Category Archives: Restaurants

Dinner Out … In

Posted on March 12, 2013 by AnnieRie

And, no, I am not talking about In N Out Burger. Perish the thought. I am talking about replacing an evening out with a killer dinner at home. Better food. Less money.

We did that today.

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Courtesy of Wegmans, my freezer, the Breezy Willow CSA, and my favorite Virginia winery, Linden.

It all started with a coupon for $5 from Wegmans, and a trip to Safelite because my windshield finally turned a ding into an eighteen inch long crack. A new windshield this morning and a visit to Wegmans looking for coffee.

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Wegmans sells an 80 pack of this French roast for $35. Cheaper than Costco for an 80 pack. Add a $5 coupon to it, and it is a real deal for coffee snobs. A big, rich, bold coffee in environmentally friendly packaging. What’s not to love?

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We had other coupons too. Yogurt, deli, sushi and cheese. I could do serious damage.

Today is Tuesday. Half price wine night at Bistro Blanc, right down the road. We considered dinner out. Until I saw the U-10 scallops in the seafood section at Wegmans. This is why I still love the place.

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Buying a dinner out with scallops this huge would set you back a large amount of cash in a restaurant. Pan searing them in butter at home. A fraction of the cost. Trust me. Scallops are easy. So are fingerlings. I put the fingerlings in a pot with water for 15 minutes while looking for everything else. Finished them in that browned butter in the searing pan.

Made a salad with microgreens and the beets from the CSA. I roast the beets and use them in salads. I finished the potatoes with the last of that container of garlic scape pesto from my freezer.

Opened a bottle of chardonnay. Without the chardonnay, this dinner cost me $30 in ingredients. The scallops, $18. You could pay way more than $15 a person for much less at any chain restaurant for an entree.

Really easy here. Two pots, one for potatoes and one for scallops. Greens on the plate. Goat cheese from Cherry Glen. Kumatoes, I wanted to try. Not bad, a little mushy but a good taste. I did homemade dressing. You could buy yours.

Dinner in a half hour. Way better than Applebees, or any of those other chains. No beepers. No really overpriced beers and wines, the real cash cows at restaurants. What is stopping you from cooking great stuff at home?

Really. Don’t “Get out there”. Get in your kitchen.

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Cocktail Hour

Posted on February 24, 2013 by AnnieRie

That civilized winding down hour or so that used to precede dinner in homes before we all became so rushed and didn’t have time or take time to relax. It is one of our simple pleasures a few times a week. We just stop and enjoy the sunset, or watch the news while dinner happily finishes in the oven.

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Tonight we celebrated the opening successes of the Orioles, using my old glasses from the McDonald’s set. They bring back memories. A couple of fairly weak gin and tonics, more for the refreshing aspect than anything else. A little nibble. We hit the Olney Farmer’s and Artisan’s market today and picked them up. Just a handful for us while dinner is still baking.

Tuesday night I will be joining my fellow bloggers in Columbia for a cocktail hour. Only we call them blogtail parties. A couple of our local bloggers are hosting it. It is at Union Jack’s, right next to Columbia Mall. From 5:30 pm. The link takes you to the sign up page. Only a few places left. It looks to be a full house.

I enjoy meeting the bloggers from around here. Those of us who regularly blog and post them on hocoblogs. I might have to borrow my husband’s phone and bring it with me to join in the tweeting and checking in on foursquare. Now, if they can make my favorite cocktail, that Meyer lemon basil fizz, I will really be impressed.

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Our blogtail hour, or two. A chance to get out and relax with our cyberfriends. We can put faces and names to those people behind the keyboards. A really fun event.

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Wheat Berries

Posted on January 25, 2013 by AnnieRie

In my 60@60 challenge, one of my categories was new proteins. I decided to buy some wheat berries at Wegmans. In the bulk food aisle. They are high in protein and fiber. And, they are chewy.

After buying them, we had wheat berry “risotto” at Bistro Blanc at the cellar dinner. Marc, the chef at Bistro Blanc, told us be sure to toast the wheat berries first.

I searched around on the internet to find a recipe. Then, never really followed it. I pretty much winged it based on my interpretation of risotto. I did remember to toast them, after they had been soaked overnight.

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Into the oven they went, and since there was more than a cup, the rest went into the refrigerator, destined to become a salad later this weekend.

For the risotto, I started with scallions and mushrooms in olive oil. Added the wheat berries to the pan. After they got all happy with the olive oil and veggies, added a cup of white wine. There were also six cups of low sodium chicken broth on the stove to use in this recipe.

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It took 45 minutes of adding broth and stirring occasionally to get to the final product. At the end, I grated a little pecorino into it. All finished it looked like this, with salmon and roasted veggies. Brussels sprouts and romanesco bought from Zahradka at the farmers event last Sunday.

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Did I mention they are chewy? Not what you expect from risotto, but really tasty. A meal this hearty required a big white wine, or a light red. We chose to go with a big white. Linden 2009 Hardscrabble Vineyard Chardonnay. A huge white wine. Almost as “chewy” as the wheat berry risotto.

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Cross another item off my list for becoming sixty years old. This meal was a definite winner. Oh, by the way, the Linden can last a decade. It is that big of a white wine.

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Cellar Dinners

Posted on January 17, 2013 by AnnieRie

One of the best things we found at Bistro Blanc. About once a month they host cellar dinners. BYOB cellar dinners. The guests bring old wines from their cellars.

We tell Marc in advance what we are bringing. He cooks to match the wines. Tonight we enjoyed a five course dinner with five lovely wines. Check this out.

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Yes, that is a huge piece of lobster in the middle of the foam. OK, I remembered to take pictures but I can’t remember what all was in the dish. It was served with a 2000 Macon Villages white burgundy. Wine still kicking but definitely turning a bit dark from age. Old white burgundies have a certain taste. You have to admire a white that stands up and says take notice when it is 12 years old. The lobster was awesome. On top was a fennel and apple slaw.

Next course:

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Crispy flavorful pork belly served with a Cotes du Rhone. OK, I forgot the year. 2001, I believe. Under the pork belly were little nuggets of root veggies. That bright green coulis was made from leeks. The wine, smooth, mellow, aging well.

Third course:

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That would be kangaroo. Yep, kangaroo. Lean, flavorful. Reminiscent of venison medallions. Served over a risotto made from toasted wheatberries. Now I know what I am going to do with the ones I bought the other day. The white foam was made using a fried egg. Marc called it Steak and Eggs. The wine, a 2002 Monticello Tietjen Vineyards Cabernet. Stellar wine. Still a baby. Glad we have more in the cellar.

Fourth course: Cheese

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This was an amazing combination. Marc made four bites to match the nuances in this wine. The wine was a Ramey 2002, from Healdsburg. So, we ended up with two wines from California same vintage, different regions back to back. A lovely big beautiful wine, to match the food. The food, a dehydrated raspberry “kiss”, a blue cheese cheesecake, candied walnuts and a cranberry chutney. Every bite brought out something different in the wine.

Dessert:

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This was the only dish from the regular menu. Black raspberry preserves crisp underneath juniper scented vanilla ice cream. Served with Tin Lizzie made ice wine, made by the owner of Bistro Blanc at the Howard County wine making site. All in all this dinner was well worth the money, and we look forward to many more.

If you want something new to do, and you have a wine cellar, these dinners are a perfect evening, to open and share special bottles of wine with fellow wine lovers. Besides, Marc loves cooking off menu and getting really creative.

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Restaurant Weeks

Posted on January 15, 2013 by AnnieRie

I have mixed feelings about restaurant weeks. I know they are designed to bring people into the independently owned restaurants but why do we need an incentive to avoid the chain restaurants and their prepackaged reheated meals.

I love our local small restaurants. Our three favorites these days include Bistro Blanc, Iron Bridge and Elkridge Furnace. All locally owned. All making things using the local farms and cooking from scratch.

I wandered up to Bistro Blanc tonight all by my lonesome as my husband had a club dinner in Frederick. I sit at the bar and talk to Andy or Warren, whoever is bartending. I also get to converse with the locals who frequent the bar as a very casual place to enjoy a meal.

Don’t come here if you are in a hurry. Food here is cooked from scratch. Your burgers are made to order from fresh local meats and nothing beats fresh lamb cooked medium rare, juicy and served on a brioche bun.

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The lamb burger was amazing, but so are the frites. Garlicky, with whole roasted cloves of garlic hidden in the bowl. Sprinkled with parmigiano and rosemary. Served with an aioli that is also rich and garlicky. I love my burgers medium rare and it drives me nuts to go to a place that will only incinerate and dry out a burger. But, they usually have premade patties of questionable origin, so maybe incineration is a good thing for them.

I paired the burger with a lovely Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier. Tuesday is half price wine night. This is a good deal for wines. I brought half of it home for my husband to savor with some cheese later this evening.

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Their restaurant week menu looks great. We will be there some night next week for it.

Check out your local Howard County restaurants for their special menus, but more importantly, support them all year long.

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Sixty @ Sixty

Posted on December 29, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yes, sixty years young, today. This is one of those significant birthdays. Worthy of doing something different to commemorate.

I recall one of my fellow volunteers talking about traveling to celebrate a milestone birthday. Something like 50 days for the 50th birthday. We traveled way too much when we worked. We are really enjoying our surroundings and doing things we never got to do while we were in the work force.

So, I decided. Sixty is, of course, six decades. Six times ten. Six things, ten times. Or, ten things six times. I settled on more experiences with less to accomplish in each. It looks simpler to do. We shall see. I have been doing research already to find things that interest me.

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This year, no New Year’s Resolutions, just the pursuit of these stretch goals, for lack of a better descriptor. Some are fun, some may be difficult. If I enjoy this journey, I may make it into a page. A journal of sorts. Since I am an avowed locavore, locapour, and still a foodie, many involve cooking, eating, gardening, farming, the county and nearby places.

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My list —

Visit six festivals and/or fairs that are new to me
Taste at six new wineries never visited before
Seek out six new farmstands or markets to expand my locavore network
Do something different or visit someplace new in six states other than MD
Eat at six small business restaurants and/or diners
Eat/drink or experience six childhood memories
Log six new birds not seen before
Cook and eat six new proteins, i.e., meat, seafood, beans or nuts
Grow and/or eat six exotic fruits, veggies or herbs
Tackle six rightsizing projects

Some are self explanatory but others will take some initiative. Rightsizing projects include things we inherited from our families and things we accumulated over our 60+ years. Things like pictures, CDs, books, tools, clothes, shoes, whatever lurks in closets and cabinets. Having the space here makes it one of those often avoided projects.

The childhood memories include things like — riding a ferris wheel again, or a merry go round, or eating cotton candy, or a root beer float. Things we did as kids.

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For my first project, my husband bought a pomegranate at Wegmans yesterday. I have had pom juice, and pomegranate balsamic, but never tried getting the seeds out and using one in cooking. Tonight’s salad will have pom seeds on it. Maybe using my fennel we bought, and oranges. I am making my own birthday dinner, doing things I want to eat. Rockfish. Salad. Roasted cauliflower. None of it hard to make, and no worries about driving in the slush/snow/ice/whatever we have on the ground tonight.

It is still snowing out here. The red bellied woodpecker and one of the squirrels were out there chowing down this morning while I was prepping the fish in a marinade.

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This is a new young red bellied woodpecker, who is more skittish than the older ones are. He bolts when he sees the reflection of my camera. As for the acrobatic squirrel, he is lucky today. I don’t have the two layer baffle system on the large suet holder, and he can defeat just one. Besting the squirrels is a major undertaking here. Or, at least keeping them under control.

Who knows what this year, 2013, will bring to us here. I do know I intend to make it somewhat memorable, and certainly don’t intend to be bored.

hocofood@@@

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Wegging Out

Posted on December 28, 2012 by AnnieRie

As opposed to vegging out. We went to Wegmans today, after not getting there for months. There was a very good reason. Rockfish. We got an email about it, and since a significant birthday is tomorrow, one of those ends in zero ones, I wanted something nice for dinner.

Who cooks on their birthdays, you say? Really. You think I wouldn’t be cooking? Well, we were going to do Ruth’s Chris but the weather is supposed to be somewhat dicey all day tomorrow. I think we will save that gift card for a better weather day in the future.

I don’t mind cooking great food for birthdays. I also love rockfish. My husband bought a lovely Puligny Montrachet to have with it. A simple lemon butter topping on the fish. Baked potatoes. An arugula and goat cheese salad to start. Specialty cookies with a late harvest wine for dessert. The cookies are rum balls and raspberry filled wafers from Wegmans bakery. My foodie world and locavore worlds had one of those collisions today.

I did get some other interesting things there. For tonight, spicy shrimp spring rolls before I put out an oven baked brined turkey breast from their rotisserie cart. I did throw a few Brussels sprouts from an earlier trip to the store into the mix.

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Wegmans now has their own brand of K cups.
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Plus, we found another source, one that is environmentally friendly, San Francisco Bay. Price the same as going to Costco.

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These cups generate less waste, as there is no plastic surrounding container. Should be something different to get used to using. We shall see. We ended up getting scallops for New Year’s Eve, and other staples I normally only find at grocery stores. They had Meyer lemons. I have Aranciata. I only need to find fresh basil to make the Meyer Lemon Basil Fizz cocktails we love. Wegmans disappointed us, as they were out of the local Virginia potted fresh basil. Don’t need sage, or the other ones they had. No fresh basil there. Interesting.

We don’t get over to the eastern side of Columbia often anymore. It is a 35 mile round trip. I only ended up using three coupons. Too many of them were for frozen or processed or prepared foods. Not what we normally use. Let’s see what comes this month in the mailings. They haven’t let up on sending us things. The holiday version of the Menu magazine had ten coupons. They obviously want customers from west county. The little booklets keep coming, as well. I did get some pepitas in the bulk food aisle.

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Next week I don’t think I will be running out there for frozen waffles or packaged meat. Their promotional giveaways don’t rank up there in fresh food items most of the time, and today, I never found any of the carrots. They must have run out of them.

Still, all in all, a decent store. Now off to have some turkey with a local white wine. My last day as a fifty something. Wait until you see what I want to do in my sixtieth year.

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Woo Hoo! Black Walnuts

Posted on October 21, 2012 by AnnieRie

Without the hassle of shelling them myself. I know I could forage them, as they are everywhere in this area. But, Baugher’s does the hard work and I get the walnuts.

Baugher’s black walnuts

They have a very different taste. They make wonderful cookies. I will be putting these away in the freezer for a few weeks until I do the Christmas cookies. If you have seen black walnuts on roadsides or in fields, you know how hard they are to crack. Plus, the stain on the outer parts of the nut will take weeks to fade from your skin. They are all over the conservancy. I am amazed at how the squirrels manage to get into them.

Here are some of the walnuts from the conservancy, that the squirrels have been working open. There is a large tree on the entrance walkway where the staff does occasionally pick them up and take them. The ones all over the fields are left for the animals. The ones on that pathway become a hazard if you step on them. They are like big marbles and you slide over them. Not fun when covered with leaves.

We saw a huge pile of them on the side of Rte. 340 in Virginia last week. If we weren’t heading for the wine tasting at L’Auberge, we would have stopped and gathered them. Any of them on the right of ways along the highways are perfect for foraging. Like we do in the area when we find wild asparagus in the spring.

Besides the walnuts, today I got the box full of feed corn at Baugher’s. This box is a bargain, and I will be using some of it at an event next month at the conservancy. Right now though, it needs to stay out in the garage. Protected from the squirrels but allowing all the tiny moths to leave and find their way elsewhere.

feed corn to use for a craft project

It was a lovely fall day in Westminster. We headed out early to catch an amateur radio hamfest at the Agricultural Center. It was mostly local radio amateurs tailgating. Sort of a “vintage electronics” flea market. Just so you know, if you ever need tubes for old electronics, these hamfests are the place to find them. Oh, and lots of military surplus stuff. We met numerous friends from local clubs, had breakfast and coffee there and picked up the last of the cable needed to bring all the feeds back from the permanent and the crank up towers that are being assembled on our back meadow.

“hard line”

It was pretty popular there today. Lots of people browsing the tables on a sunny cool morning. With beautiful views of the countryside, and the adjoining farm museum.

All in all, a good day. I found walnuts. They also have chestnuts for those who love to cook with them. I picked up some mutsu apples, a variety that isn’t all that common around here. Got a few small spaghetti squash, as we are having them with dinner often, and I did pick up this winter’s supply of roasted corn meal. The walnuts and corn meal are available in the produce market by the restaurant and not out at the farm. The corn meal showed up last year in one of my “Eat Local” challenges. It makes a killer polenta. Plus, I used it in making scrapple.

roasted corn meal polenta with bison

If you want a day trip about 30 miles north of Columbia, Baugher’s is worth the drive. If only for their homemade ice creams. I was looking for their holiday ice creams, but they still have peach and berry ones in the case. Have to get closer to Thanksgiving before you see peppermint.

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A Fall Saturday in West HoCo

Posted on October 20, 2012 by AnnieRie

Just some random pictures and suggestions for fun things to check out, and some of the early leaf pictures. With all the festivals out there, we could pick and choose what we would like to do today. Don’t forget the local farms still have mazes and pumpkins galore, through the rest of the month.

I started out the day organizing the groups out at the conservancy for a family hike. We had about three dozen people show up this morning, including a dedicated group of volunteers. Dividing the attendees up into age appropriate smaller groups is the way we conduct these fall and spring family wanderings. No real topic for these. Just an appreciation of what you can find on the trails.

A recent addition to the natural play area is the carved owl. The detail is stunning.

Two of the naturalists took families with little ones on a loop around the farmhouse and out on the edge of the grasslands. They got an up close look at one of the abandoned nests in the bluebird boxes. They could see exactly what birds use to make their nests.

They all visited the barn and learned more about the local farms, as there are now exhibits of early farming tools inside, courtesy of a local Girl Scout troop.

The farmhouse is surrounded by brilliant fall color. We seem to be getting near that peak where the colors are brightest.

It seems everyone had a great time. There were also other small groups of visitors, going birding, playing in the field, gardening, having engagement photos shot by a photographer, and checking out the building for future use for a wedding. It was a pretty full parking lot this morning.

After I left at noon, my husband and I decided to indulge in a Saturday brunch at Bistro Blanc. Marc, the chef, started at 3 am today to roast a suckling pig. He really has a great time doing special events like this. They had a wine tasting and a wine sale going on today. We enjoyed the “pig” buffet. It was set up with some interesting, seasonal mostly local side dishes, like Southern style greens, some biscuits, root veggies with chestnuts. Casual, informal and a chance to see some of our fellow west countians.

Then, home to do some minor clean up. We will be doing major leaf clean up this week, with the leaves going in our compost, and some for the rake and take program. Our partner in this, a neighbor down the road, comes and gets what we don’t use, for her compost piles. The yard really exploded in color this week. That frost a week ago is what did it.

Unfortunately, my mums got beaten down by the rain.

There were lots of runners and bikers out on our roads today, getting some exercise while enjoying the scenery. It will get better out here for the next few weeks, so head out and visit the local farms, or just take a ride. Me, I am waiting patiently to capture this year’s peak at sunset, like this one I got a few years back. I need the perfect light to do it though. It looks like the woods are on fire.

Have a great fall weekend, wherever you wander. We are off to Baugher’s tomorrow to pick apples. A bit beyond west hoco, but still a great place to visit. Particularly if I get some of their black walnuts for baking this fall.

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A Great Day for Lunch at Atwater’s

Posted on October 3, 2012 by AnnieRie

Today turned out nicely. Instead of doing yard work, we decided to drive down to Atwater’s Bakery for lunch, and then hit the Miller Library market on the way home.

Today’s Tiffin Box Lunch included either mushroom or southwestern tomato corn. I had the mushroom. In the box, also, were oatmeal raisin cookies and a lovely chunk of rosemary roll.

creamy mushroom soup

the rosemary roll

We sat outside and watched the bustle of downtown Catonsville, then went in to pick up a sliced loaf of sourdough for my soups, and the chili I want to make Friday.

Atwater’s sourdough bread

I do like to sit outside the bakery and watch the world drive by. There were also a large number of people walking along Frederick Road, at 1 PM. Clearly, Catonsville is one of those places where there is a real sense of community. Many people walking up past us with purchases from the Wednesday farmer’s market, that goes from 10-1 on Wednesday mornings until the day before Thanksgiving.

A fun place to sit and people watch. The old post office building in Catonsville. And, yes, the “You Scream” sign is an ice cream store right up the road. For those who love to indulge. While in Atwater’s, you can also pick up Trickling Springs dairy products.

atwaters outdoor seating

I will get a post up later about the great finds at the Howard County Miller Library market today, like the FRESH CHESTNUTS from Love Dove. I do have to go make dinner now, though.

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