The Sweet Life Cafe

For our final dinner in MV we had a tough choice to make. So many delicious restaurants and only one more night. We decided that The Sweet Life Café would be the best way to close out an awesome weekend of great eats.

The restaurant is in a small house in Oak Bluffs. Most of the seating is outside in a dimly lit garden area that's decorated with Christmas lights. We sat outside on what turned out to be a lovely evening. I immediately decided my appetizer would be the Escargot Napoleon. 

When it arrived, I was floored. It was sandwiched on a phyllo dough crust and the snails were sautéed in almond butter, Pernod, spinach and blue cheese fondue. It was so good I found myself pausing many times to truly savor the taste. Z ordered the Sweet Pea Risotto.

It is typically served as a side but they were willing to offer it as an appetizer. The bright green color showcased the freshness of the peas. They were certainly generous with the portion. The risotto was delicious, but a little too filling for an appetizer.  When my entree arrived, I was equally thrilled.

The Grilled Striped Bass was served with heirloom tomato crab and corn salad. It was sitting on a wild rice pancake. The bass was amazingly good. The seasoning really allowed the freshness of the ingredients to shine through. I loved the salad and the crab added a nice textural contrast. The wild rice pancake was a first for me and I really enjoyed it! I may try to recreate it some day. Z's dish was also really good.

Wild Mushroom Strudel with creamy rosemary polenta and asparagus. It was cooked in a porcini broth with truffle oil, braised in white wine then baked. Quite the intricate preparation and it certainly paid off! After the disappointing dessert at Atria, I was really looking forward to something spectacular.

The Caramel Ginger Creme Brûlée did the job. It was served with orange ginger biscotti and the combination was perfect. It definitely had me wanting to lick the bowl.

The Sweet Life Cafe is a must try in Martha's Vineyard. The food is fresh, the staff is friendly and the ambiance is lovely. And besides if it's good enough for Mr. President, it should be good enough for you.

Hungry yet?

Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy

After my somewhat successful Curry Chicken experience, I figured I could tackle a vegetarian dish.  Although I only eat poultry and fish, I tend to make a face whenever I have to eat vegetarian. Yet, something about this dish intrigued me.  It is another Sanjeev Kapoor recipe from Food and Wine magazine with very slight modifications on my part.

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves, chopped

2 jalapeños, chopped

One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Directions

In a food processor, combine the garlic, jalapeños and ginger and process to a paste. In a large nonstick pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. 

Add the cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer over moderate heat until thickened, about 6 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and water and simmer until the chickpeas are flavored with the gravy, about 8 minutes. 

Season the chickpeas with salt. Serve with naan and enjoy the awesomeness!

This recipe was pretty easy to make and definitely a super delicious meal. I spiced it up with lots of cayenne and also made it thicker by adding less water than the original recipe calls for.  You should feel free to adjust to your liking. I sure did! J

Hungry yet?

Bistro Bistro

No visit with VBRAT is complete without a group dinner.  I was really excited about the prospect of eating at one of DC’s popular tapas restaurants, but we were told they were booked so I sent a few options to the crew and eventually we settled on Bistro Bistro thanks to their escargot.  Our group of 12 had a staggered arrival but most of us walked in at once.  I certainly did not appreciate the attitude when we first walked in but of course as soon as they saw me photographing dishes there was a quick change in behavior. Too late! I already noticed it.  Luckily, my reviews are largely based on food with a detour to décor and service when it’s notable one way or the other.  We started off sharing a few appetizers while we waited for the rest of our crew.  Of course we ordered escargot.

They were delightful little guys sautéed with mushrooms in a garlic butter sauce.  I was a big fan.  I had hoped they would be served in the traditional snail plate but in the end taste is what matters and these snails were excellent.  We also ordered the mussels special, Moules Frère Diable.  I think my love affair with mussels has now become a relationship.  Every time I see them on the menu, I am drawn to them. 

These mussels were sautéed in a spicy tomato broth.  I was definitely a big fan and the broth definitely did not go to waste.  We made sure to soak up the broth with the fresh warm bread they served.  The calamari frites was pretty standard.

The batter was tasty, but as GK pointed out, the calamari was nay the freshest.  The buffalo mozzarella appetizer was served like Caprese.

It was surprisingly good considering this is a French restaurant not Italian.  It took us a little while but eventually we ordered our entrees.   GK, Mr. N and I ordered the Paella. 

Paella is traditionally a Spanish dish.  This French version was different but also pretty good.  A medley of fresh scallops, mussels, shrimp, lobster meat, and chicken cooked in tomato sauce served atop rice with vegetables.  It was very flavorful and I can see why it’s one of the house specials.  Ms. G ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. 

I’m not sure if she wasn’t hungry or if it was really that unimpressive but at the end of the meal, she had only eaten one bite and remarked that it was quite dry.  Mr. S on the other hand emptied his plate.  He ordered the Croque Madame.

Roasted Turkey Breast and creamy Swiss cheese with a side of French fries.  My guest blogger and her Mr. K shared the French pork chops.  A grilled pork chop with brandy, caramelized apples, served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

She reports that the caramelized applesauce was delicious and the pork was soft and tender.  She believes the sauce would have tasted delicious with any type of meat.  Mr. S ordered the Spinach Lasagna. 

He sat on the other end of the table so I didn’t hear what he thought about his dish.  Hopefully he’ll share his thoughts in the comments.  Mr. W ordered the special Linguine Bistro Seafood Pasta. 

It looked really good and perhaps I would have ordered that had I known it was an option.  He cleaned up his plate – which is no surprise.  Mr. I arrived a little late (shock) but still managed to order the Portobello Pesto Ravioli.

He thought it was alright but it didn’t rock his world.  He gave the restaurant an “alright” for their vegetarian options.  When Ms. O arrived some of us had started ordering dessert but she ordered the Flounder Meuniere.

It was savory and well seasoned.  The veggies received an okay rating and a belief that they were probably frozen.  What a shame.  Frozen vegetables are a terrible short cut at restaurants that’s just not worth the wrath of your customers.  Any indiscretions were forgiven when dessert arrived. 

Chocolate Soufflé is the perfect end to almost any meal.  The Tiramisu was also quite lovely.

Dining at Bistro Bistro was quite the festive event.  The restaurant is large and great for big groups.  It also can be private and intimate if that’s what you’re looking for; you just have to sit away from the large group of 12 at the front of the restaurant.  The menu has some traditional French favorites but also a good selection of other options.  There really is something for everyone; some things are just better than others.  The servers were generally attentive and accommodating.  Several hundreds of dollars later, we left the restaurant quite happy with our experience and feeling ready to continue the rest of night in DC.

Hungry yet?

Ms. O & Mr. M's Big Day!

It’s here it’s here it’s here!  After a wonderful bridal shower and a delicious bachelorette weekend, I knew that the food at Ms. O’s wedding would not disappoint.  Boy was I right!!

The ceremony was incredibly beautiful and ended well before the reception started.  I was happy to find Ms. H and even happier that she invited me to come hang at her hotel.  Unfortunately, we spent a little more time than we should have and arrived at the New York Athletic Club a little late.  This meant that I was only able to try one kind of passed hors d’oeuvres. 

I’m a big fan of crab cakes though so I was thrilled that this was the hors d’oeuvre that I found.  There were rumors of shumai, salmon and so many other delicious items.  It pains me to have missed out on the opportunity to photograph and taste them.  Luckily, there was also a pasta station. 

I only had time to try the Penne.  It was incredible and definitely hit the spot.  I couldn’t have been happier.  After hearing about the fantastic items at the cocktail hour, I knew that dinner was going to be fantastic.  I arrived at my table just as the salad landed. 

As always I was suspicious of cheese on my plate but turns out it was goat cheese which went well with the greens, raspberries and nuts.  I was excited about the entrée and I had a feeling that it would be a Land & Sea meal.  I was right!

Chilean Sea Bass and a healthy piece of beef.  I don’t eat beef but EVERYONE at my table who did inhaled the meal!  Our table was virtually silent when everyone was eating.  No words except for comments directly related to how delicious the food tasted.  Since I don’t eat beef, I was pleased that this was a land & sea dinner, because once I alerted our waiter, he arrived with this.

YUM! The Chilean Sea Bass was amazing!  Super fresh and the sauce was perfect hints of spice and tomatoes.  The crab cake like structure you see is actually potatoes! Brilliant!  I’ll admit it I was fooled but it would be pretty silly to put two seafood items on the plate.  Guess I was still dreaming of the crab cake from the cocktail hour!  One of the guests sitting at my table ordered the vegetarian dish. 

I gotta tell you, that is the most hearty veggie plate I’ve ever seen.  And he finished it right up!

Dessert followed soon after.

I never quite got the name of this tasty treat but it had blueberries, blackberries and if my memory serves me right, raspberries and strawberries.  Cream and fruit – what more does one need? 

Oh right, the cake! I believe this was red velvet though I must admit I was a little confused because I’m pretty sure I saw their wedding cake in one piece shortly after I downed this little guy.  

After/during the meal, almost everyone was on the dance floor.  The band kept it live and everyone was in great spirits.  Congratulations Ms. O and Mr. M wishing you all the best! 

Hungry yet?

My Big Fat Indian Wedding

Mr. I and Ms. S finally tied the knot!!  It was quite a spectacular event.  Unfortunately, my camera is less than spectacular so I was unable to snap decent pics of the lovely couple.  However, I did manage to get excellent pictures of the food.

This extravagant Indian wedding had an amazing caterer.  There were 3 food stations for the 600+ people that attended the morning ceremony.  I don't know the name of everything and it would be great if one of the more seasoned experts in South Indian cuisine could assist me with proper names and ingredients!

For now I will simply post the pictures and my comments on the things I did eat.

I didn't get a chance to try this, but Mr. G did.  Perhaps he'll let us know his thoughts.

I didn't get a chance to sample this which looked like chickpeas, but perhaps I'm wrong.

The string beans were quite good.  I only had a taste though.

Ah my second favorite.  Paneer curry.  It was spectacular.  Pour this sucker over some rice and you are in heaven!

This potato spectacular is FANTASTIC.  I could have filled up on just this, but I decided to try other things. It was rather spicy and that made me incredibly happy.

I'm not sure what this is supposed to be eaten with, but I did see it in a cup and it seemed that people were happy every time they took a sip.

While I'm not a vegetarian and usually require a little poultry or fish to make it a meal, I was quite satisfied.  This was a fantastic meal catered with skill and only more delightful because of the joyous occasion.  Congratulations to Mr. I and Ms. S.

Hungry yet?