Nurturing my inner... plan b is plan a

You may think Plan B is always the second choice, but in this case, it was the first.  Lunch before some shopping.  Need to build up strength before hitting the ever exhausting mall.  Plan B Burger Bar, in Milford, CT.  It's actually the corner shop in a swankified, upscale, strip mall that also has stores like Banana Republic and Whole Foods.

Boy, was it cold that day. Tell you what.

Inside was a chalkboard with the specials and draft beers.  I like the way they took a lot of time to use different colors and fonts.  Quite artistic.

Would be fun to frame a chalkboard in your
house to advertise kitchen specials.

While we waited for our table, I noticed some unusual (for several reasons) artwork on the wall.  It was a characterized standing bull made from different colored faux animal fur.  And he was drinking a glass of red wine.  (Um, okay, why not.)  To each his own creativity.

Gotta give them points for odd use of
texture and unusual technique.

I seem to have an obsession with wall coverings and lights in restaurants.  (Nope, no explanation for this that I can find from investigating my childhood.)  This place had a steely grey tin ceiling and industrial, exposed bulb light and wire creations.  The theme was silver, grey and black for a back drop of neutrals and then a big pop of dark red for contrast on the walls.  I dug the restrained palate.  Colors were very deep and complementary to the surroundings.  Masculine, but inviting.


If you liked an industrial theme in your house,
these lights would be so cool for a kitchen!

 The three of us split the lobster "sliders," which really were a single lobster roll cut into three pieces.  A good tummy tantalizer.  The other two ordered full-sized burgers, which you tell your waiter your preference for one of two options: pink or no pink.  They use only superior quality, natural, never frozen, daily ground, in house beef.  (And maintain a sustainable disposition in general.)  I got the mini cheeseburgers.  We all ordered different starchy sides so we could try the tots, Parmesan fries and the sweet potatoes.  All delish.  My mini burgers were a big hit with my mom too, as she traded me some of her burger for one of mine.  This is not an unusual practice of ours.  Thank goodness I'm not possessive in nature.  (Though food does tend to bring out the selfish two year old in me. Mine, mine, MINE!!!)

Stack 'em up! A tower of baby burgers inside
a sea of tater tots. (Food can be poetry.)

If you have a mind, and a taste, for bourbon, they make boutique, small batches. Sounds like fun, if you're into that sort of stuff.  I've never had a glass of bourbon and probably would have just to try it if it hadn't been noon when we were dining.  (And if my mommy wasn't there to give me a hard time.  She does that.  Like I'm still 14.)

I think anything artisan made is amazing.  Shows true craftsmanship and care as long as people still hand down old traditions and care more about making a small amount of high quality product instead of giant vats of cheapy junk.  I raise my glass to you, the keepers of processes from days long ago!  (Though at the time, my glass was only filled with iced tea.)

Nurturing my inner... dark and decorative

Online coupons are great, but there is one thing you have to remember after you buy them - to use them before they expire.  A friend was telling me about this place that she had gone to in New York and they had one in DC, but her coupon was due to expire on Monday.  This conversation took place on a Saturday, but she was booked all weekend.  Though Monday was a work night for both of us and getting into DC isn't always the easiest thing to do, I had to think about it for a minute.  Then I said, "Come on, let's go!  Heck, we're young(ish) and it's nice out."  Into the city we went to the Buddha-Bar.  And we were SO fortunate that night.  No traffic on 66 going in, easy to get to and we found a parking lot straight down the main strip and just across the street for $8.00.  No street parking stress for us!

Dark outside.

While I'm not crazy about a giant buddha (or any other statue) staring at me when I'm dining, it was quite a swanky place.  Rich Asian decor.  And about nearly pitch black.  My camera was unable to get you the real interior very well, so you'll have to check it out on the website or in person yourself.  (Where your eyes can adjust better than my camera.)

And dark inside.

The bar we passed on the way to the dining room was swanky.  Lanterns for lights.  Very high quality fixtures and accents.

Seems very NY meets Hong Kong.

Moving on from the weirdo, enormous, golden statues and on to the food.  We started off with the mini pan fried dumplings and the spring rolls.  Deliciously crispy and chewy, and the sauces were terrific.  Nice little fresh garnish as well.  Micro greens!

Mini apps to share. (Only because I was forced
to or I could have eaten them all myself.)

For the main entree, I went with sushi.  But not sushi like I've had anywhere else.  The roll with the eel on top was delicate and just a little sweet.  But in front of that was quite a unique thing.  It was rice that had been deep fried until crunchy, topped with fresh crab and edamame.  I have never had crunchy rice like that before.  (Which of course is why I had to try it!)

I often go for something that I've never seen
anywhere else.

The presentation of the food was truly artistic.  With delicious flavors to match.  And going into DC made for one super fun weekday evening.  Mondays are the way to go!  (If there is no rain, no snow, no accidents, no protesters, no construction, no special events...)

Before we departed, I hit the little girls' room.  And I took a picture of the wall inside the stall because they were covered with giant crocodile leather wallpaper.  Just had to show you or you wouldn't have believed me!

Attention to detail for sure.

Yes, I did just take you into the bathroom of this restaurant.  Wouldn't want you to miss out on every decorative detail.  Dining is of course about the food, but the ambiance of your surroundings really adds to the overall experience.  (Well, maybe not the bathroom ambiance as much, but you have to admit, that was pretty interesting.)

Nurturing my inner... folded

My cousins and I tried a brand of these over the holidays when we were looking to make a fast, no nonsense lunch.  I think the brand was Flatout.  They were whole wheat.  When I got back home, I found ones just like them at my grocery store.  Only these were called Foldits.  Same dif.  A 100 calorie sandwich wrap of sorts.  (They look like the MasterCard logo of two overlapping circles.  Odd, but true.)  Rosemary & Olive Oil was my choice this time.

Good for a lunch on the run, yet simple
enough to make quite fancy.

I baked some premarinated chicken in the oven then sliced it up.  On top of that I added one slice of Canadian bacon (another round item to fit perfectly) that I pan fried for just a couple minutes until warm and slightly golden.  Next layer was slices of an artisan cheese remnant, somewhat like Gouda, that I picked up from a little basket on the corner of the olive bar at my local Whole Foods.  (Which I think is SO cool.  They have smaller bits of cheese that they wrap up and they are only a buck or two.  That way I can try a new kind of cheese without committing to a large block.)  I put that in the microwave, open-faced, for maybe 30 seconds, just to make sure the cheese was starting to melt and the bread was warmed up slightly.  Then topped the whole shebang with a mixture of a little mayo/dijon and a romaine lettuce leaf for some fresh, crisp crunch.

An inside out chicken cordon bleu.

It seems like such a gourmet sandwich, doesn't it, but made with ordinary ingredients.  (And not high calorie items either.)  I had everything in the fridge and just threw it together on the fly.  Seriously, I just came up with all that in about 30 seconds while standing in front of the refrigerator, surveying my shelves for untapped greatness.

A little creative stacking can go a long way when you have the basic tenants of sandwich making as a template.  (And a hungry belly.)

Nurturing my inner... on tap

Sometimes, you just want a beer.  And some beer accompanying food.  This place came on a recommendation.  Dogfish Ale House, Falls Church, VA.

Simple brick exterior.

It looked just like I would have thought an ale house would look.  Rustic.  Exposed brick.

Dig the lamps.

Walls full of this and that.

Quite the collection.

And nothing says, "I just ran several miles earlier in the day and need a refreshing beer," like... on tap beer.  I went with the pumpkin ale which was in season at the time.  It was a rich, amber color.  Wonderful taste.

Smooth. Solid, crisp taste.

And then there should always be weird artwork on the wall.  Something to glance at while my order came up.

Painting on the wall. Like right on the brick.

If you thought I'd go for just beer, you would clearly have never read my blog before.  I went with the crispy fish & chips.  Gosh, the cod was so flaky and moist, covered by a delicate, crisp batter.  The remoulade was a perfect accompaniment, along with the crisp, cool coleslaw.

Thin pieces of fish. That's the right way
to do it.

There are a bunch more sandwiches and entrees that I want to try, it was so hard to choose just one, so I have to go back another time.  Also, lots more seasonal micro brews to check out.  Having good beer can only be made better when it has good food to go with it.  This is probably not news to the beer lovers out there.

Nurturing my inner... all the way from UK

Yesterday while hanging out, one of my friends mentioned a place she wanted to try.  She said, it's called Pure Pasty, in Vienna, Va.  And it had traditional British pasties.  (Not pastRies.)  I said, "Now wait a minute.  I went there last September."  I thought for sure I had blogged about it.  But I couldn't find my posting.  (I keep a detailed spreadsheet, so I can do easy searches.  Right, NERD.)  Try as I might, I can't figure out how I missed writing this one out for you.  Oh well, better late than never.

The shop took a little effort to find.  There are these service roads in Vienna that hide clusters of quaint little storefronts in every nook.

It's kind of in a side alley.

You actually step down to enter the shop.  It's tiny, but it's a specialty store.  I like when there is a focus to do a few things really well instead of many things just average.  A large menu doesn't always equate to an amazing experience.

 

Jars and cans of imported goods from the
United Kingdom.

Sidle up to the glass container and see all the lovely trays of fresh out of the oven baked goods.  Okay, so I didn't know what half of them were, but I'm adventurous.  And I studied the menu.  If you're going to try something new, it's best to do some research ahead of time and prepare yourself.

Drinks to the left. I went in the early afternoon
so they were sold out of some types.
A popular place.

So what is a pasty?  It is a meat and veggie stuffed hand pie with a flaky crust.  The crust is traditional and had a historical purpose.  (Which I always share with you to make us all seem smarter around the water cooler at work.)  It was created many years ago as food for miners who had toxic chemicals on their hands.  So they would eat the pie up to the sturdy crust and then safely discard that.  (Right, no way we'd be throwing away that delicious crust today!  Hopefully most of us aren't miners or handling toxins every day while having lunch.  If you do fit that profile, I'm afraid you must forgo the crust for your own safety.)

Warm, golden brown.

I decided to try a more traditional one and then something with a little fusion bent.  The first was Chicken Provencial: Cage-free chicken, leeks, potatoes, cream and herbs de provence.

Reminds me of a chicken pot pie.

Each pie is made with a pastry code or cut out shape on top, so they know what's what when they come out of the oven.  It was good.  Not overly flavorful, but more delicate with herbs and sturdy with the other ingredients.

Secret code, check. I know what's inside you!

The next one I tried was the Cornish Masala: Cage-free chicken, green peppers, onions, Indian spices in a curry sauce.

I love Indian spices. They are so aromatic.

This one had a stronger flavor due to the curry.  I ate half of each instead of just one whole pie.  Because I like variety.  I brought them home though, as seating is very limited at the shop.

Stick to your ribs food.

As a special note, they had a bunch of kinds of British candy by the cash register.  I happen to be particularly fond of the Crunchie, which is chocolate covered honeycomb, and they had it.

It's fun to buy candy with strange names
and odd flavors.

Since I was in Vienna, I made a second stop that day to another place with a flag outside.  *Bonus info for you*  To an old time favorite: Nielsen's Frozen Custard.  It's not British at all.  Very American.

Historic exterior. Like an ice cream parlor
on old Main Street, USA.

They make two flavors of custard: vanilla and chocolate.  But you can add in so many things.  They make sundaes with toppings or concretes where they blend it all up.  The combinations are a plenty and you'll never get bored.

Busy, busy dippers beneath the menu board.

I went with a good old stand by of my own: chocolate custard with marshmallow topping.  Oh gosh.  So densely creamy.  Custard has a soft, luscious consistency.  And as I recall, it was pretty warm that day in September.  I believe I ate half of it before I drove home.


That's my car behind it. I had to get you a shot
before it melted anymore and I dove in.

It was a fun trip for me to scout out a place for a food item I had never heard of, never mind tasted before.  I'm always up for any food adventure.  Now I know what a pasty is!  In case the Queen should ever ask me.  Knowing there also was a great custard place a few doors down just happened to be terrific planning on my part.  (My research doesn't seem so silly now, does it?)  So do your homework.  You'll be glad you did.  (Speaking of, I'd better go back and catch up on mine.  Hope I didn't miss anyting else from that far back!)

Nurturing my inner... good and juicy

This is my chance to redeem myself.  (Please nod in acceptance.)  I may give in to the occasional ice cream binge, (who has the strength to resist salted caramel after all!), but I have a redemptive and self-controlled side too.  Usually that smart side prevails over the other... statistically speaking.  With something as tasty as the Cara Cara navel orange from California, also called the Power Orange!, the smarter choice isn't hard to make.

I never heard of this type of orange until a few weeks ago when I got my first organic box delivery.  I didn't dive into them right away, because I just figured they were regular oranges.  The outside looked like any other thin-skinned citrus fruit.  Well, boy, was I missing out by making foolish assumptions.  They are so far from ordinary!  Available from December through April.  Check your local stores to see if you can find them.  Your running around will be worth it.

Cara Cara oranges are pink.  Like grapefruit.  That surprised me when I sliced the fruit open.

Well look at that. I had no clue.

Let me tell you, they are deliciously sweet, extra juicy and seedless.  To boot, they are refreshing and bright in flavor.  Plus, yet another extra bonus, they are naturally lower in acid.  Slightly easier on the tum tum.

Sliced it up.

Straight out of the fridge, it was vitamin C-packed nectar on a hot day.  Not that it was hot here, but I happened to be particularly thirsty this afternoon.  So it was super, extra tasty.

That color is just craziness!

So get this funky fact, since the oranges have no seeds, they are considered sterile.  In order to cultivate them, they have to graft them on to other varieties of citrus.  (What does that mean, you wonder, as you left your tin foil science cap at home?)  That means that the genetic makeup of the oranges is exactly the same as the original Cara Cara orange tree first grown in 1820!  (So says the Sunkist site.)  Not only is it NOT a genetically modified food, you can eat a true piece of history.

Now, I'm so bad, giving you cool info and such, that I'm good!  Right?  I knew I could restore your faith in the mostly nutritious, whole foods focused me.  At least, I hope I have.  Gotta go put in my order for my next organic box delivery for this coming Wednesday.  I hope they have more Cara Cara oranges!  Please, oh, pleeeeeeezzz!  But I'm willing to take any great surprise they've got.

Nurturing my inner... a little bowl of bad

Today was a battle of the wills.  Some good choices and one, dare I say, not so good.  (Yet, OH SO good.)  I'll post first about the not so low cal choice. The reason I'm racing to tell you because it's on sale at the grocery store (Giant and Stop & Shop) at this very moment.

I have actually mentioned this brand in 2010.  But this is a flavor I tried for the first time the other day.  Not sure when it came out.  Well, needless to say, it was THAT good that I have to bring it up again.  Which says a lot.  I'm a genuine addict as a result.  It is OUTRAGEOUS!  Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. 

One pint = four servings. (If I wasn't careful, I
could have made this into a one serving bowl.)

This is actually from inside my first container.  (That gave something away about my additional trip to the grocery store this week, did it not?)

More on the chocolate chunks later.

So, right, four servings per container.  And joke as I may, I only eat one serving at a time.  Sometimes a little less even.  It's such a lovely, smooth, decadent ice cream that you could eat a small bite at a time, from a small bowl and enjoy every satisfying spoonful.  I do believe that full fat things can be more satisfying in smaller doses than larger quantities of lower fat items.  Triggers something inside your brain that says, "Dang, that was really remarkable.  I believe I'm full!"

The contrast of the slightly salty flavor with the sweet is beyond comparison with any ice cream I've ever had before.  Because it was subtle.  And perfectly balanced.  I think that takes a special kind of flavor chemistry.

Just luscious. When it starts to melt like that...
oh, man, this is just too much to resist.

So on to the chocolate bits.  As if the amazing velvety ice cream itself wasn't enough, they make it even better by adding hidden treasure - teeny tiny chocolate truffles with caramel filling.  Oh yeah, you heard that right.  Itty bitty, pea-sized caramel cups.  Insane!  Who comes up with this stuff?  What genius!  What a great job they have.  I love them!  (The baby cups and their creators.)  There aren't too many either.  It's not cheapy overkill.  Just enough to give you a crunchy blast every second to third spoonful.  Like, mmm, mmm, WOW, mmm...

Do they make a big caramel cup and reduce
it with a shrink ray? So magical to me.

This is good bad news for me.  Worse news for my weight loss goal.  If there is a weak spot I have, it's for the frozen stuff.  But I suppose we can't deny ourselves every luxurious treat while on the path to an even fitter us.  A little bowl of bad can be good enough to not make your good go completely bad.  (If I actually understood what I just wrote, I might think there was some wisdom in that.)