Over at Bill Lynch’s ‘Strange Places’ gazzblog, he has a food-related confession to make: he hates fruitcake. Nothing new there. But wait! Because he loves you guys, he is willing to try your fruitcake, nonetheless. Send him recipes. Here’s how.

“Its flavors are deep tomato red with a hint of smoke and a balanced bitterness that evokes a hearty red wine.” | Photo by Brooke A. Brown

Mario Batali would not approve. He’s all about the pasta, as the video featured in this post so clearly reveals. And I’m fine with that. The handmade pasta he’s known for deserves to be the star of the dish to which it is destined.

But Mr. Batali does not live or work here. His take on the pasta-to-sauce ratio is lost on us heathens who often times order extra sauce on the side. (Gasp!) And I’m fine with that, too, because I’ve tasted a sauce that deserves top billing.

Leonoro’s Spaghetti House has been keeping it real – sauce-wise – since 1915. Theirs is a marinara with body and soul, and the recipe is so top-secret that the servers who’ve worked there for years are even clueless to its ingredient list. (That’s the line I was fed, anyway.) (more…)

“Too few people understand a really good sandwich.”
-James Beard

What you see displayed above is my favorite part of Thanksgiving: the leftover turkey sandwich. This one lacks the inclusion of a ‘moist-maker’ though, as there was no leftover gravy in which to soak the bread.

I should only have to eat 2 or 3 more of these delicious sandwiches before venturing back into the wonderful world of dining out. Look for new reviews and musings later this week.

Until then, put your Turkey Day leftovers to good use and make your own leftover turkey sandwich.

YouTube Clip: Ross Gellar explains the ‘moist-maker.’

La Dolce Vino! I know…. I know… back in the day, you had a bad experience with sweet wine. But wait, there’s hope because in episode 17 of WineBoy (click here or the image at right to watch), host John Brown will convince you why you need to give the stuff a second chance. The Boy also recommends a couple of sweeties (wines, of course) that are sure to make you forget about the time you chugged that jug of Green Pheasant with Darlene (or Davey) at the Drive-In. You might also want to have a set of earplugs ready just in case WineBoy’s impromptu cellar concert offends your musical sensibilities. Our somewhat whacked weekly wine webcast clocks in at under 5 minutes, so check it out now.

By Brooke A. Brown

No, this post isn’t a follow-up to Rudy Panucci’s review of Queen’s recently released 2-CD/DVD live concert set. Instead it’s a follow-up to this old post from September which featured a note from Cazon Southwest Deli’s management to it’s “loyal customers.”

Well food fans, the building which houses Cazon is officially for sale. I was walking over to Taylor Books for a cranberry scone (which, by the way, was completely delicious) and noticed the gigantic sign placed in the restaurant’s oversized window. List price? One million dollars! (Multiplied by three, that is.)

Now I’ll admit that I only dined at Cazon once in its brief existence and found it to be a little pricey, especially for lunch. However, the atmosphere was very pleasant and the food was tasty, not to mention different. It’s sad to see a place close down due to circumstances beyond its control.

So long, Cazon. We hardly knew you.

By Brooke A. Brown

Last weekend, the Lovely Miss S and I were lucky enough to be invited to a pre-Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving feast. This premature activity felt perfectly appropriate to me as I have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season (this blog, great friends, good health and my sweet Miss S, of course). Naturally, I’ll be celebrating again come November 22nd.

Anyway, this particular feast was especially memorable for two very distinct reasons: (1) It was our first taste of deep-fried turkey, and (2) it was also our first taste of ‘pump-can’ pie. Let me first say that the turkey prepared in such dramatic fashion was hands-down the most delicious and moist bird we’ve ever encountered. One may think such a thing would be unbearably oily, but such was not the case. Knowing beforehand that this was the type of turkey we would be having, I was well-prepared for the tastiness that ensued. The same cannot be said of the pie. (more…)

ED. NOTE: We’ve got a blogfecta (blog + trifecata) of posts on the dining/drinking experience. After reading this one, check out Rich Ireland’s “Beers To You” post on how restaurants routinely ruin good beers; and WineBoy weighs in with some essential advice for gourmet winos: which wineglass with which wine?

By Brooke A. Brown

I recently realized that it’s been a while since the posting of my last Spot of Bother. Since these posts seem to strike several collective chords, I thought I’d finally share the following one that I’ve been keeping in my back pocket for a moment such as right now.

What’s the deal with waiters and waitresses (servers, if you will) manhandling the tops of our drinking vessels with their money-handling, dirty-dish toting hands? I’ve worked in the food service industry, and one of the first things I learned was to deliver beverages by grabbing hold of the bottom of the glass, not the rim. It seems like common sense, but improper beverage delivery runs rampant in our community, and the practice knows no bounds. To quote Susan Powter, we desperately need to “Stop the Insanity!” (more…)

Click the image above or right here to watch

Aesthetic considerations are not usually among WineBoy’s attributes. But in episode 15 of the offbeat, wine-stained weekly webcast, your host demonstrates various types of stemware to use for sipping the fruit of the vine. He also has a tasty wine recommendation for your consideration, then must endure the slings and arrows of Pierre N’est Pas — that opinionated Francophile for whom the glass is always half empty. All in six minutes!

It seems like only a few weeks ago that I found myself home alone with an empty couch, salty snacks and a delicious frozen pizza. Well, it was déjà vu all over again last weekend as my wife – The Lovely Miss S – was once more absent for College Football Saturday, only this time attending a yoga retreat in the beautiful Canaan Valley instead of participating in Ohio mega-mall retail therapy.

Instead of boring you guys with additional ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of California Pizza Kitchen pies (however delicious they might be), I’m turning over blogging detail to Miss S herself as she had the opportunity to dig-in to a place that, for me, exists only in conversations of hidden, off-the-beaten-path eateries. Take it away, Miss S! (more…)