bushey

While I've been struggling to put into words how fabulous my meal at Butter was, and being pokey because *life* got in the way, I find that ronnie's post just about sums up my recent experience, as well. And the photos are phenomenal. Everything really did look that good. My daughter and I had a fabulous meal at Butter on the eve of her starting her sophomore year as a transfer student at University of Chicago. From our warm welcome at the front desk to the warm goodbyes, we had just a phenomenal evening. We opted for the five course tasting menu, knowing that it would definitely be enough food for our appetites, and it was beautifully orchestrated. Almost every amuse or course was a winner, and there were some lovely surprises. I drank a lovely split of Moet and Chandon Nectar Imperial during the early part of our meal, and a glass of The Poet Meritage with the later courses. The highlights: Risotto with fresh corn and shaved summer truffles. This was quite possibly one of the best things I've ever tasted. The dish is shaped like a flying saucer and when we leaned over to inhale the aroma, it was like heaven. As soon as I took a bite a little voice in my head said "This is the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth". When our server asked if we liked it, we went into a discussion of how good it was, how the crisp, sweet bites of corn were delicious, the rice perfectly cooked, etc. He was quite happy, since it's a favorite of his as well, and he told us that it was one of the first risotto dishes Chef Poli ever created and this was like going back to his roots. I guess the kitchen was pretty happy with our reaction, because before we knew it Chef Poli appeared at our table with a little treat: guacamole shooters. Yes, the very same “chips and salsa” that Ronnie mentioned in his post. Two cordial glasses were filled with an avocado-cilantro soup, topped with tortilla chip foam. There were little bits of tomato in the bottom of each glass. The flavor was very fresh and bright, and the foam itself tasted exactly like tortilla chips. Even though it was, well, foamy, it gave the impression of being crispy. Loads of flavor and fun, served by the dashing chef himself – doesn’t get much better. Or does it? Actually, each succeeding main course wowed us completely. We also had the crispy bass dish. I’m not generally a lover of bass, but the mushroom fricassee/gnocchi/garlic scape/butter emulsion was unbelievably scrumptious. Those gnocchi floated [handmade by Chef Santos himself]. The dish grew on me -- .each forkful tasted a little like the sea, a little like the earth. Both of us used crusts of bread to wipe the sauce from the dish. Intermezzo: passion fruit sorbet with cucumber. Who would have thought this combination could be so delicious? My daughter’s favorite dish was the duck sheperd’s pie with potato foam. The foam was incredible, the duck confit rich and salty and the cherry sweet. She finished the whole thing, while I was starting to worry if I was going to make it to the end of the night.........so, I left a little bit on the plate to save myself. We loved the presentation, and I thought the pain perdu and duck breast was a great riff on french toast and bacon. Next up was my 2nd favorite of the night: Kobe sirloin with Kobe short-rib ravioli. The sirloin was so flavorful and there was a great texture contrast with the ravioli. Actually, the ravioli reminded me of a traditional Jewish soup dumpling, or kreplach. Nice silky dough and rich shredded meat inside. We dubbed the bordelaise sauce "deconstructed" and found it a nice balance to the richness of the dish. The beginning of the dessert parade portion of our evening: buttermilk panna cotta with concord grape and celery coulis. Smooth + cold + tangy + sweet + crunchy = YUM. Granny Smith apple puree with lemon verbena ice cream and candied walnuts was only so-so. The flavor of the apple puree was pretty lackluster, Hazelnut pancakes with apple caviar and maple ice cream was fabulous. The golden apple caviar was genius, and the play on blinis with caviar and sour cream was fun. Plus, we both love real maple syrup and the ice cream was nicely sweet without being cloying, Final dessert was also a winner: Sicilian pistachio mousse with candied rhubarb, strawberry and raspberry vinegar and hot/sweet pepper sorbet and smoked pepper tuile. Once again, there was the interplay of intense flavor in the mousse that defied texture – even though it felt smooth in our mouths we could practically feel the texture of fresh, crisp pistachio nuts. The sorbet tasted almost exactly like red pepper jelly, a condiment we both like, We were served complimentary glasses of Bonny Doon ice wine that married well with the rest of the flavors. We had the distinct pleasure of popping into the kitchen briefly to thanks the Chef Poli and his crew for a wonderful evening, and they could not have been more warm and gracious. Chef Poli teased my daughter a little about the food she’d be eating on a regular basis as a college student and said he hoped we’d return. We definitely will, with Dad in tow. And I can’t think of a better place to celebrate said daughter’s 21st birthday next spring than at Butter, with wine pairings.

I usually make my dressings in extremely small batches, since I bring lunhc almost every day and like to change up the dressings. So, I usually "wing it" in small tupperware-style containers. Roughly equal parts of olive oile and seasoned rice vinegar is great on salads with feta cheese, apples, nuts, craisins, etc. I make balsamic vinaigrette my mixing together smidgeons of dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, then I drizzle in some olive oil, add a small squeeze of honey or maple syrup, and few grinds of salt & pepper. For roasted beet salads, I prefer using sherry vinegar and oilve oil, with a bit of honey. Raspberry vinegar would be a nice touch, too. Happy concocting!

Marion's Kugel is practically identical to my mother's kugel recipe, which has always been my favorite.

Thanks for the recs. On Saturday morning we hope to start moving her in to Blackstone at around 8:30, then we'll take a breakfast break in the neighborhood. She's so excited about going to Chicago. Did her first year at Colgate and didn't like the environment, so she took this past year off to work, do some volunteering in Tanzania, and work on her transfer applications. U of C was far and away her top choice. She just got back from a 1-week Outward Bound canoe trip, for incoming students, in the Boundary Waters Area, and really liked all seven of her trip mates.

Thanks! this sounds perfect, and the timing will be right. Ikea opens at 10:00. The cafe opens 1/2 hr earlier, but my daughter hates cinnamon rolls

Heading to Chicago this weekend and we'll be arriving at Midway around 8:00 am, heading right to the Ikea in Bolingbrook to do some college dorm shopping before move-in day at University of Chicago. Are there any breakfast institutions around that won't be too far out of our way? Not looking for chain restaurants or chi-chi places, just a good, honest breakfast place where everything doesn't taste like grease from the grill and the servers keep your coffee cup filled. Diners or counter-space-only places would be just fine.

My former sister-in-law used to make a wonderful chicken dish. Apricot Chicken 1 pkg onion soup mix 1 jar apricot preserves 1 sm. bottle Red Russian Dressing (light versions work as well) Mix together and pour over cut up chicken. Bake at 350 for about one hour, until bubbling and slightly browned. We make this at home sometimes, but I always cut back on the ingredients so there's less soup mix, less dressing, and I use apricot fruit spread.

I can tell we think alike, sanrensho. This is my pet peeve: baking and pastry books (cookery books as well) with measurements by volume alone. And, correct me if I'm wrong, it seems to only be relevant in US published cookbooks. The dumbing down of Americans. When will we ever get on the metric bandwagon? I have a question: when American cookbooks are published in other countries, do they convert from volume to weight and add metric equivalents? ← Check out Chocolate and Zucchini -- today's entry addresses this very issue and offers an invaluable chart of conversions.

We just returned from a week's vacation in N. Eastham, not far from the Wellfleet drive-in. It was a gorgeous week, and we had lots of fun. After pretty extensive research, I can say with absolute certainty that Arnold's (on rte 6 in Eastham) has the best fried clams on the Cape. Better than Mac's in Wellfleet. You may be surprised to see the changes at the Stop & Shop in Orleans -- it's been completely redone and they have seriously upgraded their stock of everything. Produce is extensive, they have lots of natural/organic food in stock, their butcher department is extremely accomodating and the staff provides amazing service. Definitely worth a stop to pick up perisahbles on your way in. Although Coast Guard beach, at the beginning of the National Seashore, will be a bit of a drive from Wellfleet, it's a great beach for kids at low tide. There are lots of sandbars (a little to the right from the beach walkway) which create "baby oceans" of warmer water and provide lots of opportunities for splashing and playing in the mud.

Evan, Here are a few more fried clam options for the Cape: Moby Dick's (fondly known in our family as Moby's Dick), right on route 6 in Truro. We haven't been there in a long time, but their clams used to be very good. Captain Cass in Orleans, near Rock Harbor. Tiny shack, not open past 7:30 or 8:00 in the evening, but good, honest food and they do a good job with fried seafood. Friendly Fisherman, on rte 6 in Eastham, near Idle Times bike rentals, is a great fish store that has a take-out window also. The folks we used to rent a house from love their fried clams above all others, but then again, they had never gone to Arnold's. Glad you liked the Cape well enough to go back for another week! Bushey

Sounds like a great trip! We have just become converts to New Haven pizza in the past couple of months -- we've tried Sally's, Pepe's and Modern. Our personal favorite was Sally's, which we thought had far superior crust and great sauce, followed by Modern and then Pepe's. In fact, we both agreed that if both Sally's and Modern had long lines, and Pepe's had none...............we'd wait. Yes, the clams on Pepe's pizza were good, but that didn't compensate for the thicker, chewier, and less flavorful crust. Yes, the best beer on the menu at Sally's was Heineken, but we'd be willing to "suffer" with that again. I'd strongly urge you to give Modern a try on your next visit. The clam topping was wonderfully juicy, and they use mozzarella, too. It's served with a couple of wedges of lemon, and the fresh juice adds a nice zing. Re: Lobster roll at B&G, Ihad one there a few years ago and found it pretty bland and lackluster, without a lot of lobster flavor. I'm pretty much a purist at heart when it comes to lobster rolls, and find that there's nothing better than homemade, with a fresh steamed lobster from the local market, a dollop of Hellman's, tiny squeeze of lemon juice, salt & pepper, and a fresh butter-grilled frankfurter roll.

Here are a few other simple prep suggestions: - Sole or flounder, dredged lightly in flour and pan fried in butter. If you want to get fancy, after you remove the fish to a warm plate, add another knob of butter to the pan, a squirt of fresh lemon and a few capers to make a pan sauce - Swordfish, salted and peppered, pan seared in a bit of olive oil over high heat. Once both sides are nicely browned you can leave it on the stovetop or pop into a hot oven for a few minutes to finish cooking. We had this last night as part of a composed salad plate. - Any firm-fleshed white fish on the grill. We were at Cape Cod last week, where striped bass season just opened, and followed our fishmonger's advice: marinate in teriyaki sauce (or any other marinade of your choice) for about 15 minutes, then place on a hot grill flesh-side down. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, then flip the fish over and continue cooking, covered, until it's done (about 7-8 add'l minutes). I usually buy whatever is on special and looks the best when I get to the market or fish store. If you're just preparing enough for one or two diners it's not a huge investment to try different varieties when they are on special, to see what you like.

Several years ago we sent a long weekend in Santa Fe in November and it was really beautiful. We had sunny days that were great for hiking and cool nights good for sleeping. It was extremely quiet in town, though, and the restaurants were so empty it was a little weird. We stayed about 45 minutes north of Santa Fe, in Espanola at a beautiful property, Rancho de San Juan, that has some attractive fall rates. In retrospect, even though it was a drive in to downtown, we're glad we were in a more rustic setting.

I use a dry rub and grill pork loin using the indirect method and it comes out perfect. Total time needed is about 30 minutes.

A couple of domestic Cab Francs I've enjoyed in the past were from the Hudson Valley, Millbrook Vineyards, and California, Crocker & Starr. The Crocker & Starr wine was quite vegetal, with a distinct green pepper nose, and was a great match for grilled steak.

I often add just a touch of maple syrup to vinaigrette, especially if I'm using dijon mustard. It adds a hint of sweetness and smoothness.

I'm not surprised to hear that Pat left to open his own place -- the food at TOH was nowhere near the quality or interest of the food he served at Del Raye. Speaking of which, we had wondered about the quality of food at Del Raye after he left, and it turns out there was absolutely nothing to worry about it -- it's as excellent as always, with front of house and bartender to match.

Does it have to be in Holyoke? There's a new restaurant in South Hadley, in the Commons, that is quite good: Food 101. It's less than 10 minutes from Holyoke, out on route 116. In the other direction, in Easthampton, the Tavern on the Hill has pretty good food. It was opened by Pat Shannon, ex-Del Raye chef. I love Donut Dip, too: "What foods these morsels be". Partial to the honey crullers and pumpkin donuts, in addition to sour cream.

Trumbull Kitchen is also part of the Max group. I haven't been there, but Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford does a wonderful job with seafood. There are other Max group restaurants in the Hartford area -- Max's Downtown, near the civic center, is a very good steakhouse. Another place to try in Hartford is Peppercorn's, which always gets rave reviews and when they're on, the food is fabulous.

Joe -- when was the last time you visited Anguilla? We were there a couple of years ago and really loved Tasty's and Oliver's. Also, we've heard that Koal Keel has since reopened, and I would recommend going there for dinner. The atmosphere is wonderful, and we have fond memories of our meal there ages ago. We'll be leaving for St. Barts in ten days, and will report back on our eating experiences when we return.

I adore Mochi, especially the green tea and mango flavors.

Well over a year ago, on a weekend when I felt particularly energetic, I bought a case of Mason jars and lids and transferred most of my boxed grain and cereal products into the jars. I read this tip in a magazine and was motivated to organize the pantry. In the past we'd had problems with pantry pests, so I was trying to be proactive. Since then, we've had no further infestations. I like the old-fashioned look of the jars on the shelf, though they're a bit inconvenient for measuring since larger cups measures won't fit neatly inside. We keep flour and sugar in the tupperware containers we've had for ages, and use the jars for rice, smaller amounts of specialty flours, oatmeal, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and breadcrumbs. I have the quart-size jars, so some product pacakges don't transfer completely -- I just re-store as much as I can and then use up the rest of the package first.

Would love to hear back about your meal at Goumard. We just returned from a family vacation in Paris, and were staying in an apartment just a few doors down the street. The menu looked lovely, but would have been a bit too pricey for the five of us.

I believe L'Ardoise may be open Sunday nights, and you could do a lot worse. We just returned from a family vacation and ate at a Moroccan restaurant in the 5th, L'Atlas, on Sunday night. It's on the corner of Blvd St Germain and the short side street that leads to Tour d'Argent. The food was really delicious, and service was very friendly and warm. The only downside was that the restaurant was not even half-full at 9:00, and the other tables were occupied by tourists . Still, the pigeon pastilla we chose as our starter was to die for...................

We've just gone through the same kind of back-and-forth decision making on where to spend five nights in Paris, with our family, at the end of February. Even though it's considered low season, many of the apartments we looked into were completely booked the week of President's Day vacation. It came down to a few apartments, including a few in the Oberkampf area that were pretty spacious and reasonable, a garret-like modern loft just off rue Dauphine in the 6th, and a large, elegant apartment in the 1st, between Place de la Concorde and Madeleine. We've decided on the latter, primarily because it's spacious enough for all of us (and there are enough bathrooms for the four females in the family, pity my poor husband), is close enough to many of the major sights, increasing the "wow!" factor for the kids, and is also close enough to Laduree and the Marche St Honore and Bourse market -- not to mention some chi-chi carryout places at Place Madeleine. Most apartments that are rented out on a regular basis will have an information book with tips on where to get the best baguettes, pastries, meat, etc., as well as local restaurants, cafes and bistros that are worth a visit.