Seared Scallops, Good Dog Bar and Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA

We've all seen would-be world-class chef's royally screw up the scallops on those competitive cooking shows. Whenever I see Scallops on the menu I can hear that combative scottish-brit voice shouting "RAW!!!!!" or "RUBBER!!!!!" - that said- it is easy to mess up scallops- mere seconds are the difference between raw, overcooked, and just right. It takes a deft hand to evade that mad Chef's wrath...

SkyCity, Seattle, Washington

Seattle's biggest tourist attraction is the Space Needle- a 605 foot tall tower topped by a flying saucer shaped structure that houses it's observation deck, and the SkyCity Restaurant - the oldest revolving restaurant still in operation. As a tourist attraction with a long, and interesting history, it's easy to dismiss the food as overpriced or sub-par. I won't argue too much with the "overpriced" complaints, but the food is clearly better than the typical fare found in most tourist traps.

Pike Market, Seattle, Washington

So, as luck would have it, my travels for my day job have brought me to the city of Seattle. I had the good fortune of staying in a hotel just a few blocks away from the famous Pike Market. Naturally, I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a look and snap a few photos...

Tortilla Crusted Grouper - Rose Tattoo, Philadelphia PA

A trip to the Rose Tattoo Cafe in Philadelphia with a few business associates turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The special was a tortilla crusted grouper, that turned out to be a fantastic dish. The fish was flaky and moist, with a nice nutty flavor from the tortilla crust. The sauteed spinach under it had the right amount of earthy flavor, and the hash of sweet potato, grape tomatoes and shrimp in a spicy sauce had a surprising amount of kick, balanced out by the starchy/sweet sweet potatoes. This dish was a home run in my book. My only regret was not getting a better photo. This one does the dish small justice.

Calamari Fra Diavolo from Pizza N' Pasta, Manville, NJ

Next door to a local airfield that flys small aircraft is a bar and grill that has become a local fixture in the town of Manville, New Jersey. I'm talking about a place set up in the format of a bar and grill, but the "grill" portion of the business is really a full-fledged Italian restaurant serving all manner of classic Italian-American favorites. That place is called Pizza N' Pasta.

Samurai Fine Japanese Cuisine and Sushi, Greenwood Village, Colorado

The south side of Denver is home to a large concentration of technology companies, and the money that comes with them. It also means that the area is a melange of many cultures. In my travels through the area, I found not only a large number of restaurants, but a wide variety of food cultures represented- all within a few scant minutes drive of my hotel. The area had at least three sushi restaurants almost within walking distance- so I took a spin around the neighborhood, and went with the one that my gut told me would be a good one- Samurai Japanese Cuisine and Sushi.

Return to Brasitas in Norwalk, CT

Just over a year ago, I had a great dinner at a little Latin Fusion spot in Norwalk Connecticut. I returned to the area on a business trip recently, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that I'd be paying another visit. It was everything I remembered, so I took the opportunity to try a few dishes that I missed the first time around.

Bouillabaisse - Harbor Lights, Norwalk CT

Western Connecticut is one of the wealthiest areas in the country. It should come as no surprise that there is a fairly high concentration of quality restaurants in the area. I had heard some of my coworkers thought highly of a certain seafood restaurant on the bay in Norwalk called Harbor Lights- so naturally I made sure to urge the team to give the place a try the next time a business trip took us to the area.

Octopus Salad and Mussels at the Good Dog Bar, Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia is a city with a tough image. Many areas within it's sprawling borders are filled with old buildings that look like they have been slowly crumbling for decades, juxtaposed against a more modern downtown area. You get a sense of age from the place- similar to what you would see in Manhattan, and you also see the newer, more ambitious construction. Philadelphia is clearly a city with one foot in the old, and traditional, and one foot in the new and forward-looking. This combination of opposites seems to be fertile ground for good food - the kind that innovates and takes risks, while remaining respectful of the underlying traditions behind the food. Last time I was in Philadelphia on business, a tip from an old friend led me to a small pub and restaurant that captured that idea perfectly - the Good Dog Bar and Restaurant.

The Oldest Restaurant in the U.S. - Union Oyster House, Boston, MA

When in Boston, there is a place where everybody knows your name... well, this isn't that place. The place I'm really talking about is about halfway across town... No one there, aside from my dining companions, had any idea what my name was. Yes, it's something of a tourist trap, given it's historic status, but it's a place that you really can't pass up if you only have one night in town. The place is the historic Union Oyster House- which has been in operation since 1826.

Sashimi Lunch at Hanami II, Branford CT

While traveling on business, I happened to have the good fortune to stumble upon a Sushi spot so new that it didn't exist in our GOS, or even on Yelp yet. The experience we had for our roadside lunch stop was so good, that I felt the need to plug the place into Yelp on the spot, at the table, while enjoying my sashimi. The place in question is Hanami II in Branford Connecticut. At the time, the restaurant had only been open for a few weeks, so I was eager to put my thoughts on the place on-line quickly- especially considering that a high quality lunch entree, with a soup and a salad for starters clocked in at under $12...

Breaking the rules "No Cheese on Fish" - Tuna Salad Grilled Cheese

My long-lost Sicilian Grandmother would put the evil eye on me for this one... One of the most well known "rules" of Italian food culture that was drilled into my head was "No Cheese on Fish" - this grilled cheese sandwich thumbs its nose at this rule. Take a standard grilled cheese sandwich (in this case wheat bread, with white american cheese) and add a little tuna salad, and you have a messy (in a good way) sandwich that flys in the face of tradition.

My tuna salad is standard canned tuna with a little mayonnaise. I add a small pinch of cayenne pepper to wake things up a little, and a good dose of dill weed - the combination really brings out the briny, seawater flavors hiding in that usually boring can of tuna. The mayo and the cheese meld together into something thick and sloppy, but tasty. No cheese on fish indeed! The richness of the cheese balances the ocean brine flavor in a pleasing way. Proof that "rules" are best regarded as "guidelines" rather than as gospel!

Brasitas - Norwalk CT

Mariscada Caribena

I recently had the good fortune of taking a business trip in good company. The trip went well, and for me, one of the highlights was getting together to go over the plan for the next day, and generally talk about what's going on back at the office. One of my co-workers suggested a small Latin Fusion restaurant called Brasitas- and it turned out to be a great idea.

Labor Day Picnic at VFW Post 7164 - Avenel, NJ

Our food adventure for the weekend was a family trip to the annual Labor Day Weekend picnic at a nearby VFW post in Avenel, New Jersey. We've been going to this picnic for the past several years, and they always have plenty of simple, but good food to go around. This year, I made an effort to sample a little of everything- not that I consider that a hardship...