Bad Decisions....Of The Very Best Kind!!

If you’ve been reading this very new blog, you may have noticed, Bad Decisions in Fells Point (Baltimore), has already been mentioned a couple of times.  For good reason!

John Reusing, the owner/bartender, is an artist and a showman behind that bar!  Nothing less than top shelf liquors (Patron XL Espresso Tequila!) and liqueurs (Lazzaroni amaretto and sensuously delicious Or-G with flavors of persimmon, papaya, mango and lime!) are turned into magical elixirs of fresh herbs and whatever fresh fruits are beckoning to him in the market that day.  Fresh figs and passion fruit starred in last weekend’s cocktails!

Besides great drinks, John has some mad skills in the kitchen, too.  His rich, thick, Southern chicken and veggie-filled Brunswick stew hit the spot, but the bacon wrapped asparagus was the BIG hit of the night!  That’s the recipe I recreated and made for dinner last night…and added an orange balsamic drizzle to give just a little of an acid balance to the salty bacon/sweet asparagus delectable bundle of goodness.  Hope you don’t mind, John!

Bad Decisions is a GREAT decision for those of us who want a laid-back, comfortable, neighborhood feel with no pretensions along with great drinks and damned good bar food to boot.



Roasted Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
with an Orange Balsamic Drizzle



• 24 thin asparagus spears
• 8 thin slices bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Snap the woody ends off the bottoms of the asparagus.  Hold 3 spears of asparagus together and tightly wrap a slice of bacon from the stem end up to the tips.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Repeat with the rest of the bacon and asparagus.

Roast, turning once or twice during roasting, until the bacon is browned but the asparagus is still crisp tender.  Drain on paper towels and then place on a serving plate. 

Drizzle with the orange balsamic glaze and serve.

Glaze:

• ½ C. good balsamic vinegar
• 2 t. sugar
• 1 t. grated orange zest
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and simmer until the glaze is thickened, but not too thick.  It should be like a syrup.  If it goes too far and you end up with balsamic tar, use a little juice from the orange to thin it out.  It may take a little stirring, but it will be just fine.  (Obviously, I learned that the hard way.)



 (By the way, those are Jerk Pork Burgers on the plate along with the asparagus....recipe soon.  And yes, pork and bacon go together just perfectly!)