in the Raleigh News-Observer. Dave plays the role of the brother-in-law who works at the wine shop.

Update:

They moved the URL. The link is now here.

Last week, my parents, generous folks that they are, gave me a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker for my birthday. Since yesterday was unseasonably warm for February, and since I would have done it anyway,  I felt compelled to take the thing for a trial run.

The Smokey Mountain may not be the world’s most sophisticated smoker, and a brief tour of the smoke-related Internet reveals that there is a great deal of geekery and gadgetry related to this form of cooking. Similar to my other occasional pursuit, homebrewing, there is a lot of room to improvise, to experiment and most importantly, to play with fire. So I thought I’d start out pretty basic with some easy to smoke foods that wouldn’t take forever.

I started kind of early yesterday morning, thinking about smoking pork ribs and, to please my wife, a whole salmon. After a quick stop at the Waverly farmer’s market to pick up some greens, milk and coffee, I headed down to Baltimore’s historic Lexington Market. At 9:oo on Saturday morning, the place was already bustling. I stood in line at a stand called Harbor Seafood and asked about the beautiful whole salmon they had for sale. Weighed out, the dang thing cost $60, and I wasn’t feeling that flush, so I went for one 5lb+ filet, which was still a lot to wrangle with. The crew at Harbor descaled the filet for me and sent me packing in a couple of minutes, which was good, since I was parked at a meter and had only managed to scrounge one quarter from the back seat of my car.

The meter was expired when I returned to the car, but I think the traffic folks aren’t very active on Sunday morning so I escaped unscathed. I headed north to the Whole Foods in Mount Washington to pick up a few other supplies, including a sizable slab of pork ribs. The final necessary ingredient was booze, so I stopped off at the Wine Underground to pick up some beer (Stone Pale Ale, Lagunitas Censored Ale, and more Nugget Nectar) and wine (a cheap white Bordeaux and a nice Frascati).

Arriving home, I unpacked the groceries. and prepped the meat. For the pork, I prepared a brine drip with sea salt, brown sugar, and juniper berries. For the salmon, I made a salt, sugar and honey cure. I put the meats in the fridge, pulled the new smoker out from under the porch, and went off to the gym to let the meats cure.

Upon my return, I fired up the grill with hardwood charcoal in my big Weber chimney, rinsed and rubbed the meat, and, put it in the smoker. I used mesquite chips that I’d left soaking overnight and added more charcoal and wood every hour or so. I smoked the ribs for about four hours and the salmon for about three, while puttering around the kitchen and sipping on some of the aforementioned beers.

By the time our friends Joel and Joleen showed up to eat, things were in their final stages. The pork turned out really well, although I think in the future, I’ll use a sweeter rub. The salmon, which I’d rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper and then topped with a mixture of arugula, garlic, and rosemary (the last bit from our summer herb bed) turned out very well, light and flaky and smoky, with plenty of leftovers. We served it up with baked potatoes, and a spinach salad, along with our friend Joleen’s riced cauliflower.  Jo also made a cardamom banann bread, which we had with ice cream for dessert, and Joel contributed sips of his 7-year Nicaraguan dark rum, which was delicious, very complex and packed something of a whallop.

Not bad for the first attempt. I’m excited to give it another shot soon. My mom has told me she wants some smoked salmon, so I’ll have to fire that up again, and I’m also keen to try something that takes a really long time, like a brisket or a turkey.

When Jo and I went to Belgium a few months back, I made a point of grabbing a bunch of beers I hadn’t seen here in the states and bringing them back. They’ve been settling down in my Beer Vault for a while now, so I guess its time to start breaking them out and giving them a try. I will make an occasional series of my reviews.

The first one I pulled out of the Vault was Kerelsbier Light, a Belgian style lager. This is a style that I generally avoid, because it tends to be boring (think Stella Artois), and there are so many excellent ales that it hardly seems worth the time. However, this one hails from west Flanders, and specifically from the hop-growing region around Poperinge, where my one of my very favorite beer golden ales (Poperings Hommel Ale), is from.

Anyway, it is not the best beer in the world, as I expected. Poured from the 25cl bottle into a tulip, it displays only a thin head that dissipates rapidly. It is, however an incredibly clear shade of deep gold. On the nose is a bit of floral aroma, and a nice, mouthfilling maltines, with some pretty significant hop bite in the finish. Basically, its a straightforward, hoppy lager that’s a bit more alcoholic (6.4%abv) than most lagers.

Essentially, this is an inoffensive beer that would make a better-than average everyday session beer. I’m not sure that I’m happy about schlepping it all the way across the Atlantic (I had to buy a new bag just to bring back the beer), but it didn’t suck.

More of this to come as I make my way through the Belgium beer haul.

Every year around this time, while many craft breweries are releasing their barleywines, Tröeg’s brewery of Harrissburg PA is rolling out its fabulous Nugget Nectar. They call it an imperial amber, presumably because it is a souped up (7.5% abv) version of their flagship Hopback, a hoppy amber ale that is closer in style to an IPA than anything else. They use a blend of high-alpha acid American hops (Nugget, Warrior and Tomahawk) to produce a powerfully hopped  beer with resinous citrus, and pine notes, that plays well against a malty backdrop.

This  is a fantastic beer, and it only comes to Maryland in fairly limited amounts, so get it while you can.  If they’re out, you can also get the Victory Hop Whallop, which is  a similarly styled strong beer from Easton PA.

If you consider yourself a Baltimorean, whether native or adopted, and you’ve never been to Martick’s, it is time to go. I felt ashamed when we walked into this dimly lit Baltimore institution. Ashamed that I’ve been proclaiming my great love for everything about this city for the past five years but never venturing to this former speakeasy-cum-French restaurant.

Getting there is your first challenge. Be sure to write down the address carefully as you will be sure to double check it once you get there. Martick’s is located on a block of Mulberry Street that is otherwise devoid of life on a Saturday night. There is no sign, only a faded mosaic on the front of a dilapidated building. The glowing doorbell is the only indication that anyone at all might be inside. Now, bravely ring the doorbell and wait for someone to check you out through the mail slot. Once you’re deemed a worthy and acceptable entrant, a pleasant hostess will open the door and usher you in to the chilly restaurant.

Now, be amazed. Be amazed by the gigantic, antique espresso maker that gathers dust in the corner. By the lovely stained glass and the aluminum paneling. By the wooden art Nouveau carvings and the VFW fire sale furniture. If you venture here on a cold winter’s night, bring a sweater. It’s not going to get much warmer. The servers are kind and welcoming and they will quickly usher you to a cozy seat. Order a Kier right now and spring for a bottle of champagne, too. As Dave will undoubtedly point out, it is Australian, so technically not Champagne, but it tastes bright and clean just the same. The wine list, like so many in Charm City, leaves something to be desired, but the inexpensive sparkler worked well for us.

Warning to the vegetarians: This is not an experience that you will want to miss. However, if you don’t eat seafood, stuff some carrots and a Luna bar into your sweater pockets. Nibble them between Kiers. The charm continues with the hand printed wine list and the photocopied menu. I am not a pate eater but if you are, it seems as though you should definitely order it. Dave will likely order it on a subsequent visit, but he was a little too full to imagine ordering it for himself before dinner.

All of the menu selections sounded delicious. I eventually went with the classic bouillabaisse and Dave ordered the tender lamb. We started with New Zealand mussels. Everything is prepared well, but in a fairly old-fashioned way that one could not precisely call traditional French. The boulliabaise was delicately perfumed with herbs and a little sweet, and full of fresh seafood. Dave found the lamb chops a bit on the chewy side, but nonetheless tasty, and while everything was a hair expensive, we left very happy with the experience.

Martick’s is a quintessential Baltimore experience. Mouldering away in an almost abandoned block of Mullberry St., the last standing member of a row of houses that seems to have been eaten by a high-rise parking garage, this is one of the places where old Baltimore is making its last stand. It may be tough to find, but, as a friend told us recently, you have to go before it’s gone. At least have a cocktail, although there’s no reason not to stay for dinner.

Martick’s Restaurant Français

214 Mulberry St.

Baltimore, MD 21201

410-752-5155

Fresh and Local

Originally uploaded by Lady Goodman

Though there are those who will fight me on this, I still prefer Saturday’s 32nd Street farmer’s market to the one under the Jones Falls on Sunday. I am probably biased because it is only a long walk from our house and we subscribe to One Straw Farm’s CSA, which doesn’t have a pickup at the Sunday market (Subscribe is probably the wrong word since we traded them an old pickup truck for a lifetime supply of fresh produce but that’s a better story for a different time). Anyhow, I prefer the open, sunny atmosphere of the Waverly market as well as its wide variety of vendors and its proximity to Normals and The Book Thing.

But, today’s post is about dairy, meat and the charge you will get from eating local. Since Oxford University Press anointed “locavore” as 2007’s word of the year, I know I’m not the only one who wants to eat more food that hasn’t traveled very far. The 32nd Street Market is open year round, which gives it yet another point over the Jones Falls market, which ends in late December. The first stop to make is South Mountain Creamery’s stand, where you can purchase fresh milk, cream, eggs, yogurt, meat, honey and McCutcheon’s preserves. All of the meat and dairy comes from their farm in Frederick, where it is raised without hormones, pesticides or other stuff that doesn’t belong in your food. And, if you are lucky enough to live in one of the areas that they deliver to, their fresh products will magically arrive at your doorstep. It tastes way more delicious than anything you buy at the supermarket plus it didn’t take a ton of fossil fuels to get it to you. All of this plus the peace of mind that comes from supporting small family farms in this era of corporate agriculture.

Other choice stops at this wintry market: Gardener’s Gourmet for greens aplenty, Neopol for smoked fish, Atwater’s for bread. One Straw only comes to this market from June until Thanksgiving but I will plug them anyway for always having the best produce in season. I also like Black Rock Orchard for cider and apples. And there you have it. The larder is stocked for another week with local, pesticide-free goodness. Did I mention peace of mind? Yeah, it’s in there, too.

I found came across this photo while looking for something else for work today. Its a really lovely plate of carpaccio I ordered one day this summer while we were walking about San Francisco. I don’t remember the name of the cafe where we got it, but I do remember how great this little afternoon snack was.

Anyway, I’ve got nothing profound to say, just wanted to harken back to summertime for a minute.

While Dave prepared for his beer tasting, I ventured out to the Baltimore Museum of Art with a friend and her beautiful, eight-month old baby boy. We toured the Matisse exhibit because she has always been a big fan and I was pleasantly surprised to find pencil drawings and sculptures of languid nude women in place of the brightly colored collages that I associate with Matisse. My friend and I did make a point of telling her young son that women’s breasts don’t normally stand straight up when they are lying prone and he should expect something more natural in his future.

After the exhibit, we went to Gertrude’s, the café housed in the museum, for a quick bite and a chance to feed the baby some mushy fruit and Cheerios. The café was buzzing with activity due to the popularity of their weekend brunch and I worried for a moment about the possibility of finding a table on short notice. I also don’t usually make a habit of dining out with such young children and was a bit nervous about invoking the disdain of our hosts and servers.

However, I shouldn’t have worried at all as we were treated with absolute kindness even though we traded seats at the table several times, required a high chair in a small space and littered the floor with dry cereal (Note: I tried hard to clean up the floor before we left. I hope we didn’t leave it too much of a mess). To our further delight, the elegantly set table was covered with a thin sheet of white paper and a delicate container filled with crayons, which erased any further misgivings I might have about bringing such a little one to this upscale eatery.

Not only does this café offer a relaxing and beautiful atmosphere, the food was satisfying and served promptly, as well. Dave and I were here last summer for our anniversary dinner (which blessedly falls smack in the midst of Restaurant Week), and regretted ordering the prix fixe dinner when we saw the other offerings on the menu. Yesterday, I noticed that there are many choices for diners of all tastes and inclinations, but in a hurry to feed the baby, ordered the black bean burger. Far from the bland, frozen offering normally served up to vegetarians in restaurants that deal primarily with carnivores, the burger was flavorful, moist and was served with crispy fries. I was duly impressed by the mustard that accompanied our plates along with the customary ketchup. It was nice to not have to ask for it. The mimosa also came with either orange or mango juice and I’d like to go back to try the mix-and-match brunch.

It was so nice to be received with welcoming arms on such a rainy and grey day. Gertrude’s restaurant offered a comfortable shelter for those both weary and hungry for a reasonable price

Gertrude’s

The Baltimore Museum of Art

10 Art Museum Drive

Baltimore

click here to visit website

Cold as it was here in Charm City yesterday, it was an excellent day to taste through some of the numerous winter beers that flood the market each November and December.

I work part-time at a little wine shop that is tucked between Hampden and Roland Park: The Wine Underground. The shop has managed to carve out a niche for itself by carrying offbeat and interesting products. This ncludes an increasingly wide selection of craft and imported beers that I helped to build. This includes a selection of Belgian ales that I’m fairly proud of.

This year, I found myself with a bunch of great winter beers on my hands, without any really good way to let my customers know what they were about, so I decided to host a free tasting in the shop’s cozy wine cellar. I picked mostly Belgian Christmas ales (they’re my favorite) as well as one British and one American selection. Twenty-five people came to try out my seven picks, and we hung out for a little over two hours munching on some snacks that the shop provided.

Featured Brews:

Brasserie de Blaugies, La Moneuse Special Winter Ale

Brasserie de Ranke, Pére Nöel Hoppy Christmas Ale

Browerij Huyghe, Delerium Nöel

Browerij Corsendonk, Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Avery, Oak-Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Brasserie Fantôme, Fantôme de Noel

Shelton Brewery, Insanely Bad Elf

While all of the beers were great, a few favorites emerged immediately. The Oak Aged Yeti, whose skillful mix of roasted chocolate malt, oaky vanilla and a hint of smoke , offset by a pronounced hop bite, impressed nearly everyone. Also among the favorites was Shelton’s “Insanely Bad Elf”, an “imperial” red ale which pairs strong hop bitterness with a lot of malt for an 11% abv dessert beer.

Also well liked were two more elegant southern Belgian brews. La Moneuse, a “winter saison,” and Pére Nöel provided crisp and well-balanced brews that disguise their high alcohol content with traditional Belgian ale spices and subtly powerful hop bite and aroma. The Delerium Nöel, with sugar plum spice and a homemade candy finish, and the orange-flavored Corsendonk Christmas Ale, were good but didn’t stand up to the others.

Probably the most challenging of these brews was the slightly sour, very cloudy and strong Fantôme De Noel. Jo really liked it, but she’s had a lot of exposure to these kinds of bretty beers and likes them in general. Other guests liked it, but weren’t sure what to make of the sourness.

I had a great time checking out all of these beers and visiting with some of the local beer fans. I’m thinking of hosting another event in February when the Barleywines have made their appearance. I’ll keep you posted.

A few months ago, we discovered that the moderately upscale French eatery Brasserie Tatin (just a short walk away at 105 West 39th Street) hosts a nightly happy hour with $4 drinks of all kinds. We showed up to find a comfortably modern establishment with a nice list of wines by the glass (including three sparklers) and Brewer’s Art’s Resurrection Ale on tap. Even better news came in the form of a varied menu of snacks, from small pizzas to country pâté, frogs’ legs, and sweetbreads served with seasonal accompaniments. In general, the place seemed friendly and approachable, if a bit expensive at times.

On our first couple of visits, we contented ourselves with those snacks. The tasty and satisfying moules frites quickly became a favorite which we revisited several times. The frites are among the tastiest we have ever tried anywhere, crispy and tender. Dave and his omnivorous palate tried the pâté, and we both enjoyed the lovely thin-crust pizza, which comes in several variations.

On our most recent assay, we decided to get a full dinner, but still eat it at the bar. Dave started with a sweetbread appetizer, determined to try as many varieties of animal parts as possible. It came pan fried with a crisp, light breading and served atop a root vegetable mash with a cherry-raisin-cognac compote. Its arrival at the table gave rise to the now classic quote, “It’s not brains. It’s thymus.” Moving on to animals with webbed feet, Dave noted that the duck confit was wonderfully crisp, and also came served over a bed of mashed turnips with a side of spinach that worked as an excellent complement to the fatty duck leg. Finally, he wolfed the caramelized tarte tatin along with a wonderful but shockingly expensive snifter of 12 year old calvados, which made a great capstone to the meal. The only change we’d make to this meal in the future would be the seating. The bar is normally a calm and cozy place to enjoy your food and drink, but keep in mind that you will be privy to all of the quibbles taking place between the bartender and the wait staff. On a busy night, sit in the dining room.  It is just as comfortable.

For the strict vegetarian, this may be the wrong choice of restaurants. While the margherita pizza that would be suitable for vegetarians as well as some delicious side dishes, you may prefer One World Café around the corner, where you’ll find many entrees made from delightful soy products. Jo exercised her peculiar habit of making a meal of side dishes, ordering both the mashed potatoes and the sautéed spinach, which arrived in hefty portions and were equally delicious. If you eat seafood, there are several fish dishes as well as shrimp, calamari and the aforementioned moules frites, which are a special treat for the shellfish lover. Many, though not all, of the salads came with some type of meat but it seems possible that the kitchen would leave it off for you. The soup of the day was cream of mushroom, a heavenly rich and earthy concoction. The chicken dishes also looked delicious for those who also indulge in poultry, but this menu is definitely heavy on the meats.

Brasserie Tatin’s friendly and efficient wait staff keeps the snobbery to a minimum, so if a stiff, formal French dining experience is what you crave, you may feel let down. On the other hand, if you are after brasserie-style dining in a cozy space, this is the spot. The menu is seasonal so we are excited to go back when there will be tomatoes and eggplants on the menu instead of parsnips and winter squash. However, a commitment to seasonal eating is a rarity when you dine out these days so we appreciate all of those root vegetables for sustaining us through the winter months without importing far-flung fruits from warmer climes. 

Brasserie Tatin  

105 W. 29th St

Baltimore, MD

223-278-9110

http://www.brasserietatin.com