Taken 18 April 2015
Culler Lake, Baker Park
Frederick Maryland
Showing posts with label Frederick Maryland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frederick Maryland. Show all posts
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
First Hummingbird of the Season!
I have been waiting anxiously for the return of my hummingbirds. This beautiful male ruby-throated hummingbird feed at my feeder last night (April 16, 2015). I was so excited!!
I look forward to more hummers in my backyard and more photo ops.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sabor de Cuba, Frederick Maryland
6 February 2012: I was so excited to read in the Frederick Maryland Online web site (which I subscribe to and sometimes post comments) that a new Cuban restaurant was opening in town. It's called Sabor de Cuba and it's located on Patrick Street in downtown Frederick Maryland.
This past Saturday was First Saturday, a monthly event held in Frederick. We decided to try Sabor for dinner. We arrived at 6:30pm (no reservations) and were seated immediately. We went in expecting slow service, as Sabor only opened on 1 February. We know that restaurants take some time to work out any kinks and we were not in a rush to leave.
The restaurant was full, a good sign I think. There is a small bar with about 5 bar stools and the dining room for about 50 people.
The menu looked great with lots of typical Cuban dishes, although I did review it on their web site.
Appetizers range from $2 to $10 and include items such as empanadas (beef or chicken), tostones (green plantains stuffed with either beef or shrimp), croquetas de jamon, etc. Two items of note were the bread and butter or bread with garlic butter appetizers at $2. Unlike many Cuban restaurants we’ve been to (and even most other restaurants) you pay for your bread if you want any.
There’s a soup and two salads ($4 to $8), and four choices of sandwiches ($8 and $9) including the Cubano (one of my favorites).
Entrées include a nice selection from Bistec de Palomilla, Picadillo (another favorite), Ropa Vieja, Arroz con Pollo, etc. Price for dinner range from $14 to $18.
We ordered the Empanadas de carne ($5), the Pollo a la Plancha for myself ($14) and the Bistec de Palomilla ($16) for Tony. I also ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio ($5.50) and Tony had a soda.
As I said, we know service can be slow with a new restaurant but I felt 40 minutes was a little on the long side to receive our empanadas. It even took some time to get our drinks, although I saw them sitting on the bar.
The empanadas were wonderful! Nice and meaty inside and very flavorful. The dough was golden brown and not greasy at all.
Our dinners arrived 15 minutes later. Tony's dish included black beans and rice, as well as sweet plantains. The bistec, which is pounded thin and grilled, was hidden under the plantains. It was a small 2.5 to 2.75-ounce piece of overcooked, dry meat.
My chicken (citrus marinated and grilled) came with sweet plantains, not green plantains I was expecting, as stated on the menu. It was also supposed to come with black beans and rice. My chicken looked to be about 3 ounces total. It took at 15 minutes to get my rice and beans after the young waitress told me my dish did not include rice and beans, and after I asked to see a menu and pointed it out to her. Most typical Cuban meals include rice and beans. It shouldn’t have taken 15 minutes for her to bring out my food when the mistake was discovered. In fact, I had to ask the hostess, who saw what was going on to bring me the food, which she did.
Tony and I were very disappointed in our food. To be charged $16 and $18 for our entrées with meat portions no larger than 3 ounces was unacceptable. This is a Cuban restaurant – foods that are simply made with wonderful flavors, and with inexpensive ingredients. I noticed other dishes that came out of the kitchen and the portions looked much bigger (i.e., the Picadillo, Camarones Enchilados (sautéed shrimp, and Ropa Vieja). Our bill arrived and I was charged $23 for my glass of wine, the price of a bottle. The bill was corrected. After dinner, we sat at the bar and hand a round of drinks and chatted with two bartenders (mother, daughter). At one point Tony made the comment about how small the meat portion was but was shrugged off by the employees.
We will return to Sabor after the dust settles and to give it a second chance. We have to believe our dishes were just not properly prepared with the correct size portion of the beef and chicken. And I want my green plantains! After all, their web site states, “Simple food, complex flavors.” That usually means good food and reasonable prices to us.
Sabor de Cuba9 East Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21701
www.sabordecubarestaurant.com/
We arrived at 6:30pm with only six other diners in the room. Two more tables eventually filled; one couple at the bar.
We were warmly greeted with smiles by Mike, our waiter, who is also the chef and co-owner. Asking if we had been here before, I said yes, to which he thanked me for returning. Mike told us about his popular dishes, which all sounded delicious. The description of the roast pork caught my attention, while my friend zeroed in on the ropa vieja.
We ordered the chicken empanadas as our starter, but after five minutes our entrees arrived. Mike apologized when I asked him if he had placed our order for the empanadas. He seemed embarrassed, but it certainly wasn’t a problem: the plates were full of food. In fact we took half our entrees home.
My pork (with sliced onions) was very flavorful and tender, having been marinated for hours, although some pan juices would be an added nice touch. There was plenty of rice and the black beans were tasty. On top of the rice were four plump fried sweet plantains. Yum!
My friend enjoyed her ropa vieja, which also came with sweet plantains; her rice and beans were mixed together.
Mike offered us empanadas to take home or dessert. We chose the tres leches, a light yellow-type cake that’s soaked with a sweet milky liquid. It was excellent! The cake was so moist from the liquid. It was topped with whipped cream and drizzled with a strawberry pureé.
Our bill came to $30, which was reasonable for the amount of food we had.
I was so happy to have had a much better meal and much better service. I even met the owner and chatted with her for a few minutes. I’m looking forward to returning to Sabor soon.
This past Saturday was First Saturday, a monthly event held in Frederick. We decided to try Sabor for dinner. We arrived at 6:30pm (no reservations) and were seated immediately. We went in expecting slow service, as Sabor only opened on 1 February. We know that restaurants take some time to work out any kinks and we were not in a rush to leave.
The restaurant was full, a good sign I think. There is a small bar with about 5 bar stools and the dining room for about 50 people.
The menu looked great with lots of typical Cuban dishes, although I did review it on their web site.
Appetizers range from $2 to $10 and include items such as empanadas (beef or chicken), tostones (green plantains stuffed with either beef or shrimp), croquetas de jamon, etc. Two items of note were the bread and butter or bread with garlic butter appetizers at $2. Unlike many Cuban restaurants we’ve been to (and even most other restaurants) you pay for your bread if you want any.
There’s a soup and two salads ($4 to $8), and four choices of sandwiches ($8 and $9) including the Cubano (one of my favorites).
Entrées include a nice selection from Bistec de Palomilla, Picadillo (another favorite), Ropa Vieja, Arroz con Pollo, etc. Price for dinner range from $14 to $18.
We ordered the Empanadas de carne ($5), the Pollo a la Plancha for myself ($14) and the Bistec de Palomilla ($16) for Tony. I also ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio ($5.50) and Tony had a soda.
As I said, we know service can be slow with a new restaurant but I felt 40 minutes was a little on the long side to receive our empanadas. It even took some time to get our drinks, although I saw them sitting on the bar.
The empanadas were wonderful! Nice and meaty inside and very flavorful. The dough was golden brown and not greasy at all.
Our dinners arrived 15 minutes later. Tony's dish included black beans and rice, as well as sweet plantains. The bistec, which is pounded thin and grilled, was hidden under the plantains. It was a small 2.5 to 2.75-ounce piece of overcooked, dry meat.
My chicken (citrus marinated and grilled) came with sweet plantains, not green plantains I was expecting, as stated on the menu. It was also supposed to come with black beans and rice. My chicken looked to be about 3 ounces total. It took at 15 minutes to get my rice and beans after the young waitress told me my dish did not include rice and beans, and after I asked to see a menu and pointed it out to her. Most typical Cuban meals include rice and beans. It shouldn’t have taken 15 minutes for her to bring out my food when the mistake was discovered. In fact, I had to ask the hostess, who saw what was going on to bring me the food, which she did.
Tony and I were very disappointed in our food. To be charged $16 and $18 for our entrées with meat portions no larger than 3 ounces was unacceptable. This is a Cuban restaurant – foods that are simply made with wonderful flavors, and with inexpensive ingredients. I noticed other dishes that came out of the kitchen and the portions looked much bigger (i.e., the Picadillo, Camarones Enchilados (sautéed shrimp, and Ropa Vieja). Our bill arrived and I was charged $23 for my glass of wine, the price of a bottle. The bill was corrected. After dinner, we sat at the bar and hand a round of drinks and chatted with two bartenders (mother, daughter). At one point Tony made the comment about how small the meat portion was but was shrugged off by the employees.
We will return to Sabor after the dust settles and to give it a second chance. We have to believe our dishes were just not properly prepared with the correct size portion of the beef and chicken. And I want my green plantains! After all, their web site states, “Simple food, complex flavors.” That usually means good food and reasonable prices to us.
After dinner, we walked around town checking out the various ice sculptures. Fire and Ice was the them for February's First Saturday.
Sabor de Cuba9 East Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21701
26 JULY 2012: A much happier note.
I returned to Sabor with a friend for dinner wanting to give Sabor a second
try. I was not disappointed.
We arrived at 6:30pm with only six other diners in the room. Two more tables eventually filled; one couple at the bar.
We were warmly greeted with smiles by Mike, our waiter, who is also the chef and co-owner. Asking if we had been here before, I said yes, to which he thanked me for returning. Mike told us about his popular dishes, which all sounded delicious. The description of the roast pork caught my attention, while my friend zeroed in on the ropa vieja.
We ordered the chicken empanadas as our starter, but after five minutes our entrees arrived. Mike apologized when I asked him if he had placed our order for the empanadas. He seemed embarrassed, but it certainly wasn’t a problem: the plates were full of food. In fact we took half our entrees home.
My pork (with sliced onions) was very flavorful and tender, having been marinated for hours, although some pan juices would be an added nice touch. There was plenty of rice and the black beans were tasty. On top of the rice were four plump fried sweet plantains. Yum!
My friend enjoyed her ropa vieja, which also came with sweet plantains; her rice and beans were mixed together.
Mike offered us empanadas to take home or dessert. We chose the tres leches, a light yellow-type cake that’s soaked with a sweet milky liquid. It was excellent! The cake was so moist from the liquid. It was topped with whipped cream and drizzled with a strawberry pureé.
Our bill came to $30, which was reasonable for the amount of food we had.
I was so happy to have had a much better meal and much better service. I even met the owner and chatted with her for a few minutes. I’m looking forward to returning to Sabor soon.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Cellar Door, Frederick Maryland
Tony and I recently dined at the Cellar Door. It's a cozy and warm restaurant located in the basement of the building. It used to be the Brown Pelican, our all time favorite restaurant in Frederick, but it closed a few years ago.
There are two sitting areas plus the bar area with a few tables. Tony and I decided to sit in the bar area for our meal. Next time we'll sit in the restaurant area, as the bar chairs were uncomfortable.
We started with the fried mozzarella appetizer, which came with roasted peppers, tomatoes and a balsamic sauce. It was very good. The breading was very light, maybe panko?
Tony had the Eastern Shore - a medley of seafood (fish, scallops, mussels, shrimp) with rice in a tomato and wine broth and served with garlic toast.
I had the crab-stuffed shrimp that was served with asparagus, polenta and tomato butter. (no photo).
Everything was excellent, including the service! However, be warned, the portions are not huge but for us they were perfectly fine. No doggie bag from this place. It's definitely a place for a splurge dinner. Pricing is along the lines of the Tasting Room and Volt, also very good restaurants in Frederick.
10 March 2012: Tony and I have returned here a few more times. The food is excellent! Tony keeps ordering the Eastern Shore, which I had for the first time last night. The flavors are incredible - no wonder he keeps ordering it. We had two appetizers too - the ahi tuna and seared scallops. The tuna was prepared perfectly: lightly seared and raw on the inside. It was served with a nice asian slaw. The scallops (2) were large, plump, and tender. The were served on a bed of onion and bacon risotto, which was creamy and perfectly al dente.
Ahi Tuna
Seared Scallops
On a previous visit, I had the chicken Chesapeake that came with asparagus, lump crab, mashed potatoes and béarnaise sauce. It was a large portion so I had leftovers for lunch.
Chicken Chesapeake
Another good appetizer: the hot crab dip! It's served with toast and crackers. It's rich and creamy, so make sure you share with others.
Eastern Shore
Cellar Door
5 East Church & Market St Frederick, MD 21701
301.695.8460
http://thecellardoorrestaurant.com/
There are two sitting areas plus the bar area with a few tables. Tony and I decided to sit in the bar area for our meal. Next time we'll sit in the restaurant area, as the bar chairs were uncomfortable.
We started with the fried mozzarella appetizer, which came with roasted peppers, tomatoes and a balsamic sauce. It was very good. The breading was very light, maybe panko?
Tony had the Eastern Shore - a medley of seafood (fish, scallops, mussels, shrimp) with rice in a tomato and wine broth and served with garlic toast.
I had the crab-stuffed shrimp that was served with asparagus, polenta and tomato butter. (no photo).
Everything was excellent, including the service! However, be warned, the portions are not huge but for us they were perfectly fine. No doggie bag from this place. It's definitely a place for a splurge dinner. Pricing is along the lines of the Tasting Room and Volt, also very good restaurants in Frederick.
10 March 2012: Tony and I have returned here a few more times. The food is excellent! Tony keeps ordering the Eastern Shore, which I had for the first time last night. The flavors are incredible - no wonder he keeps ordering it. We had two appetizers too - the ahi tuna and seared scallops. The tuna was prepared perfectly: lightly seared and raw on the inside. It was served with a nice asian slaw. The scallops (2) were large, plump, and tender. The were served on a bed of onion and bacon risotto, which was creamy and perfectly al dente.
Ahi Tuna 
Seared ScallopsOn a previous visit, I had the chicken Chesapeake that came with asparagus, lump crab, mashed potatoes and béarnaise sauce. It was a large portion so I had leftovers for lunch.
Chicken Chesapeake 
Another good appetizer: the hot crab dip! It's served with toast and crackers. It's rich and creamy, so make sure you share with others.
Eastern Shore
Cellar Door
5 East Church & Market St Frederick, MD 21701
301.695.8460
http://thecellardoorrestaurant.com/
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Years Eve at Olive's Restaurant
NEW YEARS EVE, 31 DECEMBER 2011Last night Tony and I spent new years eve at Olive's in downtown Frederick. Olive's has been open since the summer of 2010 and is one of our favorites in Frederick. Jay, the owner, recently purchased the building and had part of it converted to a banquet hall.
Dinner with a premium bar was $100 per person (plus tax and gratuity). There were 49 guests. Davide, the chef, put on a huge spread of foods.Appetizers included raw oysters, smoked salmon canapes, various bruschetta:
A variety of salads:
Main entrees: 
Roasted ham; Baked salmon; Penne pasta.
Spaghetti di Mare; Ravioli di zucca (pumpkin filled) - my absolute favorite of the night!
Chicken Marsala; Steak Florentine
Mashed potatoes and polenta; Cotechino Stew (sliced sausage and lentils).
Delicious desserts: Tiramisu, chocolate cake, limoncello cheese cake, fresh fruit, and chocolate-filled canapes.
Everything was delicious, but as I previously stated, the ravioli was the best!
Fun times!
with Keva & Liz
Tony & Jay (owner of Olives)
The band
with Lianne 
with Davide, the chefOlives
http://www.olivesfrederick.com/
301-378-2045
info@olivesfrederick.com
137 N Market St.
Frederick, Maryland 21701
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