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.

Olde Peninsula

Kristin: Spinach Fettucini

Kate and I just had what I would like to refer to as a Zombie Meal (c). I would make a fun graphic for that, and I'm sure I actually will later, but the point of it being called a Zombie meal is that we were both totally bushed. We hit up Olde Peninsula specifically because we had walked a few blocks with nothing popping out at us and finally just went with the first place that we saw.

We started off with an appetizer of Pretzerella Sticks (mozzarella sticks that are breaded with pretzel crumbs instead of bread crumbs). They were quite tasty, but not entirely the most structured food- they more or less fell apart as we tried to eat them.

I really liked the spinach fettucini! Spinach pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. Not much more to say about it than I totally cleaned my plate. It was just what I wanted without even knowing it.

Past that, our server was super good to us, especially because we were so out of it with exhaustion. And she told us this wicked awesome story about about a truck backing into a car while trying to park across the street. I liked her. Go her. So... yeah. Olde Peninsula. Woo.

four golden forks out of five.

Kate: Pretzella Stix and Turkey Peninsula Burger

I think the Zombie Meal is right on! Wow! We were wiped out. So, yes, mad props to the server who didn't laugh at our exhaustion too much. And, I think I may have ordered a raspberry beer, that would be like me, but I can't recall if I actually did or didn't. Sad!
The dining experience was good. The Pretzella Stix are a novel idea and good in theory. They were tasty, but a challenge to eat. And, when you are that zombie-esque, it was doubly challenging. But, yummy nonetheless.
And, on to the turkey burger. I am a sucker for a turkey burger, and this one was good. Peninsula style is pretty much your basic burger. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and mustard. Perfect. This was a good turkey burger. Cooked just right. I will remember as the place in town for a good turkey burger. And, I also had a side salad instead of fries, as I am sure you could have guessed, and it was also worth returning for. I had a beer vinaigrette dressing that was really yummy. All in all, Olde Pennisula was great and will be visited again!

four golden forks out of five.