Eat, Drink, Shop, Cook

I stumbled upon this video yesterday and thought it was a cool idea. Fairfield’s Cindi Bigelow shares a tip on how to naturally decaffeinate your tea. If you find yourself hankering for a cup in the late afternoon but don’t happen to have any herbal tea on hand, you can work some homebrewed alchemy. I tried it this afternoon. I’ll let you know how the night goes.

Did you have any cherry pie today? Or did you celebrate Presidents’ Day in true New England fashion– by heading up north and hitting the slopes, just the way our forefathers would have done? Alas, Presidents’ Day is one of the few holidays that doesn’t have a real culinary tie to it. There’s no big celebratory dinner, no special drinks, not even a cookie in its honor. But our past presidents did have some interesting food preferences. You can read about them in this week’s feature here.

As it turns out, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson weren’t only great presidents; they were chocolate lovers as well. Did you know:

• In 1785, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “Chocolate,… the superiority of the article both for health and nourishment will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America.”
• George and Martha Washington were well-documented chocolate lovers.  In addition to the chocolate drink, Martha Washington enjoyed a chocolate drink made with cocoa shells for breakfast.
• George Washington was aware of his wife’s favorite drink that in a letter to his agent, Washington wrote, “She will…thank you to get 20lbs of the shells of Cocoa nuts, if they can be had of the Chocolate makers.”

The above trivia came from American Heritage Chocolate, the historic division of MARS. Yes, that’s right. MARS actually makes historically-accurate chocolate with ingredients that were around in the 1700s. Check it out here..

I had two great finds in Bridgeport this week. First, as I was coming back from an acupuncture session at UB, I stopped at Melt Market & Cafe. Somehow I hadn’t heard about this place until the other day when a friend mentioned she drove past it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was happily surprised. The menu, as one might expect from the name, revolves around cheese. There are sandwiches like Vermont sharp cheddar with apples, goat cheese and sweet onion jam, and Spanish manchego with serrano ham (each $7.50). For even more cheesiness, there’s baked camembert with marcona almonds and clover honey ($10), and fondue ($8) and quiche ($6). This time I skipped the cheese and opted for a salad. I chose the pear & gorgonzola salad with caramelized walnuts ($8). It was very fresh and flavorful, with wafer-thin pears and a nice mix of greens. My only complaint was the portion size. The container was way too small for an $8 salad. Next time I’ll get my order to stay. (And next time, I’m going for the cheese.)

The other wonderful discovery was Port Coffeehouse in Black Rock. I’ve been meaning to go here forever, but the opportunity never seemed to present itself until today. The coffee was great (all of the coffees and teas are organic and Fair Trade), but even better were the gluten-free options. They had three different cake loaves available, and I got a slice of the Brown Butter Loaf. The cake was dense and moist, which I’m finding is often hard to come by with gluten-free baked goods. I wouldn’t have guessed it was gluten-free. The place reminded me of all the great coffee shops that were around during the ’90s. It made me nostalgic for those days of an endless cup of java and a good book. I’ll definitely be going back.

Melt Market & Cafe:

7 Lafayette Circle, Bridgeport

(203) 557-0817

www.meltmarketandcafe.com

Port Coffeehouse:

2889 Fairfield Ave.
Bridgeport, CT 06605
(203) 345-8885

www.portcoffeehouse.com

Is there anything better than a hunk of hot, crusty French bread slathered with butter? Well, maybe a big bowl of fresh pasta with homemade sauce. Or just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. Are you with me on this? If so, then you can also imagine how I feel about the idea of eating gluten-free. It’s something I thought I’d never, ever attempt, not even for a day. (You know where this is going, right?)

Yes, I’ve been eating gluten-free for a few weeks now, trying to see if it has any affect on my overall health. Food is medicine, after all. I went into this venture saying that I wasn’t going to try to replace any of my favorite gluteny foods with their wheat-free alternatives. No way was I going to choke down crumbly rice-based bread or black bean brownies. I’d just do without. But then I got to talking to a friend of mine who is a gluten-free guru and she suggested I try Udi’s bread.

I picked up a loaf of Udi’s Whole Grain bread at Trader Joe’s. I brought it home and it sat on my counter for three days before I ventured to try it. I honestly was expecting something akin to wet cardboard or maybe a soft version of a rice cake. I toasted up a couple of slices and made a tuna sandwich and guess what? It was really good. Not just acceptable, not a reasonable substitute, but tasty all on its own. This gave me the courage to try some other gluten-free products, so I thought I’d share some of my favorites.

Like Trader Joe’s Cranberry Maple Nut Gluten-Free Granola. I often have a problem with traditional granola, because I don’t like the dryness of the oats. But this turned out to be the perfect granola for me. Instead of oats, the bulk of the mix is made with little cups that resemble corn chips. They’re crunchy and present a nice contrast to the chewy cranberries. On plain yogurt, it’s my new favorite breakfast.

Another winner are Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins. I got these at Stop & Shop, and they come in several different flavors. The crackers are rice-based, similar to the little crackers you find in Asian snack mixes. But because they’re also made with nuts, they have a wonderful subtle sweet component. These crackers are addictive.

We’ve certainly come a long way in the gluten-free department. I can’t say I don’t miss pasta, but at least chocolate is still on the safe list. What are some of your favorite gluten-free foods?

Since anticipation is part of the fun, check out the different soups that will be on offer at tomorrow’s Chowdafest. In addition to lots of variations on the traditional New England variety, there will also be:

Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder from Cactus Rose Cantina

New England Patriot Crab Chowder from the Crab Shell

Louisiana Seafood Chowder from Dunville’s

Sweet Potato Clam Chowder from the Ginger Man

New England Cheese Steak Chowder from Liquid Lunch

Oyster & Pork Belly Chowder from Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro

Butternut Squash Lobster Chowder from River House

Clams Casino Chowder from Southport Brewing Company

Corn & Turkey Chowder from Super Duper Weenie

Brewhouse Seafood Chowder from The Brewhouse

Mexican Chicken Soup from Blue Lemon

Boathouse Seafood Bisque from The Boathouse

Cheeseburger Soup from Bobby Q’s

NY Giant Lobster Bisque from the Crab Shell

Moroccan Chicken Soup from DaPietro’s

Roasted Cauliflower Soup from Liquid Lunch

Chili con Queso Soup from Los Cabos

Lobster Bisque from Mansion Clam House and Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood

Lentil Soup with Chorizo Jalapeno Hash from River House

and Sausage, Egg and Cheese Sandwich Soup from those cheeky guys at Southport Brewing Company.

I don’t know about you, but I am excited. Look for me there and tell me which chowder is your favorite. I’ll be the one with the real spoon. (Those plastic ones always cut my mouth up.)

I’m counting down the days to one of my favorite local food events. This Saturday (the day before the Super Bowl, of course) is the 4th annual Chowdafest at Bedford Middle School in Westport. This year, over 20 different restaurants will be competing to earn the title of best traditional chowder, creative chowder and soup or bisque.  For just $6 (kids under 12, $2), you get to sample all of the soups and vote for your favorites. This year’s entrants include: Ash Creek Saloon, The Boathouse, Blue Lemon, Bobby Q’s, The Brewhouse, Cactus Rose Cantina, Crab Shell, DaPietro’s, Dunville’s, The Ginger Man, Liquid Lunch, Los Cabos, The Mansion Clam House, Mystic Soup Co., Nicholas Roberts Bistro, O’Neill’s Pub, Old Post Tavern, Riverhouse, The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood, Rory’s, SBC, Super Duper Weenie and Tavern on Main.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and benefits The Connecticut Food Bank. For more information, check out www.chowdafest.org.

Ola in Orange. I must’ve passed this place hundreds of times. Situated in a strip mall on the Post Road in Orange, there’s nothing about the facade that lures potential diners in. I actually thought it was a Mexican restaurant; I had no idea it was Latino. When a friend said that it was fantastic, I put it on the list of places to try.

At 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday, the place was already packed– a good sign. To add to its allure, you walk down a flight of stairs, giving it an almost secret, club-like feel. The dining area is intimate, yet funky, with brightly colored walls and a long bar.

We started with the guacamole (mixed tableside; $11) and Calamares (white cornmeal-crusted calamari with braised garlic, tomato, piquillo pepper sauce; $9). The guacamole was incredibly fresh, although if I had one complaint it’s that it had a bit too much lime. It was served with garlic-plantain, beet infused-malanga, and lemon-cayenne yucca chips, which were crispy and colorful. The calamari was by far the most meltingly tender I’ve ever had and the sauce was bright and tangy. The entrees we got at our table included Bahia ($23): shrimp served with roasted garlic black beans, mashed potatoes and chipotle and honey Chardonnay sauce; Cana ($23): sugar cane caramelized wild salmon served over baby spinach, shitake mushroom, sweet plantain, warm quinoa salad and ginger-lemongrass, Albarino sauce; and Barbacoa ($23): passion fruit-glazed barbecued ribs with yucca fries, roasted corn and pepper salsa. All were excellent. The drink menu had lots of intriguing options, including several varieties of mojitos, which I’d love to go back and try. Ola is a surprising treasure hidden amongst the strip malls and chain restaurants that line the Post Road in Orange. I can’t wait to go back and try the plantain-crusted tilapia and the black paella.

Ola

350 Boston Post Road, Orange

(203) 891-0522

www.olarestaurantct.com

You know it’s going to be a good day when you meet your friend for coffee and there’s one of these waiting for you:

I went to Harborview Market in Black Rock this morning, and the almond croissants were fresh out of the oven. Buttery, crispy, nutty. So simple, but so perfect on a cold January morning.

Harborview Market

203-367-7336