Marneuse

Sorry I've missed this topic. We finished our oven (my husband would say I use my pronouns loosely) in July '07. After much concern over what I would be able to cook--while we have made bread in it, that was not my first interest--we have found that there is really nothing you can't cook in it. There is no "real" controlling the temperature--it is live fire-- so we just position (and sometimes cover) the food as necessary. My favorite is roast chicken--either whole or butterflied--but have done whole racks of lamb, pork roasts, pork tenderloins, etc. Great baked pasta dishes are some of our favorites. We use one of the Tuscan Grills also to do steaks and loin lamb chops, for instance. I love vegetables of any kind cooked in there. I have found Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home book (and TV program) very useful and have made several things from him. We don't do the multi-day thing--we fire it up, heat it for about an hour then pop in a pizza or two (many times this is cleaning out the fridge but most often we have at least one margherita). There isn't anything I've not put on a pizza either. Sometimes my husband just looks at it and back at me, then pops the thing in there. His smile when he eats it confirms that it isn't as weird as he thought it might be! Calzones are wonderful as well. Then, whatever we are eating for dinner goes in after the pizza has been eaten and some wine has been consumed. By the way, I've used and been happy with both Peter Reinhart's Napoletana and Nate Appleman's (A-16) crust recipes. I have just ordered the "Wood Fired Oven Cooking" book that was mentioned earlier--not sure what I'll learn but I'm certainly willing. Where was it when I was learning? It is all an experiment to get used to it but nothing we have not enjoyed with a nice bottle of wine. What I have found challenging is cooking for a crowd. It is daunting the prep that goes into my own food--to do it for a large group is a slow and long afternoon/evening process. I had to get over the fact that I thought everyone should sit down at one time for dinner. It doesn't happen--it is a process. I tell people to not come starving because it will be a while before they get full! Good luck and enjoy your new toy. We often wonder what will happen to this beast if we ever sell our house. It is so full of concrete/brick/mortar/insulatory stuff that someone who wants an oven had better buy the house! Marsha

Agreed that Greensboro has needed something to compete with HT and Fresh Market for some time. I'll be anxious to try this out. I do hate $.69 limes...so very much... Marsha

A kitchen with a view like that brings me out of lurkdom! So beautiful! And so much light in your kitchen. Our house is "in the woods" which we love for the shade in our hot summers but the kitchen gets so little natural light. I would think your cooking would be so inspired by light and water from your beautiful city! By the way, I think I made a simple bolognese and spaghetti for our first meal here. Happy Birthday! Marsha

I'm following along with Blue Star envy. I chose the cooktop and wall oven route 10 years ago and am hesitant to give up the storeage under the cooktop. But I surely love the range idea! It is just beautiful. Functionality is important, however! I had a friend with a basset named Sherman. I suppose Monsieur Sherman would be more apropopriate in your case! Thanks for blogging!! Marsha

Great blog, ladies! Thanks for the time you've "worked" during vacation. I have so enjoyed reading and looking. The colors are just better in France, aren't they? Also, I'm going to complain to my wine store this week about the door to door champagne delivery that somehow I've been missing out on. Marsha

Have a great week, ladies. We will all be living vicariously (and quite "jealously") in France!! And at the holiday time to boot!! Marsha

Good question... two of my favorite haunts are gone; Peck (from Milan) and the Wiener Café in the Hotel National. I like the Old Swiss House but it's pretty traditional. In the old town watch out for the ones (and there are a lot) that cater for the "here today, gone tomorrow" tourists. If you don't mind getting a little out of town (7 Km), we have had outstanding meals at the Rossli in Aligenswil and Restaurant La Pistache in the Hotel Balm and prices are much better than in the heart of town. Sorry, Swiss Chef! I didn't see your reply when I logged on! Thanks for the ideas--clearly, we were "out of town." We did see the Old Swiss House while walking around--it was recommended to us by the hotel for "traditional fare." Are you familiar with the restaurants at the Hotel Kastainenbaum? I had never heard of the town before but it was a beautiful place right on the lake--away from the tourists! I wouldn't say the menus are bargains (by any stretch) but the food was very good. We actually took the boat into Luzern one day--a very nice way to travel. I forgot to mention in my other post that we wandered down to a little winery in Kastainenbaum--Toni Ottiger Weinbau. You might be familiar?? They offer tastings only on Saturdays from 9-12. We met some charming couples there so we had a good time. We really enjoyed the time and even bought a bottle to bring home.

Thank you so much Lucas but as a matter of fact, our trip was early in October. I am sorry I have not reported back yet but needed to collect names of the places we ate. I dug as much as I could to find a couple of names of places before we left but didn't have a lot of luck. While in Luzern, we stayed at the Hotel Kastainenbaum and had a couple of lovely dinners there. This beautiful little village is about 7 km from the Luzern city center and easily accessible by bus. My husband had a meeting and spent the week there and I caught up to him late in the week through the weekend. There are 2 restaurants in the hotel, one classicly French (we did not eat there) and the other pretty darn French (well Swiss-French!) but not so "chi chi" as the other. Game was a popular menu option at that time and I had venison stew served with typical autumnal sides--spatzle, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, chestnuts. Hubby had the beef. Both were delicious and the service there was outstanding. Kastainenbaum houses the IMI Hotel Management School and there were several interns from the school working there. There were probably a few in the kitchens as well. We ventured into Luzern for a couple of lunches and a dinner. Most were not spectacular but I would like to mention a couple of places. We split a salad and an order of the gnocchi marinara at the Einhorn--big unicorn in the courtyard, can't miss it! It was good and the gnocchi "felt" homemade as the menu stated. The other place of note in Luzern was at the Hotel Zum Weissen Kreuz. They have pizzeria Chruzli with a wood burning oven which is why we sought them out. (We just built one so we are going everywhere there is one to try foods from them!) We shared a crispy pizza with oregano, garlic and veal. It was very good--crisp and delicious. I'll most likely never put veal on a pizza we make but wanted to see how they did it! I also got a menu from them for future ideas! We didn't eat along the river there but we sure had a beer or two. It's such a great place to people watch. We headed to Basel for only a couple of days. We had the requisite Rosti at a place in the Markplatz to start our trip there. We ate at Bajazzo, the restaurant in the hotel where we were staying. It was not bad. I had a vegetable gratin which was very good and hubby had a fish dish that was not bad but he wouldn't order again. This was a casual place with a large bar and I'd eat there again--they had several menu choices that sounded fine. The dinner that was most memorable in Basel was at the tapas place Restaurant Spalenburg. We chose 4 very typical tapas--Rollitos berenjena (eggplant rolls with feta and basil), Gambas ajillo, Datteri (dates wrapped in bacon--that sweet salty thing gets me every time) and Pinchito cordero (sweet/sharp lamb skewers with rosmary). We had beer instead of sherry or wine but enjoyed ourselves very much there. As a follow up, I should say that we don't generally search out the finest cuisine (i.e. 2-3 stars) places since we prefer bistro-type atomospheres. We steered ourselves away from typical Swiss food since it tends toward the heavy side and we've done the raclette/fondue, and schnitzel things before. I'd like to hear any opinions of these or other places (especially in Basel) as my husband does business in Basel a time or two per year. This just happened to be my first trip to Basel--he doesn't worry about where he eats like I do!

Looking forward to seeing London from the SE US. Your job must be a fun one! Good luck and thanks for taking time to share your week with us. Marsha

We will be spending a few days in Luzern and Basel in early October. I've attempted to search this forum and don't see any recent information on either of these cities. I aplogize if I've overlooked threads--please point me there if you can. Does anyone have current recommendations? We will have some lunches and dinners--would prefer a mix of nice but wholesome food and wine--not too stuffy. We enjoy most cuisine types so any ideas for sustenance will be appreciated. Thanks. Marsha

My husband knows not to be standing behind the refrigerator door when I open it lest he be knocked to the floor by the weight of the contents of the door shelves. I'm pretty sure some of those condiments came with the fridge but, like Anna N, I know I will never discard them. I'm very guilty of shopping for jars, cans, and tubes of goodies when I travel. I stash them safely on my pantry shelf and wait for the perfect "special occasion" in which to consume them. Sometimes I admire them for so long, they are outdated by the time I decide the occasion is special enough.

Hey Mark! I'm new to eGullet but the blogs are one of the things that drew me in. Thank you so much for the time it took for you to share your corner of the world--and some very unfamiliar food to me! Marsha

Being from the south, I must chime in and add my favorite burger--medium rare on a crusty grilled bun with cheese, chili and mustard. Kudos to the burger joint that can serve this to me without the necessity of more than one or two napkins.

I'll second that crossing!!!