(Spicy Totto Ramen)

Comfort is important to me when dining out. Reservations make me comfortable as I can't let extreme hunger influence my judgement on the food after waiting an hour for a table. Elbow room makes me comfortable. A place to put my jacket and purse makes me comfortable. Regulated temperatures make me comfortable. Not having patrons hover over me while I eat makes me comfortable.

So what was I doing in this teenie ramen house that doesn't take reservations? Well, a girl needs to get her ramen fix every now and then. Although it was a wet summer afternoon, the timing was right, as a friend and I arrived at Totto after the lunch rush and even still on a warm, muggy day, there was still a short wait to get into this little place.

(Avo Tuna - Torched Tuna Sashimi with Avocados)

We sat at the bar closest to the door and while I could feel the scorning eyes behind me of those still waiting to be seated, I was excited to witness the cooks in action. With my jacket and purse in lap, I watched the cooks, torch my tuna sashimi and squid skewers. Good predictable appetizers but I really just wanted the ramen.. and then it came, piping hot, spewing steam into the already hot, muggy air inside. This was the first time I've had a chicken and soy sauce based broth and while I missed the feeling of having oil slicked lips after sucking down collagen loaded pork broths, this was a nice lighter alternative in the warm weather. However the

peppery, spicy sesame oil that's added to the spicy ramen succeeded in making my eyelids sweat anyway.

(Ika-Yaki - Torched Squid Skewers)

Complete with bouncy noodles, torched pork pieces, scallions, bean sprouts, and the obligatory nori piece, this was quite a satisfying bowl and at a wallet friendly price of $10.50. Nice to know that ramen can be found without having to trek downtown as I do enjoy a good bowl every now and then. The 30 minutes I did spend inside being totally uncomfortable was sure worth it.

Where I've Been..

Or eating.. I've been a lazy blogger and lazy cook as well.

Red Velvet Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery



Coconut Cream Cake



Bacon, Corn, Cheddar & Chive Frittata



Garlic Belachan w. a Side of Long Beans



Steamed Pork Ribs w. Black Bean Sauce



Buttermilk Biscuits



Roasted Vegetable Soup



Basil Butter Shrimp



Maryland Blue Crabs



Serenity

Maine Lobster Festival 2008

The girls and I went on our "Annual" Girls' Maine Roadtrip for the Maine Lobster Festival. It was the second consecutive year but they're already thinking about 2009. I love the escape from the city. No, we didn't party in our hotel room, play dress up or go to the bars and stumble around New England like intoxicated college students but we did massive shopping, eating, and sleeping (yes ,my kind of vacation). I was aghast after calculating how much I'd spent that weekend that the huge majority of my funds went to food. My biggest souvenirs were some live lobsters for the BF, a table lamp and a much bigger waistline.

Some pictures from the Girls' Maine Roadtrip 2008 a couple weeks ago.

Come to momma.. one of the many that weekend.



Cappy's Chowder House - Second time eating here. The only things I really liked here are the clam chowder and the potent drinks! Nothing like a buzz at noon. Photo is of the bakery side on the side street.



Our second night in Maine we dined at Francine Bistro in Camden for dinner. Lovely, cozy place that changes their menu daily depending on what is locally available . With only 4 apps and 4 entrees on the menu we ordered one of each. Our dinner was very meat heavy but extremely good. A nice break from all the seafood we ate for lunch. Sorry no photos.

On our last night we decided to try Lily Bistro a fabulous new place on Main St. in Rockland per the recommendation of the sweet storekeeper at G.F. Mac Gregors. I don't recall all the names of the dishes except mine. Another enjoyable dinner.

Duck in some kind of orange sauce



Pork Steak with Fried Green Tomatoes



Pan Fried Red Fish (?) on Ratatouille - The fish looked like a red snapper which I love. The Ratatouille was a replacement for the Lobster Mashed Potatoes that ran out. Boo.



They seated us in the downstairs dining area since the upstairs was packed. The owner repeatedly apologized for not being able to provide us seating upstairs. Why no one would want to sit down here - I don't know. Though it looks like a dungeon in the photo, it was alot more charming than the rowdy upstairs. Behind the photographer was an entire wall custom made to hold bottles of wines. We were alone so it was also like private dining!







Lobster Roll dredged in butter from Red's Eats



Til next year..