Coinjock Marina & Restaurant

If you are heading down to or coming back from the Outer Banks and you need to stop for sustenance, get off the beaten path (in this case Rt. 12) and head to the Coinjock Marina & Restaurant. Located at 321 Waterlily Rd. along the Intracoastal Waterway, the restaurant is a quiet little spot with great food. We arrived for lunch on a Sunday and soon discovered that this is the place for locals after church as well as a favorite for police, fire, and other service sector personnel. And if you are traversing by boat, you can put in at the dock for some fine eating. Colleen, our waitress, was pleasant and capable, serving us house-made potato chips as we were seated. The establishment serves dinner selections all day and also offers a sandwich menu for lunch as well as daily specials. There is also a decent wine list. My hubby ordered the Fried Shrimp dinner with fries, slaw, and hush puppies ($15.99). Lots of large-sized shrimp barely breaded. Very yummy. I initially was going to order the chicken sandwich, but one of the specials for the day was home-made Chicken and Dumplings ($10.99). As we traveled back to Richmond and the day had become cloudy and dreary, this comfort dish turned out to be perfect. Pulled chicken meat (both light and dark meat), a thick broth, and flat dumplings. We have traveled Rt. 12 for years without venturing to this tucked-away restaurant. It will now be the only place to stop.

How to Dress Up a Goose

I cooked a goose over the holidays. It turned out to be a memorable meal, but not necessarily because of the goose. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the goose. It was very similar to duck. We only partook of the goose breast the first night, and I managed to cook the breast to medium, thus, the meat did not dry out. I used an electric roaster as well, which I highly recommend. The rack in the roaster allowed the fat to drip off of the goose, and there were no concerns about fires from the goose fat. Despite my success with the bird itself, it was the Tawny Port Gravy that my husband and I raved about. The gravy is one of Emeril Lagasse’s recipes from The Food Network. We were so pleased with the gravy that I will be making it to accompany future duck and/or pheasant dishes. Here is my slightly tweaked version:

Tawny Port Gravy

2 teaspoons olive oil

Giblets and neck from the goose (I halved the goose neck to fit better in the pot)

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

Salt, freshly ground, to taste

Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

5 bay leaves

Dried thyme, to taste

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups Tawny port (I used Benjamin Australia Tawny Port @ ~$10 a bottle)

2 cups water

In a sauce pan that can eventually accommodate all of the liquid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the goose parts and brown, stirring, 3-4 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme and cook, stirring often for 5-10 minutes, or until onions soften. Add the flour and stir. At this point you may be scraping the flour from the bottom of the pan. Do this for about 5 minutes (or lees, if you can’t stand the scraping any longer). Add the port and scrape all of the bits one last time. Bring port to a boil, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about an hour. The liquid should reduce down to about two cups. Remove from heat and strain into a clean pot. Keep warm until ready to serve. Ladle over goose breast or other wild game bird. Enjoy.

My husband and I were thrilled with the results. The gravy was sweet and slightly nutty. The harshness of the alcohol had evaporated. It really was a perfect accompaniment to the gaminess of the bird. We also ate sautéed green beans and shallots as well as goose fat roasted fingerling potatoes.

I used the leftover goose meat to make a Goose Shepherd’s Pie. I also made goose stock and rendered the goose fat.

Texas de Brazil

Texas de Brazil, recently opened in Regency Square Mall, greeted us with a diverse trio of hostesses amid old world Spanish décor. My husband had run across a 25% coupon, and we decided to give ourselves an early Christmas treat. As it happened, my sweetie left the coupon at home, thus, I waited in the lounge area, replete with cozy sofas. The bartender never even looked my way to offer a drink or even to say Happy Holidays. Thank goodness the rest of the staff knew how to portray customer service. Texas de Brazil is a Churrascaria or a Brazilian Steakhouse and focuses on grilled meats (all you can eat) accompanied by a “salad bar.” Prices tended to be steep - $39.99 for the combined salad bar and grilled meat bonanza. Wine, drinks, and desserts were extra. There was a $29.99 option (I’m not sure for what), but our coupon was for the entire deal, so, we plunged on in. Well, we first perused the wine list. As with most upscale chain restaurants, the wine prices are beyond the pale. While we drooled over the list, we tended to gape over the more than twice retail price. We did discover a Buehler Zinfandel for $31.00 and promptly ordered it. The “salad bar” came first. But this was no ordinary salad bar. In fact, only two bowls of leafy lettuce presented itself. The rest of the bar was literally a feast itself. Listed is what I remember:

Lobster bisque

Black beans (hubby raved about these)

Jasmine rice

Sautéed carrots

Proscuitto

Sopressata

Manchego cheese

Fresh mozzarella balls

Grilled provolone

Other cheeses

Roasted red and yellow peppers

Grilled zucchini

Seared sashimi tuna

Shrimp salad

Asparagus

Caperberries (I was thrilled to see these)

Herbed green and black olives

A wide variety of olive oils and aged Balsamic vinegars

What a chore to reserve our main meal for the grilled meats! We truly enjoyed the “salad bar” with its wide variety.

But on to the meat! At our table we encountered round disks – green on one side, red on the other. The grilled meats were presented by gauchos brandishing tall sword-like skewers of succulent carnivorous heaven (the gauchos were easy on the eye as well). When our disks were green, a gaucho presented a skewer. If our disks were red, he walked on by. What an assortment – Brazilian sausage, chicken wrapped in bacon, pork loin, beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, flank steak, sirloin, etc., etc. Every time a new item passed by we flagged down the gaucho. All of the beef was prepared medium rare, but could be cooked to our preference. Since medium rare worked for us, we did not need to make any special requests. We discovered that the beef, particularly the flank steak and the sirloin, tasted the best. And the salad bar had chimichurri sauce to accompany the beef which was delightful. We also were served side dishes of garlic mashed potatoes and grilled bananas as well as rolls. Needless to say we stuffed ourselves. One of the managers arrived at our table to inquire if we were finished. We moaned, yes. Then he asked if we had tried the beef ribs. When we replied no, he said, “Well, you are not done yet.” He whisked our old plates away and returned with carved slivers of beef ribs. Yes, they were delicious as well.

Texas de Brazil is not a place I would frequent on a regular basis, but the food was good quality and offered a wide variety. I would think twice if not for the 25% coupon, except, maybe, for a special occasion. The other disconcerting discovery was how fast we ate and waddled out of the place. While a nice dinner will generally take us two hours or more to enjoy, we were at the stuffed phase in about an hour much to our dismay. Next time, we have a coupon in hand and we slow down enough to chew our food

Roast Beef with Onions

Marcella Hazan, or at least her cook book, The Essentials of Italian Cooking, first introduced me to this recipe. It is so very easy, but make sure you are spending some time at home. It does take about 3 hours to cook.

Roast Beef with Onions

1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut into thin slivers
2-3 pounds beef (such as a rump roast), if the roast is very tall, I usually cut it in half
salt and pepper to taste

Place slivered onions in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot (I use Le Creuset). Place beef on top of onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover pot and put in the oven. Turn oven to 325 degrees. Let beef cook for about 3 hours. Remove from oven. To serve, pull beef apart and place on plate. Top with onions and juice. I serve with green beans and shallots and mashed potatoes.

If you have leftover beef, make beef and onion soup the next evening.

pjpink's Egg Nog

What is Christmas without a little Egg Nog? I’ve tried the grocery store carton variety. That stuff is way too thick with natural or artificial thickeners. They left me feeling like I needed to cough up phlegm for the rest of the evening. The only cure would be to add an exorbitant amount of alcohol and then act like an utter drunken idiot. I searched for an egg nog recipe. Many of them do not “cook” the eggs; they let the alcohol do the job. But I wanted a recipe that could be served with or without alcohol. After a few attempts at following a “cooked” egg recipe, I gave up the Christmas ghost and started experimenting. The recipe that follows is fairly simple, cooks the eggs, and is flexible enough to serve to friends that imbibe or not.

pjpink’s Egg Nog

10 egg yolks (save the whites for meringue, etc.)

1 cup sugar

4 cups skim milk, scalded (microwave until hot, but not boiling)

½ cup cream (or more, to taste)

1 tablespoon vanilla (please, use the real stuff!)

Nutmeg, to taste

Bourbon (I prefer Wild Turkey) or your preferred liquor (my 2nd choice would be Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum)

Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a metal bowl or the top of a double boiler. Place bowl over a pot half filled with water over a burner. Turn the burner to medium high to boil the water and then turn the burner to medium low. Heat the egg mixture for about 5-10 minutes, whisking constantly. Begin mixing the scalded milk by spoonfuls, always whisking. Be careful not to scramble the eggs. Once a few spoonfuls have been mixed successfully, begin transferring the milk by ¼ cups into the bowl. When all of the milk has been transferred, stir constantly with a metal spoon until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. This will take 15-30 minutes. Take the mixture off the pot and let cool for about 30 minutes. Pour the mixture through a strainer into another bowl and place in the refrigerator uncovered until completely cold. At this point you can cover and serve within the next 3-5 days. Right before serving, stir in cream and vanilla. To serve, fill egg nog mug with desired amount of alcohol, add egg nog mixture, sprinkle with nutmeg, stir, and enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

Zed Cafe Redux

We were back at Zed Café on Lakeside. This time for lunch. The Richmond Times Dispatch had just come out with a so-so review of the place. I had had a good dinner experience, thus, I was a little surprised. Unfortunately, RTD has a correct assessment. Once again I ordered a Love Potion #9 (pomegranate juice and lemonade). Instead of the tall vase-like glasses that were such a big hit with us last time, we were served the mixture in regular glassware…and we were served a mixture of pomegranate and orange juices. When I asked the waiter, he seemed to not have a clue about what was on the menu (the blond dye from his somewhat Mohawkish coif hair may have had an unexpected effect?). He did return with the correct ingredients. My hubby ordered the herbed bison burger, which was good meatwise, but, apparently, part of the “herbs” included a ton of whole-grain mustard (undisclosed on the menu), which is not a favorite of my spouse, thus, spoiling his enjoyment of the meat. The menu also said the dish came with home fries. The waiter asked what side dish my husband wanted. No side dishes were on the menu to select (again, I chalk it up to the dye job). My husband said home fries. About 5 minutes later the waiter came back to say they were out of home fries and would sweet potato fries be okay. How can a place run out of home fries??? (Unless they are the frozen not fresh variety.) I had the chicken pesto panini with roasted peppers and a side salad. My sandwich was very tasty, but did not make up for all of the other mis-steps. What a disappointment. Both the wait staff and the kitchen need work to turn Zed Café into the place it aspires to be.

Carrabba's Italian Grill

We were on Midlothian around dinner time one evening last week and remembered that Carrabba's Italian Grill was located at Chesterfield Town Center. We were pleased to see that the entire restaurant is non-smoking (kudos to the owners!). Bread was served with a olive oil poured over an herb mix. Absolutely fantastic! I could have eaten bread and olive oil all night. Our waiter was very attentive albeit too over-zealous for us. Since we had never dined here, we decided to order the Antipasti Platter – Fried Calamari, Bruchette, and Mozzarella Marinara. The calamari was decent, but the breading kept popping off, making I difficult to eat. We enjoyed the mozzarella, but had to admit that Maggiano’s was better. The bruchette did not impress anyone. For the entrée I ordered the Mezzaluna – Half moon ravioli stuffed with chicken, ricotta, and spinach in a tomato cream sauce. Very nice dish. The ravioli were not drowning in sauce, and the sauce itself had just a touch of cream, thus, ensuring the dish was not overly rich. I enjoyed it and also enjoyed the leftovers at lunch the next day. My husband had the Spaghetti with Italian Sausage. The spaghetti tasted like a dried out of the box grocery store variety. He did enjoy the dense meaty sausage. We passed on the wine for the night, but Carrabba’s does have a decent variety at decent prices. Although we would not go out of our way to return, if it were convenient, we would go back – maybe we should try something from the grill next time.

Buzz and Ned's For Ribs

Last weekend my extended family decided to see the lights at Lewis Ginter. But where do you go to eat with a group ranging from small children to grandparents? I guess the traditional way would be to eat at the Tea House at Lewis Ginter but that requires reservations (and we did not decide upon this until the previous week) and the horrors of dressing up. The next option would be the cafeteria at Lewis Ginter, but that could mean long, slow lines when all of the kids want to immediately see the lights. We took a somewhat non-traditional approach: We went to Buzz and Ned's Barbecue. The joint is located on Boulevard next door to The Car Pool car wash place and across the street from River City Tattoo. The kids sat at the “high” tables. The adults sat at the low ones. We ordered racks of ribs for all as well as onion rings, hush puppies, and fries. These kids love ribs (and so do I!). Buz and Ned’s has the best ribs in Richmond, hands down. They are smoked (a must!!) with a sauce that blends a little sweetness with a very subtle hint of heat. The kids marveled at the lighting – inverted galvanized buckets with a light bulb and the décor was sturdy enough for childlike activity. It was a big hit for all.

And for adults, Buz and Ned’s lists all manner of adult beverages to go with your barbecue or ribs from beer to tequila to whisky to wine (Red Zin, Shiraz, and Cotes du Rhone, mainly).

Butternut Squash Soup

A few nights ago I made a Butternut Squash soup. I found the original recipe – Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream – on www. epicurious.com. Of course, there were a few things in the recipe that I wanted to change, like, not using as many apples, leaving out the apple cider, and adding crème fraiche instead of the cider cream. My version follows. But just a note of caution on the butternut squash. This was the fist time I had worked with butternut squash. The gourd was very hard to cut and peel. The flesh was so hard that I thought I had purchased one that was not ripe (this was not the case). On top of it all, where I had handled the squash flesh, my skin dried out so much that my fingertips looked like they had been burned. Handling the squash with gloves may be prudent for next time.

Butternut Squash Soup

5 tablespoons butter
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into small pieces
3 leeks, diced (white and pale green parts only)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
½ of a fennel bulb, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
6 cups chicken stock or broth
½ cup whipping cream
Crème fraiche
Fresh chives, chopped

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium high heat. Add squash, leeks, carrots, and fennel. Sauté until softened, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in apples, thyme, and sage. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for about 30-45 minutes. Turn off burner and remove soup from heat source. Using an emulsifier (aka boat motor), puree soup (you can also use a blender or food processor). Return soup to burner and heat on low. Right before serving, stir in whipping cream. Ladle soup into bowls. Place a dollop of crème fraiche in the middle of the soup. Sprinkle with chives.

Chez Max Highlights

Last Friday my husband and I spent a delightful evening with two other couples at Chez Max (way out west on Patterson). And while all of us ordered differing appetizers, entrees, and desserts; and while Ricci, our server, took decent care of us, I want to concentrate on four distinct items.

1. Chateau Haut Surget 2003 Lalande-de-Pomerol: 70% Merlot, 15% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Plenty of red cherry notes here as well as bacon and tobacco. So, this wine was part of the tasting at River City Cellars on Friday (they had a spectacular Bordeaux tasting last week!). Hubby and I really liked it. When we arrived at Chez Max – voila! – the wine list carried it. River City Cellars price: ~$25. Chez Max price: $48 (since twice retail is usually the going rate, we weren’t complaining and we knew exactly what we were getting).
2. Tuna Tartar ($12.95). This was a special appetizer for the evening. Sushi grade tuna chopped and tossed with minced shallots and capers. My husband ordered this and I had to take numerous bites. Before ordering the Haut Surget, we had a glass of Grandin Brut, a Loire sparkling wine ($8.95). The two paired very well together.
3. Duck Breast with a Green Peppercorn Sauce ($26.95). Tender, sliced duck breast, prepared medium with a cognac peppercorn sauce – not too overpowering on the peppercorns. Very lovely, served with mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans.
4. Molten Chocolate Cake ($6.95). A few years ago hubby and I had dined at Chez Max for an anniversary celebration. For dessert I had ordered Crème Brule. It was sheer heaven. The best I have ever eaten. Since the memory of this dish left such dreamy thoughts, I assumed that all of the desserts would be equally as delightful. Sadly, I had a lapse in judgment. While the cake had a great chocolate flavor, it had not been heated enough to melt the chocolate inside, leaving me with a somewhat chocolate gelatinous interior to slice through.

I would recommend Chez Max as far as appetizers and entrees. If you want dessert, always order the Crème Brule.

http://www.chezmaxva.com

Bin 22 in Carytown

I just heard from Greg Pullen of Bin 22 (restaurant located in Carytown). The home of wine flights, great salads, and panninis has teamed up with Belmont Butchery to offer a Charcuterie Trio. I can't wait to try it out.

Salsa & Chips

Tis the season for Bowl Games. And while I believe college football should implement a playoff system, I also believe a football game should have good food.

Bowl Game Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 cup corn, cut fresh from the cob (if you can’t get it fresh, use frozen white corn)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Salt
Pepper

Sauté corn in peanut oil for a few minutes to desired tenderness. Place in serving bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or make your own…

Quick Tortilla Chips

Flour or corn tortillas
Peanut or olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stack tortillas 3 high on a cutting board. Cut into strips using a pizza cutter. Place strips on baking sheet. Brush each strip with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until slightly brown. Serve with salsa.

Duck Crepinette

These little duck sausage morsels were at the Belmont Butchery this evening and I thought "What the hell?" Duck sausage the length of a finger and the width of two fingers wrapped in caul with a dousing of Grand Marnier. I just had to try them. When frying the caul melts. When eating think of smoke and spice with just a brief hint of game. A very rich treat. And while I would not make a meal of these, I would serve them as an appetizer, possibly sliced and sprinkled with Romano cheese.

Turkey Day Menu and Notes

For quite a few years I’ve been visiting relatives in Tennessee for Thanksgiving and I cook the main meal. And while it’s a bit of a challenge to make a meal in someone else’s kitchen, I still enjoy this ritual every year. We arrive on Wednesday and immediately proceed to the grocery store (The Fresh Market, no less) to purchase everything required for the feast. There is no make-ahead strategy. Everything is prepared on the day itself. Here is the menu and comments:

One Fresh Bell & Evans Turkey
The Fresh Market began carrying Bell & Evans last year and I was impressed. The bird just seemed to taste better. I also appreciated the dark meat which was actually dark and packed with scrumptious flavor. Preparation is fairly simple: salt and pepper between the breast and skin and the leg and skin. Add pats of real butter (I go all out and use Plugra) between breast and skin and leg and skin. Insert herbs between breast and skin and leg and skin. This year I placed thyme on the breast and rosemary on the legs. I roast the bird in an electric roaster. The roaster keeps the turkey moist and frees up the oven for dressing.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Yukon golds, Plugra butter, a few garlic cloves, a tiny amount of cream, salt, and pepper. I make sure we have enough potatoes left over to make potato cakes for breakfast the next morning.

Sautéed Green Beans and Shallots
Sauté the shallots in butter until just caramelized, add fresh beans that have been soaked and then boiled in salted water. I cooked the beans until they were soft because I had diners who preferred them that way.

Gravy
I make a roux of butter and flour and then pour in juices from the cooked turkey. This year I had enough turkey drippings to forego the addition of canned chicken broth.

Cranberry Sauce
A bunch of fresh cranberries, the juice of a lemon and orange, a couple of cinnamon sticks. Add water and a ton of sugar. Boil to jam-like consistency. I did not add enough sugar for eating at the Thanksgiving table, but I reheated and added more of the sweet stuff. This made a great alternative spread for the inevitable turkey sandwiches. I also liked it on toast. I wished we had had some biscuits.

Dressing
While most of the menu is fairly standard, I always try to make a different type of dressing every year. This year I wanted to make something with fennel. Alas, the store was out of fennel, so, I used my imagination and made it up as I went along. It turned out to be quite popular. And, of course, I’ll never be able to quite repeat it, but here is the list of ingredients: a loaf of sesame bread and a loaf of challah torn into bite-sized chunks and toasted; toasted pine nuts; crushed fennel seeds; sautéed onions and leeks; a couple of Irish banger sausage links fried and sliced thin; minced garlic; turkey broth from boiling the turkey neck supplemented with some chicken broth. Combine everything and bake for an hour. It was yummy!

We washed it down with a sparkling rose.

Pick Pescados for Imaginative Seafood

Not Fine Dining…Fun Dining! This is the proclamation of Pescados, a Latin/Carribean neighborhood bar & grill focused mainly on fish & seafood located on Midlothian Turnpike (in the same shopping center as Food Lion and Kabuto’s). We went on a Friday on the recommendation of several employees of The Wine Cellar. And they did not steer us wrong. We did have to wait for a table, but it was well worth it. We started with Sangria del Sol – orange juice, triple sec, grenadine, and sparkling wine, with some fruit thrown in. Decent, but more like a souped up Mimosa than Sangria. I’d probably get a bottle of wine or try the margaritas next time. For dinner I ordered the Enchilada Acapulco – Jumbo shrimp and Cabo crab, grilled with caramelized onions, tucked into a flour tortilla, with lobster lime cream sauce, diced tomato\, and saffron potato cakes. Basically, 4 large, grilled shrimp surrounded by a mound of sweet crab meat stuffed in a burrito. The sauce was very light and only enhanced the seafood. I also loved the 3 petite saffron potato cakes, but was so full from the burrito that I could only finish one. Hubby got the Tostado Azteca – Sea scallops, jumbo shrimp, and tilapia layered by blue corn tostada, with herb cream, tomato salsa, and microgreens over achiote brown rice. For him, the scallops made the dish spectacular.

Very tasty, laid back, with an extremely nice and attentive wait staff. If you like fish and seafood, you must experience it!