Fred Foodie- Eating and Drinking in and around Frederick, Maryland » Restaurant Reviews

Caballo Viejo

fredfood — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:36:07 +0000

Just saw that Caballo Viejo is closing. Did a review of it back in 2008. Sorry to see that it is going. I wonder if our tastebuds have been too ruined by tex-mex to appreciate authentic Latin cuisine?

Washington Post Reviews Black Hog

fredfood — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:47:27 +0000

And it wasn’t good. Tom Sietsema didn’t like it very much calling the food “mixed.” In fact he says the best thing is the service: “At Black Hog, a new barbecue joint in Frederick, the service is warm but the food is not.” I can’t confirm this as despite the name (of a heritage breed of pigs) the meat served there doesn’t meet my criteria. In fact I’ve always been a little pissed off at the place. If you look at their home page it seems to suggest that they serve heritage pork: “compared to other breeds, the flavors of the Black Hog’s meat is exceptional.” You have to really parse the text to learn that they just named the restaurant after the breed to “represent the fine quality of food and service that we offer…” One has to assume that they serve modern industrially produced meat then. Am I being too prickly? I don’t know. As always feel free to comment, good, bad or indifferent.

Full review is here, but you need to register to view it.

Isabella’s Meats

fredfood — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:45:48 +0000

The other night Mrs. F and I were eating at Isabellas. While I felt guilty not trying something new so I could report on it here, it was a very rare date night so I wanted to make sure there were no disappointments. I have made no secret of my love for this place in the past (here and here if you are interested) and it lived up to my expectations as usual. Of interest was that I saw on the menu that they are sourcing a lot of their meats locally. The beef was grass-fed from Hedgeapple Farms and the pork was also from a local producer. The wholesaler which provides all their seafood was identified as well. The only thing missing was any mention of where the poultry originates.

As an aside we went on a Saturday night and the place was packed. Could only get a seat at the bar where we enjoyed a nice big pitcher of sangria with our food. They have a cool new system where they insert an enclosed ice core into the pitcher to keep the sangria cold without diluting it as the ice melts.

When I Grow Up

fredfood — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:56:27 +0000

When I grow up I want to be a blog just like this one. Seriously, this is a phenomenal blog that I read regularly even though I don’t do much in Howard County except drive through it. This is a true labor of love, very informative and it shows. A model for all wanna-be local food bloggers. I always feel inferior after visiting here yet I still check it out regularly.

Jefferson Pastry Shoppe- a Hidden Gem

fredfood — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:20:45 +0000

Family traditions are funny. Mrs. F brings her family’s Halloween tradition of eating donuts and cider after pumpkin carving. The kids love it, but I have to admit the combination of cider and donuts always struck me as a little wierd. However if she can accept Guy Fawkes Day I can certainly abide by this. Besides what’s not to love about an excuse to eat donuts? This year we got our donuts from The Jefferson Pastry Shoppe. Hands down at the top of the list as the best donuts I have ever had. We sampled six different varieties and they were all spectacular. Sometimes donuts can be super sweet and leave me feeling slightly nauseated. Not these: they were the right balance of airy pastry and sweet sugary delight. High notes were the peanut butter cream filled, the Bavarian cream and the glazed cake donuts, but honestly there wasn’t a clunker in the half-dozen.

Of course we couldn’t stop at a half dozen donuts- truly we couldn’t because we didn’t have any cash and they have a $10 minimum for charges! So we also sampled the turtle pastries, chocolate croissant, and the apple-caramel crumb cake. All extremely good. Only minor quibble was that one corner of the crumb cake was overdone on the bottom which gave it a slightly bitter taste. They also have a large selection of cakes, pies, bread and other dessert items. This place is worth seeking out and we shall definitely return!

Previous hidden gems.

More Ethics

fredfood — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:31:33 +0000

I had talked about ethics in an earlier post. So it was interesting to see that in early October the Federal Trade Commission ruled that bloggers who made endorsements had to disclose any payments they received from subjects of their reviews. Those that did not could face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. Of course the first thing that springs to mind is how difficult it would be to enforce this, especially with the millions of blogs that are out there. However I think it’s important that this issue at least be recognized. As noted I’ve been looking to sell out for years, but so far nobody’s been buying so as of now everything I review has been paid for by me.

Full Washington Post article here.

Budget Cuts and the Fourth Estate

fredfood — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:25:31 +0000

I don’t think anyone is envious of those poor souls labouring in the newspaper business right now. However one of my favorite abuse pinatas: the Frederick News Post is really plumbing the depths. Yes in their current “In Good Taste” column [Cue announcers voice: "In Good Taste reports on an unannounced dining experience and is not meant to be a critical review"] they review ,excuse me, report on…cue drum roll… the Waffle House. Good God those budget cuts must really be hurting.

Should you have questions about the fare at Waffle House you can see the review unannounced dining experience here. Some highlights include ”the portions were generous” and “the prices were modest.” Coming next week: The FNP reviews McDonald’s Value Menu.

Ethics

fredfood — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:43:39 +0000

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about two reviewers from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate accepting trips etc. from winemakers. One reviewer “vacationed and enjoyed lavish social dinners in the company of wine importers whose wines he reviews.” It raises some interesting ethical questions. I think the potential for abuse is especially ripe in the blogosphere. After all who knows where bloggers are coming from? I’ve mulled over what I would do. The closest I came is that I was offered a free bottle of wine from a local winery after one of my reviews. I didn’t accept it,but I thought about what would happen if I was offered a free meal or something like that.

So far this is all just speculation. Fred’s been looking to sell out for years, but nobody has been buying!

Link to the article here.

Isabella’s still rules

fredfood — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:53:45 +0000

Long time readers will know of my feelings for Isabellas. My last review of the restaurant is here. Well just want to say that I have eaten there a couple of times since then, including dinner over the weekend and its still at the top of my list in places to dine in Frederick. It’s great with a bunch of people, all sampling the dishes. They’ve added wines and have weekly wine specials. Of note last night (besides the usual standards I love) was the portobello mushroom with greens and hazelnut cream and the artichoke tops with crabmeat and saffron butter. The latter looked so good that I could see Mrs. F weighing the risks of anaphylactic shock over trying them.

The warm bread pudding with caramel was great and I think the baklava was pretty good as well, but I didn’t get a chance to fully taste it as the Fredlings devoured it.

Mediterranean Grill- a Hidden Gem

fredfood — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:01:57 +0000

Usually when I go into a restaurant there are a few items on the menu that catch my fancy and I can make up my mind rather quickly. This never happens to me at the Mediterranean Grill. The problem there is that everything looks good and my experiences at this restaurant confirm that everything doesn’t just look good- but that it is. Mediterranean Grill is a hidden gem of a restaurant. From the moment you walk in and notice the above average decor for a restaurant in this type of location: waterfall wall hangings, beaten copper table tops and warm colors and lighting; to the time the food arrives this place will exceed your expectations.

The food is terrific- as the name implies the cuisine is from the Mediterranean, but its the southeastern side of the sea. Lebanese, Greek and Turkish influences predominate here. The appetizers alone (Mezza as they call them) can provide a meal. I haven’t had one that I did not like. If you can’t decide on just one they offer the Mezza combination or sampler platters that are terrific to share with a group of people. I love the Fool M’Damas which is a blend of fava beans, garlic, lemon juice, spices and olive oil all roughly pureed and served with fresh flat bread for dipping. The falafel, hummus and pastries (fatayer) are all excellent as well.

For entrees they have kebabs, sandwiches ( I love the falafel sandwich), gyro, soups and salads. Their Shish Tawook is quite good. This is chicken that has been marinated and then grilled and served in on a wonderful flatbread with garlic sauce, onions, lettuce and tomato. They also have soups and salads. In fact the only downside to this place is that I have always been too full to try one of their desserts (baklava, rice pudding or tiramasu).

A lot of their dishes are organic and they clearly make an effort to have everything as fresh as possible. Delicious olive oil and wonderful breads round out many dishes. This place is also terrific for vegetarians with a large section on non-meat dishes. They also have approximately 27 wines all offered by the glass with some interesting selections you don’t see everywhere else including Greek and Lebanese wines. The last time we were there I had the kir yianni akakies, which was a rose wine from Greece. I don’t have much of a personal palate database on Greek wines, but it was pleasant and went with the variety of dishes we had.

The prices are reasonable and in line with what you would expect to pay. The Mediterranean Grill is located in the Westview Promenade shopping center behind the Chipotle’s: 5221A Buckeystown Pike, Frederick. Tel 301-620-1666. Fred Foodie bottom line is “GO!”