Olde Peninsula

Kristin: Pretzerella Sticks and a Florentine Calzone

We had such a blast at Olde Penn (or OP/ Ocean Pacific, whatever else you'd like to call this spiffy brew pub.) Our server was awesomely attentive, and had a good sense of humor to boot- he took very good care of us.

We've been here before (you may recall our "Zombie" meal.), and at the time we commented on how very hard to eat the pretzerella sticks are (they fall apart as you hold them). But Kate came up with a wondrous solution to this - ask for a little plate and then eat them with a knife and fork. PERFECT.

I also have to tell you about my Calzone- you know that scene in When Harry Met Sally, when Sally spends five minutes ordering a slice of pie to her exact specifications? I tried to ask for the Florentine without chicken and with the alfredo on the side. They couldn't do the no chicken request (calzones are pre-made... sad face.), but they did bring me the alfredo on the side. Looking at that stuff in a little cup kind of turned me off to the idea of eating it, so I also asked for a little cup of Marinara. THAT... That, my friends, was absolute perfection.

My Calzone was filled with chicken, spinach, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, was cooked in an unexpectedly light crust, and was shaped like a three corner hat - so of course I happily geeked about about my hat calzone for few minutes. Long story short - I got what I wanted how I wanted it and it was super yummy.

Here's my one and only beef with the good Olde Penn: Their no smoking section is cut off from the smoking section by a series of windows that don't actually cover the entire wall, so the smoke definitely travels through those gaps over to the supposedly smoke free side... this is not altogether helpful when you're trying to enjoy all the tastiness you're working with. But that being said, really the only person who could fix that is the big wig behind the OP - maybe he's a Kzoo foodies reader?

four golden forks out of five.

Kate: Sunset Red Burrito with Chicken and Pretzella Sticks

So, yes, clearly our zombie state from the last visit did not allow me to think about eating the pretzella sticks with a fork. They were, again, quite yummy, and much easier to eat with a fork.
The burrito was delicious! It was a huge portion and it was served with tortilla chips, but no salsa, which I thought was odd, but I was so overwhelmed when I saw the plate, I commented to the server on the amount of food he had placed in front of me. My first bite was, well, HOT! I felt the warm beans going all the way down to my stomach. YES, that hot. So, once I recovered from the third degree burns to my throat, I took a second bite and was very pleased with what I was tasting. The bean mixture inside the burrito had such a wonderful blend of flavors! Add that to the tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce, and you have yourself a delicious burrito. I had been craving something Mexican-like lately, and this seemed like a slightly lighter version that something I might have gotten somewhere else.
I did not have much room for chips, but I did have a few, and they are very well seasoned. They remind me of the chips at a little local place that used to exist where I grew up. Really good.
Coupled with the Rockin Raspberry Wheat beer, I definitely enjoyed this meal after a long morning of working at the mall, even with the cigarette smoke drifting through the wall...

four golden forks out of five.