Bring on the Brazilian!

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised after visiting the Bridge Cafe and Grill in Park City this past weekend.  I was not looking for much, never mind expecting it, but the Bridge made a believer out of me!  Serving up American food, with a Brazilian flare, the Bridge is located directly at the bottom of the Town Lift on Main Street.  I can’t say that I am even familiar with what Brazilian food entails, but if this was any preview, then I’m definitely in.

The Camarao a Brazuca was one of their two speciality apps and it was over the top good – sautéed shrimp with garlic, fresh tomatoes, herbs, Dende Oil (a bright orange palm oil used religiously in Brazilian cuisine) and chili flakes on garlic bread served with tomato salsa.  It was SPICY, but the flavors were unbelievable.  I might have to get me some of that Dende Oil, except I just read that it is high in saturated fat – figures.

The Southwestern Chicken Sandwich was also quite memorable – grilled chicken breast (a thinner cut, which I much prefer to those tough, thick pieces some places serve), jack cheese, crisp bacon, homemade guacamole, chipotle mayo (this is obvi why I ordered it), lettuce and tomatoes on a Hoagie roll.  I broke my cardinal rule here…yes…I took a bite (or two) before I remembered to take a pic!  AH!  I can’t tell if this picture makes the sandwich look mouthwatering or…not so much.  But, with that stringy cheese and creamy guacamole oozing out the sides of the sandwich…with a bite missing or not…it still looks pretty darn tasty to me. 

While I decided to have lunch, the Bridge was voted Best Breakfast in Park City and they serve it up all day long.  I hear the Brazilian-style Brazuca omelet, Croissant sandwich and Eggs Benedict are pretty out of this world…next time.

The Bridge Cafe and Grill

825 Main Street

Park City, UT

Baked Stuffed Lob-stah

When you’re on the Cape (or anywhere in the NE for that matter), you have to have lobster (or as the natives would say, lob-stah) – you just have to.  It’s a sin if you don’t.  And while a steamed lobster is both authentic and delicious, a Baked Stuffed Lobster is that, times ten.

My mother (being the amazing cook that she is), served up these delectable crustaceons for the entire fam this past weekend and let me just say – she really knows what she’s doing.

First rule of thumb – you can not be at all squeamish if you ever plan to prepare Baked Stuffed Lobsters yourself.  While there are versions of recipes where you do steam the lobsters first (before splitting them open and removing the guts with your own bare hands), that is not the “signature” way.  So for the most part, people do split the live lobsters open and stuff them right then and there.  Hungry yet? 😉  Trust me – it is totally worth it in the end.

The type of stuffing you use can totally vary.  My mother went for a simple, yet buttery, Ritz cracker crumb stuffing.  But, you could do shrimp, scallops, more lobster – anything really!  Put them in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes and BAM – done.  We did add a little melted butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese when they had about five minutes to go and we are really glad we did.  The Parmesan added a nice zippy, cheesy flavor.

I’m not just saying this because my own mother made these – they were LITERALLY the most moist, tender lobsters I have ever had.  I have been eating lobsters a long time – since I was two!  And trust me when I say, these were the best.  My father got them from a local guy right down the street.  Maybe we were just lucky?  But, either way, I’ll take it.

Note: Baked Stuffed Lobsters are pretty rich so I recommend serving them with a couple light sides.  We opted for rice pilaf and a garden salad.  Don’t spend too much time on sides though – because they WILL be outshined by the lobster.  It’s just a fact.

The Real Deal – Santarpio’s Pizza

Pizza – yet another weakness of mine.  How many food-related weaknesses do I have?  Now that I am writing about them, I think I have more than I realized…oops.  But, pizza seriously may top the list – or have I said that before about something else?  I don’t think so…

Santarpio’s Pizza serves it up right – East Boston style.  So when my father wanted to take me there for dinner after picking me up at the airport, I couldn’t refuse.

It was everything I could have hoped for and more.  Let’s start with what might be the most important food group – red wine.  Santarpio’s serves carafes of Taylor Burgandy for $11 – what?!  Yes, you heard me right – $11.  Not exactly sure what Taylor Burgandy is, but it was pretty smooth and worked just fine for us.  Plus a carafe serves more glasses than your average bottle does…I mean $11, really?  That just seems too generous.  They also serve 10 ounce glasses for $4.  Salt Lake City could learn a thing or two from this pizza parlor…

On to the pizza!  Oh.my.goodness.  Santarpio’s has everything – from your basic Italian Cheese to various “Favorite Combinations.”  I am a huge plain cheese fan myself, but being at one of the best pizza places ever, I decided I should try some toppings.  We opted for a Homemade Sausage, Onion and Garlic and a Mushroom, Onion and Pepper.  They were both cooked to perfection and everything just worked – the melty cheese with the fresh tomato sauce…and THE CRUST.  It was crunchy and chewy and everything in between.  Someone knows what they are doing back there!  The toppings were excellent – not too heavy, just how I like it.  I feel like a lot of places overdue the toppings, but that can take away from the whole pizza experience and I think Santarpio’s agrees.

Then comes the check.  This may or may not be the best part of the evening.  It was handwritten and arrived on a piece of white scrap paper.  I’ll take a moment to decipher some Santarpio’s “lingo” for you:

KRed = Carafe of Taylor Burgandy

MOP = Mushroom, Onion, Pepper

SGO =Sausage, Garlic, Onion

Just this check alone makes me love the place even more.  If you haven’t been, please go.  Just do it.  You’ll be a better person for it.

Santarpio’s

111 Chelsea Street

East Boston, MA

A Taste of Tuscany

The atmosphere – perfect.  By far the best patio I have been to in SLC.  I literally felt like I was sitting on a patio in Italy. The service – exquisite.  We had the most friendly and attentive server ever.  The wine – smooth and pretty reasonable for the quality.  The food – scrumptious all around.  

We had a Caesar salad to start and it was SOOO tasty.  Others may have thought it was overdressed, but me – bring it on!  The dressing is made in-house and was the perfect balance of garlicky, lemony, peppery deliciousness.  I loved every second of it and wished there was more (we split it two ways). 

This was my second time to Tuscany and I ordered the same entree – I know, I know, sue me.  It was just so good before that I had to!  That and I have a weakness for lasagna.  Especially when it is flavored with Italian sausage.  I mean look at that honkin’ piece of heaven – you’d order it too.

We also decided on a version of the prawn special with one substitution – normally it would have been five prawns over homemade fettucini in a tomato caper sauce, but we subbed the tomato caper sauce for a lemon caper sauce.  Our server was happy to make the change.  Light and flavorful, this dish gets a ten.

I debated on ordering dessert, but was having such a nice time and loving the patio so much that I said what the heck and went for the creme brûlée.  Tuscany doesn’t have your typical desserts like cannolis or tiramisu, as they try to be a bit more “fusion” than the average Italian Restaurant (I was told).  The creme brûlée was awesome – creamy and delicious, the perfect ending to the perfect meal on the perfect patio.

Note: Wednesday is ladies night, but you must sit at the bar or bar patio.  You can get four small plates (like a lamp chop, scallop, etc. – I think it changes weekly) for $20!  And apparently it isn’t JUST for ladies, so ladies – bring other ladies or your man!

Tuscany 

2832 East 6200 South

Salt Lake City, UT

Back in SLC!

Ahhh I am so disappointed in myself for not keeping up with my posts while at home (aka Cape Cod)!  I was back East for a few weeks and was caught up with LIFE – work, my best friend’s wedding (which was like the funnest thing ever) and family things!  I would not trade my time at home for anything – it was amazing.  But, let’s get back to the real topic at hand here – what did I eat while I was there?!

Don’t get me wrong – I ate a lot.  In fact, I ate too much (if that’s even possible), but hey – that is what vacations are for right?  The thing I slacked on was taking photos of what I ate…so this post will be more of a high level overview – with a particular focus on seafood.

Let’s start with a staple, a legend – the ever delicious SEAFOOD SAM’s.  Nestled in Sandwich, MA, on the water and adjacent to a marina, Seafood Sam’s always has been and always will be a classic, which is why my grandfather wanted to celebrate his 89th birthday there.  Below is just a sampling of what we ordered:

Sam’s Fabulous Crispy Fried Onion Rings (out of control good) and so addicting – if you are with a large group I recommend ordering the “Sam’s Amazing Mighty Mountain Size because they WILL get eaten), Fried Baby Popcorn Shrimp and Fried Whole Belly Clams. Holy fried heaven.  Bottom line – you cannot go wrong at this fried seafood haven – so order up.

Seafood Sam’s Sandwich

6 Coast Guard Road

Sandwich, MA

Now let’s head North a bit to the Anchor Inn in Round Pond Harbor, ME.  While visiting my parents cottage we ventured out to this family favorite where we (thoroughly) enjoyed a late lunch.  We ordered quite a few items so I will highlight the top three:

My dad decided on the fish taco – haddock, lettuce, tomato, onion with Cajun sauce wrapped in a soft flour tortilla accompanied with salsa, guacamole and sour cream – so good.

My mom went for the Crab Melt – fresh crab, tomato, bacon and melted havarti cheese (you had me at havarti).

And I opted for the Kabob, which is created daily and served with rice.  This day it was grilled shrimp smothered in a chipotle sauce.  I don’t know what it is with me and chipotle sauce lately, but I think I am obsessed.  So if you ever find yourself in or around Round Pond, ME – be sure to check out this signature spot.

Anchor Inn Restaurant

Anchor Inn Road

Round Pond Harbor, ME