bushey
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Posts posted by bushey
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Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage from South Africa are both good options. We recently had a South Africsn themed wine dinner at a favorite local restaurant and loved the food and wine pairings. Tried to find the wines on the Table & Vine website but their search isn't coming up with them......will dig out my notes when I get home and post them. I especially loved the dark, smoky taste of the pinotage.
The bobotie we had was wonderful. Ostrich, also.
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I've used tiles before and found that they worked really well. We had some leftover from the floor of our sunporch and 4 fit really well on the rack of our oven (I forget what size the tiles were). We mostly make individual size pizzas, so cracks weren't a problem, but if your large pizza dough is too wet/slippery to fit on four abutting tiles, it may not be the tiles that are the problem
.Over the years I've gotten kind of lazy and now just use pizza screens with excellent results in a really hot oven.
If you do go to Home Depot for tiles, pick up a large marble tile for kneading and rolling the dough. Works wonders.
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I'd explain the situation to the sommelier and ask for his/her recommendation on how to enjoy the wine pairings in appropriate quantities. You might ask if one option might be a sample pour from your friend's glass, or perhaps suggest a slightly reduced supplement to the tasting or separate small pours.
Let us know how it turns out. And a big congratulations on your pregnancy!
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I may have to plan a special trip to New York soon just so I can try Amma
.Seriously, though, we may be in New York sometime between Christmas and New Year's weekend and we have a definite trip planned in early April, when our daughter's high school orchestra will be performing in the national Band Festival at Carnegie Hall. After that, there's the Barnard reunion weekend in June (another CU connection there). So, I shouldn't have to wait too long to enjoy Amma.
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Sunday night we'll be participating in a local restaurant's Beaujolais wine dinner, which is one of the liveliest of their monthly themed wine dinners. They usually pour one nouveau and the rest are villages or cru wines. Will report back and see how the wines match up with what everyone else is drinking here.
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A great way to prepare fingerling potatoes is to steam them a bit first, until they're just tender. Then place in a roasting pan and flatten slightly with a potato masher. Some of the potatoes may get completely smooshed, but that's okay*. Dot with lots of duck fat and roast at about 375-400 for thirty minutes or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
*the smooshed bits get really crispy and delicious.
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Protocolo red has just resurfaced (in N. California) for $5.50/bottle.
Tasty, unpretentious 100% tempranillo -- forget the region, but it's no d.o.c. obviously.
I love Protocolo and can get it here at Table & Vine in western MA for $4.99.
A white cheapie I love is Ockfener Scharzberg Riesling, also @$4.99.
Pepperwood Grove Zinfandel ($5.99) and Cabernet Franc ($6.99) are also standbys for me when I want a weekday red under $10.00.
The Guigal CdR is $8.99 locally, but for the same price I prefer the Perrin Reserve.
Solid case discounts are 10%, mixed case 5%.
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We were at Les Bookinistes a few years ago on a Sunday evening and it was very lively. Yes, there were quite a few tourists, not all of whom were American, but the feel was more like an upscale neighborhood place than a tourist trap, if you know what I mean. Everyone was having an extremely good time and the decibel level was high. Food was very good, but it's not the atmosphere I'd choose for a special dinner.
L'Oulette, in the Bercy area, is worth considering clickety. It's really a lovely restaurant and the service is very warm. You may be able to find an archived Patricia Wells review I can still vividly recall a first course we had several years ago, foie gras with quail eggs. It was sublime.
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an attempt to recreate the turkey hash we tried at Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe in Boston. ]
Rachel -- I love Charlie's!! I used to have their turkey hash recipe that was reprinted in The Boston Globe. If I can put my hands on it, I'll post for you. The key is cooking in bacon fat.
Did you get a poached egg on top?
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Sliced almonds.
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Here's a quick list of places I'd reccomend in Northampton:
Japanese/Sushi/Chinese: Teapot, on Main Street. Casual atmosphere, good sushi. Some folks prefer Ichiban, which is nearby, but I find it a little sterile there. There's a new place, Osaka, that has a good menu.
Italian: Spoleto, on Main Street. Excellent pasta dishes, usually there are good specials. Excellent service, very good wine selection and they make great margaritas. It's a little shabby now, but this used to be THE place to go in Northampton.
Indian: India House on State St. We ate there for the first time a couple of weeks ago and the food is very good. Interesting menu, lots of great breads and seafood dishes. Service is a bit brisk -- if you want to relax and take your time, let them know.
Upscale contemporary food:
Del Raye Bar and Grill on Main St (under the railroad bridge) is our favorite "nice" restaurant. Innovative menu, very good service, upscale yet intimate atmosphere. One of the pricier places in town (and sister to Spoleto), but rarely disappoints. Sunday through Thursday they have a new bistro menu, with 3 or 4 courses for $26. One Sunday a month they have themed wine dinners. Last week we were there for South African wines and it was a very enjoyable, delicious evening.
Circa, on Center St. menu . Small place with interesting food and good wine list. A notch below Del Raye, in my estimation, but a lower price point.
Brasserie 40-A, on Strong St, is a new restaurant that is styled as a french bistro. Fun place, food is good rather than great and at a lower price point than some other places. In the same building as Mulino's, an Italian place which was mediocre last time we ate there. Check out both menus here .
There's also an Argentinean steak place/Italian place that we really like, Caminito. For some reason, this place was blasted on Chowhound, but the steak is really fantastic and it's a warm, friendly place. Good selection of Argeninean wines, and there's often a guitar player. sample menu . The dessert crepes, called panqueques, are wonderful.
Hope this gives you enough food for thought...............
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I love the Green Giant jingle -- I just sang it to my kids the other day.
Growing up in the Boston area we drank Cott soda. I always like their slogan "It's Cott to be good".
Was is Carling Black Label beer that was brewed "on the shores of Lake Cochituate"? We used to drive by the lake sometimes.
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Depends what kind of food you're looking for. The Fort (aka Student Prince )is definitely an institution in the area and does a pretty good job with traditional German food. The atmosphere is old-world, not always terribly comfortable. Not a place necessarily to linger and chatGreat selection of German beer and they make good martinis.
There's a new steak place in town, Max's Tavern in the new basketball hall of fame complex, and it's excellent. The restaurant is owned by Max Group, which has a few restaurants in and around Hartford and they excel in service. Very clubby atmosphere. The steaks and chops are great, I don't know about the seafood they offer, with the exception of the raw oysters, which were fantastic. Decent wine list, good drinks.
For more creative, nouvelle-type fare, Caffeine's, on Worthington St. is a good choice. Things like seared scallops, free-range chicken, innovative pizzas, spinach-carmelized pear-fig-gorgonzola salad. Funky, upscale atmosphere.
At all of these place, the tab for two with apps, dinner, dessert, drinks, tip will run about $100 or so. If you'd like any more suggestions, or have a particular type of food in mind, just let me know. There's also a good Indian restaurant in Springfield, and if you're willing to travel 20 minutes north to Northampton, the possibilities increase exponentially.
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If you think Kraft mac and cheese is bad, you should taste this! The cheese sauce is really thin and pale yellow.
My youngest daughter loves the supermarket brand mac n' cheese and any brand is my husband's favorite side dish. I usually doctor it up by adding a bit more milk, or half and half, then I put in a casserole dish and sprinkle corn flake crumbs over the top, dot with butter and bake at 350 for about thirty minutes. While it pains me to make it from a box, they're happy as clams and it's cheap.
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I second the motion for Key Lime Pie!
Pick up a bottle of Manhattan brand key lime juice and copy the recipe. I also have a great recipe for frozen key lime pie, which I'll post if you wish and if you're okay with using raw eggs (no cook recipe).
I also confess to having a fondness for 7 layer bars, which are sometimes called Magic Cookies. I substitute peanut butter chips for the butterscotch chips and use the coconut and sweetened condensed milk more conservatively than most recipes call for, so the end result isn't as cloyingly sweet.
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Mix it with equal parts of sake for a great drink -- called a Kamakaze (?).
If you can still get fresh plums, do a stiry fry with chicken breast, snow peas, plum slices and slices of sweet onion. Use the plum wine in the marinade for the chicken and for a sauce, with a little hoisin and rice vinegar.
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As for the arrival items, maybe some salty stuff, and a blanc de noir sparkler. Get them to sit down quickly and no one will notice the lack of a million canapes. Hell, after all the slaving away you've done...
I've adopted this philosophy and it has worked extremely well. I set out a few small dishes of assorted olives, some roasted almonds and, if I'm really feeling ambitious, I bake little mounds of fresh grated parmigiano into cheese crisps. I serve with bubbly or a fino sherry.
Another great nibble is little filo cups with a bit of brie and either raspberry or cherry preserves or some hot pepper jelly. Bake until bubbly. Just remember to put the jelly on top or somehow mark the sweet cups from the spicy ones.
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fyfas and tofino, thanks for all of the great information!!
We were back and forth about the pros and cons of staying in downtown Santa Fe vs. Rancho de San Juan and decided on the latter for most of the reasons you give. We're looking forward to some hiking (maybe Bandelier), a drive up to Taos, a visit to the Georgia O'Keefe museum (our friends are friends with the curator) and some R&R. The rates are seriously discounted: 20% and the 4th night free, 20% of dining and all spa services, 10% off wines, so we'll be able to vacation a bit more luxuriously than usual.
Thanks for the tips on driving -- John and David did warn us about the construction -- we'll be sure to be careful of the speed limit. Also, thanks for the tips on picking up goodies at Whole Foods and the wine store.
Would love the directions to the Mexican place in El Rito if you get a chance.
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I think mushrooms are fabulous with pinot noir -- especially an earthy pinot as opposed to a more delicate one. Another favorite pairing for me is roast chicken.
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I'm glad this thread has been revived, since my husband and I just made plans to go to Santa Fe for four nights next month. We were supposed to go last November but had to cancel due to an illness in the family.
We're staying at Rancho de San Juan, which is about 30 minutes from downtown. The November special rates are too good to pass up and we're in desperate need for R&R. We'll be dining on-site Friday and maybe Saturday nights but will need to find excellent restaurants for Sunday and Monday. Ristra looks good, but what about the other familiar suspects : Old House, Geronimo, Santacafe, Coyote Cafe, Anasazi?
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Monica,
Good for you and hubby, too!
My current favorite breakfast is melted cheese (a combo of provolone and cheddar zapped in the microwave) and a sliced apple. I know the apple has carbs but it's pretty low on the glycemic index, I think.
I try to make enough good protein for dinner most nights so I have good options for lunch: roast chicken, steak or hamburger, usually with a salad. Sometimes I steam green beans in the morning, then dress lightly with olive oil and vinegar and toss in some feta cheese. By lunchtime it's really delicious.
Dinner is usually a roasted or sauteed protein, some veggies and potato or a bit of pasta. Since I have three daughters at home I try to model good eating habits and don't "give up" or refuse to eat some carbs.
I exercise several times a week, usually some weight training and some walking, if I can fit it in. I miss doing yoga, but local classes really take up more time than I can spare most days. I've tried Bikram and find it a great workout but wouldn't want to do it more than once in a while -- I like variety in my workouts and would find doing the same 26 poses in the same order all the time to be boring.
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Now, where should I go eat when I return in June??????
Varmint, when in June? I'll be in the city for my college reunion 6/3 - 6/6 and would love to get together with folks. Maybe we can arrange a joint something.
Sounds like you made the most of your weekend!
bushey
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Porter Square exchange is a really fun place. If you have enough time, that whole section of Mass Ave between Harvard Sq and Porter Sq is fun to walk along -- lots of little funky stores and neighborhood places.
Main and Moody Streets in Waltham are packed with restaurants Click here . There's a great Italian restaurant, Il Capriccio, on Main St. Expensive, but wonderful food and the co-owner/sommelier, Jeannie Rogers, is highly respected. The link may help you decide on a brunch place. Consider checking out Watertown and Newton, also. There's a fabulous place on Lincoln St. in Newton Highlands, Bakers' Best. It's part cafe, part gourmet take-out, excellent weekend brunch fare though you may have a bit of a wait.
South African Dish - Bobotie
in Middle East & Africa: Cooking & Baking
Posted
I found the listing of wines we had at the South African dinner:
Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch 2003 -- this was just a terrific sauvignon blanc, zippy with acidity the way I like. It had a little bit of lemony flavor, too. Went will with a trio of appetizers (birks, doro wat and grilled calamari salad) and our salad of roasted beets and carrots.
Simonsig Pinotage, Stellenbosch 2001 -- This is the one I loved. It had an earthy, smoky taste with a hint of plums and berries.
Glen Carlou Grand Classiqe, Paarl 2000-- A bordeaux blend. I found this a little heavy on the tannins, but my husband, who likes his wines "chewy", preferred it over the pinotage.
Served with my marinated antelope kebab, bresaola-style venison (oh my, so good!) and bobotie, accompanied by charkalaka, which is a spicy coleslaw. My husband had the ostrich stew with msamba (braised kale with peanuts), both of which were delicious. By the way, our menu describes the bobotie as you did: "a dish originating from the Cape Malay people. Curried ground meat, tomato and fruit chutney topped with a baked custard".
Pineau de Laborie, Pinotage dessert wine, Paarl 1998 --Fortified with brandy made from pinotage grapes. Similar in taste to Port, but with an underlying richness. Very good with my Pumpkin Bread pudding. Mr. bushey doesn't "do" pumpkin, so he had the Melktart, a custard tart served with lion paw puff pastry. A bit bland overall.