Kennett Square Mushroom Festival, PA

Earlier in September we were down in Delaware getting our car fixed before a night out in Philly, and decided to take the scenic route up through Kennett Square because it was the weekend of their annual Mushroom Festival. 

Kennett is the mushroom capital of the world, so this is their chance to celebrate all things mushroom.  I had read about Talula's Table, a little market in downtown Kennett where they also do a nightly chef's table booked one year in advance, so when it came to choosing which stand to visit, I figured we'd try it.  We got the mushroom risotto, and mushroom spring rolls.  They also had mushroom mac and cheese.  Risotto was satisfying, but the spring rolls were huge, but not so good.  The filling wasn't much better than your average Chinese takeout, and the spring roll skins weren't crispy.  I was however drawn to trying their homemade pretzels and was very happy with a nice yeasty, chewy, fennel one.

For dessert, I had to try pumpkin mushroom ice cream from Woodside Farm Creamery in Hockessin, DE. This family-run dairy is right across from the Chinese American Community Center - hard to resist anytime I find myself out there.  The ice cream is super rich and creamy and the pumpkin flavor was great - not too much mushroom.

And whenever I"m in Kennett Square, I also have to get a donut from Alondra's Mexican Bakery.  I always feel like a little kid walking in to the smell of a great bakery.

Federal Donuts, Philadelphia PA

We were on a quest for French export butter-in-a-tin in the Vietnamese groceries in South Philly, so we took the opportunity being in that neighborhood to stop in at the new-ish Federal Donuts.  It's a take-out joint solely serving donuts and fried chicken -- it doesn't get much better than that!

The place stays open until they run out, so we were lucky to still find it open after 5 pm on a Sunday.

The specialty donuts were sold out, but they will fry fresh donuts to order and toss with your choice of sugar and spices.  We got one of each kind:  Appollonia, Indian Cinnamon, and Vanilla-Lavender.  I can't remember exactly what spices were on the Appollonia, but that one (the dark one) was my favorite.  While hot donuts are always good, I have to say, they weren't as decadent as the Fractured Prune (on the Delaware-Maryland shore).  We have been spoiled.

But I'd go back to Federal Donuts for the chicken.  We got a half order for $9 -- a four-piece box.  You could choose either Crispy with a dry topping (Za-atar or Coconut Curry), or Glazed with a wet topping (Chile-Garlic or Honey-Ginger).  I opted for dry, since we were going to have to eat in the car (of the Ikea parking lot no less) and went with coconut curry - it was indeed very crispy - freshly fried a second time and topped with the delicious spices.

It was a great (albeit counterproductive) last meal before I embarked on a 3-day Catalyst Juice Cleanse!  (And as an aside, I didn't document the raw foods and juices I got as part of the cleanse, but the Mexican Lasagna -- made with thinly sliced zucchini, tomato puree, avocado, and hazelnut "cheese" -- was fantastic, as well as the lemon, agave, and cayenne juice. I would happily eat and drink them guilt-free every day!  They really should add the lasagna to the menu at their Jar Bar in Philly.)

Federal Donuts
1219 South 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

(267) 687-8258 Catalyst Cleanse Jar Bar 113 S 12th St  Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 923-1600

Savor the Central Coast, San Luis Obispo, CA

The day after we attended a wedding in Monterey, our friends from Santa Barbara proposed to meet us halfway in San Luis Obispo.  They came up with the wonderful plan to check out Savor the Central Coast, a huge food and wine festival celebrating that region.

The event took place at the 15,000 acre Santa Margarita Ranch. The weather was gorgeous and with a half price Groupon, I felt like it was a great deal even though I and our pregnant friend didn't partake of any of the wine tasting.  Just tent after tent of free food!  Here's a sampling of what we ate:

I think the absolute best thing we had was the maple bacon donut from SLO Donut.

Their donut holes with whipped cream and fresh berries were yummy as well!

Lamb tagine with loads of local olive oil.

Mozzarella tomato and pesto on focaccia by ByScotti.

Cookies by Brown Butter Cookie Company.

Whiskey marinated beef from Harris Ranch.

Lamb tacos from Central City Market

Homemade cavatelli with wild boar ragu from Artisan Restaurant

Cured meat from Allesina

Fresh oysters and abalone ceviche

And teeny tiny cones of merlot raspberry truffle ice cream

Mini Hawaiian Food Safari in Las Vegas: Malasadas Hunting & Local Kine Grinds

My last full day in Las Vegas started with an idea that I could find malasadas in town. Fougoo posted about Leonard's malasadas when she went to Hawaii a few years ago, and I could not forget how much she and Redneckhunter loved these sweet treats. I knew that there were a lot of Hawaiians in the Vegas area, and by doing a quick survey online, I found several places mentioned that made malasadas.
The first place was a bakery on the northeast side of town, but I discovered they had shut down.
I had another lead, a branch of the chain L&L Hawaiian Barbeque was also noted to have malasadas. They certainly did. I ordered one of both kinds- plain and custard filled. They were made to order and came out piping hot. I would agree with Redneckhunter's preference for the custard filled malasadas. They were amazing: creamy, eggy, sweet and warm goodness.
I also tried some the the Hawaiian food at L&L. First I got the Loco Moco. It was not so good. I was told that L&L are more of a fast food chain, and this showed in their Loco Moco. The hamburger patty reminded me of a McDonald's hamburger patty.
At least their Spam musubi was decent. After all, you can't have a filler substitute when it's already Spam.

After a disappointing Loco Moco, I decided to go the downtown Vegas to Aloha Specialties for supper to make up for it. As I arrived, I saw that they were having a "Lei Day" festival, and I saw a big banner advertising "Malasadas".
I headed directly to the stand, and ordered just the custard filled variety. These were better than the ones at L&L. I watched them deep frying them and piping in the custard while I enjoyed a couple more malasadas.
After dessert, I walked over to the California Casino to the their mezzanine level to grab a bite at Aloha Specialties. This restaurant has been in Vegas for years, and they might make some of the best Hawaiian food in town. I decided on the Hawaiian tripe stew with a side of mac salad.
The tripe was tender and the flavor of the tomato and onion sauce was pleasant and mild. Their mac salad was delicious. The Hawaiian version of macaroni salad is usually less watery than mainland mac salad. When you scoop it up, it retains it's shape.

L&L Hawaiian Barbeque
7891 W Tropical Pkwy # 120
Las Vegas, NV

Aloha Specialties (inside California Casino)
12 East Ogden Avenue
Las Vegas, NV

Salt Tavern, Baltimore

I've been back in Baltimore for a few years now, and I am kicking myself in the head for not having visited Salt Tavern sooner.
I even went to a cooking demo with Chef Jason Ambrose, and was impressed by his flavors, but it was only last week that I finally ate dinner at Salt. While upscale, his restaurant still has a neighborhood bistro vibe to it, nestled near Patterson Park in the Butcher's Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.
We started with a cone of tasty duck fat fries accompanied by a trio of aioli sauces: chipotle, malt vinegar, & black truffle. Bigfatlar and I finished off the black truffle, while Kwan noted a preference for the chipotle.
I ordered the Boston Bibb lettuce salad, served with watermelon, goat cheese, and a thick syrupy balsamic vinegar. It was a great combination of sweet and savory seasonal flavors.

The best item I tasted was the foie gras & Kobe beef slider, topped with truffle aioli and onion marmalade. While a small bite, the rich combination of the ingredients were just do well combined that you would not want any more- it would be just too much.
Bigfatlar ordered the Cuban braised pork shank served on a bed of plantains, andouille, & poblano peppers. The pork slipped off the bone with minimal pressure.
I got an order of the lobster ceviche with passion fruit & mango. I was impressed with the size of the lobster tail- it was delicious.
I also ordered the chicken fried quail with an onion waffle stick & mustard gravy. The dish was an interesting take on chicken & waffles, and I loved the amusing, slightly pornographic presentation.


Our table ordered three different desserts. Bigfatlar got the strawberry shortcake.

I ordered the trio of ice creams. They came on mini sugar cones mounted in their own stand. The flavors were caramel with marshmallow, cherries jubilee, and milk chocolate. Hands down, the cherries jubilee was the best.
Kwan got the goat cheese doughnuts with vanilla sea salt.
After this meal, I am sure I will be back at Salt very soon.

2127 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD
(410)276-5480

Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI

I was lucky to make it to the famous Zingerman's Roadhouse this winter for dinner with some good friends in Ann Arbor, MI.
We started with an order of Chopped Liver, made of Amish free-range chicken livers broiled in schmaltz with onions and ground with hard boiled egg and pepper.
We also ordered their Chili and Cheddar Fries- twice cooked fries topped with ancho beef chili and with grated 2-year-raw-milk Vermont cheddar.
Based upon the smell of the restaurant, I could not resist getting the BBQ Pork Entree made of Cornman Farms hogs, pit smoked for 14 hours with mashed potatoes and greens. I opted for the Carolina style vinegar sauce.





My friend See ordered the Cornman Farms Chicken Fried Steak made with sirloin topped with chicken gravy. It was pretty delicious.
There was not question about me getting, for dessert, Ari’s Original Doughnut Sundae-
a housemade Dutch doughnut covered with bourbon-caramel sauce topped with vanilla gelato, whipped cream, salted Virginia peanuts and a cherry. Unbelievable.


2501 Jackson Ave,
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 663-3663

Neyn- One Year Only Doughnut Shop- Tokyo Midtown

In the super swanky shopping mall, Tokyo Midtown in Japan, we came across Neyn, a project involving running a store for only 1 year. In this case, they were a handmade gourmet doughnut shop. An interesting concept that would probably only work in Japan.
We tried the gâteau chocolat (chocolate cake) doughnut and the cake aux fruits - imagine French pastry chefs making doughnuts- each were lovely, not too sweet.

Marrow and Venison: Dinner with Foodie Friends in Greenpoint

Fougoo's friend, Andy and his wife invited us over this past weekend for a foodie dinner at their place in Greenpoint in Brooklyn. What a dinner they had planned for us.
We started with some cheeses we got from Saxelby Cheesemongers in the Essex St. Market: a nice stinky raw cow's milk cheese called the Hooligan, and a nice creamy cow and goat cheese blend.
Andy had decided to start us off with an appetizer of bone marrow on toast. It actually was a really simple preparation- toss the bones on a pan, throw it in the oven, 20 minutes, we're ready. Redneckhunter prepped a nice parsley, caper, olive oil mix to eat with the marrow and toast. The marrow was so delicious that Andy's young son demanded seconds and thirds.

For our main course, Andy with the help of Redneckhunter prepped an amazing array of food. For our sides, Redneckhunter made his own unique style of brussel sprouts- with lots of bacon. We also had an amazing root vegetable au gratin consisting of celery root and parsnips with a nice gruyere.

For the main course, Andy made some amazing venison. He started with a gallon of veal broth that he spent the whole day reducing.





He included some red wine and shallots, and right at the end he added some cream. The result was pretty amazing especially with perfectly cooked medium rare venison.
It was an amazing meal nicely paired a Northwest Pinot Noir.

For dessert, we picked up a dozen doughnuts from the Doughnut Plant. I must say, the coconut creme was so heavenly. We also tried some of their seasonal doughnuts, including pumpkin cake and yeast doughnuts and an apple cinnamon.