ESCAPES: Charleston, South Carolina, Part 2

And we're back in Charleston...back in the South, where the summer days are languid in this semi-tropical clime, and the only way to cool off is on a side porch or inside under a ceiling fan with a cool drink.

Hominy Grill is just about the best place in town to relax with a laid-back lunch, either on their cute outdoor patio, or inside under their white painted pressed-tin ceilings and aforementioned spinning ceiling fans, pictured at left. The blackboard specials are sure to entice, but of course one comes here to enjoy the southern staples of low-country cooking. Their version of shrimp and grits is a beautiful, simple thing: a bed of stone-ground creamy-white hominy, with plump gulf shrimp, crispy bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and scallions on top of the grits. Served with a lemon wedge to squeeze over top, this is the ultimate in southern comfort food. It's filling, but it doesn't overwhelm. Which is a good thing, since you can't order just one dish at Hominy Grill.

The boiled peanuts we got to munch on while waiting for our appetizers (yes, that's right) were so flavorful they practically defied culinary explanation. They were meaty, in the best sense of the word, and I'm guessing they were cooked in ham liquor -- the brothy goodness made with ham hocks in which collard greens are boiled in the southern kitchen.  They were unbelievable.

The picnic plate appetizer consisted of delicious southern ham, pimento cheese (another southern staple), pickled okra, and beet-pickled hard-boiled eggs, served with garlic toasts. It's a fun and eclectic selection of the various flavors of the region. Of course, the she-crab soup needed to be sampled, in all its sherry-laced glory. And one of the specials of the day happened to be cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers -- here done one better than standard bar fare style, as the peppers were served with whipped sorghum butter, a rich, sweet counterpart to the spice and sharpness of the peppers and cheese stuffing.Delish. All of this was washed down with iced tea, of course, but I did feel it necessary to try one of the house cocktails, since so many of the ingredients used were local and terribly enticing. I selected the Blackberry Collins, which was refreshing and tart with a nice vodka kick. I had to reel myself in so I didn't start day drinking with multiples of this cocktail! But the indulgence continued, of course, with a special dessert of the day: a coconut pie with dark chocolate ganache, sort of a Mounds bar (love) in pie form. The ganache was super dark and rich, the coconut textured and just sweet enough, with an expertly-made pie crust that was thin, flaky, and fell on the savory side, which I love as a nice counterbalance to a sweet pie. It was topped with fresh, unsweetened whipped cream on top. I mean...come on! I left Hominy Grill a very happy camper. And full doesn't even begin to cover it.

Once you've had a filling lunch like that, you may want to find a hammock somewhere and nap (I wanted that desperately). But instead, your time might be better spent on a lovely carriage ride around town to see the sites around historic Charleston, from King Street on down to the Battery. You could also take a River Boat Cruise on the water down to Ft. Sumter, which is a relaxing and informative way to spend a few hours (some tours allow you to get off at the Fort, some just swing by the island on the water). You can go to the old slave market and museum, where America's slave trade was essentially headquartered. I know -- all of this is pretty hard to swallow, no pun intended. But as much as it all leaves a bad taste in your mouth (ahem), it's all part of America's history, and important to witness and to study. Even the beautiful houses that participate in the Charleston House Tours -- historically registered and restored, explained by well-versed tour guides, and lovingly kept up inside and out by gardeners and caretakers...sometimes I felt like paying money to see these things was contributing to the upholding of something sinister. But really, it's much better that these places remain, not just for their historical significance, but also for their aesthetic beauty and the current Charleston community that survives based heavily on its tourism appeal. Much as its history is checkered, there's no denying Charleston's present day charm. There are a few weeks a year when houses that are not usually open to the public, open their doors. The city tends to get crowded during these weeks, and hotel rooms can be hard to come by, so book ahead if you can. One house that is open to the public year round is the Nathaniel Russell House. Built in 1808, It's possibly the town's finest example of Federal-style architecture, with a free-flying staircase and beautiful garden.

And speaking of palatial digs, we spent the second half of our stay in Charleston at the gorgeous Charleston Place, in the middle of much of the city's center, with one side on King Street, the city's shopping epicenter and a hub of restaurants and bars. This grande dame was recently refurbished, and it shows. The huge lobby chandelier and sweeping staircases make for a dramatic entrance, and the rooftop indoor pool, gym, and outdoor lounge area give you a bird's-eye view of Charleston. One of the top restaurants in the city, Charleston Grill, is contained within the hotel, and many shops, if not in the hotel proper, are very nearby, as are so many restaurants and bars of note. The renovated rooms are spacious and beautiful, tranquil, with large marble bathrooms and a gigantic shower: a real treat.

We had one of our best meals the evening we moved to Charleston Place, at the nearby FIG, which had come highly recommended to me by colleagues in the food business and various culinary publications as well. I have a weakness for places with "fig" in their name, but in this case it's an acronym for "Food Is Good." Direct and to the point, you can't argue that. But it's deceptively simple for a menu seemingly straightforward, but executed with a sophisticated flair and a spot-on chef's palate. Our server was incredibly thorough in his explanations and well-versed in the preparation of the dishes, their ingredients, and the wine list as well. I started with a vegetable salad, a cornucopia of various fresh veggies of all colors, shapes, and sizes, bright and springy and left to taste the way they're supposed to taste -- everything from cauliflower and beans to French finger radishes and crisp peas. Refreshing. The hands-down best dish of the evening was one that The Big Guy ordered, and it was a rare occasion that I suffered order envy. The pork schnitzel over farro with spring peas was exactly what the English dub as "moreish": you want more and more of it. The delicate lettuce leaves on top and the peas kept their snap, as did the crunchy crust of the schnitzel itself, but the meat inside was juicy, the farro was nutty-toothsome, and the sauce was one the most flavorful kinds of savory, enriched jus I've ever tasted. I would like this dish right now, actually. All this is not to say that I didn't enjoy my dish, because I most definitely did: triggerfish (a local fish we saw all over the menus of Charleston, which is delicious) over broken rice grits -- that is, broken bits of rice grains cooked in the manner of grits, another thing you see on menus in these parts -- with a vibrant green sauce and broccoli. It was a delicious, light, springy dish, local. Tasty. But it was no schnitzel! The sides were delicious as well, and included a silky potato puree and earthy roasted beets with a vinegar kick. The portions don't look terribly huge, nor are they miniscule -- but they're actually much more filling and hearty than they look. By the time we leisurely made our way to dessert, we were absolutely stuffed. And yet. A chocolate almond cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream beckoned to the 9-year-old inside of me. The port tasting, to accompany the dessert, beckoned to the adult, real-time me. It was almost -- almost -- too much. But the richness of the chocolate cake was cut by the minty freshness of my favorite ice cream flavor. It was an excellent way to cap off a meal that exceeded expectations, even if those expectations were pretty high to begin with. 

Did I mention we were in town during March Madness? My alma mater's team was doing quite well in the tournament, something UVA had not experienced since I was in college (!) in the early-to-mid-nineties. So we were all very excited to be able to root for the Cavaliers once again. The ACC is quite a competitive group of schools, many of which are in the South, so we had our competition just to watch the UVA games in Charleston. But there were establishments that showed the game, and we found them. They were often the more casual joints around the city, serving burgers and beer, or fish and chips -- pubby, but still really focused on good quality food. The first place we viewed a game was a pub next door to our first hotel, The Vendue Inn, called The Griffon. It was a small place that felt authentically English, with a great beer selection and a big screen (literally. Not a TV. A big screen) showing the Virginia game, with lots of UVA fans mixed with local Carolinians rooting for their team. We were winning, but we got there late, so they'd stopped serving dinner fare. We hopped over to the Pearlz Oyster Bar around the corner off Meeting Street, as the kitchen is open late. They also indulged us and let us change the channel on the bar TV to the UVA game. We were happy with a great beer selection and some very legitimate fish and chips, as well, served in newspaper with homemade tartar sauce and all. The only drawback was that the 'chips' were American chips, potato chips. They were homemade though, so they get some points back.

The next memorable meal we enjoyed was a brunch at The Grocery, in a converted loft-like space off of Upper King Street. Again, this place features local ingredients, and since Southern style breakfasts are a strong suit in the low country repertoire, brunch offers numerous possibilities for this revamped local cuisine to shine. Examples? Take, for instance, the playful "Green Eggs and Ham": poached eggs rolled in parsley bread crumbs (hence the green), over smoked ham, on cornmeal-cheddar griddle cakes, drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette. Or, their upscale update of chicken and waffles: fried quail and french toast (made with thick country bread), with an orange-sorghum syrup. I wished there was more of it, as quail lacks the meaty quality of good fried chicken, but it was flavorful, with a nice batter, and of course the interplay of super-savory and sweet was there in all its glory. It's one of those places with a menu that begs you to try everything on it. Next trip, I'm eager to try their Hangtown Fry (fried oysters and green tomatoes with a  farm egg and bacon frittata, with remoulade) and the Duck Confit Hash with potatoes, apple, fennel, a soft egg and dijonnaise. I'd also like to return for dinner, especially at this time of year, when their Soft Shell Crab 3 Ways has my name written all over it. After brunch, one might head out to see a nearby plantation. Middleton Place is highly recommended for its gorgeous grounds and architecture, a short drive outside of Charleston proper.

There are several great cocktail spots in Charleston for aperitivi, or pre-dinner drinks. One of the best is the rooftop at the Market Pavilion Hotel. It's decidedly less formal than their old world, beautiful dining room downstairs. You take the elevator to the rooftop and get some gorgeous views at sunset, with an expansive cocktail list to boot. The rooftop at the Vendue Inn was, sadly, under renovation while we were in town and staying there ourselves, which was a real shame. But I hear it's fabulous, and our experience at the inn was great in general, so I'm sure the rooftop is an excellent spot.

Another game night, another sports-viewing-friendly establishment...but again, with some good food. We headed to the oddly-named Closed for Business, which was open for business and showed the UVA game. Their craft beer selection met the approval of The Big Guy, and we selected our beers according to our divergent tastes in brews...and with glass sizes to match our actual sizes! After this mellow game night on Upper King Street, we headed for a change of pace to Bin 152, on lower King Street near our hotel. Their wine list is long and varied, and the atmosphere is mellow and rustic. We could have shared a lovely cheese plate, but were too full to have been able to enjoy it, so we sipped our wine and reflected on our time in Charleston. I was happy to have finally made my first trip to this charming southern city, and swore it would not be our last. With a flight under 2 hours and a temperate semi-tropical climate, popping down to the palmetto state is a very enticing option. The food and drink? That's the icing on the cake.

Hominy Grill

207 Rutledge Ave. (Canonboro)
(843) 937-0930
www.hominygrill.com

FIG
Mike Lata
232 Meeting Street
(843) 805-5900
www.eatatfig.com

The Griffon
18 Vendue Range
(843) 723-1700
 www.griffoncharleston.com

Pearlz Oyster Bar
153 East Bay Street
(843) 577-5755

The Grocery
4 Cannon Street
(843) 302-8825
www.thegrocerycharleston.com

Rooftop at the Market Pavilion Hotel
225 E. Bay Street
(843)723-0500
www.marketpavilion.com/pavilionbar.cfm

Closed for Business
453 King Street
(843) 853-8466
www.closed4business.com

Bin 152
152 King Street
(843) 577-7359
www.bin152.com 


Charleston Place
205 Meeting Street
(843) 722-4900
www.charlestonplace.com


Nathaniel Russell House
51 Meeting Street (South of Broad)
(843) 724-8481
www.historicalcharleston.org

SEASONAL INGREDIENTS: Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a curious ingredient, one that many shoppers consider confusing, but it's a rewarding one to use during its short market season. We're in the prime time now: late spring in the northeastern United States (it can be grown and sold into fall, further south). Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but is used most often as a fruit -- sort of the opposite of the tomato -- and looks like red or pink-tinged celery. The leaves can be poisonous, so unlike many other vegetables with edible, often prized, leaves...well, it's here rhubarb's similarity to celery, and other veggies, ends. The stalks were used centuries ago as a curative "spice" along with saffron and other expensive ingestibles, starting in the Far East as part of Chinese curative medicines, and eventually making its way west along the spice routes. It is still considered to have laxative properties and is rarely eaten raw, though it is sometimes enjoyed in Scandinavia when its stalks are in season and most tender, dipped in sugar and eaten out-of-hand.

Still, rhubarb is probably most famous for being paired with its seasonal sister-in-crimson, the strawberry. The beloved strawberry-rhubarb pie is a favorite in America and northern Europe, a true culinary signal to spring. Here's a photo of baby strawberry-rhubarb pies I made for a client's spring baby shower: perfectly pretty and just large enough in single-serving format. And though rhubarb is commonly paired with strawberry, other seasonal sweet berries work just as well with rhubarb's tart zest. And for an interesting twist on highlighting rhubarb's savory side, pickled rhubarb is a wonderful way to use the stalks.

With a brine of three parts water to one part vinegar (and maybe a splash of wine, too -- a dry rose' would work fabulously well!), plus a few tablespoons of salt and a few of sugar, and a handful of spices of your choice (peppercorns and coriander are standard, but cloves and ginger and cardamom and star anise are interesting options, too)...and you've got the perfect liquid in which to soak those stalks and come away with delicious pickled rhubarb in no time. Keep these in the fridge to use in savory salads, to cut through the fat and smoke of early summer's grilled meats, and to dot on gorgeous plates of spring and summer fish dishes, for a bit of acid that pairs perfectly with both raw and seared seafood. Mixed together with other spring ingredients, like fresh peas, greens, seared scallop, and crisp bacon, the final presentation is like May on a plate.

Of course, we can also pair rhubarb with berries in another favorite way: cocktails! For a delicious late spring sangria, simply cook the rhubarb over a low flame with some sugar to make a barely-sweet compote. Use this as a base with other fresh berries and pair with white or rose' wine, cointreau and some club soda for sangria. Or mix with rum, lime, and a little mint, top with soda, and you have a fabulous rhubarb mojito. There are countless iterations for cocktails (rhubarb-arita, anyone?) -- all it takes is a little sugar and a little creativity to make it work. But hurry, the growing (and eating) season is relatively short for fresh rhubarb in these parts. And once you start using the ingredient, you'll be devising new recipes and creating new dishes just to incorporate the "pie fruit" into your spring diet. Of course, there's always the classic. Or, the galette: a free-form tart that, unlike a pie, is uncovered. This allows the rhubarb, in all its ruby glory, to shine through.

QUICK BITES: Il Maritozzaro, Roma

Rome is no longer the late-night, curfew-free city it once was. In many ways, this is a sad change, and my friends and I often reflect on the crazy times we had in bars that stayed open until the owners wanted to go to bed, and in clubs that opened at 4:30 or 5 a.m. where you danced until noon. Times have changed, and alas, so have we all, to some degree. But the great thing about Rome is that it never completely changes, it never morphs into a city that's unrecognizable, like so many urban centers. It is in many ways, as its nickname suggests, The Eternal City. And one of my favorite holdovers from my late-night jaunts around the Eternal City still exists:  Il Maritozzaro near the Trastevere train station. 

For the uninitiated, a maritozzo is basically a freshly-baked brioche bun, torpedo-shaped like an oversized hot dog bun, but faintly sweet and fluffy and light, and barely warm with a few crisp, buttery corners. When you order one, the barman behind the counter fills it with freshly whipped cream, smoothing it out along the top like delicious, decadent spackle.The original version of the brioche, intended as an offering for newlyweds (hence its name) also contained raisins and dried fruit and orange zest and probably resembled panettone more than anything, but I prefer the simplicity and beauty of the maritozzo in its current form.

The Maritozzaro even makes other pastries, including the standard breakfast fare of cornetti (sweetened croissants) and cream-filled donuts. These are fine, but not why I come to the Maritozzaro. I suppose you could pair your maritozzo with a turbo-charged espresso or for breakfast with a cappuccino. It certainly qualifies as a morning waker-upper (though you might need a nap once it's consumed!). But I prefer to think of the whipped cream-filled delicacy as a dreamy, end-of-the-evening indulgence, after a few too many glasses of vino and some limoncello. On a crisp Roman evening, it doesn't get much better. 

Il Maritozzaro
Via Ettore Rolli, 50
00153 ROMA
+06 581 0781
 

RECIPE: Lenticchie e Salsiccia

It's a classic central Italian pairing: Lenticchie e Salsiccia. Lentils and sausage. It reminds me of trips out to Umbria, usually in the fall or winter, and sometimes early spring. We'd spend a Sunday afternoon in Orvieto, enjoying the gorgeous churches and small shops, as well as some surprisingly sophisticated restaurants, in this hill town an hour outside of Rome. Or, we'd head out for a weekend in the country to a friend's house on the Tuscan-Umbrian border, just taking in the view and building fires and looking up at the stars after a full-table feast of simple, local fare. Or we'd visit friends in Citta' di Castello, not far from Lake Trasimeno, sharing a lunch al fresco with lots of local, juicy, dark Sagrantino di Montefalco wine.

Umbria is Italy's only landlocked region that doesn't share a border with another country. Its name echoes ombra, the Italian word for "shadow" -- and it seems to have always been in the shadow of its better-known neighbors, like Tuscany and Lazio. But the region has so much going for it, including the beautiful topography and a history as rich as its cuisine. One of its famous local foods is the Umbrian lentil, which is tawny brown and roughly the size of the tiny green French Puy lentil. Umbrian lentils are often featured in local dishes, and are a great foil for the rich game featured so prominently in this region. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention another great Umbrian contribution to Italian cuisine, which is the concept of the norcineria. There's no direct translation for the word, but it's basically a 'meat emporium,' including and especially pork products, fresh and cured. Norcia is a town in the province of Perugia in Southeast Umbria, nestled between Spoleto and Ascoli Piceno (in the Le Marche region). 

The town is famous for its meat emporiums, and so this kind of shop all over central Italy has taken on the moniker norcineria. I did once make it to "ground zero" in Norcia on a trip to my ex's childhood home near Ascoli Piceno, and we picked up some delicious pancetta and a few other items to cook for dinner at his mother's house. But the important thing is not procuring these meats in Norcia itself, but rather the significance of the quality norcineria, wherever you may find one. I often went to the Norcineria Viola in Rome's Campo de' Fiori, as it was close to home and they had a great selection, offered up assaggi (samples), and the owners were a hoot. 

If you're lucky enough to be cooking the following recipe in Italy, a norcineria would be the prime spot to pick up some delicious, house-made sausages. And if you don't have a go-to 'meat emporium' -- well, a butcher (preferably Italian) or Italian specialty store would be second-best. But anywhere you trust the sausage makers qualifies; the quality is key. And a tip: generally speaking, though Tuscany is the next region over, this dish does not use Tuscan-style sausages, which contain fennel seed. Try and use sausages without that anise flavor...if you're sticking to tradition, that is.

LENTICCHIE E SALSICCIA 

4 TBS. olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, chopped into small dice (1/8 inch)
1 celery stalk, chopped into small dice 
2 cloves garlic
3 cups Umbrian lentils (or Puy lentils), washed and sorted through to clean
2 sprigs rosemary
8 Italian sausage links, sliced in half lengthwise
1/3 cup hearty Italian red wine, Sagrantino if possible
1/2 cup water
Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Salt + pepper to taste

For the lentils:
- Warm the oil over medium heat in a wide saucepan with some depth (and one with a fitted lid). Add the garlic cloves and infuse the olive oil for a minute or so. 
- Add the chopped carrots, celery, and onion, and cook to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and cook another minute. 
- Add the lentils, stir well, and cover with cold water until submerged and with a bit of water above the lentils. Bring to a boil, add a couple of small sprigs of rosemary, and cover. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the lentils are cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*Lentils can be cooked in advance to this point*

- When the lentils are almost ready, or you're reheating them, heat a grill pan or a frying pan over medium-high heat, and add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. - Brown the sausages on both sides, making sure not to crowd the pan (we want them seared, not steamed).

- When sausages are fully browned, toss in the red wine and the water and let the liquid cook down and bubble up for a few minutes. Then cover, an cook for another 10 minutes or so.
- Plate the warm lentils on a serving platter, and then place the sausages on top of the bed of lentils. You can either use the wine gravy as is, or add a spoonful of a dijon mustard and whisk that into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the sausages and lentils, and sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Buon appetito!

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Il Sanlorenzo, Rome, ITALY

I recently tried to describe a certain category of Italian restaurant to someone who had spent very little time in Italy. The category is the upscale ristorante di pesce, or fish restaurant, and all over the Italian peninsula, this kind of restaurant stands out to me as its own special genre. The Italian fish restaurant also happens to be one of my favorite kinds of places in the world to enjoy a great meal.

I'm not talking about any old fish place. Sure, I love seaside spots where you can actually see the water your dinner came from, quite possibly caught just hours earlier. Italy excels in this type of dining experience too, though I've been lucky enough to have enjoyed plenty of great seaside restaurants around the world, from the Aeolian Islands to the Amalfi Coast to Venice, Thailand to Tel Aviv, Uruguay to southern France, Maine to the Florida Keys. I'm also not talking about the beloved seafood shack, where you can enjoy home-style specialties like lobster rolls and clam chowder, Old Bay-dusted crabs and fish and chips. I love those spots too, in all of their rubber-boots-in-sawdust-covered-floor glory. (I can still clean a crab, peel a shrimp, and deconstruct a lobster faster than most -- skills I learned as a young girl). No, I'm talking about the elegant, refined dining of an Italian ristorante di pesce, which may be at the beach or in a port, but is just as likely in a metropolitan city like Rome or Milan. 

My favorite spot in all of Rome for fine fish and "fruits of the sea" (frutti di mare) is a spot tucked on a back street off of Campo de' Fiori, and just down the street from my old beloved apartment on the edge of the Jewish quarter. In fact, it's the old site of what used to be called Sotto Sopra, location of the second incarnation of our American brunch in Rome --  a story for another time and another blog post. The space it occupies, meanwhile, is a gorgeous, cavernous bi-level restaurant with a raised, glassed-in kitchen and arched cathedral ceilings hung with beautiful chandeliers. The subterranean area (once the dungeon-like downstairs of a messy discoteca) is perfect as a wine cellar and temperate spot for sipping some of Il Sanlorenzo's delicious vintages. But beyond the vibrant, sophisticated atmosphere, the important thing here is the food -- and above all, the quality and freshness of the seafood itself. There is a display when you walk through the entrance featuring the day's fresh catch, which may include any variety of local white fish (branzino, turbot, gilthead bream), tuna, swordfish, crustaceans galore (the Mediterranean offers a wealth of shrimp varieties we've never seen in the States), mussels and clams, sea urchin, squid, octopus...and the list goes on. Much of it comes from the waters off the coast between Rome and Naples, though some items may come from Sicily and Puglia, all the way north to Venice.

The most talented Italian seafood chefs know that the best thing they can do to top-quality fish and seafood is to do very little. Let the delicate flavor of the fish shine through. Which is why a dish in the tasting antipasto of crudi (raw items) like the tartare trio is so enjoyable. We tasted three types of fish -- yellowfin tuna, sea bass, and amberjack -- cut into a small dice and mixed with extra-virgin olive oil, a squeeze of citrus, and a few fresh herbs. That's all the fish needs. The raw antipasto continued with one of my personal favorites, the carpaccio di gamberi rossi. They flatten the famous red shrimp from southern Italy into a paper-thin disc on the plate. It's then dressed with little more than olive oil, sea salt, a zest of lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice. It is beautiful on the plate and on the tongue. We proceeded with possibly my favorite of all elegant sea creatures: scampi. Don't be confused -- these are not the shrimp in 'shrimp scampi' (which makes no sense in Italian, by the way: it means 'shrimp langoustine' and does not exist as a dish in Italy). 

These are crustaceans of their own category, known in various parts of the world as langoustines, or Dublin Bay prawns, or in Italy, scampi. They are the sophisticated cross between a shrimp and the most tender baby lobster you can imagine. They can be cooked gently on a grill or in a saute' pan, or lightly poached, but to me, they're best raw. Like the red shrimp, their delicate briny flavor is best experienced with a soft, pliable texture that you can only have before they're cooked. There's not much meat for all the work required to get at it, but patience is rewarded with unique flavor. I think it's worth it. The final plate of our raw appetizer tasting was, per our request, some delicious, fresh-from-the-sea ricci di mare, or sea urchin, shown in this posting's opening photo. Again, it's not about quantity of substance, but rather the briny, unctuous punch packed into the tiny, flame-orange pockets of the prickly shell. These are actually egg sacks and offer up a creamy, custard-like saline treat you scoop out. To note is that all of this was accompanied by some delicious, wire-thin grissini, and washed down with a delicious, crisp rose' champagne. To me, the best accompaniment to fine raw seafood is often something sparkling.

The pastas on offer here are delicious and well-balanced -- memorable is a long pasta with lobster in which the pasta is cooked in lobster stock for an added layer of flavor. We split a primo so as not to throw our meal completely off course, which was a lovely tagliolini with a ragu featuring my beloved gambero rosso, both cooked and raw, with fresh uncooked tomato and herbs.  It was light and silky and the perfect portion.

Often, when a meal features spectacular antipasti, by the time you get to your secondo (main course), it can be a bit anticlimactic. Not here. There were so many options to tempt, and I know from past experience here that the simplest of dishes (a salt-baked spigola [sea bass], for instance) is anything but plain when done well. We decided on one simple main, and one less so. A delicious piece of Mediterranean sea bass was perfectly cooked, skin crisped, and set atop a bed of wilted greens and served on a clean, oven-roasted tomato consomme. We also thoroughly enjoyed the swordfish, marinated in soy and charred on the grill, which was plated on a brilliant spiral of sweet-and-sour vegetable sauce, garnished with frigitelli (small sweet green peppers) and pistachios. The two mains complemented each other well, and proved to be substantial enough that there was no way we had room for dessert! It's a shame because desserts here, too, are accomplished and decadent. But we had many more hours to go in our evening, and we didn't want to weigh ourselves down after an already grand meal. It turned out to be a good choice, all of it. My boyfriend said then, and continues to claim, that he felt as good after that meal as any meal he's ever eaten. It's quite a statement, but one with which I agree. Il Sanlorenzo makes you feel pampered with good service, well-fed and overwhelmingly happy with a delicious, fresh Italian seafood feast, and sends you off into the night, elated and satisfied. And really, what more could anyone ask of a great meal?

Ristorante Il Sanlorenzo

Via dei Chiavari 4/5 Roma

+39 (06) 686.5097

www.ilsanlorenzo.it

info@ilsanlorenzo.it

Closed Mondays.

MARKETS: L.A. Farmers Market

Farmer's Markets right now are, one could say, trending. And though we're using a very 21st century term for a much older concept, we can be thankful that there's been a kind of movement in this country to get back to the basics that once made this an agrarian nation. California is of course responsible for a large segment of America's produce. But when we think of Los Angeles, southern California's metropolis, we generally think of urban sprawl and smog, and Hollywood, Santa Monica and Malibu. But not...farms. And yet, the Los Angeles Farmers Market -- coined "The Original" -- is a venerable institution that has been around since 1934, when L.A. was decidedly less urban. At the corner of Third and Fairfax, its central location makes it a Los Angeles landmark. It's a market housed in a building structure that allows it to have an open courtyard feeling inside, while the merchants and restaurants within are based in covered permanent structures.

It's a destination where you can source great produce, poultry, meat, and seafood, and stay for lunch at one of the great stalls or restaurants housed in the market. Both Farm Boy Produce and Farm Fresh Produce offer great fresh fruits and veggies, including items you'd find not just in California, but also south of the border, and in Asia. Puritan Poultry offers fresh chicken, turkey, and exotic fowl, and Farmers Market Poultry specializes in delicious turkey and quality eggs. Marconda's Meats offers top-notch butchered cuts of beef, lamb, and pork, as well as homemade Italian sausages and cold cuts. Tusquellas Seafoods is the place for staples like shrimp, tuna, salmon, cod, and snapper, as well as fresh daily catches -- and some cooking tips for anyone who asks. Little Spain is a gourmet market with a tiny restaurant tucked into its back interior patio, and offers all the wondrous foods and specialty ingredients found in Spanish cooking. In fact, there are several specialty-item stores. Dragunara Spice Bazaar has a mind-boggling array of spices and spice mixes, as well as specialty salts (a personal favorite). T (The Tea Shoppe) has an exotic array of teas, particularly from Asia -- heavenly for all of those tea purists out there.

And Zia Valentina is a spot specializing in the fabulous frozen Sicilian treat called granita (the original frozen treat before Italians made the leap to gelato), as well as specialty Italian baked goods and healthy shakes and nibbles to jump-start your morning. There are several delicious bakeries, including Normandie Bakery (classic French style), T&Y Bakery, Short Cake, and Du-Par's Pie Shop (a real American throwback). And for old-fashioned American frozen goodness, there is Bennett's Ice Cream and Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream. 

And then there are the restaurants. With a generous seating area and so many delicious spots from which to choose, I could happily eat here 3 times a week if I lived in the area (luckily for my waistline, I do not). The restaurants in the Farmers Market are a reflection of the ethnic diversity of Los Angeles itself. Of course, you have Mexican food, sushi, pizza, Chinese, deli, and vegetarian food. But you also have Korean, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, Cajun, Greek, Texas BBQ, Spanish, and French cuisine featured here. I decided to try the Southeast Asian restaurant called Singapore's Banana Leaf, on a recent visit. They offer a mix of Singapore-style Malaysian, Indonesian, and Indian cuisine -- because that's how they eat in Singapore. This delicious mash-up proved satisfying, filling, and delicious. For under $10 a plate, any one dish would serve as a great lunch. But I suffered from eyes-bigger-than-my-stomach syndrome, and was curious to taste a couple of dishes. I started with the Rojak salad, a tasty tossing-together of cucumber, pineapple, bean sprouts, apple, tofu, and spinach. The spicy peanut-tamarind dressing brought it all together in the hot-sour way that makes food from this part of the world so interesting...and more-ish.

I followed that up with Mee Indo Style -- that is, pan-sauteed noodles with two satay sticks and a fried egg on top - -with spicy peanut sauce on the side for dipping, of course. If I'd been hung over it would have been beyond perfect, but as it stands, this lunch was pretty fabulous. A limeade to help wash it down was the best accompaniment I could have asked for.

There are other, non-food-related stores at the Farmers Market, including Zara, a sunglass store, and a new Havaianas store, to satisfy all of your Brazilian flip-flop fantasies. The Grove L.A. is literally steps away from the Farmers Market, too. It's a popular gathering spot if you need to make a run to the Apple Store, Nike, or Nordstrom, or to see a movie or grab a bite to eat in one of the pretty eateries in the main square. I prefer just enjoying the Farmers Market for what it offers. When L.A. can feel like a nameless, faceless sprawling metropolis, it's merchants and farmers that gather in one place, like this, that remind us that we're a community, first and foremost. That's enough for me. That, and maybe a scoop of ice cream.  

L.A. FARMERS MARKET 
Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 8 pm
Sunday: 10 am - 7 pm
Telephone: (323) 933.9211
Toll Free: (866) 993.9211
www.farmersmarketla.com