If you read my blog regularly I’m sure you’ve gathered that I love breakfast and brunch food. Recently I visited Dovecote Cafe in Baltimore, MD and I sampled a delicious sweet potato frittata – so delicious I decided to add sausage and recreate it.
Sweet Potato and Sausage Frittata
8 Eggs
Salt & Pepper
1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan
1/2 Cup of Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 Onion Sliced
1 Sweet Red Pepper sliced
2 Sweet Potatoes Cubed
1 Cup of Spinach
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
2 Tbsp. Goya Sazon Seasoning
4 Cooked/Browned Sausage Patties or 1 Cup of Sausage Crumbles
Preparation : Preheat oven at 400 degrees. In a large deep cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook/brown sausage. Remove from pan and add sliced onions, saute for 5 minutes or until brown. Place cubed sweet potatoes in a microwave safe dish, top dish with two wet paper towels and microwave for 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and spinach to sautéed onions and cook for an additional 10 minutes over medium heat. Whisk Eggs in a bowl or large dish, add cheese and all dry spices. Once the spinach wilts add cooked sausage and egg mixture to the skillet. Place skillet in oven for 25 minutes.
A quick and easy breakfast dish for one, two or a family meal. I’m thinking the next time I’ll make a Greek Frittata or a Seafood Frittata. Do you have a favorite Frittata recipe?
On a spur of the moment coffee break, a work friend suggested I meet her at Dovecote Café (2501 Madison Ave). Located in the Druid Hill neighborhood, just minutes from the park, Dovecote Café is a quant coffee house nestled in a residential neighborhood.
When I pulled up to the GPS assisted ending point and got out of the car I noticed a cute chalkboard outside of a well manicured storefront location. I walked closer towards the entrance, looked down and read ” Parkview Pharmacy”. How Cool! I think including some of the original architecture was a good call because it shows character.
Character is everywhere in this café. Opposite walls display large framed tapestry along with other artwork on display and for sale. Around the front counter, fresh fruit and coffee are also on display. I later learned they use the food items as ingredients in the dishes they cook.
Once inside the café I was greeted with smiling faces from behind the counter. Two female employees were very friendly and helpful. I told them that it was my first time visiting and they gave me a brief once over of what they offer – coffee, cakes, pies, breakfast items and free Wifi. I just wanted a coffee, but my friend was going on and on about the peach cake. After speaking with the female employees I learned they were two of the three owners. One asked me how I liked my coffee and pulled out five colorful wooden flat slabs.
I was excited about this because I’m a visual person. I immediately knew what coffee I wanted … Honeypot, not too strong and not too weak, right in the middle. My friend ordered the peach cake, I took a bite and it was delicious. Soft and moist like a pound cake with robust hints of sweet peach flavor. I tried to order my own slice, but my friend had gotten the last one. One of the owners told us that her Mom makes the sweets and her Mom came in about 10 minutes later and we gave our compliments to the chef.
Peachcake and Coffee
My friend also ordered a sweet potato frittata that was also delicious. She mentioned that she liked how it was served, warm and not too hot. I took a bit and knew I had to recreate that at home… look forward to an easy frittata recipe in a future post.
I only planned on staying there for 30 minutes but I think I was there for 1 1/2 hours. The other patrons were regular customers and my friend and I were talking to them while eating and enjoying our coffee.
Breakfast Panini with egg, turkey bacon, spinach, avocado and cheddar cheese.
On another visit, I ordered the breakfast panini and it was perfectly made. It was large with lots of egg and everything was fresh. They also served a side salad with it, that was a first for me and I enjoyed the salad with my sandwich.
Dovecote Café is truly the definition of a family-friendly neighborhood café. If you are ever in the area or even if you aren’t it’s definitely worth a visit.
Have you been to Dovecote Café? What did you like best?
Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on Instagram.com/Arlisappetite and twitter.com/ArliBaby.
Within the last six months there have been a crop of new boutique hotels opening in Baltimore. I love to stay at boutique hotels and visit their bar/restaurant scene. You can imagine my excitement when my best friend asked me to meet her for after-work cocktails at the new Hotel RL (207 E Redwood Street).
The 130-room hotel has a hotel bar, coffee shop, meeting and event space, lounge/game room, and a small stage that currently hosts live performances and spoken word artists. You won’t find a front desk or uniformed employees at this hotel because it’s lobby is equipped with electronic kiosks to register guests and take food and drink orders. The hotel also offers bicycles to guests who want to tour the city.
Here’s a look inside the hotel…
Raspberry Diablo and Grapefruit Basil
In addition to our after-work cocktails, of course we sampled the food. I’m always in the mood to eat and my best friend is on a never-ending quest to find the perfect fish taco.
Grown Up Mac & Cheese
We ordered the “Grown Up Mac & Cheese” to share. It was a great choice because we both enjoyed the baked flaky outer layer and the four cheeses – Gruyère, American, cheddar and jack.
Rockfish Tacos
We noticed that a couple at the bar ordered the chicken tacos and they looked really good, so my best friend ordered the rockfish tacos. The tacos (3) were served in a soft tortilla shell with grilled rockfish, house slaw, mango and cheese.
Sloppy Jo
This ground beef BBQ Sloppy Joe was my favorite! It was the perfect warm comfort food on a cold night. It is served with your choice of salad or chips.
Consider Hotel RL Baltimore you next vacation or staycation destination.
Baltimore City Restaurant Week is back! As I stated in a previous post this is like another Christmas for me 🙂 With over 100 participating restaurants offering two-course lunch for $15/$20 and three-course dinner for $25/$35 , I’m convinced there is something for everyone to love. For the first year, some of the restaurants will also feature brunch, vegan and gluten-free options.
For more info on the participating Baltimore City Restaurants visit here.
Not to be outdone by Baltimore [City] Restaurant Week, Baltimore County’s Restaurant week is already in full swing. It began Jan 15th and ends Jan 30th. Maybe you’ve always wanted to visit the restaurant that you drive by everyday on your way to work or maybe you want to try that restaurant your friend is always talking about, well now is the perfect time to sample three courses of deliciousness while sticking to your budget and not breaking the bank. Baltimore County features over 55 restaurants offering two-course lunch and three-course dinner for $15-$35. For more info on the participating Baltimore County Restaurants visit here.
Both restaurant lists can be overwhelming, make sure to read my previous post on how to prepare for Restaurant Week.
Which restaurants would you like to visit? Do you have a Restaurant Week wish list? List them in the comments below.
During my recent three-day holiday weekend I traveled with a friend to Philadelphia. On several occasions my friend mentioned Green Eggs Cafe (212 S. 13th Street), a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Philadelphia. He spoke about how delicious the food was, so naturally I was curious to check it out and see what the hype was about.
We arrived in Philadelphia around noon and went straight to Green Eggs. We walked up to the restaurant and there were about 15 people waiting outside. A few people were huddled around the two outdoor heating lamps and others were drinking the complementary coffee from the canister on the outdoor table. The hostess sitting outside told us there would be a 30-45 minute wait for a table of two. As we were standing outside waiting for our table, I noticed a steady stream of people leaving the restaurant and a steady stream of people walking up to put their name on the waiting list. If people are willing to wait outside in the cold for 30 minutes this must be a good sign that the restaurant is worth the wait.
After about 30 minutes our name was called and we were escorted inside the restaurant. The tables were arranged in three long rows with seven tables in each row and the kitchen was located in the rear of the restaurant. We were seated at a two-seat table in the middle row. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who gave us the menu and asked for our drink order. We watched as heaping plates of food came out left and right. The waffle, french toast and pancake portions were huge, so we decided to each order an entree and split a french toast.
Creme Brulee French Toast
The Creme Brulee French Toast was served in four half slices of challah bread. Topped with a vanilla bean custard and berry compote, fresh berries atop a creamy sweet sauce topped with fruit, powdered sugar and whipped cream. We didn’t need much syrup because the custard sauce was warm and sweet, it gave just the right amount of flavor to act as a syrup.
Kitchen Sink
I ordered the “Kitchen Sink” which was eggs scrambled with sausage crumbles, potatoes, Gruyere cheese, peppers & onions,topped with a homemade biscuit and country style pork sausage gravy served in a cast-iron skillet. The eggs were light and fluffy and they were not stingy on the cheese. The potatoes and sausage gravy were seasoned well.
Pork Bacon Creole Shrimp and Grits
My friend ordered the Pork Bacon Creole Shrimp and Grits. This too was served in a skillet with two eggs your style, shrimp cooked in a spicy bacon-creole sauce, served on top of cheesy grits. The shrimp preparation really made the dish pop, this was my first time eating shrimp cooked in a bacon sauce and it was very good.
The portions were so large (that’s my kind of restaurant) I was only able to eat half of my skillet and I took the remaining french toast and skillet home in a takeout box. The staff were friendly and checked on us numerous times to make sure our food and service were perfect. The restaurant was fast and efficient. I can see why people were willing to wait outside for 30 minutes because the food and experience was great!
Have you ever visited Green Eggs Cafe? What was your favorite dish?
Last week I visited Stella Notte (8809 Baltimore National Pike) for dinner and drinks with one of my best friends. My friend suggested that restaurant because it was a midway point between our residences. I actually drive by the restaurant when I’m coming home from Columbia Mall, but never noticed Stella Notte because it’s on the other side of the beltway. My friend mentioned to me that she saw online they had a martini bar and happy hour specials, so we both agreed to check it out.
We got there around 6:30 pm and the restaurant wasn’t busy, this was to be expected for a Monday Evening. When we walked in I asked the host if they were still offering Happy Hour in the martini bar, he didn’t seem to know about the happy hour specials or the happy hour – He actually told us “I don’t know, I’m not sure” and proceeded to escort us to the martini bar area. A host not knowing anything about happy hour – a little strange.
The martini bar is an intimate room on the right side of the restaurant with dim lighting and quiet corners. There is a bar located on the far wall with bar seating, five high top tables and five regular dining tables. The bartender came over to our table with menus and told us about the Monday night specials and the happy hour.
The Happy Hour offers $1.50 reduced cocktails Monday – Thursday and $2.00 on Friday. I ordered a Chocolate Raspberry Martini and my friend ordered a Blue Hawaiian Martini. The martini menu was very extensive, as it should be for a martini bar. There were 15 martini options on the menu along with wines and other drink selections. The martini’s were flavorful with just the right amount of alcohol. They also offer 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Monday.
The Monday nights food specials is “Create Your Own Pasta Dish for $9.99”. The pasta and sauce of your choice is $9.99 but there is an additional fee for meat and some of the other sauces.
I ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp and my friend ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo with Sausage and Peppers.
Fettuccini Alfredo with ShrimpFettuccini Alfredo with Sausage and Peppers
The fettuccini noodles and alfredo sauce was tasty and the shrimp were slightly spicy with a cajun kick.
Cannoli Mousse and Bailey’s Cheesecake
The real star of the show was the dessert. I’m not certain if they have a specific person making the desserts, but if they do kudos to the chef! This cheesecake was phenomenal. I could taste the Bailey’s Irish Cream in the cheesecake. This cheesecake was on the same level as the Cheesecake Factory. The cream inside the cannoli was sweet and the outside shell was flaky.
Stella Notte Dessert Tray
I would definitely come back to Stella Notte for the drinks and desserts.
