Awesome Dinner For The Boise Farmers Market

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Appetizers, Beef, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Butternut Squash, Buy Idaho, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Coffee, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Organic Foods, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rice Family Farms, Saint Lawrence Gridiron, Salad, Soup, Special Information, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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beef short ribs, eat local, micro greens, neckar coffee

Yes it was! And many thanks to all of the Boise Farmers Market producers for supplying the awesome meal items and the Saint Lawrence Gridiron, at 703 W Bannock in Boise (208) 433-5598, for supplying the space, the Waite Staff and an awesome Chef! Just a super, super night!
I do believe that this was the first of dinners like this to raise funds for the Boise Farmers Market. And I do hope that they continue to do this Fund Raising Dinner next year and many years to follow. When you look at the menu and photos below, you will see the superb meal that we had. Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make this a success! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The flyer for this year’s event.

Delightful table center pieces added to the Fall theme.

The wonderful menu!

Butternut Agnolotti with Sage Beurre Monté

Fraiche Tartine open faced gougere chipotle fraiche cucumber

Fraîche Tartine
open faced gougére, chipotle fraîche and cucumber

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho heirloom tomatoes brown butter crouton

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
heirloom tomatoes and brown butter crouton

Harvest Vegetable Salad seasonal root vegetables candied walnuts local greens

Harvest Vegetable Salad
seasonal root vegetables, candied walnuts and local greens

Short Ribs
smoked and braised short ribs, Carolina grits, salt roasted carrots, braised leeks and pan jus

Apple Galette cinnamon custard brulee with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Apple Galette
cinnamon custard brûlée with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Neckar Coffee added some delightful coffee to our dinner. Thank-You!

Snake River Winery offered wines with the dinner and beer was also available from Woodland Empire Brewery.

The Check-In table

The Chef for the meal and on the right owner Brian Garrett. Thank-You both for this delightful evening.

Robin enjoys some Neckar Coffee.

Thank-You everyone for this event. It takes a lot of hard work to arrange this. Karen Ellis – Thank-You!

Saint Lawrence Gridiron hosting Boise Farmers Market Festival

05 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Celebrations, Dinner With Friends, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Party Time, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Saint Lawrence Gridiron, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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Boise, Boise Farmers Market, Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Saint Lawrence Gridiron

The Saint Lawrence Gridiron, at 705 W Bannock Street in Boise, will be hosting a dinner spectacular for the Boise Farmers Market and The Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture tonight, Sunday, Oct 5. There are still tickets available and you may get them at the door. Or, for more information and to reserve your spot call (208) 345-9287. Tickets are $65.00 for a 5 Course Local Harvest Supper. Happy Hour starts at 4:00pm with dinner to follow at 5:00pm. See you there!

The telephone number on the flyer is incorrect. The correct one is (208) 345-9287

NW Wines and Food at “The Buzz”

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beef, Bread, Buy Idaho, Cakes, Chocolate, Coffee, Cuts of Beef, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Wine, Local Harvests, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Seafood, Shrimp, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - NW

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chocolate, NW wines, pot roast

Cristi and Tommy keep “adjusting” the floor plan of The Buzz. They have moved the wine bar around to be able to add more table space. You can see the “adjustment” in this photo.
The dinner tonight was OK. I have had better at the Monthly Wine Dinners. But, I have also had worse. I think that by tonights dinner – Wednesday, things will be adjusted. Many thanks again to Peggy Hands-Behrens and Joseph Geist for helping with the wine pouring, table settings, menu planning and bussing the tables.
Cristi opened the evening with a 2013 Split Rail Rosé of Tempranillo that was pretty good. I was surprised. Mellow and smooth with a long finish and good appeal. [17] $15.00. Here is what else we had. Enjoy! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels A very good opener and I don't like Feta! There were none left ove3r on my plate. 2011 Iris Pinot Noir 13.5% alc. light on the body and balance. fair appeal [16]

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels
2011 Iris Pinot Noir
13.5% alc. light on the body and balance. fair appeal [16] $19.00

A very good opener and I don’t like Feta! There were none leftover on my plate.

[caption id="attachment_12654" align="aligncenter" width="524"]

Shrimp Louis Pasta Salad
2011 Willamette Chardonnay
12.5$ alc. very light on the bouquet but moderate balance and finish. [15] $21.00

The chardonnay went well with the salad. Good paring and good salad!

Vegetable Barley Soup
2010 Basel Claret
14.3% alc. good body and bouquet. moderate finish [15] $22.00

The soup, to me, was over spiced. It wiped the wine out and the wine emphasized the spiciness. The carrots and celery needed to be cooked a little more.

Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
2013 Saviah Creek Jack Syrah
14.1% alc. great bouquet, balance and body. mild finish [18] $16.00

Some servings of the pot roast needed to be cooked longer. They were tough. And again, the carrots and potatoes needed to be cooked a little longer. I missed some gravy with the pot roast. My two slices of bread – gravy soppers – were good. Thanks, Tommy!

Vanilla Cupcake with Coffee Buttercream
2009 Brian Cellars Byzance
14.3% alc. Awesome! great balance and finish with a good appeal. The wine was a perfect match. A winner! [19] $30.00

Cristi said she would work on the recipe for the Coffee Buttercream and post it. I hope so. It was that good. See the photo below for the wine bottle label.

Brian Carter Cellars Byzance – a blend of 53% Grenache, 23% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, 4% Cinsault and 2% Counoise. A very good wine. We bought 1 bottle.

Joseph Geist brought these two wines for us to savor. I really liked the apricot. The pomegranate very tart. I did not care for this one.

Joseph Geist brought these two wines for us to savor. I really liked the apricot. The pomegranate was very tart. I did not care for this one.

September At “The Buzz”

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dinner With Friends, Local Markets, Party Time, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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beer steins, the Buzz, wine dinner

The beer steins we have on “The Self”.

Ah yes! Here are our steins. Do you have a stein on “The Shelf” at the Buzz? Hmmmm. Why not?
Here is the latest news from Cristi and the September schedule of events. Hope to see you there so we can say Hello and have a glass of wine together.
Such a good Wine Dinner for an awesome price. 5 course dinner and at least 6 wines and all for $20 a plate. And then there are other events happening at the Buzz too. Look here.

Hi, fall is in the air and life is getting either back-to-normal or crazier each day. Or if you are like our family crazier each day is back to normal. Our renovation is complete and if you have not had a moment to stop by and check out our new growler and kombucha stations, please do. We always try to have some local beers on tap and our kombucha is all organic (and is made in Bend).

We have a fun September planned, hope to see you soon.
Wine Dinner – September 9th and 10th we will be having our monthly wine dinner. It starts at 6:30 each night and the cost is $20 per person for dinner and wine dinner. This month we will be discussing Pacific Northwest and the wine of food from our own personal wine region.

Buzzopoly – On September 14th at 5 PM we will be playing our first life size game outside. Based on the game of monopoly, in a 90 minute game we will play. It is $20 a person, teams of up to 6, registration is at 5 “negotiations” at 5:30, play starts at 6 and game is over at 7:30 with prizes after. Cost includes drinks, food, and fun.

Our Music schedule for September:

5th Todd Palmer
12th Leta Neustaedter
19th Blaze and Kelly
26th Jean Cardena

Wine tastings every Friday and Saturday from 5-9:30; music from 7-9. Don’t forget we have appetizer, dinner and dessert specials to go along with the music and wine. No reservations needed, just come on by
Thanks for your support. We hope to hear from you about reservations or see each of you soon. Enjoy your September, and please drive carefully as the kids are back in school.
Sincerely,
Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine

Great Music at the Buzz

17 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beer and Food, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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Boise Philharmonic, Drake Viola Conservatory, Serenata Chamber Orchestra, viola

Ah, yes! Once again Jen Drake, Artistic Director at Serenata Chamber Orchestra, Section Viola at Boise Philharmonic and Head Cheese at The Drake Viola Conservatory. Studied Viola Performance at Michigan State, brought a group together to “jam” the night away – 6:00pm – 9:00pm without a break! A free ‘jam” – if you can read music and you play an instrument, you can join in. There was even a teen playing a sax a while back. Don’t be intimidated by the artistic level, they are there for fun and want you to join in. The Serenata Chamber Orchestra and Jen both have a FB page, so you can follow them there and get on an email list for future performances. It is an awesome evening of some awesome music. Oh, the cost. Zero, Nada, Nothing, Free! Buy some wine or beer or a dinner. That’s it. Just come and enjoy the evening. And I’m sure that if you let Cristi or Tommy know, they will put you on their email list for notifying you of events at the Buzz. There is a link in the sidebar. Like Robin’s shirt?

The Buzz

Some of the talented musicians that played tonight.

See anyone you know?

There is Jen in the gray shirt.

More musicians.

Our dinner

Baked Beans
Potato Salad or a Fresh Green Salad
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Wild Huckleberry Muffin (not pictured)

and don’t forget the new beer taps.

Cruise Night At The Buzz

13 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Classic Cuisines, Dessert, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, French Foods, Greens, Grilled Vegetables, Italian Food, New Zealand Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Spanish Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wines - French, Wines - Italian, Wines - New Zealand, Wines - Spanish, Wines - Tuscan

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Buzz, Cruise Food, The Buzz Coffee and Wine, Wine, Wine Dinner Buzz Bistro

The wines tonight came from around the world with stops in Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Tuscany and France. The food came from different cruise lines and indeed was Cruise Food. And if you have ever been on a cruise and have eaten onboard, you know what a dedicated support team the kitchen Exec Chef has.
When Cristi prepares these tastings, she also has a dedicated support team and it is about time that I recognize them and tell them publically how much we appreciate their time and effort.
Tommy, Cristi’s husband, keeps the dinner plates moving and remembers that I like bread with my meals.
Austin and Bailey, Cristi’s children, help by serving, bussing the tables and setting the tables up.
Peggy Hand-Behrens researches the menu, sits down with Cristi and pairs the wines with the food, and then prepares some of the entrées. She also helps to pour the wine and prepare the dishes. She is one busy Lady!
Joseph Geist, when he is available, helps to pour the wines.
To all of these folks a BIG Thank-You! Your efforts are really appreciated and without your support, the program may not exist. So if you participate and enjoy these dinners, please let these folks know how much you appreciate them and the service they give.

Beef Carpaccio (Celebrity Lines), Italy
2011 Zonin Valpolicella
14% alc a good wine with this salad [16]

Chilled Peach Soup (Royal Caribbean) Spain
2011 Tierras Guindas
13.5% alc. a super good wine with this super good soup [17]

BBQ Sweet Potato Salad (Carnival) New Zealand 2013 Wild South Sauvignon Blanc 1.5% alc really6 a super good wine particularly with this entree. [18]

BBQ Sweet Potato Salad (Carnival) New Zealand
2013 Wild South Sauvignon Blanc
12.5% alc really a super good wine particularly with this entrée. [18]

Jamaican Jerk Chicken (Princess) Spanish
2001 LAN Rioja
13.5% alc. another superb wine paired well with the spiciness of the chicken. [18]
(notice the bread?)

Cream Brule (Royal Caribbean) France 2013 Bila-Haut 13.5% alc. a good match with the Cream Brule [18]

Crème Brûlée (Royal Caribbean) France
2013 Bila-Haut
13.5% alc. a good match with the Crème Brûlée [18]

Cafe Vicino – Italian Night

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Antipasto, Appetizers, Dinner With Friends, Idaho Chefs, Italian Food, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Salad, Seafood, What's For Dinner?, Wild Game, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wines - Italian, Wines - Tuscan

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cafe vicino, Chef Richard Langston, Italian food, italian wine, wild boar

Wow! Such a great evening having some outstanding wines and an outstanding dinner prepared by Chef Richard Langston, a James Beard Award Nominee! A total of 7 courses and 7 wines. This superb restaurant is located at 808 W Fort St, Boise, ID 83702, (208) 472-1463. It might be a good idea to call for reservations. We had a Dover Sole dish that was absolutely wonderful. So I asked the question, “What is the difference between Dover Sole and Flounder?” The answer is here from Chef Richard and from E-How.

Sole and flounder are both types of flatfish, and because the texture is similar, they are considered interchangeable in recipes. However, they are two separate species with slightly different looks and tastes.
Species
Sole is a type of flatfish. Dover sole, the most common type, is a member of the Soleidae family. Flounder is also a type of flatfish categorized under Heterosomata.
Features
Both fish are flat, with both eyes on one side of their face so they can hide on the ocean floor and watch for prey. While both are oval in shape, flounder is more rounded.

Here is what we had and the wines that went with each course. Thanks to Cafe Vicino for such a great evening and to Chef Richard and his Staff for great service. It was good to see “old” friends again. Enjoy these photos! Left-Click any of the photos to see them enlarged.

This is what we had to eat and drink over the next 4 1/2 hours!

Robin getting ready to sample some superb wines from Italy.

James Beard Award Nominee and super Chef, Chef Richard Langston, our Host.

Chris Zimmerman, the Wine Host and great Commentator.

The opener –

Frico
(parmesan crisps)
served with
Bisol Jeip Prosecco

Salumi e Focaccia sliced prosciutto, mortadella, spec, soppressata, rosemary-sea slat focaccia

Salumi e Focaccia
sliced prosciutto, mortadella, spec, soppressata, rosemary-sea salt focaccia

Pederzana Lambrusco
served with the plate above.

Fruity and bone dry. Goes great and calls out for salami.

Sfogl in Saor sole in sweet and sour sauce

Sfogli in Saor
sole in sweet and sour sauce

Suavia Soave Classico
The wine served with the sole.

In Italy, no wine is served without food. These vines are located 1000 feet above sea level in volcanic soils; oyster shell. We asked for a little parmesan and this seemed to help the wine. This will go great with asparagus.

Insalata Mista
local greens, tomatoes, carrots in a vinaigrette Raisins and onions
Very good salad.

Bruni Plinio Vermentino
A good Tuscan from the west central coast. Went very well with vinegar in the salad.

Quaglia e Risotto all’Amarone
stuffed quail, Amarone riotto
This was superb! The risotto was cooked in red wine.

Le Salette Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Went superbly with the quail and risotto. From Verona, “Valley of many Cellars”. Superb, full bodied red wine at 15% alcohol.

Cinghiale Arrosto Con Rosmarino e Ginepro
wild boar with rosemary and juniper, currant sauce, zucchini
Great pairing with the Montalcino wine.

Fossacolle Rosso di Montalcino
Great paring with the boar. Great Tuscan wine. Produced on 6 acres and 1000 bottles a year. We bought a bottle. (We’ll worry about our meds next month!)

Bonet alla Piemontese
chocolate-coffee Amaretti terrine, fresh local strawberries
The best I can say about this is, “Is there any more? I want more!”

Marenco Scrapona Moscato d’Asti
From the Piedmont region. This is described as “A rainbow in your mouth.” Yes, it is well worth getting some. We did.

Such a grand night! Such a grand meal and wines. If you are in Boise, be sure to try this superb restaurant. One of the better ones in Boise and deserves the 5-Star rating I gave it. Superb! It would give the now defunct Andrae’s a run for their money. Cheers!

The “Buzz” Remodel and Italian Wine Night

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dinner With Friends, Herbs and Spices, Italian foods, Party Time, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Remodel, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wines - Italian

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Buzz remodel, growler, Italian food

Yes! Yea! Hallelujah! (Cristi looks like she is ready for the completion!) The remodel at The Buzz is complete and it looks awesome! New floors! New seating arrangement! New wine area! And a brand new Growler station! Bring your growler ….. Fill it up! Bring in your favorite stein or mug and Tommy will keep it for you on a display shelf for your use when you come in. Novel idea for this area.
But before we look at the new Buzz through the camera lens, lets look at the July Wine Club, Italian Wines. These wine dinners are a full 5 course dinner and 5 or 6 wines. All for $20 a plate! Look at what you get for that, not counting of course, the awesome friends and company. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers!

The announcement!

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Cakes ( I really enjoyed these, but a light sauce may have been a great addition.) 2010 Mandarossa Fiano 13.5% alc. good match with the cakes, but not my favorite for the evening. $12 [14]

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Cakes
(I really enjoyed these, but a light sauce may have been a great addition.
2010 Mandrarossa Fiano
13.5% alc. good match with the cakes, but not my favorite for the evening. $12 [14]

Piedmont Autumn Soup (Super good!) 2011 Piemonte Barera 13.5% alc. general appeal was good. a strong Barbera. $15 [15]

Piedmont Autumn Soup
(Super good! A little dab of fresh pesto in the soup would be good.)
2011 Piemonte Barbera
13.5% alc. general appeal was good. a strong Barbera. $15 [15]

Abruzzo Salad
2011 Niro Pecorino
13% alc. good match with is delightful and refreshing salad. $19 [17]

Agnolotti Piemontesi Allo Stufato 2011 Badiola Toscana 13% alc. a wonderful paring with this entree. $18 [19]

Agnolotti Piemontesi Allo Stufato
2011 Badiola Toscana
13% alc. a wonderful paring with this entree. a super Cab and Sangiovese blend $18 [19]

Pistachio Chocolate Cannoli
2012 Mandrarossa Nero D’avola
13.5% alc. super good Tuscan wine. loved it. can’t get a better score. $12 [20]

Ed and Mary enjoying the new look at The Buzz.

Now look at the New Buzz! Great atmosphere. Love the new look.

The new sign on the building by the entrance. There is also a very bright red and green sign on State Street.

The beer steins we have on “The Shelf”.

One of the beers on tap and ready for your growler or steim.

One of the beers on tap and ready for your growler or stein.

The new Growler Fill Station and location of the wines. Just inside the State Street door and to the right.

The new look just inside the State Street door. Wide open spaces! Great shiny floor. Bright and colorful. You did a great job, Cristi and Tommy. And I know Austin and Bailey helped.

BBQ and Beer

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anthropology of Food, BBQ Beef, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Fish, BBQ Sausages, BBQ Veggies, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Friends, Food Prep, Food Trivia, Grilled Fruit, Grilled Vegetables, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Hamburger, What's For Dinner?

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bbq beef, bbq chicken, bbq seafood, bbq veggies, Beer, grilling

From one of my many reference blogs, in this case Serious Eats (the photo here is from Serious Eats), I received this very interesting article on BBQ Beer Pairing, among other things such as the right beer with burgers, it is suggested too try “… Black IPAs to try: Firestone Walker Wookey Jack, Deschutes Hop in the Dark
Smoked porters to try: 8 Wired The Big Smoke, Stone Smoked Porter (for a more subtly smoky experience)
Porters to try: Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Nøgne-Ø Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.”
With chicken, they suggest “… Amber/brown German lagers to try: Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen, Heater Allen Coastal Lager (if you’re on the West Coast)
Blonde bières de garde to try: Brasserie St. Sylvestre 3 Monts, Saint Germain Page 24 Réserve Hildegarde Blond
Helles lagers to try: Weihenstephan Original Premium, New Belgium Summer Helles, Ballast Point Longfin Lager.”

The list goes on and the suggestions, too. Beers to go with sausages, steaks, grilled seafood, grilled veggies and then a suggestion, “If You Had To Pick Just One”. It is a good article and a great reference. Good luck and Happy Grilling! Cheers! And here is your chance – Try to stick with your local beers. Many cities now, including Boise, have some really awesome micro breweries and Boise even has, I think, the nations first nano brewery.

Grilled Foods and Wine

11 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Chicken, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Grilled Vegetables, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Salad, Sliders, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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grilling, the Buzz, The Buzz Coffee and Wine, wine dinner

Another interesting night and wine dinner at the Buzz in Boise. And just in time for the summer season – Grilled foods and selecting the right wine to go with the food. Cristi also let everyone know that they are putting a a beer tap system for local beers and she wants our suggestions. My suggestion is (1) Cloud 9 Nano Brewery in the Albertson’s Shopping Center on State Street and (2) 10 Barrel Brewery in downtown Boise. Here are some photos from tonight’s dinner and my wine ratings. A perfect score is [20]. Enjoy and Cheers!

Peggy is grilling skewers for dinner.

Wines prior to dinner. I did not particularly like the white one [11] and the red was just a little better [12]. I have had much better wines from both these wineries.

The best wine of the night was this one. I scored it a perfect [20]. Full bodied and went extremely well with the beef and chicken skewers and the corn on the cob. 2011 If You See Kay