Blue Hill Tavern: Baltimore, MD

So, I guess I have been on a little (unplanned) hiatus from the blog.  Summer hit and busy times ensued.  I will probably pop in sporadically for the rest of the summer when I feel the urge, just like this dinner at Blue Hill Tavern a few weeks back.


I have been hearing great things about Blue Hill for awhile now, so when Mara wanted to take me out for a birthday dinner, I thought this would be a perfect place.  We both love food, so it is always fun to go out to eat together.  Sitting down and reviewing the menu, I had high hopes that Blue Hill Tavern could  be a new favorite.

Sangria.  White for me.  Red for her.  I was hoping for a little more fruit, but they were both refreshing and light.  And went down very easy.  We had two rounds.  


Since so many of the menu options looked delicious, we decided to split a whole bunch of things, so we could maximize the amount we each got to taste.

Crostini & Spreads: Feta Butter, olive tapenade.

This dish sold us on the Feta Butter, but it was more butter than feta.  In fact, neither of us tasted much feta.  The olive tapenade was almost too salty to eat.  Disappointing.

Fried Guacamole: tortilla crusted, salsa fresca

Fried Guacamole?  We had to try this.  I envisioned freshly made tortilla chips, each individually topped with a fried dollop of homemade guacamole.  Not so much.  The blue corn chips were bland and the large mound of fried guacamole did not taste homemade.  Salsa fresca also brought nothing to the table.  This was not worth the $9.

Calamari Salad: Cornmeal crusted, mixed greens, peanuts, cilantro, chili-lime vinaigrette

What a great ingredient combination for a salad!  While the calamari was tender, unfortunately, the remaining parts of the salad were drowned in dressing.  Our mistake for not asking this to come on the side, but the chili-lime vinaigrette tasted and looked more like a chili plum sauce.

Yellowfin Tuna: peppercorn encrusted, fried polenta cake, broccoli rabe, pickled watermelon rind, spiced watermelon barbecue sauce

A beautiful presentation, but it couldn't make up for the lack of flavor.  We both agreed we have never had seared tuna that flavorless and there wasn't nearly enough sauce on the plate.  The polenta cake was good, but the broccoli rabe was overcooked.  

Macaroni and Cheese

The mac & cheese was everything is should have been, but not the best I've ever had. The pasta was cooked well and the sauce was creamy and cheesy.  No complaints here.  We only wish that we had ordered two of these and called it a night.

It was extremely disappointing that the food didn't live up to our expectations.  Perhaps we just ordered the wrong things?  An off night?  It was beautifully decorated and the upstairs deck had a relaxed atmosphere.   Our server was attentive and friendly, but all of our appetizers and the salad came out at once.  It would have been nice to have things spaced out more evenly.   

Would I go back to Blue Hill?  Maybe.  But it would only be for the sangria and mac & cheese.

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The Tasting Room - Frederick, MD

This past Saturday, I met my friend Jen in Frederick for lunch and shopping.  Downtown Frederick is such a cute area with a bunch of unique shops.  I hadn't been shopping in awhile, so it was fun to explore and pick up some new things.  

We decided to try out The Tasting Room for lunch.

I started with a glass of Pinot Grigio that was refreshing and light.

They brought warm, crusty bread with butter.  I think the TR stencil on the butter was made from paprika.  Nice touch.  

We ordered a starter of grilled calamari with a spicy garlic/tomato sauce served over a piece of crusty bread.  This was absolutely delicious.  

I ordered the salmon, which came with a rice cake, wilted spinach & a sweet chili sauce.

Jen ordered the swordfish, which came with shrimp, crab, potatoes, & mushrooms in a cajun cream sauce.  

Both dishes were beautifully to look at and even better to eat.  I savored every single bite of my fancy lunch.  

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Black Ankle Vineyard - Mother's Day

Mother's Day started out with a great brunch at Yellow Dog Tavern with my family, where I forgot to take any pictures.  ugh!

It continued later as a smaller group of our brunch crew headed out to Black Ankle Vineyards in Mt. Airy, MD. 

The tasting building is designed to be extremely eco-friendly.  The walls are insulated with straw and check out the live roof - love that!  (check out their website for more info and photos of the entire building process)

All moms received a complimentary tasting and a gerber daisy.

My grandmom decided to give me all of her tastes of wine, so I had a double tasting.  :)

After trying all the wines, we decided to enjoy a bottle of their award winner, Crumbling Rock, out on the patio.

Warm, crusty bread and cheese from a local creamery.

Great view.

Can I live here?  and drink wine, eat bread and cheese all day?  Please?

What a great way to spend celebrating mother's day!  (or any day for that matter)

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An Active April

I seriously can not believe it is May.  The last couple of weeks have been both busy and fun.  Where has the time gone?


I spent a relaxing weekend at the beach with my friends from college.

We visited Kevin's family in Ohio and spent a day at the Cincinnati Zoo.  I took way too many pictures of animals and flowers.  

We also visited the 4D theater.  Our seats vibrated, we were sprayed with water, wind was blowing in our faces, and something kept poking us in the back - definitely a unique experience.

Big geek alert below.  Yes, I am wearing double glasses.  Contact lenses and I haven't been getting along very well.

I attended a baby shower for one of my friends from high school and was treated to a boat load of delicious food. 

And enjoyed hanging out with friends I have known for 15+ years!

It was a fun April.

May is nearing the halfway point.  Mother's Day at a Winery, Tour de Cure Bike Ride, P90x review, and multiple restaurant reviews coming up.

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Second Food Tasting - Canapés Catering

We had our second food tasting for our wedding last night with Canapés Catering.  We had been asked to choose the food we wanted to taste prior to arriving.  This was very difficult for us only because there were SO many incredible options.  Case and Point - the hors d'oeuvres list was 19 pages long and that font size was small!


The tasting was held at Thorpewood, which is one of the places we looked at having our wedding.  Unfortunately for us, our wedding size is more than they could accomodate, but I would highly recommend it to anyone having a smaller size wedding.  Absolutely beautiful.  


Hors d'Oeuvres

Seared Sea Scallops with Fresh Bacon and Beurre Blanc - Pan-seared jumbo sea scallops drizzles with beurre blanc and topped with crumbled crisp bacon.

Maryland Crab Cake Canapés on Sweet Corn Muffins with Cajun Rémoulade - Rich Old Bay seasoned lump crab cakes served resting in a miniature sweet cornbread muffin with a leaf of mesclun and a zippy Cajun rémoulade sauce.

Katafi Wrapped Sea Bass  with Tomato Essence - Garlic infused oil marinated sea bass filets wrapped in shredded phyllo, pan-seared until crispy and served with a Tomato Caper Essence Beurre Blanc.

Southwestern Tequila and Lime Jumbo Prawn - Tequila, lime juice, olive oil, brown sugar and cilantro marinated shrimp, pan-seared and served with a barbecue dipping sauce.  

AND

Thai Crab Rolls - Sautéed carrots, bok choy and shiitake mushrooms tossed in a Thai sauce with chives, coriander, cellophane noodles and lump crab rolled in rice paper wrapper. Pan-fried and served with a spicy dipping sauce. 

Fruit Soup Shooters - Peach & Mango….refreshing and beautifully garnished.

Salad & Bread

Salad of Mesclun Greens with a Basil Tarragon Vinaigrette - Fresh seasonal greens displayed with grape tomatoes, dried apricots and cherries finished with goat cheese and tossed with a flavorful herb vinaigrette.

Spring Greens with Blue Cheese, Sweet Pecans and Grilled Pear - Fresh field greens and crisp romaine tossed in Vidalia vinaigrette with candied pecans, sliced grilled pear and crumbled blue cheese.

Fresh Baked, Grilled Olive Loaf

Entrées

 & Sides

Maryland Crab Cakes - Rich lump crab mixture seasoned with Old Bay and formed into cakes then BAKED to a golden brown.  Served with sides of savory rémoulade sauce and cocktail sauce.

Grilled Tenderloin of Beef - Olive oil, garlic, cracked pepper and rosemary rubbed tenderloin of beef seared and roasted to a medium rare served with shiitake demi-glaze and horseradish cream.

Chicken Scaloppini with an Herb Marsala Sauce - Boneless chicken breast dusted lightly with seasoned flour, pan seared and served sliced resting in an herb Marsala sauce. 

Grilled Salmon Filets with a Béarnaise Sauce - Garlic infused grapeseed oil rubbed salmon filets, grilled and served resting in a pool of a rich tarragon shallot béarnaise sauce.

Soft Polenta with Sautéed Mushrooms & Crispy Leeks - Creamy Parmigiano-Reggiano accented polenta served with a sauté of assorted mushrooms.

Our sides in the above entrée pictures were:

Roasted Fresh Asparagus - Fresh asparagus roasted in olive oil seasoned with cracked pepper & salt.

Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts - Sweet butter pan seared seasoned Brussel sprout halves.

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted New Potatoes - Miniature red potatoes quickly seared in olive oil, fresh rosemary and a hint of garlic, finished in the oven with sweet butter, kosher salt and cracked pepper.

Cake

Flavorful moist carrot cake torte layered with a rich cream cheese filling.

White butter cake torte layered with a fresh raspberry mousse, raspberry conserve and shredded coconut. (they forgot the raspberry mousse, but we were too full to mind)

Almond butter cake torte layered with a smooth almond scented buttercream.

Pretty impressive stuff, right?  We had some clear favorites, but all of the food was absolutely delicious.  My mom, Kevin & I split everything in the pictures above and even brought leftovers home to my dad, who couldn't make it.  

I like this part of wedding planning!

Even without any wine, we got a little loopy from all the delicious food.  Kevin proclaimed that he got his first ever "food high".   My mom snapped a picture of us in the midst of our post-meal happiness. 

We had planned to have a third and final tasting next week, but are considering cancelling and going with our clear favorite. :)

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