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Monday, June 20th, 2011
Chef Michael Solomonov won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic this year, and now that I finally had a chance to taste a few of his dishes, I can easily understand why. His food at Zahav, his modern Israeli restaurant, is inventive and creative with a nod to tradition, which makes it approachable and fun at the same time.
Here’s the fried cauliflower with labaneh – a strained yogurt – with chive, dill, mint and garlic. It makes a bright, almost bracing, dipping sauce for the crunchy, salty cauliflower. Just terrific.
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Tags: dine at the bar, israeli, michael solomonov, philadelphia, profile pr, society hill, tapas, zahav
Monday, June 20th, 2011
The Farm is on the road! Well, half of the farm and its weekend resident, Boo. We were invited down to Philly to see the Barnes Foundation, an incredible collection of 19th and 20th century art (including Reniors, Matisses and Cezannes). The Foundation is moving, and we went to see it in its original location before the move. More on that in the next post, but first, a look around Rittenhouse Square.
We were staying at the Rittenhouse Hotel. No photo of the room, but I will tell you — it was luxurious and comfortable.
Here’s Rittenhouse Square. Pretty park:
More, after the jump.
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Tags: boo, parc, philadelphia, rittenhouse square, rittenhouse square hotel, rouge
Saturday, September 25th, 2010
We arrived in Amagansett, dropped off our bags and headed across the street to our favorite lunch spot, Clam Bar. Greg got his favorite sandwich, the grilled tuna. It comes with local tomatoes and is out of this world:
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Tags: amagansett, clam bar, greg, lobster roll, long island, napeague
Friday, August 27th, 2010
For our final meal of the trip, we tried to go to Fore Street. But since we were on a boat, we weren’t able to get there in time to get on the list. So we went to what was our second choice, but should have been our first choice all along: the wonderful, fabulous, delicious Hugo’s, which had some of the best food on the trip. Plus we had a great time at the bar with the bartender and our dining neighbors. Here is the soft-shell lobster with cauliflower:
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Tags: hugo's, maine, portland, review
Friday, August 27th, 2010
On today’s agenda is a visit to Peaks Island. And just across the street from the ferry terminal is a Standard Baking Company, owned by Sam Hayward — also the owner of Fore Street, which Boo and I visited during our trip in 2007. The bakery makes both breads and sweets, and on a Friday morning in August, it seems everyone and his mother wants to have one or the other. The line was out the door. Luckily, it moved quickly, and once you’re inside, you get to choose among these delicious items:
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Tags: maine, portland, standard baking company
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
There are things to like about Five Fifty-Five in Portland, like dollar-fify-five oysters on Thursdays; welcoming and friendly bartenders; and the blueberry salad, a wonderfully balanced dish with peppery arugula and crunchy pistachios. Then there are things not to like, like long waits from the wine cellar; a heavy hand with French-style sauces; and the suckling pig cracklin’s that come with the “three little pigs” dish, which are so hard and crunchy that Greg thought he was eating glass.
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Tags: five fifty five, maine, portland, review
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Weeks before we got to Maine, I had an email from Cousin Theresa: “Some friends of ours are buzzing about Nebo Lodge on North Haven. I’m not sure if that is still in your plans but thought you might want to check it out.” She was pleased when we told her we’d already planned a visit. Then, Jan and Suzanne, some friend’s we met at Rory and Chris’ wedding, also recommended Nebo — and especially the lamb chops, which Jan couldn’t stop raving about. So by the time we sat down for drinks and dinner, we were primed for a good meal indeed — and Nebo did not disappoint. If only it weren’t an 8-hour drive and 1 1/2-hour ferry ride away, we’d be there all the time.
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Tags: maine, nebo lodge inn & restaurant, north haven island, review
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
We arrived at Nebo Lodge completely soaked through to our skin. I don’t remember a time when we’ve ever been as wet. Once we got in our room, we had to go directly to the bathroom to peel our clothes off our bodies. We asked the innkeeper if she wouldn’t mind drying my jeans. They were the only pants I brought. So we dried off in the room, reading our books for a bit.
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Tags: greg, maine, nebo lodge inn & restaurant, north haven island
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Just as we were about to board our ferry to North Haven Island, rain started coming down in sheets. I didn’t even have a rain jacket of any sort, and went to a shop called Rock Coast Sports, where I found a very waterproof jacket by Columbia Sportswear. Thank goodness. It was a wet ride, with 6 to 8 foot swells and really strong winds. Yikes.
Ready? Come along…
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Posted in outings, travel | No Responses »
Tags: ferry, maine, north haven island
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
We happened up on the Rockport Diner quite by accident. We left in time to have lunch before our ferry ride to North Haven Island, but then got an idea that we’d head up to the winery to buy some local gin as gifts instead.
Then we remembered what Theresa and Jeff told us. In Rockport and Camden, rush hour is lunch hour. Traffic is at its worst between noon and 2 p.m. — just when we were heading out. Plus, it was raining. So on our way to find the winery, we bailed and pulled over to get our bearings. We had pulled over here in this parking lot, and we decided, what the heck? Why not have lunch here?
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Tags: diner, greg, review, rockport
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
After our lovely day exploring Camden, we went back to Camden for dinner — to one of Jeff and Theresa’s favorite places, Francine. These were the most unusual and delicious mussels I think I’ve ever had.
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Tags: camden, francine, greg, jeff, maine, review, theresa
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
In Camden Hills State Park, you’ll find an auto road to the top of Mount Battie, which overlooks Penobscot Bay.
Yes, as I mentioned, my friends call me Penny.
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Tags: camden, greg, maine, mount battie
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
We spent the day on bikes, exploring Rockport and Camden. We saw some stunning vistas, beautiful Belted Galloway cows and lot of beautiful countryside. Here’s the first leg of our trip:
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Posted in biking, outings, travel | 1 Response »
Tags: belted galloways, camden, children's chapel, greg, maine, rockland harbor, rockport
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
We really were so lucky to have hit it off so well with cousins Jeff and Theresa. I mean, we kind of knew each other a little through family functions and events, but we’d never hung out for real. The visit was a lot of getting-to-know you questions and answers from both sides. I peppered Jeff with questions about his growing up and the rest of his siblings — there were six all together! — and he told me things I didn’t remember about my Dad. Like the Chileans visiting.
“You have his laugh, you know,” said Jeff one night.
“Oh really?” I asked.
“Nobody ever told you that?”
Nope. They hadn’t. I’m glad Jeff did.
More photos of our fabulous supper, including Theresa’s to-die-for Lobster BLTs, after the jump.
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Posted in cooking, travel | 1 Response »
Tags: beth's farm market, blts, greg, jeff, jess's market, lobster blts, maine, rockland, theresa
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
A little shop in Rockland captured our hearts with its great concept and fine products. Theresa told us not to miss Fiore, which sells flavored olive oils and vinegars. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “I’ve seen basil olive oil on the shelf of my local A&P.” But this, my friends, is way different. These are premium olives oils and vinegars, which you can taste and are them bottled for you right there in the store. We were in heaven.
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Posted in shopping, travel | 3 Responses »
Tags: fiore artisan olive oils and vinegars, greg, maine, rockland
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
One must-see attraction on our Maine list was the Farnsworth Museum, which has a collection of Maine artists, including many Wyeths. It was raining pretty hard when we went, so I didn’t take any photos outside — and you’re not allowed to take any inside. So you’ll just have to take my word for it that we went. And afterwards, we wandered a bit around downtown Rockland.
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Tags: maine, rockland, shopping, sightseeing
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
For supper on Monday night, Theresa had some delicious dishes planned. Lobster BLTs, for one. Corn. And a blueberry salad with arugula and gorgonzola. Killer. She bought all her produce from a terrific farm stand called Beth’s Farm Market. On the Beth’s website, Beth says (and yes, there is a real Beth): “If it is a vegetable that can be grown in Maine and it is in season, you will probably find it at Beth’s Farm Market.” I believe it. Come along for a look. The blueberries were out of this world.
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Tags: beth's farm market, farm stand, farmers market, greg, maine, theresa, warren
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
The chef at Primo is Melissa Kelly. We’ve never eaten her food before, but had always meant to when she was cooking a lot closer to us at the restaurant at Old Chatham Sheepherding Company in the Hudson Valley. She left there to opened Primo with pastry chef and co-owner Price Kushner. (Since then, she’s won a James Beard Award for Best Chef, Northeast.) So not only were we looking forward to dinner because Theresa and Jeff were raving, but also because we felt like we were finally getting to do something we’d been wanting to for a very long time. You know how sometimes when you anticipate how good something will be, and then your hopes are dashed once you are in the throws of it? This was absolutely not the case at Primo. Everything was delightful and delicious. We had a ball, too.
Here’s the local halibut with risotto:
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Tags: jeff, maine, melissa kelly, primo, review, rockland, susan, theresa
