Kuba Kuba

Style: Cuban
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Website:  http://www.kubakuba.info/index.html

Likes: There are things to look at all over, large portion size

Dislikes: Driving there and finding parking

Imagine this scene:

Me: What do you want to do today?

Husband: I don’t know.

Me: Would you like to go out for dinner?

Husband: Sure

Me: Where would you like to go?

Husband: I don’t know. <Pause> Wherever you want is fine with me.

Me: I don’t know.

The summer bucket list is helpful for dealing with the situation of no one making a decision. The perfect solution is a look at the Bucket List of ideas that you already want to do.

Therefore, today we went to Kuba Kuba. We have been there before, but it had been about five years and we were due for a visit.

We entered the restaurant at 3:00 pm to the sound of Cuban music with birds in the background. We really like going at off hours for busy restaurants, this way we get a table immediately and feel free to look around at the restaurant freely. Boy is there stuff look at here. There are murals along the borders of the wall, shelves of dishes, a stuffed fish, photographs, and beer bottles just to name a few items.

Plus, I love the décor of the tables and chairs. The chairs are a mish mosh of different styles, and the tabletops have a Latin American print on them as in the picture below.

It is the food that brings us back though. Although the prices are a little steep, we get our money’s worth. My husband ordered the Paella Valenciana. When it was first presented, I was struck by the amount of mussels that were in this dish. The rice had a smokiness with a mild taste of the sea. In addition to mussels, the dish also had clams, shrimp, and chorizo. Even my husband couldn’t finish the entire dish.

I ordered Arroz con Pollo since I am not a big fan of shellfish. It came with two sizeable chicken breasts, most likely about six ounces a piece. I ate one at the restaurant, and had to take the other home. However, the pollo was not the star of this dish. The rice had such a vibrant flavor, each bite packed with a different taste depending on what combination of vegetables were included. There were roasted red peppers, pieces of asparagus, capers, and peas to name a few.

Both of the dishes came with two grilled slices of Cuban bread, that had absorbed flavors from the rice within the bowl.

Overall, it was an excellent and successful venture. We have enough leftovers for another entire meal.

Porch Garden

For the past two or three years, I have become interesting in growing plants as my interest in cooking began to grow. I thought that if I had fresh herbs and products to use from my own backyard, it would give more meaning to my menu.  This was a great dream and all, except that I lived on a property that wasn’t mine and I couldn’t grow plants due to landscaping concerns.

So I moved into an apartment. It’s an improvement only because I have a second story porch. Granted a porch is not as exciting or productive as actual land, but it’s a start. Plus it had hanging hooks on the porch posts. Therefore, the first thing I bought was a beautiful hanging basket at the local farmer’s market.

My next challenge is that my porch is made of wood and has gaps between the planks that allows water to drip through. The couple below me are smokers and use their porch frequently and I suppose that they would be unhappy if I were constantly dripping water on their heads. Therefore, my husband and I purchased plastic planters to house our plants in that have bases to hold the water. Occasional accidents do happen. Sorry, neighbors.

The plants that I grew this year were jalapeno peppers, basil, dill, and rosemary. I started small with plants that I knew could grow well in pots.

One of the surprising advantages I found was that fellow gardeners are very willing to help share knowledge about how to grow plants. I was given advice on when to prune dill, and where to pull the leaves on the basil. The plants bring me closer to those around me because we now share a new commonality.

Also, I am able to share my herbs on occasion. Some of my family members love rosemary. When I brought a few branches to my mother’s house, she was very excited and began listing all of the dishes she planned to make with it. It’s nice to bring a smiles to love one’s faces.

Next, I will be posting about how I am going to use my basil to keep my grandmother’s tradition of amazing pesto alive. 

DipDogs

Style: Fast Food
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Website: http://www.dipdogs.net/ 

Likes: Well established atmosphere of being around since 1953, Cute water bottles that say “God DipDogs?”

Dislikes: It’s definitely not healthy, no special dip for onion rings

For years, my husband has said that when we go to his parents’ house, he is going to take me to The Dip Dog. One time we went, and it was closed because it was the 4th of July. Another time we tried to go and it was closed for renovations.

Then, we gave up for a while. 

This year, I played it smart. I told my husband to call and see if they would be open. Since he talks about The DipDog frequently, I really wanted to experience this part of the younger years I was absent for. 

On this trip his parents’ house, I also brought my grandmother, Gigi. Gigi loves and adventure, so we piled into the car and drove half an hour to The DipDog, which happens to be just off of interstate I-81. 

I thought it was going to be a little roadside stand, and I was wrong. Instead, it is a small complex with a huge parking lot, a building where food is ordered, a building that is a gift shop, and a building that has tables where the greasy food can be enjoyed and consumed.

It also had a really cool retro sign that stood in front, saying that the DipDog was established in 1953. Johnny, my husband’s dad, then told me a story about how he used to bring his dates to eat here. Johnny is now in his 60’s and has been married for over forty years. Clearly, the DipDog is a local, deep routed tradition.

A DipDog is a local, very pink hotdog that is battered in a thin batter and is deep fried. It is similar to a corn dog, but the batter is not as thick. Then, they slather them in yellow mustard and pile them into a pyramid within a classic paper carton. We also ordered onion rings that were piled into a brown paper bag. Clearly, it is super low key. 

But it was one of the tastiest deep fried concoctions I have ever eaten and it made for some great memories with my grandma and my husband's family. 

Sub Rosa Bakery

Style: Bakery

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Website: http://www.subrosabakery.com/

Likes: Rustic feel, sturdy wooden boards and stoneware pottery used to plate items, best coffee I have ever had, wood fired oven

Dislikes: Someone stole the tips out of the jar when we were there

There is nothing better than starting a day off having breakfast with friends. When the breakfast turns out to be a wood fired pastry, the best gets an extreme upgrade.

Two of my fellow vacationing teacher friends gladly helped me cross this excursion off of my bucket list for this summer. We met at Sub Rosa Bakery for brunch, and were charmed by the calming rustic environment and earnest smell of baking bread floating around us.

I ordered the Manchego and Fig Croissant, a sweet treat with savory undertones. Although the pastry had a burnt looking quality to it, the soft and flaky croissant had a buttery taste that I haven’t had since I visited bakeries in New York. The taste is what matters to me.  In addition, I had an amazing cup of dark roasted coffee to compliment my breakfast. They have their own signature Sub Rosa blend, created by Lamplighter coffee down the street, which had nutty and chocolate undertones.

My friends also tried the Chilled Turnip and Dill Soup. The smooth soup had a clean finish with a soft dill taste, which was not overpowering. It was served in these adorable stoneware bowls on top of bread boards.

I was so impressed with our experience that I took two different pastries home with me under the assumption that I would give them to my husband who had been at work. They managed to stay intact until his arrival, but I definitely took a few bites once my husband began his snack. One was a Salami and Gruyere Croissant, savory with the addicting meat and cheese combination.  The other was the Pain au Chbuckocolat, filled with a deep and bitter chocolate. 

This was a most successful summer bucket list excursion, and I look forward to returning to this bakery soon. 

Buz and Ned's BBQ

Style: Barbeque
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Website: http://buzandneds.com/ 

Likes: Southern Industrial Décor, Huge cool ceiling fan in the dining room, availability of craft beer, good blues background music

Dislikes: Small portions, availability of sandwiches and ribs only, price is expensive for what is served, only one type of house sauce, sides were dry- including coleslaw and macaroni and cheese!

I went through food withdrawal moving to the South from New York. I missed things like bagels, Italian Rainbow cookies, and knish. However, quality barbeque has always been an easy cure to my ailment. I love to go to Red, Hot, and Blue in Williamsburg, and delve into pulled chicken and choose which sauce I want to put on it. Then, I like picking a different sauce for my brisket, and a third for my sausage. 
I had heard such wonderful things about Buz and Ned’s in Richmond. When they opened a rather large place on Broad st., I became determined to try it out. People around town seemed to adore their BBQ, and I felt like I was missing out. 

When my husband and I pulled up to the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon, I was impressed by the décor. It was chic southern industrial look, with rusted oil can sculptures and a chicken with a Spanish sign. The restaurant continued with an enthusiastic low key feel when we walked through the door and were greeted with same blues and banjo music. 

When we went to order from the chalkboard menu, we were instantly disappointed. Where is the loose meat? Do they have sausage? What about bone-in meat that is not a rack of ribs? There was only a choice of ribs or sandwiches. 

I ordered a sandwich, thinking I could take the meat off of the bun. However, when my chicken and pork combo came out, there was such little meat on the bun that I felt compelled to eat the entire thing so I had something to fill my stomach. They only had one sauce, which I felt tasted fine, but my husband thought had too much vinegar. I will admit that the meat was very tasty as it was, with a nice flavor due to the smoking process. However, the hush puppies were nothing out of the ordinary, and the onion rings had a tasty beer batter, but no dipping sauce to complement. As a result, I felt myself drinking a lot of water because the meal was so dry.

My husband ordered the pork and beef combo with macaroni and cheese and the potato salad. The macaroni was not creamy, but baked dry and chewy. It came with two sandwiches, each with the same amount of meat that mine had. However, the price for the meat and the mediocre sides seemed a few dollars higher than I would have paid for it.

Overall, Buz and Neds is a fun place to go for an overpriced beer and a bbq sandwich. It has a great atmosphere and friendly service. However, if I am truly hungry for bbq, I am going to go elsewhere. 

Lavender Fields Herb Farm

I took my grandmother to Lavender Fields Herb Farm in celebration of Memorial Day today. It was a gorgeous and sunny drive down to the farm. We loved to look at the older houses outside of subdivisions, houses that are created in “cookie cutter” styles. People were sitting on their porches and kids were riding bicycles in their driveways. An elderly couple waved to us as we drove by. It was small town America at its best.

We drove down the dirt road to the farm’s entrance, and I was delighted with the smell of lavender when exiting the car. There was a large bush of dill within view and some landscaping stones. I walked along the sidewalk to the rows of small herb plants. Within view, I saw the herb that I was on a mission to pick up. 

As I walked towards rosemary, and young man asked me if I needed assistance. He had a pleasant accent. I could not place if it was from the UK or Australia because we did not talk at length. However, he pointed me in the direction of the rosemary, and even chuckled when my grandmother tried to make a joke.

After I picked up my two rosemary plants, I continued to walk around the aisles of gorgeous herbs. The aromas, both floral and culinary, perfumed the air and shifted with each step depending on what I walked by.

We also walked into the gift shop to check out. It is easy to admit that my grandmother and I did not head straight to the register. Instead, we looked at comforting lavender pillows, different flavored honey straws, and tasty jams. Although it was tempting, I only checked out with my rosemary, considering that I am just beginning to make my apartment porch garden. However, I expect to have many trips to the Lavender Garden in my future!

Bombolini Pasta

I was so excited to try Bombolini Pasta that I placed on my Bucket List for this summer. In order to prepare for my excursion, I checked out their website (http://www.bombolinipasta.com/) and read the biographies of the couple who founded it. I looked at the products and created some ideas of what to purchase. Then, I called my grandma and asked her if she wanted to have an Italian fest the next day. It was pizza and Bombolini Day!

When we drove up, I cheered because they had a mini parking lot. YAY! Next, walking in, I saw that two people who were working behind the counter were the owners. Immediately as we walked in, they greeted us with a large welcome and began telling us about the shop after asking if we had been there before. John Kreckman, one of the owners, even offered us a sample of a red wine he was selling.

Bombolini Pasta has fresh pasta that comes with different flavors and cuts. You can purchase the long cuts in the store by choice, and they will cut it there for you! The smaller cuts, such as the ravioli and penne, come prepackaged. I ended up purchasing Sausage Ravioli and Black Pepper Fettuccine.

Since we are preparing to move, we used these purchases to help clean out our fridge. We made our Sausage Ravioli just from things we had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. The Black Pepper Mushroom Fettuccine was more of a masterpiece that was created from many thoughts and careful planning. The recipes are below.

Black Pepper Mushroom Fettuccine Recipe

Ingredients

4 Tbsp olive oil

4 large Portobello Mushroom Caps, thickly sliced

½ yellow onion, diced

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

¼ cup butter

3 Tbsp cooking sherry

Juice from ½ lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lb Black Pepper Fettuccine, cooked (or any cooked pasta)

Method

1. Heat olive oil and garlic in a large frying pan

2. When oil is hot, add the mushrooms and onion and cook on medium low heat until the mushrooms reduce in size and become soft

3. Add the sherry and lemon. Continue cooking until flavors have combined, about an additional three minutes

4. Serve mushroom mixture and sauce over cooked pasta

Clean out the Pantry Sausage Ravioli Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 lb Diced Canned Tomatoes (Redpack Preferred)

1 jar Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce (I used Classico)

1 lb cooked sausage ravioli

Method

1. In a large frying pan, cook the sausage, then drain the fat.

2. Add the sausage back to the pan. Add the tomatoes and sauce. Heat the mixture until desired warmth.

3. Spoon sausage and sauce mixture over ravioli. 

Proper Pie

Style: Pie!

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Website: https://www.facebook.com/ProperPieCo

Likes: Wide versatility of pie flavors, both savory and sweet; Awesome taste; Friendly workers who give compliments

Dislikes: Needs more seating inside

My colleague, Jill, had mentioned a place where you could purchase hand pies in Richmond and that they were absolutely “yummy.” As a vegetarian, she spoke about one vegetable pie and it sounded fantastic. I was determined to go so I added it to my summer’s bucket list. When Jill and I spoke about what to do on our outing this afternoon, the first thought that came to my mind was Proper Pie.

Proper Pie is a super cool “hipster” type of venue. They had the menu written on a chalk board above the registers, with many pies on display. It all looked so good. It was a feat to walk in and just order one pie. There were a lot people packed into a tiny space, which of course is a sign of good business. I wish there were more tables and seating in addition to the counters and few tables they had, but will make do because my pie was awesome.

Jill ordered the Vegan Mincemeat Pie (the one with the poppy seeds in the picture below) and I ordered the Pork Verde Pie (the one without poppy seeds). Their savory pies seemed to be all the same shape and size, which made for a very hearty lunch. I would also be satisfied with one for dinner, but people with larger appetites (ahem, husband) might want two. I also saw some pies in a half moon shape, which might be sweet ones. There were also delectable treats in cake domes. I really could not inspect further because I was tempted to purchase the entire menu.

While taking a bite of the pie that I ordered, the Pork Verde, it seemed that my palette had been infused with flavor. The juices from the verde sauce and the pork soaked into the buttery crust. The crust, even when not absorbing the filling’s flavors, had a fantastic homemade flavor and texture; crispy and soft in places where it needed to be. It was fun to eat it with my hands and bite into it! They also had forks available for more delicate people. I tried the fork, but lost some pork. That’s a no go.

The next chance I have to return to Proper Pie, I am going to do it properly and order a few to take home with me. They are just too tasty to pass up!

El Tapatio

Style: Mexican

My Rating: 4/5 Stars 

Website: None

Likes: Friendly Service, Fun Décor, Ranchero Sauce

Dislikes: There were no dishes with chorizo listed on the menu, food was a little over salted

We were going to see World War Z at the Regal Cinemas at New Town, in Williamsburg, VA. For over a year, we have walked by El Tapatio and said, “We should go!” but we never did. This is partly because there is a decent Mexican Restaurant close by called Plaza Azteca. The tinting outside of the restaurant is also very dark and you cannot see it as you walk by. This did not necessarily intrigue me and heighten my interest in eating there.

As we walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by very loud Mexican music with lyrics in Spanish. Initially I thought that the music was overly loud, but my husband said that he liked it because it drowned out potential drunks and sports commentary. There was a soccer game on the TVs posted, and everyone can understand how those soccer fans can get!

A nice host promptly brought us to a large booth, with dark wood and white cushions. We were greeted by a server who gave us a large basket of standard tortilla chips and sides of salsa and ranchero sauce. I was pleased that almost as soon as were almost done, the server came and replaced both the chips and the two sauces.

Brad ordered the Chile Colorado. It came out on a large plate with refried beans and rice. We loved this and think that it has been the best chile colorado that we have tried on the eastern end of Virginia. There was nothing fancy about how it was plated, but it didn’t need to be. The chile was spicy with small chunks of jalapenos and cilantro. The refried beans were, in the words of my husband, “standard beans with nothing fancy to mess them up.” They were just as he liked them.

I ordered the Soft Beef Chimichangas. The beef was so tender and soft, falling apart when taken from its wrap. It appeared to have been slow cooked for hours. There was a spicy cheese topping that was thinner than most cheese toppings at Mexican restaurants. I liked it immensely because it had more flavor and was not as gloppy. My sides were Mexican rice and guacamole salad. The Mexican rice was very tasty, but over salted. The guacamole was very fresh and the tomato was not over hard. It was pretty standard, but I was pleased.

And just in case the meal is a little to salty for you, they give you GIANT water glasses.

Now onto dessert. My husband loves churros, so we shared one order. He is usually very patient with me as I make us pause to take pictures of our food for this blog. However, at the moment I went to take the picture below, it was like I got between a mother bear and her cubs. There was fury and there was almost rampage. Therefore I took the picture below very quickly…. Hence the blur.

The best part about our churros dessert was that it came with caramel sauce. Picture a stick of deep fried dough that is slightly crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. It has been drizzled with chocolate sauce, and then you can dunk it in thick, gooey caramel. Yup, just a little bit of PMS heaven.