Osteria Tulia, Naples, Florida

Housemade burrito with heirloom tomatoes and pea tendrils

For the past couple of years, I've been a loyal customer of Collier Family Farms, a local organic produce farm situated east of Naples.  Last season they participated in my local farmers' market, bringing with them a bounty of tomatoes of all types.  Farmer Steve tells me that the best tomatoes on their farm are earmarked just for Osteria Tulia, the "it" restaurant on Naples' famed 5th Avenue opened by Chef Vincenzo Betulia.  With the help of local purveyors like Collier Family Farms and local butcher, Jimmy P's, Chef Vincenzo extends the farm-to-table concept to rustic Italian fare and creates savory masterpieces that will make you want to come back for more.  And I'm not the only one singing Tulia's praises.  This past season, Tulia saw the likes of Harry Connick, Jr. and famed chef Emeril Lagasse too.  With a following like that, you can bet that Tulia will be around for a long time to come.  

Tulia is charming with its rustic wood flooring and inlaid brick, sophisticated but casual with the feel of a European farm house.  It's romantic enough for that long-deserved date night and at the same time perfect for a leisurely night out with friends.  Whether you are a party of one, two or more, it's easy to relax and enjoy yourself in Tulia's dining room.

Chef Vincenzo's first course appetizers are a hit with its visitors.  The most surprising favorite is Tulia's crisp fried pigs ears.  As off putting as it may sound, this is not your ordinary pork rind.  Only slightly chewy in places, crisp in others, perfectly salted and served with an optional lime wedge, its just the right thing to wet your palate and get you ready for the main course to come.  Don't feel like being adventurous, then stick with Tulia's warm bread service and traditional Italian caponata (just like my husband's Sicilian grandmother used to make).  If you'd rather skip the apps and get started on the courses, Tulia offers a delightful selection of salads.  Among my favorites is the soft and creamy house made burrata with some of Collier Family Farm's supplied heirloom tomatoes, dressed with olive oil, cracked black pepper and pea tendrils.  The watermelon and raspberry salad with frisee and feta is also a nice summer option.  

Garganelli with braised lamb and sheep cheese

But the pasta dishes at Tulia are where it is at.  Made on site, these pasta dishes are to die for (and for a little bit extra can be made gluten free).  I'm a short rib fan so the tortellini is one of my go to options when dining at Tulia.  And if Anna isn't with me, the garganelli with braised lamb is a nice choice too.  The meats added to these dishes are both cooked nicely, appropriately sauced and properly highlighted by these well made pastas.  Having difficulty choosing?  Wednesday nights this summer, Tulia offers a pasta tasting flight with a trio of selections.   Have picky kids?  There's no reason that they too can't enjoy Tulia.  I've been told the kitchen will oblige a finicky eater with buttered versions of these pastas.

If you are not into pasta, my newest Tulia recommendation is the seafood risotto.  Anyone who has tried to make risotto at home knows that a well-cooked risotto is not easily done.  It takes a lot of patience and practice.  So when I have an opportunity to order this traditional Italian rice dish at a restaurant with a chef as skilled as Chef Vincenzo, I don't pass that up.  Billed to be made with "all the seafood in the house", this dish is indeed chock full of bits from the goodness of the waters punctuated with fresh cut scallion.  When the risotto appears again on Tulia's regularly changing menu, I will definitely order it again.  

My biggest recommendation though is to come to Tulia with an empty stomach.  Why?  Because, after dining through all of these amazing dishes, you really don't want to miss the dessert selections.  Just like their is savory courses, Tulia's sweet plates don't disappoint.  Visually inviting and equally tasty, these desserts make for a great capper to a great night.

The best thing about Tulia?  Enjoying its fare doesn't really have to break your budget.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm sure you could really blow through quite a bit of cash here if you really wanted to.  But, sans wine and with careful selections, you could really get out of this place on the cheap.  On our first trip to Tulia, the hubby and I skated away with a bill just under $100.  Not bad when you consider we'd ordered a salume app, a salad, two pasta dishes, one dessert, coffee and a glass of wine.  Just the other day, my party of four dined on apps, salads, entrees, dessert, coffee and several glasses of wine for a total, with tip, of $210.  Not bad, right?!  If that's still too rich for your pocket, then head next door to Chef Vincenzo's gastropub, Bar Tulia, for high quality plates at more casual prices.

What can I say, I love Osteria Tulia.  It's one of the places I bring anyone who is new to Naples.  It's a place I go to celebrate a holiday.  Because this place itself is something to celebrate.  

Dining cheque rating:  $$$

Dining spoons rating:  4 1/2 spoons

Tilia, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Kitchen at Tilia Restaurant in Linden Hills, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dining alone can be a bit uncomfortable.  After all, when I'm alone I have no one to entertain me.  And reading or texting while waiting for the meal to come makes me seem antisocial.  But, on occasion, dining alone can also be fun.  At least, that was my experience at Tilia Restaurant in Minneapolis.  

It doesn't happen often but occasionally I travel alone for work.  When I go out of state, I multi-task my trips and combine my day job as a lawyer with my hobby as a food blogger.  If you follow my Pinterest pinboard, you'll see that I've pinned a list of buzz-worthy Minneapolis restaurants.  Tilia was listed as one of the 50 Best Restaurants for 2014 in Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine.  The list is compiled in part by celebrity chef and Minnesota native Andrew Zimmern, so Tilia's inclusion is a big honor.  Located in the cozy residential area of Linden Hills, this small eatery has been open for only three years and has developed a loyal following in that short time.  After dining there, I now know why.

The restaurant admits its space is small, holding only 40 patrons at a time.  So, reservations are not taken.  That is often a problem for groups of any size.  But the solo or coupled diner has two good seating options:  the traditional bar or the chef's countertop.  As a very inquisitive foodie, you can take a guess where I chose to sit.  The chef's countertop offered a coveted front row seat of all the kitchen action.  From that vantage point, I eagerly watched the cooks prepare plates, toss pastas, sear filets and dress salads.  And the quick pace of the kitchen was highly palpable.  The cooks in front of me volleyed shorthand commands to each other while tracking orders and answering occasional questions from myself and other onlookers.  No one in the kitchen missed a beat.  It was a definitely quite the show ... followed then by a great meal.  

As a solo diner, the Tilia menu was a bit intimidating at first.  Apart from a few entrees, it appears that most of the menu contemplates sharing among friends.   But small plates shouldn't be a conundrum for the solo diner.  They are an invitation to taste a variety of dishes without overwhelming one's palate and gorging one's stomach.  And when asked politely enough, I don't turn down an invitation to enjoy good food.   That night at Tilia, I had three great small plates to enjoy.  All plates an homage to my princess Anna.  She must have been heavy on my mind.  

Raddichio salad with dolce gorgonzola, currants, radishes, chive blossoms and sunflower seeds

Chive blossoms

I like a good salad with an eclectic mix of textures and tastes, and the radicchio salad is one that I certainly enjoyed.  The mix of radicchio, currants, sunflower seeds, sweet gorgonzola and chive blossoms got my curiosity going ... my taste buds too.  Not only did it taste good - the crisp and blended flavors, sweet and slightly sharp - it looked good too.  It's just too bad Anna wasn't with me to take in these tiny, yet beautiful, chive blossoms.  She'd have loved it.

She'd have loved the cavatelli carbonara too.  A beautiful handrolled pasta tossed with local seasonal vegetables, cooked al dente and topped with a unique egg yolk custard.  Salty salume, subtle sharp parmesan, and tart scallion offset by the creamy yolk and buttered pasta.  This dish too would have been right up Anna's alley.  Just looking upon it I knew it would be perfect for my little Italian!

Housemade cavatelli with salume, zucchini, parmesan and scallion topped with an egg yolk custard

But what Anna would have loved most would have been the escargot.  She's been dying to try this French delicacy for a very long time.  She actually has yet to do so.  And while some might have considered my ordering this in her absence somewhat of a taunt, I will always believe I did it for her with love.  The truth is that I hadn't had escargot in years myself, not since I was in college.  I'd forgotten what it was like. And before I let Anna have her first taste, I needed to reacquaint myself.

I know the idea of eating snails is off-putting for some, but I don't quite understand why.  We eat a lot of other things that are equally strange without the same trepidation.  Don't we?  Oysters, clams, mussels are all equally odd, right?  And some of these we'll even eat raw!  Need I say sushi anyone?  So snails shouldn't be at all intimidating for even the most novice of food lovers.

Escargot with grilled bread

Prepared the best way, this dish came out all yummy and piping hot.  I'm glad I saved it for last.  Each little snail was nicely cooked, surrounded in buttery creamy cheesy goodness to complement their earthy flavor.  Some of you might be cringing imaging what it might be like biting into one of these little suckers (no pun intended).  But if you've ever bitten into a nice firm cremini mushroom (and many of you probably have), it's really not that different.  In fact, I find that these nice little gems have a knack of soaking up flavor just as nicely as our little fungi friends.  I'd long forgotten why escargot is such a delicacy and it was really nice to be reminded.  And now I can say with confidence that I know Anna will love it too.  It's just going to be a challenge finding a place that prepares this treat just as well.  Maybe one day I'll bring Anna to the Twin Cities so she can enjoy the Tilia experience too.

The Ravenous Pig, Winter Park, Florida

My kids are on spring break this week and we are enjoying a long-deserved Disney vacation.  But that does not mean that I take a break from my search for gastronomic delights.  Lucky for us, four Central Florida chefs recently earned honors as James Beard Foundation Award semifinalists.  Two such chefs, James and Julie Petrakis, have made their culinary mark in the upscale Orlando suburb of Winter Park with their restaurants, the Ravenous Pig and Cask & Larder.  Both feature seasonal fare from local farms, fishermen and purveyors, following the current farm-to-table trend.  Today, the Ravenous Pig was the ideal location for a reunion with a friend.

The one-page one-sided dinner menu features seasonal items.  I ordered Gruyere biscuits to start.  My  love of cheese and biscuits made me curious and I'm thankful for my curiosity.  The buttery flaky squares come served in a basket with generous pots of butter.  Hints of Gruyere were definitely there but not obvious or overwhelming.   That was a good thing because I love to slather butter on my biscuits and the mix of butter with Gruyere is a good one.

For dinner, I order Florida pompano paired with black lentils and rigatoni.  The pompano was nicely browned and properly cooked.  But I didn't find the fish to be a standout on the plate.  I was much more satisfied by the lentils, generously mounded atop what is billed as a romesco sauce.  I tend to be attracted to high flavor profiles and the romesco sauce satisfied that part of my palate, making it a nice compliment to the otherwise delicately flavored fish.  For me, the only miss on my plate was the rigatoni.  Others may not mind it, but the bite of this pasta was just too toothy for me.   I would have been just as happy without it on my plate.

Now usually I don't comment on what others at the table have for dinner, but I'm making an exception today for the steak frites.  Because I was on vacation I ordered dessert and while waiting I took the opportunity to finish off the last bit of this flat-iron steak straggling on my husband's plate.  I don't typically order steak for myself but, if I ever come back to the Ravenous Pig, I will certainly order this plate for my own enjoyment.  The porcini mushroom rub that coated this steak is really very good.  But more than that, there was a tender texture to this meat that I still have trouble describing.  I swear it has something to do with the way that it must have been cooked although the method is evading me.  The look and texture of the steak was not what I would expect of something cooked on a grill.   And if I wasn't concerned about embarrassing myself with my novice appreciation of the science of cooking, I might say this was made sous vide.  I suppose it will just remain a mystery to me, at least until next time.

And the next time, I am most likely to order the cannoli for dessert again.  This is no traditional cannoli so true die-hard fans of the Italian treat might think twice about this dessert.  All others, however, may enjoy this reinvention.  This cannoli is much more delicate than its traditional inspiration, much more like a tuile.  Good for me, because I happen to love tuiles (which are so reminiscent of the Filipino barquillos I grew up with).  These sweet thin cookies were still filled with mascarpone although in a consistency of a whipped cream rather than a soft cheese.  Dusted with pistachio powder, set atop minced strawberry and honey (another one of my loves) and accompanied with a tart spoonful of strawberry sorbet, this sweet treat was an ideal capper to my dinner.  It's that kind of dessert that sates my sweet tooth without overwhelming it.  Perfect.

How much we spent:  With tip, we spent about $200 for our party of five, about $40 per person.  Our check did include, however, a glass of chardonnay for myself (yes I took my antihistamine), a couple of pints for our friend and three desserts.  A more dollar conscious diner could spend less.

My overall rating:  3 1/2 spoons.  I liked this restaurant.  I definitely loved the dessert.

When you have a minute, check out Anna's mini review.

The Local, Naples, Florida

Gulfcoast Chowder with Snapper and Grouper

Today, my husband had the very good fortune to be invited to play a round of golf with Coach Brian Craig and the men of the University of Kentucky Golf Team.  So, that meant that the kids and I were off to figure out lunch plans for ourselves.  Now, some might be feeling sorry for me right now, having to conjure up lunch plans to satisfy the likes of a 13 year-old boy and an 8-going-on-20 year-old girl.  But, lucky for me, my kids are smart and savvy eaters.  We enjoy lunch dates, even without Dad around, because that means that we can eat seafood to our hearts' content.  My hubby grew up right on the Indian River and apparently years of eating seafood as a youth have turned him off for the rest of his life.  Sad for the kids and I because we LOVE seafood.  So, today, while Dad was away having fun, we turned our bad luck into a stroke of good luck and headed toward one of our staple seafood restaurants in town.

We had intended to spend the early afternoon lunching outdoors at Steamers ... that was until I pulled into my parking space and remembered the new farm-to-table restaurant just next door.  For some months now, I've heard a simmering buzz about the newly opened The Local, a restaurant focused on sourcing their ingredients entirely from local sources.  Apart from featuring locally grown vegetables, The Local also prides itself on being a "Sea-to-Table" restaurant by buying seafood from the local fishermen who pull in their catch from our Gulfcoast waters.  As much as I enjoy nice fried oysters at Steamers, this new place I had to try.  With seafood on my mind, I couldn't resist convincing the kids to give it a try.

Because today was a rather cool but sunny day, we chose to sit outside.  But even as nice as the weather was, the warmth of the Gulfcoast Chowder was calling to me.  I ordered a cup for myself, knowing of course that I would be prompted to share.  The Chowder came out promptly in a clean white cup, piping hot and subtlety scented with the aroma of seafood.  Surprise #1:  This cream-based chowder featured a nice seafood broth.  Often, I find chowders so chock full of potatoes and starchy that classifying them in the soup category seems rather blasphemous.  Not so here.  This chowder is broth and fish, with hints of corn, celery and possibly yellow pepper.  Perhaps even a touch of white wine.  If there was potato in there, it was certainly not obvious - and for me that is fine.  Because what I want most from a chowder is the fish which brings me to ... Surprise #2:  Fish, fish and more fish.  Gulfcoast Chowder is made with snapper and grouper, and a lot of it.  In every single bite.  And I LOVE that, especially because I shared the chowder with the children who would otherwise have monopolized the seafood in my soup.  Nothing annoys me more than doling out spoonfuls to the kids hungry mouths to find me left with nothing but potatoes and celery.  But I had no need to fear at the Local today.  Not one of us was gypped of a bite of delicate fish!  When lunching with the kids sans Dad, I will definitely order this again!

Gulfcoast Shrimp & Grits.  Can you spot the bacon in this dish?

For lunch, I ordered something unusual for me, Gulfcoast Shrimp & Grits.  And now those who know me are bewildered about the grits.  Yep, I'm not a fan of grits.  Polenta I can do but grits, not so much. Why order it then?  Well, I had to think fast on my feet; the kids hadn't given me a lot of time to peruse the menu.  It was right there on the special board and frankly, I like to give the new restaurants I try a bit of an uphill climb when it comes to challenging my discerning palate.  I know, it's not fair, but as my husband likes to say "Life isn't fair."  Thankfully, I do a lot of homework about the new places I try so that I am not too often sorely disappointed.  Not everyone makes the mark, but not everyone crashes in flames.  And happily I can say that I enjoyed my grits today.   Not overly grainy, today's grits were texturally more smooth than I'd had before.   A plus for someone like me.  There was a little more on my plate that I would have wanted, but that was fine.  I ate all but a couple of spoonfuls.

The buttery smooth grits were a good complement to the Gulfcoast shrimp.  If my taste buds are qualified to do so, I can say that these shrimp were indeed very fresh.  It's either that or my mind thinks that they just came from the open waters.  Either way, they were nicely done, sautéed with halved cherry tomatoes.  Nestled nicely in the grits, dotting the spaces between the shrimp, were nice bits of diced fresh bacon hidden in sautéed tomato and chopped green onion.  So well diced and not visually obvious to the eye, biting into the bits of bacon in a spoonful was like opening a surprise gift, one so good that I had find and save the next one for my final bite.  My only want at the end of the dish was just for a touch of acid to freshen my palate.  If I could drink wine, a nice white zinfandel would have done just nicely.  (Gotta remember to bring the antihistamines next time, darn wine allergy!)

How much I spent:  $$.  Today's lunch for 3, with soft drinks and iced tea, cost $67 with tip.  Per person it doesn't sound too bad but it is rather pricey for lunch when you realize that the other diners beside myself were two kids.  The Local has a kids menu but with entrees like shrimp and fresh catch of the day, the prices are bound to be higher than that for typical kids fare.

My overall rating:  4 spoons.  That chowder had me with the fish.  And I'm a sucker for any farm/sea to table/fork restaurant.  You all should know that by now.

Max's Harvest, Delray Beach, Florida

The best perk of traveling out of town for business is the opportunity to discover great new food finds.  Last month's meeting for the National Kidney Foundation of Florida brought me back to the Palm Beaches.  And, in the south part of the county is the city of Delray Beach.  With an attractive rejuvenated downtown area, Delray is now home to a number of new and upcoming hot spots and eateries.  One such place is Max's Harvest, located in the Pineapple Grove district.  Self-proclaimed as a "farm-to-fork" restaurant, Max's Harvest follows the latest wave of restaurants who promise seasonal dishes whose ingredients are sourced entirely from local organic farmers.  Fortuitous for me, since I have recently pledge to move toward cleaner eating.  No matter what your political persuasion, you've got to admit that clean, home-grown, all-natural food sounds a lot more delectable than processed foods chock full of preservatives.  And delicious, well-prepared dishes are exactly what I like to enjoy on a rare date night with my better half away from home.

I don't know from firsthand experience, but Pineapple Grove appears to be a popular weekend spot for the 20s to 40s crowd.  Free parking is scarce, but luckily valet parking is available for those who are willing to splurge.  Those who find themselves parking blocks away can take advantage of the free Delray Downtowner electric cart shuttle.  On cooler nights, the front patio would probably be a nice place to both dine and people watch.  But if you find the patio too cold or even too warm, the open kitchen in the front dining room is bound to provide some table-side entertainment.  While I would have preferred to see the action, our table was in the back dining room.  That would have been fine but for being under an air vent.  The lesson here?  Always bring a sweater.  Thankfully, even if a little cool air doesn't spoil my appreciation for good food.

The menu at Max's is a la carte, but any of the items can also be ordered as a part of a 3 course prix fixe option.  For our dinner, my husband opted for a steak and I for seared scallops with farro.  But all that was preceded by smoked Hereford bacon, truffle fries and burrata.  Had we known that the appetizers would be so tasty and so filling, we might have waived off on the entrees.  The housemade burrata was amazing ... so cold and fresh, paired with this great tomato relish and served with bruschetta topped with a mash of English peas and mint.  Loved it.  The bacon and truffle fries, amazing too.  Thank goodness those are menu regulars because I will definitely have to have those again.  Great flavors, cooked just right and paired perfectly with garlic aioli.

We honestly had to force ourselves not to finish the first courses just so we could have room for the rest.  And it's a good thing we did because those second courses were just as good.  My pan seared scallops were so good, served on a bed of farro and potato puree.  The flavors were rich.  My only criticism?  My plate could have used some acid, just to offset those hearty flavors.  Thankfully, my husband's steak came with an arugala salad dressed lightly in a vinaigrette - just enough acid to help me push through the rest of my dish.  And that I needed to do because my third course - dessert - was still yet to come.

And, as it should be, dessert was definitely the piece de resistance.  So simple but so very good.  Sugared doughnuts with creme anglaise and raspberry compote.  Warm, airy and sweet.  What's not to love?

How much we spent: $$$$  For the two of us, with three courses and no alcohol, we spent $150, tip included.   Yes, it's pricey, but we ordered A LOT of food.  A spending conscious diner would likely spend less.  But if I were you, I wouldn't skip dessert!

My rating:  4 1/2 spoons.  Max's Harvest is a restaurant that I will be recommending to anyone who has the pleasure of visiting Delray Beach.  Great farm-fresh local food, well made and delicious.  I'll definitely go back.  

Anna Rose's Mini Review: Chef's Table, Stuart, Florida

Hi I'm Anna and I am a tiny food critic and today I am reviewing THE CHEF'S TABLE !!!!!! Now back to the food.  Anyway, I honestly thought that the food was ..... FANTASTIC!   I had a nice seafood soup.  The fish was nice and tender and the broth was very flavorful and the clams were elegantly cooked. What a FABULOUS  dinner.

Next was the dessert.  We had a creme brûlée.   The shell was burnt and that was not my favorite part. but I LOVVVVVVVVED the ice cream and its sugary flavor.

Next is service.  The people took a long time to get our food.  And I felt like the cooks weren't fast enough cookers.  Most people will prefer their food so slowly cooked so that it could be nice and tender.  But I prefer fast because that is what I'm used to.  I would cook at a high degree so that it will cook for less hours or minutes.  But I guess the chefs like it the other way around.  

I noticed that the waiters were walking very slowly to get to our tables.  I think they should have been walking fast because that's what you do in a restaurant when you have plenty of customers.  And I noticed that there were a lot of customers.  

And that's the end of my review!  To see my mom's review, click here!

  

Chef's Table, Stuart, Florida

Lobster Bisque

Recently, my mother-in-law celebrated her hallmark 80th birthday.  For the occasion, we all traveled to the Treasure Coast of Florida back to the homes of our childhoods.  The Treasure Coast area is situated just to the north of the Palm Beaches.  The latter is known for great dining and entertainment.  The former, not so much.  While a trip to West Palm for dinner is a nice treat, it's also a bit of a drive.  So, my challenge for Mom's birthday weekend was find some place local to honor her with a great meal.

On the Treasure Coast, fine dining options are few and far between.  My friends in the area might disagree but when compared to the selections just 30 minutes south, the choices just aren't ample.  The most recommended dining spots are situated on the southern end of the region, in Martin County.  Typically, we would have opted to visit the area's one well-known bright spot, 11 Maple Street.  But, as luck would have it, July is the one month when 11 Maple Street is closed.  After more than 15 years away from the area, I was at a loss for a suitable substitute.  My go to resource, Open Table, had no suggestions.  Desperate, I took a chance on Google and came across the web page for the Chef's Table. I know I shouldn't pick a restaurant based upon a web presence but this restaurant has got some good marketing.  It's not the most scientific method for choosing a dining option, but I figure a great looking web page at least means that the restaurant makes enough coin to invest in their business.  I could have been entirely wrong, but at the time I was two hours away from Stuart with no reservation for dinner that evening.  Call it shooting fish in a barrel.

Lucky for me, my bullet hit its target.  The Chef's Table turned out to be quite a surprise.  Located in a small two-unit commercial strip across from The Fresh Market, the Chef's Table facade hides an intimate restaurant with a Tuscan farm-style decor.  This farm-to-table restaurant which began as a catering company has a weekly changing three-course prix fixe menu based upon the availability of seasonal ingredients.  The husband and wife chef-owner team of Adam and Kate Fatigate, both CIA grads, transform those ingredients with their big city training and experience.

Joining us and Mom for dinner were our two children.  The Chef's Table does not have a separate children's menu but does allow a la carte ordering from the menu for younger diners.  The week of our visit featured a French inspired menu, in honor of Bastille day.  So, as you can imagine, the menu didn't consist of any truly child appropriate fare.  I'm lucky that my children are used to "the fancy food" so we were able to find entrees that would appeal to them.  Unfortunately, the menu did not list a la carte prices; it wasn't until our check arrived that we learned that our children's dishes were $35 and $50 respectively.  Ouch!

What I loved:  For dinner, I ordered lobster bisque as my first course and cassoulet (a French meat and bean casserole) made with duck breast as my second course.  For dessert, I sampled a creme broulee and a selection of sorbets.  In my experience, bisques are creamy, sometimes too creamy.  Not quite so at the Chef's Table.  While this is no thin soup, any cream that was in this dish was clearly a minor player.  As it should have been, lobster was the star.  That lobster meat was presented to me in the center of a dry bowl before bisque was poured around it from a small porcelain beaker.  As I ate, I rationed the precious lobster meat and conserved generous bits for my last few spoonfuls.  The few virgin spoonfuls revealed that this dish could stand alone as a flavorful seafood broth.  The bisque was enough to convince me that dining at the Chef's Table turned out to be a good choice.

The cassoulet sealed that deal.  This traditional French casserole consisted of a seared duck breast served over wilted greens and white beans in a well seasoned broth.  This is a seriously satisfying dish.  Maybe it was the beans.  They always tend to be rather filling.  Or perhaps it was the nicely cooked and sizable portion of breast.  Either way, this dish had a lot of flavor and substance.  In fact, all of the dishes around our table were generous in portion and in taste.  Sometimes fine dining establishments tempt your palate but don't give you enough to sate our appetite.  I've been places where a whole dish can be devoured in four bites or less.   Not so at the Chef's Table.  These dishes are plentiful and filling.  If you eat at the Chef's Table, you shouldn't ever leave hungry.

What I didn't love:  I used to think the world of creme brûlée and some still think its my favorite dessert.  In the past few years, It's become a little passe for me but sometimes I will partake.  Mom's 80th birthday seemed like a good occasion to visit with an old favorite.  It's always nice to enjoy a good smooth smooth spoonful of creamy custard, especially when that custard is flecked with spots of vanilla bean.  But no good custard can make up for a burned brûlée crust.  And burned this was.  Someone might have called this seriously caramelized but anyone who's had a burned crust knows that it leaves a pretty bitter aftertaste.  And that's not a good thing when its the last thing you've eaten.

I also didn't love our very expensive dinner check.  I've paid my share of high end tabs and in certain places it is completely expected.  Had we been in our own town, which admittedly is a resort town, I wouldn't have have batted an eyelash.  The Chef's Table is a good restaurant but they charge New York prices in a town that just isn't New York.  I realize that their food is much better than the competition and that they deserve to be paid for that good food.  But $60 a person - without alcohol - is pretty hefty for the Treasure Coast.  At least I can say that the price of each dish was well matched by its size and breadth.

How much I spent:  ($$$$)  For our party of five (me, my husband, Mom and the two kids), we spent $305 with tip included.  The adults all dined from the $45 three-course prix fixe menu.  You already know how pricy my children's entrees were; and they ordered dessert too.  As always, we didn't order alcohol but we did order two large bottles of Pelligrino for the table.  My children each had sodas (which at Chef's Table are not the usual domestic variety).   Maybe next time I force them to stick with tap water.

My overall rating:  3 1/4 spoons.  Overall, I really enjoyed the Chef's Table.  Unfortunately, the size of this check just made it hard to enjoy it much more.   Thankfully, the larger portions made the cost a little easier to swallow.  I'd be happy to go back during a future visit to the Stuart area, but I think I'll have to be a bit more careful about what I order or otherwise inquire in advance about a la carte ordering.  I also think that next time we go back to sharing plates with the kids!


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Yoder's Restaurant, Sarasota, Florida

You've got to love the Amish.  They are hard-working people and I know they do two things really well - woodworking and home cooking.  This blog is all about eating so you can bet that I'm most interested in home cooking.  The Amish live outside of conventional society so when they cook, its good and clean.  Their fruits and vegetables are home-grown and organic.   Their meals are not burdened by the preservatives that many have now come to find unfortunately indispensable.  In short, the food is good and good for you.  Now, I'm not a 100% clean eater.  It's just not practical with my busy schedule.  But, I do cook at least five days a week and, apart from pasta, most of my meals don't come from a box.  So, I can really appreciate the effort that goes into home cooking, not only for one's family but for a whole restaurant of guests.  And that's exactly what the Yoders do.

Those in Southwest Florida are lucky to be close enough to the resort town of Sarasota.  Known for the shopping along St. Armands Circle and a string of beach islands along its coast, Sarasota's hidden gem is its Amish-Mennonite community and Yoder's Restaurant.  Day in and day out, Yoder's Restaurant welcomes Sarasota locals and visitors who come from all over the place to get a taste of all that Amish home-cooked goodness.  And in particular, Yoder's is best known for its pies.   A few years ago, my younger sister moved to nearby Bradenton and converted me into a frequent Sarasota visitor.  Yet, in all that time, I had not yet made my way to Yoder's.  So that the opportunity would not pass me by again,  I used this rare husband-free weekend to bring my kids to Bradenton so that they could guilt their aunt into taking them to Yoder's.

Before I dine away from my own town, I do a little reconnaissance and seek out reviews and recommendations.  Yoder's has been featured on the Travel Channel and other popular food shows so I didn't have to do quite as much research to know that I wanted to put it on my dining list.  But I did go online to their website (yes, these Amish use the Internet) to learn a little more about the restaurant and its menu.  I was pleased to learn that Yoder's (named after the owner-family) has been in business since 1975 and that the family still actively participates in its management.  The location boasts not only the restaurant, but also a deli, produce market and gift shop where gems of Amish goodness are available for you to purchase.  But before you go, there are a few things to keep in mind.  It's a popular dining spot, so expect to stand in line the closer you arrive to traditional dining hours.  There isn't much of a line at 11:30 a.m., but by noon you can expect to wait at least 20 minutes.  And don't try to make reservations or send a friend to hold your place.  Your party won't be seated until your entire party has navigated the line.

Even with the inconvenience of the line, a trip to Yoder's is worth the experience.  The dining room is decorated like a country kitchen and dining there feels a lot like eating around a kitchen table.  So, dining there with my kids, my sister and her family was definitely apropos.  And there is something especially comforting about having lunch in a place that looks like it could be a part of someone's home.

Now, I will confess that I made the errant assumption that Amish-style food would be a lot like  Southern-style food.   I should have known that home-style cooking isn't one size fits all.  Amish and Southern-style dishes may look the same but I think that is where the similarity ends.  After all, I don't think the Amish use Crisco.  It just wouldn't be very Amish to do so.  For lunch, I ordered fried chicken.  Being in the South, I expected to sink my teeth into the same crispy, crunchy, seasoning crusted chicken with which I've become familiar.  The Amish version looks deceptively similar but is not at all.  My first surprise?  This Amish fried chicken was neither greasy or oily.  I know it sounds oxymoronic, but every piece on my plate (including the dark meat pieces) had been rendered of its fat.  (I admit, I liked that my chicken was a little less fatty.)  And my second surprise?  The light amount of seasoning.  The Southern-style dishes I've eaten have been very liberally seasoned.  Not so with this dish.  Clearly, the Amish season their dishes with a much lighter hand.  I don't mean to say that the dishes were bland, but they were certainly more subtle in flavor than I had expected.  That's just a nice way of saying that they were rather under-seasoned.  But ultimately it's much easier to cope with an under-seasoned dish than one that is over-seasoned.  You just need to reach for the salt or for Yoder's house "dressing" which many use as a dipping sauce for the chicken.    So, when you take a trip to Yoder's, keep this in mind.

What I loved:    The only exception to my mildly seasoned plate?  Fried okra.  If you love this veggie  like I do, then you must make it a point to try Yoder's fried okra.  Now, that is some good stuff.  Unlike the chicken, these are perfectly seasoned with right amount of salt and fried to a golden brown.  The crust on these little nuggets isn't thick but is definitely crisp.  And just like the chicken, these aren't greasy.  Better yet, these okra aren't stringy or mushy (which are the two most common objections I hear about okra).  I suppose that is the benefit of growing and cooking your own food.  The farm fresh taste of these okra is apparent in the crispness of the vegetable's flesh and seeds.  Too bad it's just a side, because I could've eaten a whole plate of these ... but for the fact that I needed to leave room for pie.

In fact, next time I've gotta leave room for a whole lot of pie.  That's because the pies at Yoder's are AMAZING.   Yoder's pies are pretty famous so I expected to like the pies.  I even made a plan to order three separate slices to taste for this blog:  dutch apple, peanut butter cream and fresh peach.  I don't think I could have prepared myself enough for how much I would LOVE these pies.  If I could marry one, I would.  If I didn't have to share with my kids, I could have easily inhaled these pies.  Yes, they are that good.  The fruit and cream filings are sweet but not sickeningly sweet, which means that I can eat more than one bite of these pies without wanting to push them away.  The crusts and toppings are flaky, buttery and light.  But the best part of these pies is their freshness.  I could swear that they cut the fruit for my fresh peach pie minutes before it landed on my plate.  Each slice was still cool and crisp.  And even though it was tossed in a light peach glaze, the flavor of this pie came mostly from the natural sweetness of the fresh peach.  Fresh peaches are one of my favorite fruits to eat so this pie became my fast favorite of the three.   The fresh peach pie isn't a regular on the menu so I'm going to have to remember to make my next trip to Yoder's before the peach season ends.

Back to front:  Egg custard pie, peanut butter cream pie and fresh peach pie

What I didn't love:  Since you already know how lightly seasoned the food is, I won't mention it again.  But that didn't bother me as much as the Yoder's menu.  As I expected, Yoder's serves a lot of traditional comfort foods, such as meatloaf, fried chicken, liver and onions, and turkey and stuffing.  I was, however, quite disappointed to see the influence of "modern" fare on the menu in offerings like asian chicken salad, quesadillas and taco salad.  I've seen "Breaking Amish" and "Amish Mafia" so I know the modern-day Amish are not exactly like the caricatures of the past.  But Amish cooking ought to be treated as sacred, so I admit that I made a conscious choice to ignore these "other" menu options entirely.  If I'm going to go to the Amish, I'm going to eat Amish and that's that.

How much I spent:  ($$)  I spent $51 plus tip for lunch for myself and my two children.  This included a cheeseburger and fries for my son, a half order of fried chicken (and two sides) shared with my daughter, soft drinks, an obligatory sweet tea and desserts.  Now, I did order three slices of pie which I would not have normally ordered.  (Each is $4.50.)  On any other day, I would have ordered just one slice to share with my kids.  But now that I've been to Yoder's I know that sharing is simply out of the question.  I suppose one could order - and spend less - at Yoder's but that would be a shame, at least where pie is concerned.

My overall rating:  The pies alone deserve a 5 spoon rating, but Yoder's isn't a dessert-only establishment.  I suppose I have to rate Yoder's on their overall menu.  So for those who are looking to have the full Yoder's experience, I give Yoder's 3 1/4 spoons.  This is good, clean-eating home-cooked food, even with the light-handed seasoning.  You certainly won't feel like you've done your body any disservice by dining there.   Just make sure you don't leave without a pie!

Fruition Restaurant, Denver, Colorado

When I first knew that I would be flying in and out of Denver this summer, I began to research popular restaurants in the area.   My Pinterest dining board includes pins for notable restaurants in and around both Denver and Boulder.   Among these is Fruition Restaurant.  Fruition is housed in a renovated home along the busy thoroughfare of 6th Avenue.  It is an intimate setting for couples and small groups.  And its chef, Alex Seidel, is attracting attention.  In 2011, Fruition was rated Denver's top restaurant by Zagat.  Farm-to-table restaurants like Fruition are part of the current epicurean trend.

The four of us shared a slab of pork belly topped with a six minute egg and paired with english peas and handmade cavatelli.  My husband and son shared a grilled Bavette steak (which we learned is a flank cut) with duck fat french fries (yes, I said duck fat), swiss chard, summer leeks and olathe corn.  I enjoyed a Maple Leaf Farms duck breast with duck confit potato hash, poached asparagus, meyer lemon hollandaise and duck crackling salad while Anna ate pan roasted halibut cheeks en papillote.

What I loved:  The food was definitely good.  The sourdough bread in particular is a treat.  Soft in the middle with a nice crisp salty crust, served with appropriately softened butter.  Hmmm.  The farm-to-table concept is a plus and was most apparent in the service of the vegetables incorporated into our dishes.  The english peas, swiss chard, olathe corn and potatoes were all flavorful and fresh.  Believe me, one can really taste the difference when the vegetables are fresher.  The meats we ate were all cooked well (not the best we've ever had yet still good), but the veggies were the clear stars.

What I didn't love:  The service, which accounts for the shortness of this review.  We couldn't wait to get out of there.  The hostess was rather standoffish, which is a rather odd quality to have in a hostess.  When she mentioned the slight threshold between the entrance and our portion of the dining room, I swear she was whispering which explains why my husband tripped over it.  Our waitress clearly wasn't interested in waiting on us either.  We waited nearly 10 minutes for her to approach us from the time we were seated at our table.  Drinks did come in good time but the promised bread service was also slow.  Bread here is served by the piece and I actually found myself wishing they would just leave the bread on the table.  It was just a shame because I think the bread was probably my one favorite.  Our server rarely asked us how we were doing and whether we needed anything.  Again, very odd as I know there are other places that practically smother you.  And after our dinner was done, it took several more minutes just to clear the plates (which we were actually starting to stack on the table ourselves).  By the time someone noticed my nice, neat stack of dishes and realized we had been waiting, we were ready to go.  We asked for the check before she even had the opportunity to put down the dessert menus.  Our waitress couldn't have dropped that check off faster - the only really prompt service of the night.

What was most disappointing was seeing all the great service being given to our neighboring diners, not only by other servers but by our own server.  None, save one other table, included children.  It's sad to say, but I'm left to assume that was the problem.  Fruition did not have a separate children's menu, which did not surprise me, but our server made no attempt to make suggestions for my kids.  Now I didn't need suggestions, my kids are used to me taking them to restaurants just like Fruition.  But it would have been nice to see the effort.  Even the waiter at the more elegant Restaurant Kelly Liken tried to engage them, awkward as it may have been.  In fact, the hostess and servers all seemed uncomfortable serving my children.  They were tentative and unapproachable.  I suppose they just aren't used to young diners and frankly my kids are not that young.  (They are 8 and 13.)

How much I spent:  ($$$)  Because we were dining with our children, we shared several plates.  The four of us had a shared first course, and my husband and son shared their second course steak.  Because of her size and smaller appetite, I ordered a traditional first course halibut as my daughter's second course.  Although I stayed with water, everyone else ordered sodas and lemonade.  With a slim 10% tip due to very poor service, our bill came to $110.

My overall rating:  1 1/2 spoons.  The food is well prepared, not necessarily the best I have had but still good.  On food alone, this would have rated at least 3 spoons.  But the service was very poor, too poor to ignore.  It could have been much better, as clearly our dining neighbors got great service.  It's a shame that our server was not thrilled either by the lack of any wine at our table or the notion of serving our children.  And any place that isn't interested in having my kids there isn't a place I need to return to.  Chef Seidel should take a cue from Richard Blais and The Spence.  Now that's a place that loves kids, but that's another review for another day