He's also running us though the menu, recommending the "Slayer": 10oz of beef, chili, caremalized onions, andouille (what's that?!), cherry pepper, Monterrey jack, scallions, anger.
We caved a few times -- the calamari San Andres, an appetizer, was a beguilingly fresh take, with the seafood first fried, then saut? in a balsamic reduction with hot cherry pepper slices and sausage.
Equally pleasing was the nicely browned, crunchy-topped crab cake, made with Maryland lump crab meat, which came alongside a flawlessly dressed arugula salad with fresh tomatoes and a zesty cherry pepper sauce.
The chicken that won our hearts was the fantasia, which featured two moist breasts, an abundant amount of onions, sweet sausage and enough rings of cherry pepper to give the dish just a little kick.
One could also make a meal of the tender fried calamari with chorizo and cherry pepper slices, sheathed in a brittle, well-seasoned crust, or of two large sea scallops, silky inside, gorgeously caramelized outside, and served with sesame, stir-fried vegetables.
I put one half of a bun on a plate, smeared it with garlic mayonnaise, added some chopped cherry pepper relish to the short ribs, and drizzled with the aged cheddar sauce.
The tasty dips were Sicilian-style caponata, olive tapenade and a spicy cherry pepper-provolone spread.
Since Frank Sinatra liked hot cherry peppers, he ordered some.
Our choice of sausage with cherry peppers, roasted tomatoes and taleggio cheese was a good one.
Nor did hot cherry peppers in vinegar manage to resuscitate tough, dry pork chops.
For some heat, try one with rosemary sauce, hot cherry peppers and Italian sweet sausage ($14.50).
