Marsha Brown's raw bar

Oysters on Ice
Tina Phillips

Date night...where to go? 

Last night it was raw oysters. De Anna’s has great raw oysters but we were just there...so we ended up parking our tired butts at Marsha Brown’s - at the bar. 

I am not a fan of the big “congregational” room upstairs. The bar has even been feeling kind of dated decor wise. But alas, last night Randy told us there is to be a renovation starting next week. His description included booths. Not a fan. But we’ll see. Maybe it will be better. Out with bordello burgundy and in with? We’ll see...

At any rate we were there for squishy,salty things that come on platters of crushed ice with lemons and tabasco and maybe to channel some “New Orleans.”

Louisiana, particularly New Orleans, is renowned for it’s culinary culture of oysters. Why oysters in New Orleans? The estuarine environment (which describes a place where fresh and salt water mingle) in Louisiana provides a home for a veritable cornucopia of mollusks who end up on raw bars throughout the land - lucky for us all. So it stands to reason that Brown would include a raw bar in her Creole inspired restaurant. 

We ordered two of each of the three oysters offered. Two’s picky brother Voislav wants his oysters to convulse with the first squirt of lemon juice. This has never happened at Marsha’s. But then he is used to eating seafood at a restaurant on a dock in Sicily, where we are relegated to an old church in a dark, cold river town. 

Nonetheless, the oysters were very good last night. They did conjure the oceans they came from. The shrimp were fresh and had the right texture. There is nothing worse than the wrong texture or the taste of soapy water from a bite of shrimp. The snow crab claws were good as well. The colossal lump crab meat in remoulade was his good idea.  Despite a vow to eat only sprouted whole grains in the new year we polished off the warm baguette as well. I really do love the chopped salad with gooey blue cheese and bacon. They are very nice to split the order onto two plates. 

All was well last night in rawville. No complaints and really only praise for the raw bar experience at Marsha Brown’s. 

DEANNA"S

I was extolling the virtues of "locals night" at DeAnna's moments ago in a meeting. I thought a word about why this delightful, cost saving evening is worth the effort of having date night on Tuesday would be in order.

$25 includes an appetizer, a choice of main dish, and a dessert. Usually there are three wonderful options from each category. It has been our experience that the appetizer option is either a salad, a soup, or some kind of savory pudding or tart. The  puddings have always been wonderful - somehow they ooze butter and richness but retain the flavor and freshness of the vegetables that are included in their fluffy folds. And a word about the vegetables...they are always very seasonal. So Fall really feels like Fall - high lighting root vegetables and not hot house tomatoes. If there are tomatoes they are roasted(in-house) and intense. 

DeAnna makes her pasta fresh everyday.So usually there will be a pasta choice. When you order a non pasta main dish, there is an opportunity to order a vegetable or a bowl of pasta. It comes with homemade tomato sauce but we special order the pasta with olive oil, garlic, and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Fish is always a great choice too - usually whole and grilled - bronzino most recently. 

There is also always a specials menu. From that I highly recommend the pate with fruit. Highly. 

The menu has remained largely unchanged for awhile, which I like because I always know that when I don't care about getting on the scale in the morning I can order the pasta with proscuitto, peas, and cream sauce and then ask the wait person for extra grated cheese. The raviolli is excellent as well and often featured on the locals menu.  

My personal favorite is the grilled romaine. Which makes me an even cheaper date. Usually it is two nicely sized romaine hearts that are perfectly grilled so that only the tips of the lettuce are charred and then there are nice olive oily grill marks on the body of the lettuce. The Caesar dressing is perfect. The shaved parmesagne also perfect. 

Two other things to mention  - the bartenders at DeAnna's are delightful. When ramps are in season you might find a freshly pickled one in your martini courtesy of Russell. And try the St. Armand - a bourbon based cocktail invented by - you guessed it - Armand. Talk records with Russell and motorcycles with Armand and your evening will be complete. 

Almost. 

Any of the home made Italian pound cakes are amazing. My personal favorite is the blueberry almond. And the bread pudding changes according to - who knows - but every time it is fantastic. The ricotta cheesecake is renowned far and wide. Emphasize wide. Because we always seem to order dessert no matter how many St Armands and how much pasta has come before someone asks if we want dessert.

HAMILTON'S GRILL ROOM (AND THE BOAT HOUSE)

Going out to dinner can be so many things. For One and Two there are times when it is simply a matter of not wanting to cook - rare for two people who love to create in the kitchen - but feed 6 kids for a week and it looks pretty good to have someone put a plate of anything in front of you and then ask nicely to take it away when you are done. 

However, there are those times when going out can be an event. Not necessarily a grand one but an event in the sense that it inspires and comforts and surprises and  entertains. Time stands still and the outside world melts away. 

When One and Two go to the Boat House in Lambertville the margarita is foremost on their minds. Fresh lime juice...great tequila...a splash of Grand Marnier...rocks & salt - what could be more perfect? The standard of margarita has become "is it a boathouse margarita?" The taste is the thing but the soft hammer between the eyes is no small reward. And while pre margarita there is always a promise to go home and cook something, seldom post margarita do One and Two make it past the door to Hamilton's Grill Room.

Last night One and Two found themselves seated at the grill - really the only place they ever sit. Executive chef Mark Miller presided over the charcoal grill and wood fired oven.  

Two started with the potato pancakes with caviar and creme fraiche. This combination always brings Two back to Max Hansen's homemade potato chips with creme fraiche and caviar. Oh my good God. This is the combination fit for the Gods. The food Gods. No joke. The poached egg with caviar at Jean Georges was in the God food club too. Last night's appetizer did not disappoint - tequila notwithstanding. One had the oysters. Paired with 1995 Meursault these oysters sang a salty sea song. 

The tuna - perfect. Two doesn't always order tuna because it can be so firm and dry and frankly bland. She ordered it rare and it came off Mark's grill - rare. Rare and tender and perfect. The mashed potatoes and snow peas were really nice buttery additions. One had the skate - breaded and fried in butter butter and more butter. It was tender and sweet and really fresh. Dessert was raspberry sorbet and a basil panna cotta. Perfect. 

So the thing is - when we are eating out and find ourselves talking about food, cooking, other memorable meals, the meals we are planning for the week  - the ingredients in the sauces we are eating and the combinations of flavors - it is like an artist

going to a museum. We were inspired - by the food - by the atmosphere - by the really nice guy behind the grill sharing anecdotes about his young son's first haircut. 

Hamilton's Grill room remains a really special place. Treat yourself...start with the margarita at the Boat House. 

ANAPURNA

Two grew up in New Hope. Two grew up buying her high school wardrobe in the various India import shops in the Four Seasons Mall in New Hope. Where New Hope was once a collection of eclectic shops and curious cuisines, it is now an ever rotating crop of shops struggling to survive amidst the dwindling dollars of the tourists who flock to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. There are some old timers...Farley's is still hosting a very large cat amidst the tumbling stacks of books & Cryer's Hardware has been reopened by Tania Leibgold and Brad Finch as an fun collection of vintage ephemera and textiles. But one thing has not changed. The Four Seasons Mall was then and is now an aesthetic disaster. 

To reach Anapurna you will have to walk its entire length to the very rear of the Mall. But it's worth it. Honestly. The food was really good. The vegetable Samosas were good. The Lamb Korma was excellent. The Chicken Vindaloo was excellent. The Okra was more than excellent. Each dish was distinctive in color, flavor, and texture...which is sometimes a problem with Indian food that arrives in a flurry of all brown sauces with indistinct chunks of meat and vegetable floating around in the steaming bowls. 

It seems that Indian is one of those foods that we crave...as in "I have a craving for Indian food...when's the last time we had really good Indian?" And Anapurna will not disappoint your craving. Two's only complaint was that the condiments came in little plastic lidded containers of 2 tablespoons or less. Two loves Raita and loves it most in a bowl with chunks floating about. Two ate that Raita with one chunk of lamb. The other strange moment was the waitress having difficulty finding room for everything on the table and actually using the floor for one of the baskets. Odd. So were the two ladies who were sure we had their samosas. They didn't want them once we had a quick bite though...

CARVERSVILLE INN VS BELLS TAVERN

The bread pudding...easily Two's favorite dessert. Comfort food for a cold winter's night? Yes absolutely. But Two could eat bread pudding in the desert. Carversville Inn serves their warm, oozing, gooey, raisin studded bread pudding with homemade cinnamon ice cream. Bell's serves theirs with a warm caramel sauce. They are neck in neck. There is never a single sweet crumb left once One and Two finish eating. You judge for yourselves. 

CARVERSVILLE INN

Two grew up in Carversville, so the first time One and Two went to the Inn it felt like going home. Back in the very distant, dim past - the 70's - Two's mom had a small store in the Inn. She sold her handmade lighting fixtures along with a sampling of work from local artisans. There was a restaurant there at the time, but it's owner and chef are a hazy memory for the little girl Two was at the time. 

Now, the Inn is comprised of a lovely sit down dining room and a cozy bar. We always head for the bar. The stools are invariably taken by local folks who all know each other and who are now starting to know us...regulars I think they call us. Tuesday is burger night and well worth coming out so early in the week for dinner. But most of the time we are looking for really wonderful food in a very homey environment among wonderful local patrons. Two has had the diver scallop wrapped in prosciutto twice and loved it both times. It was perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned, and set atop a bed of fragrant red cabbage with bacon and shitake mushrooms and a sweet-sour whole grain mustard glaze. The onion soup is consistently wonderful. One had homemade fettuccine with spicy sausage, smoked pork loin, sun dried tomatoes, spinach , and Two's fork which kept dipping into One's meal. 

The bread pudding is really hard to resist. Ask for it with Cinnamon ice cream. 

XOCO

Two has a student who is an aspiring chef, so between discussing artwork and which assignment should be done, they discuss restaurants. Prior to One and Two leaving for Chicago, Evan suggested XOCO, Rick Bayless' new restaurant. The name Xoco is Mexican slang for little sister which we assume refers to the big brother Frontera Grill around the corner. 

Prepare to stand in line on the street for awhile waiting for Bayless' interpretation of Mexican street food... Tortas, Caldos, and Empanadas. But the line moves quickly and it smells so good and the hostess is so efficient that it really doesn't seem so bad. Actually, the rather sour hostess at Frontera Grill who informed us our wait would be over an hour made the wait at Xoco seem like a party. 

When we finally reached a stool, we tucked into a steaming caldos, the wood-roasted Chicken Pozole with Gunthorp chicken, pozole corn, rich broth, crunchy garnishes, ground red chile, and lime. We dipped our griddle fired tortas in the broth and left nothing for the dishwasher in the bowl. All in all worth the wait for wonderful Mexican comfort food. We ordered the churros and ate them as we walked in the cold Chicago air to our next destination. We highly recommend Xoco.