Bulletproof Coffee is the invention of bio-hacker specialist, Dave Asprey, the Bulletproof Exec (Here is an interview with him) . At its most simple level, it’s coffee with added fat. That fat comes in the form of butter and MCT oil. I’m sure there are many questions or confusions swimming around in you head, like “Butter with Coffee, how is that good?” Do not worry, we will get to that.

Why Again I Am Doing This

Here a few simple reasons-

• I want more energy and clarity during the day
• The website mentions that it helps with fat loss- why not?
• I want to drink coffee without it affecting my stomach

Butter and Coffee?

First, let us address the concept of mixing butter and caffeinated drinks. Asprey tells the story on his website.

I learned about the power of butter at 18,000 feet elevation near Mt. Kailash in Tibet when I staggered into a guest house from the -10 degree weather and was literally rejuvenated by a creamy cup of yak butter tea. The biohacker in me asked, “why?” and that was the genesis of my recipe below, which is widely heralded as a cognitive enhancing recipe.

Breaking It Down

So the first step is finding the base, it could be tea, but we do love our coffee here in America. Asprey believes that most of the coffee we drink, including Starbucks, is laced with different toxins that are part of the growing, harvesting, and roasting process. He has provided his own version of “Upgraded Coffee” that supposedly eliminates all that.

He also recommends using unsalted, Kerrygold brand butter. This is the real stuff, not the whipped low-cal version. Why Kerrygold? Because it is the most widely circulated brand of butter coming from grass fed cows. I’ve seen it at the local Publix, Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I think Costco sells it in bulk.

So besides the coffee and the butter, is the MCT oil. I’m still very new to the whole MCT oil thing. From what I can tell, it takes all the great things of coconut oil (high energy, boosting HDL, nutrient absorption) and it does it better.

The process is simple enough. Brew the upgraded coffee, add to the blender with butter and MCT oil. Mix until foamy. Drink.

My Implementation Plan

For the first 2 weeks, I’m going to try doing this as my breakfast. I mean, between the 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of MCT oil, I’m already consuming 300+ calories with my drink. I have to assume, that is plenty of energy to last me until lunch.

So how does it taste?

That’s a good question. I will let you know as soon as I know. My buddy who started doing this last week, said that there is not much difference between the butter and cream. So we will have to see.

If any of you are interested in doing the experiment with me, let me know. We can find a way to discuss.

The post The February Experiment: Bulletproof Coffee appeared first on The House of Marinara.

Finishing the Cleanse-

Overall the cleanse was good experience in that it taught me that I could survive without food. I really mean this in more of an emotional experience than physically. I have a enough stored body fat that I could probably survive a while without food. It was the mental anguish of not eating that was the most difficult. I was hungry 30% of the time, and no matter how angry, sad, depressed, or frustrated I became, I could not return to food for comfort. As a result, I was bitchier than normal.

I broke my cleanse on Sunday AM. During that time, my weight was 11 lbs lower than my previous low. Now I wasn’t too excited. I was living on an empty stomach, and I was probably even slightly dehydrated. I knew my weight would pop up a little, and after about 4 days is settled in at 4 lbs more than that. So Net Weight loss during the fast was 7 lbs.

Onto the Candida Diet-

After now eating for a week, having any food was a complete blessing. As part of the diet, I was also hoping to maintain my ketotic state. Ketosis will happen when you aren’t eating because your brain needs the ketones for fuel with the lack of any glucose. My goal was to eat with the dietary guidelines (think Paleo, but stricter) but also try to maintain a macronutrient ratio of (70% Fat, 25 % Protein, 5% Carbohydrates). Without high fat staples like bacon or triple cream brie, this was going to be challenging.

The key to making this diet work is eggs. Eggs have a great way of satiating your appetite. They mix well with greens. They also have the ability to absorb the cooking fats, whether it is Kerrygold butter, olive oil or coconut oil. The first week, I actually made an egg casserole of a dozen eggs, spinach, and ground lamb. As a condiment, I mixed Greek yogurt (the only dairy allowed), olive oil, garlic, and oregano. Normally, theis casserole would have cheese, but the sauce provided the necessary velvetiness.

Since I am also a big meat person, I made an order to US Wellness Meats. The beef sausage sliders were a lifesaver. I mushed the patties out and fired them up in a skillet. The beef provided an interesting depth and change of pace.

Another staple that I began using was the whole avocado with olive tapenade. Very simple meal replacement. Just cut the fruit in half, remove the pit, and spoon in olive salad or tapenade into the crater. The savory of the salad complimented the sweetness of the avocado.

Anyway, I am missing my pork, my cheese, my wine, and my coffee. One more week left. My last day will likely be 1/31. In the meantime, I am to report that 3 of those 4 recovery lbs are gone.

NOTE- I never received any die-off symptoms from the Candida. I plan on running a test next week to see if it is still showing up on my tests. The lack of die-off may be to the fact that I had been using an anti-candida supplement called Candex for the previous month.

The post The Candida Diet Experiment- An Update appeared first on The House of Marinara.

I wasn’t a big kid, but I wasn’t one of the athletic ones. I viewed myself as fat. As I grew older, I took a paper route which afforded me luxuries like a regular slice of pizza or large bags of Lays potato chips. Fortunately my growing body did not afford me the embarrassment of being obese. Unfortunately, I was laying the groundwork for the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance that would plague me later in life.

High school and college brought along more and more eating, but it also brought along cooking. It wasn’t long before people in college knew that I might one of the few people who could serve a decent meal that didn’t involve pasta and jarred tomato sauce. Instead of drinking late into the night, I would be the one cooking the sausage gravy. I finished school in 1994 at 190 lbs. Again, I wasn’t big, but I wasn’t exactly little either.

The big change in me started when I began working a desk job. I learned quickly that a job wasn’t fun, so I coped by eating overly satisfying meals. I married quickly after school, and took over the kitchen duties. I was in complete control of my food intake, and I quickly started adding the pounds. I remember being 220, then 240, then 260, then 275. I would try and do the gym thing. That was absolute torture. I would work out for a while, and then not see results. I would try the weight watchers thing for a while, and after some initial success I would get frustrated by the meetings, swear to do it by myself, and then quickly fall off the wagon.

My first big breakthrough happened about 7 years ago. I had reached the weight of 295, and I joined a weight loss program, now known as the Zacharias Ganey Health Institute. It was there I first learned about the role of Insulin in weight gain. By the time the program was finished, I had lost 25 lbs, and I was full of knowledge. I’d like to say that my story turned around there, but alas it didn’t.

A year later, my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I started eating what she was eating. I did my job in putting on sympathy weight and before I knew it, I was well over 300 lbs. During this time, I also started embracing being a foodie. I used every excuse to try a new restaurant. I wanted to try crazy food. I wanted to try crazy drinks. I wanted experience everything the food world had to offer. Hell, that’s one of the reasons I started to blog. I wanted share my experiences with other people.

By the beginning 2011, I had reached a new level. I food writing professionally. I had my own business doing creative dinners at local restaurants. I was being invited to soft openings and special dinners. I had also reached 330 lbs.

On April 9, 2011, while spending some time with some college buddies in the mountains of western Virginia, I noticed some pain in my arms. It felt like I had sneezed, but the pain wouldn’t leave. I waited for 10, 20, 30 minutes and the pain wouldn’t go away. My friends drove me over to the nearest hospital, and they were quickly able to stop the event, my first and hopefully only heart attack. Three catheterizations and three stents later, I was sent home to make sure that this didn’t happen again.

My first month back, I ate like an angel. I ate salads, I ate fish. I honestly was scared to eat. All my friends were scared to let me eat. I was really without direction. I had read a book by Dr. Al Sears and I was ready to start a low carb lifestyle with real food, when my cardiologist recommended that I read Dr. Esseltyn’s book on reversing heart disease. It was the worst thing I could read. Basically, it told me the only way to reverse the damage I had done to myself was to never eat fat again. I knew what this diet would do to me. I just said screw it, and I moved on with my life.

I lived the next year, still hovering at 320, trying to enjoy life with a little more self control. I was walking more. I was exercising more. I had even had done the life coaching thing. Still I wasn’t seeing any changes. It took another major life event to make change,

On July 1st, 2012, we moved to Florida from Virginia. I said goodbye to friends and family. I said goodbye to life as I knew it. On the drive down, I listened to Brooke Castillo’s book called “If I’m So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” which was dealing with the issue of emotional eating. I also signed up for a 30 day Man Up Program that included a 7 day detox. I relearned the importance of keeping insulin under control. My next door neighbor is a doctor who has been reading and studying the low carb lifestyle, and he encouraged me to read Gary Taubes. He also found me a cardiologist that would support me in a low carb/ paleo lifestyle.

It truly was a perfect storm. Weight started dropping off me. I started reading more books. I started listening to more podcasts. I started trying new things. What surprised me most, is that I’ve noticed that my interests and priorities began to shift. I mean I still love food. I still want to dine at the best restaurants. I just don’t want to do it as much. I want to be healthy. I want to look and feel good. I want to kick heart disease to the curb. And for the first time in my life, I am confident that all of these wants will come true.

So that brings me to the new version of the The Marinara. I will still write about food, but it might now include some more health related information. You’ll notice that I won’t be writing as much about pizza, pasta, and desserts. Instead, you will see more about food quality, technique, and latest health learnings. I hope you enjoy this new stage in my weight loss and food  journey.

The post About Me: My Weight Loss Journey appeared first on The House of Marinara.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

UPDATED- 1/10/2013

I’ve had my share of incoherent thoughts over the years, but this post might be at the top of the list. This time, I have a good excuse. I’m in the process of starving myself. For the past 2 days, I have consumed psyllium husk drinks, liver flush drinks (water, EVOO, garlic, and ginger), tea, and vegetable broth. I’ve never in my life thought a vegan diet seemed so good and wonderful, but I would take anything to end this hunger. Needless to say my concentrations levels are at a low. My will is breaking, and this blog post is a feeble attempt at some sort of accountability.

Why am I starving myself?

That is a good question. I’ve asked myself that at least 35 times a day for the past 3 days. I am not trying to starve myself. I’m just trying to clear myself out a little. I’m in the process of a 7 day cleanse. The cleanse is the first step in the Candida Diet, which is my health and nutrition goal for January.

What is the Candida Diet?

Well , there is this website, but I just skimmed the process over a bit. I’m really doing this because the smart folks at Living Well Today did a health assessment of me and they suggested that this would be a great next step for me and my health. As they explained to me, candida is like a crab grass in your gut. It causes all sorts of health and concentration issues. I basically looked at the diet, and I saw that it was a slightly more restrictive version of my detox that I did last year. I figured “What the hell?”

Apparently, this is Candida (image from the Candida Diet Website)

So the plan goes along something like this- start with a cleanse or detox and then do this strict diet until my symptoms disappear. Since I am a bit vague on the symptoms, my plan is to do this for 3 weeks. I have a conference that last weekend in February, and I want to afford myself the flexibility needed to dine out.

I am already on a low carb diet, here are the OTHER things that I am giving up during the strict diet phase: Pork, Seafood (except Wild Salmon, Anchovies, and Sardines), Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Dairy (except for yogurt and butter). From experience, I know that the no-dairy thing is brutal. Giving up bacon and sausage just seems cruel. Then again, it is 3 weeks. I can do this.

Help

In the meantime, I need to somehow make it through the next 5 days. I can’t tell you the emotional and psychological toll this cleanse/fast is taking on me. I enjoy food so much. I look forward to my meals with great anticipation. I can handle missing a meal now and then. I can handle fasting for a day. But knowing that I am not going to eat for another 14 meals is just plain depressing. I will need all the encouragement I can get during this process.

Progress Report (1/10/13)

Although I am training for a 5K in February, that is now at a complete standstill. I tried running on Wednesday, and I felt light-headed and dizzy. Apparently the body doesn’t like to exercise when there are not readily available nutrients. I’m hoping to start reintroducing food on Sunday. I will try and do start up again on Sunday night.

For being a colon cleanse, I have found nothing of the sort. Salt water was suggested to me by a friend, and then I came across this page. So I tried it this morning, and sure enough, it worked. For the record, chugging salt water blows.

Finally, there are moments where I am losing my sanity. I wonder if I am doing more harm than good. I am struggling to concentrate at work. I’m a bit more quick-tempered with the wife and kids. Frankly, I feel miserable. I obsess over the first spoonful of coconut oil that I consume. I am trying to keep my resolve. I want to see this through. I don’t ever have to do this again, but I want to know that I did this, and that in itself means that I can accomplish things that are much more challenging.

The post The January Experiment: The Candida Diet appeared first on The House of Marinara.

Having a support system is not lost on me. I never like it when Mrs. Marinara takes off for a few days for work or pleasure, but I, at least, had mad survival skills back in Virginia with said support system. These skills would include calling my folks and having them come spend the night. It might be going to the pool with friends. It was finding ways to get invited over to other people’s places for dinner. It was escaping down to the inlaws’ farm to have them run the kids ragged.

Take away the support system, and these little trips are now a bit more challenging. Mornings are always fun as we have to run the Lil’ Marinara to the bus stop for a 7:25 pickup. That means I have to feed both kids, pack lunches, dress a fiesty toddler, and get them out the door. My reprieve? I get to walk home, maybe take a shower, and start the work day. Once the work day completes, I pick up both boys and prepare for the evening routine. This involves feeding, cleaning, changing, and reading. After they go to bed, I get to clean up from the day, and then finally rest.

I have some amazing respect for single parents. It is a tough job. I also have sympathy for my wife, when I put her through similar rigors when I travel to DC. This parenting think is much easier when two or more people are participating.

As part of this survival mode, cooking becomes less important. Pizza is a lifesaver as it provides dinner, but also many lunches. Dining out has its own challenges. The Carbonara, being a few months away from the age of two, has decided that throwing food and standing up in his high chair are now acceptable forms of behavior. While we do our best to correct the situation, we are sensitive to the fact that others don’t necessarily want to experience our parenting efforts. That’s why finding good, cheap and quick places are always important. Pipo’s is one of those places in the Tampa area.

Actually, there are several Pipo’s, but I am not going to get picky about the local chain thing. Pipo’s is your basic cafeteria style restaurant. There are rotating specials of about seven or eight Cuban/ Latin entrees sitting in steam trays, ready to be served up on plates. There is another menu full of sandwiches and other entrees if not satisfied with the specials.

The snob at me wants to stick my nose up at food sitting in steam trays, but I am not naive enough to think that half the food that is prepared behind closed doors isn’t prepared ahead of time. At least, I get to scout my food before ordering it. The real advantage is that the food is plated for you right then and there. No waiting. So even if I wanted to order food from the other menu, I could get the kids food from the specials and they are ready to go as soon as we sit down.

I realize that I have become “that guy”. I have lost my standards to my children. I heard a person once tell me that “Truth is only true within the context of relationship.” If my relationship with my children defines how I eat, well, then that is my reality. I have to deal with it.

So anyway, I have been to Pipo’s several times. I’ve tried the roast pork, I’ve tried the spicy chicken, I’ve tried the ribs. All were good, but not great. I’m not trying to be negative. It’s the nature of the beast. So for what it is, the food is good. It’s good enough for me to make return visits. Truth is that I know that there is better Cuban cuisine in Tampa, however, I’m not so sure there is a better Cuban restaurant for my family in the area.

The post Buckling Down and Pipos appeared first on The House of Marinara.

I knew that I would likely be displaced. My coworking space is across the street from the convention center and just a few more blocks away from the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Even if I had wanted to use the space, it wasn’t an option as Google ended up renting out the space for the week.

So I’d be lying if I said the RNC didn’t affect me. It totally did, but it was minor because A) I don’t make many plans these days and 2) Starbucks and other coffee shops aren’t bad substitutes for my normal coworking space. There are advantages of living in the middle of the nowhere. Other than the newspaper coverage, I missed everything. I saw a few unfortunate souls sporting their blue blazers and American flag pins, but the political crazies were too busy hanging out amongst themselves.

Honestly, the most excitement that occured during the RNC was the phantom hurricane that cancelled schools and never hit this region of Florida.

By the time the weekend rolled along, Tampa was beginning its recovery, and I decided to try a new breakfast place. Pinky’s in South Tampa seemed to get some raving Yelp reviews. The restaurant opened at 8, and we were the second group to be seated. It filled up quickly.

I knew I would love this place for several reasons. The place itself was old, worn and comfortable. The coffee is self serve and you get to choose your own mismatched mug. Oh, and the menu was creative but not over the top.

Instead of going down the traditional omellette route, Pinky’s decides to focus on frittatas. We tried the both the Italian and Mexican frittatas; however, it was the Mexican that seemed to be the favorite. It wasn’t revolutionary but the combination of chorizo, cheese, peppers, onions, sour cream and pico de gallo, made for a nice breakfast.

The Mexican Bacon and Eggs was another treat. This dish incorporated smoked pork belly, eggs, corn tortillas, and ranchero sauce for a rich, succulent treat. The belly was nice and thick with a crispy exterior and soft, sexy interior. The ranchero sauce was deep and hearty. It actually reminded me more of a red mole sauce. Whatever it was, it was damn good. It was so good that we have already made out return trip.

Guess what folks? If you do decide to visit us down here in Tampa. You can rest assured that if we make it out for breakfast, Pinky’s will likely be on the top of the list.

The post Week 9: The RNC Invasion & Pinky’s appeared first on The House of Marinara.

The First Day Activities

I have to admit, I thought sending my first born would be an emotional event, but it wasn’t. The Lil’ Marinara (LM) sprinted onto the bus, waved goodbye, and was off to school. I walked the Carbonara off to day care, and that was that. No tears. No depression. No sadness. Nothing.

If I felt anything, it was nerves. I worry about how my children adapt to circumstances and situations. I’m guessing this is normal. I can’t be the only parent to worry about whether or not one’s child is a good fit with his teacher or other kids. Life hasn’t been easy for the Little Marinara since May. In a span of 3 ½ months, he left his daycare, where he’d had the same friends for 5 years, started a new day care, moved to a different state, started another day care, and finally started kindergarten. All those transitions aren’t lost on me. I know the boy is resilient, but one can only take so much.

However, worrying about the LM, at least that day, was all for naught, because one minute after seeing LM after that first day, I knew everything was okay. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation or hurt or fear. He had a great time. He liked his teacher. He was meeting new kids. He was learning. He was happy, but that happiness didn’t keep him out of trouble. He proceeded to torture The Carbonara all evening.

So LM’s first day of school was on a Tuesday, Grandpa Jack arrived on a Thursday. It’s great having Grandpa Jack around the house. It means that me and the mrs get to go out on a very rare date.

I picked the restaurant, she picked the movie.

Spicy Tofu in a Clay Pot

So it was the Sunday before the Republican National Convention. The city was swarming with people. We thought it best to stay on the outskirts. I chose a Cantonese establishment called Yummy House. Really, how can you go wrong with any place called Yummy House.

And guess what? It was YUMMY.

I was so spoiled in Richmond with Peter Chang cooking up some amazing food. I know that quality of Chinese cuisine is the exception and not the rule. So going to a Cantonese place, I knew I wasn’t going to get the same level of spice, but I wanted something other than the bland favorites

We ordered too much food. I think we ordered five dishes between the two of us. We were excited to try everything, and of course we didn’t put a dent into the menu. Everything was great, but the Salt and Pepper Calamari and the Duck and Fried Grape Fried Rice were amazing. The calamari was batter fried, and then topped with peppers, garlic and whatever makes fried food even more amazing. The rice was the perfect blend of richness and sweet. The fried grape thing weirded me out at first, but another fellow foodie swore to me that it was a must-try dish. It was the grapes that made the dish special.

Salt & Pepper Calamari

The fried rice wasn’t the only dish that utilized fruit. There were some specials that made heavy use of strawberries and lychee fruit. That in itself, made me want to return to yummy House.

We followed a very successful dinner outing with some Jeremy Renner and the Bourne Legacy. For a brief 4 hour period, everything was just right in the world.

The post The Lil’ Marinara’s First Day of School and Yummy House appeared first on The House of Marinara.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I had checked it out on the internet and found out that it was a combination boxing gym and group fitness facility. The boxing facility aspect seemed cool. I always wanted to learn how to do those speed bags. Beating the shit out of some bag seemed a positive way to deal up with some pent up frustration. Then again, group training had its downfalls. I hate being the fat person in class and I suck at jump rope and push-ups and ab work.

So instead of just dropping it, I told my life coach about my interest in the program, and of course, he challenged me to check it out. So there I was, walking into this gym and I met Martin. Martin assured me that I could do push-ups on the ring, that there was no real jump rope,  and everybody sucks at abs. Martin, by the way, is 5’ 10’’ and a rock. I would later find out that he is amateur MMA fighter at the 185 level, who hopes to be pro in the next year. He also sports a bright red faux hawk on top of his tightly cropped black hair. Three weeks later, I had signed my yearly contract and I was training, so to speak.

This isn’t your typical cardio boxing class. You are actually issued hand wraps and boxing gloves when you sign up. Classes consist of cardio warm-ups, core work and 10, 3 minute rounds of boxing / workouts. Each round is usually punching the bags till your arms want to fall off, mixed with some sort of strength or cardio. Martin then walks around and has different people take turns punching the crap out of him while he dons a body suit. His cohort, Anre (Andre without the” d”) , wears mitts and has people take turns sparring.

I make time to visit Punch at least 2 to 3 times a week. It has been one of the better risks that I have taken in a long while. For the majority of an hour, I feel like a bad ass. I don’t care that I am usually the most out-of- shape person. I don’t care that I still would suck in a fist fight. I am taking out my frustrations in a way that’s not hurting others and in turn helping me.

Boxing classes are usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which means that most Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am heading into the city to visit my co-working space. One given Thursday, I had the pleasure of dining with Jodi (aka @TampaWineWoman). Jodi suggested we try Boca, one of those fresh, locally sourced places that seem to open every other week. Believe it or not, there aren’t 800 of them in Tampa, so I was happy to oblige.

I was super excited about Boca because they have a menu item called “Staff Meal” and the description is “Just Order It” If you know me, that is how I choose to dine; however, I was instead, wooed by the Montreal  Sandwich (house smoke corned beef, mustard, pickles). I, of course, ordered the dish without the bread, and instead of fries, I tried the braised swiss chard. Just when you think, “wow, you are one committed dude!”, you need to know that I caved and shared the boca-ditos appetizer with Jodi, which are selections of bread topped with jams, cheeses and fruits.  I did order the blistered shishito peppers as the other appetizer, and those were awesome and healthy. Then, I might have finished with pecan pie ala mode.

PEOPLE- THIS IS WHY I STOPPED EATING OUT AS MUCH. I LIKE TO INDULGE WHEN I AM SPENDING MONEY!

All the dishes I had at Boca were really good. The peppers were light and fresh. The boca-ditos showed nice contrast amongst the different options. The corned beef was perfect. The meat was tender, well seasoned, and had a perfect amount of fat cap on it. The harsh mustard was muted perfectly by the rich, flavorful meat. The greens might have been the best cooked veggies I’ve had since moving to Florida. I didn’t love the pecan pie crust, as it was tough and chewy; however, the inside was awesome and the bourbon, caramel topping on the ice cream was even more awesome. Too bad the insulin spike caused me to crash that afternoon.

I didn’t pay too much attention to the atmosphere at Boca; however, it seemed nice enough. The service was a little spotty in that I think we had a hard time getting on the same page with the server. I’ll chalk It up to being 2 PM and we were two foodies trying to have a long, drawn out lunch. That minor glitch aside, I’ll being going back to Boca, hopefully with the wife and kids in tow.

Guess it’s time to hit the bags to atone for my sins!

The post Week 7: Sugar Ray Sadler And A Knockout At Boca appeared first on The House of Marinara.

Meal One…. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Joyce, a childhood friend of my mother-in-law. Joyce has been a longtime Tampa resident, and I found out that like myself she worked in IT, loved a good meal, and could be expected to hate the rules. Joyce met me at Datz Deli, which seems to be one of Tampa’s most talked about spots. And while the food was great, I wasn’t able to get good pictures because of the lighting. Hence, I plan on doing a more thorough write-up after my next visit.

Meal Two…. I was skimming the paper when I read about a new restaurant opening called The Edison by Chef Jeannie Pierola. Being a newbie, I don’t Chef Jeannie Pierola from Colonel Sanders, but the write-up made the restaurant seem cool, and I figured a restaurant opening provided a good excuse to gather together.

I sent word out through the Twittersphere that we should get a group of like-minded food enthusiasts together to try this place out. There was a good bit of interest, and thanks to Megan (@Irun4wine) we had a full table of fun including Abigail (@SoulofHealth), Leslie (@dashofles), and Zach (@ninjanole). Our reservations were for 7 PM, and the place was dead. We sat down and took our time.

So we ordered a handful of small plates including tenderloin tartare with kim chi, conch and bacon fritters, duck confit foie gras tacos, goat cheese truffles and potato crusted oysters. These were all good, but the tacos and oysters stood out above the rest. The tacos were uber-rich as one could imagine by having either confit or fois, but having them together was crazy (not to mention avocado). Adding a squirt of the accompanying lime cut the richness enough to really enjoy the heavy flavors. As for the oysters, I loved that they were presented on the shell, but it was the magical honey sauce that chased the oyster that made for a wonderful bite.

In keeping with our sharing nature, we split up four entrees: sous vide fried chicken and waffles, huevos rancheros, lobster gazpacho, and pan fried snapper filet. So despite having my fill of amazing sous vide fried chicken at my Six Burner event a few months ago, this was steller in its own right. Great crunch enveloped the perfectly cooked chicken, and the addition of truffle oil to the coating made this dish OFF THE HOOK. I don’t care what Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert say about truffle oil. It’s awesome when used well.

Dessert was skipped, not because it didn’t look good but because we were done. Content. Anything else would have put us over the edge. I think as a group, we were super happy with the culinary experience. For me personally, it’s not a question if I’ll be going back to Edison, it’s more about when can I gather another great group of people with whom we can enjoy this artistry together.

The post Week 6: A Social Life For A Day And Edison Food And Drink Lab appeared first on The House of Marinara.

Moving to Tampa changed all that. We would now see them less frequently in terms of visits, but actual hours spent with them might increase. Instead of 4 hours a shot, now they would visit for 8 days at a time. 8 days takes its toll. Don’t get me wrong, we had a good time, but normalcy, routines and rhythm all took a hike when they were in town.

Saturday was probably my favorite day with them because I didn’t have that work thing to get in the way. We started off the day by driving to St. Petersburg to check out Mazzaro’s Italian Market (which was open this time). My parents were in heaven! They were buying deli items, fresh pasta, prepared foods, desserts, coffee. They were chatting it up with anybody and everybody. It was perfect.  This place was no joke.

I ‘m hoping to put Mazzaro’s on the bi-weekly schedule, and that’s only because I discovered Caccitore Brothers Market (15 minutes away). Mazzaro’s bakery is perfect and reminds me of visiting Grandma in Utica, NY. They have the cannolis, the rum cakes, the Italian cookies, etc. Fortunately for me, I consider most of that stuff delectable poison (carbs are the devil) and will limit myself to indulge very, very infrequently. Their fresh pasta section is great, and I splurged on some squid ink linguine the first day off of my detox. It really is a good thing that I have too much pride in my cooking, because i never have felt the allure of the prepared food section as much as I did here.

So yes, the food part.

Tampa was hosting its Restaurant Week and having the folks around allowed me to take Mrs. Marinara out for a real meal. We settled on Wimauma, mostly because of their New Southern Cuisine. I had been missing The Roosevelt, Comfort and Lemaire.

I tried not to do much research about the place, and so I was a bit surprised that they didn’t serve liquor. I was really jonesing for a nice bourbon. I was, however, impressed by their commitment to keeping a large supply of local beers on tap.

I wasn’t feeling the three-course restaurant week menu. Mostly because I was trying to stay on task and not indulge in a full dessert following my detox. So for me, it was three small plates: Roasted Beet Salad w Homemade Cottage Cheese, Candied Pecans, Wild Arugula, & Orange Blossom Honey Vinaigrette;  Salt & Pepper Fried Okra w Cilantro, Scallion, Jalapeno, Fried Garlic & Shallot; and Sweet Chili-Lime Glazed Spare Ribs on Green Papaya Salad w Fried Garlic & Crushed Peanuts. Mrs. Marinara had Crispy Fried Florida Oysters w/ Guacamole, Cilantro & Smoked Tomato Jam; Bacon Crusted Mahi-Mahi w/ Jalapeno-Cheddar Spoonbread & Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce; and Pickled Peach & Cornbread Upside Down Cake served w Sweet Cream Ice Cream and Peach Bourbon Sauce.

It all sounds pretty decadent, right? This was nice with its heavy southern comfort food, mixed with a little bit of Asian and Latin to boot. For one night I didn’t miss my old jaunts in Richmond. This food was really good, and I was surprised at the level of execution considering it was the first night of restaurant week.

Of all the food we tried, the okra and the short ribs stood out. The thinly sliced okra was plated in way that reminded me of a Sichuan dish, but it held to true to its savory southern roots. The ribs on the other hand were sticky and gooey and were unmistakingly  Asian. If anything these were too heavy and rich, but I only say that because I couldn’t finish the dish.

Everything else was a little bit of a blur. The service didn’t stand out, good or bad. The location itself was cozy but nothing remarkable about it. I wouldn’t hesitate making a return trip, maybe this time asking the chef to put together a meal for me.

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