Frederick Fudge & Ice Cream

OK, OK, so I'll be the first to admit it. We suck bad. It's been over a month since our last post, and we apologize (at least to the one or two people who are actually reading this!) We've just been lazy this summer. Don't get us wrong, we've still been testing out local and not-so-local restaurants, and have been trying to stay active on our twitter account (um, are you following us yet!?) but we just can't seem to find the time to get our notes down on the proverbial "paper". We suck. There, I said it.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest...

One of the things Jay and I LOVE about summers in Frederick, MD is....ice cream! The Frederick Fudge and Ice Cream shop in Everedy Square/Shab Row area of downtown Frederick is our summer spot. We usually go there every other (ok, or every) week in the summer. Despite the increase to our waistlines, Frederick Fudge & Ice Cream is an awesome little spot to grab a quick summer dessert. Serving both Hershey's Ice Cream and soft serve (Insert Jay: but, really, what asshole would even go to an ice cream shop to get soft serve!?), FFIC also has a variety of fudge and other goodies. Us? We stick with the ice cream.

My "usual" is the old fashioned hot fudge sundae (hold the nuts!) (Insert Jay: yes indeed, hold the nuts. Hiyooo!). Even the small size is a generous proportion, Hershey's vanilla topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. And despite Jay's cat-calls of how vanilla is so unoriginal, I say, you can't go wrong with a classic. Jay usually destroys a "single scoop" (did we mention the portions were pretty large?) of the Extreme Chocolate or, his all-time favorite, though not always available, Oatmeal Cookie Dough. And then he eats whatever is leftover from my sundae. Because he eats. A Lot.

The cute, but rather small, ice cream shop always has friendly service (always high school-ish girls), and always smells yummy inside. They are dog friendly, even serving up the special doggie ice cream Frosty Paws (which you could just buy at the grocery store for like a third of the price). Beware—your dogs will try to pee on the big stuffed bear at the front door. At least ours do. Try, that is.

There's a great little sitting area out back (Insert Jay: be prepared for the goddam bugs, they eat you alive some nights) and even parking right behind the shop. Plus, you can always walk through Shab Row or down to Carrol Creek to work off those extra calories. If you're looking for a quick, fun trip for dessert, we highly recommend! We'd give this shop a "Hell, Yes" rating and will continue to frequent it for the remainder of the summer. See ya there!

Oopa! Greek Festival Frederick-Style

So it's been a while since our last post and you've missed a few meals (we have not). I've been waiting on Kay to get business cards for us to leave at restaurants. (Insert Kay: Seriously, we need business cards before we can eat out and write a post? Give me a break Jay!) That dumb bitch is dragging her heals (as usual) and I figured I better write a review before we lose any interest we've gained thus far. I can tell you that I haven't missed many meals but here is one that I wanted to share.

Get him to the Greek! Great movie, but it has nothing to do with this post other than it's the type of food we able to enjoy over the weekend. We went to the Greek Festival in Frederick several times over this past weekend. It's located at Sts. Peter and Paul Church on 7th St. every year around this time. Let's get this out of the way straight out of the gate, I crushed 6 gyros in 4 days. (Insert Kay: He's lucky he didn't have a heart attack.) Let me give you a play by play of each night:

Thursday: I wanted to start things off right and dominated 2 gyros in one sitting. As I was about to start my second gyro, this dude sat down next to me. He was every bit of 325-350lbs and homeboy was only able to put down one gyro. I gave him a head nod as I took that last bite, as if to say "what's up, that's all you got?". Kay ate some chicken deal that I can't pronounce.  All I know is that there were lots of vowels. (Insert Kay: Chicken Souvlaki...bitch)

Friday: I tried to keep it mild. I only ate one gyro, a side of fries and the rest of Kay's meal. Our friends joined us and they seemed to have a good time. I was eyeballing their kids fries as they didn't finish. I'm not sure what they ordered, again lots of vowels, but they seemed to enjoy the food. (Insert Kay: And I got the Athenian Chicken Platter...chicken with lemon, manestra (a Greek style orzo side dish) and then Greek green beans...so. good.) (Insert Jay: Manestra sounds like something a women gets once a month. They should check the translation on that one.)

Saturday: My dad and new weekend mom (Insert Kay: laughing hysterically) joined us for dinner. Pops wasn't sure what to order, so he just went with the "point, I'll take that" technique. They both enjoyed their meals and seemed to have a good time checking out the pastries. As for myself, gyro number four went down without a hitch (along with a salad and fries). I believe Kay got pastitsio (I had to google it for the spelling). I had a few bites and it was tasty. (Insert Kay: Just want to point out that pastitsio is probably my all-time fav Greek meal. I highly recommend!  Also, just a note on the Greek pastries...again, so. good.)

Sunday: I wasn't able to make it to the festival but Kay picked up dinner. Gyros five and six went down easily after a long day of yard work. Not sure what Kay had, I was in the zone. Believe it or not, I only weigh 165. Well maybe 170 now. (Insert Kay: I had tiropita and spanakopita...cheese and spinach pies, plus a few extra samples.)

We always look forward to the Greek Festival. If you haven't checked it out, you're missing some good food. They had a tasty one-off beer this year made by Brewer's Alley. I only had a few glasses as they sold out much sooner than anticipated. Snooze you lose assholes. (Insert Kay: Um, I had more than a few glasses. good stuff) All in all, the festival is a great time and you should go next year. I'll challenge anyone to a gyro eating contest, I think I have more in the tank. As for a rating, we'll go with a "hell yeah" for this one.

(Insert Kay Disclaimer: I thought it only fair to come clean and let everyone know that I actually am Greek. So, yes, I could be a bit biased, but it doesn't matter, the shit is good, I don't care who you are.)

Olives

My mom offered to take Kay and I out to dinner this weekend. We headed to some Italian joint and were told it would be about a 45 minute wait. So I told the hostess that my friend Ulysses S. Grant was hungry and it appeared that there was an empty table that he could sit at. (Insert Kay: For anyone who trying to figure out what the hell Jay is talking about, he meant that he tried to slip the hostess a $50. This is so entirely untrue because Jay is way cheap and totally NOT that slick) OK, that's the conversation that took place in my head, what actually was said was "okay, maybe next time". So, Kay suggested that we head over to Olives instead. 

When we entered, the first thing I noticed was the artwork painted on the walls. I must say, I didn't really admire the art, and was afraid our meals would be equally unappealing. (Insert Kay: I don't mind the art. Except the art in the women's bathroom. There is a mural of rose petals, and some of the petals look disturbing close to certain female body part. Seriously. Take a look when you go there and tell me if I'm wrong.) We were quickly seated (I think the hostess heard my conversation mentioned earlier with Grant) (Insert Kay: Lame. So lame.) as the restaurant was not quite full. Upon being seated, I thought to myself that this place should serve olives instead of bread at the start of the meal. And sure as shit, 2 minutes later a plate of 4 olives hits the table. Bam.

Kay ordered Sacchetti al Formaggio al… some shit I can't pronounce (Insert Kay: Sacchetti al Formaggio e Pere…pasta stuffed with pear, ricotta, taleggio sauce, and walnuts…um, YUM!) and I ordered Chicken Marsala. While waiting for our meals, we enjoyed some bread and a few olives. Unfortunately, our meals took a while to arrive........a while to arrive......a while to arrive. At least my water was constantly refilled without having to ask. When our meals finally arrived, I must say I was pleased...at least the wait was worth it. My Marsala was a rich sweet sauce that I enjoyed. Kay lost focus and I grabbed one of her whatever you call them (gnocchi?) and found it to be enjoyable as well.  Both our meals were $15-$16 and for the amount of food and flavor we got, I would say it was worth it (better than the bullshit you get at Carrabba's). On a side note, for those of you who go to Carrabba's, you are missing out on local restaurant's that offer much better food. Carrabba's is for pods (what's a pod? An asshole). 

Back to our meal. Kay was so pleased with her meal that she ordered a cannoli for dessert. I've never been a fan of cannoli's but they were on par with others I've had. I held out for a double scoop at Frederick Fudge & Ice Cream Company. Check them out if you get a chance. The ice cream is awesome even though they don't make it (Hershey's). (Insert Kay: And best old fashioned hot fudge sundae in Frederick...holy crap. mouth watering now.)

So what is our rating of Olives? I'd say that considering we took my mom there, I'd give it a "Good enough to take your parents to". Since my mom picked up the check, I would definitely go back as long as my mom goes. The only complaint that I would give is the amount of time we waited for our meals to arrive and for our check to arrive. The restaurant wasn't packed and they should have been quicker with the service. Kay wasn't able to finish her meal so she brought it home. Her dumbass went out of town for the remainder of the weekend and made the mistake of leaving the leftovers in our fridge. She doesn't know it yet but I destroyed it today for lunch.....bitches. (Insert Kay: Busted. You suck, Jay.)

(Insert Kay: On a side note, while this was my first time there for dinner,  I've been to Olives several times for lunch. I highly recommend getting their pear & walnut panini. It. is. so. good. I've actually had dreams about eating it! Also, their pizzas are pretty good too!)

The Cellar Door

The other weekend Jay and I took our first trip to The Cellar Door in downtown Frederick, MD to celebrate Frederick Restaurant Week with some friends. (OK, you caught us, this post is really late... didn't I mention last post that we are slackers. Don't Judge.) We hadn't been to The Cellar Door location since it had been The Brown Pelican...yeah...a REALLY long time ago! Even though the restaurant had been opened for a while, neither of us had heard anything about it—good or bad. So we honestly weren't sure what to expect.

First impression was that the vibe in the basement setting was kind of cool. It was small and quaint, with a cozy bar area. The staff was very courteous and we were quickly seated with drinks ordered (we tried the Fat Tire Beer, which I will definitely be ordering it again! And wish I was drinking right now. mmmmm....beer). It was a special night, so we both got appetizers (which we don't usually do). I went with Goat Cheese Fritters (Insert Jay: aka mozzarella sticks, let's call a spade a spade) and Jay got the Seared Ahi Tuna. The fritters were pretty good, very cheesey, but the sauce they came in was amazing! (Unfortunately I don't remember exactly was the sauce was and sadly, they don't have it listed on their menu—food blogger #fail.) Jay was happy with his tuna bites.

For my main course I went crazy and decided to try the Roasted Pork Chop. The dish came with a parsnip puree, sautéed spinach, and then caramelized apple, onion and bacon to top of the HUGE hunk of pork chop (seriously, it was HUGE!).  Jay went with the Chicken Cheasapeake, which came with lump crab meat, asapragus, and mashed potatoes. (Our friends also went with the Chicken as well as The Eastern Shore—rockfish, scallops, mussels, prawn, tomato, garlic and rice served in a broth base). I gotta say, if the dinner had been a competition, my pork chop meal was the winner. As in, it kicked all the other meals' asses! It was so good. Let me repeat—it was so good! Even the parsnip puree was a hit! All the flavors really complimented each other and the pork was soft and buttery. Jay's Chicken meal was also good, although he wished it came with more crabmeat. (Insert Jay: When I read "Chesapeake" on the menu, I figured Old Bay would be involved but that wasn't the case. Oh well, it was still good. There was a small amount of crab and it didn't have too much flavor. It got lost in the dish and didn't seem to fit). And our friend enjoyed her Eastern Shore meal, repeatedly exclaiming "This broth is really good" several times, even though some of the seafood didn't live up to her expectations.

While we had the best intentions to try dessert while dining, we were just too full. But, we did have one other savory goodness that deserves a mention—the bread before the dinner. Ok, so the bread wasn't anything special, but they served it with a raspberry butter. Say what!? Holy. Crap. It was so good, I made the waitress bring us more.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal at The Cellar Door and would most likely go back. But, since we were there during Frederick's Restaurant Week, we got a special fixed pricing on the meal. We did notice that the normal meal costs can run on the pricey side, so we'd probably only go back for a special occasion...or just to drink the Fat Tire beer and eat the raspberry butter. I'd give our meal a borderline "Hell, Yeah" and a solid "Good Enough to Take Your Parents To"…but hope that they pay for it.

Alexander's

First, we wanted to apologize for the delay in posts. What can we say, we've been total and complete slackers. It happens. We do what we want… 

OK, so we don't typically make it out for weekend brunch. Maybe it's because of a long-standing commitment I have on Sundays. Or maybe it's because we enjoy making weekend breakfast at home, listening to bluegrass music. Or, maybe it's because we're just too lazy on the weekends and usually lounge around for a bit in the mornings. Whatever the reason, it's just not something we usually do. So, when we were invited out last Sunday for an after-event brunch, we were happy to try it out. And, even better, we got to go Alexanders in Buckeystown, MD—somewhere neither of us had been.

Our brunch party met at Alexander's at Buckeystown, located (ironically) in Buckeystown, MD. (Insert Jay: That's not irony you dumb bitch. "Incidentally" or "Conveniently" is what you meant to use. Irony was when that douche thought he could live among grizzlies to learn how to protect them. End result, the douche was eaten by one and a park ranger killed the grizzly for eating him, exactly what he raising awareness against. What is it with broads using the word "irony" incorrectly? Take Alanis Morissette, she wrote an entire song called Ironic and there is not one lyric in it that is ironic. Rain on your wedding day is bad luck not ironic and the rest of the song is about waiting too long to make a good decision...., Bitches.) (Insert Kay: Rant much? …and back to the review…) Buckeystown, just a few miles outside of Frederick, is one of those small towns that if you blink, you'll literally pass it. Luckily, we had our handy iphone GPS's, so we found it without any problems. (OK, so really, you won't have trouble finding the restaurant, it's one of like two businesses in the area.) Alexander's is located in a quaint, federal-style home that was originally built in 1780. The restaurant vibe is very comforting and homey, with the dining areas separated by different rooms of the house. Honestly, it feels like going to your grandmothers house for a meal. Per their website, Alexander's self described themselves as having "antebellum surroundings" with a "fresh approach" to "southern comfort food". Word. (antebellum, they really used that in their description!)

Upon sitting down, we were quickly greeted by our waiter, and drinks as well as cinnamon buns arrived promptly. (I don't usually like cinnamon buns, but I was starving, and I'm so glad I ate them—they were really, really good!) Jay went with the Omelette (with an extra order of bacon—the guy can eat!). I went with…wait for it…chicken and waffles. Yes. I said it. They. Have. Chicken. AND. Waffles! (Insert Jay: the only thing better than chicken and waffles is this, tell it Luda!) Jay doesn't quite remember what exactly was in his omelette (in his exact words "i don't know, it was filled with omelette shit). Thanks Dear. But, he does remember it being really good, and he ate all of it. The bacon was really smoked. Which, was good at first bite, but then became overpowering. For me, the chicken and waffles were amazing! (Insert Jay: the syrup or sizzurp as I like to say, was really good. Some pecan pepper shit that was tasty.) So, so good!

All in all, we were really impressed with Alexander's and wondered why we didn't do brunch more often! (Insert Jay: I actually don't wonder why. Brunch is for a-holes that like to use words like brunch.) The service was a little slow, but we were with a very large party, so it's hard to tell if that was normal or not. I was impressed with how quickly and easily our checks were split up for a party of like 16ish people. We'd give it a "Good Enough to Take Your Parents To", (which you actually probably should do!) and will try going back for a taste of lunch or dinner!

PS: Alexanders is currently participating in Frederick's Restaurant Week. While we didn't try one of their special dishes, I'd encourage everyone to try to grab a meal there during this weekend, the tail end of Restaurant Week!