Lemongrass!!

Forget that schlepping all over the Daytona area for fresh lemongrass. I now have my own lemongrass plant!

Just one step closer to green curry.

Cerchio in Ormond Beach

I'm a fan of Stonewood Grill and Tavern, and Peach Valley Cafe. Recently I read an article on the owners of Stonewood Grill and Tavern, and Peach Valley Cafe and found out that they also own an Italian restaurant, Cerchio. I was very excited to try Cerchio's food. Both Stonewood and Peachtree are chains, but they really don't have a chain feel to them, at least to me. I guess I expected the same from Cerchio's. I was disappointed. The place screams "Olive Garden" to me. Yeah, the decor is a little nicer, but other than that . . .

I ordered the eggplant medallions ("Tender eggplant, hand breaded, flash fried to a golden brown, topped with fresh ricotta on a bed of rustic marinara") for an appetizer. My friend chose the Artichoke Fritte ("Tender artichokes, flour finished, flash fried and served with dijon aioli"). The eggplant did seem to be hand breaded and it was fried perfectly. However, I like my eggplant with that large, oozing slice of provolone on top of it. This dish was sprinkled with cheese and seemed lacking. Judy's artichoke appetizer was quite good, but the dipping sauce certainly did not seem to be dijon aoili. In actuality, it tasted just like the sauce served with Bloomin' Onions at the Outback.


I ordered the Ravioli Caprese for an entree, the half portion. ("Tender ravioli filled with fresh mozzarella, vine ripe tomatoes and basil, finished with our house made aurora sauce") This came highly recommended by our waiter. For some reason, I had it in my head that this would be more of a pasta salad. I'm not sure where I got that from. I was expecting fresh tastes. What I got was what seemed to be typical frozen ravioli in a sauce that tasted like a rosa sauce.

Judy went with the sampler dish. (top photo) It isn't listed on their web site and I can't remember what it was called. I know that the Chicken Parmesan and the Ravioli Caprese were part of the meal. She was able to substitute for the third dish and chose gnocchi with bolognese sauce. She felt the same way I did about the ravioli and both of us were put off by the mushy texture of the gnocchi. The chicken was quite tasty though.

Of course, we wanted dessert and coffee. The coffee was fresh, dark, and made just right. The tirimisu tasted like the Olive Garden's and the Chocolate Au Cream was frozen and gritty.

Overall, the food was good/OK, but simply not the quality I was expecting. I went there with high expectations that weren't met. At least not during this outing. Would I recommend to friends? Yes, but with a disclaimer that they should go expecting chain quality food.

One thing I would go back for - their pizzas smelled and looked delicious. I'd be willing to give Cerchio's another shot and try their fire roasted pizzas.

Soy and Garlic Pork Chops

Many many years ago . . . I was given a recipe for grilled pork chops. Amy, the recipe donor, tried to impress upon me just how great these chops were. I shrugged and smiled, thinking to myself, "Soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar? I don't think so." Then I made them. I changed my mind.

I've lost the actual recipe that she gave me, but here is the way I do it. I've used fresh garlic rather than the powder she had listed and I switched the regular soy sauce for low sodium.

• 4-6 center cut pork chops

Marinade

• 1 cup of low sodium soy sauce
• 1 head of bruised (before peeling and chopping, use the flat side of a knife to crush the cloves. This will also make it easier to peel the skin from the cloves.) and then coarsely chopped garlic
• approx. 1/4 cup of brown sugar (I don't really measure mine. I want the soy to thicken a little.)
• chopped ginger (optional, I add it when I have it.)

Stir all marinade ingredients together. Let sit for a few minutes so the sugar can dissolve. Then stir again before adding marinade to pork chops.

Place the pork chops in a 9x12 glass dish. Pour marinade over them. I usually marinate the chops for 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning them occasionally. The original recipe said to marinate for an hour at room temperature, but I think they have a much better flavor with the lengthened marinade time and leaving pork out on my counter for any length of time concerns me.

Then grill.