Ploafmaster General

Or lasagna if you prefer.

Today I brought home-made lasagna to the office for the folks on my team, and it was a hit.  I made the pasta from scratch, I made the sauce from scratch, and man was it all delicious...

I was pleased with the food, my team was pleased with the food, and I'm once again encouraged to keep cooking.

Mmmmm...

You know, it was less than a year ago that I couldn't stand the taste of beer, yet a strange transformation has taken hold, allowing my taste buds to enjoy the complex flavors of good beer.

Tonight I once again savored the goodness of Rogue Hazelnut Brown ale, one of my favorite drafts served just right at Capital Ale House in Richmond.  Flavorful, malty, not too heavy, and a smell almost of caramel.

Of course, I head off to the Czech Republic in June, with full intention of sampling what many consider the finest beer in the world.

The adventure continues...

Okay, after working on a placeholder design for A Pair of Pathetic Peripatetics as well as some writing for said site, I've finally gotten around to disclosing some of the fine details of the trip to Roma!

What better way to start than with the food?

If there's one item from the vast repitoires of Italy's kitchens with which most Americans are familiar, it's pizza. I must say, pizza is quite delicious in Roma, and certainly average pizza in Roma is better than 99% of the pie here in the states. The real treasure, however, is in the funky, divey city of Napoli (Naples). Here you will find the granddaddy of modern pizza, with it's puffy outer crust and flavorful dough. Pizza Margherita is the traditional dish in Napoli, and is the very picture of perfection through simplicity. The components are as follows:

1. Pizza dough
   
2. crushed tomatoes
   
3. fresh buffalo mozzerela cheese
   
4. sunflower oil
   
5. fresh basil for garnish in the middle
   

That's really it. There's barely enough crushed tomato to cover the surface of the crust, and torn pieces of the fresh cheese scattered across the top, and a healthy drizzling of the oil. This is cooked fast and hot in what appeared to be a coal-fired brick oven as old as the 1923 restaurant in which Valerie and I sampled it. The result? Savory, smokey crust you could eat by the pound, even without toppings. Everything blended together like it was the way food was meant to be...

But I gush...

There was, of course, loads of pasta. Two particular culinary wonders stood out - the tortellini, far more tasty than any here in the states, and just about anything served "alla bolognese". The latter were dishes served in a simple but intensely flavorful meat sauce, so good you'd crave it by the spoonful if you'd had it.

And finally, the gelato. Words cannot describe the Italian perfection of ice cream, so I will not attempt such heresy.

In fact, I need to stop writing now, because the lack of food from the Mother Land is quite depressing.

Ciao!

I'm a pretty freakin' picky eater. Seeweeuswy you guys. Example? I grew up in a household that ate predominantly Italian food. I grew up in a household that also made me eat whatever was put in front of me. And here I am, with utter distaste for peppers, onions, and tomatoes (okay in sauce, as long as they're not chunky).

For some reason, however, I find it pretty easy to try out new seafood. Ever since I was a youngin' in Bayville, New Jersey, I've tried out dish after dish of sea food at my old friend Matthew Stevens' house, be it blowfish, lobster, or mako shark steak. Last year on my honeymoon, I went a step further and tasted amazing ahi tuna that was barely seared, leaving the inside cool and uncooked. This, too, was delicious.

None of this could prepare me for the obvious next step...sushi. Specifically make-zushi often containing raw fish.

So I planned an occasion with my wing-man, Dave, whereupon I'd settle this food score once and for all. This past Saturday, we headed for Hana Zushi in Shockhoe Slip for dinner. Dave, being a bit experienced with sushi already, helped me choose my gastric weapons and provided moral support. We each ordered a la carte, selecting from a decent listing of rolls and nagiri. Our plan was to divide and conquer, sharing our selected rolls that we each may experience a broad range of flavors.

My verdict? I really enjoyed the experience - both the exhiliration of walking out on a culinary limb and the food itself. The most amazing point of the evening was realizing a distinct difference between the sushi and most Western food that I've yet eaten:

Whereas with Western food (or perhaps cooked food in general) you tend to experience the full taste of the food when you bite into your morsel, the sushi did not provide its full spectrum of flavors until I had chewed the piece for a moment or so. Once I had given a few rounds of molar-attack to my spicy tuna roll, for example, the full effect of the combination of ingredients spread accross my tongue like a taste epiphany.

Wholly different from anything I've yet ingested, yet intriguing and delicious, I have a feeling I'll be seeking out new sushi bars in the future.

So last night I was seriously thinking about writing an exalting post about what I consider to be Richmond, VA's best sandwich: 821 Cafe's Smoked Turkey and Chedder Sub w/ Bacon. Typically, this sandwhich comes with succulent smoked turkey, sliced thin, yellow chedder melted over it, and the optional bacon, on really delicious bread. Served nice and hot with a pile of incendiary fries on the side, this sandwhich works on soooooooooooooo many levels.

Well last night, it didn't. I'm not entirely certain (because I didn't ask), but I think they ran out of smoked turkey and filled in the gap with their roast turkey...it was just enough difference in taste to be a bit dry and boring. Still mostly delicious, and the bacon really helped, but in general, disappointing.

Dang.