Three Tomatoes Trattoria

Three Tomatoes Trattoria (Lebanon location)
1 Court Street
Lebanon, NH
(Check out their website to see all TTT locations)
It was a really long day and I ended up in Lebanon, New Hampshire around dinner time. Three Tomatoes Trattoria looked like a good spot to eat and so I gave it a try. The place was well decorated and it looked like they were running a fine business. I tried the house veal meatballs with tomato basil sauce. These were pretty good but I didn't think they were spectacular or unique in any way. They were also a bit pricey, coming in a $2 a piece. And then there was the shrimp fra Diavolo (pictured). This was a pretty nice blend of shrimp, olives, crushed red peppers, garlic, white wine, and tomato basil sauce. I will say that these guys use a lot of garlic and that's a definite plus in my book.

This would have been a pretty good meal except for the fact that I had terrible service. My waiter didn't seem really friendly at first and I didn't pay any attention to that. She brought out the water, rolls, and appetizer pretty fast. But then I waited a really long time for my entree. She never came back to refill my water and I sat there for half an hour after my plate was very clearly clean before she even came back. And when I asked for the check, that took another ten minutes. I didn't want to pay with cash but I also didn't want to wait for her to come back, take the card up, and swipe it.

Maybe I would have liked the place better if I had had better service. As it stands, I cannot give this place a particularly good rating.

Apfelschorle

When people think Germany, the drink that always comes to mind is beer. But there's also a German non-alcoholic beverage that has a strong hold on German thirst, albeit without an October festival dedicated to its consumption.

Apfelschorle is just carbonated apple juice. Germans can't get enough of it - especially the brand Lift, which is at least as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola in German stores. It's a tasty alternative to lemonade on a hot summer day, and its lack of phosphoric acid makes it less teeth-rotting than cola.

One would think that there could be a lucrative market for apfelschorle in America, although maybe not, since the Germans' love of carbonation in water never caught on here either.

Amada

Amada

217-219 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia PA

(Check out Amada online.)

This visit to Amada was part of our "Bobby Flay & His Challengers" tour.

I came to Amada with high hopes. It is, after all, part of Jose Garces's line of restaurants (I previously visited Distrito). Garces was a chef challenger on Iron Chef America and beat Bobby Flay in "Battle Mellon" (and brain freeze too).
Begin your experience at Amada by trying their sangria (a mix of wine, fruit, herbs, orange liqueur and Spanish brandy). There are a few options by I was fortunate enough to sample the "Blanco" - white wine with apples, pears, and oranges - and "Tinto" - red wine with oranges, apples, and a touch of cinnamon. Both were wonderful and refreshing. Perfect for a summer day.

Since Garces beat Flay in a battle with melon as the secret ingredient, we had to try the Melon Con Jamon" - slices of melon (cantaloupe) wrapped with Serrano ham and lightly drizzled with a yogurt and sherry reduction. It was exquisite. It was so exquisite that my dining companion and I considered ordering a second dish.

Luckily, we didn't do that because we had quite a feast ahead of us. Next came the Ensalada Verde, which was a green salad with asparagus, fava and green beans, and avocado. This also came with slices of cheese, which complement the flavors very well. Beware as this was quite the stack of greens. The nice fresh taste of this dish certainly helped with the other dishes that we ordered. The richest of those was probably the Pulpo A La Gallega or Spanish octopus. This came in a sizzling plate with what seemed to be little wedges of potatoes. The octopus itself was wonderfully succulent but I was glad to have the potatoes to help tone down the saltiness. I wish they had given us more of those potatoes. The dish might have been small but it was well portioned as the octopus was really rich.
The Almejas Con Chorizo (clams & chorizo) also came on a sizzling plate. This was terrific as well. The chorizo was just so tasty and the clams were delicious. I'm not sure how to describe one of the best dishes I've had. It probably wasn't all that great for me but it sure was a wonderful experience. Our final dish was the Escalivada, a medley of roasted peppers, eggplant, Cippolini onions & confit tomatoes. The onions were almost creamy on the inside and just perfect.

And then there was dessert. My dining companion and I tried the "Arroz Con Leche," which is a saffron rice pudding with blackberry compote, lemon jam, cinnamon bric, and fromage blanc. No, this is not your regular rice pudding. My companion, who had been a little hesitant with the saffron rice, loved it. But I also really liked the "Crema Catalana De Chocolate," which is a caramelized dark chocolate custard with strawberry gelee, and a berry sorbet. This was just fabulous. The sorbet had a really fresh taste the the custard itself was just perfect. It was rich with chocolate, very slightly crispy on top, and moist inside. A wonderful way to wrap up a fantastic meal.

Yes, Amada is a little pricey but you rarely get a treat like this.

Cazon Tropical

Note: Apologies for the long hiatus. Who knew that the semester would take away all my time to travel and explore new restaurants?

Cazon Tropical

Wood Brook Shopping Center
1871 Seminole Trail - (In the Wood Brook Shopping Center behind the Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard place with the merry-go-round)Charlottesville, Virginia
(Check out their website and browse their entire menu here!)

A bit tucked away behind some stores, this spot on Route 29 North is a tasty one. Specializing in Dominican, Hondurian, and Salvadorian food,

they make a good meal for the hungry traveler. The prices are really reasonable as well.

Start off your meal with the chicken-filled corn tamals, which are wrapped in plantain leaves and are really, really hot inside. After your tongue stops burning from the first bite, try another and savor the tender meat and mushy corn. Or, start off with some Salvadorian meat pies, which are also really hot but delicious. They are actually sort of like fried pouches of ground beef.

Hungry for a big meal? Try the Pica Pollo, which is a "Dominican style" fried chicken, served with plantains and coleslaw. Be prepared because this is about half a chicken fried for your enjoyment. And enjoy it you will. I generally dislike white meat because it can come out really dry if not done correctly. Well, these guys know how to do breast meat because it was very crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. But the meat was also really rich and tasty. Perhaps some special seasoning makes this "Dominican style"?

If you feel like something smaller but just as good, try the Fajitas Tropicales. You get your choice of meat. This is mixed with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and melty mozzarella and served on a tortilla. It's so soft and tasty that you'll wish you had ordered more than one.

But wait, there's more. Try the Tipico Salvadoreno, which is a grilled sirloin served with rice, beans, cheese, chorizo, and avocado. This is one tasty dish. Mix the meat with the other items provided and you get a good blend of the flavors all together.

For dessert try the deliciously soaked Tres Leches or the caramel flan. But you may be too full by then.

Cafe Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde
1039 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA
(Visit their website!)

This place is just awesome. They're a New Orleans tradition, which is open 24 hours a day. Perfect for the city that never sleeps and the French Quarter that never stops partying. I'm told that you're supposed to get drunk all night, come over to Cafe Du Monde in the wee hours of the morning, have some coffee and their famous beignets and go to sleep. Such a diet is supposed to overcome any hangover effects the next morning. Now, I don't drink that much and I certainly don't party into the wee hours of the morning so I did not try it. However, I did have a fine breakfast at Cafe Du Monde.

Now, the menu is pretty sparse because they just sell beignets. Well, there are drinks too so I had what I assumed was a traditional breakfast of coffee and beignets. Each order comes with three of these wonderful balls of joy. Yes, it's all just fried dough topped with lots and lots of powdered sugar. But that's all it takes to make a greasy and filling breakfast. The dough was nice and crispy on the outside, protecting the softness on the inside. Just a terrific and simple recipe, which you can bring home with you. They sold the dough but I don't have a deep fryer at home so I didn't partake. Plus, it wouldn't have tasted the same anyway. Beware of the falling powdered sugar, which gets everywhere. Enjoy!

Bavarian Chef

Bavarian Chef
5102 South Seminole Trail
Madison, VA 22727

What is this German restaurant doing out in the middle of nowhere? On Route 29 between Washington and Charlottesville, you'll come across this wooden structure with a Bavarian look. Hungry for German food and beer? You've come to the right place.

Now, the food at the Bavarian Chef is extremely heavy as is most German cuisine but it is quite tasty. I have had the Zigeuner Lendchen (pork medallions in a zesty mushroom, onion, diced pepper, tomato, and bacon sauce) and the Karlsbadener Sahnegoulasch (veal, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and fresh cream). Both were very good. The Zigeuner Lendchen was well cooked and held together while the veal was very tender and almost melted in your mouth. Orders come with a bunch of sides. I think it's something like 2 sides per entree. The potato dumplings (pictured here) are really, really good. They're a bit gooey and have a similar feel as mochi on the outside. The potatoes are wonderfully done and I just could not get enough of this dish. The zucchini was cooked with onions and came in a nice tomato sauce. String beans were fine. I generally don't like red cabbage and these guys did not give me a reason to. Nothing against how they do it though.

I do have to say that these people could be friendlier to their guests. I wasn't impressed by the service. To be fair, they were packed and they did wear some German outfits, which did not look comfortable but even the receptionist needed to work on the "willkommen" attitude. The place is also kindof expensive. If I'm paying a lot of money for good food, remember that I have to consider the energy costs because this place is far away from almost anywhere. Perhaps a friendlier staff would make me happier to pay their operation costs.

The place itself is really cool. A lot of the seating is upstairs in the attic and there are all these little nooks with tables and mini lamps. It's all very cute and it all has a nice Bavarian feel. A bit dark so not a good spot for photographs but pretty nice atmosphere.

I didn't get the beer although they had a wide variety of German ones. Don't order the HUGE steins because they are indeed gigantic and you could not possibly drink it on your own.

Scarlet Begonias

Pasta special at Scarlet Begonias

Scarlet Begonias
212 Maine St # B
Brunswick, ME

This is probably one of my favorite spots in Brunswick. Now, I sometimes have problems getting to their actual menu because their specials are always so tempting and fantastic. How can you turn down the delicious scallop pizza or the special club sandwich with sprouts and turkey? If you're there when they have their fish chowder or seafood chowder, try it! Everything is made when you order so sometimes this will take a while and they do have limited seating so if you show up during the lunch rush, you might just have to wait a bit. I love the fact that you can just pick up a pitcher of water from the counter and take it over to your seat.

Now, there are some regular items that I really love. If I can resist their specials that day, I go for Sallie's Choice, which is a pizza loaded with sausage, broccoli, roasted red peppers, cheeses, and herbs. There's something about that combination that just hits the spot. Wash it down with an ice-cold Pepsi with ice. That is a fantastic meal right there although you will need a nap. There is no getting around that.

Other people are really drawn to the pasta selection at SB's. The Rose Begonia seems to be the absolute favorite and it's a blend of bacon, chicken, mushrooms, and herbs over penne pasta. The sauce is a tomato cream one and it is wonderfully rich. I think the dish is great but a bit creamy. The portions, by the way, are pretty big and you may end up taking some items home with you.

Pricey? Just a bit but the food is well worth it and hey, this is a local restaurant with a nice decor and great food. Just enjoy the great food and atmosphere.