First Sip - Jailbreak Brewing Company

In case you haven't been paying attention, HoCo is about to get two breweries. The first is Jailbreak Brewing and their grand opening is this Saturday (the 26th) at noon.

I had the pleasure of visiting their tasting room and sampling some of their beers a few weeks ago. The space is inviting and the beers are great. My favorite beers were the Made Wit Basil and the Stout. The Big Punisher double IPA was also delicious. And while I'm not a big fan of pepper beers (having been literally burned by Stone's Crime), the Welcome to Scoville is really good, with only a hint of jalapeno spice.

Leading into opening weekend, Jailbreak will be doing some limited growler fills on Friday from 3:00-7:00. They won't be allowing on-site consumption during this time, but the will offer a free growler with the purchase of a fill or 20% off of a growler fill (for anyone that already bought a Jailbreak growler). 

To taste at the source, you'll need to visit tor the grand-opening weekend. They will be open from 12:00-10:00 PM on Saturday and 12:00-6:00 PM on Sunday. Along with delicious beers, they will have some local food trucks in the parking lot. hocofood@@@

hocofood@@@

Sushi Nari Columbia

Sushi Nari (Kings Contrivance Village Center)

There’s no excuse for why it’s taken me this long to write about Sushi Nari in Kings Contrivance. We eat there at least monthly, if not more often. In fact, last week, we ate there twice in the span of four days. It’s our go-to sushi and it’s my six year-old daughter’s self-proclaimed favorite restaurant (even if she eats only miso soup, avocado rolls, and edamame).

We mostly get carry-out, but we’ve dined in many times as well. The fish is always fresh, the presentation is great, and the service is friendly and efficient. The standard rolls at Nari are great. And we almost always order at least one tuna or tuna/avocado and one spicy tuna roll. But the specialty rolls are also great. Standouts include the Firecracker Roll (white and red tuna, rolled with sushi rice, flash fried and topped with a special sauce), the French Roll (shrimp tempura with real crab), and the Yummy Yummy (shrimp tempura and avocado inside with spicy tuna, tempura flakes, and special sauce).

The lunch special at Nari is the real hit. For $10, you get 10 pieces Nigiri (your choice), a roll of your choice, soup, and a house salad. The Nigiri pieces aren’t huge. If they were, I wouldn’t be able to eat 10 at lunch. But they are always fresh and delicious. And this way, I get a really nice variety of fish. And of course, the meal ends with Nari’s cinnamon tea.

Nari doesn’t have a website. But they have a Facebook page. And you can find their menu (and get delivery) via CarryOutMenu.com.

It was actually something my daughter said, that prompted this post. We got carry-out with some friends on Saturday and one friend mentioned that he thinks Nari is the best sushi in Columbia and that he will be heartbroken if they close. He says he’s almost always the only person in there when he gets carry-out. I’m always a little surprised at how uncrowded the restaurant is. But they seem to do good lunch business and good evening carry-out.

Either way, my daughter overheard the conversation and in the car on the way home said “I don’t want Sushi Nari to close. It’s my favorite restaurant!” So don’t break a little girl’s heart. Get out there and try Sushi Nari.  hocofood@@@

First Taste: Xitomate

My mom is in town for a few days, so that means Mrs. P90 and I got to have a kid-free dinner date. When discussing where to go, we decided we should branch out from the old favorites and try something new. Luckily, Mrs. P90 had just heard good things about Xitomate from a friend. We looked at the menu and based on cocktails alone, we decided to give them a shot. Luckily, both the food and drinks were outstanding.

We arrived at Xitomate around 7:30 last night, had our choice of tables, and were seated immediately. I was surprised by how un-crowded they were. Maybe it’s because they are new or just because it was a Sunday night? Either way, they are having their grand opening this week, so hopefully that will change things.

I started off with the Tepache con Pique and the Mrs. had a Paloma. I frequently make a “fancy Paloma” with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (based on a recipe from the Post’s Jason Wilson). However, a real Paloma is made with grapefruit soda – and the one at Xitomate is made with Squirt. My understanding of Tepache is that it’s made by boiling Mexican brown sugar and cinnamon, steeping pineapple (including the rind), and then allowing it to ferment naturally over a few days. However Xitomate is making it, when paired with tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar it’s tart, just a little spicy, and near perfect. Both drinks were delicious and a nice change of pace from the standard margarita. But don’t worry, if you want a margarita, Xitomate has plenty of options and one of the best Tequila lists I’ve seen since Blue Agave in Baltimore. They also have some LA Cetto wines (yes, Mexican wines) that I’ve always really enjoyed (I’ve had them on trips to Mexico).

For entrees, we had the Tacos al Pastor and the Enchiladas Suizas. And because I can’t say no to fried plantains, we shared an order of Maduros. The Tacos al Pastor were filled with succulent spicy chunks of pork, tangy salsa, and just enough sweet pineapple to offset the heat. The enchiladas were great and the poblano cream sauce had that perfect blend of heat and earthy pungency that can only come from roasted pablano peppers. Oh, and about those Maduros – they were fried up perfectly with good caramelization on the outside and all sweet and gooey on the inside.

Oddly though, the highlight of my meal was the Coconut Agua Fresca I ordered mid-way through my meal. It was just that good. I should point out that I’m crazy for coconut and that agua frescas make me think of strolling through the Puerta Vallarta Malecon on my honeymoon. But wow – this thing is good. So good that I could be ok with skipping wine/beer/margaritas in place of it. Based on how fresh it tasted, I asked our server if it was made with fresh coconut, and she confirmed that it is (so much for making one at home).

The atmosphere is great, with Dia de los Muertos-inspired murals and hammered/punched tin light fixtures. Noise wasn’t too bad and we could talk quietly and easily hear each other and not the diners around us. I’ll reserve judgment on the couple that rolled in at 8:30 with a one year-old until I write my treatise on dining with kids...

I’m looking forward to a return visit. I already have my eye (tastebuds) on the Conchinita y Pibil for my entree, and I’m going to need that Coconut Agua Fresca again pronto. Hocofood@@@

Recipe: Sauteed Sweet Potato Greens

Last week, we received sweet potato greens through our CSA. Sweet potato greens! Who knew? As with all of the new greens we’ve tried in the last few months, I sauteed these in a little butter and garlic. I tossed some of the more tender stems in the mix as well and added some stock to cook everything further.

The weirdest part is that when the greens first hit the butter, it smelled like I was roasting sweet potatoes. As for taste and texture, they reminded me of collards. Only more tender and less bitter.

We served them with grass-fed NY strip and roasted cherry tomatoes with goat cheese. Yum.

Our five year-old loved them and demanded we have them again the next night as part of her "Kindergarten-eve dinner." he next evening, I tried to use some of the thicker and they stayed too tough. So my advice is stick with the leaves and only the most tender of the stems. Here’s hoping we get more of them this week!

Recipe:

One bunch of Sweet Potato Greens
2-4 Tbsp butter
1 smashed clove of garlic

• Saute until wilted.
• Test the stems.
• If they are soft enough, salt and serve.
• If they are still tough, add a cup of stock, cover, and simmer until they reach the desired level of tenderness.

That’s it. hocofood@@@

Pappardelle with Garlic Scape Pesto

I’m loving our new CSA. Last week they gave us three things I had never before tried: red Russian cabbage, bok choy, and garlic scapes. I’d always heard great things about garlic scapes, but I had never tried them.

I decided the best use for the scapes was to make a pesto. It turned out great. It had the aroma of fresh garlic but a milder flavor. Don’t get me wrong though – it’s still an intense garlic flavor.

I used about a tablespoon of the pesto to flavor the sautéed red Russian cabbage. On Sunday night, I made pappardelle and tossed it with about 1/3 cup of the pesto. It tasted like summer. This pesto would also be great on toasted crusty bread. And I think putting a little on a piece of grilled salmon could be great. hocofood@@@

Pappardelle with Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

• Cook pasta according the instructions on the box
• Toss with 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the pesto
• Eat

Chocolate Milk in School Cafeterias: Why?

Earlier this week, my eldest took a “kindergarten tour” with her pre-school class. She starts kindergarten in the fall, and this is a way to show the kids around the “big” school and get them prepared for the transition. As part of the tour, they get to buy lunch and eat it in the cafeteria.

As she was telling us about her tour and all of the cool things they did and saw, she offered this amazing nugget: “…and we had lunch in the cafeteria. They even had chocolate milk, but I had regular milk because chocolate makes me crazy. And it’s just so chocolatey.”

Chocolate milk?!  Chocolate flipping milk!

Can someone please explain to me why on earth they are still serving chocolate milk in schools? Stupid me, I thought we were smart enough to have stopped giving our kids useless added sugar at school.

Just last week, the president of our local health foundation wrote an op-ed urging parents to stop serving sugary snacks and drinks after sporting events. I’m 100% on board with that. In her op-ed, she stated “If we can eliminate even one sugary drink a day from a child's life, we can cut out pounds and save lives.” And no doubt, she’s right. But why on earth are we blaming only parents and focusing on cutting that sugary drink from sporting events? Shouldn't we also be cutting it from the place where every kid spends five days a week?

I realize that the issue of healthy school lunches (or lack thereof) is a Pandora's Box of misguided policies. But maybe we can start with ditching the chocolate milk?

And please don’t get me started on juice…

That's all for now. But as Pam said in Strange Brew, "Maybe you shouldn't have had that chocolate milk?" hocoblogs@@@

Grilled Romaine Recipe

I always see grilled romaine on menus. For some unknown reason, not only have I never ordered it, but until last weekend, I had never tried to make it myself. I like romaine. I like grills. Why not?

Thanks to a beautiful head of romaine from our CSA, I made grilled romaine on Saturday night. It was great and super simple. The heat intensifies the flavor and the crisping adds to the texture. Mrs. P90 described the flavor as almost asparagus like. I agree. I served it with just a little Caesar dressing and some crumbled feta. It would also be great with a basic balsamic dijon vinaigrette and some goat cheese. I’ll try this next time. hocofood@@@

Grilled Romaine Recipe

• Heat your grill on high
• Cut a head of romaine into quarters (length wise)
• Soak the quarters in water and spin in a salad spinner
• Grill the romaine for 20-60 seconds (on each cut side)
• Place on a plate grilled side up and dress lightly  

Grilled Tofu with Gorman Farms Bok Choy

If you’ve read my musings previously, you know that 1. I love grilling and barbequing and 2. I haven’t met many animals I didn’t want to eat. Heck, I once surmised that dolphins must taste like a magical cross between tuna and venison (this was a joke, please don’t contact PETA). But think about it, you know they do.

I won’t deny loving meat, but there is no reason to eat it daily and about a million reasons not to. Add to this that one of the P90 girls is a strict *vegetarian (Chic-Fil-A chicken nuggets not withstanding) and you can see why I have been trying to cut back on our meat consumption and looking for other protein sources.

*She’s three, so I assume it’s for taste/texture reasons and not issues of compassion or animal welfare. Side note, Mrs. P90 claims to have never eaten a fast food hamburger (aside from In-N-Out Burger or Five Guys) in her life and to have been a mostly vegetarian child. So who knows if this will stick. I’m fine with it. There is no reason to eat meat if you don’t like it. 

But back to our scheduled topic. Last week, we received bok choy from Gorman Farms CSA. Oddly enough, I had never cooked bok choy. I did what I always do with a “new to me” food and checked How to Cook Everything to see what Mark Bittman suggests. I made grilled tofu with stir-fried bok choy. It was delicious. Here's the recipe. hocofood@@@

For the Tofu:

1. Cut a brick of tofu into four slices
2. Marinate in Trader Joe’s Soyaki (or the marinade of your choice) (if you use the Soyaki, you might want to use 2 parts Soyaki to 1 part water. It’s very salty and the tofu really soaks up a marinade)
3. Grill over medium-high heat for three minutes per side (baste with a little more soyaki as you grill)

For the bok choy:

“Sauce”
2 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
hot pepper flakes to taste
¼ teaspoons of Chinese five spice seasoning (if you like)

1. Cut the leaves from the stems of the bok choy. Trim the stems as necessary, then cut them into 1-inch pieces. Cut the leaves into wide ribbons and keep them separate from the stems.
2. Put 3 teaspoons of peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the bok choy stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just lose their crunch, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the bok choy leaves and the “sauce.” Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the bok choy is fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes; add a little more water if necessary.

CSA - AOK

Two years ago, the P90 family did the Breezy Willow CSA. It was delicious and a great deal. The girls loved going each week and selecting our fruits and veggies and they especially loved the breads! We took a summer off from CSA last year, knowing that we'd be doing a lot of beach trips and other travelling and would be getting produce on the shore. On the weekends we were home, we visited the Oakland Mills farmers market.

But this summer, we're back in the CSA game! And since the whole point of all of this is to "eat locally," we decided to go with Gorman Farms, which is less than  two miles from our house.

Today we received our first share. And it’s a week earlier than expected thanks to our overly warm spring. I’ll do my best to post about our share each week and share the recipes and meals we make. To get things started, I think I’ll make garlic scape pesto.

Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup pine nuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Method:
Place scapes and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.  hocofood@@@

The Edible Lawn

It's no secret - I don't have the prettiest lawn on the block. I refuse to use herbicides or pesticides, and the only fertilizer I have used is "bay safe." So it was no surprise a few weekends ago when Mrs. P90 mentioned that one of the neighbors hinted (not so subtlety) that we should hire a lawn service or at least deal with our weeds.

But oddly enough, it was on that same day that we noticed the first few morel mushrooms popping up in the front yard. We first saw morels in the yard last year. There were only four or five and they were past their prime before we realized what they were.

So last Monday, I picked one of the morels and brought it to a colleague. She confirmed it was a morel and cooked it up that night. Today, that same colleague headed over to my yard at lunch and picked 84 morels! I kept about ten of them because I'm not a huge mushroom fan. I'm seriously allergic to portobellas, and can take or leave many others.But some people are crazy for morels and many folks spend their spring weekends hunting for them in the woods.

Either way, I'll take this as a sign that my lawn care regime (or lack there of) is just about perfect. As if not wanting the kids and dog to be playing in a lawn full of chemicals wasn't reason enough, I'm creating a delicious and nutritious mycological wonderland. Bon appetit. Don't mind the weeds and moss. hocofood@@@

Coke Steak

When I was a kid, every few summers, my family would pack up the family truckster and drive to the gulf cost of Florida. Why we chose to go to the swamp that is the gulf coast of Florida in July, I can't answer. I can however tell you that one of the highlights of my trip was always the annual group dinner at the Brown Derby. Did I mention that my extended family would always go and so we invariably have a group of 25+ trying to sit together and one table. Rocket scientists = not my family...

Either way, I loved the Brown Derby because they had something called the "kiddie cocktail!" I'm guessing it was just Sprite and grenadine. That didn't matter to me, I wanted it because it came in a cool cup with a plastic sword. I'm the youngest, so maybe I thought I could stab my siblings and cousins with the sword? And maybe this "kiddie cocktail" was the inspiration for the cocktail obsession I've had since before I could legally drink?

Another bit of wisdom provided by the Brown Derby is the concept of tenderizing steak with Coca-Cola. When I was a kid I conducted a science experiment that involved placing a small stone is a glass of coke over night. You were supposed to scrape at the rock prior to placing it in the coke and then again after. Let's just say that the effect of the Coke on the rock made me re-think my soda consumption.

As you can surmise, if Coke can tenderize a rock, it can surely tenderize a steak. This isn't something I'd do to a dry-aged prime steak, but it's great for a new york strip, filet, or sirloin that's been in the freezer and might not be the most tender steak around. The most time I have soaked a steak for is about 3 hours. Again, seeing what the coke did to the rock, I'm guessing spending much more time than 3 hours in Coke would just turn a steak to mush.

One Fish, Two Fish

Last Saturday morning, my three year-old daughter woke up and asked Mrs. P90 and me if we could go back to the “smelly place.” We had no idea what this “smelly place” was, or why on earth someone would want to go back to a “smelly place.” But it continued. “I want to go to the smelly place we went to last weekend.” “The smelly place with the fish!” We thought she meant the Aquarium, but we hadn’t been there in ages. Finally, she said “the smelly place with the lobsters!” That’s it! She meant Frank’s Seafood Market in Jessup!

To be fair, Frank’s is only “smelly” to kids. Sure, it smells like fish, but that’s because it’s a fish market. After being on our “list of places we need to go” for ages, we finally went to Frank’s for the first time two weekends ago. Sure, we’ve had excellent crabs from there a few times, but somehow we never had to be the person buying them. Hmm, free crabs. Lucky us.

The selection at Frank’s was amazing and most of the fish looked extremely fresh. We kept things simple and went with ocean perch and Alaskan salmon. I made fish sandwiches with the perch using Mark Bitman’s oven- “fried” fish filet recipes. One of the pieces on my sandwich had a few pin bones, Mrs. P90 didn’t encounter any pin bones. Either way, they were delicious and made a winter evening feel like a summer day at the beach (especially when paired with some New Belgium Dig).

I went a little crazier with the salmon. I hot-smoked it using oak chips that I had just pulled from the carboy in which I was making an oak-aged IPA. I gave the salmon filets a quick soak in orange juice and soy sauce and then placed them in a smoky grill at 350 for 30 minutes. Generally, with fish, I like to do minimal seasoning and just get out of the way and let the fresh flavor of the fish shine through. They came out perfectly with just a touch of smoke flavor.

So, if we’re asked to go back to the “smelly place” tomorrow, I’ll happily go. hocofood@@@

Palace of Brine

Make this. Soak chicken or pork in it for 12-24 hours. Then grill or broil said chicken or pork. Prepare to have your mind blown.

For your first trial, brine a whole chicken and bake for 20 minutes at 500 degrees. Reduce the temp to 300 and bake until the chicken hits 160 degrees (don’t worry, it will coast up to 170). Pull from the oven and let the bird rest for 15-20 minutes. Carve and enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 Quart of Water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 sprigs of rosemary
A few sage leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 orange cut in half or quarters

Bring these items to a simmer, allow to cool, and then use to brine chicken or pork. You're all set.

Tasting Room Wine

Anybody tried TastingRoom.Com? In short, they sell packs of "tasting size" bottles of various wines. Each pack has six little bottles and typically focuses on a grape variety or a region. Mrs. P90 and I ordered two packs, one of Zinfandels and one that focuses on Mendocino County.

We did the first tasting (the Mendocino wines) last weekend, and it was a lot of fun. Tasting Room provides tasting notes for each wine and a form for recording your own notes and comments. We tasted first, made our own notes, and then compared to the professional notes.

We learned two things. 1. We should be drinking more wines from Mendocino, especially the Carol Shelton Wing Thing Zin. 2. Apparently, we don't know the aroma of enough fruits. I can't remember the last time I smelled a boysenberry...

Quacktastic

Yes, this is really a duck eating a piece of sausage. Does this end as some sort of natural fois gras?

A Cookie within a Cookie

Years ago, I was a frozen dessert specialist (I worked in an ice cream store). We served cookies along with ice cream. One day, we received a shipment of dough that consisted of chocolate chip cookie dough with crushed up Oreos in place of the chocolate chips. I’ve never liked Oreos, but these cookies were amazing. It started my lifelong interest of cramming as much stuff as possible into a cookie. I’ve made cookies bursting at the crumb with coconut, rice krispies, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips. I’ve taken a variety bag of leftover Halloween candy, chopped it roughly, and baked it into cookies.

But the cookie that people react most excitedly to, is when I crush Trader Joe’s Mint JoJos and bake them into a chocolate chip cookie. It’s easy and it’s delicious. Just use your favorite recipe and substitute 12 oz. of crushed Jojos in place of the chocolate chips. Yum.

Here's the recipe I use:
    3/4 cup granulated sugar
    1 cup brown sugar (or 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses)
    1 cup butter, softened
    2 eggs
    2 teaspoons vanilla
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon salt
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    12 ounces crushed Mint JoJos

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1.  Place sugars, butter, eggs, and vanilla in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer.
2. Turn to Speed 2 and mix for 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 4 and beat another 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.
3. Sift together baking soda, salt, and flour.
4. Turn to Stir Speed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture over about 2 minutes.
5. Turn to Speed 2 and mix 30 seconds.
6. Turn to Stir Speed and add chocolate chips, mixing for 15 seconds.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, longer if you prefer crunchy cookies.
8. Eat.

The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace - The Restaurants

Dessert at Tramonto

The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace - The Restaurants
The restaurants and wait staff at Mayan Palace are great.

Gong - Gong is Asian Fusion and has a good mix of Japanese noodle dishes, sushi, and other “Asian” food. We ate a light dinner there on our first night and it was delicious. We had steamed edamame and some various maki rolls. The Tabasco roll is simply amazing. I would never have thought to wrap a roll in grilled plantain, but it was nothing short of amazing. There is a sommelier who serves both Gong and Tramonto and he did an outstanding job of recommending a red wine that would overpower the sushi (I wasn’t in the mood for sake and didn’t want to splurge for champagne on our first night). We ended the meal with a dessert of grilled bananas and gingered dark chocolate. YUM.

Creperia – Inside the market/gift shop, downstairs from Gong and Tramonto is a creperia. Most of the crepes are good. The Mexicana (salsa verde, roasted poblano peppers, pumpkin blossoms, etc) and the banana y nutella are out of this world! Don’t miss them.

Balche and Frida’s Mexican Grill – The outdoor café by the pool is called Balche by day and Frida’s Mexican Grill by night. Our beach waiter served us everyday and the food is fine. It’s not amazing, but it’s not bad. The grilled fish sandwich is great. At night, when it turns into Fridas, that’s another story. At that point, they begin serving some of the best Mexican food you have ever had (and yes, I have had great authentic Mexican in Mexico and the US, including going to all of the Rick Bayless restaurants).  The Cochinita pibil is out of this world. It’s basically little chunks of pork shoulder, seasoned with achiote, wrapped in banana leaves, and roasted until it almost melts. The green chile sauce at Fridas is some of the best I have ever had as is the mole. My wife and I joked that the chef should offer a cooking class just to teach those two sauces. Other items not to miss are the tamale appetizer (four different types of tamales) and the tacos al pastor. If you get the The Cochinita pibil, consider pairing it with a Mexican red wine. We had a nebbiolo from the Guadalupe Valley that was really good. Fridas is closed on Thursday – I’m guessing to encourage people to do the “Mexican Feast” at Del Lago.

Tramonto – The Italian restaurant is also great. It was our favorite last time, and we saved it for our last night. Our biggest complaint of our trip is that we couldn’t go to every restaurant twice. We saved Tramonto for our actual anniversary and we had a great meal. Everything on the menu sounds amazing and it’s hard to narrow things down. The bruschetta is great. One thing we noticed all week long is that any time we had peppers (red, green, poblano, fresh, roasted, whatever) they had so much more flavor than the peppers we get at home (even more so than the fancy Whole Foods peppers). I don’t think words can really describe the meal we had. Our server was amazing, our wine (a Mexican Merlot) was amazing. Everything was perfect.

Coconut Curry Shrimp at Havana Moon

Havana Moon – They call Havana Moon a Cuban restaurant, but there isn’t a whole lot of Cuban food on the menu. We felt that Havana Moon was the weakest of the restaurants. My wife ordered the pad thai and it was just ok. I ordered the coconut curry shrimp and they were amazing – coconut fried shrimp with a great curry dipping sauce and an asian slaw on the side. Our dessert that night was also a let down. It was called the Coco Cubico (Coconut Cube). You’d think with a name like that you couldn’t lose, but it was bland and boring. Also, the tables and chair at Havana Moon are not very comfortable, the tables are low and the supports cut into your legs forcing you to sit at odd angles. However, the show was amazing – mostly just because it was crazy and we didn’t know there would be a show. Without much warning, a group of dancers busted in doing what could best be described as a seen from Eyes Wide Shut – scantily clad dancers with animal head costumes. Surreal!

Something Fish – The name of this one is escaping me, but tucked in the pool area in the Grand Mayan is a little cevicheria. We ate lunch there one day and had the fish tacos and the smoked marlin burrito. The fish tacos were pretty good. The marlin burrito would have been good if it didn’t have cheese. Then again, we might have blown our appetites on pina coladas and chips…

The Burger Custom Made – hidden in Luxe is a “hip burger joint” that’s all L.A. and South Beach inspired. We never ate there, but some of the burgers sounded pretty good. Next time…

Coconut - Freshly Cut from the Tree

None of the restaurants are “Mexico cheap.” The maki rolls at Gong are in the $8-15 range and entrees are probably $15-40. Crepes are $8-10 (but 3 for the price of 2 from 3:00-9:00). At Tramonto, Fridas, and Havana Moon entrees are $12-50. But that $50 at Tramonto will get you a Chateaubriand. I threatened all week to get it. But something about eating a pound of beef didn’t seem like what I wanted to do on my ten year wedding anniversary. I settled for a lighter dinner, the first cognac of my life, and a great evening.

So all of these things are great, but what really holds it altogether is the staff. The staff at Mayan Palace is friendly and professional. You couldn’t ask for better folks. From the housekeeping staff, to the bartenders, to the beach waiters, to the waiters in the restaurant everyone was friendly and welcoming.

First Taste - Corner Stable in Columbia

The P90s went to Corner Stable on Friday night. We got there early (5:40) and the place was packed. We had six adults and three kids – we could be seated immediately or after 8:45. Did I mention that the place was packed? We were at the Village Center primarily for the clown show and trick or treating, but we decided that eating was our priority.

The hostess station seemed a little disorganized and was having a hard time keeping track of which party was which. I’m cutting them some slack because they are newly opened, but I find it helps to write down names and the number of people in a party… Also, the manager/owner seemed a little frazzled. Maybe they weren’t aware of how big of a draw the trick or treating is? Either way, after about 10-15 minutes of them trying to figure out which party we were and whether or not they could actually seat us – we were seated.

Once seated, things improved quickly. Our server was friendly and efficient and she quickly brought drinks for the adults and crayons for the kids. And she brought water for everyone – I always appreciate receiving a water in addition to my wine or beer.

Seeing as Corner Stable prides themselves on the ribs and the crab cakes, each couple split the “Showstopper” – a platter that combines the crab cake with either a whole or half slab of ribs and two sides. For us, it was more than enough food for two. The crab cake is delicious. It’s a mix of lump and backfin with good seasoning and just the right amount of filler to hold it together. It’s not quite as good as a G&M crabcake, but it’s very good. I would happily order it again.

Everyone in my party (aside from me) loved the ribs. I’m partial to smoked ribs and these ribs have never seen smoke. They are cooked to the point where the meat falls off the bone and are wonderfully tender. If that’s your thing, you will love these ribs. The sauce is delicious. It’s a sweet sauce with hints of cinnamon and it really suits these ribs well without overpowering.

My complaints with Corner Stable arose from the sides and the lack of prices on the drink menu. The list of beers on tap is pretty good – Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, Fat Tire, DFH 90-Minute, etc. They also had your mainstream Yuengling, Bud Light, Blue Moon stuff as well. But in this day when it’s not uncommon to see a $10-12 pint of beer, I’d prefer to see the price in print and not have to ask the server. It's an easy fix and something they should work on ASAP. I’m sorry to say I didn’t check out the wine list, but I’m not seeing Corner Stable as a place where I will order wine.

So, about those sides. The mac and cheese was bland and squishy and tasted a lot like the frozen Staufers kind of had the unfortunate experience of trying before. The fries were kind of soggy. The green beans were ok. They were obviously fresh (rather than canned or frozen) but they lacked in the flavor and seasoning department.

I hope this review doesn’t come off as negative. All in all, we had a very good experience at Corner Stable and they are head and shoulders above Michael’s (the former restaurant in this location) in terms of service, food, and ambiance. But they are going to need to improve their sides and get organized quickly. HoCo has plenty of great restaurants these days. It’s going to take more than ribs and a good crab cake to stand out in this crowd and bring in more than just us neighborhood folks. I wish them luck. And I’m more than happy to share recipes for a better mac & cheese. hocofood@@@

Sushi Nari Coming to King's Contrivance

Update: December 5, 2011
Nari sushi is open. They did a great job with it on the insides.

I have not had a full meal there, but I got a spicy tuna roll to-go. It was delicious (fresh, spicy, just the right amount of crunch).

They have some great sounding fancy rolls and a really good sounding $10 lunch special. I'll be back soon and will do a full review.

Things are looking up for the King's Contrivance Village Center. According to a Facebook post from earlier today, Sushi Nara will open in the Village Center on November 1st. That’s all I know for now. I’ll update this post as I learn more.

Between this and Corner Stable, the food options in KC should be improving greatly!

Update: According to a comment on HowChow, it's actually going to be called Nari Sushi.

Update 2: According to the King's Contrivance Village Center website, it's going to be called Sushi Nari.

I'm less concerned with the name and more concerned with how having Sushi within walking distance will impact my wallet. And my likelihood of developing mercury poisoning. Delicious, delicious mercury poisoning.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Stink Bug Damage

Stink Bugs - I hate them. They've wreaked havoc upon our tomatoes this year. I had a beautiful GIANT plant of plum tomatoes that produced giant clusters of tomatoes. Sadly, most of them rotted before they ripened (I'm guessing after being chewed upon by the stink bugs). Those that ripened still had obvious stink bug damage - see above. These tiny parasitic wasps can't come soon enough! Not that I approve of fighting one invasive pest by importing another. That's never backfired before...

Luckily we had a few tomatoes that did produce and avoid the rather of the stink bugs. Two weekends ago as Hurricane Irene blew into town, I picked the tomatoes from the vine (assuming they would be blown off and smashed). Somehow, we ended up not eating them. So a few nights ago, before they all went bad, I sliced them up and placed them in a 200 degree oven for six hours and made "sun-dried" tomatoes. We'll store them in an airtight container in the freezer and use them for recipes all winter long.

Before

After