Cookbookaholic

Mother’s Day Brunch!

For Mother’s Day, I got the guys to go to my new favorite Sunday Brunch destination: Bonefish Grill.

We got a great table that was outside and underneath a very large umbrella. We got the warmth of the May weather without the harsh sunlight. After our meal and two desserts: crème brulee and key lime pie—we got a visit from one of the managers.

She came over and asked if we enjoyed our brunch and then thanked us for choosing Bonefish Grill for my Mother’s Day celebration. Then, she handed me a Mother’s Day card with a $10 Bonefish Grill gift card to use on a future visit. 

Now that’s a great way to make sure I’ll be back for another Sunday Brunch!

WOW indeed! 

Bonefish Grill Brunch

At last! I finally made it to Bonefish Grill to try out their new Brunch menu. When I first heard about this through a Bonefish Grill sponsored Twitter event several weeks ago, I was really excited to give it a try. Seeing Crème Brulee French Toast as a selection was enough to get me going.

So this Sunday, Dunc and I headed over to the Huntersville location. The brunch is available only from 11am to 2pm, so we got there right after they opened. As we were being shown to our booth, the host grabbed the regular lunch menu and the brunch menu as well. I was so happy to finally see it and hold it in my hands.

As you know, as a Southerner, I’m a huge fan of breakfast at any time of the day. Brunch is just a nice way of allowing me to have bacon yet again and something smothered in syrup. Yummmm.

I ordered the Crème Brulee French Toast with bacon. When it arrived, the presentation was really nice.

The bacon was thickly sliced and very flavorful—as you probably expected, I started with those two slices first.

The French Toast was served in three slices. You could taste the crunchy sugar glaze on top of the toast. You honestly didn’t need any syrup (but they’ll still bring you some, if you request). The mascarpone whipped cream, topped with fresh mint, gave the French toast a nice creamy taste. I ate every single bite and loved every morsel. Plus, when I had cleaned my plate, I didn’t feel overloaded—it was just the right amount of food.

I know that when I go back—and I will go back to Bonefish Grill for another brunch—I should venture out and try the omelets and frittatas…but I’m really loving the Crème Brulee French Toast! I would love to order and then line up the French Toast, Oscar omelet, California omelet and a chocolate croissant—and just sample each of them. That sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday. Happiness, indeed.

Interested in seeing what else they have to offer? Here’s a link to the Bonefish Grill locations offering brunch and the menu:http://www.bonefishgrill.com/Content/brunch-menus

#HappinessTalk

I was on Twitter recently and saw that Bonefish Grill was a few minutes away from an event and the hashtag was going to be #HappinessTalk. I love talking about Bonefish Grill and the Pecan-Crusted Rainbow Trout. Heck, maybe Tweeting about it could be great, too.

When the Twitter event started, there were Bonefish Grill chefs introducing a new menu…a brunch menu.

All I need to see is bacon and some French toast and I’m there. I know that I consider brunch just a late breakfast. Of course, I’m Southern and can eat breakfast at any time. When the twitter event started, they a few questions about brunch and  I responded with this tweet:

@BonefishGrill Will your new Brunch menu feature French Toast? And don’t forget the bacon….lots of bacon! #HappinessTalk

Then hit us with the new Bonefish Grill Brunch menu.

http://www.bonefishgrill.com/Content/brunch-menus

They’ve launched an amazing brunch menu at many of their locations including the one nearest me in Huntersville, NC and the one near my in-law’s condo in Hilton Head, SC. They’ll have a special menu every Sunday from 11am to 2 pm.

Of course, I was thrilled to see their French Toast offering:

Créme Brulee French Toast Grand Marnier + orange zest  battered, served with mascarpone whipped cream, fresh mint, strawberries + bacon

I’ll have mine without the strawberries and mint and request the bacon be extra crispy.

I was also intrigued by the omlette selection:

Oscar--asparagus, crab, smoked mozzarella, basil, lemon butter

And I’m sure if one of the boys tags along, we’ll be ordering one of these off the a la carte menu:

Chocolate Croissant flaky pastry, layered dark chocolate, topped with a Maple syrup drizzle

Oh man, am I hungry just reading the menu! I really like getting brunch and can’t wait to try out these new items on my next visit to Bonefish Grill!

At the end of the twitter event, I tweeted out this final post:

@BonefishGrill Here’s my plan: Brunch & Crème Brulee French Toast. Stay for Dinner and Pecan-Crusted Rainbow Trout. #HappinessTalk

Seems like a great plan, right?

After the Twitter event ended, I received a tweet from Bonefish Grill awarding me a $25 gift card! Woo-hoo! That’s fantastic! I’ve never won anything off of Twitter before! A few days later, this arrived in the mail:

Now, my only decision is whether to use this at home or save it for Spring Break in Hilton Head?

Review: Tony Luke’s Philly Cheesesteak

As part of my job, I get to travel up to some great cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I’ve always heard amazing things about the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich but never really had much in the way of anything authentic. Unless Steak-Umms are authentic? Maybe not.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Of course, I’ve made a point of getting a Philly cheesesteak sandwich before. In fact, I ate my first “real” one at a restaurant inside the Philadelphia airport…but I was not impressed.

I’d heard that Tony Luke’s was a local favorite and I was definitely willing to give it a try. During a trip to Philadelphia this past summer, I finally made my way over to Tony Luke’s Old Philly Style Sandwiches. It was after 2pm, I was starving and ready to get the real deal Philly Cheesesteak.

Tony Luke’s Old Philly Style Sandwiches at 39 E. Oregon Avenue is a not your usual sit down eatery. You walk up to the window, place your order, pay and wait under the metallic roof/awning for your name to be called. And I do mean called loudly!

I opted for the Original without onions and slathered with Cheez Whiz.

A handmade sign advertised Chipotle BBQ Fries for a limited time. I took a chance and ordered them as my side. When my order was ready, I was amazed at how delicious the simple combination of bread, steak and cheese could be.

 

The bread was so soft and tasted like a cross between an Italian loaf and a biscuit. I honestly think half of the amazing taste experience is from the roll itself! I saw a delivery truck from Liscios Bakery dropping off a ton of rolls earlier; I bet this was fresh off the truck.

The steak and Cheez Whiz was a perfect blend of meat, cheese and saltiness. The Cheez Whiz is warm and melty and runs down your arm as you take a bite of the sandwich. Seriously, who would’ve ever thought you’d chase the Cheez Whiz to lick it off your hand? For someone who was ready for the real cheesesteak experience, Tony Luke’s did not disappoint. Why can’t they all taste this good?

Remember those Chipotle BBQ Fries? Amazing. Imagine the sweet, salty, smoky flavor of your favorite BBQ potato chips. Now, imagine it on a hot french fry. Mmmhmm…Yummy goodness. I know that sign said they were for a limited time only, but I think I’d go ahead and make Chipotle BBQ french fries a permanent selection to the menu.

I’ve had the opportunity to get back to Philadelphia a couple more times this fall. Luckily, every trip has also included a trip to Tony Luke’s. And come to think of it, I don’t think I need to bother with any other Philly cheesesteak joint. I’m good with Tony Luke’s.

Starting 2012 Off Right

The end of 2011 was sad with the thought of forever losing Flamingo’s Doughnut Café. But what can perk up a New Year’s Day like the traditional Hoppin’ John meal? I usually try to seek out a restaurant that features it as a special. For a couple of years, we always found one particular restuarant that it on their New Year’s Day menu. About three years ago, they didn’t and I was done with them. Listen at me, I sound like I’m in the mafia. They didn’t honor our unspoken understanding just one time and now, they’re dead to me.

We were able to find an amazing Hoppin’ John at One Hot Mama’s last year. That restaurant is super close to the condo and the two thick slices of smoked ham were tender and out-of-this-world delicious. This year, we made it our mission to be at One Hot Mama’s again on New Year’s Day.

We arrived around 2pm and lucked into an open booth. Hubby and I both ordered the Hoppin’ John special. It was almost the same savory picture perfect meal, the collard greens, black eye peas and cornbread were spot on. This time around though, the ham was sliced super thin and looked…grilled?

Last year’s ham slices were thick, tender, juicy and just the right amount of smokiness. (Quite possibly the best Hoppin’ John meal I’ve ever had.) But this year’s version was much drier and tougher. Perhaps throwing such thin slices (of which there were many) onto the grill robbed them of their tender juiciness? The char marks on the ham should’ve been my first clue. Oh well, I’m still hoping for the best in 2012.

Ending 2011 with a Whimper and a Bang

Spending the New Year weekend in Hilton Head was such a needed relief! I had been suffering from a cold and missed out on the usual family get-togethers on Christmas Day. So, even though I was still feeling tired and not shaking the cough, a few days down in Hilton Head sounded like a great pick-me-up.

Last year’s NYE trip found all of my favorite thrift stores closed for the holiday. But, at least our favorite restaurants were still open. This time around, I was still prepared for the thrift stores to be closed—but I could still check for garage/moving sales. And hopefully, our favorite places to eat would still be open as well.

We roll onto the island and find a newspaper. No garage sales. Ugh. Then, we come across a story covering the recent break-in and robbery of my favorite thrift store, Hospice Community Thrift. What’s up with that?  

The good news is that it reopened and would actually BE OPEN the next morning at 10am! Yeah!

First thing the next morning, Dunc and I head over to Flamingo’s Doughnut Café. Every morning on Hilton Head should begin there. And guess what I find…

Empty parking lot.

 

Empty and dark building.

Closed sign with no hours written on it and a For Sale sign on the door. Oh no….

This must be some sort of a terrible mistake. Perhaps I’ve misinterpreted all the signs and they’re just taking the New Year weekend as a holiday, right? Come on, right? They had an ad in the December issue of Island Events…surely they aren’t out of business?

We picked up breakfast elsewhere and went back to the condo. I pulled up Facebook and tried to go to their page (after all, I am a fan!). Nothing. I googled the name, found a link to their breakfast menu and clicked on the link: “This site does not exist within the LDAP database.” Wow…I’m so disappointed. This place had become a tradition for me. Sure the service was spectacularly lousy with this last owner, but the doughnuts were always such a treat no matter who owned Flamingo’s. What a sad way to start the last day of 2011.

Dunc and I finished breakfast and headed over to Hospice Community Thrift. We were the first ones through the door and I had a great time looking through the cookbooks. And some with the pink price tags were half off! Nice way to finish out the year. I think we ended up spending an entire hour there!

Wanna see my last haul of 2011?

SLAR 1979, The Seattle Classic Cookbook (Junior League of Seattle), The Gasparilla Cookbook (Junior League of Tampa), The Cordon Bleu Cook Book (Dione Lucas), The Cupcake Cafe Cookbook (Ann Warren & Joan Lilly), Old Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking, Putting on the Grits (Junior League of Columbia, SC) and Virginia Hospitality (Junior League of Hampton Roads, VA).

Gourmet According to Saint Luke's (St. Luke's Episcopal Church, HHI, SC), L.C.W. Cookbook (St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Doraville, GA), Christ Church Cook Book (Savannah, GA), Any Bitch Can Party Cookbook, Look 'n Cook (Evangelical Deaconess Hospital Junior Auxiliary) and The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (Fannie Merritt Farmer).

Love it! Great finds including the Christ Church Cook Book from Savannah and the Cupcake Cafe. They helped take the sting out of losing Flamingo’s…until the next trip down here. Keeping my fingers crossed that some miracle happens and once again I’ll see the doors to Flamingo’s open for business.

 

Seriously? That's How You Pronounce It?

Lately, these radio commercials for the Burger King Croissan'wich have turned my world upside down. Since when have they been pronounced "crah--sahn--wich"? Seriously, is that how we're supposed to pronounce that thing?

This whole time I've been ordering a bacon, egg and cheese "cro--SAN--wich"...with the bacon well done, please.

All these years, I bet the cashiers have been laughing their asses off at that one.

Double Bunned!

I really hope no one got fired for this. But take a look at the Regular Roast Beef sandwich I got at Arby's. It's double top bunned!

I love bread and this made me so incredibly happy. Oh mercy...sesame seeds were flying everywhere!

Tung Hoy Remembered

Remember a few months back when I “lamented” losing a local Chinese restaurant named Tung Hoy? Okay, it was more of a celebration but that restaurant was the only Chinese buffet option on Freedom Dr. Well, you will not believe this! I got a recent email from a lady named Tara and apparently this isn’t the first time a Tung Hoy has up and abandoned a captive..I mean, loyal following:

Hi!

I found your blog when I googled Tung Hoy. We have a cult following of Tung Hoy in Mamaroneck, NY.  Just like happened to you guys down there, one day they packed up and left.  But they had the best egg rolls known to mankind, chow mein fried rice, etc.  Well, there's a lot of people who miss them! So I'm wondering if you can tell me more about your Tung Hoy and we could see if it is the same people. 

Also I put the link to our facebook group.  If you don't want to click the link, just search on facebook for I Remember Tung Hoy Chinese restaurant. Larchmont, Mamaroneck, NY 

We would be very grateful, its like there is no closure when they left, just ditched town one night and left us all very sad!

Best regards,

Tara

now in San Diego, CA

 

Wow…how about that? There’s another Tung Hoy out there that has robbed their patrons of severe gastric distress. Granted, I wasn’t a big fan of our Tung Hoy, but they did have a tasty Egg Drop Soup and egg roll. And when I was in a pinch for a cheap lunch…that got me through the rest of the day for around $3. So I’ll give them that.

To get a more seasoned opinion about the upside of Tung Hoy, I decided to reach out to Tony, our old Bob & Sheri Director of Syndication, who is now out in Denver. I blame him, or rather, “credit” him with introducing me to the restaurant and asked what made Tung Hoy a repeat offender…a recurring lunchtime option for him.

“Regarding Tung Hoy (the memories are making me very misty)…I loved their Crab Rangoon. That’s really why I went. I’d load up on those, watch the latest news on the 1986 model big-screen TV set and read Creative Loafing. As far as other Chinese Buffets, I would say it was about mid-pack. Some of the other stuff on the buffet was good. The lo mein was pretty good and the soup was good. Wasn’t a fan of the beef with broccoli. I’m sure the sodium count was higher than the national debt but, hey, something’s gotta kill you, right?”

Oh Tony, truer words were never spoken. I’m just thankful Tung Hoy no longer has the option of taking me down.

Anywho, where’s your favorite Chinese restaurant? Are they still in business? Did you get Tung Hoy-ed?

Back for the BBQ!

Finding One Hot Mama’s on New Year’s Day was a stroke of good luck. It’s actually a BBQ joint but was undoubtedly one of the best Hoppin’ John feasts I’ve ever had. The ham was thick, tender, juicy and had a great (but not overwhelming) smokey flavor. The greens were good….really good. I was so impressed I even blogged about it!

During our trip back down to Hilton Head Island for the Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to make sure I got back to One Hot Mama’s….this time, One Hot Mama’s needed to deliver where it counts—the BBQ.

Sunday night was our night out and I went in full speed ahead. I got the BBQ plate with green beans, sweet potato fries and cornbread. It looked amazing!

The BBQ was really good. Plus, they had three different sauces. One mustard, one vinegar and one ketchup-based. I tried all three and couldn’t make up my mind. I absolutely loved, loved, loved the green beans! They were buttery and a little oniony with slivered almonds in them. Oh man, I’d belly up to a full plate of those green beans any time!

Hubby had this huge fish sandwich…literally huge!

He really enjoyed it and cleaned the plate completely…always a good sign. And yes, his two sides were slaw and slaw. 

One Hot Mama’s makes it very easy to have a great meal in a no-fuss atmosphere. This will definitely become one of our go-to places on the island.

One Hot Mama’s American Grill

7 Greenwood Dr. #A

Hilton Head Island, SC  29928

843-682-6262

http://onehotmamas.com/