TAZZA KITCHEN replaces Cafe Caturra in Cameron Village

TAZZA in Cameron Village

After five days being stuck inside because of the snow and ice, I was able to take Dan out on Sunday afternoon for an early dinner.  Cafe Caturra in Cameron Village was one of our favorite places to eat in the Village, but it has been replaced by TAZZA.  We read some reviews of this new restaurant online and decided to give it a try.  We had no regrets.  The ambiance, the staff, and most of all the food were superb.

A list of some of their farms on the menu.

They specialize in fresh, know your farmers food and use only antibiotic-free, hormone-free, humanely-raised pork, poultry, lamb and beef, and sustainably-harvested, chemical-free seafood. There menu offers Mexican cuisine and Italian cuisine, an unusual combination of choices. And of course pizza.  Our waiter suggested that the name TAZZA is a combination of Tacos and Pizza, but I think he may have been joking.

Dan is perusing the menu.

We shared a starter of Cast Iron Goat Cheese.  The cheese was melted in a marinara sauce and parsley and served with brick oven bread. The texture and flavor were perfect.

Cast Iron Goat Cheese with Brick Oven Bread.

Dan's entree choice was the Brick Oven Crab Cakes served with pequin chili slaw, micro greens and lemon dressing.  The slaw was a bit on the hot spicy side, but the crab cakes were quite good with lots of crab meat. The spicy slaw was because of pequin peppers, so now we know what that is.

Crab Cakes. 

I chose the Scallops with sweet potato risotto, fried sage, and brown butter.  The scallops were large, fresh and perfectly cooked and I would love to have the recipe of the sweet potato risotto.  The risotto was rich and creamy.  Yum!!!!

Scallops with sweet potato risotto. 

I had been avoiding sugar all week, so I thought I deserved a bit of something sweet.    We shared the Gelato & Cake. Two scoops of salted caramel gelato with a slice of almond and orange flourless cake, garnished with a basil leaf provided a perfect ending for a delicious dinner.

Salted caramel gelato with almond-orange flourless cake.  

We've decided we like TAZZA even better than Cafe Caturra, and I am ready to go again as soon as the now snowy weather permits.

Check out their link here.
The gelato came from gelati celesti in Richmond.  It rivals the gelato we've had in Italy.

"Lunch is Ready!" in Less Than Ten Minutes

Grain bowl ready for lunch.

A recent article* in the Dining Section of the NY Times featured grain bowls as a one-dish adventure.  Melissa Clark promoted a number of ideas for grain bowls from different restaurants, but the one thing all grain bowls seem to have in common are the three layers: the grain, the vegetable layer, and the protein topped with some kind of sauce.  Left-overs are great for building a grain bowl for a quick breakfast or lunch.  With this in mind I checked out the left-overs in our fridge and made bowls for our lunch today.

Frozen quinoa and kale from Costco.

Since I discovered the frozen quinoa and kale at Costco, I almost always have some of that in the freezer.  The little individual bag that is a perfect serving for two or three cooks in 4 minutes.  I used this as the base for the first layer, about a third of a bowl. (Yes I know quinoa isn't a grain, it's a seed but it's a good substitute.)

Pop this bag of frozen quinoa and kale in microwave for 4 minutes.

First third in bowl, a layer of quinoa and kale.

In the fridge I had a package of Trader Joe's peeled and cooked baby beets.  Dan and I both love beets, so these became the vegetable layer---the next third of the bowl on top of the quinoa and kale.

Trader Joe's baby beets ready to eat.

These go in the microwave for 1 minutes.

Layer sliced beets over the quinoa.

I didn't seem to have any sauce on hand that would work, and I didn't want to make one, so I topped the bowl with a spoonful of three-bean salad (another left-over)  This added a little more protein and a lot of flavor.  I spread a bit of the pickling juice over the top.

Trader Joe's to the rescue again.  There was part of a roll of goat cheese from TJ's---that became the protein layer.

Trader Joe's goat cheese. 

Protein layer of chevre on top and ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.

This was so easy and so quickly made and nutritious.  This can be eaten warm or cold.  We will eat it cold so I have it ready now for lunch.   I'll keep grain bowls in mind when I need to use left-overs or when I just want something a bit different and something that can be whipped up in short order.

*Check out Melissa Clark's link in the NY Times for more ideas about preparing grain bowls.

p.s. If Rachel Ray can have a TV show called "30 Minute Meals", perhaps I could have one called "Meals in Less Than 10 Minutes".  Are you listening Food Network?

Trying to Replicate Sitti Goat Cheese Orange Salad at Home

Goat Cheese Orange Salad with Mixed Greens, Cabbage, Walnuts and Dates.

The other day when Marcia and I shared a delicious Goat Cheese Orange Salad at Sitti,  I thought perhaps I could replicate it at home.  I tried the other night, and it was close, but I didn't use lemon vinaigrette, an ingredient in Sitti's that makes it delightfully refreshing. I did add a few other ingredients as well. 

Lovely purple bowl, gift of Marcia. 

Purple Astrolemia in bowl for centerpiece on table.

As I was making the salad I noticed the purple leaves in the mixed greens and how they matched the lovely centerpiece bowl with purple flowers.  That prompted me to add a bit more purple to the salad---a bit of shredded purple cabbage and a few purple grapes.

Shredded purple cabbage and purple grapes added to salad.

Napking and napkin ring.

Napkin ring.

With all the purple, I brought out the napkins and napkin rings that I had bought on sale at Pier One Imports to match the purple bowl.  They are more of an eggplant color, but they blend very well with the other purples on the table.

Shades of purple on the dinner table. 

We relished  the colorful salad while enjoying the shades of purple in the table decorations. 

A Belated Father's Day Dinner at Watts Grocery

Watts Grocery in Durham, NC

Dan and I met Laura and Anthony in Durham for dinner last night to celebrate a late Father's Day.  Laura made a reservation for an early seating at Watts Grocery, the popular restaurant on Broad Street, because we wanted to beat the crowd.  We find the food here exceptional, but when it is crowded the noise is quite bothersome.

The food is always fresh and whenever possible local.  I had had a late lunch, so I chose a starter as my entree.  The waitress recommended the salad special of local heirloom tomatoes and fava beans served on top of their signature cornbread and garnished with fresh basil, goat cheese and a creamy vinaigrette dressing. The tomatoes tasted like "real" tomatoes (like homegrown tomatoes of my childhood) and the creamy dressing complemented the tomatoes and fava beans perfectly.  The salad was filling yet left room for dessert.  I always try to leave room for dessert.

Heirloom tomato and fava bean salad topped with fresh basil and goat cheese.

Dan and Anthony enjoyed grilled local yellow fin tuna with peas and mushrooms which they pronounced delicious.  Laura was pleased with her fish stew as well.  The presentation of all our selections was beautiful and the serving size just perfect.  

For dessert, Dan was a bit disappointed in the Sour Lime Sorbet which he found a little bit too sour and slightly bitter.  Anthony was happy with his cheesecake with blueberry sauce.  

Cheesecake with blueberry sauce. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

I was intrigued with the Summer Berry Slump and asked the waitress what constituted a slump as opposed to say a cobbler, or a crisp, or a buckle.  She explained that the topping was more cake-like than the crust of a cobbler.  And the topping on this Slump practically melted in one's mouth.  I shared this dessert with Laura, and we both surmised there must be a lot of butter in the topping. Oh so good.  The berries were blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  Buttermilk ice cream on top provided a slight tartness that was perfect with the sweetness of the cake and berries.  

Summer Berry Slump with Buttermilk Ice Cream. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

Watts Grocery is best known for its brunches, apparently.  If their brunch is any better than our dinner, then I can't wait to give it a try.  We'll be back.

Sweet Potato Crostini with Goat Cheese and Grape Salsa

Sweet potato crostini.

Once a month the Cameron Village Library sponsors a Cookbook Book Club* and this month those attending took a dish containing potatoes---any kind of potatoes.  I chose this easy and tasty appetizer using frozen waffle-cut sweet potato fries. In this case, instead of toasted bread crostini I am garnishing toasted sweet potato fries. The recipe is from Southern Living October 2012.

Waffle-cut sweet potato fries.

Ingredients: 
20 large frozen waffle-cut sweet potato fries 
2 tablespoons red pepper jelly 
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice  
1 cup quartered seedless red grapes 
1/4 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper  
2 tablespoons finely diced green onions 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 
1 (4-oz.) package crumbled goat cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Bake potatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet 12 minutes; turn potatoes, and bake 5 to 7 more minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Bake sweet potato fries.

Cool on a rack.

 2. Meanwhile, whisk together pepper jelly and lime juice in a small bowl; stir in grapes and next 3 ingredients.

Lime juice and red pepper jelly.

Add grapes, yellow pepper, and onions.

3. Arrange potatoes on a serving platter; sprinkle with goat cheese. Garnish with grape salsa, using a slotted spoon. Serve immediately.

Ready to enjoy.

The combination of flavors is wonderful and these provide healthful appetizers.

* I had to miss the book club meeting, because I had forgotten that one my grandchildren was playing basketball at the same time, and I chose the basketball game.  But my family enjoyed these appetizers, and I think you would like them too.