The 'Burg

Nicole and I decided to have an adventurous Saturday and got up this morning to spend the day in Blacksburg. Part of my job involves finding out about events that are taking place in the area, but ironically, Nicole usually finds much more interesting things than I do - and she heard about some cool stuff going on in downtown Blacksburg today. And of course, both had a strong emphasis on food.

As the weather begins to warm back up (not that it ever got particularly cold), more farmer's markets are starting open up. The Blacksburg Farmer's Market isn't very big, but it does have a lot of character, community support, and it's in a great location. I'd say there were about 10 merchants with tables, and there might be more vendors once we get farther into the growing season. Also, the market is open on Saturday and Wednesday afternoon, and Wednesday might be a more popular day. However, for a small market, there is a surprising amount of variety in the products offered. There are handmade craft items available as well as fresh produce, meat, cheese, baked goods, coffee, butters and jams, homemade ice cream, and more - even a station where two guys (not five) were grilling burgers and other types of sandwiches. The market is located in the heart of downtown and receives a lot of business from Virginia Tech students and Blacksburg locals. It's really cool to see the college students supporting the local economy and helping area farmers and it gives the market some unique character. Even if it's just for a stroll, spending some time at the Blacksburg Farmer's Market is a fun way to enjoy a Saturday morning.

After hanging out at the market, Nicole and I grabbed some drinks from Starbucks and walked over to the Virginia Tech campus for another fun gathering. A group of student organizations had joined together for the "International Street Fair" - and to be honest, I was stunned at how big this event was. I was expecting to see five or six tents set up with the only people attending the event being the ones who were already involved with the organizations. I was way off. There were probably 25-30 tents set up, each one representing different countries from around the world and serving unique cuisine from that country. The students did a great job representing their countries, serving authentic dishes, dressing in cultural attire, and playing regional music. There were probably a few thousand people that attended the event and I'm sure this was a great fundraiser for many of the campus organizations involved. Nicole and I supported the Vietnamese Student Group (Viet Tech) by enjoying some Shrimp Spring Rolls. I shouldn't have been surprised at the interest and support of the event - the Virginia Tech student body has a strong international presence and a great sense of community. Good for them for embracing their cultural diversity.

We had a lot of fun hanging out in The 'Burg for the day. The weather was great and it felt good to get out and do something different. I also tried a new restaurant and hope to post a review about that later in the week. Now, we just have to be sure not to hang out in Blacksburg so much that we become, as Nicole says, "the creepy older people who hang out at college events but aren't actually in college."

Set Sail

Room with a view

If you travel to the West Palm Beach area, you’ll learn Riviera Beach isn’t exactly a popular hotspot for people to hang out. Instead of being known for beautiful beaches and glamorous riches, Riviera Beach is more known for crime, poverty, and public health problems. It is one of the cultural complexities of Palm Beach County – you have the richest of the rich living right beside the poorest of the poor. Just across the Intracoastal Waterway from Riviera Beach is Singer Island, which is full of beachfront condos and luxurious marinas, one being the Sailfish Marina. And the Sailfish Marina also happens to have a restaurant we have visited multiple times, including a visit during our recent vacation.

The setting for the restaurant and marina is gorgeous and classic South Florida. The restaurant faces the Intracoastal Waterway and Peanut Island, offering wonderful views of the boats in the marina as well as the island out in the center of the waterway. There is outdoor seating as well as an indoor patio and I really don't think there's a bad seat in the entire restaurant. This is the sort of place that is as popular for it's atmosphere as it is for the food.

Nicole got stoned

However, even without the atmosphere, this is probably the restaurant Nicole was most looking forward to during our time in Florida. You can get good seafood all over the place in South Florida, but crab legs can be a bit more difficult to come across, especially Stone Crabs. Stone Crabs are a local delicacy in South Florida and Nicole is a crab legs connoisseur. Sailfish Marina is the only place we've been that serves Stone Crab claws, and there was no question as to what Nicole would be ordering. I also ordered something featuring crab, but it wasn't quite as extravagant as Nicole's stone crabs - I ordered the Caribbean Crab Nachos.

I'd had the crab nachos multiple times, but it was always as an appetizer for the table. This time, I realized the nachos were always my favorite part of the meal, so I decided to have them as my entree. The nachos are served as a large pile of tortilla chips as the base and then topped with black beans, mango, jack cheese, cream cheese, and lumps of crab meat. The first time I saw it on the menu, I thought it was an odd combination. Now, it is up there with Pappasito's as the best nachos I've ever had. The sweetness of the mango is excellent with the richness of the crab meat and the saltiness of the tortilla chips. And as the cream cheese begins to melt, it makes it all come together. I've tried to copy this recipe multiple times, but I haven't been able to do it. I guess there is just something magical about the way it's made at Sailfish.

One of the things on our vacation bucket list was getting Nicole some stone crabs. At Sailfish Marina, she was able to enjoy her crab claws and I can't complain about my meal either. Great food and wonderful views...and you begin to understand why so many consider South Florida to be paradise.

A Little Nook

The Center Street Nook was another one of the places Nicole and I knew we wanted to eat during our vacation in Florida. This is one of my favorite restaurants (anywhere) and it is full of local character and charm. It seats about 20 people and this is the first place I think of when recommending a sort of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" type restaurant. When we lived in Jupiter, Nicole and I would occasionally walk to "The Nook" on Saturday mornings and enjoy a heaping plate of pancakes - filled with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and happiness. The staff were always extremely friendly, the food was delicious, and there was a special feeling about being able to eat there - I was very excited about getting to go back!

On our return trip, we decided to go by The Nook for lunch. We were lucky to come at a time when it wasn't particularly crowded and we were able to walk right in and get a seat - this is one of the only times I've ever had this happen. As usual, we were greeted by an extremely friendly waitress who took our drink orders as we looked over the menu. They were serving breakfast (served for breakfast & lunch) and normal lunch items so I was in quite the dilemma over what to order. Nicole went with breakfast (a veggie omelette) and I decided to get a sandwich because I was more in the mood for lunch. I've had many of their sandwiches but I'd never tried a burger of any type, so I ordered the Patty Melt on rye bread.

I miss you sweet potato fries.

The food came out and looked excellent, and to no one's surprise, tasted excellent too. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they provide a creative, unique menu without sacrificing quality or flavor. My patty melt was served on rye bread that had been buttered and toasted, which was a great combination with the generous beef patty, melted cheese, and onions. I don't eat too many burgers/red meat anymore, but I can make an exception when it tastes like this. And to go with my sandwich, I ordered sweet potato fries as my side - which they do a great job with.

To be honest, I really can't offer any sort of critical review about the Center Street Nook. I love everything about it. The prices, especially for the South Florida area, are very reasonable - breakfast ranges from $5-$8 and lunch ranges from $6-$10. The servers are always friendly and the owner is always there checking on tables and talking with guests. And everything I've tasted has been good. They could probably expand to offer more space but that might take away some of the charm and atmosphere. This is one of the special little parts of Jupiter, FL that a visitor must experience - I miss not being able to experience it more often.

The Sweetest Thing

When we returned from vacation last week, I had all these intentions of jumping right back into blogging and posting on a regular basis. Then...the reality of life hit. The issue of being sick slowed me down. The routine of spending most of the day on the computer at work discouraged me from spending more time in front of my laptop when I got home. And what little energy I had was being consumed by our new chocolate lab puppy, Maggie. For people who post to a blog on a daily basis, I don't know how you do it. This whole "being a grown-up" thing is exhausting. But alas, I'm feeling better and have a little more energy and I've got a variety of posts to get out there - including a number of restaurant reviews from all the places we've been to in the past couple weeks.

When we arrived in Florida to start our vacation, we had done our research. There happened to be a Sweet Tomatoes between the airport and the condo, making it a perfect spot to kick off our week of feasting. For my wife, a meal at Sweet Tomatoes is a magical experience. She eats more than anyone I know (and still remains skinny) and she loves vegetables, so she could easily spend two or three hours eating at Sweet Tomatoes. If you've never been, Sweet Tomatoes features an all-you-can-eat (huge) salad bar along with a variety of soups, breads, and other dishes. It's about $10 per person and one of the only "healthy all-you-can-eat" restaurants I can think of.

This particular Sweet Tomatoes, which was in Orlando, had a rather odd layout. I think the space was under renovations but the various food stations were rather spread out. The salad bar was at the entrance of the restaurant and it was a little difficult to make return trips (it didn't deter us) and then the soup seemed to be over in a corner. Maybe they were trying to incorporate some exercise into multiple trips to the different sections of the restaurant?

One Plate...Amateur!

The quality of the food was consistent with every other trip I've had to Sweet Tomatoes. The vegetables on the salad bar tasted very fresh and there was great variety. And I always enjoy trying the different pre-made salads they provide, particularly the Wonton Chicken Happiness salad, which makes me very happy. There was also a nice selection of soups, and I thought the Red Beans & Rice stew was the standout. And with it being an all-you-can-eat setup, you can try anything you want and not worry about whether or not you like it. It's always a lot of fun for Nicole and I - giving us an excuse to be adventurous eaters on a budget.

This was a great way to get our vacation started. We had been eagerly anticipating the meals we would get to have in Florida, and Sweet Tomatoes was definitely a place that was on the list. Afterwards, we were ready to hit the beach and enjoy a week of rest and relaxation...AND MORE EATING!

Spring Break

I apologize for the lack of posting - the beach has taken priority over the past week. I look forward to writing about my vacation...AFTER it's over!

I'll Trade You

When Consumer Reports comes out with a rating on restaurants or certain types of foods, I'm generally not interested. If they're assessing the performance of a type of tire or telling me which operating system works best for a computer, I value the research and opinion. But when it comes to who has the best french fries or milkshake, I'd rather find out for myself. So when Consumer Reports revealed that they thought Trader Joe's Truffle Brownies were the best store bought brownie mix, we decided it was time to put this rating to the test.

Sadly, there is not a Trader Joe's in the Roanoke Valley. It's another topic for another day, but it would be AMAZING if Trader Joe's could come to the Roanoke area in the near future. I'm looking at you abandoned Ukrops building. In the meantime, we take advantage of visiting places that have TJ's locations and usually pick up a few items to bring back home. Seeing as how my family takes a trip to the Naval Academy every few weeks to see my brother, we can count on some loot from the Trader Joe's store in Annapolis on a relatively regular basis.

A couple weeks ago, I finally got around to making these highly acclaimed brownies. The ingredients include one full stick of butter, which hurts the waistline but not the tastebuds. And when I poured the mix into a bowl, I noticed large chunks of chocolate that would be mixed in with the batter - hello truffle friends. Making brownies isn't the most complicated baking in the world, so I followed the recipe, put them in the oven, and then eagerly waited for the result. Once the brownies were finished baking, I pulled them out of the oven and again followed the instructions on the box - which included letting the brownies cool for 30 minutes! Agonizing!

After 30 minutes of drooling, I cut into my first piece and took a bite...BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE! These brownies were rich, they were decadent, they were moist, they were heavenly. The chunks of chocolate really put them over the top and provided a fudge-like element. Eating them warm offered an experience similar to enjoying a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut. I quickly realized that it would be a challenge to not enjoy the entire pan of these brownies on my own. I resisted the temptation to hide them from everyone else and offered my family some. Everyone was a huge fan and I don't think the pan lasted much more than 24 hours.

Now, I find myself daydreaming about Trader Joe's brownies. They were delicious, but they could even be taken to another level. With the possibility of adding peanut butter, or caramel, or butterscotch, or coconut...I feel like Willy Wonka. I guess we'll just have to try them all to figure out which way is actually the best. Pardon me, I can hear myself getting fatter.

Get Her to the Greek

Our Tuesday night schedule did not allow us the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day. So, Nicole and I decided to have a belated Valentine's Day celebration by having lunch together on Thursday at The Isaacs Restaurant in Grandin Village. From the people I'd talked to, I wouldn't say The Isaacs has the best reputation, but they have recently changed ownership and we were hoping for a good experience. It's always fun to try a new place, especially one with a little international flair.

Even though The Isaacs focuses on serving Greek/Mediterranean food, we weren't particularly adventurous with our lunch choices. We both ordered the salad bar, which was all-you-can-eat and also came with a selection of three different soups. I tried the potato & feta soup (it was decent but not anything worth bragging about) and loaded up on multiple trips to the salad bar.  At first glance, the salad bar seemed small, but it actually had a good selection of items. Along with a choice of mixed greens or spinach, they had tons of fresh veggies - including red & green peppers, red onions, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, almonds, and cauliflower. There were also some unique additions such as homemade croutons, dill potatoes, greek yogurt, and curried chicken salad. I believe the salad dressings were also homemade. For a simple salad bar, I was rather impressed.

I'd say the salad bar lunch is a very reasonable deal at around $7. My only complaint about our lunch would be that the restaurant seemed under-staffed. For a rather large dining area with a decent amount of people, I only saw one server waiting tables. We had to wait to be seated, it took a while to receive our drinks, and we ended up with a pile of dishes on our table by the end of the meal. I wouldn't blame the server - I'd blame management for not having more people working to provide the waiter some help. They were also pretty slow with keeping the salad bar stocked, which is dangerous when Nicole and I are on the prowl!

Overall, I think the new owners at The Isaacs have things going in the right direction. The food tasted fresh and the prices made for a very good value. I'd assume they are in a transition period and trying to be very careful about labor and costs, but they need to make sure customers are receiving great service. If they can get those issues worked out, I think The Isaacs will do very well.