The Houndstooth Gourmet

I hope your Holidays are delightful  and as stress-free as possible this year. Currently, Frank and I are in Philadelphia visiting family and  enjoying old and new foodie haunts. I thought I’d share with you some of the fun we’re having and give you some ideas in case you’re ever visiting the City of Brotherly Love.

On Saturday we made our way to Reading Terminal Market, a large indoor market in the heart of Center City Philadelphia. Locals and tourists alike keep the market bustling year round. The market is an amazing mixture of local vendors ranging from Amish foods and eateries, to cheesesteaks, hoagies, salumeries, cheese mongers, fish mongers, butchers and produce stands to name only a few. Despite this array of food we tend to gravitate towards one of our favorite sandwich shops is all the city- DiNic’s Roast Pork and Beef. The roast pork, or roast pork Italian sandwich has long been a city favorite, garnering as much praise and generating as much bickering as the beloved and widely-known Philadelphia Cheesesteak of Pat Oliveri lore.

Frank and I were fortunate to snag a couple seats at the counter and split a roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. As usual, the sandwich was amazing especially since DiNic’s makes rabe regularly available now, not just spinach. Rabe rules, no doubt about it.  Satisfied that the sandwich would hold us over until a much anticipated dinner at Osteria, we strolled around RTM, gathering in the sights, sounds, smells and energy of the collective merchants and market-goers.

Across Market St. and two blocks up the street across from City Hall is Macy’s, or the old Wanamaker’s department store where a long standing Christmas tradition plays out several times a day around the Holiday. Passed from generation to generation is the experience of gathering by the Eagle in the 5 story center hall to see the Holiday Light Show. A 3 story wall of lights flickers and blinks in rhythm with the music which tells the stories of the Sugar Plum Fairies, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Santa and the Nutcracker.

Having good karma at DiNic’s and catching the Light Show just in time left us feeling positive about our dinner that night at Osteria. We were right. Osteria is the newer restaurant from Mark Vetri, of Vetri. Vetri is one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia and probably one of the best Italian restaurants in the country. While Vetri is small, some 36 seats or so, Osteria is spacious and manages to marry a warehouse space with warm wood and deep colors making it altogether welcoming and enticing.

Our meal was superlative from our informative server to the silver service to our napkins being folded within seconds of our individual departures to the restrooms. While our main server explained the menu and took our order, the dishes were served and cleared by numerous staff who made themselves unobtrusive to ensure a sense of seamlessness throughout the meal.

We started with the Lombarda Pizza which had a yolky sunny side up egg and perfectly cooked thin crust which had just enough blister to let you know the pizzaiolo knows his way around Osteria’s wood-fired brick oven which cooks the pizza at a hellish 700 degrees. The in-house made cotechino sausage (sausage and all cured meats except the Proscuito are made in-house) was fragrant with cloves and nutmeg and played nicely on the palate against the bitto cheese. And the yolk-what’s to say? Creamy. Delicious. Perfect.

Our pizza was followed by sharing a lobster spaghetti- a whole lobster with meat removed and combined with al dente pasta in a light tomato sauce with is served over the lobster shell. This dish is large, more of an entree portion of American timber. Besides the perennial lobster special, we ordered a pork special- a young pig, marinated in brine and braised. Loin, shoulder and rib was portioned with yukon gold potatoes. The pig was intensely flavored with fennel and was very moist. It was one of those dishes which made me think to myself that I would have no idea how to pump this intensity of flavor into anything!

Despite being quite full, we decided to try a dolci and ordered the cranberry and hickory nut tart with zabaglione gelato (also made in-house). This was wonderful with tart cranberries and creamy gelato punctuated by the crunch of nuts. Cups of decaffeinated Miscela D’Oro coffee was strong and delicious.

All of this with 2 glasses of Prosecco came to around $130. I would highly recommend Osteria and am planning to return. One visit in simply not enough. Between the pizzas, antipastas, primis, secondis, contornos and dolcis, there seems to be infinite ways to configure an amazing meal at Osteria. Not to mention the daily specials, in particular the pastas.

Tags: Italian, Philadelphia, Restaurants, Markets by Ramona
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I’m a little reluctant to say I haven’t returned to Eastern Market since the opening of the temporary building across the street. Before the fire last April, Frank and I would go occasionally (read once, maybe twice a month) on Saturday mornings for one of our favorite “real” DC experiences. We generally try to get there before 9 so we don’t have to wait an eternity in line. Generally Frank stands in line and I take a walk down the street to Murky Coffee to get us a large latte to share while we wait. Not straying from tradition, Frank gets the bluebucks (blueberry buckwheat pancakes) and I get the crab cake benedict.
I’m glad to report that the folks and food at Market Lunch were as wonderful as ever upon our visit last Saturday. We arrived just before 8am and viola! no line. We chatted with the woman who took our orders and she said that business is pretty good, but not as busy as before the fire. Indeed, I was a bit surprised and concerned that even by the time we left, there was no significant line (I did find out later that yes, indeed, the line can snake out the door on Saturday mornings).
We waited a bit as the kitchen made about 14 breakfast sandwiches for (I believe) a group of firefighters-that ought to have fueled them up! When we got our food (and of course not a moment before!) we took a seat at the communal table which survived the fire. I love that table. It’s presence says “I’m here. I survived. I’m not going anywhere.” It anchors Market Lunch even in their temporary digs.
Frank’s bluebucks were big as frisbees and perfectly cooked. How do they do them so perfect everytime? Why is it that when I make pancakes the first two are pale gummy pucks? Oh well… Frank enjoyed them smothered in syrup, with a side of sausage.

I too enjoyed my crab cake benedict which I believe had more crab  compared to my memory of the last one I ate. The egg was done perfectly and oozed it’s yolk into the hollandaise sauce of unspecified origin. Now, I love fresh hollandaise wafting with lemon and silky in texture, and Market Lunch’s hollaindaise is…not. BUT..it’s not bad and once mingled with egg yolk, the sum is greater than the parts so to speak. All in all, it was the same as it ever was, and I loved it.
My side of grits were creamy with a bit of a grit- chew. Perfect with the generous pat of butter they give (did you see that puddle of butter?!)
We left vowing to get back into our routine and enjoy breakfast there more often. Besides, it’s winter and I’ll need some meats for braising from Union Meats. And cheese. And fresh pasta.

Tags: District of Columbia, breakfast, farmers markets, Restaurants by Ramona
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I love all seasons for many reasons. Relating to farmers markets, you just can’t beat spring and summer: when the ramps and asparagus yield to tiny strawberries bursting with flavor. It’s an exciting time knowing that shortly thereafter, cherries, tomatoes and corn will be abundant.

 The deep greens and colorful root vegetables have been delicious and gorgeous to look at as the weather turned cold. But on Saturday, with the Arlington Market only half full of vendors it was, well, a little depressing. But the vendors are out and shivering, so I can be too. Not that there aren’t wonderful things to find this time of year. There’s always the year round staples such as meats, breads, cheeses and pastries. They alone make it worth the trip.

In particular, I wanted to regale Frank and I with lamb rib chops from Eco Friendly (which after the very first time I had them became a regular “treat” for Frank and me)  and a nice loaf of Atwater sourdough bread.

I also picked up a bag of homemade egg noodles to put in my homemade chicken stock which is in the freezer tucked away in quart containers waiting for me.

The lamb chops are incredibly tender. We bought eight chops for about $24. While it’s a bit of a splurge, I tell myself that if I were to order a lamb dish with 3-4 chops at a nice restaurant, the entree would surely exceed $30 and may even approach $40 depending. So for less than half the price of a restaurant, I can make a fabulous meal  for the two of us and enjoy it at home.

Easy(er) on the wallet, and easy to make, here’s my simple preparation for marinated and seared lamb chops with a red wine reduction sauce. Simply bring the chops out 45 minutes to one hour before cooking. In a ziploc baggie, place the chops inside and pour over 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary chopped to release essential oils, one clove crushed garlic, zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon, a tsp. of salt and several grinds of pepper.

Close the baggie and disperse marinating liquid around all chops. Place sealed bag in a bowl and leave out until ready to cook.

Heat dry pan over high heat. Remove chops from bag and place on hot pan. Do not move until chops are ready to yield, about 2-3 minutes. While on first side, add a bit more salt. Turn and sear on other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove to platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of dry red wine. Reduce by half and serve drizzled over chops.

Tags: Arlington, farmers markets, Virginia, Recipe, lamb by Ramona
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I’ve been becoming quite proficient at making biscotti lately. This Holiday season, I decided to concentrate most of my baking focus on Italian specialties such as pizzelles and biscotti. With my new VillaWare pizzelle maker, I’ve been cranking out chocolate pizzelles, traditional anise pizzelles and orange rum pizzelles. Using my KitchenAid mixer, I’ve been baking batches and batches of chocolate cherry walnut and anise almond biscotti. I thought it might be fun to try a savory biscotti however, perhaps to enjoy with an anitpasti and  cheese platter with a nice glass of Sangiovese wine.

Here are two recipes which I found to be delicious and easy to make. The first combines parmesan with rosemary and Dijon mustard (pictured at top right). The second uses Classico Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Parmesan (pictured at top left).

To serve, pop into a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes to warm and crisp them up. Enjoy!

Parmesan, Rosemary and Mustard Biscotti- makes about 2 dozen biscotti

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (All Purpose)

1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (you can use pecorino if you wish)

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, finely ground

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt and rosemary. In mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light yellow. To mixer, add mustard, Parmesan cheese and eggs. Mix to combine, about 2-3 minutes on low. Add dry ingredients slowly. Combine until dough forms a ball.

Transfer dought to a lightly floured board. With lightly floured hands, bring dough together into disc. Cut in half. With each half, roll into a 12 inch log (you may need a small amount of flour to prevent sticking). Transfer each log to Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten each log until 2 inches wide. Lightly score individual biscotti- about 12 cookies to each log.

Place baking sheet on the middle rack of oven and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut individual biscotti and return biscotti to baking sheet, standing upright. Bake another 10 minutes until they are golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely. Store in air-tight container.

Parmesan Tomato Pesto Biscotti- makes about 2 dozen biscotti

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (All Purpose)

1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (you can use pecorino if you wish)

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, finely ground

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp. Classico Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (or use any comparable brand)

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In bowl, place dry ingredients: flour, corn meal, baking soda and salt. In mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light yellow. Add cheese, eggs, and tomato pesto. Mix on low until blended, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until dough forms a ball.

Transfer to a lightly floured board and continue preparation and baking as outlined above.

Tags: savory, cookies, Recipe, baking by Ramona
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Restaurant Eve’s Lickety Split Lunch is one of the best deals in the area. Sitting inside the bar and lounge of Chef Cathal Armstrong’s beautifully restored historic townhome on S. Pitt St. in Old Town Alexandria, I feel like I’ve just hit the blue light, uh, blue plate special. Oh it’s a steal of a deal, and keep in mind the dishes are from the same award winning, 4 star kitchen which as we ate, was crafting thoughtful and seasonal creations for Eve’s Tasting Room, and would cost diners $95 for a 5 course tasting menu and $125 for a 9 course menu that evening. As in all areas of Eve’s eating areas, the food is creative yet down to earth, brilliant yet restrained and of course always seasonal and fresh.
On a recent weekday, Frank and I did a bit of Holiday shopping in Old Town and decided to have a late lunch at the bar (our bartender told us that they serve until around 3:30-4pm). I’ve been to Eve’s Licketly Split lunch before and let Frank know this would probably be more leisurely than he might expect, despite the name. Indeed, we were enjoying ourselves for well over an hour. Keep in mind, that this is a menu with a generous amount of choices and you get 2 items for the unbelievable price of $13.50. Two courses, plus bread service add up to a little bit of time and indeed, these lunches are meant to be savored, not inhaled. So, go when you have enough time to enjoy and maybe even order a dessert to boot. If you do have time restraints, I’d let them know so you can stay on schedule if you need to. This is dining in a friendly casual setting with a neighborhood feel.
The Lickety Split menu offers a few cocktails/wines, 3-4 entrees and 2 desserts. Additionally there is a soup, sandwich, salad and risotto of the day. Today the specials were butternut squash soup with pumpkin oil and toasted papitas, mushroom risotto, duck confit salad with cippolini onions, watercress and a grainy mustard sauce, and a boneless braised shortrib sandwich served with roquefort cheese and a side of fingerling potatoes. Sound good so far?
I decided on the poached mussels with merguez lamb sausage and curried carrots, and the short rib sandwich. Frank ordered the duck confit salad and the Irish BLT (a staple on the menu). Service is friendly from the bartender, to service runners to the person who greets you as you enter. White linen napkins with full silverware (which is replaced as to never have a dirty piece of flatware before your next course) and a leather placemat are nice touched. Comfortable seating makes you want to tuck in and stay for a while.
The bread at Eve absolutely rocks (I usually don’t use that word, but..). Seriously, I hope the Armstrong’s open a bakery so I can get this bread retail. The crust is etherally thin and crunchy. Sometimes when crust is too thick I feel like I have to wrestle like a dog playing with a chew toy to get a hunk to rip off.  In addition to a perfect crust, the inside is soft, porous and just a tad yeasty. The room temperature Irish butter melts on contact with each piece I pinched off. Hoping for some delicious juices at the bottom of my mussel bowl, I saved most of my bread for just this task. I was glad I did.
My mussels came in a warm deep porcelein bowl with a large square rim, which was perfect to rest my utensil on. About 2 dozen plump and juicy mussels arrived, most in their shell, with small to medium chunks of merguez sausage and a golden yellow curry sauce. The sauce had a little heat and added to the dish, rather than overwhelm it. The sausage tasted of the lamb it was made with and was nice when combined with a mussel. As I’d hoped, at the bottom of my bowl was a nice puddle of sauce, sausage and mussel liquor. The sum of this sauce was even better than it’s parts.
My short rib sandwich with roquefort cheese arrived between two thick, butter slathered and browned pieces of bread. With braising sauce and melting cheese oozing out the sides, I decided the best way to eat this sandwich and maintain some level of decorum and my lady-like dignity was to open it up, spread the contents over both pieces of toast and eat it as an open faced sandwich. This proved to be a good idea and I enjoyed the moist braised beef and the sauce forked with a bit of bread in each bit.
The fingerling potatoes were seasoned perfectly and had a creamy center, while the skins were nice and crisp. Combining some potato with the gravy is highly recommended.

Frank’s lunch started with the duck confit salad. The mahagony duck confit was a generous amount of moist duck meat nestled under tender greens and surrounded by a grainy mustard sauce.  The mild mustard sauce was a surprising complement to the duck; balancing, not overpowering the meat.  He too took advantage of the crusty bread to sop up all of the juicy goodness.

The Irish BLT was a wonderful twist on the classic BLT.  Instead of a hickory smoked bacon, the sandwich was filled with Irish bacon that reminded Frank of the many breakfast fry ups he had while living in London.  The tomatoes were very meaty and the sandwich included a generous amount of mayonaise; there’s nothing worse than a BLT that goes light on the mayo.  He also enjoyed the lightly salted fresh made potato chips.  After finishing the sandwich, Frank commented that he could eat that for lunch every day of the week and not tire of it (Holy Cholesterol Batman!). He also thought he should take a long weekend more often so we could do this regularly. A wonderful lunch and more time with my honey. Who knew?

Restaurant Eve’s Lickety Split lunch is offered Mon-Fri in the bar and lounge.

Map it!

Tags: Lunch, Alexandria, Virginia, Restaurants by Ramona
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