CCC

Only readers of a certain vintage might guess that  CCC refers to the Civilian Conservation Corp, but no, you’re wrong!  In this case it stands for CoCo Cantina (okay I took a little liberty there for artistic purposes.)

I have been trying to hook up with a friend for lunch lately, and finally both our schedules meshed last Friday.  Looking for a different venue, we decided to try the new place in the old place that was Lone Star.  I have noticed in my travels up and down Three Notch Road that the place is usually pretty busy around (working people’s) lunch hour so we purposely chose to meet at 1:30 to try to avoid the crush.  It worked.  I pulled into a very empty parking lot with thoughts of “uh oh, I wonder if they stopped serving lunch already”.  No, it is continuously open from eleven o’clock.  Met my friend and in we went..

There seems to be no physical changes in the interior, a room to the left, a few tables around the bar including booths on the back wall, and that awkward (at least to me) sun room affair.   The walls have been painted in pastels, evoking maybe a more Latin atmosphere, plus there are some palm tree like wall decoration here and there, but mostly like the previous occupant.  I don’t remember Lone Star all that well, but there are now 5(!) flat screens above the "roof" of the bar, and two more below, at bar height..  I didn't check the other spaces to see if there were some in there. We were offered seating wherever we wished, since I think there was only one more table occupied and they were in the process of paying the check.  We chose a booth on the back wall across from the bar.  As I scooted into my seat I noticed the table was uncommonly high, maybe mid chest.  In my case that is probably a plus since it limits the area of clothing that I can spill food upon.  We were pretty quickly approached by a server who announced she was … "and would be our server" (kind of obvious, but okay) we were offered menus, and asked about drinks.  When asked, she reeled off several beers (starting with our old friends bud light and coors light).  I was hoping for maybe a Pacifico but it wasn’t on the list, nor do I recall a San Miguel, but I’m working from memory.  So I settled for a Negra Modelo which isn’t bad.  Off she went to get the drinks, and so we turned to the menu.

Coco Cantina doesn’t advertise themselves as a  “Mexican” restaurant, rather characterizing their fare as “Latin Inspired Cuisine”.   However, some of the usual suspects of the former show up on the menu, such as fajita’s, tacos, burritos, although there weren’t any enchiladas or tamales.  They also serve many types of burgers, such as Mexi-Cali, and Fajita.  Nachos and quesadillas show up on the starter menu.  Unlike many of our local out and out Mexican places, no chips and salsa show up on the table.  The beverages arrived, and we both chose soft tacos, pulled chicken for me and braised pork for across the table.  Had to chose sides and we both went for beans over rice.  They were eight dollars for a pair of the tacos, probably reasonable as were the other menu items (always in the eye of the beholder). 

I must admit it was very enjoyable just sitting and chatting in an almost empty restaurant, no noise for distractions (and the TV's were very low) and we had a great conversation about this and that.  I didn’t put the clock on the order, but it arrived after a few minutes of talking.  The first thing that struck me was the dish was very colorful and “fresh” looking. 

 

You know how sometimes you get your (normally searingly hot plate delivered with a mitt on the server's hand with all the ingredients running together) and the admonishment about "watch that plate..." ?   Well this looked like it was inidiviually assembled and not scooped from a pot and was fairly pleasant on the eye.   I don’t think the menu said “re-fried” beans and these were not; no soupy mess encountered so often.  They were nicely textured, probably pinto beans and a little sweet and the rice wasn’t blown out like you mostly get.  The chicken under the topping did indeed look like it was pulled and had fairly nice flavor.  From somewhere in the dish there was a fair amount of liquid so holding the soft taco in your hand was impossible, although the braised pork version was “dry” enough to eat that way.  I resorted to a fork.  There was some spice to the filling, but not dominating, which is just fine with me.

During the meal our server checked on us a couple of times, just passing by instead of a constant barrage of “how is everything”?  We lingered after finishing the food for more conversation, and declined the offered dessert.

So it was a very enjoyable lunch, and I would go back, although I would wait for the quiet time again.  At least what we had was distinguishable from the normal Mexican places, and maybe a bit better.  A more extensive exploration of the menu is probably in order before a real solid opinion is formed.  It's different enough (yes, one lunch, one time) that you might want to give it a try.

 

and given it's history, I wouldn't worry too much about being

 

DFD(or L)

Of this and that...

Just random musings on a gloomy day at the digs...

Well, thank goodness it is over for another four years!  Some will be happy, some will be disappointed, but at least we can get back to watching TV ads for soap and cars and beers and Depends, and not personal attacks about what a horrible person so and so is with an agenda specifically created to tax everybody to oblivion and lose millions of jobs.  I have to admit I was a bit surprised that the “gambling” question passed despite all the money spent against it with solid arguments like "politicians aren’t very good about keeping promises”.  Somewhere along the way it kind of struck me that the people who wanted it defeated were casting ballots that guaranteed there would be no additional funds for schools resulting from the casino, while now there is at least a chance (maybe although slim)..Rule whatever will now kick in that it won’t be as bad or as good as people said.  We'll see.

 I rather like this weather..  Darker sooner, gloomy gray skies, spits of rain, blustery winds.  Fitting for the time when nature is about to sleep for the winter..  All the colors lose their summer vibrancy and transition into muted shades of brown and beige, kind of quiet.  Red wine weather..

Have you noticed that the sign for the LongHorn Steak House is now in place?  Whatever meager restrictions that caused the big four just south of there to limit the height of their signs must run out at the property line because now the new entry has one at least 20 feet tall.  Of course tastelessness seems to be the order of their day, so I guess it fits.

Have been told that Laurel Glen Station is serving wine and beer.

I think I have received all the “Thanksgiving” editions of the foodie magazines, so will begin to assemble my annual thanksgiving report.  (oh no!  not again!).  With all our local friends out of town, and (far away) family occupied with their own plans, we have decided to spend the holiday on the Eastern Shore, in Easton.  We’ll be staying at the Bartlett Pear Inn, our favorite lodging place over there, not to mention their terrific restaurant.  The inn keepers will not be serving thanksgiving dinner so they can be home with their kids, and by golly, I give them credit for that.  They should - proper priorities.  So, we’ll be dining at the Robert Morris Inn on a recommendation from them.  Feeder report to follow.  On Friday we’ll tour the Blackwater Nature Preserve, another of our favorite activities.  It’s such a tranquil place, thousands of geese, waterfowl, and not many humans.  I am So much looking forward to that..

Oh, speaking of Thanksgiving, I have a little rant.  Why is it that this time every year we start seeing Pumpkin flavored everything!!  Soup, cheesecake, beer (!!), lattes, risotto, breads, croissants (okay, I made that up, but you get the idea).  I really don’t think the recipe for any of those start with “get a fresh pumpkin and…”.  So if it’s so damn good why don’t you see those things in March or July?  Pies?  Great.  As it should be, but c’mon already.  Hopefully it will now fade.

 

well, time to go get

DFD

 

we're having pumpkin flavored steaks..

 

 

 

Back to Basics....

Sandy has left the building, the pool deck is spruced up (they’re supposed to pour next Tuesday), so maybe we should return to the horse that brought us, namely a little buzz about local food , a couple of happy surprises, and then a curious little story regarding Julia

First some buzz…

I hear from “sources” that bids are being sought for the “new Lighthouse (restaurant)” over on the Solomons.  I think the land has been sold to new parties…  stand by.  At least it isn’t a chain!!

The “Tea Room” over in Leonardtown has once again changed hands.  I have heard that it is pretty much same format.  This is, what, the third(?) “under new management” in the past few years.  It always amazes me what motivates people to knowingly get involved with a place that has failed at least twice and think they’ll make it work.  Kind of same thing with the Willows… “going back to its roots”; “our dream has always been to open a restaurant!”; one (?) year later: shuttered.   I think the Feeder idly predicted that..

I have had reports that that little blue topped place near Baggett Park on the west side of Route 235 between Summerseat Farm and Mount Zion Church is serving “real” food.  I had always thought that it was just kind of a mom and pop 7/11, but have been told of a couple of good meals there.  One was a grilled smoked salmon.  I think it’s called Laurel Grove Station, and calls itself a locally owned family restaurant.  No idea on alcohol availability (always a feeder consideration)

Pleasant Surprises...

A bit ago, as part of a little birthday celebration for me, I had occasion to have cocktails and dinner at the Tides.  Besides the noise, the Tides has a pretty nice bar and good cocktail service.  If you catch it on a quiet night, it can be quite enjoyable.   In honor of the event, I diverted from my DMOTRWAT, and had a Dirty Gray Goose Martini, up – (sort of a traditional drink with this friend).  I like their practice of giving you a side car with the drink.  Anyway, we survived the usual happy hour din (must shout to be heard) and decided to stay for supper.  I have to admit that the last few times I have eaten there, the food has been undistinguished.  I am happy to report that all three of us liked our food very much (Hey!  This is good!).  I had a swordfish dish (lightly blackened as I recall), MFO had a scallop special, and our friend had something else.  We splurged on a nice bottle of Chalk Hill Merlot which served quite well.  We also had a surprise drop in by another friend.  Nice evening..  We’ll go back for another shot at the food to make sure it wasn’t a onetime deal or evaluation blurred by the Martini

The other very nice experience I had was my first visit to Bistro Belle Maison at (why do they always say “at”?  it’s IN!!) the Blue Heron Inn on Solomons Island.  I had heard good things about it, so finally made a reservation, and we went over for dinner (Thursday through Saturday only).  The place is primarily a B&B and not made to be a restaurant, so the tables are sort of plopped in what would ordinarily be the living room.  It’s kind of a large space and I think maybe there are eight or nine in there.  The restaurant has a “small plates” format, and the menu changes fairly often (like weekly).  The night we were there, the menu on a single sheet offered 8 items ($8 to $18).  But within the eight choices there were dishes leaning toward appetizers (Escargot stuffed mushrooms, herbed garlic butter), salad (crisp greens, avocado, radish, scallion, corn), and some are more like main courses (Seared sea scallops, with “peanut butter ‘n apples” – apple – celeriac – celery heart slaw, thai peanut sauce).  So you can fashion a traditional style meal or just pick and choose.  Portions are small enough that a single plate/bowl can give three people a couple of tastes, which makes it fun to share.  In fact, that’s kind of the idea.  The night we were there, some of the items were gone, but we were kind of late for around here (7), and it made the experience kind of interesting and relaxed as a Bistro should!..  we had an excellent server which helped.   Without all the descriptors, our party of three had the scallops, sweet potato gnocchi, a trio of local sausages, and the escargot.  We ordered all at once, so everything showed up in random order, I still have to come to grips with that.  Anyway, we were all quite satisfied with the food, and we did have room for dessert (which included a slice of “Kim’s Key Lime pie”).   They also have an interesting and affordable wine list, plus full cocktails (no, I didn’t give them the test). The chef/owner is Amanda Comer, a graduate of CIA, and kind of a food fixture around here.  They have recently installed a more commercial kitchen in the garage.   Good stuff is coming from it.  Suggest you call for booking, walk ins might be iffy..  A good and fresh option...  and it's NOT a chain!!

 

Julia..

Friday afternoon, MFO and I attended a luncheon up in Waldorf hosted by the newly formed Community Foundation of Southern Maryland (Charles and St. Mary’s).  Their purpose is to manage funds and provide grants for nonprofits.  It was held in the Jaycees facility in Waldorf.   I went to represent one agency, and MFO another so we drove separately.   Anyway, they honored some major supporters, one of which was our County’s Margaret and (late) “Doc” Jarboe.  Besides the food and proceedings, they had a little program called “Tribute Show to Julia Child”, which of course caught my eye in the advance publicity.  Turns out there is this lady, Mary Ann Jung, who goes about “impersonating” or maybe giving impressions of various historical people.  Her little brochure lists her repertoire as Good Queen Bess (Elizabeth Tudor); Rosalie of Riversdale (from an 1812 plantation); Amelia Earhart; Clara Barton; Margaret Brent; and more recently has added Julia Child to the list.  It was a bit difficult to make the connection between “Julia” and giving, but they tried hard and maybe “passion” was the best hook.  She for cooking and others for philanthropy.  The event’s program was made to look like Julia’s famous Cookbook “Mastering the art….."; and for the luncheon it was "Mastering the Art of Giving"..  At any rate, she began by swinging a (rubber?) chicken and brandishing a knife.  Ms. Jung’s Julia was several (well, lots of) pounds lighter than the original, and quite a bit shorter.  In addition her hair was sort of a rolled affair that gave the impression of a hat brim, rather than the frizz I sort of associate with Julia.  She did fairly well with the shrill high pitched voice however.

After the swinging chicken, it was mostly a compacted biography of Julia, and she dragged a couple of people from the audience for her husband Paul, and also co-authors of the cookbook.

I am not exactly sure how I felt about the whole thing (which lasted nearly an hour!).  Julia of course is an icon to those of us who value food and cooking, and is in large part the impetus for the boom in cooking, and de-mystifying French cooking.  So while Ms. Jung didn’t poke fun at her, and was not disrespectful at all, but it just kind of put me off.   Came off as kind of buffoonish or something.  I will give her credit that during a follow on Q&A period, she was pretty critical of the movie “Julie and Julia” which I still refuse to watch.

Anyway, it was an interesting time and helped a good organization.  Food was a buffet of just what you would expect at such an event.  No worse, no better, however we were both

 

DFL

 

 

Sandy's gone.. good riddance

 

Well, so how did it go for you?  At least here at the digs and most of the surrounding environs I think Sandy was kind.  Don’t believe we got the predicted 60 mph gusts, although we did get fairly steady winds I think in the mid thirties, with some higher gusts.  I think she (he?) took out revenge further north. Did you see some of the horror shots that were floating around on FaceBook of damage up in New Jersey and New York?  Amazing..  Those poor people..

Anyway, living “on the water” with quite a nice view does come with a price (besides the inflated initial cost!).  How high will the surge be?  Is there enough rip rap to protect the shore this time? Will it erode the cliff?  What about that pool that is feet from the precipice?    Fortunately the winds shifted so that most of the higher winds were pushing water AWAY from the shore so surge wasn’t an issue here.

This year we had a new challenge.  We are replacing the aging and cracking pool deck surrounding the gray lagoon.  All the way to the ground, break up the old one and pour the new one.  The current state is that we are waiting for the new cement to be poured..  Forms in place, then came the specter of Sandy.. so we awaited the pending storm like this:

 

With the forms in place it provides for a nice captive place for water to gather.  Early Monday morning, I awoke before dawn to the unmistakable humming of the sump pump in the basement.   It pretty much goes on only when things are bad.  And it began to cycle..  a not good sign when much more precip is predicted and the prospect of no power to said pump of the sump.  Besides doing the pool deck we are also redoing the patio just outside the lower level door, and I observed with much consternation it was almost brim full, trapped water with nowhere to go except down the foundation and into the pump.    So I don my waterproofs, and go outside.  Of course I didn’t take time to document anything in progress but here is the result of my labors after draining the thing.

 

The tools included that squeegee to get as much off the area as possible, a shovel used to create a hastily dug “ditch” for drainage (the hell with the lawn at this point)

 

And the little pump I used to drain the remaining puddles.  I used that pump off and on through the day as water continued to accumulate.  I knew it worked because the sump pump didn’t go on again.  Engineering conquers all!.  I also used the little pump to drain some water from the gray lagoon (it isn’t closed yet, another story) so that rain water wouldn’t overflow it.

At some point, you’ve done what you can do, survival (bottles) plan in place, candles assembled, flashlights gathered, ice hoarded for the survival effort, and you just sit back and wait.  At about 5:30 the expected power outage came, everything got quiet (so that you could hear the generators kick in at the neighbors), and dark.  It is funny how dependant you get on power driven things..  No computer/internet, no TV, no lights, no heat, no refrigeration, no hot showers, etc.  In desperation, you are forced to actually talk to each other, or perhaps read a book by flash or candle light.  Just think, people used to live this way all the time!  And it’s the little things that surprise you.  At one point I went to get something from the garage and instinctively hit the light switch.  Oh, yeah.  Let’s look in the fridge and see if there are limes… oh yeah, hurry up!  Since we have a gas cooktop, MFO managed to put together a rather nice plate of spaghetti and we dined by candlelight.   Hey, Monday night football is on…. Oh yeah.

We awoke this morning still with no power… what time is it?  Oh yeah..  We eventually gathered ourselves and decided to do a neighborhood tour and get a coffee.  We’ll just get in the car and I punched the garage opener..  Oh yeah.  We were pleased to see relatively little damage in the ‘hood, and were even happier to see a bunch of power trucks and men at the intersection of Millstone and 235.  We went into the mercifully open Coffee Quarter, ordered a HOT latte and cup of tea (MFO) and an egg, ham, and cheese sandwich on a croissant.  We were chatting with the barista and mentioned we lived in Esperanza Farms with no power when from behind me came a “It’s BACK!”.  Some other residents of the Farms were there for a similar mission as ours, but a daughter called to inform them power was back.  We also saw some other friends who live near us and they also confirmed.  Love those linesmen....

So, we enjoyed our sandwiches and headed back to the digs to see us welcomed by the porch lights I had turned “on” for just such an indication.  Went inside and happily began the ritual of setting the digital clocks, turning on the fans, retune the thermostats, reboot the computer (holding breath all the way) and start to get back to “normal”.  Soon the boats that had evacuated the piers along us began to reappear.  And life goes on.  You can sort of “make do” and “camp out” with candles and such for a while, but conveniences are nice..  i have to admit that night we didn’t

DFD

Sandy you're a Dandy...

but please stay away..  going to throw this out there now since who knows how long power will last..

currently getting steady winds in the 20's with higher gusts.  Mercifully it is out of the northeast which tends to blow the water away..

I have lived out here (Maryland) for about 16 years now, and have never had an encounter with a deer.  Until last night. MFO and I were returning from a lecture up in Nanjemoy, and suddenly she said "Deer!".  Yea verily, it was standing on the shoulder.  Looking rather immoble.  Just as I thought we were by, it took a leap right in front of me.  Nothing to do.  Mercifully I think it was in mid hop and I believe it's rear hooves clipped the grill.  My fleeting memory is of it spinning away from me.  All auto systems, including headlights seemed funtional so we continued a hundred yards or so and then went off onto the shoulder.  I got out to discover a caved in grill with some of the pieces hanging by a thread.  I managed to pull those off (cutting my finger in the process), put the pieces in the trunk, and MFO took over control while I applied pressure to my cut.

We made it home, and in the light of the garage and spot lights we determined that the front edge of the hood is crunched, and a lot of the fairings in front have deep scratches. Given that we hit the damn thing, it could have been much worse.  So my new beautiful Hyundai Genesis will have to undergo depot level repair with all the hassles, expense, probable interaction with the insurance folks, and the angst of seeing your beatiful baby banged up.  Sigh...  I know other people have done this, but it is still not fun.

Since the approach of the storm nears, I am not sure when I will be able to start the process.  It's always something..

Sandy Story

Speaking of the storm, we made preparations yesterday, cleaned the gutters, put yard furniture and stuff in the side yard, got some black drainage pipe for the downspouts, and pretty much did what we can do outside.   Now it is just sit and wait..  Oh, and of course we assembled all the necessary stuff for survival.   As they say, Make a Kit...  here is ours...

Will provide updates as able..  don't bother to

DFD