Portobello Caffe, Sydney, AUS

Posted on June 10, 2016 by melsmosaic

Was walking around Sydney and needed a bite to eat before taking a tour of the Opera House. Found a place called the Portobello Caffe, right on the water, where people’s food looked really good. Had to take a seat.

They do a lot with salmon at this place so at the table we ordered the Bruschetta Al Salmone — avocado, Tasmanian smoked salmon, sun-dried tomatoes, capers & Smoked Salmon Salad — tasmanian smoked salmon, mixed lettuce, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, grapefruit, lemon dressing.

Both were delicious and good sized portions. One complaint — very expensive — $24 (for lunch), even though very good. And, come to find out, there is a 6% surcharge for food on the weekends, pretty much because restaurants in that area know they can. You learn by trying, right?

Lorne Hotel, Great Ocean Road

Posted on April 26, 2016 by melsmosaic

Had a nice stop for lunch on a drive out the Great Ocean Rd in Australia on the way to see the 12 Apostles. The place we found to eat was the Lorne Hotel.

Started off with some brew – Carlton Draught and LazyYak Pale Ale. Just nice light beer, perfect for mid-day.

For lunch, the decisions came down to a Roasted Beetroot & Quinoa Salad, a Greek Salad, both with Prawns and a lamb dish. Presentation and taste, all delicious!

Epicurean

Posted on April 26, 2016 by melsmosaic

While on our wine day, we of course had to eat. In wine land, we found a nice little café, the Epicurean.

They have both a cafe and restaurant. We opted for the former. There was this amazing sandwich that had a black bun. Why black? It was died with squid ink! How cool? On the bun was smoked salmon, lettuce and other great stuff. The reason I couldn’t enjoy this is because all were premade and they also had include some delicious cream cheese. They had a nice salad with fennel and tomatoes and great mix of lettuce. Perfect mid-day refuel before wine continued…

Capital Wheel Lunch

Posted on March 31, 2016 by melsmosaic

Finally made it to the Capital Wheel at the National Harbor, MD recently.

Went on a cold day, which meant the line was non-existent. Great views all around. After the ride, checked out a restaurant in the area, Granite City.

They brew their own beer so opted for a sampler. The four brews on the taster were The Prairie Vixen, The Northern, the Cran Gose and the Smith & Forge.

The Prairie was a Hef with mild banana and clove, bubble gum, hints of citrus and mild spiciness. It was not that exciting and actually way too banana-y for me. The Northern was an American Lager that was mild, crisp and had mild bitterness. Very good, a true Lager. The Cran Gose tasted like toothpaste to me. The Smith & Forge was solid.

The menu was a normal brewery menu and based on the location, quite expensive. They had a traditional MD crab soup so I opted for that and a salad. My friend went for a bowl of chili and caesar.

Once we finally got the food…it was fine. It took nearly 45 minutes to get the stuff, and you can tell all it really takes it a couple ladles and putting lettuce on a plate. Nothing that exciting and there are many other places at National Harbor I’d rather check out.

The Pub by Wegmans

Posted on January 23, 2016 by melsmosaic

Wegmans is already heaven on earth. And now they have another element…a full restaurant. I’m not just talking their fancy salad bar or the locations where you sit at the counters and can order and be served. No, it’s The Pub by Wegmans. There are only a few of these in the country. A couple friends and I had to check it out the other day. While doing some research on the website we noticed they use OpenTable. We decided to make a reservation just because we could. It was a good thing we decided to. This place was packed — and we went at noon on a Monday (granted it was a federal holiday)! Had we not done so, we not have gotten a table.

The three of us split a half pitcher of sangria to start while looking over the menu. It wasn’t that exciting of a drink. For the first course we decided to split their White Bean Hummus Platter; Italian Classics Cannellini Beans, roasted garlic, Toscano olive oil, topped with truffle spread; served with roasted baby peppers, mini cucumbers and rosemary fontinella cheese flatbread (and got some non-cheese laden stuff).

These were non-bell peppers and were so good. Since they were roasted they were nice and warm. They also made sticks out of the cukes vs just simple slices. Very tasty!

All of us opted to get the same thing as a main course — Portobello ‘Steak’ — balsamic-marinated roasted portobello mushroom topped with artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper and fresh mozzarella, accompanied by bulgur wheat and arugula salads. I went cheeseless, my friends took it on.

A nice balance of flavors all around. Had to eat every bite.

There were also some Tuscan Fries brought to the table, which were fries accented with rosemary, sage, Italian parsley and garlic. I don’t even like fries and had to help eat them.

We also each had a glass of wine — so nice with the logo on there.

This was such a fun lunch. Delicious all around. Great shopping afterwards, too.

Green Vegetable Soup

Posted on January 11, 2016 by melsmosaic

Cold weather, new soup. Went for one I saw in Cooking Light — Green Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked orzo
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (didn’t use this because I didn’t feel like getting a whole head of celery)
1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup water
3 thyme sprigs (went for dry)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1/4 pound) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach leaves, divided (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2. While pasta cooks, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add leeks, celery, 2 teaspoons garlic, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, 1 cup water, and thyme. Cover; bring to a boil. Add peas and beans, and simmer, uncovered, 4 minutes. Discard thyme. Stir in pasta and 1 cup spinach.

3. Place 1 cup spinach, basil, cheese, rind, juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 2 teaspoons oil in a food processor; process until smooth. Divide soup among 4 bowls; top with pesto. (I didn’t make this part).

This stuff was ok. I think there was way too much orzo in there. Nothing to write home about. It was missing a lot of flavor, thought that could be because I didn’t make the pesto. I’m not keeping the recipe.

The Daily Dish

Posted on November 16, 2015 by melsmosaic

Visited a restaurant that I park in front of a least once a week for a morning run. I see it when it’s dark out and there is nobody around but my running partner and me. So we had this novel idea to go check this place out during daylight hours when they are actually open.

It’s The Daily Dish in Silver Spring/Chevy Chase, MD. We went at lunch on a Federal Holiday and it got pretty busy, which was good to see.

(image source: thedailydishrestaurant.com)

We started with one of their seasonal special, some pumpkin hummus. Too…good, needed…more. It was served with roasted pumpkin seeds in the middle and roasted cauliflower on the side, as well as the normal pita bread.

After debating the menu for awhile, my friend opted for a salad with pan-seared salmon, on spinach, arugula, fennel, with orange segments, red onion, citrus vinaigrette. I opted for the couscous paella (with shrimp for an extra charge). It was Israeli pearl couscous, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, artichokes, marinara sauce served with quinoa.

My friend’s salad was delicious. My paella was ok. The veggies were nice and crunchy, the shrimp were perfect, but there was far too much couscous to be had. We also each enjoyed a glass of wine. I just remember mine was a Shiraz/Pinotage blend…can never go wrong with Pinotage!

Overall good lunch experience. I’ve heard the restaurant can be hit or miss. They have a wide variety of options on the menu so definitely worth checking out.

Bidwell

Posted on February 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

Recently found out about a newish (one year old) restaurant in DC at Union Market. It’s a growing area and Union Market alone has tons of great little (food) shops. The restaurant is Bidwell, and there is also a restaurant by the same chef in NYC. They have a garden on the rooftop and in the summer grow their own herbs and veggies — nice!

Our ‘table’ was great — right in front of the kitchen so we got to watch all the action take place. It was a busy night, they didn’t expect it, so stuff was a bit under par, but that just meant we got to watch more of the fun take place.

It took awhile to get our cocktails because they had one bartender but I eventually received my City Sage.

Quite unique. I’m not a huge bourbon drinker but that sage intrigued me. Was totally worth trying it!

For an appetizer, we tried some of the highly-kitchen-rated Brussel sprouts. So nice and crisp and crunchy — give me more!

We then had to try the kale salad, just super fresh, with pine nuts and a nice vinaigrette (that had anchovies in it to give it a perfect saltiness).

To cap it off, went with the salmon served over cauliflower. Again, very good — after I received it 3 times over. They initially told me there was no dairy, but that white stuff at the very bottom is mostly dairy. The second time I got it, the cauliflower should be outside right now (freezing), the third time, delicious!

Overall, I will totally check this place out again. The manager apologized for the slow service but the food was delicious. If you’re in DC and can make it to Union Market, check this place out.

Gator

Posted on November 20, 2014 by melsmosaic

Found out last minute last week that I got to go to New Orleans on a business trip. What did that mean – I get to visit NOLA – FINALLY! There is a first time for everything, right? I knew this meant culture, scenery, music and some great food. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

When I arrived I had time to grab a quick bit to eat before heading into meetings. I was directed to good local place right near where I needed to go, Mulate’s the Original Cajun Restaurant.

So many choices on the menu of course. I wanted local fare and after what felt like a novel of reading I had to go with the alligator. It was available grilled or fried. I opted for the former and it was coined as ‘tender pieces of Louisiana farm raised alligator cooked to your liking.’ I think I’d had this stuff years ago in FL.

Though they claimed it was grilled, it was quite oily. And, as I expected, I was just like super chewy chicken. But, was fun to try it and it was checked off my list.

Avocado Salad with Peaches

Posted on October 5, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was looking for something fun, super fresh and relatively easy to make for dinner. I remembered this salad from Bon Appetit that I found a few years ago. Avocados, peaches and arugula…some of my favorites. It was the perfect thing to make and pretty simple.

Avocado Salad with Peaches
4-6 Servings

Ingredients

1/2 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (I got SUPER lazy and used liquid vanilla)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 almost-ripe avocados
8 cups arugula or sorrel
2 peaches, diced and peeled

Preparation

-Roast bell pepper (I do it on my gas stove – so easy).

-Peel and chop pepper; puree with red wine vinegar, vanilla and sugar in blender (I used the mini-prep) until smooth.

-With machine running, gradually add olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.

-Halve and pit avocados and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place cut side down on and medium-hot grill until nicely charred, about 5 minutes (ok, so I don’t/can’t have a grill. So, I put foil over a burner on my gas stove and made it work. Creativity in the kitchen). Peel and thickly slice.