It’s hard to believe that 2014 has already come and gone. Chelsea and I have tried some amazing foods this year in the course of all our food adventures.
I’m a very repetitious person in that once I’ve found a dish I like on a menu, I tend to just settle in and always pick the same thing. Well, in the last year, both of us really jumped outside our comfort zone, and it was an eye-opening experience.
I’m going to hit on a few of my favorite places from the past year. These are places I’ve gone to more than once, and have tried several dishes at.
I could talk about Toga Grill and chef Sammi’s food all day. And I’ll say if you want Greek and Lebanese food in this area, you need to make the move to Nelson Road. Chef Sammi has a deep love for food, and it shows in the freshness and creativity of his dishes.
There are a few things I really hate to eat. Eggplant is one of them. We Italians use eggplant in a lot of our food, but I never once liked it in any dish I had. Then Sammi made me some of his Cilantro Eggplant, and I was very impressed with how easy it was for me to eat it.
I drive around a lot during the day for work. Once I’d been on the other side of town and detoured to the “south side” to get an order of hummus and potatoes. I saw Sammi right before the holidays; he told me they were moving into a larger location during 2015. I’m very excited to see the new location, which, by the way, is in the same complex the restaurant is already located in. So don’t worry, everyone — they won’t be far away.
Tasterite Jamaican has become my hands-down favorite place to eat in SWLA. The owner-operators Heather and Damon are a big reason why. They both always have big smiles on their faces and make me feel right at home when I walk through the doors.
I’ve eaten here over a dozen times in the last six months. I’ve worked my way through the menu. Of course, I have a favorite dish, and that is the Pork Pot Roast. The pork is cooked down in a dark, rich gravy, and the meat has a slight sweetness to it. It is so very tender. I’ve tried to explain to people how great it was, but words never do it justice; so I just tell them to trust me and go in to try it. I haven’t had one person tell me they didn’t like it.
Not long ago, I was talking to both Damon and Heather, and they said they always wanted to try deer meat, as it wasn’t something their cultural food uses. I told them I was going to get them some.
I trust the food opinions of John Leger, a mechanic who works with me, because he hands-down makes one of the baddest gumbos on the planet. John had some deer meat he’d cut up for a stew and said we should take Damon and Heather the meat.
We went in to see Damon because he’s the mad scientist in the kitchen. I got a call about three hours later to tell me the deer was done. When I got there, Heather had already tasted it. I do believe she’s a deer fan now. The meat was cooked down in a dark, rich gravy, and this had a sweet, spicy flavor to it. I will say it’s the best deer recipe I’ve ever had. I made sure all the people at the office tried it. They all thought it was a great deer dish.
I wish Damon and Heather were in a bigger location so I could take a bunch of people to their place. The food is so damn good that I don’t mind the travel.
Pint House Pizzeria was my big sleeper this year. Nothing since Rikenjacks has worked in that location. When Pint House first opened, there were hospitality concerns, so I really had no expectations this was going to be a very different place.
My friend Garrett and I ended up there one day because we weren’t in a fried fish mood on a Friday.
Well, now I’ve been in three more times, and I still haven’t had a dish I didn’t like. Some were well above any expectations I could ever have had. I’m not the biggest fan of duck, and most definitely would never have ordered it on a pizza. But since I started writing “Dishing It Out,” I’ve said I wouldn’t say no to any foods we had the chances to try, and I’d order that pizza every time I went in.
The place has a great vibe. The week my article about it came out, I went in to eat, and I asked myself if I could write about Pint House two issues in a row. So maybe that gives you an idea how much I like them.
In closing, I want to say that as a former chef and small business owner, I know the struggle these owners go through every day to make a product the masses will enjoy and support. It is not an easy business to be in. It takes local support. And I know these big box restaurants put people to work and that money helps our economy. But our local businesses are breathing a life into our communities that these chain places will never understand.
This is going to be an exciting year in our area for food. I am thankful I’m able to share my opinions about the places I and Chelsea visit. I hope everyone has a great new year.
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