Finding Fish

Well, last day out in P-Town, back to work tomorrow.

It’s been a relaxing few days, and while the weather hasn’t been great, we’ve managed to take some walks on the beach with the labs, bike ride along the dunes, see the whales spout, watch a few movies, do a bit of shopping …and of course eat some excellent fish.

Surprisingly, however, finding fresh fish has a bit of a challenge.

I mean, finding restaurants to sample the chowda, a lobsta and oysta roll, the fisherman’s platter —no problem, but to actually buy locally fresh fish that can be quickly and simply prepared, well that’s an entirely different matter.

We started down this path on Monday afternoon, as the storm had moved in, and after an excellent lunch at the Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet, http://www.wellfleetoyster.com/, overlooking the oyster beds and the Wellfleet Harbor. (The chowder was arguably the best we ate on the Cape, and the fresh oysters and the Oyster Roll were delicious). We were tired, had rented Slumdog Millionaire (fantastic movie if you haven’t seen it), and were looking forward to a light dinner with a salad and fresh fish.

We stopped at the Catch of the Day Fish Market in Wellfleet (closed), and the Truro Fish Market (also closed). In Provincetown, the local fish market that used to be on the pier has permanently closed (although rumored to re-open in town soon), and every other local market visited (at least 4-5, including a natural foods market …) had no fish. As a last resort, we stopped in at the local Stop and Shop Supermarket, and although they had fish, it was neither local nor fresh!

What a joke! Here you are right on the ocean, near oyster beds, a bountiful ocean of local fish including cod, tuna, scrod, scallops, and lobsters, and no fresh fish!

No fish to be found! We had struck out on our fish quest!

Tuesday’s weather was equally uncooperative, so we decided to head to Harwich to see a movie—17 Again! Sounds like a great concept; of course what Zak learns is that rather than turning back the clock, look to make the most out of your personal relationships, family and friends today. It’s a sweet movie, not much thinking required, but a good rainy day flick.

Of course, before the movie we had a good lunch at Sir Cricket’s in Orleans—the the usual assortment of fried fish, chowder, and the lobster roll. (Yes, the diet does start tomorrow). The lightly battered cod was the best here, and while it was all good, overall Sir Cricket’s probably was 3rd on the places we sampled, with The Lobster Pot #1, and The Bookstore 2nd.

There was, however, an excellent side benefit of lunching at Sir Cricket’s; they have an excellent fish market right next door! We returned after the movie, and bought some fresh cod, scallops, and a homemade salmon cake (although the salmon was not local).

Got back to our beachfront condo, and heated the salmon cakes, baked the lightly seasoned scrod with a bit of salt, pepper, Old Bay Blackening Spice, and a squeeze of lemon, sautéed the scallops in some olive oil, spices, a bit of white wine and lemon, and ate the excellent fish alongside a delicious salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado, olives, cucumber, feta cheese, with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Clearly one of the best meals we ate over the last few days! And, light, healthy, and quick to prepare!

All for now, there could be a stop at Sally’s Apizza in New Haven on the return trip for a white clam and bacon pie, so check in tomorrow.

Chowda on the Cape

It’s a beautiful morning as I sit looking out at the Atlantic.

I’ve already been out with the dogs who had a great walk along the beach, with a leisurely stroll back through town including a stop at the Wired Puppy, http://www.wiredpuppy.com/, for a cup of Joe for me, some biscuits for the two Labs, and to procure a cool baseball hat for a bit of added warmth.

The sun is shining but it’s still only in the early 50’s at best; although all in all a nice day for the Boston Marathon and the Patriot’s Day festivities-- of course, what’s not to enjoy, I mean, go to the tavern, grab a BEAH or two or three… and enjoy the day off!

We’re up in P-Town for a few days of R&R…

Last night we went to the Lobsta (ok- Lobster) Pot, http://www.ptownlobsterpot.com/, for some seafood after the drive up from Stamford. Since we’re off season, didn’t mind heading to a well-known touristy spot, especially one with Award Winning Chowda. We had a great meal.
Started with some excellent Bloody’s that had a good spicy kick, and included a celery stalk, green olive, lemon and lime wedge, and a zesty pepperoncini.

The Chowder was excellent, nice soft bites of clam and potato, tasty cream broth, the real McCoy.

Next came a mixed salad bowl with 4 delicious dressings, including a soy ginger and citrus mustard, and a bread basket with some nice dinner roles, and excellent pumpkin bread.
We passed on the lobster (a bit too tired to fuss), but had an excellent fried fisherman’s platter (clams, mussels, scallops, tuna and cod—all fresh), and then a spicy Thai bouillabaisse with a similar assortment of fish, embedded in a delicious noodle broth with cilantro and fresh chili.

We were too tired for dessert, but the hot brownie sundaes looked excellent.

Plan to take advantage of today’s good weather to do some bike riding, beachcombing and more good eating!

Disappointing Ted’s

We were up around Meriden, CT the other day and thought that this was the perfect opportunity to try Ted’s Restaurant—home of the “steamed cheeseburger”.  I’ve been wanting to go to Ted’s (and Louis Lunch—which is next up) for a while.  Both receive quite a bit of press, and have been serving up their burgers for many years—Ted’s since 1959. 

Ted’s has the look and feel of a small diner, with a large counter, and a few tables both inside and out.  The menu focuses on the steamed burgers, which include the usual free sides (including nicely sautéed onions), and extras like bacon, and extra cheese.

The burgers are prepared in special steamer ovens (which you can also purchase) and then topped with a white cheese that is prepared in a small rectangular tin that is akin to a raclette cooker.  When complete, the cheese is poured onto the burger, and the trimmings are added. 

Ted’s also offers traditional home fried potatoes, with our without the same melted cheese.

The burgers were moist and tasty, although they didn’t quite fill out the entire bun—I’d say a bit less than a quarter pounder.  While quite good, I prefer my burgers grilled or fried—I missed that bit of crunch!  The potatoes were fine—it’s just I kept looking for my eggs and bacon, think that a crispier fry would be a better match.

My wife and dad were equally unimpressed, and Mrs. Bully was unhappy that the bun was not toasted!

Anyway, don’t mean to be overly harsh on Ted’s, I mean the place was cool, the burgers decent, I just wouldn’t go out of my way to make a special trip!

Headed up to the Cape for the next few days for some R&R, so there may be some oyster and clam discussion over the next few days!   

Comfort in Chi-Town!

I was back in Chicago on business last week, but fortunately had some time to combine the trip with some pleasure.

Took a trip with some friends out to Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket, http://www.chickenbasket.com/, located on Route 66 in Willowbrook, Illinois. This place was recently visited by Guy Fieri (so how do I get his job) of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Dell Rhea’s opened in its current location in the early 1960’s and has a very distinctive look that combines an institutional décor with a 60’s vibe that includes some retro cool pink lighting.  There are excellent daily drink specials in the cocktail lounge, e.g. 5 for $10 Miller Bucket Nights on Tuesdays, and you can enjoy excellent homemade potato chips while enjoying a drink or two and listening to music of The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jackson Browne and Springsteen.

The reason to go to Dell Rhea’s is the fried chicken, which, depending on whether you order the basket or meal, is accompanied by either fries, mashed potatoes with gravy, or cheese grits.  Both the fried chicken and the mashed were great, although I prefer my fried chicken a bit more crispy.  There’s a salad bar which includes the renowned cole slaw, and chicken soup with dumplings, but it really didn’t do a whole lot for me.  We were full before dessert, so I didn’t get to try the homemade pie, but it is known to be excellent. 

So, if you have a yearning for some Fried Chicken, take a trip on Route 66…

Was able to get some tickets for the Cubs game on Wednesday, and a pilgrimage to Wrigley is always an unmatched pleasure—this is the nations best ballpark (even if the team is not)—but hope springs eternal in this 101^st year since the last Cubs World Series (1908).

Of course, no day at the ballpark is complete without a Chicago dog or two, so headed out to Hot Doug’s, http://www.hotdougs.com/, located at California and Addison.  Hot Doug’s was recently visited by Tony Bourdain, and the dogs here did not disappoint. There is an amazing variety to choose from including sausages made from buffalo, lamb, pork and duck.  I had a Keira Knightly (fire dog) and a Dave Kingman (“zesty Sante-fe style spicy chicken) with the works (spicy mustard, caramelized onions, the neon green relish, a pickle, celery salt, and with added sport peppers).  My mouth is still watering!  And, the fantastic perfectly prepared fresh cut French fries, with a Diet Dr. Brown’s cream soda—ok, you get the picture, a perfect meal as a precursor to a Cubs win!

Did I say Cubs win?  Well at least the sun was shining, we had great seats right next to the bullpen, and the ballpark looked great!  I still have high hopes that the Cubs can take down the curse of the Billy Goat this year!

A Great Pie is Hard to Find!

I haven’t done the research, but my guess is that pizza is America’s most popular food.  I’ve been fortunate to have eaten more than my fair share of slices, and thought I’d take a short at letting you know where to find some great pies!

First, it seems to me that there are really 3 primary types of pizza:

1.      Traditional Thin Crust.

2.      Deep Dish Pizza.

3.      Stuffed Pizza’s.

Traditional think crust pizza is most ubiquitous, with the best pie’s typically best found in the east coast.  Thin crust taste can be impacted by thickness, e.g. a cracker type crust, oven type e.g. coal brick and wood fired ovens, and type of flour, e.g. white or wheat.  Ingredients also vary widely, typically including all meats and vegetables, with most having a tomato based sauce.  White pie’s however, are popular in the Connecticut / New England area, and include clams, garlic and bacon. 

For great Thin Crust Pizza, I’d offer up the following places:

o       Da Fara Pizza in Brooklyn NY: made by 70+ year old Dom DeMarco. This is not the easiest place to get to, even for NY’ers, but the pizza is out of this world.  Pie’s are lovingly prepared by Mr. DeMarco with hand sliced fresh vegetables, individually grated fresh mozzarella generously sprinkled over each pie, and beautiful basil springs scissored over each pie.  These pizza’s are genuine works of art that are likely to require your patience (waits can be long), and a bit of tolerance (don’t look to close at your surroundings).  That said, if you love great thin crust pizza, this is the mecca!

o       Grimaldi’s Pizza, also in Brooklyn, http://www.grimaldis.com/index.htm.  Fired in coal brick ovens, thin crust, with a bit of crunch and blackened coal flavor.  Delicious sauce.  A great pizza, and for those out of town visitors, makes a great day trip combined with a fantastic walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (see one of my earlier blogs).

o       “New Haven” Pizzeria’s: These places offer up a chance to sample the fantastic white pizza’s (no tomato sauce), also with the great thin crust.  Recommended New Haven places include Pepe’s, http://www.pepespizzeria.com/, and Modern Apizza, http://www.nearhome.com/ct/newhaven/modern/, with Harry’s, http://www.nearhome.com/ct/newhaven/modern/, and Luna Pizza 2 doors down from each other on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford offering up equally terrific pies.  Of the four here, I’d rank order then as follows: Pepe’s, Harry’s, Luna, and Modern—but of course you cannot go wrong.  Keep in mind that if you’re not adventurous enough to check out a white clam pie, the traditional red ones are equally great!

I have to confess, I’m not a real aficionado of Deep Dish Pizza.  That’s not to say it isn’t good, it’s just that it’s never been “that good”, that I’d make a special trip to try some.  This pizza was born in Chicago through Pizzeria Uno, and has been franchised across the country.  Having lived in Chicago for 5 years, and still a frequent traveler to the city, I’m happy to eat a good deep dish pie, but I’ve never been overwhelmed.  I had high hopes for Burt’s Place in Morton Grove after seeing Tony Bourdain proclaim it amazing (e.g. great chewy focaccia like crust, fresh ingredients, …) on a recent No Reservations show, but after eating their last week, my views remains the same. Lou Malnati’s, http://www.loumalnatis.com/, also makes a nice pie—just set your expectations appropriately.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for Stuffed Pizza’s.  These 3-4 inch thick, double crust (exterior and interior crusts with a thick layer of cheese and your selected ingredients in-between) pizza’s are mostly unique to Chicago (there are a few franchisees outside of the Windy City).  I began eating them at the original Edwardo’s restaurant on Howard Street (no longer there—and I still remember the fresh basil and oregano growing in the window), and also prefer Giordano’s Pizza, http://www.giordanos.com/main.php.  I recently ate pizza at these two, as well as Burt’s, and there was no question in my mind that these were greatly superior. My favorite pie’s are stuffed with spinach and mushroom, but my kids love the pepperoni and/ or sausage which are generously layered, and sandwiched between the two crusts.  We’ve had friends who have characterized these as “not pizza-- quiche’s”, but pay no attention, these are outstanding.  A great option that I recently took advantage of here is getting a half baked, frozen pie from a Giordano’s within 2 miles of O’hare, that I brought home on the plane,  Defrost, put in the oven for about 40 minutes and you’re in for some deliciousness…