Black Bean Soup With Poached Egg

While the pungent smell of fish sauce right out of the bottle might throw the uninitiated for a loop, it goes away once the sauce is added–with discretion–to a dish. The fish sauce simply becomes a subtle nuance and an added complexity that will make people say, “Wow!” Really.

Ruth Reichl, former editor of Gourmet magazine, advocates adding fish sauce to black beans. She often serves black beans topped with a fried egg for breakfast. She cooks the beans in a fairly traditional fashion, then adds fish sauce, dry sherry, or soy sauce for that extra dose of umami. In this adaptation, the beans are transformed into soup, topped with a poached egg.

Ingredients

Black beans, dried
Garlic, minced
Onion, diced
Red and green bell pepper, diced
Carrot, diced
Hot chiles, minced
Cumin seed
Chile powder (ancho, Chimayo, or chipotle)
Olive oil
Egg (1 per serving)

Optional:

Fish sauce
Sherry
Sherry vinegar
Soy sauce

Instructions

Soak dried black beans overnight, then simmer in enough water to make a soup on the stove top until tender, about 2 hours. Do not add any salt or vinegar until the beans have softened, or it will make the beans to tough to cook.

While the beans are cooking, make a sofrito by dicing garlic, onion, green and red pepper, carrot, and fresh hot chilis.

In a nonstick skillet, toast some cumin seed and a variety of chili powders (like ancho, Chimayo, or chipotle). Don’t let them burn! Add a little olive oil, the diced vegetables, and stir frequently until tender and aromatic. Add the mixture to the beans, and continue simmering until the beans are soft.

When almost finished, add fish sauce, sherry (or sherry vinegar), or soy, to taste. The aroma and flavor will instantly become more complex and sophisticated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Poach a few eggs, and remove while still very soft and creamy.

Ladle soup into bowls, top with a poached egg, and serve with tortillas and bottles of fish sauce and vinegar.

Eggs Sardo

1500 E Cedar Ave
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 779-2187

www.brandysrestaurant.com

Hungry? Really hungry? Go west… to Flagstaff. Like right now.

While Flagstaff is a cool place on its own (hiking, biking, mountains, pine trees), it’s worth a visit to this mountain town just to visit Brandy’s Restaurant and Bakery. Right up front, you should know that it’s gonna be crowded, and you will probably have to wait for a seat. But, there is a good reason.

Breakfast at Brandy’s is a sight to behold. As you walk through the tables, en route to your seat, the beauty and quantity of the food on people’s tables is simply jaw-dropping. Huge, pancakes spilling over the plate edges, slices of sumptuous quiche four inches tall, piles of potatoes the size of Arizona. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’ll make you hungry.

Brandy’s does Eggs Benedict well, with two perfectly poached eggs, tangy Hollandaise, and a handful of unusual ingredients. Like Eggs da Vinci (roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts) or Eggs Neptune (crab and Muenster cheese) or Eggs Sardo (spinach and artichoke hearts). They all come with a mountain of chunky, grilled potatoes or a fluffy pancake for an easy eight bucks. Please!

Brandy's Sign

Even though Brandy’s is set in a busy strip center, it’s a unique place. Totally worthy of a detour. Fresh ingredients, friendly staff, and a large, unusual, wish-you-could-try-it-all menu make this a sure stop. Stuff yourself with goodness, then go check out the old train depot, or just cruise Route 66 and marvel at all the old neon motel signs. Sooner or later you’ll be hungry enough to go back to Brandy’s and start all over.

Just Good Eats © 2011

El Siboney Tostones

900 Catherine St
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 296-4184

www.elsiboneyrestaurant.com

Key West. Just saying those words conjures up visions of island breezes, tarpon fishing on the flats, and staring across the open ocean to Cuba. So close, and yet so far. So, it’s a wonder that most of the tourists to this Florida island frequent places like the Hard Rock Cafe or IHOP, when there is such a great Cuban culinary heritage waiting to be discovered.

El Siboney Restaurant (the name comes from a tribe of Indians from Cuba) is a place to hang out with the locals, eat some great Cuban chow, and pretend that you are 90 miles south. Most of the diners are locals, the food is inexpensive, and the portions are huge. Add to that the smiling waitresses, the great aromas, and the many statues and pictures of Indian chiefs, and El Siboney Restaurant is well worth the trek off busy Duval Street for lunch or dinner.

While the menu is vast, don’t forget that El Siboney offers specials for every day of the week. Each day features a different soup and entrée (amazing, thick Lima Bean soup on Wednesdays and Saturdays, chicken and yellow rice on Fridays.) Each special includes your choice of yellow or white rice, and Platanos Maduros, the wonderfully sweet and carmelized pieces of plantain that are such a mainstay of island fare.

El Siboney Restaurant

For a fun Cuban starter, check out the tostones ($3.75), small, crunchy rounds of plantain that have been smashed flat, and then fried. They are served with a tangy bowl of vinegary onion pieces, and you will likely see them on all the locals’ tables. Make sure to shake a good dose of hot sauce on each bite, and wash it down with a cold beer. Add a side of Moros ($2.95), a mixture of black beans, onions, peppers and rice, for a complete meal.

Most entrées are between ten and twelve bucks, usually hanging over the edge of the plate. You will NOT walk away hungry from this place. If you are a fan of Cuban food, you will find all your favorites, lots of pork dishes (puerco asado and masas de puerco fritas) and lots of grilled and fried fish. If you think of it far enough in advance, call the chef at least an hour before your arrival and order the paella. It is done in the Valencia style and is only $19.95/person. Go try and find that at the Hard Rock Cafe!

Just Good Eats © 2011

Shanty Café Florentine Benedict

350 Elliott Ave W
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 282-1400

Sure, Seattle has the Space Needle, Pike’s Market, and a lot of white ferries, but more importantly, it also has the Shanty Café. Located on the western edge of the city, the Shanty Café has been serving down home, come-n-git-it vittles since 1914 (think World War One). Sitting on a little triangle of land in the shadow of tall office buildings, this tiny café looks vintage and eclectic. Something a Hollywood set designer could be proud of. Yet, it’s the real thing. Weathered, cracked and peeling, it’s the epitome of a classic diner.

Step inside, and be treated to a trio of friendly waitresses who know all the locals. There are even little brass plaques in front of some of the counter stools. Grab a seat, and spend some time looking at the menu. It’s not big, but features some really neat stuff. Fritattas like the Popeye (bacon, fresh spinach, eggs, and cheese) or the Elliott (shrimp, fresh spinach, tomato, eggs, and jack cheese). Or how about six different kinds of Benedicts. Six! There is the Classic, of course, but how about Florentine (fresh spinach, tomato, poached eggs, and tangy Hollandaise) or the unusual Veggie (veggie patty, spinach, tomato, poached eggs, and that great Hollandaise sauce). All the Benedicts look beautiful, the eggs are perfectly poached, and you certainly won’t go away hungry.

The Shanty Café

The breakfast plates come with an enormous portion of homemade hash browns, but ask nicely and the waitress will substitute the café’s Super Browns, which are a wondrous medley of hash browns, peppers, bacon, onion and cheese. Splash some Tabasco on those Browns, and they are a meal on their own.

All in all, the Shanty Café is a great breakfast find in a big city full of fabulous food. You will probably find that everybody in town has heard of it, but none of them have actually been there. Go ahead. Take a chance. It’s totally worth it!

Just Good Eats © 2011

Strange-Flavored Eggplant

At Summer Winter, an upscale restaurant in Bedford, Massachusetts, I sat staring out the window at the on-site greenhouse brimming with organic vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers. Sure, the local sustainable food movement has taken off wildly in the last few years, but few restauranteurs can harvest right outside their door like Chefs Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, who helped pioneer the “garden to table” philosophy.

The Summer Winter menu is a bit unfair. Absolutely everything sounds divine. Everything, that is, except Strange-Flavored Eggplant. This sounds a bit, umm, strange, but definitely intriguing. How can you not order something with a name like this? Moreover, how can you pass it up when the waiter says it is the most popular of their Small Bites and that people order it in pint-sized containers to take home? You can’t. So I did.

If I were king, I might call this dish Amazing-Flavored Eggplant. It is sweet and spicy, tart and tricky… a bit hard to pin down when you try to describe it. Barbara Tropp published a similar recipe in her China Moon Cookbook back in 1992. She has an explanation for the strange flavor.

It turns out that in some of the more golden eras of Chinese history, the character for ‘strange’ meant a positive-sounding ‘elusive’ or ‘ineffable,’ as in a wonderful combination of flavors that can’t be pulled apart.” … “[It's] a classic name for a series of Chinese dishes that typically employ a mixture of vinegar, sugar and chili…”

This recipe comes from the chefs at Summer Winter, who were kind enough to share their secret with me. Serve it with pita bread as an appetizer, like they do, or live it up and make a meal out of it. Stranger things have happened.

Ingredients

2 large standard eggplants
2/3 cup corn oil
1/4 cup ginger, finely minced
1/4 cup garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons chili paste (Sambal Oelek Rooster brand)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, place them on a sheet tray, drizzle with 1/2 cup corn oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until soft.

In a stainless steel saucepan, add the remaining oil and sauté the ginger and garlic until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and combine.

Remove the skin from the eggplants and drain off excess liquid (reserve). Place into a food processor and pureé; gradually pour the reserved liquid back in until full incorporated.

Serve with slices of baguette or warm pita triangles.

Fried Green Tomatoes

126 Arcadia Rd
Buchanan, VA 24066
(540) 254-1224

Recently reopened, the Mountain View Restaurant, just off I-81 near Lexington, Virginia, is a culinary quandary. This, because, it can be so darn confusing.

For example, stop in for a hearty breakfast (served all day), and as you deliberate over cheese grits versus stuffed French toast, a waitress will walk by with a burger so fat and tall and juicy, that the chef drives a steak knife through the bun and burger, just to hold it all together. Not to mention the stack of awesome, golden fries.

Well, that gets you thinking about lunch, and something special, like shrimp n’ grits or fried green tomatoes, something you don’t see every day. And then, just as you finally decide on the ever-popular Philly cheesesteak monster of a sandwich, you spot the dessert board behind the counter. Suddenly, sweet potato pecan pie, or Death by Chocolate, seems way more clever than plain ol’ breakfast. It’s especially hard, because the pies and cakes are sitting right there on the counter, under clear domes, tall and flaky, and crusty and overflowing with fruit and chocolate and nuts. It suddenly makes good sense to start with dessert.

Mountain View Restaurant

And so it goes. See what I mean by confusing?

The Mountain View Restaurant is a great spot to hang out, enjoy the view of the forested mountains, and eat your heart out. The menu features a good dose of Southern flair (check out the fried oysters and cheese grits for proof), and everything is made from scratch. Just ask the chef’s mom, who works there. All homemade, all good.

After the waitress has boxed up your extra piece of pie, turn right out of the driveway and head up Arcadia Road. It will eventually turn to dirt, and lead straight up the mountain to join the Blue Ridge Parkway. Find yourself a good viewpoint, a nice shade tree, and settle in with your pie. Mmmmmm!

Just Good Eats © 2011

Sabor Brasil

42 Canal Street
Nashua, NH 03064
(603) 886-5959

This place is like a little slice of real Brazil come to New Hampshire. Although most Brazilian churrascaria joints in the States are massive restaurants featuring gaucho-style waiters wandering around with swords of meat held aloft, Sabor Brasil is a tiny 10-table neighborhood eatery that feels as if you are eating at a friend’s house. A Brazilian friend.

A lot of the diners and staff speak Portuguese, and those who don’t, have thick, beautiful accents. The decor is simple and dominated by a big hanging picture of Brasilia, the country’s capital city. Sabor Brasil is located in old downtown Nashua, situated near the water and several old brick factories. If you catch one of the two window tables, you can almost see factory workers from a hundred years ago, making their way home in the evening, lunch pails swinging by their side. The building looks and feels as if it were a watering hole in those days, the original tin ceiling still elegantly in place.

You can choose to pay by the pound ($5.99) or all you can eat ($17.99). Just let the servers know, then go for it.

In the back of the shop is a long buffet table, stuffed with cold and hot dishes. There are salads, salsas, spicy pickled vegetables, and fruits. Then various rices, the beans (both black and brown), giant grilled onions, and dishes of fish and chicken. Make sure to try the concoction of collard greens, sausage and rice. Each dish is nicely labelled for the newbie, and everything looks and tastes delicious. The gentleman at the end of the buffet will graciously pull a variety of meats from the warming cabinet. You ask, he cuts. As much or little as you like. Garlic steak, beef tenderloin, beef hearts, sausages, pork tenderloin, and more. It’s easy to end up with a platter as big as Brazil.

On the way back to your table, grab a bottle of pickled peppers, so you can sprinkle the oily juice on everything you just got. It’s got some kick, so go easy at first, but it makes anything and everything taste better. If you have never tried it, ask for a Guarana, a highly-caffeinated Brazilian soda that has a wonderfully unusual flavor and compliments the meal nicely.

Then, sit back and savor the flavors of Brazil, listen to the accents, and think yourself far away and in another place. Like say, Brazil.

Just Good Eats © 2011

Alaskan Belgium Waffle, Pork Chop & Eggs

306 S Main St
Culpeper, VA 22701
(540) 825-4222

Sometimes, a diner is just a diner. Other times, it’s a cultural event.

The Culpeper Diner, in northern Virginia, is one such place. Although it shares an old pharmacy building with it’s sister diner, a very respectable place where you can eat Peruvian chow as well as good ol’ American grub, the Culpeper Diner is a must-visit for anybody seeking vintage America.

Why? Well, for starters, the sign in the front window says it all. “Smoking allowed!” But nonsmokers, don’t get out of joint just yet. It’s worth suffering through the smoke (a hefty ventilation system works overtime and also serves to cool the place to about 62°F) just to see how America used to be, way back when. Especially in the South, where tobacco was King!

Walk in the door, and you will immediately be noted as a tourist, a first-timer. All eyes will swivel your way, if only for a moment. The rest of the diners are all hard-core regulars, and so the waitress will immediately ask, “Is smoking okay?” She’s letting you know right off that many a nonsmoker has mistakenly passed throughout this door before. And not been happy about it.

The clients are mostly older, mainly large of body (“Just plain BIG!” is how the waitress puts it) and, without exception, in the process of lighting up, puffing on, or putting out a cigarette. Most eat with a cigarette in one hand and fork in the other. It’s a sight that just begs to be seen, at least once. Interestingly enough, the ventilation system works so well that there is very little smoke and not all that much smell.

Culpeper Diner

Once you get past the shock of walking in the door, you will notice how cute the place is, with a big chrome and neon clock on the wall. The menu is large and satisfying, especially if you are hungry. The portions are big, really big. And it’s surprising how often you will hear a regular order a breakfast that includes five pancakes, along with a mess of other stuff like eggs and toast and homefries. And even more surprisingly, most of them seem to be able to finish it all. And these are no little miniature pancakes, but full plate-wide discs of fluffy heaven.

One of the fun surprises on the menu is the Alaskan Belgium (their spelling, not mine) waffle which includes a scoop or two of ice cream. While the Culpeper Diner only serves vanilla ice cream, which might say something about the demographics, the waitress will happily walk outside to the sister café, and get you any one of 23 other flavors, including crazy vanilla (colored in red, white, and blue), cotton candy, or maple walnut. It’s hard to sit with a straight face, when she rattles off all 24 flavors from memory.

Specials include staples like pork chops and eggs ($5.95), that come with tasty, crispy home fries and biscuits. Pancakes come with such additions as pecans or chocolate chips, and the place is rightfully proud of their secret blend that does make for a light and tasty pancake. And if verbiage makes for a great meal, just check out the description of Pigs in a Blanket, which reads “3 Virginia link sausages cuddled in our pancakes…” How could you go wrong?

The Culpeper Diner is really something special. It’s a true throwback diner, not just one pretending to be vintage. It’s got sweet waitresses and cranky cigarette-wielding customers. It features a good ol’ Southern menu prepared by cooks from Honduras who make a mean hot sauce that should be liberally splashed on their great potatoes. The hot sauce is bottled up and offered for sale—a real coup in the land of Texas Pete. That alone ought to be enough to bring anyone in, despite the smoke.

Chow down, but don’t forget that Culpeper was front and center in some of the most interesting action of the Civil War. Several well-preserved battlefields are within close proximity (Brandy Station, the Wilderness, Chancellorsville) and the historic downtown is well worth the casual stroll. It’ll help you work off the pancakes and ice cream. And, the smoke.

Just Good Eats © 2011

Kale Chips

Traditionally used only as a garnish, kale is fast becoming the new superfood. Kale is among my favorite leafy greens. Not only because it is packed with healthy nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, fiber, calcium, manganese, and loaded with cancer-protecting isothiocyanates, but also because it tastes so darn good.

This recipe is a simple way to get your greens in. Try it once and you will be addicted.

Ingredients

1 large bunch fresh kale (or 1 package prewashed)
olive oil
salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash kale leaves, then remove stems and tear into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle kale with a small amount of olive oil and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp.

Sprinkle with salt (or try McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, for a little kick) and enjoy!

Canal House Crab Cakes

Though seemingly a staple on the Eastern seaboard, crab cakes are pure decadence to me. Properly prepared, they are exquisitely light yet sinfully rich, a perfect balance of tangy zing and buttery goodness.

If you live near the coast where fresh crab comes right off the boat, consider yourself among the chosen few. Fortunately, even for those who don’t live near the water, or for those who get the hankering for crab cakes when the side-crawling critters are not in season, good quality crab can be found in a tin. The crab meat itself is graded based on which part of the crab’s body it comes from and the overall size of the crab. Both “special” and “lump” grades are readily available; you have to look a little harder for the “jumbo lump” grade. Jumbo lump meat is brilliant white and comes from the two large muscles connected to the swimming legs of larger crabs. Lump meat is composed of broken pieces of jumbo lump, while special meat comprises shreds and small flakes of white meat from the body cavity of the crab. Don’t even think of making crab cakes unless you can get jumbo lump or lump grade crab.

The hand-formed cakes can be prepared either pan-fried or breaded and deep-fried, but I prefer the pan-fried version. As a butter booster, this recipe uses Ritz crackers in lieu of breadcrumbs or saltines.

This recipe, recently published in the Wall Street Journal, comes from Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, authors of Canal House Cooking, a series of seasonal recipes that is part up-scale magazine, part down-home cookbook. The two authors worked together at Saveur magazine, and in 2006 they started a photo and design studio for cookbooks and magazines. From their loft workspace, a former newspaper office on the towpath of the Delaware Canal, they self-publish Canal House Cooking, now up to Volume 6. With the photographic and food-styling backgrounds of the seasoned pair, it is no surprise that the photos in the Canal House collection are absolutely stunning. In my world, that alone makes the cookbooks worth buying.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
3 ribs celery, minced
3 scallions, minced
1 egg
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 Ritz crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs (1/3 cup)
1 16-ounce can jumbo lump crabmeat, drained well
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add celery and scallions and cook until soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the cracker crumbs and the cooled celery and scallions. Add the crabmeat and mix together very gently with your hand. Don’t break up the crabmeat.

Make 12 small, plump 2-inch crab cakes, gently pressing each cake together in your hands, and arrange the cakes on a parchment-lined tray. It may seem like the crab cakes are in danger of falling apart, but chilling them will hold them together. Loosely cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

To cook the crab cakes, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter and the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Fry the cakes until golfer brown on each side, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve hot with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and saltine crackers, if you like.

Grilled Artichokes

Just about everybody’s had an artichoke that has been boiled or steamed to death—served, of course, with the ubiquitous mayonnaise or melted butter dip. It’s how we all grew up.

But, if you are feeling a little more adventurous, try grilling these giant thistle-like buds. They work wonderfully as a light main course on a hot summer night or as a spectacular side to grilled steaks or chicken anytime.

Preparation is super simple, and you can jazz them up with just about any concoction that comes to mind. Try mixing together different herbs and spices, but throw a little heat in as well, like red pepper flakes or various hot pepper powders. For a really fast prep, or if you are on the road or camping, just sprinkle on a little McCormick’s Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning (my secret go-to spice), or something similar. Use it liberally, and it will give your artichokes tons of flavor. And they will look good to boot!

You might even say a little prayer of thanks, like I did.

Dear God,

Thank you!!! I don’t remember reading about it in the Bible and can’t recall it being foretold by ancient sages, but today I conquered the perfect grilled artichoke… and, yes, it was an experience of lifetime. Maybe not quite as monumental as the parting of the Red Sea, but since I was using a hotel barbecue and very miscellaneous accoutrements, it was about as good as, say, the Pyramids. So, thanks for inventing the artichoke.

Amen.

Ingredients

1 small artichoke per person
1 lemon
olive oil
salt
pepper
McCormick’s Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning
dipping condiments, like Basil Pesto

Instructions

Tear off the tough outer leaves of each artichoke, then cut off the pointed tip with a sharp knife. If you have gotten artichokes with a long stem, leave it intact, trimming off only the end. (A long stem is a delicious bonus that many people foolishly discard.) With a spoon, scoop out the small hairy choke just above the stem. It creates a nice cavity for extra spices.

Slice each artichoke in half lengthwise, right through the stem. Drizzle lemon juice on the cut side to keep it from browning. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lemon; once grilled, it’s hard to distinguish any unwanted browning from the desired grill marks.

Place the artichoke halves in boiling, salted water and cook until just tender, but still a little al dente, about 7 to 10 minutes for small artichokes. Pull the artichokes out of the water, place cut side down on a plate to drain and cool a bit, then slather on all sides with olive oil. Sprinkle your spice mixture or seasoning liberally over the entire artichoke.

Set artichokes cut side up on a hot grill, over direct heat. You are going for nice grill marks here, so don’t be bashful about the heat. After about 10 minutes, flip them, grill for another 5 to 6 minutes, and serve immediately with dipping condiments of your choice. Try basil pesto, with lots of Parmesan in it, for an unbelievable flavor combination.

And be careful. You may become so distracted, you forget all about those steaks on the grill.

Crums on Central Po’ Boy

1855 Central Avenue
Augusta, GA 30904
(706) 729-6969

www.crumsoncentral.com

Crums on Central, named after chef Andrew Crumrine, is a life-ring in a sea of Southern chain restaurants. Why is it that so often when you ask somebody where to find great grub in a new town, all they come up with are the typical chains? Down South, that usually means Waffle House, Bo Jangles, or Cracker Barrel. Try as you might, it’s rare that you can pry out of a local anything as genuine, pertinent, and terrific as Crums.

This little café is situated just outside historic downtown Augusta. You would almost have to know it’s there to find it. Just a few years old, Crums features a luxurious outdoor patio, where you can relax, take in the Southern charm, and eat some really great food.

All the dishes are plated beautifully, with lots of color and shape minus the side of pretentiousness. It all just looks really, really appetizing. While there is a full dinner menu featuring brilliant entrées such as smoke-scented salmon or shrimp and grits, try Crums on the weekend for the brunch menu served from 11:00 am.

Before you order, take some time to just sit on the patio and watch the dishes go by. Everything will be inspirational. Order a beer from the vast selection, and try some boiled peanuts, maybe some of the best in the South ($4.95). Or try the ever popular bruschetta, slices of grilled baguette piled high with roasted garlic, tomato and fresh basil. Most diners take to the deviled eggs ($5.00/six), and Mimosas flow abundantly.

Crums on Central

Brunch entrees are all $8.50, and each is a valid choice. The bacon cheddar burger is piled high with loads of carmelized red onions, arugula and tomatoes. Throw in an order of Crummy fries ($6.00), crispy fries topped with a generous portion of bacon, Parmesan, feta, and pesto aioli, and you’ll be doing just fine.

Or try the pulled pork sandwich—a soft bun literally stuffed with succulent smoked Boston butt, homemade sauce served on the side. And the po’ boys, a choice of fried catfish or shrimp, are magnificent. Long hoagie rolls are stuffed with either spiced and crunchy crusted catfish or mounds of fresh shrimp, then layered with jalapeno slaw, remoulade sauce, and bunches of halved grape tomatoes. Yummy stuff.

Everything at Crums is a treat—simple food done very well and in an eye-popping fashion. When you can’t take another bite, roll north a few streets to Walton Way, and work your way west. The magnificent architecture sprawls out in a beautiful park-like setting. There are some amazing, column-fronted homes that will take you back to what the South of must have been like at the turn of the century. If you were clever, you brought along a Crums crab cake or two for sustenance!

Just Good Eats © 2011

Ashton Avenue Diner Guatemalan Tipico Breakfast

9920 Cockrell Road
Manassas, VA 20109
(703) 330-5151

www.ashtonfamilyrestaurant.com

The Ashton Avenue Diner is a great little spot. Where else can you go for breakfast and find Tex-Mex. Guatemalan, plain ’ol American, and Greek items all on the same menu? Each authentic, every one delicious. This little diner, located a few miles from the beautiful historic district of Manassas, is staffed by waitresses who know most of the locals by name and bring their food without them having to order. But, check out the menu, and you’ll want something different every time. No doubt!

While all the staples are on the menu, like hash browns and eggs, meats and pancakes, wander off the beaten path and try something like the Guatemalan Tipico Breakfast ($11.99) that is a plateful of happiness and adventure—eggs any style covered in homemade pico de gallo, tender marinated flank steak, homemade refried beans, fried plantain, and corn or flour tortillas. It is ridiculously good!

The menu is full of surprises like this, any time of day, and each is worth a look. When you have had your fill, walk Old Manassas, a railroad junction so vital to both sides during the Civil War. Or, just hang out at the beautiful train depot and watch the trains go by.

Just Good Eats © 2011

Aden Grocery Fried Bologna Sandwich

13717 Aden Rd
Nokesville, VA 20181
(703) 594-2626

Often times, wandering aimlessly can be more fun than knowing where you are going. Everything is unexpected—the people you meet, the places you discover. So when you find a little place like the Aden Grocery, it shouldn’t come as a total surprise, but it always is.

Located on what was once an important intersection of dirt roads, the Aden Grocery has been serving the tiny community of Aden (and anybody driving between Quantico and Manassas, Virginia) since the turn of the twentieth century. Even though it was originally built in the farm field across the street, the existing structure still has plenty of old-time charm. Not only is it the only building at this intersection, it’s still the only shop for miles around.

Aden Grocery

While most of the place is taken up by groceries, everything from pickled eggs and homemade caramel turtles, to sodas and cigars, about a third of the floor space is an open kitchen. The Aden Grocery serves up made-to-order sandwiches that would have made your heart soar in second grade. Egg salad, ham and cheese, bologna (fried on the griddle if you ask for it). Plain food, made by a gal who appreciate her customers. And regulars she has. Hang out, and you’ll find a steady stream of folks, willing to wait patiently, while she works the griddle, tends the register, and says something nice everybody who enters.

This is simple food, but done right, in the perfect spot. Come on… How many places are gonna fix you a fried bologna sandwich? That’s a bunch of bologna slices, grilled up and piled high on toast that’s been slathered with mayo, sprinkled with black pepper and salt (crushed red pepper flakes, if you are clever), and then finished off with fresh lettuce, tomato, and melted cheese. All this for $3.29, including the tin foil wrapping that keeps it hot until you get to it.

Grab a drink, step outside, and have a sit in the sun while you eat. Folks will be coming and going, saying a hello, showing that wonderful Southern hospitality. It makes the bologna taste even better. If that’s possible.

Just Good Eats © 2011

Frishman Falafel

Frishman 44
Corner of Dizengoff and Frishman
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Phone: What’s the point? Nobody would answer.

When in Israel, it seems obligatory to have falafel at least once. It’s not a novel idea. Not like say, tracking down Sabich, the secret food of Israel. But, after a visit to the right spot, falafel gets transformed from obligatory to necessary.

Frishman Falafel is tiny. Quite possibly, the only joint in Tel Aviv smaller than Frishman Falafel is the sister shop next door that sells Sabich (the best Sabich in Tel Aviv, I might add). Both places together are about the size of a closet, so don’t expect fancy, just great street food.

It works like this. Get in line with the locals (don’t worry that nobody speaks English, and the menu—all four lines of it—is in Hebrew; it doesn’t matter), watch the folks strolling along busy Dizengoff Street, and get a whiff of that falafel cooking in oil. It smells so good! If the line is long (probably) or moving slowly (likely), the guy behind the counter will hand out balls of falafel or crunchy potato sticks while you wait. It’s a nice touch, and gets your appetizer going. That’s a good thing. You will need it.

You can get a half pita (3.50 USD) or a whole one (5.00 USD). Even if you ran the Tel Aviv Marathon in the morning, a whole one can be daunting. Pace yourself.

Once it’s your turn, the server will take a pita bread, slice open the top with a box knife, and ask you what you want. No worries about the language, just point and you’ll be fine. There are lots of fillings to be had, like finely chopped purple cabbage salad, chopped tomato salad, two hot sauces (a must), tahini, hummus, and a bunch of other stuff. If you see something you want more of, just ask. Most people will even come back to the counter when they are halfway through and ask for more tahini. You’d be foolish not to. It’s really good.

Frishman Falafel Storefront

Grab a plastic bag, and help yourself to the sides on the counter—chunks of pickled cabbage, grilled hot peppers, pickled carrots, slaw. The heat of the peppers, the vinegar from the cabbage, the sweetness of the tahini. It’s a match made in heaven. Oh, and the falafel! It is dark and crunchy on the outside, but bright green and soft inside. It tastes of fresh herbs and spices, and has a nice grit. And, you’ll probably be sorry that there isn’t more of it hidden in your pita.

Dizengoff is a great street, packed with cafés, shops, and seemingly half of Israel strolling up and down. When you have finished your falafel, grab a 100% freshly squeezed juice next door (watermelon, mango, kiwi… you name it), and go work off your meal by cruising Dizengoff. You’ll probably end up with a new pair of oversize sunglasses, a pair of tight jeans, and maybe another falafel.

Just Good Eats © 2011