Tidbit Tips

When In Ireland…..Now Bring It Home!

What is Traditional Irish and what is American Irish is an interesting question? A little Irish history and a tasty recipe will go a long way in helping you be more Irish on St Patrick’s Day. Ask your friends “How did the Black and Tan get its name and is it cool to order one in Ireland?” or “What do the Irish in Ireland eat on St Patrick’s Day?” You won’t need the luck of the Irish to figure this one out, it’s all right here for you! Continue reading →

A Drinking of the Green! Friday’s 5 o’clock Wet Your Whistle Call!

To green or not to green, that is the question. The Irish say drink a great Irish beer and don’t mess with a good thing. But the American twist that adds a frat boy kind of fun to the whole day is to go with the green beer. It’s not complicated but there is a bit of an art to it.

Continue reading →

National Clam Chowder Day

Brigantine

In celebration of National Clam Chowder Day, all Brigantine Seafood Restaurants invite you to order a cup or bowl of our signature clam chowder for yourself, and get a second one free for a friend.

Continue reading →

Extreme Kindness Challenge

“Random Acts of Kindness” week is from February 14th through the 21^st and today is the National day to celebrate it by being your best self! You can participate in the Extreme Kindness Challenge by checking out Random Acts of Kindness. Are you up for it?

Continue reading →

Fun Times in a GoCar!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend that’s different for the usual activities? I was looking for just that kind of thing because my brother Brett and my sister-in-law Kelly were coming to town and I stumbled across the GoCars. GoCar is the world’s first computer-guided storytelling car. Continue reading →

National Compliment Day is Always January 24th

How nice of you to visit my blog! Since you found me, I can see that you must be the life of the party with your friends. You are so much fun to be with! I love the way you……

Continue reading →

National Soup Month – Make It A Party!

Since you have a whole month to celebrate National Soup Month why not make a party out of it! What a Soup-er idea!

Continue reading →

Hot Restaurant Trends in 2011

The Chef’s Survey is in! What do chefs think will be the stand outs in the restaurant industry this year? The annual National Restaurant Association survey of American Culinary Federation member chefs asked more than 1,500 professional chefs for their professional opinion of what they think will be a “hot trend,” or “yesterday’s news,” or “perennial favorite” on restaurant menus in 2011.

The envelope please……… and the winners are:

Continue reading →

Bubble Bath Day and Tub Talks

Who knows who thought of this but it is always on January 8^th. How convenient that it is on Saturday this year.

Bubble baths are so much fun no matter how old you are. Today is a fun day to relax and enjoy the warm and soothing pleasures of a bubble bath. Best of all, it can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

For kids, it’s playtime. Women have a totally different idea. It’s time to relax with a book or magazine that you have not had time to read. Savor a cup of your favor tea or coffee or a lovely glass of wine and picture yourself in a faraway place. Calgon – Take me away……

For kids, it’s simple…. Just fill the tub with bubbles and toys. Then hop in and play!

Don’t forget the rubber duckie!

My girlfriend Kathy and I have created a little ritual around the bubble bath. She lives about an hour and a half from me so we don’t get to see each other as much as we would like to. Our lives are hectic! One day we decided that a few evenings a month, after the kids homework was complete, and the weather was still chilly, we would schedule our phone call around a soothing bath. We set the time and the date and agreed to have the bath drawn, wine poured and ourselves settled into the bubbles before we dialed our cell phones. We had such a great talk, were relaxed and reconnected and that was how Tub Talks started.

This becomes the sacred chamber for the next hour. No children, no husbands and no other phone calls. I sometimes will allow my cat Kato to join in as long as he plays on his end of the tub!

Now guys don’t feel left out! With prior permission, you can hop in, too! Bring some wine, play our favorite music and light the candles. We will relax and/or play. We only ask that you remember the proper sequence is relax, play, relax.

Barrio Star – A Real Taste Treat!

On New Year’s Eve we popped into Barrio Star to check out the latest Isabel Cruz restaurant. First impressions are so important because it sets up your expectations for the rest of your experience. A young lady was walking away from the door into the kitchen when we arrived. She noticed we had entered and immediately turned around to greet us.

What we find so often is the staff is not really paying attention to their surroundings and seems, at times, to be oblivious to the customer. Not so with Shea. She seemed genuinely happy to see us and lead us to our table.

Thomas then appeared to welcome us and tell us about the specials, cocktails and his favorites. He was upbeat and focused on us while he was taking our order even though he had 6 other tables that he was attending to also.

My husband ordered the Blackberry Jalapeno Margarita and I had the Blood Orange Margarita. Both were very good but there was this indefinable quality about his cocktail that said Mexico at the first sip.

If you have been down to Baja and further south and had their margaritas, you know what I am talking about. There is a flavor note that you only find in Mexico. The tequila, maybe the jalapeno, possibly both, added a deep smokey flavor to the margarita that we just love.

You could taste the heat from the jalapeno but it was a background flavor and did not overpower the drink.

We had a bowl of chips and salsa while we waited for our lunch. The chips were freshly cooked and seasoned with chili powder, salt and cumin. They were not complimentary as you find in a lot of the chain Mexican restaurants but we already had the feeling that the food, based on our drinks, were not going to be the chain style quality. It is the quality of the ingredients, always fresh and local and the time spent on the layers of flavors that make this restaurant a bit more pricey than your usual Mexican fare.

When our entrees arrived I hoped that what my eyes took pleasure in would be delivered to my taste buds. I must say I was not disappointed. My husband had the Tortilla Soup with Grilled Chicken and I had the Chile Relleno special. His soup was just the right texture and the flavor of the spices and the tortilla were a perfect blend in the broth.

The presentation of my Chile Relleno was artful and delicious. The chili was roasted and stuffed with jack cheese but not breaded so that the flavor of the chili came through and was not weighed down with an egg batter.

The Relleno was place on top of a bed of rice and sweet corn and then topped with several grilled shrimp and a Mexican crema. Drizzled around the edge of the plate were two circles of a green cilantro lime sauce and a red chili sauce. When I combined a forkful of each element of the dish is was the perfect bite. All the flavors enhanced each other and it was delightful.

If you spend any time cooking, you will know the difference between an entire dish that took some time to make and one that took time for each component to be prepared. That is the difference between quantity dining and quality dining. I will always prefer to have a smaller portion done very well than a large portion that is average.

If you are looking for a lot of food to fill you up, this is not the restaurant for you. But if it is food that has distinctive flavor, a healthy approach and a beautiful presentation then you will have arrived at the right place.