In the hood but off the menu...

Pierino loves his neighborhood gang. Like really. Like a whole lot.

Chef Amber Caudle at Mediterraneo does very fine cooking. I've blogged Med before. A few nights ago I came in hungry, sat at the bar with my books as company.

Pierino had planned to order from the menu. BUT Chef Amber turned the tables with a wonderful seared scallop dish plated in a sauce that could have been an aioli but that it was made with saffron. Saffron is Pierino's favorite ingredient in the entire history of the cooking world.

Amber followed that course with a very nice pasta putanesca.

The chef does also make a really great Spanish style tortilla as an appetizer. Pierino has figured out the secret but he's not going to share it yet. Not without the chef's go ahead

Peace, Love and especially love your Chefs. You need them more than you might think. And they need you.

Breakfast with the Quaker

Pierino typically doesn't eat a big breakfast. Normally we have a cup of coffee or a brioche and read the newspaper. Courtesy of Food Buzz and its Taste Maker program "Eggs in Purgatory" received some nifty samples of a new Quaker Oats product, "True Delights" granola bars.

Pierino likes them. Especially after having endured a lifetime's worth of "free" hotel breakfasts. Something about the smell of BHT in the communal breakfast room has always sent him scurrying back to his guest room. Hopefully clutching something other than USA Today.

But an oat bar in the morning goes really well with a cup of coffee. We liked the fact that the nuts were visible and added some excellent flavor and crunch. Our favorite was the "Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut."

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