An Loi- Vietnamese Restaurant, Columbia MD

Last week my friend Drew and I were really in the mood for pho, authentic vietnamese soup made up of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles, so we decided to check out An Loi Vietnamese Restaurant for Lunch in Columbia, MD.

Drew surveying the Menu

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very nicely decorated.

We both ordered the Pho Gai- slices of chicken breast with rice noodles and other garnishes. Even though this soup tasted bland at first, it was bursting with flavor after we added the garnishes (basil leaves, limes, and vietnamese bean sprouts). The sour limes, combined with the sweet yet pungent flavor of the basil made a world of difference. The bean sprouts were just added for extra texture. On a different note, as we continued to eat, the garnishes seemed to soak into the soup and provide a richer taste with every bite. You might think it's only soup, but Pho definitely fills you up. For $7.95, you can get a a sizably large bowl of pho at a great price.  

Drew debating whether he likes pho or not

He liked it and is going back for more.

This is possibly the best pho I've ever had..........yet.

- Charles

We're Featured in Her Mind Magazine!

Her Mind Magazine

Story by Mary Lou Baker and Photography by Mary C.Gardella

Her Mind Magazine reports on the accomplishments, the celebrations and the challenges of Howard County Women. Their most recent issue featured an article called Veggie Tales and profiled our mom, Lisa Regnante. 

Mary Lou Baker praised her as food activist who emphasizes homemade communal meals and healthy eating. Sounds about right...Keep up the good work mom!

Check out how our mom played an important role in cultivating our love for food in this article of Her Mind Magazine .      

P.S. We also gave the magazine our "2Dudes Sports Shake" recipe so be sure to check that out as well. 

Here are some pictures from the article of us making one of our signature family meals: Pesto Pasta Primavera  served with Garlic Bread    

Asparagus

Thomas and I making homemade garlic bread

Adding Sun Dried Tomatoes to Pesto Pasta

Fresh Basil

A special thanks to Her Mind magazine for a fantastic article. You guys rock!

- The 2 Dudes

It's National Donut Day Today

Check out some great home donut recipes here at Chow.com

Chai Sufganiyot Donuts with Orange- Pumpkin Buttercream

Click here to learn how to get FREE donuts today for National Donut Day 2015

National Donut Day 2015 Freebies: Dunkin’ Donuts And 6 Other Places Offering Free Food June 5

Find out how to get free donuts from Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme and more on National Donut Day 2015!

IBTIMES.COM|BY REBECKA SCHUMANN

Donuts of National Donut Day from Kupcakes & Co.

They have baked extra cake donuts to celebrate! Kupcakes & Co offers a special today only- all donuts are $1.50 each. They will have chocolate Oreo, vanilla sprinkle, pancakes and bacon, chocolate sprinkle, strawberry, and vanilla Oreo. Don't they look mouthwatering!

Centre Park Grill - Ellicott City

Centre Park Grill is a new restaurant in Ellicott City, located in the old Café de Paris spot. I first learned about Centre Park Grill via a tweet from Bare Midriff’s. 

I decided to take my friend Arman with me to check it out.

                                                                                                                           On opening weekend, we arrived at the Centre Park Grill around 5:30 on a Friday to a fairly crowded and loud restaurant. Most people were at the bar, which is not in its own secluded spot, but is located in the middle of the restaurant.

I expected a more formal atmosphere for a place that serves upscale cuisine. However, it had a cozy and lively feel. 

The service was amazing. Our waitress constantly refilled our water glasses and regularly asked us about our meals. Even the owner came by to check on us. 

 
Usually when I receive bread at restaurants, they offer me a slab or stick of butter. However, Center Park Grill does it right with creamy churned butter. The subtle difference is evident as this butter is easier to spread and just rich and whipped goodness. The bread had a nice sweetness, similar to Panettone bread (Italian fruitcake) but without the tiny fruit pieces.

For my entree, I selected the 14 oz prime New York strip (cooked medium) with truffle butter. For my two complementary sides, I choose the bourbon glazed sautéed mushrooms and the "lil butter n' cream" sweet mash potatoes. 

The presentation made my mouth water. I'm a sauteed mushroom fan and these mushrooms were out of this world - buttery, savory, and soft. I could have easily eaten two portions. 

The steak was equally as delicious. Easy to cut thanks to the largest steak knife I've ever seen. The slight crisp on the outside, coupled with the flavorings of the truffle butter on the moist, tender meat, made for a crazy good meal. 

The sweet mashed potatoes were also excellent. They were more of a puree than mashed potatoes, all smooth and no chunks. This side dish comes right out of the oven hot and ready (maybe a little too hot because I had to wait a while for it to cool down so I didn't burn my mouth). 

I also ordered the house salad with my meal. I liked the combination of arugula, red onions, carrots, and assorted greens. My mom makes salads with these ingredients all the time so this dish hit close to home. 



















Arman ordered the 28-day-dry-aged ribeye with black truffle salt fries. He loved the large portion. As you can see above, this 16 oz steak nearly covered the entire plate. 

My friend thought that the ribeye flavor was more bland in comparison to the New York Strip and wasn't as juicy. He would have preferred truffle butter to enhance the flavor. Also, Arman stated that the delicate yet mildly crunchy fries were one of the best fries he has ever tasted. 

There are many more menu items that we'd like to try another time such as the Cubano and Salmon BLT sandwiches. There are also a variety of salads and burgers that look interesting.

Centre Park Grill has great potential.  Let me know if you try it.

- Thomas

Soup for Breakfast

Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Americans traditionally eat eggs or cereal to start the morning. I like both. Bout have you ever tried soup for breakfast? Yes, soup. I know you're probably thinking "are you crazy?" But you'd be surprised how good it feels in the morning to have a hearty, warm bowl of soup.

In fact, in many countries around the world it's tradition to start the day with soup, especially Asian countries such as China, Korea and Vietnam.

Breakfast of homemade miso soup, green tea and Mandarin oranges 

My first venture with soup for breakfast was miso soup. It seemed like an easy soup to make since there were just a few ingredients.

I found miso broth at Whole Foods. Then I added the following to the miso broth - sliced garlic, spinach, ginger, garlic salt, and mushrooms.  Once the broth and vegetables simmered a bit so that the flavors had a chance to meld together, I added cubed silky tofu and a package of rice noodles (purchased at our local supermarket in the Asian aisle). It was that easy.

Miso soup is also easy to experiment with.  For example, try substituting kale instead of spinach or other greens. Or use a combination of greens and different vegetables. Or add more ginger or garlic for a stronger taste. 

In fact, I substituted vegetable potstickers for the rice noodles. It gave the soup a whole different taste. Make your own dumplings or do what I did and buy them already made. The brand I like best is from Whole Foods but you can find potstickers in most all food stores in the frozen aisle. 

In case you still think I'm crazy about having soup for breakfast here's a few articles about the health benefits of miso soup here and here.

Also, check out what people all the around the world eat for breakfast here. 

If you have an interesting healthy breakfast idea, let us know. 

- Charles 

"The Counter" at Whole Foods in Columbia, Maryland

Whole Foods in Columbia, Maryland recently debuted their new menu at "The Counter", the in-store diner-like area, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Charles and I were invited to a private taste testing party for bloggers to try some of the new menu items. We were allowed to bring two guests. We choose two of our favorite Centennial High School teachers, Mrs. Bagley (Independent Research) and Madame Doff (French).

Charles and I with our teachers

You might look at The Counter pictures and say "wait, hasn't that spot always been there?" Yes, it has but now it features new menu items to enjoy.

Chickpea Fries with Truffle Salt

Here's some of the items we tasted -

At quick glance, the Chickpea Fries looked like regular steak-cut fries. The taste, however, is completely different. It's much more bland.It doesn't really tastes like chickpeas. It's hard to really compare the flavor to some other dish, it is just so unique. On the bright side, these fries are healthier than normal fries, and you won't notice the difference if you dunk them in ketchup.

Sweet & Spicy Brussel Sprouts 

Although the Brussels Sprouts were billed as"sweet and spicy", but they were more sweet than spicy. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of brussels sprouts, but this dish changed my perspective entirely. The brussels fluctuated from being initially crispy to a soft state, which made an interesting quasi crunchy texture.

The Stack

"The Stack" (wheat-less pancakes served with apple butter and maple syrup) was surprisingly good. I wasn't too sure how wheat-less pancakes  would taste but I was pleasantly surprised. The pancakes were delicate and fluffy. I've actually never tried pancakes with apple butter before, and after tasting this, it certainly won't be my last time.

The Counter Fave

The Counter Fave consisted of braised kale, caramelized kielbasa, fried egg, and aged cheddar on a whole wheat english muffin. Although this sandwich has many similarities to The Biscuit (see below), the kielbasa sausage is what gives this dish a true distinctively sharp taste. Madame Doff ate kielbasa as a child and thought the potent sausage was a great choice for a breakfast sandwich. If you don't like kale, don't worry. It didn't stand out in the sandwich, it just complemented the other ingredients.

The Biscuit 

The Biscuit breakfast sandwich consists of fried egg, sautéed spinach, chipotle remoulade, and American cheese on a biscuit. I'm a huge fan of sautéed spinach, so this ingredient made the dish all the better. However, the biscuit was just a bit too flaky for my liking. I enjoyed the Counter Fave the best, but The Biscuit came in a close second.

The Scramble 

The Scramble includes southwest tofu and aged cheddar scramble. The tofu tastes like egg whites, which I very much enjoy. If they had a choice, both of my teachers would prefer regular eggs instead of tofu. However, I think the dish is a nice change up from the traditional eggs for breakfast, definitely worth a try.

Currylaska

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        One world to describe the Currylaska soup -  inferno. This is the spiciest soup I have ever tried in my life, and I don't mean spicy in a good way. I mean it can send you to the hospital spicy. I couldn't even take two sips without running to get an entire glass of water. My teachers had the same reaction, waaaaay too spicy. But, hey, if you like VERY spicy foods (can't emphasize this enough) THIS is your dish.

Chicken & Biscuit
fried chicken thighs, buttermilk biscuit with sausage gravy 

The Chicken & Biscuit photo doesn't do it justice. The aesthetic of this dish can be quite deterring. However, you'll be in a state of serendipity when you indulge in this dish. It satisfied all my taste buds - crispy, buttery, sweet, salty and flakey. If you like fried chicken, I'd give this one a try.

Avocado Tacos:
deep fried avocado, cabbage slaw and chipotle remoulade

I've dubbed these tacos "The Bomb" because they explode vegetarian goodness in your mouth - the combo of the avocado, crunchy on the outside & velvety ripeness inside, with sweet slaw and tangy chipotle sauce. Perfection!!!!

Tuscan Kale Salad
The salad is comprised of shredded kale, cranberries, sunflower seeds and citrus vinaigrette. In all honesty, I can't eat kale by itself. The vinaigrette proved that all you need is the right dressing to make a dish taste amazing. The dressing made each kale leaf radiate with zest. In additions, the raw onions' firm texture acted as a foil to the pliable kale. Whole Foods knows how to make a salad. 

The Columbia Burger
1/2 lb short rib blend, brioche roll, caramelized onion, mushroom and
special sauce

Doesn't this picture look beguiling? Just look at the beauty of this burger. It tastes exactly as it looks - big, juicy, sautéed golden onions, gooey warm cheese on buttery brioche. Incredible!!! It deserves to be called The COLUMBIA Burger. Hail to the CB!!

                                               My brother Charles (left), one of the amazing WF chefs, and me                                                  

Cacio e Pepe
Spaghetti, Pecorino Cheese, Butter and Cracked Black Pepper 

The Cacio e Pepe Italian pasta dish is something we make at home often. Although we don't call the dish anything special, just pasta with butter and cheese, it's a feel good meal. Cheesy sharp pecorino melted with sweet butter over warm pasta. This is comfort food at its best and WF does a pretty good job (and it's not even an Italian restaurant).                                                                                              




                                                                       


The Counter is a great place to chill whether you are eating alone on a counter stool watching your food being prepared or with friends at the very long wooden communal table. It's open for breakfast through dinner - serving breakfast all day long (how cool is that!)

We've been back since we attended the taste tasting party. If we see us hanging out at the counter, come say hi.

Thank you Whole Foods for inviting us "Dudes" and our high school teachers to this special party. It was a great night and we loved trying all the new menu offerings at The Counter.

 - Thomas

Gift bags for the taste test participants