Hunan Taste in Catonsville, MD

Last month, a new Chinese restaurant, Hunan Taste, opened in Catonsville, in the same shopping center as H Mart, a large Asian grocery store. I met up with the folks there this past weekend. My mom had read about the place in and ad in the local Chinese paper, where they promoted authentic Hunan style cuisine, their specialty being Mao Tse-tung's Red-braised pork.
The dish is thick chunks of pork belly cooked with a delicious sauce made of chiles, soy sauce, wine, sugar, star anise and cinnamon. It is reported that this was Chairman Mao's favorite dish, The version at Hunan Taste was delicious, and chock full of cloves of garlic. My parents gave this a thumbs up.

My mom got excited because the menu, which we were told by the manager was not quite finalized yet, had, in English, a steamed chicken soup. She recalled a traditional chicken soup that had a special bowl with a hole/spout in the center where the steam enters and cooks the contents. After discussing her memory of the dish, we were pleased that this was exactly that dish she remembered.
The soup was really nice. The chicken, from the steaming, was nice and tender, and there were goji berries and pieces of nagaimo, or Japanese yam, in the broth as well. My mom said that there is thought to be medicinal benefits to this soup.
We also tried another chef's special, Hunan style spicy filets, and for a vegetable, we had celery and lily buds. Both dishes were also delicious.
We spoke with the manager after our meal, and he mentioned that eventually the final menu will have over 100 itema, and that the chefs want to remain true to Chinese cuisine rather than cater too much to Americanized Chinese cuisine. After our meal, it all sounded very promising for Chinese food in the Baltimore area.

718 N. Rolling Road
Catonsville, MD 21228
(410)788-8988

Back to Akosombo in DC

After visiting Akosombo earlier this year, I wanted to make sure I went back to try some of the other dishes they have to offer. In particular, I wanted to try red-red, a traditional Ghanaian dish of stewed black eyed peas or other bean with plantains.
This past weekend, the DC Metropolitan cooking show was a mere 1 1/2 blocks from Akosombo. So, in order to escape the throngs who came to see Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, and Giada, I walked over to Akosombo's inconspicuous building for lunch.
I think the peak time to get to this place is around 2 pm- it's also when all the food is just hitting the steam tables. When I arrived, the front drive was filled with cabs and airport limos.
I finally got to try the red-red. It was worth it. The seasoning in the bean stew was delicious- definitely some scotch bonnet in it. I also got the jollof rice with beef stew and some spinach with egusi.

613 K St NW
(between N 6th St & N 7th St)
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 408-1133

Jade Island Restaurant, Staten Island, NY

Fougoo, Redneckhunter and I, inspired by the recent episode of No Reservations where Tony Bourdain went with David Johansen to a tiki bar in Staten Island, went to that very restaurant, Jade Island, over the Halloween weekend.
The place was in a massive strip mall that had a Pathmark. The decor was definitely old school. There were lit up paintings of Polynesian scenery all around, and the friendly waiters all wore Hawaiian shirts.
The Chinese food on the menu looked like it had not changed since the 60's or 70's- mostly items with either a brown sauce or a sweet and sour sauce. We even noticed that they still had Sanka on the menu.
Regardless, we were there for drinks with umbrellas and a flaming Pupu platter.
I got a Coconut Kiss, a very strong concoction of gin and coconut milk.

The Pupu platter was impressive, with a flaming centerpiece surrounded by delicious meats. The best item was a cumin beef kabob, and their spareribs were also good. I also liked a ravioli shaped item fried up that consisted of chicken.

We also tried a "Polynesian" steak dish that probably wasn't the best choice- brown sauce.
However, thanks to a wonderful buzz from the alcohol, a bellyful of meat, and the authentic Tikibar surroundings, it was great night out.

2845 Richmond Ave
Staten Island, NY 10314-5850
(718) 761-8080‎

Edgar Allan Poe Dinner at Volt, Frederick, MD

Last week, as part of The Big Read program, the restaurant Volt in Frederick, MD, run by Top Chef Las Vegas contestant Bryan Voltaggio featured a special tasting menu inspired by the life of Edgar Allan Poe. It was my first time eating at Volt, and it was impressive.
Right away, we started with the amuse bouche, which was the dish that won him an elimination challenge on Top Chef, a sweet and sour lime macaroon with guacamole.

We then were served bread. I chose the roll that had applewood smoked bacon in it.
The tasting menu offered two choices, Boston and Baltimore, contrasting the towns where Poe was born and died.
The first course from "Boston" was a New England clam chowder that was special in that the root vegetables, potatoes and carrots, were not quite vegetables, rather, the potato was like a small gnocchi and the carrot were more like noodles. It also had small spheres of balsamic vinegar in it.
The "Baltimore" opener was a blue crab cake topped with a chip seasoned with his take on Old Bay and served with a green apple remoulade and celeriac.

The second "Baltimore" course was a perfectly cooked pigeon served with caraway potato balls, cabbage, chard and roasted mustard seeds. The bird was so delicious and delicate in flavor, I can say that I have never had pigeon made so beautifully.

The second "Boston" course was Taylor Bay scallops with sea urchin, maitake mushrooms, coriader blossom with soy air. The blend of flavors, particularly with the sea urchin was wonderful.

For the main course, the "Baltimore" featured Voltaggio's take on pit beef with cut of wagyu beef prepared sous vide style to recreate the slow cooking. It was served over pureed potates and carrots and turnips. The resulting beef was tender and delicious.
The "Boston" main course was inspired by Poe's "The Raven" as he grilled black chicken served on two purees- parsnip and chestnut. Too bad the cooking took the black color out of the chicken.




For dessert, Voltaggio made a version of the Lady Baltimore cake with Mission fig and pecans accompanied by a fig sorbet.
The other dessert was a deconstructed Boston Cream pie.
As an extra treat, we received little ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies. My favorite was the oatmeal cookie with coconut ice cream.


228 N Market St
Frederick, MD 21701-5335
(301) 696-8658‎

Oyster Festival at Woodberry Kitchen

Last month, I went to Woodberry Kitchen's fall Oyster Festival that took place on their outside patio. It was a chance to try various local oysters from the Chesapeake Bay. I really liked the Olde Salts from Chincoteague, VA (above) which had a really strong briny flavor.
The other oysters on hand were Rappahannocks from Topping, VA, Sewanescotts from Hog Island Bay, VA (right), and Uncle Ernie's from Long Point, MD.

They also served charcoal grilled oysters grilled in their own shells and then flooded with melted herb butter.
I also tried their Chesapeake Oyster Stew which was loaded with plump oysters.

New Amsterdam Market, NYC

Last weekend, we went up to the New Amsterdam Market near the South Street Seaport. Held only once a month through December, the market is hoping to establish itself as a permanent fixture.

There were plenty of samples to be had, so we walked around and tried bread from Sullivan Street Bakery and Balthazar, cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers and assorted farms from Pennsylvania, New York state, and Vermont. We tasted Kombucha and kimchee made in Brooklyn, many different jams. I picked up some duck prosciutto and smoked duck from the Hudson Valley Duck Farm.

But there was also plenty to be eaten right there at the market. We got a few small dishes to share. First off was a bowl of chili made from grass-fed beef from Marlow and Daughters in Brooklyn.

Then we shared a piece of pear and goat cheese tart with crispy thyme from Sweet Deliverance.

And a teeny piece of braised brisket sandwich from Jimmy's No. 43, served on a crunchy cornmeal bruschetta-type bread.


But I think my favorite snack of the morning was the pork sandwich from Porchetta. The pork was well seasoned with herbs and juicy, the skin was nice and crispy, all served on a nice chewy roll.

My only issue with the market were the New York City prices... but, well, that's par for the course in the city. The abundance of samples make up for that, I guess. Excellent people watching too.

After the market, we walked a bit around Soho, where we stopped into Grandaisy Bakery and got a "pizza bianca" - not pizza in the American sense - this was a flatbread just sprinkled with rosemary, no cheese, no sauce. It was still warm and absolutely amazing - the flavor, the texture were perfect. For $1.50 we got a slice about as big as a 14-inch laptop! We just tore it up and devoured it right on the sidewalk. I'm craving one as I type this...


New Amsterdam Market
South Street, between Beekman Street and Peck Slip
On the East River waterfront in Lower Manhattan
11:00am to 4:00pm, November 22 and December 20, 2009

Grandaisy Bakery
250 West Broadway or 73 Sullivan Street

Immeasurable Chicken and Waffle, Baltimore

Local Baltimore gospel singing group Immeasurable opened their own restaurant on Baltimore's west side recently, Immeasurable Chicken & Waffle.
I went one morning and had their signature item, the Immeasurable Chicken Supreme. It was a large waffle topped with grilled chicken breast pieces and all of it smothered with a chicken gravy. While I think I would have like fried chicken even more, the waffle was really good. It went really well with the savory gravy.

1700 W Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21223

The Heart Attack on a Plate from Mother's Grille

When Food TV rated burgers from around the country, they mentioned The Heart Attack on a Plate at Mother's Grille in Federal Hill in Baltimore. Turns out, I can walk here from where I live.
The "burger" is 8 oz of beef stuffed with cheddar cheese, battered and then deep fried. It's served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and chipotle mayo. It reminded me some of chicken fried steak- not bad, and cheap especially on Tuesdays when all burgers are half price.