Charm City Cupcakes

Okay... let's just say this has been about the worst period I've ever been through in my life with bad things happening right and left, so I've not been too interested in talking about what I am eating.

Today was just as crappy as the last 300+ have been with the rain (although we needed it badly) and then finding that after working for a month at my (allegedly) cool new job, I am not getting paid because the payroll company screwed up or some bs like that. The other person who had started the same day as I had was well pissed, too. So we had to wander across the street to Charm City Cupcakes and console ourselves with a sweet.

I had just stumbled across them the other day on the blog Charm City Cupcake (no S). She mentioned it and I looked up CCCs to see where they were located. Their address said 333, but it just couldn't be that. I work at 343 and I am sure if there was a cupcake bakery a few doors down, I would have noticed it.

Someone I know happened to stop by the office this afternoon and said he and his wife were killing time before the cupcakes at CCCs were ready... huh??? Apparently, CCCs is down the street, on the other side at 326, but they were originally once-upon-a-time, located at 333. And today was dollar day at CCCs because it was their first anniversary. So we had nice strawberry and nice double chocolate cupcakes to make us feel better. But then I got some more bad news when I got home...

Nasu Blanca in LoPo

I know it's been ages since I've posted, but if you've looked at Pigtown*Design, you will see that it's not been a great couple of weeks. But before things went to hell in a handcart, taking the slow road, not the super highway, Cat & Dog and I went for a happy hour event at Nasu Blanca. This new-ish restaurant is where the old Henry's used to be, on the corner of Woodall and Fort Avenue in Locust Point. It's a fusion Japanese-Mexican place which has been completely re-done from tip to tail - and it's gorgeous.

The Happy Hour is from 5:30 to 7:00, Tuesdays through Fridays and offers a selection of tapas and zensai, Spanish wines, sake, and beers. We took a look at the menu and basically ordered one of everything that was featured at the Happy Hour (it was our dinner). From the edamame with sea salt to tempuri asparagus, from mussels with chiorizo to empanadas, and a stunning tuna sashimi, everything was beautifully presented, well-explained and delicious.

Of course, since Cat is a pastry chef, we had to try the desserts, which were also beautiful and very tasty. Cat got a roughly-shaped apple tart with icecream, I got a molten chocolate cake with green tea and a sesame tuile, and Dog got the creme brulee with berries.

We went to Nasu Blanca on a weeknight, and it was very quiet because we had the second floor to ourselves, but other friends went on the weekend and said that it was very noisy. So that would be my recommendation - happy hour during the week.

Kool-Aid Pickles

This was in the New York Times' Food & Wine Section the other day. I am not a big fan of pickles. In fact, anyone who goes for casual dining with me, knows that I border on obsessive about harrassing the waitstaff about even getting a pickle near my plate. So to say that Kool Aid Pickles are about the worst thing I've ever heard of is damning with faint praise. Apparently, they're all the rage in the Mississippi Delta, especially amongst school children. Ewwwww.

Ale Mary's!

There's a funny little corner bar in Fell's Point called Ale Mary's. Comical, eh? It features a range of ales from around the city and the world. Cat & Dog and I met there for a drink and a bite. Dog loves beers, and so does Cat, but to a less obsessive extent. I am not a big beer drinker, but managed to find a perennial favourite drink anyway. They had some seating outside, and lots inside, but we opted for inside as it was breezy and a bit chilly once the sun went down.

We started out with AM's version of pigs-in-blankets, which were tiny cocktail weiners in a spot of puff pastry. Good, but very small. I got a bleu cheese burger and chips and Dog got their hoooooottt wings. I can't remember what Cat got, other than a couple of Belgian beers from a brewery that they'd visited in Belgium.

The prices were good, the service was excellent and a fun time was had by all!

Cheasapeake Wine Company

Cat, Dog, D and I went to the Chesapeake Wine Company in Canton on Friday to celebrate the end of a long week for all of us. When we got there at about 6:30-ish, it wasn't too croweded, and we were able to get a table inside with no problem. It took a bit for our waitress, the only one for the room full of tables, and, it seemed, the outside tables, to get to us.

We talked a bit about what to get and Cat and I ordered a bottle of prosecco to split and Dog ordered a bottle of special beer. D ordered a glass of red wine. We also ordered two pizzas, one with chiorizo and one with veggies, and a cheese and bread plate. We probably waited about 15 minutes for the drinks, a half an hour for the pizzas and TWO HOURS for the cheese plate. The food was good, but by the time we got it, and we had to ask for the cheese tray numerous times, we were so famished that it didn't really matter how it tasted.

The most un-nerving thing about the whole evening was the sheer number of things that hit the floor! The waitress dropped a couple of glasses from a box marked Riedel (ca-ching), someone else dropped a six pack when the bottom fell out of the holder, and on and on... You just kept hearing glass shattering. In a place that has lots and lots of glass being used, you would think that a cement floor might not be the best option.

The total bill for all of us was about $70, which included the corkage fees for Dog's beers, even though he went and selected them from the cooler and had to chase down the waitress to get him a bottle opener.

Dinner With Friends

Ordinarily, I wouldn't blog about dinner with friends, but these friends, Cat & Dog, are very special - they are both chefs! It had been a long couple of days with us, with one of our friends' dog getting attacked by a pit bull and then running off. He finally re-appeared on his owner's doorstep, much worse for the wear, but back.

So, we needed time to unwind a bit after this emotional upheaval, so Cat & Dog had another neighbour and me to dinner. I had been to Trader Joe's in Pikesville earlier in the afternoon, and had gotten 10 oz. of fresh sliced mushrooms for $1.79, so I volunteered them to Dog to use in the dinner. He sauteed them in port, and then let them cook off, and then added a knob of butter to finish them. Yuuuummm!

Cat & Dog has visited the Wine Market in Locust Point to pick out a red and white that would hold up to the dinner. I know the red was a grenache, but haven't a clue what the white was. I had attended a big fundraiser the night before, so I wasn't drinking much. (More on that in a later post - suffice to say that one of the sponsors was Ketel One vodka.) Cat had put out a selection of olives and some bread and salami for starters. The olives were brilliant and so beautiful.

Cat & Dog had picked up some steaks earlier in the day, so Dog "striped" them on the grill before we all got there. He took new potatoes and sliced them and roasted them with onions and basil. Later, he added cherry and yellow tomatoes and arugula to make a sort of potato salad that was both over and under the steaks, which he had finished cooking in the oven.

For dessert, Cat had made strawberries, macerated in sugar, over a lemon curd, over langues de chat (cat's tongue) cookies that she'd made earlier in the afternoon. Did I mention that she's a pastry chef? Between the dinner and dessert, we took a break and took our three dogs for a walk, both for their benefit and ours. Dog, the chef, stayed home and smoked a cigar! Good Dog!

Peeps: The Preferred Easter Treat

I gave up sweeties for Lent, and that was tough. My sisters were both aghast that my first selection wasn't a chocolate bunny, but a bright yellow Peep. In honour of the end of Lent, I made myself one of my Easter faves: Peeps Bruleé. This simple but elegant fare is such fun for all!

Instructions:

1. Take one box of Peeps (yellow chicks preferred, but any colour and shape will do)

2. Stick a fork into one Peep.

3. Roast over gas flame.

4. Wait until sugar is carmelized and marshmallow is gooey.

5. Eat.

The alternative method is to use your little blow torch for this. Beware of the molten sugar though.

There are two camps of Peeps people: those who like them fresh from the box and those who prefer to let them sit and age a bit and become crusty. You can stick them into the microwave and let them melt, which is good for a few seconds of entertainment. Or you can try this:

There are also lots of recipes for Peeps, including a scary salad with Raman noodles and cabbage. If you look around, you can find some pix of people Peeping their ride. I haven't tried that one yet.

Happy Easter to all my Peeps!