Ramos House- Brunch Paradise

The Lady Crows are back from our California Vacation and are ready to share our food tales. In true crow fashion we cooked most of our meals and snacks, but the few places we did dine at were exquisite- this brunch cafe was definitely at the top of my list. Located in San Juan Capistrano, Ramos House Cafe epitomized all that is rustic- from the outdoor washroom, to the mason jar water glasses, this place conveyed a casual atmosphere with gourmet food.

All weekend Brunch meals are fixed price which includes your breakfast beverage, an appetizer and a main course. All of the meal descriptions sounded incredible, but if patrons still had trouble deciding each table had a cookbook at the center that listed all of the dishes with pictures and recipes- what a great idea! We indulged in bloody marys, mimosas, hush puppies, apple beignets, huckleberry coffee cake, duck hash, and red flannel hash. Pictured below is the epic bloody mary which came with a crab claw, pickled string beans and a deep fried quail egg. After that is a duck hash w/ wild mushroom egg scramble and herb sauce, and lastly was my dish- red flannel hash w/ deep fried poached eggs and goat cheese hollandaise sauce YUM.

I couldn't get my head around the concept of a deep fried poached egg where the yolk was cooked to a perfect golden color with a crispy outer crust so we had to ask the waitress. They informed us that the eggs were poached in water, chilled, dipped in batter, then flash fried- what a brilliant idea. It's definitely going to be hard to go back to the regular ones but this was a great vacation treat. Special thanks to the Welch family for treating us to such a memorable meal!

The Host

An Ode to Fish Taco

Despite the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weather we are being bombarded with here in the northeast my mind is still turning to summer and summer foods. Particularly my favorite of all hot summer take-out meals: the fish taco. This West Coast originated masterpiece comes in many forms; some bad, some good and some absolutely delicious. A zesty alternative to the fried haddock sandwich, the fish taco deserves to take its rightful place amongst the most scrumptious of summer mowing options. However, despite the apparent simplicity, a good fish taco is nearly impossible to find and even more impossible to make. Let me explain.

"What makes a good fish taco?" you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you. For me, the quality of a fish taco is best determined by the following 3 factors:


1. Fry Batter:
There are some who believe in a grilled fish taco. I am not one of them. It's summer goddamn it and I want some fried fish in my life. Crispy and slightly spicy does it for me; never soft or greasy.

2. Sauce(s):
It is all about lime when it comes to making the perfect zesty fish taco sauce. My all time favorite place (we'll get there later) used a chili lime sauce that brought down the house. In the absence of such culinary know-how, a good guacamole and sour cream can do the trick.

3. Veggie Crunch:
All that fry needs to be cushioned in a bed of crunchy freshness. A red cabbage slaw is my pick for #1, but some red onion and fresh lettuce also sets it off well.

And, it goes without saying that this should all be wrapped in a soft, chewy, slightly grilled fresh tortilla. This post is already making me hungry.

My relationship with the fish taco has been a toroid one. Like a bad RomCom heroine, I fall into deep, passionate, crazed love, only to be left after a few months with nothing but a craving and a few extra pounds to show for it.

The Mother of all fish tacos, the creme de la creme, the Brad Pitt of fish tacos to my Jennifer Aniston, was formally found at Crab Louie's (which before their tragic demise briefly changed their name to One Eyed Jack's) in downtown Portland, ME. Whoever owned you, Crab Louie's, if you are reading this now, PLEASE CALL ME. I will pay you any amount to taste the amazingness that was your fish taco one more time before I die. Their taco, with its crispy batter, chewy tortilla, cabbage slaw and chili lime sauce was all that is perfection in a world full of flaws. It was the holy grail of fish tacos, the place where I learned how to love. And now it has been taking from me forever and I am left to roam this earth in search of another fish taco to love.

While I was still recovering from this loss, I turned to El Pelon in the Fenway , where I found my John Mayer of fish tacos. Popular and loved by many in the past, it had many of the key ingredients and satisfied me for awhile. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't Brad Pitt, but I was happy. And then, as suddenly as our relationship had come to be, El Pelon burnt down. I should have seen it coming, after all, El Pelon had done this to me before (burnt down, that is). But still, I was shocked. And then I really had nothing. No Crab Louie's, no El Pelon. I was alone.
So I began the hunt. A chef I knew recomended I have a fling, so I flirted with La Verdad ( also in the Fenway) for awhile, but that quickly ended with disappointment. I tried to go back to an old flame- David's Cafe (Jamaica Plain)- but they had also closed down and left me. Even my high school lover- Chicky's (Portland, ME)- is no longer around for quick, nostalgic satisfaction.

So now, I am once again on the prowl for a fish taco to love. Anyone want to set me up?

I'll take my summer with a side of political turmoil

This was an interesting weekend that lacked the normalcy of weekends past. Sunny weather, goodbye parties, and a sighting of someone who looks like me reading the book I'm reading (In Defense of Food) on BART.

....and I feel asleep last night to a room of 3 boys trying to explain why they can't just get their hands to go through the table : /

Thanks Whiskey. More thanks to the Monks Kettle.

I don't know how I have let this place slip my sight until last night- I'm guessing it is because the average beer price is somewhere above $10. I suggest checking out the beer menu now so that when you(I'm looking at you crows and family members) come out to SF you know what you'll order before walking in the door!

Also of note- I saw several patrons ordering very large pretzels served with country mustard as their bar snack! I will defiantly check that out next time I go.


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On the food front I just made the delicious summer squash gratin c/o the New York Times, and, Wow. Wow. Wow, it was so delicious (gracias crow Vanessa). I used fontina and Parmesan, and ate it with a fresh salad and some yummy chopped peach.

Now I am off to try and make myself some smashing aprons! The fabric store by my house has incredible sales on dress fabrics...Polka dots and flowers anyone?

This Crow Has Landed!

My apologies on the lack of posts, this crow was busy soaring around Scotland for the past week enjoying lots of tasty morsels along the way. It was refreshing to go to a country that doesn't cram the phrases "fresh ingredients" "local" or "grass fed" down your throat; in most Scottish dining (as well as other European countries), these labels are not boasted, they are implied.

Nick and I treated ourselves to one fancy shmancy dinner while we were in Edinburgh at Maison Bleue (Its that first blue building shown in the picture above). It was classic french dining with some subtle Scottish flare. To start, we split a bowl of Shetland Mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. I know this sounds sacrilegious coming from a Maine gal, but these were the best mussels I have ever had. To top it off they even brought over some tea cups with warm water and lemon slices so we could rinse off our grimy seafood hands (usually a reason that prevents me from ordering messy seafood in restaurants). For the main course, Nick ordered the special of the day- freshly caught sea bass served whole over roasted vegetables and prawns. The seasonings were very basic to not mask the fresh fish flavor. I was feeling a bit carnivorous that night, and I also knew I could peck at Nick's Sea Bass, so I went for the fillet of beef with potato gratin, roasted vegetables and a delicious creamed pepper sauce to top it all off. Meat was cooked perfectly to a pretty pinkish red, and I could cut through it with a butter knife- now that's perfection.

Unfortunately we didn't have time for dessert because we had to meet up with our Hostel's nightly pub crawl to catch some drink specials. Speaking of Specials, the hostel we stayed at had great deals with the surrounding cafes and pubs (which was desperately needed due to the awful dollar to pound conversion rate). This cafe was our go to spot for cheap, but delicious food and drink, they also had some Internet we could tap into. They offered backpackers Two for One Burgers and Panninis and Two for One Selected Beers and Mixed Drinks.

Overall the food was fantastic in Scotland, usually your diet suffers when you're on vacation but definitely not here! They could however use a couple of microbreweries- their national beer, Tennets, was quite possibly weaker than Budweiser ick!

I know this doesn't have much to do with food but this is the Castle we stayed in for Sarah and Jared's Wedding (the reason for our Scottish Adventure)

The Lady Crows fly down Huntington

Sunday, in celebration of this blogger's birthday, a few of the Lady Crows flew away from the nest and perched for the afternoon at the end of the Savant Project’s bar. Nestled next to Flann's and across from The Mission, the Savant project is frequently overlooked in favor of saucier locations. Fortunately, after the exciting culinary adventure we were brought on during the few hours we spent at the Savant Project it is unlikely that the lady crows will ever ignore this gem again.

Led by Captain (bartender) Daniel, we began our tasting journey with a round of champagne cocktails (after all; it was mid afternoon). Holly and I opted for the "Chuci Coo"; champagne served with mango juice and green tea. The drink was refreshing, but Miss Mo's choice was the clear winner; the "Old Wise," a ultra refreshing combination of champagne, lychee and fresh mulled mint. Bonus points for serving champagne cocktails with their own individually portioned small bottle; nothing is worse than a flat mimosa after the bottle has been opened for the entire brunch shift!

For apps (half price every afternoon!) we indulged in tuna sashimi, three cheese and pickled jalapeno empanadas and tempura veggies with mustard peanut sauce. The tuna was fresh but the salad and lime-wasabi vinaigrette fell a bit below expectations with the wasabi being represented only by the peas that topped the salad and the dressing's flavors disappearing almost entirely in the greens and not adding anything to the fish portions. The tempura veggies were done perfectly with juicy on the inside, crisp on the outside, bite-sized chunks of zucchini and a good portion of a fresh and complimentary sauce. Only complaint is that I feel there could have been more variety in the veggies offered. The empanadas were flawless though- light and savory with an excellent fresh salsa on the side.

The Savant Project scores major points for being exceptionally creative with their limiting cordial license. They infuse their liquors themselves right behind the bar and we were lucky enough to get a sampling from Daniel while we snacked. We tried their lychee infused vodka, the pear-infused dark rum and the peach-infused bourbon as well as their house red and white sangrias. All were delicious (although the rum and the bourbon made this crow breath fire). I particularly enjoyed the white sangria, which was crisp, fruity and light; perfect for summer sipping. We probably would have ordered the sangria for round two had there not been a chilled bottle of sparkling white already propped on the counter in front of us. Daniel tried to tempt us with whole lychees, pulled straight out of the vodka jar, but even the most hardened of us crows found them impossible to swallow.

All in all, the Savant Project left us with no reason to Caw. The service was top-notch (thanks Daniel!) or bar companions friendly, the food inexpensive and satisfying, and the drinks creative and free-flowing. The crows will definitely be seen roosting on this bar in the future.