20-Hour Funday with Kara

Earlier this year, Kara and I had talked about doing a weekend trip to NYC while I was back in Maryland this summer.  We had so much fun 2 years ago, but really didn't see a lot of what we wanted to.  But eventually Kara was going to be in vacation with her family at the beach the same time I would be in Maryland.  Then she came up with the brilliant idea to drive back to Annapolis with her son & daughter-in-law on Sunday, hang out with me on Monday, and then drive back to NC on Tuesday morning.  She's really good at finding obscure cheap travel rates, and found a $50 "Ohio Leisure Rate" one-way car rental.  

Since Michele also lives in Annapolis, they drove to Crofton together on Monday to meet Heather and me for lunch.  Afterwards, Kara and I made a quick pit-stop in Wegman's. You know that "share a coke with" campaign that Coke is doing?  Well clearly I'm never going to find my name.  But I still look at all the bottles, just to see who else's name I find.  

So they have Noor, but I've heard people with very common names haven't been able to find theirs anywhere.  We saw a couple of other very unique names as well.  Maybe whoever came up with the campaign just did the names of their friends.  

Next stop was U of Maryland.  I go over there every time I'm in town, but Kara hasn't been there in a while.  It was too hot to walk around, but really both of us did more than enough of that over the years.  We thought about going to the football office to see the few people we still know there.  But it's easier to get into Fort Knox than the football offce these days, and I didn't feel like messing with it. So we did a quick driving tour so I could show her all the new buildings and apartments and then we went to the union.  Somehow I've never been to the dairy.  Well maybe when I was little with my mom, but not since I started going to school there in '90.  So it was high time to check it out.  It used to be in the welcome center on the edge of campus, but recently had been moved to the student union. Neither of us would try the Rockin Randy, and Kara refused to try the B1G. Kara got Fear the Turtle

vanilla cream with white chocolate truffle ribbon, salted pecans, caramel swirl, creme de cacao and triple sec

And I got the Sapienza

creamy, rich vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate chips and chunks of chocolate fudge brownie, a smooth chocolate swirl and creme de cacao

Both were really good.  Very creamy.  And a pretty large serving size for just the single.  I devoured mine in record time. Kara only ate about half of hers, but it was heavier from the fudge.  Think this may need to be a treat whenever I'm in town.

Ice cream done, it was time to head to Baltimore.  The plan was to hang out at the Harbor for a while, and then go to Ravens training camp practice that night.  I was hoping to see Parker Graham, who had played O Line at OSU and had signed as a free agent with the Ravens earlier this spring.

Honestly, I never hung out in Baltimore that much.  It's a 30-40 minute drive from College Park, and at night after the bars close that's not the safest thing.  But I really love Baltimore. I actually worked for the Orioles for about 2 months while in college.  But I only worked on game nights, and only until about the 4th inning.  And I was stuck inside at the welcome desk.  So I was probably spending more to drive there than I was making. The Harbor has lots of restaurants and is great for people watching; both Oriole Park and Ravens stadium are within walking distance; Little Italy is a few minutes away; and Fells Point has lots more bars and restaurants.  

Our first stop was J Paul's.  It's right on the Harbor, and there's an outdoor bar and patio seating.  We weren't hungry, so we just sat at the bar for a drink.  We decided to go local, and get a couple of drink specials. Can't remember the exact names, but one was for the Ravens, and one for the Orioles

More than a little disappointing. My mimosa at brunch the day before had more alcohol. We then switched to the rail drink specials... not only were they 1/3 the price, they were strong. Lesson learned. But the view was great and we had a blast.

Eventually it was time to head to practice. When I hear training camp, I think a couple hundred people max, in a controlled setting.    I knew it was in the stadium rather than their facility, but I still didn't really think any different. Boy was I wrong... it was fan day. Open practice for everyone on the planet. 20,000 people. Face painting, pics with cheerleaders, autograph session with the players afterwards. The type of event I avoid like the plague. Since we were already there we stuck it out for a while, but never actually sat down. I refused to go way up high to the empty seats, so we just walked around and people watched. And it was extremely entertaining.

After about an hour we had enough, so we went to dinner (next post) and then headed back to my parents' house. Next morning Kara had wanted to go to the Bagel Place on her way to the metro. But when we got there it was closed because of a power outage. Just our luck. So we hit Starbucks instead, and had a quick breakfast before I dropped her off.

Was this an NYC weekend?  Of course not. But we definitely made the most of a short visit.  And I can't wait to do it all again soon.

#108 - Houlihan's, Crofton/Gambrills, MD

Kara, Heather and Michele are 3 of my favorite people in the world.  Kara and I lived together for a couple of years back in college. We've all shared so many great, crazy times and I have to say I'm extremely happy there was no social media back then.  Long story short, Kara was in town for a whirlwind 36 hours and Heather had just gotten back from vacation, so we wanted to do a group lunch.  We decided on Houlihan's in Crofton. Heather lives there, and it's midway for both Michele and I, and Kara was with Michele.  

It was so great to catch up with them in person.  Kara and Heather each have 2 young kids, and Michele's job is as crazy and demanding as mine.  So we don't get to see each other nearly as often as we would like.  And it's even harder for me living halfway across the country.  

When I left Maryland there was one main "new" shopping district in Crofton. There were a few stores, and honestly I mainly went there to go to Robert Andrew Spa.  So imagine my shock when I got there and there's an entire new district, complete with a Wegman's, huge movie theater, and a bunch of new shops and restaurants.  The center with Robert Andrew now pales in comparison.  Heather said the explosion began about 2 years ago.  Once again, after I move they add all kinds of cool new places near where I live.

I think I might have eaten at a Houlihan's once, but if I did it was a million years ago.  It's a large nice restaurant on the corner.  Clean lines, dark furniture, comfortable booths, with a big bar in the middle.  There were only a few other people there when we arrived so it was almost like our own private place.

When I saw the mini martini flight on the menu, I knew I had to try it.  They have 9 martinis you can choose from, and you can also get all of them in full sizes.

Apple & Eve: Absolut, DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker, house-made lemonade
Mandarin:  Absolut Mandarin, Malibu coconut rum, mango, fresh lemon and orange juices
Blue Moon Punch: Absolut vanilla, DeKuyper Island Blue pucker, Sprite

The first picture shows the funky drink carrier.  Very smart, and they can drop all the drinks at the same time.  Cool presentation.   Apple & Eve was my favorite by far.  I love that they had cinnamon on the rim.  The mandarin was next.  The mango added a great flavor and made the martini a little thicker.  Blue Moon punch was good, but my least favorite of the 3.  

We started with an order of the chipotle chicken nachos.  

Chili roasted chicken, pepper jack cheese and chipotle cheese sauce,
jalapeno, tomato, cilantro, guacamole, sour cream, and house salsa

I was very surprised how large this was, for an appetizer.  It was really good and the flavors all worked great together.  The pepper jack cheese and jalapenos added a nice kick without being overwhelming.  Kara and I were the only ones eating the guac, which was good because more for us.  

I didn't want a huge meal after that, so stuck with the appetizer theme and got the Thai chili glazed wings with sesame-ginger sauce

Wow, these wings were so good!  They weren't huge, but there were a lot--again, more than I was expecting from an appetizer portion.  The glaze was excellent, and the sauce was delicious.  Kara also gave me a couple of her warm polenta croutons.  They were delicious as well.  After I ordered the wings I temporarily thought I should have gotten fries as well.  But honestly, I didn't need them.  The polenta is very dense so between that and the wings I was stuffed.

Will I go back?  No question.  I'm definitely doing the martini flight, and will swap out the blue one for another one.  And I'd also like to try out some of the actual entrees. Heather and I usually do lunch in College Park whenever I'm home, but I may have to add a Houlihan's stop to the trip.

#107 - Twist Restaurant, Dupont Circle, Washington DC

A few months ago my mom bought a coupon for Twist Restaurant on livingsocial.com. Neither of us had ever heard of it, but it got great reviews for its Sunday brunch. There are 2 locations, one in Dupont Circle and one on Wisconsin Avenue.  Either way, you're fighting traffic and horrible parking.  So we flipped a coin and went with Dupont Circle. It's located in the Carlyle Suites Hotel.  They said that reservations were strongly recommended.  When my mom called the guy said that they seat 400 at peak.  I don't think my mom believed that by her reaction when she hung up the phone.  But I really didn't want to take chances. Besides, I swear everyone in Dupont Circle eats out.  

Dupont Circle is in Washington DC, near to Embassy Row and home to lots of restaurants, bars, and shops.  It's also a very gay-friendly neighborhood, and has been for as long as I can remember.  There's tons of row houses that I would assume are crazy expensive, seeing how close it is to downtown and that it's right near all the Embassies and many private associations.  We drove around for quite a while, and finally found parking about 5 blocks away.  Of course as we walked to the restaurant we saw lots more spaces.  Oh well.

When we arrived it was already full.  There were only 2 tables available in the room. And they certainly pack the room with tables. I eventually realized there are 2 additional eating areas that were separated from the main room by an open doorway, and those rooms were closed in.  And by the time we were finishing our meal both of those rooms were pretty full as well.  The good thing with it being a buffet is that there's a lot of turnover.  It seemed like people stayed about an hour.  But then again, there a few tables that were there when we got there, and were still going strong when we left.  Brunch runs from 11-3, and because  there's such a large crowd the food doesn't last long.  So it gets replenished fast and often. So it's fresh and delicious no matter when you go up.  We saw a lot of people who were using the coupon, and from sites other than livingsocial.com.  Word had obviously gotten out.  But what a great way to boost your business.

A young woman got into a huge argument with the manager because she was seated in one of the side rooms, and wanted to be in the main room. He was pointing out that the main room was full when she arrived, but she didn't want to hear it. I saw her when she walked in, and there were no empty tables in the main room.  Here's my thing.  If you only want to sit in the main room, then you wait until a table is available there. Don't sit somewhere else, and then cause a scene afterwards.  She eventually stomped out in a huff.  I'm sure she bashed the whole situation on social media, but she was in the wrong on this one.

The main room was done like an Italian street cafe, and the glass ceiling made it feel like you were outside.

Brunch included unlimited mimosas and bloody marys.  I don't do the bloody's, so mimosas it was.  I loved that once there was a wait, they offered guests in line mimosas. Definitely makes the wait seem shorter.  About halfway through our meal a guy showed up and started playing the piano.  It was very close to our table so a little loud.  But he was very good and it was jazz, so we enjoyed it.

There were tons of things to choose from.  Made-to-order omelettes, waffles, breads & pastries, hot food, salads, and desserts.  I was disappointed they didn't have description menu cards at the stations, and I had to guess at what some stuff was.  To me, every buffet should have at least a minimal description of what's in each dish.  

I started with the cold stuff

I wasn't a fan of the grape leaf thing.   It was filled with rice and some other spices.  My dad liked it though.  The tabloui and couscous both had tons of flavor.  I like that the tomato/cucumber/onion salad also had pineapple.  Had never had that combination before, but the pineapple added a very nice, subtle sweetness. 

Next came the hot food

The hummus was delicious.  Yes, I realize that's cold, but I had missed it the first go round so I couldn't pass it up again. The bacon was just okay.  The lasagna was delicious.  It had great seasoning and lots of gooey cheese. The chicken was fantastic.  I love the sauce it was served in.  The fish was pretty good.  It was a very mild white fish, and the sauce had a lot of flavor. The meatloaf was outstanding.  I didn't even know what it was when I took it (see, why they need the menu cards).  Even after a bite I wasn't sure.  When I went back for more they had replenished the tray and I could then see the meatloaf shape.  I had never seen meatloaf on a buffet before, and couldn't tell you the last time I ate it. But I could have eaten a whole tray of it. It was so moist and flavorful.   That and the chicken.  When I went back for more meatloaf, I got more chicken too.  Couldn't help myself.

Of course we had to take breaks between plates.  And during those breaks, I drank mimosas. I really wonder how much champagne they go through every Sunday.  Brunch runs 11-3, and the mimosas are unlimited.  And the place holds 400.  And it's packed. We had gotten there at 11:30, and by noon there was one lady at the bar, constantly making pitchers of mimosas.  For efficiency's sake, they came around with the pitchers and refilled the mimosas.

My last plate was dessert

The mini cannolis were awesome.  I liked that they were small, so not overwhelming.  I was good and only had the 2.  The fudge brownie was extremely rich but very good. The tiramisu...let's just say after one bite I sent my mom back to the table to get another piece. I think they soak the lady fingers all week because they packed a serious punch. There was a little too much cream, but I just ate around that.  And I ate the other piece my mom brought me.

I was very surprised that the buffet is only $34.95 per person.  For Washington DC that's a great deal, especially with the unlimited drinks.  Last year when Emily and I went to Black's in Bethesda it was $58pp.

Will I go back?  No question.  I may try the Wisconsin Avenue location, just to see if it's any different.  As long as they have the tiramisu, meatloaf, and chicken, I'll be happy. Oh, and of course the mimosas.

#106 - Ikko Sushi, Silver Spring, MD

On my first full day of vacation a couple weeks ago I was craving sushi for lunch.  But I didn't know of anywhere good to get sushi near my parents' house.  Neither of them eat sushi, so they were no help either.  I went on TripAdvisor and saw good ratings for Ikko Sushi, and decided to try it out.  I was just doing carryout, so my dad went with me.  

We both used to be very familiar with downtown Silver Spring.  But that was a million years ago.  If you haven't been there in years, good luck finding anything that wasn't there before.  There are so many tall apartment buildings and businesses, and it's very easy to get turned around.  Even with GPS, we made at least 5 wrong turns and drove around and around in circles.  But by then I was determined to find this place.  Finally we did, and it was in the lobby of an apartment building.  If you blink, you're going to miss it.  There are a couple of other restaurants in the area, and it seems they cater mainly to people who work and live in the area because of the limited parking.  There was a garage nearby, but I didn't want to pay for that. We found street parking, and went in.

It's a really small place.  There's only 14 tables, plus seating at the sushi bar.  They've also got a small outdoor patio.  

It was almost empty, but it was also 1:45PM.  They close from 2-5, so I was happy we made it in time.  I went with the Baltimore roll and the volcano roll. While I waited for my food the server asked if I wanted the salad and miso soup that comes with it.  Sure, why not.

The soup was just okay.  But I'm not really a big fan of miso soup, so my review is probably biased.

The salad was good.  In hindsight, I would have preferred double salad and no soup.  The ginger dressing was really flavorful.

Baltimore: lump crab, avocado, masago
Volcano: California roll topped with spicy crab, spicy sauce, masago

The Baltimore roll was so good.  The creamy texture of the crab is amazing.  I love that places in Maryland use fresh crabmeat in their sushi.  I'm guessing anywhere that has access to fresh crab does. And if they don't, they're missing out. There is absolutely no comparison to the fake stuff, which is why I avoid sushi that uses it. There was also a little old bay on top, and that added a great kick.  

The volcano roll was a lot spicier than I expected.  But since 2 of the ingredients are spicy, I don't know why I was surprised.  But it was still super delicious.  I've never seen cream cheese like that before, in strips along the top.  Usually cream cheese is inside the roll.  But I have to admit I liked this way better because it was a good contrast in texture, and toned down the heat really well.

I usually don't do masago, and ask them to leave it out.  But I left it in on both rolls this time, just to test it out. And quite honestly, I couldn't even taste it.  I'm sure there was a mild flavor somewhere in there, but I was so excited about the crab meat, that kind of overtook everything else.

Will I go back?  Definitely.  The sushi was delicious, and I now know where I'm going.  

#105 - Babe's Chicken Dinner House, Roanoke, TX

I've been hearing about Babe's Chicken Dinner House for years, and every time I drive to Dallas I plan to eat there for lunch on my way down.  But then I remember, usually about the time I cross the state line, that the location I pass off I35 isn't open for lunch on weekdays.  And then on Sundays when I'm leaving, I'm not hungry.  I didn't even really think about going there on my last trip a few weeks ago, because I knew I would run into the same issues.  Until Friday night when we went to dinner at Inzo, and it was literally 50 yards from Babe's. Once I realized how close it was to Joni's house, no chance I was missing out on my opportunity to go there. So that Sunday morning, instead of eating a big breakfast, I ate just a little, went to Central Market for about an hour, and was then hungry.

I should have remembered about the church crowd.  When I pulled up, there were a ton of people outside waiting.  I thought about driving to the Sanger location, which was on my way home anyways.  But what if it was just as crowded, and at that point I'm absolutely starving. So I just decided to go and tough it out. Good call, because I was seated within 10 minutes. 

The Roanoke location is the original.  And that was another reason I waited there. There's no waiting area inside, so they set up all kinds of old chairs along both sides of the sidewalk.  I forgot to take a picture, but found this one online

Every inch of the inside is packed.  There's about 60 tables, and not much room at all to walk around.  Luckily my table was along the aisle so I had free in and out.  It's a very old building, with lots of cool signs on the wall.  One of my favorite parts was wood boards hanging from the ceiling with the names of former employees and when they worked.  It's called their "Roost of Honor".  Absolutely love this idea

When I told the server it was my first time there, she gave me a list of "Babe's Facts", "Menu Truths" and "Definitions of Health Terms".  A few of my favorites:
* The tables & chairs have all come from other restaurants & homes 
* "Exactly 24 Hours" =  anywhere from 8 to 30 hours
* Labor pain = getting hurt at work

Babe's is very much like Eischens, where everything is family style, the menu is small, and the portions are big. Chicken or chicken fried steak, unlimited rolls, salad, creamed corn, mashed potatoes and gravy.  I did like that you could get just a half a chicken here. Because I really wasn't fired up about having all that chicken in my car for a 4-hour drive home in the summer heat.  I wish Eischen's would do that.  I noticed the massive portions of sides as I waited for my food, but thankfully they have smaller portions for smaller groups.

The biscuits were homemade, served warm, and delicious.  Of course I had to put butter and honey on them.  When in Rome right?

The salad was just lettuce & vinaigrette.  My server brought extra dressing because there's "just a little on the salad". She and I clearly have very different ideas of what a little means.  But it was still good and the dressing had very good flavor.  I would say they should add more salady-stuff, but in reality that would just fill you up.

The creamed corn was simple and delicious.  The mashed potatoes were really creamy, and the gravy was very good.  I normally never do gravy, but really liked it here.

The chicken, of course, is the star of the show. It came out screaming hot and perfectly fried.  I love the thick coating.  And the chicken was so tender.  I ate the leg and thigh, my favorite parts.  

I've said it on this blog many times that I'm not a fan of white meat chicken because it's usually too dry.  And I'm not a fan of leftovers.  But I wasn't leaving all that chicken to go to waste.  So I wrapped it up as much as I could, and put it in the trunk.  And the next night I had the rest of the chicken for dinner.  It was just as good as fresh.  I heated up the wing, but ate the breast cold.  It's so big I was afraid it would dry out trying to re-heat it.

Will I go back?  No question.  But it will only be an occasional treat.

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#104 - Fiorella Italian Kitchen, National Harbor, MD

A couple weeks ago I was back in Maryland visiting friends and family.  I go every summer, usually in late July before things get really crazy getting ready for football season.  I also try to go back for a Maryland football game if my schedule allows. I get together with friends, do some shopping, et at some of my favorite places, and of course do some work every day. As much as I wish I could ignore work while I'm there, with it being that close to football season that's almost impossible. So usually I knock out a couple of hours in the morning, and then have the rest of the day to myself.

The first Saturday of the trip my mom and I went out to do some shopping.  There's several outlet malls in the area, but one I had never been to was Tanger Outlets.  And I'd also never been to National Harbor. I didn't go crazy shopping, especially since anything I bought I would have to get back home, but I found some good stuff.

National Harbor is located on the Potomac River, about 30 minutes from my parents' house. This area has seen an amazing revitalization in the past 15-20 years. It kind of began with the building of the Gaylord Hotel, and then restaurants, shops, and the outlet mall exploded on the scene to create a major attraction. They also do boat tours, summer concerts and movie nights, and have a walking trail. We walked through the Gaylord, just to see how it compared to the one in Dallas where we stayed for the Cotton Bowl.  Have to admit, I like the Dallas one better. It's just more open and spacious. There are also a lot of condos and apartments in the area, and I'm sure they are wicked expensive. 

After much contemplation on food, we decided to try out Fiorella Italian Kitchen. 

I took the picture because of the turtle, not the fat, naked guy on top...

They have a cute outdoor patio, as do most of the restaurants at National Harbor.  But it was hot and humid, and the only available tables were on the direct sunlight. No thanks. The restaurant was still super crowded, even though it was after 2pm. The only immediate seating was the bar area, so we took it. The bar area is to the right as you enter the restaurant, and features seating at the bar itself, as well as a few high top tables. In the main dining room it's a combination of large family-sized tables, booths and regular tables. There's a large open kitchen just beyond the bar, and we noticed they also do a very brisk takeout business.  

The menu is pretty simple. Appetizers, salads, pasta, pizza, calzones, and fresh fish. They offer 8 different types of fish, and each can be prepared in one of 3 different ways. 

We both wanted pizza, and originally we were each going to get one, but then we saw one come out to the table next to us and it was quite big. So we decided to do a half and half. Mom got Margherita, and I got the fennel sausage

Margherita - Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, & Tomato Bruchetta served on top
Fennel Sausage - House-Made Sausage, Roasted Peppers, Onions, Mozzarella

When the pizza came out I realized we had no room on the table for the tray. But lo and behold, there was a table leaf that the server pulled out to put the pizza on! Brilliant idea for the bar area to maximize space.

I'm slowly but surely becoming a fan of thin crust pizza. Given a choice I'll always go for the thicker crust, but that's not even an option here.  I was very pleasantly surprised at how much sausage there was. I thought it would be like sausage balls or slices, but it was crumbles. Very flavorful and delicious.  My mom really liked hers too.  This crust was even thinner than others I've had, but I liked it. 

We hadn't ordered an appetizer, but I had seen a couple on the menu that looked good. As we waited for the pizza to arrive, a table near us got the fried house-made mozzarella balls.  They looked divine, so I ordered it when we got the pizza

Wow these were so good! Larger than I was expecting, and I really liked that it was served in a bed of marinara sauce.  The mozzarella was perfectly, lightly fried, came to the table extremely hot, and was delicious. My mom doesn't like a whole lot of cheese so she only had half of one. Which left the rest for me. And I certainly was not complaining as I devoured them.

Will I go back?  Yes!  I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and would love to sit out on the patio and enjoy a meal.