Quote of the Week: Mind, Body, and Food

"Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body."

--Cicero

Porthole

If you go to Maine everyone will tell you that you have to eat a lobster roll. It’s just one of those things—like hot dogs at Coney Island, cheese steaks in Philadelphia, grits in the South, and cow meat in Texas. So on a gray and overcast Portland day, my lovely hostess, Susan, and I headed out to the Porthole for a lobster roll.

Well, the Porthole doesn’t exactly offer a classic lobster roll but rather they serve a Lobsta Sandwich. Their menu describes it as “our spin on a lobster roll. We start with fresh picked Maine lobster meat, aioli, lettuce and pile it on our own buttery brioche bread.” So if you are looking for the more common lobster meat on a hot dog roll then you need to go elsewhere (though you won’t have to go far in Maine). But if you want a delicious interpretation of the lobster roll then you’ve come to the right place.

First we ordered a cup of clam chowder, New England style of course, garnished with thick chunks of crispy bacon. The chowder was nice and creamy without being too heavy. I was actually able to eat the whole serving and still had room for more afterwards—this is a major feat for me! I often avoid creamy soups if I plan on eating a lot more at the meal because it usually fills me up too much. There were big pieces of potato and lots of luscious little clams, and all the flavors melded into the creamy broth. It was superb.


Next came the lobster sandwich. I’ve never had a huge affinity for lobster nor have I had a great dislike for it. Lobster to me is good, but it’s never high on the top of my list. Until now. When the sandwich arrived it was overflowing with chunks of lobster that were white and smooth and tinged with the most beautiful red coloring. It looked fantastic, and when I took a bite I realized that it's not that I'm not thrilled about lobster, I’d just never had it the way it was supposed to be—fresh. I have to believe that the lobster was literally picked out the ocean, thrown in a pot of water, and put on my sandwich. And then it went in my mouth and made my taste buds and me very happy.


My favorite thing about seafood is that no matter what incarnation you get of it, it always taste like the ocean. And yet each sea creature embodies the flavor of the ocean in a different way. Lobster has more of a meatiness to it—it’s tender and light and yet still hearty and it captured the brininess of the Atlantic ocean exquisitely. The Porthole respected the flavors of lobster in their preparation of it for the sandwich, allowing the fresh ocean taste to shine with the aioli and delicate, buttery brioche.

The fries that accompanied my sandwich were fantastic, but Susan's onion rings were on a whole different level. They were the way onion rings are supposed to me, sliced thin, lightly battered, and fried until crispy. There was none of that thick, overpowering batter that distracts from the onions and makes them heavy--these were absolutely amazing. Next time I'll be ordering the onion rings for myself.


With salt in the air and a cool ocean breeze coming in across the water, sitting outside at the Porthole and eating fresh, delicious clam chowder and lobster was the perfect introduction to Portland, Maine. I’ll definitely be back.

Song of the Week: Rock Lobster

Harbor Fish Market

In Portland, Maine, the taste of salt and seafood is in the air, so obviously I love it there. On the first of what is sure to be many trips to Portland, I went to the Harbor Fish Market where I gazed upon the beauty that is fresh fish and shellfish. Here's some photographs for your enjoyment!

Sometimes Life Hands You Lemons...

Sometimes life hands you lemons. This annoying phenomena is a just a part of living on this chaotic earth in this crazy universe.


But sometimes life hands you Meyer lemons and you squeeze them into a marinade composed of olive oil, champagne vinegar, sea salt, fresh-ground pepper, herbs de Provence, ground Dalmation sage, bay leaf, and other assorted herbs. So instead of crying over sour lemons you marinate some chicken and cook dinner in what might be the nicest kitchen you’ve ever utilized.


You also roast some fingerling potatoes with fresh rosemary and garlic and top them off with some fresh chives. In a pan on the stove you cook up some baby broccoli—a hybrid of broccoli and kale—with luscious olive oil and chicken broth.


You also throw together a little oyster mushroom creation where you brown oyster mushrooms in olive oil and butter and let them simmer in a little chicken broth. It just happens to be the perfect accompaniment to the crispy potatoes.


A salad created by your hostess combines the best of all fresh produce: farmer’s market mixed greens, avocados, and tomatoes, lightly tossed in olive oil and vinegar. It’s the perfect complement to your other creations.

Then you share that dinner with caring people who have welcomed you into their home in Portland, Maine.


Such is life when it hands you Meyer lemons. And by “you,” of course, I mean “me.” This is my life. And I love it. I have to say that my life is pretty damn good. I’m blessed that right now everything is falling into an eerie balance. I don’t want to disturb it, just appreciate it, and yet there is that element of treading lightly. Do I dare disturb the universe? Do I dare to eat a peach?

Yes, I do dare. Happiness is there for the taking and our lives our own making.

Sometimes life does hand you lemons, but sometimes it hands you good friends, loving family, decadent dark chocolate, ripe strawberries, luscious wine, briny and buttery oysters, melt-in-your-mouth foie gras, sexy olives, crispy chicken, and a beautiful world. What can we do but accept when our plate is overflowing that we’ve got it made? We don’t know when the universe could snatch it all away from us, so we might as well appreciate what we’ve got. And when that heavenly buffet does close to me, you know I’ll be holding on tight…knife and fork in hand, ready to bite in to whatever the universe has got waiting for me.

Jones

The night after Buddakan and M.I.A., Lara and I woke up relatively bright and early on Monday and headed out in search of a good Philadelphia breakfast. We just had two things on our minds—mimosas (or some variety of brunch cocktail) and eggs. We wandered around for a while and were just starting to think we needed to ask for advice when Lara pointed to Lush across the street. Lush, which deals in all natural bath and body products, is one of my favorite places in the world, and luckily they have locations in many major cities. Score. After getting a decadent hand treatment and picking out the many luscious goods that we couldn’t resist, one of the salespeople suggested trying Jones for breakfast. We took her advice and headed over to 700 Chestnut Street to check it out.

When we arrived we discovered that they only served breakfast on weekends, but the lunch looked great and they did have the brunchy cocktails we were in search of. Perfect. And it became even more perfect when we realized they had a huge offering of grilled cheese sandwiches. But which to try?

While we weighed the options of the different grilled cheeses we each ordered a Morning Glory, which consisted of Danzka Grapefruit Vodka, grapefruit juice, and champagne. I do believe I prefer this drink to a traditional mimosa. Lara summed it up nicely as she said, "It's like a mimosa with a punch." It was more light and refreshing and less sweet than a mimosa. The grapefruit juice also offered a little more of a bite, although that could have been the vodka as well. In any case, it was the perfect way to start the day and pregame for grilled cheese.


We came up with the brilliant idea to each order the grilled cheese that appealed to us most and then swap a half a sandwich with one another. We also opted for the fries with the sandwiches rather than the other option of a side salad because, really, who actually prefers a salad to fries?

I ordered the Brie grilled cheese, which came with black forest ham, granny smith apples, and honey dijon on raisin nut bread. The Brie was lovely and creamy and there was just the right amount of ham. The granny smith apples were sliced nice and thin, offering just a hint of sweetness and crunch. But the raisin nut bread was incredible. Who makes a grilled cheese on raisin nut bread? Jones does, that’s who. And they are brilliant. The combination of salty and sweet was absolutely perfect. It was the most decadent grilled cheese I’ve ever consumed.


Lara ordered the cheddar grilled cheese with roast turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on pullman white bread. Wow. “It’s like Thanksgiving in a grilled cheese sandwich,” she remarked. And she was absolutely right. Just imagine the best parts of Thanksgiving on delicious, thick bread all held together with gooey, melted cheese. I’m salivating just thinking about it.


Jones was a great place for an accidental lunch even though we’d had out hearts set on breakfast. As soon as we saw the lunch menu we forgot all about our craving for eggs and hash browns. Jones is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Philadelphia and in the mood for the most tasty grilled cheeses on the planet! I was sad to say goodbye to Philly and to Lara, but at least my stomach was satisfied.

Buddakan

I recently reunited with one of my good friends from college—Lara (aka Nimbo Stratus)—in Philly, where we caught up, balled out, and hit up an M.I.A. concert. We met up at the hotey on a Sunday and made plans for the night, which of course included dinner.

“So,” asked Lara, “where do you want to go? I assumed you would have already figured out all the best places to eat around here.”

Her question caught me by surprise. Yes, I normally would have something all planned and ready to go if it involved food, but I had nothing. Nothing at all. So while Lara jumped in the shower to get ready to go out I went to the Internet. Urbanspoon, a Web site I link my restaurant reviews to, is usually a good bet so I went there first. On the list of the top ten restaurants in Philly was Morimoto. Now that was pretty tempting. He’s my favorite Iron Chef, and I’d salivated over the menu at Morimoto a year ago when I scoped it out online. But then I noticed Buddakan on the top of the list. I was intrigued.

Lara and I looked at the menu together and determined that Buddakan looked absolutely amazing. So we made reservations, drank a bottle of Veuve Clicquot to pass the time, and headed out into the night.

When we arrived at Buddakan the restaurant was beautiful. We walked in and were greeted a waterfall, a glowing red dining room, and a radiant, gold Buddha. Nice.

We were in a little bit of a time constraint because we had to head out to the concert afterward, so we decided to just order a couple of appetizers and split an entree. But first came drinks. The Dream was phenomenal: Bombay gin, elderflower cordial, thyme, and fresh lime juice. Simply delicious. I love a good creative cocktail, and all the ones on the Buddakan menu looked incredible.



For an appetizer we decided to split crispy shrimp and scallop spring rolls served with plum and spicy mustard sauces. We also opted to try the edamame ravioli in a truffle scented Sauternes-shallot broth. The spring rolls were wonderful, but the edamame ravioli was out of this world. I’ve never heard of such a thing before, and I hope it catches on because the filling was creamy and satisfying while the broth burst with a delicate layering of flavors. Just to try the edamame ravioli is a worth a visit to Buddakan.



For an entrée we shared the lobster fried rice with crispy scallops and Chinese celery. I have high standards for fried rice having lived in China for a summer, but Buddakan delivered. The lobster and scallops were perfect and the rice was had that quintessential fried-rice tastiness without being overly greasy.


Everything was loaded with incredible flavors, and we definitely picked the right dishes to share. The portion sizes were perfect for the two of us, and when we finished we were both satisfied and yet not too full. The last thing you want before a concert is the itis, and Buddakan left us with plenty of energy.

The service was also great. All the dishes came out quickly, which was fabulous since we needed to make it to the Electric Factory for the concert. Unfortunately, M.I.A. was weak sauce on our tasty Buddakan dinner, but it was still a great night.

If you find yourself in Philadelphia and want to treat yourself to a lovely dinner then you should definitely check out Buddakan. They have locations in New York City and Atlantic City as well, which are apt to be just as delicious.

Quote of the Week: Cup of Tea

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

--C. S. Lewis

Wine N Diner

The other weekend I took a little jaunt up to Albany, and that can only mean one thing: Girls’ Night! This fabulous tradition started last spring as we met up every Thursday night for wine, gossip, and good estrogen-filled times. The craziness of summer interrupted our regular meetings, but we still got together whenever possible. These are my Albany ladies, and I love them, so when I knew I was going to be in town there was no way I wasn’t going to see these good friends.

We would usually meet up at one of our apartments, but for this Girls’ Night we decided to venture out on the town and hit up Wine N Diner, a fairly new restaurant located at 544 Delaware Avenue. The interior of the restaurant definitely had that diner feel, but the menu was elevated above the typical diner fare.

We started off the meal with fried Brie. Fried Brie? Yes, fried Brie. I can die happy now. It was like mozzarella sticks but better. Huge pieces of Brie were fried to crispy perfection and served with a drizzle of balsamic. The Brie melted beautifully inside its crunchy shell, and we devoured the appetizer within just a few minutes.


As I looked over the menu I noticed they had fried oysters as an appetizer. “Mmm,” I said, “I may need to get these fried oysters.”

My girl Randy leaned over the table and pointed to the Gulf Coaster on the BLT section (they have an entire part of the menu devoted to BLTs. That’s my idea of heaven.). The Gulf Coast consisted of fried oysters, Cajun shrimp, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and creole remoulade. “I know what I’m getting,” I announced. No question about it—I needed this sandwich in my life.


And it was amazing. I would never have thought of putting fried oysters on a BLT, but now I can’t imagine a world without it. They offered a nice crispiness but also a little pop of succulent oceanic flavor in the BLT. The Cajun shrimp were also nice and slightly spicy, but the oysters were the star of the sandwich. The bacon was nice and crispy, the lettuce and tomato had a clean, fresh flavor, and the bread was perfectly toasted.


To accompany the BLT I opted for a Bloody Samurai, a creative spin on the Bloody Mary. It had sake, tomato juice, pineapple, and wasabi—clean, refreshing, and satisfying. The wasabi really popped against the coolness of the tomato juice. It was an excellent match for the Gulf Coaster.


Heather and I were foodie twins that night, and we ordered the exact same meal and drink. Great minds think alike, or perhaps great stomachs crave the same amazing food.


Randy opted for the Elvis—peanut butter, banana, and bacon. Mmmmm. I tried a bite and it was incredible. I never would have put those ingredients together, so thank the lord for Elvis Presley. He knew what was up. The combination of sweet and salty and creamy was great, and it made Randy very, very happy.



Sara went for the macaroni and cheese and an order of Spanikorizo. The mac and cheese was nice and creamy and seemed to have some sort of fancy cheese melted in. I love when restaurants take a homey classic and give it a little bit of sophistication without taking it over the top—Wine N Diner does it right.


The Spanikorizo was super garlicky and tasty. I wish their menu was up on their Web site because I can’t recall what was mixed into that dish, but everything tasted fresh, healthy, and, yes, it was loaded with lots of garlic!


If you are in the Capitol Region and looking for a good sandwich or an elevated classic dish you should definitely check out Wine N Diner. They’ve also got a nice selection of wine, beer, and drinks, so if you want to unwind with a fancy BLT, a glass of wine, and some of your friends, it’s the place to be.

Vesta

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy where I moved to in New Jersey, but living in Jersey in general makes me crave the New York experience like nothing else. After settling in at my new digs, I knew I had to make a trip into the city. It was time. On a recent Saturday night I headed out to Bayside, Queens, for a fabulous night of celebrating the birth of my friend Eric and reuniting with many old college friends I hadn’t seen in years.

But Sunday means brunch, and after stumbling around for a couple of hours after I woke up I ventured in to Astoria to celebrate yet another birthday—this time for a fabulous lady named Cassi. This celebration, however, revolved primarily around eggs and hashbrowns rather than the previous nights’ debauchery of drinks, food, a DJ, hot tub, pool, and bottle of Jim Beam.

Brunch was at Vesta. I stumbled out of the cab, still half in the bag, and into a nice, small restaurant located at 21-02 30th Avenue in Astoria, Queens, NY.

The lovely ladies who greeted me were my sister’s friends, and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them. I sat. We chatted. We laughed. We waited for the other girls to show up. Unfortunately there was not a Bloody Mary in sight. I’d been craving hair of the dog since I woke up, so I settled for a mimosa, which was still quite delightful.

We were all so hungry as we waited for the last lady to join us that we decided to order a Hangover Pizza in the meantime. The pizza was out of this world. It was ultra-thin crust with potatoes, pancetta, sausage, fried eggs, and spicy tomato sauce. We dove in with gusto and devoured this culinary gift to those who partied too hard the night before. The yolk of the eggs oozed out over the hearty pizza and it was a short time before we’d finished the whole thing. This pizza was what everyone hopes to get out of brunch but too often has to settle for simple eggs and toast. Not that there’s anything wrong with eggs and toast, but when you know that a Hangover Pizza exists, nothing else will ever suffice.


I really wanted a Warm Bankie (fried eggs with polenta, asparagus, mushrooms, and truffle oil), but when I ordered it the server informed us that they were out of polenta and not making the dish that day. I contemplated asking them if they could just substitute bacon for the polenta, but instead I opted for the L’Italiano, which consisted of poached eggs, grilled Italian bread, hot sopressata, and ricotta. Damn. It was good. The yellow yolk oozed out over the sopressata and ricotta, which was spread thin on the grilled Italian bread. Every bite was hearty and satisfying with that rustic quality that meats like sopressata embody. The hashbrowns that accompanied it were also delicious.


As our breakfast plates were pulled away the server presented us with dessert menus. We groaned in our inability to eat anything more, but Kathleen looked at us all with a devilish smile and sparkle in her eye and suggested the chocolate ganache. We couldn’t resist, and I’m so glad we couldn’t. The chocolate gananche was decadent and rich, with a drizzle of caramel, and that nice element of salt with a sprinkling of peanuts. This is exactly what a candy bar should taste like. Luscious chocolate, sticky caramel, and salty peanuts. It was like a Snickers, but so much better. It also came with fresh whipped cream, which just makes everything in life seem more bright.


The menu at Vesta changes with the season so don’t expect to be able to get these exact dishes when you go there. Just be prepared for a fantastic meal based on exceptional, local ingredients paired with a nice selection of wine and wine-based drinks. Enjoy!

MetroVino

This is my last Portland post, which makes me a bit sad, but so it goes. Well, it’s my last Portland, Oregon, post…from this trip anyways. And since I’m writing this while sitting in a lovely house in Portland, Maine (another foodie city), there will many more tasty posts to follow...

But back to Oregon. Before taking a red eye home to New York State, I spent my last evening in Portland at the fantastic MetroVino in the Pearl District.

MetroVino was suggested to me back in July when I mentioned to a couple in Albany that I was going to Portland and that I wanted to go out for at least one fancy and decadent dinner during my trip. They immediately began gushing about MetroVino, and it turned out that the executive chef happened to be one of their cousins. Score. I scoped out the menu online and knew that I had to make it happen. Everything sounded so delicious, and the extensive wine list tempted me all the way from across the country.

On a Saturday night we stepped into MetroVino in style. The restaurant was sleek, elegant, and inviting. We were seated at a spacious table and within a few minutes our server brought us a special little amuse-bouche sent out by Chef Gregory Denton. There was apricot, avocado, and even a little piece of popcorn. I loved the mix of salty, savory, and sweet, and the playfulness of the presentation was delightful. Shortly after that Chef Greg came by to say hello. There’s nothing like meeting a chef to make a foodie happy.


As I looked over the wine and bar menu I wanted to try everything. Wouldn’t you want to taste a Pink Lady (Plymouth Gin, applejack, lemon, egg white, and grenadine, served straight up), a Dark and Stormy (Gosling Dark Rum, Cock & Bull ginger beer, served on the rocks), or a Cucumber Caipirosca (Stoli Citron, lemon, and cucumber, served on the rocks)? All the cocktails sounded fantastic, but we went for the wine.

MetroVino has an exceptional wine selection, which was actually quite daunting. How does one choose when everything sounds so amazing? Thank goodness for text messaging—we soon had Cam’s suggestion for an exquisite Bordeaux.

And by exquisite I mean expensive.

The wine was a 1988 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien Second Growth Bordeaux from France. It was $14 for a tasting glass. Yes, that’s right—$14 for 1.75 ounces of wine. It was totally worth it. A whole bottle was $210. Maybe someday I’ll be baller enough to afford a $210 bottle of wine, but I’m not there yet.


It tasted amazing when it arrived at the table, but our server encouraged us to let it open up. So we sipped on the tasting glass throughout the meal. Every sip yielded a different taste. The flavors really did evolve and deepen over the meal. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe such a lovely wine, but some that kind to mind are “deep-colored, powerful, ripe, exquisitely well-balanced and perfectly harmonious.” Okay, I just lifted that off the winery's Web site, but the description really is spot on.

But 1.75 ounces of wine is not enough for two people, and even though that Dark and Stormy was tempting me on the cocktail menu, wine just seemed more appropriate. We selected a bottle of 2007 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir from Loire Valley, France. Although it was perhaps not on the same level as the Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, it was still a superb Bordeaux. This delightful red wine paired perfectly with our delicious dinner.


Even though we’d gotten oysters the day before I couldn’t resist getting more succulent, buttery West Coast oysters. We hadn’t discussed getting an appetizer but when the server asked if we wanted one, I just said yeah, let’s do this. Oysters for both of us. They came out in little serving spoons, already removed from the shell. Each oyster was prepared with a different sauce. One had cucumber mignonette, another came with ponzu wasabi, and last was with horseradish cocktail sauce. Each had that lovely ocean taste, and the different preparations brought out different layers of flavor of the oyster. They were all excellent.


I ordered a special, and I’m not quite sure if this covers all the components, but there was lamb, sage gnocci, zucchini, and pine nuts. The lamb just melted in my mouth. I simply love the taste of baby animals. Can you say decadent? Yes, please.


At one point I took a bite of crispy sage and literally stopped paying attention to the world around me as I sat back and appreciated the culinary experience going on in my mouth.

Adam ordered the grilled maple-brined pork chop with crispy roasted chile polenta, hazelnut chimichurri, tomatoes, and padron peppers. Again, the dish was amazing. I’m not usually a big fan of polenta, but this preparation was perfect. I mean, just look at that picture. How could there be anything wrong with this dish? All the flavors complemented each other like magic. Wonderful.


MetroVino has the kind of food where every little taste makes you smile…and stop mid-sentence just to appreciate the delicate layering of flavors in each mouthful. Each bite of dinner was exceptional. The wine was exquisite. It was the perfect way to end my trip to Portland.

And so, with a satiated stomach, a refreshed soul, and a half a bottle of red wine flowing through me, I boarded my plane, looked out at the night sky, and bid the West Coast adieu…but it won't be long before I return.