Dining Out: Pierce's BBQ

My step-daughter asked for one thing during our weekend away in Williamsburg: a trip to Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que! A local staple and a tourist Mecca, the barbecue is tasty and worth the wait, the small restaurant and the even more minuscule restrooms! This is a time when splurging for a "combo" is worth it, especially when it comes with tasty classic crinkle cut fries and a homemade cookie.

While not the North Carolina style barbecue I usually crave, the Pierce's sauce and simplicity of its food make it a great lunch spot. Family friendly and always consistent, we stop there whenever we are in the area.

Pizza. Yes, it is a food group.

Some days even the best home cook or chef eats out. Some of my best memories from childhood involve a dinner out just because. Now I am a mom and sometimes we eat out for the experience. Tonight was one of those nights. And there is no place we eat pizza except YNot. Tonight in fact it was the little man's request. Food is a memory. Wherever or whatever you eat make the memory a good one.

Wordless Wednesday: Veal Chop with Mushrooms

My mouth has watered many a time at the thought of this dish so the last time hubby and I took beloved step-daughter to Il Gardino,  I made it mine. Delicioso!

Travel Spot: The Arrogant Butcher

Nothing like a Friday night out with a great friend in a busy city like Phoenix right? When Amy was planning places for us to go on my visit to Arizona, she let me know Friday we were going to dinner at The Arrogant Butcher, another awesome AZ restaurant from Fox concepts which coincidentally also operates the fabulous place I ate last year, Culinary Dropout. The Phoenix Suns were home (and playing across the street) so no reservations, but we were absolutely okay hanging out in the bar and having a few drinks before dinner. In fact, for a busy Friday night our table wait was only one beer long!

The dining area was very cool and nicely separated from the bar area.

Our server was Mark ("like what you make on a paper" is what he said when he introduced himself...and I will consequently never forget his name) and he was also Amy's server the last time she dined there. He was FANTASTIC and the moment we said we wanted to start with items for Charcuterie, he helped us build a very tasty selection:

In all honesty Amy and I could eat bread and meat and cheese as a meal, probably daily. In fact we joke about starting a "Charcuterie Diet", but it really was delicious and just the right amount to start.

Dinner was a tough choice even though the menu is very straight forward (only 12 entrees in all) and Mark sadly told us they were already out of their Friday special, the King Crab Cioppino. Seafood still sounded good to me so I went with their scallops...mostly because the menu said BACON.

Melt in your mouth buttery scallops, bacon, cranberry beans, spinach and delicate pasta shells....oh my. It was incredible. Amy chose the sweet potato tortelli (her personal favorite):

Mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and hazelnut in a light creamy sauce and those sweet potato tortelli! I was lucky she felt generous enough to spare one for me to try. At this point, in all honesty, we were stuffed, but I could not leave without dessert (and frankly Mark is quite the convincing guy). We selected the warm peanut butter cup.

Let me explain that you are looking at a dish of warm fluffy peanut buttery goodness in which a large dollop of chocolate gelato has been placed and on the side are two peanut better cookies with chocolate centers. I love peanut butter. I LOVED this dessert...I just could not force myself to finish it and almost considered taking it to go!

Thank you Amy for another great restaurant selection. Thank you Mark and the chefs of The Arrogant Butcher...I WILL be back and next time I am bringing my scallop-loving husband!

Travel Spot: Pita Jungle

My first day out in Arizona was a shopping and lunch day with my pal Amy and her cutie-patootie 6-month old Benjamin while her oldest was at school. She asked me what I was in the mood for and my criteria was simple: I wanted something I could not get in Virginia Beach. So she selected Pita Jungle.

Pretty unassuming form the outside and located in a strip mall, it is a very simple and open space with lots of tables. Walking in you also can't miss the wood fire oven:

My stomach was still adjusting to a time change so I selected a burger...specifically I selected one of their house special burgers, The Kafta Burger: Angus beef mixed with parsley, jalapenos, onions, and pomegranate molasses, on Ciabatta bread with chipotle hummus, and a chopped salad of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and sumac, served with garlic new potatoes. Should be no questions as to why this was my selection right? And it arrived looking like this:

Excuse me why I salivate remembering...Amy ordered one of the lunch specials, the black bean burger, also a gorgeous plate of lunch food:

I will go on record as that it was one of the best gourmet burgers I have had (more on another burger adventure in a future post) and the freshness of the ingredients was readily apparent. In fact, it never would have occurred to me to put hummus on a burger. Combine that flavor with the chopped salad and deliciousness was in the house.

I briefly considered taking half back to Amy's house...that thought was short-lived. It was just too good! I wish VB had more places like this that make things like lavash and hummus and their own pita chips. I think I may try to recreate that burger..maybe this Memorial Day party will be a burger bar instead of a hot dog bar!

Dinner Out: The Cellars Restaurant

So what are two people to do when their 12 year-old has a church lock-in and the YMCA is offering Parent's Night Out for the 4 year-old? Go out to dinner of course!! The husband and I had snagged some super cheap Restaurant.com certificates over the holidays and this opportunity presented itself to use them. I made the decision we should try a place we have been meaning to go to, but for whatever reason hadn't made it there for a meal yet. We decided on The Cellars restaurant.

Located in the "cellar" of The Church Point Manorhouse Bed and Breakfast in the Virginia Beach neighborhood of Church Point, I was immediately struck by how beautiful the setting was, even in cold drizzle. It was a quiet night and they sat us near the fireplace:

The restaurant has a very nice wine list. We had already decided we were in a Pinot Noir mood and after having a great experience with an Oregon winery once before, we selected the 2009 Argyle Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

Whenever we use a gift certificate or Groupon or any kind, we usually splurge on an appetizer. I had reviewed the menu on their website and was immediately drawn to their hush puppies not just because I happen to enjoy hush puppies, but also these words: Edward’s Surry Ham Pimento Cheese. I cannot remember if in any blog I have ever shared my love of pimento cheese, but I have one. My grandmother used to make the most wonderful pimento cheese and I still crave it to this day! The plate did not disappoint:

My husband enjoyed the pickles the most and I was free to indulge in all of that pimento cheese! 

We were also presented with an amuse bouche to start our evening which sadly did not photograph well if only because I did not have a chance to set my camera just right for fear my husband was going to eat my portion! It was a thick square of apple smoked bacon topped with homemade potato salad and crisp potato straws. Enough said.

Then it was entree time. I have mentioned before my husband's love of crab cakes so it was no surprise he went straight for them on the menu. The baby spinach was a win for him too:

My entree is ultimately why I chose this restaurant for this particular night. Osso Bucco is a favorite of mine. Traditionally made with veal shank, the chef at The Cellars used pork shank. Between that, the bourbon sweet tea braising and the Israeli Cous Cous Mac and Cheese, I was sold. I may have cried had they been out of it.

The husband helped me eat some of that mac and cheese which was incredible and may prove to be a future inspiration for a dish of my own. The "star of the plate" as they say was indeed the pork; tender, flavorful,falling off the bone and the reduction was a perfect compliment.

Despite New Year's resolutions and making a personal practice to minimize sugar, no dinner out is complete without dessert. Frankly, I have been very good with my sweets intake and have been sticking to only one sweet treat a week. Sweets in all honesty have never been my downfall. I could have gained 10 pounds just eating pimento cheese! Anyway, we decided on their chocolate torte with caramel sauce and candied hazelnuts. I think the picture speaks for itself.

It was a beautiful meal and a beautiful setting. Thank you to our server Anna and to everyone who had a hand in our delicious meal and wonderful evening!

Travel Spot: Hubert Keller's Burger Bar - Las Vegas

Sorting through digital photographs after we returned from our weekend away, I discovered not only do I take pictures of EVERYTHING but I also sometimes forget what I photograph. case in point, our recent trip to Las Vegas and my personal goal to hit as many Top Chef Masters restaurants as possible. This beauty drew us in to the restaurant before we even knew that Hubert Keller was behind it.

This is the Nutella Shake at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar. You read it right a NUTELLA SHAKE and those nuggets on top are hazelnuts. Nutella, chocolate ice cream chocolate sauce and chocolate whipped cream... dessert perfection and delicious.

However, this dessert wasn't enough when I saw these pictured in the menu:

These are the flower pot sundaes and in order from left to right: chocolate coffee, strawberry graham and chocolate marshmallow. Yep, also delicious.

I'd like to add, this was the last place we ate our last day in Vegas but not the first time we ended up at Burger Bar. We had talked about that Nutella shake the first time we walked by the menu and kept putting off our visit. Than the Saturday night of our friend's wedding and after a wine tasting event...we were starved  and stumbled in to eat. We ordered the Hubert Keller burger: buffalo meat, caramelized onions, baby spinach, blue cheese on a ciabatta bun with a red wine shallot sauce...there is no photo because there was no time. As my friend Kandice would say: Freakin' Fantastic!

Travel Spot: Las Vegas - Border Grill

The final Top Chef Masters restaurant of our Vegas trip was Border Grill one of 3 locations (plus a truck and a  "stop") operated by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. I had already gotten the info from the bride that her lunch there had been amazing so my husband and I were really looking forward to our lunch there. On Saturday and Sunday Border Grill does do a brunch but the main menu beckoned...as did the guacamole:

as did the strawberry sangria:

Then frankly I was stumped because there was so much to choose from. Luckily for me, the chef highlights on the menu his favorite selections so I went for the Poblano Chicken Torta which was grilled marinated chicken breast with jalapeño bacon (how could that be bad!), poblano aioli, saint andré cheese, roasted poblanos, caramelized onions and avocado with smoked paprika fries on the side.

My husband went for the Chicken Chilaquiles: crispy corn tortillas, tomatillo salsa, shredded chicken, manchego, panela and cotija cheeses with mixed baby greens with cilantro lime dressing.

He said it was like an extremely elevated version of chicken nachos...I explained if I made MY chicken nachos with manchego and other high dollar cheeses, mine would be elevated too!

Everything was sooo good and may ruin me on Mexican food for a while!

Travel Spot: Las Vegas - Aureole

Upon arriving in Las Vegas my fiscally responsible husband and I decided we were going to splurge one night for dinner and go all out. Obviously we had a myriad of choices but we finally settled on Charlie Palmer's Aureole...which if you are unfamiliar with you will be able to see from this picture, has a fascinating feature.

This beautiful restaurant houses a four-story, temperature controlled glass and steel wine tower which is the largest in the world. I fill these pages with food but I am a huge fan of wine as well so this was a huge hook for me! See it up close:

With literally thousands of wines to choose from my husband were curious how a person gets through a wine list like that! Here's how:

Yes, that's my husband perusing Aureole's wine list, conveniently housed on a notebook computer. You choose your color, region, type etc and create a wish list of sorts that you can discuss with your server. It is quite possibly one of the most amazing wine related things I have ever seen!


With our wine chosen, it was off to the food and we both decided the delicious Pinot Noir we chose begged to start our evening with a delicious cheese plate. Okay purists, technically cheese plates are considered "dessert" but I like my cheese prior to my meal as an appetizer and what a lovely and delicious one it was:

I can barely pronounce and could not spell the delicious varieties we had, but according to his online menu we had L'EDEL DE CLERON, IDIAZABAL, MONTE ENEBRO,CAPRI HERB GOAT, ROBIOLA, and CAPRICIOUS AGED GOAT. Sorry to shout but sooo delicious!

Then it was off to entrees. I really wanted steak (I mean Charlie Palmer sort of equals steak right?) so I went with the blue cheese crusted beef tenderloin conveniently served with a pinot noir jus!

Hubby the tuna lover went for the seared ahi tuna loin served with a citron potato gratin. It may look delicate and light but my husband said it filled him up and was incredible (a little secret, he made the "O" face!)

Our evening there was amazing and even though we didn't choose a dessert they still served us the house petit fours (which I regret to say were eaten so quickly I forgot to photograph them). A delicious evening and since Mr. Palmer also has a New York location, I believe we'll be enjoying his food again some day soon!

Travel Spot: Las Vegas - Rick Moonen's RM Seafood

One of my goals on the trip to Las Vegas was to try and hit as many Top Chef Masters' restaurants I could. So how convenient that my hubby and I stayed at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino which housed several delicious restaurants, many of which had chefs that have been a part of Top Chef or competed on Top Chef Masters. With so many options and so little time, we made the decision to try and go to as many restaurants as possible and so as not to break the bank, sample various items versus having full menus at every location. We started with a lunchtime meal at Rick Moonen's RM Seafood.

Mr. Moonen is the champion of sustainable seafood and we had already heard how delicious his halibut was from the bride-to-be but upon looking over the menu, one item caught our eye: BBQ Pork Mac N'Cheese. As many times as I make pork barbecue in my house I never thought of putting it in macaroni and cheese?  Of course we had to have seafood and what better way to experience the freshness of seafood than sushi. We went with the Futo-Fireball roll: king crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy char, tobiko, kabayaki and wasabi citrus aioli. Incredible with the right amount of heat and definitely let the freshness of the seafood shine. We also ordered the crab cake which was light and of course delicious, but the star of that plate was the jicama with chipotle aioli...I almost licked the plate and cannot wait to find a way to recreate it at home! We finished our little smorgasbord with edamame served with Mediterranean sea salt and togarashi (a Japanese chili pepper spice that is now something else I need in my pantry!).

We loved our meal and if I ever go back to Vegas....I am coming prepared to dine there, and dine well!

Wordless Wednesday: Yummy Dinner at The Public House

Travel Spot: Culinary Dropout

Going through my photos I realized I never shared one of my favorite dining experiences while I was in Phoenix, a fabulous place in Scottsdale called Culinary Dropout. My friends raved about this "gastro-pub" with it's drink options and food of high quality and creativity and reasonable prices. When I walked in, the interior was so cool!

And the wait staff looks like they could just be clientele...jeans, flannels, rock star hair....an awesome ambience to say the least.

The menu was so unique but because at this point I had a very impatient and whiny 3-year old on my hands, I went straight for the drinks...and saw this drink appropriately called "Bells and Whistles": Maker’s Mark, bell Pepper Jalapeno Simple, basil, honey, and Lemon. and it was DELICIOUS!

Now any one who knows me, knows I am a sucker for gnocchi  (although I have still not mustered the courage to make Fabio's gnocchi recipe yet) and I have tried it at many a place. So when I saw "ricotta gnocchi with sausage and mushrooms" my mind was made up. 

and every bite was a creamy and savory delight...almost pushes me that much harder to try my own gnocchi...I'll let you guys know of course if I do. Regardless, next time I am in Arizona, this place will be on the list to return to...and maybe next time WITHOUT kids!

Travel Spot: Litchfield's at Wigwam Resort of Arizona

So the hubby, son and I traveled to Arizona to see a very dear friend of mine and her family. We arrived on a Thursday and left on the following Monday, but even with a short trip we had a great visit, enjoyed the weather and ate very well.

One of of our meals was on Mother's Day: a brunch my friend made reservations for at a restaurant located at the Wigwam Resort in Glendale, Arizona. Litchfield's  put together a great brunch set-up with the starters and dessert being served buffet style and then each individual chose their own freshly made entrée.

If I have never espoused my love for lamb on this blog or even if this is a restate of a previous exclamation: I LOVE LAMB! So I thrilled when I saw a mixed grill of lamb chops and shrimp and no one at the table was the least bit surprised when I ordered it. Even better, it came served atop a mushroom and goat cheese tart atop a bed of spinach....

Feel free to lick the screen.

It was in fact just as delicious as it looks...with perfectly grilled chops and shrimp and a luscious flaky tart I can't wait to attempt to recreate. And honestly I am also a sucker for presentation and the wooden skewer of shrimp perched int he chops and then stacked on the other items was a feast for the eyes as well.

I could eat there again...maybe I'll even take a look at the rest of the resort next time!

Dinner Out: Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro

I certainly love cooking and consequently eating, but I also love having the opportunity to go out to dinner and let someone else do the hard work for me (and of course get some more ideas for myself to try at home!) Recently, hubby and I took a Saturday night when we didn't have our daughter, put our son with a sitter and headed out for a nice meal.

Our choice was Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro located in Virginia Beach's Town Center. Known of it's wine as the title implies and with over 300 varieties on premises, it is also a spot for delicious food. Hubby and I had dined there previously but it had been almost 5 years ago and for no other reason than we just forgot to go back!

So of course we started with wine ( I love Catena's malbecs) and we also started with a lovely crab and artichoke dip.

Then when our server mentioned that the chef had a caprese salad as his special tonight, I couldn't resist and if this picture is any clue, it was fabulous!

With tomato season to look forward to I am all about making my own version. Not sure if I am ready to make my own mozzarella as they do at the restaurant, but I'll be willing to pay for a super nice balsamic to even try to come close to this deliciousness!

Dinner was also divine...and I wish I could remember all of the delicious ingredients that made up this beef tenderloin over a risotto cake served with asparagus:

I only wish I had kept out my camera for dessert but honestly, it wasn't on the table for more than 10 minutes before it was devoured. Again, the server only said a few words and I was hooked. In this case those words were: Crème Brûlée, bourbon, chocolate and pecans. Enough said.


Thanks Sonoma for a memorable early anniversary dinner.

Travel Spot: Ben's Chili Bowl

I love shows about food and the Travel Channel's Man v. Food is no exception! In fact, it's a favorite in our house the whole family enjoys and we have often talked about visiting some of the sites host Adam Richman has in his show.

Well, this Saturday, we went to McLean, VA to visit friends and as we usually day, planned a day trip into Washington D.C. for part of our weekend. I insisted we try out Ben's Chili Bowl which had been featured on Man v. Food AND because I love, I mean love chili dogs.( My husband can attest to this since I think my diet when I was pregnant with our son consisted of about 50% chili dogs at some point during the 9 months).

Anyway, we went there for lunch at 1:30PM on a Saturday. We expected a line and there was one but it moved pretty quickly (15-20 minutes total) and soon we were inside ordering at the counter and watching them grill hot dogs and their signature "half-smokes" and smelling chili. 

We had hungry kids and the place was small, and loud and crowded as we placed our order but can I tell you how wonderfully sweet the folks behind the counter were? Even as I attempted to pass myself off as someone who knew what they were ordering, I got a "sweetie" , several smiles and when she told me she would bring the food to us and bring the check later...I didn't care if it was the best chili ever, it made my day.

So, the four of us sat down to one plain hot dog for the little guy, a large bowl of chili for hubby, a small bowl of chili for the 11-year old, one chocolate milkshake, 1 vanilla milkshake, 1 basket of fries, and for me, the famous chili half-smoke. Let me again remind you that I love chili and love chili dogs and then I will say BEST CHILI DOG EVER!! My son said "Mommy, I REALLY like this hot dog place!" And when my dear step-daughter said it was the best chili she ever had (even better than mine), I knew our trip had been really worth it (and that I need to tweak my own recipe some...LOL)!

So thanks to Ben's Chili Bowl for a wonderful family lunch and a great experience.