Opening Day at "Salt Tears" In Boise!

17 Monday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salt Tears, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Today was the Opening Day at Salt Tears in the Collister Strip Mall on State Street in Boise! It was great to see Andrea and Mitchell Maricich, although I didn’t see Mitchell there today, back in the restaurant business. And to rate this on opening day is a challenge. But our rating of 4-Stars out of 5 is well worth it. Yes, there are some bugs to fix, but that will be done. And as their advertising says, “… Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery is about community, creativity, quality and comfort. Our cuisine will have a strong focus on straightforward, perfect offerings made by hand with love. Were going back to the basic dining, delicious food, featuring seasonal ingredients using local, natural and organic products whenever possible…” This was definitely achieved. The food was great. The prices were right in line and not over the top. Below are some photos that I took.It shows the openness of the seating, the bright colors and the bistro type ambiance. And Andrea told me that she will send me a schedule of events so that I can post them here. The events will be the same each day of the week, but with different musicians and specials. Look also in the future for wine tastings. Idaho’s own Angie Riff will be doing their in house wine selections. (Left-Click on any photo to get a larger view. The menus are printable.)

An overview of the kitchen area at Salt Tears.

The openness of the restaurant is obvious.

Order at the front desk as you enter. There are daily specials along with their unique menu items.

The general menu. Pricing is good.

The breakfast menu. From what I understand, breakfast is served all day.

12 oz coffee that is delicious!

Roasted Pork Shoulder Sandwich ($6.00)
roasted red onion, Kalamata olives, Dijon cream and greens

Poached Eggs Crostini ($5.00)
wilted spinach, bacon and Parmesan

Breakfast Pizzetta of the Day ($5.00)
scrambled eggs and tomatoes on puff pastry

So as you can see, dining here is an adventure … a good adventure. And look at the pricing of the entrees we had. We wish Andrea and Mitchell the best in their endeavor with Salt Tears. We will be back. (I owe Andrea some Sauerkraut!)

Happy Birthday To "the Buzz"!

16 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Celebrations, Friends, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Although the fog came in on cat feet and created an eerie glow and a mysterious feeling of quiet, it was great to celebrate the 3rd Birthday of the Buzz! Congratulations to Chisti and Tommy!

Oh yes. Something else. If you need to re-supply your pantry or cookie jar with those scrumptious Girl Scout cookies, and everyone absolutely does need to re-supply your Girl Scout cookie supply, make your way to the Buzz, have Tommy make you a great cup of coffee and a sandwich, ask him for a pen and fill in Bailey’s order form for at least 12 boxes of your favorite case of Girl Scout cookies. That would make Bailey very, very happy. And if Bailey is happy …………. But for now, here is the Birthday Dinner! Thanks Cristi and Tommy for three great years.

2003 Marques De Ulta

Bœuf Bourguignon
risotto with butternut squash and potato leek soup

Chocolate Delight

And the Happy Birthday music was great!

New Restaurant Opening In Boise: "Salt Tears"

14 Friday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Local Markets, Restaurants, Salt Tears, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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In the IdahoStatesman and Michael Deeds’ column Words and Deeds this morning, there was an article called Ex-Milkyway Owners Open Salt Tears Cafe and Noshery about Andrea and Mitchell Maricich, previous owners of the awesome Milkyway Restaurant in Boise, opening a new restaurant.

The good news for restaurateurs Andrea and Mitchell Maricich: They live just a few blocks away from their new cafe, Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery, 4714 W. State St., so commuting will be a breeze.

The bad news? Salt Tears plans to open daily at 6:30 a.m. “I’m a night owl. It’s so scary,” Andrea Maricich admits with a chuckle. “I’m trying so hard. I set my alarm for 6 yesterday and I couldn’t even do it. I couldn’t get up. I slept till 7.”

Beginning Monday, Jan. 17, you can bet that Maricich’s kitchen-operating blood will have her bouncing out of bed. That’s when Salt Tears opens next to 20th Century Lanes bowling alley in Boise. It’s the first eatery the Mariciches have launched since closing their upscale MilkyWay restaurant Downtown in 2008. Salt Tears will not be a MilkyWay II, Maricich said.

And then from Salt Tears Facebook page,

Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery is our café and coffee shop showcasing unique sandwiches, soups, salads, breakfast bites, as well as “snacks” or “noshes” (as we say) to accompany a unique selection of beer, wine and occasionally cocktails later in the day. Salt Tears will serve a simple breakfast, the best coffee in town and have an all day menu serving until evening. You are sure to find many “happy places” on our menus! The concept has been developed and brought to fruition by us, Andrea and Mitchell Maricich, formerly of The MilkyWay in Downtown Boise; our focus is on simple, high quality café food and coffee, at comfortable prices.

Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery is about community, creativity, quality and comfort. Our cuisine will have a strong focus on straightforward, perfect offerings made by hand with love. Were going back to the basic dining, delicious food, featuring seasonal ingredients using local, natural and organic products whenever possible…

Breakfast will be easy and fun with five or six or maybe seven items that will hit the spot. For lunch the focus will be on lighter, delicious, homemade baguette sandwiches, fresh salads and daily soup specials. In the evening stop by for a small bite and something to wet your whistle or you can mix it up after breakfast, we have an all day menu.

We’ll have a small, but clever wine list, that will change frequently based on great values along with chalkboard offerings every day. We will be featuring house wines by local winemaker, Angie Riff of Periple Wines. Other awesome selections will be offered, by the glass, carafe, in-house bottles and retail to-go. We will also have a great selection of micro brews, domestics and imports, from near and far, and homemade sodas. The selections will be fun, interesting and reasonably priced too!

Great prices: we will strive to make wonderful food and beverages at reasonable prices. We will keep plate prices down while sticking to an exceptional level of quality, not leaving anything to be desired.

Fun Happenings: Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery will be a hot spot in Boise. We will have a really interesting and ever changing calendar of events including beef cheek dinners, live music, guest featured bartender nights (yes, we will have a liquor license), wine fight nights and pairings, whole roasted pig nights (yep), cooking classes (maybe) and whatever else suits our fancy, or yours!

So there you have it. We will be trying this out when it opens. Hope you will, too! It looks like they are goingt to have an adventuresome event list and maybe menu. Cheers!

Mandlebrot Cookies

12 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anthropology of Food, Cakes, Side Dishes, Special Information

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Here is really different food blog, Shiksa In The Kitchen. There is an ethnology that goes with the blog and the blog writer. She divulges personal connections with food in an interesting style. Be sure to read it. And from that blog we get this Mandlebrot Cookie Recipe. So, you ask, what are Mandlebrot Cookies?
From the blog, “Mandelbrot cookies are an Ashkenazi Jewish dessert dating back to the early nineteenth century. Mandelbrot are closely related to the Italian cookies known as biscotti, which were first made in the Middle Ages. The word mandelbrot means almond (mandel) and bread (brot) in both German and Yiddish. In America, these tasty little cookies are known as mandel bread. Typically mandel bread are twice-baked, which makes them crispy and crunchy. They’re perfect for dipping in your tea or coffee. Because most of the moisture is baked out of them, they also have a fairly long shelf life.

The origin of Jewish mandelbrot is a bit of a mystery, though there are many theories on how and when the cookie was adopted by Ashkenazi Jewish cooks. In the wonderful book Jewish Cooking in America, Joan Nathan writes about the history of mandelbrot cookies and their similarity to other cookies made in Europe and Eastern Europe: “With a large Jewish population in Piedmont, Italy may have been the place where Jews first tasted biscotti and later brought them to Europe where they called them mandelbrot, which literally means almond bread. In the Ukraine, a similar cookie not necessarily with almonds but made at home, thuskamish, was served. In Italy they are often eaten as a dessert dipped into wine or grappa. In Eastern Europe Jews dipped them into a glass of tea, and because they include no butter and are easily kept they became a good Sabbath dessert.” (The Shiksa In The Kitchen blog)

If all of this sounds intriguing, then follow the link above to the recipe and some more information on the treats. Give it a try. It sounds good!

"the Buzz" Season Opener

12 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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“For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence.” (“The Black Cat”, Edgar Allen Poe)

And to that end, I submit this prose about the Torres Family Wine Dinner held at the Buzz last night. But first, I would be remiss if I did not tell you the schedule for the Buzz Wine Dinners and events. At least for January. The overall program this year will feature family run wineries.
(1) January 15 – 4th Anniversary Party. Happy Birthday to the Buzz!
(2) February 6 – Super Bowl Party with a Taco and Nacho Bar.!
(3) February 8 and 9 – Wine Club Dinner – Indian Creek Winery, Kuna, Idaho

But for tonight, we had some really fantastic Torres Family Winery selections. And Debbie did another awesome job of pairing the food with the wine. The photos below are of the dinner and the wines that paired with the selection. My scores are (20), 20 being the highest. Cheers!

Puff Pastry Salmon Buddies
2008 Torres Family Vina Sol, 11.5% alc, (17), $13.00

Shrimp and Sausage Cioppino
2007 Torres Family Sangre de Toro Tempranillo, 14% alc, (17), $13.00

Curried Cous Cous Salad
2008 Torres Family Vina Esmeralda, 11.5% alc, (19), $15.00

Stout Marinated Steak
Mom’s Vegetable Medley
Spicy Roasted Potatoes
2004 Torres Family Gran Sangre de Toro, 14% alc, (18), $16.00

Poached Fruit Over Ice Cream
2006 Torres Family Gran Coronas Cabernet, 14% alc, (20), $22.00

Hope to see you at the next dinner – don’t forget to call your reservations in – and/or special event. This will be a fun year with the theme of Family Wineries that Cristi has planned. Cheers!

Pottery Gourmet Kitchen

12 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do

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I received this information yesterday. This might be a good time to purchase some items for your kitchen.

“We’re saying Good-bye to all our devoted customers and friends who have supported us these last few years during economic difficulties. Our doors will close for good on Sat, January 29th. We gave it out best shot and now Steve and I have decided to go and do the things we never had time to do before. Thank you and be sure to come in and check out our remaining inventory. Everything is reduced 40 and 50 percent. We also have furniture and fixtures — everything must go!”

The Pottery Gourmet Kitchen is located at 811 W Bannock in Boise. The sale starts today, 12 January and runs through the end of the month. We are sorry to see them close. They have some awesome Polish pottery items. Cheers!

Meatless Monday Dinner

11 Tuesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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We really do try to watch what we eat. Really. That’s not to say that we don’t eat well. And very rarely do we eat processed foods or “fast foods”. We make our own and from scratch. Mondays are meatless. No red meats, pork or the like. Chicken and fowls are questionable. Seafood is acceptable. Here is an example of what we might eat on Mondays, or any other day of the week. We actually did have this for dinner last night. The recipes are available and highlighted. Dijon Baked Cod, Dirty Rice, a wonderful green salad of Mixed Salad Greens and Fresh Pear, no dressing, and Black Beans with Roasted Tomatoes. The cod with its Dijon sauce and fresh made bread crumbs was delicious. (We make our own bread crumbs.) And the pear salad was a delightful addition. If you make any of these, let us know how it turned out for you. And you don’t really need to use cod. Actually, any white fish will do. Cheers!

Monte Cristo Sandwich

08 Saturday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Sandwiches, What's For Dinner?

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I just thought that this was an interesting sandwich. From [No Recipes] make good dishes better, I received the following information and the recipe for the sandwich.

“For those of you that aren’t familiar with this American sandwich, it may sound a little odd. Part breakfast, part club sandwich, it’s a strange combination of sweet and savory from different meals in the day. But if you’re the type that likes to dip your bacon in maple syrup, you’ll love the Monte Cristo Sandwich.
It’s an impossible combination of sweet and savory, pillowy and custardy, crispy and tender, creamy and lean, all in one bite. A Monte Cristo embodies the spirit of brunch, and is one of the things I love chowing down on when I wake up far too late in the day to call my frist meal “breakfast”…” You can read the rest of the article at [No Recipe]. Here is the recipe and a Printable Version, at the Master Recipe List. Enjoy!

Monte Cristo Sandwich

Yield: 2 sandwiches
Source: [No Recipes] make good dishes better, http://norecipes.com/2011/01/08/monte-cristo-sandwich-recipe/

Ingredients:
1 egg
¾ c Milk
¼ c Flour
¼ c Pecorino Romano, fresh grated
½ t Nutmeg, fresh grated
6 thin slices of Challah bread or Brioche
1 T Butter
2 oz Emmentaler (Swiss) cheese, sliced thin
¼ lbs sliced Honey Roasted Turkey
¼ lbs sliced Black Forest Ham
Powdered Sugar
Strawberry or Raspberry Jam

Directions:
Whisk the egg, milk, flour, cheese and nutmeg together until smooth. Heat a skillet or griddle large enough to accommodate all the slices of bread in a single layer over medium heat. Dip the slices of bread into the egg mixture, giving it a few seconds on each side to absorb the batter.

Add the butter to the pan once it is hot, then place as many slices of battered bread onto it as you can fit. Wait till it is golden brown and crisp on one side, then flip and top 4 pieces of bread with the cheese. Put the turkey on 2 of cheesed slices of bread and the ham on the other 2 cheesed slices of bread.

Fry until the bread is browned and crisp on the second side, then make the sandwich by stacking a ham slice with a turkey slice topped with a plain piece of French toast. Slice the sandwiches in half, dust with powdered sugar, and serve with a small bowl of jam.

New Blog Element

04 Tuesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in New Blog Elements

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In 2011, I have decided to enlarge the Boise Foodie blog by placing the recipes that are discussed, on a separate page. The link to this new page is in the sidebar under the heading NEW! Browse the recipes on the Boise Foodie Guild Blog and then click on the Master Recipe List. The link is Master Recipe List. The number of recipes and links to recipes is growing and I thought this might make it somewhat easier to locate a particular recipe. You can still use the Blogger search function – upper left under the heading – or the Search This Blog function, located in the sidebar.

There have been many recipes listed over the past several years, so this project may take a while. Think of it as a type of recipe book and an ongoing project. It may stimulate some ideas of your own. If you have suggestions about this project, by all means, let me know. The idea came from Frank Fariello on his blog, Memorie di Angelina. Thanks, Frank! Cheers!

Good Way To Start A New Year!

03 Monday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Lamb, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

≈ 3 Comments

So now he new year has started. And today, we made our first “from scratch” dinner. Not your traditional fried chicken, potatoes with gravy and peas; Not your Sunday, Old Folks dinner. Rather, Lamb Chops with a Cream and Mustard Reduction, Whole Baby Beets and a Carrot/Parsnip Vegetable Medley.

This might be the year of the sauce. Be fun to work on them this year. The cream and mustard reduction was not hard. In the pan that you slowly cooked the lamb chops, with an sea salt, fresh pepper, olive oil, rosemary, garlic and pomegranate vinegar marinade, deglaze the pan with a good white wine and reduce to 3 Tablespoons. Pour in 1 cup of heavy cream mixed with 3 Tablespoons of mustard. I used a Löwensenf Bavarian Style Sweet Mustard. Over a medium flame, reduce until the sauce is thickened. Spoon over the chops.

The vegetables Carrot/Parsnip Vegetable Medley is shredded carrots and parsnips, olive oil and sunflower seeds. Steam until soft. Here is a photo of the dinner. We enjoyed it.