Mr. D's Chicken Gyros

Best gyros I’ve had stateside-Mr. D’s at Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA

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Food Truck Rodeo by PressPlae

Just missed Pressplae at the Norfolk Food Truck Rodeo last week. Norfolk, VA.

pressplae:

Food Truck Rodeo!!

The City of Norfolk has finally granted permission to select food trucks, through a lottery system, to serve the streets of Downtown Norfolk.  To welcome those selected Norfolk had its first ever Food Truck Rodeo; check it out!

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Steamers at Titlow Beach in University Place, WA

Steamer’s at Titlow Beach in University Place, WA is a nice little seafood joint right on Puget Sound. The Narrows Bridge can be seen through the windows and from the deck. Check it out if you’re in the area, the food is good :)

Ribs

For Father’s Day Shelby made me BBQ ribs! I love ribs and she made a lot of them. We were feeding 5 but only manged to knock off one rack (it’s true, I know.)

After a couple days of eating ribs for lunch and dinner I had a few left so I decided to make sliders from the last of them. I carved off the rib meat from the bone, sauced the again and nuked them for several minutes—turning periodically. They turned out great with a little onion and sliced pickle.

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Wine Bank & Beer Vault

Saw this little wine/beer shop in University Place, WA and stopped by; Wine Bank & Beer Vault is locally owned and had decent selection of area beers and wines. We spent a little time browsing around and picked up a variety of local brews and a bottle of wine from Columbia Valley.

Bonus: I also bought a bottle of Russian River Damnation. They said they weren’t shipping that far north for awhile. 

Boathouse 19, Tacoma, WA

While visiting Washington I wanted to make sure we hit some of spots near the neighborhood. My father mentioned Boathouse 19 at the pier so we headed down there. The restaurant is located at a marina and has a great view of the sound and Narrows Bridge.

We sat inside because the weather was in the 80’s and the sun already gave Shelby a little burn earlier. The place was packed and we just made happy hour. We tried a few drinks and got the calamari appetizer. The calamari was great; I can honestly say it was some of the best I’ve had. I really wanted dungeness crab while I was in the area so I ordered a 1/2 lb portion as my entree. Shelby had the fish tacos, my dad ordered the fried cod and our friend had the 9 Alarm burger.

When my plate came out I was little surprised to see only half a crab sitting on my plate (with fries.) I asked our server is that was it and she apologized and said yes, that they even weigh them before serving. The crab was good but the portion was silly—especially for $24. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food well enough. My dad said he really enjoyed the cod.

I’d go again and try some of the other things on the menu, but I won’t order the crab the next time. If you’re in the area check it out, we lucked out with the weather and maybe next time we’ll hit the deck.

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Viking Burger from Lefty’s Burger Shack

Another burger we got to try was the Viking Burger from Lefty’s Burger Shack in University Place, WA. The Viking has a 1 lb. burger patty, with mushrooms, cheese, and an option for jalapenos. I had a couple bites and loved the burger. My brother (pictured above) eats half and saves the other for lunch the next day.

The Viking Burger got it’s name from the Curtis Senior High School mascot the Viking. If you’re in the area try one. Note: Silver dollar to help scale the sandwich.

Campus U-TOTE 'EM Burgers

I was in Ellensburg, WA recently for my brother’s Army commissioning and graduation from Central Washington University. While in the tiny college town I grabbed a burger from one of the U-Tote’Em establishments. They have the look and feel of something you might have seen back in the day when the burger shop was the place to hang out and meet up with friends. You could drive-up, eat-in, or order from a window. You would be called by number when your food was ready.

At the Campus U-Tote’Em they have a Campus Burger so I tried that. Not bad, typical burger you’d get from a fast food joint. It was more about the experience than the burger.

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Braise Opening Week

Recently we went out out for our 23rd Anniversary and we decided to try the newly opened Braise in Virginia Beach, VA. Chef Bobby Huber is a staple in the culinary scene in this area and I’ve heard good things about his food. We ordered a couple of appetizers—a softshell crab & “lobstah” and scallops with apple butter. They were very pretty but I’ll honest and say the flavor was little flat. The softshell crab was kind of tough and the lobster—hate to say it—bland. I got to try a sample of cheesy grits and they were great. For our entrees we ordered the BBQ lamb shank on bleu cheese polenta and a seafood plate. The lamb shank was cooked perfectly but I thought the sauce drowned out the flavor of the lamb. I loved the bleu cheese polenta. Shelby’s seafood was very good.

Another thing that bothered me a little was that our server seemed a little out of it. I don’t know, maybe it was because they were busy but her disheveled appearance didn’t help; she was very nice though. I’d like to try again after they get their legs under them and see what happens next time.

Handsome Biscuit(s)

Another trip to Handsome Biscuit today. We had the PB&JB, Mr. Close Love, and the Stevie.

Beer Tasting at Grape & Gourmet with Finch Brewing

Finch brewery out of Chicago was at Grape and Gourmet last night. Good beer, surprise sip at the counter was a Polish potato schnapps. It reminded me a little bit of black licorice.

Thursday Beer Tasting at Grape & Gourmet - 23 May 2013

Thursday Beer Tastings at Grape & Gourmet

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WINESday at Whole Foods - 21 May 2013

Whole Foods Virginia Beach has started a wine tasting on Tuesdays.

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12th Annual Virginia Beer Festival

The 12th Annual Virginia Beer Festival was 18-19 May 2013. Over 75 breweries carried with them over 100 beers for to sample.

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Chicken Piccata with Mushrooms

Chayce and I were out for a little bit last night and when we came back Shelby was finishing up something new in the house: Chicken Piccata. She recently discovered Cuisinart’s “Cook & Shoot" page after we bought a new Cuisinart blender. Basically, you look through the recipes customers have submitted over the years and if there isn’t a photo accompanying it, you cook the meal, shoot it and submit your photo. Each photo you send in puts you in a weekly drawing for a Cuisinart product. Neat.

It’s a good excuse to try out new recipes too. Shelby kicked it off here, so I guess it’s my turn next :)

Shelby’s recipe is an adapted version of one she found on Cuisinart’s page and William-Sonoma’s. She also added mushrooms because mushrooms are good with anything! The sauce was great, and I wish there was a gallon of it.

Chicken Piccata with Mushrooms

Ingedients

2 Chicken breasts, de-boned, skinless if preferred
Flour for dredging (salt, pepper, paprika)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
8 oz Mushrooms (sliced or whole)
2 tbsp capers
1/2 medium Onion, finely diced
1-2 Lemons, juiced
1/2 cup White Wine
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

You don’t have to, but most piccata recipes pound the chicken breasts to flatten and tenderize the meat.

Dredge the chicken breasts the flour mixture, then place in pan with heated olive oil. Cook both sides until browned and cooked through.

Place chicken to the side in a container wrapped with foil to keep warm.

Add a little more oil and brown your mushrooms; salt and pepper

Add the rest of the oil and toss in the pan your onion, capers, lemon juice, and wine, and broth. Bring to a low boil, stir and scrap pan to get the bits into your sauce.

Reduce heat to simmer and add butter, stir until melted. Add salt and pepper if desired. Garnish sauce with  parsley and stir.

Slice chicken (or keep pieces whole), plate and dress with sauce.