Clementine at the Creative Alliance Opening Tomorrow!

I'd been waiting for this for ages and, last week, got to go to Clementine at the Creative Alliance's "soft opening." I should have gotten this post up earlier, but life kind of got in the way.  Well, tomorrow is the "official opening" so I'm hustling to get this done.  Hey, you need to know what you're missing if you don't go!!! Oh yeah, I'll be there!

"So, how was it?" you ask.  Well, absolutely awesome, of course!  Sarah (who is turning into my "You want to go eat?" buddy) and I actually went twice, both Friday and Saturday.  Ummm, yeah, the food would be why!  

Jeremy and Chris were rockin' the kitchen and Mirah and Cristin were making sure everyone was happy out front. I'm going to go the "a picture is worth a thousand words" route today and just show you some of the new menu.  We'll do Saturday first because the light for the pics was much better:

This, friends, is pork belly at it's finest.  The pic here is missing a piece o'belly because Sarah and I dug in before I could whip out my trusty cell phone.  Sarah had never had pork belly and was a bit cautious, initially. I got one bite, folks.  ONE. After Sarah had a bite, she immediately commandeered the plate. I groused a bit but let her do it - she'd had a crummy day, and this is comfort food on steroids. It's braised in hard cider - that's a Yukon Gold mousseline around it and a mostarda the guys whipped up on top.

I was OK with her cheek because I had this gorgeous plate of juicy heirloom tomatoes. It sported a lovely chevre and a lemon balm gremolata on top. Oh, and a sprinkling of smoked sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Can you say, "summer on a plate?"

Sarah had liked the duck tostada she'd had Friday so much she wondered if she should get it again.  I don't know about you, but when I eat, I want to be happy - ordering the same thing two nights in a row is more than fine in my book.  As you can see from Friday's pic (scroll down), the guys made it just a scoch different to mix things up. We both some kind of love duck confit. If you've never had confit, get your buns down here and try it before it's off the menu. (I made a goose confit last year and between the meat, the cracklin' skin and using the cooking fat for 'taters and stuff, I think I gained five pounds.)

Jeremy and Chris decided to send me the Corvina. I don't suppose I need to mention it was perfectly cooked - seared outside, flaky and moist inside. Topped with lobster pate. (Jeremy simply can not do a less than fabulous pate.) On silky saffron risotto. A dab of sweetness from a lemon jam and the tangy dilled green beans balanced everything out.  Sarah's comment on tasting the beans was, "The beans make me sad." Huh???? "Sad that I will never be able to make beans that taste that good.  Ever."  Chris assured her it was a simple recipe and walked her through it right there at the table.  Is that a gentleman or is that a gentleman?

Now we're down to the first day of the soft opening.  The pics are flash because we were seated next to a wall - nice seats, but no light from the windows to help with the shots. But I did get a good one of the bar without flash - isn't it fantastic?  

The vibe is more urban than Clementine on Harford Road. Lovely as it is, with Romey and Chris in the kitchen, atmosphere is soooooo secondary to the chow.

The table receives foccasia with herbed oil to nibble on while you peruse the menu and enjoy a lovely beverage.  The bread is nicely chewy and the oil scrumptious. We had to stop ourselves so it wouldn't be gone before our drinks came!  Yummm!

Now, I have to confess, we got so excited, I forgot to take a picture of the lovely lobster consume.  A clear broth with scallions, scented with lemongrass.

Next up, the gents brought us two small plates.  This is the duck tostada, with which Sarah fell in love. Oh, yeah!  Lively veg, rich duck and, as Sarah said, a tostada they could sell just plain. I could eat the corn salsa on it by the bucket.

And Romey brought out a beautifully seared, dry pack scallop, on a sticky rice cake, with his home made kimchi. I think kimchi is somewhat of an acquired taste. Acquire it already! Kind of like coffee - first time you're not so sure you like it.  Next time, it's not so bad. Before you know it, it's the elixir of life. Anyway, a little sriracha-type sauce just to point things up and, oh my.  A happy Lisa.

At this point we sat back and said, "You know, we could stop here. That was plenty." But no, there was more to come!

Sarah had ordered the Culotte steak.  Oh, lordy. It's got a sour cherry and ox tail demi glace. Hohohohoho. The 'taters are roasted and mustardy and the asparagus brightens everything up.  Sarah was also sad about the asparagus as her maiden attempt to cook them, a couple of weeks ago, did not approach the goodness of these luscious spears.

The boys chose the quail on dirty rice for me. I just wish this pic did the dish justice. Where do I begin?  Quail is not something I usually order - see, letting the kitchen choose is good for ya! You eat things you wouldn't have otherwise and get over your silly prejudices!  But I digress.  The quail was pan fried and just succulent. It was served with Killer's pork sausage.  Meet Killer:

This young man is tearing up the charcuterie at Clementine.  I wish I could remember Killer's real name!!  Dang. We'll just have to go with Killer until my memory kicks in.

Anyway, back to the food...

Now, when you add sweet, briny oysters to dirty rice, what do you get?  Frickin' delicious is right!  Chicken livers and oysters are a natural. Add in some beet greens and scapes and your foot is thumping under the table it's so darn good!

And, because we clearly were shooting to be rolled out of there, instead of walking, we finished off the meal with Mirah's s'more (yep, Mirah can cook, too!) and Jeremy's coffee brulee - I'm so sorry I didn't get a pic.  They were a perfect end to an awesome meal!!

See ya tomorrow!  And, to my little circle of friends and family who read this, get your posteriors in gear and treat yourselves this weekend!! The new joint is truly worthy! Not that I expected anything less, of course!  :-D

I know, I know... I swear I don't always eat at Clementine... really!  There are some other posts in the pipeline but I just am crazy busy right now. I promise I'll get some of them up.  But I had to do another Clem post 'cause Romey and the gang done good and tomorrow is their big day!!  Besides, the blog is really for me so I can remember the good stuff I ate and, one day, try to recreate some of it!

It's the 7th of May, but what the heck!

Oh, yeah,! Sister, Lori, and I made sure to pop in at Los Amigos on Cinco de Mayo! No pics, but this should make up for it: Nice to see the local folks getting some press! (And, yes, Mama Rosa is as tiny as she looks!)  I've been going here since they opened. Actually, this is where Steve and I dated and spent, I think, every anniversary. So when we broke up and Mama Rosa, Maria and Marco would ask "Where's Papa?" it was tough. At first I could say, "He's working," because he was... and slowly I stopped going.

But I'm back! Friends Carol and Sarah wanted to go a few weeks ago and then Sarah and I stopped by for some refreshment a couple of times. I popped on the intertubes to see what they'd been up to and saw reviews indicating quality had become somewhat inconsistent (I don't know, I wasn't there if it had, see above). But, if my visits over the last couple of weeks are any indication, they took the reviews to heart and are back in the swing of things - everything in my last four visits have been delicious.

I love the Peruvian offerings on the menu.  Carnitas are moist, savory chunks of pork that have been slow cooked in beer and herbs and finished off under heat for bits of crispy exterior.  Yummm... this is not dry pork loin but pork, with just enough of the flavorful fat the good Lord gave it, to melt in your mouth and make your tongue happy.  I always order a side of pico de gallo - an awesome condiment for many of the dishes here. Many of the dishes are served with refried beans, about which I can not say enough.  I could eat a plate of just these.  I read a review of Los Amigos years ago that said you could tell they're made in a Latin kitchen, slowly, with lots of love and lard!  That's OK by me!

Lomo Saltado is also a wonderful.  Strips of beef, tomato and onion sauteed in olive oil and herbs and served over french fries.  When I first saw the menu item it took me aback - french fries???? So I asked.  Well, duhhhh... Peru is home of the potato.  Fried potatoes there are called french fries here.  Very, very yummy. And surprisingly combination of rich on the tongue but light on the tummy. How is that possible with french fries in the mix?

Speaking of potatoes, Sarah agreed that Papa Hauncaina, broiled 'tater topped with a creamy cheese sauce and piquant Peruvian olives is a winner:

Don'tch love those tablecloths?

And the seafood quesadilla and burrito here rock.  Fresh fish, scallops and shrimp lovingly sauced and smothered.  Can't even see the burrito, can you?  Well, all the toppings work with this!  The guac is wonderfully fresh. Just smothered - yum! I usually can't finish the burrito and look forward to the leftovers!

Note size of shrimp.

For dessert, the flan is usually a good choice.  I understand Mama Rosa makes them herself.  Occasionally there's a miss and you can tell they were done in too shallow a water bath (it only affects texture, not taste), but usually it's spot on.  Note:  I may be a little picky here because egg custard is one of my personal go-to desserts and, if I do say so myself, mine are awesome.  The whipped cream and cherry aren't necessary, but are, indeed, festive:

Another great tablecloth, Tres Leche and Flan.

The last two Fridays they've had Gil Bruns playing.  Love having live music with my meals!  We've heard selections from Jimmy Buffett, Beatles, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Snow Patrol and many more.  As much as the music, I loved his interaction with the crowd.  Last Friday, Happy Birthday was sung for someone and, as soon as we were finished, a young man ran up and said it was his dad's birthday, too.  Gil asked what his dad's name was and the young man replied, "Daddy!!"  Laughing, Gil said, "Of course it is!" and led us in a chorus of "Happy Birthday, dear Daddy."  Later, the same young man bolted up and said he knew a song. Gil let him sing it and helped him.  It was the sweetest "Twinkle, Twinkle" and the crowd just loved it!

El Gil and his protege.

Marco on bar duty.

Oh, I should mention that before my hiatus, I loved the ceviche here!  I didn't get it in the last few visits so I'm sure we'll have another post when I do!

Shout Out to Tim Booth on the Day after His Natal Remembrance Celebration

Dang it, dang it, dang it!  I meant to get this post up before Tim's birthday was over (it's about 1 am, here on the east coast).  *sigh* Ah, well, let's just plow ahead and thank the man for many a wonderful meal. 

Thank you, Tim!!!!

Tim is a soup Czar, for one thing.  Here's a shot of Wednesday night's dessert, courtesy of the maestro:

Oh, soooo freakin' good!  Turkey Curry Sausage Soup.  Now who woulda thunk of that?  Really??  Well, Tim did and it rocked! And, yep, you read that right, dessert.  After a very satisfying entree I still wanted more... but not sweet.  His soup was the perfect finish.

Creamy, but light.  Loaded with savory sausage, bright veggies and flavor, flavor, flavor.  It was still on the menu tonight so you may get lucky if you head to Clementine Friday for lunch or dinner and be able to get some.  If you ever see Tim's cream of crab on the menu, do not stop, do not pass go, put in your order.  You will not be disappointed.  Again, creamy but light (how does he do that???) full of deep crab flavor - awesome!  Totally unlike the gloppy concoctions that are usually passed off as cream of crab around here.  I have two friends, who live in Harford County, who have made me swear to call them when it reappears so they can come get a fix.  I do not think the man knows how to make a mediocre soup.

Soup, of course, is not all he does!  A while back I broke my routine - I usually do supper at Clementine - and went in for breakfast.  Tim sent out a salmon frittata to die for.  Eggs perfect. Capers. Dill. Succulent salmon.  Forget bagels and lox and satisfy your salmon urges with this!

I wish I had a pic of my all time favorite (up to now, of course) Tim dish.  I had it last year and fervently wish it would appear on the menu again.  It was an awesome seafood dish, with the best polenta cakes I've ever had (bar none), bearing up full bodied, plump, sweet shrimp, in a moat of the most superb clear broth.  This dish was Meg Ryan good.  Yeah, you know what I mean!  My highest accolade.  

Happy Birthday, Sir Tim!  Wishing you many, many more!