Vino Rosina

Well, it is final. The wine bar fad has finally taken over Baltimore. Not that it is a bad thing, but as fads come and go, I hope this place stays. My wife and I ended up there on a recent evening on accident. We could not decide on where to go for dinner and were considering on going to one of our standards, Salt. But wanting to try something new, we decided to drive through Harbor East just to see what was new down there. We stumbled on Vino Rosina and liked the look of the bar, so we decided to give it a shot.
This place takes food more seriously than most Wine bars that I have seen. The portions were small, but really good.

Vino Rosina prides themselves on a decent selection of wines by the glass in 3oz and 6 oz pours. They also have some interesting cocktails based on house infused liqueurs. I started with a cocktail which had a Domaine de Canton (Ginger liqueur), Ketel one, lime juice, cucumber and soda. After a quick adjustment, due to excessive ginger flavor and sweetness, the drink was perfect for the heat of the day.

After much vacillation, we decided on the bison tartare for an appetizer. Wow, good choice. The bison was finely chopped with a little bit of chopped cheese (not a weird as it sounds) and what I estimate to be a well balanced mustard flavor. This was topped with poached quail egg and perfect toast points as a vehicle for getting all the yumminess to your mouth. Really fantastic.

Dinner was a roasted quail stuffed with a pecan stuffing served in a cast iron pan with green beans. Rustic, but the Quail was perfectly cooked, the stuffing was not too dense, and the green beans had perfect crunch.

Crispy duck was also had. Nice, crispy duck with nice vanilla flavored sauce that added to richness of dish.

Molten chocolate cakes with homemade mint ice cream were dessert. The mint ice cream was notable. The mint favor came through very strong in a good way and was perfect counter to the rich chocolate cakes.

Had a great meal, although I am sure many people would be taken aback by the diminutive portions. I would argue that they are the size they should be, given the craft of the food and locally sourced ingredients.

South Beach

Just got back from short trip to south beach, Miami. Was a very succesful trip, mainly because it got me away from the chaos of my usual homelife. On the food front, there were a ton of restaurants and it was rather difficult to find out which ones were worth visiting. There were a plethora of steakhouses, which do not tend to be my thing. After a long search, I settled on Two restaurants, Wish (contemporary) and D. Rodriguez (Cuban/Nuevo Latino). Without going into too many details on the meals, there were a few ahhh moments for cooking at home.

At Wish, we had pickled shallots as an accompaniment which as far as I can tell are picked in red wine vinegar. This would be amazing on grilled meats or burgers. I had sauteed chicken breasts that had been cooked skin-on with a Kumquat compote which was amazing. A bit tart, but a decidedly citrus flavor that was fantastic with this chicken preparation.

Cerviche at D. Rodriguez was earth shattering. I do like cerviche, and have had what I thought was very good cerviche at Mari Luna Latin Grille (Pikesville). Unfortunately, it just does not hold a candle to what I had at D. Rodriguez. The cerviche had Prince Edward island mussels, bird-beak shrimp, and calamari which were all of high quality, but the brilliance of the dish was in the liquid. A mixture of watermelon juice, lime juice, and Jalapeno, really was fantastic. The Watermelon was the dominant flavor but what a great application of the classic sweet and sour with the perfect amount of heat from the Jalapeno. Also clever was the blanching of the shrimp prior to adding it to the liquid, which I presume gave much better control over the cooking of the shrimp.

Also, after a bit of searching, I found a great place for Cuban coffee. As far as I can tell, when looking for this kind of drink, you need to look for the funkiest place you can and go there. This trip was no exception, the place I found was La Playa market, which had bars over the doors and had shady characters in front. The preparation of the coffee was quite a routine.

First the previous coffee was knocked out of the portafilter by hitting it on a 2X4 board that was sticking out of the trashcan. By the looks of it, the board had been used around a million times before. The coffee is brewed espresso style but with a giant scoop of sugar. A small amount of espresso is brewed, the sugar is added to the espresso and stirred vigorously so a slurry is made, then the rest of the coffee is brewed into the cup. On the top was a light brown crema-type sweet foam. This serving was apparently supposed to be shared, since I was given 6 tiny plastic cups to go with this coffee. The cups were about the size of tiny half and half containers. I gradually drank the whole thing, and definitely felt it between the caffeine and the sugar. A delicious twist on coffee for the low cost of $1.50.

B&O Brasserie

Well, I really wanted to like this restaurant. I love the fact that it is in the historic B&O railroad headquarters with beautiful architecture and beautiful They were named one of the top 10 restaurants in Baltimore by Baltimore magazine. Unfortunately, I can only report that it is ok.

First of all, they have a great cocktail list with some great concoctions. The only better list I have seen is at Alizee.

I absolutely love their take on a Manhattan. Woodford Reserve bourbon, port, maple syrup, brandied cherries. That drink alone is what made me want to go back for a second time after our first mediocre experience.

Food is really where it falls apart. Some things are good, but others really miss the mark. On our first visit we had duck fat fries, which seem to be trendy at the moment (apparently started by Chicago restaurant Hot Dougs). I had the well executed, refined fries of Salt in my mind which have the incredibly yummy trio of Aoili's. B&O's came across as regular french fries complete with catsup!?!?

On our most recent trip we had mussels which were of high quality, but the broth was uninspired. The mussels were supposed to be garnished with "herbs" but came out ungarnished. Similarly, I got a pizza which was baked in their impressive ovens, but had a very average taste and subpar crust. This pizza was also supposed to have arugula as a garnish, but it too was missing.

Lastly, the service on both occasions was really not very good. Neither of our servers had much knowledge of the product, and had a flat affect.

Verdict: Beautiful restaurant, great for drinks before moving on to somewhere/something else.

Salt

As it turns out, this restaurant is the one we continue to return to if we want a nice casual meal, but are not in the mood to go somewhere new. Honestly, the duck fat french fries are the initial driving force for these visits, but we also generally have been happy with the rest of our meals there. My only complaint, has been the lack of Salt? More on this later.
If you have never been to this restaurant, it is a very small place which can be somewhat loud and difficult to get a table at. We always sit at the bar, not sure why, since we do not do that anywhere else. The bar is a dark slab of unpolished granite illuminated by lights surrounded by giant conical light shades with the insides painted green. Definitely unorthodox, but cool.

We always get a cocktail, sometimes one of the offbeat ones on the specials which change frequently. We then get a order of duck fat fries while we try to figure out what to get. The fries are different than any other fry I have ever had. They are served in a paper cone with a trio of aoili- malt vinegar (favorite), black truffle, and a chipoltle pepper one. The fries are light with the perfect crisp on outside, fluffy outside. There is a bit of herb sprinkled on them- Thyme or Rosemary if I recall, which lends a wonderful sophistication. There is no residual grease on them, so the initial concern you might have that they are greasy is unfounded. Anywhoo, they are definitely good enough to warrant a trip (from wherever you might be) even if you do not get dinner. Do not confuse these fries with the ones at B+O brasserie see post.
On our most recent trip, I had a wonderful pasta dish what my wife looked at me like I had four heads when I proposed getting. I presume this is because there were so many tempting proteins on the menu. The pasta dish was, by contrast, fairly simple. Housemade wide noodle pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, ramps (related to leeks), finished with shaved parmesan. This was the perfect seasonal dish and since I generally do not see fresh pasta on menus, I was drawn to it. The sauce was light and I suspect was made from a small amount of the pasta cooking water. I was just perfect, except for the lack of salt. Now, of all the culinary atrocities to commit, this is the most forgivable in my book, since it is so easily corrected. Sure enough, when I added the salt, it dish blossomed. On last season's Top Chef, the one factor that tipped the win, was the lack of salt in one of the dishes, so even at high levels of cooking, it can happen.
This is the second time that this particular problem has surfaced for me at this restaurant. The last time it was with a gnocchi dish. It was also quite good, once it had a bit more salt, it was great. So, please do not let me steer you away from this restaurant because of this, because the restaurant does do so many things well. Just remember, just because the name of the restaurant is Salt, don't be afraid to ask for the salt grinder if your food needs a touch.

alizee

Dear Alizee,

Thank you for restoring confidence in Baltimore food. My recent visit to your restaurant was the first time in memory that everything was right about a restaurant in Baltimore. My wife and I drove to the front of your restaurant and the car was taken by the Valet. We walked into your dining room which was quite cozy especially give the size of the space. We were seated at a very nice red marble topped table next to the piano (which was later played in a very mello ambiance enhancing way). Our waitress was very attentive and helpful. Your cocktail list was inspring. I had great drink with Hendricks Gin, Grapefruit Juice and topped with Prosecco. Great combo! My wife had a wine flight which worked out perfectly, since we could pick a small amount of wine to go with each portion of the meal.

The salads all looked so yummy, we had a hard time picking between them. Ultimately, we got the ceasar salad which inched out out previous favorite at The Brewers Art. We also got a frisee salad with fried oysters, potatoes.

For the main portion of the meal, I had Escargot in a fantastic consume' which was perfectly executed. The parmesan foam added a nice touch to it. My wife had potato-crusted rockfish with crab-stuffed squash flowers and sprouted black eyed peas. Just fantastic.

Dessert- Beignets with salted caramel sauce and homemade pistachio gelato. Ahhhh what an end to a perfect meal.

What really came across in this meal was the care and skill that went into everything. Each dish had multiple components which all were exceptional. It was not cheap mind you ($140 after tip), but it was really fantastic.

Verdict: Great for a special occasion of if you want a great meal and have some money.

Venison Kabobs

My Brother-in law set me up with some venison, hence the postings with venison. I had two packages of venison loin and my concerns were:

Not making it too dry (very lean cut)

Moderating the game flavor

When I came across a recipe for charmoula lamb kabob, lights and bells went off. The recipe come from a cookbook that I got from the library- The Flexitarian Table, which is quite interesting. There premise of the cookbook is offering vegitarian and non-vegetarian variations of many dishes with a focus on seasonal and sustainable foods.

After a 2 hour marinade, I grilled the kabobs in the dark and luckily they came out not burned and quite tasty. I made other kabobs with grape tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and red pepper marinated with the same marinade. I grilled them separate, since there is nothing worse than perfecty cooked meat with burnt veggies. A cumin pilaf was the starch. This would also be great with beef, bison, or lamb.

Charmoula Lamb Kebabs

Adapted from The Flexitarian Table

Peter Berley

Marinade

1/2 C lemon juice (fresh)

1/2 C Fresh cilantro

4 peeled cloves garlic

2 1/2 t kosher salt

2 t ground cumin

1 t ground coriander

1 t sweet paprika

1/8 t cayenne

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

puree all ingredients in food processor

12 oz venison loin

Marinate the Venison for 2hours or overnight

Prepare grill so there is a hot side and a low side

Skewer the meat on soaked wooden skewers or metal skewers

Sear meat until crust develops (3-4 min), flip and repeat, then move to low side of grill until meat done. (I like 145 f) remove from grill, allow to rest covered 3 min.

If making veggie skewers, place on low side, flip once and cook until done.

Chili

I have always loved chili in the winter. The best chili I have ever had is at a crazy place in Missoula, Montana. It was at this crazy joint that was a diner/bar/gambling establishment in one. It was late at night, after having a few drinks, I stopped in to this place and looked at the menu. It was standard diner fare, with the exception of the chili. It was titled- Taylor made Best Damm Chili (please allow 20 minutes). The chili came out with a mound of minced onions and cheese on the top. The chili had large chunks of beef and was otherwise a red chili. It was really quite good.

Since that time in Montana, I have been playing with recipe on chili recently, and I think I am ready to share it. It started from a recipe I got from my neighbor. It had a great meat-forward flavor and had a bit of allspice in it, which I found different. I have tweaked it a bit, which I think gives it a bit more depth. Most recently, I have made it with ground venison, but I have made it with beef and bison as well.

Texas Style Chili

2# ground beef/ venison/ or bison.

1 T oil

1/2 t cumin

1 1/2 T chili powder ( ideally use good chili powder- spice islands is decent)

1/4 t allspice

1 1/2 T tomato paste

3 cloves minced garlic

3 stalks celery thinly sliced

2 large onions chopped

1 green/yellow/red pepper chopped

1 t oregano (preferably Mexican)

1 16oz can whole tomatoes-corsely chopped

3 8 oz cans tomato sauce

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 bay leaves

1 T sugar (optional)

1 15oz can pinto beans drained

1 15oz can kidney beans drained

Brown meat over high heat in 2 batches, pouring off and reserving liquid in between batches. Add chili powder, allspice, cumin just before second batch of meat is done and stir until fragrant. Add tomato paste to bare bottom of pan and stir in for 2 minutes (should deepen the color of the paste). Add other ingredients and reserved meat except the liquid ones. Reduce heat to med-low and partially cover, stirring frequently. Once vegetables translucent/softened, add other ingredients. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to simmer until reaches desired thickness/flavors melded/can't wait to eat. Salt/pepper/cayenne pepper to taste. If able to, wait to eat next day. Consider garnishing with pile of raw diced onions and shredded sharp cheddar.

In your glass- Winter Storm beer from Clipper City Brewing Co.