Blogs : CHOW Pick
CHOW Pick Our favorite products, gadgets, restaurants, bars, wine, beer, and food websites and blogs.
No Need for an Alarm Clock, Just Drink a Bloody Mary
Sunday brunch at the Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar in Portland, Oregon, is a locavore’s dream: bacon cured and smoked on the premises, breads and biscuits baked fresh every day, and produce and eggs sourced from nearby farms. But it was the Bloody Mary that really perked up my morning: a spicy drink with distinct lemon pepper and celery seed flavor, topped with house-cured beef jerky, a house-pickled green bean, and an enormous Cerignola olive. The Country Cat doesn’t churn butter yet, but I’m sure it’s not long off.
Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar
7937 SE Stark Street, Portland, Oregon
503-408-1414
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Grègoire Takeout in Berkeley
Whenever I am in Berkeley, California, I stop by Grègoire, a small takeout spot that serves a good menu that changes regularly. I like that Grègoire has the feeling of an intimate neighborhood spot (last time I went, Chef Grègoire fed pieces of flank steak to my pooch), and uses only quality ingredients.
One of my favorite things to get there is a dessert called “the folds.” It’s a flaky, buttery puff pastry with a piping hot fruit filling, served with homemade crème anglaise. It’s so good I usually devour it before even getting my dinner.
Grègoire
2109 Cedar Street, Berkeley, California
510-883-1893
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Munching at Morandi
One of my favorite weekend pastimes is a lazy brunch with friends. Recently I joined a pal at Morandi, having read that the place has one of the best brunches in Manhattan. I was doubtful that an Italian restaurant could do right by such an American pursuit, but was quickly proven wrong. The Chowhounds and I agree that everything there (and my friend and I ordered a lot) is tasty, but I particularly enjoyed the focaccia “occhio di bue” with crispy pancetta, a fried egg, and pecorino, as well as the fazzoletti (a.k.a. crêpes) with lemon ricotta and strawberries.
Morandi
211 Waverly Place, New York, New York
212-627-7575
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Tagged with: restaurant, manhattan, morandi, brunch, italian restaurant, restaurants and bars
Georges California Modern
I love San Francisco, and dining out is one of my great pleasures, but at times I feel the service aspect of the restaurant biz here is a distant second to the food. Recently, on a trip to La Jolla, I enjoyed a perfectly executed meal at Georges California Modern. Each person, from the valet to the maître d’, anticipated my party’s every need in an oh-so-subtle manner. As the Chowhounds attest, the servers answer every question (and I had plenty) with a secure knowledge of ingredients and preparations, whether it’s items from the dinner menu, wine list, cocktail list, or dessert menu. Of course, the quality of the food equaled the stellar service, and the view wasn’t bad either.
Georges California Modern
1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla, California
858-454-4244
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New York's Bobo
To the French, bobo is slang for a person or thing both bourgeois and bohemian (and not just to the French—it’s also in the title of a book by David Brooks, Bobos in Paradise), but to New Yorkers it stands for a little restaurant tucked away in the West Village. Last fall, an aging brownstone got gussied up to resemble a swanky French resto, with food to match. When I went, the Euro-influenced and thoroughly modern menu featured a cheese plate that was memorable and fish that was perfectly cooked. But what really won me over was the convivial service: The bartender understood my bourbon-loving ways and made me a delicious sparkling-wine-and-bourbon drink. The Chowhounds write Bobo off as an overpriced hipster hangout with bad service and not-so-great food, but we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I’m hoping to head back again once the weather warms up, as Bobo has an outdoor patio that’s fitting for a lazy summer afternoon.
Bobo
181 W. 10th Street, New York, New York
212-488-2626
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Basque in Philly
The last time I was in Philadelphia I went to Basque wine bar Tinto, the newest endeavor from Chef Jose Garces. The small plates (or pintxos) were superb. Some of the highlights when I was there included a Bomba rice paella with chorizo, shrimp and braised rabbit, a braised short rib sandwich with bacon, asparagus and celery root aioli, and a list of charcuterie and cheeses that included all my favorites, such as saucisson sec, Monte Enebro, and Idiazabal. The wine list is extensive, focusing on lesser-known northern Spanish and southern French wines. Chowhounds recommend the bocadillos de salmon, montaditos de pato (duck), and montaditos de panceta (pork belly), and another hound included Tinto in a Philly tapas circuit.
At the risk of offending Philadelphians everywhere, I’d take Tinto’s short rib sandwich over a cheesesteak any day.
Tinto
114 S. 20th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
215-665-9150
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Tagged with: tinto, basque, small plates, pintxos, jose garces, philadelphia, restaurant, restaurants and bars
