Jay D's Bites: Duck & Leek Dumpling with Blanc du Bois Blueberry Sauce

by Chef Jenn Breithaupt

These dumplings make an excellent appetizer with a pop of color. You can stuff a dumpling with a plethora of fillings; dumplings are delicious. I chose duck and leek because they pair very well together. The fat from the duck and the acidity from the leek create a great balance. An alternative way to get some color on them is to poach them or quickly sear in a hot skillet.

Duck & Leek Dumpling with Blanc du Bois Blueberry Sauce

makes about 25 dumplings

2 duck breasts, small diced, skin off (reserve skin)
1¾ cup leeks, thin half moons
2 Tbss shallots, minced
½ cup carrots, small diced
1 rib celery, small diced
1 Tbs fresh garlic, minced
⅓ cup Jay D’s Blanc du Bois
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
25 small wonton wrappers
1 egg
1 Tbs water

For the blueberry sauce:

1½ cups Jay D’s Blanc du Bois
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
6 oz blueberries, crushed

Take skin off duck breasts and place skin into skillet. Turn heat to low and allow for skin to fully render fat (this may take a while). Once fat has rendered, discard skin, but keep the fat.

Add small diced duck breasts, shallots, carrots, celery and garlic to skillet with duck fat. Cook until vegetables are soft, duck is cooked and there is no liquid left in skillet. Set aside and allow to cool.

Whisk 1 egg and 1 Tbs of water. Set aside to be used for egg wash for dumplings. Put wonton wrapper down so one corner is pointing towards the top (diamond-shaped) and brush along edges with egg wash. Place 1 Tbs of filling in the middle and take the bottom corner to meet the top corner to form a triangle. Seal on all three sides and brush with egg wash.

In a saucepot, bring water to a simmer. Poach dumplings until dough is soft.

To make the blueberry sauce, combine blueberries, Jay D’s Blanc du Bois, honey and salt in a saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened and reduced by half. Serve over dumplings or as a dipping sauce.

Insta-Worthy Cocktails in Baton Rouge and New Orleans

by Sydney Blanchard

I don't know about y'all, but any time I go out and order a cocktail, I feel compelled to photograph it and post it on Instagram. There's just something so fun and novel about ordering a pretty cocktail. And if it tastes great? Even better.

Louisiana (New Orleans, specifically) is the birthplace of the cocktail, and what better way to celebrate local cocktail culture than to make a not-so-comprehensive list of some of the most photo-worthy cocktails we've had in the Baton Rouge/New Orleans area?

Without further adieu...here's our list! What would you include?

Grapefruit Margarita at Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar

A little sweet, a little tart, and adorably pink, the grapefruit margarita at Jolie Pearl is perfect for pairing with oysters. 

Vodka Freeze at Bistro Byronz

This snow-white, boozy vodka freeze is a Bistro Byronz favorite.Topped with a cherry and a lime slice, it's also a guaranteed like-generator on Instagram. 

Blueberry Hill at Olive or Twist

You can't get an ugly cocktail at Olive or Twist. This muddled blueberry cocktail bursts with berry flavor and color, making it perfectly photogenic.

Sweet-T-Sway at Lock & Key Whiskey Bar

As gorgeous as it is delicious, Lock & Key's picture perfect Sweet-T-Sway combines sweet tea, pomegranate liqueur, muddled mint and hand-crushed ice. 

Jalapeño Pineapple Cilantro Margarita at Araña

Visually stunning chunky pineapple and bright green jalapeño bits make this margarita at Araña pop (and will make all your followers envious).

Damn Thistle at Sac-A-Lait

Sweet, syrupy, and adorned with an edible hibiscus flower, the picturesque Damn Thistle at Sac-A-Lait features Donner-Peltier's Oryza Vodka and tastes like a dream.

Lucy B Goode: A Farm-to-Table Gem in Gulf Shores

The list of local farms they source their ingredients from.

Let me start by saying, "Wow." We rolled up to Lucy B Goode, which rests by the harbor, surrounded by the spectacle that is LuLu's, to an extremely embarrassing though fun-spirited surprise. Personalized menus gave Blair and Aimee some gut-bursting laughter while our rock star waiter articulated the mission of this farm to table restaurant. I guess sometimes when a restaurant knows who they are inviting over for a media dinner, they feel like going the extra mile. From the moment we walked in the door until we were almost the last people to leave, Lucy B Goode provided a dining (complete with custom cocktails) experience I would love to have again.










Chef Randall Baldwin welcomed us by sending out an off menu starter. Aimee doesn't go for tuna (still don't understand why), so that meant more for Blair and myself! The juicy grapefruit slices and sesame chili oil took the fresh tuna to an entirely different level. Seasoned with superb salt and pepper, this dish delivered a light and refreshing combination of bold and natural flavors.

Fresh Gulf Tuna, Grapefruit Slices, and Celery Leaves in a Sesame Chili Oil

Next came a dynamite pimento cheese dish which will make you wonder how anybody could possibly live outside the south. Pimento cheese is a simple concept, but when done right it can be irresistible. And as much as I don't like pickles, these house-pickled local cucumbers were pretty delicious as well. Merging the flavors together, the subtle savoriness of the pimento cheese combines with the sweet and slightly spicy pickles to create an appetizer that could be served as a game-day snack or on the finest of dining menus.

Pa-menna Cheese: House Made Pimento Cheese served with Rosemary Flatbread, Roasted Pecans, and LuLu's Sweet and Sassy Icebox Pickles

As we moved on to entrees we felt it necessary to try different dishes so that we could also sample them. While known for their fresh fish, I couldn't help but notice the braised ribs on the menu. I thought it would be an interesting twist on the Gulf Seafood weekend. The ribs are incredibly tender while boasting an Asian barbecue flare. The jicama slaw on top adds a pleasant crunch and the cheese grits on the bottom catch all of the juicy goodness coming off of the ribs... a little bonus at the bottom of the bowl!

Braised Sticky Sweet Pork Ribs topped with Homemade Jicama Slaw served over Cheese Grits

The two fish dishes we tried were the fresh catches of the day prepared two different ways. Both of the preparation options were quite rustic in a way that let the fresh Gulf fish be the star. We enjoyed red snapper with roasted potatoes and green beans as well as wahoo with a lovely summer succotash. Both dishes were absolutely on-point with their execution of the fish and pairing of the hearty sides.

Fresh Gulf Red Snapper served with Red Potatoes, Sautéed Green Beans, Grilled Lemon, and Brown Butter Vinaigrette

Fresh Gulf Wahoo served over a Summer Succotash with Sweet Corn, Field Peas, Cherry Tomatoes, Bacon Lardons, and Fresh Herbs

No meal is complete without curing the sweet tooth at the end. We tried a couple devilishly delicious desserts, but I almost have to say the star of the sweets were the local blueberries. They really lightened up decadent chocolate and cream flavors we had in store. One of the local blueberry farmers actually had a table behind us! Lucy B Goode presents a dining option that is unique to Gulf Shores though it is bringing dining back to the basics at the same time. I might have a hard time going back to the beach without stopping in to dine there again.

House Made Fudgesicle dunked in Mascarpone Cream topped with local Berries

Tres Leches Cake topped with local Berries

Month of Salads #6: MJ's Café

The peach and blueberry salad at MJ's Café

MJ's has been one of my favorite hidden gems in Baton Rouge for several years now. Despite my carnivorous ways, popping in to MJ's for a freshly made soup, vegetarian sandwich, or a locally constructed salad really hits the spot for me at lunch time. Maureen Joyce, the owner, has always made it a point to serve the freshest and most local ingredients she can get her hands on. While she has a regular menu, I tend to stick to the rotating soups and salads of the day. This particular salad was made with fresh Louisiana peaches and blueberries atop a bed of mixed greens, fresh feta cheese, and roasted Louisiana pecans. The flavors worked so well that once Blair finished Instagramming and eating her cup of pinto bean soup, she took one bite of the salad and proceeded to praise the merits of the fresh flavors and diverse textures until her bowl contained no more. If you're ever in the mood for something amazingly delicious and local, stop in and let Maureen set you up!

Martinique Bistro is a Gem in the Big Easy

Smoked Salmon Starter at Martinique Bistro

Every now and then I have a culinary experience at a restaurant which blows me away. With so many options in New Orleans for world-class cuisine, I've been equally impressed and disappointed over the course of time. It takes a unique combination of tradition and innovation to truly impress me these days. Not to say that I don't like almost everything that I get to eat. I most certainly consider myself to be a food and beverage enthusiast rather than a critic, but I mean to really impress me, it takes something special. To stand out to the point that I'll tell my closest friends that they have to eat somewhere. To meet a chef that reminds me about why the term culinary arts truly is an art, and why a master of kitchen magic is every bit an artist as someone whose medium is canvas or lyrics. Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street in New Orleans had that kind of impact on me. Sitting five blocks away from Audubon Park, it is a quaint gem with an outdoor seating area that is sure to bustle in the fall and an inside dining room small enough to shake everyone's hand from the center table. I got a spot with Aimee Abernathy next to a window overlooking Magazine. Chef Eric Labouchere greeted our table and told us to enjoy the ride as he prepared to unleash a flurry of his finest creations on the summer menu at us.

Double Thyme at Martinique Bistro

Manager Jennifer Sherrod started me off with a Double Thyme to go with a couple starters before our main courses started flowing. The Double Thyme blended High West Double Rye whiskey, Meletti Amaro, Rothman and Winter Apricot, Lilet Blanc, and thyme. I do love a good, well balanced whiskey cocktail, and the Double Thyme worked perfectly to whet my appetite and prepare me for the ensuing gorge.

Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho with Cucumber-Lime Granita

Our meal began with the smoked salmon, a reimagined crostini dish on housemade brioche with vidalia onion, hard boiled Louisiana quail egg, flying fish roe, and caper aioli. The visually stunning dish put together expected flavors with a modern focus to create a couple fantastic bites of scrumptious salmon. At the same time chef sent out a cup of chilled watermelon gazpacho with Louisiana blue crab and a scoop of cucumber-lime granita. The cold appetizer beautifully blended the fruit flavors and it all worked well with the crab at the bottom. During a hot New Orleans summer, this is a go-to dish for a refreshing starter!

Socca

Our tasting menu kicked in with the Socca. A trio of chickpea crepes were garnished with chili oil and topped separately with field pea hummus, heirloom squash ratatouille, and feta. The creative pancakes were delicious savory bites that served as vessels for multiple mediterranean flavors. Next up came a fish dish featuring loup de mer or European seabass. The sauteed fish sat atop butter poached chanterelles and some tender greens. The mushrooms and fish played off each other in the red wine and butter sauce. The taste danced on my tongue as I took bite after bite. It truly is one of the best, more refined seafood dishes that I've had in awhile. It had nothing too complex. Nothing molecular happened to any element of the dish. It simply featured great products, simply prepared, seasoned wonderfully, and combined on plate to make a beautiful arrangement of complementary flavors. I want to cook like that.  

Loup de Mer with Beurre Rouge and Butter Poached Chanterelles

The meat course excited me from the moment I sat down in Martinique Bistro and laid my eyes on the menu. A boneless new zealand lamb loin with cucumber and sweet onion pickles, israeli couscous, meyer lemon-watercress aioli, and tomato-sherry vinegar demi-glace awaited my taste buds. Anybody that reads enough Bite and Booze knows that I detest pickles. They are my arch-nemesis of food. But here, I almost, sorta, maybe looked forward to them. I certainly admired the choices that went into the flavor combination on the dish. There was a lot happening on one plate and I didn't want anything to overpower the lamb, but that didn't happen. The medium rare lamb loin took on the medley of gastronomy and came out a winner because of it. The dish had a certain tang to it for sure due to the vinegar in the pickles and demi as well as the lemon in the aioli and the garnishing tomatoes. Still, it worked. Every bite of lamb and couscous with accoutrement felt like middle eastern flavored fireworks exploding on my tongue. Bravo, chef. Bravo.

Boneless New Zealand Lamb at Martinique Bistro

Of course, with this much goodness, there had to be dessert. I wouldn't dare ruin an epic meal like this without giving it the proper ending that it deserves. Chef sent out a couple sorbets and a couple ice creams to kick off the sweet tooth rally. I don't actually remember what they all were, but I do recall that the ice cream on the far right below is a chanterelle mushroom ice cream. If that doesn't sound good to you, well, you'd be wrong. The earthiness of the mushrooms made love to the rich creaminess and sugar in the ice cream to create a truly unique and amazing dessert. Chef Labouchere had one last trick up his sleeve. He presented Aimee and I with a blueberry cornmeal tart complete with blueberry curd and lavender chantilly. Another splendid dish, this dessert hit right on the money balancing the natural sweetness from the berries with the nearly savory cornmeal crust.

Blueberry Cornmeal Tart

My experience at Martinique Bistro came to an end but I know for sure that I'll be back. This uptown eatery impressed me immensely. I know they'll have a fall seasonal menu coming out soon, so your chances to try any of these dishes may be limited to only the next couple weeks. I'll have to make sure I get back there once the new menu is out. I can't wait to see what Chef Labouchere comes up with next.

2012 Chefs to Watch Dinner with Louisiana Cookin' Magazine

Every year, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine names five up and coming Louisiana chefs as their Chefs to Watch.  The chefs then create a five course menu that is cooked up at the Chefs to Watch dinner in New Orleans to benefit Cafe Reconcile.  Fortunately for me, I got to attend this year's event to see what sort of wizardry the chefs could cook up.  Unfortunately for me, I showed up "slightly late" and did not receive any of the pre-dinner cocktails or passed hors d'oeuvres.  This is the second year that that's happened to me.  I understand keeping a tight schedule with so much going on, but this time I was really bummed.  I actually arrived right on time, and plenty of people were still up an mingling.  Oh well... with a five course dinner awaiting all paired with wine from Republic, I knew I wouldn't leave hungry or entirely sober.

Shrimp and Andouille Beignets with Crawfish Corn Maque Choux

Chef Zac Watters, executive chef of Zachary's in Mandeville, presented the initial dish to the crowd of over 400 people at Harrah's.  His shrimp and andouille beignets were set atop crawfish corn maque choux to provide a duo of classic Louisiana flavors.  He then added a little ravigote sauce with onion, lemon, dijon mustard, and more to give the dish a little pizzaz.  The dish got the entire meal off to a great start.  The beignets were unique and rather tasty and the corn carried enough pop to whet the palate for the wine and more great grub.

Smoked Tomato Soup with White Wine Crab and Creme Fraiche

Chef Ryan Andre from Le Creole in Baton Rouge ladled up the next dish for the hungry guests.  His smoked tomato soup with white wine crab and creme fraiche proved to be a real hit at my table.  Garnished with a little basil-infused olive oil, the orange tinted soup had a rich smokey flavor from the tomatoes that paired extremely well with the extra sweet crab that had been sauteed in butter and white wine.

Goat Cheese and Blueberry Salad with Pistachios and Blueberry-Vodka Vinaigrette

The salad course came from Chef Lindsay Mason of Cristiano Ristorante in Houma.  His goat cheese and blueberry salad also contained a blueberry-vodka vinaigrette which had me rather intrigued.  Chef reduced the vodka and burnt off the alcohol before adding it to the blender with blueberries, dijon mustard, and garlic, then he drizzled in olive oil while pureeing the dressing.  I could have used a good bit more on my salad, but I liked the thought of it nevertheless.

Zapp's-Crusted Cobia with Garden Vegetable Hash and Smoked Tomato Butter Sauce

Smoked tomatoes showed up once again in our main course of the evening.  This time they were used in a butter sauce surrounding a gorgeous piece of fish topped with a Louisiana shrimp by Chef Brad McGehee of Ye Olde College Inn in New Orleans.  The cobia, a rather fishy fish, was coated in a mixture of Zapp's Crawtators and crumbled andouille.  After baking in the overn the fish were plated with a vegetable hash of Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, and more.  The delicious butter sauce also contained a hint of booze in the form of Herbsaint.  I thought the overall dish was pretty nice and perhaps one of my favorite preparations of cobia that I've had.

Toasted Grits Waffle with Buttermilk Ice Cream and Bacon Caramel Sauce

Chef Manny Augello from Jolie's Bistro in Lafayette presented the dessert with his take on a breakfasty "Bacon and Waffle."  The grits in the waffle batter provided a unique flavor and texture to the base of the dessert.  However, it was the buttermilk ice cream that stole the show.  Along with the bacon caramel sauce, the ice cream had a magically satisfying flavor and texture to round out the stellar meal.

My compliments to all the chefs who prepared the meal as well as everyone else who helped them out in the kitchen.  Also congrats to the chefs and to Louisiana Cookin' for putting on such a great dinner for a wonderful cause.  Not only does the Chefs to Watch dinner serve as a tremendous way to recognize young culinary talent in our state, but it also provides much needed resources to Cafe Reconcile so that they can provide job training and education in the culinary arts to at-risk populations in New Orleans.

Indulge in Gourmet at Sweet Wishes Café

This article has been published in the November 2010 issue of Town Favorites Magazine. You can visit the Town Favorites website at http://www.townfavorites.com/, follow them on Twitter @TownFavorites, "Like" them at Facebook.com/TownFavorites, and find their magazines at over 150 restaurants and businesses around Baton Rouge! Pick up a copy today!

Indulge in Gourmet at Sweet Wishes Café
by Jay D. Ducote

In November 2007 Rhonda Weeks and Sheetal Bueche opened Sweet Wishes Café on Perkins Road. They wanted to open a business, Rhonda liked to bake and decorate, and gourmet cupcakes were an up and coming trend in big cities around the country. Thinking the idea would fit in well in Baton Rouge, their shop opened its doors for cupcakes to go or as a place to relax with their delicacies, coffee, and free wireless internet.

Rhona Weeks and Jay Ducote pose with cupcakes at Sweet Wishes

Sweet Wishes keeps eight to ten flavors available each day on a mostly rotating basis. While the Red Velvet, Heavy Duty Chocolate, Plain Jane, and Chocolate Chip are the regulars on their menu, other assorted cupcakes will come and go with the seasons or with requests from customers. The café owners pride themselves on their level of customer service. If you give a couple days notice they can have any flavor on the menu, not just the eight to ten that are available at the counter. They do custom cakes, are willing to do last-minute jobs, and also specialize in wedding cupcakes and corporate gifts with company logos screen-printed onto the frosting. According to Rhonda, the logo sweets make great holiday presents or “thank you” items for clients.

Delightful Gourmet Cupcakes on display at Sweet Wishes Cafe

The ladies at Sweet Wishes Café played with different flavors a lot more when they were first getting started than they do now. Still, every once in a while they invent something new. Their most recent flavors play with fruit fillings like apple, blueberry, and apricot. Rather than stuff their cupcakes with a blob of fruit filling, they insert multiple columns of fruit throughout the cake, allowing the eater to taste some in every bite without ever getting an overload. I found the Blueberries & Cream cupcake to be tantalizing to the taste buds with just the right amount s of cake and filling in each bite.

Pupcakes also highlight the menu at Sweet Wishes. These gourmet dog treats are made with oatmeal, cheese, whole wheat flour and other ingredients that are ideal snacks for your puppy. They also serve ice cream from the LSU Dairy Store, making them one of the few places on earth to get LSU ice cream. Rhonda and Sheetal proudly brew Baton Rouge’s own Community Coffee. However, it isn’t a one way relationship. During the holidays, CC’s Coffee Houses dish up Sweet Wishes’ Chocolate Mint cupcakes. Sounds like a great way to celebrate to me!

Geaux Tigers!

In the end though, a gourmet cupcake doesn’t actually do any good unless it tastes fantastic. Fortunately for Sweet Wishes, their cakes live up to the billing. I sampled quite a few cupcake varieties including each of their four regular flavors as well as Toffee Temptation, Blueberries & Cream, and Chai. I found the Chai cake to be particularly interesting and a great flavor for a cupcake. Sweet Wishes flavors are found in the cake, not loaded in the frosting. The cake itself is slightly heavier and denser than a typical cupcake while still delivering the necessary moistness, which appealed to my palate. The frosting is the same on all cupcakes. Sweet Wishes uses a cream cheese based frosting that is far more inviting than most completely sugared cupcake toppings. The cream cheese base allows the frosting to highlight the flavors in the cake while providing a great balance between sweetness and substance at the same time.

Jay Ducote takes a bite of the Toffee Temptation cupcake

The Toffee Temptation had a distinct taste with crunchy toffee on top. The textures played really well together and made it one of my favorite cupcakes of the evening. However, while the Red Velvet is consistently their number one seller these days, my personal favorite cupcake was undoubtedly the Heavy Duty Chocolate. Rhonda and Sheetal load the rich chocolate cake with extra chunks of dark chocolate to make the cupcake explode with a chocolate overload. Once again, the cream cheese based icing pairs extremely well as it smoothes out the richness of the chocolate and allows the eater to taste just how delicious the whole thing really is. Heavy duty, yes, but nothing I couldn’t tackle over and over again. It would be worth it… despite my growing waistline. Decadent and delicious!

For more information about Sweet Wishes Café, you can visit them at 10889 Perkins Road, find them online at www.sweetwishescafe.com, follow them on twitter @SweetWishesCafe, like them on facebook.com/SweetWishesCafe, or give them a call at 225-757-6880. Enjoy!

Jay D. Ducote is the author of the blog Bite and Booze, which chronicles his culinary and indulgent cultural experiences around Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, and the world. It can be found at www.biteandbooze.com. You can also reach him by email at jay@biteandbooze.com, like the Bite and Booze fan page on facebook.com/biteandbooze, and follow him on Twitter @biteandbooze. 

Thanks to Eric Ducote of BRBeerScene.com for taking all the pictures for this article.

Things To Do
Baton Rouge

Marx's Foods Iron Foodie 2010 on Foodie BlogRoll

UPDATE: I was selected as one of the top 25 entries, so I'll get to compete in the challenge!  Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

The Foodie BlogRoll has presented a challenge that struck me at my core.  Partnering with Marx Foods, a company dedicated to providing premium restaurant supply food products that now sells straight to the public as well, they have given 25 bloggers the opportunity to create a custom dish with superb products.  I can only hope to be one of the chosen 25!  To enter, I have to respond to these five questions, so let's get after it.

• Why do you want to compete in this challenge?

Jay with some Louisiana boiled shrimp

I love a good challenge.  Anything that will stretch my mind's culinary capacity and get me to be creative in the kitchen is a good thing.  The idea behind this contest, receiving a package of eight surprise ingredients and then having to create a signature dish using three of them, is really a foodie dream.  Oftentimes the best meals are spontaneous and just thrown together, showing off more art than science in the kitchen.  Being creative and playing with food is what it's all about, and I'd be excited to see what I could come up with the eight Marx Foods ingredients!  Maybe I'll get a little seafood online like from an online fish market. Perhaps there won't be any seafood at all, but instead a bunch of different herbs and spices for which I'll have to break out my professional cookware.  Only time will tell.  Either way, I'll make sure to cook up something great!

• Limitations of time/space notwithstanding, whose kitchen would you like to spend the day in & why? Julia Child, Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria, James Beard, Marie-Antoine Careme, or The Swedish Chef?

If I could spend a say in the kitchen with a chef it would be the late, great, legendary Justin Wilson.  Justin is in many ways the father of celebrity Cajun chefs.  He was an ambassador for Louisiana food for over 60 years contributing cook books, recipes, public television shows, songs, jokes, stories, and more.  Sadly, Justin, who was born in 1914, passed away in 2001.  If I could spend a day with him in his kitchen, I have no doubt that it would be a great time and that I'd learn a tremendous amount about Cajun cooking, "I garontee"!

• What morsel are you most likely to swipe from family & friends’ plates when they aren’t looking?

I like to get a little taste of everything at meals, so when I eat out at a restaurant or sit down to a big meal with family and friends, I like to sample as much as possible.  If somebody next to me or even across the table has something different than me, I'm gonna want a bite, no matter what it is.  Usually I'll offer to share some of mine in return for a bite off of their plate, but every now and then my fork just wanders over.  Sometimes it is something simple like a French fry or piece of buttery bread.  However, I've also been known to snag a shrimp, take a bite out of a burger, or swipe a morsel of juicy steak.  Don't worry though, it is all going to a good cause!

• Sum your childhood up in one meal.

Granny's pecan rolls

The meal to describe my childhood would begin with my mother's cheesy tortilla soup.  While I could eat it as a meal in itself, it would certainly have to be a starter to sum up my entire childhood.  The main course would be a Smörgåsbord of meats grilled over South Texas mesquite wood.  My father took me hunting a lot while I was growing up, and we always cooked outdoors at the deer camp over a mesquite fire with stars lighting up the Texas sky.  We'd grill steaks, ribs, venison chops, quail, dove, pork chops, and even an occasional rattle snake.  Mesquite barbeque would definitely have a place in my childhood meal.  For a side dish I'd have Granny's famous pecan rolls.  While typically a breakfast food, these sweet and nutty baked biscuits of deliciousness would go perfectly with the seasoned and smoky meats from the grill.  Finally, no meal is complete without dessert.  I'd give anything to end this childhood meal with one of Aunt Turtle's cheesecakes.  Her blueberry-banana cheesecake is a work of art, and if I'm not careful, I'll end up eating the whole thing even after this childhood memory feeding frenzy!

• The one mainstream food you can’t stand? 

People that are regular readers of Bite and Booze know one food I can't stand... pickles.  There is something about a cucumber soaked in vinegar that repulses me.  Pickles make me cringe at first taste or smell.  I can't even really watch other people eat pickles without my stomach getting a little queazy.  In Louisiana, we see a lot of fried pickles.  Everyone tells me that I'll love them... but I've given them a try, and nope, no good.  Dis-gust-ing!  Pickles often get misplaced on my burgers and poboys... and that is never fun.  The best thing for me to do is just avoid pickles at all cost.  Life is just better that way.

There!  I've done it.  Now I just hope that I'll be selected by the Foodie BlogRoll and Marx Foods as one of the 25 contestants!  Wish me luck!

Tapas at La Tasca Near DC

During my recent trip to Washington DC I for a work related conference I encouraged some of my colleagues to join me in downtown Rockville, MD for dinner and drinks.  While I actually had intentions of finding a Peruvian restaurant, our dining destination easily revealed itself when we saw a Spanish Tapas joint with outdoor dining called La Tasca.  While La Tasca has multiple locations, they are all in the greater DC/Baltimore area so it at least is a regional chain.


Joined by Nadine, Dan, and Jane, we began with a pitcher of Cava Sangria.  This delicious and sweet beverage contained sparkling wine, triple sec, brandy, grape juice, and blueberries.  The drink didn't fit with my sweet tooth all that well, but I still enjoyed it and ate the booze soaked blueberries afterwards.  We also ordered a pitcher of Sangria Rosada.  This mixed wine concoction had rose vino, grape juice, blueberries, and strawberries.  Not quite as sugary as the first sangria, I enjoyed several glasses of this one while tasting the tapas.

Spanish Tapas at La Tasca Plate Number One

Upon looking at the menu we realized that we'd really like to try everything.  Fortunately for us La Tasca has several tapas tastings for us to order.  Each tapas tasting menu is supposed to be about right for two people, so we ordered both the meat and seafood tastings for the four of us to share.  The thing I love most about eating tapas is that the variety is meant to be shared.  It designed to work like a series of appetizers at typical American restaurants.  Everybody shares a whole bunch of food, and then there is no need for individual entrees!  The meat tasting menu featured Buey al Jerez (grilled flank steak with sherry and mushroom sauce), Pollo al Ajillo (chicken breast cooked in white wine and garlic), Albondigas (meatballs served in a vegetable marinara), Chorizo a la Parilla (grilled spicy Spanish sausage links), Solomillo de Cerdo (grilled pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon), Tortilla Española (traditional Spanish potato and onion omelet), Espinacas Salteadas (sauteed spinach with pine nuts and raisins), and Meloso de Ajo (creamy rice with roasted garlic, nuts, and raisins).  By far my favorite dish out of these was the Buey al Jerez.  The beef had a tremendous flavor and the sherry/mushroom sauce was spot on.  I also like the Espinacas Salteadas for the simplicity of it while still serving as a fantastic vegetable dish.  Some of the other dishes were decent, others quite forgettable.  Let's move on to the seafood tasting.

Spanish Tapas at La Tasca Plate Number Two

The dishes arrived at our table mixed and matches, so the pictures of the plates are not necessarily in any order.  Still, with a keen eye, I bet you can identify most of the cuisines.  The seafood tasting menu had Vieiras Cava (grilled scallops in a creamy champagne sauce), Calamares Andaluza (fried calamari with garlic mayonnaise), Salmon a la Plancha (grilled salmon, spinach and fried mussels), Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp sautéed in olive oil and garlic), Paella Valenciana (chicken and mixed seafood paella), Aritos de la Huerta (fried onion, green and red pepper rings), Setas al Ajillo (mushrooms sautéed in garlic and olive oil), and Ensalada de Espinacas (spinach and Cabrales cheese salad).  While the food tasted alright at the time, thinking back it really had been masked by extreme hunger, sweet sangria, and good conversation.  All of the seafood tasting dishes were quite edible, but by no means were they admirable or outstanding.  I never once recall thinking "DAMN!" or "I need to learn how to make this!"  Even the paella was disappointing, and I had been looking forward to it!  In the end, I enjoyed the atmosphere, I enjoyed the idea of tapas, and I enjoyed the company.  The food ended up being an afterthought, and I'm glad that it was because otherwise I would have been terrible disappointed and upset that I fell victim to a fairly useless restaurant.  Tapas are great, but I'd prefer a little more authenticity.  Next time I'm in DC (or Rockville to be exact), I'll make sure to try something else.

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