Savor Cafe and Catering

Shrimp & Grits with Andouille sausage - my #1 recommendation.

Savor Cafe and Catering, located on West Morehead St., is a cute spot for a tasty lunch or dinner. I recently dined in for dinner and we enjoyed prompt and attentive, but not overbearing service - thumbs up! The shrimp & grits, pictured above, was one of the best items I tried. The meat loaf was also very good as was the famous banana pudding. The soul rolls were crispy but I didn't find them to be as noteworthy as I expected. It would be great if the chef created a variation on the standard chili sauce to go with these, as part of the disappointment was tasting a sauce that comes right out of a bottle. The pad thai was sweeter than usual and definitely a different take if you are used to the traditional Thai variety. On my next visit I would like to try the blue cheese and bacon dip and I look forward to trying the salads, lunch sandwiches and more desserts - in particular the mile high peanut butter pie and the cobbler, which changes daily! Savor is a great addition to West Morehead and I look forward to returning soon.

Pad Thai with shrimp.



Crispy Soul Rolls.



Grilled meat loaf - very good!



Banana Pudding - tasty and pretty.

Rosa Mexicano's Foods of Baja

Conejo de Fideos - deliciously different!

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to try Rosa Mexicano's special Foods of Baja menu, which features culinary advisor Jonathan Waxman's special Baja-influenced menu from now until July 1. I dined at the Atlanta location, which recently welcomed Executive Chef Brad Weideman to the team. Foods of Baja features a fun menu with several really interesting dishes worth trying. My favorites include the lump crab meat tostadas - so much crab meat with interesting flavors that add just the right amount of flavor without being overpowering - and the fideo pasta - special Mexican dried pasta with rabbit, chicken and portabella mushrooms in an wonderfully spicy habanero chile-roasted tomato salsa. This entree is delicious and unusual - definitely a good choice.

All three desserts that we tried were fantastic as well, including the special Baja menu dessert of plum and blackberry compote with crema catalana - very creamy and fruity with crunchy crust bits on top. The churros are seriously one of the best things I've eaten in quite some time (see last photo, below). Calvin also really enjoyed the special drink (Miel de Toronja) with its unique smoky flavor and we had wonderful service from Ramon - what a great waiter! If you are looking for something different to try during the rest of the month, definitely check out the Flavors of Baja menu at Rosa Mexicano.

The Miel de Toronja (left): Herradura reposado tequila, Vida mezcal, honey, fresh grapefruit and lime.



Amuse bouche of seared scallop with slow braised beef short rib - Mexican surf and turf.



Tostada de Jaiba con Coco. One of my favorite menu items!



Zucchini a la Parrilla. Loved the most chile cornbread.

Tacos de Camarones de San Felipe (shrimp tacos)



Our expert guacamole maker.



Spicy guacamole - you can't eat at Rosa without ordering the guacamole!



Salsas and bottomless rice and beans, which accompany every meal.



Compota de Ciruelas y Zarzamoras - tasty plum and blackberry compote with crema catalana.



Pastel de Queso - apple cheesecake with cajeta and candied pecans.



Churros.

Awesome churros with three dipping sauces: chocolate, caramel and raspberry guajillo. We almost didn't order these but luckily Ramon talked us into it and we were not sorry - these are very good. The presentation is also nice - the churros come in a bag with cinnamon and sugar which Ramon shook table side to ensure each churro was coated with a nice layer of sweet goodness. The caramel sauce was my favorite but I also love that the raspberry guajillo has a serious kick!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Queen City Q

Onion rings with Boone's 57 sauce (front) and The Q Platter with double pork, beef brisket and St. Louis ribs.

Queen City Q is a fairly recent addition to the Charlotte BBQ scene. Located close to the 7th St. light rail stop, it's a perfect place to ride & dine. A few weeks ago Calvin and I walked uptown from our house, participated in a twilight 5K race and had a great dinner here before taking the train back home. If you don't live close enough to walk or take the train, parking is validated in the adjacent deck. In addition to a huge indoor dining room and full bar, there is a nice patio where we sat.

We decided to share an order of the onion rings appetizer and The Q Platter - you could choose up to 4 meats but since we love BBQ pulled pork we doubled up on that and had the brisket and the ribs as well. All of the meats were smoky, succulent and tasty, particularly the St. Louis ribs. It was also a portion big enough for a third person!

Queen City Q has a wide variety of sides including all of the usual suspects plus a few innovative additions like corn & edamame salad. Our chosen sides, mac & cheese and BBQ slaw, were good choices but I'd like to return to try the greens and sweet potato fries. Salads and tacos, two types of chili and Brunswick stew are also offered. I also like that they include Texas toast with the entrees - yum! I look forward to dining here again and trying more menu items!

Eastern NC BBQ slaw and mac & cheese.

Comminity Foods - Fresh Delivery in Metro Atlanta

Delicious, fresh chicken ready to be cooked!

Recently I was offered a 40 lb. box of fresh, hormone-free chicken from Community Foods. Community Foods is a local Georgia company that sells and distributes wholesale, top quality, fresh food, direct from the farm to the consumer. Products include chicken, lean ground beef, tilapia, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.  By eliminating the middle-man of grocery stores andwholesale clubs, and delivering to common pickup points within the community, Community Foods is able to bring customers better prices than they would be able to find anywhere else. Community Foods sold these chicken breasts for $1.69/lb.

I selected my pickup point and easily found the local church in Decatur closest to my home on the appointed day. Kevin Campbell, the president of Community Foods, greeted me and helped load the 40 lb. case of chicken into my trunk. It was surprisingly compact for such a large amount of chicken!

When I returned home I divided the butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts into freezer bags and even had enough to give away to friends and family. I cooked some delicious orange chicken, some chicken salad and chicken with apple chipoltle barbecue sauce - yum! Community Foods is a great resource for obtaining fresh, quality foods at convenient locations and great prices.

The truck with boxes of chicken loaded up.





Big bowl of chicken!

Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria - Take 2

Fried Green Tomatoes with Deviled Egg Salad, Ruby Red Tomato & Dill Pickle Dressing.

I was excited to be invited to the second Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria - I attended the first one earlier this year and you can see my post here. In celebration of its fine tomatoes, Muir Glen invites chefs around the country to create recipes using their organic canned tomatoes. Some chefs create a whole menu for guests to try at a special dinner. Before we sat down we enjoyed Tomato Clam Chowder; Tomato, white bean, red chard & fennel sausage soup; spicy Angus beef grillades and Southern Fried Chicken with Creamy Ruby Red Tomato Gravy (both served on buttermilk biscuits); grilled cheese, bacon & tomato keasters and Oak Grilled Ciabatta Bruschetta with Red & Yellow tomatoes and basil.

My favorites included the tomato, white bean, chard & sausage soup and the grilled cheese - both used the flavorful tomatoes perfectly.

Chef Gary Klaskala of Aria explaining the special tomato menu.

After the appetizers mentioned above, we sat down for a four course menu. We were also provided with samples of the tomatoes and reserve tomatoes - this year the reserve is called Harvest Sunset (trademark) and is a blend of red and yellow tomatoes. You can order a reserve basket here, which includes the recipe for the beef dish pictured below.

I am looking forward to making some chilli very soon using my tomatoes. I especially love the fire roasted tomatoes that Muir Glen produces. These tomatoes take canned to another level. To see recipe ideas, click here.

Pan Roasted Jumbo Prawn with Herbed Lobster Ruby Red Tomato Broth



Spicy Braised Angus Beef with Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Gold Potatoes and Cilantro. This was my favorite dish (well, after the dessert!)



UpsideDown Tomato Cake with black Pepper Tomato Ice Cream. Simply delicious - it sounds odd but a very good combination!

Poquito - Latin American Cuisine in San Francisco's Dogpatch Neighborhood

Churrasco - most delicious steak EVER! Grilled beef with a fried egg on a bed of rice, sweet plantains and spinach salad.

While in the Bay area recently, I truly enjoyed my visit to Poquito, a Latin American Tapas Bar in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood. Poquito was a highlight, not only because of the unique Latin American flavors but also because of the excellent service and variety of dishes offered. The above steak was excellent, something I would order again in a heartbeat and I am not usually a steak person. The sweet plantains and Spinach salad with cheese and dried fruit only added additional bursts of flavor to the mouthwatering steak, paired perfectly with a fried egg and delicious rice. Yes even the rice was better than usual.

L to R: Habas Fritas (fava beans, fried and salted); Chulpi (Ecuadorean corn kernels); Tostado (crunchy corn kernels, the Andean version of popcorn). Order one of these for an authentic South American start to the meal - great paired with drinks also.



Street sign.



Full bar.



Dining room.



Arepa con relleno - plain arepa topped with pork fritada, green onions, sweet plantain, cheese and white beans. Cheesy and delicious.



Shrimp tacos on jicama wrappers with pickled slaw and guanabana balsamic reduction. I LOVE the use of jicama instead of a tortilla - makes it healthier and adds a wonderful crunch to the delicious shrimp taco.



Homemade Hibiscus Cooler - yum. Other non-alcoholic drinks offered: Guanabana, Blackberry, Guayaba, Naranjilla or Lucuma smoothies as well as Hibiscus soda and Guava and Mango Nectar. Poquito has a full bar as well.



Shrimp Ceviche, Ecuadorean style. I love ceviche and this did not disappoint. The Eduadorean style was full of tomatoes and adding popcorn and tostado enriched the crunch factor.



Empanadas: 3 varieties are offered. These cheese and bean ones were delicious.



Empanadas de Aire con guayaba - sugar crusted empanadas with guava & cheese filling. Although stuffed I had to try these and again, a new delicious flavor. These would be great for breakfast with a cup of coffee!



Yours truly with co-owner Jason Yoo. Richard Vila is the second owner. If you live in SF or if you are visiting, this is a really neat place to try. I look forward to visiting again someday.

Akaoni - Japanese Cuisine in Carmel by the Sea, CA

Fabulous sushi - love the spicy tuna roll.

When we were in the Bay Area earlier this year we dined at a fabulous little Japanese restaurant called Akaoni in Carmel-By-the-Sea. If the town name is not cute enough for you, the quaint shops, the fountains and the beautiful landscaping will make you wish you could stay longer. The sukiyaki brought back memories from my time in Japan, as did the "sosu" served with the fried squid. The sushi was also excellent, especially the spicy tuna roll.

Fresh squid dipped in panko and fried. Served with the famous "sosu".

Sukiyaki - a homestyle classic. Takes me back to my school days in Japan.

Chef at work.

The unassuming entry.