Culinary Adventure #5: Michael's on Naples

Dear Hungry Housewives:

We have come full circle!  In April we began with a carload of five Hungry Housewives heading to Long Beach and on Thursday, August 8, we again had a carload of five that headed to Long Beach.

This month I remembered why I began the Hungry Housewife Club.  After a long month of remodeling, I needed an excuse to runaway from my dusty reality and connect with good friends. Our HH night couldn’t come fast enough!

Thanks to our gracious hostess, Karen L., I escaped with Helen, Kathy and Francie to an island oasis…literally.  We journeyed to Italian ristaurante, Michael’s on Naples.

Michael’s was indeed a cozy respite.  We were immediately greeted by a saxophone player playing smooth jazz.  Karen was friends with the Manager, Massimo, who welcomed us as if we were family.  We felt right at home.

Speaking of feeling at home, Kathy insisted that the ladies room was, “bloggable.”  Of course, I had to check it out and she was spot on. It felt like a friend’s bathroom…complete with all the guest accoutrements. Okay...enough about home decor!

To begin our Culinary Adventure, Karen brought some bellisimo wine.  We ordered a hand-crafted sausage Pizzette followed by Tomatoes with Burrata.  The farm fresh, heirloom tomatoes were so succulent it was one of our favorite dishes.

Next we ordered an assortment of pasta that we shared family style.  We were fortunate to get the last order of the chef’s special.  It was a generous portion of lobster served with spaghetti marinara.  I guess I’m a lobster traditionalist because I longed for some drawn butter.  Our favorite pasta was the wild Mushroom Ravioli (probably because it was made with brown butter!)

Massimo generously sent us a complimentary dessert platter… now I was truly in paradiso!  The Salted Caramel Mousse was fantastico.  In fact, just writing about it makes me crave it again.  The Almond Cake with rosemary cream was also delizioso.

It was no coincidence that our full circle night was filled with many O’s; Massimo, bellisimo, paradiso, fantastico and delizioso!  It was the perfect recipe for an attitude adjustment.  Completely revived, I was prepared to head home and face another dusty day.  Salute!

Due to a conflicting event, our upcoming HH night has been changed to Wednesday, Sept. 11.  Our hostess, Dee is planning an easy, local evening.  Details to follow!

Your Hungry Girlfriend,

Tiffany

The purpose of the Hungry Housewife Club is to get “Out of the Box” once a month and go on a fun, guilt-free Culinary Adventure with your girlfriends.

Definition of “Out of the Box”:  A dining establishment outside of the home where frivolous food experimentation has no boundaries!

Culinary Adventure #4: Drago Centro

Dear Hungry Housewives:

For our July Culinary Adventure the uptown Housewives went downtown to Italian restaurant, Drago Centro.

It’s remarkable that in four months of starting the HH club we’ve grown from a car load to a bus load…literally.  When I walked on the bus I was overwhelmed to see 23 familiar faces.  It looked like a Vistas for Children charity event since we had all been members.

Our host Amy arranged the nicest party bus I’ve ever seen…complete with dance pole, etc.  This was definitely no charity event!

Personal note to HH:  When I remind the host to allow a half hour to gather all the HH, I never intended for the extra time to apply to me.  I apologize for making the bus wait and for causing Amy undue stress!

The good news is that we zoomed down the 110 bus lane and arrived at Drago in great time.  When we walked into an enclosed patio off the main restaurant, it felt like we had entered our own private garden.  As Janice described, “We were inside but it had an outdoor feel.”

Kudos to Amy:  She reserved the private patio back in April.  In fact, our menu was also prearranged by Amy and her personal friend, Chef Celestino Drago. We were in for a once in a lifetime experience! 

(Tom's in the pic)

 

The meal began with a bread basket filled with Gnocco Fritto’s.  Our waiter affectionately called them, “Pillows of Pleasure.”  He was right and I was in trouble…those sinful pillows were going straight to my pillows!

The second course was my favorite because it combined polenta, gorgonzola and...TRUFFLES!  Amy informed us that Chef Drago had recently returned from Italy with the fresh summer truffles.  I gasped when the creamy delicacy touched my taste buds…did I mention the truffles?

I enjoyed my third course choice, the driver scallops, but was disappointed with myself for playing it safe.  I was tempted to order the Pappardelle with roasted pheasant but chickened out…it was indeed a HH foul!

 Reminder to self:  The purpose of the HH club is to get, “Out of the Box” and go on a Culinary Adventure!

Amy generously offered a taste of her pasta.  I was pleased with the mellow flavor of the pheasant and secretly had Pappardelle envy.  I would just have to return later for a full order!

As I sipped some Tommasi white wine, I rememberd a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Life is about the journey, not the destination.”  I decided to rephrase his quote, “Our evening was equally about the journey and the destination!”

After finishing my wine, it was time to depart Drago.  We climbed back on the bus and had an entertaining ride uptown. Maybe it was too much Tommasi but I had “Blurred” visions of HH “Getting Lucky” with Robin Thicke...or was it a pole?

Note to HH:  What happens on the bus stays on the bus!

Thanks to Amy for going above and beyond, to Kathy for collecting money, to those who contributed beverages for the bus, to Jackie for bringing a real camera, and to Ellen and Kathy for finding my lost phone (it really had been one of those days!)  Finally, thanks to the talented dancers who entertained us!

Mark your calendar for August 8…Karen L. is planning a casual summer soirée!

Your Hungry Girlfriend,

Tiffany

The purpose of the Hungry Housewife Club is to get “Out of the Box” once a month and go on a fun, guilt-free Culinary Adventure with your girlfriends.

Definition of “Out of the Box”:  A dining establishment outside of the home where frivolous food experimentation has no boundaries!

Culinary Adventure #3: Picca Cantina

Dear Hungry Housewives:

For our June Culinary Adventure we definitely got “Out of the Box” and journeyed to Picca, a trendy Peruvian Cantina in West L.A.

Our clever host, Jackie ordered a limo for our evening transportation. So Ellen, Ann, Kathy, Karen, Jackie, Sydne, Helen, Nadine and I had a fun ride across town and arrived at Picca around 7:00pm.

Note to future Hosts: Remember to count on a half hour to gather all the housewives.


The large red building with bright yellow letters was easy to spot on Pico Blvd.

BTW: “Picca” means “to nibble” and has nothing to do with the street name. 

After meeting Linda and Lisa K at the bar, we were escorted to a table upstairs.



We were immediately greeted by our waiter, Kanoa, who I mistakenly called, Kanejo.  He humored me because I had just ordered an Anejo Honey Sour made with Anejo Tequila.  You see the confusion…right?

 

When our exotic cocktails arrived, it was obvious that we weren't in Kansas any more.  Nadine’s drink, the Avocado Project was of interest.  White rum, avocado, lime juice and agave nectar were shaken into a sweet, creamy smoothie…it just happened to match her eyes.

My personal favorite drink (because for the blog I had to sip them all) was the Pedro Serrano which included Mezcal Tequila, green Chartreuse, lime, agave and green chili.  The spicy, smoky flavors were an intense combination!

A few ordered the Pisco Sour which was shaken with Pisco, lemon and lime juice, sugar and egg whites.  The crafty cocktail was almost too pretty to consume.  Okay, enough about the libations and on to the real treat…the food!




Kanao patiently helped us navigate the tapas style menu.  He explained that the Peruvian dishes had an Asian influence.

 

The first plate to arrive was the Crispy Quinoa Ensalada.  It appeared to be healthy...then we found out the crunchy quinoa was deep fried.  We agreed it was worth every greasy calorie and ordered seconds!

When the seared Anticucho Diver Scallops arrived every succulent morsel was immediately devoured (for this reason there is no photo.)  As Jackie explained, “It was the cracked pepper on top that made them exquisite.”  It was unanimous…the scallops were our favorite dish of the night!

I did hold back the HH to get a pic of the Costillitas, or BBQ baby-back ribs.  The sweet tender meat slid off the bone.  (I even spied a clean bone on the plate of a vegetarian!)

Completely satiated, we had little enthusiasm for dessert.  However, Kanoa, generously sent a few complimentary desserts to try.  The vanilla beach Pisco flan, chocolate bomba, and tres leche cake did not disappoint.  We joked about renaming ourselves, “THE HUNGRY HIPPOS!”

It was getting late and I began to have doubts about writing the Blog…it felt like a lot of work.  Menu details swirled around my head like a pretty Pisco Sour.  It was time to say adios to Peru and travel back to Kansas.

The limo finally landed around 10:30pm, my doubts dissolved and I looked forward to writing my Hungry Hippo…err, Housewife blog!

Thanks to Jackie for taking our taste buds on an exceptional adventure.  Also, a shout out to Lisa for her math skills…it’s never fun doing high finances after cocktails.  Thanks to Kathy for helping me with menu details and to Ann and Ellen for photos.

Reminder to HH:  The bill will be divided evenly...so eat, drink and be merry!

You will definitely want to indulge in our next Culinary Adventure on Thursday, July 11.  Amy has had a special evening planned for months!

Your Hungry Girlfriend,

Tiffany

The purpose of the Hungry Housewife Club is to get “Out of the Box” once a month and go on a fun, guilt-free Culinary Adventure with your girlfriends.

Definition of “Out of the Box”:  A dining establishment outside of the home where frivolous food experimentation has no boundaries!

Culinary Adventure #2: Rock & Brews PCH

Dear Hungry Housewives:

It was a happy coincidence that the official public opening of Rock & Brews PCH coincided with our May Culinary Adventure.  On Thursday, May 9, a group of ten Hungry Housewives set-off for an exploratory happy hour at Rock & Brews.

When I arrived with Gayle, Lisa T, Jackie, Nadine and Karen K, there was already a line outside.  The doors opened at 5:00 and we raced for a family-style picnic table on the patio.

We were immediately greeted by our helpful waiter, Jason.  He informed us that the menu was limited and to expect slow bar service.  Being savvy housewives we agreed that bottle service would be our quickest drinking option.

The atmosphere of Rock & Brews was like an Oktoberfest bier tent in Munich (with 80’s music playing instead of an oom-pah-pah band).  With that in mind, we were thrilled to discover Veuve and Schramsberg on the menu.

After we finished our first bottle of bubbly, Linda, Teri, Ellen and Jennifer joined us.  They were also pleased to order a bottle (or two) of Rombauer Chardonnay.

Note to R&B management:  Kudos for doing your market research and catering to your local demographic!

We needed some food to wash down all the alcohol so we ordered some pub grub.  I enjoyed dunking junks of the Giant Soft German Pretzel into a side order of the Beach House Amber Biercheese.  The rich gooey sauce was similar to cheese fondue.




The Asian Spicy Wings were recommended by Jason. The sweet chili flavor was reminiscent of, Lee Brand Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce, which you can buy at any Asian market.

Lisa ordered a Maui-Wowie Style Pizza. It’s supposed to be topped with pepperoni, pineapple and jalapeno.
True to form, our spicy friend ordered the pizza minus the Maui (pineapple) with extra Wowie (jalapeno).  Her explanation was, “Blame it on the bubbles!”

As the sun set, the colors of the twilight sky turned surreal.  It felt as if we were sitting beneath the frescoed ceiling at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  Speaking of Vegas…management sent all the housewives a complimentary shot!

Was it the diffused sunlight upon our glowing cheeks?  Was it the flirty banter of some friendly housewives?  Perhaps, it was all the empty bottles on the table? 

Whatever the reason for their generosity, the owner, John and manager, Keith (aka: Dr. Feelgood) served us a muddled concoction called, “Dark Side of the Moon.”

The shot consisted of Grey Goose vodka, Deschutes Black Butte beer and other mystery ingredients.  It would have gone down easier had we originally consumed vodka, beer or…actually been in Vegas!




The arrival of the, “Dark Side of the Moon” shot was perfectly timed.  The sky was turning dark, the moon was rising and the shot signaled the end of happy hour.  It was indeed time to head home and dream of Vegas!

Now I have a confession…in order to properly write this blog, I had to return to R&B a few days later to extract some missing info.  My excuse…I’m going to steal Lisa’s line, “Blame it on the bubbles!”

The next Hungry Housewife adventure will be hosted by Jackie on Thursday, June 13.  Hope to see everyone for our summer kick-off!

Your Hungry Girlfriend,

Tiffany

The purpose of the Hungry Housewife Club is to get “Out of the Box” once a month and go on a fun, guilt-free Culinary Adventure with your girlfriends.

Definition of “Out of the Box”:  A dining establishment outside of the home where frivolous food experimentation has no boundaries!

Culinary Adventure #1: Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles

Dear Hungry Housewives:

For those that missed our inaugural adventure to Roscoe’s, I decided to start this blog to update you.  Knowing that April was going to be a busy month, I assumed a brunch would be best.  Unfortunately, I assumed wrong.  So I apologize that many of you could not attend a daytime adventure this month.

Note to Hosts:  Although April was busy, you can still choose a breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner for your culinary adventure.

We met at Golden Cove Starbucks at 10:30am.  The small group consisted of: Kathy, Talitha, Helen, Lisa K, and Lisa T.  After everyone consumed their morning caffeine, we finally departed around 11:00.

Note to Hosts:  It will take ½ hour min. to herd all the cats. I was happy to collect a carload of kittens, who Talitha generously offered to transport.

After a bumpy ride down PV Drive South, over the bridges and through downtown Long Beach, we arrived at Grandma’s House.  Literally…the bright yellow exterior of Roscoe’s resembled a charming cottage.  It was 11:30 when we walked in and were immediately seated.

Within seconds we were greeted by a zealous bartender named, Tamara.  There must have been a sign above our group that flashed, “THIRSTY HOUSEWIVES!”  Her effervescent personality immediately made us feel welcome as she proceeded to take our drink order.

Since we were finally “out of the box” I was feeling adventurous and followed Tamara’s advice to order a Tropical Mimosa.  The cocktail was as colorful as a Maui sunset; unfortunately, it was not as bubbly as Tamara.

 

Heeding the reviews on Yelp, I ordered the classic Chicken & Waffles.  There was some debate at the table regarding chicken parts; breast versus wing.  I decided to fly with the reviews and chose the wings.  According to the reviews, combining the right ingredients is essential to the Roscoe experience.

 

First, I slathered the waffle with whipped butter and generously drenched it with warm syrup.  Next, I shredded the chicken meat (skin included) and piled it on top the waffle.  Finally, the piece de resistance was a glob of homemade gravy on top.  I folded the waffle in half and smacked down on my mouth watering creation.  The salty, sweet flavors were reminiscent of a childhood favorite, “Pigs in a Blanket.”  It was indeed a divine recipe for the soul!

Reminder: This is the one day a month that you are free to indulge without any guilt, shame or judgment!

I just want to thank all the kittens for altering your healthy diets, stepping waaay “out of the box” and joining me on our first culinary adventure. (Special thanks to Talitha for chauffeuring the crazy cats around town and to Kathy for helping with the photos.)

I’m excited to share more yummy fare with my girlfriends and look forward to our next culinary adventure.

I now pass the baton…err…fork on to our May host, Linda.  Mark your calendars for Thursday, May 9!

FYI: To enhance your dining experience, I highly recommend reading Yelp reviews prior to visiting an establishment.

Your Hungry Girlfriend,

Tiffany

The purpose of the Hungry Housewife Club is to get “Out of the Box” once a month and go on a fun, guilt-free Culinary Adventure (CA) with your girlfriends.

Definition of “Out of the Box”:  A dining establishment outside of the home where frivolous food experimentation has no boundaries!