Rock n Roll Sushi – Hoover, AL

It had been a while since I had sushi and I was hungry for it. A friend of mine at work recommended I try her favorite sushi restaurant, Rock n Roll Sushi.

Just by the name I could tell that the theme of the restaurant would be music. Sure enough, when I walked in I saw guitars and posters decorating the walls.

  

I sat at the bar so I could watch them make all the different rolls. They have a large menu of creative rolls named after different bands and artists, like the KISS Roll or the Elvis Roll.

I started off with their ginger salad. It’s the typical style salad that I get at other Japanese restaurants. The difference here is they make their own ginger dressing. It was a creamy dressing that was similar to a yum-yum sauce.

I also shared some mini eggrolls. These had chicken in them and were served with a great sweet chili sauce. They were the perfect size appetizer.

The roll I went with was the RNR roll. It’s eel and avocado topped with eel sauce. I love eel sauce. It is sweet and tastes good on so many things. The eel was fresh and tender. I liked he creamy texture of the avocado paired with the eel.

Since that one roll was not filling enough I ordered their tuna twister. It is spicy tuna wrapped with sliced avocado and drizzled with their sweet chili sauce. They were also topped with crunchy flakes. The presentation was beautiful.

The avocado was sliced so thin that it just melted in my mouth. The tuna naturally was the star of the dish. It was so fresh I would have thought it was just pulled from the ocean. They chopped it up into small bite size pieces. It too just melted in my mouth. The sweet chili sauce was fantastic on the tuna. It enhanced the flavor of the tuna.

I loved everything that I ordered and I cannot wait to go back for more. I highly recommend Rock n Roll Sushi. Visit their website at: www.rnrsushi.com

Enjoy!

T

 

National Cheese Lovers Day

Today is National Cheese Lovers Day! Enjoy your favorite kind or try something new.

Enjoy!

T

National Popcorn Day

Popcorn is one of my favorite snack foods. A bucket of movie theater popcorn can be a perfect dinner sometimes! I am super excited that today is National Popcorn Day!

#NationalPopcornDay

Enjoy!

T

National Peking Duck Day

Today is National Peking Duck Day! Go out and enjoy some today!

Enjoy!

T

Galley and Garden – Birmingham, AL

I found another wonderful place to have Sunday brunch. Galley and Garden is a quaint old house that has been converted into a restaurant. It is located in the 5 Points District of Birmingham. There is no parking lot so you will need to valet park but it is convenient.

The old house was very cute. When you walk through the front door you enter the foyer where the hostess will greet you. I was seated in one of the room to the left of the entryway. I pictured this room as the old dining room of the house. The space was open and not packed with tables. There was a beautiful bar set up along the center wall to make all the excellent brunch cocktails.

My table was the closest to the kitchen. In the remodel of the house, they added big glass windows so you can watch the chefs do their magic.

Brunch could not start properly without a mimosa. The orange juice that was used was fresh and sweet. It paired well with the brut champagne they used.

Their brunch menu had several traditional items plus as assortment of specialty dishes. What caught my eye was the Braised Hereford Short Rib Benedict. The chef took something that felt familiar and added his unique flair to the dish. I just had to try it.

This dish came with two poached eggs on top of short ribs and a fresh made buttermilk biscuit. The hollandaise sauce was drizzled on top over the eggs. Also decorating the plate was an andouille potato hash.

To start breaking down each component, the biscuit was fantastic. It was fluffy and light. I enjoyed when the yolk from the egg and the hollandaise sauce covered the biscuit. It made the taste become creamy and rich. The egg itself was cooked perfectly. The whites were completely cooked which I prefer. Having this served over a biscuit verses an English muffin is my new favorite way to eat this. I wish more restaurants would serve it this way. The soft texture of each bite is better than the hard texture of the English muffin.

The short rib was amazing! The meat was perfect just by itself. It had a juicy, salty flavor with a few crispy edges. When combined with the eggs, biscuit, and sauce the taste became hearty. The meat was not overwhelmed with the flavor of the egg yolk or sauce. Each component worked together. The saltiness of the short rib was softened by the yolk and sauce and the biscuit brought in a sweet taste.

I have not forgotten about the potatoes that came on the side. I really liked how the skin of the potato was crispy. They were slightly peppery with the seasoning that the chef used. I added a little extra flavor by dipping the potato in the left over hollandaise sauce that I had. This was not a traditional hash; it was more just roasted potatoes with a ton of flavor.

For a fun time at brunch with great service and delicious food, then Galley and Garden will be perfect. For warmer days, they have great outdoor seating. Check out their menu at http://www.galleyandgarden.com/.   Some of the items will change based on what the chef is felling. However, the Braised Hereford Short Rib Benedict is a staple of the menu.

Enjoy!

T

Victoria Gastro Pub – Columbia, MD

Located about 30 minutes outside of Baltimore is the city of Columbia, Maryland. I was excited to be invited out to dinner at Victoria Gastro Pub. This restaurant is a hot spot. It was packed on the inside so thank goodness we had reservations.

They are known for the large selection of beers, so if you are a beer drinker then this is the perfect place. I went for a Moscow Mule. That seems to be a good go to drink for me.

There were so many great choices on the menu. They are known for their mushroom burger and their duck fat fries. I was not hungry for a burger but the fries were a definite yes. I have started seeing a trend that newer restaurants are serving duck fat fries. These were served in a bucket and were great for sharing. They came with a garlic aioli and were covered in a truffle sea salt. There was added earthy flavor in these fries, plus they had great crunch.

 Since I was in Maryland I needed to get a crab cake. Victoria’s has a lemon basil lump crab cake served with a sweet corn and mustard sauce.

The crab cake was all crab, no breading or fillers at all. The crab meat was sweet and tender. The lemon added a freshness to the taste. The crab cake sat upon the sweet corn. This was not quite a creamed corn, but it tasted like one. There were whole kernels of corn sautéed in a creamy sweet sauce. I wish I had a spoon to be able to scoop up all the sauce. I did use one of their homemade biscuits to soak up the sauce. The biscuit itself was sweet.

The portions at Victoria’s are perfect. It is the right amount of food so that you do not feel like you overate. I am definitely planning on coming back to try some of the other items on the menu. The thought of the Duck Fat Poutine Fries makes me hungry all over again. Get hungry yourself by visiting their website at http://victoriagastropub.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Happy New Year 2017

National Bacon Day

Today is National Bacon Day! So whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a snack, enjoy your bacon today!

#NationalBaconDay

Enjoy!

T

 

Home 231 – Harrisburg, PA

Traveling through the streets of downtown Harrisburg I came across a quaint little restaurant on North Street called Home 231. The restaurant is small, so I would recommend that you have a reservation. This restaurant is a farm to table concept so the menu will change based on what ingredients the chef will have available.

On a cold winter evening, it was fitting that they had mulled wine on the menu. It was a blend of red wine, cinnamon, and brandy all warmed up. Just the smell of the wine felt like the holidays. I could taste the spices as soon as it touched my lips. There were even slices of apple in it for a treat.

We started off with some appetizers for the table. The jalapeno and avocado hummus sounded great to start with. It came with an assortment of vegetables: raw carrots, roasted mushrooms and peppers, and picked onion, tomato, and cauliflower. Layering the hummus with the vegetables onto the baguette was the best way to enjoy all the flavors. The hummus was not spicy even with the jalapeno in it. The heat was probably balanced out because of the avocado.

They had Reuben arancini on the menu that caught my attention. I was intrigued by what these would be like since I love Italian arancini. They took Arborio rice and stuffed it with finely chopped corned beef and Swiss cheese. Then they rolled each rice ball in breadcrumbs and fried them till golden brown. The arancini were topped with sauerkraut and the special 231 sauce.

The rice ball was delicious on its own, crispy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside. The sauerkraut had a slight sour kick and paired well with the special sauce, which was their homemade version of Thousand Island dressing. When each component was combined the flavor was enhanced. They were like little corned beef sandwiches.

For my dinner, I went with the chef’s special of maple glazed salmon. The salmon had this wondrous crispy skin that was sweet because of the glaze. Normally I do not like to eat the skin of fish, but the way the chef prepared this, I could not help but eat all of it. The salmon was flakey and paired well with the maple. I would not have expected that.

Accompanying the salmon were roasted potatoes and cubes of super crispy bacon. The bacon was amazing and added so much flavor to the potatoes. There was a pesto and maple glaze drizzled on the outside of the plate. I took the potatoes and dipped them in the sauce to add even more flavor. Having flavors of bacon and maple on these potatoes were reminiscent of what I would expect at breakfast.

Although I was stuffed from dinner I still needed to try one of their homemade desserts. I went for the homemade donuts. They were rolled into balls (like donut holes) and covered in cinnamon and sugar. They were crispy on the outside but super soft and moist inside.

They came with three sauces on the side for dipping: a chocolate ganache, a vanilla crème anglaise, and caramel. I tried all three on different bites of donut. My favorite sauce was the caramel because I thought it went best with the cinnamon and sugar.

If you are wanting a romantic dinner for two or a fun group dinner then Home 231 will be perfect. Make sure you go with an appetite because everything on the menu sounds wonderful. Check out their menu at http://www.home231.com/

    

Enjoy!

T