Public House 49 in Patchogue

Stopped into Public House 49 on Main Street in Patchogue (Long Island folks will know where this is.) and I have to say, the food was very good.

It's a loud place. Very loud! Not many seats to eat in. It looks as if it were two stores that they combined into one establishment. One side is the bar/nightclub and the other side is the restaurant with tables and booths.

It was busy on Friday night. We had about 35 there for a friend's birthday celebration. However, without our group, it was still full.

By the time we wanted to eat, they had to set us up on the bar side all the way in the back. I was appreciative that they accommodated us that way. We were ready to eat and I guess we would have had to wait a bit to sit. I had perused the menu online and it looked interesting.

There were five in our party. My wife and daughter and I started with the Savory Trio. It was disappointing. The portion size and flavors didn't deliver. However, our friends ordered the Calamari with lemon garlic sauce. That was a definite winner. Perfectly seasoned. Flavorful. Just the right balance of lemon and garlic. Very good indeed.

I ordered the Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken with a Parmesan bread pudding and baby spinach. Now, I know, that's not daring, but I thought this was a good way to judge the food. If you can deliver chicken correctly, the other food would probably be good. At least that's what I thought. I was not disappointed. Not only was the chicken flavorful, but it was moist. I love bread pudding of all types, so I was excited about trying the Parmesan Bread Pudding. Unfortunately it had a very mild cheese flavor. I was hoping for more, but the texture was creamy and pleasant. The baby spinach was excellent also.

All in all everyone at the table agreed that Public House 49 is worth another trip. The food was very good overall. The service was also very good. Friendly, accommodating. Everything you expect from a good eatery.

The one thing I do have to say is that it is very LOUD there. And, although each section is separated by a glass wall, it does not help. Both sides are so loud it forces you to yell, making it even louder in there. And, we were in the back and it was still loud. However, the dining experience wasn't diminished by that. It was an annoyance, but we still had a good time and really enjoyed the food.

Public House 49 is worth the trip. The food and service make it a recommended spot in downtown Patchogue.

Eating @ Home

So, it's been a while. Winter is in full swing. Lots of cooking @ home. We haven't been eating out as much and we're just enjoying it!

Cooking is fun if you approach it like that. There's no right or wrong. It is all about what you like.

I watch a lot of cooking shows. Right now, I'm a Tyler Florence fan. Jacques Pepin is also a huge favorite of mine. These two guys make cooking look fun and "doable". And, their dishes always look like they taste great.

I have been a cooking show junkie for over 25 years. I spent a lot of time on the weekends watching Julia Child and the great Pierre Franey cooking on my local PBS channel. Cooking fascinated me. I always wonder why I never went into the business.

After many years watching, I seem to have gotten the hang of it. I am by no means a professional, but a good home cook. Strictly amateur. I love trying new things, as well as cooking tried and true dishes that I love. My favorite thing of all time is lasagna. It is the dish I always asked my mother to make for my birthday. Her lasagna was the best. It incorporated meatballs and sausage, as well as ricotta and mozzarella. No bechamel in her lasagna. That's not how she did it.

I am also getting into BBQing. Not grilling, but BBQing where you cook low and slow. I use a charcoal Weber 22-inch BBQ. I smoked a turkey for Thanksgiving in it and it was fabulous! Used applewood. It came out so nice. I will do that again.

Taking whatever ingredients are around and putting together a dish is something that I wish I could do better. I often look in my pantry and on my spice shelf and wonder what Alton Brown or Emeril would do with what I have in there.

Adventurous would be a label for me. If I could cook bison, ostrich or armadillo every day, I would. I like the mixture of fruit with meat. I enjoy how simply some parsley or a squeeze of lemon perks up a dish.

It's fun. And when I "hit one out of the ballpark", it is so satisfying. To hear my family enjoying and complimenting what I cooked makes it all worth it.

And, bringing the family together around the table for a good meal leads to good conversation and brings us all closer together. It's something I hope never ends.

Next up, I want to talk about cookbooks. If you have a favorite "go to" cookbook, let me know.