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Kilwin's Chocolates - Annapolis, MD & 2nd Chances

It's Easter Sunday. Regardless if you believe in Jesus or not, it's hard not to be struck with the power and beauty that is the story of Easter. It's all about second chances. And if you watch the evening news with any regularity, it's hard to believe any of us are deserving of a second chance. Still by grace we continue to receive them. Never ceases to amaze me.

If there are any deserving of a second chance, it's Nick and Molly Pastermack of Kilwin's Chocolates in Annapolis, Maryland. Molly found my humble little blog where I wrote about a trip to Kilwin's Chocolates roughly six months ago. Navy football game, boat show and busy Saturday night traffic made for a bit of confusion at Kilwin's that night. Molly asked me if I'd be willing to give Kilwin's a second chance and promptly sent me a batch of the velvety butter creams I had missed. She also sent lovely hazelnut truffles, chocolate and walnut covered rice krispy treat (yum!), a bag of caramel popcorn with pecans (Nutcracker Sweet) and the truly divine chocolate bombe truffle that is worth it's weight in gold. Of course I told her that I'd only do it on one condition...

The Fractured Prune - Dulles, VA

Every culture has their version of fried dough. Hush-puppies, churros, beignets, zeppoli, malasadas, pirozhki, funnel cake, so on and so forth. But it's the ubiquitous doughnut that, at least in this country, takes the cake. So much creativity, so much inspiration. It's hard to find a doughnut that hasn't been tried at least once. (On a side note, I have heard of a Portland doughnut eatery happily named VooDoo that makes a maple bar topped with bacon and NyQuil & Pepto Bismol concoction. Former, yay! Latter, blech!)

A fellow AOL'er and foodie comrade hipped me to the most unfortunate named doughnut establishment smashed between campus and the airport. Named for a spunky Baltimore octogenarian (well, close... she was in her 70's) who gave the men of the late 1800's a run for their sporting money, all while breaking a few bones along the way. Her God given name was Prunella and soon was dubbed "Fractured Prunella". Inspired by her gumption, The Fractured Prune was born.

The same night as his glowing endorsement, my fiance and I hightailed it to the middle of nowhere for a sampling. The verdict?

Caramelization

I have to learn how to master the art of the short post. It takes so much out of me to write a restaurant review. Plus, work has been like a really bad episode of Jeopardy as of late, so I've been ignoring my beloved food blog. In order to bridge the gap between bearing my soul and doing nothing, I'm inspired to give quick culinary school tips to my loyal readers.

Over the weekend I hosted a Recession Party for some co-workers. My good friend from North Carolina brought her 8 year-old daughter to enjoy my renditions of pasta and Guitar Hero. She told me that she wanted to be a chef (and a dancer, actress, singer and several other things I can't recall). So, I did what any chef would do... I put her short self to work. And she rocked it! She happily made garlic bread, assisted in the creation of Bolgnese sauce and even added her flair to an otherwise uninspired salad. I was quite impressed with the passion of this young'n.

Rodeo Mexican Grill - Los Angeles

It's no secret that my new home in Virginia is chock full of horrible Mexican food. Locals try to point me in the proper direction, but I'm disappointed time and time again. Those who have ever spent an appreciable amount of time in California, especially Southern, know the difference.

Needless to say when our plane landed at LAX, all I wanted was Mexican. Thankfully, my quest helped discover a hidden gem in the middle of LA.

My soon-to-be in-laws hipped me to Rodeo Mexican Grill in the Pico Union area. To be honest, I have no idea how long it's been on the unsuspecting corner of Olympic and Union but it looked fairly new. Apparently my fiance's grandmother unearthed this spot, introduced it to his parents who then turned us on. What a treat!

This edition of Rodeo was impressive to start as it had a dedicated parking lot, something you don't see too often for an inexpensive spot other than In-N-Out or McDonald's. The restaurant itself was on the small side, but boy did they pack 'em in. Meander through the switchback velvet rope dividers to place your order as you look at the amateur food photography. (Kind of like my iPhone shot. Lighting was dark and I wasn't prepared to like this place so much.)

Mekong - Richmond, Virginia

I love discovering hidden foodie towns. It's like finding $20 in the pocket of a jacket you rarely wear, or someone in the checkout insisting you go before them. So nice! Keith and I recently took a trip to Richmond, Virginia to see Christmas lights. Unexpectedly, Richmond turned out to be quite fond of great food.

I don't normally like taking the advice of the tourist mag you find in hotel rooms. They're always full of crappy restaurants that charge a boatload of money for less than average food. Because you're a tourist, how are you to know? But, for lack of a tour guide, we opted to research all the suggestions and decide who looked the least deceptive. After reading one food critic say if they could they would eat at Mekong every single day of their life, we had to give it a try.

Dining at Mekong, we hit pay dirt!

Situated in a very nondescript almost shady looking strip mall, we just about rolled right past this beloved Vietnamese restaurant. As we pulled up into the parking lot it was full and clearly getting fuller. A good sign.

Tackle Box - Washington D.C.

You've got to respect the East Coast for their passionate love of two things: beach vacations and seafood. Take either one away and I think there would be a riot on our hands. And even though the Mexican food thus far has been less than abysmal, I have yet to have a fish focused meal that didn't pass muster. Needless to say, my recent visit to Tackle Box in Georgetown had me fall for the whole seaside vacay seafood thing hook, line and sinker.

Situated next to its posh sister fish eatery Hook, Tackle Box is more apropos for Old Orchard Beach or Atlantic City. The boardwalk vibe is palpable with wood planked walls, weathered picnic tables and benches and hand drawn menus signaling the catch is fresh off the lobster boats.

Upon entering the small locale you're struck by the groups of happy lobster roll eaters, stranger next to stranger, wiping up every last drop from Styrofoam plates and cheap plastic silverware. I knew this was going to be a treat.

My dinner companions and I must have taken too long in front of the massive chalk outlined Tackle Box menu as we were greeted by the sweetest staffer who came from behind the counter. He was patient and full of great suggestions. I certainly admire anyone willing to tell me honestly what they eat on break.

Ciudad Turns 10 - Los Angeles, CA

I have a special fondness for Ciudad. Not only does it have incredible pan-Latin food and was literally a stones throw away from where I worked in Downtown LA, but I had the pleasure of staging there (fancy French word for intern) for a month while in culinary school. What an amazing experience.

(Pay close attention to the flatbread dusted in various seeds and spices on the table before you order. I earned one gnarly burn balancing three scalding hot sheetpans making those bad boys. A Ciudad scar I wear proudly.)

I got this once in a lifetime opportunity from Chef Beni Velasquez when he was Executive Chef there. Not only that, I was fortunate enough to meet co-owner Susan Feniger while staging there, one half of the infamous "Too Hot Tamales". Only in LA...

Kilwin's Chocolates - Annapolis, MD

Yes, I'm going to take advantage of just about every opportunity to try new foods in every place Keith and I journey to. Some will be good, some will be bad. I will do my best to give you the real.

Chocolate is a subject I happen to be a fan of. In culinary school I can remember getting into the tempered chocolate every chance Chef wasn't watching.

When touring downtown Annapolis over the weekend, I insisted we try one of the two chocolate shops I noticed. This one was hard to pass up thanks to the 9 foot tall Moose scaring little children outside. Nothing says good chocolate like a huge moose. But I digress...

Balducci's, I'm in love!

You would think that a self-professed foodie such as myself would have already been to Balducci's. I mean it is the food lover's market. No seriously. The sign out front said so.

On the way to the Navy game over the weekend my fiance and I took a wrong turn and ran smack into a Balducci's in Bethesda, MD. I had only heard dreamy stories about this food lovers paradise. Imported cheese, Iberico ham, exotic vinegars, fine cuts of meat and a salad bar that would make you cry. Oh, now that I've actually been there... it is so much more.

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium - Annapolis, MD

Over the coming months I'll be starting several pilot programs that should be fun. The first in this series is the "Stadium Eats" review section. Over the past 10 years food has become quite an event at stadiums, ballparks and arenas. As I travel to new places, I thought it would be fun to cover the food scene at stadiums, large and small. As always, if you've got suggestions please leave a comment.

Up first is the football home of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis' own Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the exciting Navy vs. Pittsburgh game over the weekend. And much like the game itself, this stadium had eats that were quite unexpected.