Hi all,
Hoping that you are using the down time you have to get in some good cooking at home. I just finished a batch of guacamole(as Samuel is home from boarding school for spring break, but feat that is not going to end!) which our son loves, artichoke hummus and some yummy shallot/basil vinaigrette for salad. We can't stop eating, even in dire times!
We have not been eating out much and Will is down 20 lbs, while I have shaved off about 11. Two plus weeks ago we did head to Succotash with friends and had a supeb time. Located in a renovated bank, I think our small room in the back may have been the vault! We were lucky to have the room as the two tier spot can get noisy. Devante, our server, was superb and did the best job keeping our courses well spaced and catering to our needs. A bottle of Linden Hardscrabble 2015 Chardonnay from nearby Virginia came a bit too cold, but without icing and warm hands on the glass it was drinking superbly within minutes.
Our starters were a superb Steak Tartare(photos on FB) which came with "waffle fries" which were really lattice home made potato chips(so bad for my diet, by oh so good) and a cured egg yolk. The lemon aioli and cajun salt were ideal condiments. Fried Green Tomatoes was more of a salad with Arugula, Feta & Buttermilk Dressing, while Nashville Style Hot Fried Oysters came with bread & Butter Pickles, Sally Lunn bread and Dill Ranch Dressing, which our friend declared were indeed the signature starter for Succotash which originated with the chef from Nashville.
Our red was a divine 2017 Ridge Pagani Ranch Zinfandel from Sonoma which comprised of 84% zin, 7% each petite syrah and Alicante Bouschet and 2% Mataro, surely one of the oddest blends I know ringing in at 14.6% alcohol. It was simply magnificent with my Dirty Chicken which is a leg & thigh(x2!!) in Honey Gochujang Sauce, Blue Cheese with pickles and nori flakes. This is their signature main course and is truly one of the best chicken dishes around. I took half home and it really was treat 2 days later as well!
Delta Rice Bowl with Smoked Tofu, Roasted Carrots, Charred Corn, Veggies Fried Egg and even with the added on Salmon-Poke came out on the boring side. Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Toom were excellent, while the 22 ounce bone-on Smoked Beef Short Rib with Black BBQ sauce and House pickles was kicky from the pickled jalapenos and a bit fatty in spots for me; the size was huge(see the bone foto on FB), so a little fat could be cut out. The Maryland Crabcake with Bibb Lettuce, Carrot, Chow Chow Remoulade, Mint Vinaigrette got only an "ok." Maybe chefs from Nashville should stay away from crab in our region?
Desserts all sounded great, but the four of us agreed to split one and the choice was unanimous:Chocolate ganache "waffe" & Bananas with Blackberry Sauce, Old Bay Marshmallow fluff and Ginger Snap Crumb, which I think were could have eaten three more of but all decided to head home very satisfied.
As you can guess, eating out for a while will be limited if non-existant. We only pray our friends in the restaurant business and all other businesses, can survive this disaster.
