liamsaunt

Haddock with shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and rice

Final dinner in Vegas was at Mercato de Percheria. I was not particularly hungry so nothing on the menu looked appealing. I think I am just ready to get out of here. Vegas is just too overwhelming. Anyway, restaurant setting Drink for husband and sister Menu we ordered the truffle board to start but they were out. So, calamari (WAY too salty) salmon tartare (this was nice) husband and niece both got the tortellini filled with prosciutto. They said it was fine My sister and I split an arugula salad and a pizza. The salad was tasty but too cold. The pizza was undercooked and too saucy No dessert. And a couple of concert photos, just for fun, one from each night, so different perspectives. It was visually stunning and the sound was perfect, but I won’t come back to Vegas, even for another concert at the Sphere.

We are seeing it twice. Last night we were in a small reserved section on the floor that the band sells tickets for to raise money for their charity, and tonight we have seats up in the Sphere so we can take in the visual effects. It’s quite the show. Last night’s dinner was at SushiSamba. Crispy Hokkaido scallop (they are priced by the piece and I was the only one who wanted to try it) yellowtail taquitos Cocktails. My berry smash mocktail is on the right and my sister and husband got the same cocktail, but I did not catch the name. Grilled miso sea bass (this and the scallop were my favorites) Sushi rolls. Tuna in the back, and a four fish roll in the front. It had salmon, yellowtail, tuna and fluke. And the el Topo, which was the house specialty roll. We did not like this one because it had cheese on it. We kept passing it around the table trying to foist it off on each other 😂 dessert was a coffee panacotta with coffee tuille.

Dinner at Estiatorio Milos in Las Vegas. (I would normally put travel photos in regional boards but we are only here for a couple of nights to see a concert, and I never plan to return to Vegas as there is pretty much nothing about it that I find appealing, so it’s not worth doing a full report) Display of fish on offer. We chose a loup de mer cooked in salt crust to share Husband and sister got the same cocktail, a Monks in Mexico (tequila, Cointreau, elderflower, grapefruit, lime) Shared appetizer of fried zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki and saganaki cheese (best thing of the night) niece’s filet with fries grilled vegetables to share The fish, filleted table side and served with Swiss chard no room for dessert.

We are back home now, having left this morning just ahead of Phillipe. The flight was a little turbulent, but not too bad. We decided to return to Aurora for our final dinner of the trip, since we had enjoyed our meal there so much earlier in the week. Tuna tartare again Prickly pear seveche made with wahoo Lobster linguini Stuffed shrimp with spinach risotto with a view of the sunset For dessert we split a slice of cheesecake with matcha gelato. while enjoying the view of Hamilton across the harbor Until the next visit, I hope they save a spot under the umbrella for me

This was my first visit to Woody's, so I wanted to get what they are famous for, which is the fish sandwich. I didn't even consider the other stuff on the menu, to be honest! Another scenic view from our room. You can see a cruise ship leaving in the distance. The ships that were supposed to come in yesterday and today have all diverted because of TS Phillipe. By the time it gets here Friday afternoon, it's going to be a category one hurricane, and it's looking like a direct hit. My flight home is tomorrow morning, and hopefully we won't have any problems getting out. Last night we decided to go back over to Cambridge Beaches and the Sunken Harbour Club, since we enjoyed it so much last visit. The lounge is cute It was not at all crowded, and they told us we could have a drink in the lounge before dinner if we wanted. My mocktail is on the left, and my husband chose a Continental Navy Menus For appetizers, husband chose the same ackee pasta I had last time. It was still delicious I chose the ginger bried scallop. This was interesting, but I would not get it again. The ginger brine changed the texture of the scallop in a way that I found a bit unappealing. My husband liked it more than I did. For mains, I was disappointed to hear that they were out of the red hind. They were also out of the turbot. They had gotten local wahoo in as a substitute, so I decided to have that. It was fresh and quite tasty Husband chose the wild boar, which he did not enjoy. He said it was overcooked and kind of tough. I shared my wahoo, so it was fine Dessert We decided to share the flamed chocolate dome, just because it sounded silly. Flaming dome Post flaming. The ice cream was good, but the chocolate cake inside was really dry. We only ate a bit of it. So, definitely not as good as back in May, but not so terrible that we would not give it another try sometime.

Yes, it was toasted raisin bread. Sweet with savory is a big thing in Bermuda. Another example is the traditional Bermuda breakfast on weekends. Codfish (typically salt cod, often in a curry sauce, but sometimes plain) with sliced bananas, boiled potatoes, and hard boiled egg. I really cannot get behind this one. I have tried it a handful of times, and it's just not for me. I love both too. The guy behind the counter recommended the wahoo. They catch their own fish, so I was going with what he recommended! Husband had to spend the day working, but I got to enjoy our "outdoor living room." You can turn off the AC and slide the walls open. Pretty nice. The surf is starting to pick up as Phillipe approaches from the south (we are leaving Thursday, so will be out of here before it potentially impacts Bermuda). There are moments of calm though, and it's still OK for swimming (though too rough to snorkel, and the hotel won't let anyone use the water sports equipment). I took this picture when the water was pulling back so it looks nice and calm. The waves are crashing into that building in the lower part of the picture when they come in, which is why all the umbrellas are pulled back against the cliff. For dinner, we went back to an old favorite, Blu. We had requested an outdoor table, but the wind was too strong to serve outside. They did let everyone go out on the patio for a cocktail/mocktail and to watch the sunset before being seated indoors to dine, which was nice. The menu is very large. Sushi Appetizers pasta and pizza fish and meat Husband really wanted the shrimp tempura for some reason, so he started with that I chose an appetizer special of cured wahoo with a salad. It was delicious and husband was extremely jealous. I let him have some to be nice 🙂 We both decided to get pasta diablo for dinner. Husband had lobster and I had shrimp Dessert menu Lemon shuffle again? Why not?

Yesterday was our last day with the mini car, so we decided to do a beach exploration tour. The south facing beaches have the pink sand that Bermuda is famous for, and I knew the dark and stormy clouds would heighten the colors on the beach. As you can see, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. My favorite, Warwick Long Bay The skies started lightening up as soon as we left Warwick, and continued to improve during the day. Not as forbidding in these photos After our beach walk, we took the minicar out to the other end of the island to try one of the fish sandwiches that is considered the best on the island. The battle for best fish sandwich on Bermuda is a fierce competition every year, and often Woody's come out on top. Woody's is a little building on the side of the road with picnic tables for while you wait. They always tell you it is going to be an hour for your sandwich, but I think we only waited 25 minutes or so. Woody's The menu And the sandwich. We chose wahoo. Verdict: very tasty! The hot sauce really added a lot. I am not sure that the cheese is necessary, but I did not mind it either. The sandwich was huge, and I was glad that we did not make dinner plans for the evening. We spent the later afternoon back at the resort. As you can see, the skies cleared up nicely. The rest of this short trip should have lovely weather.

Our room has a full kitchen, so I was able to start the morning with a glass of iced tea while reading the local paper that they put on the door each day. Even the headlines remind me that I am in a different country than the USA We went to actual breakfast at the hotel but I did not take pictures as I just had some boring yogurt and fruit. We went over to the Royal Naval Dockyard to do some shopping. We saw the setup for an Oktoberfest celebration happening that night, Tickets were sold out. Maybe because of this cruise ship in dock. The island is not very crowded otherwise. I found a copy of the same cookbook I bought on my honeymoon 26 years ago for sale in the bookshop. This book made me laugh. An entire book about busses! Weather was looking a bit stirred up back at the beach Dinner was at Cafe Lido, located on beautiful Elbow Beach. I wish the windows opened, but the view is still lovely Drinks. I ordered a strawberry cocktail (too sweet, but I know it would be. It was fun for a couple of sips and then I switched to water.) Husband had a lemon martini Menu Bread service Shrimp Tuna tartare I chose the catch of the day, which was wahoo. I also ordered a side of spinach, because I was not sure if I would enjoy the dandelion greens that came with the fish. They were indeed a bit too bitter for my liking. The fish was excellent though. Husband ordered the pasta carbonara for some reason. I guess he was very hungry! Dessert menu We split the berry semifreddo. It was nice. No fancy dinner plans for today. We are waiting for the weather to clear (it's looking promising) and then are heading out in the mini car for a beach tour, and to a stop at the place that supposedly has the best fish sandwich on the island. I've been wanting to get there for ages, so we will see if it lives up to my expectations!

I am back in Bermuda again. Here's the view from our room. We are in a similar unit as the last stay, though this one has two bedrooms instead of three. The interior layout and decor is otherwise identical. My husband has to work during the week, but we have a mini car rented for the weekend, and we'll be going to dinner every night, so there will be food to share. We went down to the beach for a while after arriving yesterday. Hurricane Lee passed nearby last week, and although it did not hit directly, Bermuda received a lot of wind, which killed a lot of the leaves on the trees, and also took away a lot of the sand, so the beach is quite steep right now. The sand will all be back soon, and there's still plenty to enjoy. As you can see, it was quite cloudy. The weather is going to clear up tomorrow. At least the water is warm enough to swim this time! The beach restaurant at the hotel was closed for a wedding, so we booked a last minute table at Aurora at the Newstead at Belmont Hills. We like to eat earlier than is popular in Bermuda, so can usually get in to places on short notice. Menu View from our table We shared an order of tuna tartare to start September and October is the local lobster season in Bermuda, so of course my husband got that. The lobsters here are quite small and tender, and very sweet. They were served with a seafood saffron risotto. I opted for the Dover sole. And for dessert, we split a lemon soufflé. Husband also indulged in a Grand Marnier We were both tired from traveling, and my husband was still recovering from the effects of getting the vaccine trifecta of shingles/flu/covid, so we were in bed by 9:30PM! I did take this picture of the resort at night before retiring for the evening.

Cod in crazy water. I added pasta at my nephew's request as he is not a huge fish fan unless it is fried.

I misspoke. The Plum also uses argon gas. There aren't any places nearby to refill the canisters. When Plum was in business, you would just send them back to the company for refills. The Coravin sounds promising as a potential replacement when the Plum inevitably stops working, so thanks for that explanation.

The Kegerator. We had one at our old house. It was the size of a large mini fridge and held one half barrel keg or two quarter barrel kegs. It was useful, but you do have to drink the beer sooner than you might think, or it goes flat. And the lines are a real pain to clean in between kegs. If you are a dedicated beer drinker or have lots of guests it can be worth it. We were not using it enough, so got rid of it when we moved to our current house. We kept all of the cool taps we had though. When I stopped drinking entirely, my husband got a similar setup for wine, called the Plum. It keeps two bottles of wine at the correct temperature, keeps it from oxidizing, and pours out measured glasses. Of course, the company went out of business last year, so the CO2 refills are a pain to come by. I don't think it can be repaired now either, so once it goes on the fritz that will be out of here too. Last night's CSA inspired dinner: corn and arugula risotto with a chopped tomato and arugula salad on top

Chicken and eggplant parmesan over penne.

My nephew cooked dinner for us last night. Grilled chicken and macaroni and cheese. I added corn on the cob and marinated tomato salad as my contributions once I found out that there were not any vegetables on his planned menu 🤣

Miso salmon ramen bowls with bok choy and spinach

Salad with grilled chicken and flatbread

Penne with broccoli sauce

Kale caesar salad with chicken

Tomato tart and a salad with arugula, fennel, pecorino, olives, and citrus zest.

Slow roasted halibut with cherry tomatoes and garlic with spinach and fregola

It's a recipe from an old fish cookbook called Great Fish, Quick by Leslie Revsin. Basically, you sauté a lot of shallots in butter until they are very soft, then stir in a mixture of lemon juice, dried mustard powder, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes. Despite the ingredients, it's not really spicy at all. The stuff on top of the tuna is the cooked shallots.

Seared tuna with deviled shallot butter, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds

The decorative lab ware things have been on the tables since we started dining here (10 years ago, maybe?) As far as the beaker "glasses" for the iced teas, it did not really bother me. I did prefer drinking from the stemmed glasses when those were offered, just because they are easier to hold and feel nicer. I guess if the wine was served in a beaker, that could be quite problematic, but they were always presented in proper stemware.

Last day of Wellfleet dining for this visit. I lost Thursday to a terrible migraine. I only get them rarely (the last one was almost two years ago) but when I do, they are completely debilitating. I thought I had kicked it before dinner, but it came back with a vegenance after the first course, and we had to leave. Luckily, the restaurant kindly allowed us to come back last night (they book up well in advance), and squeezed a table in to the corner for us. It was so nice of them. After 14 hours of sleep, and a reset, we returned for the Ceraldi menu for Friday evening They offer a wine pairing or a soft beverage pairing with the meal (or just water of course). My husband did the wine and I did the soft pairing. I thought the soft pairing was by far the best I have ever had at any restaurant. Sometimes they are too sweet, or just too odd, but this one worked perfectly. There was a lavender lemonade to start that I forgot to take a picture of. First course, oyster three ways, paired with a lemon spritz The second course was a salad, and I honestly think it was my favorite of the evening. The candied walnuts were amazing. This was paired with a hibiscus iced tea. They left the speck off my salad, since I don't really eat meat. Husband's salad, with speck Cucumber gazpacho with local lobster Paired with a lemon tonic The next course was eggplant and it was completely delicious--incredibly creamy. Paired with another chilled tea The fifth course was halibut, with a romesco sauce and a leek pudding. Incredible, and just the right portion size. This was paired with a green tea. At this point, I was full. Two courses left. If we were not going home this morning, I would have had them packed to go. The risotto was a wild mushroom topped with parmesan foam. It was pretty dark at this point, so the picture did not come out, but I did get a picture of the pairing, which was a tonic made with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. It sounded really weird, but worked well to cut the richness of the risotto (what I could eat of it). Dessert was a small cannoli stuffed with chocolate mousse. Again, too dark for food photos. Restaurant interior: And that's it, until we come back for Oysterfest weekend next month. I am always grateful for the peaceful times we are able to spend in this beautiful, fragile place.