Then I began to remember the reasons why I haven’t posted in almost a year.  It started to become overwhelming trying to document every concert and dining experience.  I had a hard time determining where to draw the line…was every lunch at a White Plains bar worthy of a post?  How about when my wife and I revisited restaurants that I already blogged about?  Did I need to post a follow-up blog?  How about when I attended Gov’t Mule shows on consecutive nights last August?  Did each show require its own review or could these two very different concerts be combined into one post?  Then I recently went back and read my initial post “Why Blog?” and things became much clearer – this is my blog and the only rule here is that I make the rules and the only opinion that matters in my opinion.  Sure, I missed out on sharing some good (and some mediocre) experiences, but that’s too bad.  The time to document that stuff has past and now all that remains are my blurry, romanticized memories.  It’s time to move on and what better way to do it than with the 9^th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party!

There are a few traditions that my wife and I honor with religious-like zeal – summer vacations on Block Island, St. Patrick’s Day at Sherwoods and the Big Apple BBQ.  I like to think we uphold these traditions for the right reasons.  For us, these aren’t simply ritualistic exercises or traditions for tradition’s sake.  We’re not trying to recapture the glory of the past and theses are more than just trips down memory lane.  In a lot of cases, these time-honored traditions get better with each passing year.  For example, this year was my favorite St. Patrick’s Day celebration (probably because it was our first with our son, the cutest boy in the world) and last summer may have been the best Block Island trip ever, although I say that almost every year we go to Block Island.  Needless to say, I was very much looking forward to our 6^th Big Apple BBQ. 

Unfortunately, life is sometimes dependent on externally circumstances and sadly the stars don’t always align.  This year, the weather forecast for the BBQ was not promising and, for the first time I can remember, the organizers did not post the event map on their web site.  This may seem like a minor detail, but I typically like to plot out my strategy in advance so I know exactly what pitmasters I’ll be visiting.  This pre-planning, which sometimes borders on obsessive, adds to the anticipation of the event.  Facing the possibility of bad weather and without an event map in hand, this year we were flying by the seat of our pants.  The eagerness and excitement we typically feel was somewhat tempered and this was just the beginning.  To make matters worse, there was an accident on the Bruckner Expressway that caused us to arrive 30 minutes later than scheduled.  Now 30 minutes may not seem like a lot since this is a 7 hour event, but regardless I was disappointed.  However, the death blow to the entire day was the fact that when we did finally arrive at Madison Square Park, I had a terribly upset stomach.

Now I’m a trooper, especially when it comes to eating, and although I tried my damnedest it was tough making it through the day.  In the end, I did sample 7 different plates of food (same as last year), but the experience as a whole wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as in the past due to my illness.  Honestly, could 4 trips to the Porta John be enjoyable for anyone?!?  Now that you have that wonderful mental image in your head, here is a summary of the food (in order it was sample):

Big Bob Gibson (Alabama) – Pulled Pork Shoulder: There is a reason why Chris Lilly and company have won countless world titles for their pulled pork – it is quintessential!  Was it the best pulled pork I’ve ever had?  Probably not, but it was damn good.  I also really liked the mustard based slaw (served on the side), which had a nice little kick.

Baker’s Ribs (Texas) – St. Louis Style Ribs: For me, this takes the award for most improved.  I didn’t really dig these ribs last year, but this year I thought they were very good.  I know my wife and brother-in-law would have preferred more sauce, but I thought they were just fine.  The spicy slaw that accompanied the ribs was by far by favorite side of the BBQ, in addition to being the spiciest thing I ate all day.

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (Tennessee) – Western-Tennessee-Style Whole Hog: I’ll admit, whole hog isn’t usually my favorite.  Depending on what meat you get, it can be on the tough side and it never really seems to compare to the flavor of a pork shoulder.  Well this whole hog was an exception.  The pork was tender and juicy and the combination of pork, sauce and creamy slaw made for a perfect sandwich that was unexpectedly one of the lighter plates I sampled.

Jim ‘n Nicks Bar-B-Q (Alabama) – Homemade Smoked Sausage with Pimento Cheese and Saltines:  One of my favorites last year, one of my favorites once again this year.  How can you go wrong with a spicy sausage?  I think I’ve decided that conceptually and texturally pimento cheese may be one of the foulest things I’ve put in my month (thinking about it almost makes me want to gag), but it works so unbelievable well combined with sausage and saltines.

Blue Smoke (New York) – Texas Salt and Pepper Beef Ribs: On my scorecard, Blue Smoke is the runner up to Baker’s in the most improved category.  The meat (and fat) on these ribs was delicious.  Unfortunately, these two bones yield much less meat than the competitors plates, but what they lacked in quantity, they made up for in flavor.  The side (something with snap peas) was a throw away.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (New York) – Pulled Pork Shoulder: Dinosaur is an institution and it’s easy to see why.  This sandwich was very good.  The side of baked beans was just ok for me, but at this point I was getting full and given my ailments, beans were probably the last thing I needed.

Pappy Smokehouse (Missouri) – St. Louis Style Ribs: Last year I thought Pappy’s ribs were tough, but I may need to take that back.  Everyone has their own opinion on the proper doneness of ribs.  I think that they should not be “fall of the bone”, but should come off the bone easily with a tender pull.  These ribs required a slightly heavier tug in order to rip the meat from the bones, but the flavor was definitely there.  I also like how the flavor came from a good dry rub and not from being over-sauced.

Please don’t misunderstand.  Even though I’ve consumed more than my share of clam chowder, I by no means consider myself a connoisseur.  I can’t really tell you what makes one chowder better than another or even what “special ingredients” I would use if I were to attempt to make clam chowder at home.  However, this chowder ignorance surely doesn’t stop me from being strongly opinionated about this topic.  In this regard, clam chowder and wine are a lot in common for me.  I can’t tell you if a wine has the aroma of cherries or figs or tobacco or anti-freeze for that matter, but after a sip or two I can certainly and unequivocally tell you whether it gets a thumbs up or thumbs down in my book.  So since we’re in Block Island and since I plan on sampling at least four of five cups of chowder over the course of the week, I figured this was a good opportunity to dig a little deeper into the mystique of clam chowder and really figure out what makes a clam chowder enjoyable for me.

Well I wasted no time.  Day one, first meal, lunch at the Beachhead, and I ordered up a cup of their “clear” clam chowder.  There’s no doubt that I was skeptical when I ordered, but I had my heart set on clam chowder and I was going for it.  While we waited for the food to arrive, I envisioned a broth similar to miso soup with little salty calms and bits of vegetables (maybe even seaweed) floating in the translucent sea of fish stock.  What I got instead was a murky, oily mess.  It was almost as if the chef was making a traditional New England clam chowder and realized part way through that he’d run out of cream.  Only worse, the broth was oily giving it an unpleasant texture.  The bits of herbs that would normally be smoothed by the silkiness of the cream were instead harsh and unappetizing.  Needless to say, this “clear” clam chowder didn’t satisfy my yearning and left no question that I’d be ordering clam chowder for lunch the next day.

So day two, after nearly three wonderful hours on the beach, we strolled up the stairs on the National Hotel and all I could think about was clam chowder.  The cups of briny, gooey soup that arrived on our table couldn’t have been more different than the blasphemy I experienced a day earlier.  In fact, if a hurricane were ever heading for the Block Island, I’m pretty sure that this soup could be used to fortify the sea walls that protect Old Harbor.  Thick doesn’t even begin to describe the texture, but was it too thick?  I don’t think so.  You could still discern the plump little pieces of clams, the nicely cooked potatoes and bits of celery.  Unlike the “clear” chowder, this clam porridge had just flecks of thyme that added a nice flavor.  I was once told an “insiders tips” that many restaurants use instant mash potatoes to thicken their New England clam chowder, and being that I’m not a fan of short cuts, I hope that isn’t the secret to the thickness of the National’s chowder.  Nonetheless, the soup was flavorful, robust and it really hit the spot.

On Day 3, the chowders continued to get better.  For several seasons, G.S. Sharky’s was only open for dinner, and having had a not so great dinner there several years ago, it had been a while since we visited this restaurant.  This year they were open for lunch again and given their convenience to the beach we decided to give it a try.  Well, Sharky’s chowder had all of the positive attributes of the clam chowder served at the National; in fact they almost looked identical.  The one differentiator was the Sharky’s clam chowder was slightly less thick than the National’s.  This was a small, but significant difference resulting in a much more satisfying texture and taste.  Maybe I was wrong in previously declaring that the National’s clam chowder was not too thick.

Next up was a new joint, MacPhail’s, which is actually an order window with outdoor seating overlooking Old Harbor.  The ads for MacPhail’s in the Block Island Times and other island publications proclaimed that this establishment is a Martha’s Vineyard favorite that has now opened a location on Block Island.  How could I resist?!?  Well the clam chowder served from this order window on the side of The Inn at Old Harbor was remarkably similar to the soup I had a day earlier at Sharky’s, except that the potatoes were a little undercooked.  I’m starting to think that this exercise may be futile and redundant.  Maybe there isn’t that big of a variation in New England clam chowders.  Maybe what I liked most is just a good old traditional clam chowder.    

Day 5 wasn’t a beach day, but nonetheless I still felt compelled to have clam chowder.  Our restaurant of choice on this day was the Mohegan Café and Brewery and their chowder was more of the same.  The only noticeable difference between the clam chowder here and previous chowders at the National, Sharky’s and MacPhail’s was that the Mohegan clam chowder was slightly saltier than the others…salty in a good, porky kind of way.  I wished that whenever pork product was rendered at the beginning of the soup making process had been reserved and crumbled on top of the chowder for an extra salty, crunch bite.

Day 6 was our last day on Block Island and since we were booked on a late afternoon ferry home, and because we wanted to maximize our time at the beach, we opted to forego a sit down lunch.  Since I didn’t have chowder for lunch, I seriously considered grabbing a cup on the ferry, but I thought better of it.  Still, having clam chowder 5 times in 6 days was sufficient to satisfy my craving.

When I embarked on this adventure, I hoped to learn more about what differentiates really outstanding clam chowder from the rest of the pack.  Instead, having sampled four very good, yet uncannily similar chowders (and one abomination) during our week in Block Island, I feel like I’ve developed a better understanding of what defines a quintessential New England clam chowder. 

Oddly, I feel like I’ve lived my own episode of “Tyler’s Ultimate”.  Not the more recent episodes where Tyler creates an entire meal around a featured dish or ingredient, but the older ones where Tyler would visit a few eateries, see how others prepare the featured dish, and then create his “ultimate” version of the dish.  To bring this journey to a close, I guess the only thing left for me to do is try my hand at making my very own “ultimate” New England clam chowder.  Stay tuned…

Like the first time we dined at the Schoolhouse, my wife and I ordered the exact opposite meals (two choices are available for each course).  This made ordering easy, and although there were a few dishes that I could have spent significant time deliberating over, we agreed to share our dishes, so that we each got to sample everything on the four course menu.  For the first course, I had the cold zucchini soup with a fried oyster.  While I love raw oysters, I don’t always care for them cooked, but these little crispy, briny pillows added so much flavor to this delicate bowl of soup.  I also really liked the soup yet while it appealed to my palate, I could see why others may not have found it so enjoyable.  The soup wasn’t pureed smooth and instead had a slightly pulpy consistence.  It was also garnished with a fair amount of mint which I found refreshing, but others might have thought overpowering.  My wife started with a crisp, refreshing salad of string beans, shaved fennel, orange segments and a citrus vinaigrette.

For the second course, I had a perfectly cooked piece of halibut.  The dish was adorned with wedges of radish topped with butter and thin slices of cantaloupe.  The sweet juice from the cantaloupe nicely contrasted the crispy, salty fish.   My wife had pasta served with beets and arugula.  This dish resembled a beet salad served over rags of pasta and the classic flavor profile made for a nice second course.

For our final savory course, I had a medallions of pork loin served with kale and a fried pickle.  The pork was incredibly tender and flavorful.  It also paired nicely with the kale and how can you go wrong with a fried pickle!?!  My wife’s chicken breast matched the tenderness and juiciness of my pork loin and the broccolini and porcinis that accompanied the chicken added a nice earthiness to the dish.

Up until this point in the meal, every dish was thoughtful prepared, well presented, and comprised of local, seasonal ingredients.  Unfortunately, the desserts didn’t come close to matching their savory predecessors.  In fact, the desserts were just bad!  I had a trio of root beer, watermelon rind sorbet and some nondescript little cake.  I’m not sure what you can do to screw up root beer, but they managed to find a way and the sorbet tasted like grass.  My wife had a layering of cake and shaved ice that was inedible.

Fortunately, I’m not a big dessert guy and after the first three courses I was pretty full.  And, in spite of the poor dessert course, this meal was well worth the $40 ($65 with wine).  Actually, the first three courses were so good at if we lived closer, and I my wife got home earlier on Thursdays, we’d probably go to the Schoolhouse for 4 for $40 much more regularly.

So a few weeks after being forwarded this e-mail, what do I do?  I buy tickets to see Further at MCU Park in Coney Island.  Further is a band featuring Dead founders Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, and ironically enough, former DSO guitarist John Kadlecik.  So after proclaiming my hatred for DSO, why would I buy tickets to see Further?  Well for starters, Phil just turned 70 in March (and he’s on his second liver) and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to have the honor of seeing him perform live.  I also figured that if this line-up is good enough for Phil (and Bobby), then it must be worth checking out.  Now I must admit that I’m a huge Phil & Friends fan, particular the most recent incarnation with Larry Campbell, Jackie Greene, Steve Molitz and John Molo.  I also enjoy seeing Bob Weir & Ratdog in concert.  And having seen Phil and Bobby perform together as The Other Ones and as The Dead in 2004 and 2009, I have to say that I much prefer their solo projects to their post-1995 collaborations.  Having said all of that, I was going into this Further show with an open mind.

So let me start with the positives.  The sound at MCU Park was exceptional.  From that perceptive, this may have been the best show that I’ve ever seen at an outdoor venue.  I also thought that Bobby sounded phenomenal…maybe the best he’s sounded in 20 years.  Both his vocals and guitar playing were for the most part outstanding.  For me, this could be attributed to the fact that he didn’t play his custom Modulus G3FH all night.  I know that guitar is equipped with all of the MIDI technology and effects that Bobby enjoys toying with, but at times I find that that guitar sounds metallic and even obnoxious.  For the first part of the first set Bobby played a pink Stratocaster with a pink zebra print strap.  For the remainder of the show Bobby played a Gibson ES-335.   While we’re on the subject, Phil was back to playing his Modulus bass.  With Phil and Friends, I actually think that I prefer the smoother sound of the Ritter bass, but I’ve never had any complaints with the Modulus.  It’s worth mentioning that the initial graphics for the band featured a hybrid of Phil’s Ritter bass and Bobby’s Modulus G3FH, but has since been revised into an amalgamation of Phil’s Modulus and Bobby’s Gibson.

The show started off pretty strong with Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) – always a fun way to open a show.  And sure, I’ve heard better versions, but this was a nice blast of Phil right out of the block combined with some cool organ playing by Jeff Chimenti.  Next up was a real good version of Good Lovin’ which was played at a slower tempo giving it an almost calypso-like feel.  Good Lovin’ also contained a nice jam with some cool interplay between Phil and Jeff.  After Good Lovin’ came The Music Never Stopped which also started off slow with some funky rhythm guitar playing by Bobby.  About midway through this song fell back into a more familiar tempo, but unfortunately I thought the climax lacked a little punch…a reoccurring theme throughout this show.  Next was Sugar Magnolia, which was fairly ordinary.  It was around this point in the show that I started to feel like John’s guitar sounded very thin.  I don’t know if it was his effects or if he was low in the mix, but his tone seemed to lack fullness.  After Sugar Magnolia the first set really took a turn for the worse.  The Dear Mr. Fantasy just wasn’t that good.  To me, Mr. Fantasy is a song that invites you to go after it, but this version seemed too restrained.  John’s vocals were also pretty bad, although Jeff took a nice solo about midway through that saved this from being a disaster.  Scarlet Begonias was also just alright and never seemed to recover after John fumbled through his initial solo.  The jam out of Scarlet was also a little disjointed sounding and transitioned into Magnolia Mountain.  I figured that this was a good time to grab a beer and while waiting on line, a self-proclaimed Ryan Adam’s fan turned to me and said, “nothing kills a set like a Ryan Adam tune”.  My thoughts exactly!  I just don’t get it.  The first set ended with an ok rendition of Uncle John’s Band, but it wasn’t enough to salvage the set.    

The second set opened with Unbroken Chain.  Like the first set opener, I’ve seen better versions.  I particularly thought that Jeff was overplaying and that the jams didn’t flow within the song.  I also thought Phil’s vocal were a little weak.  Now I know Phil isn’t known for his singing, but I’m more referring to the volume than the pitch.  Unbroken Chain was followed by Let It Grow, which was undoubtedly the highlight of the show.  The entire band kept driving this song forward and John played some nice MIDI sounding effects that worked extremely well.  After Let It Grow, the show took another wrong turn.  The slowed down version of The Other One really fell short.  Phil did his best to hold it together, but John seemed to really struggle.  The Fire on the Mountain that came next was probably the worst song of the night.  Bobby’s guitar playing was incredibly tinny sounding, making the song almost unlistenable.  At this point I was also getting tired of John trying to mimic Jerry’s guitar playing.  The only cool thing about this song was the little 8-miles High tease from John near the end.  After Fire came Blues for Allah.  I know Deadheads get jazzed when bands play songs that the Dead rarely performed live, but I think there’s a reason why Blues for Allah was never in the rotation.  Maybe it’s a good showcase for the bass and drums, but I’d prefer King Solomon’s Marbles any day.  The show picked up a little bit after Blues for Allah with decent versions of Morning Dew and Eyes of the World.  I thought Phil really carried these two songs and Jeff took a really sweet piano solo during Eyes.  The show ended with Help on the Way, which was ok, Slipknot, which was a little sloppy, and Franklin’s Tower, which was way too fast (maybe they realized they were getting close to curfew).   The encore was a nice take on Box of Rain.  Even though we started to exit during the start of the encore, the sound was so good that you could hear the band sound and clear from several blocks away.

Now maybe I’m being too critical or maybe I just never got over the DSO connection, but this show was just ok for me.  For the most part, the band delivered nice versions of the songs they played, but I felt like the show lacked the little extra edge.  There really wasn’t any point in this show where I felt the band was going to take it to the next level.  There’s also no doubt that I prefer when Phil and/or Bobby play with guitarist that are less derivative of Jerry.  I’d love it if Phil brought back his latest group of friends or if Further dropped John and the back-up singers and added Larry Campbell, Theresa Williams and Joan Osborne!  Unfortunately, that’s just a daydream.  So for now, it seems like Further is the best we got and although I won’t go out of my way to see them again, I’d probably give them one more chance.

Before I give you my rundown of the food that we sampled, I have to acknowledge the venue.  Simply put, Madison Square Park is an oasis located in the heart of the Flatiron District.  Not only does it contain a beautiful green space that has everything from a playground to a dog run, but it also happens to be framed by some of the city’s most spectacular architecture.  The east side of the park is lined by the Met Life Tower and New York Life Building and the southwest corner is anchored by the Flatiron Building.  And if you’re sitting on the lawn and take a peek to the northwest, through the trees, you can see the top of the Empire State Building.  There may not be a more spectacular view of one of our country’s most recognizable landmarks.  I’m not a city boy by any stretch, but being in Madison Square Park, even when it’s host a crowd of over one hundred thousand, brings me such appreciation for the unique beauty of the Big Apple.

Now to the food…this year we managed to sample 7 different pitmasters.  Now, I pride myself on being a good eater and I would consider 2 plates of food to be a pretty substantial meal for most people, so I feel good about the fact that my wife and I shared 8 plates (we hit Big Bob Gibson’s twice).  Each plate, which consists of a meat and a side, cost $8.  Here are my reviews:

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Alabama) – Pulled Pork Shoulder and Slaw: This was a great plate of food!  It was everything you hoped a pulled pork sandwich would be and the slaw with a mustard based dressing was terrific.  It’s no wonder that they’re a perennial favorite on the competition circuit and we were lucky that Chris Lilly was in the house!!!  The fact that we came here twice says a lot.

Jack’s Old South (Georgia) – Beef Brisket: Unfortunately, Myron Mixon was not in the house.  My wife compared the brisket to her Nan’s pot roast…not good!  This had to be the thickest cut brisket I’ve had and the flavor just wasn’t that good.  However, the side of beans were very tasty.

Baker’s Rib (Texas) – St. Louis Style Ribs & Jalapeño Cold Slaw: The ribs were perfectly cooked, but they lacked a little flavor.  In fact, the slaw lacked a little flavor too.  The ribs also could have used a little more smoke.  I don’t mind ribs that are light on the rub or sauce as long as they have a great smoky flavor that accentuates the taste of the pork.  These ribs fell just short.

Blue Smoke (New York) – Texas Salt and Pepper Beef Ribs:  When beefs ribs are done right, I mean really right, they might be my favorite.  Blue Smoke’s beef ribs delivered the flavor, but unfortunately, I found one of my three ribs too be excessively tough and fatty (and I like fatty!).  This was still a good plate of food.

Hill Country (New York) – Beef Brisket & Cool as a Cucumber Salad:  This brisket was pretty good.  It had a nice bark, but I thought the sauce was overly sweet.  However, I found the cucumber salad to be very refreshing.

Pappy Smokehouse (Missouri) – St. Louis Style Ribs:  The ribs were tough…there’s just really no excuse for that.  The beans that came as a side were really spicy, which I dug.  I’m not sure that most people wouldn’t have found the beans to be too spicy, but they were fine by me.

Jim ‘n Nicks Bar-B-Q (Alabama) – Homemade Smoked Sausage with Pimento Cheese and Saltines: Great!  The homemade sausage was so tasty and spicy.  It seemed like most people were really into the Pimento Cheese, which I thought was just ok.  I don’t think I would have like the cheese alone, but the entire package (sausage/cheese/saltines) was fabulous.  This was right up there with Big Bob Gibson’s.

In addition to the food, there was a beer garden in the park serving microbrews from Heartland Brewery – the two I sampled were delicious.  There was also live music throughout the day.  Between 2:45PM and 4:00PM I happened to catch Carolyn Wonderland doing I nice cover of Los Lobos’s Cumbia Raza.  How much do you want to bet that not more than 3 of the 100,000 attendees caught that one!

This was a great day of eating, celebrating New York City, celebrating our nation’s most unique cuisine, and spending time with family.  It truly doesn’t get any better than the Big Apple BBQ!

My wife was eager to share a pasta as an appetizer, but when my brother pointed out that half orders were available I was relieved that we wouldn’t have to compromise.  I knew my wife was leaning towards Tortellini all Nonna or Penne all Vodka – neither of which are my favorite.  Although, at this point I had pasta on my mind, so I opted for the Spaghetti alla Carbonara.  This dish was well prepared and had a nice restraint – the bacon and onions were nicely diced and the pasta was not over sauced.  In fact, the only thing that could have made this any better would have been if it was topped with a runny egg …although I understand this might not appeal to the masses.  For my entrée, I went with the Saltimbocca.  Through the years, this has been my go to dish at Spaccarelli’s and it was exactly how I remembered it – tender veal, quality prosciutto and a rich sauce of white wine and butter, all served over a generous portion of spinach.  With the entrées they also brought out a plate of escarole and some potato croquettes (I’ve always liked Spaccarelli’s croquettes).  When the dessert cart rolled around, I chose to skip the sweets, which by now shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has read any of my previous posts.

A lot of restaurants that have been around for years and have attracted a loyal patronage seem to get complacent.   There can be a lack of consistency; dishes are occasionally sloppy, over sauced and/or salty, but this isn’t the case with Spaccarelli’s.  I don’t necessarily know if I would say that it’s gotten better over the years, but it may have gotten more refined.  Not only is the current location well-appointed and classier than the tiny, strip mall storefront, but the food has also seemed to make a similar transition.  And in the decade that they’ve been at this location, they’ve continued to maintain the high standard that has made it one of the top Italian restaurants around.  If you live within 10 to 15 miles of Millwood, Spaccarelli’s should be your Italian restaurant of choice.

The walls of Sardegna are lined with celebratory masks and photos and prints of Sardinia and sure, the paper place mats with a map and description of Sardinia are a little diner-esque, but somehow it all manages to avoid feeling tacky or overdone.  Maybe it’s because once you sit down you begin to appreciate that this isn’t just another “red sauce” Italian joint.  This restaurant is a celebration of the proprietor’s native land and like many islands in the Mediterranean, the food and culture of Sardinia has been distinctly influenced by conquering empires, as well as the terrain, resources and ingredients that are unique to the island.

 Sardegna’s menu reflects these influences and is a mixed of traditional Italian dishes – you can have your chicken grilled, Sorrentino, Francese, Milanese or Parmigiana, and regional Sardinian specialties (highlighted in red on the menu).  For me, this is a no-brainer; I can get chicken parm at the pizzeria, but there are a handful of other items that you don’t see on very many menus.  To start, my wife and I decided to share the pane carasau and bomas alla sarda.  The pane carasau, a crispy flatbread with mozzarella and rosemary, may be Sardinia’s most recognizable specialty.  The flatbread is made to be torn apart with your hands and is a delicious vehicle for the favorable toppings.  The bombas, or meatballs, are probably my favorite dish at Sardegna and I don’t think I’ve eaten here without ordering them.  Not only are the meatballs soft and delicate, but the marinara sauce is to die for.  It has the perfect balance of acidity and richness without having the taste of being artificially sweetened (like most store bought sauces).  To wash it all down, I had a Vermentino, a white wine made from the grape that is widely planted on Sardinia.    

 For my entrée I had a bit of a dilemma…do I go for the bottariga or another one of the other Sardinian specialties.  As much as I love bottariga, I had just had it earlier in the week at Meritage and I decided to resist the urge to conduct a taste test.  Instead, I went with the Culingiones, ravioli stuffed with ricotta and pecorino Sardo.  This dish was as heavenly as the bombas.  The ravioli were light and fluffy like little pillows of cheese and they were dressed with the same tomato sauce that adorned the meatballs.  My wife had the Spaghetti ai Granchi with crabmeat, tomato, garlic and white wine.  This was a nice dish, but it seemed like it was missing something.  Maybe the tomatoes could have been riper or maybe the sauce could have used a little acidity or some herbs to brighten it up a bit…perhaps some lemon zest and basil would have done the trick.  Nonetheless, this was a nice combination of flavors and I actually think I’ll try to replicate this dish at home, with the noted additions.

 Although the host claimed that Sardegna makes the best crème brulee (not the recommendation I was expecting), we decided to skip dessert and set out for a short walk home.  We hope that Sardenga, which has been open for a number of years, continues to prosper and we look forward to many repeat visits.

Before I get to the food, I have to mention that our waiter was definitely stoned.  That normally wouldn’t bother me in the least except for the fact that he was obviously not on his game.  Meritage stocks 4 or 5 bottled beers and I think he was only able to name one.  He also came back at least twice to confirm our orders (better than getting it wrong) and when asked how one of the menu items was prepared, he asked to see the menu so he could read the description.  If the menu had a description, we wouldn’t have had to ask!  Needless to say, we didn’t take any of his recommendations  when it came to ordering.

To start my wife had the duck confit.  This is one of my favorites, but in this case I actually thought the duck leg was a tad dry.  I also felt that the frisee salad with balsamic vinaigrette was a predictable accompaniment.  Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a bad dish.  In fact, it was quite good…better than my forgetable starter (I actually don’t remember what I had).   But with duck confit showing up on nearly every “New American” menu, this is a dish that needs to be exceptional in order to separate it from the pack.

My entrée, Linguine Bottarga, was much more memorable than my first course.  This dish is reflective of everything that’s wonderful about Italian cuisine – a few simple, yet flavorful ingredients combined to form a fabulous meal.  In addition to the bottarga (dried roe), the pasta was dressed with garlic, fresh chiles and oil.  Every bite was perfectly salty and spicy pasta.  As I eating my last forkfuls of pasta, I was already plotting the next time I could have this dish.  Since our dinner at Meritage, I’ve even tracked down some on-line gourmet store where I can buy bottarga, so I can make this dish at home.  My wife had the Tagliatelle Bolognese, which was on par with her first course – it was good, but not specatular.  There are probably half a dozen local restaurants where you can get the same meat ragu.

My review may seem a little negative, but there was nothing bad about Meritage.  In fact, everything was pretty good and we had a really fun night out.  I would certainly go back to share a few small plates ($5) and have an order of the Linguine Bottarga.

When I’m hungry, I can do some serious eating and since our trip to Italy a few years ago, I’ve really come to enjoy having an antipasti followed by a pasta and then the entrée.  However, not knowing that we were going out for dinner, my wife had a big lunch and didn’t quite share my appetite.  We compromised by sharing an appetizer and splitting a pasta.

For the appetizer, we had a carciofini ala brace – sliced, crispy artichokes with a mild spicy tomato sauce.  This was a wonderful dish.  The thin slices of artichoke heart had a crunchy, fried exterior and were deliciously meaty inside.  The tomato sauce that was served over the artichokes had just enough heat to contributed nicely without being too hot.   This dish would make a perfect afternoon snack accompanied by a nice glass of wine on a sunny Saturday or Sunday afternoon at one of Lusardi’s sidewalk tables.

For the pasta course we ordered the homemade orecchiette with short ribs and mint.  First of all, the homemade pasta was great.  It was cooked perfectly and had a great texture.  I had expected the sauce to resemble a bolognese or some similar tomato based braised meat dish.  Instead, the pasta was adorned with a much lighter sauce that was dotted with little pieces of beef.  The mint, a somewhat surprising choice of herb, also added a fresh, light, and flavorful component to this dish.

For our entrée, my wife and I both selected items from the daily specials.  I had a veal scaloppine with prosciutto and provolone cheese.   Again, the provolone was a somewhat surprising ingredient – many would expect mozzarella for a dish that resembles a sorrentino.  However it added a wonderful, aged flavor that would have been missed if any other cheese had been used.

My wife had grouper with mushrooms, spinach and shrimp.  The outside of the fish was nicely pan seared that gave it a great crispy, salty texture.  Unfortunately, the fish was a little overcooked and when eaten alone it was a little dry.  However, the condiment was very tasty, particularly when all of the ingredients were combined and when everything was eaten together, it made up for the dryness of the fish.

Another interesting item to note was the gin and tonic that I ordered.  The cocktail had an unexpected frothiness.  It also seemed to be lacking a little of the tonic water flavor.  I wonder if they poured me a gin fizz or even a silver fizz with egg whites.  Whatever it was, it was refreshing…and tasty.  It just wasn’t what I was expecting.

We opted to forego dessert, but this was an overall real good meal.  It’s a shame that we haven’t gone to Lusardi’s more often over the past few years, but that’s a mistake that we’ll correct moving forward.

 It happened to be a gorgeous day and the walk to La Sala (albeit short) was lovely.  When we arrived, we were surprised to see a large group vacating the private party room.  Who knew?  I jog by La Sala several times a week and I didn’t have the slightest inclination that they even had a private room.  The main dining room however was empty and my wife and I were the first table seated.

 For a pre fixed menu, there certainly wasn’t a shortage of choices – half a dozen appetizers and ten entrée selections.  For my first course, I had the fried calamari.  There’s no doubt that the calamari were a bit tough, but the breading was extremely flavorful.  In fact, the tasty coating almost made up for the chewiness of the mollusk.  My wife started with the baked clams, which were on par with the clams we had at La Villetta.  That is to say that they probably came from the same vendor of prepared frozen food.

 For the main course I went with the veal Nordano – scaloppini of veal sautéed with mushrooms and sage in a cognac sauce.  There were no complaints with this dish.  The veal was tender and the mushrooms and cognac combined to form a pretty flavorful sauce.  My wife had the sole francese.  Now let’s face it, francese is a pretty simple dish, but regardless there were no complaints with this dish either – the lemon from the sauce complimenting the tender fish.

 For dessert, I had the “ricotta” cheese cake.  At least that’s what the waiter said it was.  This had to be the densest ricotta cheese cake that I’ve eaten.  It was more similar to Authentic New York cheesecake than to any ricotta cheese cake that I’ve seen.  This was fine with me because I prefer this to the texture of real ricotta cheesecake.

 I guess one could describe La Sala is “red sauce” Italian, although to me that seems to have a negative connotation.  Maybe “Old School” is a better way to describe the food.  There was certainly nothing bad about it (except for the maybe the clams).  In fact, for the price, this was a good meal.  I don’t think I’ll be going back there any time soon , but that’s not to say I wouldn’t.

What really stood out about La Sala wasn’t the food, it was the ambiance.  Believe me, I’m lucid to the fact that we were there for the early bird special, but I didn’t expect that we would be the youngest people in the restaurant by a good 25 years.  I felt like I was living in Del Boca Vista (minus the Floridian décor).  Actually the table right next to ours reminded me more of the Golden Girls, with their white wine glasses filled to the rim.  The oddest part of the experience had to be the live entertainment – the nice old gentlemen who sang “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” in Italian.  His singing wasn’t bad, but his suit must have fit him fifty pounds ago.  His jacket was gigantic!  The whole experience was rather comically.