#180 - Tim Thai Restaurant, Westminster, MD

Hazel is a family friend I've known forever. She and my mom worked together from the time I was about 12 years old. Hazel is very much an adventurer, and when she retired she moved to Colorado, then Montana, then back to Winchester, VA. She's now living in a retirement community in Westminster, MD. So my parents and I drove out there to visit with her. 

Westminster is a small town in western Maryland, about 45 minutes northwest of Baltimore. We drove around downtown, which is a very cute area with some cobblestone streets, old buildings, and I'm pretty sure people who live there have been there their entire lives. It kind of reminds me of downtown Annapolis.

I had looked online for places to eat, and came across Tim Thai. When I found it on TripAdvisor, it was called Thai Classic, but then I learned that it had recently changed names. It had gotten great reviews, and was listed as the #3 restaurant in the area.

Yep, you can bring in your own alcohol! That way the restaurant doesn't have to get a liquor license.

It's a very small restaurant, seating about 45. Wood floors, dark walls and furniture. It actually probably makes the place look even smaller than it is. But they do have brightly colored photos of Thailand on the walls. There were only 3 staff working, and I'm pretty sure they were all family. The wife was the hostess, husband was cooking, and son was the server. They spoke broken English, but it was good enough to understand easily.

When we arrived there were just a few other tables there, and over the course of the meal more and more people arrived. McDaniel College is only a few miles away, and they offer a discount for faculty/staff/students. I'm sure during the school year this place is packed for lunch.

They have a small lunch menu, which works really well for me. And all the dishes come with soup/salad and an egg roll. 

My mom got the soup. It came out screaming hot, and you could see the steam. I tasted it and it was very good, but a little salty. It had tons of veggies in it.

My dad and I both got the salad. I liked the presentation, with the cucumber and tomato on top. It wasn't a large salad, but that's really okay. The dressing was their house, homemade dressing.  I liked it, and they gave you just enough for the salad. The spring roll was freshly made, crispy and delicious. I also enjoyed the dipping sauce for the spring roll.

As we were deciding what to order, a guy at the table next to us recommended the drunken noodles.  He said he didn't want to bother us, but he gets it weekly and wanted to make sure we had a good experience. I love people like that! You won't see that happening in a big city. I had already been thinking about getting it, and this solidified my decision. My parents got it with tofu, and I got mine with pork

Sautéed with wide rice noodles and sweet basil leaves in chili and garlic sauce.

I'm not a huge fan of tofu, but I tried a bite of my dad's and it was really good. The saute adds a lot of flavor.  My mom said that theirs was a little overdone.  Not sure if the wok was too hot, or it stayed on too long. You can see the significant color difference from the pictures. Mine was excellent. It had so much flavor from the spices. The pork was cooked just a touch too long, but the flavor was really good. I do wish mine had more veggies like my parents did. I only had onions and red peppers, and they had beans, broccoli and carrots. Never thought I would ever say this, but I would get the tofu next time.

I really have no reason to go to Westminster other than to visit Hazel. But next time we go, this is where we're going for lunch.

#179 - Franklin's Restaurant & Brewery, Hyattsville MD

Every summer I come back to Maryland for a couple of weeks. I do it in late July, as my final relax/recharge/revive before the chaos of football season begins. The first couple years, I tried to see everyone and do everything. And by the time I got back to Stillwater I was so drained, I needed a couple days to recover from vacation. Dumb move. Now I'm much more laid back. This year I flew back from San Francisco on Friday afternoon, and then out to Maryland on Sunday morning. Definitely not the smartest decision, because I barely had time to unpack, do laundry, repack, and run errands.  Oh well. I slept the whole way on the airplane.

My friend Lisa's birthday was the day after I arrived. I've known Lisa since I worked at Maryland, when she owned Paperworks, a balloon and gift shop in College Park. She closed the store years ago, but still does balloons. Lisa is also involved in many charitable events to raise money to help fight MS. She is doing a 30-mile charity walk, and on Monday (which also happened to be her birthday) Franklin's Restaurant & Brewery did their part by donating 20% of each check towards their fundraiser. I figured this would be an awesome way to help a friend and do the food blog at the same time.

I had planned to surprise Lisa by sending her a picture of my food while we were there, but she beat me to the punch by being there when I arrived. It was so wonderful to see her and my other friend Jean at the same time.

Franklin's is a very cool, eclectic place. It's a brewery, a restaurant, and a general store. It's located in Hyattsville, not far from the U of Maryland, practically across the street from DeMatha HS, and on the way to DC. The whole Hyattsville area has undergone a massive upgrade over the past 20 years. Back in college, we just drove through Hyattsville to get to DC. We never stopped there for anything. A few years ago they began to revitalize the neighborhoods, adding restaurants and shops. The Franklin's parking lot is partially under a bridge, and there are a couple of really cool murals painted on them.

Pretty sure we ate here a couple of times when I worked at Maryland, but that was about 10 years ago. The restaurant itself is pretty big, with seating both upstairs and downstairs.

The general store has absolutely anything you could want, including beer & wine.  I wanted to take more pictures, but they were looking at me kinda funny for whipping the camera out so I decided to just stick with these few.

I'm not really a big beer person, but I figured I couldn't go to a brewery without trying something. My mom and I both went with the Hefeweizen.  It was light and refreshing, like a Blue Moon.

While we discussed lunch options, we ordered the deviled eggs

The eggs were delicious, and the filling was light and creamy. My mom isn't a big fan of deviled eggs so she only ate one, leaving me with the other 3. I definitely did not complain. The carrots and cauliflower were served cold and pickled. I've never seen cauliflower as a garnish/side, but it was delicious.  And I don't even like cauliflower. I will say that it didn't add  much color to the plate. But they were there to be eaten.

My mom got the Holy Frijoles with cole slaw as the side

House-made black bean patty with oats, onion, roasted garlic, cumin, coriander, and flax seed.
Topped with avocado, queso fresco, crema, pickled jalapenos, lettuce & tomato

She had asked for no crema, but as you can see above they made an error. Our dishes were delivered by a runner. After a few minutes our server came by to check on us. As soon as she saw the burger, and before we could even say anything, she said "they made that incorrectly", and told my mom she would have them re-make it. Shortly afterwards, the correct burger arrived. My mom said it was very good. I tasted the cole slaw and really liked it. Not very creamy or heavy. Just good, fresh cole slaw.

I finally decided on The Cook's House burger. Our server raved about the burgers, and it's dry-aged, naturally raised beef in Maryland. So I went with it

Sriracha mayonnaise, dill pickle chips, double cheddar, bacon, red onion

This burger was so good. The meat had a ton of flavor and was really juicy and cooked to medium as I requested. The sriracha mayo was awesome. I should have asked for more for my fries, but I forgot.  I really didn't need double cheddar that it comes with, so I just did single. I couldn't tell the difference, but I'm sure my arteries were thanking me. The fries were fresh and hot.

Lisa's hubby and kids arrived while we were eating and were actually seated right near us. As we were finishing our meal I heard something sizzling being delivered to her table, and it was these beauties: black skillet mussels

They smelled so amazing.  When getting ready to leave I stopped at her table to say hello, and she offered me a taste. Of course I wasn't going to turn that down. One word...WOW. I absolutely knew I had to go back before the end of the trip. I planned to take Kara on our way to the airport Thursday, but plans changed and I couldn't.

Saturday morning I had an appointment near the restaurant, and I was determined to get my mussels. I just stuck with water this time, and ordered the mussels and the fried green tomatoes

These were awesome. It's the kind of breading that they would use for onion rings, so that made me happy. They were super hot, right out of the fryer, and the creole remoulade provided a great flavor burst to the tomatoes. 

With olive oil, kosher salt, and melted butter to dip

Of course, the mussels were the star of my show. And were just as good as the last time. Lisa's husband had told me this was their #1 dish, and that is no surprise at all. They come to the table screaming hot, and stay hot almost through to the very end. Had I only been eating the mussels they would have all been super hot. But I was alternating with the tomatoes. I devoured every single one, of course dipped in butter. 

My mom had heard that there's a Franklin's opening in College Park! I looked, and they are indeed opening one. This one will be a fine dining establishment in the huge hotel they're building right across the street from campus. 

It's official.  I must go back here every time I'm in Maryland. Even if I don't get anything else, I must get the mussels. So well worth it. It's probably a good thing I'm not working at MD anymore, otherwise I would be there weekly.

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#178 - Izzy's Steak & Chop House, San Francisco CA

My last supper on my last night in San Francisco. I actually wasn't even planning to eat dinner, since we had a late lunch that day. But after my nap and refresh, I was getting hungry and ready to eat again. Besides, it was my only chance to see my friend Joel. We had met a few years ago at the Big 12 basketball tournament, and he lives in San Francisco now. My friend Reg was still in town and was staying with a friend, so we all decided to meet for dinner. Craig recommended Izzy's Steak & Chophouse, which is in the Marina District.  

I wish I had more time to spend in the Marina District. There are so many cool bars, restaurants & shops in the area. I'll have to add it to my list of places to visit on my next trip.

Izzy's is another one of those institutions, a family-owned restaurant in business since 1932. There's a good sized bar on the left as soon as you walk in, and seating both upstairs and downstairs. I think there are a lot of regulars, because the staff and managers were calling guests by name. We were seated at a very cool booth towards the back of the restaurant. 

I like how they have all of the sauces on the counter at each table. They have pretty much anything you could possibly need.

Sourdough bread arrived at the table first

At many steakhouses, the meals are a la carte, so you have to pay extra for salads and sides. I like Izzy's, because you get 2 sides with your entree.

I had looked to see if Izzy's had any deals on restaurant.com.  There were none there, but I did find one on Groupon. However, there are 2 catches: first, there is a separate menu if you use the Groupon; and second, not all of the entrees are available. The price includes soup or salad, entree, and a dessert. Depending on what entree you want, it does work out to be a good deal. 

Reg got the Groupon, and we split the Caesar salad

I was quite surprised at the size of each salad, considering it was just supposed to be half. It was good, and the sourdough bread croutons were delicious. 

Reg and Craig both got the marinated skirt steak. Reg got the creamed spinach and Izzy's own potatoes on the side

Before here, I'd only ever had skirt steak in tacos.  This one was delicious,and gave me a whole new appreciation for this cut of meat. The marinade had tons of flavor, and kept the meat super tender. I tried a bite of the creamed spinach as well. I'm usually not a fan of creamed spinach, but it was really good.

Joel got the prime rib, and ordered his rare.

I'm pretty sure if you got close enough you would hear this mooing. And this is exactly why I don't do rare. Joel said he usually doesn't either, but decided to be adventurous. He said it was good, but he was a little too adventurous. 

Ribeye is my favorite cut of meat, and they have one, but it's an 18oz bone in.  I did not need that much food. I then narrowed my choices down to the thick-cut pork chop and braised lamb shank. The server said pork chop before I even finished the sentence.

Extra thick pork chop with apple chutney

He was right. The pork chop was fantastic.  Even though it was really thick, it was not dry at all. It had been marinated really well, which definitely helped keep it moist, and it had a lot of flavor. Izzy's Own Potatoes is one of their legendary dishes...one bite in and I understood why. It's like scalloped potatoes, but creamier and cheesier than others I've had. So good. I had ordered the broccoli, but the server came out and said they had run out. So I went with the asparagus. It was okay, but I'm pretty sure they had to cook it super fast to get my food out on time, so they weren't cooked enough. I thought about sending it back, but I decided not to.

Since Reg had gotten the Groupon, we had dessert as well. It was just the 2 of us eating it, and we went with the cheesecake

It was a pretty big piece, perfect for sharing.  Cheesecake is usually on the heavier side, but this one was not at all.  It was so light and fluffy.  I don't know how they get it that way, but it was fantastic. I almost wished I had it to myself. Almost.

This was a really great experience, and I understand why there are so many regulars. If I lived there, I would be too. The prices are much more reasonable than fancy steakhouses, the food is delicious, the servers know their stuff, and the atmosphere was really fun.

#177 - Tadich Grill, San Francisco CA

A couple weeks ago I was in San Francisco for my annual Association of Luxury Suite Directors conference. I was able to mix sightseeing in with my conference, which was a great combination.  Our AD Coach Holder had told me I had to go to Tadich Grill. He doesn't play around when it comes to food, and neither do I. So I knew it was a must-go. 

My original plan was to go on Sunday evening, my first day in town.  But it's a good thing I looked up the walking directions before I left the hotel, because that's when I found out it's not open on Sundays.  But I wasn't letting that ruin my experience, and I was still determined to go.  My friend Bruce and I decided to go for lunch on Thursday.

This is such a cool restaurant.  It opened in 1895, and is the oldest restaurant in California. They don't take reservations, so we went after the lunch rush. It was still packed when we arrived, and we were going to wait for a table. But then 2 seats at the bar opened up so we sat there. 

One of the things I liked best is that they have preserved all of the old-school coolness. The servers are dressed in white shirt, white coat, long white apron, and tie. I'm sure they've had to upgrade some of the furnishings, but they made sure to retain the classic look. It's a long, narrow building, with a huge center bar that takes up the length of the restaurant, and you can sit at the bar on 3 sides of it.  There are a couple of tables at the front window; 2 rows of seating on the left side of the bar, and then one long row of booth tables.

Photo courtesy of Tadich Grill

I love how they print the history of the restaurant on the front page of the menu

The open kitchen is at the far end of the restaurant, along with a display of their selection of seafood and meats

The bathrooms are upstairs, and on the way back down you see some cool pictures and photo history

Sourdough bread was delivered to the table first

Most restaurants give you way too much butter. Here, it was almost not enough. But that's okay. The bread was delicious

We both decided to start with a small house salad, and I got blue cheese on the side.

The salad was really good, and I think my system went into shock with all the greens. The blue cheese dressing was clearly homemade, and so delicious.  I had to eventually stop myself from adding more to my salad. 

The menu is printed daily so that they can showcase the freshest ingredients. I love restaurants that do that. And especially love restaurants that do it so well. Bruce went with the pan-fried sole

I didn't try any of the fish, but he said it was delicious.  I did try one of the potatoes. It was kind of like steak fries. By the time I ate one they weren't crispy on the outside, but they were soft and fluffy on the inside. And really good.

No big surprise, I had trouble deciding what to get. Our server recommended the seafood cioppino with garlic bread, their best seller

Clams, mussels, prawns, scallops, bay shrimp, crabmeat, and white fish

This was absolutely outstanding. The broth was so rich and flavorful, but not heavy at all. All of the seafood was perfectly cooked, and none of it was overcooked, which can easily happen with this type of dish. And there was a ton of seafood. Many times you get baby shrimp in a dish, but this was just the opposite. And the mussels were huge. Often dishes lose their heat as you eat, but the broth kept everything super hot all the way to the bottom of the bowl. The garlic bread was delicious and matched so well with the broth. I continued to dip it into the broth as I ate it.

As if all this wasn't enough, when our server asked if we wanted dessert we agreed to look at the menu. And then decided to share the bourbon bread pudding.

Oh my, this was amazing. Rich, flavorful, and served warm. I'm glad we shared it though, because it would have been too much for just one person. 

When you order the cioppino you get a bib. Stunningly, I didn't spill anything on it. I mentioned at the end that I was keeping mine, and the server asked if I wanted a clean one. I said nope, this one was better...like a game-worn jersey.  He even offered to sign it to make it authentic.

This is definitely now one of my favorite restaurants. I was so excited when I saw on the website that they're opening one in Washington DC. And Wednesday when Kara and I were doing our DC sightseeing tour, we walked right past where it's going to be!

 

No question I'll be going there on my next trip to DC next summer!