Miguel's Cocina Y Cantina, Locust Point, Baltimore

A new Mexican eatery has opened in the Locust Point neighborhood of Baltimore called Miguel's Cocina Y Cantina. I've been down there a couple times, for brunch and for dinner.
This is the second Mexican restaurant in the past month where I've had a Michelada, a beer, Tecate here, with Chile de Arbol powder, Worcestershire, lime, and cracked black pepper.
For brunch, I've tried their Huevos Sincronizadas, fried eggs, ham and Asadero cheese on corn tortillas and covered in Mole Poblano.
I really liked their Ibarra Masa pancakes, made with Masa Harina and chocolate. It's then covered with Ancho chile butter and Gran Gala orange Agave syrup.

I also really enjoyed my dinner I had at Miguel's with a friend. We tried the Jicama y Naranja salad consisting of Jicama, orange, Chile de Arbol, arugula and pepitos.
We also really like the Queso Fundido with Chorizo, and the Tostadas de Marisco with shrimp, squid and mussels.
A promising item on the menu that they did not have the night we were there was the Tostaditas de Chapulines, made of dried grasshoppers. Next time.

I enjoyed their Tacos al Pastor, pork in a spicy sauce with pineapple salsa, and we also had their Carne Asada Empanadas.
I would definitely head back to Miguel's to explore more of their interesting menu.

1200 Stuart St.
Baltimore, MD
(443)438-3139

The Pickled Pig, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Went for lunch at the Pickled Pig, a gastropub which opened in Rehoboth Beach last year. They specialize in serving good local craft beers like Dogfish Head and Evolution.
We started with a set of appetizers. I could not resist trying their fried pickles. They use kosher dill pickles, batter dipped, fried and served with a spicy dipping sauce which reminded me of the Outback Bloomin' Onion sauce. It was yummy.
Fougoo also ordered a cheese board. We got a nice 5 year Gouda and a sheep's milk cheese from Cypress Grove called the Lamb Chopper.

For entrees, I just wanted to stay light, so I ordered a simple bowl of Price Edward Island mussels in a broth of Belgian ale, leeks, and garlic sausage.
Redneckhunter got their Classic Reuben sandwich.




18756 Coastal Highway
Rehoboth Beach, DE‎
(302)645-5444‎

The KFC Double Down

Tried the KFC Double Down sandwich, Original recipe: 540 cal, 32 gm fat, 1380 mg sodium.
Verdict- much too salty, chicken was dry.
Thank you.

Sometimes Dining, Baltimore - A Sign Sure

This past week, I was lucky enough to be able to go to another Sometimes Dining dinner. The theme was "A Sign Sure".
When we arrived, we immediately started with a pleasant amuse bouche of tuna rolled in radicchio and ricotta cheese.

Also, they brought out platters of (literally) housemade charcuterie with homemade crackers. We tried pork garlic sausage and lardo. They also had a date roll and olives accompanying the tasty meats.

Our first course was a nice salad made of fennel, jicama, & daikon with bits of bell pepper topped with a grapefruit chevre dressing and an anchovy.
Course two was a soup described as "pho-style" with veggies and beef tenderloin. It tasted more like a lemongrass broth with chili oil, but still nice. I kind of hoped for some rice noodles when I read the description.

Sometimes Dining's "le trou normande" was a drink of gin and melon. It had a nice canteloupe flavor.
For our main entree, we had halibut with swiss chard served on a bed of wonderful thyme noodles that had a sauce made from mussel sauce. I pretty much cleaned up the whole plate it was so good.

Dessert was also really interesting: it was a honey cake topped with a spicy whipped cream with Aleppo pepper, accompanied by a sauce made of beet puree. An interesting mix of sweet, spicy, and earthy flavors.
Again, we finished off the meal with some nice homemade chocolates, and I had a nice double espresso.

Honey Pig Gooldaegee comes to Ellicott City, MD

Honey Pig Gooldaegee in Annandale, VA might be my favorite Korean BBQ place in the MD/DC/VA area, and I was excited that they opened a new branch in Ellicott City, MD last week.
Like the original, the place is open 24 hours a day. I went for lunch on opening day at 1:00 pm and there was a line out the door already.
Inside, the place is a little more open than the Virginia branch, and the music is not as loud. However, the food and prices were comparable.
We grabbed some aprons off the wall to prevent splatter, and ordered up some Hite beer. For our meats, we got the Kalbi, the pork rib, and my favorite, the thick spicy pork bellies.
I worry that because now that this place is much closer to where I live, I might be too tempted to grab some delicious Korean BBQ at all hours of the day. Ahh- who cares?








10045 Baltimore National Pike (Rte 40)
Ellicott City, MD 21041

X20 Xaviars on the Hudson, Yonkers, NY

The TIGBG gang popped up to Yonkers, NY to X20 Xaviars on the Hudson for Hudson Valley Restaurant week last month.
The restaurant is located on a dock that juts out onto the Hudson River with an amazing view of the George Washington Bridge.

We started several appetizers that we shared. Fougoo got the wild mushroom custard with crabmeat & chives. It was really light, nice and delicious.
We also got an order of short rib and foie gras dumplings served on a bed of broccoli rabe.





We had three different entrees. Because we were in the Hudson Valley, I ordered the Hoisin glazed breast of duckling. It came with a steamed bud with bbq duck & cucumber as well. The duck breast was just perfectly cooked, and delicious. Redneckhunter ordered the whole roasted New York Sirloin. It came out sliced like prime rib with sides of Yukon mashed potatoes and haricots vert.
Fougoo got the nicely prepared basil glazed Chatham cod.




For dessert, we shared banana & walnut bread pudding with rum glazed bananas & vanilla ice cream and and order of their Old Bushmill’s butterscotch pudding.
All in all, it was a great meal at a restaurant with a wonderful view that really took advantage of the region's ingredients for it's menu items.

71 Water Grant Street
Yonkers, NY
(914)965-1111

Ray's the Steaks, Arlington, VA

I finally had dinner at Ray's the Steaks in Arlington a few weeks ago. They are opening a new branch in Ward 7 of DC in the next week.
I was with a friend so we ordered the Chateaubriand to share. It was delicious and cooked perfectly. I got a side of the brandied mushroom sauce, and we shared sides of broccoli and mashed potatoes.
I got to try a nice bottle of Bell's Hop Slam, and we had dessert. Total bill for the two of us was $80. Great meal and great price.

2300 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 841-7297

(new branch)
905 Dix St NE
Washington, DC 20019

Ren's Ramen, Bethesda, MD

I found a very authentic ramen shop in the DC area in Bethesda, Ren's Ramen. It's located inside what used to be the Daruma Japanese market which closed last month.
I ordered "The Sapporo" Tonshio ramen which came with roast pork, but I added fatty pork and a boiled egg. The noodles were really good. I heard that they are imported from Japan (hence the price), but they have amazing flavor and texture.

6931 Arlington Rd
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 693-0806