin and Abe won best overall (chef’s decision)
• The Swanson’s Egg’s Benedict recipe was the meal voted best overall by points
• The Nite’s also won best overall brunch based on the points
• And the most creative dish was awarded to Abe and Erin for their Egg’s Benedict

Our European Honeymoon, The Final Installment

View from our apartment of Dubrovnik City Center

When I was in high school every year there was an organized trip to Europe for anyone who could afford to go. My parents were social workers so I never made it. But I looked forward to the presentation. Afterwards I would dream of heading to Europe, meeting fascinating people, eating exotic foods – anything to get me out of Tallahassee. My freshman year Dubrovnik was one of the destinations on the trip. I fell in love with the city through a slideshow. Shortly after the presentation the conflict between the former Yugoslavian members intenstified and the US went to war in Iraq. The trip was canceled and the idea of visiting Croatia was put on the back burner.

When Chris and I were planning our honeymoon I kept hearing buzz about Croatia.  The chance to finally visit Dubrovnik was in my reach. So after convincing him we were not going to be killed by a land mine, Chris gave in. After having such bad experiences in Trogir and Hvar I was a little worried Dubrovnik would let me down – it did not.

This picture of me is horrid, but it captures my joy at eating for the first time in five days

The Jin Ghis Khan Platter at Taj Mahal

Upon arriving in Dubrovnik we settled into our apartment. Apartment Duga, is well situated, right above Banje Beach and a three-minute walk to the old city.  This was by far our favorite accommodation in Croatia. It was clean, not over-priced and so close to everything. The only drawback – a crazy old man who talked to pigeons. We were able to overlook this. We spent the first day just walking around the city and taking it all in. I was still not eating, so we had an early night.

The next day we went straight to the beach. I finally got my relaxing, sunny destination portion of the honeymoon! After lounging for a couple of hours, we cleaned up and headed to lunch. It was finally time. Since I had not eaten in so long Chris let me pick. I chose Taj Mahal, a Bosnian restaurant. Bosnian food is closely related to Turkish and Greek cuisines. After eating solely carbs and broth I was craving some meat and vegetables. We started with Spinach Burek, essentially spinach in phyllo dough. It was so good. The spinach filling was slightly creamy and the phyllo was crispy in some areas and dough-y in others. For our main course we  settled on the Jin Ghis Khan platter. I think at this point I was making irrational decisions. The Jin Ghis Khan is a meat extravaganza including a sampling of grilled chicken,  chevapi, lamb, sausages, rumproast and pork kebabs. There were also two baked potatoes, grilled carrots and the largest grilled green beans I had ever seen. The platter was served with a basket of bread, diced raw onions, mustard and a traditional Croatian and Bosnian spread called Ajvar. I loved Ajvar, it is essentially a mixture of roasted red peppers and eggplants with olive oil and garlic. I will put a recipe at the bottom of the post. It goes without saying (but since this is a blog I kind of have to say it) we did not finish this awesomeness. We got the rest to go and put it in our fridge. We basically ate the rest for lunch over the next couple of days.

Awesome Ham, Mushroom, Cheese and Pepper Pizza at Mea Culpa

After our fantastic lunch we went back to the apartment and took our obligatory vacation nap.  We got up we showered and went to grab drinks at a very cool cliff side bar called Buza. It is literally situated on the outside walls of the fortress surrounding Dubrovnik. While it’s a beautiful spot to grab a drink it is also very touristy and the drink prices show this. I would recommend going there for a drink during sunset. And then finding somewhere with more reasonable prices. After our drink we went to grab pizza at Mea Culpa. Mea Culpa is well known in the city for fixing yummy pizzas at cheap prices.  We ordered a ham, mushroom and cheese pizza and added sweet peppers. The pizza was perfect. We also ordered a couple of glasses of a local wine called Mali Plavac. In Croatia it is almost impossible to find wine that is not Croatian. This wine was pretty good. For our Texas friends it tasted a lot like wines you get in the Hill Country. It had a lot of oak and went very well with the pizza.

The next day Chris and I rented a car and drove to the Peljesac Peninsula to visit their wineries. It was approximately an hour away by car. And if you are a wine lover I think this is a great day trip from Dubrovnik. On our way we stopped at a store and grabbed bread, cheese and salami as a snack for later in the afternoon.

Beautiful view of the Peljesac Peninsula

Our first stop was Vinarija (croatian word from winery) Vukas. Here we picked up a nice red for only $10. But let me paint a picture for you describing the  tasting experience: me, Chris, a woman who spoke no English staring at us and her granddaughter pulling at her leg. Oh, and we were in her living room. It was a pretty high-pressure sale. It was also indicative of the rest of the wineries we visited. There were a few that were a little more structured, such as Matusko and Dingac. At the rest of the wineries we went to we were the only people there and we had to try and find people to do tastings. This was even the case at Grgic. Which, if you are a wine connoisseur you have most likely heard of him. Miljenko Grgic is one of the most respected winemakers in the world. In 1977 he opened his Grgic winery in California. And in 1996 after the conflict in the region was over he fulfilled a personal dream and opened a winery in his native land.  So I was kind of expecting a lot. The wine was perfectly fine, but there was no ambiance in the tasting room. It also felt we had disturbed the lady by asking her to do a tasting. That being said it was still interesting to see a burgeoning wine region before it becomes filled with tourist and over-priced wines. We never paid for a tasting and the most expensive wine we bought was $22.

After doing a few tasting we stopped and spent a few minutes at a World War II Memorial depicting communist resistance soldiers fighting off the Nazi’s. This was a very cool monument and the setting was incredible. The peninsula is not only home to wineries it also has some of the most outstanding landscapes we saw in the country. Lots of fjord-like inlets as well as low-lying beaches with crystal clear water.

Mixed Shell Fish in Buzzara Sauce at Kapetanova Kuca

Another resource the peninsula has in abundance is shellfish. The villages of Ston and Mali Ston at the base of the peninsula have some great restaurants. The most renowned is Kapetanova Kuca. Chris and I stopped by on our way back from the winery trip. We started off with a nice light wine wine, I believe it was a Posip. They brought out a complimentary appetizer of fish pate, we then split a half dozen oysters. For our main course we split a mixed shellfish grill with a Buzzara sauce. Buzzara is a yummy white wine, garlic and parsley sauce that is used in Dalmatian cuisine. It was a delightful, light meal.

us on the city walls of Dubrovnik

The next day we hit the beach again for a few hours. Then we cleaned up and walked the city walls. If you go to Dubrovnik this is something you have to do. It’s only about $9 and it allows you to walk the entire fortress walls around the old city. It is so fascinating to see this special city from above. You can witness everything from the war damaged walls and the sea of terra cotta roof tops to brightly-colored laundry blowing in the breeze. It’s about an hour and a half of walking. So just keep this in mind.

Cream of Zucchini Soup with Dill

For dinner I was craving vegetables. Unfortunately, Europeans tend to not eat vegetables very often, at least in the Dalmatian region of Croatia. Most of the area restaurants focus solely on seafood and meat dishes. I was a little tired of this so we decided to splurge and go to Proto. We both loved this meal. I am going to state upfront this was the most expensive place we ate on our trip. But we both agreed later it was worth it. I started off with a very light, yet tasty cream of zucchini soup flavored with dill. Chris got a fisherman’s soup that was tomato based and brimming with scallops, chunks of fish, mussels and shrimp. While our soups were wonderful it was really our entrees that blew us away. I ordered a lamb shank Osso Bucco served with a side of polenta dumplings and baked, sweetened apples. It was perfectly cooked with the lamb simply falling off the bone. Once again it was Chris that ordered the best. His main course was turkey stuffed with golden raisins topped with a prosecco wine sauce. It was so tender and full of flavor. A perfect meal! Since it was so expensive at Proto we did not order dessert there. We just walked to a small cafe and ordered a couple of cakes and digestifs and then headed home.

You can't fool us again

On our last day in Dubrovnik we ate our breakfast at the apartment, went to an Internet Cafe in order to catch up with some emails and then visited the beach. Since it was our last time at Banje we stayed for a bit longer than usual, swimming in the cold, salty Adriatic waters. Then we packed up and decided to hit the town a little early since it was our last night.

When we got to the town square we were rewarded for our early outing by viewing a brass band concert. We sat at a cafe and watched as a variety of brass bands played and exited the stage. After a bit we decided to try and find another bar we had seen while walking the city walls. We found it after a bit of work but it ended up being a lot like Buza.  So we had our one drink and headed to dinner.

This is where it got interesting. I wanted to try some real Dalmatian food so we decided to try a restaurant not in the guidebooks called Ragusa 2. This was a big mistake. My husband is one of the most unfailingly polite people I have ever met,  he hates to make a scene or do anything like that. But his entree was so obviously rotten he refused to eat it. At the advice of our waiter he ordered the special sea food platter including squid, a whole fish, shrimp, mussels and more. When he unpeeled the shrimp it crumbled into pieces and stunk like nothing I have ever smelled before. My entree was a spaghetti bolognese that tasted like Chef Boyardee. We simply asked for our check and left.

After this Chris really needed some comfort food. And to Chris comfort food usually means Italian and more specifically lasagne. So we went to a highly recommended Italian restaurant called Toni’s. It was a perfect antidote to Ragusa 2. Chris ordered a lasagne bolognese and I ordered the veggie lasagne. They were both fantastic.

After dinner we walked around and enjoyed the full harvest moon that was out. It was our last night and we were sad to go.

Chris drinking beer at the pub

Lamb pasanda

The next day we started our long trek home with a very cool stop over in London. This was Chris’s first time. So we did a lot in the 20 hours we were there. We dropped off our bags and started walking. We saw Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and a huge protest. It was so exciting. As we were walking we stopped into different pubs. And we noticed a disturbing trend, – three of the five pubs we stopped in had the same menu and same taps. So we are guessing that there is one owner. What I love the most about pubs is going in and seeing the different types of beer and twists on the same classic English dishes (yes, there is some good English food. Just not a lot). While it was a bit disheartening it did not stop us from hopping in and grabbing a drink.

For dinner I was craving Indian food. Our hotel recommended a place around the corner called Paradise. We were not disappointed. I LOVE Indian food and this was great stuff. We ordered a whole mess of stuff and just started eating. We feasted on naan stuffed with veggies and a garlic naan, I ordered lamb pasanda (lamb cooked in yogurt and spices), Chris ordered chicken dansak (a Parsi dish cooked with spices and lentils) and we had a side of curried vegetables. We were both in heaven and it was also a very well-priced meal.

After dinner we visited one more pub. But we were both exhausted and needed to rest up for the long flight home the next day. While we were both sad the trip was over, we were both ready to get home and sleep in our own beds, see our puppy Olive as well as our friends.

Below is a recipe for the very yummy Ajvar sauce used as a spread in classic Croatian and Bosnian cuisine.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants, about 3 pounds
• 6 large red bell peppers
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup good-quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Place washed eggplants and peppers on a baking sheet with a lip to catch any juices, and roast until their skins blister and turn black, about 30 minutes.
2. Place roasted vegetables in a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes.
3. Peel off and discard blackened skins, stems and seeds. In a large bowl, mash or chop vegetables, depending on how smooth or chunky you like your ajvar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add garlic and lemon juice, and drizzle in oil, stirring constantly.
4. Transfer to a glass dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish, if desired. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Our European Honeymoon Part 2 (aka the foodie who could not eat)

yep, that's me in a croatian hospital bed

After three days of cramming in historic sites and three nights of shoving loads of food into our mouths Chris and I were ready for the slower pace of Croatia. I definitely got my wish. Kind of funny when your wishes come true –  they usually do not unfold the way you envision. I will get to this picture above in a bit.

It was not this, I can tell you. This is Chris's rump steak with a mushroom sauce.

Was this the culprit?

After we flew into the Split airport we took a taxi to Trogir, the next stop on our honeymoon. Just a piece of information the Split airport is much closer to Trogir than Split. But after reading more of my blog you might see why staying in Split is a better bet.

Trogir, is a UNESCO world heritage site – the entire city. Although I should tell you the entire city is about half the size of a New York City block.  It’s very quaint and the streets are still very medieval. You can touch both sides with your hands and they are stone cobbled. A very cute city. After settling into our apartment at Stafileo Palace, we headed out to dinner at Konoba Idra. Most Croatian eating establishments start with Konoba. It’s essentially like the Italian Trattoria. Usually this means the restaurants is family-run and might even grown some of the vegetables on the menu. Sounds good, right? My verdict is still not in. We started off with a Croatian specialty – Dalmatian smoked ham and olives. It was ok. It suffered from the Italian antipasto syndrome, a lack of real care and thought. It was just there. For my main course I ordered a tuna steak and a mixed salad. The fish was ok, it had a real strong fishy smell. Which, as most of you know, fish is not supposed to have. My salad was perfect. A nice blend of cucumbers, cabbage, shredded carrots and a very light white wine vinegar dressing. Chris ordered a pretty heavy meal of a rump steak with a mushroom sauce and a side of grilled veggies with a side of cream sauce. Both were ok. After eating we headed to the small town square and had a beer. We then headed home early.

Chris and me at Diocletian's Palace in Split

A few hours later it started. I got up about five times during the night. No need to go into what happened. Let’s just say all the food I had eaten was gone from my body. The next day I felt a little better so we headed to downtown Split by bus. Now here is why it’s better to stay in Split. The bus service from Trogir is a nightmare. No one knows when the buses are going to be there. We got charged three different prices on three separate occasions and if you miss a direct bus you have to take the local # 37 bus.  The quick 20-minute jaunt turns into an hour and a half long, bumpy ride. And when your stomach is in upheaval that ride is torturous. When we got to Split we walked around and enjoyed Diocletian’s Palace. The palace was built around the turn of the fourth century AD by Roman Emperor Diocletian as his retirement residence. Now only a few walls stand, but it’s a very cool sight to see. Most of the town is essentially built into the walls so it’s very much a living monument. We grabbed a light lunch, which turned out to be a bad decision. So we headed back to Trogir on the local #37. And I spent most of the time bent over trying not to faint. After getting to the room Chris ran to the local Pharmacy before it closed to get me some medicine. He also grabbed some water, chicken soup and beer (for him). And thus began my five days of no eating.

This is what our meals looked like

When I say no eating, what I really meant was not eating good foods. Oh, I tried and with very bad consequences. There was the pizza, the ice cream, the muesli cereal. Here is what I learned – if you have a stomach virus or food poisoning do not eat cream or cheese. Actually just stick to tea, saltines, broth and rice or noodles. Luckily, most places to stay in Croatia are apartments. So we were able to buy groceries and just cook at our apartment.

After spending two night in Trogir we headed to Hvar, an island situated approximately an hour away by ferry from Split. While in Hvar we stayed at Apartment Bicanic owned by the fabulous Miro. We thought he was great. And our apartment was cute, but I would suggest not getting the apartment we got (#1). The bathroom was pretty awful. But the apartment is in a great location and it is definitely affordable.

I was very excited about Hvar and desperately hoping my stomach issues would go away so I could enjoy this beautiful island. I had so many plans – a bike ride around the island, maybe a visit to some wineries, a ferry ride out to the Pakleni Islands. Hvar is also known for  fun night life, there is a club located near the palace on a hill, it is also home to the cool cafe/bar Carpe Diem where George Clooney was spotted. Pretty much none of this happened. We laid around, read books, watched lots of German television and visited the bathroom.

I want to spend a couple of sentences stating how wonderful my husband is. During this time he made me soup, never complained, reassured me I was not going to die and eventually took me to the hospital when we both realized I was not getting better. After spending most of the Croatian portion of the honeymoon sick we went to Hvar’s hospital (fortunately Chris’s fear of us being quarantined because of the Swine Flu did not occur). The doctor gave me an IV, told me to stop trying to eat and gave me a prescription. Her verdict was a stomach virus. I am still not sure if it was a virus or the fish. But hey, she’s the doctor.

Beautiful Hvar

The view from our room

After visiting the doctor and getting the IV I felt much better. I had actually thought about just packing up and going home. But instead we decided to leave Hvar early and heard for Dubrovnik. While Hvar was beautiful we just found the town to be a bit boring. Mostly because I did not feel well enough to get off my ass and we went out of season. In many parts of Croatia the time to go is in July and August. I would bet that June and September are pretty good months too. But May is not the right time. The weather is  still cool, the residents are a bit stand-offish and the mood is just a little down tempo. So I would still recommend visiting Hvar, I would just state that it’s best to do this during the season.

So one early morning at 6 a.m. we boarded a ferry to Split, hopped on an 8:30 a.m. bus and headed for Dubrovnik.

Stay tuned for the final installment of our honeymoon blog… Dubrovnik and London.

Our European Honeymoon, Part 1 (Rome)

Musici Veneziani: Enchanting Opera Arias

As many of you know Chris and I just returned from our fantastic honeymoon. First stop – Rome, Italy. I have traveled through many other parts of Italy including Florence, Venice and Cinque Terre. I went with my sister in August 1998. While we had fun together I left with a sense that Italy might not be for me – it was hot, my sister is blond (man we got harassed) and the streets were empty (Italian residents pretty much clear out in August to travel). But when Chris wanted to go to Rome, I decided to give it another try. I am so glad I did. Rome made me believe again in the beauty of Italy.  Where else can you eat a fantastic four-course meal, get vats of wine for mere dollars, go for an after-dinner stroll and bump into the Forum or perhaps the Pantheon?

Our adventure did get off to a rocky start with a diversion to Wales for a couple of hours, because of fog in London. I was so exhausted and groggy from Xanax it seemed like a few minutes. But when we did get to London (with  beautiful blue skies, not a single cloud) we waited in an atrocious line to re-book our flights. But eventually we got a flight to Rome and arrived only a few hours late. We took a taxi to our hotel (avoid this and just take the Leonardo Express to downtown Rome, it’s cheaper and efficient), jumped in the showers and went to the opera. The opera was a smattering of arias from different famous operas. It was a wonderful show, not too expensive and in a wonderful venue – Chiesa Di. S. Paolo Entro Le Mura. I believe these shows are easy to get tickets to and not too expensive. While it was a fantastic show we left half way through because I could not wait to start eating (and I was slowly fading due to jet lag and I have my priorities).

Pasta course at Antica Boheme

After sneaking out we headed to Antica Boheme, a restaurant highly recommended to me by my very good friend and fellow foodie Candace Maloman.  We started off the dinner with a pasta course. I ordered the orecchiette carciofe, a perfectly cooked orecchiette pasta with a butter and artichoke sauce – fantastic! Chris ordered lasagne bolognese. That’s a pretty standard dish for him and it was superb. The tomato sauce was good, but I will say I prefer my tomato sauce a little less creamy and a little more tomatoe-y. But that’s just a preference. For the second course we ordered veal. Mine was done Bolognese style with a tomato sauce, melted cheese and ham on top. It was cooked perfectly, but it was a bit much. Chris ordered a simple paillard of veal and it was outstanding. It was a simple, sauteed piece of veal garnished with lemon. I highly recommend his dish.

After drinking copious amounts of wine we headed to our bed and breakfast, Art & Relax Suites for some much-needed sleep. After sleeping for 10 hours, we got a small tap on the door and our perfect Italian breakfast was served.

OJ, Coffee and pastries at Art & Relax

After breakfast we walked around the city and hopped on a tour bus of Rome. It may sound cheesy, but doing one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours is a must. It’s fairly inexpensive and a great way to see the city and learn about the sites. There are a number of bus tour options, none are really better than others. Just pick one and go.

yummy salad and antipasto

After doing some walking we grabbed lunch at a cute neighborhood restaurant called Trattoria Lilli – another Candace recommendation. As we had eaten a lot the day before I had a light lunch including a FANTASTIC salad (arugula, tomatoes, mixed greens and an olive oil and salt dressing) and an antipasto platter. Chris ordered a pasta dish with a tomato and basil sauce.

After lunch we headed to a Vatican tour using a company called Eden Walks as a tour guide. Now, I usually do not like to use guided tours, but this one came highly recommended. Plus, I wanted to really learn about all the history and background. We were not disappointed. Grant, our tour guide, was unbelievable. He talked very fast, but I learned more in that three hour tour than I ever thought possible. Please, do yourself a favor, and book a tour with Grant if you plan on visiting Rome. They do a number of different tours. And most definitely visit the Vatican. It’s a must-see.

Guinea Fowl Three Ways - All Yummy!

For dinner I had my heart set on a restaurant called Trattoria Del Pallaro – a trattoria that had no menu (a recommendation from another great foodie friend Sarah Swanson). You just eat and drink what they bring out. After spending almost two hours looking for the place we gave up and went to another place on my list – Ditirambo. Ditirambo, is not a traditional Italian trattoria. It’s a little trendier and the prices show this, it was by far our most expensive Italian meal. It was also one of our most memorable experiences. We started off the dinner with a pasta dish we split. It consisted of a sampler including a risotto with asparagus and gnocchi with shrimp, tomatoes and eggplant. I will be brutally honest, this was not a great choice. The shrimp did not smell fresh and the risotto was exceedingly bland. Our second course made up for this. Chris ordered the Guinea Fowl three ways – in a phyllo dough pastry, in meatball form and baked. This was one of my favorite dishes. It was incredibly rich and full of flavor. My dish was just as good it was a simple strip steak coated in herbs with a side of the crispiest fried potatoes I have ever had – wow! I must also mention our wine. It was a superbly smooth Nero D’Avola called Feudo Montoni. Since we were a bit sauced we decided dessert wine pairings would be a nice way to end the night. And despite our inebriated state, this was indeed a good call. I got a yummy apple tart and Chris got a millefeuille. I think since we were ordering so extravagently our waiter decided to get us more sauced. He then brought out bottles of grappa, limoncella and brandy – awesome!

Digestifs at Ditirambo

The next morning our itinerary included the Borghese Museum, another must-see in Rome. And get the audio guide. It’s inexpensive and fills in all the details about this glorious, but ill-begotten art collection. If you love sculptures, then go to this museum. It is filled with the best Bernini sculptures.

Sinfully delicious fusilli with truffle oil, sausage and mushrooms

For dinner we headed to Tavernetta 48, located on the tiny Via Degli Spagnoli. Once again we had a superb dinner. Chris and I had gotten so lost earlier in the day, we ended up off our map. We probably walked 14 miles. So were were definitely ready to eat. We started with an ok antipasto. I would not recommend getting it. But it was not bad. But our pasta dishes were perfect. I got the amatriciana with bacon, garlic, tomatoes and onions. The pasta was cooked perfectly. It was al dente! But once again Chris picked the best. He ordered a fusilli in a cream sauce with sausage, mushrooms and one of my favorite ingredients in the world- truffle oil. I was so jealous, but fortunately Chris believes in sharing. For our second course I ordered the veal in a barola wine sauce and Chris ordered a chopped sirloin steak with a gorgonzola wine sauce. Both were fantastic. For dessert we split the tiramisu. It was pretty standard stuff, good, but did not blow us away.

Me in front of the Trevi Fountain

After dinner we spent some time just ambling around the city. It was a holiday the next day and the start of a three-day weekend. So it was very alive – parents and their kids were sitting at cafes eating gelato and drinking coffee. Tourists were out in packs wending their way through the ancient streets, all speaking different tongues. And Chris and I were taking it all in. We stopped by Trevi and threw our obligatory coins, we had a couple of pints at a pub and  ended the night at a cafe near our hotel. It was our last night and we were ready for the next phase of our vacation, but we were not ready to leave.

Awesome Antipasto at Trattoria Del Pallaro

So a funny thing happened on the way to get lunch on our last day. After finding that Sora Margherita was closed for the holiday (a revered Rome lunch institution in the Jewish Ghetto area), we accidentally happened upon Trattoria Del Pallaro. I was so happy I almost cried. It was by far my favorite dining experience in Rome. Chris disagrees and he thinks I liked it because our grandfatherly waiter kept telling me how beautiful I was and kissed me on the cheek numerous times. He might be right. But I still loved it. Immediately upon sitting our adorable waiter brought out a jug of white wine and a collection of antipasto dishes including green olives, fennel bathed in olive oil, lemon and garlic, the yummiest lentils I have ever tasted, salami and prosciutto and suppli. I was in heaven. This was the antipasto I had dreamed about before arriving in Rome. I had been fairly let down so far in terms of antipasto. But not this time. Our second course was so simple, yet heavenly. It was a pasta dish in a creamy tomato sauce smothered in parmesan cheese. Our third course was a veal roast bathed in au jus topped with mozzarella balls and a side of zucchini. And lastly we had a perfectly cooked apricot tart with a side of mandarin juice. This meal was the perfect ending to our Roman adventure.

My next installment will cover the Croatian towns of Trogir and Hvar…