Month: February 2014

Serve Our Willing Warriors Visiting Chef Program

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SOWW Visiting Chef Program Logo

I am very excited to be working with Serve Our Willing Warriors an all-volunteer tax exempt organization creating the Bull Run Warrior Retreat. The Retreat is in Haymarket, VA on 44 acres at the foot of the Bull Run Mountains. The 11,000 square foot house will provide “a home away from home” for our outpatient Warriors and their families residing at nearby hospitals.

While the remodeling is underway I will be working on developing the Visiting Chef Program. We envision a program partnering with chefs who come and create once in a lifetime magnificent meals for our injured warriors and their families. As part of the program we will be planting a garden to take a farm-to-table approach to providing meals with fresh vegetables and herbs.

If you are a personal or restaurant chef willing to occasionally volunteer your time to prepare delicious memorable meals for our Warriors and their families please contact me at zilliox(at)live.com. It is a chance for you to do what you love and give back to those who have given so much for us.

Dizzy Pig for Great BBQ Rubs

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Dizzy Pig BBQ
8763 Virginia Meadows Drive
Manassas, VA 20109
703-273-3580
http://dizzypigbbq.com

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Every so often I stumble across a great product I have never seen before. Recently a local chef told me about Dizzy Pig barbecue rubs. I was excited to learn they are made a few miles from my home and have a small retail outlet at the factory.

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Since 2002 Dizzy Pig has been making high quality barbecue rubs used by professional BBQ competition teams and top chefs across the country. Today they offer 16 unique blends to spice up your grilling.

DizzySpices

Made from fresh all natural ingredients, Dizzy Pig rubs have no MSG, are gluten free, and low in salt. Unprocessed raw sugar is used in the process which helps create a more intricate flavor at higher temperatures. The low salt content means you can add more rub to get just the right taste for chicken, ribs or steaks.

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The Dizzy Pig retail store also sells the ceramic Big Green Egg cookers. Twice  yearly they hold DizzyFest bringing together Big Green Egg owners to cook and party. The next DizzyFest is June 7, 2014. A brochure describing the various rubs is available here. Stop in and meet the friendly staff or order online through the web page. A good first step is to order the sampler pack and try 11 rubs.

The Brick – Warrenton’s Pizza Paradise

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34 Main St.
Warrenton, VA 20186
540-216-3940
www.thebrickpizzeria.com

Neapolitan Pizza | $

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I love pizza. Mine almost always came with loads of meat. Anything other than meat was something people in California ordered on their pizza. That was until I wandered into The Brick. I am not sure why I agreed with my wife to order a pizza with arugula on it but I am glad I did.

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We started with house made meatballs with San Marzano Tomato Sauce and Shredded Mozzarella. The meatballs were delicious and filling. They had a wonderful soft spicy taste that neutralized the unremarkable mozzarella.

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While we did not order a salad I could see all the ingredients were fresh and colorful.

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Our hand tossed pizza came with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce, Pancetta, Olive Oil, House Mozzarella, and Arugula tossed in Basil Vinaigrette. It was heavenly, the flavors mixed together perfectly creating the best pizza I have had. My wife shocked I liked a pizza with arugula,  immediately texted 3 or 4 friends to tell them the incredible news. Pancetta is right up there with bacon for creating a bold flavor that works well with the basil. The brick oven helped create a perfectly baked paper thin crust to hold the roasted garlic cream sauce. It all went together magnificently.

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For dessert we tried the Sweet Knots, Hot Dough Knots made with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Mascarpone Butter Cream. They were awesome and probably a million calories.

The Brick is in the basement below its sister restaurant Black Bear Bistro. When you come in the front door keep moving and don’t stop for anything. No matter how inviting the main dinning room looks the real treat is the pizza downstairs. The Brick has seating at a few tables and around a bar that faces the brick oven. At the bar you see everything made right in front of you. Additional seating will be available outside weather permitting. At peak times there may be a wait.

Our waitress Angie greeted us and got sweet tea quickly.  She was attentive and made sure we had whatever we needed. The noise level was high at 81 decibels but sitting at a table close to the wall I didn’t have trouble hearing. Check out the menu here then head over to The Brick to get some fantastic pizza.

Five Guys Restaurant, Covent Garden, England

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Many of us treat Five Guys as a quick lunch staple where we know we can get a decent burger on the run. Check out this delightful review of a teenage girl’s first trip to a Five Guys in the UK in the latest issue of The Cook’s Cook magazine. Try not to snicker at her reference to the free peanuts.