Notes from the Field

A few things I've been up to this week:

• Apart from calibration, I'm not sure how my mother's bathroom scale says I'm five pounds heavier than my own.

• Went out with friends last night to Grano. I don't drink a lot of wine but the guys brought (Eric, refresh my memory here) a 2007 Languedoc that they were particularly impressed with. I had their lovely puttanesca sauce over linguine. In fact, I think we all ordered linguine, with different sauces. For dessert, I ordered the only one they had for the evening: coconut flan. The idea of picking nasty little bits of shredded coconut out of the flan did not thrill me, but I'm glad I took the waitress's advice. It was more coconut milk and less coconut flakes. Actually, I don't remember any coconut flakes. And the coconut was subtle. It was very good.

• Grano's second location is now open, by the way.

• I found out that the Hippo has Dogfish Head Pumkin Ale until it runs out. The Raison D'Extra is a more permanent fixture.
  

• Been making too many hot milk cakes lately. But I've noticed they take a good week and a half to two weeks to start "turning" so it's a nice, reliable cake.

• I finally found the Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon on Thursday, when it was at 1000 Hull Street, by the Tide Point complex. I need to check this neighborhood out more. I had no idea that the view of the Harbor was so lovely! That and there are a few restaurants that I need to check out in this part of South Baltimore, including but not limited to the Harvest Table (now serving brunch!) and the Whetstone Grill, also on Hull Street, with a dizzying variety of food, wine and beer options. But back to the temporary resident, the Chow Wagon. Their website claims it's the best burger in town. After ordering the Otis Burger ($8) - featuring sautéed mushrooms, red onions, Monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses with tomato, lettuce, all piled on a beef burger and sammiched inside a kaiser roll - well? I must say it really was a very good burger. It wasn't dried out at all. Don't expect it to be one of those monster burgers you get at Alonso's. You will probably be able to finish this one during lunch. I swore I would save half of it for later but I just kept on taking a bite, putting it down, and so on. The burger was well done and was a little juicy - not so much to make a mess, but just enough. It was such a nice day that I had to sit outside and enjoy the burger next to the harbor. Since I don't eat lunch out too often, I won't be seeking it out much. It'll be one of those occasional treats. One thing I should've done was ask if I could substitute one of the other three types of burger: turkey, vegetarian or - gasp! - bison! I don't get to eat a lot of bison, and I'm getting that the next time I hit them up.
  

Otis poses for the camera

• As if my lunch wasn't going to pack enough calories on, I also had to stop by the Baltimore Cupcake Company, since I was, y'know, in the neighborhood.