Jake

Sounds great Tammy! You deserve to sit down and put your feet up now -- at least someone else does the dishes.

Beautiful! You're very lucky to have all that growing in the back garden.

Jinmyo, I want to come stand in your kitchen and observe for about a month!!! Okay, okay, I work too. Your meals always sound, and now look, so wonderful!

I've stayed at the Haliburton House Inn in Halifax. Lovely place, great dining room, but it is not right on the water.... Haliburton House Inn website

Yeeeey! Success! (Tears off clothes, runs naked down the street, Mariachi band starts playing - which is quite impressive for London, I can tell you).

Ask and ye shall receive. Thank you, thank you! Was planning on wine & cheese this evening, I think I'll whip up a batch to go with. Edited because I can't type even before wine...

Stilton biscuits?? Sounds yummy. Perhaps you would post the recipe in Recipe Gullet??

Cadbury Mini Eggs

I am soooooo jealous! That looks wonderful. I just love grilling.

Welcome, rokinrev. Hope you stay around to enjoy eGullet.

rgruby - thanks for the review. I appreciate your thoughts and comments especially after the discussion on a recent thread. I think I'll choose to ignore timychaudfroid's response. (S)he is new and perhaps is unaware that eGullet's purpose is to encourage posts such as yours and there is no need to be snarky or nasty because of a different opinion. Please do let us know if you go back and order off the menu. I haven't eaten at Avalon in a few years, so I'm curious.

All the rules and teaching will do your kids a favour some day. How much easier is it to be placed in a meal situation (new job, first date, unfamiliar surroundings etc.) and know the one thing you won't have to worry about is your table manners, or which fork to use. When I was 17 I was already at university. As luck would have it I became friends with a girl who came from a very wealthy family. Truth be told, her mother was quite a snob and was often making snide comments about her friends backgrounds (all pretty much upper middle class). I was invited to a dinner at their home shortly after we'd become friends. Some dinner.....sit down for 40! More courses than I'd seen at one time. However, table manners had been drilled into my brother and I since we were old enough to sit at a table. My mother had taught me how to set a table and how to use all the utensils. Luckily, we had travelled enough I was familiar with escargot, oysters, fish courses and their utensils. I sat at that table and was completely comfortable with the routine, if not the company. I thanked my mother profusely the next morning. And, believe it or not, after the dinner my friends mother complemented me on my excellent manners and social skills and told me I was welcome in her home any time. Big praise at 17! Teach your kids, it'll never hurt them!

Toliver, I make a simple wasabi mayo with wasabi, mayo and lime juice. I'm sure Jinmyo will have something even better though!

Blackberries...

Cooked dinner at home for the first time in ages, a real dinner that is. Filet with a creamy red-wine peppercorn reduction, mixed greens with avocado and a champagne vinegar evoo dressing, fingerling potatos. Accompanied by a lovely Merlot -- too lazy to go look at the bottle to see what was opened. Mango and blackberries later....

Brome Lake is in Quebec and the farm has been producing high quality duck since the turn of the century or thereabouts.

Judging by the menus I don't think you'll have any problem finding guinea pigs!!! Great blog.

Never tried them -- but I will now! Thanks.

Looks like a great grocery store! I'm with you on the chips. I'd rather have the real full taste version of anything in smaller amounts than try and be satisfied with a lesser imitation. (Written while eating some lovely guacamole and full fat chips.)

I am the opposite! Not a big chocolate lover to begin with, but to satisfy those cravings......Belgian milk chocolate. MMMMMMM

Looks wonderful. I've never heard of Ame...where does one purchase it?? What does it taste like?

Strawberries....mmmmm.

The food is fabulous IMHO. Paul Boehmer used to chef there, Jason Cox is there now. His venison I had last time I was there (late January) was melt in your mouth, and perfectly done. I also happen to think the rack of lamb is some of the best in the city. The owners, Tony and Mario are great too and their wine suggestions never fail. Honestly, it's one of my favourite places in the city, great ambience, service is excellent etc. etc.

I think Opus has one of the best wine lists in the country. Not to mention what's in the cellar, but not on the list.