Pit Beef At The Canopy

After so many trips to Maryland, I finally realized that the suburbs have their own pit beef outposts. This Baltimore specialty has stayed very close to home, unlike some specialties like cheesesteaks. But food often travels with people as they move from the city to the suburbs. The Canopy was an excellent choice for my first sampling of this wonderful sandwich. The proprietor was very friendly and explained that they have been in business for over 30 years. The place is small. Most of the business is takeout but they do have a small counter.

I ordered the classic pit beef sandwich with rare, thinly sliced beef. I followed the owner's suggestion on topping: horseradish, the homemade BBQ sauce, and sliced onion. That combination was excellent: a bit of sweetness, a touch of heat, just enough sauce to keep things moving. The beef itself was tender and juicy. The bun was just right---it provided both support and a bit of carbohydrate but didn't overwhelm the star of the show.

The fries were similarly excellent. I went with the cheese sauce dip. As much as I wanted to disapprove of American cheese, I found this dip to go very well with the fries. The tangy bit of the cheese sauce complemented the starch of the potatoes. This was an excellent meal. I may have to exercise more to justify eating this but I plan to return.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

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Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

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