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| (Image from www.artofeating.com) |
The English poet and
hymnodist William Cowper (1731-1800) said it best in his poem “The Task” (1785): “…Variety is the very spice of life,
That gives it all its flavor...” For me, everything
I approach, I try to do so openly, and with a curiosity to learn from that new
experience, and then apply it often.
Today’s edition features
reviews of delicious seafood from Maryland’s finest, Cameron’s Seafood, and
refreshing beverages that include Beetology, Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Beers,
Cusa Premium Tea, and Wicked Joe Coffee, plus a review of the Palmer House Hilton Hotel’s popular Lockwood Restaurant
& Bar. Each of these special tasting
experiences will definitely please your palate. Enjoy!
~
Maryland’s Finest ~
Cameron’s Seafood ~ Crab Cake Stuffed Sea Scallops, Crab Stuffed Jumbo
Shrimps, Maryland Cream of Crab Bisque, Maryland Jumbo Crab Cake, #1 Male
Maryland Blue Crabs, and Large Gulf Spiced Shrimp ~ When it comes to
seafood, there definitely is a difference in freshness, taste and overall
quality. Cameron’s Seafood is superior in all of these aspects. Since 1985, Cameron’s Seafood has been the premier direct seafood provider
throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania, as well as an online
retailer, for its exquisite tasting seafood, especially its signature Crab offerings.
I had the pleasure of taste testing each of
the listed products, and each one was stellar on its own. The Crab
products were freshly caught in Maryland’s
Chesapeake Bay, and shipped the day they’re caught, assuring maximum
freshness. The Crabmeat was very impressive and outstanding in taste and texture;
its meat was thick, sweet, moist, and tender, and like none other I’ve
consumed. The Crab stuffing for the Crab
Cake, Sea Scallops and Jumbo Shrimp were mostly Crab, with a small amount of flavorful
filler and binder made from breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, eggs, and their signature
seasoning blend of eleven ingredients (based on the popular Old Bay Seasoning); the stuffing mixture
was subtle in taste, which allowed for the taste of the Crab to be the dominant taste factor. The Crab
Cake, Stuffed Sea Scallops, and Stuffed
Jumbo Shrimp were huge portions.
The
Crab Bisque was rich and dense with
most of the contents being huge chunks of the mouth watering Crab; it was so rich, that it could
almost be eaten with a fork; my only issue was that it tasted a bit too salty;
I ended up using salt-free saltine crackers, which helped temper the
saltiness. Both the Male Crabs and Spiced Shrimp
were seasoned and fully steam-cooked, and ready to eat; all I had to do was
either slightly warm them (following directions), or eat them cold; incredibly
delicious! All of these products were
easy to prepare and exceptionally delicious.
For more information, visit https://www.cameronsseafood.com
~
Refreshing Beverages ~
Beetology ~ Beet+Cherry Juice, Beet+Lemon+Ginger Juice, Beet+Tropical
Juice, and Beet+Veggie ~ One of the trendiest healthy beverages to hit
the market is anything with beetroot in it.
Beets are a very healthy vegetable, high in fiber, and nutrient-dense;
some of the nutrients in beetroot include minerals and vitamins like Potassium, Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Manganese,
Copper, Selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, and Folate. Beetology
are cold-pressed, which preserves the nutrient value of the vegetable; they’re
also certified organic, non-GMO, and certified fair trade. You’ll enjoy these naturally sweet drinks as
is, or added to smoothies; try using them in your soups or sauces for a flavor
add. For more information, visit http://kayco.com/brands/beetology210
Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Brews ~ Extra Spicy (Regular) Ginger Beer,
Extra Spicy Sugar Free Ginger Beer, and Sugar Free Ginger Ale ~ I’ve always enjoyed the taste of ginger, whether
it was in a recipe or added to a beverage.
I especially enjoy the refreshing taste of a ginger beer. Ginger is one of those wonder roots that has
many healthy benefits to it, among them being a natural anti-inflammatory and
natural anti-infection. Ginger’s taste
is very potent and a little of the root goes a long way; I learned that the
hard way some years ago when I was being overly creative with a stir fry; I
added to much ginger to my ad lib recipe and nearly choked its extremely hot
and spicy taste; my metabolism doesn’t tolerate intense heat of any type when
it comes to food. Which brings me to the
Ginger Brews. I had a difficult time taste testing both of Regular and Sugar Free Extra Spicy
versions, because for my palate, both were too fiery hot and heavy-handed with
the ginger. Toughing it out, fiery hot
aspects aside, both had a fresh taste to them and I enjoyed the tiny bits of
fresh Ginger floating throughout the
beverage. The Regular variety uses Pure
Cane Sugar, and the Sugar Free
variety uses organic Stevia Leaf Extract;
both also use organic Ginger Extract. The Sugar
Free Ginger Ale also uses organic Stevia
Leaf Extract, organic Ginger Extract,
and fresh Ginger bits; this was a
deliciously refreshing beverage. These
beverages are recommended to be used as a mix for alcoholic beverages, but
would also go well with ice cream to create an ice cream float, or mixed with
other fruit drinks to customize your own unique flavor. For more
information, visit http://drinkbrooklyncrafted.com/
- about
Cusa Premium Organic Instant Tea ~ Green Tea and Mango Green Tea Instant
Tea ~ Green tea is rich in beneficial antioxidants. Cusa
using premium organic teas that are then cold steeped, which preserves the
integrity of the tea, while also preserving its health benefits; the tea is
then gently vacuumed and dehydrated, which further ensures the vibrant clean
and refreshing taste of the processed organic teas; this unique process creates
an ideal crystal that immediately dissolves in either cold or water hot, making
for a satisfying cup of soothing and comforting tea, on the go, or for those
who want to get their tea ritually started quickly, without having to wait for
any brewing or steeping time. While I
enjoyed the fresh, clean taste of the Green
Tea variety, my favorite was the Mango
Green Tea; it had just the right amount of subtle fruitiness that paired
well with the Green Tea combination. For more information, visit https://cusatea.com
Wicked Joe Sumatra Fair Trade Organic Coffee ~ Wicked Joe offers vibrant coffees that
are both certified organic and certified fair trade. The state of Maine, where they’re roasters
are located, has also recognized the organization for its commitment and leadership
to environmental, recycling, and sustainability issues; they’re also involved
with a local agency that serves the community’s in-need. Given this company’s leadership and involvement
in community, perhaps Wicked Joe is
too harsh a name; maybe they should be known as Caring Joe! When it comes to
coffee, I’ve always preferred one that’s rich, full-bodied, bold and flavorful,
and the Wicked Joe Sumatra didn’t
disappoint. Just inhaling the aroma from
the grounds was tantalizing. The rich
roasting process yielded a nutty tasting brew that was mellow and velvety, and
never bitter. Mornings were definitely much better with my pot of Wicked Joe Sumatra Coffee. For more information, visit http://www.wickedjoe.com
~ Event Tastings ~
Lockwood Restaurant & Bar ~ Palmer
House Hilton Hotel (Chicago) ~ I recently attended a special media lunch at the Palmer House
Hilton Hotel, which was sponsored by Historic
Hotels of America (HHA). The Palmer House Hilton Hotel is one of the HHA properties represented at the event;
other HHA properties represented
included the Pfister Hotel, American
Club, White Stallion Ranch, Morris Inn, Historic Hotels of Lake Geneva, and the
Grand Hotel. The event was held at
the hotel’s popular Lockwood Restaurant & Bar, a
favorite of locals and hotel guests. Of
interest is that the hotel has a rooftop garden where it grows various herbs
used throughout the hotel’s restaurant menu preparations; additionally, the
hotel has its own bee hives and regularly harvests honey that’s also used in
menu preparations.
~ The Menu ~
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| (Photo by T, Herman) |
Starter ~ Arugula Salad with red quinoa, grapes, rooftop beakfast radishes
and edible flowers, dressed with Palmer
House walnut-honey dressing (the honey was from the hotel's rooftop bee
hives). For some reason, a Parmesan Tuile,
which was supposed to accompany the salad, was omitted; instead, finely grated Parmesan
cheese was used, which made the salad taste too salty. Overall, the salad was delicious with a nice
balance of sweet and tart.
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| (Photo by T.Herman) |
Entrée ~ Barbecue Salmon with cucumber gazpacho, charred onion and shaved asparagus,
frisée, and pickled parsley root. The
salmon was perfectly cooked, had a beautiful glaze, and a lovely subtle
sweetness; the deconstructed salad components added a fresh green taste to
counter balance the sweetness of the salmon and its barbecue preparation.
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
Dessert ~ Palmer
House Brownie with fresh berries, chocolate and fruit
reductions, and the signature Palmer
House Cherry Walnut Ice Cream. Tidbits ~ The brownie was originally birthed at the Palmer House during Chicago’s
World Columbian Exposition of 1893; to this day, the hotel uses the
original recipe when preparing this global treat; and, the Cherry Walnut Ice Cream was
customized for the Palmer House with
luscious vanilla extract, cherries and walnut chunks; this is the same ice
cream flavor used exclusively in Chicago's
famous Original Rainbow Cone.
~ Resources ~
Lockwood
Restaurant & Bar, visit https://www.lockwoodrestaurant.com
Palmer House Hilton Hotel, visit http://www.palmerhousehiltonhotel.com
Historic Hotels of
America, visit http://www.historichotels.org
Original Rainbow Cone, visit http://www.rainbowcone.com
~ In Closing ~
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| (Image from www.hopespeak.com) |
Take the time to be
culinary-curious…discover new tastes…go out and explore your surrounding area
for some new experiences…make it an adventure…claim your new culinary finds as
your own.
That’s it for this edition.
Until the next one, remember to always celebrate yourself and your
culinary curiosity. Happy creating…happy cooking…happy eating!
By Terry Herman
TERRY HERMAN continues perfecting her passion for food and
wine. She has been covering culinary
related for many years as it relates to wellness and a healthy lifestyle. Her popular blog, Terry's Spa, Beauty and Wellness
Go-To has featured formidable reviews of cookbooks, restaurants, wine and
food, food prep and tools, chef interviews, and coverage of prestigious events
such as International Home+Housewares Show, National Restaurant Show, Sweets
and Snacks Expo, United Fresh, and Food Marketing Institute. She has served as a food judge at the
Bellavita Italian Expo Excellence Awards (Chicago). She has been published since the mid-1990s in
both consumer and trade publications, and is regarded as an expert in spa,
beauty, wellness, travel and lifestyle, and is frequently interviewed by
publications for her expert content. She
has also presented at major industry conferences, and has served with
distinction on numerous governing and advisory boards. She has a background in strategic and qualitative
management, consulting, and motivational speaking. In addition to her blogs, her social media
outreach also includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook Page, Terry’s Second Helpings. Please note that the “Comment Section” has
been disabled. For additional
information, email her at terry.herman@gmail.com.
ALL MATERIALS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
(Photo credits as indicated, or as represented by the
specific brand.)
