Little Italy in Stevensville, MD.

Posted on May 21, 2015 by kk50shades

Hi Y’all,

Did you know that Little Italy existed in Stevensville, MD. ? the tiniest town on the Eastern Shore right after the bay bridge, with the tiniest Post Office building I have ever seen in my entire life:

Sherry told me a while back that she had found the best Italian restaurant in this tiniest little town, a friend of hers had told her about it when she used to live in that area and been a fan ever since.

This blog is actually overdue as we cheated, and went there before, but pigged out on all the food so quickly that no pictures were taken (sorry!), but we promised ourselves to go back soon and give it the credit it deserved.

I found out on a Tuesday evening that my husband was going to the ball game with a vendor of his the following evening. Of course, I asked my partner in crime Sherry if she was doing anything that night since I had a hall pass. Being the woman after my own heart I know she is, she didn’t hesitate and suggested that we go to Rustico (http://www.rusticoonline.com/). I never experience dinner there so I figured it would be such a treat for the both of us.

We got there around 6pm, it was a little chilly but the sky was bright blue. Only wusses would sit inside. Besides, to help our case, there was a firepit calling our name. Since we own every joint we go to, we decided to completely rearrange the outside seating furniture to make sure that our table would be the closest to the firepit. Don’t they know the Hungry Women were in town, doesn’t matter how tiny the town is.

We specifically asked for Jesse, the best waitress in the whole wide world. The reason we asked for her, is because the day we were pigs the first time we were there (and didn’t take pictures remember?) she was a trooper and answered every single ones of our every needs.

We even moved from where we were and followed the sun to the front porch, which looks like this:

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DO NOT GET ANY IDEAS! THIS PORCH BELONGS TO THE HUNGRY WOMEN. We are actually seriously considering putting a chrome name plate right on the wall there, to make sure that everyone knows that this is our spot. Of course, we can lend it to you when we are not there, but you will have to make sure to ask the staff if we around first.

Jesse proceeds to let us know that on Monday and Wednesday’s, they offer half price bottle of wine, all evening, throughout the entire restaurant and wine bar : that means THE WHOLE WINE LIST WAS HALF PRICE, get it???

So what do we get??:

Yes sir, for $84 a bottle, we paid $42 ! for any connoisseur of Amarone, you know that is a steal. 2 Glasses of Amarone, firepit, you would think life can’t get any better than this.

Well it did, because she brought this home made fresh warm baguette and the fruitiest, heaviest, flavorful olive oil with this hint of yumminess herbs (whatever they were)

I mean seriously, look at that picture again, and tell me you are not drooling right now! (because Sherry and I are as we are writing this!!!!!!)

Jesse offered the special du jour:

I personally never had Zucchini blossoms before, never did Sherry. Since we are the adventurous kind, we of course had to try it (with a little of help from our dear waitress who kept raving about it).

This is what Zucchini Blossoms with crabmeat, ricotta cheese and fresh herbs, flash fried in a light tempura looks like:

And just like that, it was gone.

Sherry has always been addicted to the Insalata Mediterranean (field greens, marinated mushrooms, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, caper berries and artichoke hearts topped with feta cheese and their house made mustard vinaigrette). I wasn’t in the mood for a salad as I was already putting all of my efforts and concentration into the main courses as it was extremely tough to decide. However, she ordered it, and of course, I was forced to eat it with her, because it looks so horrendous:

After finishing this (soooo) refreshing dish, and enjoying our wonderful forty two dollars Amarone, and while enjoying this beautiful early evening, I looked at Sherry and said: “I wish Nathan was right here serenading me with his guitar”, because quite frankly, that was the only thing that was missing. For those who don’t know, Nathan is this wonderful and talented musician, who also happens to be Sherry’s son. And out of the blue, this happened:
I am not kidding, as I was saying that, across the street, these 2 exceptional musicians came out from that house, and started to practice on their front porch! Now why the hell didn’t I ask for a million dollars! Or play the lottery for that matter!

Her voice was angelic, and exactly what was missing to make this evening just perfect. You can’t make that shit up!

Jesse came back, and proceeds to tell us that the band across the street practice there quiet often, and that there will also be some live entertainment inside around 8pm (Keri Glorioso, very soulful voice that we heard before at Two Rivers in Pasadena). What a treat!

As far as the entrees, because the Hungry Women still had to eat, I had the Cavatelli Pugliese (cavatelli pasta sauteed with italian sausage, fresh tomatoes, arugula and garlic topped with ricatta salata, I know there is a lot of cheese on top):

Sherry had the Crespelle di Mare (house made savory crepes stuffed with shrimps, scallops, jumbo lump crabmeat and spinach, with bechamel sauce served with plum tomato relish):

Honestly, we couldn’t decide which one was the best as they were both fabulous

However, before going in, we had to settle with Jesse because she couldn’t serve at the bar, so she brought us the bill:

DID YOU SEE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear I should have asked for a million dollar that night…. Well instead of the million dollars, we got the Executive Chef Antonello Marangi! He came to see the Hungry Women and even got a picture with Sherry:

We finished the wine (sniff) and decided to go in to list to Keri and perhaps, entertain the thought of having desserts. There is a reason why I put an s at the end of dessert. You see, we had a very stressful evening, if you read carefully, desserts spelled backwards is stressed, we had to get some. The choice was made for us.

As stressed as we were, we asked for the Panna Cotta (Italian for cooked cream, their citrus version of panna cotta is made with vanilla beans, lemon zest and orange zest, served with creme inglese and berries):

I know it is already half eaten, consider yourself lucky that you even got a picture at all. I remember that we placed the order for the “stress”, I asked for 2 of them, Sherry yelled at me and said “2?? are you out of mind??”, trust me, she ate hers without a guilt.

You add to that another wonderful voice:

I think we can say that we hit the jackpot after all.

As always, stay hungry my friends!

Aida and Sherry! THE Hungry Women…

Pears in the Eastern Shore, who knew?

Posted on February 26, 2015 by kk50shades

I don’t know about you, but we all want to shoot that Groundhog in the head. I know we didn’t get it as bad as the folks in Boston, but here in Balmore hon, we light weight, and we hate winter.

So we decided to give you some comic relief.

Back in late October 2014, I received a magazine at home that I am not subscribed to; called something like Coastal Style Magazine or something like that. While flipping through the pages, an ad caught my attention: there was an article about a Bed & Breakfast Restaurant in Easton called Bartlett Pear Inn, which was apparently Zagat Rated and in the Washingtonian Magazine as one of the top 25 restaurants.

Well damn, I don’t pretend to know every restaurants out there, but how come I have never heard of this place?? I immediately called my partner in crime and shared with Sherry my discovery. She never heard of it either! It screamed road trip right there! We have been passing through Easton many times over while going downy Ocean Hon, it really never occurred to us to swing by Historic Easton.

God Bless Open Table, we made a reservation for Friday November the 14^th.

Needless to say that from October till that date, we were counting the days. We have been on their website on numerous occasions, and drooled many times over the menu items. That is what we call foreplay.

The day arrived, it was cold and rainy, we were so anxious to get there that we got there a little too early. Our reservations were at 8pm, we go there around 7pm. The obvious thing to do was to have a cocktail somewhere else and we chose the Tide Water Inn.

First of all, let us begin by saying that we are actually not sure if it was a November Easton thing, or just an Easton thing, but apparently pears are everywhere, in the drinks, in the food, we are still not quite sure what that is all about. But since pears were the theme, it was obvious that we should choose a pear drink, I got the Pear of the Dog (Pear vodka, St Germain, white cranberry juice), Sherry had the Barry French Martini (Gin, raspberry puree, fresh lemon and sparkling wine). Okay, you guys are probably asking yourselves, why is the French one not getting the French drink? Well duh, I am French, I don’t need to get a French drink, however, my drink did contain St. Germain which is a French liquor, so there. We both agreed that my drink was better anyway.

Satiated, we decided it was time to venture out and reach our final destination.

Don’t they say that first impressions count? Well, let me tell you, as soon as you enter the Bartlett Pear Inn, beautiful old house, there is a cozy bar with a fire-place on the left hand side, very inviting, and the dining room on the right hand side. Once we announced ourselves (we were still early) and were given the choice to wait a bit at the bar, they didn’t have to ask twice.

We sat right at the bar, near the fireplace, Eric was the bartender.

He was making some kind of concoction with warm pear compote looking texture and was adding that to a drink. I honestly don’t remember what the drink was, but it smelled so good that the entire room was filled with that scent. We were presented with the wine list right away, and the first thing that caught my eye was a 2006 Saint Emilion Grand Cru. Well hell. We are way beyond the foreplay now. That was sex in a bottle (Sherry’s words) 69 shades of ruby.

We get escorted to our table by the lovely Lauren:

I honestly think that we got the best table of the entire room. It looked like a Victorian turret, very intimate.

We noticed that the ceiling had this sound proof tiles (it is a bed and breakfast after all, people might try to get some sleep upstairs), there was lovely jazzy music playing.

We, of course, introduced ourselves to Lauren as the Hungry Women, she gave us a little history of the place, and then she brought us butter.

She brought us BUTTER with Hawaiian sea salt on top.

Let me repeat one more time: she brought us THE BUTTER.

After tasting that butter (in the meantime we did get introduced to our waitress named Kelsey, but they brought us THE BUTTER), we kind of threw away the bread (which was a really good baguette), and proceeded to eat THE BUTTER by itself with that damn Hawaiian salt.

Please meet Kelsey by the way (sorry Kelsey, you brought us BUTTER):

When Kelsey came back and asked us how we were doing, we told her that we wanted to meet the cow that produced THE BUTTER and kiss her on the lips (or on the udders) and wanted to know where we could buy THE BUTTER. She went back to the kitchen and asked the question, came back and told us that it was shipped directly from NYC. Well hell, it looks like we needed to make a trip to NYC just for THE BUTTER, but we couldn’t possibly wait that long, so we asked if they had extra of THE BUTTER in their kitchen and we could buy some from them. She came back from the kitchen with a pound of THE BUTTER. We proudly put the BUTTER in our purse. And we didn’t even start dinner yet!

We decided on the Chef Tasting Menu, which was a really good deal: $65 a piece for 5 courses.

Kelsey brought us the first dish: Octopus Garden: Grilled baby Sepia with curry-kaffir lime ice cream, Rigleigh Gardens mixed greens, squid ink tuile.

If you are like me, you probably already read this description at least 3 times, and it still doesn’t make sense. I know that Tuile in French means Tile, and that is all I could make out of the description besides the curry and the mixed greens. Well don’t sweat it and take our word for it, it is divine, unusual, very creative and absolutely delicious.

Next course was the provident Farms Butternut Squash Soup: spice Pecans, Cinnamon Chantilly Cream, Maple Glazed Carrots.

Okay: for all those who knows me, the C word is in there, well I didn’t even taste it. I am not going to elaborate on the dish and only show you what this dish did to Sherry, which is the highest culinary praise in her world:

The Third Course was The Burgundy Truffle Mushroom Pappardelle: Truffle Shavings, Chapel Country Creamery “Talbot Reserve” Mushroom Fricasse.

Since we talking about 69 shades of ruby, let’s get a step further and say that we both orgasmed as the same time. I think that there was not enough shades out there to be able to count them all. Do you know that 1 truffle cost $100 a piece? They shaved the fresh truffle right on top of the parpadelle. Now, that is the best food porn ever.

Kelsey comes back and announce that she is going to bring us a palate cleanser which is not on the menu. She brings an Apple Sauce Gelato with Meringue and Crushed Almonds.

Girl, you can come and clean my palate anytime you’d like.

The 4^th course was The Pan Seared Rhode Island Sea Scallops: Fried Panisse (don’t let your mind go in the gutter, because if I actually say that word, that would be how it would sound coming from me); which is a chickpea flour cake from the South of France (no freaking idea what that is), Chesapeake Organics Parsnip Puree, Provident Farms Pan Seared Brussel Sprouts, Cranberry Reduction.

It is so pretty, so good, and we are officially out of shades.

And they had to finish us off with the Jurgielewicz (can’t pronounce it sorry) Duck Breast Cassoulet: Duck Confit, Stonehouse Farm Braised Pork Belly, Inn Cured Guanciale Great Northern Bean Ragout, Mirepoix Vegetables.

I don’t know what to say. We are known as being afflicted with CanardVinitis (see previous blog) needing a support group. If there is duck, there is life or hope or something but you can be sure that the hungry women will have the duck. And we had it in all of its splendor.

By the time all was said and done (and eaten), with butter still packed in our purses, we did get introduced to all the staff members including the Chefs because we realized that we actually closed the joint!

The coolest story ever was the staff gets fed every day around 5pm to experience the menu that will be served! Now I want to work there!

Overall. This was a phenomenal experience, we bragged about it ever since to everyone we know but never got to actually write this blog until now.

We decided to go back towards the end of January and take our friend Brenda there for her anniversary weekend. To our disappointment, the second experience wasn’t nearly as good as the first one. We always look for consistency when we blog about our culinary experiences, Granted we shared our experience with the staff, they apologized and did try to make up for it but it really didn’t come close to the November visit. If they are Zagat rated and listed in the Washingtonian Magazine, we have to believe that they deserve another chance. We would be willing to try it again.

So the question is, which one of you readers would like to come with the Hungry Women for our next Easton visit?
As always, Stay Hungry and until next time!

Aida and Sherry

The Capital Grille – Baltimore –

Posted on January 8, 2014 by kk50shades

Happy 2014!!

Man am I glad the Holidays are finally over. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Holidays season because to me, it is about being around people you love and usually in tandem with great food and wine (and usually followed with unwelcome extra pounds).

January usually follows for most folks with New Year resolutions that are in most cases about eating healthier, exercising more, losing weight, counting your calories, being nicer etc…

I have to admit, when I used to live overseas, being Vegetarian or Vegan was something I never heard of (no offense to all of my Vegan and Vegetarian friends). Whether it is for health reasons, or by choice, I do admire people that fit in that category. Speaking for myself, I know for a fact that I could never be in the V category. As a matter of fact, if my doctor called me up today after my yearly physical, and told me: Aida: as of today, you can no longer eat any kind of meat or you will die. My response would be: Off me NOW. This will just never happen as I love meat too much. It might sound offensive to some, knowing that I am truly an animal lover, but yeah, I love me some good steaks (and duck fat).

Which brings me to today’s topic. I usually do not blog about chain restaurants because there is usually nothing unique about it (it’s kind of an Oxymoron I know).

Many many years ago (and we are talking about maybe 9 to 10 years), my husband took me to Capital Grille downtown Baltimore (https://www.thecapitalgrille.com/pages/locations/?id=8023). I was introduced for the first time to a 22 ounces dry aged Delmonico Steak.

Let me start of by giving you a little background: I was born and raised in Lyon, France. Lyon is a city in East Central France, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon was historically known as an important area for the production of silk, but in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy in France. As a matter of fact, Paul Bocuse is a highly recognized French Chef based in Lyon who is famous for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine (I have one of his recipe book that I shamelessly stole (with her knowledge) from my friend Linda). The reason why I am telling you all this is because you would think that, after being raised in that kind of environment, it is doubtful that a chain steak place could wow me: WRONG! A medium rare dry aged Delmonico Steak coming out of the Capital Grille kitchen is THE BEST STEAK I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Now maybe, it was a one time thing. Maybe there is no way this steak can be that good all the time. Well wrong again. My husband and I have been going back there consistently over all these years (went there again last Saturday), and it is still by far, THE BEST STEAK I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Here is something even more fascinating: How many of you know what is involved in the dry aging process of meat??Please read this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_aging. I always wondered, wouldn’t the meat go bad after that many days???? well wrong, it is apparently all about the temperature, and I have had the great pleasure to see the process first hand this past Saturday at The Capital Grille.

During our dinner, we had the pleasure to have a nice talk with Jamie Heffron, who is the Manager of this fine establishment.

I told Jamie how amazed I was to have such an excellent meal every time I went there, and that I was fascinated by the whole dry aging process. About 2 weeks ago, Sherry showed me a video that she had recorded about Barefoot Contessa while she was on vacation to Napa Valley, and visited Tyler Florence, who shared with her his Porterhouse Steak recipe (dry aged of course) cooked in a 1200 degrees broiler and bathed in a bath of clarified butter, sage, thyme and garlic mixture. I shared what I saw that day with Jamie, and he proceeds to tell me, oh! we have a 1800 degrees broiler here, and a whole room with dry aged meat, would you like to see how we do it??? Helloooooooooooo? Have we met?? Are blueberries blue??? Do you tell Noah about a flood (I just learned that expression from my husband! been wanting to use it for a while 🙂 ).

On my feet I was! Let’s go! Jamie introduced me to Matthew Jaffe, Executive Chef Partner there and was going to take Sean and I for a tour!!!!!!

Matthew explained to me how the dry aging process works, and took me to their 39 degrees meat room :). Now I must say, it kind of looks disgusting when you look at it that way, there is nothing appetizing about the way that meat looks, but let me say it again just in case you didn’t pick up on that: BEST STEAK I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Please allow me to share with you the pictures I took from that room:

They have their personal butcher that comes in 5 days a week! Can you imagine owning a 1800 degrees broiler?????????????????? Man I would love to be able to cook just one time in their kitchen, which brings me to the next story: Sean sold my cooking abilities to them with such conviction that I might just be allowed to cook my famous prosciutto lamb for Jamie and Matthew to taste. Now wouldn’t that be freaking awesome, to be able to cook for the Manager and the Executive Chef of The Capital Grille??? Stay tuned on that…..I will let you all know if that ever happens.

Now, I had to introduce my partner in crime to this place, since it is after all, THE BEST STEAK I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

I have been telling Sherry about it for a while now as she has never been there. I just simply told her that it was THE BEST STEAK I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE and she knows that I am a food snob.

One night, I just kidnapped her and I took her there (she didn’t complain trust me). We had a fantastic 2005 Margaux (Chateau D’Anglude), Lawrence was our server (he was great), and Sherry was introduced for the first time to the famous 22 ounces Dry Aged Delmonico:

Well there. She asked me if I would think that it would be inappropriate for her to have her way with the bone in such a fine establishment, I simply responded that I would personally be offended if she didn’t. The picture speaks for itself. Sherry my friend, I am proud of you!

So to summarize, I just wanted to make sure that you all got my point: BEST STEAK I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

BE HEALTHY, AND STAY HUNGRY!! (and go have a Delmonico!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Aida.

Grapes Wine Bar of Annapolis – Our new favorite spot..

Posted on September 23, 2013 by kk50shades

Greetings fellow hungry women!

Grapes, an intimate wine bar, next to Wine Cellars of Annapolis, is without a doubt, my new favorite place to enjoy a glass of vino and excellent small plates. Recently, my partner in the pursuit of fine food, Aida (the French/Tunisian) and I, stopped by to have a bite to eat.

We ordered the Garde Manger Board which included pâté, assorted charcuterie and several cheeses. The Bufala Italian blue was fabulous! Along with that came a French goat cheese-Chabichou and an Italian pecorino noche. All excellent!

As you all know, I am a recent foie gras convert, so I tend to order it whenever I see it on a menu.

This particular foie gras came with truffle oil and a berry and honey reduction. It was lovely! 2 orders please!

However, the crown jewel of this entire food fest was the order of classic bistro frites in duck fat and truffle oil!!!!!! These crispy morsels have been the object of my desire and my dreams since that moment.

How can anything be so satisfying? The answer is simple…..duck fat. I am convinced that you could fry an old shoe in this liquid gold and it would be a gourmet offering. I was so blown away by these frites that I can’t even remember what wine we had to drink. In fact, I am speechless. So, I will just stop while I am ahead. Go to Grapes. Eat, enjoy.

Sherry

Cinghiale – Rome in Baltimore!

Posted on August 24, 2013 by kk50shades

Buongiorno Y’all!!

The Hungry Women had the great pleasure of dining at Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman’s restaurant, Cinghiale, in Baltimore this week. (The name means “wild boar” in Italian, in case you were wondering.) My friends, Aida and Jessica and myself started off with bellinis al fresco. It was a nice evening so we sat outside and pretended we were in Rome at some very swank eatery.

We decided to go inside for dinner because the decor and opulence are just too hard to resist. This restaurant is simply gorgeous!

Side note: Take a look at the hallway that leads to the bathrooms, then inside the bathrooms:

Having been fortunate enough to visit Italy twice in my life, I have to say that Cinghiale really feels like a fine hotel/restaurant in Rome. Let’s talk about food, shall we? Since all of the Hungry Women love cheese and wine, we decided to go with a selection of 3 cheeses. First, the la tur, a tangy blend of sheep, cow and goat’s milk…excellent! Second, we chose the canestrato from Campania…a firm sheep’s mild cheese with hints of hay and hazelnuts. Jessica paired that with some fresh peaches…loved that! The third cheese was a creamy Gorgonzola gran riserva…. My oh my! We chose a Rosso di Montalcino, Il Poggione to accompany the cheese course and also the Chef’s selection of assorted cured meats.

By now, we were moving into the part of the meal where the oohing and aahing are in full swing. We have been waiting with bated breath for several months to order the grilled foie gras. I cannot express how much in love I am with this! Aida ordered the pan seared foie gras “saltimbocca” with crispy parmigiano. I have to say that hers was even better than mine. Jessica had the big eye tuna with razor clams and sea urchin….fabulous!

On to the primi course. I chose the risotto with chanterelles and parmigiano. I am pretty sure I saw God! (He looks a lot like Chef Marucci). We all agreed that this was a triumph! Jessica had the Yukon potato gnocchi with roasted tomatoes, peppers, arugula, zucchini and smoked ricotta…lovely. Aida ordered grilled duck with huckleberries, crispy polenta and chanterelles, That little corn cake really went nicely with the dish…delicious!

The second bottle of wine was a 2000 Fontodi “case via” Syrah. Not to sound pretentious, but this lush, velvety, chewy wine was served with too much of a chill. We all agreed to decant it and let it open up and come to a warmer temp. We asked the wine steward why it was being served so cold and he explained that the cellar is kept at 50-55 degrees. The Rosso di Montalcino was fine at the cooler temp but this Syrah definitely tasted better once we decanted and waited. We loved the bouquet….smoky, leathery, deep. On another note, their wine list is probably one of the most extensive list I have ever seen!

We were satiated but we HAD to try 2 desserts. We chose Gianduja Torta with hazelnuts, chocolate and salted caramel gelato. WE ADORE SALT AND CARAMEL!!! I have to tell you that the vanilla panna cotta with thyme roasted peaches and blueberry sorbetto was so light and creamy, I believe we heard angels singing. I was transported to the Sistine Chapel. This is food nirvana. Espressos followed……

We had taken a trip to Italy with no jet lag, food coma notwithstanding. We can’t wait to return. Until then, we urge you to indulge in the sensuous dining experience that is Cinghiale. Buonasera.

As always, stay hungry!

Sherry, Aida and Jessica

Victoria’s Fancy Foods – Gourmet grocery shop fashioned after the shops of Paris.

Posted on August 6, 2013 by kk50shades

Morning Y’all!

A lot of folks think that this blog is about restaurants, WRONG! it is about good food in general, whether it is in stores, my friends kitchens or my own, bakeries, or restaurants.

I moved in the Severna Park/Pasadena area a year ago. My husband and I used to live in Essex, MD.

One of the main reasons why we decided to move was because there is close to -nothing- in Essex when it comes to food. There are not a lot of choices of good restaurants, grocery stores, etc..

I love cooking, and I have been blessed to have been surrounded by friends that enjoy it as much as I do.

While grocery shopping is a burden for some, I personally LOVE grocery shopping because I see it as an adventure. I prefer grocery shopping than any other type of shopping, any day of the week. When I used to live in Essex, my choices in grocery store were: Mars, Shoppers, Geresbeck’s, and Aldi, and that was it. Guess what the closest store to my house was?? Aldi ! I went to that store -once- because I had to make an emergency run as I needed something for my dinner that night. After I parked the car, I was on my way in and there was a bodyguard at the entrance that fiercely looked at me and made it clear that I needed to turn around. Yep, a giant disgusting cockroach was right in front of the entrance, staring at me, daring me to make a move. I have a phobia of bugs. Needless to say that I can’t tell you what the store look like inside. Off to Mars I went that day (could have been literal since I flew back to my car after the sight of that disgusting thing).

My friend Yvette who has been living in Severna Park for years had told me numerous times about this place she goes to called Victoria’s Fancy foods and that I needed to check it out at some point. Never really made it there since I wasn’t living close to that area.. Until I moved here…….

I checked Victoria’s website (http://victoriasfancyfoods.com/) and the front page caught my attention immediately:

“Local clean foods and fine crafted wine”…..then it says “Our gourmet grocery shop is fashioned after the shops of Paris with wooden floors and chalkboard signs.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (this was me jumping up and down, cartwheel and all..).

Then it says this: “We take pride in every item we offer to you.” I had to check it out and let me tell you that everything in that description does check out. Why didn’t I move in this area years ago???????????? Between all the restaurants I am discovering, Hawthorne Bakery and Victoria’s, I am not home sick anymore!

Please allow me to introduce you to this lovely lady, Victoria Stagmer, proud owner of this gourmet store:

Victoria is another hard working, dedicated and passionate woman I have the honor to know. She takes customer service to an entire new level and she knows her stuff (and top of it all, she is a certified wine specialist 🙂 ). She told me once that there is nothing in her store that she hasn’t tried. Remember this on her website: “We take pride in every item we offer to you.”?

So let me recap, she offers gourmet food (from fresh pasta to olive oil, from crackers to jams, teas, coffee, spices, cheeses, bread….) and Wine from all over.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (yep, I did it again).

Let me take a second and talk about the bread. She gets frozen bread from a bakery in New Jersey (except for the sourdough which is authentic sourdough from LaBrea bakery in San Fransisco): olive bread, rosemary bread, whole grain (my personal favorite because it honestly taste like candy and it’s good for you!) regular bread (and I may be forgetting some). You take it home, you let it thaw for a bit, and stick it in the oven for 15 min at 380 degrees. Voila! fresh awesome bread coming straight out of the oven like you baked it (well you did). Slice it, add to that this wonderful Saint Angel Cheese she carries (that thing can’t just be triple creme, because triple means 3, I would guess a 100!) and top it with nice bottle of wine. That’s dinner for me right there.

She would also give me stuff to sample at home so that she can make a decision on whether she should carry it in her store or not. First of all, I feel very special that she values my opinion, second, I love trying new food! (Victoria: the truffle couscous is amazing!!!!! I tried it last night and it is phenomenal!! carry carry carry!).

I can’t tell you how many times I would call her up and ask her if she could bake a loaf of bread for me and that I would pick it up on my way home from work. I double dog dare you to tell me that you can do that at any other store! She would also give me suggestions for wine pairing depending on what I am having for dinner. Talk about customer service!

Did I mention that I love that store? (and Victoria of course!).

Also, Victoria’s Fancy Foods has an opportunity to relocate into a larger space. She is obligated to her lease in the current location until February 2015 and actively looking for a business that would be interested in sub-letting this space. If you know of anyone, please have them get contact her!!!

Listen people! Go to her store, Follow her on Facebook, on Twitter, sign up for her newsletter, I am personally following this woman everywhere she goes! (sounds like stalking I know..).

So Get Fancy, Get local! and I can guarantee you that you would love that store as much as I do!

Stay hungry friends!

Aida.

	kk50shades on The Inn in Little Washington,…
	Jamie on The Inn in Little Washington,…
	Karen on Little Italy in Stevensville,…
	kk50shades on Pears in the Eastern Shore, wh…
	Karen on Pears in the Eastern Shore, wh…

Where the Hungry Women at???

For all the foodies out there!

Category Archives: Wine