Scotch Eggs For Breakfast

12 Monday May 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Eggs, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Scotch Eggs, Whats For Breakfast?

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breakfast, recipe, scotch egg recipe, scotch eggs

I have never tasted Scotch Eggs. Robin has, probably in another life or at Piper Pub here in Boise. They were “invented” in London in an upscale department store. Here is a link for more information on Scotch Eggs – What Are They?, posted earlier on this blog. (There is a recipe there also.) They are really not too difficult to make, but I think I should have had the heat a little lower, cooked them slower and a little longer. But they were good. Enjoy!

Scotch Eggs prepped and ready for frying.

Scotch Eggs. This is how I presented them.

Scotch Eggs

May Events at The Buzz

07 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Miner's Lettuce, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Special Events, Spices, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wine Tasting

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Buzz Coffee, Buzz Coffee & Wine Events, The Buzz Coffee and Wine, wine dinner, Wine Dinner Buzz Bistro

I just received this from Cristi and Tommy at The Buzz here in Boise. We will be at the monthly dinners – they are fantastic and loads of fun! – and I hope we see you there, too! Remember, to participate in some of these events (Monthly dinner and Quarterly Dinners), you will need to make reservations!
(208) 344-4321

Buzz Coffee & Wine Events

Hello. Hope everyone is enjoying the rollercoaster weather that we call Spring here in Boise. We have some fun events coming up and would love to see you at any or all of them.

Thanks to everyone’s support during our families loss last month. We appreciate the prayers and well wishes, and are terriby sorry for having to cancel the wine dinner with such short notice. Again thanks for understanding.

Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

Wine Club Dinner: We will be discussing Herbs and Spices.
Join us at 6:30 on May 13 or 14 for a Five Course Dinner, Wine – pared with the food and included in the dinner price -, and a discussion of herbs and spices. Only $20 a person. Reservations required buzzwine@cableone.net or 344-4321.

Music in May

May 9th Carter Freeman
May 16th Jean Cardena
May 23rd Blaze and Kelly
May 30th Pat Foulkner

Music from 7-9 with free wine tasting, dinner and dessert specials. Come join us. No reservations needed

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Scrumptious Dinner At “Fresh Off the Hook”

19 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Buy Idaho, Cod, Comfort Food, Fresh Off the Hook, Green Beans, Halibut, Locavore, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Salmon, Scallops, Seafood, Shrimp, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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bay scallops, cod, Fresh Off the Hook, salmon, seafood

Once agai, we went to Fresh Off the Hook in Boise and were treated to another awesome dinner. It is, without a doubt, the Best In Boise for seafood. Yes. A 5-Star seafood restaurant. Their Menu is full of surprises and delicious. I want to try one of everything. For instance, their fried foods are more like the tempura at Sushi Joy, it is light and not grease soaked. The fried foods taste like they are supposed to. Shrimp taste like shrimp. Cod tastes like cod. Not over powered with batter. It is good! In short, if you are in Boise, you must try to go to Fresh Off the Hook. Cheers and enjoy these photos.

Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) on the left and a Kendal Jackson Chardonnay on the right. Look at the color difference.

Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) on the left and a Kendall-Jackson (CA) Chardonnay on the right. Look at the color difference.

Robin is enjoying herself.

Green Beans Fries
A great appetizer!

Shrimp Tomato Bisque

Clam Chowder
There’s actually clams in here!

Seafood Fettuccini
Tiger shrimp, bay scallops, bay shrimp, zucchini, mushrooms, scallions and diced tomatoes sautéed in white wine and garlic butter smothered in our creamy Parmesan-garlic sauce tossed with fettuccine noodles. Topped with Parmesan, tomatoes and scallions, and served with warm sourdough bread 14.99

Captain Alex’s Seafood Platter
A medley of cod, salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, Jumbo shrimp, calamari and clams battered and deep fried to perfection. Served with chef’s choice sautéed vegetables and wild rice 18.99

Fishing boat

Sailing rig. These are ship models that are placed around the restaurant.

2014 Florida Trip – One Must Eat!

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beef, Cooking Styles, Food Photos, Friends, German Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Pubs, Sandwiches, Scallops, Seafood, Shell Fish, Slider, Sliders, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?

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Bern's Steakhouse, Chef Larry's Cafe, Guanabanas, Ravenous Pig, Sliders

Let’s see. We were in Florida for 14 days. With luck, that’s 28 meals plus. Nope, not going to post every meal, just some of the better ones. All of these restaurants rate at least 4-Stars out of 5-Stars. I am not going to list these restaurants in any particular order, i.e., worst to best. They all rate “Best”. And most of these will have links in the sidebar if available.

We were only allowed into one kitchen in all of the restaurant and that was in Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa. So the photo here is not from any kitchen in Florida … Actually it is our kitchen in Boise. Great way to hold your recipe in a skirt hanger, if you can get away with it. So read on and enjoy these epicurean delights. Cheers! And if you are ever around any of these restaurants, please stop in and say hello. Let them know you saw them here on this blog.

Front entrance to Chef Larry’s Cafe, Titusville, Florida.

My sister Peggy and her husband Jim and Robin and I with Chef Larry of Chef Larry’s Cafe in Titusville, Florida. A small restaurant that is full of local “color”. It looks like it is a hit with the local folks as well as tourists. There is a permanent link to the cafe in the sidebar. Good food. Enjoyable. Loved the Chef Larry’s Fresh Fruit Vinaigrette on the House Mixed Greens salad. All of our plates came with it.

Catch of the Day with the House Mixed Greens and Potatoes

Smoked Chicken with Shitake Mushroom Mayonnaise.

Crabcake and Tomato Soup. All of these dishes are made in house!

Our next restaurant that we enjoyed was in Winter Park, Florida, was The Ravenous Pig.

The Ravenous Pig

Really good salads. This one is called The Gatherer.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Porterhouse Pork

Scallops

White Fish

And then when we were in West Palm Beach, Lani took us to Guanabanas – Island Restaurant and Bar . Really good food with an island flair, both the design layout of the restaurant and the food.

This is well worth the trip if you are in the area. Good food and an exciting and different venue.

House Salad

Crabcake with Fried Plantains. Most of these dishes came with Cuban Rice.

Crab

Burger

Catch of the Day and Roasted Corn.

Then while we were in Jacksonville Beach, my brother Alex took us to Sliders Seafood Grille and Oyster Bar in Neptune Beach.

In side Sliders

And these were delicious!

Here they are before they get placed on the platter.

Here the oysters are before they get placed on the platter.

Seafood Manicotti. Super good!

Peggy, Jim, Marge, Robin and Alex.

And finally, Robin’s niece Kerstin Karlsson to us to Taste of Berlin German Restaurant in Brandon, FL. Delicious!! (The only link I could find for them is on FaceBook)

The interior. Small and cozy and very clean.

Gotta have a beer! or two.

Northern German Potato Salad. Yum-O!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Chicken like a Cordon Bleu chicken.

Pork Shank. Most of the main dishes came with sourkraut, red cabbage, bread dumplings and a small carrot/cucumber salad.

Pork Shank. Most of the main dishes came with sauerkraut, red cabbage, bread dumplings and a small carrot/cucumber salad.

Schweinebraten

Sauerbraten

Fruit Dessert

Black Forrest Cake

German Chocolate Cake

So there is a smattering of some of the food we had while there. As I said above, all of them were delicious and worth a return trip. Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa was good, but so were these. Try them all if you get the chance. You will be happy. Cheers!

Boise Foodie Meet-Up: Bodovino Wine Bar

28 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Antipasto, Appetizers, Baguette, Boise Adventures, Boise Foodie Meet-Up, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pizza, Tapas, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Tasting, Wines - French, Wines - German, Wines - Idaho, Wines - Italian

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bodovino, Bodovino Wine Bar, Tastings Wine Bar, wine bar

On December 28, the Boise Foodie Meet-Up group – see their link in the sidebar – visited Bodovino Wine Bar (an excellent website!) and the experience was a good one. Good food, really good service and a unique venue. You purchase a “card” with some dollar amount, and then you can visit up to 144 different wines (see photos below) and get whatever wine you desire and whatever amount you wish, 1oz, 3oz or 5oz. Each wine and each amount has a different price and they range from $1.00 to $12.00 (the highest I found).
The tapas that we had was very good. A nice selection of cheese, pasta (pizza) and antipasti. They have a full selection of menu items, including salads and sliders, and all seem to be reasonably priced. Overall – a good experience. I will rate them 4-Stars out of 5-Stars. The room that we were in, there are several, was very noisy and loud. Otherwise, good. We will probably return. Please enjoy these photos. You will get some idea of the ambiance and of the tapas. Cheers!!

“Still Life”

Wine Bar overview.

Some of the 144 available wines. A unique idea for dispensing the wine.

French Cheese Flight

Charcuterie Plate

“Baguette and Cheese”

North End Flatbread

Boise Foodies Party On!

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Boise Foodie Meet-Up, Comfort Food, Curry, Dinner With Friends, Finger Foods, Friends, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Indian Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Salads, Side Dishes, Special Events, Tapas, Turkey, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Boise Foodie Meet-Up Group, curry, Heirloom Seed Suppliers, Idaho wine, indian food, Thai Food

And a great party it was! Great to see so many people there and to talk to them. Thanks Kat for opening your home to all of us. And the decorations, as in this tree where Robin and Tina are chatting, were marvelous. And the food that everyone shared was fabulous. And if you are in search of Heirloom seeds, here is a list of Heirloom Seed Suppliers. Enjoy the following photos and Left-Click any of them to see enlarged. And while you are at it, please rate this article above and Follow us on this blog – there is a place to do so in the sidebar. Cheers!

Kat, Rick and Tina are chatting on the couch.

Cathy

Lance, The Elevated One, and Bernadette

Krista and “Louie’s Pizza Maker”

Kitchen workers

I don’t know what to say here.

Layered Russian Salad that Robin brought. I will have the recipe posted in the Recipe File above later today.

Seven-Layer Russian Salad that Robin brought. I will have the recipe posted in the Boise Foodie Blog Recipe page, listed at the very top of this page, later today. (Seven-Layer Russian Salad Recipe – PDF format)

Turkey Meatballs. Here is the recipe: Cranberry Turkey Meatballs (This is a PDF file)

Curry, Thai food, different types of rice, chicken, pasta and much, much more. No one went away hungry!! There are some awesome cooks in this group. I like this type of Meet-Up just as well as visiting our local restaurants. As my Supervisor at the duPont Company would say many years ago, "Atta boy!!"

Curry, Thai food, different types of rice, chicken, pasta, chocolate bacon, egg salad bruchetta and much, much more. No one went away hungry!! There are some awesome cooks in this group. I like this type of Meet-Up just as well as visiting our local restaurants. As my Supervisor at the duPont Company would say many years ago, “Atta boy!!” A job well done.

Boise Wine Meet-Up Groups Party Hearty!

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 13th Street Pub and Grill, Appetizers, Crab Cakes, Idaho Chefs, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Pizza, Special Events, Tastings Wine Bar, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?, Wine and Food, Wine Tasting

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13th Street Pub and Grill, Boise WIne Meet Up Groups, Tastings Wine Bar, Trey Busch

Two of the Boise Wine Meet-up Groups met this past Wednesday. The first group met at Tastings Wine Bar in Boise with Trey Busch, pictured here, of Slight of Hand Winery from Walla Robin and I took these with her phone. Walla, Washington doing the presentation of his wines. As I did not have my camera with me, Robin and I took these photos with her phone. Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged. There should be no small photos – except for the one above of Trey – so you may need to “Refresh” your screen. Cheers!

Tasting wine menu.

Pizza Crab Cakes Awesome pizza! Ham, pineapple, cheese, Chipotle sauce, Raspberry Sauce on Flatbread

Pizza
Ham, pineapple, cheese, Chipotle sauce, Raspberry Sauce on Flatbread
Crab Cakes

Awesome pizza!

Then after this tasting, we went to the 13th Street Pub and Grill for the second tasting and some substantial food.

They had the interior of the pub all decorated out for the Holiday Season. It was nice sitting around the fire that was situated in the center of the room and seating on all four sides. Definitely warm! In order to keep the wine cool, we placed a glass of ice water between the wine and the fire. The two glasses were touching. Yes, it does work! Enjoy these photos, even though some of them are a little “artsy”. Cheers!

Slight of Hand and a Tempranillo de Mancha on the right.

The fire situated in the center of the room. We sat around this awesome and warm fireplace.

Some of the people having a good time.

Claire, the Coordinator of the event and Robin are discussing the finer things in life – Wine!

Joe, Cindi and Jan are enjoying the company and the party.

Robin had a BLT. I guess one must now ask for a golden brown toast. This toast was not.

Bob had a Pub Burger.

Celebration Theme At “The Buzz”

13 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Apple, Basque Foods, Cabbage, Celebrations, Dinner With Friends, Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, Italian Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Spanish Wines, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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the Buzz

Just in time for the holiday season quickly approaching. Celebrations of the World was the theme of the November Wine Club Dinner at the Buzz. We had dishes with a Spanish, German, Basque, African, Italian and the Netherlands influence. It was an exciting evening, full of information and tradition. Great job, Cristi! My only criticism of the dinner is the Swedish Meatballs could have had a little more of the sauce on it. The meat was a little dry, although the flavor was still there. A little more sauce – An easy fix. Here are some photos from the evening. The wine rating is [20] maximum points. Cheers! and see you at the next event. Thank you Paul Colwell for the wines, Peggy and Austin for being our Servers and Tommy for your support “behind the scenes”. An 800 calorie meal.

Spanish Fritatta

I enjoyed this appetizer. Great flavors.
2010 Faustino Crianza Tempranello
13% alc. a light wine and went well with the appetizer. lowest score of the night. [17] $14

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

If I don’t like pumpkin and I liked this soup, you will also!! It was good.
2010 Durigutti Malbec Reserva
14% alc. a wonderful wine with this soup. well balanced and fruitty. best score of the night [20] $22

Holiday Salad

2011 Anselmi
12.7% alc. a good white wine that went well with the acidity of the salad. good paring. try the wine before you eat the apple in the salad – things will change. [18] $15

Swedish Meatballs Cabbage Steaks Noodles Just a little dry as I noted above, but the flavors were still there. 2011 Luna Cabernet Sauvignon 14.1% alc. good, full bodied wine that paired well with the entree. [18] $18

Swedish Meatballs
Cabbage Steaks
Green Peas
Noodles

Just a little dry as I noted above, but the flavors were still there.
2011 Luna Cabernet Sauvignon
14.1% alc. good, full bodied wine that paired well with the entree. [18] $18

Gingerbread

A good ending to this meal. It really tasted good.
2010 Renwood Old Vine Zinfandel
14.5% alc. so good with the gingerbread. [19] $22

Cristi always opens the evening with usually two wines that she labels “Cristi’s Choice”. These were two really good wines.
2012 Zolo Torrentes from Mendoza, Argentina. A really nice white wine and well worth the $15 price. [18]
2011 Arenal Vina Paralillo Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Again, well worth the $14 price. [18]

Eat, Drink and Be Merry ……………….

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Boise, Boise Adventures, Captain's Shack, Chocolate, Chocolate and Food, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Duck, French Foods, French Wines, Friends, Gaston's Bakery, Locavore, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Salmon, Soup, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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DineOut Boise

………….. For tomorrow you may be dieting! Boise had this wonderful program called Dineout DowntownBoise where some of the restaurants offered a 3-Course dinner for $30. I have posted earlier on the subject, but it only lasted a week, so one had to hurry to make all of the eaterys. We didn’t make them all, but we tried.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the sponsors of this week long event: Boise Weekly, Sysco, the River – 94.9FM, Agri Beef Co., I Support Idaho Wines, Pepsi, DOWNTOWNBOISE Assoc. and Downtown Parking. Thank you one and all for offering this program. It was a joy!
And for the last dinner we went to Le Cafe de Paris where we met Michael and Sandra. Wonderful and fun people. He plays a mean guitar!! Ed K, we must introduce the two of you.

Can not have a good meal without a good wine …….

and can not have a good dessert without a good wine. (Both of these were from our cellar.)

When there is a choice on the menu, as there was at Le Cafe, Robin and I will usually get “one of each”. That way, we can try all and share. Le Cafe offered two entrees of each course. Here is what we had.

Salade de Bettraves et noisette
Butter lettuce topped with gold and red beets, toasted hazelnuts and served with a mustard vinaigrette

French Onion Soup

Confit de Canard
Duck confit
served with
roasted potatoes and Calvacios flambe apples

Saumon Papillotte Salmon with white wine, tomato and shallot baked in parchment paper

Dessert. Need I say more?

One each, then share!!

And then on Sunday night we made a 5-Hour Roasted Chicken. The recipe for a 5-Hour Roasted Duck is in the recipe section of the blog – See the headings above. We used the same recipe for the chicken.

5-Hour Roasted Chicken

Michael and Sandra joined us for the dinner party. Lots of wine. Some Scotch, Amarula, B&B, Guinness and Armagnac.

Concert Jam at “The Buzz”

27 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Concert Jam, Dinner With Friends, Friends, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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concert jam, Jen Drake, the Buzz

It is great to have Jen Drake – viola – bring some of the local philharmonic talent to the Buzz again this year for the 2nd year of Concert Jam! I think this program will be scheduled about every other month. If that is wrong, I will let you know. Such a great event and thanks to Jen Drake for “directing” the music. And the really great thing – If you play an instrument, bring it! Sit down with these folks! Have fun and play your heart out! Ages? If you can read music and you play an instrument, you can join in on the fun. I think the youngest this time was a 14 year old young lady on the violin. Such a great experience for them to play with such great talent. Enjoy these photos from the evening. Hope to see you at the next one! Cheers!

Here is another venue for the philharmonic group. This month the music will be Brahms. The program varies each month. Well worth the $10 donation. Robin and I will be there.