Foodie Friday: A look back at some recent favorites
DELMARVA – The 47 ABC Foodie Friday team has visited a lot of interesting places. And, as we make plans for a tasty future, it’s time to remember some delicious dishes from our past.
Ristorante Antipasti
Foodie Photog Mike Lawrence reminisces about a few of his favorite foods from the past year, starting with Ristorante Antipasti in Ocean City.
When we visited chef Fausto and his crew crafted a trio of classic pasta dishes for us to try. The dish that immediately impressed me was probably the simplest, the pappardelle al limone.
This lemon cream pasta had everything you want in a summer snack. “Man so luxurious,…. And it’s not heavy it’s still really light,” Mike describes. “The noodle is tender its perfectly buttery, but it’s got that brightness from the lemon zest.”
And, after watching the chef assemble this tasty treasure from basically four ingredients, Mike was convinced that sometimes less really is more.
The Pines
On the other hand, when it’s cold outside and Mike is craving something savory to get me through the day, he thinks of the Cheshire white pork chop at the Pines.
Oh, and did he mention it’s big? “This is not what my brain thinks of when I think pork chop, this is probably the thickest pork chop I have yet seen,” said Mike, holding up the meaty chop.
Chef takes his time searing and butter basting the pork chop before finishing it in the oven. And the results are well worth it. “Immediately we get some nice fattiness really good caramelization from all that basting chef did. There’s even a nice crunch to the skin,” Mike opined.
Also, the pork chop sits on top of a rich white bean cassoulet with garlic sausage and confit chicken. With this much meat, you might want to bring a friend.
Easy Speak Spirits
Finally, to say Mike has eaten a few hot wings in his time would be an understatement. It’s pretty much the first thing he tries at any new pub he visits. But Easy Speak Spirits in Milford introduced Mike to a new flavor combination.
“Chef did say they make their own buffalo sauce and I believe it. It has just a slightly different flavor to it I don’t if it’s the peppers that are in here?” Mike wondered as he tried the wing.
It turns out they smoke their wings before they finish them in the pizza oven. “It’s the smokiness that’s right it must be the smokiness that really does add something doesn’t it,” said Mike.
Mike had no idea chicken wings could have such a variety of savory flavors before you added any sauce. “Now I’m curious what other wing flavors would taste like with the smokiness in this chicken,” he said.
From pasta, to pork chops, to wings, it’s clearly a tough job on Foodie Friday.
