Surprise!

by Xani

Hey BCD readers (if you still exists)-- surprise, I'm still alive!  And still cooking and eating.  Here's a quick post of some recent culinary treats, to whet your appetite for more BCD blogging!
Lobster:

Lobster Roll and Thrice Cooked Fries

Valentine's Day Special: We bought two big lobsters and ate them three ways!  First, boil them up, reserve the claw and tail meat for the lobster rolls, then devour every morsel in the bodies.  That was Friday night.  We also did the first cooking of the Thrice Cooked Fries so they'd be ready for lunch the next day.  Most of the tail and claw meat got lightly dressed and stuffed into a toasted, buttery split-top rolls (luckily we were able to find the appropriate rolls-- a real New Englander won't have it any other way!), and served alongside the fries for Saturday lunch.  The fries were excellent but in my opinion not worth the hassle, since the America's Test Kitchen one-step fry technique is just as good, and so much easier.  The rest of the meat got mixed into a decadent dinner salad with mango, avocado and, of course, homemade vinaigrette.  You know I love my salads!

Pizza:

Oscar-worthy Flatbreads

These are a couple of flatbreads I whipped up for Oscar night.  Using my trusty Ratio method for the dough, I shaped the breads and baked them on a pizza stone in a 500 degree oven (it was still too cold outside to grill them-- but luckily grilling season is right around the corner), then topped them and slid them back in to melt the cheese.  The one of the left has brie and peppedew peppers, on the right is a classic combo of caramelized onions and Gruyere.  We ate these before we lost our appetite from the bad jokes.

Bread:

My First Bread!

Above are the before and after of my very first home-baked loaf of bread!  Again, I used the recipe/technique from Ratio for a basic "lean" bread.  I cooked it in my Le Crueset dutch oven, like all the kids are doing these days.  I could not have been happier with the result.  Here's an interior shot:

It was absolutely fabulous slathered with butter and a little salt (but what isn't?)

Weeknight dinner:

Spinach Gratin with Poached Eggs

My new favorite thing is poaching eggs.  It's so easy and they cook up perfectly.  I'm eating less meat these days so eggs are a good protein source to include in dinner.  This spinach gratin (which you can see hiding under the eggs) was actually supposed to be the main course, but the spinach cooked down to nothing! I had to supplement the meal and poached eggs were the perfect solution.  A little toasted whole wheat pita was the perfect thing to dip in the runny yolks.  

So there's a little update on what I've been eating for the past few months, just in case you'd been tossing and turning all night wondering ;)  I'm hoping to post more now that spring is on its way and fresh, delicious ingredients are back on the menu.  And stay tuned for very special upcoming posts from Boston and, a BCD first, INTERNATIONAL BLOGGING!

X

Cook to Live, Live to Cook

by Xani


So, I managed to spend another entire weekend cooking.  What has happened to me??  I guess I'm figuring out that the challenge, excitement, and sense of accomplishment that comes with successfully preparing food, then sharing that food with my friend and family, is not such a bad way to spend one's time.  Plus, we got to eat like kings without leaving the house or shelling out tons of money at restaurants.  All good things.


Like last week, I want to share with you some of the things I cooked and what I learned.  I took more pictures this time!

Pit Beef: The Research Continues

by Erin

Readers might recall that a few months ago, I went to Chaps BBQ to try their infamous pit beef sandwich. Since then, I have been to TWO other pit beef stands to try their beef, fries, and tiger sauce. Here are their stories:

Pit Beef Stop #1: The Canopy (9319 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD)

As I mentioned in the Chaps post, I have fond memories of going to Canopy with the BCD family when I was younger, often after a lacrosse or field hockey game. After reading my post about Chaps and my reference to the Canopy, friends Bryan and Laura suggested we hit up Canopy since it was near their house and -- amazingly -- neither of them had ever had it before! I was excited to go back to The Canopy after having been away for so many years. We arrived and the smell of the pit welcomed us.




I ordered my usual: pit beef sandwich, medium rare, with tiger sauce, and an order of their boardwalk-style fries for the group to share. There are no tables at the Canopy anymore (there used to be but since it burned down and was rebuilt, the tables have been removed), so we grabbed a bit of sidewalk nearby and had a little picnic.



Saxton family and their sandwiches!

The sandwich was great - well-cooked, charred on the outside, with a strong smokey flavor from the pit. The tiger sauce was PAINFULLY horseradish-y, but in a good way! Who needs sinus-clearing meds when you have this stuff?



Sunset-lit pit beef sandwich

Bryan and Laura also got pit beef sandwiches, which they also enjoyed. Baby Noelle had her first pit beef too! Bryan reported that the sandwich wasn't big enough for him. I think next time he should get a pit beef sandwich AND a pit turkey sandwich and report back to BCD fans.

Like I said, we shared the fries and while we ate them all (quickly), they were not as awesome as I remembered from back in the day. They just weren't hot enough or salty enough for my taste...



Before...



After!

Overall, a great experience on a lovely spring evening! I loved hanging out with the Saxton family and having a satisfying sandwich, fries, and trip down memory lane. I definitely recommend The Canopy if you find yourself amongst the chain restaurants of Rt. 40 and want a good, down-home, Maryland classic for lunch or dinner.

Pit Beef Stop #2: Pioneer Pit Beef (1602 N. Rolling Road, Woodlawn, MD)



Last week, co-worker and friend Ben suggested that we go to this pit beef shack off of Security Blvd. He couldn't tell me the name, just that there's a shack with "pit beef" written on the side, and that it's really, really good. Amazingly, the Yelpers helped me out (see link above) and I determined that the place is called Pioneer. The reviews echoed Ben's feelings on the pit beef and I was excited to see for myself.



We gathered a crew from work and headed to the shack, which is only open from 11-5, Monday-Saturday. Even on a gloomy, muggy Friday, the line was long and all the picnic tables beside the shack were packed.



Again, I ordered my usual pit beef sandwich, medium rare, with tiger sauce. This time, I also got thinly sliced onions on the sandwich. I'm not a huge fan of raw onion in general, but it IS a traditional topping and I decided to add it on this time at Ben's urging.

The line moved slowly and we moved into the shack foot by foot. It was like waiting in line for a ride and the anticipation was building. I may or may not have danced around a bit in excitement. When I got to the first little window to order, the guy was right there at the window with the deli slicer. I said medium rare, he slices off a piece of thin, juicy, perfectly-cooked beef and hands it to me to sample. Ridiculously good. Needless to say, the excitement dance continued in line on the way to the cashier's window.

One thing (of many) I liked about Pioneer was that they dressed the sandwich for you, so you could just grab it and go. They were also super-sweet and organized, and tried to keep the line moving without being brusk.

We had to take our lunch to go since we had to get back to the office (and also because there weren't really any seats outside) so when we got back to the office, it was go time. Like the sample earlier promised, the sandwich was GREAT! The meat was perfectly cooked, the bun was fresh, and the thinly sliced onion added a nice bite to the sandwich. A slight criticism was that the horseradish sauce wasn't strong enough for me, could have been a lot stronger. But overall, a great sandwich.





Again, however, I was unimpressed with the fries. Is it me? Are my standards so ridiculously high that no one except for Brewer's Art, 5 Guys, and Xani can make fries that I deem acceptable? Perhaps it was because they were not fresh due to the trip home, but I made a point of nibbling them before we headed home for that very reason, and even then I was not that impressed.



Ben got gravy fries, another old-school Maryland treat



So, where does this leave us in the hunt for the best pit beef? I think Pioneer takes it over Chaps or Canopy. The beef had the most flavor and juiciness; I am STILL thinking about that sample they gave me. Although Chaps and Canopy had better horseradish sauce, perhaps I could ask for stronger/more horseradish next time I go to Pioneer to make the ultimate pit beef sandwich. And don't worry, there will be a next time.

If I hit up anymore pit beef stands (recommendations welcome!), I'll be sure to let you know where it falls in the heirarchy.

Viva la pit beef!
EP

Chaps BBQ: Good Food and...Adult Entertainment?

by Erin



Recently I joined a group of friends from work in a trip to Chaps Charcoal Restaurant, a Baltimore landmark, for lunch. Chaps has been featured on "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel and "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" with Guy Fieri (the episode also featured Chef Duff from "Ace of Cakes") on the Food Network and is known for one thing: pit beef. Pit beef is a Maryland thing (apparently - I only found this out when the out-of-towners had no idea what I was talking about), typically made from top round beef that is cooked over charcoal and then sliced super-thin, served on a kaiser roll with raw onions and horseradish sauce (lovingly referred to as "Tiger Sauce" when it comes to pit beef).

Ever since being featured on TV, Chaps has been on my radar. I grew up eating pit beef with the BCD family (traditionally served with awesome, boardwalk-style fries) and since Chaps got so much press, we were eager to drive across the city to give it a try.


Chaps is located on Pulaski Highway near the County line and there are a good handful of adult book and video stores in the area. Chaps happens to be located in the parking lot of a strip club. One stop shopping if you were so inclined!


Gentleman's Gold Club + sandwiches

Anyway, the group arrived at Chaps right around noon and miraculously we missed the gigantic line that formed after we got there and at one point stretched out the door.


Mostly male clientele at Chaps; I felt a little out of place (a) being dressed in business attire, and (b) being female, but everyone was super-friendly nonetheless :)

I was first in line and I knew exactly what I wanted: pit beef sandwich, medium rare, fries, drink. YUM. Some of my friends got some other side items with their sandwiches, like baked beans, cheese fries, or cole slaw, but I needed to investigate the fries - official blog research, of course!

Lunch!

Cheese fries - I heard they were good

The verdict? The pit beef was moist, tender, and well-cooked (it was more medium than medium rare but that's okay), the roll was fresh, and the tiger sauce was rich, creamy, and SO strong your sinuses were cleared with each bite. Delish!



The fries were good but they were a little cold and needed some salt -- perhaps I got the bottom of the batch? BTW, fries + tiger sauce = amazing. I've been to pit beef places (at the farmers' market under the JFX, for instance) where they add bits of charred beef to the sandwich to add some contrast in texture, which would have been nice to have here but certainly did not detract from the sandwich experience.

HEAVEN

Most of the folks I came with got pit beef, but a few friends got the "Triple D," featured on (created on?) "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" which consisted of pit beef, corned beef, and sausage all on one sandwich. Wow. It got great reviews, perhaps I'll try it next time?

Triple D sandwich

It was a great lunch adventure and I was glad I could share the Baltimore tradition of pit beef with my friends! My next goal is to go back to The Canopy on Route 40 in Catonsville, where BCD Dad used to take me for pit beef after lacrosse games, so I can compare to Chaps. Any excuse to eat pit beef and fries, right?

The lunch gang!

Happy local fare eating,
EP

Birches - I Wish It Were My Neighborhood Pub

by Erin

Last week, I had an appointment to give blood for the first time. I was nervous - what if I pass out? What if they say my blood's no good? What if they don't have cookies?? In an effort to have a good first blood-giving experience, I wanted to have a hearty dinner the night before and lunch the day of. I kept telling everyone I needed to "iron-load" (like carbo-loading before a big game, I guess?), so I made plans with some friends for dinner the night before.

We met up at Birches, an unassuming restaurant in the Canton neighborhood, which until that afternoon, I had never heard of. Birches was recommended by my friend and co-worker Mat, who lives (literally) around the corner, and is a huge fan. I trust Mat's palate - after all, he and I have had multiple discussions about the wonders of cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon or proscuitto.


My friend Max and I walked into Birches on a blustery night (though most of them seem blustery these days, don't they?) and were greeted by the friendly hostess. We asked if our other friends were there, and she said "Oh yeah, Mat's at the bar!" I guess they really do know him there.

We sat in the bar area (we could have sat in the dining area, but the bar was cozy and bustling) and got to perusing the extensive menu. While the menu has many upscale entrees, we were in the mood for pub grub, including their dollar sliders that night. (Sliders have iron, right?) They had two kinds: cheeseburger minis, and buffalo chicken minis. We got a whole mess of them - too many, in fact - but they were outstanding! They were served on toast, and the burger had a little aioli on it, and the chicken had some yummy bleu cheese dressing on it (though not as good as BCD Moms - obvi).






I got a wee side salad of their caesar, which was interesting because the dressing had a lot of balsamic in it, yet it still tasted like caesar. The salad also had caramelized red onion and grilled tomatoes on top, which were a nice touch. Lydia also got a salad (for her main dish), which I don't remember much about except it had spiced popcorn AND fried plantains on top - yum!



Max and Mat also got the cream of crab soup, which was delicious and creamy, with lots of Old Bay and crabmeat. Do you see crab as a theme here?



Arguably the best part of the meal, however, were the fries. They have a whole fry MENU, with 6-8 different fry toppings. We had a hard time deciding what to get but we settled on the "Crabby-Ass fries" and the "Onion fries." We had these as our appetizer, which was a good tactic -- they came out fast and fresh.

Both dishes began with a mountain of freshly cooked fries. The crabby-ass fries were then topped with a creamy crabmeat mixture (mostly crab). Essentially, this was crab dip on fries, but there was WAY more crabmeat than in a typical crab dip. Magnifique!



The onion fries were equally delicious and I appreciated their uniqueness - putting caramelized onions on top of fries isn't that wild of an idea, but I never even heard of it before! So delicious, and totally addicting.



Last, we ordered chocolate cake for dessert. But this wasn't any ol' chocolate cake - they are made to order so we had to order ours when we put in our dinner order. It came out hot and gooey, and had a great chocolate sauce on the bottom (though there was some booze in the chocolate sauce, and I personally felt it wasn't cooked out enough). The ice cream on the side didn't hurt either.



In sum, I truly loved Birches. I wish it were my neighborhood bar for the following reasons: (1) awesome food, (2) great service, (3) cozy atmosphere, (4) they have board games in the bar!, and (5) they are a Terps basketball bar! Could there be a better combo for a restaurant? I will definitely be back...perhaps for the next Terps game!



Thanks for taking us to Birches, Mat!



BFFs...waiting for fries



Lydia enjoys her frites! Sooo delicious...

Oh, and the update on the blood-giving? It went swimmingly. I didn't pass out, and there were cookies - lots of 'em!

Happy blood-giving and iron-loading,
EP

Excuse us, We're PRESS

by Xani and Erin



Writing a food blog is a mixed bag. Sure, it's fun most of the time, getting comments from friends and strangers alike, feeling like you have special corner of the internet all to yourself, and having an excuse to check out that new recipe or restaurant ("we just HAVE to make croquembouche, for the BLOG!"). Sometimes its a bit of a chore, always worrying about how long its been since you posted, making sure you've got something interesting to blog about, getting nagging emails regarding lack of blogging from "fans" who clearly need more going on in their lives (you know who you are!). But one of the BEST things about being a blogger is getting a little extra-special treatment-- like when we were invited to a Press Dinner during the soft opening of Baltimore's newest restaurant, the B&O American Brasserie




The B&O American Brasserie is located in the brand-new, gorgeous Hotel Monaco Baltimore, which is situated in the landmark Baltimore and Ohio Railroad headquarters building, in downtown Baltimore (on Charles St. between Baltimore and Fayette Sts., for our local readers). EP and I jumped at the chance to check out this new restaurant which promised to fill a gap in Bmore dining-- downtown, delicious, and (slightly) upscale. Would the meal live up to our expectations??

Well, before we even had a bite of food, we fell in love with the look and feel of the B&O. As soon as you step in, you are greeted by a warm, inviting, but chic space. A friendly hostess led us through the lovely bar/lounge space (which includes a view of the open kitchen) and up the stairs to a very intimate yet spacious dining room. The tables are far enough apart to give each party plenty of privacy, and the high-backed booths add to that (plus they're comfy!).

Our helpful (and, as we would discover, hilarious) waiter came right over and presented us with the cocktail list. The hand-crafted cocktails are clever and tasty-- we enjoyed the Hobo’s Bourbon & Cola (Bulleit Bourbon & Housemade(!!) Cola), the Junction Berry Fizz (Plymouth Gin, Red Berry Syrup, Orange Flower Water, Lemon & Club Soda), and the Peach Julep (Makers Mark Bourbon, Peach Puree & Mint). Hey, we were thirsty! And they were all VERY good, fresh-tasting and not too sweet. B&O offers drink specials during their happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-7. We enjoyed some very good bread and soft butter with basil salt to soak up the cocktails.



Junction Berry Fizz



Peach Julip



Hobo's Bourbon & Cola -- we love hobos!

Then, onto the FOOD! The B&O dinner menu includes a variety of seafood, flatbreads, steaks and various other mains, including daily specials (known as "The Local"-- one of their cute railroad/train references that pop up here and there). But we started, of course, with starters...

We shared the Local Mixed Greens with Snap Peas, Radish & Citrus Walnut Vinaigrette, as well as a Crispy Pork Belly with Sweet Potato Mash and pickled onions on top (and other stuff that escapes me at the moment).

The salad was very fresh-tasting and the snap peas were nice and sweet. The pork belly was excellent - we saw it on the menu immediately and HAD to have it! While the cut of pork belly we got was -- I can't believe I'm going to say this -- a little too fatty (not enough meat), the flavors from the pork belly combined with the sweet potato worked beautifully, and the pickled onions cut through all the richness. A-mazing!



Mixed green salad with snap peas and walnuts



Pork belly with sweet potato puree

We ordered two mains to share (of course). First we got the special of the day: Buttermilk Fried Chicken atop mashed potatoes. The chicken was perfectly cooked - crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, lots and lots of flavor in the breading. The mashed potatoes were light and fluffy and when paired with the chicken, created a delicious bite that tasted like childhood.



We also got the Steak Frites, which was offered in a variety of cuts of meat, and we got the coulotte steak, also known as a top sirloin cap steak. The steak was served with delicious frites and -- this is the best part -- they came in a teeny tiny fry basket! So cute - I died. The steak had lots of flavor and our only criticism was that it was a little rare for us.




Tiny fry baskets make fries even more delicious

Then it was time for dessert! Adorably, the dessert menu was called "The Last Stop," keeping with the train theme. When we asked our waiter which desserts he recommended, he suggested the Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler with whipped creme fraiche before I could even get the question out. So, we obviously ordered that. We also ordered The "Wicked Pissa" Cupcake.





Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler



Cupcakes!

The cobbler was very good - you could really taste both fruits distinctly: the tartness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the strawberries. We loved the crumbly top and whipped creme fraiche. The cupcakes were very good as well - they were pretty dense and chocolatey, so therefore more like brownies than cupcakes, but still very delicious.

After our awesome meal, we got a sample of the basil salt we had with our bread and butter to take home and a little note from the chef. So cool!



We then left the restaurant and explored the new hotel a bit. We went upstairs to the "Living Room" which is the concierge level for hotel guests. We were both FLOORED by this room - it was so beautifully decorated with warm tones and funky patterns, super-cool furniture and an entire mirrored wall in the middle of the room with a double-sided fireplace. The flower arrangements included birds-of-paradise flowers and artichokes. We could have stayed there all night! They have a wine hour from 5-6 during weekdays and we may be visiting very soon.

We had such a good time at the B&O American Brasserie and we will definitely be back for dinner or perhaps drinks and snacks in their chic and cozy bar area. We encourage out of towners (or Baltimore folks!) to stay the hotel - it looks beautiful and one of the amenities is a "companion goldfish." What could be better?

Thanks to Amy for the invitation - it was lovely to meet you! We hope to see you again soon.

In short, it's good to be a blogger. :)

X & EP