Tamale Luna Maya @ Luna Maya, Norfolk, VA
Burrito Colorado @ Luna Maya, Norfolk, VA.
Wood Grilled Local Crabcakes @ Fire & Vine, Virginia Beach, VA.
Fire & Vine offers a New American fare cooked in artisan wood-fired ovens. They also support the use of local offerings; the brewery down the way, produce from local farmers, etc…
The crabcakes didn’t have a lot of filler, which was great. They sat on a Summer succotash and Spring asparagus. There was a dressing of house tartar and parsley oil finishing off the dish.
Argentinean Style Churrasco Steak @ Fire & Vine, Virginia Beach, VA.
Fire & Vine offers a New American fare cooked in artisan wood-fired ovens. They also support the use of local offerings; the brewery down the way, produce from local farmers, etc…
This was Shelby’s entree, it was cooked perfectly. Left-overs heated up the next day were just as good. My wife would have preferred more lime though.
Sonoma Flatbread @ Fire & Vine, Virginia Beach, VA.
Goat cheese mousse, red grapes, candied walnuts, balsamic syrup, fresh herbs, crispy wood-oven flatbread.
This was very good. If you go during happy hour they are only $5! Definitely worth a visit.
Lemon Drop my wife made this weekend. It was perfect.
Grilled turkey patties inspired by Chicken Adana.
U-10 Scallops @ Stove, Portsmouth, VA.
From the Stove menu:
“big fat and juicy, ‘dry pack’ scallops seared with a reduction of tomato, basil and french shallots on creamers and capers”
House Aged & Smoked Hereford Strip @ Stove, Portsmouth, VA.
It was our anniversary, which means we go out for a good dinner. We heard about Stove in Portsmouth and decided to give it a go. The food was good, as was the service. It’s cozy and tucked away in the historic district; there was a pizza place next door that looked interesting so we’ll have to try that soon. Overall, a great dinner with my lovely wife :)
Chocolate Chip Cookies! It’s National Chocolate Chip Day!
Vodka 360
Shelby usually drinks Ketel One vodka, but when checking out what was on sale we saw this stuff and the bottle automatically drew us to it. Reading about them online, I found out their thing is being environmentally friendly with their business practices and production techniques. Figured I give them a shout out. Oh, the vodka isn’t too bad either ;)
Greek Salad with homemade dressing.
When you mix everything together for the salad—cucumber, pepperoncini, olives especially—you could go without the dressing. The combination is fragrant and fresh. Olive oil and garlic never hurt anything though; toss in fresh basil, Greek oregano, and lemon juice, it can only get better.
Chicken Adana with Basmati @ Kebab Shack, Norfolk, VA.
Kebab Shack is located in the former Zero’s Subs store-front on Granby St. If you know me, you know I rave about this place. The food is good and the guys in the kitchen are friendly. If you want to try something different, give it a shot.
Mocha Cheesecake @ 219 Bistro, Norfolk, VA
We wandered into 219 after spending the evening at Art|Everywhere browsing the windows artists dressed. They squeezed us in and didn’t seem too bothered we only had drinks and appetizers. We did grab dessert, this cheesecake (delicious), and our friends got a huge banana split and a piece of layered chocolate cake as big as my head. Service was great and I would like to try a dinner there.
Click the pic to visit 219 Bistro.
Happy Easter!
Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Vegetables.
I was going to get all fancy with the lamb shoulder and then I heard someone down the hall firmly suggest I just get it in the oven already. I took a knife and made sure the roast was really dead, filled the fresh incisions with garlic and rosemary. I put it in a roasting pan with some vegetables, vegetable stock, and red wine. Seasoned to taste. Came out pretty good, cooked it medium so all the guests could enjoy it. I used a rue to throw together a gravy from the pan for the roasted potatoes I had sitting in the oven the whole time. Photo courtesy of my son, thanks Chayce.
Tzatziki!
Ingredients:
- 1 small container of Greek Yogurt (about 7-8oz)
- 2-3 Garlic cloves, large, pressed
- 2 dashes of Dill
- ½ English cucumber, grated and strained
- ½-1 Lemon, squeezed
- 6 Mint leaves, finely minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
The recipe is very simple. The cucumber needs to have the moisture squeezed out of it, I usually use cheesecloth if I have some on-hand; you could use a paper towel, just squeeze slowly so it doesn’t tear. Add all the ingredients to a bowl, mix and chill.
Great with bread, lamb, anything really. If you like a little more bite, add more garlic.
Photo reply or send comments to george@i-heart-food.com
Tzatziki
Omelet with everything in it :)
Chicken Burrito Bowl @ Chipotle, Virginia Beach, VA. I got home late from work and was planning on making dinner then Shelby said, “How about Chipotle?” You don’t have to ask me twice :)
Had lunch and dinner out today. First, Kow Pad Krapow with Pork @ Thai Papaya in Newport News, VA. Very good, just the way I like it.