Blackburn + Sweetzer Has Moved

Stormy on West 3rd Street; click to expand

It was cold. It was rainy. It was Thursday. Food Marathon and I met at the agreed upon meeting place to begin the B+S Food Marathon. The goal? To hit three spots on West 3rd Street hard and fast and, hopefully, devour many delicious morsels along the way. The night involved La Terza, Tasca, The Little Door, and enough wine and port to end the night with two Ibuprofen and lotsa agua…

The whole story and photos of the savory damage after the jump!

Bruschetta and a trio of apps from La Terza; click to expand

I realized as I was walking over to La Terza—armed with a bottle of wine to save a little money (found out it’s $20 corkage at La Terza)—that I had no idea what Food Marathon’s name was. I stood at the corner of Orlando and West 3rd searching through our email exchanges only to find ‘FM’ on the bottom of each one. Clearly, FM likes to keep a low-pro. I will say FM is younger than I expected, has a completely non-food-related career, is thin despite a clear love of food, and is a completely delightful companion to eat your face off with.

To the food. We sat at the bar area of the La Terza, a bunch of butcher block-type tables, which are underutilized. I agree with FM that it would be a great place to go with a group of people—not loud and room to spread out.

It did take a while to get the attention of the waiter and finally order. FM noted the horrible layout of the restaurant, making the waiters run around inefficiently, an observation I wouldn’t have noticed, which made the slow service slightly more tenable.

Ah, but when the food arrived, first a little bruschetta courtesy of the chef, then a trio of apps, it did not disappoint—petite meatballs in tomato sauce, scallops and mushrooms with crispy crostini, and roasted, juicy quail. Seriously delicious.

But it was time to move! FM said we were really not keeping up with the FM pace, lingering egregiously at our first spot.

Duck and brussels sprouts at Tasca; click to expand

We braved the rain and chill during our five-or-so minute walk to Tasca, which turned out to be completely packed inside, as well as out on the covered patio. We nabbed two seats at the bar and ordered brussels sprouts and duck confit. The duck was mwah! As were the accompanying creamy mashed potatoes. The brussels sprouts were a little whatever. I actually prefer the brussels sprouts you can takeout from Joan’s.

Port at Little Lounge; click to expand

We ended the eve at The Little Door’s new late-night Little Lounge—basically, a late-night menu with drinks and DJ. Though bustling, my guess is that it was quieter than usual given the weather. We ordered some port, took in the candlelit scene, and grabbed some matches on our way out.

Stay tuned. Food Marathon’s account is coming…

» The Blackburn & Sweetzer Food Marathon—Food Marathon