Archive for August, 2009

If you’ve been reading my blog regularly or know me, you probably know that I love Italian food.  So I have a mental list of go-to Italian restaurants for when the cravings hit.  My husband and I have a couple of great take-out Italian options (great food, but no table service, or else no atmosphere in the restaurant) and we have a couple of delicious upscale Italian options (great food, but too pricey for regular visits).  We moved to this area in the spring, but we had yet to find the perfect mid-grade Italian restaurant – a place with great food, good value, and a nice atmosphere.

So, last weekend, when the pasta cravings came on full force – I closed my eyes and saw nothing but delicate strands of angel hair floating in front of me – we put our thinking caps on.  Surely there had to be someplace we hadn’t tried yet…then I remembered Ronaldo’s, an Italian restaurant on route 1 in North Hampton, NH – we drove past them all the time and swore we’d try them, but never had.

So we ventured off to Ronaldo’s.  They were smaller than expected inside and running a long wait, but despite our ferociously growling stomachs, we decided to go the lounge area and wait.  Despite being small, and a little noisy, the restaurant had a cozy atmosphere and a comfy lounge.  Once we were comfortably seated in the lounge and entertained by a hysterically funny and attentive bartender, we decided to stay put and eat dinner there.

As our eyes were growing bigger than our stomachs, we over-ordered.  We started with Bruschetta Italiano, which while not your typical bruschetta, was some of the best we’ve had.  It’s basically large hunks of garlic bread smothered with sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, mozzerella cheese, and prosciutto.  I can still taste it almost a week later – all of the flavors were in perfect harmony and the bread was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside…perfection.  It was a generous serving size, too, so we ate half and packed the rest up (though we could make a light meal out of the bruschetta alone). 

We probably wouldn’t have ordered the bruschetta if we’d known that a big bread basket was coming our way, but I’m still glad that we did.  Normally I wouldn’t eat bread and bruschetta, but this wasn’t ordinary bread…it was heavenly.  It was perfectly chewy, soft, bready, doughy, tasty with a crunch exterior…forget the bruschetta, I could make a meal out of their bread basket.  We packed some of that up, too.

For dinner (with appetites waning), I had cheese ravioli with a pesto sauce with plum tomatoes, and my husband had the Italian Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu.  My ravioli was wonderful – filled with soft ricotta, it had the perfect texture.  And, it actually tasted like cheese unlike so many cheese ravioli that are bland white masses.  The pesto was delicious, too, a little chunky with whole pine nuts scattered throughout – it was well-seasoned and the addition of the plum tomatoes kept the sauce from becoming too one-note – it added nice texture and sweetness to the sharp pesto.  My husband’s dish had a great tomoto-cream sauce that was just creamy enough and just tomatoey enough.  I didn’t love his stuffed chicken, but, then, I’ve never really been a fan of ham.  We ate half, and, you know the drill…packed the rest up.

I also had a great glass of Montepulciano by Dragani – it was fruity and dry and delicious.

Finally, because everything else was so good, I had to try a dessert.  We split a piece of Ronaldo’s cheesecake, which we were told was made in-house.  The flavors vary and it was a plain cheesecake in a raspberry sauce on this particular night.  Following suit with everything else, it was superb.  It was firm but creamy, fresh, and the raspberry sauce added a nice sweet-tartness to it.  Only this time…I didn’t pack any up.

We’ve found our mid-grade Italian spot – mid-grade on price with a casual atmosphere - but not mid-grade on quality.  I think we’ll be regulars.

For about $60 we had an appetizer, two entrees, a glass of wine, a vodka tonic, and a piece of cheesecake – and, better yet, we got two meals out of it.  Dinners also come with a choice of soup or salad – we never received ours, but I think this was a blessing given how much we ate – next time, though!

I think the expression “sweet heat” is overused…that said, I’m going to use it in this entry (but it’s the first time I use it on this blog, so I think it’s ok)!

I recently sampled some Peach Salsa by Texas-based D.L. Jardine’s in a kitchen store.  I didn’t buy it, but wished I had.  Then, I was wandering the specialty food aisles at Marshall’s (where I find great gourmet food deals, by the way) with my husband and I spied it again, much cheaper.  So, we bought a jar last weekend and it’s already almost half gone!

The salsa has medium hotness, which makes me enjoy it over some other fruity salsas that I’ve tried.  It has large chunks of green chili peppers, jalapeno peppers, and peaches and is seasoned with vinegar and brown sugar – I don’t normally like vinegar in my salsa, but the acidity balances nicely with the sweet fruit and sugar.  So it’s sort of a sweet-sour and slightly spicy salsa (try saying that five times, fast!)  I’ve been eating the chunky salsa with chips, but I think it would be great in a gourmet grilled cheese – I’m dreaming of it with melted brie, in particular.  So, next time you’re craving some sweet heat, try some!

Last week I came across a story in a few places, including  MSN’s Health and Fitness pages, about a doctor in Florida who was taking a unique stance on the fight against obesity, which is a massive problem in the U.S. (pun intended).

Dr. Jason Newman used an electronic message board outside of a county health department to alert residents of the dangers of commonly enjoyed foods such as fries and hamburgers.  He posted creative slogans such as “French Fries Thunder Thighs” to get the attention of passers-by.  Then, he made the attack more personal and took on popular chains such as KFC and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Dr. Newman had a few choice words to say about donuts, and more specifically, Dunkin’ Donuts.  However, it was this play on Dunkin’s slogan that forced him to resign from his job: “America Dies on Dunkin’ ” – business owners felt he took it too far with this one.

So, I ask you - was he taking it too far, or was the forced resignation too far?

On the one hand, his attacks grew personal.  And, it’s no secret that donuts aren’t health food – Dunkin’ Donuts makes no attempt to hide nutritional information, it’s available on their website - Dunkin’s isn’t forcing anyone to eat the donuts.  On the other hand, he was utilizing his freedom of speech and was using the county health department’s equipment to further his message (an appropriate venue).  Personal attacks may not have been necessary, but I have to appreciate a doctor who is so passionate about the health of his surrounding community.  Being overweight or obese, not exercising, and/or eating an unhealty diet can lead to a host of health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  In turn, these problems can cause strokes, heart problems, kidney problems, and the list goes on…so in many ways, I have to appreciate a doctor that makes it his mission to try to prevent potentially fatal problems.  Dunkin’ Donuts may not be at the root of obesity, but it’s certainly a symptom of a larger problem.

I’ve been seeing the term ‘umami’ popping up, albeit infrequently, and I’m intrigued by a new word to describe food.  I’m still a bit perplexed about its meaning, but I think part of this is perhaps lost in translation. 

Umami is a Japanese word, and to those who understand Japanese I suspect that it very succinctly describes a taste or flavor – but I don’t think that we have one word in English that neatly corresponds.  I’ve seen umami defined a few ways.  In one vague description it was described as another taste sensation besides the standard ones we ascribe to our taste buds: sweet, bitter, salty, and sour.  The Japanese feel that we have a fifth sensation, umami.  That description hinted at the meaning of umami, but didn’t get to the core.

More recently, I was reading an issue of Saveur magazine in which they compiled “The Burger Bible,” and one article described burgers as having an umami quality.  They elaborated that this flavor can be meaty and is usually savory.  Mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese were given as other examples of umami foods.  Supposedly, umami foods both create and sastisfy food cravings. 

Umami is becoming more generally accepted as a fifth flavor sensation…yet another “fact” I learned in elementary school that has been debunked – we don’t really have four taste sensations!

…for ice cream, that is.  Summer started out with dreary drizzle and cool temps, but I was still craving the sweet stuff.  So, now that the weather actually turned, well, summery, it’s really all I feel like eating some days.  I try to temper my cravings with other hot-weather foods, but I always find my way back to the real deal!

I have several favorite ice cream stands, but the other night I ventured out to try one that I hadn’t yet tried – Maggie Sundae in downtown Amesbury, MA.  My husband and I immediately felt welcomed into this homey coffee shop/ice cream store.  They have a bright, open interior with a friendly dog theme, and lots of offerings including dog treats, desserts, coffee and espresso-based drinks, ice creams, frappes, and of course, sundaes.  At breakfast time, they also offer baked goods such as scones.  There’s something for everyone within - whether you’re a person or a pup!

My husband tried a flavor called Tiger Paws that was a vanilla based ice cream with peanut butter cups and chocolate swirl, and he added hot fudge on top.  I didn’t try it, as I am sadly allergic to peanut butter, but my husband, who can take or leave ice cream most days, loved it.  I also loved my Chocolate Lab, a chocolate based ice cream with brownies, chocolate swirl, and chocolate chips.  (Can you tell that I like chocolate?)  I ordered marshmallow sauce on top and I couldn’t have been happier.  The ice cream was incredibly soft and creamy; it was the perfect texture.  It had a wonderful, deep chocolate flavor with lots of nice contrasts in texture.  Marshmallow sauce can sometimes be too sugary or too sticky, but Maggie’s was soft and creamy and perfectly sweetened. 

I’m already dreaming of my next Maggie Sundae!