Vinny's Café (Dundalk, MD)

http://www.vinnyscafe.com/

My husband and I went to Dundalk, MD on Mother’s Day to see my grandmother.  While there, we went with her and my mom and stepdad to Vinny’s Café (grandmom’s favorite restaurant).  They had a fixed menu, but were able to make me a vegetarian pasta (ended up being spaghetti and marinara).  The service was extremely slow, but the atmosphere was pleasant.  We sat in a side room which had a few tables and a painted ceiling.  The chandeliers had medallions on the ceiling, very ornate!  The main room has a lot of tables and booths and more ornate painting.

So, now time for the actual meal.  The bread that they brought out included some tomato pie.  The tomato pie was on soft bread with crispy edges.  It had a mixture of marinara and parmesan on top.  It was really good, but I stayed away from the crust because they were a little too hard.  The bread basket was followed by a salad with house dressing (creamy Italian).  The dressing coated iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  I thought that the house dressing would be extremely good, but it was just kind of mediocre (similar to bottled dressing).  My main dish was spaghetti with marinara and was, unfortunately, quite bland.  There was a ton of it though! I actually had enough to make three additional meals!  I added some basil and red pepper flakes when I had the leftovers – that definitely added what I was looking for.  For dessert, my husband and I shared a slice of the Fondant Cake.  It consisted of chewy chocolate sponge cake layered with chocolate icing and topped with chocolate fondant.  Each bite was full of chocolatey goodness.  I will say that the dessert made up for the mediocre food. 

Will I go there again?  Of course!  It’s grandmom’s favorite restaurant and the dessert is delicious!

Chik’n Lo Mein

Chik’n Lo Mein (adapted from Kraft Foods, Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         ½ lb. spaghetti, uncooked

·         ¼ cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

·         1 package Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chicken Strips

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen bell pepper and onion strips, thawed, drained

·         ½ cup  fat-free reduced-sodium vegetable broth

·         1 Tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter

·         ¼ cup  lite soy sauce

Directions

1.)    Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt.

2.)    Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 min. Add vegetables, broth and peanut butter; stir-fry 3 to 4 min. or until everything is heated through.

3.)    Drain spaghetti; return to pan. Add chicken mixture and soy sauce; mix lightly.

Okay, so I made a major flub on this one that actually didn’t turn out too bad.  I thought I had vegetable broth, but alas, when I went to retrieve it from the pantry – no such luck.  My spaghetti was already cooking and my veggies were frying, so I made a split decision to use water.  When my husband and I ate the final dish, we found it slightly bland and I think that the broth would have helped in the flavor area; however, after refrigerating and reheating the leftovers – flavor!  No problems.  Next time I make this, though, I’ll use the vegetable broth.

I did not top the final dish with cilantro and peanuts (as the original recipe calls for) for two reasons: 1.) my husband doesn’t like peanuts and 2.) neither of us likes fresh cilantro.  I don’t think that took anything away from the final product, though.  The taste has a little bit of peanut butter, but mostly the toasted sesame dressing with a hint of garlic.  I think that the only thing I would change (besides actually using vegetable broth) is to use fresh vegetables.  The frozen and thawed veggies had no bite to them whatsoever and I feel that a little extra crunch would have amped up the meal.  You’ll probably be fine to use frozen veggies if you use the peanuts, though.

Enjoy!  And remember, letting the dish sit for a few minutes will definitely help the flavors meld!