VittlesVamp

Deviled Eggs Are My Culinary Kryptonite

A little over a year ago I wrote about fear of rice. Admittedly it's hard to get it right on the stovetop. From time to time I've mustered some small success with basmati rice. Even so, it took buying a rice cooker for rice to start making regular guest appearances at dinnertime.

Sadly, there is no device or advice that has yet to help me when it comes to another staple -- one that has proven to be a formidable frenemy. I'm talking about Satan's favorite high-cholesterol snack, the Deviled Egg.

Some downright gorgeous specimens from The Long Island Bar & Restaurant are pictured above. Delicious.

Would I like to replicate these beauties for a Southern-style dinner party opener (someday, when we can have dinner parties again)? Yes! But, alas, all my attempts at hard-boiling and peeling eggs has come up short. I am never able to peel away the shell clean. I am always ending up with whites with major pockmarks. Not a pretty sight. And Deviled Eggs must be pretty. That's in the Deviled Egg bylaws. It's pretty strict about the need for Deviled Eggs to be pretty.

I have tried many methods. All have failed. I have officially given up and I will leave the "Deviling" to those more capable. I think we'll all be better for it. I know the eggs will be better for it for sure.

New Finds In Lisbon

Yes, when I am lucky enough to visit somewhere more than once, I adore returning to old haunts and fabulous favorites. But, there is still something in the depths of my food-obsessed soul that yearns to uncover the new.

Now, I didn't think I would actually "discover" anything that wasn't on the radar of others during my latest trip to Lisbon. That being said, did end up following the advice of Culinary Backstreets and nabbed myself a reservation at a fairly new hot spot - Tasca Baldracca - a very cool, casual restaurant in Mouraria. It comes equipped with an oversized chalkboard to share today's menu, heavily tattooed owners who can't wait to pour you a glass of wine that will put a smile on your face, and just enough attitude to make sure you know that you've been somewhere special.

And, the food? AHH-MAZING!

After a glass of red that had me at "hello," I kept with the red theme - in this case with red meat...

This is unequivocally the finest Steak Tartare I have ever had. It was served with puffy, fried batons of pastry, so you could scoop up the raw goodness and spoon it into a bit of pastry for a contrast of flavors and textures. Add a bit of the umami-rich anchovy mayo or house-fermented mustard and it was over the top.

Next up, I went for something cooked...

This Roasted Suckling Pig had a crackling that balanced crisp with a touch of fatty chew. The meat was beyond tender. The fennel and orange salad alongside had a handful of chili peppers, and the heat made the whole dish come together beautifully.

And, who was I to say no to dessert?

Yes! The chalkboard said Leite Creme de Doce de Liete - and I knew that a custard of what we call Dulce de Leche would be a lovely finish. When one of the owners plunked down a glass and a whole bottle of Moscatel to go with, I knew that this was less of a finish and more of a finale.

It was an incredible meal. I could have ended the night there. But, I didn't.

Just steps away there was a "Basque-Italian" bar called Quattro Teste that called to me. The room was elegant, yet cozy. Strangely, it was empty at first, but within a few minutes avid cocktail fans started to make their way in. Thankfully, I had an opportunity to speak with owner/bartender Alf before the place got too busy and met his partner and wife Marta as well. One G&T later, I was ready to try one of their own concoctions...

The Piemontese was a cocktail to love - Cucielo Rosso vermouth, Stravecchio Branca brandy, Nardini Elixir de China, and Izarra Groc. It was an aromatic, bitter nightcap that capped me off brilliantly.

No surprise here if Tasca Baldracca and Quattro Teste end up on my "must return" list whenever I am next in Lisbon.

Return To Lisbon

I may have come to Lisbon for work, but conference schmonference - I felt exhilarated to return. The sun was out. The Vino Verde flowed. I needed to visit some of my favorite spots. Staying in Principe Real, the Pavilhão Chinês was a first stop, chockablock with curiosities and an air of worn elegance, I couldn't wait to hit the bar and order up a G&T...

The drinks aren't really the point there, but the swirl of oddball collectibles and memorabilia, coupled with chandeliers and floor to ceiling art, make it a the perfect perch for a before-dinner tipple.

Where after? A taxi to Belem to the newly spiffed-up Nunes Real Marisqueira was a solid pick. See this massive shrimp?

Incredibly sweet and tender. There was a cavalcade of other seafood delights - including a platter overflowing with two different types of fresh shrimp. These were smaller, steamed and chilled, ready for peeling and dipping into garlicky aioli.

How do you say "Yaaaassss!!!" in Portuguese?

And, Nunes wasn't my only "must" place for seafood. The Sea Me outpost at Time Out Market was another favorite that warranted a return visit...

The Seared Sardine Nigiri and the Cod Nigiri with Toasted Almonds are justly famous. Melt-in-your-mouth doesn't even begin to do them justice.

Coffee was also had. Both Copenhagen Coffee Lab and Fabrica Coffee Roasters rival for my affections. But for the lauded dessert of Lisbon, the Pasteis de Nata?

I was all in with Manteigaria's burnished custard beauties, still warm from the oven.

So good.

There is something undeniably warming about returning to places like these - culinary gems, if ever there were.

But don't be mistaken. New hot spots were discovered on the trip as well.

Hold tight. Details are forthcoming...

Almeja

How to start my first dinner in Porto? There was no question: Port Tonico.

The place? A stylish downtown bistro called Almeja.

The food? A delicious tasting menu that had me at "hello"...

That "hello" came in the form of Gordal Olives stuffed with anchovies, served with a scoop of intense Lemon Sorbet.

Well, hello!

A series of spectacular tastes followed, including a rich chicken broth, accompanied by bite-sized Chicken Pies. Then there was Toasted Pig's Head Terrine with escabeche and apple...

Bread was served with fermented butter and an olive oil that I was tempted to drink from a glass. A twirl of Green Beans came with a pumpkin puree, fried egg, and fragrant green curry...

A pristine piece of Yellowtail was served with shucked cockles, atop cuscos, bathed in a saffron-citrus sauce...

A melt-in-your-mouth piece of Alejento Pork came with an almond cream and salsify. And, then there was a very curious dessert of Sweet Curry with Coconut Sorbet...

And, to gild the lily, a riff on a Banoffee with frozen white chocolate yogurt and a drizzle of warm toffee sauce finished things off with a glass of Tawny Port.

It was quite the greeting to Lisbon's sister to the North. Talk about a howdy!

Best Donut on the Planet

There is no argument to be had. The crullers at Daily Provisions are transcendent. One bite into the Maple Glazed version, pictured above, and I knew I was dealing with some incomparable, brilliant f*cking donut genius here.

It seriously warrants this review:

YES!!!!!

Fruit & Veg

You expect them together on the produce aisle, but not necessarily together on a plate. Except for a squeeze of citrus atop steaming veggies, fresh fruit and vegetables aren't always seen as a natural pairing.

Yet, two posts below, you'll see an image of a Charred Cabbage Salad from a visit in July to Portland's Canard -- and that cabbage was served with sliced peaches, toasted pine nuts, and a shower of Parmesan.

Good stuff.

And, even more recently, I was surprised and delighted at a local fave called Colonie to tuck into a Watermelon Salad with charred Shishito peppers, smoked ricotta, brown butter, fresh oregano leaves, and toasted pumpkin seeds. On another evening at the same restaurant, I was greeted with a special Tomato and Strawberry Salad.

Yes, yes, tomatoes are also considered a fruit as well as a vegetable, but still!

Tomatoes are a great foil for fresh fruit. In fact, I have been known to make a salad of tomatoes, peaches, red onion and cilantro. Delicious combo!

Have you encountered any couplings between fruit and veg this summer? Could they beat out Bennifer as the new "it couple"? We'll see...

Trying Summer Travel

You've all seen the articles and news clips of travel gone wrong this summer. Witness lines that go on for miles at typically efficient airports and a veritable sea of lost luggage at others. It's ugly out there.

So, I decided to keep my passport locked away this summer, instead visiting friends in different parts of the States: Seattle, Portland, and Detroit. Was a good plan -- in part.

Did my flights go horribly awry?

Nope.

My life did.

First up was a client work crisis that started on the weekend of 4th of July. We're talking non-stop, relentless, strategic, detailed, high-alert stuff. And, that might have been OK, if not for....

Covid.

Yes, I got Covid. Been vaxxed and boosted, but still had it bad. Barreled through the crisis work despite utter exhaustion, napping in-between Zoom meetings where possible, hoping I could go on my trip 10 days later. I made it through my 10 days of quarantine, got on the plane to Seattle -- but the crisis communications emergency continued unabated -- now with the fun-filled twist of primary players being in London on GMT when I was on Pacific time.

Fantastic.

Thankfully, even with minimal sleep, I was able to see friends for a bit of beer tasting and a brief sail in Elliott Bay. We also regaled in a glorious dinner at a popular Korean-inspired hot spot called Revel. The restaurant's Short Rib Wontons with fried garlic and chili oil are pictured above. Still thinking about them, as well as the kitchen's deeply satisfying Spicy Miso Rice Cakes sautéed with pork belly and bits of kale.

When I got on a train to head to Portland the next evening, I was hopeful that things would settle down on the work front. No such luck. Consolation prize? Seeing friends, of course -- and also hitting the newly opened Pacific Standard for cocktails and Canard for comfort food with innovative twists and turns. The latter included the chef's famous Duck Stack as well as this brilliant Charred Cabbage Salad with sliced peaches, toasted pine nuts, and a shower of Parmesan...

Delicious as it was, I was tuckered out. My red-eye flight to Detroit a couple days later didn't help. But, more friends awaited. And, so did a visit to Detroit's Eastern Market, as well as socializing at several house parties in the Palmer Woods district. Meals were had as well, including a dinner visit to the very hip Marrow restaurant, where - despite the meat-centric menu - I fell hard for the kitchen's Lobster and Maitake Dumplings with Michigan corn butter, nuggets of sweet lobster meat, lobster broth and Chinese chive...

Am I complaining? Not about the food. Most certainly not about the friends. Just about the whirlwind and lack of shut-eye.

Don't people say that things "slow down" in the summer?!?

Well, let's see what August brings.

My Beard in Philadelphia

Not the type of "beard" you might be thinking of (unless you know me really well). Yes, I am talking about a James Beard Award-winning chef. In this case, Chef Cristina Martinez, the brilliant Mexican chef from Philadelphia who just took home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.

Some of you might know her from her featured appearance on Netflix's "Chef's Table," where her restaurant South Philly Barbacoa was spotlighted, along with her amazing culinary skills, her immigration activism, and her overall bad-assery. She is a force on several fronts.

So, I didn't have to think twice about taking MamaVamp to her second restaurant - Casa Mexico - when I came to town.

Started with some Agua Frescas...

I sprinkled some salt into my Watermelon juice. So delicious. And, then the food started arriving. First up, a superlative version of Chicken Enchiladas...

That was followed by Pork Carnitas and Shrimp Tacos that had my tongue buzzing and my eyes rolling back in my head.

When my eyes settled back, I saw her. Chef Martinez, who was working alongside her staff to keep the front room in order. I shouted out a simple "Congrats!" and "Thank you, your food is amazing!" She nodded back with a smile. She knows her food is good. No. Not good. Great. And, yet you could tell that she appreciated hearing it from a customer nonetheless. I cannot imagine that she doesn't hear it all day long. If she doesn't, she should.

France's Choice

Nope. Not talking about France's recent Presidential election.

I am talking about dessert.

As an American, the image above -- a perfectly made Paris-Brest from a dinner in Paris (yes, I went back yet again) -- epitomizes the notion of a French dessert. This wasn't just a notion though. This drop-dead gorgeous pastry rightly finished off a magnificent bistro supper at Chez Michel in the 10th Arrondissement.

But, dessert in France isn't always of a sweet nature. In fact, it is often crumbly and funky. Or sometimes it is smooth and buttery...

Yes, fromage. Add some good honey and toasted nuts and, well, hello! In France, cheese might as well be a religion. And, I think I would be happy praying to a perfectly ripe Saint Marcellin or Bleu d'Auvergne.

In this case, I did not make a choice when it came to closing out the meal. My dinner companion and I did both.

Both is a choice too though, isn't it?

Apero Hour Hits Paris

For those of you who aren't aware, not only did I fall down the pandemic rabbit hole of tuning in 6 days a week to watch cookbook author and former pastry chef David Lebovitz shake and stir up Instagram Live "Apero Hours" for several months - but I took it one step further. (Are you surprised? I think not.)

When Paris reopened from lockdown in late May 2020, David Lebovitz declared that he was putting an end to the regular "Apero Hour" series. I understood completely. But was still upset - not just about losing my daily fix of David himself, but because of the others that I had met virtually in the chat box.

Odd to think you can "meet" people in a chat box, but somehow we managed!

Well, when he declared that "Apero Hour" was coming to an end, I suddenly typed up an "Oh, no! We're going to need to set up an IG hub to keep this group together!"

I said it. Now I had to do it. And so, it was done.

I recruited two other "Apero Hour" regulars to join me: one from Portland, Oregon - Heidi, known as @UncommonMuse on Instagram, and the other from Olso, Norway - Judah, known as @StreetofTrees on IG. For 15 months, the three of us each posted one photo a week and a thought starter or such to keep the conversation going.

And so, it went.

We finally decided to have our own "Apero Hour Fans" handle come to a close in September 2021, vowing we'd start it up again whenever the three contributors were able to get together - in Paris.

Just a few weeks ago, we made that happen. The photo above is from our very first lunch all together at Les Rubis in the 2nd ARR. That's a Duck Heart Brochette if you're curious. It was delicious. But, much more importantly, Heidi, Judah and I felt like peas in a pod. In this case, the pod was the City of Lights. More specifically it was Sentier and the incredible foodie wonderland that is Rue Montorgueil...

and Rue du Nil...

Yes, there was pastry...

And, we even left the neighborhood a few times to imbibe...

Quite memorably, the above drinks were sipped at Sister Midnight. Other gorgeous cocktails were had at CopperBay, while bubbly Vouvray Brut was enjoyed at Le Bon Georges.

The pièce de résistance? It happened here...

A trip to Belleville to go to the much-lauded Combat bar. There, we raised a glass (okay, a couple of glasses!) with David Lebovitz and his husband Romain Pellas.

Yes, that's right. That's how we roll.

Tchin-tchin! And, considering the threat of variants still looms large, let me add a - Santé! - for good measure.

Mangiare e Bere a Roma Pt 2

In many ways I had two stays in Rome during my recent trip. First, I was the guest of my friend Tracy in Esquilino. Second, I absconded to a dreamy hotel - the Locarno - near Piazza del Popolo. Decorated in muted jewel tones with an air of the roaring twenties, the hotel made me feel transported. A perfectly made cappuccino in a sunny garden courtyard? That is a perfectly normal breakfast experience. Isabella Rossellini a few tables away? Par for the course at this magical spot.

The days whirled by with a mix of wandering Rome and working until dinnertime - conducting the latter from the Locarno's rooftop lounge.

Not too shabby, right?

And, yes, it is a perfect spot for a nibble. The kitchen wasn't serving upstairs one afternoon, so I took the opportunity to grab a Porchetta Sandwich for lunch and make a picnic of it, computer by my side.

Not a bad office lunch situation, right?

And, what did I do for a big finish? I nabbed a barstool at Il Marchese - a gorgeous bustling spot with a Michelin Bib accolade and an Amaro Bar with nearly 500 labels on offer. Needless to say, the cocktails were spot on...

So was the food - from a half portion of Carbonara to a luscious helping of Steak Tartare, dressed with the sunniest yellow egg yolks on the planet and thinly sliced, pink pickled onions...

And, for dessert? I did dip a spoon into a Pistachio Tiramisu, but the sweets after dessert were particularly sublime...

Così incredibile!