Frederick Restaurant Week

To kick off Frederick Restaurant Week, which runs March 2nd through the 8th, a special media event was held to preview some of the dishes diners can expect from participating restaurants. The festivities began at the Frederick Visitor Center where we were introduced to a sampling of hard ciders produced by Distillery Cider Works. First we tried the sparkling Celebration Cider, a blend of modern and vintage apple varieties which produces a mildly sweet hard cider akin in flavor to champagne. Woodberry is made specially for Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore using a blend of heritage apples and aronia berry juice. The combination of tart and sweet complements many savory dishes served at the restaurant. Finally, we tried the Winterfest which is produced in a similar style to ice wine to create a more full-bodied hard cider.

After the libations, we were ready for our walking (and eating) tour of Frederick. To stay on schedule, we were divided into groups of three. The Minx and I split off into separate groups so we could cover as many restaurants as possible. With so many restaurants and so many dishes on the tour, I'll limit my comments to a few favorites, but there is a slideshow below to give you a visual tour of the items we tried.

The cream of crab soup at the Cellar Door was a welcome surprise. Most cream of crab soups taste like wallpaper paste with some crab thrown in, but Chef Richard Belles's soup is a true crab soup slightly thickened with cream. Pleasantly spicy with ample pieces of crab throughout, I would like all cream of crab soups to taste like this. The Cellar Door also offered the lone dessert I had on the tour: a strawberry banana cheesecake fritter. Not too sweet, the flavors were nicely balanced and, of course, anything tastes better when it's fried.

Over at Firestone's Culinary Tavern, the Nordic Cod was a nice balance of flavors and textures. The mild fish sat atop slices of fried fingerling potatoes and a light soup of mint oil, ginger root, and nasturtium leaves. The combination was light and savory all at once. The entire menu at Firestone's will be available for Restaurant Week, so you can build a three-course meal to your liking. Up-charges may apply for some of the more expensive dishes.

The Minx sampled the Irish Nachos at Bushwaller's, an Irish pub. Sidewinder potatoes replaced the traditional tortilla chips, which were covered with jalapenos, red onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, and Irish bacon. Bushwaller's is also offering the entire menu for Restaurant Week.

Brewer's Alley served crispy Brussels sprouts that were roasted with kielbasa, dried cranberries, and spiced pecans and covered with a roasted poblano-honey vinaigrette. The grilled vegetable stack featured eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash layered atop a crispy goat cheese fritter and balsamic onions, with red pepper coulis and basil pesto. The whole creation was served with an arugula salad. The Minx was torn as to which of these was her favorite dish of the day but is leaning toward the vegetable stack.

We all met back at JoJo's Restaurant and Tap House where we were treated to a Session IPA. a deconstructed yellowfin tuna taco, and a chicken and spinach burger. The taco was adorned with "Dorito dust," tomato tempura, avocado, and cilantro lime sour cream. The spinach added color to the ground chicken burger, which was served on a slider bun with crispy fries.

We had a pleasant afternoon taking in the welcoming hometown vibe of Frederick and sampling food from some of its finest restaurants. For those who are not familiar with Frederick or who do not go there frequently, Frederick Restaurant Week is the perfect opportunity to take a drive and check out the growing culinary scene there without hurting your pocketbook.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Koco's Pub

Out of necessity, I've been eating a lot of crab cakes. Only the smoked crab cake from Pierpoint has come even close my Platonic ideal of what a crab cake should be; most have left something to be desired.

Not the crab cake at Koco's.

I'm always skeptical about the crab cakes that have "Baltimore's Best" flags all over them, so I figured Koco's might just be another pretender to the throne. But oh no, baby, it was the real deal. Real, sweet, moist blue crab meat held together with a minimum of filler (it wasn't even detectable) and a maximum of luscious, mayonnaise-y, perfectly-seasoned, binder. This behemoth weighed 10-12 oz easy and was plenty to share.

The Kaiser roll (never one of my favorite forms of carbohydrate) was not a good match for the crab, which needed something more delicate and airy. Every bite caused crab meat to shoot out of the back end into the basket. Mr Minx was happy to retrieve those errant bits for his own enjoyment.

His dinner of choice was the chicken wings, which have also received a Baltimore's Best nod. They were large specimens, cooked all the way through, but I thought they were a little tough. The raspberry jalapeno sauce was unusual, and neither as hot or as sweet as expected.

The bar crowd at Koco's on this particular evening was a lot of fun, discussing baseball and cars, and made it seem like a place where I'd love to hang out, if I hung out anywhere. Now we know where to ease a crab cake jones (which are frequent), we'll be back. Often.

Koco's Pub and Grill
4301 Harford Rd
Baltimore, MD 21214
(410) 426-3519
kocospub.com



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Sláinte

For the past six years, Fells Point's Sláinte has been serving up Irish-inflected pub grub and earning accolades such as the City Paper's "Best Sports Bar" of 2008 and Baltimore Magazine's "Best Place for Breakfast" in 2009. While this was all well and good, owners Patrick and Katie Russell (who also own Kooper's next door) decided that what the Baltimore area really needed was a gastropub, the kind of place where the food is at least as important as--if not more than--the libations. After trips to New York to scope out famous gastropubs like The Spotted Pig and The Breslin and hiring a new chef in the form of Bill Crouse (formerly of Sotto Sopra), the Russells have upgraded their fare while still keeping the folks who just want a burger or some corned beef and cabbage happy.

While the menu looks like a pretty straightforward selection of British pub favorites, if you look closely you'll notice items like mushroom gnudi (a gnocchi-like dumpling, popularized in recent years by The Spotted Pig), poutine (the Québécois staple of gravy- and cheese curd-smothered French fries), and a Duroc pork loin with crispy spaetzle and a pink peppercorn and goat cheese sauce.

Lured by the mention of exotic game birds on Sláinte's Restaurant Week menu, Mr Minx and I had planned on trying the restaurant in late January, but with the intermittent freezing rain and otherwise generally crappy weather, we chose to stay home and avoid the ice. However, on a recent evening when the weather was cold and windy but otherwise precipitation-free, we partook of a media dinner to sample some of the items on Slainté's updated menu.

Ploughman's Platter

We were welcomed with glasses of Rutherford Ranch Chardonnay and a sampling of appetizers, including the "Ploughman's Platter" featuring smoked trout, grilled artichoke, soppressata, Roaring 40s blue cheese, tomato aspic, Merlot jelly, and apple, served with slices of toasted bread. It was a far cry from the Ploughman's lunch I had in a London pub many years ago, consisting of huge slabs of cheddar, dry bread, and a dollop of Branston pickle (a vinegary, chutney-like condiment that is an acquired taste for those not born in Blighty).  Sláinte's version would make a good lunch or light supper on its own, and would otherwise be a nice shared appetizer.

Mushroom gnudi

We were also brought platters of the addictive mushroom gnudi, fried to a crispy brown and served with brown butter, sage, and lashings of cheese. Owner Patrick Russell is a self-proclaimed "mushroom-hater" and even he had to admit that these tidbits were nothing short of delicious.

Cornflour Calamari with smoked pepper aioli and beet chips

Also sampled were PEI mussels steamed in white wine with tomato, basil, and garlic, and the spiced cornflour calamari which came with a smoked pepper aioli that had quite a nice kick to it.

Fish and Chips

After those goodies, we were brought three entrées to sample: fish and chips with a side of cole slaw; the Guinness Sunday roast; and the grilled Duroc pork loin. Chef Crouse's fish and chips were an outstanding version of the classic dish, the fish sporting a batter--made with Baltimore's own Heavy Seas lager-- so flavorful that it didn't need the usual dousing with malt vinegar or tartar sauce. The slaw, based on Chef Crouse's grandmother's recipe, was a nice light rendition, without the mayonnaise-y gloppiness that can mar this salad, and a subtle dilly tang. The pork loin's crisp spaetzel bed was a nice counterpoint to the creamy sauce and the subtly-cumin-scented pork itself. Accompanying the entrées was an unusually dry and licorice-y, but very drinkable, Cono Sur Merlot.

Duroc Pork with spaetzle

For dessert, we were brought a Jameson whiskey bread pudding and platters of piping hot zeppole, or Italian fried dough. While the bread pudding was moist and rich, the zeppole stole the show, particularly when dipped in the accompanying bowl of rich chocolate ganache.

Zeppole

Overall, the food was of high quality and we were quite pleased with everything - "well chuffed" as they might say in the UK. The favorites at our table were the gnudi, the fish and chips, the spaetzle, and the zeppole; the tender calamari was a personal favorite, particularly the smoky spicy sauce (which would be great on a burger). It was a meal I'd have been happy to have paid for, and we plan to return again very soon.

Chef Crouse says he hopes to add more gastropub-inspired dishes to the menu, and to watch for upcoming seasonal changes. After this meal, and a few years of dining on his fare at Sotto Sopra, I dare say the man can make even corned beef and cabbage taste good.

Sláinte 

1700 Thames Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
410-563-6600

Victoria Gastro Pub

I took today off to escape work and to take a much-needed trip to H Mart. Because we were going to be on the west side of town, I originally thought we could stop into Asia Court for some dim sum, but after spotting the menu for Victoria Gastro Pub on the HoCo Restaurant Week Web site, I decided I would prefer to have fries cooked in duck fat over steamed pork buns. With the mere mention of "duck fat," Mr Minx was all for the change in venue.

I looked up a couple reviews of the place and few were favorable. Some complained the fries were soggy, another said the burgers were "average bar burgers." I beg to differ.

We started out ordering a couple of beers from their extensive selection. We originally wanted to try Black Hat No. 9 on tap, but they didn't have it at the moment. Instead I chose a Lancaster Strawberry Wheat and Mr Minx had a Creme Brulee stout. And damn if it didn't smell and taste like creme brulee! (There's vanilla bean in the brew.) Unusual, and tasty. My strawberry wheat, although berry-ish, was boring by comparison.

For an appetizer we shared the Poutine - duck fat fries, duck gravy, duck confit, melted Gruyere. Mr Minx said it tasted like Thanksgiving. Fries in gravy - damp, but not soggy. We enjoyed them and would order them again.

For his entree, Mr Minx chose the Victoria Pub Black Angus Burger with smoked cheddar, aioli, lettuce, tomato, and house-made pickles on a brioche bun and a baby spinach salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette. The burger was hefty, cooked slightly more than the requested medium but it was still juicy. I loved the bun. And the dressing on the salad had a pleasant citrus kick.

I went for the "Liliputian" Cornmeal fried oysters with chipotle aioli and the roasted beet salad with raspberry vinaigrette, spiced pecans, Humboldt Fog goat cheese. The non-greasy oysters were tender in their crisp jackets, and the aioli was just spicy enough. The salad, chock full of frisee and baby greens, sported sweet roasted beets, savory pecans, and a slightly-sweet vinaigrette that was the same color as the beets. Could have used a touch more goat cheese, but otherwise quite nice.

Overall, a good experience. Our server was extremely patient, knew the answer to all our many questions, and service was prompt. Not a cheap lunch, by any means, but one could have a burger and an iced tea and get out for about $15.

I'd definitely go back. I want to try the asparagus fries and the lobster grilled cheese.

Victoria Gastro Pub
8201 Snowden River Pkwy
Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 750-1880