bushey
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Posts posted by bushey
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Vivre,
We've eaten at both Zinc and Church Street Cafe, and I enjoyed Church Street much more. The menu offered more choices that appealed to me, especially seafood, and the atmosphere is lighter and more easygoing. I remember thinking that the prices seemed a little higher than I would have expected, but the total tab was pretty much comparable to Zinc.
In Great Barrington we've eaten at Pearl's a few times (the same owners as Bistro Zinc) and have been very pleased with the quality of the steak and the service. To me it's more of a cold weather place to go than for a summer meal. We haven't yet made it to Verdura, but we have eaten at Castle Street Cafe. I arranged a small birthday dinner for my husband there. Food there was very good, not great, and the prices were more reasonable. We had a '99 Guigal CdP for $45, which I thought was very fairly priced (note: the wine list had the vintage as '99 or '00 and I was kinda hoping to score the '00 for $45.) I'm not a huge Guigal fan but it went well with my steak and our friend's lamb and everyone at the table who tried it, liked it.
I guess the bottom line is that there's a captive audience in the Berkshires for a long season and the food is no better than it has to be. You didn't miss out on much
. We eat in the Berkshires every few months because it's a convenient place to meet friends who have a home in West Ghent, NY. When we can convince them to drive a little further, we meet in Northampton and eat a little better. Or, we take turns cooking at home.Bushey
(have you been to Brasserie 40-A yet? we went a few weeks ago -- would love to hear your take on it)
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tommy,
I'll have the one on the left-hand side. Medium-rare please, with a nice bit of char on the outside. You can choose the sides.
.Seriously, those steaks look fabulous. I'm considering placing an order when I get back from vacation at the end of next week.
bushey
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Did anyone cringe when the master sommelier from the Ritz Carlton, Stephane Lacroix, asked Bill what he would match with ASAPARAGUS and sweetbreads? Yikes.
So, what did he recommend?
Gruner Veltliner, I hope.
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After reading these posts, I'm glad I skipped The Restaurant and watched better reality tv instead: Le Tour de France
.I had really wanted to try Union Pacific on our next visit to New York, having been unable to snag reservations on my birthday. But all the Rocco-hype has really turned me off.......................
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Both Lumiere and Blue Ginger require a car for transportation. If you're staying in Boston or Cambridge proper there are enough excellent restaurants to try without any major schlepping. Actually, depending on where you stay you may have several great options you can walk to.
I've heard wonderful things about No. 9 Park. Though I haven't eaten there personally, I've taken a wine class with sommelier(e) Cat Silirie, and if the wine list reflects even half of her enthusiasm, knowledge and joie de vivre you can't go wrong with anything on the list. My husband and brother-in-law had lunch there about a year ago and found everything delicious, service great. They had lunch at The Federalist a few months afterward and raved about it.
Davio's, at their new location on the corner of Arlington St., is a great spot. Italian/steakhouse, interesting menu, warm yet formal service, surprisingly reasonably priced. The chicken livers are absolutely to die for.
Have fun -- Boston is beautiful in the summer (ride the Swan Boats!).
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The Bud in England is a totally different animal than the Bud here -- it's the original Budvar from Czechoslovakia, marketed here under the name Czechvar. Ranks up there with Pilsner Urquell.
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FatGuy,
The Hartstone dish is really beautiful, and so is what's inside. Care to describe and give the recipe?
This thread reminds me that I'm always running short on medium sized serving dishes and ought to go over to TJ's at lunchtime. The Polish pottery I've got was purchased at an at-home party, and there was a wide variety of patterns from which to choose. It was also one of the few times I've ever won anything -- I won the door prize, which was a flat plate that I often use for serving cookies and brownies. The best purchase I made was a pretty mug in my favorite shape: fatter around the middle and then tapered in at the top. But I broke it....
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If you're near any TJ Maxx and/or Marshall's stores, check out the housewares departments. You can usually find great cookware and serving pieces, including Le Creuset and Polish Pottery. It can be hit or miss, but that's what makes it so much fun. They also have great condiments and gourmet items, often at substantial discounts.
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Anna,
If I remember correctly (Shh! I'm at work and can't check the book), Cooking at Home with Jacques and Julia has a great recipe for pot roast using bottom round. Very flavorful and tender.
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No contest, Drakes reigns supreme. I once heard, while driving, a Paula Poundstone routine in which she dismisses Hostess as an inferior, copycat brand of the superior Drakes cakes. I was laughing so heard my sides heard and tears were streaming down my face......on the Mass Pike.....
Fondest Drakes memory: frozen Devil Dogs for those times when you just needed to, uh, munch.
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Thanks, Bux. She's pretty excited about the trip, but there's still standardized college exams, finals, and friends' graduation parties to get through before she can really focus on what's coming.
The organization she's traveling with, Sound of America, has been sending periodic newsletters to address parents' safety concerns, etc. They'll be in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg and France. We've heard (from a friend who did the tour last year) that the European audiences are completely wonderful: enthusiastic, supportive and they turn out in force. And music is such a great means of communication -- everyone can understand it.
As for welcoming others, we were hoping to be able to host some Chinese exchange students next year, but that program is probably on hold due to SARS
. The China trip for our local students in April was cancelled and I suspect it will be a while before it is reinstated. -
It's a statement savings account, and the card is strictly an ATM withdrawal card, as opposed to a debit card. I'm not sure why the type of account the card is attached to should make a difference overseas, unless for some reason the software is hard coded to withdraw from checking accounts. I'm not sure we'll ahve enough time to change the account type again before she leaves. Maybe a few traveller's checks just in case wouldn't be a bad idea..............
We've occasionally had problems using our ATM cards overseas. Not in France, but in the French West Indies. We had to try a number of different systems to find one to work with our card.
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Thanks to all for your input. Here's what we decided to do:
1) Change daughter's passbook savings account (it's actually a uniform gift to minors account) to a statement account and get an ATM card for withdrawals in Europe.
2) Foreign currency through AAA -- wish I had done that last week! -- about 250 in euros and 50 swiss francs, so she won't have to go looking for an ATM right away or go looking to change money at a bank
3) Prepaid AAA gift card that can be used as a Visa. In case ATM doesn't work, out of euros or she sees something she *has* to have. The gift card is in US dollars so it can be used here at home if there's a balance left, and it will have her signature on it.
Now if anyone knows of a super-cheap deal on airfare so I can go see her perform in Paris...........
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I usually use just a little cracked pepper before grilling or panfrying and set little bowls of fleur de sel on the table.
But sometimes (for generally tougher cuts of meat) I reach for Mr. Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce. I marinated some flank steak for about 12 hours the other day and grilled it over charcoal. My eight year old declared it "the best steak ever".
(The leftover cold steak made a great lunch over field greens and multi-color pepper strips, tossed with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.)
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Varmint, you 'da man! You're quite an inspiration.
And yes, it does truly suck when work gets in the way of life..........Enjoy your weekend.
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Has anyone used the AAA Passport Cards? My understanding is that you can set the amount of money available on the card and use it in ATMs overseas.
Our oldest daughter (17) will be in Europe this summer on a concert tour and we're looking for the best options for her. I'd like to order some Euros and Swiss francs ahead of time (say 20/day from lunch and incidentals) and the AAA Passport card seems like a convenient way for her to be able to withdraw additional money if she wants to do additional excursions, purchase items, etc. AAA also has a Visa card which we could obtain with a ceiling limit for her.
Also, if we get travelers' checks as back-up should we buy them in Euros or US dollars? Trying to balance what's the least hassle for her with ease of cashing in if she has any left. I know, a young lady on first European trip will not likely have any money left......
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So we're talking about earth apples and pine apples?
And aren't tomatoes called love apples?
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An easy way to dry fresh oregano for easy crumbling is to wash lightly, lay on a paper towel (the oregano, I mean, not yourself) and nuke for a couple of minutes, or until it smells like oregano in your kitchen. I like to mix it with feta cheese in an omelette and add it to marinades for shish kebab and grilled veggies.
Still haven't planted my herbs yet this year, and the only perennials which actually come back for me are mint and chives. The constant rain here in New England up until yesterday has made it easy to follow the "never plant until Memorial Day" rule.
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Bushey, Nauset Fish Market is right next to Sir Crickets, in fact they are owned by the same people. If you're going to be in the Brewster area and want great seafood, go to the Brewster Fish House on 6a, it's wonderful and worth the wait (there usually is one).
researchgal,
Thanks -- I haven't checked this thread in a while. We've been to the Brewster Fish House a few times over the years, and while the food is okay (not always excellent), we haven't found the atmosphere to be all that welcoming.
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A few years ago I made a white peach sorbet that was liberally flavored with black pepper and nutmeg... made quite an impression upon those to whom it was served... yum...
That sounds unbelievably wonderful. Makes me want to buy an ice cream make and start experimenting.
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The most unusual was a Romano cheese flavored ice cream that was served with a pear tart at Metro Gusto in London. It was..........interesting................. The thing is, I really dislike romano cheese but I love pear tart and I was curious about what a cheese flavored ice cream would taste like. It actually kind of grew on me.
One of the best herbal ices I've had is a lavender-thyme sorbet. It was served with lemon tart and a glass of Muscat-Beaumes-de-Venise. One of my all time favorite dessert groupings,
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Feta cheese omelette and coffee.
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"I've done a piss poor job of keeping up with my "diary" this week. "
I was just thinking the same thing this morning
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Last night was my oldest daughter's 17th birthday dinner. Here's the menu she requested:
Ribs -- St. Louie style ribs rubbed with the spice mix from How to Cook Everything and slow grilled over indirect heat
Chicken Wings -- marinated in a teriyaki-style sauce (it was on the sweet side so next time I'll up the soy sauce and cut the brown sugar) and baked on low heat for a couple of hours. They were so good!
Grilled Corn
Cole Slaw
Corn Bread (I confess, a mix)
Key Lime Pie
Ice Cream Trucks
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Out in western Massachusetts there do not seem to be any ice cream trucks
. In central and eastern Mass, however, ice cream trucks are alive and well. When we are at bayside beaches at Cape Cod, the ice cream man comes to the entrance of the beach and rings a hand bell.
I actually grew up in an ice cream truck family. My brother bought my cousin's ancient Chevy ice cream truck and made a nice bit of money to put himself through college. It was the kind where you had to get out and walk around to open up the ice chest in back. We kept a large freezer chest in the garage filled with "stock". Oh, and he wore one of those coin holder belts to collect money and make change. My favorite treat was called either Buried Treasure or Circus Surprise-- it was orange or raspberry sherbet on a plastic holder that had an animal shape on it. Strawberry Shortcake was high on my list also.