Author: tango449

Awesome Seafood in Ashburn

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Ford’s Fish Shack
44260 Ice Rink Plaza
Ashburn, VA 20147
571-918-4092
https://fordsfishshack.com/ashburn/

Seafood | $$

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This is one of three Northern Virginia locations. Addresses and directions can be found on their web page.

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Home-made corn muffins is always a great way to start any meal. They were great tasting and perfectly moist.

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Our Rhode Island Calamari appetizer was wonderful. A nice light flavorful batter and ginger aioli. More thank enough for two people.

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My wife loved this Lobstah Bisque with a Sambuca Cream and Chives.

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I had to go for the Crab Cakes with Chorizo Mac & Cheese. The Crab Cakes were excellent, better than any I get at the shore and almost a good as what I had at Lemaire in Richmond. The Chorizo Mac and Cheese was wonderful, not overly cheesy and the Chorizo gives it just enough spice for my taste.

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My wife’s seafood platter gave her a selection of perfectly cooked shrimp, scallops, clams, and oysters. All are some of her favorites and delicious. It’s a large portion of seafood and the sides, while very good, didn’t get touched much. When asked she quickly said she would order it again in a heartbeat.

With the calamari, soup, and two sizable entrées there was no room for dessert. Based on our overall experience with dinner there is no reason to think dessert would not be tasty. The noise level was moderate. Service was excellent, attentive and welcoming.

Quality well prepared fish is hard to find, even in places where you would expect all seafood to be spectacular, like the shore. We have been meaning to try Ford’s Fish Shack for some time. I have heard good things and our experience proved them  true. The day we visited Chef/Owner Tony Stafford was overseeing operations and everything ran like clockwork. Before you decide to drive to the Eastern Shore or go to Passion Fish in the impossible to park Reston Town Center, find the nearest Ford’s Fish Shack and give it a try. You will be impressed.

Childhood trauma. Drugs. Alcohol. A chef who chose recovery hopes his story can help others.

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This is an excellent article from the Washington Post toll substance abuse are taking on the restaurant industry.

Ashish Alfred: “I want for someone to read it and say, ‘I have a friend who needs to read this.’ ”

Source: Childhood trauma. Drugs. Alcohol. A chef who chose recovery hopes his story can help others.

Bocuse d’Or Finale, all the Plates and Platters in Pictures

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Bocuse d'Or 2019 | Denmark

The winning plate from Denmark.

@finedininglover looks back at all the ‘theme on plate’ and ‘theme on platter’ presentations from day one at Bocuse d’Or 2019. All the teams’ culinary creations in images.

Source: Bocuse d’Or Finale, all the Plates and Platters in Pictures

Chef Fatima Ali Has Died of Cancer at Age 29

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A rising star in the culinary world is gone to soon.

She dreamed of opening her own restaurant. Then she learned she had a year left to live. This is her unpublished essay from our upcoming March issue of Bon Appétit.

Source: Chef Fatima Ali Has Died of Cancer at Age 29

18 Spicy, Savory Chili Recipes for a Very Filling Super Bowl

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It’s not the Super Bowl without chili. Serious Eats has 18 of their favorite chili recipes for you.

Source: 18 Spicy, Savory Chili Recipes for a Very Filling Super Bowl

Left Over Herbs

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How often has a recipe called for a few fresh herbs and after your trip to your market at least half left in the package destine to go stale? Use your left-over herbs to infuse and compound other ingredients. Place several Thyme or Rosemary sprigs into a bottle of olive oil to enhance flavor.

Drop a cinnamon stick into a bottle of Grade A maple syrup and in just days you have created a subtle savory flavor. Create your own steak butter by softening butter and whisking in any parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, or all of them. Mix the butter and other ingredients, place on a piece of plastic wrap, roll up into roughly a 1-inch log and twist the ends closed. Place in the freezer and cut pieces as needed.

Types of Salt and How To Use Them

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Here is an excellent primer on the Types of Salt and How To Use Them from SAVORYsimple. Which salt should be used when? What exactly is kosher salt, and how is it different from table salt? Can you substitute one for the other?

Source: Types of Salt and How To Use Them

Anniversary Dinner at Lemaire

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Lemaire
101 West Franklin St. (Inside the Jefferson Hotel)
Richmond, VA 23220
804-649-4757
www.lemairerestaurant.com

American | $$$

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Located in the stately Jefferson Hotel, the dinning room with all it’s dark wood reminded me of the Edwardian Room at the Plaza Hotel in New York. A nice change from the modern era flashy noise enhancing decors of many restaurants.

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Whipped butter and home-made bread are a nice start.

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We started with this Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cake that was the best I have had. For a whole host of reasons it takes a good bit to get me to order seafood when I can’t see the sea from the restaurant. I am glad I ordered the crab cake, it was extraordinary. When I mentioned how good it was to the waiter he told me the chef adds a pureed scallop to each pound of crab. I asked the waiter 2 more times about this thinking I did not hear him correctly.

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When you order steak you get a serious knife. It really wasn’t necessary, the steak was so tender you could cut it with a butterfly.

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I enjoy a Sous Vide steak.The asparagus was perfect, just a little bit of crisp to it.

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My wife had the Pan Seared Rockfish. She really enjoyed it and said she would order it again.

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For my dessert I chose the Fluffernutter Candy Bar with a Brownie, Peanut Butter Marshmallow, and Salted Caramel Brittle. Chocolate and peanut butter, you can’t go wrong.

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My wife had the Peaches & Cream dessert. It is a light White Chocolate Cheesecake with Peaches and Hibiscus. She is not a big cheesecake fan but said this was one of her favorites.

The wait staff was excellent on par with what you would expect in a better restaurant. The noise level with low making it a pleasant romantic dinner.

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Consider arriving early for your reservation to take the opportunity to wander the beautifully restored 120 year old hotel.