One of our favorite pastimes is listening to live music. It doesn't really matter what kind, as long as it is done right. So on Friday and Saturday night we visited two different bars, had two different experiences and had fun at both,
Our first stop on Friday night was Ginko Blue,a great little intimate club playing live blues music on this particular night. Located on Fore Street, this Bar has a real modern interior with great lighting and a beautiful bar. Unfortunately, in designing the furniture, sight lines were not taken into consideration. Very tall chairs and round tables block the view of the very small stage for all but a very few customers. Add to this the $12, yes you heard correct, TWELVE dollar martinis and $6.00 local beers and you have an expensive night. But the band was smokin, Poke Chop and the other White Meats, and we had a young crowd sit with us and it was a fun, (but expensive), night none the less.
On Saturday night we went to a totally different kind of bar. The Big Easy could nicely be called a "dive" bar. Located below street level, on a particularly dark side of Market street. At first glance you wonder if you should enter, but please do. Once inside it is very dark but there is a ton of room and a really huge stage.The bartenders are really friendly, and the drink prices, DIRT CHEAP, don't expect fancy pants martinis here but they have a great selection of beers and a couple rounds for you and the missus wont even cost you a $20 spot. The band this night was the Tone Kings. I like them but the wife, not so crazy about their music, a bit too mellow for her taste. BUT, suddenly a guest guitarist came out of the audience. Younger guy from England, if I remember correctly. WOW, this guy was sensational. All in all, a great time was had by all.
If you are in the Portland area, I would suggest both of these bars. I give Ginko Blue a B, because the sight lines to the band are not great and the prices are high. I give the Big Easy an A, this would be the kind of great place I would hang out if I lived here.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Maine Foodie Tours Review
One of our absolute favorite activities is to take a walking tour of the area we are visiting. And if the walking tour includes, history, food and alcohol we are in TOTAL heaven. For our trip to Portland we booked a foodie tour of the old port area. Staring at 10:30 am at the Old Port Wine Shop (what a PERFECT starting point for us two), This a great little wine shop with some very eclectic wine. You should definitely make a stop if your in the area.
Our first official stop was Vervacious, right next door, http://www.vervacious.com/. This is a great gourmet shop of flavored salts and vinegars. We had a really nice sampling including Anise salt sprinkled on apples YUM and chocolate balsamic vinegar and a nice mead wine. Some pics of Vervacious and the walk to our next stop.
From there we walked to a great little mixed use market with several different vendors sharing the rent on one building (pizza, sandwiches, beer store, cupcakes) and our stop was for a selection of great local Maine cheeses. We continued our walk and went next to Stonewall Kitchens, http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/, now a giant food emporium but originally started by two people to sell homemade Blueberry jam. And what else to eat but fresh baked blueberry scones topped with the now world famous jam. Heres a quick pic;
After another walk, (good thing we were able to walk off some of these goodies), through the historic old port area, we were in a locals only fish store, the Harbor Fish Market, http://www.harborfish.com/about.php. This is the exact kind of store I would visit every week if I live here. Tons of extremely fresh fish, the boats deliver at the back of the store, that FRESH. We tasted some incredible smoked fish made in Maine and we ended up going back later and buying three packs.
From there it was off for chocolate, YUM!! We stopped a a teeny, tiny little shop called Dean's Sweets, http://deanssweets.com, making incredible truffles. The ginger/wasabi was to die for. From there, time for some more sweets, over to the Two Fat Cats bakery, http://twofatcatsbakery.com/, for one incredible whoopie pie. And our final stop, liquid refreshments at the Shipyard Brewery, http://www.shipyard.com/, While I am not a huge fan of Shipyard beers, this was a fun and informative stop. Last set of pics;
Our first official stop was Vervacious, right next door, http://www.vervacious.com/. This is a great gourmet shop of flavored salts and vinegars. We had a really nice sampling including Anise salt sprinkled on apples YUM and chocolate balsamic vinegar and a nice mead wine. Some pics of Vervacious and the walk to our next stop.
From there we walked to a great little mixed use market with several different vendors sharing the rent on one building (pizza, sandwiches, beer store, cupcakes) and our stop was for a selection of great local Maine cheeses. We continued our walk and went next to Stonewall Kitchens, http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/, now a giant food emporium but originally started by two people to sell homemade Blueberry jam. And what else to eat but fresh baked blueberry scones topped with the now world famous jam. Heres a quick pic;
After another walk, (good thing we were able to walk off some of these goodies), through the historic old port area, we were in a locals only fish store, the Harbor Fish Market, http://www.harborfish.com/about.php. This is the exact kind of store I would visit every week if I live here. Tons of extremely fresh fish, the boats deliver at the back of the store, that FRESH. We tasted some incredible smoked fish made in Maine and we ended up going back later and buying three packs.
From there it was off for chocolate, YUM!! We stopped a a teeny, tiny little shop called Dean's Sweets, http://deanssweets.com, making incredible truffles. The ginger/wasabi was to die for. From there, time for some more sweets, over to the Two Fat Cats bakery, http://twofatcatsbakery.com/, for one incredible whoopie pie. And our final stop, liquid refreshments at the Shipyard Brewery, http://www.shipyard.com/, While I am not a huge fan of Shipyard beers, this was a fun and informative stop. Last set of pics;
This was an incredible walking tour, one we would highly recommend. I give Maine Foodie Tours an A Plus.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Hampton Inn, Portland Waterfront
As last week was the dear wife's birthday, and as I got to go to Fort Lauderdale on a business trip, and as the wife had not been out of the state in a LONG time, I decided to treat her to a weekend away. Since Maine was celebrating its restaurant week and since we both loved our last trip to Portland, it was decided, off we went. perusing tripadvisor, I was surprised to see that the Hampton Inn waterfront was number one for hotels in Portland. And since they A) had very reasonable pricing with breakfast include and since B) they were on Fore street which is where one of our favorite restaurant in the whole wide world is located, (shockingly called Fore Street), our room for the weekend was decided.
Upon arriving the first thing you notice is, woah, this is a brand new building, last time we were here it was a sausage factory (two years ago). next you see that it is valet parking only, ($15.00 a day), so factor that in when you price this hotel. Very nice lobby with alot of room for seating, breakfast is included, (standard breakfast, premade eggs, sausages, potatoes, some pastries, standard free hotel food, buy HEY its free). I had reserved a king bed room, no view, (we were planning on being night owls). When we arrived into are room A) they aren't kidding, view is a parking lot and B) king rooms unbeknownst to me have no tubs, showers only. As the wife loves soaking in a tub , this is a problem. So back to the front desk I go and the receptionist is extremely helpful, there are no king rooms available with tubs in this hotel, (something to remember), but she switches us to a double queen with a view of the ocean for no extra charge, YEA. Here are a few pics of the room;
As always the pillows at these chain hotels SUCK, all air and no substance. But the bed was comfy, the room pretty quiet, (why are doors shutting so loud in hotels?) and there is a brewery attached to the hotel, (how convenient). And as always, location, location,location. You can easily walk from here to any spot in the old port area in only a few moments. AND our favorite restaurant in the whole world, Fore Street, is only a block away, (complete review coming soon).
In conclusion, if you are visiting the Portland, Maine area, I would strongly suggest you stay here. Strong points, include free breakfast, free wi-fi, great location AND a brewery attached to the hotel as a sort of extra bonus, Weak Points $15 a day parking, poor pillows and a bit noisy inside. Overall I give the Hampton Inn Portland Waterfront a solid B+.
Upon arriving the first thing you notice is, woah, this is a brand new building, last time we were here it was a sausage factory (two years ago). next you see that it is valet parking only, ($15.00 a day), so factor that in when you price this hotel. Very nice lobby with alot of room for seating, breakfast is included, (standard breakfast, premade eggs, sausages, potatoes, some pastries, standard free hotel food, buy HEY its free). I had reserved a king bed room, no view, (we were planning on being night owls). When we arrived into are room A) they aren't kidding, view is a parking lot and B) king rooms unbeknownst to me have no tubs, showers only. As the wife loves soaking in a tub , this is a problem. So back to the front desk I go and the receptionist is extremely helpful, there are no king rooms available with tubs in this hotel, (something to remember), but she switches us to a double queen with a view of the ocean for no extra charge, YEA. Here are a few pics of the room;
As always the pillows at these chain hotels SUCK, all air and no substance. But the bed was comfy, the room pretty quiet, (why are doors shutting so loud in hotels?) and there is a brewery attached to the hotel, (how convenient). And as always, location, location,location. You can easily walk from here to any spot in the old port area in only a few moments. AND our favorite restaurant in the whole world, Fore Street, is only a block away, (complete review coming soon).
In conclusion, if you are visiting the Portland, Maine area, I would strongly suggest you stay here. Strong points, include free breakfast, free wi-fi, great location AND a brewery attached to the hotel as a sort of extra bonus, Weak Points $15 a day parking, poor pillows and a bit noisy inside. Overall I give the Hampton Inn Portland Waterfront a solid B+.
Jet Rock Bar and Grill
OK, admittedly reviewing a restaurant located in an airport is weird, But with more airports bringing in higher quality food, I thought it was time . So my trip home from Fort Lauderdale took me through Philadelphia and with a two hour layover, I did a little shopping, (wife's b-day in two days), and then went looking for a place to eat. I could of gotten a meal at Legal Seafood's, or at one of many fast food joints, but I kept looking and eventually stumbled onto Jet Rock Bar and Grill. Sort of a pub and food place with over 40 different beers on tap. I sat down at the bar as my usual and was given a menu and beer list. After perusing the very large list I ordered a purple haze and since I was in the city of brotherly love , a Philly cheesesteak.
And here is where things went down hill, my server was dealing with some jerk at the end of the bar who wanted his meal cancelled cuz it was taking too long and was giving her a real hard time ( jerks in airports making everyones life miserable, hope he got strip searched by TSA). OK, it happens, if your in the service industry you will have to deal with this at some point, but the problem was she proceeded to deal with it by becoming everyones worst server ever, surly, non responsive, dismissive, HEY LADY, I wasn't the jerk. Anyways the beer was very good, the sandwich was OK but the service ruined the whole meal. Go here to get yourself a great brew and a pretty good sandwich and hope you don't have my server.
And here is where things went down hill, my server was dealing with some jerk at the end of the bar who wanted his meal cancelled cuz it was taking too long and was giving her a real hard time ( jerks in airports making everyones life miserable, hope he got strip searched by TSA). OK, it happens, if your in the service industry you will have to deal with this at some point, but the problem was she proceeded to deal with it by becoming everyones worst server ever, surly, non responsive, dismissive, HEY LADY, I wasn't the jerk. Anyways the beer was very good, the sandwich was OK but the service ruined the whole meal. Go here to get yourself a great brew and a pretty good sandwich and hope you don't have my server.
Food, 2.5 OK sandwich, your average airport food.
Beer and Wine, 4.0 Nice beer and wine selections, best I have seen in an airport.
Service, 2.0 AWFUL, if you can't shake off a bad customer, find a different business to be in.
Service, 2.0 AWFUL, if you can't shake off a bad customer, find a different business to be in.
Ambiance, 3.0 Its a bar and loud but for an airport it's OK.
Price, 2.0 Airport pricing, enough said.
Overall 2.70 If not for the server, I would of actually liked this place. If I am stuck in Philly again, I would go here. Hopefully my server will be gone.
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the VERY long hiatus. Karen and I decided to try something new and we purchased a repossessed house through an online auction. We then spent our summer flipping it. Turns out it was fun, frustrating,creative, relaxing, nerve wracking and even more adjectives!. But after all was done we sold it to a great couple who will be a wonderful addition to our neighborhood and actually came out ahead (didn't look good there for a while).Will we do it again? Remains to be seen, is it a new career choice, NO, way too stressful. Now Fall is here and we are ready to visit some of the new restaurants that have popped up since the last time I wrote. You will see a huge flurry of posts, all of them very old, but they are written so I will publish them all in the next couple of weeks and after that a more current rotation of restaurants and food items we have tried at home. Thanks for your patience and here is the first batch of posts.
Thanks,
Andy
Sorry for the VERY long hiatus. Karen and I decided to try something new and we purchased a repossessed house through an online auction. We then spent our summer flipping it. Turns out it was fun, frustrating,creative, relaxing, nerve wracking and even more adjectives!. But after all was done we sold it to a great couple who will be a wonderful addition to our neighborhood and actually came out ahead (didn't look good there for a while).Will we do it again? Remains to be seen, is it a new career choice, NO, way too stressful. Now Fall is here and we are ready to visit some of the new restaurants that have popped up since the last time I wrote. You will see a huge flurry of posts, all of them very old, but they are written so I will publish them all in the next couple of weeks and after that a more current rotation of restaurants and food items we have tried at home. Thanks for your patience and here is the first batch of posts.
Thanks,
Andy
Friday, June 22, 2012
Quarterdeck Review
The Quarterdeck is a chain of sports bars in Florida. Having spent over an hour waiting for a water taxi that never came, AND having spent the day in airports, we were starving and just wanted ANY place we could find within walking distance to eat. We stumbled across the Quarterdeck and were told there was a 45 minute wait but the bar had seats available, so in we walked and away we ate. I really wasn't expecting much but was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and most of all the service.
Think about Fort Lauderdale in late February, vacation central, so while the Quarterdeck is a very large place, it was PACKED to the rafters. And to top it off, we found out a couple of servers had called in sick, (can't blame them is was 80 and beautiful). But the bartender came over right away with menus and took our drink order, and was back with the drinks in a flash. I noticed they had a very large raw bar, so I asked about the oysters (this can be a scary proposition in a sports bar but what the heck I was feeling lucky). I was assured that the blue points had arrived fresh that morning so I ordered a half dozen. My fellow worker decided to start with the peel your own shrimp. Both plates were exceptional, the oysters really fresh and the shrimp huge, with a whole bunch of them. For our entrees, I went with a really unusual sandwich, blackened fresh grouper, fresh mozzarella, basil and cappicola on a ciabbata roll, and my buddy went with blackened fish tacos. The fish in both entrees was incredibly fresh, and while on paper my sandwich sounds weird the blackened fish, the fresh cheese and the salty, slightly spicy ham worked PERFECTLY together. This was a perfect start to our Fort Lauderdale business trip and highly recommended.
Food, 3.25 Sports bar food but very well done
Beer and Wine, 3.75 Nice beer selection, typical grocery store wine selections.
Service, 5.0 I have never given anyone a 5 but this poor guy was HUSTLING, and yet he was pleasant and took the time to explain the menu to us.
Think about Fort Lauderdale in late February, vacation central, so while the Quarterdeck is a very large place, it was PACKED to the rafters. And to top it off, we found out a couple of servers had called in sick, (can't blame them is was 80 and beautiful). But the bartender came over right away with menus and took our drink order, and was back with the drinks in a flash. I noticed they had a very large raw bar, so I asked about the oysters (this can be a scary proposition in a sports bar but what the heck I was feeling lucky). I was assured that the blue points had arrived fresh that morning so I ordered a half dozen. My fellow worker decided to start with the peel your own shrimp. Both plates were exceptional, the oysters really fresh and the shrimp huge, with a whole bunch of them. For our entrees, I went with a really unusual sandwich, blackened fresh grouper, fresh mozzarella, basil and cappicola on a ciabbata roll, and my buddy went with blackened fish tacos. The fish in both entrees was incredibly fresh, and while on paper my sandwich sounds weird the blackened fish, the fresh cheese and the salty, slightly spicy ham worked PERFECTLY together. This was a perfect start to our Fort Lauderdale business trip and highly recommended.
Food, 3.25 Sports bar food but very well done
Beer and Wine, 3.75 Nice beer selection, typical grocery store wine selections.
Service, 5.0 I have never given anyone a 5 but this poor guy was HUSTLING, and yet he was pleasant and took the time to explain the menu to us.
Ambiance, 3.0 Sports bar, enough said.
Price, 3.5 One of the most reasonable of all our Fort Lauderdale meals.
Overall 3.70 A really nice local chain with above average food for a sports bar. I would recommend them if you are in Florida.
Price, 3.5 One of the most reasonable of all our Fort Lauderdale meals.
Overall 3.70 A really nice local chain with above average food for a sports bar. I would recommend them if you are in Florida.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Bahia Mar Review
The next few posts will be all about my recent business trip to Fort Lauderdale. Starting with the hotel we stayed at. But first, a well deserved shout out to Delta Airlines. I know, I know, it's very unusual for ANYONE to have anything nice to say about an airline in this day and age, (Still love you Jet Blue, lower your prices). And after the total fiasco we had with Continental last year, (stuck on the runway for 1/2 hour waiting for a plane to leave our gate, only to find out said plane was broke, missed connecting flight to Vegas, no hotel vouchers as it was FAA fault, RIGHT !!!). So we had a very tight layover at JFK , 40 minutes, and when the plane had to go through deicing, I was really worried about missing our connection. But then the captain,(are they always captains? No privates or Corporals in airline speak? Wouldn't fill you with a ton of confidence would it, to hear "This is Private Ed, way up here in the driver thingy seat, letting you know we will be flying way up high today), came on and said they were given a more direct route and we would make JFK in 50 minutes, YEA, leaves plenty of time to catch the next plane. Got to the edge of the runway and he turns off the engines, oops, that is never good.
Broken engine sensor, back to the terminal, NOW here is where the tale takes a strange turns, once back in the terminal, we are told, we will call out your cities and you can come up and get new flights, we have them all rescheduled for you. WHAT?? no begging, screaming, hollering, WHAT? So we get new assignments, getting into Fort Lauderdale at 7PM that night, sigh, there goes my afternoon of vacation. But she says, stop at the service desk in JFK and get meal vouchers or she may be able to get you an earlier flight. Well, meal vouchers are way more than we got last year, (YOU SUCK, CONTINENTAL), so off to the service counter we go and surprise number 2, really nice lady says we have a 1pm flight out of Laguardia, I can pay for your cab, if you don't mind going back through security again, gets you into Ft.Lauderdale at 4 pm so you can enjoy a bit of 85 degree weather, WOO HOO, Delta we love you !!!
Oh yeah, this is a review about the hotel. So what have we learned so far, Delta good, Continental bad. Bahia Mar Doubletree Hotel, just OK. This is quite an old hotel, that Hilton has bought and is updating. At this time the furniture seems pretty updated but the bathrooms, walls and doors are still very old. The good, location, location, location. Right on route 1A1, with the ocean on one side and the waterway on the other. And only a short walk to all the action of the Fort Lauderdale strip. AND a water taxi stop just a few hundred yards away, (but good luck catching one, we waited for an outbound boat for over an hour one night and one never came, not a very efficiently run operation).
The bad, doors and paint in room are very chipped up. bathroom is old and looks it. Be aware that if you stay here with friends the bathroom door is a pocket door made of slats, not much privacy. Good and bad, the employees, Karen at the front desk and Patricia at the concierge desk were both incredible, extremely helpful, (Poor Patricia must of made and cancelled a dozen restaurant reservations for me ,as the boss's flights kept getting delayed). On the other hand, the first morning my colleague and I went to breakfast, I asked for a menu and the employee told me "We are doing a buffet for $17.00 each, (not exactly a lie as you notice he did NOT say we couldn't order a la carte, just never offered us a menu, so we paid over $40, (18% tip automatically added), for a really sub par buffet that at Hampton Inns is free. The 2nd morning we had a better server and she gave us menus, but the sausages I received came out ICE cold , so not a whole lot better. She was very apologetic but for some reason the kitchen just could not get them back out to me before we were all done and leaving, (why not pull some out of the buffet, I assume those were hot?).
So all in all a totally average experience. Location is great, views are incredible, some employees are wonderful, some not so much. Some of the room is updated, alot of the room still needs serious work. If you can get a great deal, I suppose the location would make up for the rest. But as we paid $180 a night, I would not stay here again for that price. Not before I was assured the rest of the updating was finished. All in all I give the place a 2.5 stars (out of five).
Broken engine sensor, back to the terminal, NOW here is where the tale takes a strange turns, once back in the terminal, we are told, we will call out your cities and you can come up and get new flights, we have them all rescheduled for you. WHAT?? no begging, screaming, hollering, WHAT? So we get new assignments, getting into Fort Lauderdale at 7PM that night, sigh, there goes my afternoon of vacation. But she says, stop at the service desk in JFK and get meal vouchers or she may be able to get you an earlier flight. Well, meal vouchers are way more than we got last year, (YOU SUCK, CONTINENTAL), so off to the service counter we go and surprise number 2, really nice lady says we have a 1pm flight out of Laguardia, I can pay for your cab, if you don't mind going back through security again, gets you into Ft.Lauderdale at 4 pm so you can enjoy a bit of 85 degree weather, WOO HOO, Delta we love you !!!
Oh yeah, this is a review about the hotel. So what have we learned so far, Delta good, Continental bad. Bahia Mar Doubletree Hotel, just OK. This is quite an old hotel, that Hilton has bought and is updating. At this time the furniture seems pretty updated but the bathrooms, walls and doors are still very old. The good, location, location, location. Right on route 1A1, with the ocean on one side and the waterway on the other. And only a short walk to all the action of the Fort Lauderdale strip. AND a water taxi stop just a few hundred yards away, (but good luck catching one, we waited for an outbound boat for over an hour one night and one never came, not a very efficiently run operation).
So all in all a totally average experience. Location is great, views are incredible, some employees are wonderful, some not so much. Some of the room is updated, alot of the room still needs serious work. If you can get a great deal, I suppose the location would make up for the rest. But as we paid $180 a night, I would not stay here again for that price. Not before I was assured the rest of the updating was finished. All in all I give the place a 2.5 stars (out of five).
Friday, June 1, 2012
Five Guys Review
OK, I am sure you are saying, what's up with another fast food review. But since this is our first 5 guys in Vermont, I think some people would want to know what it's like, right? RIGHT? Maybe not, but here goes anyways. Five guys has won numerous awards for its hamburgers and that in a nutshell is what they are, a fast food hamburger chain.Now you may say a burger is a burger but a Five guys burger relates to a pink slime McD's burger as equally as a Democratic congressman relates to a Republican senator, in other words NOT AT ALL.
Now in a moment I will clear up our only confusion with the 5 guys ordering procedure. Since the South Burlington location (on Shelburne road in the same strip mall as the Shaw's) is small and the chain appears to be EXTREMELY popular with Vermonters, I would suggest ordering online. Online ordering is simple, you pick from the menu, (not hard to do as the entire menu is hamburgers of various sorts, hot dogs and french fries). Once you pick out your burger, you get to pick from 18 different toppings at no extra charge, (bacon, cheese, b-bque sauce was mine), pick out which fries, we got two large fries, one regular,one Cajun. BIG MISTAKE, this was enough fries for 10 people not 4, if your gonna order large, make sure you are having a party. After your done ordering, pay with a credit card and you will have about a 10-20 minute wait. So jump in the car and head over to Shelburne Road.
Once you arrive, you realize ordering online to go was the right choice. This place is SMALL, and CROWDED. Now comes the one point of confusion, as you have ordered and paid you would assume you move to the end of the restaurant where orders are being processed, WRONG, make sure you check in at the counter and tell them you are there for a pick up or your order will sit on the heater and never get called, I speak from experience. Anyways, after figuring out the right way to get our food, we were off, and as Mike and Kris don't live so far away, we arrived in no time to hot and juicy burgers and fries.
Food, 4.0 Be aware that I am rating this on a fast food scale and not a fine dining scale.
Beer and Wine, NO No alcohol, so no rating.
Service, 2.5 Again think fast food, employees not really helpful just there to take your order.
Now in a moment I will clear up our only confusion with the 5 guys ordering procedure. Since the South Burlington location (on Shelburne road in the same strip mall as the Shaw's) is small and the chain appears to be EXTREMELY popular with Vermonters, I would suggest ordering online. Online ordering is simple, you pick from the menu, (not hard to do as the entire menu is hamburgers of various sorts, hot dogs and french fries). Once you pick out your burger, you get to pick from 18 different toppings at no extra charge, (bacon, cheese, b-bque sauce was mine), pick out which fries, we got two large fries, one regular,one Cajun. BIG MISTAKE, this was enough fries for 10 people not 4, if your gonna order large, make sure you are having a party. After your done ordering, pay with a credit card and you will have about a 10-20 minute wait. So jump in the car and head over to Shelburne Road.
Once you arrive, you realize ordering online to go was the right choice. This place is SMALL, and CROWDED. Now comes the one point of confusion, as you have ordered and paid you would assume you move to the end of the restaurant where orders are being processed, WRONG, make sure you check in at the counter and tell them you are there for a pick up or your order will sit on the heater and never get called, I speak from experience. Anyways, after figuring out the right way to get our food, we were off, and as Mike and Kris don't live so far away, we arrived in no time to hot and juicy burgers and fries.
Now what the picture doesn't show well is that each burger is actually a DOUBLE burger. Again the website or menu doesn't really mention this, they do list a "baby" burger but who's to know that is really a standard burger, one patty. Anyways we were totally full and Kris and Mike had enough fries to last a week.
Food, 4.0 Be aware that I am rating this on a fast food scale and not a fine dining scale.
Beer and Wine, NO No alcohol, so no rating.
Service, 2.5 Again think fast food, employees not really helpful just there to take your order.
Ambiance, 2.0 Really, get it to go.
Price, 4.0 Pricey compared to the clown and king but WAYYYYY better food.
Overall 3.125 OK, I know it's a fast food joint, so really what counts is food and price. And in this case 5 Guys really shines. the food is very tasty and appears to be way more natural than its competitors. And while the pricing is a bit higher than those others, you really get alot for your dollar. Is it the best burger I have ever had, God No, is it the best fast food burger I have ever had, very likely.
Price, 4.0 Pricey compared to the clown and king but WAYYYYY better food.
Overall 3.125 OK, I know it's a fast food joint, so really what counts is food and price. And in this case 5 Guys really shines. the food is very tasty and appears to be way more natural than its competitors. And while the pricing is a bit higher than those others, you really get alot for your dollar. Is it the best burger I have ever had, God No, is it the best fast food burger I have ever had, very likely.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Le Vent du Nord + the Pine Leaf Boys Review
We had an opportunity to step out on Friday night to see a great double bill, put on by the Flynn and Lane series. Featuring two bands, playing very traditional music of their respective areas, but modernized for current times. We were allowed to participate in a lecture before hand about where this music came from, (France), and how it has changed over the years. I found the lecture really helpful in helping prepare us for the night of music we were about to see. And to have one of the founders of Vent du Nord also be there just enhanced the whole evening.
The Pine Leaf boys took the stage first. From Louisiana, they are a traditional Cajun band. And even though the original music came from France and landed in Canada, it took a decidedly different turn when the Acadians were forced out of Canada and is not recognizable as original Canadian folk music anymore. As the lead singer told us, all Cajun music comprises of only three subjects, getting drunk, getting your heart broken and going to prison. And the absolute best Cajun music incorporates all three into one song. These guys were great, doing a wide variety of songs (well as wide as Cajun music gets, as they really only play two types of sounds, two steps and waltzes). Changing the tempos, singing mainly in French but every now and then in English, I really enjoyed these guys . For their last song they brought out the guys from Vent du Nord and all eight of them did a great rollicking "Whisky is my friend" song.
After a short intermission. Le Vent du Nord came out. Now this is traditional French folk music by way of a little modernization. Absolutely great musicians, wonderful personalities, so much fun. If these groups appear in your neck of the woods, I would strongly encourage you to go see them . Yes, most of the evening will be sung in French but great music happens to be a universal language. The evening gets an A+ !!
The Pine Leaf boys took the stage first. From Louisiana, they are a traditional Cajun band. And even though the original music came from France and landed in Canada, it took a decidedly different turn when the Acadians were forced out of Canada and is not recognizable as original Canadian folk music anymore. As the lead singer told us, all Cajun music comprises of only three subjects, getting drunk, getting your heart broken and going to prison. And the absolute best Cajun music incorporates all three into one song. These guys were great, doing a wide variety of songs (well as wide as Cajun music gets, as they really only play two types of sounds, two steps and waltzes). Changing the tempos, singing mainly in French but every now and then in English, I really enjoyed these guys . For their last song they brought out the guys from Vent du Nord and all eight of them did a great rollicking "Whisky is my friend" song.
After a short intermission. Le Vent du Nord came out. Now this is traditional French folk music by way of a little modernization. Absolutely great musicians, wonderful personalities, so much fun. If these groups appear in your neck of the woods, I would strongly encourage you to go see them . Yes, most of the evening will be sung in French but great music happens to be a universal language. The evening gets an A+ !!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Panera Bread Review
For some reason, Seven Days, doesn't publish reviews for Panera Bread. I guess for the same reason they don't review McDonald's or Burger King. And while Panera is a chain like those others, I think the food is much better than your usual fast or casual food stop. So anyway here is my review.
On this particular Saturday we were bored and decided to go to a wine tasting at our favorite wine store in the whole wide world, Dedalus, on the waterfront. Since we were going to be partaking of some rather yummy Austrian wines, we decided to go to Church Street for some lunch first. My first choice was the new taco place, but as we were walking through the mall we noticed Panera Bread. Having eaten at a couple of these in the past, we decided to try this instead.
Panera is set up like most fast food joints, you order your food at a counter, picking from the menus posted overhead and then they bring your food to your table by locating you on a pager style beeper, (which wasn't working on this particular day, so the servers were having to shout while walking through the very large space). The problem with this is in the Burlington location, there is ALOT of traffic going through the same space as the line snakes through, and the lines can be HUGE. So this creates bottlenecks and confusion, in addition for people not familiar with the menu, (us for instance), you are walking past the bakery, looking up trying to read the menu, trying to find the correct line and trying not to bump into everyone coming and going . PHEW, alot of work involved in just getting your food.
As you are looking for the correct line to lineup in, pay attention to the bakery you are walking by, it will come back to you in a bit. Fortunately, the place was packed so we had a bit of a wait in line. this gave us time to study the menu.When it was our turn to order, I went with the chipotle chicken panini and wifey went with the salmon Mediterranean salad. Now for my mistake, I was offered any item from the bakery for $.99 but since I had not paid attention to the bakery, I passed. My wife on the other hand spotted a strawberries and cream scone and got one of those . DUH, what a dunce I was, as the normal pricing for bakery items appears to be $2.99 AND on top of that the scone was DELICIOUS.
Once you place your order, you now have the joy of finding a place to sit. It appears that Panera is a BIG hit with the downtown Burlington crowd. Of course, by offering free wi-fi you are guaranteed to have the laptop squatters taking up valuable table space for hours and hours at a time. I think after 45 minutes, Panera should be able to bring over a mini parking meter and if you don't constantly feed it quarters, out you go. ANYWAYS, we were lucky as we walked around the serving counter, boom a table magically opened up for us. As the wife sat down, I went off to look for the soda fountain, tucked wayyyy in the back, to get her soda. For some strange reason ,the lemonade is served behind the counter? Is lemonade really that much more expensive that you don't want to put it with the soda and coffee pots? So after delivering the soda, back up to the counter to get my now ready lemonade, weird way to do things.
So how did all this taste once we finally got settled in and our food came to us? First, lets start with the scone. We ate this while we were waiting and it was delicious. Not at all dry and crumbly like a typical scone but rather soft and cake like with great flavors. In a REALLY quick manner our meals arrived;
On a scale of 1 to 5;
On this particular Saturday we were bored and decided to go to a wine tasting at our favorite wine store in the whole wide world, Dedalus, on the waterfront. Since we were going to be partaking of some rather yummy Austrian wines, we decided to go to Church Street for some lunch first. My first choice was the new taco place, but as we were walking through the mall we noticed Panera Bread. Having eaten at a couple of these in the past, we decided to try this instead.
Panera is set up like most fast food joints, you order your food at a counter, picking from the menus posted overhead and then they bring your food to your table by locating you on a pager style beeper, (which wasn't working on this particular day, so the servers were having to shout while walking through the very large space). The problem with this is in the Burlington location, there is ALOT of traffic going through the same space as the line snakes through, and the lines can be HUGE. So this creates bottlenecks and confusion, in addition for people not familiar with the menu, (us for instance), you are walking past the bakery, looking up trying to read the menu, trying to find the correct line and trying not to bump into everyone coming and going . PHEW, alot of work involved in just getting your food.
As you are looking for the correct line to lineup in, pay attention to the bakery you are walking by, it will come back to you in a bit. Fortunately, the place was packed so we had a bit of a wait in line. this gave us time to study the menu.When it was our turn to order, I went with the chipotle chicken panini and wifey went with the salmon Mediterranean salad. Now for my mistake, I was offered any item from the bakery for $.99 but since I had not paid attention to the bakery, I passed. My wife on the other hand spotted a strawberries and cream scone and got one of those . DUH, what a dunce I was, as the normal pricing for bakery items appears to be $2.99 AND on top of that the scone was DELICIOUS.
Once you place your order, you now have the joy of finding a place to sit. It appears that Panera is a BIG hit with the downtown Burlington crowd. Of course, by offering free wi-fi you are guaranteed to have the laptop squatters taking up valuable table space for hours and hours at a time. I think after 45 minutes, Panera should be able to bring over a mini parking meter and if you don't constantly feed it quarters, out you go. ANYWAYS, we were lucky as we walked around the serving counter, boom a table magically opened up for us. As the wife sat down, I went off to look for the soda fountain, tucked wayyyy in the back, to get her soda. For some strange reason ,the lemonade is served behind the counter? Is lemonade really that much more expensive that you don't want to put it with the soda and coffee pots? So after delivering the soda, back up to the counter to get my now ready lemonade, weird way to do things.
So how did all this taste once we finally got settled in and our food came to us? First, lets start with the scone. We ate this while we were waiting and it was delicious. Not at all dry and crumbly like a typical scone but rather soft and cake like with great flavors. In a REALLY quick manner our meals arrived;
The food was very good, my chicken sandwich was packed with meat and had the perfect amount of heat from the chipotle and smokiness from the bacon. As you can see wife's salad was HUGE, although I am not a big fan of cold salmon and to me it tasted a bit fishy. But the wife loved it and ate every drop. For $23.70, this place is a very good value for downtown Burlington. We left full and happy. And before I get nasty comments, I KNOW it's not local and I KNOW they truck in their food from all over the country and I KNOW they don't make everything fresh in house. But still, if you have to visit a fast/casual food place you could do ALOT worse.
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Service, Speaks for itself
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Price, And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.
Food, 3.5 Very good food. With a very good variety, providing you want sandwiches or salads.
Beer and Wine, NO No beer and wine so no rating.
Service, 2.5 Counter service only and it will be assumed you have been here before.
Food, 3.5 Very good food. With a very good variety, providing you want sandwiches or salads.
Beer and Wine, NO No beer and wine so no rating.
Service, 2.5 Counter service only and it will be assumed you have been here before.
Ambiance, 3.0 Nice space but CROWDED. Be prepared to fight for a table.
Price, 4.0 Very reasonable for downtown Burlington.
Price, 4.0 Very reasonable for downtown Burlington.
Overall, 3.25 I am not a very big fan of the whole fast/casual food chains, but I must say this is
one of the better ones out there. If your in a hurry or just want something quick, you could do MUCH worse than this one.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Mama Mia Review
This review could be a landmine. As fans of Mama Mia are rabid in there opinion of what makes this such a great musical. So I am writing this from a different point of view. The point of view of a person who hated the movie, (PLEASE, Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep singing, YUCK), and someone who has never particularly liked Abba. Truly, I bought these tickets as a surprise for my wife. She is a huge fan of the movie and actually likes Abba's music. And since she puts up with me 365 days of the year, I figured I could put up with Abba for one day.
So you can imagine my surprise when I realized I really LIKED this musical. First the energy of a live production exceeds that of the movie by a thousand fold. Second , what really surprised me was the humor. The play was MUCH funnier than the movie. So if the Broadway production of Mama Mia comes to your town, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go see it. You will like it AND your wife will really appreciate it. Go and have fun.
I give Mama Mia an A and declare it a great Broadway production.
So you can imagine my surprise when I realized I really LIKED this musical. First the energy of a live production exceeds that of the movie by a thousand fold. Second , what really surprised me was the humor. The play was MUCH funnier than the movie. So if the Broadway production of Mama Mia comes to your town, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go see it. You will like it AND your wife will really appreciate it. Go and have fun.
I give Mama Mia an A and declare it a great Broadway production.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Pistou Review
On a brutally cold night, we decided to walk from Church Street down Main street to try a newcomer on the Burlington dining scene, Pistou. Opened by a young couple, Pistou serves French/American creative food. The space is dimly lit, and inviting, with a semi-opened Kitchen, ( you can see the chefs but not really the preparations). Perusing online, I noticed they have a very small menu that changes almost daily. I like that idea, as it means you are always getting the chef's freshest ingredients. Little did we know that, that very small menu shrinks even smaller on Sunday evenings, (we went before the Mama Mia show), down to 3 appetizer and 3 mains for a set price on $28.00 for one of each.This makes the Bluebird's 3 course Sunday evening meal for $30 a bit of a bargain, though you have NO choice in your courses, nor on this particular Sunday were they listing on their website what the courses were.
Anyways, back to Pistou. We were seated immediately, DUH, as we were the only people there. In fact, the entire time we were there, 5:30 to 7:30, only one other couple came in. I think Sunday evening service may not last long. I will have to say, service was really lacking on this particular evening. Not in efficiency, our server was VERY efficient, but not a genuine note of friendliness was to be had. This is the type of server, who when he asks you how your food is, has already turned and headed back to the bar before you can answer. And considering how friendly I had heard the young owners were with previous reviewers, neither of them came over to the table to say Hi or ask what we thought of the food, again we were the only two in the place for over an hour.
By now I am sure you are all dying to know how the food was. And here we hit almost all the marks. Food, preparation and presentation are all excellent. An amuse bouche of parsnip puree soup served in a shot glass was excellent, (Wife says best part of the meal and she wished it was offered as a bowl). Why don't more places start you off with an Amuse, this puts the diner in a great frame of mind, to get something from the kitchen as a prelude to the meal. We started with a beet salad for the wife and a scallop and shrimp appetizer for me. Both had great flavors, the seafood was done perfectly and the burrata cheese that came with the salad was smooth and creamy. For our entrees, we both went with the seafood stew. Again presentation and flavors were great. It came with a grilled piece of bread covered in a soft potato puree. The big problem with this dish was the amount of potato. Between the multi colored offerings in the stew (red, purple and regular) and the puree on the bread, this dish was 65% potato. I would of really liked more seafood and less starch.
For dessert, the pain perdu, with chocolate ice cream and homemade peanut brittle. This was the one big clunker of the meal, the bread was DRY and flavorless, the ice cream cold and flavorless, the peanut brittle was GREAT. All in all, not a bad meal but once again closing in on $100 for two, is there no reasonably priced restaurants in Burlington serving great fresh food???
On a scale of 1 to 5;
Anyways, back to Pistou. We were seated immediately, DUH, as we were the only people there. In fact, the entire time we were there, 5:30 to 7:30, only one other couple came in. I think Sunday evening service may not last long. I will have to say, service was really lacking on this particular evening. Not in efficiency, our server was VERY efficient, but not a genuine note of friendliness was to be had. This is the type of server, who when he asks you how your food is, has already turned and headed back to the bar before you can answer. And considering how friendly I had heard the young owners were with previous reviewers, neither of them came over to the table to say Hi or ask what we thought of the food, again we were the only two in the place for over an hour.
By now I am sure you are all dying to know how the food was. And here we hit almost all the marks. Food, preparation and presentation are all excellent. An amuse bouche of parsnip puree soup served in a shot glass was excellent, (Wife says best part of the meal and she wished it was offered as a bowl). Why don't more places start you off with an Amuse, this puts the diner in a great frame of mind, to get something from the kitchen as a prelude to the meal. We started with a beet salad for the wife and a scallop and shrimp appetizer for me. Both had great flavors, the seafood was done perfectly and the burrata cheese that came with the salad was smooth and creamy. For our entrees, we both went with the seafood stew. Again presentation and flavors were great. It came with a grilled piece of bread covered in a soft potato puree. The big problem with this dish was the amount of potato. Between the multi colored offerings in the stew (red, purple and regular) and the puree on the bread, this dish was 65% potato. I would of really liked more seafood and less starch.
For dessert, the pain perdu, with chocolate ice cream and homemade peanut brittle. This was the one big clunker of the meal, the bread was DRY and flavorless, the ice cream cold and flavorless, the peanut brittle was GREAT. All in all, not a bad meal but once again closing in on $100 for two, is there no reasonably priced restaurants in Burlington serving great fresh food???
On a scale of 1 to 5;
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Service, Speaks for itself
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Price, And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.
Food, 3.50 Very nice food , though a bit too heavy on the starches and not heavy enough on the proteins. Dessert was a total miss.
Beer and Wine, 3.0 Nice beer and wine selections, list is small and expensive.
Service, 3.0 Is there some kind of class where servers are taught efficient but aloof. Come on people, be a bit friendly, it will help your tip tremendously.
Food, 3.50 Very nice food , though a bit too heavy on the starches and not heavy enough on the proteins. Dessert was a total miss.
Beer and Wine, 3.0 Nice beer and wine selections, list is small and expensive.
Service, 3.0 Is there some kind of class where servers are taught efficient but aloof. Come on people, be a bit friendly, it will help your tip tremendously.
Ambiance, 3.5 Nice space but the location seems to be a death knell for local places.
Price, 3.0 VERY pricey, but the excellence in taste and presentation almost make up for it. Definitely a special occasion place.
Overall 3.20 I really, really wanted to like this place. It's everything I can hope for in a Burlington area restaurant, locally produced food, innovative preparations, comfortable and stylish interior. BUT something just didn't set me on fire. Maybe it was the indifferent service, the extremely high pricing, or the lack of selection, but I just wasn't blown away. Maybe we will give them another chance at a later date and report back.
Price, 3.0 VERY pricey, but the excellence in taste and presentation almost make up for it. Definitely a special occasion place.
Overall 3.20 I really, really wanted to like this place. It's everything I can hope for in a Burlington area restaurant, locally produced food, innovative preparations, comfortable and stylish interior. BUT something just didn't set me on fire. Maybe it was the indifferent service, the extremely high pricing, or the lack of selection, but I just wasn't blown away. Maybe we will give them another chance at a later date and report back.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Three Penny Taproom Review
This will be the world's quickest review, as really the Three Penny is a bar. Yes, they do serve a LIMITED amount of food, (on our visit it consisted solely of two kinds of oysters, a sandwich of onions and cheese and a cheese plate). So you do not stop here for a meal but rather for the fact that they serve the finest selection of beers in the Montpelier area.
A big sign proclaims "We proudly DO NOT server Anheuser Busch products" and that basically says it all. If your idea of a great beer is to order a Michelob ULTRA, then please do not stop here. But if you want a local, (or not so local), beer with great taste and flavor, then this is your place. IF you want to try something you have never heard of , then this is your place. Mike and I went with Foster by Hill Farmstead, who's beers are rapidly becoming my favorites in the whole wide world. Foster is a black wheat IPA with incredible flavors, Kris went with Edward also by Hill Farmstead, which is their American pale Ale and wifey went with a cider/mead combo which was interesting.
Service started out not too friendly, but by the time we left the young bartender was joking and seemed a bit more interested in us rather that chatting with her friend. Stools are not the most comfortable, no backs so no place to hang your coat and being a long narrow space it can get quite cold when someone opens the door. But for a taste of beer you can't find elsewhere, these inconveniences wont matter.
I give Three penny taproom an A rating and declare it a great neighborhood bar.
A big sign proclaims "We proudly DO NOT server Anheuser Busch products" and that basically says it all. If your idea of a great beer is to order a Michelob ULTRA, then please do not stop here. But if you want a local, (or not so local), beer with great taste and flavor, then this is your place. IF you want to try something you have never heard of , then this is your place. Mike and I went with Foster by Hill Farmstead, who's beers are rapidly becoming my favorites in the whole wide world. Foster is a black wheat IPA with incredible flavors, Kris went with Edward also by Hill Farmstead, which is their American pale Ale and wifey went with a cider/mead combo which was interesting.
Service started out not too friendly, but by the time we left the young bartender was joking and seemed a bit more interested in us rather that chatting with her friend. Stools are not the most comfortable, no backs so no place to hang your coat and being a long narrow space it can get quite cold when someone opens the door. But for a taste of beer you can't find elsewhere, these inconveniences wont matter.
I give Three penny taproom an A rating and declare it a great neighborhood bar.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Ray's Seafood Review
UPDATE: Since the first time we visited we have gone back a second and third time. THIS time we called in our order ahead and when we got there it was only a very short wait. Food was just as good , maybe even better and the portions still HUGE!! When we want fresh seafood, this is now our go to place. GREAT PLACE and highly recommended.
I know what your thinking, why is he reviewing a seafood market? Well, as it turns out, Ray's is not only a market but a restaurant. Who knew? OK, everybody did but me I guess. Anyways, on this particular Saturday night, as we drove home, we realized we had made no plans for supper. And, since I drive past the sign for Ray's twice every single day, and had never bothered to turn down the street and check them out, off we went. Sometimes unscheduled and unplanned adventures turn out the best. And in this case it certainly did.
Thinking we would make a quick stop, pick up whatever was really fresh and head for home to cook, we were stopped in our tracks when we learned we could eat in or get a to go order. So after perusing the menu, we stepped up to the counter, which is not as easy as it sounds, as the counter is way off to the left, and ordered a fried oyster dinner and the baked haddock special. Now the waiting began, allowing us PLENTY of time to wander around the market, look at all the cool stuff in the freezer (Calamari rings or CONCH anyone?). Then we waited, and waited and waited. To be fair, there was a huge table of people that had ordered just before us, but MAN, it seems this really messed up the kitchen, as orders seemed to be in complete disarray and people were running around not seemingly knowing what was going on.
This did not bode well and for $35.00, we were worried we wouldn't get what we ordered. Finally our orders were ready, and as soon as they were bagged up, we sped off for home ,as by now we were STARVING. We arrived home and lo and behold, the first thing we noticed is the orders were EXACTLY correct, all the sides were right and the meal perfect. Second thing we noticed, is the portions were HUGE!!! Hooray, the fish was unbelievably fresh and speaking from someone who can eat a TON of oysters I was stuffed, french fries were great, nothing was greasy, cocktail sauce had the right amount of horseradish. Only disappointment was the standard grocery store type roll but really who cares. Highly recommend, though I do recommend calling ahead or if you are eating there bring a book.
I know what your thinking, why is he reviewing a seafood market? Well, as it turns out, Ray's is not only a market but a restaurant. Who knew? OK, everybody did but me I guess. Anyways, on this particular Saturday night, as we drove home, we realized we had made no plans for supper. And, since I drive past the sign for Ray's twice every single day, and had never bothered to turn down the street and check them out, off we went. Sometimes unscheduled and unplanned adventures turn out the best. And in this case it certainly did.
Thinking we would make a quick stop, pick up whatever was really fresh and head for home to cook, we were stopped in our tracks when we learned we could eat in or get a to go order. So after perusing the menu, we stepped up to the counter, which is not as easy as it sounds, as the counter is way off to the left, and ordered a fried oyster dinner and the baked haddock special. Now the waiting began, allowing us PLENTY of time to wander around the market, look at all the cool stuff in the freezer (Calamari rings or CONCH anyone?). Then we waited, and waited and waited. To be fair, there was a huge table of people that had ordered just before us, but MAN, it seems this really messed up the kitchen, as orders seemed to be in complete disarray and people were running around not seemingly knowing what was going on.
This did not bode well and for $35.00, we were worried we wouldn't get what we ordered. Finally our orders were ready, and as soon as they were bagged up, we sped off for home ,as by now we were STARVING. We arrived home and lo and behold, the first thing we noticed is the orders were EXACTLY correct, all the sides were right and the meal perfect. Second thing we noticed, is the portions were HUGE!!! Hooray, the fish was unbelievably fresh and speaking from someone who can eat a TON of oysters I was stuffed, french fries were great, nothing was greasy, cocktail sauce had the right amount of horseradish. Only disappointment was the standard grocery store type roll but really who cares. Highly recommend, though I do recommend calling ahead or if you are eating there bring a book.
On a scale of 1 to 5;
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Service, Speaks for itself
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Price, And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.
Food, 4.5 Huge portions, incredibly fresh, fried foods are not greasy, a winner
Beer and Wine, NO No alcohol is served so no rating.
Service, 3.0 Everyone was friendly but the kitchen seems to be chaotic because of the large group eating there. Wait time was excessive.
Ambiance, 3.0 I have been called out before for rating a take out place for ambiance. BUT, this is a restaurant and its not really attractive. Again, the main focus is on the market so think bright fluorescent lights and it can be very loud . Think cree-mee stand and you have the idea, not a romantic date night for sure.
Food, 4.5 Huge portions, incredibly fresh, fried foods are not greasy, a winner
Beer and Wine, NO No alcohol is served so no rating.
Service, 3.0 Everyone was friendly but the kitchen seems to be chaotic because of the large group eating there. Wait time was excessive.
Ambiance, 3.0 I have been called out before for rating a take out place for ambiance. BUT, this is a restaurant and its not really attractive. Again, the main focus is on the market so think bright fluorescent lights and it can be very loud . Think cree-mee stand and you have the idea, not a romantic date night for sure.
Price, 4.0 At first we thought this was rather pricey, never having been here before. BUT after seeing the size of the order and tasting the quality of the fish, we think this may be one of the best values for dollars in Northern Vermont.
Overall 3.625 Not much atmosphere, its a market after all. Service (or at least the kitchen) can be chaotic, but the value for quality is off the charts. We will DEFINITELY be back. I dare you to find fresher or better prepared fish outside of going to the coast. Save yourself a three hour trip, eat here instead.
Overall 3.625 Not much atmosphere, its a market after all. Service (or at least the kitchen) can be chaotic, but the value for quality is off the charts. We will DEFINITELY be back. I dare you to find fresher or better prepared fish outside of going to the coast. Save yourself a three hour trip, eat here instead.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Belted Cow Bistro Review
We have eaten here a couple of times and always enjoyed the food. But the pricing made this a special occasion place only. So when I read that they were introducing a comfort food menu at a value price, I was very excited. I called on Friday to see if the new menu was in place and was told not yet but they were introducing a couple of items every week to see how the response would be. For this particular weekend, the two new items would be a hot chicken sandwich and meatball stroganoff, YUMMY. So we made plans to visit on that Saturday with sis and bro-in-law.
NOW, before we go any further, I must admit when I was told about the new value menu, I did not ask what constituted value pricing, so shame on me. We arrived just after 5 PM and were the first ones seated. This may be the most beautiful restaurant in Northern Vermont. Gorgeous interior colors, beautiful woodwork, a great communal table (that unfortunately will disappear from what I hear), The bad, a tiny bar, and a really poor location, (from our gorgeous table, we looked out the window at a gas station and the 5 corners traffic).
As the chef (and co-owner) was walking through, I asked about his recent win at the Jack Daniels championships. He was rather disappointed, as the win was for the grilling category not the barbeque, but for me still a great honor to bring back to little ole Vermont. I had noticed on facebook he was experimenting with things back in the kitchen and asked if he had any chicken skin skewers left and he happily sent out a plate full. YUMMY crispy, fatty goodness. The guys loved them, the ladies not so much.
We ordered drinks, beer for the guys, martini for the wife , Kris went with a ginger ale. The wine and beer list is well thought out but small. I tried a "porkslap" beer and it was very good. No draft beers here just cans and the dreaded TEN dollar martinis. C'mon people, really 10 dollars for a martini in Vermont ? WHY ?? I make martinis for the ladies most every weekend and I know there is never more than $3. in ingredients in each one. MAYBE $4.00 at the absolute most and I only use high quality liquors. Nothing burns me more than seeing $9 and $10 drinks on a menu here in Vermont, I know, I know, overhead, staff, rent , etc., etc. but still its a ripoff. OK enough ranting back to our meal.
We each ordered, 3 specials and one chicken dinner for Kris. And the first surprise, the new "value" menu was priced at $14.pp per plate. The guys ordered the hot chicken sandwich and Wife order the meatball stroganoff. Kris's chicken dinner, on the other hand, was $23.00, making our meals a bargain. I had high hopes it would be the biggest, best chicken sandwich ever and I could rave about the value. UMMM, not so much. Don't get me wrong the food was incredible, the gravy perfect, but the portion was SMALL. Wife liked hers but said the meatballs were a bit bland. Kris was happy with her meal but again not the pricing, it was a good piece of chicken but not $23 good. And that in effect says it all, good food but the value is still missing.
On a scale of 1 to 5;
NOW, before we go any further, I must admit when I was told about the new value menu, I did not ask what constituted value pricing, so shame on me. We arrived just after 5 PM and were the first ones seated. This may be the most beautiful restaurant in Northern Vermont. Gorgeous interior colors, beautiful woodwork, a great communal table (that unfortunately will disappear from what I hear), The bad, a tiny bar, and a really poor location, (from our gorgeous table, we looked out the window at a gas station and the 5 corners traffic).
As the chef (and co-owner) was walking through, I asked about his recent win at the Jack Daniels championships. He was rather disappointed, as the win was for the grilling category not the barbeque, but for me still a great honor to bring back to little ole Vermont. I had noticed on facebook he was experimenting with things back in the kitchen and asked if he had any chicken skin skewers left and he happily sent out a plate full. YUMMY crispy, fatty goodness. The guys loved them, the ladies not so much.
We ordered drinks, beer for the guys, martini for the wife , Kris went with a ginger ale. The wine and beer list is well thought out but small. I tried a "porkslap" beer and it was very good. No draft beers here just cans and the dreaded TEN dollar martinis. C'mon people, really 10 dollars for a martini in Vermont ? WHY ?? I make martinis for the ladies most every weekend and I know there is never more than $3. in ingredients in each one. MAYBE $4.00 at the absolute most and I only use high quality liquors. Nothing burns me more than seeing $9 and $10 drinks on a menu here in Vermont, I know, I know, overhead, staff, rent , etc., etc. but still its a ripoff. OK enough ranting back to our meal.
We each ordered, 3 specials and one chicken dinner for Kris. And the first surprise, the new "value" menu was priced at $14.pp per plate. The guys ordered the hot chicken sandwich and Wife order the meatball stroganoff. Kris's chicken dinner, on the other hand, was $23.00, making our meals a bargain. I had high hopes it would be the biggest, best chicken sandwich ever and I could rave about the value. UMMM, not so much. Don't get me wrong the food was incredible, the gravy perfect, but the portion was SMALL. Wife liked hers but said the meatballs were a bit bland. Kris was happy with her meal but again not the pricing, it was a good piece of chicken but not $23 good. And that in effect says it all, good food but the value is still missing.
On a scale of 1 to 5;
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Service, Speaks for itself
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Price, And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.
Food, 4.0 Very good flavors, though the meatballs were a bit bland
Beer and Wine, 3.0 Nice wine selections, list is small but well thought out, by the glass selection is poor, beer seems to be an afterthought and yet it goes so well with barbeque??.
Service, 3.0 Efficient but certainly not friendly, owners are really nice though.
Food, 4.0 Very good flavors, though the meatballs were a bit bland
Beer and Wine, 3.0 Nice wine selections, list is small but well thought out, by the glass selection is poor, beer seems to be an afterthought and yet it goes so well with barbeque??.
Service, 3.0 Efficient but certainly not friendly, owners are really nice though.
Ambiance, 4.0 Beautiful interior , just don't look out the windows.
Price, 3.0 VERY pricey, and while the new "value" items cut the price down, they do so at the expense of serving size. Still most definitely a special occasion place
Overall 3.40 I have to admire the owners trying to reinvent themselves in this trying economy. BUT dropping your prices and also dropping the serving size so dramatically is not going to work. At the sizes we were served they need to be more in the $10.price range. Will we go back? Maybe, but I would have to hear from others that they are offering the "value" in value pricing.
Price, 3.0 VERY pricey, and while the new "value" items cut the price down, they do so at the expense of serving size. Still most definitely a special occasion place
Overall 3.40 I have to admire the owners trying to reinvent themselves in this trying economy. BUT dropping your prices and also dropping the serving size so dramatically is not going to work. At the sizes we were served they need to be more in the $10.price range. Will we go back? Maybe, but I would have to hear from others that they are offering the "value" in value pricing.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Chicken Fried steak could be called the state dish of Texas. And there are as many different recipes as there are cooks in Texas. For my version, I went with the "Pioneer Woman's" online version. Heck, if it's good enough for a bunch of ranchers, it's good enough for me. For those of you not familiar with this comfort food dish, it is basically pan fried cube steak covered in batter, and served with 'milk gravy". The normal accompaniments would be mashed potatoes and fresh rolls. We went with french fries (potato and sweet potato) cuz , well , I was lazy and plus had fries in the freezer.
Into a bowl put one cup of milk and one egg, (double it if you are cooking alot of steak, we had 1.5 lbs.), and whisk well. On a plate combine two cups of flour with seasonings of your choice, we went with some cayenne and some spice mixture we had. Don't be shy, this is alot of flour and gets fried so you need to put plenty of spices, traditionally you would use cayenne and black pepper. Now comes the messy part, (I made Kris and Mike do this portion *S*). First dip the steak in the milk mixture, then the coat well with flour but shake off the excess, then back into the milk and back into the flour and set on a clean plate.
Now on to the frying, fill a cast iron pan with enough oil to go 1/2 way up the steak. I KNOW this isn't an exact measurement but I don't know how big your pan is. Remember you are pan frying not deep frying so you don't want your steak submerged. Get the oil hot, if you have to be specific, I would say 375 but I let it heat up until a drop of flour sizzles big time. Carefully drop in the steak, dropping them away from you as it WILL splatter. Let fry until golden brown (you can peak if you want) and then carefully flip them over, frying until the other side is nice and brown. Put them on a plate covered in paper towels and place them in an oven heated to 225 to keep crispy and warm.
Once all the frying is done, its time for the most important part of the operation, the milk gravy. Drain off all the oil, reserving 1/4 cup. Let the pan cool down a bit (believe me this is important) and add the oil back in along with 1/4 cup flour, (this forms a roux). Cook together on medium heat and stir until the roux turns golden brown, keep an eye out as this can burn easily. Once you get to the correct color, start adding in milk, just a bit at a time, and YES it will be a total solid lump. Keep whisking until you have added all two cups of milk. Grind in a copious amount of black pepper and whisk until heated thoroughly. Take off heat, pour over fries and steak and ENJOY.
To this incredible feast, I added homemade dinner rolls. As before, I made the dough in my bread machine but it could easily be done in a stand mixer or even by hand if you so desire. Here is the recipe;
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter softened
1 egg
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons yeast
Place all ingredients in bread machine and set to dough cycle. Once the dough is ready remove from machine and let rest for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place in a well greased baking pan and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes and brush with melted butter YUMMY.
And there you go a rather easy but extremely tasty meal.
Into a bowl put one cup of milk and one egg, (double it if you are cooking alot of steak, we had 1.5 lbs.), and whisk well. On a plate combine two cups of flour with seasonings of your choice, we went with some cayenne and some spice mixture we had. Don't be shy, this is alot of flour and gets fried so you need to put plenty of spices, traditionally you would use cayenne and black pepper. Now comes the messy part, (I made Kris and Mike do this portion *S*). First dip the steak in the milk mixture, then the coat well with flour but shake off the excess, then back into the milk and back into the flour and set on a clean plate.
Now on to the frying, fill a cast iron pan with enough oil to go 1/2 way up the steak. I KNOW this isn't an exact measurement but I don't know how big your pan is. Remember you are pan frying not deep frying so you don't want your steak submerged. Get the oil hot, if you have to be specific, I would say 375 but I let it heat up until a drop of flour sizzles big time. Carefully drop in the steak, dropping them away from you as it WILL splatter. Let fry until golden brown (you can peak if you want) and then carefully flip them over, frying until the other side is nice and brown. Put them on a plate covered in paper towels and place them in an oven heated to 225 to keep crispy and warm.
Once all the frying is done, its time for the most important part of the operation, the milk gravy. Drain off all the oil, reserving 1/4 cup. Let the pan cool down a bit (believe me this is important) and add the oil back in along with 1/4 cup flour, (this forms a roux). Cook together on medium heat and stir until the roux turns golden brown, keep an eye out as this can burn easily. Once you get to the correct color, start adding in milk, just a bit at a time, and YES it will be a total solid lump. Keep whisking until you have added all two cups of milk. Grind in a copious amount of black pepper and whisk until heated thoroughly. Take off heat, pour over fries and steak and ENJOY.
To this incredible feast, I added homemade dinner rolls. As before, I made the dough in my bread machine but it could easily be done in a stand mixer or even by hand if you so desire. Here is the recipe;
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter softened
1 egg
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons yeast
Place all ingredients in bread machine and set to dough cycle. Once the dough is ready remove from machine and let rest for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place in a well greased baking pan and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes and brush with melted butter YUMMY.
And there you go a rather easy but extremely tasty meal.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sukhothai review
It was with great sadness that we learned our beloved Tiny Thai had sold their Essex location. As you know, (see previous review), that was probably our favorite restaurant in all of Vermont. So it was with dread and anticipation, we made our way to the new Sukhothai on Friday night. As it turns out, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The first thing we noticed is the popularity had not change one tiny bit. A large line snaked to the door, which was always typical of Tiny Thai on a weekend night. The next thing we noticed, is both servers were part of the original Tiny Thai family. The third thing we noticed, is the menu really has not changed much, a couple of new appetizers and some new stir fries and curries but all in all we are looking at all our old favorites, YEA.
We gave our name to the server and were told 15-20 minutes wait. This is pretty much normal for a weekend night, but be aware if you have a party greater than four, you are going to WAIT. This is a small place and not alot of large tables open up. As we sat waiting, I observed the first flaw, many, many tables had some food, while others in the party were waiting. I noticed one couple, (I say I am being observant, my wife says nosy), who the husband had food for a good 20 minutes before his wife. Several other times during the evening we heard the servers offering discounts or free food for prolonged waits. Obviously, this is a situation they will need to get under control.
One of the things I always loved about Tiny Thai, was every night you could be assured of some specials and I loved ordering them because it gave me a chance to try new preparations but for now Sukhothai sticks strictly to the menu. We started with one of our favorite appetizers, dim sum and decided to try a new one, Goong Hom Pa, shrimp wrapped in a wheat dough and fried, Unfortunately, what came out was dim sum and fish cakes? I was going to return it but this was one of the other appetizers we wanted to try. Big mistake, should of sent them back ,as they were very rubbery and not much flavor.
For our entrees wife went with her go to meal, massaman with chicken and I tried a new stir fry, Pan Nam Prik, roasted chili jam, cashews, basil with chicken and shrimp . The menu assured me it was one star the same as the massamn which I always thought of as mild. WRONG. I won't say it was blistering hot but it was MUCH hotter than expected and as such I didn't enjoy the sauce as much as I would of. The new owners need to make sure the heat scale on the menu is accurate as many of us base our meals on this index.
Both entrees were very good and it appears the serving size is equivalent to what Tiny Thai offered and again the price for both of us together was under $40, which is a bargain anywhere.
On a scale of 1 to 5;
The first thing we noticed is the popularity had not change one tiny bit. A large line snaked to the door, which was always typical of Tiny Thai on a weekend night. The next thing we noticed, is both servers were part of the original Tiny Thai family. The third thing we noticed, is the menu really has not changed much, a couple of new appetizers and some new stir fries and curries but all in all we are looking at all our old favorites, YEA.
We gave our name to the server and were told 15-20 minutes wait. This is pretty much normal for a weekend night, but be aware if you have a party greater than four, you are going to WAIT. This is a small place and not alot of large tables open up. As we sat waiting, I observed the first flaw, many, many tables had some food, while others in the party were waiting. I noticed one couple, (I say I am being observant, my wife says nosy), who the husband had food for a good 20 minutes before his wife. Several other times during the evening we heard the servers offering discounts or free food for prolonged waits. Obviously, this is a situation they will need to get under control.
One of the things I always loved about Tiny Thai, was every night you could be assured of some specials and I loved ordering them because it gave me a chance to try new preparations but for now Sukhothai sticks strictly to the menu. We started with one of our favorite appetizers, dim sum and decided to try a new one, Goong Hom Pa, shrimp wrapped in a wheat dough and fried, Unfortunately, what came out was dim sum and fish cakes? I was going to return it but this was one of the other appetizers we wanted to try. Big mistake, should of sent them back ,as they were very rubbery and not much flavor.
For our entrees wife went with her go to meal, massaman with chicken and I tried a new stir fry, Pan Nam Prik, roasted chili jam, cashews, basil with chicken and shrimp . The menu assured me it was one star the same as the massamn which I always thought of as mild. WRONG. I won't say it was blistering hot but it was MUCH hotter than expected and as such I didn't enjoy the sauce as much as I would of. The new owners need to make sure the heat scale on the menu is accurate as many of us base our meals on this index.
Both entrees were very good and it appears the serving size is equivalent to what Tiny Thai offered and again the price for both of us together was under $40, which is a bargain anywhere.
On a scale of 1 to 5;
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Service, Speaks for itself
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Price, And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.
Food, 3.75 Good as always though one appetizers fell way short and my entree was hotter than expected. Wife was relieved to see her favorite hadn't changed.
Beer and Wine, No Still BYOB so no rating.
Service, 3.0 I knocked it down by .5 for the poor service by the kitchen and for getting our order mixed up.
Food, 3.75 Good as always though one appetizers fell way short and my entree was hotter than expected. Wife was relieved to see her favorite hadn't changed.
Beer and Wine, No Still BYOB so no rating.
Service, 3.0 I knocked it down by .5 for the poor service by the kitchen and for getting our order mixed up.
Ambiance, 3.5 Same as Tiny Thai, like visiting a favorite Thai aunts house.
Price, 4.0 Prices have gone up a bit but still an incredible bargain for this area.
Overall 3.56 Still a great place but needs a little work with the kitchen to come up to the high standards of Tiny Thai. We will be back to give them another chance.
Price, 4.0 Prices have gone up a bit but still an incredible bargain for this area.
Overall 3.56 Still a great place but needs a little work with the kitchen to come up to the high standards of Tiny Thai. We will be back to give them another chance.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A Christmas Feast.
We have never done a formal dinner from scratch before. So for Christmas 2011, we invited Mike and Kris and decided to go all out. Costco's sells a gorgeous rack of pork every year at the holidays, so I picked one of them up, to pair with it my famous (in my mind anyways), Pommes Anna. And, to really go out on a limb, homemade crescent rolls, (or as my recipe book calls them Butterhorn rolls, must be a copyright thing).
This sounds like alot of work, but truthfully it all comes together really easily. Start with the Crown Roast of Pork. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons garlic, 4 tablespoons chopped sage, and 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, (don't worry too much about the herbs, anything will work, in addition to the thyme and sage, we added 2 tablespoons rosemary and a big helping of garam masala), what ever you have will work, don't be afraid to make your own combo. When your done, you should have a nice paste, (if you need more olive oil go ahead and add until a thick paste forms). Rub the entire roast with the herb mixture and season generously with salt and pepper. Allow the roast to sit for 1-2 hours with the mixture and then roast at 450 for 15 minutes, turn down the oven to 350, and continue roasting until an instant read thermometer reads between 150-160. Remove roast and tent with aluminum foil for at least 20 minutes to allow juices to set. Carve and serve, I guarantee this will be one of the most tender, juicy pieces of pork you will ever eat.
Pommes Anna is sort of a potato pancake and goes perfectly with any roast meat. I have made this version several times and everyone just loves it. To make this correctly you will need two very important pieces of equipment. A mandoline and a cast iron frying pan. I supposed this could be done without either, but it will be a lesson in frustration. First the mandoline, this is basically a potato slicer but you really need this unless you can slice potatoes really thin and evenly by hand, (I can't). Slice two pounds of potatoes, (depending on the size of your party and cast iron pan you may need more or less). Make sure you are using a well seasoned cast iron pan, (I used a brand new one, not so smart) and brush it liberally with melted butter. Now comes the fun part, first a layer of potatoes, now brush that layer with melted butter, sprinkle on a layer of parmigiana cheese and salt and pepper the layer and continue in this way until you have a potato cake about 1 to 2 inches high (depends if you like a crisp cake or a more soft cake on the thickness, I like crisp so I stop at about 1 1/4 inches). Put a layer of aluminum foil over the potatoes and add a heavy weight (brick works good) to the top and push down to compact the cake. Place pan on stove top, over medium heat, until bottom layer turns golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Put the pan in a 400 degree oven, pressing the potatoes down occasionally and shaking the pan to keep them from sticking. Cooked until caramelized and potatoes are soft when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Carefully drain off the excess butter, gently loosen bottom layer and flip onto plate for a beautiful presentation. Cut into slices and serve.
For the Crescent (Butterhorn) rolls, I used a bread machine on dough cycle. But you could just as easily use a mixer or even by hand, if you so desire. Start with;
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Place all the ingredients into your bread machine and set to dough cycle. DON'T walk away, keep checking the dough to see if it is too dry or wet and add extra flour or milk as needed. You should end up with a solid ball of shiny dough, not sticking to the walls or falling apart. Once you achieve that dough ball, you can walk away and let the machine do its thing.
When the dough cycle is done, remove dough and place on a lightly floured counter. Roll dough into a nice even log and divide in three. Form each dough log into balls, and roll the balls out into a 9 inch circle. With a pizza cutter divide your circles into 8 pieces. Starting at the wide end , roll each slice to its point. Place on ungreased cookie sheets with the point down and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes until doubled. Preheat oven to 375, brush top of rolls with melted butter and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. DELICIOUS! WAY better than anything you will ever buy in a tube and they take very little effort.
So there you have it, a perfect holiday (or any time) meal. Add some nice vegetables and something for dessert, (we had crepes that I bought at Costco's, heated up and topped with nutella and whipped cream, YUM), and you are good to go. And for wine a lighter red is perfect, nice Pinot Noir maybe, or a Malbec would be perfect, maybe even a Zinfandel.
This sounds like alot of work, but truthfully it all comes together really easily. Start with the Crown Roast of Pork. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons garlic, 4 tablespoons chopped sage, and 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, (don't worry too much about the herbs, anything will work, in addition to the thyme and sage, we added 2 tablespoons rosemary and a big helping of garam masala), what ever you have will work, don't be afraid to make your own combo. When your done, you should have a nice paste, (if you need more olive oil go ahead and add until a thick paste forms). Rub the entire roast with the herb mixture and season generously with salt and pepper. Allow the roast to sit for 1-2 hours with the mixture and then roast at 450 for 15 minutes, turn down the oven to 350, and continue roasting until an instant read thermometer reads between 150-160. Remove roast and tent with aluminum foil for at least 20 minutes to allow juices to set. Carve and serve, I guarantee this will be one of the most tender, juicy pieces of pork you will ever eat.
Pommes Anna is sort of a potato pancake and goes perfectly with any roast meat. I have made this version several times and everyone just loves it. To make this correctly you will need two very important pieces of equipment. A mandoline and a cast iron frying pan. I supposed this could be done without either, but it will be a lesson in frustration. First the mandoline, this is basically a potato slicer but you really need this unless you can slice potatoes really thin and evenly by hand, (I can't). Slice two pounds of potatoes, (depending on the size of your party and cast iron pan you may need more or less). Make sure you are using a well seasoned cast iron pan, (I used a brand new one, not so smart) and brush it liberally with melted butter. Now comes the fun part, first a layer of potatoes, now brush that layer with melted butter, sprinkle on a layer of parmigiana cheese and salt and pepper the layer and continue in this way until you have a potato cake about 1 to 2 inches high (depends if you like a crisp cake or a more soft cake on the thickness, I like crisp so I stop at about 1 1/4 inches). Put a layer of aluminum foil over the potatoes and add a heavy weight (brick works good) to the top and push down to compact the cake. Place pan on stove top, over medium heat, until bottom layer turns golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Put the pan in a 400 degree oven, pressing the potatoes down occasionally and shaking the pan to keep them from sticking. Cooked until caramelized and potatoes are soft when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Carefully drain off the excess butter, gently loosen bottom layer and flip onto plate for a beautiful presentation. Cut into slices and serve.
For the Crescent (Butterhorn) rolls, I used a bread machine on dough cycle. But you could just as easily use a mixer or even by hand, if you so desire. Start with;
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Place all the ingredients into your bread machine and set to dough cycle. DON'T walk away, keep checking the dough to see if it is too dry or wet and add extra flour or milk as needed. You should end up with a solid ball of shiny dough, not sticking to the walls or falling apart. Once you achieve that dough ball, you can walk away and let the machine do its thing.
When the dough cycle is done, remove dough and place on a lightly floured counter. Roll dough into a nice even log and divide in three. Form each dough log into balls, and roll the balls out into a 9 inch circle. With a pizza cutter divide your circles into 8 pieces. Starting at the wide end , roll each slice to its point. Place on ungreased cookie sheets with the point down and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes until doubled. Preheat oven to 375, brush top of rolls with melted butter and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. DELICIOUS! WAY better than anything you will ever buy in a tube and they take very little effort.
So there you have it, a perfect holiday (or any time) meal. Add some nice vegetables and something for dessert, (we had crepes that I bought at Costco's, heated up and topped with nutella and whipped cream, YUM), and you are good to go. And for wine a lighter red is perfect, nice Pinot Noir maybe, or a Malbec would be perfect, maybe even a Zinfandel.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lamson Family Cinnamon Rolls
Or more specifically, wife's mom's cinnamon rolls, traditionally eaten with the meal, (weird, yea I know). This recipe takes a bit of time but the flavors are incredible, set aside a good portion of your morning and you will be greatly rewarded;
Ingredients;
1) 12 oz can of evaporated milk.
1/4 cup warm water.
1/2 cup sugar.
1/2 cup vegetable oil.
1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes (unseasoned and no milk).
2 eggs.
3 envelopes dry yeast.
6 cups of flour.
To start, dissolve yeast in the warm water, add all the ingredients, except the flour, into a mixer and mix for 3 minutes. Gradually add the flour, until a dough ball forms,and knead by hand or with a dough hook attachment for 10 minutes. Place dough ball in well greased, large bowl and grease top of ball also, (Mom used Crisco, I used butter, butter makes it better *S*). Cover and allow to rise until doubled in a draft free, warm place, (approximately 1 3/4 to 2 hours). Punch down and repeat, this time allowing to rise about 1 hour. Punch down again and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Filling;
1/3 cup softened butter.
3/4 cup brown sugar, (Mom used light brown sugar).
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon.
Divide dough into two sections and roll out each section, (one at a time of course), into large rectangles, and spread 1/2 of filling evenly over each section. Roll back up and slice into 1 inch slices. Add slices to greased baking sheets, cover and allow to rise for one more hour, (told you this was time consuming, you want to start early if you are serving these at lunch). Bake at 325 for 10 minutes and then turn up temp to 350 and continue baking till done , (OK, this is the EXACT recipe, but keep an eye out until they turn golden brown, about 10-20 more minutes). Let cool slightly and serve with your meal, OR,
For you traditionalists, you can now make the frosting;
Frosting;
1 stick softened butter.
2 tablespoons flour.
1 cup confectioners sugar.
1 dash salt.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Beat all the ingredients together and slather on rolls. But first I encourage you all to try the rolls as a sub for dinner rolls, c'mon live on the wild side!
Ingredients;
1) 12 oz can of evaporated milk.
1/4 cup warm water.
1/2 cup sugar.
1/2 cup vegetable oil.
1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes (unseasoned and no milk).
2 eggs.
3 envelopes dry yeast.
6 cups of flour.
To start, dissolve yeast in the warm water, add all the ingredients, except the flour, into a mixer and mix for 3 minutes. Gradually add the flour, until a dough ball forms,and knead by hand or with a dough hook attachment for 10 minutes. Place dough ball in well greased, large bowl and grease top of ball also, (Mom used Crisco, I used butter, butter makes it better *S*). Cover and allow to rise until doubled in a draft free, warm place, (approximately 1 3/4 to 2 hours). Punch down and repeat, this time allowing to rise about 1 hour. Punch down again and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Filling;
1/3 cup softened butter.
3/4 cup brown sugar, (Mom used light brown sugar).
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon.
Divide dough into two sections and roll out each section, (one at a time of course), into large rectangles, and spread 1/2 of filling evenly over each section. Roll back up and slice into 1 inch slices. Add slices to greased baking sheets, cover and allow to rise for one more hour, (told you this was time consuming, you want to start early if you are serving these at lunch). Bake at 325 for 10 minutes and then turn up temp to 350 and continue baking till done , (OK, this is the EXACT recipe, but keep an eye out until they turn golden brown, about 10-20 more minutes). Let cool slightly and serve with your meal, OR,
For you traditionalists, you can now make the frosting;
Frosting;
1 stick softened butter.
2 tablespoons flour.
1 cup confectioners sugar.
1 dash salt.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Beat all the ingredients together and slather on rolls. But first I encourage you all to try the rolls as a sub for dinner rolls, c'mon live on the wild side!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
L'Amante Review
For the dear wife's birthday and the fact I had been away to sunny, warm Florida for a business trip, I decided to go all out and take her to L'Amante. Despite it being around the Burlington scene for a while and despite many friends saying we must go and despite all the great reviews , we had never been to L'Amante. The room is elegant without being stuffy. And service was first rate. The menu looked very enticing but what won us over was the 3 course tasting menu. The particular night was the food of Veneto, (The Venice region). A three course dinner with three wines paired by the chef. We both decided to partake.
The first thing you should know about L'amantes is it makes no pretense about being anything but a special occasion type of place. Anniversaries, Birthdays, all should be celebrated here. If you are going to come her on a regular basis, you better have deep pockets. Our meal was $58.00 each for a 3 course meal with wine, add dessert and tip and taxes and we were pushing $175.00. Was it worth it? Read on.
First up some great bread served with hummus and a chicken liver pate. Man was that pate ever good, that sure woke up the taste buds. Our first course was white anchovies served over roasted red peppers with capers. And served with this a 2012 Pieropan Soave Classico. Wow talk about a grand opening, tons of different flavors with salty, and sweet, paired perfectly with a nice crisp white. This chef really knows how to pair wines , (as he should by being one the few Master Sommeliers in the world).
For round two the chef served us white polenta , served over a wild mushroom ragu. WOW is all I can say this was by far the star of the evening. The flavors in the mushrooms (and I don't really care for mushrooms), were incredible and paired with the white polenta, that had been crisped up into a cake form, was divine. Pair this with a 2003 Nicolas Testal and you have a match made in heaven.
The third course is where things faltered a bit. It was the course I was most excited about, grilled boar sausage, and quail with radicchio trevisano. The sausage was superb, incredible flavors and both the wife and I wished there was more of it. The quail was good but definitely overcooked, to the point of the meat being a bit dry. And the radicchio was a total failure, WAY over charded, so all you could taste was burnt leaves. This left a flavor in your mouth that overpowered the boar and quail. All you could taste was burnt. For the price we were paying this left a bit of a bad taste in our mouth (literally HA).
For dessert, we had a great chocolate cake with an incredible espresso cream on top. A great way to end the meal. So pretty much an excellent meal with one miscue, forgivable but NOT when you are paying $175.00 for two. At this price point every portion of the meal better be perfect.
Food, 4.00 Excellent food , but for one miscue. Did it ruin the evening , of course not but for this price it shouldn't of happened.
Beer and Wine, 3.75 Incredible selection, very expensive
Service, 3.50 Service was very professional, just not very warm.
The first thing you should know about L'amantes is it makes no pretense about being anything but a special occasion type of place. Anniversaries, Birthdays, all should be celebrated here. If you are going to come her on a regular basis, you better have deep pockets. Our meal was $58.00 each for a 3 course meal with wine, add dessert and tip and taxes and we were pushing $175.00. Was it worth it? Read on.
First up some great bread served with hummus and a chicken liver pate. Man was that pate ever good, that sure woke up the taste buds. Our first course was white anchovies served over roasted red peppers with capers. And served with this a 2012 Pieropan Soave Classico. Wow talk about a grand opening, tons of different flavors with salty, and sweet, paired perfectly with a nice crisp white. This chef really knows how to pair wines , (as he should by being one the few Master Sommeliers in the world).
For round two the chef served us white polenta , served over a wild mushroom ragu. WOW is all I can say this was by far the star of the evening. The flavors in the mushrooms (and I don't really care for mushrooms), were incredible and paired with the white polenta, that had been crisped up into a cake form, was divine. Pair this with a 2003 Nicolas Testal and you have a match made in heaven.
The third course is where things faltered a bit. It was the course I was most excited about, grilled boar sausage, and quail with radicchio trevisano. The sausage was superb, incredible flavors and both the wife and I wished there was more of it. The quail was good but definitely overcooked, to the point of the meat being a bit dry. And the radicchio was a total failure, WAY over charded, so all you could taste was burnt leaves. This left a flavor in your mouth that overpowered the boar and quail. All you could taste was burnt. For the price we were paying this left a bit of a bad taste in our mouth (literally HA).
For dessert, we had a great chocolate cake with an incredible espresso cream on top. A great way to end the meal. So pretty much an excellent meal with one miscue, forgivable but NOT when you are paying $175.00 for two. At this price point every portion of the meal better be perfect.
Food, 4.00 Excellent food , but for one miscue. Did it ruin the evening , of course not but for this price it shouldn't of happened.
Beer and Wine, 3.75 Incredible selection, very expensive
Service, 3.50 Service was very professional, just not very warm.
Ambiance, 4.5 Beautiful ding room and charming bar, possibly the best in Burlington..
Price, 3.0 VERY pricey, but the excellence in taste and presentation make up for it. Definitely a special occasion place. And slight miscues need to be taken care of.
Overall 3.75 A really beautiful room, innovative and tasty food. A great wine list but some small miscues and that huge cloud , the price, makes this a once a year or so place to eat.
Price, 3.0 VERY pricey, but the excellence in taste and presentation make up for it. Definitely a special occasion place. And slight miscues need to be taken care of.
Overall 3.75 A really beautiful room, innovative and tasty food. A great wine list but some small miscues and that huge cloud , the price, makes this a once a year or so place to eat.
Monday, February 27, 2012
The WIndjammer Review
For our office Christmas party, we went to the Windjammer. Arguably, one of the longest lasting restaurants in the Burlington area. The Windjammer has long been known for its salad bar and beef offerings. And as I quickly noticed a giant menu (unfortunately, you all know what I think of giant menus).
As you are led to your table, you quickly notice how HUGE this place is, then you notice how many people are also dining on this Wednesday, (2 weeks before Xmas), night. Between the size of the menu and the amount of people, you just know the kitchen is going to be crazy and crazy isn't always good . We sit down and are given our menus and it is huge, they have just about every type of seafood or cut of beef you can imagine. The wine list is also quite large, if rather pedestrian, with alot of "grocery store" wines on it. BUT I will give the kudos for the beer offerings. lots of local brews and some of the harder to get ones. I finally got to try the Trapp Family lager and it was really good.
Now, I must tell you about another personal quibble, I hate salad bars. Please don't write me angry letters, its a personal thing but even with every sneeze guard in place, I just don't think their sanitary.Who knows where the 300 people in front of you hands have been? Anyways, the Windjammer is famous for theirs and I am sure that's not gonna change anytime soon, and as it comes with your meal , we all trudged off to the salad bar to indulge. The offerings are substantial but not really innovative and again I am not a fan. So for my entree, I went with ;
Chicken Rotolo- tenderized 8 oz. chicken breast with housemade VT chevre boursin, baby spinach & lump crab meat, pita encrusted and rolled, finished with sweet pepper Arrosto $22.99
I went with this because it sounded different from their usual meat and rather plain seafood items. Looking back now that was a mistake, if a restaurant is known for something, that is what you should probably order. The biggest problem with this meal and from what I could see around the table is everything was overcooked. I think because of the large volume of orders they do in a night, everything goes under an extremely hot salamander and cooks it to within an inch of its life. Now in their defense, no one at the table had steak, (weird, huh), so I can not comment on overdone steaks, just seafood and chicken. For dessert we shared three things across the table, and they were so memorable I can not remember even one of them. Something chocolate, something berry , none really bad, none really great. And THAT in a nutshell is my memory of the Windjammer. Nothing great, nothing really bad, just unmemorable food, prepared hundreds of times a night.
As you are led to your table, you quickly notice how HUGE this place is, then you notice how many people are also dining on this Wednesday, (2 weeks before Xmas), night. Between the size of the menu and the amount of people, you just know the kitchen is going to be crazy and crazy isn't always good . We sit down and are given our menus and it is huge, they have just about every type of seafood or cut of beef you can imagine. The wine list is also quite large, if rather pedestrian, with alot of "grocery store" wines on it. BUT I will give the kudos for the beer offerings. lots of local brews and some of the harder to get ones. I finally got to try the Trapp Family lager and it was really good.
Now, I must tell you about another personal quibble, I hate salad bars. Please don't write me angry letters, its a personal thing but even with every sneeze guard in place, I just don't think their sanitary.Who knows where the 300 people in front of you hands have been? Anyways, the Windjammer is famous for theirs and I am sure that's not gonna change anytime soon, and as it comes with your meal , we all trudged off to the salad bar to indulge. The offerings are substantial but not really innovative and again I am not a fan. So for my entree, I went with ;
Chicken Rotolo- tenderized 8 oz. chicken breast with housemade VT chevre boursin, baby spinach & lump crab meat, pita encrusted and rolled, finished with sweet pepper Arrosto $22.99
I went with this because it sounded different from their usual meat and rather plain seafood items. Looking back now that was a mistake, if a restaurant is known for something, that is what you should probably order. The biggest problem with this meal and from what I could see around the table is everything was overcooked. I think because of the large volume of orders they do in a night, everything goes under an extremely hot salamander and cooks it to within an inch of its life. Now in their defense, no one at the table had steak, (weird, huh), so I can not comment on overdone steaks, just seafood and chicken. For dessert we shared three things across the table, and they were so memorable I can not remember even one of them. Something chocolate, something berry , none really bad, none really great. And THAT in a nutshell is my memory of the Windjammer. Nothing great, nothing really bad, just unmemorable food, prepared hundreds of times a night.
On a scale of 1 to 5;
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Food, Quality means much more to us than quantity.
Beer and Wine, Based on selection and pricing
Service, Speaks for itself
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Ambiance, Does the look fit the food and pricing
Price, And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.
Food, 3.0 Not bad, not great, reliable in a box restaurant kind of way.
Beer and Wine, 3.5 Nice beer and wine selections, wine list is huge but rather boring.
Service, 3.0 Rushed and not very informative but friendly just the same, like everything else not memorable.
Food, 3.0 Not bad, not great, reliable in a box restaurant kind of way.
Beer and Wine, 3.5 Nice beer and wine selections, wine list is huge but rather boring.
Service, 3.0 Rushed and not very informative but friendly just the same, like everything else not memorable.
Ambiance, 2.5 Huge and loud come to mind.
Price, 3.0 Pricey, but not overly so. Portion tend to be very large
Overall 3.00 If you love the box restaurants at Taft's Corner , you will love the Windjammer. BUT come here instead so the money stays local. Nothing really great but then again nothing really bad, dependable seems to be the correct word. And sometimes dependable works just fine.
Price, 3.0 Pricey, but not overly so. Portion tend to be very large
Overall 3.00 If you love the box restaurants at Taft's Corner , you will love the Windjammer. BUT come here instead so the money stays local. Nothing really great but then again nothing really bad, dependable seems to be the correct word. And sometimes dependable works just fine.
Johnny V's Review
This was on my advanced list of a places we should go to while in Fort Lauderdale. So I was extremely happy when we got a reservation for 6:30. Then I was extremely sad when I had to cancel because my boss's plane was delayed and he didn't get in till 6pm. After picking a second choice, I found I had to cancel that also, as a business meeting ran long. So we decided to head out to Los Olas Boulevard and see what pops up. Our cab lets us off and lo and behold we are right in front of Johnny V's. What a coincidence. I ask at the counter if they have a table for 4 and yes they do. WOO HOO .
So in we go and I for one am VERY happy we did. The wine list is incredible and I started with an incredible Temparillo from Spain, with this great glass of wine we shared three appetizers, the blue corn crusted calamari, the slightly seared tune poke and the special of the night, baked oysters with spinach and bechamel sauce. All three were just incredible, the flavors, the presentation , everything perfect.
For my entree, I went with the Duck, Duck, Duck and I must say this was one of the best entrees I have ever had. A duck leg confit, a roasted breast served medium and sliced and a bread pudding made of mushrooms and foie gras, YUMMY. Around the table, everyone else got fresh fish entrees and other than one fish being a bit dry, we all loved our meals. For dessert we ordered a chocolate samplers and there were 4 or 5 different preparations, all of them delicious.
Food, 4.25 Excellent food, Imaginatively prepared with sometimes unusual ingredients. One of the fish dishes was a bit dry and overcooked, points off for that.
Beer and Wine, 4.0 Very Deep wine selections, list is huge and some of it very expensive.
Service, 4.0 Our waitress was incredible, making suggestions and helping us out with the wine list.
So in we go and I for one am VERY happy we did. The wine list is incredible and I started with an incredible Temparillo from Spain, with this great glass of wine we shared three appetizers, the blue corn crusted calamari, the slightly seared tune poke and the special of the night, baked oysters with spinach and bechamel sauce. All three were just incredible, the flavors, the presentation , everything perfect.
For my entree, I went with the Duck, Duck, Duck and I must say this was one of the best entrees I have ever had. A duck leg confit, a roasted breast served medium and sliced and a bread pudding made of mushrooms and foie gras, YUMMY. Around the table, everyone else got fresh fish entrees and other than one fish being a bit dry, we all loved our meals. For dessert we ordered a chocolate samplers and there were 4 or 5 different preparations, all of them delicious.
Food, 4.25 Excellent food, Imaginatively prepared with sometimes unusual ingredients. One of the fish dishes was a bit dry and overcooked, points off for that.
Beer and Wine, 4.0 Very Deep wine selections, list is huge and some of it very expensive.
Service, 4.0 Our waitress was incredible, making suggestions and helping us out with the wine list.
Ambiance, 3.75 Nice space, but very narrow, some sidewalk seating, which would be fun.
Price, 3.5 VERY pricey, but food this creative is rarely cheap.
Overall 3.90 My favorite meal of the trip and probably in my favorite top 20 of all time. If you are in Fort Lauderdale go here
Price, 3.5 VERY pricey, but food this creative is rarely cheap.
Overall 3.90 My favorite meal of the trip and probably in my favorite top 20 of all time. If you are in Fort Lauderdale go here
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