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The diary, if you're not interested in clicking on the link, essentially eaks down what he ate for a week. And for someone as busy as he is, he eats some good food (that's where the inadequacy comes into play). Like this Saturday morning excerpt: "I made an apple compote with some Honeycrisps out of the refrigerator, then added to it some strawberry preserves. Mixed up some pancake batter, crisped some bacon. Cooked the pancakes on this cool old soapstone griddle I got from my father."
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I'm not going to pretend that our readers are so inclined to want to know what I eat morning, noon, and night for a week – Sam Sifton has much more street cred than I do – but even if they were, would I be willing to admit that I was so tired yesterday that we ordered pizza and wings (one sausage for me, one bacon for my husband, mild wings with blue cheese for both of us, from Pizza Bolis in Crofton, for those who actually are interested) to accompany our day of watching football? Well, we did, and it was good. In fact, I ate about two slices too many.
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However, sometimes I do eat some food worth writing about, such as on Saturday night when we traversed over the Bay Bridge to the small town of Oxford, Maryland, to spend the night at the Oxford Inn. And, of course, what goes along with that is a dinner from Chef Lisa MacDougal at Pope's Tavern and an evening on the porch drinking red wine with her husband, Dan Zimbleman.
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We've dined at Pope's Tavern before, and it's a lovely experience. However, I didn't realize how many times the restaurant has been rated in Zagat before. I noticed the little red window decals on our way in this time, but it's not really surprising. Lisa just launched her fall menu, which includes a Beet Carpaccio appetizer, Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken entrée, Rockfish (Francaise-style), and Veal Saltimbocca, which my husband just went crazy for. I opted for the soup du jor, which was crab bisque – because honestly, who can resist a well-made crab bisque? I tried to take a photo, but the "mood lighting" in the restaurant meant it was too dark to really do it justice. As an entrée, I opted for one of the specials, Cioppino made with clams, mussels, monkfish – a first for me – and shrimp. I just love Cioppino; so much, in fact, that as soon as our server listed it, my husband eyed me and murmured, "Well, I know what she's getting."
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Oh, but how could I have forgotten how I started my evening? It was, of course, with a Pope's Cosmo, a fruity martini that's made with tequila instead of traditional vodka.
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The thing is, however delicious the food is – and I hate that word, "delicious," because it's so ubiquitous, but sometimes I don't know how else to describe a meal – what really strikes me is the hospitality of Lisa and Dan. Not just to me and my husband, but to everyone who stepped foot into their establishment. As we were sitting on the porch after sunset, drinking Cabernet Sauvignon, while the men indulged in cigars, Dan made sure to speak with everyone walking in and out the door, thanking them for visiting. And, oh boy, if you get a chance to talk with Dan – do it; what an interesting life he leads.
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So, sometimes I do eat food worth talking about. The rest of the weekend wasn't too shabby – Friday night called for the Balsamic Pear Chicken that appears in today's food newsletter; Saturday morning was an interesting eakfast sandwich made with crisp apple slices, smoky bacon, and a runny egg on whole-wheat ead; and Sunday night, I made a salmon with avocado salsa entrée accompanied by sautéed Napa Cabbage garnished with fresh mango and a sesame dressing. All the recipes will be up on the website, eventually. It might not be an apple compote a la Sam Sifton, but some pretty interesting eats nonetheless.
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You can read the food diary from New York Magazine's website here.
